Leland Street News

LELAND STREET FALL FESTIVAL

2011-11-11T13:00:00.001-08:00

Halloween is an exciting event on Leland Street. Many of the homes kick the season off by decorating their homes for the occasion.

The goody bags were cut, sewn and eyes glued in place for the costume parade prizes.

With the toot of his whistle, Grand Marshall, Arthur Forrest, sets the parade in motion!

The costumes, were colorful and clever and were a very interesting range of characters.

It was a wonderful flurry of activity for all. Everyone marched along with the parade, greeted neighbors, took photographs and enjoyed a beautiful day of autumn sunshine.

Children enjoyed the crafts, bobbing for apples, jumping in the moon bounce and took their turn at cracking open the pinata.

The afternoon was a wonderful opportunity to mingle with former neighbors who came to say hello as well as spend time with new neighbors and long time neighbors and friends.

The fun continued into the evening with a gourmet buffet, wine and smores for the children with marshmellows toasted over a fire pit.

The Wondrous Summer of 2011

2011-10-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

KAZIN:
Michael and Beth had a wonderful trip to Japan this summer. They traveled to the central part of the country to visit some traditional mountain villages, most of which disappeared in the 1960s, when the rivers were dammed. It's easy to see that houses made of wood and paper and bamboo had little chance against floods and earthquakes and fire and war. But they're exquisite.

The Kazins stayed in a lovely ryokan and learned to eat eel and miso soup for breakfast. Here are some examples of typical ryokans.

Beth reports that the Kazins are all doing well. Maia is on a three week camping and backpacking trip through Wyoming and Montana, as part of Stanford's pre-sophomore year. She is with a wonderful Earth Science professor, five TAs and twenty other sophomores, learning about the origins of the universe. They're having a fabulous time, learning geology and chemistry,and reportedly spending hours in philosophical discussions about the meaning of life.
Danny is too busy for much philosophizing. He's working 16 hours a day for the Long Island Democratic Party, helping to run a coordinated campaign of 88 different local races, the largest of which is for Suffolk County Executive. The election is this November, after which he's hoping to get some sleep.

SIMPSON/PAYNE:
The Simpson/Paynes put all summer camps on hold this past summer in favor of a three week family trip to France. While the kids had visited their aunt in the South of France several times before, none of them had ever been to Paris or the Dordogne.

We got great fares on US Airways flying out of DC through Charlotte to Paris, everything worked seamlessly, no delays, and the beauty was the tickets were half of what most fares to France were going for at the time -- I wouldn't hesitate to take that route again and buy through the same web site. Yes, cheapoair.com is, in fact, a legitimate organization -- good to know. After landing in Paris we all jumped on a TGV high speed train down to Aix-en-Provence to visit my sister, spent a week in a farmhouse near there, then rented a car and drove to the Dordogne, an area of France none of us had experienced.

The kids loved every minute, especially the caving in the Dordogne. The area is renowned for its hundreds of fascinating caves; some with prehistoric paintings, others with stunning rock formations. The Gouffre de Padirac was a major highlight of our caving expeditions -- where you descend into the bowels of the earth (338 feet down) and then climb into gondola-type boats to get an amazing tour of a subterranean river system and soaring rock formations.

The Dordogne is also widely known for its foie gras and truffles. Needless to say, the adults all have been on diets since our return. After a week in our farmhouse rental in the Dordogne near the beautiful medieval town of Sarlat, we hopped on the TGV train back to Paris.

We only had two and a half days to see all the Parisian sights but we were able to squeeze the major ones in, thanks to a lovely and very centrally located hotel. Turner's favorite was the Arc de Triomphe, Jack - the Louvre and Sarah - Montmartre.

TROCCHIO:
Jennie Trocchio and Whitney Kirkland, from Miami, became engaged last weekend. He proposed as the sun was setting over the beach in Key Largo. No date is set as of yet, they are enjoying being engaged. Jennie is working on her dissertation at Barry University in Miami on communications and students with autism.
Elizabeth has started practices with Washington Wizards – yes, she is a “Wizards Girl” and looking forward to dancing at the home games.

Elizabeth was also just appointed marketing director of the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation. Julie and Elizabeth saw Wicked when it was here in DC and loved every minute of it.

LEE:
Michael and Velina, who live on Rosemary Street, have welcomed the joyful arrival of their baby, Ian. Velina's mother arrived from Bulgaria for a month long visit, so Velina really has her hands full with lots of happy events.

In July, my kids, their spouses, children and I traveled to Kenmare, Ireland. It was absolutely magical.

A friend of mine owns a house in that town where my grandmother lived and let us use her house. Since there were 14 of us, we rented Irene's cousins house nearby. (One of the most magical things was finding a week when everyone could come since the idea didn't come to me until spring).

We stayed pretty close to town realizing that the kids would not enjoy long car rides ( the oldest of the 6 children was 11). But every day we had a special event such as mountain climbing, horseback riding, taking a boat ride in Kenmare Bay while seeing seals and other wild life, visiting a chocolate shop and making chocolate bars, traveling in a valley with animals all over the road including a cow that chased my 11 year old grandchild who knew she "could outrun that fat cow" We even found and explored the shell of my grandmother’s home. We had lots of laughs and now a mountain of memories.

STROTHER:
The Strothers had a laid back summer with lots of tennis, swimming and golf, and they survived Beach Week, (a tradition among newly graduated high school seniors) at Rehoboth in June. They spent two weeks on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket, where they rented a house in the historic part of Nantucket Town. They had wonderful weather and loved the beaches and great seafood there.

William is truly enjoying Trinity (CT). His classes are interesting, and he says he's working pretty hard. He has forsaken football for club baseball and reports that the parties are really fun.

Molly and Jim drove him up to Trinity in Hartford, CT and then took a four day trip down the Hudson seeing such mansions as the Rockefeller's Kykuit and FDR's Hyde Park.

It was a nice transition as it would have been depressing to come back so soon to an empty, quiet house. They really look forward to seeing William when he comes home for his fall break in Oct. and when they go up to Hartford for Parents' Weekend.

DANIELS/WOLFF:
We began our summer with a two week trip to Israel in early July to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Beit Daniel (the Tel Aviv synagogue founded by Miriam’s parents), as well as the 95th birthday of Miriam’s father Gerry Daniel.

Another highlight was a visit to Ramallah, where a USAID team led by a former Rockville attorney is helping to improve the Palestinian justice system. Then in mid-July we attended the wedding of Miriam’s niece Debby held on Donner Lake near Truckee, CA, preceded the same week (sadly) in New Jersey by the funeral of Larry’s brother Gil (who died of lung cancer).
We spent late July and August at our new summer home on Pleasant Lake in Casco, Maine. Visitors included David, Becky, and her boyfriend Aaron as well as Miriam’s father and assorted friends. Here is Miriam in the kitchen of our Pleasant Lake home.

Activities included kayaking and swimming, hiking, and eating lobster at the Naples Lobster Pound and ice cream at Pear’s Ice Cream and Hoagie Shop in Casco. David enjoyed the great outdoors even found a tree to hug. This is the view of the lake from our deck.

We have settled back home again and were happy to see Leland Streeters at the 100th annual banana split party.

FORREST:
Arthur and Marcy enjoyed a low key summer basically dining and splashing in our own backyard and celebrating the fact that Nicole and Steve bought a home in nearby Chevy Chase Hamlet. As Marcy and Arthur, blew out birthday candles this summer, we realized most of our wishes have already come true. One reaches a certain time in life when every birthday with an “0” or a “5” is a really special occasion...this was one of those years for both of us. Mon Ami Gabi Restaurant of Bethesda presented Arthur and Marcy with very sumptuous birthday desserts...enjoy by all.

The Forrest family tradition of handmade cards always adds a delight to the celebration.

There were a few of quick sojourns. Marcy Vamoosed to New York City twice for friendship trips. Marcy happened to have arrived in the midst of a very spirited Pride Parade. As a “Leo” she appreciated the lions on the prowl.

Toward the summer’s end, Arthur and Marcy spent a week at their home in Laguna Beach, California. Lunching daily overlooking the beach, watching the surfers and reminiscing about Nicole and Zak’s childhood summers boogie boarding in Laguna.
We suddenly have some delightful distractions in our home in the form of two new kittens. We are having a wonderful time with a rescue kitten, found on a busy highway, which Nicole brought home to us. The kitty was just 1 pound 3 ounces and about one month old when she came to us. We’ve named her Zuzette. We also have a new Burmese kitten, named Zelda. We think they are just wonderful, but our two adult Burmese cats, Zeppo and Zooko are still sorting out their welcome routine. We never thought we would have four (!) cats and we have just about run out of “Z” names. Meanwhile Nicole and Steve also brought two new Burmese kittens, Gusto and Baci, into their lives. We are all having such fun watching the little ones.
Amongst Arthur’s birthday gifts was a mug from Nicole and Steve with our Zeppo and Zooko on it. Little did we know at the time that very soon we would be adding Zuzette and Zelda

Zak is chronicling their antics on video. Zak will be leaving soon for film work in Poland.

TAPLIN/DELANCY:
We spent the second half of June in Mill Valley, California (just outside of San Francisco) in the adorable condo that we own there. Paul spent a few days at U.C. Berkeley, participating in a soccer camp. Being from the East coast, he was somewhat of a novelty, and everyone called him “Maryland.” We did some hiking, biking, and visiting with old friends.

Highlights included the farmer’s market at the Ferry Building, and a trip to the wine country (very near where we were married) and a baseball game at A T & T Park.
(Editor’s note: A T and T Park is regarded by ranker.com as #1 amongst the nation’s top stadiums).

We returned to Maryland for a couple of weeks, and then departed again, this time for the coast of Maine, where we spent two weeks at Vicky’s family’s summer home. Extended family gathered for a lobster dinner to celebrate Vicky’s dad’s 92nd birthday. Paul and his cousins really enjoyed the sailing this year, due to some great breezes. Even Ruby had some quality time sailing and kayaking.

We returned in August for Paul driver’s ed class. Now he has all the book knowledge and just has to get the 60 hours of practice behind the wheel before he can get his license. August was a good time for him to drive around here because the traffic was lighter than usual.
In late August, Vicky spent a week in Oregon with Russell, who has been taking some college classes out there. They attended the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, where they saw two plays, and dined al fresco on some of the charming restaurant patios along Ashland Creek.

Then they did a 4-day white water rafting trip on the Rogue River – a blast, a great trip for families to do together! They finished their week with a visit to the stunningly beautiful Crater Lake National Park.

LIPPOLD:
Anne has just returned from Amherst M.A. after visiting her college room-mate - 60 years ago! She had a great summer in Moran WY. and Paul's memorial service was lovely. Amongst my summer reading, I loved the "Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Barbewry.

LLOYD:
Florence was enjoying a delightful visit from her grandson, Michael when called by the LSSN. Florence proudly stated Michael is a senior at Hopkins and very smart and going on for graduate work.
Florence is looking forward to an October visit be Claudia Kolker a former resident of Leland Street and the very first editor of the LSSN. Claudia resides in Texas with her husband and two children. Florence is reading Claudia’s newly published book, The Immigrant Advantage. Books *A * Million comments: From an award-winning journalist comes a fascinating exploration of the life-enhancing customs that immigrant groups have brought with them to the U.S. and of how Americans can improve their lives by adapting them.
Florence also reccomends Amglish by Arthur Rowse. The author is a dear friend of Florence.

EDITOR’S NOTE: SPECIAL RECOGNITION: IN THE NEWS AND ON THE AIR!
Michael Kazin has a new book out titled "American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation."

American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation by Michael Kazin has received much acclaim.
Michael Kazin was a guest speaker at Politics and Prose Saturday, 9/17 and his book was a featured review in the Sunday New York Times Book Review 9/18.
A review from www.goodreads.com:
Michael Kazin—one of the most respected historians of the American left working today—takes us from abolitionism and early feminism to the labor struggles of the industrial age, through the emergence of anarchists, socialists, and communists, right up to the New Left in the 1960s and ’70s. Deeply informed, at once judicious and impassioned, and superbly written, American Dreamers is an essential book for our times and for anyone seeking to understand our political history and the people who made it.

Vicky Taplin recalls: I had a funny experience concerning Michael Kazin just a few days ago. I was taking Ruby for a walk and he was dashing out of his house and getting into the car. We waved to each other. Then about 25 minutes later, I was in the car listening to the Kojo Nnamdi show on WAMU, and Kojo introduced Michael Kazin as a featured guest in the studio. Then I listened to Michael talk about the Joe Hill and the labor movement, the subject of the show. The timing of our encounter just tickled me!

AYAZ:
We had a great summer traveling in both Southern and Northern California. We spent some time in the wine country and then in San Francisco with Tony’s family. One of the highlights for Arianna and Sophia was picking plums, figs, apples, and pears at a friend’s vineyard in Healdsburg, CA. We then drove the coastal route to Manhattan Beach to visit Nicole’s brother. We finished up the trip in Half Moon Bay, CA with trips to the tide pools and lots of coastal hikes. We owe a big thanks to the Vicente’s and Bateman’s for taking care of the new kitties in our absence. Nicole’s parents also came for a visit this summer and we all went to Bethany Beach for the 4th of July. The fireworks were great and it was the perfect escape from the D.C. heat wave.

Arianna and Sophia are really enjoying being at the same school this year! We have a great time seeing the Vicente’s and Duffy’s at the bus stop each day. We are so excited to have Tommy, Christine, Nora and Fredrick as our new neighbors and welcome them to Leland Street!

MELISSA/DOUG:
We had a delightful, but much too short, summer filled with family and friends. In a nod to family vacations from long ago, we gathered our extended clans for several weeks at Bethany Beach with grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, in-laws and kids. What a treat to have so many staying under one roof for long days in the sand and water and nights filled with good food and conversation!
Molly would highly recommend the annual Merriweather Post Pavilion Festival; a full 12 hours of music on three stages. This year featured the Black Keys, Patti Smith, Dead Maus, and Tv on the Radio.
As sad as it was to say goodbye to summer, we are enjoying our new Fall routines. Molly has once again joined the crew team at BCC, which takes most of her time outside of classes. Gordon began his last year at CCES and is happily working on his baseball skills while waiting for basketball season to begin.

RILEY:

In June Liam and I took a road trip back to my hometown of Erie, PA. Christine had to stay back for work, so it was a boys' road trip. We had a great time visiting with family and enjoying Erie's attractions.

We went on boat rides around the bay, the Erie Zoo, swimming in the lake and taking in a concert on the beach, an indoor water park, Waldameer amusement park and hikes in the woods. We finished our trip with a family reunion and a stop by my friend's house in Pittsburgh. Liam must think that Erie is the most fun place in the world because we had a new adventure every day. He loved calling Christine to tell her all about it.

In August we returned to Bethany Beach for a week with Christine's parents and her brother and his family.

We did all the usual beach activities - swimming in the ocean and pool, riding the rides at Funland, enjoying seafood, Grotto's Pizza and soft serve ice cream. Liam had a lot of fun playing with his cousins.

I have been traveling to Salt Lake City and Idaho a lot since this summer but that should thankfully wrap up in the near future. Liam has started at Wonders and is enjoying his new school. His old school in Reston closed down, but we are happy to have him getting to know other kids his age from our area. He also began taking soccer lessons with his classmates and will be taking swimming lessons this fall.

DUFFY:
Matthew started kindergarten at Rosemary Hills - he seems to be loving it. He's especially happy to ride the bus with neighbor friends and to have Sophia Ayaz as a classmate. Ryan and Charles miss having Matthew in the car with them on the way to work and daycare at the Justice Department.
A trip to northern California was a highlight of our summer. We spent several days in San Francisco, and were well equipped with recommendations from Ben and Vicky, and Nicole and Tony. We loved being in the city and staying off the beaten path in Pacific Heights. We also enjoyed seeing Point Reyes.

While in that area, we stayed at Nick's Cove - definitely worth checking out if you are in that part of the world, and especially if you like eating oysters. From there we traveled to Healdsburg for our nephew Justin's wedding. Matthew had a special role as the ring bearer - lots of fun for all of us.

Summer fun here in Chevy Chase included lots of old fashion including splashing and baseball - in the backyard, at Homerun Baseball Camp and at Nationals Stadium. Even Bonnie braved a double header.

BATEMAN:
The Batemans enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing summer - no major trips, just a lovely week at Bethany Beach with all five of us, and many family dinners at home and time by the pool. Seems the time has flown by! Terry and Will got in their share of golfing and Terry as usual spent hours in the garden.

Annie and Claire both completed very fulfilling internships (Claire at the American Institute for Cancer Research and Annie at United Cerebral Palsy) and now both girls have begun their SENIOR year of college. Gee that was quick.
Jill did her required "gallery sitting" at the Foundry Gallery in Dupont Circle (a co-op where she is a member). Jill also helped Claire move into her first "off campus" apartment the end of August. It was a fun weekend with a girls' road trip to Nashville (Vanderbilt) in Claire's new jeep and a fun night taking in some country music at Nashville's famed Blue Bird Cafe hearing Don Schlitz perform (you know songwriter of "The Gambler" etc).

Annie is doing a program at American University this fall and will heading back to University of Georgia in January to finish her last semester. So nice to have a chick back in the nest!! Will really enjoyed both of his sisters being in the area - he managed to swing by very often around dinnertime and Annie and Claire both loved hanging out at this new Glover Park apartment. Overall, it's been a great summer - already seeming like a long time ago as the first signs of fall are in the air.

PROCTOR:
Mary likes the programs and lectures offered by Ocean Learning Center. Last spring she took a course on Shakespeare and this fall she has signed up for Ibsen to Beckett. She says the catalog has a wonderful array of offerings.

KINNAIRD:
The Kinnaird Family had a wonderful summer starting with a trip to Normandy and Paris. Steve's mother and brother joined us for the trip which added immensely to our cultural knowledge. Steve's mother is a retired history professor and had led academic trips in the past to both Normany and Paris. Steve's brother, an artist, has traveled extensively through Europe and is deeply knowledgeable about art history.

It was a terrific trip! Some of the highlights of the Normandy trip were the D-Day Beaches, The American Cemetary at Normandy, The Bayeux Tapestry, Mont-St. Michel Abbey, the seaside town of Etretat made famous by impressionist painters, and Monet's garden and home.

Paris was thrilling. Highlights included climbing the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral, seeing the beautiful stained glass of St. Chappelle Cathedral at twilight while listening to a Bach concert, and savoring the scrumptious French cuisine over leisurely dinners.

After returning from France, David spent five weeks taking sculling and crew classes, getting his driver's permit, and starting to teach himself Italian. Joanie went for a twelve day wilderness canoe trip on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Maine. The whole family enjoyed hosting an extended family get-together of Amanda's side of the family. It was great fun to be able to host a large family gathering for the first time in our Leland Street home.

FENDRICK:
Barbara was not at home when the call came from LSSN, but luckily, Barbara’s son in law, Carl Gettinger, husband of Julia, was available to offer interesting family news. Carl and Julia are just completing their two years with the Embassy in Pakistan. Carl says that despite what one might read in the news, they have had a wonderful time in Pakistan. Julia’s work as Cultural Affairs Officer has given her particularly satisfying experiences; bringing American music groups to Pakistan, restoration of historical monuments and with educational exchanges. Carl encourages neighbors on Leland Stret to consider hosting an exchange student from Pakistan. Many of the Leland Street neighbors who remember the Gettinger children will be pleased to hear they are all doing well. Fiona has just graduated from the TASIS school in London and is now a freshman at University of New Hampshire, Daniel is a junior at Bart College in Redhook , New York and Irena is a Junior at University of Washington in Seatle.
The other Fendrick family news is John and Mary Fendrick have purchased 135 acres of farmland and are open for business May through November. Come pick your own flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables. All major credit cards are accepted.

Rock Hill Orchard
28600 Ridge Road
Mount Airy, MD 21771
(301) 831-7427

SOLOMON’s greetings were sent from Florida:
Fred and Dorothy Solomon have spent much of the summer in Sarasota and are returning by auto train. Dorothy has been enthralled with the cloud formations here, which race across the sky from east to west. I will be grateful if someone can explain the phenomenon to me, their variety and how rapidly they re-form , cross the sky, and disappear. She sees famous painters' oil paintings forming in the sky, contests between Roman or Greek gods , you name it...Some of the "paintings" are by "amateurs", but most are spectacularly "professional". The horizon is visible all the way around usually, like New Mexico etc., so
we can see the clouds' entrance and departure.
While we were gone, we had lots of work done on our interior: newly refinished floors throughout, the entire house freshly painted and a powder room built on the first floor--- for the first time since we moved in in l970. Jerry Parnecio ably looked over the construction and tended the garden and yard.

Marcy and Jill helped us pick the floor color and the living room paint, by e-mail ! A big thank you to them..It will be strange to see such a brand new, pristine house all of a sudden! We had gotten used to all those paint cracks.
Jerry also tended the garden and the yard while we were away. Sheila Sherwood looked in on Dorothy’s garden will full appreciation of the blooms.

PATCH:
The Patch family had a great summer. We split time between Leland Street and Bethany Beach most of the summer. Owen participated in the St. John’s basketball camp as well as sleep away lacrosse camps at both Salisbury University and the University of Virginia. This extra practice time paid off as Owen tried out and was selected for the Breakout Blue lacrosse team this fall, which is the more competitive Breakout team in the U15 age bracket. Emma and Erin participated in a gymnastics camp together this s summer. Aside from that, they logged many hours on the beach and battling the waves in Bethany. We are pleased to report that Hurricane Irene passed by our beach house without causing any damage. It was great to see many of you at the Back-to-School Banana Split Party – the tradition lives on!

Editor’s note:
All of Leland Street that was available to attend the Banana Split party had a marvelous time connecting once again with neighbors after the long summer. The children had a marvelous time in the wonderland of the Patch backyard while the adults enjoyed a wonderful selection of refreshments and beverages.

LELAND STREET FALL FEST ANNOUNCEMENT:
Several Ladies of Leland Street met for lunch to plan the Leland Street Halloween Parade, games, prizes and sumptuous buffet dinner. The planning session took place over a lively luncheon at Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda. Mark your calendar for a day of neighborhood fun and festivities on Sunday October 23rd beginning at 3:00. Look for more information via email and through flyers in your mail box. The Duffy house is already showing Halloween spirit with Matthew's handcrafted wreath made of past season Halloween Goody Bags.

FARRELL COSMAS:
“Hello to all the marvelous people on Leland Street! I'm very happy up here in the North country, but I'll never have neighbors like you. Happy Fall to All”

Spring - Summer

2011-06-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

Simpson/Payne:

Maggie, Michael and family honored Turner's 1st Holy Communion with a celebration at their home. Shortly thereafter, Turner enjoyed a playful moment in Jamaica during spring break.

Day time or night time, anytime of day is beautiful at Half Moon Bay in Jamaica.

The Simpson/Payne family enjoyed a fun filled, action packed spring break in Jamaica.

Ayaz:
We have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather with lots of bike rides and soccer practices. Nicole and Tony enjoyed their first “adults only” trip in quite awhile to St. Marteen in April. Tony’s company sponsored a trip to the island and it was a real treat. The food was amazing and the island full of character. The girls had lots of fun with their grandparents while we were away. This is a picture from our trip to St. Marteen. The tattoo was temporary from a pirates themed party the night before!

Sophia will graduate from Manor Montessori next week and is excited to join Arianna at Rosemary Hills next year (along with Matthew Duffy & Peter Vicente!) We will head to Bethany Beach for a week over the July 4th holiday.
The BIG news from our house is the addition of two family members, our new kittens, Tom & Jerry. The kittens are brothers and we all adore them!

The Batemans:
Summer started early in the Bateman home with Annie and Claire returning the first week of May having completed their junior years in college. Annie is looking forward to starting her internship with United Cerebral Palsy and Claire with the American Institute for Cancer Research. Both girls also plan to spend plenty of time at the pool too of course! - and are really enjoying being reunited with old high school friends also home for the summer. Jill is happy to have her chicks back in the nest and all are looking forward to a relaxing summer.
Jill, Terry, and Annie celebrated the parents anniversary at La Costa.

The Bateman ladies enjoy a girls’ night out in Annapolis with Will's girlfriend, Jenny (next to me) and our friend from Nashville, Angela,

Will continues to enjoy his job with Stonebridge (commercial real estate/development) and his new apartment in Glover Park. He is traveling some to Stonebridge's office in Orlando and is hoping to get the chance to visit the home office soon in Amsterdam. Terry is trying to find more time to play golf and had fun participating in this weekend's tournament at Columbia. He is also pleased with the abundant growth in the garden after all this rain!

Karasik/Rubashkin:
Jacob has finished FCon, if you went to Eastern Middle School, you know that it is the big end of 8th grade project, with a final presentation at  AFI in silver spring next week acob rounded out his school year with 8th grade projects and field trips to Antietam and Gettysburg/Mt Vernon.

Sophie will be attending Barnard College in the fall, and is quite excited about being in New York! Both she and Jacob are glad to be cycling outside now that the weather is better, and the racing season has started. Rock Creek Velo anticipates a stellar season.
Hannah has finished her sophomore year at Barnard, and has declared herself to be a history major. She will be spending the summer in NY, working at WKCR as the business manager. The rest of us are ready for some warm weather, no homework, and evening walks into town.
David and I spent a lovely weekend in San Francisco, where the weather was cool but sunny, the food excellent (including Ben Delancy's recommendation to dine at Zuni) and the sights beautiful.

We took in an interesting exhibit at the Legion of Honor's museum, which is a beautiful building right near the VA hospital, of all places! I was there to attend the annual Heart Rhythm Society meetings, which are always very informative.

Duffy:
Bonnie and Charles travelled to New Orleans for the Jazz and Heritage Festival. The weather was great and we enjoyed every minute of music and food at the Fest. Numerous Zydeco bands, Aaron Neville singing gospel and Kid Rock were just a few of the highlights.

Memorial Day was particularly meaningful for the Duffy family as Matthew and cousins rode in the Memorial Day parade in Charles' home town of Oakmont, PA. Charles presided over a ceremony naming a viaduct for his father, who served as mayor and PA state representative. The jeep honored Charles' father, Roger Duffy, who was awarded a bronze star for his service in World War II.

Charles and his siblings visited their childhood home. Not everyone could make it, so it was a smaller gathering than usual. (two spouses and five nieces and nephews weren’t able to come. )

Also over Memorial Day weekend, Ryan was baptised in the same church where Charles' and his five siblings were baptised. God parents sharing the event are Nathalie and John Duffy of McLean, VA. In a more playful moment during a visit to Bonnie’s mother, at Duke Gardens, Ryan demonstrates that he likes baseball as much as Matthew.

Matthew attended an orientation at Rosemary Hills - he loved it and is looking forward to starting there this fall.

Forrest Family:
Arthur and Marcy “Vamoosed” to NYC...for a very special occasion. After all these years, The Dick Cavett Show held a reunion for their production staff. As the director of The Dick Cavett Show, Arthur was excited to attend the reunion.

While Arthur was reflecting upon old times with Cavett and staff, Marcy got together with four friends from the Fashion world for a fun filled dinner at Swifty’s Restaurant. Marcy and Arthur stretched out the fun for two days with more friends and happenings before returning home.

This was a big “0” birthday for Zak, the family celebrated his 30th with a stop in a martini bar and then onto dinner in Adams Morgan. It was a wonderful sentimental evening.

Nicole and best friend/Maid of Honor, Leslie, flew to Bali for a ten day Yoga/Pilates retreat at Desa Seni. In addition to the intense program, they visited the Monkey Forest Temple and met with Ketut Liyer, the famous Balinese Shaman, catapulted into fame by the book, Eat Pray Love.
It was along way to travel, but a memorable experience awaited them. The monkey in the photo jumped on her back and took the banana from her purse. Could you blame him?? After all her purse is exactly the color of a big banana!!!

After Nicole’s return from Bali she and Steve attended a wedding in Newport Rhode Island. They walked the Cliff Walk, toured the historic mansions of Newport and toasted their friends’ wedding.

The Kazins
It is an interesting time of travel for Beth and Michael they will enjoy a stay near Barcelona, where Michael will be participating in a conference in Barcelona. Later in the summer, he will be teaching in Tokyo for 2 weeks. Beth will join him near the end and both will likely travel to China for a week.

Maia is coming home for the summer after a very happy freshman year at Stanford. She just had a role in the play "Killer Joe" which received great reviews and is preparing for final papers and exams. She'll be working at Child's Play for the summer.

Danny is working on behalf of the Democratic candidate running for the Suffolk County, LI county executive seat. The election will be in November and they expect a tough fight.

The Kinnards:
The Kinnaird Family has had a busy spring. We have enjoyed having our nephew-in-law stay with us for the past month while he was doing research on the Amish at the Library of Congress and the German Historical Institute.  David,16, has made a recovery from his broken kneecap and continues to work to regain his pre-injury strength. He has just finished taking his first Advanced Placement test in Macroeconomics. We are looking forward to seeing his photography in the upcoming art show at school.

Joanie, 14, is counting down the days till graduation from 8th grade. Joanie enjoyed acting and singing in the school play recently as well as being on the St. Patrick's varsity basketball team.

Steve is quite pleased with his birthday present, two Adirondack chairs for the back yard. They will go in the same perfect spot that the Bolands had their Adirondacks in. Amanda is enthusiastic about starting some volunteer work for the National Children's Hospital Surgical Care Unit.

Ann Lee:
Ann’s art work was on display at the Yellow Barn Gallery in Glen Echo Park, at the 3rd annual Exhibition of Paintings by the Pat Leibowitz Studio Artists. Find Ann top center amongst the artists and relaxing with her grandchildren.

Recently I had a fun experience with a robin and her babies. While I was in New York for a couple of days, a robin built a nest on a small window ledge just above my front door. When I returned we were both shocked when we came eye to eye. I was careful to stay out of the way and use my basement door. Soon there were 4 eggs and then 4 little birds. I couldn't believe how quickly they grew, overflowing the nest. Last week she pushed them out of the nest and now I study every robin in my yard, wondering if it's my border.

I especially miss them since I no longer have Kali, my dog, who had an inoperable tumor. I am keeping my eye on the Humane Society's web site of shelter dogs and may, after the trips, adopt another dog.

I have some nice trips planned, beginning with a trip to Nags Head with friends (including the Coons, former owners of the Duffy house), then a trip to Ireland with my kids and grandkids, and then finally a trip to Milan, Venice and the lake region of Italy. It looks like summer is here and with all the rain we look as green as Ireland.   Happy summer!

Riley:
We had an adventure at the zoo. We saw the lion roaring quite a bit and one of the pandas enjoying a nice meal in his/her habitat. Liam also liked the "spray stations" quite a bit and those may have been the highlight of the day.

You may have seen Liam tearing through the neighborhood on his big wheel and me pushing him uphill with a swiffer to save my back. Liam loves to ride his big wheel back and forth to the park.
We have all been looking forward to Cars 2 coming out and we were able to get special sneak-peak tickets to see it a week early. We had a full house for Memorial Day with Christine's parents, my parents, and all my sisters, brother, nieces and nephew over for the long weekend. We had lots of cookouts and took a boat ride on the C&O canal.

We're looking forward to the 4th of July parade and picnic and then a visit to Erie, PA to see friends and family. Christine won Sales Rep of the 4th Quarter and of the year at Oracle direct so we are very proud of her. I have been traveling back and forth to Salt Lake City and Boise Idaho for work.
We have also started on the landscaping, concentrating on the back yard first, then the side hill on Oak Ln, then the front/wall.

Taplin/Delancy:
The Taplin/Delancy family is as busy as ever. Paul played varsity tennis at BCC, and had a good season. He is also on a travel soccer team, and participated in the infamous BAND TRIP! Russell is on the big island of Hawaii on a wilderness trip. If any one needs suggestions for places to eat in San Francisco, Ben is your go-to person!

Patch:
The Patch family was immersed in he spring sport season. Owen played lacrosse in addition to soccer, which Ted coached, and they are having a great season! Emma played softball, also coached by Ted, and Erin started soccer, she scored two goals in one weekend, making her team victorious. Everyone recently went to Baltimore to enjoy Shrek the musical

Bob is doing well, and continues to travel the world. He recently returned from Bonnaire with family, and is going back to Russia this May!

Riley:
The Riley’s are enjoying settling into their new home on Leland street. Liam is excited about his new big wheel bicycle.

Lippold:
All of Leland Street was saddened by the news of the passing of Paul Lippold. Many neighbors will remember how Paul enjoyed sitting in front of his home with his dear dog, Ishkabibble.

Dr. Lippold is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Anne S. Lippold, his four adored children David, Karen, Elizabeth and Susan, his eight loving grandchildren Caroline, Emily, Park, Rachel, Gabriel, Samuel, Olivia and Israel, his two brothers Jack and David, and his ever-faithful canine companion, Ishkabibble.

Paul C. Lippold, an entomologist who worked to improve agricultural crop production in developing countries around the world, died March 17 at his home in Chevy Chase. He was 81.
Dr. Lippold began his overseas work in the late 1960s in what is now Bangladesh. He studied the pest- and disease-resistance of rice strains at the International Rice Research Institute, an organization that was instrumental in sparking the Green Revolution when it developed a high-yield variety of rice.
During the 1970s, he worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Thailand, reviewing chemical pest control practices for crops including cotton, citrus, maize and tobacco.
He continued to work for the FAO in Korea during the late 1970s. In 1979, he moved to Borneo to direct agricultural training extension activities with local government officials and farmers. After a brief stay in the Washington area in the early 1980s, he served in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa with the U.S. Agency for International Development, identifying ways to overcome constraints to food crop production.
Dr. Lippold was fond of sailing, cooking and spending time at his cabin in Moran, Wyo., at the foot of the Teton Range. The Lippold family had a wonderful memorial get together at our house in Moran. The eight grandchildren and two cousins made up a rap song that was delightful about his life, and friends and children spoke lovingly about Paul. The following day we buried his ashes above our house (on our property) toward the top of our mountain and it was wonderful.

2011-02-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

Fall Winter Celebration of Family and Festivities

2011-02-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

FORREST:

Our family had the most joyful fall ever leading up to the October wedding of our daughter, Nicole, to Steve Byers at Meridan House in Washington, D.C. Zak walked Marcy down the aisle and then immediately picked up his camera and assumed his role as wedding videographer.

An emotional Arthur walked Nicole down the aisle to her handsome beaming groom and held up well with just one quick choke during his memorable toast to the bridal couple.

The guest list included Leland Street neighbors whom Nicole has enjoyed a friendship with over the years; Charles and Bonnie Duffy, Farrell Cosmas, Vicky Taplin, Ben Delancy, Maggie Simpson and Michael Payne. Just after the ceremony, as the bridal party finished the recessional, Marcy and Nicole were delighted to look up and see Bonnie, Maggie and Vicky smiling down at them.

Marcy's brothers and sisters were all together to share the day, as well as three nieces. It is a treat to get family together from different corners of this vast continent. Marcy and Arthur shared the joy of the celebration with Steve's parents, Jack and Marie Byers.

Following the ceremony, the evening progressed with dining and dancing to the music of the Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra until the bride and groom exited as the cheering guests waved sparklers.

Nicole and Steve flew to Tahiti for a two week honeymoon.
In stark contrast to their honeymoon in Tahiti, they spent three wintery days in NYC arriving just as the snowfall began on December 26th.

They arrived in time for a matinee performance of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. By the time the performance let out, New York City was coping with the blizzard of the century.   They found a few wonderful ports in the storm, including the sanctuary of their hotel directly across from Central Park with glorious views of the Park’s winter wonderland.

The November edition of American Cinematographer magazine features a lengthy article about Zak and Chad of ZF-Films and their spectacular underwater video for Deftones.

Marcy and Arthur spent the final week of the year in California for Arthur’s production week as Exec. Producer/Director of the NBC Rose Parade. The Tournament of Roses Parade included forty-seven floral covered floats, twenty-two bands and twenty-two equestrian events all marching with great energy and enthusiasm along the parade route.

The Rose Parade rolled along the streets of Pasadena under bright blue skies on a chilling morning. This year’s parade’s theme was Building Dreams, Friendships and Memories was beautifully interpreted. What a way to begin the New Year!

HELLAND-BAY:
The Helland Bay family is enjoying fall and the holiday season! The kids had a fantastic Halloween and we were thrilled to be invited to the Vicentes to celebrate a proper American thanksgiving!
The Helland-Bay household had another fabulous Christmas in America!

We decorated the Christmas tree, made gingerbread cookies and had family visit from Norway which added an extra joy to the holiday, as did the visit from Santa on Christmas Eve! Santa was seen making several stops along Leland Street to the homes of all the good little boys and girls.

Just after the New Years, the family enjoyed a great get-away and the warm weather at Sanibel Island, Florida.

Sea sponges, shells and other fun stuff rolls ashore at “the Rocks on Sanibel Island’s west gulf beaches. The kids loved collecting shells at the beach and swimming in the pool.

STROTHERS:
The Strothers time as "El-Hi" parents is drawing to a close. St Albans varsity football, with Will as quarterback, had a 9-1 season, losing only to Georgetown Prep, 13-15.

Will was on the bench at the end of the season as he recovered from the insertion of a screw in his left wrist -- he played for 2 1/2 games after suffering a break in the Prep game, thinking that he only had a sprain. He is looking forward to attending Trinity College in Hartford this fall. Related to his leaving, the Strothers will be seeking advice as to how to survive as empty nesters.

AYAZ:

Fall was great fun this year. Sophia celebrated her 5th birthday in October and both girls enjoyed many Halloween festivities!

November was also a busy month. Tony’s mom came to visit from California and we all enjoyed her delicious home cooked afghan meals. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with friends and made a trip to the Ice Skating rink! While Grandma was here to babysit Tony and Nicole enjoyed some fun nights out, including a concert of the J.J. Grey band
The Ayaz family enjoyed balmy weather during their winter vacation in Costa Rica! The girls fell in love with the white-faced monkeys and howler monkeys that played in the tree tops around the house!

The family did the 100 foot high zip line through the rain forest--Nicole was the most scared! They enjoyed a tour of the Manuel Antonio National park and days of relaxing by the pool and beach. The family returned to 26 degrees in DC, already dreaming of a return visit.

BATEMAN:
The Batemans had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all three children home!!! Claire arrived from South Africa on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. After a few good nights sleep in her warm bed, began cooking for the Thanksgiving feast. Annie was home from UGA for the week and contributed her pumpkin bread pudding to the festivities.

Jill's brother, Mark and sister-in-law, Patty, came down from New York and Jill's parents came up from Florida.
All in all, it was a fun and cozy weekend blessed with precious family time, loads of turkey, too many southern style casseroles and several desserts complete with homemade boiled custard. The Batemans had a wonderful holiday season; really enjoying all being home together (the kitchen was NEVER idle).

Jill, Annie, and Claire kept up the tradition of going to the Washington Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker and also took the Vamoose to NYC to enjoy the Christmas merriment.

Christmas Day was magical with the early snowfall, and Jill and Terry loved the new dynamic of being surrounded by "adult children" who were into relaxing and enjoying the peace of the day. It was one of the more restorative family Christmases.
As of January 11th, Jill and Terry (and Rugby) were once again empty nesters! Memories of the Claire’s semester in Cape Town, South Africa and Jill and Will’s trip to visit her are enjoyed over and over again in the photos.

Jill and Claire on top of Table Mountain and Will and Jill near Cape of Good Hope . Of course a safari was among the unforgettable sights and experiences.

It’s a world away from meeting a medicine man in Africa to setting up a new apartment in Glover Park with the help of Jill, Annie, and Claire.

Annie drove back down to Athens, GA to begin her semester at the University of Georgia.
Jill flew down to Nashville to help Claire move into her new on- campus apartment at Vanderbilt. Claire is thrilled finally to be out of the dorm (and if any college student ever needed a kitchen, it's Claire).

LEE:
Grandchildren can be dangerous. I say that lovingly. On Nov. 3 I was chasing my 4-year-old grandkids down the hill outside their house when I slipped, did the splits (never could do them!) and tore the tendons to my hamstring. I had wonderful care at Michael and Velina's home on Rosemary Street with a nice break at the beach and a trip to the N.C. mountain house of my sister and brother-in-law over Thanksgiving.. As usual the visit was filled with piano, guitar and singing that makes the heart fill with joy. My kids encouraged me to go ahead with my silk-screened Christmas card and the caroling party.

Editor’s note: All of Leland Street is so appreciative of Ann Lee’s Caroling Party tradition; those who opened their doors to the holiday cheer of the carolers and everyone who enjoyed the homemade treats, cider and wine loved sharing this annual holiday event with neighbors.

TAPLIN-DELANCY:
The Delancy family drove to Brooklyn NY on the afternoon of Dec. 24. While packing the car for the trip, they encountered many neighbors delivering cards and cookies, decking the halls with decorations, and departing for the airport, train and bus stations to pick up visiting family members. Everyone was very jolly, and the Christmas spirit was in the air! They had a smooth, pre-storm journey to New York, and arrived in time to have Christmas Eve dinner with Vicky's family at her brother and sister-in-law's home in Brooklyn.
In the midst of the snowstorm, Russell, Paul and Vicky’s Dad found indoor activities involving fun and concentration.

They spent Christmas day in Brooklyn also, and then spent the night in Manhattan, with plans to celebrate Paul's 16th birthday (the 26th) hitting all his favorite spots in the Big Apple.
Checking the forecast before leaving Chevy Chase for a few "snow showers" on Sunday, the family decided not to bother bringing heavy snow boots. Bad decision, since two feet of snow fell on the 26th in New York.

The family faced gusting winds, snow falling horizontally, and white out, but managed to see a movie in Times Square (The Fighter -- excellent!), a show (Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson -- very entertaining!) and enjoy a birthday dinner in mid-town.

(Editor’s note: The snow is at least three feet deep on the Rockefeller Center sculptures behind Paul.)

Staying at the Yale Club and starting the day over a nice breakfast was a treat, even, or maybe especially, in a blizzard.

While Paul has enjoyed many fun birthday celebrations with family, this one was unique!

KARASIK-RUBASHKIN:
Pam and David had a wonderful Thanksgiving trip to Paris, which was cold but beautiful.. We were fortunate to be able to spend a week in Paris, taking in all the lovely sites, and eating some really excellent meals. We rented a wonderful apartment in the sixth arrondissement and it made traveling very comfortable.

David's sister and family live in London, and they met us in Paris so that we were able to celebrate thanksgiving with them, turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce! It was gray and cold, but we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

The Eiffel tower was amazing, as was an extensive Monet exhibit at the Grand Palais. Fortunately the civil unrest which had plagued the country only a few weeks ago had largely subsided, though we were shut out of the Musee d'orsay one day due to a strike! It's nice to come home to such warm weather!
Pam worked over the holidays so they kept close to home.

Hannah spent two weeks in New York City working on the Columbia University radio Station (WKCR) Bach Fest which is their big annual fund raiser--quite successful. New Year’s Eve was spent with close friends and good food, with a well-deserved rest on New Year’s Day. Hannah is back to Barnard on Monday, and Sophie and Jacob are facing a week of finals exams! Pam and David saw and highly recommend The Kings Speech.

DUFFY:
This fall, Matthew has enjoyed playing flag football (and watching a lot of football with his Dad, too.) In fact, “eye black” was on the top of his list for Santa. He found that and much more sports stuff under the tree. Christmas was so much fun – so nice to be here at home.

Matthew was thrilled by everything, but a visit from “Santa” on Christmas Eve was the biggest thrill of all. His eyes almost popped out of his head when Santa walked right through the front door. Matthew ducked for cover under the dining room table and watched Santa deliver presents. After Santa left, Matthew exclaimed, “I better go right up to bed in case Santa comes back!” Matthew loves telling friends and family about the visit, and sometimes observes “Santa’s voice sounded a bit like Arthur Forrest’s.”

Charles’ and Matthew’s favorite gift may have been “Bubba” – the Steeler football player you’ve seen on the front porch. Bubba has since relocated to Charles’s sister’s home in McLean.

Bonnie and Matthew took the Vamoose to New York City to enjoy Rockefeller Center
We can hardly believe that Ryan is 10 months old. Ryan is growing by leaps and bounds. He is officially crawling now, after weeks of moving backwards or in circles.

Editor’s note: The little wooden wagon that was amongst the Leland Ladies Baby Shower gifts for Bonnie has been put into action.

Ryan can put his toys in it and there is still room for him to crawl inside and have BIG brother Matthew push him around.

SIMPSON-PAYNE:
Maggie's work took her to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a week before Christmas.

A trip which involved wearing the traditional Abaya, riding camels and eating copious amounts of mutton.
She made it back in time to welcome her sisters from France and Ohio for the holidays and to enjoy a wonderful Christmas together. The day after Christmas, as the snowstorm headed North, the family including Chloe (the dog), loaded into the car for the yearly drive down to the beach, near Charleston, S.C. Despite heavy blizzard conditions they made it safe and sound and enjoyed seeing the rare, light dusting of snow as they entered Charleston. After a wonderful week relaxing, biking and playing family board games at the beach, the family headed back to the daily hustle and bustle of life in Chevy Chase.

RILEY:
The Rileys’ expect to move in to their new house, which is nearing completion, by early February. The Rileys celebrated Christmas a few days early with Mark's sister Denise who lives in Hyattsville and brother John who lives in Triangle, VA.

Christmas Eve was spent with Christine's family at her brother's house on Lynn Dr. They spent a quiet Christmas day at their home with Christine's parents who live in Triangle, VA.
After Christmas Mark took Liam up to Erie, PA to visit with his Mom and two other sisters, Teresa and Kelly.

The highlight was taking a walk across the frozen bay and seeing fish frozen in the ice below and the remains of a shipwreck sticking out just above the ice. They returned back to Maryland to spend another quiet New Year's at home.

DANIEL-WOLFF:
David Wolff was home for Thanksgiving from the University of Michigan, where he is studying for a Masters in Music education. Larry spent a week in early November attending a conference on teacher education in Israel and also helping with the synagogue in Tel Aviv (Beit Daniel) which the family has been involved with for 20 years.

Thanksgiving Day and Friday were spent with old friends and relatives. Miriam recommends the novel Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese.
The Wolff Daniel family, including Becky and David, spent much of the holiday season in Longboat Key Florida (near Sarasota), visiting Miriam’s father and enjoying the Florida West Coast. Among the highlights, David and Miriam kayaked in the choppy Gulf of Mexico, where David was visited by three curious dolphins. Larry and Miriam kayaked in the Myakka State Park, joined by alligators, vultures, storks and roseate spoonbills.

David and Larry visited the Mote Marine Aquarium in Longboat Key where they observed sharks, turtles, jellyfish and manatees.

The whole family attended a seventieth birthday party for Larry’s brother in law. By the end of the week Becky, recovering from accidentally cutting a tendon in her foot a month earlier, was walking without crutches. The following week she attended the annual consumer electronics show in Las Vegas where she touted Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer 9. Back in Washington Larry spent two cold days in a primitive Potomac Appalachian Trail Club cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, along with a friend and two dogs, including Toby, where he worked on his wood burning skills.

Later Larry visited his brother in frozen Greenville South Carolina and spent 10 hours in the Greenville airport before arriving home at 1 am.

LLOYD:
Florence enjoyed a neighborhood brunch as a nice opportunity to catch up with long time friend, Farrell Cosmas. Farrell brought along photos from Will and Karen Cosmas’ wedding to share.

HOROWITZ -KAZIN:
Michael and Beth were thrilled to have both Danny and Maia home for the Thanksgiving holiday. Zoe was happy as well, but dog that she is, there was another reason to celebrate: she got more turkey in one day than she gets in a month. Danny spent all fall running the canvass operation for Rep. Tim Bishop, a Democratic congressman from New York.

And he's still at it: the election was so close that the counting is still in progress, with each side challenging absentee ballots they believe may favor their opponent. At least, it's a great experience. Maia is nearing the end of her first quarter at Stanford, where she has made good friends, taken a hiking trip to Big Sur, and auditioned for several plays.

KINNAIRD:
The Kinnaird Family is loving being in our new home. Steve and David have been enjoying going to some of the University of Maryland football games this fall.  For Thanksgiving, we had a marvelous feast at Steve's mother's home, prepared by Joanie and Gramma Kinnaird. The Kinnaird Family enjoyed their first Christmas on Leland Street Leland. The homes were beautifully decorated and a joy to pass by every day. Have you noticed the 48 pots of pansies that come and go from the front of the Kinnaird house? It's science fair time.

Joanie has been busy examining the differences of those grown with chemical, organic or no fertilizer. David is enjoying the start of his recreational basketball season. He plays on a team with guys from several different schools. It's fun for them to get together after not seeing each other much during the year.  For Steve and Amanda, having two teenagers is a hectic but fun time!

MARTZ-DAVIES:
So, the Martz Davies family has had a busy but lovely Fall.   Kyle and Nora both played soccer and hockey, and Kyle played his first season of lacrosse, which he took to like a violent fish with a stick takes to water. Nora has spent her Sundays going straight from hockey, where she is an aggressive defensewoman, to ballet rehearsal at the Strathmore -- she will be a Snowflake in the Moscow Ballet's production of the Great Russian Nutcracker at the Strathmore, December 8 and 9.

Several members of her (otherwise all-boy) hockey team are coming to watch. She bashes them with her hockey glove when they call her "Snowflake" in the locker room.
Pip finally has her own activity -- gymnastics. Before her first session, she was incredulous that she got to be on the other side of the classroom door, having spent the first three years of her life waiting, and waiting, and waiting.
Chris turned 40 October 1, and to celebrate, Chris and I spent our FIRST DAY AWAY TOGETHER IN 6 YEARS getting our Saab serviced in Charlottesville, Va, rather than hiking and biking in the Shenandoahs. To be clear, we weren't AT the service center all day -- mainly we were waiting for the flatbed to drive back and forth to Purcellville Virginia before the driver decided whether he could actually find our car and navigate the hills to get to it. The next day, though, friends came out to spend the night and have a spectacular dinner at the Inn at Little Washington.

GIBSON:
The kids here are busy counting down the days to the next holiday break and Lola lying around dreaming of another winter of snow for romping, sleeping, and neighbor greeting.
In the meantime, Gordon is enthusiastic for the new basketball season, thanks to his genetic height advantage. Molly re-upped for the crew team at BCC and is currently hobbling around the house and rubbing her blisters in both delight and horror. We all enjoyed early snow in Pittsburgh over Thanksgiving, while visiting Doug's family.

LELAND STREET FALL FESTIVAL

2011-01-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

2010 Leland Street Fall Festival

The children, friends and neighbors of Leland Street enjoyed a magnificent fall festival. The Grand Marshall donned his red cape and grabbed his whistle, Marcy picked up the baskets of her handmade costumes prizes, Terry Bateman turned on the ignition of the Parade Pace Car and Jill broadcast music for parade march as the Leland Costume Parade moved up Leland Street.

The wagons, strollers, pets, paraders, parents and paparazzi were on the move!

There was a smile for every “scary” or sweet moment.

The costumes were precious, clever and charming. Every child gets a prize.

The children had a wonderful time with the crafts table, games, moon bounce and pinata.

Neighbors enjoyed the chance to mingle amongst each other and to meet our new neighbors.

The festivities continued into the evening with a sumptuous buffet dinner, marshmallow roast and even a light sticks for the children's moon bounce.

As always it was a fun filled night for families and friends.

This year’s Leland Street Fall Festival was graced with a special guest. Governor Martin O’Malley stopped by to say hello to friends and supporters.

SUMMER Fun! Sun, Surf, Safari, Milestone Birthday, Wedding!

2010-09-22T07:19:00.001-07:00

LLOYD:
This is a very special year of birth-days. Florence welcomed two Great Grandchildren into the world and celebrated her own spectacular milestone year. Here is Florence with new born Benjamin.

Florence was overwhelmed by the out-pouring of birthday wishes and cards from all of Leland Street. She sends her deepest heartfelt thank you for making her birthday such a wonderful event.
Florence writes:
I have tried to reach all my wonderful neighbors and friends to thank them for their good wishes on my becoming the senior member on this block. It is a great privilege to live among all of you. When I was searching for a house many, many years ago, I looked at many houses and this one looked more than hospitable -- it turned out exactly as I had hoped. I remember so many people and events about life on Leland Street; ie: the very first issue of the Leland Street News - two kids on the block were the writers and editors and united this community more than ever before. The first write-up of Hirshhorn Opening appeared in this paper! My husband Joel was the first judge for the annual costume party - only by virtue of the fact that we are the last house on the block! Everyone had a prize for his costume: the longest, shortest, squarest - each had an announced reason!! Then there was food and games - - all gripes forgotten. It felt like living in two families. Now we are so lucky to have Marcy and Arthur who help us enjoy our togetherness - thank you. And welcome to all our new neighbors -- happy I lived long enough to be acquainted.

DANIEL- WOLFF:

In June the Wolff Daniel family went on a safari with another family to the Okavungu Delta in Botswana as well as to Victoria Falls in Zambia.

Highlights included: afternoon tea 10 feet from the crest of Victoria Falls, sunsets shared with giraffes, wildebeest, and zebra,

dozing lions 20 feet away, a menacing elephant charge, a pack of wild dogs, a hunting leopard, baboons in the camp, a giraffe carcass, We saw towering termite mounds, and early in the trip, near freezing evenings and mornings.

Later in the summer Miriam and Larry spent a more tranquil two weeks on a lake in Maine, watching the loons and hummingbirds.

Just two weeks ago David left for the University of Michigan where he has begun studying for a masters in music education. Becky is still with Microsoft in Seattle where she is now working on improving Internet Explorer.

MARTZ-DAVIES:
It was a good and eventful summer. Kyle and Nora participated in myriad camps -- Kyle focused on hockey, lacrosse, and tennis camps and spent a bunch of time on the Edgemoor swim team; Nora had to cope with having to heal her broken arm at the beginning of the summer but nevertheless attended Camp Calleva, hockey camp, and gymnastics camp -- plus she was a Junior Dolphin at Edgemoor.

Pip split her time between relaxing at home and attending camp at Oneness Family School, where she was in a 2-year old class last year and begins in a mixed age pre-school class this Fall. We spent a week at a camp in the Adirondacks, where Kyle hike 3 high peaks, Nora hiked some challenging mountains, and Pip climbed her first mountain; Kyle and Nora also both water skied on a long rope for the first time. Stephanie and Chris enjoyed the time away from BlackBerries and cell phones and electricity. As Kyle explained to us, spending time in forests causes people's heart rates and stress to decrease.
Kyle and Nora will return to Sidwell, in third and first grades respectively. But first celebrated their birthdays with a pool party Labor Day weekend. Pip is now sufficiently with it that she's demanding her own birthday party (being the third, we've pretty much been able to ignore her birthday up until now; we can solve our omission through PhotoShop later), so we're going to have to put something together for her in mid-September.

HELLAND-BAY:
The Helland-Bay Family are happy to be back in Leland Street after seven weeks (!) in Norway. Our family over there was thrilled to meet the newest addition to our family tree. The main person herself, Guro, aka Gia, seems to like it better here in the US. Whether it's the climate, the people or the mere fact that this is where she is born will be a well kept secret – the important thing is that she thrives and is the happiest, “smiliest” and “babbliest” baby ever! Eira enjoyed jumping into the sea at Tarjei’s parents summer house, while Mari got ready to get into the boat to go fishing at the summerhouse.

While in Norway, we experienced the loveliest wedding as Sigrid's younger sister, Hannah, got married! Truly a day to remember. Hannah will come and visit us over Christmas. Eira and Mari with their cousin Hannah all dressed up for their aunt's wedding. and little Guro also dressed for the wedding. Otherwise Norway treated us with its typical cool, partly rainy summer weather, so getting back to true summer was nice.

Eira and Mari are looking forward to starting school next week – their parents are also excited that school will finally begin! It really is nice to be back in our lovely neighborhood! Thank you so much to all our wonderful neighbors who make is so great to come home!

SIMPSON-PAYNE:
We had a great summer, which we kicked off in June by celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary with all the kids in St Johns. The whole family snorkeled together 4 hrs a day and couldn't get enough of the amazing sea life and perfectly clear, blue waters. The kids particularly loved the huge sea turtles, which were in abundance off our beach. Jack and Sarah then went to Camp Seagull and Seafarer in North Carolina, for one month, where they spent their time sailing and doing every imaginable water activity.

The rest of our summer was spent at our beach house on the Isle of Palms, in South Carolina, where we enjoyed receiving friends and family throughout July and August. It all ended far too soon.
This week, Jack started his first year at Westland in 7th grade, Sarah is in her last year at CCES, in 6th grade, and Turner left NPS to join his sister for his first year at CCES, in 3rd grade. So far, he loves it, and we are delighted that all three kids are at schools to which they can either walk or bike. Look forward to seeing everyone out and about on Leland Street this Fall!

AYAZ:
Summer began with a flurry of swim lessons, tennis and bike rides. We then escaped the heat to California with visits to beautiful Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco, and Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles. The girls especially enjoyed visiting a marine preserve in Half Moon Bay and going tide pooling.

They discovered shrimp, star fish, and other sea life. They got to watch the seals swim to the beach with the little seal pups. The girls also had a blast roasting marshmallows at the resort’s outdoor fire pits! We enjoyed visiting with family and friends in the Bay Area before heading south to visit Nicole’s brother in Manhattan Beach. Once again we stopped by our very favorite ice cream parlor and took fun bike rides along the beach on the “Strand.” The day we returned from CA, the tornado hit and the power was out for days!!! In August we spent time in Bethany Beach with Nicole’s parents. Everyone was thrilled when all of the Leland neighbors returned from their summer trips.

We have enjoyed fun play dates over the summer and an especially fun time the 1st day of September with many of the neighbor children coming over to play in the sprinklers and beat the heat! The whole family enjoyed some fun outdoor summer concerts including the Gypsy Kings and Tom Petty.

Arianna has started 1st grade and is enjoying seeing all of her friends again. Sophia will soon start her last year of pre-school. We are all looking forward to fall and the fun activities of Leland Street!

LIPPOLD::
Anne sends her report from Wyoming:

We are continuing to have a lovely time in a beautiful and peaceful spot. Our family spent a lot of time with us this summer and now we are left alone on top of the mountain. I am reading about a book per day. The Aspens are turning colors and there is a glorious view from our deck. We have already had two lite snowfalls. Since I am not teaching I haven't decided when we will return to Chevy Chase. I hope all is well with every family on Leland Street, sending lots of love,

STROTHER:
Our big news is that William's turn as starting quarterback at St Albans has finally come, and his debut took place Saturday, September 11.
Bishop O'Connell was favored by DCSportsFan.com to prevail over St Albans 20-7. Instead, St Albans won by a rout, and William is the IAC Player of the Week. Here is William Strother # 11 in the midst of the exciting game.

DCSportsFan.com reports on spectacular St Albans game and star quarterback Will Strother:
Weekend Football Scores
St. Albans 31, O'Connell 14
IAC Player of the Week
Will Strother, St. Albans
Strother did it all for St. Albans in the Bulldogs' season opener. The senior quarterback completed five passes for 59 yards, carried the ball 11 times for 67 yards and scored all four of St. Albans' touchdowns in their victory over O'Connell.
Most of the Strother summer was spent at home waiting for William to finish his St Albans sixty hour social service requirement. William worked at the Washington Home and enjoyed helping and interacting with the senior citizens there. Molly worked on her golf game, and Jim read, loafed, and played home vet for an aging pet.
This summer Molly and William made two college tours. They started
with Southern schools, including Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Davidson and
the College of Charleston.

William's history research paper last year dealt with Sherman's Atlanta campaign, so along the way they visited various battle sites, such as Chicamauga, Kennesaw Mountain,Milledgeville -- the old Georgia state capital -- Fort Pulaski, outside Savannah, and the Bennett Farm in North Carolina, where Sherman received General Johnston's surrender. On the Northern route, they toured Union, Hamilton, Colgate, Syracuse, and Trinity, among others.

They spent three days in the Berkshires visiting the
Norman Rockwell Museum and Edith Wharton's home ("the Mount") and saw a wonderful production of Macbeth. Plus a few terrific meals. Then
William returned for St Albans football camp and summer ended.

MELISSA AND DOUG:
After a hectic Summer, we are looking forward to the routines of Fall. Molly started at BCC and despite repeatedly getting lost during the first couple of days, she is enjoying high school. In addition to her newly expanded load of homework, she has tennis and guitar to keep her busy after school hours. Gordon continues at CCES, missing the freedom of summertime, but happy to be reunited with his buddies for a minimum of seven hours each day. It should be noted for those of you who have not seen Gordon recently that Gordon has finally achieved a milestone which was the subject of many bets: at the beginning of 5th grade, he reached Melissa's full height. In a few short weeks (no pun intended), Melissa will officially be the shortest member of the family (and we can probably include in the dog in that equation). Gordon, needless to say, is looking forward to basketball season. Lola is teaching us the obvious, that a 90 pound puppy can be a handful. However, despite her close resemblance to Marley and Clifford (at least in regards to her behavior), we think that she is a keeper.

BATEMAN:
The Batemans have had a fantastic summer! As usual though, the time has flown by and although the hint of fall in the air is exciting, there's always something a little melancholy about letting the summer go. The whole family spent a week at Bethany Beach in June (seems like a lifetime ago now) but it was a very relaxing time together and we were blessed with beautiful weather. Family dinners are a special experience whether away at the beach or in ones’ own back yard.

Annie learned a great deal about policy making specifically in the area of education at her internship with Washington Partners. She worked really hard but had a great time, met a lot of interesting people, and got a better idea about how things work on the Hill. Claire left in the middle of July to begin her semester abroad in Capetown, South Africa.

Space is too short here to begin to report all the amazing experiences she's already had there. She attended a festival celebrating Nelson Mandela's birthday right after she arrived and a few weeks later had the chance to meet Desmond Tutu and hear him speak.

She is taking classes in anthropology at the University of Capetown and working in the afternoons at Brooklyn Chest, a tuburculosis clinic for children. This week she is on her "spring break" and texted home from the world's highest bungee jump site. Jill was relieved to hear she was watching her friends boing up and down from the cafe down below! Jill and Will are planning a trip to Capetown in October to visit Claire - very exciting!!
Jill and Annie pulled a uhaul down to Athens, Georgia, where Annie moved into a house with three other girls. Annie is loving the freedom of cooking her own meals (and has started a new blog on this subject - geared towards college students eating healthy on a budget). http://anniepbateman.blogspot.com/2010/08/fresh-flavor-without-breaking-bank.html She is also loving having her own room after living in a sorority house last year with 65 other girls!
Annie and Jill's brother, Mark, visited to attend Jill's solo art exhibit at the Washington Studio School.

Here are some captured moments from that evening.

Will has been busy working all summer but enjoyed a business trip to San Francisco last month. He has also attended numerous weddings of old college friends, and capped off his Labor Day weekend with a kayaking trip on the Potomac. Terry has worked all Labor Day weekend getting the garden ready for fall (with a little golf thrown in for good measure) and has been planting hydrangeas yet again. Rugby enjoyed a Labor Day jaunt down to Pain Quotitien where the waiter liked her and gave her bread on the house. All the Batemans wish all Leland Streeters a wonderful fall and look forward to seeing everyone at the Patch house for the annual Banana Split Party.

ANN LEE:
I spent as much time as possible at the beach this summer. No matter how hot, there's usually a nice breeze on our deck.

As I mentioned before, my niece was staying with me for a couple of months while she did an internship in DC. It was nice having such a happy person in the house again. Emily is back in NC preparing to take her LSAT. Several of my paintings were included in an exhibition in Bethany and I also have some portraits at The Art Gallery of Potomac.

I had been looking forward to the Patch's Banana Split Party, and it turned out to be perfect timing since I was taking care of my granddaughter who was staying with me that weekend, while Michael and Velina attend a wedding in California. Also, Megan and her daughters were visiting and came along, thanks to the kindness of Tracy Patch. The party was so wonderful. The kids loved the party and didn't want to leave. Megan and I were given a private tour (by Tom Patch) of the house which is spectacular. Another highlight is that I finally met Tracy in person, though I had spoken to her by phone.

FORREST:
The Forrest family has had a lively and joyous summer. We celebrated and toasted Nicole and Steve at several engagement events. We are excitedly in countdown mode for their October 30th wedding. We have enjoyed having Zak in residence here at the Bearhouse all summer long while he has been creating and editing videos.
Zak and Chad of zf-Films have spent much of the summer immersed in a music video for Warner Bros.’ group, Deftones. The video involved creating a enchanted underwater forest with trees, shrubs, flowers and vines and filmed night after night right up until the tornado blew out the power. The shoot continued through the power outage two nights later with the assist of generators. The result is beautiful, magical and intriguing. The video can be viewed at http://www.zf-films.com, then click on deftones. Zak is seen here in a production still during the filming and also a shot of an underwater scene.

Marcy and Arthur spent August split between NYC, Las Vegas and Laguna Beach, California. While in New York, Arthur filmed production numbers from Broadway Shows and Marcy checked out the trends on the streets of So Ho; shoulder to wrist and full leg tattoos, multiple piercings and Blue nail polish were de rigueur. We never felt quite so pedestrian.

Arthur directed the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon from Las Vegas. Nicole and Steve flew in for the holiday weekend. Arthur’s pre production included directing a video of the brilliant new Cirque du Soleil ELVIS show. HIGHLY recommended for anyone visiting Las Vegas. We had plenty of time to enjoy our evenings in this neon city including dinners with Nicole, Steve, Jerry Lewis and his wife, Sam.

NIcole and Steve were treated to a backstage tour of the “O” Cirque Du Soleil show. Another must not miss entertainment opportunity for those who visit Las Vegas. The show weaves an aquatic tapestry of artistry, surrealism by a cast of acrobats, synchronized swimmers, divers and characters perform in, on, and above water.

Tradition has it that Arthur and Marcy end summer at Laguna Beach following the glitz and commotion of Las Vegas. It was wonderful to hear the surf roar!
Nicole and best friends celebrated a Bachelorette weekend at a Acqualina Spa and Resort in Miami.

Daytime the ladies enjoyed spa services along with Florida surf and sand, followed by fun filled evenings in South Beach. The “Bride Team” had a lot of fun and attention wearing bright pink feather boas. It was easy to pick out the bride-to-be in the group, Nicole wore a white boa.

KINNAIRDS:
The Kinnairds are delighted with their move to 4115 Leland. Leland Street has been very warm and welcoming. We have lived in Chevy Chase for the last six years. Steve is an appellate lawyer at the Paul Hastings firm downtown, and Amanda is a stay-at-home mother. Steve and Amanda have two children, David (15 yrs. old) and Joanie (13 yrs. old), and the family has a golden retriever, Easy. David is a sophomore at St. Albans. He is running cross country at school this fall. Joanie is in the 8th grade at St. Patrick's Episcopal Day. She enjoys playing school and travel soccer. Top priority for the fall is furnishing the new house!

DUFFY:
Where did the summer go? It seems to have gone by in a flash. The Duffy family enjoyed some fun travels, including the North Carolina coast, Rhode Island and Pittsburgh.

The trip to Pittsburgh was especially fun – a walk down memory lane for Charles, and a chance for him to show the rest of us his favorite spots from growing up and going to law school.
In Beaufort, NC we experienced a reenactment of a Pirate invasion from the 1870s – complete with cannons, pirate ships, town militia saving the day. Matthew was thrilled when he won a pirate costume contest.

Some of our favorite summer memories are from right here on Leland Street. Ryan is a magnet for family visitors – we’ve had a constant stream which has been wonderful for all of us. We also enjoyed some great playtime with neighbors involving sprinklers and water balloons and some fabulous dips in the Forrest’s pool.

We are settling into our new routine, with Bonnie back to work, Ryan in the “Bunny Room” at Just Us Kids, and Matthew in the Kindergarten there as well. Happy fall to all our Leland Street neighbors.

TAPLIN-DELANCY:
We had a great summer, and it flew by!
Early in the summer, Russell and Paul both attended sports camps – Paul at Duke basketball camp, and Russell at 2 lacrosse camps, one in Rhode Island and the other at West Point. In July, we spent two lovely weeks on the coast of Maine with Vicky’s extended family. While there, Paul won the “Hope Cup,” a junior tennis tournament held each summer in memory of Vicky’s sister, Hope. Paul’s name will be engraved on the cup, right under Russell’s (he won it last year). For the second summer, we hosted our young French friend, Thomas. We returned home from Maine by way of NYC, where Thomas was suitably impressed by the skyscrapers, Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, a game at Yankees Stadium, and the New York style deli sandwiches!

The highlight of the summer was our 3-week trip to France. I want to express special thanks to Beth and Michael for their advice about Paris. We enjoyed many of the lovely neighborhoods in Paris that you recommended! We arrived in Paris on July 25, the day of the big storm here. All our best-laid plans for a house/dog sitter were scrapped during the 4 1⁄2 day power outage. Russell and Ruby took refuge with friends, and then returned home to throw out all the food in the refrigerator. Thanks to Marcy for informing us by email of the return to power to Leland St.!
Paul spent the first week in Paris with us, and he chose the activities: the Louvre, a French soccer game, an evening river cruise, the Champs Elysees, the Pompidou Center and the Latin Quarter.

He then left by train to Brittany, where he spent two weeks with Thomas’ family, windsurfing, knee boarding, and eating crepes. Ben and Vicky stayed on in Thomas’ family’s apartment in the 17th arrondissement. Ben worked short days out of his firm’s Paris office, while Vicky explored various corners of Paris, with an emphasis on shopping and eating (thank you Miriam for that great insider’s restaurant list!). We also took a side trip to the Alsace wine region – delightful!

Now we’re back, rejuvenated, and ready for fall activities. Vicky’s determined to get back in touch with her inner musician, so if anyone has a choral/singing group or a community orchestra to recommend, please let her know!
Vicky enjoyed Jill's artist reception and show last night. Vicky saw Lots of neighbors amongst the attendants. Jill's work is most impressive!

KARASIK-RUBASHKIN:
We had a wonderful summer. In June we toured the national parks in southern Utah--Capital Reef, Bryce and Zion--and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The weather was beautiful, low 80's, low humidity, blue skies, and the countryside is magical. Even the one storm was breathtaking, hail and thunder over the Grand Canyon with a double rainbow.

In Capital Reef the air is clear enough that you can see 135 miles to the horizon, and at night with a good telescope, Saturn's rings and moons. Bryce is unique, over 200 days a year where the temperature is above and below freezing which causes the rocks to fragment into Hoodoos, and the colors are all types of iron oxides. Of course, the Grand Canyon is astounding, the North Rim lodge is perched over the canyon with 20 foot high floor to ceiling windows.
Hannah worked this summer at the Federal Judiciary Center in the Department of Justice, Sophie was a junior counselor at Camp Twin Creeks for a month, and Jacob played viola, tennis and also went to Twin Creeks for two weeks.
At the end of the summer we spent two weeks in Bethany Beach, more rain than typical, but a rainy day at the beach is better than ...
Hannah is back in college, Sophie is a senior, beginning the application process, and Jacob is anxious to finish middle school! We visited with our parents in NYC and NJ over Rosh Hashanah, and we are looking forward to our annual trek to Poolesville to go apple picking.

SOLOMON:
This has been a summer for "home improvement" especially the front yard, rear patio and backyard lawn. Neighbors will be relieved , as are we, to say goodbye to the large orange cone that has been warning visitors to watch their step. Happily, we got all the brickwork repaired and re-cemented; both safety and beauty are much improved.
This month marks the beginning of our 41st year on the block, and we just found a new hugely successful grass seed for overseeding our lawn in our back yard. It's "Green View Grass seed, Turf Type Tall Fescue, Sun & Shade Blend." We used their DENSE shade variety, which could only be found at Hardware City.

LELAND NEIGHBOR UPDATE:
Farrell Cosmas lived on Leland Street for twenty-five years. Her son, Will was just seven years old when they moved into 4140; many neighbors saw Will grow from a boy to a young man and go off to college. This past weekend, Will Cosmas beamed as he watched his bride, Karen Clawson, walk down the aisle of the Phipps Conservatory gardens in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Farrell was aglow as she greeted her guests and enjoyed a dance a Mother and Son dance with Will.

Farrell hosted an elegant rehearsal dinner at The Monterey Bay Fish Grotto. The restaurant overlooks a most spectacular views of Pittsburgh’s Point State Park, the site where the Ohio, Alleghany, and Monongahela Rivers meet. The cocktail hour and dinner was a loving and light hearted sharing of tales and toasts for the bridal couple.

The wedding was a glorious event witnessed by nearly 200 friends and family members. Amongst those in attendance were Leland neighbors, Arthur and Marcy Forrest, Norman and Naomi Luban, whose son, Ben served as Best Man.

The officiant of the ceremony was William Billow, Jr of St. Albans of which Will is an alumnus. Will entered the reception looking quite dapper in a top hat once owned by his great grandfather and Karen was a stunningly beautiful bride. Marcy and Arthur brought love and dearest wishes from Leland Street to the Mother of the Groom.

Personal note from Florence:
I miss my wonderful and jolly friend, Farrell - but I know that she is very happy in Boston.

Arthur toasts the engagement of Nicole and Steve!

2010-06-28T12:15:00.001-07:00

Marcy and Arthur loved sharing the celebration of Nicole and Steve’s engagement with neighbors who have come to know Nicole well over all these years we have lived on Leland Street.

Brother-in-Law, Jon, enjoys a friendship with the Solomons. Zak welcomed guests. Florence gets a warm greeting from Steve.
The weather report for the evening predicted rain, thunder and even a tornado! But instead, we enjoyed balmy breezes and the delight of a summer evening brightened by fireflies but no mosquitoes.

We were pleased to have Charles Duffy’s mother, Dorothy join in the celebration. Marcy’s sister, Sheila, niece, Emily and darling new baby Dylan came from Connecticut to share the fun.
Good friend, Sandra Woodward‘s chihuahua dressed to match the bride to be!

Sarah Hodder-Peter Allen ( Former residents of 4130 Leland Street:
Sarah sent an update about Charles, James and Harris, Peter and Sarah, as well as Griffin the dog, and Burke the cat.
We are all well, and growing (Peter and I are growing in slightly different
direction from the kids). Always happily reminiscent of our wonderful two
years on Leland. We still miss everyone and recall fondly the Halloween
parade etc. The Leland Street Streaker (James) still might opt to gleefully
forego clothes if the option of a moon bounce presented itself...
Best to you all,
Sarah et al

LEE: I just returned from Nags Head where I spent that last week with friends with whom I have vacationed there for the past 38 years.

See pictured here is a typical gathering in the living room at Nags Head of dear friends and former neighbors, Jack Coon in Red shirt, Lois Coon on the right and their son, John Patrick, in red stripe shirt standing nearby. The Coons once lived in the house that Charles and Bonnie now call home.
We started out as young couples and are now enjoying the week with our children and grandchildren.  Just wonderful!

See above some of the kids and grandkids in Nags Heas. Brian Lee is holding son, Devin. HIs wife, Stacey is seatedat far right next to Devin’s twin, Flannery. J ohn Coon and his partner, Josh, seated 2nd and 4th in top row with their three kids.

Michael’s stepdaughter, Simone, was recently in her second grade play at Somerset School where she played Eleanor Roosevelt. Lou Coon’s neighbor lent her the fabulous hat! She also performed a solo of a Miley Cyrus song.
See Simone above in costume including the marvelous hat lent to her by a Lois Coon’s neighbor. Also above a father-son shot of Brian and Devin.
Michael, Velina and Simone are loving their "forever house" on Rosemary Street. We had a great and exhausting time painting it and saw the floors refinished.

Ann, Velina at work painting ceiling as Simone looks on.
The kids and I gave them a ping pong table that has been set up in their 21/2 car garage which they hope will be a gathering place for the neighbors. I love having them so close.
My niece, Emily Malone from North Carolina, is staying with me for the summer while she does an internship (Heathering DC) focusing on energy conservation in the home. She is a recent graduate ofUNC at Chapel Hill and is a real delight. Neighbors will see her as she walks to and from the metro.

FIDLERS: We are looking forward to the summer and the boys are especially excited about sleep away camp. For dog lovers out there, Jody recommends Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain.

BOLANDS:. My mother asked if there had been a seismic shift in our area, because there have been so many recent changes in our family: Monty got engaged to Elisabeth Wilson, Jeb and Jen are expecting their first child in mid-October, Shannon and Joe are expecting their 3rd in December, and we've sold our house! Monty and Elizabeth went to grade school together at Blessed Sacrament. The Wilsons live on Taylor St. in Chevy Chase. Monty and Elizabeth began dating in early 2009, and were recently engaged. They plan a summer wedding next year. Jeb and Jen are eagerly expecting their first baby, a little boy, Oct. 15th. Will and Mae Burkhart will have an early Christmas present, a sibling (We will all be surprised as to whether it's a boy or girl.) Patrick, we might add, has maintained his equilibrium through these changes: still single, still happy.

The Bolands hosted a lovely gathering on their terrace to introduce the future inhabitants of their home, Amanda and Steve Kinnaird.

Steve Kinnaird shares a laugh with Arthur Forrest while Leanne introduced Amanda.

The children enjoyed running across the Boland’s great lawn.

The guests enjoyed a balmy breeze and the Bolands’ warm hospitality.

Sending in our last news for the LSSN is bittersweet. We have loved living among you, at both #4132, and #4115, and being a part of the active life on this great block for twenty-five years. We thank each of you for being such special neighbors. With continued luck, our "downsized nest" will be near by.

BATEMAN: We enjoyed a fun and relaxing Memorial Day weekend spending Friday at the National Gallery with our houseguest, Angela Hart, visiting from Nashville.

Angela joined three of the Batemans (hint: not Jill or Terry) for a run to Georgetown on Saturday and all the girls enjoyed attending Sunday morning services at the National Cathedral. The grill in the backyard is definitely fired up for the summer, and as usual, Annie and Claire were on task with many culinary delights. Terry and Jill are excited about the addition of several hydrangea bushes in the back garden and are checking way too often to see if they've grown. Terry and Will are golfing as time allows and Annie and Claire have reserved chaise lounges at the pool. Rugby has gone two Saturdays in a row now on a walk down the trail to Cosi where she gets half a multi grain squagle with jelly. Happy Summer to all Leland Streeters!

COSMAS: Farrell sends an email "post card" from Massachusetts where she has been splitting her time between her son Wil, Karen and Baby Jane's home and her brother Jonathon and wife Deb's home.   She moved into her new residence last week and is eager to begin this new chapter of her life. See Farrell below with the brochure for her new townhouse.

Farrell's dog Maizie passed away last week.   She was Farrell's faithful companion for 14 years. She will be fondly remembered and dearly missed.

SOLOMONS: Damage from the ice & snow set off a flurry of landscaping improvements at 4114. Dorothy is pleased with how the design has developed for the new flower garden in our front yard (where grass simply will not grow). Now she's eager for suggestions of perennials that neighbors have actually had success with (since only a few of the hundreds of seeds she sowed have come up.)

We're also delighted with the back yard and with the newly trimmed cedars-of-Lebanon trees between our house and the Lees'. All neighbors are invited to stop by for a look. Jerry Parnecio did all the hard installing the plants and interpreting Dorothy’s design.

Fred and Dorothy are excited about the reception being given to their son Micah Solomon’s first book.

Just published in April, it's called "Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profits". Its main target audience is retailers and entrepreneurs, but the examples of service that do [ and don't ! ] build a loyal customer base are very amusing and instructive to any reader who's ever encountered atrocious service--and who hasn't? Since its publication in April, there have been a number of reviews in business-oriented magazines and blogs and on Amazon.com--where it's currently the top seller in its category. Learn more about it through the Amazon.com link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0814415385.

FORREST: Nicole as Senior Exhibition Manager for International Arts and Artists journeyed to Japan to present the Norman Rockwell - Kevin Rivoli collection at the Fuchu Museum. Nicole attended the opening reception and held a press conference and also atteded and event at the Setagaya Art Museum.

Arthur suggested that Marcy accompany Nicole on the trip for a great Mother-Daughter time, but also because Marcy spent nearly four years in Japan in her youth at Tachikawa Air Base.   Marcy and Nicole did it all! They toured the shrines, temples, museums, arcades, shops, sky high bars, kobe steak houses and especially loved the gardens of Tokyo and Kyoto.

They indulged in every imaginable unidentifiable morsel of food on the end of their chopsticks.   As you can see from the photos, much of the food was delectable and others not quite as tasty!

They loved everything about the trip and returned home incredibly impressed with Japanese people and culture.
     Pitchfork.com has posted a wild and wonderful music video totally created by Zak and Chad for ZF films. Have a look for yourselves, it is like nothing you have ever seen! Check out their Squarepusher Delta-V :
HYPERLINK "http://pitchfork.com/tv/" \l "/musicvideo/6848-squarepusher-delta-v-warp" \t "_blank" http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/musicvideo/6848-squarepusher-delta-v-warp

It can also be viewed here: HYPERLINK "http://www.zf-films.com" \t "_blank" http://www.zf-films.com
Arthur says nighthawk fans of “Whose Line Is It Anyway” can catch reruns of the improv show on the Family network between midnight and 1:00 a.m. Arthur says the entire time he directed this show he was laughing constantly.

MARTZ/DAVIES: We in the Martz Davies house are preparing for a summer filled with camps -- hockey, kayaking, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, you name it, we are doing it. A terrific school year is ending, although not without a little drama. Nora fell off the monkey bars about a month ago and the subsequent full-arm cast is crimping her summer already. We hope that she gets the cast off in two weeks, right before swim team starts. We are hanging around DC until our annual trip to the Adirondacks in August.

PATCH: Owen Patch just graduated from the 6th grade of Chevy Chase Elementary School and heading off to Westland in the Fall. Emma will be at Chevy Chase Elementary School for fifth grade in the Fall and Erin will be in second grade at Rosemary Hills.We are very excited to finally have our landscaping taking shape.

The kids will be at various sports' camps when we are not in Bethany this Summer. The kids are having a blast playing on the Field Turf in the backyard. As it turned out, we had room for a 3 hole putting green too! Already planning for the Back to School Bannana Split Party - details to follow!

AYAZ: Last week we traveled to California for our niece's graduation. We had a great time visiting with friends and family! The girls had a blast going on the rides at the Santa Monica Pier and shopping on Third Street Promenade. We made a special trip to Manhattan Beach to visit Nicole's brother and stopped in our favorite ice cream parlor. We are happy the pool has opened and look forward to swimming lessons this summer. We will head back to California in July for some time at the beach in LA and also to enjoy some time visiting friends and family in San Francisco. We are looking forward to a less scheduled summer with time to explore D.C.!

DUFFY: Just before Memorial Day we spent a wonderful week at the North Carolina coast with Bonnie's family.

Matthew especially loved playing baseball on the beach with his cousins. We all enjoyed swimming in the ocean and lots of great seafood. Even baby Ryan seemed to love the sea breeze and being out on the beach.

Matthew is riding his bike every chance he gets and he's looking forward to when he can take off the training wheels - he says they are really slowing him down. We celebrated Matthew’s "graduation" from the Fours Room at Just Us Kids.   Ryan took his first swim in the Forrest's pool.
Matthew's favorite place in the summer is Big Train Baseball in Bethesda - a summer college league. Our outings to these games have seemed to become a summer tradition.

Matthew is busy with Home Run Baseball Camp and takes hockey lesson at Cabin John Ice Rink
The Duffys recommend a trip to the Sunday morning Bethesda farmer's market (Vernon the fish guy always has incredibly fresh offerings.)
This summer we look forward to lots of fun right here on Leland Street, in addition to some long weekends away and a week with Charles' family in North Carolina.

GIBSON: We are looking forward to a laid back summer after the end of the school year rush. Baseball season is winding down for Gordon, then he will gear up for basketball and tennis camp. Molly attended her first school semi-formal dance, in celebration of leaving Westland and entering high school at BCC. At least we have a few years before driving lessons . . . . Lola was recently diagnosed with a tick born illness (she is having a rough puppyhood), but we were lucky, because the antibiotics are working well. We know of at least two other dogs with the same problem, it must be a rough tick season so far.
We are busy with gardening plans, thanks to the rough winter. We lost our lavender plants, rose bushes, heathers, and cosmos. The devastation in the back yard was even worse. Needless to say, we are looking forward to visiting the nursery.

FENDRICK: Three of my grandchildren, who are back from college and school, will be visiting here for a few days before continuing on to Istanbul. Daniel will stay and study Arabic. The girls will be working in a marine biology lab, near Seattle. It sounds exciting. I am looking forward to seeing them before their summer activities begin.
I would like to share with neighbors about a great visit we had last Sunday to Mercersburg , Pa, to the former home of Dan's paternal grandparents, house, now Squire Smith's Bed and Breckfast.

Never have I seen such a well maintained old home, each bedroom with new bath furnished even better than I could imagine; the random width pine floors just gleaming; huge state of the art kitchen, goreous garden.

The house is for sale at $400,000, a bargain for skiiers, or anyone.It's near the new White Tail Ski Resort, and cyclists, a most gorgeous rural route to get there. A newish restaurant, Flannery's, has superlative food, locally grown. A salad of fresh figs-stuffed with local blue cheese, with rondelles of bacon and slivers of carrots and a reduced pomgranate sauce was superlative; local chickens for paninis; Also I wanted the children to see The Fendrick Library One purpose was the visit the cemetary where a number of Fendricks ae buried. That's next door to the very fancy Mercersburg Inn. Down another road is the famous Merscersbug Academy, which has sparkling new buildings and the 10th largest endowment of prep

RUBASHKIN: We are eager to see school end and summer begin. We are looking forward to time in the national parks of Utah, and at the beach, and returning to favorite summer camps. Hannah is home from a good year in college and has entered the local work force. Our tomatoes are growing exuberantly, and we are hoping for a bumper crop this year. The garden is in, and we are glad for the summer rains as the plants settle in for another hot summer. We checked out the new and improved CCRA! Nice exterior, slightly bigger footprint, and a screened in eating area.

Special Post Card to Leland Street Sunday News from Bob and Sylvia Jones.:

Dear Friends,
Sylvia Weaver Jones’ spent her 75th birthday on the Easter adn is soaking up all hte ancient and current history. Bob is enjoying the sights, the fresh fish and the balmy breezes. Our advice: Come here soon before it gets spoiled!
Love to you all,
Sylvia

New Babies, New Neighbors and a Fond Farewell to Farrell

2010-05-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

Leland Street welcomes the newest residents. Congratulations to the Duffy Family and the Helland-Bay Family

A Message from Farrell Cosmas

“I don't think that there is any place more beautiful than Leland Street in the Spring. I know for sure that there are no more generous and kind-hearted neighbors than there are on our block. For more than 20 years, our family has been a part of this small town within the Town.  We will all miss being here, particularly for the Patch's Ice Cream Social, the Halloween Parade, Payne's Haunted House and top of the street pot luck, and the Lee family's lovely Christmas Caroling.   In the past couple of years, I've been the recipient of Leland Street's own Meals on Wheels, organized by Marcy. Delicious dinners delivered by caring neighbors and, good cooks, I must add, have reminded me of how precious this community is.   I'm sure I'm healing better and getting stronger faster because of all of your support. We will miss you all very much. (But, expect to keep up with news via the Blog!)
Look forward to welcoming your new neighbors, Mark and Christine Riley. They are a lovely young couple who, with their two year old Liam, will give this wonderful house a whole new life.”

The farewell gatherings for Farrell Cosmas provided much opportunity for friends and neighbors to share some special moments and create new memories.

Sad News from the Bolands:

We have decided that the time is right for us to downsize. We've realized that our home is rather large for just the two of us, and have asked Clare Boland of Washington Fine Properties (clare.boland@wfp.com) to list our home. After enjoying two special homes on Leland Street over the past 25 years it will be hard to depart when the time arrives. Although we don't know yet where we're going, it won't be far from our favorite block and dear friends.
The family is reveling in the beautiful weather, and enjoyed sharing an Jeb and Jen are hosted an Easter brunch for the family. at their house in Bethesda which will be fun.

Grandchildren enjoyed an egg hunt on the great lawn of Leanne and Jimmy’s backyard.

Recently both Monty and Patrick have left Leland Street--Monty to a studio in The Riviera in Bethesda, and Patrick to a group house in Glover Park. Moving their gear out is an on going process, and Trash and Treasures was very timely! More Boland news is that Jeb and Jen are expecting their first child in mid october. Change is in the wind, and these will be exciting!

Daniel/Wolff
The Wolff Daniels visited Miriam’s father in Sarasota Florida two weeks ago. Before returning home they spent two days at the Ivey House Inn in Everglades City.

They went kayaking through mangrove swamps, ate fresh grouper and crab, walked through Fakahatchee Strand Boardwalk, and visited the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee. Miriam is reading The Swamp, by Michael Grunwald, which tells the tale of scoundrels, murderers (especially EJ “Bloody” Watson), and the destruction of the Everglades eco-system. Miriam, Larry, David, and Miriam’s father, Gerry, attended two memorable Seders on Monday and Tuesday. They strongly recommend A and B frozen gefilte fish over the bottled version. Larry and David biked to Kenwood to see the cherry blossoms—only a twelve minute ride from Leland Street.

Ayaz
The Ayaz family enjoyed a few lovely days in New York City over Spring Break. It was great to experience Central Park in such beautiful weather! We also explored SOHO which was a lot of fun for both adults and children. We are looking forward to a visit this month from Nicole’s parents and then we will travel to California for our niece’s graduation. Arianna and Sophia are busy with spring soccer and tennis. An added bonus is that the girls get to play soccer with their good friend Matthew Duffy! Tony has been busy in the back garden and it is really looking great. We are all sad to see Farrell leave for her new home. Nicole enjoyed meeting the new neighbors at Farrell’s good-bye soiree. The Ayaz family is especially thankful to neighbor Vike Vicente for taking such great care of both girls when they had eye issues this month! When it rains it pours!!! Last but not least, no more training wheels for Arianna – you will see both girls speeding around the neighborhood these days on their bikes…..

Martz/Davies
The Martz-Davies had their annual trip to the Bahamas last week. Steph had to join the trip a couple of days late but still managed to squeeze in some diving and quality ray-catching.

Kyle says the best thing he saw snorkeling was a floating jellyfish or a Christmas Tree worm. Nora's favorite was a small spotted ray: Pip's was the schools of sargent majors. Chris' and Steph's was the loggerhead turtle--enormous, bigger than a child. Chris will not let anyone forget the pussy, stiff finger he earned when, while trying to free his father's fishing hook from coral, his father jerked the line and hooked Chris.
Steph finished Wolf Hall, this year's Booker Prize winner, which satisfied her Tudor Era obsession at a much higher level of literary quality than the historical fiction genre usually produces.

Chris recommends the series of literary crime novels by Benjamin Black, the nom de plume of Booker-winning John Banvillle. The Martz-Davies now have a milkman (or woman, since they haven’t met the person). You can sign up for fresh milk and milk products, meat, and bread as well as pre-made meals at www.southmountaincreamery.com.

Proctor
Mary Stuart Proctor reminisces about her childhood as an “Army brat,” when all the families on the post looked after each other, “and when civilian life came about I never thought such would again be realized- but our neighborhood has been such that I am just waiting for the taps at night to play!”

Lippold
The pictures are of our new grandson, adopted by our daughter Susan who lives on a Hopi Indian reservation in Arizona. (She is a physician with the Public Health Service). Paul and I spent eight days with Israel and his new parents (Susan and Mark) last week. He is four years old and adopted from Ethiopia. He has been in the US for two weeks and is beginning to learn English. He is just darling and smart.

His name is Israel but he is not Christian or Jewish, he comes from an Animalistic village in Southern Ethiopia. He has an adorable fun loving personality. My daughter and her husband really “lucked out” with this darling little boy. (The dog and horse belong to his parents and of course now his.)

Forrest
The Forrests normally celebrate our daughter, Nicole’s birthday at this time of year. However, this year, her very special boyfriend, Steve, whisked her off to Paris for a birthday weekend. And there, at sunset in the Luxembourg Gardens, Steve proposed to Nicole. We are thrilled that their trip has brought such happiness to our whole family.

While enchanting things were happening in Paris, Arthur and Marcy enjoyed a lunch under the cherry blossoms in Kenwood--a perfect day to watch the pedestrians, cyclists, dog walkers and children playing along the creek. What a glorious time of year to enjoy the pleasures of nature.

The Forrests have had some terrific family moments celebrating Nicole’s engagement.   Zak flew home from Los Angeles in time to join us for a toast to Nicole and Steve soon after they returned from Paris. Marcy and Nicole have been enjoying the sweet experience of wedding gown shopping. Their engagement has brought a lot of excitement to the Forrest home.
Marcy served as Chair for the Chevy Chase Historical Society annual Champagne Supper and Historical Home tour. It was a delightful event and such fun to share the evening with the many Leland Street neighbors who attended.

The event offered a tour of 3911 Bradley Blvd and a gourmet dinner prepared and served by La Ferme restaurant. Considering that rain, thunder, lightning and hailstones were predicted, it was astounding that not one drop of rain fell during the hours of the Gala.

We will all miss Farrell Cosmas, but our love and friendship travels with her to Boston.   The farewell gatherings and “packing parties” are quite a testament to just how much we all have enjoyed having Farrell as our friend and neighbor.

Taplin
Vicky's cousin and family came to Washington this week from St. Paul. They have an adult son and daughter-in-law who live here in DC, so they come each spring during their younger son's spring break. Their younger son Danny is just Russell's age, and their visit gives the family a chance to do touristy things -- like going to great exhibits in our national museums, seeing the cherry blossoms, visiting the zoo again, etc.

Vicky chaperoned Paul's school trip to the Newseum, and got a chance to see the museum’s fascinating exhibits. Vicky particularly enjoyed the exhibit of all the Pulitzer Prize winning photographs from 1952 to the present.

Duffy
The family is all enjoying the new arrival - Ryan Haines Duffy born on February 12. Matthew is a proud and happy big brother. A steady stream of visitors have come to help and provide welcome company. Charles, mother, Dot Duffy shared her family recipe for meatballs with Vicky. Matthew enjoyed the lesson too.

The Duffys enjoyed a walk to see the cherry blossoms in Kenwood and looked forward to a visit from the Easter bunny while hunting for eggs with Eira and Mari.

Bateman
The Batemans are spending a lovely Easter weekend at home. Annie has arrived from college (but Claire has chosen a weekend in Florida instead.....imagine!). Expectations are that Will and Annie will take a long run to Georgetown. The family will take in the cherry blossoms, attend Easter service Sunday am, cook brunch at home afterwards, and dine outside. Will, who has become a Caps fan, is blessed with a friend with good tickets for this Thursday night. Rugby is sporting a new spring do--a little short but at least she doesn't look like a sheep anymore. The Batemans wish all Leland Streeters a happy, blessed, and well deserved Spring!

Annie enjoyed a University of Georgia event called "Old South" looking particularly lovely in Antebelllum dress (complete with hoop) What fun!
The Batemans are looking forward to a "full nest" again.....at least until July when Claire will head to Capetown, South Africa, for her semester abroad. Annie will be interning this summer with Washington Partners, a DC based PR firm. Will and Terry are enjoying these beautiful golfing days, and Terry is spending a lot of time in the back garden (he's just planted three new Elizabeth magnolias which will hopefully provide a beautiful canopy for the back patio in the years to come). Claire is looking for babysitting jobs starting now until July 12 when she leaves, so please call her if you need her or know anyone who does. Also, she's available for dogwalking, etc.

Bay/Helland
The Helland Bay Family joyfully welcomes Eira and Mari's little sister.

While waiting for her arrival, the family did their best to enjoy the beautiful spring in the D.C.-area as the trees bloom, including a trip to the Tidal Basin and a picnic under the cherry blossoms in Somerset. They spent as much time as possible outside - since the Norwegian style winter has finally departed from Chevy Chase.

Fendrick
The family joined Barbara for an Easter lunch as well as an egg hunt requested by four of the grandchildren who are normally too old for such things! The visiting kids included John’s two boys, Lila’s boy and girl and Ann Marie’s 9 month old daughter. Daughter Julia and husband Carl are far away in Islamabad working for the US embassy.

Barbara is proud of her flourishing indoor lemon trees, which provide 50-60 lemons every year.

Rubashkin
The Rubashkins are enjoying the good weather. We are enjoying the magnificent azaleas, getting the tomatoes in the ground, and gearing up for SATs, AP's and final exams. Sophie and Jacob are busy riding and competing as members of Artemis, the local cycling team, and mostly they are looking foward to school wrapping up. Hannah is excited to be finishing her freshman year at Barnard. Some of us are looking forward to Iron Man 2 (guess who?) and we did enjoy the first half of Young Victoria, but found the ending unsatisfying.

Strothers
The Strothers are learning to live with the college admissions ritual and frenzy, just beginning, and the all-consuming effort of eleventh grade at St Albans.
Jim is waiting out a sore back, but has done a bit of reading. He recommends “Dreadnought,” by Robert Massie, a fascinating study of the lead up to WWI. The title refers to the first of the steam (and coal) powered, iron clad, battleship class.

Also, “Empire of Liberty,” by Gordon Wood, a history of the roughly two or three decades following the adoption of the Constitution, when the Federalists governed briefly, only to be brought down by Thomas Jefferson’s Republicans.

Trocchio
Julie was in Chicago for their final snowfall--cancelling any shopping possibilities. Jennie was glad to arrive home for spring break from sunny Florida and into a flowery Leland Street. Elizabeth made it all the way to the final round of the Redskin Cheerleaders before she was cut. The experience, while exhausting, was lots of fun. She has started working at the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation and is enjoying the work.
Jennie and Julie Trocchio are going to the Grand Ole Opry for Mother's Day. We will meet in Nashville for a weekend of music.

Elizabeth starts practice next weekend for the Wizards' dancing team. Wish her luck!!

A Blizzard, a Blow Out and another Baby Celebration

2010-03-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

March 7, 2010
Editors: Pamela Karasik and Jacob Rubashkin
Welcome to the Post Snow/Post Power outage edition of the Leland Street News.

Now that Spring is finally around the corner, it was lovely to visit with our neighbors who happened to be home late Friday afternoon. Most of us are eagerly awaiting the warmer weather, and many of us are dealing with the aftermath of damage to our homes and foliage. While it has been said that April is the cruelest month I think February wins.

Ayaz:
The entire family is excited that spring has arrived. Arianna and Sophia are anxious to plant their flower and herb garden. The girls have begun bicycling the Crescent Trail and enjoy exploring along the way. The whole family is looking forward to the spring, and to welcoming new babies to the neighborhood. Nicole truly enjoyed Sigrid’s shower and sharing such a fun time with so many neighbors. It was a joy to visit with Lotte and to learn more about the families that grew up on Leland street.

Special event for Sigrid Bay:
Nicole and Wendy hosted a baby shower for Sigrid Bay.

Nicole invited Lotte Wolfe to the shower which gave Lotte an opportunity to enjoy an afternoon amongst former neighbors in the home she lived in for thirty-eight years.

It was particularly exciting for Sigrid because there is no tradition of baby showers in Norway.

The laughter, smiles, games, and sharing of stories was enjoyed and appreciated by all women attending the event.

Karasik/Rubashkin:
The snow made going to work a challenge for Pamela, but she made it there and back safely every day during the worst of the storms. Finally a justification for having a four wheel drive vehicle! As a family we took many long walks into town and around the neighborhood in the snowiest of the evenings, and found it absolutely beautiful! Bethesda under three feet of snow with the streets deserted was almost peaceful! Jacob and Sophie enjoyed the unscheduled week off from school, though Sophie was concerned about falling behind in her AP classes. Hannah comes home for spring break soon, and we are looking forward to her visit.

Patch:
The Patch family enjoyed a weekend get away to the Great Wolf Lodge which is great fun for the kids. They took advantage of the snow and went tubing at Whitetail.

Daniel/Wolff:
The family recently met up in Chicago, as David was auditioning for a graduate program in music education and Becky flew in from Seattle.

They had a great time taking in the Chicago Art Institute Museum and Millennium Park. They especially enjoyed the Anish Kapoor sculpture Cloud Gate and a new play by Terrene McNally (the Brother Sister play).

Miriam wanted the neighbors to know that if anyone is need of an extra pair of hands with tasks about the house even driving and the such, Jerry Parnezio is a young man who has worked for them, and others on the block, and comes highly recommended.
His phone number is 240-432-9165

Solomon:
Dorothy is not looking forward to a visit from the tree pruners. They did loose a lot of foliage this month. Dorothy recently visited her Folk dancing group and had a wonderful time catching up with old friends

She does recommend a great book by Judith Nies, The Girl I left Behind, a glorious coming of age in the ‘60’s story.
Dorothy and Fred recently purchased a winch which has very helpful in raising trees bent from the recent blizzards. They are happy to lend it to any neighbor who would like to use it on their own trees. They also highly recommend for any tree work or landscaping: Bonifant 301-942-7890.

Bateman:
Well, Claire is off to South Dakota on an alternative spring break trip, to spend ten days on a Lakota/Sioux reservation working in an elementary school, while Annie and Jill will spend time skiing at sundance!

Skiing the slopes of Utah was exhilarating and beautiful. They enjoyed dinner at Sundance Foundry Grill

Forrest:
Marcy just returned from the Philadelphia Flower Show, an annual retreat she shares with her sister. The theme of this year’s show was Passport to the World and included thirty-three acres of flowers and landscaping.

The Flower Show is great fun, but the best part is enjoying two fun filled days and nights with sister, Sheila.

Arthur and Marcy enjoyed an evening with three generations of Charles and Bonnie Duffy’s family. Bonnie’s mother, Carol, was enjoying an extended visit with new born Ryan.

A highlight of the evening was a hockey play off between Matthew and Arthur. Matthew triumphed with a score of 47 -0 !!!

Cosmas:
Farrell had the comfort and pleasure of having her son, Will, Karen and darling grandaughter Baby Jane visit with her.

Taplin/Delancy:
Both Russell and Paul are looking forward to try outs for spring sports. Vicky missed the big snow storm, as she made a quick trip to Boston.
Vicky recommends Crazy Heart and Up in the Air in the theaters now.

She recently read Ted Kennedy’s biography, True Compass, which reminds us how long health care has been on the agenda.

Simpson/Payne:
Maggie took the kids on a spur of the moment trip to Orlando, Florida and took in all the rides at Universal Studios. What a great way to beat the winter blues! Turner has started guitar lessons. Maggie reports that their family will be hosting their nephew and niece for a week

Fidler:
The boys are enjoying the ski jump that Dad built in the back yard! Having learned some tricks while skiing out west, they are perfecting their future Olympic routines (in between rooting for favorite hockey teams!)

Mitchells: The Mitchell family is growing, with Carter now married, and the proud parent of a busy 16month old! He is practicing orthopedic surgery in Bethesda. Their eldest is off to the Holy Land, and their other grandchildren are growing up fast!

A Baby Celebration, a Bar Mitzvah, a Blizzard and a NEW BABY!!!!!!

2010-02-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

Charles, Bonnie and Matthew Duffy share their exciting news that Ryan Haines Duffy arrived on February 12th. Charles sent this photo by cell phone of Bonnie holding new born Ryan, weighing in at 6 lbs 13 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. A joyful bundle! Matthew sees his baby brother for the first time.

Rubashkin:
We had a glorious weekend as Jacob celebrated his Bar Mitzvah with family and friends from as far away as England and California.

He chanted beautifully on Saturday morning, with the snow falling gently outside, and despite the snowy streets everyone made it to the luncheon in his honor, and then that night we had 50 kids dancing their hearts out in our living room (maybe you heard it at your end of the block!). It was a memorable occasion, and wonderful to mark it with our closest friends/family.

We are anxiously awaiting the next big snow storm, and Sophie wonders when we moved to Alaska!

Leanne Boland:
I feel that as I write our family news tonight, I am in "the calm before the storm"! If the forecasts are accurate we will enjoy a record February snowfall.

But, at this moment - without a snow shovel in hand - I can reflect on last Sunday’s lovely baby shower for the Duffy's eagerly anticipated baby boy.

It was so nice of Vicki and Marcy to gather the Leland Street Ladies together to celebrate with Bonnie. The surprise announcement by Sigrid was even more cause for joy!

I have been rather preoccupied with my mother's recent hip replacement surgery. Happy to say that it went very well, and with a large family, the Tender Loving Care is being administered by all. I rotate in on Valentines Day. Thinking of my family in Louisiana, I have to report that the entire state is evidently going wild over the Saints going to the Super Bowl!

My sister Karen, returning from her TLC shift, described the new terminology for the "Who Dat" Saints nation...you've got your original "Who Dat's", then you have your nouveau fans, that would be the "New Dats", and of course the religious zealots - the "Pew Dats", and lastly, I guess the rest of us are the "You Dats"....I don't know about the rest of the block, but I'll be singing "When the Saints come marching in" on Super Bowl Sunday (and, honestly, you can ask my boys - I don't usually follow football). It's rumored that there is a Voodoo gris gris on anyone opposing the team....(Happy to say that I witnessed another "super bowl" of sorts today, grandson Will set a personal record. Not to be outdone, Mae has started walking.

Jill Bateman:

Not much is going on at the Batemans (for a nice change)......Annie and Claire are happily back at school, both expending a lot of energy trying to decide where they want to study abroad next year (not together!) The family is enjoying all the snow but definitely starting to dream more often of spring. Terry has already been out doing spring prep in yard......that was before the last major snow. We think he was a little optimistic. Jill really enjoyed the fun afternoon last Sunday at Vicky's, celebrating with Bonnie and all the coming of baby Duffy.

Terry is grateful to be finished with his southern California business commute......at least for a few weeks (although that might be sounding pretty nice about now with all this snow). He was out there during the monsoon and says the mudslides and flooding were devastating. Will is looking forward to an upcoming ski trip to Wintergreen with nine of his friends. Rugby is busy as usual barking and sleeping in front of the fire.

Forrest Family:

We start our weekdays watching “Morning Joe” co-hosted by Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough on MSNBC from 6:00 - 9:00 A.M. So when Marcy and Nicole heard that Mika would be at the National Press Club on a speaking and book signing tour, we hurried on down for the event. Joe Scarborough hosted the event with Mika. It was a terrifically entertaining evening.

I had a   wonderful time with Vicky Taplin organizing an afternoon of Celebration for Bonnie and Charles Duffy’s new baby.

The warmth and generosity of the women of Leland Street allowed us two shopping excursions, first at Buy Buy Baby and then at Child’s Play. Beth and Michael’s daughter, Maia Kazin was very helpful at Child’s Play. It was lovely to gather the ladies of Leland Street together to share tales of their parenting and family experiences. There were smiles and laughter all afternoon.

Duffy Family:

Bonnie so appreciated the wonderful gathering hosted by Vicky and Marcy.

It was nice to sit in Vicky's sun filled family room and hear everyone's stories about birth experiences and parenting. Marcy's posters of siblings on Leland Street was fun to see, and her list of questions got the stories going. The afternoon was a reminder of the rich friendships we have here on the block. Thanks to everyone for helping us celebrate.

Marcy mentioned to Charles that he is the envy of all the men on Leland Street. Two weeks ago he had shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff - no shoveling for him for the rest of the season! The snow has added another layer of drama to an already incredible journey to building our family.

We anxiously await the arrival of our baby. We want to thank all of our neighbors who are sharing in our excitement and lending support (especially to those who have shoveled for us, shared homemade bread and kept Matthew company while we get ready!)

Cosmas:

If there is anything better than being snowed in with your family, particularly when their visit is extended by one day, I don't know what it is. Will, Karen and Sweet Baby Jane arrived last Thursday. Will was to attend a Georgetown Leadership conference to start planning his class 10th Reunion. Oh, but, the snow cancelled everything! Except....the Saturday basketball game against Villanova at the Verizon Center. So, being the devoted Hoyas that they are, Will and Karen set off in the morning for the Red Line and the game.
I got the best deal of all....spending the entire day with my 10 month old granddaughter, Jane. What an incredible treat.
I am shameless when it comes to Jane. I simply think she's quite fabulous.

We spend the weekend with lots of fires, games of Bananagram, good food, good friends and lots and lots of baby smooches. Before they left, Will and Karen dug out the driveway and my car. To say I was sorry to see them drive off to BWI on Monday afternoon, is an understatement.

Ann Lee:
Our big news is that Michael and Velina just bought a house on Rosemary Street, just around the corner from Maple Avenue. It's a wonderful house and I'm thrilled that it is so close. Since last week I have painted my kitchen THREE TIMES before I found a color that I like. Rediculous! And the other rediculous thing I did today (Thursday) was go to Whole Foods. The line to get into the parking lot began at Little Falls Parkway. I am having company for dinner so I needed scallops and figured the Giant might be as bad. By the time I left, the police had finally come to bring some order. The last snowfall was just perfect. And it was so nice to chat with neighbors as they were shoveling the soft snow. This weekend may be another story though. We shall see.

Taplin/Delancy:

Vicky enjoyed seeing so many neighbors at the baby shower she and Marcy Forrest hosted for Bonnie Duffy last Sunday.

Bonnie looked lovely and rested, despite all the work she's been doing to feather her nest.  We look forward to welcoming Baby Boy Duffy to the block!

Vicky traveled to the rural coast of Maine a couple of weeks ago to attend to some projects at her family's summer home there. She had never been there in winter, so it was quite amazing to see the land covered in snow, and the sun glistening on the harbor that was emptied of boats. She stayed with friends and was happy for the opportunity to spend a cozy evening next to the wood burning stove chatting and drinking hot toddies.
Paul's been spending a lot of time at Bethesda Sport & Health improving his tennis game over the winter. Russell has been running winter track to prepare for lacrosse season. Both boys are glad to have the first half of the school year completed.

Ayaz Family:
So much for DC’s “mild winter”! We are loving all of the snow though…..lots of snow men being built and hot chocolate with marshmallows afterwards and the girls enjoy the fun with neighborhood friends.

We especially enjoyed sledding down Leland Street with the Vicente and Helland-Bay families.

We also walked to downtown Bethesda with our sleds and the girls sledded in the parking lot across from Barnes and Noble!

Everyone remains busy this month. Arianna and Sophia have started a gymnastics class at Silver Stars and really enjoy it.
Nicole had a great time at the baby shower in honor of baby boy Duffy. What a great opportunity to spend time with my neighbors.

The Helland - Bay Family:

As Norwegians we are thrilled about all the beautiful snow that makes us feel truly at home. See Tarjei knocking icicles off the roof. The kids and adults alike enjoy days of skiing, sledding and playing in the snow. Tarjei still enjoys being back in university and Sigrid is having busy and interesting times at the embassy, though looking forward to maternity leave in a couple of months’ time. Eira and Mari are happy at school and are looking forward to grandparents coming to visit in March – April.

Eira joined Arianna and Sophie Ayaz in making a snowman.

Leni, Knut, Mira and Falk say hello from Norway:
I look at the blog whenever there is a new edition...hello to Leland Street. We are doing well, surviving through the cold season.

We had had snow for the last 8 weeks, and since we can go cross country skiing from our doorstep we are getting in good shape! Say hello to all the Neighbors on Leland Street

Payne Family:
The Payne family had a wonderful long weekend at Wintergreen last week. Finally all three kids are up and running on the slopes so it was lots of fun, especially with the snow blanketing the area.
I highly recommend the VRBO home rental web site as they have lots of great homes to rent directly through the owners with fabulous views, and many offer 20% off ski rentals/ski passes, etc. Ours threw in an extra night free, which made it really worth the three hour drive.

Chloe is having the time of her life in the snow and just loves to jump up and down and race through the white wonderland in our backyard. Enjoy the snow everyone and may you all stay safe and warm this weekend!
Julie Trocchio:
Has Leland Street ever been more beautiful? The snow clinging to the trees is lovelier than cherry blossoms!
Julie is traveling to Las Vegas and Phoenix to present at some health care meetings. Jennie is putting on a conference this weekend in Hollywood, Florida for parents with children who have autism.

Speaking of autism, Jennie and Julie are great fans of Temple Grandin. Be sure to catch the HBO special about her, she is amazing.

Tax Dollars at Work! Our streets have been plowed, our sidewalks have been cleared and a water pipe has been repaired!

From Sylvia Jones:
Here is a hello to Leland Street neighbors, along with a remembrance of past storms from our friend, Sylvia Jones, former resident of 4117.

“I recall a really big snow in the '70's when Bob and I set up a bar on a shelf we dug out of the snow bank in front of our house. Lois Coon set up a hot cocoa bar on the opposite side of the street for the children. All of us helped dig out the rest of our neighbors' cars and the driveways of the older folks. Now we are the older folks and I'm glad we're out of the snow.
Dorothy and Fred provided the Presidents Day Blizzard of 1979 page from their scrapbook to go with Sylvia's recollection.
Bob Jones, Dick Gelman, Dorothy, Lotte Wolf, Lois Coons and Sylvia Jones..plus Fred after some serious shoveling.

Sylvia keeps up with our news through the blog and has shared it with her children, Wes and Laura.
Sylvia writes: It is great to see Florence Lloyd looking fitter than anyone else, as usual. It was also wonderful to see the photo of the Lee family and their new families and Ann Lee looking more beautiful than any of them.
Love to all the new babies, to our old friends on Leland Street, and to the Leland Streeters we've never met. Glad you all are carrying the torch to a new generation of the LSSN. There's a wee tear in my eye for all the fond memories of Leland Street and the people who made it so special for us.

A Month OF FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FESTIVITIES

2010-01-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

Editor: Julie Trocchio:
It has been quite a weather-y few weeks, Leland streeters! Snow and cold! Before Christmas we had an historic snow storm where our block showed its true colors, from Charles Duffy, like Santa, going from house to house, car to car to help with shoveling to Marcy – seeing too many cars and too few spaces - making sure everyone had room to park.

The Lee Family:

Ann writes: My son, Michael and Velina were married in a beautiful ceremony in the mountains of North Carolina on November 27. We are thrilled to welcome Velina and Simone into our family. Here is the glowing bridal couple as well as some of the younger members of the bridal party, included are Ann Lee’s Grandchildren and Velina’s daughter, Simone.

The Lee’s annual Christmas caroling party went ahead in spite of the weather thanks to my family and some hardy, spirited neighbors. Even with all that snow, Julie Trocchio was outside with a lovely tray of eggnog for the carolers, a wonderful treat and very much appreciated. I am now paying the price for eating all the leftover goodies--but it surely was fun! This was the first year in over 30 years that the weather played havoc with the party--and hopefully the last, though it was absolutely beautiful outside.

The neighbors of Leland Street so appreciated Ann Lee continueing her Caroling party even in the midst of a record breaking snowstorm. Ann Lee’s family led carolers through ice and knee high snow to bring holiday cheer right to our doorsteps.

The fun continued back at the Lee Homestead with lots of home baked treats including Ann’s gingerbread cookies.

The Bateman Family:
Jill writes: The Batemans are excited about the prospects of the New Year but a little sad to see the holiday season come to a close. The full house is emptying quickly.......Annie returned to Georgia last Wednesday (where she was disappointed to find weather conditions almost as frigid as here!) and Claire returns to Vanderbilt on Sunday. As Will says it will now just be the three of us empty nesters again plus Rugby of course (who expands to fill whatever void she senses).

The whole family enjoyed a Christmas visit to NYC, returning on the train in the middle of the blizzard (supposedly we got the last train out of Penn station before the cancellations began). Coming home through the snow storm at dusk was like riding the Polar Express......very beautiful and quiet.

Claire and Jill spent this past Wednesday at the American Indian Museum researching the Lakoda Sioux tribe. Claire is a site leader for a group of Vandy students going to the South Dakota reservation for an alternative spring break trip in March.

If you haven't spent time in this particular museum, Claire and Jill highly recommend it......and don't miss the film in the round domed theatre on the top floor and the delicious food. The family has spent many lazy cold nights in the movie theater over the break. All really enjoyed Up in the Air (Jill says who wouldn't want to look at George Clooney for 2 hours) Terry and Jill saw An Education which they thought was excellent and are encouraging Annie and Claire to see, and A Single Man which they report is beautifully done and very poignant (and Colin Firth is brilliant) but is admittedly a little on the depressing side. Claire and Jill loved Avatar......all 3 hours of it! Good books read include The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls and Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery.

Jill was fascinated by My Stroke of Insight, a definite must read about a brain scientist's personal journey of recovery after a massive stroke. Claire recommends The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and is looking forward to reading Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. All the Batemans wish all Leland Streeters a very happy and blessed 2010!

The Cosmas Family:
Farrell writes: We all had the most magical Christmas I can even imagine. As I went by train to Boston on Dec. 22, daughters Lisa and Jennifer with their husbands and children were flying to Logan Airport from San Francisco! Will, Karen and Jane picked me up at South Street Station and off we all went to meet up with the California contingent at my brother Jonathan’s house in Dover, MA. (Not incidentally, I completely adore the Acela!)

Finally, all Cosmas children and four grandchildren were together for four glorious days.
When my other brother Ned and his wife Lisa arrived on Christmas Eve, it was the first time that Jonathan, Ned and I had spent Christmas together in 20 years!
We took turns seeing Bill each day so that every visit really counted and I think he thoroughly enjoyed seeing his children and grandchildren; Oscar Hanson 4yrs, Josie Hanson 2yrs, Casey Boone 1yr and Jane Cosmas, 9 months.
The snow in Boston was nothing compared to ours, but at eight or so inches was perfect for sledding and making snow angels. Beautiful bright days and hot chocolate, loving arms rescuing small children from snowdrifts and staircases, impromptu musicales performed by Oscar and Josie, and Christmas morning with everyone in pajamas, what more could I ask for? It was simply wonderful.

Arthur and Marcy invited Farrell Cosmas and Florence Lloyd for cocktails and conversation and got bonus opinions, anecdotes and laughter.

Marcy and Farrell attended a holiday party at Curves...it was a nice change be near fitness machines and not have to work out! Pictured here are Farrell with Laura Baron, blues, jazz, folk vocalist/composer and Marcy with Kathy McGuire, Curves Mgr.

Stenseth-Bergem Family:
Hello from Oslo, Norway from Knut, Leni, Mira and Falk. They are happy, healthy and very busy settled in Oslo enjoying new friends and old friends and family. Leni is loves her work with the Red Cross, Knut is publishing books, Mira loves High School, and Falk plays soccer every day. Here is a family photo enjoying winter sports.

The Ayaz Family:
Nicole writes:
We had a full house over the winter break. Nicole’s parents visited from Tucson, Arizona and her brother visited from California. Luckily everyone arrived safely and without delay despite the snow storm!
Arianna and Sophie enjoyed their new dolls and special time with Grandfather, John Gabroy, (Nicole's Dad).

We had a lot of big family dinners and went to Philadelphia to see the newest addition to the family, Gracie Lena, born December 23rd. Gracie is Nicole’s cousin’s first child and is adorable! We took the girls sledding and enjoyed the big snow fall. Tony and Nicole got to enjoy some fun nights out while the grand-parents baby-sat, including a holiday dinner for Tony’s federal team. We enjoyed the more relaxed schedule and are slowly easing back into the school and work routines. We wish everyone a very Happy New Year!!!

Nicole just finished reading “Stones Into Schools” the sequel to “Three Cups of Tea” and highly recommends it!

The Forrest Family:
Marcy writes:
Our year-end finale, gave us ample experiences to celebrate the season. We appreciated Ann Lee’s carolers bringing the holiday spirit right to our doorsteps. The holidays are always a lively month for our family and super busy for Arthur with his end of year production, so, December’s calendar was dotted with good times on both coasts; every experience from quiet dinners with friends to a black tie affair.

We had our family celebration before waving Nicole and Steve off to enjoy time with his family, a visit to NYC and then returning for a Black & White Ball on New Years Eve.

Arthur set our New Year off to a fine start, once again as Executive Producer-Director The Tournament of Roses Parade. What better way to start the year than with the bang and toot of marching bands, the trots of several equestrian displays and forty-seven flower covered floats in the Rose Parade!!

We attended the annual Rose Banquet honoring the Rose Parade and network Officials including this year’s Grand Marshall, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the airline pilot who skillfully landed the plane in the Hudson River.

We were so impressed with his equal measures of charisma and humility.

Arthur orchestrated the shots for home viewers from the NBC control booth while I enjoyed the fun from the stands with my brother, John Butler.
We enjoy the spectacles as well as the patriotic themes. There was a very special tribute float this year to the Tuskegee Airmen. The float featured flower petal portraits of the pilots and several Tuskegee veterans rode on the float. There were several wonderful school bands from all over the United States and world as well as the Marine Corps Marching band which is always so impressive.

We took a two day detour to Arizona en route home from California. Arthur landed in Tucson with his Telethon production team for meetings on the next Labor Day Telethon. I touched down in Phoenix to visit a friend. Sherry and I both worked the fashion runways in the 1970’s. Sherry retired from the fashion world to become a Special Agent for the Attorney General of Arizona. We had a rolicking good time.

The Boland Family:
Leanne writes: The Bolands enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with everyone in the family in town.

Christmas Eve was at Shannon and Joe's, Christmas Day was celebrated at our home on Leland Street, and we joined the extended Boland clan for Chinese Carry Out, at what has become an annual event hosted by one of Jimmy's sisters, on the 26th. We'd like to thank Ann Lee for again hosting a joyous Caroling Party. Although the " crowd" was a bit thinner due to the frigid weather, we were proud to be shivering along with them! Jimmy and Leanne look forward to skiing in Vail, Co. and attending wedding festivities in New York this month. As for books, Leanne enjoyed
"The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.

The Martz-Davies Family:
Stephanie writes: The Martz-Davies family had a snow-tastic holiday, with everyone not only on the same continent, but in the same state, town, and even house. As we have done every year, we packed everything off to West Virginia for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Santa brought a karaoke machine, a hockey-playing Canadian version of an “American Girl” doll (“MapleLea” girls, they are called, and this one is named Leonie – she’s Quebecois), a goalie helmet, and skis for the kids. VERY early in the a.m. of December 26, we evacuated W.Va. for Dulles and spent five days skiing in Snowbird, Utah. The kids loved it, and Stephanie is now officially the worst, or at least most chicken, skier in the family (well, Pip isn’t on skis yet, but it’ll take about two days for her to catch up with her siblings).

Reading and movies: Both kids can’t watch enough of the movie “Up,” and Kyle is very into the TinTin books right now.

The Duffy Family:
Bonnie writes:
We enjoyed spending Christmas with Bonnie's family in North Carolina.

Matthew especially enjoyed being with his cousins and was thrilled by all the Christmas treats and activities at home, school and church. At the top of his list for Santa was hockey equipment - at this point he has great aspirations to be a goalie! We all loved the beautiful snow and the quietness that came with it.

The Trocchio Family:
Julie writes: It was great having Jennie home from sunny Florida. She loved the snow and walked all over Bethesda and Chevy Chase. Her studies go well; just a few more courses and she can start her dissertation for her doctorate in special ed.

Julie recommends, The Sharper Your Knives, the Less you Cry by Kathleen Flinn about a year at Cordon Bleu Cooking School.

RUBASHKIN FAMILY ENJOYS A LONDON HOLIDAY

2009-12-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

Editor: Maggie Simpson

RUBASHKIN FAMILY:
We had an exceptional thanksgiving holiday. David's sister and family moved to London this summer, and as they usually host Thanksgiving, we all flew over the pond to celebrate with them! They live just outside the city, a short commute away, and we spent five busy days sightseeing in cold (but relatively dry) London. As Sophie said, we went to eight museums, two plays, two concerts, and crossed the Thames on foot countless times.

The city is vibrant, full of people from all over the world, and so much more alive than the last time we were there in 2000. Highly recommend it! Now we are home, and buckling down for the end of the school semester. No movies to recommend, but I did read Verghese's new book Cutting For Stone, which was an engrossing novel, especially if you happen to be a physician (as you may have noticed, we have a high number of MD's on this block!). In our house, the kids have begun the count down to winter break. Pamela, David, Sophie, and Jacob (Hannah in absentia sends greetings from NYC)

FORREST FAMILY:
We took a quick trip to L.A. for Arthur’s pre-production on the Rose Parade. While there we dined with Arthur’s long time friend, Hal Cooper. Hal was the director of the All in the Family and Maude sit coms. The men had a great time over dinner exchanging stories from past productions.
Marcy Vamoosed up to NYC for a dear friend, Fran Healy’s birthday dinner at Le Cirque. The ten friends who gathered at the dinner table have enjoyed forty years of friendship. It was a gloriously happy event.

Marcy had the opportunity to hear the music and reminiscences of two divas. First, Marcy and Farrell Cosmas attended a dynamic performance by Dee Dee Bridgewater at the Strathmore Performing Arts Theater. The evening’s tribute to Billie Holiday was a range from ballads to blues.

Secondly, Marcy and Nicole enjoyed a cocktail reception at the New Zealand Embassy for “Conversations with Opera Legend,” Kiri Te Kanawa.” Later that same week, at the Kennedy Center, Nicole and Steve enjoyed Dame Kanawa’s performance, as part of her farewell tour. Zak and Chad took ZF Films to Kentucky to film Foxy Shazam’s wild stage performance for Warner Bros. They continued filming the rock group from late night into dawn on the street for a music video.

We enjoyed two nights of Thanksgiving feasting, Thursday night with Steve’s family in The Plains, VA. and Friday night, Steve's parents joined us for dinner at the Bearhouse. It was fun to enjoy our own family as well as another family’s tradition.

(wow ...there is no stopping them...look who sneaked in)

Since the next LSSN will be printed January 10th, I will take this opportunity to recommend the NBC Rose Parade for your viewing pleasure on New Years Day...once again, Arthur serves as Executive Producer and Director of the NBC Production.

This year’s Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade is Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the US Airways Pilot who heroically landed his plane in the Hudson River. The Rose Parade can be seen New Year's Day on NBC . It is a jubilant way to begin your new year.

STROTHER FAMILY:
The Strothers plug along. We're caught up a bit right now in the St Albans Christmas House Tour, which will have just concluded when the LSN publishes. Molly has been laying mats in the houses; Jim is helping with the buses. Football is over for the season, with St Albans taking the IAC championship, and our William faces the task of repeating the feat next year.

BOLAND FAMILY:
Our Thanksgiving was very nice, but not the usual large group since Shannon and Joe went to Joe's parents in Wisconsin and Jeb and Jen hosted Jen's family. Monty came home with a turkey from the University Club where he works, so I fixed a mini Thanksgiving on Tuesday for the boys. On Thursday, we went to Columbia for Thanksgiving dinner, and then to Jeb and Jen's for dessert. It was the first Thanksgiving in their home which is in the neighborhood across from the Bethesda YMCA on Old Georgetown Road. Monty and Patrick polished off the stuffing I'd made on Tuesday by Wednesday morning, so I fixed some more on Friday to get them through the weekend!

I have a sister who lives in Easton and she opened her second paint your own pottery store this week. The second Clay Bakers is located at 151 Main St. in Annapolis and we will attend the Grand Opening. Karen's original store is located at #1 S. Washington St. in Easton. My Mom is coming up, as well as another of my 3 sisters, for the opening and we'll enjoy a quick visit.

Friday morning I host my French conversation group which necessitated doing a bit of Christmas decorating earlier than usual. The Americans have introduced the French ladies to a cookie swap which is lots of fun, not to mention delicious. The French tend to fix things like " les truffes" and "les tartes", but they love our American "biscuits.” Cookie is new to their vocabulary!

The Bolands welcome the Patches back to Leland Street. It is wonderful to see the great house alive again with the daily activities of family, rather than the daily activity of the workers! We wish everyone on the block a wonderful holiday season, and hope that we are all fortunate to be blessed in sharing it with our loved ones.

AYAZ FAMILY:
November was a busy month. We traveled to Arizona to visit with Nicole’s parents and attend a wedding in beautiful Sedona, AZ. We highly recommend making a trip to Sedona if you have never been.

The red rock mountain formations are stunning. Then we traveled with some friends to Grand Cayman for Thanksgiving. It was a treat to spend some time in the sun and surf!

Nicole’s parents and brother are coming to Chevy Chase for the holidays and we look forward to a full house in December! The most exciting news is that Tony has been promoted to Vice President of Federal Markets at his company. He has been working extremely hard and it is wonderful that he has achieved this recognition. Nicole is continuing to work for her California law firm and is enjoying the new challenges. Arianna and Sophia are busy with school and have their first ballet recital this week.

They have enjoyed their trips but have informed us that they will not be taking another long airplane ride for “a long time”! We want to thank the Vicente family for taking such good care of our two fish, Sally & Strawberry, while we were away! We wish everyone a very merry holiday season!

Book Recommendation:
Nicole completed” The Great Influenza.” It is a non-fiction account of the 1918 influenza and really provided a lot of information about the development of modern medicine in the United States. I found it to be a fascinating read especially in light of the new H1N1 virus.

DUFFY FAMILY:
We enjoyed Thanksgiving in Gastonia, NC with Charles' family. By the time Charles' 5 brothers and sisters, their children and friends gather, we always have a big group.

This year we had 40 people, 3 turkeys and countless pies and cakes. And of course there's the turkey bowl... As always, the nephews beat the Uncles in football and soccer, with the Uncles limping around and taking lots of advil for the rest of the weekend. Each year the Uncles declare "this is the last year we're doing this."

Matthew is enjoying ice skating lessons at the Rockville rink. He is determined to become a hockey player (specifically, a goalie) and is asking Santa for a goalie helmut and goalie shin guards.

We really enjoyed meeting Sigrid's parents during their recent visit - and particularly enjoyed discussing travels to New Orleans, music and politics.

MELISSA, DOUG AND FAMILY:
We have been having a wonderful Fall, filled with family and the anticipation of the pitter patter of little paws. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, one of Melissa's brothers flew in from Washington State and the rest of Melissa's extended family drove to Leland Street to visit and celebrate with a lengthy dinner. It was a wonderful, relaxed event, catching up with family from near and far. For Thanksgiving, we traveled to visit Doug's family in Pittsburgh. Between the numerous cousins, grandparents, snowflakes, and the high level of culinary
offerings, Molly and Gordon were reluctant to come home.

The week after Thanksgiving, Doug and Molly spent Friday night on the road, in an attempt to beat the snow for the Saturday morning pick up of our new puppy! On Saturday afternoon, they drove through the snow from West Virginia to bring home Lucy, our 8 week old Landseer Newfoundland puppy. Lucy did not disappoint, we are all completely smitten with her and, as Gordon said, it's nice to hear the sound of paws in the house again.

BATEMAN FAMILY:
The Bateman's had a wonderful Thanksgiving with everyone home and all cooks in the kitchen! Jill's mother and father were visiting from Florida and Jill's brother Mark came down from NYC.

All enjoyed a lot of great food and good company, a lot of football (the boys) and scrabble (the girls).

Annie and Claire will be home in a few weeks for the Christmas holiday and plans include a trip to New York to see the Christmas decorations and maybe a show. Jill and Terry were charmed by the beautiful snowfall on Saturday.......so enchanting. Also, Jill and Terry saw Pirate Radio Friday night and highly recommend it......very funny and reminiscent.

ANN LEE:
My son, Michael, and Velina were married in a beautiful ceremony in the mountains of North Carolina on November 27. It was a small and intimate group including my family, spouses and children, my sister's family, spouses and children and Velina's mother (who made the trip from Bulgaria), her brother (who made the trip from Canada) and good friends from Sweden as well as Velina's daughter, Simone who is 8. There were 10 children under 11 who made the butterflies for the cake ( you have seen a practice cake in a previous edition). We are thrilled to welcome Velina and Simone into our family. Presently they are renting a house in Somerset but will soon be looking for a permanent home.

The caroling party is coming up and all are invited. It will be on Sunday, December 20 at 7:30 pm. You will be getting an evite if I can figure it out again. It's helpful to know who is coming or who might be home due to illness, etc. so we know where to sing. I love starting out the holidays seeing all the neighbors with such spirit.

Note from editor:
Ann Lee's painting has been accepted in a juried show at the Yellow Barn Gallery in Glen Echo. There is a reception today, Sunday, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm but the show will continue until December 20. Congratulations!

LIPPOLD FAMILY:
Paul and I had a great Thanksgiving. Our four children, their spouses, and seven grandchildren had dinner at our house for the feast with all the fixings. Two of our daughters love to cook and bake so we had both smoked turkey and a “normal” roasted one as well as six different kinds of pies and a delicious cake.

(Editor’s note:
Anne did not have a photo to offer but with that many guests and that much food, it may have looked something like this)

The grandchildren that attend Philips Exeter Academy flew in on Tuesday before Thanksgiving and their parents drove from Kentucky. Our youngest daughter came from Arizona. The entire crew ate and spent the week together playing bridge attending the Phillips Gallery and eating at local restaurants. It is the only time a year that our nuclear family gets together. Paul and I see them in the summer, but they usually come independently of each other. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.

PAYNE/SIMPSON FAMILY:
We waited too long to buy our plane tickets for Thanksgiving in Charleston and so we decided at the last minute to take the family to the Homestead as a fun alternative. This is the first time in 15 years we have missed Thanksgiving with Michael’s family in Charleston and while we missed the tradition, we all had a fabulous time at the Homestead. The place was beautifully decorated for Christmas and the kids just loved the ambiance, outdoor ice-skating under the stars – it even snowed! It was a real treat not to have to cook and they served the most fabulous buffet breakfasts and dinners. Other activities the kids loved while there included bowling, swimming, s’mores on the big outdoor firepit and hiking – despite the large warning sign that read: “Bears are very active in this area…fight back if attacked!”

The kids are all excited that their aunts and cousins are flying in for Christmas. We had a wonderful snowy Saturday yesterday in front of the fire, decorating the tree. Now on to the outdoor lights!

PATCH FAMILY:
We are excited to be back on Leland Street - we moved in on Friday, November 20th and hosted 22 family members for Thanksgiving dinner. Owen, Emma, and Erin are all acclimating well to living in their "grandparents house"!

Our tree conservation fences came down the other day, so we must be getting near the end of our year long renovation. Thanks to all our neighbors for putting up with our ongoing construction.

Tracey took the girls up to New York (Rye) yesterday to stay with her twin sister and go to the Rockettes Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall, while Owen and dad are having a boys weekend that included a Caps game, a Wizards game and lots of college football!

TROCCHIO FAMILY:
Jennie has been named President of Casa Blanca Academy, a new school in Hollywood, FL for children with autism. Last night she attended her first board meeting and says it is going to be a great experience. Julie has been traveling a lot this fall: Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Albany , NYC and places in between. But now she is home until after the holidays. Elizabeth and Julie have been reading “The Help “ about a group of Mississippi housewives and their maids. We love it.

Leland Halloween Festival 2009

2009-11-08T04:38:00.000-08:00

Editors: Bonnie and Charles Duffy

Duffy:

Matthew loved the block party, especially playing in the street with his friends. “I wish they would close the street forever, so I could play football there all the time.” We all so enjoyed our Leland Street festivities and Halloween last night, especially the opportunity to see all our neighbors.

Boland:

Leanne and Jimmy had a great time at the Block Party, maybe as much as grandson, Will!

Everything was wonderful - even the weather! As busy as everyone is, it is really nice being able to catch up with so many neighbors. Leanne is visiting her parents with Shannon, Will and Mae for a few days in Louisiana. The great-grandparents and extended family are especially excited to see the children.

Forrest:

The Fall Fun began right here on Leland Street on the occasion of our annual Leland Halloween Fest as Arthur donned his Grand Marshall cape and Marcy grabbed her basket of Grizzzzzzly Bears.

The core committe of Leland Street Ladies made this a terrific day for all. Marcy and Arthur think this event just gets better every year...Special thanks to Maggie Simpson for creating an amazing Haunted House even though she was away.

Sophie Rubashkin was wonderful in supervising the spooky, foggy, creepiness with Sarah and Turner ‘s assistance.

Nicole, Wendy and Jody did a marvelous job with the games.

This year’s games were even more thematic than ever. The children all loved the Jack O’Lantern Bean bag toss, the skeleton bone game and the Pumpkin piñata. The addition of the children’s tables and chairs to the buffet was a nice thought.

Doesn’t the buffet become more sumptuous every year?! The menfolk were terrific with all the heavy lifting. Thank you to all who made this year a truly special event for all.

Marcy and Arthur returned from recent travel to Chevy Chase ready to enjoy all things local. Marcy attended the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival and the Town Coffee. Together Arthur and Marcy attended the Chevy Chase Dinner Out event at Moon Gate Restaurant; by night’s end they had partaken in Kung Pao and lively conversation. Then, in appreciation of the glorious palette of fall foliage, Marcy decided to take Arthur on a quick little Mystery Trip. They got in the car and Marcy told Arthur to just follow the instructions on the GPS system. About four hours later, the Garmin announced, “You have arrived at your destination.” And there they were at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Waters in Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania.

What an incredible architectural accomplishment!   It was a great day for a walk in the woods and a chance to look over a waterfall from the terrace of this unique private home.   An overnight stay at The Summit Inn added more views, a magnificent sunset and fabulous meals to the experience.

     Nicole and Zak have had a busy month in far-a-way places.   Nicole and Steve spent Columbus Day weekend in Chicago, enjoying fine dining, a lake tour and art exhibitions.


Nicole and Steve celebrated Halloween at a costume party as Lady Luck and a High Roller. Nicole found a “money” boa” and a poker chip charm bracelet on the Internet to complete her costume.

Zak and Chad took ZF Films to Poland where production on the Stars of the Lid feature film continued. During their week in Krakow they filmed the Stars of the Lid performance in the Gothic splendor of the 15th century St. Catherine’s church.

This is regarded as Krakow's most exquisite Gothic church and boasts the finest acoustics of any house of worship in Poland, so this was particularly suited for the music.

Rubashkin:

We all enjoyed the block party and jacob is looking forward to halloween. It was great to catch up with friends we haven't seen in a long time. Sophie and Jacob are finishing up the fall Artermis cycling season, and are anticipating a move to indoor training for the winter. Hannah will be home this weekend, both to celebrate a friends bat mitzvah, and to enjoy home cooked food for a few days. Seems that Columbia University closes for election day!

Bateman:
Jill and Terry have been busy with multiple "parents weekends".....Jill comments it would've been easier on them if Annie and Claire had chosen the same college but not as beneficial to the girls " individual growth and expression" and that's got to be worth a little extra traveling.   Will and his friend Jenny were honored to drive the pace car for the illustrious Halloween parade this past Sunday......Jenny is from Charleston, SC, and didn't realize how "down home" a Washington neighborhood could be.

All enjoyed the wonderful fall day and the sweet tradition of watching the children parade down the block in their Halloween costumes, and Rugby was pleased to be included in the festivities, wearing Teddy Bear's hand me down pumpkin costume that was only a little on the baggy side.

Happy Halloween to all and thanks again to all who contributed to the planning and execution of the block party…especially the moms who provided the fun and games and haunted house.

The Halloween buffet dinner was delicious and the company and conversation even more so.
As for movies, Jill and Terry have slacked off on their regular schedule of seeing a movie most every weekend.......but did see "Coco" a few weeks ago and thought it was excellent. The family is looking forward to being on the giving end of trick or treating Halloween night.

Fred and Dorothy:

Fred and Dorothy are looking forward to a special TV event:   On Monday night at 9:00 WETA Ch 26 is showing a new documentary "Washington in the "60s". There'll also be an extra hour of discussion and interviews airing later in the week. [See schedules, info and previews at WETA web site.]
It's the decade in which Dorothy and Fred were involved in a LOT of worthy activities -- in addition to establishing our little family in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

photo credit: Hyman Bookbinder

In the documentary, there may be a part about the 1960 protests at Glen Echo Park; we think it'll be featured, but not 100% sure. That's where Dorothy defied a (bogus) police order, risking arrest for "trespassing" on park property with a racially integrated group. [At the time Fred was in the Public Health Service. So all he could do was to watch, terrified, from the sidelines, preparing to bail her out of jail, if need be.] This was during Dorothy's first week of living in Washington -- an auspicious beginning to a very intense era.

Taplin/Delancy:

Russell is working at the Burger Joint at Woodmont Triangle in Bethesda, and he reports that school is going well. This weekend he’s playing in a lacrosse tournament in Annapolis, but the school season doesn’t begin until the last week in February. And from Vicky: Paul's been playing in the pep band at the B-CC high school football games on Friday nights, and a few times, he and his friends have wandered over to the Burger Joint after the game for dinner. The burgers (including lots of delicious non-beef options like the ahi tuna burger) are delicious, as are the sweet potato fries!
In late Sept., we traveled to Boston to celebrate Vicky's dad's 90th birthday. The main event was taking a boat to Provincetown and spending the night. We really enjoyed sampling the restaurants, poking into the art galleries, and climbing the Provincetown Monument. Vicky's dad remembered doing all of that with his family when he was a boy (without the restaurants and art galleries, though). We also had an excellent dinner in the North End of Boston. It was very charming being there at night. We stayed at the airport Hilton our last night there, and the room had a foor-to-ceiling panoramic view of downtown Boston. Beautiful!
In mid-October, Vicky returned to Massachusetts for her high school reunion. It was a lot of fun, with quite a good turnout. Many of her classmates she hadn't seen 30+ years! It was truly a blast from the past.

Cosmas:

Blog Editor’s note:
Farrell did a marvelous job of crowd control at the Haunted House. She had encouraged bravery and eased anxiety as the children filed in and out of the spooky sub terrain.
Farrell said she had a wonderful Halloween and just loved seeing all the children in their costumes.

She was very impressed by the number of little children and their polite manners.
In fact all creatures great and small were adorable.

Trocchio:

Elizabeth is headed to Fort Worth for TCU’s Homecoming this weekend. Go Horn Frogs! We are bursting with pride that Jennie has been named President of the school where she has been working, Casa Blanca Academy in Hollywood, Florida, a school for children with autism. Julie has been traveling (St. Louis, Austin, Albany, Chicago, NYC and points in between) and working on health care reform.

Strother:

Jim reports that they're enjoying a couple of good books, Molly with Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, , and Jim with Gordon Wood's Empire of Liberty.

Lee:

Ann spent yesterday making a “practice” wedding cake for Michael’s upcoming wedding in North Carolina the day after Thanksgiving. Along with daughter Maura and Michael’s fiancé Velina, Ann made a 3-layer cake with vanilla, chocolate and lemon filling. She also painted watercolor butterflies to decorate the cake. For the wedding, Ann’s 10 grandchildren make the actual butterflies that will decorate the cake. Michael and Velina have planned much of the wedding themselves, and the reception will be at the mountain home of Ann’s sister.

2009-10-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

COSMAS:

Bill has settled into Hearthstone at Choate in Woburn, MA. I visited the weekend after the 4th of July and again in September for our 37th wedding anniversary over Labor Day weekend. The staff is professional and compassionate and Bill says he is happy there. I am eager to see him more often.
This has been a summer of excavations, not unlike an archeological site in Greece. After twenty-two years, our house had taken on a life of its own and every object within had either doubled or tripled in number. I have found wonderful photographs of people and places I had forgotten. I unearthed some beautiful pieces of porcelain from my mother, carefully wrapped in boxes underneath one of the beds in our guest room. While at Norwood School, Will made zillions of figures and clay animals and I'm almost sure I've found every one. There are charming drawings, paintings and notes from Lisa, Jennie and Will. Postcards written by Bill from all corners of the earth.
Well, you get the idea. This has been a magical, happy/sad experience. And, at last, 4140 is ready for the open market! Please do come take a look. Tell your friends. This is a very happy house just waiting for another family to enjoy all that is Leland Street!
At the end of August, I flew to Los Angeles to join Will, Karen and sweet baby Jane for the wedding of Ben Luban and Kim Kulik. What a great time we all had! Ben, Will's best friend since 7th grade, married his lovely Kim in a beautiful, elegant ceremony at the Skirball Cultural Center. Every aspect of the wedding weekend was fabulous, beginning on Friday night at the rehearsal dinner that Norm and Naomi gave on Santa Monica Beach at the Jonathan Beach Club. After dancing the night away on Saturday and grabbing a quick breakfast at the wedding brunch on Sunday, I flew home just about as happy as I've been in years.
Two weeks later, Will, Karen and Janie flew down here for the wedding of another beloved friend of Will's, Barton Seaver. Carrie Witherley and Bart were married on a gorgeous farm in Rappahannock County. The day was as bright and beautiful as the bride and groom. Needless to say, the food at the reception was out of this world. (Bart was the founding chef at Hook.)

My little family stayed long enough on Sunday so that I was able to quickly gather some family and friends to meet Jane and to toast the engagement of Will and Karen. Pretty great conclusion to a busy summer!

AYAZ:
This summer we spent a few weeks in Southern and Northern California visiting family and friends. We enjoyed some beautiful days in Manhattan Beach with Nicole’s brother. We then went to San Francisco and visited some of our favorite restaurants. We love the Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco. It is a traditional seafood bar that has been around for years and is always delicious! Then we were off to stay with friends at their family’s vineyard in Healdsburg, CA. We learned a lot more about how the grapes are grown! My friend’s winery is not open to the public but we always tell our friends to try and go to the Cakebread winery in Napa – it is a wonderful wine!

We finished off our trip visiting Tony’s family. When we returned to Maryland, Nicole’s parents came for a visit. We spent a lot of time at the pool with the girls and attended a few baby showers in Philadelphia. Two of Nicole’s cousins are having babies this year and Tony’s sister is due any day!
We also spent some time exploring the Delaware beaches and really enjoyed our time in Bethany beach. We got to see the annual Bethany Beach talent show and it was a lot of fun. The big news in the Ayaz house is that Arianna has started Kindergarten at Rosemary Hills. She is so excited to take the school bus (with friend Mark Vicente!). Sophia is now in the Pre-K class at Manor Montessori and really enjoying her time there.
The other big news to add is that I am going to start working again! I will be working from our home office for my old law firm in CA. I am thrilled about the flexibility working from home will provide and excited to get back to practicing. Hopefully it will all work out!
We are happy to see all of our neighbors have returned from their summer vacations and look forward to a fun year on Leland Street! The girls are really looking forward to the Halloween block party!

BATEMAN:
The Batemans had a wonderful summer but Jill reports it went by way too fast! The nest was full the entire time with all three young adults gainfully employed, Hallelujah!

Claire, Annie and Will in Bethany Beach

Annie loved working with 12 four year olds at Sidwell Summer. She came home every day exhausted, but full of stories about the children and she bonded with them to the point it was really hard to leave when the session came to a close. Claire worked her second summer at Cactus Cantina. Terry comments that putting her in there with all that food and frenetic activity is like throwing a fish in the water. Will obtained his commercial real estate license and is learning the ropes in the industry, working as an associate with Studley in Tysons Corner.

Will and buddies en route to Jimmy Buffet concert.

Terry and Jill enjoyed every minute with everyone home.....including a relaxing and fun week in Bethany Beach. Now Annie and Claire have happily returned to school and Will is carrying on (living on the third floor) in what he warmly refers to as "our empty nest." All are looking forward to the change of season.......the fall leaves and of course the Halloween Block Party.
On a sad note, Jill reports the loss of the big red maple which graced the front lawn (and supported the swing) for so long. It took three arborists to finally convince Jill that the tree was indeed extremely diseased and must come down before it fell on the house or somebody. The tree is greatly missed but the new row of crape myrtles should liven things up next summer. Happy fall to all Leland Streeters!

BOLAND:
The Bolands enjoyed a wonderful end of summer. In August Jimmy and Leanne spent a week in Vail, Colorado enjoying delightful days with low humidity, and cool evenings. Leanne was able to return in September for a mini reunion with her three sisters...good hiking, long conversations and happy memories.

Leanne has a new MacBook and frequents the Bethesda Row Apple store where the staff are very patient and offer wonderful classes. She needs to improve her computer skills in order to effectively Chair a guild for the Christ Child Society, an organization that helps underprivileged children in DC.
Jimmy has already been out to Notre Dame for a football game, and is looking forward to returning to campus several times this month. Patrick is a big UGA fan and he, too, returns to campus during football season. Monty continues working at the University Club as a fitness trainer. He is available for personal training in private homes and office gyms. (301-767- 5356)

DELANCY:
Our summers seem to get better every year. This year, ours began with hosting a 13-year-old French boy. This was an exchange arranged through a mutual friend for Paul and the French boy Thomas.

Thomas spent one week with us here in Washington, and second week with us at our family home on the coast of Maine. He fit in very well, and was charming and up for any activity we suggested. While in Maine, he called his mother to get her crepe recipe with the “secret ingredient,” and then prepared delicious crepes for the entire extended family.

His English was quite excellent -- the only thing he admitted to having trouble with was our jokes (they didn’t seem funny…..). We spent some more time in Maine after Thomas left, and Vicky hosted a reunion for people who worked with her at a summer inn there in the mid-1970s.
In late July, Paul left for France to spend 2 weeks with Thomas, and Vicky and Ben tagged along for the plane ride.

While Thomas’s family hosted Paul in Paris and the coast of Brittany, Vicky and Ben played tourist in Paris, Burgandy, the Loire Valley, and at the tail end, dropped by to spend 2 days with Thomas’ family in Brittany. They were as delightful as Thomas, and entertained us royally.

During this time, Russell stayed in the U.S. to work on a history project with a teacher at GDS, work as a camp counselor, and visit college campuses in New England with his grandfather.
September hasn’t been a hardship either. We extended our summer fun by a visit from Vicky’s brother-in-law and nieces over Labor Day weekend (the Newseum, a trip to the top of the Washington Monument, a Nationals game, and best of all: Six Flags!), another from California friends in the middle of the month, and a trip to Provincetown (by boat from Boston) to Vicky’s father’s 90th birthday.
Russell’s in his senior year at GDS, playing off season lacrosse and working part-time at The Burger Joint in Bethesda, and Paul’s started as a freshman at BCC, and is playing on the JV soccer team.

DUFFY:
The highlight of our summer was a trip to Italy with Charles’ family. Matthew proved to be a great traveler as we explored Florence, Venice and Tuscany. We especially enjoyed cooking classes, cycling and touring the museums.

Aside from the airplane ride, Matthew loved the boats in Venice and sampling gelato (all the green flavors) at just about every meal. We can’t wait to go back.

The health care reform debate has kept Bonnie busy at work. Charles is in the midst of a detail assignment to the Office of Financial Stability at the Treasury Department, where he has been working on issues related to TARP.
In August, friends from Holland came for a visit – Charles and Noud became friends when they rode their bikes across the US ten years ago. They had fun reminiscing about their trip and exploring DC together.
Matthew discovered the joys of Funland at Rehobeth Beach and Bonnie realized she’d rather watch than go on the rides. Matthew also went to “mini-tennis” camp at Landon. Initially he didn’t understand why he was going “Mommy I already know how to play tennis” -- but once he was there he loved it. Matthew turned 4 on September 18 - all he wanted for his birthday was a hockey helmut. Who knew a worn out hand-me-down helmut could bring such joy!

With the help of Bonnie’s mother, we are planning a new garden in the front yard. Watching the bushes come down was bittersweet, but we’re excited about the new possibilities. The "Big Dig" began over Columbus Day weekend.

Also, we enjoyed hosting a group of town residents for the town’s progressive dinner Centennial Celebration.

FENDRICK:
Barbara Fendrick reports the high point of the summer was an incredible car trip with son, Peter, from Nice to Madrid through the Western Pyrenees. Mile after mile they found a marvelous range of sights, tastes, and memories through museum, cave, restaurant and lodging experiences. They discovered the Bureaus of Tourism in France are very helpful in calling ahead from town to town to arrange accommodations. Friends of Peter hosted their visit in Pamplona. These friends bought a 12th century house and gutted the entire four interior floors and designed a new home. The entire project was completed within eight months and then furnished with furniture shipped from Bloomingdales. So Barbara reports every bed and chair was very comfortable.

They visited the Museo del Prado in Madrid. They saw it all, which involved more walking than Versailles and the Louvre combined. Prado features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century including 1,300 paintings, 5,000 drawings and 2,000 decorative arts objects.
Barbara and Peter ventured into the Niaux caves of the Ariege Pyrenees of France to view the prehistoric art. They walked deep into the cave for an hour on slippery, uneven floors holding a flashlight, until arriving at the site of the superb cave drawings of bison, reindeer, ibex and horses.

Barbara’s artistic eye was particularly appreciative of the Barajas Airport in Madrid. The interior support is a series of undulating “X’s” in shades of blue, yellow and green, the effect is magnificent.

Barbara’s daughter, Lila, a landscape architect, is available for consultation on any project large or small. Anyone considering a new look or adding interest to their current landscape can reach Lila at 301-907-7700.

FIDLER:
. We enjoyed our first summer in MD, especially the atypical weather. Much time was spent at CCRA hanging out with new friends and working on our swim and tennis strokes.

FORREST:
Marcy and Arthur spent most of the summer welcoming friends, family, neighbors and out of town guests to our own backyard to splash in the pool and enjoy cocktails under the pergola. We were delighted that Nicole and Zak were here often entertaining their friends, too. As the summer came to a close, Arthur headed for Las Vegas for production of the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Marcy joined Arthur for a few days in Las Vegas before the frenzy of the Telethon weekend began. One evening they dined at the Sinatra room at the Encore Hotel. They enjoyed a moment of nostalgia when they spotted a photo on the wall of Sinatra and Dean Martin from 1976 Jerry Lewis Telethon. The occasion of that photo was entertainment history...it was the twenty year reunion of Martin and Lewis arranged as a surprise to Jerry Lewis by Arthur with Frank Sinatra.

Marcy and Arthur spent a few days of R & R post Telethon at Laguna Beach. It was great to hear the ocean roar, watch the pelicans swoop over the water and wade in the shore line.

Nicole and Steve ventured to NYC especially to see Steve Tyrell at a jazz cafe before flying to Las Vegas for the holiday weekend. While in New York, they visited the roof top of the Metropolitan Museum to see the incredible Roxy Paine steel tree sculpture. This magnificent work of art is 130 foot long by 45 foot wide and will be on display until November 29th. Anyone visiting NYC should treat themselves to the spectacle.

Zak split his summer between Chevy Chase and Los Angeles with his work filming and editing music videos for Warner Bros.

Marcy and Arthur, joined by Jimmy and Leanne Bolond attended the Steve Tyrell concert at the Strathmore. Tyrell performed with a marvelous group of muscians presenting songs from the Great American Songbook, as well as, tunes from his recent album featuring the work of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was thoroughly enjoyable to share the evening, all four of us had the same foot tapping appreciation for the performance.

HOROWITZ/KAZIN:
We spent a couple of lovely weeks in Wellfleet and are sorry to see the summer end. Wellfleet is a beautiful little town at the far end of the Cape. It has traditionally attracted artists and academics and (for some reason) psychiatrists. It has gorgeous wild beaches and several fresh water ponds which are wonderful for swimming. There's a fabulous used book store, a charming cafe, some excellent seafood and surprisingly good local theatre. We have some walks we love to take and we rent bikes and take a trail which ends at the ocean. We've been going for years and are all very attached to the place.

Danny is in his last year at Columbia and wishing he could keep it going much longer. Maia has deferred her admission to Stanford for a year and is having a nice relaxing time at home, working in the book department at Child's Play and taking acting classes at the Studio Theatre.
Michael is back at school, Beth is taking calls from people worried about swine flu and hoping for some meaningful health care reform.

LEE:
I had a pretty scary experience on September 15th. While crossing Woodbine Street, walking my dog Kali, I tripped on a particularly bad spot on the street (before it ws repaired). I think Kali heard me trip and ran a few feet causing me to go down fast. I landed on my chin and barely got my hands up. A very nice teenage high school boy who lives in the corner house of Woodbine and Maple ran over to me and asked if he should call 911. I said "No" but asked if all my teeth were broken. He said just one was chipped. He then ran into the house and came out with paper towels and a bottle of water to mop up the blood. He was an angel. It is now several days later and my face is a lighter black and blue, my lip is less swollen, my tooth has been repaired, and my ribs are less sore. I'm on the mend.
On a much happier note, Michael is getting married! The wedding will take place at my sister's NC mountain house. He is marrying a lovely young woman named Velina.

Her 8-year-old daughter, Simone, will fit in well with my grandchildren who are 9, 7, 6 and 3-year-old twins. Our family is thrilled. You may remember my talking about Thanksgiving every year with my sister's family which is extremely musical. There is singing, piano and guitar going on all the time. There will be 11 grandchildren--the oldest around 11. There will be a butterfly theme so I am having all the children watercolor butterflies as well as make butterflies out of fondant for the cake.

SIMPSON/PAYNE:
The Paynes had a wonderful summer. The big highlight was our family trip to Ireland with all the kids and my sisters. We flew into Shannon and stayed in County Clare for a few days to visit the Cliffs of Moher, feast at Bunratty Castle and tour the Burren.

Then we headed South where we rented some lovely cottages overlooking the harbor of the charming little town of Kinsale, Co.Cork -- where the four Simpson sisters spent every summer growing up in their family home, Folly House.

We had a big party with all my parents lifelong Irish friends who live in and around Kinsale to celebrate their lives and dedicate a bench in their honor on the scenic walkway along the Bandon river in front of our old farmhouse.

It was one of the most wonderful trips we have ever had as a family. Ireland is magical place. And if any of you ever visit Kinsale, there is a very peaceful bench that awaits you with a view to match.
The summer flew by and Jack and Sarah are now enjoying 5th and 6th grades at CCES. Jack is immersed in travel soccer and Sarah in dance three nights a week. Turner has one more year at National Presbyterian School and then we will be transferring him to CCES next year to start 3rd grade. We have been delighted with the school and are so fortunate to have such a fantastic public school option just a hop, skip and a jump away. The Payne family recently enjoyed a celebration dinner at Guapo's In Bethesda on the occasion of Jack being elected as Co-President of his class.
A thank you to all the neighbors who continue to help with the ongoing saga of our escape artist, Chloe. If you ever see a friendly, fuzzy looking golden doodle running up and down our street, chances are its her. She is very fast and sometimes despite our best efforts she'll wiggle right out the front door before we can catch her.

KARASIK/RUBASHKIN:
We enjoyed celebrating Rosh HaShanah with all the kid's grandparents in New York and New Jersey.

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We really enjoyed seeing Hannah who is well into her first semester at Barnard. She is enjoying her academic classes (physics, freshman seminar, Arabic, and contemporary spanish theater), and she is really having fun exploring the extracurriculars of college life. She auditioned successfully for the Bach Consort, an ensemble orchestra with voice, and she is interning at the university radio station. Sophie has settled into eleventh grade, meeting the challenges of several AP classes, and a foray into the schools literary magazine. She continues to cycle competitively and is racing this weekend. Jacob, a seventh grader in the humanities magnet program, is facing the mythical IDRIP project. It is the hurdle that all the magnet kids contend with, in depth research and a lengthy paper (with primary sources, no less). In addition, he is studying for his Bar Mitzvah-he has a really long portion-but he is doing great! He too is riding with the Artemis team, and will race for the first time this weekend. The rest of us are keeping busy with work, and the usual things that fill our days.

FRED AND DOROTHY:
Fred and Dorothy are rejoicing over the recovery of a friend who'd been hospitalized at Georgetown because of a dangerous exposure to carbon monoxide (CO). She'd been feeling weak and tired all summer, finally getting short of breath and then fainting in the emergency room. Signs point to the air conditioning vents in her car as the source of the CO. This was our first personal experience with CO poisoning. Scary stuff. [NOTE: The latest issue of Consumer Reports rates various CO detectors for the home and recommends that those that are already own be replaced every 5 years. We discovered that our home monitor was 10 years old. We think car interiors should also be checked!]

Highlights of the Solomon summer include:
1. We had a joint venture with Ann Lee having the retaining wall and fence between our backyards rebuilt. (It had been constructed with railroad ties years ago and was falling into Ann’s yard.) Ann followed up with lovely new plantings next to the new fence. Dorothy is still trying to decide.
2. Fred had a great time with his four male first cousins and families at a terrific baseball game at Nationals' stadium. Also in attendance was the French bride of one cousin, who was very patient as she was being instructed on the fine points of "bezbol". I realized how strange this sport must seem through a newcomer's eyes. Actually it's pretty strange anyway. For example, we witnessed a perfectly executed "suicide squeeze". {This a rarely attempted play in which the runner from third base tries to steal home while the batter.... oh
well, we didn't even try to explain that one to her.)

3. The very special movie, "Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg"--and the festivities around its opening at the Avalon---were delightful. [HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. DVD out soon.]
4. We were very excited to see our son and our two grandchildren. One highlight was a trip to the zoo in time to see the 10:30 AM washing of an elephant. Elephants love the cool water and are amusingly cooperative (unlike some dogs and children).

Dorothy adds: Isn't our weather stupendous? We still have butterflies flitting back and forth between our two butterfly bushes up against the dining room windows. I've been "heading" the dead lowers off faithfully each day, so the bushes are still in full bloom. What a pleasure.

STROTHER:
The Strothers went on two New England trips this summer. The first was to Rhode Island where William attended a lacrosse camp. While William was at the camp, Molly and Jim saw the Colonial and Gilded Age sights of Newport, ate wonderful food and enjoyed the breathtaking views of Narragansett Bay.

Our next trip was a week in Maine and then with four days in Boston. Unfortunately, we had quite a bit of rain in Maine,and the mosquitoes were horrendous. In Maine, we were in a "legacy" (and falling down) cottage near Brunswick, courtesy of Molly's stepfather -- a week of rain and mosquitoes, so we got in a lot of good reading (more below). We attended a wonderful performance at the Maine State Theater on the Bowdoin campus (really Broadway class), ate a lot of lobster, fried clams and mussels, and made some college trips with William. Plus an obligatory trip to LL Bean
In Boston, we had a nice stay at the Harvard Club in the Back Bay section, bought some MTA passes, saw a few more colleges, and continued to eat more than was probably appropriate, including dinners at the Oyster House, which claims to be the oldest restaurant in the US, and Jacob Wirth's, which is the second oldest restaurant in Boston -- I had always enjoyed it when I spent a couple of months on a ship being fitted out in the Charlestown Navy Yard 49 years ago!

And, as a highlight for me, we spent an afternoon going through the Adams houses in Quincy. (A reminder for the elderly on the block: Get the $10 National Park pass and thereafter visit for free for life.) I'd recently reread The Education of Henry Adams, and the "Big House" figured prominently therein. We did have great food though, and William enjoyed his visits to some of the area colleges. It wasn't an exciting vacation, but we enjoyed it. And the trips to colleges, guided haphazardly by too-small maps, persuaded us to acquire a GPS. Back to the future.

DANIELS/WOLFF:
We wish the whole of Leland Street a sweet and health New Year – for the Year of 5770!
I also want to thank the Town of Chevy Chase for helping to get a County built storm sewer installed on the top of Leland Street. With the very welcome cooperation of the new generation of Patch’s we will finally be able to build effective drainage of our property.

TRANSITION:

Our hearts and condolences go out to the Peppe-Gibson family over the recent demise of their dear Bailey. They selected Bailey from a litter of seventeen Bernese puppies and he brought the family an abundance of fun and laughter for six years. Bailey is gone too soon but will be remembered as the dog of Molly and Gordon’s childhood, much loved and very missed.

Leland Street Neighbors as hosts for The Chevy Chase Centennial Celebration:
The town of Chevy Chase celebrated their Centennial on September 12th with a progressive dinner for town residents. Leland Street was very much a part of making the evening a success. Charles and Bonnie Duffy and Arthur and Marcy Forrest participated as chefs and hosts for the Chevy Chase Centennial DInner Celebration. Chevy Chase residents drew the name of their dinner host during cocktails at the Town Center. Each home served dinner for twelve guests. Following dinner, the groups walked to yet another home for the dessert course. Both the Duffys and the Forrests thoroughly enjoyed their guests and are pleased to hear the concept of the Progressive Dinner is going to be an annual Chevy Chase event.

THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE

2009-06-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

Marcy and Arthur enjoyed greeting neighbors, friends and residents of Chevy Chase during the Annual "Through the Garden Gate" tour. Many Leland Street neighbors were amongst those stopping by for a cool drink and a walk through the Bearhouse garden including Doug and Melissa Gibson, Arthur is seen above showing aspects of the garden to Doug. Molly Strother and Nicole Ayaz stopped by in the midst of their busy afternoon as did Ann Lee, Anne Lippold, Florence Lloyd and Sally.

We also had visits from Mary Stuart, Miriam Daniels, Bonnie and Charles Duffy.

LELAND STREET NEIGHBORS ARE PROUD OF OUR GRADUATES! CONGRATULATIONS TO MAIA KAZIN AND HANNAH RUBASHKIN!
Horowitz/Kazin:
Following her graduation, Maia and two of her friends hosted a High School graduation party in their backyard. They invited about 100 friends. There was a DJ and dancing under a tent, which muffled the noise somewhat. As the sounds of celebration wafted up Leland Street, neighbors smiled with appreciation for the Horowitz-Kazin family's joy.

Rubashkins:
The Rubashkins are celebrating Hannah's graduation from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Happy Graduation to Hannah!! This summer, Hannah will take a five week intensive Arabic course a Cornell.

The other Rubashkin children have a special week too. Sophie was confirmed and sang beautifully. Jacob has a recital on June 14th.

Daniel/Wolff:
Miriam Daniel had a lovely lunch with Melissa Peppe in Bethesda. They recommend Assaggi Restaurant Mozzarella Bar – 4838 Bethesda Ave., especially the very healthy (not really) fried calamari appetizer.

Miriam is madly planting Astilbes which she hopes to see again next year. It is such a pleasure to look out at our wonderful garden planted years ago by the Kolkers and watch the cardinals happily eating the black sunflower seeds.

We were so pleased to survive the heavy rain on Thursday -thanks to both the County for building a new storm sewer and to the Patchs who are being so careful to protect drainage from both houses during their home renovation.

Batemans:
Most of the Batemans enjoyed the beautiful day Saturday........Annie, Claire, Jill and Will spent time by the pool, taking in the sun. Terry, however, unfortunately spent most of his day trying to get home from California. The San Diego area was enveloped in fog and he sat on the runway waiting for it to lift. Hopefully, a redeeming round of golf will be in the cards for Saturday.
Terry, Jill, Will and Claire recently spent time in Tennessee in Terry and Jill's home town of Mckenzie attending a high school reunion and visiting with Terry's parents.

Editor’s note: Terry Bateman took home a plaque acknowledging Terry’s as an inductee into the Caroll County Sports Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Terry!

Plans for the summer are loose and free, hopefully including a trip to the beach before it's time to go back to school. And, yes, we survived the rain......our backyard looks like a tropical rain forest!
addendum to Bateman news.......Rugby is sporting a new haircut and now looks like a wire fox terrier rather than a sheep. Also, the family recommends, for a quick lunch or dinner, a new little restaurant in Glover Park called Surfside (wonderful fresh fish tacos)!

Forrests:
The Forrests have had two weeks of neighborhood and community fun. Marcy attended the May Town Coffee in pursuit of chat and new acquaintances and was pleased to see Nicole Ayaz there, too. Marcy welcomed Farrell Cosmas return from her trip to Boston as they resumed their thrice weekly jump and bounce routine at Curves. Curves recently sponsored a complimentary self defense session which Marcy participated in.

Later that day she demonstrated her new skills to Farrell, Vicky Taplin and Bonnie Duffy. In an attempt to show Bonnie’s brother, Stephen Hogue, Marcy quickly learned that it takes more than one lesson to be proficient.

Nicole and Steve attended the Washington, D.C. Humane Society 22nd Annual Bark Ball. It is Washington D.C.’s only Black Tie event that people can bring their four footed friends to. The poochies wore everything from tuxes to tu-tu’s. Nicole even found one pooch wearing a pink satin ensemble similar to her own gown. Nicole and Steve did not bring a pet to the Ball, but they came home with a topiary cat that served as a centerpiece.

Harry Truman once said: "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." This event celebrates that credo! There were doggie hors d'oeuvres as well as a vegetarian dinner for humans. Nicole and Steve enjoyed seeing all the formal dog attire.

Zak and Chad took ZF Films to St. Louis, Missouri for Warner Bros. over Memorial Day weekend to film the alternative rock band Cavo at Pointfest, the all day music festival. It was a blazing hot day in the Verizon Amphitheater, but that did not deter attendance or enthusiasm.

Ayaz:
The Ayaz family took their first trip to Rehoboth Beach over Memorial Day week-end. The girls had a great time and we actually ran into a family that we had met on Leland Street one day when they were looking for a house to rent! We spent a great day with them on the beach and at Funland (which the girls adored!!!).

Tony and I were happy to finally have a chance to start exploring the beaches in this area! We are hoping to get to the Outer Banks soon. . . .
Before heading to the beach on Saturday we attended a graduation party for a friend’s daughter. She graduated from Virginia Tech and is headed off to France for a year. The girls swam the entire time and Tony and I enjoyed tricks by the magician/mentalist. We were happy to host Tony’s “Federal Team” of work colleagues for a BBQ the other week-end and are planning on hosting a neighborhood BBQ soon. I am going to sign the girls up for swim lessons this summer and we are hoping the floaties will no longer be needed by September! We hope everyone enjoys the summer!

Cosmas:
Since returning from Boston two weeks ago, my life has been filled with loving and entertaining friends! I really can't imagine a more embracing community than our own Leland Street. Fresh strawberries from the Vicente family, outrageous chocolates from the Delancys, a delicious dinner with my Leland Ladies at Bonnie Duffy's.

Memorial day dinner with the Lubans, a wonderful family dinner with Florence Lloyd, and last, but by no means least, airport pick-up accompanied by most fine Irish whiskey and on-going care, concern and entertainment that only dearest old friends can provide from the entire Forrest family. Thank you everyone.
My most fabulous granddaughter, Jane, is now 2 months old. (I know all grandmothers brag and I now know that we do that for very good reasons.) What fun it is to be so close by and watch Janie grow and giggle. So my summer plans involve more trips north to see Bill and sweet baby Jane.

Martz/Davies:
The Martz Davies family has had an eventful spring. Stephanie's 96 year old grandmother died after a brief illness, but she had a very high quality of life for a very long time, including lots of visits to see the azaleas in the neighborhood. We will miss her terribly but are grateful that she truly didn't suffer. We are otherwise busy with spring hockey, soccer, a violin recital, and the start of swimming. A hodgepodge of camps are around the corner, fun but a little hard to keep track of. The most notable feature of Chris' work is that he has been home from India. For which we are all very thankful.

Stephanie has been working around the clock on the nomination of Judge Sotomayor, which she hopes will prove to be rewarding.

Fred and Dorothy:
For the past 2 years Dorothy has had great fun participating in Garrett Park's Annual Plant Swap. This has provided us with new plants for our garden --which has been at its most gorgeous this spring. (It's quite a pleasure looking out on our front and back yards, recalling that they were a sea of hard clay when we moved in.) We even came close to volunteering to be one of the hosts on next week's garden tour. But gardens are never finished, are they? Well, hopefully next year.

Editors’ Note: Marcy and Arthur enjoyed chatting with Dorothy and Fred when they stopped by the Forrest home for the Garden Tour.

Duffy:
We spent Memorial Day at the beach in NC with Bonnie’s family. The weather was beautiful and we all had fun playing on the beach with Matthew’s cousins. From there we travelled to Chapel Hill to celebrate both Charles’ and Bonnie’s Mother’s birthdays. A highlight of our trip was going to see a Durham Bulls baseball game, where the bull lights up and blows smoke after a homerun, just like in the movie. Our day at the Durham Bulls ballpark was in celebration of Charles' birthday. Matthew had his first taste of cotton candy, loved it!

Matthew is still beaming over his day at the White House and the chance to meet one of his favorite Steelers, Heinz Ward.

Boland:
The Bolands have enjoyed two plays recently:

Arcadia at The Folger Shakespeare Theatre and Radio Golf at The Studio. Arcadia, which has been extended, is our favorite Tom Stoppard play and we recommend it. August Wilson's Radio Golf is the last in his 10 play cycle set in Pittsburgh. We thought The Studio's production well done. No graduations this year, but we will be attending Jimmy's 35th year Notre Dame law school and Leanne's 35th St. Mary's College reunions soon.

Strother: William began caddying last weekend and was thrilled with his proceeds. He plans to do this four or so times a week throughout the summer. He is very excited to have exams over and is looking forward to vacation. Molly has three more subbing jobs at various schools and is looking forward to a relaxing vacation with trips to Rhode Island, Maine, and Charlottesville. She continues to work on her golf game and is looking forward to lots of reading and museum visiting. She and two friends went to the Cezanne exhibit in PA.

Fidler:
The Fidlers are grateful to Molly Gibson for babysitting Max and Jack so they could go with Jody's father (who was visiting from NYC) to listen to Mahler at Strathmore
and to see Valerie Harper in "Looped" at the Lincoln Theater. The play is presented through June 28, 2009.

Both performances, though extremely different, were enjoyed by all. The Fidlers are also thankful to Marcy and Arthur for introducing them to many new neighbors on Leland Street!

Gibson:

Bailey has enjoyed a week of special treats, in celebration of his 6th birthday.
The Gibsons are happy to wave goodbye to the scaffolding around the left side of the house and hello to new plantings (finally!!!)

We are now the proud owners of an apple tree, a cherry tree, a persimmon tree, a pear tree, 3 paw paws, 2 grape vines, 4 kiwi vines, 1 pineapple guava bush, 4 persimmon bushes, strawberry plants, 6 blueberry bushes, 2 red currents, 3 elderberry bushes, 2 espalier apple trees, 1 shitake log, and two raspberry canes. We were sad to lose all of our large trees in the backyard, but on the bright side (no pun intended) we now have enough sun for fruit. Molly and Gordon are happy that the school year is coming to an end. Gordon continues to enjoy his baseball team and Molly has picked up soccer.

Three Cheers to Leland Street Ladies for Community Involvement:
Melissa, Molly, Leanne, Farrell, Florence and Marcy donated over fifty articles of clothing to the Washington, D.C. "Dress For Success" organization. The clothing they contributed will provide interview and professional attire to women attempting to transistion from welfare to work.

PROM NIGHT FOR HANNAH AND FRIENDS

2009-05-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

KARASIK/RUBASHKIN:
We have had a busy week. Last weekend was the BCC prom, and needless to say the graduating seniors looked lovely in their finest.

You might have noticed the multitude of cars (and a very large white hummer limo) on Leland street Saturday evening. Our home was the venue for photographs for Hannah and her friends. We were all thrilled that the rain held off!
On sunday Jacob and Hannah had the very special opportunity to play with MCYO at the Kennedy Center concert hall. It was truly exciting to hear them play in their respective orchestras on that grand stage. Pamela made a quick trip to Boston for a cardiology meeting, where the weather was quite a bit cooler than here, but it was fun and informative.
Sophie had a most enjoyable time when Mira recently visited from Norway.

Sophie is back on her bicycle after a break for AP exams, and is gearing up for a busy season. This weekend its the BCC One Act Festival, and a cello recital for Hannah.

We are excited about the school year coming to a close, and Hannah's graduation. Looking forward to summer!

DUFFY::
Charles Duffy treated his son, Matthew to an incredibly exciting day at the White House. President Barack Obama was honoring the Pittsburgh Steelers as the winners of the Super Bowl. Many may recall that Charles grew up in Pittsburgh and is a long time fan of the Steelers. Young Matthew matches his Dad’s enthusiastic team spirit. Matthew wore the team uniform and the number of one of his favorite players. Polamalu. Matthew was a little surprised that he was the only one in uniform!
President Obama and the Super Bowl champions assembled 3,000 care packages for troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of Operation USO. In addition to the special memories of the afternoon, Matthew came home with a football signed by Steelers players, Mean Joe Green AND President Barack Obama.

BOLAND:
The Bolands celebrated two birthdays (Jeb's 2 weeks late & Joe's 2 weeks early) as well as Mother's Day at a barbecue last Sunday. It was our first of the summer season and the weather cooperated. It's getting harder and harder to find a day when everyone is available so we just combined events. Everyone is anticipating the official start of summer next weekend. Patrick's already announced that he's heading to the beach!
Leanne and Jimmy enjoyed a performance Thursday evening of the Washington Ballet at The Harman Center for the Arts, a new theater complex that is home to the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Three different pieces were danced, including a world premier, and the company looked terrific.

The Forrests also had tickets for the final performance of the Washington Ballet. The Forrests tickets were for Wednesday, the Bolands for the following evening. The Bolands CLEARLY had the best date for the event because as it so happened the final Hockey play off game between the Capitals and the Penguins was occurring directly across the street from the Ballet. When Arthur and Marcy arrived at F Street, they felt like they were the only people on the Planet Earth without a RED jersey with Ovechkin on the back.

The streets were teeming with hockey fans, garages were overflowing and it suddenly did not seem like a night for ballet. SO Arthur turned the car around and they enjoyed a calm dinner at Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda instead.

New Leland Street residents, Phil and Jody Fidler were introduced to a small group of Leland Street neighbors. It was a nice
opportunity to get to know a few faces up and down the block and to learn who else has younsters. Jody learned that Maggie and Michael's daughter, Sarah, is in Max' class at school. Vicky's father was in town and so he had the chance to enjoy a bit
of Leland Street socializing.

TROCCHIO:
We are looking forward to having Jennie home from Florida this weekend when she attends a wedding in Annapolis.
Julie, Elizabeth, Lady and Callie enjoyed Bethesda’s “Strut your Mutt.” Truely adorable dogs!!! And great treats, which Lady especially appreciated.

COSMAS:
Farrell reports from Boston that Bill Cosmas has settled into Hearthstone @ Choate, a wonderful assisted living residence for Alzheimer's patients in Woburn, Massachusetts. Will Cosmas carefully researched facilities for his father and found this to be a perfect choice. Will, Farrell, Bill and a staff member, John, from Hearthstone traveled up to Massachusetts together last Sunday. They enjoyed a very pleasant trip up followed by Bill’s introduction to new granddaughter, Jane, before settling into Hearthstone.
Farrell has remained in Massachusetts to enjoy a full week with Will, Karen and their beautiful new baby.   Jane now weighs in at 12 pounds and is smiling at her parents and grandmother. Farrell and Karen lunched at a cafe along Newberry Street and strolled Jane through Boston Commons past the spring flowers and the Swan Boats. Baby Jane was treated to a darling new outfit, (what are grandmothers for??).

Farrell says there was just one rainy day but otherwise the weather has been beautiful and they have enjoyed having breakfast on the patio with the sunshine, breezes and baby.

FORREST:
The Forrests celebrated Zak’s 28th birthday at Guapos Restaurant Friday evening. A lively night of gifts, laughter, Margaritas, Sangria and fajitas. Guapos acknowledges a birthday with a song and a sombrero and we all enjoyed a great time.

Zak leaves for St. Louis next week to film a Cavo concert for Warner Bros..
Nicole spent a day in NYC viewing a wonderful collection of Broadway and Opera costumes at Lincoln Center. Nicole’s company may be handling the touring exhibition of the collection.
Arthur was a guest speaker at the National Archives this past week for a program titled, “When Television Became BIG.”
The program was followed by a Q and A and recorded to be aired at a future date.   The program was about how television has evolved over the decades. Arthur had significant input as a man who has been in the tv business since it’s inception and who has worked in every phase of live t.v.

BATEMAN:
The Batemans have a full house once again with Will, Annie, and Claire all home for the summer. Will is busy with his new job as an associate broker at Studley commercial real estate services (busy looking for new clients so let him know if you have any leads)! Claire is waiting tables at Cactus Cantina, and Annie will be working as a counselor at Sidwell Summer. Jill, Annie, and Claire are looking forward to an upcoming trip to Captiva Island where they will be taking Jill's mother to a beautiful spa to celebrate her 80th birthday.

All are anticipating a relaxing and fun summer.....Jill says it's great to have all that culinary enthusiasm back in the kitchen. The family is eating very well!

WOLFF/DANIEL:
Larry Wolff and Miriam Daniel arrived Friday from another long trip to Israel. Miriam spent a month in the city of Netanya (20 miles north of Tel Aviv) studying Hebrew five hours a day and has now passed the "aleph" (beginners) class. Larry joined her for the last two weeks.   Besides learning more about Reform Jewish life in Israel, they also coped with Israeli drivers and traffic jams, looked at  problems of Jewish and Arab elementary school children in Jaffa, and ate at some neat restaurants (Abdul the Fisherman in Jaffa, Lilit in Tel Aviv, Kyoto Sushi in Herzylia).

They spent a really nice weekend at Kibbutz Hagoshrim in the North, where they went white water rafting on the Hatzbani River.

Larry met with a number of Israel educators and hopes to write a paper on issues in Israel education.
Larry also found the time to visit Becky in Seattle. They went up the Space Needle as well as to the San Juan Islands.

David performed with the Cantate Singers (Hayden and Mendlesohn) Saturday at St Johns Parish Church in Bethesda.

Miriam recommends Lush Life, by Richard Price, a novel about life today in New York's Lower East Side.

LELAND NEIGHBOR SIGHTINGS:
Barbara Fendrick was seen just entering Sibley Hospital to visit daughter, Anne Marie who gave birth to a baby girl May 28th.
Barbara was beaming with happiness. Congratulations to the new parents and the proud Grandmother.
Politics and Prose:
It is always nice to see a familiar face in a crowd. Amongst those attending a discussion/Q and A on Gertrude Berg at Politics and Prose were Fred and Dorothy Solomon and further back in the crowd were Arthur and Marcy Forrest. Guest speaker, Aviva Kempner showed a film clip from the early t.v. show, “The Goldbergs.” Gertrude Berg played the lovable character, Molly Goldberg. Arthur Forrest was a cameraman and stage manager on the original program early in his career.

As the stage manager, he worked closely with Gertrude Berg. He has vivid and respectful memories of her as a principled and passionate humanitarian.

Leland Street Appreciation of artist, Dale Chihuly

2009-04-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

Anne Lippold’s family is seen here amongst the Chihulys and the cactus during a recent tour of the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.
Anyone traveling to Phoenix, Arizona might enjoy the opportunity to visit the to see the magnificent display of Dale Chihuly’s glass sculptures on exhibition through May 31, 2009. This is Chihuly's first exhibition in an outdoor desert environment.

Dale Chihuly is known for his innovative glass sculptures, and his work is immediately recognizable for its grand scale and vibrant colors. Chihuly's spectacular creations are found in more than 200 museums worldwide including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Garden exhibitions of his work have been mounted at the New York Botanical Garden.

Nicole Forrest was impressed with Chihuly's glass flower sculptures that flutter overhead at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Marcy and Arthur Forrest stood in amazement at the eleven foot tall Chihuly at the Palm Springs Art Museum.

Fidler:
Jody says all is well with the Fidler family. A friend from Connecticut sent us his Flat Stanley their way and they have been taking him on tour of the District. Flat Stanley is a lot of fun for all involved! Here is Jack introducing Flat Stanley to George Stephanopolous.

For those not famililar with The Flat Stanley Project, the project was started in 1995 by Dale Hubert, a grade three schoolteacher in London, Ontario, Canada. It is meant to facilitate letter-writing by schoolchildren to each other as they document what Flat Stanley has done with them.

The character, Stanley Lambchop and his brother Arthur are given a bulletin board.Their Dad hangs it over Stanley's bed, during the night the board falls , flattening Stanley in his sleep. He survives and makes the best of his altered state, and soon he is entering locked rooms by sliding under the door, and playing with his younger brother by being used as a kite.
Students begin the project by reading the book, then they make paper "Flat Stanleys" and keep a journal, documenting their activities in which Flat Stanley is involved. The Flat Stanley and the journal are mailed to other people who are asked to treat the figure as a visiting guest and add to his journal, then return them both after a period of time.
**According to the Feb. 26th broadcast of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Flat Stanley was on board US Airways Flight 1549 which landed safely in the Hudson River. He was carried to safety in the briefcase of his traveling companion.

Florence Lloyd:
Florence's azalea garden is one of the treasures of Leland Street. Her garden is a glorious welcome to anyone driving up Leland Street in spring. The burst of blooms suggest an enchanted cottage. Then mid-block, the Trocchio home offers another burst of color along their azalea hedge.

Trocchio:
Julie is just back from a from a fabulous trip with her work to Rome and Assisi. Great food, beautiful churches, audience with the Pope ( which is more prep rally than liturgy!) amazing historic sites and wonderful people. Jennie has one more semester down, working on her doctorate in special education. She will be back for a wedding later this month. The dogs are loving these longer days because they are getting more walks in.

Rubashkins:
The Rubashkin-Karasik family hosted Passover with 22 guests for the first night and 25 guests for the second Seder. Wonderfully, David’s parents were able to celebrate with all of us. It was David’s Mom’s first trip out of Sarasota since her stroke last year. We had a fun time singing and saying the Four Questions in multiple languages. Hannah is traveling this month to finalize her decision on where to go to college in the fall. Mira has taken up rock climbing and bought a harness and other gear the day before. Sophie is eagerly awaiting warmer, sunny weather to take advantage of her new racing bicycle. Jacob is learning all about the Greeks in school, playing Orpheus in a class skit.

Forrests:
Having heard from reliable sources that dark chocolate is actually good for one’s health, Marcy made sure the Bunny brought baskets for Arthur, Nicole and Zak. We all enjoyed a lovely family dinner together. It’s tricky timing, catching Nicole just as she had returned from a trip and Zak just before he left for his next venture.
Zak and Chad took ZF-Films to Oakland, California to film GREEN DAY performing the biggest show of their Bay Area tour. The band performed their new album, 21st Century Breakdown, in its entirety. It was a long night of filming.

Warner Bros. just released ZF-Films’ music video of Cavo performing their hit single, Champagne. To see Champagne, click here
Arthur and Marcy just returned from a visit with friends in Palm Desert, California. The drive through Southern California to the desert was such a contrast to the burst of spring blossoms that we left here in Chevy Chase. We had a lovely time, but were happy to come home from the dry heat of the desert to the fresh, cool spring breezes of Maryland.
As an early Mothers Day celebration, Nicole planned a mother-daughter trip to NYC to attend the “Aznavour en Liberté,” concert. Marcy and Nicole are long time fans of Charles Aznavour and had a sensational time. They went from the concert to Sardi’s restaurant for dinner before catching the Amtrak home.

Inspired by recent stories in the news about the veggie garden on the South Lawn, Marcy and Arthur have decided to do some veggie gardening. The plantings include lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, onions and herbs. They are hoping to have the makings for good tossed salads this summer.

Marcy chooses a different palette of color for her spring tulips each year. This year's offering is pale pinks and deep purples including the majestic Queen of the Night tulips.

Molly Strother’s spring afternoon gathering of a few friends was a lovely reminder of how gracious life on Leland Street can be.

Bolands:
The Bolands had a wonderful Easter. After Mass we shared a lovely lunch together (Leanne enjoyed not having to cook!). We have a tradition of hunting for our Easter baskets which have been hidden somewhere on the first floor. Everyone is pretty good at this routine by now and the Easter Bunny has to be creative. It was a pleasure to share the day as a family. Maybe next year, if the weather cooperates, we can have a hunt for the grandchildren.
Leanne enjoyed attending the Candidate's Forum Thursday evening at Town Center. Walking with Marcy and Arthur was an added bonus. Charles Duffy did an excellent job as the moderator. We can all be grateful that there are so many people with various points of view in our community willing to give of their time and talent to serve on the Town Council.
The Bedell commemorative plaque is now installed this week at the base of the young oak between No. 4113 and the Bedells’ former home at No. 4111. I hope everyone can see it when they are out for a walk and remember their dear neighbors. Many thanks to all who participated in this tribute.

Vicente:
Wendy and Vike lost their dogwood tree last fall and replaced it with a weeping cherry. They have enjoyed it's first blooms along with a bright ring of tulips and their redwood tree.

Batemans:
The Batemans enjoyed a nice and relaxing Easter weekend at home. After attending Easter service at National Presbyterian, the whole family, including Will’s friend, Jenny, (but excluding Claire who was sunbathing in Florida) made a delicious brunch at home. Jill and Annie went to a lovely afternoon open house and visited with old high school friends and their parents, while the boys were glued to the Masters. It’s been a special treat to have Annie home for the weekend. She’ll be heading back to Georgia Tuesday to finish up the semester and then will be back home for the summer, working as a counselor at Sidwell Summer. Terry is thrilled with his very green lawn and attributes his success to his new organic fertilizer-effective and very Rugby friendly as well.

Payne/Simpson:
We are enjoying our Spring but are already longing for the summer so we can enjoy weeks of family time at a stretch.We want to thank all our neighbors for helping to keep an eye on Chloe-- she has managed to escape from our backyard several times these past two months and thanks to your watchful eyes and kindness, she always seems to be quickly found and brought back safely to us. Thank you all! We thought we were getting a mid size dog but Chloe doesn't seem to stop growing and we are a bit worried that she soon will be able to step over our 41/2 foot fence. We are also having to spend considerable time reinforcing to the kids (mostly Turner) that she is not a horse and that riding is not an option.

The Payne home has a lovely overflow of delicate flowers and further up Leland Street, the Duffy's tree has left a deep carpet of
soft pink petals that bring to mind nuptial celebrations, prom time and confetti.

Duffys:
We enjoyed spending Easter with Charles’ brother and sister and their families in Virginia. The highlight for Matthew was an impromptu football game with his cousins. He was also thrilled that the Easter bunny brought him a spider man coloring book (“how did the Easter bunny know I love spider man?”}

We are spending this weekend with Bonnie’s sister in Chapel Hill and looking forward to a music festival in nearby Hillsborough.

Taplin/Delancy:
Vicky Taplin wanted to comment on the lovely new plaque placed next to a young tree near the Bedell's house. Leanne Boland was responsible for getting this plaque installed to honor the memory of Dorothy and Henry. Vicky and family have enjoyed seeing it as they walk Ruby and remember many pleasant conversation they had with Dorothy and Henry in that very spot. Thank you Leanne!
Paul has been involved in an especially interesting and unique project of interviewing chefs for his independent media film for school. Earlier in April, Paul and Vicky went to Williamsburg so Paul could interview and film chef, John Gonzales. We had never been to Wiliamsburg, so we had some fun exploring the colonial sites and eating in the taverns. Paul's meeting with chef Gonzales, went very well. He owns "A Chef's Kitchen," which is in downtown Williamsburg. It a restaurant where people come for a 5 course prix fixe dinner and watch the food being prepared with explanations by the chef. It a type of dinner theater where the performer is the chef! Having filmed 4 chefs, Paul has now completed all the editing, music and credits, etc and its a wrap! Russell played guitar selections for the soundtrack.

The Ayaz home and the Delancy home are beautiful compositions of spring flowers, shrubs and trees.

Ayaz:
We took a much needed family vacation to Grand Cayman over the girls’ Spring Break.

We all loved snorkeling and playing on the beach. Arianna and Sophia really enjoyed feeding the turtles every day.

When we returned we got motivated and planted a flower garden in the back yard along with some vegetables. We are all anxious to see what will survive the weather and the animals. We are enjoying all of the beautiful flowers in bloom around the neighborhood. We are looking forward to seeing more of our neighbors and starting the barbecue.
Nicole's parents were here visiting from Tucson, AZ. They enjoyed taking the girls bike riding on the National Mall and visiting the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials. We also went to visit Dumbarton Oaks Gardens in Georgetown and loved all of the flowers. We are enjoying all of the beautiful plants and flowers in teh neighborhood and Arianna and Sophia have started an Art Class at the Leland Center. We are also busy with the Spring Soccer.

Lees:
Ann and Maura along with dogs, Kali and Marley, enjoyed the Easter weekend at the beach. Although the weather wasn’t great it was invigorating and refreshing to be near the ocean. The dogs inspired them to be out on the beach in spite of the weather. Ann has some paintings in an exhibit at The Yellow Barn at Glen Echo this weekend.

Cosmas:
Bill and I had a quiet Easter, celebrating the birth of our granddaughter, Jane.

My brother, Ned, and his wife came for our traditional Easter dinner of lamb and assorted Greek goodies in honor of Bill’s heritage. There was just enough chill in the air to justify lighting the fire. I love watching our garden spring to life. This year it seems to have happened more quickly and I’m already trying to figure out how to fill in the gaps after the tulips have gone. How extraordinarily lucky we are to live in such a beautiful, blooming street!

Farrell’s tulips follow the path to her front door from dawn to dusk.

Lippold:
Anne and Paul just returned from a trip to Phoenix to celebrate Paul’s 80th birthday at Susie’s home. All the children came, and Paul’s brother from Illinois attended the party. We had a great time. it was a joyous celebration. Paul was 80 on the 21st of March. We arrived on the 19th in Phoenix with Ishkabible and remained at our daughter, Susan’s home until the 26th.

Our daughter Karen and son David who live here came, as well as, our daughter from Lexington, Kentucky. We all went to a Cub’s baseball game. Paul and Anne grew up in Chicago and remain loyal to their "home team."

We all love Art and spent time at the Heard Museum famous for Southwestern art. I bought two little sculptures of Navaho Folk Art which are now center pieces of our dining room table. Paul had a terrific birthday and the whole family enjoyed celebrating his special day.

Cosmas:
Welcome to the World Sweet Baby Jane.

On March 26th, Jane Lynn Cosmas was born. Daughter of Karen Clawson and Will, Janie weighed 9.2 lbs and was 22 inches long and is the fourth Cosmas grandchild in 3 years! Farrell was present to welcome sweet baby Jane into this world at Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge, MA. She reports that Jane has dark brown hair, just like her daddy, and her mother's long, elegant dancer's body. She is as lovely as any beautiful baby girl can be and is close enough for her grandmother to spoil her endlessly. Will and Karen are terrific parents!

Once again, the Karasik-Rubashkin family, in an effort to hold onto old habits, decided to take advantage of the lovely weather this weekend, and do our journalistic duty on foot. We were fortunate that many of our Leland Street neighbors were home to share their news with us.

Florence Lloyd was sitting in her garden enjoying the warm afternoon

reading Joan Didion’s book , A year of Magical Thinking. It is a sad, but remarkably well written book that I would recommend. We shared information about our common eastern European backgrounds, and about the meanings of our last names in Russian!

It was wonderful to reconnect with friends we had not seen through this cold wet winter, and to enjoy all the lovely blossoms on the magnificent weeping cherry trees that grace Leland Street. A brief visit with Mary Proctor confirmed, she too, is enjoying the spring and the beautiful weeping cherry trees that adorn our block.

In the Karasik-Rubashkin home, we are looking forward to spring break, and to a visit from our extended families over Passover. Hannah, as many of you know, is a senior at BCC, and is faced with the task of trying to decide where to go to college in the fall. She was accepted to several excellent schools, and will be visiting a few of them this month, to help with the decision making. Sophie, a member of Artemis , is delighted that the weather has turned, as the cycling team now rides outdoors, and she can break in her new bicycle which she built this winter. She recently competed in her first race, and is looking forward to the spring season. Jacob, a sixth grader in the Humanities magnet program, is busy working on his Alexander the great project, and getting ready for the Egypt day at school. Both he and Hannah had lovely performances with MCYO at Strathmore this month. Pamela and David are taking a deep breath, as we prepare to feed 20 people many meals over the course of four days!

Helland/Bay:

Sigrid and Eira returned moments before I arrived, from a visit to Norway! Sigrid’s brother and family are now here for a visit, and the best news is that Eira is about to loose a first tooth!
Tarjei, Sigrid and their daughters enjoyed a trip to Mexico the last week of March. They had a great time in Tulum, a bit south of Akumal!

Stenseth-Bergem: Family News Update from Norway:

Like the fresh, pretty blossoms of April, another spring happening occurred, Mira Bergem returned to Leland Street to visit with her friends during spring break. Mira will be spending time with Sopie Rubashkin and make new memories with all of her old friends from BCC. She said she felt quite sentimental walking up Leland Street. She brought a note of family news from Leni to share with us. Leni says that spring is still months away in Oslo. Their cat, Matanui, born and raised in Maryland is also making an adjustment to the Norwegian winter. Here is a photo of the view from the Stenseth-Bergem kitchen window as well as a picture Norway in winter.

Leni, Knut, Mira and Falk are adjusting to life back home in Norway after six years abroad and love being close to family once again. Their newly renovated home is right across the street from Leni’s sister and they have made many new friends since their return to Norway. They have the fondest memories of all the Leland Street traditions and enjoy reading about their Leland neighbors through the LSSN blog.

Neals:
The boys are looking forward to Baseball season, and are happy the weather is warming up. Jane is hoping to have a plan in place for the former Rainey property this spring- Perhaps it will become the new Leland Street Park?

Wolff/Daniels:
Becky is in Seattle, hard at work but enjoying herself. She is looking forward to a trip to the San Juaquin Islands. Larry has just come back from a conference in Charleston , South Carolina with CIES, and he was able to piggyback on a trip to Greenville to visit his recently retired brother and sister in law, who very much like the life style of the south. David is teaching music, and musicianship, as well as music to special needs children, and enjoying all of it. The family is looking forward to a seder for 12, including Miriam’s father who is visiting from Florida. They recently saw Peter Grimes at the Kennedy Center and really enjoyed the performance.

Lee:
Ann had the pleasure of teaching during the Week of Arts, at Blessed Sacrament, where she taught for many years. She led a workshop in collage for 5-8th graders, and they were eager, excited pupils.

Solomon:
Dorothy is very much enjoying spring, and recently purchased a lovely star magnolia bush for the front yard.

Taplin/Delancy:
Russell is off on college road trip this break, split between his mother and father. Father and son are looking forward to Philadelphia Cheese steaks when they get to that fair city. Russell is playing varsity soccer at GDS, and Paul made the soccer team at Eastern , so we wish them a successful season.
Ruby, the family poodle is disappointed that the Obama’s have not chosen a poodle.

Bateman:
The best news is that Will starts a new job with a commercial real estate firm in DC, and that Annie is coming home for Easter. They have promised their parents a big brunch that they will prepare themselves. Claire will be spending her Easter holiday in Florida. She recently performed in a student run dance company called Momentum at Vanderbuilt, which was quite exciting for all.

Duffy:
Charles recently marked 20 years of service with the tax division of the Justice Department, a true milestone! Matthew at 3 1⁄2 is a highly opinionated young man who has a burgeoning love for hitting the baseball in the back yard with his dad. Matthew and "Teddy"
enjoying the spring on a recent trip to NC.

Vicente:
Well Vike has survived what he says is his first and last marathon, which was held in Virginia Beach. (Wendy suggests otherwise). Now that Mark is getting older, Vike and Wendy asked if any one knows of a local piano teacher with an interest in young pupils, who would be willing to come to their house for lessons. If you know a local teacher, please contact them.

Forrest:
Nicole and Steve have just returned from a terrific weekend in Las Vegas in celebration of Nicole’s birthday. They enjoyed good weather, great fun and seeing Le Reve, one of the Cirque de Soleil shows.

Upon return Nicole continued her birthday celebration over dinner with friends at Proof restaurant in Washington, D.C. and with family at Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda.

Zak made an unexpected visit home and plans to stay for a few weeks which delights his parents immensely.

Kazan/Horowitz:
Maia is looking forward to her schools performance of “Aida, the Rock Opera” in which she plays a Nubian woman. But she is really looking forward to a trip to Ireland to do her senior project. Danny a junior at Columbia, is an Urban Studies major, looking towards a career as a community organizer.

Boland:
Leanne also took in the Washington Ballets Peter Pan, and agreed with Marcy that it was great! We found her busy at work in the garden, taking advantage of a dry sunny spring day. Monty and Patrick are gearing up for a 120 mile bike ride B to B, bike to the beach to raise funds for autism which takes place in July (this is the third year of the ride) . They were doing a practice ride today to Mt Vernon.

Claire Lends a Caring Hand

2009-04-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

Bateman

The Batemans are really enjoying the emergence of spring! Jill spent this weekend at Vanderbilt with Claire (Mom's Weekend) and says the apple blossoms and redbuds are gorgeous. She had a great time with Claire visiting with old and new friends in the Nashville area and checking out the new sorority house on campus (kappa kappa gamma). Claire has just returned from an Alternative Spring Break trip to Xela, Guatemala, where she volunteered at Primeros Pasos medical clinic (which was actually started by a former Vanderbilt student back in 1998). She had a very rich experience and plans to go back, next time as a site leader.
Annie had a great time over her spring break in Grayton Beach, Florida, staying in a house with 27 girls!
Annie and Claire shared the excitement of the day when their colleges played football against each other.....vanderbilt vs university of georgia. They deliberately did their hair alike to further astound their new friends!

Jill and Terry just returned from a beautiful anniversary trip to Carlsbad and San Diego, CA. Jill says the natural beauty of the area is astounding - they plan to spend a lot more time out there as Terry's company is headquartered in Carlsbad. Will is enjoying being at home and is hopeful of new job prospects!

Boland

Leanne went to the Washington Home and Garden Show on friday with one of her sisters. Although they had a wonderful time together, the show itself was somewhat disappointing. There weren't nearly as many garden exhibits as in years past. Most of the convention hall floor space was devoted to vendors instead.

Nevertheless, the outing was inspirational and got us focused on springtime gardening. Already know that we didn't buy enough mulch! Playing a wait and see game with the boxwood standards at the front door...they look pretty dead, but are they really? Advice appreciated.

The March 19th Chevy Chase Historical Society program at the Chevy Chase Village Hall, "Underground Railroad in Montgomery County", was wonderful.

Author Anthony Cohen was a wealth of knowledge and shed new light on the underground railroad journey. Wondering what took us so long to join this organization!
Bolands are looking forward to warmer weather and meeting/greeting neighbors on the sidewalk again.

Delancy/Taplin

We've had some great family visits over the past month. Vicky's 3 nieces came from Massachusetts on their February break. They were hoping to escape the cold New England winter, but it wasn't much warmer here! We did some fun "Washington" things, like the National Gallery and the American History Museum (where we'd hoped to see the special Lincoln exhibit, but the line was just too long!).

More recently, Vicky's cousin from Massachusetts was in town, and we had a chance to have him and some other extended family over for a lively dinner, in between everyone's winter colds.

Paul got a couple of days of snowboarding in at Liberty Mountain before spring arrived (one snow day off from school helped!), while Russell was busy getting in shape for lacrosse season, which has now begun. Ben has been settling into a new job, which has included several trips to San Francisco -- always a pleasure. Vicky has been busy trying to pull summer plans together for all family members, which can really be a puzzle with the kids at this age and going in different directions.

Trocchio

Trocchio's Elizabeth and Julie saw "A Chorus LIne" and loved every minute. Jennie is at a wedding in San Diego. We love that spring is finally here.

Forrest
Marcy and Arthur are enjoying the first signs of spring...crocus popping up on Farrell Cosmas' lawn, a few tulips leaves pushing through in our own garden, the weeping cherry trees look like they are ready to bring that burst of bloom very soon. We are enjoying the brilliant yellow of neighbors' forsythia. Other pleasurable signs of spring, seeing more of neighbors walking their dogs and more children playing on their lawns.

Nicole and Steve ventured to San Francisco and then up to wine country last week. Upon return enjoyed a night of opera at the French Embassy followed by a reception with the performers. Meanwhile, Arthur and Marcy enjoyed a celebration for a friend's son's second birthday. The birthday child's Dad suited up as Elmo for the occasion.

Marcy and Arthur are enjoying their first season as subscribers to the Washington Ballet. It has been a very interesting season of performances.

This week they saw a ballet performance of Peter Pan, it was charming and whimsical and made them wish they had young children again to treat to the performance.

Melissa and Doug

Doug and I are trying to train to run the Cherry Blossom 10 miler (and it takes a lot of time for me to log in a ten mile session!), but that is more embarrassing than anything, given my current elapsed time from beginning to end! Doug, however, is doing very well, consistently pulling down his already impressive time, even though it means that he has to wait even longer for me at the finish line.

If anyone else on the block is interested in walking or running a 5k, Melissa is working on the Westland Middle School Wild Dash, a fundraiser for Westland, which will be held on Saturday, April 25th, at 8:30 am. It is a walk/run, many people casually walk the distance. You can find details at http://westlandpta.org/wild_dash.html It will be a family oriented day, everyone is welcome!
Although Molly doesn't like to admit it, she is now taller than at least one of her parents, and Gordon is following close behind. Molly is enjoying tennis at Georgetown Prep and continues to love Westland Middle School. Gordon just finished basketball season, where he fully enjoyed being a head taller than almost every other boy. He is eagerly awaiting baseball season, even though his height advantage doesn't give him quite the boost in that sport. We are all looking forward to the gardening season, and hopefully, barring anymore surprises, a finished back yard!

Strothers

William is beginning the spring as co captain of the St Albans JV lacrosse team. They've won their two opening scrimmages and participated Saturday in scrimmages at the Gilman School in Baltimore, with the Gilman JV team and a visiting Japanese team. We were amazed to discover that lacrosse has a small foothold in Japan.

We're in the initial phases of planning a trip to Maine, where friends have passed along the opportunity to rent a small and very rustic ("primitive" would probably more accurately describe it) cabin. We'll doubtless be looking a schools along the way.

Congratulations to Hannah Rubashkin on her acceptance for admission to The University of Chicago. Hannah wrote one of her essays about growing up on Leland Street.

We thank Hannah for sharing her essay with us as it reminds of, not only of the charm of living on this street of caring and involved neighbors, but also presents to us the lasting impact this block has on childhood memories.
Growing up on Leland Street
by Hannah Rubashkin
My street is not like other streets. It may look like your typical suburban road with twenty-nine single-family homes of varying size and style each with front and back yards but it has hidden depths, some visible curbside. On the Forrests’ porch stand a pair of black bears, one full grown and one cub, which wave to passersby. On Halloween, the larger usually sports an eye-patch and the smaller a tri-cornered hat. Halloween is much more than appeasing waves of trick-or-treaters for this street. It is an event requiring serious preparation and religious pumpkin carving. The Sunday before All Hallow’s Eve plays host to a block party of magnificent proportions. It begins with a parade led by Arthur Forrest, the Grand Marshall of the Rose Bowl, as well as other majestic ceremonies. Following the parade, the younger residents smash a piñata, compete in the pumpkin toss, and venture bravely into Maggie’s haunted house. When darkness falls we adjourn to the top of the street (this block is situated on a hill) and feast on a potluck dinner fit for kings. We roast marshmallows over a fire pit with unbent coat hangers. When I was younger we would play capture-the-flag for what seemed like hours in Lottie’s yard. Capture-the-flag at night is an entirely different ball game. A tame third of an acre with a few dogwood trees magically becomes a dark forest replete with elves and dwarves- the opposing team- who are more than ready with ropes and duct tape if they catch me trying to abscond with their flag (now a heraldic banner). I treasured the pre-Halloween block party as the one day of the year I could pursue my true calling: knighthood.
Living on Leland Street means being a neighbor in the old sense of the word. We gather on Labor Day at the Patch’s to eat ice cream and commiserate about returning to school. I have the time-honored responsibility of scooping ice cream, a task that never fails to make me feel important. Sue started the social when her, now grown-up, children were young. Before she died she would “hold court” on her porch and greet everyone as they climbed the stairs. But this was no ordinary greeting. Sue organized the sign-up sheet for the Leland Street Sunday News, the weekly news rag first published thirty-five years ago. Her six children played journalist and went door-to-door collecting news. I remember my mom sending my sister and me out to bring in the news. We would type our recollection of the events and then brave whatever weather to deliver them. The LSSN has since evolved into a blog on which the adults post photos and amusing stories. Evolution is always positive; but I miss the days of fearless children journalists.
Leland Street celebrates Christmas with Ann’s caroling party. Christmas is a neighborhood affair that crosses religious lines. Sharing holiday spirit only serves to increase it, so we are a very cheerful bunch. We carol in the freezing or sometimes not so freezing weather and gather in her house to drink cider and eat brownies. Our Norwegian neighbors quickly created a fete, the Gløg Party, a traditional Norwegian Christmas celebration. The Hanukkah songs and Christmas carols mingle in the December air and sometimes you can catch the echoes into January.
This street, as the longest in Chevy Chase and the only one that crosses Connecticut and Wisconsin Avenues, has a place in the history books. This particular block of Leland Street deserves one as well, for the abundance of enduring friendships and traditions that flourish in its hearts and homes.

A CELEBRATION OF RED, WHITE AND BLUE

2009-03-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Many from Leland Street were amongst the throngs who witnessed the Inauguration Ceremony, the stories continue to be shared. Miriam Daniels spent all of Inaugural morning wandering around with a good friend visiting from California, trying to get into the Purple Section of the Mall. Finally they found a Jumbotron and were happy to see the inauguration. That evening, three of the Wolff family, Miriam, Larry, David, and friends attended the Southern Inaugural Ball and were thrilled to see President Barack and Michelle Obama as well as Vice President Joe Biden and his lovely wife, Jill.

The Kazins had a wonderful time on Inauguration Day. With many thousands of their fellow Obamaites, Beth and Michael watched the ceremonies on a Jumbotron near the Washington monument. The night before, Maia slept at a friend’s house on Capitol Hill and so got a better view the next morning. Danny saw it all on another giant TV perched in the middle of the Columbia University quad in Manhattan.

Some of the Rubashkin/Karasiks did decide to brave the cold and the crowds on Inauguration day. David discovered that Metro bus was running an express bus from CC circle to 18th and L., so Pamela, Hannah, and Sophie, dressed in many layers, with sandwiches in one pocket, a water bottle in the other, and a camera round the neck, headed downtown at 7:30 am. No traffic, and they were downtown by 8 am. They walked to the mall, with a crowd that was happy, excited, and well behaved, swelling in numbers the closer they got to the mall.

They parked ourselves in front of a Jumbotron at 12th and Constitution, surrounded by a group of high school students and their teacher (who had an infant in tow from Alaska!). The crowds kept them warm and out of the wind and the ceremony brought pride to thousands. Except for the crowds trying to get off the mall at the end of the ceremony (for some reason the park service decided that all of those in one section of the mall needed to exit through a six foot opening in a gate at 12th and Independence), the day was perfect. The family made its way back to the bus, and were home by 3 pm, enjoying a hot meal! David and Jacob joined friends in Bethesda, choosing to watch from a warm restaurant. The whole family watched the parade from home and marveled at those hardy souls who waited all day! Now back to work and school (snow storms not withstanding), Hannah and Jacob are preparing for their MCYO concerts this month. Sophie wants very much to get her new racing cycle out for a test ride in the warmer weather.

The Ayaz Family celebrated Arianna’s 5th birthday with a Glamour Girl party! We have enjoyed spending more time with friends in the neighborhood and are headed to Florida for Spring Break! We are looking forward to Spring!

Last month the Duffys enjoyed a trip to Florida. They were joined by Charles’ mother, and all had fun in the sun. One of the highlights of the trip was watching the Pittsburgh Pirates in spring training practice, with Matthew an enthusiastic fan.

Matthew finds fun in both snow and sand. He made a winter friend of the last snowfall. The Duffys are looking forward to the warm temperatures of spring and seeing more Leland Street Neighbors.

Both Jimmy and Leanne Boland were out of town for the Inauguration, but watched the festivities on television. Leanne was helping parents move, and was in Louisiana again this weekend. Patrick is home and working for Insurance House. Monty is training clients in their homes in addition to his work as a certified fitness trainer at the University Club. If anyone needs some help getting into shape, he’s your man and is available daily until 3 pm. (301 767 5356).
Leanne and Jimmy are very blessed to see the grandchildren often, and can’t wait to introduce them to the town’s new playground equipment. Will is 2 1⁄2 yrs and loves to play with his uncles. Mae, quite calm in comparison to her brother, will be 5 months old in a week. Her smiles are showered on all!
Since January, Leanne has enjoyed performances by the American Ballet Theatre, The Washington Ballet and New York City Ballet.

Leanne is looking forward to working in the garden, and plans on going to the Washington Home and Garden Show with her sister who lives in Easton.

Marcy and Arthur Forrest look forward to the ballet season, in particular the astounding Alvin Ailey Ballet, which is an annual family event.

Marcy and her sister, Sheila, enjoyed a few days in Philadelphia for the annual Flower Show. This year’s theme was Italy, which unleashed such a creative force for the presenters of ten acres of the seven regions of Italian landscape, architecture, music and fashions. In celebration of the theme, Marcy wore sunflower colors and Sheila wore her sunflower pattern jacket.

Imagine stepping in from a grey, drizzly winter morning to the sensory explosion of colors, fragrances, as well as, garlic clusters, peppers, and even stalks of pasta. There were waterfalls, fountains, gondolas, statuary and some home settings from all of the regions of Bella Italia! At the close of the day we were treated to live opera performances from heart of the Flower Show .

Nicole and Steve recently spent a few days in NYC. They toured the Calder exhibition at the Whitney Museum,enjoyed a matinee performance of South Pacific, took a carriage ride through Central Park, strolled through the zoo and had brunch and cocktails with friends. Ahh...New York, New York...so much to do and see.

Zak and Chad are busy this month taking ZF-Films to St. Louis, Los Angeles.

The Kazin family has returned to life as normal since the excitement and activity of the Inauguration events, at least as normal as possible during the recession. Maia did travel to Los Angeles to sing with the Maret choir, and Michael spoke at Rutgers on the past and future of liberalism. Zoe clearly enjoyed gamboling in the snow last week—but not as much as when she was a puppy and didn’t give a thought to her freezing paws.

Beth and Michael have become addicts of The Wire, a police drama series set in Baltimore, Maryland, perhaps setting a record for watching more DVDs of the show in less time than anyone in history.

Julie Trocchio is traveling to Scottsdale and LA this week, just when the weather on Leland Street is at its best, oh, well. Elizabeth had her office Christmas party last week, since she works for a caterer, December was too busy! Have you tried the new cheese stand at the farm woman’s market? Farm fresh eggs and milk too, highly recommended.

The Simpson/Payne family went skiing for the first time at Wintergreen. All three kids loved it and after one day at ski school were all doing great. Jack took to snow boarding and has declared it his second favorite sport after soccer.

The family is enjoying a new life with Chloe, a golden doodle. She is keeping them all more fit and is a source of constant entertainment. Jack and Sarah are loving their first year at Chevy Chase Elementary and the whole family is looking forward to Spring on Leland Street. If anyone is looking for last minute ideas for Spring Break/summer, the Simpson/Payne beach house is for rent.
Click on this link for more information and pictures: http://homeexchange.com/show.php?id=100930

Dorothy and Fred Solomon were visited in February by their Williamstown family, including their 13 yr old step-grandson who was especially thrilled by the Spy Museum.

Later in March, they’re expecting a visit from their Philadelphia family—which includes their granddaughter (age 7) and grandson (age 4 1⁄2). Do neighbors have any suggestions for super entertaining events or activities for this age group ? Thanks!

The Lubans are proud to announce the engagement of their son Ben to Kim Kulik, a graduate of UCLA and an LA native. Ben is finishing up an MBA at Columbia Business School. An engagement party will take place April 4 at the Cosmos Club with the wedding planned for August in LA. In expectation of many visitors, the Lubans replaced the floor tiles in the kitchen and family room.
Naomi reports that forty doctors will be at an all day retreat at her home on Thursday for junior faculty at GW medical school and Children’s Hospital. (so Leland Streeters know where to go if there is a Thursday emergency).
Naomi reports that Ben Rainey is doing well at the Armed Forces Home on Oregon Avenue and that she and Norm visit him as well as his wife Dorothy regularly. Ben and Dorothy lived for many years at 4100 Leland Street.

The Davies/Martz’s have lots of news. Stephanie has just begun work as the Chief Counsel to Senator Charles Schumer of NewYork.

Chris was just back from a six week trip to India (Mumbai and Hyderabad) and is returning next week. He is working to defend Price Waterhouse India, the auditors of Satyam Computers, of any liability, after the CEO of Satyam admitted that he was involved in a billion dollar scam.

Kyle’s hockey team won their regular season in the Capital Beltway Hockey league, but they lost 5-3 in the playoffs. Nora had a violin recital, and she is now playing Song of the Wind. Pip has been accepted to the Oneness Family Preschool where she will begin next fall.

The Wolff/Daniels were happy to have a four day visit from Becky who is working in Seattle for Microsoft as “associate product developer” for Windows Live, focusing on improving the look and feel of Microsoft’s web services. Becky says that Seattle is not as rainy as people say and she likes its informal style. She had a nice ski trip to Whistler in Canada. This weekend she met many of her college and high school friends who are living in the DC area.
David has just rented an apartment in Cleveland Park with one of his college roommates. He continues to teach music to preschoolers at Bach to Rock, as well as voice and musicianship to pre-teens, and recently joined the Cantate Chamber Singers, a local group performing classical and modern choral music. For performances go to www.cantate.org.

Larry and Miriam were in Florida where Miriam’s father received a “Lifetime Award for Service” from the American Reform Zionist Association, the Zionist arm of the Reform Jewish movement. Larry will be attending the annual conference of the Comparative and International Education Society in Charleston, SC, where he will be presenting papers on community colleges and on education assessments in Latin America. Miriam has started up again on Hebrew language lessons. After many years of begging others to help him, Larry is learning to use Microsoft Power Point in a course offered by Montgomery College’s extension division.

Leanne Boland’s book club recently compared All the Kings Men, by Robert Penn Warren, to Huey Long, by T. Harry Williams, and watched the 1949 film based on All the Kings Men.

Arthur Forrest is currently reading the new novel by John Grisham, The Associate, and also enjoyed rereading The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon.

The town has received the Bedell commemorative plaque and plans to install it once tree mulching has been completed, probably later this month. Neighbors will be reminded of Dorothy and Henry when walking past the tree between 4113 and 4111 Leland Street.

Leland Streeters send their collective thanks to Ann Lee’s Girl Scout granddaughters - those Girl Scout cookies are still the best!

The LSSN looks forward with Leland Streeters to warmer and better days to come!

Everything is Coming Up Roses

2009-02-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

Marcy and Arthur enjoyed a rosie start to the New Year at the Tournament of Roses Parade where Arthur once again served as
Executive Producer/Director for the NBC production. This year's theme was "Hats Off to Entertainment."

The new year brings New Neighbors to 4111 Leland Street

We extend a warm welcome to Phil and Jody Fidler.
Jody writes:
We're looking forward to warmer weather so we can be outside more! We arrived here at the beginning of January with Max(10), Jack (soon to be 7) and our shitzu-poo Suzie, after nine years in Fairfield, Connecticut. The boys have been playing a lot of basketball at the Leland Center and they are enjoying the fact that school closes if there is a snowflake sighting. They are both looking forward to playing baseball in the spring and Jack is hoping for "kid pitch". We are very grateful to Melissa, Doug, Molly and Gordon for their hospitality, local guidance on important things like Chinese delivery and most of all, outgrown Pokemon cards! We look forward to meeting everyone. Feel free to stop over! Jody

AYAZ:
Nicole reports that the family celebrated the holidays with many visitors! Nicole's parents came from Arizona and her brother came for his first visit from Los Angeles. They enjoyed several family reunions with relatives visiting from Philadelphia and San Francisco!!!

They took Arianna and Sophia to New York to visit the ice rink at Rockefeller Center and take a Carriage Ride through Central Park. The girls were thrilled with the snow in NYC!!! Leland Street was beautiful and the whole family enjoyed everyone's festive decorations. We took the kids sledding at Chevy Chase park. The girls are loving the snow! Nicole sends wishes for a happy and healthy New Year to all her new neighbors!

COSMAS: The Cosmas family had a wonderful Christmas holiday. Will was home and Bill and Farrell spent a quite day with him and Ned and Lisa Fitch, brother and sister-in-law. Before Will went back to move into his new apartment in Somerville with Lady-love Karen, they all saw a lot of his old friends from St. Albans. It was great fun to catch up with all of these young men who used to gather at our house virtually every weekend and who call Farrell "Mama Cos" and Bill "Hot Bill." They are all now thirty and pursuing careers from acting, performing and writing music to promoting sustainable fish cuisine, doctoring and lawyering. Hard to believe! Time does fly.
Bill and Farrell welcome to the world their new grandson, Casey William Armstrong Boone. New born son of daughter, Jenny and husband, Evan Boone.

The family enjoyed a visit by daughter Lisa and her two toddlers Oscar and Josie on January 23rd.

Matthew Duffy and Oscar enjoyed the first snowfall of the year, it was so cold that icicles froze into fangs on Papa Bear at the Forrest home!

Delancy:
Special thanks to Ann Lee for hosting her annual caroling party. It was such a festive start to the holiday season, and a cheerful setting for catching up with neighbors. Most of Vicky's family was here for Christmas and Paul's 14th birthday, which was on the 26th. For a birthday outing, we all went to see the movie "Valkyrie," which worked for all ages, teenagers and up, and then later had dinner at Clyde's in Friendship Heights. Russell and Vicky spent nearly 5 hours at the MVA on new year's eve day and came away with Russell's driver's license. Mission accomplished in 2008!!

Other movies we saw recently and would recommend are "I've Loved You So Long" and "Gran Torino," (though we didn't take the 14-year-old to either of these -- these are adult movies!). Now that school has started again, we are hoping for snowy days and school cancellations, so that we can take the boys snowboarding. Paul's birthday present was a snowboard (or was it his Christmas present?!? --it's all a blur.) May 2009 be a happy, healthy year for all!

We had a wonderful day down at the inauguration. So exciting! I think we did well because we didn't have tickets. We just took the metro down at a reasonable hour and walked over to the WWII Memorial, in front of 2 jumbotrons.

Then later walked over to Ben's office on Penn. Ave. to get a good window view of the parade. Saw the Obamas for a split second before they got back into the car. It was a wonderful, memorable day!!

DUFFY:
Bonnie reports that they all enjoyed being with family in Chapel Hill for Christmas. Afterwards, they joined Charles' sister and family on a short trip to Philadelphia. They found the city to be quite fun and interesting.

Matthew particularly liked the "Please Touch" children's museum and the Fire House Museum. The older cousins were fascinated by the history lessons of Independence Hall. And Matthew's cousin Sophia found out how loud the guards yell when you reach past the cord and touch the liberty bell.
Charles' mother joined the Duffys for an extended visit to ring in the New Year. Matthew enjoyed a January visit by Farrell and Bill Cosmas' grandchildren, Oscar and Josie.

Matthew and cousins got into the full spirit of the 2009 Super Bowl game.

Happy New Year to all our Leland Street neighbors.

FORREST:
Marcy and Arthur flew to California on Christmas Day for Arthur's final production week for the NBC Rose Parade. It is a lively week of socializing with long time friends in addition to NBC events and Rose Parade events. A highlight of the week for Marcy is taking a tour of the Rose Parade float constructions. It is fascinating to see everything from petals to peppercorns attached to the huge floats. Here is a photo of the magnificent "Wizard of Oz" float under construction.

The parade rolled down the streets of Pasadena in bright sunshine and cool breezes on New Year's Day. As Arthur stepped into the control booth and put on his head set, Marcy was joined in the stands by family and friends. Following the parade, Arthur flew home to Chevy Chase and Marcy and her family drove south to Laguna to clear out and close down a family home.

Zak had a full house between the holidays with production buddies enjoying hours and hours, day after day of friendship, film, food and editing work they have recently filmed at music festivals.
Nicole hosted a holiday brunch with her girlfriends, and enjoyed a full vacation week of holiday fun catching up on newly released films and seeing the classic "It's a Wonderful Life" at the AFI in Silver Springs. She also enjoyed a varied round of holiday parties including a poker party and a New Year's Eve dinner.

Nicole and Steve were among the warm hearted souls with cold feet and frozen fingers on Inauguration Day. They had a great view of the proceedings from the lawn of the Capital. It was a thrilling experience on many levels.

PAYNE: The Paynes had a wonderful Christmas. Maggie's three sisters and their families flew in from France and Ohio to celebrate their mom's life and had a family reunion at the Inn at Vaucluse Springs in Virginia...a wonderful old, rustic country inn only an hour and half from DC. We first read about it in Washingtonian and have been going there for past 2 years...great place in winter and summer...a world away, which we highly recommend, especially the Chumley House.
The whole family then drove 9 hrs to our beach house in Charleston, where we had a fabulous week in 75 degree weather with sunny skies and a very happy puppy.

Yes, our big news is that Santa brought a puppy for Xmas. We have a 12 week old Golden Doodle called Chloe. Our first dog ever and we are loving the new addition. Hope to see all of you more now that we have great motivation to take long walks around the neighborhood. Chloe is particularly fond of the Taplins front lawn polar bear which she will miss greatly when the Xmas decorations come down.

TROCCHIO: The Trocchio's had lots of company over the holidays, travelers from Atlanta to Long Island. Jennie was home for Christmas but went back to Florida where she spent New Year's Eve in Key West. Julie saw Marley and Me and loved it, Elizabeth saw Yes Man and said it was mostly good.

WOLFF/DANIEL: The Wolff/Daniel family spent Christmas and New Years in Sarasota and Long Boat Key, Florida, where Miriam's father lives, and were joined by many family relatives. Highlights included gorgeous weather, wonderful fresh fish meals, tennis, yoga on the beach, beautiful sunsets, and warm reconnecting with relatives. They also spent a morning canoeing and kayaking the Myakka River, where they nearly ran into a six feet long alligator and also paddled up to great blue herons, roseate spoonbills, black vultures, egrets, and ibises.

David spent a long weekend after New Years in Atlantic City with his college buddies and decided that gambling was not for him. Becky has since returned to snow and rain in Seattle, where she works for Microsoft helping to market Windows Live. Toby (dog) stayed home but was happy to see the family again.
Larry traveled to Pretoria South Africa to attend a conference on education assessments in early December. He visited the Apartheid museum in Johannesburg, and began to understand the dynamics of South Africa's multi-racial society. He did not have time to travel around the country but did get to pet baby cheetahs in the mini game park near the hotel.
Elizabeth saw Yes Man and said it was mostly good.

Miriam recommends the Indian movie "Slumdog Millionaire" which is violent yet deeply moving.
The Wolff Daniels wish everyone a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year.

From from our dear former neighbor, Sylvia Jones exciting news about her daughter in law Emma:
Robert Skalli, chairman of family-owned St. Supery Vineyards & Winery, is pleased to announce the appointment of Emma Swain as president of its acclaimed Napa Valley estate winery effective March 2, 2009. In this newly created position that reports to C.E.O. Michaela Rodeno, Ms. Swain will assume responsibility for vineyard and winery activities as well for SFWAmericas, the winery's import division focused on the Skalli family's wines from the South of France.
Elizabeth saw Yes Man and said it was mostly good.

Ms. Swain brings a strong background in strategy, sales, marketing, finance, operations and export to her new position from 17 years of experience at Sebastiani Vineyards, a venerable Sonoma producer she helped restructure as a super-premium winery, and Niebaum-Coppola.

The holiday season begins with finding a perfect tree.

2008-12-17T04:01:00.000-08:00

Leland Street Sunday News
December 15, 2008
Editors: Vike and Wendy Vicente
Anyone still needing a Christmas tree can visit Sundback's on Wisconsin Avenue where Patrick Boland is working for the holidays. He'll be happy to help you. Patrick will begin training in Atlanta with Insurance House. After his training he will return to a local Insurance House office to work.

Many families look forward to sharing the holiday with friends and family while the children look foward to a Christmas Eve visit by a man in a red suit.

Leland Street is lighting up for the holidays. Our lovely block is sparkling after dark as we find our way home during the holiday season.

Ann Lee and her family's annual Caroling event brought merriment to a bitter cold first night of winter.

Following the caroling up and down Leland Street, everyone returned to the Lee home for mulled cider, wine, gingerbread cookies, and a tempting display of homemade holiday cookies.

The rain and cold that swept over Chevy Chase this fall has kept neighbors from seeing much of each other, so it was great fun to sgather together and catch up on family news.

Marcy and Arthur want to thank Vike Vicente for the greatest act of neighborly kindness and concern.

Arthur slipped on a pile of wet leaves late on a Saturday night upon returning from a trip to California. Arthur hit the street with such an impact it was immediately evident that stitches were called for. Arthur received terrific treatment at Suburban Hospital Emergency Room including a CAT scan, hand X-Ray and stitches.

After hearing about Arthur's injury, Vike came by to check on him and then returned a few days later to personally remove the stitches. It was great for Arthur to have such personal caring treatment in the comfort of his own home. We are grateful to have such a wonderful neighbor. (your editors humbly state, the Forrest's comments are unsolicited)

Ayaz
We spent Thanksgiving in Arizona this year and enjoyed the sunshine! Arianna and Sophia had a lot of fun with their Grandparents. We celebrated Nicole’s father’s 60th birthday and her brother’s 40th. Arianna learned how to go down the big water slide for the first time! We are excited to be back in Chevy Chase and are looking forward to all of the Holiday festivities. We wish every one a very happy Holiday Season!

Boland
Our wonderful Thanksgiving was followed two days later by the Baptism of Mae Catherine Burkhart, Shannon and Joe's second child. The two events, attended by extended family, created a memorable weekend.
In January, Leanne and Jimmy will enjoy a weekend in NYC seeing "South Pacific" and "In The Heights".

Neighbors have expressed interest in ordering a tree plaque in memory of Dorothy and Henry Bedell, as was done for Sue Patch. Dorothy lived at 4111 Leland Street for 45 years, and Henry for 24 years. The plaque would be placed below a young tree, previously planted by the town, close to 4111. With more donations this plaque could be ordered soon. Kindly send donations to Leanne Boland.

Cosmas
Late breaking news: Daughter Jennifer and her husband Evan Boone had a BEAUTIFUL baby boy on Friday morning (just after midnight) in California. His name is Casey William Armstrong Boone. 7lbs. 8oz. 20.5 inches. Mother and baby are fabulous, but exhausted after 28 hours of labor and an ultimate C-section. His grandfather and I are beyond ourselves. What a magical and wonderful thing to happen just before Christmas.

Will was home for a week at Thanksgiving and it was such a treat to spend so much time with our busy newly minted lawyer.

A high point of the week was meeting the family of his lady-love, Karen Clawson, on Saturday night. Karen, who lives in Cambridge, MA, came from Pittsburgh with her mother and step-father to celebrate the 30th birthday of her brother, Ken, who lives in Germantown. Happily for us, they were all able to join us for a Greek feast at our house. Karen is smart and beautiful. Her family is terrific. In fact, her step-father, Phil, is an affirmed member of the Bad Joke Club. This is an invention of mine to explain the great affection I feel for my husband and Arthur Forrest during joke swapping sessions.

Call it mother's intuition, but watch this space for more Will and Karen news.

Duffy

Matthew and Bonnie travelled to Chapel Hill, NC for a few days leading up to the election. On election morning, we were tickled by this very creative effort to get voters to the polls.

Bonnie reports that callers to the Duffy household should not be surprised if Matthew answers the phone. Editors note: Matthew is a pro, and is more polite than any of the adults I spoke with today (okay, maybe other than Bonnie.) When Matthew pulled into the parking lot of White Flint Mall to see Santa Claus this year, he asked, “Mommy, is this the North Pole?” The whole family looks forward to spending Christmas in North Carolina. Here is a photo of the family gathered in North Carolina. The day after Thanksgiving we celebrated Charles' mother's birthday. All of Charles' siblings and their children were there - Matthew loved being with his large group Duffy cousins.

We all recently enjoyed a trip to Homestead farm where Matthew enjoyed helping Charles cut down our Christmas tree.

Forrest
Arthur and Marcy had a quick trip to California for Arthur’s first production meetings for the NBC Rose Parade. This year’s theme is “Hats Off to Entertainment.”

Upon return, they had a full house prior to and throughout the Thanksgiving week. Zak returned home along with two friends and production buddies from a five day film shoot of concert bands in NYC, Connecticut and ending with the 20 plus band Brainwaves Music Festival in Boston. They immediately immersed themselves in the round the clock editing process before setting out for a project with another rock group.

Also checking into the “Forrest Inn” was recently married, niece Emily and husband Rob. In addition to the pleasure of their company, Rob, a professional photographer, took individual portraits for his project of capturing every extended family member at this point in time.

If there is a Washingtonian happening, it seems Nicole is there. She recently attended the DNC election night party, the reopening of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

and she also attended the Mark Twain Award night at the Kennedy Center posthumously given to George Carlin. Nicole said it was wonderful to laugh all night long. The guest list included performances by Jon Stewart, Denis Leary, Lily Tomlin, Lewis Black and Bill Maher. Marvelous entertainment. Nicole says, anyone who ever made her laugh contributed their humor to the evening's presentation.
Marcy is preparing for the family Solstice celebration and loves seeing all the holiday decor go up in their home, on the street and in town. She is also quite pleased that our exterior lights went up without any tumbles.

Arthur was honored that Maria Olsen took an interest in writing an article about him for the November-December edition of Bethesda Magazine. Maria did an extraordinary task of sorting out the information and quotes she collected in researching for the article. Arthur particularly thanks Vicky Delancy and Charles Duffy for being kind in their quotes about him....he says he is sure they have material to the contrary!

Kazin/Horowitz
Our big news is that Maia got into Stanford last night. We're all thrilled.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with friends in North Carolina. Michael is reading Half a Life by V.S. Naipaul, which is brilliant and depressing. Beth is reading a biography of Lincoln by Fred Kaplan, which traces the literary influences on his oratory. The four of us will be in Key West for a few days over Christmas, chasing the sun.

Strother
The Strothers have enjoyed their usual Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas activities, beginning with Thanksgiving dinner for twenty in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania hosted by Molly's sister and brother-in-law. William is in tenth grade at St Albans, has made the transition from being JV quarterback to lacrosse winter conditioning and Sunday league play, and is winding up his thirty hours of driver's education. Molly was a house chair for the St Albans Christmas House Tour, showing a beautiful Georgetown home that all of us could dream of inhabiting, and Jim helped out with the buses transporting guests between the houses and the school.

Trocchio
We had a houseful for Thanksgiving: my sister and her sons visited from Wisconsin and the boys looked at some colleges. My brother and his family came back from their new home in NYC and of course we had Jennie and Elizabeth. Jennie loves her job at Casa Blanca Academy in Hollywood, a brand new school for autistic children. If anyone wants to make a Christmas donation that would make an impact, the school needs lots of thing. Ask Julie for a wish list.

Your editors wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.

2008-10-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

Meet Our New Neighbors at 4130 - Helland Bay Family

Dear neighbors,
After two months in the US, we have more or less settled in to our new home in Leland Street. A big thank you to everyone who have greeted us and made us feel welcome! This is truly a fantastic neighborhood for adults and children alike. We are really looking forward to the years to come. Please feel free to stop by. We’ve bought a huge trampoline for the backyard (it was meant to be a bit smaller, but with our lack of understanding for imperial measurements – coming from Europe – 12 feet didn’t tell us much). Now we know – it’s huge! - and big enough for anyone who would like to come over for a jump!
As some of you know, we are from Norway. However we’ve lived in Canberra, Australia for the past two years. It feels good to be back in the Northern hemisphere with the Holiday Season being in winter! Sigrid is a diplomat, Tarjei a teacher (but working at the Norwegian Embassy now – yes, we’ve turned the place into a family business…). We have two little girls; Eira 4 years old and Mari 15 months.
Looking forward to getting to know you all better!
Take care,
The Helland Bay Family - Sigrid, Tarjei Eira, Mari

Ayaz
Nicole writes: I enjoyed attending the Towne coffee this month and I'm looking forward to meeting more neighbors through Towne events. The girls have enjoyed the changing of the season and we go leaf collecting throughout the neighborhood almost every day!

We will be celebrating Sophia's 3rd Birthday. We are also planning on visiting Homestead Farm's pumpkin patch.

Bateman
The Bateman's are looking forward to Annie and Claire coming home for fall break (from their first semester at University of Georgia and Vanderbilt respectively). Jill and Terry recently returned from a southern tour of all 3 children's colleges (including Will at Clemson, graduating this December!) Everyone seems happy with a few minor bumps during transition. All are enjoying this beautiful fall weather (Terry is on the golf course every possible moment) and Jill and Terry are really looking forward to the block party. Jill recently saw the Giorgio Morandi exhibit at the Metropolitan Musuem and highly recommends it!

Boland
The Bolands are happy to announce the birth of granddaughter, Mae Catherine, to Shannon and Joe Burkhart. Mae was born at 7:25pm on October 14th, and weighed 6lbs, 10oz. and was 19 1/2". Everyone in the family has been involved with big brother Will who turned two on Sept. 1st. Lucky for Leanne, Will adores his uncles who can be counted on to entertain their nephew.

Honoring Dorothy and Henry Bedell

Leanne Boland knows that there is an interest in dedicating a town tree, and ordering a commemorative plaque in honor of longtime Leland Street residents, Dorothy and Henry Bedell. Please send donations to Leanne so the plaque can be ordered by the town. As we walk our block we will always be reminded of our dear friends, and shaded by a beautiful canopy. --Thank you Leland Street neighbors.

Cosmas
Bill and Farrell have had a very busy October, thus far. Will was home last weekend, as was Farrell's brother Jonathan from Boston, to celebrate family birthdays. Farrell's brother Ned was 60 on October 6th and Farrell was some other number on October 4th.

We had a simply wonderful time all together. Jonathan, the youngest of Farrell's brothers, went to Urban Outfitters for party favors! To say the least, one cannot report what was printed on hats, plates and balloons in this family newspaper. Quite, quite funny.
Son Will is working hard and will be home for Thanksgiving. It was a joy to see him.
This weekend, Bill's nephew, Dean Klovens is visiting from Chicago. As Bill and Dean periodically lapse into Greek, Farrell generally has no idea what is going on, but Bill is very happy. Saturday afternoon we all went to Politics and Prose to welcome the new book by Alan Cheuse about Curtis, the great photographer of Native Americans.

Daniel/Wolf
Miriam writes: I think that we are very lucky to live here in the Fall. Toby and I just returned from a 3 mile hike in Great Falls, Maryland.

I can't tell you who enjoyed it more. It was a moderate hike that included beautiful foliage, hills and valleys and our own Potomac at the end. I believe it was called the Gold Mine Loop with a return via the Berma Road. (Apparently a misguided group once prospected for gold in Great Falls, Maryland but did not find very much of it). The hike was led by my 62-year-old friend who was celebrating her birthday. Delicious birthday carrot cake at the end.

Also, I just had a repair of a hole in my dining room wall completed by an excellent painter and plasterer that I wanted to recommend to any one who needs a painter or plasterer. He does a very careful job and I have used him for several years. (painting and wallpaper) His name is Randy Wirth and his phone number is (301) 253-3863. Call me if you have questions.

Delancy/Taplin
Paul recently joined the 8th grade Eastern Middle School Humanities Program on a weeklong trip to New York City. The trip was planned with a focus on poetry and using your senses to experience the city. Paul is writing a poem about his experience. To prepare for the trip, the class read the book Time and Again, which was set in NYC in 1972 but involved time travel back to 1882. In 1882, Trinity Church was the tallest point in the city and the Brooklyn Bridge was under construction. Upon arriving in NY, one of the first things they did was walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Paul was impressed by the view into Manhattan and the sketches along the sides of the bridge that portrayed the 19th century Manhattan skyline – quite different from today!
Also in preparation for the trip, Paul had to identify someone in New York willing to be interviewed by Paul’s class. Paul selected a leading cheese authority, chef and restaurant owner. He had to pitch his idea to his classmates. Ultimately, the class selected and interviewed a stage manager who has worked on Les Mis and other Broadway shows, including the current Please Don’t Eat the Daisies. Paul saw Grease (he liked it) and Stomp (he found it unexpectedly funny.)
At the Tenement Museum, an actress guided them on an experiential tour where Paul’s group played the role of a family living in the tenement (Paul, being the tallest, was given the role of “Papa.”)

Other highlights included a nighttime trip to the top of the Empire State Building, a day view at the top of Rockefeller Center, a visit to the Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon in Central Park, the World Trade Center Memorial and shopping at the giant M&M store at Central Park. Paul noticed that the World Trade Center Memorial was the one place in the city where people stand still and take notice.
Paul enjoys New York City but finds that he misses the green, open spaces of Washington. He likes the absence of skyscrapers here and the “friendly” feel of our city.

Duffy
Matthew is very excited about Halloween, and tells anyone who asks that he’s going to be a firefighter, a lion and a baseball player. This week Matthew enjoyed going with his school class to a pumpkin patch, where he had a ball sliding and climbing on bales of hay, on tractors and going on a hayride.

This weekend Matthew also enjoyed some playtime with the Boland’s grandson Will. We think Matthew may have found someone who likes to tackle as much as he does!
We are looking forward to a visit from Charles’ mother, and are enjoying having Bonnie’s brother Stephen with us.

Fendrick
Barbara wants neighbors to be aware of a house nearby for sale. Her daughter, Anne-Marie Fendrick just put her house on the market. There’ll be an open house today, October 19. The address is 4306 Sleaford Road in Bethesda. It is 3 blocks north of East-West Highway, 3 BR, 2 1⁄2 BA- charming home with a nice garden and in-law suite. “Turn-key condition.” The agent, Jane Fairweather, can be reached at 240-223-4663.

(Editors note: For all you Maryland politics buffs – this house happens to be the boyhood home of our Governor, Martin O’Malley.)

Forrest
Marcy had a wonderful evening of chat, laughter, hugs, kisses, flashbulbs and champagne in NYC, at a reunion of The Mannequin Agency hosted by the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon. Marcy often gets together with her close circle of friendship that dates back to when these women walked down the runway in the 1960's and 1970's, but a reunion offers the chance to see someone else from the past. The fun began with a luncheon, then on to the event, followed by dinner with several from the reunion and continued with a lunch the next day before returning home. What a whirlwind! See below faces of forty years of precious friendship. (Editors Charles and Bonnie Duffy note: In case you missed it, a photo of Marcy and some of the “Mannequins” she worked with was featured in the Style section of last Sunday’s New York Times.)

Nicole describes herself as a "Culture Vulture" and has discovered marvelous ticket bargains on Craigslist. In the past month she has purchased seats for four different operas and two ballets, all at incredibly discounted prices. She highly recommends this as a source for those who wish to take advantage of the events at the Kennedy Center. Nicole treated Marcy to the Suzanne Farrell Ballet. It was a presentation of pas de deaux, with seven selections including one from Don Quixote and Stars and Stripes. Ms. Farrell shared her thoughts and memories of working with George Ballantine throughout the matinee. It was a beautiful presentation. Marcy was first introduced to The Suzanne Farrell Ballet troupe by Leanne Boland last year. We had especially marveled at the talents of Bonnie Pickard.

Nicole attended three events connected with the Swedish Embassy to celebrate the opening of the Voices Exhibition, which Nicole manages for International Arts and Artists. The opening night was a dinner at the home of the Cultural Attaché. The evening was a social event to introduce the artists and included a performance by a Swedish opera star.

Marcy and Arthur express Happy Birthday Wishes to Farrell Cosmas.

Marcy and Farrell laughed through a birthday celebration lunch at Mon Ami Gabi...blowing out that next candle is more fun when perched in a profiterole.

Marcy and Arthur had lively discussion over evening tea at the Vicente home...amazing how animated discussion can be even when you all agree on the subject!

Jones (former residents of 4117)
Sylvia writes: We're enjoying fall in Napa and we have quite a bit of color from maples and sweet gum trees. Here, they call the gum trees "liquidambar" which is a beautiful word. The vines, now almost all harvested, are every color from yellow to burgundy. It still surprises me to see the magnolia trees in full blossom in the middle of October.

We spent 5 weeks in Europe this summer, returning to NY on the Queen Mary ll, for a week with Laura in Brooklyn. Then home briefly followed by a week at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in beautiful Ashland. Then home for another week before we left to visit old friends in Laguna Beach. We have houseguests this weekend and again next week, old friends from Cedar Lane UU in Bethesda. Bob has promised me that he is really ready for staying at home and enjoying our lovely little garden. I'll believe it when I see it! Love to all our old neighbors; to the new neighbors, we're getting to know you through the LSSN. You're all welcome to visit us in Napa.

Lee
From Ann: Over the last weekend of September I attended my New Trier High School reunion in Winnetka, Illinois. I'd never attended any high school or college reunion and was somewhat apprehensive. It turned out to be fantastic! One thing that made it so successful was that everyone wore a 3X4 card hanging from a ribbon around their neck.

On it was a pretty large picture of them from high school--also their maiden name (large) and city and state where they live. It was so easy to identify and remember people. I might not have attended except that a friend whom I haven't been in contact e-mailed me inviting me to stay with her in her Winnetka condo. How could I pass that up? It was 3 days of hugs and laughter. I had designed the scenery for their big musical called "Lagniappe" where all the script and music is written by the students. While we were touring the school and seeing the 1500 seat auditorium, students were rehearsing for this year's production. Fond memories. One of my old high school friends is a co-founder of Staples. She went to Harvard business school and planned on opening a chain of grocery stores. When she and her partner realized there wasn't much money to be made in grocery stores they decided to sell paper, etc. using the same model

Murtagh
Eric writes: I'll be running my first marathon Oct. 26th - The Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. (My 40th birthday present). I'm a bit uneasy about it as my training schedule was very abbreviated this summer due to a couple of sport injuries. If you see me on crutches, you'll know what happened!
I recently contracted to purchase the Bedell's house at 4111. (I hope I didn't bump someone else from the neighborhood who wished to purchase it).

I appreciate the home's architecture and grounds very much and I'm hopeful that I can work out an arrangement with the Bedell's gardener to continue the maintenance of the yard. I currently have the home up for rent if anyone would like to bring a friend into the neighborhood.

Rubashkin/Karasik
Pamela reports: The family recently went to Homestead Farm for their annual apple picking, where they picked 50 pounds of apples (and this was a light year!) They had a lot of fun, and have just begun the cooking but have already turned out apple cake, apple pie and applesauce.

Hannah is busy with her college applications. Jacob started at Eastern Middle School this year where he is in the humanities magnet program. It is a big transition though he appears to be enjoying it. Everyone is looking forward to the Leland Street Block Party.

Solomon
Fred was tickled to see the big article in Thursday's Washington Post , entitled "Getting to Know Mr. Obama's Neighborhood". The neighborhood is Hyde Park, on Chicago's South Side, around the University of Chicago. It was Fred's neighborhood-- growing up, going to the same Laboratory School the Obama daughters now attend. In fact, he lived there through college and med school, ultimately meeting and courting Dorothy there. The Post article painted a pretty accurate picture of Hyde Park, though it didn't fully capture its warmth and charm.

The Obama home is on the left in the photo below:

For more photos and the Washington Post story...go to this link.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/15/AR2008101503728.html
Fred and Dorothy wish to tell neighbors about a remarkable Filipino young man (in his thirties) who keeps our lives working, allowing us to age gracefully in our home. Jerry works for us one day a week, solving almost all the household problems that have accumulated over the previous six days.

Here are some examples: Jerry will pick up a prescription on his way here; install or reset the timer for our outdoor lights; do all the gardening (at Dorothy's direction); get a friend to help him successfully patch a big hole in our asphalt driveway; sew Velcro on a wallet; prepare dinner if we need him to; or repair our basement dehumidifier- --whatever is on our list that week.
We have known Jerry's extended family for several years. He is a kind, loyal, and responsible human being--a compassionate caregiver who can be counted upon in any emergency needing his help. Originally Jerry was an "au pair" overseas for a State Department family; he accompanied them back to DC, where he continued to help raise their four children. He is now a legal immigrant and is totally fluent in English.
As you can tell, we feel Jerry is a real "find". Right now he's available two days a week; he can be engaged either occasionally or on a regular basis. Please call Dorothy at (301)656-3391 with any questions you may have.

Payne/Simpson
Editors note: Maggie’s mother, Mary Alice Simpson, passed away on September 29.

We’ve included her obituary below.
Mary Alice Simpson, 84, from Las Vegas, was a true pioneer of her generation. Her father, Clesse Turner, who worked for Standard Oil, gave Senator Harry Reid his first job as a truck driver. After graduating from Las Vegas High School, she attended nursing school. However, Mary Alice soon had an opportunity she could not pass up. In 1951, she was offered a job working for Nevada’s U.S. Senator Pat McCarran in Washington, D.C., and during that same year, she was named Nevada’s Cherry Blossom Princess. While working for Sen. McCarran, Mary Alice came upon an ad outside the Senator’s office seeking secretaries for a USAID Security Mission in Saigon, Vietnam. At age 29, Mary Alice did what few single women of her time would even consider - she decided to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

As one of the very first young American women to venture to Vietnam on behalf of the U.S. Government, Mary Alice’s eyes were awakened to a whole new and exciting world. In 1953, Mary Alice Turner (her maiden name) married a Foreign Service Officer and author named Howard R. Simpson, from Alameda, Calif., whom she met on the terrace of the Intercontinental Hotel in Saigon. They both shared the same passion for life - a “joie de vivre,” which they passed on to their four loving daughters, Shawn, Lisa, Kate and Maggie. As the wife of a rising Foreign Service Officer and accomplished novelist, Mary Alice spent the next 55 years seeing the world like few women of her generation have ever done. Her adventurous life assured her a front row seat at some of the most historic military and diplomatic showdowns in American history. In addition to two tours in Vietnam, she lived in Nigeria, Majorca, Australia, Algeria, France and Ireland, to name but a few. Mary Alice often came home to Las Vegas to visit her late mother and well known local community volunteer, Alice Turner, who died in 2002, at the age of 104, and her late brother and renowned Las Vegas engineer, Tom Turner, who died earlier this year. Mary Alice died Sept. 29, 2008, at home in Washington, D.C., with her four daughters by her side, Shawn Simpson of Aix-en-Provence, France; Dr. Lisa Simpson of Cincinnati, Ohio, Kate Simpson of Silver Spring, Md.; and Maggie Simpson of Chevy Chase, Md. She also leaves behind her eight adoring grandchildren.

Trocchio
From Julie: Jennie was home for a friend's wedding and said she had forgotten how lovely Chevy Chase is in the fall. It was great having her home. Elizabeth is getting menus for Brown Bag ready for the holiday season. Julie has been traveling and John is surviving the economy.

Cultural Opportunity at the Swedish Embassy

The Swedish Embassy is located at 30th and K Street, right next to the Sequoia Restaurant at the Washington Harbor front. The glass surround of the Embassy offers beautiful views of the harbor, Kennedy Center, Watergate and Memorials. Currently on display is "Voices of Sweden," a contemporary ceramic art exhibition. Nicole Forrest has organized the United States tour of this collection.

The Embassy exhibition is free to the public and on weekends there is a special additional offering, "Tastes and Sounds of Sweden" which includes an afternoon of music and food. There is also a wonderful photograph exhibition titled, "Sweden from Above."

A Warm Welcome to Our New Neighbors The Ayaz Family

2008-10-01T12:38:00.000-07:00

Leland Street Halloween Fest

Plans for the Annual Leland Street Halloween Fest are falling into place. The date is set for Sunday October 26th for all the traditional fun of the Halloween Parade, costume awards, Haunted House, games and buffet dinner. A planning committee met for a delightful luncheon at Mon Ami Gabi.

The lists were brought forth and names were penciled in for various tasks of making the day a success.

We are hoping everyone will mark their calendars and pull out their recipe books or their favorite take out menus and prepare to bring an entree, side dish, salad or dessert to the buffet. We look forward to seeing everyone on the street to enjoy the smiles and laughter and a bountiful buffet dinner.

THE AYAZ FAMILY
Nicole, Tony, Arianna & Sophia

We are finally settled into our new home on Leland Street! As many of you know, we spent much of last winter looking at homes all over the area. One day, after looking at about 8 houses, we came to 4119 Leland St. I was exhausted, the kids were hungry and tired, and we were in and out in about 5 minutes. Later that night after all was calm, Tony and I said we should really go back to that house on Leland Street. So the next day we made an appointment with the Wolfe’s and the rest is history! Truthfully, we fell in the love with the Wolfes!!! We sat with them and talked about their home, how they had raised their family here, and what a wonderful neighborhood this was. Lotte brought out a basket of toys for the girls (Arianna 4 and Sophia 2) and we felt right at home. We also got a chance to read the Leland News and were so impressed with the sense of community in the neighborhood!

We lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past 10 years. Tony’s work from Silicon Valley brought us to Chevy Chase. The move has made it much easier for him to do business with clients in the Federal Agencies and on the East Coast, as well as spend more time at home. I am an attorney, currently at home with the girls. After Tony racked up over 200,000 frequent flyer miles last year we decided it was time to make the move to the east coast!
We had a busy summer with lots of visitors. It was a nice way to explore the area and show everyone our new neighborhood. We took a trip to San Diego in July as a reward once the unpacking was complete! We spent a great week at the beach and returned to Leland Street rested and ready to start enjoying our new home. We are looking forward to spending more time with our neighbors now that things have settled down a bit. Arianna and Sophia are both attending the Manor Montessori School. It has been great for them to meet more kids their own ages. They are both really enjoying their new school.
We are looking forward to the Halloween activities and getting to know you all better! Thanks again to everyone for all of the wonderful welcome gifts and wishes.

BATEMAN:
The Bateman home is very quiet and peaceful these days!! (although Rugby is trying her best to expand to fill the void).

Annie and Claire are happily settled at their respective universities (University of Georgia and Vanderbilt) and Will is finishing his last semester at Clemson. The empty nest (which Terry and Jill describe as being quite blissful) may be short-lived as Will is planning to come home for a couple of months to job search after graduation in December (but is hopeful of finding affordable housing soon thereafter!....any leads would be appreciated). Our summer was filled with a lot of time together......cooking dinners at home, visiting grandparents, attending orientations, and spending time at Bethany Beach.

Claire worked as a waitress at Cactus Cantina, Annie volunteered as an assistant art therapist at Children's Hospital, and Will had an internship with Analysis Research Planning Corporation. Overall, it was a great summer, made even more special by the impending college departures.
We are looking forward to fall, the Block Party, and many gatherings with family and friends.

BOLAND:
Summer passed pleasantly, although too quickly for the Bolands. Patrick spent an idyllic and leisurely post graduate summer enjoying his friends and various vacation destinations. He is now actively looking for a job. Monty continues his work as a fitness trainer at The University Club.

Leanne and Jimmy ended the summer with a trip to Sun Valley, Idaho and Vail, Colorado. The fresh air and great weather were wonderful.
We will miss the presence of Dorothy and Henry Bedell on Leland Street, and will remember them fondly.

COSMAS:
Farrell and Bill spent a happy summer welcoming all three Cosmas grown-up children at various points throughout May, July and August.

Lisa came for a long weekend toward the end of May with her two completely fabulous (no pride here) children, Oscar 2 1/2 and Josie 5 months.
Oscar had a wonderful time with his very best friend on the east coast, Matthew Duffy. As you can see from this photo, they are both lively, very funny and just adorable. It was so hard to see these three go! Lisa is an involved and terrific mom.
Jennifer, expecting her first baby on Bill’s birthday, Dec. 15, came to visit for a week in mid-July and stayed with Bill while Farrell accepted an invitation to spend 10 days in Nantucket. Both Jen’s visit and Farrell’s trip were just what the doctor ordered! While Jen was swimming in the Forrest’s pool, cooking and caring for her father, Farrell was in her favorite place on this earth, reading books, sleeping late, walking on the beach and eating lobsters! Will flew over from Boston for a quiet weekend of reading, walking and eating with his very appreciative mother.

The weekend before Labor Day, Will came home for three days of laughter and good times. He’ll be back at the end of September. It’s always a big, happy event for us, but particularly for Bill, to see these terrific children and grandchildren. It’s really too bad that none of them live here!
We are looking forward to Fall and Halloween and to seeing all of our friends on the street more often.

TAPLIN/DELANCY:
We enjoyed the summer as we always do. Both boys participated in sports camps – Russell with lacrosse at Johns Hopkins and at another program in Rhode Island, and Paul with basketball at Duke and Georgetown. Vicky spent the 4th of July holiday weekend with her father and sister on Silver Lake in New Hampshire, where her dad spent summers as a boy.

Vicky had never been there, and was warmly welcomed by many people who knew her dad in the summers there so many years ago. They stayed at a delightful inn right on the lake. With lazy afternoons reading on the veranda, quiet canoe rides, and a break from cooking and laundry, this was the most relaxing part of Vicky’s summer for sure.
The family spent most of July on the coast of Maine, the summer gathering place for Vicky’s family. Russell and Ben had to come and go, but Paul stayed the whole time, busy with the junior sailing program and tennis. We had a wonderful time with Vicky’s nieces and also our new nephew, who was absolutely adorable and crawling all over the place (10 months old). Time seemed to slow down, as we spent day after day swimming, kayaking, sailing, playing tennis, and visiting with friends and family. It’s nice to be away from cell phones and internet for a while!
Russell returned at the end of July to participate as a counselor at Camp Opportunity, a week-long program for abused and neglected kids from Baltimore. He had a great time, both with the campers and the high school and college age counselors he met, and fulfilled of all his community service requirements at the same time!

DUFFY:
We had a great summer. In August we spent some time at the beach in North Carolina, joined by several members of both of our families. We all enjoyed the simple pleasures of the beach - the sun, sand and water, and lots of fresh shrimp. Matthew loved the beach more than ever, and is convinced he learned how to surf.

Bonnie and Charles also went to San Francisco, well-equipped with suggestions from Ben and Vicky for great restaurants and fun stuff to do. After several days in the city, we went north to Napa and a wedding in the town of Ft. Bragg. The wedding activities included a train ride through the redwood forest - it was absolutely beautiful. We loved every minute of our trip, and in between eating and wine tasting we fit in visits with some of Bonnie's Tulane classmates, and with our niece and nephew who attend dental school in San Francisco. While we travelled, Matthew was in good hands with Charles' mother and sisters. Every time we spoke with him he reported "I'm having a great vacation."

One highlight of the summer for Bonnie and Matthew was an opportunity to meet Barack Obama at a town hall meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. Matthew had some questions for him, such as "are you a good basketball player?" and Senator Obama taught Matthew how to do a fist bump.

FORREST:
Our family’s summer calendar was dotted with a few trips for specific purposes; Illinois for Marilyn Monroe, Connecticut for a wedding and family reunion and then on to Nevada for Jerry Lewis.

We traveled to Chicago for the opening of the Marilyn Monroe, Life as Legend exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center. Nicole has managed this exhibition during its U.S. tour. While in Chicago, we all enjoyed a boat tour of Chicago River and Lake Michigan, sipped cocktails at the top of the Hancock Building from which you can see four states and also strolled Millenium Park. We especially enjoying the wonder of Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, a 110 ton sculpture of steel plates. The sculpture serves as an arched mirror of the Chicago skyline and at certain angles presents an almost fun house mirror effect of the happenings around it.

Just one week later we gathered in Connecticut for the enchanting garden party wedding of my niece Emily. Rob and Emily asked our son, Zak to be the videographer for the full weekend. Zak’s friend, Chad drove up from Ohio to work with him on the converage. The event served as a wonderful family reunion, with all branches of the family tree staying in the same hotel allowing much more opportunity for talk and laughter over the three days. Zak took advantage of being that far north to drive to Montreal. Zak is now back at work on his own film project as well as working for other productions.
The summer closed with Arthur’s invovlement as Director of the Jerry Lewis Telethon broadcast from Las Vegas. Marcy joined him and then they took three days at Laguna Beach before coming home. Nicole and friend, Leslie also flew in to Las Vegas and highly reccomend the “O” show at the Bellagio.
Marcy and Nicole saw Carrie Fisher’s one woman show, “Wishful Drinking”at the Arena Stage.

It is a witty presentation of her life as a Hollywood child, a life lived in outlandish excess on numerous levels. As Carrie acknowledges with deadpan aplomb, "If you think all of this is over-the-top, you can't even imagine what I'm leaving out!"

HOROWITZ/KAZIN:
The family is patiently immersed in the Obama campaign. Danny, as a senior at Columbia, majoring in Urban Studies canvassed for Obama in Pennsylvania this summer. Michael and Beth convassed in Virgiina for Obama and will continue their efforts right up to election day.
Maia’s politics are quite local, she is President of her senior class at Maret. She is also involved in cross country this semester. Michael reports that Beth is as busy as ever with her work and he is immersed in his next book through a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

LLOYD:
Florence took in the Afghanistan Hidden Treasure exhibition from the National Museum at Kabul which was on display at the National Gallery through September 7th.

The exhibition explored the cultural significance of the treasures and illustrates the story of their discovery, excavation, and heroic rescue. There were 228 extraordinary artifacts ranging in date from 2200 BC to AD 200, the objects present a rich mosaic of Afghanistan's cultural heritage and are drawn from four archaeological sites.
Recently Florence planted several bulbs in her garden assuring us that we will witness the first glories of spring for her efforts.

PATCH:
The Patches are moving. After 44 years on Leland Street, 4106 is being prepared for sale. It is now being painted, and by November 1 it will be completely empty. Remodeling of all four floors will then take place, to provide five bedrooms and five full baths, including a master bedroom-bathroom suite.
Bob is moving to an apartment:
1420 W. Abingdon Drive, Apt. 434
Alexandria, VA zipcode 22314.
His email remains rjpatch@hotmail.com.
His phone is 703-521-6424, or 703-521-2297 to leave a message.
Daughter Susan has bought a condo:
3333 University Boulevard, Apartment 809
Kensington, MD zipcode 20895.
Her email remains susanpatch@comcast.net.
The sad part of the move, for us, is not so much leaving 4106 as leaving our precious neighbors on this block, all of whom we have loved so dearly. Our gratitude for the rich blessing your friendship will be permanent.

SIMPSON/PAYNE:
Maggie reports that the family had a great summer with trips to France and Charleston as the main highlights. We rented a house near Aix-en-Provence, where my sister lives, and had a wonderful time with the whole family amid the vineyards and beautiful countryside. The next week our our trip in Provence, we rented another home up in the mountains near the Gorges du Verdon. It was a 300 year-old Olive Mill we found online, which we rented directly from the owners. It was quite an adventure as we found many wild boars on the property, in addition to an amazing waterfall and stupendous views, which took our breath away. The kids absolutely loved the whole experience!
In August, we went to our beach house in Charleston and spent a wonderful month with the kids just enjoying lazy days on the beach. Michael and I managed to work from there with a few commutes back to DC.
Jack and Sarah are greatly enjoying their first few weeks of the school year at their new school -- Chevy Chase Elementary. We transferred them from National Presbyterian and so far it's been a great experience for all -- especially for mom who loves waving them goodbye as they walk to school every morning!

KARASIK/RUBASHKIN:
Our family had a lovely summer. We started with a great trip to Yellowstone National Park, and the Grand Teton National Park. We stayed in both parks, and did alot of wonderful hiking. It had snowed 16 inches two days prior to our arrival, so we packed heavy, but fortunately the weather turned the day we arrived, and we enjoyed ten days of cool sunny weather.

We saw all the wildlife you could want, including bison, grizzly bears, moose, elk, and wolves. We hiked the FIrehook River, and watched Old Faithful erupt at least three times! In the Tetons, we took long lovely hikes up into the range, enjoyed a river float down the Snake river, and soaked up the magnificent view from atop Signal Mountain. We spent our last eveing in Jackson Hole which is a lovely town, where the locals ride their horses into the main square!
After we came home, the kids spent several weeks in camp, some as counselors at Calleva, and some as campers at sleep away camp in West Virginia. Hannah spent two weeks learning the details of rock climbing down by the New River Gorge, and except for a tumble off her mountain bike, had a fabulous time. We wrapped up our summer with two weeks in Bethany Beach, where we watched alot of the Olympics, and soaked up alot of sun. Now its back to school, homework, and music lessons!

SOLOMON:
Our brick walk is in disrepair; we'd like to re-surface it with new paving stones. Is anyone familiar with a stonemason or bricklayer who works reliably, skillfully --and reasonably economically? Thanks for any leads!
This summer Fred became very knowledgeable about the strikingly different professional opinions regarding hernia surgery. He thought this would've been a non-controversial area of medicine. (The clear winner among local surgeons: Stephen Evans at Georgetown Hospital.) Fred had surgery just after Labor Day and has recovered well enough to resume driving and return to work.
Dorothy and Fred have been delighted that Rachel Maddow is now on television with her own news show--MSNBC, channel 61, 9:00 PM and repeated at 11:00 PM. Aside from Bill Moyers, she has most intelligent show on TV we've found; and it's lots of fun too (at least for us Democrats). Finally, Dorothy and Fred are feeling virtuous for having signed up for 100% of their electricity to come from WIND POWER. It does add some $$ to the monthly PEPCO bill, but it seems like a basic contribution we could make toward saving the environment. We wonder how many neighbors may have made a similar decision.

STROTHER:
In our family, William had the fabulous trip this summer. He and ninety one other members of the choral group from Saint Albans and National Cathedral School went on a concert tour to South Africa. They covered lots of ground and went from Cape Town to Johannesburg, seeing the sights and learning about the history and culture of the country. They performed at different churches and schools and were guests of the students and parishoners.

Molly worked on her golf game, and in August, the whole family went to Hilton Head and Savannah, which is a stunning city with beautiful squares and many lovely old houses.

STUART: We have really sweet new neighbors; next to me @ 4119 and from Norway @ 4130. I spoke with Sylvia Jones the other nigh. I so miss them, but am very glad they are so happy in California.
I saw the movie version of Brideshead Revisited. I thought it was good, but thought, of course, having hours to do so "thinner" than the series which was more complete in exploring the characters,etc.

* We will all miss Mary’s beautiful weeping cherry tree.

TROCCHIO:
We had great summer with a visit from my nephew, trip to Cape Cod and lots of sun. Jennie started teaching in a brand new school for autistic children in Hollywood, FL and continues to work on her PhD in special education. Elizabeth accepted a new position doing corporate catering sales for Brown Bag, a family owned breakfast/lunch store with 4 locations, including Bethesda @ 7272 Wisconsin Avenue.

DANIELS/WOLFF:
I am writing from the airport in Tel Aviv. Larry and I are returning from Israel. We also spent a sweltering day (over 100 degrees) at the Ramon Crater in the Negev, the largest erosion crater in the world.

Miriam and Larry spent the two weeks in Israel working around the clock on our family project - Mishkenot Ruth Daniel - a new youth hostel and community center in Jaffa. — a new youth hostel and community center in Jaffa, as well as an existing synagogue (Beit Daniel) in northern Tel Aviv. Jaffa is in the southern portion of Tel Aviv and hold the most diverse population in Israel - Israeli Jews and Arabs and Ethiopians and many new Olim - recent immigrants. The photo is of children in an Israeli kindergarten.

We found the time to attend two “iftars,” Muslim feasts held after sunset during Ramadan, one in Jaffa, and one in the Galilee (Gilboa mountains). The Iftar in Jaffa featured speeches by an Imam, a Greek Orthodox priest, and a rabbi who is a member of the Knesset.
We toured a high school and preschool in Jaffa earlier today with all of these diverse elements studying together. We hope that our center will be able to work with these schools in the future. We also hope to host post college students at the hostel who will work with the Jaffa community. The center is the child of Beit Daniel - a very successful reform synagogue in northern Tel Aviv which was built by my parents in the early 90's.
David has been taking care of Toby while we were gone and protecting the house from any hurricanes that might approach Maryland. It will be good to be home. David is at home and continuing to teach at Bach to Rock.
Becky has spent her first week at Microsoft in Seattle and already loves the place. Now that Becky has begun work with Microsoft in Seattle, Larry has changed his home page to MSN and is using Windows Live as his search engine.

VICENTE FAMILY:
The Vicentes celebrated the marriage of Vike's brother, Diego, to his bride Sarah, in Williamsburg in June. As the best man, Vike gave away some of Diego's secrets at the wedding, such as how Diego had bent one of Wendy's spoons while he was living in their basement (apparently, he was trying to make room for it in a square tupperware). Mark (4 1/2 yrs) was the dashing ringbearer, and Peter (2 yrs) was all-around crowd-pleaser, except when he spoke up at exactly the wrong time during the ceremony ('speak now or forever hold your peace') to ask for more Scooby snacks. It was a treat to see another wedding in the chapel where Vike and Wendy were married, and to enjoy it with family from Argentina and other far-away places, including all five of Vike's siblings.
We also enjoyed a week in Washington state with Wendy's family in August. Vike's brother-in-law took Vike for a ride in a small airplane to the San Juan islands, while the kids splashed in outdoor pools, mosquito-free. Sadly, we never even got kiddie pool out this year because the mosquitos have been vicious.
We've enjoyed getting to know all of our new neighbors better, and look forward to Halloween and other fall activities, and many more years of carrying on the Leland Street traditions. Mark and Peter are beginning to appreciate how lucky they are to have four beautiful girls move in so close to their house!
Peter just joined Mark at the Leland Center school, and they are both adjusting well.

The Leland Street Sunday News is happy to file a report from
our foreign correspondant, Mira Bergem.

BERGEM/STENSETH:
By now we’ve gotten settled in Norway, Falk and I have been in school for a few weeks and both Leni and Knut are both into their new jobs. Leni is the head of a unit of the International Humanitarian Aid section of the Red Cross and Knut is an editor at Norwegian Academic Press Most of the pictures are up on the walls and only a few small things remain before we’ve completely finished the “moving in”. Recently we were granted permission to build an extension on our house so if all goes according to plan they’ll start building in a few weeks.
It is challenging to move back to Norway after having been abroad for six years. Naturally it takes time to understand all the ways that they do things differently here. I think both Leni and Knut are quite happy to be back, but for Falk and I, it doesn’t really feel like home. I know we all miss Leland street a lot! Leni and Knut are going to Budapest for the weekend so our grandparents are coming down from Bergen for the weekend which is going to be really nice. One of the good things about being back in Norway is being so close to family. (We live right across the street from Leni’s sister and her family) On Thursday I am going to Poland with my class. We hope everyone on Leland street is doing well

THE LELAND STREET BOOK SHELF

Leland Street Neighbors enjoyed a wide range of reading this summer. When I asked Arthur Forrest what he recommended, he said there was one particular book that he enjoyed, but it was an old book. I said that’s ok, Florence Lloyd read an “old” book, too, Anna Karenina!

Michael Kazin is enjoying a novel by Italo Calvino, Baron in the Trees. One critic’s review reads: The Baron in the Trees is a most enchanting novel. Calvino takes the opportunity to create a world at once steeped in history, philosophy and politics while at the same time illustrating the everyday existence and lives of those around him. Memory, love and history all combine and swirl throughout the story.

The Kazins purchased a Kindle. * A Kindle is a convenient, portable reading device about the size of a paperback with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers. Available through Amazon.com. The first novel which Michael read on Kindle was My Name is Will by Jess Winfield based on Shakespeare’s life translated by a boy in San Francisco Bay in the 1980’s, bawdy but amusing. The Publishers Weekly critiques the two narratives in Winfield's whimsical debut as unified by their shared irreverence, humor and literary gusto.Winfield uses his deep understanding of Shakespeare's work and times to great effect, and his affection for the material shines throughout.

Beth Horowitz:
I'm currently reading A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare, 1599 which is wonderful history for anyone who is at all Shakespeare-obsessed. ( I also read the very light, but fun novel, My Name is Will, for the same crowd.)
I read my buddy Jane Mayer's book, The Dark Side, which is a brilliant and chilling account of how the Bush/Cheney administration trampled on the constitution. The International Tribune reviews The Dark Side," Jane Mayer's gripping new account of the war on terror, is really the story of two wars: the far-flung battle against Islamic radicalism, and the bitter, closed-doors domestic struggle over whether the president should have limitless power to wage it.

Ann Lee: A couple of other books I read this summer are My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.d., a brain scientist. She talks about her recovery from a stroke and her own control over it. Another book is called All the Way Home by David Giffels about his experience restoring a dilapidated mansion he and his wife purchased--very funny. Belle Elving of The Washington Post states Giffels memoir, All the Way Home, is not only a chronicle of this renovation but also an homage to Akron, Ohio, and an affirmation of his place in it.

Florence Lloyd read two novels with her book club that she has previously enjoyed. Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy’s tale of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky. Tragedy unfolds as Anna rejects her passionless marriage and must endure the hypocrisies of society. Set against a vast and richly textured canvas of nineteenth-century Russia.
Florence’s second selection was The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. is generally considered the culmination of his life's work. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing The Brothers Karamazov, which was published as a serial in The Russian Messenger and completed in November 1880. Dostoevsky intended it to be the first part in an epic story titled The Life of a Great Sinner, but he died less than four months after its publication.

Leanne Boland recommends Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough, a book about the early life of Theodore Roosevelt. Winner of the 1982 National Book Award for Biography,it is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed as a masterpiece by Newsday, it also won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography.

One of Marcy Forrest’s top picks from the summer was, Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemorovsky. The book follows three interwoven stories across two decades, when the affairs of youth threaten the cool calm of middle age. The author’s own personal history is sadly interesting, too. As the Nazis advanced on France, celebrated writer Irène Némirovsky was taken to her death at Auschwitz in 1942 but her works were smuggled out by her escaping daughters. Marcy is currently reading, Consequences by Penelope Lively, winner of the Booker Prize. This novel opens in London 1935 and explores the lives of three generations showing that life is seen as fragile, full of chance encounters and twists of fate replete with connections that are often invisible, and through our actions we leave traces of ourselves behind.
Arthur Forrest read, The Quickie, by one of his favorite authors, James Patterson,. This psychological suspense novel takes the reader through a maze of twists and turns, on a roller-coaster ride of suspense. Arthur ‘s love of suspense continued with Rules of Deception, a brilliantly conceived, tale of intrigue and deceit written by the master of the espionage thriller, Christopher Reich. Plot synopsis: a surgeon and his wife are climbing the Swiss Alps when she is killed by falling a crevasse. Twenty-four hours later, He receives an envelope addressed to his wife containing two baggage-claim tickets and suddenly finds himself in a life-and-death struggle.

Vicky Taplin highly recommends Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, an amazing man from California ,who drifted into an impoverished Pakistan village in 1993 after a failed attempt to climb K2. Moved by the villagers’ kindness, he promised to return and build them a school. It’s the story of how he’s waged peace and understanding in the land of the Taliban by promoting education, building schools where none existed, not only for boys, but also for girls. I’ve passed this book on to the rest of my family and I think all of them, especially young people, should read it! Ann Lee, Wendy Vicente and Farrell Cosmas also reported this among their most enjoyable books this summer.

Miriam Daniels recommends Three Cups of Tea about building schools in Afghanistan as well as the Last Chinese Chef.

Farrell says two of my favorite summer reads came from the Forrest family Three Cups of Tea and the psychological thriller, Into the Woods by Tana French. Detective Ryan and Detective Cassie Maddox of the the Dublin Murder Squad find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to a previous unsolved mystery. Now, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past. French wrote a sequel to this book, The Likeness.”
The New York Times describes this as a richly atmospheric, stunning in its complexity, and utterly convincing and surprising to the end, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones.
I also loved the original version of All The King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, particularly interesting to read during this political year.

Maggie Simpson recommends Devil in the White City. Its fabulous! Erik Larson’s spellbinding tale combines meticulous research with nail biting storytelling. The book brings Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, intertwines the true story of two men, the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World’s Fair, striving to secure American’s place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. And I also read Lionel Shriver’s We need to Talk about Kevin which is a very disturbing book which I would not recommend to the faint hearted -- it's gut wrenching, however, I found it hard to put down..It is about a fictional school massacre, written from the perspective of the killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her son Kevin and the murders he committed. .

Charles Duffy recommends: 85 Days, by Jules Witcover. The book is about the last 85 days of Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign/life, and is "one of the best books I've ever read." Witcover is a local author and was a long time syndicated columnist.

Wendy Vicente reports, Mark highly recommends any of the Magic Tree House books, which he has been devouring this summer (our voices are a bit sore, and we will be very glad when he can read them himself!). In addition to Three Cups of Tea, Wendy thoroughly enjoyed Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara kingslover, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingslover. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, this book tells the story of how one family was changed by one year of deliberately eating food produced in the place where they live. The sidebars dig deeper into aspects of food -production, nutritional information, meal plans and recipes.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GRADUATES!

2008-06-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Annie and Claire Bateman graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. As is the B-CC tradition, the ceremony took place in the Daughters of the American Revolution Building in Washington, D.C.

Claire and Annie enjoyed all the year end school activities and festivities including their senior prom.
left to right, rob o'donell, claire, will sieber and annie.

FAREWELL DEAR FRIENDS

2008-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Ambassador of Norway, Wegger Chr. Strommen and Rev. Mrs. Cecile Strommen hosted a festive Farewell Reception in the Ambassador's residence for Leni Stenseth and the Embassy Staff. The evening included a toast to the exiting staff encouraging them to "Be well, do good work and stay in touch." A scene from a popular Norwegian play was presented followed by a light supper. The spirit of the evening was lively, warm and friendly. Florence Lloyd was amongst Leni's guests at the reception. Ambassador Strommen gave Florence a tour of the Embassy's art collection.

LENI, KNUT, MIRA AND FALK SHARE SOME THOUGHTS WITH HER LELAND STREET NEIGHBORS:
"We are only a few days away from our departure to Norway. The last few weeks we have lived at Residence Inn in Bethesda, but the cat has continued to reside in the house and Knut has used it as an office. It has not been a day that we have not been back to 4130. We miss it already.

We would like to thank all of our neighbors in Leland Street for the warm welcome we received when we moved into the run down, but charming little house on Leland Street 4130 3 years ago. We have loved every minute. Our best memories from USA are all related to the street...the thrill at the Halloween Parties, the champagne, strawberries and excitement at the Banana Split party, the caroling, the baby showers, the making of Thanksgiving turkey at the Vincentes house, swimming in the beautiful Forrest pool, enjoying vodkas and nibbles at Florence' house and meeting neighbors over at fine meal at the Gibsons. Mira and Falk both found their best friends on the street, and I am sure they will be back to trace them. We will miss the changing of the seasons, the rythm of the year passing by on the street.

We would like to extend our thanks to the Duffys for hosting a farewell party for us. It really warmed our harts.
If work or vacation bring any of you to Norway, you are always welcome at our new home in Oslo.

Our private email adresses will stay the same:

lenistenseth@mac.om
knutbergem@hotmail.com
mira.miracle@hotmail.com
falkbergem@gmail.com

Our new postal address will be:

Lauritz Sandsv. 14 c
1359 Eiksmarka
Norway

Love Leni, Knut, Falk and Mira

A FOND FAREWELL TO KNUT * LENI * MIRA * FALK

2008-05-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

Charles and Bonnie hosted a wonderful farewell event for the Stenseth-Bergems. The weather which had threatened to rain on this event, cleared within moments of the first arrivals. The clouds opened and the sun brightened the occasion along with the warmth of the Duffy hospitality. Matthew Duffy held "court" in the backyard...that is the basketball court...shooting hoops with the neighborhood boys. Many neighbors enjoyed the opportunity to view Charles' marvelous collection of American Folk.
In addition to a beautifully displayed bountiful buffet selection, guests were pleased to see Bonnie's brownies, blondies and lemon squares being offered. It was an afternoon of lively conversation and laughter.

All of Leland Street will miss this lovely family as they make their plans to return to their home country of Norway. We so appreciate their spontaneous involvement in all the traditions of Leland Street and for adding one of their own touches to the calender. We thank them for introducing us to their holiday drink, and sharing the festivities of the holiday season with us through their annual Glug party. We have enjoyed these past three years of seeing Mira and Falk grow up and take on the every day adventures of life in America and admire the family’s interest in touring so many regions, attending so many cultural events and learning so much about the United States. MIra has promised to serve occasionally as the LSSN's first foreign correspondant.

LELAND STREET SUNDAY NEWS

May 25, 2008 Editor: Leanne Boland

HENRY BEDELL
Everyone on the block was saddened by the death of May 16th of Henry Bedell. We send our condolences and prayers to Dorothy and the Bedell family. This issue of the LSSN is dedicated to our beloved neighbor.

A memorial service for Henry Bedell will be on Saturday, June 21 at 2 p.m. at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church, 9601 Cedar Lane in Bethesda. There will be a reception after the service. Henry's daughter, Jan Bedell, is hoping many of Henry's Leland Street neighbors will be able to attend.

Henry was such a gentleman. We remember him as very kind, patient and devoted to Dorothy. He also had a twinkle in his smiling eyes and enjoyed himself whether traveling on an Elderhostel trip or walking down the street to the block party. We will miss him.

ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Forrest Home is listed on the Chevy Chase Garden Tour Sunday, June 8th from 2:00 to 5:00 P.M. Please stop by and enjoy refreshments in the Forrest garden.

BATEMAN:
The Bateman’s are enjoying a quiet Memorial Day weekend at home...attending several graduation parties and hoping for a warm Monday so we can go to the pool! The family is all intact for the summer-Will arrived home on Mother’s Day and will be interning in the area this summer. Annie is working as an art therapy volunteer at Children’s Hospital beginning right after graduation and Claire is waiting tables at Cactus Cantina ( go down and visit her!) Happy summer to everyone!

Jill writes; I am so saddened by the loss of Henry Bedell...I imagine his big smile and wave every time I go by their house. Henry never failed to stop what he was doing and come over to chat if I came by with Rugby. I remember his positive attitude and his happy presence (his eyes were always twinkling with his wonderful sense of humor) - our whole family will really miss him. I hope we can all be so fortunate to live to be ninety and like Henry, still be active and vibrant right up until the end. The Batemans‘ send our love and blessing to Dorothy and all his family.

BOLAND:

Leanne and Jimmy went to Patrick’s graduation from the University of Georgia on May 10th. It was a happy weekend and the weather cooperated.

In April, Patrick’s lacrosse team won the SELC championship so the day after graduation the team headed to Dallas to compete in the National Club Lacrosse Tournament. Jimmy was able to be there cheering the team and kept us informed of its progress. Although UGA didn’t win the tournament they played very well and Patrick managed to win face offs in spite of h is left wrist still in in a cast. Having just returned from Georgia with the old Suburban loaded with gear, Patrick will be looking for a job.
Monty has begun training to run in the Marine Corps Marathon which will be October 26th, also the due date for Shannon and Joe’s second child! Shannon and Will, now 20 months, spent Friday night with us while husband Joe was out of town. Will enjoys the aerobic attentions of his uncles! Along with Jeb and Jen, we will enjoy a Memorial Day bar-b-que.
Leanne Enjoyed the educational town tree walk conducted by the town arbors, Talbot Feather, on May 17th. The weather was perfect for appreciating the variety of our town trees.
Charles Duffy’s recent “Political Pulse” interview with Sam Schwartz on proposed transit and the Purple Line was well done. Thanks again to the Duffys for hosting a wonderful farewell party for Leni and Knut.

COSMAS:
On May 8th, Farrell flew to Tucson, Arizona for a wonderful family wedding. All of her cousins from her mother’s side of the family were there and it was such a treat! They all stayed in the same hotel/club in Ventana Canyon and spent hours relaxing outside in the perfectly beautiful weather, catching up, and telling stories. The wedding was outside at the end of the day on Saturday, with amazing early evening light and a very beautiful bride, Rebecca, daughter of one of Farrell’s first cousins.

Her brother Jonathan and his wife Debra came from Boston. Brother Ned was to have come also but had surgery on May 1st.. a great success but it prevented him from joining the family. The day after the wedding, Jonathan, Deb and Farrell drove up to Sedona to see another cousin. WOW! How beautiful! Though she was only there for two nights and a day, she plans to go back next year. It is an astonishingly beautiful part of the world. The B & B, the Briar Parch Inn in Oak Creek Canyon, was simply magic. Each room is a cabin, warm and comfortable and quiet. Perfect. A delicious breakfast is served at table along the edge of a creek. Quite fab!
Farrell flew home on the 13th to get ready for the arrival of daughter Lisa and her children, Oscar-2 1/2 years- and baby Josie-5 months. She and Bill has so much fun being grandparents. Oscar is a marvel, faster than a speeding bullet and chatty as humanly possible. Josie is a very sweet young thing.

They went to the zoo where the biggest hit of all was the machinery at work building the new Elephant Trail. Oscar was so happy to see his old friend Matthew Duffy. When all of these sweeties left to return to California, the Cosmas were very sad to see them go. It was such a happy time for both Bill and Farrell, Papou and Aiyia.

The family’s final news is that Maizie had an operation to remove the giant tumor on her back and is now at home. Two vets said such surgery was impossible, but Dr. Albert Benson believed he could do it and he did!

One of the Cosmas’ fondest memories of Henry Bedell will always be his neighborliness. Whether he was using his snow blower to clear our walks or helping to move table and chairs at the block parties, Henry was so friendly and thoughtful, He was a lovely gentleman and we will miss him.

DUFFY:
The family is headed to the beach in North Carolina for the Memorial Day weeeknd. THey will be with Bonnnie’s family. All are looking forward to the relaxing! Matthew will be with his 3 and 5 year old cousins Charlie and David and is lookiung forward to that.

The Duffys remember Henry Bedell as a nice, courteous and gentle person. He was always doing interesting things and it was great to hear h im talk about them.

Henry Bedell:
Marcy and Arthur have the fondest memories of Henry Bedell. He was a man with a ready smile and always had his arm around Dorothy, whom he referred to as “his girlfriend.”

He stood straight, tall and lean and looked the picture of health and vigor. He was ready to speak with soul on many subjects of social content and enjoyed a good joke. Our daughter, Nicole was charmed by Henry at Ann Lee’s Holiday Caroling party a few years ago when he shared his story of how he and Dorothy met, fell in love and married. He will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and hearts are with Dorothy.

FORREST:
Marcy traveled north to Connecticut for the joyous occasion of her niece, Emily Sherwood’s Garden Party Bridal shower. Marcy’s sister, Sheila, and niece, Melissa enjoyed all the preparation stages leading to the the event.

There was torrential rain right up until dawn and then Mother Nature smiled on Emily, friends and family all through a long afternoon of sunshine, smiles and champagne.

Following the shower, the family enjoyed a wonderful meal from hors d’oeuvres to dessert prepared by Emily’s fiancé, Rob. The fun continued with a game of “How Well Do You Know the Groom.” Emily got most of the questions correct while the rest of us learned a few aspects of the newest family member.
Meanwhile, back at the Bearhouse, Arthur is lost in the caverns of our basement straightening out his tool room. He says he may not see light of day for ten years!
Nicole traveled to Los Angeles to visit with brother, Zak as he moves into his new apartment/office. Zak returns at the end of the month to begin the editing process on his documentary film.

Melissa & Doug

Everyone in the family is looking forward to the end of the school year! Molly will move on to Westland and Gordon will be a CCES next year. We are sad to not have anyone at Rosemary Hills after our five year streak of having a child there, but we are excited about the changes.
Gordon finished his last soccer game of the season, the purple team’s best season yet. Three cheers and many thanks for Coach Knut, for his years of volunteering, wrangling the kids during practice and leading the team during the games.

Thanks to Knut also for introducing us to Tokoma Park Youth Soccer-the coaches are nice, the parents are wonderful and the kids make a great team.
Molly and Gordon both had their last day of after-shcool Spanish. We are thinking of continuing Spanish lessons during the summer (Gordon is beginning, while Molly is finishing up her first year of “High School” Spanish) does anyone know a good, fun Spanish teacher or program? I wouldn’t mind brushing up in mine either, Molly is already correcting my Spanish grammer...Ouch!
Our landscaper finally tells us the plans for our newly sunny back yard are close to completion. Before its too late, if anyone has any planting ideas, we would love to hear them. Any favorite perennials, climbers, bushes, small trees? The silver lining to losing so many enormous trees in such a short period of time is that our yard is once again a blank canvas and a sunny one at that:)

We were sorry to hear about Henry Bedell’s passing. Our thoughts go out to the family.

LIPPOLD:
Anne and Paul attended The Preakness in Baltimore. Than had wonderful seats and could see everything. Anne even bet on the winner Big Brown!

LLOYD:
The weekend began with a dinner that Florence hosted for friends and family on Friday evening. Her Memorial Day weekend activities involved her “flock of grandchildren” Florence recommends the film, “The Visitors,” which she found very interesting.

PATCH:
The entire Patch family is most grateful to the Leland Streeters for the memorial tree planted in memory of Sue. One of her delights with Leland Street was the abundant tree cover and so nothing could have been more thoughtful, more appropriate or more appreciated.
Bob is back from a safari in southern Africa, through Zambia, Botswana and South Africa. The high point for h im was the visits of a large and cumbersome old rhinoceros that used the pool in one of the camps as a watering hole, in preference to anything farther away.
Saturday night May 10th, the Patches gathered at the house of son, Ted on Oxford Street to celebrate three family birthdays: son Tom (May 14) who flew up from Charlotte, NC; son, Jeff (May 14, Tom’s twin); and daughter, Susan (April 26) who has been working long and hard to get Sue’s possessions arranged for appraisal and ultimate dispersal.

SOLOMON:
Dorothy and Fred enjoyed a weekend of fun and laughter with their grandchildren.
Everything old is new again as family game of “Kick It” and a drum set that belonged to their son as a boy are discovered again by his own children.

TROCCHIO:
Julie reports that Jennie was just hired as the special ed teacher for a brand new private school for autistic childen in Hollywood, Florida. She is very excited. Elizabeth was just hired to do corporate sales for Brown Bag. That is the little store near the movies in Bethesda. They actually have four stores and specialize in green and healthy corporate breakfast and lunch catering. Call her if you are interested.

The news of Henry is so sad. Julie remembers him as perpetually cheerful in a New England Yankee kind of way. Always puttering around on the yard with a nice word to say to anyone who passed by.

VICENTE:

Peter and Mark are enjoying the kitchen set that my dad built, and that Wendy and her sister used over 30 years ago. Kristy shipped it back for Peter's 2d birthday.

Wendy's Mom, Joan and Peter hold their ears at the Rockville Memorial Day parade. Fun for all! Hope you're enjoying this beautiful weather.

Very Special Announcement from Vicky Taplin regarding her niece, Sarah:

Hello, my name is Sarah Pfeifle. I am a freshman at Franklin High School and I am raising money for the 2008 Franklin Relay for Life. Last year, I began raising money for Team Hope in support of my mother, Hope Pfeifle, who was battling pancreatic cancer. This year, I am raising money in honor of her extraordinary life. My mother passed away on January 8, 2008, after a year and a half battle against pancreatic cancer. I wish to honor her memory this year by recruiting the team and continuing our own fight. The greatest tribute that I could give my mom is to continue to allow her gift to the American Cancer Society to grow. I want to continue my team’s participation in this event.

Cancer in the past few months has altered my life dramatically. One Thanksgiving my mother was happy and hopeful, and only a couple weeks later, she began to lose her battle. Now my family has lost a mother, wife, sister and daughter. Not having her with me is heartbreaking and it is all because of cancer. I want to contribute to ending cancer so that no other person has to lose their parent, spouse, sibling, child, or friend to cancer.

To donate to Team Hope for the 2008 Relay for life, follow the following link to the Sarah Pfeifle Donor Page. Donations will be accepted up to the event on June 6th and 7th:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeNewEnglandDivision?pg=personal&fr_id=7161&px=3125207

Entertainment Opportunity:
The A.F.I Theater in Silver Spring is currently offering a Jimmy Stewart Film Fest in honor of the anniversary of Stewart’s 100th birthday. Treat yourselves to seeing some of his film classics on the BIG SCREEN!

Wisteria and Sunshine

2008-05-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

If you like “Wisteria and Sunshine.....”

This was the opening line of an advertisement that brought together the characters in the charming British film, “Enchanted April.” If you have not seen the film, consider putting it on your dvd rental list. If YOU like Wisteria and sunshine, do have a look at Florence Lloyd’s lovely pergola spilling over with Wisteria in full bloom.

More wisteria can be spotted in the Simpson/Payne backyard, like a Secret Garden, wisteria climbs the trees of the and graces the door leading to their patio.

CHEVY CHASE TOWN COFFEE:

The Town Coffee hosted by Marcy Forrest on Tuesday May 13th was a well attended morning with several Leland neighbors, as well as, Chevy Chase residents, new-comers and Town Mayor Linna Barnes. Ann Lee also stopped by on her way to an early morning tennis game. Coffee, pastries and lively conversation were a wonderful start to the first day of sunshine in a long while.

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR YOUR CALENDARS:
Bonnie and Charles Duffy are hosting a fond farewell party for Leni and Knut and family as they prepare to move back to Norway.
An invitation is extended to all our Leland Street Neighbors
Please join us:
A Fond Farewell to Knut*Leni*Mira*Falk
Sunday, May 18 from 4 - 6.
@ The Duffy Home 4128 Leland Street.

BATEMAN FAMILY:

Here's Annie in the French Quarter during Jill and Annie's recent visit to New orleans and Tulane. She loved it but she's going to Georgia!! And Claire shares a moment with her best friend Leila after claire's recent dance performance at the Kennedy Center.
The Batemans are enjoying watching the lushness of spring emerge.....Terry has been busy in the garden and is happy to report that his new organic approach to lawn maintenance is really paying off with the greenest thickest grass ever! Claire is preparing for her end of the year dance performances and both Annie and Claire are getting ready for their IB exams and GRADUATION! Jill is still busy painting and is enjoying her new studio space in the atelier of the Washington Studio School in the Dupont Circle area. The family is hoping Will will be home this summer to work in the Washington area   but his plans are still not finalized.

STENSETH/BERGEM FAMILY;

In 4130 we are trying to get ready for our upcoming move to Norway. But it is so hard to for all of us to leave, and no-one wants to start packing. So we find any excuses to postpone it for just another week. We enjoy every minute of the beautiful summer afternoons in Leland Street. Falk celebrated his 9th birthday with a gang of friends last week- and the highlight of the party was the marshmellow fight.

Having 8 wild boys running around in the house throwing marshmallows at each other might be fun - but the adults in the family have decided that we may opt for something else next year around:-)

Mira is busy preparing for her upcoming confirmation, her upcoming birthday party, her upcoming farewell party and so on.

Melissa and Doug hosted a fantastic dinner last weekend. Excellent food, and superb wines. And lots of fun. We even found our way home in the end :-) Thanx a million for inviting us.

Knut has left for Miami to meet up with 8 friends from his hometown Bergen. After Miami, they will drive to New Orleans, to Memphis and then to New York. While Knut is exploring the South East I will take my parents and kids to Santa Fe, Grand Canyon and Las Vegas next week. So packing is definitely postponed for another few weeks.

BEDELLS:

BOLANDS:

COSMAS:

Farrell and Bill enjoyed having Will home for a weekend. It is always a joy to catch up in person.

MARTZ/DAVIES:

TAPLIN/DELANCY:

The whole family had a wonderful time during a ski weekend at Lake Tahoe.

Vicky and Ben were joined on the hill by long time friends from Marin County, Lenny and Pavla. While Russell and Paul navigated the terrain on snowboards.
The Delancys have just completed a busy season of house guests! The first wave, which arrived in March, were Vicky's cousin and her family from St. Paul, Minnesota.
This is the second spring they've come to visit their grown-up son, who lives and works here. The weather was warm and wonderful when they were here, and they enjoyed touring all the Washington sights. Coincidentally, another cousin was in town the same week, and so the Delancys hosted a fairly large family reunion for a Sunday night dinner.

Vicky father was the second house guest to arrive. He was here for a week in early April, at the peak of the cherry blossoms. He enjoyed riding through Kenwood to see the trees, and also visiting Dumbarton Oaks. The highlights for him were were watching Charles Duffy's show "Political Pulse" and discussing it over a delicious lunch at the Duffys' house, as well as visiting Woodrow Wilson's house near Embassy Row. Later on in April, Vicky's 3 nieces from Massachusetts came to visit on their spring break from school. This visit carried many bittersweet moments, since they just lost their mother in January to cancer.

Shopping and baking were balanced with sightseeing, a high point being a tour of the Capitol with Senator Cardin's assistant. Now Vicky is catching up on lots of "old business" that was put aside during these many visits!
Here’s Ben and Paul enjoying a great view and a great game.

DUFFY:

Sometimes the blooms of spring are beautiful until the last petal falls...witness this gift of
Mother Nature at the Duffy home.

This week we made a special trip to the B & O Railroad Museum to see Thomas the Train.
Matthew was thrilled that he not only got to see the "real" Thomas but also took a ride on him. For those interested - the museum has an interesting collection of old trains.
Matthew really enjoyed the Easter fashion and festivities and apparently Missy thought it was all a big yawn!

FENDRICK:

The blooms seen here are just a suggestion of the magical azalea splendor of Barbara's garden.

FORREST:

Arthur and Marcy along with six neighbors enjoyed a sumptuous dinner and fabulous evening at the home of Melissa Peppe and Doug Gibson. We all benefited from Melissa’s silent auction bid on a gourmet meal served in their home. The dinner was prepared by Culinary Institute of America Alumni, Vincent Muia, Chef/Owner of Sage     (www.SageFineDining.com 240-478-7234) Vincent was assisted in the preparation by his wife, Veronica. The five course dinner was complimented with a different wine for each course and champagne with dessert. The Chef’s task was complicated by kosher restrictions of four guests and the vegetarian and allergy concerns of another. It was a flawless evening in every way.

Marcy recently traveled to Laguna Hills, California for a visit with her mother, sisters and brother at her mother’s home. We enjoyed lovely beach weather watching pelicans diving into the surf, sunset cocktails along Pacific Coast Highway and long hours of looking over vintage family photos. Marcy brought her mother back to Maryland to see the beautiful spring blossoms. The homes of our neighbors here on Leland Street present a wonderful garden tour every time we drive up the street.

Nicole just returned from a busy weekend in Kenosha, Wisconsin with boyfriend, John Tenuta for the presentation of a lifetime achievement award to his father by the Italian American Foundation. The Tenuta family is well-known for over fifty years as owners of Tenuta Italian Specialty Food Store. Nicole was sent home with paninis, meatballs and cannolis.

Zak and Chad continue their documentary work with Stars of the Lid. It has been a grueling 10,000 mile journey in Zak’s Volkswagen Jetta. In just three weeks they have driven from L.A. to San Francisco then across the northern states through blizzards, rain and sunshine, past lonely prairie land, small towns, major cities and crossed the border into Ontario and Quebec.

The bonus of the concerts in Canada is that Zak was able to visit with Ashley at her school, Concordia College in Montreal. Now they head south with concerts in Boston, NYC, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Yea! We get to see him too. Then they drive west to Texas.

HOROWITZ/KAZIN:

Kazin-Horowitz: Maia had a major role in the high school musical at Maret, playing the Little Girl in Ragtime. She’s looking forward to a summer of volunteering with the Landmarks Program and getting a paid job somewhere in our area.
Michael spent three long but rewarding days in Indianapolis, campaigning for Barack Obama. People of all ages were there from all over the country, and everything was in bloom.
Beth traveled up to Boston to see close friends and is looking forward to hearing Itzhak Perlman play his fiddle this afternoon at Strathmore.
Danny is in the middle of writing term papers and studying for finals at Columbia so please don’t bother him, unless the Nats and/or Orioles go on a winning streak.

LANNOM:

LEE:

Ann's father planted these tulips many many years ago...most tulips only last a season or two, some tulips bulbs can last up to seven years, but somehow Ann's tulips continue to reach for the sun and bloom year after year.

LIPPOLD:

LLOYD:

PATCH:

The Cherry tree and plaque dedicated to Susanne Steinam Patch has been installed in front of the Patch residence. Sue would surely appreciate the happening occurring in the full bloom of spring when her azaleas are blossoming to welcome the Cherry tree. The tree and plaque were made possible through the kind efforts of Leanne Boland and the generosity of the neighbors of Leland Street who remember Sue Patch so fondly.

SIMPSON/PAYNE:

We had a great family vacation in Jamaica. The weather was lovely so the kids sailed, swam a lot, went tubing and played tennis. You can't beat those direct Air Jamaica flights out of BWI -- inexpensive and convenient!

Our niece from France will be going to AU in September and she is visiting this weekend to check out the university. Having never lived in the States she is very nervous about her Freshman year!
Can't wait for all the azaleas to bloom around Chevy Chase and for the weather to warm up so we can begin enjoying how beautiful Leland Street is in the Spring. And we are looking forward to meeting our new neighbors across the street!

STUART-PROCTOR:

KARASIK/RUBASHKIN:

SOLOMON:

STROTHER:

VICENTE:

While everything is popping up and blooming, there are a few places where nature’s cycle has come to an end. Such was the case at the Vicente home with an old oak tree.

It was quite a show, if only Mark and Peter had been home to witness the men swinging from trees, ropes, claws and chipper trucks.

WOLFE:

Lotte stopped by her long time home on Leland Street to collect a few last items. She says they are loving their new residence and it has opened a whole new world of opportunity for them. Marty is just five minutes from his office and they are within walking distance of their favorite Georgetown restaurants.

DANIELS/WOLFF

Larry and Miriam are excited to report that Becky Wolff, who is graduating from Johns Hopkins this month, has accepted a job offer from Microsoft's marketing division and will be moving to Seattle in September. She will spend the summer at home.   In the meantime David has begun teaching music to pre-schoolers and voice to teen agers at the music education company Bach to Rock in Bethesda, Mclean and Gaithersburg.
Larry and Miriam celebrated their 28th anniversary with a trip to New York. We saw a new play, "August: Osage Country," which we recommend. We also took a 20 minute train ride from Grand Central to Bronx Botanical Garden where we enjoyed thousands of tulips.
We are taking advantage of spring opportunities for walking, biking, and hiking.   David hiked up Big Devils Staircase near the Blue Ridge with a friend for a wet but beautiful experience.   Larry and Miriam biked down the Capital Crescent trail to Fletchers boat house, and Miriam and Toby went walking on the Canal and in Rock Creek. Larry joined an Audobon Society group in Rock Creek and saw hundreds of copulating toads! The grass at home is growing and the flowers bursting with color.

Miriam's 91 year old father, who still works 10 hours a day, is returning to Chevy Chase after spending the winter in Sarasota.
We want the thank the Peppe/Gibsons for a wonderful dinner at their home last Saturday evening attended by three other Leland Street couples.