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
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.
