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‘Guys’ Night Out And Seder Summit’News, Page 4
Honoring Those Killed in Parkland
News, Page 3
Students at the Connelly School of the Holy Child participated last week in a national observance of the shooting victims in Parkland, Fla. A white rose was placed by the statue of Mary for each person killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
March 21-27, 2018
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2 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ March 21-27, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
By Marilyn Campbell
On a sunny, autumn day a group of 10-year-old children sat around an a for-mal dining room table at a home inArlington. The boys wore blazers,
pressed khakis and shiny loafers, while the girls havedonned festive dresses, nude stockings and woregrosgrain ribbons in their neatly combed hair. Theyhad arrived at the home for a lesson in etiquette, butmost of them would have rather been someplace else.
“I have to leave early for a soccer game,” saidJimmy, who didn’t bother hiding his glee over miss-ing part of the class.
In an era when it’s commonplace to order pizzaon a smartphone and coordinate play dates by text,old-fashioned etiquette can appear obsolete. A re-cent survey of teachers shows that 73 percent of in-structors believe that students are less polite thanwhen the teachers themselves were students. In theage high-tech conveniences, children can becomeover scheduled and under socialized, which has ledto an uptick in the number of parents who are en-rolling their children in etiquette classes, say proto-col instructors.
“Parents have a tremendous interest in etiquetteclasses because so many parents realize that theydon’t have that knowledge themselves, said DorotheaJohnson, who founded the Protocol School of Wash-ington and is the author of the book “Modern Man-ners: Tools to Take You to the Top,” which she co-authored with her granddaughter actress Liv Tyler.
“I think most parents know that good manners andetiquette will be important to their [children’s] fu-ture,” added Henryette Neal who teaches etiquetteclasses for children through the Fairfax County ParkAuthority. “Young people will be educated, but with-out proper social skills they willnot be able to present themselvesproperly.” Neal is also the ownerof owner of Steppin Out Charmand Imaging Studio.
The result of fast-pacedlifestyles combined with over-loaded schedules is a generationof children who place more valueon social media savvy than onknowledge of social graces. Fam-ily dinners are replaced by fastfood, says one parent. “Whoneeds good manners to gobbledown a slice of pizza,” said CaroleMincey of Alexandria, whose 14-year old daughter and 11-year old son have takenetiquette and ballroom dance from Mrs. Simpson’sClasses, one of the area’s invitation-only etiquetteschools. “Because everyone is so busy and technol-ogy is so advanced, reality television shows are set-ting standards of behavior and handwritten thankyou notes have been replaced by emails and texts.”
Good manners are as important to a child’s futuresuccess as academics, says another parent. “I feel likeif people know what do to do in social situations itempowers them,” said Sarah Henry of Chevy Chase,mother of a 10-year old daughter and a 12-year oldson. “If you’re unsure of what to do it can make youfeel intimidated. So it’s all about empowering chil-
dren with knowledge. And it’s good for them to beexposed to proper etiquette in case they’re not get-ting it at home. And if they are getting it at home,etiquette classes can reinforce it.”
Interactive class sessions help keep their childrenengaged in the etiquette lessons. “They key is to keepthe children occupied,” said Johnson. “For example,when teaching proper introductions, I would call twochildren up to the front of the room and have themintroduce themselves to each other.”
In addition to learning such common courtesiessuch as saying “Please,” “Thank you” and “You’rewelcome,” children learn to write thank-you notesand introduce themselves to others by making di-
rect eye contact and offering afirm handshake.
“Knowing how to give a properhandshake is important. When Itook my seven-year-old grand-daughter Liv to formal events, herlittle hand went out as she wasbeing introduced to someone,”said Johnson. “I could take heranywhere because she had im-peccable manners.”
Henry says that in a class thatshe coordinated for herdaughter’s Girl Scout troop, partof the curriculum included hav-ing the children form a receiving
line with parents where they practiced handshakesand eye contact.
“We also printed proper table setting samplesonline and give the girls n plastic forks spoons, knives,napkins and a copy of the place setting,” said Henry.“We talked about how to talked about the placementof the utensils, how to hold a knife and fork prop-erly. One of my pet peeves is watching people hold aknife like it’s a stick.”
These are good life lessons, says Neal. “Etiquetteclasses are important because people still needto be respectful of others, and it starts with ourchildren,” she said. “A simple please and thankyou is important.”
Etiquette classes aim toteach lost art of manners.
Manners in the Tech Age
Photo courtesy of Fairfax County
Henryette Neal teaches etiquette classesfor children.
“Young people will beeducated, butwithout good socialskills they will not beable to presentthemselves properly.”
— Henryette Neal,etiquette instructor
Potomac Almanac ❖ March 21-27, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Peggy McEwan
The Almanac
Potomac area high school studentsunited with students across thecounty and the country by “walking out” of school March 14, one
month after the shootings that killed 17 stu-dents and staff at Marjory Stoneman Dou-glas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Stoneman Douglas student survivors ofthe shooting quickly became activists, call-ing for changes to gun ownership and regu-lations and have gathered support fromtheir peers.
Students from all three Potomac publichigh schools: Thomas S. Wootton, WinstonChurchill and Walt Whitman, walked outof class at 10 a.m. and gathered for 17 min-utes of silence. Another purpose of the walk-outs was to highlight issues of school safetyand gun violence.
Besides the students turning their silenceinto a voice at school, many other studentsskipped school for the day to join a demon-stration in Washington, D.C.
“Roughly 2,500 students left school,” saidMeredith Hooker from the MontgomeryCounty Public Schools Office of Public In-formation. “There was a higher than num-ber of absentees than usual, but we do notknow that they all [participated in the D.C.event].”
Each school had its own ceremony. Stu-dents at Churchill walked to the stadium insilence. Whitman students sat outside for17 minutes with photos of the Parkland vic-tims then released balloons. Wootton stu-dents walked to the stadium and, for the17 minutes, read the name of each victim,one per minute. U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D-6) spoke to the group outside then met withthem to answer questions during lunch pe-riod.
“The next generation is speaking out andtaking the lead and it’s inspiring to see.They’re making history, they’re makingchange and that’s what I told them, I’mproud to stand with them,” Delaney wrotein a press release after his time at Wootton.
Potomac’s private school students werenot left out of the those expressing theirfeelings regarding the Florida shootings andwhat should be done to make schools safer.
Both Bullis School and Connelly Schoolof the Holy Child held upper school events.
Bullis student government worked withadministrators to plan their event in obser-vance of the one-month anniversary of theParkland shooting.
“A few weeks ago, Sydney Smith, oneof the [student government] co-presi-dents approached me about it,” saidKerry Hosmer, upper school director ofstudent life.
dance option, a group devoted to compas-sion and sadness in which students couldwrite letters, and political discussions.
“Many students didn’t want it to end,”Robert Pollicino, Upper School principal,said. “I think that’s good. We don’t wantthese conversations to end.”
Holy Child posted this on twitter March14: “Today, the Holy Child community hon-ored the lives lost at Marjory StonemanDouglas High School in Parkland, Floridathrough a Remembrance Walk and prayerservice. #ParklandStrong.”
Now many of these students are turningtheir energy to the March for Our Lives tobe held in Washington, and across the coun-try on March 24.
Potomac Almanac Editor Steven Mauren
703-778-9415 or [email protected]
See www.potomacalmanac.com
And make plans forMarch for Our Livesin Washington.
Students Honor Those Killed in Parkland
Students at the Connelly School of the Holy Child participated last weekin a national observance of the shooting victims at Marjory StonemanDouglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Some students joined in prayeractivities and a walk around campus.
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Bullis Upper School students unite with students across the nation honoring the victims of the MarjoryStoneman Douglas High School shooting.
Hosmer said they needed to allow stu-dents to participate but also respect thosewho did not want to participate.
On Wednesday, between 450 and 475upper school students walked out to thecenter of campus, she said.
“It was freezing, with a cold wind,”Hosmer said. “It was incredibly moving tosee hundreds of students in a circle recog-nizing this event and thinking about thefuture.”
After the 17-minute walk-out, the stu-dents participated in breakout sessionswhere they could express their feelings.Those sessions included an art option, a
Students from Win-ston Churchill HighSchool walk from theschool to the athleticfield on March 24 tohonor the victims ofthe Feb. 14 shootingat Marjory StonemanDouglas High Schoolin Parkland, Fla.
Photo by
Kathy Kurgan
4 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ March 21-27, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERSSusan Belford, Carole Dell,
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News
By Susan Belford
The Almanac
Booze and ribs are not theusual traditional fareserved at a synagogue —but the Beth Sholom
Congregation hosted its 6th annual“Guys’ Night Out and Seder Sum-mit” on Sunday, March 11 — and535 men were overjoyed to gorgeon delectable food and drink at themost-loved event of the year. Notonly did they devour their favor-ite comfort foods — but each hadthe opportunity to sample scotchfrom a selection of distilleries,schmooze with other men, giveback to their community and sharein an evening of learning how tocelebrate Passover in a moremeaningful way.
The men come from Maryland,Virginia, D.C. — and even furtheraway. Some attended with theirsons, some came as three-genera-tion attendees (father, son andgrandson) and others come tocatch up with old friends andmake new ones.
“It is my fifth time and whatdraws me back each year are sev-eral things,” said Ken Berman, “notjust the camaraderie, but ºthechance to see friends, acquaintan-ces, and even people who I comeacross only occasionally, in busi-ness or in other areas, in a relaxedand informal setting.ºThis justdoesn’t happen in the rush of ev-eryday life. Everyone in the roomis relaxed and the conversationsthat occur are indeed special.”
Stuart Bassin said, “Event Chair-man Mark Eidelman has created abrotherhood that goes across syna-gogues, nationalities and agegroups.ºIt is just a bunch of guys
bonding with no judgment andwith open arms.ºI am not a mem-ber of Beth Sholom but I abso-lutely feel at home at this event.”
This year’s summit honoredAmbassador Manuel Espina fromGuatemala and Ambassador
Marlon Tabora from Honduras aswell as seven military attachesfrom the Israeli Embassy. The am-bassadors were pleased to reiter-ate their longtime support andpartnerships with both the Stateof Israel as well as the UnitedStates. The evening also affordedthe men to “give back” by bring-
ing gently-used sports coats andsuits for The Wider Circle, provid-ing used sports equipment for Lev-eling the Playing Field and donat-ing to the Jewish Social ServicesAgency (JSSA) for the Maot
‘Guys’ Night Out and Seder Summit’Food, drinkand faith.
535 men attended Beth Sholom Congregation’s 6th annual “Guys’ Night Out andSeder Summit.”
Pho
to
by Eric Silberg pho
to
credit
Rabbi Nissan Antine, Beth Sholom Congre-gation
Photos by Shmulik Almany, ImageLink Photography
Mark Eidelman, Guys Night Out organizer
See ‘Guys’ Night Out,’
Page 6
Photo by David Wasserman
Asher Gendelman, Isaac Gendelman, and Ari Gilberman
From left: Ernesto May, Ambassador Marlon Taborafrom Honduras, and Ambassador Manuel Espinafrom Guatemala.
Photo by Shmulik Almany, ImageLink Photography
Potomac Almanac ❖ March 21-27, 2018 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Peggy McEwan
The Almanac
Bert Swain and his cousin Tobe Buttgrew up in Lockhouse 21 on theC&O Canal.
Both were at the Lockhouseagain Saturday, March 17, for the officialgroundbreaking for the rehabilitation oftheir childhood home, one that was in theirfamily for close to 100 years.
The small white house at Swain’s Lock,off River Road west of Potomac Village, willbecome the seventh house of the CanalQuarters, a program of the nonprofit C&OCanal Trust. Canal Quarters are renovatedlockhouses available to rent for overnightstays. Each tells a story of a particular pe-riod of Canal history.
Swains Lockhouse will interpret 1916, thetime when the canal was transitioning froman east-west transportation route to a rec-reational space for the public, according toHeidi Glatfelter Schlag, director of market-ing and communications for the Trust.
“I think [this is] phenomenal,” Bert Swain,who is a member of the C&O Canal TrustBoard, said on Saturday. “It was our hope that
it would be used again by the community.”Swain said he lived in the house from the
time he was born in the 1950s until he leftin the ‘80s.
The house was originally constructed inthe 1830s, just after the Canal opened fortraffic in 1831.
“Swain family members can be tracedback to the original construction of the ca-nal,” according to the Canal Trust website.And they stayed. Jesse Swain waslockkeeper when the canal closed in 1924.
Descendants continued to live in thehouse until 2006, when they turned it overto the National Park Service.
Electricity was put in the house in the1950s and, about 10 years after that, thefamily gave up the wood stove which wasused for heating and the cooking and addedoil heat, Swain said.
He told the group gathered in front of thehouse for the groundbreaking, “We arestanding on the spot where, on some occa-sions, we would have Thanksgiving dinner.”
Bonnie Butt, Tobe’s wife, said her husbandwas born in the house in 1941 and livedand worked there.
The Swain family ran a concession stand andboat rental from the lockhouse, until 2006.
As for growing up along the canal, TobeButt said it was fun.
“The boys at school used to envy me,” hesaid. “I got to hunt all winter and swim and
canoe all summer … of course there waswork, especially in spring when we weregetting the boats ready.”
Swains Lockhouse will be unique amongthe Canal Quarters in that it will be the firstmulti-purpose lockhouse, due to its larger sizethanks to an 1890s expansion. The entirebuilding will be available for overnight staysthrough the Canal Quarters program, withaccommodations for up to eight guests. Thenewer part of the building will also be usedfor the Canal Classrooms program on week-days. Students on educational trips to thepark will be able to participate in learningactivities in the space, only steps away fromthe canal, Lock 21, and the Potomac River,according to a Canal Quarters press release.
“We are very pleased to be embarking onthis rehabilitation project with the C&OCanal National Historical Park,” saidMichael Mitchell, chairman of the board forthe C&O Canal Trust, said. “That it will fur-ther both the Canal Quarters and CanalClassrooms programs. These two programsare so important to our mission. The Swainsproject will allow us to enlarge our award-winning Canal Quarters program, as wellas establish a central base in the Park forCanal Classrooms programming.”
The Lockhouse will feature electricity andrunning water when it opens as a CanalQuarters lockhouse in the Fall. For moreinformation visit www.canaltrust.org.
Family ties toLockhouse 21.
Swains Lockhouse Rehabilitation Begins on C&O Canal
Photo by Peggy McEwan/The Almanac
Bert Swain speaks at thegroundbreaking for the restorationof his family home at Swain’s Lockon the C&O Canal Saturday. Thelock house will join six other lockhouses in the Canal Quartersprogram and will also serve as aCanal Classrooms base.
6 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ March 21-27, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
From Page 4
News
Chitim mission to make certainall families can celebrate Passoverin a meaningful way.
In the spirit of the Olympics, thegroup also will make a donationto the Israel Sports Center for theDisabled, helping Israeli childrenwho are physically disabled.Berman said, “I love the fact thatwe raise so much for several wor-thy charities, honor those whohave been friends of and/ordefendºIsrael, and learn about theholiday of Passover in such a won-derful setting.”
The host for the evening wasRabbi Nissan Antine of the BethSholom Congregation. He said,“This event is an amazing oppor-tunity for men to come togetherand rethink their values, expandtheir Jewish knowledge and prac-tices and gain some new ideas con-cerning their Passover Seder. I willbe discussing how to make thisimportant holiday meaningful tothem as well as to their families.Seder is a ‘home holiday.’ The pri-mary mitzvah is to teach your chil-dren about the Passover story —the story of our people and theirvalues. We were slaves in Egyptand now God has set us free. TheSeder helps to make us feel likewe are there and to understandwhat Jews have gone through. Weeat the matzah, the bread of sla-very and taste the bitter root sowe know what it tastes like andfeels like.
“The specific message is thatchildren should be able to look totheir parents as role models — notteachers — but people who are liv-ing their values — and living lifeas they want their children to seeit lived. We can’t ask kids to ‘do aswe say and not as we do’ — wehave to ask them to do what wedo. We need to teach them thatacts of kindness are important —as important as living life with
strong values.”Those who listened to his mes-
sage were inspired to make theirPassover Seders more meaningfulfor their families. Bassin said, “Mypersonal take-away from thisevent is that it is the enjoyment offamily and inquisitivelearning,ºnot rigid adherence tospecific language and custom, thatmakes the Passover holiday a deepand cherished personal experi-ence.”
Jules Polonetsky said, “RabbiAntine’s presentation at the end ofthe evening is what sticks withme.ºI have attended for a fewyears, and each year I have some-thing to take away that adds to myPassover Seder.ºThis year the mes-sage I took with me is to reallyfocus beyond the details of the textand to deliver on the priority goalsof the Seder, such as actions thatreally get children to ask questionsand engage with the issues of Pass-over.”
And Berman said, “RabbiAntine’s speech was especially en-lightening as to putting to rest themyth that every word of theHaggadah (story told at the Seder)does not have to be recited. Hisstatement that there are certainthings which are required but ev-ery word and (approximately) all50 pages do not have to be read.This is something that I imaginemany people did not realize. Thereal purpose of the Sederºis tohave the children ask questions.Now my dilemma is whether Ishare that information with myfamily ….”
Leaving the event also had itsreward as Berman explains, “Inaddition to bumping into peoplethat you have not seen in a whilethe best part of the evening iswhen you remember that you or-dered a ‘to go’ bag and you get toalso take home the best beef ribs,spicy hot dogs, and coleslaw southof Brooklyn.”
‘Guys’ Night Out’
Potomac Almanac ❖ March 21-27, 2018 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Submit entertainment announcements atwww.connectionnewspapers.com/Calendar/. Thedeadline is noon on Friday. Photos/artworkencouraged.
ONGOINGAnniversary Exhibition. March 28, Tuesday-
Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sundays/Mondays bychance or appointment at Artists & MakersStudios 1, 11810 Parklawn Drive, Suite 210,Rockville and Artists & Makers Studios 2,12276/12280 Wilkins Ave., Rockville. Artists &Makers Studios mark the organization’s thirdanniversary at two locations with “at 3(three)”featuring the artwork of more than 150 residentartists in the galleries and studios of both studiocenters. Visit artistsandmakersstudios.com.
Art Exhibit. Through March 31, gallery hours atGallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E,Bethesda. Gallery B’s March exhibit will featurea group show by Teresa Jarzynski, VatsalaMenon, Robert O’Brien and Barbara Pliskin. Visitwww.bethesda.org.
Acoustic Open Mic. Wednesdays, 7-11 p.m. atBenny’s Bar & Grill, 7747 Tuckerman Lane.Everyone welcome to perform. Wine bottles are50 percent off. www.bennysbargrill.com.
Potomac Games Group. Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.at Potomac Community Recreation Center,11315 Falls Road, Potomac. The world is in themidst of a Golden Age of new board and cardgames for players of all ages. Free. Contactevent host Randy Hoffman at 412-983-5411 [email protected].
DANCINGThang Ta. Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m. at Sutradhar
Institute of Dance and Related Arts, 1525 ForestGlen Road, Silver Spring. Learn the ancient artof the sword and spear. $25.www.dancesidra.org.
Weekly Blues Dance. Thursdays 8:15-11:30 p.m.in the Back Room Annex at Glen Echo Park,7300 MacArthur Blvd. Capital Blues presentsrotating DJs and instructors with beginnerworkshop 8:15-9 p.m., no partner necessary. $8for all. capitalblues.org
Weekly Swing Dance. Saturdays, 8 p.m.-midnight. The DC Lindy Exchange presents aswing dance with live music in the SpanishBallroom, Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthurBlvd., Glen Echo. Beginner swing dance lessonat 8 p.m., followed by dancing. Admission $16-$18, age 17 and under $12. Visitwww.glenechopark.org.
Argentine Tango with Lessons. Most Sundays,6:30-11 p.m. in the Back Room Annex at GlenEcho Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo.Argentine Tango lessons followed by a Milongamost Sunday evenings. Beginner lesson 6:30-7:30 p.m. and intermediate lesson 7:30-8:30p.m. Cost is $15/lesson and includes theMilonga. For just the Milonga, cost is $10 andthe open dance with DJ runs 8:30-11 p.m. Nopartner required. www.glenechopark.org, 301-634-2222.
Contra and Square Dance. Fridays andSundays 7-10:30 p.m. in the Spanish Ballroomat Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Theevening can include square dances, mixers,waltzes and other couple dances. All Contra andSquare dances are taught, no partner necessary.Lessons at 7 p.m., followed by the called dancewith live music at 7:30. $13 for nonmembers,$10 for FSGW members, $5 ages 17 and under.www.glenechopark.org, 301-634-2222.
Live Music & Dancing. Fridays and Saturdays,7-11 p.m. in Margery’s Lounge, Normandie FarmRestaurant, 10710 Falls Road, Potomac. Danceto the music of Barry Gurley. Call 301-983-8838or visit www.popovers.com.
SATURDAY/MARCH 24Grand Old Ditch. 2-3 p.m. at Great Falls Tavern,
11710 MacArthur Blvd., Potomac. Join JudithWelles, local history author and C&O Canalvolunteer, as she talks about highlights andphotographs of the C&O Canal. Topics includethe canal’s role during the Civil War, historicstructures, and unique engineering marvels.Space is limited to the first 20 people; to RSVP,email Mary Kate Gentile [email protected].
Live Comedy. 8-9:30 p.m. at The HighwoodTheatre, 914 Silver Spring Ave., Silver Spring.Improbable Comedy presents Comedy as aSecond Language, bringing together stand-upcomedians who are all either immigrants or firstgeneration Americans, including Sriya Sarkar,
Jepherson Guevara and Rubi Nicholas. $20 inadvance / $25 at the door (student pricingavailable). Tickets atwww.improbablecomedy.com.
SUNDAY/MARCH 25Women’s Life and Work on the C&O Canal
1-3 p.m. at Great Falls Tavern, 11710 MacArthurBlvd., Potomac. Women played important rolesin the operation of the C&O Canal from itsbeginning in 1828 until today. The public willbe encouraged to participate in various forms oflabor performed by women along the canal inthe 19th century. Try kneading dough,scrubbing clothes using a washboard, andmending a shirt. Programs at Great Falls Tavernare free, but there is an entrance fee to the parkper vehicle. Call 301-767-3714.
Artist Talk. 2-4 p.m. at Waverly Street Gallery,4600 East West Highway, Bethesda. Artist/Photographer Stephane Themeze will discuss 10years of photographs from Paris to Great FallsPark, in an illuminating Q&A. Free. Call 301-461-5739.
SATURDAY/MARCH 31Mountain Dulcimers of Northern Virginia.
12:30-3:30 p.m. at Great Falls Tavern, 11710MacArthur Blvd., Potomac. Visitors may try theirhand at playing a mountain dulcimer,percussion instrument, or simply sing along.Programs at Great Falls Tavern are free, butthere is an entrance fee to the park per vehicle.Call 301-767-3714.
MONDAY/APRIL 2“The Wall’s Embrace” Film Screening. 7 p.m.
at The Angelika Film Center, 2911 District Ave.,Fairfax. Produced and directed by NancyFrohman of Potomac, the film explores thepsychology behind the Vietnam VeteransMemorial and its power to heal. Visitwww.goldendoodleproductions.com.
FRIDAY/APRIL 6Auditions: MoCo’s Got Talent. 5-9 p.m. at
North Potomac Community Recreation Center,13850 Travilah Road, Rockville. MoCo’s GotTalent is a countywide talent competition formiddle and high school students to showcasetheir talents in the visual and performing arts.Participants must register to audition in advanceat ActiveMONTGOMERY.org, using one of theactivity number: 49621. After registering,participants must call 240-777-8080 to securean audition time slot.
Entertainment
Artist TalkArtist/Photographer Stephane Themeze will dis-
cuss 10 years of photographs from Paris to GreatFalls Park, in an illuminating Q&A. Sunday, March25, 2-4 p.m. at Waverly Street Gallery, 4600 EastWest Highway, Bethesda. Free. Call 301-461-5739.
“Paris XII Courtyard” byStephaneThemeze.
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
... was the length of time during which wewere powerless a few weeks back when thewind nearly brought down the house; yet it wasno laughing matter. I might have written thiscolumn sooner but until Tuesday, March 6 –when the power finally came back on, we weresemi-frozen to the bone. The old-fashionedthermostat in our living room indicated 42degrees at its most frigid.
Aside from the obvious physical discomfort– made a bit more bearable while wearing hats,gloves, coats and scarfs – inside, the toll thecold took on my mental acuity was much lessmanageable. My brain still worked, but notovertime. It was, to invoke a “Star Trek” refer-ence: “On impulse power,” somewherebetween barely functioning and imminentdanger.
This power outage was the most significantwe had experienced at “Belly Acres” in the 26years since we took ownership in late May1992. And though this four-day non-sojournwas difficult, it was for us not a return downpower-outage lane. We have been lucky in ourtime here; very little has upset the apple cart.Considering the hundreds of trees that surroundour house, and the many thuds they all madeas they fell and hit the ground that extremelylate Friday night/early Saturday morning, themiracle is that not one of them hit the house, oreither of our two cars parked in the driveway.
I wouldn’t say I woke up in the morning tofind our house relatively unscathed because asof 3:30 a.m. when I felt the house shudder forthe first time, I never was able to fall backasleep as I kept bracing myself for incomingtrees and limbs. Given the potential damageand hassle a direct hit likely would havecaused, a power outage seemed a minor incon-venience, all things considered.
As it happened, when the power came backon, I was not at home. I was en route to theGlenmont Metro station in Wheaton to pick upDina. When I came to a stop at “Kiss andRide,” I looked at my cell phone and noticed a“missed call” from one of my neighbors. Iimmediately called back and soon heard myneighbor, Helene, singing “We’re in heaven,...,” with the explanation – not in verse – thatpower had returned to New BirminghamManor (the official name of our 10-home dead-end street). BG&E, our utility company, hadfinally come by to cut/trim the tree that hadbeen uprooted in the storm and fallen acrossthe power line which electrifies ourneighborhood.
As difficult as it had been for some of us, ithad not been nearly as difficult for the fourneighbors who had generators and thus wereprepared and able to keep the lights on and theheat circulating. One of whom was kindenough to call around the neighborhood andoffer hot showers as well as refrigerator andfreezer storage to anyone interested. Given thatthe previous week was a post-chemotherapyweek for me when I’m not eating much andshopping at supermarkets even less, we hadminimal food in the freezer - all of whichended up being a loss, and a bit less than usualin the refrigerator which, after putting the con-tents into two coolers filled with ice, ended upbeing a gain.
Oddly enough, I haven’t re-inventoried therefrigerator/freezer as yet. I don’t know if I’mbeing paranoid or just plain lazy, but I haven’tfelt inclined to stop and shop, not even at theGiant. I imagine the feeling will pass becauseafter eating out every night; some fast, someslow, over the last week or so, I’m probably wayover our imaginary budget and way under pre-pared for the next go around. But as is oftenheard on basketball courts on playgrounds allover America: “No harm. No foul.”
The four days without power weren’t par-ticularly pleasant but we survived the ordealnonetheless and may have even learned some-thing in the process: our long underwear stillfits.
Almost ExactlyFour Days ...
8 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ March 21-27, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Dem
Lane
Falls
rree
Road
oouseGlen
oad
495
495
Road
4
1 10501MacArthur
Boulevard —$1,170,003
2 7807Gate Post Way— $1,150,000
3 9221 CambridgeManor Court —
$1,100,000
5 9611 Beman Woods Way— $950,000
4 9401Persimmon Tree Road— $1,100,000
7 10000Gainsborough Road— $900,000
Address .............................. BR FB HB . Postal City . Sold Price ... Type ......... Lot AC .. PostalCode ....... Subdivision ......... Date Sold
1 10501 MACARTHUR BLVD ..... 5 .. 4 . 1 .... POTOMAC ... $1,170,003 ... Detached ....... 0.41 ......... 20854 ............. RIVER FALLS ............ 01/16/18
2 7807 GATE POST WAY ........... 4 .. 3 . 1 .... POTOMAC ... $1,150,000 ... Townhouse .... 0.09 ......... 20854 ............. RIVER FALLS ............ 01/26/18
3 9221 CAMBRIDGE MANOR CT 5 .. 4 . 1 ... ROCKVILLE ... $1,100,000 ... Detached ....... 0.47 ......... 20854 ....... POTOMAC OUTSIDE ....... 01/30/18
4 9401 PERSIMMON TREE RD .. 4 .. 4 . 1 .... POTOMAC ... $1,100,000 ... Detached ....... 2.00 ......... 20854 .......... BRADLEY FARMS ......... 01/23/18
5 9611 BEMAN WOODS WAY ... 2 .. 4 . 1 .... POTOMAC ..... $950,000 ... Semi-Detached0.10 ......... 20854 ................. AVENEL ................ 01/18/18
6 12482 ANSIN CIRCLE DR ....... 4 .. 4 . 1 .... POTOMAC ..... $910,000 ... Townhouse .... 0.03 ......... 20854 .......... PARK POTOMAC .......... 01/09/18
7 10000 GAINSBOROUGH RD .. 4 .. 3 . 1 .... POTOMAC ..... $900,000 ... Detached ....... 0.32 ......... 20854 .... EAST GATE OF POTOMAC ... 01/09/18
Copyright 2018 MarketStats for ShowingTime. Source: Bright MLS as of February 15, 2018.
Photos by Deb Stevens/The Almanac
In January 2018, 32 Potomac homes
sold between $3,650,000-$300,000.
January, 2018 Sales,$900,000~$1,170,003
Potomac REAL ESTATEPotomac REAL ESTATE
