June - Lake Barcroft

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JUNE 2007
A new Lake
Barcroft website
coming soon
By Mark Cavich
Publications Committee Chairman
Keep your browsers peeled in the
weeks to come. Peeled for the new
www.lakebarcroft.org, your trusted
source for Barcroft-centric postings,
news, calendars, newsletter archives,
photo journals ... the list goes on.
The new site has all of the old content,
plus a few new items such as a news ticker and “Ask Howe” — where our own
Kevin Howe offers up his answers to
many of your queries.
. . . more on Page 19
Photo by Kim I. Mills
Yes, there's a pontoon boat under that tree. The big wind on Sunday May 27 knocked down
several trees in the community, including this one on Waterway Drive across from Swift Island.
More weather on Page 21.
LBA President’s Report
July 4th
Parade
For children and adults wearing
red, white and blue
NEW TIME — 11 a.m.
BEACH 5 — March to BEACH 3
Led by the Lake Barcroft Marching Band
Plus a fire truck from the Bailey’s
Crossroads Fire Station
Organized by Jean Meyer
Help our kids enjoy the parade
by calling Jean Meyer at 703-914-6910
to play in the Marching Band (New
members are needed!) and to help
serve drinks and cookies at Beach 3.
Reminders for a happy summer
By Stuart Feldstein
When you read this issue of the
newsletter, the beach season will have
begun. This is a good time to remind
everyone of a few simple rules which,
hopefully, will lead to peace and harmony as we enjoy our Lake.
Dogs. Dogs are not permitted on
the beaches at any time, whether
leashed or not. Away from the
beaches, unfenced dogs must be
leashed per county ordinance.
And, wherever your dog (deleted),
please pick up and properly dispose of the waste. This, too, is a
county requirement, not to say
considerate to your neighbors.
Driving. Please drive slowly and
carefully near the beaches. Pedestrians abound, particularly small ones.
Parking. When using the beaches,
please do not park in a no-parking
area. Use good judgment in where
you park so that you don’t endanger
yourself or your little ones and you
don’t make it dangerous for through
traffic.
Parties. If you are going to have
one, and I hope you do, you must
go through the simple permit process with Chris Lawson, our Lake
manager. She can be reached at
703-941-1927.
. . . more on Page 19
| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
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Milestones
Published by
LAKE BARCROFT ASSOCIATION, INC.
Carol Donlan, Editor
6516 Jay Miller Drive
Falls Church, Virginia 22041
Telephone: 703-941-0112
Email: ckdonlan@aol.com
Ellen Feldstein, Associate Editor
6361 Dockser Terrace
Falls Church, Virginia 22041
Telephone: 703-941-1723
Email: EFEditor@cox.net
Photography
Tom Donlan, Photo Editor
Joel Gregorio, Photographer
Alice Lima-Whitney, Photographer
George McLennan, Photographer
Production/Layout
Debra M. Lee and Don Christian
Reporters
Allan Cromley, General Assignment
Kevin Howe, Nature
Gloria Pearlstein, General Assignment
Sandy Tugwell, Poet Laureate
Betsy Washington, Horticulture
Publications Committee
Mark Cavich, Chairman
Don Christian
Carol Donlan
George McLennan
The Lake Barcroft Newsletter is published
monthly by the Lake Barcroft Association.
Please submit articles to ckdonlan@aol.com or
Barcroft News, c/o 6516 Jay Miller Dr.,
Falls Church, VA 22041.
Advertising Rates
back cover $300/mo.
1/2 page $150/mo.
1/3 page $125/mo.
1/4 page $100/mo.
business card $75/mo.
business card service ad $350/yr.
Advertising Sales
Chris and Vince Lawson
Telephone: 703-941-2547
Fax: 703-941-1535
Email: lachance3@aol.com
Congratulations to these
Lake Barcroft graduates
Bobby Bermudez of Crosswoods Circle
graduated from George Mason University with a BS in Management Information Systems. He will continue his
computer business and begin an MBA
program in January.
Daniel A. Cogut of Greentree Drive
earned a BS in math and computer science at The College of William and
Mary and will pursue graduate studies
leading to an MS in computer science
with expected graduation in the spring
of 2008.
Amanda Calvo of Lakeview Drive has
earned an International Baccalaureate
Diploma from Atlantic College, St.
Donats, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales,
United Kingdom. She will attend Smith
College in the fall.
Susan B. Cogut of Greentree Drive graduated from Virginia Commonwealth
University School of Pharmacy with a
Doctor of Pharmacy. She will do a
pharmacy practice residency at University of Virginia Hospital System beginning in July.
Meaghan Ellis of Whispering Lane graduated from Georgetown Visitation
Preparatory School and will attend
Boston College in the fall.
Alex Grawe of Lakeview Drive graduated with honors receiving a Bachelor of
Arts Degree in Psychology and Economics from Cornell University. This
fall he will join the Princeton, N.J.,
office of ZS Associates, a management
consulting firm.
Stephanie Hoffman of Dockser Terrace
graduated from JEB Stuart High
School and will attend the Berklee
School of Music in Boston in the fall.
Susan (Susie) C. Kenney of Edgewater
Drive graduated from Christopher
Newport University with a Bachelor of
Science in Biology.
Sarah Kilbourne of Whispering Lane
will graduate with an IB Diploma
(International Baccalaureate) from JEB
Stuart and will attend Virginia Tech
next fall. She is a member of the
National and French Honor Societies,
but is proudest to be a member of the
Stuart Lacrosse women’s inaugural
team and scored the first ever regular
season home goal in Stuart history!
Anne Komer of Lakeview Drive has
graduated from St. Stephens and St.
Agnes High School and will head for
the University of Mary Washington.
Matthew Kory of Waterway Drive graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a masters degree in city
planning.
Bryan C. Lienesch of Rusticway Lane
graduated from JEB Stuart and will
attend Virginia Commonwealth University, initially in pre-journalism.
Kieran P. McCloskey of Edgewater
Drive graduated
from JEB Stuart
with an IB certificate and a 3.9 GPA.
He will go to Virginia Tech to study
communications/
political science and
Kieran McCloskey
play on the Men’s
Lacrosse Team. He was one of the captains of the Stuart Varsity Lacrosse
Team and made Second Team All District in 2006 and 2007. He is a recipient
of many academic excellence awards
and scholar athlete awards and was
accepted by eight colleges.
. . . more on Page 4
Family Photo
Deadline for July newsletter is June 20.
Our Milestones column is looking for news of our neighbors— honors and awards,
graduations, honor rolls, retirements, births and deaths. If you have information for Milestones,
please call 703-941-0112 or email ckdonlan@aol.com.
June 2007
|
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Neighbors
A series of profiles on some of the extraordinary people at the Lake and those who
have made Lake Barcroft an extraordinary place to live. If you know someone who
should be profiled, please contact Carol Donlan.
Eva Kosztarab and
Ken Kastner
2007-2008 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Stuart Feldstein, President.........................703-941-1723
David Goslin, Vice President.....................703-256-1254
Cindy Waters, Secretary ............................703-354-1133
Gerald Mendenhall, Treasurer...................703-578-3746
Mark Cavich, Director...............................703-992-7085
Carolyn Coldren, Director.........................703-671-4029
Bill Herz, Director.....................................703-256-5533
Kevin Howe, Director ...............................703-941-6325
Steve Klein, Director.................................703-642-8745
Lisa Levine, Director.................................703-642-0904
Joe Pisciotta, Director................................703-914-1453
Shirley Timashev, Director........................703-992-9395
Pete Walker, Director ................................703-354-9693
LBA COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
Architectural Review
Kevin Howe..........................................703-941-6325
Community Watch/Security
Peter Walker .........................................703-354-9693
Environmental Quality
Bill Herz ...............................................703-256-5533
Finance & Audit
Gerald Mendenhall ...............................703-578-3746
Improvements
Steve Klein ...........................................703-642-8745
Charles de Seve (WID).........................703-998-6050
Legal
Stuart Feldstein.....................................703-941-1723
Membership
Carolyn Coldren ..................................703-671-4029
Publications
Mark Cavich .........................................703-992-7085
Special Events
Lisa Levine ...........................................703-642-0904
Shirley Timashev ..................................703-992-9395
Water Safety & Beach Maintenance
Joe Pisciotta ..........................................703-914-1453
Photo by Carol Donlan
HOME STORY: Eva and Ken lived on Woodville Drive, near Kerns Road, when they discovered Lake Barcroft. They searched for three years before buying a house on Waterway
Drive in 1993. “We fell in love with the wonderful lot with tons of azaleas,” says Eva.
They then spent 11 months on a major home renovation that included adding a great room,
new kitchen, dining area and foyer, as well as changing most of the interior walls.
LBA Management Office..................703-941-1927
Chris Lawson (Monday–Friday)
6425 Lakeview Dr., Falls Church, VA 22041
www.lakebarcroft.org
Watershed Improvement District .......703-820-1300
CAREERS: Both are attorneys. Ken, an environmental lawyer, is a partner at Hogan & Hartson, in D.C., where he specializes in hazardous waste. Eva’s law firm, Kosztarab & Clark in Fairfax, specializes in real estate law and settlements.
COMMUNITY SERVICE: In May, Eva began her second year as co-president of the Woman’s Club. (The other co-president is Victoria Fernandez, whom Eva describes as “the sister I never had.”) Eva has been a Woman’s Club member for 4 years and is a member
of the Evening Book Club. Both Eva and Ken are active in the Newcomers’ Club, and Ken does volunteer work for a raptor conservancy whose president is Lake Barcroft resident Kent Knowles.
EVA’S STORY: Eva was born in Hungary. Her parents escaped at the beginning of the Hungarian Revolution, when professors like
her father were, as Ken puts it, “disappearing.” Her parents escaped first and then arranged to have a basket containing baby Eva
thrown into the window of a train just leaving a heavily-guarded Hungarian station. Eva’s father, who was inside the train, caught the
basket and took Eva across the border to Austria. “I’ve met two other people in Lake Barcroft who are from Hungary,” says Eva. “We
speak Hungarian together.”
FAMILY: Older son Greg Kastner will graduate from U-VA in August with a B.S in biology. Younger son Matt Kastner just finished
his second year at U-VA and is also studying biology. “We’re a U-VA family,” says Eva. “Ken and I met at U-VA. He’s a double
Wahoo. He went there for both undergraduate and law school.”
WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT LAKE BARCROFT? Both enjoy the water and sense of community. “D.C. has a heavily transient
population, and Lake Barcroft is the only place in the area where we’ve found a real sense of community,” says Ken. “I think it’s
because of the community activities,” says Eva. “It seems like a small town.”
— Gloria Pearlstein, Barcroft News Staff
| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
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Milestones — Lake Barcroft graduates, Class of 2007
From Page 2
Emily M. Morgan (Emmy) of Waterway
Drive graduated from Virginia Tech
with a BS in mechanical engineering.
She will join Facility Engineering
Associates (FEA) in Fairfax.
Family Photo
Joel Murphree of Woodland Circle has
earned his MBA
in Finance and
Real Estate, CFA
Candidate Level
1, American University. He is currently working
with N.A.S.D. and
has accepted an
Joel Murphree
offer from Valuation Services, Inc., as a
Business Valuation Analyst.
levels, and was selected to attend Governor’s School for the Performing Arts
in 2006. Kris will attend James
Madison University School of
Music where he plans to study
music performance and education.
Drew Robertson of Mansfield Road
graduated from Elon University with a
BA in Philosophy. He plans to attend
Full Sail College in Winter Park, FL, to
obtain a degree in Recording Arts. Drew
was a 2003 graduate of JEB Stuart.
Ray Sami, Jr. of Blair Road graduated
from JEB Stuart High with an IB
Diploma. He will attend George Mason
University in the fall.
Valencia Vasquez of Lakeview Terrace
graduated from JEB Stuart and will go
to Virginia Commonwealth University
to major in political science.
Andrew Joseph Walker of Blair Road
earned an IB from JEB Stuart and will
join the class of 2011 at Duke University in the fall.
Mariah Walker of Lakeview Drive graduated from Thomas Jefferson High
School for Science and Technology.
She was a member of the National
Honor Society, the Spanish Honor
Society, TJ’s symphonic orchestra and
a recipient of the Congressional Gold
Medal Award. Mariah will attend The
College of William & Mary.
Andrew Webb of Jay Miller Drive earned
his Masters of
Teaching degree
from the University
of Southern California. He is seeking
an elementary
school teaching
position in Fairfax
County or in the
Los Angeles school
district.
Family Photo
Mitchell Mellor of Dockser Terrace graduated from JEB Stuart with an IB
Diploma. He will go to Virginia Tech in
the fall and plans to major in Biological
Sciences. For the summer he will be
Head Life Guard at the Sleepy Hollow
Recreation Association pool.
Andrew Webb
Andrew Paes Owen of Fiddlers Green
graduated from Bishop Ireton High
School with Honors. He received a
National Merit Scholar commendation,
as well as recognition for outstanding
academic achievement as one of the 10
highest-achieving students in his class
based on cumulative GPA. He also
received the Monsignor Leo Masci
Award for Excellence in the Natural
Sciences, and the President’s Education
Award. Andrew will attend the College
of William & Mary in the fall.
Family Photo
Kristopher Pourzal of Dockser Terrace
graduated from JEB
Stuart where he was a
member of the
National Honor Society, the National
Spanish Honor Society and the International Thespian SociKris Pourzal
ety and was president
of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. He
was chosen to play flute and piccolo in
bands at the district, regional and state
Photo by Kevin Howe
Juvenile Diabetes Walk for a Cure — Joshua Howe of Half Moon Circle and seven
friends walked three miles and raised $2,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's
Walk for a Cure on May 6. Josh is the fourth person from left.
June 2007
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Five new restaurants opening in our backyard
Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant — Leesburg Pike at
Route 50, next to the Chevron station. This restaurant in
the former Golden Diner opened May 15. It has been
renovated to accommodate up to 100 diners, with private rooms for parties up to 50.
Sunflower features international vegetarian cuisine.
Two screened booths offer Japanese cuisine (shoes off,
please). The menu, including Chinese and Thai dishes,
is an expanded version of the one at the Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant on Chain Bridge Road in Vienna,
according to Manager Stone Kuo.
And coming soon to Bailey’s Crossroads:
Photo by Carol Donlan
Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant at Seven Corners opened on May 15.
By Al Cromley
Barcroft News Staff
Lake Barcrofters looking for a convenient place to eat will
soon have an array of new restaurants right in our back yard.
Five new establishments are either here now or coming in the
near future — three in Seven Corners and two on Columbia Pike.
In Seven Corners there will be a brew pub featuring live
music, a new Mexican mid-price chain and a vegetarian restaurant with Asian dishes. On Columbia Pike we can look forward
to a German gourmet deli and a new Ethiopian restaurant.
In addition there is a new mega sporting goods store recently
opened on Columbia Pike and coming soon, just to the north, a
credit union.
Here is a rundown of what’s coming:
Dogfish Head Alehouse is replacing UNO Chicago Bar
and Grill, 6363 Seven Corners. It will feature 12 Dogfish
Head Alehouse beers on draft (the brewery is in
Rehoboth, Del.), wine, burgers, steaks, fish on woodburning grill and live entertainment on Saturday nights.
Maximum seating: 160. Co-owner Martin Ryan says the
Seven Corners Dogfish Head Alehouse will be a copy
of the one in Gaithersburg. Opening is scheduled for
mid-August.
Chipotle Mexican Grill is coming to the large construction area west of the Ross Dress for Less store on the
lower level of Seven Corners. Opening estimate is midAugust. Chipotle (chee POHT leh) is a Denver-based
chain once partially owned by McDonalds and known for
its made-to-order burritos, tacos and chunky guacamole.
German Gourmet — 5838 Columbia Pike, between
the new Chevron and the dry cleaners, a brown building
with red and yellow trim. This German delicatessen will
duplicate the first German Gourmet at 7185 Lee Highway in Falls Church. It will feature 14 types of
bratwurst, soft and hard European cheeses, homemade
German potato salad, German beer and wine, etc. Opening: “shooting for first of June,” says co-owner Mike
Haene (pronounced Haney).
Ethiopian Restaurant — 5700 Columbia Pike (formerly at 5400 Columbia Pike), in the former Foot Locker
shoe store just north of Circuit City. Owner Meaza Zemedu, says it will open this month (June). It will be big
(7,000 square feet), according to architect, Zaid Azem.
There will be a restaurant, market and banquet room with
live music. The cuisine? “Spicy,” says Ms. Zemedu.
And on the non-culinary front:
Dick’s Sporting Goods, a big-box sporting goods store,
opened about three months ago in large new building
adjacent to Circuit City. Dick’s is a Pittsburgh-based
chain that operates 294 stores in 34 states.
Arlington County Federal Credit Union — 5666
Columbia Pike. A new four-story building is planned on
the site of the old Ramada Inn. Completion date is late
2008. The credit union will be moving from 2130 N.
Glebe Rd. Although the new site is (barely) in Fairfax
County, the name will not change, said CEO Brenda
Turner. There will be 30 to 40 employees.
If you are wondering about that vacant 1.01–acre tract at
Leesburg Pike and Charles Street, across from Duangrat’s
restaurant, don’t expect to see another restaurant or other such
attraction there. We understand the property is part of a comprehensive plan that restricts it to townhouse-type offices. The
board fence that surrounds the property says, “Jerry Waldrop
703-448-6761 Land Lease Built to Suit.” Waldrop is tightlipped. “Nothing there to write about,” he says.
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| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
June 2007
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Sign up now for
children’s swim
lessons
Group Swim Lessons will be offered this summer for residents and their registered guests. Instruction is open to pottytrained children ages 3 and up. Children must be comfortable
in an instructional group, away from their parents.
Two sessions of ten 45 minute lessons are available, Monday thru Friday. A third session will be available two days a
week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for five weeks. All lessons
will be taught at Beach 4 by Lake Barcroft lifeguards. Cost per
session is $70. A sibling discount is available. Enroll one child
and each additional sibling receives 10% off the session price.
1st session: June 18 - June 29 (5 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.)
2nd session: July 9 - 20 (5 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.)
3rd session: July 23 - August 24 (10 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.)
If you are interested or have any questions please contact
Samantha Doyle, Sammy45586@cox.net, 703-966-0145, or let
a manager know at Beach 4.
Photo by Carol Donlan
Emerging artist — Debra M. Lee of Crosswoods Drive has become an
artist member of the Potomac Craftsmen Fiber Gallery. The Gallery
exhibits and markets the arts of its 70 members and is located in the
Torpedo Factory Art Center at 105 N. Union Street, Studio 18 in historic
Old Town Alexandria. Each show is juried and runs for four to six
weeks. As an instructor and designer in hand-knitting, Debra is developing a series of hand-knit wall art and wearable art. The photo shows
Debra with her first Gallery piece called, "Seeing Dots" which combines
different knitting techniques to create stripes with dots that appear and
disappear when viewed from different angles.
Love writing? Editing?
and Lake Barcroft?
The LBA is beginning a search
for the next editor of the Lake Barcroft Newsletter. After five funfilled years as editor, Carol Donlan
will be stepping down in February
2008. Now is the time to begin the
transition.
We are looking for someone who loves to edit, can plan coverage and will work with our creative team of reporters and photographers. Please contact Publications Committee Chairman
Mark Cavich by phone at 703-992-7086 or by email at
cavichcreative@gmail.com.
Don't forget the
2008 Lake Barcroft Photo Contest
Send your photos by email
to lakebarcroft@hotmail.com.
Contest details in the March 2007
newsletter at www.lakebarcroft.org.
Lake Barcroft
Calendar
Compiled by Ellen Feldstein,
EFEditor@cox.net
June 9
3 p.m.
June 9
6 p.m.
June 13
7:30 p.m.
June 16
6:30 p.m.
July 4
11 a.m.
July 4
At Dark
July 11
7:30 p.m.
August 4
TBA
Ice Cream Social
Beach 5
Barcrofters Barge Party
6308 Crosswoods Circle
LBA Board Meeting
6425 Lakeview Dr.
Book Group Evening Party
6320 Crosswoods Circle
July 4 Parade
Beach 5
July 4 Fireworks
Beach 3
LBA Board Meeting
6425 Lakeview Dr.
Bluegrass and Barbeque
Beach 5
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| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
June 2007
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9
$10,000 raised for charities — thanks to your support
By Eva Kosztarab and Burma Klein
Lake Barcroft Woman’s Club
Installation of 2007-2008 Woman’s Club Board
July Parade, the Ice Cream Social, and the Halloween Parade.
Your membership check for $30 makes all of this possible.
Please send your check, made out to the Lake Barcroft
Woman’s Club, to Carol Tether at 6400 Lyric Lane, Falls
Church, VA, 22044. Call Carol at 703-914-2882 or call Heather
Thomas at 703-914-1107 for a membership form. To renew
your membership, use the form Heather Thomas mailed to you.
. . . more on Page 17
Photo by Steve Klein
Day Bridge
End-of-Year Luncheon
Woman’s Club officers for 2007-2008 — (from left to right) Victoria
Fernandez, Eva Kosztarab, Burma Klein, Ilona Szemzo, Debbie McManis and Carol Tether. Officers not shown are Betty Guy, Wilma Kaplan and
Heather Thomas.
Wed., June 13, 10 a.m.
at the home of Jean Meyer
The Woman’s Club held its year-end Spring Luncheon on
May 16, at the elegant top floor of the Tower Club in Tysons
Corner. Attendees enjoyed magnificent views of the surrounding
area, delicious food and great camaraderie. Jean Stephens, an
honored charter Club member, installed the following Board
members for 2007-2008:
Co-Presidents:
Victoria Fernandez and
Eva Kosztarab
Co-Vice Presidents:
Wilma Kaplan, Debbie McManis
and Ilona Szemzo
Heather Thomas
2nd Vice President:
Recording Secretary:
Burma Klein
Corresponding Secretary: Betty Guy
Treasurer:
Carol Tether
Night Bridge End-of-Year Potluck
— to be announced —
Presentation of Checks to Three Charities
We are very pleased to announce that the Woman’s Club
donated $10,000 to its three designated charities, with the Fun
Dog Show serving as the primary fundraising effort for this year.
At the Tower Club luncheon, Mary Anne Lecos accepted a check
for $3,700 for the Annandale Christian Community for Action
(ACCA); Therese St. Hilaire accepted $3,200 for The Morning
Star Program and Dorothy Werner accepted $3,100 for the Bailey’s Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department on behalf of Jean
Meyer who was unable to attend. This donation to the fire department is in memory of Margaret Finley.
Join the Woman’s Club Now for 2007-2008
Your name will appear in our Directory if you join by July 15.
The Woman’s Club serves the community by featuring annual
events such as the Home Tour to raise funds for local charities,
sponsoring community social events such as the Wine Tasting
Party and children’s events such as the Easter Egg Hunt, 4th of
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| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
June 2007
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11
2007 Thurgood Marshall Scholarship winners
desire to contribute to the world around them. The Thurgood
Marshall Scholarship is dedicated to the late Justice’s memory
and is one of the best tax-deductible contributions you will
ever make.
I agree. Here is my contribution to the Thurgood Marshall
Scholarship Fund.
Name __________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
Amount _______________
Photo by Kari Kelly
Presentation of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarships at JEB Stuart
High School — from left to right, Presenter Diane Kilbourne and winners
Eraina Hill, Emily Maldonado and Luis Oliva Ribera.
By Diane and Jim Kilbourne
Special to Barcroft News
Winners of the 2007 Thurgood Marshall Scholarship are
JEB Stuart High School seniors Luis Oliva, Eraina Hill and
Emily Maldonado. Luis was awarded a $5,000 Helen Calkins
Memorial scholarship and will attend the Northern Virginia
Community College. Luis is a four-year honor-roll student and
for two years was honored as a Fairfax County Public School
“Rising Star.” He is a member of the National Honor Society as
well as the Art and Spanish honor societies. Teacher recommendations emphasized Luis’ strength of character, community
service and magnetic personality.
Eraina Hill has been awarded a $4,000 scholarship and will
attend Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a member of
the Spanish Honor Society where she maintained the highest
overall Spanish 3.0 grade point average. Eraina also has been
honored as a Horatio Alger Scholar. Focusing on the needs of
children living in area homeless shelters, Eraina has been a
tireless and committed youth volunteer and tutor.
Emily Maldonado was awarded a $3,000 scholarship and
will attend George Mason University. She is a Hispanic Heritage Education Award Silver Medallion winner who also
received the Student Award, Spirit Award and Academics
Award from the GMU Early Identification Program. The GMU
Early Identification Program targets outstanding students who,
because of economic background, may not otherwise have the
opportunity to attend college. Emily is active in politics, and is
president of the Spanish Honor Society.
All of these students embody the criteria of the Thurgood
Marshall scholarship: dedicated community service, volunteerism, excellent academic credentials and a tremendous
Please give this gift in remembrance of
________________________________________________
Make your check payable to the “Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund” and send it to Chris Lawson, 6425 Lakeview Dr.,
Falls Church, VA 22041.
Photo by Tom Donlan
Rusticway Concert — In May, violinist Elisabeth Adkins,
associate concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra, gave a Rusticway Concert series performance accompanied by her husband, pianist Edward Newman. For the first
time, the concert series ended the season with a surplus
($325), which will be donated to the Thurgood Marshall
Scholarship fund.
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| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
June 2007
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13
Birds you can find in the neighborhood
By Kim I. Mills
Special to Barcroft News
Lake Barcroft is home to a number of
enthusiastic birders (the preferred term
for people who are serious bird watchers), several of whom have been keeping
lists of what they see through the seasons. We are fortunate to have a great
variety of avifauna for such a developed
suburb. Because of the Lake and our
dense tree canopy, including the bird
“oases” of Swift Island and Beach 5,
Lake Barcroft is a great place for birds
to stop during migration. In addition,
many have the good taste to live here
year-round or to breed here during the
spring and summer.
Below is an unofficial list of birds
sighted at Lake Barcroft, including
some accidentals. How many birds
should we be able to see around the
Lake? Well, there are 939 bird species
in the United States, according to the
American Birding Association (including natives, introduced species, regular
visitors, casuals and accidentals). And
there are 208 birds on the Huntley
Meadows Park list, which covers an
ecosystem in Alexandria that is similar
in many ways to our own. But the short
answer is, we don’t know. If you’ve
seen other birds around the Lake or are
having trouble identifying what you’re
seeing, put a message on LakeLink.
One of your neighborhood birders is
sure to offer some opinions.
American coot
American crow
American robin
Bald eagle
Baltimore oriole
Barn swallow
Barred owl
Black-and-white warbler
Black-crowned night heron
Black-throated blue warbler
Black vulture
Blackpoll warbler
Blue-grey gnatcatcher
Blue jay
Brown creeper
Brown-headed cowbird
Canada warbler
Canard (a cross between a Mallard and
a Canada goose)
Carolina chickadee
Carolina wren
Catbird
Cedar waxwing
Common grackle
Common loon
Common merganser
Common nighthawk
Common tern
Double-crested cormorant
Downy woodpecker
Eastern kingbird
Eastern phoebe
Golden-crowned kinglet
Goldfinch
Great blue heron
Great horned owl
Green heron
Hairy woodpecker
Harlequin duck
Hermit thrush
Hooded warbler
House finch
House sparrow
Kingfisher
Mallard
Mockingbird
Mourning dove
Northern cardinal
Northern flicker
Northern shoveler
Osprey
Pied-billed grebe
Pileated woodpecker
Red-bellied woodpecker
Red-breasted merganser
Red-tailed hawk
Ring-billed gull
Ring-necked duck
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Ruddy duck
Rufous-sided towhee
Scarlet tanager
Screech owl
Sharp-shinned hawk
Smew
Song sparrow
Spotted sandpiper
Tree swallow
Tufted titmouse
White-breasted nuthatch
White-throated sparrow
Wood duck
Wood thrush
Yellow-rumped warbler
Enjoying our beaches on Sand Day and Memorial Day
Left photo: Sand Day Penny Pile.
Right photo: Memorial Day — from right to left:
Heather Roeb, Steve Boyd, Kelli Canavan and
Matt Patrick of Lakeview Dr., had been helping
out for Memorial Day at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center. Afterward, they came down to
Beach 2 to relax. Heather is scheduled for a
civil affairs assignment in Iraq.
Photo by Scott Midkiff
Photo by Tom Donlan
14
| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
June 2007
|
15
A call for arms brought many to Beach Clean-Up Day
By Joe Pisciotta
Water Safety & Beach Maintenance Chairman
A great thank you goes out to the more
than 70 Barcroft volunteers who enthusiastically took to the beaches with shovels
and rakes in hand for the Annual Spring
Beach Clean-Up on May 5 to prepare the
beaches for the arrival of the new white
sand for the Sand Day events and the
coming of summer.
It was a great turnout and it was especially good to see the kids helping.
Thanks to everyone who participated.
We are sorry if we missed recognizing
anyone.
Beach 1 Volunteers: The Simonson
family of five; the Weeks family of three;
the Clayton family of four; the Cate family of three; the Daley family of four; the
Waters family of three; the Power-Werking family; Suzanne & Michael Niebling;
the James Butcher family; the Sanat
Shankardass family; Curtis Haymore;
David Mason; Andy Doyle; Mary Ann
Francis; Frank Phillippi; Barry De Marr;
John Agnone; Gary Jewell; Fred Hadeed;
Carl Cox; Sheila Horshaw.
Beach 2 Volunteers: Stuart Feldstein;
Brooke Short; Mica and Mauricio Vivero;
Steve Klein; Tony Bracken; Bill and Kieran Herz; Dan Kingsley family; the Nancy
Walker family of four.
Beach 3 Volunteers: Lisa Levine;
Michael Tovares; Don, Leigh and Luke
Richardson; Gabriel Paredes; Taylor
Simpson; Kim Mills; Kim Smith; Pete
Walker; Kevin Howe; Victoria and Mary
Tovares; Gabrilla and Armando Tovares;
Steve and Connor Naugle; Angel and
Edward Meagh; Anne Heald.
Beach 4 Volunteers: Samir Zoghby;
the Heinz family; Brian and Sydney
Robinson; Jeff Pollack; Chris Hager;
Nicholas Pisciotta; Zack Honinberg; Joe
and Jake Cunniffe; Peter and Sam Newtan; Jason Iannotti.
Beach 5 Volunteers: Bob, Bernice and
Bobby Mehal; Shirley Timashev; Oten
Ruh; Nick Pisciotta; Zack Honinberg.
Photo by Avi Schneider
The JEB Stuart Crew Team pitched in to clean up Beach 4 — On Saturday, May 26, a large group
of rowers from the Crew Team (including Lake Barcroft's John Sami, Jacob Derzon and Francis Kinney) met at Beach 4 to rake the sand and pick up trash. The Team stores its rowing shells at Beach 4
in early spring and practices on the Lake for a few weeks before moving the boats to the Occoquan
for the regatta season. The Crew Team is not supported financially by the school or Fairfax County,
therefore it has fundraising events. If you would like to support the Crew Team, please contact
Treasurer Regina Derzon at derzon@verizon.net or 703-916-0655.
16
| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
June 2007
|
17
Woman’s Club Morning Book Club, Bridge Marathan
From Page 9
Morning Book Club —
Saturday June 16 at 6:30 p.m.
The date of the traditional end-of-season party is set for Saturday evening on
June 16. At this once-a-year event, husbands and male friends are invited to join
us. The party will be at the home of Alice
and Bill Lowenthal, 6320 Crosswoods
Circle, at 6:30 p.m. for a Potluck Dinner
followed by a lively discussion of The
Emperor’s General by James Webb.
Books are on reserve at the Woodrow
Wilson Library at 6101 Knollwood Dr.
(703-820-8774). Please call Dorothy
Werner at 703-820-0545 to let her know
if you are bringing an appetizer, main
course, side dish, or dessert.
Next Year’s Bridge Marathon
The Woman’s Club Bridge Marathon
is “looking for a few good men or
women” to join in the play for next
The Last Word
The last word must be hard
to say
Because I've heard people
try to say it
Several times just today
Who say the endless
discussion should end
But then go on to opine and
give their full ten
And always they finish their
opinion this way,
"Let this be the last word on
this topic today."
— Sandy Tugwell
year’s games. This is how it works:
There are two groups, a day group and an
evening group, that play once a month
for 8 months. The Marathon begins in
September and ends in April. Each team
(2 couples) plays 20 hands when it
meets. The teams turn in their scorecards
to Jean Meyer, Bridge Marathon Coordinator, who computes 1st, 2nd and 3rd place
winners for both the day group and the
evening group at the end of the Bridge
Marathon.
Each person who joins pays a onetime $12 fee to Jean Meyer. This covers
the cost of the scorecards, schedules, and
prizes for the year. The Day Group is allfemale, but the Evening Group bridge
teams may be male/female,
female/female or male/male. Jean Meyer
organizes the schedule so each team
knows which other team it should play
each month. For example, Team #1 plays
Team #7 in September. For both the day
group and evening group, the two teams
contact each other and agree upon a
mutually acceptable time for their game
that month. This procedure continues
each month for eight months. The
Marathon culminates with an end-ofyear luncheon for the day group and a
potluck supper for the evening group at
which the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes are
announced and awarded.
The Bridge Marathon allows people
to meet each other and have a great time
with friends playing bridge. If you are
interested in joining, please contact Jean
Meyer by Aug. 15 to sign up for
September 2007. Jean’s phone number is
703-941-6910. You may sign up in twoperson teams or Jean will pair you with
another person to form a team.
18
| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
June 2007
|
19
Lake Barcroft website upgrades for easier updating and usage
From Page 1
Transitioning the old site to the new has taken months.
Our ever-giving web team, namely Bob Finley and our
designer Brian Pianalto, continue to work with me on fine
tuning and launching the site — hopefully by month’s
end. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention all of the key
players who work on site maintenance, namely: Bob Finley, Jerry Mendenhall, George McLennan, Bob Gonzalez,
Shirley Timashev and Tom Donlan. I commend them for
their efforts and thank them for their continued support.
One of the major back-end upgrades came in the form
of a Content Management System (CMS). With the CMS
our editors and content managers can more effortlessly
input new changes without needing to know HTML or,
more importantly, compromising the site’s integrity.
Working in the CMS, we no longer work on a “live”
page, but rather on a parallel staging area. It’s much safer
to update and far more efficient, as multiple users can
work on the same page simultaneously.
All the nerdy stuff aside, users should find the website
more fluid and visually stimulating.
LBA President’s
report
From Page 1
Boats. All boats must display your
lot number and a current (2007)
Lake sticker (available from Chris
Lawson). Canoes and kayaks kept
at the beaches must be on a rack. If
there is no rack space available,
your boat cannot be left at the
beach.
Swimming. Supervised swimming
is permitted at the five beaches
within the areas marked off by
buoys when lifeguards are on duty.
Swimming at any other time, and
swimming outside the buoy lines at
any time, is at your own risk.
The full text of these rules can be
found on the Lake Barcroft website.
Please familiarize yourself with them.
There will be a written test.
Screen grab by Mark Cavich
A preview of the new look of the Lake Barcroft Web Site.
20
| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
June 2007
|
21
Getting ready for summer blooms at the RPA Garden
By Betsy Washington
Barcroft News Staff
. . . more on Page 22
Even with the storm,
May was dry
From our weather watcher, Lowell L.
Koontz on Oakwood Drive. For more
information go to Lowell’s Web site at
http://www. annandaleweather.com.
As you can see from the photo on Page 1,
the May 27 storm packed a wallop. Several
trees came down at the Lake. Electricity was
off — in some cases for eight hours. Some
homes lost both power and phone service.
Even cell phone service was down for a
while.
The thunderstorm brought intense rain —
0.38 inches in five minutes. Very soft hail fell
for about half a minute. It turned to slush on
impact.
The big damage came when a wind gust
hit 44 mph.
Even with the May 27 storm, the month
was dry — rainfall was almost 3 inches
below the normal for May. High temperature
for the month, 91 degrees, came the day
before the storm. On May 8 temperature
dipped to the monthly low, 40 degrees.
Photo by Carol Donlan
Thanks to a dedicated and hardworking
core group of volunteers, the bulk of the
perennial plantings at the RPA Demonstration Garden near Beach 5 was installed in
one beautiful morning on May 12. We are
still awaiting the arrival of a large White
Oak and a few other hard-to-find perennials and shrubs. Two benches have been
purchased and are awaiting installation,
and the paths and ramps to the docks have
been designed and are in the works.
Funding for the garden came in part
from a grant from the Fairfax Water
Authority — for the creation of a Demonstration Resource Protection Area (RPA)
garden along the shoreline of the Beach 5
peninsula in an area that was an impenetrable tangle of invasive plants that
blocked access and views to the Lake and
which quickly engulfed and strangled
small ornamental dogwood and sweetbay
trees that were planted there.
The RPA Demonstration Garden has scores of new plantings thanks to a corps of Lake
Barcroft volunteers.
22
| Lake Barcroft Newsletter
Plantings in the RPA Demonstration Garden near Beach 5
From Page 22
Lake Barcroft residents have donated more than $5,000 worth
of native plants, and WID has donated dozens of hours of time to
help remove large invasive plants and to install Bio-logs and
floating docks and ramps along the shoreline.
The Chesapeake Bay Ordinance calls for plantings in the sensitive RPA to be native and adaptable to watersheds in Fairfax
County and to be a mix of overstory trees and understory trees,
shrubs and indigenous vegetation. The Fairfax County RPA plant
list includes plants native to wetlands in the county, however,
Lake Barcroft is an artificial Lake and, as such, the surrounding
shoreline contains a mixture of typical wetland species and
upland ridge species not typically associated with low-lying wetland areas. Therefore, one of the goals of the design was to incorporate as many species of native plants as possible, plants that
are adaptable and typical of the native vegetation in the Lake
Barcroft area.
A second goal of the garden was to create an “RPA demonstration garden” for homeowners in Lake Barcroft and surrounding communities to showcase the many appropriate and lovely
plants that are available for our gardens. The palette of recommended RPA plants has been expanded to include a few highly
ornamental plants that are native to Virginia and nearby states,
but that are not necessarily native to Fairfax County. All plants
selected for the garden are well adapted to the conditions found
at the Beach 5 shoreline and will support a broad array of endemic pollinators and wildlife.
In the near future, labels will be installed identifying all the
plants in the garden, and a brochure will be published with information about all of the plants as well as some local sources for
obtaining them.
***
What’s blooming in our new garden?
Azaleas: The beautiful shrubby Choptank Rose azaleas, a natural hybrid of the coast and pinxterbloom azaleas still have a few lingering, fragrant blooms, while the beautiful Swamp azaleas are just
beginning to open their fragrant blooms. They are carefully sited
where their fragrant flowers can be enjoyed — one at the water’s
edge by the ramp to the first dock and the other in the damp soil
near the bench in the birch grove. By late June, the honey-like fragrance of the aptly name sweet azalea will add its own perfume.
Sweetspire: The drooping white spires of Virginia Sweetspire
also begin to open in early June. This shrub grows happily in
damp soils along local streams or rivers, as well as in ordinary
garden soil. Sweetspire will slowly spread in damp soils and
form small colonies, holding the soil and preventing erosion
Ninebark: A cultivar of the Common Ninebark, “Summer
Wine” also graces the garden with lacy white flowers in late May,
followed by colorful, orange seed pods in June, that stand out
beautifully against the coppery red foliage.
June 2007
|
23
Whoooo’s been making that
twilight sound? Screech owls
By Kevin Howe
Barcroft News Staff
Many nights during the year I can go
outside anytime from dusk to midnight
and hear one or more screech owls. It
makes me smile every time I hear it.
Some of you have surely heard one and
had no clue what they were. So please
go to this sound website and listen to
the screech owl sounds —
http://www.junglewalk.com/sound
/owl-sounds.htm. Is the Internet a wonderful resource or what?
In Virginia we have four owls that
are regular breeders — Screech, Barred,
Great Horned and Barn. Several others
occasionally are seen here but may not
breed — just a few weeks ago, a Snowy
Owl was hanging out at Dulles. The
Snowy is a non-migrating resident of
the Arctic tundra.
Although the Barn and the Great
Horned may be found in our area, they
will probably not be seen around Barcroft. The Great Horned is a very large
owl, the size of a large hawk (up to 25
inches in length), and it is primarily an
inhabitant of pine forests in Virginia,
especially in upland areas. It is also
unlikely we will see a Barn Owl. This
owl has become closely associated with
man and quite literally lives on farms
(in barns, silos and other human buildings). It is primarily an owl of open
fields, feeding almost exclusively on
voles and other small rodents.
Because of the owls’ nocturnal habits,
they have a very keen sense of sight and
a keen sense of hearing. While their sight
is sharp in darkness, they cannot see in
total darkness, contrary to what sometimes is written. Also, the structure of
their feathers is such that they are almost
silent when they fly — a perfect adaptation for a flying nocturnal predator.
It is their hearing anatomy that is so
special.
The shape of the feathers on their
faces focuses sound to their ears and
these ears (covered by feathers of
course) are asymmetrically placed on
the skull. This asymmetry allows sound
to enter from different angles and at different times, thereby allowing the owl
to triangulate the precise location of the
prey — they can not only tell the direction but also the height. These hearing
adaptations allow the owl to hunt in
near total darkness.
Here in Barcroft, we hear the
screech owl with great regularity. The
screech is one of the smallest owls,
about 8 inches in height — smaller then
the width of a piece of paper. Sometimes we can hear a pair call back and
forth. They tend to be quite territorial
and usually pair bond (mate) for life.
Occasionally I have heard a Barred
Owl around Barcroft and you can hear
that sound on that website, too. It is
often said that the Barred Owl call
sound has the same rhythm as the sentence “who cooks for you — who cooks
for you all”. Keep that in mind when
you listen to the Barred Owl call. The
Barred is more than twice as large as
the Screech and is closely associated
with freshwater habitats — swamps,
floodplains, lakes and the like.
Screech and Barred owls use cavities
in trees for nesting and raising their
young. Without old trees with cavities,
these birds cannot mate and raise
young. One more reason we need
mature trees.
This is a good time to mention the
Raptor Conservancy of Virginia. This
marvelous organization rehabilitates and
educates the public about raptors —
hawks and owls. It was begun by a Lake
Barcroft resident and does outstanding
work. Please visit their website
(http://www.raptorsva.org/index.html)
and support this worthy organization.
SERVICES
`
Custom embroidery & monogramming.
Lake Barcroft resident. Specializing in
monogramming, custom logos, baby
items, sports & youth towels, clocks,
totes, baseball caps: www.kims-embroidery.com. Contact Kim Schloemer,
703-642-0477 or kimschloemer@cox.net.
Eldercare. Experienced and competent
caregiver for the elderly. Full-time or
part-time. Lake Barcroft references. Call
Monica at 703-989-0975.
Housecleaning. Honest, excellent references in Lake Barcroft area. Low rates &
free estimates. Juliet/Luis, 703-354-3225
or 703-628-3434.
House/Window cleaning. Reliable, good
references and experience. Flexible
schedule. Reasonable rates. Preparing
homes for show, at settlement and regular
cleaning. Weekly, biweekly, monthly,
and move in/out. Call Dalila for a free
in-home estimate at 703-354-6272.
St. John, V.I. vacation home rental. My
new Virgin Islands three-bedroom 3.5
bath home, with pool, hot tub and a/c in
bedrooms is available for weekly vacation
rentals. Less than 10 minutes from five
lovely beaches, 10 minutes to shopping,
restaurants. If interested, please see
www.stjohnholiday.com or call
703-845-0363.
July
Newsletter
articles due
by June 20.
PRST STD
Standard
PAID
Falls Church, VA
Permit No. 872