Fall 2008 Newsletter
ANNUAL WINTER HOLIDAY PARTY
Wake the kids and call the neighbors; it’s time for the Cloisters West Home Owners Association Annual Winter Holiday Party! As is tradition, the festivities will take place on the first Sunday of December. Be sure to mark you calendar for Sunday, December 7th from 4pm to 7pm. The party always takes place in the Heritage Room at Georgetown Visitation. (The guard at the entrance on 35th Street can guide you.)
We will have lots of fine food (we have a new caterer this year: Baked & Wired of Georgetown) and festive drinks as well as kids’ crafts and a special visitor from the North Pole! Yes, Santa himself will once again make an appearance at 5pm. Also, our favorite CWHOA Carolers will sing Christmas favorites at 6pm. If you would like to add your voice, please call Ellen Baker, the Carol master, 202 333 1479.
In an effort to help those that are less fortunate, we are encouraging attendees to bring a pair of men’s NEW knit gloves, caps or socks to donate (unwrapped) to our local Georgetown Ministry Center. According to the director there, “these items always make people smile.” For more information or to volunteer to make COOKIES for the party, please contact:
nancylcarpenter@hotmail.com
or call Nancy Carpenter:
202 342 5775. Thank you!
GU 10 YEAR CAMPUS PLAN
A community-wide meeting was held and Ginny Taylor and Ed Gershon were in attendance. The university is required by the city to submit an updated Ten Year Campus Plan every ten years for approval prior to developing any construction designs. The main issues of the student enrollment cap, transportation, student housing-community life were discussed. Interested parties should contact Linda Greenan the Assistant Vice President of External Relations at 202-687-5559 or via email: greenanl@georgetown.edu and ask to be notified about public meetings
MANAGEMENT REPORT
We want to remind all residents of maintenance issues that should be examined around your home and repaired this fall or early spring if necessary.
First, many of the fences in the community are reaching the end of their life and should be repaired or replaced. Please remember that all fences must be replaced with identical fencing. The Board has never approved a change in fencing that would impact the outside appearance of fences around the community. Owners abutting the Visitation property should pay particular attention to the condition of their fences abutting that property because we want to be good neighbors with Visitation. Long Fence Company has provided reputable service in the community for this type of work.
Second, many houses could use some power washing to remove dirt, mildew etc from the steps and lower wall areas. The Board cleaned the brick posts on Reservoir and they look much better. The houses fronting Reservoir Road, since they are North facing and tree shaded, are in great need of this. The cleaning company that works in the community can do this for homeowners at reasonable prices. They are Suite Services and can be reached at 202-667-0808.
Third, please remember to put your trash out on the proper day or the night before collection and then put the cans back inside your garage. We want to keep rats and other creatures under control as the weather gets cooler.
Finally we want to announce that Tilton Bernstein Management has gone green. Our electricity is now provided totally by wind power. While this is a little more expensive, it makes us feel like a better corporate citizen. You can do the same for your home by going to the dcpsc.org website and clicking on power suppliers and choosing Washington Gas as your residential supplier. In the Washington gas site you can select 50%wind or 100% wind. You can also lock these rates in for up to 2 years. In the coming year, we will be sharing with you more of our green strategies.
Roger Tilton
HALLOWEEN PARTY SUCCESS
If you missed the annual CWHOA Halloween Party, BOO to you! Neighbors and trick-or-treaters met under the party tent decorated with orange lights and Halloween spooks. We had appetizers and sweets that were endless!
The weather was warm, the apples were bobbing, and the neighbors were chatting. There were games and crafts for the kids who came and went as they scampered door to door through the Cloisters for the best Halloween treats.
Thank you so much to those who helped make this event a success and thank you to those neighbors who came out to join us. We hope to see you all at the Winter Holiday party as well! : )
PERSONAL INTERESTS: DOG RESCUE
There is nothing like the look on a new adoptive parent’s face when they walk away with a new addition to their family. It is one of pure joy and happiness — and it is the reason I became involved in dog rescue. Many of you in the Cloisters have probably seen me walking my dogs through the neighborhood. I’m sure you wonder who we are and why the dogs change every so often. So I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, Sparky my black lab, and my foster family.
My name is Mirah Horowitz, and I am the Co-Executive Director for K-9 Lifesavers (www.k9lifesavers.org). K-9 Lifesavers is 501(c)(3) dog rescue that is dedicated to saving dogs from rural high kill shelters before they get euthanized.
Our dogs are temperament tested, and they are fully vetted with vaccines and spayed/neutered before they arrive in the DC area to live with their new adopters or one of our 30 (and growing!) foster homes. K-9 Lifesavers is very picky about the dogs it chooses to rescue: they must be good with other dogs, good with kids, and good with all adults.
Every day we hear about the terrible effects of the economic downturn and the housing crisis. What we don’t hear about is the pets that families are forced to leave behind. Literally hundreds and hundreds of well-trained, friendly dogs of all shapes, breeds, and sizes are being turned into high kill shelters in rural areas where the economic troubles of the nation are hitting particularly hard. And, sadly, so-called “owner surrenders” are the first to be put to sleep. These are the dogs that K-9 Lifesavers are most focused on rescuing. And, these are the dogs that often become my foster dogs. They live with me until a loving adoptive family can be found.
For more info, please feel free to email me: mirah.horowitz@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!!!
EDITORS NOTE:
If you would like to share your personal interest with the CW, please submit your article to:
nancylcarpenter@hotmail.com
COVENANTS COMMITTEE
CWHOA needs volunteers for the Covenants Committee; this special committee is responsible for insuring that our houses are well-maintained and our property values are secured. The well-being of our community depends on its volunteers. If you are interested in serving, please call Diana Rich, the President of the Board, at
202-337-0007.
MASTER PLAN Update
The Master Plan Committee (Art Roberts, Sonia Crow, Frances Spencer, Elizabeth Hillman, John Doolittle, Dona Meehan under the facilitation of Ed Gershon) has been meeting regularly. At the last meeting the landscape designer, Paul Davis, presented some preliminary concept designs. The design for the 37th Street entrance was well received. Once that design is resolved the 36th Street entrance design with a much scaled down version could begin. The three mail box enclosures concept was returned with instructions for changes. The Pepco enclosure design was approved. Landscaping concepts will be addressed when the rest of the projects designs are resolved. Once designs, price ranges and budgets are developed there will be a community wide input meeting prior to submission to the board for final approval.
Ed Gershon
FIRE WOOD FOR SALE:
If you need to stock up on seasoned chopped wood for this year’s long cold winter predicted by the Farmer’s Almanac, you may have noticed the guys who deliver door-to door from time to time. If you missed the opportunity, you can always call direct and request a delivery.
Dustin Bowers
540 423 4089
He will bring you genuine Culpepper, Virginia wood guaranteed to burn bright!
Storm Survivor Tip: If you have a pie-iron, you can cook over the fire if/when the power goes out.
HOLIDAY RECIPES
*SHORTBREAD COOKIES
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 to 4 minutes. Drop cookies by spoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Watch that the edges don't brown too much. Cool on wire racks. These cookies melt in your mouth!
*DATE NUT BALLS
2 sticks butter1 c. sugar8 oz. chopped dates1 c. freshly chopped walnuts2 c. Rice KrispiesPowdered sugar
Melt butter in large pan over low heat. Add sugar and dates and bring to simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer for 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Add nuts and Rice Krispies and mix well. Allow mixture to cool till it can be handled. Roll into 1 inch balls and cool completely. Then roll in powdered sugar. Be prepared...people will ask you for the recipe!