Congrats to Manuel Vera, aka our neighborhood “Bike Dude,” for being recognized by U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin as a Local Hero! Check out Rep. Raskin’s interview with Manuel:
So beautiful to see how a seed of an idea during the early days of the pandemic has grown and flourished in the way it has.
Thank you for your service to our neighborhood and larger community, Manuel. You are an inspiration!
By Genevieve McDowell Owen
Hello Neighbors, I’ve been a bit under the weather lately, although I’m a bit sheepish about admitting it since my malady, mal de débarquement, was caused by a cruise—actually by being a middle-aged lady who cruised and then suffered a very bumpy flight home through some bad weather. The cruise was great; the continued debilitating dizziness is not.
So I reached out to my new friend, Chat GPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, and asked it (them?) to help me write my Beacon letter on a theme close to my heart: the importance of volunteering in our community. A few seconds later this is what appeared on my screen:
“Volunteering in a neighborhood, like North Woodside, is an important way to support and strengthen local communities. It allows residents to contribute to the improvement of their own neighborhood by providing their time and skills to local organizations and initiatives. Volunteering also offers an opportunity for individuals to connect with their neighbors and build relationships, fostering a sense of community and belonging.
Volunteering in North Woodside can take many forms, from participating in community events to helping to maintain public spaces and facilities. Volunteer work can help to beautify and enhance the neighborhood, making it a more enjoyable place to live, work, and visit. Additionally, volunteering can help to address local challenges and issues, such as poverty, homelessness, or environmental degradation.
Volunteering can also have personal benefits for those who choose to get involved. It provides an opportunity to learn new skills, gain experience, and build a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Volunteering can also be a way to give back to the community and make a positive impact, which can be a source of pride and motivation.
In conclusion, volunteering in a neighborhood like North Woodside is a valuable way to support and strengthen the local community. It offers opportunities to connect with others, address local challenges, and make a positive impact on the neighborhood. Whether it’s participating in community events, helping to maintain public spaces, or volunteering with local organizations, there are many ways to get involved and contribute to the betterment of the neighborhood.”
Not bad actually, although it’s a bit…stiff. I’m not sure I can improve upon the message much except to add that lately I’ve been feeling grateful for the folks who have stepped up to fill the volunteer roles that make our community so friendly and enjoyable. Among them are Luisa Cardona for heading up the Spring Egg Hunt, Cheryl Copeland, Design Committee Chair, for putting in many volunteer hours beautifying our community, and Phyllida Paterson for her participation on that committee and also making sure we have a steady stream of new trees to replace the ones lost to age and disease.
I’m grateful for all the volunteer work of all the NWCA committee chairs, including Julie Lees and Merrie Blocker, for their longtime commitment to safer streets and holiday events; the Welcome Committee team; the lovely folks who bring you the excellent Beacon, Anna White, Jean Kaplan Teichroew, and Rebecca Doran; and our steady listserv moderator Chris Betti. Plus I send thanks out for the many hours of volunteer work put in month after month by our association board: Tony Byrne, Ellen Kandell, James Mannion, Jenny Hess, David Cox, and Anna White again (another of the many volunteer hats she wears for North Woodside). And I’m grateful for all the folks who have served on the NWCA board or on a committee over the years, and for those neighbors who contribute to the wider community, like Manuel Vera and the folks organizing the upcoming Street Fest.
Even as volunteers have organized a winter celebration at our community tree for 74 years(!), as a community we’ve lost beloved traditions for lack of volunteers. So I’m delighted that you will soon get a chance to sign up in person to lend your talents and skills to the continued awesomeness of North Woodside at our annual citizens association meeting.
Update: Thanks to all who signed up to volunteer at our annual meeting. Weren’t able to attend? Stay tuned on the neighborhood listserv for a link to an online signup form.
By Eric Schechtman
We are now three years since the pandemic began impacting us in March 2020. Many people lost loved ones. Early in the pandemic I lost both of my parents, Allan and Judy Schechtman, within nine weeks of
each other.
My parents lived in Cleveland, Ohio, their entire lives. I grew up there, and after a short stint in Los Angeles, work brought me to this area and North Woodside in the late 1980s. I have no family here, so my wife, Shira, and I would go see my parents in Cleveland at least three times a year for Passover, the Jewish New Year, and Thanksgiving. Even after they moved out of my childhood home and into a senior apartment, we kept this pattern. So when we said goodbye at Thanksgiving in 2019, we never imagined that was the last time we would visit either of them in their apartment.
In April 2020, just one month after much of the world shut down and with my parents’ building locked down, we were forced to celebrate Passover via Zoom. Only aides, screened daily for fever, were allowed in. We think an aide brought Covid to them. Just one month later, my father was diagnosed and admitted to the hospital the same day. Two days later we dropped everything and traveled to Cleveland. Unfortunately only one of us—my brother—was allowed into his room, so I had no opportunity to say goodbye. Three hours later my father was gone.
The death-and-mourning traditions we have in Judaism are very helpful for coping with the loss of a loved one. But two of them—a funeral service and the tradition of shiva—were taken away. We had to hold a graveyard service, with very limited attendance, and I (rather than a rabbi) sang the memorial prayer. Shiva, the first seven days of mourning, is normally a time when family and friends come to visit, but we had to do it over Zoom. It was very lonely.
Nine weeks later we had to repeat this for my mother, but at least this time we had five days to say goodbye.
The traditions Judaism provides for death and mourning make sure no one is totally alone. After losing a loved one, we join a minyan (a group of at least 10 adults) to say the memorial prayer morning and night daily. For parents we do this for 11 months.
Others in the minyan may also be mourning. This becomes a support group by another name. At each anniversary of a loss, a minyan member speaks to the group about their loved one, even many years later; it helps to bring them alive.
Not every congregation is large enough to support this, including my local one. But I could Zoom anywhere around the world, so I found solace at my childhood congregation in Pepper Pike, Ohio. By joining there, I also had a way to break into a minyan group where I didn’t know anyone: Those my father taught when they were children recognized my name. I became more integrated into the morning and evening minyans over four months, and I ended up rejoining this congregation.
At almost exactly the end of 11 months of prayer for my mother, in-person attendance was allowed again, even as Zoom continued, so my wife and I took the opportunity to travel there periodically. I began reconnecting with members of my childhood congregation, who got me through all of this. To stay connected I became the Zoom host for all their services, and now three years later we have completely integrated into our new congregation as very active members, even though we live here. This is the silver lining—a gift from a very difficult situation.
A reminder that I continue to offer free bike tune-ups and repairs. This includes a wash, degreasing components, lubrication, mechanical and safety check, air, and adjustments to brakes, derailleurs and other parts of the bike. Folks only pay for the purchase cost of new parts, if needed. Email me at manvera@yahoo.com.
— Manuel Vera
My Free Bikes Project is still going strong, with more than 420 bikes in the hands of new owners since 2020. If there are any bikes in the neighborhood that are outgrown or no longer used, I will refurbish them and pass them on to those who may not be able to buy one. Recently, I’ve been working with the International Rescue Committee and Homes Not Borders to give bikes to Afghan and African refugees settling in the community. Also needed are helmets, locks, and pumps. Neighbors can contact me at manvera@yahoo.com if they would like to donate these items.
You can read an article about the project that ran in Stroll magazine, a publication for residents in the community of Chevy Chase Village.
— Manuel Vera
By Jean Kaplan Teichroew
Most people zip past the intersection of Glen Ross Rd. and 2nd Ave., but there’s good reason to slow down and take notice of some interesting objects at the house on the northwest corner. Nancy Hope, who lives here with her husband, Ben, and their three daughters, grew up in that house.
On the lawn you’ll see farm implements, including a traditional plow, a horse-drawn corn planter, a fertilizer plow, a seeder, and a well pump, as well as wagon wheels and a windmill. (More about the latter below.) Nancy’s grandfather used them on the family farm in Pound, Virginia. Her dad, Grover Helton, brought them from the farm in the late 1970s after his father passed away.
During World War II, Grover served as an army medic. After moving to Silver Spring, he worked at Carriage Hill Nursing Home (now Regency Care of Silver Spring) on 2nd Ave. His wife, Charlotte, was also a nurse there, and they bought the house on Glen Ross to live close to their work.
Sadly, as is often the experience of immigrants and people considered “others,” Nancy’s family encountered hostility from neighbors who did not like the farm implements. They made unkind comments and left notes that “hillbillies should go back to the hills.” Had those neighbors gotten to know the Heltons, they would have discovered that Grover was a jazz-loving decorated WWII veteran. Although deeply hurt, the Helton family grew emboldened.
Nancy’s mother kept the notes as a reminder of the family’s “no-BS attitude:” Stand up for yourself, and remember that no one can tell you who you are—or what you can do. In defiance, her father added the windmill and wagon wheels as borders for flower beds.
Over the years, Ben has restored the farm implements, which he carefully and continually maintains. More than unique lawn décor, they represent a piece of family history that Nancy, Ben, and their children appreciate to this day.
North Woodside resident Jay Thirunarayanapuram passed away unexpectedly on June 20th, 2023.
Jay was only 15, but he packed so much into his short life and touched so many hearts. He was quirky, funny, smart and charming, and he loved to make people laugh.
Please join his parents, Vaishali and Desikan, to celebrate Jay’s life and view some of the amazing art he created at the Silver Spring United Methodist Church (8900 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910) on Saturday, July 8, at 11:30 am.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to two local nonprofits that mentor teenagers: Mentor MD/DC and DC Dream Center.
If you’d like to attend, please RSVP here.
We hope to see many of you on Saturday, July 8, as we honor and celebrate Jay.
** UPDATE ** Attire Request: Please wear colors to Jay’s celebration of life (instead of black), to celebrate and honor the vibrant person he was.
By Jean Kaplan Teichroew
If you’ve ever strolled along Grace Church Rd. in the spring, you’ve probably seen colorful swaths of tulips blooming at the edges of the expansive lawn at 1923. Meet the man behind the tulips: Phil Costello has been planting them here every year since 2011. His interest in tulips took root when he lived in London: From his office near Buckingham Palace, he observed the planting of thousands of tulips. He also traveled frequently to Holland, where the flowers have been prized since the 16th century.
Phil starts planting his tulips in late November or after the first frost. He designs and digs trenches and places each bulb individually, this year about 750. (His all-time high is 2,100 bulbs!) Then he covers them with four to six inches of soil. Recently he has hired neighbors David Maya-Shelton and Jayden and Austin Jackson to help in the labor-intensive activity.
A major challenge is foiling predators, responsible for ruining up to 25 percent of the tulip garden. Squirrels dig up bulbs, but don’t seem to eat them. “They taunt me,” Phil laughs, “and then they throw away the bulbs,” leaving them on neighbors’ porches and in their yards. He places chicken wire over the bulbs to deter the pesky rodents and removes it so the tulips can grow when the weather warms. Deer don’t dig up the bulbs, but they do eat the blooms. “It’s constant effort,” says Phil, “vigilance is required.” He jokes that the deer of Grace Church may have changed their eating patterns after he placed signs directing them to a nearby street for better food.
Phil recommends purchasing tulip bulbs from colorblends.com. He also welcomes visitors to his garden. This writer has the advantage of seeing the vibrant flower display from her kitchen window, but you can take in the view come springtime. We’ll look for you on our street.
On May 1, 2022, the NWCA Board and Community Design Committee dedicated the first North Woodside Memorial Bench, in honor of longtime community volunteer, Woody Brosnan. The short ceremony, held in the “pocket park” at the intersection of Lanier Drive and 3rd Avenue, included a ribbon cutting by Mr. Brosnan’s wife, current North Woodside resident and NWCA Secretary Amy Henchey, plus memories of Mr. Brosnan’s dedication to local service by neighbor Gus Bauman.
If you would like to contribute to the cost of the bench you may make a donation to the NWCA’s new Neighborhood Beautification and Memorial Fund. To donate by check or PayPal, follow the directions on our NWCA Dues page.
Under the inspired leadership of Bertie LoPiccolo, neighbors and friends gathered on an unseasonably beautiful President’s Day to help Julie Savage and Keith Carlson lay a mosaic path leading to their newly built backyard ADU (accessory dwelling unit).
“I dreamed of building a healing, welcoming ADU space for my small therapy practice and imagined a whimsical, joyful path leading up to it — a piece of community artwork that would bring people together. Bertie caught the vision and made it happen, with the added expertise of Suz Podrasky and many first-time mosaic artists.
In the days leading up to pouring the concrete, I gathered small mosaic creations from anyone who had any inclination to contribute. (Thank you to so many in the neighborhood!) The finished path is a magical collection of birds, bugs, trees, words, a cicada, rainbow, sun, moon, small house, and so much more.
Feel free to come to 1914 Grace Church Rd. and check it out anytime. In challenging times, I hope it will be a reminder of all the good that is possible when we come together in new and beautiful ways.”
— Julie Savage
Welcome to North Woodside 