Articles from the Neighborhood Newsletter

By Louise Goldstein (Shawnee Road)

People in Arlington are very active and athletic. There are bikers in Spandex outfits going so fast that they leave my poor Corolla behind like an unwanted relative at a family gathering. There are kids shooting hoops, playing soccer, and learning the martial arts. There are joggers and rollerbladers, swimmers and rock climbers. Me? I’m a librarian. I read about things. I decided that this would change on the day of my 49th birthday. For those of you not in the know, 49 is the new 29

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By Virginia Gregory (Norfolk Road)

My husband and I moved to Norfolk Road in 1960 with two small children. Three more children were added in the next few years. Our turn-of-the-century Victorian house at 62 Norfolk Road was perfect for raising a large family, lots of nooks and crannies, places like “cubby-holes” in the attic eaves to hide and pretend. None of our neighbors had a pool for summer fun, but the lawn sprinkler provided endless hours of cool delight for the children. Later we joined the brand new Winchester Swim Club so that children would have swim lessons. Dot Stein and Pat Erickson often carpooled with me.

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From Goldenseal, a magazine of West Virginia traditional life:

“Every Saturday afternoon, Ivan [at 90 years] packs his violin and banjo in his car and drives the half mile to Bowman Ridge Community Association Center. . . . He makes the coffee and sets the potluck table for the weekly ‘Bowman Ridge Opry,’ an open jam session of bluegrass, country, and traditional artists….

“There’s no cover charge for this gathering of friends, which gets under way by 7 p.m. and goes until 11 p.m. every Saturday, regardless of weather, crowd size, or lack of pickers. …Like the other musicians, he does it for the camaraderie and smiles. ‘If you can get them people sitting back there grinning like a butcher’s dog, you know you are doing something right.’ “