School's Out! Annual Homework Burn Highlights!

THANK YOU to the Wroblewskis who offered up their driveway and lots of hospitality to host the Annual Homework Burn! About 20 kids and 40 people attended, and we lucked out on the weather (not too hot not too rainy not too muggy). The kids pulled apart  their notebooks and balled up their worksheets with admirable focus and determination - so much so that a second fire pit soon became necessary! The Wroblewskis kept the hot dogs and marshmallows coming. All the kids had a great time stoking the fires and then playing games such as sharks and minnows. Ages from kindergarten through 9th graders - (or dare we call them rising first graders to rising sophomores?  not till September thank you very much!)

The next fun thing is right around the corner - Summer Reading Kick-off Sunday afternoon at the Little Free Library in st James place - tables of free books for kids and adults, so bring a book to swap or come empty handed - either way you are sure to find a good free read :)

Here are lots of fun photos of the Homework Burn!

Weekend Invasive Plant Pull

Mother's Day weekend was a great one for Mother Nature. About 40 volunteers turned out to clear invasive plants such as English Ivy, multiflora rose and Japanese Honeysuckle from the public green space at Dye Drive and Brad Street. Volunteers included neighbors and strangers, scouts and students. They came from as far away as Silver Spring and as nearby as across the street. They collected  23 ginormous bags of weeds as well as a pile of brush. Most importantly,  a wider expanse of trees and forest floor can breathe again! Which means dormant native plants have been given a chance to re-establish themselves. Many thanks to Boy Scout Troop 140 and Pack 675 for all their hard work!

Here are a lot of photos from this fun and environmentally worthy event! 

Raymondale Annual Meeting Wrap-Up and Bee Morning

About 50 Raymondale residents turned out last week for the civic association's first annual meeting to be held in the spring. The food was great and the company was even better. Kids made crafts and ran around outside in the lingering daylight-- something that would not have been possible when the annual meeting was held in cold, dark November! Among highlights of the meeting, guest speaker Sarah McGowan, who is a master naturalist, shared tips and resources for habitat-friendly gardening. Minutes will be available soon. Thanks to everyone who attended and brought food, and to all the teen volunteers who helped with setup, cleanup and child care.  

And the next morning, the Wroblewski family hosted bee expert Doug, who spoke about the importance of planting flowering plants for our vital pollinators. Several attendees decided they want to have bee hives too! Here are some photos as well as one of the neighborhood fox, who I suspect isn't really into beekeeping.

2016 Raymondale Annual Egg Hunt

A lovely sunny day greeted the egg hunters, parents, guests, and teen helpers as the annual Raymondale egg hunt got underway in several front yards along Add Drive. The founders of the Raymondale egg hunt, Wanda and Christy Nolan, were on hand for the festivities too!

There were lots of wee ones ready to gather the colorful eggs...

With the help of the older teens who hid the eggs in easy and not so easy hiding places, the little ones were off to search and gather!

Many THANKS to teen volunteers Mira, Tate, Grace, Lawrence, Martha and Nico for their prep work, to all four host families, and to the Wroblewskis for organizing. And to Dona Seracino for providing pastries and Mary Cogbill who supplied coffee.

A wonderful day to welcome spring ro Raymondale!

Good Neighbors Tackle Luria Park Trash

A couple of weeks ago the Byrd family (of Brad Street) headed an impromptu clean up of Luria Park. After recent heavy rains and snow melt, piles of debris and trash collected in thick piles along the new boardwalk near the streams. Using the Raymondale on-line announce group, Josh Byrd invited anyone who had free time to join them. Broyhill Park even joined in the effort!

Like so many of us, the Byrd family understands how important Luria Park is to our neighborhood, and by example they proved that we are all custodians of our environment. We thank the Byrd family and the other wonderful volunteers who came out. And if you are in Luria Park and find some trash, pick it up and place it in one of the convenient receptacles in the park. Happy Spring!

Blizzard of 2016: The Big Dig

I walked around my end of Raymondale on Monday afternoon to see the neighborhood after the big blizzard. Here are photos of the over 2 feet of snow that blanketed Raymondale. Enjoy!

Add Drive looking west. The plows went through on Saturday during the storm but certainly need to come back!

Ellis Court completely blocked with piles of plow snow. I was told that they are to be dug out some time on Monday.

Evidence of a very nice snowblower used on a Brad Street sidewalk. Look at how deep that snow is!

Car completely buried on Add Drive. There were several of these along my walk.

Snow dogs, Austin and Amber!

Neighbors heading in and out of Luria Park which is now a winter wonderland.

Scenes from Luria Park including a snowman hanging out by the creek!

And finally, one of our younger neighbors shows just how deep this snow really is!