Lullwater Latest

February 2015

 

We have enjoyed a relatively uneventful January, for which we're grateful.

Plummeting temperatures in late December caught a few of us; your editor's household experienced what others did last year. A tiny break in a water line erupted in the garage just moments after we'd returned from a second-day surgery check-up. With almost miraculous good fortune for us, two young plumbers working next door discovered the ensuing flood, alerted us and had it fixed within an hour. We felt so lucky! Falling victim were a few boxes of papers and books that should long ago been sorted and properly shelved, but we lost little, and entertained notions of guardian angels - in the garage!

Insulating exposed pipes should be our next home improvement. Wiser folks than we will do it before a geysers prompts them!

 

President's Column

Continuity Through Transition seems to be a fitting description of what is happening in our community.

Jim Eichelberger and I joined the Board this year as new members, but not at all new to interest in helping The Lullwater Estate maintain and continue as a pleasant and hospitable place to live. Each of us previously served on the Board, and as President.

The previous Board approved new trees for our back (and northerly) property.  Thanks to Jamie, Lynn Hart, and Georgia and Robert Marshall (with some financial contributions from them) the trees were planted last week.

As you will see, Carol Sleeth and Don Kenagy welcomed a new transition in their family with grandson, Luke Edmond, in Texas.

We also anticipate the transition from the community of one of the last two remaining original homeowners. Frank and Zanice Muckler expect to close the sale of their unit in late March and will move to Portland, OR. They hear and are responding to that wonderful call of kids and grandkids. We wish them well, and thank them for being “anchor” leaders in our community.

We have also had some transition with our management company, HMS.  Our long-term and laudable manager, Jackie Wilkins, was transferred from serving us.  Her replacement, who thankfully did not last long, and may as well go unnamed, was swiftly transitioned to who knows where (Lord, protect them!).  Our new manager, Amber Collins, has been on the job for about a month, and has been refreshingly responsive.  We feel we are back in good hands.

“In good hands,” is where we on the Board want our community to be and continue.  The community gives the Board responsibility to be good stewards and managers.  The Board wants to serve in a way that is responsive and implements the best for the entire community.  The community will only achieve these objectives as we all take our turn doing something to make it happen.

-Bill Hollberg, LEOA President

 

A Murder Mystery of Our Own

For those who haven't lived at Lullwater Estate very long, do you know about a mysterious and violent encounter here on our property, long ago? Rainbow Terrace, now the Lullwater Estate mansion, was built by Asa Candler (of Coca Cola fame) as a wedding gift for his daughter, Lucy, and her husband, Henry Heinz. And that's perhaps the least interesting part of their story. His sudden death and the subsequent investigation provide a fascinating story, one of those "stranger than fiction" tales.

Nowadays, Clarke Weidlein lives in the condo that sits in the library portion of the old mansion, where Mr. Heinz met his sad end. Recently Shirley Hollberg assembled some vintage newspaper articles and book chapters dealing with this story. She's put them into a PDF and is happy to provide digital copies: Heinz Murder Mystery

And if you ever see a gray-haired man floating around near the mansion, well, of course we don't believe in ghosts,....or do we?

 

Kenagy and Sleeth in Texas

Recently Don Kenagy and Carol Sleeth spent a month, December 26 to January 27, in New Braunfels, Texas. Their new grandson, Luke Edmond, was born January 2 to son Dougal and Mignon Kenagy. Carol is going back this spring as Nanny, until school is out, as Mignon is a teacher.During their stay, Don made the following observations about New Braunfels:

Still influenced by the Germanic culture of its 1845 settlers, they have lots of strüdel and schnitzel, a newspaper called the Herald-Zeitung, and an annual Würstfest in November. And no houses, only hauses!

They are very law-and-order oriented, with many sirens. If you’re arrested today, your name and charge will be in the newspaper tomorrow. No conviction required.

Bars closed at midnight. Drinks are quite cheap. Score is kept in little kids’ games - no worries about hurt feelings among losers.

They are not notably “politically correct.”

They have no “Snowbirds,” only “Winter Texans,” largely from the northern Midwest. The senior center has a winter membership for them (us). Once a month they run a bus 200 hundred miles to the only casino in the massive state, on a Kickapoo reservation on the banks of the Rio Grande, hundreds of miles from anywhere. They do condone Bingo in town.

Trains are plentiful. Union Pacific operates two lines which cross downtown. One line has a no-horn-in-town policy; apparently the other doesn’t!

San Antonio is only a half-hour’s drive away, with Austin an hour the other way.

The Texas legislature meets in January of alternate (odd) years, so it’s doing damage now. Wives and daughters in Austin are locked away.

 

The Dining Group

A group of people who like to try out restaurants in the company of congenial neighbors formed last year. Each of us acts as host about once a year, picking the time, date and eatery, announcing it, taking rsvps from group members, and making the reservations. We try to keep prices and distances within reason, and always manage to have a good time.

Our January outing brought a small bunch of us to Avondale Estates, to a relatively new "gastro-pub" called The Bishop. Menu items include small plates and platters to share, along with soups, salads, sandwiches and standard entrees. Oh, yes, and the desserts, mmm! They have an interesting list of wines and Atlanta beers as well.

Everyone liked the place, and we had great conversation!

If you think you'd like to become a member, please contact Betsy Marvin and we'll put you on the schedule. We'll be meeting about once a month through spring, probably skipping two or three summer months, and start up again in the fall.

 

Men's Breakfast

The George Hart Breakfast Club meets on alternate Wednesdays, at 8:00 a.m., over on North Highland at The American Roadhouse. Open to all men who live at Lullwater Estate, it ranges from five to fifteen hungry guys, meaning five to fifteen opinions! Others' viewpoints are sampled, tasted, chewed on, but rarely swallowed in the course of breakfast.

If you think this sounds like your cup of tea (or coffee), and you like a big platter of traditional breakfast, or a comfort bowl of tasty hot oatmeal, show up this Wednesday, the 18th. Or contact Hilton Fuller for more information.

 

Book Club

The Literary Ladies of Lullwater meet most months, on the third Thursday afternoon, for interesting snacks and a discussion which always starts with the book, but may digress in various directions! For February 20, we'll be meeting at Georgia Marshall's house to talk about The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion, and in March at Laura Ash's for her selection, Chang and Eng by Darin Strauss. Lynn Hart will host the April meeting.

Our most recent book, Downtown, by Anne Rivers Siddons, got mixed reviews from our group, but provided lively discussion of Atlanta during its 1960's social changes and upheavals. Books with familiar backgrounds make for a layered experience that can be fun.

The gatherings begin about 3:30, talking and tasting, and the book discussion starts at four, continuing for an hour or more. They are open to all women at Lullwater Estate, but please notify the host if you are planning to come.

 

Guidelines for Contributions

We love having guest contributors, and welcome your tales of travel, stories of staying home, and other small articles! Please send them anytime to Betsy Marvin.

The newsletter needs photos! We welcome photographic contributions of our residents and around the community grounds. Please send any you might have taken to Jamie, and please include a caption or explanation of your picture!

We place “classifieds” only for residents, who also may, on a one-time basis, recommend a service or business they have used.

 

Thanks for reading! The next issue of Lullwater Latest is planned for April.