Lullwater Latest

September 2015

Summer's nearly over, and the fall potluck social is only about a month away.

It's gone fast for me, as we've been away most of that time, here and there. Many of these places have been comfortably cool, but others, like Poznan, Poland, hotter than Atlanta. The northern European hot spots are never prepared, since they don't happen often. An upper floor of an old hotel, when it's 89 degrees outside, makes us long for our air conditioned Georgia interiors!

We're looking forward to meeting more of this year's newcomers; what a turnover it's been! We hope there'll be a big gathering on October 4, as it's bound to be a delightful occasion, with excellent food and even better company. Come and say hello to your neighbors, and meet a few more. And we'll try to stay home for awhile!

Asphalt seal coat capital improvement project. CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE!

Save the Date!

Druid Hills Yard Sales
Saturday, September 19, 9 - 2
See article below for details.

Fall Potluck Social
Sunday, October 4, 6 pm
Bring a dish to share with your neighbors on the front porch! Also bring choice of adult beverage. Plates and "silverware" will be furnished.

Page One

President's Column

Connection: Hotel Packwood (WA) and The Lullwater Estate

When Shirley and I moved here in 1992 with our two high school-aged sons, Mitch and Bennett, we knew no one else who lived in the community. We had heard the names of Frank and Zanice Muckler, because their daughter, Susie, and Mitch were in the same class at Paideia.

Soon we became friends. Frank was our community fix-it person, Christmas light decorator, and shepherd (just to mention a few of his contributions). Zanice encouraged us with her hospitality, opera-quality voice, and her steadfastness in living with an eye disease that eventually caused her blindness in one eye.

So, it was with hopeful sadness that we sent them off this spring as they relocated to Portland to live near their daughter, Elizabeth, and her family (i.e. grandkids).

Speaking of family, we vacation each year with Shirley’s family in Seattle. This summer when we planned a side trip to Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, we contacted the Mucklers. They were able to join us for the evening in Packwood, WA (a tiny town between the two mountains). It was a great reunion and photo-op (just look at our smiling faces; Hotel Packwood, built in 1912, Teddy Roosevelt stayed there).

Relationships this deep do not develop overnight. They take years with many shared experiences and events. We are thankful for them. It is one of the benefits of living in a close-knit community.

As a community we encourage neighborly friendships with social events each spring and fall on the front porch of the Mansion. Get the details from the Save The Date block in the newsletter.

-Bill Hollberg, LEOA President

Men's Breakfast Group

All men at Lullwater Estate are welcome to attend the George Hart Breakfast Club, which meets on alternate Wednesday mornings at 8:00. It's a lively group, where tasty morning meals are consumed and anything from plumbing to politics is discussed. The venue and comestible provider is the American Road House, over on North Highland Avenue in Virginia Highland.

After light attendance during the summer months, it's hoped that more will show up for good food and great company. The next meeting will be September 16.

Page Two

"Literary Ladies," the Lullwater Estate Book Club

Women here in our community have probably always lent each other books, or at least recommended them, but a few years ago, some of us decided to form a group to discuss books. We read mostly fiction, like Alice Munro's Pulitzer winner Dear Life, or Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog, but sometimes non-fiction, especially biographical, as Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken, or Martin Goldsmith's Inextinguishable Symphony. We've read classics by Faulkner, and modern works by such as Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Strout and Annie Proulx. Special interests, like adoption and Alzheimers Disease, or fascinating cultures like Japan and Tudor England, have also been topics of books we've read.

A list of the books we've read in the group can be seen here.

Our system has evolved, but the current method seems to work. The role of host rotates among the membership, and the host picks the book and provides some refreshments, which have ranged from cookies and a cup of tea, to a themed and catered semi-meal, the latter having been a special treat. Some hosts research the author, and provide an oral introduction to the discussion, while others try to find stimulating questions to ask.

Each upcoming host is asked to provide a title two months in advance, sticking to books available in paperback, with formats of fewer than 500 pages. Members do not appreciate a change in book less than two months ahead! We set up a calendar of hosts (and books, when possible) 6-9 months in advance, preferably each late summer, skipping December and sometimes summer months as well.

Every woman at Lullwater Estate is invited to come to a meeting, and join our congenial group. We meet the third Thursday of the month, and the first meeting this fall will be September 17 at Georgia Marshall's house, #54. Rsvps are not required, although simple consideration prompts us to let our host know if we plan to attend. We'll be discussing the book The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. The October host will be Lynn Hart, who has chosen Jo Baker's Longbourn.

This year's coordinator is Laura Ash lashout47@gmail.com or Carolyn Johnson cdischert@aol.com, and if you have questions about the book group, please contact them.

Selling with Friends

Once again the Druid Hills Civic Association will sponsor a community-wide Yard Sale, on September 19 from 9 - 2. Ads will be placed and signs provided to registered sales, of which Lullwater Estate will be one.

Our venue will be in front of the Sleeth-Kenagy home, #739, the northernmost townhouse on Lullwater Road. Carol Sleeth is coordinating the event locally, and if you'd like to participate and jettison some of your treasures, please contact her at the address above.

Registering Lullwater Estate will cost $25, which will be split among our sellers. Please let her know before September 12. And if you're not selling, do support the neighbors by dropping by. Who knows? You might find something wonderful!

Pedagogical Summer

Don Saliers calls this his "pedagogical summer," as he's had a busman's holiday teaching at three different venues, all with great students, he says. He started out at Sewanee, on the mountaintop in Tennessee, and then went to Yale University for a week, and ended up at Saint John's Abbey, the Benedictine Monastery in Minnesota.

These professorial stints were followed by a week at a conference in Quebec City, trying out his self-described "faulty French!" He'll be back at Emory for the fall term, and we hope to see him around.

Page Three

Connections: Hotel Packwood (WA) and The Lullwater Estate

The Hollbergs and the Mucklers met up for supper in Packwood, WA on August 8. Bill & Shirley were visiting Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, and Frank & Zanice drove up from Portland to meet them. Supper was at the Blue Spruce Saloon and Grill.

The photo was snapped in front of historic Hotel Packwood, and if you look closely you can see a life-sized carving of Teddy Roosevelt standing behind Frank, and a "Teddy" bear above Shirley's head. After Frank & Zanice said goodbye to drive back to Portland, Bill & Shirley were listening to the blue grass band playing outside the coffee shop across the street when an elk ambled down the street and strolled from yard to yard munching on folks' lawns.

Familiar Faces

On a trip to Poland, on a guided tour of Poznan, Chuck and Betsy Marvin got quite a surprise when they visited the Imperial Castle gardens, and saw these familiar figures. Told that they were copies of some lions at the Alhambra in Spain, they had to confess they were almost family members!

Page Four

The Garden that Keeps on Giving

The summer growing season is drawing to a close. Soon, we will be clearing all the old tomato vines and preparing for fall and winter. The garden is "officially" closed for the winter for repairs. The well water is shut off and the lighting is poorer, but a few tenacious gardeners may try and plant kale and other greens. Flowers may also be seeded at this time to keep things looking nice.

Pictured here is the asparagus patch one member is trying to get started. It can take up to two years to get a good crop! Asparagus requires some shade, which is why this special box was built outside the formal raised bed area. Members this year include Jamie Ciomperlik (Chair), Lynn Hart, Ken and Jan Yancey, Robert and Georgia Marshall, Kathy Radde, Michael Plemmons, and Carolyn Johnson.

New Cable Boxes Available

Many years ago Comcast set up a table in front of the mansion where residents could pick up cable boxes. The digital cable plan included with your monthly association dues comes with three (3) "free" cable boxes. Since that time, new High Definition (HD) boxes have become available. If you pay the extra $10 a month to Comcast for HD service, you can trade the old standard definition boxes in and get the new HD boxes. This allows you to have up to three HD televisions per household.

Page Five

Acknowledgements

The editors would like to thank Don Saliers and Shirley Hollberg for contributing to this newsletter. We welcome items from all residents, anytime.

Recruiting Talent!

The media committee is seeking a couple more committee members to help with our seven issues per year. We need someone to look for news items, and write some of them up, and could use another photographer to snap shots of residents and properties. If you feel you could volunteer, it probably would take very little time, and think of the glory! Contact Betsy Marvin.

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.