Colonial Village and the Storm of 2009

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

The great December snowstorm of December 19, 2009 covered Colonial Village in 20.5" of snow. The storm, nicknamed "Capital Crippler," "Snowmageddon," "Snowpocalypse," and "SnowOMG" brought bus service and above ground Metrorail to a halt.

Dogs and residents alike were romping in the snow. With the County focusing on blowing the major streets, snow shovels were shared to help dig out cars.

Greenberry's stayed open til 5 pm on the day of the storm for those who needed a hot cup of coffee!

History revealed

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Some recent interior work revealed a bit of the past.

As you can see in the photo, during the renovations done in the 1980s, not all remnants of the past were removed. Here you can see the weights from the old windows.

Mushrooms popping up!

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

September hasn't been all that rainy, but there's been some nice heavy rains as well as lots of steady rains.

The rain and the steady temperatures have brought out the mushrooms that grow all around. Here's a really nice example growing on the grounds of Colonial Village III (off off of N. Rhodes St.

Of course, the wet weather isn't so nice when it starts to come into the buildings!

Here's another:

Invasion of locusts?

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

No, not a locust, just an annual cicada. The annual cicada, to be distinguished from the periodic cicada (Magicicada) appears in the summer months (hence it's nickname, the "dog-day" cicada). The periodic cicada is even more amazing, appearing on a cycle of 13 or 17 years.

Here in Colonial Village we have lots of cicadas. One way you'll know they're around is by the ear-splitting sounds they make. The constant buzz can at times drown out the sounds of planes from nearby National Airport (DCA).

Because of the large number of trees in the Villages, we make a perfect home for the cicadas (generally cicadas are harmless to humans, pets and vegetation).

In the mid-Atlantic, we're home to the 17 year cycle cicadas (Magicicada cassini). Known as Brood X (or the Great Eastern Brood; Brood XIX, The Great Southern Brood is slated to appear in Maryland and Virginia in 2011, though the largest of the 13 year broods, it's not as common in Colonial Village), the last visit was in 2004, so we have a wait til they appear again. Well, actually they haven't left. They're under your feet! After the adults lay eggs, the young drop to the ground, burrow a few inches down, and stay there, waiting for whatever the signal is, seventeen years later for them to start the cycle over again.

FYI, some people do call the cicadas "locusts". Generally speaking locust refers to varieties of grasshoppers. However, when early settlers to the mid-Atlantic first came upon the cicadas, they were termed "locusts", hence the ongoing confusion.

Power lines burn out!

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

On September 10th, had a little incident with the overhead lines on N. Rhodes St., lines burned and crashed, knocking out power on a portion of the street. Didn't hit my building, but all the areas around were knocked out.

The burned grass and remnants of the line and glass insulators made for some interesting "site specific art."

This is at least the second time in the past few years the lines in this area have come down.

Trees down! Colonial Village

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

It's been a bad season for the trees here in Colonial Village. The sight of the former Army-Navy Golf course, Colonial Village is blessed with wonderful heritage trees.

We lost a number during the earlier wet and windy weather. In the past few days, we lost another around Colonial Village Run (that's creek or stream for you non-Virginians).

These downed trees knocked out power for some residents of North Rhodes Street.

Another great Magnolia season

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

I'm afraid I've let the Colonial Village blog lag a bit these past few years. Once again, the wonderful magnolia trees in the Village had a spectacular season. To kick off the blog again, I thought I'd start with this picture from earlier this year (June 2009).

We've had some changes around the Village in the past two years. But some things stay the same.

Winter coming on

2007-11-22-dscn1471 Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

The berries are coming out around Colonial Village

30 Years ago...

Just over 30 years ago, on October 14, 1977, Mobile Corp. purchased the Colonial Village complex from the original developer, Gustave Ring. Colonial Village was all rentals at the time and a two bedroom unit rented for $210 and a one bedroom for $160.

A Happy Fourth of July!

The fireworks on the National Mall are easily visible from near Colonial Village. A short walk over to the Marine Corps Memorial provides one of the best views of the show. Even just stepping out on to Wilson Blvd. will provide flashes of fireworks over the Washington Monument. One drawback to being so close is that residents run the risk of not finding parking if they leave during the day and come back before the end of the fireworks. Summer also brings botanical fireworks to the grounds of Colonial Village!

At the movies!

Long term residents of Colonial Village probably remember the Wilson Theatre at 1720 Wilson Blvd. The theatre, which seated over 600, closed in 1978, but later saw a brief revivial showing Bollywood films in the 1980s. In June 1939, the Wilson was presenting Richard Dix in "Man of Conquest". Today, of course, we have the nearby, not not nearly as convenient, AMC Courthouse 8 at the Courthouse Metro. The multiplex probably seats as many people (or more) than the old Wilson Theatre and offers more choices, but whether the movies themselves are better ... well ... that's a matter of taste! See a bit more information on the Wilson Theatre at Cinema Treasures.

Only Connect ...

The Washington Post today (June 3) had an interesting article on neighborhood blogging, "Blogging on the Block". The Post interviewed a number of local neighborhood bloggers to see how and why they started, the type of material that they covered and other such topics. The thing that most interested me about the article was the following quote:

Want to vent? Make a community connection? Or even, dare we say it, make a difference? Neighborhood blogs -- an ever-evolving mix of journaling and journalism -- are an increasingly popular forum for helpful, often constructive discussions of the uber-local sort.

In Colonial Village where many of the residents work odd hours or just don't run into each other often, new tools such as blogs, listservs, webpages, allow them to connect in new and better ways. So just as a reminder, don't forget that you can find out more about - and connect to - our community at the following spots:

• Colonial Village I
• Colonial Village II
• Colonial Village III
• Yahoo Groups: Colonial Village

As Evelyn Waugh enjoined at the start of his great novel - Howards End (1910) - "Only connect ..."

Gustave Ring (1910-1983)

Twenty-four years ago this month, on May 3, Gustave Ring died. Ring, as many Colonial Village residents know, is responsible for the creation of our community. In 1935, Ring was already a noted developer in the Washington area when he came up with the innovative idea of a large complex of garden apartments in Arlington. Funded through the Federal Housing Administration, Colonial Village's eventual 1,052 units was a model development in both the Washington area and the country. Ring created a number of other developments, including the Ring Buliding (in Washington) and the Woodmont Country Club. In addition to his career as a builder and real estate developer, Ring kept a thoroughbred racing stable.

Colonial Village continued to hold an important place in Ring's portfolio until 1977 when he sold it to Mobil Corporation. It was this sale, and the eventual designation of Colonial Village as Arlington County Landmark and entry on the National Register of Historic Places, that led to the formation of our three condominium associations, the co-operative, and the two rental organizations.

Colonial Village Magnolias

One of the great pleasures of Colonial Village is the flowering of the magnolia trees (primarily Magnolia grandiflora though there are a few other varieties around) scattered around the grounds. Late spring and early summer see the grounds decked with the magnificent blooms; later, as the blossoms mature, the cones form and soon the ruby red seeds begin to pop out of the cones.

A look back to cooler days!

May 26, 2007 As we hit our first 90 degree day of 2007, I thought I'd give us a little cooling relief with a picture from around Colonial Village from January 2005 when things were a little chillier!