The Buckingham Herald Tribblog

Well, I am back to teaching, and I must say this working stuff stinks. I much prefer sabbatical, but what is one to do?

The other, rather unexpected, twist to this hiatus was that I am, no longer, a Buckinghamster.

I am now an Arlington Forester. This is my fourth home in Arlington since moving here in 1995, and moving into this house close to the Lubber Run Amphitheatre was the greatest distance I have moved: six blocks. Actually, the apartment that my wife and I first rented is about halfway in between here and the house we just left. We love this area, and now we have a garage. Honestly, we would have stayed in Buckingham, but there are just not that many single-family homes that become available, so we had to change neighborhoods.

People who know of the move have asked if I am changing this site, and I have said no. I have covered many issues of interest both to Buckinghamsters and Foresters, so I will continue along that vein. Now it is just a little longer walk to get to some of the best parts of Buckingham.

I am changing my main posting day from Wednesdays to Fridays, or maybe Saturdays. And I still have a lot of work to make up at my day job—not the least of which is a report on my sabbatical project (also known as The Buckingham HeraldTrib). I am tempted to email a link of the site to the muckitymucks and call it a day, but I might find myself on permanent sabbatical after that.

Despite being in our new house, we still have not sold our other house, and boy do we want to!

So, for the first time in the more-than-two-year history of the Buckingham HeraldTrib, I am running an ad, my own:

--Advertisement--
Three-level, three bedroom, two-full-bath townhouse in north Arlington. A nice walk to the Ballston Metro, on many bus routes, and a scant five minute drive to the Washington Monument (you can actually see the July 4 fireworks from the bridge over Arlington Boulevard a half block from the house). Walkable to everything you need: post office, salons, dry cleaning, groceries, pharmacy, restaurants, shops! Our community center has an exercise room and a party/meeting room.

TONS OF STORAGE SPACE, washer/dryer and deep freezer included.

The fenced-in, private, back patio, shaded by mature oaks, opens onto a one-third-acre back courtyard (these open grassy spaces are what make Buckingham, Buckingham). We taught our kids to ride their bikes on the sidewalk that encircles that courtyard, and have played many games of croquet and bocce out there, too.

Renovations: both bathrooms were renovated recently and have very new fixtures and modern looks. The dining and living room sport newly refinished hardwood flooring (the original parquet from the 1930s!). The stairs to the top floor and all three bedrooms have brand new carpeting. The kitchen floor is also new. New paint just about everywhere.

THIS PLACE IS MOVE-IN READY.

Arlington Oaks Condominium Association. $482,500. The $449 monthly association fees (one of the lowest in Arlington) covers, water, heat, outside maintenance and repairs as well as many inside repairs and needs.

For the full listing and to contact my agent, click here.
--Advertisement over--

Between house sales and moves, and a report that must be written, I am not exactly sure how regularly I will be posting to the site over the next month or two. After that, about the time of the holidays, I expect to be a little more operational (next summer, I am hoping to have interns!).

For now, I have but one piece to set your blood to boiling:

As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).

Today's Headlines:

Who Needs More Mavericks?

Labels: arlington forest, arlington oaks, Buckingham, realty, sales, townhouse

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 9:32 AM 0 comments

A yearling buck, its antlers still covered with velvet, rested in an Arlington Oaks backyard this morning, about 7:15.

The deer was spotted by teen Oaks resident Nick Serene, and he pointed it out to others, including me.

“We do definitely have deer here in Arlington," said Rachael Tolman, a naturalist at the county's Long Branch Nature Center. She added later that deer are not terribly prevalent, but “They’re not uncommon.”

Ms. Tolman said the deer like to eat day lilies planted in yards. “They aren’t strangers to neighborhoods," she said.

They are more prevalent in parks, golf courses and along the George Washington Parkway in Arlington, and they will travel through connected open spaces. A half-mile trot from Lubber Run Park to Arlington Oaks is very little for a deer, she said.

The yearling rested for a few minutes, but the attention kept it from resting too long.

Since deer are prey animals they tend to be skittish, Ms. Tolman said. Some do not mind the attention from humans, while others do.

This is another reason to drive the speed limit in neighborhoods and to keep a lookout especially around dusk and dawn, she said.

“Typically it’s the first thing in the morning or around sunset,” that they're most active. At that time of day they can be hardest to see, as well, she said.

The Arlington Oaks Condominium runs on each side of N. George Mason Drive between Arlington Boulevard and N. Pershing Drive. Bethel United Church of Christ is at 4347 N. Arlington Boulevard.

Labels: arlington oaks, deer, environment

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 8:12 AM 0 comments