Fall 2022 Issue of Ripples

Lakeport News

Helpful Information

Neighborhood Watch
Reminders for Fall in Lakeport
Fall Home Maintenance Checklist
Lakeport Governance/Management
Ripples Recipe: Eve’s Delight – Jeannette Malin-Berdel

In my last column, I mentioned that I had been heavily involved in the care of my hospitalized older brother throughout the summer. Sadly for us but a blessing for him, he died on the morning of November 12, and the next day we received word that a beloved cousin in New York had been found dead in his home by his sister. In the span of 24 hours, two people who had been fixtures of my entire life are no longer here, prompting some serious reflection on my part about values, family, and priorities.

I won’t burden you, dear readers, with the results of my musings, but I do want to share with you a central takeaway, which is my message to you this holiday season. It is not profound, and we have all heard it many times before, but this year the truth of it rings much louder to me: Life is short (even when it isn’t). People and relationships are what matter. If there are those in your life from whom you have become estranged or simply drifted away, this is a good time to reach out because if you wait, you may miss your chance.

An old poem I encountered many years ago makes the point as well as it can be made:

Around the corner I have a friend,

In this great city that has no end;

Yet days go by, and weeks rush on,

And before I know it, a year is gone,

And I never see my old friend's face,

For Life is a swift and terrible race.

He knows I like him just as well

As in the days when I rang his bell

And he rang mine. We were younger then,

And now we are busy, tired men:

Tired with playing a foolish game,

Tired with trying to make a name.

"Tomorrow," I say, "I will call on Jim,

Just to show that I'm thinking of him."

But tomorrow comes--and tomorrow goes,

And the distances between us grows and grows.

Around the corner!--yet miles away . . .

"Here's a telegram, sir . . ."

"Jim died today."

And that's what we get, and deserve in the end:

Around the corner, a vanished friend.

“Around the Corner”

By Charles Hanson Towne

If you have comments about this issue of Ripples and/or would like to submit an item for our Winter issue, please email me at ssapp@miami.edu.

From the President

By Chuck Foster

As I sit down to write this letter, I have two dominant thoughts: “Change” and “Community Spirit.”

Change

It is amazing to see the change going on around us. Consider some examples. The middle school kids are once again flocking to the shopping center after school. Rush hour traffic has returned to Sunrise Valley Drive. The Lake Thoreau pool is under renovation. The extension of the Metro Silver Line just opened. There is major new construction at the Wiehle Metro Station area. Trash trucks are entering Lakeport Cluster only one day per week. A drive-through fast-food restaurant plans to open in the old SunTrust Bank building. The South Lakes Village Center has taken on a new color scheme and is hosting a new haircut salon. High school sports returned to full schedules in crowded stadiums. For me, these changes mean progress and exciting times.

Community Spirit

I am very grateful to live in a community that comprises so many people that volunteer their time to making Lakeport a great place to live. Think of all the community-supporting committees we have: Landscaping, Maintenance, Social, Neighborhood Watch, and Standards. And our communications team publishes our quarterly newsletter and maintains our website and electronic files. Also, don’t overlook our Book Club, which attracts the literary scholars of the neighborhood (as well as folks who just enjoy reading and socializing).

Consider also that within the last two months, we enjoyed “I Love Lakeport Day,” a TGIF social, and the annual Halloween Parade (see articles about them elsewhere in this publication). In addition, we completed a major storm-water mitigation project, a significant landscaping makeover at the south end of Lakeport Way, and new trees and seedlings in natural areas. And, thankfully, some folks have stepped up to fill vacant seats on the Board of Directors. In my mind, Lakeport Cluster drips with community spirit, which has not been the case in the other places I have lived. One definition of the word “spirit” is “those qualities regarded as forming the definitive or typical elements in the character of a person,” or in our case, “of a community.” How appropriate!

Landscape Committee

By Mary Sapp

Lakeport’s Fall Workday. Over 20 residents turned out on “I Love Lakeport Day” to haul a dozen dead trees cut down by Rich Shelton and Tod Vollrath plus other brush in Lakeport’s natural areas to a pile on Lakespray so Blade Runners could haul it away. In addition, the bushes next to 11110 Lakespray were trimmed in preparation for the storm-water mitigation project described below, and ferns were transplanted from between the RA path to the pool and Sunrise Valley Drive. As a result, Lakeport’s natural areas now look much better.

New landscaping near the Safeway sidewalk. During the past year almost all the bushes planted a couple of years ago at the south end of the area between Lakeport Way and the RA path that leads to South Lakes Village had died (including some replacement plants installed last spring). After considering several options, the decision was made to switch to something that wouldn’t have to be replaced in the future or need much maintenance or watering once it was established. Five large landscape boulders were installed by Meadows Farms, and almost 500 liriope spicata (which are evergreen, flowering, and most importantly “indestructible”) were planted by volunteers, which saved half the cost of the project. The three remaining live bushes were transplanted into the north section of the median to replace dead bushes there. Please avoid walking on this new liriope and instead use the RA path or the steppers.

Trees. Meadows Farms installed an emerald green arborvitae across from 1999 as a replacement for the huge willow oak that was removed earlier this year and that had grown too large for the enclosed area where it had been planted. They also planted a rhododendron next to the turn-around on Lakespray as well as a red maple, American holly, and witch hazel between back fences of Lakeport and Lakespray homes. The latter are part of the Landscape Committee’s effort to replace trees that have been dying in these areas. Still to be done are the removal of a large red oak behind 11108 Lakespray that was deemed a hazard due to decline and a dying spruce behind 11120 Lakespray, and their replacement by an American hornbeam and a green giant arborvitae, respectively.

In addition, volunteers planted free seedlings from https://fairfaxreleaf.org/ as replacements for three trees in the wooded areas next to Lakespray and seedlings for six more trees and nine shrubs between fences behind Lakeport and Lakespray. As the photo to the right shows, these seedlings are very small and hard to see, especially amid the leaves, but they’ve been marked with yellow or pink ribbons. Please look carefully if you walk in one of these two areas and avoid damaging them.

Stormwater mitigation. A new stormwater damage project was installed this fall consisting of two biologs donated by Reston Association (as they did with biologs used to retain the shoreline to the right of the dock). Native plants were put in behind the biologs to trap water running down the hill, and two catch basins were installed uphill from the biologs to redirect uphill water that had been eroding both common and private property. Lakeport received a Conservation Assistance Program grant from the Northern Virginia Soil & Water Conservation District that paid for 80% of the cost of this project.

Social Committee

By Shelby Friedel

Social events in Lakeport started up again this fall after a lull due to the Covid pandemic.

The fall calendar of events began with a dock party as part of I Love Lakeport Day (see separate Ripples article for a fuller report as well as photos)

That was followed by our first TGIF in a while, hosted by Jeannette Malin-Berdel and Joerg Dronia.

We also had another great Halloween here in Lakeport! The weather proved to be very spooky, providing us with a bit of rain to add to the ambiance, but we were lucky to have it clear up just in time for the parade. We were joined by neighbors and creatures of all ages! There was lots of candy and treats to be had as the neighborhood celebrated! Thanks to everyone who came out.

I Love Lakeport Day

"I Love Lakeport Day" was a big success. The morning was devoted to the Fall Workday that included several landscape projects involving around two dozen residents who cut down a dozen dead trees in wooded areas between the backs of Lakeport and Lakespray homes and along Lakespray Way and then created a huge pile of logs and brush that Blade Runners hauled away two days later. Note: The long logs have been cut into “fireplace size” pieces and some of those are still there—if you’d like some free firewood, please feel free to help yourself. Volunteers also trimmed overgrown bushes next to 11110 Lakespray Way in preparation for the recent storm water mitigation project and transplanted ferns from between the RA path and Sunrise Valley Drive, where they were being overgrown.

Later in the day, the community enjoyed a dock party. Over 50 residents turned out for the event. The adults enjoyed the opportunity to visit with neighbors they already knew and to make new friends, and the kids had fun with the chalk, bubbles, and rock painting. Many thanks to Shelby Friedel for organizing the event and to those who grilled and contributed side dishes and desserts.

Book Club

By Barbara Khan, Coordinator

Want to join some of your neighbors and talk about a good book? Lakeport has an informal book club that is always open to new members. No master’s degree in literature is required (not even a bachelor’s!), and no grades are given. Just read the assigned book and show up for a lively, lighthearted discussion. We usually meet monthly on the third Monday evening from 7:00 p.m. to 8-ish, either rotating among members’ homes or, in comfortable weather, taking advantage of our beautiful Lakeport setting to meet earlier (5:00) outside in Triangle Park.

Here is the upcoming selection for December (note change from third Monday of the month to accommodate the holidays):

End of Year 2022

Book: The Island of Sea Women, by Lisa See

Date: Monday, December 12

Time: 5:00 PM

Where: Linda Rosenberg’s house, 1915 Lakeport

Thanks to Our Volunteers

Please be sure to thank your neighbors for their efforts to make Lakeport a better place for all of us to live. If you want to volunteer, let the Board or a committee chair know—it’s a great way to get to meet your neighbors and to contribute to your community.

Landscape Projects

Mary Sapp (chair), Steven Browning, Don Nagley, Elizabeth Pan, and Rosemary Welch – serving on the Landscape Committee
I Love Lakeport Day volunteers:

Rich Shelton and Tod Vollrath – cutting down a dozen dead trees in the wooded areas between the backs of Lakeport and Lakespray homes and along Lakespray Way
Kristen Bobik; Steven Browning; Stephen Chase; John Fitzgerald; Henryk Gorski; Pete Hatfield; James Pan; Barbara Pavon; Gail Pitches; Mary, Stephen, Beckett, and Lowell Sapp; Jennifer, Gregory, and Robert Taylor; Bo Yang – dragging sections of cut trees plus a lot of brush to a pile on Lakespray Way, which was removed by Blade Runners
Reyna Geddes and Elizabeth Pan – trimming bushes next to 11110 Lakespray Way in preparation for an upcoming storm water mitigation project
Donald Nagley – transplanting ferns from between the RA path and Sunrise Valley Drive, where they were being overgrown

Steven Browning, Kevin Burke, Reyna Geddes, Don Nagley, Elizabeth Pan, Mary Sapp, Stephen Sapp, and Rosemary Welch – planting liriope near Safeway sidewalk
Gil Blankespoor and Rosemary Welch – watering liriope
Steven Browning, Elizabeth Pan, Mary Sapp, Stephen Sapp – planting 9 tree and 9 shrub seedlings in natural areas
Steve Jones and Steven Browning – watering new plants and grass in biolog storm-water-mitigation project

Social

Shelby Friedel – chairing the Social Committee
Carol Leos – welcoming new residents
Dock party

Shelby Friedel – organizing
Joe Powers, Paul Renard (using Jerry Beiter’s grill), and Steve Chase – grilling hamburgers and hot dogs
Jeannette Malin-Berdel and Joerg Dronia – providing the tables and benches

Jeannette Malin-Berdel and Joerg Dronia – hosting the October TGIF
Halloween Parade

Katie Jones – organizing
those who hosted fire pits and other gatherings of their neighbors

Maintenance

Paul Renard – chairing the Maintenance Committee

Standards

Rich Rosenberg –chairing the Standards Committee

Other

Barbara Khan – coordinating the Lakeport Book Club
James Pan – chairing Neighborhood Watch
Tom Barnett – maintaining Lakeport’s online directory and listserv for announcements and posting Ripples
Stephen Sapp – editing Ripples

Neighborhood Watch

By James Pan

An incident involving strangers peering into homes on Lakespray Way the night before Halloween has made a number of Lakeport residents more conscious of the need to improve their home security. This article describes steps you can take to improve your security (note that items linked below are not recommendations of specific products but rather are examples of the types of equipment recommended to enhance the security of your home).

1) Ring or Nest Doorbells and Internet-based Cameras:

https://www.amazon.com/Ring-Video-Doorbell-Satin-Nickel-2020-Release/dp/B08N5NQ869/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1QP7L94YKLWPL&keywords=ring+doorbell&qid=1668117331&sprefix=ring%2Caps%2C79&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Google-GWX3T-Nest-Doorbell-Battery/dp/B09FCLPLWX/ref=sr_1_2?crid=37EHL5JRII1S1&keywords=nest+doorbell+camera&qid=1668117391&sprefix=nest+doorb%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

https://www.amazon.com/Nest-Cam-Indoor-Wired-Snow/dp/B09J6Y8Y73/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2FZ87BDKXGP10&keywords=nest+camera+outdoor&qid=1668117418&sprefix=nest+camera%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

2) Exterior Motion Lights

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1obTtjZk_isundxaUChTjHNcHQAnydzQT/view

3) Self-locking Doorknobs

https://www.amazon.com/Keyless-Anti-Slip-Waterproof-Electronic-Installation/dp/B097XXTRF2/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1M3Q45D3F665W&keywords=self+locking+doorknob&qid=1668117581&sprefix=self+locking+doorkn%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-5

4) Exterior Security Alert Yard Signs

https://www.amazon.com/Property-Under-24-Hour-Surveillance-Sign/dp/B07L13WY8J/ref=sr_1_14?crid=2KLIZ62Z4LHTD&keywords=exterior+yard+security+sign&qid=1668117663&sprefix=exterior+yard+security+sign%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-14

As always, if you hear or see something suspicious, call 911. If you are concerned someone is breaking into your home, call 911 and secure yourself in your bedroom. If you can access your car alarm from your bedroom, activate it— the noise will call attention to your unit.

Reminders for Fall in Lakeport

Improve Lighting in Lakeport: As the days continue to grow shorter, it is increasingly important to turn on your outdoor lights at night, and if they are on timers, to adjust the time they come on. A well-lit community is one of the most basic measures we can take to ensure the safety of our residents and the security of our property. One way to further the goal of safe lighting is for residents to leave their exterior lights on at night, especially those in units with post lights, which according to long-time Lakeport residents used to be standard practice. This is of course voluntary but doing this one small thing would be a gracious contribution to the overall safety and attractiveness of our community.

Drive Slowly: Neighborhood kids continue to be outside even as the weather turns colder, playing on sidewalks and in the streets. Please remember to drive slowly and keep your eyes out for children (and other pedestrians).

Lock your cars: If you park your car outside, be sure to lock it and do not leave valuables visible, especially at night. Also remind guests to do the same.

Report Suspicious Activity: If you see suspicious activity, don’t confront anybody but instead call the Fairfax County Police non-emergency number, 703-691-2131 (use this number also to report vandalism or any other crime that has already occurred). The police request that even if you just have a “gut feeling” something is wrong, please notify them with as many details as possible. It is helpful if you can also take photos unobtrusively. Police will be dispatched (or you may be able to provide a report over the phone). Also notify Lakeport’s Neighborhood Watch coordinator James Pan at jpamco@gmail.com. Please pay special attention to suspicious activity or sounds near the Lakeport dock, in the woods, or at night.

Maintenance Resources: Be sure to review the Preventive Maintenance Checklist for Fall in this issue for smaller maintenance projects that could save you major expenses and headaches in the future. And remember that RA has arranged with Sherwin-Williams for a discount of 30% to 40% off paints and stains (exterior and interior) and 15% off paint supplies at Sherwin-Williams store #3385, located at 495A Elden Street in Herndon (703-471-1484). If you want to take advantage of the discount, the code is 2214-8496-7.

Washington Consumer Checkbook is a publication, now available online (www.checkbook.org), that offers a huge user-friendly database of reviews of many types of local service providers, along with high-quality advice about how to approach selecting and working with them.

Composting. If you are tired of smelly garbage cans and want to reduce the amount of garbage you send to the dump, consider signing up for the compost pickup service offered by Veteran Compost DC–From Combat to Compost, which will turn your food scraps into high-quality compost. The company provides a bin, which has a sealing mechanism that is effective at trapping odors inside and is picked up and replaced once a week with a clean bin (currently on Fridays). The group rate for residents of Lakeport is $25 per month. For more information, see https://veterancompostindc.com/ or email Fritz C. Gottschalk (US Army, retired) at Fritz@veterancompost.com.

Help Keep Our Community Clean and Beautiful: Please contribute to the appearance of our community by picking up trash anywhere you see it while you’re out walking and enjoying nature in Lakeport (and elsewhere).

Geese: We continue to experience problems with goose poop on our dock. Please don’t feed the geese (not only does this attract them, it’s not healthy for them), but do feel free to shoo them off the dock (just be sure not to harm them or allow them to attack you—we just want to make their time on our dock unpleasant enough that they will choose to hang out somewhere else!).

Never Again Be Late Paying Your Quarterly Assessment: If you’ve been contacted by the Board for not paying your assessment as the end of the month nears (or even if you haven’t), please consider paying your quarterly assessments by direct debit through your bank instead of mailing a check or paying on TownSq (which incurs an extra fee). Doing so means that you never have to worry about incurring late fees because you forgot to make the payment (currently $25 plus the charge from SCS for sending the letter). Alternatively, you can pay the entire assessment at the beginning of the year. Either approach means the Board doesn’t have to spend time contacting you or pay SCS for mailing quarterly statements to owners who have not set up direct debit or prepaid (the cost to Lakeport recently was around $540). A third option for avoiding late fees (but you’ll still get a quarterly statement) is to use your bank’s electronic bill-pay option to set up recurring checks. For information about any of these three options and for mailing checks, go to https://www.lakeportcluster.org/p/hoa-fee-payments-lakeport-cluster-hoa.html.

Update Your Contact Information: Please go to the Lakeport Directory https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lQmLFN8lmLdfoXajXB-j2ad5whVDsmO9/view) and check the contact information listed there for you. If a correction is needed, either 1) send an email to webmaster@lakeportcluster.org and copy along@scs-management.com or 2) fill out the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFILfWGBoWIgWlBPSQmIKj4kIX0kPA7XsRjnsaOsNXuvVSkw/viewform. Contact the Webmaster if you do not have the password. If your home has renters, please ask them to fill out the form to be listed in the directory. Remember also that if you need to contact a neighbor or just remember someone’s name you have forgotten, you can always check this directory.

Fall Maintenance Checklist

Important note: If you are addressing issues with the exterior of your home, please consult the Lakeport Design Standards and remember that you may have to seek approval from Reston Association’s Design Review Board.

Homes in Lakeport Cluster, which are now more than 30 years old, are unique in several ways. This checklist is designed with Lakeport homes in mind, and these suggestions may help to reduce major repairs in the future. If you think you have a problem, however, we urge you to seek advice from a licensed and insured contractor or other service professional.

Outdoor Checklist

Although the cluster’s landscaping contractor takes care of common areas, our own driveways, yards, and other areas are our responsibility. Residents should not dump what they collect into the wooded common areas or on the street. Instead, they should dispose of leaves and other debris from yards (e.g., fallen branches, dead outdoor potted annuals), patios, driveways, decks, and entranceways by placing them in large compostable paper yard-waste bags available at home improvement stores and Costco. Pickup for yard waste is Thursdays.
Turn off the valves of the water lines to outdoor spigots. Typically (but not always), the valves are located in the same room as the hot water heater. After turning off the water, open the outdoor spigot to drain the line so that there is no water in the line to freeze over the winter.
Fire-retardant plywood roof sheathing must be replaced if the material degrades due to high attic temperatures, which can cause it to fail to retard the spread of fire.
Check wood siding and trim for signs of splintering, deterioration, softness, green mildew, or other discoloration. These are indicative of potential wood damage. Replace damaged siding and trim following Cluster standards for material and color. In the case of mildew or discoloration, ask a home improvement provider to suggest the appropriate cleaner to preserve the wood.
Gutters, particularly those that are beneath a tree, may experience two problems: In the fall especially, the gutters easily become clogged, and/or any time of year, the spikes that attach them to the house may be pulling away. When a gutter is not working properly, you’ll often see staining on the vertical wall below the gutter. Fixing the first problem is easy – have your gutters cleaned. Even if you don’t have a tree nearby and even if you have something like Gutter Helmet or a strainer screen over them, gutters can still fill up with cinders washed down from your shingles over time.
Gutters that are not slanted properly toward the downspout can put a lot of weight on the gutter, leading to the second problem. If you see gutter spikes coming loose, you can just drive them back in, which may hold for a while. However, there’s a better, longer-term, inexpensive solution. Home Depot sells long gutter screws that can replace failing gutter spikes. They go through a ferrule (a sleeve that keeps the screw from compressing the gutter itself) and screw into the wood behind the gutter. These are far more secure in the long run.

Indoor Checklist

Homeowners should check and if necessary replace gasket/pressure regulators in bathtubs and showers (including the overflow) to avoid flooding from a leak.
Be sure to replace or clean your HVAC filter regularly.
Periodically remove screens and tighten the four Phillips screws for casement windows shown in the photo. This keeps windows operating well, especially if they don’t seem to close all the way from time to time.

Lakeport Governance/Management

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chuck Foster - President & Treasurer

Jen Walter - Secretary

Rich Rosenberg - Vice President

Jeannette Malin-Berdel - Vice President

Rich Kolko - Vice President

Contact the board via email: Board@lakeportcluster.org

What Residents and Board Can Expect

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Landscape Committee – Mary Sapp

Landscape Charter

Maintenance Committee – Paul Renard

Maintenance Charter

Neighborhood Watch Committee – James Pan

Neighborhood Watch Charter

Social Committee – Shelby Friedel

Social Committee Charter

Architectural Standards Committee - Richard Rosenberg

Standards Committee Charter

OTHER VOLUNTEERS

Webmaster and Listserv Administrator – Tom Barnett

Editor for Ripples, community newsletter – Stephen Sapp

Book Club Coordinator – Barbara Khan

Fill doggie-bag stations – Kevin Burke and Steven Browning

Keep community dock clean – Paul Renard

SELECT COMMUNITY SERVICES

Portfolio Manager: Alexandra "Ali" Long

Email: along@scs-management.com

Direct: (703) 230-8725

Fax: (703) 266-2804

PO Box 221350

Chantilly, VA 20153

Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.mm, Friday 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Website: https://app.townsq.io/login

RESTON ASSOCIATION

Genesis Fonseca

Covenants Advisor

phone: 703-435-6506

genesis@reston.org

https://www.reston.org/

Ripples Recipe — Eve’s Delight

By Jeannette Malin-Berdel

Eve’s Delight

2 bags of frozen raspberries
Cinnamon
1 container whole milk plain yogurt (ca 500 g)
1 container heavy whipping cream (ca 500 g), whipped
1 package of vanilla pudding
Zest of half a lemon
1 package of vanilla sugar (or simply add a little vanilla extract)
Tiny bit of salt
Brown sugar

Spread the frozen raspberries in the bottom of a suitable dish and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
Beat the heavy whipping cream.
Mix the yogurt with the vanilla pudding, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla sugar.
Then add the whipped cream, stirring it all together.
Put this mixture over the raspberries.

Can stay in the refrigerator like that for up to eight hours.
Before serving sprinkle brown sugar on top through a sieve.

To scale this recipe, always use the same relative amounts of cream, yogurt, and raspberries. It can easily be prepared for 8 to10 servings, as indicated, or for 100 guests within half an hour.

Bon appétit!! Jeannette