Gazseniors mc 072413

2 Gazette SENIORS | July 2013

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July 2013 | Gazette SENIORS 3

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GAZETTE

SENIORSEditors

Graphic Design

Contributing Writers

Corporate Advertising Director

Advertising Director

Prepress Manager

Special Sections Coordinator

Kimberly Bamber, Anna Joyce

Anna Joyce

Karen Finucan ClarksonEllen CohenScott HarrisArlene KaridisJim Mahaffie

Dennis Wilston

Neil Burkinshaw

John Schmitz

Ashby Rice

PUBLISHED BY THE GAZETTE/POST-NEWSWEEK MEDIA, INC.9030 COMPRINT COURT, GAITHERSBURG, MD 20877

Gazette Seniors is produced by The Gazette’s Special Sections and Advertisingdepartments. It does not involve The Gazette’s newsrooms.

ON THE COVER: Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters plays in theBlues Tent at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Courtesy of Jim Mahaffie. Inset photocourtesy of Paul Goss.

BY KAREN FINUCAN CLARKSON

“A braham Lincoln, JeffersonDavis and the EmancipationProclamation—that’s the ex-tent of most people’s knowl-

edge of the CivilWar.We open their eyes byexposing them to the life of the commonsoldier,” said Paul Goss of Fairfax,Va., “andwe do it from the perspective of North andSouth.After all, we’re all Americans.”

Goss, 70, who has participated in CivilWar reenactments for 18 years, is with Com-pany D of the 17thVirginia Infantry Regi-ment, also known as the Fairfax Rifles. Butthese days, Goss spends as much time doingschool and museum events as he does camp-ing out on a battlefield. “The enjoymentcomes frommeeting the peoplewho comeupto you afterwards and talking with them. I getreal satisfaction from educating them aboutlife in 19th century. Yes, there’s a lot of minu-tiae, but that’s what it was like.”

That minutiae, along with the clamor andfury of firearms, artillery and cavalry, was ondisplay earlier this month when Goss and hiscompany, along with an estimated 10,000participants, settled in for reenactments atthe Battle of Gettysburg sesquicentennial. Aseries of commemorative events will takeplace over the next two years, culminatingwith the 150th anniversary of the surrender atAppomattox inApril 2015.

While the Civil War sesquicentennialhas garnered much attention, historic reen-actments have been a popular pastime fordecades. For the past 24 years on the firstSunday of each month,April through Octo-ber, Hugh Clayton, dressed in uniform, hasfired CivilWar-era artillery at FortWashing-ton Park in Prince George’s County. “Thehouse band,” is how he described the Na-tional Park Service’s FortWashington Guard,whose members come from Company D ofthe 1st U.S.Artillery. Clayton, a 54-year-oldGaithersburg resident, is on a first-name basis

with “Joseph,” a 6-pound fieldgun, and “Molly,” a 12-poundmountain howitzer. “It’s greatfun and very educational,” he said.“But it’s got to be something that’sin your heart, something you’rewilling to put time and effort into.There’s satisfaction at the end of theday when you’ve done a good joband helped educate people.”

Having spent four years re-searching the life and times of Dr.Edward Stonestreet, a Civil Warsurgeon, Clarence Hickey holds of-fice hours the second Sunday of themonth at the Stonestreet Museumof 19th Century Medicine, on thegrounds of the historicBeall-DawsonHouse in Rockville.As a first-personinterpreter,Hickey uses Stonestreet’spersona to “put forth the facts andbust the myths” associated with CivilWar-era medicine. Hickey also takes


SIGN ME UP

ddataid.hat’su’reinto.of thed job

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(RE)LIVING HISTORY

u Seniors Teach and Learn by Reenacting

COURTESY OF CHARLES (BEN) HAWLEY

Charles (Ben) Hawley of SilverSpring joined the Washington,D.C.-based 54th MassachusettsVolunteer Infantry Regiment in1991. Today, he focuses on

reenactments at school events.

COURTESY OF PAUL GOSS

Paul Goss shows miniballs tovisitors during a living history

event in Fairfax Station, Va. Goss,70, who has been a reenactor for18 years, focuses on school and

museum events.

ABOVE, RIGHT BY AL LAOANG, COURTESY OF THEMONTGOMERY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Clarence Hickey, above and right,adopts Dr. Edward Stonestreet’spersona at the historic Beall-Dawson House in Rockville.

Above, he 'treats' a mannequin.


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Stonestreet on the road, dressing in periodattire and speaking in character to school andcommunity groups.“I find that the doctor isboth entertainment and education, whichI don’t mind as long as I’m able to teachsomething about history.”

While love of history and a desireto share their knowledge with others unitemany reenactors and interpreters, other rea-sons also compel older adults to relive thepast. For Charles (Ben) Hawley of SilverSpring, it was an opportunity to honor hisancestry. “My great-great-great-grandfatherwas in the 29th Connecticut Colored Regi-ment,” he said.After joining theWashington,D.C.-based 54th Massachusetts VolunteerInfantry Regiment in 1991, Hawley foundhis curiosity about his roots deepening. Heeventually became “the amateur genealo-gist for the family.” His great-great-great-

grandfather had 17 children. “I’ve taken iton myself to connect all these people, about10 families already.”Today,Hawley limits hisactivities to school events—“There’s somuchwe don’t know about black history, so manystories left untold”—and marching. “At 72,I’m kind of old to be sleeping on the ground.I was, however, in the most recent inauguralparade and the one the time before.”

With relatives “that served in everymajorwar in American history,” Bob Brewer grewup knowing he had “both Union and Con-federate ancestors who more or less facedeach other in the CivilWar.”That history isin his blood and, like Hawley, Brewer looksat his participation in living history events—“not reenactment shoot-’em-ups”—as awayof paying tribute. “The group I belong to ishighly authentic....We’re the go-to group for

COURTESY OF JANET WILSON MCKEE

Janet Wilson McKee, a volunteer with the Montgomery County HistoricalSociety, makes bobbin lace at the Colonial Market Fair at the Benjamin

Banneker Historical Park & Museum in Catonsville.

See REENACT, 24


SIGN ME UP

BY JIM MAHAFFIE

W ant to play some golf, enjoy goodcompany and have a lot of fundoing it? Consider one of themany golf leagues in the area.

The Montgomery CountyRevenue Authority, a public

corporation, manages the county’s golf course sys-tem, which is comprised of nine courses.There areleagues at all courses organized by the individualswho play in the leagues, according to Director ofGolf Operations Wayne Rohauer. “From openinguntil noon on weekdays, at least 60 to 70 percent ofthe golfers are seniors,” he said.“It’s a big part of ourearly weekday business.”

While harder courses with hillier terrain may notbe as popular with seniors, Falls Road Golf Coursein Potomac is easier and more appreciated by older

golfers, said General Manager and Director of In-struction Mike Kenny. A ladies league, the EarlyBirdies, tees off on the back nine at 7 a.m. at the FallsRoad course every Monday, April through October.“There is no age cutoff for us, but you could prob-ably describe us as mostly ‘senior lady golfers,’” saidSharon Cayelli of Potomac, Early Birdies member-ship chair. “We limit our membership to 60 ladiesand often we have a waiting list.”The group has beenin existence for about 40 years.

“I was ‘starter’ this morning in charge of orga-nizing the ladies into foursomes as they showed upto play,” said Cayelli on a recent June morning. “Wehad 42 Early Birdies there and at least half of themwere waiting for the front desk to open at 6:30 a.m.We live up to our name!”

The Rattlewood and Laytonsville golf cours-es, said Rohauer, are popular for senior play, too.“They’re more friendly as far as design—shorter,

TEEING IT UPu Get into the swing of things with area golf leagues

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUE MASH GOLF COURSE

PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIRFAX COUNTY PARK AUTHORITY AND DON SWEENEY

Twin Lakes offerstwo courses inClifton and is a

favorite venue forleague play for all ages

in Northern Virginia.

Blue Mash Golf Course in Laytonsvilleopened in 2001. An evening men’s

league plays there regularly.

more open and a little flatter. Northwest is lon-ger, though it has popular senior leagues. Lowerhandicaps like that challenge, but older playersmay not,” said Rohauer.

Peter Furey, manager of the Fairfax CountyPark Authority’s Golf Enterprises, oversees thegolf program at the county’s courses. “We havesenior leagues at all our courses except at LaurelHill, which has a higher price point and is ourhigher-end course with a lot more outings and amembership component.”

At the other seven courses, he said, the parkauthority commits a day of the week to seniorleagues. “It’s usually all theirs in the mornings,”said Furey. As in Montgomery County, leaguesare self-managed by volunteers within each group,and leagues elect their own officers and have theirown bylaws.They have ladies groups at just aboutevery golf course, too, according to Furey.

“We work with leagues extensively, giving them(bulletin) board space in clubhouses and a handi-capping program,” said Furey. Each league hasvarious types of competitions and shotgun starts,and leagues usually begin in March and playthrough October.

“When weather is marginal, it’s the draw of thecamaraderie that brings people out, and our seniorleague golfers fill up our typically slower weekdays,”he said.While some leagues have a waiting list formembership, others are still recruiting players.

Greendale Golf Course is one of eight FairfaxCounty ParkAuthority courses inVirginia. In May,the course hosted a Seniors Only Tournament—aone-day, 18-hole individual stroke play tourna-ment with competitions for Almost Seniors (55-64), Seniors (65-74), Super Seniors (75-plus) andLadies.The $40-per-person registration includedtournament-day greens fee, golf cart, breakfast,lunch and prizes, said Maureen Sullivan, assistantmanager at Greendale.

Greendale has a popular senior men’s leaguewith 110 golfers on the roster, said Sullivan.Theyplay on Wednesdays from April 1 through Oct. 1.“We lowered the eligible age to 55 this year and gotalmost 30 new golfers,” she said. “It’s a very walk-able course and, with our Golf Multi-Round Passand senior discount, a senior can walk 18 holes forless than $20.” A 65 or older senior pass is avail-able at all county courses for 35 percent off regulargreens fees, according to the Fairfax County ParkAuthority’s Passes Online!Web page.

In all, Fairfax County offers more than a dozengolf courses that are open to the public, from theshort, nine-hole Jefferson District course in FallsChurch to classic Reston National Golf Course tothe newerWestfields Golf Club in Clifton.

Montgomery County operates nine courses,according to mcggolf.com, and there are many


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KATHLEEN ORISTIAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Bobbi Peters, Judy Walser, Shirley James and JudySparrow play with the Early Birdies, a ladies golf

league at Falls Road Golf Course in Potomac.See GOLF, 26


SIGN ME UP

BY ARLENE KARIDIS

R ay Greene has been workingon computers since 1976;he began on a monster-sizedmainframe, back when he was

a pharmacist at the National Insti-tutes of Health. Over the years, he haswatched the machines get smaller andsmaller—and a lot smarter.

“They were just dumb terminalsback in the day. But they have amaz-ing applications now,” said the retiredBrookeville resident, who really beganplaying around with the technol-ogy in the 1980s, when personaldesktop computers becameavailable. He kept playingonce the smaller laptops rolledout, and now he has a 7 3/4-inch tablet called an Android,a product made by Google.Apple’s iPad is another populartablet on the market.

Greene uses the tiny com-puter for everything—from play-ing Scrabble with his motherover the Internet from across themiles to looking up 1920s base-ball trivia while hanging out atHoliday Park Multi-service Se-nior Center inWheaton.

Holiday Park offereda presentation in Mayfor both iPad and An-droid users. Greenewas in attendance—along with about100 others seniors—carrying his tablet.In fact, about a thirdof the participants hadsimilar devices alreadyin hand, according toSonia Leon-Reig, Holi-day Park’s volunteerand class coordinator.

“Many people who come to thesenior center are drawn to the technol-ogy because they have limited mobil-ity; they like the idea of a device theycan carry from room to room at homeor take out,” said Leon-Reig.

The presentation was an introduc-tion to tablets, covering how they workand what applications they come withand generally what the user can buy.

“It can be a challenge to master, butour members want to learn.They likethe portability feature, and that it keepsthem busy and connected—whether to

make movies, stay in touch with theirfriends and family, shop online, or takea class online,” said Leon-Reig.

The presentation’s popularity hasHoliday Park’s staff thinking about fa-cilitating another one, she said.

Asbury Methodist Village regular-ly offers computer courses exclusivelyon Apple products. The iPad class isamong the most sought-after cours-es in the series of classes that meetweekly for four weeks, according toresident Jeanne North, administratorof Apple Corps, the on-campus club.

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TABLETSMany senior organizationsin Montgomery Countyregularly or occasionally offeriPad and/or other computereducation programs.

l HOLIDAY PARK MULTI-SERVICE SENIOR CENTER,WHEATON240-777-4999sonia.leon-reig@montgomerycountymd.govholidaypark.us

l ASBURY METHODISTVILLAGEGaithersburg301-755-3030jeannenorth@sbcglobal.netasburymethodistvillage.org

l DAMASCUS SENIOR CENTER240-777-6995

l GAITHERSBURGUPCOUNTY SENIORCENTER301-258-6380gaithersburgmd.gov

l LIVE AND LEARNBETHESDA301-740-6150info@liveandlearnbethesda.orgliveandlearnbethesda.org/2013-catalog

l OASISWestfield Montgomeryat Macy’s Home Store,Bethesda301-469-4960oasisnet.org/Washington

l ROCKVILLE SENIORCENTER240-314-8800rockvillemd.gov/seniorcenter

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Run by seniors, classes are available for asmall fee to the Gaithersburg retirementcommunity’s residents, as well as theoutlying community.

Apple Corps also offers one-on-onetutoring sessions to help users resolveproblems. It’s free, but donations arerequested.

“People have different user issues withtheir iPads, but most of them are relatedto vision and hearing. I work with themon accessibility, which is functions builtinto the device,” said Jim Utterback, whogives the tutorials everyWednesday.

Utterback sets up seniors’ iPads toread text for them, whether from a Mi-crosoft Word file, email or other applica-tion. He shows them how to get the iPadto “voice” aloud what icon they have se-lected; if you tap on theWord icon, for in-stance, the device will tell you so.

Another user-friendly trick is to en-large the cursor to easily follow what’s onthe screen. Utterback also shows thosewith hearing impairments how to adjustaudio, and how to get the screen to flashwhen they receive notice of a software up-date or an email.

“These same functions are availableon Androids, but there are different ways

of doing it,” he said. “You just have toknow what you need and where to adjustsettings.”

David Glasco, a Kensington resident,is an iPad user who attended the Holi-day Park presentation. A self-employedportrait and fine art photographer, he’sknown his way around Apple computersfor years and recently bought an iPad tomarket his work.

“I wanted fairly large and sharp im-ages to show my clients, but I wanted aportable device rather than have to carryaround a portfolio,” said Glasco, who cantransport hundreds of photos with hislightweight device. And, as with a laptop,

he can plug the device into a projector toshow his work to groups.

Though Glasco was already familiarwith the tablet when he went to the pre-sentation, he did learn something new.

“I use a Bluetooth or wireless key-board in my work, and I discovered my

iPad is compatible with my keyboard.So I don’t need to carry around the key-board,” he said.

As computers become smaller andlighter, yet can still be adapted to be easilyread with visual and auditory accommo-dations, they attract more seniors.


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PHOTO BY SONIA M. LEON-REIG

PHOTO BY HAL GAUT

Ray Greene works with histablet at the Holiday ParkMultiservice Senior Center

in Wheaton.LEFT: Dorothy Blakeslee, right,

and Ruth Lotz take an iPadclass at Asbury Methodist

Village in Gaithersburg.


SIGN ME UP

Though soccer maybe most often asso-ciated with teenag-ers and younger chil-dren—MontgomerySoccer Inc. offers age-level play for more than14,000 county children, ac-cording to the program’s web-site—older adults have more op-tions than ever to get in on the fun.

Montgomery County Recreation now offers men’s andwomen’s leagues for the more experienced set. Leaguesare available for men 55 and older, and an evening leagueis available for women 40 and older.

According to league coordinator Patty Ingram, soccerholds not only clear health and fitness benefits, but also pro-vides a social component that isn’t always available on yourlocal treadmill.

“What’s great is the camaraderie,” Ingram said. “Wetake new people all the time, and everybody gets along.”

The leagues play in spring, typically from April throughearly June. Adult soccer games are held at parks and fieldsthroughout the county—from Potomac to Clarksburg. Ac-cording to Ingram, the men’s 55-and-over league has nineteams, with about 20 players on each.

According to U.S. Soccer, approximately 3 millionchildren 5 to 19 play youth soccer. It is the fastest-grow-ing sport in the United States, according to US YouthSoccer, and that growth is not necessarily exclusive to theyounger set.

“I’ve always been a soccer nut, but people in my gen-eration didn’t have much chance to play, so lots of us don’thave that background,” said Spencerville resident NickCreekmore, 61, a player and coach in the league. “Wedidn’t play in youth leagues or in college or high school.”

For the most part, the rules are the same as they are forany traditional soccer game. Eleven players play for eachteam at one time, and there are two 45-minute halves.

There is one important exception, however—slide tack-ling, in which one player slides feetfirst toward the legs ofanother player, is not allowed.

“There are some people who take it seriously, but mostof us are like old friends, or we’ve played as old team-mates,” Creekmore said. “It’s a social thing more thananything else. Any injury might end our playing days, sowe try to keep it friendly.”

Creekmore, who plays with the teamcalled Los Viejos (Spanish for “the oldpeople”), said the popularity of the soc-cer leagues grew in the county to the pointthat aging players were able to successful-ly make the case for the exclusive 55-and-older men’s recreational league.

“As a bunch of us aged, we decided toask if we could do an over-45 league, and

as we aged even more, we went for a 55-plusleague,” he said.According to Creekmore, his team members

hail from 11 countries, including Iran, Belgium,Korea, France, and various others in Central and South

America.“It’s a lot like the county,” Creekmore said of the

diverse demographic makeup. “…We have some really,really good players. But even if you don’t have skills, youcan do it. If you can run, you can do it.”

That appears to be the push from league organizers,who maintain that it’s just good fun.

“Some still work, some are retired,” Ingram said.“Butthey all get out there and do it, and that’s all that matters.”

For more information, call Patty Ingram: 301-222-3927.

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BY SCOTT HARRIS

SOCCER IS THEFASTEST-GROWINGSPORT IN THE U.S.

Nick Creekmore, wearing jersey No. 20, is a player and coach in Montgomery County’s soccer leaguefor men 55 and older. In the league, the game "is a social thing more than anything else."

PHOTOS BY JAIME BARRERA, COURTESY OF NICK CREEKMORE

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TRAVEL

BY JIM MAHAFFIE

P hil Schrag and Lisa Lerman of Bethesda, both intheir 70s, are leaving this month for Fiji and the Solo-mon Islands for two weeks to live on a small boatand snorkel the reefs of the South Pacific with two

live-aboard marine biologists. Bethesda’s Doris Brody and herhusband Phil are planning their annual birding expedition inCosta Rica.

Travel professional Ellen Sisser said river cruises in Europe,Russia and Asia are very popular with her senior clients today.Sisser, 66, is manager of leisure sales and development of theFairfax,Va., office of Omega World Travel. “Maybe people aretired of the Caribbean and Alaska and looking for somethingdifferent,” said Sisser. Gliding along scenery and historic sites inriverboats is luxurious and prestigious, and can be more inti-mate than a large cruise ship, she said. “Empty nesters and re-tirees usually have the savings to travel, and they tend to wantto do it the right way.”

For an upcoming trip to Japan, Lee Gough of Bethesda askedthe Listserv of 700 or so families in her neighborhood for advice.After many years of traveling, she prefers “getting travel informa-tion from like-minded people I know.”

Gough’s comment raises questions many wonder about:Whom can you trust for the best advice for that vacation abroad,and how do you know how to prepare for your trip?

TRAVELABROAD

Popular Trips & Essential TipsAn informal poll of locals revealed many plan to travel abroad this

summer. Destinations include the ever-popular Galapagos Islands,Spain’s Barcelona, Prague in the Czech Republic and Ireland’s west coast.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHIL BRODY See ABROAD, 23

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TRAVEL

BY JIM MAHAFFIE

M y wife presented me withtwo tickets to the New Or-leans Jazz & Heritage Fes-tival, aka Jazz Fest, for my

50th birthday a few years back.We wentwith a couple of friends from Bethesda,and we’ve been going ever since.

Held over two long April and Mayweekends, Jazz Fest is an annual cul-tural feast of music, food, art and fun.Twelve stages are set up around the FairGrounds Race Course in the city, andthey feature just about every kind ofmusic.We’ve seen James Taylor; Earth,Wind & Fire; Bruce Springsteen; BillyJoel; Dave Matthews; Bonnie Raitt andmore. But it’s the smaller stages and re-gional music that we like best. A GospelTent is always filled with rocking churchgroups, and just across from that is theBlues Tent, with its succession of greatblues musicians from New Orleans andaround the country.The Fais Do-Do isan old barn featuring zydeco groups. Ateither end of the racetrack are the giantGentilly and Acura stages where the big-name musicians play.

This May, we joined a friend, NewOrleans artist and native JeannetteLandphair, for a much more local JazzFest experience. Instead of our usualFrench Quarter hotel, Landphair foundour group a beautifully renovated Creolecabin rental in an up-and-coming areacalled Bywater that’s along the river.Werented bikes for the long weekend—sim-ple, one-gear beach cruisers that took useverywhere and saved on cab fares.

We chose the second weekendof Jazz Fest—Thursday, May 2 throughSunday, May 5. With tickets for three

of the four days, wepassed up the DirtyDozen Brass Band,Patti Smith, Wide-spread Panic and RoyAyers to spend Thurs-day bike riding aroundNew Orleans.We rodethrough the Bywa-ter and the Marignyneighborhoods, thenthe famous FrenchQuarter, and admiredthe architecture in the Garden District, aNational Historic Landmark that’s con-sidered one of the best-preserved collec-tions of historic southern mansions inthe U.S.

During a po’boy lunch at Tracey’sBar and Restaurant in the Garden Dis-trict, the rain began. The restaurantmanager outfitted us with trash bags towear,and we continued our tour througheerie aboveground cemeteries inTremé,

then rode through the Tu-lane University campus andAudubon Park, which hashuge oak trees and popula-tions of egrets, herons andducks. The trash bags keptus surprisingly dry. Aboutthe goofy look? It’s New Or-leans—anything goes.

That night found us atJacques-Imo’s cafe, a hotreservation for “Nawlins”cuisine. Landphair reserved

a table weeks in advance, a must duringJazz Fest.We spent the evening wander-ing through the rocking bars and happycrowds in the Frenchmen Street area.

On Friday, the rains had made amuddy mess of the fairgrounds, so wewore trash bags duct-taped over ourshoes, which looked ridiculous butworked well. Again, when in New Or-leans…We wandered the festival seeingfiddler Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys,

LOCALS VENTURE TO NEW ORLEANSLOCALS VENTURE TOO NNEEWW ORLEANS

Jazz Fest

At theFrench

Market,this man

makesand sellscostumes

with adistinctive

flair.

FAR RIGHT:The author

spottedthis character

walkingdown Royal

Street.

PHOTOS COURTESY OFJIM MAHAFFIE

New Orleans native, the one andonly Aaron Neville, closed JazzFest 2013 with his trademarkfalsetto and amazing band.


the Pinstripe Brass Band, BeauSoleil andMarc Broussard.

In between venues are craft vendors,beer tents and an astonishing array offood, all authentically prepared local andregional dishes. (Hot dogs and funnelcakes were nowhere to be found.)With nothought of calories or trans fat, we ate al-ligator pie, duck po’boys, cochon de laitsandwiches, cracklins and beignets.Thereis no such thing as bad food here—badfor you, maybe, but oh-so-good. New Or-leans knows how to eat!

Tweens were everywhere because Ma-roon 5 was on the Acura Stage. We ven-tured to the other side of the fairgroundsand watched Willie Nelson sing his clas-sics—and he had just turned 80. Anotherhighlight was Rockin’ Dopsie Jr., who talk-ed about family music legacies like his own,the Marsalises and the Nevilles.That nightwe had a wonderful dinner at Café Amelie,dining native as you always should in a cityrenowned for its for cuisine.

The next morning, Landphair ledus on a bike tour through the LowerNinth Ward, one of the areas hit hard-est by Hurricane Katrina. It’s a littlespooky—very few people were out andstorm-damaged homes were still emptyafter eight years. Actor Brad Pitt’s MakeIt Right organization is rebuilding safe,sustainable houses there in the LowerNinth, and we saw more than 80 newhomes with their distinctive designs andsolar panels—and also the empty lotsand concrete steps to houses that no lon-ger exist. Stone markers showed wherepeople perished during Katrina.

After beignets at the French Market inthe French Quarter, we wandered aroundthe festival, where Cowboy Mouth, Ter-ence Blanchard, Los Lobos and Fleet-wood Mac were highlights. Discoveringnew bands and music is always a bonusat Jazz Fest; this year it was Sunpie & theLouisiana Sunspots, who play a blend ofblues, zydeco and Caribbean-influencedmusic that we loved.That night featureda memorable meal at Feelings Café—anold plantation home—where we had ba-con-wrapped oysters, pâté maison and aterrific gumbo.

Early on Sunday, the last day of JazzFest, Landphair led us on a bike ride intothe Musicians’ Village, another post-Ka-trina rebuilding effort founded by Louisi-ana natives and musicians Harry ConnickJr. and Branford Marsalis, along with NewOrleans Area Habitat for Humanity. Werode by more than 70 homes designed forthe city’s elderly musicians and their fami-lies who had been displaced by the stormand were previously living in poverty. Atthe heart is the Ellis Marsalis Center forMusic, named for jazz pianist and patri-arch of the Marsalis musical family.

Later, at Jazz Fest, we discovered theirresistible dance music of the New BirthBrass Band, then saw New Orleans bluesfixture Irma Thomas, as well as Hall &Oates, Walter “Wolfman” Washington &the Roadmasters, and the Pine Leaf Boys.We faced a choice at the end:TromboneShorty at the Acura Stage or Aaron Nev-ille at Gentilly? We chose Neville andstood right up front watching him and lis-tening to that amazing voice—no less so at72 than it was in his youth.

ABOVE: Stoppingby legendarypianist FatsDomino’s housein the lowerNinth Ward ofNew Orleans

LEFT: Visitors toNew Orleansin their raingear, left toright: ChrisDavis, JeannetteLandphair, TonyCrane, JimMahaffie, EliseMahaffie andCindy Crane


LIVING

BY ELLEN R. COHEN

Having made the decision to move to a seniorliving community, many seniors may have ad-ditional concerns.Will they feel physically andemotionally comfortable? Will there be activi-

ties to keep them interested? For those who request it,Five Star Premier Residences of Chevy Chase sometimeshelps seniors decide by providing short-term “trial” stays.Once actually on-site for several weeks, many discover avariety of interesting ways to spend their time and enjoythe wealth of historical, cultural and entertainment op-tions the area offers.

“Our residents enjoy about 300 scheduled activities amonth,” said Mary S. Lawrence, the community’s salesdirector.These include current events and book discus-sion groups; fitness classes; lectures led by college profes-sors; art classes; concerts; socials; dinner theater outings;trips to The John F. Kennedy Center for the PerformingArts inWashington, D.C. and to Baltimore and Annapo-lis; and more, said Lawrence. A monthly calendar listsupcoming activities so residents may plan ahead.With-in the community, there is a library, an indoor pool, acomputer center with Internet access, billiard and cardrooms, landscaped grounds and outdoor walking paths.

When Charlie Saunders’ wife passed away in May2012, he “rattled around in a five-bedroom house,” andknew he needed to move. A Bethesda resident for 40years, he came to Five Star Premier Residences of ChevyChase in November, 2012. “I have all the space I need,everything fits, and my view from the 10th floor is beauti-ful,” he said.

Involved in education “most of my life,” Saunders hasheld positions with the American Council on Education,

the Montgomery County Board of Education, the boardof trustees of Montgomery College and the MarylandHigher Education Commission. Now retired, he partici-pates in the many day and evening activities and walksabout 3 miles on the Capital CrescentTrail several timesa week.

Located inside the Capital Beltway, Five StarPremier Residences of Chevy Chase offers both indepen-dent and assisted living. The community operates on amonthly rental basis, with no upfront fees, Lawrence said.Independent living apartments include washers and dry-ers, laundry service for towels and linens,and weekly clean-ing and household maintenance assistance, as needed.

New residents Ken and Marie Gaarder are pleasedto have two meals a day included. “We like being able togo down for breakfast and dinner,” said Marie Gaarder,

“and we appreciate the many activities and shuttle busoutings.We lived in Chevy Chase for about 40 years andknew the community.” Since moving in March 1, theyhave also appreciated “not having to deal with roofers,plumbers and yard work. When something breaks, wepick up the phone and have immediate help.We also ap-preciate the once-a-week cleaning lady.”

Assisted living residents receive daily livingassistance and medication management. A variety of ac-tivities and amenities are also available to them. Laundryservice is provided and they receive three meals daily.Additional assistance and services are designed to meetindividual needs.

This senior community has been on Connecticut Av-enue for 23 years. Opened in May 1990, it was knownas Classic Residence by Hyatt until Dec. 15, 2011. Now,Five Star Premier Residences of Chevy Chase is man-aged by Five Star Quality Care.There are 335 one- andtwo-bedroom apartments in the 16-story high-rise build-ing with four elevators, balconies and scenic views.

A majority—60 percent—of the residents are fromBethesda, Chevy Chase, Northwest Washington, D.C.,and other local areas, said Lawrence. Couples comprise10 percent of the population.

FIVE STAR PREMIER RESIDENCES OF CHEVY CHASE

Independent & Assisted Living Near D.C.ABOVE: Residents enjoy visiting in this common area.One described living at Five Star Premier Residencesof Chevy Chase as “like being on a cruise shipevery day.”

LEFT: There are 335 one- and two-bedroomapartments in the 16-story high-rise building thathas four elevators, balconies and scenic views.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FIVE STAR PREMIER RESIDENCES OF CHEVY CHASE


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Independent Living with a new look Ring House 301.816.5012

Affordable Independence Revitz House 301.770.8450

Personalized Assisted Living Landow House 301.816.5050

Outstanding Rehab & Recovery Hebrew Home 301.770.8476

Outpatient Senior Medical Care Hirsh Health Center 301.816.5004

Respectful Long-Term Care Hebrew Home 301.770.8476

New Memory Care Residence Cohen-Rosen House 301.816.5050

Charlotte Gottlieb moved to thiscommunity three years ago after livingin Darnestown for 37 years. Impressed“by the friendliness of residents andstaff, the ambiance and the programs, Ifelt comfortable the minute I walked intothe building,” she said. Gottlieb had re-mained in her house for one-and-a-halfyears after her husband passed away in2008.When her daughters urged her torelocate, she attended a luncheon for pro-spective residents and felt welcomed.

Marie Watson and her husband cameto the community in 2006, moving fromonly 2 miles away.The couple enjoyed thefact that there were “no stairs, no shop-ping, no cooking and no cleaning.”

When Watson’s husband passed away18 months later, she was pleased thather five children no longer had to worryabout her. She likes the exercise classes,as well as the trips, activities, lectures andmovies. “There’s something going onevery day,” she said. “You don’t have todrive or go out if you don’t want to.”

A shuttle bus offers complimentary,regularly scheduled trips. For an addi-tional fee, a private driver is also availablefor personal events or appointments.

“This is a real community,” saidMarie Gaarder, a retired speech patholo-gist. “We share life events.The commu-nity cares. They are all supportive, in-cluding the staff.” Ken Gaarder, a retiredpsychiatrist, enjoyed writing an article forThe Clarion, the monthly communitynewsletter. He also takes advantage of theexercise classes and fitness equipment.

“This is like being on a cruise shipevery day.You can be busy or not, as youwish,” said Gottlieb, who herself keeps apacked schedule.

She ran for the Resident Council, ischairman of the welcoming committeeand chairperson of the Jewish CultureGroup, participates in the Play Read-ers’ group every Friday, started a sing-ers’ group, and tries not to miss MondayOpera Night. “I never knew I liked operauntil I came here.”

Five Star Premier Residencesof Chevy Chase

8100 Connecticut Ave.Chevy Chase 20815301-907-9894

fivestarpremier-chevychase.com

The communityfeatures an indoorpool, as wellas landscapedgrounds andoutdoor walkingpaths.


LIVING

BY JIM MAHAFFIE

“Sorry, I’m a little busy rightnow. We have about 250people out here for a danceparty,” said Carol Fuen-

tevilla, center and program director ofHoliday Park Multi-service Senior Cen-ter, Montgomery County’s largest andoldest senior center, inWheaton.

Holiday Park offers an impressivearray of activities andservices for those whowant to learn some-thing new, enjoy goodconversation, or exer-cise mind and body.Friday dance partiesattract hundreds ofseniors, while everyday the center hosts500 to 700 people forvarious other activi-ties, said Sonia Leon-Reig, volunteer co-ordinator. Seniors come for both drop-inand preregistration programs.

One recent Tuesday, Holiday Parkwas abuzz with activity. Several tablesof bridge were being played in the so-cial hall. All three pool tables in the poolroom were filled with men shootingfriendly games. A volunteer was sellingvegetable, herb and annual plants for $1each. Atsuko Craft and Marlene Levinewere selling snacks at the center’s Café,and instructor Jackie Morse was leadinga packed class of seniors who were learn-ing to use computers.

“Most class participants want to beable to communicate with their families,learn how to navigate the Internet andwant a general knowledge of the comput-er terminology and operations.They alsowant to know what to ‘buy,’” said Morse.

Her class, one of dozens at the center, isoffered in eight sessions on Tuesday andThursdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

In the all-purpose room,more than 25seniors were rocking in an Easy Fit Danc-ing aerobics class taught by retired Mont-gomery County schoolteacher MarciaYoung.“I’ve been teaching this class since2001 and many of these people have beenhere since then,” saidYoung.

Rose Tessitori of Aspen Hill was aclass participant, hav-ing joined after los-ing her husband alittle over a year ago.She also attends lec-tures, and particularlyenjoyed recent talkson Cole Porter andGeorge Gershwin’smusic, as well as a lec-ture on the health ben-efits of certain spices.

“I love to read, too, and this place has agreat library, too,” she said.

According to Holiday Park’s news-letter, fitness classes and programs lastmonth included ballroom dancing, Chi-nese folk dancing, line dancing, strengthtraining, yoga and singing programs.There were drop-in classes in basic Eng-lish, computers, tai chi, bridge and more.Special interest classes were offered inChinese brush painting, French andSpanish, photography and theater.

Some classes are offered by other or-ganizations in the community, such ascitizenship preparation by the MarylandCouncil for New Americans; art and po-etry by the Lifelong Learning Institute atMontgomery College; a Senior DrivingReview sponsored by AARP; and varioushealth and fitness classes sponsored bySuburban Hospital in Bethesda.

HOLIDAYWHERE EVERY DAYFEELS JUST LIKE A

Rose Tessitori of Aspen Hill and Louise Cohen of Silver Springenjoy the exercise classes and other programs at the center.

Carlos Quintanilla of Wheaton exercises a few timesa week on the gym equipment.

In the all-purposeroom, more than25 SENIORS

WERE ROCKINGin an Easy Fit Dancing

aerobics class.PHOTOS BY JIM MAHAFFIE


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Other center services include health in-surance assistance, widowed persons sup-port groups, a mobile post office, a gift shopand more.

Created in 1981 in a shuttered elemen-tary school building, Holiday Park is run byFuentevilla, seven part-time staff membersand more than 150 volunteers.The centeris located steps from the intersection ofConnecticut Avenue and Veirs Mill Roadin Wheaton. At the front desk, seniors canobtain a free Rec Card that counts partici-pation and attendance.

A Membership Card—available for $20a year through Holiday Park Seniors Inc., anonprofit agency at the center that supportsprograms and classes—offers reduced ratesfor classes, programs and events.

For more information on activities atHoliday Park, visit holidaypark.us.The cen-ter’s monthly newsletter, Hi-Lites, is filledwith activities at Holiday Park and is avail-able on the website and through the center.

3950 Ferrara Drive, Wheaton 20906240-777-4999holidaypark.us

Hours: Monday through Friday,9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chinese brush painting expert Helene McCarthy teaches the ancient art Tuesdays at Holiday Park.


HEALTH


Whether used for pain management, toforestall surgery, or to recover frominjury or ailment, physical therapy(PT) is often an older adult’s first line

of defense. PT helps “get you back to doing whatyou need to do, want to do and love to do,” saidDaren P. Moat, director regional of the Inova Physi-cal Therapy Center at Dulles South,Tysons/Viennaand MountVernon inVirginia.

PT helps “improve or restore people’s mobil-ity so they can move on with their lives,” said RobGrange, director of therapy at Adventist Rehabilita-tion Hospital of Maryland in Rockville. “It coversjust about every health issue people deal with from amobility standpoint.” Musculoskeletal issues arisingfrom any of the 10 leading causes of disability—ar-thritis, spinal problems, stroke and diabetes amongthem—can be helped by physical therapy.

Among adults reporting a disability, the mostcommon limitation—an inability to walk threecity blocks—affects 22.5 million people, accordingto the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-tion (CDC). “That means that 1 in 10 adults havetrouble walking a distance equal to walking from theparking lot to the back of a large store or through amall,” noted the CDC website. Difficulty climbing aflight of stairs ranked second, affecting 21.7 millionpeople. Just over 18 million adults 65 and over and17.3 million adults 45 to 64 report some type of dis-ability.Women have a higher rate of disability thanmen at all ages.

“If a patient has pain that’s limiting daily func-tioning, muscle weakness or lack of flexibility, im-paired balance, or has lost mobility skills that allowthem to manage in their homes, physical therapy canhelp,” said Mary Strait, program clinical coordinatorfor Inova MountVernon Hospital’s Outpatient Neu-rorehab/Bridge and Joint Replacement Program.

COMSTOCK/THINKSTOCK

PHYSICALTHERAPYHelps to RestoreMobility & Function

AN INABILITY TO WALKTHREE CITY BLOCKSaffects 22.5 million people.


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Montgomery County

Free electronic hearing tests will be given from Monday, July 29 through Friday,August 2 at select locations in Montgomery County.

Tests have been arranged for anyone who suspects they are losing their hearing.Such persons generally say they can hear but cannot understand words. Testing with thelatest computerized equipment will indicate if you can helped.

Everyone, especially adults over 65, should have an electronic hearing test at leastonce a year. If there is a hearing problem, hearing tests may reveal that newlydeveloped methods of correction will help, even for those who have been told in thepast that a hearing aid would not help them.

If you suspect you have hearing loss, call for a free hearing test appointment. Ourlicensed specialists are trained in the latest auditory testing methods and will be the firstones to tell you if you don’t need a hearing aid. If you do have a hearing loss, we willexplain your results and provide you with a list of options.

Free hearing tests available only at a location listed below.One week only: Monday, July 29 through Friday, August 2.

While many think of physical therapyas a surgical complement—improvingoutcomes for procedures such as jointreplacement, spinal fusion or diskectomy,and rotator cuff repair—it “can be an al-ternative to surgery or pain medication,”said Grange. “It falls in the realm of con-servative treatment as opposed to moreinvasive techniques, such as surgery orshots … And, the potential for complica-tions is much, much lower.”

Several studies have demonstratedthe benefits conferred byPT.A report ear-lier this year, published by the AmericanThoracic Society, noted that patients withchronic respiratory conditions had “sig-nificant improvements in the perceptionof breathless, lung function and function-al capacity” as a result of PT.A 2007 sci-entific statement by the American HeartAssociation urged physicians to focus onnonpharmacological approaches, such asphysical therapy, to manage pain, as somemedications can increase the risk of heartattack and stroke.

Physical therapy is now being incorpo-rated into treatment plans for cancer pa-tients. “Cancer rehab is somewhat new,”said Grange, noting that it will be among

the services offered when the AquilinoCancerCenter opens this fall inRockville,adjacent to Shady Grove Adventist Hos-pital. It’s not unusual following “cancersurgery for people to get swelling in theirarms or legs. Physical therapy manages

swelling through manual lymph drainingtechnique, massage and wrapping with acustom compression sleeve.”

Diabetics that have experienced limbloss also turn to physical therapists. “Wework alongside prosthetists as part of

a team, making sure patients regain thestrength and mobility needed to use theprosthesis,” saidMoat.“We can help withprosthesis selection and, then, learning towalk correctly.”

While physical therapy does notrequire a prescription—direct access isavailable to self-paying patients in Mary-land andVirginia for 14 days—most in-surance companieswill not cover the costswithout a doctor’s order, said Grange andMoat. Medical necessity is essential toobtaining insurance coverage. “Providershave their own definition and interpreta-tion of medical necessity,” said Moat. Inmost cases, “treatment must require theskilled intervention of a therapist. It can’tbe something patients can do on theirown …There must be a clearly identifiedfunctional limitation, a change in some-one’s function.Nowadays pain alone isn’tsufficient.That pain must keep someonefrom doing something. And, there mustbe reasonable expectations that it can beimproved on.”

With a physician’s referral in hand, aphysical therapist will evaluate the patient

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See THERAPY, 22

FINANCES



Before taking another trip down the aisle,a trip to an attorney’s office might be inorder.The financial considerations asso-ciated with remarriage are significant and

have far reaching implications—and not just forthe betrothed, said Rhonda A. Miller, manag-ing partner with Matsen, Miller, Cossa & Gray,PLLC, an elder-law and estate-planning firm inFairfax,Va. Because older adults are more likelyto come to a second or third marriage with adultchildren, a house, retirement accounts and otherassets, a trip to the altar can be complicated.

Legally, matrimony includes a marriage ofassets. But, “blending households doesn’t neces-sarily mean you have to blend finances,” saidAnnG. Jakabcin,principal with Stein Sperling BennettDe Jong Driscoll PC in Rockville.While thosewho remarry “have an obligation to provide fortheir surviving spouse, they may also feel a simi-lar obligation to their surviving children” from aprevious marriage. Balancing those obligationsrequires forethought and, often, legal expertise.

“It’s important to be able to talk to your futurespouse about finances, to say, ‘You have your kids,I have mine.You have your assets, I have mine,’and then discuss what will happen” either upondissolution of the marriage or death, said Miller.

Surviving spouses are entitled to at least one-third of the estate in both Maryland andVirginia,even if the deceased’s will dictates otherwise. Ifthat’s not what’s envisioned, a prenuptial agree-ment may be in order. “One element of theagreement is a waiver of that statutory [one-thirdshare] mandate,” said Jakabcin.

A prenup serves two purposes. It designates“what happens when one spouse dies … or themarriage doesn’t succeed, in which case it pro-

COMSTOCK/THINKSTOCK

The Dollars& Cents ofRemarriage

Surviving spouses areentitled to at least one-

third of the estate in bothMaryland and Virginia,

even if the deceased’s willdictates otherwise.


vides a framework to unwind financesthat got consolidated,” said Jakabcin.

Whether or not to consolidatefinances is a decision that couples shouldmake rather than allow to happen.“I havea client, now married 25 years, that nevercomingled finances,” said Miller. “If thatis what you plan to do, it’s great to havea prenup.”

Don’t think a prenup is “just for therich and famous,” said Jakabcin. “It mightbe worth spending $3,500, even if yourtotal net worth is half a million dollars or ifyou have some asset that you don’t want togo out of the family.”

A prenuptial agreement is not intendedto replace a will or estate plan but to spellout that to which a couple has agreed.Should one partner subsequently alter hiswill to the financial detriment of the other,the prenup is there to help enforce theoriginal agreement.

A prenup may be revoked by mutualagreement. “Sometimes, with long-termsecond marriages where they’ve been to-gether 20 years or more, they may chooseto rip up the prenuptial agreement,” saidJakabcin.

What a prenuptial agreement cannotdo is stipulate “anything about child sup-port,” said Jakabcin, or waive the legalobligation to provide for a spouse’s medi-cal or long-term care bills, according toMiller. “Medicaid doesn’t care about yourprenuptial agreement. It expects you tospend down in order for your spouse to re-ceive certain benefits,” said Miller. “Thereare ways to mitigate this, especially whena client comes to us young enough andhealthy enough to qualify for long-termcare options.”

The melding of households,particularly in regard to living arrange-ments, may have lifelong consequencesthat affect both the couple and heirs.

“If I have a house and my husband hasa house, deciding where to live is tricky,”said Jakabcin. “We can keep both housesand rent one or we can sell both and buyour own house.There’s not one answerthat suits everyone’s needs.”

Housing issues are of concern to a sur-viving spouse, particularly if he is living ina house titled in his spouse’s name. It’s notuncommon, said Jakabcin, to give one’sspouse a life estate, allowing him to remainin the house during his lifetime. Upon hisdeath or relocation to another permanentresidence, such as a nursing home, thehouse passes to the original heirs.

There are, of course, expenses associ-atedwith the upkeep of a residence, as wellas for food, clothing, health and medicine,

and transportation. Insuring their coveragemay involve the establishment of a trust,according to both Jakabcin and Miller.The idea behind a trust is to protect the in-heritance of children from a previous mar-riage while using the assets to support thelifestyle and medical needs of the surviv-ing spouse.“Financial assets can be held intrust for the benefit of the second spouseduring her lifetime. Upon her death, theygo to the children,” said Jakabcin.

Because remarriage may result in theloss of benefits—such as alimony, a pen-sion, Social Security, or health or life in-surance—couples need to carefully evalu-ate the financial impact. “If that’s the case,talk about buying life insurance to give thespouse something more,” saidMiller.

While love can make life rosy, don’tlet it cloud your vision, cautioned bothJakabcin and Miller. “I find that takingtime to iron out the details [before remar-rying] is much better than having to fixthings on the back side,”Miller said.

“It’s best to address these [financial] is-sues when a couple is happy and in love,”said Jakabcin, “not when things have de-teriorated … A conversation sooner canminimize conflict later.”

Because remarriage may

RESULT IN THE LOSS OF BENEFITS,such as alimony, a pension, Social Security, or

health or life insurance, couples need tocarefully evaluate the financial impact.

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and recommend a course of treatment toboth patient and insurance carrier. “Ashealth care changes, we’re feeling the pos-itive pressure to get people better faster,”said Grange. “Our average number of vis-its has been reduced. Last year it was 11visits per episode. Now we’re down to 10,which is a good thing as long as the out-comes are still there.”

Those receiving PT as an outpatient“may start out coming two or three timesa week for the first several weeks and thenjust once or twice a month. If insuranceonly covers a few visits, we try to spreadthe visits out,” said Strait.While time withthe therapist is important, “homework …is the key to success in getting the mostout of therapy as an outpatient.What youdo on your own allows you to achievegoals sooner and more completely.”

“With physical therapy, the goal is tomove the onus of responsibility from ther-apist to patient,” said Grange. “We wantto work ourselves out of a job.We’re nothappy if someone is coming three, fouror five months.We want to maximize thetime in the clinic, having them do moreandmore on their own, until they’re as in-dependent as they can be.”

Targeted exercises, many of whichcan be replicated at home, are just oneof several tools a physical therapist mayintegrate into a treatment plan. Other“modalities include ice, heat, ultrasound,electrical stimulation and traction,” saidMoat. “We also use soft-tissue and jointmobilization and range-of-motion andmanual-therapy techniques.”

Treatment is individualized and takesinto consideration the patient’s disability,health status, needs and desires. “We cus-tomize and tailor treatment based on theirgoals,” said Moat. “One consideration is‘what were they doing prior?’ If they tellme, ‘Oh, I want to run,’ but they haven’trun in 10 years, that’s not realistic.”

“Success isn’t always defined as get-ting back to 100 percent normal,” saidStrait, especially for “those people whostart completely dependent and can’t doanything for themselves.The goal is to getthem as independent as possible. In somecases—with a high quadriplegic injury, forexample—the focus may be on educat-ing the patient and training caregivers inorder to avoid complications.”

As the health care system continues tolook for ways to reduce costs, Grange seesPT “playing a larger role …When youlook at the cost to the system, isn’t it worthit to spend six weeks in physical therapy inorder to gain another year, maybe more,before having to go to an institutional set-ting? For many folks, physical therapy iswhat keeps them independent.”

THERAPY, continued from 19 “One consideration is‘what were they doing

prior?’ If they tell me, ‘Oh,I want to run,’ but theyhaven’t run in 10 years,

THAT’S NOTREALISTIC.”

–DAREN P. MOAT


Tell us a story!Do you know someone50 or older with aninteresting tale to tell?Or about events, arts,groups or other activitiesthat cater to a maturecrowd? Gazette Seniorswants to hear aboutit, please!

Email [email protected].


Before Helene and Gene Granof ofBethesda went to China, they asked neigh-bors who are originally from China overfor brunch.The neighbors advised them toavoid fish, fresh vegetables and shellfish.TheGranofs were concerned about air quality,but their Chinese friends said it was usu-ally only really bad in the winter, when coalis burned for heat.“There were no shotsneeded,” said Helene Granof.“But we tooksome antibiotics in case we get sick.”Theywere also advised by their tour group aswellas friends to bring tissues, as toilet papermay be lacking in public toilets.

Dave and Jeanne Scheele of Fairfaxlearned valuable lessons from a recentriverboat trip in France. For backgroundbefore visitingWorldWar II sites such asPointe du Hoc, the D-Day beaches, theNormandy American Cemetery andMemorial and Sainte-Mère-Église, thecouple read “The SteelWave: A Novel ofWorldWar II,” an historical book by JeffShaara about D-Day.

“We were primed to question themilitary historian who was our guide aswe visited,” said Dave Scheele, 80.Then,as their riverboat was gliding into Paris,their trip was cut short with an emergen-cy back home.

“This was the first time that I have usedthe trip insurance that I have bought forthe past few years,” he said. “Based on ourages and the unknown, trip insurance hasbecome just part of the cost of the trip.

“Our travels are frequent enough thatwe each recently registered on the GlobalOnline Enrollment System,” he said. “Wepaid for a special identity card that will en-able us to move more quickly through U.S.security when traveling by air into and outof theU.S.”He said the couplewill use theircards on their next trip, a 16-day guidedtour of Ireland and Scotland in September.

Before any trip, the Scheeles notifytheir bank and credit card companies oftheir travel so charges won’t appear mys-terious, and have a little local currencyavailable until they can get to an ATMmachine at their destination. They alsokeep a copy of their medical histories,passports, and debit and credit cards incase they lose the real ones.

“We update a cell phone for emergencyinternational calls, although we just nor-mally text to update the family that we aresafe,” said Dave Scheele.They review whatthe other is packing, remembering char-gers for the camera and cell phone and twovoltage converters, plus trip paperwork.

OmegaWorldTravel’s Sisser appreci-ates theWeb as a travel tool, but noted,“The Internet swamps you with choices,and we can help sort them out for you. It’snice to have someone to turn to if there’s aproblem.You’re in a foreign country, don’tspeak the language, and don’t know whereto turn ... we have so much more controlover solving issues.”

ABROAD, continued from 11• The U.S. Department of State’s travel.state.gov is a clearinghouse of infor-mation on international travel, visas,passports, specific country informa-tion and travel warnings and alerts.

• Another U.S. government resourceis www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml. It offersinformation on currency exchangerates, entry requirements, internation-al driver’s licenses, travel warningsand more.

• Health information can be found atwwwnc.cdc.gov/travel, the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention’scomprehensive website. Get detailsabout vaccines, medicines and more.

Doris Brody regularly travelswith her husband to CostaRica for birding expeditions.

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GRACIOUS SENIOR LIVING

Call to schedule a tour today

FINANCING

AVAILABLE

Concierge Medical Servicesavailable 24/7 for Owner - Residents

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHIL BRODY

theNational Park Service.They’ve picked usfor battles at Manassas, Antietam and Get-tysburg,” he said. A 53-year-old Gaithers-burg resident, Brewer belongs to the 14thTennessee Infantry, a part of Brig. Gen.James J. Archer’s brigade that was assignedto A.P.Hill’s Light Division. “Each year, myunit recreates the A.P. Hill march.We crossthe river at Boteler’s Ford and march up towhereA.P.Hill saved the day.You’re hungry,tired and your feet hurt. It’s not for sissies.But, you come to truly appreciate the enor-mous distances these troops covered. Fa-tigue, for them,was an everyday thing.”

It was Janet Wilson McKee’s passionfor bobbin lace that laid the groundworkfor her interpretation of a Colonial-eralace-maker. As a volunteer with the Mont-gomery County Historical Society, McKeeseized the opportunity to enhance her do-cent presentation by incorporating herhobby.While lace making may be “a dyingart, people are intrigued by it and what Ido with the bobbins,” said the 63-year-oldRockville resident. McKee also attendsdemonstrations, late spring through fall.“What’s especially fun is the try-me pillow.Kids and adults can trymaking lace and seethat it’s not as difficult as they thought.”ForMcKee, the educational component of herwork cuts both ways. “I find that I alwayslearn something, even though I’m the onedoing the demonstrating.”Hickey, the Dr. Stonestreet interpreter,

concurs.“I’ve learned that when I am carry-ing a message, the energy flows both ways. Iend up learning too.”Hawley’s service not only prompted him

to learnmore about slavery inMaryland,butalso pushed him toward advocacy. “I knewD.C. had emancipation, but what aboutMaryland? My research showed that Mary-land actually freed slaves inNovember 1864,before the 13th Amendment. So, I went tothe state legislature and said, ‘Let’s have aMaryland Emancipation Day.’” His effortswere successful.This spring, Gov. MartinO’Malley signed into law legislation declar-ing Nov. 1Maryland EmancipationDay.

A willingness to expose oneself todifferent people and ideas and to continueto learn and study not only make reenactorsmore successful but add to their enjoyment.“You’re not disqualified from joining if youdon’t have a Ph.D. in history,” said Clayton,“but you should at least have some back-ground knowledge and be ready to learn.”That learning is both formal and in-

formal. Classes have helped both Hickey

and McKee. “I’ve taken several workshopsfor reenactors and gleaned a lot myself,”said Hickey. He takes notes at the annualChautauqua program—where professionalsportray historic figures, this year to includeRachel Carson, Amelia Earhart and JackieRobinson—held at Montgomery College’sGermantown campus in July. Meanwhile,docents fromColonialWilliamsburg workedwith McKee and others through a grant re-ceived by the Montgomery County Histori-cal Society.When Clayton first volunteered at Fort

Washington Park, he had never fired a can-non. “There’s a lot of on-the-job traininginvolved. But, you do have to get recertifiedeach year in black powder safety by the Na-tional Park Service.”Firearm safety is taken seriously in reen-

actment circles.“We self-train,” said Hawley.“We have classes and teach each other.Weall carry muskets, 1857 muskets, and learnthe history of our weapons and how soldiersback then learned to shoot.”

Acquiring a firearm is just one ofmany costs incurred by battlefield re-enactors, unless they opt to be a drum-mer or a medic. Some, like Brewer, optfor originals. Others use reproductions.“I have an original Enfield 1862 [mus-ket],” said Brewer. He said he does notcarry that musket in living history or re-enactment events. “It’s been proofed andinspected [in the 1800s]….Those usinga reproduction arm can get it defarbed.There’s a gunsmith in Harper’s Ferry whowill detail weapons, adding a touch ofauthenticity.”A replica can run $200 or more, while

an original can cost more than $1,000, de-pending on type and quality.Period clothing is another expense. “If

you forego the clown suit [which is howBrewer described his first uniform] for mu-seum-quality gear, you could spend $2,000to $3,000,” said Brewer. “I spend far morefor shoes I only wear 20 times a year than Ido for shoes I wear daily.”The price variesdepending on the quality,detailing and levelof authenticity.

REENACT, continued from 5

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“I learned that when I amcarrying a message,

THE ENERGY FLOWSBOTH WAYS.

I end up learning too.”–Clarence Hickey


Known as sutlers, suppliers of clothingand accoutrements can be found at mostreenactment sites and online. Those ac-coutrements may include an 1860s-styletent, blanket, eating utensils and a variety ofleather goods.While some ofHickey’s clothing belongs

to the historical society, he’s purchased a va-riety of items himself.“Everything has to beperiod correct. I have two long, black frockcoats, one double-breasted,one not; a num-ber of neckties; several vests, both black andblue; black suspender trousers; and shirtswith long, bulky sleeves and buttons thatappear to be mother-of-pearl.When I’m aCivilWar surgeon, I take off the coat andwear an apron,” he said.McKee, the bobbin lace-maker, created

her own Colonial garb. “I got the patternfromone of the recreating groups,” she said.“I wanted to use appropriate sewing tech-

niques when making the jacket, so I lookedat theColonialWilliamsburg website,whichhas a bunch of stuff on period clothing andappropriate dress.”While historic reenacting and interpre-

tation may have drawbacks—sleeping onthe ground or fighting in the sweltering sun,pouring rain or winter cold—“everyoneshould try it once,” said Brewer. “Whatyou’ll experience in 2013 is as close as youcan get to the field conditions 150 yearsago.There’s a 24-hour guard, no eating inthe ranks, drills on military procedures, andworries about being ‘killed.’ It’s the onlywayto get a feel for how soldiers spent their days…. It will transport you.”

This story was updated from the print edi-tion to correct the spelling of Boteler's Ford.Also, additional information was added toclarify Bob Brewer's statements regardingweapons and uniforms.

COURTESY OF HUGH CLAYTON

Hugh Clayton of Gaithersburg stands with a 12-pound mountain howitzer atAntietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md.

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PHOTO BY JIM MAHAFFIE

more semiprivate courses that allow publicplay.One of the newer courses is BlueMashGolf Course in Laytonsville, where most ofPGATeaching Professional Kent Keith’sstudents are over 50, as is Keith.Blue Mashis popular with seniors, he said, because it’sa great course to walk and has lower ratesduring nonpeak hours.

Blue Mash offers nine-hole leagues inthe evenings, with a Tuesday golf league,a ladies league onWednesdays, and a two-person best-ball format for leagues onThursdays, said EmilyWeidner, marketingand events coordinator. “We enjoy having

seniors play here. They understand howto take care of the course, replacing divotsand ball marks and keeping pace.”

Keith recommended the MarylandState Golf Association (MSGA) as, “aterrific organization for senior golfers tohave the opportunity to play many of thearea courses.”

A membership organization, MSGAsponsors and conducts tournaments forplayers of all levels, and provides handicapservices and course ratings atmany courses,as well as a variety of other programs.

If you’re interested in league golf, contactyour local course for information. Individualleagues in both counties set league fees.

GOLF, continued from 7

ABOVE: Jane Beam, left, and PegShowers of the Early Birdies league in

Potomac take a ride in the cart.

LEFT: Golfers Leonard Ramsey, left, andWolfie Fraser take a break after play-ing a round. Fraser, of Silver Spring,plays in a regular Wednesday Men’s

Senior League at Northwest GolfCourse in Silver Spring.

KATHLEEN ORISTIAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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“Home Stager & Seniors Specialist”

Do youknowsomeone in theDCmetropolitanarea50orolderwhoneedsguidance selling theirhome?Have themcall theRealtor they can trust.Acall toAlison is a call to anexpertwhowill protect their

interests andremove the stressoutof homeselling.

Cell: 201-360-2136 Office: [email protected]

4910 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Ste 119Washington, D.C. 20016

Tel: 202-362-1300

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