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FederalHillsider

The Monthly Newsletter of the Federal Hill Neighborhood Association August 2013

Third Annual Grand Prix Is Coming

continued on Page 3

Sail Brian to ScotlandLearning to sail at a young age, Brian Nelson has found excitement, joy, and passion for the wind and water in his Optimist (Opti) dinghy, Shark. Brian has been sailing since age 7, beginning in “Taste of Sailing” as a first grader at the Watch Hill Yacht Club in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Each summer thereafter, Brian has been increasing his time on the water, his skill in his boat, and his success at racing in regattas.

In August 2012, Brian competed in the New England Optimist Championship Regatta in Newport, Rhode Island. The fleet consisted of 375 sailors and Brian successfully finished in the top 25 percent of the fleet. This qualified him to sail in the Optimist U.S. Team Trials, which were held this past May in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Conditions were extreme on Lake Pewaukee

Thanks to Bill Reuter of Ridgely’s Delight for much of the following information.

The Baltimore Grand Prix takes place around Federal Hill over Labor Day weekend. There will be lots going on in the neighborhood, so get ready for an action-packed weekend. Please take note of the following information and plan accordingly.

Discounted TicketsFederal Hill residents can take advantage of the following discounts on tickets:• Startingtoday,FederalHillresidentscanreceivea10percent discount on tickets.• Kidsunder12getfreegeneraladmissionticketwithapaying adult.You must use the discount code 21230 at checkout to get the discount. Also, the billing address on the credit card that you’re using must be your Federal Hill residence.

Street ClosuresPlease review the downtown access maps provided by the Grand Prix for information on street closures and detours. There will be links to the maps online as soon as they are available.

Beginning Thursday, Aug. 29, to get into the neighborhood, tell the traffic officer that you live in Federal Hill. If you are having guests, they should say that they are visiting someone in Federal Hill.

TrashRecycling will be picked up very early on Friday, Aug. 30. Therefore, set out your recycling Thursday night after 6 p.m.

Public TransportationDuring the event, several bus routes, including the Charm City Circulator, will be diverted around the closed streets but all routes will be running. All diversions and station closings will begin at the end of service Wednesday, Aug. 28. Light Rail stations at Camden Yards and the Convention Center will be closed. Regular service will resume Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 6 a.m.

continued on Page 5

August 2013 Federalhillbaltimore.org Federal Hillsider

Federal Hill Neighborhood AssociationBoard of Directors

OfficersPresident: Eric Costello 410.528.1514Vice President: Jody Martin 410.332.0539Treasurer: Gayle McClure 410.230.9419 Secretary: Bob Merbler 443.629.0162

Board Members at Large

Board Member: Bob O’Donoghue 410.783.0174Board Member: Ginny Gerhart 443.271.3218Board Member: Joe Halperin 410.332.4170Board Member: Kelly Sheehan 410.322.8026

Recycling and Trash Schedule:Set out by 6 a.m.

Trash on Wednesday (in cans with tight-fitting lids)Recycling on Friday

REMINDER!! Please put your recyclable materials in paper bags, cardboard boxes, City recycle bins or any container clearly marked “recycle”; at the same location as your regular trash. DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS. With single stream recycling, we send our materials to a processing facility which uses an automated system to sort and bale recyclables.

INFORMATION PAGE

FHNA CommitteesConsider Getting Involved

Please contact any of the Board members listed nearby and express your interest. You will be welcomed.

Beautification/Green: Walt SaxonBlock Captains: OpenGrants: OpenHillsider: Jeannie Malkiewicz Gayle McClure Bob O’Donoghue Ginny Gerhart Nicole QuinnLiquor Advisory: Keenan Dworak-FisherMembership: Eric Costello Bob MerblerParking: Eric Costello Ginny GerhartPreservation/Design: John ThompsonPublic Safety: Mellisa ColimoreSchools Liaison: Jessica DamenSocial: Nicole Quinn Paul QuinnSouth Harbor Renaissance Liaison: Claire JohnsonTechnology: Jennifer NelsonTrees: Rich Polan

Bulk Item Pick UpYou may place up to three items out for collection. One day per month is set aside for this collection. All citizens have to do is call 311 and give the following information:

Your addressYour telephone #

What 3 itemsCall 3 or more working days before your scheduled date. If you do not know your day, please call 311. You may also schedule a collection at 311 Online.

To Request City ServicesCall 311 6am to 10pm or Online 24 hours at

www.baltimore.customerservicerequest.org


No One Likes

A Fake Smile

Denise M. Markoff, DDS, FAGD 835 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21230

410.561.6483 BaltimoreSedation.com

Federal Hill Smiles is in the business of creating healthy, happy, authentic smiles and with Sedation Dentistry it’s never been easier. Sedation Dentistry allows you to be completely relaxed and comfortable while years of embarrassing problems are fixed in a judgment-free environment.

Sedation Dentistry Cosmetic Dentistry Dental Implants Orthodontics General Dentistry

$100 OFF Comprehensive New Patient Visit

FREE Sedation Consultation

New patients only. Exp. 8/31/2013. Not valid with other discounts.Used in conjunction with dental insurance. Federal Hill Smiles.

New patients only. Value $110. Exp. 8/31/2013. Not valid with other discounts. Used in conjunction with dental insurance. Does not include

exam and x-rays. Federal Hill Smiles.

Dr. Denise Markoff is licensed as a General Dentist in the state of MD.

Sail Brian continued from Page 1with dry suits required. The water temperature was 40 degrees and the air temperature was 55 degrees. The wind was blowing a good 20 knots and three of the five days it poured rain. Sailors from all over the country competed for a limited number of spots on Team USA, which would represent the United States in international sailing events around the world this summer. Brian finished strong and was offered a spot on the USA team headed to the Volvo Gill British Nationals Optimist Regatta in Largs, Scotland. Other teams are sailing in Japan, Belgium, Italy, and Bermuda this summer.

In preparation for British Nationals, Brian sailed in the U.S. National Optimist Championship in Grosse Point, Michigan, the second week of July this year. Conditions were similar to Largs, Scotland, with shifting winds, choppy water, and clouds building up by the middle of the afternoon. Brian qualified for the Silver Medal Round, which went off on Saturday and Sunday. He proudly came home with a third-place finish! There are unique components to sailing in international regattas. The United States Optimist and Dinghy

Association provides administrative support for the sailors, but there are additional responsibilities for successful overseas sailing competition. Each skipper must pay his own registration, transportation, and lodging to the event. This includes figuring out how to get an 8-foot sail tube across the Atlantic Ocean! An international measurement certificate must also be presented prior to sailing, as well as special marine insurance. Parent volunteers play a big role in the success of junior sailors as they make lunches, apply sunscreen, gas up the coach boat, and pull the Optis off the dock at the end of the day.

Brian has experienced great support for his sailing endeavors from both his local Baltimore neighborhood community and the members of the Watch Hill Yacht Club. His mom has created a secure sponsorship webpage through Indiegogo. Here is the link if you would like to read more about Brian. Go to: www.indiegogo.com and then search for “Sail Brian to Scotland”.

Sail Fast, Brian!Sail Happy, Brian!


Upcoming Events compiled by Nicole Quinn

Federal Hill Neighborhood Association Happy Hour Social - Join us at Live2Eat on Thursday, August 8 from 6 to 8 pm. More info on Page 6 of this Hillsider.

Federal Hill’s Third Thursday - August 15 - Enjoy shops, restaurants and galleries as they open their doors with specials from 6 to 8 pm.

The Riverside Summer Music Series is back! This year the concerts are sponsored by Domino Sugars and the Riverside Neighborhood Association. The concerts take place at the gazebo in Riverside Park and are a fun time for neighbors, family, and friends to get together, picnic, and listen to good music. Dates, times, and performers are: August 18, 5 PM, Mambo Combo; September 8, 5 PM, Sac Au Lait.

FREE Waterfront Wellness – Fitness Classes. Now through September 29. West Shore Park, Baltimore Inner Harbor. Saturdays: Boot camp – 8:30 AM, Zumba – 9:30 AM. Sundays: Yoga – 8:30 AM, CrossFit at 9:30 AM

Riverside Pool Open. Now through August 11; open to public for swim, special activities, and family nights. Summer Social Series.LivemusicbyRollerblades,aWaterfrontKidsPlayArea,FoodTrucks,Beer,WineandMixed Drinks, and the Walter Sondheim Interactive Fountain! Bring a blanket and enjoy the evening at West Shore Park, located between the Maryland Science Center and Baltimore Visitor Center. FREE. Friday, August 23, 2013, 5 PM to 8 PM.

Flicks on The Hill. Thursday Nights (Aug 1 – August 22), Screenings @ 9 PM. The American Visionary Art Museum(AVAM)isopen&free5–9PMonflicksnights.OnFederalHill,ontheeastsideofFederalHillPark.More information and this summer’s schedule are available at www.avam.org. *Aug 8: Cry-Baby (1990) — Members’ Pick! *Aug 15: Finding Forrester (2000). *Aug 22: The NeverEnding Story (1984).

Otakon 2012 @ Baltimore Convention Center. Aug 9 – 11, All day. Otakon is the convention of the otaku generation: by fans, for fans; and they’re back in Baltimore for their 20th year in 2013! Join fellow fans as thousands descend on Baltimore to celebrate anime, manga, fandom, and all facets of Asian pop culture! Ever since 1999, they’ve taken over a sizable chunk of the Inner Harbor for a 3-day festival celebrating the pop culture that’s brought audiences everything from Astroboy to Yu-Gi-Oh, from the Seven Samurai to Spirited Away.

2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore, Presented by SRT. August 30 through September 1 (Labor Day Weekend). The third running of the 2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore, presented by SRT (Street and Racing Technology), will be another spectacular 3-day “Celebration of Acceleration” downtown. The streets will come alive with the sights andsoundsofhigh-speedautomotiveracing.Withamodifiedracingcircuitandanevenbetterfanexperience,thisyear’s Grand Prix will continue to establish Baltimore as the Mid-Atlantic’s premier motorsport destination.

2013 Ravens Home Pre-season GamesThurs., Aug. 15, vs. Atlanta Falcons, M&T Bank Stadium, 7:30 pm, WBAL-TV•

Thurs., Aug. 22, vs. Carolina Panthers, M&T Bank Stadium, 8 pm, ESPN•

Monthly C.O.P. WalkThursday, August 22nd, 7 p.m.

Meet in front of Porter’s at the corner of

Riverside Avenue and Cross Street

There will not be a general membership meeting in AugustEnjoy your summer - we will see you in September


Debris, Bulk Trash, Recycling & eCycling Drop-off

Location:Western Sanitation Yard

701 Reedbird Avenue, 410-396-3367,

Mon. – Sat., 9 am – 5 pm (Labor Day/MemorialDay)

&9am–7pm(MemorialDay/Labor Day)

For additional locations go to: baltimorecity.gov/Government/

AgenciesDepartments/PublicWorks/BureauofSolidWaste

HAZ MAT Monthly

CollectionsNorthwest Citizen

Convenience Center located at 2840 Sisson Street

First Friday and Saturday of every month from April

through October 9am to 5pm.

Croquet at Robert Baker Park.

EveryotherSaturday8/10,8/24,9/7,9/21,10/5,10/19@4pm

Come out and enjoy a relaxing game of croquet – Watch or Play.

Kids,petsandbeginnerswelcome.

Instruction available.

For more information contact GayleMcClure@[email protected]/410.241.1374orWalt

Saxon @ 410.730.9133

THAI YUM

“Baltimore’s Best Thai Restaurant”

Baltimore Sun, Oct., 2010

www.thaiyum.com1006 Light St., Federal Hill

410.528.2146

More InformationFind more information check out the Grand Prix website at www.grandprixofbaltimore.com or the City’s Grand Prix transportation site at gptraffic.com (information to beupdatedby8/8/13).VisitFHNA’sFacebookpage topost questions and find out about last-minute changes that will affect our neighborhood.

We will monitor the FHNA Facebook Page throughout the weekend, and if issues are reported, our neighborhood Grand Prix Committee representative will work directly with the appropriate City official to resolve them. Please do not contact the City directly because it will take longer to resolve any issues if employees are dealing with several inquiries regarding the same issue.

Please do not contact the Department of Transportation because they do not have information about how our neighborhood will be affected.

Grand Prix information continued from Page 1


PHONE: 410-539-7757

DISCOUNT LIQUORSBEER - WINE

901 South Charles Street Baltimore Maryland 21230Free Delivery with Minimum Order

Bring in this ad and receive $1 off a six pack every Monday

South Baltimore Supper Night at the Wine Market

921 E. Fort Ave.3 courses of selections

fromtheirsummermenu$25/perperson**excludes tax & gratuity

Wednesday, August 14

An evening-long event

Please note: you MUST make reservations by calling 410-244-6166 and by specifying the

“South Baltimore Supper Night” to receive the special menu.

Enjoy both 6-oz and 3-oz wine selections from The Wine Market’s extensive wine list, a variety of craft beers – both local and international – and

DELICIOUS summer cocktail creations!

Cocktail Special: South Baltimore Sipper – pikesville rye, ginger beer, and a splash of house-

made lemonade on the rocks for just 6 bucks!

The Wine Market is looking forward to hosting this event!

Enjoy a complimentary glass of sangria, draft beer,

& light hors d’oeuvres.“LIV2EAT definately feels like a breath of fresh air among the

neighborhood collection of atmospheric gastropubs” - City Paper 3/27/13

- Baltimore Sun

12/20/12

WELCOME FHNA

* HAPPY HOUR SOCIAL *THURS. Aug. 8th 6-8 pm

BACK PATIO HAPPY HOUR PRICES

1444 LIGHT ST. BALTIMORE | 443-449-7129 | WWW.LIV2EAT.COM

If you haven’t been in yet, come join us. If you have, we’d love to see you again.- FULL MENU AVAILABLE -

Federal Hill Main Street, Inc., 42 E. Cross Street, Baltimore, MD 21230 Phone 410-727-4500 Fax 410-727-7505 Email [email protected]

www.historicfederalhill.org

DATE: July 12, 2013 CONTACT: Andrea Sommer, [email protected], 410-727-4500 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WE SAVE THE BIGGEST AND THE BEST FOR LAST! Federal Hill’s biggest festival of the season, STREET BEAT, is on Sunday, September 8th, 11am until 7pm. Come enjoy live music on three stages, food & drink and arts & crafts. There willbeplentyoffamilyfuntobehadonKids’ KrossStreet. This FREE event will take place on Charles and Cross Streets. Volunteers are welcome. Contact us at [email protected] For more information, go to www.historicfederalhill.org, e-mail [email protected], or call 410-727-4500. PHOTOS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION.

WE SAVE THE BIGGEST AND THE BEST FOR LAST!

Federal Hill’s biggest festival of the season, STREET BEAT, is on Sunday, September 8th, 11am until 7pm. Come enjoy live music on three stages, food & drink and arts & crafts. There willbeplentyoffamilyfuntobehadonKids’KrossStreet.

This FREE event will take place on Charles and Cross Streets. Volunteers are welcome. Contact us at admin@

historicfederalhill.org

For more information, go to www.historicfederalhill.org, e-mail [email protected], or call 410-727-4500.


Patronize Our Advertisers

The Federal Hillsider is created and distributed completely by volunteers. The advertisers you see on these pages provide nearly all of the revenue for the neighborhood association. In addition, every dollar in excess of printing and distribution expenses goes back into your community.

Check out our new Drop-in Play Space and Birthday Party location at Light and Cross Streets

Downtown!Play

Live, Learn,

with the Downtown Baltimore JCC

“LIKE” us on Facebook: facebook.com/DBJCC JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER

Join the DBJCC and enjoy unlimited access to our fun �lled playrooms!

Membership is just $75/family for 12 months

Get the details:Call Kim @ 443-248-4219

Email [email protected]

Our new Federal Hill Play Space is located at 1118 Light Street, Suite D

410.559-3618Visit www.dbjcc.org

Classes for newborns to age 5:

Ask us about our other city locations including Fells Point and the Jewish Museum of Maryland

DBJCC NOW OPEN!

Have you picked upYOUR

One Piece Today?


Earn cash when you SPEND.

Earn cash when you SAVE.

To open your account, visit us in Federal Hill or call 410.659.0800. Learn more at susquehanna.net/stellar | Member FDIC

Stellar Checking WITH Smart Rewards

No minimum daily balance No monthly service fee

Annual Loyalty RewardFREE Mobile Deposit

A BETTER-THAN-FREE CHECKING ACCOUNT

Green Historic Home Tour – Sunday, September 8With the cost of energy constantly rising do you sometimes wonder how you can make your old rowhouse, built in the 1800s, more energy efficient And SAVE $$$$?

On Sunday, September 8, a Green Historic Home Tour will take place from 11 am to 3 pm in Federal Hill. The tour will start at 8 E. Henrietta Street.

Visit some of your neighbors who have retrofitted their homes, added energy-efficient appliances and installed solar panels and see how much they are saving. Learn how you can make your home or business greener.

Talk with experts from BGE, Retrofit Baltimore, and Green Spring Energy about: • HowdoIgetanEnergyAudit?• HowdoIgetaRetroFitAssessment?• HowmuchdoesSolarreallycost?Whatisthepayback?• HowmuchcanIsaveonmyutilitybill?• Isatanklesshotwaterheaterforme?• Andmuch,muchmore….

Attendees will receive discounts and coupons from authorized vendors. And there will be lots of give-aways, including light bulbs and chimney stops.

Find out how you can help Federal Hill win the "Go Green Neighborhood Challenge."

For more information contact: Gayle McClure – [email protected] or 410-241-1374, Matty Guerin Field Director for Retrofit Baltimore A Civic Works Project – [email protected] or 410- 929-6146, Larry Chaput Representative for Greenspring Energy, LLC - [email protected] or 410-236-4320.


410.244.63331036 Light Street

Baltimore, MD 21230

Order online atwww.ilovegrilledcheese.com

Store Hours: Mon-Sun 11am-9pm DailyOpen Late Fri-Sat ‘til 2:30amDelivery Hours: 11am-9pm Daily

Free Bike DeliveryOur delivery area is shaded on the map

=Grilled Cheese & Co.

Hand crafted grilled cheese, fresh salads, house made soups & more

Kennelcoughisatermusedtodescribeaninfectiousrespiratory disease in dogs. The medical term for kennel cough is Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis because it is caused by viral or bacterial organisms that infect the trachea (windpipe) and bronchioles (small airways in the lungs).

Several different types of viruses and bacteria can cause kennel cough. Parainfluenza and Adenovirus Type 2 are the more common viral causes of kennel cough. Bordetella bronchiseptica is a type of bacteria that often causes kennel cough. Dogs can be infected with viruses and bacteria at the same time. Kennelcough is very contagious and spreads easily in any environment where dogs are in close contact with each other. Boarding kennels, grooming facilities, dog parks, doggie daycare centers, etc., are usually where dogs will be exposed and infected. Symptoms typically appear five to seven days after exposure.

The most common symptom of kennel cough is a dry hacking-type cough. Sometimes the cough will be mild and resolve on its own over a period of a few weeks. Symptoms can be more severe and can include almost constant coughing, discharge from the nose and/oreyes,decreasedappetite,lethargy,andswollenlymph nodes. Sometimes kennel cough can progress to pneumonia, which is very serious and usually requires hospitalization for treatment.

There are no specific treatments for viral causes of kennel cough. However, because Bordetella bronchiseptica (a bacteria) and other secondary bacterial infections are often present, antibiotics are usually prescribed. Depending on the severity of the cough, medications to suppress coughing may be prescribed as well. If symptoms are very severe, or are not resolving, chest radiographs are performed to look for evidence of pneumonia.

Vaccinations for kennel cough are available; however, immunity from both vaccination and natural exposure does not typically last very long.

Vaccines for kennel cough do not prevent symptoms completely, but lessen the severity and duration of the disease. What I usually tell clients is that vaccination can be the difference between having mild symptoms versus developing pneumonia. Most kennels, doggie daycare centers, and groomers require dogs be vaccinated for kennel cough every 6 to 12 months. Vaccines are administered by injection or intranasally (drops in the nose). Bordetella vaccination is not a core (required) vaccine, but is based on the dog’s lifestyle and risk of exposure.

Kennel Cough in DogsJill Shook, DVM, CityPets Veterinary Care and Wellness


Federal Hill Energy Improvement Co-opThe Federal Hill community is joining together to form an Energy Co-op, which will help neighbors make their homes more energy efficient in the most affordable way possible. Retrofit Baltimore, a homeowner advocacy program of the nonprofit Civic Works, has negotiated with vetted contractors to secure a significant bulk discount for the Federal Hill community.

The goal of Retrofit Baltimore is to make it easy and affordable for you to increase the energy efficiency of your home, so you and your family can enjoy the following:• Comfort:fewerdraftsandhot/coldrooms.• Savings:rebatesonenergyimprovementsandlowerutility bills.• Value:anupgradedhomeisworthmoretobuyers.• Health:energyassessmentshelpidentifymold,moisture, and carbon monoxide leaks.• Satisfaction:helpingtheenvironmentandcreatinggreen jobs.

The Federal Hill Energy Cooperative provides several benefits:

Starting with the 5th homeowner, for each household that joins this co-op, the contractor will reduce 1% off the cost of all recommended energy improvements, up to a total of 15%. With the added 50% rebates available to all homeowners from the State of Maryland, there is no more affordable way to make this investment.

Assessment and retrofit from a prescreened and vetted contractor.

Step-by-step guidance from a personal Retrofit Baltimore Energy Advocate committed to ensuring that you receive quality service.

Join the Federal Hill Energy Co-op today! The deadline for joining is Labor Day!

Contact Matty Guerin, your Federal Hill Co-op personal Energy Advocate, at 410-929-6146 or [email protected]. You can also visit the website at www.retrofitbaltimore.org.

ReminderDo Not Put Household

Goods in or Next to Public Trash Cans

An official from Baltimore’s Department of Public Works has asked us to pass along a request to the neighborhood: “Please do not put out household trash by public trash cans.” He said that the City has asked the trash collectors to start opening bags that seem to come from households and reporting any addresses they find so that the City can fine the property owners.

No General Membership Meeting in August

Enjoy your summer - we will see you in

September

Monthly C.O.P. WalkThursday, August 22nd,

7 p.m.Meet in front of Porter’s at the corner of

Riverside Avenue and Cross Street

Walk with your neighbors andpoliceofficers

Walks are not held if a code red air quality advisory has

been issued OR if the 6 pm temperature is over 90

degrees


© 2012 PrimeLending, A PlainsCapital Company. Trade/service marks are the property of PlainsCapital Corporation, PlainsCapital Bank, or their respective affiliates and/or subsidiaries. Some products may not be available in all states. This is not a commitment to lend. Restrictions apply. All rights reserved. PrimeLending, A PlainsCapital Company (NMLS no: 13649) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of a state-chartered bank. MD Dept. of Labor, Licensing & Regulation- lender lic no. 11058. 1954 Greenspring Drive, Suite 625, Timonium, Maryland 21093.

Matt ColimoreMortgage Banker

[email protected]: 194963Apply online at your convenience:www.mattcolimore.com

M o r t g a g e s w i t h o u t o b s t a c l e s .

August Lobsterfest!(Whole 1 & 1/4 lb. Lobster served with

coleslaw and French Fries - $29.95)

Piano Lessons

“Music for a Lifetime”

Michael DelfínBM, Peabody Conservatory

(559)-977-7321

[email protected]

www.michaeldelfinpianist.com

Several years of teaching experience on both Coasts.

All lessons taught at Lee Street Memorial Baptist Church,

113 Warren Ave.

Affordable rates, flexible hours.

Many area residents have enjoyed vacations this season. TERRY HOLTHAUSE traveled with family and friends to Sweden for 11 days and was able “to do what Swedes do” since she was staying with people who live there. Taking a three-hour ferry ride across the Baltic from the mainland, her group went to Gotland, an island that has changed national ownership several times over the centuries. Terry explained, “We spent a week in a large, architecturally interesting house on a hill overlooking the sea. They had a huge bathroom with a claw foot tub that looked out at the Baltic through lace-curtained French doors.” The largest town is Visby, a quaint, well-preserved, medieval walled city, which is located on hilly terrain and is a UNESCO World Heritage site with church ruins, cobblestone streets, and incredible views. Another 10-minute ferry ride took them to the island of Faro, the once home of Ingmar Bergman. Faro means “Sheep Island.” Terry describes it as “a starkly beautiful, windswept place with limestone formations that resemble Stonehenge, and, of course, sheep—-mostly black sheep.”

Those who know Terry are aware of her great love of animals. I think the highlight of her trip was spotting a hedgehog while it was nesting and gathering leaves in achurchyard.Sheevenmanagedtotakeaterrificshortvideo of the fat, cute worker’s efforts and its shy retreat to hide behind a rock. Also noteworthy to this seasoned traveler was a lack of encounters with other tourists whose native language was English, very unusual for summertime in Europe. One evening in suburban Stockholm at a friend’s home, Terry and her companions also found themselves very aware of the late sunsets. Thoughsundownwasofficiallyat9:45PM,theywereattempting to prune a shrub and discussing various techniques and became aware that they were outside and involved in that activity with plenty of natural light for hedge clipping at a surreal 11:15.


The Hill Street News by Jane Wehrle

LISA PONZOLI has also been taking a little break and enjoying some rest and relaxation as she prepares to launch a new chapter in her life. Her great concern that I emphasize that her “baby”—“her store,” BABE: a Boutique—is still very much open for business and a great place to shop is indicative of why the shop became as successful and popular as it did. That attitude was there every day. So why has she relaxed for a bit? That is becausesherecentlysoldBABEtoKELLYHEUISLER,the owner of the popular shoe store POPPY & STELLA. Kelly’s clothingboutiquewas foundedand for severalyears located in Federal Hill and is now in Harbor East.

A 15-year veteran of the apparel industry, Lisa says her time at BABE was exciting. She has worked as an assistant buyer for juniors apparel at Hechts, as a buyer’s assistant at Nordstrum, and in other capacities in retail, wholesale, and product development. She confided,“While at times the days at BABE could be very trying - as in any small business - the experience led me to become a part of the community and to get to know a lot of people in Baltimore. I got to be part of many events and to have a different perspective.” She is keeping an open mind about her next step but admits to being proud of the success of this store. Being a part of a much larger business is a possibility, perhaps with an emphasis in product development and management. She says,” I am so happy that the BABE name will live on because I worked very hard to create the brand. I know the women of Baltimore love what it stands for. I know it is in the right hands and that it will be well represented for years to come.”

Several other career women—and men—in our area had one of their main concerns highlighted recently by THE BALTIMORE SUN. Childcare for working parents has long been a major issue, but I will confess to having my eyes opened to the pressing and urgent need for more facilities with quality caregivers and to the ever-increasing cost of such care. Federal Hill’s CELINE PLACHEZ and STEPHAN VIGUES were featured prominently by the SUN’s TRICIA BISHOP in an article in July. Celine, mother of two young boys and a brain researcher at University of Maryland, was quick to praise the reporter but still had serious concerns when I caught up with her to ask about progress since the piece had appeared. Their infant’s METROWEST daycare

continued next page


center in Baltimore County is slated to close, leaving 80 children and the workers to go elsewhere. Celine feels frustrated and angry and says that this is an issue that goes far beyond her family’s obvious concern for their youngest child. She explained, ”This is not just about me and my son. It is about the kids, the parents, and the staff, and how this closure is impacting every one of us. The article was great. But the larger issue is that Baltimore City does not offer affordable daycare. The situation has become severe. Even the closing of one large center like this opens the potential for further rate increases in the tight market that exists in the city. Since there is little competition anymore, rates can rise again. Someone needs to raise a redflagandsay‘Stop!I refuse topay$400aweekforgood-qualitycare at a center for my infant.’” She fears $500 fees are not far in the future.Lettersandcallstotheofficesofvariouscityofficeshavefoundsympathetic eyes and ears, but have resulted in no real suggestions and no action.

Congratulations and a “we knew her when” are in order for a Federal Hill-Sobo favorite who is making a great name for herself on the national dance scene these days. It was great to have MAEGHAN McHALE in town in July while she was conducting some well-attended master classes for eager advanced students at various studios in both Maryland and Pennsylvania. She recently graced the front cover of DANCE MAGAZINE, the most prestigious American periodical in that artistic genre. Named one of “The Top 25 to Watch” by that magazine in 2010, she has not disappointed. A graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts, she spent much of her youth in Federal Hill-Sobo, and her grandmother is still beaming with pride on Marshall Street. Maeghan currently lives in Chicago where she is part of the renowned Giordano Dance Chicago. As I write, she has just returned from New York City where one of her own works of choreography was performed in Central Park as an introduction to The Martha Graham Dance Company. Maeghan, we are all so proud of you!

No FHNA General Membership Meetingin August - See you in September


Law Offices of Edward J. Maher, P.C.Representing landlords in Maryland since 1997

Phone: 410.539.5505tedmaherlaw.com [email protected]

Previous HillsidersEvery issue from the past year is available online (in

color too).Just go to FederalHillBaltimore.org

and click on“The Hillsider.”


Why Choose a Prudential PenFedRealty Sales Professional?

410-547-5700 PenFedRealty.com

Local KnowledgeUnderstanding the nuances of local communities and neighborhoods to better serve your needs

Market ExpertiseProviding current information on market conditions, pricing and housing trends for best decision making

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di · [s]sec′ · ting the Baltimore Rowhouse(and exploring its impact on life in the City)

by Jim Hall

continued next page

Part 7 - Rowhouse Variations - Paying for the Baltimore Rowhouse

other rowhouse variations

wooden rowhousesI have seen two wooden rowhouses that have still

survived through all of these years. (Because of the fire hazard, wood construction was prohibited within the City in 1799.) Both are two stories tall. One is located on Gay Street between the Gay Street Mall and Downtown (I saw it again last week; it is vacant and looking pretty dilapidated.) and the other is on Montgomery Street in Federal Hill. (The Federal Hill house was renovated maybe twenty years ago with new concrete block exterior walls covered by wood sheathing.)

one-story rowhousesI know of at least two single-story rowhouses. They

are adjacent to each other and squeezed in between the regular rowhouses on Riverside Avenue in South Baltimore. Both have a front and back room and an attic with a dormer window. One has a kitchen addition in the back. Their chimneys have been raised an additional 12 feet to a height slightly above the adjacent houses. In recent history, they have been combined into one residence.ThesehouseswererareIdon’tknowifthereare any more in Baltimore.

the 2-½ story rowhouseNow wait a minute, a story is a story is a story, how

could a ½ story be possible?Well, this is Baltimore. You may have noticed

these houses in some of the City’s older rowhouse neighborhoods. Just above the second story windows is another row of shorter, almost square, windows set in a slightly taller front wall with the gutter and front edge of the roof just a little bit above. Wow, if there was a floor up there, you would have to crawl on your knees to look out the window! And if that was your guess, you were right.

Remember, Baltimore’s large families in the earlier years needed as many bedrooms as possible. This 5 to 6

foot addition to the top of the main block of the house was the cheapest way of providing 2 extra bedrooms for the kids (and height-challenged adults). In those front and back rooms above the second story, the small square windows rested essentially on the floor You could shove the beds or maybe a table and chairs or some shelves between the windows under the approximately 4-½ foot ceilings along the front and back walls. And you could stand up with approximately 7-½ feet of headroom under the highest part of the gable roof near the center of the house. And when the kids grew up you had the nicest finished attic in the block. Also, you might not have realized it, but earlier Baltimoreans, to put it bluntly, were short. (Although, if you have ever been below deck on the USS Constellation in the Inner Harbor, you might have already discovered this fact.)

shop-front rowhouses One of the amazing characteristics of the

Baltimore rowhouse is how easily the buildings can assimilate a commercial storefront. You can add a small bay window with a large expanse of glass in front of the original front window, remove the old window, create a sign and you have got a shop. Actually, early residents of the City and the City government didn’t particularly distinguish between the different uses in the rowhouses of the City. In the first half of the City’s history, a block of rowhouses could include residences, a small hotel with a stable in the rear for the guest’s horses, a shop on the first floor with the shopkeeper living above, more residences, another shop, and a public house (bar) – all in the same row.

During the early 1900’s, American cities began to develop zoning ordinances to prevent the most obnoxious uses from being implanted right in the middle of blocks of houses. And since the 1930’s, zoning in American cities, including Baltimore, became more and more focused on completely separating the different uses of the city. Again attitudes are shifting: appropriate


continued next page

mixed-uses are now a good thing; the corner store is still viable in some sections of the City; and Bolton Hill and Federal Hill residents are really enjoying eating and gossiping in the small restaurants at the end of some of their residential blocks. And Baltimore’s new zoning ordinance, being completed right now, will judicially allow some additional mixing of uses in the City’s new Zoning districts.

the swell-front rowhouse A swell front, as it used to describe a Baltimore

rowhouse, does not mean that the front wall is a good-old friend, but that a whole section of the front wall of the rowhouse gently curves out towards the street and then back again, like a thin vertical section of a giant cylinder. These buildings were built in the early 1900’s and have very simple front walls and cornices, unlike the earlier, heavily decorated, Victorian buildings. The rhythm of the swells, up and down the row, is very pleasing. Some of the most elegant blocks in Baltimore are the rows of these swell-front rowhouses.

porch-front rowhouses Charles Village was built as one of the City’s

first suburbs: its streets are almost completely lined with continuous porch-front rowhouses. The neighborhood also has some rows of houses with discontinuous front porches. The architectural projections and sheet metal decorations of all of these rowhouses are bold and chunky. The porches are well decorated and look heavy; their columns are beefy and strong.

In the blocks of continuous porch-front rowhouses, there is generally a handrail or low wall across the porch at each property line to separate the porches of different owners. With a glider hanging from the ceiling and a couple of rocking chairs, these porches have provided many pleasant, gossipy evenings for the residents and their friends. And the kids could play with their toy cars and dolls, even if it was raining. With these continuous porches at your front door you really got to know a lot of your neighbors; but if you didn’t like one neighbor next door–Well… (Most of these were also daylightrowhouses (see next)).

(One of my favorite pastimes is to check out how different rowhouse owners have handled the paint color dilemma on their shared porch columns, porch gingerbread, cornice brackets, and decorations. Splitting

a shared porch column down the middle with different colors on each side makes the column (or is it 2, attached, half-columns?) look just plain weird. But if you paint the column in the color palette of just one of the houses– what is left to visually hold up the adjacent porch roof? Of course the owners could always use the rule of the Old West: “Whoever paints last gets to paint all of the shared parts in the colors of his choice”. Anyway it all gets very convoluted very quickly and fun.)

daylight rowhouses The daylight rowhouses of the early 1900’s did

a complete 90° turn on Baltimore’s traditional rowhouse plan. Instead of the narrow and deep, traditional rowhouse, the new daylights were significantly wider and shallower. And the rear additions (that in the old rowhouses sometimes rambled on and on till they reached the alley) were completely eliminated. The primary advantage of this new idea was that the significantly wider front and back walls of the house had space for more and larger windows; which in the pre-air conditioning days was a real blessing. And, with the multiple shades and curtains of the Victorian era going out of fashion (replaced by simple pull down window shades or Venetian blinds), the rooms actually did receive more daylight. And the houses were wide enough to have 4 rooms on each floor. A number of these houses were also porch-front rowhouses (see before). Glassed-in front porches, called sunrooms in the newspaper adds, appeared in some of the daylights around 1915. And with their real, but small grass (sometimes gardened) front yards all the daylight rows suggested an almost suburban air of greenery and spaciousness.

the turreted corner rowhouse There is something very satisfying these

elaborate turret additions to the corners of the corner houses in some of Baltimore’s rowhouse blocks. Many designers believe that these corner punctuations marks to a rowhouse row visually help hold the row together, like bookends help visually (and actually) hold a group of books together. And I think that they are right; I cringe when I see a vacant lot or a parking lot on the corner of a beautiful row– something is missing, something doesn’t feel right. And partly because the towers incorporate the same details that continue through the rest of the row and are part of a regular rowhouse themselves, they feel like they belong, in spite of their extravagances. And in


Baltimore, these corner turrets; crowned with conical roofs in all possible colors, shapes, and details; are about as exotic and extravagant as you can get. They often look like an over-the-top illustration of a medieval street scene in a Victorian Christmas card, with Turkish accents.

And the small, round, alcoves inside can become wonderful interior spaces (but not always): I have seen these circular windowed spaces fitted out as a kitchen, or a bathroom, or an alcove for a bedroom dresser blocking the lower part of some of the windows and a chair. Oh well….

paying for the Baltimore rowhouse Baltimore’s vast collection of rowhouses that

were built for its middle and working class citizens didn’t just happen. The citizens of Baltimore inherited and built a set of financial and social structures that facilitated rowhouse construction and allowed many of the City’s less than rich citizens to participate in home ownership (and the ownership of a real, but tiny piece of their own land) as the City grew.

ground rent The rapid development of rowhouses in Baltimore

was supported by the ground rent system, which separated the ownership of the lot from the ownership of the rowhouse that sat on it. This system, which has been used in Baltimore since the 1700’s, allowed the owner of the new house to save money by postponing the purchase of the land. Instead of paying for the lot when buying the house, the owner simply paid a small semi-annual ground rent to the owner of the lot. But the ground rent payments just cover the interest on the loan and thus must be paid in perpetuity. It all worked quite well, the new owner got a house he could afford, and the old owner of the land ended up with a small, but permanent and secure source of income for each house that got built. Ground rents still exist in Baltimore today, and still perplex many homeowners. Only recently did the State Legislature pass a law that requires that the ground rent owner, when asked, must sell the ground rent certificate (for certificates issued after April 8, 1884) to the owner of the house. The law also sets up a formula that establishes a price for the purchase of certificates. Here is the formula:

●issuedbeforeApril8,1884 not redeemableunless permitted in the original document

●April8,1884-April5,1888pay25timesannualground rent

● April 5,1888 - July 1,1982 pay 16.66 timesannual ground rent

● July1,1982-presentpay8.33timesannualground rent

The law also required owners of ground rents to register their ground rents in a database maintained by the Maryland Department of Assessment and Taxation. If you do not know whether your property has a ground rent or who the owner is, contact this State Agency.

(In 2011, two different State Court judges declared that two different sections of the State Legislation were unconstitutional. They ruled that both sections of the new law infringed on the legal rights of the original landowners to collect a legitimate debt. In response, in the spring of 2012, the State passed new legislation declaring that the ground rent obligation does not disappear if it was not registered by the deadline in the original law, but that the ground rent cannot be collected until it is registered. It will now be up to the State Courts to determine if this remedy is acceptable.)

advanced mortgageThe advanced mortgage was another financial device

that was really instrumental in funding the hundreds of blocks of rowhouses built during the City’s huge building boom in the late 1800’s.

In this system, the big landowner built the streets, temporally rented lots to builders, and then lent each builder (in installments) about half of the money needed to build each house. When the houses were completed and sold, the landowner received cash from the builder for renting the lot during construction; the money that was lent to the builder for building the house (with interest); and the annual ground rent payment from the owners of the house to rent the lot (in perpetuity). In the end, it was the large landowner who ended up with almost all the profits from this system. Well, Baltimore’s rich landowners got richer, but the City did get the blocks and blocks of new rowhouses that were needed for its rapidly growing population.

Savings and Loan AssociationsAmerica’s savings and loan industry traces its origins

to the British building society movement of the late continued next page


1700’s. For forty years following the formation of the first American thrift in 1831, Savings and Loans, S&Ls, were few in number and found in Baltimore and only a handful of other Eastern and Midwestern cities. But after the Civil War the number of thrifts in the United States exploded as urban growth (and the resultant demand for housing) surged.

And in fact, Baltimore’s Savings and Loan Associations have been the primary source the funding Baltimore’s vast collection of rowhouses. Baltimore S&Ls focused on serving ethnic groups (for example, the Madison and Bohemian and the Slavie S&Ls located in northeast Baltimore), racial groups (such as the Ideal S&L serving black families in Upton in west Baltimore), and local neighborhood residents (such as the Hamilton S&L in northeast Baltimore and the Hull Street S&L in South Baltimore).

A person became a thrift member by subscribing to shares in the organization. The shares were paid for over time in regular monthly installments. When enough monthly payments had accumulated, the members were allowed to borrow funds to buy their house. The amount each member could borrow was equal to the value of the shares they had already purchased. The member repaid the loan by continuing to make the regular monthly share payments as well as the new loan interest payments. This interest payment, plus any other fees minus minimal operating expenses, became the profit of the thrift, which the members received as dividends.

While industrialization gave a major boost to the growth of the thrift industry, there were other reasons why these the associations could thrive along side larger commercial banks in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. First, thrifts were not-for-profit cooperative organizations that were typically managed by their members. Second, the S&Ls were very small local institutions that served well-defined groups of aspiring homeowners.

In addition, in the early years, bank mortgages were short term (three to five years) and only the interest was repaid while the entire principle was due at maturity. In contrast, thrift mortgages were longer term (eight to twelve years) and the borrower repaid both the principle and interest over time. Also, while banks offered a wide array of products to individuals and businesses, thrifts

often made only home mortgages primarily to working-class men and women. A final distinction between thrifts and banks was that thrift leaders believed they were part of a broader social reform effort and not a financial industry. They believed that S&Ls not only helped people become better citizens by making it easier to own a home, but that they also taught the habits of systematic savings and mutual cooperation that strengthened personal morals.

setback and double rowhousesSpread throughout Baltimore’s rowhouse

neighborhoods are skinny, two-story individual, brick houses that are not built to the front property line, but set back 20 to 40 feet. Thus these houses have a small side and front yard while the other houses in the block are built solidly next to each other and right up to the front property line.

How did such strange looking buildings get imbedded in blocks of otherwise proper Baltimore rowhouses? Actually they came out of a Baltimore tradition that allowed working-class families to build and own houses in the City. These were the City’s historic starter houses. The family got the lot and initially built only the rear portion of a Baltimore rowhouse. They began to raise their family in the small rooms of the back part of the house. And when the family became rich enough, they built the front part of their house with a grand parlor on the first floor, the large, parents’ bedroom above, and a handsome stairway connecting all of the older and newer parts.

But, unfortunately, some of the families never got rich enough.

You can’t always tell a double house from the street. But like the setback houses, the double house was another way that some of Baltimore’s early frugal rowhouse owners could save lots of money. The owner purchased a pair of similar rowhouses built next to each other at the same time one became the owner’s own residence and the other a rent-house. And if the finances worked out, the tenant’s rent paid for both mortgages. Sometimes, a sally port (see more later) was located between the two houses. The double house is another typical Baltimore financial device that maximized home ownership and at the same time provided a real house with a backyard for the next-door tenant.


Seasonal Recipes and Kitchen Tips for Busy Families by Michelle Mills August Kitchen Tip: Salads in Jars

The concept is simple: you build a salad in a jar (or any other cylindrical container about the same size as a 32-ounce Mason jar). The best part about this is that you can make four to five and have them in the fridge all week for a healthy lunch on the cheap.

Just pack the dressing at the bottom. Then add the heartier ingredients (e.g., onions, beans, corn, cruciferous vegetables). On top of that, add things like cucumbers, tomatoes, cooked sweet potatoes. Finally, on top of that, you pack that jar to the gills with lettuce, spinach, or another mixture of salad greens. The greens stay crisp from the moisture in the container for up to four to five days.

I keep a big bowl at work so I can dump the salad into that—it's quite a large salad in the end. If you want to use meat or seafood, you could; but maybe only make those salads one to two days in advance. Pro tip: Use a little more dressing than you think you might need.

August Quick and Healthy Dinner Recipe: Whole-Wheat Pasta with Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette

Adapted from Alice Waters. You'll need either a mortar and pestle or a microplane grater for this recipe. This is the single tastiest dish I've ever had with whole-wheat pasta!

Serves 4; makes great lunch leftoversTotal time: 30 minutes, tops

Ingredients:2 garlic cloves, peeled2 T red wine vinegar2lbsfreshtomatoes,cutinto1/2-inchdice1/2cbasilleaves3 c fresh spinach (chopped or baby leaves) or 1 c shredded squash 1 lb whole-wheat pasta (farro pasta will work, too)1/3coliveoilsalt

Directions:1) Grind the garlic with a mortar and pestle until the garlic is a paste (if you use a microplane grater, just transfer to a medium size bowl); stir in the vinegar.2) Combine this with half the basil and all the tomatoes; let marinate for 20 minutes.3)Cookthepastatotaste/texture.Withinthelastminuteofcooking,addthespinachorsquashlongenoughtoblanch—just bring back to a boil for 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid when you drain.4) Season the tomato mixture with salt to taste; add the olive oil.5) Add tomato mixture to pasta; add pasta water accordingly to develop a sauce. 6)Addanyadditionalvinegartotaste;addremainingbasil.Servewarm/roomtemperature.


O’Donoghues - Wendy, Audrey, Emma, Geri and Bob

At Federal Hill’s 4th of July Parade


Wizards live among us. I know. One lives on my block. It’s a block in the old part of the city, lined with row houses, all built one by one a hundred years ago, all different. Each house has seen generations of families move in, grow up, and move out. Over time, each row house has been added to, rearranged, and modernized. Now they all have air conditioning, satellite TV, you name it.

But wizards still live here. One of them, the Wizard Awry, is my neighbor. He lives in one of the row houses. Like I said, each is different. The wizard has a front garden with a walkway to the porch steps. Most of the other row houses face right onto the sidewalk like mine, just a few doors down.

The Wizard Awry keeps to himself most of the time, and you really wouldn’t know that he is a wizard to look at him—but most people don’t really look at him, anyway. He walks slowly, head down, saying little to anybody, while most of the rest of our neighbors are pretty friendly, always ready to chat. On the other hand, the wizard kind of looks wizardly, with an old hat, a long coat, and a tall walking stick.

Most people think wizards lived long ago, or far away, or, in any case, existed somewhere else, so that we only read about them in stories. Well, here is my wizard story.

One hot afternoon I was walking down the sidewalk, heading to my home. Again, it’s an old part of town and the sidewalks are laid with brick, and the bricks are uneven, so you really have to watch your step or you’ll trip. Right then I had a lot on my mind. A big problem. My cat was lost. I loved my cat, Spike. He’d go out once in a while but he always came back. Now, after years together, he hadn’t come back to me. It had been all night and all morning and now half of the afternoon.

I was very worried. The city can be very dangerous to cats who aren’t used to being outside alone. Let’s face it—there are rats out there bigger and meaner than any cat. There’s more. Neighbors had mentioned seeing raccoons and even foxes, right here, in the middle of the city. Then there is all the traffic—cars,trucks,buses,younameit,allplowingaway,notreally minding stray cats of any kind.

Spike had been lost almost a whole day and I was really worried about him. I put up signs on street lamps: “Lost yellow cat. Spike. Reward.” But nobody had called.

So I was walking down the brick sidewalk and was just about to go by this old guy coming toward me when the old guy—theWizardAwryasIwastocometofindout—stubbedhistoe on a brick and fell right toward me. There wasn’t anything

I could do but reach out and grab him as he toppled over, his stick held out in one hand, his other arm waving, and his grizzled face, his piercing eyes, turning right into me.

Right then an incredible thing happened. As his arms clamped around me we no longer were on the sidewalk. We were lifting up, turning, rotating upward as the daytime vanished and swirling lights spiraled by in the darkness behind them. No sounds at first and then a strange roar crept up in thebackground, even as the old guy released his bear hug on me, though he still held my wrist.

“Donotbeafraid.IamtheWizardAwry.Wewillfindyourfriend.”

I couldn’t think of anything clever to say, so I said, “Huh?”

Still the lights swirled and he said no more for a while and then the darkness turned to a golden brightness and we weren’t flyinganymore.Wewereonthedirtgroundofavastplainfullof tall, straw-colored grasses. Way off in the distance we could see a herd of wildebeest—I knew what they were because I’d seenTheLionKingonDVD—butIhadnoclueastohowIhappened to be seeing them at this particular moment.

The guy next to me—the wizard—I guess he knew what I was thinking.

“Just look over there,” he said.

I looked where he pointed his staff. I assumed it was a staff, because, hey, all wizards have staffs.

Over there was one of those African trees you see in the documentaries on PBS, and under the tree was—nothing. Wait. Yes. There was something. A pair of eyes. Yes. A pair of eyes. And a pair of ears, with tawny fur. Then more. Four orfivepairsofcateyesandcatears—lioneyes,lionears.Awhole bunch of them, just lying around. For some reason I suddenly became aware of just how hot it was where we were. The big orange sun just blasted the heat down, hot or hotter than it ever got back in the city. Back in my neighborhood. I still didn’t get it.

“It’s a pretty hot day back on our block, isn’t it?” the wizard asked.

“I guess.”

“And what do cats do on a hot day outside?”

The Wizard Helps Me Find My CatBy John Ginovsky

continued next page


“Um….”

The wizard shook his head impatiently and made a face as if to say to himself, “What do I have to do?”

The next thing I knew we were standing in the middle of that bunch or, I guess the term is, pride, of lions, but right then I wasn’t too concerned with getting the right word. They were all looking right at me, with those dark, hungry eyes, curved, sharp teeth, and bulging,flexingclaws.Worseyet,acoupleofthemgotupinacrouchandIcouldjustsensetheywerefiguringoutthebestwayto leap over on me and chew off my head.

And then I got it. On a hot day, cats lie in the shade.

“You got it?” the wizard asked.

“I got it.”

“It’s about time. Let’s get the heck out of here!”

Zoom. The fangs faded. The teeth faded. The eyes faded. The African plain faded. Darkness, stars, whirling around, all over again, and there we were, back on the brick sidewalk. I was holding up the old man, who slowly regained his balance, as if he had just tripped that second, and never mind all the other stuff I thought I saw. He slowly straightened up, regained his balance, andleanedconfidentlyonhiswalkingstick.

“Thank you, young man. I could have had a bad fall,” he said.

Again, I didn’t know what to say. He looked a little impatient. With a shrug of his shoulder, he gestured behind him.

“You know, I happened to see a yellow cat lying beneath the tree down at the corner,” he said.

Then I knew what he meant. “Spike!”

“Indeed. He may have found a companion or two. I suspect, though, he’s ready to get out of the sun.”

With that he cracked a small smile at me, opened the squeaky wrought-iron gate in front of his garden, and then vanished.

To be honest, I wasn’t really paying attention just then. I was runningdownthesidewalktofindmyfriend.

Still, it occurred to me: Wizards live among us.

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