The Glyndon Trace Gazette
Volume 2, Number 1, March 2012
BOARD UPDATES
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The GT II (Condos) Board held its annual meeting on January 9, 2012. Rose
Rubin was elected to a three-year term (2012-2015). Board officers for the
2012 year are Jess Felber, Marvin Yablon, and Rose Rubin. They will share
presidential duties and rotate the chairing of Board meetings. In addition, at the
February 13, 2012, meeting, Harrison Smith was nominated and elected to the
Board for a one-year term. During the year, the GT II Board’s agenda will
include a reserve study and preservation of the parking area on the hill.
The GT I (Villas) Board held its annual meeting on January 18, 2012. T. J. Bryan
and William Kalbfleisch were elected to three-year terms (2012-2015). Board
officers for the 2012 year are Robert Berzanski, President; T. J. Bryan, Vice
President; Steve Meconi, Secretary; William Kalbfleisch, Treasurer; and Luther
Petry, Member at Large. The GT I Board’s 2012 agenda will include a reserve
study, an investment policy, and responses to parking issues.
The Master Board held its annual meeting on February 27, 2012. William
Kalbfleisch and Ted Chaskelson were elected to three-year terms (2012-2015).
Vice President Larry Caplan presided during the meeting. He reported on 2011
accomplishments including the following: repair and improvement of the entry
gate, ongoing review of parking problems and bottlenecks on Lauren Hill Court
and Teapot Court, grounds maintenance including tree removal and
replacement, and budget-cutting steps such as the reduction of pool hours as
well as downgrading of television-cable service to a basic subscription.
Members of the community are encouraged to attend regular and annual
meetings of the Boards. The GT I Board meets on the third Wednesday of each
month at 6:30 p.m.; the GT II Board, on the second Monday of each month at
6:30 p.m.; and the Master Board, on the fourth Monday of each month at 6:30
p.m. All meetings occur in the clubhouse.
EFFECTIVE MARCH 1, 2012,
THE GLYNDON TRACE GAZETTE WILL BECOME A
QUARTERLY PUBLICATION.
Board Updates
Neighbor Profile
Community Chat
Clubs
Neighborhood
Gem
Recipe Exchange
Calling All
Neighbors
Staff
Advertisements
Disclaimers
1
2-3
3
3
4-5
6
7
7
8
8
Page 2
The Glyndon Trace Gazette, March 2012
Neighbor Profile–Dan Liggon and Samir El Omari
AN
ARTICLE
BY DEBBIE
CAPLAN
Dan Liggon and Samir El Omari are the newest residents in Glyndon Trace.
Dan grew up in Westminster, MD, and received a B. S. in interior design from
Hood College. He has been an interior designer for twenty-one years and
opened his own firm (Daniel F. Liggon Associates LLC) eleven years ago. After
living in Florida and Las Vegas, he moved back to the Baltimore area in 1989.
Clients from all over the world, including the Baltimore area, the Washington
suburbs of Maryland, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Florida already appreciate his
design talents.
While currently operating his interior design from his home office, Dan plans
to open a retail store in Reisterstown with household items and treasures
from around the world. Tres Jolie on Facebook and the Pikesville Patch show
some of the many items that the store offers.
Samir El Omari was born and raised in Morocco but moved to the U. S. eleven
years ago to go to school. He has worked as a language lecturer/instructor of
French and Arabic at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC),
for ten years. He holds an A. A. degree in fashion design, a B. S. in information
systems, and an M. S. in education and language instruction. Samir is currently
working on a doctorate and plans to defend his dissertation next year. He
holds a black belt in judo and aikido and is a talented chef of Moroccan and
French cuisine!
A year and a half ago, Samir brought his son Abderrahamane (Abdoul), age16,
to the U. S, to attend school. Abdoul is a junior at Owings Mills High School and
a straight A student in the English as a second language (ESOL) program. He is
a wrestling champ on the highly regarded Owings Mills varsity wrestling team
and finds time to play on the soccer and tennis teams as well. Abdoul is also a
black belt in judo and is a self-taught pianist. Samir’s other son, Othmane, age
12, lives with his mother in Baltimore and spends as much time as possible
with his father. Samir hopes to have Othmane with him permanently by the
summer.
Rounding out the family are very friendly and absolutely adorable Pekinese
dogs—Abby, age 8; Yasmine, age 7; and Baboo, age 5.
The Glyndon Trace Gazette , March 2012
Page 3
Samir’s and Dan’s families have been friends for many years, and Samir and Dan
travel back and forth to Morocco to spend time with their Moroccan families and
also visit family in the United States. Dan and Samir have a home in Rabat,
Morocco, and are currently renovating a beach home on the west coast of Rabat in
Hahora.
When asked, “Why Glyndon Trace,” Dan responded, “We lived in Pikesville for the
last eight years and decided to give up our large old stone home for a newer home
in a community with neighbors in a quiet peaceful atmosphere. We were unaware
of Glyndon Trace until we looked at seven homes in other areas of Baltimore
County and were not happy with any of them. We were surprised yet delighted to
find such a warm, safe, wonderful community here in Reisterstown. We loved the
area the first time we drove in and have grown fonder of the neighborhood and
neighbors every day. This has quickly become our home, hopefully for many years
to come. We joined Brick Bodies and have discovered the many treasures in the
area that have been hidden from us by living in Pikesville.”
Community Chat
The GT Book Club discussed Andrea Levy’s Small Island, winner of the 2004
Orange Prize for Fiction and 2004 Whitbread Book of the Year, during its
February 12, 2012, meeting at Debbie Kaplan’s home.
Set largely in Jamaica and England, Small Island is about four people
immediately before and after World War II: Queenie, a British butcher’s
daughter; her husband Bernard, a British working-class soldier; Gilbert,
Queenie's Jamaican tenant and a military veteran; and Hortense, Gilbert's
Jamaican wife. As each of these characters' lives intersect, they must
confront, and ultimately adapt, to a world in which social upheaval has
become the order of the day.
Clubs at a Glance
Name of Club
Meeting Day
Frequency
Sundays at 7 p.m.
Monthly
Bridge Club
Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
Weekly
Clubhouse
Knitting and
Crocheting Club
Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.
Weekly
Clubhouse
Social Committee
Varies
Varies
Clubhouse
or Committee
Book Club
Location
Contact Person
Residents’
Debbie Caplan,
homes
410-517-1192
Debbie Caplan,
410-517-1192
Peggy Eline,
410-833-0890
Mimi Kraus,
410-833-0071 or
mbk3639@verizon.net
Page 4
The Glyndon Trace Gazette , March 2012
Neighborhood Gem—The Ski Shoppe Ltd.
An
Interview
by Lynda
Davis
(Photo Courtesy of Kate Higgins)
I’ve never been a big fan of this time of year. The holidays are over, it’s very cold,
and I hate snow! This is not a view, however, shared by the staff and customers
at The Ski Shoppe Ltd. On the contrary, they love and perhaps even live for
snow.
Located at 202 Main Street, The Ski Shoppe Ltd. has always appeared to me to be
one of the more attractive buildings on the “high street.” I had never been inside
before and was happy to find the building to be just as attractive inside as
outside.
Jeannie Brown runs the establishment although she stressed that the business is
not just about her; it’s about all her staff; her late husband, Gerry; and The Ski
Shoppe’s many loyal customers. Jeannie’s “staff” consists of Van Branch, her
general manager; Kate, her daughter; and twelve to fifteen thoroughly trained
students. Jeannie insists, “The real experts are my team.” Van and Kate are the
skiing and snowboarding experts and all their staff are enthusiastic wintersports lovers. Despite their extensive knowledge, they are not complacent at The
Ski Shoppe Ltd. “We are always learning, “they told me.
The Glyndon Trace Gazette , March 2012
Jeannie gave me a tour of the store, which is in one of our most historic
buildings. The second-oldest in Reisterstown, the structure is 234 years old. It
was originally built for the second daughter of German-born John Reister 1st,
who settled in the place that bears his name in 1758. Upstairs the original
beams are still visible. An attractive feature is a winter mural painted on the
staircase by Jeannie’s sister.
The first thing I noticed was how well the store was laid out. One room Jeannie
is especially proud of is the snowboard room. The atmosphere of a ski lodge is
the effect the staff attempted to create, and to my eyes they seem to have
accomplished that aura very well.
Jeannie’s husband, Gerry, originally established the business in 1976. Skiing
was one of his passions. His vision was to provide the area with the best
possible ski store. It was his love of the sport that made him so concerned with
safety. Jeannie was very proud to tell me that Gerry was responsible for setting
standards for skiing safety.
Gerry’s legacy of concern for skiers’ safety is still paramount at The Ski Shoppe
Ltd. “We spend hours sizing customers for boots,” Kate told me. She also
stressed the importance of helmets. “No one should be on the slopes without a
helmet. It’s that simple,” she emphasized. As with any good business, customer
service is number one at The Ski Shoppe Ltd. This fact was confirmed by one of
my co–workers who had been very impressed by the service received at the
store. This attention to detail and customer loyalty has sustained The Ski
Shoppe Ltd. throughout the economic downturn. Love of sport keeps the
customers coming back, according to the staff; apparently, the weather is a
more important imperative to the winter sport enthusiast than the economy.
After my tour of the business, I had a strong sense of the passion skiers and
snowboarders have for their sports. They have a good point: If it’s going to
snow anyway, we might as well enjoy the weather. If you are a winter-sports
enthusiast or have an interest in becoming one, The Ski Shoppe Ltd. is open
from August until March. (It closes this year on March 17.) Jeannie’s “team”
will dispense products and advice with equal enthusiasm. For more
information, visit the shop’s website at www.skishoppeltd.com.
Page 5
Page 6
The Glyndon Trace Gazette , March 2012
s
Recipe Exchange—Vegetable Lasagna
½ pound fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Submitted
by Dotty
Carpenter
2 cups small-curd cottage cheese
2 eggs lightly beaten
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon dried whole oregano
½ teaspoon dried whole basil
1 (15-1/2 ounces) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (6 ounces) can tomato paste
6 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 (10 ounces) package frozen chopped spinach thawed and well drained
2 medium tomatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
Sauté mushrooms, carrots, and onion in butter in a large skillet over medium heat
until tender. Drain and set aside. Combine cottage cheese and next 5 ingredients;
stir well, and set aside.
Combine spaghetti sauce and tomato paste; stir well. Spread half of spaghetti
sauce mixture in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over
sauce. Spread vegetable mixture over noodles. Spoon half of reserved cottage
cheese mixture over vegetable mixture. Arrange 3 remaining noodles over
cottage cheese, and top with remaining sauce, spinach, cottage cheese, and
chopped tomato.
TO STORE: Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
TO SERVE: Bake covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle
with mozzarella cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until lasagna is thoroughly heated
and cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
YIELD: 6 to 8 servings
Page 7
The Glyndon Trace Gazette , March 2012
s
The Glyndon Trace Gazette needs your news.
Without your
submissions, the newsletter may cease to exist.
We need news such as the following:
Anniversaries, births, graduations, new jobs, promotions, volunteer roles,
and other achievements.
News about nearby eateries, art venues, and other nearby establishments
“Business-card” ads publicizing enterprises of residents only (Each item
should be limited to thirty (30) words. No fee is charged for ads.)
All text (Word) and images (jpg) should be submitted electronically to
glyndontracegazette@gmail.com.
NOTE: Publication of submissions is subject to approval by the newsletter staff
and to availability of space.
Staff
T. J. Bryan, editor, is a retired university chancellor and retired professor, Vice
President of the GT I Board, and member of the GT book club and GT social
committee.
Debbie Caplan, reporter, is a member of the GT bridge club and GT book club.
Lynda Davis, reporter, is a former pre-school teacher who currently volunteers
part time at the Red Cross in the Holocaust Tracing Center. She is a member of the
GT bridge club and the GT book club.
Sharone Shani, photographer, is a professional photographer and owner and
operator of Creative Image Productions® (www.creativeip.biz) as well as a
computer specialist and owner and operator of SoloPro Computers®
(www.soloprocomputers.com).
Page 8
The Glyndon Trace Gazette , March 2012
s
Advertisements
Disclaimers
The Glyndon Trace Gazette makes no representation as to the services or materials that may be
furnished by any party listed herein and disclaims any responsibility therefore.
Although the Gazette publishes information about the Glyndon Trace (GT) boards, this
newsletter is neither an HOA policy forum nor an HOA publication. This newsletter does not
represent the opinions or positions of the Glyndon Trace Condominium Association or any of
its Boards of Directors.