Parking

By Richard Lelonek

Today, we have more cars than we have houses to park in front of. Of course, this is the result of two or three cars in a family. It has been noticed there are many times vacant spaces to park two Cadillacs in front. Someone will come in and park dead smack in the middle taking away a space for another to park. BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR! When parking, park close to the next car in front or behind, so another neighbor can use a space.

Getting Fresh Air in Bel-Air-Edison

by Joe Armstrong

My fondest childhood memories involve me being active somehow: whether I was just riding my bike around my neighborhood or maybe I was playing basketball, baseball or football. As I grew older and went to college in rural Pennsylvania, I maintained a relatively active lifestyle by regularly participating in basketball and taking up long-distance hiking. I loved the way walking or playing sports for a few hours made me feel and relieved what stress I felt at the time.

How does that relate to living in Bel-Air? When I first moved to Baltimore four years ago with my wife, we were purchasing our first home. We didn’t know what to look for in a home, let alone a neighborhood, but we felt we’d know it when we saw it. When we drove around Bel-Air, the row houses made me think of my childhood in Brooklyn, N.Y., and seeing Clifton Park made me smile. I knew where I wanted to live in Baltimore.

I felt like the proximity of the park (in addition to Lake Montebello) to our home on the 3300 block of Woodstock Avenue would give me the proper incentive to get out of the house and exercise. As an adult, I felt that was important. I have been chasing that feeling of stress relief from when I was younger, but for multiple reasons in adulthood the feeling seems to get more elusive. Our time and energy are pushed and pulled daily with the demands and stresses of work, family, commutes, cooking, cleaning and any other activities we try to cram into the week. Maintaining some semblance of an active lifestyle was important to us in keeping our stress levels in control and our bodies healthy.

I love the park for a variety of reasons. First, it’s a five-minute walk from my house and it’s free! That’s always a plus in this current economy. It has fields to play softball, baseball, football or soccer. If you’re in the mood for a hike, it has a clean trail through the woods, with enough natural surroundings to provide an escape from the oppressive heat and humidity that seems to hover over Baltimore during the summer months.

When fall arrives, the leaves change and thoughts of enjoying the departure of the summer humidity immediately come to mind. When that happens, we head to Lake Montebello, seemingly almost on a daily basis. The breeze coming off the water, the friendly people and the joy of innocence on the faces of kids as they ride their bikes around the lake all make for an enjoyable workout.

On the walk home, I always look forward to a cooling shower and doing basically nothing productive for the rest of the evening. I know if the weather cooperates, in all likelihood we will repeat the process the next day, and we will be healthier because of it. However, I appreciate the park and the lake for their beauty in Bel-Air Edison and the good they produce on a daily basis to the neighbors who live within the community.