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NEW
9/14/17
Goodbye,
Cassini
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Today, the Cassini space probe, which has been toiling for two decades up
close and personal with Saturn, has been steered into a planned fatal collision.
Cassini is arguably the most impressive space mission so far undertaken in
terms of difficulty, information wealth, and success. Click on the image for
an informative overview.
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NEW
9/11/17
911
Echoed
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American Legion Post 180 hosted the observance of 911 this
morning ...
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under a clear blue sky
evocative of that day
16 years ago.
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Mayor Laurie DiRocco delivered Proclamation of Remembrance.
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Keynote speaker Col Jerome Driscoll, USMC Ret offered personal recollections.
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NEW
9/11/17
Aftermath
Irma Deadly,
but Far Less Than Expected.
The predicted path of Irma, up
the Gold Coast from Miami to Jacksonville, did not come true.
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A late right turn
steered the 7th largest hurricane of record across the upper keys where it
made landfall near Naples, a relatively small city.
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Once inland, the wind speed rapidly
slowed, as it tore through the Everglades, disturbing the alligators, but
mercifully avoiding
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the carnage which was feared.
About 3 AM on Sunday morning, Irma fell below 75 MPH as it passed by Tampa,
30 miles inland.
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Meanwhile, the strong inland
winds blew the sea up the St Johns River causing massive flooding in Jacksonville.
Millions are without power.
While the loss and suffering
are immense, Irma's potential destruction was largely avoided in
Florida.
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NEW
9/8/17
Florida
Braces
Irma Landfall
expected Sunday
Bargain hunters will appreciate
this. A seat on the mostly empty planes to Miami currently go for about $45.
The return trip, however, is $1400 and rising.
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I-95 has opened a
normally southbound lane to northbound travel to accomodate the exodus as
Irma approaches. Current forecasts predict a north to south path up the east
coast toward Jacksonville.
The long path through
Florida could make Irma the costliest storm the state has ever experienced,
according to some authorities.
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St Martin island was particulary
hard hit on Tuesday, suffering ten dead. The popular Maho Beach was completely
destroyed.
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The attraction here to the younger
crowd was the jet airliners
skimming the beach at 20 feet overhead as they landed. During takeoffs,
the beachgoers would cling to the chain link perimeter fence, and be blown
horizontally by the hot exhaust.
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NEW
9/7/17
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Final
2017 Block Party
at
the Caboose!
Friday, September
15th, 6:30 to 9:30
Music by Chump Change (classic rock)
About ten food trucks will provide
a wide range of eats. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase with
identification. Surrounding streets will be closed to traffic. See you there!
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Speaking of Rock
....
Check out the awesome
talent of these young performers:
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NEW
9/7/17
Just
About Ready for
Prime Time
Open House
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Stop down on Park Street S. on Saturday. September 23 for
the
dedication of our renewed Community Center.
Come early and enjoy music by Vienna's own Jammers.
Ribbon Cutting at 1 PM.
After that, do your own touring through the facility. See
demos of
Sports for Kids, Pickleball, Seniors N Synch, giveaways and more ....
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NEW
9/5/17
New
Townhouse Development
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Existing apartment building seen from Locust and Center Streets
to be removed this week. Town Hall is in distant right center.
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A seventeen unit townhouse redevelopment
is slated for the parcel of land between the Vienna Town Hall and the Police
Station. Final construction approval was awarded at the August 21 Council
meeting to Sekas Homes Ltd. after discussion of minor setback dimensions to
bring the design into better harmony with existing adjacent buildings.
Click here
for a comprehensive description of the project.
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An architectual rendering of the new town home cluster.
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8/16/17
Houston:
We Have a
Problem
Click
Drone
Video
|
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What Happened: A combination of natural and man-made realities. Hurricanes
typically reach land, continue on course, lose power rapidly, and disperse
rain over a wide area. Not so this one. Harvey was held in place by a high
pressure system to the west, lingering over Corpus Christie and Houston for
five days, where it dumped enough water to fill the Great Salt Lake. A factor
in the flooding is that the Houston soil is one of the most impervious in
the nation. It does not soak up water. Moreover, the topography of the city
has many low areas which do not drain well, even at best.
Houston is one of the fastest growing cities, bouyed by plentiful jobs and
favorable tax structure. There is pressure to pave and build, but long range
infrastructure planning is substandard, according to urban engineering experts.
A storm like Harvey was never seriously considered.
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If you are inclined to help, please be aware that internet
scam artists take advantage of situations like this. Red Cross is a reliable
organization. You might also contact organizations in Houston directly to
ask what their needs are.
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8/22/17
Town Logo Nears
Approval
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Vienna
moved forward in selecting an official logo. Originally nineteen concepts were
received from the public, and of these, two were presented to the Council last
night. Concept A, immediate right, was selected, but the discussion is still
open as to the exact Vienna buildings used in the icon. |
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8/22/17
Revised Plan
for New Westbriar Subdivision
Approved
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The Vienna Town Council has approved the development of properties by Mashie
LLC at the corner of Follin Lane and Maple Avenue. See previous
story.
The new layout will create six new lots and homes by combining four original
lots. All homes will share a cul-de-sac accessible from the 100 block of Mashie
Drive. This is the first instance of a new subdivision in Westbriar Civic
boundaries resulting in more lots than a single lot split in half.
The layout details were influenced by input from Mashie Drive residents,
many of whom viewed an initial seven lot division unfavorably.
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8/22/17
A Lunar
Encore
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With the Eclipse so near in the
rear view mirror, it may be too soon for this ..... but click on the
image for a short but very beautiful time lapse of the Moon in another perspective.
The photographer is also an astronomy
buff and knew exactly where he had to be at Boston Harbor. The early distortions
are due to the many extra miles of atmosphere.
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8/16/17
Wildwood
Park
Stream
News
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Restorative work is underway on
the Wolftrap Creek upstream from Follin Lane. See previous
article from May, when the project was approved. Diseased, stressed, or
otherwise substandard trees have been removed (left), and the basic alignment
of the creek has been carved out (right).
Next, large rocks will be installed
to define pools from which the water will cascade one into the next, slowing
the stream down and allowing it to percolate back into the water table. The
rocks will form a strong bulwark against erosion.
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This part of the
Wolftrap is virtually a secret woods enjoyed by Westbriar residents in Zones
A and B. It has entrances off Follin Lane, Niblick Avenue, and the Mashie
cul de sac. The trail will be refurbished and have benches along
the way.
The finished project
down stream in this winter shot shows the cascading pool technique of flood
control.
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7/27/17
F35 Shows off its Hover Capability
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Our trillion dollar air superiority fighter has of late been showing off
its unique capabilities to hover, to land vertically, and to take off on zero
or very short runways.
It's been a long time coming, and its future is still up in the air. But
you will enjoy seeing the Star Wars flight characteristics of this new generation
of jet.
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Patience is a Virtue
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Incredibly, nobody was seriously hurt.
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Your
Home, as seen by .....
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5/12/17
Veggies?
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Farmers Market Open |
.... through Oct., 8 AM to Noon. Faith Baptist Church Parking
Lot, 301 Center St S.
Enjoy a cup of cocoa and music as you select your fresh-picked,
sun-ripened produce, baked goods, and crafts.
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Ken Liu, who lives in the 900 block of Country Club Drive, sent in a
photo of a fox that has taken a liking to his street.
Caution: foxes are a carrier of rabies.
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5/7/17
Westbriar
Zone H has
New Officer
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Westbriar Civic Association
welcomes a new staff team, Chuck and Polly Dombroski, who will represent
Zone H on the Board of Directors.
Chuck and Polly live
at 912 Fairway Drive with their dog, Iggy.
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5/7/17
When
you synch your
camera to a chopper's rotor
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4/29/17
Perfect Fit!
The last piece of Navy Federal Credit Union's pedesrian overpass
was installed this morning. The structure will shorten the walking route between
the main structure and the new Annex building under construction, and eliminate
the crosswalk on Electric Drive. A concrete floor will contain heating elements
to prevent snow and ice buildup since the sides will not enclose the walkway
completely.
Clockwise from right, the section is slowly lowered with only
a small fraction of an inch to spare on either side.
Welders filled the gaps. The bridge will remain suspended until
the welds have been inspected.
The view from street level. Navy Federal is Vienna's largest employer,
and will expand its workforce significantly when the Annex is finished.
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Update
4/23/17
From
the Nest
Rescue!
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One of the eagle chicks got its leg caught in the branches of the nest, and
was being injured by the mother's attempts to free it. A decision was made to
intervene with a dangerous night climb to the 80 foot high nest just as a storm
approached on April 20. The chick was taken down for observation, and returned
to the nest the next day. All is now well.
See a composite summary video of the dramatic three days HERE.
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New 4/15/17
When a Salesperson Knocks
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Know the rules regarding door-to-door solicitors.
All solicitors must be licensed by Fairfax County.
All must respect a "Do not solicit" sign.
Click HERE
for a complete summary of the
rules for when you get that knock on your door. |
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3/29/17
Street
Makeover
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The two block section
of Echols Street between Niblick Drive and Wolftrap Road got a completely new
surface this week. This was the scene of a water pipe replacement
last September, which had left a somewhat bumpy scar. Next week will bring
a brand new road. |
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3/29/17
A Friend
How Sweet
is This?
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Town Hall Meeting
Monday, April 3, 7-9
PM
at the Fire Station, Center Street S.
Our voices in Richmond, Delegate Mark Keam and Senator Chap Petersen, will
bring you up to date on events and plans, and take your questions.
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3/20/17
Roundly
Appreciated
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Six months into its operation,
the roundabout at Park and Locust is highly rated by Vienna commuters.
In an informal survey taken at Giant and at Cedar Park, motorists were nearly
unanimous in their praise for this innovation. "It completely solved
the left turn backup from Locust," said one. "Best traffic upgrade
Vienna has ever made," said another.
It was a risky decision, since
roundabouts (as distinguished from traffic circles) are so rare in this country.
It would take getting used to. And what if it simply added confusion, or led
to accidents? Indeed, several people surveyed told of near-misses early on,
where drivers on Park Street were unaware they no longer had their customary
right of way.
But the gamble paid off. After
some tweaking with signage, and a learning curve, the intersection seems in
retrospect to be a no-brainer. Traffic on Park is a bit slower, but the payoff
is that everyone gets through without a long teeth-clenching wait. While it
is still a bit early for valid accident statistics, so far it appears that
safety is not an issue.
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Kudos to the
Vienna Transportation Commission.
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3/18/17
Don't Fall
for it.
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It's Tax Time, and police
report the # 1 Scam has shifted from the "Your Computer is Malfunctioning"
to "This is the IRS ...."
You just need to go
down to the store and purchase a $500 prepaid Paypal card, and read him the
number. Then you will be safe from arrest for tax evasion. The caller will get
very aggressive. It works on lots of people. Don't let happen to you.
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The IRS will NEVER make a call
such as this. If they have an issue with you, it will be handled by mail.
No exceptions.
When IRS calls, just hang up.
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The
way to a good Health Care System is to require that all members of Congress
enroll in it.
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2/20/17
Westbriar Contributes to
Arts Fund |
Westbriar Civic Association has made
a $500 contribution to the Town of Vienna Public Arts Commission for a marker
to memorialize the late Mayor Jane Seeman's support, promotion, and appreciation
of volunteer citizens' services. UPDATE 3/13/17
The location of the marker will be at the Community Center, which is currently
under reconstruction.
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2/13/17 Going
Up!
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The aggressively evolving Tysons skyline will be dominated for
the next few years by the massive Capital
One project, a campus of new buildings which will fill the triangle bounded
by the 495 Beltway, Route 123, and Scotts Crossing Road, outlined in yellow.
The McLean Silver Line station adjoins on the south boundary, with the pedestrian
overpass crossing 123 visible in the photo.
Building 5 at left and depicted in red is first out of the gate,
and will top out at 185 feet. Impressive, but it will be dwarfed eventually
by Building 12 at a whopping 392 feet.
The campus will be an architectually-coordinated combination of
hotel, office and residential space.
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1/29/17
Vienna
Real Estate
Report
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Jim Nelson, a Long and Foster
agent and resident of Westbriar Zone E over on Westwood Drive, has put together
a comprehensive report on property sales and trends in Vienna. It is rather
interesting stuff. To take a look, click on Jim's photo at the left.
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Westbriar
members in good standing may promote
their businesses for free in the Crier.
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1/23/17
by Leon
Lasagna Bake Off
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I was a guest last evening at a Westbriar
dinner party with a theme. Each of us came with a small homemade lasagna, and
we all did a blind taste test to determine the best. Among the guests were David
Hicks, an epicure and food critic for local newspapers, and Mme Antoinette
Grenouille, a well-known French and Italian chef.
While my offering did not do very
well, there was a clear winner, Maricel Capalla, who actually baked her
entry on a charcoal grill because of oven problems. Maricel confessed that her
recipe was not original, but it was so astoundingly good, she was persuaded
to pass on the secrets HERE
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Do
YOU have a
great recipe?
Let's hear from you.
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1/21/17
Going Viral ....
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First published in 1779 by its creator English poet John Newton, Amazing
Grace fell there into relative obscurity, but was adopted by Americans in
the early 19th Century to become probably the most popular or at least the most
recognizable hymn. It is often chosen to amplify heavy emotional situations,
such as funerals of public safety officers.
Recently, Peter Hollens and his five vocalist friends (Home Free) have released
their version. Yes, there are so many versions, all are beautiful, and many
are exceptional. Elvis has one.
But this one is worth the listen. Click on the image at the left, but don't
entrust things to the little speakers in your phone or computer; use earbuds.
Enjoy the goosebumps. Thanks
to Patti
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A new calendar for the
refrigerator. What are your New Year Resolutions?
The most popular is enjoying life
to the fullest, but that is sort of nebulous. Getting in shape and staying there
is also on the list. It is more specific and doable.
Click HERE
to find out about a special offer available to Westbriar members to achieve
your goal for 2017.
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11/22/16
Vienna is officially
BIKE FRIENDLY
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Mayor Laurie DiRocco announced at last night's Town Council meeting that the
Town of Vienna has been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists
as a bronze level Bicycle Friendly Community. This difficult-to-achieve
recognition is shared by 11 other communities in Virginia and a total of 404
communities nationwide.
The Bicycle Friendly Community designation recognizes Vienna's commitment to
improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion,
education programs, infrastructure, and pro-bicycling policies. DiRocco says:
"We recognize that by supporting bicycling we can improve the environment
as well as the health and well-being of residents, reduce congestion and automobile
parking demands, increase opportunities for residents of all ages to participate
socially and economically in the community, and encourage additional choices
in travel modes, particularly among seniors and children."
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Explaining the Federal Budget Let's keep it simple:
* U.S. Tax revenue (income): $2,170,000,000,000
* Federal spending budget (outgo): $3,820,000,000,000
* New debt (the difference): $ 1,650,000,000,000
* National debt: $19,271,000,000,000
* Recent budget cuts: $ 38,500,000,000
Simple, but hard to understand.
|
Let's now remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:
* Annual family income: $21,700
* Money the family spent this year: $38,200
* New debt added onto the credit card: $16,500
* Outstanding balance on the credit card: $192,271
* Total budget cuts so far: $3.85
Now do you get it?
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"The Pessimist complains about the wind; the Optimist expects the wind
to change; the Realist adjusts the sails." William Arthur
Ward
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6/26/16
Westbriar's
2-Way System
Up and Running
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NextDoor has already
found 4 cats in our
neighborhood!
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Members of Westbriar have asked for it, and we now have it!
And that's the ability to talk directly with their neighborhoods. Do you
want to borrow a ladder? Report a lost cat? Organize a book club or exercise
class? Sell your old golf clubs? Share a great recipe? Advertise your availability
for dog walking, or leaf raking? Recommend a painter?
You can do all this and much more. Join us on NextDoor. 100% of Westbriar
Civic Association is now "wired" together. Each of our eight Zones
is now a NextDoor Group. Much of Vienna has already joined and you can reach
out to them also.
To join, simply CLICK HERE.
Put in your address.
It will know you are part of Westbriar. Enter your CODE.
Fill out your profile, and say "Hi" to your neighbors.
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See this short video for an introduction
to NextDoor.
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6/4/16
Still
the #1 Scam
in this Area
|
It is the Computer
Version of the Nigerian Letter. Twenty one Westbriar residents have reported
getting the call, and four have been taken for an expensive ride. Thousands
in Northern Virginia have been hit. Don't let it happen to you. |
The caller
usually has a thick Asian or African accent. "Hello, this is Microsoft
calling. Your computer is giving out errors." See More.
|
Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed,
it is the the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead
The Crier is the newsletter of the Westbriar Civic Association. All rights
reserved.
Copyright 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Search: Civic Association Newsletter, Civic Association Publication
|
Fairfax County
Browse other Crier stories
from 2011 to present in
the Crier Archives
In memoriam ...
Our Leadership
at a glance
Join our List Server
Have an interest in singing?
The Vienna Choral Society
would like
to meet you!
.
Free Community Events Advertising
Send in your details, and we will post.
Westbriar Members
advertise their favorite
businesses for free.
Greek * Italian * American Cusine
Authentic
Delicious Nearby
703-938-7777
Westbriar's favorite carryout
Marie
Housekeeping Services
Eldercare, Babysitting
571-585-0468
Add a little Latin energy to your next party or catered event.
Pure Pasty
Click photo to learn about something deliciously different
The un-burger
Buttery, Flakey, Dreamy
Emmaus UCC
"Many paths, traveling together..."
|
Call Rick
Full Service Landscaping
|
...more than coffee
Cafe Renaissance
... for that special occasion
|
2 great reads ...
... by a local author
|
How's your roof?
Advanced Roofing
540-574-4422
Highly recommended.
|
Next ISS
Click photo for prediction
|
Jim Nelson is a Westbriar member and real estate agent
with Long and Foster in McLean. He can be reached at
703-861-8675.
|
Online Diet Plans
MacMall.com Coupon
|
