Ellicott City neighbors take trip of a lifetime

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: September 9, 2008

Our neighbors, D and Karen Jeffries, took a once in a lifetime vacation to Alaska this summer. The 40th wedding anniversary trip also provided them an opportunity to visit family in the northwest.

They began their almost month long journey in Anchorage staying with Karen’s aunt and uncle, Miriam and Ken Donohue, who moved to Alaska in 1976. The foursome then spent several days on the Homer Spit, a four and a half mile long piece of land jutting out into Kachemak Bay, the home to the Homer Boat Harbor. They saw bald eagles, watched huge halibut being off loaded from fishing boats; and visited the famous Salty Dawg Saloon.

After returning to Anchorage Karen and D were joined by their oldest daughter, Amy Bortz, and her husband, Steve, and were able to spend time with Ken and Miriam’s daughter, Erin Donohue and her boyfriend, Robb Boyer.

One of the highlights of their trip included riding the Alaska Railroad Dome car through the mountains and valleys to Denali National Park and Preserve. They stayed at the McKinley Chalet Resort and during a tour of the park saw several caribou and a mother grizzly bear with her three baby cubs. Karen said “Our biggest reward was seeing Mount McKinley, Denali High One, as it is called.” Denali is the highest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet. Most days it is in the clouds so visitors rarely get to see it.

On their trip to Seward to board the Celebrity Millennium for a seven-day cruise they stopped by the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center for injured and orphaned animals and hiked up the toe of Exit Glacier, part of the Harding Ice field, a relic of the Ice Age. Karen said “It was raining the entire time, but we didn’t even notice as it was so awesome”.

The ship cruised right up to Hubbard Glacier which was ‘calving’, where parts of the glacier break off and fall into the bay. The ship’s captain said they were within 2/10ths of a mile from the glacier and it was the best day he had this season.

They ship stopped in Juneau, the capital of Alaska, where Karen and D took a whale watching trip on another boat and saw fourteen humpback whales. When they stopped in Skagway they rode the White Pass Railroad through mountains that the Klondike gold miners once traveled. In Ketchikan they saw float planes take off and land, went to the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery where salmon come back yearly to spawn and visited The Eagle Center that was caring for a pair of injured bald eagles.

Karen and D had a veranda room on the ship and could just lay in bed and watch the beautiful scenery. They were sorry to see the cruise end in Vancouver, British Columbia, but were happy to then be able to visit with Karen’s cousin Brian Donohue and his fifteen year old son Brooks, in Seattle. There they visited the famous Pikes Market, saw the flying fish, went kayaking on Lake Union where they saw turtles, a blue heron, and bald eagles. They also saw Mt Rainer in the distance and saw the floating house that was in the movie, “Sleepless in Seattle.”

Karen, who works in the Guidance department at Ellicott Mills Middle School, was sad when the trip ended but said they “came home with wonderful memories of family and nature and about 800 digital pictures.”

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Ellicott City teen visits Israel

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: September 4, 2008

While most of us went to Ocean City 17-year-old Caitlin Pomerantz went to Israel this summer. She spent three weeks touring the state with her youth group from Camp JRF (Jewish Reconstructionist Federation) located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. She said the trip “was incredible, beautiful and refreshing.” Having some of her best friends there also made it exciting and fun.

The group of 33 teens, high school juniors and seniors, and two American counselors traveled across Israel staying in hotels in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Natania, and the Negev; and in a Bedouin tent near Masada and the Dead Sea. There were two Israeli tour guides and a medic, who also served as their guard. When they traveled to potentially dangerous areas, they were joined by a second guard.

One of the highlights of her trip was climbing Mt. Masada and holding morning prayers on the very top while watching the sun rise over the Dead Sea. “That, I think, was the memory I will never forget,” Caitlin said.

She was also struck by the enormity of the globally-known Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem but was disappointed when visiting the Wailing Wall or Kotel as it is known in Israel. Being raised in a liberal Jewish community Caitlin was surprised by the traditionalist ways of the Kotel where women had to pray separately from males and were not considered equals. She said “The women have a very tight space in which to pray, while the men have a very spacious place to pray.”

Caitlin just started her senior year at Centennial High School. She plans to go to college and double major in English and marketing and minor in History and then would like to go to law school to become a juvenile lawyer. After all of her studies she plans to move to Israel and become an Israeli citizen.

“I believe the only true way to become an Israeli citizen, is to join the Israeli Defense Force,” she said. With her law degree she hopes to serve as a military-court lawyer.

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Ice Cream Social from Veterans Elementary School PTA

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: September 4, 2008

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Historic Ellicott City, Inc. presents the 24th Annual Decorator Show House

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: September 4, 2008

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Bellows Spring Elementary PTA ready for a great year

By Cathi Higgins
Posted: August 27, 2008

A special thank you goes out to the Bellows Spring Elementary School PTA Officers and Committee Chairs for volunteering to make this a great school year for the families and staff at their school. Officers include Laurie Lerman, president; Holly Hagen, first vice president; Julie Forman, second vice president; Karen Lightfield, teacher representative; Karen Broughton, treasurer; Courtney Tribble, recording secretary; and Cheryl Pupshis, corresponding secretary.

Committee chairs include: Shelly Suskind, Adopt a Family; Rachel Tallent, after-school coordinator; Trisha Montgomery, box tops; Tara Clark, Campbell Labels; Julie Forman, cultural arts; Nicole Epstein and Kristyn O’Reilly, fall festival; Julie Stokes, field day; Trisha Montgomery and Amy LaMoure, Giant/Safeway/Food Lion; Debra Cornett, hospitality; Susan Thweat and Karen Phipps, fundraising; Joan Green, International Night; Sandie Daro and Jeanine Kone, Market Day; Melissa Dimock and Lisa Duncan, membership; Julie Stokes, newsletter; Christy Mauser, PTA liaison; Holly Hagen, publicity; Tara Clark, spirit wear; Karen Broughton and Melissa Dimock, staff appreciation; Lynn Bartolotta, volunteer coordinator; and Scott Tribble, Watch D.O.G.S. coordinator

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