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Elk Forest News

May 3, 2008

2008 Artists' Cecil County Art's Council Open Studio Tour Saturday May 10 - 10AM - 5PM
A self-guided, county-wide driving tour. An opportunity to visit artists at work in their studios. Free and open to the public.  LKPhoto (Renie Poole at 1644 Elk Forest Road) will have her photography studio open so please stop by and visit. She will be glad to answer questions concerning digital photography, digital printing and other related topics. You can view some of her work at www.welchpoint.com/lkphoto. 

The "Fantasy Freight Line" model railroad will also be running for the kids! 

See Renie (410-885-2835) or the Art's Council website for more information. 

April 20, 2008

There were several changes requested for the Elk Forest phone directory so it has been updated and published here (under "Local Elk Forest / Phone Directory"). If you need the username and password, please send me an email and I will contact you. 
John Poole

Beef and Beer Benefit for the Carey Family: Saturday, May 17th 6pm-10pm
Chesapeake City Fire Hall - North Side
Tickets: $20 in Advance & $25 at the Door
To order tickets call Tiffany or Diane Poore @ (410) 885-2723 or email dpoore@atlanticbb.net.
Sponsored by the Deerhaven Civic Association. All proceeds will be donated to the Carey family. 

Click here for the flier (Acrobat PDF format).

March 27, 2008

House fire on Yellowfield Blvd.

This house was destroyed by fire on Easter Day. Here is some information from Diane Poore, the president of the Deer Haven civic association concerning it: 

"Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are all in shock about the devastating fire that has destroyed a family's home and belongs.

The good news is that no life was lost in this terrible incident.

I was not home yesterday, as many of us may have been visiting family for the Easter Holiday, a good friend and neighbor did call me to let me know what was going on. In my mind I just couldn't believe it was happening, until I pulled into our neighborhood and past the Carey's home @ 128 Yellowfield Blvd.

I contacted American Red Cross today to see what can be done to help the family. I was told that they only provide emergency assistance for shelter, food and clothing for three days.

The family walked away with only the clothes on their backs and some with no shoes on.

What can we do to help this family? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Should we take up a collection for the family and maybe a benefit to assist them?

Please contact me with ideas! Thank you all!"

In case you missed it, here is the information from the Cecil Whig concerning the fire:

"Flames burn family out of home By Carl Hamilton cahamilton@cecilwhig.com Posted: Monday, March 24, 2008 3:30 AM EDT Email this story | Print this story Fire ripped through an Elkton-area house Sunday, leaving a single father and his two children homeless, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Investigators identified John Carey as the owner of the destroyed home in the Deer Haven community, north of Chesapeake City.

The American Red Cross is assisting the family, which lost approximately $125,000 worth of property contained in their ranch-style home in the 100 block of Yellowfield Boulevard, fire officials reported. In addition, the blaze caused about $175,000 in damage to the house, which was gutted by the fire, according to fire officials.

Deputy State Fire Marshal Derek Chapman determined that the fire started in the attic, but, as of Sunday, the cause remained under investigation, fire officials reported.

“It hasn’t been ruled anything at this point,” said Deputy State Fire Marshal Howard F. Ewing, an agency spokesman. Carey reported the fire about 2 p.m., fire officials said. He and his children were able to get out of the house unhurt, fire officials added.

The house is equipped with smoke alarms; however, because the fire originated in the attic, the alarms did not sound, Ewing said. “The attic is above where the smoke alarms are inside the house, and smoke rises,” Ewing explained.

About 45 volunteer firefighters from four area companies brought the blaze under control within 25 minutes, fire officials said."

And finally, a follow-up message from Diane about progress in helping the Carey family:

 "We have some good news about the Carey Family!

Mark & Jackie Thompson have a home on Elk Forest that is empty for now and has graciously offered John and his children a place to have a roof over the heads at least on a month to month basis.

Thank you goes out to John Poole of Elk Forest in assisting us in finding the Thompson family.

This comes in time for the American Red Cross normally only cares for a family in emergency conditions for only (3)days. The hotel/Red Cross or someone has given them the room they have been staying for a total of (5) days.

Thomas Morris, Fire Chief of the North Chesapeake Fire Company said they will work with us on a date for an adult social event (Beef & Beer) to benefit the Carey Family.

Sentman Distributors will donate the beer for the event! Isn't that just great.

Walmart has offered the front of the store to collect donations. They had mentioned that the Boy Scouts made a $1,000 selling pretzels & drinks in day. Perhaps we can check with the new local pretzel store to see if they will donate pretzels. If we were to do this, we could really use some volunteers to work it for a couple hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. We don't have a date yet, but we will get back with you on that. So please think about volunteering.

Many neighbors actually came to the families rescue that Easter Sunday. Many have already made some donations, either clothing, bikes for the children, or monetary donation.

John Carey has asked me, extend a Thank you out to everyone for their kindness and generosity.

John is dealing the best way he can with his situation and is being very strong for his children. He is a very proud man and is very humbled and blessed by everyone's support.

Thank you all!"

I'll keep this updated as we get more information. John Poole

Gene & Joyce Monaco's house on Elk Forest Road burglarized over the weekend.
We received a call from Joyce to let us know their house was burglarized over the weekend. They were in FL and received a call from a neighbor letting them know of the burglary. Joyce said they lost nearly everything of value so once again - PLEASE keep your eyes and ears open for suspicious activity in the neighborhood! Don't hesitate to call 911!

Gone Fishing!
This Osprey is clearly a better fisherman that I am! Renie Poole took this photo while we were in Eastern Neck Wildlife Preserve on Tuesday. (It's near Rock Hall, MD). She saw it nail this fish and haul it up to the branch. That is a pretty big fish and if you look closely, you can see the Osprey is holding it with one foot while hanging on to the branch with the other! I have a new respect for these guy's!

Feb 20, 2008 

Cecil County Comprehensive Plan:
As you may have read, there is a process underway to revise the Cecil County comprehensive plan. As part of that process, there is a group of 41 County residents that were assigned to assist in that process. The group is named the "Cecil County Compressive Plan Oversight Committee" and I was asked to be a member of that committee. See the February / March issue of Connections for a nice article that describes the process. 
The group is divided into 8 subcommittees and I am assigned to 2 of them: 
Economic Development and Tourism and Housing and Recreation.

So far the meetings have been mostly organizational but very interesting. In the next few months, we will begin the difficult task of proposing changes to the existing Comprehensive Plan that will define the direction for growth in Cecil County for the next 10 years, starting in 2010. If you have a passion about how you think growth in Cecil County should occur, I would welcome your input. I would be glad to talk with you or you can offer your input in writing. In either case, I will be sure it is passed on to the committee's I meet with.
John Poole

Controlling Credit Card Charges!
An article in the Wall Street Journal several months ago drew my attention to some of the problems people are having with credit cards. Although I don't remember the exact numbers, the story went something like this:

A person had run up significant charges on their credit card but had excellent credit and was making the minimum monthly payment to pay down the debt. All was going as planned with the balance dropping by the expected amount each month. Then she noticed that there was a change in the amount reduced each month so she contacted the card company and found that her credit score had changed and, as a result, the interest rate she was paying went from around 7% to over 20%. As a result, the majority of her monthly payment was going to interest. She finally figured out that her credit score had changed because she had been a week late on a payment for a utility bill. They reported that to the rating agency which changed her credit rating and as a result, the bank considered her a high risk and raised the rate on her card. All of this happened without anyone notifying her of the change.

This article was published around the same time that I was having discussions with family and friends about using credit cards rather than waiting until they could pay for something rather than buy it using a credit card. A common denominator in all the discussions was that people think "I can afford the monthly payment so I'll get it now" rather than think about what it is going to cost them in the long run. I think part of the problem is that people can't calculate the total cost of using a credit card so they don't know how much they are actually paying. Fortunately, there is a website that has many types of calculators you can use, including a credit card calculator. It's URL is http://www.dinkytown.com/. There's a credit card calculator that you can plug your own numbers into and see how much you are actually paying. You'll most likely be motivated to get rid of your credit debt ASAP!

Jan 24, 2008

The following is a nice letter from Jerry Truitt:

Nice people, they're all around you in this community. You may not realize how much so until you get into a situation that requires help. I would like to relate a recent experience I've had in our community.

I had spent most of the day on December 11 preparing my front porch for resurfacing. I had worked long and I'll admit I was a bit tired by 2:30 PM that afternoon. I had stopped to get a drink of water after which I briskly traveled down stairs, for what now I don't recall. When I hit the landing for the second flight my ankle turned and I went head over heals in the air and made a one point landing on my leg. I knew immediately the leg was broke.

I was clam and used my cell phone to call 911, it was not getting a strong enough signal and the call would not go through. We had recently purchased a new phone system and my wife Patty had placed one at the bottom of the stairs. Lucky for me, with the new phone right there I was able to easily call for help.

It wasn't long before I heard someone calling asking if I was alright, I recognized the voice as Renie Poole. Normally I'm the comedian, but I bit my tongue and did not respond "Help, I've fallen and can't get up". I did tell Renie that I had fallen down the stairs and I thought I had broken my leg. She asked if she could do anything so I asked her to put my 85 lbs. Chesapeake Bay retriever in a room. My dog was a little upset and I was not sure how she would respond to strangers coming in the house with me injured.

It wasn't long before my house was not only full with EMTs and police but neighbors as well. They were all there to help me. While the EMTs too care of my medical needs, John and Renie Poole, Mike Morrison and Terry Moore put my tools away, cleaned my work area and took care of my pets.

This experience made me again realize what a wonderful, warm and friendly community we live in at Elk Forest. And the offers for help continue still today while I recover.

Dick Guttendorf contacted to me to make sure my experience at Union hospital was the best it could be and asked for my input on what could be made better. Judy Leshner and Chris Moore stop by on their daily walks and take my dog with them.

I was working on my front porch and had just ripped the front steps off; Mike Morrison came over and put a new set of steps on for me. Mike's son Dave took me to get my truck inspected for emissions and he helps me with all kinds of things around the house.

While breaking my leg just before Christmas was and still is a horrible experience, I couldn't be prouder to live in a community of caring neighbors. I want to thank all the really nice people who have helped me, my family and my pets get through this ordeal.

By the way when I do things I do them right. I shattered the top of my tibia where the bone joins the knee. I had Fixator bolted to the outside of my leg for a month before they could go in to plate and screw the bones back in place. I'm on my second Velcro cast, this one let's me flex my knee, which isn't very well right now. I'm not expected to take a step until the end of February. Needless to say, my advice, watch your step neighbor.

Jan 23, 2008

I apologize for the long delay in doing an update to this site but we were in CO for 3 weeks then I had knee surgery in early Jan so not much has been happening around here. 

Hope Victor sent me this photo she took last fall. It's a great fall photo looking across the upper Elk River. Thanks Hope.

Oil Fire do's and don'ts: Another friend sent me a very impressive video of what happens when you put water on a kitchen oil fire!  I added it to the Emergency Planning section of the website. It's under the link "Kitchen Oil Fire" and is worth viewing.

Internet Security issues: I have had discussions with a lot of folks about how to "stay safe" when viewing websites and reading email. I thought I would pass on some information about what I do to avoid problems with our computers. These only apply to users with the Microshaft "Windows" operating system. 
Email: Some email applications such as Outlook and Outlook express automatically open the last email received when you read email from your account. In general, this is a bad security practice and the email could include content you don't want to see anyway! You can prevent Outlook and Outlook Express from doing this by changing the preferences it uses.

 These instructions are for Outlook Express, Ver. 6 but should be close for Outlook and work for other versions as well.

1. Open Outlook Express and left click on "Inbox" in the left navigation window. 

2. Left click on "View" then "Layout" (in the menu bar at the top). Uncheck the box by "Show Preview Pane"

3. Select OK to get back to the main email window. This should prevent the last email received from being opened when you read it. 

You can open any email in the list by simply left (double) clicking on it or you can right click on any message and delete it. 

Is this a valid email? Sometimes I get an email that I am not sure if it is SPAM or not. You can view it's text content  without opening it by doing the following:
In the "Inbox", right click on the message "Subject" then select "properties". Under "Properties", select the  "Details" Tab then "Message Source". This will open the message as a text message with all the routing information at the top. If you scroll down, you can see the content of the message and decide if it is a valid message or not. As this technique does not open images or any attachments, it is relatively safe and you can then decide if you want to open it as usual or delete it. 

Of course, we NEVER open email attachments unless it one sent to us and we expect to get it. Same for greeting cards or other "active content" messages. I never open links to online greeting cards for the same reason. 

Viewing Images: Hackers use a technique called "pixel mapping" to imbed information in images that they can use to identify your computer. Once they have your specific computer's address (IP address) they can then launch attacks against it and try to break into your operating system. If they are successful (and quite often are in unprotected computers), they can then install programs that run in the background without your knowing it. These can do almost anything the hacker wants it to. Some capture key strokes to get your user name and password information, some use your PC as a "SPAM bot" to broadcast email SPAM and some allow the hacker to gain control of your PC when you are not using it. 
The images they use can be imbedded in either email or websites so you are at risk in either case. 
To minimize the danger of this happening to you, there are several things you can do. The latest versions of IE and Outlook include a setting that blocks images from being displayed. You should leave this set to block images except when you are viewing trusted websites.
Instead of using just a virus detection application, use one that includes a "firewall" such as Norton Internet Security. There are a number of choices but it is very important that you not only have one installed but that you keep it up to date!
There are hardware firewalls such as those made by Cisco and Netgear that can be used with home networking. We use one of these as well as internal firewalls in all our PC's.

Wireless Networks:  Most wireless networks are designed to work "out of the box" with default settings that make them easy to set up and use. Unfortunately, unless you change the default settings, anyone can access your network (through the wireless connection) with their laptop and you probably won't even know they are online! So what you say? 
Suppose they are using your network to upload or download child porn or some other illegal material. When law enforcement traces the IP back to the source guess who's network the see - your's! I would rather not have that happen to me! This is becoming a major issue with PC's at libraries! 
Or - once they are connected to your wireless network, they have direct access to your PC and any other equipment connected to your network. It's the same as if they had an Ethernet cable plugged into your router. 
It only takes a few minutes to change the account name and add some level of security to your wireless router and it can save you a LOT of trouble in the future!

On the "other end", when we travel, we carry our laptop with us and use it with hotel networks or other "open networks" to monitor email, news, etc. Since we have a software firewall installed, I can see when someone is trying to hack in as it displays a warning message. I would estimate that about 1 in 3 open networks have someone monitoring them and try to access our PC as soon as it connects to the network. This has become more frequent as time progresses so it is a bad situation. For us, they are blocked by our firewall but if you didn't have a firewall installed, you would never know! Even with the firewall, we never access bank accounts or other than email accounts over unsecured wireless networks. The problem is less severe when using wireless networks at hotels that require a logon to use their network but I have seen the problem there too. 

Stay Safe out there - it's a tough world!

Nov 2, 2007

And here comes the Halloween tour up Elk Forest Road! 

And Ralph Cope follows the parade to pick up any candy that was dropped.  

See the photo album for more photos from the 2007 Halloween tour. Images courtesy of Mardi Russ. Thanks Mardi! 

Sept 5, 2007

These photos were sent by Izzy Barish. They are snakes that sort of "hang out" around his dock. 

According to the DNR site, there are only 2 of the twenty seven kinds of snakes inhabiting Maryland that are venomous: the copperhead and timber rattlesnake. I realize our natural instinct is to kill a snake when we see it but they are beneficial for pest control. The best thing to do when you see one is to just walk away and leave it be. It won't hurt you if you don't threaten it. For more information, see these links:

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/snakeinfo.asp

http://www.umass.edu/nrec/snake_pit/pages/nwater.html (This site describes the Northern Water Snake - very close to the one on the dock above).

http://www.everwonder.com/david/snakes/watermoccasin.html (Water Moccasin info. The DNR said we are too far north for these. Southern Virginia is as far north as they live.) 

Thanks Izzy for the photos!

August 31, 2007

This contribution is from Dick Guttendorf: Thanks Dick.

Quite a lot of people near us had damage from a lightning strike about a month ago. We lost our weather station, cable modem, hardware firewall, router and the weather station PC. I had assumed the problem started with the weather station and went through to the cable but since then, I am aware of at least 3 other people that had computers damaged and 5 that had to have their cable routers replaced. That's just on our end of the street so I'm pretty sure the problem started with a strike to the cable line and not my weather station.  When the Atlantic BB service person was at Dick's, he checked to see if the cable splitter was grounded and it was not. He said that if the splitter is grounded, it will protect the equipment connected to it. Dick called me and I checked mine and it wasn't grounded either so my guess is that many of the splitters around here are not grounded.

If you have Atlantic BB Internet and want to check yours, here is how to do it.
The splitter in question is the first one that the incoming cable is connected to. It may be just outside your house or may be inside, as mine is. The cable coming in will go to it and one output will go to the TV's while the other will go to your Internet cable modem. On the splitter, there will be a connection for a ground wire (where the copper wire I installed on mine is connected). If yours isn't grounded, you can ground it yourself or ask someone to help you. I connected a copper wire to the splitter then to the bare copper ground wire that goes to the electrical panel. Hopefully, this will prevent another expensive repair due to lightning!

We have some more stuff to add to the Yard Sale page so I'll be putting it back and adding to it in the next few days.

August 20, 2007

The Elk Forest Civic Association's annual meeting was held yesterday. The minutes from the meeting are posted under "Local Elk Forest/ Meeting Minutes". 

Debbie Koehler let us know that she has found 3 Black Widow spiders so far this summer. Two were under children's toys that were left outside so that's a real concern. She said she took one of them to the APM pest control office to confirm it's identity and it was confirmed to be a Black Widow. For another photo and more information about this dangerous spider, see this link.

I will be sending an email to each Elk Forest resident that I have an email address for. It will be a request for a reply from you asking if you want your email address listed in the new Elk Forest phone directory. If I don't hear back from you by Aug 30, I will assume you don't agree to have it included. If you do not get an email from me in the next few days, and you would like your contact information included, please send me the email address you would like to include. This information will not be made public or shared with anyone other than those with password access to the Elk Forest phone directory. 
There are 2 reasons for this request. Although SPAM is a problem for everyone with email access, email is still a noninvasive way to pass information between people. I prefer to use it for non-critical communications since it does not interrupt the recipient's activity as a phone call does. Second, I realize many residents do not regularly check this website for current information and an email "alert" can be sent to all those with a listed account when needed. The majority of the attendees at the Civic Association meeting voted to have the email's listed so that's the reason for this activity. 

Tim Poludniak sent an article concerning the problem of radiation in well water in the Chesapeake City area wells. To view the article, click this link. If you have had your water tested, or know of anyone in the area that has, please let us know. Use the "Contact" link on the left. 
Thanks Tim.

I received some additional information concerning the canal recreation concept. This project is moving forward and sounds as though it will be a neat attraction in the Chesapeake City to New Castle corridor. The message content follows:

Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail Concept Plan

On behalf of the entire C&D Canal project team, I would like to thank you for your participation in the public workshops held in April and December 2005. These sessions were extremely helpful in the drafting of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail Concept Plan, which is now available. Copies of the Plan are available on-line at http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Projects/CD/index.htm or in hard copy at area libraries (please refer to the list at the bottom of this message). Thank you again for your participation. Your input has been extremely valuable throughout this process. Please do not hesitate to contact my office or the Army Corps with any questions.

Sincerely,

Michael N. Castle - Member of Congress

In 2005, through the leadership of Congressman Mike Castle (DE-AL), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) received initial federal funding to conduct a study of the recreational potential for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C&D Canal). A project team was created to manage the study and develop an appropriate vision for a multi-use trail system along the C&D Canal, enhancing the recreational opportunities for the local and the regional community. As the area is experiencing rapid development, places for quality recreational experiences, especially as varied and wide-ranging as those offered at the Canal, are in high demand.

After holding public workshops last year with area residents in Delaware and Maryland to better understand their preferences, the project team -- Congressman Mike Castle; the Army Corps of Engineers; Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (MD-01); the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; the Maryland Department of Natural Resources; the Delaware Department of Transportation; New Castle County, DE; Cecil County, MD; Delaware City, DE; Chesapeake City, MD; St. Georges, DE; Delaware Greenways; and the Delaware Bicycle Council -- completed "The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail Concept Plan." A year in the making, the recently completed Trail Concept Plan provides a practical road map for making enhancements to the area along the C&D Canal, which will provide a continuous trail from Delaware City and Chesapeake City, and a link to other greenways, trails, and historic sites in the region.

The Trail Concept Plan outlines a multi-purpose trail accommodating a mix of bicycling, walking, and horseback riding (among other activities) with trail markers, restroom facilities, improved fishing piers, controlled access points, and parking areas. The plan includes a total of 29.2 miles of multi-use trail on both sides of the Canal along the first tier of the Corps service road. All of these enhancements will compliment existing activities, like fishing, dog training, hunting, and horseback riding, as well as the preservation of the Canal's wetlands, wildlife, and natural infrastructure.

As communities continue to grow and develop throughout Delaware, Maryland, and the Mid-Atlantic, this recreation project is becoming increasingly important to all residents who value open spaces and who would like access to more recreational areas. While this is a long-term project, we are pleased to announce the completion of the Trail Concept Plan and our commitment to the future development of the trail.

For more information on the project or to view an electronic copy of "The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Trail Concept Plan," please visit http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Projects/CD/index.htm, or contact the office of Congressman Mike Castle at 302-428-1902.

Hard copies available at the following locations:

New Castle County Government Center 87 Reads Way New Castle DE 19720

Appoquinimink Community Library 118 Silver Lake Rd Middletown DE 19709

Bear Library 101 Governor's Place Bear DE 19701

Brandywine Hundred Library 1300 Foulk Rd Wilmington DE 19803

Corbit-Calloway Memorial Library 2nd and High Sts Odessa DE 19730

Kirkwood Highway Library 6000 Kirkwood Highway Wilmington DE 19808

Newark Free Library 750 Library Ave Newark DE 19711

New Castle Public Library 424 Delaware St New Castle DE 19720

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers C&D Canal Museum Chesapeake City, MD 21915

DNREC - Grassdale Center 108 Reedy Point Road Delaware City, DE 19706

Chesapeake City Library 100 Bohemia Ave Chesapeake City, MD 21915

Wildlife Habitats

There was a link in the Cecil Whig to the National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org) that is a pretty good reference. If you go there and then to the link "Your Yard" (http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/), there is some very useful information for developing a backyard animal habitat. Face it, you aren't going to get rid of the wildlife in your yard so why not enjoy it? It doesn't take much to plant the native bushes and trees and they have a very useful link on the "Your Yard" page that will help you find what the native plants are and how to identify them. Check it out before you spend a lot of money on the wrong things!

Elk Forest Postal Service (or lack there of)

Contact:

Elkton Post Office
137 West Main Street
Elkton, MD 21921

Phone 410-398-4040
FAX 410-620-9258