How Ann Friedman made a museum for words
When people first walk into Planet Word, a museum near the National Mall, they enter a room with a large, blinking globe. The soft chatter of languages from German to Tagalog to Piscataway emanates from several tablets. “When the elevator doors open and you hear people gasp, adults and children, it’s just the nicest reaction you could get,” said Ann B. Friedman, founder and CEO ... READ MORE
Volunteers seek adventure on tall ships
They douse the sails and throw the lines. They operate the whipstaff and capstan, mastering terms like yardarms and spars. That’s part of the fun and challenge of volunteering on a tall ship — and volunteers over 50 are the heart of many tall ships’ operations. Four tall ships docked on the Alexandria waterfront this summer for Sails on the Potomac, wowing landlubbers. And an... READ MORE
Tony Holland’s perseverance pays off
The railroad tracks still run through Brunswick, Maryland. For generations, they carried freight through the Frederick County town, but for a young Tony Holland they also marked the edge of the world he knew. Brunswick in the 1970s, when he was growing up, was a blue-collar community where people worked hard, neighbors knew each other, and life was measured less by ambition than by... READ MORE
Rowers find renewal on our local rivers
It’s 5:45 a.m. on a cold, dark morning. Stars twinkle overhead, and only the faintest light of dawn appears in the eastern sky. Instead of being in my cozy bed, I am helping three other people carry a long, heavy boat upside down, its gunwale balanced on my shoulder. Together, we flip the boat right-side up onto the water and get in. Under the direction of our coach, Cindy Cole, we... READ MORE
Senior Olympians cheer each other on
“You never know what you can do until you try.” —C.S. Lewis The Tobias family of Annandale, Virginia, wasn’t one to sit around. With seven children, all of whom played sports, parents Joyce and Thomas Tobias kept busy, shuttling kids to soccer games and gymnastics meets, coaching wrestling and leading family bike rides. In the late 1990s, when the kids were grown, the couple... READ MORE
Retired triathlete still puts in the miles
At age 84, former triathlete Sadj Bartolo is slowing down — but only slightly. Over her athletic career, Bartolo, of Columbia, has participated in 13 triathlons, where competitors typically swim one mile, bike 25 miles, then run six miles. She even won two Half Ironman competitions in her age group, completing a daunting one-mile swim, 56-mile ride, and 13-mile run. In a recent... READ MORE
Playwright illuminates hidden history
Most playwrights spend their careers trying to create memorable characters. Stephen LaRocque spends his trying to understand them. That may explain why his plays often linger long after the curtain falls. LaRocque, 74, is less interested in grand historical events than in the individuals who lived through them — ordinary people caught in extraordinary moments. LaRocque believes history... READ MORE
Chef Carla Hall takes a fork in the road
Change, whether internal or external, is one of the gifts of a long life. So says Carla Hall, who in her six decades has been an accountant, runway model, salesperson, chef, TV personality, author and restaurateur. Now she’ll step onstage to star in a one-woman show about her life, Please Underestimate Me. She co-wrote the autobiographical play and will perform its world premiere at ... READ MORE
Washington baseball’s oldest fans unite in May
Let us leave our close rooms … The game of ball is glorious. —Walt Whitman Every spring, when baseball superfan Iris Henley returns to Nationals Park for opening day, she greets fellow fans with “Happy New Year!” Henley has attended almost every Washington Nationals home game and has “made lifelong friends” through baseball, the Maryland retiree said. “It... READ MORE
Long life is a team sport
Across Howard County, activity-based groups have become a popular way for older adults to interact — especially pickleball games. While some people play the sport for the exercise, many keep coming back for the camaraderie that percolates on the pickleball court. “You can’t find a session where people aren’t laughing and truly enjoying themselves,” said Troy Osten, president of ... READ MORE
