A family grows up with a seaside house in Dewey Beach

View Photo Gallery —  A North Bethesda family creates their dream vacation home on Dewey Beach.

By Jura Koncius, Published: May 25

Dewey Beach, Del. —
As a child, Cheryl New looked forward all year to the first scent of salt air as her family rolled into Bethany Beach for their annual one-week vacation. As a young couple, Cheryl and husband Andy savored their week at a seaside rental.

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Victory gardens: a model for a more sustainable food future

By Adrian Higgins, Published: May 25

Since Britain’s Prince Charles came to town this month to talk up the vital need for more sustainable food systems, another event pressed the message home for me: exploding watermelons.
In China, the land of lethal milk, toxic pet food and tainted honey, we now have cucurbits that have spontaneously detonated after farmers sprayed them with a growth hormone. Read the label, guys!

Adrian Higgins has been writing about the intersection of gardening and life for more than 25 years, and joined the Post in 1994. He is the author of several books, including the Washington Post Garden Book and Chanticleer, a Pleasure Garden.

(James Montgomery Flagg/ ) - Liberty sows “the seeds of victory” in a 1918 poster by JamesMontgomery Flagg.Perhaps it’s time to return to the victory garden and keep food safe from globalization.

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Signs That You're Ready to Buy

Sponsored By

Six tips that tell you it's time

By Michele Dawson

Figuring out whether you're ready to buy a house -- whether you're a renter or are aiming to move up or size down -- can be a daunting task. But there are signs that will indicate whether you're ready to take the buying plunge.

If you are thinking about buying, you're not alone. So are you ready to make the move? You might be if you:

1. Are familiar with the market. If you've been paying attention to how much houses are listed for in the neighborhoods you're eyeing and have a realistic view of how much a house will cost you, you're in good shape. But if you're dreaming about that big corner house with no clue about it's asking price, you may want to spend some more time becoming familiar with the market and how much houses are going for.

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10 Tips For Downsizers With Too Much Stuff

May. 19 2011 - 4:17 pm 

Gallery:  10 Treasures Hiding In Your Attic


The baby boomers, long known as master acquirers, are now learning a new skill: getting rid of excess stuff. Some are empty nesters moving to smaller digs. Others are helping their aging parents sort through their belongings before a move or are disposing of items in the wake of a parent’s death.

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For Chinatown townhouse, D.C. architect Robert Gurney creates bright, eclectic space

View Photo Gallery — Chinatown townhouse didn’t start out as one: Architect Robert Gurney turns a building from a commercial space to a home that incorporates a lot of light and air.

By Nancy McKeon, Published: May 20

Perhaps it’s unusual to look at an example of modern architecture and think of it as a “confection,” a term more commonly used for Queen Anne Victorians. But that’s what residences designed by architect Robert M. Gurney so often are: elegant assemblages of materials — concrete, steel, glass, exotic wood — that play nicely together.

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Mortgage rates drop to 2011 lows

Bellwether 30-year rate drops to 4.60%, lowest since mid-December

By Janna Herron

updated 2 hours 29 minutes ago

NEW YORK — Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the 30-year loan fell to 4.60 percent from 4.61 percent. That's the lowest point since mid-December. The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage, a popular refinance option, slipped to 3.78 percent from 3.80 percent. That marked the lowest level since late November.

Rates have fallen for six weeks in a row. They tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which
crept lower this week on worries over Europe's ongoing debt crisis.

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Our wonderful listing at 2709 Colston Drive, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 was in the Washington Post!

SOURCE: Trulia. Map by Gene Thorp/The Washington Post. Published on May 19, 2011, 11:03 p.m.