Storm Drain Murals in Anacostia

Art of War Concept: Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards... Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows
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We all pass by storm drains every day and forget they are a fast lane for our urban storm water directly into the Anacostia River. Unfortunately, some use these drains as sort of a trashcan, sweeping trash and debris into them thinking they will never to be seen again. This is not the case.

This trash eventually ends up in the Anacostia River.  One of the many reasons why the River is polluted preventing us from fishing, swimming or enjoying other water activities is because of this trash. Some even say that the health of the River is tied directly to the health of the community it is named after. This past week was a perfect example. It rained every day and the litter you saw on the street was swept away by the rain water into the drain. See the video below.

Earlier this year the Historic Anacostia Block Association partnered with the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) in their Storm Water Drain Mural project. The goal of the project is to paint murals on the drains to hopefully make people think twice about littering and also bring awareness to the importance of a clean river. The AWS asked local artist to submit renderings. Community members served as the judges and picked the best 8 to be painted on the drains. We are happy to report we selected several Ward 8 residents as winners.

Take a look at the newly painted drains below.

One of my favorites, because I know the artist.
Location: Valley and Chester SE

Location: Bottom of Green St SE

Another one my favorites
Location: V and 15th St SE

Location: U and 13th St SE

Location: V and 13th St SE

Location: Anacostia Library Parking Lot

Anacostia Honey is Back!

Art of War Concept: Each pound of food  taken from the enemy is equivalent to twenty pounds you provide by yourself.
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After a year of beekeeping disappointment, it looks like I am back in business. Anacostia Honey is back! I have been a backyard beekeeper going on three years now. Yeah, the stings suck, but I have a greater appreciation for God’s perfect bug – the Honeybee.

Just how important are honeybees to our diet? According to the USDA these under-appreciated workers pollinate 80 percent of our flowering crops which constitute 1/3 of everything we eat.

Losing them could affect not only dietary staples such as apples, broccoli, strawberries, nuts, asparagus, blueberries and cucumbers, but may threaten our beef and dairy industries if alfalfa is not available for feed. One study estimated that honeybees annually pollinate $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the U.S. Essentially, if honeybees disappear, they could take most of our insect pollinated plants with them, potentially reducing us to little more than a water diet.

But back to the Honey. If you would like a $10 8oz jar of Local Honey, meet me this weekend at the Ward 8’s Farmer’s Market from 9-2pm. I will be doing a beekeeping demonstration. The market is located at the TheARC at 1901 Mississippi Ave SE. I don’t have much to sell so get there early. First come first serve!

See You Saturday,
Charles E. Wilson aka "The Honey Man"

My four bee hives

Some don't believe I actually have beehives in my backyard.
For some odd reason, I could not get any friends or neighbors to take a pic
of me in front of the hives as proof so I had to take a selfie. LOL

Get your $10 8oz jar of Local Honey this Saturday at the Ward 8's Farmer's Market
TheARC - 1901 Mississippi Ave SE

First Come, First Serve!

Benefits of "Local" Honey

Allergy Protection

Some research supports the theory that local honey – obtained as close as possible to where you live – may help build immunity to seasonal allergies. Honey made by bees in the vicinity of the allergenic plant will contain tiny amounts of pollen from that plant. This honey will act as a sort of vaccine if taken in small amounts – a few teaspoons per day – for several months, and can provide relief from seasonal pollen-related allergies

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients

Honey is also reach in powerful antioxidants and cancer-fighting phytonutrients, which can be found in propolis, or “honey glue” that the bees use to sterilize the beehive. Raw honey contains some of these compounds while pasteurized honey does not 

Digestive Aid

In its natural, raw state, honey contains many enzymes that can help some people digest food more easily so it may also help treat ulcers and diarrhea

Vitamins and Minerals

The nutrient content of raw honey varies, but a 1-ounce serving contains very small amounts of foliate as well as vitamins B2, C, B6, B5 and B3. Minerals including calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc can also be found in raw honey in small amounts.

Topical Salve

Honey can be uses as medicine. It has anit-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antiseptic properties. For this reason it can be applied topically to treat burns.

Cough Suppressant

Honey has also been found to be especially useful in treating upper respiratory infections.

See you this Saturday at the Ward 8 Farmer's Market
TheARC - 1901 Mississippi Ave., SE

Historic Anacostia Block Association Meeting

 

Summer Time is Here!

Yep, can you believe it is already June? Time flies so let us take advantage of the warm weather and outdoor activities. Things are also heating up in the community and we would like to invite you to our next neighborhood meeting to get the latest updates. The agenda includes:

St Elizabeth's East Campus Development: Though St. E's is located in Congress Heights, we all know the future development of this site will have a major impact on our entire Ward. Come learn more about new food pavilion and future development plans for the campus.

Big K Development: The Big K Site is moving a little closer to development. The development of this site will have long-term impact on the greater Anacostia community. Come hear the details about what is being proposed.

Office of Planning: Representatives from the Office of Planning will be in attendance to share the present and future planning agenda for our community. We are looking at building a stronger partnership with the agency that will continue to improve the quality of life for our neighborhood

Crime Update: Neighborhood crime continues to be an issue in Ward 8. Get important information on the progress made and how we can all stay safe and informed this summer.

Martha's Outfitters: If you haven't heard, a new thrift store outlet has opened up on MLK Ave., SE. Representatives from Martha's Outfitters will be in attendance to provide information about what they sell and how you can donate items to the store. .

Neighborhood Barbeque: We are in the process of planning a neighborhood barbeque in July to be held at Old Market Square. It is going to be a great event, but we will need your help to ensure its success. Come find out how you can be a part of the planning committee.

Please invite your friends, family, and neighbors to the meeting on June 13th! The meeting will be held at the Anacostia UPO Center located at 1649 Good Hope Rd., SE. The meeting will begin at 7pm.

Historic Anacostia Block Association (HABA) Meeting Tonight

Spring is Here...Well Almost!

Can you feel it...? Can you hear it...? Yup, the weather is getting a bit warmer and HABA is going to "spring" forward. We would like to invite you to our monthly meeting tomorrow night where the agenda will include the following:

1. Uniontown Bar & Grill: We recently found out there is a new restaurant owner for Uniontown Bar & Grill. Come get an update on the name change, menu options and theme of the new restaurant establishment set to open in early summer.

2. Anacostia Heritage Trail: This project is four years in the making and is almost complete! We will display poster proofs of all 20 Heritage Trail signs, fronts and backs, for your review. This is your opportunity to help us fact-check, spell-check, and get it as close to perfect as we can before final print.

Please invite your friends, family, and neighbors to TONIGHT's meeting! The meeting will be held at the Anacostia UPO Center located at 1649 Good Hope Rd., SE. The meeting will begin at 7pm.

Thanks,

Charles Wilson

President

Historic Homeowner Grant

Art of War Concept: Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

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What is it going to take to revitalize downtown Anacostia? Various ideas and initiatives have been proposed, but there is one program that has had a tremendous immediate impact. Look no further than the Office of Planning's Historic Homeowner Grant. It has been 5 years since members of the Historic Anacostia Block Association (HABA) began the discussion on how to take advantage of this grant opportunity. The program affords homeowners who live in any of the city's historic districts to apply for up to $35k to fix-up the facade of their homes.

From new windows, doors, siding and new paint jobs, this program has done wonders for our neighborhood. Each renovation feels like an overnight transformation of our community and builds on our sense of pride. Since its inception, HABA has brought nearly $1.5 million in grant funds to our neighborhood!

A couple of long-time neighbors of mine recently took advantage of the program and I wanted to show off some of the pics.

BEFORE - U St

 Kinda blah...

 

 

AFTER - U St

 

Big Blue!

 



New windows, paint job and porch!

 Definitely adds to the curb appeal

 

Before - 16th St

 

 Trust me, the potential is there...

 

 After - 16th St

Even with a basic white paint job, the curb appeal is
much more inviting.

"We Are Anacostia" Campaign!!!

Art of War Concept: He whose ranks are united in purpose will be victorious.
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The residents of Historic Anacostia launched the “We Are Anacostia” Campaign last week. On a recent Sunday afternoon an email went out to our neighborhood listserv to meet up on Martin Luther King Jr. Ave next to the Old Furniture Warehouse for a photo shoot.

The purpose of the photo shoot was to launch our “We Are Anacostia” campaign  in an effort to encourage Busboys & Poets to open their 5^th location in our neighborhood. As some may know, there has been a rumor circling that Andy Shallal from Busboys & Poets has been considering Anacostia to open a new location. This rumor was confirmed at “Breaking into the Restaurant Business” seminar hosted by the River East Emerging Leaders earlier this summer.

The goal was to promote Busboys, but it was also done in an effort to present the Anacostia community as a great place to live, raise your family and to open businesses.

Besides taking photos, it was a great way to catch up with folks and talk about life. That is the great thing about living in our neighborhood – it is truly a community – where we are all about working together to find unique ways to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood.

I am so proud of this effort by my neighbors on so many different levels. I am working on an article to dig a little deeper into the meaning of this campaign.

I know it is exciting to hear that Busboys may be locating to Anacostia and yes we should continue to promote our neighborhood to attract even more retail and restaurants. But I know there is a lot of talent East of the River -- we also should consider partnering up to open businesses. We don’t have to wait on the city or others to invest in our community. We can do it ourselves. I know there are other restaurant and retail entrepreneurs out there and if given the chance and mentored that you can open up your own Busboys style restaurant. Stay tuned to a follow up blog post on “We Are Anacostia” Campaign!

We are asking everyone to drop off a postcard at any Busboys & Poets Restaurant you visit.

You can pick up your postcards at the HABA meeting this Thursday at 7pm.

The meeting will be held at the Anacostia UPO Center - 1649 Good Hope Rd.

I can't wait to see a
"We Are Congress Heights, Bellevue, Washington Highlands and Fairlawn" Campaign!

Anacostia HONEY!

ART of WAR Concept:  Make forays in fertile country in order to supply your army with food.
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It is funny what you can learn by being a part of a community listserv. Early last year, a neighbor sent out a notice on the Historic Anacostia Listserv about an upcoming beekeeping course in Maryland called BUMBA (Bowie-Upper Marlboro Beekeepers Association).

Being a huge fan of the Animal Planet and Discovery Channel, I thought I would go and check it out. Needless to say, after the course, I was hooked. I said to myself I got to try this out. I was amazed by how much honey bees affect our everyday life.

Did you know that bees are the only insect that produces food eaten by humans and are responsible for 1/3 of the food we eat. Without bees we probably would not be able to enjoy such foods as almonds, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, etc.

Being the kid that always took the easy way out for the school science fairs by doing a volcano demonstration every year, I figured this would be a great way to redeem myself by having my very own science experiment in my backyard. So Spring 2011, I bought equipment for two beehives and a couple weeks later I went to go pick up my two bee packages (approx. 10,000 bees per pkg).

As a backyard beekeeper, I have learned a lot about bees. But of course, like any person interested in this hobby, my ultimate goal was to see if I could get some honey out of this investment.

All spring and summer of 2011 I took care my new insect friends in hopes of being able to produce honey in 2012. After almost giving up, I was excited to find out a couple of weeks ago that one hive actually produced several pounds of real honey! I wanted to share some of the pics below….Enjoy!

This is by far the coolest thing I have ever done! Bees are amazing! One day I may write an article on what we can learn from bees in improving the quality of life in our Ward 8 Community.

So I start out by placing 10 of these plastic frames in a hive box.



The bees will then make honey comb and fill each comb with honey. They
will then cap off each comb to store the honey for the winter.

Each frame can weigh up to 5 pounds -- filled with honey 

 I then have to remove the caps with a hot knife



 Once you remove the caps you can see the stored honey.

Almost there...

Now I have to do the same to the other side...Cool huh?

I then have to put each frame into this honey extractor machine
to spin out the honey from each honey comb.



Taking a peak inside to make sure I am
doing this right.

Charlie Wilson's Honey!
This year I was able to get about 16 lbs of honey = 26 bottles.
Hopefully next year I will be able to get more.
Who wants some?

 Remember Local Honey is superior to the stuff you buy in the
grocery store. The stuff in the store has likely been heated and
processed so it looks shelf ready. Local Honey = honey harvested 30 miles
from your house is the one that has the greatest health benefits and can also help with allergies.

Special thanks to Toni Burnham and Jeff Miller from D.C. Honeybees Inc. 
for being great mentors. To learn more about beekeeping check out the blog
D.C. Honeybees. You never know, there may be an East of the River/Ward 8 Beekeeper
Association one day...



Halfway House in Anacostia

Art of War Concept: A General waits...until the army's fortifications have been completed, to shelter himself.
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Now that I have your attention, what I actually meant was “half of a house.” To be more accurate, it is actually ¼ of a house. I’m sure when you take your first glimpse of this ¼ house, you are probably thinking why the heck will the city not just tear it down. It serves no purpose, right? Well the reason why you cannot just tear it down is because:

1. The ¼ house is located within the historic district of Anacostia - 1500 Block of W St.

2. Even if you wanted to tear it down, you need to get special premission from the Historic Preservation Office and the Historic Preservation Review Board to demolish any property in a historic district.

3. It has a ton of value. The after photos will make you a believer in historic preservation.

I guarantee that when you see what this house looks like now, you will think differently about what can be done with these old dilapidated homes in your own Ward 8 neighborhood. Enjoy the photos below…..

See what I mean when I said 1/4 of the house. Because its in a historic district, the
developer had to keep the front of the property intact.

Wow!

I love everything about it accept the fence. I wish they would have
used a wood picket fence instead.

Living Room Area

His and her sinks - always a plus for the fellas to keep her stuff on her side!

Second bath...

Nice size backyard, with a deck and car pad - always great addiitons.

I drove by this past weekend and saw a "Sold" sign! It was only on the market for about a week.
 It was listed for $320K so I'm waiting to find out who is moving into the neighborhood





Seeing the before and after pics, gets me excited about the possibilites of the Big K Property Site.
Should have an update on the future of this site in August 2012