Laundry

We should have know it was an omen when our car pulled up to the beach house named Last Resort. Already, we had struggled to even make this vacation possible. Doug (my husband) had pinched a nerve in his back, and he wasn't able to drive. A few days before our trip, interestingly, Doug had hurt his back bending over to pick up the laundry basket. (When we saw the doctor at the ER because Doug was in so much pain, the doctor's advice was to not ever help with laundry again. I didn't think that advice was very funny.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - The west side of the intersection of CV Avenue and Pa. 16 would be overhauled under plans on file with the Borough of Waynesboro. A Turkey Hill Minit Market, two retail buildings and a coin-operated laundry service are included in the sketch plan engineered by CEDG of Mechanicsburg, Pa. A sketch plan recently went before the Waynesboro Planning Commission, which returned the proposal with a list of considerations, Borough Engineer Kevin Grubbs said. "They're working on their preliminary submission," Grubbs said.

CHARLES TOWN, W.VA. - New House Majority Leader Joe DeLong got an earful Tuesday afternoon about the Eastern Panhandle's problems, including a lack of certified teachers for local schools and inadequate funding for projects like sewer plants and roads. The job of the majority leader is to oversee the day-to-day operations of committees in the House of Delegates and make sure bills get to the floor of the House for consideration. DeLong, a Democratic delegate from Hancock County, was elected House majority leader last month.

Phyllis Davis unloads laundry Wednesday evening at City Wash Tub Laundromat on West Church Street in Hagerstown. Davis' washing machine broke down so she went to the laundromat.

HAGERSTOWN andrews@herald-mail.com All 39 open cots in the men's dormitory and 10 cots in the women's quarters on Wednesday had plastic bags of supplies on them. Each bag offered enough to stay clean and well-groomed for a little while: a toothbrush, toothpaste, a razor, a comb, soap, shampoo, deodorant and skin lotion. Wednesday was the public's chance to see the new Religious Effort to Assist and Care for the Homeless (REACH) shelter on West Franklin Street before guests moved in. After moving for years from home to home, church to church, one or two weeks at a time, REACH picked the former Cannon Shoe Co. factory as its home.

Week of Oct. 23, 1955 Washington County Hospital will observe a half-century of service to the community Wednesday, Oct. 26, when it marks the 50th anniversary of its opening with an open house, hosted by members of the Women's Auxiliary to Washington County Hospital. Visitors will be guided through various departments, including the operating room area, medical-record room, representative patient floor, X-ray department, laboratory, laundry and kitchen. The 31st Alsatia Mummers' Parade Saturday will cost well over $15,000 to produce.

Doing laundry has never been fun. Our ancestors spent all day at their washboards, wooden tubs and wringer machines. And when the wash was done, there was still a mountain of ironing to face. Today's working women and men have it much easier, but it seems there is more laundry to do than ever: The kids' soccer clothes need to be washed after practices and games, school clothes and gym togs pile up, and the hamper is perpetually overflowing with sheets and towels. Thanks to the convenience of modern washers and dryers, we can toss in loads at all hours of the day and night.

One amenity that's often missing in small homes is a real laundry room with space for washing and drip-drying delicate items, a countertop on which to fold clothes and a spot to do the ironing. Creating working spaces for these activities takes some real imagination. A handy wall-mounted fold-out drying rack from The Container Store is a terrific and inexpensive solution for hand-done wash. You might install this in a bathroom or consider hanging it in a closet or back porch. You might even entertain the idea of mounting such a rack behind a bedroom door.

If you've been wanting to come home to luxurious space, elegant detail and a view framed by generous windows, those wishes and more could come true in this Maxxam-built home on Sasha Boulevard. It's one of 53 all-brick homes being built in Section C of Black Rock Estates. With more than 6,000 square feet on the main and upper levels, the six bedrooms, four full (and one-half) baths provided in the floor plan will invite each family member to enjoy the space and privacy. The Elizabeth model presents a main-floor owner's suite that tops out at 18 feet; the fireplace is back to back with one in the family room.

andrear@herald-mail.com At downtown Hagerstown's Suds & Suds, the washing's cheap and the beer's cold. "Soap powder's dirt cheap, 50 cents a box," said patron Steven Sadzinski of Hagerstown. "The people aren't rowdy. Everybody's real friendly. And my favorite, they got excellent Polish hot dogs here. " Sadzinski and other local coin-operated laundry customers praised area laundry businesses that put a new spin on the old chore by providing perks that make doing dirty laundry in public more desirable.