Where the Martini flag flies thrive and babysitters

24 Oakton plantation homes sit amid countless other subdivisions but seem almost like a small city. Residents of the neighborhood of Fairfax County ten years socializing together, welcome newcomers, organize community events, lend one another gardening tools and sometimes even vacationing together. "The neighbors are what makes it really special," said Linda Blankenship. "We love it so much, we pretty much are going to be here forever."

This is a community of warm and enthusiastic extroverts who like to chat, watch out for other children and join regular cocktail party. As you're heading home from work, "you look to see who got the martini flag," Christopher Bright said. Susan Williams started that tradition after she moved to Oakton plantation about nine years ago with her husband, art, and daughter, Katy. They would relax in their backyard after work with beers and barbecue and liked when neighbors joined them.

"We wanted people to know when it's been good to come," he said. He found a decorative porch flag with a colorful martini motif. Now, whenever a resident feels like an informal happy hour hosting, Williams lends the flag. According to longtime residents and recent newcomers are warmly welcomed, though houses don't change hands very often. Pauline Knipe, an agent with Keller Williams Realty, sold the House, Ryan and Ana Cook. "That was first sold in a couple of years," said Knipe.

People are attracted to Oakton plantation of "the tranquility of the neighborhood, the size and the novelty of the House and the short guide to the Metro and shops, and still really are hiding in the area," Knipe said. "And it is such a nice neighborhood, so well cared for and welcoming." "I don't know how many people stop by when I was raking leaves," said Ryan Cook. "This is the best way to meet people." A neighbor has also provided a tool to help with the work.

Lawn work is new for cooks, newlyweds who have just moved to an apartment, but like having a garden. «Here lots are wide enough, you're not on top of each other, "said Ryan. The lots range from a quarter to a third of an acre, Knipe said. The friendly neighbors were a draw for Ana Cook. "I liked that it was a neighborhood with lots of families and children," he said.

And there are a lot of children. "We call them ' the gang '" Susan Williams said. "They're always biking up and down the road, "with traffic cones set by parents to make sure that sees them slow traffic cul-de-sac.

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Tenleytown, where old meets new

Anyone visiting the 50-meter pool at the Wilson Aquatic Center, the brand-new Tenley-Friendship Library, or the row of restaurants and big-box stores on Wisconsin Avenue would be forgiven for thinking Tenleytown is definedby the shiny and new. But a walking tour with Tenleytown Historical Society advisory board member Frank Haendler reveals a pocket of rich history for every new facility and tony shop. There's Fort Reno, the highest point in the city at more than 400 feet, which guarded the city during the Civil War.

There's the old Methodist cemetery, whose tombstones date to the mid-1800s. And there's Grant Road, a narrow lane lined with turn-of-the-century Victorian houses, where Haendler has lived since 1984. "It's the last surviving country road in Northwest Washington, and it still has the feel of a country road," says Haendler, 80, a retired American Foreign Service employee. "It winds a bit, goes downhill and uphill, and has never been widened. In the spring, when the gardens are in bloom, it's hard to believe you're in the city." Haendler and other residents say that comfortable coexistence of history and progress defines Tenleytown, south of Friendship Heights along Wisconsin Avenue.

In the 1780s, Tenleytown, the second-oldest settlement in Washington, was the last outpost for food and lodging for farmers rolling barrels of tobacco from Frederick to Georgetown, Haendler said. The neighborhood grew when it housed troops at Fort Reno during the Civil War, and it saw a construction boom after the trolley connected it to downtown Washington in the late 1890s, Haendler said. "Tenleytown has a fascinating history, and people who live here tend to appreciate that," said Paul J. Fekete, 53, an economist for the U.S. Agency for International Development, who has lived in Tenleytown since 1986.

Today, enclaves of early-20th-century Colonials and bungalows sit within walking distance from stores such as Best Buy, Whole Foods and Hudson Trail Outfitters, and chain stores exist alongside independently owned ethnic restaurants. "It's a very walkable neighborhood, with an enormous amount of access to shops, restaurants, Metro and a broad range of retail," Fekete said.

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Where We Live: Cross Creek

Andrew Leighton is not a golfer, but the prospect of living on a golf course was intriguing when he and his family discovered the Cross Creek neighborhood. Now, Leighton, his wife, Jackie and their two children enjoy the view from their home adjacent to the course, located along the border between Prince George's and Montgomery counties.

"Sitting on the deck, watching the golfers play, is very nice," said Leighton, 42, a native of Jamaica. The Leightons had lived in the nearby Cherry Hill Road area and had been looking for a bigger house. They found spacious, modern homes in Cross Creek, along with what Leighton called a very welcoming neighborhood, great for raising a family.

"Our neighbors' children attend the same Catholic school (St. Francis International School in Silver Spring) as my kids, so we've got a carpool thing going. There are six or seven homes nearby where I know everyone," he said.

Cross Creek has attracted families such as the Leightons as well as other residents who say the upscale development, located just off Interstate 95 and minutes from the Beltway, is perfect for commuting between Washington and Baltimore. And residents have found that once they return home from work, they are greeted by friendly neighbors and enjoy plenty of outlets to satisfy active lifestyles.

Many were attracted by the golf course, a challenging 6,300-yard par 70 layout along both sides of the Little Paint Branch stream. The course winds its way through the community, mainly behind the homes, and motorists need to be wary of "cart crossings" as golfers traverse the streets.

Patsy Koehler and her husband, Bob, avid golfers who had lived nearby off Fairland Road, made the move to the community in 2003. "We loved it," Patsy Koehler recalled. "Loved the golf course, loved the houses, loved it all."

"For a community course, it's beautiful," she said. "Big trees, greenery . . . a lot of natural environment because the builder didn't cut down the trees. You would never know it was in the middle of suburbia."

When the Koehlers aren't golfing, they're often watching other golfers from their home just off one of the fairways. They also spend time with friends in the neighborhood. Residents say the open interior layouts of the homes, built mostly by Ryan Homes and NV Homes, are perfect for socializing. "A marvelous house to entertain because it's not compartmentalized," said Bob Koehler, 58, whose home features an open floor plan, with large windows and a high ceiling.

Patsy Koehler, 63, serves as the president of the Cross Creek Club Homeowners Association, which sponsors a host of community events designed to unify residents in the development, which lacks continuous street connections because of the golf course and the natural areas. In addition to a spring festival and picnic, the association has held international dinners and jazz nights.

That has created an atmosphere that residents say encourages community engagement. Brian McDaniel, 41, a lawyer and avid golfer, said the course was a draw for him, as was Cross Creek's location, which keeps him within reach of his D.C. office as well as courthouses in Rockville, Upper Marlboro and Baltimore.

But McDaniel said Cross Creek is more than just a convenient place to live. He recalls his neighbors' friendliness while his family was moving in about three years ago and says the positive vibe has continued. "Our community is very diverse. There's a number of different ethnicities. We've all been very respectful of one another . . . learning about other cultures." McDaniel and his wife, Felecia, a fitness expert, and their 3-year-old daughter have found that there is plenty to do as a family. In addition to the golf course and neighborhood parks, the nearby Fairland Community Recreation Center features gymnastics and aquatics, and the Gardens Ice House offers skating. "You can't go wrong if you want to stay active," he said.

McDaniel and Leighton work with Koehler on the association's board, which serves more than 600 homeowners.

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Where we live: a rising urban district

A hundred years ago, life in Eckington was all about streetcar. Now it is all on the subway, with docking stations North and the southern end of the northeast Washington neighborhood. Often confused with nearby communities, such as Shaw and Brookland, Eckington is becoming increasingly a separate request area, say real estate agents. But more often than not, attracts people who were attracted by other, more well-known neighborhoods with easy access to Metro-but has found that they do not meet their budgets.

That is what brought Vicki Gass at its end-unit rowhouse bright in 2002. "It was a very tight market," he said. "Find everything I could afford was a challenge." The neighborhood is a primarily a mix of two and three brick Subdivision plans, many with Bay fronts. Some blocks include large homes. Condominium developments have popped up in recent years. Living styles vary from block to block, said Angela Jones, who lives in Eckington and works as an agent with long & Foster's near Brookland. The mix includes large Victorian and federal-style houses; are similar to those on Capitol Hill, "but with much lower prices," he said.

The land which became Eckington was once the country home of Joseph Gales, Jr. Mayor of Washington from 1827 to 1830, and editor of the national Intelligencer. Gales has built a two-storey house on the site, naming his estate Eckington after the English village where he was born. Tram-the Washington area soon-came in 1878. Most houses of Eckington began climbing in 1890, with another development boom in the 1920s.

The streetcar line was closed in the 1950s, and Eckington suffered the sort of decline that has plagued many urban districts in the following decades. But the whole neighborhood has transformed over the past five years, said Chip Lewis, a real estate agent with Matthew Spicer who worked in real estate Ad for more than 35 years. He sees interest in Eckington from a mix of young professionals, government workers, artists and young families who want to live in the city and avoid commuting half an hour.

Those who choose to make their home Eckington say that are drawn from a diverse, friendly communities, the myriad transport options and solid homes. Ben Lyttleton and his wife moved from suburban Virginia to Eckington about two years ago. Quickly they felt Welcome, he said. "The thing about Subdivision-you meet your neighbors," he said, recognizing the close quarters. For example, more than 35 neighbors stopped by their election night party, he said.

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Where Old Sit-Coms Meet Green Ambition

Maybe it's the homemade windmills spinning on the balcony. Or the golf-cart batteries that power the kitchen. Or maybe it's the purple shag carpeting, the pink shutters, the "Dick Van Dyke Show" furniture, the leopard-print paint on the dining room floor or the gold Rolls Royce in the gravel driveway.

Take your pick. But for plenty of reasons, the advertising slogan declaring Neptune Vacation Suites "the most unique destination on the Eastern Shore!!" might not be hyperbole after all.

Thomas "Spess" Neblett, the owner and creator of this eclectic refuge in the quiet little town of Onley (pop. 450), said his mission is simple:

"For the people who come here, I want them to say 20 years later, 'Hey, remember that fun and kooky place we stayed at on the Eastern Shore? Wasn't that something?' "

He concedes that Neptune is not for everyone. There is no central air conditioning, no hot breakfast buffets, no panoramic views. Plus, Neblett lives downstairs with his dog, a white bichon named Billy.

"It's not some Victorian B&B," he says. "It's quirky, retro -- and that's the point."

Neblett himself is as colorful as his renovated home/inn.

He has been a piano player for Colonial Williamsburg and on cruise ships, restores antique trailer homes and resells them, owns four cars, paints, writes music, dabbles in real estate and makes his own biodiesel fuel (called Gassux) that he sells to local farmers, fishermen and uses himself.

More recently, Neblett has started instructing people -- "for free, really, though I hope they stay a couple nights" -- on how to buy alternative energy sources and install them in their homes and businesses, just as he has done at Neptune.

Here's his homespun recipe for wind turbines, for example:

Buy motors intended for treadmills. Shape blades from PVC pipe. Bolt them to a Swiss-cheesy base bought on the Internet. Wire up the makeshift turbine atop tall steel tubes.

After that, run thin power lines down the tubes to a receiving battery and converter box inside the house. And voila! -- green energy.

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