Bath

Jerry Pellegrino is a food and wine connoisseur, but he's not snooty about it. He's content to drink a glass of grape grown right here in Maryland or next door in Virginia. "It's really just a beverage, like anything else. No one worries about spending $100 on a bottle of beer," says Pellegrino, 42. His Federal Hill restaurant serves American vino from 16 states, including "wines from states you wouldn't expect, like a sparkling wine from New Mexico." Speaking of unexpected, I talked with Pellegrino while he was getting a pedicure.

Stone MillBob Ward Homes has opened two models at Stone Mill, a townhouse community in Reisterstown.The Talbot starts at $100,900 for 1,240 square feet of finished space.A 15-by-9-foot living room, 15-by-9-foot dining room, powder room and a 19-by-10-foot kitchen make up the first floor.The second-floor master bedroom is 16 by 11 feet with a closet and an entrance into the hall bath. Two additional 10-by-9-foot bedrooms complete the second floor.The Montgomery starts at $106,400 for 1,400 square feet of finished space.

Furnace HillsMasonry Homes has opened a new model at Furnace Hills in Westminster.The community offers public water and sewer, and natural gas cooking. It also features tot lots, a multipurpose court and a volleyball court.The model, the Hillstead, has a base price of $175,400 for 1,800 square feet.The first floor consists of a 14-by-13-foot living room, 10-by-11-foot dining room, 12-by-11-foot kitchen, 15-by-12-foot family room, foyer, powder room and single-car garage.The second floor features a 10-by-10-foot bedroom, 11-by-10-foot bedroom, 12-by-11-foot bedroom, bathroom and 17-by-11-foot master bedroom with walk-in closet and master bath.

Several U.S. newspapers and television networks called this week's mass killing in Littleton, Colo., "the worst U.S. school massacre." The people of Bath, Mich., a small farming town just outside Lansing, know differently.On the sun-drenched morning of May 18, 1927, 45 people -- including 38 children -- were killed when an embittered school board official set off a series of bombs inside the town's three-story, brick schoolhouse. That horrific attack has been called the bloodiest ever on a U.S. school campus.

Gemcraft Homes has opened six new models at Hickory Overlook, a townhouse community in Bel Air.Public water and sewer, gas heat and hot water and electric cooking are standard features in the Harford County community.Today, the first three models will be featured.The Charleston, boasting 9-foot ceilings, starts at $97,990 for 1,056 square feet of finished space.An optional bath, 9-by-9-foot office, and a 15-by-13-foot recreation room make up the basement. A 16-by-17-foot living room, with crown molding, and a 9-by-16-foot kitchen, placed at the front of the model, are on the first floor.

Williams KnollRyan Homes has opened a new model at its Williams Knoll community in Elkridge.The Howard County community has 29 lots available.The model, the Halifax, is a two-story colonial with a base price of $176,990 for 1,624 square feet.The first floor consists of a 16-by-14-foot great room, 8-by-13-foot kitchen with 7-by-11-foot dinette, 11-by-13-foot dining room and a powder room.The second floor includes a 14-by-14-foot master bedroom with two walk-in closets, an 11-by-12-foot bedroom, 11-by-14-foot bedroom and bath.

Gilligan Homes has opened its Hunt Cup model in Greenspring Overlook at McDonogh Township, a townhouse community in Owings Mills.Public water and sewer and gas heat, cooking and hot water are standard features in the Baltimore County developmentThe Hunt Cup starts at $108,490 for 1,920 square feet of finished space.A sunken foyer, powder room, 18-by-10-foot great room, 13-by-9-foot dining room and a 11-by-9-foot kitchen are housed on the first floor.The second-floor bedroom is 14 feet by 13 feet with two walk-in closets and an option for a garden bath or sun room.

Apple Tree Homes has a model open at its Church Point community in Harford County near Aberdeen.There are 12 lots available, including several waterfront lots overlooking Bush River.Public water and sewer and gas heat are standard features for the community.The model, the Denton, is a 1,250-square-foot split-level that starts at $149,900.The lower level includes a two-car garage and a full basement that can be finished to include a den, family room and bath for $12,000.The upper level includes a 12-by-15-foot living room, 19-by-13-foot country kitchen, 15-by-13-foot master bedroom with bath, 10-by-13-foot bedroom, 10-by-12-foot bedroom and another bath.

Wellington WestPulte Homes has opened a new model at Wellington West in western Howard County.There are 31 one-acre homesites available and two 20-acre parcels. Side-entry garages, brick fronts, libraries, gourmet kitchens and designer baths are standard.Options include morning rooms, sun rooms, master bedroom fireplaces, granite kitchen counter tops, and stainless steel appliances.The Chatsworth starts at $466,990 for 3,933 square feet.The first floor consists of a 16-by-14-foot dining room, 16-by-14-foot living room, 12-by-14-foot library, 16-by-22-foot family room, kitchen with cooking island and nook, laundry room, powder room and a three-car garage.

Regional HomesRegional Homes has opened a new model in Meadow Ridge, a community of Colonial-style homes in Westminster.Public water and sewer and gas heat are standard features in this Carroll County community.The Mayfair costs between $179,990 and $217,990 for 1,933 to 2,829 square feet of finished space.A utility room, optional 12-by-11-foot den and a 27-by-13-foot recreation room are in the basement.The first floor consists of a garage, two-story foyer, 14-by-13-foot living room, 14-by-12-foot dining room, 15-by-14-foot kitchen and 19-by-14-foot family room.

A ritual bath, steeped in symbols of Judaic faith, will remind those who immerse and pray in its waters of a young rabbi and his wife killed in a terrorist attack in India a year ago. On the tiled walls of its mikvah, a deep, warm-water bath that promises spiritual purity to Jewish women, the Lubavitch Center in Pikesville will hang a marble plaque that reads, "May their merit be a blessing for all those who immerse in these waters." At 11 a.m. Sunday, in a public ceremony, the center will rededicate its Mikvah Mei Menachem in homage to Rabbi Gabi and Rivky Holtzberg.

It's hard to let go, but that's exactly what Dennis A. Fiori and his wife, Margaret R. Burke, are doing with their more than two-acre gardener's delight and historic property in Ruxton. After a few years of commuting, Fiori, the former director of the Maryland Historical Society, has relocated with his family to Boston, where he is president of the Massachusetts Historical Society. "As long as we could stand commuting, we really loved living there," said Fiori. "From our perspective, it was the perfect place to raise a family, away from the road with a stream and a bridge.

BUNGALOWS GWYNN OAK 2006 Windsor Place-- $189,900 The property -- three bedrooms, one bath, 832 square feet Taxes -- $1,966 Features -- Located in the Windsor Terrace neighborhood in Baltimore County, this 1935 bungalow has an above-ground swimming pool and a new privacy fence. The kitchen, windows and bath also have been updated. BALTIMORE CITY 3109 Louise Ave. -- $229,900 The property -- three bedrooms, two baths, 1,240 square feet Taxes -- $2,991 Features -- This updated bungalow, originally built in 1926, has new paint and Berber carpet, refinished hardwood floors, finished basement, hot tub, a patio with a fenced backyard and a one-car garage.

Jerry Pellegrino is a food and wine connoisseur, but he's not snooty about it. He's content to drink a glass of grape grown right here in Maryland or next door in Virginia. "It's really just a beverage, like anything else. No one worries about spending $100 on a bottle of beer," says Pellegrino, 42. His Federal Hill restaurant serves American vino from 16 states, including "wines from states you wouldn't expect, like a sparkling wine from New Mexico." Speaking of unexpected, I talked with Pellegrino while he was getting a pedicure.

When Edward Windsor married Wallis Warfield Simpson in 1936, a monogram of three gracefully interlocking WWWs was created for her, and because Edward was once the king of England and a man of great power, the royal monogram adorned her linens, towels, stationery, handbags and many other items. Monograms have always suggested that their owner is a person of taste and influence, and they have appeared on sheets, towels and linen napkins for centuries. But recently, monograms have begun to pop up in other spheres of the home, adding their note of customized luxury.

When remodeling magazines and home-improvement television programs feature mega-baths that occupy 200 square feet of floor space and carry price tags of $20,000 and up, the goal is often to inspire homeowners to achieve similar results. But how many people have that kind of room and budget for a bathroom remodel? Most residential bathrooms sport a footprint only a third that size, often matched with an equally modest checkbook balance when it comes to renovation. Neither of those factors, however, should deter you from creating a dream bath.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Trainer Tom Albertrani leaned on the inside of a chain-link fence at his Churchill Downs barn while his superstar horse Bernardini received a bath behind him. "I thought when we left Baltimore after the Preakness that he would win the Travers," Albertrani said. "But I never imagined he would come to the Breeders' Cup as the favorite horse in the Classic." Breeders' Cup Today, Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky., ESPN, noon

Typically the smallest room in the house, the bathroom is also the space most likely to be daylight-deprived. That's not particularly surprising, given the need for privacy and the limited opportunities for windows. Despite those constraints, though, it is possible to brighten a bath's prospects. The best time to do it is at the planning stage, when you're designing a bath from scratch for a new home or an addition or when you're remodeling an older bath. One thing to keep in mind is that locating a bath on the south side of a house maximizes its exposure to daylight all day long.

Americans like curves. We're talking Marilyn Monroe, Jessica Rabbit-style curves, the kind that Queen Latifah has but Halle Berry does not. That's according to a recent survey that showed that five out of 10 men think curvaceous women are sexy and two out of five men are actually more attracted to curvaceous women. The survey of 1,000 adults done by lingerie-makers Curvation, also found that 73 percent of American women want the term "plus-sized" replaced with the term "curvaceous." The more than 60 million curvaceous women in the U.S. know that making the most of nature's curves takes the right kind of lingerie.

Two national retailers - Marshall's and Bed, Bath & Beyond - are joining Westminster's commercial corridor on Route 140 in what city officials are calling a boon for economic redevelopment. The two chain stores are the latest additions at Westminster Crossing, owned by Greenberg Commercial Corp., an Owings Mills developer. The company has also made a number of improvements at the shopping center at Englar Road and Route 140. "It again makes the area one of the pre-eminent commercial areas in the city with a greater variety of stores," said Thomas B. Beyard, the city's planning and public works director.