Country Spirit Summer 2019

Piedmont Media, LLC

Summer 2019

Happy Father’s Day To Trowbridge Littleton, Father of Middleburg Mayor Bridge Littleton and Photographer Camden Littleton

Catch the Spirit Inside

An Aspiring Musician An Egyptian Adventure A Wired Wonder A High-Flying Friend

RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Editor’s Note

An Adoring Son Honors His Dad It’s been a year since Bridge Littleton won the Middleburg mayor’s race in a landslide, so what better time to write about his first dozen months in office. This summer issue of Country Spirit also comes out a few weeks before Father’s Day, so what better way to celebrate then to corral His Honor’s sister, Camden, and his dad, Trowbridge Littleton, for our cover.

A few weeks before publication, I received a wonderful email from Mayor Littleton about his father, who served for 34 years on the Middleburg Town Council himself and clearly was an inspirational role model in every way for his son. I’d spoken with Bridge about their relationship during an interview, but the more he thought about it, the more the mayor wanted to share one more story.

“Right now I’m at the river with my dad for our annual golf weekend with a group of friends,” Bridge began. “We’re at a pub that sits over the water of the Potomac. When we entered the place it was fairly lively and there was a table where three Virginia State Water Police officers were getting lunch. Dad and I chatted with them for ten minutes. He told them I was the mayor and we just shot the breeze.

“We then went back to our groups. When the officers had finished and got up to leave, they made a point to come over and speak to us. We chatted a bit more and they said thank you and left. Then I came to find out that dad, unbeknownst to me, had gone to the waitress and paid for their meal and didn’t tell them, and had done it as a way of expressing his appreciation for all they do to protect us.

“Never asking for acknowledgment or a thanks, he did it because it was the right thing to do. That’s what makes him a great person and PHOTO BY VICKY MOON a wonderful father. He At the Hickory Tree terminal: Jimmy Mills does the right thing be- chats about his love of aviation. cause it should be done, not for gratification or even a thank you. It never ceases to amaze me the level of his caring and generosity for others. I’m lucky that he’s been such an influence on my life and I only hope I can live up to the ideals he practices, yet never boasts.”

I got goosebumps reading that note, and suspect it may have the same effect on you, dear reader. I hope so.

There’s plenty more to enjoy in this issue, as well, including a story from our newest contributor, Chelsea Penfield, a senior at Middleburg Academy with journalism aspirations. She’s written a lovely piece on Lisa Jawer, a dedicated EMT with The Plains Fire Department.

M.J. McAteer profiles Foxcroft Head of School Cathy McGehee, now celebrating her fifth anniversary in that role. M.J. also has an intriguing tale about a true tech genius making many folks in Loudoun and Fauquier happy with the wired way he’s able to upgrade their phone and internet service.

And then, there’s the story about Jimmy Mills, who’s been flying airplanes here, there and everywhere for many years. He frequently takes off and lands on his personal green grass airstrip less than a mile from Middleburg.

There’s plenty to savor in this summertime edition, so slather on the sun-screen, try to stay cool and, as always, definitely catch the Spirit.

Leonard Shapiro Editor badgerlen@aol.com Country Spirit • Summer 2019

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Cover Photo You Can’t Miss This Published six times a year by Piedmont Media, LLC ADDRESS 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, Virginia 20186 PHONE: 540-347-4222 FAX: 540-349-8676 Publisher: Catherine M. Nelson, cnelson@fauquier.com Editor: Leonard Shapiro, badgerlen@aol.com Wine editor: Peter Leonard-Morgan Entertainment editor: Emily Tyler Managing editor: Jill Palermo, jpalermo@fauquier.com Page designer: Cindy Goff Contributing photographers: Caroline Fout, Missy Janes, Douglas Lees, Middleburg Photo, Crowell Hadden Contributing writers: Justin Haefner, Sebastian Langenberg, Sophie Langenberg, Lizzie Catherwood, Caroline Fout, Sean Clancy, Megan Catherwood, M.J. McAteer, Jimmy Wofford, Leslie VanSant, Anita Sherman, Carina Elgin, Louisa Woodville, Tom Wiseman and Mike du Pont Production Manager: Cindy Goff, cgoff@fauquier.com Ad designers: Sawyer Guinn, sguinn@fauquier.com Vincent Sales, vsales@fauquier.com Annamaria Ward, award@fauquier.com For advertising inquiries contact Leonard Shapiro at badgerlen@aol.com or 410-570-8447

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

The photograph on this issue’s cover uses a different lighting setup from the spring edition of Country Spirit because only two lights were used.

A mono-light was used with a 30x40 softbox as the key light and a second “hair” light was used on camera right for additional fill. Doug wanted to use a large light source which would wrap light around Trow, Camden and Bridge to provide an even light that also would illuminate and reduce shadows on the backdrop.

As Doug shoots, the images are automatically downloaded to a computer for easy review and feedback to and from the subjects. A template of the Country Spirit cover is also placed as an overlay on the images to ensure the photos taken will fit properly into the cover design.

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

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Tom Wiseman

Wise Investors Know That Patience Is a Virtue Dow Drops 500 Points!

Investors are Selling!

Largest Point Drop in History!!!

Do those headlines look familiar?

Are they accurate or really just the media’s way of agitating the public and fueling the fire?

While a 500-point drop is disturbing, 500 points on a Dow that is at 26,000 isn’t quite as impactful as it was when the Dow was at 2,500.

I’ll never forget “Black Monday”— October 19, 1987—when a crash that started in Hong Kong spread through the European markets and hit the U.S. like a tsunami.

By the end of that day, the Dow had dropped exactly 508 points to 1,738 from 2,246. Now that was a significant event! It’s important to distinguish between “points” and “percentages.” As the Dow has grown steadily year after year, the larger point drops translate into smaller percentages.

My first full year on my own was 1987 after going independent in ‘86.

Since then, ’89, ’94, ’01, ’02, ’03, and of course, who can forget ’08, have been challenging years. Yet, the markets always come back, don’t they?

How about the second headline, “Investors are Selling,” or the phrase often used, “It’s a Sell Off ?” Well, the definition of a “trade” is just that: one investor is selling and someone on the other side of each trade buying.

There are either some really smart, or some really stupid people on each side of that transaction.

You have to work pretty hard to lose money in the stock market, so what really causes people to do it anyway? It’s behavior, either behavior of their own or of their advisors that can cause investors to lose out in the stock market. Rather than simply riding out the storm, many people choose the wrong time to bail out and then miss the inevitable recovery.

If you look at history, the market

Tom Wiseman

has been “up” historically three out of every four years going all the way back to the 1929 crash.

All you really have to do to make money is to stay in the

market.

The public global markets are efficient. With high speed internet, the day trader in his basement in Thailand has the same information on his screen as the top analysts at J.P. Morgan. The only people with more information about a particular stock than anyone else is someone with inside knowledge, and as Martha Stewart found out, if you act on that information, you go to jail.

If the markets are efficient, how can you expect someone to “pick” stocks or “time” the markets and do better than the market itself ? More and more investors are moving toward a passive strategy, buying and holding index funds for the long haul, actively harvesting losses to offset future gains and ignoring short term setbacks and even drastic downturns.

Today, the big argument is “passive” versus “active” management and adding “alpha.” We moved to a passive, index fund strategy 20 years ago and as an early adopter, we’ve seen our clients’ accounts steadily rise without the volatility and emotional roller coaster that active investors and the stock pickers see.

Yes, there are bumps in the road, but not bottomless potholes with a view of China down below.

I heard a great, albeit anonymous, quote the other day that said “the best way to lose money in the markets is to get off the roller coaster at the wrong time, before the end of the ride!” So, take another look at what you’re doing with your money and don’t get off the ride before it ends and the safety bar goes up.

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

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Jimmy Mills: A man and his flying machines PHOTO BY VICKY MOON.

VA79 is a 2,900-foot long grass landing strip just outside of Middleburg.

By Vicky Moon Many frequent flyers are aware of the area airport codes of IAD and DCA. But how about VA79, or the 2,900-foot long grass landing strip just outside of Middleburg.

Aviation aficionado Jimmy Mills was at his personal VA79 “terminal” just one recent morning to discuss his flying history, not to mention his considerable expertise.

Through the years, James P. “Jimmy” Mills Jr. has been buzzing sky-high doing both local and national fly-overs. His wife, Debbie, whom he refers to as “Mrs. Mills,” is a former airline fight attendant and also has her own pilot’s license.

“I started flying in 1962 in Abilene Texas,” he said.

“I was an oil worker and it was a nasty job. They said I ‘needed to be tightened up.’ I soloed there and I took lessons there. I got my license in 1964.” He now owns a red and blue Cessna skylark 182 single engine plane that accommodates four passengers.

Mills came by his love of flying by way of his late mother, Alice Francis duPont Mills. In 1932, she flew

over the Amazon River with her brother, Richard du Pont, in a Waco aircraft outfitted with pontoons. A pilot at heart, she received advanced instrument ratings and taught military recruits on a Link Trainer during World War II. She married James Paul Millis in 1935 and at the end of the war, in 1946 they flew one of the first single engine airplanes, a Nordwyn Morseman, from New York to Buenos Aires. They eventually moved to Middleburg and put together the then 1600-acre Hickory Tree Farm where they also bred world-class thoroughbreds and were outstanding philanthropists.

Back near the runway, Mills said that, “A few years ago we had a twin engine plane and we had some problems. Mrs. Mills said ‘we have to get down now’ and that was it for Mrs. Mills. Just around here, I can go up to 2,500 feet now and don’t need clearance.” … from air traffic controllers.

He’s had a few heart-pounding moments in the cockpit over the years, once losing control of a plane at night in bad weather. “We had a seal broken in the window,” he said. “Lost control for about 4,000 feet and had to make an emergency landing at the

Raleigh Durham airport,” he said.

Piloting a helicopter years ago, Mills said he “had some problems with the instruments. It was raining very hard and I was low on fuel and had to make an emergency landing on a Holiday Inn parking lot in Pittsburgh.”

Mills was also in the aviation business in Wilmington, Delaware and over the last six decades has flown countless memorable flights with numerous styles of aircraft, all without incident.

“I once had an English Beagle 206,” he said. “It was a gorgeous plane with a cargo door and twin engines.”

He once flew to Sun Valley from Delaware and said, “That was a great flight. I’ve had a lot of different planes over the years but I’ve had this one for 25 years. I’ve landed an MVA 2 prop jet right here,” pointing toward the flawless verdant swath of runway.

“I’m not flying much these days, maybe 30 to 40 hours a year,” he said, adding, “When I go, I always take someone with me. I’m still moving forward.”

Not to mention up, up and away.

PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

Jimmy Mills’ red and blue Cessna skylark 182 single engine plane accommodates four passengers.

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

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Kizmetz Offers A Unique Blend of Global Merchandise

By Chelsea Penfield

Kizmetz.

It’s derived from the Turkish word kismet, meaning destiny or fate. And it’s also the name of a new and unique Middleburg shop featuring exclusive items collected from across the globe.

Owner Dan Thompson has spent most of his life living overseas. Working in the Peace Corps for many years, he became fascinated with underdeveloped countries’ culture, lifestyle, and the accessibility to great art.

Most items in Thompson’s shop originate from artisans in Guatemala, Indonesia, Turkey, and various African countries. Nearly all are hand-crafted and have a story behind them.

Common items he found overseas—wooden boats, gates, and even wood paneling from the sides of old trucks—have been repurposed into decorative household pieces that can be used every day.

The idea of recycling something with one purpose into what is created into a new piece still does not discount the story of it once was. For example, scraps of wood from a natural disaster

in Guatemala have been remade into variations in shapes and sizes because decorative tables and chairs. The wood very few of the components are made was distressed, yet soft to the touch; it through a manufacturing system with was rustic but still displayed vibrant exact measurements. primary colors.

There’s something about the craftsThompson says it’s “nice to make the manship and intricate detail that apsale,” he also admitted “it can also be peals to buyers. Many items found in hard to part with the items because you Kizmetz are hand-dyed, scraps from know you will natural disasters, never see them and even some again.” that are over forty Many of the years old. items in his shop Thompson reflect the artidescribed his sans’ individual shop as a little style, and despite bit more “ethnic” some of them than most dibeing similar, versified homenone has a digoods stores. rect replication.

He’s aware of the With some piecspecialty items he es, he asked the has in store, and artisans to craft added, “If you multiples. Howsee something, ever, when holdthere’s a good ing each piece, chance we won’t you can recoghave it again.” nize different The furniture PHOTO BY CHELSEA PENFIELD designs, depth in Kizmetz offers a wide variety of unique in Thompson’s colors and even merchandise. shop comes from

a cluster of happy accidents and are products of connections he has built over time. Nearly 20 percent of his inventory comes from the U.S, including Detroit, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Thompson explained that unique pieces at affordable prices often are hard to come by. It’s also difficult to find suppliers that meet his standards.

Thompson is the owner, the sole employee, and head of discovering goods for the shop; in other words, he does it all.

He said he likes the idea of being his own boss, which also allows him to still find time for travel and to pursue other hobbies.

“I find things I like and hope people do too,” he said, adding that owning Kizmetz has been a lifelong dream. After spending only a few minutes with him, it’s obvious that his passion for the pieces he so carefully selects is transcended in-to the shop.

He also likes to think that the unique items he carries in the shop will be put to use by a buyer who can share his enthusiasm and the stories behind each piece.

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

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Foxcroft’s Head of School Has Been a Perfect Fit

By M.J. McAteer

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

“I hated Heathers,” says Cathy McGehee, referring to the dark film comedy in which the favorite sport of the popular high school girls was cruelty.

“The mean girl, the catty girl, that’s not at all what Foxcroft is about.”

Instead, Foxcroft is about helping students developing the skills and courage to become not just leaders, but ethical leaders, says the head of the venerable all-girls school just outside of the village of Middleburg.

“Every Foxcroft woman I know is doing something interesting, usually on her own terms,” she says. And, since McGehee arrived in the school’s centennial year of 2014, she’s been expanding the range of just what those interesting things might include.

Thanks to her beefed-up emphasis on STEM courses--the shorthand for studies in science, technology, engineering, and math--today’s Foxcroft students design rockets, use three-D printers, and build drones.

Unlike the stereotypic and dated image of a girls’ finishing school, they study computer science, forensic science, neuroscience, aerodynamics, and cosmology. And the school also takes a different approach to their instruction than is generally found at coed institutions.

“Girls like to learn in context, and they like learning to a purpose,” McGehee says.

So Foxcroft classes have been designed to be interdisciplinary with real-world applications. In one recent student project, for example, students used mapping software to show the location of some 80 dogs living on the 500-acre campus.

Another group designed and constructed a picnic table that would be wheelchair accessible. One art student used three-D printer technology to design a commemorative plaque for the creator of the hit play “Hamilton.” Once the cast saw it, they all requested a copy.

At coed schools, the loudest voices, usually belonging to boys, tend to get the most attention, McGehee says. At a single-gender school, such as Foxcroft, “100 percent of leadership positions are held by girls. Girls aren’t able to fade into the background. You don’t have a choice but to participate.”

No surprise, then, that graduates of all-girls schools are three times more likely to pursue STEM fields.

McGehee says that the students, past and present, are the favorite part of her job. Her duties, however, are wide-ranging and include tending to the nuts and bolts of the physical plant and to fun-

PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

Foxcroft Head of School Cathy McGehee in front of a portrait of founder Charlotte Haxall Noland. draising, planning, and community and alumni outreach.

“There’s no such thing as a typical week,” she says.

Her tenure got off with a bang five years ago, when Foxcroft received a $40 million bequest in her very first week as head of school. That unrestricted gift from Standard Oil heiress Ruth Bedford, class of 1932, just about doubled the school’s endowment, which stands at $87.6 million as of June of last year.

That windfall has helped the school hold the line on tuition increases and operate with no long-term debt. It’s also helped fund the construction of a new dormitory, the renovation and repurposing of other dorms and an upgrade to the school’s athletic fields.

The Bedford gift further facilitates the ability of the school to offer financial aid. About 30 percent of Foxcroft students receive assistance, including eight $25,000 scholarships.

After the economic downturn ten years ago, the school lost about 20 students but is now at close to capacity with 178 students, 72 percent of whom are boarders. About 30 percent of the student body participate in the school’s well-known equestrian program.

Trustee Anne Michele Kuhns was part of the search committee six years ago that interviewed more than a dozen head of school candidates before choosing McGehee.

“Cathy had such great energy and passion for a girls school,” Kuhns says.

“She fit right into the culture and embraced our ethos and mission--to dare and do and be willing to get our hands dirty.

“We’re educating not just academically but for their entire lives,” adds Kuhns, class of 1987. “And Cathy epitomizes that. She has exceeded all of our expectations.”

Scene

Seen

Lilla Ohrstrom’s Youngblood Art Studio in The Plains will be hosting “The Enchanted World of Joan Danziger” exhibit and sale from June to September.

The Washington, D.C. contemporary artist’s vibrant wire and glass-shard sculptures are inspired by the spirit of the horse and the jewel-like nature of insects. Her “Flying Trees” 27” H x 40” W in metal is shown here. Details: youngbloodartstudio.com, 540-270-0402. Meanwhile, the National Sporting Library & Museum in Middleburg will host a solo exhibition: “Canter & Crawl: The Glass Sculpture of Joan Danziger” through Jan. 5, 2020. Details: info@ nationalsporting.org or (540) 687-6542 x4.

Jack Doyle, the jockey on the cover of the Spring issue of Country Spirit, along with the stunning sidesaddle equestrian Alexandra Arabak, proved there is such a thing as the luck of the Irish. Doyle rode Andi’Amu to victory in the Virginia Gold Cup. And yes, we all had fingers crossed for such a happy ending. PHOTO BY MIDDLEBURG PHOTO.

Chris Johnson, auction coordinator for this year’s Hill School auction, “Under The Big Top,” and auction chair Jill Blunt prepare for a big weekend. The festivities included Grandparent’s Day, an art show and alumni reception to honor long-time former Headmaster Tom Northrup. PHOTO

BY KAREN MONROE MIDDLEBURG PHOTO.

Southern States manager Allen Taylor is off and running at their new location in Upperville. PHOTO

BY VICKY MOON

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Scene Seen Sotheby’s CEO Mark Lowham chats with Elizabeth Von Hassell at the launch party for TTR Sotheby’s International Realty’s new offices in The Plains. PHOTO

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Rebecca Patterson with Will Thomas at Elway Hall for the “Great Gatsby: Life’s a Picnic.” The event was to benefit the Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program, which provides equine-assisted activities to children and adults with disabilities, at-riskyouth, and recovering military service personnel. More than $150,000 was raised in a roaring success of an afternoon. PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

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Micah Earle, head of the new Grace Montessori School at a recent reception for the school in The Plains. PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

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www.fieldcraftmanagement.com Country Spirit • Summer 2019

15

Linda Volrath

Artist

Sporting artist Linda Volrath is a Virginia native and local hunt races and horse activities feature prominently in her artwork. Her soft and emotion-filled paintings include not just horses but other animals: chickens, dogs, cats and cattle, along with landscapes, still lifes and figurative. “My style can be described as painterly realism,” she writes. “While from a distance the subjects appear threedimensional and full of life, on a closer look this illusion is revealed with visible brushwork and a fluid paint quality. My goal is a certain level of abstract shapes within a foundation of classical composition, color harmony and strong design.” Her studio is near White Post, and is open by appointment.

To see more of her lovely original oil paintings, exhibition history, affiliations and exhibition history go to: LindaVolrath.com or contact her at: studio@LindaVolrath. com.

“Rock Solid” A scene from the timber races at Piedmont Point-to-Point Races. Available, 16 x 20 oil.

“Gallivant” These two fancy birds are local residents of White Post. This king of the roost has no shortage of girlfriends. Depending on the light of the day, almost every color can be found in their rich shiny plumage. 6 x 8 oil on linen, available.

“Pounce” This bouncy little foxhound skipping after biscuits was a participant at the 2018 Virginia Hound Show. “I left the sketchy quality of brushwork to express lively attitude and movement the subject,” the artist told Country Spirit. 8 x 10 oil on linen, available.

On the easel, works in progress include two new pieces inspired by recent Virginia hunt point-to-point races. The start of a timber race at Piedmont is underway in oils,, as is a composition portraying sidesaddle riders on the grounds of Oatlands. More than a year of planning went into the design and construction of this recently completed new studio space. Big north facing windows are proving to supply ample, steady light.

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

“Stately Stripes” This painting was selected by the American Academy of Art for exhibition in their 37th annual AAEA Fall Showcase at Aiken Center for the Arts in Aiken SC. Winner of the Director’s Award, 2017, this elegant Shire is portrayed in the spectacular stables of historic Ayrshire Farm. 18 x 24, oil, private collection

“Us Too” These two terriers are bred and owned

by Charles and Boo Montgomery of Bull Run Hunt. This painting was part of the invitational show of signature members of the American Academy of Equine Art, featuring the Fox Hunts of Virginia.

Sold, 11 x 14 oil, private collection.

“Itchy Cat” “While visiting a farm where I was intending to do landscape paintings, “ she told Country Spirit, “the barn cats intrigued me more and the result was a series of paintings portraying their character. Rita Mae Brown is a big fan of my work, and this tabby served as a model for her famous feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown. This is the second of two paintings I did of Sneaky Pie, the other appears on the back cover of Rita Mae’s newest book in her Mrs. Murphy series.” Available, 8 x 10 oil.

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Scene Seen

Lauren Woolcott, chairman of the board of the Middleburg Spring Race Association, relished a glorious spring afternoon at Glenwood Park with husband Rene Woolcott. The outing included a lemon blueberry cake, bountiful flowers and beautiful friends all to benefit the Glenwood Park Trust and INOVA Loudoun Hospital Foundation.

Jewelry designer Elizabeth Locke, the very definition of style and taste, celebrated “A Return To The Grand Tour” for the opening of an exhibit of her private collection of micromosaic jewels at The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond at a luncheon and a dinner party. The exhibit continues through September 5.

PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

At the 56th Annual Daffodil Show presented at Buchanan Hall by the Upperville Garden Club they had daffodils on parade. Elvis was in the house for the inter-club competition with the Winchester Garden Club winning the “Love Me Tender” for a late Colonial design. And, neighbor Ann MacLeod who lives next door at Dunvegan met up with a long ago friend from her hometown of Staunton. PHOTOS BY VICKY MOON

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

19

A Tech Einstein Summer Stories Finds a Way to Connect

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By M.J. McAteer The phone service was positively the worst in Hooterville.

Making a call meant scaling a telephone pole, and then the operator would be unavailable because she was busy basting a roast or getting her hair done. Phone sets were missing mouthpieces or had cords so short customers had to bend o v e r double to use them.

And the powers-thatbe didn’t care.

Bruce Davis says he had the “Oliver vs. the Phone Company” episode of the old sitcom “Green Acres” in mind when he founded the Waterford Telephone Company in 2011.

Except, he had not just one Hooterville, but a bunch of them in western Loudoun, where telephone service might be okay, but the internet could be spotty. And just like in Hooterville, no relief was in sight.

Still, Davis thought he could help some of these poorly-connected Loudoun communities. In recent years, he’s done just that.

“We’re thrilled with our internet connections, thanks entirely to Bruce,” says Penni Korb, who lives with her husband, Joe Hamm, in North Fork, an area of about 50 homes near Purcellville.

“It’s an absolute godsend. We would not be connected to cyber-civilization without him.”

How does Davis do it?

He credits the Te l e c om mu n i c a tions Act of 1996, which required local exchange carriers--in the case of Waterford Telephone, that mostly means Verizon—to sell access to their phone lines to anyone willing to pay a competitive rate.

Davis believes no one else in the entire Verizon east coast footprint, ranging from the Carolinas to Vermont, actually takes advantage of that law to do what he does.

Davis installs what he calls “magic boxes” at in-town and remote relay stations for phone lines. So far, he’s hooked up about 20 neighborhoods

in Loudoun, and most recently in in Upperville..

“I get calls every day,” Davis says about extending his service.

Still, he can’t always help: Neighborhoods must be within about two miles of a relay station for his system to work.

Waterford Telephone is hardly your typical business. Though Davis recently hired one of his customers to help with tech support, the company remains a one-man band. He can be hard to reach at times. Davis has even kept his day job as a technician at an Ashburn data center. He describes Waterford Telephone as more of “a hobby” than a business.

It started when a friend in Waterford pushed Davis to do something about the lousy Internet service in Rehobeth, Delaware where he had a summer home.

“After five or six times of being called an idiot, I thought I should listen to him,” Davis says.

He subsequently established a wireless network in the beach resort that extended the length of the boardwalk and blanketed five blocks inland. He then sold it to get the capital to form his very own utility, Waterford Telephone.

In 2013, Davis wired up his first batch of 48 Waterford households in the old Quaker village and he has more than 90 customers there now.

When Bluemont saw his good work, about 40 households banded together to self-fund his service. He arrived in North Fork because a Bluemont customer cut the grass for a resident of that neighborhood, who happened to live near Jim Wade, who had been trying to get FIOS in the neighborhood, to no avail. Wade also coached the same youth soccer team as Davis did. That’s typical of the town crier way people usually hear about Waterford Telephone.

In Hillsboro, the process was more

form a l .

Mayor Roger Va n c e and Vice Mayor Amy Marasco met Davis at an IT and broadband meeting held by the county. They had gone booth to booth in search of better internet options for their town, which had abysmal service.

“The answer was always, ‘Sorry, it isn’t going to happen,’ ” Marasco says.

Then they got to Davis. He was sitting all alone at a table, and only he claimed he could help. Davis then borrowed a piece a piece of paper from another vendor to sketch out his plan.

With no other options, they gave his system a try.

“It’s a broadband feast,” says the mayor.

“He’s a techie Einstein,” says the vice mayor.

Davis says that Waterford Telephone doesn’t turn much of a profit because he tries to keep subscription costs under $100 and requires no contracts. Because he lacks capital, neighborhoods usually must raise the money, about $10,000 to $15,000, to get his service up and running.

He rebates investors’ upfront money through discounts on their monthly bills. Eusebio Cantone spearheaded his neighborhood’s effort to attract Waterford telephone to Saratoga, a development of 50 homes west of Hillsboro.

“It doesn’t feel like he’s doing it for the money,” Cantone says. “He’s a Western Loudouner, and he honestly cares about the people of this area.”

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21

UVA Basketball: A Championship Forged From Adversity

By Scott Andrews

The University of Virginia’s 385-day journey from the “worst loss” in NCAA Tournament history to a National Championship was forged from a bond that used adversity as a primary motivation.

As a UVA basketball fan since age seven (54 years ago) when my cousin played for the Cavaliers, the latest chapter brought with its success life lessons from a coach who does not live for the limelight but views service to others as his lodestar.

I was introduced to Tony Bennett in April, 2009, shortly after his hiring as head coach. Over a short dinner and a lengthy conversation, I was immediately struck by his quiet leadership style grounded in his faith. He’s unique and humble, and what a gift to a program in such desperate need for leadership and a caring soul.

Calling home the next morning to my wife, Jennifer, I told her how impressed I was with his humility.

She encouraged me to stay connected, because Tony’s example would be of timeless value. We shared messages of encouragement during his early years, and they continue today with my belief that I’ve reaped the greatest blessings from our exchanges.

How does this lead to the 2019 championship season?

Tony said he had to build a team he could first “lose with” before a winning culture could be instilled. That process led to a consistent set of values based on defense first, steady success and ultimate ACC championships.

Despite these accomplishments, skepticism from some wary pundits questioned whether that style

could win in March and April. The “meltdown” defeat to Syracuse in the Elite 8 in Chicago in 2016 may have given them some ammunition, but it also gave a broader audience the chance to understand what drives the coach.

Before leaving the court that night, he paused and embraced each player. Then, in front of a national TV audience, he told his team he was reminded of an ancient hymn: “There may weeping in the evening, but joy will come in the morning.”

Scott Andrews celebrates as the University of Virginia’s basketball team prevails to win the NCAA national championship in Minneapolis.

Fast forward to March, 2018 and the painful and shocking first-round loss to UMBC. Humility and grace in the aftermath, but a renewed fire was lit to take on the next season.

After another successful regular season, including an ACC title, the road to full redemption ran through Columbia, SC, Louisville, KY and the Final Four in Minneapolis.

I was fortunate to attend all weekend games with family and friends. The first round in Columbia offered another test when UVA trailed a16th seed again.

There was fear and doubt among the faithful, but this team did not allow those demons to survive.

The path to a championship included heroic comebacks, improbable outcomes and winning three games despite being down by three points with less than 15 seconds remaining. Some might say it was luck. But the team’s closeness built on Tony’s Five Pillars—humility, passion, unity, servanthood and thankfulness— added an extra dimension.

On April 8, a championship game predicted to be “ugly” basketball turned into a battle of wills between two deserving teams. It became a classic, with UVA beating Texas Tech in overtime.

Crediting so many players who forged the culture over the years, with five seconds remaining and sitting alone on a stool, Tony Bennett also quietly gave thanks to his Savior for allowing him to play a role in this story. Never believing he was deserving of this position, gratefulness was his primary emotion.

Time will pass and new seasons will begin. Hopefully, the foundation of his program will remain steadfast while modeling lessons that are far more impactful than basketball.

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Middleburg Tennis Club Celebrating 50 Years

By Leonard Shapiro The Middleburg Tennis Club (MTC) is celebrating its 50th year at its current location off the Zulla Road, but almost a decade earlier, its roots were planted a mile away back in the village just across Reed Street from the Middleburg Library.

Now guarded by tall shrubs and viewed through a chain link fence, the skeleton of a tennis court is clearly visible. Tufts of grass have grown up through the cracks in the old court, but the two lime-green net stanchions are still in place, not far from a practice lacrosse goal the current owner of the property has set up.

In 1961, a group of friends who had been playing on private courts all around the area obtained a loan to build two courts on that Reed Street property then owned by the Morgan family, of Morgan Oil in Marshall. Among them was the late Sandy MacLeod, who’s 96-year-old widow, Ann, lives in Upperville and still plays a regular rousing game of doubles several times a week at the “new” MTC. “We used to play on private courts but it was always hard to make the arrangements,” she recalled. “So they borrowed the money from the bank, built the courts and it just took off. People

used them all the time. You showed up with your racket and took your chances. If a game was going on, you would play in. It was always a lot of fun.”

A few years later, the late Jordan Bentley, a fine player himself, approached the late Alice Mills about donating ten acres of her nearby farmland for a new facility. He also helped organize the original bond-holders who put up $10,000 each to build it.

When the re-located club opened in 1969, there was one indoor court, two hard courts and four har-tru green clay courts outside. In 1981, they added two more indoor courts and two more hartru outside, and this year, a new indoor training facility with two more courts opened for play.

The original Reed Street club had a tennis pro, Warrenton native Morgan Dennis, who eventually became the club’s long-time general manager in the early 1980s until his death in 2002. He was associated with MTC for nearly 35 years, and there’s a statue of him overlooking the outdoor courts in memory of a truly beloved “character with character.”

The current manager, Vaughn Gatling, came in 2002 and also is revered by the membership, which now totals about 400. There’s a booming junior program, with 60 youngsters

playing regularly and more than 100 enrolled in summer tennis camps.

MTC will celebrate 50 years on Zulla Road with a gala at the Middleburg Community Center on June 1, and a family picnic the following day.

Club members and all its employees have been invited.

Gatling described the current atmosphere at the club much the same way

Ann MacLeod spoke about the early years on Reed Street.

“It’s a warm, friendly, relaxed atmosphere, and it’s not just about tennis,” he said. “People see “Tennis Club” and think you have to play tennis. No, we have about 56 percent playing tennis, but it’s also a place where everybody knows your name. That’s what makes it so special.”

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

23

Nancy West with Malcolm Matheson.

Lori Keenan McGuinnes and Lynn Wiley.

PHOTOS BY DOUG GEHLSEN AND KAREN MONROE MIDDLEBURG PHOTO ARTWORK BY NICOLE

Rae Stone and Kent Allen

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Andrew Stiffler, Nina Fout, Juliet Graham and Nicky Perry

Laurie McClary, Milton Sender and Susan Grayson.

It’s Now Atlantic Union Bank, Including a Fox

By Leonard Shapiro

It’s clearly back to the future for the Middleburg Bank.

Sort of.

Plainly put, on May 20 it officially became Atlantic Union Bank when Richmond-based Union Bank and Trust joined forces with Access/Middleburg Bank and Xenith Bank to expand its reach.

The merger brings Atlantic Union Bank’s total assets to $16.8 billion and 155 total branches, 140 in Virginia.

“As a way to assure recognition and clarity in the marketplace, we asked customers to help us select a new name,” according to a recently mass-mailed bank brochure. “And, since we now span across the region, one name rose above all the other options: Atlantic Union Bank.”

Founded in 1924, the Middleburg Bank is no more, though Atlantic has decided that its wealth management division will be named Middleburg Financial. And perhaps best of all, the Middleburg Bank’s iconic fox logo will be retained for that division, not just in the town where it first appeared, but in all Atlantic’s branches.

“It’s a brand that resonates,” said Maria Tedesco, president of Atlantic Union. “The logo will be the same, with a blue background. We’re bringing the fox back. We even have a fox lapel pin. We took a lot of time talk-

ing to (the bank staff ) and folks in the community, asking ‘what is it you want?’ The fox turned out to be pretty important.”

Surely though, far more important to local cosumers, especially in Middleburg, Atlantic truly is going back to the future.

When Reston-based Access merged with the Middleburg Bank in 2017, things changed dramatically. Hours were shortened in the lobby and the drive-through windows. There were no more Saturday hours. Free checking was eliminated, along with a host of other consumer-friendly services, and onerous fees were everywhere.

Six thousand customers reportedly took their business elsewhere, with a more than 60 percent turnover in staff. Many employees (they’re called teammates now at Atlantic Union) were simply tired of dealing with unhappy customers.

As of May 20, all that changed. Free checking is back, with no monthly fees and no minimums.

So has Saturday banking, both inside and outside.

Call center hours have expanded. On-line banking is available. And Atlantic has a wide variety of divisions and services that will benefit consumers,

as well at its commercial clients, with a five-time increase in lending capacity from Access/Middleburg.

“We’ve always been rooted as a communityminded bank,” said Atlantic CEO John C. Asbury.

He added that in April, J.D. Power, the prestigious global marketing information services company that conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior, rated Union Trust the No. 1 bank in the Mid-Atlantic region.

“We’re thrilled about J.D. Power’s recognition,” Asbury said. “It was against very formidable competition.”

Asbury and his executive team also were fully aware of the dissatisfaction following the Access/ Middleburg merger, and both he and Tedesco are confident consumers’ attitudes will change quickly.

The bank also has a long history of community and charitable involvement, and that will continue in Middleburg, as well.

“The Union culture should feel like what they remember in the Middleburg Bank,” Asbury said.

“I still consider us a small business, and we need our people to be advocates for our customers. Access was a business bank and never intended to serve mass market consumers. We’ve listened to what the market has requested, and we feel like we’ve got the best of both worlds.”

Fox included.

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

25

Middleburg’s Mayor Bridges Generations

By Leonard Shapiro

PHOTOS BY DOUG GEHLSEN MIDDLEBURG PHOTO

Bridge Littleton

rapher (Camden Littleton Photography) who now lives in Charlottesville.

As a youngster, Middleburg Mayor Bridge LittleAsked if he’s been at all surprised by anything in ton recalls that his father, Trowbridge Littleton, often his brief tenure, Bridge smiled and said, “in a lot of was absent from the dinner table every other Thurs- ways yes, and a lot of ways no. I really didn’t have an day night. Instead, he was attending meetings of the appreciation for the administrative detail. And a lot Middleburg Town Council, where he served a total of of correspondence goes directly to the mayor, and you 34 years through 2016. have to respond to that.

Bridge Littleton went on the Council the year “Actually, that’s all good because it gives you a his father, the founder and owner of Melmore Inc., much deeper appreciation of what issues to focus on a home-building and restoration firm, decided to end and what it takes to help run a small town.” his own town tenure. Over all those years, he made a Yet, it’s not all that small. About 800 residents huge impression on his son, and the mayor’s recollec- technically reside within the village borders, but there tions of that influence resonate even more this month are also 2,000 post office boxes, with a number of the as the nation celebrates Father’s Day on June 16th. people who rent them living in the surrounding area.

One example: Bridge’s regular babysitter as a “If you look at the number of people who actually child in the 1980s lived on the outskirts of town on a have a Middleburg address, it’s more like 5,000,” Litbumpy, pothole-pocked road with no night lighting. tleton said. “That’s the great thing about being in local “It was the first thing I saw my dad champion,” government. You can make a big impact on so many Bridge said. “He got money appropriated to put in people at the human level, and there’s a meaningful utilities and get the road fixed. It meant so much to result they can actually see for themselves—water serher and everyone who lived there. He did things for vice, snow removal, trash collection, good streets and the community because he genuinely wanted to see economic development. change for the better. He always wants something to “When there are issues, we can help resolve them happen for someone else, and he expects nothing in almost immediately. And the best part is, it has nothreturn.” ing to do with politics. Only the final result matters, “It’s one great lesson he taught me, and I try to and that’s what’s so satisfying.” emulate it as best I can.”

Being Middleburg’s mayor is a part-time but very Clearly, that’s already been mission accomplished full-time job for Littleton, a graduate of Radford Unifor the 44-year-old Bridge. A year after he won the versity and the University of Richmond Law School. mayoral race in a landslide, he’s already exhibited He’s also one of three partners in Hellen Systems, many of the qualities his father instilled in both he now putting together a pub-lic/private partnership to and his big sister Camden, a fine professional photog- produce a secure back-up system for the nation’s cur-

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In addition to chairing Council meetings, serving on town committees, making frequent ceremonial appearances and coordinating with town employees—“the real unsung heroes of Middleburg” he calls them— the mayor has also been paying plenty of attention to the problem of unchecked growth in Loudoun County.

He’s among the mayors of the county’s seven towns who form the Coalition of Loudoun Towns (COLT). Their No. 1 focus recently has been to convince county supervisors that any new comprehensive land plan for Loudoun must include slower growth than in previous years.

“In the last 20 years, Loudoun has grown 5.1 percent on average per year and we’ve doubled our population twice,” Littleton said. “The D.C. metro area growth rate over the same time has been 1.5 per cent growth…It’s unsustainable….I’m very concerned about that trajectory.

“This board of supervisors has to vote on a new comprehensive land use plan by the end of June. The question is, what will it be? Do we take this opportunity to slow growth to a reasonable, manageable level?

I hope so.”

As to what level Littleton’s own political ambitions will rise, he’s almost certain being a mayor is just fine.

“I am here right now doing exactly what I want to do,” he said. “You never say never, but I’m where I want to be. I also want to emphasize this is not just an ‘I’ situation. This is a team effort with the Council. We have to be together to get things done. We all work

extremely hard to get it right.”

And watching from not so far away is the mayor’s father.

“I’m very proud of him,”Trowbridge Littleton said.

“It’s a tough, thankless job. He’s the right age and he can bring new enthusiasm into the town. I never thought he had any political ambition, that he would appreciate the town as much as he does. It’s pretty obvious how much he cares.”

Like father, like son, you might even say.

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Squash Program Is Flourishing at Wakefield

By Leonard Shapiro

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ever played squash until they arrived at Wakefield.

Only a few months after opening “All our kids learned the game its four new squash courts in 2017, here,” Graham said. “I actually like to Wakefield School in The Plains sent start them at age four. This year’s team a team to the national high school started playing in middle school at 12 championships in Connecticut. They to 13. Now, we have grass roots in our won their division, coming home with junior kindergarten program. In five the first national title in the school’s years time, it should be quite exciting. history.

Just look what we’ve done with kids At the time, the team attributed its who started playing so late.” success to Coach Anthony Graham, And Graham welcomes one and all an Englishman who played as a pro- to join the program. fessional for many years, and came to “I don’t cut kids at all,” he said. “If a the U.S. and the school four years ago. kid is showing a lot of interest, they’re Anthony Sparks, a senior that year, more than welcome to be in the propaid tribute to Graham on Wakefield’s gram. This year we had a girls team for web site, saying, “Whether it was the first time, nine girls playing. We through the early morning practices had two matches against other teams or when we would play 21 to close a for the first time in our history.” practice, Coach Graham continually Graham’s history includes playing pushed us to give as much effort as on the world professional tour. At 18, he we could and to picture how our ral- was ranked No. 1 in Europe and Englies would play out. It says a lot about land, and got up to No. 98 in the world this team, how much we improved in in 2012. An ankle injury curtailed his a matter of months, and I think we career for a year, and he moved to the can all look back on this season with U.S. because he said he wanted to teach. a sense of pride and accomplishment.”

He still trains seriously and plays Graham did not introduce squash professionally part time. He gives prito Wakefield. The program started a vate lessons and has summer camps at few years earlier on a private court at Wakefield. Some of his fellow profesa nearby farm built by the parents of sionals occasionally show up to practice Wakefield students who had become at Wakefield, and often will hit with interested in the fast-paced racket Graham’s players. sport.

High school squash in Virginia is This past year, Wakefield had 11 played primarily at private schools these varsity players. Seven play in matches, days, but “The sport is starting to grow,” and one of the starting seven this year Graham said. “The Ivy League schools was Chelsea Mulkerin who more than are all huge into the game, and more held her own playing against the boys. high schools are beginning to play.”

“She won a lot of matches,” Graham At Wakefeld, he said, “The idea is to said. “There were no issues in terms of see improvement. I’m big on a very propolitics or rules. She definitely earned ductive offseason. We’re building the position, and we gave her the most something special here.” improved award.”

None of the players had

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Youth Sports Should Provide Positive Life Lessons

By Jodi Nash

I’m an old athlete, once a nationally-ranked gymnast who did the year-round training grind for six years,

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qualified for the ’72 Olympic Trials, and had the vicarious thrill of watching my close friend and teammate Roxanne Pierce make the national team, representing the U.S. at the Munich Summer Games.

I’ve coached elite gymnasts in private clubs and college athletes on two different campuses, some extraordinarily talented, others extraordinarily driven. All were exceptional.

For me, competitive sports was a microcosm of life—hard-learned lessons put to use over and over again as I later went on to the world of professional dance, law school, the work world, and child rearing.

As an athlete, I learned how to win and lose with equal grace, and to like myself in both situations. I learned being the best, and doing the best with what I had were two profoundly different things. Both are rewarding, but I’ve repeatedly used the latter in life.

I also learned competition isn’t combat, and that competitors could be allies and even admiring friends. I learned hard work and sacrifice don’t always win titles, but almost always earn you the respect of the people you respect, whether they’re coaches, teachers, employers, or opponents on a tennis court or in a court of law.

When my own kids entered the sports arena I so love, I struggled to let them learn those same life lessons.

But it also can wreak havoc on your parental instincts to watch your child be benched, miss a goal, get yelled at by a coach or get pummeled physically.

Then again, life isn’t always fair, and while we hope the lessons will be age-appropriate, they nonetheless must be learned. How else to acquire coping skills? How else to learn good sportsmanship?

My own parents weren’t at my daily workouts, or even at all my competitions---but they were at the important ones. They didn’t analyze every move a coach made, or endlessly debate a judge or referee’s call—nor did they try to control the outcome. They never intervened, but guided me to get on with the work of becoming a better gymnast, a more

seasoned competitor. They expected my best effort, but also my best attitude---the one that lets you rise above the political machinations and go forward.

I’ve seen parents in sports venues who are, in my humble view, over-involved, overreaching, over-managing and over-protecting their kids in a way that strikes me as innately unhealthy.

They find fault with volunteer coaches giving their personal time to coach average kids on a start-up rec team. They lobby for more playing time, a better position, or a trade from team to team in search of a winning season.

They complain about field strategy, scream from the sidelines and vell at game officials. Instead of using sports to build character, they hover and manage. They want to give kids’ trophies just for showing up.

Watching my own kids’ disappointments, I wasn’t above frustration or sadness, but I struggled mightily to control it. In the end, I wanted the competitive experience to speak for itself and help make them better people.

I recently dropped my 26-year-old daughter off at the Jackson Winks fight academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she’s training to compete professionally in mixed marshal arts. That means my girl goes into a cage, where she boxes, wrestles, and uses judo to take her opponent down.

But whatever happens, Carsyn Lee, when you exit that cage, I don’t want to know from your facial expression whether you’ve won or lost.

If it’s your best shot on that day, then like yourself when the fight is over.

Be a good winner and a better loser.

It’s called character building, and I believe that’s the true essence and value of competition.

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33

Scene Seen Lori Keenan McGuinnes, chairman of the board of The Goose Creek Association, presented the Golden Goose Award to Tom Turner for his dedication in protecting and preserving the environment in the Goose Creek Watershed in Fauquier and Loudoun counties.

The gathering was hosted by The Hosta family at Kerfoot House in Upperville. PHOTO BY CROWELL HADDEN.

Rev. E.O. Miller and his wife, Ginger, were among the guests at a private kick off party in honor of this year’s 60th edition of the Upperville Trinity Church Hunt Country Stable Tour which took place on Memorial Day weekend. The setting was at Oak Spring in the courtyard of the former broodmare barn at Bunny and Paul Mellon’s farm near Upperville. PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

Emily and Jeb Hannum, executive director of the Virginia Equine Alliance, greeted fellow racing friends at the 41st annual Virginia Thoroughbred Championship Awards reception. Among the honorees: trainer Susan Cooney, Woodslane Farm owners Rene and Lauren Woolcott and their horse, Sadler’s Joy, Jim and Katie Fitzgerald of Chilly Bleak Farm, who bred the Three-YearOld Elusive Mischief, and Morgan’s Ford Farm for Realm.

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Rory Young, with trainer Leslie Young and Ashley Randall, greet jockey Jack Doyle and Andi’Amu, winners of the $100,000 Virginia Gold Cup Timber Stakes in The Plains. The eight-year-old bay gelding, owned by Ballybristol Farm, also won the $30,000 Middleburg Hunt Cup Timber Stakes at Glenwood Park. PHOTO BY MIDDLEBURG PHOTO.

The Land Trust of Virginia’s 21st annual Garden Party was held at Hickory Tree Hall. Chairman Christopher Dematatis honored Tony Buffington, the Blue Ridge District’s Loudoun County Supervisor. Hosted

by Mimi Abel Smith, the specialty drink was the “Mimi Bellini.”

Mary Owen Lyon Chatfield-Taylor celebrated birthday number 100 in high style surrounded by all six of her children: Kassie Kingsley, Adele ChatfieldTaylor, Wayne Chatfield-Taylor, Mary Owen Chatfield-Taylor, Moncure ChatfieldTaylor and Constance Chatfield-Taylor. Over 100 friends and family, including grandchildren and great grandchildren stopped at the farm in Lincoln. This included friends from the Fauquier Loudoun Garden Club (she’s been a member for 66 years), her book club, Loudoun Hospital Rummage Sale, Loudoun pony club, Loudoun Hunt, church and bridge friends. PHOTO BY CONSTANCE CHATFIELDTAYLOR.

Lewis Wiley, at Glenwood Park during the Middleburg Spring Races, with the “Laws Ladies”-Jeanie, Brenda and Aliene Laws.

The afternoon included a win for Michael Mitchell on Moscato owned

by Bruton Street and trained by Jack Fisher in The $75,000 Temple Gwathmey Hurdle Handicap. PHOTO

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At BAC, They Talk Trash and Charity

By Sebastian Langenberg

They are hardly your average-looking dumpsters, those purple-painted behemoths with the catchy yet rather racy slogan advertising owner Peter Hitchen’s “Big Ass Cans,” with a far tamer acronym of BAC. “I came up with the idea in late 2012 of buying a small roll-off company,” said Hitchen. He began by buying one truck and 17 twenty-yard roll off dumpsters, the kind you see at construction sites. He ran that business with his late father, also Peter,

years later, they’re up to 280 dumpsters on a permanent rental basis.

The biggest surprise in the business came last year when BAC’s only front-load driver was injured and was no longer able to drive. So Hitchen jumped behind the wheel.

“I got a lesson for half a day with my old manager, and I went to work on July 3rd,” he said. “I drove the truck until January, 2019.”

Hitchen has built BAC with his own hard work, with teamwork of his staff, and good old- fashioned customer service.

PHOTO BY SEBASTIAN LANGENBERG

Peter Hitchen, founder of BAC

Father John Adams, who has headed the So Others Might Eat (SOME) since 1978, with Ann MacLeod and Robin Keys of Trinity Church in Upperville serving lunch at the Washington, D.C. facility. The interfaith, communitybased organization helps the poor and homeless with daily needs of food, clothing, and healthcare. In addition, SOME helps to break the cycle of homelessness by offering services, such as affordable housing, job training, addiction treatment, and counseling, to the poor, the elderly, and individuals with mental illness.

PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

until his dad passed away in 2015.

They originally called the company Atlantic Coast Waste, but Hitchen realized he needed a catchier name, and so Big Ass Cans was born, based on a name he had once seen on a large commercial building fan. And the goal involved more than just a receptacle for debris and waste large and small.

“If I’m going to start another business and create another headache for myself, why not be charitable?” said Hitchen.

As a part of its “Cans for Cancer” initiative, BAC gives $5 of every transaction to a local charity on a monthly basis. They change charities every two years and currently are donating to organizations working to cure childhood cancer.

“Unfortunately,” Hitchen said, “my family has been touched by cancer, four or five members in my family.”

As for the business itself, in March 2017, BAC expanded to front-loading dumpsters, the kind usually positioned behind restaurants and office buildings. They started with one truck and 115 used dumpsters and now, two

“It’s gone from a money loser to a money maker because of the two folks you see out there in the office,” Hitchen said. “I’m nothing without my two employees, A.J. Tremoulis and Theresa Condon, and I’m nothing without my customers.”

Hitchen also is extremely focused on safety. Most trash collection companies pay their drivers based on the number of loads taken to the landfill. Hitchen pays by the hour so drivers aren’t tempted to drive recklessly, the better to add more loads to their work day.

“You get paid by the hour,” Hitchen said he tells his drivers. “So I don’t care how long it takes. Just get it done safely.”

BAC covers a wide area in these parts, serving locations that include Middleburg, Aldie, Upperville, Marshall, The Plains, Winchester, Woodstock, Warrenton, Leesburg and Round Hill, among others. And the business is constantly expanding.

That’s good news for BAC, and local charities, as well.

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37

Warrenton Pony Show Canters to 100th Year

Over the years, familiar names in Fauquier County and Warrenton history have been members of the Pony Show committee, as well as competitors.

By Tommy Lee Jones

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The Warrenton Pony Show turns 100 this year! It began when members of the Warrenton Junior Hunt wanted to have a show of their own, emulating the highly successful Warrenton Horse Show.

They borrowed the Warrenton Show grounds, built their own jumps, solicited sponsors and made their own prize ribbons. Seven classes were held--flat, jumping and even a pony race to end the day.

Though the classes held have changed in number and type and the number of days has grown, the venue hasn’t changed and the organization by the children is still very much the same. Members of the committee age out on their eighteenth birthday.

The kids today are responsible for fund-raising, painting the jumps and working the show. Their duties include everything from awarding ribbons to picking up trash.

Over the years, familiar names in Fauquier County and Warrenton history have been members of the Pony Show committee, as well as competitors.

Names like Maddux, Ulman, Keith, and Hamilton in the early years promoted the kids. Betty Maloney, Puller Hughes, Barney Brittle and his wife, Penny Shaw Brittle, Tommy Stokes, his brother, Mike Calvert, and his sister, Helen Wiley, all served as officers of the Pony Show. William “Bill” Prime and his sister, Eve Prime Fout were both

presidents.

Hope Wallach Porter, Winnie Brown Howland and Sally Baldwin Tufts, Bill Doeller, Laurie Bartenstein, John and Albert Steedman and Margaret Hinckley also served.

In the late 1940s, the Cutting and Arundels and many other families joined in the fun.

The legacy of the Pony Show is that the children and grandchildren of those early committee members carried the tradition forward and handed off the show to the next generation.

Wilma Hoovler is a current example of this legacy. She’s been involved in the Pony Show for over 55 years. Her three daughters were all show officers, and their children were on the committee. Now, it’s almost time for the next generation to come of age.

Over the years, the committee has chosen various charities to benefit from the show. Local Fire and Rescue companies, the Red Cross, the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund, the Family Shelter, the SPCA and the war effort all were supported by the Pony Show. In recent years, the show has donated about $60,000 to the Fauquier SPCA. During World War II, the Warrenton Horse Show and the Pony Show were held at the same time in September. A few years after the war, the two shows returned to their traditional times. The Fourth of July for the Pony Show and Labor Day for the Warrenton Horse Show.

Physical Therapy, the Horse Country Way

By Carina Elgin

An inspector visiting the Middleburg post office recently was overheard asking about access for the disabled. Told that it wasn’t really an issue, the inspector said, “well, don’t you at least have people with limps?”

The postal clerk replied, “Lady, this is Middleburg. Everyone limps.”

Given the number of horses per capita, Middleburg might indeed be the epicenter of riding-related injuries. Add in all the sprains, broken limbs and joint replacements, no wonder the town can support two physical therapy offices.

John Donovan of Middleburg swears that “Middleburg Physical Therapy (MPT) is the gold standard.”

Both he and his wife, Lynn, have had numerous sessions there. He added, “not only are they highly skilled, but they’re wonderful human beings.”

And everyone who knows Del and Mary Wilson agrees.

The Wilsons ended up in Middleburg in 1997, when they had the opportunity to buy Middleburg Physical Therapy. It seemed like a great place to raise their young sons, and since Mary grew up riding horses, Del thought

PHOTO BY CARINA ELGIN

Mary Wilson supervises husband Del in the gym at Middleburg Physical Therapy. the Virginia horse country might be a perfect fit. Most importantly, Del felt the Middleburg practice would allow them to provide quality care over quantity of care.

The road to Middleburg was not exactly a straight one. Del was raised in Clovis, California; Mary was born in Arizona and raised in Texas. They attended the same high school in Clovis, where Del was a scholar-athlete, the football captain and quarterback.

No, Mary was not a cheerleader, but an honor student involved in Future Farmers of America.

Both went on to California State University in Fresno. Del graduated from the physical therapy school, earn-

ing his manual therapy certification in spine and extremity manipulation, as well as becoming board-certified as an orthopedic clinical specialist.

Mary got her degree in psychology, before getting another degree in physical therapy. She’s also completed and maintains board certification as an orthopedic clinical specialist. Between them, they have years of education and experience in all areas of physical therapy.

In 1994, they set out for Romania, a country in economic turmoil and political transition. They lived in the beautiful small village of Dezna, teaching physical therapy skills and kinesiology. They returned to the U.S., working in different parts of the country, before small town life, horses and warmer weather helped them settle in Middleburg, where they’ve been very busy for 22 years.

Del loves the area’s sense of community, connectedness, generosity and the care people have for each other.

He also appreciates the rich history here, and added, “It’s great being part of the fabric of such a unique ‘little community’ surrounded by what undoubtedly is some of the most beautiful land anywhere on the planet.”

They both see all sorts of patients, but Del noted that “particularly unique are our many equestrian athletes, hunter-jumpers, flat-trackers, eventers, polo riders. It doesn’t matter.

When they get hurt, they often have very significant injuries. They’re very highly motivated to improve, and as a result, they generally heal well.”

He thinks these patients are used to understanding their horses’ injuries, which makes them appreciate the challenges of their own recovery.

“Frankly, they get well and then sometimes go out and sustain other injuries and need our services more than once,” Del said. “We get to establish longer term relationships with our equestrians, which hopefully makes their rehabilitation and performance enhancement experience with us more rewarding and successful.”

Del and Mary love the fact they can walk into the Middleburg post office and get greeted by people who know them from their practice or from various community functions. And, yes, lady, “everyone limps,” at least until the next time they finish working under the guidance of the great people at Middleburg Physical Therapy.

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39

Middleburg Humane

By Sebastian Langenberg The Middleburg Humane Foundation is about to get a significant upgrade, moving from its home a mile just east of Marshall since 1994 to far larger and more wide open spaces not far away.

The expansion was long overdue.

“We once had 23 horses that we had rescued at the time, and we had room for about five,” said Josh Muss, Chairman of the Board, adding that the horses had to be cared for at various foster barns across the countryside because there simply was no room at the current facility.

That should not be a problem at the new location, which is expected to open in July on the west end of Marshall at Route 55 and Cunningham Farm Road.

The new facility will include an 8,000-square foot main shelter build-

ing, a stable, equipment shed and 15 acres of pasture and turn-out areas.

The frames of the buildings are up, and builders are now working on completing the interiors.

A 25-acre parcel of land on what was known as the old Cunningham Farm was generously donated to the MHF by Zohar Ben-Dov and his wife Lisa, who is on the board.

MHF receives no federal, state or county funding and relies entirely on the generosity of private donors and sponsors. In early May, a live auction and other donations that night at its annual gala raised over $122,000 for the organization.

MHF also operates a grooming salon at the old shelter and recently moved its thrift shop in Middleburg to Marshall’s main street near the town’s post office. The shop is run entirely by a group of devoted volunteers, enabling MHF to receive 100

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per cent of the proceeds from sales. the animals, it also will house adminIn December 1987, MHF founder istration offices, an educational center Hilleary Bogley opened Scruffy’s Ice and living spaces for overnight workCream Parlor in Middleburg to gain ers. community support for a shelter and “It was designed to be comfortable to raise money to start MHF. The par- for people but easy to clean,” Muss lor raised comsaid. munity aware- Two pigs recently were All the surness and support, rescued from the third faces are imperbringing many meable, making concerned peo- floor of a home in it relatively easy ple, volunteers, Manassas. The owner had to maintain. The and community purchased them when new center will leaders together. able to house they were only piglets, but be MHF’s goal is up to 32 dogs simple enough— by the time they got to in kennels with to provide a ha- Middleburg Humane they individual runs. ven for abused, weighed over 300 pounds. The center also neglected, and will have a “at risk” animals, clinic both large and small. It specializes in the rescue and rehabilitation of animals that come to the shelter from a vast variety of abusive situations.

After much needed nurturing and medical care, the animals are available for adoption and placed.

Local architect Steve Wagner designed the state-of-the-art facility. In addition to all the space dedicated to

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Preparing for a Major Move to assist clients who can’t afford to spay and neuter their pets.

Over the years, Middleburg Humane has rescued countless dogs, cats, pigs, mules, pheasants and peacocks, among many other animals of various ages and sizes. They once rescued 83 King Charles Spaniels, many of them pregnant, so the shelter ended up with 114.

Two pigs recently were rescued

from the third floor of a home in Manassas. The owner had purchased them when they were only piglets, but by the time they got to Middleburg Humane they weighed over 300 pounds.

For more information on adoption, rescue and other services and how to volunteer or donate to MHF, go to its website: https://www.middleburghumane. org/.

Middleburg Humane Foundation’s “Blue Jean Ball” at Fox Chase Farm’s Middleburg Barn celebrated the non-profit’s 25 years of service.

The evening highlighted the organization’s “official move into our new state-of-the-art shelter,” according to Melanie Burch, director of development. “As an organization dedicated to making sure that all animals, both large and small have safe and sanitary living conditions, and protection from abuse and neglect, the foundation makes a measurable impact.” Kudos to all. PHOTOS BY VICKY MOON

Marvin Jawer and Zohar Ben-Dov

Susan and Fraser Wallace

Melanie and Peter Hitchen

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

41

Le Petit Marche 5 W. Washington Street, Middleburg, VA 20118 540-827-4711 Monday-Saturday 11-6PM

The Merry Month of May at The Hill School

Middleburg’s Little Gourmet Store MEATS: Steaks Tenderloins Standing Rib Roast Lamb Shank Lamb Racks

Lamb Chops Pork Standing rib Chicken Most cuts available

Seafood: Salmon Cod Sole Flounder Lobsters (tails or live) Mussels Clams (Little Necks,

Steamers etc.)

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The beautiful circus-inspired mural in the gym was painted by artist Nancy Daugherty. PHOTO BY KAREN MONROE MIDDLEBURG PHOTO

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Alan Spier, Turner Reuter, Jonathan Engle, Matilda Reuter Engle and Dyer Rothrock at Oak Spring for the Hill School Alumni Sporting Clays Invitational, sponsored

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Former Hill School headmaster Tom Northrup with Alma Tochterman.

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Entertaining with Emily

A sweet career for Daniela Anderson

By Emily Tyler

Entertaining Editor

Daniela Anderson is a high-energy entrepreneur. She has combined her fine arts and history education with her classical training with top notch pastry chefs, and they show up beautifully in all of her creative Countryside Confections. Each piece is an exhibit of her talent, down to every last detail.

Daniela’s passion shines through her work. She’s deeply rooted in the Middleburg area, starting as a schoolgirl, with fox hunting and attending horse shows among her past pursuits. Her life journey included stops at Madeira School as assistant director of their riding program, then, honoring her Italian roots, she directed “out of the box” food related immersion tours in Italy. Along the way, she also gave children and adult art lessons.

As many life journeys come full circle, Daniela has moved back to Middleburg to make this her permanent home and loves being a part of the community.

For a special occasion, she can help bring it to the next level with her truly exclusive creations, and yes, they taste as nice as they look. She‘s gone to great lengths to perfect her recipes using delicious extracts and wholesome ingredients.

In response to client requests, she has expanded her business to include French macarons with luscious fillings such as Grand Marnier, and Chambord and custom cookie and cupcake toppers made from edible wafer paper featuring her exceptional artwork.

All of Daniela’s confections are custom orders. She will deliver to the greater Middleburg area or they can be picked up at her home on the edge of town.

Contact: 301-639-5554, daniela@ countrysideconfections.com and countrysideconfections.com.

PHOTO BY KAREN MONROE OF MIDDLEBURG

Daniela Anderson of Countryside Confections

These cookies featured croquet players in historical costumes for a party at The Green Boundary Club in Aiken, South Carolina.

Suzanne Obetz samples a cupcake at the recent Middleburg Hunt Point to Point.

French macarons with lemon buttercream and raspberry jam centers.

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

43

Jack Wood:

By Carina Elgin

Your Window and Door Specialist (540) 837-9351 10 South Greenway Avenue, Boyce www.ottercreekmillwork.com PROUDY FEATURING

Jack Wood is full of energy, passion and talent. There’s no doubt that the busy 20-year-old with brown curly hair loves the church where he plays the organ for Sunday services, as he eagerly gives a tour.

Built in 1833, the Upperville Methodist Church is, in fact, a little known local treasure. Wood recounted how one long-ago pastor decided to move all the intriguing mossy gray gravestones from their original sites behind the church, into two tidy lines facing Delaplane Grade Road.

A port-a-potty (complete with wasp nest) leans against the building’s outside red brick wall, testimony that there is no plumbing in this house of worship. Jack says a fundraising drive is about to take place to add a wing with a restroom.

Wood explained that half of the interior upstairs porch, where blacks

In Harmony

were once forced to sit, was torn down during the Civil War and used as firewood. A look around the inside makes it clear that the church has been lovingly maintained in recent years. The curve of the pews and the altar rail are beautifully echoed in the arching wall behind the sanctuary.

The lighting from the floor-to-ceiling windows and chandeliers is soft and welcoming.

Wood obviously loves the church and its people, but, for him, the star is the pipe organ, donated by a retirement community. He shows off the two keyboards, the stops, the piston and the pedals, before filling the acoustically-remarkable church with magical music. He plays several hymns, and finishes off with what he calls the “earthquake” of the organ.

Raised in Upperville and Rectortown and now dividing his time between Middleburg and Great Falls, Wood was introduced to music at

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44

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Jack Wood stands by the sign for the United Methodist Church in Upperville.

With His Music and His Church a very early age. Martha Cotter, executive director of the Community Music School of the Piedmont, recalls him “loving music as a wee one, participating in our popular Music Together classes.”

Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music and movement program for children from birth through age 5 that continues to be offered. After moving on to piano lessons at the Music School, he became interested in the organ and had the opportunity to learn on the grand organ at Trinity Church in Upperville, where the School is based. Cotter added that it was “so wonderful to watch him progress and share his gift with so many.”

When Wood was 12, he started participating in programs at A Place to Be, a music and expressive arts therapy facility in Middleburg. He considers the people at A Place to Be “people from heaven on earth, miracle makers sent from above.”

Tom Sweitzer, executive director and co-founder of A Place to Be said, “Jack has been one of the most inspirational people at A Place to Be. He has grown into an empathetic, kind and giving human, whose love for music, people, and for the good of the world is infectious. We are so proud of him.”

Wood stays very busy with his tal-

ent and passion for music, but also makes time to work at a Northern Virginia information technology firm. He recently gave up bussing tables at a restaurant at night, and, instead, will be playing Thursday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. at BRX American Bistro in Great Falls.

He said he enjoys entertaining people with oldies that include Billy Joel, sometimes teaming up with his friend, Jack Price, to create “Jack Squared.”. Wood welcomes any opportunities to play at parties or other occasions and venues and hopes to get more music “gigs” to save money for the old Lincoln Town Car of his dreams.

He’s also taking classes at NOVA, and wants to transfer to George Mason to study business. He said he might want to run a small business in the country, a restaurant or a store, but, at this point, doesn’t want to study music.

“Music,” he said, “is my stress relief and passion. I don’t want to make it something stressful…The sound transports me.”

Jack Wood welcomes all to stop by the red brick church at 1134 Delaplane Grade Road on Sunday mornings at 9. You, too, will be transported by the historic beauty of the Upperville United Methodist Church, and by the talent of this remarkable young man.

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Each Sunday Jack Wood plays several hymns, and finishes off with what he calls the “earthquake” of the organ.

Community Music School of the Piedmont 540-392-3040 Piedmontmusic@aol.com Country Spirit • Summer 2019

45

Recalling the ‘Horse and Buggy Days’

By John Toler

In the years before the automobile, horsepower was provided by– well, horses– and the businesses that provided products and services for animal-drawn conveyances played a large part in local economies, including that of Warrenton.

Established at the intersection of the roads heading to Winchester, Falmouth, Culpeper and Alexandria, Warrenton—originally Fauquier Courthouse—was the perfect location for a variety of businesses catering to horse-oriented and transportation enterprises.

When Fauquier County was chartered in 1759, the town that became Warrenton had “…a blacksmith shop, a saddler’s shop, and probably a cabinet shop,” according to John K. Gott in his book, Fauquier County in the Revolution.

The county was growing, and with the chartering of the Town of Warrenton in 1810, there was a spurt in commercial growth.

By 1835, Warrenton had “… four wheelwrights, one coach maker, three saddlers, four blacksmith shops and two plow manufactories,” wrote local historian Charlie Jeffries in 1955.

Four of the more significant businesses offering these services in operation during the 19th and early 20th centuries were the Bragg Carriage Works, owned by Charles Bragg; the George G. Booth Carriage Factory, C. F. Galloway’s Livery Stable and the Warrenton Supply Co. Bragg’s Carriage Works was located on a large lot at the west corner of Winchester and Chestnut streets. The complex included the factory, a workshop, and housing for his employees.

He also operated a sizeable brick blacksmith shop across Winchester Street on the lot adjoining Conway Grove.

Bragg, who served as mayor of Warrenton from 1858-1869, is remembered for his efforts to keep the town as safe as possible during the many Union occupations. After the Civil War, he was instrumental in securing the peace, so that the troops stationed there to enforce the rule of law and protect the rights of recentlyemancipated citizens were protected.

The Bradburn & Clatterbuck Livery Stable was located near the center of the block on Ashby Street, and the Great Fire of November 1909 started in the hayloft of the building. Due to high winds and a lack of water, the fire quickly spread, devastating properties along Ashby, Waterloo and Winchester streets.

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

George G. Booth’s carriage factory and buggy and harness showroom (or ‘Repository’) were located on Culpeper Street.

George G. Booth’s Carriage Factory occupied two buildings at the corner of present-day Culpeper and Beckham streets. Among the brands offered was the Columbus Buggy Co. Booth had a life-size wooden horse used to display his harnesses, and that there was an entrance to the lower level of the factory on Beckham Street.

The October, 1910 fire that started in the Hilbert paint shop off Beckham Street virtually destroyed St. James’ Episcopal Church. Booth’s showroom burned to the ground, and the brick factory building on the corner was gutted. It was later rebuilt and later used as a retail and office space, and known today as the Kirby Building. In 1928, a new St. James Parish Hall was built on the site of the burned showroom.

For many years, C. F. Galloway ran a weatherboard-frame livery stable on Main Street. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, he altered his sign to include the message, “Remember the Maine.”

Along with the structures that once housed a grocery store and the original location of The Fauquier Democrat, the livery stable was demolished in 1916 to make way for the new Warrenton post office, which continues to serve there today.

In May, 1911, Franklyn W. Hilbert (1871-1936) purchased the burnedout property on Ashby Street from Mrs. Lucien Keith, and with his partner, O. B. Callahan, started the Warrenton Carriage Works.

In addition to handling carriages, buggies, harness and farm equipment, part of the building was rented out for a restaurant and bowling alley run by W. H. Kays.

C. F. Galloway’s livery stable on Main Street, as it appeared about 1900. It was later torn down to make way for the new Warrenton post office.

Only the brick walls of the George G. Booth Carriage Factory remained after the disastrous fire of October, 1910. At left are what remained of St. James’ Episcopal Church and its Parish Hall.

But times were changing.

A pioneer automobile dealer in Warrenton, in 1910 Callahan became the agent for Willis-Overland cars, and in December, 1913, the business was incorporated as Warrenton Supply Co., with capital stock of $25,000.

Callahan was president, Hilbert vice president, and L.W. Trenis, treasurer.

It later became Warrenton’s Ford dealer.

In addition to cars and trucks, by 1917 the Warrenton Supply Co. still

Photographed in 1912, the Warrenton Supply Co. had added Ford automobiles to its harness, hardware and farm implements lines. offered a diminishing line of buggies and harness, but was focusing more on farm implements and household hardware, including paints, refrigerators, sporting goods and electrical and contractors’ supplies.

In 1921, the company purchased the lot on the corner of present-day Ashby and Waterloo streets from the estate of Mrs. Keith, and opened a small gas station there.

As a primary means of transportation, the “horse and buggy” days were just about over.

Upperville Horse Show Prepares for Another Memorable Year The historic Upperville Colt & Horse Show (UCHS) has announced the return of another official presenting sponsor—St. Bride’s Farm in nearby Upperville—a prominent Virginia-based show jumping stable and breeding operation. For the second year in a row, St. Bride’s Farm joins the show’s list of notable sponsors.

The UCHS, the oldest horse show in the country, is rooted in tradition and community. For 166 years, the show has hosted top national and international athletes for elite competition, treating spectators to a unique equestrian event. This year, the event will take place Monday, June 3, through Sunday, June 9, culminating with the Upperville Jumper Classic on the final day.

Roux and her family made the move from California to Upperville in 2012. She spent three years renovating the historic home and original barn at St. Bride’s and added an additional barn, an indoor arena as well as paddocks. What started as a private training facility has grown into a small breeding operation with some of its first home breds recently beginning their careers in Europe.

“Shortly after relocating to Vir-

ginia, the UCHS extended an invitation to me to join its board of directors, which I proudly accepted,” said Roux. “Since joining the board and becoming president, I’ve been privileged to help grow and evolve the

event into one of the nation’s most respected competitions. Upperville is a unique and special home for my family and business, and I’m pleased to support such a great institution.”

St. Bride’s Farm is also now home

PHOTO BY VICKY MOON

The Upperville Horse Show is for the entire family.

to horses competing at the national and international levels under U.S. Olympian Laura Kraut. Most recently, Kraut was selected to be a member of the bronze medal-winning NetJets® U.S. Show Jumping Team aboard St. Bride’s Farm’s Confu for the $290,000 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of the U.S. at the Palm Beach Masters Series in Wellington, Florida, in February.

Roux has been involved with many initiatives for the UCHS. Now, as president of the board, she’s especially enthusiastic about having established the 1853 Club for premium viewing and hospitality as well as modernizing the historic event with many technological advancements.

“I’m very excited to see how the show has embraced new technology to enhance its online presence through Upperville Live,” she said, referring to a number of digital projects and programs now available. That includes online entries, live streaming for both hunter and jumper competitions, enhanced broadcast-level coverage of signature events simulcast on both Facebook and USEF Network and live updates from the show on its various social media outlets.”

Country Spirit • Summer 2019

47

From Finance to EMT, Lisa Jawer Is Now a Dedicated Volunteer

By Chelsea Penfield

Lisa Jawer wasted little time deciding what she wanted to do when she retired several years ago as senior vice president of the greater Washington region at PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. After more than 30 years in the whirl of the business world, she went in a totally different direction, volunteering as an emergency medical technician (EMT).

She knew sitting at home waiting for her next chapter to start wasn’t an option. One day, she was in a local dry-cleaning store and found herself asking, “What am I going to do now?”

Jawer recalled looking up and seeing a sign on a bulletin board in the store seeking volunteers for positions as volunteer firefighters and EMTs. She said she thought awhile about her natural inclination to help others, and ultimately, she wanted to serve the community any way she could.

She spoke to Billy Boyle, the chief of The Plains fire department, who told her they were definitely in need of EMT’s. She agreed to give it a try, embarking on a year-long journey that ended with her qualifying for an official county license.

She had to take a number of steps to get it.

First, a fire department must choose to sponsor an EMT. Second, she had to undergo an extensive background check, with the county reviewing all records, previous jobs, and even her medical history.

Next, she had to complete an intense training

course to prepare for any sort of scenario out in the field. She was eventually evaluated on her medical knowledge, how to deal with various categories of trauma, and her ability to quickly and calmly deal with real-world emergency situations.

Finally, she had to pass a demanding national exam in order to get her official license.

She described the entire process as something that’s “not for everyone.” Still she added, there’s nothing more rewarding than knowing, “you can help someone.”

She said one of the biggest challenges she faces as an EMT is not being able to help everyone she encounters in emergency medical situations. As part of her training, she also had to learn how to detach from outcomes that happen in the field.

Jawer and her husband Marvin have two children and she admitted that as a mother, child cases are always difficult to deal with. As an EMT, she said she has to put her personal feelings aside and focus on what needs to be done.

“You do the best you can with the resources you have,” she said, adding that it’s also critical to stick to protocol at all times.

In addition to going out on calls, she also recently has been appointed as the acting treasurer for the department. Given her background in finance, she’s obviously a natural, though she admitted she prefers being out in the field over balancing the books.

Her treasurer duties include tracking both incoming and outgoing funds and also handles

sending out and paying the bills every month, Jawer said the community has been incredibly generous in response to the department seeking funds for a new fire truck to replace an out-of-date vehicle. They’ve raised over 90 percent of the money to meet their goal, and Jawer said all the department volunteers are truly grateful for the support.

And in The Plains, the community also is obviously grateful for the fire department and its dedicated volunteers.

PHOTO BY CHELSEA PENFIELD.

Lisa Jawer with her vehicle of choice at The Plains Fire Department.

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Country Spirit • Summer 2019

Vineyard View

A Passion For Wine and a Dream Come True

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By Peter Leonard-Morgan Spring is an exciting time for vineyard owners in Virginia. From around the middle of April, dormant vines begin their miraculous rebirth with bud break, growing daily and bringing forth colors and aromas which contribute so much to a warm and inviting landscape.

Tucker Bailey is an expert in cyber security and a U.S. Navy reservist who, in May, 2018, fulfilled his personal vision of owning a vineyard when he acquired his beautiful 15acre rolling Fauquier County parcel, with four acres of vines, on Leeds Manor Road in bucolic Markham.

The first order of duty was to rename the property to Leeds Manor Vineyard. He then wasted no time setting about building a new utility barn and having a vastly improved new fence installed, which encircles the entire property.

An additional three acres of vineyard, totaling 3,400 new vines, are scheduled to be planted shortly on the property to make a total of seven acres under vine, adding Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Manseng to the existing varietals of Chardonnay, Chambourcin and Petit Verdot.

In the longer term, Bailey plans to design and build a tasting room and winery building, where patrons from all points of the compass can come to enjoy that intoxicating combination of fine wine and a delightful ambiance.

The property he selected features breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge mountains to the west, where the 105-mile Skyline Drive winds its way from Waynesboro in the south all the way to Front Royal. It has over 800 feet of frontage on Leeds Manor Road, which will make it convenient for guests when they visit the future tasting room.

So, what drives a man like Tucker Bailey to invest time and money in a vineyard?

PHOTOS BY PETER LEONARD-MORGAN.

Tucker Bailey.

At its core, it’s a combination of a love of wine, an appreciation of the outdoors and a hankering to create something tangible and long lasting, growing a fruit that ultimately will be enjoyed by others for years to come.

Traveling the globe, advising on best practices in government and defense sector cyber security is a more crucial field today than it’s ever been.

To switch off, unwind and indulge his passion for wine is the recharge Tucker enjoys, and which allows him to develop and hone his understanding and expertise in a completely different field from his day job.

Fauquier County is now home to 26 wineries of all shapes and sizes.

The county has sought to retain its rural character, through a combination of careful planning and landowners committing large tracts into perpetual conservation easements.

That also means visitors are able to take a day out to visit a selection of wine properties and enjoy different wines in various country settings.

Stay on the lookout and be sure to come and relax at Leeds Manor Vineyard when Tucker Bailey is ready to welcome his first guests.

Meanwhile, he’ll be keeping us all guessing as on the forever name of the winery.

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49

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In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, a decade passes before Odysseus successfully returns home to Ithaca from Troy.

In local writer Judith Burke’s first novel, Cowgirl, the title character and her 14-year-old daughter Lizzy negotiate the extraordinarily challenging 100-mile Western States Trail Ride, better known as the Tevis, in less than 24 hours. Yet, Cowgirl’s and Lizzy’s journey is almost as long as that of Odysseus.

The novel covers the events of a very hot summer day (and night) in 1985 in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains—gold rush country over a century ago and now the setting for the Tevis.

At the opening, we quickly learn that Cowgirl’s ‘journey’ actually began in 1977 when Cowboy, the husband and father, became paralyzed in a bull-riding accident. Since then, he’s been confined to a wheelchair.

He can’t speak or move his limbs, and his facial affect is lifeless. No one knows how much he understands.

Nevertheless, he’s at the starting gate that day in 1985 to see his wife and daughter compete. While he’s part of the pit crew for Cowgirl and Lizzy, the other three members of that team (Miss Betty, Doc, Choppy) attend to Cowboy’s needs as much as they assist Cowgirl and Lizzy and their mounts Piper (an Arab mare) and Jack (a huge mule—16 hands).

Before the race begins, the narrator provides the background for Cowboy and Cowgirl. They’d been high school sweethearts and studentathletes; they were first and second in their graduating class. After marrying, they competed in the rodeo circuit: he as a bull rider, she as a roper and barrel racer. A golden couple, the

narrator informs us; they had it all, “looks, youth, money, fame and smarts.”

C o w g i r l ’s love and commitment to Tom Northrup Cowboy were just as steadfast after the accident. Eight years went by of spoon-feeding him, dressing him, and sharing her deepest thought and feelings. In caring for her husband, Cowgirl faced challenges which, on the surface, were not nearly as daunting as the mythical Odysseus, but they were critical and unending. They were the kind of tasks that unsung heroes face and surmount throughout the world every day, usually rarely recognized.

Cowgirl took Cowboy everywhere, and she wasn’t about to leave him behind on the day of the race.

She, Lizzy and their support team confront and overcome obstacles worthy of Odysseus, obstacles also caused by nature and by human frailty and interaction.

On the ride these challenges are unceasing. By the end of the novel, the reader is out of breath. Cowgirl is “full of try”—her tenacity, creativity, loyalty, and generous spirit prevail.

Summer is often a time for families to enjoy extended periods for reading and conversation. Cowgirl offers such an opportunity. It provides a deeper understanding of a family facing what seem to be unfathomable struggles. Its optimism and profound regard for each of the characters’ humanity and resilience are instructive and deeply satisfying.

Tom Northrup, a long-time educator, is Head of School emeritus at The Hill School in Middleburg.

Be Still Children, Here Comes The Prohibition Posse

By William H. (Mike) du Pont

The Prohibition Era (1920-1933) was in full swing during Grandfather and Mary’s first decade plus three at Stonehedge, but the parties went on.

One day in the early 1930s, the telephone at Stonehedge rang and Mrs. Yates, Middleburg’s long-time, know-everything operator, was on the line.

“Mr. Hulbert I have some disturbing news for you,” she said. “Our pharmacist has been on the telephone with the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Division (ATF) of the IRS. He told them of your peach brandy still and they are going to be out to see you next Wednesday.”

“You’re very helpful, Mrs. Yates, and I thank you,” said Grandfather.

Wednesday rolled around and, sure enough, so did the boys from the ATF, right at noon, as expected.

“Mr. Hulbert,” the head man said, “we understand you may be making alcoholic beverages, which is against the law, you know, and we have a warrant to search your property.”

“Come right in” said Grandfather, “and help yourselves. Oh, but I ask you to be quiet, please, when you go

upstairs. My children have just had their lunch and are having their nap.”

The ATF agents searched high and low and found nothing suspicious.

They finally went upstairs and quietly peaked into the children’s rooms.

Sure enough, there they were, tucked

Four generations of du Ponts: William Philander Hulbert, William Philander Hulbert Jr., William Hulbert du Pont and William Philander Hulbert du Pont.

into their beds, sheets pulled snugly around their chins and napping away.

The ATF boys retired down stairs and told Grandfather, “We’re pleased to report we found nothing out of line and we will take our leave now. Sorry to have disturbed you.”

“That’s quite all right. Have a safe return to Washington.” replied Grandfather.

As soon as the ATF cars had cleared the driveway, the children got up from their naps, each pulling from under the sheets a piece of the brandy still. Grandfather was back in business that evening.

My Uncle Billy (W.P. Hulbert, Jr..) had a great friend, Bob McConnell, who lived at Ardarra on Zulla Road.

Bob’s parents built Ardarra sometime in 1931, and that farm extended from where the Middleburg Tennis Club is now located to the Zulla Road/Route 50 crossroads. Uncle Billy and Bob played together, hunted together and got into trouble at every opportunity, especially when they were young boys.

One day they decided to rob the Middleburg Bank located at the main

crossroads in town. The old Middleburg Bank building is now The King Street Oyster Bar. Billy and Bob rode their ponies into Middleburg right up to the bank.

They dismounted, tightened their chaps, pulled their bandanas up over their noses, pulled out their cap pistols out and strode into the bank.

“Stick’em up, this is a hold up!” yelled Billy. They strode up to a teller’s window and said, “A quarter, please and be quick about it!”

Bob and Billy each got quarter.

They backed up, slowly watching for the sheriff, then headed out the door, mounted their ponies and dashed for home. Later that day Grandfather got a call from Duncan Reed, president of the bank.

“Mr. Hulbert, your son was in here this morning and took out a shortterm loan of a quarter. Next time you are in town, if you could stop by and cover that loan I’d appreciate it.”

This is another in a series of articles by William H. (Mike) du Pont, a long-time Middleburg area resident and former MFH of the Orange County Hounds.

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51

A Derby Lesson Learned: Better Play by the Rules

By Sean Clancy

On the phone two days after the Kentucky Derby, I was still having trouble with articulating the disqualification of Maximum Security and the elevation of Country House as the winner of the $3 million race.

Trying to weave together trips and traps, history and happenstance, rules and fools, it wasn’t going well. I got going, then veered, got going again, then veered. The listener was losing interest.

My son, Miles, halfway through his fourth grade 20-percent project (students can spend 20 percent of their

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time on a project of their choice), tried to help.

“Dad, it’s like baseball…when you strike out…you can be…”

I brushed him off, delicately..

The following morning, I leaned over the kitchen table and studied Miles’ 20-percent project on teachers.

There it was. Right there in Miles’ lefthanded, one-inch-per-letter, pencilmanship on poster board.

John Dewey was an original teacher.

He believed that students learn through experience, so school should be hands on.

What are random facts going to do for you later in life? He believed that school

should be a learning experience for teachers as well as students. He said that schools rules should be like rules of a baseball game.

“If someone strikes out they don’t say ‘This is not fair. I shouldn’t be allowed to strike out!’ No! They say I am unhappy that I struck out, but I will play by the rules.”

John Dewey revolutionized teaching.

Where is John Dewey when we need him?

Maximum Security was the best horse in the Derby. The front-running overachiever scrapped and sparred his way to the lead and staved off all competitors to win the greatest race on earth. But, there was a problem.

On the final turn, Maximum Security and jockey Luis Saez drifted out, quickly and violently, crashing into War of Will, who crashed into Long Range Toddy, who brushed eventual winner Country House on the outside. Saez didn’t do it on purpose but it usurped the chances of War of Will and Long Range Toddy. The three stewards, after 20 agonizing minutes, ultimately disqualified the winner and placed him 17th..

Was it a disappointing result? Of course, no one wants to win that way.

But was it fair? Was it under the rules of racing? Yes, absolutely. You can’t interfere with rivals the way Maximum

Security did in the Derby. If a horse legitimately bothers another horse, then he’s placed behind that horse. Like striking out, you can be mad, but you can’t think it’s unfair. Sean Clancy Three strikes.

That’s the rule.

Horse racing is a maddening game, beholden to luck, full of interpretation.

It’s a difficult game.

You think hitting a baseball is tough?

Jockeys and trainers get in the Hall of Fame winning at a 20-percent or lower clip, that’s a .200 batting average and a ticket to the minors. You could run this year’s Derby 1,000 times and you’d never come up with the same scenario. Isn’t that why we fell for it in the first place?

Whether you watch horse racing once a year or daily, whether you own the Kentucky Derby winner or nothing but a losing $2 ticket, remember what John Dewey would have said.

“I am unhappy…but I will play by the rules.”

He would have loved horse racing.

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Real Estates Drimoleague

Drimoleague is sited on seven lush rolling acres amid the wide open, bucolic hunt country near Middleburg, named for the quaint Irish village in County Cork. For years, horses and sheep have grazed over its fenced pastures and benefited from an ever-flowing spring.

A long fence-lined driveway winds towards the enchanting country house designed with a taste of French Country panache. The front entrance opens into a generous entry hall. The listing room offers Paladin windows, stone fireplace and access to the stone terrace.

A charming dining room has a domed handpainted ceiling of sky and clouds and walls of hand-hewn logs. Drimoleague is a delightful set-

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ting for entertaining, with the flow to the enclosed porch from the dining room offering easy circulation. A newly renovated kitchen is adjacent to the family room, with a fireplace and a spectacular view of glorious gardens. The library, lined with ample bookshelves, provides a quiet and private space for reading and also has breathtaking views of the garden and pool.

The main house has three bedrooms, with a master and master bath on the first floor. There are two additional bedrooms in a separate guest house accessed across a delightful walled garden. Entertainment spaces abound inside and out. Below the garden, in complete privacy, is a lap pool with divine backdrop down to a flowing stream.

This parcel is in the heart of the Orange County Hunt on a cherished dirt road. It’s a property with excellent ride-out, peaceful days and quiet evenings. The area provides a welcoming haven for horsemen, commuters, tele-commuters, weekenders, and a wide variety of people seeking a rural yet sophisticated way of life surrounded by the magnificent beauty of open land in easement.

The home is served by generator, HVAC with propane back-up, well and septic.

Drimoleague is listed at $1,395,000 by Lynn Wiley at Washington Properties lynnwiley728@gmail.com 540-454-1527

3.

4.

1. Drimoleague is a delightful setting for entertaining with an easy flow for guests to circulate.

2. The gardens are glorious.

1.

3. Large Paladin windows and doors offer access to the stone terrace.

4. This enchanting country house has been designed with a taste of French Country panache.

5. The library, lined with ample bookshelves, provides a quiet and private space for reading.

2.

5.

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The Art of Egypt, and Desert Gallops Too

By Louisa Woodville

Painted tombs, dusty mummies, gold sarcophagi, interminable traffic, over-the-top hotels, piledup garbage, majestic pyramids, choking smog, cart-pulling donkeys, ancient statues, niqab-clad women, incessant noise, magnificent stallions.

For two weeks in March, this is the Egypt I experienced, set against a backdrop of heart-breaking poverty and breathtaking beauty.

Arriving at Cairo International Airport, I first viewed this city of 20 million from 5,000 feet as we circled to land. I was taken aback—looking down, I saw huge boxes of apartment buildings protruding from a sandy landscape. No green anywhere, and no trees. Had I made a mistake in coming here, to a desert country? What was I thinking, visiting a place alone possibly riddled with bandits and terrorists?

That was my first misconception—that Egypt is dangerous. It’s not.

That first night, I was reluctant to leave the Steigenberger Hotel El Tahrir Cairo, located right across from the renowned Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. By the end of my two-week stay, I had gallivanted all over this dusty, noisy city, visiting Coptic Cairo, site of the famous Greek Church of St. George, St. Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church (the “Hanging Church”), and the Romanbuilt Babylon Fortress; the 9th century Nilometer on Roda Island that measured, in times past, the depth of the Nile; and the Khan El Khalili flea market—literally acres and acres of goods for sale.

I even rode a public bus!

And those black-clad women fully decked in niqabs whom I had initially resented? They turned out to be my guardian angels, constantly looking out for me. They helped me purchase my bus ticket and made sure I knew where I was going. Their unabashed stares, with eyes curious and bright, showed lively personalities busting out from under heavy folds of black drapery. (Still, when I tried to take their photos, they respectfully asked me not to.) Despite no selfies allowed — and the fact that I couldn’t understand a word they were saying—I 56

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felt protected and welcomed.

Egypt simultaneously surprised, delighted, and repelled me. The Egyptians themselves were always eager to lend a hand or help out a stranger.

Many Egyptians genuinely expressed their love for Americans and said how it was their dream to visit our shores.

Egypt’s ancient art was just as compelling as I had hoped. I taught art history at George Mason for a decade, and Egyptian art was always a favorite with students and professor alike.

A visit to the The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities was the perfect introduction to staggering creativity of art and ideas that generated from this ancient land, a civilization that had, after all, managed to maintain peace for thousands of years.

Old- to New-Dynasty artifacts were spread over the museum’s two enormous floors, revealing the history of a thoughtful people who loved life so much they were intent on keeping it going after death.

The enormous statues of pharaohs and their queens did, in fact, seem timeless—not to mention all the golden face masks of King Tut, the 18th dynasty king. A few days later, I found this young pharaoh’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, 300 miles south of Cairo.

In ancient times, Luxor was called Thebes, and it served as Egypt’s capital during the prosperous New Kingdom (1550-1000 B.C.). Straddling the Nile River, it’s a vibrant tourist town. The famous Luxor and Karnak Temples are on its east bank, and on its west, the uber-famous Valley of the Kings —think King Tut—and the Valley of the Queens, where Queen Hatshepsut’s impressive Mortuary Temple stands, its architecture such that huge arms seem to beckon visitors up a long ramp and through its porticos.

I also rode horses, meeting up with the three other equestrians—from Taiwan, Paris, and London, respectively. They also had signed up with Ride Egypt, a touring company run by Emma Jane Levin, an English woman who emigrated from the

UK and is now married to her husband, Mohammed. Visitors Dajee, Odile, and Neha were all good riders and enjoyed a fast gallop—the preferred gait of the Egyptian guides who led us down plantation lanes and across desert sands.

Emma started her company about seven years ago, with three horses and a gritty determination.

“When I first came to Luxor, I was greeted with hostility. Who was this English women trying to take our business?” she recalled. But after the locals realized that Emma provided jobs and veterinary help, attitudes changed. “Now they call me ‘white heart.’”

After four incredible days, I flew to Hurghada, where I rode more horses and, to my delight, swam with wild dolphins. I ended my trip back in Cairo, spending a night at the splendiferous Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino, which prompted me to redefine “five-star.”

The next morning I was driven three hours north to Alexandria, at the apex of the Egyptian Empire when Cleopatra and Marc Antony had their almost-win against the Roman Emperor Octavian in the first century. My extraordinary guide.

Kareem, made this history come to life as he led me to catacombs, Diocletian’s Pillar, and the Ottoman’s Fort Qaitbey.

Back in Cairo, I moved south across the Nile to Giza and its luxurious Mena House. From my balcony I could see both Khufu’s Great Pyramid and The Sphinx. I could walk to the ancient pyramids.

I saw so much more than can fit in one article — the Norwegian émigré Marte’s animal rescue farm and the three Brits who brought much-needed supplies for her in three huge suitcases. The guides I hired who so proudly told me about Coptic Cairo and ancient Alexandria; these are men who love Egypt and its history, but hate how politicians had spiraled their country into poverty and distress.

Alas, there was so much I didn’t see! Egypt, wonderfully, continues to beckon.

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Down on the Farm

In 1981, I became the proud possessor of my first farm in Loudoun County.

Besides the real property, the transaction included an array of tractors and specialized equipment for making hay and harvesting corn, as well as a small starter herd of Hereford cows. It should be a piece of cake, the seller said. Not exactly, as I would soon find out.

By Stephen Conger 1. Cattle 2. Innovation 3. intensive rotational grazing 4. No-Till cultivation 5. People

Now that I have cashed out of Upcreek Farm in Loudoun County, it seems fitting to glance through the rearview mirror at that initiative taken 16 years earlier with my purchase of “84 acres—more or less.”

It’s important to keep in mind that this retrospective is limited to a single moment in time.

By adhering to the five pillars of Upcreek Farm, I was able to increase the number of cattle per acre at least four fold over the level of the previous owner. Had my health and age

permitted, I might have continued farming in another location where the water supply was greater and more dependable.

Shortly after my arrival at what was then Cottage Hill Farm, I signed the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District Cost-Sharing and No-Till Cultivation agreement.

My commitment to No-Till cultivation made it possible to sell my small plough, which brought in some always welcome cash and provided a little additional space inside my tightly congested barn.

By exchanging my hay baling equipment from less efficient 35- to

Author Stephen Conger

50-pound square bales for a vastly more costeffective baler that made 800-pound round bales, I was able to sell not only my square baler but also my bale elevator, hay wagon, and miscellaneous baling tools, substantially increasing available space in both my barns, as well as reducing the amount of time I devoted to hay making.

As I bid a fond a farewell to all the people who enabled me to create and sustain Upcreek Farm, I would like to emphasize that people are the sine qua non of farming.

It’s possible to change any of the other components of a farm, be they livestock, crops, cultivation techniques, location, etc. But even though their number may be reduced, one or more persons would have to be on hand— if only to deal with the unexpected. There is no other way, not even using the most sophisticated software, to cope with the unexpected.

Now the times they are still a-

changin’, as they’ve been doing throughout my farming days.

The population of Loudoun County grew from 57,500 in (1980 the year be-fore I bought Upcreek Farm) to 86,000 in 1990 (halfway through my stewardship of the farm) to about 353,000 in 2018.

I handed over the baton of Upcreek Farm as I watched the juggernaut of urbanization bring its “improvements” of urban sprawl— shopping malls, public utilities (with dependable water supplies at a price), and more people to replace the “happy highways where I went and cannot come again.”

This is an excerpt from Stephen Conger’s new book, “Down on the Farm,” now available on Amazon and at the Second Chapter book store in Middleburg. Before he changed from city slicker to farmer, he had been an international economist.

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Middleburg, VA 20117 Middleburg, VA 20118 Tel. 540-687-5642 Fax 540-687-5649 Email: info@davidcondon.com www.davidcondon.com

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