inFauquier Summer 2021

SUMMER 2021

Beat the heat

2,461 miles of water 2,891 acres of parkland Plus: Ice cream galore!

INSIDE

• Why do they call them the dog days?

• Take to the trail (and see the stars) • Your guide to the region’s secret shady spots

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SUMMER 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PHOTO BY ADAM GOINGS

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PHOTO BY LIAM BOWMAN

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PHOTO BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

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LIFE & STYLE

FACES & PLACES

FARE & FLARE

9 Return of the Fauquier Fair 14 Fly fishing 16 Wildlife gets its own department 18 It’s picnic season!

20 Sky Meadow designated ‘dark’ 21 The real dog days of summer 22 Meet Dr. Lisa Gibson

27 Rebekah Smith – budding scientist keeps her eyes on the prize 30 County public school system yields three pupils headed to Princeton 32 Falling water provides cooling relief in so many ways 34 Clifton Institute tree program

37 Thinking inside the box: Marshall’s Field and Main 40 Chill out on the ice cream trail 42 Gardening = exercise (and lots of it) 44 They see weeds. We see dinner.

45 Squash, savory or sweet, is summer’s super-food

ON THE COVER

CONTRIBUTORS Favorite flavor? Simple or convoluted? Contributors share their ice cream dream combos.

New to the inFauquier writing team, 2020 University of Oregon grad Liam Bowman says his summer go-to is as simple as can be – vanilla with a lot of chocolate sauce.

Historic research writer Norm Schulze says his tastes in ice cream are rather specific – black raspberry, spumoni and butter pecan. It was unclear to the editor making the query whether he meant separately or at the same time. “No, I like them so much, they deserve a little break in between.”

Wine writer – who self-identifies as a “wine geek,” Mary Ann Dancisin says summer means blueberry lemon sorbet. “Closest thing to a wine slushie.”

Editor Betsy Burke Parker says her tastes run pretty mild when it comes to ice cream – one scoop vanilla, one scoop coffee – sometimes chocolate chip. In a cup.

Feeling really frisky? “Make it mint chocolate chip.”

Mara Seaforest is descended from French pastry chefs on her mother’s side. Her idea of ice cream involves hours of hand-cranking, lucsious fresh berries, whipped cream and pie.

Freelance photographer and Penn State grad Randy Litzinger says mint chocolate chip is his Achilles heel.

“Refreshing, minty and still a little bit of chocolate.”

French vanilla, preferably with tiny slivers of the vanilla bean for extra flavor, declares writer-editor Steve Price, who “will temper another torrid summer in the city (New York variety) with periodic escapes to Vermont’s Green Mountains. A few chocolate chip or pecan sandies cookies on the side, and bring on the dog days.”

For writer and designer Sawyer Guinn, it’s all about sharing. Sort of. “My wife and I get the two-flavor packs, half vanilla, half chocolate. In theory, the chocolate side is for me and the vanilla is for her, but we inevitably dip across no man’s land.

“Regardless of the flavor, there should be equal volume walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts or some combination of all.

“Ice cream without crunch is like half and half without coffee.”

As a frequent traveler to Italy, beer writer John Daum says he never passes up a chance to sample a scoop of panna cotta gelato wherever he goes. “Its subtle blend of cream and caramel is perfection in a cup.”

Virginia native Danica Low says she and her family love Moo Thru, her favorite being the dairy-free raspberry sorbet, with a penchant for Dairy Queen’s Dilly Bars, too.

She remembers visiting Karl’s Ice Cream in Fredericksburg when she lived there as a young child.

Garden writer and Master Gardener Sally Semple says her tastes are flavor and texture specific. “Vanilla cookie dough. Yes. But not in a float.”

Proximity is key for writer-veterinarian Amanda Gray: depending where she is in the county, she either pulls off the side of the road for a Holstein sundae from Moo-Thru (with hot fudge, peanuts, whip cream and a cherry on top) or at Carousel for a Waterloo (vanilla ice cream with maplenut topping.)

Breyers butter pecan is best, says teacher and profile writer Vineeta Ribeiro, recalling the fresh milkshakes at Clemson University. “The best way to enjoy this treat is to arm yourself with a sturdy spoon,” she says. “Dig your way through the entire tub. Every time you find a pecan surrounded by sweet cream, it is your duty to demolish the delectable treat.”

Newspaper and research writer Karen Hopper Usher says her tastes skew toward bright colors and bright flavors. “Cherry cordial ice cream with ribbons of chocolate, artificially bright red fruit and a cherry-flavored base cream, preferably pink.”

Designer Vincent Sales has tried many different ice cream flavors from durian to cheese and corn (yes, that exists), but his current favorite is mango.

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning photographer Douglas Lees says ice cream indulgence is a rarity for him, but pistachio is his favorite if he goes there.

Staff writer Coy Ferrell loves coffee ice cream best of all, but he’ll happily “settle for cookies and cream, in a pinch.”

14 Warrenton native and lifelong fly fisherman Douglas Lees captured the timeless cover photo of Ann McIntosh fishing the Gunpowder River. The Maryland-based sportswoman and writer, who died in 2013, had hooked a wild brown trout on a sulphur fly pattern, Lees says, to imitate the sulphur mayfly that was hatching at the time of the shoot.

“She was using a graphite fly rod,” Lees says, remembering the cool day, probably a 9-foot rod. “That was a nice fish, probably 12, maybe 14 inches.”

McIntosh published two books on trout fishing: “MidAtlantic Budget Angler” and “Trout Fishing near American Cities”; both are out of print but can be found online through used booksellers.

A member of the Rapidan chapter of Trouts Unlimited, Lees started out fishing in the early 1970s with his grandfather’s bamboo rods; today, he uses graphite and sometimes fiberglass.

In the photo on this page, local angler Betsy Manierre nets a smallmouth bass she caught on a fly on the south fork of the Shenandoah River.

SUMMER 2021

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Chill out

WELCOME

Reset, reload, recharge: Summer heat may try to sap you, but we’ve got your guide to beat it at its own game

“

Summer days were invented for lingering. There’s nothing abrupt about the season. This year, as often happens in the Piedmont region, many May and June days yielded briefly to steamy swelter, a little taste of what is surely to come in July and August.

The hot time of year sort of slides in, settling on the area, and it’s certain to take its time departing just as well. August days are noticeably shorter as evening light begins to pull back, and we bet Mother Nature will toss in just enough cool mornings and cloud-covered afternoons to ease us into fall as the seasons do-si-do.

But not yet.

From the depth of despair that was summer, 2020, Piedmont Media has renewed inFauquier magazine, a timely return of what’s become a seasonal placeholder for the publishing group. When we considered the story we wanted to tell, we knew, more than anything, that we didn’t want to look back, only forward.

Beat The Heat sprang to life.

Newsroom brainstorming sessions yielded a lengthy list of ways to escape summer temperatures, each one with an interesting story that weaved into the greater narrative of the county. Warrenton native, avid fly fisherman and awardwinning photographer Douglas Lees was first to offer his personal take on heat beating: he plunges waist-deep into the altitude-chilled mountain streams that roll off the Blue Ridge in pursuit of native and wild catch-and-release trout.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.

— John Lubbock

Published quarterly by Piedmont Media LLC. Address 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, VA 20186 Phone: 540-347-4222 www.fauquier.com

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SUMMER 2021

ferno

We were inspired even more by his classic black-and-white photo capture of well-known nature writer Ann McIntosh fishing in a bold creek, snug in her waders and flyrod in hand. It said – screamed – “cool” to us, and we knew we had a cover contender right from the start. Outdoorsman and writer Sawyer Guinn sniffed out the story, and it guided us down a nature trail for the companion pieces.

Karen Usher unearths the wheres, whats and ways to create a perfect summer picnic – easy to do here with thousands of acres of public parkland. New staff reporter Liam Bowman explains why Sky Meadows’ new Dark Sky designation means more than meets the eye.

We learn the history of Deborah Williamson’s Seven Oaks Lavender Farm in Catlett, discover a whole new forest being propagated at the Clifton Institute and get a guide to local waterfalls to take the edge off the season’s swelter.

Over in the garden, find out which plants and flowers belong on your dinner plate and gain mastery of native ferns from master gardener Sally Semple.

As usual, beer expert John Daum takes a hit for the team and samples the region’s best seasonal brews, while food and wine writer Mary Ann Dancisin helps us make the most of the summer garden’s darlings: squash and zucchini.

Essayist Steve Price compiles literature’s take on the season, trotting out old favorites and new ones in The Last Word.

In summer, our lives melt into the shape of the world we live in. Inside our celebration of the season’s best, discover the best of Fauquier County’s agriculture base, protected open spaces and thriving small towns.

Publisher: Catherine M. Nelson cnelson@fauquier.com

Consultants: Anthony Haugan ahaugan@fauquier.com

Designers: Vincent Sales vsales@fauquier.com

Editor: Betsy Burke Parker betsyburkeparker@gmail.com

Jeanne Cobert jcobert@fauquier.com

Annamaria Ward award@fauquier.com

Nancy Keyser nkeyser@fauquier.com

Cindy Goff cgoff@fauquier.com

Carla Bailey cbailey@fauquier.com

For advertising inquiries, please contact: Anthony Haugan, ahaugan@fauquier.com

Managing editor: Robin Earl rearl@fauquier.com

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SUMMER 2021

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COUNTY TIDBITS

Down on the farm: figuratively, literally In a nod to the health of Fauquier’s ag base, two brand-new farmers markets open in the county

By Coy Ferrell Two new farmers markets, in Marshall and Upperville, opened this summer, adding to the county’s three existing farmers markets.

Those existing markets experienced “explosive” growth in demand during the pandemic, a study commissioned by county supervisors found. With more investment and coordination, the study concluded, there’s room for even more growth in Fauquier’s farm market scene.

Scott District Supervisor Holder Trumbo was buoyed by the success of the first Marshall Farmers Market. “There was an incredible cross section of people there, long-time Marshall residents and people I had never seen before. It was a complete quiltwork of society,” Trumbo said, which to him showed the widespread appeal of a vibrant market.

Sedona Sifford and her sister Salem working hard on their show lamb. They raise cattle and lambs that they can later sell at the farmers market Next Generation day.

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SUMMER 2021

Warrenton Farmers Market:

This outdoor market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon in the parking lot behind Warrenton Town Hall. It operates from April to November and is sponsored by the town of Warrenton. This winter, the first-ever winter market was held weekly at the Warrenton Community Center.

Archwood Green Barns Farmers Market:

This market near The Plains is open Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from May to November and is sponsored by the The Plains Redevelopment Corporation.

Remington Farmers Market: PHOTOS BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

Andrew Napier and Kelly Allen are selling homegrown, home-brewed bitters and more at the Upperville farmers market through their Artemesia Farm stand.

The county is considering a permanent building or covered pavilion for a year-round in-person market, likely in Warrenton, home to the most robust market in the county. That would be the “next logical step,” a commissioned report concluded, building on a well-received pilot winter market held weekly earlier this year at the Warrenton Community Center.

Trumbo praised the success of this year’s winter market in Warrenton, saying it is a sustainable model in his view. He said he hopes the latest federal allocation of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act – $13.8 million over the next year – can go toward funding bigger projects like a covered pavilion. The county budget office will present a spending plan for the federal funds this summer, and Trumbo said he hopes more clear guidance about allowable uses of the funds is available by then from the U.S. Treasury.

Farmers markets are good investments not just for local vendors, but for a community as a whole, Trumbo emphasized. “People … want to be comfortable and have a festival-type atmosphere when they are shopping,” he said. The goal of a farmers market should be to “make something that is a chore fun.”

The creation of a unified online platform for selling local agricultural products was the other major longterm expenditure suggested by the report. The idea is “a sensible way” to promote local produce sales without competing with in-person markets, the report noted.

Lee District Supervisor Chris Butler is confident Fauquier residents will continue to look to local food producers for at least some of their needs and the county should do what it can to help. “People have formed these relationships with these vendors,” he said.

Sponsored by the Remington Community Garden, the Remington market is a relative newcomer, having started in 2019. The market currently operates on the first and third Saturdays of each month.

Marshall Farmers Market:

Hosted by Marshall Moving Forward, a business and residents organization, the Marshall market kicked off this summer and will continue to operate on the second Friday of each month from 4 to 7 p.m. It is located in the parking lot of H and H Auto Garage on West Main Street.

Hunt Country Market of Upperville:

This market opened for the first time in May and will operate every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. this year.

The market is located at Buchanan Hall, sponsored by Citizens for Fauquier County and Bluewater Kitchen.

Nokesville Farmers Market:

The Nokesville market operates Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., running May through October.

Producing more than produce Next Gen farmers learn the ropes through innovative new 4-H program With more residents interested in locally grown, locally produced products, the Fauquier County 4-H program has introduced the innovative Next Generation Farmers Market.

Aspiring young farmers attended entrepreneurship classes, learned about the importance of food safety and researched successful marketing strategies. The 20 participants were then invited to participate in the Warrenton Farmers Market Aug. 7 and Sept. 4.

Their first outing was at the July 3 Warrenton event.

Upperville Farm and Feed’s Zach Wakeman also invited the group to participate in their popup farmers market, and they will be at the Upperville sale July 24 and July 31.

Madison Sifford in the county extension office says that students are learning valuable life skills such as goal setting, planning, record keeping and reflection.

The project teaches some surprising lessons as well, Sifford says. Micah Soehnlin, 13, is getting See FARMERS, page 7

COUNTY TIDBITS

If you’re not finding respite from the heat, you’re not looking hard enough Even if you don’t have a friend with a forest – or a pal with a pond, Fauquier has tons of trees and lots of water on public lands to cool down your summer With more than 1,000 acres in county parks alone, Fauquier has state lands, town parks, even a long slice of the national Appalachian Trail available for cooling summertime strolls, or just park at the base of a big deciduous tree with a paperback book and call it an afternoon. Add in thousands of miles of streams and rivers, and hundreds of acres of public lakes and ponds, and you’ve got plenty of ways to cool your heels this season.

PHOTO BY CARSON MCRAE

A rental rowboat still life at the Crockett Park lake waiting at ready for afternoon activity.

By the numbers: Water, water, everywhere

• Combined, the Potomac River watershed within Fauquier County contains 1,301 miles of streams draining 367.4 square miles – 56.4 percent of the county.

• The Rappahannock River watershed within the county counts Carter Run, Marsh Run and Thumb Run, adding up for 1,160 miles draining more than 283 square miles – 43.6 percent of the county.

• Before flowing into the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac and Rappahannock watershed drains 2,848 square miles and 18 counties.

• Fauquier County contains no natural lakes, although there are several reservoirs and hundreds of constructed livestock and recreational ponds. The largest reservoirs include Warrenton, Airlie and Germantown reservoirs and Lake Brittle.

• C.M. Crockett Park has a 122-acre lake available for recreation, near Midland offering the county’s largest lakeside park offering fishing, boat rentals and concessions, boat launch and sailing lessons as well as picnic facilities, volleyball, horseshoes, beginner and advanced orienteering courses and miles of hiking trails. fauquiercounty.gov

Fauquier County parks

Crockett Park, Midland Gold Mining Camp, Goldvein John Marshall Birthplace Park, Midland Marshall Community Park, Marshall Monroe Park, Goldvein Northern Fauquier Community Park, Marshall Riverside Preserve, Orlean Southern Sports Complex disc golf course, Morrisville Upperville Park, Upperville Vint Hill Farms Park, Warrenton Rady Park, Warrenton Eva Walker Park, Warrenton Academy Hill Park, Warrenton Phelps Wildlife Management Area, Sumerduck Thompson Wildlife Management Area, Markham Bull Run Mountain Natural Area Preserve, Broad Run Sky Meadows State Park, Paris Wildcat Mountain Natural Area, The Plains Weston Wildlife Refuge, Casanova Whitney State Forest, Warrenton

PHOTOS BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

Self-police your conservation efforts and gain official Habitat designation. By leaving wild spaces such as these fallen trees, and the surrounding rough land with weeds and protective cover, invite native animals such as red foxes onto your land.

A sign of the times

Earn habitat protection status through NWF Sedona Sifford, a member of the Farm Tails Club tests out new recipes to decide what she will be selling at the farmers market.

FARMERS, from page 6 involved by selling fruit, vegetables and eggs. “I want to earn my own money for a change,” he says.

Sedona Sifford, age 10, says her “favorite part of this project is I get to make my own decisions, and I think it will be fun to share my products (home-raised beef) with others.”

Micah Soehnlin, a member of the Fauquier Feathered Friends Poultry Club, harvests home-grown rhubarb for his special rhubarb cookies which will be on sale Sept. 4.

Other Next Gen products include home-baked goods, jams and jellies, arts and crafts, hand-made jewelry and more.

You’re probably doing it already anyway, but the Reston-based National Wildlife Federation wants to recognize supporters of open space and protected wildlife habitat with a special designation.

Through the Certified Wildlife Habitat program, landowners and land managers join thousands of other supportive “safe spaces” for a broad variety of animals, birds and insects, including the increasingly important pollinators required to maintain plant and tree health.

Members of the non-profit organization complete a simple, online sur-

vey to certify how they’re supporting wildlife habitat – offering undisturbed cover (such as brushy areas or downed trees left in place), water (natural or provided) and food (native plants, supplemental feed or minerals). Once certified, you’ll receive a designation sign, made from recycled aluminum.

NWF has 6 million members and supports open space and conservation issues, including angling and hunting, recognizing the most ardent and active protectors of undisturbed areas are landowners and sportsmen and women. nwf.org SUMMER 2021

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SUMMER 2021

Life & Style Fauquier County Fair roars back to action after two years away Photo and story

by Betsy Burke Parker

Inside this section

• Pack a picnic and head for the hills • See a million of points of light (really!) from Sky Meadows

THE WAY WE LIVE IN FAUQUIER

SUMMER 2021

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LIFE & STYLE

All-new Fauquier County Fair returns July 14-17 Domestics, exotics – and a whole lot more – on tap after two year absence for popular event Animals, local foods, pageants and more are on tap at the Fauquier County Fair, which returns this week after two full years away.

It’s the highlight of the summer, say fair officials, but county residents have had to wait – the 2019 fair was canceled due to parking issues and the 2020 event canceled due to COVID. But, organizers promise, the action-packed, four-day event was worth the wait, with all new exhibits and fresh energy.

“We are very excited to bring back the fair this year,” says long-time fair president Brenda Rich.

“It’s a great family event, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone.

“We have new parking on the sports complex, (so cars) will enter the fair off Old Auburn Road and exit on Meetze.

“There are great shows this year, and – a new touch – a truck night on Wednesday.”

As much as people attend the fair for the entertainment, games, food and carnival atmosphere, the open exhibit barns and the array of exotic fowl, rabbits and livestock are as much part of the allure, says livestock manager Autumn Crider.

Fair headliners include Thursday’s Barnyard Beauty contest, the strong-man and strong-woman contests, Friday’s rodeo, a daily petting zoo and afternoon beer garden, Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office K-9 demo, carnival rides and games and more.

Complete fair schedule and details are online at fauquierfair.com.

Daughter and Fair Princess, Mikayla Pompell (at right) daintily wipes the chocolate off of her mom Tiffany after her mom won the pie eating contest at the 2016 county fair.

PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER

Fauquier Fair highlights Wednesday, July 14

2 p.m. Gates open Petting zoo open all day Children’s games Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Demonstration 5 p.m. Carnival rides and games open Barnyard Beauty contest

Thursday, July 15 2 p.m. Gates open 6 p.m. ATV rodeo

Friday, July 16

2 p.m. Gates open 3 p.m. Pet show 7 p.m. True Grit rodeo

Saturday, July 17

8 a.m. All you can eat breakfast 9 a.m. Gates open Petting zoo, children’s games, strong man/strong woman contest, pageants, skid steer rodeo, barnyard obstacle course 8 p.m. Extreme illusions and escapes show 9 p.m. Comedy hypnotist show

ROUGH RIDERS

True Grit rodeo puts fair in the Fair A new division of rodeo turns out to be a proving ground for young cowboys. Rodeo vendor Daniel Lanier explains that “miniature bull riding” is just what it says – a sport for riders age 6 to 16 bent on “creating a cowboy every time a young rider nods his head in the bucking chute,” Lanier says.

Lanier’s True Grit Rodeo comes to town Friday night, headliner at this week’s Fauquier County Fair. He’ll have some 30 bulls in tow from his ranch in Hurt, south of Lynchburg, part full-size roughstock for the traditional adult division with some smaller, shorter mini bulls for juniors.

Traditional rodeo had been keenly focused, for decades, Lanier says, on developing the biggest, meanest, most athletic bucking bulls for prime-time television extreme action. But it was at the expense of making new cowboys.

“We want them to succeed and win,” he says.

“It’s a personal battle, every time you enter that chute and wrap your hand around that bull rope.”

Adding the mini bull division in 2017 was a selfcorrection in the sport, something supporters hope will boost the game at the grassroots level.

Lanier and wife, Erin, established True Grit 10

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Rodeo vendor Daniel Lanier’s True Grit bull riding brings the show to town from Hurt, Virginia for Friday night’s fair headliner.

PHOTO BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

in 1998. They host rodeos at the ranch as well as providing bulls, setup and handlers for county fairs around the region. They’re at the Fauquier Fair on July 16, at the Loudoun County Fair July 29 and 30.

The sport of bull riding is timed, and judged.

First, a rider must stay on top of his bull – drawn by lottery at time of entry – for a full eight seconds. If they do, they receive a score for style from a ringside judging panel. There is usually a ride-off round for the leaders.

Mini bulls are smaller – 500-800 pounds compared to nearly a ton for a full-size bull. To be sure, they still buck, and attempt impressively athletic maneuvers to dislodge the riders, but these bulls

are practically pets, and they’re not actively aggressive, Lanier says: “They’re born in our backyard, and my wife handles them every day.

“They teach you to hang tight and ride balanced, but they’re sized right for kids.

“But you’ve still gotta ride.”

Friday’s rodeo is sanctioned by the International Miniature Bullriding Association and the Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association. SEBRA was founded in 1994, a starter circuit for the higher-level Professional Bull Riders association.

The rodeo begins at 7 p.m. Friday evening with more than $2,000 in prize money on the line.

More on True Grit and how to get involved with IMBA is at truegritrodeo.com.

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LIFE & STYLE

A river runs through it

Uptick in outdoor pastimes like fishing benefits everybody – fishers, fish (odd but true) and conservation Stories by Sawyer Guinn Photos by Douglas Lees

Why do you fish?

Warrenton angler Diane Gulick lands a trout at picturesque Spruce Creek in southeast Pennsylvania.

Discover the perfect way to stay cool this summer: Learn to fly cast (and play the sport on, or in, the water) Last year saw record numbers of outdoorsmen and women buying licenses to fish and hunt.

From those that grew up fishing to others who’d never before wet a line, folks flocked to the wild places in search of refuge from the stress of the pandemic.

Since outdoor spaces were eventually acknowledged as safe, outdoor sports saw huge increases in numbers as people went back to the basics with recreational activities.

Bill Prokopchak, editor of the Winchester chapter of Trout Unlimited monthly newsletter and avid fly fishermen, says that one of the aspects separating fly fishing from many other outdoor endeavors is the conservation ethos that has evolved along with the sport.

Fly fishing isn’t about bringing 14

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dinner home, he says, and while trophy shots certainly exist on social media, that’s not it either. “Trophy photos are a conundrum,” Prokopchak says, choosing his words carefully. “We’re proud of the fish we catch and want to remember them and even share them, but…you have to take care of the fish. I often don’t even remove fish from the water after landing them (instead reaching into the water to release the catch.)

“All my hooks are barbless, so once I get them in close, I’ll grab just the fly and give it a little shake and the fish is off on it’s way.

“I never even touch it.”

Prokopchak is particularly passionate about Virginia’s native brook trout – “brookies.” Often no longer than an index finger but wildly colorful and full of spirit with a pen-

Trout Unlimited is a great resource, with two local chapters – the Rapidan chapter in Warrenton and the Winchester chapter.

For me, the Winchester chapter was the most convenient to my home in Linden, and last year I’d started attending some of their events. One of the members technically recruited me as a member after meeting my wife and hearing I was getting into fly fishing after a lifetime of traditional tackle pursuits.

I quickly felt at home with the group of like-minded conservationistoutdoorsmen and women.

The group holds a regular social meeting called “Barfly.” Aptly named, fishing enthusiasts meet at Escutcheon Brewery in Winchester and swap stories over adult beverages. They gleefully break out fly tying supplies and teach anyone at the bar who asks.

I jumped at the chance to combine good beer and great company.

Toward the end of the evening I remembered this magazine assignment and decided to connect the dots, asking “why do you fish” to several of the senior TU members.

• Charlie (He’d been fishing that very day, catching carp on cicada patterns.):

Before answering, Charlie rubbed his beard and smiled, obviously reminiscing his feelings that day on the water. “The smell of the river. It’s not musty, you know, but it has this smell, all the water and mud and vegetation, it has this smell to it, and you come to love it.

“Fishing really is an intimate relationship with the outdoors. The whole scene is special, sometimes you focus in on a fish, sure, but it’s still all there and you’re still just surrounded.”

Charlie had fresh fish stories he was happy to share, and I was happy to listen. “It’s a great way to get away from the day-to-day. Like today, I was able to get out on the river after work chant for eating dry flies, they’re the kind that rest delicately on the surface of a body of water instead of sinking away from sight.

The brook trout habits are some-

and whatever you do in your professional life just isn’t there. Fishing is like that, easy to get to, you can run to the river for an afternoon when you get off a little early from work and get a release.”

• Bill (Editor of the Winchester TU chapter newsletter):

“To get away,” Bill smiled warmly and waved his hands and towards his circle of friends around the bar.

“That’s why I like fishing for brookies so much, there’s no one around.”

Bill keeps conservation as close to his chest as his fly box, the increased traffic in and around our native brook trout streams is always a concern.

He recalled a particularly fond memory that most wouldn’t associate with the attraction of fishing. “I was out on this little stream, somewhere in [Shenandoah National Park] and there was this little whirlpool.” Bill pointed to the floor in front of him as if he could still see the flowing water. “The way the rocks blocked the current in that moment was just right, another hour and it would have been gone likely but I sat there and just admired everything that came together to create that little whirlpool in the exact moment that I was there to be able to see it.

“It’s just special to be out there.”

Everyone in the circle nodded in agreement.

• Gene (vice-president of the Winchester TU chapter):

“It’s to relax,” he said. “Sometimes there are a lot of fish, and that’s great, but I grew up hunting, and with brook trout in particular, sometimes you see them and have to be sneaky, and kind of stalk them.

“It takes me back to how I grew up. Plus, it’s just fun being outside.

“Sometimes my favorite part of going fishing isn’t even the fishing.

I’ll pack a lunch, sometimes bring a beer, and just find a spot along the stream or river I like and sit there for an hour and just enjoy the moment.” thing every fly fisherman appreciates and a tactic some consider the sport’s purest form.

See FISHING, page 15

LIFE & STYLE Love it to death

The Shenandoah National Park, as well as many others throughout the park system, saw exponential increases in admittance last year, to the point of restricting camping permits and general access.

Most parks had never before taken those measures.

While people getting outside and reconnecting with the outdoors is easy to spin in a positive light, it may also come with an unquantifiable cost. In

The South Fork of the Shenandoah River makes a lazy turn in the Andy Guest State Park west of Front Royal.

FISHING, from page 14 Prokopchak says increased participation in fishing and outdoor recreation is a net positive, but it goes way deeper than that. “I think you have to get people interested in the conservation first,” he says, adding that ethics and proper handling of fish should be the next thing new fishers learn, before even getting on the water.

Conservation aspects of the sport are just as, if not more, important than actually catching fish, Prokopchak maintains. “If I liked catching fish, I’d have quit fly fishing years ago,” he deadpans, allowing a small chuckle. “It’s true.”

If learning to fish is a labor of love, fly fishing includes extra labor. There’s far more failure

Meet the master of the South River

There aren’t many trout streams in Virginia where you can go and expect to catch wild fish, especially in the northern end of the state most of the trout fisheries are supported by stocking programs with the exception of a few native brook trout streams in the mountains.

The South River is headwaters for the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Constantly replenished with cool water springs bubbling up through the rocky bottom, the South was heavily polluted in the mid-20th century, but thanks to dedicated conservation work, it has rebounded to support a world-class fishery.

Tommy Lawhorne, co-founder of the South River Fly Shop in Waynesboro is an enthusiastic evangelist for the fishing and conservation link.

“Just get out on the water,” Lawhorne says when asked how to get started in fly fishing. “Try to go with some others who have more experience, but you just gotta get out there and start doing it. “(On gear,) keep it simple, get a basic combo outfit from a major company, most big companies offer at least some kind of warranty, which is good to start because learning on your own is a daunting enough proposition without getting hung up on the gear,” he says, “Even getting the rod put together right and getting your lines through the guides properly is a challenge at first. Plus you have a lot of knots to learn. If you try to learn it all in the written form it’s tough.

“It’s good to go where there are a lot of fish to build up some confidence, Catching fish is fun and keeps you into it while you’re learning. There is a very long learning curve.”

To practice the art of fly casting, Lawhorne recommends to keep it short. “Start close, with short casts and learn how to be accurate at close range.

Then start working out from there.”

than success, say experts.

“The number one mistake I see people make when starting fly fishing is jumping right into rivers and streams,” Prokopchak explains. “You need to start on still water. Ponds or lakes are perfect.

“It’s also important to get out and meet other fly fishermen, build relationships with people you can go fishing with because you’ll learn more from them than you will ever learn on your own.

Camaraderie is a big part of fishing, swapping stories and the friends I’ve made, and continue to make, are a huge part of it for me.

“You don’t have to fly fish for trout to be a fly fisherman,” stresses Prokopchak, retired from a lengthy career in elementary education. “I’m sure many people’s first experience with a fly rod is catching bluegills or little bass, and those are great fun.”

Getting stressed out about a particular species on your line is missing the point, he says, fishing is a hobby with no place for stress.

Top tips for fishing success

An avid fly-fisherman for nearly 50 years, Douglas Lees weighs in with his top tips for success in the water.

• Most important are: Endless patience and time on the water. (If it was easy, everybody would do it.)

• Get a good pair of polarized glasses – this is where to spend a little money. They will protect your eyes from bad casting and will allow you to spot, and stalk, fish underwater.

• Carry a thermometer, especially crucial in summer heat. If you’re on a trout stream and get a 70 degree reading, just go home. Bass might bite at higher temps, but trout will dive deep and won’t take a fly.

• If you hook a trout and take it out of the water for photos and play with it, then release, it will probably die. Instead use barbless hooks and leave your fish in the water. Smallmouth bass are a little more resilient and can stand to come out of the water for a trophy shot.

• Lefty Krey developed the famous style of flycasting he taught to thousands over the years by fishing for smallmouth bass on the Potomac River.

Recommendations include using heavier leader material which is easier to tie knots and tie flies.

This allows you to concentrate on line control and reacting to the fish.

• A good way to practice your casting is from a float-tube, great for getting deep into pockets of water near the banks of a bigger river like the Shenandoah. You won’t suffer from the heat in a float tube since you’re half in the water.

• Learn and perfect a few knots – The Nail Knot to connect leader to fly line, though you could also use a looped line. The Blood Knot is really important, and I use the Perfection Loop Knot for shad fishing to loop in the sinking leaders. It’s an easy knot, and it works.

many cases the increased traffic on our nation’s public lands expedite degradation on trails, and impact native plant and animal species that call these places home.

Experts warn that something as simple as the careless application of bug spray and sunscreen by a visitor – near a stream or above a fragile young native plant – can seriously disrupt the natural balance.

On the other hand, license fees, entry fees and taxes on outdoors gear pay directly towards conservation.

Prokopchak started tying his own flies when he was a kid, using the elaborate vice setup of his own thumb and index finger. “I was just trying different things to see what I could make. I didn’t know what I was doing,” he recalls with a laugh.

“I didn’t learn how to properly tie a fly until I was much older and had someone to show me, but that’s why it’s so important to get involved with your local groups.”

Area fly shops

South River Fly Shop Waynesboro info@southriverflyshop.com Murray’s Fly Shop Edinburg info@murraysflyshop.com Mossy Creek Fly Shop Harrisonburg store@mossycreekflyfishing.com

A rainbow trout caught on the Yellow Breeches River in Pennsylvania • A popular way to fish a trout stream is the dry or dropper method. Tie on a #14 or 16 Parachute Adams dry fly, then attach at the hook 18 to 20 inches of leader material, ending with a pheasant tail or zebra midge nymph fly. This is technical, but the method yields almost instant success.

• For mountain streams, your rod won’t be longer than 7’6”, though for spring creeks you can go 8’6” to 9 feet or longer. Rivers allow for even longer.

• Fly line size for mountain streams will be 2 to 4, spring creeks 3 to 5, smallmouth fishing on rivers 6 to 8.

• Your best bet is to start fishing on a smallmouth bass river or even a pond. It’s not as technical and is a perfect way to practice casting. If you haven’t invested in waders yet, summer is a perfect time to start since you can wade wet in a bigger, warmer rivers.

• As much as trout fishing is about the stalk, smallmouth bass can be explosive, and they often jump. Even a smaller bass can be a thrill and provide the immediate feedback that will keep you fishing.

• Whether fishing for trout or bass, the best advice is “fish early or late” for the best bites.

• Keep a diary of fishing, conditions – water and air temps, number of fish caught and what time of day they’re biting, flies used and more. Your own research data is the most valuable input you can get.

SUMMER 2021

15

LIFE & STYLE

New name, same mission

Department of Wildlife Resources supports wildlands, wild things, all around Virginia

By Sawyer Guinn For years, the best kept and simultaneously worst secret in conservation is how much of that financial load has been carried by those most affected by conservation issues – sportsmen.

From the kids catching sunfish in the neighborhood pond to sporting clay shooters, licensing dollars go directly to the Virginia commissions and organizations entrusted to manage public lands, and all the game and non-game animals that call them home.

Staff and supporters of Virginia’s newly rebranded Department of Wildlife Resources are among the commonwealth’s most passionate conservationists. And their new Restore the Wild program was designed to reach out to everyone that appreciates open space and the fauna and flora that populate it.

Sportsmen – of course the term encompasses men, women and children, funnel millions of dollars into conservation through taxes on gear and equipment.

For many reasons, the pandemic not small among them, the number of members of arguably the greatest and most successful crowdfunding campaign in history are dwindling. While in many parts of the country COVID actually gave a boost to hunting and fishing licenses, along with gear

sales – since many people had much more discretionary time on their hands, trends from recent decades are sobering.

In Virginia, the last 10 years have seen sales of hunting and fishing licenses drop nearly 20%.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is uniquely affected by the resulting and precipitous drop in license sales as it is also uniquely financially independent.

Public information officer for VDWR, Paige Pearson explains department funding. “We’re very proud of that fact, and a lot of people don’t realize it either, but we aren’t taking anything from Virginia’s general tax dollars to fund our operations,” she says.

Pearson says Restore the Wild was designed to help.

“The inspiration [for Restore the Wild] really was finding another way to get people outdoors and reach more people from a different demographic, not just [sportsmen],” Pearson explains.

“We wanted to provide another way in.”

Restore the Wild was launched last year by the department, formerly called the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

“It’s our baby. We’re so proud of it,” Pearson says.

The program offers three levels of membership; Hummingbird, Bluebird and Golden Eagle,

PHOTO BY ROBIN MASON BLACK

Sportsmen and women, including sporting clay and trap shooters, support conservation efforts through license fees and taxes on gear. each with corresponding perks and opportunities to engage with Virginia wildlife. The top offering is year-round access to department owned wildlife management areas and lakes.

Previously, the only way to get that kind of access to department-owned lands was through hunting or fishing licenses.

But the new, modern program directors recognize that many Virginians just want to appreciate nature, not hunt it or fish for it.

Pearson notes that 100% of membership sales go directly to habitat restoration, improvement and maintenance. “It (was) easy to get caught up as a game and fish commission, we didn’t want that,” she adds. “We wanted to reach new people, expand our audience. Not just reach hunters but focus on diversity inclusion in the outdoors with all people.” dwr.virginia.gov

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LIFE & STYLE

The return of the picnic

edTakefor More Than 50 Years your meal mobile this year, and enjoy

ed for More Than 50 Years an al fresco feast with friends and family

Here’s our guide to the great outdoors dining options in the county.

By Karen Hopper Usher Maybe you picture a gingham blanket and a woven basket. Maybe you picture long tables brimming with barbecue and sides, music blasting and the grill smoking.

Whatever image the word “picnic” evokes for you, it’s probably been a while since you’ve taken a basket or cooler to some scenic spot for a meal.

Picnics in public places were sparse last summer because of the pandemic, local experts told inFauquier.

“People weren’t going anywhere,” Jeanne Heaney, owner of The Corner Deli in Remington, recalls the struggle for everybody last year. People that would normally pack a picnic basket to take to winery or brewery or into the Shenandoah were staying home instead.

But, she says, the picnic business is looking up. “(There’s a) huge, huge pick-up this year,” Heaney says. “People are

just everywhere now.”

Heaney’s son, Stan Jr., was in the middle of planning the menu for an upcoming family picnic in Pennsylvania when he spoke to inFauquier in June.

Though many picnic customers of The Corner Deli will opt for classic barbecue or sides like coleslaw, macaroni or potato salad, Stan Heaney Jr. was opting for a charcuterie board with meat, cheese, apples and crackers.

“When you’re hanging out with people you haven’t seen in 10 years, you don’t want to be stuffing a ham sandwich in your mouth the whole time,” Heaney quipped.

The family reunion is a common form of the picnic, with families renting out picnic shelters at parks for family events. Those rentals are picking up this year.

“Our parks were always open, but we had to reduce the number of people that were allowed in them because of social distancing, so we

sted for More Than 50 Years

weren’t getting many people picnicking out there,” says Gary Rzepecki, director of parks and recreation for the county. “So now that those numbers have gone up, we’ve seen a huge increase compared to (last year.)”

There are picnic shelters at Crockett Park in Midland, Monroe Park in Goldvein, the Northern Fauquier Community Park in Marshall and on the Vint Hill Village Green in Warrenton. Other parks have plenty of scattered picnic tables around other parks in the county.

If your idea of a picnic tends more towards the “blanket on the ground someplace pretty” approach, Rzepecki recommends finding a nice site along the Rappahannock River. You could try the new Riverside Preserve near Orlean or the Rector Tract in Remington.

Master Gardener Winny Buursink

said there are lots of area parks with outstanding flower and plant displays as well as dining spots. “The best place … is the Rady Park Arboretum,” Buursink says. “It is in a lovely setting with a stream and cows grazing in the field nearby. It has benches, vast stretches of grass for picnic blankets, and even some mature trees for hammocks.”

No matter where you set your basket, experts urge following “leave no trace” ethics and cleaning up your trash.

“Just remember you’re out in nature, you know? We do have bears and forest animals and stuff so you have to keep that in mind,” so they don’t become ill or injured because of something a picnic party leaves behind, Heaney stresses.

Top tips for a great picnic

you can prep for serving at the same time – start the grill for your hot dogs first, start cooking those then toast your buns when they’re close to ready. Wait ‘til the last minute to take your salad and iced drinks out of the cooler.

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1. Think finger food

Instead of a salad that requires a plate, knife and fork, consider stuffing your greens in a pita pocket.

2. Avoid the sticky and the messy

5. Cool it

3. Embrace the simple

6. Cool it, part 2

Think twice about liquidheavy foods like puddings and soft cakes; instead opt for cookies or crumb cake.

If you want ice cream, try hard frozen fruit popsicles – store-bought or homemade.

If you’re packing in your picnic instead of dining outside your house, paper plates and plastic cutlery will make your pre- and postmeal work easier.

4. It’s all in the timing

Take your cue from restaurant service and plan your timing. Select foods that

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Outdoor dining has always been a popular part of summertime, but this year, especially, it has become a go-to for meal planning almost every season.

Ice in bags is the timehonored way to keep food and drinks cool, but it can melt and soak everything in your cooler. A modern alternative is gel freezer packs that you activate with a small amount of water.

Fill plastic water bottles halfway with water and place them on their sides in the freezer.

Put them in your cooler to act as ice packs, but when you’re ready to have a drink, fill one of them the rest of the way up with water or soda or an adult beverage.

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Our own version of ‘Starry Night’

Sky Meadows prioritizes dark skies with special designation

Sky Meadows near Paris earned Dark Sky Park status.

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By Liam Bowman Just outside of the D.C. urban sprawl — where for decades the night sky has been illuminated by a dull artificial glow — Fauquier’s Sky Meadows State Park has a surprising and rare quality: dark skies.

The park, located between Paris and Delaplane, has long been a popular spot for stargazers, offering a glimpse of constellations, nebulas and meteors seldom seen with the naked eye in densely populated areas.

Earlier this year, the International Dark Sky Association awarded Sky Meadows International Dark Sky Park status — a distinction held by only 100 parks worldwide. The designation, a culmination of a years-long application process by park staff and a team of dedicated amateur astronomers and volunteers, recognizes the “distinguished quality of starry nights” at Sky Meadows. Kevin Bowman, Sky Meadows Park manager, called the designation a “major milestone.”

With the addition of Sky Meadows, as well as the simultaneously designated Natural Bridge State Park, Virginia now has a total of five dark sky parks— “more than any other state east of the Mississippi,” Virginia State Parks director Melissa Baker said.

The International Dark Sky Association is a non-profit that works to preserve the nighttime environment by partnering with parks and promoting quality outdoor lighting.

For Laura Greenleaf, the association’s advisor for Sky Meadows, the designation was something of a personal triumph. “I grew up just a couple of miles from … Sky Meadows,” said Greenleaf, a Paris native, “so [the

park] has been a huge part of my life.”

Staff at Sky Meadows began work on the park’s dark sky application in 2016. The process involved strict requirements, including the creation of a lighting management plan, measurements of acceptable levels of light pollution and a commitment to educational programs. The management plan required the park to minimize nighttime light. Measures taken included setting lights on timers, shielding lights or ensuring they cast their beams downward toward the ground rather than up toward the sky.

“A lot of staff and volunteer resources went into changing [our] lights,” said Bowman. “It’s been quite an undertaking.”

Recording sufficiently detailed light pollution measurements, known as “sky quality,” proved to be a lengthy part of the process. Dark sky volunteers, many part of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, spent months recording measurements and taking photographs to prove the park’s eligibility for dark sky status.

Geoff Chester, an amateur astronomer, has been observing at Sky Meadows since the mid- 1980s. “It is still a great observing sight,” he said, “but the lights of the D.C. megalopolis and the rapid development of western Loudoun are having an effect. That said, it is still probably the darkest site east of the Blue Ridge that’s easily accessible from D.C.” Many counties, including Fauquier, have outdoor lighting ordinances to mitigate the effects of light pollution.

Details on the ongoing Astronomy For Everyone program held monthly at Sky Meadows and other outdoors programming are at dec.virginia.gov.

LIFE & STYLE

The dog days of summer – a veterinary perspective Story and photo by Amanda Gray For many, a favorite summer pastime is to make memories with our four-legged pals. We take them swimming. We take them hiking. We take them to barbecues with our friends.

Fauquier boasts plenty of places to partner with our dogs. Whether walking the three-mile Warrenton Branch Greenway in downtown Warrenton, letting the pups play in Vint Hill’s dog park or taking a stroll through the Whitney State Forest, there’s no lack of trails to explore.

Dr. Margret Donahue, critical care specialist at Virginia Veterinary Centers in Fredericksburg, says she sees pet-related emergencies linked to summer heat and extended exercise or dogs eating human food.

“Heat stroke is the most summer relevant deadly,” but avoidable, Donahue says.

Think ahead when planning an extended outing with dogs. Make sure to have water and a bowl for drinking, and be aware of the heat in concrete while walking outside.

A dog’s pads can easily get burned – Donahue says the “3-second rule” is a good mnemonic device. If you

Dawn Wilmot and her dog Cali, a Treeing Walker hound mix, take a stroll on the Warrenton Branch Greenway. Use care when walking on hot pavement or asphalt. can’t keep the palm of your hand on the asphalt for 3 seconds, don’t expect your dog to walk on it.

Instead, aim for the grass, or shaded areas of pavement.

“If your dog is letting you know they’re tired, you should listen to them,” Donahue adds. If they are slowing down, wanting to lay down, trying to find shade – they need a break.

Plus, obviously, “don’t leave your dog in the car even if your windows are open.” The temperature just gets

far too hot too fast, even with windows open: When it is 80° outside, it gets to be 99° inside a car within 10 minutes, and 114° within 30 minutes.

Donahue says certain dogs are more prone to heat stroke. Pugs and bulldogs, also known as brachycephalic dog breeds, have a hard time breathing and will not cool down as effectively as other breeds.

With all breeds, walking in the morning and evening is best to stay cool, but even more caution needs to

be exercised with these breeds.

Donahue warns that snake bites are also a summer danger for dogs.

Park manager at Sky Meadows State Park near Paris, Kevin Bowman says that though leashed dogs aren’t likely to get bitten, it’s still good for owners to be aware that this is a possibility in any place as remote and back-country as some of the park’s trails.

If you know your dog has been bitten, Donahue recommends keeping the dog calm and still, since a slower heart rate means a slower spread of venom to other parts of the body.

Other than snakes, Bowman says hikers and their dogs might encounter cattle on the Piedmont Overlook and Northridge trails, plus horses on 10 of the park’s 22 miles of trails, as well as housed chickens, wild black bears and coyotes as well as ticks.

“It’s important to give equestrians the right away on trails and to keep dogs close to you,” Bowman explains, a strategy that works with all of the side attractions possible in the park.

Donahue adds that having your dog on an effective tick prevention treatment helps keep them safe from Lyme’s disease.

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“

LIFE & STYLE

We love our pets

Pet exercise tips from Dr. Gibson

Find out why Dr. Lisa Gibson thinks she’s got the best profession in the best place

By Danica Low For 32 years, veterinarian Dr. Lisa Gibson has practiced animal medicine in Fauquier County.

She currently operates Compassion Animal Hospital in Bealeton, Catlett Animal Hospital and Elkwood Animal Hospital near Remington.

Gibson recalls her early career, working with her own infant children strapped to her chest in a baby carrier. Today, one of them works as a vet, another runs the business side of Compassion.

Gibson says exercising with your pet affects the health for both of you. The benefits of workouts for animals are similar for humans: cardiovascular health, weight loss, muscle tone, mental stimulation and blood flow to the brain – for everybody involved – are great reasons to exercise your pet.

Gibson’s Catlett clinic offers large animal care, with exotic pet care out of Bealeton.

“We have rabbits, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, chickens and other birds, snakes, geckos, goats, pot bellied pigs, turtles and others coming to see us,” Gibson says. “It is always exciting to see what is coming in next.”

Laser therapy, supplements and acupuncture are available as options for some pet health

problems. These alternative therapies can be effective in some animals that are not able to tolerate side effects of a medication, or for owners who prefer to try a non-medicinal approach to some problems.

Gibson’s staff offers house call service for pets that don’t travel well.

“The rewards are so great,” says Gibson.

“Purring cats that like their faces rubbed, dogs wagging their tails and wanting attention, soft rabbits enjoying their heads stroked. I could not have chosen a better profession or a better place to practice it.”

• A good way to get your pet more active is also a good way to get yourself more active. Go for a walk. Go outside and get some sunshine and throw a ball or a frisbee. Soft balls that will not wear down teeth are the best choice for playing fetch with your dog.

• Take your pet with you when you go for a hike. Your pet typically will be able to do as much as you can comfortably do, unless you are a conditioned athlete, your pet is older or there are physical limitations due to illness. Dogs are made for running and moving even more than humans, and (they) typically keep up with us well.

• One difference, however, is that we run in shoes. Do not run on hot pavement with your dog. Their paw pads can get burned.

• Another caution is those dogs with short noses. We call them brachiocephalic. These are breeds like English or French bulldogs, Boston terriers and pugs. These dogs are not able to tolerate the heat.

• Cats often like to chase laser pointers or bat toys with their paws. They enjoy chasing toys on strings, (though) do not allow them to eat the string.

• Exercise helps them sleep and rest better at night and promotes healthy body function.

Exercise is an excellent way to spend time with your pet and should happen daily.

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LIFE & STYLE

Another kind of Hummer They’re tiny and a certain sign of summer: Welcome hummingbirds to your home by feeding their needs Deep summer in Virginia’s Piedmont region means hummingbirds, and lots of them.

These tiny, feisty, hungry little tropical visitors are entertaining to watch at a home feeder, with their much appreciated side-gigs of pollination patrol and pest control.

The smallest species of bird, the ruby-throated hummingbird is the most commonly seen variety in Virginia, appearing in late April or early may after a winter migration – vaca-

Taking wing

According to the National Park Service, hummingbirds average 53 wingbeats per second in normal flight. They can hover, motionless, at a feeder or a flower, and can fly backwards briefly as they position for a sip of nectar.

Hummingbird hearts beat approximately 1,200 times per minute, compared to 60 to 100 beats per minute for an average human heart.

tion – to Mexico.

The males come first, females a few weeks later. Here are our tips to put out the welcome mat: • Surviving on a diet of mosquitoes, fruit flies and gnats, the quickmoving birds also require glucose to keep up their energy for all that flapping. They get much of this glucose from nectar found in flowers, but they also sip tree sap or fruit juice.

• A hummingbird must consume approximately half its weight in sugar daily, feeding five to eight times per hour during daylight hours. They use long forked tongues to lick nectar out of trumpet-shaped flowers, and they’re most drawn to flowers that are red, orange, yellow or purple.

Some of their favorite flavors are honeysuckle, fuschia, Rose of Sharon and calibricoa. They also love bee balm, zinnias and salvia. As hummingbirds go from flower to flower, they assist pollination.

PHOTO BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

Tiny and jewel-like, ruby-throated hummingbirds are common in Virginia’s Piedmont region from late April through September. They’re easy to feed and fun to watch.

• Bird watchers can hang hummingbird feeders on their porches or in their yards to attract and keep hummingbirds nearby. Nectar can be purchased, but it’s easy to make at home.

- Mix 4 cups water with 1 cup sugar in a saucepan. Boil briefly – this keeps the sugar water from spoiling when it’s in the feeder outside.

- Do not use honey or “natural” sugar – those contain enzymes that paralyze the hummingbirds’ tongues, and they will die. Plain white sugar is all you need.

- Do not add food coloring. Most hummingbird feeders are red in color already, and you can plant colorful flowers in the garden – or put out pots on a deck – to further entice the feeding frenzy that’s certain to follow.

- Let the nectar cool and pour into

your feeder. Place the feeder in a place you can see – hummingbirds are famously bold, so you can even hang your feeder quite close to the window, or near a chair on your porch. The birds will quickly overcome initial shyness and hover right over your head to feed.

• Hummingbirds can be territorial, so if you have space, put out multiple feeders. And remember that cats, raccoons, bears, ants and wasps are also attracted by the sticky sweet smell of sugar water, so stay alert for other species that might want a taste.

You can easily alter your feeder placement if other animals are drawn to it – closer to the house is usually most effective to deter bigger animals.

• More than 300 species of hummingbirds live in Central and South America: 26 of those visit the U.S.

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LIFE & STYLE

It’s easy to write purple prose about this Catlett agri-business Seven Oaks Lavender Farm is a summer favorite

By Betsy Burke Parker For most, a whiff of lavender promotes relaxation.

But for Seven Oaks Lavender Farm owner Deborah Williamson of Catlett, the scent of the tiny purple flowers smells more like work.

The southern Fauquier herb farmer says that soon she’ll see thousands of honeybees sipping nectar from a million lavender stems sprouting a billion purple blooms at Seven Oaks, the buzzing sound representing nearly 20 years of her family’s agri-business.

Williamson says maintaining Seven Oaks is a year-round undertaking to support the short, sixweek summer bloom period. “It’s not as busy for us in winter, obviously, but, come spring, we’re working out there, doing all the hundreds of things it takes to get ready for our guests.”

Visitors to the pick-your-own farm can snip branches of lavender – and other flowers and herbs, to dry for sachets, later sipping farm-made lavender lemonade and munching on lavender cupcakes or picnicking under shade trees on the lawn of the original 1860s farmhouse at the center of the 16-acre property.

The entire Williamson family works at the farm, supporting the business with hands-on field labor, cooking, cleaning, meeting, greeting, fabricating value-added lavender products and more.

Williamson’s mother Edith co-founded Seven Oak almost two decades ago.

It was a leap of faith, the daughter explains.

“We had been to France a couple years before that,” Deborah Williamson says of the Seven Oaks start-up. “We loved the lavender fields.

“Now, you’ve gotta understand, here in Virginia, here in southern Fauquier, we’ve got just about the exact wrong soil and the exact wrong climate for lavender. Lavender developed in a Mediterranean climate – dry, with sandy soil.

“This area has famously high humidity and heavy clay soil. It’s been a challenge to find the right (cultivar) to thrive here.”

But, small business entrepreneurs from the beginning, the Williamsons researched and studied, eventually finding a modern work-around – a new hybrid, Lavandula x Intermedia Phenomenal, smells like success to the duo. It grows better, Williamson says, is more tolerant of the local soil, and isn’t troubled by humidity as much as oldfashioned Mediterranean varietals. In short, by changing with the times, Seven Oaks thrives under less-than-perfect conditions for the famously finicky lavender.

“It was a game-changer,” Williamson maintains.

How it happened

In 2002, Edith Williamson and daughter Deborah went into agritourism “on a shoestring,” investing what seemed like a lot at the time – $600 in plants and equipment. At first, they sold lavender at farmers markets and special events.

In 2005, they opened to the public as a pick your own – well, more snip your own – farm, starting with the original 100 lavender bushes. At first, the cash register was an old tackle box set on a table on Edith Williamson’s front porch.

They sold out well before the end of the bloom season.

The operation has grown to more than 600 English and French lavender plants, and the new Phenomenal hybrids, covering nearly two acres.

Seven Oaks operations have expanded to also sell herbs, flowers and more than 100 lavenderinfused products, from bed and bath items to food. Most of the products — soap, sachets and other items — are produced on-farm. Friends and family help make the rest.

One thing Seven Oaks does not sell, Deborah Williamson stresses, is lavender essential oil.

There’s just not enough space, she says, explaining they’d need 25 acres or more of lavender to make it sustainable. “It takes a bushel basket of flowers to make one bottle of oil,” she explains.

Plus, if they harvest all the lavender for the precious essential oil, there’s nothing left for clients

Seven Oaks Lavender Farm in Catlett provides natural aromatherapy with acres of the pungent herb plus others grown in the handsome farm fields. to pick. “People love coming here,” she adds. “It’s a really relaxing experience, going into the lavender rows and clipping exactly which stems speak to you.”

“People who are coming from the city or suburbs really want to make a connection with the farm and nature. They tell me they look forward all year to coming here. We’re surrounded by dairy farms, so it’s a beautiful view.”

Deborah Williamson’s sister, Dianne Bignoli, has helped with the business, as have both sisters’ children. Her father, Glenn, helps on the farm when he’s not singing with the Blue Ridge Barbershop Chorus and Quartet.

“I turn 61 this year, my mom’s 83,” she says. “I’m exactly the age she was when we started this adventure.

“Mom still works circles around the teenagers we hire to help in the summer season. I think farming in general – all that hand-harvesting, bending, reaching, being outside, being in nature, helps as much as genetics. The color green is the best for your mental happiness.

“And the color of Fauquier County is green.

“You can see all their troubles melt away. People walk in the shop and say ‘OMG this place smells amazing.’ This is why I’m doing this. It’s so fulfilling.”

Lovely lavender

Lavender has a heart-breakingly short growing season, but springs can be cut and dried and used for pillows, eye-shades and other scented items.

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SUMMER 2021

Lavender belongs to the Lamiaceae, or mint family, and, with more than 450 varieties, comes in many sizes, foliage colors and flower colors. All lavenders are irresistible to pollinators.

Lavender is native to southern Europe, where the soil is rocky and lean. In the Piedmont’s zone 6b and 7, with wet springs, wet-then-dry summers and high humidity, growing lavender can be a challenge, but site prep and cultivar selection make it possible.

Lavender likes a neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.5, so you may need to add lime to your soil. Well-drained soil is a key to success; amend clay soil with compost, some sand and small pebbles.

When planting in rows in this area, leave room on all sides of each plant for air circulation, critical due to humidity. Lavender needs 6-8 hours of full sun.

Mulch with pea gravel or white rock, not wood chips, which will reflect the sun under plants to dry

out moisture from heavy rains.

Prune after the bloom period to prevent plants from becoming woody or leggy.

Lavender is used in home and bath products, in savory and sweet cooking, and in drinks. Lavender repels ants and mosquitoes, and feeds a wide range of pollinators. sevenoakslavenderfarm.com

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Faces & Places WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE GO

The eyes have it: Meet budding young scientist, Rebekah Smith Story by Vineeta Ribiero Photos by Randy Litzinger

Inside this section

• Three Fauquier students headed to Princeton: Meet the new Tigers • Tame summer’s heat with our guide to area waterfalls • Seeing Clifton Institute’s forest through the (many) trees

SUMMER 2021

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FACES & PLACES

The prize on the eyes How one student’s obsession fueled award-winning research

Mountain Vista student Rebekah Smith studied pigs’ eyes with hopes to help with human sight research.

A blue-eyed blonde with dimples and an easygoing smile, Rebekah Smith defies the stereotype of a scientist. She’s a competitive swimmer and varsity lacrosse player, a certified lifeguard, an EMT and a classically trained pianist.

But her work as an award-winning high school scientist is what her teachers at Mountain Vista Governors School in Warrenton hope will become her opus.

Smith’s championship science fair project on collection of corneas from pigs’ eyes, and how that could translate to human medicine, might have a ripple effect in the medical world.

The recent graduate of Mountain Vista Governor’s School in Warrenton won the science fair at the magnet school, followed by a win at the Fauquier County Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Smith’s project took second at the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair. As part of the project, presented virtually, Smith submitted six minutes of audio files in which she explained her research to judges.

Smith hopes the scientific revelations she found will be a game-changer for the vision-impaired.

Top prize, deferred

Mountain Vista senior Rebekah Smith was selected to represent Fauquier County at a weeklong trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair in California. Running since 1950, ISEF typically brings more than 1,500 high school students from around the globe to compete for nearly $4 million in prizes, including international research trips, full college scholarships and a grand prize of $75,000.

Of course, it wasn’t held as scheduled because of Covid.

While losing the opportunity was sad, Smith landed a fulltime summer internship with the Commonwealth Eye Center, working with Dr. Russell Brear.

She’s been adding to her research portfolio, with Brear working to create an at-home visual acuity test that patients can use to self-report using standard household items like cereal boxes and prescription bottles.

Smith was awarded a full tuition scholarship at Virginia Commonwealth University.

How it happened

The underlying force that drives Smith – beyond motivation and persistence, is curiosity. Her mother Betsy Smith recalls how the youngest of her three daughters would ask excruciatingly detailed questions at every step during visits to their eye doctor. Betsy Smith says one of her daughters used to love visiting the pediatrician; another loved going to the dentist.

She recalls a very young Rebekah saying at the end of one visit to the eye doctor that “I could be doing this work.”

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FACES & PLACES REBEKAH SMITH, from page 28 Thus began Smith’s fascination with eyes. The words she uttered seem, in retrospect, nearly prophetic.

Smith loves everything about eyes, both their structure and function.

Her personal experience with early onset, and gradual, vision impairment contributed to Smith’s desire to learn about eyes. She can’t recall when her vision began to deteriorate, but from the tail end of third grade to the beginning of the fifth grade, lessons on the school chalkboard were a blur.

Mountain Vista classmate Abby Shrader would sit in front of her and write down math problems for her friend on a small whiteboard, holding it up much closer to Smith so she read more clearly.

When finally diagnosed with reduced vision and given her first pair of glasses, Smith recalls she was astounded by the brilliance of color in street signs, and was thrilled to see individual leaves on trees.

In the years since, Smith’s focus has hardly wavered, the curiosity a notable hallmark of successful scientists.

Hannah Bement, biological science teacher at MVGS says Smith was always a standout. “Rebekah has a great aptitude for science,” says Bement, citing Smith’s “attention to detail and ability to confidently communicate complex concepts” as contributing to her “exceptional research project.”

“As the humanities instructor at a STEM magnet school, I sometimes find it challenging to understand the complexities of the independent research my students are completing outside of my content area,” says Mindy Stephens, who taught Smith in her sophomore and junior years. “Rebekah is a living testament to Einstein’s assertion that ‘the definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.’”

Teacher and pupil share a deep connection – one of Stephens’ book selections, Alan Lightman’s “Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine” has become one of Smith’s favorites.

Science champion perhaps, but still a typical teen …

Challenged by friend and MVGS classmate Samuel McCabe that she could not go “x” number of days without social media, science fair champion Rebekah Smith deleted almost all of her social media accounts earlier in the year to prove a point.

She filled the space with books.

“I’ve learned what I need as a person,” Smith says. “It’s good for my wellbeing, and I feel so much more productive about what I do each day.”

In addition to books, teacher and student share an uncommon but mutual interest in eyes: Stephens’ husband had required emergency eye surgery.

Smith’s ongoing research linked them at what she calls a richly human level.

Smith “understood her independent research in the field of corneal replacement so well that she could explain every minute detail in a brief presentation,” Stephens says.

Pig corneas – not a project for the squeamish

Under science teacher Sandra Bennett, Smith conducted a research project on the handling of corneas prior to implantation. She dissected donated pigs’ eyes to obtain corneas for her project.

Smith explains that nearly 15 percent of human corneal transplants are rejected by the patient’s body.

She wanted to find out why.

Smith hypothesized that the amount of time a cornea is exposed

to air prior to being preserved affects the quality of the transplant.

She had the idea, she had the hypothesis. Now she needed the raw materials.

Brian Philippy, transplant director at the Lion’s Medical Eye Bank of Virginia, counseled Smith to obtain a virtually unlimited supply of corneas – from pigs’ eyes gathered from local meat processing plants. Philippy explains that pigs’ eyes are quite similar to human eyes.

Smith contacted the Smithfield Packing Company, who eventually donated 110 pigs’ eyes for her project.

Smith maintains that she wasn’t the least bit squeamish about handling the actual eyeballs, including the optic nerves, when they were sent to her.

For the project, she extracted the corneas, weighing each sample and checking clarity. She measured clarity by determining the amount of light in lumens that passed through the cornea

Mountain Vista Governor’s School – what is it?

Publicly funded, the three-year, half-day Mountain Vista program brings high school students interested in math, science and technology together at two campuses housed at Lord Fairfax Community College in Warrenton and at LFCC’s main campus in Middletown. The 200-plus students are selected through a competitive application process.

Students from 13 high schools in seven school districts are part of the elite program.

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Triple the Tigers Three Fauquier County students headed to Princeton

By Vineeta Ribeiro With an acceptance rate of barely 5%, Princeton University turned away nearly 31,000 top-notch applicants last year. So, the likelihood that three graduates of the Fauquier County school system – one each from Fauquier High, Kettle Run and Liberty – would head to Princeton was pretty low.

The similar links? All three are graduates of the Mountain Vista Governor’s School, and each one of them named a middle school teacher as having the greatest influence in their academic careers.

Princeton University, established in 1746, has an alumni roster that boasts three U.S. presidents – John Kennedy, Woodrow Wilson and James Madison, and one as faculty – Grover Cleveland.

Alumni include computing phenom Alan Turing, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman and mathematician John Nash. Other faculty and alums include author Toni Morrison and playwright Eugene O’Neill, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Queen Noor of Jordan, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and actress-model Brooke Shields.

Fauquier grad Meghan Harrington, Liberty grad Samuel Rodman and Kettle Run grad Laura Thompson join just over one thousand pupils in the Princeton class of 2025 this fall.

Emanuel Castaneda, a 2012 graduate of Kettle Run, Castaneda, graduated from Princeton five years ago. He was excited to “hear that so many students from Fauquier have been accepted.”

MVGS teacher Dee Thompson taught Harrington, Rodman and Laura Thompson. “For each of these students, it is their humility that makes them special.,” she says. Thompson just retired from MVGS, a STEM program for students from seven school districts housed at community college campuses in Warrenton and Middletown.

MVGS is now under the directorship of Kelly Huff after founding director Rosanne Williamson retired last year.

Meghan Harrington knocks it out of the park

Meghan Harrington grew up near Warrenton in a “little log cabin,” as she calls it. Yet, she’s no stranger to travel. She’s been a member of both 30

SUMMER 2021

Fauquier High’s softball team and a traveling softball team for years and has been to softball camps at Princeton three times as well as at MIT, Dartmouth, Bucknell and Christopher Newport, among others.

Despite the exposure to all these schools, Harrington only applied to two last year. She was accepted to University of Virginia as a Rodman Scholar in their School of Engineering, but her 4.3 GPA, AP and National Merit Scholar status joined her athletic record to bring her acceptance from Princeton as well.

Harrington began playing softball at 5, the star pitcher and first base player the child of two engineers who were themselves high school athletes.

Harrington says she always knew she wanted to pursue a career that would employ math – lots of it. “I guess I just have a math brain,” she says. Her mother, a fire protection engineer, runs her own company; her father, an electrical engineer, works in information technology for the U.S. Postal Service.

At MVGS, juniors complete a comprehensive science or engineering project. Harrington won first prize in the engineering category at the 2020 science fair. Her project considered “winglets” and their effect on drag, specifically which winglet, if any, would most reduce the drag on an airfoil in a wind tunnel.

At Princeton, Harrington says she intends to major in mechanical and aerospace engineering, though students don’t make official declaration for majors until their second year.

Harrington has known for years what she’d study, crediting her middle school math and science teacher at Warrenton’s St. John the Evangelist School, Luann Fine, for instilling the desire to pursue a STEM field.

“She made learning so much fun,” Harrington says, recalling her education through eighth grade at SJES. Fine says her goal is to “ignite an enthusiasm for learning and promote creative and critical thinking,” assigning pupils to read “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly to learn about black female mathematicians and scientists in NASA’s early days.

Harrington also believes in giving back: she volunteers with young players at Little League and also with middle school girls at SJES at their

PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER

Fauquier school system grads Meghan Harrington, left, Sam Rodman and Laura Thompson are headed to an Ivy League school, Princeton, this fall.

GEMS Club – Girls Excelling in Math and Science. While a student there herself, she was also involved in theater productions.

At Mountain Vista, she participated in a community service group and did robotics as well.

“I manage my time a lot better when I know that it is limited,” she says with a smile. “Personally, I really like having a lot going on, in terms of getting things done academically. It helps me be more productive.”

“When Meghan walked into my classroom, she spread sunshine,” says Mindy Stephens, who taught Harrington in 10th and 11th grades.

“That might sound corny, but it’s that same feeling we all have when we step out into the warm sunshine after a very long winter. Kindness is the core of Meghan’s soul.”

Sam Rodman races ahead

Flanked by bulletin boards decorated with bibs from track events, Rodman stresses his life is more than being Virginia’s state champion for two consecutive years.

He’s the 1000-meter indoor track record-holder at Liberty, MVP for the sport six times. His mother, an accomplished runner in her own right from her high school days, has been his coach since middle school, running together with her son since he was in second grade.

In the same spirit of coaching and guidance, Rodman volunteers at Special Olympics and has been a Big Buddy for underprivileged children where he assists with homework and provides home life guidance.

See PRINCETON, page 31

PRINCETON, from page 30 With four younger siblings, Rodman says he’s got a lot of practice.

Rodman also plays second-chair cello in orchestra and has made the All-County Orchestra twice.

Last year, Rodman reached out directly to the Princeton track coach; he will be on the school’s 800-meter and mile teams.

Rodman intends to study at the school of public and international affairs, his favorite subjects always being history and social science.

Rodman says he was inspired by his Cedar Lee seventh grade civics teacher, Debbie Bryson-Blatchford.

His interest in international relations was further fueled by the StarTalk program where he was introduced to the Turkish language and culture. Rodman says he liked it so much that he returned for two summers as a teacher’s assistant.

Rodman also helped establish the Black Student Union at Liberty. “I had never really been a heavy ‘STEM person’,” Rodman confides, but he applied to attend MVGS specifically because of its renowned research program. Growing up in a household with a black father, a white mother, two biracial siblings and two siblings adopted from China, Rodman says “race has always been a part of my household.”

His interest in “colorism,” the concept of discrimination based on skin tones within an ethnic group, stemmed from his own background, something he turned into a yearlong research project.

He worked with 15 students each from grades 1-3, with prior written parental approval and clearance from an Institutional Review Board.

He brought each pupil, individually, to the library and gave each a “gingerbread man” paper doll to color.

The kids could select a single marker from a box of 10 skin-toned pens.

Curiously, Rodman discovered that almost all the students chose the lightest-colored marker – “apricot.” Further, the choice was more certain as the grade level increased.

Rodman’s fascinating research won the American Psychological Association’s award at the 2020 Fauquier Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

“Sam gives me so much hope for a future filled with peace and authentic equality,” says Mountain Vista humanities teacher Mindy Stephens. “He has been a gift to our tiny community while he was here, but he is equipped to make the entire world a better place.

Princeton is just the beginning.”

Rodman was born while his parents were intelligence analysts at the U.S. Army base in Wurzburg, Germany. When they were stationed at Fort Belvoir, the family moved to Bealeton.

Laura Thompson – It’s on autopilot

Laura Thompson graduated from Kettle Run in spring, 2020, and was set to attend Princeton last fall. But just a couple of weeks before the fall semester, the school, like many others, announced that it would hold all classes virtually. With the Coronavirus pandemic raging and no vaccine in sight, Thompson says she had diminishing hope for a normal, inperson semester.

Ordinarily organized and early for everything, Thompson says she was stressing her mom out while she tried to decide. “I hadn’t packed at all,,” she recalls. She’d spent two summers interning full-time at SPARC Research, which seeks to “advance propulsion design,” and decided to take advantage of an unexpected “gap year.” She deferred enrollment to Princeton for the year.

“My boss was like, ‘Can you just work here for an extra year?’”

Thompson recalls. SPARC president Dr. Patrick Hewitt hired Laura fulltime as an engineer with benefits.

“It was probably one of my best decisions so far,” Thompson says, giving her the opportunity to work in her chosen field and giving her the confidence to pursue mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton. “It (was) a good break from school. I feel like I am more ready to work hard. I have a better idea of what I’m actually working towards.”

When Thompson presented a winning engineering project in 2019 – use of artificial intelligence to determine optimal timing of a traffic light at the Warrenton community college interchange, her presentation served as a de facto interview for her job.

She credits the research project that earned her a win at the 2019 International Science and Engineering Fair for advancing her Princeton application that, along with perfect GPA, high AP scores, leadership and outstanding SAT scores.

Mountain Vista computer science teacher John Faircloth says Thompson’s “maturity and professionalism of (computer) code submitted in her assignments (was) beyond what to expect from a high school student.”

Thompson credits Marshall Middle School math teacher Nicholas Hanzivasilis – who taught her algebra and geometry – with her early interest in math and engineering. “He was crazy, but in a good way,” says Thompson, recounting the times Hanzivasilis would walk on desks to make a point, a stark contrast to onedimensional teaching “by the book” and one that piqued her interest to pursue her chosen career.

Sunday, October 24, 4 pm – 7 pm Come Chill with Us and Enjoy BBQ & Bluegrass!

Join us behind the ‘Brick House’ at Oak Spring Farm for the tastiest BBQ from the legendary Shaffer’s BBQ and the iconic Bluegrass Band,

The Seldom Scene while watching the sunset behind the mountains! After all, isn’t the preservation of that spectacular landscape what it is all about?

$65.00 per person Includes 1 BBQ ticket and 2 drink tickets Limited Ticketing available For Tickets and Information please call (540) 687-8441 or go online to www.landtrustva.org No tickets will be sold at the gate.

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How cool is that?

Falling water soothes the senses

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FACES & PLACES

Only small waterfalls exist on private land in Fauquier County, but widen the search just a few miles for some of Virginia’s tallest Few things in life are as cooling and refreshing on a hot summer day as a waterfall, whether sitting near it to watch – and feel – the mist splashing down the rocks, or if you’re lucky enough to climb inside. Even just hearing the endless roar, or whisper, of a stream of water abruptly changing elevation is a soothing sound.

Here are some of the best and biggest waterfalls in the area. Shenandoah National Park is a half-hour west of Warrenton, Great Falls is 45 minutes east.

Overall Run Falls

The tallest waterfall in the Shenandoah National Park, this 93foot drop is accessible at mile marker 21.1 on Skyline Drive. Beyond the waterfall is a full panorama of the Shenandoah Valley and Massanutten Mountain to the west.

5.1 roundtrip hike with a climb of 1,291 feet.

Rose River Falls

Rose River is near Big Meadows at mile 49.4. The cascade of 67 feet often splits into as many as four spouts after a rain.

4 miles roundtrip with a climb of 910 feet.

Whiteoak Canyon Falls

It is a little misnamed, as there are multiple falls along Whiteoak Canyon. They can all be accessed from mile 42.6 off Skyline Drive or from outside the park boundary south of Sperryville. The “lowest” cascade is biggest at 86 feet, but the other falls are equally impressive, giving a sense of continuity as the water flows from the top of the Blue Ridge east to the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic.

7.3 miles roundtrip with a climb of 1,200 feet.

South River Falls

Located at mile 62.8, South River

PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER

Maryland’s Swallow Falls has a perfect setup for safely splashing and wading near the fall-line for a family-friendly summer splash.

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Falls is 83 feet, with a rock ledge to sit and take in the sights, sounds and smells of the scene.

2.6 miles roundtrip with a climb of 850 feet.

Great Falls

The crashing whitewater wonder above the fall-line on the Potomac River is truly a highlight of Virginia.

George Washington commissioned a system of canals and locks to allow barge traffic to navigate around this extensive whitewater froth crashing through Mather Gorge. After visiting the remarkable falls – 76 feet in elevation drop, check out the locks, canals and the ghost town of Matildaville, built for lock tenders in the early 1800s.

1 mile roundtrip with little change in elevation.

Crabtree Falls

No list of Virginia waterfalls is complete without noting Crabtree Falls. It is farther from home than the others – near the North Carolina border in the George Washington National Forest near the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it might be worth the

PHOTO BY ROBIN MASON BLACK

Being near, or in, cool falling water is one of the fastest ways to temper the temperatures this summer. trip. Crabtree is considered the largest waterfall east of the Mississippi, 1,200 feet of fall in multiple cascades.

2.5 miles roundtrip with a climb of 1,000 feet.

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Volunteers have planted almost 1,000 trees in the former pasture at Clifton Institute.

How cool is that: Clifton restores forest, one tree at a time Story and photos by Liam Bowman During recent Saturdays, a diverse crew of biologists, conservationists, school children and Mormon missionaries has gathered in a pasture north of Warrenton, at 6712 Blantyre Road. Outfitted with rubber boots and shovels, they fan out across the muddy, uneven ground, on a mission to plant trees.

The volunteers, led by a Warrentonbased conservation nonprofit, the Clif-

ton Institute, are working to restore a 100-acre tract of grassland to a native grassland with riparian buffers after years of use for cattle grazing. They aim to plant nearly a thousand trees.

Most of these new trees will serve as riparian buffers — forested areas near streams that filter pollutants and prevent erosion — which will improve the health of Cedar Run, which in turn will protect the watershed that

flows through the pasture and eventually empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Trees are planted within 50 feet of the stream on either side. On the most recent Saturday, three rows on either side were planted. “[This project] is the biggest one I’ve heard of,” said Marie Norwood, land management outreach director for the Clifton Institute.

For years, cattle were allowed to

graze in and around the streams that crisscross the land; as a result, the property became contaminated by fecal matter and eroded soil. This contamination of Cedar Run was harmful to the watershed and local wildlife, said Bert Harris, executive director of The Clifton Institute. “It was really bad,” he said.

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FACES & PLACES CLIFTON, from page 34 But, he added, “When you get the cows out and have a forested buffer, there’s a really diverse community of [wildlife] living in the creeks.”

The trees are a combination of Pin Oaks, River Birches, Sycamores, Silky Dogwoods and Silver Maples, all of which are native to Virginia. Fully grown, they also will provide a habitat for native bird populations, which have been in decline due to suburban and agricultural development.

On the morning of April 17, around 20 volunteers arrived at the institute’s field station for the second tree-planting day this year. Working in pairs, they stripped away invasive weeds and planted seedlings deep in the mud, inserting plastic tubes around the branches to deter hungry deer. “The trees are very vulnerable in the first years,” said Francisco Dallmeier, a biologist with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute who came out to volunteer, “and the deer are a big problem.”

Among the volunteers were six Mormon missionaries from the Washington D.C. South Mission. “It’s neat knowing that you’re doing good things, even though we might not see the effects right away,” said Brittney Hahn, who recently arrived from Utah. “But if I come back to Virginia in 20 or 30 years, I might be able to see the impact we’ve had.”

Owen Kemp, a high school student from Fredericksburg, was there to fulfill his community service requirement for the National Honor Society. “I really like the educational programs they have here,” he said as he planted seedlings with his father, Chris Kemp. “They’re always teaching

Missionaries Courtney Majors and Brittney Hahn plant a seedling for the forest project.

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“We’ve been enjoying this land for years,” added his father.

The process of reforesting the pasture began in November 2019, when The Clifton Institute applied for a nearly $7,000 grant from the National Resources Conservation Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The institute had acquired the land in 2011 and removed the cows by 2018. Local environmental organizations, such as the PATH Foundation and Friends of the Rappahannock, also contributed tools and additional funding. Since planting started, volunteers have planted hundreds of seedlings, and the institute expected to reach their goal.

If these trees survive the vulnerable seedling stage, “the roots will start to stabilize the banks within two or three years,” said Harris.

Harris plans to continue the riparian buffer planting in the adjacent pasture, which also belongs to the institute and is still being grazed. “On the grazing side, we’re trying to get funding for some more trees,” he said, which would lessen the cattle’s environmental impact.

Dallmeier, who has worked on conservation projects around the world, hopes that more local landowners will adopt reforestation efforts.

“Pretty soon you’ll be able to see what a natural Virginia landscape looks like,” he said.

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Fare & Flair

LIVING WELL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

Private dining at Marshall’s Field and Main Story by Mara Seaforest Photos by Randy Litzinger

Inside this section

• Fresh flavors for the season in local brews • Need-to-know guide to native ferns • Fauquier’s ice cream trail: Cold, but so sweet SUMMER 2021

37

FARE & FLAIR

Think outside the box

But dine inside it at Field and Main Field and Main owners Neal and Star Wavra have spent five years establishing a restaurant in a late-18th century house on Main Street in the heart of Marshall. By last year, it was already rated one of the finest in Virginia.

It was built as much on the human need for connection as on its reputation for exceptional food and drink. Guests were drawn to it both from far away and right up the road.

They felt able to relax while enjoying their fine-dining experience centered around Field and Main’s huge kitchen hearth. The hearth had become such a focal point that Neal and Star started the Hestia Guild, a social organization named after the ancient Greek goddess of the hearth, to offer special events to its members.

Hearthsides do have their magic, but people today also meet and share ideas in bars. Field and Main’s snug bar was on its top floor, with a few booths and several seats at the bar itself. Food derived from the main restaurant menu was served at happyhour prices, making the bar a good choice for impromptu meals without a reservation. It was accessible only via worn, slanting stairs that served as a reminder to drink responsibly.

The staff had helped Neal and Star create an atmosphere to which people wanted to return, whether for important occasions or anytime the spirit moved them.

But then, early last year, this comfortable world – all the world – changed.

The perfect sunrise

When COVID-19 hit, restaurants were among those most harshly affected by a “perfect storm” of broken supply chains, restrictions to reduce the spread of disease, and lost incomes. Of those able to keep going, many did so only by a slender thread.

For many, that thread snapped.

Unlike most restaurant owners, Neal and Star Wavra found themselves with opportunities that could be called a “perfect sunrise.” The full impact of COVID hit Fauquier County right at the beginning of the Virginia growing season. Because Field and Main’s cuisine depends on fresh, organic food, the supply chain in Virginia’s countryside remained strong. The dozens of farmers, wineries and artisans on whom the restaurant depended were only too happy to continue providing for the restaurant’s guests.

Seating regulations were going to cut into the restaurant’s normal guest list. The Wavras had no choice but to close the small bar. They gave thought to the issues in the community that they could address through mutually beneficial changes.

By March last year, and without compromising the quality of their cuisine, Neal and Star had added more staff and were preparing talk-of-the-county sandwiches and “heat-and-eat” meals for curbside pickup during the day. They acquired former servants’ quarters, known as “the bakery,” next door to the main restaurant. This became the headquarters for carry-out items. A unique selection of foods formed a mini farm market. Some who missed having cocktails in the bar were offered their favorites in little Ball jars to take home to pour over their own ice.

Most importantly, people who thought they couldn’t afford to dine at Field and Main discovered how accessible the food was, creating a new group of regulars. “We developed a rapport that has stayed deeply meaningful rather than just exchanging money for food,” Neal remembers. This new ambiance brought the Wavras ever closer to the ideal of having a restaurant with relationships at its core.

Air circulates freely inside the new permanent cabanas, with assistance from an overhead fan. In winter, there are heaters. Owners Star and Neal Wavra encourage cabana guests to dress comfortably for the weather. “Remember, you’re dining out.”

Field and Main also ramped up production to feed school kids who no longer received food in during the school day, sharing produce with local food banks. Staffing increased 50%. The restaurant had created jobs for 30 people.

A winning adventure

The large grassy yard behind the restaurant started sprouting picnic tables in time for summer weather, to provide the community with outdoor places to meet friends for the restaurant’s new casual lunches. As it got hotter in July, Neal added three-sided white canvas tents, which he called “cabanas” to provide relief from the sun. Small battery-powered fans helped cool these private spaces.

Inside the main restaurant, diners were served at tables spaced widely in accordance with what Field and Main manager Julie Gray politely refers to as “nuanced” government regulations. “We tried our best to be sure everyone was safe and comfortable and that their dining experience was an excellent one, in spite of the restrictions.” Even so, it was clear that such reduced guest accommodations wouldn’t carry Field and Main through winter.

Guests were enjoying the cabanas so much that Neal and Star began thinking ahead to winter and beyond, when Covid restrictions were likely to remain in place. Neal began sketching ideas for permanent wooden cabanas that would be a cross between barns and gracious Japanese teahouses. Something brilliant was about to happen — because of, not in spite of, the pandemic.

The secret garden

The Wavras sought out local craftsmen to bring Neal’s sketches to life.

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SUMMER 2021

George Diaz, owner of Diaz Custom Carpentry, was already responsible for much of the interior of the main restaurant building. Steve Ritter added the same raised-seam metal roofing for the permanent cabanas that you see on the roof of the main restaurant, stylistically bridging new and old. Paul Harris did the stonework and paving, making sure the entire area was handicap accessible.

Now, in the full bloom of summer 2021, with masks optional, Field and Main’s secret garden is the hottest ticket in Northern Virginia and beyond.

All around the cabanas, flower and herb gardens bring fragrant color to the shade provided by overhead trees. Couples, friends and families stroll to their own spaces that speak as much of community as privacy.

Air circulates through sliding doors on three sides of each cabana with help from overhead fans. Strands of tiny lights add treehouse charm to the dining experience.

Star Wavra explains their recipe for future growth. “COVID was a challenge, no doubt about it. But we used it as an opportunity to enhance our community and create a unique place that people really seem to love. We’re thrilled with how it’s turned out.

“We’ve renewed our Hestia Guild gatherings. Neal continues his Mystery Wine tastings online, and we might be able to offer some in person soon. The biggest news is we’re going to close for a couple of weeks to remodel the kitchen in anticipation of menu changes.

“As always, at the heart of everything, we want people to feel welcome here and use their Field and Main experiences to deepen their relationships with food, drink, the community, and each other.”

FARE & FLAIR

Cool brews for summer

Warrenton’s own Barking Rose Brewery won a silver medal at the Virginia Craft Brewers Cup.

Finding your own personal Mecca here in Fauquier Story and photo by John Daum In Chaucer’s day, summer was the perfect time for a pilgrimage. Medieval byways were swelled with travelers just as our highways are today anytime between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” adventure begins from the Tabard Inn on the south side of the Thames in London. The pilgrims knew they had a long journey ahead of them to Canterbury, so to pass the time they decided to have a contest along the way with each pilgrim sharing a story to entertain his fellow travelers. And, historically speaking, there were many ales and draughts consumed along the route.

Though Canterbury is a stretch for a pilgrim in Northern Virginia, recreate the adventure with a pilgrimage of your own this summer.

Old Ox Brewery in Middleburg and Ashburn has just the right taste and finish for a road-weary modern traveler. A nice kick-off beer is their Kristin’s Passion, a wonderfully rich Mexican Hot Chocolate Porter. It is brewed with cocoa nibs, cinnamon and vanilla bean which blend together nicely in

the finish. To add an extra kick, red chilies are added in to turn up the heat.

Just down the street from Old Ox is the newer Dynasty Brewing Company.

Dynasty makes a fantastic Triple Indian Pale Ale called Front Porch which tips the scales at 12.5% alcohol. The consumer might never guess, because of the expertly balanced mixture of Mosaic, Amarillo and Galaxy hops.

An even bigger beer is their deceptively titled Tiny Dictator. There is nothing tiny about this strong Imperial Stout which is aged in Jack Daniels whiskey barrels with an ABV of 13%. It is brewed with a sumptuous combination of chocolate, coconut and blueberries and aged more than six months before being bottled.

Mieza Blendery is a nano-brewery located within Dynasty’s brewing facility, creating some of the best sour beers in Northern Virginia. Mieza brews are difficult to find in local restaurants or beer shops, so the best way to sample them is to make a short pilgrimage to Ashburn to try them in person.

Smoking Pixies would be a great introduction, a well-balanced and

appropriately tart sour, is made with cranberries aged in Mezcal barrels.

Even more impressive is Ceramic Gnomes which is made in collaboration with Dynasty. This Golden Sour beer is aged in rye whiskey barrels and then finished with sour cherries and star Anise which gives it a distinctive aftertaste to savor.

Pen Druid Brewing in Sperryville is owned by the Carney brothers and named for their old family farm on the Thornton River. This destination brewery has been making some of the most interesting and unique beers in the area since 2015. Their beers are spontaneously fermented using copper coolships similar to what you find in classic Belgian breweries such as Cantillon in Brussels.

One taste of their Ghosts brew proves the point: this Farmhouse Dark

Strong Ale is conditioned on raspberries in oak barrels. This is not a beer to rush through but one intended for long conversations after a satisfying walk in the woods or a cool summer evening out at their roaring fire pit.

Barking Rose Brewery outside Warrenton offers Kelsenator Dopplebock which came home with a silver medal from this year’s Virginia Craft Brewers Cup. But especially crafted for summer sipping, their crisp, refreshing Farmers Tan is a classic American Pale Ale. Or, for something really different, check out Barking Rose’s Belgian Fruit Tripel which is made with boysenberries, unusual for this style.

With an ABV of 9%, this popular drink is a perfect choice to close a Fauquier County summertime beer adventure.

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FARE & FLAIR

Beat the heat from the inside out Fauquier’s ice cream trail is a long, and winding road (thank goodness) July is National Ice Cream month, and no better time to hit the road in search of your personal favorite frozen treat. From Bealeton’s Moo Thru local dairy co-op to Scruffy’s in Middleburg, a place to scoop and be seen – and benefit homeless animals at the same time, Fauquier County (and its periphery) hits the sweet spot. Make your own pilgrimage to sample the best of the best of the season.

Carousel Frozen Treats

Effee’s Frozen Favorites

Scruffy’s Ice Cream Parlor

5051 Lee Highway, New Baltimore 540-347-2220 effees.com

346 Waterloo Street, Warrenton 540-351-0004 carouselfrozentreats.com

Moo Thru

11402 James Madison Highway, Remington 540-439-6455 facebook.com/moothru

Bears Soft Serve

8440 West Main Street, Marshall 540-272-5720

6 West Washington Street, Middleburg 540-687-3766

Freeze!

PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER

Delicious but oh-so painful, ‘ice cream headache’ is no joke

PHOTOS BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

That’s really cold.

(And we like it that way.)

According to 2020 statistics, Americans consume roughly 1.6 billion gallons of ice cream each year. That is about 23 pounds of ice cream per person.

Ask yourself – are you doing your part?

Ice cream scooped into cones or piled on top of pastries is one of mankind’s oldest sweet treats.

Alexander the Great (356 to 352 BCE) was likely the first human to spoon up snow sweetened with honey and nectar. Centuries later, sweetened scoops of snow became “cream ice,” with the first credited commercial ice cream recipe credited to a Sicilian chef in the 1880s.

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SUMMER 2021

An ice cream headache, also known as “brain freeze” or “cold rush” as well as by its scientific name sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, is a spate of brief and sudden headache or cranial pain commonly associated with consumption of cold food like ice cream or cold beverages like iced tea.

It is caused by having something cold touch the roof of the mouth. Researchers believe it is a nerve response causing rapid constriction and swelling of blood vessels which then “refer” from the palate to the forehead.

A similar but painless blood vessel response causes the face to appear “flushed” after being outside on a cold day.

In both instances, cold temperatures cause capillaries in the sinuses to constrict and then experience extreme rebound dila-

Popularity contest

tion as they warm up again.

It is possible to suffer brain freeze in both hot and cold weather, since the effect relies on the food temperature rather than the environment.

To relieve the sudden pain, anecdotal remedies include pressing your tongue up against the roof of the mouth to warm the area. Another home remedy is to tilt your head back for 10 seconds. Drinking a warm or lukewarm beverage can help, and an online tutorial suggested breathing in through the mouth and out through the nose, thus passing warm air through your nasal passages.

Since ice cream headache is more common during the hot summer months, breathing is an easy fix.

Entrepreneur magazine reported that in a recent poll, 27% of American adults said chocolate is their favorite flavor of ice cream. Twenty-two percent prefer vanilla, with same responding their propensity for cookies and cream. Twenty percent named butter pecan as their favorite, while 17% like mint chocolate chip best.

Other flavors named as favorites included Rocky Road (14%), strawberry (13%), cherry vanilla (9%), coffee (9%), pistachio (8%) and peanut butter (8%).

Only 3% of Americans do not eat ice cream.

The poll found that 45% of respondents say they prefer to eat ice cream out of a cup while 29% like a cone.

Another Entrepreneur poll found that almost 90% of Americans ate packaged ice cream in the past calendar year.

Fun ice cream fact: It takes 12 pounds of milk to produce one gallon of ice cream.

Fun ice cream fact, part 2: The average number of licks to finish a scoop of ice cream is 50.

FARE & FLAIR

Fabulous ferns

What kind of fern is that?

Many ferns can be identified by where the fern keeps its spores -- are they on the underside of a green frond, or on a specialized frond for spores-only?

The shape of the spore clusters, whether the fern has hairs versus scales, the arrangement and the shape of the fronds are all factors.

The Master Gardener Help Desk at Virginia Cooperative Extension can help with fern identification. Call 540-341-7950 to reach the local Master Gardeners.

Cool customers to grace the garden Story and photo by Sally Harmon Semple Imagine a deer- and rabbit-tolerant plant, not plagued by insects or diseases, that grows well without full sun.

With lacy leaves, ferns are a favorite Virginia native.

They’re versatile, they’re underused and they should be a darling of most gardens in the region. Ferns make lovely groundcovers, specimen and border plants and require very little care once established.

The native Lady Fern (Athyrium asplenoides) is the quintessential cultivar, with finely divided lacy fronds arching outward in a vase-shaped form.

Easy to grow, lady ferns are a great selection for a moderately shady area of your landscape. The feminine name is attributed to the crescent eyelid- or eyelash-shaped cluster of spores that decorate the underside of their fronds. These ladies will handle drier soil than many ferns, but should receive protection from strong winds that can damage their delicate fronds. Over time, lady ferns will spread and create new ferns for the garden.

Native wood ferns, with their sturdy fronds arranged in a strongly circular fashion, have a tidy appearance. The Marginal Wood Fern, also known as the Leatherwood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis), is evergreen and continues to look fresh until battered down by snow or ice. This forgiving fern handles dense shade but will grow in light sun, and is relatively drought-tolerant. The underside

of its fronds reveal polka-dot shaped spore clusters near the margins of the fronds, making it one of the easier ferns to identify.

Another impressive native wood fern is Goldie’s Fern (Dryopteris goldiana), also known as the Giant Wood fern, reaching up to 4 feet in height.

Named after a Scottish botanist, this fern is an excellent choice for tough, moist, shady spots.

Single-frond ferns that form large uniform colonies make great groundcovers. The Hay-scented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobia), a native of open woods and dry slopes, reaches 2 feet tall, spreads quickly by rhizomes, and has a light yellow fall color. The leaflets when crushed give off a light hay-like scent. But do not plant this fern near an unmanaged forest – it spreads so well that it can choke out other native plants in the woods.

The Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) has a classic circular frond arrangement – called clumping, but also spreads to create a tall ground cover. This native fern tolerates clay soil, sports tall (2 to 4 feet) arching fronds suggestive of the shape and size of ostrich plumes, and provides an edible spring delicacy.

Like most ferns, the fronds of the Ostrich fern emerge in a tight spiral called a fiddlehead (reminiscent of the scroll on the head of a violin). Harvested in the spring, well boiled then lightly sauteed, the Ostrich fern fiddlehead is a treat to savor. But ferns harbor toxins, so fiddleheads must be thoroughly cooked and properly identified as coming from an Ostrich fern. Resist the temptation to take all the fiddleheads – leave enough behind so the fern can grow.

While spring and fall are the best time for planting, ferns can be planted now in the summer if care is taken to keep them well watered. Some ferns such as the Ostrich fern and the singlefrond New York fern start to look a little ragged late in the season. Simply remove the most tattered fronds or leave them all in place as added protection from the elements of winter.

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41

FARE & FLAIR

Work up your garden soil, work up a sweat – It’ll benefit both of you No need for a gym. Just grab a shovel.

Story and photo by Betsy Burke Parker Exercise is good for the body human, but with gyms closed last year and group fitness classes halted due to the pandemic, you had to be creative for calorie-burning.

But, really, you didn’t need to look any further than your own backyard for one of the most rewarding, and challenging – and ongoing – workouts.

Gardening combines sunshine, nature and physical activity, with a reward-system built in as a bonus – the payoff at the end of dedicated tending and nurturing is an overflowing basket of vegetables at the end of the season, or an armful of beautiful flowers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, gardening provides a moderate level of physical activity, burning between 210 and 420 calories per hour. CDC guidelines cite that adults get 3 or more hours of moderate physical activity each week.

The health-boost benefits of gardening include increased hand strength, better overall physical condition, increased stamina and endurance, gentle stretches leading to more agility, and the general measure of happiness increases exponentially according to the number of hours you spend outside. Decreased stress leads to increased health, and growing your own vegetables

and fruit leads to more of both in the diet, another lead indicator of health and longevity.

A recent study of Alzheimer’s patients who participated in a horticultural therapy program for 12 weeks showed better memory retention and longer attention span than peers who didn’t take part. They also scored significantly higher on a cognitive assessment known as the Test for Severe Impairment than those who had not worked in the garden study. The test assesses motor skills, language comprehension and production, memory, general knowledge as well as problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Tips on gardening as exercise:

• Find out what kind of plants grow well in the Piedmont – morningchores.com • Make a concerted effort when bending, squatting, lifting, digging and the like – by “pushing yourself” raise your heart rate for an aerobic workout and by putting your body strength into chores such as working with a hoe or shovel.

Another way to “add exercise” to your gardening chores is to park far from the front door when you go shopping, or to hand-carry your own plants and supplies rather than requesting assistance.

• You don’t need your own open land to garden – reserve space in one of the county’s community gardens.

Use every muscle group by consciously making an effort in your garden chores, such as isometric bicep and tricep curls when thinning and harvesting herbs.

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Jazz up your summer sippers Herb ice cubes are an easy, tasty, way to put more green in your diet This summer, create a one-of-akind cocktail – with or without alcohol – to bring your next seasonal celebration up a notch.

Plan ahead, since your role in herb ice cubes starts long before the first beverage is poured. Grow your own herbs in your garden plot, in pots on your patio or in a kitchen container by a sunny window. If you don’t have herbs on hand, most grocery stores sell fresh herbs, or you can definitely find them at any of Fauquier’s farmers markets.

Rosemary, mint and basil are traditional for use in herb ice cubes, but, really, you can freeze anything.

Try lavender or thyme. Lemon balm would go great in a homemade lemonade (spiked or not) and dill would wake up a Bloody Mary or a V8 juice.

The process is simple: Snip herbs, saving the leaves, or leaves plus stems, depending on the herb. Put a few pieces of your herb in each section of an ice tray and cover with water.

Freeze for a few hours until ready to serve.

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• Serving suggestion: when your herb ice cubes are frozen solid, pop one or two into a highball glass and cover with the liquid of your choice.

• Add another sprig of your selected herb, or a complimentary one, as a garnish.

• Leftover cubes can be used in recipes calling for any liquid along with your herb – use these in soups, stews, as a braise or even in herblaced cookie or cake batters.

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PHOTOS BY CHRIS CERRONE

Cultivated flowers and wild ones – often considered ‘weeds,’ are often edible and can add a playful and colorful garnish to the summer supper plate. Try pansies, far left, as a salad topper, and dandelions, center – the foliage as an addition to a green salad and the yellow flower as a sweet fried treat. Squash blossoms can be piped full of sweet or savory filling for a gorgeous addition to the dinner or dessert display.

Flowers: They’re not just for show (sometimes, they’re for dinner) Nibble your way through our garden grazing list

You might fight with dandelions in your lawn, but instead of mowing or poisoning them, try munching on them instead. Here, the leaves have been stir fried with garlic and apple cider vinegar, and clumps of flower buds mixed in a batter of flour, baking powder and beer, then fried as delicate fritters.

Flowers aren’t only for ornament – they can be a delicious addition to the summer menu.

1. Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums have a snappy, peppery taste similar to watercress. The easy to grow, colorful blooms look great in a summer salad, and flowers, leaves and seeds can be used.

2. Pansies

Pansies have a mild lettuce-like taste that makes them a perfect addition to summer salads.

Use a range of colors to spice up a monotone mix.

3. Violets

Violets have a mild and slightly sweet flavor.

Use flower petals, or a whole flower, in salads or as a garnish on a sandwich.

Candied violets make a great cake decoration.

4. Hostas

Hostas are an incredibly useful edible ornamental. You can eat the flowers, leaves or stolons raw or in a stir-try. The flavor is mild, similar to kale.

5. Borage

Borage’s blue flowers have a cucumber-like taste. Tuck a few flower buds into a summer drink or summer salad, or use them in a stir-fry.

6. Calendula

The zesty tang is similar to saffron, and the yellow color adds vibrancy to a variety of savory dishes.

10. Hollyhocks

Use the vibrant blossoms as garnish, or the slightly sweet blooms can be added to salad dressing to pump up the flavor.

11. Sunflowers

The seeds are widely recognized as edible, but sunflower petals and unopened flowers can also be eaten. Steam the plump bud like an artichoke.

12. Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle brings fragrant sweetness to jams, cakes and other treats.

13. Tulips

Fresh and citrus-flavored, marigold petals are edible, and add depth to summer salads.

Use large, smooth tulip petals as little platters for sweet canapés or for bites of ice cream. The flavor is mild, not unlike lettuce, but they mostly add color and texture.

8. Chrysanthemums

15. Lavender

9. Carnations

16. Pea flowers

7. Marigolds

Mums range from peppery to mild to sweet.

Use the petals in savory recipes.

Carnations taste like cloves, and they can be used in spicy, sweet dessert recipes.

44

SUMMER 2021

Lavender provides a sweet, strong flavor to hearty baked goods, ice creams and more.

Pick peas in the flowering stage for a dainty addition to a salad. The flavor is like a mild pea.

17. Squash flowers

The male flowers that you remove from your squash after pollination can also serve as a secondary yield from these plants.

Squash flowers are a delicacy which can be stuffed to create a range of canapés.

18. Dandelions

Dandelions are a common garden plant, often considered a to be a weed. But they can be very useful, not only to wildlife but also as an edible plant.

Dandelion petals and stamen have a mildly sweet taste. Flower buds or flowers can be fried or turned into sweet or savory fritters.

19. Daisies

Daisies are often overlooked as an edible food source in salads or sandwiches. Flower buds can also be pickled as an alternative to capers.

20. Red clover

Clover flowers – both red and white – can be eaten. Red clover can be used in teas, syrups and a range of desserts.

PHOTO BY BETSY BURKE PARKER

There are so many ways to serve squash, you’ll have no problem making up your vegetable intake this season with homegrown, or locally grown, delights.

Summer squash to the rescue Highlight it or hide it – yellow or green. They’re on the menu.

By Mary Ann Dancisin A summertime bounty of vegetables is featured this month. Seems everyone loves zucchini in some form or another. Here’s a delicious (almost) vegan dish to put in the oven, dash off to a pool party, and come home to a fragrant, savory dinner. Top off this healthy meal with a dessert of moist, traditional zucchini bread.

Summer vegetable casserole

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling 1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 large garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon thyme leaves 1/2 pound plum tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick 2 small zucchini (1/2 pound) sliced on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch baking dish with olive oil.

Spread potatoes in an even layer; drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, combine bell pepper, onion, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Arrange two-thirds of the bell pepper mixture over the potatoes and drizzle with oil.

Top with tomatoes and zucchini; drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the remaining bell pepper mixture and sprinkle with the cheese.

Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425°. Uncover the casserole and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender and glazed on top. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Serve warm.

Zucchini bread with cream cheese frosting Bread

3 eggs (beaten) 1 cup vegetable oil 2 cups sugar 2 cups zucchini, coarsely grated 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp nutmeg 3/4 tsp cinnamon 3 cups flour 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 2 cups walnuts, toasted and rough chopped

Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour 2 regular loaf pans or 4 mini pans.

Mix eggs, oil, sugar and spices until well blended. Sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Add dry ingredients to egg and oil mixture. Add zucchini and nuts and stir just to blend. Bake at 325° for 45 minutes for small pans or 1 hour for regular size.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest and beat until thoroughly blended. Spread the frosting on the cakes and serve.

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45

THE LAST WORD

Summer afternoon – The two most beautiful words in the English language Verse and prose in celebration of the season Compiled by Steve Price All in all, it was a never-to-beforgotten summer ... one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends, and delightful doing, come as near perfection as anything can come in this world.

Bed in Summer

– L.M. MONTGOMERY

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.

— F. SCOTT FITZGERALD, THE GREAT GATSBY

A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky

Lewis Carroll A boat beneath a sunny sky, Lingering onward dreamily In an evening of July — Children three that nestle near, Eager eye and willing ear, Pleased a simple tale to hear — Long has paled that sunny sky: Echoes fade and memories die: Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise, Alice moving under skies Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear, Eager eye and willing ear, Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by, Dreaming as the summers die: Ever drifting down the stream — Lingering in the golden gleam — Life, what is it but a dream?

Warm Summer Sun

Mark Twain Warm summer sun, Shine kindly here, Warm southern wind, Blow softly here.

Green sod above, Lie light, lie light.

Good night, dear heart, Good night, good night.

Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you.

— LANGSTON HUGHES 46

SUMMER 2021

PHOTO BY KEITH BRIGGS

A perfect summer capture in Fauquier’s horse country: Photographer – and father, Keith Briggs caught this intimate moment at his in-laws’ farm on Plicher Street in Warrenton. He calls it a magical interaction between his children Dylan and Kylie and a neighbor’s inquisitive horse, superimposed under an after-storm rainbow.

Robert Louis Stevenson In winter I get up at night And dress by yellow candle-light.

In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see The birds still hopping on the tree, Or hear the grown-up people’s feet Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you, When all the sky is clear and blue, And I should like so much to play, To have to go to bed by day?

Summer Stars

The Mower to the Glow-Worms

Carl Sandburg

Andrew Marvell

Bend low again, night of summer stars.

So near you are, sky of summer stars, So near, a long arm man can pick off stars, Pick off what he wants in the sky bowl, So near you are, summer stars, So near, strumming, strumming, So lazy and hum-strumming.

Fireflies in the Garden Robert Frost Here come real stars to fill the upper skies, And here on earth come emulating flies, That though they never equal stars in size, (And they were never really stars at heart) Achieve at times a very star-like start.

Only, of course, they can’t sustain the part.

Ye living lamps, by whose dear light The nightingale does sit so late, And studying all the summer night, Her matchless songs does meditate; Ye country comets, that portend No war nor prince’s funeral, Shining unto no higher end Than to presage the grass’s fall; Ye glow-worms, whose officious flame To wand’ring mowers shows the way, That in the night have lost their aim, And after foolish fires do stray; Your courteous lights in vain you waste, Since Juliana here is come, For she my mind hath so displac’d That I shall never find my home.

Sonnet XVIII

William Shakespeare Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Summer afternoon— summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.

—HENRY JAMES

One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.

– HENRY DAVID THOREAU

August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born.

The odd uneven time.

- SYLVIA PLATH

Blackberry-Picking

Seamus Heany Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.

At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.

You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer’s blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for picking.

Then red ones inked up and that hunger Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam-pots Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.

Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills We trekked and picked until the cans were full, Until the tinkling bottom had been covered With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned Like a plate of eyes….

The children start school now in August. They say it has to do with air-conditioning, but I know sadism when I see it.

– RICK BRAGG, MY SOUTHERN JOURNEY: TRUE STORIES FROM THE HEART OF THE SOUTH

SUMMER 2021

47

Welcome to the new legacy!

Still your bank.

Welcome to new legacy!

Welcome to the the new legacy!

On April 1, 2021, The Fauquier Bank merged with Virginia National Bank. The combined bank will cover the counties of Fauquier, Prince William, Frederick, and Albemarle, and the cities of Richmond and Charlottesville. together over 140 years of combined On April 1, 2021, Bringing The Fauquier Bank merged with Virginia National banking experience to The our community.

Thethe transition ofFauquier, theVirginia combined bank will Bank. combined bank will cover counties with of Prince On April 1, The 2021, Fauquier Bank merged National William, Frederick, and cities Richmond take some time, butAlbemarle, we expect to the serve all of clients at all and locations Bank. The combined bank will coverand the counties of Fauquier, Prince Charlottesville.by Bringing together over 140 years of combined banking August 2021. Welcome to the new William, Frederick, and Albemarle, and the cities oflegacy!

Richmond and

Stillyour your bank.

Still bank.

experience to our community. The transition of the combined bank will Charlottesville.

Bringing over 140 years of combined take some time, buttogether we expect to serve all clients locations banking As we continue to grow, we will never lose sightatofallthe critical ingredients

by August 2021.The Welcome to the new experience to our community. transition of legacy! the combined bank will

to our continued success. Exceptional service begins and ends with people. take someThat’s time, butwewesay, expect toabout servepeople all clients all locations “It’s all . . . critical andatalways will be.”

As we continue why to grow, we will never lose sight of the ingredients

by August 2021. Welcome to the new legacy!

to our continued success. Exceptional service begins and ends with people.

Visit information!

That’s why weTFB.bank/about-us say, “It’s all about peoplefor . . .more and always will be.”

As we continue to grow, we will never lose sight of the critical ingredients Visit TFB.bank/about-us for more begins information! to our continued success.

Exceptional service and ends with people.

That’s why we say, “It’s all about people . . . and always will be.”