Front Porch Fredericksburg - January 2014 by Virginia Grogan

YOUR GUIDE TO THE LOCAL GOOD LIFE

front porch T H E R E G I O N ' S free C O M M U N I T Y M A G A Z I N E

L o c a l G o o d N e w s S i n c e 1 9 97 YEAR 17 • ISSUE 199 • JANUARY 2014

Frontporchfredericksburg.com

Her CRRL Family

Jenny McGee 3

Pain, No Gain

When Aging Hurts 6

Pre-K

Andi Gabor’s Way 8

Sib Silver

Silver Ridge Farm 9

Uova Pasta, Yolk, White Truffle 12

Integrative & Evidence-Based

Niece Anesthetist

Nice Nurse 29

Bob Sima

His Next Big Thing 30

contents

closeups 3

Jenny Mcgee ...lobby stops the art of playing ... andi gabor

BobSima’s Next big thing ... with divine purpose

porch talk 4 ..5 7

on the porch...life in fredericksburg Messages

Our Heritage history’s stories.: rappahannock canal cornerstone

canine companions: patience mandatory

autoknown better: resolutions

Senior Care: back from the holidays

double-blinded by science

Art in the ‘burg: new artists to fcca

scene & heard...in the ‘burg!

collect locally poetryman: inversion

community link: .........trista chapman & empty bowl

my own path

porchlight: the rest of the story

stacey & Amy market your business

the diplomacy of marketing Quiet Moments: dilaudid & crushed ice

retired on the back porch: names that tame stafford 350

rogers ford farm winery

Vino: the importer at work Cooking with kyle

season’s bounty

art of the brew: david achkio

libations: normandy coffee

16-17

Calendar of Events

...And more! 6

haaaaie’s phoebe...forever changed

oral history: sib silver remembers

farewell tracey clarke

new art: post holiday hangover relief

Lobby Stops Jenny McGee aand her crrl Family “The CRRL is like an extension of my family,” Jenny Mc Gee tells me as she loads 10 bundles of Front Porch Magazine onto her workplace truck. “From the beginning, as a part-time page, I felt like I belonged. I took pride in my work even though I was only stocking the shelves, but organization is very important for a library and I was happily meticulous.” That was 15 years ago, and Jenny is still with her happy family. Her beloved mother (beloved by both her family and the community) passed away in 2011 after a tough battle with ALS. Jenny’s dad, John, and her share the same house. Together, they have three cats, a bird, “and a superstar of an amazing dog, Stella.” From there, she is focused on her own growth and health while still reaching

Cover Photo byruth golden

Jack Frost Nipping At Your Nose?

Have A Hot Drink where warm hearts wish you Happy Holidays

January 2014

Front porch fredericksburg

out to others, including her father, and all those wonderful elders she meets on her lobby stops throughout the region. Her work shows her sincerity toward people, especially those who could stand a volume of compassion. She does not just drop off books at the various nursing and senior care facilities in the area. She builds relationships with the residents of those facilities, and it comes naturally to her. Few people I know can do that better than Jenny. She is a model for bright disposition, encouragement, and nurturing. Her compassion is unmatched; her wisdom beyond her 30-something years. And she still loves her job: “It didn’t take long to start the ascent up the biblio-ladder, and I started checking out

Where Fredericksburg Gets Engaged

606 Caroline Street 373-7847 www.gemstonecreations.org books at the circulation desk. I loved interacting with the patrons and getting to know their families and interests. I worked at many different branches’ circulation departments, assisted in the revision of two new branches in Colonial Beach and in Montross, and eventually subbed on the bookmobile.” Jenny worked part time at the CRRL all through college until a full time position opened up on the bookmobile in the Outreach department. She started that job in ‘04 and stayed on the bookmobile until its retirement in 2010. “Though we retired the RV, the Outreach department continued. On the bookmobile, I’d visit daycares, preschools, senior living facilities, and neighborhoods significantly far from a library branch. With so many new branches, most of the

library provided a van equipped with a cargo lift for deliveries. I started providing the daycares and preschools with a book deposit every two weeks as well as doing story times. The seniors began participating in my new service, called The Lobby Stops.” The Lobby Stop closely resembles the bookmobile in that she visits bimonthly, provides at least three carts of circulating library materials available for checkout, and has a computer linked to the library database for accessing patron records and placing requests. She visits 45 different places, providing people ages 2 to 102 with library materials. “It’s a truly unique position and I love doing it.

neighborhoods could make do without the bookmobile visits, but we still wanted to provide the children and seniors with library materials. In lieu of the RV, the

Link to lobby stop schedule: www.librarypoint.org/lobby_stops

Call for Special Holiday Hours

RG front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

contents

closeups 3

Jenny Mcgee ...lobby stops the art of playing ... andi gabor

BobSima’s Next big thing ... with divine purpose

porch talk 4 ..5 7

on the porch...life in fredericksburg Messages

Our Heritage history’s stories.: rappahannock canal cornerstone

canine companions: patience mandatory

autoknown better: resolutions

Senior Care: back from the holidays

double-blinded by science

Art in the ‘burg: new artists to fcca

scene & heard...in the ‘burg!

collect locally poetryman: inversion

community link: .........trista chapman & empty bowl

my own path

porchlight: the rest of the story

stacey & Amy market your business

the diplomacy of marketing Quiet Moments: dilaudid & crushed ice

retired on the back porch: names that tame stafford 350

rogers ford farm winery

Vino: the importer at work Cooking with kyle

season’s bounty

art of the brew: david achkio

libations: normandy coffee

16-17

Calendar of Events

...And more! 6

haaaaie’s phoebe...forever changed

oral history: sib silver remembers

farewell tracey clarke

new art: post holiday hangover relief

Cover Photo byruth golden

Jack Frost Nipping At Your Nose?

Have A Hot Drink where warm hearts wish you Happy Holidays

January 2014

Front porch fredericksburg

Where Fredericksburg Gets Engaged

neighborhoods could make do without the bookmobile visits, but we still wanted to provide the children and seniors with library materials. In lieu of the RV, the

Link to lobby stop schedule: www.librarypoint.org/lobby_stops

Call for Special Holiday Hours

RG front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

Rob Grogan

ON THE PORCH

The Diplomacy Of Marketing

Winter morning prayer

A Hand Up For Artisans Worldwide

Editor

Associate Photography Editor Archer Di Peppe Contributing Writers & Artists A.E.Bayne l Megan Byrnes Collette Caprara C.Ruth Cassell Lezlie Cheryl Ashleigh Chevalier Steve DeCampo Lee M. DeLongis Arch Di Peppe Fran k Fratoe William Garnett Ruth Golden Sue Henderson Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks Katie Hornung Karl Karch David S. Kerr Kathleen M. Lewis Will Loring Sara Mattingly Jo Middleton Susan Carter Morgan Amy Pearce M.L.Powers Vanessa Moncure Scott Richards Kathy Rivers Wendy Schmitz James Kyle Snyder John Sovitsky Matt Thomas Christine Thompson Rim Vining Front Porch Fredericksburg is a free circulation magazine published monthly by Olde Towne Publishing Co., Inc. Virginia Bigenwald Grogan, Publisher. The mission of Front Porch Fredericksburg is to connect the diverse citizenry of Fredericksburg with lively features and informative columns of interest to our community’s greatest resource, its people. Messages from our readers are welcome. All submissions must be received by e-mail by the 19th of the month preceding publication. Writers are welcome to request Writer’s Guidelines and query the Editor by e-mail. Front Porch Fredericksburg PO Box 9203 Fredericksburg, VA 22403 Phone: 540-220-1922 E-Mail: frntprch@aol.com Web Site: www.frontporchfredericksburg.com The opinions expressed in Front Porch Fredericksburg are those of the contributing writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Front Porch Fredericksburg or its advertisers. Copyright 2014 Olde Towne Publishing Co., LLC All rights reserved.

It is my kind of winter morning except the snow could be heavier. But, we are in Virginia where I’ve come to appreciate even the dustings that come few and far between. I have prayed for snow and nothing could fill my heart with more joy than a bona fide White Christmas, where the snow begins during the day of the 24th and continues throughout the night and well into the morning of the 25th. Stepping up to a full-length window in the radiant-heat room, a cold draft makes me shiver. The breeze outside sways the bamboo and howls through the mail slot of the old English cottage door. These symbols of good fortune - shelter and warmth - do not go unnoticed by me. My feet and body warm to the radiant heat rising from the floor; the view of the raw outdoors instills in me a feeling of freedom, well-being, and a duty to make use of my comfort to contribute some good. Pondering that, I begin a winter morning prayer for the homeless — those bodies, minds, and souls adrift in the great outdoors, unencumbered by societal expectations but void of the happiness that accompanies a balanced dose of society’s values; people just like you and me, but whose lives broke or changed by a

messages Dear Rob: I just wanted to say thank you for being willing to publish the (Stafford County) 350th anniversary articles. That’s very kind. My hope is that maybe during the 350th we can use this as a vehicle to introduce your fantastic publication (really, its a gem) to the wilds of North Stafford. Part of our campaign, very much a part of the 350th’s mission, for a sense of place. Thanks again, David (David S. Kerr is a member of the 350 committee.)

Re: The holiday Windows @ Whittingham received a lot of attention again this year: Denise De Lozier Grote wote, “They are always the best!” Alicia Hutchison Thomas said, “So pretty!” Betsy Myers commented, “I look forward to seeing them every year!” Margo Mowry sent in, “I love their windows at Xmas. This is always a family gathering.”

Robgwrites 4

January 2014

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twist of fate in a life’s passage, or by some mean traumatic event — real, or imagined by a sickly brain that altered their perception. They talk and walk alone, in fear of loneliness or in wanting to be alone to figure it all out what went wrong?, they ask themselves - or, after a sufficient chunk of memory-fading time has elapsed, they don’t bother to ask because it no longer matters and they can’t even recall what went wrong, when, or what it was like before then. They are now present-and-accounted-for homeless... on a winter morning, the kind that I like so well. The clouds buffer the light of day as the snow falls, the wind screams, and the temperature dives. I pray for these people while I am warm and fed and they are cold and hungry - why? And, what can be done? I ask, and I pray for you, my homeless friends, that life takes another twist - this time on your behalf, not your detriment. I can’t complain of my illness because I have care and support and hope. But you, you have ache and despair and a lost way, a shoddy path that you live on this winter morning - the kind of morning that I like so well and is not to your liking.

Dear Rob: Many thanks for your kind words about my book, Fredericksburg Then & Now. With a town as interesting as ours, doing the book was indeed a pleasure. Thanks again and best wishes for the holidays. Tony Kent (Tony Kent is former chairman at the Rappahannock Heritage Center on Liberty Street downtown.)

Fredericksburg ex-patriot Amber Nettles Hildebrand wrote to us: “Hi Rob! We were in town over the weekend and I immediately picked up a copy of Front Porch fredericksburg Magazine from Vivify Burger & Lounge. You all put so much love and effort in to the publication and it truly shows. I really miss Fredericksburg, and being able to read through this month’s edition, page by page, column by column on actual paper during my flight South was a joy. Thank you!”

To whom it may concern: Would it be possible to receive from you and by post the November issue of Front Porch? We would certainly appreciate and look

By kathy rivers network of more than 390 retail outlets throughout the U.S. as an exceptional source for unique craft art by artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. One of the world’s largest fair trade organizations and a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization and the Fair Trade Federation, we improve the livelihood of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans. Product sales help buy food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans otherwise unemployed or underemployed. Visit tenthousandvillages.com and see us in Central Park. We have much in common with downtown’s art scene.

I will pray for you and a change of weather as we begin a new year with this issue of hope and community.

Kathy Rivers is manager of Ten Thousand Villages in Central Park.

forward to reading it — and as we are in the process of getting ready to move to Fredericksburg by the end of the year 2013. Thank you, François Régis Chanon Boca Raton, FL 33431

About the cover: Ruth Golden, a long-time patron and participant in the visual and performing arts in our community, is currently most active in amateur photography and as the Director of House About Tonight Productions, a house concert series. She is a former board member of the area’s free mental health clinic, Fredericksburg Counseling Services, Inc. Married to a grizzled old sailor, she is a mother to three, and is thrilled to be “Oma” to two sweet grandchildren. Her greatest joys include spending time with family, sharing live music with appreciative listeners, and rediscovering her life-long love of photography. The cover photo shows winter’s beauty in the green and red – and snowy white – of the Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo) plant.

Walk into Ten Thousand Villages in Central Park and discover a world of international gifts, jewelry, and home décor. Ten Thousand Villages is not just an ordinary retail gift store, however. We’re a fair trade retailer; each handcrafted piece represents an artisan, a culture, and a dream. Walk past the jewelry display and discover intricate handcrafts by artisans from around the world. Look a little closer and observe fashionable jewelry from Peru made by Beatriz Chavez Paucar (pictured), of Villa el Salvador, Peru. Beatriz learned the art by watching her uncles create jewelry in her mother’s home. The family workshop began in 1985, when, in the midst of the Shining Path’s reign of violence in Peru, a Catholic priest named Nefteali Licetta assisted villagers from the highlands in developing income sources as alternatives to traditional agricultural economy. Father Licetta came to the Paucar family with a semi-precious stone and a question: “What can we get from this stone?” Their answer was, “Many flowers for a woman.” From this answer a name was formed; in the indigenous Queche language, “Tika Rumi” means “flower stone.” From this conversation, Paucar, her mother and her uncles created a jewelry workshop. Paucar’s first completed jewelry was a set of earrings. She moved on to creating necklaces and bracelets and eventually mastered the art of jewelry making and

began designing pieces for the group to market. Today, Paucar and her husband, Romulo Calderon Cosme, create jewelry in their home workshop. Their daughters, aged 16, 14 and 6 are in school. They help in the family workshop in their spare time, making it a family venture. Paucar dreams of her daughters becoming skilled professionals. Paucar spends her spare time building her home business and often sells jewelry at fairs and other venues. She dreams of building a successful, viable artisan jewelry workshop that sells to the local market and reaches tourists. Ten Thousand Villages offers artisan works made with traditional methods and products from more than 130 artisan groups in 38 countries. For more than 65 years, we have established long-term buying relationships where skilled artisans lack opportunities for stable income. The commitment to support artisans around the globe is strengthened by fair trade compensation practices, including cash advances and prompt payments. As the company continues to grow, we marry the concept of fair trade with healthy and environmentally sustainable practices. From store ops to product sourcing to marketing practices, we strive for the “triple bottom line” of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Founded in 1946, Ten Thousand Villages has grown from the trunk of founder Edna Ruth Byler’s car to a

Resolution #7 Take a Cooking Class This Year at

374-0443 www.shopwhittingham.com 1021 Caroline Street

Days Gone By Courtesy of the William T. Garnett Collection

“Freemasonry (or Masonry) is dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God, a fraternity that encourages the faith of personal acceptance in that each person, through self-improvement and helping others, has an obligation to make a difference for good in the world.”

Reach William T. Garnett Antiques at 540-424-2448. front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

Rob Grogan

ON THE PORCH

The Diplomacy Of Marketing

Winter morning prayer

A Hand Up For Artisans Worldwide

Editor

Robgwrites 4

January 2014

Front porch fredericksburg

To whom it may concern: Would it be possible to receive from you and by post the November issue of Front Porch? We would certainly appreciate and look

I will pray for you and a change of weather as we begin a new year with this issue of hope and community.

Kathy Rivers is manager of Ten Thousand Villages in Central Park.

forward to reading it — and as we are in the process of getting ready to move to Fredericksburg by the end of the year 2013. Thank you, François Régis Chanon Boca Raton, FL 33431

Resolution #7 Take a Cooking Class This Year at

374-0443 www.shopwhittingham.com 1021 Caroline Street

Days Gone By Courtesy of the William T. Garnett Collection

Reach William T. Garnett Antiques at 540-424-2448. front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

Quiet Moments

Haaaair’s Phoebe!

dilaudid and crushed ice

Pronounced “for-ever-changed”

By archer Dipeppe

By rkatie hornung

One year ago Front Porch readers were introduced to the incomparable Phoebe Willis. On a mission to raise $25,000 for Team Travis, a patient at St. Baldrick’s Foundation, she campaigned for donations and culminated the experience by shaving her head in solidarity with the brave young man combating cancer. She expressed early on in the experience that she was not affected by the idea of losing her hair, nor did she flinch at the loss of it on the night it was shaved off; instead, she was exhilarated by pushing herself to the end of her comfort zone. It’s a mantra she has adopted to describe her desire to help others. The role of benefactor is never one taken on lightly, and in her new position as a sixth-grade science teacher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phoebe is campaigning yet again for a group of young men she has come to adore. Boys’ Latin Middle School is a

charter school in its first year of existence. Comprised of 150 minority, urban male students, its goal is to prepare the young men for high school and college by emphasizing the intellectual, artistic, character, and physical development of the young sons of Philly. And through Teach for America, Phoebe has committed to two years of the organization’s mantra: “eliminating educational inequity.” Phoebe said, “Before I came [to Boys’ Latin Middle School], I thought every school had textbooks and a computer lab, but a lot of inner-city schools struggle just to have the basic necessities, and, unfortunately for students, they not only go to schools lacking resources, but many also lack basic home necessities as well.” The experience has already afforded her a great, new insight: “…always be yourself. The best connections I’ve made with my kids were

Brandon Newton Art brandon@brandonnewtonart.com 6

January 2014

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when I was being real about who I am and what I’ve experienced,” she said. During her first week of school, “Miss Willis” mispronounced some of her students’ names, and they took issue with her. “Being someone who stresses honesty and compassion with my students, I marched up to the board and wrote ‘PHOEBE’ in huge letters. I asked my boys to try and guess how to pronounce this name and they were stumped… It was a light bulb moment for a lot of my students. Names can be difficult for everyone, regardless of race and gender. I was real with my guys and that was what made the difference… Not a single student has ever called me Phoebe, nor do they think it’s a big deal… When many of my students were leaving that day, they stopped and told me that they liked that we shared having names that are hard to pronounce. I have always stressed communicating and being honest with my students.” Staying true to herself and the program, she’s also engaged in a new role. The former UVA and James Monroe High

School field hockey star is now taking on lacrosse coaching. “We currently have a grass field, no goals, and some donated equipment. My guys are excited to learn the sport- it is HUGE in Philadelphia, but not accessible to urban youth because of the high costs associated with equipment.” Here’s where Phoebe could use your help: She is looking to garner lacrosse jerseys, pinnies, sticks, balls, funds, etc. that the Fredericksburg community have lying around and would like to donate to the boys of Latin Middle for the start of their spring season. She says, “My life has been forever changed by this experience. I truly appreciate not only everything I was given by my family growing up, but by the Fredericksburg community and the public school system. The resiliency and creativity of my school has been eyeopening.”

Katie Hornung teaches journalism and English composition at JMHS.

In June I went to Norfolk to visit my eighty-nine-year-old mother. For dinner we went to a Chinese buffet. After we got home, I started to feel terrible. At first I blamed the food, but after the elephants started dancing on my chest, I knew I was in serious trouble. It was after 11:30 p.m., so I decided I needed to go to the emergency room. My mother no longer drives, so I drove myself. It is a guy thing. It’s called stupidity. Luckily, I was only about half a mile from DePaul Hospital. The emergency room physician immediately said pancreatitis. I objected because I have always associated that with heavy drinking. I rarely drink alcohol. In fact, I have been the designated driver since high school. It seemed that I threw a gall stone into my pancreatic duct. It was by far the most painful experience of my life. They started with morphine. Nada. Pancreatitis feels like you h ave a basketball in your chest and knives in your back. I used my cell phone to call my wife at 1:00 a.m.. No good phone calls happen after midnight. The first thing I said to my wife was that it wasn’t a heart attack but that I was in

the hospital. She immediately drove down to Norfolk. After screaming for what seemed like forever, the doctor tried dilaudid, which is a combination of morphine, oxymorphone, oxycodone, fentanyl, and methadone. If you get that intravenously, the elephants stop dancing. Actually, I could feel the warm rush of the drugs enter my body almost instantaneously. I nodded off. They gave me three milligrams every four hours for fourteen days. I started hallucinating. I would have one set of hallucinations when my

eyes were open and a different set when my eyes were closed. After a while, I didn’t know if my eyes were open or closed. There was a flat screen television in the room, and I was convinced that it was the front windshield of a car I was trying to drive. My wife was staying with my mother, and I called her two nights in a row at about 2:00 a.m. and said, “ I know you think I am crazy, but. . .”then I would tell her something that convinced her I was crazy. Before she got there, I refused to give my urinal to the nurse stating that it was proof that my kidneys were shutting down. “Mr. Di Peppe, if your kidneys were shutting down, the urinal would be empty.” At some point, I started hiding my urinal in the room. I think there is probably one still hidden there. After that, my wife spent all night every night in the chair next to me. It took twelve days before my pancreas settled down enough so the surgeon could take out my gall bladder. Most of that time I couldn’t have anything by mouth. I could only wet my lips with a small sponge on a stick. I would have killed someone for a cup of crushed ice. I will never take for granted the miracle of crushed ice again. After a week they tried to feed me through a tube, but in my hypnotic state, I pulled it

out twice. That was the end of the feeding tube. I was able to leave the hospital four days after the operation. I would like to thank the whole medical staff at DePaul for their compassionate care. But most of all, I want to thank my wife, Robin.

Archer Di Peppe is one of many Fredericksburgers who couldn’t be happier than to see 2013 in the rearview mirror.

online: www.save7lives.org in person: Dept. of Motor Vehicles

(540) 207-1725 front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

Quiet Moments

Haaaair’s Phoebe!

dilaudid and crushed ice

Pronounced “for-ever-changed”

By archer Dipeppe

By rkatie hornung

Brandon Newton Art brandon@brandonnewtonart.com 6

January 2014

Front porch fredericksburg

Katie Hornung teaches journalism and English composition at JMHS.

Archer Di Peppe is one of many Fredericksburgers who couldn’t be happier than to see 2013 in the rearview mirror.

online: www.save7lives.org in person: Dept. of Motor Vehicles

(540) 207-1725 front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

The Art of Playing Skillfully

Our Oral History

andi gabor builds a pre-kindergarten that sticks

Sib Silver Remembers – For $5, he’d find your cow…

By a.e. bayne

By Susan Carter Morgan

The first thing Andi Gabor does when her students bolt toward her classroom door is ask for the password; then she turns them around and reminds them to make eye contact with their families as they say goodbye for the morning. The energy may be ramped in Gabor’s junior kindergarten class at the Ron Rosner YMCA in Spotsylvania, but respect remains front and center while she is working with Spotsy’s youngest pupils. Drawing from experience gained after years of teaching elementary gifted education and third grade in Fairfax and Spotsylvania, Gabor has found a niche in her new position. She developed the junior kindergarten class with young fiveyear olds in mind, explaining, “There aren’t many five-year old preschools available in the area, and ours is different because I teach the kindergarten curriculum from the state of Virginia and the kindergarten SOLs. It has become a mix between a typical preschool, which is very social and play oriented, and a traditional kindergarten with an academic

January 2014

curriculum. I use lessons from Words Their Way and Math Their Way (Pearson), tools that elementary level teachers tend to use. I also teach handwriting from a curriculum instead of from a workbook. The program builds that prior knowledge that is so crucial, and students are able to apply it better the next year, setting them up to be very successful in elementary kindergarten.” Gabor says that being a parent and having a child the same age as her students makes her job much more personal. “I see my children in them, and I understand their parents better. I see the learning process a lot more closely, because I see it at home and as a teacher at school.” Gabor explains that the challenge of teaching very young students doesn’t necessarily stem from their young age but with each individual group of students. Over the past two years, her classroom has been heavily populated by boys, and she says, “You teach to your group. I think mothers of girls tend to send their young fives to elementary level kindergarten with more confidence than boys. Many young boys have a lot of energy and are very excited and learn in many different ways, but that can be a challenge in a strictly academicdriven classroom.” In addition to these considerations, Gabor notes, “When I was teaching third grade, I was very much in a third grade mentality. I knew all about what third graders liked. Now I am more in tune with what this younger group finds interesting. Kids love to be entertained at all ages, and I try to stay positive and set high expectations, to be excited about learning and to be a bit of a clown with them. You have to know when to pull back from that, though. It’s important to maintain consistent boundaries and predictable consequences. Overall, children of this age like to laugh, be silly, and have fun.” Since starting the program last year, Gabor has heard positive feedback from parents of her first group of junior

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kindergartners that are now in elementary kindergarten. She says, “They all just had their parent teacher conferences and their initial PALS reading assessments, and they are doing an awesome job. That says a lot about the kids in the way they’ve retained and applied what they learned last year, but it also speaks volumes about the program itself. It’s very exciting.” In the coming months, I hope to share the names of many exceptional teachers in our area. If you would like to nominate an outstanding local teacher, please send information to baynefrontporch@gmail.com.

A.E. Bayne is a teacher, writer, and artist from Fredericksburg, VA.

“Sib” Sylvester Silver, 96, grew up on a farm in Stafford County, working the fields and tending the cows late into his life. It took a 1,000 lb bale of hay falling on him a few years ago to force him to slow down, but only a little. Today, a strong work ethic, passed down to his children and grandchildren, helps shape a family of farmers and allows Sib to enjoy life. “My daddy always had something for us to do,” he says. “Build fence posts, clean wheat, corn to shuck… never a dull moment around here.” He smiles, the corners of his eyes wrinkling up, trying to remember his life when horses pulled tractors and days began long before sunrise. His family farm, Silver Ridge Farm, off Belle Plains Road in Stafford has been a working farm since his grandaddy settled there after the Civil War. He’d bought farmland in Spotsylvania County, but when folks learned he was a Northerner, they told him to “get back across the river.” Sib was born in the house where his grandson, Mike, now lives. When he and his brothers and sisters were born,

they contributed to the running of the farm, even after they started attending school. On the way and back, “We’d chop weeds and thin out the corn as we walked through the corn rows,” he said, remembering the two-room schoolhouse just over the hill from his farm. By seventh grade, he had started attending school in Fredericksburg, where he worked in the cafeteria to get free lunch. “Papa had us milk the cows before school and then take the cream to the Farmers’ Creamery in the city every day.” They rode in an old Buick 7passenger car where they bolted the cream cans so they wouldn’t spill. After working lunch, he’d race to the Creamery to grab the empty cans and return home to refill them the next morning. “Dad expected us home before the last class even got out,” he said, laughing. He met his wife, Marion Anderson, who was visiting a friend on Fauquier Street, and they were married for 64 years—without ever having an argument, he says. “It’s easy. You keep you mouth shut and walk out of the room, come back when everything’s blown over!”

Though he’s sometimes frustrated by his memory lapses, he can rattle off pieces of his past without problem: serving as a refrigerator salesman for a store on William Street (he learned to make his own custard) and drinking the best Cokes in town (at Bond’s Drugstore, where the concoction was mixed from boxes). After chatting for a couple of hours, he appears tired. But he lights up remembering a farmer marching cows across the Chatham Bridge to the old freight depot by the train station. One cow had jumped off and wandered away, and the farmer paid Sib $5 to find him. Five dollars was heck of a lot of money for Sib. But he splurged, going to five different drugstores in town to buy milkshakes at each. He shakes his head, remembering not feeling so well at the end of the day. Whether he’s singing to folks strolling by Fredericksburg Baptist Church, where he is the longest-running

member, or visiting with his best friend on their Wednesday lunches at Captain Dee’s, Sib’s attitude and smile affect everyone. Mike says he spends much of the day resting now, “but figure he’s earned it.” But Sib loves when folks, especially women, stop by. He will be ready with a hug. Susan Carter Morgan is a partner in Water Street Studios on Sophia Street. Visit http://waterstreetstudio.org for news of upcoming workshops — Memoir Writing (begins Jan. 15), Art After Dark (Jan 17), and a Women’s Writing Circle (Wed’s 11 A.M.)

front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

The Art of Playing Skillfully

Our Oral History

andi gabor builds a pre-kindergarten that sticks

Sib Silver Remembers – For $5, he’d find your cow…

By a.e. bayne

By Susan Carter Morgan

January 2014

Front porch fredericksburg

A.E. Bayne is a teacher, writer, and artist from Fredericksburg, VA.

front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

Retired & Buck Naked

Stafford 350 Worlds Apart: A Tale of Two Decades, 1860 & 1870

On The Back Porch

By david s. kerr

The census is a snapshot. It’s a moment in time. And perhaps no other two census snapshots better reflect the “before and after” of the nation’s greatest conflict, the American Civil War, then the census reports for Stafford County in 1860 and ten years later in 1870. In 1860 the Civil War was a year away and Stafford was one of the largest and most prosperous communities in Virginia. The population was 8,555. The occupations in the census report reflected a dynamic community. There were several doctors, a bank president, wheelwrights (men who made and repaired wagon wheels), coopers (barrel makers) and several blacksmiths. However, by far, the most common vocation was farmer. There were some unusual listings in the census reports. These were professions that reflected the more lively nature of this pre-Civil War world. Edward Piperbring was born in Prussia and his profession was listed as candy maker. There was also John Cox who was listed as a fifer. And, Stafford was also home to a future novelist Emma Garrison. She was 23 years old in 1860, was already writing for various periodicals and would later write a number of popular novels. But, in 1860, Stafford, like the rest of the south had an infamous side to its character and that was slavery. Out of that relatively large population listed in the 1860, 3,314 of these souls were slaves. Under the Constitution they were

January 2014

counted as 3/5 of a person for representation purposes but otherwise weren’t recorded by name in the census reports. They were property. That’s not to say African Americans didn’t leave a mark on the census report. There were numerous freemen to include a selfemployed boatman named Robin Daggs, an independent wagon driver, Robert Jennings, as well as listings for free blacks who were farm hands, factory workers and housekeepers. But, what a difference a decade can make. Stafford, five years after the end of the Civil War was devastated. By the time the 1870 census was computed it was a shell of its former self. Its population, thanks both to the flight of African Americans from bondage, as well as many whites looking for a new start somewhere else, had fallen by 25%. The professional fifer was gone and so was the candy maker. Emma Garrison had moved to Washington D.C. Farming was still the principal occupation, but with so much damage to the soil caused by massive deforestation during the war, it was agriculture at the subsistence level. Still, there were bright spots. There were mill operators, a handful of medical professionals, plasterers, and grocers. Several African Americans were listed as owning their own farms. That was a major change in their status. They were also listed as working as blacksmiths, wheelwrights and coopers. Stafford, however, was not what it once was. Its economy was broken and stagnant. It wouldn’t recover economically, nor would it recover its prewar population, until well into the 20th century. David S. Kerr is a member of the Stafford County 350th Anniversary Committee and frequent contributor to this magazine.

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names that tame by jo middleton January is the time for snuggling in your reading chair with afghan, hot tea, cuddly cat, and your re-read of Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island. I will go to Hyperion for my cappuccino fix later. Did I not warn you about taking a Bryson Book into the Hyperion, placing a huge sip of cappuccino in your mouth, and reading a laughter line, which you will in all certainty spew across the table? Of course I did. There’s scarcely a page in a Bryson book that will not send you into coffee behaviors Emily Post would frown upon. Bryson declares he loves England for its colorful ways, places, and names. Nowhere else, and he is so right, can you find anyone named Tuppy Glossop, Cyril “Barmy” Fotheringay-Phipps, or Agnes Flack. Though they are characters created by Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, a decidedly interesting name, you will, in fact, meet them on Oxford Street in old London should you stop someone and ask his name. More fun is their home place name. Funny names Bryson loves: Brown Willy in Cornwall, Booty Lane in North Yorkshire and a list of others equally hilarious. Virginia, with its early English heritage does a fine job with its own town names. Frog Level and Bumpass come to mind, and our own Fredericksburg goes one step further and oddly names its shops, such asFoode - whose dangling “e” reminds me of nothing germane to this topic. I think the shop When Pigs Fly would make him nostalgic for that little town of Elgham, where such store names probably adorn little shop signs. Given Bryson’s penchant for oddities, an invitation to Virginia, especially with scrumptious breakfast at Foode, of the dangling “e,” is definitely in order. Looking out the window on a January scene is really wonderful for this old Virginian who migrated briefly to Mississippi where the living is not only easy but incredibly cheap, with very mild weather. I do recall making the Jo Middleton pompous woman of Virginia declaration after a tornado roiled by down there, “we do not have tornadoes in Virginia.” Two weeks later, waiting to move into our place here in Virginia, we had a significant tornado, which surpassed the one that had visited Yalabousha County, MS shortly before we left. I had been chided by the Mississippians that

even though “’we did not have tornadoes in Virginia,’ we certainly had rumbling earthquakes which did mischief to the nation’s Washington Monument.” I remained silent on that point, since its point of origin was Richmond, Virginia. My father declared that taking up trees and putting down cement would be the ruin of us. I no longer think he was my nutty buddy. The nutty buddy in the room was not he. My youngest son called just now to have me look outside where it is “raining ice balls.” It is good to be retired and curled up in my chair with a steaming cup of Harney & Sons Holiday Tea.

Jo Middleton spells tornado ‘tornadoe.’

DayTripper Rogers Ford Farm Winery By scott richards Tucked away in a corner of Fauquier County, behind a small hamlet known as Summerduck, lies a true Virginia treasure. Because Summerduck is known more for its raceway, who would have thought a winery would fit in this locale? Located at the historic Roger’s Ford, where it is said Confederate and Union troops repeatedly forded the Rappahannock River between Culpeper County and Fauquier County on a fifty five acre tract of land located next to the C.F. Phelps Wildlife Management Area, Rogers Ford Farm Winery offers visitors a breath of fresh air away from the hectic sprawl that is becoming Route 17 outside of Fredericksburg. In its prime the estate that the Puckett family now owns once was 1,000 acres. Seated on the estate is the farmhouse, circa 1825 that was the Puckett family home when they purchased the property in 1979. Johnny, son of winery founder John Puckett, lived there until recently when he moved to Fredericksburg to be closer to work. Now the house has been renovated to contain the tasting room. Upon entering the house

originally made from trees felled on the property, one is greeted by a fireplace that exudes the warmth that is always found there. As striking as the fireplace is, the yellow pine flooring laid out with different widths. An addition added in 1900 contrasts between the craftsmanship of the two eras of construction. The beams in the older part were notched by hand and numbered when the house was built. Many of the windows still are of the wavy design seen in older homes. The front room has been converted into the tasting room displaying a curved bar with the tops of wine bottles that have been cut off and attached. Again the yellow pine flooring stands out and adds to the ambience of this elegant place. As lovely as this house is, it does not compare to the wines that are served. John Puckett, an aeronautical engineer, decided he wanted to start a winery and put his family to work growing an experimental crop to see what would make it. Although recently retired, allowing Johnny to take over the operation, John is still around giving sound viticultural and enological advice to any willing to receive from his rich years of experience.

On the farm, the Pucketts grow mainly Vidal Blanc and Petit Verdot, with the rest of the grapes used coming from a group of vineyard owners in central Virginia and Northern Neck. From these grapes are produced wines that reflect the current trend in Virginia wines, excellence, and maturity. Among the whites is an unoaked Chardonnay, New Zealand style, which bears the name and picture of John’s oldest grandson, Jacob Christopher. This Chardonnay is aromatic with a sweetness that makes it an excellent pairing with veal or seafood. Another of John’s grandchildren’s names, Lily Grace, adorns an extremely popular white blend of chardonnay, viognier, and Vidal blanc, a light, oaked wine perfect with shrimps on the barbie. Many drinkers prefer it as a chaser for luscious raw oysters. As a solo, Lily Grace cries out for warm summer afternoons and evenings. Rogers Ford’s best wines are their reds. Their 2008 Bordeaux style, Virginia Red Select, is coming into its prime; an unfiltered blend of Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot perfect for Italian food lovers. Their 2011 Virginia

Red Select is an oaked blend of 75% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot that differs from normal VA Bordeaux style, delivering bold, intense structure. Very drinkable at present, it will get better with age. Only 55 cases were produced, so buy it now and set aside for up to-10 years. Their Petit Verdot grapes never fully ripen, thus the name Petit Verdot, or “little green,” an unfiltered, robust-tasting wine that screams for a big roast, Yorkshire pudding, and all the trimmings. The bottle has handles on each side of the neck. Brandy Station Dulce is Vidal Blanc grapes distilled into brandy, then blended with more wine and packs a punch at 18% alcohol, sherry-style, sipped as a thimble full aperitif. Meeting people like the Pucketts makes a day trip well worth it. Scott Richards owns Loch Haven Vineyards. His blog at fromthevine.wordpress.com,

Jewel Box Since 1940 Your Hometown Jeweler On-Premise Jewelry Repair Watch Batteries Gold Buying Engraving 212 William Street,Fredericksburg 540-373-5513 Mon-Fri 9-5:30; Sat 9-5 front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

Retired & Buck Naked

Stafford 350 Worlds Apart: A Tale of Two Decades, 1860 & 1870

On The Back Porch

By david s. kerr

January 2014

Front porch fredericksburg

Jo Middleton spells tornado ‘tornadoe.’

January 2014

Cooking With Kyle Simple, easy, delicious by james kyle snyder

Since traveling to Barolo (where white truffles come from) with Mitzi for Thanksgiving in 2010, we started a Christmas tradition: the Uova. That year Mitzi bought me two ounces of white truffles for a Christmas present and it has been part of every “Everything you have ever wanted to eat for brunch” brunch(ish) that we host on Christmas day since. So what is an Uova? It is fresh pasta with an egg yolk inside. For this celebration, I use pistachio pesto, an egg yolk, and white truffles. The combination is unbelievable! Set a deep pot of salted water to boil and set the eggs out to warm, one egg per Uova. You will be making more than enough pasta to make a dozen Uova so go crazy. Invite some friends over as this dish is both fun to make and eat. On to the pasta! Once you master pasta you will never want to pay for it again. You can make a large batch and freeze the noodles for later. Then, it takes just a few minutes to go from frozen to cooked! For one pound of pasta, in a mixer with a dough hook, blend 1 cup semolina flour, 1 cup AP flour, 3 eggs, 1 TBS salt, and 1 TBS olive oil. Kneed until it forms a consistent ball and let rest at least 30 minutes refrigerated (overnight is better). While the pasta rests, make the pesto. I prefer pistachios to pine nuts in pesto. In a food processor combine 1 ½ cups fresh basil, 1 ½ cups shelled dry roasted pistachio nuts, 2 cloves garlic, juice and zest of one lemon (add zest to personal taste while blending), a pinch of S&P, and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. Turn on the processor and slowly add 1/42/3 cup olive oil until desired texture is reached. This will make more than you need and can be wrapped in cellophane and frozen for future use.

January 2014

Now to combine. Roll the pasta into 3 thin foot long pieces. I use an attachment on my KitchenAid. They also make hand roll devices or you can try a rolling pin, but I will warn you that the pin will not produce great pasta. Consistent thickness is key. Lay the pasta out on a semolina floured surface and cut into circles using a large 3 1/2 - 4 inch round cutter, two per Uova. Square raviolis are too much pasta and take away from the truffles. Place a teaspoon of pesto into the center of one circular pasta. Flatten the pesto, leaving 1/4 inch of pasta around the edge, and make a small divot in the center to hold the yolk. Separate an egg (save the first egg white made for the egg wash), and place the yolk in the center of the pesto. Now for the best part! Using a truffle shaver (gotta have one for this or you waste the truffle) plane a few delicious shavings onto the yolk. Brush the edge of the pasta with the saved egg white and top with another piece of pasta. Crimp the edges together all the way around with a fork. I usually do the assembly line method making all the bottoms at once, placing all the pesto at once, and so on. Slide the Uova, one at a time, into the boiling water and Let cook for 1 minute. Remove from the water and serve with a smile! Sorry we missed some of you at brunch last Christmas. I hope to see you at the next one. Be well!

Vino the importer at work By matt thomas Vineyards traverse the world, and wine has been part of Virginia culture since Jeffersonian times. Matt looks at how we get wine to our table… - RG For any craft to be successful, middlemen are needed to bring together craft makers and consumers. For the centuries-old craft of Spanish winemaking, that middleman is the importer. Most of the foreign wine you see on store shelves is imported by medium to large sized companies that distribute on a national or large regional scale. But some of it usually the best of it - is imported by small companies that specialize in certain types of wine. One of those companies is the Stafford-based Spanish Wine Importers. The Spanish Wine Importers was started by Travis Vernon, who I first met in 2009 when he asked if he could speak to me about my experience in the wine business as part of his research. He seemed awfully young to be starting an importing business, but he also seemed smart and professional, so I was only mildly surprised when 18 months later he was pitching me wines he had brought over from Spain. As it turns out Travis was first exposed to the beautiful art of Spanish wine during an exchange program at university. It also involved working parttime, and the job he got was with an exporter. Here he got some exposure not only to how the business worked but also the pleasures of wine. When he returned home and tried seeking out the sort of Spanish wine he had had abroad, he discovered that the wine here did not taste the same. Too much of it had been “Americanized”, i.e. made more fruity and rich. He saw a gap in the market – there wasn’t enough wine from Spain here that was Spanish in style. What is the Spanish style? In Spain, wine is very often had with food, as in France and Italy, so the wines are made to pair well. This often means dry and somewhat earthy. Travis told me that in Spain people form regional preferences rather than varietal preferences, as we do here. So, for example, somebody may ask for a wine from Rioja rather than asking for a Tempranillo. Travis decided that he would import wines from various regions

of Spain to expose wine drinkers here to various regional styles and flavors. Travis eschews trade shows and industry tastings as a way of finding great wine. Instead, he cold calls wineries and travels around Spain, finding small wineries with very small production. It’s these small wineries that produce some of the best wine with the richest tradition. Fredericksburg was one of the first markets The Spanish Wine Importers hit. You can find their wines in several area restaurants and wine shops (including kybecca, of course). One of his wines, an excellent white Rioja, was even selected by The Washington Post as one of their Thanksgiving picks. Travis sees wine tastes in Fredericksburg as ever evolving. Although he has an easier time selling some wines in DC, he’s been surprised by how well traditional Spanish wines, not always easy to like, have done here. He sees increasing demand for sweet wines, a sign of new wine drinkers, who tend to prefer sweet. The Spanish Wine Importers is really just Travis and his wife, but month-by-month they’ve expanded their domain. Celebrity chef Jose Andres will start carrying their stuff this year. Ask around about The Spanish Wine Importers. I can personally vouch for their quality; just last week I had an amazing Toro with a Spanish-style braised pork shank. Matt Thomas frequently shares his cultural knowledge with us.

Season’s Bounty with love from mom By vanessa moncure

Olde Towne BUTCHER Meats for Stews for Hardy Winter Meals Beef Up For BCS & Super Bowl Title Games! Corner of William & Charles Street 540.370.4105 By the time you read this, the televised crowds leading up to 2013’s countdown will be over and you may be suffering a bit from over-egg-nogging. Brand-new resolutions for the New Year may well be dancing in your head as you pack away the annual decorations. So what will it be this year? Absolutely, definitely get the family snapshots organized. Positively clean the attic/basement. Forget about last year’s abandoned gym membership and really follow through this time. Pick up on some interests - go camping, learn to draw or even to drive, knit, sign up your dog for obedience classes, determine to learn about wines, promise yourself to try 12 new restaurants this year. Well, those have been a few of my earlier procrastinations. But I did follow through on the restaurant resolution. Fredericksburg-town is no longer a foodie’s backwater - we have a great farmer’s market and local CSA, everything downtown from our own butcher, baker, and possibly a candlestick-maker; chain restaurants for the I-95 crowd, to a new ethnic-food boom, and delicious independent food anchors. With all of Fredericksburg’s history, I’m sure you have a food history in your own family - Aunt Gen’s poundcake, Nanci’s oyster stew, Mom’s strawberry bread - and I happily announce that I completed 2012’s main resolution and put together a family cookbook with over 300 recipes, and self-published it especially for my children - With Love

Chef Kyle Thomas Snyder hosts dinner parties, get-togethers, and spontaneous foodé jams for friends in his home, and often feeds his editor with love-laced, healthy, and delicious pureed meals. In other words, he’s a heck-of-a guy!

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From Mom. It’s a resolution miracle, with a few recipes for you... SOUR CREAM SUGAR COOKIES Great for decorating, great keepers from my grandmother. Beat together ½ c. butter and 1 c. sugar until light. Beat

in one egg and 1 tsp. vanilla. Stir in ½ c. sour cream, then 3 c. flour sifted with ½ tsp. baking soda. Roll out dough, adding extra flour as needed, on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Bake preheated 350F oven 8-10 minutes. Watch them as they do brown quickly. Can be decorated before cookie with cinnamon shots, sprinkles or sugar - or let cool and decorate with a plain confectioner’s sugar icing. SUMMER TOMATO PIE Best to use peeled, sun-ripened tomatoes, but can substitute welldrained, chopped, canned tomatoes. For crust: Mix together 2 c. flour, 6 T. shortening, 1 tsp. each salt and baking soda, 2 tsp. baking powder until well blended. Then stir in approx. ¾ c. buttermilk until forms a moist ball. Grease a deep 9” pan and spread the biscuit dough on bottom and sides. Top with approx. 3-4 c. chopped peeled tomatoes. Mix together 1 c. mayonnaise, 2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese, S&P, 1 tsp. lemon juice and 4 T. chopped fresh basil. Spread over tomatoes, then sprinkle with ¼ c. sharp cheddar cheese and bake 350F 35-45 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Great as a breakfast side dish, too. OOEY GOOEY BARS Beat together 1 lb. dark brown sugar, ¾ c. butter until light. Beat in 3 eggs. Add 1 c. chopped pecans and 2 c. self-rising flour. Pat mixture into greased 9x13 pan. Bake 300F 25-30 minutes. Be careful as they overbake quickly. Cut while still warm.

Vanessa Moncure resolves to fill our bellies with more deliciousness in 2014.

www.oldetownebutcher.com

Open: 9am - 9pm Monday through Saturday 11am - 6pm Sunday Lee Russell Proprietor

~ Daily Specials ~ Mom’s Mondays: Free dessert for all moms Two For One Tuesdays: All beverages & appetizers are two-for-one. Washington Wednesdays: All food 50% off with Mary Washington University id Throwback Thursdays: Burgers any way $5.00. Dine in Only ~ Limited Time ~ Subject to Change

801 Caroline Street

(540) 371-2008

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January 2014

Cooking With Kyle Simple, easy, delicious by james kyle snyder

January 2014

Season’s Bounty with love from mom By vanessa moncure

Front porch fredericksburg

Vanessa Moncure resolves to fill our bellies with more deliciousness in 2014.

www.oldetownebutcher.com

Open: 9am - 9pm Monday through Saturday 11am - 6pm Sunday Lee Russell Proprietor

801 Caroline Street

(540) 371-2008

front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

The Art of the Brew

Bruce Day Fine Art

Blue & Gray’s David Achkio By Sara Mattingly

“I started by reading everything about brewing I could get my hands on and applying this information with mixed success to batches of beer I made at home.” Using his skills in the culinary trade to craftily work his way into an apprenticeship at a brewery in Pittsburgh (was it Iron City?), David also invested in formal courses at the Siebel Institute in Chicago. David now has seven or eight years under his belt as a pro brew guy, but if you count those sneaky escapades in college, he’s been at it quite awhile. “It gets in your blood. There is a certain obsessive component to brewing that sticks with you.”

Serving a regional market, both in-house and to retail pubs, restaurants and stores, and nestled among the industrial spaces and warehouses of Bowman Center on Route 2 south of the city is the Blue & Gray Brewing Co, where master brewer David Achkio plies his trade. So we asked David, who is just 40 and a bear of a handsome man, “What qualifies you as a professional?” To which he retorted, nicely, “I am a professional brewer. It involves a mix of theoretical

Soup & Taco, Etc. 813 Caroline St.

In his five months at B&G, David commutes from Richmond, where he moved in 2002 – making it his longestrunning residency ever. Once he arrives for the day, it’s all about the business of brewing the Blue & Gray brand. “I really like the Classic Lager. The brewing process is about creating the perfect environment for yeast to live a long and healthy like.” (Sounds like a cat to me!) “I joke about being enslaved by those little creatures – I’m just a simple yeast herder.” (Love it!) The quality of the ingredients is also important. Believe it or not, David puts the water of FXBG on a par with that of Pilsen (a very big-on-beer Czech town). He combines it with (here’s where he loses me a bit) Canada 2-row malt and the German Hallertau Hersbrucker hops (who knew?) to create flavors neutral enough for your average American consumer (me) and subtle enough for the connoisseur (Matt Thomas).

The Normandy Coffee — Winter’s Wonderful Warmer by lee m. delongis

Now it gets really scientific, chemistry fans: “I particularly like the delicate interaction of the sweet, floral hop aroma and the pleasantly sulfuric yeast component. The malt provides the canvas that allows those two flavors to merge,” David lectures. (If you had told me that anything sulfuric would merge and become tasty, I’d have bet against you in Vegas… but the proof is in the growler.) Blue & Gray brews year-round Classic Lager, Fred Red, Stonewall Stout and Falmouth American Pale Ale. Seasonally, David produces Borman’s Belgian Ale, Temporary Insanity Imperial Stout, Minor Dementia Bourbon Cask Stout, and Octoberfest; plus, there’s a great IPA, Hefeweizen and several holiday offerings. Check out the brewery and the Lee’s Retreat Brew Pub. I might be there or else at Bistro — I love how Rob pays me in beer for my writing.

Libations

The

Fredericksburg, VA and practical knowledge that ends with a product that people judge with their checkbooks.” Wow, a full-pint answer with a foamy head – he’s professional, learned, practical, and commercial.

With the emergence and boom of “craft” beers and home brewing worldwide, the brewing of beer is no longer perceived as a process; it is viewed as an art. Sara elaborates… -RG

Fredericksburg’s Hometown Saloon Since 1961

Serving Traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex Food

Always From Life

and Something More!!

Original Oils

Tuesday to Saturday 11am-9pm

brucedaystudio.com

Sunday 11am-6pm

thefigureblog.blogspot.com

540 376-1676

Phone: 540-899-0969 E-mail: soupntaco@yahoo.com

Sara Mattingly is our bubbly, hoppy, at-large writer.

The Sunken Well Tavern

720 Littlepage sunkenwelltavern.com 540-370-0911 Eat Well Drink Well Live Well

My wife bought me a Keurig coffee maker for Christmas and I love it! With the Keurig, you make individual cups of your favorite hot beverages and the choices are unlimited. Exotic teas and flavored coffees, and basic coffees and teas are on the market everywhere for use in the Keurig. Each cup full comes in its own small creamer-like container that brews with the push of a button. It takes less than a minute for the perfect cup. I was really excited when I saw that one of the offerings is Apple Cider. As a bartender with a penchant for cold weather, I immediately thought of The Normandy Coffee — Winter’s Wonderful Warmer, as we called it in Burlington, VT when I was there. Here is that recipe. Enjoy it – but first run out to Best Buy or Walmart and purchase a Keurig. You can also Google Keurig and buy directly from their website like my wife did.

Enjoy it hot! For non-alcohol drinkers and designated drivers, the Virgin Normandy is delicious. Just leave out the whiskey!

Lee M. Delongis’ most recent bar gig was in Puerto Rico, where winter cocktails fizzled.

The General Store

Restaurant

Brew an 8-1 10 oz. cup of Keurig’s Apple Cider into your favorite ceramic or heat-rresistant clearglass mug. Add a shot of Bowman Brothers Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Small Batch

Italian/American Food

Top with a tablespoon or squirt of Kool-W Whip or Ready Whip – or whip up your own whipped cream and throw on a generous dollop. Garnish the rim of your mug with a mini-ccandy cane.

January 2014

Front porch fredericksburg

Since 1978

Monday-Saturday 11 am-10 pm

371-4075 2018 College Ave. Fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

The Art of the Brew

Bruce Day Fine Art

Blue & Gray’s David Achkio By Sara Mattingly

Soup & Taco, Etc. 813 Caroline St.

The Normandy Coffee — Winter’s Wonderful Warmer by lee m. delongis

Libations

The

With the emergence and boom of “craft” beers and home brewing worldwide, the brewing of beer is no longer perceived as a process; it is viewed as an art. Sara elaborates… -RG

Fredericksburg’s Hometown Saloon Since 1961

Serving Traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex Food

Always From Life

and Something More!!

Original Oils

Tuesday to Saturday 11am-9pm

brucedaystudio.com

Sunday 11am-6pm

thefigureblog.blogspot.com

540 376-1676

Phone: 540-899-0969 E-mail: soupntaco@yahoo.com

Sara Mattingly is our bubbly, hoppy, at-large writer.

The Sunken Well Tavern

720 Littlepage sunkenwelltavern.com 540-370-0911 Eat Well Drink Well Live Well

Enjoy it hot! For non-alcohol drinkers and designated drivers, the Virgin Normandy is delicious. Just leave out the whiskey!

Lee M. Delongis’ most recent bar gig was in Puerto Rico, where winter cocktails fizzled.

The General Store

Restaurant

Brew an 8-1 10 oz. cup of Keurig’s Apple Cider into your favorite ceramic or heat-rresistant clearglass mug. Add a shot of Bowman Brothers Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Small Batch

Italian/American Food

Top with a tablespoon or squirt of Kool-W Whip or Ready Whip – or whip up your own whipped cream and throw on a generous dollop. Garnish the rim of your mug with a mini-ccandy cane.

January 2014

Front porch fredericksburg

Since 1978

Monday-Saturday 11 am-10 pm

371-4075 2018 College Ave. Fredericksburg

front porch fredericksburg

January 2014

january 2014… Happy, Healthy New Year ! *Some events run same day weekly or more than one day.

wednesday, january 1 Westmoreland County Museum & The Inn at Montross 10th “Art and Wine” runs through Jan. 11. Featuring artwork of Katharina Bergdoll. Exhibit will include both landscape and still life oil paintings *La Petite Auberge Live Music Wednesdays: Live Guitar Accordion Jazz Music in the Lounge at 8P. No cover charge *Miss Lady & Mr. Man’s Open Mic Jam 8-11P every Wed. The Rec Center, 213 William

CALENDAR of events

sunday, january 5

*AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. VA State Senator Bryce Reeves is guest with host Ted Schubel. Listen at newstalk1230.net

monday, january 6 Workshop, Preschool Palette: Getting Along, introduces children ages 2-5 to art and art museums through developmentally appropriate activities; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 10 a.m.; $8 per child; classes limited to 12 children; Reservations required at (540) 654-1851 or mdolby@umw.edu

tuesday, january 7

thursday, january 2 *Music every Thurs Live at Kenmore Inn 730-11P. 1200 Princess Anne

first friday, january 3 LibertyTown Arts Workshop - Join us on First Friday Jan. 3 for our Annual Student Show! Come see what the students have been creating with teachers here at LibertyTown. Show runs through Feb. 2. PONSHOP Studio and Gallery is excited to announce our January “First Friday” Holiday Hangover party. Why stop the festivities just because the New Year has arrived? We invite our fans to visit us and enjoy all of our offerings from local artists. The gallery will be featuring fine art by Leslie Brier, Cameron Limbrick, Crystal Rodrigue, Nicholas Candela, and James Walker and new ceramics by co-owner Scarlett Pons. We continue to feature over thirty artists creating everything from fine art and ceramics to jewelry, clothing, and accessories for the home. Join us on Friday, January 3 from 6-10pm for a special evening celebrating the creativity of our local community

saturday, january 4 Holistic Movement at CRRL, 1201 Caroline. Movement for well-being, expression, self-care, fun. 9-10A

*The Vreelands live @ Bistro Bethem. $3 beer, wine, cocktail specials. All ages. No cover. 7-10P PFLAG (Parents, Familes & Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Fredericksburg Monthly Meeting. 1-hr Education, 1-hr Support Circle. Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church 630-830P. Entry door behind construction chain-linked fencing on side

wednesday, january 8 *La Petite Auberge Live Music Wednesdays: Live Guitar Accordion Jazz Music in the Lounge at 8P. No cover charge Whole Health Chiropractic, Inc. Detoxification & Weight Loss class. 630-830P. 434 Bridgewater Street. $15 Pre-register: 5409-899-9421 *Miss Lady & Mr. Man’s Open Mic Jam 8-11P every Wed. The Rec Center, 213 William

thursday, january 9 *North Stafford MOPS Moms CLub - 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month (Sept-May). Open to all moms of children birth - Kindergarten. Please join us for fellowship, food, friendship, and encouragement from other moms, mentors, and local speakers. We offer childcare during the meetings FJC Open Jazz Jam at The Colonial Tavern: Join us on the 2nd Thursday of every month for live bebop, swing, and Latin standards. Musicians, bring your axes! Event is free and open to the public

*Live Music every Thursday at the Kenmore Inn. 1200 Princess Anne. 730P

Workshop, Preschool Palette: Getting Along, introduces children ages 2-5 to art and art museums through developmentally appropriate activities; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 10 a.m.; $8 per child; classes limited to 12 children; Reservations required at (540) 6541851 or mdolby@umw.edu

sunday, january 12

*AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. Germanna Community College Start-Up Weekend is the topic with host Ted Schubel. Listen at newstalk1230.net

tuesday, january 14 *Laurie-Rose Griffith & Peter Mealy play Bistro Bethem 8-11P, 309 William. No cover. All ages.

*La Petite Auberge Live Music Wednesdays: Live Guitar Accordion Jazz Music in the Lounge at 8P. Featuring Chris, Phil, Andy & Harry. No cover charge *Miss Lady & Mr. Man’s Open Mic Jam 8-11P every Wed. The Rec Center, 213 William

thursday, january 16 *FXBG Jazz Collective’s open jazz jam twice monthly: 1st & 3rd Thurs. Live bebop, Latin jazz, fine cocktails. Musicians, bring instruments (no large amps). fredericksburgjazzcollective.org

friday, january 10 Workshop, Preschool Palette: Getting Along, introduces children ages 2-5 to art and art museums through developmentally appropriate activities; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 10 a.m.; $8 per child; classes limited to 12 children; Reservations required at (540) 6541851 or mdolby@umw.edu

*Live Music every Thursday at the Kenmore Inn. 1200 Princess Anne. 730P Exhibition, Ghosts: Clint Bagwell; duPont Gallery, College Avenue and Thornton Street; Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; free; (540) 654-1013. Through Feb 2

saturday, january 11 Second Saturdays at the Museum! Have you ever wondered why our money looks the way it does? Well, this month at the Museum you and your children can learn about the symbolism behind money. We will discuss why we put different people on our money and why certain coins and bills have different value in connection with our Not So Current Currency exhibit. During “Money in the Making”, kids will think about what is important to them and create their own play coin or paper bill. This event is FREE. 1-3P Children’s Museum of Richmond Twilight Carniball at Jepson Center. 610P. Help support efforts to bring a satellite branch of the Children’s Museum of Richmond to Fredericksburg. Enjoy a spirited night with a German theme, live music, food and drink and live and silent auctions.

wednesday, january 15

The Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series, John Wilkes Booth, by David O. Stewart, author of “The Lincoln Deception” and attorney; George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium; 7:30 p.m.; free; (540) 654-1065

friday, january 17 3rd Fri, 830A business ladies’ free networking “TIPS.” Ellen Baptist, 548-0652

saturday, january 18 *Free Vegetarian Cooking class every 3rd Sat. 2-330P. Meditation 4-5P. Porter Library

sunday, january 19

January 26 For The Benefit Of EmpowerHouse

Hugh Mercer’s Apothecary Shop - Join us 12N-4P as we celebrate the 288th birthday of Hugh Mercer with cake and punch and musical entertainment. Event, A Wedding Sampler, an intimate gathering of local vendors specializing in wedding fare; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 1-4 p.m.; $10 admission registration at (540) 654-1848

tuesday, january 21

sunday, january 26

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday Lecture, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Keynote Speaker Ernest Green; one of the Little Rock Nine, who was the first African American to graduate from Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas; a Cultural Awareness Series event; George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium; 7 p.m.; free; (540) 654-1044 Spotsylvania County Neighborhood Watch Meeting, 7-8P. 3rd Tue monthly. All County Residents welcome. Stay informed of trends/law enforcement activity. Sheriff’s Sub-Station, Spotsy Towne Centre

thursday, january 23 *North Stafford MOPS Moms CLub - 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month (Sept-May). Open to all moms of children birth - Kindergarten. Please join us for fellowship, food, friendship, and encouragement from other moms, mentors, and local speakers. We offer childcare during the meetings Exhibition, Mid-Atlantic New Painting 2014; Ridderhof Martin Gallery, College Avenue at Seacobeck Street; Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; free; (540) 6541013. Thru Feb 28 Exhibition Opening Reception, Mid-Atlantic New Painting 2014; Ridderhof Martin Gallery, College Avenue at Seacobeck Street; 5-7 p.m.; free; (540) 654-1013 Exhibition Opening Reception, Ghosts: Clint Bagwell; duPont Gallery, College Avenue and Thornton Street; 5-7 p.m.; free; (540) 654-1013

*AM1230 WFVA Community Link 8-830A. EmpowerHouse Empty bowl Fundraiser is the topic with host Ted Schubel. Listen at newstalk1230.net Tour, Woodland Hike, by members of Central Rappahannock Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist program; Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, 224 Washington St., Falmouth; 2 p.m.; free; (540) 654-1839

tuesday, january 28 *Clay Mottley plays Bistro Bethem 8-11P, 309 William. No cover. All ages. The Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series, Jim Henson, by Brian Jay Jones, author of “Jim Henson: The Biography”; George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium; 7:30 p.m.; free; (540) 654-1065

thursday, january 30 Reading, Thursday Poem Series; Combs Hall, Room 139; 5 p.m.; free; (540) 654-1545 or (540) 6541393

If you are reading this 199th issue of FP, t hank an advertiser as we celebrate the Holidays. If you are an advertiser, list your event.

Deadline for February 2014’s issue is January 20 . To submit events, follow link: http://frontporchfredericksburg.com/how-ttosubmit-o online/

Reading, Thursday Poem Series; Combs Hall, Room 139; 5 p.m.; free; (540) 654-1545 or (540) 6541393

friday, january 24 PYF Karma Yoga Class @ PITAIYO. 630P-730P. A fusion exercise class of pilates, tai chi and yoga. No previous experience required

~ Peggy Wickham Art ~ Companionship Meal Preparation Medication Reminders Laundry

Light Housekeeping Shopping/Errands Personal Care Flexible Hours

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January 2014

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