The House & Home Magazine: December/January 2020

Priceless

your complete home resource guide and lifestyle magazine Essex • Northern Neck • Middle Peninsula • Gloucester • Richmond • Williamsburg

Relishing the

COMFORTS of FOOD ‘Hand in Paw’ A Bird Dog’s Purpose

HOLLEY GRADED SCHOOL HOME IS WHERE THE HEARTH IS www.thehouseandhomemagazine.com

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December/January 2020

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A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The Greatest Gifts

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e’ve been immersed in a season of giving. Back in November, we were all giving thanks. A hearty meal with loved ones, good wishes and gratitude were all that was required.

Pretty simple, really.

Then we moved on — frantic competitive shopping, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, sales, wrappings, ribbons, bags and tags. In no time at all, with laser focus, we’ll be shopping for Valentines and heart-shaped everything. Looking back on the season, I find myself examining the nature of gifts — wishing for more meaningful time with friends and family — presence over presents.

When we reflect on our fondest memories, we usually find that it’s the personal connections, not just the grand events, that give off the greatest glow of happiness. I think we often confuse the material item as the thing that’s important, instead of the time, effort, thought and creativity someone puts into finding the gift.

That’s how “shopping local” becomes the remedy to the frenzied buying experience. When we visit our hometown establishments, we’re connecting with our friends, neighbors and families.

Our local shopkeepers lend their expertise and creativity in a very personal way, and that’s what gifting is all about. That’s the experience we all crave, and we’re better for it.

Lately, I’ve spent treasured time with my children, spouse, sisters and their children, as well as dear friends, many of whom are also local proprietors. I’m betting that it’s the time spent and the special keepsakes that we’ll remember, not the gift cards. This year, I’m resolving to spend more effort on experiences and personal connections rather than electronic ones. I want to show my affection for the folks by doing things that really make us happy. Presence over presents.

In other business, this issue of The House & Home Magazine invites you to find your moments of comfort and joy this winter season — whether your pleasure is food, fine houses, nature, hunting dogs, art or history. Grab your favorite beverage and curl up by the fire for a good read.

Home is where the hearth is. Read on!

I find myself examining the nature of gifts — wishing for more meaningful time with friends and family — presence over presents.

JANET EVANS HINMAN 6

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PUBLISHER James L. Blanks EDITOR Janet Evans Hinman CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Zora Aiken Kim Boisvert Janet Evans Hinman Jackie Nunnery Linda Landreth Phelps Dianne Saison Deb Weissler ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Kirstin Canough ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE James L. Blanks: 804-929-1797 JLB Publishing, Inc. P. O. Box 2564 • Tappahannock, VA 22560 Office: 804-929-1797 • Fax: 1-888-747-2267 thehouseandhomemag@gmail.com

The House & Home Magazine is a free, four-color publication that specializes in providing home ideas, real estate, and lifestyle articles.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from JLB Publishing, Inc. The information contained herein are opinions of sources and interviews.

JLB Publishing Inc. claims no reliability or accuracy to any information contained within. The House & Home Magazine is published for reference purposes only and is not materially responsible for errors.

The House & Home Magazine is published bimonthly and is distributed at over 500 locations throughout Essex, Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula, Gloucester, Richmond, and Mechanicsville as well as subscriptions, direct mail, and trade shows.

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December/January 2020

Contents

The House & Home Magazine • December/January 2020

14 Crim Dell

A legacy of beauty

18 The World in Miniature

24 Home is Where the Hearth is

How fireplaces or stoves can warm the heart and home

28 The Beauty of the Belle

The remarkable history of the Belle Isle House

www.thehouseandhomemagazine.com

48 Holley Graded School Preserving an icon of education on the Northern Neck

54 Craving the Comfort

of Home, Relishing the Comforts of Food

58 Traveling through History

on the Colonial Parkway

62 The Mighty

Brussels Sprout

Pleasant 32 Ditchley Cider Works 68 Mint.Hague Crafting a future with a nod to the past

38 A Bird Dog’s Purpose ‘Hand in Paw’ with their humans

46 Chicken & Waffles

An unlikely match made in culinary heaven

72 Let it Snow 78 Senior Options in Long-Term Care

84 Fine Properties 94 Preparation Key to Aging in Place of Your Choosing

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CRIM DELL A Legacy of Beauty

By Linda Landreth Phelps

“…that one may walk in beauty, discover the serenity of the quiet moment, and dispel the shadows.”

Davis Paschall, President, College of William & Mary 14

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his quote graces a plaque unveiled at the College of William & Mary’s cherished Crim Dell, marking the dedication of its new oriental-style bridge spanning the scenic pond.

One of the most serenely beautiful oases in presentday Williamsburg was once just a gully where early twentieth-century passersby tossed trash, until a small lake was created at its foot by damming a stream below the future bridge. The first version of this structure was painfully plain, a rustic, utilitarian structure jutting directly from one bank to the other, lacking a graceful arch, unadorned by even the most basic coat of paint.

Photo courtesy of A.E. Phelps, III

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During the tenure of President Davis Paschall (1960-71), it was proposed that the Lily Pond (as it was then known) be filled in and a needed new library built there, but Paschall had other plans. The idea of landscaping around the pond and building a new, more impressive bridge was entirely his initiative, according to Louise Kale, director of the historic W&M campus at the time. Funding for this project came from three different sources. “It was paid for with money from the 1964 senior class gift; a man named David Baer, who was a loyal friend of the college; and the family of John W. H. Crim,” she said. The pond (or dell) was named for Crim (a “distinguished alumnus” of the Class of 1901) and his wife and daughter, but the entire site, including the bridge, has since become known collectively as Crim Dell. Its location is in the older section of the college campus, which was founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III and Queen Mary II. It is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, after Harvard University.

The proposed Earl Greg Swem Library was eventually built on New Campus, which is less centrally located. The Special Collections department now preserves black and white photos of students in the 1950s clearing out brush and re-landscaping the pond area in preparation for the new project.

Thanks to the vision of President Paschall and the support of many others, tour guides have led visiting prospective W&M students and their families to the iconic serene location for more than half a century. Part of the guide’s introduction to this campus highlight no doubt mentions the legends attached to the overarching structure.

A sculpted heron reflected on the surface of the still water has been witness to countless embraces. Legend has it that a couple crossing the arched bridge while holding hands will be friends forever — but if they kiss at its apex, they will be lifelong lovers. Surrounding the Dell is a stand of beech trees that carries the carved initials of many couples hoping to fall into the latter category. Should that romance sour, one must push the ex-lover off the bridge to break the bond, or join those who venture the bridge crossing alone to face a lifetime of loneliness.

More of a debunked tall tale than legend is the supposed ranking by Playboy magazine of Crim Dell as the second-most romantic spot on American college campuses. Though ice 15

FROM A TRASH-FILLED GULLY TO THE ICONIC SYMBOL OF ONE OF THE OLDEST UNIVERSITIES IN AMERICA, CRIM DELL WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF CAMPUS LIFE. 16

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skating and swimming in the Dell are now banned activities, one tradition followed by especially daring students stipulates that a dip into its murky water, jumping the wall of the Governor’s Mansion after hours, and running across the Sunken Garden (all accomplished sans clothing) is necessary to complete the fabled Ironman Triathlon before graduation.

By the late ‘90s, the aging bridge was considered unsafe, local architect John Hopke remembers. “The technical term is ‘a little woogetty,’ ” he adds with a laugh. In addition to structural soundness concerns, new ADA accessibility laws meant that the entire structure needed to be replaced. Hopke & Associates came up with a design for handrails that actually strengthen the present bridge, yet remain functional and aesthetically pleasing.

In 2017, Crim Dell was scheduled for a needed renovation. The bridge needed paint, and years of stormwater runoff had deposited tons of sediment in the lake.

When it was drained, snapping turtles, water snakes, and fish were painstakingly recovered and relocated by student and alumni volunteers. Eight additional bubblers were installed to inhibit the growth of algae, and the tree line was moved back three feet. Dead roots had caused erosion of the Dell’s shoreline, so they were dug out and the banks were reinforced. More than 900 truckloads of sediment were dredged and removed, and a herd of goats was employed to munch back the overgrowth. Ongoing landscape work will keep Crim Dell looking its best. A long-term project is underway to eradicate invasive and nonnative species such as bamboo, which once threatened to overwhelm the area.

From a trash-filled gully to the iconic symbol of one of the oldest universities in America, Crim Dell will continue to be an important part of campus life. Every W&M graduating class marches across campus and over this beloved colorful bridge. The journey marks the transition from the sheltering arms of academia to the successful lives for which their alma mater has prepared them. It has become a precious symbol, and also a place where anyone is welcome to “…walk in beauty, discover the serenity of the quiet moment, and dispel the shadows.” H The House & Home Magazine

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The World in

MINIATURE T

he word “miniature” evolved from the world of books, but it has been embraced by the world of art. Prior to the printing press, when manuscripts were printed by hand by scribes using black ink. Occasionally they used red pigments, especially for titles, large initial letters, and decorative

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drawings. The Latin name for this red coloring was minium, and the corresponding verb meaning to color with minium was miniare.

The association of decorative drawings with miniare was so strong that its meaning was later broadened until it meant “to decorate a manuscript.” Miniatura was used to refer to the art of adding illuminations or illustrations

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A turn-of-the-century Parisian patisserie inspired by the 1958 musical ‘Gigi’.

Writer’s collection.

Craftsman-style furniture and upholstery. Photo courtesy of Lars Mikkelsen.

By Deb Weissler

Seventeenth-century baby cabinet commissioned by Petronella Oortman now part of a permanent collection in Amsterdam.

A MINIATURE HOUSE AND ITS CONTENTS WERE NOT A THING TO PLAY WITH, BUT AN EXHIBIT OF WEALTH.

A wizard’s spell table with handmade books by Denver artist Ericka VanHorn.

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Nineteenth-century Nuremberg kitchen.

(left) Karen Fitzhenry safety stand rocking horse. (right) Austrian miniaturist Hubert Lengdorfer’s version of San Francisco’s historic Westerfeld House is made entirely of paper.

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to a manuscript. Since the illustrations were small by comparison with most other paintings, miniatura came to refer not only to a manuscript’s illustrations, but to any small portrait or painting.

Eventually it meant anything very small. In English the word translated to miniature.

The word miniature became common around 1630 with the popularity of “cabinet houses” or “baby cabinets,” built not for children but for adults. A miniature house and its contents were not a thing to play with, but an exhibit of wealth. Looking much like a china cabinet today, the front of the house opened to reveal an owner’s expensive miniature collection.

Germany’s Nuremberg kitchens date back to the 1500s. Built as single rooms within a box, known today as a roombox, fully equipped Nuremberg kitchens were meant to teach young girls the art of proper housekeeping and cooking.

Most often associated with the festivities of Christmas than with the practicalities of everyday life, Nuremberg kitchens were intended to generate wonder, make kitchens seem magical, and thereby inspire girls to anticipate and desire their future roles as homemakers.

Early European dollhouses were unique and one-of-a-kind buildings constructed by individual craftsmen, but with the advent of the Industrial Revolution factories began producing them in growing numbers. Germany produced the most prized dollhouses and miniatures up until World War I, with England a close second. By the end of the nineteenth century, American dollhouses were being manufactured for a growing population of young girls.

WWII brought an end to Germany’s domination of the toy industry.

Dollhouses were soon being massproduced in American and Japanese factories that stamped them out of sheet metal and filled them with colorful plastic furniture. Almost every little girl would at some time find one tucked under the Christmas tree. As the modern world recovered from war, adult miniature collectors would fuel the desire for better quality and increasingly realistic miniatures. Since then, the demand for miniature artisans has never been greater.

To distinguish between what’s December/January 2020

miniature and what’s merely small, a true miniature must be a reduced version of Interior of Jennifer Williams’ shabby chic She Shed something that was originally full size.

Therefore, a dollhouse fits the definition; a Mini Cooper does not. When Alice dropped down the rabbit hole and drank from a bottle labeled “DRINK ME,” thus becoming a mere ten inches tall, she would certainly be considered miniature.

A bonsai tree is a dwarf replica of its fullsize cousin, but a microchip (regardless how small), is simply micro.

It’s not just about size but of scale.

The baby cabinets of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and the toy dollhouses of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries rarely had uniform scales, including their contents. Today, there are a broad range of scales, ranging from backyard playhouses to children’s toys. Mattel’s Barbie houses for example are 1:6 scale, or one inch is equivalent to six inches in full size. For adult miniature collectors, size matters.

The most common standard for dollhouses and dollhouse miniatures is 1:12 scale, where one inch equals one foot. In recent years, as our real homes have become space-challenged, 1:24 or half scale and 1:48 or quarter inch have become increasingly popular. There are even dollhouses for dollhouses built to 1:144 scale!

Regardless of size, the miniature world embraces control. In reality, we live in a scary world often filled with gloom and doom. Controlling what goes on in a tiny, scaled-down world restores our sense of balance and order. Miniaturists become the masters of a universe — creators with dominion over tiny realms. For many, the desire to collect and play with tiny things becomes an obsession, and we soon wonder if there has ever been a more desirable place to reside.

The love for tiny things that typically begins in childhood is often jettisoned by the time we become adults. For those of us who keep a foot firmly planted in the threshold of childhood may be considered peculiar, and perhaps it’s that peculiarity that captivates us and attracts us to others of our kind. At dozens of miniature trade shows and fairs held each year by a host of miniature organizations and enthusiasts, artists and dealers from around the world gather to display and sell their wares and (left) Annemarie Kwikkel’s porcelain doll, Leila. (right) Reproduction in miniature collectors swarm to buy. of a Van Merken Cabinet with inlaid wood and marquetry by French artist Pierre These shows often host how-to Mourey.

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Old Nags Head room box scene in writer’s collection.

‘Epiphany’ luxury bath by Jo Bevilacqua of Spencer’s Nook.

(left to right) Rococo harpsichord with hand-painted scenes by Natasha Beshenkov. Figaro’s Cottage by Cinderella Moments.

Hogwarts Castle by Rik Pierce towers more than seven feet tall and is made entirely of paper clay.

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seminars and workshops where artists willingly share their techniques and trade tips. Attendees learn a variety of skills: stuccoing, carpentry, wood-turning, sewing, hat making, cabinet making, doll making, cake decorating, food making, and a host of other skills. In recent years, social media has embraced the hobby and enthusiasts share images online and use forums, blogs, and videos to share information and learn new skills.

Dollhouses and miniatures are constructed out of a variety of materials: wood, resin, plastic, clay, paper, fabrics, and metal. There are entire industries dedicated to supplying milled wood, pre-hung doors and windows, flooring, wallpaper, lighting, and hardware in remarkable detail. In recent years, advanced technology such as 3D printers have enabled producers to capture fine features that once took artists weeks to achieve by hand. Microtools in the form of lathes, drill presses, and belt sanders allow artists to handle the most delicate of materials and detailing.

Portrait doll artists have become increasingly adept at recreating real people or pets in small scale. Furniture makers have produced items so convincing that they are mistaken for full size when posted on auction sites. Artists who receive frantic calls or emails from buyers when just a tiny package arrives by post rather than the full size piece they had imagined.

From soaring castles, French chateaus, Georgian townhouses, gingerbread Victorians, country farmhouses, Craftsmen bungalows, and log cabins, there are

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Titanic’s grand staircase by Hubert Lengdorfer. architectural styles and furnishings in miniature for every taste.

The fantasy worlds created by books, television and cinema have all been recreated in miniature. Harry Potter, Charmed, Beatrix Potter, Lewis Carroll, Wind in the Willows, Downton Abbey, Camelot, Phantom of the Opera, Lord of the Rings, and Pirates of the Caribbean have been miniaturized by hundreds of adoring fans and artists.

For many miniaturists, their vignettes may simply represent a trip back in time, to the homes they shared with family or fond memories of special places they had visited. As I sheepishly present my miniature collection to my non-mini friends, I await the inevitable question — “But what do you do with them?” It’s a question I have no good answer for, other than they provide spaces for emotion, freedom, artistic expression, and imagination. Like Alice, I can drop down the rabbit hole and escape into a world of my own creation. H

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HOW FIREPLACES OR STOVES CAN WARM THE HEART Jackie AND HOME By Nunnery

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ire. It cooks our food, it warms us, and provides a comforting glow that chases away the darkness that closes in this time of year. The hearth, whether in front of a fireplace or woodstove, has long been the centerpiece of the home because of this importance, and it’s still true today. Adding a fireplace or stove to your home not only adds ambience, it can add value. Buyers frequently place fireplaces on the top of their list of must-have features when looking for a new home.

Have a fireplace on your wish list? There are many ways to make your wish for fire come true.

WOOD BURNING FIREPLACES: TRADITIONAL WAYS FOR GATHERING ‘ROUND There’s nothing like the crackling of a fire, but there are hidden costs to enjoying a traditional fireplace. Not only are they the least energy efficient when it comes to providing heat for your home, they since time immemorial fire are also the most time-intensive. has called to us, and we have Chopping, hauling or buying ash cleanup, and allanswered by gathering around firewood, important maintenance should all to embrace its warmth, bask in be considered when thinking about installing a wood-burning fireplace. its glow, and be hypnotized by Fireplaces, regardless of type, should be inspected every year its dancing flames. before the season starts. In this case, that means inspecting the chimney and flue (the opening in the chimney) for holes, loose mortar, or buildup of creosote, which can cause a chimney fire. Should creosote be found, you’ll need to have the chimney cleaned. One way to avoid creosote build-up is to make sure the firewood you’re using is cured before burning.

Traditional fireplaces have one other drawback. While lovely to look at, they aren’t very good at heating the home, since most of the heat escapes up the chimney. Consider a wood or gas fireplace insert. These inserts not only seal up a drafty fireplace, their The House & Home Magazine

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fans blow the fire’s warm air out into the room. The result? You get to keep your traditional fireplace surround and enjoy a fire, but with much more heating efficiency.

GAS FIREPLACES: INSTANTLY BRINGING WARMTH TO YOUR HOME If you love the look of a “real” fire but hate the effort, a gas fireplace can give you the best of both worlds, all while giving you a fire with a simple press of a button.

Most gas fireboxes contain realisticlooking logs and flames, so that you won’t feel like you’re missing out, and they easily fit into your home’s décor just like a traditional fireplace. If you have more modern tastes, there are contemporary-styled fireboxes that, rather than try to mimic a “real” fire, they highlight the flames and clean lines with stone or glass rocks that surround the burner.

Either of these style fireboxes are further enhanced with architectural features, like the surround, hearth, and mantel. Of course, many contemporary designs stand out for having few, if any, of these touches. The materials you choose — brick, stone, tile, or wood — should all work with each other, as well as with your home’s existing architecture, for a cohesive design.

When it comes to upkeep, gas fireplaces are much less time-consuming.

It’s simply a matter of vacuuming dust or debris out of the firebox, logs and burners before you first use it for the season. Any other maintenance or repair to the gas line or connections, whether propane or natural gas, should be handled by a professional.

FREESTANDING STOVES: SPACE AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY Want the warming benefits of a real fire but lack the space for a full fireplace? A freestanding wood or gas stove might be the perfect option.

Like the potbelly stoves from the 1800s, today’s stoves are typically made from cast iron, but you’ll also find them made from welded steel. The beautiful modern versions of traditional stoves 26

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come in a wide variety of sizes and styles, but many feature glass doors, so you can still see the beauty of the fire that lies inside.

Today’s modern stoves, whether wood or gas burning, are designed to be very efficient when it comes to heating, so the choice again comes down to how much work you want to put into maintaining fires and cleaning up after them.

It should be noted that there is one distinct advantage of the freestanding gas stove — there are vent-free options.

These stoves don’t require any venting to the outside, so it’s much easier to locate and install, with the help of a professional, of course.

FIRE PITS AND CHIMINEAS: COZYING UP OUTDOORS

While a fireplace or stove can feel cozy indoors, there’s something especially enjoyable about a fire outside, accompanied by the sounds of nature.

Having a fire pit or chiminea on your patio provides the perfect gathering place and helps extend the outdoor entertaining season.

Having a fire pit in your backyard can be as simple as purchasing a freestanding metal design, or you may choose to go the more permanent route by installing a stone kit or custom design. Either way, the possibilities are endless, and the result is sure to be a place where family and friends will naturally want to gravitate.

Another easy-to-install option is a chiminea, which is essentially a small outdoor fireplace. From the Spanish word for chimney, they are traditionally made of clay or terra cotta, but you can also find them made of copper, steel, or even cast iron. Their freestanding design makes them easy to place and change locations.

We’re in that time of year when the days can be gray and the nights long and cold; when we long for the comfort of family and friends around a fire. Since time immemorial fire has called to us, and we have answered by gathering around to embrace its warmth, bask in its glow, and be hypnotized by its dancing flames. While no longer a necessity for survival, a roaring fire is a primal way to unplug from the modern world. H The House & Home Magazine

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Beauty of the Belle

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By Dianne Saison

The remarkable history of the Belle Isle House

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own a long, unpaved drive and hidden from view by soaring trees, sits an aging beauty that was once one of Lancaster, Virginia’s landmark manors, the Belle Isle House. At more than 250 years old, the plantation was once actively filled with the laughter of schoolchildren and the bustle of a busy home. The house now stands vacant and hidden in one of Virginia’s most beautiful state parks, which takes its name from the estate.

This spring, however, it will open its doors to the public during Historic Garden Week in the Northern Neck, giving enthusiasts a rare glimpse into eighteenth-century colonial splendor.

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Patented in 1650, the land was initially owned by John Lloyd, who served as Justice for Richmond County until the late 1600s. Lloyd’s wife, Elizabeth, was the only child and heiress of famed Colonel John Carter, considered to be one of Virginia’s most influential colonial settlers and the largest landowner in the region at that time. In 1692, the farm was acquired by John Bertrand — a Huguenot who fled Europe with his family to escape religious persecution.

In 1759, Bertrand’s son, William, inherited the property after his father’s death and began the construction of the brick, two-story Belle Isle Mansion. Upon William’s death, Belle Isle was passed on to his grandson, Thomas Bertrand Griffin. In 1786, Griffin sold the plantation to Rawleigh William Downman, whose family stands as the home’s longest occupants, with generations having only known Belle Isle as their happy home.

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DESPITE THE CURRENT ABANDONED AIR OF THE ESTATE, BELLE ISLE HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN A WARM AND INVITING HOME, FILLED WITH LOVE AND GENERATIONS OF FAMILY CELEBRATIONS.

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It is believed that the center and main portion is original to the home, along with two brick outbuildings, located just in front of each wing. They housed kitchens and a schoolroom. In the early 1790s, Downman added two, one-story wings to the house, remodeled the parlor and installed such amenities as to make Belle Isle a famed beacon of hospitality and community gathering. The middle and oldest sections of the home’s walls are laid in Flemish bond, with beveled ledges to divert rainwater. A narrow “belt course,” an ornamental exterior moulding used to mark floor lines in tall structures, defines the story levels. The home’s windows and doors are Diocletian, a segmented and arched style typical to Georgian homes of that period. The center hipped roof is flanked by two, tall brick chimneys and decorated in ornate, bracketed moulding that has withstood the ravages of time and weather. The wings, built by Downman, match the original home’s style. They have Tuscan porticos and abundant windows to allow in natural light at the front and enhance the view of what once was a verdant and renowned garden at the rear of the house.

While the exterior of Belle Isle is typical of many great houses of that time, the interior is altogether another story. The three-bay dwelling has an irregular layout. It has an entryway opening to a foyer containing the main staircase — built to the left of the entryway in the opening foyer — that goes to the second floor. The stairway’s design has some perplexing oddities, including a small window seat with a partially blocked window and “U-shaped” stairs with ornate wood and lattice work not as prominently displayed as in other regional mansions.

The formal dining room, which like all of the first-floor rooms has incredibly high ceilings, exits to the rear portico — an ornate overlook for the property’s terraced gardens and pond. The sole entrances to the central study and adjoining parlor are also accessed from the front foyer. Belle Isle’s original woodwork was harvested from local trees in the 1770s; however, in 1922, much of the first floor’s paneling was sold to the duPont Winterthur Museum in Delaware. The second floor, which remains original in both woodwork and moulding, is another feat of unusual layout. A massive master bedroom with a bathroom and large fireplace is at the right. A strange hallway bisects the floor and two smaller bedrooms are on the left. They both have smaller fireplaces than the master and show lovely views of the grounds. The windows still have their original trim, and in some cases, shutters or sashes, as well as paneled chimney pieces and stone or brick hearths.

The right wing houses the kitchen, pantry and sleeping quarters, while the left wing boasts another great room and entrances to the garden. An additional anteroom in the left wing features antique wallpaper very unique in detail and in pristine condition, which has become one of the home’s favorite talking points.

In one of the more eerie highlights of the home, a small closet near the upstairs front-left room hides an antique wedding veil that remains untouched by staff, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It is in this same room that, as in most houses of a similar age, a ghost is said to haunt.

In a photograph taken by a visitor, an older woman is said to be looking out of the window when no one was in the house. Now, while many of these stories can be laughed off as local lore, this particular tale actually gets much more interesting. In recent years, work has been done to the home, including gutter work on the left wing which sits just below the specter’s chamber. One of the roofers stopped working, leaving his post to ask a park manager… “Who is the lady in the upstairs room?” The handyman said that she had been peering out of the window to watch him while he worked and had been tapping incessantly on the window. When he was told that the home was locked down, without a living soul inside, he left the job — never to return.

Despite the current abandoned air of the estate, Belle Isle historically has been a warm and inviting home, filled with love and generations of family celebrations.

After more than a century of ownership, the Downmans sold the home to the Somers family in 1918, and they, in turn, sold it in 1938 to John Garland Pollard, Jr., his sister, Suzanne Pollard Boatwright, and their spouses. Their father, John Pollard, was the fifty-first Governor of Virginia, served on the Federal Trade Commission and was Chairman of the Board of Veterans Appeals. In an amazing turn of fate, he was also behind the formation of the commission that created Virginia’s State Parks, which now include Belle Isle.

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The Pollards and the Boatwrights hired T.T. Waterman, an architectural historian with Colonial Williamsburg, to oversee Belle Isle’s restoration. With the use of Pollard, Jr.’s designs, Waterman also built a colonial revival house on the property, now known as Bel Air. Additionally, the family restored the once-neglected gardens, and in 1971, the Boatwrights placed Belle Isle Mansion on the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks.

Although the property subsequently changed hands numerous times and was split up, in 2015 Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation was able to purchase the 90-acre parcel of land with the Belle Isle House on it. This completed the DCR’s 1989 purchase of the surrounding 90 acres, and solidified Belle Isle State Park — restoring the entirety of the property to its original 1650 patent.

Just a few years ago, the park received an inaugural grant from the Garden Club of Virginia and is planning to implement “Belle Isle Abuzz,” a project intended to restore the gardens and the home so that visitors can once again fill the stately home with laughter and love, building memories for the next generation.

Beautifully restored by the Pollards and Boatwrights, as well as many other people who have either lived at the manor or been inspired by it, Belle Isle today is a faithful reminder of the resilience of the region. It has weathered The Revolutionary War, The Civil War, droughts, storms, and everything in between, yet it still stands tall, beautiful and with an air of southern grace and charm that is enthralling. The residence, its outbuildings, terraced gardens, waterways and dense foliage come together as shining examples of Virginian Georgian Architecture.

In April, the house will be open to the public during Historic Garden Week, and park workers know that it will once again become an irresistible draw to our region.

For more information on Belle Isle, visit https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/ belle-isle, or visit the historic home during this spring’s garden tour.

The House & Home Magazine extends deep appreciation to Belle Isle Chief Ranger and Park Manager Katie Shepard as well as The Northern Neck Historical Society for their invaluable contributions to the research of this story. H The House & Home Magazine

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DITCHLEY CIDER WORKS

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By Jackie Nunnery

ike the namesake beverage, Ditchley Cider Works as a property is an interesting blend.

Made up of one-part historical property and one-part heritage farming and production, the resulting concoction is both warming and enticing. It is also the product of using history to build something entirely new.

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OF HISTORICAL GROUNDS AND STORIED FAMILIES The first plantation house was built circa 1688 by Hancock Lee and his wife, Mary. Lee inherited the surrounding 600 acres on Dividing Creek from his father, Colonel Richard Lee, who came to Virginia in 1639 and became known as “the Founder,� since he was the first of what would become the

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prominent Lee family in Virginia. The family would go on to include signers of the Declaration of Independence, President Zachary Taylor (his grandmother was a Lee), and General Robert E. Lee, just to name a few.

Hancock’s son, Richard Lee, later inherited the estate and is said to have given the plantation the name Ditchley under the mistaken belief that his family was connected to a Lee family who lived on the Ditchley Park estate back in England.

The next generation, Kendall Lee, came into the estate and built the central portion of the current manor house around 1752. His son, William Lee, sold the estate in 1789, and Ditchley became the home of yet another prominent local family.

Colonel James Ball III had connections to both the Ball and Lee families as his mother, Letitia, was Kendall Lee’s sister. The Balls served in the House of Burgesses and also had THE FIRST THING YOU a connection with the Washingtons, SEE IS ONE OF THE APPLE most notably to George Washington, ORCHARDS FOR THE through his mother, Mary Ball.

PROPERTY’S NAMESAKE During the Ball family ownership, BEVERAGE. THEY GROW 48 a one-story wing was added to the southern end of the home for a DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF bedroom sometime in the 1850s. The APPLES FOR PRODUCING Balls would hold onto the property THEIR HARD CIDERS, WHICH until 1920, when a Lee descendant, ARE PRODUCED ON-SITE. Cora Lee Carter Keane, bought the property. She would hold onto Ditchley for nearly a decade before the estate would revert to the Balls have chosen an unusual way to spend their retirement. It and yet another prominent family. was Calhoun’s idea for the cidery as something to do once Keane sold the property in 1929 to Alfred and Jessie Grosklags retired as Vice Admiral from the Navy. “It was Ball duPont. Alfred duPont was from one of the richest either sell everything and move out west and be ski bums families in America at the time, and Jessie Ball had grown or find a project big enough to keep us occupied.” With the up in Northumberland County. Acquiring Ditchley meant Ditchley project, “I think we’ve over-excelled,” Calhoun said maintaining a meaningful family tie to the area for her. One with a laugh. of the many changes to the property during their ownership was the addition of a wing onto the north side of the home, KEEPING WITH THE HERITAGE OF FARMING which they used for a kitchen and butler’s pantry. They also added a caretaker’s home nearby, which mimics the When you arrive on the property, the first thing you see is one architectural style of the original manor house. While the of the apple orchards for the property’s namesake beverage. duPonts spent considerable resources on the upkeep of the They grow 48 different varieties of apples for producing their home and property, they spent little time there. hard ciders, which are produced on-site.

After her death in 1970, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund It seems only appropriate that Ditchley have its own hard maintained Ditchley until it was bought by the current cider, given the importance the drink has had to the American owners, Cathy Calhoun and her husband Paul Grosklags, Colonies. At one time, it was the most common beverage, in 2014. The property includes the original estate home, the given that safe drinking water was not always readily available. caretaker’s house, a Sears catalog beach house, and roughly Many colonists had their own apple trees and fermenting the 160 surrounding acres. juice was the easiest way to preserve the harvest. Cider was so Both former Naval officers, Calhoun and Grosklags

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common that at one time taxes and wages were paid in cider.

Hard cider is not the only thing produced on the property, which has been continually farmed since 1687. Heritage breed hogs and cows roam the pastoral landscape much like they would have hundreds of years ago. The hogs clear land for future orchards, and the cows keep all the pastures mowed.

The animals not only help manage the land, they provide healthy cuts of meat, such as sausage, chops, roasts and more, which are available to members of their meat club. Ducks, geese and turkeys are also part of the sustainable farm, providing chemical-free pest control and a steady supply of eggs and meat.

A TIMELESS SPACE TO EAT, DRINK AND BE MARRIED While Calhoun and Grosklags work hard to keep the tradition of traditional farming alive, experiencing the natural beauty of the property as a destination for weddings is a decidedly modern touch to the property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Though the property was virtually abandoned in the decades after Ball duPont’s death, the couple has worked hard to restore the main house to its former glory. Many of the original, or close to original, historical elements remain, and the rich architectural elements provide an elegant backdrop to photographs or any indoor event.

Modern amenities like air conditioning and Wi-fi also make the main house a comfortable location for wedding

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parties. With three bedrooms and four bathrooms that can accommodate six to eight people, the bride, groom, and attendants can comfortably gather and get ready before the ceremony.

Next door, the caretaker’s home can also accommodate eight to twelve guests comfortably in its four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The tasting room, also located in the home, is a wonderful setting for rehearsal and send-off celebrations before and after the big day.

Just outside the doors of the home, the property provides a serene, natural setting for ceremonies and celebrations.

An expansive lawn and large, old growth trees provide comfortable places for guests to gather. Ample parking, just a short walk away, is another modern amenity that makes the historical property convenient for larger parties.

IF THE WALLS COULD TALK For more than 300 years, Ditchley has represented a strong tie to family, tradition, and history, with many Lees and Balls having lived and celebrated on its grounds. The “modern�

Ditchley is now opening its gates and inviting all to enjoy its stately architecture and natural beauty, for new families to write their own stories on this enduring piece of land.

To learn more about Ditchley, including the farm and products, visit the site: ditchleyciderworks.com H The House & Home Magazine

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A BIRD DOG’S PURPOSE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FROM ANCIENT BURIAL SITES SHOWS HOW WE’VE EVOLVED TOGETHER — HUMANS AND HUNTING DOGS IN PARTICULAR. HISTORY REVEALS THAT IF IT WASN’T FOR THEM, OUR WAY OF LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT.

By Janet Evans Hinman

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umans have developed “hand in paw” with their canine companions for millennia.

The designation of “man’s best friend” exists for a reason. It’s not just that dogs are loving, loyal and helpful by nature, it’s also true that they’ve been with us since our earliest “hunter and gatherer” days, learning the tools for survival right along with us.

It’s difficult to sort out whether humans would have developed differently without our dogs, or whether dogs would have evolved differently without their humans. Archaeological evidence from ancient burial sites shows how we’ve evolved together — humans and hunting dogs in particular. History reveals that if it wasn’t for them, our way of life would have been significantly different.

Because of their close association with humans, dogs have changed a lot through the ages. Even some of the most common types of hunting dogs, originally bred for finding and retrieving game, have become, with our help, house dogs and lap dogs who need to hunt nothing more challenging than tennis balls.

Nevertheless, traditional hunting dog breeds still excel at their specialties, and hunting enthusiasts throughout the world still depend on their company, friendship and assistance.

In general, the most common types of hunting dogs are scent hounds and bird dogs/gun dogs.

Scent hounds follow prey trails with their noses, making quite a lot of noise while running after prey. The dogs’ calls enable the hunter to follow the trail even when the dog is out of sight.

Bird dogs, or gun dogs, comprise a big subcategory of hunting dog types — and birds are, of course, their specialty. Their role is very different from that of hounds. They assist the hunter by flushing prey out of hiding, tracking prey and pointing to prey. They also retrieve quarry once it is downed by the hunter. Among the most familiar categories of bird dogs/gun dogs are the spaniels, setters, pointers and retrievers.

SPANIELS These breeds excel at locating and flushing out prey. At different times in their history, they’ve been separated into different categories like land spaniels and water spaniels, depending on

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A Brittany checks the air for scent

the prey they were hunting. Water spaniels were also used to retrieve gunned-down prey, while land spaniels were, and still are, setting dogs. They’ll creep towards the prey and flush it out for the hunter.

There are also springing spaniels adept at flushing prey.

Very smart dogs, spaniels know and love their role in a hunt.

You can see spaniels often used in partnership with other animals — with falcons for pheasants and partridges, or with sight hounds for rabbits and other small prey.

There are many noteworthy breeds in the spaniel class.

Here are few of the standouts.

Boykin Spaniel: The Boykin will keep a moderate pace in front of the hunter to track birds by scent and sight. They are known for their hesitation while tracking, before flushing aggressively. They are versatile hunters with very keen noses and a strong, natural desire to retrieve. Boykins are fantastic swimmers. They are friendly and affectionate, but require activity to remain content.

English Springer Spaniel: This breed will generally range in a zig-zag pattern in front of the hunter to “spring” and flush upland game birds. Their retrieving skills rival those of the Labradors and Golden Retrievers. The typical springer is cheerful, friendly and affectionate, and easy to acclimate into a family setting. Their playful nature combined with great stamina make them excellent sporting companions and popular playmates for children.

Brittany (Formerly Brittany Spaniel): The Brittany is a close-working pointer with natural hunting and retrieving ability. While not large in stature, they have the speed and agility to cover a lot of ground. They are a tough and durable breed with skin and coat built to resist punctures and tears in thick cover. Generally, the breed produces a very active

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and alert dog with a good disposition.

A Brittany will make a good house dog provided it has sufficient exercise.

SETTERS The setter helps the hunter by locating prey and flushing it out of cover. Used for hunting upland game birds, setters use both their scent and sight instincts to expertly locate birds and flush them when and how the hunter commands.

They move quickly and almost silently, making them competent stealth hunters.

They are committed and enthusiastic about their searches.

Setters take their names after a rather distinctive pose they strike once they’ve located their quarry — a sort of crouch, or “set.” Once the dog has indicated where the birds are by freezing on point, the birds are then flushed so the hunters can get a shot. In earlier times before guns were used, a net would be used to trap the birds.

The setter is generally considered an intelligent, happy dog with a kind temperament, which makes it particularly patient with children.

However, they are active and energetic, requiring a significant amount of exercise. Here are a few breeds to recognize.

English Setter: This breed is a quick and efficient worker with an excellent nose and ground speed that was bred specifically for upland bird hunting. They are graceful hunters that combine agility with stamina to cover a lot of ground.

They are a gentle and affectionate breed with a very mild disposition that tends to train better with positive reinforcement.

They do well in a home environment, as they tend to mellow indoors and take on a friendly “couch potato” mentality, as long as they are kept active when outdoors.

Irish Setter, Red Setter: These breeds are upland bird dogs with a high prey drive, work ethic and stamina. The Irish Setter, and its Red Setter relative, are high-spirited gun dogs/bird dogs known for grace, speed and flashy red coats. They are famously good family dogs: sweet-tempered companions for the folks, and rollicking playmates and tennis ball fetchers for the children.

The Red Setters are smaller than the 40

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(left to right) Irish Setter, Gordon Setter, Irish Red & White Setter and English Setter

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German Wirehair Pointer

traditional Irish Setters. They both make excellent hunters and house dogs, provided they are given plenty of exercise.

Gordon Setter: The Gordon Setter, “The black avenger of the Highlands,” is a substantial bird dog named for a Scottish aristocrat. It is one of the largest setters, and has a distinctive black and tan coat that is long and slightly wavy. Athletic and outdoorsy, Gordons are bold, confident, resolute in the field and sweetly affectionate by the fireside. Like other Scottish breeds, Gordons were built to withstand their homeland’s tough terrain and foul weather.

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POINTERS Unquestioned aristocrats of the sporting world, pointers carry themselves proudly and are capable of great speed and agility.

Pointing dogs are generally used for locating and pointing out prey for the hunter to approach, flush and shoot. Pointers typically have a farther range than spaniels and setters, making them ideal for long hunts. Born hunters, pointers will stand still with one foot raised off the ground to point the hunter in the right direction of the prey. Many pointers are also great land retrievers.

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The pointer has been bred for many generations to be a biddable, bird-focused, gun dog. They are loyal, hardworking and even-tempered. They also run hard and fast, making them good companions for runners or cyclists. These dogs are also naturals at dog sports. Here are a few remarkable breeds.

English Pointer (The AKC shortened the name to just Pointer): The pointer is a very hard-driving hunter known to be a tireless worker with a great work ethic. They are independent and enthusiastic, with great range, and they work well in the field with other dogs. They generally exhibit natural hunting instincts at a very young age. Very loving and affectionate dogs, they may exhibit restless traits that make them less ideal indoor pets unless they’re exercised regularly.

German Shorthaired Pointer: While the German Shorthaired Pointer is often thought of as an aristocratic “perfect pointer,” it is also incredibly versatile and can perform plenty of other tasks. Powerful, speedy and agile, GSPs are built for long days of working closely with their owners on both land and water. Even when not hunting, they are enthusiastic for almost any other physical activity. They are friendly and intelligent, and very sensitive to their humans.

They thrive best with positive training. The wire-haired variety, with its distinctive rough coat, is often the hunting breed of choice for people who suffer from allergies.

Vizsla (Hungarian Pointer): These are very energetic working dogs that are robust but rather lightly built. They exhibit natural abilities to point and retrieve and show a genuine love of water. They do not have an undercoat; however, and are not particularly well-suited for very low temperatures. They are known as a one-owner dog because of their loyalty. They are considered brainy. Be sure they get plenty of mental exercise.

Chesapeake Bay Retriever

RETRIEVERS One of the most popular types of gun dog, retrievers were once classified as water spaniels. A retriever’s role is to bring back prey to the hunter after it has been shot down. A well-trained retriever can sit and watch birds fall for hours and remember where each and every one of them fell so that it can retrieve them all at once.

Retrievers are exceptionally smart dogs, easily recognizing various hand, verbal and whistle commands. To do their jobs, retrievers have been bred for having large, soft muzzles, as well as a never-ending desire to please their masters. It’s no surprise how and why retrievers became one of the most popular types of in-house and apartment dogs for hunters and non-hunters alike. They are standout disability assistance dogs. Here are some breeds to remember.

Labrador Retriever: This enthusiastic, energetic and loyal dog can withstand cold temperatures and easily tolerate cold water. Tough and durable, with good speed and agility, they are often considered best for duck hunting. Labs are intelligent, hard workers, and make excellent companions and family dogs, even when not on the hunt. They are the most popularly registered breed in the world. Their social nature makes them great companions but less capable guardians.

Chesapeake Bay Retriever: The Chesapeake Bay Retriever The House & Home Magazine

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Golden Retriever Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever retrieving a bird

is the peerless duck dog of the midAtlantic. They are a tough breed, with skin and coat built to resist quite low temperatures in icy water. They are powerful, versatile, loyal, upbeat, affectionate, and tireless. Chessies are usually bright and happy dogs with a great love for water. They tend to be more emotionally complex than the usual gun dog. They are protective of their humans and polite, but not overtly friendly to strangers. They make excellent watchdogs and are gifted athletes. Obedience training is considered essential with this breed, as they are prone to exhibiting dominant behavior.

Golden Retriever: This breed is an exuberant Scottish gun dog of great beauty and stands among America’s most popular dog breeds. They are serious workers at hunting and field work, as guides for the blind, and in searchand-rescue. They enjoy obedience and other competitive events and have an endearing love of life when not at work.

Goldens are outgoing, trustworthy, and eager-to-please family dogs. They take a joyous and playful approach to life and maintain this puppyish behavior into adulthood. For a breed built to retrieve waterfowl for hours on end, swimming and fetching are natural pastimes.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY BIRD DOGS INCLUDE: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever: The little gun dog with the long name, Tollers were bred to hunt with an unusual style — they frolic along the water’s edge to “toll” or lure curious waterfowl to within gun range.

Flat-Coated Retriever: Described as the “Peter Pan” of the Sporting Group, the forever-young Flat-Coated Retriever is a gun dog of relatively recent origin.

Happy, self-assured and willing to please, a Flat-Coat will retrieve a duck or a favorite toy with equal enthusiasm.

Poodle (Standard): Although not classified as a sporting breed, the Standard Poodle originated in Germany hundreds of years ago as a water retriever. While not generally used for hunting today, the breed retains many of the qualities that made it attractive to hunters. H

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Labrador Retrievers

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AN UNLIKELY MATCH MADE IN CULINARY HEAVEN

By Kim Boisvert

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he combination of savory fried chicken and a light, fluffy waffle topped with sweet maple syrup is an unlikely match made in culinary heaven. In fact, this dish’s popularity has propelled it to icon status. It is now as American as apple pie. But where did it start? Whom shall we credit with first pairing dinner with breakfast?

Because fried chicken has widely been considered a southern delicacy, it would be easy to assume that chicken and waffles originated there. However, both fried chicken and waffles are older than our American South.

In the Middle Ages, European cooks had a fondness for fricassee, a dish containing meat that is either stewed or fried and served in a thick white sauce. Preparation was easy, only requiring an iron pot, the meat and fat. The popularity of fricassee continued, and the meat of choice became chicken.

Even first lady, Martha Washington had two recipes for the dish. After many years of home cooks perfecting the dish, the recipe that we now recognize as fried chicken was published in a cookbook in 1881.

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Waffles have also been around since the Middle Ages in Europe. They were very thin cakes made from a mixture of flour and water, baked between two metal plates and used as communion wafers. The wealthy would add honey or eggs and bake in plates engraved with their coat of arms. Due to their simplicity, they later became a popular street food.

Dutch immigrants brought them to New Amsterdam, modern day New York. Thomas Jefferson is credited with popularizing waffles in America when he returned from France with a goose-handled waffle iron. Once the electric waffle iron was introduced at the 1964 World’s Fair, waffles became a staple in American kitchens.

After World War I, an artistic awakening was taking place in Harlem, New York and was part of a larger cultural movement called the Harlem Renaissance. During this era, artists of all kinds made their way to the city. Painters, writers, dancers and musicians were all looking for opportunities for expression and recognition. Among those artists were jazz musicians. The music genre’s fan base exploded as major venues like The Cotton Club and The Savoy Ballroom routinely hosted jazz orchestras and swing bands. Music legends Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong all made Harlem their home at some point during those Renaissance years. The bands would play until the early morning hours then go out to eat and unwind. Area restaurants began to stay open later to accommodate them.

Wells Supper Club was one of those restaurants that stayed open. The Club offered breakfast, lunch and dinner and was known for its southern inspired menu. Hungry musicians would go to the restaurant after their late night gigs. However, it was too late for supper and too early for breakfast so Joseph Wells, the founder, came up with the idea to use the leftover fried chicken from the dinner crowd and serve it with a breakfast waffle. From a business standpoint, it was a cost effective way to increase sales and reduce food waste. Of course, it was also a big hit. For decades , Wells Supper Club served its famous chicken and waffles to celebrities, including members of the Rat Pack. It has even been reported that Nat King Cole had his wedding reception there.

It was a Harlem native who started the craze on the West Coast. In 1975, Herb Hudson headed to Los Angeles and opened Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles. Much like the Harlem music scene helped Wells Supper Club rise to culinary fame, Hudson’s Hollywood and Motown connections brought celebrities, music industry professionals and performers to his restaurant to sample the unexpected combination of chicken and waffles. Roscoe’s is well established as part of the Los Angeles food scene and continues to be a favorite eatery among celebrities.

Today many restaurants have their version of chicken and waffles on the menu. The combination has evolved through many incarnations over a long period of time, from the European Middle Ages to the southern tradition of pairing meat with a quick bread to an improvisation in Harlem, making it clear that savory fried chicken and a buttery, sweet waffle are a match destined to be together. H

savory fried chicken and a buttery, sweet waffle are a match destined to be together.

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HOLLEY GRADED SCHOOL Preserving an icon of education on the Northern Neck

By Zora Aiken

A classroom is restored as part of the Holley School’s museum.

Photos courtesy of Ashley Peterson Photography

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HOLLEY SCHOOL REMAINS THE CONSTANT REMINDER OF THE RICH HISTORY CREATED BY THE DETERMINATION OF THE TEACHERS AND THE COMMUNITY WHO TOGETHER BROUGHT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO RURAL VIRGINIA.

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The historic Holley Graded School museum is on route 360 in Lottsburg.

THOUGH THE SCHOOL WAS INITIALLY INTENDED FOR THE CHILDREN OF NEWLY FREED SLAVES, IN PRACTICE, EVERYONE WAS WELCOMED, AS EVERYONE NEEDED TO LEARN.

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t’s hard to imagine a more difficult time in Virginia than the aftermath of America’s Civil War. Yet in the midst of the often-confusing process of Reconstruction, a true good-news story began to grow in the Northern Neck. Two white women from the North, college friends who were active in abolitionist causes, came to Northumberland County to establish an elementary school in the rural community of Lottsburg, aimed at providing education for the children of African-Americans who had been emancipated at the end of the Civil War. First to arrive in 1868 was Caroline Putnam, responding to a request from members of the Zion Baptist Church. Putnam was eager to take this teaching position, hoping to make it her life’s work. Sallie Holley followed in 1869 and bought the two acres of land where the current school building stands. Classes were soon held in a one-room schoolhouse.

Though the school was initially intended for the children of newly freed slaves, in practice, everyone was welcomed, as everyone needed to learn. Poverty and lack of opportunity were universal problems, not always defined by age or race, The House & Home Magazine

A Virginia Historic Marker stands in front of the Holley Graded School.

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Friends of the founders of Holley School shipped supplies to the school in barrels.

A model of the Holley School is on display in the museum.

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A pot-bellied stove still stands in the restored classroom.

and eventually, the school would hold children’s classes by day and adult classes in the evenings, with each group numbering 80 to 100 students.

In addition to the week’s schedule, Putnam and Holley invited women from the community to meet on Saturdays. Under the pretext of sewing workshops, these meetings provided a platform for general conversations about common problems and possible solutions. The school did become the life’s work for both teachers, though Sallie Holley also traveled from time to time as a lecturer, as she had done for years.

Sallie Holley died in 1893, but the school remained in operation as a private, often integrated, school until Caroline Putnam died in 1917. In her will, Putnam left the school property to a board of trustees composed of 11 members of the black community, with the stipulation that it be used for the ongoing purpose of black education.

When the time came for a larger school, it was the local black community who raised the funds and provided the labor to grow the legacy. The four-room, cross-shaped schoolhouse was started in 1914 and finished in stages on a room-by-room basis between 1922 and 1933. The cornerstone shows the dates of 1869

Artwork by “Queena” Stovall shows scenes of life from earlier times.

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Garfield Parker, trustee and museum director for the Holley School

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and 1933, connecting the school’s beginning with its ongoing purpose.

The Holley Graded School continued to teach hundreds of students of all ages. Former students became teachers in the school that had become a symbol of academic achievement. But when federal law mandated racial integration, Virginia adopted a “separate-but-equal” policy, and the Northumberland School District built a new school for black children. Students from Holley School were transferred to the new school, and Holley closed its doors in 1959.

The school building was then little used for many years, and understandably, it began to deteriorate. A neighbor, Ruth Blackwell, had looked after the building and grounds as best she could, but when the county indicated it wanted to take control of the schoolhouse, she asked a local judge to appoint a new group of trustees to maintain the building. These trustees raised funds and recruited labor for the required maintenance, and in the 1980s, they began making plans to restore the school for use as a museum and community center.

By 1996, Holley Graded School was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Virginia Historic Landmark. A state historical marker was also placed on the property, crediting Caroline Putnam and Sallie Holley with establishing the school for children of former slaves. As noted in the school’s application for the National Register, “Holley Graded School is a source of great pride to the black community of Lottsburg… The present building represents the dedicated work of many local people who, despite economic hardship, erected a schoolhouse that was remarkably large and well-appointed for its time.”

Today, the school building includes the museum, and it serves as the community center by being available for meetings, events, and programs that may include discussions on healthy diets, good nutrition, or environmental concerns. Above all, Holley School remains the constant reminder of the rich history created by the determination of the teachers and the community who together brought educational opportunity to rural Virginia.

The Holley Graded School’s single-story frame building sits just off U.S. Highway 360, a short distance from the Zion Baptist Church in Lottsburg. While most rural schoolhouses of the period were austere buildings with little detailing, Holley School shows many refinements, including the exterior rows of triangular and rounded wooden shingles. Large windows throughout create a welcoming impression that is repeated when visitors step inside and see the light streaming into the restored classroom. The walls and ceilings are all sheathed in the pressed metal common to commercial buildings of the era but unusual in a school building. The front door enters into the museum room, where one wall provides a brief history and the opposite wall displays photographs and artwork. A series of paintings by “Queena” Stovall, an American folk artist sometimes called Virginia’s Grandma Moses, shows images of life in rural Virginia in an earlier time. A large wooden barrel raises curiosity, answered by the explanation of its use.

Northern friends of the two teachers would occasionally fill a barrel with clothing, blankets, and other nonperishable items that the school might need or the teachers want. The barrels December/January 2020

Caroline Putnam and Sallie Holley handled the mail for Lottsburg.

would be shipped to Lodge Landing A brief history of the school is displayed. in Callao and brought to the school by horse and cart. In this way, some outside help was provided to the women. The school also housed the post office for Lottsburg. The teachers handled the mail, which added a small amount to their incomes.

A restored classroom brings a touch of nostalgia to some visitors.

Bookcases line one wall, and the rows of student desks in varying sizes reflect the age range of their occupants. Photos of individuals important to the school’s history are on display, including one of the neighbor, Ruth Blackwell, who cared for the property during the years the building was mainly idle. According to a former student, school always began with a pledge of allegiance to the flag, a prayer, and perhaps a Bible verse.

A pot-bellied stove stands in one corner of the classroom, charming to see but still raising the question of how efficient it might be on a cold winter day. A model of the school building and artwork by local artists are displayed in sections of the remaining two rooms, one of which is mostly vacant, ready to be set up as needed for meetings, workshops, or other events.

Much about the school’s past and present can be learned from Garfield Parker, trustee and museum director, who attended classes there till its 1959 closing. As part of an oral history project, he summed up Holley’s significance: “Holly School was important simply because in 1869, right after Reconstruction, parents wanted their children to learn, but there was no place for them to do that. And so, when it came to fruition, it was very well supported. You had to have an education.” Now he adds, “As always, we need to study — and learn from — history.” H The House & Home Magazine

As exhibits change or grow, the museum and art gallery of Holley Graded School may continue to be works in progress, and restoration of necessity demands ongoing maintenance. The museum is always interested in artifacts that have significance to the school or the times when it was active. Local artists and crafters are invited to submit work for display. The school is listed on the Northern Neck Artisan Trail, bringing it to the attention of interested travelers.

Financial support as well as volunteer time and skills are always appreciated.

Holley Graded School Museum, 2439 Northumberland Highway (Route 360), Lottsburg, Virginia, For information: holleyschool.weebly.com, Garfield Parker, 804-761-0768 or Clifton Muse, 804-356-8779 53

Craving

Relishing the comfort of home

the comforts of food

By Jackie Nunnery

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hen winter arrives, so too does the holiday season. We almost always feel nostalgic, sometimes homesick, and the celebrations, often around food, make us feel like indulging. In any case, during this time of year we want to reach for foods that conjure up childhood memories, provide a warm hug, remind us of family, or just let our taste buds celebrate. Here are a few comfort foods with a twist that are sure to do all of the above.

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CHICKEN BRUNSWICK STEW POT PIE Combining two Southern classics makes for a doubly comforting treat. The stew is so special that you won’t notice the pre-made crust, but you can make your own for an even more special dish.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients: • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 2 carrots, chopped • 3/4 cup celery, chopped • 3 small potatoes, chopped • 2 cups frozen corn, rinsed and drained • 1 cup frozen lima beans, rinsed and drained • 1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes • 1 32-oz. carton chicken broth • 1 teaspoon dried parsley • 1 bay leaf • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce • 2 1/2 cups shredded chicken • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon pepper • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce • Packaged pie crust or puff pastry

Directions: Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until lightly browned. Add in carrots, celery and potatoes, canned tomatoes, broth, corn, lima beans, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, bay leaf, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While stew mixture cooks, follow package directions for preparing crust and oven temperatures. When cook time is up, remove bay leaf and add in shredded chicken, stir to combine. Divide mixture into individual oven-safe soup crocks or ramekins and top each with pie crust. Cut slits in top to allow steam to escape. Follow package direction for bake times.

CRABMEAT MAC AND CHEESE It doesn’t get any comfier than mac and cheese and the addition of crabmeat makes it all the more special to our region.

8-10 servings.

Ingredients: Crumb Topping • 1 tablespoon butter • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 cup breadcrumbs • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese Mac and Cheese • 1-pound elbow macaroni • 1/4 cup butter • 3 tablespoons flour • 2 cups milk • 1/3 cup heavy cream • 3 cups mild cheddar cheese • 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 1/2 tablespoon mustard • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 1/4 cups crabmeat, additional 1/3 cup crabmeat for top

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Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly butter a casserole dish. In a medium skillet, heat butter and oil, then add breadcrumbs, stirring until lightly browned. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente and drain well.

Begin the light roux, melting butter in a medium saucepan and stirring in flour until it begins bubbling, about 3 minutes. Stir in the milk and cream and continue stirring until it just comes to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and add the cheeses, salt and mustard; continue stirring until incorporated.

Gently stir in 1 1/4 cups crabmeat and spoon into the buttered dish.

Place the extra crabmeat on top and sprinkle lightly with crumb topping.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes until sauce is bubbly and top is golden brown.

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VENISON STEW This stick-to-your-ribs stew is the perfect comfort food for those long chilly nights.

Easy to make, yet the long cook time will fill your house with a delicious and comforting aroma while you wait.

8-10 servings.

Ingredients: • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 pounds cubed venison • 3 large onions, coarsely chopped • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce • 1 bay leaf • 1 teaspoon dried oregano • 1 tablespoon salt • 1 teaspoon pepper • 3 cups water • 5 potatoes, peeled and quartered • 5 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour • 1/4 cup cold water

Directions: In large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil and cook meat until brown. Add onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, and water. Simmer covered until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Add potatoes and carrots and cook until vegetables are tender, another 45-60 minutes. Mix flour and cold water, stirring into stew. Cook and stir continuously until thickened and bubbly. Remove bay leaf before serving.

BOURBON BACON MASHED SWEET POTATOES This sweet, savory, and Southern take on a classic is sure to give you a nice, warm feeling.

Ingredients: • 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks • 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped • 1/3 cup milk • 4 tablespoons brown butter • 2 tablespoons bourbon • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions: Add the potato chunks to a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until they are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook chopped bacon in a large pan over medium-low heat. Cook until bacon is crispy. Remove from pan and reserve 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat, setting it aside.

Drain the sweet potatoes thoroughly and add them back to the pot. Mash them with a fork or potato masher, then use a whisk or electric hand mixer to whip them. Once whipped, add in the reserved bacon fat, milk, bourbon and brown butter. Whip the potatoes again until everything is combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Crumble the bacon on top to serve.

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December/January 2020

SLOW COOKER NORTHERN NECK GINGER ALE ROAST BEEF This is not your mother’s roast beef. Or maybe it is if she’s from here. Northern Neck Ginger Ale puts a regional spin on this classic comfort food.

8-10 servings.

Ingredients: • 3-pound roast • 1/2 cup flour • 1 package dry onion soup mix • 1 package brown gravy mix • 2 cups ginger ale

Directions: Dry rub the roast with flour. Reserve any flour that does not stick for the sauce. Add the roast to the slow cooker. Combine the rest of the ingredients, along with the flour into a large bowl and mix well. Pour the sauce over the roast. Cook on low for 8 hours or until roast is tender. H

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Traveling

through History

ON THE COLONIAL PARKWAY

By Linda Landreth Phelps

“I would like a new highway as part of the new park, on a strip sufficiently wide to protect it by trees shutting out all conflicting modern development, this highway not to be a glaring modern pavement but as much as feasible giving the impression of an old-time road.”

-- U.S. REPRESENTATIVE LOUIS CRAMTON, 1929 -CRAMTON BILL SIGNED INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT HERBERT HOOVER, 1930 58

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(above) Felgates Creek Bridge. (above right) Tree planting along Colonial Parkway. (right) Construction of bridge across Indian Field Creek.

Photos courtesy of the National Park Service

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ccording to the National Park Service (NPS), several million travelers use the Colonial National Parkway every year in order to enjoy the natural and cultural beauty of Virginia.

Driving along its peaceful, 23-mile length is a treat for the senses. There are no billboards allowed, and all commercial traffic is forbidden on its unmarked three lanes. Speed is limited to a placid 45 miles per hour, which allows both driver and passengers the opportunity to soak in the scenic river, lake, and forest views. Interpretive overlooks, biking, swimming and fishing are all available along this National Scenic Byway. Watch for herds of resident deer feeding peacefully at dusk, a lovely sight. You can literally feel the stress of the day fade away as you enter at any point along its length.

The Parkway’s textured surface of river gravel set in concrete creates a lively ride reminiscence of cobblestone streets as your vehicle takes you on a trip back in history, connecting three towns which form the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. These are considered by preservationists to be “sacred shrines to national life and liberty.”

Virginia’s colonial history began with Jamestown’s founding in 1607; continued at Williamsburg, the eighteenthcentury capitol; and ended when our American independence was secured by the defeat of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown The House & Home Magazine

in 1781. The Colonial Parkway exists as part of a monument and tribute to all three, providing continuity to the visitor’s experience of motoring through 400 years of American history.

By the late 1920s, these once-thriving Tidewater towns had been sadly neglected and fell into disrepair. In 1926, newly elected Governor Harry Flood Byrd saw Virginia’s rich heritage as its greatest asset and began to refer to our state as a “virtual museum of the founding and growth of America.” He proclaimed, “America is on wheels, and Virginia is now awake to the dollar value of the tourist trade.” It would be the tourist dollar that would revive this historic trio and enable them eventually to exceed their former glory.

Authorized in 1930, Colonial National Historical Park (CNHP) is a 10,221-acre strip of land, a unit of the NPS located between the James and York rivers. Traversing the park’s diverse environment, the road provides visitors with dramatic open vistas of wide rivers and tidal estuaries as well as shade-dappled passageways through pine and hardwood forests. Originally designated a national monument, it became a national historical park in 1936. CNHP administers and interprets the sites of Jamestown Island and the Yorktown Battlefield.

Its construction presented the National Park Service (NPS) with a unique challenge: build a thoroughfare unifying culturally distinct sites crossing several pristine natural environments while still maintaining their official prime directive, which is “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same.” Tours of the federally built Mount Vernon Memorial Highway provided landscape architect Charles E. Peterson with a model of a limited-access 59

HISTORY, AESTHETIC BEAUTY AND RECREATION COMBINE IN GLORIOUS SYMBIOSIS ON THE COLONIAL PARKWAY. highway with broad sweeping curves, set in a meticulously landscaped right-of-way devoid of commercial development.

These features, derived from nineteenth-century romantic landscape theories, created a safer and more pleasant drive compared to the increasingly congested urban strips across the nation. Special agreements with the U.S. Navy and private landowners transferred ten miles of the route between Yorktown and Williamsburg to the NPS free of charge, allowing construction to begin in the spring of 1931.

The Parkway project’s construction period extended more than 26 years through the Depression, World War II, and ongoing funding shortages. The first completed roadway in 1936 provided employment for both architects and ablebodied laborers during the Great Depression. Except for the construction of the Williamsburg Tunnel, built in 1942 and 1,190 feet long, and Halfway Creek Bridge, which was also constructed in the 1940s, it was not until 1955 that funds were available to extend the parkway to Jamestown Island in anticipation of the 350th anniversary of Jamestown’s founding. The project was finished barely in time for Queen Elizabeth II’s celebratory visit in 1957. Virginia’s State Route 90003 was complete at last!

Though created for automobile traffic, the popularity of cycling as a hobby and sport has grown over the decades, so cars and bikes now share the road equally. Once a year the road is closed to cars for Pedal the Parkway, a popular event. The road’s bumpy surface makes for rougher riding for bikes and their high-pressure, narrow tires, but it doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm. Though the terrain is mostly level, a few notable rolling hills still make novice flat-landers switch to an easier gear. For the most part, it’s a family friendly environment, but be sure to review safety rules before setting out, and watch for drivers who are distracted by the passing scenery. Many parents riding with younger children choose to park in Williamsburg and hop on the Parkway headed either north or south, then switch directions for the next excursion.

There are multiple access points along the roadway.

Whether traveling in a car or riding a bike, there are plenty of scenic overlooks where one can stop to enjoy the view, take a swim in the river when the weather is fine, fish from the beach, or enjoy a sumptuous picnic in a shady glade. History, aesthetic beauty and recreation combine in glorious symbiosis on the Colonial Parkway, so slow down, enjoy the ride, and read the explanatory signs. Stash that cell phone, unless you’re taking photos, and take time to smell the sweetness of honeysuckle or the crisp scent of pine needles.

Relish the expansive views of two majestic tidal rivers or a blue heron hunting for a sushi snack in the park’s marshy wetlands. Listen closely for the triumphant cry of an osprey, or the wingbeats of a bald eagle. Just for an afternoon, as you travel the road through history, imagine what life was like in Tidewater, Virginia 400 years ago. H 60

December/January 2020

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Brussels Sprout THE MIGHTY

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By Kim Boisvert

December/January 2020

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he Brussels sprout belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family known as Brassica oleracea which includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, kale and kohlrabi. These vegetables are referred to as cole crops, from the Latin word caulis meaning stem or stalk of a plant. The origins of the plant are a bit obscure. Some say it originally descended from savoy cabbage and others assert that Brussels sprouts are more closely related to kale.

Although they are rumored to have been on the menu of ancient Romans, there is no actual evidence of that. Historians credit the Belgians with cultivating the vegetable in the 13th century near Brussels, and that is where they acquired their name. The first written description of them is in a document dated in 1587. The popularity of Brussels sprouts spread from Belgium into the Netherlands and then throughout Europe. French settlers brought them to Louisiana in the 18th century.

Brussels sprouts require cool weather for growing, making the Pacific Northwest an ideal climate. While they can be grown in the spring in cooler climates, the buds will be flimsy and bitter if left to mature in warm, dry weather. They have The House & Home Magazine

an extremely long growing season. Some varieties are ready for harvest in 80 days and others can take up to 130 days. Their planting should be timed with the sprouts’ maturity coinciding with a significant drop in the overnight temperature. Not only do the plants love the colder temperatures, but they actually taste better after being covered in a light frost. If winter arrives earlier than expected, cutting off the top of the plant will cause it to develop quicker. The stalk itself can reach two to three feet high, and they love full sun.

Sprouts form first at the bottom of the stalk and continue upward as the plant matures.

The sprouts will come quickly at first then slow down as the weather cools. They are ready to harvest when the tiny heads are one to two inches in diameter. They should be a deep green color and firm to the touch.

If they are left on the stalk too long, they will turn yellow and taste bitter. Remove the sprouts by twisting until they break free. One full sized plant can produce two to three pounds of sprouts. As those are plucked, new sprouts will grow but not in the same place as the others. When buying them at a grocery store or farmers market, it is cheaper to buy the sprouts still on the stalk because of the cost of labor to harvest them. They will also last longer that way. If buying the entire stalk is not an option, look for compact green sprouts that have no odor. It is normal for the base of the sprout to quickly turn 63

PERHAPS THE NAYSAYERS HAVE NEVER HAD THEM SIMPLY ROASTED WITH OLIVE OIL, SALT AND PEPPER, OR WRAPPED IN CRISPY BACON OR EVEN SMOTHERED WITH CHEESE SAUCE.

yellowish brown after they have been removed from the stalk, but it shouldn’t be dark. Soak the sprouts in lukewarm water for about ten minutes to draw out any insects hiding in the leaves.

Rinse them under running water. Pat dry and trim the ends and any loose leaves. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Brussels sprouts have many health benefits. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, folic acid, magnesium, iron, fiber and selenium. They have more vitamin C than an orange. One cup of cooked Brussels sprouts contains 150 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. Not only is vitamin C an antioxidant, it is a mighty immune booster, helping our bodies fight off infections. The same cup of cooked Brussels sprouts contains 250 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin K, an important vitamin for blood clotting. Adequate levels of vitamin K may also contribute to bone

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health. There are four grams of fiber per cooked cup of Brussels sprouts. Fiber helps to regulate blood sugar levels and supports overall digestive health. Brussels sprouts contain anti-inflammatory compounds which protect cells from DNA damage and may even help manage conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The sulfur compounds also limit the growth of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), thereby reducing the risk of ulcers. And if that’s not enough, they are also low carb with just five net grams per one cup of raw sprouts.

Even with everything Brussels sprouts have going for them, surveys show that they have consistently been the most hated vegetable in America and not just among children. Perhaps the naysayers have never had them simply roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, or wrapped in crispy bacon or even smothered with cheese sauce. In any case, at least one of these recipes is sure to convert even the pickiest eater.

December/January 2020

BRUSSELS SPROUTS SALAD WITH TOASTED WALNUTS AND PARMESAN CHEESE Serves 6

Ingredients: • 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts • 3/4 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped • 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • Salt and pepper to taste • Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions: Trim and very thinly slice Brussels sprouts either using a sharp knife, a mandolin or an attachment on a food processor. Toss in a bowl to separate the layers. Add the walnuts and Parmesan cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately.

CHEESY BRUSSELS SPROUTS CASSEROLE Serves 6

Ingredients: • 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved • 5 slices bacon • 3 tablespoons butter • 2 small shallots, minced • Kosher salt to taste • Pinch black pepper • 1/2 teaspoon paprika • 3/4 cup heavy cream • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar • 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook bacon until crispy and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Once cool, chop into bite sized pieces. Melt butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and Brussels sprouts and season with salt, pepper and paprika.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish and drizzle with heavy cream. Top with bacon and cheese. Bake until cheese is golden brown and bubbly. If cheese is not golden brown after 12 to 15 minutes, switch to broil for one minute.

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BACON WRAPPED BRUSSELS SPROUTS Serves 6

Ingredients: • 12 Brussels sprouts, halved • 12 bacon slices, halved • 1/4 cup maple syrup • Black pepper

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Lay out the bacon slices on the baking sheet and brush with maple syrup and season with black pepper. Wrap each Brussels sprout with a bacon slice and place seam side down. Brush with remaining maple syrup and add more pepper if desired. Bake until the bacon is crispy, about 30 minutes.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH GRAPES, NUTS, AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR Serves 6

BAKED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH PARMESAN CHEESE Serves 4

Ingredients: Ingredients: • 1 1/2 pounds fresh Brussels sprouts • 2 cups red seedless grapes • 1/2 cup large pieces of walnuts • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil • Kosher salt to taste • Freshly ground black pepper • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 3/4-pound Brussels sprouts, halved • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • Kosher salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim the hard ends and loose leaves off the Brussels sprout then cut them in half. Place sprouts in a baking dish with grapes and walnuts. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

Roast for 30-35 minutes. It is done when the Brussels sprouts have some browned areas, the nuts are fully toasted and the grapes have darkened in color. Immediately upon removing the pan from the oven, drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

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Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the Brussels sprouts in olive oil, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Lay them out in an even layer in a large baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the Brussels sprouts are tender and browned. Sprinkle more Parmesan cheese on top and serve. H December/January 2020

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Mt. Pleasant IN HAGUE

M

ount Pleasant in Hague, a charming threestory frame house, is an intricate example of Late Victorian residential architecture.

Its clapboard siding was cut from local cypress, and an array of colors accents the detailing. Built in the Queen Anne style, Mount Pleasant features a steeply pitched gabled roof with many dormers, four brick chimneys, and a sweeping verandah. Within the woodland setting are four dependences: a carriage house, smokehouse, a horse stable and well house.

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The interior of the residence, filled with period furniture, offers a rare glimpse of the Gilded Age. Mount Pleasant retains much of its original woodwork, gasolier light fixtures and cast iron hardware. The central staircase of walnut and chestnut soars to the third floor where the ceiling is fitted with a leaded stained glass skylight. There are eight fireplaces, six are constructed with slate mantels with faux-grain finish. A 10-footwide walnut mantel in the main parlor stretches from the floor to the ceiling with rectangular insert mirrors and overhanging balcony shelves. In 1886, John E. R. Crabbe built the house on a portion of an estate patented by Richard Lee, founder of the noted Lee family. The land remained in the Lee family

December/January 2020

8 SKIPPER GARRETT AGARRETT7@AOL.COM CELL: 804-370-4080 SKIPPERGARRETT.COM

BETSY STANLEY BETSYSTANLEY1472@GMAIL.COM CELL: 804-347-3488 WWW.BETSYSTANLEY.LNF.COM The House & Home Magazine

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Kitchen

for six generations. Built on a rise, Mount Pleasant is an architectural anomaly, seeming out of place in an area known for its Georgian and Colonial motifs. The current owners purchased the house at auction in 1994 and began detailed renovations.

Mount Pleasant could be described as a horse estate with a historic architecturally significant house and dependencies. Mount Pleasant is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and registered as a Virginia Historic Landmark.

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December/January 2020

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LET IT 72

Snow

December/January 2020

THE TWENTY YEARS BETWEEN 1960 AND 1980 GAVE BIRTH TO SOME REMARKABLE WINTER STORMS THAT HAMMERED VIRGINIA. IN 1960 ALONE RECORD SNOW FELL—AND STAYED! FROM THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS TO NORTHERN VIRGINIA REPETITIVE SNOW, SLEET, AND PERSISTENTLY COLD TEMPERATURES RESULTED IN SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ON A SCALE RARELY SEEN IN THE OLD DOMINION.

By Deb Weissler

‘‘S

now plow’s coming!” I hollered as the unmistakable rumble of the yellow behemoth pushed another small mountain of snow into the entrance of our short dead-end street.

There it stopped, adding to the mound of icy, dirty snow that had blocked our lane for weeks. By now the mound had grown to an impressive height of ten feet, an object of awe to neighborhood kids, and one of frustration to my parents who had to scale this glacial mass to reach our car parked up the street. It was 1960 and I hadn’t seen the inside of my classroom for more than three weeks.

The twenty years between 1960 and 1980 gave birth to some remarkable winter storms that hammered Virginia. In 1960 alone record snow fell—and stayed!

From the southern Highlands to Northern Virginia repetitive snow, sleet, and persistently cold temperatures resulted in snow accumulations on a scale rarely seen in the Old Dominion.

Four back-to-back storms from February 12 to March 8 disrupted commerce, closed schools, and made life miserable in general for millions of residents from the

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southern Appalachians to the Northeast.

Record cold threatened to overstrain our furnace, snow accumulated alarmingly on roof, and we had long given up trying to reach our woodpile when the power blinked off, leaving us without heat and in the dark for hours.

Having moved to Northern Virginia two years earlier from California, we had no way of knowing this winter was extreme. The first flurries of December were just harbingers of the snowstorms to follow. By early March all we saw was a landscape swathed in white as the fourth storm bore down upon us. My mother groaned but I was excited and, grabbing my scrap of black felt, ran outdoors.

As an only child trapped indoors by the weather, I created my own entertainment. In 1960 there was just three network channels airing game shows and soaps—not exactly stimulating for a thirteen year old. I read, listened to my transistor radio, talked on the phone, worked jigsaw puzzles, and when the sun did come out, played outdoors with my collie. And I enjoyed my new microscope, a recent Christmas gift. What I saw now 73

Plate crystal with broad branches. Photo courtesy of Patricia Rasmussen and use granted by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, Department of Physics, Caltech

was truly magical—snowflakes!

As flakes the size of butter chips fell, I captured them on my felt, dashing indoors to view them under the microscope. No two shapes were alike and as I examined these iconic symbols of winter, I had no way of knowing that scientists have been fascinated for centuries by them as well. Snowflakes are a mystery!

They are fleeting works of art; one second a perfectly formed six-sided star and the next minute reduced to its most elemental form—water. Snowflakes are made of ice, flecks of ice that tumble down from the clouds. A snowflake forms when water vapor in the air condenses into solid ice. As more vapor condenses onto a nascent snow crystal, the crystal begins to grow, often developing elaborate patterns.

As the ice crystal falls, tumbling from one part of the cloud to another, it encounters changes in temperature and humidity that affect its structure. By the time it settles to the ground it may have experienced a complicated set of variables that ultimately affects its appearance. A snowflake may be a single ice crystal, a few crystals stuck together, or hundreds of crystals melded together forming large puff balls that float gracefully down from the sky. And since no two crystals form or fall alike, they all look a little different.

Temperature plays a major role in determining snowflake shapes and sizes.

The quintessential snowflake depicted on holiday cards and wrapping paper, called a stellar dendrite, is the most familiar to snowflake lovers, but a fascinating array of shapes and sizes that one might not associate with a snowflake are equally fascinating and beautiful--plates, dendrites, needles, hollow columns, or bullets, all dependent on the right conditions.

Within a cloud there are also variations in humidity as well. The higher the humidity the faster the crystal grows, putting out intricate facets and branches.

As long as the humidity remains high,

Photo courtesy of Dawn Howeth 74

December/January 2020

After the storm, ice crystals sparkle in the sun. Photo courtesy of Jane Graber

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A snowflake’s symmetry up close. Photo courtesy of Patricia Rasmussen and use granted by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, Department of Physics, Caltech

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the crystal continues to grow. When its weight is sufficient, gravity pulls it to the ground in the form of snow. Ironically snowflakes fall when it snows but not all snows produce well-formed snowflakes.

The type of snow that falls is determined by the shape of the flakes, the rate of accumulation, and how the snow collects on the ground. From about freezing to 25ºF snow forms as flakes. When temperatures fall to about 23 ºF the snow forms into needles; a degree lower and it becomes hollow columns. Below 10 ºF flakes start forming again, but when it drops to -8 ºF it turns into columns once more. At -30 ºF snow stops forming altogether. Despite 75 years of research, scientists still don’t know why.

Scientists first wrote about snowflake morphology as early as 1611 when mathematician Johannes Kepler published a short treatise on snow crystals, noting their six-sided symmetry. French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes was the first to pen a reasonably accurate description of snow crystal morphology, speculating that their variability might be due to their location within the clouds.

The invention of the microscope in 1590 enabled English physicist Robert Hooke to publish a volume of snowflake sketches he noted under his microscope, illustrating the complexity and symmetry of various ice crystals. But it would be the camera that would bring snowflakes to the world.

Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley was born in Vermont in 1865. Like many children he was fascinated by snowflakes and, over the years, tried to draw what he saw through his microscope. But complex snowflakes were difficult to draw in detail before they melted, so he attached a bellows camera to a compound microscope and, after much trial and error, photographed his first snowflake in 1885. In his lifetime he would go on to capture more than 5000 snowflake images and for the first time others could see what Bentley referred to as “tiny miracles of beauty”.

Japanese physicist Ukichiro Nakaya was the first to grow artificial snow crystals in the laboratory, observing, identifying, and cataloguing crystal morphology under various environmental conditions.

Nakaya’s work was published in 1954 in a beautiful book entitled Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial.

In his footsteps, Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, professor of physics and head of December/January 2020

Japanese physicist Ukichiro Nakaya’s famous Snowflake Morphology Chart illustrates the types of snow crystals that grow at different temperatures and humidity levels.

WE STEPPED OVER IT EASILY AND MARVELED AT A WORLD TURNED SPARKLING WHITE. I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WINTER TO CAPTURE SNOWFLAKES AGAIN FOR MY MICROSCOPE BUT, QUITE FRANKLY, I HAD HAD MY FILL OF SNOW FOR AWHILE! the physics department at Caltech is the leading expert in his field of the mechanics of crystal growth. Dr. Libbrecht has spent much of his career satisfying the public’s endless fascination with snowflakes. Traveling the globe, he captures images of natural snowflakes, then recreating them back in his lab.

When temperatures are optimal and snow begins to fall, he captures flakes on a piece of blue foam board, looking for good crystals. Well formed crystals are picked up with a paintbrush, placed on a glass slide, and mounted on his microscope to photograph.

Growing up in North Dakota Libbrecht had an ample source of material to observe and concluded that “if you live in snow country you ought to know a little bit about what’s falling from the sky.” He found the physics of ice crystal formation infinitely fascinating and wanted to share it with others. In 2006 his snowflake photos graced more than 3 billion US postage stamps and he has published numerous books and field guides on the The House & Home Magazine

subject, most notably his book Snowflake.

In recent years, The Weather Channel has begun applying names to winter storms of significance like those assigned to hurricanes. The first three were Athena, Brutus and Caesar. According to TWC, these will apply to “storms with an attitude”, capable of “producing disruptive impacts including snowfall, ice, wind and temperature and whether the disruptive impacts will affect a populated region and occur at a particularly busy time of day or week.”

When storm #4 ended March 9, 1960, the snowfall had frozen into a crust several inches thick that held my weight. As my collie and I walked precariously on its surface, the snow came within six inches from the top of our 54" high chain link fence.

We stepped over it easily and marveled at a world turned sparkling white. I would have to wait until next winter to capture snowflakes again for my microscope but, quite frankly, I had had my fill of snow for awhile! H 77

S E N I O R

L I V I N G

Senior Options in Long-Term Care

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s seniors, the choices we have for long term care can enhance our quality of life in the best of worry-free environments. Whether you’re a senior or a family member of a senior, there may come a time when one may need to make a decision on choosing long term care options.

With the generation of baby boomers fast approaching their need for long term care, the industry’s environment will change to accommodate the high-tech life they have lived. We will need to adjust

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facilities and services which not only meet their needs, but will have the capabilities and desire to ensure a quality of life that one expects to enjoy.

Depending on one’s needs and level of care, the choices are varied. Generally, there are different levels of care available in many different settings. Provided services include activities of daily living (ADLs) which are assistance with bathing, dressing/grooming, toileting/incontinence care, transferring, turning/changing position, ambulation, and eating/feeding

—these services are available in all levels of care. Nursing needs may be provided in all different settings — at home, in independent living residences, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and rehab centers.

INDEPENDENT LIVING RESIDENCE This is where seniors may enjoy living in suites or apartments without the worry and hassle of maintaining a home, December/January 2020

S E N I O R

both inside and out. Typically, all utilities except personal telephone are included in the monthly rate. Other services may include a meal plan, housekeeping, guest rooms, private catered luncheons/dinners, a beauty salon, on-site laundry facilities, personal laundry services, maintenance to the building and grounds, exercise room/ equipment, computer/internet media room, shopping trips, social activities and private-duty services. Pets may be allowed.

Residents enjoy continued independence in a setting with neighbors who grow quickly to become “family.” Payment options are generally private pay. Independent living may be a transitional step to assisted living and/or nursing care when the need arises.

Services from personal care agencies, home health and hospice agencies are available in this setting.

IN-HOME CARE Local personal care agencies can provide non-medical personal and respite care which is RN-supervised aides assisting with ADLs. They assist with self-administered medications, meal The House & Home Magazine

L I V I N G

THE CHOICES WE HAVE FOR LONG-TERM CARE CAN ENHANCE OUR QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE BEST OF ENVIRONMENTS prep/clean-up, housekeeping, making/ changing bed/bath linens, personal laundry, errands, and accompaniment to medical appointments and shopping.

Other assistance may include help with, errand services, live-in companion, and calling 911 in an emergency. Payment options may be paid by private pay from the client or family, third-party insurance programs, and/or Veterans’ Administration and Medicaid. Doctorreferred home health and hospice services are also available in one’s home

ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY Licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services, long-term and respite care are available typically in a home-like setting with payment options from private pay, third-party insurance programs, and/ or Veterans’ Administration and Medicaid.

Nurses’ aides, registered medication aides

and optional professional nurses are on duty around the clock. Services include, but are not limited to: »» Assistance with ADLs »» Assessing and preparing an individualized service plan coordinated by a licensed health care professional with the resident and family »» Medication administration and chart maintenance »» Three nutritious meals and snacks daily with dietary supervision »» Bed/bath linen and housekeeping services »» Daily social activities »» Arranged transportation Assisted living facilities partner with home health agencies and hospice agencies to provide nursing services for residents who then are able to remain in that facility and “age in place.”

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NURSING AND REHAB FACILITIES Licensed by the Virginia Department of Health, these facilities are for those who have a medical need for around-the-clock professional nurses in a medical setting to provide care to meet the needs of the patients. Services include but are not limited to: »» Nursing services by professional nurses and aides »» Physical, occupational and speech therapy »» Assistance with ADLs »» Bed/bath linen and housekeeping services »» Medication administration and treatments »» Three nutritious meals and snacks daily »» Social activities What should you look for and ask about when inquiring about any type facility? Make sure to tour the facility, including visiting the resident/ patient rooms, dining PAY ATTENTION room and kitchen, AND LISTEN TO THE living room, activity room, and nurses’ STAFF’S INTERACTION station. Talk with the WITH THE RESIDENTS, residents/patients and staff. Ask to see PATIENTS AND WITH their most recent state EACH OTHER. licensing inspection report, health department report and fire marshal’s report. Ask to see their mission statement. Ask for the rate sheet and any additional services rate sheet(s). Is any deposit or last month’s rent required upon admission? And what is their refund policy?

Ask about the types of staff available daily, for example: management, nurses, floor staff, activities director/coordinator, beautician, housekeepers, dietary, and maintenance. What are their credentials?

What is the staff to resident/patient ratio on each shift?

What is the percentage of staff turnover? Were there any offensive odors? Remembering that dealing with incontinent residents and patients is an ongoing challenge that requires additional staff efforts on every shift, every day. Are there any additional charges for incontinence supplies—briefs, pull-ups, wipes, underpads, barrier creams, etc? Or can family bring in the supplies?

What kind of call bell system is in place? Is it easily accessible to the resident/patient in their room? What ancillary services are accessible —home health, hospice, PT, OT, mental health day programs, among others.

Do they accept payment from Medicare, Medicaid, Auxiliary Grants (in Assisted Living), third party insurance, or Veterans Supplemental Program benefits? Would they consider a rate waiver for one whose monthly income falls below the current private pay rate?

What type of medication delivery system do they have? Do they accept medication from the Veterans’ Administration for veterans or from a pharmaceutical mail order center? If so, is there a charge to repackage meds to meet the requirements of their current system? Look at the monthly activities calendar, and does it reflect the lifestyle, family values and fun-loving 80

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WITH THE GENERATION OF BABY BOOMERS FAST APPROACHING THEIR NEED FOR LONG TERM CARE, THE INDUSTRY’S ENVIRONMENT WILL CHANGE TO ACCOMMODATE THE HIGH-TECH LIFE THEY HAVE LIVED. activities that your loved one would enjoy, if participating?

Look at the current monthly menu.

Ask if they can accommodate a doctorordered special diet. Any charge for it?

Can any special food be brought in for your loved one? Ask about a regular residents’ council meeting and/or a family meeting with management to voice opinions and offer suggestions.

Pay attention and listen to the staff’s interaction with the residents, patients and with each other. Were they patient, knowledgeable and caring? Are they a staff who can relate to the generation for whom they are caring? Was the person giving you the tour hospitable? What was your first impression? Then what was your final opinion?

Remember that it’s not just about the chandeliers or furnishings; it’s all about the care given to your loved one in a clean, comfortable, safe setting. Residents/ patients have the right to be treated and cared for in a professional and dignified manner.

RESOURCES FOR FACILITY INFORMATION AND HELP WITH MAKING A DECISION »» Go to the facility’s website »» Contact the local area board on aging for referrals »» Contact a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) »» Contact the local Department of Social Services for a listing of licensed assisted living facilities in your area »» Contact the local Department of Health for a listing of licensed nursing home and rehab centers in your area H The House & Home Magazine

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H E A L T H

Preparation Key TO AGING IN PLACE OF YOUR CHOOSING

RIVERSIDE HEALTH SYSTEM SERVICES HELP OLDER ADULTS AND THEIR FAMILIES PREPARE TO REMAIN HEALTHY AND AGE IN A PLACE OF THEIR CHOOSING.

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n our dreams, we all want to be petunias –- live a beautiful, rich life and then one night, in our twilight years, close up and fade away quietly.

The reality is, aging is a complex process. As we age, health care needs change, requirement of medical assistance may increase, and it can be a challenging time for families and older adults to navigate.

But it doesn’t have to be. Aging is a process we can all prepare for. Riverside Health System on the Middle Peninsula features a complete array of medical services and providers to help older adults age in a manner and place of those choosing, including: FAMILY DOCTORS Having a Primary Care Provider can help people live longer and enjoy better health at all ages. Family doctors and nurse practitioners perform annual wellness exams, to truly get to 94

know their patients, which may help identify problems early and help people avoid unnecessary emergency department visits, hospitalizations and surgeries. Primary Care Providers also have access to a network of specialists and can help ensure coordination of care across different practices when one of those specialists may be needed. To find a Riverside Primary Care Provider and to make an appointment online, visit riversideonline.com/schedule.

NETWORK OF SPECIALISTS Sometimes specialty care is needed to deal with health concerns identified by your Primary Care Provider. Riverside provides a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services and access to specialists. Outpatient services include blood draws, screenings, imaging services like mammography, ultrasound, CT, X-ray, MRI, PET and other imaging services.

Specialist services include cancer services (radiation and December/January 2020

H E A L T H medical oncology), cardiology, gastroenterology, general surgery (including colon, hernia, gallbladder, GERD, GI and vascular), nephrology, neurology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology (ENT), pain management, physiatry, therapies (physical, occupational, speech, hand and nutrition), urology, vascular and women’s health.

BUILDING BALANCE Statistics show that as age goes up, the ability to remain balanced and steady on our feet declines. For older adults who want to remain living independently, actively and maintaining all of the activities that help define them, losing balance can lead to falls, which can lead to bruising, fractures, brain damage, and other complications, ultimately decreasing the ability to live that active and independent life.

But there’s a way to combat that. A way to prevent falls. A way to build balance.

Building Balance is a specialized healthy aging exercise program for adults with a history of stability issues or concerns about falling. Taught by an exercise specialist from the Riverside Clinical Wellness Team and approved

by Riverside physicians and therapists, Building Balance improves muscular stability through exercise and resistance strength training.

This program is free for Riverside Wellness and Fitness Center members and offered in Gloucester, Newport News and Williamsburg. Not a member? Try out the class for a small one-time fee or buy a 10-class pass. Learn more at riversideonline.com/rwfc.

RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES “As I age, I will control my age in the place of my choosing,” has remained the cornerstone vision of Riverside’s Lifelong Health Services. On the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck, Riverside features Sanders Retirement Community along Gloucester’s Main Street, a continuing care retirement community with independent living cottages, assisted living, long-term care and rehabilitation, The Orchard, an award-winning assisted living community in Warsaw, and convalescent centers in Mathews, Saluda and West Point. Each location is designed to provide a home-like environment, filled with opportunity for daily, personal enrichment.

CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN AGING AND LIFELONG HEALTH The Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health (CEALH) helps older adults and their loved ones make informed decisions regarding health and well-being, understanding that some of the concerns brought on by aging can be quite complex. CEALH services range from providing geriatric assessments, to driving assessments, to teaching individuals with chronic conditions how to manage their symptoms, to providing a haven of resources and education for caregivers. CEALH’s goal is to make a complex system of services more easily accessible through education, referrals and individualized, person-centered services, tailored to the unique needs of aging adults and their families. For more information about CEALH, visit riversideonline.com/CEALH. The House & Home Magazine

SENIOR CARE NAVIGATION Taking care of yourself, or a loved one, isn’t easy when you are growing older, living alone and juggling multiple health challenges. That’s where Senior Care Navigators can step in by helping you find and coordinate services, community resources and more.

Referrals are not required for Senior Care Navigation, and you do not have to be a patient of a Riverside physician to benefit from this free service. However, if you receive medical care from Riverside physicians, they can send a notice to Riverside Senior Care Navigation to contact you with more information. Just let your physician know that you are interested in speaking with a Senior Care Navigator about Riverside and community resources for older adults. For more information about Riverside Senior Care Navigation, call 1-888-597-0828.

SPECIALIZED END OF LIFE CARE Hospice is a closely supervised program of individualized services and overall support. It offers help and support 24/7 at home or in any home-like setting for people with a lifelimiting prognosis. Some of the most common reasons people receive hospice care are health conditions like cancer, heart or lung disease, kidney or liver disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Hospice includes the symptom-relief, pain management and increased comfort benefits of palliative care with an even greater emphasis on emotional, psychological and spiritual support for patients as well as family members. Patients and their families can receive hospice for six months or longer, depending on the course of the illness. Riverside offers hospice services throughout the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck.

Find and contact the office closest to you at riversideonline. com/hospice.

For more information about Riverside Health System on the Middle Peninsula, visit riversideonline.com/RWRH. For details about Riverside in Tappahannock and on the Northern Neck, visit riversideonline.com/RTH. H 95

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