The House & Home Mgazine: October/November 2018

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

NORTHERN NECK GINGER ALE The Taste of Home

Pumpkin Perfection

Stained Glass:

The art of light and color

Fine Properties

Here for the Girls!

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October/November 2018

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October/November 2018

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A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

WE MAY NEVER PASS THIS WAY AGAIN…

Enjoy the Moment

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mong the many lessons we learn here at The House and Home Magazine is an appreciation of the passage of time. With six issues per year, we constantly strive to have our feet firmly planted in the season we’re in, while also working to keep our eyes on the season ahead. We look forward with happy anticipation to the good times just over the horizon, yet we also remind each other to honor the joys of the moment we’re experiencing right now. Whenever we find ourselves laserfocused on events in the future, we try to get a grip and yank ourselves back to the present. It’s a tricky balancing act. It’s what we do.

This October/November issue of the magazine is an example of just that. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we feature a local organization, Here for the Girls (H4TG), a very special support group for younger breast cancer survivors. We also highlight the magic of autumn and its magnificent palette of color. We’re

celebrating harvest season, especially grapes, with an overview of Virginia wine varietals which will perfectly pair with any holiday menu. In addition, to expand your tasty beverage choices, read about the “granddaddy” of all soft drinks — Northern Neck Ginger Ale and its signature “Taste of Home.”

On the subject of seasonal cuisine, we’re talking turkey, with an article about options for flavoring the best bird ever and serving it with a delicious dose of pumpkin specialties. Looking ahead to Christmas, there’s an article with a selection of homemade gift suggestions for everyone on your list and highlights of holiday home décor.

In other news, we’re featuring a story about stained glass and some noteworthy local examples of the art, while on the home front, you can read about bathroom renovation trends and home health options. As always, we celebrate our singular Chesapeake culture in both nature and history and highlight interesting people and places.

So here we are! While we’re enjoying leaf peeping, fall festivals and family gatherings, we’re also making our guest lists, gift lists, menus and shopping lists. Let’s not forget to honor the quiet and simple moments that present themselves today — they may never happen again in exactly the same way. Savor the moment and delight in every day. Read on!

We look forward with happy anticipation to the good times just over the horizon, yet we also remind each other to honor the joys of the moment we’re experiencing right now.

JANET EVANS HINMAN 6

October/November 2018

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PUBLISHER James L. Blanks EDITOR Janet Evans Hinman CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Zora Aiken Captain Bob Cerullo T. Patrick Cleary Janet Evans Hinman Randall Kipp 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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October/November 2018

Contents

The House & Home Magazine • October/November 2018

14 Chesapeake Bay Varietals

Pick Your Perfect Pour

18 The Taste of Home Northern Neck Ginger Ale

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56 Senior Living: All the Comforts of Home

Improved Healing and Quality of Life through Home Health Services

60 Here for the Girls

Living Life with an 24 The Magic of Autumn Exclamation Point 26 Bay Scallops Return 64 Bliss in the Bathroom to the Chesapeake 70 Riding the Rails 30 Battle of the

Chesapeake

Donald and Lynn Burnett

36 Gifts from the Kitchen 78 Fine Properties A Little Bit of Love 90 Using Technology to Simplify Your Home 42 Fill ‘Er Up at C.A.P.E Center for Archeology, 92 Pumpkin Perfection Preservation and Education 94 Riverside Cancer Center Offers World 48 To Brine or Not to Class Treatment Brine - That is the Question

50 Stained Glass

The Art of Light and Color

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Locally

96 Junk Drawers, Plastic Cows and Chaos Theory

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CHESAPEAKE BAY VARIETALS:

Perfect

P I C K YOUR

Pour

By Janet Evans Hinman

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October/November 2018

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he Chesapeake Bay wine region features favorable soil conditions and a climate suited to such varietals as cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, chambourcin, merlot, petit verdot, syrah, chardonnay, pinot grigio, seyval blanc and vidal blanc. Take a stroll through the choices and find your favorite.

THE REDS

Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with cabernet sauvignon and merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be produced alone. Cabernet franc is lighter than cabernet

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sauvignon, making a bright, pale red wine that contributes finesse and lends a peppery perfume to blends with more robust grapes. Depending on the growing region and style of the wine, additional aromas can include tobacco, raspberry, bell pepper, cassis and violets.

Cabernet sauvignon is one of the world’s most recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country. For most of the twentieth century, it was the world’s most widely planted premium red wine grape, until it was surpassed by merlot in the 1990s. The classic profile of cabernet sauvignon tends to be full-bodied with high tannins and noticeable acidity that contributes to the wine’s aging potential. In cooler climates, cabernet sauvignon tends to produce wines with black currant notes that can be accompanied by green bell pepper notes, mint and cedar, which

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will all become more pronounced as the wine ages. In more moderate climates, the black currant notes often combine with black cherry and black olive notes, while in very hot climates, the currant flavors can veer towards the overripe and “jammy” side.

Chambourcin is a purple-skinned French-American hybrid grape that is more readily available in the United States than in its homeland, France. It is one of the world’s most popular hybrid varieties and is noted for its distinctive dark coloring and herbaceous aroma. Chambourcin wines are often spicy, with black cherry and plum flavors and a range of herbal characters.

Merlot is a dark blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird. There are two main styles of merlot.

The “international” style is inky purple and full-bodied, with high alcohol levels, velvety tannins and intense plum and blackberry flavors. The traditional bordeaux style maintains acidity, a medium body, moderate alcohol levels, fresh fruit flavors like raspberries and strawberries, and potentially leafy, vegetal notes.

Petit verdot is a later-ripening variety of red wine grape which has gained popularity in new world wine-producing countries such as the United States, Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. When young, its aromas have been likened to banana and pencil shavings.

Strong tones of violet and leather develop as it matures.

Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape. Its origins have been popularly debated, but its modern viticultural home is unquestionably the northern Rhone Valley of eastern France. In Australia, syrah is overwhelmingly (but not exclusively) known as shiraz, and is regarded as the country’s national grape. One of the world’s most diverse and successful grape varieties, syrah wines can display myriad dark-fruit flavors. Varietal syrah wines can be quite floral in their youth, developing more peppery and herbaceous notes as they age. Some examples show tanned leather and smoky scents, while the fruit tones in these wines tend towards the very dark flavors of black currant and licorice.

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October/November 2018

THE WHITES

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape which originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced. For new and developing wine regions, growing chardonnay is seen as a “rite of passage� and an easy entry into the international wine market. The chardonnay grape itself is very neutral, with many of the flavors commonly associated with the grape being derived from such influences as habitat and oak. Chardonnay wine is produced in many different styles, from lean, crisply mineral wines to those with oak and even tropical fruit flavors. In cool climates, chardonnay tends to be medium to light-bodied with noticeable acidity and flavors of green plum, apple, and pear. In warmer locations, the flavors evolve more toward citrus, peach, and melon notes, while in very warm locations, more fig and tropical fruit notes such as banana and mango emerge.

Pinot grigio is the Italian white wine grape clone of the pinot gris grape, which is itself a mutation of the pinot noir (red) grape. The wines produced from the pinot grigio grape can vary in color from a deep golden yellow to copper and even a light shade of pink. It can be spicy and full-bodied, or lighter and more acidic. The new world style tends to have moderate to low acidity, higher alcohol levels and a full-bodied nature. The flavors can range from ripe tropical fruit notes of melon and mango to raisin-like concentrated sweetness.

Seyval blanc is a French hybrid varietal that is famous for its resistance to cold. Seyval blanc buds and ripens early and provides a good alternative in cool climates to grapes such as

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chardonnay and sauvignon blanc that don’t like the extreme cold. Crisp and dry versions have flavors and aromas of citrus fruits and a certain minerality that some compare to white burgundies. It also takes well to oak fermentation.

Vidal blanc is a white hybrid grape variety which is very winter hardy and produces wine with moderate to high acidity and high sugar levels. Vidal blanc wine tends to be very fruity, with aroma notes of grapefruit and pineapple. It is particularly suited to sweeter dessert wines. In particular, because of the tough outer skin of the fruit, it is well adapted for the production of ice wine . H

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THE TASTE OF HOME

Northern Neck Ginger Ale VIRGINIA’S SOFT DRINK

By Dianne Saison

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October/November 2018

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o to any home in the region, and it is a staple beverage served alongside meals, mixed with cocktails, and incorporated into dozens of delicious recipes. It is part of the identity of entire generations of people who have grown up in or around the Northern Neck. And now, a grassroots movement is on the cusp of bringing the area’s bestkept secret into the mainstream spotlight. If you have ever tasted it, you know that Northern Neck Ginger Ale not only deserves the accolades, but also its time in the sun — but if you have not had the pleasure of sampling the amazing brew, now is definitely the time to discover the most amazingly smooth yet bold flavor that will leave you wondering, “Where has this been all my life?” The answer to that question lies in the history of the tasty drink, which began over 90 years ago in the beautiful hamlet of Montross, where a banker latched onto a national trend and created a potable masterpiece.

In the early 1900s, a group of businessmen in Westmoreland County got together with the intention of founding a bank, but needed just the right man to captain their endeavor.

They found the Carver family, who hailed from West Virginia, and the patriarch’s son, Arthur Carver, who quickly came to the town of Montross and answered the group’s call. Along with the select businessmen, the Carvers helped found The Bank of Montross in 1908, and as the bank grew, so did local economic growth. But banking would not be what would eventually serve as the family’s legacy — that would come later, alongside a national craze and with the help of a secret, homemade recipe.

It may come as a surprise to some, but nearly all sodas currently on the market owe their success to ginger ale, considered to be the granddaddy of all soft drinks. There are quite a few who claim to have invented the brew, including the Irish in the 1850s, and a specialty drink purveyor from New York, Robert Robinson, who assured that he invented “Ginger Soda” in the 1840s. The “Pale Dry” version that remains popular to this day is credited to Canadian John McLaughlin, while American Doctor Thomas Cantrell is known to have introduced the less common “Golden” version of ginger ale. No matter the hotly contested originator, the bubbly beverage took off like wildfire, spreading across the country and becoming the most consumed soft drink beverage in the United States. For nearly a century, ginger ale held the number one spot of carbonated drinks and was the only soda most folks had ever tasted.

During the 1920s, many bottled ginger ales were no better than sugar water, or lemonade with capsicum or pepper powder, something that was a great disappointment to those craving the true ginger sodas they remembered from the old days. It was during that time of great popularity — but variable quality — that Arthur Carver decided to take a leap of faith, and develop a drink that not only tasted of real ginger, but also had a quality that would eventually make all other brews truly fade in comparison to his Pale Dry Ginger Ale. The House & Home Magazine

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In 1926, capitalizing on the growing American soda market, Carver opened a franchise of The Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Montross. Starting with ultra-clear water from an over 640-foot-deep artesian well on the bottling factory land that is rumored to be supplied by water trickling down from the Blue Ridge Mountains, Carver combined fresh local ginger root with cane sugar and perfected a secret recipe. Once developed, he decided to take a chance and begin marketing the new ginger ale locally. Quickly thereafter, the popularity grew and Northern Neck Ginger Ale, and its artisanal version of Carver’s Special Ale, became the only ginger soda acknowledged in most localities. The local popularity was so fierce, and the following so devoted, that the brew became a symbol and trademark of the region.

The traditional and vibrant recipe remained true to its roots through industry changes in the three decades following the 1950s, when artisanal ginger ales died out and large brands became weaker in taste. During the same time, different sodas gained in popularity as new flavors other than ginger ale became national favorites. Although some of the later years of Northern Neck Ginger Ale found turbulent times, most notably after the Carvers sold the franchise and many locals claimed the taste had changed, the brand somehow found its way back to its purer roots and the love for the drink born in Montross endured.

To this day, specialty publications across the country have rated Northern Neck Ginger Ale and Carver’s Original as possibly the best-tasting ginger ale, not only in the country, but in the world. In addition, the advent of bloggers and traveling food critics has breathed life into the drink, extolling its unique and developed ginger flavor that “doesn’t burn, but goes down remarkably smooth.”

So why hasn’t the drink, that so many in Virginia know to be absolutely delicious, taken off in popularity? Perhaps the isolation of the region can be called into point, or the lack of

The Northern Neck Coca-Cola bottling plant building, no longer in operation, still stands in Montross as a reminder of where the Northern Neck Ginger Ale was founded.

Photo by Dianne Saison

Proud deliverymen ready to distribute their delicious sodas, including Northern Neck Ginger Ale, bottled at the Coca-Cola facility in Montross, circa 1940. Photo courtesy Westmoreland County Museum.

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October/November 2018

IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD THE PLEASURE OF SAMPLING THE AMAZING BREW, NOW IS DEFINITELY THE TIME TO DISCOVER THE MOST AMAZINGLY SMOOTH YET BOLD FLAVOR THAT WILL LEAVE YOU WONDERING, “WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?”

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17 SOUTH’S FARMERITA 17 SOUTH’S FARMERITA

• Cup of ice • One shot of Cazadores tequila • Splash of vodka • Fill to 3/4 cup with Simple Limeade • Top with Northern Neck Ginger Ale • Garnish with lime

Although now sold in cans and plastic, this antique glass bottle is how many remember Northern Neck Ginger Ale being served. promotion in a flooded market. The massive numbers of devotees to Northern Neck Ginger Ale who have come to equate the flavor with downhome, good country living where true flavors do not come from a mass production line, but from a local recipe that has endured for nearly a century, certainly question why it has not caught on outside of its home.

Recently, however, the call to recognize the region, its history and cultural importance has become a driving point to the revitalization of the beautiful area. One of those advocates and protectors of the land, who has been extolling the virtues of Northern Neck Ginger Ale for years, has started a grassroots 22

movement that is quickly gaining impressive momentum, not only to recognize the significance of Northern Neck Ginger Ale to the region, but to the Commonwealth as well.

This past summer, Chip Jones began spearheading the effort and “call to arms” for state legislators to introduce legislation that would designate Northern Neck Ginger Ale as the “Official Soft Drink of the Commonwealth of Virginia.” Jones, a Montross native, is already well known for his amazing efforts in land conservancy, both through the Northern Neck Land Conservancy, which named him as a 2018 Conservation Champion, and at historic Stratford Hall, where he is a farm manager. Jones also translated his dedication to the Northern Neck through his assistance in the creation and design of the Northern Neck Specialty license plate. For Jones, his love of the region is in his blood, and his fight to get Northern Neck Ginger Ale recognized for its cultural significance and great taste is just another way to promote the home he loves.

According to Jones, since the small brew is now owned by a large conglomerate, he feared it would fade, and he wanted to find a way to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds when they thought of the Northern Neck. “For those that grew up here, it evokes the pride of the area and a taste everyone enjoys,” Jones said. “Northern Neck Ginger Ale is a part of our heritage.”

Fellow residents agree, with people from across the region adding anecdotes on social media pages that they have long used Northern Neck Ginger Ale in their recipes, and that when family and friends come to visit, it is often the most requested item on their shopping lists. Some contributors from across the country added that they have made special trips to the Northern Neck just to stock up on October/November 2018

Northern Neck Ginger Ale in bulk so that they can enjoy it wherever they roam.

Jones said that the superior taste of the ginger ale deserves its unique following and hopes that the petition started this past summer, which now has an impressive number of signatures and has been picked up by major news outlets, will gain footing in the General Assembly or be noticed by the Governor of Virginia and State Senate. “I wouldn’t drink any other ginger ale,” is a common comment that seems to be voiced by a majority of those who have tasted it, adding that it is a delight to the taste buds and has no peer.

For all those who are as dedicated and passionate about Northern Neck Ginger Ale as Jones is, he invites them to visit his newly founded website VAgingerale. com to sign the petition, or visit the Facebook page Virginia’s Ginger Ale and join others in expressing their appreciation of the drink that so many find to be a true “Taste of Home.”

Northern Neck Ginger Ale, a Virginia tradition since 1926, is a product of The Coca-Cola Company. H

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Magic Autumn

THE

of

By Linda Landreth Phelps

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ummer departed in a blaze of glory.

By its very nature, fall foliage is ephemeral, so our appreciation of its beauty is often increased by a sense of urgency. Enjoy it now, because the color show often seems too fleeting in its transition to the barren brown sleep of winter.

The lazy days of summer were busy for trees.

That’s when they were working hard to make food for themselves by way of a magical natural process called photosynthesis. A master naturalist would be able to tell you in great scientific detail exactly how that works, but essentially it is a plant taking the elements of water, air, and sunlight and creating nutrients to sustain itself. As the sunlit days shorten, this signals the tree to shut down the active chemical factory.

Leaves then morph in a stunning transformation from green to crimson, orange, gold, and purple.

How does that happen? Well, the bright red and purple fall foliage colors are caused by anthocyanin (an-thuh-SI-uh-nuhn) pigments, also common in other plants such as beets, apples, and purple grapes.

The brilliant orange of carotene (KEHR-uh-teen) and the yellow pigment of xanthophyll (ZAN-thuh-fil) are found in flowers, and foods such as carrots, bananas and even egg yolks.

A spectacular fall display is totally dependent on the weather. In years past, there have been awesomely colorful seasons as well as total flops. Breathtaking

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or blah … it’s all up to Mother Nature. Trees make the most anthocyanin pigments when late summer is dry and autumn brings bright, sunny days and cool nights. Conversely, a fall with cloudy days and warm nights produces drab colors. Even when all else is ideal for colorful leaves, an early frost quickly ends the beautiful fall display. One good freeze followed by wind or rain denudes that lovely vista immediately, so for fall foliage viewing, it’s wise to strike while the color is hot. If you’re a dedicated leaf-peeper, a game plan is necessary. The higher elevations of the Blue Ridge begin their show in early October.

Here in Tidewater, leaf color doesn’t peak until later in autumn, but it’s hard to predict when that ideal window will be in any given location.

One website, tripsavvy.com, has advice for those who want to catch fall foliage at its best and are willing to travel to do so. A good strategy, they say, is to select your dates in advance, but not your destination. Before heading out, call the fall foliage hotlines for current information about specific areas. State park websites usually have up-to-date reports on leaf color. We who are lucky enough to live in Southeast Virginia can stretch our pleasure by weekend trips to the west and end with our own home-grown visual splendor. We can sit by the river in the November sun and sip a pumpkin latte while congratulating ourselves on our wisdom for living in Tidewater Virginia, where warm days and fall colors are the last to fade.

October/November 2018

CELEBRATING A

White Hall Christmas

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ing William and Queen Mary gave the original land grant of 3,000 acres along the Ware River to Sir Francis Willis in 1690. Over several decades parcels of land were sold off and now the current owners have a little over 100 acres.

The original house was only a one-story brick house over an English basement. A large river porch with columns was added as suggested by Thomas Jefferson who was a classmate of young Francis Willis, II at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

Mr. Jefferson was a frequent visitor to White Hall, which got this name when it was whitewashed with a substance thought to waterproof the bricks. Now that two more levels were built and painted white, it could be seen clearly for miles along the Ware River. It was referred to as the white hall. Edgeware, the original name, became known as White Hall. The foundation of an 1836 wing that burned down, but never replaced, was discovered when excavating for the new wings which were completed in 1992.

White Hall is on the National Registry of Historic Houses and is also a Virginia Landmark. The 20th and 21st century restoration and additions were done with the utmost care and knowledge of this type of period, coastal Virginia houses.

Painstaking attention was given to every detail. Even the new bricks were handmade to match the old original bricks in size and weight. All the woodwork inside and outside was duplicated to match the old. This is part of what makes White Hall so special. It shows the mix of architectural details over its 300-year history!

The antiques in the house are mostly English with some Early American pieces and a few reproductions. Mari Ann and Charlie Banks are proud of their 33 years of stewardship of White Hall and have been gracious in opening their home to benefit the 29th Annual Ware River of the Kings Daughters and Sons Christmas Open House. White Hall is a grand lady— especially when dressed for the holidays!

This year the Ware River Circle of the Kings Daughters and Sons, with the help of the Chesapeake Bay, North River and York River Circles will celebrate a “White Hall Christmas” on December 11, 2018 to benefit the construction of the new mental health wing of the Children’s Hospital in Norfolk, Va. H The House & Home Magazine

TOUR INFORMATION: location: White Hall Estate. There will be five sessions from which to choose. $30.00 for the first four tours and $35.00 for the nocturne tour: Make Checks payable to WRCKD & S and tickets are available at Silver Box and Angelwing Stationers (both on Main Street, Gloucester), The Bay School in Mathews C.H., Little England Mercantile, Gloucester Pt. and Joanne Dorgan (804) 693-0678.

tickets:

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Photo courtesy of Virginia Institute of Marine Science

BAY SCALLOPS

Return to the Chesapeake

By Zora Aiken Photos courtesy of Rappahannock River Oysters unless otherwise noted

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“Good food, grown well ”

ne of the Northern Neck’s favorite feelgood success stories tells of the rapid rise of the aquaculture and restaurant businesses operating as the Rappahannock Oyster Company. With no real experience in the oyster industry and no apparent desire to learn it, cousins Ryan and Travis Croxton were confronted with an opportunity they fortunately didn’t refuse. The family’s long-held oyster leases were scheduled for renewal, and though there had been no harvesting activity for some years, 26

the cousins accepted what amounted to a challenge to revive their grandfather’s once thriving business.

“Unfortunately, at the time, we didn’t know a lot about marine science or oyster culture, and very little about the industry,” said Ryan. “Our grandfather’s business had shuttered ten years prior, and with it went all of the infrastructure and knowhow. In hindsight, I think that not having those things freed us up a bit—I mean, what did we have to lose?”

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Aquaculture was their approach, and since its somewhat serendipitous start in 2001, the company’s activities have contributed greatly to the return of Virginia as the top producer of oysters on the East Coast. In addition, the cousins opened several restaurants, initially to introduce diners to the quality of their oysters. The latest of the Croxtons’ ideas to become reality is the return of bay scallops to Chesapeake Bay. At one time, the scallops were an important fishery in Virginia. But in 1933, a record-breaking hurricane hit the Eastern Seaboard. Extreme high tides flooded coastal cities, and a new inlet was carved into the Maryland coast. When the wind subsided and the flood waters receded, the Bay’s familiar eelgrass — the lifeline for so many marine organisms — was also gone. The loss of the eelgrass spelled the end for bay scallops in the Chesapeake.

That situation remained for decades until in 1999, researchers from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and the Nature Conservancy began a program aimed at restoring the eelgrass and improving water ecology as well. The experiment resulted in what has been described as the world’s most successful seagrass restoration. Unfortunately, a similar attempt at the time to restore the scallops did not produce the same desired result.

However, the idea had been planted. In 2014, Ryan Croxton wondered if the aquaculture that has worked so well with oysters could be used to farm the scallops as well. “Bay scallops are up and down the East Coast,” he said, “and it made perfect sense that we should have them too.”

Croxton located a hatchery in New York that would provide seed stock, but before any scallops could be placed in Virginia waters, the seed had to be tested and approved. “Thankfully, there’s a pretty strict process for bringing any shellfish across state lines. We worked with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) to ensure that a full pathology was done on the animals prior to bringing them in,” said Croxton. “The last thing we’d want to do is accidentally introduce anything to our waters.”

The testing process proved less than simple when the first sample of scallops died in the mail. To ensure a better outcome for the next sample, Croxton drove to Long Island to personally pick up the seed from the owner of the hatchery. The seed stock survived the driving trip back to Virginia, and eventually, a percentage of this sample was transplanted into the Bay. “We farm our scallops in rigid bag systems, so that the animals are free to swim in the bags unobstructed,” said Croxton. “They’re a bit more sensitive than oysters and require a lot more room.

But otherwise they grow on the same grounds as our oysters.

They do, however, require at least 25 ppt (parts per thousand) of salt in the water to survive, so that pretty much limits us to our oceanside farms.”

In 2017, Rappahannock Oyster Company served their first scallops at the Washington DC restaurant, thus far offering them both raw and grilled with a variety of different toppings.

Said Croxton, “The response far exceeded our expectations!”

Besides being able to offer bay scallops in all their restaurants, Croxton notes that the farmed scallops will also increase the wild populations, just as oysters do. “What really matters is that we get scallops back into Bay waters, that they exist in the wild, and that one day my kids can taste them The House & Home Magazine

Travis and Ryan Croxton

A mesh grow-out bag with 6-month old product 27

Photo courtesy of Virginia Institute of Marine Science without having to depend solely on aquaculture.”

The scallops may be the newest choice on the menus, but it is a logical addition to the mindset that dominates all of Rappahannock Oyster Company’s activities — the concept of “good food, grown well.”

Croxton explains: “Once we stepped into restaurants, we realized we were dealing with far more than just oysters. We’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to spotlight other producers of great food, and more importantly, food that’s grown or harvested with a conscience. It’s one thing to buy food from farmers located within 100 miles of your restaurant, but, in my opinion, it’s a far more important statement to only source product that you’re proud of, and I mean proud of how it’s grown as much as how it tastes.”

Rappahannock Oyster Company offers three types of oysters. The Rappahannock River Oysters, described as sweet and mild, are farmed in Topping. The others are Rochambeau Oysters, a bit saltier variety from the York River, and Olde Salts Oysters, a traditional salty oyster from Chincoteague. The scallops will add another specialty item. The company’s restaurant list includes Merroir, a “tasting room” in Topping, and Rappahannock and Rapp Session restaurants in Richmond.

Oyster bars are located in Washington, DC; Charleston, South Carolina; and Los Angeles, California. Numerous awards have come to the company, a satisfying reward for the food and the philosophy.

So many restaurants and a thriving wholesale business force the question of how to plan for future demand. “We’re largely capped by our willingness to plant 28

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Divine Hinmon holding a recent grow-out experiment more oysters,” says Croxton. “It takes two years to get an oyster to market size, and so it’s always a bit of guesswork in terms of what you think you’ll need in two years. We’ve been fairly conservative with our growth and only take on new customers when we know we have the volume to sell to them year round.

Our restaurants are obviously a good customer, but they account for a relatively small portion of our volume.”

Restaurant patrons and local residents can only speculate about the next good idea to come from the innovative Croxtons.

But sustainability will no doubt be part of their determination to continue to produce and offer good food, grown well. H

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French and British ships-of-the-line engage in one of the most important sea battles in history. The Battle of the Chesapeake.

Painting by Patrick O Brien, Sept 5th 1781. Â Â

Battle of the

Chesapeake 30

By Bob Cerullo

October/November 2018

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he Battle at Yorktown was unquestionably the most important battle of the American Revolution. Yet, ironically, its outcome was the direct result of a sea battle fought between French and British men-of-war, some 40 nautical miles from Yorktown at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The very existence of the United States of America and the fate of the American Revolution weighed heavily on the success of General George Washington and the Continental Army, aided by the French at Yorktown.

“...[A] MASSIVE BURST OF FLAME EXPLODED FROM THE ENGLISH SHIPS, AND CANNONBALLS RICOCHETED WITH FEARFUL EFFECT ACROSS THE FRENCH DECKS. THE BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE OF AMERICA HAD BEGUN.”

~ James A. Michener

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The American Revolution, begun in 1775, had been going on for six long, hard years. General Washington’s forces had been driven out of New Jersey and South Carolina. British Lt. General Charles Cornwallis and his Redcoats conducted devastating raids against towns and plantations in Virginia, then dug in at Yorktown, Virginia, in August of 1781. General Cornwallis put his troops to work building fortifications in the town and at the promontory at Gloucester Point, Virginia, across the York River. His plan was to build a naval port in Virginia which would allow British ships to land troops and supplies easily. It was also destined to be a repair yard for British ships.

When Washington learned what British General Cornwallis was up to, he directed Major General Marquis de Lafayette to block Cornwallis’ escape from Yorktown by land. Lafayette was a French nobleman and officer with the rank of major general in the Continental Army by the age of 19. Lafayette was already in Virginia with an American army of around 5,000 men. Of Cornwallis, he said: “This devil Cornwallis is much wiser than the other generals with whom I have dealt. He inspires me with a sincere fear, and his name has greatly troubled my sleep. This campaign is a good school for me. God grant that the public does not pay for my lessons.”

Marquis de Lafayette, July 9, 1781.

On October 14, 1781, 400 French soldiers commanded

by Major General Lafayette and 400 Americans under Major General Alexander Hamilton stormed the British Redoubt Number 9 — a fortification constructed mainly of piled-up dirt with wooden spears designed to stop the enemy’s approach.

Washington had 2,500 troops in New York, which were joined by 4,000 French soldiers under the command of the French General Count de Rochambeau. Their plan was to march south to Yorktown. Washington was fearful that Cornwallis might, if resupplied, escape from Yorktown.

Washington and Lafayette had Cornwallis trapped at Yorktown by land, but was helpless to block him from being rescued by British ships.

Just when it seemed as if all the Americans had fought and died for might be lost, a dispatch arrived from French Admiral deGrasse informing Washington that a French fleet was en route from the West Indies. This was the answer to Washington’s prayers. The large French fleet commanded by Admiral Count de Grasse, with 37 ships and roughly 3,000 31

General Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette French troops aboard, was sailing to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to back up the land assault on British General Cornwallis and blockade the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Their mission was to prevent any British reinforcements or supplies from reaching British General Cornwallis,

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who was under siege at Yorktown and desperately close to surrender. When the British learned the French fleet was heading for the Chesapeake Bay, a British fleet of 19 ships and seven frigates, under the command of rear Admiral Thomas Graves, slowly made its way to the Chesapeake Bay to intercept the French fleet. Meanwhile, a French fleet under the command of Admiral de Grasse had arrived ahead of the British and was at anchor at the mouth of the bay when the British arrived at about 9 AM on September 5, 1781. Two great fleets had a date with destiny.

James A. Michener, in his historical novel Chesapeake, described the situation in this way: “And worst of all, [de Grasse’s] position allowed him no room in which to maneuver. He was trapped, and when scouting boats rushed in with news that Admiral Rodney was bearing down with the entire Caribbean squadron, he realized his peril.

“If de Grasse had been a prudent man, he might have surrendered then and there, for the enemy had every advantage except one: the British ships were sleekbottomed and free of worm; their crews

were complete and battle-hardened; they had the advantage of the wind and ocean space in which to maneuver; they had guns of shattering power manned by the best seamen in the world. The only disadvantage the English suffered was that Admiral Rodney, a tested leader in battle, was not aboard the ships....”

British Admiral Rodney was ill and had returned to England.

The French fleet lay at anchor when they were discovered by the British scout boats. Another admiral might have surrendered there and then, but not French Admiral de Grasse. He ordered the anchor lines cut and the guns made ready on his 24 ships of the line.

British Admiral Graves missed a golden opportunity to attack the French fleet, which was unprepared for a fight at the moment and still at anchor offloading supplies. Many of his French officers and crew were ashore. It wasn’t until 4 PM, six hours later, that both fleets were in battle positions off Cape Charles, Maryland, and Cape Henry, Virginia. The French had lured the 19 British ships of the line out of the Chesapeake into open waters. A ship of the line is a type of naval

October/November 2018

The great irony is the Battle of the Chesapeake was the greatest naval battle ever fought in American waters. Yet, there were no Americans aboard either side’s ships in the battle, which would be the turning point of the American Revolution.

The Battle of the Chesapeake battle line chart where the French fleet and the British met in one of the most important sea battles in history.

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French Admiral Francois Joseph de Grasse, also known as Comte de Grasse

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warship constructed from the seventeenth century through the mid-nineteenth century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would maneuver to bring the greatest weight of broadside firepower to bear.

On September 5, 1781, the Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Capes, was on. The battle began with HMS Intrepid firing its cannons at the French ship Marseillais. The British had the weather gage. The weather gage is the advantageous position of a fighting sailing vessel relative to another. A sailing ship at sea is said to possess the weather gage if it is in any position upwind of the other vessel. With each ship carrying between 70 and 100 cannons, the firepower was enormous. Very quickly, the vanguard and center of each line got closer together and fully engaged each other. Smoke and the shriek of cannonballs hurtling by filled the air. The French gunners soon disabled the HMS Intrepid and the HMS Shrewsbury, which drifted out of the line.

French Captain de Boades of the Réfléchi was killed in the opening broadside or by cannon blasts from the HMS Princessa.

At one point, the HMS Princessa and the French Auguste were close enough for the French Admiral Bougainville to consider boarding. But just in time, British Admiral Drake managed to steer his ship to avoid being boarded by widening the gap between the ships. With cannons blasting away from both sides, tearing away at sails, masts and men, the odor of gun powder, human blood and guts filled the air and mixed with the screams of the wounded.

As the two and one-half hour battle progressed, it first appeared as if the British would prevail. There was some confusion in the orders transmitted between the British ships resulting in several British ships not entering the fight. Rear Admiral Hood aboard the HMS Barfleu was directing the rear squadron.

He interpreted the signals differently than British Admiral Graves. This resulted in a piecemeal arrival of the ships into the line of battle. A critical disadvantage for the British. The British used some wooden cannon balls that sent shards of wood tearing the flesh of the French sailors.

The decks were awash with blood. But, after a while, the deadly accuracy of the

October/November 2018

French gunners took down mast after mast of the British ships.

Sails were in tatters and body parts were strewn across the decks. Torn sails and blasted-off masts hung precariously from the gunwales. Debris littered the sea. With cannons roaring and belching their deadly charge, the ships of both sides lined up in an uneven line in such a way that only the forward and center sections were close enough to fully engage. As the battle raged on, 90 British sailors were killed and 246 were wounded.

Six British ships were badly damaged, one of the ships had be scuttled (sunk) to keep it from being salvaged by the enemy.

The French fleet suffered 220 dead or wounded with two ships damaged.

The British suffered more casualties and ship damage. They were hindered too by poorly maintained ships, some of which were leaking and others weakened by wood worms. It was the British that broke off the battle, but the two fleets sailed in view of each other for several days. The French fleet lured the British fleet further out to sea, hoping to make it possible for French Admiral de Barras to sail his fleet undetected into the bay with urgent supplies needed for the siege of Yorktown. His arrival increased the size of the French fleet to 36 ships of the line. By sunset, the battle was over. Broken ships and battered sailors floated away from the deadly chaos, eerily having made history.

The great irony is the Battle of the Chesapeake was the greatest naval battle ever fought in American waters. Yet, there were no Americans aboard either side’s ships in the battle, which would be the turning point of the American Revolution.

With his fleet badly damaged and in no condition to reengage the French, British Admiral Graves headed back to New York on the evening of September 13 to resupply and organize a much larger relief effort. Repairs were slow and obtaining needed parts was difficult. The winds grew in intensity, further delaying the British fleet returning to the Chesapeake. The British finally departed New York on October 19, too late to help British General Cornwallis under siege at Yorktown.

On October 19, 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his army of some 8,000 men to General George Washington at Yorktown, giving up any chance of winning the Revolutionary War. “The Battle of the Chesapeake Bay was one of the decisive battles of the world. Before it, the creation of the United States of America was possible; after it, it was certain.”

Michael Lewis, The History of the British.

The French victory at the Battle of the Chesapeake meant the French fleet controlled the Chesapeake Bay, eliminating a further threat to the Americans ships. This battle was incredibly important to the allied American and French armies. A defeat at Yorktown would have ended the American Revolution with the British as the victors. Edward Ayres, historian at the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown described it this way: “The outcome of the Battle of the Capes was the critical factor leading to the defeat of the British forces under General Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. The use of the French fleet to neutralize British naval power, if only for a brief time, allowed the joint American and French Army to trap the British in Virginia and prevent Cornwallis from either escaping or being reinforced. Without the assistance of French naval and military help it is doubtful that the Revolution would have ended so favorably for the Americans.”

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British General Charles Cornwallis This incredible moment in history is vividly depicted at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown in a film presented in a modern theater, complete with sound effects, the smell of battle and sea water, along with seats actually shuddering when the ship’s cannons fire. For details about this wonderful new museum at Yorktown, Virginia, go online to www.historyisfun.org/. H

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a little bit of love

Gifts

Kitchen

from the

By Janet Evans Hinman

WHY WOULD ANYONE WISH TO SPEND TIME COOKING AND PACKAGING A PROFUSION OF HOMEMADE GIFTS? PERHAPS THE BEST REASON IS LOVE. 36

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he weather outside may be cooling down, but the holiday season is heating up. It’s time to start making our lists and checking them twice. It’s also a great time for a cooking project. Why not bring the warmth of your kitchen to your friends and family with a few make-ahead food gifts? After all, everything seems to taste better when it’s homemade by a loved one.

October/November 2018

Farmers’ markets are still offering up the best of the harvest and grocers are brimming with the season’s freshest produce. Retailers are stocking a festive selection of packaging options — lovely jars and bottles, creative boxes and tins, labels, fabric, ribbon and yarn. You can also take inspiration from your own home and choose to recycle vintage cans, trays, baubles and doodads to decorate your gifting goodies.

Of course, jars, bottles and boxes look charming adorned with scraps of fabric from gingham to organza and tied with raffia or ribbon. But why not take creativity a step further? Cut squares from craft-store fishnet and add beachy shells and gift tags tied with rustic twine. For more local flavor, reproduce area maps complete with a bright star locating your home place. Cut the paper to size and create personalized labels and tags. Your impressive products make great standalone gifts, but you can pair them with simple kitchen tools like spatulas, spoons or baking mats for the perfect foodie gift.

One good day in the kitchen can yield dozens of presents. Before you begin your project, take careful inventory. Few things are more disappointing than being halfway through cooking and realizing you’re missing a critical ingredient, or finishing up the job and finding you’re short on packaging. Plan ahead and make a strategy that ensures success.

Here, we feature classic homemade food gifts like jam and biscotti, and an easy, creative chocolate bark, but you can also be adventurous and bottle your specialty limoncello liquor or whip up a delicious Dijon mustard.

As we head into the holiday season, any retailer in America is stocked with dazzling displays of cheerfully decorated gifts for loved ones, hostesses, teachers and friends. So why would anyone wish to spend time cooking and packaging a profusion of homemade gifts? Perhaps the best reason is love. It’s about inspiration, patience, personal attention and optimism. What could be more satisfying than giving a bit of yourself — making and sharing tasty, quirky recipes wrapped up in gleaming packages of goodness?

Who wouldn’t smile thinking of dear ones doling out a little love from you, one serving at a time?

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ALMOND BISCOTTI WITH CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE The perfect coffee cookie (Makes about 2 dozen)

Ingredients: • 1/3 cup butter or margarine • 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided • 2/3 cup sugar • 2 eggs • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 1/2 cups almonds or hazelnuts, finely chopped

• 1 egg yolk (optional) • 1 tablespoon milk (optional) • 1 pound good-quality melting chocolate (Merckens, available in many specialty stores and on Amazon, is a reliable melting chocolate.)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter or margarine with an electric mixer until softened, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.

Stir in remaining flour and nuts. The dough will be very stiff, so if your electric mixer isn’t strong enough, you may have to use your hands. Divide dough in half. Shape each portion into a 9-inch log about 2 inches wide.

Place logs about 4 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. If desired, brush with the mixture of egg yolk and milk. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool for one hour. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees. Cut each log diagonally into 1/2inch slices. Lay slices on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake slices for 8 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 8 minutes. Allow biscotti to cool completely. Melt chocolate carefully in the microwave, or in an oven-safe bowl in the oven on its lowest setting. Dip the cookies, or drizzle with chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set and store or package the biscotti for gifting.

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RASPBERRY-ALMOND JAM (Makes about four 1/2-pint jars, but the recipe doubles easily.)

Ingredients: • 5 cups fresh raspberries • 2 cups sugar • 1/2 cup amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur) • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions: Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, 40 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in salt and extract. Cool; pour into airtight containers. Decorate for gifting.

Refrigerate jam in airtight containers up to six weeks.

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October/November 2018

LIMONCELLO It’s a good idea to invest in a giant Ball jar so that the final concoction can rest in one container. A couple of whole vanilla beans dropped into the lemon peel/alcohol mixture while it marinates (before you add the simple syrup) make for a nice mellow flavor, while rosemary, basil or mint sprigs are good summertime additives for a change of pace.

Ingredients: • 6 1/3 cups 100-proof Vodka, or two bottles of 750 ml Everclear grain alcohol • 14 organic lemons • Two whole vanilla beans or your choice of a bunch of basil, mint, or rosemary • 6 1/3 cups water.

• 4 cups sugar.

Directions: Carefully peel the lemons, making sure to separate only the yellow part of the peel from the fruit. Don’t cut too deep.

A trace of the white pith won’t hurt anything, but too much will make the product bitter. Some people use a grater, zester or peeler, but a very sharp paring knife works best.

Place the peels in a large glass jar or jars.

You can buy an oversized Ball jar in the canning section of most large grocery chains (or on Amazon), but something like a commercial-sized pickle jar would

work as well. Add the vanilla beans or your herb of choice. Add the alcohol, seal tight and let the mixture rest for two to three weeks. A cool, dark(ish) spot is best, but certainly no direct sunlight.

ring occasionally. Pour the syrup into the alcohol/lemon mixture and seal it again.

Pay attention to volume. (Make sure all the liquid will fit into your jar without running over. It’ll make a sticky mess.)

After the resting period, strain the alcohol/ lemon peel mixture through a sieve or cheesecloth. Return the infused alcohol to your large jar.

Most recipes recommend letting the mixture rest again for an entire month.

It doesn’t have to age that long, but the longer it ages, the richer and more mellow it becomes. Use a funnel to divide the limoncello into 4-8 ounce bottles (also available on Amazon). Seal and label for gifting.

Heat the water in a medium pan and stir in the sugar until it’s completely dissolved.

Let the syrup cool for about an hour, stir-

CHOCOLATE BARK WITH GINGER AND PISTACHIOS (Serves 4, but the recipe doubles easily.)

Ingredients: • 6 ounces bittersweet dark melting chocolate (Merckens, available in many specialty stores and on Amazon, is a reliable melting chocolate.)

• 2 ounces white melting chocolate (optional) • 3 tablespoons salted pistachios, chopped • 3 tablespoons dried apricots or cherries, diced • 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, diced

Directions: In a small bowl, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes (or in a heat-proof bowl in the oven set to the lowest heat setting), stirring often, until smooth. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or wax paper. Spread the melted dark chocolate into an approximately 8x5-inch rectangle. If using white chocolate melt in the same manner described above and drizzle it in a zigzag pattern across the dark chocolate. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios, fruit and ginger across the chocolate rectangle and press gently to set them into the chocolate. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Break into pieces and package for gifting.

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HOMEMADE DIJON MUSTARD (Yields 2 cups)

Ingredients: • 2 cups dry white wine • 1 large onion, chopped • 3 garlic cloves, minced • 4 ounces mustard powder • 3 tablespoons honey • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil • 2 teaspoons salt

Directions: In a non-stick saucepan, combine the wine, onion and garlic; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool, strain liquid and discard solids. Return liquid to saucepan. Add the dry mustard to the cooked liquid, stirring constantly until smooth. Blend in honey, oil and salt; heat slowly until thickened. (Keep nose away; fumes are strong.) Stir constantly. Pour into a glass container; cool. Let the mustard sit on the counter at room temperature overnight. Divide into jars and refrigerate for 2-8 weeks to age flavor before using. Decorate for gifting. H 40

October/November 2018

The House & Home Magazine

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FILL ‘ER UP @ C.A.P.E. Center for Archaeology, Preservation and Education

By Deb Weissler Photos courtesy of Fairfield Foundation

Newly renovated station complete with vintage gas pumps and Texaco banjo-style sign.

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or archaeologists Thane Harpole and David Brown, the 1930s Texaco gas station created both a dilemma and a rare opportunity. Accustomed to excavating sites hundreds of years old, they now owned a structure that not only embodied a more contemporary era but was far removed from their familiar comfort zone of dirt trenches and pottery shards.

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The old gas station had sat at the intersection of business Route 17 and Route 14 in Gloucester Courthouse for almost 80 years when they bought it in 2010. Known locally as the Edge Hill Texaco Service Station, the “Denver” style gas station had been built in 1931 by oil company owner J.C. Brown on 0.25 acres. By 1940, Brown also owned the adjacent parcel.

The first half of the 20th century was the era of full service, when a driver would pull up to the pump and a gas station attendant would quickly appear. Full-time attendants often wore uniforms-- a shirt and jacket embroidered with their name and

October/November 2018

Colorized post card circa 1931 of C.E. King, operator of Edge Hill Texaco. company logo, slacks and a billed cap. “Fill ‘er up” meant you would not only receive a full tank of gas but a check under the hood at fluid levels, hoses, and fan belt tension. By the time you drove away, your windshield had been cleaned and tire pressure topped off.

The Texaco brand was a potent icon on highways across America. With the advent of television, commercial spots advertising various brands of gasoline highlighted America’s growing love with the automobile. By the mid-fifties, full service stations were at their peak, as oil companies seemingly built one on every corner. Now they no longer provided just gasoline but sold a variety of automotive needs-- tires, motor oil, auto repair, cold drinks, ice, and restrooms. Service bays were added to accommodate repairs and “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star” was Texaco’s signature trademark.

Since the 1930s, the Edge Hill station had undergone several alterations but by 2010 had sat abandoned for many years; an eyesore amid the growing revitalization of Gloucester’s Main Street. Rumors circulated that the site would be razed to make room for a fast food or auto franchise, but Main Street Preservation Trust officials and concerned citizens were determined to preserve this iconic relic of automotive Americana. They turned to the Fairfield Foundation for help.

“We were approached by concerned citizens on Main Street to help find someone who would take on the challenge of saving the building and finding a constructive use for it in the community,” explains Fairfield Foundation Co-Director David Brown. “It was our experience with historic restorations and preservation that made them come to us, not necessarily intending for us to take on the project ourselves. But after six months of discussions with various governmental agencies and non-profits, it became quite clear that reaching out to organizations outside the community was just not going to work.

At the same time, as Thane and I discussed what the future of the Fairfield Foundation should be, it became apparent this would be an excellent investment at the right time for us. We mapped out a plan that could be completed in a few short years. That was the only thing we got wrong!”

The plan was to complete the project by 2014. The complicating factor was the Foundation had never done a capital The House & Home Magazine

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Aerial drone photo of the Edge Hill station intersection. campaign before. As an archaeological organization, most of what they had done was to raise money for staff; not brick and mortar-type projects. The station required enormous amounts of costly restorations. However once complete, the building would be in an ideal location for the Foundation’s headquarters. Gloucester Courthouse was centrally located to their many nearby ongoing excavations and preservation projects throughout the Middle Peninsula. It would also heighten the Foundation’s profile within the community, What could be more appropri-

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Edge Hill Texaco as it looked in 2010.

ate than to restore an old gas station that would be community-focused?

As a local landmark, the desire was to retain its vintage charm although, as a restoration project, it was going to be expensive to rehab. For the past decade, the Main Street Preservation Trust and Main Street Association have worked diligently and with great success improving the looks of Main Street. This building was one of the few left that still required work.

Having outgrown their previous facility, the idea of preserving something old to serve as Fairfield Foundation headquarters

was infinitely appealing.

The restoration was a bit of an archaeological project itself in that the building was an artifact of the early 20th century, with additions and previous renovations that needed to function within the Foundation’s 21st century needs. One advantage the property afforded was JW’s Car Wash on the adjacent lot, which provided rental income to the Foundation.

Former owners Andrew James, Jr. and his wife Roberta opened up their station archives to the Foundation, providing a wealth of historic documentation. Follow-

October/November 2018

ing the sale, the James’s donated original 1930s-era gas pumps that were contemporary to the station, as well as the original exterior light poles. Lighting fixtures inside and out were repaired or faithfully reproduced. The original metal-framed windows were retained and repaired where necessary, now protected with energy efficient interior storm windows. The ladies and men’s rooms reflect the facilities of the time, including the original daisy glass window. For Fairfield Foundation staff, this was historical preservation at its very best.

“We were put in touch with the Texaco Retirees Association who then gave us access to the Texaco archives now owned by Chevron,” David explained. “The archivist at Chevron was able to send us the original blueprints and promotional material that featured the Denver-style station.”

Donations from the Cook Foundation, other local foundations and individuals, and building suppliers and contractors, who offered significant discounts, enabled the Foundation to move forward. Several other foundations came forward with gifts, like the Fred Lee Brown Charitable Trust, whose family history is intrinsically tied to the station, as well as the Transportation Enhancement Grant managed by Gloucester County that provided a large part of the design and restoration funding. The most crucial element though were the dozens of volunteers who stepped forward to lend sweat equity on the building.

After eight long years of challenges and hard work, the building is complete. After peeling away layers of changes made over the years, the interior is being transformed into a space that suits the Foundation’s preservation and educational efforts, including offices, lab and exhibit space for artifacts from their

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1912 R.A. Folkes surveying map reproduced in granite by Hogg Memorial Consultants.

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many archaeological projects. Electricity, plumbing, and heating and air have been updated. New cedar shakes, matching the original, have replaced the asbestos shingles on the roof overhangs.

Solar panels mounted on the roof generate energy and revenue from Dominion Energy’s buy-back program. In the rear of the building, a small room that once housed tires holds a small reference library. The station’s front office serves as a visitors center. The crowning touch is the iconic lighted Texaco sign that herald’s the station’s return to its historic past. The Fairfield Foundation’s Center for Archaeology, Preservation, and Education (C.A.P.E.) now has a home, surrounded by history and intent on preserving it. Total cost thus far: $1.3M. Set into pavers on the station’s new terrace is a polished and rough granite map of Gloucester County as it appeared on a R.A. Folkes map from 1912. The map embodies the county when place names and landmarks were often named for their owners, descendants, or unique physical features.

This surveyor’s map was faithfully reproduced from the original by Hogg Memorial Consultants and paid for by a generous donation from Lt. Col. Timothy A. Brown, USAF retired and his wife, Janet A. Brown.

Several of the sites on the map are integral to the work of the Fairfield Foundation.

Founded in 2000 by David and Thane, two William and Mary graduates, the Fairfield Foundation began with a focus on archaeological research and public outreach at Fairfield Plantation in Gloucester, the former ancestral home of the prominent Burwell family, which housed six generations of Burwells from 1648 to 1787. Once a thriving colonial plantation, today it is a significant archaeological site, where excavations are focusing on understanding the plantation’s landscape and the footprint of the manor house and its various iterations.

Evidence has so far revealed not only the main house but the presence of slave quarters, fence lines, and formal gardens.

Fairfield Foundation is now the preeminent archaeological research and preservation organization on the Middle Peninsula. Working with a number of local historical societies and other organizations, the foundation has ongoing projects at Ware Neck Store, the Brooks cemetery in Mathews, New Quarter Park in York County, Rosewell Plantation, Gloucester Courthouse, and other sites throughout the region.

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October/November 2018

Fairfield Foundation staff: L to R Thane Harpole, Anna Rhodes, David Brown, Victoria Gum, and Ashley McCuistion.

Aerial shot of Fairfield Plantation, one of C.A.P.E.’s many archaeological projects.

Percentage of the board at the station’s grand opening: (left to right) Carl Fischer, Lori Jackson Black, Forrest Morgan, bobbi hatton, Thane Harpole (Co-Director), Janet Brown, David Brown (CoDirector) and Tom Karow

Archaeologists and staff working on a dig.

In addition to archaeological preservation and documentation, the Foundation reaches out to both public and private schools to offer place-based learning experiences that integrate archaeology into the classroom, and demonstrate how subjects like math, science, history, and geography juxtapose to advance the work of archaeologists. Their ultimate goal is to reach out to every school on the Middle Peninsula and beyond.

Their outreach programs also offer hands-on activities for people of all ages who want to experience an archaeological dig, work with artifacts in the lab, or help preserve and restore historic structures. Each Tuesday they host public lab nights at C.A.P.E., sharing news and the latest findings. The Fairfield Foundation loves sharing stories, bringing history, buildings, landscapes, landmarks, and archaeological sites to life. To archaeologists, history creates a sense of belonging; a connection to those who came before us and left their marks. As time and development threaten the existence of these historic treasures, it becomes imperative that we ensure that the old and new can successfully co-exist. H The House & Home Magazine

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B To

By Linda Landreth Phelps 48

o t B t r o i n e N r o rine

! n o i t s e u Q e h t That is October/November 2018

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hanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, ORANGE THYME DRY BRINE and most of us already have Crush and combine the our own traditional turkey recipe on following thoroughly: the menu for the family gathering.

However, others are still experiIngredients: menting, and some are even facing • 3 tablespoons table salt (1/4 cup this Adulting 101 rite of passage for kosher salt) the first time. There’s a way to guar• 2 tablespoons orange zest antee it’ll be an occasion to remem• 2 teaspoons dried thyme ber, centered on a flavorful, moist, • 1 teaspoon garlic powder browned-to-perfection turkey.

Be it roasting, frying, or smoking, once Halve these recipes for a the method of cooking has been decided, delectable roasted chicken. then comes the next question: to brine or not to brine? It may seem an ambitious undertaking to an inexperienced chef, but never fear, the minimal extra trouble of this dry brining method will be worth it.

It’s difficult to cook the thicker parts of a turkey thoroughly without the white meat turning out dry. Wet brining infuses poultry with moisture, but the laborious process takes days of soaking in gallons of infused water or fruit juice. Who has room for a bucket in their fridge at the holidays? Dry brining is a great, simple alternative, one which works much the same as the wet method, by trapping juices under the skin during roasting. This process works by coating the turkey with salt, drawing out natural moisture from the meat.

You may be wondering, “Wouldn’t that make it dry?” Absolutely not. That released moisture combines with the salt and seasonings coating, making up the brine. Once the salinity of the brine reaches the correct concentration, the liquid reabsorbs into the meat, taking the flavors with it and making the turkey juicy.

To dry brine a turkey properly, make sure that the salt and other ingredients are well combined. Use a mortar and pestle if you have them, but putting the mixture in a baggie and crushing with a rolling pin works, too. Rinse the bird well and pat the brining mix evenly over the entire surface, inside and out, poking some under the skin with your fingers as well. Once coated, wrap the turkey in a plastic bag, removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate for 36 hours, turning over every 12 hours.

Cook as directed, and enjoy your tender, juicy turkey.

There are some definite advantages of dry over wet brining.

The first is that the meat will taste better; the only liquid it absorbs is the turkey’s own juices, so the flavor isn’t watered down.

The second is that it actually cooks faster. If roasting or smoking the turkey, and there’s no embedded, pop-up thermometer, insert a digital meat thermometer while it cooks, watching for that magic number to show up: 175 degrees. The bonus is that there will be just enough non-salty pan juices left after it’s done to make a killer gravy.

Though you may opt to stick with a basic salt and pepper brine, the following recipes could inspire you to kick your usual turkey game up a notch. H

LEMON AND ROSEMARY DRY BRINE Crush and combine the following thoroughly: Ingredients: • 3 tablespoons table salt (4 tablespoons kosher salt) • Zest of 3 lemons • 2 tablespoons crushed fresh rosemary leaves • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper • 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Happy holidays and bon appétit!

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Kilmarnock United Methodist Church window, by Barney H. Harris of Zekiah Glass, Farnham.

STAINED GLASS

the Art of LIGHT AND COLOR

By Janet Evans Hinman

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October/November 2018

Residential window in Saluda, by Wanda Greenwood Hollberg of Greenwood Stained Glass, Urbanna.

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he interaction of light and color evokes many moods — joyful, somber, reverent and pensive. For centuries, the art of stained glass has rendered these emotions into physical presence in churches, homes, public spaces and works of art.

“There’s something magical about glass,” said Wanda Greenwood Hollberg, owner of Greenwood Stained Glass in Urbanna.

“It’s absolutely mesmerizing to watch the colors dance around a room.” Hollberg lives and works in Urbanna and has owned and operated her stained glass studio since 1979. She holds a fine arts degree, with a major in glass work, from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a member of the River to Bay Artisan Trail network.

Throughout its thousand-year history, the term “stained glass” has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings. Although traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include sculpture and other three-dimensional objects, exemplified by the famous lamps of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

To a large extent, the term “stained glass” is a misnomer, for staining is only one of several methods used to impart color to glass. One process involves the application of an enamel paint onto a plain or tinted glass surface and firing it in a kiln; another method fuses various metal oxides with glass while it is in its molten state. The resulting color, which has a jewel-like quality, depends on the metal oxide used. Iron oxides produce green or bluish green, cobalt makes deep blue, and gold produces wine red and violet glass. Much modern red glass is produced using The House & Home Magazine

copper, which is less expensive than gold and gives a brighter, more vermilion shade of red. Painted details and yellow stain are often used to enhance the design. Coloring glass combines a complicated layering process, Hollberg explained, as each color requires a different temperature and firing time.

Stained glass, as an art and a craft, requires the artistic skill to conceive and render an appropriate workable design, knowledge of glass and metal work, some chemistry, and the engineering skills to assemble the piece. For instance, a window must fit snugly into the space for which it is made, must resist wind and rain, and also, especially in larger windows, must support its own weight. Many large windows have withstood the test of time and have remained substantially intact since the Late Middle Ages (1250 to 1500 AD). In Western Europe, they constitute the major form of pictorial art to have survived. Depending on the location, the design of a window may be abstract or figurative; may incorporate narratives drawn from the Bible, history or literature; may represent saints, patrons or heraldry; or may depict scenes from nature.

Hollberg sketches her designs by hand, while a number of artisans today generate templates by computer. She has made a lifelong study of glass artistry and has original works and restorations all around Virginia and beyond. “With such an ancient art form and not many experts available to teach you, it takes research, patience, experimentation and much trial and error,” she said. “Mistakes can be costly. One critical error can turn a treasure into trash.”

THROUGH THE CENTURIES Decorative colored glass is of great antiquity all over the world.

Both the Egyptians and Romans excelled at the manufacture of 51

The Latin Cross, 1895, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Tappahannock. Dedicated to the Rev. John P. McGuire, known as the “Apostle to the Rappahannock.� The window is an original work by Tiffany Studios, New York.

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small colored-glass objects. Phoenicia was important in glass manufacturing with its chief centers in Sidon, Tyre and Antioch.

Colored glass was used in windows of Christian churches as early as the fifth century, and pictorial glass was created as early as the tenth century. In the Middle East, Syria was an important glass manufacturing center, while in Southwest Asia, the alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan invented 46 recipes for producing colored glass and even instructions for cutting it into artificial gemstones.

With the development of medieval architecture, stained glass assumed a unique structural and symbolic importance. As massive Romanesque walls were eliminated, the use of glass was expanded. It was integrated into the lofty vertical elements of Gothic architecture, thus providing greater illumination. Symbolically, it was regarded as a manifestation of divine light. Magnificent in its material and spiritual richness, stained glass became one of the most beautiful forms of medieval artistic expression.

The early glaziers followed a sketched rendering for their window designs. They used a red-hot iron for cutting the colored or clear glass into the required pieces, afterward firing in the kiln those that bore painted lines and shadings. The pieces were then fitted into channeled lead strips, the leads soldered together at junction points, and the whole installed in a bracing framework of iron, called the armature. The lead strips were adjusted to the articulation of the design and formed an integral part of it.

The coloring of glass was achieved in the melting pot, where the metallic oxides were fused with the glass. The metallic ores, although at first crude and limited, ultimately produced admirable color variation. The glass, available only in small pieces, gave a jewel-like quality to the colors. The pieces, by their uneven

October/November 2018

surfaces and varying thicknesses, gave the advantage of irregular and dazzling refractions of light.

Only fragments of glass remain from the eleventh century. The period of greatest achievement in the art extended from 1150 to 1250 in France and England. The windows of this period were characterized by rich, dark colors, single figures and scrollwork.

By the beginning of the thirteenth century, figures were abundantly used in scenes, being enclosed in geometrical medallions, such as circles, lozenges or quatrefoils. A window was composed of many of these medallions. Color became more vibrant, and the prevailing scheme of red, blue, green and purple, with small amounts of white, created tense and vivid harmonies. In the fourteenth century, as medieval glass-making waned, medallion compositions were replaced by a single figure framed in canopied shrines.

In the fifteenth century, glass artists achieved a silvery tone by the use of large proportions of white glass, and their figures of saints and apostles were surmounted by elaborate canopies. With improved glassmaking, many of the assets

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The Nativity -- The birth of Jesus, one of 15 stained glass windows in Angel Visit Baptist Church, Dunnsville, crafted by Lewis Stained Glass Studios of Statesville, North Carolina.

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of medieval stained glass (small, jewel-like pieces of varying thicknesses) vanished.

By the sixteenth century, the material was smoother and in larger pieces; toward the middle of the century, the use of enamel paints permitted the designs to be entirely painted on the glass and then fired. Also, stained glass designers emulated the purely pictorial effects of Renaissance oil painting, with complicated perspectives, large scale, and realistic detail.

STAINED GLASS IN THE MODERN WORLD

(left) Standing crane residential window in Locust Hill, by Wanda Greenwood Hollberg of Greenwood Stained Glass, Urbanna. (right) Middlesex County Women’s Club window restoration by Wanda Greenwood Hollberg of Greenwood Stained Glass.

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Nineteenth-century romanticism and the Gothic revival brought a fresh study of stained glass, as well as of other medieval arts. J&R Lamb Studios, established in 1857 in New York City, was the first major decorative arts studio in the United States and for many years a major producer of ecclesiastical stained glass.

The Arts and Crafts movement, led by William Morris in England, was especially productive. Morris and his craftsmen, from a studio near London, may be said to have revived the modern art of making stained glass. The Arts and Crafts move-

October/November 2018

Stained glass, as an art and a craft, requires the artistic skill to conceive and render an appropriate workable design, knowledge of glass and metal work, some chemistry, and the engineering skills to assemble the piece.

ment was an effort in the decorative and fine arts communities that began in Britain and flourished in Europe and North America between about 1880 and 1920. It stood for traditional craftsmanship using simple forms, and often used medieval, romantic, or folk styles of decoration.

Notable American practitioners of stained glass include John La Farge (1835-1910) and Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933).

La Farge invented opalescent glass, a type of glass where more than one color is present, being fused during production. He received a U.S. patent in 1880. Tiffany also received several patents for variations of the same opalescent process and is believed to have invented the copper foil method as an alternative to lead and used it extensively in windows, lamps and other decorations. Favrile glass, or American glass, now often referred to as Tiffany glass, is characterized by unusual combinations of colors and special effects in transparency and opaqueness, creating exaggerated color variations and iridescence in the glass itself; it was often used for decorative objects and to highlight architectural details.

In the beginning of his career, Tiffany used cheap jelly jars and bottles because they had the mineral impurities that finer glass lacked. When he was unable to persuade fine glassmakers to leave in the impurities, he began making his own glass.

Much of his company’s production was in making stained glass windows and lamps, but he also designed a complete range of interior decorations. At its peak, his factory employed more than 300 artisans. It is said that he ordered all his glass-coloring formulas to be destroyed upon his death.

Since the early 1970s, there has been a real renaissance in stained glass art, explained Hollberg. Though the words “stained glass” may trigger thoughts of medieval cathedral windows, today’s contemporary artists are proving that the thousand-yearold craft is anything but outdated. Throughout ancient history, stained glass art was traditionally made in flat panels, featured biblical imagery, and was used for the windows in churches, mosques, and other religious buildings. Today, modern works of glass art are not only seen in places of worship, but also in contemporary homes, commercial spaces, and art galleries.

Some experts note that only about ten percent of stained glass produced today is destined for churches.

Inspired by the stained glass of the Middle Ages, many of today’s contemporary artists put a modern twist on medieval techniques. Others work to create striking three-dimensional structures that transform entire environments with sparkling, abstract beams of light and color — with new techniques, sculpture, modern interpretations of fine art paintings, abstract uses of light and color, and even creative uses of recycled materials. H The House & Home Magazine

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SENIOR LIVING

Comforts of Home All the

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ome. There’s no place like it. It’s where the heart is. It’s where we feel most comfortable and it’s the main reason studies have shown that people have better health outcomes in the comfort of their own home. And as we age, the same holds true: we want to remain in the familiar surroundings of our own home rather than live in a facility. Being cared for in your

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Improved Healing and Quality of Life Through Home Health Services

By Jackie Nunnery

home doesn’t mean relying on family members or trying to go it on your own. That’s where home health agencies step in to support you by providing a wide range of services depending on your needs.

From one-on-one nursing care to physical therapy or senior services, this assistance will allow you to rest, recuperate or age in the place you feel at ease.

Home.

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HEALING AT HOME: SUPPORT AFTER ILLNESS OR INJURY After surgery, you may be well enough to leave the hospital, but still need help once you return home. In addition to inspecting your home for any safety hazards that could hinder your recuperation, nurses can help with your recovery by making sure your surgical wounds are healing properly or that you are taking any medications correctly. And it’s not just nursing services. There are a number of health professionals available through home health agencies. Physical therapists are available to help you get up and walk or to ensure that the walker you’ve brought home is working properly.

Respiratory therapists can also help with medical equipment if you’re using something like a CPAP machine to help with your breathing while you sleep.

If your needs are a little less medical, home care aides can help you with all the daily activities you seldom think about until you have difficulty doing them on your own — things like bathing, using the bathroom, getting dressed or getting in and out of bed.

AGING IN PLACE: LIVING INDEPENDENTLY BUT WITH ASSISTANCE If you’re like 90 percent of retirees surveyed by AARP, you want to stay in your home long into retirement. Your current situation may not call for specialized medical care, but as you age, you may need help with the daily activities that would allow you to live in your home independently.

“When your energy is limited, you should use it doing things the revitalize your spirit. We can help you with the rest,” says Katherine Keith, Owner & Director of Right At Home, a home care agency located in Kilmarnock.

Companion care provides that help with medication reminders, light housekeeping, meal preparation or running errands. As the name implies, these aides also provide companionship and emotional support to seniors who tend to become isolated in their homes when getting out becomes too difficult. This loneliness and seclusion can lead to further declines in physical and emotional health. Regular visits from a compassionate caregiver offer seniors opportunities to socialize and make emotional connections that enrich their quality of life.

In addition to giving seniors the confidence to continue living at home, this level of care can provide peace-of-mind to long-distance family members. To help with that, Right At Home offers Family Room, which allows family members to stay up-to-date with their loved one’s care through a secure online portal. In addition to receiving health updates they can see a calendar of scheduled visits and communicate with care staff.

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AGING IN PLACE: LIVING WITH DEMENTIA Just because your family member is one of the roughly six million diagnosed with some form of dementia, it doesn’t mean they can’t continue to live at home.

In fact, those with dementia tend to fare better in the familiar sights and sounds of their homes. Trained clinicians can help your loved one with daily activities and mobility issues, while ensuring safety in the home and helping everyone involved prepare and adjust as their condition progresses.

It’s important to consider specialized dementia care as soon as possible.

Expert interventions, early on, are much more effective in helping a patient to maintain their existing quality of life.

You should also know that it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the everincreasing needs of your loved one as dementia progresses. Having expert care in the home can provide a much-needed source of support in terms of education and relief.

RESPITE CARE: CARING FOR THE CAREGIVER Taking care of family members in need, while rewarding, can take a toll on you, both physically and emotionally.

Spending time as a nurse, cook, and taxi driver can leave little time for your own needs, creating frustration and resentment of your caretaker role.

You may also find that guilt prevents you from stepping away to enjoy free time or to take care of yourself.

Rather than feeling negative about your responsibilities, consider looking into respite care. Taking a break for a few hours or even days to recharge while your loved one is safely taken care of will allow you to return to your caregiving role with renewed energy and a positive outlook.

“Family members, particularly spouses, are often worried that their loved won’t do well with the change to someone new. Once we come in, we see that they begin to relax and feel confident that their loved one is fine with the transition and is being well cared for. It makes respite care much easier later on, ”said Keith.

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HOSPICE CARE: END OF LIFE COMFORT If you’ve ever thought about how you would like to face the end of life transition, you’ve probably pictured being surrounded by family in the comfort of your home. And that’s where hospice services come in. While most home health agencies do not offer specific hospice-related medical care or pain management, their specialized care providers are trained to support the work of hospice agencies by providing help with any daily activities or dealing with the anxiety or stress associated with dying.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN ARRANGING FOR HOME CARE • Medical: Start with your physician for a home care referral. You need to be designated as homebound to qualify for medical home care. That means it’s difficult for you to leave your home and you need help (like a cane, walker, wheelchair or another person) in order to do so. The home health agency that you choose will keep your physician updated on your progress.

• Legal: It’s always a good time to develop a health care directive when you’re healthy and able. This document will ensure you get only the health care you want. You may also need to discuss who will be designated with a durable power of attorney for health care and financial decisions should the need arise.

• Financial: Any time you’re dealing with health care-related services, ask your insurance provider about qualifications and coverage. It’s important to note that Medicare does not cover non-medical home care services unless you’re also receiving medical care in the home.

With levels of care that are equal to hospitals or long-term nursing facilities and better outcomes because you’re where you want to be, you can see why home health care is a preferred choice for a growing number of people and their families. H The House & Home Magazine

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2019 Calendar Girls, Vanessa Larkin and Virginia Marsh, know the power of H4TG’s Loving Support.

Living Life Exclamation Point!

WITH AN

By Linda Landreth Phelps 60

October/November 2018

“A SENSE OF HUMOR GOES A LONG WAY, AND SO DOES A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. THE NAME ALSO REMINDS US TO LIVE LIFE WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT, NOT A PERIOD.”

Bowditch as her alter-ego, The Good Health Fairy, enjoying time with a few of the “Boobers” (young survivors).

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ené Bowditch and Mary Beth Gibson are surrogate mothers to the close tribe of women in Here for the Girls, or H4TG. They’re co-creators of this very special kind of support group for younger breast cancer survivors that describes itself as, “Not-your-typical… transformational!”

When Mary Beth and René’s paths first crossed at a 2006 event for breast cancer survivors, Mary Beth was 41 years old with three little boys under 7, the youngest was just two years old. Chemo was behind her, but she was facing a bilateral radical mastectomy and radiation. “Pretty much everyone attending that event was my mom’s age,” Mary Beth remembers now. “We had almost nothing in common except for breast cancer.”

René was invited in her capacity as The Good Health Fairy, who dresses in a ball gown, pink high tops, sparkly wings, The House & Home Magazine

a wand and bejeweled tiara. René occasionally adopts this fun alter ego to support and encourage others. She was 55, four years out from her own breast cancer diagnosis and dealing with the challenges of sudden, chemically-induced menopause. The two connected and agreed that younger women faced issues that were not commonly being addressed. Why not start their own support group designed specifically for survivors diagnosed before menopause? And so, it began.

That first meeting at René’s Williamsburg home started small, but they soon enlisted the help of local doctors to send many new members their way. This supportive circle of women eventually chose “Beyond Boobs!” for their group’s cheeky name, determined not to be defined by their breasts or their disease. “A sense of humor goes a long way,” Mary Beth says with a smile, “and so does a positive attitude. The name also reminds us to live life with an exclamation point, not a period.”

“During meetings,” recalls René, “we heard the same story often, that many 61

H4TG Co-founders, Rene Bowditch and Mary Beth Gibson, are not typical - like their organization!

(left above) Rene Bowditch and Mary Beth Gibson, Co-founders of H4TG, offering Not-Your-Typical Support for young women affected by breast cancer. (left below) Some members of the Texas Support System. (right) “Boobers!” leaning in for each other at the 2018 Renew, Restore, Retreat in Sandbridge.

H4TG members form a Circle of Love - the basis of H4TG’s Loving Support.

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times diagnoses were significantly delayed by false assumptions. Breast cancer in younger women is usually found at a later stage because, simply put, nobody’s looking for it. Our concerns or symptoms were sometimes minimized by doctors.

We’d been told we were ‘too young to worry about such things.’”

The women discussed every aspect of their common disease and swapped chemo survival tips, healthy recipes, or fashion and makeup advice. Newbies were welcomed and showered with enthusiastic empathy as well as helpful information. “We emphasize wellness and healthy lifestyles at meetings to help our young survivors live their best lives,” Mary Beth says.

No topic is off the table at these gatherings, including, often hilariously, sex.

Fearlessly, they plunge into the deepest topics together. There are often equal amounts of tears and laughter as fierce bonds of friendship form that will last a lifetime. For some, these bonds endure even beyond life, as members continue to care for loved ones left behind by their friends. It takes rare courage to befriend someone you may have to mourn.

As their ranks grew, so did their wisdom and vision, so the women decided to extend their reach to others. There were many things, they agreed, they wish they’d known earlier, so much they had learned about prevention and detection. It was time to share their hard-earned knowledge publicly and form a non-profit.

The first project for Beyond Boobs! was to promote awareness with a cleverly written breast health manual disguised as a calendar. Featured in its beautifully photographed pages were the first calendar girls, “Boobers” eager to tell their stories. These annual calendars aim to educate and encourage survivors to “Fight Like a Girl!”, while debunking myths such as painful lumps can’t be cancerous.

They include reminders to perform breast self-exams monthly. Often too young for their first screening mammograms, many members discovered their cancers themselves. René says, “Our motto is: If you’re old enough to have them, you’re old enough to check them!”

“The calendar has been extremely successful,” Mary Beth chimes in, “and our latest, the 12th, premiered at our annual H4TG Gala in September.” The goal is to get the word out and to use fun and October/November 2018

“OUR MOTTO IS: IF YOU’RE OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE THEM, YOU’RE OLD ENOUGH TO CHECK THEM!” humor to do so in a way that doesn’t scare people into immobility or denial. “We’ll cheerfully march in parades wearing t-shirts emblazoned on the chest, ‘Check These Out! (Once a Month)’ if it helps save lives.”

H4TG is the corporate mothership where the group’s two divisions dock. Beyond Boobs! is the original entity, with chapters throughout Richmond, Tidewater, and Northern Virginia, as well as several other states, while Pink Link is a 24/7 online virtual support group they absorbed in 2015. H4TG is the unifying umbrella under which they both now operate.

Its services are funded solely with revenue from donations, events, and community support, and the group receives no money from federal or state government. At least 87 cents of every dollar raised goes directly into their programs. “Much of our organization’s fabulous staff is volunteer,” Mary Beth informs us with pride. This model is one that all chapters follow.

René continues, “Our area is transient, and many of our members wanted to start new groups when they moved. We needed a replicable format, and William & Mary’s Mason School of Business helped us with that last year. Five amazing MBA students spent a year on this project, so we now can share this organizational kit with anyone who’d like to start another H4TG group.”

Their services are free and ongoing as long as needed, because the aftermath of this disease may last a lifetime. You’ll see all ages at meetings, from the occasional teen to grandmas. Some have been in remission for years, then face it again later.

“We like to say we function like a herd of elephants,” the founding duo says. “In the wild, when one member is sick or wounded, they all, young and old, gather around and lean in, supporting her and holding her up. When one of us sends out an internet S.O.S., pictures of elephants come flying her way, along with encouraging words, prayers, and offers of meals or childcare. We all lean in. Other, larger organizations focus on a cure.

We’d rather emphasize support and education and stay small in scope, taking a boutique approach so we don’t lose the intimacy.”

Members bond even closer at an annual beachfront retreat.

This year four houses in Sandbridge were shared by 85 survivors. “It gets pretty intense!” René laughs. The 2018 theme was “My Journey, My Story” and incorporated writing workshops and photography lessons. One home was turned into a day spa named “Mermaid Cove” in memory of their late friend, mermaid enthusiast Stephanie Castleman-Argue. There women had access to massage therapists, reflexologists, or aestheticians.

“René and I really loved the drumming circle on the beach.

We beat on this enormous mother drum for an hour and a half; we were the heartbeat rhythm underlying all the others. We are the Mothers!” Mary Beth declares with a grin of remembered joy.

As enviable as their close bonds of fellowship are, nobody really wants to join this exclusive sisterhood; the price of admission is too high. But for those who do qualify, rest easy. Until breast cancer is finally eradicated, René Bowditch and Mary Beth Gibson will always be there for their girls. H The House & Home Magazine

H4TG Co-founders, Rene Bowditch and Mary Beth Gibson

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liss Bbathroom in the

By Janet Evans Hinman

if there’s one place where we can stake out a little privacy and serenity, it’s the bathroom.

Shouldn’t we be able to walk in, lock the door, escape the cares of the world and recharge?

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et’s be honest. Our bathrooms tend to be the holding cell for sandy bathing suits, crumpled damp towels, plastic bath toys and the dregs of all the bath products and toothpaste tubes we’ve ever owned. But if there’s one place where we can stake out a little privacy and serenity, it’s the bathroom. Shouldn’t we be able to walk in, lock the door, escape the cares of the world and recharge?

Whether you’re starting from scratch with new construction, undertaking a renovation, or just trying an update, consider some of the expert tips and trends — from simple to extravagant — that can help you add a little spa-like bliss to your bathroom.

TIDY UP. It’s easy for bathrooms to get overloaded with cosmetics and grooming products. Neatness counts.

Nothing interrupts your peace like a room full of clutter. Banish those bathing suits and damp towels to the laundry room where they can be ignored. Smart storage allows you to put everything in its place. Mix open and closed storage or try frosted glass door inserts to add interest to the room and break up a wall of cabinets. Invest in beautiful baskets tucked into open shelves to store all your bath products. Where a new coat of paint is called for, consider a palette of taupes, gray hues, whites (from buttery to crisp), or nature’s shades of restful blues and greens. Stock up on fluffy white towels, roll them up into neat columns and stow them on open shelves or in baskets.

TOUCH UP. Finishes like tile, granite and marble surfaces can add elegance to any space. Taking tile beyond the floor, to wainscoting and even entire walls, is a European touch gaining popularity here.

Add glamour and a dash of sparkle by installing a backsplash of glass mosaic tile above the vanity or even a twinkly chandelier — embellishments sure to lend charm to your hardworking space.

Interesting hardware, with a bit of an industrial vibe, or in an elegant finish like oiled bronze, sleek stainless steel or The House & Home Magazine

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aged brass, can add a unique touch. As wood finishes improve and become more water resistant, natural wood is emerging as one of the major bathroom trends for the year. Natural textures breathe life into a bathroom. The most popular wood elements are natural cabinets, followed by paneled hardwood accent walls, or even a wood-slat bath mat. You’ll also find wooden tub enclosures around freestanding tubs, and wood or woodlike floors are starting to gain traction, too. Teak or bamboo are exotic choices.

When it comes to design themes, minimalism is the standard. When designers talk about minimalism today, they are referring to simplicity in surfaces and fixtures. In other words, instead of choosing a vanity that features ornate millwork, choose one that has a smooth face. A “floating” vanity updates any style of bathroom and makes the room feel airy by adding open space between the bottom of the vanity and the floor. A floating vanity can be as simple as a solid plank of wood with a vessel sink, or it can be outfitted with double sinks and drawers for storage.

Most homeowners choose light finishes for bathrooms today, and they have a preference for natural light when possible.

Even a small window in the shower stall or next to the tub, or a skylight, will let you relax and look outdoors while rinsing or soaking. If your bathroom’s location makes opening up the view impractical, choose frosted glass that lets in the light without sacrificing privacy.

SHOWER UP. Today’s showers have gotten serious — about luxury and functionality. Dual shower heads, handheld shower heads, body sprays, and a broad bench for relaxing take an ordinary shower to an invigorating and lavish experience.

For a truly spa-like adventure without leaving home, install an enclosure that doubles as a steam shower.

On the subject of bells and whistles, today’s showers can feature digital temperature controls, light therapy, custom audio systems and television. Who said water and electricity don’t mix? A number of manufacturers offer quieter and more efficient bath fans than were available even a few years ago. Some have integral humidity sensors that will continue to run the fan as long as needed to reduce humidity to an appropriate level.

One component that creates continuity is transparency — frameless, clear glass shower enclosures add a touch of elegance and make the bathroom look much larger by keeping the shower stall from visually chopping up the bathroom layout.

There are also a variety of glass coatings available which facilitate cleaning. Good looks aren’t the only reason for installing a frameless shower. This style also lends itself to a step-in design that lacks a ledge or lip to step over to enter the shower, making it a great choice for aging family members.

SOAK UP. Wash away stress in a deep soaking tub. Its simple, elegant lines make it a striking focal point in any bathroom. There is a trend away from tubs integrated with a tile or stone surround and toward freestanding tubs — although this choice means you need to consider how to stage soaps, shampoos and towels. Studies have shown that a good soak in a deep tub can improve both mood and sleep, as well as muscle pain and cold symptoms. Where homeowners choose to include a tub in the master bathroom, it is more often a soaking tub and not a whirlpool-style tub. Jetted tubs are difficult to clean, have higher maintenance requirements and often need 66

October/November 2018

YET ANOTHER COZY IDEA: GET ALL HOTEL CHIC AND HANG YOUR TOWELS FROM HEATED BARS SO YOU CAN WRAP YOURSELF IN WARM FLUFFY COMFORT WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR SHOWER OR BATH. a supplemental heater to keep the water warm when using the whirlpool feature.

Some experts estimate that the typical jetted tub is used only seven times in its lifetime. Other homeowners are opting to forgo installing a tub altogether — applying the financial savings toward jazzing up other areas of the bathroom and using the additional space to dedicate to other uses such as increased storage.

SPRUCE UP. A few additional embellishments can make the bathroom functional and comfortable over time.

High-tech toilets will make you feel like a NASA astronaut — options include heated seats, lids that lift automatically, integrated bidets, automatic flushing and wall-mounted options. Warmth is a theme in bathrooms where sleek tile, marble and stone finishes can feel cold underfoot. A radiant heat system installed below the floor is especially welcome on cold winter mornings. Yet another cozy idea: Get all hotel chic and hang your towels from heated bars so you can wrap yourself in warm fluffy comfort when you finish your shower or bath.

If you’re designing a new bathroom, or planning a renovation, you’ll want to design your project to suit your needs for a very long time. Consider “universal design,” also referred to as “aging in place.”

The concept employs a plan with an eye toward the future, allowing homeowners to more easily access the bathroom even in the event they become mobility impaired. Features like wheelchair-accessible vanities, grab bars and hands-free faucets are easier to implement initially rather than as a retrofit.

The options for a spa-style bathroom retreat are limited only by your imagination and your budget. From new construction, to renovation, to a simple upgrade, the options are endless. But if your wish list exceeds your skill set, be sure to employ the services of an experienced designer or contractor who can help you create the blissful bathroom retreat of your dreams. H The House & Home Magazine

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Christmas in Urbanna Friday December 7th LIGHTING OF THE TREES (6:00 pm) ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARADE (7:00 pm) Saturday December 8th 11:00 am CHRISTMAS CHILDREN & PET PARADE with photos with Santa to follow at Women’s Club Friday December 14th 11:00 am FASHION SHOW AND LUNCHEON Beautifully decorated Historic Lansdowne Plantation Saturday December 15th CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOUR (10:00 am - 4:00 pm) and CHARMING BOUTIQUES - CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSES (extended hours shopping in town) Saturday December 15th PUPPET SHOW 10:00 am CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS SHOP 11:00 am (Free at Urbanna Baptist Church) Friday and Saturday 12/21 & 12/22 POLAR EXPRESS Extended shopping hours with free gift wrap and goodies at participating Boutiques

FOR EVENT INFORMATION AND TICKET SALES URBANNA.COM OR SOUTHSIDE SENTINEL.COM ALSO, AVAILABLE THESE LOCAL MERCHANTS CYNDY’S BYNN, LOWE TIDE, FIN AND PEARL BRISTOW’S STORE WILL ALSO HAVE TICKETS FOR SALE. 68

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By Deb Weissler Photos retouched by Mark Lowell J611 steam locomotive pulling an excursion train. Photo courtesy of VA Delegate Chris Head

Riding the Rails DONALD AND LYNN BURNETT Middlesex residents and railway employees Donald and Lynn Burnett remember a day when their world came crashing down around them.

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he J611 put forth a burst of steam and a throaty whistle as it departed Norfolk on May 18, 1986. The steam-powered locomotive pulled a consist of 23 passenger coaches with 1,000 Norfolk & Western employees and relatives aboard on an Employee Appreciation excursion trip to Petersburg. The day was clear and warm as the train traversed a stretch of track that ran through dense stands of pines in the Great Dismal Swamp straddling the Virginia-North Carolina border.

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At the throttle was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Norfolk Southern, Robert Claytor, a fully qualified train engineer. The iconic J611 had pulled numerous excursion trains since it first rolled out of the Roanoke Shops in 1950 and was the only remaining Class J engine still in operation. Considered the most advanced line of coal-fired steam locomotives ever built, the J611 was capable of reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

Down below the tree line, temperatures soon reached a sweltering 90 degrees. As the welded rails heated under the intense sunlight, they began to expand and “crawl,” creating a twist in high-stress areas such as switches and turn-outs. On an isolated stretch of track far from any paved roads, the J611 and its first seven cars, clocked at 60 miles per hour, successfully traveled over a switch. The eighth car in line did not. Fourteen coaches left the tracks; two cars turning completely over, plowing and pouring tons of ballast in through the open coach win-

ON AN ISOLATED STRETCH OF TRACK FAR FROM ANY PAVED ROADS, THE J611 AND ITS FIRST SEVEN CARS, CLOCKED AT 60 MILES PER HOUR, SUCCESSFULLY TRAVELED OVER A SWITCH. THE EIGHTH CAR IN LINE DID NOT.

dows. Other cars canted at odd angles. The cries of the startled and injured could be heard over the din of twisting metal.

Donald Burnett, a Norfolk & Western conductor, and brakeman Lynn Butler, were on board the baggage car, three cars back from the derailment. The car had double sliding doors open to the outside, with chain link fence providing a barrier between it and the passengers standing inside. Lynn was behind a counter selling souvenirs from the Tidewater Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society while Donald stood near the open doors.

When their car derailed, Lynn was thrown over the counter to the far side of the car; Donald grabbed for the door’s overhead grab bar. As their car canted at 45 degrees, he was suspended in midair for what seemed like an eternity. When the coaches came to a stop, more than 150 passengers lay injured and some would remain trapped for hours before rescue workers reached them.

As a conductor with decades of experience, Donald knew the greatest risk following a derailment was fire. Fortunate not to be injured, he ran from car to car shutting off electricity that powered lights and air conditioning. Ahead, the J611 and its remaining seven cars slowed and reversed, stopping a short distance away. Eventually, it would depart for Petersburg with as many passengers on board as possible. Because the swamp’s tall trees prevented rescue helicopters from landing, rescue teams were dispatched from Norfolk by cabooses.

As the cars lay on their sides in the hot sun, rescuers walking on the hot metal burnt the bottoms of their feet through their shoes. For Donald, this was the most serious accident of his long career; for Lynn it was the end of her dream job.

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Conductor Donald Burnett aboard the private observation car of the Norfolk & Western president and CEO. DONALD’S STORY As a child growing up in Norfolk, Donald’s father worked on the railroad as a postal clerk on board a Railway Post Office that ran from Norfolk to Bluefield, WV. Donald accompanied his mother taking his dad back and forth to Norfolk Union Station to work and enjoyed watching the trains coming and going through the busy terminal. He loved standing where the track terminated, thrilled to watch the locomotive headlights getting larger and closer as it approached.

Donald was working for a finance company when he learned Norfolk & Western was taking applications. Railroad pay was higher than his own, and so he applied. Eventually, he was called for an interview and underwent an extensive physical before working his first three shifts unpaid to earn his spot on the railroad. He worked first as a brakeman, one of the most dangerous rail jobs in the business.

At the time, the Norfolk train yard freight crews consisted of a conductor, an engineer, a fireman, and two brakemen; the latter was responsible for throwing hand-operated switches, switching cars in and out of a consist, signaling the train crew when operations were complete, and manually applying brakes on a train car by climbing on top via a ladder while the car is often in motion. He worked this position for six years, working swing shifts and constantly on call.

“Family-wise it’s not the greatest job,” Donald explains.

“When you have children you’re often at work when they are home in the evenings, and most of the time you’re working weekends until you accrue enough seniority to get weekends 72

off. When I retired, I had Saturdays and Sundays off but that was only after many years.”

After six years as a brakeman, Donald applied to be a conductor that required an intensive exam involving railroad safety protocol and memorizing, verbatim, dozens of signals that were a necessary part of everyday train operations. Today, as in the past, the conductor is the ultimate authority on the train. As a freight train conductor, Donald was responsible for the contents of the train, any relevant safety precautions related to the freight being hauled, and the train’s scheduled location at all times.

Once en-route, he often handled a mound of paperwork. Before the advent of radio communication between crew members, the conductor and engineer were forced to communicate through a series of whistles and hand signals.

“Engineers used to brag that the railroad gave them a million-dollar engine to run and only gave the brakeman a $2 lantern,” Donald laughingly recalls. “But the brakeman would remind the engineer he can’t move that million-dollar engine until the brakeman with the $2 lantern tells him to!” A conductor for 33 years, Donald worked the Norfolk freight terminal, breaking the trains up as they came in and reassigning outbound cars and freight. Much of the inbound tonnage was coal destined for Lamberts Point coal terminal.

LYNN’S STORY

Lynn Butler (Burnett) was always a tomboy whose grandparents lived close to the tracks, and she loved to train watch. When Donald told her Norfolk & Western was hiring, she seized the Lynn Butler scrambles up a coal hopper ladder.

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Donald & Lynn Burnett

“AFTERWARDS, WE EMPLOYEES WERE GRATEFUL THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED TO US. YOU SEE, THE NEXT DAY AN EXCURSION TRAIN FILLED WITH CHILDREN WAS SCHEDULED TO RUN. OUR ACCIDENT SHUT DOWN THE MAINLINE FOR TWO DAYS.”

opportunity and applied for the next training class. As a single mother of two boys, Lynn was working for the Internal Revenue Service when she and one other woman applied in 1980 for jobs as brakemen in the wave of equal employment opportunities that arose in that turbulent decade.

“It was treated as a joke that we were there,” Lynn recalls.

Expecting to see large muscular women, their classmates were surprised to see two petite but determined females. Following their coursework, the women were told they had to carry a 70-pound rail car knuckle the length of one railroad car. This had never been a requirement before. “They were doing this in hopes of eliminating both of us. So just for spite I carried mine two car lengths, turned and started singing ‘I’ve been working on the railroad’!”

After a week’s training and examination, Lynn donned jeans and leather gloves and joined her male counterparts as a brakeman. In all types of weather she rode atop the cars or hung from ladders, signaling and awaiting signals. She threw switches, coupled and uncoupled cars, and shifted cars from one track to another. It was physically demanding, and she loved every minute!

After a 30-day probation period, her work was to be evaluated by the conductors. “If three conductors said you weren’t qualified, then you were out,” Donald chuckled. “I heard through the grapevine that some of the conductors had gotten together to declare she wasn’t qualified. So I put out on the grapevine that she had worked for the IRS, who would be happy to take her back, and the three conductors who had stepped forward would likely be audited. That ended the ploy.”

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Despite threats and intimidations from male workers, Lynn persevered and eventually proved her worth. “My grandmother was so proud! I occasionally worked out of Portlock in Chesapeake and on the days I was working she would bring her lawn chair out into the yard near the tracks and wave to me as I went by.” Lynn worked as a brakeman for the next eight years until the accident. She was taken by ambulance to Suffolk with back injuries severe enough to end her career with Norfolk & Western.

END OF THE ROAD Now married, Donald and Lynn have retired to their waterfront home in Wake; their train room is filled with photos and memorabilia. As active members of the Rappahannock River Railroaders, a model railroad club in Deltaville, Donald runs O scale trains indoors and G scale outdoors. Both retain their love of trains and enjoy rail excursions, leaving the work to others.

Looking back on their many memories, and of the accident in particular, Lynn reflects. “Afterwards, we employees were grateful the accident happened to us. You see, the next day an excursion train filled with children was scheduled to run. Our accident shut down the mainline for two days.”

Consummate professionals, the life of a train conductor and brakeman is a dichotomous one, balancing freedom and responsibility. Train crews ensure the safe passage of millions of riders and 50 million tons of freight daily. It’s an arduous task by a dedicated group of men and women who keep our railroads moving. H October/November 2018

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Decorating for the Holidays

The traditional colors of red and green often dominate holiday decorating. Greenery does of course play an important part of any floral design. It does not need to be costly when you can clip from your own backyard and bring in other sources of color with fruits and bushes with berries. These Colonial designs feature the use of pomegranates, but apples could easily be substituted. Both are readily available at the grocery store. The December Farmers’ Market in Williamsburg also provides an excellent source of Winterberry branches and other greens.

At times traditional colors may not work in many contemporary settings. The addition of orange brings in just the right look with this granite counter top. You’ll also see great use of various textures of greens, dried artichoke, protea and contorted walking stick. And, these stylized wood and metal reindeer tie in with the basket look on the container and pine cones.

A fresh approach to having a typical fresh pine garland is to use a grouping of branches with an accent of dried materials and a simple ribbon accent. The outside doesn’t mean just wreaths, so think about filling those empty window boxes with fresh greens and berries, and a whimsical pottery bird takes a perch.

These are just a few glimpses of what you might see at the 2018 Christmas Homes Tour in Williamsburg on December 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

2018 Christmas Homes Tour Saturday December 1, 2018 • 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Green Spring Garden Club ,Inc. www.greenspringgardenclub.org Advance tickets are $30. Tickets after November 15th are $35.

For additional information contact:

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your Simplify home

USING TECHNOLOGY to

By Randall Kipp Photography by Maxwell MacKenzie and Ashley Peterson

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ur modern world revolves around convenience and ease. Technology has allowed us to keep our contacts and calendar safely in one device that just so happens to be a telephone.

We can easily monitor our home’s security cameras from around the world, rely on a robot to vacuum our floors, and even gather information like the weather and daily to-dos from the bathroom “smart” mirror.

(Yes, it does exist.)

In the world of interior home design, modern technology and gadgets provide us with countless opportunities to help us achieve a more convenient and simplified lifestyle.

When my team and I design kitchen spaces, we like to use retractable outlets and charging stations in kitchen countertops and drawers to keep them hidden when they’re not in use. Weaving this smart gadget into the design allows us to have ample outlets without blemishing walls and beautiful backsplash tiles.

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example, you could create a goodnight scene to deactivate the lights throughout your home at bedtime, while leaving a few specific lights on for security and late-night navigation. Or, create a good morning scene that is triggered each day at your desired wakeup time. When activated, your smart lights, shades, and HVAC will work together to achieve your ideal environment.

From programmable timers to solar sensors, the technology is here and it’s advancing every day.

It’s comforting (and unbelievable!) to know that whether you’re at the office or across the world, you can monitor and control your home with just a few screen taps.

If you’re building or remodeling, we encourage you to research and consider some of the helpful technology available. Get creative with necessities such as electrical outlets, lighting, and system controls. Consider syncing your systems (lighting, HVAC, etc.) to a program compatible with smart devices. Think about what other gadgets could provide extra benefit to you based on your personal routine. How can you save time, space, and energy with the help of these systems and devices? The sky’s the limit! H

MODERN TECHNOLOGY AND GADGETS PROVIDE US WITH COUNTLESS OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP US ACHIEVE A MORE CONVENIENT AND SIMPLIFIED LIFESTYLE. Another clever and sophisticated go-to for Team Kipp is hidden lighting. You can never have too much lighting but you can have too many fixtures that clutter your space. Installing small lights under kitchen counters or integrated into your staircase, as seen in the photo, provides extra lighting for navigating in the evenings without compromising the sleek design of the room.

We’ve installed hidden lighting in baseboards to offer a helpful midnight glow, and inside cabinets and under shelves to make lighting available only when you need it.

Perhaps the most convenient gadget of all (and our personal favorite) is the iPad. As we all know, tablets and smartphones have incredible capabilities, many of which may be used in the home. We use iPads to control lighting, HVAC, security, shades, music, TV, and other home systems. Not only does this allow homeowners to check on and control their home remotely, but it reduces the need for multiple separate controls and devices by consolidating it to just one.

Many of these systems have become so customizable that they offer the ability to create personalized “scenes”. For The House & Home Magazine

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Pumpkin Perfection

By Janet Evans Hinman

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is the season for pumpkins — whether carved into Jack-o’-lanterns, tucked into home décor, or featured on the dinner table. Think outside the pie plate when it’s time for pumpkin recipes. Sure, there’s the classic pumpkin pie that graces so many holiday menus, but the flavor of this gorgeous gourd might just surprise you when crafted into spicy soup or pumpkin macaroni and cheese. From dinner to dessert, sweet to savory, these are a few of the pumpkin recipes you should try this holiday season.

SPECTACULAR PUMPKIN PIE Ingredients: • 1/2 (15-oz.) package refrigerated pie crusts • 2 cups crushed gingersnaps (about 40) • 1 cup pecans, finely chopped • 1/2 cup powdered sugar • 1/4 cup butter, melted • 1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree • 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk • 2 large eggs, beaten • 1/2 cup sour cream • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger • 7 thin ginger cookies, halved (optional for garnish) • Whipped cream, toasted pecans, cinnamon (if desired for garnish)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place piecrust into a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate according to package directions. Fold edges under and crimp. Stir together crushed gingersnaps and next 3 ingredients. Press mixture on bottom and 1/2-inch up sides of piecrust. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes).

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Stir together pumpkin and next 6 ingredients until well blended. Pour into prepared crust. Place pie on an aluminum foillined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 90 minutes, or until set, shielding edges with aluminum foil during last 25 to 30 minutes of baking, if necessary. Insert ginger cookies around edge of crust (optional). Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Dollop with whipped cream and sprinkle with pecans; dust with cinnamon (if desired).

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CREAMY SOUTHWESTERN PUMPKIN SOUP Add a little Southwestern flair to creamy pumpkin soup with jalapeños, chili powder, cumin, and cilantro. This sweet-and-spicy mix will become a go-to fall favorite.

Ingredients: • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine • 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups) • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 5 cups chicken broth • 1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups) • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro • 2 cups milk • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice • Sour cream, fresh cilantro sprigs (if desired for garnish)

Directions: Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeño pepper, and garlic; sauté 15 minutes. Add chicken broth and next 4 ingredients; cook, stirring often, 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly (about 5 to 10 minutes).

Process potato mixture, pumpkin, and cilantro, in batches, in a food processor or blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

Return mixture to Dutch oven; stir in milk, and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in lime juice; garnish, if desired.

PUMPKIN MAC AND CHEESE

Directions:

Comfort-food staple macaroni and cheese has never had it this good. Canned pumpkin, Fontina cheese, and chopped walnuts enhance this yummy dinnertime favorite.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta in a large pot following package directions. Drain cooked pasta, then return to pot.

Ingredients: • 2 cups dried pasta of choice (8 ounces) • 2 tablespoons butter • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper • 1 cup whipping cream • 1 cup whole milk • 4 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded (1 cup) • 115-ounce can pumpkin puree • 1 tablespoon snipped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf sage, crushed • 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts • 1 tablespoon olive oil • Snipped parsley or sage leaves (if desired for garnish) The House & Home Magazine

For cheese sauce, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add whipping cream and milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in cheese, pumpkin, and sage until cheese is melted. Stir cheese sauce into pasta to coat. Transfer macaroni and cheese to an ungreased 2-quart rectangular baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, walnuts, and oil; sprinkle over pasta. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with snipped parsley or sage leaves.

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H E A L T H Mae Jones

RIVERSIDE CANCER CENTER OFFERS

World-Class Treatment Locally and Patients are Treated Like Family

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cancer diagnosis can be devastating to patients and their families. There are often so many questions about the best course of treatment, the financial implications, and where to receive the best care. The cancer journey can be daunting - and in a region where cancer surpasses heart disease as the number one illness impacting residents - is just one of the many reasons that Riverside Tappahannock Hospital decided to invest in a cancer center that would help local residents facing cancer.

“Our vision in creating the Riverside Tappahannock Cancer Center was to provide patients individualized treatment plans and allow them to receive their care, right here, close to home,” says Esther Desimini, vice president and administrator at Riverside Tappahannock Hospital. “Less travel time creates less fatigue and helps patients spend more time doing the things they want to do and healing in a more comfortable setting.”

Under the direction of Dr. Kimberly Schlesinger, a Riverside medical oncologist with a clinic located on the hospital campus, the Cancer Center offers a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. That means that patient cases are evaluated by all disciplines, including the surgeon, medical oncologist, plastic surgeon for breast cases, and radiation oncologist if radiation is needed, to determine the best course of treatment on a case-bycase basis.

“Being part of this practice is a gift for me because the entire team here really cares about our patients,” adds Schlesinger.

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“Practicing medicine here allows me live out our mission to care for our patients as we would care for people we love.”

The newly renovated infusion center at the hospital itself offers private treatment spaces that are spacious and comfortable for patients and allow enough room to store personal items. They also provide space for families and caregivers to remain with patients during their treatment sessions, and computer stations for nurses and medical staff to chart notes from the session, allowing more one on one time with patients. There is also a centralized desk to allow nurses to monitor patients during treatment. And an easily accessible nutrition center that allows patients and family members to make themselves at home during treatment.

The hospital has a wide range of cancer screening and diagnosis capabilities, imaging tools, such as 3D mammography and MRIs, to assist physicians in treatment planning, surgical services, patient education, cancer rehabilitation through physical therapy, survivorship training and lymphedema treatment.

Patients also benefit from additional resources to help them better understand their disease and the resources that are available through the hospital as well as in the community.

AnnMarie Simmons is a patient navigator with 20 years of experience as an oncology certified nurse. She joined the cancer program at Riverside Tappahannock Hospital because of her strong desire to provide high quality, personalized care to the community. She guides patients along their journey, helping them with access to screenings and education, appointment scheduling and providing a personal touch and critical information to patients in their time of greatest need.

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H E A L T H Schlesinger’s oncology practice is located right on the campus Wayne Condrey has been battling multiple cancers for the of the hospital and her team is able to help patients with seamless past seven years. He has undergone surgery and chemotherapy care in concert with other providers, hospital departments and at Riverside Tappahannock Hospital. He has also required through the cancer center. treatment outside of the region at VCU, and participated in clinical trials in Florida, North Carolina and Texas.

MORE THAN JUST A CANCER CENTER After a three-year remission, Condrey was facing another battle when bone marrow biopsies indicated an aggressive “It’s a very exciting time to be in the cancer care field,” adds cancer. This time, Schlesinger consulted with the doctors at VCU Schlesinger. “To be able to bring cutting edge medicine to the and devised a unique chemotherapy blend of different drugs to Northern Neck community is a thrilling prospect.” treat Condrey’s myeloma, and in March of this year, his bone Schlesinger often explains that she was drawn to cancer care marrow biopsy showed his cancer was again in remission. because it provides a blending of the latest science with a strong “I’ve had 13 different types of chemotherapy,” says Condrey. emphasis on relationship building with her patients. She prides herself “When I first went to the infusion center at Riverside, it scared on getting to know her patients on a personal level. And her patients me. I had no idea what to expect. I’m more at ease because of the agree. She has worked hard to gain their trust and make them feel people at the cancer center. The staff there makes you feel like comfortable during a time of great uncertainty in their lives. you’re talking to a friend, not your doctor or nurse. You become Mae Jones lives in Warsaw, Virginia and was diagnosed with family.” ovarian cancer following an emergency room visit to Riverside When Victoria Kindig learned she had breast cancer, she also Tappahannock where she was experiencing tremendous pain. learned she had advocates on her side. She was able to rely on “I didn’t even know ‘oncologist’ was the official word for a cancer Simmons to help navigate her appointments and follow ups. And doctor,” Jones said. “I only know that Dr. Schlesinger agreed to meet she was so comforted by the staff at the Cancer Center that she me that very day.” often referred to her chemo treatments as ‘spa days.’

Following her surgery at Riverside Tappahannock Hospital, Jones “When you have cancer, you feel like you need to be strong started chemotherapy at the Cancer Center. She went every 21 days for for everybody when they ask you how you’re doing,” says Kindig. six treatments, and during that time, Jones got to personally know the “When I was there, I didn’t have to be strong for anyone. I didn’t doctors, nurses, clinicians and volunteers. have to say I felt great. They had my back.”

“I’m so grateful for Dr. Schlesinger and the team at the cancer care For more information about Riverside’s Cancer Center, please center,” she adds. “They treated me as if I were their only patient!” call (804) 443- 8801, or visit https://riversideonline.com/RTH. H

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and

use

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me?

JUNK DRAWERS, PLASTIC COWS, AND CHAOS THEORY

By T. Patrick Cleary

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athematicians may have discovered evidence of order in chaos, but they haven’t looked for any in our home. It could be they’re avoiding our place because they know it runs completely counter to their order in chaos theory. On the other hand, they may simply be awaiting approval of a multiyear government grant before they’ll set foot inside.

It may be that chaos researchers don’t need to visit our home because they’ve inferred the level of chaos from the fact that my socks don’t always match or from my unconventional (okay random) protocol for selecting the most appropriate golf club for a particular shot (putters are way too underutilized) or the fact that my SUV is an uncataloged mobile museum of fast food packaging. I suppose they could have estimated the chaos based on the amount of energy my wife expends in her ongoing attempts to organize me.

A center of chaos in our home (hey, maybe there is something to the theory) is our junk drawer. Unless you’re the Queen of England, I’ll bet you have a junk drawer in your home, too. It’s probably in the kitchen, unless you have a laundry room with drawers. Just in case the Queen is reading this, a junk drawer is a catchall for items which just don’t belong anywhere

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else (and no, you can’t put the Irish in a really big one.)

Junk drawers serve a variety of functions. Sometimes the junk drawer is the proverbial “I-found-it-in-the-last-place-Ilooked” place. Optimists use them for storing stuff with no known useful purpose at present, but which might prove useful someday. The magic beans that grew into Jack’s giant beanstalk no doubt did time in an optimist’s junk drawer. Junk drawers can be a procrastinator’s best friend. They can serve as a holding area for things that will eventually be thrown away, but which can’t be parted with at the moment—like the little plastic cow that poops jelly beans which lives in our junk drawer.

I come from a long line of junk drawer devotees—so long, in fact, that we might be passing on a junk drawer gene to each successive generation. We consider a visit to the junk drawer to be a religious experience of sorts. Growing up, my mother would encourage us to pray to the patron saint of lost stuff before looking in the junk drawer for whatever it was we had misplaced. If mom peeked in the drawer, the prayer would immediately be moved up the ladder to the patron saint of impossible causes. Although only a single drawer in our home enjoys official junk drawer status, more than one meets the definition.

If you have teenagers, you know they can multiply junk drawers even if they have no aptitude for math.

Junk drawers are an important, if unreported, contributor to our consumerdriven economy. People are employed manufacturing all the stuff that finds its way into junk drawers and the special drawer organizer inserts which promise to keep the junk drawer chaos in check. For the record, I’m not a fan of junk drawer organization. In my view, a junk drawer needs some minimal complexity or its not a proper junk drawer. Ours is, I am proud to say, on track to reach its maximum disorganized potential.

Junk drawers support the service sector of the economy, too. There are thousands of home organizing consultants who make a living trying to convince clients to pitch their junk drawers. Take my advice: Don’t listen to them. You see, if you get rid of the junk drawer, chaos will simply reappear somewhere else in your home.

It’s one of those laws of nature. I don’t know about you, but the chaos I know is better than the chaos I don’t. Don’t junk your junk drawer. H T. Patrick Cleary is a freelance writer and humorist whose wife graciously allows him to live with her in Williamsburg, VA.

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