Middleburg Eccentric October 2022

The dog collar is, arguably, the old est dog furnish ing, and its pur pose may be described as both one of identity and restraint. Since the do mestication of canines, we have forged a strong bond with dogs—from hunting companions to sporting breeds as well as faith ful pets. The dog collar is a symbol of the evolv ing relationship between humans and canines. The variety of styles that has developed over time— among them intimidating spiked metal rings, utili tarian pieces, elaborately jeweled works of art, and leather finery—show how we tamed, bred, claimed, and came to love our dogs.

“Identity & Restraint: Art of the Dog Collar” is an innovative traveling exhibition developed in partnership between the National Sporting Library & Museum (NSLM) and the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in New York, NY. This remarkable exhibition marries the 17th through 21st-century artwork with almost 70 vintage and an tique dog collars from the NSLM’s collection. The largest publicly held hold ing of its kind, 187 collars were generously donated to the NSLM by Dr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Greenan. Paintings works on paper and sculptures on loan from the American Ken nel Club Museum of the Dog and American Ken nel Club collections help develop an understanding of the collar as both art and object and how its de sign changed in relation to different dog breeds and their evolving rela tionship. NSLM Execu tive Director Elizabeth von Hassell notes, “With shared aspects of our mis sion statements, bringing our collections together is a natural partnership.”

The exhibition is cu rated by NSLM’s Deputy Director and George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator Claudia Pfeiffer, who celebrated her 10th anni

versary as NSLM’s head curator this year. She ed ited the exhibition cata logue that accompanies “Identity & Restraint.” Included in it are an essay on the history of the dog collar by Dr. Greenan, who additionally offers his engaging insight as an inveterate collector. An avid sporting art enthusi ast, Dr. Greenan noticed trends and purposes in collar designs, which en couraged him to flesh out the collection to reflect his comprehensive under standing of their varied uses. He and his wife Joc elyn donated the collars to the NSLM, along with his extensive research in 2014.

The art descriptions in the exhibition and cata logue are contributed by Adjunct Curator and for mer Executive Director of the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog Alan Fausel. His life’s work in the field of art, as a professor, as a longtime appraiser on Antiques Roadshow, and, perhaps, most importantly, as a dog owner informs his con versational and engaging approach and enriches the visual experience.

The exhibition is or ganized to convey the variety of roles that dogs began to play over time and the honing of their breeding for hunting, ver min control, work, sport ing pursuits, leisure, and domesticity. The jour ney begins with lion and bear hunting scenes with snarling mastiffs wearing sharp metal collars. They give way to portraits and dynamic renderings of prized gun dogs, sight and scent hounds, terri ers, and representative collars; celebrations of champion show dogs and bloodlines; and, ultimate ly, the once fierce hunters becoming cherished com panions with a multitude of bespoke and jewelrylike collar designs. Cu mulatively, the visual sur vey reveals the multitude of shapes, sizes, and roles dogs have come to play in our world today.

Land Trust of Virginia Announces New Easement

TheLand Trust of Virginia (LTV) is pleased to an nounce a conservation easement on Brian and Kalie Lasley’s property in Rec tortown, Fauquier County. This 37.5-acre property ensures the scenic viewshed along Crenshaw Road will remain for future gen erations.

“I grew up in L.A. so I know what urban sprawl looks like when there is no type of plan in place,” said Kalie. “We’ve

watched the development creep out to this area and know that will continue to happen unless something is done. That is part of the reason why we moved to this area, to be a part of a community that is and will remain, rural and so now we have played a part by ensuring that this land will not become a housing development.”

The Lasley’s property in cludes nearly 1,000 feet of front age on Crenshaw Road and is lo cated within the Cromwell’s Run

Rural Historic District. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Virginia Landmarks Register in 2008, this district comprises of over 14,000 acres of rolling farmland centered along Atoka Road. During the Civil War it saw significant ac tivity due to its close association with Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby and his infamous Rang ers. Though beef and dairy cattle are still raised there, horses have become an important basis of the

economy, and the predominance of foxhunting within the district since the early 20th century has earned the area its sobriquet as Virginia’s “Hunt Country.”

Additional natural resources now protected include about 27 acres of “Prime Farmland Soils” or “Farmland Soils of Statewide Importance” and nine acres of forest.

“The Lasley’s have been won derful supporters of LTV for

many years and their property is a beautiful piece of rural Fauquier County,” said LTV Executive Di rector, Sally Price. “We are ex cited to record an easement with this family that truly understands our work and wants to ensure the future of our open space.”

The Lasley’s easement is the 220th easement completed by the Land Trust of Virginia. For more information about their work, please visit http://www.landtrust va.org.

Mayor

Recently,

Middleburg’s mayor, Bridge Little ton, traveled across the U.S. to climb the tallest mountain in Washington State. Located in Mount Rainier National Park, Mount Rainier is more than 14,000 feet tall and boasts one of the most glaciated summits in the lower 48 states.

Having little hiking experi ence, it was always an activity Mayor Littleton had an interest in pursuing. After hearing of Mt. Rainier from several friends, he decided to try his first shot at mountaineering. Before embark ing on this excursion, Mayor Littleton trained in Virginia. He wanted to ensure he was in good physical condition to have enough endurance for the jour ney. Mayor Littleton comments, “having never done this before I did not have a sense of all the

training I had to do” (Littleton). Yet, he persevered and started conditioning at the gym consis tently. He also climbed Old Rag in Sperryville for more hands-on training around thirty times be fore the big hike.

After arriving in Washing ton, Mayor Littleton met with a professional group for the hike. There were twelve group mem bers and four guides, all of which participated in a training seminar that spanned the first couple of days of the excursion. The group had a sense of comradery; Little ton commented how “the people were a lot of fun and there was a common bond together” (Little ton). On the first day, the group practiced climbing techniques to prepare them for the climate and terrain of the mountain. Mayor Littleton had worried if he was physically prepared enough, and after the first day, he realized “it was tiring and difficult, but I

had” (Littleton). On the second day, the group started their hike. Carrying sixty pounds of supplies ranging from a sleeping bag to an ice ax, Mayor Littleton hiked five and a half hours to his first checkpoint, Camp Muir. There, he experienced one of his most memorable moments from the trip. Mayor Littleton reminisc es, “on the second night, I went outside at about 2 a.m. and there was no wind or clouds or moon, but the sky was clear. That high up there’s no humidity and you are above clouds and man-made light. The brilliance of the stars was so bright you could almost reach up and touch them” (Little ton). He goes on to say that “that was the most inspiring thing. The raw beauty of it” (Littleton). At Camp Muir, the group special ized in training on glaciers; They worked to recognize dangerous spots and areas of risk.

The next day, Mayor Little

ton and his group began their climb to the summit. It would be a four-hour hike, 4,000 feet. However, after hiking for a bit, Mayor Littleton began to expe rience an emergency medical issue called pulmonary edema. His lungs began to fill rapidly with fluid, restricting his breath ing. This condition happens to around six percent of people who climb. So, Mayor Littleton had to turn around and go back down the mountain to ensure his safety. Luckily, he was ok. He “went to the emergency room and the ef fects subdued” (Littleton).

Despite this scare, Mayor Littleton wants to do the hike another time. He says that he “ended up loving the experience” (Littleton) and that there is only a slight chance the medical emer gency will happen again. Mayor Littleton reflects that “you come away with a great sense of appre ciating unique and amazing natu ral wonders that we must protect. Further, we must inspire others to do the same thing. They are treasures. Like Middleburg is.” (Littleton).

Editor Jay Hubbard editor@mbecc.com

Publisher Middleburg Eccentric LLC

Payton Vogan

News of Note

The Windy Hill Foundation Hires Eloise Repeczky as its new Executive Director

October5, 2022 - The Windy Hill Founda tion, a local non-profit affordable housing pro vider, has hired Eloise Repeczky as its new Executive Director. In this position, Ms. Repeczky will serve as the organization’s chief executive officer with re sponsibility for implementing the board’s strategy.

A Middleburg resident, Ms. Repeczky offers ten years of experience in business develop

ment positions, most recently as the Business Development Man ager for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP, a full-service, global law firm. Additionally, she has led significant volunteer fundraising efforts with multiple non-profit organizations. Eloise holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International & Global Studies from Sewanee: The University of the South.

Ms. Repeczky will be assum ing the position currently held

by Mr. Bob Dale who is retiring after serving in the Executive Director position for six years. Mr. Dale will remain at Windy Hill as Chief Financial Officer during the transition period. Ms. Gabrielle Gallegos, the President of the Windy Hill Board said, “Windy Hill owes a significant debt of gratitude to Bob for his more than thirty years of service, first as a board member and then as Executive Director. The board is excited that Eloise will be

bringing her extensive skills and energy to Windy Hill to build on the strong foundation that Bob helped to create and to lead the organization as it continues to achieve its affordable housing and resident service missions.”

“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead the Windy Hill Foundation. The Foundation is poised to further develop its vi sion and build on the momentum of the past 41 years. I appreciate

the Board’s confidence in me, and I’m delighted to have the op portunity to lead such a great or ganization, building on the excel lent resident services programs, and continuing to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing to low and lower-income individu als and families. I look forward to being a part of the effort to serve our community and resi dents,” Ms. Repeczky said.

Identity & Restraint: Art of the Dog Collar

The range of Flemish, Dutch, British, French, German, and American artworks and collars represent several art movements, genres, and time-periods, rein forcing the universal nature of the subject matter. Yet, they also record changing preferences for

conformation and the establishment of the standards

which breeders aspire today. From the most diminutive works

contemplation to

scope and grandeur of the largest canvases, each displays a powerful narrative—of survival, of fear, of aggression, of adven ture, of whimsy, of recreation, of sentimentality, of pride, and of love.

To commemorate this ex citing exhibition, the National Sporting Library & Museum hosted an opening celebration at tended by 100 guests earlier this month before its official opening the following day. Guests were greeted in the Library, where the event began with a cocktail hour and introduction by Dr. Timo thy Greenan before a viewing of the galleries with the NSLM’s George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Curator, Claudia Pfeiffer.

A few of the guests in atten

dance were Dr. Greenan’s spouse, Jocelyn Greenan and family, NSLM Board Vice-Chair Jacque line B. Mars, Chief Justice John Roberts, NSLM Board Members: Frances Massey Dulaney, Jenny and Robert Irwin, Mary and Don Shockey, and Dana and F. Turner Reuter.

The NSLM is the first venue for “Identity & Restraint: Art of the Dog Collar,” from October 7, 2022–March 26, 2023. It will then travel to the American Ken nel Club Museum of the Dog in New York City from April 5, 2023–September 4, 2023. The final venue will be Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomasville, Geor gia from November 3, 2023–May 3. 2024. Please check each insti tution’s website for individual opening events and associated programs. This exhibition was made possible at the National Sporting Library & Museum through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Timothy J. Greenan, Garth Greenan Gallery, and Mark An stine and Marianna Lancaster.

The NSLM is open Thursday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, visit www. nationalsporting.org

Ringing in Ecofriendly Holidays

Sustainability

58+

The

Sited

hilltop w/

8,000+ sq ft

with 4 BRs, 3-car

pond. Room for your horses.

serenity

22

Marshall

6 BRs

6 BAs Cape Cod

comfortable

of

garage, garage apt., pool, pond, log cabin guest house, huge equipment shed.

.08

Middleburg

main street

Commercial building located

front entrances

large rooms, a half

3 acres

$899,000

Middleburg – Sited high above Goose Creek and only minutes to the historic town of Middleburg. Unique “European style” stucco home is a mix of grand, yet cozy rooms with many windows offering lovely views. Fully updated in 2011 and features 2 BRs / 2 BAs.

Holiday time is fast approaching, and this year, the Town of Middleburg’s Sustainability Committee is offering tips to help make the holidays more ecofriendly.

Start off by eating and decorating ‘local’. Local Middleburg farmers and gar deners have been hard at work growing pumpkins, greens, sweet potatoes, holiday flow ers, Christmas trees and by raising turkeys, and much more. Local mills are stonegrinding grain, and bakers are turning flour into fun holiday treats. Local craft beverage producers are offering their best holiday cheer, while lo cal farm-to-table restaurants, shops and caterers have been creating delicious holiday menus. Local gardens are ad vertising their wreath making classes. It’s a great time to eat and decorate local! In formation on local eating and decorating resources is avail able in the following web sites: bit.ly/3MUNrTD, bit. ly/3F1hirL, bit.ly/3DljMjf

Having a house full of guests? Well, instead of buy ing it, how about renting it. Follow the lead of the pros and rent what you’ll need. Party rental companies rent more than tents; they have

extra tables, chairs, place set tings, TVs, sound systems, grills and many other items. Want something new to wear? Well you can rent that, too, and here’s a site which lists some of the current op tions for clothing rental. bit. ly/3SrlSm3.

Re-love it. Resale is one of the hottest trends in retail. Between antique stores, nonprofit shops and consign ment shops, the Middleburg area has a very wide variety of previously owned items to choose from. Its resale stores can help decorate your table, your house, your closet or your barn. They also of fer one-of-a-kind gifts. Last year, my family received a 1960s-era blue glass measur ing cup with a matching juic er that fit on top. It turned out to be perfect for making juice for cocktails!

Give the gift of nature. There are thousands of ways to share nature for the holi days, such as burning off a bit of Thanksgiving dinner by taking a walk in the woods with a friend, or family mem ber. Gift a subscription to a hiking, kayaking, plant iden tification or national parks app. Giving a backyard bird feeder can provide hours of entertainment for people of any age or ability. Want to go all-in? Spend the holidays in a national park.

.41

.08 acres

$375,000

Middleburg

c.1820 Victorian-era frame house with 3 BRs / 3 full BAs. Unique 2 story portico w/ balcony. Many upgrades and ren ovations. Standing seam metal roof, 4 fire places, wide board pine floors. Fenced back yard w/sheds.

car garage.

Marshall – Fully renovated, NEW: paint, carpet, tile flooring, kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, stainless steel appliances... and more. 3 BRs / 2

& talbot estate properties

Opening The Door

Country

Generations

Mountainview

E. Washington

Glatton Folly

Lynne Kaye

back at the past ten years of change with Chief A.J.

AJ Panebianco

In2011, the town was search ing for a new chief. I had made an application but was working as the chief for the town of Louisa. Although there were no real plans to leave Louisa, there was a draw to ex plore Middleburg. So, I applied. As fate would have it…the day Middleburg called Louisa for a reference happened to be a coun cil night. During that meeting, Louisa went into a closed ses sion, and I was offered a contract to stay. I accepted and withdrew from the process in Middleburg.

One may ask, if you pulled out of the process, how did you end up as chief? A few months later, in 2012, another advertise ment popped up for the Chief in Middleburg. I don’t even recall where or why I saw it. Perhaps it was divine intervention. I was

quite happy in Louisa. Despite that, I felt compelled to explore Middleburg. To that end, my wife and I made a day trip to Middleburg. Like many, we fell in love immediately. I almost re gretted going. Why? I knew there would be a great deal of competi tion for the job, and now I RE ALLY wanted it. This was com pounded by the fact that I was not from the NoVA region. I felt there would be little chance of landing the job. However, I knew I needed to try.

Many may say, and they would be right, I am not a typi cal police chief. I firmly believed my job was to make the commu nity safe and not make the town money through heavy enforce ment. Imagine how thrilled I was as I said that in the interview, and members of the Council shook their heads in agreement. Next, I spoke about my belief that

the police department must be deeply involved in the commu nity. To the point that the officers are known by their first names. Again, it seemed that the Council agreed. For the first time, I felt I might have a chance. As fate would have it, I was offered the job and eagerly accepted it.

A good police officer investi gates. I knew of the controversy surrounding a former chief, and that was followed by the shortlived tenure of then Chief Bill Klugh. Essentially making me the third chief in a year. In fact, one of the first articles written in the Eccentric, by the late Dan Mar row, referenced that. I recall Dan asking me… “How do we know they, the council got it right?” as he said, “you know you’ll be the third chief in a year.” Therefore, I understood the assignment. The town and department needed sta bility in policing, so I started by

saying I have committed to being here for at least five years.

Introductions: Meeting the staff for the first time as a group and then individually is crucial. Getting to know them and set ting goals will help to develop an atmosphere of teamwork. While explaining my philosophy of community-oriented policing and accountability, it was appar ent that they were chomping at the bit to do just that. The offi cers bought into what would be come our unofficial motto. “We don’t have to police our commu nity, because we are the police FOR our community .”In other words, “when we build trust with the community, the community will see us as part of it and not a thumb pressing on it.” This set the tone for the years to follow.

Accountability…each officer not only takes an oath for the authority granted by the Com

SAVINGS!

from

monwealth

in

they were and are still required to take the “Oath of Honor .”In

humble opinion, this is the most important oath. It is not about power or authority… it’s about accountability. The oath:

my honor, I will never be tray my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always maintain the highest ethical standards and uphold the values of my com munity, and the agency I serve.”

There are a few keywords that deserve to be highlighted. HON OR giving one’s word as a bond, INTEGRITY a firm adherence to principles, CHARACTER quali ties and standards of conduct, PUBLIC TRUST a duty imposed in faith, ACCOUNTABILITY being responsible for our actions, and finally…COMMUNITY the citizens we serve. I know that Dan Marrow believed this was

the best thing this department did. I must agree with him.

Putting miles on shoes. All staff are required to walk a beat every day. Police vehicles are necessary; however, they can be a physical barrier. We believe foot patrols remove that barrier. As a result, we saw the officers become part of the community. Officers introduce themselves by their first names. We talk with people and not at them. We made policing personal. Successes fol lowed, and pride was back in the department. The officers felt like they were becoming part of Middleburg. The effect on mo rale and the community could be felt. We were redefining our po licing model.

Sounds like a dream job. Well, not everything went smoothly. There was still policing to be done. Some will recall the thefts of irreplaceable silver cups and trophies that plagued the area.

It’s important to note that our very own Mike Prince, second in command at the time, played a key role in solving those. His work validated the efforts we have been moving towards. Be ing a professional full-service police department. Our peers in law enforcement saw the change, and for the first time in years, the department was earning re spect…not only in Middleburg but in the region.

During those first two years, we worked to change the atmo sphere of policing in Middleburg. Those efforts included moving from a part-time police depart ment to a full-service, 24/7/365 professional police department. Landmark events that came and went, National Night Out, the opening of the Salamander Re sort, and the first film festival. All in all, there could not have been a better first two years. More to come in the next issue.

News of

Middleburg Film Festival in Review

As someone who has been in attendance at the Middleburg Film Festival since its inception in 2013, it’s hard to believe that it has been that long. What started as a small community event tucked away in the autumn-baked horse country of northern Virginia has quickly grown into an es tablished fixture of the inde pendent film circuit, boasting exceptional films and appear ances by some of Hollywood’s most esteemed talent.

Personally, my favorite part of the festival isn’t the films themselves, the Q&As, or the promise of meeting one of your favorite actors, but rather the sensation of getting to know the people next to you. Conversations had while standing in line or waiting in your seat for the movie to start have truly colored my percep tion of what other people get out of the festival. If you’re one of those who happened to stand in line next to me, thank you for indulging me. You make the film community what it is.

Given that it is the tenth anniversary of the festival, I thought a fun way to look back and honor the films that have graced the screens here in Middleburg would be to draw up a list of the festi val’s finest. Over the previous ten years, there have been so many truly great entries that you could probably write a top ten that would be completely different from mine! With that said, I would like to clarify that these aren’t necessarily the “best” films of the festi val (since there’s no definitive way to declare the “best” of any field in an opinion piece), but rather my own personal favorites that have stood out over time. And with the sheer volume of films to draw from, there simply had to be an hon orable mentions category for the greats that almost made it.

Honorable Mentions

Land of Mine (2016) La La Land (2016) Music Got Me Here (2017) Darkest Hour (2017) Lady Bird (2017) Cold War (2018)

The Favourite (2018)

The Irishman (2019) Sound of Metal (2020) Concrete Cowboy (2020)

10. Two Days, One Night (201 4)

A throwback to the very early days of the festival, Two Days, One Night holds up proudly over time as an exam ple of how effective simplistic storytelling can be. Marion Cotillard shines as a tired commoner of the workforce desperately fighting for her job, who ends up finding her self-worth. While some may find the plot structure repeti tive, I think that the repetition reveals the film’s strength: depicting how one person’s plight can elicit such var ied reactions from her peers, showcasing humanity’s capac ity for callousness, but also true empathy and compassion.

9. Free Solo (2018)

This one-of-a-kind docu mentary sprouted up in the film festival schedule after the year’s festivities had al ready gotten underway, and I showed up to take a chance on it. I’m glad that I did, be cause what I walked away with was an undeniably odd, confounding, and bizarrely in spiring true story. The story’s subject is free solo climb ing (the act of rock-climbing without any protective gear), and more specifically, one climber’s ambition to scale the world’s most intimidat ing wall of granite. The film already knows the question on your lips—“What would com pel someone to do this will ingly?”—and the answers will elevate your senses and surely widen your perspective.

8. Ford v. Ferrari (2019)

You know how I know this movie is good? I don’t know the first thing about cars, much less racing history, and I had a ball with it. You know how I know it’s great? I liked it even more the second time. This movie has “winning combo” written all over it, from the chemistry of Chris tian Bale and Matt Damon, to the directing talent of James Mangold, to some incredible camera work. But all of that simply exists in service of telling a story, and the story in question is a remarkably fastpaced and entertaining ride for just about everyone.

7. Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Making a satirical com

Ryan Perry

Peter Leonard Morgan

Associate Broker

edy set in Nazi Germany is a bold move, to say the least. So many moments that landed could have otherwise soured in lesser creative hands. So what’s this movie’s secret? The answer is that while it is very funny, especially in the first arc, its true heart lies in the theme of how prejudices are learned, and more impor tantly, how they can be bro ken. The cast is aces across the board, the camera work is subtle on an expert level, and most importantly, the story has a big heart that makes it an enthusiastic recommendation.

6. Lion (2016)

After considerable thought, the only thing I can find “wrong” with Lion is that the book was better and had more insight. And that doesn’t necessarily count as a slight towards the film, which is a medium where it’s inherently harder to convey detail. Even with that said, Lion is sure to be a heart-claiming watch for just about anyone. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more consistently moving tale of family, endurance, and per sonal triumph, and that’s not even touching the performanc es. Dev Patel and Nicole Kid man naturally soar, but credit needs to be given to child ac tor Sunny Pawar for carrying this film’s first act.

5. Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Wow. This one might actu ally be one of the saddest mov ies I’ve ever seen. I’m honest ly not sure how strong of an endorsement that is, but you have to see this one at least once. The majority of the cast is undoubtedly strong, but it’s Casey Affleck who staggers through the aching story in a positively heartbreaking per formance. Dappled in dreary colors that reflect the film’s tone, this one is a great rainy day watch for when you need something strong to scratch that “sad movie” itch.

4. Marriage Story (2019)

Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson excel in this most memorable drama about a couple fighting to keep their family together through a di vorce. Every emotion is felt, and every perspective is un derstood as we sift through the cumbersome process with them. This is one of those well-balanced scripts where if you find yourself picking a side, then you’re only watch

ing half the movie. Neither party is a victim, but nobody is completely wrong, either, as it so often goes in real world conflicts.

3. Parasite (2019)

When was the last time you saw an entirely original idea, unburdened by the nuisance of trailers, theories, or online speculation? It’s probably been a while, hasn’t it? Now, think of the last time you saw a film so finely tuned that every detail, from the plot, themes, performances, editing, and sound clicked together seam lessly. For me, Parasite was an exceptional overlap of those two rare phenomena, a haunt ing and discomforting tri umph of original filmmaking that boils over with instantly iconic imagery and festers in the mind long after you’ve left it.

2. Spotlight (2015) & The Report (2019)

I might be cheating by in cluding two films in a tied spot here, but here’s my ex planation: both of these mov ies tell important stories that can be difficult to take in but are absolutely necessary to know about, hard-won by countless hours of investiga tive reporting. Both produc tions boast credible actors giving strong performances, but neither feature theatrical, over-the-top displays of Os car-reaching. This is greatly to their benefit, as it allows the acting to reflect the writ ing: straight, honest reporting that speaks for itself. At the end, both of these stories are solemn reminders of why we need journalism.

1. Paterson (2016)

After multiple viewings since watching it at the festi val, Paterson has the wholly unique distinction of being (very possibly) my favorite movie. Featuring a warm and engaging turn by Adam Driv er, I can’t help but admire how brazenly Paterson flies in the face of the highest rule of fic tional writing: conflict creates character, and no story can ex ist without conflict. Tell that one to writer/director Jim Jar musch, who crafts a charming and relaxing tale about find ing the beauty in the mundane that not only succeeds, but thrives on its lack of tension or drama. Paterson is a con tent and friendly everyman for the ages, and his story is one for all of us.

Are Your Ready?

Highland Graduates are Ready

Middleburg American Legions New Commander

Jackie Fishman

As the new com mander of the Middleburg Amer ican Legion (AL) chapter, “IT Guy” Gary Nickelson has big 21st centu ry plans for the organization. He is one of the youngest AL commanders in Virginia.

sees his volunteer post as a way of solving issues

assisting and support ing local veterans. As he says himself, The military is a place where its members see a problem or an issue and “look to solve it.”

Having taken over in July from the previous command er who was in the position for 20 years, he plans to stay in the role for two years. Al ready Nickelson has brought the chapter up to speed in terms of internet connectiv ity and communications.

The American Legion is many things. According to Nickelson, it is “a social club for veterans and (a base for) our Vets Helping Vets pro gram that ,along with other local organizations, provide financial assistance, trans

portation, healthcare and housing assistance to needy veterans.“

Aside from improving communications via internet, Gary plans to provide more accessibility to the chapter’s members, and has already installed a ramp for those differently abled requiring an alternative to steps. This addition will serve not only the members, but the com munity at large who often attend meetings, seminars and events held in the build ing which is located at 111 The Plains Road across from Sporting Museum.

“We recently had a ramp installed on our side door for ease of access for all who visit our Post. Upcoming ac tivities include the Christmas in Middleburg Parade using our back lot to stage partici pants. We will open our halls for hot chocolate and to get warm.” Nickelson says.”And in the coming weeks, Lt. Jones of the Middleburg Po lice Department will present a class on protecting yourself from online scams online.”

Nickelson also plans to increase engagement for American Legion mem

bers. In the past, he says, the building was only open for monthly meetings and if members wanted to stop by to ask questions or join, they couldn’t.

“I want to bring a pres ence back where stopping at the Legion becomes a weekly routine. I’ve installed WiFi and personally began work ing out of the Legion Hall once or twice a week. My wife and I will hold Tuesday morning breakfasts as our schedule permits. We hope to start a ‘Sunday Brunch’ activity that will be open to the entire community. We want to enlarge this effort to get-togethers for football games, Kentucky Derby and Preakness viewing parties and more. I want the Post to be the first choice where members and the community can meet to celebrate and get together.”

Nickelson is originally from Oregon and met his wife during their basic train ing. They have a fourth-grade daughter. His daughter is one reason he is involved with another project designed to open the American Legion Boys State to young women/

Why Families

girls.

Traditionally this weeklong program admits young men (High School juniors) and teaches them the rights, privileges and responsibili ties of franchised citizens and covers city, county and state government structures. Students are elected to vari ous offices, activities in clude legislative sessions, court proceedings, lawenforcement presentations, assemblies, bands, choruses and recreational programs. (https://www.legion.org/ boysnation/about).

Because he has a daugh ter, Nickelson is especially sensitive to the fact that lo cal girls cannot be admitted to the sister program (Girls State) in MIddleburg be cause there was no such lo cal program, yet. Through working with local schools’ guidance counselors on the boys’ program, he was al ways asked about Girls State.

“Girls State is put on by the American Legion Auxil iary and being a small Post, we did not have one. I made it my first mission to make Girls State available to our community, not only be cause I have a daughter, but I want this opportunity to be there for all girls.”

“I have contacted the Virginia Department Auxil iary and am proud to offer Girls State along with Boys State this year. I have also acquired funding to sponsor at least two girls, perhaps more as sponsorships come in.”

But the future of commu nity involvement with the chapter is Nickelson’s pri mary goal.

“Shortly after I accepted the position, I heard com munity members reminisc ing about the Legion and their memories of dances, wedding receptions, bingo, or just guys hanging out all night and then having break fast.”

“So, last year we com pleted a kitchen renovation, bringing us in code com pliance with our plumbing. We want the community to use our place for events again. Currently, we sponsor Boy Scout Troop 2950 who hold their meetings there and have begun a partner ship with the Town and the Middleburg Business and Professional Associations.``

The doors are open and Commander Nickelson is there to welcome everyone. Come by and say hello.

your support builds the story of home.

It’s the story of kids playing in their own yard while mom or dad cooks in their own kitchen. It’s the story of everyday security and dreams for the future. It’s the story of an affordable home a family built themselves with help from Habitat for Humanity, volunteers and you.

Shop, donate or volunteer to help families build the story of home.

Fauquier Habitat for Humanity

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Faces, Fashion & Fun

Gold Cup and Virginia Fall Races

Bigshout-out to profes sional photographer and good friend, Richard Clay, who was out on course in a numbered vest at the International Gold Cup Races at Great Meadow on October 22 in The Plains. He shares top bill ing as Official Photographer for these very prestigious races with Eclipse Award-winning Douglas Lees. We are very lucky to have Rich back. He has been recover ing from horrendous injuries sus tained last spring when a loose horse ran into him head-on at a local point-to-point. Welcome back, Rich – great to see you in your element again!

The 85tn running of the In ternational Gold Cup races en joyed a wonderful sunny day just right for steeplechasing. Trainer Leslie Falini Young scored two brilliant wins at Great Meadow: Andi’amu (FR)—invincible in the International Gold Cup (more on that timber stakes in a bit) and Bodes Well in the Steeplethon. Racehorse trainers are in charge of everything to help each horse achieve their full potential. It’s a lot of work and requires a village.

Silverton Hill’s Bodes Well, with Thomas Garner doing the honors, led all the way in the $30,000 Steeplethon Stakes to prevail by one-half length over Irvin Naylor’s Duc de Meran (FR). They had met two weeks earlier at the Virginia Fall Races at Glenwood Park in Middleburg

where Duc de Meran finished a half-length in front of Bodes Well, who is coming into his, thanks to Leslie.

The Steeplethon offers a threemile course of mixed timber, hur dle and water jumps, which not every ‘chaser can handle at rac ing pace. Andi’amu has won two Steeplethons, and the Frenchbred 2019 timber champion likes to zoom to the front which can be a bit heart-stopping. It’s a gruel ing race to lead all the way and have enough fuel for the finish.

Both Bodes Well and Duc de Meran are proving their worth as steeplethon specialists, providing enthusiasts with exciting stretch duels.

Watching the contenders as they paraded in the paddock be fore the featured International Gold Cup proved to be quite the eye-opener. Andi’amu definitely stood out in the field of five. He walked around as if he owned the place, his very attitude announc ing loud and clear: I am here to win. Andi’amu knew exactly where he was. After all, he had won his second Virginia Gold Cup in May at Great Meadow.

“Andi knows his job. He knows he is top dog in the sta ble,” Leslie said. “He is a vey ar rogant and proud horse. He loves to do a job and train.”

Andi’amu, ridden by Freddie Proctor, went to the lead, which at times was enormous, nearly 20 lengths in front of the field. But Cracker Factory came out from wat behind and finished strongly

but ran out of track, second by al most 10 lengths behind the win ner. Last May, Andi’amu won the spring Gold Cup by nearly 24 lengths. Exciting racing, amaz ing horses.

In NSA trainer standings, Les lie Young is in first place with 30 races won. She knows all the courses very well. She grew up, hunting and racing ponies in Pennsylvania, and her father rode in point-to-points. Her train ing record got underway in 1983 with two AR (also ran) and one DQ. Her only 1984 start resulted in her first victory at the Penn sylvania Hunt Cup Races with Phantom, a small pony, whose four starts produced two wins and two seconds. Taboo was next, a large pony who was very successful from 1986-88 with 11 wins, one second, one third, and one AR in 13 starts.

Leslie continued training and racing at point-to-points and sanctioned meets. While attend ing Oldfields School in Mary land, she spent her weekends working for legendary trainer and former champion jump jock ey, Jack Fisher.

After graduating with a Bach elor’s degree, Leslie worked as a vet tech, but racing was in her blood. In the 1990s, she went to work for Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, who men tored many aspiring trainers. Leslie got licensed in 2007 and saddled her first winner, More Fascination, in the Sport of Kings Maiden Hurdle at Saratoga. It

was her second start, second meet, and the horse’s first jump race.

Racing was already her way of life when she married Irish jump jockey Paddy Young, who earned five NSA jockey titles during his career. They have two chil dren, who seem to have inherited horsey genes from both parents. They clocked a lot of miles and hundreds of meets over the years. It was Paddy who predicted that Andi’amu would make a great timber horse.

Andi started over hurdles, winning the Ratings Handicap in a field of nine at Monmouth Park in mid-June 2016. The follow ing year, he finished fourth and second over hurdles at Saratoga, third at Far Hills Race Meeting, second in the Hurdle Handicap at Montpelier Hunt Races. In March 2018, Andi’amu won the Training flat at Green Spring Val ley Point-to-point and, in April, proved Paddy right when Andi won his debut in the Open Tim ber at Middleburg Spring Races.

Andi’amu was successful over timber and in Steeplethons. He runs when the conditions and the course suit him best. It’s the trainer’s job to customize each horse’s routine and Leslie has it down to a fine art. Both her win ners at the 85th running of the International Gold Cup had won their races there in May: Bodes Well in the Steeplethon and Andi in the prestigious $100,000 VA Gold Cup.

Some people go to the races

for the social whirl of tented and tailgate parties, even shopping; others go for the joy of racing, especially delightful in such a beautiful setting. Almost every one goes to cheer home a win ner, whether or not they placed any bets. What you see at NSA sanctioned meets are horses and people at the top of the sport.

In the Virginia Fall Races, Mark Beecher saddled two win ners, Cracker Factory and R S One in Maiden Hurdle. Mark raced as an amateur and won every major timber stake on the NSA circuit. With his focus on training, he’s right up there in the NSA trainer standings with Les lie Young, Jack Fisher, and Keri Brion.

Cracker Factory (GB) was claimed by The Hundred Acre Field in September 2020, but didn’t win a race until he ended up with Mark. He broke his maiden over timber at Shawan Downs. Virginia Fall Races, Cracker Fac tory, again with Jamie Bergary in the irons, won by one-half length in the $30,000 National Sport ing Library & Museum Cup tim ber stakes, besting Boutonniere, trained by Young, and Storm Team trained by Fisher.

Follow the action on NSA’s informative site with video ar chives and excellent recaps by Don Clippinger and Tod Marks.

For more information: Na tionalSteeplechase.com

Lauren R. Giannini

Andi’amu and Freddie Proctor show their brilliant form over fences en route to victory in the International Gold Cup at Great Meadow. Photo By Richard Clay Photography

A day at International Gold Cup

The Powell tailgate

The Colson tailgate

The Lehew family tailgate

The Bond-Thompson tailgate

Michael and Karen Crane tailgate

The Ben-Dov tailgate

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and the First Lady presenting the Steeplethon trophy to the connections of BODES WELL (IRE)

Tony Tofani, Bernadette Boland and Christian Bentley

Tori Parker and Sonny Brown

The Wickett family and friends

The Richards family and friends

The Ryder tailgate

Photos by Nancy Kleck

Faces, Fashion & Fun

1000 Miglia Warm UP USA 2022

Nancy Kleck

Mayor Bridge Littleton had the honor of acting as “green flag sendoff” for the first morning’s warm up of the third edition of the 1000 Miglia Warm UP USA. The “Warm Up” prepares crews through timed events for the sporting part of the 1000 Miglia in Italy by

competing in a 3-day, 500mile race through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

The street was packed with vintage automobile aficionados, local sponsors, but it was the school chil dren who seemed to be the most excited, waving their “1000 Miglia” red arrow flags, maybe because it was on a school day. It was quite a social event too, with

coffee, lunch and dinners hosted by Salamander Spa & Resort, Beverly Eques trian, Creighton Farms and the Congressional Country Club. Appropriately, their journey ended on Italian soil at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Warm Up is re served for Sport, GT and super cars built from 1927 to present and divided be tween the 1000 Miglia Era

Car Class (1927 to 1957) and the Post-1000 Miglia Era Car Class (1958 to present). Six spots to com pete in the 2023 1000 Mi glia are up for grabs. The winner of the Warm Up USA was the Veteran crew composed of Filippo Sole and Daniele Turrisi driv ing a 1930 Lancia Dilamb da. Shawn and Leanne Till driving a 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Spider earned

2nd place and Axel Marx and Emanuele Tiozzo driv ing a 1956 Austin Healey 100 M placed 3rd.

The 1000 Miglila 2023 will be a five day race held in June and contested in Italy, and will draw tens of thousands of fans along the routes. For more in formation and to keep up with events, visit www. https://1000miglia.it/

Faces, Fashion & Fun

Photos by Nancy Kleck

“Identity & Restraint: Art of the Dog Collar” Exhibition Opens at National Sporting Library & Museum

Claudia Pfeiffer, Lauren Kraut, Dr. Timothy J. Greenan and Elizabeth von Hassell

Elizabeth von Hassell, David Wright, Jacqueline B. Mars and Chief Justice John Roberts

Rob and Jenny Irwin

F. Turner Reuter, Jr. and Andrew Stifler

Lynn Wiley and guest, Margaret Littleton

Guest of Sonny Brown, Isabel Ziluca, and Gigi Sutton

Deborah Kasindort (Director of The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog in New York and Eliza beth von Hassell

Highland School Takes Learning Outdoors

Arecentstudy by the Har

vard Graduate School of Education reported, “COVID encouraged schools to take learning outside. There is overwhelming research that tells us to keep it there.”

Highland School has been taking students outside for de cades — from backpacking treks to team-building canoe trips to science projects on the Chesapeake Bay. So during the pandemic years, when trips off campus were curtailed, Highland teachers combined their training in Project Approach Learning with new initiatives in Outdoor Education. They mobilized to make outdoor learning on cam pus a central focus of the curricu lum.

Then last summer, a Faculty Fellowship funded by Highland donors — combined with a huge team effort by teachers, parents

and alumni — made possible significant upgrades to create a completely new Outdoor Class room.

What started years ago with a pollinator garden, a chicken coop, and a tree planted in memory of Highland alum Finley Broaddus, is now a thriving outdoor educa tion complex.

The giant storm that swept the county in June created multiple opportunities for the Outdoor Classroom. Highland parent and alum Erik Wachtmeister (’91) hauled a giant stump from his farm for a playground feature that doubles as a subject of study in decomposition and native habitats. He also used felled trees to make log seats of different heights for the worktable area.

Retired Science teacher Gary Hicklin built a “house” complete with a “kitchen” area out of lo

cust wood from his farm. Now named “The Hicklin House”, it facilitates everything from 2-year-olds “cooking” to older children collaborating on group projects.

At the same time, the school won a grant from the PATH Foundation and the Mahendiran family that allowed Highland faculty to work with the Clifton Institute to develop “Habitats for Learning” – an outdoor educa tion training program that will be shared with all Fauquier County teachers in grades 1-4.

Also in partnership with the Clifton Institute, Highland stu dents in grades 1 – 4 are doing research at the 900-acre field sta tion on Blantyre Road to help the experts there understand more about native plants and insects in our area as they work to restore a prairie area.

Back on campus, Highland students as young as 2 years old are making daily trips to their state-of-the-art outdoor learning center. Through developmental ly-appropriate activities, every student in PK2 through 4th grade is using features of Highland’s Outdoor Classroom to learn ev erything from small motor skill development to how to map ac tivity by insects, native plants, birds, and fungi.

Highland Librarian Jane Banse, who has spearheaded the outdoor learning program since its genesis years ago, says, “Our Outdoor Classroom is the perfect complement to our Project Ap proach Learning curriculum that is focused on the natural scienc es. Our students are thriving as they discover the “food web” of fungi and soil, native plants, in sects and amphibians, and birds, because they are questioning and

learning for themselves in the very environment where it’s all taking place.”

The late Thomas Berry, the renowned cultural historian who sought a broader perspective on humanity’s relationship to the earth, once said, “Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events of their lives.”

Highland School’s teachers, their partnership with the Clif ton Institute made possible by the generous PATH Foundation grant, and the donors and volun teers who built the new Outdoor Classroom, are accomplishing just that!

Highland School is a co-ed in dependent PK2-12 day school in Warrenton, Virginia.

30 Foxcroft School Students Earn AP Scholar Awards

NineFoxcroft students achieved the premier status of AP Scholar with Distinction to lead a group of 30 girls who earned 2022 AP Scholar Awards from the College Board for outstanding achievement on Advanced Place ment exams taken last spring.

A total of 12 current seniors and 18 members of the Class of 2022 earned AP Scholar designa tions. This is the 18th consecu tive year that the number of AP Scholars at Foxcroft has reached double-digits, a testament to the academic excellence fostered at

the School.

Seniors Molly Catlett, Lon don Hershey, and Wilhelmina McQuarrie, as well as Class of 2022 graduates Virginia Bonnie (University of Virginia), Emma Carmichael (The College of Wil liam and Mary), Erica Johnson (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), Cecilia Mould (Uni versity of Virginia), Xinyi Shen (University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign), and Ella SiebentrittClark (St. Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Programme), earned AP Scholar with Distinc tion awards, given for achieving

an average of at least 3.89 on all exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on at least five of them.

AP Scholars with Honor awards, given when a student scores 3 or better on at least four tests with an average of 3.50 on all exams taken, were received by current senior Isabelle Munoz and four members of the Class of 2022: Claire Ai (New York Uni versity), Amelia Fortsch (Syra cuse University), Clare Thomas (The College of William and Mary), and Selina Xu (The Col lege of William and Mary).

Eight current seniors — Lexi Hill, Mary Joyce, Vassiliki-The odosia Margas, Lucy Moan, Hel en Ventikos, Olivia Warr, Sage Wolf, and Lynn Zhang — and eight members of the Class of 2022, Vivian Davis (University of Richmond), Nia Dowling (The College of William and Mary), Catherine Jin (Emory Univer sity), Caroline McLaughlan (Uni versity of Virginia), Remy Pat terson (St. Andrews William and Mary Joint Degree Programme), Lilia Sharp (The College of Wil liam and Mary), Ella Stainton (Santa Clara University), and

Adair Stanley (James Madison University) received AP Scholar recognition by scoring 3 or higher on three or more AP exams.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement program provides aca demically prepared students with an opportunity to take collegelevel courses while still in high school and to earn college credit or advanced standing in classes for successful performances on AP exams. The exams are graded on a 5-point scale, with 5 being the highest.

Lynn Zhang

Olivia Warr

Wolf Sage

Isabelle Munoz

Lucy Moan

MJ Joyce

Lexi HillLondon Hershey

Molly Catlett

Helen Ventikos

Wilhelmina McQuarrie

Vassiliki Margas

Dr. Robert A. Gallegos

Patientsfrequently ask me about Veneers for their teeth. It shows a great deal of awareness on the patient’s part to know that this treatment is available to them to renew or improve a tooth or a whole smile. Veneers are a thin porcelain or resin (tooth colored filling material) bonded to the front and sides of a tooth or teeth. They can be used to restore or re new slightly to moderately worn, broken, stained, malformed, or slightly crooked teeth. They can also be used as a cosmetic approach to improve a smile. A tooth with more extensive needs may require a crown which cov ers the whole tooth. Natural teeth have different colors, hues, and translucencies throughout which can be mimicked with well-made porcelain or resin veneers. How to choose between resin and por celain veneers depends on sev eral factors, like number of teeth requiring veneers, desired esthet ics, and affordability.

Resin (tooth colored filling material) is the same material used to fill cavities. When using resin as a veneering material, it is usually placed in several layers one tooth at a time. Each layer has a different amount of color, hue, and translucency mimick

Good Option For My Teeth?

ing natural teeth. This is a long process when veneering several teeth and layering from one tooth to the next can vary because one tooth needs to be finished before going to the next tooth. Resin material is not as strong as por celain but for slight changes it can be excellent. It is particu larly good when only one or two teeth need to be renewed because color, hue, and translucency can be adjusted to match the adjacent teeth more easily than porcelain. Resin longevity is usually not a long as porcelain, but less expen sive.

Porcelain veneers are stron ger and usually last longer than resin veneers. Porcelain veneers can be done in one or two visits but there is a difference in the final product. The one visit ap proach involves preparing the teeth, making the veneers, and delivering the bonded veneers in one appointment. This can be convenient for the patient, but the esthetics suffer. This approach uses a single block of porcelain that is milled in the office and bonded the same day. The re sult is not as cosmetic as layered porcelain since layers of color, hue and translucency cannot be accomplished. Porcelain has its best cosmetic look if it is made in layers mimicking natural teeth, this cannot be done in one day.

The two appointment approach

involves preparing the teeth and placing temporary veneers while the final veneers are made in a lab by a master ceramist. A few weeks later a second visit is made to remove the temporary veneers and deliver the final bonded ve neers. Master ceramists are art ists who make teeth out of por celain. Because ceramists are working in a lab, not in the pa tient’s mouth, they can work on several teeth at a time, over sev eral days matching each layer of material to mimic natural tooth layering of color, hue, and trans lucency. This allows for a more natural and less variable result with the strongest material.

Both porcelain and resin ve neers usually require some tooth preparation (cutting) to allow for the new material to be added. If there were no preparation of the tooth the new material would protrude out beyond the adja cent non-treated teeth causing an uneven appearance and would bump against the lips. It is rare for no preparation to be needed. The amount of preparation de pends on the outcome desired. If the desire is to brighten dark teeth or make slightly crooked teeth look straight more preparation is needed. For the best long-term cosmetics, the veneers should be wrapped in between the teeth so the junction of tooth and veneer is not showing.

Depending on the patient’s habits and the material used, ve neers can last 10-20 years. Por celain veneers usually last longer than resin. Patients with habits like grinding their teeth, biting their nails, or chewing on the end of a pen or pencil will have more problems with chipping, fracture, and debonding over time. The biting edges of veneers may chip through normal wear and tear. The edges can usually be re newed without having to replace the whole veneer.

Veneers are an excellent op tion to restore, renew, or cosmeti cally change teeth and smiles.

Your circumstances and desired outcome will determine the best material and how many teeth to treat. If you think this may be an option for you, ask your dentist.

Dr. Robert A. Gallegos is a Fellow in the Academy of Gen eral Dentistry, visiting faculty at Spear Education, alumnus of Pankey Institute, a member the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and the American Dental Association. Dr. Gallegos practices dentistry in Middleburg, VA. www.Middle burgSmiles.com.

Theother day, Tom was at a store where they were selling pumpkins, and he wanted to pick up another for our house. In front of us were a mom and her child. The child was around ten years old. Tom was not trying to overhear their conversation, but he couldn’t help it. The boy asked his mom for a pumpkin, and she told him they would have to wait for payday. As she told her son this, she began to cry. Tom’s heart sank. He did not know what to do or say. He thought he would buy the pump kin for the boy but did not want to embarrass the mother. The boy begged for even a small pump kin, but his mom was in tears and grabbed his hand, and took off to the parking lot. Tom was

about to buy one and run it out to their car, but he stood there, sad from what he witnessed and feel ing like one lucky dog because he has so much in life and does not need to worry about buying a pumpkin. Grateful is a big word in our house.

Tom felt like he had let the moment go and lost an opportu nity to do something for some one. Tom can be hard on himself at times. I am proud of his heart, but sometimes a human’s heart hurts when they see someone else in pain. To tell me, Dogs are much more intuitive and in tensely aware of human emotions than humans, and it’s part of our beauty and torture as an animal species.

When we got home, Tom wrote down his experience on Facebook. He wanted to share

that he felt sad and wished he would have bought them that pumpkin but did not fully listen to his heart. Humans feel that sharing their personal stories can help other humans. I think that is a nice attribute of being human. He also decided that we should not get a pumpkin that day be cause he just couldn’t, knowing that boy did not have one. He posted this story online, and the next day, we woke up, and when we opened the door to let me out to tinkle, our yard was full of Pumpkins. It was The Great Pumpkin! We have no idea who gave us such a cool and un expected gift, but it brought tears to Tom’s and my eyes. There are good people everywhere, and The Great Pumpkin does exist!

Don’t Forget, Fall Home Maintenance Tips

Thechill in the air and pumpkins-a-plenty re mind us that it’s time to tackle our fall home maintenance list. A regu lar schedule of maintenance throughout the year is critical to keeping your home healthy and family safe. These baseline pre ventative steps are a good start.

Gutters, Downspouts and Low-Slope Roof Maintenance:

Inspect these items and care fully remove any accumulated debris. This check should be completed four times per year to ensure effective draining and avoid damage caused by trapped and accumulated water.

Surface and Underground Drains:

It is important to check and clear surface and underground drains at least four times per year to ensure proper water flow. Un derground drains may be located at downspouts, under a driveway or in other areas where you need to redirect water. Surface drains may be at exterior basement stairs, patios, pool decks, etc. As clogged drains can cause water to back up in other areas and cause significant damage, it’s also im portant to monitor these during heavy rains, clearing debris as needed.

Hose Bibs & Irrigation Sys tems:

To avoid bursting pipes, turn off exterior hose faucets and ir rigation systems before freez ing weather sets in, which is typically late October-early No vember in the Greater DC area.

All hose bibs, including those that are “Frost Free,” should be fully drained and irrigation systems should be blown out to avoid freezing during the winter months.

Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC):

You should have your HVAC systems serviced twice per year, spring and fall, to ensure they are operating at their most effi cient levels. The system inspec tion should include changing the filter, adjusting dampers to favor northern (not southern) rooms, clearing leaves and debris from outside units, checking AC re frigerant, and cleaning the AC condenser. Note that some sys tems require filter changes more or less frequently, so be sure to consult your manual.

Humidifiers:

Many homes have a humidi fier to help raise the humidity during the dry winter months and improve the health of the home and indoor air quality. This sys tem requires an annual system check, and the fall is the best time. During their visit, your HVAC service company should perform a thorough inspection and replace the pad/cartridge, which can collect deposits from the water source, clog and cause leaks.

Other Important Items to Address this Fall:

• Change the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

• Latch windows shut to square them up, seal the weatherstrip and stop drafts.

• Inspect all bathroom caulk

ing and touch up as neces sary. Repeat again in the spring.

• Drain 10-15 gallons from the bottom of your water heater once per year to re move sediment.

• Fireplaces and chimneys should be inspected inside and out at least once per year for soundness, deposits and clearance. Have the chim ney cleaned or repaired as needed.

• Clean screens in shower heads and faucets annually to ensure optimal water flow.

• For your appliances, con sult your manufacturer’s maintenance recommenda tions, which should include steps such as, cleaning screens on range hood vents, vacuuming refrigerator coils, replacing water filers, and more.

• Your septic system should be inspected and the tank cleaned out once per twothree years.

With this list in hand you’re ready to get to work or schedule service professionals for assis tance. If I can help to answer any questions you may have, please let me know.

Tim Burch is a Vice President and Owner of BOWA, an awardwinning design and construction firm specializing in luxury reno vations ranging from kitchens and primary suites to wholehouse remodels, equestrian facil ities, and custom-crafted homes. For more information, visit bowa.com or call 540-687-6771.

Tim Burch

Hazel Sweitzer

Whopper

Someone recently told me, “Dating after mar riage is like going to the junkyard to find the least broken thing.” I have been sepa rated from my husband for a year and find great comfort and strength in commiserating with

my friends who have walked similar paths. I don’t think I have ever laughed more in my life than listening to tales of my back-in-the-game counterparts learning to rebuild their love lives after divorce.

One friend told me a tale of her lover comparing her curvy,

ample tush to a Whopper. Though it was likely meant as a compliment, no naked woman ever wants her a$$ compared to a big, fatty, fast-food hamburg er. EVER. So many other adjec tives could have been used to describe her juicy bottom. Next time dude, try peach.

I have been told online dating profiles are consistently inaccu rate. Putting a picture of twentysomething you is different from sending a truthful message if you are in your fifties. Keep it real and be the youngest you can be. If your profile picture has a full head of hair, and the cur rent you don’t, how is someone

supposed to recognize you at the coffee shop meeting point? Swipe left.

PDAs are generally frowned upon. No one wants to see tonsil tickling at a neighboring table. Hand holding- cute. Pulling a chair out- gentile. Standing when you get up- extra credit. Asking your date to make out in the trunk of your car in a restau rant parking lot- nope.

A male friend shared a recent dating encounter rounding third and stealing home with a hottie he met at a bar. The next morn ing he found her wig and a gi ant girl-turd in his bed. Clothes still on the floor. Purse still in the kitchen. No girl. There was a bald, naked chick on the loose, and all this thoughtful guy could do was take her purse back to the bar where they met. The bartender indicated it wasn’t the first time.

Dogs are also a woman’s best friend. This is a story that actually happened to me in my college years. My beloved dog, Roxy, was the best judge of my suitors. If she didn’t like one, she’d $hit in his shoes. Roxy dog, how I wish you and your selective picking skills were still around. They could come in handy one day.

Brandy Greenwell

Rememberalbum-ori ented rock? For about twenty years, from the early seventies until the early nineties, boomers and GenXers thrived on the genre, which played a relatively wide variety of rock and roll, mostly

popular tunes with a few deeper cuts thrown. We’re are talking Led Zeppelin, Allman Broth ers Band, the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Je thro Tull, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Yes...the list goes on and on. And you could talk to the disc jockeys by calling the studio line, so when we wanted to hear

the Allman’s Blue Sky or States boro Blues, or it was dawn after a long night and only Yes’ Heart of the Sunrise would serve the moment, most of the jock would comply with your request. Ev ery major radio market across the country had at least two of these station, and in the case of Hartford, where I grew up, we

had three--WCCC, WHCN, and the best of the lot, WPLR. These stations served as our soundtrack whenever we were in the car, and as home portable electronics ex ploded in the late seventies and early eighties, they became por table for the beach or around a campfire.

Saturday nights on these sta

tions often featured live concerts, and you could often hear these shows on unlikely named King Biscuit Flower Hour. Originally, the King Biscuit Flour Company had produced the venerable live Blues show King Biscuit Time, which had begun in the local Hel ena , Arkansas’ KFFA in 1941. This was a 30-minute live show that featured artists like featured blues artists Sonny Boy Wil liamson II, Pinetop Perkins, and Robert Lockwood, Jr.. It is said that later great musicians such as James Cotton, BB King, Ike Turner, and Levon Helm were all inspired by this early program.

With the changing musical tastes that the sixties and early seventies brought on moved on the rock in 1973 with the new King Biscuit Flower Hour, a one-hour, syndicated show that featured a huge variety of music. The first show was broadcast in early 1973, and featured Blood, Sweat & Tears, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Bruce Springs teen. As time went on, the show successfully introduced audienc es with new artists, and tracked the emerging New Wave scene of the early 80s. With the advent of compact discs, the owners began publishing some of the shows in CD format, which were sold in record stores.

The King Biscuit Flower Hour show was eventually part of a series that the syndicator D.I.R eventually produced, delivering programming to 5 million young people on 200 radio stations. their programs included---The King Biscuit Flower Hour, Brit ish Biscuit, The Best of Biscuit, Conversations, The Way It Went Down, Sugar Hill, and Live From The Bottom Line.

All right, you ask, they were great shows, but that was almost 50 years ago, who cares about them in 2022? Enter yet another fine music website with the same name: the King Biscuit Flower Hour. There is a huge variety of live shows, that you can stream for free. The concerts are bro ken out into a number of genres: Favorites, Rock, Blues & Soul, Jazz, Country, Folk & Bluegrass, Indie, Comedy, and Interviews. There are also some great playl ist that include The British Inva sion, Buffalo Springfield Alumni, Back to School, and Great Guitar Riffs that deliver the music like a live version of Pandora. There is enough her for anyone to listen for weeks on end. Who knows, maybe you or someone you know was at one of these shows.

I am constantly amazed at the variety of live music you can find on the Internet. The King Biscuit Flower Hour website is no ex ception. Head to this site and you can access and stream many of those shows either on your phone or your laptop. Bluetooth the tunes into a speaker, and you are game on for a party soundtrack. Head on over to the website at www.kingbiscuit.com. and en joy some of the greatest shows in late

century music.

Steve Chase

Cinnamon Pumpkin Flan

Emily Tyler

This recipe is a family favorite - It has just enough caramel to keep it moist but not make it over the top sweet. I added the cinnamon puff pastry for that little addition of crunch for anyone who might be missing the crust.

CINNAMON PUMPKIN FLAN

1 3/4 cups sugar (divided)

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 ½ cups undiluted evaporated milk

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup water

5 eggs

Vanilla Ice Cream and Cinnamon Puff Pastry for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, heat ¾ cup of the sugar until melted and golden brown. Stir constant ly and watch for burning

Pour the caramel into a 9” glass pie pan, don’t worry if it doesn’t cover the bottom and set aside

In a blender combine all of the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth

Pour into the prepared pie pan

Place the flan in a roasting pan filled with about an inch of water (water bath) and bake for about an

hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes clean

Remove from the oven and let cool then refrigerate until cold

Run a knife around the outside of the flan and turn out onto a platter, scraping any caramel left in the pie pan - the longer it sits in the refrigerator, the more caramel will release from the pie plate

Serve with vanilla ice cream and cinnamon puff pastry

Cinnamon Puff Pastry

1 sheet puff pastry - thawed

Kay Colgan Certified Pilates and Fitness coach

Ijustcelebrated a big birth day. Strange how time creeps up on you. The weird thing is I still feel the same as I did in my thirties. Pilates has kept me balanced, flexible, and strong. I do cardio, but my main fitness component is Pilates. I’ve been in this business a long time, and as myself and clients age, I realize those that are consistent enjoy a better quality of life. We all have life events at one time or another, but it seems those with the strong foundation in Pilates bounce back with vigor. Now, this is not a scientific study but many decades of observation. I’m sure an argument can be made for many forms of exercise, consistency is the key. But my forte and observational study is Pilates.

As we age, our muscles atro phy as much as 3 to 5 percent after our thirtieth birthday. Of course, that is for individuals that are physically inactive. Around the age of seventy-five, it goes into overdrive. But it can speed up around the age of sixty-five too. Symptoms of atrophy or sar copenia are weakness and loss

of stamina. Now sarcopenia can happen for other reasons than lack of physical activity. A visit to your physician will help you if another reason is causing it. But, lack of physical activity is one of the leading causes. Specifically, resistance or strength training helps to prevent sarcopenia. Ba sically, these activities increase muscle strength and help with your neuromuscular system and hormones. Also, as a bonus, it al lows the body to convert protein into energy more effectively.

Pilates increases strength, bal ance, and flexibility, especially on the apparatus. While the core seems to be the word of choice to describe Pilates, it is much more. Pilates is designed as a complete and effective whole-body work out. Yes, Pilates works at the core of every exercise. The core is like the engine, as everything stems from it. The great news is you build incredible strength and balance in all core muscles, in cluding deep stabilizers. So, our core is turned on when we are do ing a Pilates bicep curl. The best way to understand Pilates is to try a session on the apparatus. If you’ve never seen the apparatus of Pilates, google it, and you’ll see the various pieces that we use. It’s a workout that can be

for anyone, regardless of age or limitations. It’s never too late to start.

For more information about

Roll out the puff pastry lightly

Use a small cookie cutter of your choice, circles, freeform all work, just make everything uniform for baking evenly - I used 1” leaves

Place on a sheet of parchment and dust with cin namon sugar

Bake at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until gold en

Serve with the Cinnamon Pumpkin Flan

Middleburg, Va., or call 540687-6995. Be balanced, flexible, and strong!

Cinnamon sugar (1 teaspoon cinnamon to ½ cup sugar)

fitness and health, please get in touch with Kay Colgan at Middleburg Pilates and Personal Training, 14 S Madison Street,

Preserve Middleburg

Vincent Bataoel Middleburg, VA

Not that it matters, but this will probably be my final contribution to the public discourse. I officially belong in that part of the Mayor’s pie chart designated as an “out of town” opinion.

At best, the articles I have contributed over the last few months have led to more vigilance in opposition of the disclosed and undisclosed annexations. At least the pot has been stirred up.

For those who were not paying attention, my first contribution to the discourse was the unpopular acknowledgement in 2017 of the $3.2 million in excess taxpayer money that was sitting in the Town’s bank account. Back then the myth was that the town was dead broke. This myth was temporarily perpetuated to prevent citizens from calling for the property tax reduction that was promised, deserved, but never delivered following

approval of the resort.

This year the town broke ground on a $12 million Town Mahal, a decadent expense for a town

eight hundred strong. Paid for by the taxpayers, of course. Who would have thought that the reserves were there all along, only earmarked for pet projects like the Mahal and the tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars that have been expeditiously spent over the past four years on “progress”: handouts, logos, websites, plastic signs, payroll growth, and consultant reports.

In spring came the announcement that the powers that be intended to approve border growth and high density development projects on the edges of the Town. We were reassured that this had nothing to do with the bloated bureaucratic budgets. Try your hardest to feign surprise in the coming years when the Council votes to increase property taxes. The

reserves are strong but not strong enough to maintain the expenditures coming from the ruling class’ slush fund.

In summer our citizens group filed a number of FOIAs and discovered a rat’s nest of private meetings that were had with the potential developers and between members of the staff and Town Council. There were near two years worth of conversations behind closed doors before the plan for annexation was ever presented to the public. Of course, the Town claims that such information was always accessible, as if everyone can afford upwards of $5,000 in FOIA costs, which we paid — not knowing what we would find — just to get the information to the public.

This fall the last straw has been listening as the Town Council continues to ignore the majority of people who do not support border growth. It would be pretty easy to analyze the pie

charts and conclude that this is not a popular move. The message to the developers should be: sorry, but good luck with your County applications. Instead, the kangaroo court continues to nudge forward their agenda to bring more property within the town limits to support planned growth.

A Town that was once known for preservation is now fighting against preservation groups to the extent that in August the Council caballed against Preserve Middleburg with a hair splitting refutation of stated concerns and claimed that our perspective constituted disinformation.

What? It would have been more useful to the people that the Council works for — and please do remember Council works for the people — if instead of gaslighting groups, those elected acknowledged citizen concerns as real — not disinformation — and addressed those concerns in a public forum where individual

members actually speak with the people who they are supposed to represent, instead of hiding behind collective statements and presentations.

As a tourist, it might be hard to imagine that all of this is Middleburg. The entitlement and the decadence (well maybe that is not too not hard to imagine), the moves behind closed doors, the ignorance of public opinion, and the use of bullying tactics to progress political agendas do not seem like the experiences that should be encountered in a small town, but it is not until your personal interests stand in opposition to the ruling class that you realize its viciousness.

It is possible that Middleburg will not surrender to the pressures of development. Maybe others will speak up. Or, who knows, maybe the community will realize that it has to find people to serve whose actions line up with their words when it comes to preserving Middleburg.

John P. Flannery

In the various places I write and speak, I usually turn to the vagaries of law and politics in the public arena – especially these days.

When I thought to venture into political waters myself, many years ago, and shared this with others, a NY Daily News reporter sent along a song from an opera as a warning to be wary.

It went like this:

“To be a politician. What is that but feigning ignorance of what you know very well, pretending knowledge in subjects where you are totally ignorant and understanding where you haven’t the slightest comprehension,” and it goes on in this way, finishing with, “There you are: a politician’s portrait to the life.”

I framed it, it hangs on the wall in my home office, and I have read and re-read it over the years –to resist any impulse to become “that person” and fall prey to episodes of lazy thought and wrongful conduct.

If life teaches anything, it is that Heroes are hard to find among our elected leaders.

The few leaders we can identify suggests that’s why JFK’s, “Profiles in Courage” was such a thin “tome.” We have too few of courage. Too few Heroes.

It is why “we the people” must pick up the slack - to survive the bitterness of what passes for political debate.

We have no need for partisan tribe like devotion to what is cultish in origin and practice.

We need something more than the impermanence of declared political “wins,” calculated only to gain power, and personal prestige to the pols, with little

benefit to the rest of us.

The political fog spread by trash sound bites compromise any hope of a leadership that inspires, gives joy, or has lasting positive effect.

Too often our too few heroes in

politics and the law are dragged to their destiny by our urgings, by “we the people.”

Hemingway once said courage was “grace under pressure.”

Plainly it must be more than that.

A classic hero makes a sacrifice not for himself but for others.

The sacrifice varies depending on the sphere of influence.

A small sacrifice in challenging times can be heroic.

`A TIME TO BE HEROIC, TO FIGHT FOR WHAT MATTERS

It requires resolve and discipline and a worthy objective.

It may require an indomitable spirit.

We may not participate in a mythical heroism, like Odysseus in our dreamlike wanderings.

“We the People,” in this America context, in these unusual times, however, can and must make the difference our leaders seem to shun.

That takes some courage these days; for one must recoil from the lies of our leaders, the

bias, the discrimination, the intimidation, to say aloud what few will say, that no one should accept this unbecoming chaos.

“We the People” must speak out and vote to end this chaos, encourage others to do the same, persist not just for this election, but in every election afterwards.

Joseph Campbell, the mythologist, spoke of how our birth is an act of heroism, coming down the birth canal from water to air.

It’s a tantalizing metaphor but none of us recalls that

Letter from The Plains

The attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 is seared into all our memories. The events that day remain with us all for the rest of our lives as the single most egregious threat to our democracy and way of life since the founding of the United States. The terrible consequences of what might have occurred if the Vice President and other key Congressional leaders had been brutally murdered within the hallowed precincts of the Capitol building perhaps do not bear thinking about, though cannot be ignored. Our political way of life, the essence of all that is good in America, would have been threatened in ways that the Founding Fathers could never have envisioned. The prosecutions and sentences that have followed reflect the fundamental goodness within our judicial system and ability to remain steady in extreme adversity. The United States has endured and come through since January 6, 2021.

In many of our lifetimes perhaps only one other event and dire threat to our political way of life remains in our memories with similar effects, though forgotten except perhaps for recall during what today may be discussed in rare conversations. Time heals and our memories fade.

I refer to the tragic and earthshattering event in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas, on Friday, November 22, 1963 – the assassination of the thirty fifth president of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. This remains ingrained in the annals of American and world history and, for those still alive who remember that day vividly, ingrained in the human psyche of all decent and compassionate people. I remember exactly where I was and with whom in the UK when the news came through of JFK’s assassination.

President Biden has stated that he hopes to authorize the

release by the end of this year of what we must assume are classified documents relating to the assassination. Readers may ask, why all these decades later, 59 years to be precise, is the US government holding on to information that has never been released and which one may assume will perhaps change our knowledge and interpretation of events leading up to November 22, 1963. I am going to responsibly assess where I think things may stand, and why US governments have successively kept behind closed doors various documents and facts that may change our views on what happened leading up to Dealey Plaza. What is below has been based on two years of research and started with an investigation into the relationship of the UK’s worst ever spy, Harold “Kim” Philby, with the Central Intelligence Agency’s head of Counter Intelligence from 1954 to 1975, James Jesus Angleton. After he defected to Moscow in 1963 Philby died there on May 11, 1988, aged seventy-six. Angleton died in Washington DC on May 11, 1987, aged sixtynine. Philby’s treachery cost the lives of countless British agents and, by association, those of sister agencies associated with the United Kingdom’s Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6. He betrayed a whole generation and more, merciless in his pursuit of obtaining the secrets of British and Five Eyes intelligence, and their individual and joint relations with third-party foreign intelligence organizations – and passing these secrets to the Soviet Union via his various handlers.

What emerged from my research on Philby and Angleton was extremely revealing regarding CIA’s involvement with US persons that were associated with Lee Harvey Oswald. Recall that the official US inquiry into the assassination, the Warren Commission, stated in its conclusions that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin, totally responsible for JFK’s

passage.

In contrast, heroism in its modest and magnificent forms, must be conscious, intentional, and not accidental or coincidental.

These days one can make a big difference by small actions, conjoined with the acts of others, repeated and swollen to good effect with the tacit understanding that we’ve had enough, “we’re not going to take it any more,” and it’s at long last time to put our house in order.

When I was young and a street kid in the South Bronx, my Dad had a singsong rhyme to discourage us from fighting in the street– he said, tell them “sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt me.” I said it but my heart wasn’t in it.

It didn’t bear scrutiny because, before my father served in the Army Air Force in WWII, he was a street fighter of some skill; fighting, and the willingness and need to do so, seemed to be a part of life and to play a part in courage, even

if fighting, with age, meant not with the fisticuffs of our early days, but with the words that can truly hurt us one and all.

Many of our “leaders” are hesitant to take on the spirit of a hero; so, it’s left up to us.

We must do what you might ordinarily choose not do, and that sacrifice may be to talk to a neighbor for a candidate, put up a poster, contribute a sawbuck, anything that could make a difference in this mid-term election.

assassination. This is clearly not true.

Let us go back to the early 1960s, and specifically the key years 1961-1963. These were momentous years in US history. Angleton’s boss and future Director of the CIA, Richard Helms, played a significant role. Lee Harvey Oswald’s statement after he was arrested and before he was murdered is so true: “I’m just a Patsy”. He was indeed just that.

April 17-20, 1961 witnessed the failed covert landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba, the infamous CIA run “Bay of Pigs”, where Cuban exiles who opposed Fidel Castro were seeking to depose the communist dictator, who was very much a Soviet pawn. President Kennedy and his brother Bobby, the Attorney General of the United States, were horrified at what they regarded as total CIA incompetence. They lost faith in the Agency and no longer trusted key people.

Kennedy fired the Director, Allen Welsh Dulles, brother of John Foster Dulles, who had been Secretary of State from 1953 to 1959 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Kennedy appointed John McCone as CIA Director in Dulles’ place. Little did the Kennedy brothers know that Helms and Angleton continued to covertly run anti-Castro operations using US based Cuban dissidents and others. The latter in the US South West were, therefore, both anti Castro and anti the Kennedys. These were people being controlled by Helms and Angleton. In parallel to all this there was a covert mind control program called “MKUltra”. US citizens involved in the latter were being drugged by the CIA.

The following year in 1962 Kennedy succeeded in resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis with the help of excellent politicalmilitary advisers, though not the key people at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, who were still covertly pursuing anti-Castro

operations with US citizens. Lee Harvey Oswald was part of this mix, but only one individual amongst several key anti-Castro and anti-Kennedy players.

After the Cuban Missile Crisis President Kennedy sought to come to more amicable terms with both the Moscow leadership and Fidel Castro. His policies ran contrary to the views of Helms and Angleton who pursued their own agenda without any consultation or approval from the White House, a serious failing in all regards.

The people who Angleton controlled in the South-West are well documented. After defecting to the Soviet Union, taking out Soviet citizenship and then flipping back to the United States, spending time in Mexico City while becoming part of the infamous CIA controlled US South West group, Oswald visited both the Cuban and Soviet embassies while in Mexico City. The CIA, and specifically Angleton, deliberately and willfully withheld vital information from the FBI and its Director, J. Edgar Hoover.

There is zero evidence that the CIA knew about or in any way condoned the other non Cuban activities and various anti Kennedy activities of the evildoers in the South West. What occurred seems to have been dreadful misjudgments and miscalculations about people being used in anti-Castro operations. It is very clear that Oswald was one of several people involved in President Kennedy’s assassination.

Both Helms and Angleton lied to the Warren Commission. For other reasons, not associated with Cuba, Richard Helms, after he became CIA Director, was subsequently charged in Federal Court and found guilty of lying to the Congress. The sentencing judge was hugely critical of Helms. He was fined and given a suspended jail sentence. Angleton was fired in due course on Christmas Eve,

1974 by CIA Director William Colby after reaping havoc within the CIA as head of counter intelligence for the extraordinary period 1954-1975. During this period he wrecked the careers of totally innocent CIA personnel and caused mayhem within the Five Eyes community, accusing a host of innocent people of being Soviet agents. The latter included UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson and the head of the UK’s counter intelligence organization, MI5.

The relationship of Angleton and Kim Philby is thoroughly analyzed in my book, “Crossroads in Time Philby & Angleton A Story of Treachery”. This book covers in much greater detail the events and personalities discussed above. Without being immodest this book is a revelation of a relationship the like of which one hopes may never occur again given the improvements in Five Eyes recruitment and counter intelligence procedures.

The President should at some point release all the documents relating to President Kennedy’s assassination. None of these are likely to reflect well on certain key individuals. However it is timely for the American people, and therefore the world, to know all the facts relating to that tragic day in Dallas, Texas, a day many of us will never forget, with the death of a brave and courageous World War Two veteran President, perhaps like all of us with various flaws, though nonetheless a great President who did so much in such a short time and for which we should all be so thankful. God Bless John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

By the Editor: Dr Wells’ book, “Crossroads in Time Philby & Angleton A Story of Treachery” is available on Amazon. Listen to the Podcast “Secrets & Spies: Philby, Angleton and JFK with Dr. Anthony Wells”: https://pod. fo/e/142100; on YouTube at:

https://youtu.be/ A2CXPVJbolY

Anthony Wells

Doug Kemmerer

DougKemmerer passed away at home in Middleburg on July 16, 2022. He was 85 years old and had enjoyed an invigorating sporting lifestyle that most people only dared to dream about. The last few years, however, took their toll while Doug fought hard to recover from injuries sustained when a car rammed his 4-inhand. Throughout the ensuing years, his wife Queenie was at his side when Doug endured many hospital and rehab stays. It was a test of true grit, their enduring love, and their partnership in life.

Doug’s passions included fast cars and fast horses. He had been a confirmed bachelor for several decades when he chose Queenie Hurdman as his life partner for her beauty, shared passions, and the fact that she was extremely competent handling the ribbons (reins) of a team of horses hitched to a wheeled conveyance. They were married for 32 years. “I was the love of his life,” Queenie said. “We did everything together. Fox hunting. Driving. Sailing.”

Doug was an avid whip (driver), wellregarded in the upper echelons of the 4-inhand world along with Frolic Weymouth [1936-2016] and Jack Seabrook [19172009]. Those two are big names in the driving world, and the Kemmerers became well-acquainted with them and others involved in coaching.

“Doug loved horses. He was one with them,” Queenie recalled. “He had the steadiest hand on the ribbons and made fine adjustments to how he communicated with his team. It didn’t matter whether we were on a training drive or a big coaching meet, Doug treated his horses with kindness and respect.”

Robert Longstaff of the Road Club UK shared the detailed tribute he wrote about Doug, which appeared recently in Carriage Journal (USA) and on the website of the Four-In-Hand Club. The detailed homage mentions Doug’s activities and achievements: racing Porsches, ocean sailing, and racing in California, where he hunted with Los Altos. He competed several times on his Quarter Horses in the challenging 100-mile Tevis Cup Endurance Ride in California. Just the photos alone of the steeper spots are enough to give anyone vertigo, but Doug tackled the Tevis with his trademark gusto. An accomplished skier, he also did some racing and was an active member of the Sun Valley and Aspen Ski Patrol.

The stars aligned for Doug and Queenie, who first met in Houston (TX) and again when she transferred to Drexel, Burnham, Lambert in New York City, where Doug worked. Queenie grew up in a driving family, influenced by her uncle, Canadian Walter Hurdman, a wellknown specialist in coaching and Hackney ponies. Doug’s earliest interest in driving received encouragement and inspiration from Weymouth and Seabrook.

Doug was an experienced horseman and whip. He competed in Combined Driving with a pair of his Quarter Horses in various East Coast events, including those held at the historic equestrian landmark Gladstone in northern New Jersey. He cut quite a dashing figure with Queenie and her regal splendor next to him on the box seat of their restored vehicles. Doug’s enthusiastic transition from the more manageable pair to the challenging fourin-hand took place in a New York minute.

That was about 30 years ago when Doug and Queenie were frequently seen rolling along country lanes around Gladstone and Oldwick, NJ, with a team

of four Thoroughbreds. Their pride and joy was the regimental coach of the Royal Artillery, made by Holland & Holland in England in 1882. The rest, as they say, is history.

Doug’s Dalmatian Axel earned the distinction of being the only dog allowed onto the White House grounds when coaches visited there during the Reagan presidency. Doug was a member of the Coaching Club and a founding member of the Four-In-Hand Club.

Doug, accompanied by his faithful Axel, distinguished himself in coaching annals by planning out the routes for various meets and runs. In 2011, Middleburg’s National Sporting Library and Museum celebrated the new art museum’s grand opening. Among many events was the three-day Coaching Weekend that attracted more than 25 four-in-hand coaches. Doug designed the drives and wrote the script for the Presentation at the Upperville Show Grounds. It was quite an extravaganza/

Perhaps the greatest proof of his

expertise was planning two drives in honor of the Coaching Club, founded in 1875, which made a historical drive in the early 1900s from New York City to Philadelphia. In the late 1980s, Doug plotted an ambitious coaching run from the Knickerbocker Club in New York City to Saratoga Springs, NY. That’s 184.5 miles, an impressive journey by coach in any age, but especially so in modern times.

Two years later, Doug handled the meticulous details required for the Coaching Club’s even bigger road trip from the Knickerbocker Club to Saratoga, with a second leg comprising another 121.7 miles to Shelburne, VT where the Coaching Club held their annual meeting. This was not extraordinary back when people depended on four-legged horsepower, but modern times make the logistics of every drive very challenging. Doug handled every contingency with genius, but only five teams were equipped to handle the rigors of the second longer drive, which required four days for each leg of their journey. Of course, Doug and Queenie were there every step of the way.

Doug competed several times at Devon Horse Show in driving classes. On one memorable occasion, he stepped in at the last minute to ride on the phaeton’s groom’s seat for Frolic Weymouth. Doug had no clue why the crowd was laughing until he received his trophy—they had won the pair Scurry and the usually elegant Weymouth was dressed as a tramp. Doug was blessed with a good sense of humor. He was, after all, a good sport (citation: Longstaff].

The Kemmerers rode to hounds with Essex (NJ) until 2000 when they moved to Virginia and joined Middleburg Hunt. Doug and Queenie stayed very active with their sporting interests and made many friends from Middleburg to around the world. Doug will be missed near and far.

There will be a Celebration of Doug Kemmerer’s life on Friday, November 11, at Trinity Episcopal in Upperville from 1 to 4 p.m.

Cards may be sent to: PO Box 918, Middleburg, VA 20118

Thomas Scott Trautman

ThomasScott Trautman, a Vietnam veteran, a cattle farmer, a passionate lifelong tennis player, and a long-time Fauquier County resident, died on Sept. 28, 2022, at Fairfax Hospital. He was 77.

Mr. Trautman, who lived in Rectortown, Virginia, at the time of his death, was born in Pensacola, Florida, on Sept. 17, 1945, the son of career Navy man John Robert Trautman and Mary Holzer Trautman.

As a military family, they lived in a number of locations around the country, including Hawaii. Mr. Trautman graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu, the same institution that lists President Barack Obama, golfer Michelle Wie and philanthropist Steve Case among its graduates.

Mr. Trautman was a fine athlete at an early age, playing on a Hawaiian baseball team that advanced to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, when he was 12. He played baseball at Punahou, as well.

He graduated from William & Mary in 1967. He was a Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity member and a pitcher on the school’s baseball team. He always joked that one of his main claims to fame included pitching in a game at the Naval Academy and hitting future football Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach in the foot with a wild pitch.

Mr. Trautman was a member of the school’s ROTC program, and not long after graduation, he joined the U.S. Army, where he trained as a helicopter pilot. He flew a number of helicopter missions during his tour of duty in Vietnam, many of them to rescue wounded soldiers in the field.

When he was transferred back to the U.S., he was stationed in Savannah, Georgia, where he was a flight instructor until he was honorably discharged. Before going overseas, he married Betsy Walker. They eventually divorced, and their two children, Brett Overton Trautman and Virginia Elizabeth Trautman preceded Mr. Trautman in death.

After leaving the military, Mr. Trautman moved to the Warrenton area and worked as a mortgage broker for several firms, including The Fauquier Bank and the Briner Mortgage Company.

In the mid-1980s, he purchased Windfield Farm in The Plains, where he

changed careers and began to raise Black Angus cattle until he retired in 2015. He often said that working on the farm and being in the cattle business was among the great joys of his life.

Throughout his adult life, Mr. Trainman was a highly accomplished tennis player. He was a member of the Middleburg Tennis Club and Chestnut Forks Athletic Club in Warrenton. A tenacious competitor, he regularly represented both in matches against other clubs, and he won a number of tournaments at those two facilities and elsewhere, playing singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

Mr. Trautman was a friendly,

approachable, gregarious man with a delicious sense of humor.

“Tom never met a stranger and he treated every day as a gift,” said Chip Maloney, the owner of Chestnut Forks. “Throughout our 40-plus year friendship, I met more people because of Tom, who was far more outgoing than I am….He was an exceptional athlete who excelled at tennis, basketball, pool, ping pong, softball. Very competitive but he always displayed great sportsmanship. Tom is one of the best people I’ve ever known and a friend for the ages.”

Mr. Trautman is survived by the longtime love of his life, Elizabeth Lawrence

Margaret Erwin Mangano

Erwin Mangano, a devoted mother and grandmother, businesswoman, farmer, and philanthropist, died after a brief illness on September 3rd, 2022. She was 68.

Known to her many friends as “Maggie” and to her three adoring grandchildren as “GG,” Mrs. Mangano owned Sunridge Farm in Upperville where she had cattle, champion show horses, miniature horses and chickens. She enjoyed a wide range of interests, including education, music, horses and travel.

Mrs. Mangano was born in Orrville, Ohio to Wade and Emogene Erwin on December 31, 1953. She attended Orrville High

MargaretSchool and went on to graduate from Kent State University. She married fellow Ohio native Frank J. Mangano on May 30, 1981.

Mr. Mangano preceded her in death in 1994, when she moved to Virginia and continued his philanthropic work as the president of the Frank J. Mangano Foundation. She was also president of two Ohiobased businesses—the Bayley Envelope Company and the Luzerne Company.

She was a frequent volunteer at The Hill School in Middleburg and vice-chairman of the board at Middleburg Academy. Her children attended both schools where they excelled academically and athletically - in large part due to their mother’s loving support

and devotion. For a long time, Mrs. Mangano could be reached by email at “taximom@aol.com,” an email address she deemed fitting because she found joy in driving her children to school, horse shows, athletic events and countless other activities.

Mrs. Mangano studied the clarinet and piano as a youngster and continued to play her entire life. She especially enjoyed listening to good music, with classical, bluegrass and classic rock being among her favorite genres.

She was a member and supporter of many local nonprofit organizations over the years and generous in charitable giving both in her native Ohio and the Upperville area. She also served

of Warrenton; his sister, Linda Sullivan of Appleton, Wisconsin; his daughter, Lily Elizabeth Trautman of Warrenton and three grandchildren, Brett Cooper DeBergh and Sophia Elizabeth DeBergh of Ladera, California and Rain Elizabeth Trautman of Warrenton.

A viewing and celebration of life service will be held at the Royston Funeral Home in Marshall on Sunday, Oct. 23, starting at noon. A reception will follow at the Middleburg Tennis Club.

Memorial donations in Mr. Trautman’s name can be made to Boulder Crest Retreat for veterans and first responders at PO Box 117, Bluemont, VA 20135.

on the board of directors of the Upperville Colt & Horse Show. Mrs. Mangano was a member of Trinity Church in Upperville and the Middleburg Tennis Club.

She enjoyed nature, animals, being outside, and was a dedicated steward of the land. She loved long walks in the countryside and beautiful sunsets over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Christina and her brother Antonio described their mother as “kind, loving, extremely generous, thoughtful, strong, supportive, selfless, and very encouraging”. They continued, “She had a witty sense of humor. She was beautiful and graceful. She was always thinking of others – very gregarious and humble.”

Her most recent passion was being “GG” to her young grandchildren. She loved playing with them, reading to them, playing dress up, and teaching them about nature and animals.”

Mrs. Mangano is survived by her brother, Ronald Erwin of Pall Mall, TN; daughter Christina Mangano Mackenzie (son-in-law Scott Mackenzie) of Arlington, VA; son Frank Antonio Mangano of Tampa, FL; and grandchildren Caroline, William and Penelope Mackenzie.

A funeral service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville on October, 1st at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church.