Old Town Crier February 2014

Since 1988–Priceless

February 2014

From the Bay to the Blue Ridge

Road Trip

Personality Profile

Grapevine

Business Profile

WINTER TIME FUN AT THE WINERY

ANNE MAHLUM

LAKE ANNE WINERY

AVID PRODUCTIONS

Founder of Back on My Feet

Two Generations of Winemaking

oldtowncrier.com

Creative Event Staging, Video & Multimedia

Across the Bridge National Harbor

SPAGnVOLA CHOCOLATIER

Landini’s

Setting TheZAGAT Standard In Old Town For2006 Over 37 Years AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

AND THE PAST 15 YEARS

115 King Street Old Town Alexandria 115 King Street 703-836-8404 Old Town Alexandria landinibrothers.com 703-836-8404

Valet Parking Friday & Saturday 5-11 pm

Franco and Noe welcome you!

FISH MARKET MARDI GRAS 2014 MENU STARTERS Seafood Gumbo Steamed Cajun Crawfish Fried Okra PO BOYS Oyster, Shrimp, Crawfish, or Catfish NEW ORLEANS SPECIALTIES Blackened Red Drum Ponchatrain topped with Crabmeat & Shrimp in a Garlic Cream Sauce Andouille Sausage Red Beans & Rice Shrimp & Tasso Ham Etouffee Cajun Seafood Pasta with Shrimp, Oysters and Crawfish DESSERT Peach Crumb Cobbler with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream CAjUN COCKTAILS The Hurricane Bananas Foster Gin Fizz Hand Grenade

Celebrate Mardi Gras New Orleans Style at the Fish Market

9 Days of Cajun Food,Fun & Festivities Monday February 24 -Fat Tuesday March 4

105 & 107 King St. Old Town Alexandria

703.836.5676 fishmarketva.com

Eat Fish, Drink Beer, Live Longer!

Buy a Mardi GraS MaSk FOr $1 all PrOceedS GO directly tO MS

february’14 4

A Division of Crier Media Group 112 South Patrick Street Alexandria, Va. 22314 phone: 703. 836. 0132 office@oldtowncrier.com oldtowncrier.com Published the first week of every month.

Worth waiting for!

PUBLISHER Bob Tagert MARKETING & ADVERTISING Lani Gering Bob Tagert SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE Laura Parker DESIGN & PRODUCTION Electronic Ink 9 Royal Street, SE Leesburg, Va. 20175 CONTRIBUTORS Chris Anderson Vincent Arrunategui Peggie Arvidson Sarah Becker F. Lennox Campello Steve Chaconas Doug Coleman Ashley Denham Busse Jaime Elliott Doug Fabbioli Nicole Flanagan Lani Gering Elizabeth Jones Frances Killpatrick Miriam Kramer Genevieve LeFranc Laura Parker Julie Reardon Chester Simpson Bob Tagert Carl Trevisan Ryan Unverzagt Lori Welch Neil Williamson Molly Winans

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18 A Bit of History After Hours Art & Antiques Behind the Bar Business Profile Caribbean Connection Chef’s Special Civil Discourse Dining Guide Dining Out Exploring Virginia Wines

8 11 15 32 5 18 35 9 28 30 36

Financial Focus First Blush Fitness From the Bay… From the Trainer Gallery Beat Go Fish Grapevine High Notes National Harbor On the Media

6 43 42 22 41 14 40 38 10 46 3

On the Road Personality Profile Pets of the Month Points on Pets Publisher’s Notes Road Trip Single Space Spiritual Renaissance The Last Word To the Blue Ridge Urban Garden

1 4 13 12 2 20 45 26 17 24 7

© 2014 Crier Media Group, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The Old Town Crier is published monthly and distributed to selected Alexandria residents, hotels, restaurants and retail shops. Also distributed in the Annapolis, Fredericksburg, Blue Ridge and Washington, DC areas as well as St. John, USVI.

On the road with OTC Follow US on Facebook

at facebook.com/oldtowncrier

Old Town Crier

The Old Town Crier can cross Antarctica off the bucket list for OTR locations. Cheryl Ellsworth and Tom Pardini of Alexandria enjoy the December 2013 OTC issue in Yankee Harbor, Antarctica, while cruising on the Seabourn Quest. Cheryl and Tom enjoy a much warmer climate as the owners of Las Brisas Caribe in St. John in the USVI (see ad in Caribbean Connections).

If you would like to see your picture here, take the OTC with you on your next trip, snap a high resolution photo and send it along with information for the caption to office@oldtowncrier.com.

February 2014 | 1

PUBLISHER’S NOTES BOB TAGERT

Stop by the real estate lounge & design center to find out why @home real estate was awarded RISING STAR by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce.

“

“

Buying, Selling, Renting?

Make yourself @home!

RISING STAR ALEXANDRIA

111 south alfred street | 703.791.1167 www.AtHomeDCmetro.com

Old TOwn Shoe & luggage Repair • Serving Alexandria for over 17 years • Shoe & Luggage Repair • New Luggage

824 King Street Old Town Alexandria, Virginia 703.299.0655 Mon-Fri 7:30 am-7 pm • Sat 9 am-5 pm 2 | February 2014

We want to wish our good friend Mary Catherine Corson a fond farewell and best wishes in her new endeavors. She was an integral part of the management team at Public House and Harrington's Pub and Kitchen. This photo taken at the 3rd Annual Holiday soirée at Public House.

Brrr!

I grew up in this area and I have never seen it so cold for so long.

I can remember back in the 1960s when people would ice skate on the Potomac River, but I haven’t seen that for years, and not even now. I am always amazed at the month of February. It is the shortest month of the year, but seems like the longest. This is when we start wishing for winter to be finished, but the spring equinox is not until March 20 this year, so may as well hunker down until then.

After curling up by your fire and reading this months’ Old Town Crier, take a trip to the Virginia wine country and curl up by a winery fire with a great wine as our Road Trip column suggests. Avoid the summer crowds—go now. Meet Anne Mahlum in our Personality Profile…a runner with a vision. She thinks it, says it, and then does it! Read about our friend Glenn Morel in this month’s Business Profile as he launches his new business AVID Productions. He is proof that when a door closes, a window opens. With the recent hacking of credit card numbers at Target and

other retailers, read about how to protect yourself in Financial Focus. History columnist Sarah Becker writes about the importance of Black History Month. Learn how the Confederates were the first Kamikazes during the Civil War in Civil Discourse.

If the cold really has you down, read about the sailing vessel Pepper in the Caribbean Connection or, better yet, book a week at one of the villas in St. John and St. Thomas or Anne Street Gardens in Key West. Local folks own all of these places.

Even though it is cold, Alexandria’s summer playground, Calvert County, is presenting their second annual Restaurant Week. Check out our ad in this issue and take a short drive to one of these unique restaurants.

Don’t forget to celebrate President’s Day at the parade here in Old Town on the 17th from 1 to 3 pm. The weather is always a little “iffy” but it is the largest parade of its kind in the nation.

Makes you proud to be an Old Town resident!

I would be remiss if I didn’t wish you all a very Happy Valentine’s Day as well.

Old Town Crier

ON THE MEDIA LAURA PARKER

3 Email Marketing Tips Keeping your message out of spam

W

hen it comes to email marketing campaigns, there is nothing worse than sending out a thoughtfully crafted email, only to discover that it was promptly deleted or put in the spam file. To help keep your emails in the inbox and your business in front of your customers’ eyes, there are several strategies that you can employ.

Simple Layout

Last month I discussed the importance of creating a simple, and easy to follow, website. This same principle is true for email marketing

campaigns. Studies show that a simple layout has a direct correlation to increased visibility. However, simple doesn’t have to mean boring. So, keep those images, graphics, and fun text options; just make sure that you can grasp the email’s main message in 30 seconds or less.

Catchy Subject Line

At one point or another, we have all been on Craigslist.org. Whether it is looking for an apartment, applying to a job, or posting a listing, we all try to make sure that our ad is viewed first by creating catchy titles. When it comes to email marketing, the subject line is a place to grab the reader’s attention

through one keyword or phrase. Short, to the point, and enticing are the three crucial ingredients. And, if you need a little inspiration, simply checkout Craigslist aka “the Mecca of clickable titles.”

Mobile Compatibility

Thanks to the popular Indie artist, Lorde, the phrase, “You can call me Queen Bee” has once more resurfaced and is the perfect description for everything mobile. Mobile is the Queen Bee. Email marketing campaigns must be targeted for smartphone compatibility. If it isn’t easy to load, read, and respond from a mobile device, then your email will be

immediately discarded.

No matter the type of email marketing strategy that is used, it is important to always track the results.

Ask for customer feedback. Make your emails savable by offering discounts on services with proof of email. And, above all, understand your audience.

Happy emailing!

Laura Parker is a full-time freelance writer and marketing guru. For more marketing tips or to schedule a marketing advice session please contact her at parke425@gmail.com

The Lamplighter Our staff has 3 generations of experience to assist you in your lamp and lamp shade needs!

Local Farmers Markets Old Town Farmers Market

Market Square • 301 King Street Saturday 5:30 - 11 a.m. • year round free parking in Market Square garage during market hours People who come to Alexandria on Saturday mornings find themselves in a busy plaza where local farmers and artists have been selling their products since 1753. Old Town Alexandria’s Market Square is thought to be one of the nation’s oldest continually operating farmers markets, serving as a

primary source of meat, dairy, fish, fruits and vegetables for Alexandrians. George Washington sent his produce from Mount Vernon to be sold here. Today, the market offers folks a way to reconnect to the past, while participating in an ongoing local and national tradition.

1207 King Street Old Town Alexandria 703.549.4040 www.lamplighterlamps.com Subscribe today and enjoy every issue of the Old Town Crier at home. Fill out this form, enclose a check for $25 (12 issues) and drop it in the mail to: Old Town Crier, 112 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Name _______________________________________________

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From the Bay to

the Blue Ridge

January 2014

Del Ray Farmers Market

Corner of East Oxford Avenue & Mount Vernon Avenue Saturday 8 a.m. - Noon • year round The Del Ray Market is producer grown, with fresh vegetables and fruits in season. All year round this market offers meats,

eggs, fresh pasta and sauces, Amish cheese, yogurt, bakery goods, eggs, jams and jellies, fancy nuts and bakery goods.

Road Trip

FROM THE BAY RIDGE TO THE BLUE in Review 2013

Old Town Crier

get your !

Address ______________________________________________

Personality Profile

BOB HARVEY in A Legend His Own Mind

Grapevine

ALBEMARLE CIDERWORKSConcerns

A Place with Pressing

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Business Profile

THE HOUR

Vintage Cocktailware in Old Town

Across the Bridge

NATIONALtheHARBOR New Year Ringing in

monthly fix

February 2014 | 3

Personality profile Laura Parker

Anne Mahlum

Runner, Visionary

O

ccasionally in life we are blessed to meet someone who is truly inspirational.

A character that seems to have come straight out of an Austen novel and entered into the real world. For me, that person was Anne Mahlum. An entrepreneur, runner, spokesperson for the homeless, founder of Back on My Feet, and visionary, Anne is an inspiration for all of us who are, in her words, “looking for direction, but not knowing what it takes to get there.”

In some ways, Anne’s journey started the day she first donned a pair of running shoes. At the age of 16 Anne found solace in running.

When running she “feels free and very open,” it is a chance to for the body and soul to become cleansed. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Anne’s first entrepreneurial adventure occurred while on a morning run.

Back in May 2007 Anne was working for a non-profit organization in Philadelphia. Every day she would pass a homeless shelter on her morning run. Never one to shy away from strangers, Anne found herself striking up multiple conversations with the individuals whom called the shelter home. As time passed, it dawned on her that she should start a running club. She envisioned a club where homeless individuals could 4 | February 2014

begin to recover parts of their identity, and, become reliable, responsible, as well as dedicated. Little did she know that her small running club would grow into Back on My Feet, a 501(c) 3 organization.

Over the past six years Back on My Feet has grown to 45+ full time staff members, a budget of $6.5M, and 11 chapters across the U.S. Throughout this time more than 1,200 people have used Back on My Feet’s services to find employment and independent housing. In November 2013 Anne stepped down as CEO. She felt that it was, “very important that the organization could survive on its own.” Even though her role in the organization has changed, Anne will continue to advise and serve in a founder’s role. In fact, she is already off and running (pun intended) to her next adventure: solidcore.

After attending a Lagree Fitness class in Los Angeles, Anne decided to bring the workout back to DC and create “something very different and challenging.” Solidcore represents Anne’s next entrepreneurial vision.

When asked why she wanted to start solidcore, she answered quite simply that, “it is my responsibility to continue to create and grow things.” Well, she is certainly creating a sensational workout environment. She currently has one studio opened, a second scheduled to open in February, and a third in the

works for late March.

The solidcore communities invite people to become “better versions of themselves.” The community is welcoming and above all encouraging.

Anne encourages participants to use solidcore as a way to work on other areas of their lives. Just as Back on My Feet helped inspire over 1,200 homeless constituents, Anne hopes that solidcore will motivate its members to ’grab life by the horns.’

The mental toughness needed to complete a solidcore workout can be applied to everyday life. As Anne noted, when your entire body is burning from a workout, you somehow find the strength to push yourselves to the limits. Whenever we face a new challenge in life, we need to find the inner courage needed to push past the burn (so to speak). It is with this same inspiration that Anne has turned her entrepreneurial sights to solidcore. She is building solidcore with the same amount of passion, purpose, and conviction that built Back on My Feet from a one-woman show to a multi-city organization.

The solidcore workout is performed on a MegaFormer machine. This specialized equipment offers resistance training, which provides a low impact workout with high caliber results.

Solidcore sessions help you to work specific muscle regions, increase your metabolism, and change your bodily (and mental) physique. The 50-minute sessions burn an impressive 600-800 calories! To learn more about the solidcore philosophy or schedule a class, visit their website at solidcore.co.

As if starting solidcore, serving on the Back on My Feet advisory board, speaking at public events, and saving time for a daily morning run wasn’t

enough, Anne has even bigger plans for 2014. During our conversation, I asked her to tell me three things that she hoped to accomplish in the New Year. With a groan she begrudgingly obliged. What can I say, for someone as motivated as Anne, narrowing the list down to just three goals was quite a challenge. And so, without further ado, here are one visionary’s top three goals: • Successful transition with Back on My Feet. It is very important to Anne that the organization continues to be just as successful as it was when she was CEO. Throughout the year she will be giving guidance and contributing in meaningful ways.

• Continue to build solidcore. She is still figuring out the vision for the company. Is it going to just be in the DC, VA, MD area? Or should it grow to a larger region? Judging from the positive reviews, this writer thinks that Anne is building a fantastic workout environment that will be embraced for years to come.

• Make more time to travel and enjoy everything. For the past six years Anne has been changing the world, but in 2014 she wants to remember to make time to enjoy this great spinning place that we call Earth.

It is safe to say that Anne Mahlum is one inspiring lady, entrepreneur, runner, and public speaker. Stay tuned throughout 2014 to watch as solidcore takes on the DC, MD, and VA workout scene. And, when it comes to Anne, she will to continue to lead the pack through motivation and a desire to create new activities that rejuvenate the mind, body, and soul. www.annemahlum.com

Old Town Crier

business profile ELIZABETH jones

Avid Productions Life in the hot seat

Glenn Morel with his head in the game in the hot seat.

A

vid [av·id] is defined as showing great enthusiasm and interest. If ever was there was a company name that defined its owner, it is AVID Productions. As the feature of this month’s business profile, I was fortunate enough to meet with Glenn Morel, owner and the man in the hot seat. If Glenn offers as much personality and engagement to his organization as he did to our interview, I am confident AVID Productions is here to stay. During our time together, I received a faux award in the middle of a coffee shop for being the last person standing having not yet joined Facebook, but most importantly I got to hear about his road less traveled, albeit the one that led to his success.

With 20 years of experience in event and television production under his belt, I was eager to hear about how Glenn started off and how he found himself in the Alexandria area. As an extrovert and lover of show business, he began his career as an actor struggling for work in New York City. (I received explicit instructions not to spend too much time on this part of the road less traveled, so moving on...) After some time in Manhattan, he recognized that the people making things happen were those behind the scenes and that was where he belonged.

Glenn knew a couple of things for sure. First, he knew that he wanted to be in the Washington, D.C. area and running or working for a successful business. Second, Glenn knew he didn’t want to be in L.A. regardless of the envious climate during Virginia’s winter months. Glenn knew opportunity when he saw it, and as he more eloquently stated, if D.C. is seen as the business capital of the east coast, Old Town is the capital of trade associations. After

Old Town Crier

landing in the Alexandria area, Director of Photography perhaps Avid Productions he found himself in the corporate sums up his experience working 1629 K Street, Suite 300 production world in a job he with AVID Productions best: Washington D.C., 20006 described as “so wicked cool.”

“There are three big reasons for info@avidproductions.com (Anyone feeling a little job envy working with Glenn. One is his total 202-505-5297 right about now?) commitment to making the project While there were still years better than ever before. Nothing is of hard work to come, the rest was history. With more important to him. Two is his smarts to hire the target market defined and Glenn’s client people who are the best at what they do. Whatever management skills in tow, hard work led to success. the extra cost to him. That’s it! You need to know From small groups to big names, hundreds to no more. (I know I said three reasons and only gave thousands have experienced the expertise and two. I’m one of the guys he hires to be clever.)”

When asked to describe what inspires him, Glenn explained that production and his work is “like launching a mini space ship… and that is why I do it.” Not only does he enjoy being in the hot seat, I am quite certain he was made for it and the 20 years of experience that he has gained brings with it well-deserved confidence and success. As many of us know, you fake it until you make it; but at some point you start realizing your value. Those who are smart, such as Glenn, find success by surrounding themselves with people who carry the experience and know-how to support their vision.

So, what is in the future for AVID Productions?

While the options are limitless, Glenn’s priorities and focus are right on target. His goal is to continue Founding Partners Bonnie Browning and Glenn Morel to love what he does and to do it well, in hopes that his legacy and the success AVID Productions flawless attention to detail which AVID Productions can one day be inherited and led by his 12 year-old has mastered through the production of staged son, Colby. (No question he is Glenn’s number one client.) events, commercial and multi-media, entertainment Find out more about Glenn, his team, and what and video marketing.

AVID Productions has to offer your organization While it would take an entire edition of the Old by visiting www.avidproductions.com. Unlike Town Crier to describe the magic Glenn and his those that are old school (like me), Glenn and his dedicated team make happen on the job, I can tell you that this behind the scenes group is able to team are connected with just about every form of adapt to change and take it as it comes, never losing social media, so follow them on Facebook, Twitter, sight of what is most important—the client. In a LinkedIn, and YouTube to learn more! dog eat dog world, Glenn knows the importance of providing quality service over spreading oneself too thin for the dollar. He is in the business of making people happy, which requires you to be a Yes Man most of the time. Glenn’s instincts, paired with his ethical approach to meeting the profit margin efficiently is what has contributed to the overall success of AVID productions.

When asked what his favorite part of his work was, it was obvious that he would not be able to narrow in on just one thing. However, one of the best things he has gotten to do lately is solicit colleagues for references and feedback. Gino Bruno, Mastering the production of staged events.

February 2014 | 5

FINANCIAL FOCUS carl m.trevisan, cfp© & stephen m. bearce

6 Steps to Help Avoid Online Fraud

A

s technology continues to evolve, so too have the skills of cybercriminals, who have honed their ability to break through firewalls, stealing valuable personal data and funds.

What steps can you take to better secure your valuable personal and financial data when banking online?

Consider the following six tips as important baseline checks.

Tip 1: Be Safe When Connecting

Be careful how and where you use any online banking system. Never connect to the Internet through an unsecured, public, wireless network. Never access your account from a link. Links are easy to tamper with, especially if they are embedded in an email, text message, or online article. Always go directly to

the home page of the financial institution first and navigate from there.

Tip 2: Protect Your Passwords

Choose and use your passwords carefully. Use at least eight characters and include a liberal mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special symbols. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts—doing so leaves you more vulnerable. Never use personally identifying information, such as the last four digits of your Social Security number, in a password or username.

Be sure to change your passwords regularly and avoid reusing the same password and username on different websites. Never share passwords, PINs, or other account-related information in response to an unsolicited

Carter & Coleman Attorneys at Law

Serving Virginia, maryland and DC for over 20 years 703. 739. 4200 cartercoleman.com 602 Cameron Street alexandria, Va 22314

request. If you did not initiate the communication, you should not provide any information.

Tip 3: Regularly Monitor Your Accounts

Check account activity and online statements often, instead of waiting for your monthly statement. If you notice a red flag, contact your bank immediately.

When a customer reports an unauthorized transaction within 60 days of the occurrence, the financial institution will typically cover the loss and take measures to protect the account.1

Tip 4: Protect Your Equipment Be sure your computers and mobile devices are equipped with up-to-date antivirus and malware protection.

Most computer operating systems have built-in security firewalls. Be sure yours is set at medium or higher. Exercise the same caution with your wireless home Internet connection. Without proper protection, there is nothing to protect anyone from gaining access to your computer files and personal account data. WPA encryption is considered the best type of Wi-Fi protection; WEP should be used only if WPA is not available.

Tip 5: Be Careful When Using Social Media

Social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are 1

6 | February 2014

“

As technology continues to evolve so too have the skills of cyber criminals.

used by millions of people worldwide, but be sure to exercise caution when sharing personal information on these sites. Details such as your birth date, home address, or the names of schools you attended are frequently used by financial institutions to validate your identity and are therefore potentially useful to cyber-criminals. Always review the privacy policies for any social network you join so as to avoid unintended disclosure of information.

Tip 6: Shop on Secured Sites If you shop online, be sure to use only websites and merchants that you trust and that protect your account information with industry-standard security protocols. Look for secure transaction signs, such as a lock symbol in the lower righthand corner of your browser or “https” in the address bar. With a healthy dose of caution and some old-fashioned common sense, you can safely use the Internet as a time-saving, convenient resource.

Because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications or its sources, neither S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications nor its sources guarantees the

accuracy, adequacy, completeness or availability of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information.

In no event shall S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications be liable for any indirect, special or consequential damages in connection with subscriber’s or others’ use of the content. © 2013 S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications. All rights reserved.

This column is provided through the Financial Planning Association, the membership organization for the financial planning community, and is brought to you by Carl M. Trevisan, a local member of FPA and Stephen M. Bearce.

McLaughlin Ryder Investments, Inc. and McLaughlin Ryder Advisory Services, LLC and their employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. These materials and any tax-related statements are not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used or relied upon, by any such taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties. Tax-based statements, if any, may have been written in connection with the promotion or marketing of the transaction (s) or matter(s) addressed by these materials, to the extent allowed by applicable law. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.

Securities offered by McLaughlin Ryder Investments, Inc. and investment advisory services offered

by McLaughlin Ryder Advisory Services, LLC.

Source: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Section 1005.6.

Old Town Crier

THE URBAN GARDEN LANI GERING

The Language of Flowers

W

hile we realize that this column is normally dedicated to what we all should be doing during the month of February to ensure a beautiful garden during the rest of the year, we are stepping just outside the box with a piece about the meaning of many of the flowers that you have growing or plan to grow this season. In the spirit of the season, we all recognize the red rose as the ultimate flower symbol of love. A red rose is arguably the traditional romantic gift given to your love on Valentine’s Day; however, roses of other colors send other messages.

Red

True love

White

I love you not

Yellow

Jealousy

Pink

Innocent love and happiness

Orange

I love you vigorously

Purple

I will love you forever

Wild rose Uncontrollable desire Moss rose I admire you from afar The following was garnered from several sources that may be a bit subjective (since not all of the “experts” tend to agree on some of the meanings); however, we hope you find the lore entertaining and enlightening in some fashion.

For hundreds of years flowers have held hidden meanings, derived from mythology, folklore, religious and historical symbolism. The floral bouquet you send or receive holds a special coded message, depending on the flowers you choose.

The study of the meaning of flowers is an actual science known as floriography, and it reveals an extra underlying meaning to sending or receiving flowers—subtle and secret Old Town Crier

messages can be passed through the different blooms.

During the 18th century sending flower messages based on a Turkish secret language of flowers became popular. This was known as sending a Persian Selam, a coded bouquet to reveal your feelings of love or attraction. The Victorians were knowledgeable in flower language and chose their bouquets carefully.

Flowers provided a secret language that enabled men and women to communicate feelings that the propriety of the times would not allow; there were strict restraints on courtship and any displays of emotion.

Think about the following when ordering your Valentine’s Day, birthday, anniversary, Mother’s Day or any other occasion you plan to send flowers to make sure you don’t send the wrong message. Even the way you hand over the bouquet sends a message—flowers held in your right hand mean yes, whereas flowers held in the left hand signify no.

Anemone: Dying Love

Derived from the Greek for windflower, mythology relates the anemone sprung from the tears of Aphrodite as she mourned the death of her love, Adonis. In folklore the anemone is believed to bring luck and protection against evil. The flower was said to foretell rain by closing its petals, and fairies were believed to sleep beneath the petals of the wood anemone during the night after they closed at sunset.

Bluebell: Constancy, Everlasting Love

Believed to call the fairies when rung, and thought to be unlucky to walk through a mass of bluebells, because it was full of spells. It is also considered an unlucky flower to pick or bring into the house. The Latin name for this

flower is Endymion who was the lover of the moon Goddess, Selene. The goddess put Endymion into an eternal sleep, so she alone could enjoy his beauty. Bluebells were said by herbalists to help prevent nightmares, and used as a remedy against leprosy, spider-bites and tuberculosis, but the bluebell is poisonous.

Lily of the Valley: Return to Happiness

Carnation: Betrothal, Love & Fertility

Moss: Maternal Love

This flower was believed to be an aphrodisiac, hence its popular use at weddings and because of the association with love it was widely used in wreaths. Gentlemen began to wear carnations as a buttonhole, Oscar Wilde developed the fashion with a dyed green carnation. Various carnation colors can mean different things: White Love Yellow Rejection Pink

I’ll never forget you

Red

Aching heart

Forget-Me-Nots: True Love & Remembrance

Mythology describes this as the flower chosen by a brave knight as a posy for his sweetheart before going to battle, as he knelt to gather the tiny blue flowers he fell into a river and was swept away, calling to his love to ’forget me not’.

Honeysuckle: Devoted Love

Said to protect your garden from evil. It is known as the ’love bind’ symbolizing a lover’s embrace in its clinging growing habits. The heady fragrance of the flowers was believed to induce dreams of love and passion.

If the bloom is brought into the house a wedding is said to follow within the year. The honeysuckle’s berries are poisonous.

A beautifully scented, but highly poisonous flower. It is believed that Lily of the valley protects your gardens from evil spirits. These fragrant blooms supposedly sprang from Eve’s tears when she was cast out of the garden of Eden.

Soft and comforting, used widely by birds in nesting.

Narcissus: Self-Love & Vanity

The flower name derives from Greek mythology and the tale of the beautiful Narcissus. He ignored the lovely nymph, Echo, and so was punished by falling in love with his own reflection in a pool. The gods believed Narcissus would die of starvation, so they transformed him into the delicate form of scented narcissi, so he could stay there forever.

Pansy: Loving Thoughts & Attraction

Known also as ’heartsease’, this pretty flower was believed to heal love problems. Anyone wanting to ensure they were loved by their sweethearts would carry a pansy

Primrose: First Love

from the Latin primus, meaning first, due to their early spring flowering. The primrose is the sacred flower of Freya, the Norse goddess of love and was used in rituals giving honor to her.

While this is just a small sample of the flowers that comprise many an arrangement, I will bet that many of you will consult with your favorite florist, the next time you send a bouquet. Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

February 2014 | 7

a bit of history sarah becker

Charles Houston & Brown

Charles Hamilton Houston

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egro attorney Charles Hamilton Houston’s colleagues, despite his death in 1950 at age 54, recognize him as the legal genius most responsible for racial integration. His strategy was carefully created, “a protracted legal struggle based on the planned, deliberate prosecution of test cases.” Houston’s legal team included former Howard University law students, black NAACP lawyers like Maryland’s Thurgood Marshall and Virginia’s Spotswood

8 | February 2014

Robinson III. Injustice is defined as a lack of fairness. Charlie Houston—described by his protégé Thurgood Marshall as the Moses of the Jim Crow journey— relied on Plessy v. Ferguson’s 1896 separate but equal doctrine to prove Alexandria’s Parker-Gray High School’s Wythe Street facility unequal. By implementing the Plessy rule, by confirming the high costs associated with the construction and maintenance of separate but equal school facilities, Houston hoped the states would “kill Jim Crow.”

Houston was born September 3, 1895, a child of the Jim Crow era. He was the educated son of Washington, D.C. lawyer William L. and Mary E. Houston; the grandson of escaped slave and Underground Railroad conductor Thomas Jefferson Houston.

It was T.J. who taught Charlie the meaning of moral conviction.

With the abolition of slavery, southern states became increasingly uncomfortable with the freedman’s status. Several state legislatures passed restrictive laws, Black Codes in an effort to ensure white supremacy. In 1866 the federal government tried to remedy civil wrongs with passage of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Amendment, as ratified in 1868, overruled Dred Scott v. Sanford of 1857.

The Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1: “….No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive… without due process of law; nor deny… equal protection of the laws.”

After Reconstruction, America passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875.

Short-lived, the US Supreme Court declared the Act unconstitutional in 1883. With Plessy v. Ferguson America’s Negro population was again

contained. On May 18, 1896 the US Supreme Court, by a vote of 8 to 1, ruled that “all railway companies carrying passengers in their coaches… shall provide equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races.”

“The object of the [Fourteenth] Amendment was undoubtedly to enforce the equality of the two races before the law,” majority Justice Henry Billings Brown wrote, “but in the nature of things it could not have been intended to abolish distinctions based upon color, or to endorse social, as distinguished from political equality…

If one race be inferior to the other socially, the Constitution of the United States cannot put them on the same plane.”

“The white race deems itself to be the dominant race in this country,” dissenting Justice John Marshal Harlan wrote. “And so it is in prestige, in achievement, in education, in wealth and in power…But in the view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens…

Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law…In my opinion, the judgment this day rendered will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott case…[that blacks are] a subordinate and inferior class of beings.”

By 1902 Virginia’s Constitution had been rewritten, the poll tax added, and Alexandria’s trolley seats segregated.

Plessy v. Ferguson remained law until 1954.

Houston, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College (1915) and A BIT OF HISTORY > PAGE 16

Old Town Crier

civil DISCOURSE DOUG COLEMAN

Confederate Kamikazes

I

n the Second World War, as American naval power closed in on the Japanese home islands, the Japanese deployed Kamikaze aircraft to strike our ships. Less famous was the Kaitenclass submarine—basically a manned torpedo tasked to steer itself into an American ship and self-detonate a 3400 pound warhead. More than a hundred Kaitens were launched on suicide runs, but sank only two of our ships, the USS Underhill and Mississinewa.

Eighty years earlier, Confederate commerce is strangled by the United States navy prosecuting Winfield Scott’s “Anaconda Plan.” The blockade begins in May of 1861—by early 1864, most of the major Southern port cities are either occupied or shut off by blockaders. Charleston still holds out and, after Wilmington, is the busiest destination for the blockade runners which are the South’s lifeline to the outside world.

Desperate Confederates adopt Kamikaze-like strategies to break the Charleston blockade. The first of these is the CSS David—as in David versus Goliath—a slim, fast steam launch designed to torpedo much larger vessels. Not quite a submarine, she is a semi-submersible 50 feet long, six feet wide, a draft of five feet, with a crew of four. The David employs a 65-pound powder charge on the end of a wooden spar to hurt her opponent, praying that darkness, speed and a low profile will keep her from being detected and blown out of the water­—and that she will not be “hoist with her own petard” when her torpedo goes off.

On the night of October 5, 1863, David attacks the most powerful ship in the U.S. navy, the sea-going ironclad USS New Ironsides. The stealthy little steamer closes within fifty yards of her target before she is detected. The Old Town Crier

ironclad’s crew opens up with small arms; the Confederates shoot back, hitting a sailor before ramming home the torpedo. While the ironclad’s hull is breached, the crew patches the crack and saves the ship. One Yankee sailor’s legs are broken, one dies of gunshot wounds and a third is disabled by blast concussion.

The David does not fare much better.

Water blown into the air falls through David’s smokestack, extinguishing her boiler; concussion damages her as well. Dead in the water under the muskets and 11-inch guns of an irritated ironclad, her skipper orders the crew to abandon ship and swim for their lives.

An ensign who cannot swim remains aboard; under fire, an engineer returns to the boat and somehow rekindles the boiler. David limps home, though the rest of her crew is captured in the water. New Ironsides is repaired and soon is back on picket. David is also repaired and attacks two more blockaders before Charleston falls, the USS Wabash and Memphis; neither is damaged.

More famous is the CSS Hunley’s attack on the USS Housatonic on the night of February 17, 1864. Named after her inventor, roughly 42 feet long and four feet in beam, Hunley was man-powered by her crew of eight and could reach a speed of about four knots as the men turned a longitudinal crank connected to a propeller. Like David, she carried a spar tipped with a torpedo. Unlike David, Hunley was fully submersible.

Horace Hunley began his submarine program privately in New CIVIL DISCOURSE > PAGE 13

February 2014 | 9

HIGH NOTES CHRIS ANDERSON

Hopes Dashed?

Bruce Springsteen: High Hopes

B

ruce Springsteen has had one hell of a career.

Nineteen albums in 41 years and one of the longest unbroken recording contracts any artist has ever enjoyed. And still, at age 64, his relevance and importance continues to rise. So it can be forgiven if perhaps he hits a brick wall every now and then.

Now, before I continue, I will say that I do enjoy the new Bruce album High Hopes. I really do. Well, mostly… …because, honestly, this album is a mess. At times, a glorious mess, but it’s still a mess. You can look at it from two different perspectives, though.

It’s no secret that this is a cobbledtogether collection of outtakes, cover songs, and re-recorded versions of previously released songs. If you take it as that, it’s a pretty interesting crosssection of the lesser-known recesses of Bruce’s creativity. But if you ignore that and think of this as a legit Bruce album, then it can’t help but fall miserably flat.

One of the reasons this album is so scattershot is that the material comes from a variety of sources. Bruce’s best albums tend to be unified visions.

They sound like they came from the same place. He sings with the same voice, the songs have a theme, the overall vibe feels right. Here, it’s all over the place and this can’t help but feel like a compilation.

It’s no surprise that the strongest tracks are the four songs that have been played on stage. “High Hopes” is a cover of a song by The Havelinas and was originally recorded and released by Bruce in 1995, on the Blood Brothers EP. It was revived last year, at the suggestion of guitarist Tom Morello, and was given new life with the full power of the E Street Band. “American Skin (41 Shots)” was originally written in 1999, following the shooting of Amadou Diallo, and has been a standard in the band’s set lists ever since. Topical once again 10 | February 2014

after the death of Trayvon Martin, this song has a new sense of purpose and is one of the most majestic things Bruce has released in recent years. “Just Like Fire Would” is a cover of a song by Australian band The Saints and was performed by Bruce during his tour of Oz last year. A rousing slice of jangle pop with a Bruce-worthy chorus, this song fits in with his repertoire better than any cover ever has. Lastly, “The Ghost Of Tom Joad” was the title track of Bruce’s dark, mysterious 1995 solo album. Rage Against The Machine released a stormy cover of this song and when Tom Morello joined the E Street Band last year, it was to be expected that this song would be a centerpiece of the band’s sets and they did not disappoint. Bruce even gave Tom a verse, and the result is not only the best song on this album but perhaps the best thing to grace a Springsteen album in decades.

Between those high water marks are several tracks that sit somewhere in the so-so range. “Down In The Hole” is a dark number with a sort of understated groove, a decent enough song that wouldn’t have really fit on any recent album. “Heaven’s Wall” is the only one of the “new” songs that stands to be great on stage, with its anthemic chorus, propulsive groove, and wicked Morello guitar. “Frankie Fell In Love” is a goofy, acoustic-based number that sort of gives an update on a classic Springsteen character while “This Is Your Sword” is Bruce at his most Celtic Folk, a song that surely was a reject from Wrecking Ball, and is one song that has grown on me quite a lot. “Hunter Of Invisible Game” is folk-Bruce, in waltz-time, another violin-drenched number that sounds like another Wrecking Ball cast-off. While it’s not a bad song, it is rather boring and its title is trite. “The Wall” is a slow, emotional number, inspired by a trip to the Vietnam Veteran’s memorial as well as the story of Walter Cichon, a local musician

who was killed in Vietnam. This is a beautiful song that should have closed this album, and would have done so perfectly had Bruce not totally botched the job.

So that leaves us with two more songs and, boy, are they clunkers.

“Harry’s Place” was originally intended for The Rising but was wisely shelved.

Everything about this song, from the music to the lyrics to the production, reminds me of Miami Vice. Had this song come out in 1987, it would have been featured that show and would have been a monster. But this is 2014.

To say this song sucks would be an understatement. Still, it’s not the worst song on this disc.

No, friends, that distinction goes to the album-closing “Dream Baby Dream”, hands down the most plodding, insipid song that Bruce Springsteen has ever recorded in 41 years of making records. It was a terrible song when Suicide originally cut it in 1979 and it is even more lifeless here. And to think that this is the third time Bruce has recorded this song in the studio (two different versions were released online recently) makes me really wonder just what kind of hold this song has over him.

Had the album simply closed out with “The Wall”, it would have ended on a pensive, reflective note and it would have been satisfying. This….this is just frustrating.

Now, I don’t want to come across as slammin’ the Boss. I love Bruce, I really do. And, honestly, he has done more to remain vital in his 60s than most of his contemporaries. But I think he should have tried a little bit harder. Or he should have saved this for another Tracks installment.

Because what we have here, as far as I can tell, is a relatively flimsy excuse to keep touring. Bruce should know better.

I have “high hopes” for his next album.

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February 2014 | 11

POINTS ON PETS ASHLEY DENHAM BUSSE

King Street Cats Adoption Calendar FEBRUARY 2014

Gettin’ Fit in ’14

For details & MORE INFO website: www.kingstreetcats.org email: contact@kingstreetcats.org King Street Cats is looking for foster homes! You provide the spare room and TLC and we provide food, litter and all vetting. Please email for our Kitten Fostering FAQ at: contact@kingstreetcats.org King Street Cats 25 Dove Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Every Saturday & Sunday 1:30–4:30 pm Pro Feed Bradlee Shopping Center 3690 King Street Alexandria, VA 22302 Every Saturday & Sunday 1–4 pm PETCO UNLEASHED AT PENTAGON ROW 1101 S. Joyce Street Arlington, VA 22202 Saturday, February 1 Saturday, February 15 Sunday, February 16 1–4 pm DOGMA 2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive Arlington, VA 22206 Sunday, February 9 1–4 pm Petsmart Willston Shopping Center 6100 Arlington Blvd Falls Church, VA 22044 Sunday, February 23 1–4 pm

R

aise your hand if one of the New Year’s resolutions you made last month was to exercise more. Or raise your hand if you don’t really go in for that whole “New Year’s resolutions thing” but have silently vowed to yourself that you’ll get more exercise (or lose weight or get outside more) this year. Yeah, I thought so. Most people want to be doing more (or suspect they probably should be doing more) healthy activity every week. The good news is this is something you can do with your pets! Just like humans, most dogs and cats don’t get enough exercise (at least 35% are overweight), and we all know by now the benefits of regular exercise and even its ability to add years to our lives. Don’t we want the same for our pups and kitties?

Here are a few ideas we’ve gleaned from various sources that can make exercising doable for your busy schedule, and even make it fun for you and your pets!

• Animal Planet interviewed celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, who was quoted as saying, “So many pet owners consider walking their pets a chore, like making the bed…Instead, think of it as a way for you both to get exercise, as an essential part of your pet’s good health."

But these walks need to be more than

12 | February 2014

just a quick walk to the end of the block; aim to make them 15-20 minutes at least, and keep your heart rates slightly increased. (If your dog is old or unwell or still very young, multiple shorter walks are better.) The good news is that dogs are creatures of habit, so you’ll always have the motivator/ accountability partner nosing at you to stick with it every day!

• Play tag with your dog. I know our dog Polly loves it when we get her “riled up” out in the backyard. If we start running and dodging around she does too. Playing chase or tag would make her day, and it’s a fun way to get a bit of exercise without even realizing it.

• Also from Animal Planet: "Getting a feline to frolic can be hard work…As cats leave their mischievous kitten stage of life, learning what makes your cat frisky can take some trial and error.”

Try Flashlight Sit-ups! “Do sit-ups with a mini flashlight in each hand. At the top position, tighten your ab muscles while waving the flashlight beams back and forth on the wall—your cat will chase them.”

• Or how about “Curious Cat Curls”?

All you have to do for this one is to tie a toy with a string to your dumbbells.

Your cat will go crazy trying to catch

the toy as you curl up and down. You can do this with a lot of exercises, or try holding a laser pointer or flashlight when you do your other cardio exercises.

• One word: DOGA. Dog yoga is hatha yoga with your dog, combining massage, stretching, and meditation.

Yes, dogs probably don’t need yoga (unless they’re high strung, and then—who knows?)—but meditation, stretching, and massage do a human body much good. And if your dog will go for it, it can be a great bonding experience.

• Dancing: There is an organization called the World Canine Freestyle Organization that promotes dancing along with your dog. It’s basically just a lot of fun, offering creative expression, exercise, and bonding with your pup.

Think Dancing with the Stars –but with dogs instead of celebrities. A video of a woman dancing to “You’re the One That I Want” from Grease made the rounds of the internet recently, and I gotta say, both human and dog looked like they were having a lot of fun. The dog was mentally stimulated by the training involved, he was clearly bonded with his owner as he kept eye contact with her the entire time, and the dance itself POINTS ON PETS > PAGE 13

Old Town Crier

POINTS ON PETS FROM PAGE 12

looked pretty high-energy! There is a Freestyle Dancing club in Falls Church; check it out here: http:// vafoxtrotters.info/ • If you’ve got an active, high-energy dog, consider enrolling in an agility course. It’ll get your dog the exercise and stimulation she requires (making your life easier), plus it gives you a great workout. Fairfax County often offers dog training and agility courses; a Google search can yield other options as well.

CIVIL DISCOURSE FROM PAGE 9

Orleans. The prototype, the Pioneer, demonstrated that submarines were feasible, but had to be scuttled when the Yankees captured New Orleans.

The project moved to Mobile, where an improved sub, the American Diver, was developed. The Diver was fitted out with a spar torpedo; as she was towed out to attack the blockaders, she suddenly sank. (See: www. sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/h-lhunley-submarine.htm) Hunley persisted, moving the project to Charleston. The third craft he named after himself, the HL Hunley, which officially was not a “CSS”, but a licensed privateer operated by the army. Hunley was never a lucky boat. On an early test run in August of 1863, the skipper accidently steps on a dive plane control with the hatches wide-open; the boat floods and five of her eight man crew drown. The graves of four

• Hiking is always fun in Northern Virginia, what with all the public and state parks we have. Next time you have a day off and the weather’s not horrible, consider taking your pup for a short hike, and get some fresh air!

• Even just running around the house or up and down the stairs on those chilly or rainy days can get your heart rate (and mood) up, and the same goes for your pet. Even short bursts of exercise can help mental and physical healthy tremendously; they will also inspire you to do more because of how good they make you feel. of this crew are identified in 1999.

Their bones are hacked and sawn to pieces; it is ten days before the boat is salvaged and the dead bloat so badly they must be butchered for removal through narrow hatches. (See www. historynet.com/hunley-crewmen-founddecember-1999-civil-war-times-feature. htm). In a second sinking in October 1863, Horace Hunley himself drowns with all hands; the sub is salvaged once more, notwithstanding P.T.G. Beauregard’s reservation that the Hunley “was more dangerous to those who use it than the enemy.”

So, thirteen men had already perished inside the Hunley’s cramped hull when George Dixon and his crew of seven squeeze inside on the evening of February 17th. Dixon’s target is the 205 foot sloop-of-war Housatonic. It takes approximately two hours for Dixon to close the five miles to his objective. Up in the cold, sailors on the Housatonic see something coming

A Word of Caution

If you or your pet are starting from scratch in the exercise department, it’s probably a good idea to get a physical and some advice from your doctor or veterinarian first, especially to prevent injury.

Remember This

When you play or interact with your pet, your endorphins rise and your stress hormones fall. This kind of good feeling can add extra boost to your system and improve your workout. Plus, your pet will benefit in the moonlight and sound the alarm —Hunley is not submerged for the attack. The Yankees pour small arms fire into the sub. Closing at three knots, the Hunley’s spar tipped with a 135 pound charge detonates under the sloop’s hull in the aft section. A huge hole is torn in the hull—witnesses describe a couch floating out of the breach—and she burns only three minutes before going to the bottom.

Five sailors are killed; 150 survivors cling to spars and rigging waiting for rescue. Salvagers report much more devastation than expected from a torpedo, suggesting that a secondary explosion of the aft powder magazine contributed to the rapid sinking.

Hunley never returns. Her wreck is recovered in 2000 about 300 yards from the grave of the Housatonic, her crew dead at their posts, with no signs of struggle to escape, despite the front hatch being partially opened. This suggests all were stunned or killed

emotionally and physically, too.

What’s not to love? So get out there and get active!

Ashley Denham Busse has worked for Doggywalker.com since 2006.

Doggywalker.com is a professional pet-sitting company located in Old Town Alexandria, celebrating more than 13 years of providing daily walks and customized in-home pet care.

Visit doggywalker.com or email info@ doggywalker.com. by the concussion of the 135 pound torpedo detonating 20 feet from her nose through incompressible water, followed by the blast of Housatonic’s magazine. Dixon’s watch stopped at the moment of the explosion, 8:23 p.m. For more, see What really happened to the Hunley, www.clemson. edu/glimpse/?p=1151; Friends of the Hunley, http://www.hunley.org/; The Historical Archaeology of Military Sites: Method and Topic, Ed. Clarence Geier (2010).

Hunley is the first submarine to sink a ship, but it costs 21 Confederate lives to do so. Her last crew’s odds were slim and they probably knew it. They were buried together in Charleston with full military honors in April 2004.

Doug Coleman is an attorney and amateur historian in Alexandria; comments and corrections are welcome at dcoleman@cartercoleman.com.

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February 2014 | 13

GALLERY BEAT F. LENNOX CAMPELLO

Audrey Wilson and the WGS

T

he Washington Glass School is recognized internationally as one of the leaders of the worldwide movement that has finally dragged the genre of glass from being qualified as craft to being recognized as fine art. A decade or so ago, a curator at the Hirshhorn Museum told me that the Hirshhorn “did not collect glass.”

“Does it collect chocolate or mud?”

I then asked. She smiled because she knew that I had nailed her (The Hirshhorn has a sculpture made of chocolate by Janine Antoni and one of mud by Ana Mendieta). The key here is that glass is just a substrate, but to many close-minded museums and curators, when they think glass, they think craft.

WGS artists like Tim Tate, Michael Janis, Erwin Timmers, Nancy Donnelly, Robert Kinchloe, and others have changed that. Add Audrey Wilson to the list.

14 | February 2014

Last month, “The Aberrant Collection of the Spurious Calamus”

by Audrey Wilson was this young artist’s first solo show and it allowed Wilson to show why she’s on her way to become another giant signpost in the evolving art history of glass.

This new collection of works was her first solo show and it featured her mixed media sculptures. As a disclaimer, I will tell you that I’ve become very familiar with both Audrey Wilson and with her work in the last two years, since we’ve exhibited her work at both Aqua Art Fair in 2012 and most recently at Context Art Fair Miami in 2013.

Let me summarize this right now: if you are an art collector and did not buy one of her pieces at this show, her first (and thus historic) solo show, then you missed a rare opportunity in glass art history. At least two major DMV collectors knew this and acquired work at her show.

“Why does Campello say this?” you

must be asking. Let me explain.

Over the years I think that I have developed a pretty damned good eye at spotting what makes an artist click (or not) and, dear readers, I have empirical evidence (and not just hearsay or anecdotal data) to back that statement.

And what I have noticed about Wilson and her work have several components—all critical—that help to make her a “BUY NOW.” She has an enviable work ethic. That, my learned friends, is a key seasoning to the success soup recipe. Nothing beats hard work.

She is a hard worker. Does it sound like I am repeating myself? It’s intentional.

She has a powerful “artistic IT,” that undefinable (except by me) element that separates the good from the truly intelligent.

Her work is intelligent—it just is!

When you get into a discussion with GALLERY BEAT > PAGE 16

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MARIS ELAINE GALLERY 178 Waterfront St. National Harbor 301-686-0323 MINDFULL HANDS GALLERY 211 King St. 703-683-2074 OLD COLONY SHOP 222-B S. Washington St. 703-548-8008 P & C ART 212 King St. 703-549-2525 PAUL McGEHEE’S GALLERY 109 North Fairfax St. 703-548-7729 POTOMAC WEST INTERIORS & ANTIQUES 1517 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-519-1911

TIME JUGGLER 411 Cameron St. 703-836-3594 TORPEDO FACTORY ART CENTER 105 N. Union St. 703-838-4565 circa 2012 • oil and alkyds on wood • 23.5 x 19.5”

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PRINCE ROYAL GALLERY 204 S. Royal St. 703-548-5151

GALLERY WEST 1213 King St. 703-549-7359

THE PRINCIPLE GALLERY 208 King St. 703-739-9326

GOSSYPIA 325 Cameron St. 703-836-6969

SCULPTURE GALLERY 115 S. Patrick St. Studio 303 703-683-5056

IMAGINE ARTWEAR 1124 King St. 703-548-1461

STUDIO BIANCO 220 S. Henry St. 703-299-0662

SILVERMAN GALLERIES ANTIQUES 110 N. Asaph St. 703-836-5363

Follow us on Facebook AT facebook.com/oldtowncrier February 2014 | 15

GALLERY BEAT FROM PAGE 14

A BIT OF HISTORY FROM PAGE 8

Wilson about all the elements and components and titling of her pieces, one is left salivating like Pavlov’s dog hearing a bell that signifies greatness.

Her work looks GREAT! I say this with some reticence, as these days, some art symbiots still have issues with beauty, but Wilson’s work stand out with some sort of undefinable beauty.

She appeals to young collectors: OK. You’re gonna have to trust me on this. At the fairs I have sold her work, clients who have told me: “This is the first piece of art that we’ve ever bought!”

She appeals to important major collectors: At Context Art Miami, on the second day, when I got to the booth there was a MAJOR (caps well deserved) collector waiting for me. She told me that this was the first time in over two decades of art collecting that she had waited for someone at an empty booth (this while I was wondering how she got into the fair before official opening time). “I want this artist,” she said in her usual brusque manner. And she got her.

She appeals to curators: At Aqua, her work was invited to a major curatorial project.

Audrey Wilson tells you that her sculptures are “a blend of created and altered elements that reflect evolving science and machinery and explore the relationship between man and technology. Technology is merely an extension and reflection of mankind. In fact, no objects contain more human essence than do tools.”

Audrey’s sculptural projects and multi-media works are “metaphors evoking our endless manipulation of environment, our need for control, and our longing for a meaningful union with nature and the other, in a supreme balance of power and delicacy. People are becoming increasingly alienated from the objects which surround and sustain them, as they have lost the emotional link to technology.”

“The Aberrant Collection of the Spurious Calamus” was a super debut and captured our complicated relationship with technology, mirroring it back with poetic glances.

Read this column again in ten years.

Harvard Law School (1922), was admitted to the Bar of the District of Columbia in 1924.

He joined his father’s law firm and became a Howard University law instructor in the same year. Coincidentally, on March 20, 1924 Virginia passed two heinous laws one of which was the Racial Integrity Act. Beginning in October 1933—coincident with the organizing meeting of the Alexandria chapter of the NAACP—Houston, an acknowledged ally, “spoke on the necessity of high school facilities for negro children in Alexandria, and urged the citizens associated [with Parker-Gray High School] to continue their fight for equal school accommodations.”

“All education, white and Negro, is feeling the pinch of the [Great] Depression,” Houston wrote in 1934, “but in the South common rumor is that Negro education is being sacrificed so as to save white education from being curtailed.”

“Since education is a preparation for the competition of life,” Houston said in 1935, “a poor education handicaps black youth who with ’all elements of American people are in economic competition.’”

16 | February 2014

true equality of the races.”

Virginia was one of four states involved in the Brown decision [Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County]. In April 1951, black students at Prince Edward County’s Moton High School protested the high school’s substandard conditions. The NAACP filed suit, but the US District Court rejected the students’ plea concluding that segregated schools harmed neither race.

“These [Brown] cases come to us from the States of Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia and Delaware,” US Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren said. “They are premised on different facts…but a common legal question justifies…this consolidated opinion.

Segregation of white and Negro children in the public schools of a State solely on the basis of race…denies to Negro children the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

“Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and ’tangible’ factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities?”

Warren asked. “We believe it does.”

Negro attorney Charles Hamilton Houston’s colleagues, despite his death in 1950 at age 54, recognize him as the legal genius most responsible for racial integration.

“The white man claims black American slowness, backwardness, and less intelligence to justify ’poorer teachers, wretched schools, shorter terms and an inferior type of education’ for blacks,” Houston continued, “but the reason for such treatment has nothing to do with alleged black inferiority.”

Houston, a Dean, left Howard University Law School in 1935 to join the New York offices of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] as Special Counsel for education and transportation. He returned to the District in 1939.

“The equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment furnishes the key to future policies and practices which should govern the relationship of the Federal government…to Negro separate schools,” Houston concluded in 1938. “The existence of Negro separate schools is itself a negation of democracy, and the long range objective… must envisage the day when all Americans regardless of race or creed will attend the same schools.”

On May 17, 1954, the US Supreme Court unanimously concluded that America could no longer educate its young in segregated public schools. Brown v. the Board of Education overturned Plessy v. Ferguson’s separate but equal doctrine. Brown, a bundled series of cases included Bolling v. Sharpe (1950); another of Houston’s District of Columbia, Parent Consolidated Group’s school integration cases. He suffered a heart attack just prior to preparation.

“District Court was petitioned yesterday to declare that racial segregation in public schools here is unconstitutional,” The Washington Post reported November 10, 1950. “Attorney George E.C. Hayes said the suit [Bolling v.

Sharpe] is designed to overthrow the “separatebut-equal” doctrine. The suit itself was not based on the premise that Negro schools here were necessarily-inferior in facilities to white schools. Instead, it follows the theory that segregation carried with it a stigma denying

“Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon colored children,” Warren continued. “The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law; for the policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as denoting inferiority of the negro group. A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn.”

“Equal,” NAACP Attorney Thurgood Marshall maintained, “means getting the same thing, at the same time and in the same place.”

Not until Samuel W. Tucker’s 1968 Green v. School Board of New Kent County, Va.—a case argued one day before Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination; the US Supreme Court’s extension of Brown—did Virginia School Districts implement full desegregation.

Virginia NAACP attorney Samuel W. Tucker heeded Houston’s call because he was “born black in Alexandria.”

“When Brown against the Board of Education was being argued in the Supreme Court…[t]here were some two dozen lawyers on the side of the Negroes fighting for their schools,” US Supreme Court Justice and Brown solicitor Thurgood Marshall said in 1978. “[O]f those…lawyers…only two hadn’t been touched by Charlie Houston…[T]hat man was the engineer of all of it…If you do it legally, Charlie Houston made it possible…This is what I think Charlie Houston…means to us.”

In February, Black History Month, the Alexandria School Board will vote regarding the future of the re-segregated Jefferson [Charles] Houston School. After six years of academic mismanagement Jefferson Houston School remains a candidate for State takeover.

A working committee anxious “to break with the past” has proposed a name change.

Houston’s history, some School Board members claim, is synonymous with the “dark ages;” the pun perhaps intended. More likely: ACPS Board members afraid of redistricting can no longer support Houston’s legacy of integration, of academic equality especially grades 6-8.

Email: abitofhistory53@gmail.com Old Town Crier

THE LAST WORD MIRIAM R. KRAMER

No One You Love Is Ever Truly Lost

W

ho was Ernest Hemingway before he became a looming tower of American letters, in addition to a quintessentially American action-adventure hero whose boozing, big game hunting in Africa, fishing, and other exploits always threatened to overshadow even his literary accomplishments and crush him in the process? Paula McClain’s novel, The Paris Wife, imaginatively answers this question through the eyes of Hadley Richardson, Hemingway’s often overlooked first wife, whose silence hid a strength, vibrancy, and charm that helped fuel Hemingway’s growth and success as a writer and adventurer.

It is often said that no one knows what goes on between two people in a marriage. Based on her reading of letters from their early courtship, McClain gives us a compelling fly-on-the-wall view of that give-and-take between Hadley and Hemingway as they meet in October 1920 and quickly fall in love. The character of the withdrawn Hadley easily takes on shape and character as she falls for the dashing young journalist when they meet at a friend’s house in Chicago.

Family illness and struggles have dampened her joy, and she has forgotten who she is. After falling out of a window as a child, her domineering mother tries to wrap her in cotton, thereby hiding her natural fearlessness and curiosity and trapping her in a domestic sphere where she dreams and reads in the parlor.

McClain’s writing is vivid, clear, and completely absorbing when she sketches Hadley’s emergence as an essential part of Hemingway’s life. When Hadley meets Hemingway, his vitality and comfort with himself completely appeals to her, in part because it speaks to her own strength and capacity for relishing new experiences.

When they marry, she takes her first steps towards her own adventure, one wound up completely with him and his burning desire to write the truth of relationships,

Old Town Crier

and his fascination with death and the way brushing up against it reaffirms what it is to be thoroughly alive. She sees them in symbiosis, saying “I knew he needed me absolutely, and I wanted him to go on needing me forever.”

With the help of acclaimed writer Sherwood Anderson, who provides them with letters of introduction to Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and Sylvia Beach of the acclaimed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, the Hemingways sail away to the bohemian Paris of the nineteentwenties, where they find a small dingy flat and an overwhelming barrage of sights, smells, sounds, and experiences.

As Hadley and Ernest embark on married life, she is empowered and nurtured through her own explorations of Paris and with the knowledge that she can help him like no one else, even as she realizes how his writing life consumes him. He is sometimes haunted by his experiences in World War I, and the unease and fracturing of modern life threads throughout their interactions while he toils to get published and read by artists in Europe and America.

McClain does a marvelous job at evoking the atmosphere of 1920s Paris. Hemingway forms close bonds with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald and others who make Paris a bubbling hot spring of artistic imagination, as they try to make sense of and capture a newly minted modernity and frightening freedom: the freedom that comes when no pre-war societal rules seem to apply. Her book is like a ticket to Jazz Age Paris, where one can experience all the swirling discordancy and creativity that served to inspire this new generation of writers and artists.

In this book, Hadley’s character lends itself to multiple interpretations. She plays the piano very well but is overly self-effacing about her skills. When a friend urges her to plan a concert, she does, but cancels the venue when marital trouble overcomes her. Literally, she loses her voice: her playing. In one way, her

voice never gets heard as a primary figure among their “set” in Paris. She is often left to socialize with artists’ wives rather than the artists themselves. In watching them through her eyes, we see that her essence is a steadiness, honesty, humor, and traditional urge to be a wonderful mother: she is a safe haven from the instability and hedonism that whirls around her. While she plays second fiddle to Ernest’s needs, though, she quietly becomes much stronger within herself, a fully realized personality. Despite her broken heart, she will not accept her much-beloved husband’s deepseated insecurities when they manifest themselves in his need to have another woman in his bed and constantly in their lives.

McClain has wisely made Hadley’s narrative voice that of someone who is both outsider and insider. Through her we see Hemingway become a distortioncum-exaggeration of the exciting, vital individual he is. He exhibits brashness, rudeness to many in their artistic coterie, takes up with a superficial set of writers and tries to distance himself from those who supported him in an effort to top them. Yet despite his mammoth flaws, skewed behavior, and huge appetite for new experience, Hemingway never stopped loving Hadley. In his memoir, A Moveable Feast, he wrote almost forty years and three other wives later “I wish I had died before I ever loved anyone but her.”

I recommend The Paris Wife to anyone who enjoys the romance of The Lost Generation of writers in Paris, or who appreciates the story of a relationship that exists between people struggling to understand and support one another while realizing themselves in a broken world where the pieces have to be put back together in a new and exciting way.

February 2014 | 17

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION JAIME ELLIOTT

Daysailing Aboard the s/v Pepper Step back in island history

“W

hen we brought her back here, a lot of people remembered her,” said Kim Sammartano.“It was neat; a lot of people came up and said they were happy to see her back in Coral Bay,” said Lance Davies.

After cruising and entertaining guests at Maho Bay Campground on St. John’s north shore for more than a decade, the sloop Pepper is back to her original home in Coral Bay with new owners Kim Sammartano and Lance Davies at the helm.

18 | February 2014

The traditional island sloop was built by hand under a large tree next to Skinny Legs in 1998 and had returned to her home bay since. As soon as she was launched, Pepper’s original owners sailed her directly to the north shore, where she was moored off-shore of Maho Bay Camps and operated as a successful day charter until the campground closed last summer.

Pepper is now back home in Coral Bay where Sammartano and Davies offer both full day and sunset cruises, with gourmet food, delicious libations and the opportunity to appreciate a

traditional island boat.

From its inception, the wooden sloop was designed to pay homage to the Caribbean’s rich boat building history. Her story begins back in the late 1990s when captain Lisa Nathan was running a day charter business at Maho Bay Campground with her Morgan 34 Perstare.

Yearning to trade in her fiberglass vessel for something that was more evocative of the rich history of Caribbean boat building, Nathan commissioned Jody Culbert, who himself had fallen in love with traditional island sloops via an acquaintance in Anguilla.

Culbert built the vessel by hand right outside of Skinny Legs using Spanish cedar planking and the lead off nearby wrecked boats for ballast.

You won’t find a cubby or bunk down below, but there’s plenty of space in Pepper’s oversized open cockpit for up to six guests. And with her elongated boom and oversized sail area, the 23foot Pepper can put many vessels in her wake even without all the bells and whistles found on most charter boats.

After she was completed in 1998, Nathan and her husband, who happened to be a bartender at Skinny Legs, launched Pepper from the beach the bar and sailed her over to the North Shore. Just about 15 years later, she’s now back home under the loving care of Sammartano and Davies, who bought her last year.

A transplant from Atlanta most recently, Sammartano worked at Maho Bay Campground for the beloved ecocamp’s final season, which is where she met Pepper’s former owners who were looking to retire.

Fred Renner and Renee Procter had bought Pepper from Nathan and Kevin Block. For years Fred and Renee enjoyed a robust business with Pepper, taking out Maho guests season after season. As the campground was closing last summer, Fred and Renee were hoping to retire and looking for the perfect buyer for Pepper.

Sammartano’s then-boyfriend, now husband, Lance Davies, made the move to St. John after visiting and getting bitten by the island bug himself. A former commercial photographer, Davies worked as a dive master at Caneel Bay Resort’s Patagon Dive Center before the couple bought Pepper.

Instead of running to jobs in the city, Davies’ and Sammartano’s days are now spent cruising out of Coral Bay with guests who get to enjoy the traditional lines and fine-tuned sailing of a traditional island sloop.

“For me the best part is being on the water,” said Davies. “I would do anything on the water.”

Sammartano, meanwhile, loves meeting guests from across the globe, she explained. “I really like talking to people from everywhere,” she said.

CARRIBEAN CONNECTION > PAGE 19

Old Town Crier

Photography: Rolando Garces

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CLIFFHANGER

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION FROM PAGE 18

“I’ve lived in a few different cities and the people who come here are really interesting. This island draws an awesome group of people.”

While Pepper’s transom sports a four-stroke outboard motor these days, Davies only uses it to get off the mooring and it’s basically the sole nod to post-industrial age technology on the boat.

Once safely out in the harbor, Pepper’s sails do all work and guests enjoy the serene beauty of island sailing, not much differently than they would have 100 years ago or more.

After cruising along the ruggedly beautiful East End of St. John, guests enjoy a snorkel stop. Davies’ years of both diving and photography experience means those snorkel trips are expertly guided with the added bonus of stunning underwater snapshots of what you just saw.

While Davies is leading the snorkel, Sammartano is busy topside putting out a gourmet and vegetarian-friendly spread. Snacks might include hummus made with Sammartano’s home-roasted sesame seeds, creamy tofu salad pita sandwiches and there is always plenty of fresh fruit and gourmet cheese and crackers.

To wash all that down, Sammartano also whips up the boat’s signature Pepper Punch; a refreshing concoction of natural guava and passion fruit juices mixed up with a combination of rums.

After a leisurely lunch and a cocktail or two, guests enjoy a cruise back into Coral Bay harbor where they arrive around 2 p.m. Full day cruises aboard Pepper run $95 per person with only a two person minimum, making the trip ideal for honeymooners or vacationing couples. The cost includes water, soft drinks, cocktails, Sammartano’s amazing lunch and the guided snorkel.

For a shorter excursion, book the two-hour sunset cocktail cruise. This trip runs from about 4 to 6 p.m. depending on the time of year and includes delicious hors d’oeuvres, fine wine pairings, beer and cocktails for the cost of $65.

Sammartano and Davies also keep Maho Bay Camp’s ecoconscious spirit alive by offering only reusable plastic cups, water bottles and plates.

For more information about Pepper or to book a charter, call 340-771-7011 or check out www.sailpepper.com.

Old Town Crier

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February 2014 | 19

ROAD TRIP BOB TAGERT

VIRGINIA WINE

BY FIRESIDE

C

onsidering the recordbreaking cold weather we have endured in January, you might be wondering why I am suggesting a road trip to the wine country of Virginia.

As long as the roads are drivable, the winter is a great time to visit some of Virginia’s fine wineries. Most are open from Thursday to Monday, and some open 7 days a week.

The reasons that I like to visit the wineries this time of year is because there are far less people in the tasting room which allows for a lot of one-onone conversations with the owners and wine makers. The other visitors you meet this time of year are usually more wine conscious than the summer time visitors...they are usually there for a reason, not just an summer drive. It is a good time to meet new folks and discuss the Virginia wines that are available.

Chances are that you will see the same people at the next winery you visit.

The most notable and appreciated aspect of a winter visit to wine country are the many fireplaces, outdoor fire pits and heated patios. Even in the winter we are prone to have 50-degree days, which are perfect for a friend, a coat and a Virginia Cab Franc sitting in the sunshine or by a cozy fire. Which brings to mind that we are more prone to drink red wines in the winter, and there is nothing better than wine and a fireplace.

Also this time of year you will find that most of the wineries are serving up hot soups, mulled wine, chili and specialty items to ward off the cold as well as live music to keep you entertained. Here are some of my favorite places.

About a mile outside of Middleburg on Route 50 you can find Greenhill Winery & Vineyards. The winery consists of 11 acres of grapes with varieties including the Burgundy grapes of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, a Bordeaux combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. The other varieties include Riesling, Seyval Blanc, and Petite Sirah. The historical stone house on the estate, built in 1762 serves as a private tasting house for Greenhill Wine Club Members. While the estate house showcases a beautiful fireplace,

Enjoying the fireplace at Greenhill Winery manor house

20 | February 2014

Old Town Crier

A couple with their dog enjoying the outdoors at three Fox Winery

Enjoying wine by the fire pit at Barrel Oak

the tasting room offers a heated patio as well as small table with fire pits on the lawn.

Traveling through the town of Marshall, you will soon come to Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane. The winery and tasting room at Barrel Oak is large and can accommodate a lot of people, which this time of year makes it nice and roomy. A large tasting bar makes for easy service. There is ample room and tables in the tasting room and tables with fire pits outside that offer beautiful views of the Blue Ridge. The main attraction, however, is the huge stone fireplace in the main room. With Old Town Crier

The huge fireplace at Barrel Oak

two overstuffed leather couches and a small table, this is just too comfy.

Only about a mile north on route 17 you will find Three Fox Vineyards where the owners make “La Dolce Vita a part of your life.” This is what I would call an intimate tasting room.

With two separate tasting bars there is plenty of room to stand and taste their wines. When the summer crowds arrive, Three Fox Winery offers tastings outdoors. When it comes time to sit down and enjoy your wine there is an enclosed patio with heaters available…a perfect spot to enjoy your wine and maybe a cigar. There are

also tables with fire pits located on the hillside. The views are beautiful and you will feel like you are at a ski resort. If there happens to be snow on the ground, you may bring your crosscountry skis and tour the property.

If you are in the Loudoun County area take route 15 out of Leesburg and make a right on Limestone School Road, and visit our writer, Doug Fabbioli at his winery where there is always something going on. A little farther down the road you can find Tarara Winery near the little hamlet of Lucketts.

These are only five of Virginia’s

200-plus wineries. They are only an hour’s drive from Alexandria and the back roads are beautiful as they wind through small towns and pastures with blanketed horses grazing.

Within a mile or two of all of these first three wineries are the towns of Middleburg, The Plains and Marshall where you can find great restaurants.

The other two are only about 3 miles from Leesburg, where you can find a restaurant for every taste. All of these wineries have won numerous awards and medals for their wines, so get off of the couch and take a road trip!

February 2014 | 21

FROM THE BAY…

photo: Molly Winans

MOLLY WINANS

5

Reasons You Should Go Sailing in ’14

A

llow me to be the one writer on a February deadline to not discuss valentines, black history, presidents, tax season, or how cold it is. Let’s talk about the five reasons you should go sailing this year. I know, it’s cold—but we’ve agreed not to talk about that. Run with me on this.

Reason number one: You know you want to go sailing… someday. Everyone does, right? Perhaps a few of you get sick on boats. (There are solutions for that. Keep reading.). Most of us feel better on boats than we do on land. We dream of the freedom of casting off our lines with the sun on our faces, the wind in our hair. We have seen all those ads with sleek Ralph Lauren and Nautica models on beautiful wooden boats (so much shinier than real bodies of water would ever allow) sporting their navy cable

SerVinG Sunday Brunch

The historic Old Field House in charming Calvert County is home to the warm ambiance and fabulous food of Saphron, where our guests are transported to another time and place, making the dining experience as memorable as the food itself.

Saphron zealously promotes community involvement through loyal patronage of our local growers from the greater Southern Maryland area.

american cuiSine Southern Style chicken fiSh SteakS SaladS

sweaters and white pants, looking so cool. Note: white pants are the dumbest thing you could ever wear on a boat. But who doesn’t want to look cool?

Who doesn’t want to feel cool? Sailing feels cool.

This you will learn only by actually sailing. Take my word for it. You know you want to go.

Two: It’s not as expensive as you think. All of those magazine images and movies make sailing seem only accessible to the super rich. People who use the word summer as a verb. Snobs who say the words “yachting” and “regatta” through clenched teeth as they order martinis on white terraces. These people do exist—I’m not going to lie to you. The good news is that you can go sailing extensively and joyfully for many years and not hang out with those people at all.

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22 | February 2014

FROM THE BAY > PAGE 29

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truly affordable community sailing programs and schools. These are the people who welcome new sailors with open arms. Among the community sailing programs worth looking into regionally are DC Sail, Baltimore’s Downtown Sailing Center (DSC), Annapolis Community Boating, and Sail Nauticus in Norfolk, Va. There are even top-notch and affordable programs for disabled sailors, such as Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating and the adaptable program at the DSC. Sailors of all ages, sizes, shapes, colors, and abilities are welcome.

Three: You will be blown away by the kind, upbeat, sailing-crazy enthusiasm of the people you meet at community sailing programs. You will meet them, go for a sail, have an amazing day, and ask yourself what took you so long to try sailing.

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Jerry’s Place 1541 Solomons Island Road Prince Frederick, Md. 410-535-3242

Boomerangs Original Ribs & Seafood 13820 South Solomons Road Solomons, Md. 410-326-6050 loveribs.com

Ruddy Duck 13200 Dowell Road Solomons, Md. 410-394-3825 ruddyduckbrewery.com

Fiesta Bar & Grill 135 Central Square Drive Prince Frederick, Md. 410-535-1073

Saphron 485 Main Street Prince Frederick, Md. 410-975-7560 saphronrestaurant.com

Restaurant offerings as well as a complete list of participating restaurants can be found by going to choosecalvert.com and clicking on Restaurant Week!

Stoney’s Seafood House 896 Costley Way Prince Frederick, Md. 410-535-1888 stoneysseafoodhouse.com

Stoney’s Solomons Pier 14575 S. Solomons Island Road Solomons, Md. 410-326-2424 stoneysseafoodhouse.com Stoney’s Kingfishers 14442 S. Solomons Island Road Solomons, Md. 410-394-0236 stoneysseafoodhouse.com

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Old Town Crier

February 2014 | 23

…TO THE BLUE RIDGE JULIE REARDON

Snow Days on the Farm

J

udging by recent posts on social media embellished by photos of pristine scenery and mouthwatering meals, we secretly enjoy snow days. Even if it’s much more fun to complain about how hard it is, we have cabin fever, and “it’s not the cold, it’s the wind chill!”

With today’s media hype of even a minor snow event, it’s kind of hard to ignore any approaching snowfall—I actually feel guilty if I don’t rush off to a store, any store. In a reversal of the norm, recent snow events in the Blue Ridge have had less measurable precipitation than metro Washington D.C., but the shopping is the same. Except it’s not just bread, milk and toilet paper that fly off the shelves. There’s usually a bigger crowd at the feed store as people rush to make sure their animals have enough to eat before they go to the grocery.

24 | February 2014

Old Town Crier

Mind you, it’s pretty rare to be really snowed in when you live on a farm. There’ll be at least one four-wheel drive truck nearby, and very likely a tractor, too. If even those fail, as they did in the big blizzard of 1996, horses make wonderful transportation. And because horses, as well as cattle and other farm animals, need to be watered and fed daily, farmers make paths on back roads with their tractors to get to their animals so these roads are often opened up long before the county gets around to plowing them.

Farm animals are decidedly more work in winter than house pets like cats and dogs, particularly in frigid temperatures and with snow on the ground. Cattle and horses are designed to eat constantly rather than two or three concentrated daily meals. Their wild cousins eat probably 20 hours a day, moving roughage through their systems via grazing.

In winter, pasture grasses lose most of their nutritional value but even so, livestock fed hay with access to pasture will still spend much of a day grazing. Extra hay is needed when the ground is snow covered. Horses, in particular, generate heat to stay warm via their digestive systems, so they do better on lower protein hay available to them round the clock than from two or three feedings of protein-rich alfalfa.

Many horsemen in the Blue Ridge simply set out the more economical large round bales, even though a good portion of the hay gets wasted from weather as well as being pulled out by horses to lie on it as well as use it as their toilet. Square bales are far less wasteful, but they’re costlier to produce and buy, plus there’s the added expense of bedding.

Water can be a big deal, for animal and human alike. Rural residents depend on well

Old Town Crier

water, with the well system generally operating via electric pump that takes electricity. Well water is usually stored in a holding tank of some type and if the pipes freeze, there’s no water, so there are twice the chances of losing water to a storm. For the animals, well water fills the troughs and automatic waterers; springs and even running streams also freeze with prolonged periods of extreme cold. We utilize the trusty plug in stock tank de-icer, but even that has to be checked twice daily.

And some animals, notably Thoroughbred race horses, are bred to foal as early in the year as possible because the official birthday for all of them is January 1, regardless of the actual birth date. Some cows, and sheep raised for meat, also give birth to their calves and Easter lambs January through early March-the coldest part of winter. Most baby mammals need warm barns often with supplemental heat lamps, as often newborns cannot regulate their body temperatures as well as older babies and adults. And of course, if an ornery mare, cow or sheep decides to sneak off to have her baby alone on the coldest night of the year, it’s the human who has to go find the mother and baby and bring them inside.

Regardless of whether snow days include cow catching or sweeping off a townhouse deck, it’s obvious that we enjoy them. Whether we’re inside baking, reading or watching old movies, or outside sledding, throwing snowballs, thawing frozen pipes or tending to animals, there’s something for nearly everyone to like about a winter snow day.

And remember, it won’t be long before we’re bemoaning, “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity” instead of bragging about whose neighborhood had the lowest windchill.

“Like our best friends’ home if our best friends were amazing chefs and knew exactly what we wanted before we asked.”

Trip Advisor

www.hopkinsordinary.com Sperryville, Virginia 540.987.3383

February 2014 | 25

SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE PEGGIE ARVIDSON

Using Your Hands to Align Your Career with Your Passion DO YOU KNOW YOUR LIFE PURPOSE? Would you like to know the meaning of your life?

Once you’ve figured out the meaning of your life, the fun begins. You get to laugh more, breathe deeper and create balance for everything that is important to you. Your life purpose is the cornerstone of balance and peace in your life.

The good news is that everything you need to get started is literally in the palm of your hands.

Email Peggie at handanalystpro@comcast.net and explore whether a life purpose identification reading is right for you.

703-577-4759 or peggie@peggiearvidson.com

26 | February 2014

T

hey call me the Pragmatic Palmist and it’s as good a moniker as any. The type of palmistry I use is meant to be a tool for practical living. It’s not based in fortune-telling and it’s not about predicting anything— your marriage prospects, your financial investments or your life expectancy.

As Studs Terkel said, “Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying.”

Why shouldn’t we use every tool available to ensure we find our meaning and recognition and our right pay? Your hands hold some very practical clues to the easiest ways to align your career with your purpose and passions.

Quick example: Alice came to me because she hated her job as a High School Math Teacher. During her strategy session she shared that she’s been trying everything to find her right work for more than seven years.

A divorced mom sharing custody of her two teens, she felt isolated and misunderstood in her small town community in the Midwest.

Alice made her handprints and mailed them back to me and we used this personalized map to breakthrough the assumptions that hinder her ability to make changes. We identified her Supercomputer head line and the way that

it can keep her playing small. A person with this type of head line can feel overly bored and frustrated in their daily life so it’s important for them to ask themselves if they are working on solving important and big problems that will contribute to healing humanity.

As we’ve worked through the keys to her “hard-wiring” based on her hands, Alice has found a way to lean into her “aha” moments, which often surprise her. The key she says, “is there are so many things coming up that I’ve never thought of - but are so valid and intrinsic to who I am and what I really want my legacy to be.”

These are some of the ways your hands help in overcoming seemingly insurmountable career obstacles: They provide clarity, allowing you to move through change with certainty.

They are your hands, they illuminate your truth, not your “shoulds.”

When you objectively understand the SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE > PAGE 27

Old Town Crier

O’CONNELLS:

RESTAURANT & BAR

ALL GAMES LIVE!

YOUR HOME FOR 6 NATIONS RUGBY

Sat 1 Feb Sat 1 Feb Sun 2 Feb Sat 8 Feb Sat 8 Feb Sun 9 Feb Fri 21 Feb Sat 22 Feb Sat 22 Feb Sat 8 Mar Sat 8 Mar Sun 9 Mar Sat 15 Mar Sat 15 Mar Sat 15 Mar

Wales v Italy France v England Ireland v Scotland Ireland v Wales Scotland v England France v Italy Wales v France Italy v Scotland England v Ireland Ireland v Italy Scotland v France England v Wales Italy v England Wales v Scotland France v Ireland

9:30 am 1:00 pm 10:00 pm 9:30 am 1:00 pm 10:00 am 3:00 pm 9:30 am 11:00 am 9:30 am 12:00 pm 10:00 am 8:30 am 9.45 am 1:00 pm

112 King St. • Old Town Alexandria • 703.739.1124 • danieloconnells.com SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE FROM PAGE 26

meanings of your lines and prints, you prepare yourself internally to receive guidance regarding your true direction.

Translating the meaning in your hands, allows you to resolve lingering emotional issues and beliefs.

Your hands give you permission to start exactly where you are, without ego pressures to be someone or something else.

Provide the resources you need to let go of limiting beliefs about your worth and your career.

While each client is hard-wired differently, a hand analysis session follows a simple process, which allows for your input and results in your ability to create a specific action plan to achieve your career and income goals.

Your hands are composed of the following lines, these can help you create a vision of work that will be most satisfying and lucrative for you: (Nearly everyone has the first three lines, the additional lines may or may not be present on your hands).

Life Line: This line demonstrates how grounded you are in your life at this moment.

It indicates your capacity for physical exertion and your need for movement. It does not indicate the length of your life.

Head Line: This line shows how you think and how you wish others would think. It’s an indicator of your desire for projects and work that require lots of research and discussion versus a desire to get to the bottom line quickly.

Heart Line: This line indicates how you show up in interpersonal and group communications. It provides clues about your desired work environment and role as well as the types of bosses and staff you are likely to Old Town Crier

“hit it off ” with!

Saturn/Fate Line: Describes your ability to manage large projects with multiple moving pieces. It also indicates your need for security and status in the workplace.

Mercury Line: Shows your particular depth of communication skill. It’s a clue to your ability to take complex information and make it easy for everyone to understand; perhaps indicating your prowess as a technical writer or even a lawyer.

Apollo Line: Indicative of your creative process, whether it’s artistic or an ability to creatively solve problems. It’s also a clue about your ability to take the spotlight, if you have a strong Apollo line, finding a career that allows you to be recognized and appreciated for your work is imperative.

This is just a sampling of the information in your hands and how it can help you align your passions with your career. I invite you to take a look at the lines in your hands in a new way and trust your intuition about what you “see” when you look at your palms.

Peggie Arvidson is the Money Mindset Coach for Healers. She helps healers charge what they’re worth and get it by helping them break the pattern of self-doubt so that they can attract their perfect clients. One of the hardest things for those in healing professions is to recognize the monetary value of the services they provide, so they can keep their businesses thriving and stop struggling to pay their bills. Peggie walks them through the five steps they’ll be able to apply, using their genuine strengths. to bring them a steady flow of perfect clients for their practice.

You can learn more at GrowYourMoneyMojo. com

“The Finest Lebanese Cuisine” –Washington Post, 2001 Family Owned & Operated Come and Enjoy a Cozy Candlelit Dinner Carry-Out Available • Free Delivery Open 7 Days for Lunch & Dinner

719 King St. Old Town Alexandria 703.684.9194 • thepitahouse.com

dine out!

February 2014 | 27

American BILBO BAGGINS 208 Queen St. 703-683-0300 BITTERSWEET 823 King Street 703-549-2708 CARLYLE CLUB 411 John Carlyle St. 703-549-8957 CHADWICK’S 203 Strand St. 703-836-4442 chadwicksrestaurants.com An Old Town tradition since 1979 and an original Georgetown pub and restaurant since 1967.

CHART HOUSE One Cameron St. 703-684-5080 CLYDE’S 1700 N. Beauregard St. 703-820-8300 clydes.com

DUTCH’S GRILL (Holiday Inn) 2460 Eisenhower Ave. Alexandria, VA 703-960-3400

INDIGO LANDING #1 Marina Dr. Washington Sailing Marina 703-548-0001

THE GRILL RESTAURANT/ PIANO BAR AT MORRISON HOUSE 116 S. Alfred St. 703-838-8000

IRELAND’S OWN 111 North Pitt St. 703-549-4535 irelandsownpub.com

EVENING STAR CAFÉ 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-549-5051

JACK’S PLACE 222 North Lee St. 703-684-0372

FAST EDDIE’S BILLIARD CAFE 6220 Richmond Hwy. 703-660-9444

JACKSON 20 480 King St. 703-842-2790

FIN & HOOF 801 N. Saint Asaph St. 703-836-4700

JOE THEISMANN’S 1800 Diagonal Rd. 703-739-0777

FINN & PORTER AT MARK CENTER 5000 Seminary Rd. 703-379-2346

KING STREET BLUES 112 N. St. Asaph St. 703-836-8800

FIRE FLIES 1501 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-7200

COLUMBIA FIREHOUSE 109 S. St. Asaph St. 703-683-1776

FLAT IRON STEAK & SALOON 808 King St. 703-299-0777

Dining Guide

FOSTERS GRILLE 2004 Eisenhower Ave. 703-725-1342 GADSBY’S TAVERN 138 N. Royal St. 703-548-1288 HARD TIMES CAFE 1404 King St. 703-837-0050

RED MEI 602 King St. 703-837-0094

MALAYA 1019 King St. 703-519-3710

THAILAND, ROYAL ST 835 N. Royal St. 703 535-6622

MAI THAI 9 King St. 703-548-0600

TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 66 Canal Center Plaza 703-683-8878

BRABO Tasting Room 1600 King St. 703-894-5252

TEMPO 4231 Duke St. 703-370-7900 temporestaurant.com Northern Italian, French provincial and American cuisine featuring fresh seafood, meats and pasta served in a contemporary, romantic atmosphere.

Caph’e Ban’h Mi’ Vietnamese 407 Cameron St. 703-549-0800 Sang Jun Thai 300 King Street 571-312-3377

PORK BARREL BBQ 2312 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-822-5699

MONROES AMERICAN TRATTORIA 1603 Commonwealth Ave. 703-548-5792

RAILSTOP GASTROPUB 901 N. Fairfax St. 703-683-8793

MOUNT VERNON INN Mount Vernon, Va 703-780-0011

RAMPARTS 1700 Fern St. 703-998-6616 rampartstavern.com

T.J. STONES GRILL HOUSE & TAP ROOM 608 Montgomery St. 703-548-1004 tjstones.com American cuisine with libations from around the world. Bar specials Mon-Fri, 4-7 PM. Brunch served Sat & Sun.

LAPORTA’S 1600 Duke St. 703-683-6313 LIGHT HORSE RESTAURANT 715 King St. 703-549-0533

NICKELL’S AND SCHIFFLER 1028 King St. 703-684-5922

MAJESTIC CAFÉ 911 King St. 703-837-9117

NINA’S DANDY Potomac Party Cruises Zero Prince St. 703-683-6076 dandydinnerboat.com

MANCINI’S 1508 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-838-FOOD MANGO MIKE’S 4580 Duke St. 703-370-3800

BERTUCCI’S 725 King St. 703-548-8500 BUGSY’S PIZZA RESTAURANT 111 King St. 703-683-0313 bugsyspizza.com FACCIA LUNA 823 S. Washington St. 703-838-5998

NOTTING HILL 1106 King St. 703-299-4590 RESTAURANT EVE 110 S. Pitt St. 703-706-0450 CEDAR KNOLL INN GW Parkway at Lucia Ln. 703-799-1501

FRENCH BASTILLE 1201 N. Royal St. 703-519-3776 bastillerestaurant.com

SOUTHSIDE 815 815 S. Washington St. 703-836-6222

REYNOLDS STREET CAFÉ 34 S. Reynolds St. 703-751-0830 RIVER BEND BISTRO 7966 Fort Hunt Rd. Hollin Hall Shopping Center 703-347-7545 ROCK IT GRILL 1319 King St. 703-739-2274 SAMUEL BECKETT’S IRISH GASTRO PUB 2800 S. Randolph St. Villages of Shirlington 703-379-0122

O’CONNELL’S RESTAURANT & BAR 112 King St. 703-739-1124 danieloconnellsrestaurant.com

LA MADELEINE 500 King St. 703-729-2854

CHEZ ANDREE 10 East Glebe Rd. 703-836-1404

LE REFUGE 127 N. Washington St. 703-548-4661

TWO NINETEEN RESTAURANT 219 King St. 703-549-1141

LA BERGERIE 218 N. Lee St. 703-683-1007 labergerie.com

FONTAINE’S CAFFE & CREPERIE 119 S. Royal St. 703-535-8151

YVES’ BISTRO 235 Swamp Fox Rd. In the Hoffman Center 703-329-1010

28 | February 2014

LANDINI BROTHERS 115 King St. 703-836-8404 landinibrothers.com Elegant, classical Italian cuisine served in a lovely historical setting. Fresh veal, homemade pastas, and fresh fish are some of the daily choices. An extensive list of wines and champagnes served in a sophisticated and friendly atmosphere.

GERANIO RISTORANTE 722 King St. 703-548-0088 geranio.net Still Old Town’s highest-rated Italian restaurant (Zagat). Discerning Old Towners flock here for refined cuisine in this comfortable, yet sophisticated restaurant. With entrees from $14, there is no reason not to enjoy a selection from their Wine Spectator awardwinning list, while being attended by the friendly staff of seasoned professionals. Reservations recommended and casual attire welcomed.

OLD CHICAGO PIZZERIA 2245 Huntington Ave. 703-960-1086

IL PORTO RESTAURANT 121 King St. 703-836-8833

VILLA D’ESTE 600 Montgomery St. 703-549-9477

LA STRADA 1905 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-2592 SAPORE D’ITALIA RISTORANTE & PIZZERIA 1310 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-683-9680

PARADISO 124 King St. 703-837-1245 PINES OF FLORENCE 1300 King St. 703-549-1796 RED ROCKS FIREBRICK PIZZA 904 King St. 703-717-9873 TRATTORIA DA FRANCO 305 S. Washington St. 703-548-9338

TRADEMARK 2800 Jamieson Ave. 703-253-8640 TRADITIONS (Holiday Inn) 625 First St. 703-548-6300 UNION STREET PUBLIC HOUSE 121 South Union St. 703-548-1785 unionstreetpublichouse.com Old Town’s favorite neighborhood tap & grill. Distinct southern style menu, fine steaks, fresh seafood. Sunday brunch, private parties, happy hour.

VERMILLION 1120 King St. 703-684-9669

SHOOTER MCGEE’S 5239 Duke St. 703-751-9266

VIRTUE GRAIN & FEED 106 South Union St. 571-970-3669

SOCIETY FAIR 277 S. Washington St. 703-683-3247

THE WAREHOUSE BAR & GRILL 214 King St. 703-683-6868

italian • pizzErias

CONTINENTAL BRABO

by Robert Weidmaier 1600 King St. 703-894-3440

OVERWOOD 220 North Lee St. 703-535-3340

MURPHY’S IRISH PUB 713 King St. 703-548-1717 murphyspub.com Old-world Irish pub featuring a roaring fireplace, serving a variety of imported, domestic and non-alcoholic beers in a friendly atmosphere. Serving robust American-Irish meals at fair prices.

Favorites include fish and chips and Irish stew. Irish-style entertainment nightly.

asian ASIAN BISTRO 809 King St. 703-836-1515

McGINTY’S PUBLIC HOUSE 3650 S. Glebe Rd. Potomac Yard Located at Market Square in the Eclipse next to Harris Teeter on Rt.1 703-414-3555

MEDITERRANEAN LA TASCA 607 King St. 703-299-9810 “Spring into Spain and Feast Like a King.” Offering unlimited tapas at lunch and dinner. Choice of dessert included. Lunch 11:30-4:30 for $20.07; dinner 4:30-close for $30.07. Eat a little, drink a little, have a lot of fun!

LAYLA 907 King St. 703-684-3288

CASABLANCA 1504 King St. 703-549-6464

PITA HOUSE 719 King St. 703-684-9194 thepitahouse.com Family owned and operated; carry out available and free delivery.

TAVERNA CRETEKOU 818 King St. 703-548-8688 tavernacretekou.com

DELIA’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 209 Swamp Fox Rd. Alexandria, VA 703-329-0006

LAS TAPAS 710 King St. 703-836-4000

seafood Hank’s Oyster Bar 1026 King St. 703-739-HANK RT’S RESTAURANT 3804 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-684-6010 FLYING FISH 815 King St. 703-600-FISH flyingfishdc.com Traditional American and fancy seafood specializing in sushi.

FISH MARKET-CLINTON 7611Old Branch Ave. Clinton, MD 301-599-7900 ERNIE’S ORGINIAL CRABHOUSE 1743 King St. 703-836-0046

FISH MARKET-OLD TOWN 105 King St. 703-836-5676 fishmarketoldva.com Internationally known and locally owned! We serve shrimps, a few crabs, tall people and lots of nice people, too! Live music and lively food!

THE WHARF 119 King St. 703-836-2834 wharfrestaurant.com "It’s All About the Seafood," traditional and creative coastal cuisine.

MEXICAN • LATIN SOUTHWESTERN AUSTIN GRILL 801 King St. 703-684-8969 LOS TIOS GRILL 2615 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-299-9290 LOS TOLTECOS 4111 Duke St. 703-823-1167 TAQUERIA POBLANO 2400-B Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-TACO (8226) INDIAN DISHES OF INDIA 1510A Bellview Blvd.

703-660-6085

Old Town Crier

G GERANIO RISTORANTE Redefining Italian Cuisine in Old Town Alexandria Dinner Entrees from $14 722 King Street Old Town Alexandria 703.548.0088 www.geranio.net

® Sunday Brunch 10 am - 3 pm

Join Us Feb 17 Before & After the George Washington Parade!

Only $8.95 So Many Delicious Choices Pancakes with Sausages Irish Country Breakfast Three Egg Omelette Eggs Benedict Homemade Quiche French Toast Hamburger Platter Steak & Egg Special $9.95 Your Home for All International & Domestic Soccer!

713 King Street • Old Town Alexandria 703.548.1717 • murphyspub.com Old Town Crier

FROM THE BAY FROM PAGE 22

Four: You can come up with excuses all day long—too busy, don’t know how to get started, don’t have anyone to go with, not sure your spouse will like it, need to do yard work.

It’s amazing how many excuses we can come up with to avoid something fun. Why do we procrastinate fun? Because change is hard. To wake up, be unsure about what you need to wear on a boat, to drive to a place you have never been, to meet people you don’t know, and to try something new is hard. Yard work is hard, too, but it’s familiar. So you put off fun and mow the lawn instead. Next thing you know, another year has passed, and you still have not gone sailing.

Make this your year to embrace the change.

Forget the yard. Seize the day.

If you’re that guy who gets seasick, try a Scopalamine patch or over-the-counter drugs such as Bonine or Dramamine. (Ask your doctor first.) They work quite well. So do a number of other solutions. See 50 seasickness solutions by clicking to gcaptain.com/

seasickness-ways-tackle.

Reason number five why you should go sailing in 2014: Go because you may not be around for 2015. Gulp. Really? Are we really going to end this column with death talk?

Really. It goes hand in hand with taxes. What if. What if you’re not around or able to plan a sailing day next year? Plan it now, before you get all wrapped up in Valentine’s or Presidents Day. Before Black History Month ends. Forget the cold. Visit a website, such as one of the community sailing programs or startsailingnow.com. Make a phone inquiry.

Put my April 27 Start Sailing Now seminar on your calendar (details to come). How nice would it be to end February with a spring sailing plan? You can thank me later.

Molly Winans is the managing editor of SpinSheet and PropTalk magazines. Save the date for her free Start Sailing Now seminar Sunday, April 27, at 3 p.m. in Annapolis.

February 2014 | 29

DINING OUT VINCENTARRUNATEGUI

A

t 1600 King Street, Old Town holds one of the DC area’s top restaurants founded by the notorious Robert Wiedmaier. A fine dining establishment through and through, Brabo maintains an exquisite menu with equally satisfying service. Though Robert remains 86’d from the kitchen roster, diners are still capable of ordering sumptuous meals that are ingeniously developed and delicately prepared.

This culmination is best reflected in their foie gras soup. Servers bring out a bowl of roasted shitake mushrooms and brioche croutons then add, themselves, hot puréed chestnuts and chopped hazelnut. A practice that is elegant enough to excite any gourmand in search of their fix. You will be hard pressed to find such flourish matched with quality in the contemporary restaurant scene, or even more locally in the 703.

As an established restaurateur, Robert Wiedmaier’s ingenuity and attention to detail create a comprehensive dining experience that will both impress foodies and delight infrequent fine diners that find themselves at his Alexandria location.

For the past decade there has been a shift in the culinary world. Book deals, reality television, cooking shows and an overall increase in media exposure are bringing the back of the house to the front of the stage.

Names like Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramesy, and Eric Ripert are just a few of colorful personalities that represent a new form of an entertainment-based cuisine seasoned with charisma and just a pinch of business savvy. A chef ’s popularity, however, is not 30 | February 2014

enough to fuel a restaurant’s success. Charisma does not consistently put food on that plate, nor will it pay the bills. In fact, there are many examples of celebrity chefs who attempt to use their popularity as the foundation of their business. This is almost always tragic. In 2009 popular Hell’s Kitchen contender Robert Hesse attempted to rebrand a storied Solomons Island establishment using this method— think cardboard cutouts of himself and photos from television appearances on the wall. The restaurant did not make it over a year. In 2013 Food Network personality Guy Fieri opened a multilevel, 500-seat operation in Times Square as an ode to classic American dining. New York Times food critic and columnist Pete Wells opened his scathing review asking Fieri, “Have you eaten at your new restaurant in Times Square?” My thesis here is that diners must understand this: good chefs make good food and good restaurateurs make good restaurants.

The two are not necessarily synonymous.

Enter Robert Wiedmaier, a man with a strong European resume, penchant for Belgian cuisine, and a prominent mark on the culinary scene in the DC metro area. A brief summary of his accomplishments includes the following: Robert won the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s RAMMY award for Chef of the Year; he runs five restaurants including Marcel’s, which was ranked fourth on the prestigious Washingtonian Top 100 list of restaurants in the DC area; and two of his other restaurants are on this list, including Brabo.

Now with five restaurants and one chef, how does that work? How does Robert ensure no undercooked mussels leave the kitchen at Mussel Bar in Atlantic City, while keeping diners in Alexandria on the edge of their seats at Brabo? How does he ensure the frites DINING OUT > PAGE 44

Chef Harper McClure

BRABO by Robert Wiedmaier Exquisite menu, satisfying service

Pork cheeks

Chilled Maine lobster

Tuna crudo

Short rib

Old Town Crier

Old Town Crier

February 2014 | 31

BEHIND THE BAR CHESTER SIMPSON

photo: ©2014 Chester Simpson

Kaitie Hughes

Kaitie serves up the famous Anchor Bar Bloody Mary Schooner. She is behind the bar Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 4 pm-1 am.

How did you get started bartending?

I’ve always been a super energetic person who can talk your ear off so when I realized I could make a mean cocktail it all made sense. Plus both of my older brothers are bartenders so I figured I’d prove my point that I’m better than them at everything.

What is your bartender pet peeve?

Where to start … I can’t stand when people ask for water and they don’t drink it (In 15-20 years they are going to wish they were hydrated because we will be fighting wars over water). And those folks who don’t say please and thank you—there’s no reason you can’t be polite.

What’s the best line someone has used to get a free drink?

I had a guy say “gimme a shot of something,” so I went with the oh32 | February 2014

while traveling, when a fellow approached us asking if he could join us. He got snippy when we said we were almost done so we amused the 105 & 107 king street crazy and let him sit old town alexandria with us for a minute.

703-836-5676 He started on this rant that he was Jesus’ boss fishmarketva.COM What’s the most and that if we helped memorable pickup line him spread The Word, he would you’ve heard? split what he made with us 50/50. As “My mom’s dying, will you go out tempting as it was (not at all) he lost with me sometime?” I wish I were us when he continued on about how kidding. he had diverted the United States Tell us an interesting story? from nuclear war, not once but twice.

I did some traveling in Central and However, due to sending threatening South America and while in Ecuador letters to previous presidents he I had the pleasure of meeting God, became U.S. enemy #1 and was kicked or so that crackpot thought. I was out of the country. By the end of his eating breakfast with a friend I met so- complicated Lemon Drop. When he got his check he disputed the charges, claiming that what he meant by “gimme” was a shot on the house. Silly me, I can’t believe I didn’t know that universal bar rule.

kaitie hughes IS BEHIND THE BAR AT fish market & Anchor Bar

crazy talk he had accused my friend Todd of being an undercover spy for the FBI and informed me that all women are the devil. I have to say he was the most psychotic individual I’ve ever crossed paths with. Who knew I’d spend the rest of my time in Montanita, Ecuador dodging God. Who would you most like to sit down and have a drink with?

Rob Dyrdek and Christopher “Big Black” Boykin. I cry laughing when I watch “Rob and Big” or “Fantasy Factory.” Who knows what kind of shenanigans we could get into.

If you would like to see your favorite mixologist featured here, send contact information to chester@chestersimpson. com.

Old Town Crier

Old Town Crier

February 2014 | 33

GRABABITE!

Trattoria da Franco authentic italian cuisine scallopine homemade pasta desserts fresh baked bread

Join Us for Opera Night–Call for Reservations Music by Bob Williams Wednesday Nights 7 PM

305 South Washington Street 703.548.9338 Open 7 Days a Week ■ Party Rooms Available ■ Free Parking after 5 pm

Fine

Wines

Fine

Dining Casual

Style

Wine Tastings every Saturday 2 - 4 pm 7966 Fort Hunt Road

(In the Hollin Hall Shopping Center)

703-347-7545 RiverBendBistro.com Plenty of FREE parking 34 | February 2014

Old Town Crier

CHEF’S SPECIAL CHESTER SIMPSON

B

orn the eldest son of a large family in Thailand, I often had the responsibility to care for my brothers and

Chuck K.M. Pinthanon sisters. I also wanted to be a good role model for them. I graduated with a master’s degree in political science from Thammasat University. Shortly thereafter, with much political unrest

in Thailand, I decided to move to the What dish on your menu are you most United States. anxious to see how it is received by your In 1970, I began my first business diners? venture, Thai Taste, in Indianapolis, Massaman curry. This dish is one Ind. Although it was an unsuccessful of the most difficult to prepare, often business, I learned a great deal from taking up to a full day. King Rama my failures such as the popularity II composed a poem during his of certain dishes, and others that 1809-1824 reign about his love for needed a slight adjustment to fit my Massaman curry as well as the woman new adopted homeland’s taste. From who prepared the curry for him. A there, I moved to Norfolk, Va. and famous proverb ensued: Saneh bplaay began working as a chef at Bangkok jawak phuaa rak john dtaay, loosely Garden. Here the locals granted me translated as “When a wife cooks good my nickname “Chuck” due to my love the husband will love her until end of of chuckling at any given moment. life.”

From Norfolk, I What do you do to moved to DC and ensure that your CHUCK K.M. PINTHANON began working at Asia ingredients are of high IS THE chEF of 9. The business was a SAM PHAO THAI CUISINE quality? bit more fast-paced, 1019 KING STREET Most of the which allowed me to 703-548-3736 ingredients are grow as a chef. Finally shipped from SAMPHAOTHAICUISINE.com I settled at Sam Phao Thailand from a Thai Cuisine and have trusted supplier of the been happy doing highest quality. The owner supplies the what I love, and loving what I do for freshest ingredients from the market the past five years. to complete the dishes we serve.

photo: ©2014 Chester Simpson

When did you become interested in pursing a culinary career?

Being the oldest sibling in a large family (20 brothers and sisters)! I learned at an early age to care for my family from my mother. Meal time would bring the family together, and this inspired me to help my mother prepare food for our family.

The decision to become a chef was a simple one after devoting much of my young life cooking under my mother's discerning eyes.

Top clockwise: Sweet and sour chicken, spring rolls, pineapple fried rice, minced Kapow chicken, green curry

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

My mother. I wanted to take the skills my mom taught me and invite other families to enjoy meals together, much like my family growing up.

If any chef in the world would prepare you dinner, who would you like it to be?

Mr. Thanadsri Svasti. He is a renowned food critic and chef from Thailand. His television show was one of my favorites growing up.

What is your guilty food pleasure?

Pineapple fried rice. This simple dish covers a wide gambit of tastes with the use of many ingredients.

If you would like to see your favorite chef featured here, send information to: chester@chestersimpson.com.

Chef Pinthanon prepares the Minced Kapow Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice

Old Town Crier

February 2014 | 35

EXPLORING VIRGINIAWINES DOUG FABBIOLI

E

ach year it seems the time between the holidays and Spring gets shorter and shorter.  There is always a bit of a downturn in business this time of year because of the weather but before you know it, Valentine’s Day is here and winter is almost behind us. Many wineries stay open through the winter because they realize how many of our local customers are looking for the chance to come out and enjoy us all year long. Also the planning that we do in the offseason is critical to being able to feed the future market and grow the business in the direction we choose.

A movement that I see developing more each year is operations making lesser known alcoholic beverages. Meads, ciders and fruit wines continue to grow in production and popularity. These are some interesting and historically based libations that may not have previously hit the mainstream market like beer and wine. It is possible to make an alcoholic beverage out of any product that has sugar in it. Mead is a honey-based beverage that is sometimes enhanced with fruits and herbs. Ciders have a lower alcohol content than traditional wine and are made with the natural sugars of the fruit, apple being the most common. But they can be made with pear, peach and other fruits. The beer brewers have been very creative at blending spices, flavors and other ingredients to make some very EXPLORING VIRGINIA WINES > PAGE 37

Br ing Your Love to Bar r el Oak Winery

Snuggle by the fire & Raise a Toast to Your Sweetheart this Valentine's Day www.Bar r elOak.com

36 | February 2014

Old Town Crier

ROMANCING

THE FOX

Treat yo ur sw to a rela eetheart xing d Feb. 14- ay 17

GREENH I LL W I N E RY & V I N E YA R D S

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Taste the Altitude!

Visiting Virginia’s Wine Country

It’s always a good idea to call before visiting. Many Virginia wineries are small, familyowned operations and may be closed during the time you are planning to visit. If you are a group of eight or more, call ahead to help the winery prepare for your visit and to make sure they can accept groups. Most of our wineries have grape cluster highway signs within a ten-mile radius pointing the way to the winery. Many of these signs also tell you how many miles to go before reaching the winery.

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interesting and popular beverages. Consumers are happy to enjoy these creative and flavorful products and are looking for more.

This desire for more creativity has encouraged this movement for meaderies, cider mills and fruit based wineries. These types of operations can function in Virginia under the Farm Winery licensing mandate as long as they are farming at least 51 percent of their products. These are exciting times for consumers as well as producers. I am not looking into expanding my fruit wines (I say that now) but I am certainly interested in tasting other products that are made from pears and berries.

The Virginia Farm Winery Act was created to encourage more agricultural activity in our state. Some of these operations fit into this model through the agricultural base of the business. Others may purchase their ingredients and find their best location in a town that has industrial zoning. Catoctin Creek Distillery is a good example of a production facility with retail and social space in downtown Purcellville. They use locally farmed crops in some of their spirits, but they are not an ag-based business. They work well with the local wineries as we share many customers that are looking for a similar experience. Many of the new breweries are fitting into this model as well. The cideries and meaderies may go either way depending on whether they are able to commit to growing their own ingredients.

Each business adds to the experience of the area and the flavor of the region. If the quality of the products are sound, there is room for everybody. Moderation and common sense should always be in play, but enjoy the tapestry of flavors that continue to blossom in this great region.

Old Town Crier

Call: 434-990-WINE

1376 Wyatt Mountain Road Dyke, Virginia 22935

www.StoneMountainVineyards.com

info@stonemountainvineyards.com

Town Crier Ad 1/4 page ad 6"w x 6.5"h 6/07 A small, family winery focused on quality, sustainable farming and our community Visit us and other quality wineries on the Loudoun Wine Trail–www.loudounfarms.org Serving your local red wine needs since 2006 Open Daily 11am - 5pm Educational wine events

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February 2014 | 37

GRAPEVINE NEIL WILLIAMSON

LAke anna wi n ery Two Generations of Virginia Winemaking

I

n what may be an indicator of vitality of the Virginia wine industry, Lake Anna Winery is one of a growing number of second generation farm winery operations.

In Lake Anna’s case the second generation has been in charge for over a decade. Such long term ownership provides a fuller understanding of not only the vineyards and weather patterns but also a richer business perspective.

The story of Lake Anna Winery began on a business trip to FranceFrance in the Spring of 1981.

While traveling through the French countryside, Bill Heidig noticed that the climate and soil conditions of certain grape-growing regions were similar to those on his Spotsylvania farm, and an idea began to take root.

In 1983, two years after Bill’s initial interest, the Heidigs planted more than 2,000 Seyval Blanc and 250 Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Three weeks later, on an extremely hot weekend, they planted 1,000 Chardonnay vines.

The Heidigs learned first-hand how much care grape vines require.

Each vine has to be trained to grow straight up a stake. As only a single shoot can be allowed to grow, laterals must be pruned constantly, and the

38 | February 2014

vine’s initial fruit clusters have to be removed as they form. When the vines finally reached the first wire of the trellis, the Heidigs celebrated trading the painstaking work low to the ground for painstaking work they could do standing up.

The first commercial sale came after the 1984 harvest when the Heidigs sold one-half ton of Seyval Blanc grapes to a Virginia winery. With the vines’ cooperation the yields rose steadily while Bill and Ann continued to expand the vineyard. In 1984 and 1985, they planted additional Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, and in 1988, after the memories of planting and nurturing had faded, they planted 1,000 Merlot vines. By 1988, over 28 tons of grapes from over 10 acres were being picked for delivery to several Virginia wineries—that were turning their grapes into awardwinning wines. The Heidigs decided the time was ripe to make Lake Anna Winery a reality.

Fast forward twenty years to 2000 and upon the dawning of a new millennium, Bill, who ran the vineyard and had been sharing the winemaking duties with his wife Ann, decided it was time to turn back the chronological progression of the

winery. He felt they could either scale back to just growing grapes and selling them primarily to other wineries as in the 80s, or see if any of the four children had any interest in taking over the business.

Two sons, Jeff and Eric were thrilled with the idea. The brothers purchased the winery and for the last dozen years, Bill has managed the vineyard, with Jeff and Eric owning and operating the winery business.

Tasting through Lake Anna’s portfolio two wines stood out – Totally White and Spotsylvania Claret. As non-vintage products, the winemaker is not limited in vintage his blending decisions.

In the winter months many folks tend to shy away from white wines in favor of full bodied reds; what a shame. The refreshing nature of a well-crafted white wine is better suited to welcoming the gang back from sledding than the tannins of a big chewy red wine.

Lake Anna Totally White Wine is a great example of a versatile and refreshing wine that is welcome in any season. A proprietary blend of Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc and Seyval Blanc, the label on this wine takes solid aim at wine writers stating “No Old Town Crier

green apples. No ripe peaches. No tropical touches. No subtle hints.”

Ignoring the label description (and perhaps a thinly veiled insult), the wine presents a light straw almost goldenrod color. The nose is filled with butter, honeysuckle and a hint of lemon zest. The attack is much more muted and round than anticipated with excellent balance. The midpalate expands to showcase white pear, fig and ripe banana. The finish is clean and satisfying with vanilla bean undertones.

Winter pairings for this wine include grilled chicken and fish as well as vegetable lasagna. I chose to pair with stuffed seafood ravioli in an Alfredo sauce.

The winery is housed in a converted (1940s era) dairy barn located on the Heidig farm. As a part of the aptly named "Heart of Virginia Wine Trail”, Lake Anna celebrates its geographic location and the area’s rich history. With such rich historical touchstones, Lake Anna was a ready participant in the 150th commemoration of the Civil War with its Spotsylvania Claret.

Because of its strategic location between the Confederate and Union armies, several major battles were fought in the county; including ones at Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg the Wilderne ss, and Spotsylvania Court House, one of the bloodiest battles of the war. More than 100,000 troops from both sides died in the county.

Virginians are very respectful of both sides in the war and this Claret is a testimony to the bravery of the all the men who fought in the “time of great unpleasantness.”

In the glass this wine features a deep red brick hue. The aromas include both licorice and plum notes. The attack is relatively firm with plum and rose petal influences. The wine really hits its stride on the midpalate with medium bodied tannins and elements of red cherry and black pepper. The finish lingers nicely with hints of leather, allspice and smoke. This wine has enough strength to stand up to any braised beef or lamb but I choose to pair with spicy Italian dishes such as spaghetti with red peppers.

Working with veteran Virginia winemaker Graham Bell provides Lake Anna with an experienced palate and perspective.

BellBell said, “We all make wine pretty much the same way, but often it is just a matter of doing the right things at the right time, whether in the vineyard or the winery, recognizing the signs and knowing what they mean and where things are headed, and what to do about them. It may be very little, but very important.”

In May and June, Lake Anna Winery is home to the Virginia Renaissance Faire. Patrons are provided the opportunity to discover the magic of the age of chivalry and romance as the Renaissance comes to life. Virginia Frolic among nobles and fools, merchants and peasants, minstrels and dancers. Artisans, craftspeople, and food merchants fill the property in a day overflowing with fun and history.

Through hard work, determination and a touch of luck, the Heidig family has established Lake Anna Winery as one of the premier destination wineries in the state. With the second generation at the helm, the future is as bright as that 1981 Spring day in France that launched the dream.

Neil Williamson is chairman of the Virginia Wine Club tasting panel and editor of the Virginia Wine Journal. Reach him at editor@vawineclub.com.

Old Town Crier

Eric HEIDIG, winemaker graham bell and Jeff Heidig of LAKE ANNA WINERY Hometown Richmond, Va. Item always in your refrigerator Ice cream (freezer counts?)

Most challenging wine pairing and how you solved it Pork chops with Seyval Blanc Best thing about the Virginia wine industry True camaraderie among wineries Worst thing about the Virginia wine industry Weather conditions Favorite bumper sticker or saying Virginia makes wine, NAPA makes auto parts Comfort food Meatloaf, macaroni & cheese, succotash Most embarrassing moment There have been so many I can’t pick one Most overrated virtue Potential Favorite wine (yours or anyone else’s) Lake Anna Spotsylvania Claret

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February 2014 | 39

GO FISH STEVE CHACONAS

A Tangled Web

F

ishing line creates bird’s nests in reels. Line left in the water latches onto underwater objects including dock pilings, submerged trees and even sub aquatic vegetation, laying a trap for birds, boats and other water inhabitants.

Under and above the water, line can last up to 600 years. As more anglers cut their losses, fishing spots are clogging with spider webs of line snagging more lines. Good fishing spots become death traps for above and below water residents and fishing lures. Using plug knockers will save lures and cut down on line left behind.

It’s what you can’t see that hurts as most fishing lines are extremely difficult to spot.

Bassing IN FEBRuary Potomac River

This is the last of the really cold months to fish with water anywhere from 38-48 degrees. Days are getting longer and grass should start to emerge late in the month.

Winter patterns of burping Silver Buddy lures off the bottom on steep drops in out of the current areas are still effective. Use a medium heavy rod with a softer tip. 10 pound test GAMMA Edge here! There are a few presentations: a standard burb and drop on semi slack

40 | February 2014

Engines suck fishing line into water intakes and line wraps around outdrives, gutting seals and causing hundreds and even thousands of dollars damage while crippling boats out on the water. Trolling motors aren’t exempt as seal damage can happen in seconds.

Discarded lines present serious environmental issues. When thrown into garbage bins, line can end up in the environment, either by blowing out of the bin or landfill or scattered by birds or animals. No matter the angler intent, most line disposal spreads the problem around. Often thin and clear, it’s very difficult for fish, crustaceans, birds, animals, swimmers and scuba divers to see. Unsuspecting victims become entangled, GO FISH > PAGE 44

line or a slight drag and stop. Allow the bait to sit on the bottom for a few seconds.

Once fish depth is found with the Silver Buddy, other techniques will work too! With soft plastics, use 6-pound test EDGE on spinning gear for Mann’s Stingray Grubs and Hardnose 4 inch grubs on ¼ ounce ball head jigs cast in the same area, worked slowly and soaked in Garlic flavor Jack’s Juice to encourage fish to hold on.

On the warmest days at lower tides and with clear water, suspending Lucky Craft Bevy Shad cranks will present easy targets for slightly more active fish. A very slow crawl, twitch and stop on GAMMA EDGE Fluorocarbon 10-pound test line.

When the water is up to 45 degrees, try Mann’s Classic spinnerbaits with gold blades and white skirts slowly crawled through bottom cover.

Old Town Crier

FROM THE TRAINER RYAN UNVERZAGT

kettlebell wall-sit ❶

H

ow are your fitness resolutions working out?

It’s common by the second month that your well-intentioned lifestyle changes might be disintegrating earlier than anticipated. Don’t be discouraged if you find yourself less than enthusiastic.

As I have mentioned in previous columns, find a reason to stay motivated.

Make it personal. Something like, “I want to lose weight because…….” Instead of “I need to lose weight.” Applying true meaning to your fitness goals will make exercise a little easier to tolerate. Keep the momentum going in February because this month

will cruise by.

This month’s exercise is called the Kettlebell Wall-Sit. It’s an isometric exercise, meaning there is no movement even though your muscles are working. A typical wall-sit is designed to target the quadriceps femoris muscle group (front of the thigh). The goal is to “sit” in an imaginary chair against the wall for a predetermined amount of time. To reap the full benefits of this exercise, you must establish a 90 degree knee angle. Anything less does not challenge the quads appropriately.

Another mistake is to grab the thighs and push off using your arms. This maneuver, along with leaning forward to “rest” your forearms on top

of the thighs is considered cheating. The reason for using the kettlebell (or dumbbell) is to eliminate these cheat moves. First, your hands are occupied holding the kettlebell. Second, holding it with straight arms directly overhead prevents leaning forward. Your shoulder blades should always stay in contact with the wall. Third, it adds more resistance than just your body weight.

Keep your feet hip-width apart and avoid lifting the heels. You don’t want your toes crammed into the front of the shoes. Push through the heels to maintain your position and evade slippage on the floor. Try to hold the wall-sit for at least 20 seconds, and then progress to

90 seconds using 10 second intervals. This is a great exercise to utilize in a lowerbody routine. Enjoy!

Unverzagt holds a BS in Wellness Management from

Black Hills State University and is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He is an active member of the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA).

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February 2014 | 41

FITNESS NICOLE FLANAGAN

Exercise & Massage Therapy

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Purchase a Lulu Sage gift card for $100 or more and receive an additional $15 gift card for yourself.

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W

e often think of a massage as a luxury experience, more of a special occasion than an everyday or weekly session. There are various reasons to get a massage and a good massage will do more than just make you feel good. Massage can have a tremendous effect on the body and people do not realize how many benefits there are to receiving one. It doesn’t matter what kind of shape you are in, massage can be a great way to help both active and sedentary individuals.

More and more sports and fitness enthusiasts are including massage as a part of their conditioning programs. It’s not just for the professional athlete or the person who is training for the Olympics. Massage is for everyone and should be looked at as a health benefit and not a luxury. There are many benefits of massage; the most commonly known benefits include relaxation, improved circulation and relief of muscle tension. Fitness enthusiasts and athletes will find that massage helps improve their flexibility. Massage can improve flexibility by lengthening the muscles and promoting relaxation. It can also help decrease the amount of soreness post workout.

Massage enhances blood circulation, which increases the amount of oxygen and nutrients available to the muscles. This increase in oxygen and nutrients reduces muscle fatigue.

Massage also has a great effect on the body’s ability to eliminate waste. By physically moving lactic acid out of muscles a post workout massage will greatly increase your chances

of not being as sore or stiff the next day. This reduction in soreness and fatigue can help athletes train better and with more effective workouts.

Massage has a positive effect on every system in the body; it can improve your cardiovascular endurance and even reduce healing time. During a massage your body relaxes, this along with chemicals that your body naturally releases, help to dilate the blood vessels in the body. The stroking action of a massage physically helps to move blood from other parts of the body toward the heart.

This increase in blood flow is comparable to that associated with exercise. The increase in blood flow also leads to an increase in red blood cells. The red blood cells are the ones that carry oxygen. An increase in oxygen carrying cells means that there is more oxygen being delivered to the muscles in the body.

All of these things are going to lead to a reduction in healing time. Whether an athlete is recovering from a hard workout or from an injury, massage can help. A deep massage can reduce the formation of scar tissue at the site of an injury. It keeps the scar tissue flexible but strong so it does not interfere with muscles’ movements.

With all of the great benefits of massage it is wise to see that massage is not just for being pampered. A good massage will certainly make you feel great, but there is a lot more going on than just feeling relaxed. Working hard at work and at the gym can take a toll on the body.

Massage is great way to help your mind and body stay well.

Old Town Crier

FIRST BLUSH GENEVIEVE LEFRANC

Shape Matters!

Smashbox’s little black palette of beauty know-how is pure genius

S

hape is an intriguing concept. We select furniture and design our homes around the shapes of rooms. We pick out clothes that best flatter the shape of our bodies. The same concept applies to eyes! If you think about it, why should choosing eye makeup looks be any different? If you feel like no matter what you try you can’t seem to nail your eye makeup looks, chances are you’re not aware of what techniques and products are best for the shape of your eyes. By determining your individual eye shape you’ll be able to know which type of makeup application will take you from blah to babe in an instant.

There are five basic eye shapes: monolid, upturned/almond, downturned, hooded, and round. But how do I figure out my shape, you’re wondering. Simple. Ask yourself four basic questions: Do I have a crease (the indentation right at the top of your lids)? If not, you’re a monolid. If yes, answer this: if you put a straight line across your pupils, do your outer corners look like they are lifting up or pulling down? If you answered they lift up, you have upturned/almond eyes.

If you answered they pull down, you have downturned eyes. If they don’t seem to go either way, ask yourself, is my crease visible? If not, your eyes are hooded. If yes, when you look straight ahead with your eyes open, is there any visible white above or below the iris? If so, you have round eyes.

I was initially inspired by the pros over at Smashbox who recently came up with a new ad campaign featuring six separate eye shapes and tutorials on how to achieve your best look with their new Full Exposure Palette.

What’s great about this product is that it works on anyone and the included how-to insert is very straightforward, offering three looks for every eye shape. These guys put in nine years of research and observed over 5,000 Old Town Crier

pairs of peepers, so this is the real deal, people!

Open your eyes—there’s a world of possibilities out there for making the most of your baby blues (or browns, greens and hazels!). Whether your eyes are small, wide-set or almond-shaped, these expert tips will make them look stunning. Read on for a handy how-to guide to both determining your eye shape and working with it.

Monolid

Monolids are flat on the surface and don’t have much of a crease, if any. The brow bone is also much less defined.

Create definition and an illusion of dimension on your flat surface with a gradient of eye shadows, working from dark to light. Apply the darkest color closest to the lash line, the soft neutral hue in the middle, and the shimmery highlighter color at the brow bone.

And don’t forget to always curl lashes for added lift.

Hooded

Hooded eyes are easily recognizable by the extra layer of skin that droops over the crease, causing the lid to appear smaller. You want to draw the focus upward by diffusing a darker shadow over and out past the crease. Always be sure to line your top lash line to intensify and enlarge your overall eye shape while also thickening the base of your lashes.

creating a standard smoky eye or a vibrant masterpiece, always use the mirror effect by swiping the colors along the bottom lash line.

Downturned

Downturned eyes have a slight dropping on the outer corners. This is the perfect shape for creating a sexy cat’s eye shape. Apply a liquid liner along the top lid and extend outward and upward at a 45 degree angle. This effect will create symmetry and add va-va-voom!

Round

Round eyes are easy to spot by their somewhat puppy dog look. The telltale sign of a round eye is visible white above or below the iris. Try liquid liners to create fun and sassy cateye looks, which help to extend and lengthen out your eyes. You can also apply a darker shadow on the outer half of lids, sweeping upward toward the brow bone.

Genevieve LeFranc holds a BA in writing, rhetoric and communication from James Madison University. She researches and writes about the beauty and fashion industries.

Upturned/Almond

The upturned eye takes the form of a classic almond shape, with a natural lift at the outer corner. The lower lid looks longer than the top lid. To even out the upper and lower proportions, apply dark shadow or pencil along the outer lower corner to bring down the lifted effect. Whether you’re February 2014 | 43

Come be bLoWN aWay...

GO FISH! FROM PG 40

and may become injured, drown, get strangled or starve to death. Turtles and even whales can ashion is seasonal tyle is Forever become ensnared in tangled webs.

Used line creates a problem from the water ad hair is unacceptaBle to the landfill and in between. BoatUS stepped -masoN shupe, oWNer up to allow anglers a collective alternative to random disposal. Most marinas and boat bLoWN...the saLoN ramps display familiar PVC line recycling bins.

BoatUS volunteer assembly lines transformed cut and glued drainpipe with stickers and signs air uts eN omeN into recycle bins. The three foot-long PVC cylindrical bins were shipped to fishing clubs; oLor ighLights uLL artiaL marinas and community groups to be mounted oNditioNiNg reatmeNts to fishing piers, at launch ramps or marina boat docks. There are nearly 2,000 bins around the country. In 2010 alone, the program recycled sk bout ur appy our over 2,700 miles of fishing line, enough to stretch from coast to coast saving outdrives LoWout peCiaL and the outdoors from a potential menace.

"It’s our goal to make fishing line recycling as commonplace as recycling cans and ppoiNtmeNts uggested bottles," said BoatUS Foundation Director of aLk Ns eLCome Environmental Programs Susan Shingledecker.

The program was funded by grants from WWW bLoWNsaLoN Com the NOAA Marine Debris Program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and matched by contributions from BoatUS at the CorNer oF patriCk & kiNg streets members. Grant money ran out, so BoatUS iN oLd toWN aLexaNdria created a do-it-yourself video, https://www. boatus.com/foundation/monofilament/.

BoatUS supplies signs and decals. “Most folks can find the money for the PVC.” 1002 king street Fishing line requires a special recycling alexandria, va 22314 process and cannot go into most regular household recycling bins. Instead it can be 703.683.5555 brought to an outdoor recycling bin at a www.blownsalon.com participating tackle shop. Save home-spooled line in a box or bag and bring to a drop-off location. If you toss monofilament out with Haircuts $13 A Very Blown Ad.indd 1 11/25/13 11:49 AM your garbage, cut line into short lengths, 6 Good

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Berkley Fish-Hab 1900 18th Street Spirit Lake, IA 51360 They also accept recycled fishing line sent to “Berkley Recycling” at the same address.

Recycling begins with anglers putting line in its place! Keep a line baggie on board or cut an X into the lid of a tennis ball or similar canister to make it easy to poke pieces of line through until it can be disposed of properly. Anglers should always try to retrieve as much of their line as possible, breaking off close to the hook to leave behind less line. If your tackle shop does not have a recycling bin, encourage them to participate in the program. As more people fish, fishing line will become a bigger problem.

Start with your line and recycle!

Capt. Steve Chaconas is a Potomac bass fishing guide, and a BoatUS “Ask the Expert” (http:// my.boatus.com/askexperts/bassfishing/) Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. To book trips/ purchase gift certificates: info@NationalBass.com.

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to 12 inches. Otherwise it goes to the landfill where it can be scavenged by animals to build nests or to eat it. Animals will get entangled, entangle their young and will bring line back in the environment.

Since 1990, the Berkley Conservation Institute has recycled more than 9 million miles of fishing line and converted discarded line into artificial, underwater habitat structures. The 4-foot cube “Fish-Hab” attracts fish and encourages plant growth, providing natural cover essential to growing a healthy fish population. These attractors are available to pond owners, anglers, communities or anyone interested in improving an aquatic habitat. To order a Fish-Hab, send 75 UPC codes from Berkley line spools or packages or $75 to:

DINING OUT FROM PG 30

attain a perfect crisp at Brasserie Beck on K Street without ignoring the couple who are about to ignore the perfect red pairing with the wood-fired prosciutto tart at the Tasting Room? Unfortunately for Robert, a motorcycle enthusiast, an American chopper that is capable of barreling down the beltway at Mach speed has yet to be invented.

Robert, the restaurateur—not chef—has, instead, developed a pool of talent and devised a network of various restaurant personnel that pride themselves in attention to detail and good food. At Wildwood Kitchen in Bethesda, five of his most loyal employees have gone into a partnership with him as he has awarded them with part ownership. This is something they do not teach you in culinary school. Last summer the current chef de cuisine at Brabo, Chris Watson, put in his resignation as he was headed to Merrifield to open Ovvio Osteria. Robert did not have a difficult decision to make. He asked his former executive sous chef at Marcel’s, who had left the year before to work on his own project, to return and fire up the burners adjacent to the Lorien Hotel & Spa. Enter Harper McClure, who clearly defies his seemingly young and gangly appearance, as he is as sharp in the kitchen as he is on his resume.

A bit of a culinary renaissance man, McClure has gone to all of the ‘right’ institutions, worked with food more intimately on the agricultural level, and put in his time working for Robert.

As chef de cuisine, McClure is given the unique opportunity to bring his own culinary

vision to Brabo. His preparation of Brabo’s smoked duck carpaccio is evidence that he does not fear ingenuity yet maintains advanced culinary capabilities. The duck is cured in their wine cellar and smoked over mesquite to which McClure has married this rich yet thinly sliced delight with vanilla essence and candied quince, garnished with Thai basil. The end result is remarkable and is enough to make a foodie’s taste buds stand up and sing.

Now if you find yourself sinking into one of the brown leather dining chairs during the weekend dinner rush and cannot choose between the smartly developed Norwegian salmon or the incredibly tender cacao braised beef entrees, do not fret. In fact, Brabo is very friendly to those who are less versed in the often confusing jargon of a fine dining establishment.

Brabo’s staff is incredibly knowledgeable about the tastes and pairings of their offerings— sommeliers Matty Fanning and Matthew Carroll have been given the reigns of an extensive wine list. Their passion for their craft is quite palpable, as they are well versed in both oenology and customer service.

Often times diners fall prey to the overhyping of restaurants by feeding into the marketing tactics of celebrity chef madness.

This is not the case at Brabo as restaurateur chef Robert Weidamaier ensures that each of his guests at any of his restaurants are treated with the attention to detail they deserve. RW is not a brand or a gimmick; it is a stamp of approval from one of the most cunning operators on the East Coast.

Old Town Crier

SINGLE SPACE LORI WELCH

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ink hearts, dark chocolate, red lace, and black thongs might not be in the cards this year since Mr. Right quickly put himself in the ’Mr. Oh Hell No’ category when he passed out at your best friend’s New Year’s Eve soiree just after he threw up on your Jimmy Choos. Sure, it wasn’t the ideal way to ring in the New Year, and maybe it wouldn’t have seemed so bad had you not politely been relieved of your full-time status just prior to the end of your Visa billing cycle— remember those holiday purchases (see Jimmy Choo above). What did your boss call it? A “Reduction in Force?” That sounds so much more civil than lay off. Now with St. Valentine breathing down your neck, you find yourself sprinting past Whole Foods where you and Mr. Right used to spend Sunday mornings perusing the aisles for gluten free snacks to eat on game day straight over to CVS to pick up your sinus meds and some Campbell’s chicken noodle soup.

Sniffling your way past the heart-filled throne of cards and stuffed pink bears, you wonder how life went from good to bad so quickly. Maybe instead of ’accidently’ pushing a talking ’Be Mine’ plush pet off the rack and using your heel to crush its adorable pink smiling cheeks into the linoleum, you could break the cycle of bad. Plop Mr. Teddy into your cart along with some Godiva and treat yourself to some much deserved love.

It’s been my experience that life comes in waves—an ever moving, ever flowing cycle of ups and downs.

It just so happened that most of my downward crashes happened in the December to February timeframe (in my opinion, the most brutal). When the rest of the world seemed to be Old Town Crier

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floating in a perpetual champagne bubble of happiness and love, I was standing alone in my kitchen, beating my fists into my chest yelling “Why me, God?” Break out the Crayolas, and color me bitter—and maybe a tad bit dramatic—but at least now I understand why bears hibernate. It’s not to stay warm—it’s self protection from all those frickin’ happy, singing chipmunk couples. I wholeheartedly embraced the hibernation theory and locked myself behind the closed doors of my own cave with a stack of Pema Chodron books, a season of Mad Men, a gallon or two of Ralph Lauren paint, and a beautiful leather bound journal to chronicle my woeful life. When life headed south, I retreated into solitude armed with things that made me happy and/or at least provided a distraction.

Painting my walls was a great, relatively inexpensive way to inflict my own change on the world. I could spin around and look at any wall in my cave and tell by the latest wall color what perceived catastrophe was playing out in my life. Ralph Lauren Jackrabbit in the living room = job change. Benjamin Moore Lavender Ice in the bathroom = break up with rehab bound boyfriend.

Martha Stewart Iced Latte with a faux suede finish = bad news courtesy of the IRS. While I don’t recommend it for everyone, it seemed to be the prescription that worked best for me— it helped me break my cycle of bad.

Bad shows up in everyone’s life.

Don’t let their beaming, happy Facebook photos fool you. Your friends who are non-stop posting proof of their happiness (ick!) are probably the ones you should be sending the most Hallmark cards— for sure they’re the most desperate and miserable. It’s called social happiness, a term my therapist taught me a long time ago, and which most of us have subconsciously perfected throughout the years. Turn that frown upside down! No matter what is going on inside, sing a happy song. Sometimes just pretending to be happy can lift your spirits so I’m not knocking the faux technique (much better on your walls), but it probably shouldn’t be your go to strategy for permanently breaking the cycle of bad. Picking yourself up, and preparing yourself for the ’up’ wave is like your own personal chemistry experiment—you have to try a little of this and a little of that.

Unlike chemistry, however, there is no foolproof formula for what will work time after time because the energy shifts and changes. For me, a hot bath, some candles, a cooling masque and a steaming cup of chamomile tea has been known to transform many a bad day. For a bad week, I may need a night of wine swilling with girlfriends followed by a Sex and the City marathon and a pint or four of Ben & Jerry’s. For a bad life experience, i.e., break up or expensive car troubles, you’ll probably find me at Home Depot sifting through the paint cards.

Lucky for me and my chiropractor, my walls have remained untouched for the past couple of years. Truth be told —the perfect chemistry of breaking bad is a little self love, coupled with some good old fashioned elbow grease and some healthy living. Do the right thing consistently and good things will consistently come your way. You’ll still ride some down waves, but you’ll be better prepared for them, and if you’re like me, you’re house will look great as a result.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be bad; in fact, it can be quite good. Break the bad cycle. Plan a fun girls’ night in or treat yourself to an amazing, extravagant piece of lingerie (in preparation for Mr. Right—build it, and he will come). If all else fails, pick up that ceramic heart jewelry box Mr. Wrong bought you last year, break it against the counter and pour yourself a glass of wine. Then take one of the broken pieces to Home Depot and do a color match. That shade of pink will look great in your bathroom.

If you would like to comment or suggest a subject for my column, contact me at mysinglespace@aol.com February 2014 | 45

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This Place Just Keeps Getting Better!

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n addition to all of the Old Town Alexandria and amenities those of us the surrounding area. The who live at National rendition pictured here will Harbor enjoy, Peterson give you a bit of perspective Companies has added on the size and placement of a lot of extras that are this fun new ride. Renowned attracting new visitors. We chef Wolfgang Puck, will got a very cool carousel last have one of his teams

By Lani Gering summer, the Tanger Outlets providing creative seasonal opened just in time for concessions. Yes, this means holiday shopping on Black that the Capitol Wheel will Friday— we even had an ice skating be running year round. It will also rink and warming station on the main be available for public, corporate and pier during the holidays. MGM Grand private events. More information on got the bid during “casino wars” and this as it nears completion! will begin construction on the Plateau this spring. And now we will have the New Feature “Capital Wheel” scheduled to be in our In addition to letting you all know midst sometime in April/May. what is happening at NH, we have Let’s talk about the new Wheel. decided to spotlight an individual While many have been referring to it retailer each month her. This, in the as a ferris wheel—myself included—it hope that it will provide our local is something very different. It is much “From the Bay to the Blue Ridge” taller (at 175 feet with a diameter of readers a chance to get more familiar 165 feet) than the amusement park with what everyday shopping is ride we are familiar with. The “seats” like in the Harbor. We have written are actually 42 enclosed, climateabout new retail openings and about controlled gondolas that will seat several of the restaurants, chefs and 6-8 people with a maximum of 336 bartenders in our established columns riders. The wheel makes 1.5 rotations over the last five years; but we felt that per minute and each ride is $15 by doing a spotlight each month, it and averages 15 minutes. Visible may encourage you to plan a day in from the top of the wheel will be the the Harbor, not to necessarily attend many of the fun events held there each Washington Monument, the Capitol,

WATERFRONT DINING

NationalHarbor.com

46 | February 2014

year, but rather just to take in what is available to you every day of the year.

We do get inundated with requests for free publicity from almost everybody and their mother in any given month; however, if any of you readers feel that there is an individual business that merits spotlighting send me your ideas. I can be contacted at lani@oldtowncrier.com.

The Big Game & Valentine’s Day

Even though this issue hit the streets on the 30th of January and that only left three days to promote Super Bowl, I wanted to give a shout out to those of you who are making last minute plans to watch my Denver Broncos win, and consider taking advantage of all the special game day offerings at Harrington’s Pub and Kitchen, Public House on Fleet Street and National Past Time Sports Bar in the Gaylord Atrium.

Let’s not forget the big V Day! Lots of great restaurant promotions going on in the harbor that just reek of love and romance! Be sure to check out the ´ awesome Old Hickory package—they are offering all things romantic every Friday and Saturday night in February.

See their ad in this section for details.

Go Broncos, Happy Presidents Day and Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Old Town Crier

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SPAGnVOLA chocolatier 181 waterfront ST 240-493-4609

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hot in the harbor

spagnvola.com

WATERFRONT DINING

NATIONAL HARBOR DINING GUIDE McLOONE’S PIER HOUSE 141 National Harbor Plaza 301-839-0815 mcloonespierhousenh.com

AROMA D’ITALI 156 National Plaza 301-839-3492 BAJA FRESH MEXICAN 186 Waterfront Street 301-839-1377

Where They Came From

Pronounced as spang-vola, the name is derived from a 16th century voyage map of the island of Hispaniola, now the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Owners Eric Reid and his wife, Crisoire (who happens to be the head chocolatier), have brought the cacao beans they cultivate on their estate in Hato Mayor Del Rey in the Republic to National Harbor via their artisan Truffles Factory located up the beltway in Gaithersburg, Md.

BOND 45 149 Waterfront Street 301-839-1445

NationalHarbor.com

How They Got Here

Eric says they were looking to expand from their original boutique and factory location in the Kentlands area near Gaithersburg and the Harbor seemed to be a good fit. Having only been open since just before the holiday season with Senior Partner and General Manager, Takiya Thomas, here at the Harbor store, they have made an elegant imprint at their newest location.

What They Do

They make and sell over the top chocolate bars, bon bons, truffles and hot cocoa in a very swanky setting. I can attest to the delicious hot cocoa and the chocolates myself. They also have authentic Italian Gelato in the store and offer factory tours and chocolate making classes

Crisoire, Eric and Takiya

OLD HICKORY STEAKHOUSE ´ Gaylord Hotel 301-965-4000 gaylordnational.com

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with Crisoire. Check out the website/blog for details.

How They Do It

They refine their estate grown cocoa beans, pair them with traditional Caribbean artisan blends and roast them in small batches, which inevitably brings out the exquisite flavor of everything chocolate they produce. The process that Crisoire goes through to create these beautiful chocolates comes straight from her heart. I doubt you will find any other chocolatier who can say they make their products from beans they grow themselves!

Do yourself a favor and stop in at SPAGnVOLA on your next trip to National Harbor. Be sure to tell them Lani from the Old Town Crier sent you! You’ll score huge points with a Valentine box full of these!

“Our chocolates are a piece of our land; you don’t eat it, you experience it and your soul becomes part of our land.”

Crisoire Reid, Head Chocolatier Old Town Crier

NATIONAL PAST TIME SPORTS BAR & GRILLE Gaylord Hotel 301-965-4000

CADILLAC RANCH 186 Fleet St. 301-839-1100 cadillacranchgroup.com All-American cuisine

PIENZA ITALIAN MARKET Gaylord Hotel 301-965-4000

ELEVATION BURGER 108 Waterfront Street 301-749-4014

POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS 146 National Plaza 301-686-1160

FIORELLA PIZZERIA E CAFFE 152 National Plaza 301-839-1811

PUBLIC HOUSE 199 Fleet Street 240-493-6120 publichousenationalharbor.com Whether it’s lunch, happy hour, dinner or a late night party, we can meet your needs.

GRACE’S MANDARIN 188 Waterfront Street 301-839-3788 Harrington’s Pub and Kitchen 177 Fleet Street 301-909-2505 harringtonspubandkitchen.com Enjoy traditional Irish fare and more!

McCORMICK & SCHMICK 145 National Plaza 301-567-6224

ROSA MEXICANA 135 Waterfront Street 301-567-1005 SAUCIETY AMERICAN GRILL 171 Waterfront Street 240-766-3640 THAI PAVILLION 151 American Way 301-749-2022

February 2014 | 47

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Celebrate Your Love at Old Hickory Steakhouse Special four-course Valentine’s Day menu available every Friday & Saturday night in February.

$139 PER COUPLE* reservations: (301) 965-4000 www.OldHickoryRestaurant.com

Waterfront Views • Cigar Terrace • Private Dining Room • Cheese Cave Located in National Harbor, Maryland – minutes from downtown D.C. and Old Town Alexandria. *Price is per couple and does not include drinks, tax and gratuities which are extra. No substitutions and not valid with any other discounts. Not valid for groups larger than four. Subject to availability. Reservations recommended.

GN14MK003[ad]OldTownCrier_OHValentines.indd 1

48 | February 2014

1/24/14 4:10 PM

Old Town Crier

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Alexandria Branch Grand Opening!

You know us. We know you. Our team of Erik, Charlie, Ted and Pam has been serving the personal and business banking needs of Alexandrians for generations. Being friendly and helpful is natural for this dynamic foursome. Stop by our new branch and let us show you why so many others have made John Marshall Bank their bank. We make banking fun.

For more details or to open an account, call or stop by today! *APY is annual percentage yield. APY is quoted with an average daily balance of $2,500 or more as of November 18, 2013 and is subject to change at any time after April 30, 2014. If the average daily balance falls below $2,500, APY will be .50%. The APY of 1.0% applies only to balances of $2,500 or more up to a maximum of $250,000. The APY on balances of more than $250,000 will be .50%. Fees may reduce earnings on this account. Withdrawals of more than six (6) per month are subject to a $10.00 excess transaction fee. If the average daily balance in the related checking or interest checking account opened with this account falls below $1,000, we reserve the right to convert this account to a regular John Marshall Bank Money Market Account. This is a limited time offer and the availability of this account may be withdrawn at any time without notice.

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