Old Town Crier- February 2019 Full Issue

Since 1988 • Priceless

From the Bay to the Blue Ridge

February 2019

ROAD TRIP Wintertime At the Beach Rehoboth, Delaware

BUSINESS PROFILE Bloomers - Old Town Not Your Traditional Lingerie Store

BIT OF HISTORY An Interview with Mary V. Thompson Researcher, Historian, Writer

DINING OUT The Original Hard Times Cafe "Chili" for When It's "Chilly"

GRAPEVINE Celebrating 30 Years!

Hartwood Winery, Fredericksburg, VA

oldtowncrier.com

Setting the Standard In Old Town Since 1979

It would be beary nice if you would ....

be our valentine!

9030 Lucia Lane Alexandria, VA 22308 703.780.3665 reservations@cedarknollva.com

Three ways to stay in touch!

Subscribe

Visit our Website

Like us on Facebook

oldtowncrier.com

@oldtowncrier

get your! monthly fix

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, PO Box 320386, Alexandria, Va. 22320

Name ______________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________ City/State/Zip ________________________________________

Old Town Crier

February 2019 | 1

february’19 A Division of Crier Media Group OTC Media LLC PO Box 320386 Alexandria, VA 22320 703. 836. 0132

12

26

36

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 Ashley Schultz DESIGN & PRODUCTION Electronic Ink 9 Royal Street, SE Leesburg, VA 20175 703. 669. 5502 Peggie Arvidson Nancy Bauer Sarah Becker F. Lennox Campello Steve Chaconas Doug Fabbioli Nicole Flanagan Lani Gering Miriam Kramer Genevieve LeFranc Sarah Liu

CONTRIBUTORS Melinda Myers Meg Mulllery Ron Powers Kim Putens Julie Reardon Ashley Schultz Bob Tagert Carl Trevisan Ryan Unverzagt Lori Welch Brown Molly Winans

© 2018 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 select Alexandria residents, hotels, restaurants and retail shops. Also distributed in the Annapolis, Fredericksburg, Blue Ridge and Washington, DC areas and St. John, USVI.

Since 1988 • Priceless

A Bit of History............................................................. 16

First Blush.........................................................................43

Pets of the Month.........................................................19

After Hours.......................................................................11

Fitness................................................................................41

Points on Pets.................................................................18

Alexandria Events............................................................ 7

From the Bay….............................................................22

Publisher’s Notes.............................................................. 3

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra 18-19 Season....11

From the Trainer............................................................42

Road Trip...........................................................................24

Arts & Antiques..............................................................13

Gallery Beat.....................................................................12

Social Media Message....................................................3

Behind the Bar................................................................32

Go Fish...............................................................................45

Special Section.................................................................. 4

Business Profile................................................................. 6

Grapevine.........................................................................38

Spiritual Renaissance...................................................44

Caribbean Connection...............................................20

High Notes.......................................................................10

The Last Word.................................................................... 9

Dining Guide...................................................................34

Let's Eat.............................................................................36

To the Blue Ridge..........................................................26

Dining Out.......................................................................31

National Harbor.............................................................47

Urban Garden.................................................................14

Exploring Virginia Wines............................................39

On the Road with OTC................................................... 2

Valentine's Day Trivia...................................................30

Financial Focus.................................................................. 8

Open Space.....................................................................46

Why We Celebrate Presidents Day........................29

From the Bay to the Blue Ridge

February 2019

ROAD TRIP

Wintertime At the Beach Rehoboth, Delaware

BUSINESS PROFILE

Bloomers - Old Town Not Your Traditional Lingerie Store

BIT OF HISTORY

An Interview with Mary V. Thompson Researcher, Historian, Writer

DINING OUT

The Original Hard Times Cafe "Chili" for When It's "Chilly"

GRAPEVINE

Celebrating 30 Years!

Hartwood Winery, Fredericksburg, VA

oldtowncrier.com

about the cover The cabin in the mountains outside of Woodville, VA in Rappahannock County.

Photo by former Alexandrian and Editor of the Rappahannock News, John McCaslin

on the road with OTC Our dear friend of many years, Charlene Lankford decided it was time to take a copy of the OTC with her on her yearly trip to Key West for the Off Shore Powerboat races. She has been making the trek for about 12 years. Joining her are numerous friends and family from southern Maryland who make up a huge group from “The Maryland Powerboat” constituency. She tells us that it’s a fun week 3 days of races, a scooter poker run, a boat parade on Duvall Street and a few free days to just relax.

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

2 | February 2019

PUBLISHER’S NOTES

BOB TAGERT

Here we are into the second month of 2019 and the first month of the Federal Government shutdown. We live in an area that has a high percentage of government employees and the shutdown is having a true trickle-down effect. These “nonessential” people are very essential to the area economy. From the Virginia wineries, to air travel to the purchase of a beer or two after work, this is lost revenue for a lot of folks…and it is hurting all of them. Some restaurants and businesses in Alexandria have taken it upon themselves to give deep discounts to displaced workers and in some cases their products are free, and this includes restaurants as well as some of the shops.

When the shutdown is over, please remember their kindness.

With the cold weather upon us we thought it a great time to visit an Old Town original for some chili in Dining Out. Read about Hard Times Café and their rise from one store to a regional chain…and their chili and chili mac are perfect for this weather.

To get our minds in a summer trend and still enjoy the benefits of the beach in the winter we went to Rehoboth Beach and the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel for our Road Trip column. The Plaza has a lot to offer during the winter months. Doug Fabbioli gives you some insight and reasons to visit Virginia wineries this month in Exploring VA wines. The Business Profile highlights some pretty nice underwear…yes, underwear… featured at Bloomers here in Old Town. We congratulate the Livingston’s of Hartwood Winery (Hartwood was the first winery the OTC featured over 25 years ago) on their milestone anniversary in Grapvine and Lori sheds some light on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Open Space.

While V-Day is the main holiday this month, let’s not forget President’s Day. Alexandria celebrates this in a big way. We have the largest George Washington Parade in the nation. Let’s hope the weather cooperates this year. Come celebrate on the 18th.

Stay warm this month. Find a fireplace and share it with someone special on the 14th…Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!

The Publisher with the bronze likeness of Abe Lincoln on American Way in National Harbor.

SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGE

ASHLEY SCHULTZ

Relationships and Social Media

S

ocial Media has not only changed the way people express their opinions, the way companies reach out to potential consumers, and political campaigns. It has also changed the way some significant others relationships either flourish or suffer. Here are some ways that Social Media and Technology in general make an affect on your relationship.

Some of us still are “friends” with our exes on Facebook or whatever platform you might be using. This can be a positive; it might make the struggle from being lovers Old Town Crier

to friends a little more seamless. Of course, it can also be negative, and your current lover might feel uneasy with your continued friendship.

Or even your ex could be malicious and haunt you with old memories on your wall.

Social Media also increases opportunities of infidelity.

Old flames send you a friend request and memories are brought back from your past. With Social Media it is

easy to click on a picture and send an innocent message, that later cultivates into

a full-blown affair.

Couples often post themselves on vacations or a night out on the town.

This can bring comparison of relationships. You see your friends’ husband has brought them breakfast in bed. This can skew expectations of what a relationship should be like, and ultimately cause tension in a relationship where these acts might not be happening.

Social Media causes more insecurity between couples.

You see someone else in a photo with your partner, it is easy for jealously to arise.

Social Media can make people pay more attention to what they do not have instead of being grateful for what they do have.

On the up side, Social Media can do wonders for long distance relationships. It allows people to communicate better and makes the distance not seem as far. If your relationship is strong and you are strong people individually, social media will not be able to get in the way that much, it all depends on how much you love each other in the end.

February 2019 | 3

SPECIAL FEATURE BOB TAGERT

hip S Tall

T

Comi ng

Pr

to Alexandria

he cover of the first Old Town Crier printed in January 1988 featured the Schooner Alexandria, which at the time was the resident ship and sailing ambassador for the City of Alexandria.

The Alexandria has been gone from our waterfront for a long time, but soon Alexandria will acquire a new tall ship…the Providence.

The newly formed Tall Ship Providence Foundation purchased the replica of Providence that was built in 1976. The ship is currently in Wiscasset, Maine for restoration; she will then sail to Alexandria in late spring.

The original Providence was first commissioned as the Katy that served as a merchant ship, privateer and whaler. She was a fast ship, with foreand-aft rigging that allowed her to sail closer to windward than squarerigged ships. Because of her speed, the style was favored by pirates as well as traders.

On June 12, 1775, after an increase of British vessels boarding and confiscating American cargo, Rhode Island’s shipping community demanded that their General Assembly act to protect them. The Assembly promptly did so, chartering Katy and the sloop Washington to serve as the Rhode Island Navy. The two ship’s first triumph was recapturing the Diana, a Rhode Island merchant ship. Taking her back was a point of pride and the shots fired by Katy in the process comprised the first act of war on the water made by any colony against Great Britain.

4 | February 2019

o vid e nce

On October 13th, 1775, legislation was passed authorizing the purchase of Rhode Island’s Katy and another ship called the Minerva, as well as resolutions authorizing their refitting as warships. Thus, Katy became the first ship authorized to serve in the new Continental Navy and October 13th is the date marked as the “birthday” of the U.S. Navy.

On December 3rd Katy was taken into Continental service and renamed Providence in honor of both her home city and the Rhode Islanders serving in the Continental Congress, all of them Providence men. On the 10th of May 1776, the Providence returned to New London and it was here that John Paul Jones came aboard as temporary captain on the 10th of May. While on an independent cruise, Jones and his crew captured a brigantine called Britannia and sailed her into Philadelphia as a prize of war. At that point John Paul Jones was made the permanent captain of the Providence.

The new Providence was completed in October 1976. While the highlight of the Bicentennial was the 4th of July, celebrations took place over the entire year, so Providence was able to take part in several events.

In February 2015, while Providence was hauled out in drydock in Newport Shipyard, a blizzard struck, and the sloop’s jack stands collapsed in the gale.

The ship fell and the mast and spars were shattered, and a jack stand on the leeward side punched a large hole in the hull. In August 2017 Providence was purchased by the Tall Ship Providence Foundation (TSPF) for the express

purpose of restoring the ship to her Revolutionary War-era appearance and using her as the centerpiece of a new maritime experience in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Old Town Crier will continue to follow the development of the Providence as the restoration continues and she prepares to sail south.

TSPF hired Master Shipwright Leon Poindexter to lead the restoration efforts. Work on the hull began in September 2017. In 2018, Poindexter and his crew transferred the ship to Maine under her own power. While in Maine her masts and spars will be added, and all the finish work completed.

The restoration is expected to be complete in April or May 2019, and Providence will set sail from Maine in late May or early June, beginning her new adventures with a tour down the East Coast with stops in several ports before arriving in her new home port of Alexandria in mid-July when tours will begin.

This is an exciting time for Alexandria as the Providence will bring in tourists, offer tours and interactive experiences as well as being available for charters. At first the ship will be located at the GH Pier which is just north of the Charthouse Restaurant.

Her final berth will be at the foot of King Street along the new park which is currently under development.

The Old Town Crier will continue to follow the development as the restoration continues ad she prepares to sail south.

ed ot ts v n e t h a n ra of t ur u sta one sta e R s e ly le a R n O b n ! ’s Ta er rica a i in en th me rg Op u A i V by So in

P O T

50

WHERE IT’S MARDI GRAS ALL MONTH LONG!

FAT TUESDAY CELEBRATION MARCH 5TH DON’T FORGET VALENTINE’S DAY!

Alexandria’s Renowned Neighborhood Restaurant & Bar 3804 Mt. Vernon Avenue Alexandria 703-684-6010 • rtsrestaurant.net Ample Free Parking

Old Town Crier

February 2019 | 5

BUSINESS PROFILE

LANI GERING

over 600 square feet of space filled with ladies underwear, sleepwear and loungewear. Not necessarily lingerie, but still very pretty with the benefit of being very comfortable and practical.

The photos featured with this column pretty much tell the story.

Nicole and her staff strive to make

The names alone are reason enough to stop in the store!

Bloomers also handles some very cute sleepwear and loungewear that, according to their website, you can actually answer the door in and I agree. On top of bras, panties and sleepwear, they have a nice

Bloo.mers /blo omerz/ (Noun) – Women’s loose-fitting knee length underpants, considered old-fashioned.

Bloomers In Old Town

W

hile the name is quite catchy, this Webster’s Dictionary definition of “bloomers” doesn’t necessarily hold true when it comes to this fabulous little store. I had the pleasure of meeting Nicole White, the relatively new owner of Bloomers here in Old Town Alexandria. She will celebrate her 1st anniversary as a proprietor this May. Located on the corner of King and Patrick Streets, Bloomers is a little

Nichole White

Bloomers a place that customers feel comfortable shopping in and where bra shopping isn’t a chore. I don’t actually know anyone who has ever said they couldn’t wait to go shopping for new bras – you know, the kind that actually fit and that you wear on a daily basis! This is a place that you won’t be intimidated when you try them on and the staff is well versed in helping you find the right garment for your size.

Not all bras are created equal. I will be the first to admit that I haven’t actually tried a bra on in a store since I got my first training bra in 1967. I don’t know anyone who has actually tried on under pants either but I am sure it’s the same drill as trying on swimwear. They have a fabulous selection of panties as well.

They have some very fun brands in stock that are way sexier sounding that “Maidenform” and range from names like Boobeez and Commando to Hanky Panky and Belabumbum.

selection of slips – yes, some women still wear slips – and hosiery. And lastly…but definitely not leastly… they have a significant selection of shapewear. Sometimes referred to as “solution products”, they pretty much have something to cure any outfit malfunction you may have.

Spanx still appears to be at the top of the shapewear food chain. There are pieces that slim you, push you up and just hold you in all over. If you have that cute “little black dress” that is just a tad too snug or maybe a bit of stubborn cellulite you just can’t get rid of, this is the place to find a cure for both.

As one might expect, the Valentine’s Day stock is on the shelves and in the windows and there are some very fun and just sexy enough items for everyone’s taste. If you haven’t been in the store, treat yourself and tell Nicole that we sent you. n

BLOOMERS 924 KING STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 571-312-0852 SHOPBLOOMERS.COM

6 | February 2019

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

Alexandria FEBRUARY TOURS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS

Alexandria, VA Celebrates George Washington’s Birthday

T

housands will join in the revelry for the 287th anniversary of George Washington’s birth in his adopted hometown of Alexandria, Virginia. The city celebrates the General’s birthday throughout the month of February with more than 15 festive events.

Alexandria is a “best of ” when it comes to the spectrum of sites and special events associated with General Washington. With George Washington’s Mount Vernon just eight miles south of historic Old Town, more than 140 locations in present-day Alexandria are associated with the nation’s first president who conducted business, gathered with friends, worshiped and even owned a townhouse in the city.

For the most up-todate information about

Old Town Crier

Photo: Tisara Photograph

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

related celebrations, visit WashingtonBirthday.com. The George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee also maintains a 24-hour phone line that will report any change of status or the cancellation of any event (in case of inclement weather, for instance). Call the events hotline at 703-829-6640.

George Washington Birthday Parade February 18th 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Old Town Alexandria The nation’s largest George Washington Birthday parade marches a one-mile route through the streets of Old Town Alexandria. This community parade honors one of the Alexandria’s favorite sons. For more information, including parking, maps, route and status, visit the website or call 703-829-6640.

FREE CALENDAR > PAGE 28

February 2019 | 7

FINANCIAL FOCUS

CARL TREVISAN, CFP© & STEPHEN BEARCE

Compounding: The Potential Power of Time

W

hy is time of the essence? The sooner you begin saving — even small amounts — the better your chance of reaching your retirement goals. Consider the following example that shows how much waiting to invest can cost.

Put time on your side.

Let’s assume hypothetical Investor A invested $1,000 per year for 10 years, beginning at age 30 and reinvested his returns (interest, dividends, capital gains) back into his account. Investor B invested the same amount per year, earned an identical rate of return, and reinvested her returns; however, she waited until age 45 to start with the strategy and continued with it for twice as long (20 years).

8 | February 2019

Even though Investor A saved less money — half as much as Investor B — Investor A had more money at the time of retirement, all because of starting earlier.

What’s the secret? The extra years of compounding are what boosted Investor A’s bottom line. Investor B will now have to save considerably more if she wants to catch up. This is the potential cost of waiting. It doesn’t matter what age you are — you’ll have more time on your side if you start saving for retirement today.

What can you do next? A few simple steps can help you along the road to retirement savings: • Talk with your financial advisor about how much you should be saving for

retirement.

• Use a savings calculator to see compounding in action and how little changes to your spending can have a big impact on how much you can save for retirement.

• Commit to increasing your ongoing contributions to your 401(k), at least to the maximum of your employer’s match (if any), or IRA. • Avoid taking loans from your 401(k) if possible to keep focused upon your long-term needs.

• If you change jobs, understand your retirement distribution options and the full cost

of cashing out.

Consider opening an IRA if you’re already maxing out your employer-sponsored plan contributions for an additional tax-advantaged savings opportunity, or if you don’t have access to an employer plan. If you’re self-employed, consider establishing a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP), SIMPLE IRA, or other plan with similar tax advantages.

Bottom line, it’s never too early — or too late — to start saving for retirement. Use retirement calculators to get an idea about how much you should save, and ask your financial advisor about taxadvantaged accounts.

Our firm does not provide tax or legal advice.

This article was written by/ for Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Carl M. Trevisan, Managing DirectorInvestments and Stephen M. Bearce, First Vice PresidentInvestments in Alexandria, VA at 800-247-8602.

Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANKGUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2018 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

THE LAST WORD

MIRIAM R. KRAMER

IN HONOR OF

Mary Oliver

Photo: Molly-Malone-Cook

“I

f I have any lasting worth, it will be because I have tried to make people remember what the Earth is meant to look like.” As this issue goes to press, the beloved poet Mary Oliver has passed away at age 83. Winner of the National Book Award in 1984 and the Pulitzer Prize in 1992, she quietly reigned as the bestselling living poet in the American pantheon. Her clear language and sense of the sublime in ordinary things touched devoted readers.

Having grown up sexually abused in a dysfunctional family, she found stability and long-time happiness in both love and writing.

Old Town Crier

Oliver cared passionately about the natural world and drew great pleasure from the beautiful flora and fauna she transfigured into words. She adored dogs in particular. In her honor and for Valentine’s Day, several poems from a recent collection, Felicity, are listed below. I dedicate this column to Genie Rosebrock, a long-time Old Town resident and English teacher who introduced me to Oliver’s works.

“The First Day” After you left I jumped up and down, I clapped my hands, I stared into space.

In those days I was starving for happiness So, say it was both silly and serious.

Say it was the first warm sting of possibility Say I sensed the spreading warmth of joy.

“What This Is Not” This is not just surprise and pleasure.

This is not just beauty sometimes too hot to touch.

This is not a blessing with a beginning and an end.

This is not just a wild summer.

This is not conditional.

“Everything That Was Broken” Everything that was broken has forgotten its brokenness. I live now in a sky-house, through every window the sun. Also your presence.

Our touching, our stories.

Earthy and holy both. How can this be, but

it is. Every day has something in it whose name is Forever.

“This and That” In this early dancing of a new day— dogs leaping on the beach, dolphins leaping not far from shore— someone is bending over me, is kissing me slowly.

THE LAST WORD > PAGE 15

February 2019 | 9

HIGH NOTES

RON POWERS

I

recently discovered a new artist called DJ Magic, and his incredible EP “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. This musical journey begins with DJ Magic’s rendition of the original masterpiece by Paul Dukas. It comes in just over ten minutes and serves as an exciting primer for what is to come. Although the original composition was written many many years ago, DJ Magic’s version of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has a new vitality running through it. It’s a rare and difficult to describe quality, but one feels it when a piece of music has this magic.

One thing I love about

10 | February 2019

this EP is that it tells a story.

There is a light and elegant correlation between song titles, musical choice, and the story being told. You’ll get the general idea of where DJ Magic is taking you with one quick look at the song titles: 1. 1. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice 2. 2. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice...Sneaks a Vacation 3. 3. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice...on the Town 4. 4. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice...Back to Work

I appreciate the extra care and thought DJ Magic has put into this EP. It’s quite common for an artist to simply release 4 good songs, but here we have an artist who has gone the extra mile to weave together a story with his music, and all without the aid of lyrics. Simply incredible!

Track two “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice...Sneaks a Vacation” begins with a clip of the original piece and then whisks the listener off to the sonic equivalent of a sunny island resort. Listening to this song is like basking in the sun, drinking Piña coladas, and dancing with a beautiful girl.

And yet somehow DJ Magic

manages to never stray too far from the original symphony’s energy. That same magic flows through every second of “Sneaks a Vacation”, although something new and exciting is also present.

The third track off The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is called “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice... on the Town”. This is my favorite song on the EP. It has a pronounced electronic sound with a feeling of anticipation and fun in the beat. The music begins with a cool low-key vibe. You can almost see the apprentice driving through the streets of some enchanted town on his way to the dance club. After a few bars of chill music, DJ Magic shifts the feel to exhilarating four-on-thefloor dance music. These two dynamics shift in and out for the remainder of the song, all while playing off the common thread of the original piece of music.

DJ Magic wraps things up with the appropriately titled song “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice...Back to Work”.

This song begins with one of the more memorable section of the original song made so famous by the Disney cartoon.

After this charming intro, we hear the song evolve into some of the most spectacular symphonic layering I’ve ever heard. There’s a spooky Tim Burton feeling in the music that I love. This song comes full circle, ending with the same music it began with, giving this incredible EP the satisfying finish it deserves.

I’m astonished how DJ Magic has managed to meld two vastly different styles of music with such class and ease.

He has bridged a gap between the music of the 1800s and 2000s. Two centuries of music somehow present and working together. It’s a powerful experience to say the least.

Go to Spotify, iTunes or any store to hear DJ Magic’s music.

I am sure there will be more to come.

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra Upcoming Concerts MOZART’S PRAGUE SYMPHONY

RACHMANIONOFF’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3

Saturday, February 9th at 8:00 p.m.

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall

James Ross, Music Director; Marianna Prjevalskaya, pianist REZNICEK: Overture to Donna Diana SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 1 “Spring”

Sunday, February 10th at 3:00 p.m.

George Washington Masonic Memorial James Ross, Music Director PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 1 “Classical” J.S. BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 STRAVINSKY: Concerto in E-flat major “Dumbarton Oaks” MOZART: Symphony No. 38 “Prague”

RACHMANINOFF: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3 Saturday, April 6th at 8:00 p.m.

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall Sunday, April 7th at 3:00 p.m.

George Washington Masonic MemoriaL

Tickets: $20-$80 for adults. Student tickets $10 (with ID). Youth tickets $5 (age 18 & under). Military, senior and group discounts available. Purchase online at www.alexsym.org or call 703-5480885.

Free parking provided by the ASO at both venues. The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center is accessible by Metro bus lines 7A, 7B, 7F, 7Y, 25A, 25C and 25E, as well as DASH bus line AT6. The George Washington Masonic Memorial is accessible by the Blue and Yellow metro line (King Street station), numerous Metro, Dash and Richmond Highway Express bus lines, and the King Street Trolley in Old Town, Alexandria.

For soloists’ biographies, please visit: http://www. alexsym.org/about/musicians/

AFTER HOURS Birchmere 703.549.7500 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave. birchmere.com The Blackwall Hitch 571-982-3577 5 Cameron St. theblackwallhitch.com Carlyle Club 411 John Carlyle Dr. 703-549-8957 thecarlyleclub.com Chadwicks 203 S. Strand St. 703.836.4442 Evening Star Cafe 703.549.5051 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave.

Old Town Crier

The Fish Market 703.836.5676 105 King St. fishmarketoldtown.com La Portas 703.683.6313 1600 Duke St. Las Tapas 703.836.4000 710-714 King St. lastapas.us The Light Horse 703.549.0533 715 King St. lighthorserestaurant.com Murphys Irish Pub 703.548.1717 713 King St. murphyspub.com

O’Connell’s 703.739.1124 112 King St. Rock It Grill 703.739.2274 1319 King St. Shooter McGees 703.751.9266 5239 Duke St. shootermcgees.com Southside 815 703.836.6222 815 S. Washington St. St. Elmos 703.739.9268 2300 Mt. Vernon Ave. Taverna Cretekou 703.548.8688 818 King St.

TJ Stones 703.548.1004 608 Montgomery St. tjstones.com LaTrattoria 703-548-9338 305 S. Washington St. Two Nineteen 703.549.1141 219 King St. These establishments offer live entertainment.

Call to confirm show times, dates and cover charges. Check our advertisers’ websites

February 2019 | 11

GALLERY BEAT

F. LENNOX CAMPELLO

Double Exposure 1

F

or the fifth year, the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town Alexandria, still somewhat reeling from the city’s takeover of all operations at the building, selected four emerging artists to participate in the Factory’s Post-Grad Residency Program: J Houston, Michaela Japec, Nava Levenson, and Kim Sandara.

The jurors were Nicole Dowd, program director at Halcyon Arts Lab, and Leslie Holt, artist and co-director of D.C.’s Red Dirt Studio.

This competitive juried program “provides three months of exclusive access

12 | February 2019

Double Exposure 2

THE EVOLUTION OF MICHAELA JAPEC to a studio in the Art Center.

Therein, artists can create and sell work, interact with the public, and connect with other arts professionals.

The residency is unique for addressing the critical postgraduation juncture in an emerging artist’s career, offering an opportunity for professional development, networking, and a chance to define their practice outside of

the academic context.”

As usual, the applications were open to recently graduated students who earned a bachelor’s or master’s art degree from an accredited university. Submissions were accepted from across the nation, provided artists “submit proof of their permanent residence in the area and/or commitment to contributing to the future of

the region’s arts scene.”

“This program is about hosting and supporting rising artists within our creative community,” said Brett Johnson, director of the Torpedo Factory Art Center.

“The residency has many opportunities for innovation and collaboration, between artists and visitors alike. We hope this studio continues to be a place where people

exchange perspectives, techniques, and ideas.”

The program culminates in a group exhibition in Target Gallery, the Torpedo Factory’s contemporary exhibition space, November 8 – December 8, 2019.

I looked at the selected artists websites and have already selected my favorite of the four in the very talented Michaela Japec.

In the process of picking a favorite from a field of four, I’ve already taught these young artists a lesson as they enter the arena of the art scene: it can be sometimes tough if you’re not the “one.”

GALLERY BEAT > PAGE 13

ART&ANTIQUES

GALLERY BEAT | FROM PAGE 13

However, in this case all four of these selectees are quite talented, and each have an impressive array of work on display in cyberspace, and I’m anxiously awaiting to see their culminating exhibition at the end of 2019.

About Michaela Japec’s work…

Japec courageously notes in her statement that she “struggles, as many other people do, with body image.”

That struggle drives some of her exceptional work, but make no mistake – she’s also armed with a formidable set of technical skills, which help her deliver visual impact of what she’s trying to narrate in her work. She notes that in recent years she “has begun to use her insecurities as fuel for her artistic work.

She now explores her own perceived physical flaws in her creative process, revealing and highlighting these “flaws” in her work.”

Her work is exceptional because, in just looking at one page of her work over time, I can tell that this young artist has a good work ethic – a key to artistic success. The only way to become a good painter is to paint. I am not a big fan of her palette paintings from the Spring of 2017 – they are predictable and pedestrian - but understand why she probably did them, and in contrast with her Fall 2017 series of works, one can see spectacular progress – both in ideas and skill – in the later work.

Another key to being a

ANTIQUES

Chaos Inside Me good painter is to know how to draw well.

In “Chaos Inside,” a 2017 graphite drawing, Japec flexes her drawing muscles and makes a powerful statement of both artistic value as well as a delivery vehicle for her inner demons.

She notes that she “finds that exposing her anxieties, which have haunted her since a young age, is healing for both herself and the viewer.

Creating art featuring her physical imperfections allows others to see their own flaws in a more accepting, tangible, and beautiful way.”

I wonder if Japec knows

that “Chaos Inside” represents the ideal beauty to most of the planet’s culture and has stood for the ideal beauty for most of mankind’s existence?

I hope that she knows that it is a beautiful drawing of a beautiful human.

This young painter is worth keeping an eye on.

Issey Shirt in Silk Shantung by Kay Chapman Designs

Winter brights and subtle lights with a touch of the extraordinary colors of spring to come ... Stop in to see our exceptional collection of handcrafted hats, scarves, accessories, jewelry, elegant clothing, and crafts by more than 300 American artists and craftspeople. Pair an elegant Kay Chapman silk top with all-season skirts and slacks. We have a wonderful selection of winter outfits, fabulous outerwear, and lots of new arrivals with a hint of spring.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff always ready to assist.

Old Town Crier

Come see our entire line of amazing American-made clothing, jewelry and crafts.

Torpedo Factory Art Center 105 N. Union Street

Spurgeon-Lewis Antiques 112 N. Columbus Street

Principle Gallery 208 King Street

BW Art, Antiques & Collectibles 108 N. Fayette Street

Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery 105 N. Union Street

Imperfections Antiques 1210 King Street

St. George Gallery 105 N. Alfred Street

The Antique Guild 113 N. Fairfax Street

The Art League 105 Union Street

Silverman Galleries 110 N. St. Asaph Street

Local Colour Old Town 218 N. Lee Street

Red Barn Mercantile 1117 King Street

Icon Galleria 101 N. Union Street

Washington Square Antiques 425 S. Washington Street

B&B Art Gallery 215 King Street

Susquehanna Antique Co. 608 Cameron Street

Gallery West 1213 King Street

Old Town Antiques 222 S. Washington Street

Enamelist’s Gallery 105 N. Union Street

Verdigris Vintage 1215 King Street

Printmakers, Inc. 105 N. Union Street

Cavalier Antiques 400 Prince Street

Kelly’s Art & Frame 510 N. Washington Street

Sumpter Priddy III 323 S. Washington Street

Oerth Gallery 420 S. Washington Street

Henry Street Antiques 115 S. Henry Street

Jeffrey Winter Fine Arts 110A S. Columbus Street

Curzon Hill Antiques 108 S. Columbus Street

Johnston Matthew 105 N. Union Street

The Hour 1015 King Street

Huddy Studio 105 N. Union Street

A Galerie 315 Cameron Street

Mezzanine Multiples 105 N. Union Street

Random Harvest 810 King Street

Silverman Galleries 110 N. St. Asaph Street

Acme Mid-Century + Modern 128 S. Royal Street

Cochran David 105 N. Union Street

Van Bommel Antiek Hous 1007 King Street

Betty Grisham Studio 105 N. Union Street

Lloyd’s Row 119 S. Henry Street

Imagine Artwear 112 King Street

Version 1

Winter Wonders

GALLERIES

Version 2

Recently found vintage 1997 stone lithographs!

Mermaid – The Deep (Version 1) Limited Edition of 10 signed and numbered stone lithographs on 11x14 inches paper. Circa 1997 Mermaid – The Deep (Version 2) Limited Edition of 10 signed and numbered stone lithographs on 14x5 inches paper. Circa 1997

Get a vintage Mermaid stone litho by well-known DMV area artist F. Lennox Campello!

1124 King Street | Alexandria, Virginia 22314 (703) 548-1461 | www.imagineartwear.com Mon – Sat 10 am – 7 pm

•

Sold loose and ready for framing! Each signed and numbered print from this tiny unique edition of 10 prints is $100, packing and shipping included.

Email info@alidaanderson.com to order – once this edition is sold out, it is gone forever!

Sunday 11 am – 5 pm

February 2019 | 13

URBAN GARDEN

MELINDA MYERS

L

ift your spirits and improve your indoor environment by taking part in the indoor gardening movement. An apartment or home filled with tropical, succulent and flowering plants can provide beauty, extend your garden season, improve air quality and create a peaceful environment to de-stress.

Though some may find indoor gardening a bit intimidating, don’t let past failures or the thought of tending living greenery stop you from enjoying the many benefits. Knowing some basics in care and making needed adjustments to the growing environment can turn past failures into success.

Water, humidity and light are key to growing healthy plants. When you match these to a plant’s needs and the growing media, you’re sure to experience success.

Use a container with drainage holes to avoid overwatering that can lead to root rot and plant death. It should be no more than an inch or two larger in diameter than the plant’s root ball.

Growing in a larger pot results in the soil staying too wet, increasing the chance of root rot.

Select a quality potting mix that holds moisture but drains well. Cacti and succulents prefer a fast-draining mix while tropicals and African violets prefer a mix that stays moist, not soggy, yet drains well.

Set your plant in a location that’s free from drafts of hot and cold air, but in the preferred light conditions.

An east- or west-facing window usually provides adequate light for most plants. Keep cacti, succulents and other plants requiring high light within two feet of an east- or westfacing window. Pothos, philodendron, Chinese evergreens and those that tolerate low light can be placed near a north-facing window or up to six feet 14 | February 2019

Succulents should be kept within two feet of an east- or west-facing window and grown in a fast-draining potting mix.

Melinda Myers, LLC

back or off to the side of an east- or west-facing window. Shears, awnings and trees can impact the light reaching your plants. Adjust their location as needed.

Always water thoroughly and pour off the excess water that collects in

the saucer. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry before watering drought tolerant plants like cactus. Water tropical and flowering plants that prefer moist conditions when the top few inches of soil are barely moist, like a sponge that has been wrung out.

Reduce maintenance and improve plant health with gravel trays. Fill a tray or saucer with pebbles. Allow excess water to collect in the tray.

The pebbles keep the pot elevated above the water to avoid root rot. As the water evaporates it increases the humidity around the plant.

When pest problems occur, consider an organic approach safe for people, pets and plants. Manage fungus gnats, those tiny fruit fly like insects found flitting around the house, with a naturally occurring bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, found in Summit Mosquito Bits (SummitResponsibleSolutions. com). Just sprinkle on the soil surface and repeat as needed until these pests disappear.

Mites, aphids, scale and mealybugs can be controlled with an organic horticulture oil like Summit YearRound Spray Oil. This product coats the pests and kills all stages from egg to adult. Repeat as needed to control any that were missed.

Once the pests are managed, check the growing conditions and make needed adjustments to the growing environment.

The more plants you grow, the easier it becomes and soon enough you may find yourself immersed in a tropical or desert paradise inside the comfort of your own home.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program.

Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Summit for her expertise to write this article.

Myers’s web site is www.melindamyers. com.

THE LAST WORD | FROM PAGE 9

“Except for the Body” Except for the body of someone you love including all its expressions in privacy and in public,

MARY OLIVER 1935 – 2019

trees, I think, are the most beautiful forms on the earth.

Though admittedly, if this were a contest, the trees would come in An extremely distant second.

“Late Spring” Finally the world is beginning to change, its fevers mounting, its leaves unfolding.

And the mockingbirds find ample reason and breath to fashion new songs. They do. You can count on it.

As for lovers, they are discovering New ways to love. Listen, their windows are open.

You can hear them laughing.

Without spring who knows what would happen.

A lot of nothing, I suppose.

The leaves are all in motion now the way a young boy rows and rows in his wooden boat, just to get anywhere.

Late, late, but now lovely and lovelier.

And the two of us, together—a part of it.

Old Town Crier

Photot: Molly Malone Cook

February 2019 | 15

A BIT OF HISTORY

SARAH BECKER ©2019

Washington and Family

Mary V. Thompson Researcher, Historian, Writer

M

ount Vernon Research Historian Mary V. Thompson awaits the release of her second book, The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon (2019). It comes on the heels of Thompson’s first, In the Hands of a Good Providence: Religion in the Life of George Washington (2008). Mary and I first met in 1995; we are colleagues and she joins me for a Q&A.

Jamestown now celebrates 400 years of AfricanAmerican history. The first 20 black Africans arrived in Jamestown in 1619, twelve years after the Colony’s founding. They came by ship, as human cargo, for sale as indentured servants. Yet George Washington, son of Augustine and Mary Ball Washington of Westmoreland County, Virginia, grew up with slaves. Explain the transition from indenture to slavery; the plantation practices that promoted slavery.

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, 16 | February 2019

into a world in which slavery was simply a fact of life. The first Africans had arrived in Virginia more than one hundred years earlier and new research has shown that, contrary to long-held beliefs, most were enslaved from the outset.

The basic outlines of the legal status of Virginia slaves were clarified in the 1660s and 1670s, with the passage of legislation stating that: whether children born in Virginia were free or enslaved depended on the condition of their mother (1662); conversion to Christianity and subsequent baptism would not result in freedom for a slave (1667); masters would have almost total control over how their slaves were disciplined, and would not be prosecuted if a slave died while being punished (1669); and the government would police slaves and owners would be reimbursed for any slaves who were killed while being recaptured (1672).

As noted by historian John Coombs, “even before the supposedly critical turning points of statutory recognition of slavery in the 1660s and the beginning of direct African deliveries in the mid-1670s,

only a handful of blacks in Virginia were held in the capacity as servants. . .the normative condition for “negroes” was enslavement.” And, with few exceptions, that period of enslavement lasted for the lifetime of the individual.

At what age did George Washington first become a slave-owner; for what reason(s) did his/Mount Vernon’s inventory increase?

Who was Mount Vernon mulatto slave William Lee? George Washington became a slave owner at the age of eleven, when he inherited ten slaves upon the death of his father in 1743. The division of those people among Augustine’s heirs did not take place until George Washington was eighteen years old; at that point he actually inherited eleven people, because a child had been born to one of the women in the meantime.

The number of slaves owned by Washington grew through: a) the inheritance of

additional slaves, following the deaths of other relatives; b) the purchase of slaves, primarily from Virginia estate sales and from slave ships; c) through his marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis, a wealthy widow, in 1759; and d) by natural increase as enslaved women at Mount Vernon and other properties owned and/or managed by him gave birth to children.

Within three years of the start of the American Revolution, Washington decided that he no longer wanted to be a slave owner, but at that time he was unable to free his slaves, because of a Virginia law which made it impossible for individual slave owners to manumit their slaves, something that had to be done by an act of the Virginia legislature, generally

for bravery or some sort of meritorious service. That law was changed in 1782, finally making it possible for individuals to free their slaves. By the end of Washington’s life, there were over 300 enslaved people at Mount Vernon: 123 were owned by him; 153 were owned by the estate of Martha Washington’s first husband; 40 were rented from a neighbor; and one was rented from a relative.

William Lee was a mixedrace slave who was purchased

by George Washington in 1768 from the widow of a Lee family member.

William’s younger brother, Francis [Frank] Lee, was also purchased by Washington.

Frank eventually became A BIT OF HISTORY > PAGE 17

A BIT OF HISTORY | FROM PAGE 16

the butler at Mount Vernon.

William Lee became Washington’s valet or personal servant and accompanied him almost everywhere.

“The Negroes thus bound are to be taught…to read and write,” Washington wrote. To what extent were Mount Vernon’s slaves educated? Brought up to some useful occupation?

Did Washington ever think literate slaves and rebellious slaves were one and the same?

Washington arranged for those slaves he intended to work at trades to be trained in their craft by his hired and indentured artisans. For certain jobs, being able to read or write; be competent in elementary math may have been useful. For example, during the 1780s, the overseers on four of the five farms that made up the Mount Vernon estate were enslaved themselves. Overseers were generally required to turn in weekly reports regarding work done under their supervision.

It may be that learning to read and write was necessary, but we don’t know for sure. We do know that when they were sick, those reports were not turned in. We don’t know whether that was because they were too sick to write them up, or if it was because they were too sick to personally give their reports orally to the farm manager.

We know from an interview with Oney Judge, who had been Martha Washington’s lady’s maid, before she ran away in the spring of 1796 in Philadelphia, that she was never taught to read, but that was probably because literacy was not seen as a part of her job. After her escape, Oney lived in New Hampshire, where she did learn to read, something of which she was very proud.

Washington does not seem to have believed that literate slaves and rebellious slaves were the same thing. It was not until about a decade after Washington’s death that Virginia passed laws to prevent slaves from learning to read and write. He does seem to have understood that literate slaves had a better chance of successfully running away than those who could not.

Old Town Crier

During the American Revolution General George Washington traveled with slaves, watched as black soldiers died on the battlefield. “[T]here is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of slavery,” Washington wrote in 1786.

What policy changes if any did Washington prefer?

After the war, when he had more time to think about the issue, Washington told many people that he believed the best way to abolish slavery in the new United States was through a policy of gradual emancipation.

Pennsylvania had passed a law in 1780 that all slaves born there in the future would become free when they reached the age of 28. Other northern states followed suit.

In the year Washington died, for example, the New York legislature agreed to free future-born enslaved men at 28 and women at 25 years old.

New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island instituted similar plans. As a result of these laws, about 75% of AfricanAmericans in the northern states were free by 1810.

George Washington served as President of the 1787 Constitutional Convention.

Article 1, Section 1.3 refers to “those bound to service [as] three fifths of all other persons.”

How did Washington explain this seemingly immoral compromise to LaFayette and others of benevolent spirit? Author Henry Wiencek suggests “throughout this debate Washington sat listening wrapped in his ex officio silence.”

We don’t really know, because he said very little during the convention.

Why did George Washington liberate his slaves upon his death in 1799? Did he feel the union had been preserved, the South included, and emancipation by degrees too slow? What is the generational takeaway?

Did succeeding Mount Vernon owners Bushrod Washington and John A. Washington, Jr. own slaves, favor slavery?

Washington chose to set out the plan for manumitting his slaves in his last will and testament, in which he said that, although he wished they would be freed sooner, they should go free upon the death of his widow, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington.

The reason he gave for waiting until she died was that he did not want her to have to deal with the break-up of the enslaved families at Mount Vernon. He wanted to keep the families together as long as he could.

Over the forty years he and Martha were married, his slaves had intermarried with her “dower slaves,” who belonged to the estate of her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis. Daniel’s death in 1757, without leaving a will, meant that his widow received the lifetime use of one-third of his slaves, but that upon her death, they had to be divided among the remaining heirs of her first husband. In this case, the remaining heirs were Martha’s four Custis grandchildren.

About twenty families at Mount Vernon were the result of marriages between Washington and dower slaves.

Those people who belonged to George Washington would be freed; the dower slaves would not. Those families would be torn apart when the two groups went their separate ways.

While some people praised Washington for freeing his slaves, others were highly critical and felt that he had not been considerate to other slave owners in Virginia, that the state wasn’t ready for such a large emancipation all at once. The later Washingtons at Mount Vernon did not follow George Washington’s example, but brought slaves of their own to Mount Vernon.

Enslaved people continued to work on the estate until about 1860, when the Washington family sold Mount Vernon to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association and took their slaves with them to their new home in Fauquier County, Virginia.

People did criticize Supreme Court Justice Bushrod Washington, who inherited Mount Vernon after Martha Washington’s death in 1802, for selling a number of his slaves in the 1820s. When people wrote in the newspapers that Bushrod should have been more like his uncle in regard to his slaves,

he responded harshly—also in the newspapers—that he was not his uncle, that those slaves were his property, and that he had every right to sell them.

citizens of this country. We still have not really faced up to that original sin.

George Washington’s adopted grandson, slave owner George Washington Parke Custis of Arlington House, explained slavery as the “unhappy error of our forefathers.” Do you agree?

Mary received her M.A. in history in 1980 and joined Mount Vernon’s staff the same year. Advance copies of The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret: George Washington, Slavery, and the Enslaved Community at Mount Vernon can be purchased online at www.Amazon.com.

Slavery has been called America’s “original sin.” This statement refers back to the “original sin” of Adam and Eve in the Bible’s book of Genesis —their sin in eating the forbidden fruit, because they wanted to be more like God—an action that resulted in God’s curse on the human race, which has impacted every subsequent human down to the present day. In the case of slavery, we are still dealing with the repercussions of 250 years of race-based slavery (16191865), followed by another 100 years of race-based Jim Crow laws, peonage, and institutional racism, which kept the descendants of freed slaves from being full-fledged

Sarah Becker started writing for The Economist while a graduate student in England. Similar publications followed. She joined the Crier in 1996 while serving on the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association Board.

Her interest in antiquities began as a World Bank hire, with Indonesia’s need to generate hard currency. Balinese history, i.e. tourism provided the means.

The New York Times describes Becker’s book, Off Your Duffs & Up the Assets, as “a blueprint for thousands of nonprofit managers.” A former museum director, SLAM’s saving grace Sarah received Alexandria’s Salute to Women Award in 2007. Email: abitofhistory53@ gmail.com

February 2019 | 17

POINTS ON PETS

M

rs. Huggins does not celebrate Valentine’s Day. Far from being attracted to any male cat, she hates all cats equally. In fact, the very idea of romantic love seems an affront, as she joyfully shredded the last $5.50 card my husband bought me, and ate (and vomited) a few of my red roses. But these events gave me pause for thought, and I reflected on the love life of cats. Is Mrs. Huggins missing out?

Seasons of Love: Female cats, or “queens,” enter their first estrus cycle once they reach sexual maturity; generally around six months of age. Notably though, certain breeds like Persians reach maturity later, and others, especially outdoor ferals, may become sexually mature even earlier. This variability makes pro-active

SARAH LIU

neutering and trap-neuterrelease (“TNR”) programs so critical, in order to prevent dangerous early pregnancies in “teen” mothers, and to reduce the number of homeless kittens.

Cats are seasonally polyestrus, which means they can cycle multiple times during the breeding season. The breeding season varies by region, but in the United States, generally takes place from early spring until the late fall. This period is commonly referred to as “kitten season” by rescue volunteers, as it coincides with an influx of pregnant queens and homeless kittens to shelters who struggle for resources to provide extra care.

For indoor cats, and cats in tropical climates, the breeding season may last all year round.

That Lovin’ Feeling: The queen’s estrus cycle lasts anywhere from one to three weeks. During the cycle, she will spend one to seven days “in heat” - a time in which she is keen to meet

ADOPTION CALENDAR

romantic partners.

The signs are generally behavioral rather than physical. If your cat has not been spayed, you may observe she is much more vocal and very affectionate, rubbing against objects and demanding attention. She may urinate more frequently, or inappropriately. There will be a lot of rolling on the floor, and when stroked, she will raise her hindquarters and “paddle” her back legs into a position, we can only guess, that is terribly inviting to would-be paramours.

Social Networking: Your queen is also sending “virtual” information to potential suitors. During heat, she is loaded with hormones and pheromones, and she is very proficient at sending these messages to male cats all over her neighborhood. Tom cats you have never seen before will heed her call, peering in your windows and lurking in your yard, spraying their own urinary valentines on your bushes and steps.

Male cats, “toms,” also reach sexual maturity around six months of age. Classic signs include aggression toward other male cats, inappropriate urination or spraying,

www.kingstreetcats.org emai: contact@kingstreetcats.org

KING STREET CATS 25 Dove Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 Every Saturday and Sunday from 1.30pm-4.30pm

Are you or someone you know free during weekday mornings? King Street Cats is looking for weekday morning caregivers and vet taxis to transport our cats to the vet. Please email: contact@kingstreetcats.org for details.

PETVALU Bradlee Shopping Center, 3652 King St, Alexandria, VA 22302 Every Sat/Sun from 1pm-4pm

FOR DETAILS AND MORE INFO

King Street Cats is looking for foster homes! You provide the spare room and TLC and we can provide food, litter and all vetting. Please email: contact@kingstreetcats.org for details.

18 | February 2019

nighttime vocalization (“yowling”), and increased attempts to leave your house.

The intact, or un-neutered tom cat, is an insatiable Romeo. He is not subject to the same cycling as the female cat. He will continue these behaviors and pursue his romantic agenda until he is neutered.

And Baby Makes Three, Sometimes Five, or Eight: If Tom is successful, and a queen is mated, her pregnancy will last about nine weeks. Like humans, she may experience morning sickness in the early stages.

Thirty days after conception, her belly will swell. She may appear lethargic and will require more calories. By the third week you may feel the “lumps” of her developing kittens. About a week before birth, she will begin “nesting,” looking for safe and cozy places to have her litter.

When labor comes, the queen is generally self-sufficient.

First time mothers may show signs of anxiety; pacing or straining with contractions.

There may be panting or noises of discomfort. Queens who are well-bonded with their humans may appreciate companionship and gentle stroking.

PETCO UNLEASHED 1101 S Joyce St, Arlington, VA 22202 Every first Sat & third Sat from 1pm-4pm PETCO UNLEASHED 1855 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC 20007 Every fourth Sat/Sun from 12pm-3pm THE DOG PARK 705 King Street, Alexandria, VA22314 Every second Saturday from 1pm-4pm

Litters average three to five kittens, generally born 15 to 20 minutes one after the other. The queen will lick her babies clean and encourage them to nurse immediately.

In general, cats are excellent mothers, instinctually providing comprehensive care for their helpless infants.

However, first time and especially young mothers may abandon or reject their young. When a queen rejects her litter, the kittens will die unless substitute care is provided. Inexperienced care takers should immediately seek a veterinarian’s advice.

Newborn kittens cannot thrive on other kinds of milk, and must be assisted in elimination of urine and feces for the first few weeks of life. In most cases though, a queen will independently rear and train her kittens, weaning them between four and six weeks. The kittens will reach sexual maturity around six months, sometimes as early as four, and the cycle will begin anew.

Deadbeat Dad: Meanwhile Dad, our tom, has nothing to do with any of this. He is instinctually driven to make kittens, but POINTS ON PETS > PAGE 19

POINTS ON PETS | FROM PAGE 18

has no interest in caring for them once his mission is complete. DNA donated, he has long since turned his thoughts to the next romantic conquest. But Dad’s genes will contribute to his offspring’s appearance and temperament. Studies have shown that kittens sired by “friendly” fathers are more likely to socialize well with humans; even where the father has nothing to do with the kittens after conception.

With respect to fur color, while male kittens take their color from Mom, female kittens take one color gene from each parent, so are more likely to offer clues about who their father was. Likewise, if your kitten is white, and mom is not white, then Dad was probably the white tom cat you saw in your backyard.

Life Lessons: Get your cat neutered. Not only will it prevent unwanted pregnancies and reduce undesirable behaviors, it will allow your pet to focus

on loving his or her family instead of pursuing romance on the streets.

Get involved in TNR. TrapNeuter-Release is a fantastic nation-wide initiative to neuter sexually mature feral cats. TNR reduces the number of homeless kittens, many of whom end up euthanized, and improves the overall health and safety of feral colonies and the communities they live in.

Consider fostering a pregnant mother and/or kittens. Rescue organizations are flooded with expectant mothers and orphaned kittens. County shelters don’t have the resources to provide care so are often forced to resort to euthanasia.

Fostering frees up shelter space, socializes kittens for future forever homes, and allows your family to experience the joys of a cat or kitten without long-term commitments.

Roses are not toxic to cats.

That said, they still shouldn’t eat them, and the thorns could cause problems in the digestional tract. So keep them out of reach.

Love Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

Resources VCAHOSPITALS.COM CATSTER.COM ALEXANDRIAANIMALS.ORG/TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN VETINFO.COM VETSTREET.COM/DR-MARTY-BECKER

This Valentine’s Day, Adopt-A-Manatee® for Someone Special

CFA.ORG FELINELIVING.NET/ARE-ROSES-TOXIC-TO-CATS

1-800-432-JOIN (5646) savethemanatee.org Photo © David Schrichte

PETS OF THE MONTH OAK

Baby, Male, White Mouse

4101 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria, VA 703-746-4774 alexandriaanimals.org Mon-Fri, 1-8 pm Closed Wed Sat & Sun, 12-5 pm Old Town Crier

BUTTERFLY

SADIE

Adult, Spayed Female, Silver Tabby Domestic Longhair

Adult, Spayed Female, White and Black, Pit Bull Terrier

Oak is still a little sapling who is looking for a

is exuberant about meeting people but also

Sadie is a “lov-a-bull” mix of sweet and adorable.

family to call his own. He loves to spend time

appreciates her quiet time. She co-exists with

Her name means “princess” and she is looking

with his brother Elm, crafting their burrows and

other cats and would do fine as an only cat. Her

getting their exercise in. He enjoys meeting new

unique smile is due to the fact that she’s missing

people, and with a little time a treats, will learn

most of her teeth, but that doesn’t stop her from

to love snuggling up in his people’s hands!

eating with gusto! She’s quite young and loves

https://alexandriaanimals.org/animalprofile/?id=32926 https://alexandriaanimals.org/adoptioninformation/ Photo courtesy of Shelley Castle Photography Butterfly is a precious little lady. This petite girl

to play with all of her toys at once. Butterfly is a looking for a playmate - could it be you? https://alexandriaanimals.org/animalprofile/?id=29729 https://alexandriaanimals.org/adoptioninformation/ Photo courtesy of Alexandria Animals

for her castle! You’ll see her biggest smiles when playing with kids and when it’s dinnertime. This princess prefers to be the only dog in your castle and isn’t a fan of dog parks. Sadie would love to meet you – no curtsying necessary! https://alexandriaanimals.org/animalprofile/?id=31055 https://alexandriaanimals.org/adoptioninformation/ Photo courtesy of Dirty Paw Photography

February 2019 | 19

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION JEFF MCCORD

When William Seward met Santa Anna ... on a Caribbean cruise!

O

ne hundred and fifty years ago William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Presidents Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, met with Antonio Lopez d’ Santa Anna, the Mexican dictator of Alamo infamy. Among his crimes, Santa Anna actually ordered the execution of frontiersman and ex-Congressman Davy Crockett and a handful of other Alamo survivors who had been taken prisoner after the battle, Mexican eyewitnesses reported.

The meeting between the murderous, exiled dictator and a U.S. cabinet member took place on St. Thomas, then part of the Danish West Indies and now the U.S. Virgin Islands. Santa Anna was there living the life of a wealthy grandee in stately Charlotte Amalie, the Danish West Indies’ capital.

Then one of the busiest steam ship ports in the world, St. Thomas was a cosmopolitan world cross roads where thousands of Europeans first saw the Americas.

January 1, 1866 was foggy and frosty along the Potomac River. The United States Steamer DeSoto, carrying Secretary Seward, his son Frederick and daughter Fanny departed Washington City heading for the West Indies at dawn. Running at eleven knots, it only took moments to pass Alexandria.

Frederick noticed the town’s “wharves looked deserted and desolate after the bustle of Civil War.” Further down river, the DeSoto lowered its ensign and fired a gun in tribute as it steamed by Mount Vernon.

“Meeting only a dozen schooners loaded with hay and oysters where recently rode whole fleets of warlike ships and transports, we soon left behind Point Lookout and emerged amid drizzling rain and sleet into Chesapeake Bay,” Frederick continued, 20 | February 2019

Antonia Lopez d'Santa Anna

William H. Seward

writing in his biography of his father.

Secretary Seward and Frederick were still recovering from serious wounds inflicted the night of President Lincoln’s assassination. Confederate veteran Lewis Powell, a tall, powerful former Mosby Ranger who’d been hiding out on a farm near Warrenton, VA, had burst into the Secretary’s Lafayette Square home at 10pm on April 14, 1865.

He quickly, savagely assaulted Frederick and his father with a revolver -- that fortunately misfired -and a bowie knife.

Nine months later, a cruise in the “genial airs of the tropics” would help Sewards health and enable a visit with the Danish West Indies’ governor. Seward was keen to purchase the islands to establish a U.S. naval base to protect Caribbean interests.

Frederick described first seeing the Danish archipelago. “Out of the blue and tranquil sea were islands rising on every hand of varying size and form.”

The Sewards arrived at St. Thomas on January 9, 1866. They were charmed by the harbor’s “high steep

hills covered with verdure, and rows of square yellow houses and red roofs resembling a toy German village.”

Upon disembarking at Charlotte Amalie’s King’s Wharf, Frederick was pleasantly surprised by the mostly Afro-European population happily going about their business “laughing, talking and gesticulating.” No doubt, he noted the contrast with the down-trodden, impoverished African Americans then living in Washington, DC as refugees from the South.

They also noticed a lack of carriages and wagons in the harbor town’s narrow streets and alleys.

Instead, a variety of tropical fruits, vegetables and manufactured goods were carried by men riding donkeys, women balancing loads on their heads and simple carts pulled by donkeys or oxen. Like modern tourists, the Sewards loved the flowers and “luxuriant vines and creepers” in residential walled gardens.

Inside homes, they enjoyed “cool rooms filled with easy chairs, fans, shades and screens.”

Lavish state dinners were held in Secretary Sewards honor and meetings with leading citizens arranged.

He and the family also toured local attractions, including Blackbeard’s and Bluebeard’s Castles that capped two of the three hills commanding the harbor.

Both “castles” had been Danish military observation towers built in the late 1600s. Tourists were told they had been used by pirates.

Among the nabobs inviting the Sewards to visit was Santa Anna. Secretary Seward accepted.

Santa Anna had arrived in St. Thomas in 1858, bringing along a treasure valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars by today’s standards. During his CARIBBEAN CONNECTION > PAGE 21

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION FROM PAGE 20

years in power, Santa Anna missed no opportunity to profit from his position. He personally pocketed generous portions of the proceeds from Mexican territorial sales to the U.S., for instance. Santa Anna had also hunted and captured Mayan Indians in the Yucatan, selling them as slaves to eager Cuban sugar planters.

“I stopped here to continue my tranquil life,” Santa Anna said upon arrival, according to the newspaper St. Thomas Didende. “The door to discord [in my life] has been closed forever.”

He purchased a villa and several adjacent properties, forming a fortress-like compound near the top of fashionable Denmark Hill.

Villa Santa Anna is just below the mansion Catherineberg, then home of the Danish vice governor and now official residence of the United States Virgin Islands’ governor.

A devout womanizer, the retired dictator had several mistresses on-island. He also enjoyed the sporting life of gambling on horse races and cock-fights.

In Sewards’ day, visitors

to Villa Santa Anna would ascend stately stone stairs from the street up the embankment to the mansion.

Frederick described their meeting in the dictator’s library: “The General rose from a table covered with papers to bid the American Secretary welcome with Castilian courtesy, and then sat down to chat awhile on the past, present, and future of Mexico.

He was a large, fine-looking man of Spanish features and complexion, dark, keen eyes, and dark hair, and showed no signs of bodily infirmity save

a slight limp. One would have pronounced him between fifty and sixty instead of being, as he really was, nearly seventy.”

This would be the last meeting with an American statesman in Santa Anna’s long career.

In my second fact-based mystery novel (Santa Anna’s Gold in a Pirate Sea), I address the question, “What became of Santa Anna’s vast St. Thomas fortune?” The book, available on Amazon, also covers Civil War-era skullduggery in the Caribbean and provides readers with healthy doses of real and fictional piracy. n

Escape to paradise Hillcrest Guest House is located within a residential area, rising two stories above Cruz Bay, on the crest of a hill and minutes from the beach and the US National Park, Virgin Islands.

Six suites available, $185-$235/day Call 340-776-6774 or 340-998-8388 hillcreststjohn.com

HH

MYSTERY READING AT ITS BEST

by Virginia author Jeffrey Roswell McCord

CARIBBEAN MYSTERY AND INTRIGUE A dead Marine washed ashore on a Caribbean island leads investigators to otherworldly perpetrators in historic pirate waters and high level abuses in Washington. An intrepid maritime historian working the case for U.S. Naval Intelligence discovers a 60-year record of extraterrestrial activity in the Caribbean basin. History and national security politics meet science fiction in this mystery based on exhaustive factual research and informed conjecture.

CARIBBEAN hISToRY AND ADvENTURE Where did the villain General Santa Anna of Alamo infamy retire? Is time travel possible?

What was it like on the ground in the worst hurricane of the 19th century? Can a band of rogue sailors from Coral Bay, St. John, defeat ruthless corporate mercenaries? These questions and more are answered in Jeffrey Roswell McCord’s new fact-based novel “Santa Anna’s Gold in a Pirate Sea.”

Available from Amazon or as a Kindle download

HILLCREST GUEST HOUSE

CLIFFHANGER k

Ann Street Gardens

y

ey west getawa

SEE OUR AY HOMEAW 5 AT #28629 LISTING AY.COM HOMEAW

As featured on HGTV and winner of “Bang For Your Buck” in St. Thomas. This recently renovated villa resides on the edge of a cliff 200 feet above the Atlantic Ocean crashing onto the rocks below. The best location on the island—a private, secure, gated community of luxury villas—the villa offers spectacular views of the Atlantic and various islands including St. John, Jost Van Dyke and Tortola. The main house has 3 bedrooms with a detached cottage with its’ own queen size bed. Large deck, pool and spa.

Phone 703 628-9005 • Fax 703 765-5900

Key West Getaway One Block from Sloppy Joe’s Contact: historichideaways.com • 1-800-654-5131 Old Town Crier

February 2019 | 21

FROM THE BAY …

MOLLY WINANS

Photo caption: Spa Creek in Annapolis under a wintry full moon.

H

e still tells people about it. “It was her idea,” he says pointing at me with a that’s-my-girl kind of grin. Apparently, having a high tolerance for physical discomfort is a sexy trait to some men. Men who are sailors, to be exact.

Friends have it backward; they think because I am a sailing magazine editor, I must be the more passionate sailor, the one who would go out in the rain, cold, and fog, and who would step onto the docks exuberant and exalting the merits of the sport. They 22 | February 2019

are wrong. My partner is the sailing addict. He’s the one who, despite his full-time desk job, may sail five times a week in season and once a week in winter. Yes, he is a little crazy.

He sails in December, January, and February once a week, sometimes twice. If not, I hear, “The boat’s not gone out for three weeks. She’s itching to go out.”

Even in summer, I have heard him say, “I haven’t been sailing all week.” Knowing that he has raced on a friend’s boat on Saturday and on Sunday and then raced with a different crew after work on

Photo: Al Schreitmueller

Wednesday—which to me, equals three sailing days—I will look at him puzzled. I might say, “Really?” Then, he will clarify. “I haven’t sailed on my boat all week.” Much like an alcoholic who might not count a light beer as a real drink, to my guy, sailing on other people’s boats is not really sailing.

As much as I love sailing, I have plenty of other pastimes to keep me occupied, even in peak season. I can arrive home after a sailing weekend and pass one, two, even three whole weeks without sailing and not feel as if I am

getting the shakes. Then come winter, for four months, I am delighted to stay home, make tea, take an art class, read novels, and cook comfort food in the crock pot.

So when I suggested late last winter that we spend a night on the sailboat, I stopped my beau in his tracks.

“At anchor?” he asked with a stunned look. I said, “Why not?” The weatherman called for 50-degree Fahrenheit temperatures to match water temperatures in the upper 40s.

I figured people go camping in colder weather than that.

We could cook lasagna in the propane-fueled oven and then bake a breakfast casserole in the morning to warm up the boat. I donned fleece layers and wool slippers. I could do this.

The thing to remember about most boats is that they retain no heat. If you have an electric space heater running for hours and then you turn it off, within two minutes, the boat will be as cold as it was before the running of said heater. Boats tend to feel about as warm inside as the water temperature outside. On an average winter day on the Chesapeake, you can count on your boat in 38-degree water to feel 38 degrees warm inside.

Space heaters on boats do not work without electricity or generators, so when I suggested unplugging from the dock to have a quiet dinner and sleepover at anchor in 48-degree waters, I knew what I was getting myself into.

The oven and snuggling with my skipper would be my only heat sources.

For us, dropping anchor in Annapolis is the equivalent to camping in our backyard. It’s a 10-minute hop under power from the Back Creek slip to the anchorage by the Naval Academy, yet somehow, it always feels like an escape. We make the mini-journey a few times a year, sometimes on a Friday night after a long work week. We may return as early as 9 a.m. on Saturday without ever hauling up our sails, yet we feel refreshed from a little excursion.

I may humor my guy with a two-hour afternoon sail here and there in the winter, maybe even in February, but I intend to save the cozy anchoring plan for when the water warms up a bit. Just when he least expects it, when the water temperature reaches 48 degrees or higher, I will propose a little overnighter on the boat, right around the corner in the Annapolis Harbor anchorage. For a sailing addict like him, that’s as romantic as it gets.

At print time, the water temperature in Annapolis Harbor registered 36.7 degrees.

Find such measurements anytime at buoybay.noaa.gov.

Winans is the editor of the popular sailing magazine SpinSheet and power boat magazine, PropTalk based in Eastport, Maryland.

WE SHIP OUR AWARD WINNING CRABCAKES ANYWHERE IN THE USA!

DEEP WATER AND COVERED SLIPS AVAILABLE 14485 Dowell Road Solomons, MD 20629 410.326.4251 calvertmarina.com

VOTED BEST CRAB CAKES IN SOUTHERN MARYLAND 2012 Maryland Life

HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS LIVE ACOUSTIC MUSIC • CRAB CAKE SHIPPING DOG FRIENDLY OUTDOOR PATIO • HALF PRICE WINE WEDNESDAY OUTDOOR DECK SEATING • TAKE OUT & CATERING • TRANSIENT SLIPS

STONEY’S KINGFISHERS SEAFOOD BAR & GRILL 14442 Solomons Island Road Solomons, Maryland 20688 SolomonsKingfisher@gmail.com

410.394.0236 EVERY WEDNESDAY HALF PRICE WINE

Take a

Winter Break

Old Town Crier

in Calvert County!

OPEN

ALL YEAR ROUND! February 2019 | 23

ROAD TRIP

BOB TAGERT

Rehoboth revisited

O

ver Christmas we took a drive to visit the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel in Rehoboth and take advantage of their two-night Cozy Winter Weekend package.

Although it isn’t summer, the Boardwalk Plaza and Rehoboth Beach have a lot to offer in the winter months. If you are lucky, the beach will get a push of warm air to create a The author with Emro respite from the cold. If there is no wind, a walk on the beach is very pleasant and certainly uncrowded. Although a lot of the stores along the boardwalk close for the winter, there are still enough businesses and restaurants open to make for a pleasant and uncrowded experience.

During the winter months and early spring, the town covers the parking meters which allow for ample free parking which helps facilitate lengthy dining and unhurried shopping. For Christmas Eve we first hit the Blue Moon for cocktails. This is one of my traveling companion’s favorite places, by the way. They were very busy for dinner, so we joined the locals at the bar. Here we met a group of fun people who were celebrating the holiday. The conversation was light and easy about year-round life at a beach resort. I guess that I should say, that what used to be a summer get away, has now become a permanent residence for many.

As hunger began to build, we decided to make our way to the

The Boardwalk Plaza sits on the ocean, just north of the main drag through Rehobeth, Delaware.

ROAD TRIP > PAGE 25

24 | February 2019

ROAD TRIP FROM PAGE 24

Rehobeth beach lit by a full moon in December Summer House for dinner.

When I was younger, and all the D.C. and northern Virginians would head for the beach on summer weekends, the Summer House was a popular destination then as well as now…40 years later.

It was packed on Christmas Eve, but we were lucky enough to secure two seats at the bar.

While reminiscing with the bartender, we ordered dinner.

Even though the restaurant was very busy, we received our meals in a timely manner and enjoyed the reverie with the other patrons.

From the above, you can see that this sounds like an evening at the height of summer. As we made our way back to the Plaza, the cold air reminded us that it was, indeed, not summer. Upon entering the beautiful lobby of the Plaza, we were greeted by Emro, the Plaza’s celebrity Sun Conure Parrot. Emro is a hand raised parrot that came from a local bird farm where they rescue and hand raise babies.

Hand raised birds are more human friendly which fits right into the Victorian theme at the Plaza.

When the hotel opened in May of 1991, the owners concerned themselves with providing a level of service that matched the award-winning Victorian design and décor.

In 1992, the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel received the prestigious Four Diamonds Award from the American Automobile Association, which signifies to the traveling public that the staff of the hotel and restaurant provide a level of service that exceeds a guest’s expectations.

The hotel has won this award consecutively each year through 2018. The hotel and restaurant celebrated 28 years of business in 2018.

This is an exceptional hotel.

Old Town Crier

Think of the Grand Hotel in the movie Somewhere in Time and you will get a glimpse of the grandeur. Although located right on the beach, great care is taken to ensure the proper experience. The hotel is decorated throughout in period furniture, furnishings and feel. The hallways have plush carpets appointed with button and tufted chairs and beautiful antiques. For a certain amount serenity, the fourth floor is reserved for adults only and is accessible only for those with key cards for the elevators fourth floor.

We recommend spending the extra dollars.

As one would expect, the rooms are exceptional with large comfortable beds and a sitting room with a balcony that looks out over the boardwalk and the ocean. All along the boardwalk the hotel provides their guests with outdoor dining and cocktails.

At the north end there is a small hot tub which is a part of the huge grotto spa pool located in the atrium of the hotel. The grotto is open 24/7 and off limits to minors after 8pm. This is another one of our favorite things about this place. Being able to relax in the spa pool at 2 in the morning is something you don’t find just everywhere. Service from the bar is also available poolside during regular hours. You are welcome to bring beverages yourself but they must be in plastic cups.

Included with our package was a $50 credit for food and beverage and we chose to apply it to the Christmas Day buffet dinner in Victoria’s Restaurant. The restaurant is located past the lobby and follows the Victorian theme of the hotel. Their food is always delicious, and the buffet was no exception. The restaurant

The elegant rooms are decorated with period furniture and plush carpeting. serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

On Christmas Day Victoria’s restaurant was voted as the best place for Christmas dinner by the locals in Rehoboth. That is a pretty good testament.

If you are looking for a winter getaway to a place where you can just relax, give the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel in Rehoboth Beach a try. You will probably go back when summer comes. n

... and the martinis just down the street at the Blue Moon restaurant are, as always, divine.

February 2019 | 25

TO THE BLUE RIDGE

MEG MULLERY

A

n eclectic community of local farmers, small shop owners, chefs, bakers, and artisans have turned a once sleepy little town in northern Virginia’s Fauquier County into an unlikely destination for formal and casual dining, antiquing, shopping, and just hanging-out.

Interstate 66 to Exit 23 welcomes you to the nowhappening Marshall and a sign announcing the town’s lineage tracing back to 1797.

Then, as now, the surrounding countryside attests to the importance of agricultural in the town’s growth and development and dovetails nicely with the farm-totable philosophy practiced

by Marshall’s new crop of restaurants and eateries.

Marshall’s new mojo, from sleepy to vibrant, starts with Main Street. Officially Route 55, it has served for more than two centuries as the hub of the community. Dining options of all kinds mix with antique stores, an upscale design store, potter’s studio, and oldfashioned butcher.

Dining options cover a wide spectrum. Breakfast all day at the Marshall Diner, a local favorite that has been around for many years, is served along with a vast menu of sandwiches, burgers, side dishes. The breakfasts, lunches and dinners are good diner food at good diner prices.

26 | February 2019

Fine-dining restaurant Field and Main pays homage to Marshall’s history by recognizing that dairy, cattle and commodity farmers would bring products from nearby fields to Main Street. Two hundred years later, little has changed. Owners Neal and Star Wavra still depend on the locals for fresh meats and produce.

This charming upscale eatery serving Southern-inspired fare & fine wine is receiving rave reviews and national recognition.

Gentle Harvest, across the street from Field and Main, carries organic meats, poultry and produce from Ayershire Farm in Upperville, Virginia, a certified organic farm. But it’s so much more. Think a compact version of D.C.’s Eastern Market offering an interesting menu to eat-in, take-out, or even pick-up at take-out window. Craft beers, a coffee bar, excellent wine selection, local honey, chutneys, flower bouquets are just a sampling of the many available items.

Next to Gentle Harvest is Red Truck Bakery. Proprietor and baker-in-chief Bryan Noyes has a very successful retail site in Warrenton, Virginia, but was prescient enough to see a future in Marshall for a second shop.

His cupcakes, cakes, and pies are shipped all over the world.

Red Truck is a popular local hang-out and meeting place for breakfast and lunch and offers delicious home-made soups and sandwiches for vegetarians and carnivores alike.

The Whole Ox is based on whole animal butchery, using all parts from nose to tail. The meats are raised ethically on pasture without the addition of hormones and antibiotics.

Items on the eat-in and takeout menus change daily depending on what is available locally. Wines, breads, and many other items are available.

Yes, that is a British doubledecker bus on Main Street.

Welcome to Johnny Monarch’s.

While it looks a bit whimsical, the food is deadly serious.

According to Facebook, the menu offers two distinct types: Gourmet Truck Driver fare and Fuel for Olympians. Many recipes are sourced from the U.S. Olympic Training table menus and provide the highest level of nutrition currently available locally. Customers line-up for Johnny Monarch’s award-winning signature dish, tomato pie.

A Marshall Main Street original, family-owned and operated Joe’s Pizza has been serving good, down-home Italian fare to the residents for years. Pizza, pastas, subs are all served in a comfortable and authentic rustic setting--even down to the red-checkered

tablecloths. But a warning: all the pizzas are freshly-made when ordered so buying just a slice or two can’t be done.

Order a personal size pizza consisting of four slices . . . so much better than the single slice that has been under the heat lamp for who knows how long.

Like antiquing? Visit Robin’s Nest, The Three Hens, and the Middleburg Humane Society Resale Store. All carry an everchanging mix of furniture, paintings, quilts, jewelry and estate items.

While you may be tempted to spend all your time exploring historic Marshall, the unique and funky do not stop here. Main Street, Route 55, in the words of the BeeGees, is staying alive.

The next mile going East is a mish-mash of artisans, retail, and history. Don’t miss Big Dog Pots Pottery, a working studio offering pottery classes, parties, events and unique gifts.

Across from Big Dog Pots Pottery, Nick’s Deli is reputed to have the best fried chicken in the region.

Your final destination on this Route 55 Alive tour is Tri-County Feeds, Fashions, Finds. If your shopping list includes chicken feed, Dubarry boots, an unusual gift for your sweetie, hay for horses, and a Patagonia jacket, you have just succeeded in one-stop shopping. Tri-County’s genesis was a provider of all things horsy to the local equestrian community of horse trainers,

breeders, competitive riders, and fox hunters. Owners Jerri and Bill Jackson watched and took note as the community and its needs grew. Several years ago they opened a beautifully-appointed 12,000 square feet retail space that carries a vast array of clothing and accoutrement for equestrians and nonequestrians alike. One can spend hours on a visit to TriCounty Feeds, Fashions, Finds.

On-line shopping will never compete with this fun shopping experience.

Worth a look-see on the way to Tri-County is Number 18 School, the last one-room school in Fauquier County.

It was a blacks-only school house until closing in the 1960s following desegregation.

Community activists and garden clubs have taken Number 18 School under their wings and have lovingly restored the building and grounds.

Marshall’s popularity is evident in the always-booked and aptly-named Rooms Up There. Located at 8393 West Main Street, the rooms are above the design studio of Daniel J. Moore and his shop, Domestic Aspirations. The beautifully appointed rooms use furniture and decor from the shop, which carries a carefully edited collection of American and European antiques as well as fine reproductions, contemporary accents, designer lighting, found objects, and fine art.

Meg Mullery is a licensed real estate agent and consultant with the Washington Fine Properties offices in Middleburg and Marshall.

Before embracing a more rural lifestyle, a decision she has never regretted, she lived for many years in Adams Morgan in Washington, D.C. and then the Del Ray section of Alexandria. She can be reached at meg.mullery@wfp.com or 540878-3307.

VisitRAPPAHANNOCK background photo by Lauren Fleming

HORSE N HOUND 667 ZACHARY TAYLOR HWY. FLINT HILL, VA. 22627 Store Hours: Monday – Saturday 10-5pm

SADDLERY • GIFTS • PET FOOD • OUTDOOR WEAR • Full Service Tack Store for the English Horse & Rider

Seronera, Woodville

CheriWoodard.com 37 Main Street, Sperryville, VA 22740 (540) 987-8500

Seronera has a special Rappahannock ambiance with a sense of time and place that makes it a quiet and relaxed refuge. The landscape on 34.8 acres is surrounded by 360-degree views of mountains, foothills, fields and rolling pastures, with the Blue Ridge and SNP to the west. Shade trees and landscaping featuring mostly native plants surround the 5 BR, 4.5 BA home. $1,095,000

• Great selection of cards & gifts including leather bags, belts & wallets.

• All Natural Cat & Dog Foods, leather collars & leashes • Outdoor Wear – boots, hats, rainwear, gloves & socks Mention this ad and get 10%

off any clothing & footwear

540-675-1650 • www.horsenhound.com horsenhound.va

• Private Bathrooms with Showers • Small Kitchenettes • Within walking distance to local bars, wineries, restaurants and the Shenandoah National Park • Available via Airbnb or VRBO

29 Main On the River – Sperryville

• A quaint cottage on the Thornton River in the heart of the Village of Sperryville • Spacious one room suite • Private deck overlooking the Thornton River • Outdoor shower

The Loft – Little Washington

• Cozy 2nd Floor Space above Little Washington Spa • Quiet reading nook • Sleeps 4 w/pullout couch

Old Town Crier

Available for nightly or weekly stays samantha.rpkgetaways@gmail.com for availability

February 2019 | 27

CALENDAR | FROM PAGE 7

Wreath Laying Ceremony

FEATURED EVENTS:

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolution February 18th 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Old Presbyterian Meeting House 321 S.Fairfax Street

Cherry Challenge Through February 10th In honor of George Washington’s birthday, participating Alexandria restaurants will create unique, cherry-centric dishes in celebration of one of the most cherished legends surrounding our first president. This year features dishes from dozens of restaurants and from every area of Alexandria and along the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Participating restaurants include Del Ray Café, Dishes of India, Evening Star Café, Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub and Sonoma Cellar. Patrons rate their favorite dishes, and winners are given special recognition at the George Washington Birthday Parade.

Walking with Washington Tours February 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Alexandria Visitor Center 221 King Street Walk in George Washington’s footsteps through his adopted hometown of historic Alexandria and view some of the sites connected to the General, like where he filled his prescriptions or wined and dined with important Alexandrians.

George Washington’s Birthnight Banquet & Ball February 16th 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. (9 p.m. if attending the ball only) Gadsby’s Tavern Museum Don your dancing shoes for this famous celebration of Washington’s Birthday at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, set in the year 1799.

The evening includes an 18thcentury banquet, English country dancing, dessert collation, character re-enactors plus the General and Mrs. Washington. Period costume optional; “after-five” attire encouraged. Cost is $125 per ticket. $150 per person ticket includes dinner in the same room with the Washingtons. $250 per person ticket reserves your spot at a table with the Washington’s for dinner.

Reservations required. To purchase tickets, visit Alexandriava.gov/Shop or call 703-746-4242.

Washington’s Birthday Celebration

Join the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution as they host colonial military and civilians to honor the soldiers of the Revolution at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House. FREE.

Concert at Market Square February 18th 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Market Square

George and Martha Washington at Parade. laying at Washington’s tomb. Listen to remarks given by esteemed speakers during the Official Observance Ceremony of George Washington’s Birthday. Watch Continental soldiers conduct a marching drill, fire their guns and charge at their enemy in an exciting military demonstration.

After the smoke clears, listen to the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps play patriotic music. Listen to the Washington family share stories about past celebrations of the General’s birthday, including the first public celebration and the gathering during the winter encampment at Valley Forge. All day, pose like George Washington in front of our life-sized version of Gilbert Stuart’s Landsdowne painting in the Education Center Lobby. For more information, visit www.MountVernon. org/Birthday or call 703-780-2000.

FREE

Historic Alexandria Open Houses February 18th 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Various museums throughout Old Town In honor of George Washington’s birthday, admission is free at these historic Alexandria sites: Friendship Firehouse Museum, Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, Old Presbyterian Meeting House, Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum and Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum.

FREE

MORE EVENTS:

February 18th 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon 18th Century Dance Classes February 7th and 14th Celebrate the first president of 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. the United States on the most Gadsby’s Tavern Museum exciting day of the year. Witness In preparation for George a presidential tribute featuring Washington’s Birthnight Ball on honored guests and a wreath

28 | February 2019

Come enjoy a free one-hour concert by the parade marching band units in honor of the General and Lady Washington at Market Square. FREE

February 16, 2019, learn 18thcentury English country dancing from expert dance instructors at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum.

Tickets are $12 per class or $30 for the series. Reservations are recommended. For more information, visit Alexandriava.gov/ Shop or call 703-746-4242.

Chocolate with General Washington February 10th 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

George Washington Masonic National Memorial Children and accompanying adults are invited to spend an hour with General Washington talking about the events of the revolution, asking questions of our first citizen and enjoying hot chocolate. To learn more, visit www.GWMemorial.org or call 703-683-2007. FREE

World Turned Upside Down: Uniforms of Yorktown February 12th 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Alexandria History Museum The Lyceum In advance of George Washington’s birthday, enjoy an evening exploring uniforms from the different nationalities that converged with Washington in Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. You can even try on uniforms of the Revolutionary War! Chris Daley, historical clothing manager for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, will give you the opportunity to try on and compare uniform coats of the American, British, French and German troops as well as coats worn by African Americans serving with the British army. Each coat has been carefully researched and painstakingly reproduced in several sizes to help bring the Siege of Yorktown to life. Bring a camera and take photos of yourself and

family members in the uniforms of the Revolutionary War. There will be a reception with refreshments, beer, and wine before and after the program. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at Alexandriava.gov/ Shop or by calling 703-746-4994.

Breakfast & Meeting Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association February 18th 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria Meet special guests and enjoy a hearty breakfast with members of this historic association at this annual tradition. Be there for the first appearance of the day of General and Lady Washington. Dr. Jimmie McClellan, Dean of the Liberal Arts Division of Northern Virginia Community College, is the guest speaker. Tickets are $40. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.FriendshipFireCo. org or call 703-829-6640.

Hunt for Washington February 18th 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Parade Reviewing Stand Enjoy a fun and challenging game to uncover clues about Alexandria and George Washington. The hunt, which should take an hour or an hour and a half, will take you to a few of the places in Alexandria associated with the General. You will learn some fun facts about the father of our country and visit several historic sites around Old Town as you search for the answers to the clues. Start by picking up a clue sheet at the Parade Reviewing Stand after 10 a.m. and then use your sleuthing skills to find answers to the clues.

There are prizes and mementos associated with this new, free event.

Armed Forces Community Covenant Ceremony February 18th 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

Market Square Come honor our nation’s veterans and active military, and sign the community covenant document showing your support for our armed forces and their families at the Parade Reviewing Stand adjacent to Market Square. FREE

George Washington Symposium February 23rd 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

George Washington Masonic National Memorial The theme of the 2019 George Washington Symposium is “George Washington: Symbol of an Age.” The lectures begin at 1 p.m. in the Memorial’s theater. The George Washington Symposium is held annually on Washington’s Birthday to provide the public with enlightening contemporary research on the life of George Washington. Admission is free, and free parking is available. Attendees are asked to preregister at www.

GWMemorial.org. FREE

Annual Washington’s Birthday Gala February 23rd 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

George Washington Masonic National Memorial Formal (white tie optional).

Reception at 5:30 p.m.

Entertainment in the Memorial Theater at 6:45 p.m. Banquet in the Memorial’s Grand Masonic Hall at 7:30 p.m. The presentation of the George Washington Memorial Award will take place during the banquet. Tickets are $150. Reservations are required.

To purchase tickets, visit www.

GWMemorial.org or call 703-6832007.

W H Y W E C E L E B R AT E

President’s day A FEW FACTS ABOUT PRESIDENT'S DAY It's not really President's Day

The federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February is not officially called President s' Day: its official name is "Washington's Birthday," after the first American president, George Washington, who was born on February 22, 1732 (according to the Greg orian calendar).

There have been a few attempts to offici ally rename Washington's Birthday "Presidents' Day," in 1951 and again in 1968, but those suggestions died in committee.

Many states, however, choose to call their own celebration on this day "Presidents' Day."

Doesn't Fall on Washington's Birthday

P

residents Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February; Presidents Day 2019 occurs on Monday, February 18. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.

The story of Presidents Day begins in 1800.

Following the death of George Washington in 1799, his February 22 birthday became a perennial day of remembrance.

At the time, Washington was venerated as the most important figure in American history, and events like the 1832 centennial of his birth and the start of construction of the Washington Monument in 1848 were cause for national celebration.

While Washington’s Birthday was an unofficial observance for most of the 1800s, it was not until the late 1870s that it became a federal holiday.

Senator Steven Wallace Dorsey of Arkansas was the first to propose the measure, and in 1879 President Rutherford B. Hayes signed it into law.

The holiday initially only applied to the District of Columbia, but in 1885 it was expanded to the whole country. At the time, Washington’s Birthday joined four other nationally recognized federal bank holidays—Christmas Day, New Year’s Day,

Old Town Crier

the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving—and was the first to celebrate the life of an individual American. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, signed into law in 1983, was the second.

The shift from Washington’s Birthday to Presidents Day began in the late 1960s, when Congress proposed a measure known as the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Championed by Senator Robert McClory of Illinois, this law sought to shift the celebration of several federal holidays from specific dates to a series of predetermined Mondays.

The proposed change was seen by many as a novel way to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers, and it was believed that ensuring holidays always fell on the same weekday would reduce employee absenteeism. While some argued that shifting holidays from their original dates would cheapen their meaning, the bill also had widespread support from both the private sector and labor unions and was seen as a surefire way to bolster retail sales.

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act also included a provision to combine the celebration of Washington’s Birthday with that of Abraham Lincoln, which fell on February 12. Lincoln’s Birthday had long been a state holiday in places like Illinois, and many supported joining the two days as a way of giving equal recognition to two of America’s most famous statesmen.

Be sure to check out all of the President’s Day celebration activities in Old Town during the month.

A partial listing is in the calendar section of this issue.

Source: The History Channel – www.history.com

The holiday was first implemented as a day honoring George Washington by an act of Congress in 1879, and in 1885 it was expanded to include all feder al offices.

Up until 1971, it was celebrated on the actual date of his birth, February 22. In 1971, the obse rvance of the holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. That allows federal workers and others observing federal holidays to have a threeday weekend, and one that doesn't interf ere with the normal work week. But, that means the feder al holiday for Washington always falls between February 15th and 21st, never on Washington's birthday. Actually, Washington was born before the Gregorian calendar came into effect, and the day he was born the entire British Empire was still using the Julian calendar. Under that calendar, Washington's birthday falls on February 11, 1732. Several alternative dates to celebrate President's day have been suggested over the years — in particular, March 4, the original inauguration day was suggested — but none has yet been implemented.

Abraham Lincoln's Birthday Is Not a Fed eral Holiday Many states celebrate the 16th president Abraham Lincoln's birthday concurrently with Wash ington's birthday.

But although there have been several attem pts to make the actual date, February 12th, a federally-d esignated separate holiday, those attempts have all failed. Lincoln's birthdate falls only 10 days before Wash ington's and two federal holidays in a row would be, um, wron g.

President's Day is traditionally a sale day in America.

One thing that many people connect with Presidents' Day is retail sales. In the 1980s, retailers began to use this holiday as a time to clear out their old stock in preparation for spring and summer. One wonders what George Washington would have thou ght about this celebration of his birthday. The President 's Day sales was one preferred outcome of the Uniform Holid ay Act. Many of its corporate supporters suggested that moving federal holidays to Mondays would promote busin ess. Retail businesses began staying open on the holid ay for special Washington's Birthday sales events. Othe r businesses and the U.S. Post Office have decided to stay open, and so have some schools.

February 2019 | 29

15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day. 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day are men, while only 27% are women.

❤

About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year. That’s the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.

❤

About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets.

❤

Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone, an “Improvement in Telegraphy,” on Valentine’s Day, 1876.

❤

California grows 60% of American roses, but the vast number sold on Valentine’s Day in the U.S. are imported, mostly from South America.

Approximately 110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three day time period.

❤

Cupid, another symbol of Valentine’s Day, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. Cupid often appears on valentine cards holding a bow and arrows as he is believed to inspire feelings of love.

❤

During the late 1800s, postage rates around the world dropped, and the obscene St. Valentine’s Day card became popular, despite the Victorian era being otherwise very prudish.

As the number of racy valentines grew, several countries banned the practice of exchanging Valentine’s Days cards. During this period, Chicago’s post office rejected more than 25,000 cards on the grounds that they were so indecent they were not fit to be carried through the U.S. mail.

❤

During the Middle Ages, the belief that birds chose their mates on St. Valentine’s Day led to the idea that boys and girls would do the same. Up through the early 1900s, the Ozark hill people in the eastern United States thought that birds and rabbits started mating on February 14, a day for them which was not only Valentine’s Day but Groundhog Day as well.

❤

On February 14, 270 A.D. Roman Emperor Claudius II—dubbed “Claudius the Cruel”— beheaded a priest named Valentine for performing marriage ceremonies. Claudius II had outlawed marriages when Roman men began refusing to go to war in order to stay with their wives.

❤

Humorous valentines of the 19th century were called Vinegar Valentines or Penny Dreadfuls.

Vinegar Valentines were introduced in 1858 by John McLaughin, a Scotsman with a New York City publishing business. Penny Dreadfuls, with comic designs drawn in 1870 by American cartoonist Charles Howard, became known as Penny Dreadfuls.

❤

In 1929 in Chicago, gunmen believed to be employed by organized crime boss Al Capone, murdered seven members of the George “Bugs” Moran North Siders gang in a garage on North Clark Street. The so-called St. Valentine’s Day Massacre stirred a media storm centered on Capone and his illegal Prohibition era activities and motivated federal authorities to redouble their efforts to find evidence incriminating enough to take him off the streets.

30 | February 2019

❤

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. The expression “To wear your heart on your sleeve” now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.

❤

In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, “You unlock my heart!”

❤

On February 14, 1779, Captain James Cook, the great English explorer and navigator, was murdered by Hawaiian natives during his third visit to the Pacific island group.

❤

One single perfect red rose framed with baby’s breath is referred to by some florists as a Signature Rose and is the preferred choice of many on Valentine’s Day, an anniversary or birthday.

❤

Only the U.S., Canada, Mexico, France, Australia and the U.K. celebrate Valentine’s Day.

❤

Sir Alexander Fleming was a young bacteriologist whose accidental discovery led to one of the great developments of modern medicine. Having left a plate of staphylococcus bacteria uncovered, Fleming noticed that a mold that had fallen on the culture had killed many of the bacteria. He identified the mold as penicillium notatum. On February 14, 1929, Fleming introduced his mold by-product, called penicillin, to cure bacterial infections.

❤

Some used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

❤

Teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then sweethearts. Children ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine’s cards with teachers, classmates, and family members.

❤

A hopeful maiden of the 17th century would eat a hard-boiled egg and pin five bay leaves to her pillow before going to sleep Valentine’s eve. It was believed this would make her dream of her future husband.

❤

The ancient Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia in honor of Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses on February 14.

Juno was also the goddess of women and marriage.

❤

The Empire State Building in New York City played a prominent role in the movie Sleepless in Seattle. Many couples take (or renew) their vows on the 80th floor of this famous landmark.

❤

The first American publisher of valentines was printer and artist Esther Howland. During the 1870s, her elaborate lace cards were purchased by the wealthy, at a cost of $5, with some selling for as much as $35. Mass

production eventually brought prices down, and the affordable Penny Valentine became popular with the lower classes.

❤

The first photograph of a U.S. President was taken on February 14, 1849 by Matthew Brady in New York City. President James Polk was the subject.

❤

The first televised tour of the White House, hosted by First Lady Jackie Kennedy, aired on February 14, 1962.

❤

The heart is the most common symbol of romantic love. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart. Others thought it to be the source of emotion and intelligence.

Some believed the heart embodied one’s truth, strength and nobility. The heart may be associated with love because the ancient Greeks believed it was the target of Eros, known as Cupid, to the Romans. Anyone shot in the heart by one of Cupid’s arrows would fall hopelessly in love. Because the heart is so closely linked to love, its red color is thought to be the most romantic.

❤

The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine’s Day.

❤

The Kama Sutra is believed to be the oldest sex manual in existence. Generally considered the standard work on love in Sanskrit literature, the book is thought to have been written around 300 A.D.

❤

The biggest gift of love is the Taj Mahal in India.

It was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial to his wife, who died in childbirth.

Construction began in 1634 and continued for almost 22 years, requiring the labor of 20,000 workers from all over India and Central Asia.

❤

The oldest known valentines were sent in 1415 A.D. by the Duke of Orleans to his French wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. It is still on display in a museum in England.

❤

DINING OUT

W

ashington D.C. may have Ben’s Chili Bowl, but Old Town Alexandria has Hard Times Café…so does Fairfax, Fredericksburg (2), Springfield, Rockville and College Park, Maryland. With winter finally here, we decided that a visit to Hard Times Café for some chili and a sandwich was a perfect fit for a cold day.

Back when there were hardly any businesses in the west end of Old Town, brothers Fred and Jim Parker decided to take Fred’s passion for making chili out of his house and open a restaurant. They rented an old building in the 1400 block of King Street and opened in 1980. It was a bold step as there was not much foot traffic or many offices in that end of town, but the brothers forged ahead and opened their depression-era chili parlor. Now, 39 years later, that end of town has flourished and so has Hard Times.

The initial recipe was handed down to Fred from his Aunt Irma, who had owned a successful chili parlor in Oklahoma. Fred’s other recipes are the result of research, experimentation and competition cooking at chili cookoffs around the country. As I remember, when Hard Times first opened all they had was their Texas Chili and some variations, a hot dog, and a hamburger that was flame broiled.

Walking into Hard Times is like walking back in history. You might imagine yourself in an old western saloon. There is a bar in the back after you make your way past wooden booths. Everything is extremely casual, and the action moves fast. In the bar area is an old neon jukebox that plays old western tunes.

Todays menu has grown Old Town Crier

THE GASTRONOMES

considerably from the beginning. The appetizer list of 9 items include Chili Nachos, Corn Dog Nuggets, their famous Onion Rings, Deep Fried Pickles and Santa Fe Egg Rolls. They also offer Grilled Wings and Boneless Wings.

Their chili recipes are authentic and historically correct versions of the chili created on the turn-of-thecentury cattle drives of the Southwest and in the Cincinnati chili parlors of the Midwest. These include the original Texas Chili, Cincinnati Chili, Terlingua Red , a tribute to the Texas ghost town that hosted the first chili cook-off. A redder color and spicy kink of championship chilies. They also offer a Vegetarian Chili consisting of Soy flakes cooked in a tomato base with fresh mushrooms, onions, green peppers and jalapenos – this is one to choose if you want chili with a bit more of a kick.

Their offerings of Chili Mac (chili over spaghetti) are 3-Way, spaghetti, chili and cheese, 4-way, add onions, 5-way, add onions and beans. Chili by the bowl is your choice of chili with or without beans. They also offer Chili Bubba and Frito Chili Pie. Hard Times offers 6 different burgers, three variations of sliders, chili dogs and seven sandwich choices.

In addition, there are six salad offerings and four Suppertime Platters which include two sides. The four are Southwest Ribs, Chicken Tender dinner, Grilled Salmon and Fish & Chips. All dinners come with two sides and all are under $15.

On our visit we first shared their famous onion rings. These were lightly breaded and deep fried. There was just enough breading to get the idea across but let the onion come through. For my lunch I picked one

of their sandwiches…the Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich. I should have listened to Tony our waiter when he said that it is a big sandwich. The plump chicken breast was handbattered, deep-fried, served on a toasted bun topped with bacon and jack cheese. This sandwich took me back to my boyhood days on my grandparent’s farm in Georgia and my grandmothers fried chicken. The only thing missing was sweet tea. Because of the onion rings I was unable to finish this sandwich, however it made for a tasty late-night snack the next night. My partner went straight for the Frito Chili Pie. While her normal order here is the chili mac 5 ways with fresh chopped jalapenos on the side, she changed out the spaghetti for the Fritos. This is sort of a high end version of a Taco John (not sure if there are any of these restaurants in our area) Chili Frito that was her old staple back home in Wyoming after a night of consuming more than one adult beverage. Only thing here is that you have to eat it sorta fast unless you are fond of soggy Fritos! We didn’t order corn bread this time but it is also some of the best around – we like it because it is on the sweet side. None of this would be complete without a cold beer and Hard Times has just that. A good selection of on tap and bottles without all of the now-popular “craft” beers taking over the bar. There is full bar service as well but I don’t think we have ordered anything but a beer in the over 30 years we’ve been coming here.

Treat yourself to some hot chili these cold February days. Hard Times Café is easy to find…just look for the 1941 Chevy pickup out front with a horse mannequin standing in the bed and Old Glory flying high.

Chicken Sandwich

Frito Chili pie

Onion Rings

HARD TIMES CAFÉ 1404 KING STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703-837-0050 HARDTIMES.COM

February 2019 | 31

BEHIND THE BAR

PEDRO MENDOZA How did you get started in the bartending business?

I started bartending at parties for friends — just for fun to talk to people and have a good time. People from the parties started to hire me for private functions. My regulars at Southside 815 and Northside 10 wanted to see me behind the bar, so I moved back there permanently in 2017.

What is your biggest bartender pet peeve?

A couple things make me crazy - when people pour their own wine from the service bar and when they say they’re in a hurry but they want to ask a million questions about the menu. But… nothing makes me crazier than customers who talk with their mouths full of food. I want to hear what you have to say, but chew and swallow first!

What is the cleverest line anyone has ever used to get you to give them a free drink?

A woman at the bar saw we had a chili dog on the menu. She said she could swallow the whole thing if I gave her a free shot. I didn’t take her up on it, her friend stepped in before it got too far…

What is the best/worst pickup line you have overheard at the bar?

I’ve heard a lot of awful material. “I’d swipe right for you” was pretty bad.

The better ones are specific to the person - I saw a guy come up to a beautiful redhead and tell her he was “thirsty for a tall glass of ginger ale”. She smiled and let him buy her a drink!

Tell us about an interesting encounter you have had with a customer(s).

We had a regular who sat at the end of the bar every Monday. One day he ordered a smoked salmon sandwich and didn’t like it — so he threw the sandwich at me. I didn’t lose my cool, but I let him know that if it happened again, he wouldn’t be welcome ever again.

If you could sit down and have a drink with anyone in the world, past or present, who would that be?

NORTHSIDE 10 10 SOUTH GLEBE ROAD ALEXANDRIA 703-888-0032 NORTHSIDE10.COM

Jim Carrey! I like his energy and customers say we have a lot of the same mannerisms and humor. His face is very expressive and crazy - just like mine!

Pedro is behind the bar Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:30 am - 5:00 pm and you can find him managing Tuesdays after 5:00.

If you would like to see your favorite mixologist featured in this space, send contact information to office@oldtowncrier.com.

Pedro conjures up the Northside Breeze – Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka, Cranberry and Orange Juice and a splash of Prosecco garnished with an orange slice and cherry.

32 | February 2019

Brewing company

Fill Your sails with our award winning beer

VETERAN OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS

t.j. stone’s grill house and tap room

celebrating american cuisine with libations from around the world

Short Rib Pot Pie Month!

Join us for Valentine’s Day and President’s Day brunch.

Friday Night Party 80’s, 90’s & Todays Pop Hits Live DJ –Megawatt DJ Every Friday Night

70” wood burning fireplace private event room over 300 beer & wine

tjstones.com 608 Montgomery St Alexandria 703.548.1004

Old Town Crier

Coming Soon...

Live Bands on Saturday Night!

Check our Whiskey Wednesdays Nowout open for BRUNCH

Saturdays & Sundays at 10AM

Voted BEST Brunch On Union Street!

121 South Union Street, Old Town Alexandria 703.548.1785  unionstreetpublichouse.com

February 2019 | 33

AMERICAN AUGIE’S MUSSEL HOUSE 1106 King Street 703.721.3970 MOHO KITCHEN & COCTAILS 116 South Alfred St. 703-739-6090 BILBO BAGGINS 208 Queen St. 703-683-0300 BLACKWALL HITCH 5 Cameron St. 703-739-6090 CAFE 44 44 Canal Center 571-800-6644 CARLYLE CLUB 411 John Carlyle St. 703-549-8957 CHADWICKS 203 Strand St. 703-836-4442 chadwicksrestaurants.com An Old Town tradition since 1979 and an original Georgetown pub and restaurant since 1967.

CHARLIE'S ON THE AVENUE Mount Vernon Avenue 703-851-3270 CHART HOUSE One Cameron St. 703-684-5080 CITY KITCHEN 330 South Pickett St. 703-685-9172 fatcitykitchen.com USA City inspired menu choices that bring together traditional American and global cuisine with their own personal touch. Casual dress. $30 and under. Lots of free parking.

Open 7 days a week with brunch on Sat & Sun 11-3. AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa COLUMBIA FIREHOUSE 109 S. St. Asaph St. 703-683-1776 EVENING STAR CAFÉ 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-549-5051 EXECUTIVE DINER & CAFE 1400 Duke Street 703-299-0894 FIN & HOOF 801 N. Saint Asaph St. 703-836-4700 FIVE GUYS 725 King St. 703-549-7991 FLAT TOP BURGER 529 East Howell Ave. 571-970-1006

HUMMINGBIRD 220 South Union Street 703-566-1355

RESERVE 2216 2216 Mount Vernon Avenue 703-549-2889

JACKS PLACE 222 North Lee St. 703-684-0372

REYNOLDS STREET CAFÉ 34 S. Reynolds St. 703-751-0830

JACKSON 20 480 King St. 703-842-2790 JOE THEISMANNS 1800 Diagonal Rd. 703-739-0777 JUNCTION BAKERY & BISTRO 1508 Mount Vernon Avenue Alexandria 703-436-0025 LAPORTAS 1600 Duke St. 703-683-6313

34 | February 2019

MAI THAI 9 King St. 703-548-0600

HANKS PASTA BAR 600 Montgomery Ave. 571-312-4117

NASIME 1209 King St. 703-548-1848

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

STREETS MARKET AND CAFE 3108 Mt. Vernon Ave. 571-431-6810

LA TRATTORIA 305 S. Washington St. 703-548-9338

THAILAND ROYAL 801 N. Fairfax St. 703 535-6622

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.

SHOOTER MCGEES 5239 Duke St. 703-751-9266

CAPHE BANH MI VIETNAMESE 407 Cameron St. 703-549-0800

SMOKING KOW BBQ 3250 Duke Sttreet 703-888-2649

KAI ZEN TAVERN 1901 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-836-1212

LENA’S WOOD-FIRED PIZZA & TAP 401 East Braddock Rd. 703-960-1086

MACKIE’S BAR AND GRILL 907 King St. 703-684-3288

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

THE SUSHI BAR 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue 571-257-3232

MIA'S ITALIAN KITCHEN 100 King Street 703-997-5300

MAGNOLIA’S ON KING 703 King St. 703-838-9090

SONOMA CELLAR 207 King St. 703-966-3550

MAJESTIC CAFÉ 911 King St. 703-837-9117

SOUTH BLOCK 106 N. Lee Street 703-465-8423

MASON SOCIAL 728 Henry Street Old Town Alexandria 703-548-8800 mason-social.com

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

LOST DOG CAFE 808 North Henry St. 571-970-6511

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

MYRON MIXON PITMASTER BBQ 220 North Lee St. 703-535-3340 NECTAR COFFEE & WINE BISTRO 106 Hume Avenue 571-431-6150

OCONNELLS RESTAURANT & BAR 112 King St. 703-739-1124 danieloconnellsrestaurant.com

HEN QUARTER 1404 King St. 703-684-6969

THE ITALIAN PLACE 621Wythe St. 571-777-8981

LORI'S TABLE 1028 King Street 703-549-5545

GADSBYS TAVERN 138 N. Royal St. 703-548-1288

HARD TIMES CAFE 1404 King St. 703-837-0050

RT's RESTAURANT 3804 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-684-6010 rtsrestaurant.com

FACCIA LUNA 823 S. Washington St. 703-838-5998

LIVE OAK 1603 Commonwealth Ave. 571-312-0402

NORTHSIDE 1O 10 East Glebe Rd. 703-888-0032

GRATEFUL KITCHEN 727 N. Henry Street

ROCK IT GRILL 1319 King St. 703-739-2274

MALAYA 1019 King St. 703-519-3710

703-683-0313 bugsyspizza.com

SAMUEL BECKETTS IRISH GASTRO PUB 2800 S. Randolph St. Villages of Shirlington 703-379-0122

FOSTERS GRILLE 2004 Eisenhower Ave. 703-725-1342

GLORY DAYS GRILL 3141 Duke Street 703-567-157

RIVER BEND BISTRO 7966 Fort Hunt Rd. Hollin Hall Shopping Center 703-347-7545 riverbendbistro.com

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

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

SWEETGREEN 823 King St. 571-319-0192 SWEET FIRE DONNA'S BB@ & HOPS 510 John Carlyle Street 571-312-7960 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 MonFri, 4-7 pm. Brunch served Sat & Sun. TRADEMARK 2800 Jamieson Ave. 703-253-8640 UNION STREET PUBLIC HOUSE 121 South Union St. 703-548-1785 unionstreetpublichouse.com Old Town’s favorite neighborhood tap and grill. Southern style menu, fine steaks, fresh seafood. Sunday brunch, private parties, happy hour.

VERMILLION 1120 King St. 703-684-9669 VIRTUE GRAIN & FEED 106 South Union St. 571-970-3669

THE PEOPLES DRUG 103 N. Alfred Street

VOLA’S DOCKSIDE GRILL & THE HI-TIDE LOUNGE 101 North Union St. 703-935-8890

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

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

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

CONTINENTAL BRABO

by Robert Weidmaier 1600 King St. 703-894-3440 BRABO TASTING ROOM 1600 King St. 703-894-5252 CEDAR KNOLL GW Parkway at Lucia Ln. 703-780-3665 Situated on an idyllic hill, with sweeping views of the Potomac, the historic atmosphere features French and American Cuisine.

OLD HOUSE COSMOPOLITAN 1024 Cameron Street 703-717-9361 TEMPO 4231 Duke St. 703-370-7900 temporestaurant.com Northern Italian, French provincial & American cuisine featuring fresh seafood, meats and pasta served in a contemporary, romantic atmosphere.

FRENCH BASTILLE 606 N. Fayette St. 703-519-3776 bastillerestaurant.com LE REFUGE 127 N. Washington St. 703-548-4661 FONTAINES CAFFE & CREPERIE 119 S. Royal St. 703-535-8151 LA MADELEINE 500 King St. 703-729-2854 TWO NINETEEN RESTAURANT 219 King St. 703-549-1141 YVES BISTRO 235 Swamp Fox Rd. (in Hoffman Ctr.) 703-329-1010 ITALIAN

BUGSYS PIZZA RESTAURANT 111 King St.

PARADISO 124 King St. 703-683-5330 PINES OF FLORENCE 1300 King St. 703-549-1796 RED ROCKS FIREBRICK PIZZA 904 King St. 703-717-9873 MEDITERRANEAN LA TASCA 607 King St. 703-299-9810 TAVERNA CRETEKOU 818 King St. 703-548-8688 tavernacretekou.com PITA HOUSE 719 King St. 703-684-9194 thepitahouse.com DELIAS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 209 Swamp Fox Rd. Alexandria, VA 703-329-0006 VASO'S MEDITERRANEAN BISTRO 1118 King Street 703-566-2720 VASO'S KITCHEN 1225 Powhatan Street 703-548-2747 SEAFOOD CATCH ON THE AVENUE 2419 MOUNT VERNON AVE 703-566-1283 HANKS OYSTER BAR 1026 King St. 703-739-HANK 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!

ERNIES ORGINIAL CRABHOUSE 1743 King St. 703-836-0046

dine out!

February

Cioppino Month!

Inspired by foods found in cities across America with a toast to their craft brews, wines, and spirits

FatCityKitchen.com 330 S. Pickett Street | (703) 685-9172

THE WHARF 119 King St. 703-836-2834

DIYA 218 North Lee, 2nd Floor 703-706-5338

LOS TIOS GRILL 2615 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-299-9290

FISH MARKET-CLINTON 7611Old Branch Ave. Clinton, MD 301-599-7900

NAMASTE 1504 King St. 703-970-0615

LOS TOLTECOS 4111 Duke St. 703-823-1167

INDIAN BOMBAY CURRY COMPANY 2607 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-836-6363 DISHES OF INDIA 1510A Bellview Blvd.

703-660-6085

Old Town Crier

MEXICAN LATIN SOUTHWESTERN DON TACO TEQUILA BAR 808 King St. 703-988-3144 LOS CUATES RESTAURANT 1116 King Street 703-548-2918

TAQUERIA POBLANO 2400-B Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-TACO (8226) TEQUILA & TACO 540 John Carlyle Street 703-721-3203 URBANO 116 116 King Street 571-970-5148

February 2019 | 35

LET’S EAT

CHARLES OPPMAN

W

ith Valentine’s Day upon us, you probably need to come up with a gift for that special someone. Why not make a gift of food, but not just any food, it must be chocolate. Lovers the world over consider chocolate to be sexy, sensual and few other gifts can say: Je t’aime ma chérie like chocolate.

Ever since the Spanish Conquistadors brought this wonderful food back to Europe, chocolate has been one of the most prized foods in history and the perfect gift for special occasions. We usually just hand over chocolates that someone else made. Why not make this Valentine’s Day extra special and hand-make your gift of chocolate this year. When I think Valentine’s chocolate I think chocolate mousse. Why not? Here’s a quick and easy chocolate mousse recipe served in a chocolate cup no less. This will be the most memorable Valentine’s Day ever. While there are more complicated recipes involving meringue and gelatin, this one will do just fine.

Ingredients

clump at first, but continue to stir until smooth.

In the chilled mixing bowl, whip cream to medium peaks. Fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream in two doses. There may be streaks of whipped cream in the chocolate and that is fine. Do not over work the mousse or it will deflate into chocolate “soup”.

Cover mousse and place in refrigerator for later use.

The Cups Repeat same procedure for melting 4 ounces of chocolate over double boiler. Allow to cool to nearly room temperature.

Place four paper muffin cups in a muffin pan. With a pastry brush, paint the inside of each cup with melted chocolate. After each coating place cups in refrigerator for 5 minutes to allow chocolate to harden.

1 3/4 cups whipping cream

Once chocolate has hardened apply another coat of chocolate until 5 or 6 coats have been applied.

16 ounces quality semi-sweet chocolate chips OR chopped bar (reserve 4 oz. for cups)

Place cups in freezer to allow chocolate cups to harden completely. Remove cups from freezer and peel paper off now-hardened chocolate cups.

1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in warm water 3 tablespoon dark rum

Fill each chocolate cup with an equal amount of mousse. Garnish with strawberry slices or mint leaf.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Refrigerate filled cups uncovered until presentation.

The Mousse Chill whipping cream in refrigerator. Chill metal mixing bowl.

Place 12 ounces of chocolate chips in metal bowl and place in a double boiler or over a sauce pan with simmering water. Melt over barely simmering water, stirring constantly. Remove from heat while small chunks are still visible. Cool to nearly room temperature. Taste it, if it’s too hot to taste, allow continuing to cool.

Add butter, rum and coffee mixture to chocolate. It might coagulate and

36 | February 2019

Since this luscious dessert is to be served on that very special day for lovers it must be accompanied by a special beverage. And only one beverage will do. Champagne! This lively libation is capable of doing more than tickling your nose. Champagne can fan the flames of romance and what better day of year for that. If champagne isn’t available—true champagne is produced only in France’s Champagne region—there are many excellent domestic sparkling wines from which to choose. I’d recommend brut or extra dry with this dessert since they are on the dry side and compliment its sweetness. A’Votre Sante’!

GR A B A BITE

ry a u r b Fe

14

A local favorite since 1978 American comfort foods and over 250 wine & beer from around the world

February Fried Pork Chop!

Enjoy a Very Special Menu

See our website for details

Call 703-347-7545

Specials Every Day Saturday & Sunday Brunch Wine Bar and a Sports Pub Private Party Room

FREE PARKING

RampartsTavern.com

Call for Reservations!

RiverBendBistro.com 7966 Fort Hunt Road (In the Hollin Hall Shopping Center)

1700 Fern St, Alexandria 703.998.6616

BRUNCH SERVED

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

The Family Gourmet Feast

GOOD SPORTS GOOD FRIENDS GREAT EATS!

2 (5 oz.) Filet Mignons 2 (5 oz.) Top Sirloins 2 (4 oz.) Boneless Pork Chops 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts (1 lb. pkg.)

4 (3 oz.) Kielbasa Sausages 4 (4 oz.) Omaha Steaks Burgers 4 (3 oz.) Potatoes au Gratin 4 (4 oz.) Caramel Apple Tartlets OS Seasoning Packet

55586AVE | $199.91* separately

49

$ Combo Price

99

Valentine’s Day Is Special Here!

Plus, 4 more Burgers

FREE

*Savings shown over aggregated single item base price. Limit 2 pkgs. Free gifts must ship with #55586.

Standard S&H will be added. Expires 2/28/19. ©2018 OCG 18M1531 Omaha Steaks, Inc.

Call 1-888-569-4129 and ask for 55586AVE www.OmahaSteaks.com/good04 Old Town Crier

MIMOSA & BLOODY MARY SPECIALS

Cupids Couples Champagne (Dining Room Only) “All the Single Ladies” Cocktail Specials (Bar Only)

8 Hi Def TV’s in 2 Rooms Game Day Specials!

Monday’s Only 1/2 Price Award Winning Dry Aged Burger 907 KING STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703.684.3288 | MACKIESBARANDGRILL.COM

WE ARE AN OFFICIAL GREEN BAY PACKERS BAR! February 2019 | 37

GRAPEVINE

NANCY BAUER

Think you already know Virginia Wine Country?

Here’s what you missed.

Hartwood Winery is located in Stafford County northwest of Fredericksburg along just off Rt. 17.

Hartwood Winery celebrates thirty years, and its owner tells some tales

W

hen Hartwood Winery owner Jim Livingston opened his doors in 1989, after more than 15 years of growing grapes, there were only a few dozen wineries in the state. Of those originals, perhaps half have closed their doors, throwing in the towel on the non-stop work, often brutal weather, and financial rollercoaster of running a small winery – usually, like Jim, while working a full-time “day job.”

To still be in business after three decades is an accomplishment that places Hartwood into the rarified realm of Linden Vineyards, Chateau Morrisette, Ingleside Vineyards, and Barboursville Vineyards. While each of those excellent wineries has taken a different path to success, Jim says that Hartwood’s success is due to his wife Beverly and son Kyle, plus “several family cats and loads of friends who are as close as family.”

“Without our ‘volunteer family’ and their support at harvest time, festivals and special events, we couldn’t have made it to the 3rd year, 38 | February 2019

much less 30,” he said.

Just about thirty minutes northwest of Fredericksburg, Hartwood Winery sits in the rural western stretch of Stafford County, outside of the suburban sprawl that rings Washington, DC. Here, Jim talks about the Virginia wine community back in the day, how Hartwood came to be, and what he’s most proud of:

Meeting Lucie Morton and the (mostly women) pathfinders of Virginia wine I came to Virginia in the late ‘60s, from Tennessee, to teach in Prince William County Schools. My mother had grown grapes. When I got to Fredericksburg, we enjoyed wine tasting and helped form a wine society. We met, back then, at the Virginia National Guard Armory, at the corner of Route 1 and Route 3. We would do tastings there and also grill in the parking lot. It was a different world.

One evening, Lucie Morton (now an international wine consultant) came to speak to our Fredericksburg Wine Society. She had recently traveled and studied in France

Jim Livingston established the first Stafford County commercial vineyard in 1981 and farm winery in 1989. His wife Beverly joins him in making the winery what it is today. to learn about making wine.

She was also associated with the Flemer family’s newly established Ingleside Winery [on the Northern Neck].

Lucie announced that she was going to start growing grapes at her family’s estate on the Potomac River and she asked for volunteers to help – and I raised my hand.

I got totally hooked and the grapes grew well at the estate. So I kept volunteering, and helping, and learning throughout Virginia. I learned enough to grow some grapes locally.

In the meantime, the state of Virginia became involved. People across the

Commonwealth began their experiments with growing grapes, and several vineyards started cropping up. I got involved in meetings of these Virginia wine pioneers, who were mostly women.

In the early ‘80s, the first organized “meeting” of the growers took place. It was about a dozen people, again mostly women, who met under a little gazebo at Meredyth Vineyards in Middleburg [now closed].

We all brought wines to taste and information to share with each other. That little group became the Virginia Vineyard Association and the Virginia Wineries Association.

We continued to help each other, sharing information and meeting frequently to become better grape growers and wine makers.

Remember, this was all before the internet. But we would call each other and share our success and failures.

The Beginnings of Hartwood Winery Early on, the more I learned the more I wanted to know.

Everything about winemaking became a passion. I would think, hey, I’m a school teacher and yet have this incredible opportunity to do GRAPEVINE > PAGE 40

EXPLORING VA WINES

DOUG FABBIOLI

12 months, All Seasons!

W

real people. earth friendly. fabulous wines.

hen I came to Virginia 22 years ago, the wine industry was a little different. It was a lot smaller and much more of a cottage industry, a handful of professional operations and many smaller, weekend warrior mom and pop shops. Quaint experiences, quiet countrysides, tiny tasting rooms in old barns and owners/winemakers behind the bar when they were not doing everything else that needed to be done.

The wineries were smaller and simpler back then. They also would close for the winter. Some smaller ones still do. But many of the medium and larger wineries are open all year round with professional staff to make your experience memorable and fulfilling. Our farms and businesses are less busy in the winter months, but they are still open. The experience and scenery are different than the summertime but can be more intimate and special. I have been impressed with how many ski resorts have worked to make their operations attractive all year round.

Staff, infrastructure, and the attractiveness is available as long as customers are willing to come out and enjoy the seasonal culture and creativity. Making and marketing that special winter experience is something that the wineries and other rural businesses are continuing to embrace.

I give a lot of credit to Bob and Phoebe Harper, the former owners of Naked Mountain Winery. The roaring fire in the fireplace fit right in with the lasagna and a glass of wine special that they did on winter Sundays for years - the current owners, Randy and Meagan Morgan, have carried on the tradition. I see that winter experience being promoted for cities, resorts and other tourist destinations. Loudoun is doing a multiple winery barrel tasting event the first weekend in February.

Staying home in the winter can be nice, but getting out in the winter can be even better. Make your plans, prepare for a bit of weather, understand the difference between a little storm and a big one, be prepared to put the skills of the driver to the test on the backroads, but most of all, enjoy the adventure. The venues are still doing business and are as accommodating as they can be. They put the safety of their guests and their staff at the forefront while working to present enjoyable and memorable experiences for all. So…enjoy the countryside experience throughout the year. Romance, flavor, foodie experience, culture, nature, passion, and artisanal. We do it all year long!

Come and join us. n

HOLD YOUR ‘FABB’ EVENT AT FABBIOLI CELLARS! WEDDINGS • CORPORATE OUTINGS • GRADUATIONS • CELEBRATIONS

email us at info@fabbioliwines.com 15669 Limestone School Rd • Leesburg, VA 20176 703.771.1197 • fabbioliwines.com Old Town Crier

February 2019 | 39

GRAPEVINE FROM PAGE 38

something totally new…and I have a built-in customer base.

Teachers drink a WHOLE LOT OF WINE. I planted DeWeese [Vineyard] in 1972. I put out five varieties to see what would grow, because nobody knew anything - we had no idea if anything would really grow well here. Then I bought Hartwood, and in 1980 we brought three of the five varieties over from DeWeese.

In 1989, Hartwood Winery opened, and we began making the wine from the grapes we grew on site. To expand my wine offerings, I was able to purchase some different grapes from other nearby vineyards.

Currently we grow Vidal, Seyval and Chambourcin at Hartwood. We settled on

those because they are heartier grapes and can sustain a harsher Virginia climate, and yet make reliably decent wine each year.

Our first bottling was a Rappahannock Series – Seyval, Vidal and Chambourcin. We held an opening day festival in June 1989 – had 76 cases and sold out in a few hours. Had to work all night to label more bottles for the next morning so we could open and have something to sell.

My proudest moment was when we won an international Double Gold in 1993 for our Winter Lord Cabernet.

(PHOTO) Beyond that, it’s more an all-the-time feeling – knowing that we have been successful – in spite of starting this career while being a fulltime teacher.

My “day job” didn’t allow me to fully participate in the profession, attend meetings and all that. But I could still grow my knowledge and could try different things and be a pioneer with the other new vineyard owners and wine makers. Hartwood succeeded, despite my constraints, and we made some decent wines and developed a loyal following.

Hartwood’s Place in a New Wine Country The wines in Virginia have certainly improved. The industry has grown from 30 to [approximately] 300 wineries.

Even though there are 10 times more wineries – many now with large event venues and extravagant multimilliondollar facilities – we are still having new visitors enjoy our

OPEN YEAR ROUND THURSDAY-SATURDAY & MONDAY from 11-5

VISITING HARTWOOD WINERY 345 Hartwood Rd Fredericksburg, Virginia 540-752-4893 hartwoodwineryva.com

SUNDAY from 12-5

offering ITALIAN VARIETALS 10100 Three Fox Lane, Delaplane, VA (540) 364-6073 • www.threefoxvineyards.com

Winery hours: Wednesday through Friday 11-5, Saturday/Sunday 11-6 Tasting fee: $8, includes 11 wines

tuscany EXPERIENCE

IN VIRGINIA

ORDER YOURS NOW!

Your Guide to Virginia Wine Country Winery Maps Check-off lists Virginia’s top wines & wineries Dog-friendly wineries Family-friendly wineries + much more!

Available now at these select wineries: Pearmund Cellars, Barrel Oak and Philip Carter Virginia Wine Country Travel Journal Available on Amazon.com

40 | February 2019

Don't miss the Mardi Gras Party on February 23!

wines. There is still room for the authenticity of a smaller Virginia farm winery like Hartwood.

You are farmers first. It’s the weather. It’s a hurricane in Fredericksburg - who knew we could even have one of those, here? This year, we had so much rain - our well pump “drowned.”

We are authentic, we grow the grapes right here, and we produce the wines just below the tasting room. We are smaller now than most, but people are still looking to learn about the wine making and we can deliver that – because we do it all – first hand.

“We’ve Done Our Jobs” I’ve now retired from the Prince William County School system. I was a school librarian for many years. My wife Beverly was also with the Prince William system. We are now full-time grape growers and wine makers.

There is a wealth of information from the state of Virginia today. It is out there

and easy to retrieve. All the resources, all the knowledge, it is so easily at hand. The legacy of our early work has been preserved – mistakes included – and passed along to make better wine and grow successful vineyards.

We have done our jobs and we are proud of what we have done along the way to grow this industry that is now so important to Virginia. We are still here after hurricanes, droughts, deer and environmental challenges.

The thing I’m proudest of is that we make our own wines and our own decisions. We are proud to sell what we grow.

We’re still making it with our own hands, on our own land. n – Jim Livingston About the Author: Nancy Bauer (Nancy@VAWineInMyPocket. com) writes about Virginia Wine Country travel on the Virginia Wine in My Pocket website and smartphone app, and is the author of the book, Virginia Wine Country Travel Journal, available at Amazon.com.

NICOLE FLANAGAN

FITNESS

Healthy Habits

N

ow that the New Year is in full swing and we have all climbed back on the treadmills and weight machines, it’s time to make sure we can keep going. The most difficult part of changing your habits is the change itself. The best way to make a lasting difference in your life is to change things a little bit at a time. Even when you have the workout part down to a science it’s what you do outside the gym that counts as well. We all know that exercise is not the only answer to solving our weight loss problems. With a well-balanced exercise and nutrition plan you will get much more out of your workout and your everyday life.

It is not your imagination, sitting at your desk all day can really make your behind as wide as the chair that you sit in.

Many people who work in an office building don’t get much of a chance to be active throughout the day. As a result, that nine to five job just gave them an extra 10 to 20 pounds. Here are some ways to whittle that waistline while you’re hard at work: • Reduce those rolls: Replace that ordinary desk chair with a ball.

By trading your chair in for an exercise ball you will help your posture and strengthen your core improving your stability and burning calories.

• Walk and talk: If you tend to take a lot of calls during the day, get a headset and walk while you talk. Get a pedometer or Fitbit and track how many extra steps you take in a day. An Haircuts $15

•

•

•

•

A Very Good Price!

Shampoo, Cut & Blow Dry $18 (extra charge for long hair) Scissors Cut $17+up Color $43+up Permanent $45+up (including haircut & conditioner)

Extra 500 steps per day burns about 25 calories.

Over the course of a whole year that can mean a weight loss of up to two pounds without even changing your diet.

Schedule snack time: An American Dietetic Association report found that 75 percent of workers ate lunch at their desks at least two to three times per week. Instead of trying to multi-task, minimize mindless eating by making time to step away from your desk for snacks. If you are aware of what you eat you’ll be less likely to nibble all day.

Go Green: Drink green tea! A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who drank tea that was fortified with green tea extracts every day for three months lost 2.4 more pounds than those who drank plain tea. Also antioxidants found in green tea may stimulate the body to burn fat and increase metabolism.

Keep the candy away: Give your willpower some help and keep that candy in an opaque jar. If you can’t see it, you won’t want it. If you have a sweet tooth, try hard candies rather than chocolates.

Hard candies last longer and have fewer calories.

Make your fitness a group effort: When you go out to lunch with your coworkers, walk instead

of drive. Better yet, get some of them to take up a class with you at the local gym after work. Working out with a partner helps to keep the commitment for you and your friend.

Changing your habits at your desk can help you to burn a few extra calories and save you from consuming a few hundred. So, what can you eat that isn’t going to add too many calories and still leave you feeling satisfied until your next meal? A small, 100 calorie snack can stave off hunger but sometimes that exact amount can be hard to eyeball. You could pay more at the grocery store for those premeasured 100 calorie packs, or you could just make your own.

Here are a few snack ideas that will keep your waistline and your wallet in check.

• Starbucks tall skinny latte: get that caffeine fix you crave along with 10g of protein and about a third of your daily calcium needs.

• Quaker

• •

•

•

•

instant oatmeal (regular style): high in fiber and protein and it’s good for breakfast or a snack.

Yoplait light yogurt: packed with calcium and vitamin D. Banana: quick, easy and filling plus the potassium in bananas will help prevent muscle cramps later on.

3 cups air popped popcorn: light, fluffy and filling so go ahead and nibble mindlessly.

1 cup of baby carrots with 2 tbsp hummus: this snack is healthy and energizing which will help you keep going through your six o clock spin class.

1 cup of raspberries with 2 tbsp of plain yogurt and 1tsp of honey: this snack mix

satisfies your sweet tooth without hurting your diet.

• 18 fat free Rold Gold Tiny Pretzel Twists: kill a carb and salt craving in a single snacking.

Trade some of these snacks for those vending machine packs for a more energizing and satisfying break from your work. To make it easier pack your snacks ahead of time.

Make enough for the week and just grab them as you go for work. Things like popcorn and oatmeal can be stashed in a desk drawer for a quick and healthy pick me up if you are feeling hungry between meals.

Eating more often will keep your feeling full so you will be less likely to snag a snickers for the drive home. Keep your cravings controlled and your commitment on the top of your list and you will stay on the right track to a healthy lifestyle.

Remember that the little changes you make each day will have a lasting impact.

Good Haircut!

Beautiful Perm!

Long Lasting Color!

Van’s Hairstylists 107 North Washington Street (near corner of King & Washington streets)

703-836-1916

Monday-Friday 9 am-7 pm • Saturday 9 am-6 pm We care and will give you only the best!

Biolage • Vital Nutrient • Socolor • Matrix Perm • Paul Mitchell • Nexxus Old Town Crier

February 2019 | 41

FROM THE TRAINER

RYAN UNVERZAGT

Exercise With Your Sweatheart

I

f you’ve been following any of my advice, you may have discovered that exercising with a friend is a fun way to get that not so easy “chore” done and over with. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and would provide that perfect opportunity to exercise with your sweetheart. I have four partner designed exercises to share with you this month.

In future Old Town Crier issues, my articles will consist of an “exercise of the month” in which I will explain the benefits and have pictures to show the techniques.

The first sweetheart exercise to try is the FitBall Squat.

This is performed by placing a FitBall between you and your partner’s backs, then squatting together keeping the ball from falling to the floor. This one requires teamwork, great timing, and trust to pull it off successfully. Since you will be facing in opposite directions, communication is essential.

Try 15 reps and if you want to increase the difficulty, just pause at the bottom of your squat for a ten second count, then repeat ten times.

The second sweetheart exercise is the seated medicine ball (MB) rotation. Sit on the floor beside your partner with knees bent as if you were to perform a sit-up. There should be about a two foot space in between. Both of you lean back about 45 degrees and lift your feet off the floor to balance on the tailbone.

Now this is the start position.

To begin, grab one MB with elbows bent 90 degrees and rotate at the waist away from your partner, then back toward the two foot space in the center to set the ball down on the floor. Your sweetheart then grabs it off the floor 42 | February 2019

and rotates away from you and back to set it down in the same spot. You should maintain the 45 degree lean with heels off the floor when your partner has the MB. This position keeps constant tension on the abdominals during the exercise. Try 10 reps each before resting completely.

The third sweetheart exercise is a “tug-o-war.” This time sit on the floor facing each other with feet together and knees slightly bent. Both of you grab the end of a bath towel while sitting with good posture. You provide resistance for your sweetheart as they pull using the upper back muscles by squeezing the shoulder blades together. Try 10 reps each without leaning back for leverage.

The final sweetheart exercise is the “match ‘em” pushup. This one is pretty selfexplanatory, but you will try to “match” your sweetheart pushup for pushup. So you will start with a pushup, then your partner will perform one as you wait for your turn.

Keep alternating pushups to see who can finish with the most! (Hint for the fellas: If you want a great Valentine’s Day, let your sweetheart win this contest…)

I wish everyone a Happy Fit Valentine’s Day this year…and keep up the hard work!

Unverzagt holds Bachelor of Science degree in Wellness Management from Black Hills State University. He is a certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength & Conditioning Association and a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer through the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography.

OLD TOWN DENTISTRY Frinet Kasper, DDS • Family & Cosmetic Dentistry • Crowns & Bridges • Invisalign • Sealants • Fillings • Whitening • Same Day Appointments 1203 Prince Street • Alexandria, Va. 22314 • 703.683.0800 • www.oldtowndentistry.com Hablamos Español

LO

G IN

KIM PUTENS

FIRST BLUSH

K O

U – Uncover.

Y

ou haven’t found the fountain of youth yet, but you’re afraid to go under the knife. You sit in wonder of how to keep your skin looking young, particularly during these harsh winter days. Many people ask me how I keep my skin looking young. They want to know my beauty tricks and if they involve botox. There is no doubt that at 49 it’s much

harder to fight the signs of aging than at 21. But, I will avail you of the routine that helps me keep my skin looking Y-O-U-N-G and, no, it does not involve botox.

I’m too afraid of the needles.

Y – Yoga.

I can’t live without yoga in my life. It helps relieve the daily stresses associated with running a business, keeping up with my two children and maintaining a busy household.

Research has shown that stress not only impacts your body, but your skin too. As your

Experience the Difference

mom always told you – if you keep making those faces, your face may stay that way.

Well, there is something to be said for that. Your frowns and furrows leave their mark when you make them often enough.

O – Oxygen.

Recent studies have shown that as the skin ages there is a reduction in oxygen in the skin. Luckily, there are ways to get oxygen back into the skin.

I am an exfoliating queen. I always have been. I use a scrub on most days to help unclog my pores and reveal softer skin.

By opening up your pores, you’re allowing more oxygen to get into the skin. Depending how clogged your pores are, a deep exfoliation or exfoliating mask will help to slough off dead skin cells and unclog surface pores. If your skin has been neglected or has really clogged pores, try a cleanser with salicylic acid which cleans the pores and kills the bacteria clogging them.

At the end of the day, I can’t wait to wash my face. I can’t wait to get my skin clean and wash away the gunk from the day. And, if I have a day that I don’t have anywhere to be, I simply wash my face in the morning and put nothing on.

I’ve always believed you need to give your skin a break and let it breath every once in a while.

N – Nourish and Protect.

I have very dry skin (particularly in the winter). To that end, I’m a moisturizing freak. I use heavy moisturizers to replenish and nourish my dry skin. And, I am a HUGE advocate of eye cream. It is the fountain of youth if you start using it when you are young. I have been using eye cream since I was 19 because I have always believed in making sure to take care of the delicate skin around my eyes. Antioxidants are also my lifesaver. I believe strongly in the virtues of Vitamin C. It definitely has made a difference in the elasticity of my skin. But, most importantly, I was taught and truly believe antioxidants

are the best protectors of your skin. Combined with a zincoxide based sunscreen, there is no better way to protect your skin from the sun’s very harmful rays.

G – Glow.

With dry skin, it’s definitely a challenge to keep my skin glowing. But it’s a challenge I’m willing to tackle head on because glowing skin is often associated with youthful skin.

There are a couple of ways I help to bring the glow back.

First, I like to use masks and serums weekly that work to bring the blood flow to the surface of the skin. These products are often labeled as ‘revitalizing’ and contain botanicals that help to improve the skin’s blood flow. Keeping my skin hydrated and properly moisturized also contributes to skin that glows.

Finally, I have experimented with creams and liquid based makeup that contributes a little luster to the skin. When applied strategically along the cheekbone and around the eye area, it awakens the skin and diffuses harsh lighting thus making the skin look smooth.

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH Nitro Noir by KIERIN NYC What They Say:

A little valentine treat for yourself FEBRUARY SPECIAL Purchase $100 or more Lulu Sage gift card for your valentine and receive a complimentary manicure for yourself.

(Gift card cannot be redeemed by purchaser)

An irresistible rendez-vous with the city night. Hypnotic, sensual head notes of orris flood the senses with intense heart notes of vibrant pink-berries and a pucker of bergamot infused in a delectable dry down of earthy patchouli for a scent that is sexy and impossible to resist! Genderless but never generic, Nitro Noir is a bold scent for men and women. Perfect for every day, or night, to enhance the mood or match your vibe. Made in the USA. Our designs are unique with NYC art-inspired labels living “on the edge”, wrapped around our canvas-like white bottles like so many murals of street art.

What We Say:

LULU SAGE SALON & SPA 610 Madison Street, Suite100 • Old Town Alexandria, Virginia 703.894.0709 • LuluSageSalonAndSpa.com

Don’t forget about our rewards program!

Old Town Crier

This fragrance is NOT for the faint of heart or for someone who wants to maintain a subtle aura. It is very reminiscent of the days of the original hippies (‘60’s, ‘70’s) since one of its main ingredients in patchouli. We recommend this for those of you who are of a certain age and want a “Blast from the Past” or those youngsters out there who realize that “Everything Old is New” and you want to be just as cool.

Available online at kierin-nyc.com

February 2019 | 43

SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE PEGGIE ARVIDSON

L

ife throws you curveballs. All the time.

Right? You think you’re taking a train to Peoria and the next thing you know you haven’t even left the station. Or maybe you find yourself in the passenger seat, believing your driver is heading to Manassas and instead you end up in Chicago.

What do you do when you end up somewhere you never thought you’d be?

Acknowledge the confusion.

I mean, you signed up for a certain plan, program, relationship or destination and then the trip changed and you ended up somewhere else. It’s not a good feeling, no matter how adaptable you are.

It doesn’t mean the world has ended though. After all, you’re still standing and you have the opportunity to look around and find your own bearings.

Ask yourself how you wound up so far off track.

Look, don’t beat yourself up, but it’s a good idea to dig in and figure out how you may have gotten to the new destination. Were you secretly harboring a wish for a night of good jazz and steak but kept insisting you were fine with a life full of lobst-ah and pasta?

Maybe your inner voice was asking for something (somewhere) you didn’t want to acknowledge. What’s that about? Do some introspection to see where you’re sending yourself mixed signals. Make peace with it. Then create a daily practice to come into alignment with your inner longings and outer plans.

If you don’t like where you are, make peace my friend. Peace is a big part of this journey on the planet.

Forgive yourself for landing right where you are and treat yourself with some kindness.

Then learn what you can, where you are and get real about the next direction. If 44 | February 2019

you’re not going to settle in and plant roots where you wound up, you can move on. Just make sure you’re not moving just for the sake of moving. Have a plan and work it.

Oh, and hope isn’t a method.

Work like a boss to make the changes you want to see.

Seriously. No one should be in charge of driving you to your destination but you. Get your hands on the wheel and drive.

Make a plan to ensure you have gas, a sound vehicle and the support you need along the way, but for heaven’s sake, resist the temptation to jump in someone else’s car and go for their ride. That’s how you wound up where you are, right?

Working like a boss doesn’t mean you beat yourself up or sacrifice your soul. It does mean that sometimes you have to turn off the internet, or the TV or the mindless Candy Crush so that you can take action in the direction you’re aiming. We only have so much energy, yo, so getting it wrapped up in stuff that doesn’t move us forward is ridiculous. You know that. I know that. Still, we do it. Stop.

Figure out why you’re numbing out – with food, TV, Netflix binges, games, wine –

whatever. Doesn’t matter the numbing activity, just that you become conscious of it.

It’s time to wake up and be conscious about your own direction and how you can get where you’re going. If someone else is going to drive you, you’re going to be driven round the bend eventually.

Let yourself cry and yell and rant. Find your own inner posse – two or three

peeps that you hold dear and trust to keep your rantings to themselves. Let them know you just want to let off steam and don’t need them to fix it or you. Share with them and then resist the temptation to dump your sad story on everyone you meet. Your trip on the planet isn’t up to anyone else. We all need someone to support us, but we don’t need to repeat a story

Are you at a crossroads and need to make some serious decisions?

If you’re feeling stuck at work, in love or in general, it can feel impossible to get out of your own way.

Peggie helps you assess your situation, using ancient and modern tools to help you move forward with a specific plan of action.

Private Sessions are available by phone or Skype.

PeggieArvidson.com peggieParvidson@gmail.com

that doesn’t work over and over again to get sympathy.

(That is playing the victim card, and as long as you’re a victim, you can’t be the hero.)

Ask for what you want.

Ask the universe, or God, or your best friend. Don’t worry about how it happens, and don’t even worry about WHY – all that self-help mumbojumbo about getting on board with your “why” is nice – but sometimes you can’t articulate why. You just know WHAT you need and want.

So, ask for it. Consciously.

Ask whomever you think can help you and be open to the miracles (large and small) that show up when you do. The Why will get clearer as you take action to make the What happen.

You wound up where you didn’t want to go, but now’s your chance to shift that energy and set your sights on precisely where you want to be next. Go forth. You got this!

GO FISH

STEVE CHACONAS

Getting Ready to Guide

P

otomac River guides are busy. For me, it means ordering my 2019 Skeeter FX20 and 10 foot Power Poles. For long stays on the water with reliable cranking power, DEKA Batteries energize my rig.

Capt. John Sisson’s new Ranger is being rigged with HUMMINBIRD electronics, Power Poles and a Mercury outboard. Capt. Michael Hall and Capt. George Martin are going through their rigs to recover from 2018.

Capt. Mike’s 2016 Ranger Comanche 521C goes to MARE Marine for a top to bottom check up. He doesn’t neglect his Criswell Chevrolet Suburban either, readying it for long tows. Capt. George’s offseason boat care starts with a deep cleaning, carpet shampoo, and hull and bottom wax job.

He replaces or fixes any vessel or equipment issues, including electronics, pumps, switches, and hinges.

When the calendar clicked over to 2019, licensing expired.

Every POTOMAC guide must keep Red Cross First Aid and CPR current, as well as charter insurance. Enrolling in a random drug-testing program is also required.

MD and Potomac River Fisheries Commission Guide license renewals begin. USCG Captains licenses must be current. If not, a four-month process is required.

Show time! Guides attend shows to promote sponsors, conduct seminars and book trips. Meeting and greeting local anglers takes a lot of energy, as floor time can be 10 hours straight. Having plenty

of brochures and business cards to pass out, along with gear for demonstrations, needs preparation too! Websites and marketing begins now, although it never really ends.

Updating email lists brings old clients back! Capt. Mike, a professional bass fisherman and USCG licensed guide, relies on social media to generate business, including posting videos and pictures on his Facebook pages and mikehallfishing.com.

Additionally, Capt. George, gmcomaps.com, updates his Google listing, creates new handouts for shows, and schedules seminars.

Time to take stock. Hooks, line and sinkers are just a start. Rods and reels need to be repaired or replaced. Lures need new hooks and touch up.

Tackle needs to be organized.

Unused used last year? Take it out of the box and replace with lures that work. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits need new skirts. Work with sponsors to restock mainstay lures like Mann’s Baby 1-Minus, MUSTAD hooks, Water Gremlin BullShot weights, Gamma fishing lines, Silver Buddy Lures, Jack’s Juice Bait Spray, Maui Jim sunglasses and TEVA sandals. Capt. Mike provides Lew’ s spinning and baitcasting reels paired with Lew’s and Grandt rods. His guide clients use the same gear he uses for professional bass tournaments. Capt. Mike replaces around 6 outfits a year. Capt. George removes the contents of his storage compartments so he doesn’t end up with baits he already has. After taking a complete

inventory he seeks show sales within a budget. He looks for deals on what’s new; clients like to see and use the latest baits and or methods they read about. Capt. George cleans, repairs and puts new line on all reels, also checking all rods to make sure they are in good working order.

While there’s no substitute for time on the water, staying in shape involves off-season training. For starters, getting up early helps to keep your body clock prepared for the start of the season. Staying fit is essential to fishing their way back into shape. Standing on a trolling motor and helping clients throughout the day requires strength, balance and stamina. Biking, swimming and running are a good start. Weight lifting and balance exercises can maintain the core. In some cases it’s also time for rehab and resting nagging injuries.

In my case, off-season knee surgery slowed me down a bit, but my therapist, Emily Beeber at Select Physical Therapy, understood my goals and worked me on the way to recovery over 3 months. From there it was up to me to bump up my regimen to endure another long season. Capt.

Mike works out 3 times a week to stay in top physical condition with weightlifting, 200 sit-ups, and dog walking his 85 pound lab 3-8 miles a day. Capt. George visits his dermatologist and eye doctor, taking care of issues before they become BIG problems.

His Fit Bit encourages him to walk 3-5 miles a day. Believing healthy legs and back make

standing on the front of a bass boat for 4-8 a lot easier, he also keeps up with backstretches.

These Captains will be ready for the guiding season in March. When Capitol Catfishing guide Capt. Jason Kintner was asked about his off-season regimen, he replied.

“Off-season? I don’t need any stinking off-season! Lol. Your off-season is my prime time.”

For those who think guides just take people fishing, there’s a lot more to it.

Author Capt. Steve Chaconas is Potomac bass fishing guide & contributing writer for BoatU.S. (BoatUS.com) Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. Book trips/purchase gift certificates: info@ NationalBass.com.

Potomac River Bassing in February Typically, water temperatures are in the mid to upper 30s. No question Silver Buddys are the first choice to locate and catch fish. The half-ounce silver is best for clear water and for sunny days. Gold works better for stained water or cloudy skies.

After that, it’s a mix of spinning reel presentations. For line, spool a Quantum Smoke spinning reel with 10-pound test Gamma Torque braid with 6 pound test Edge fluorocarbon leaders. Shaky head dark colored Mann’s Hardnose Super Finesse worms work on 1/8-14 ounce heads. Cast and shake in place, seldom moving them. Also, Mizmo tubes with 1/8-1/4 insert heads can be worked with a gentle lift and glide presentation. Split shot rigs with 1/8 or 3/16-ounce Water Gremlin BullShot weights, 2/0 Mustad Mega Bite hooks and a Mann’s HardNose Jelly worm. Slow short movements with frequent stops keep the presentation horizontal along flats near drops and down drops. Place weight about 10 inches from the bait. Drop shot in the same areas, shaking in place. Make leaders around 4 inches for drop shots. Spray all soft plastics with garlic Jack’s Juice Bait Spray.

Old Town Crier

February 2019 | 45

OPEN SPACE

LORI WELCH BROWN

GO YOURSELF!

S

ince I was a kid, I’ve been drawn to Valentine’s Day. I love all the pink hearts, red Cupids, and especially the dark chocolate! Note that I didn’t mention red roses or lingerie, but more on that later. I especially love those sweet little Valentines in the tiny envelopes you handed out in grade school. We would decorate a brown paper bag to collect them all in. Oh, the memories. I still scan the aisles of CVS to catch a glimpse of them. Back in my day, they were mostly Mickey and Minnie and Pebbles and BamBam. Now they are My Little Pony and Transformers.

Cute cards aside, I had my share of some not so very happy “Cupid” days mostly because said “Cupid” must have thought I had the plague for a decade or so. I don’t recall many years when I was actually coupled up for the most romantic day of the year.

So I write this column every year not effusing grandiose thoughts on love, but more as a white flag offering, if you will, for the lonely hearts club.

For some of you, walking past that card aisle is just plain painful. I get it. Maybe you just broke up with someone.

Maybe your person passed away. Maybe you just went 46 | February 2019

through a divorce. Maybe you’re going through a dating drought. Whatever the case, those cute little hearts are inducing your gag reflex and there’s no way to stop the influx of pink! There are, however, some ways to lift your current grinch-like heart.

Go rogue.

Stay in and watch the most anti-Valentine flicks you can find. As every single person knows, Netflix can be the best date ever.

Go old school.

Get out the construction paper, Elmer’s and the crayons. You’d be amazed how the smell of crayons will brighten the cloudiest of days and your homemade Valentine is sure to brighten someone else’s day as well.

Go pink.

Embrace the day. Wake up, put on everything pink you own, hit the card aisle, bake some heart shaped cookies and toss your pink pixie dust on everyone you see. If you get through the day without being arrested, you’ll be much happier for it.

Go MIA. Put the covers over your

head and set your alarm for February 15. Be sure to tell a couple of close friends or family members so you don’t wake up and see your face on a milk carton.

Go poetic.

Wrangle all that angst and get it down on paper. Some of the best songs and poems ever written are about heart break.

Might as well do something positive with all that pent up emotion so cry it out, baby.

Even if it doesn’t go platinum, doesn’t mean you can’t belt it out at the top of your lungs and feel just a wee bit better.

Go stag.

Bend the rules. Who the F ever said that someone couldn’t take him/herself out on a date? Your 2019 resolution was to treat yourself better, right? Get on Open Table and make yourself a reservation at the best place in town. If that feels a little too intimidating even for a bad ass like yourself, then march yourself over to the seafood counter at Whole Foods and pick out the best lobster you can afford. By God, you deserve a beautiful crustacean to stare at dreamingly.

Go hairy.

And they call it puppy love. Nothing makes me happier than curling up with my Dozer or Macey. Every tail wag and hair ball spells L-O-V-E. Make a date on the couch with your little fur ball. If you don’t have one, there are plenty of little love balls waiting to be adopted. Seriously—I spent many years ‘alone’, but my life changed 1,000 percent for the better when I got a cat. There’s something about coming home to a little, living, breathing thing that changes your world. They are happy to see you and don’t give a rat’s butt how your powerpoint turned out or if you got that promotion. And, they would love to share that crustacean with you. Date night at the shelter, anyone?

Go posse.

Misery loves company, right? Might as well call all your single peeps and make a night of it. Pull out your ugly Christmas sweater—that will ensure you have some good opening lines.

Go matchmaker.

Go posse, plus one.

Everyone you invite brings a friend…hopefully someone

that you or one of your friends might want to [fill in the blank] later. Beer googles not included.

Go home.

Valentine’s Day is a great time to let your mother bake you cookies and kiss you goodnight as a reminder that you did, in fact, hang the moon.

Go clueless.

You are way too important and have way too many important things to focus on to even realize that something as un-important as some Hallmark inspired holiday is occurring. Keep your face buried in your phone and carry on, VIP!

Go self-love.

Since when is it against the law to send yourself flowers?!

Or, feel free to take that selflove one step further and…get yourself a manicure! What did you think I was gonna say? Get your head out of the gutter—this is a family publication for goodness sake!

But, hey, if the mood strikes, who am I to judge? #selflove You get the point. Buy those Peppa Pig and Little Pony Valentines and let the love fly…

NATIONAL HARBOR

LANI GERING

H

ere I sit on yet ANOTHER rainy day contemplating what I’m going to do to get out of my winter funk. I was feeling pretty good about the nice snow we got a couple weeks ago and was hoping that was the direction the weather was going to take but……

Anyway, February is looking up! We have the Big Apple Circus coming to town on Valentine’s Day and sticking around until the 24th of March. If you recall, last year was the first time that I had been to a “real” circus in my 65 youthful years. It was so much fun, I think I will take my friends back this year.

A few things have changed up in this performance including the Ringmaster.

With Stephanie Monseu at the helm, the Big Apple Circus promises a female-powered show with mind-bending

Ringmaster Stephanie Monseu acts of strength. According to the circus’ PR gurus: “The “strongest mom in the world” Virginia Tuells, along with her husband, showcase a breathtaking acrobatic act that combines dance, strength, flexibility and passion in which Virginia handles a majority of the lifts. There’s also Jenny Vibel, third generation circus animal trainer and seven-year veteran of Big Apple Circus,

Photo: Juliana Crawford

who only uses rescue horses and dogs.” Information about tickets on the next page.

Another favorite February event of mine is President’s Day. When I was in elementary school I loved making the silhouettes of George and Abe out of construction paper and having my Mom hang them on the fridge. As I got older, I loved the fact that I got an

extra holiday out of the deal!

Anyone following this column knows how fond I am of the sculptures along American Way and they include 4 of our presidents. I took the photos that appear here right after the aforementioned snow settled in. It was at night and kinda eerie but very cool (pun intended) as well.

And…..then there is Valentine’s Day. I am sure that

most all of our restaurants will be running specials in celebration of this day – Old Hickory Steakhouse is probably the most romantic place in the Harbor for dinner and I recommend that you make your reservation early. I know that Relache Spa in the Gaylord has some romantic offerings that involve couples massages and some bubbly.

I can’t forget that Derek and his crew at the Capital Wheel have a fun V-Day package in the works. See their ad in this section.

I have big hopes for a Fabulous February weather aside. It just means we are getting that much closer to springtime! Celebrate Valentine’s Day with people you love and be sure to check out the Nation’s Largest President’s Day Parade in Old Town Alexandria on the 18th.

Details in the calendar in this issue.

American Way Sculptures (L-R): President Eisenhower President Lincoln President Roosevelt President Washington

Old Town Crier

February 2019 | 47

PIZZERIA &ITALIAN KITCHEN

Antipasti Pizza Pasta Oven Roasted Fresh Fish Sexy Wines

152 NatioNal Plaza, NatioNal Harbor, MD

149 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD

locateD at tHe base of tHe Plaza stairs oN tHe waterfroNt of NatioNal Harbor

(301) 839-1811

ReseRvations (301) 839-1445

dINE IN - TAKE ouT - dELIvERy

Private Dining Rooms Available

www.fIoRELLAPIZZERIA.coM

www.Bond45.com

The Fireman hospiTaliTy Group a Family-owned company

www.TheFiremanGroup.com

ELEVATE YOUR DATE With this Limited-Time Package!

Includes

2 Tickets to Experience The Capital Wheel 1 Commemorative 6x8 Photo 1 Love Lock 1 Box of 4 Truffles by Capital Candy Jar

National Harbor Calendar of Events - February 2019 THURSDAYS IN FEBRUARY FeBREWary Celebration 3 pm – 6 pm AC Lounge 156 Waterfront Street 301-749-2299 Dry January may be well on its way, but AC Hotel National Harbor is planning the perfect way to bring Thirsty Thursdays back in February. As part of Maryland’s annual FeBREWary celebration National Harbor’s Granite City to offer Thursday night tastings to reignite brew-buds.

Complimentary tastings, beer trivia and prizes. If you aren’t a craft beer fan, a Tito’s Vodka Happy Hour will run in tandem.

FEBRUARY 14TH - MARCH 24TH

$

45

The Big Apple Circus Under the Big Top On the Plateau

+ tax

Valid February 1–28*

A 20% Savings!

*Private event on Thursday, February 7, The Capital Wheel will be closed

Purchase package on our website or at our ticket booth.

thecapitalwheel.com • ftis

Not eligible for VIP gondola, cannot be combined with any other offer. Must be redeemed by February 28th, 2019. Management reserves all rights.

48 | February 2019

The Big Apple Circus is coming back to town and celebrating its 41st season.

Under the Big Top you will experience a spectacle for all ages. VIP experience in the Mirror Room that includes Big Apple Circus’ signature cocktails and bites, activities, and insta-worthy moments for just $25. For date night, family night, or any night, the Big Apple Circus is the place to be. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com

Brandywine residents since 2016 & 2014

BRANDYWINE LIVING...

because there are still smiles to share NO OPE W N!

Call Samantha at 703.940.3300 to schedule your vist!

5550 Cardinal Place (next to Cameron Station) Alexandria, VA 22304 Our new Alexandria community is Brandywine Living's 29th luxury, active aging community with licensed Assisted Living and Memory-Care, visit us at www.Brandycare.com

Act Now Before the Opportunity is Gone!

P R I VAT E G R E E N V I E W S • AWA R D - W I N N I N G M O D E L

THE CREST OF ALEXANDRIA

Best-Selling Active Adult Community in Fairfax County!

Elevator 2-Car Garage Townhomes | 55+ Living from the upper $600s Sales Manager | Lori Windsor (703) 507-6882 | lwindsor@craftmarkhomes.com Model Address | 7918 Ashland Dr. Alexandria, VA 22315 GPS Address | 7900 Telegraph Rd. Alexandria, VA 22315

CraftmarkHomes.com/CrestOfAlexandria

Brokers Warmly Welcomed.

Must register and comply with policy terms.