Old Town Crier - February 2025 by Old Town Crier

PUBLISHER’S NOTES

Well…we made it through January without freezing to death. The last half of month has been quite a ride for sure. I can’t believe that the snow that fell almost three weeks ago is still on the ground as I write this. I grew up here in the 1960's and the Potomac River froze solid most every year. I haven't seen it quite as solid as this last third of January has shown. However, as our climate continues to change, tomorrow, January 29th temps will be 60 degrees and hold that for the entire week. It is a 'wait and see’!

We hope you enjoy this month’s issue. Sarah Becker tackles a hot topic these days and highlights some history of Immigration in A Bit of history. Our Personality Profile highlights our new Mayor, Aliya Gaskin. Mayor Gaskin made history as the fi rst Black female and possibly the youngest Mayor to be elected in Alexandria. In Last Word, Miriam Kramer writes about Romantasy: Onyx Storm and the Empyrean Series. Grapevine’s Matt Fitzsimmons shifts gears, and introduces us to Charlottesville's North American Sake Brewery, while in Exploring Virginia Wines, Doug Fabbioli writes about "chasing the romance" in the vineyard. Tim Long addresses the rumor of the craft beer trend coming to an end in Let’s Get Crafty and Chef Glenn gives us a recipe for romance with his crab mousse stuffed flounder in Let’s Eat. With Mardi Gras right around the corner, RT’s Restaurant’s Cajun cuisine is the subject matter in Dining Out. Molly Winans and her staff provided their interview with two-time Centurian, David Sites as he spent EVERY day on the water AGAIN in 2024 in From the Bay. You may recognize his name. We have featured his amazing photographs of the Bay on the cover over the years.

Congratulations David! In To the Blue Ridge, Julie Reardon breathes a hint of spring with the opening of the point-to-point season i.e. thoroughbred racing in Hunt Country. The February Road Trip took us back to Shadow Mountain Escape in Jewel Hollow in Page County, VA. If you are looking for a romantic place to celebrate the day of hearts, this is the place. It will soon be the shoulder season in the Islands and Caribbean Connection takes a close look at Jamaica. In Open Space our very own Cupid, Lori Welch Brown examines Valentine's Day. This and much more await inside these pages.

The winter months are usually pretty low key but everything George Washington dominates the month of February with several events leading up to the nationally recognized George Washington Birthday Parade that takes place on the 15th with several events before and after on that day. Check out the calendar in this issue for more information.

We also celebrate Black History month in February. At the time of this writing, we didn’t have any detailed information on local events but we do know that a few of the events include Washington Revels Jubilee Voices Concert on February 16th and a special “Lost Alexandria” tour at Lee-Fendall House and Carlyle House on February 22nd. You should be able to ﬁ nd more information on these events and more in the days to come at visitalexandria.com/events.

I am looking forward to watching Six Nations Rugby for the next 5 weeks. If you aren’t familiar with the game, this would be a good time to develop a new passion and join in the fun. It’s a fantastic sport. You can ﬁ nd us at Murphy's or O'Connell’s here on King Street.

I have been told that I shouldn’t make any reference to anything partisan since the OTC has kept it a policy to take a neutral stance since the beginning. However, I know so many people who will be adversely affected by the actions of the current administrations edict that I am compelled to ask that those of you who feel the same way not to give in to the outrageousness. Let’s do what we can within the boundaries of the law to make every effort to stick to our beliefs and in the process help those most affected.

Oﬀ the band wagon and on to thanking each and every one of you who pick up this publication both in print and online each month and wishing you all a very happy Valentine’s Day!

Tommy Mooney: Grand Marshall for St. Patrick's Day Parade

On March 1st, the Ballyshaners 42nd Alexandria St. Patrick's Day Parade will take place in Old Town Alexandria. Residents and tourists are encouraged to come early to enjoy the events at one of the DC area's ﬁ rst and ﬁ nest parades. There are events that take place all during the day. They can be found at www. ballyshaners.org All events are free to the public.

This year’s Grand Marshall is Tommy Mooney, owner of Muphy's Grand Irish Pub. I have known Tommy since 1978 and watched him grow up with the business and expand the Murphy's experience all the way down to Virginia Beach. Look for our March issue to read a Personality Proﬁle on Mooney and his many successes over the years. The Old Town Crier congratulates Tommy on his role as the Grand Marshall and are looking forward to seeing him in the parade!

Our very own Open Space author, Lori Welch Brown, is one of six local artists participating in Nepenthe Gallery’s Winter Solstice Local Artists Exhibit. She’s not just a fantastic writer but a talented abstract artist. You can check out her work at the Gallery located in Hollin Hall at 7918 Fort Hunt Road.

february‘25

ON THE ROAD WITH OTC

The Old Town Crier took a trip to the Colorado Farm Show in Greeley, Colorado with Ryan Unverzagt and his son Ralston. While they were there Ralsty got to take advantage of a photo op in the cab of a 6155 M John Deere tractor! In keeping with the Unverzagt farm family tradition, Ralston sports his John Deere ball cap! We all know…”Nothin’ runs like a Deere”! If you would like to see your photo in this space, take the OTC with you on your next adventure and take a high resolution photo or photos of you and yours checking us out and send it with information for the caption to oﬃce@oldtowncrier.com and put “On the Road” in the subject line.

Romance is in the air 24-7, 365 at

Virginia. In keeping with the February Valentine theme, Shadow Mountain is featured in this month’s Road Trip column and we thought it only ﬁtting to put an image of one of the many amenities the eloping couples are treated to at SME. This photo of homemade Red Velvet Rose cake with a side of Italian Prosecco was taken in the Ladybug cabin by proprietor and “super” baker Karen Riddle.

Karen and her husband Ralph’s adventure in creating Shadow Mountain Escape is a romantic story in itself. Married 38 years now, they are high school sweethearts who realized their dream of creating a space that exudes happiness and unity through a few trials and tribulations but, according to them, worth every moment. They have literally traveled the earth sourcing material and furnishings for the 4 timber frame and Jewel Hollow sourced stone cabins.

Read more about Shadow Mountain and the Riddle’s in Road Trip on pages 24 and 25.

Shadow Mountain Escape on Jewel Hollow Road between Luray and Sperryville,

Karen and Ralph Riddle

We had a winner again this month. That is three months in a row that we haven’t stumped you all. I guess it’s good to know our readers are keeping an eye out for them!

Congratulations to Gabrila Canamar Clark who picked up her copy at the Uptowner Café located at 1609 King Street the day after we did distribution for correctly identifying the location of the mural – the side of the Rubini Jewelry building on the corner of North Washington and Wythe Streets - in less than 24 hours! We also had a bunch of correct guesses throughout the month.

Keeping the location in Old Town again this month, let’s see who comes up with the correct answer. Remember, if you are the ﬁ rst person to respond with the correct location, you will receive a $50 gift certiﬁcate to our favorite French eatery, Bastille Brasserie & Bar.

In order to participate, Like and Follow us on: Facebook @oldtowncrier and Instagram @otcregionalmag

Send a PM with your guess and we will contact the winner each month via PM to arrange for prize delivery. Mural photos by Lee Moody.

Congratulations again to Gabrila Canamar Clark for identifying the location of last month's mural on the side of the Rubini Jewelry building on the corner of North Washington and Wythe Streets.

2025 George Washington Birthday Celebration Events Schedule

Through February 28th

The Hunt for Washington

Sundays in February

George Washington’s Alexandria Tours

2:00-4:00 p.m.

Tours begin at Christ Church 118 N. Washington Street

Explore historic Old Town Alexandria as George Washington knew it! This popular FREE two-hour guided walking tour will visit sites associated with Washington and his closest colleagues including Christ Church, Light Horse Harry Lee’s house, the Lord Fairfax home, Washington’s townhouse, Gadsby’s Tavern, Duvall Tavern, Wise’s Tavern, the Carlyle House, Market Square, Ramsay House, the Apothecary Shop, and Gentry Row. To register, visit eventbrite.com and search George Washington’s Alexandria –click to see all four tour options.

15th

George Washington Birthday Parade

2:00-4:00 p.m.

Old Town Alexandria View parade route at washingtonbirthday.com/parade-route.

Thousands of spectators will line the streets of Old Town Alexandria to cheer on the oldest and largest George Washington Birthday Parade in the country! This year’s parade theme is “George Washington: America’s Commander-in-Chief”, marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War and founding of the United States Army. Check washingtonbirthday.com before Parade Day for the Parade March of Order – the complete lineup of participants for your viewing pleasure!

15th

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolution Wreath Laying Ceremony

12 noon-1:00 p.m.

Old Presbyterian Meeting House 321 S. Fairfax St.

Join the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution as they honor the Unknown Soldier of the Revolution. Cost: FREE, no registration required.

15th

George Washington Birthnight Dinner

6:00-9:00 p.m.

Gadsby’s Tavern Museum 134 N. Royal Street

Enjoy a four-course, period-inspired dinner with wine honoring Washington’s Birthnight at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum. In honor of the 2025 Washington Birthday Parade theme “George Washington: America’s Commander in Chief,” learn about Washington’s military career and the military exploits of some of his fellow Alexandrians. General Washington himself will be in attendance. Cocktail attire. $150 per person; purchase tickets at https://shop.alexandriava.gov/Events.aspx.

17th

Friendship Firehouse Annual Breakfast

9:00-11:00 a.m.

Westin Old Town Alexandria Ballroom

400 Courthouse Square

Join the movers and shakers of Alexandria at this historic celebration marking the 251st anniversary of the Friendship Fire Company (1774-2025) and the City’s 276th anniversary. The speaker will be Alexandria Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez, Jr. Cost: $50 per person, additional packages available. Register at https://www.friendship reco. org/annual-breakfast.html.

17th

Gadsby’s Tavern Museum

Special Hours

11:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Gadsby’s Tavern Museum

134 N. Royal Street

Tour two historic taverns that George Washington visited! Constructed in 1785 and 1792, these taverns witnessed the development of the young Republic and were part of key events, including Washington’s Birthnight Ball (a birthday celebration). Learn more about the people of these spaces and how their choices still resonate today. Cost: $5 regular admission; City of Alexandria residents free. Guided tours available at 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15 p.m. for an additional cost.

22nd

Statue of George Washington Rededication

2:00 p.m.

George Washington Masonic National Memorial 101 Callahan Drive

The statue of George Washington in Memorial Hall will be rededicated – 75 years to the day it originally was dedicated by President Harry Truman. The speaker for the 75th anniversary dedication will be President Truman’s grandson, Brother Clifton Truman Daniel. Cost: $20 per person, lunch included. Register at https://gwmemorial.org/.

The Memorial is also open for tours seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed on major holidays). Admission to the Memorial is $18. Children aged 12 and under are admitted to the Memorial for free. Five tours run daily at 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. The guided tour is one hour in length and includes several exhibit rooms and the Observation Deck which offers an extraordinary view of the city. To learn more about the Memorial’s tour, see: https://gwmemorial.org/pages/tours

22nd

George Washington Birthday Gala

5:00-10:00 p.m.

George Washington Masonic National Memorial 101 Callahan Drive

Celebrate Washington’s birthday with people from around the country in the beautiful and historic George Washington Masonic National Memorial. Formal (white tie optional). Reception followed by banquet. Evening also includes a silent auction. Cost: $250 per person, tickets available online at https://gwmemorial.org/.

About Alexandria, VA

Alexandria is a welcoming weekend escape on the Potomac River, minutes from Washington, D.C. Founded in 1749 and boasting the nation’s third oldest historic district, Alexandria hums with a cosmopolitan feel. As it celebrated its 275th anniversary in July 2024, the port city has played a major role in the nation’s story and re ected its progress toward inclusivity. Stroll Old Town Alexandria’s King Street mile to nd more than 200 independent restaurants and boutiques plus intimate historic museums and new happenings at the waterfront. Explore vibrant neighborhoods beyond Old Town, trace George Washington and the Founding Fathers’ footsteps and follow the stories of Black Americans who shaped the history of Alexandria and the United States.

Connect with us!

Web: VisitAlexandriaVA.com

Blog: Blog.VisitAlexandriaVA.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/VisitAlexandriaVA

Twitter: Twitter.com/AlexandriaVA

Instagram: Instagram.com/VisitAlexVA

LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS

OLD TOWN FARMERS MARKET

Market Square

301 King Street

Saturdays, 7 am – 12 Noon Year Round

The Old Town Market is thought to be the one of nation’s oldest continuing markets operating since 1753. It is said that George Washington sent his products from Mount Vernon to be sold here. Today the plaza is a mecca for farmers and artists to sell their wares. The Market is a primary source for meats, dairy, sh, fruits, vegetables and owers for all those who visit.

DEL RAY FARMERS MARKET

Corner of Mt. Vernon and Oxford Avenues

Saturdays, 8 am to Noon Year Round

This market is strictly a producer grown market. Lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, sh and salmon, fresh mushrooms, baked goods, hard cider. Farmers are within a 150 mile radius of Alexandria. A non-pro t is featured each weekend.

OLD TOWN NORTH FARMERS & ARTISANS MARKET

Montgomery Park 901 North Royal Street

Thursdays, 3 pm – 7 pm Year Round

Alexandria’s favorite dog friendly market! The Old Town North Thursday Market is a growers only market with a focus on produce from small family farms and local artisans. Products sold at the market include fresh fruits and veggies from Virginia’s Northern Neck, Micro Greens from an urban farm, Empanadas, Fresh baked pastries with a European air and much more.

FOUR MILE RUN FARMERS & ARTISANS MARKET

4109 Mount Vernon Avenue

Sundays, 9 am – 1 pm Year Round

This market offers fresh, nutritious food to people of all income levels and strives to re ect the diversity of Alexandria’s community. Local artisans display their arts and crafts as well.

The Ballyshaners, Inc., were founded in 1980 by a small group of dedicated volunteers for the explicit purpose of organizing a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia. The Parade is now well into its fourth decade and the number and variety of participants is greater than ever before. The organization’s mission has grown to promoting and preserving Irish history and culture. Each summer, we host the Alexandria Irish Festival, featuring vendors, musicians, and traditional Irish dancers, and we host fundraisers and other social events throughout the year.

Parade Day 2025

Alexandria boasts the rst St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the DC area. Traditionally, this parade is held the rst Saturday in March, and serves to attract the nest entries. The parade normally features pipe bands, Irish dance schools, community groups, and a host of other performers and entertainment. It’s a fantastic day to spend with family or friends!

The parade of cially starts at the corner of King Street and St. Asaph Street at 12:30pm, with dignitaries leading the procession at 12:15 pm. The parade proceeds east on King Street, turning North at Lee Street and West at Cameron Street, nishing at the intersection of Cameron and Pitt. With thousands of spectators and participants expected, parade goers are encouraged to take advantage of public transportation. The closest Metro is the Blue Line, King Street/Old Town. There is a free trolley from the Metro, or the activities can be reached by a short 10-minute walk down King Street.

Residents and tourists are encouraged to come early to enjoy the events at one of the DC area’s nest parades. All events are free to the public. www.ballyshaners.org for details.

Meet Madam Mayor Alyia Gaskins

Much has been written in and on several local media outlets in the last month about Alexandria’s newly sworn in Mayor - Alyia Gaskins. Even Wikipedia has her covered:

“Alyia Gaskins is an American public health professional, urban planner, and politician serving as the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia . She assumed oﬃce as Alexandria's ﬁrst Black female mayor in January 2025, having previously focused on health equity, infrastructure, and housing issues throughout her career.

Gaskins pursued higher education at Vanderbilt University, earning a degree in medicine, health, and society.[1] She subsequently obtained a M.P.H. from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and a Master's in Urban Planning from the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies [1] Gaskins also completed a professional certiﬁcate in municipal ﬁnance from the University of Chicago.”

Those write ups concentrated mainly on her impressive credentials and her vision for Alexandria but I wanted to concentrate of getting to know more about her on a more personal level. This is a “personality” proﬁle… We met for our interview just 25 days after she had been sworn in. As anticipated, it has been a whirlwind of events and meetings. While she has been accustomed to the obligations as a Councilwoman for the last 4 years, the role of Mayor takes on a whole new meaning. Being the cities ﬁ rst Black female and quite possibly the youngest Mayor at 35 years of age, shines additional attention on her but she is very much up to the task.

Mayor Gaskins is defi nitely a people person. She is very warm and inviting and defi nitely easy to talk to. When I asked her what her interests were outside of her mayoral duties, her fi rst answer was spending time with her family and friends. She also likes to plan parties and organize gatherings – I guess that ties in with her Masters in Urban Planning degree. She says she uses some of her creative side to do some scrap booking, mainly with her children’s art – some of which I believe was on display in her office.

When I inquired about the kids ages, I was a bit taken aback to fi nd out that she has a 4 year-old son, Ezekiel, and a 2 year-old daughter, Eliana. Good Lord! Being a working Mom is one thing but taking on the task of Mayor of a large city in addition to wrangling toddlers is a huge feat. She told me between she and her husband Greg they are getting it figured out. Afterall, she’s only been in office for a month. She did relate a pretty funny story that kind of sheds a light on future events involving the kids. While the family was attending a service commemorating the National Day of Prayer at Christ Church - sitting in the famous “George Washington sat here” pew with a British Admiral

and Congressman Don Byer – Ezekiel and Eliana dumped out the puzzles that were intended to keep them entertained and ended up on the ﬂoor crawling around and between Congressman Byers legs. She said that they were “quite the experience” for everyone and that she was quite mortiﬁed but he took it in stride and said it was “fun”. In addition to her husband and kids, she is very attached to her 14 year-old beagle, Riley. Beagles are inherently very smart pooches and she says Riley is a “mini genius”. He watches things for days and plots ways to get food. He has been known to move a chair from the dining room table next to the stove in order to get up on the counter in the kitchen. It appears that he likes bread. When I told her she might want to consider getting him a partner in crime, she said that role has seemingly been taken upon by her daughter.

When she and Greg moved to Alexandria 9 years ago, they moved into the Cameron Station development in the West End. We talked about how the landscape of Alexandria has changed just in those years and I told her how it has changed since I moved into 131 North Payne in the spring of 1992. I’m not sure how impressed she was that there were still “ladies of the night” and dealers of illicit drugs hanging out at the corner of King and Henry then. My how things have changed.

When it came down to deciding what we were going to use for the backdrop for the photo for this piece, we picked the prominent piece of artwork that hangs in her oﬃce. When asked about the piece, she told me that it was painted in real time “live” in City Hall during the swearing in of she and the new City Council l members. It is a 36” x 24” sized acrylic on canvas entitled “Spontaneous Combustion” by Virginia artist Khalid Thompson. She feels that he captured the essence of the event perfectly –diversity, joy and community.

We did spend a few minutes talking about plans that are in the making for a pump station that may prove to be a hopeful solution to managing the recurring flooding in Old Town and the proposed renovation of City Hall – a project that is coming under scrutiny from several sides. No matter what the fi nal decision is, the infrastructure of the building needs a ton of work and that is paramount to keeping the building exterior in place. In any case, regardless of some of the questionable rhetoric coming down from the current administration, Mayor Gaskins tells me she is concentrating on doing all that she can within some of those constraints to make sure that Alexandrian’s quality of life remains high and, after meeting her in person one-on-one, I have total confidence that she means that from the bottom of her heart.

Make It Personal This Valentine’s Day!!

This year may be a good one to make your own Valentine cards. While we are sure that the good portionofourreadershipisfullofwitandwisdom,maybethefollowingquipsandquotesbeof someuseforthosewhodrawandblankwhenitcomestotheperfectsaying!!

Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine! ~Thomas Hood

When love is not madness, it is not love. ~Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Many are the starrs I see, but in my eye no starr like thee. ~English saying used on poesy rings

Loving is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction. ~Antoine de SaintExupéry, Wind, Sand, and Stars, 1939

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love. ~Albert Einstein

I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon. ~Author Unknown

You see, each day I love you more Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.

~Rosemonde Gerard

Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.

~Author Unknown

Love - a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker. ~Author Unknown

I claim there ain't Another Saint As great as Valentine.

~Ogden Nash

Trip over love, you can get up. Fall in love and you fall forever.

~Author Unknown

Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart. ~Author Unknown

A hundred hearts would be too few To carry all my love for you.

~Author Unknown

You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across ﬁ elds into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip.

~Jonathan Carroll, "Outside the Dog Museum"

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we ﬁ nd someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.

~Author Unknown

Must, bid the Morn awake! Sad Winter now declines, Each bird doth choose a mate; This day's Saint Valentine's. For that good bishop's sake Get up and let us see What beauty it shall be That Fortune us assigns.

~Michael Drayton

Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.

~William Shakespeare

Kisses are a better fate than wisdom.

~e.e. cummings

Who, being loved, is poor?

~Oscar Wilde

In melody divine, My heart it beats to rapturous love, I long to call you mine.

~Author Unknown

Grow old with me! The best is yet to be. ~Robert Browning

Without love, what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely. ~M*A*S*H, Hawkeye

The hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden, a dim twilight, and a fountain singing to it. You and you alone make me feel that I am alive. Other men it is said have seen angels, but I have seen thee and thou art enough. ~George Moore

We loved with a love that was more than love. ~Edgar Allan Poe

Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat. ~Ben Hecht

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity. ~Henry Van Dyke

Are we not like two volumes of one book? ~Marceline DesbordesValmore

I've fallen in love many times... always with you. ~Author Unknown

Love is much nicer to be in than an automobile accident, a tight girdle, a higher tax bracket or a holding pattern over Philadelphia. ~Judith Viorst, Redbook, 1975

What I need to live has been given to me by the earth. Why I need to live has been given to me by you. ~Author Unknown

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

When you're in love you never really know whether your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love, or if it attributes them to her; whether the light which surrounds her like a halo comes from you, from her, or from the meeting of your sparks. ~Natalie Clifford Barney

Take away love and our earth is a tomb. ~Robert Browning

A bell is no bell 'til you ring it, A song is no song 'til you sing it, And love in your heart Wasn’t put there to stayLove isn’t love 'Til you give it away. ~Oscar Hammerstein, Sound of Music, "You Are Sixteen (Reprise)"

The Risks of Trying to Time the Markets

Timing is everything – whether it’s navigating traffic to get to work on time or getting a table at a popular restaurant. If you miss the window, you might end up stuck in traffic or waiting in line longer than you’d like for dinner. Timing can be tricky for everyday activities, and it’s even more challenging when it comes to the markets. If your timing is off with the markets, research shows it could cost you. It’s a significant risk.

Making the Right Call

For some investors, timing the market is like calling the right play in football: if you do it right, the risk could be worth the reward. However, if your timing is oﬀ, you could end up getting sacked. Missing even a handful of the market’s best days can dramatically cut your investment returns. Conversely, missing several of the worst days in the markets can potentially oﬀer higher returns, but the strategy behind trying to miss the bottom of trading can be challenging.

Historically, missing just 10 of the best days in the markets, a very small amount over a 30-year period, would have dropped your annual average rate of return from 8% to 5.26%. Missing 30 days and the drop would have been even more steep to near 1.8%. If you missed 40 days, the drop would have been even more to .44%.

Change that to a 50 day miss and your annual return would have hit a negative, -.86% annually.¹

In The News

Markets fluctuate greatly and interest rates rise and fall, but outside factors like politics and international trade can also affect investment returns monthly, weekly, even daily. Predicting change is really just guessing. Diversification in investments can be a better overall strategy, limiting exposure and risk by building your portfolio to address your short-term and long-term goals. As life changes with marriage or divorce, a new baby, a new job or

even retirement, it’s important to review your ﬁ nancial goals.

The Bottom Line

I believe the best strategy to help manage your risk is to avoid trying to time the markets and remain fully invested throughout a complete market cycle, rather than attempting to time the market by buying and selling to avoid volatility or capture signiﬁcant gains. It’s also a strong recommendation to consider rebalancing your portfolio, buying asset classes that have fallen below a portfolio’s long-term allocations and selling those that are higher, while staying fully invested. Regular rebalancing can lead to more consistent returns and again manage your risks, something we always want to do. The markets are never a completely smooth ride, but some simple strategies can help reduce losses and help you maintain performance in the long-term.

*1– Source Bloomberg and Wells Fargo Investment Institute data, February 1994 through January 2024 for the S&P 500 Index. Best days are calculated using daily returns. An index is unmanaged and not available for direct investment. A price index is not a total return index and does not include the reinvestment of dividends. Past performance is not guarantee of future results.

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

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and nonbank aﬃliate of Wells Fargo & Company. ©2023 – 2024 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC.

Immigration: A “Sorta” Chronology

“Inasmuch as our country is extensive and new, and the countries of Europe are densely populated, if there are any abroad who desire to make this the land of their adoption, it is not in my heart to…prevent them from coming,” President-elect Abraham Lincoln [born Feb. 12, 1809, IL] said in 1861.

The Republican Party platform of 1860, the platform upon which President Lincoln was elected, “opposed any change in our naturalization laws.” Especially as regards “free homestead policy” and or construction of “a railroad to the Paciﬁc ocean.”

In 1862 President Lincoln, an architect of a political-economic type signed four Acts into law. They were the Department of Agriculture Act, the Homestead Act [May 20, 1862], the Paciﬁc Railway Act, and the Morrill Act. The 123-year Homestead Act [1863-1986] allowed citizens to acquire up to 160 acres by settling on public land for ﬁve years and paying $1.25 per acre. As of 2018 ninetythree million Americans were descended from Homesteaders.

Lincoln’s want: to send skilled mechanics to Eastern manufacturers; to populate the homesteading West and agricultural South with farmers, laborers, free blacks depending—northern newspapers did not publish Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation until September 1862—and femme soles.

“I again [recommend] establishing a system for the encouragement of immigration,” President Lincoln said in 1863. “The mineral resources of Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico, and Arizona are proving far richer than has been heretofore understood.”

“Although this source of national wealth and strength is again flowing with greater freedom than for several years before the insurrection occurred,” Lincoln continued, “there is still a great deficiency of laborers in every field of industry, especially in agriculture, and in our mines.” Virginia, Spotsylvania County especially mined gold from 1804 until 1947.

In 1865 the Union-friendly restored government of Virginia rejected a bill “to incorporate the Virginia Immigration and Land Company.” Why, “because the bill was a money-making enterprise, [en route] to Wall street.” It proposed “to confer vested rights of unusual character upon the corporators.” By the end of the Civil War “roughly 25 percent” of the Union Army was foreign born. It was the reassembled, 1866 post-war Virginia Legislature that voted “To induce and encourage the immigration into Virginia of [sober and industrious] laborers [and their families] from Europe, [especially England and Scotland];…to cause to be published such information as will show the natural resources of this State,…and for the purpose of acquiring lands to be re-sold to parties arriving from abroad.”

Said Virginia’s Land and Immigration Company in 1868: “It is…delusional to hope that immigrants… will…come into Virginia and remain merely

as laborers…But as actual settlers—as landed proprietors, they will…The Company oﬀered to sell land “to actual settlers, [especially British and German], on such terms as will induce them to come.”

Amendment 14, Section 1, as ratiﬁed July 28, 1868: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States….” The United States v. Wong Kim was decided 1898.

Today incumbent President Donald J. Trump [RNY, FL] favors not only greater border security, but also changes to America’s naturalization laws. Virginia rejoined the divided Union in 1870, before peace and prosperity had wholly dawned. Fast forward 100 years and President Lyndon B. Johnson’s [D-TX, 1963-1969] Immigration Act of 1965 was in “full eﬀect.” It “established a limit of 170,000 on annual immigration from countries outside the Western hemisphere and put a ceiling of 120,000 on the number who could enter from within the Hemisphere.”

The stated order of preference: “immediate relatives of those who were already U.S. citizens or alien residents; professionals or others with special talents or education, and refugees who had ﬂed a Communist dominated country [like Cuba], or the Middle East.” Skilled or unskilled laborers, of the type who established America’s pre-eminence during the industrial revolution, were among the last to be considered.

“The accent on reuniting families…has drastically altered the immigration mix,” The Washington Post reported in 1966, “so much so, in fact, that an American-Irish Immigration Committee was formed recently in New York City to protest the unaccustomed diﬃculty that the Irish were having getting in.”

“The Immigration Act of 1965 changed the racial narrative in America,” The Boston Globe reported in 2008. “It transformed a nation 85% white in 1965 into one that’s one-third minority today, and on track for a nonwhite majority by 2042.” In 1970 one in every 100 Virginians was foreign born. In 2012 the number was one in nine.

In 1981 President Ronald Reagan [R-CA, 19811989] described the U.S. relationship with Mexico as “special. A number of our states [Texas among them] have special labor needs.” In 1986 he signed legislation which legalized approximately 3 million undocumented aliens who had been continuously, unlawfully present since 1982. Legalized aliens’ families had to otherwise “wait in line.”

“I see history as a book with many pages,” President George H.W. Bush [R-TX, 1989-1993] said in his 1989 Inaugural Address. “The new breeze blows, a page turns, the story unfolds.” Now the Immigration Act of 1965 is hardly mentioned when recounting the high points of 1960s liberalism.

In 1990, on President Bush’s watch, Congress again approved broad immigration changes including a permanent Family Unity program. Approximately 1.5 million relatives beneﬁted. The downside: by 1995-1997 the educational level of new immigrants was lower, immigration applications for Supplemental Security Income [SSI] higher. Today’s means test relates more to family reuniﬁcation, than job skills.

Sanctuary cities became a fact of life in 2007. Alexandria declined the descriptor: it was “a welcoming community” only. Governor Glenn Youngkin [R-VA] referred to Alexandria when discussing his December 2024 Sanctuary Cities Ban. It seems Alexandria “still blocks ICE from detaining and deporting individuals” of a type.

In 2008 Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Barack Obama [D-IL, 2005-2008] spoke of cultural diversity, of heritage and a new generation of Americans. “Our journey is not complete until we ﬁ nd a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity,” President Obama [2009-2017] said, “until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.”

In 2011 citizen Trump falsely claimed Obama’s birth certiﬁcate was “Fake.” Soon after, he fostered the Birth-er movement. As America’s 45th President [2017-2021], Trump sought to build an impenetrable, possibly solar panel wall to secure the border between Mexico and the United States. He also issued a controversial 90-day anti-terrorism travel ban.

The combined eﬀects of immigration, free trade and technology have made the white, working class male’s job less secure. Immigrants [H1B] and robots [AI], such workers claim, have negatively impacted wages. The Middle East refugee crisis; illegal Hispanic immigrants are in addition.

“I regard our emigrants as one of the principal replenishing streams which are appointed by Providence to repair the ravages of internal war, and its wastes of national strength and health,” President Abraham Lincoln messaged Congress in 1864.

Columnist’s Note: If Valentine’s Day is your reading pleasure, several have told me it is, visit oldtowncrier.com/2024/02/01/rosalynn-and-jimmycarter-true-valentines/

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

London Calling by The Clash

In 1979, amid tumultuous world events, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones wrote “London Calling,” one of The Clash’s most impactful hits. The song reflects Strummer’s concerns that something akin to World War II was taking shape through the events he was witnessing. The chorus specifically references the Three Mile Island accident—a partial nuclear meltdown and the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. Strummer expresses his fears about another world conflict through the title “London Calling,” a phrase borrowed from the BBC’s station identification during WWII broadcasts to occupied countries: "This is London calling." With its blend of punk and reggae genres, the song stands as an icon of the punk rock era and has helped solidify The Clash’s reputation as one of the greatest bands of all time.

“London Calling” begins with Joe Strummer delivering sharp quarter-note spikes of guitar chords on the high strings, accompanied by drummer Topper Headon’s smashing, straightforward beat peppered with tom-tom ﬁlls. A subtle charm emerges with Mick Jones’s ghostly guitar melody, which, while understated, signiﬁcantly enhances the song's atmosphere. After a few bars, Paul Simonon’s bass line rolls in, ringing out and bouncing energetically, adding both weight and vitality to the music. Finally, Strummer delivers the instantly likeable top line with the words, “London calling to the faraway

towns / Now war is declared, and battle come down / London calling to the underworld / Come outta the cupboard, ya boys and girls”.

With no lyrical repetition and the absence of a clear hook, the chorus of “London Calling” feels more like a bridge section. Here, the band shifts gears with a new chord progression and melody to keep listeners engaged. The guitars evolve rhythmically and dynamically, adopting a steady, understated reggae groove punctuated by aggressive chord slides. Throughout, Topper Headon’s steady, head-bobbing beat anchors the track, providing cohesion as other elements shift and evolve. After a couple of verse-to-chorus cycles, The Clash launch into a haunting instrumental section. The drumbeat drops out as staccato guitar chords cut through the mix and the bass line walks up the fretboard. Gradually, guitar feedback swells, building tension while Strummer unleashes ghostly, reverberant howls. Thunderous drum ﬁlls punctuate the escalating energy, culminating in an explosive burst as the band transitions back into a steady rhythm, accompanied by an otherworldly reverse guitar solo.

In 1985, The Clash disbanded due to internal conflicts and creative disagreements among the members. Sadly, any hopes of a reunion faded with the tragic passing of lead singer Joe Strummer in 2002. However, the spirit of the band endures through their music and the countless musicians they’ve inspired. If you’d like to listen to “London Calling,” or any of the Clashes other fi ne music, you can fi nd it on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and most other places music is streamed or sold. To dive deeper into The Clash’s legacy, check out Wikipedia, theclash.com, social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, or one of the many books written about the band.

About the Author: Ron Powers is an independent A&R specialist and music industry consultant and is constantly searching for, discovering and writing about new talent.

Birchmere

703.549.7500

3701 Mt. Vernon Ave. birchmere.com

The Blackwall Hitch

571-982-3577

5 Cameron St. theblackwallhitch.com

Chadwicks

203 S. Strand St.

703.836.4442

Evening Star Cafe

703.549.5051

2000 Mt. Vernon Ave.

The Fish Market

703.836.5676

105 King St. shmarketoldtown.com

La Portas

703.683.6313

1600 Duke St.

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

Romantasy: Onyx Storm and the Empyrean Series

On January 21st Rebecca Yarros released her third installment of her ﬁve-book Empyrean series, Onyx Storm. Her bestselling novel follows on the success of the ﬁ rst two, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. The series is set at a war college where prospective riders face mortal challenges in bonding with dragons and becoming warriors and riders. Fourth Wing became hugely popular on BookTok, and the series has only increased its readership from that point. Its mixture of romance, fantasy, a military college atmosphere, and convincing world building has captured the imagination of ardent fans, many of whom dressed in cosplay as characters while waiting in line for midnight at bookstores to buy this novel.

In Fourth Wing, Violet Sorrengail, the daughter of the cold General Lilith Sorrengail at Basgiath War College, leaves behind her dream of becoming a scribe in the archives to encounter all the dangers of trying to become a dragon rider organized in squads and wings. With other riders and dragons weeding out the weak with lethal ﬁghts, along with deadly obstacle courses, the diminutive, vulnerable Sorrengail uses her wits and shrewd survival skills to try to survive while facing a potential mortal foe, Xaden Riorson. Her powerful wing leader is a military brat whose father was executed for treason by her mother.

As she makes friends and faces unexpected enemies, her main goal is to bond a dragon and survive a fi rst year in which over half of her class will not survive. In the process she fi nds unexpected love, a love that consumes and shapes her in ways she had never expected. Her journey twists and develops unusually, particularly as she undergoes battle hardening and fi nds squad and wing mates who celebrate her rise within their fi rst year. Dragon riders are, of course, the equivalent of fighter pilots, bad-asses in the military community. Author Rebecca Yarros draws on her experience as a military spouse to imbue the book with the emotions experienced by those in training for combat.

Iron Flame brings with it the new knowledge of deadly enemies, venin, who also use magic to destroy and enslave humans. With a new adversary before them, the riders and their frenemies, ﬂiers who ride gryphons, band together to face the potential destruction of their already divided territories. They also face dishonest, secretive military leadership, starting a revolution while seeking a way to protect their territory through magic and combat.

In Onyx Storm, Violet Sorrengail, Xaden Riorson, and her squad mates face the necessity of negotiations and politics to gain allies, and deadly choices in whether to save this or that set of civilians from venin. They develop priorities that may result in seeking power at the cost of their souls, or putting those that they love before any other detached military objective.

I never miss a pop cultural phenomenon. After reading Fourth Wing, I saw its potential as an addictive action-adventure fantasy series with a ﬁery romance at its heart. It had the initial propulsive energy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, one of my favorite young-adult series, a story that examines war, dictatorship, and survival. That being said, Suzanne Collins created a classic in that genre, with an unexpected, excellent, and complex followup, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. The Empyrean series features more adult and sometimes ridiculous language. This series is aimed at a twenty-something audience wanting all-encompassing love for a gorgeous, lethal man; adventure; and a rebellious, deceptively weak-

looking heroine as powerful in her own way as Katniss Everdeen in the Collins series. She, at least, is a strongly deﬁ ned, relatable character along with her romantic partner. They are the best part of the series, along with her sometimes humorous dragon communications and banter with friends. This book is also feminist, with powers attributed equally to men, women, and others of diﬀerent sexes.

Many young women identify with this military, bookloving heroine whose mixed emotions draw her to the one she loves fiercely, a man whose secrets threaten her at every turn. I found the fi rst book compelling story-telling with some bad, florid writing, while the second and third book were uneven, bogged down with tedious histories of their imaginary continent as they sought a way to fight their mortal enemies. Yarros’s romance writing, sometimes full of graphic sex, was often so purple and over-the-top that I wondered why I was reading it at all. Then she would sometimes capture realistic-sounding casual dialogue that I could appreciate.

Yarros also uses many traditional story-telling developments you can spot leagues away, although she also includes some surprises and careful plotting. I was reminded too of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, in which the hero develops close friends in a school setting while coming to ﬁ nd that evil and destructive enemies stand in his way.

Having worked Harry Potter midnight book parties in Old Town’s former bookstore, Olsson’s Books & Records on S. Union Street, I heard about the midnight releases with fondness. I am always thrilled when anyone gets this excited about reading.

Yarros fits into the same romantasy genre with Sarah J. Maas, a bestselling author whose series Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City have captured a huge, mostly female teen and twenty-something audience with similar heroines. They too suffer from very uneven, florid, and often bad writing with plots that can move the story along briskly.

Where the Empyrean series, and in particular Onyx Storm succeed, is in developing Violet’s relationship from one where chemistry is hindered by mutual secrets to a searing, intense love heightened by the powerful magic she commands, one that aﬀects readers profoundly. I felt it.

Also, its focus on the intense bonds between riders and dragons echo that love in a non-human way. Their links create an essential force, one of heightening a rider’s ability to wield special powers and wage war alongside scaly, formidable partners who become a part of them. In the exceptional young adult fantasy series His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, parts of people’s souls split off and manifest in shape-shifting animals known as daemons, constant companions that never leave them. Dragons, while often brutal, bolster their humans in the same way. No character is alone with a dragon or a daemon, and few readers want to be lonely. Is this collection worth reading? I would at least recommend the fi rst novel, Fourth Wing, for readers who love this genre. They will probably fi nd themselves as hooked as the fans who recently waited through the evening for the release of Onyx Storm. Many of the series I just mentioned will probably turn into series on streaming services. Will I read the Empyrean books again? No. The writing, while often vivid, is too inconsistent and the plotting can be cumbersome in places. Look at the Hunger Games series or the brilliant Philip Pullman trilogy, His Dark Materials, if you want popular, classic writing and a journey worth taking.

ONSTAGE:

February is for lovers, so take that special someone to one of these special productions this month. Fall head over heels over these labors of love, live on stage in the DMV:

SCHMIGADOON

Kennedy Center

Through Feb 6

New York doctors Josh and Melissa go backpacking in a last-ditch eﬀort to save their failing relationship. Wouldn’t you know it though-- they get lost in the woods and end up trapped in a magical town that’s a classic Golden Age Broadway musical come ridiculously to life! Jeﬀ rey Finn and his team at the Ken Cen score an impressive bullseye, getting the world’s stage premiere of this Emmy Award®–winning TV show, a must-see if you’re a fan of the great American musical. Tickets at www.kennedy-center.org.

DOWNSTATE

Studio Theatre

Through Feb 16

Tony® Award winning playwright Bruce Norris examines the limits of compassion, the desire for retribution, and what happens when society decides some acts are unforgivable. When a man shows up at a group home for registered sex oﬀenders to confront the piano teacher convicted of abusing him as a child, events build to an explosive conclusion. Tickets at www. studiotheatre.org.

WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME

Round House Theatre

Through Feb 16

Obie® Award winning playwright Heidi Schreck takes a closer look at our Constitution and its impact on four generations of women in her family in this profoundly personal look at the evolution of our nation’s most debated document. A hit on Broadway, now live! in Bethesda in this new Round House production. Tickets at www.roundhousetheatre.org

GUAC

Woolly Mammoth

Jan 25- Feb

Oliver, the father of a Parkland shooting victim, pulls no punches in this fearless, funny one-man tour-de-force theatrical experience about a father turned activist. Oliver’s story of an immigrant family in search of the American Dream only to be confronted by an American Nightmare. Tickets at www.woollymammoth.net

THE BEDWETTER

Arena Stage

Jan 31- March 6

Not to be outdone by their colleagues over in Georgetown, the folks at Arena Stage celebrate their own world premier musical, based on that ever-fascinating comedy marvel Sarah Silverman. Her bestselling memoir springs to life in this tuneful tale about a 10-year-old navigating a new school, her parents' divorce, and a secret you'll never guess unless you read the title. Tickets at www. arenastage.org

JOB

Signature Theatre

Jan 28- March 16

Direct from Broadway comes this gripping tale about a fragile young woman who must receive an evaluation from a crisis therapist before she can return to her tech job. During their session, secrets emerge and ﬁlters are stripped away as doctor and patient edge toward an epic showdown. Tickets at www. sigtheatre.org

HAND TO GOD

Keegan Theatre

Feb 1- Mar 2

Troubled youth Jason discovers an outlet for his anxiety at a Christian Puppet Ministry in smalltown Texas. His complicated relationships with the town pastor, the school bully, the girl next door, and his mom take on an otherworldly dimension when Jason’s hand puppet Tyrone takes on a shocking personality all its own. Tickets at www.keegantheatre.com

Manuel

OLD TOWN FEBRUARY

CONSTELLATIONS

Constellation Theatre

Feb 6- Mar 9

No surprise that Constellation would get around to this hip new play with which it shares its moniker. In a swirling multiverse, star-crossed lovers travel through a myriad of experiences - from barbecue to ballroom dancing, bar-hopping to beekeeping. Through the magic of quantum physics and time travel, their love story illuminates destiny, adversity, and hope with inﬁ nite possibilities. Tickets at www.constellationtheatre.org

DRAGONS LOVE TACOS

Adventure MTC Theatre

Feb 7- Mar 30

A boy and his dog are watching a TV show about dragons when they unexpectedly get caught up in the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ of what to serve to dragons to eat. As the title implies, Dragons love tacos, but if they accidentally eat spicy salsa…watch out! Fun y divertidos for the whole family Tickets to the production over in Glen Echo Park at www. adventuretheatre-mtc.org

MATILDA

Alexandria Little Theatre

Feb 8- Mar 1

From the classic Roald Dahl’s children’s book comes this family-friendly musical about an exceptionally gifted young girl with a vivid imagination who loves books. Along with her friends and favorite teacher Miss Honey, Matilda stands up for justice against the wicked headmistress Mrs. Trunchbull, her selﬁsh parents and adults everywhere who can’t be bothered with the aﬀairs of their children. Tickets at www.thelittletheatre.com

IN THE HEIGHTS

Signature Theatre

Feb 11-May 4

Before Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda celebrated his Washington Heights heritage with this tuneful treasure, which earned him his ﬁ rst Tony ® Award. With his ‘hood on the brink of gentriﬁcation and a life-changing winning lottery ticket somewhere in their midst, Usnavi and his neighbors share hope, loss and love the American way. Immigrants—they get it done! Tickets at www.sigtheatre.org

WAITRESS

Olney Theatre Center

Feb 13- March 30

Pop star Sarah Bareilles’ charming musical rom com follows the tale—like the movie it’s based on—of a hapless young woman who ﬁ nds strength and purpose in the one-of-a-kind pies she makes for all emotional occasions. Tickets at www.olneytheatre.org

KUNENE AND THE KING

Shakespeare Theatre Company

Feb 16- Mar 16

A celebrated South African actor takes on the role of King Lear in the midst of a painful diagnosis. As he faces his own mortality, the actor clashes and connects with his at-home caregiver, discovering in the Bard’s play and his own machinations aspects of the meaning of life. Tickets at www. shakespearetheatre.org

SHUCKED

National Theatre

Feb 25- March 2

A fall-out-of-your chair funny musical comedy about, of all things, corn. There’s a love story, some backwoods skullduggery and enough great songs by acclaimed tunesmiths Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally to keep you in a state of Broadway bliss. Some of the jokes get a bit bawdy, but that’s all part of the fun. Tickets at www.broadwayatthenational.com

About the Author: The writer is a playwright who loves writing about theater. He is a lifetime member of the Broadway League and a Tony® voter.

Photo credits: Shucked photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman. Downstate photo by D. J. Corey. GUAC photo by Peter Johnston.

Celebrating Women Artists of the DMV

Carol Brown Goldberg and Wendy Donahoe

Last month I discussed the breaking news of the Women Artists of the DMV show coming to the Greater DC area in September! At the time of the article, the show was running in four great art venues – Breaking news! The areawide show is now planned to be showcased in six venues across the area: The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, the gorgeous Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria, the McLean Project for the Arts in McLean, the beautiful Strathmore Mansion Galleries in Rockville, the amazing Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center in Hyattsville and the vibrant galleries of Artists & Makers Studios in Rockville!

I had to look for more venues because I have been ﬂooded and nearly overwhelmed by the number of artists approaching me to be reviewed and considered for the exhibition. Three days after its announcement, over 1,000 entries came in (and are still coming), delivering empirical proof of the depth, diversity, and range of the of the exhibitions. As the date of this article, over 3,000 entries have been received.

In an eﬀort to be more inclusive, I revised the mechanics of the exhibition so as to be able to archive and exhibit in some manner or form all the artists venues – not just those whom will be picked to exhibit at the six art. This will be accomplished as follows:

(α) All artists will be documented for the Smithsonian Art Archives as follows: A ﬂash drive which would contain a PowerPoint style presentation documenting all 3,000+ female artists who submitted art for consideration, and one image per artist. Additionally, in view of how fast technology ages, the documentation will also include a digital screen device (a digital frame) to “play” the presentation as needed in the future.

and this month I’m going to highlight some of the artists whose work I have (in some cases) admired for decades.

One of those artists is Carol Brown Goldberg.

There are a handful of visual artists in the DMV who permeate all layers of the tapestry of the ﬁ ne arts not only in the Greater DC area, but also nearly everywhere that ﬁ ne art is showcased.

This artist is a cyclonic art power force: painting, sculpture, films, drawing; all the squares in that visual arts cultural tapestry are touched and made better by this artist! She is akin to the elegant butterfly whose wings flapping lead to a tornado developing somewhere in the art world. For the Women Artists of the DMV show I selected a painting by Carol Brown Goldberg that I think speaks volumes about how this immensely talented and prolific artist uses the forces of the Universe to shape her art.

(β) The referenced PowerPoint type presentation will be projected onto the walls of the Katzen Museum at American University during the duration of the exhibition (September through October 2025).

I have been ﬂoored by the immense diversity and quality of the artists whom I have discovered during this process. Last month I raved about Selena Jackson,

She notes about the work pictured to the left: “TESS, STEFAN, AND LUCAS LOVE EACH OTHER became the title as it referred to my two daughters-in-law that became pregnant almost at the same time in 2007 or 2008.

As I began that canvas, I felt I needed to express the softness of pastel-like tones, which is out of my usual color chart... I wanted colors, not to shock or stir... rather I was looking for soothing hues and by the time I ﬁnished the 8' x 9' canvas... 3 babies were born!

Dominique and Andy gave birth to adorable Tess in 2008, and a few months later, in February 2009... amazing twins Lucas and Stefan were born to Jon and Lisa.

Believing in the power of language as a positive force in the universe, the title refers to my wish or perhaps prayer, that the 3 cousins, close in age become close, and bond in friendship and most importantly... love each other! That had to be the title... and they are all 3 best friends!”

Wendy Donahoe - “Olivia” 20.5” x 15.5” Colored Pencil on sanded gray tone paper

Then there’s the story of a magniﬁcent drawing which took my breath away decades ago and will now be part of this show decades later!

Decades ago, I was the juror for a group show at the Art League in Alexandria, and a gorgeous drawing titled "Olivia" stood out in a group show that, like most Art League's shows, is always packed with talent and great art, and I awarded it The Shayna Heisman Simkin Award.

The artist was Wendy Donahoe, who is easily one of the best realist artists on the planet, and has that most diﬃcult of all abilities in her work: capturing not only the likeness of the subject, but also a psychological signature of the same subject.

“Olivia” is now a grown woman, and this work of a young girl documented not only her youth, but I suspect also her presence in the ways that only a great work of art can deliver!

About the Author: F. Lennox Campello's art news, information, gallery openings, commentary, criticism, happenings, opportunities, and everything associated with the global visual arts scene with a special focus on the Greater Washington, DC area has been a premier source for the art community for over 20 years. Since 2003, his blog has been the 11th highest ranked art blog on the planet with over SIX million visitors.

Exclusively representing the works of F. Lennox Campello

Price and additional images upon request. “A woman in love with abstraction” - 2021

“ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE OF WASHINGTON, DC” – Washington City Paper

16x20 watercolor on paper with embedded electronic images that rotate every 5 seconds.

Exclusively representing the works of F. Lennox Campello

Syreni Caledonii (Northern Atlantic Mermaid). Watercolor, charcoal and Conte. 2019, 12x36 inches.

Price and additional images upon request. Alida Anderson Art Projects, LLC, Washington, DC www.alidaanderson.com / info@alidaanderson.com

Century Club Member David Sites Shatters Records

When we launched the SpinSheet Century Club 11 years ago, we weren’t sure anyone would be interested in challenging themselves to log 100 days on the water… or more. Our ﬁ rst year, we had 50 club members with the highest number of days on the water exceeding 250! Every year, that number has gone up a bit more than the previous year, until 2023, when Annapolis boater David Sites logged 365 days on the water, making him the top Centurion among 120 members.

In 2024—a leap year—he logged 366 on-water days, making his recordbreaking total sum 731 consecutive days leaving the dock! David is our ﬁ rst Super Centurion, and we doubt there will be a second. Here’s a bit about his exceptional journey in his words:

Last year, you thought you’d take a rest in 2024 from your daily on-thewater habit—but you went out every day. What made you change your mind?

It’s kind of a funny story. When we were at the Boatyard Bar and Grill for the Century Club get together to put my name on the club plaque on the wall, I stuck my foot in my mouth and said, “At least nobody can beat me.” Someone said, “You realize that this is a leap year and there are 366 days, right?” I hadn’t missed a day yet at that point and sort of challenged myself at that moment

to go for 366. I’m really hoping that there will not be a double leap year in my lifetime. LOL.

What’s the best thing about leaving the dock every day?

I never know what I will ﬁ nd on my trip. Some days I would go out with no determined destination, but something cool always seemed to pop up. I love documenting what I see to share with everyone. I feel like the more beauty of the Chesapeake Bay that I share, the more people will respect it and want to experience it for themselves.

Three favorite days on the water?

I had so many great days on the water that it would be hard to pick three favorites. I can say that my favorite days usually involve friends. Whether it was going to a boat docking competition with Drew Payne and friends on the Big Worm charter boat, sailing on the Schooners Woodwind I and II with Jen and crew with a bunch of my friends, or teaming up with some photographer friends to document cool things that go on in the Bay. The people that I have met and the things that I have seen are priceless.

Did you have any scary on-water experiences last year?

I haven’t really had any scary experiences on the water. There have been a few spooky moments, fog for instance. It’s a bit spooky when

you’re in the middle of the Bay and visibility is about 100 feet at best. It seems like things are usually more of a challenge to me than they are scary.

Have you connected with other Century Club members this year?

Yes, there are a few century club members that I stay in touch with on a regular basis. We had a few gettogethers, on and oﬀ the water. Favorite wildlife sightings?

I love seeing the wildlife in our area. It’s always fun to see some of the regulars like the ospreys and the ducks. I like seeing and trying to get some photos of the great blue herons also. Some of my favorites this year are the bald eagles, pelicans, and even a few dolphins on occasion. I rarely see pelicans but was able to get some good photos of a couple of them twice this year, under the Bay Bridge.

What’s the latest with Drew the Coyote?

Where do I start and where do I stop with Drew? It was quite a ride to locate the dock that got ripped from the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse with Drew still attached. The DNR had contacted us and told us roughly where it was, so my buddy Marc and I went and rescued him. We also dealt with the dock to make it safe for the night because the Bay still had four-foot waves from the storm, so it was too hard to tow it.

I had way too much fun having Drew travel along with me all summer to get photos with him all around the Bay. We were even invited up onto the Baltimore Lighthouse to check it out. Now there is a book out, which was written by Natasha Nash and uses my photos along with her illustrations. It is called “Drew‘s Grand Adventure” and is available on Amazon. All proceeds go to support the Thomas Point Shoal Light which really makes me happy.

What is your advice for newcomers to the Century Club?

My advice for anyone that plans to participate in the Century Club in 2025 is to just have fun with it. Set your own goals to challenge yourself. The whole idea is to enjoy your time on the water and to maybe try new things and visit new places. I know that I deﬁ nitely have.

Learn more about the club at spinsheet.com. The goal is to get more people on the water more often in all types of vessels. It’s free and open to all. Join the fun!

About the author: Molly Winans, the managing editor of SpinSheet, the Chesapeake Bay’s only sailing magazine, as well as PropTalk and FishTalk in Annapolis and her staﬀ provided this column. Find her at editor@spinsheet.com . This ﬁrst appeared in the January 2025 issue of SpinSheet.

Super Centurion David Sites at the helm on his 366th day on the water in 2024 and his 731st overall, taken on the Chesapeake Bay New Year's Eve. Photo by Will Keyworth.

Photo by Lani Gering

Spring Races Are Right Around the Corner

We know February is the month of love, but weather wise, it's a bust more often than something to love. We can't wait to get out of the house as it draws to an end.

It might not feel like spring yet, with no signs other than a lonely crocus or two straggling up through the snow. But there’s no surer harbinger than the Pointto- Point season, which opens March 1st. For true horse lovers, those suffering from cabin fever, and those looking for a country outing, there’s nothing like the fi rst few race meets here in the hunt country. These early season races tend to be smaller, more informal affairs but there’s no shortage of equine talent as the country’s top steeplechasers as well as hot young prospects make their debut racing over fences after a winter layoff.

The Rappahannock Hunt Point-to-Point opens the season Saturday, March 1st with their meet at The Hill in Boston, Virginia and concludes November 1st with the Montpelier Hunt Races at James Madison’s homestead in Montpelier Station. In between, six more spring Point-to-Points will be conducted — three of which feature a sprinkling of National Steeplechase Association (NSA) sanctioned jump races — in addition to six full NSA sanctioned jump meets.

Following Rappahannock’s kickoff event, the Point-toPoint schedule continues with the Warrenton Hunt meet March 15th at the Airlie Race Course, the Piedmont Fox Hounds Point-to-Point March 22nd at the Salem Course in Upperville, the Old Dominion Hounds meet April 5th at the Ben Venue Farm in Ben Venue, the Blue Ridge Hunt Meet April 12th at the Woodley Farm in Berryville, the Loudoun Hunt April 20th at Morven Park in Leesburg, and the Middleburg Hunt Point-toPoint April 27th at Glenwood Park. The fi rst five races are on Saturdays and the last two fall on Sundays. Information on these meets can be found at centralentryoffice.com

“We’ve had a good experience running sanctioned steeplechase races at the Old Dominion and Blue Ridge meets and will be adding the Loudoun Hunt Meet at Morven Park to the mix this year,” said NSA Director of Racing Bill Gallo. “We thought it would be good to reach out to Pointto-Point meets that were well established and had good racecourses that were safe to race over and give them a chance to expand their racing opportunities. We refer to them as hybrid meets now since they include regulated NSA sanctioned races and other races they traditionally have run that are not regulated. These mixed meets give Point-to-Points a bit more validity and substance.”

With millions in total purses, meets in 12 states, and millions of spectators, steeplechasing is big business. Some of the best horses and horsemen thoroughbred racing has to offer race over fences, and it all starts here in Virginia this month. This year, these horsemen and horsewomen have have taken a key role in sharing the wealth with horse and farm owners devastated by Hurricane Helene in Western NC and surrounds, in a move spearheaded by a local Fauquier County horsewoman named Rachel Bates, of Remington. She drove her truck pulling her large gooseneck horse trailer stuffed with hay, horse and dog feed and on arrival, realized it was just a drop in the bucket after seeing fi rst-hand the utter devastation. Farm, livestock and horse owners had been hit particularly hard. A friend of Bates, Kelly Eden, who'd helped her, provided a tie to the NSA, and wheels started turning.

NSA immediately donated a $4,500 grant to get hay to horse owners and farmers in the stricken area, matched by the local Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation. The Virginia Equine Alliance donated, too. Edens said they started contacting area hay farmers and farm stores to mobilize a stronger supply chain, and momentum built. “We were able to get some discounts and a lot of donations. Steeplechase sent out notices and a lot of the hunts picked it up and started publicizing what was needed.”

Convoys of small, privately owned trailers loaded with a few donated items were soon joined by commercial haulers, tractor trailers ﬁlled with many tons of discountpurchased supplies – hay, horse feed and pet items, posts and wire, hammers and pocketknives. “You wouldn’t believe it if you saw it yourself,” said Bates. “These people lost everything. [A horse friend] lost some of her pets, her bridge, most of her fencing, most of her barns, tons of damage to her house. The farmers with all those gorgeous river bottom hayﬁelds, the cropland, the pastureland they’d have cattle on during the summer months. They lost it all. The livestock, the fence. Their cropland is under a sea of toxic, contaminated mud and debris. Not only did they lose this year’s hay and corn crops, but it’ll be years, if ever, they get that land back. “Their tractors washed down river. Their pets drowned. Their cattle got swept away. It is like a war zone, and it’s not over yet. We’ve got to help them get through the winter.” She added that the need remains high. “I wanted people to be aware they can donate money earmarked for this (hurricane) fund through the charitable Gwathmey Foundation. Your donations are tax deductible.” Photo by Jean Van Der Meulen.

Love Is in the Air at Shadow Mountain Escape

"An

all-season Romantic Couple's Escape in authentic timber frame cabins located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia bordering the Shenandoah National Park."

This month’s Road Trip took us back to Shadow Mountain Escape. We featured them in this space in 2021 and some exciting new things have happened in these four years – a new structure called the “Stone House” and the addition of elopement, vow renewal and engagement packages. More about both in this writeup.

You will fi nd Shadow Mountain about two miles on the Luray side of the Thornton Gap entrance to Skyline Drive on Jewell Hollow Road. The brainchild and lifelong dream of Karen and Ralph Riddle, the name "Shadow Mountain Escape” comes from the name of the tracts (Shadow Mountain tracts) of land that were originally subdivided within Jewell Hollow from large parcels that once belonged to several of the pioneering families of the county (the Jewell and Sours family among them). The Riddles added the term "Escape" to invoke a sense of the underlying purpose behind their effort. In an attempt to provide an environment conducive to happiness and fulfillment, they focused on exposing the beauty and spirit of the natural landscape and the remarkable life that flourishes there. The use of *Timber Frame construction in all of the buildings adds to that theme. All of the structures and landscapes were designed by Ralph who has a passion for design and history. He holds a degree from Virginia Tech in Landscape Architecture. The couple began their project in 1994 and fi rst opened in 2002. The history of the project is fascinating and worth hearing but would take up too much room here. Be sure to ask him about the stone work and most importantly the “Gothic Tower” and Max and Moritz. He

constructed it himself with stones from the property. It is impressive. New to the property is the “Stone House” located adjacent to the Tower. Respecting Ralph and Karen’s love of authentic Timber Framing, European history, and Ralph’s passion for medieval period building and aesthetics, Shadow Mountain Escape’s newest addition has proven to be the couples’ most challenging project yet. With “The Stone House”, Ralph has challenged himself to construct what he has coined “the last medieval building”. Staying within contemporary building codes, over the past year Ralph has poured his knowledge and experience of ancient European building into this project. By building solid masonry slightly buttressed walls (featuring natural rock from their property); natural slate ﬂooring; and a real oak timber frame truss, Ralph believes “The Stone House” emanates the aesthetic appeal and form of a simple medieval building. The white plastered interior walls, adorned with medieval art photo canvases and a large antique stained-glass window, reinforce the impact. In Ralph’s words, “Authentic and genuine, it resists all things processed and artiﬁcial, it is a symbol of honesty in a world of facades.” Now that “The Stone House” is nearly complete, Ralph and Karen look forward to sharing the experience with Shadow Mountain Escapes guests. It will serve as an amazing photo backdrop for their elopements, renewals and proposals.

There are four cabins located on the ﬁfteen-acre property. In celebration of the abundant wild life, all of the cabins were given indigenous "bug names". The Bear Dance Lodge was the ﬁ rst rental built on the property and the two cabins

were named the Dragon Fly and Bumble Bee. The Butterﬂ y loft was opened in 2003 and the ﬁ nal rental, the Ladybug, was completed in 2011.

For added adventure the couple incorporated "La Cantina" in the basement of the Bear Dance Lodge which was inspired by their many visits to Europe. Their intent was to capture the special atmosphere for their guests that they found only in the authentic settings of a German "Stube" or a Tuscan "Cantina"! Guests receive a private entry code upon check in. Conversely, the “Timber Frame Tower” tops oﬀ the Lodge and is open to all guests. The construction and history of the décor are worth looking into as well.

The accommodations are exceptional. After what you just read you might be thinking a very rustic decor...not so. Ralph and Karen wanted to create the “Old World” charm that comes from his German heritage so, after retiring from the Army, the couple spent several years living and discovering the wonders of the "Old World".

Many thousands of dollars were spent sourcing and importing authentic pieces from family members and shops while on their trek. To this day, they source new things for the property while on their frequent European travels.

As indicated above, all of the furnishings have been handpicked and the majority imported from Europe. On previous visits, we have had the pleasure of spending the night in Ladybug and Bumble Bee but this time we were in Bear Lodge in the Dragon Fly cabin. Dragon Fly is the largest of the cabins with two bedrooms with Argentinian forged iron Artisan Queen size beds and a full furnished kitchen, a gas fi replace/stove, a second story deck and a grill for outdoor cooking. There is also a sitting room with a large flat screen television and very comfortable leather couch and love seat. Both Bumble Bee and Butterfl y have kitchens and fi replace features, however, Lady Bug does not have a kitchen but does have a woodburning stove. Each of them has a very distinct personality and are set up with many amenities – way too many to mention here.

While many of their regulars come to hike in the Shenandoah, there is a ½ mile Nature Trail on the property. Very cleverly named “The Rabbit Chase” this ½ mile trek is marked with 25 iron “bunnies” pointing you in the right direction. The terrain is rough but ﬂat and a major portion of it follows one of the creeks that run through the property. There are 25 markers that are outlined in a guide in your room that you can take and follow along with the descriptions of the ﬂora and fauna as well as any wildlife you may encounter. My partner did the trek four years ago but the trail was snow/ice covered on this trip. She said it was a very relaxing/calming trek but you need to have on decent footwear and she didn’t come prepared this time. While on your walk about, keep watch for the several Cairns (Stone Stacks) that guests have created along the stream. You are encouraged to add your own.

We were, once again, lucky enough to be invited for cocktails and dinner with our hosts in their cabin. We usually sit in the courtyard beside their residence - that just happens to be connected by decking to Lady Bug - but the weather wasn’t exactly cooperating. This area has one of the “coolest” wood-burning stove/fi re features we have ever encountered. The last time we were there, Ralph cooked fresh salmon on a plank in the fi replace but this time we were treated to his “Ralph Burgers” cooked to perfection on the gas grill. Not sure what all he did to them, but they were very tasty. The atmosphere, the company, adult beverages and the good food made for a fantastic evening. The courtyard is available until 9 pm to guests as is the Gothic Tower adjacent to the courtyard. If you are lucky and the Riddle’s are home, they may start a fi re for you and Ralph might just treat you to an authentic German beverage. Ralph and Karen are fantastic people and know what they are doing. Karen has made sure that the property exudes Romance. Couples can be totally by themselves or they can cavort with other guests if they like. There is a campfi re for guests on Saturday nights complete with s’mores that are delivered to your door. They offer several packages that include food stuffs (Karen’s sweets are amazing) and wine but you are encouraged to bring provisions for meals if you don’t feel like leaving the property in search of an eatery.

The pandemic restrictions were still in place when we did this piece in 2021 and we talked about how it had altered their business. A good portion of their guests book Shadow Mountain for their honeymoon but getting married was a chore back then. Not being deterred, Karen got judicial approval to be a “Marriage Celebrant” and marketed her service to encourage those honeymooners to elope and get married on the property. That sparked a whole other opportunity and she now officiates elopements and vow renewals. You have the choice to let Karen take care of the ceremony from start to fi nish, including the photography or go the DIY route where you supply the officiant/photographer, etc. The packages are described in detail on the website. Karen also offers a photography package to commemorate your stay no matter what you are celebrating – a cut above those Facebook selfies.

Although Shadow Mountain is in a beautiful wooded area bordering the Shenandoah National Park, you are still only 20 minutes from attractions and things to do. On the east side of Thornton Gap and ﬁve miles down the mountain is the cool town of Sperryville. On the other side of the mountain is the town of Luray that not only has a number of restaurants and shops but also the spectacular Luray Caverns. The Caverns are worth a trip for sure. For a true adventure, consider taking the Blue Ridge Whiskey Wine Loop – see ad on the inside back cover – that takes you to the areas hot spots including Copper Fox Distillery and the Marketplace in Sperryville and the wineries, breweries and eateries that spot the countryside.

Shadow Mountain Escape

Facebook & Instagram – shadowmountainescape

Shadow Mountain Escape has been certi ed Virginia Green. They even have an on-site recycling center.

*What is Timber Framing? Timber framing is a distinctive style of building construction in which heavy timbers frame the structure instead of more slender dimensional lumber (for example, 2 x 6 in.). Timber framing was a building practice used throughout the world until roughly 1900 when the demand for cheap, fast housing brought dimensional lumber to the construction forefront. In the 1970's, craftsmen revived the timber framing tradition in the United States and have ushered the design style into the modern era. Timber Framers Guild.

Jamaica Expecting Its “Best Winter Ever” for Travel

The hidden-away coves. The sparkling cliﬀs. Those lush “blue” mountains. The wonderfully authentic hotels. The sound of mento and reggae. If you know, you know. And while Jamaica seems to have experienced a slow second half last year, things seem to be looking up for 2025.

That means a very strong peak travel season, according to Jamaica’s tourism minister, Edmund Bartlett.

“This is going to be the best winter season on record,” Bartlett said this week.

Local tourism oﬃcials say the island has secured nearly 180,000 new air seats for the winter; that represents an increase from “every major gateway coming to Jamaica,” according to Bartlett.

That includes an extra 74,000 seats from the United States, another 78,000 seats from Canada and 1,000 more from within the Caribbean market, too.

“The last time I looked at your numbers, you are now trending over 50 per cent of the passengers who come through Norman Manley being tourists and visitors who come to stay at hotels across the island,” Bartlett said.

Several hoteliers told Caribbean Journal that the island had been having a far slower summer than in the beginning of 2024. That could mean some more attractive options for hotel stays this season.

The island has not yet revealed its total visitor numbers for 2024.

Are you planning a trip to Jamaica right now? Flights are cheaper than they have been in recent years. For example, you can ﬁ nd ﬂights from Miami to Montego Bay for as low as $244 roundtrip on Spirit, and $326 on American Airlines.

From New York, you can book airfare on JetBlue from JFK to Mobay for about $417, and ﬂights from Newark to Montego Bay on United for about $486 roundtrip, according to Google Flights. What about where to stay? Well, it depends on where you’re looking. If you’re going to ﬂy to Montego Bay, your best bet is one of the hotels in the area, whether it’s the outstanding Eclipse at Half Moon, the luxe hotel-within-a-hotel at the timeless resort. Rooms from $550 per night — a fantastic rate for what is our favorite place to stay in Jamaica.

If you want to venture further out, try the lovely little Round Hill hotel in Hopewell, which has a small collection of rooms (designed by Ralph Lauren, who is a co-owner) and some particularly beautiful villas that we’ve loved during previous stays at the property (including the villa where John F. Kennedy stayed and wrote his inaugural

address). Rooms from $1,204 per night.

Another option to consider is American Airlines’ new direct flights to Ian Fleming International Airport (named for the creator of James Bond), which just started flying every day of the week from Miami and considerably shorten the travel time to Ocho Rios (it’s almost two hours to drive from Sangster Airport to Ocho Rios if you fly to Montego Bay). And it’s helping to shine a light on one of the coolest places to visit in Jamaica, including Goldeneye, the Jamaican home of Fleming and the place where he wrote all of the Bond novels. (You can actually stay in his villa). Rooms from $731.

And yes, Jamaica is known for its all-inclusive resorts, right? Well, we very much liked the Preferred Club at the Secrets Wild Orchid on a recent trip to Jamaica, particularly the swimout suites, which are capacious and sleekly designed. Rooms from $1,169.

Publishers Note: We are happy to partner with Alexander Britell, Founder and Editor in Chief of the Miami, Florida based Caribbean Journal and his staﬀ contributing to the OTC and our Caribbean Connection Section. Check out the popular online magazine/website at caribjournal. com for valuable information on all fabulous travel options and things of interest in the Caribbean.

The Round Hill hotel in Jamaica.

A beach at the Eclipse at Half Moon resort in Montego Bay.

Chris Blackwell’s celebrated Goldeneye resort in Jamaica.

Right on the beach in the nicest part of Naples, next to a park. You cannot get any closer or find a better view at any price than this 2BR 2BA condo. Naples was rated the No. 1 US city to live in by U.S. News and is always on the list of the top 10 best beaches in the U.S. Extremely well built, low density post WWII building that has withstood the past two Cat 4 and 5 hurricanes with no structural damage. Step out to beach or walk to town center, fabulous golfing biking and boating nearby. You cannot buy a better view anywhere on the Gulf for five times the price. For downsizing or a winter getaway don't let this one slip away. Listed for $975,000 with Naples Vibe Realty at 239-300-7006 naplesviberealty.com or call the owner Julie at 540-364-9480 for more information.

DINING GUIDE

AMERICAN

1799 PRIME STEAK & SEAFOOD

110 S. Pitt Street

571-404-6001

ADA'S ON THE RIVER

3 Pioneer Mill Way 703-638-1400

AUGIE’S MUSSEL HOUSE 1106 King Street 703.721.3970

BLACKWALL HITCH

5 Cameron St. 703-739-6090

BOB & EDITHS DINER 1743 King Street

703-664-0043 bobandedithsdiner.com

CHADWICKS

203 Strand St. 703-836-4442

CHART HOUSE

One Cameron St. 703-684-5080

CITY KITCHEN

330 South Pickett St. 703-685-9172 fatcitykitchen.com

EDDIE'S LITTLE SHOP & DELI 1406 King Street 571-312-8615

EVENING STAR CAFÉ

2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-549-5051

EXECUTIVE DINER & CAFE 1400 Duke Street

703-299-0894

FRANKIE'S KITCHEN & COCKTAIL BAR 823 S. Washington St. 703-512-2118

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

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

HEN QUARTER 1404 King St. 703-684-6969

HOPS 'N SHINE 3410 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-566-1509

HUMMINGBIRD

220 South Union Street 703-566-1355

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

JOE THEISMANNS 1800 Diagonal Rd. 703-739-0777

JULA'S ON THE POTOMAC 44 Canal Center 571-800-6644

JUNCTION BAKERY & BISTRO 1508 Mount Vernon Avenue

703-436-0025 junctionbakery.com

KILN - HOTEL HERON 699 Prince St. 703-662-1900

KINGS RANSOM 728 King Street 571-319-0794

LAPORTAS 1600 Duke St. 703-683-6313

THE LIGHT HORSE 715 King Street 703-549-0533

LOST DOG CAFE

808 North Henry St. 571-970-6511

MACMILLAN'S SPIRIT HOUSE

500 Montgomery St. 703-665-6690

MAJESTIC CAFÉ

911 King St. 703-837-9117

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

MURPHYS IRISH PUB 713 King St. 703-548-1717 murphyspub.com

MYSTIC BAR & GRILL

220 N. Lee St. 703-565-9808 mysticbbqandgrill.com

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

OAK STEAKHOUSE 901 N. St. Asaph St. 703-840-3395

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

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

THE PEOPLES DRUG 103 N. Alfred Street 571-257-8851

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

RIVER BEND BISTRO 7966 Fort Hunt Rd. 703-347-7545 riverbendbistro.com

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

ROYAL RESTAURANT 730 N. St. Asaph St. 703-548-1616

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

SHOOTER MCGEES 5239 Duke St. 703-751-9266

SLATERS MARKET 1552 Potomac Greens Dr. 703-548-3807

SMOKING KOW BBQ 3250 Duke Sttreet 703-888-2649

SONOMA CELLAR 207 King St. 703-966-3550

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

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

SWEET FIRE DONNA'S

510 John Carlyle Street 571-312-7960

THE COOPER MILL 10 Duke St. 703-566-1278

THE STUDY 116 South Alfred Street 703-838-8000

T.J. STONES

GRILL HOUSE & TAP ROOM 608 Montgomery St. 703-548-1004 tjstones.com

TOASTIQUE GOURMET TOAST & JUICE BAR 1605 King Street 571-312-1909

UNION STREET PUBLIC HOUSE

121 South Union St. 703-548-1785 unionstreetpublichouse.com

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

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

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

ASIAN

ASIAN BISTRO

809 King St. 703-836-1515

INDOCHEN

1625 King Street (571) 404-6050

KISSO ASIAN BISTRO 300 King Street 703-888-1513

MALAYA

1019 King St. 703-519-3710

MAI THAI

9 King St. 703-548-0600

NASIME

1209 King St. 703-548-1848

SIGNATURE THAI 722 King Street 707-888-2458

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

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

SISTERS THAI 503 Montgomery St. 571-777-8154

RAILBIRD KITCHEN 804 North Henry St. 703-577-9023

CONTINENTAL

CEDAR KNOLL

GW Parkway at Lucia Ln. 703-780-3665

OLD HOUSE COSMOPOLITAN 1024 Cameron Street 703-717-9361

ALEXANDRIA BIER GARDEN 710 King Street 703-888-1951 villagebrauhaus.com

FRENCH

BASTILLE 606 N. Fayette St. 703-519-3776

bastillerestaurant.com

BEN' YAYS 1028 King Street 703-495-3888

BRABO 1600 King St. 703-894-3440

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

JOSEPHINE 109 South St. Asaph St. 703-683-1776

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

ITALIAN

ALDO'S ITALIAN KITCHEN 2850 Eisenhower Avenue (behind the building) 703-888-2243

ANDY’S PIZZA 107 N Fayette St 571-319-0497

BUGSYS PIZZA RESTAURANT 111 King St. 703-683-0313

FRANK PEPE NAPOLETANA PIZZERIA 3231 Duke Street Alexandria Commons 703-719-2035

HANDOVER BY THE SLICE 728 King Street 571-319-0794

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

LANDINI BROTHERS 115 King St. 703-836-8404 landinibrothers.com

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

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

EPICURE ON KING 703 King Street 703-838-9090

PIECE OUT 2419 Mount Vernon Avenue 703-398-1287

RED ROCKS FIREBRICK PIZZA 904 King St. 703-717-9873

THOMPSON'S ITALIAN 1026 King Street alexandria@thompsonitalian.com

MEDITERRANEAN

BARCA PIER & WINE BAR 2 Pioneer Mill Way 703-638-1100

ELAINE'S 208 Queen Street 571-970-0517

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

PITA HOUSE 719 King St. 703-684-9194

DELIAS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 209 Swamp Fox Rd. 703-329-0006

VASO'S MEDITERRANEAN BISTRO 1118 King Street 703-566-2720

VASO'S KITCHEN 1225 Powhatan Street 703-548-2747

SEAFOOD

HANKS OYSTER BAR 818 N St. Asaph 703-739-HANK

FISH MARKET-OLD TOWN 105 King St. 703-836-5676 ﬁshmarketoldva.com

THE WHARF 119 King St. 703-836-2834

WHISKEY & OYSTER 301 John Carlyle 703-567-1533

INDIAN

DISHES OF INDIA 1510A Bellview Blvd. 703-660-6085 DIYA 218 North Lee, 2nd Floor 703-706-5338

KISMET MODERN INDIAN 111 North Pitt Street 703-567-4507

NAMASTE 1504 King St. 703-970-0615

MEXICAN LATIN SOUTHWESTERN

CASA TEQUILA (next to Crate & Barrel) 1701 Duke 703-518-5312

CHOP SHOP TACO 1008 Madison Street 571-970-6438

DON TACO TEQUILA BAR 808 King St. 703-988-3144

LOS CUATES RESTAURANT 1116 King Street 703-548-2918

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

LOS TOLTECOS 4111 Duke St. 703-823-1167

TAQUERIA POBLANO 2400-B Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-548-TACO (8226)

TEQUILA & TACO

540 John Carlyle Street 703-721-3203

URBANO 116 116 King Street 571-970-5148

RT's Restaurant Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler

French pronunciation: [lɛse le bɔ tɑ ʁule]) is a Louisiana French phrase. The phrase is a calque of the English phrase "Let the good times roll!"

We know that Fat Tuesday doesn’t roll around this year until March 4th but we know a place where you can celebrate it six days a week! We ventured outside of historic Old Town and into Arlandria and visited a long-time favorite, RT's Restaurant. Located on Mount Vernon Avenue, RT's has been a favorite destination for Alexandria diners as well as folks from D.C. They have been serving some of the best Creole and Cajun food outside of Louisiana for well over 30 years. Located across from the famous Birchmere Concert Hall, RT's is the perfect stop for a light dinner before that night’s performance.

As you approach the 3800 block of Mount Vernon Avenue where RT's is located, you will notice the iconic vertical neon marquee sign indicating that you have arrived. The inside is lively and well laid out, especially this time of year with Mardi Gras decorations everywhere.

As you enter, there is a room length Bar with very comfortable stools and booths for seating on the opposite side. This area is set off from the dining room by a large windowed partition. While you can see what is going on “on the other side”, the chatter from the bar side can’t be heard in the dining room. There are two dining rooms, the aforementioned one next to the bar and another room next to it that is a bit more formal with the tables sporting white linen table cloths. This room is a great place to reserve for gatherings. All of the rooms are decorated to the nines for the seasons. Maria and her staff are amazing at creating a special atmosphere. We normally sit at the bar but we opted for a booth on the bar side so we could keep up with the hype to the then “impending” Commander v Eagles matchup on the new flat screens. Well…

we know how that went down. Moving on, the popular RT’s bread basket and butter was delivered to our table and we ordered vodka gimlets to start and followed up with a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for dinner. We are saving the Hurricanes and Sazeracs for March 4th! RT’s has a well-stocked bar and a fairly extensive wine list. There are beers for everyone’s tastes as well.

The menu is quite extensive oﬀering 13 appetizers, 4 salads, 3 soups and Gumbo, and 12 Specialties from their menu. The appetizers are based on their Oysters, Crawﬁsh, Shrimp and Lump Crab meat. We started out with the "Jack Daniel's" Shrimp with Jumbo Lump Crabmeat. This is their specialty for over 36 years. Four Jumbo Gulf Shrimp sauteed with Cajun spices served in Jack Daniel's and Cream Sauce, then

topped with Jumbo Lump Crabmeat. It was outstanding and you will need extra bread to ﬁ nish oﬀ the delicious sauce. We also split a cup of the She Crab Soup which is rich and creamy with a hint of Cajun Spices and you can add extra Crab Meat. This is a house favorite and is consistently very good.

In addition to the RT's Specialties, they also offer 11 Seafood items, including Fried Gulf Shrimp, Spicy Pecan Crusted Haddock, Trout Orleans, Crab and Crawfish Stuffed Flounder. On the Meats and Poultry side they offer New Orleans Steak Frites, Cajun Chicken Oscar as well as Filet Mignon and Lamb Chops. As you can see, this is an extensive menu. Other offerings include "Death" By Gumbo, Crawfish Etouffee, Spicy Red Beans and Rice, Smothered Catfish, Shrimp & Grits, Crab and Crawfish Imperial and RT's Special Crab. They also offer 8 Regular Sides and 5 Premium Sides. Check out their menu on line for a complete run down of choices.

For my main course I ordered the Shrimp & Crab Etouﬀee. Sauteed Shrimp & Jumbo Lump

Crab Meat in a Dark Brown Etouffee and served with Rice. I defi nitely got my fill of their delicious crab meat. The seasoning on this dish was very good and not overpowering in the

spice department. The shrimp were succulent and the crab meat is the absolute best. The portions are generous so I had to bring some of it home. It reheated just ﬁ ne the next day. My other half decided to step outside of her very favorite Spicy Red Beans and Rice box and ordered the Spicy Pecan Crusted Haddock. She now has another “go to” on the menu. The ﬁsh is crusted in a concoction of Cajun spices and buttery chopped pecans and baked to perfection. It is topped with a generous amount

of jumbo lump crab meat and Creole mustard sauce and served with your choice of a side. She opted for the seasoned rice. Needless to say, she was very happy with her choice. It is also a generous portion so some of it came home with us.

We usually don’t have room for dessert but since we opted to take some of our entrée’s home, we split a piece of Key Lime Pie and I ordered the Cajun Nightgown dessert cocktail.

The Key Lime Pie was very good but the combination of Tia Maria, Crème de Cacao and hot coﬀee topped with whipped cream and drizzled with Drambuie was realllllyyy good.

Prices at RT's are pretty reasonable considering the size of the dishes and the quality of the seafood. Soups and Gumbo go for $7.50 for a cup or $8.95 for a bowl. The entrees range from $23.95 to $27.95 and market price for the RT's Special Crab.

Owners George and Maria Papaloizou are usually onsight every night. Maria has worked in the hospitality business for several years of which she spent many at her parents Taverna Cretekou in Old Town – another favorite dining spot. George and Maria are two of the nicest people that you will ﬁ nd in any industry. They are very gracious hosts. If you have a chance to meet them, introduce yourself and tell them you read about RT’s in the Old Town Crier

RT's has been written about in many magazines over the years and is named one of the top 50 Southern Restaurants in the Country by Forbes Online. They are open Tuesday through Sunday.

Owners George and Maria Papaloizou

Cooking for someone special can be an intimate experience, and what better way to impress your loved one than with a beautiful dish of ﬂounder stuffed with crab mousse, drizzled in a luscious Beurre Blanc sauce? This dish is not only a feast for the eyes but will also tantalize their taste buds, making for a perfect romantic dinner at home.

Crab Mousse Stuffed Flounder with Beurre Blanc Sauce

Ingredients

For the Flounder: 2 ﬂounder ﬁllets, Salt and pepper, to taste ,Olive oil for cooking

For the Crab Mousse:

1 cup fresh lump crab meat

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste.

For the Beurre Blanc Sauce:

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of heavy cream

2 shallots ﬁ nely chopped

4 ounces of cold unsalted butter cut into four pieces

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

salt to taste

Instructions:

Step 1: Prepare the Crab Mousse

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and heavy cream. Whip until smooth. 2. Gently fold in the lump crab meat, Dijon mustard, dill, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Be careful not to break the crab meat too much; you want to keep it chunky for texture. 3. Cover and refrigerate the mousse for about 30 minutes to ﬁ rm up.

Step 2: Prepare the Flounder

1. In a skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat.

2. Carefully place the stuﬀed ﬂounder in the skillet, cooking for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until

1. On a beautiful plate, place the stuﬀed ﬂounder at the center.

2. Generously drizzle the Beurre sauce around the ﬂounder, creating a stunning presentation.

golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a baking dish and ﬁ nish in the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes if necessary

Step 4: Make the Beurre Blanc Sauce

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C)

2. Season the ﬂounder ﬁllets with salt and pepper on both sides.

3. Take the crab mousse from the fridge and place a generous spoonful on one side of each flounder fillet. Gently fold the other side over the mouse to create a lovely stuffed pocket

Step 3: Cook the Flounder

1. In a small saucepan, combine the white wine, lemon and shallots. Simmer until reduced by half.

2. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. Gradually whisk in the butter.

3. Add cayenne and salt to taste.

Step 5: Plating

3. Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill or tarragon for a touch of elegance. Your romantic dinner is now ready to be enjoyed! Serve this exquisite ﬂounder dish with a side of sautéed asparagus or a light salad for a complete meal. Pair it with a glass of chilled rose wine and let the ambiance of your dining space set the mood for a memorable evening. Bon appétit!

About the Author: Glenn Morel is a producer turned chef. His website is www.ifihadachef.com. With experience in restaurants from Florida to Manhattan, he specializes in bringing his clients their very own personal chef for any special event. In addition to private parties of 12 (or more-or-less), he also offers catering for small and large groups. Chef Glenn works with you to create a customized menu and first-class event. He brings culinary professionals with him that dress appropriately and are experienced in handling food. They are also often trained mixologists and fine dining servers.

Romancing the Grape

I was out at the store the other day and a clerk who I have known for decades asked me why there are so many wineries? He asked if there was a tax break or some hidden gem that makes people want to be in the business. I know there is no great tax advantage any better than other agriculture business, and I certainly know that it is a lot of work with a lot of specialized equipment and training. The best answer I could come up with was “chasing the romance”.

It starts in the vineyard. The long straight rows of vines that rise and fall with the contour of the land are beautiful. As the season progresses, folks like to see the pruning of the vines, the small buds pop and grow into leaves, the long shoots develop, the clusters begin their ripening and eventually the crews picking the fruit for processing into wine. There have been a number of movies made romanticizing this process and the passion to grow and ultimately deliver the best grapes you can to the winery.

During the “crush season”, when the grapes are crushed and processed into young wine, is often hectic, exhausting, physically demanding and all-encompassing for the winemaking team. But the thrill of making the most of those grapes that were grown in your vineyard is beyond satisfying. But it’s not easy and you need to follow a well thought out plan using special equipment and a trained team, a team who commits their knowledge, passion and eﬀorts into one combined goal of quality. It sounds like a romantic sport. This sport is welcoming to men and women alike. Anyone willing to work hard and are committed to teamwork, learning, and grit can often ﬁ nd a place to work in the cellars during crush. Some folks travel the world all year helping wineries through this process in the northern and southern hemispheres.

After the wines are made, the blending process is its own romance. This is more personal for the winemaker, but they may share a bit of this process with customers or staff to help keep the wines relevant and distinctive. Depending on the type of wine being made, many factors can make a big difference to the fi nished wine. For example, a difference of say 3% of a different varietal added

to the blend, or possibly using only French oak barrels can make a good wine superb. I describe the blending process as when the paint goes on the canvas. Without good wines, the blending process can be painful. But when all the vineyard and cellar work come together to a beautifully crafted ﬁ nished product, the heart is warmed.

The ultimate romantic part of the wine is the enjoyment of this bottled art with family, friends or partner. This part can be a grand event, like a wedding or holiday family meal or a simple romantic meal for two when you are snowed in. The romantic stage can be shared with a gourmet meal or snack that was planned to pair with that certain wine. The wines may be part of a romantic excursion to taste at a winery or two and warm the heart with the atmosphere of where these wines were created.

So, many folks that have the passion and the means, are stepping into this industry in one way capacity or another. As a consultant in the industry, I am proud to have helped a number of folks ﬁ nd success in their newly owned vineyard and winery. When things work well, the passion and romance continue to grow. Thus, we have a growing, dynamic and well-regarded wine region here in Northern Virginia and the Mid Atlantic, full of talented passionate romantics chasing the goal of growing and making the best wine possible.

This month at Fabbioli Cellars, we are celebrating the romance with our monthly theme the movie “The Princess Bride.” Enjoy the tasting with themed food bites, specialty wine-based cocktails, mulled wine, picturesque vineyard views and more. And be sure to “Have fun storming the castle!”

About the Author: Farmer, winemaker, entrepreneur, educator, and leader, Doug Fabbioli has been accelerating the growth and quality of Virginia’s wine industry since 1997. With his wife Colleen, Doug is

the owner/operator of Fabbioli Cellars in Leesburg, VA. He is the founder and director of The New Ag School, which focuses on teaching the next generation of farmers and agriculture-related leaders. No wonder they call Doug Fabbioli the Godfather of DC's Wine Country.

OPEN THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY 11-5 PLEASE CALL FOR RESERVATIONS FOR GROUPS OF SIX OR MORE

15669 Limestone School Rd Leesburg, VA 20176 703.771.1197 • fabbioliwines.com info@fabbioliwines.com

Exploring Local Sake With Charlottesville’s North American Sake Brewery

Several years ago, while visiting wineries around Charlottesville, I encountered a curious sight. In the city that is the epicenter of Virginia wine was…a sake brewery.

What? Sake??? In Virginia?

Yet thinking about it, my surprise was misplaced. Sake exports from Japan have more than doubled from 2012 to 2022, according to ﬁgures provided by the Japanese Sake & Shochu Makers Association. Not only is the US the world’s top sake importer, there’s a growing local sake industry as well.

Charlottesville based North American Sake Brewery is one of only 20 or so sake breweries in the US, and the ﬁ rst (and only) in Virginia. Founder and head brewer Andrew Centofante gave me a lesson on sake brewing and a tour of his facility.

“Sake is such a fascinating and historic beverage. It’s a pretty niche market, but it’s one of the fastest growing beverages there is,” Andrew said during our interview. “As people explore Japanese cuisine, they are ﬁ nding sake is a key part of it.

About 15 years ago, I went to an “izakaya” (casual drinking establishment) in Japan,” he continued. “The bartender walked me through diﬀerent styles, regions, and proﬁles of sake, and it hit me that sake was similar to the craft beer movement. A few years later, I started making sake at home, and that led me to go back to Japan to work at a 200-year old brewery outside Osaka to learn the craft.

We’ve been open since 2018, making very traditionally handcrafted sake as well as some experimental styles.”

Deﬁning Sake: Beer? Rice wine? Or Something Unique?

The four basic ingredients for sake are rice, koji, water, and yeast. Of these, koji is likely the ingredient least-understood by American audiences.

Koji is a mold, cultured in hot, humid conditions

to promote propagation. It’s an integral part of many of Japan’s most famous drinks and dishes, including sake, miso, and soy sauce.

Brewers apply the mold to rice, ensuring it’s thoroughly spread over every grain. When the brewing starts in the tank, the mold provides the enzymes to convert the rice starch into sugar. This sugar is then devoured by the yeast, which turns it into alcohol.

This process is called “multiple parallel fermentation,” and it’s what makes sake brewing unique.

While sake is usually referred to as ‘rice wine,’ that deﬁ nition is a misnomer. Sake is its own category of alcoholic beverage, despite often being classiﬁed as either a wine or beer in the western world.

Andrew gets the question of, “Is sake a rice wine?” all the time. “Like wine, you can sip it, savor it, pair it with food. Sake is the same way. It has nuance of character, but the process is grain based, so it’s much closer to brewing than winemaking.

While they use similar processes, sake and beer come out at very diﬀerent strengths. Since sake usually has around 15% alcohol and is sipped like wine, it’s often classiﬁed as rice wine.”

Balancing Creativity With Tradition

Unlike wine, which is ‘terroir’ driven, sake is more brewer-driven, according to Andrew. “We talk a lot about the concept of intent in sake making. That’s what makes sake a diﬃcult beverage to understand.”

The brewer’s treatment of their rice greatly inﬂuences the end product, a process called milling.

“Milling is where we remove fats and other proteins to get to the grain’s “shimpaku,” or starchy core, and it helps delimitate the style of sake you create,” Andrew explained while showing a handful of rice grains. “The more

milled the rice is, the fruitier and more aromatic the end product is. The less it’s milled, the more earthy and savory notes you’ll get.

The kind of rice you use is important, but think of it like a white canvas. It’s the brewing that helps bring out the nuanced ﬂavor and aroma.

We get our rice from Arkansas. The farm we use has been making sake-speciﬁc rice for years. Sake rice is a short-grained style, usually with a great shimpaku that’s easy to mill and melts well in the tank.”

Japanese sake already comes in many diﬀerent styles, based on the ingredients and production methods used. Local producers like North American Sake aren’t afraid to get even more creative to appeal to American consumers.

Andrew pondered my question regarding how far local sake diverges from what’s found in Japan before answering.

“It’s an interesting question. The sake industry in North America is so young, there aren’t deﬁ ned styles of sake in terms of regionality. Being in the US, we have this huge opportunity to break out of traditional sake conventions.

We play on the edge of what sake is, and make everything from super-premium to fun, table sakes. There are people who are casual drinkers who just want something fun, or something gluten free.

For this crowd we make fruited styles using regional fruits or herbs, we make sparkling sake, and we’ve done collaborations with diﬀerent brewers to make hopped sake.

But we also have customers who are looking for great sake. Since we’re in the game of making sake, we have to be as good or better than any Japanese sake out there.”

About the Author: Matthew Fitzsimmons is a blogger who has visited nearly every winery in Virginia – most of them twice. Track his progress at https://winetrailsandwanderlust.com/

Has the Craft Beer Trend Come to an End?

or are we just not drinking enough beer?

Last month, the New York Times published an article titled “Has the Craft Beer Industry’s Keg Finally Kicked?” A cute and cheeky headline, but it wasn’t original. I’ve been seeing similar headlines for about a year or so now. Mainly because people send them to me in emails with “Tim, craft beer is dead!” in the subject line. I’m sure that most of you have seen the headlines as well. These articles are the result of the closure of some well-known breweries, most notably Anchor Steam, and the closing of many small local breweries as well.

The New York Times article seized on the fact that in 2024, for the ﬁ rst time since the craft beer trend began, more craft breweries closed than opened. This is the truth. There’s no fake news here. The Brewer’s Association reported that in 2024, there were 399 brewery closings, and that there were only 335 brewery openings. The trend is over. It’s time for a new fad. Seltzers, non-alcoholic drinks, and craft cocktails now rule the day. The craft beer industry has crashed and burned. Or has it?

To answer this question, we ﬁ rst need to step out of the world of beer and into the world of publishing. Ask yourself, what is the purpose of the headline? Everyone knows the answer, but few of us ever think about it. It’s simple, the purpose of a headline is to grab your attention. It’s to get you to read the article or click the link. Either way the reasoning is the same. It’s an attention grabber. And this is where Betteridge’s Law of Headlines comes into play. This adage states: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by one word, no."

To grab your attention! Questions make much better click bait. The article gives a great example.

Clickbait: "Can This Miracle Cream Erase Wrinkles Overnight?"

Authentic: "Discover the Science Behind Our Wrinkle-Fighting Formula" Which one would you click on?

So, the answer to the New York Times headline is no. And the answer to the title of this article is no. They’re both clickbait. And the fact that you are reading this article proves that clickbait works. Gotcha!

According to the LinkedIn Article “The Only Headline Rule You Should Follow”, it’s named after a British technology writer, Ian Betteridge. Many publishers use questions in headlines when they should use assertions. Why?

So, what is happening in the craft beer industry? Here are some thoughts.

The craft beer industry grew at an enormous rate in the last ten years. And that growth rate began to decline in 2023. Why? Are people getting sick of craft beer? We all know that the answer to that question is no. So, what has happened? The market became over saturated. We have a free market economy. People open new businesses all the time. For the last twenty years, opening breweries has been sexy. Everyone wanted to be in on the act. It was a big fad, a cool thing to do. It actually still is. The simple fact is that we ended up with more breweries than the market could support. The craft beer industry isn’t crashing, it’s correcting itself. As Vinepair.com stated in their article “Craft Brewing’s ‘Painful Period of Rationalization’ Is Here. Finally.”

“With respect to all the breweries that went out of business last year: This is ﬁne. This had to happen. Frankly, it should’ve happened already. The bubble hasn’t burst, craft beer isn’t dead. The American craft brewing industry’s closure rate was an ahistorical monkey

on its back, and now it’s gone. I’d even venture so far as to say it’s probably for the best.”

Tim’s Whiskey and Cigar Recommendations

Knob Creek 12-Year-Old Bourbon

I love the Knob Creek 9 Year Small Batch. So, I thought that this bourbon would be similar. To my surprise, it’s not at all. It’s a completely different bourbon. And surprisingly, it’s made with younger bourbon and at a lower proof. This whiskey is lovely. I’ve unintentionally passed on it for years, favoring the 9 year and the 15 year. Caramel and vanilla are the stars of the show. The nose is rich with both, plus cherry, oak, and chocolate. You get more oak on the palate with the fi rst taste. Then comes cinnamon, cherry, and of course, caramel and vanilla. This whiskey has all the classic bourbon notes and fi nishes very smoothly. At $60 a bottle and 100 proof, it’s well worth the price.

La Aroma De Cuba El Jefe

This beautiful Churchill is a mild to medium cigar with a 90-point rating from Cigar Aficionado. This smoke is smooth and creamy. It’s been described as being a” big and beefy” cigar with a rich flavor profile without being overly strong. If you like a mild smoke, this cigar is for you. With notes of cedar, vanilla, and subtle spices, it’ll blend perfectly with the Knob Creek 12 Year bourbon. Enjoy.

This cigar, and many other ﬁne cigars, are available at John Crouch Tobacconist at 215 King St. in Old Town Alexandria. Mention this article and get 10% oﬀ the purchase of this month’s recommended cigar.

I agree, it’s probably for the best. We’ll end up with better beer.

This period of contraction was coming. The industry is not dead. Competition is thinning the herd, like it’s supposed to do. That’s how our economy works. Here’s another point from the article.

“Here’s the thing to remember as you zoom out on the individual brewery closures and try to decipher what it means for the industry that remains. The craft brewing boom that started in the late aughts and continued through most of last decade was never going to last. The country went from around 1,500 breweries in 2010 to around 9,500 in 2020, an astonishing uptick well north of 500 percent.”

Very few retail industries could grow at that rate and maintain all of their individual businesses. Things just don’t work that way. And the craft beer industry’s closure rate is still well below the restaurant closure rate. And I don’t see the restaurant industry going away anytime soon.

So, let’s not fret. Our craft breweries are going to be there for us for a long time. Go visit one and have a good time. Enjoy the fun and lively atmosphere they provide. And when someone tries to tell you that they saw a headline that said that the industry is dying, just throw Betteridge’s Law in their face. You may come oﬀ as pedantic, but who cares. You’ll be giving them a life lesson.

I also have a homework assignment for you for next month. Your assignment is to visit at least two breweries and try one of their stouts. February is a cold month and perfect for stout beer. And try to make them two diﬀerent kinds of stouts. This will properly prepare you for March’s article. Slainte!!

About the Author: Timothy Long is an educator, writer, consultant, and experienced restaurant operator. Email: tlong@belmarinnovations.com . Instagram and Twitter: @wvutimmy. Blog: What is that ﬂ y doing in my soup? http:// whatﬂ yinmysoup.com

Community Cats: More Than a Community Issue

As I write this article, my husband is headed downtown from our home in Alexandria, a trip he takes several nights a week when he’s not working, and a place he stops by after work when he is (he works nights). Seven days a week, every day, 365 days a year, with the occasional exception of a twonight trip to Florida when he goes to see his beloved (usually!) Gators play football. And coverage for this while he is away, is, of course, handled. This is his commitment, and has been for over seven years, to what was once a larger family of community cats, including one who was pregnant and has now shrunk to just that one.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a community cat is an outdoor, free-roaming cat that may be feral or friendly. They may or may not have been born into the wild.

What do you need to know about community cats? Lots. According to Alley Cat Allies, a Silver Spring-based advocacy organization founded in 1990 “to protect and improve the lives of ALL cats”.

A stray cat:

• Is a cat who has been socialized to people at some point in their life, but has left or lost their indoor home, as well as most human contact and dependence.

• Can become a feral cat as contact with people lessens.

• Can, under the right circumstances, become a

pet cat again. Stray cats who are re-introduced to a home after living outdoors may require a period of time to re-acclimate; they may be frightened and wary after spending time outside away from people.

A feral cat:

• Is a cat who has either never had any contact with people or their contact with people has minimized over time. They are not socialized to people and survive on their own outdoors. Most community cats are not likely to ever want or enjoy the indoor life.

• Can have kittens who can be socialized at an early age and adopted into homes.

What do these cats have in common? They both need your help. How? You can help community cats in numerous ways:

First, spay and neuter your own cats. One unﬁ xed female cat can have more than 100 kittens in her lifetime, and assuming that half of those kittens born are females, she and her oﬀspring can go on to have 300-400 kittens in 7 years. Multiply this by the hundreds of unneutered community cats in the area, and that number grows exponentially.

Second, get involved with a community rescue program. Most local animal shelters and welfare organizations are happy to have volunteers. There are many things you can do to “improve and protect the lives of all cats” including one of the most important, Trap-Neuter-Return. Volunteers trap

the cats, take them to a vet, and have them spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and ear tipped – the tip of the left ear is removed, pain-free, while the cat is under anesthesia during surgery. This is a widely recognizable sign that the cat is no longer able to reproduce. After a short recovery period, the cats are released back into their outdoor homes. For community cats in the City of Alexandria, The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is able to help with this, including loaning traps and covering the veterinary costs associated with spaying or neutering, as well as critical vaccinations, including rabies.

Third, participate in feeding a community. But be consistent. If you stop feeding a stray cat that has become accustomed to relying on you for food, it may very well starve and be unable to ﬁ nd enough food on its own to survive, especially in urban areas where natural prey is limited. It is, therefore, important to consider the consequences before stopping, or starting to feed, stray cats.

A few important things to note when feeding community cats:

• Feeding twice daily is preferred but if you are only able to feed at night, feed at the same time each evening.

• Watch while cats eat (usually thirty minutes is long enough) and promptly remove any food trash – try not to dispose of it in a nearby container as this may draw unwanted bugs and vermin. If they ﬁ nish eating in ﬁfteen minutes

or less, you are likely not feeding them enough.

• Community cats, just like their indoor cousins, can be ﬁ nicky. Don’t assume that the food you give them today will be the food they will want tomorrow! Would you want to eat the same thing day after day? Neither do cats.

• Fresh water is important, too. While canned/wet food contains plenty of water, it’s important that community cats have access to fresh water as well.

While there are numerous things one can do to make things easier for community cats, realize that a commitment to feeding is a major commitment. It can be expensive, it is time-consuming, and you are no longer able to travel at will. These creatures depend on you, in the rain, in the snow, when the roads are

icy, when you’re tired, when you’re sick, they expect and depend on you. Remember that cats can become seriously ill after not eating for just three days. It’s not a commitment to be entered into lightly, but it can be one of the most rewarding things you may ever do. Our thanks to those who take the time, and have the compassion and commitment, to take care of these creatures.

See references below for local and other resources.

About the Author: Jaime Stephens lives with her husband, John, and feline family in the west end of Alexandria.

Sources:

Neighborhood watch: How trap-neuter-return can help community cats near you | The Humane Society of the United States

PETS OF THE MONTH

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria

4101 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria, VA 22304

703-838-4774

www.alexandriaanimals.org

Animal Welfare League of Arlington 2650 S. Arlington Mill Drive Arlington, VA 22206 703-931-9241 www.awla.org

Fairfax County Animal Shelter 4500 West Ox Road Fairfax, VA 22030 703-830-1100 www.fairfaxcounty.gov/animalshelter

King Street Cats 25 S. Dove Street Alexandria, VA 22314 703-231-7199

www.kingstreetcats.org

Operation Paws for Homes, Inc. (Dog rescue for VA, MD, DC, and south central PA) P.O. Box 90813 Alexandria, VA 22309 703-344-7320 ophrescue.org

Friends of Rabbits www.friendsofrabbits.org

Rikki’s Refuge Animal Sanctuary (1300 animals and 22 species on 450 acres) P.O. Box 1357 Orange, VA 22960 540-854-0870 By appointment: tours@rikkisrefuge.org events@rikkisrefuge.org www.rikkisrefuge.org

Buster

Bruno

Snow

703-746-4774

alexandriaanimals.org

Mon-Tu-Th-Fri, 12-7 pm

Buster is a (very) handsome 8-year-old pup. We love his chocolate coat, oppy ears and perfectly frosted face. As an adult, he is the perfect combo of chill and active. He enjoys walks and time in the yard, but he is also content to lounge around and relax. Buster is a loyal and loving dog who will make a fantastic companion for an adult family. He is gentle and takes treats politely. He also knows a variety of cues, like sit and paw. He absolutely loves belly rubs. It is reported that he has good house manners and is crate trained.

Bruno is a 2-year-old male orange tabby cat with a rousing personality. He is mellow and charming and - if he's honest - demanding of attention on occasion (or possibly most of the time). He loves to be petted and brushed. And he's de nitely not shy about letting you know he's in need of a little affection. He likes crunchy treats and catnip. Those things are even better while he's catching up on his Cat TV. If you're looking for a cat to give you endless cuddles and take a leading role in your life, Bruno is your guy!

President Snow hopes his adoption odds are ever in his favor! This beautiful snowy white guy is totally adorable and “snuggable”. He is sweet, social and quite goofy sometimes. While some bunnies can be shy, President Snow is quick to greet every visitor with his warm, fuzzy personality. He enjoys a little head scratch too. His favorite snack are small carrot sticks. He is one talented bunny when it comes to besting enrichment toys, like busy boxes and busy bags. This cottontail cutie would be a lovely addition to any family.

President

“THE SCENT OF A WOMAN”

Coco Chanel once said, “A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future.” While this pearl of wisdom may be true, I believe a woman who skips her scent spritz is missing out on one of the joys and mysteries of femininity. Perfume is one of the easiest ways to instantly feel sexy and beautiful, and is the perfect gift for both men and women, whether you're treating yourself or being gifted by your valentine.

Perfume has the power to add sophistication, femininity, and flair with a simple spray. The options for fragrance are ever-expanding, which makes it easy to fi nd something for everyone—from herbs and essential oils for Mother Nature types, to body mists and lotions for more reserved girls, to designer fragrances for those fierce fashionistas on top of trends. However, there are a few tricks to remember to ensure you smell like a meadow of flowers, not a closet filled with old ladies and fur coats. The ultimate commandment when wearing perfume is less is more. You want to attract others with your enticing scent, not clear the room! There is a very fi ne line between just right and too much, and an overpowering douse of perfume ruins the notes of even the most beautiful, delicate fragrance. Apply to your neck or décolletage, behind the ears, on your wrists, or all three! Contrary to common wisdom, do not rub your wrists together! This muddles the various top notes in a fragrance and can alter the scent.

For Valentine’s Day (or night!) mix it up and get creative where you spray your sexiest bottle of perfume. Mist your undergarments, lingerie, sheets, or brush through your hair. Just remember the alcohol in perfume can be drying to your locks, so walk through a misty cloud of your fragrance instead of spraying directly onto hair.

Some women rely on a signature fragrance to carry them faithfully through the years while some girls collect perfume like art. Whether you have an unwavering dedication to Chanel No. 5 or not, it’s always fun to explore new scents, and there are tricks to picking them out.

Don’t be afraid to break the standard fragrance rules of wearing citruses and ﬂorals in the summer and musk and vanillas in the winter. Wear what you like and what works for you! If there is a certain perfume you have in mind, spray it on your wrist and wear it around all day. That way you’ll know whether your love at ﬁ rst smell

actually ends up making you sick to your stomach by the end of day. There are hundreds of other scents mingling in the department store air, so take your sample stick away from the perfume counter to appreciate its true aroma. And remember, different fragrances smell different on different people, so allow the perfume time to mingle with your own body chemistry.

Posh designer fragrances may make you feel ﬁerce and fabulous, but these are not for everyone. If a crystal vile of Dior just isn’t your style or seems too overpowering, there are lots of great, lighter alternatives to perfume. Many designer fragrances are oﬀered in bath gel, lotions, creams, and body wash versions. Even some scented deodorants can be so yummy smelling that they can act as a light form of fragrance for even the most perfume-averse woman. Body mists are light and refreshing, or after your bath, stand and spray the perfume in front of you and just walk through! Whichever option you choose, leave the sugary-smelling Bath and Body Works products to preteens perusing the mall. If I wanted to smell like “Midnight Pomegranate” or “Juniper Breeze” I’d order a cocktail!

For those of you—like me—who are die-hard for donning designer fragrances, my favorite way to wear perfume now is in my accessories! Many designer scents are offered in solid or roll-on versions, perfect for travel, the office, or your purse. Recently, designers have been taking this convenience one step further by making your to-go fragrance as solid perfume rings, necklaces, and key chains. These are a fun way to accessorize and keep you smelling as pretty as you look, and the adorable packaging make these gems excellent conversation pieces. Beyonce’s fragrance, Heat, and Michael Kors’s Very Hollywood rings are bedecked with big, glam jewels while Marc Jacob’s Daisy (also offered as a necklace) and Lola perfume rings are quirky, cool, cocktail options. Coach offers a solid perfume keychain charm perfect for preppies and Kat Von D has a black rose ring for your inner bad ass. No matter your style, they all have the same effect as a roll-on fragrance: convenience.

Christian Dior put it best when he said, “A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting.” Yet in a world where most things can be described by their appearance or taste or sound, the scent of a woman is often indescribable—magical, mysterious, and powerful.

Healthy Habits

Now 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 headset and walk while you talk. Get a pedometer and track how many extra steps you take in a day. An 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 hundred-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 pre-measured hundred 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 ﬁ x 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 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 go ahead and nibble mindlessly

• 1 cup of baby carrots with 2tbsp 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 2tbsp 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.

Sweetheart Workouts

I will admit that sometimes exercise can be boring, but working out with a friend is always better. As in years past, since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I would like to share a few “Sweetheart” exercises designed to keep you and your signiﬁcant other from falling out of love with working out.

Medicine Ball (MB) Sit-Ups: This exercise is done with both people on the ﬂoor. Sit facing each other with your knees bent about 45 degrees. Then interlock your feet behind each others lower leg. There are many variations to this exercise, but start in the upright or top position of the sit-up. You can hold a medicine ball at chest level. Both you and your partner lower yourselves to the mat until the upper back touches, and then perform a sit-up toward your partner. Hand the MB oﬀ to your partner at the top of the sit-up. Keep exchanging the MB until you have completed at least 15 reps.

Partner Leg Pushdowns: If you want to turn up the intensity in your workout, try this ab exercise. Lie on your back with your legs straight, hips bent to 90 degrees, and the bottoms of your feet toward the ceiling. Your partner will stand with his or her feet at your shoulders and beside your head. First, grab your partner by the ankles so you have some leverage when performing this exercise. Next, have your partner push your feet or lower

legs away from them and towards the floor. Your job is to tighten up the abs and hip flexors to resist the pushing forces and keep the back of your heels from touching the floor. You also want to keep the legs straight and bring your feet back toward your partner during each repetition. Try at least 10 reps without rest. This exercise is performed very quickly to maximize its effectiveness. DO NOT try this exercise if you have any back, spine, or hip problems.

Towel Tug-O-War: This exercise also has many variations, but try this one by sitting on the ﬂoor facing your partner. Put the soles of your feet together with knees slightly bent. You will need a long bath or beach towel. Grab one end of the towel with both hands just like you would if it was a rope. (Avoid wrapping the towel around your hands.) Have your partner do the same with the other end of the towel and have him or her provide resistance as you pull the towel toward yourself. Your partner should provide enough resistance so that you can still pull without leaning back.

Keep your back straight by sitting tall with good posture. Focus on engaging the muscles in your mid- and upper back by squeezing your shoulder blades together and not just pulling with your arms. Finish the rep by having your partner pull the towel toward them while you provide the resistance. This exercise is great for improving back, arm, and grip strength. Try at least 15 reps in good form.

The three exercises mentioned above require minimal equipment and set-up time. So go ahead and grab your partner and fall in love with working out this February.

About the Author: Unverzagt holds a 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.

The Power of the Flower

'My love is like a red, red rose, that's newly sprung in June - Scottish bard, Robbie Burns

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

Red - True love

White - I love you not Yellow - Jealousy

Pink - Innocent love and happiness

Orange - I love you vigorously Purple - I will love you forever Wild rose - Uncontrollable desire Moss rose - I admire you from afar

The following information was garnered from several sources that may be a bit subjective since not all of the “experts” tend to agree on some of the meanings; however, we hope you ﬁ nd the information entertaining and enlightening in some fashion.

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

The study of the meaning of flowers is an actual science known as floriography, and it reveals an extra underlying meaning to sending or receiving flowerssubtle and secret messages can be passed through the different blooms.

During the 18th century sending flower messages based on a Turkish secret language of flowers became popular. This was known as sending a 'Persian Selam' - a coded bouquet to reveal your feelings of love or attraction. The Victorians became very knowledgeable in flower language and chose their bouquets carefully. Flowers gave them a secret language that enabled them to communicate feelings that the

propriety of the times would not allow; there were strict restraints on courtship and any displays of emotion.

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

Bluebell - constancy and everlasting love - believed to call the fairies when rung, and thought to be unlucky to walk through a mass of bluebells, because it was full of spells. It is also considered an unlucky ﬂower to pick or bring into the house. The Latin name for this ﬂower is Endymion who was the lover of the moon Goddess, Selene. The goddess put Endymion into an eternal sleep, so she alone could enjoy his beauty. Bluebells were said by herbalists to help prevent nightmares, and used as a remedy against leprosy, spider-bites and

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

tuberculosis, but the bluebell is poisonous.

Carnation - betrothal, love and fertility - this ﬂower was believed to be an aphrodisiac, hence its popular use at weddings and because of the association with love it was widely used in wreaths. Gentlemen began to wear carnations as a buttonhole, Oscar Wilde developed the fashion with a dyed green carnation. The various carnation colors can mean diﬀerent things: white - love; yellow - rejection; pink - I'll never forget

you; red - aching heart; Forget-me-nots - true love and remembrance - mythology describes this as the ﬂower chosen by a brave knight as a posy for his sweetheart before going to battle, as he knelt to gather the tiny blue ﬂowers he fell into a river and was swept away, calling to his love to 'forget me not'.

Honeysuckle - devoted love - said to protect your garden from evil. It is known as the 'love bind'symbolizing a lover's embrace in its clinging growing habits. The heady fragrance of the ﬂowers was believed to induce dreams of love and passion. If the bloom is brought into the house a wedding is said to follow within the year. The honeysuckle's berries are poisonous.

Lily of the Valley - return to happiness - a beautifully scented, but highly poisonous ﬂower. It is believed that Lily of the valley protects your gardens from evil spirits. These fragrant blooms supposedly sprang from Eve's tears when she was cast out of the Garden of Eden.

Moss - symbolic of maternal lovesoft and comforting used widely by birds in nesting.

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

Pansy - loving thoughts and attraction - known also as 'heartsease', this pretty ﬂower was believed to heal love problems. Anyone wanting to ensure they were loved by their sweethearts would carry a pansy

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

While this is just a small sample of the ﬂowers that comprise many an arrangement, I will bet that many of you will consult with your favorite ﬂorist, the next time you send a bouquet!

Happy Valentine’s Day

GO FISH STEVE CHACONAS

Technology Cuts

Co-anglers (cos) have been frustrated with boaters using forward facing sonar (FFS). Nothing more futile in fishing than to be in the back of the boat while the boater stares at a screen while chasing fish in open water. Cos are left stranded with nearly zero chance of catching fish.

FFS technology allows anglers to locate and see ﬁsh in real time, placing lures in front of them until they bite. The impact has been realized and now rationalized by the Bassmaster tournament organization. Announcing they’re eliminating cos from their Open tournament trail, they assigned blame to Covid. The reaction of anglers was consistent in their disbelief. Covid was the scape goat. Coanglers, blaming FFS, have been dropping out of events post covid, even in the middle of events.

Coangler Lenny Baird has dominated from the back of the boat. It takes special talent to ﬁsh behind boaters as they make all decisions on where and how fast to ﬁsh. Adjusting to boater decisions has been the coangler’s challenge but FFS impedes their success. Baird has seen

technology take over and expected coangler elimination.

Coanglers have always been an essential participant, not only keeping boaters honest, but to generate additional tournament organization revenue. In addition, cos also promoted sponsors, providing companies additional exposure value. Giving cos the opportunity to participate in high level tournaments, with the possibility of moving up to the boater level, increased boat and truck sales.

Additionally, the coangler position allowed weekend anglers to travel to other fisheries and learn from anglers from around the country. This model was less costly, required less time off from day jobs, and demanded less commitment than full time pros. Baird will miss the opportunity to fish these events, instead fishing locally out of his boat and spending less time away from home. Baird says high school and college fishing will be where new anglers gain experience now that coangling is going away.

But what really sticks in the craws of anglers is how Bassmasters ignored the negative impacts of FFS, diverting attention by blaming covid for cos leaving. Fans lost interest and patience watching anglers staring at screens to dangle baits in front of fish until they bite. Another casualty of “video game” fishing is the tackle industry as only a handful of inexpensive tackle is required, thus hurting lure sales across the board. Tournaments are increasingly less effective to promote products and companies are spending less money supporting tournaments and the anglers who fish them.

Maryland angler Danny Rodriguez fishes as a boater but recognizes that it’s become a crapshoot for co-anglers in the last couple of years because they are likely to get back-boated by FFS techniques dominating the front deck. Rodriguez says, “Most boaters probably don’t want to shaft them, but it’s become the nature of the game.” Cherrypicking local events, Rodriguez is looking forward to fishing solo as cos can affect the outcome of an event by catching some of your fish or by making you slow down to help them out. He has helped cos, with 3 winning from the back of his boat. With the elimination of the coangler, Rodriquez can now fish his spots at his speed.

complaining about not having co's as they are trying to qualify for the Elite Series. As for coanglers who feel they’re being excluded from their rightful place, some say they should buy a boat and fish these events. Still others feel that due to FFS, tournament bass fishing is on the way out as very few anglers really make a living at it. They claim no one fishes for fun anymore as it’s getting too expensive to look at a video game while making big monthly boat payments. In defense of FFS, sports progress over time and new technology emerges. Don’t like FFS? Don’t use it! Fans claim watching anglers competing with FFS is boring. Tech defenders say fishing is a boring spectator sport to begin with.

For boaters and coanglers, comradery, meeting new people, and making new friends was also a part of the experience that’ll be missed. Many develop friendships across the country, but acknowledge no other sport has their top participants having to compete alongside amateurs.

Bassmaster’s ruling has ignited social media controversy. Many feel the organization is ruining ﬁshing by discouraging grass roots anglers from participating. But some boaters were encouraged by the cos exit, stating boaters typically put in more time and money for each tournament compared to coanglers. Boaters aren’t

Potomac River Bassing in FEBRUARY

Cold conditions continue with water temperatures dropping to 40 degrees, or below! Fish are very depth oriented and located in out of the current areas with steep drops.

Blaming covid for the decision was called out as BS with covid actually producing a surge in participants. Electronics company sponsorship dollars dictate the use of FFS and coanglers aren’t showing up due to FFS taking them out of the competition. Tournament organizations have recognized the baggage of FFS and have restricted its use, however, FFS is still the elephant in the boat.

About the Author: Capt. Steve Chaconas is a Potomac bass ﬁ shing guide & freelance writer. Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. YouTube channel NationalBassGuide.

Silver Buddy lures are the best way to catch cold water bass, covering depths and areas.

Cast on 8 pound test GAMMA Copoly on spinning gear. Allow ½ ounce silver baits to drop and once on the bottom, slightly burp up and semi slack

line down. Most bites occur on the drop or ﬁsh will be there when you lift.

Drop shot and split shot rigs can be worked slowly down drops with frequent pauses. Use 2/0 hooks with 3-4 inch green pumpkin worms or swim baits.

Threading avocado colored stingray grubs on ¼ ounce ball head jigs can be presented with a slow lift, glide and drop.

Also 3” Mizmo tubes on 1/8 ounce tube heads with can be slowly worked.

Bites are light, so watch line.

Lenny Baird takes home

Co-angler Trophy

In my opinion, Valentine’s Day gets a bad rap. Sure—it’s laden with consumer trappings, and no one hates seeing the retail aisles go from red and green holly to pink and red hearts by December 26th worse than me. But, maybe—just maybe—we could put a different spin on Cupid. Retailers and restauranteurs have led us down a very romantic (and expensive) path laden with rose petals and made us feel inadequate if there isn’t a perfectly coiffed soulmate willing to throw down a platinum AMEX for a five-course meal for us. And, of course, in return, we are made to feel guilty if we haven’t likewise paid the equivalent of a month’s worth rent for waxing ourselves into a piece of designer lingerie.

Whoever said that Valentine’s Day was reserved for lovers?

Remember back in the day when Valentine’s was about showing love to everyone—your classmates, teachers, cousins, and neighbors? Love was abundant and didn’t discriminate. And in return, you bounded home from school, brown bag overﬂowing with love. Since we’re taking a stroll down memory lane—remember when your biggest stressor in life was whether to go with Disney (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, or Goofy) or Hanna-Barbera (Jetsons, Pebbles, Tom & Jerry, or Scooby)? The patience your mother practiced at Peoples Drug waiting for you to make the perfect selection. The time you took meticulously curating each card to deliver just the right message—friendly, but

All for Love & Love for All

not too friendly. Commiserating over each ‘You are 2 CUTE’ and ‘Aren’t U SPECIAL’ and ‘You’re the SWEETEST.’

Let’s take Valentine’s Day back. Let’s break out the Crayolas and construction paper and channel our inner kid. Let’s forego the roses and ﬁlets and invest in friendship bracelets and edible candy heart necklaces.

This is why I’m a fan of Galentine’s Day. The ladies took Valentine’s Day back. They decided to rewrite the age-old story of the ‘unchosen’ sitting home alone, eating Chinese food, pondering “how many cats make me a cat lady?.” Instead, they gather, raise a glass, and honor their “singledom”. No one should feel badly for not having a partner on any day of the year—let alone an FTD holiday. So, if you are single, be single together. Reach out to your friends and let them know how much you love and appreciate them. And hey—you know what other kind of love feels good? Puppy love. Visit a shelter. Look into volunteering at a rescue. Maybe it’s time to adopt. There are no limits on love and/or number of cats you can bring home. Single cat lady is a compliment so wear it with pride.

There are many, many ways to express love other than sending ﬂowers or making reservations. Use your imagination. Be creative. Bake muﬃns. Shovel a driveway. Draw a picture. Write a poem. Knit a scarf. Whether it’s for your spouse, crush, or your fave barista, put your own spin on it.

While you’re busy crafting ways to show your love, spend some time looking for love. It shows up in a myriad of places—and never the place you’re looking for it. See the love in your parents’ eyes. Observe the love happening on your bus ride to work. Watch it in the squirrels playing in your yard. Before you know it, you’ll start seeing a love ‘fest everywhere you look. If you’re still feeling disappointed, down in the dumps, and/or dreading THE BIG DAY, know that you are not alone. First—it’s just that—a day. Twenty-four hours. It is not forever. And, second—you are never alone. We have all been there. Heck—just do a search and fi nd the archives of this column. That should provide you with plenty of entertainment as well as proof that you are not alone. Seek out and fi nd your tribe. And you know where you can fi nd them? On Netflix. And Hulu. And Prime. My Best Friend’s Wedding. Waiting to Exhale. Bridesmaids. He’s Just Not That In To You. The First Wives’ Club. Bridget Jones’ Diary. Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Friends with Benefits. The Break Up. What Women Want. Jerry Maguire.

Pop the popcorn and settle in for a cozy evening of love and self-care. Whip up a DIY facial mask, prop your feet up, and let the good times roll.

Are you feeling the love yet? Dang— we haven’t even touched on selflove. Showing yourself love is the best thing you can do. Who—if not you—is most deserving of love? And no—not that kind. Errrrr—well, if

you’re so inclined, that kind too. But you know what I mean. Be KIND to yourself. Treat yourself to a day of love. Book a massage. Buy yourself some chocolates—splurge and get the good, decadent kind.

At this stage in the game, I vote for celebrating everything—and I mean everything we can—even the chubby little cherub with the arrow. The west coast is on fi re, we’re one step away from the next Covid-coronanoro-monkey-pox-take the world outinfluenza, whilst waiting for the next mentally ill person to drive a truck through a crowd-filled street of happy revelers.

Yes, we mourn and grieve—and help where/when we can. Anxiety abounds. Hopefully, it’s at a manageable level. Some anxiety is healthy and normal. It alerts us to present dangers and motivates us to move in a positive, forward direction—even if it’s after burying our heads in our pillows for a few hours or a day or 364.

But then we must look for the positives and ﬁ nd reasons to come together to celebrate, commune, give gratitude, and spread love.

And nothing says ‘love’ like Valentine’s Day.

XOXO, Lori

About the Author: Lori is a local writer, painter and pet lover who loves to share her experiences and expertise with our readers. She has been penning a column for the OTC for over 25 years. Please follow Lori online on Medium for more missives like this.

The Year of the Snake

It’s that time of the year! Yah, yah, there’s Valentine’s and Presidents Day but it’s time for the installation at the MGM Grand’s Conservatory to morph into the 2025 Lunar New Year of the Snake! This is a special year for me since the Snake is MY zodiac animal/reptile. The installation runs through March 10th when it will be replaced with the spring theme – no doubt Cherry Blossom related.

As in past years, this Lunar New Year installation is amazing! Not sure if it tops the Tiger or last years Dragon but it is way happening. Since I have seen pretty much every Lunar New Year installation since the MGM opened, there are a few pieces of them that remain the same but they remain very impressing. This year include a 28-foot-long snake, 15-foot-tall princess, 30-foot-tall bonsai tree, 25-foot-tall golden bamboo forest, money tree adorned with 260 oversized gold coins, eight 4-to-6-foot fans with hand-painted scenery, two jade rock fountains, 34-foot-long x 16-foot-tall lunar gate, two white cranes, eight 8-foot lanterns with ﬁ recrackers and the beautiful topiary koi ﬁsh.

It is deﬁ nitely worth a trip to the Harbor with a stop at the MGM to see this. You don’t have to hit up the casino – just because I have to at least drop $20 on video poker every time - to have fun here. There are many good places to get something to eat and drink as well. The underground parking is plentiful and FREE and you have access to the Conservatory 24 hours a day.

As in the past, I consulted ChineseNewYear.net and dug up the following info: The Snake is the 6th animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac signs, coming after the Dragon and before the Horse. Recent years of the Snake include 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, 1953, and 1941.

The Snake is a cautious, introverted observer, cool and mysterious in behavior owing to their suspicious and insecure nature, yet their armor conceals abundant sensitivity, wisdom, and passion that will surely surprise their few conﬁdants.

Snake’s 2025 Horoscope

While 2025 is a challenging year for Snakes due to their Ben Ming Nian aka when your zodiac animal matches the current year. Lucky stars oﬀer strong

opportunities for career and ﬁ nancial growth. Stay focused, take necessary precautions, and balance challenges with joyful events to make the most of the year.

Personality Traits of Snake Signs

Snakes are sensitive, eﬀective, and adaptable, positive personality traits often complemented by a considerable intelligence. They are usually amiable and even-tempered, showing a cool and calm exterior punctuated by occasional bouts of perfectly-timed energy and passion.

They move elegantly through the social sphere, armed with their wide range of interests and hobbies, which add to their intrigue and mystery. They’re often artistic, which makes them taste-makers others look to for guidance.

In emergencies, Snakes show their true value by remaining calm and collected, not losing an ounce of their ability to analyze the situation and come up with the best solution while remaining a dependable presence.

In daily life, Snake people are easy-going and fascinating for their mystery while also needing alone time to smooth their sensitivities. If they can learn to be vulnerable, Snake will ﬁ nd a new world opening to them.

The Harbor Welcomes the National Zoo’s

Pandas with PANDAmonium Celebration

National Harbor is welcoming Bao Li and Qing Bao, the National Zoo’s new pandas, with a special celebration through February 28th.

Various retailers and restaurants will have everything from sweet treat specials to must-have retail promotions. National Harbor restaurants and shops are joining the celebration with special items from milkshakes to tea to art.

You may purchase panda items at Corinto Gallery (131 American Way) at 10% oﬀ; The Yard Milkshake Bar (185 Waterfront St.) serves up panda-inspired indulgence with its Panda Milkshake/ Sundae; Panda Tea House (141 Waterfront St.) provides two free toppings with a Panda Milk Tea order and 10% oﬀ any panda plushies. Silver Diner (108 Waterfront St.) features its popular Oreo Cookie Milkshake in honor of the pandas. The restaurant will also have a free limited-edition panda pin that includes an instant prize for a free kids shake for Silver Diner Kids Club members (while supplies last.) Kids 12 years and younger can join the club for free.

To see more participants, go to www.nationalharbor.com/blog/experiencepandamonium-at-national-harbor/. For more information on National Harbor, visit www.nationalharbor.com.