Old Town Crier Full Issue- November 2019

Since 1988 • Priceless

From the Bay to the Blue Ridge

November 2019

C E L E B R AT I N G

OUR VETERANS oldtowncrier.com

AND THANKSGIVING!

Setting the Standard In Old Town Since 1979

november’19 A Division of Crier Media Group OTC Media LLC PO Box 320386 Alexandria, VA 22320 571-257-5437 office@oldtowncrier.com oldtowncrier.com Published the first week of every month.

Worth waiting for!

PUBLISHER Bob Tagert MARKETING & ADVERTISING Lani Gering Bob Tagert Meg Mullery

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26

47

SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE Ashley Schultz

A Bit of History............................................................. 18

From the Bay...................................................................24

Personality Profile............................................................ 4

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Electronic Ink 9 Royal Street, SE Leesburg, VA 20175 703. 669. 5502

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

From the Trainer............................................................43

Points on Pets.................................................................20

Alexandria Events............................................................ 3

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

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra '19-'20 Season....11

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

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

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

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

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

Social Media Message................................................... 2

Caribbean Connection...............................................22

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

Special Feature: Veteran's Day.................................... 6

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

Mayflower Myths............................................................. 7

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

Dining Out.......................................................................30

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

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

National Harbor Dining Guide................................48

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

On the Road with OTC................................................... 1

First Blush.........................................................................42

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

To the Blue Ridge..........................................................28

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

Pets of the Month.........................................................21

Urban Garden.................................................................16

Peggie Arvidson Nancy Bauer Sarah Becker F. Lennox Campello Steve Chaconas Scott Dicken Doug Fabbioli Nicole Flanagan Lani Gering Miriam Kramer Genevieve LeFranc Sarah Liu

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

© 2018 Crier Media Group, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The Old Town Crier is published monthly and distributed to select Alexandria residents, hotels, restaurants and retail shops. Also distributed in the Annapolis, Fredericksburg, Blue Ridge and Washington, DC areas and St. John, USVI.

Since 1988 • Priceless

Publisher’s Notes.............................................................. 2 Road Trip...........................................................................26

Take Photos, Leave Footprints......................................14 The Last Word.................................................................... 9

From the Bay to the Blue Ridge

November 2019

C E L E B R AT I N G

OUR VETERANS AND THANKSGIVING!

oldtowncrier.com

about the cover Corn Stalks and Indian corn.

— Photo by Aaron Burden

On the road with OTC Local Alexandrian, Ron Cunningham, took the OTC on his trip to Canada for his nephew’s wedding and took some time out to get this snapshot at the Cape Spear Lighthouse in St. John’s Newfoundland.

This lighthouse was erected in 1836 and is the eastern most point in North America.

If you would like to see your photo in this space, take a high resolution shot and email it with a description for the caption to office@ oldtowncrier.com.

Old Town Crier

November 2019 | 1

PUBLISHER’S NOTES

BOB TAGERT

Well folks, another year is drawing to a close. Unlike last year when we had so much rain that we were continually walking around in wet shoes, this year has been remarkably sunny, dry and pleasant. Let’s hope the rest of the fall is like this.

This month welcome Scott Dicken to our list of contributing writers and his new column, Take Photos & Leave Footprints. Dicken is a writer, photographer, and owner of the travel website, TakePhotosLeaveFootprints.com. I guess our Road Trips each month were too close to home for him! I think you will enjoy what he has to offer.

This month our Road Trip took us back to the Shenandoah Valley and Muse Vineyards. This is a relatively new vineyard and is already producing some of Virginia’s finest wines. The vineyard setting at the foothills of the mountains along the meandering North Fork of the Shenandoah River is one of the most visual and relaxing spots in the Commonwealth. Sticking with this mountain theme, Julie Reardon introduces ideas for a fall filled afternoon in the To the Blue Ridge. In her Grapevine column, Nancy Bauer recommends some exciting Virginia wines to buy as gifts for the holidays, or any reason. Sarah Becker takes a look at kids, guns and violence in A Bit of History, written from the perspective of Parker A. Poodle. In Last Word, Miriam Kramer brings you “A Pocket full of Mysteries” from the Vault. In Open Space Lori Welch Brown discusses the Art of the Bounce Back! In Exploring Virginia Wines Doug Fabiolli talks about his tenure making Virginia wines and the balancing of that industry. The heat of the summer sun on the pavement is gone and your pet can navigate the city sidewalks without burning their feet. However, winter is on the way and Points on Pets tells you what to expect. Remember...adopt! In Personality Profile this month we write about one of the main characters behind the explosion of the restaurant scene in Old Town over the last few years. Meet Scott Shaw...mover, shaker and now sailor!

Finally I would like to apologize to our friend Chester Simpson. Chester is a world class photographer and a world class friend, and we use his photos from time to time with his approval. Last month we forgot to give him photo credit of the photo of Franco and Noe Landini that was used in the Dining Out column.

There is a reason I am being so contrite. I am a guy with a camera who takes many pictures, hoping that one is good. Chester is a professional and needs only to shoot once. He already knows what he has, and that is art! We in the media business MUST protect these artist’s rights to their art form. See you at Landini’s Chester...I am buying!

Let’s not forget to celebrate our Veterans on the 11th with a “thank you for your service today and every day”. Thanksgiving is fast approaching and this means the holiday season is right behind – we give thanks for all that we have and wish you all a very bountiful day.

SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGE

ASHLEY SCHULTZ ROSSEN

Cat Videos same as Therapy?

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il Bub, Grumpy Cat, and Piano Cat are just a few of the viral cat videos that have taken the Internet by storm. Although these videos are entertaining, it has been found that they also provide more than a good laugh.

According to a study by Indiana University Media School researcher Jessica Gail Merick, “Some people may think watching online cat videos isn’t a serious enough topic for academic research, but the fact is that it’s one of the most popular uses of the Internet today, if we want to better understand the effects the Internet may have on us as individuals and on society, then researchers can’t ignore Internet 2 | November 2019

cats anymore. We all have watched a cat video online, but there is really little empirical work done on why so many of us do this, or what effects it “might” have on us,” added Myrick.

“As a media researcher and online cat video viewer, I felt compelled to gather some data about this pop culture phenomenon.” In Myrick’s study it was found that people were often more energetic and felt more positive after watching cat-related online media, they had fewer negative emotions, and the pleasure they got from watching cat videos outweighed any guilt they felt about procrastinating. She concluded that her results suggest that online cat videos could be used

as a form of low-cost pet therapy.

She stated that, “Even if they are watching cat videos on You Tube to procrastinate or while they should be working, the emotional pay-off may actually help people take on tough tasks afterward.”

Even while writing this column, I ended up watching several cat videos – the likes of Aaron’s Animals and Cole and Marmalade. Although it did delay the completion of my column, along with one of my three cats constantly walking over my keyboard, it did give me an emotional boost to finish.

Many people indicated they also produce their own cat-related media to post online. These posts often

amass comments and likes. Online cat-media consumption is, therefore, an interactive process where media consumers can be media producers and media critics all in the same space. I personally know this as my social media page is full of videos and pictures of my three four pawed felines. I receive a positive emotional response from the reactions of others viewing my cat pictures and videos.

So….maybe a new motivational and inspiring way for employers to increase employee performance will be to take time to watch a few cat videos.

Next time you are caught at work watching a cat video, you can say it is emotional therapy!

Old Town Crier

Alexandria

NOVEMBER TOURS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS

3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway 703-780-2000 mountvernon.org

NOV. 23RD

Join George Washington’s Mount Vernon for its new George Washington Whiskey Festival. Enjoy some of the finest spirits from Virginia craft distillers and other famous whiskey producers. Meet celebrated distillers and learn more about George Washington’s whiskey operations at Mount Vernon.

Fall Harvest Ball at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum 8 pm to 11 pm Admission: $45 per person Gadsby’s Tavern Museum 134 N. Royal Street 703-746-4242 alexandriava.gov/gadsbystavern

City of Alexandria Tree Lighting 6 pm to 8 pm Admission: Free Market Square, 301 King Street 703-746-5592 www.alexandriava.gov

NOVEMBER 16TH

Join Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson and Santa Claus for the traditional opening of the holiday season as they light of the tree in front of City Hall. The program will feature a welcome by the Town Crier, a performance of “Santa’s Spectacular” by the Metropolitan School of the Arts, holiday carols from T.C. Williams High School Choir, and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

THROUGH DEC. 31ST “The Journey to be Free: SelfEmancipation and Alexandria’s Contraband Heritage” 10 am to 4 pm Admission: $3 Alexandria Black History Museum 902 Wythe Street 703-746-4356 alexandriava.gov/blackhistory Alexandria’s Black History Museum’s newest exhibition, The Journey to be Free: Self-Emancipation and Alexandria’s Contraband Heritage, highlights the history of

Old Town Crier

As the leaves changed and planting time came to a close, the social season in 18th-century Alexandria commenced with a ball. Experience this 1770s-style ball with live music, English country dancing, cash bar and seasonal dessert collation. 1770s attire or cocktail attire welcome. Not familiar with English country dancing?

Gadbsy’s Tavern Museum will be offering Fall Harvest Ball dance classes leading up to the event.

Tickets are available online at shop. alexandriava.gov.

Alexandria’s contraband population (those who escaped slavery) during the Civil War. This 2014 exhibit returns in honor of the 5th anniversary of Alexandria’s Contrabands & Freedmen Cemetery Memorial dedication.

NOVEMBER 9TH George Washington Whiskey Festival 6 pm to 9 pm Admission: $85 general admission; $225 VIP experience George Washington’s Mount Vernon

LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS

OLD TOWN FARMERS MARKET MARKET SQUARE • 301 KING ST SATURDAY 7 A.M. – NOON, YEAR ROUND Free parking in Market Square garage during market hours People who come to Alexandria on Saturday mornings find themselves in a busy plaza where local farmers and artists have been selling their products since 1753. Old Town Alexandria’s Market Square is thought to be one of the nation’s oldest continually operating farmers markets, serving as a primary source of meat, dairy, fish, fruits and vegetables for Alexandrians. George Washington sent his produce from Mount Vernon to be sold here. Today, the market offers folks a way to reconnect to the past, while participating in an ongoing local and national tradition.

DEL RAY FARMERS MARKET CORNER OF E. OXFORD & MOUNT VERNON AVES SATURDAY 8 A.M. – NOON, YEAR ROUND The Del Ray Market is producer grown, with fresh vegetables and fruits in season. All year round, this market offers meats, eggs, fresh pasta and sauces, Amish cheese, yogurt, bakery goods, eggs, jams and jellies, fancy nuts and bakery goods.

NORTH MONTGOMERY PARK FARMERS MARKET NORTH MONTGOMERY PARK • 901 N. ROYAL ST THURSDAY 3 – 7 P.M., YEAR ROUND, WEATHER PERMITTING The market will feature local growers, bakers, and other area providers of wholesome foods including Twin Springs, Grace's Pastries, Bread & Water, and Relay Foods.

NOVEMBER 23RD Alexandria Cider Festival 1 pm to 5 pm Admission: $45 pre-sale; $55 at door Lloyd House 220 N. Washington Street 703-746-4554 shop.alexandriava.gov

Torpedo Factory Art Center Anniversary Ball 7 pm to 10 pm Admission: $60 through October 31; $75 beginning November 1 Torpedo Factory Art Center 105 N. Union Street 703-746-4570 torpedofactory.org At Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Anniversary Ball, enjoy light fare and drinks, a retrospective showcase, guest presenters and live music.

The night will feature the opening of 45: An Anniversary Exhibition in Target Gallery, honoring the legacy of the founding artists of the Torpedo Factory Art Center. The event will also premiere a new documentary on the history of the Torpedo Factory Art Center, directed and produced by Alexandria’s own Istrico Productions.

Enjoy a selection of ciders from more than 10 Virginia cideries. Ticket includes tastings, a souvenir glass, live music and fun fall activities. This event features a food truck and will take place outside.

Find more fall events at visitalexandriava.com/fall.

ABOUT ALEXANDRIA, VA Named the #1 Best Value U.S. Travel Destination 2018 by Money magazine, a Top 5 Best Small City in the U.S. 2018 by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards and one of the South’s Prettiest Cities 2018 by

Southern Living, Alexandria hums with a cosmopolitan feel and a walkable lifestyle—a welcoming weekend escape next to our nation’s capital. A nationally designated historic district founded in 1749, Old Town Alexandria is home to more than 200 independent restaurants and boutiques alongside intimate historic museums and new happenings at the waterfront. At the heart of it all is bustling King Street, a walkable mile recognized as one of the “Great Streets” of America. New restaurants tucked in to 18th- and 19thcentury architecture still intact from the city’s days as George Washington’s hometown ignite historic and off-the-beatenpath neighborhoods as the waterfront district evolves with new energy. Learn more at visitalexandriava.com.

November 2019 | 3

PERSONALITY PROFILE

BOB TAGERT

ice cream shop. The Austin Grill was an immediate hit and Shaw helped grow the business to eight locations around the DC metro area.

In 2000, Shaw left the Austin Grills and started another Alexandria based company called Fishbowl, which is comprised of marketing software and analytics for restaurants.

In 2016 he sold Fishbowl and went back to his first love of running restaurants.

Some friends who then owned Virtue Feed & Grain restaurant and were struggling were looking for someone to help. Shaw contacted two friends he used to work with in Florida and they came up to do a “restaurant rescue”. They were only planning to stay for about 90 days but both

SCOT T SHAW A Man On the Go!

Y

ou may have seen him walking around Old Town going from his office in Founders Hall to one of his restaurants, or attending a media briefing along the waterfront regarding the new Tall Ship Providence. He is not flamboyant, but is always on the go. Today Scott Shaw is a principle in Alexandria Restaurant Partners (ARP) which own and operate seven restaurants in Alexandria and Shirlington as well as 4 | November 2019

one in Orlando, Florida.

Shaw was also the motivating force in bringing the city government and the private sector together to bring the Providence to the Old Town waterfront. All this, however, was years in the making.

Originally from Coconut Grove, Florida, Shaw moved here in 1994 to reconnect with Rob Wilder, a college roommate who had recently opened the South Austin Grill at 801 King Street.

Wilder and Shaw had met in Austin, Texas in the early 80’s and opened a homemade

men fell in love with the building and the city and eventually signed a long term management contract with the restaurant owners. Shaw and his friends created ARP starting with the management contract for Virtue. Shortly after they also signed a management contract with Jason Yates to open and manage Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza. Eventually the three partners decided they wanted to do their own restaurants so they bought the Majestic Restaurant and then bought the Waterfront Market and

turned it into Vola’s.

As ARP began to expand their business they opened Mia’s Kitchen at 100 King St. and added the Hi-Tide Lounge to Vola’s. Their only move out of Alexandria was to open Pallette 22 in Shirlington. Earlier this year they opened the Riverside Taco Trailer that resides on City Dock and bought a large stake in Joe Theismann’s Restaurant where they have just doubled the bar capacity.

With all of this action you would think that he would be slowing down...not.

In the new Robinson landing project on the waterfront, ARP has contracted for another restaurant. “Actually it will be two restaurants in one”, he tells me, “there will be a small plate Mediterranean concept on the pier that will be seasonal and called Barca, which is Spanish for small boat, and we thought that appropriate since it will be on the pier. The second restaurant will be called the Shore Line, a wood-fired steakhouse, seafood and a vegetarian concept.” Shaw also indicates that this will be their last restaurant.

Back in 1994 Shaw was renting an office where we had our offices on 112 South Patrick Street and was thinking about writing the great American novel. It was also about this time that he was introduced to his soonto-be bride, Camille, by his good friend and ours, Andrea Leheup. They began to date and seven months later were engaged. “We decided that we wanted to elope,” he tells PERSONALITY PROFILE > PAGE 5

Old Town Crier

PERSONALITY PROFILE | FROM PAGE 4

me, “so we went to Barnes and Noble to see if they had a book on eloping. They told me they did but after doing a computer and shelf search they couldn’t find anything.

I kept the office and put the great American novel away and wrote a book on eloping called Let’s Elope that is in its fifth edition by Random House.” For the 20th anniversary he is bringing out a new book called the Art of Eloping!

In sails the Tall Ship Providence. “I noticed that the city’s waterfront was becoming a reality, and Alexandria has a history as one of America’s first seaport towns,” he begins, “as I investigated I found out more about the sailing heritage of this port city and decided a tall ship was needed on the waterfront.” I can agree with this assessment as I sailed for years on the 123-foot threemasted schooner, Alexandria, until she was sold and later sunk off the coast of North Carolina. Since then, a water front ship has been sorely

missed. Shaw took notice of tall ships visiting Alexandria over the past few years and how popular they were.

“There were lines around the corner and a two hour wait to see these beautiful ships,” he noted.

Shaw put a committee together for advice and guidance and the Tall Ship Providence was born. If you have been reading this publication for the last five months you would already know about the Providence.

After extensive restoration work and electrical upgrades the ship is once again back on the banks of the Potomac and will be opening for tours and excursions soon.

I have known Scott Shaw for a good while but have now learned just how intense and smart he is and admire his dedication to succeeding. He is one of the new rising stars in our community and his vision and leadership will be something to watch and grow.

If you see him walking briskly down the street say hi, but be assured, he is on a mission.

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November 2019 | 5

SPECIAL FEATURE

History of Veterans Day

W

orld War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude

6 | November 2019

for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War

II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.”

With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure threeday weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production.

Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

The first Veterans Day under the new law was

observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people.

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

Publishers Note: This piece provided in part by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Old Town Crier

Mayflower Myths

“The reason that we have so many myths associated with Thanksgiving is that it is an invented tradition. It doesn’t originate in any one event. It is based on the New England puritan Thanksgiving, which is a religious Thanksgiving, and the traditional harvest celebrations of England and New England and maybe other ideas like commemorating the pilgrims. All of these have been gathered together and transformed into something different from the original parts.”

- James W. Baker, Senior Historian at Plymoth Plantation

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING WAS IN 1621 AND THE PILGRIMS CELEBRATED IT EVERY YEAR THEREAFTER. The first feast wasn’t repeated, so it wasn’t the beginning of a tradition. In fact, the colonists didn’t even call the day Thanksgiving. To them, a thanksgiving was a religious holiday in which they would go to church and thank God for a specific event, such as the winning of a battle. On such a religious day, the types of recreational activities that the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians participated in during the 1621 harvest feast--dancing, singing secular songs, playing games--wouldn’t have been allowed. The feast was a secular celebration, so it never would have been considered a thanksgiving in the pilgrims minds.

THE ORIGINAL THANKSGIVING FEAST TOOK PLACE ON THE FOURTH THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER. The original feast in 1621 occurred sometime between September 21 and November 11. Unlike our modern holiday, it was three days long. The event was based on English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred around the 29th of September. After that first harvest was completed by the Plymouth colonists, Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer, shared by all the colonists and neighboring Indians. In 1623 a day of fasting and prayer during a period of drought was changed to one of thanksgiving because the rain came during the prayers. Gradually the custom prevailed in New England of annually celebrating thanksgiving after the harvest.

During the American Revolution a yearly day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century many other states had done the same. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November, which he may have correlated it with the November 21, 1621, anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod. Since then, each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the date for Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939 (approved by Congress in 1941).

THE PILGRIMS WORE ONLY BLACK AND WHITE CLOTHING. THEY HAD BUCKLES ON THEIR HATS, GARMENTS, AND SHOES. Buckles did not come into fashion until later in the seventeenth century and black and white were commonly worn only on Sunday and formal occasions. Women typically dressed in red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet, and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green, and brown.

THE PILGRIMS BROUGHT FURNITURE WITH THEM ON THE MAYFLOWER. The only furniture that the pilgrims brought on the Mayflower was chests and boxes. They constructed wooden furniture once they settled in Plymouth.

THE MAYFLOWER WAS HEADED FOR VIRGINIA, BUT DUE TO A NAVIGATIONAL MISTAKE IT ENDED UP IN CAPE COD MASSACHUSETTS. The Pilgrims were in fact planning to settle in Virginia, but not the modern-day state of Virginia. They were part of the Virginia Company, which had the rights to most of the eastern seaboard of the U.S. The pilgrims had intended to go to the Hudson River region in New York State, which would have been considered “Northern Virginia,” but they landed in Cape Cod instead. Treacherous seas prevented them from venturing further south.

Publishers Note: This feature compliments of The History Channel.

Old Town Crier

November 2019 | 7

FINANCIAL FOCUS

R

CARL TREVISAN, CFP© & STEPHEN BEARCE

Four Truths All Investors Should Know About Risk

isk, and the role it plays in a portfolio, can be one of the most difficult concepts for investors to grasp.

To help clear things up, we outline four important riskrelated insights every investor should know.

1. Risk has many faces.

When people talk about risk, they’re usually referring to investment risk: The idea that you could purchase stock at $50 a share and it could potentially be worth $25 a year later. This kind of risk is relatively easy to understand, and it’s measureable based on the ups and downs in an investment’s price. The more volatile the price has been, the more risky the investment is considered to be.

Unfortunately, investment risk is only one of the risks investors can face. There are plenty of others that aren’t as easy to understand or measure. These include: Market risk. This is the risk that the entire market will decline and pull your 8 | November 2019

investment down with it.

Remember what happened to stocks during the Great Recession? That’s an example of market risk.

repay the bond’s par value at maturity.

Inflation risk. Inflation is the overall increase in prices in an economy. There’s a risk that an investment’s return won’t be enough to overcome inflation’s impact. For example, if inflation runs 2% a year and your investment returns only 1%, you lose “purchasing power.” As a result, your investment buys less at the end of the year than at the beginning.

This is possibly the most important thing to understand about risk. Risk and return generally go hand-in-hand: If you put money into a lowrisk investment, you should probably expect lower returns.

If you choose a higher-risk investment, you’re seeking higher potential returns.

Of course, things don’t always work out that way. A high-risk investment may not get better returns. (In fact, you could lose your entire investment.) But many investors continue to include riskier investments in their portfolios, often for higher return potential.

Opportunity risk. Some investors believe you can avoid risk by investing conservatively. Opportunity risk is the possibility of missing out on the chance to earn better returns because you aren’t being more aggressive.

There are many more types of risks, too, including some specific to certain investment categories. For example, bond investors face default risk— the risk that the issuer will fail to make interest payments or

2. Risk is usually linked with expected return.

3. You should determine your risk tolerance.

Your risk tolerance is how much risk you can comfortably live with in your portfolio. Determining your risk tolerance can be challenging. There are tools,

including questionnaires,* that can help. One indicator that you’ve exceeded your investment risk tolerance: when your investments’ performance keeps you awake at night—especially when there’s market volatility.

It’s okay to have a relatively low risk tolerance. However, focusing on lower-risk strategies may mean you need to adjust your objectives (for example, having $750,000 at retirement instead of $1 million). Or, you may need to lengthen your time horizon, which is how long you have until you tap into your investments. For example, you may decide to work until age 68 instead of 65 so you have more time to invest.

recommending an investment plan.

4. Help is available.

Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

Because risk is complicated—and only one aspect of investing—look to your financial advisor for help with building your portfolio. Your financial advisor will take the time to get to know you, including your risk tolerance, before

*https://www.wellsfargo.com/ investing/retirement/tools/risktolerance-quiz/ All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.

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

Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/NOT BANKGUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE

© 2019 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

Old Town Crier

THE LAST WORD

MIRIAM R. KRAMER

MysterieS A POCKETFUL OF

From the Vault Here are some classic mysteries that I recommended in November 2017. When working in a bookstore they were some of my go-to recommendations. Try these instead of the current crop of mysteries designed to sell with the keyword “Girl” in the title—you’ll be more engaged and entertained.

D

espite our recent unseasonably warm weather, November will always be a month of shuffling through leaf piles and traveling to the Shenandoah and other mountain destination on leaf-peeping trips. We dig out our scarves and heavy coats to guard against frigid Old Town Crier

winds and autumn rains.

Most of us want to relax before the holiday whirl of travel, parties, and family get-togethers is underway.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, The Likeness by Tana French, and Murder on the Orient Express

by Agatha Christie are the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea by the fire. This trio of classic suspense novels will give you a respite from hectic reality and take you on a dream trip to Europe as cold rain blows against your windowpanes.

In The Talented Mr. Ripley, Patricia Highsmith is a master of psychological suspense.

Her clipped, matter-of-fact sentences present one of the most interesting anti-

heroes of twentieth-century suspense: Tom Ripley, a smalltime crook who dabbles in mail fraud while moving from one shabby apartment to another in New York City.

The father of a casual friend, Dickie Greenleaf, offers him a trip to Italy if he will visit Dickie there and persuade him to give up his dilettantish pursuit of becoming an artist to return home and join the family business. Tom, notable only for his lack of notability, takes on this voyage from its inception as a method for metamorphosis. He lies skillfully and pathologically, making up stories about his origins. In the process, he gradually inserts himself into the life of careless, affluent Dickie and his resentful friend, Marge, who jealously guards against Tom’s intrusion into their idyllic Italian life.

Through intertwining himself in Dickie’s life, Tom creates a new persona that he almost believes to be true.

Resourceful and completely without scruples, he casts a chilly enchantment on the reader as he pulls off a

masterful re-invention of himself that makes us root for him despite his ruthlessness.

Rarely have I found myself so drawn in to a character’s psychological journey in a suspense novel. It is rightfully a classic, written in an eerily detached manner that allows us to approach the story on our own terms.

Tana French’s The Likeness is the second in a series of mysteries set in Dublin, with each novel featuring a character briefly mentioned in a previous book. The book begins with a detective, Cassie Maddox, being called in to a murder scene in a small town outside of Dublin. When she arrives, she sees her own deceased doppelganger. Not only could this woman be her twin, but she also carries an ID identifying herself as Alexandra Madison, an alias Cassie used when working an undercover case years ago.

To solve the murder and understand this illusive shadow, a version of Alexandra Madison, Cassie dons her old guise, pretending that “Lexie” survived the attack as a way of enticing the murderer to finish the job. Going undercover as an amnesiac Lexie, she “returns from the hospital” to infiltrate Lexie’s tight-knit and cliquish group of grad student friends, who live in a romantic shambles of a country house.

As Cassie descends deeper into an identity that had once been nothing but a fictional skin, she also insinuates herself into the lives of Lexie’s provocatively peculiar housemates. French plays with the notion of perception as Cassie finds her view skewing, seeing not only them but also herself in a funhouse mirror.

THE LAST WORD > PAGE 11

November 2019 | 9

HIGH NOTES

RON POWERS

Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves

BY THE OCEAN BLUE

T

he Ocean Blue’s eighth studio album, titled Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves, is made up of eleven well written and produced indie pop songs. It’s an outstanding addition to the band’s already impressive legacy and serves as yet another example of why this band is so great.

Themes of love and loss run throughout the record, but there’s a lot of room for interpretation. Part of the album’s genius is that much of its meaning depends on who’s listening.

What’s great about this album is that although many of the new songs have dismal and painful themes, they aren’t presented in an overly emotional manner. In this way, the album works on multiple levels. For example, if you just feel like listing to 10 | November 2019

some good indie pop while going about your business; this album delivers. But, if you want to listen more deeply, there’s a lot of meaning packed into the songs that allow for a richer experience.

The first track (“Kings and Queens”) is a good example of this. It has everything you want in a dream pop song: from its catchy analog synth lines and driving rhythm, to its smoothly delivered melodies and jangly guitars. Then there’s the lyrics. True to the albums serious tone, “Kings and Queens” is about death.

Here’s a lyrical sample from its eloquent second verse...

“Breathe my last and depart and go where?

I know not The black hole beyond all of space, and of time”

There’s a lot of depth and intelligence packed into those 21 words. Depending on who’s listening, their significance will vary. But what makes them truly great is the melody and music surrounding them.

It’s the music that gets to a person’s heart fastest. It’s the pre-verbal meaning that draws you in. Then the depth and richness of what the lyrics are saying comes into focus and a more profound experience can happen.

On the production side, Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves has all the rich smoothness you would expect from The Ocean Blue. There are little to no hard edges on the album. Reverb is an everpresent element which soaks almost everything played or sung. I’d say, if you’re in the mood to float around with some R.E.M. like alternative

rock that died and went to echo-delay heaven, search no further. This is the album for you.

In a recent interview with NPR, lead singer Schelzel said that the band had been going through hard times over the past 2 years. He said that, “Things just really feel like they’re ripping apart”.

This is another reason I like the new album. It’s an act of love and kindness to take your pain and turn it into something beautiful. The Ocean Blue do just that with Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves.

If you’d like to know more about The Ocean Blue, you can learn more at theoceanblue.com. They’re also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To hear their music, visit Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, or any of the typical places music is streamed or sold. The band also has a tour scheduled for late 2019 and early 2020.

Tickets are available at the band’s website.

Old Town Crier

THE LAST WORD | FROM PG 9

Most of us believe that we have a double somewhere in the world.

Tana French takes this concept and makes it a work of art. She writes so beautifully that any of her novels is an exquisite experience. Along with her gift for creating atmosphere and exploring character, her work is tinged with melancholy and magic, creating a sense of unease hard to pinpoint. In this work she offers a plot that instantly puts the reader inside the narrative, as Cassie puts herself in jeopardy to divine the life of her double.

I read widely in suspense and mystery. Much of the work in those genres is formulaic. French is the opposite, a writer whose complex, gripping body of work aspires to literature, offering the reader a special world that seems rooted in the commonplace while playing with the reader’s subconscious terrors.

Dame Agatha Christie needs no introduction, yet she has her own distinctive skills in creating and presenting a plot that deserve examination. I could have picked almost any of her books, including the captivating And Then There Were None, but here I choose the classic Murder on the Orient Express.

This quick-reading mystery presents the legendary detective Hercule Poirot traveling via train from Istanbul via Trieste, Italy, to Calais, France. Poirot meets an unpleasant businessman, Mr. Samuel Ratchett, who is traveling with his male secretary. Ratchett, who is concerned about his security, offers Poirot the job of protecting him.

Poirot turns down the offer because,

as he says, “I do not like your face, M. Ratchett.”

When Mr. Ratchett is killed, Poirot discovers that he is really a criminal named Cassetti. He realizes that Cassetti was the kidnapper and murderer of a little girl named Daisy Armstrong, whose prominent American family went to pieces after her death, with her mother dying and her father shooting himself. Having gotten off on a technicality, Cassetti has made his way to Europe, receiving death threats along the way.

When it turns out that no one could have left or entered the train between the times Ratchet/Cassetti was seen alive and discovered dead, Poirot must focus on gathering puzzle pieces to figure out a highly perplexing problem, one that indicates passengers and then discounts them one by one.

Murder on the Orient Express reveals Agatha Christie’s gift for creating suspenseful atmosphere and tricky, tightly plotted narrative. It also highlights her keen ear for dialogue and ability to create realistic everyday connections between characters, with only a few exceptions that play to stereotypes of the 1930s. Here she does so in an exotic setting, as the passengers’ anxiety heightens while Poirot gathers together contradictory evidence. Although she writes simply, reading her prose is like breathing.

While this particular story has been filmed numerous times, the written novel is much more interesting and atmospheric than any tepid, genteel re-run on PBS. If you have not read Christie, or not read her in a while, dip into this short, compelling book that reminds us why she is one of the bestselling authors of all time.

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra 2019-2020 Season

James Ross, Music Director Wolfgang Schmidt, cello BOULANGER: Old Buddhist Prayer ELGAR: Cello Concerto DVORÁK: Symphony No. 8

Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall

Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 3:00 p.m.

George Washington Masonic Memorial

NUTCRACKER POTPOURRI James Ross, Music Director Morgan Short, harp HUMPERDINCK: Prelude to Hänsel and Gretel TCHAIKOVSKY: Excerpts from Nutcracker Suite 71A RODRIGO: Concierto de Aranjuez ELLINGTON: Nutcracker Suite Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.

George Washington Masonic Memorial

STRING SERENADE James Ross, Music Director Berta Rojas, guitar MOZART: Serenade No. 6 “Serenata notturna”

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

Old Town Crier

CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO: Guitar Concerto in D Major PRICE: Andante Moderato from String Quartet in G Major (arr. by James Ross) SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 5

UPCOMING CONCERTS: AUTUMN CELLO AND DVORÁK

The Fish Market 703.836.5676 105 King St. fishmarketoldtown.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.

Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.

George Washington Masonic Memorial

MUSICAL TALES OF BELONGING

James Ross, Music Director Claudia Chudacoff, concertmaster PRECHTL: Tribute (world-premiere) FRANK: Three Latin-American Dances RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade Saturday, May 16, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.

George Washington Masonic Memorial Tickets: $20-$85 for adults. Student tickets $10 (with ID). Youth tickets $5 (age 18 & under). Military, senior and group discounts available. Purchase online at www.alexsym. org or call 703-548-0885.

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

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

TJ Stones 703.548.1004 608 Montgomery St. tjstones.com LaTrattoria 703-548-9338 305 S. Washington St. Two Nineteen 703.549.1141 219 King St. Village Brauhaus 710 King St. 703-888-1951 These establishments offer live entertainment.

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

October 2019 | 11

GALLERY BEAT

F. LENNOX CAMPELLO

HEADLINE HERE PLEASE

AN ART NON-PROFIT DISCOVERS THE 21ST CENTURY

T

his month this column is just going to re-address some thoughts about our DMV area non-profits – an idea which I’ve been venting on about for years.

The Art League in Alexandria is not only one of our area’s largest artists’ organization, with over 1,200 members, but also a jewel in our area’s art presence. The Art League also operates a school with over 2500 students per term and a supply store for the purchase of art supplies by students and members.

When I first re-arrived to the Washington area in 1993, the first thing that I did was to join The Art League, and was a member for several years. It was a key part of my growth as a “local” artist.

Each month The Art League has a juried competition, where members can bring original works of art to be juried by a guest juror. Selected works are then hung at The Art League’s large gallery on the ground floor of the Torpedo Factory.

Over the years I have been honored to have been a juror 12 | November 2019

for this process multiple times.

Also multiple times over the last few years I’ve tried to get someone from the many great art non-profits and artists’ leagues which abound in our area interested in doing art fairs in other cities as part of their programming… and I’ve usually picked on the Art League as an example of ow this process would work.

But the “process” applies not only to our great Art League and its management, but also to the Greater Reston Arts Center, the Arlington Arts Center, the McLean Project for the Arts, the Rockville Art League, the Fairfax Art League, the Washington Project for the Arts, etc.

You get my drift.

Thus I am using the Art League as an example of a visual arts entity (and a great one at that) that should participate in art fairs – but it applies to all such organizations.

The Art League should do art fairs as part of its programming and take a few of its members to art fairs in other cities.

How does The Art League (again, you can fill in any of multiple DMV area membership-based art organizations) pick or select the 3-5 artists to take to an art fair?

Once again I am going to make the very important point that the “good” art fairs are nearly always tightly juried.

There are many other art fairs where one just pays and anyone and everyone can go - those usually suck and unfortunately by now some DMV galleries and many DMV solo artists have discovered this (along with good Cuban food) during Art Basel week in Miami.

It is very important to do the “right fairs”, and for the Miami example I am thinking (in no particular order) about Art Miami, Context, Aqua, Pulse, NADA, Scope, Miami Project, Untitled... some of these are very, very hard (some nearly impossible) to get into, but they’re listed nonetheless, because there is a “food chain” of art fairs, and the bottomfeeders usually spell disaster for the participants. There were almost 30 art fairs in the

Greater Miami area last year!

For this, The Art League would need to establish a process to pre-jury its membership to 3-5 artists and apply with those artists to an art fair. Note: Before Miami I would start with The Affordable Art Fair in New York this next Spring. They are close by and they are a “proven” fair. Later, for Miami, I would start with either Aqua or Context.

The Art League then would need to canvas their membership and find out who’s interested in being juried for possible selection for further jurying into an art fair.

Everything that I’m going to discuss below has to be clearly explained in the prospectus for this process, so that each applying artist knows exactly what this would involve.

I suspect that a large number of artists would find this attractive, and perhaps a small jurying fee ($10?) could be applied to subsidize the art fair costs (I would budget anywhere from $12-20K, depending on booth size). Or the costs could come out of the League’s budget.

I would make this jurying process independent from the Art League itself - just like they do for their monthly juried shows, and have interested artists bring their work in to be

juried by an independent juror.

That juror has to be a very special juror - in fact 99.9998% of your standard-issue visual art juror (art professors, art critics, art writers, art center directors, artists, collectors, art symbiots, etc.) would guarantee a disaster to this process. There are probably less than a dozen people in the entire DMV who are qualified to jury this process, I kid thee not and I know them all.

This is a critical point, so I’m going to repeat it: The DMV jury pool for this process is very limited and its members are only those gallerists who have successfully participated in multiple art fairs. In fact, I can’t think of anyone better to jury this part than me! Or Adah Rose, or Leigh Conner, or Amy Morton…

Whatever you do, DO NOT use an art fair director as a juror! They are usually interested in what would make the fair look good (usually from an unsellable trendy perspective), rather than understand the delicate balance of good art, finances, and peripheral issues that come to play into this process.

The juror would pick 3-5 artists and 2-3 alternates.

This is because some art fair processes do have the option to GALLERY BEAT > PAGE 13

Old Town Crier

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GALLERY BEAT | FROM PG 12

accept an application while at the same time rejecting some of the artists in that application.

So now we have a group of artists, culled from applying Art League members, ready and willing to participate in an art fair.

The actual application process is easy, so I’m not getting into that - be aware that deadlines are usually months before the actual fairs.

If accepted, the next step is transporting the artwork to the art fair, and then returning the unsold artwork back to the owners. For this, the Art League has various options.

One option would be to hire a transport company. There are dozens and dozens of specialized carriers that do this and they pick up and transport the art to your booth at the fair, and at the end pick it up from your booth and transport it back. This is the easiest and the most expensive. From here to NYC and back I would budget $1200-$2000 depending on volume. Packaging also becomes an issue here.

Another option is to rent a truck or van and schlep the work to and from the fair yourself. This is what I usually do for New York and Miami.

A third option is to have each artist (or teamed artists) bring their own work in their own cars, vans, etc.

In this example, I would offer each accepted artist the choice to also come to the fair, and help hang and help to sell Old Town Crier

their own work. This should be an option, not a requirement, as some artists would rather spend a week in Syria than a long weekend in an art fair dealing with art collectors; but some artists do like doing that.

In any event, just “being” and seeing what goes on at an art fair is a spectacular learning opportunity for anyone involved in the visual arts.

The Art League has the luxury of having a very skilled “front desk” team that is already well-versed in the arcane art of selling artwork - so they could and should also come to the fair to handle questions and sales, etc.

We’re getting dangerously close to having a lot of people crowding the booth, so let’s please keep the number of people hanging around the booth at all times to less than three; the artists can “float” in and out.

There is strength in numbers in many other aspects: transporting artwork, hanging it, packing it, splitting costs of hotel rooms, etc.

Before you book a hotel room anywhere in the major US cities (especially NYC) always check www. bedbugregistry.com. Again, I kid thee not. Pick a hotel that is walking distance from the fair or public transportation to the fair.

The elephant in the room here is cost(s), but again there is strength in numbers.

Art fairs often offer discounted prices to non-

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profits; Honfleur Gallery in Anacostia has participated in The Affordable Art Fair in NYC and takes advantage of this special pricing. The WPA participated (and had great success) at the DMV’s former art fair known as (e)merge, and Hamiltonian is sometimes a presence somewhere in an art fair in Miami – you see?

Some local non profits do take advantage of this model.

Of course, the Art League would also keep their usual commission on sales, so this also has a money-making angle for them.

Awright… so idea submitted one more time – let’s see if anyone takes it for action!

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November 2019 | 13

TAKE PHOTOS, LEAVE FOOT PRINTS

SCOTT DICKEN

The Wilds of Africa

A

s a result of my love for all things Africa, I often get readers of the Take Photos Leave Footprints website asking me questions as they decide whether Africa is the right vacation destination for them. Some of the most common misperceptions prevent would be holiday makers from enjoying the enormous diversity of cultures, wildlife, history, climates and scenery the African continent has to offer.

So, put on your boots and roll out your map – we’re going myth-busting!

Happy Travels!

About the Author: Born in the UK, Scott has lived in the DC area on and off for the last 15 years. He is the writer, photographer, and owner of the travel website, TakePhotosLeaveFootprints.com where he shares his passion for global travel through destination guides, travel hacks and photography tips.

The Only Reason to Go to Africa is for the Wildlife, Right?

African wildlife is undoubtedly a massive attraction; especially if you’re a first-time visitor, but Africa is about so much more than just its wildlife. For one, the diversity of cultures spanning 54 countries and over 2,000 languages. A trip to Africa could have you exploring everything from North Africa’s souks and spice markets to the Maasai tribal villages of Kenya and the fishermen of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. If you’re planning a trip to West Africa, then you can look forward to an exciting introduction to Voodoo tradition, while in South Africa you’ll get to enjoy the country’s renowned viniculture. Still not enough? Africa is also packed full of sites of historical significance. The little-known El Jem Roman amphitheater in Tunisia rivals Rome’s Colosseum.

Giza’s Great Pyramid in Egypt is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still standing. The subterranean rock-hewn churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia are a historic site of pilgrimage for Coptic Christians. The list of reasons to visit this great continent are endless!

Exploring Botswana’s Okavango Delta

Wildlife Viewing in Africa is all About the Big-5!

The Big-5 (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo) represent the most sought-after of Africa’s safari wildlife, but to focus solely on the Big-5 is to ignore some truly once-in-a-lifetime wildlife opportunities. Having had the opportunity to observe gorillas in the wild after hours of carving a path through the jungles of Rwanda with a machete, I can attest to just how life-changing some of Africa’s wildlife experiences are. But not all the continent’s animal encounters are quite so arduous. It can be just as rewarding to picnic alongside the ever-inquisitive penguin colony on Boulders Beach in Cape Town, South Africa or to scuba dive with whale sharks in Mozambique. One thing is certain, the opportunities for unique wildlife experiences will have you coming back for much more than just the Big-5.

Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

14 | November 2019

Old Town Crier

Africa is all Open Plains and Savannah as Far as the Eye Can See…Doesn’t That Get Boring?

Africa is more geologically and scenically diverse than most people imagine. My travels in Africa have seen me climb the snowcapped Mount Kilimanjaro; the highest free-standing mountain in the world. I’ve also sand boarded down some of the tallest dunes in the world in Namibia and white-water rafted down the Nile in Uganda. If relaxation is more your scene, then I highly recommend the coastal beach towns of Kenya, which have been consistently rated as some of the most scenic beaches in Africa.

Alternatively, you could marvel at the scale of Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe – one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Boredom should be the last thing on your mind when you think about Africa’s scenery!

The Sand Dunes of Deadvlei, Namibia

Is Africa a Dangerous and Unstable Place to Travel?

As with anywhere as large as the continent of Africa, there is the possibility of instability and the potential for danger.

However, on 99.9% of my travels across Africa, I’ve never had a single problem; and I’ve traveled to what could be described as significantly unstable regions. Most tourist destinations in Africa are no more dangerous than Washington, DC and friendly to international visitors. In fact, the only country in Africa where I have, on two occasions, felt unsafe was in South Africa; which is ironically one of the first tourist destinations on most traveler itineraries. Do a little research in advance so you know which areas are safe and which to avoid. Broadly speaking, opportunistic petty theft is more the norm for most tourist destinations. Exercise common sense and don’t flaunt your wealth - much like anywhere else in the world!

Sunset Over Lake Malawi – One of Africa’s Most Peaceful Countries

If I go to Africa I’m Bound to Catch [Insert Tropical Illness/Disease]!

Tracking Lions in Zambia

Old Town Crier

Africa is indeed home to some gnarly diseases, and the Ebola virus has done little to promote tourism, despite it being confined to a tiny handful of Africa’s 54 countries. However, in over 50 visits to Africa, I have never caught anything (although by making that statement I’ve now tempted fate). My simple advice is to make sure that you visit a travel clinic as far in advance of your trip as possible. That way you can plan your vaccinations and medications schedule and budget - which can be high if it’s your first visit. You should also make sure that you understand the medical facilities and capabilities available to you before you travel, particularly if you suffer from any medical conditions or are travelling with small children.

Western style medicine and advanced medications may not always be easily or quickly accessible outside of major cities, and certainly may not be available at the quality level you may be accustomed to. Simply have a contingency plan in place if you have any concerns, and regardless of whether you’re going off the beaten track, ensure you have a good medical evacuation insurance provider as a precaution.

If you’re considering an African vacation and have any questions or are looking for more information, then make sure to check out www.takephotosleavefootprints.com.

November 2019 | 15

URBAN GARDEN

THE PLANTS OF THANKSGIVING OLD HOPES RETURN EVERY YEAR A toast for Thanksgiving:

May we keep our rooms warm this winter.

May the roots remain dry and sweet.

May the garden’s peat thicken a spade’s length.

May the trees get a good winter’s sleep.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fruits

Mums

Some years are better than others, but if you plant enough varieties, you’re bound to get something delicious in return. Apples.

Pears. Peaches. Blueberries.

Blackberries. Raspberries.

Grapes. Pumpkin. Onions.

Tomatoes. Leeks. It’s easy to make pies from many of the autumn harvests. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the mix, even try odd, but delicious combinations like pumpkin and grapes, or onion and apples; make it savory with some sauteed chicken with garlic, applesauce, a squeeze of lemon and a touch of whisky or pernod.

The Chrysanthemum is a classic autumn plant. And with such beautiful, long lasting and surprisingly varied blooms. Many have warm, fall colors like copper, deep brick red, pumpkin orange, fire glow, spiced chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, luxurious pillows... Well, you get the picture, Mums help warm up the house for Thanksgiving.

Also be sure to bring in the Coleus plants you’ve been tending all summer in pots.

They will keep their beauty for quite a while and their colors often mimic autumn themes.

FIVE EDIBLE Pumpkin COLORS OF Corn

THANKSGIVING Turkey [ORANGE, YELLOW, BROWN, RED, GREEN

16 | November 2019

Cranberries Greens

Yarrow in the American Landscape Believed to be both a plant foretelling the future and a medicine, the Yarrow plant falls into that strange category of ubiquitous or ‘common’ plants that brings centuries of migration and cohabitation to light. Yarrow lives all over the world, and has become a

companion plant for countless cultures. Fifty-eight stalks are needed to ask a question of the ancient Chinese oracle, the I Ching. It is easy to harvest your Yarrow for this purpose and properly prepared bundles of fifty-eight stalks make great gifts.

In the Americas, different traditions portend and retell a time when the Yarrow stalks are drying in the foothill sun, giving us the color and feel of Thanksgiving and plenty seed for next year. During the gold rush, in this part of the country including the mineral rich rivers of the Sierra and Northern California’s Trinity and Klammath river canyons, Chinese workers and artisans would gather the yarrow each autumn for philosophical activities. With extremely strong cultural ties to ancient traditions of profound thought and artistic accomplishment, finding, gathering and using an ancient companion plant in a new land was one of the

simple ways to help keep the community close even in times of strife and uncertainty.

The landscapes we live in are all too beautiful and we give thanks for each passing season. This time for harvest, these landscapes. This planet.

Making us plan for the future, enough for winter -- food, warmth and friendship -from the earth we receive everything to warm our bones.

We have everything to thank. And plants are so very much a part of what we give thanks for at Thanksgiving.

More than we think, more than we know. Especially the editable ones; they bring us together for a time. A time of giving thanks to each other, to the harvest, and to everything good about the earth.

Don’t forget the apple pie.

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A BIT OF HISTORY

PARKER A. POODLE™ ©2019

“Let’s Not Be Scared, Let’s Be Prepared”

E

very dog, every child needs a trusted chum, an adviser who can teach them the pees and queues. At age 16, never did I, Parker A. Poodle a Reading Education Assistance Dog, assume a howling need to explain a despicable decade increase in gun violence.

Simply stated we must acknowledge America’s gun problem and teach children the particulars of personal and public safety. Including the new vocabulary—words like shots fired, active shooter, dangerous someone; inform, counter and evacuate.

“Most children play with toy guns or use their hands to pretend they are holding a gun,” Rachel Schulson’s Guns What You Should Know explains. “Have you ever wondered about real guns?...A bullet shot from a gun can travel up to 5,000 feet per second. That means that if you and a bullet had a race, the bullet would get to the end of your block before 18 | November 2019

you even took your first step…

It is impossible to know exactly where the bullet will end up.” According to the U.S. Gun Violence Archive from January 1, 2019, to September 20, 2019, there have been 40,596 incidents of gun violence, including 10,744 deaths (26.5%).

Today a hotel (Las Vegas), shopping center (El Paso), or movie theater (Aurora); office (Annapolis, Virginia Beach), church (Charleston) or school (Columbine, Blacksburg, Newtown and Parkland) is not always a place of safety. In October MGM International Mandalay Bay paid $800 million to 4000+ victims of the Las Vegas hotel shooting.

About 228,000 students have experienced a school shooting since 1999—Columbine.

“Let’s not be scared, let’s be prepared!” the National Center for Youth Issues, ALICE Training Institute suggests. I sometimes worry my dog house may not be safe should a dangerous someone draw near.

My well-tuned ears have heard the sound of gunshots.

I have walked a nearby schoolyard with Alexandria Community Police Officer Matt O’Malley not long after gunshots were confirmed.

Officer O’, a lover of Spaniels, appreciates that I am “Alert for my age;” mentally perceptive and quick. Quick enough to know that none of my favorite children’s books—

Rocket Writes a Story, The Velveteen Rabbit or Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go!—reference guns.

The Matchlock Gun, winner of the 1942 Newbury Medal, describes the Spanish Musket but only in terms of the 1756 French and Indian War. “Edward watched intently as his father struggled into the blue uniform coat that he had had made when he was elected captain of the Guilderland [NY] militia,” Walter D. Edmonds wrote. “[H]e wish[ed] that someday, just once even, his father would take the Spanish Gun to the muster. It hung over the fireplace…

It was longer than a grown man… and more than twice the length of Edward, who was ten years old.”

Amendment II of the Constitution’s 1791 Bill of Rights states: “A wellregulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The

National Rifle Association, created by a group of Union officers after the Civil War, promotes only “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

“The Founders never intended to create an unregulated individual right to a gun,” Michael Waldman,

President of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU’s School of Law wrote in 2014. “There is not a single word about an individual’s right to a gun for self-defense or recreation in [James] Madison’s notes from A BIT OF HISTORY > PAGE 19

Old Town Crier

A BIT OF HISTORY | FROM PAGE 18

the Constitutional Convention.

Nor was it mentioned, with a few scattered exceptions, in the ratification debates in the states. Nor did the U.S. House of Representatives discuss the topic as it marked up the Bill of Rights.”

“I sincerely rejoice at the acceptance of the new constitution by nine states,” Minister to France Thomas Jefferson wrote Madison in 1788. “It is a good canvas…

The few cases wherein these things may do evil, cannot be weighed against the multitude wherein the want of them will do evil.”

“In fact, the original version passed by the House included a conscientious objector provision,” Waldman continued. “‘A well-regulated militia,’ it explained, ‘composed of a body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms, shall be compelled to render military service in person.’”

First Lady Dolley Madison, a quick witted Quaker, was hardly good natured when the British invaded Washington during the War of 1812.

She intervened to save an Alexandria Apothecary’s 18year old nephew, apprentice Edward Stabler of Harewood.

Young Edward, also a Quaker, refused to join the Alexandria, D.C. militia and fight. His objection resulted in jail. “I gave Jimmy no rest until he ordered Edward’s release,” Dolley wrote Edward’s mother Deborah Pleasants Stabler.

James Madison, father of the Constitution, and Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, served on the Board of Visitors of the newly forming University of Virginia. On October 4, 1824 “the board… decided that ‘No Student shall, within the precincts of the University, introduce, keep or use any spirituous or vinous liquors, keep or use weapons or arms of any kind, or gunpowder…appear in school with a stick, or any weapon… on pain of…punishment.’”

Both men, proven champions of individual rights, agreed.

Their lasting lesson is?

Four times between 1876 and 1939, the U.S. Supreme Court “declined to rule that the Second Amendment protected gun ownership outside the Old Town Crier

context of a militia.” As the Tennessee Supreme Court put it in 1840—Aymette v. State, 21 Tenn (2 Hump) 154 (1840)— “The words ‘to bear arms’ have reference to their military use, and were not employed to mean wearing them about the person as part of the dress.

To bear arms in defense of the state is to employ them in war.”

“To hold that the Legislature could pass no law…by which to preserve the public peace, and protect our citizens from the terror which a wanton and unusual exhibition of arms might produce…would be to pervert a great political right to the worst of purposes,” the TSCourt continued.

“Suppose it were to suit the whim of a set of ruffians to enter the theatre in the midst of the performance, with drawn swords, guns, and fixed bayonets, or to enter the church in the same manner, during service, to the terror of the audience, and this were to become habitual; can it be that it would be beyond the power of the Legislature to pass laws to remedy such an evil?” the TSCourt asked. “Surely not.”

I, Parker A. Poodle, was born November 13, 2003. I was surprised to learn that the U.S. Supreme Court did not rule that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual’s right to own a gun until 2008.

District of Columbia v.

Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008).

A decision reached in my lifetime and the lifetime of the children I wish to reach and protect.

“The ruling in Heller represents a dramatic reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s previous interpretation of the Second Amendment,” the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence wrote.

McDonald v. Chicago 561 U.S. 742 (2010) followed.

The reality is such that Newtown’s Sandy Hook Promise regularly broadcasts a Public Service Announcement entitled “Back to School Essentials.” The ALICE Training Institute communicates its message using a children’s book, I’m Not Scared…I’m Prepared Because I know all About Alice.

“We even have safety drills that we practice,” Julia Cook wrote. (www.alicetraining. com) The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s lesson— Run, Hide, Fight is delivered via the web. (www.ready.gov/ active-shooter) Not surprisingly the Johns

Hopkins University Center for Gun Policy and Research 2019 survey discovered “support among gun owners and non-gunowners for more than twenty gun violence prevention policies.” The survey “measured support for over two dozen gun-related policies and found high levels of support for most measures, including purchaser licensing (77%), universal background checks of handgun purchasers (88%), and two key elements of extreme risk protection policies, also known as ‘red flag’ laws.” The study was published online September 9 in the Journal of Health Affairs.

The JHU Center also offers a free online safety course. Lap dog that I am, my lady and I reviewed the JHU website together.

On January 9, 2019, Senator Diane Feinstein (DCA) introduced S.66 Assault Weapons Ban, a bill which “makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD)…The bill also allows a state or local government to use…Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.”

The prior ban expired in September 2004.

Now here we are. Ten months later S.66 and other gun control proposals languish. The politics may be dog-eat-dog but change is needed. Dare I, a canine command it? We’re talking your life, maybe death!

Parker A. Poodle™ is the significant companion of columnist Sarah Becker.

Sarah 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.

November 2019 | 19

POINTS ON PETS

CINDY MCGOVERN

Winter Weather Challenges Are On the Way… Be Prepared!

Cham Kahn

A

s summer fades to fall, the challenges you and your pet face from the heat and humidity of summer fade as well. You may take longer walks and your pet may be more energetic. Don’t forget, though, that winter is just around the corner with its own set of challenges; freezing temperatures, chemically treated roads and sidewalks with snow and ice.

Perhaps the most important thing any pet owner can do is to know your pet. If you have an arthritic or older pet, they may have more problems walking on snow and ice and may be more prone to slipping and falling. Pets with diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, or hormonal imbalances may have a harder time regulating their body temperature, and may be more susceptible to problems from temperature extremes.

Photo Courtesy of owner Jason Walker

If it’s cold outside for you, it’s cold for your pet.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, a common misconception is that because an animal has a fur coat, they’re immune from the cold.

Just like people, cats and dogs are susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia and should be kept inside during cold weather. Some long-haired dog breeds, such as Huskies, are more tolerant of the cold.

These breeds, however, are the exception, not the rule.

In fact, short-haired breeds feel the cold faster because they have less protection and short-legged pets even more so because their bellies and bodies are more likely to come in contact with the cold or snow-covered ground.

If your pet is whining, shivering, seems anxious or weak, slows down or stops moving, or starts looking

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for warm places to burrow, they may be showing signs of hypothermia. Get them back inside quickly. If they’re wet, dry them off before wrapping them in a blanket. Frostbite is harder to detect, and may not be fully recognized until a few days after the damage is done. If you suspect your pet has hypothermia or frostbite, consult your veterinarian immediately.

For any animal, exposure to winter’s cold can cause chapped paws and itchy, flaky skin. Limit baths during the cold as washing too often can remove essential oils from the skin and increase your pet’s chance of developing dry, flaky skin. If you must bathe your pet, use a vet recommended moisturizing shampoo or rinse. If your dog is long-haired, trim his fur to minimize potentially clinging ice balls, salt crystals and deicing chemicals that can dry

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his skin. And don’t forget to check the hair between his toes to see what it may be hiding.

Pay particular attention to your dogs’ paws in cold weather and check them frequently for cracked paw pads or bleeding. During a walk, a sudden lameness may be due to an injury or ice accumulation between the toes. Paws, legs and bellies may pick up de-icers, antifreeze, or other chemicals that could be toxic. Once your walk is over, wipe down those areas to remove the chemicals.

Not only does this protect the feet and skin, it reduces the risk that your dog will be poisoned after he licks his feet or fur. Use pet-friendly ice melts whenever possible and be sure to clean up any antifreeze spills quickly and thoroughly. The American Kennel Club has information on pet friendly de-icers,

as does Dogs Naturally Magazine.

You can help protect your dog’s paws by massaging petroleum jelly or other protectants into their paw pads before going outside.

Booties provide even better protection and can also prevent sand and salt from getting lodged between bare toes and causing irritation.

Not all dogs will tolerate them and it’s important that they fit properly. To complete your pet’s winter wardrobe, consider a sweater or rain coat, but remember, wet sweaters can actually make your dog colder.

Cats are notorious at hiding and a warm vehicle engine can be an appealing heat source for outdoor and feral cats, but it’s deadly. If you know there are feral cats in your neighborhood, make POINTS ON PETS > PAGE 21

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Old Town Crier

POINTS ON PETS | FROM PAGE 20

sure you check underneath your car, bang on the hood, and honk the horn before starting the engine to scare them away.

While a car may seem like a safe place for your pet over the winter, a car can act as a refrigerator that holds in the cold, just as it holds summer’s heat, and cause animals to freeze to death. Pets that are young, old, ill, or thin are

particularly susceptible to cold environments and should never be left in cold cars.

Now that we’ve covered the outdoors, what can you do inside the home to keep your pet safe and comfortable?

Just like you, pets like to be comfortable when sleeping and may change their preferred location based on the season and need for more or less warmth. Give them some options away from cold drafts with warm blankets or beds and if possible, move the

beds off the floor. Be careful with space heaters that can cause burns or be knocked over. Make sure your traditional wood fireplace has a grate to prevent your pet for exploring or embers from escaping.

Many humans resort to hearty, comforting meals over the winter and some pet owners think a little extra food will help their pet feel better as well. But just as you will struggle to shed that winter weight in the spring, so

will your pet. It’s best to keep them on the same feeding routine and at their normal, healthy weight. Outdoor pets do require more calories in the winter to generate enough body heat and energy to keep them warm, but for most pets, winter is not the time to overeat, even if they tell you

otherwise. Cold weather can also lead to dehydration, so make sure your pet has plenty of water to drink to keep them well hydrated and their skin less dry.

Winter can be a magical time with your pet if you know the risks and how to mitigate them.

Sources:

AVMA.ORG/PUBLIC/PETCARE/PAGES/COLD-WEATHER-PET-SAFETY.ASPX ASPCA.ORG/PET-CARE/GENERAL-PET-CARE/COLD-WEATHER-SAFETY-TIPS HUMANESOCIETY.ORG/RESOURCES/5-WAYS-PROTECT-PETS-WINTER DOGSNATURALLYMAGAZINE.COM/FINDING-PAW-FRIENDLY-ICE-MELT-PRODUCTS/

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BUGS

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SKEET

Adult, Neutered Male, Black Short-haired Rabbit

Senior, Neutered Male, Black and White Domestic Short Hair

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What’s up doc? The name’s Bunny. Bugs Bunny, and I’m here on a mission to find my new best friend.

If you’re looking for a silly bun who will always be by your side to brighten your day, I might be just the one for you. I’m handsome, smart, modest, everything you could be looking for in your best friend. Stop by the AWLA to meet me today!

Now in his senior years, Remmy still has moments of youthful kitten spirit. When he meows, his little squeak of a chirp sounds like the tiniest kitten, but really it’s just Remmy asking for “treats please!” He is sweet and affectionate like a kitten too. Remmy loves cuddling up by, next to and with his friends, and he’d love to cuddle with you too!

alexandriaanimals.org/animal-profile/?id=20470 alexandriaanimals.org/adoption-information/ Bugs Photo courtesy of DeSilva Studios, LLC.

alexandriaanimals.org/animal-profile/?id=38979 alexandriaanimals.org/adoption-information/ Remmy Photo courtesy of DeSilva Studios, LLC.

Meet Skeet, the big ol’ puppy! At just a little over 1 year old, he loves learning from his people and working to earn his favorite treats (any treats)!

After a little clicker training and practicing his doggy skills, he wants nothing more than to cuddle up with his friends and some toys. He’s a big kid at heart and can’t wait to find a family to call his own! alexandriaanimals.org/animal-profile/?id=38341 alexandriaanimals.org/adoption-information/ Skeet Photo courtesy of DeSilva Studios, LLC.

November 2019 | 21

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION BY JENN MANES

The Big Boats Are Back!

Ulysses

‘T

is the season my friends! We just had our first megayacht visit St. John marking the beginning of season for some.

So, I happened to be out and about on a News of St. John Island Tour on a sunny late October afternoon when I passed Round Bay out on the East End. The bay was quiet and still with not a boat in site. We cruised to the end of the island, took a few pics at Privateer Bay, and then we headed back toward Round Bay. To my surprise, a huge megayacht had arrived in the bay in just that short time! It was quite large and very pretty, you know, if you’re into yachts that cost $275 million. Pocket change for many of you, I’m sure – haha.

Wanting to know more, I opened up 22 | November 2019

Le Grand Bleu my Marine Traffic app on my phone and learned that the yacht was named Ulysses. (Check out this app if you want to get info on the boats you’re seeing on the water.)

Motor Vessel Ulysses, I quickly learned, is 380 feet long, it can accommodate 30 guests and has 48

crew members. The yacht was completed last year for New Zealand’s wealthiest resident, billionaire businessman Graeme Hart. However, Hart didn’t keep the yacht long according to superyachtfan.com. Earlier this year, he sold the yacht to Russia’s

most influential tech investor, billionaire Yuri Milner. Milner was an early backer of Facebook and Twitter.

This isn’t the first time we have had a Russian megayacht visit St. John.

Back in April, the world’s 9th largest yacht spent some time in the waters around the island. It was extremely impressive to see in person. Sailing Yacht A is 468 feet in length and owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, who is number 90 on the Forbes billionaire list. The yacht is referred to as being a “sail-assisted motor yacht” and is the largest boat of its kind in the world.

And then back in January 2015, we had a Russian billionaire and his 370CARIBBEAN CONNECTION > PAGE 23

Old Town Crier

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION FROM PAGE 22

foot megayacht, Le Grand Bleu visit. This vessel also had a 72-foot sailboat on it as well as a 68-foot powerboat, two helicopter pads and a Landrover so he can explore the places he visits.

I love seeing all of the mega yachts visit St. John during season, which clearly just started. These people have the money to visit any place in the world, and they choose to come here. That’s pretty cool in my book.

If we have any other cool boats visit us, and I’m sure we will, I will definitely tell you all about it! In the meantime, have a great day everyone!

Publishers Note: All content in this section provided courtesy of one of our favorite St. John Blogs hosted by Jenn Manes – News of St. John. If Jenn likes something or someone, she will write about it. If she doesn’t, she won’t. It’s as simple as that. Please check out News of St. John and become a follower. Jenn welcomes any and all feedback, so please feel free to contact her at any time at jenn@newsofstjohn.com.

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November 2019 | 23

MOLLY WINANS

FROM THE BAY …

The Pre-Loved Vessel

T

o shop for used boats, you have to have an active imagination.

If it’s wintertime, a particularly vivid one.

The April boat shopper may walk down a dock under sunny skies, to the tune of chirping birds, to look at a 38-foot sloop with freshly washed decks. Even if it were 60 degrees, imagining the freedom of throwing off the lines, while wearing shorts and a wide-brimmed hat, is not a big mental leap.

Now back up six or so months and subtract 30 degrees. Under gray skies and layered wool, you carefully trudge down the dock, while eyeing the ice on the creek.

Boarding that 38-footer may be treacherous due to ice or slush. Hoping the deck would look nice if hosed down, you go below thinking it may be warmer down there. It’s not.

You open and close drawers and lockers, as boat shoppers do, and pause to blow on your fingertips for warmth. When you can see your breath, those shirt-sleeve, straw hat, mix24 | November 2019

me-a-margarita sailing day images take more creativity to muster.

A few winters ago, I captured a glimpse of this tough process, as a friend searched for a used, costeffective, 35- to 40-foot sailboat to live aboard.

Liveaboard sailors on the Chesapeake Bay lead interesting, surprisingly normal lives that are not as ruled by winter heating issues as much as we dirt dwellers may believe.

My soon-to-be liveaboard friend shared his Excel spreadsheet of specifications he sought in a pre-owned vessel. Electric heat was number 18 on the list, preceded by draft, beam, sail inventory, roller furling, engine, and other sailing and docking considerations.

Cockpit size and exterior canvas were also priorities as added living space, especially with a bimini and dodger setup fit to be wrapped in eisinglass to create a sunwarmed “porch.”

When it came to cabin space, my friend’s specification list was fairly predictable, with some of it rated on a one-to-five scale.

The galley would have to

be sufficient for day-to-day cooking. A separate shower, rather than just a nozzle over the head, would be a bonus.

A comfortable saloon with elbow room for reading, movie night, and dinner with close friends was a must, as was ample storage, since the boat would become his only closet.

The more I looked at the spec sheet and agreed and disagreed with my friend on certain necessary aspects of boats—shoal draft keels and cuddle room among them— the more I realized that I, like every sailor he had talked to, had my own sailboat owning fantasies I was trying to project on him. More than half of what I considered crucial to boat buying was not quantifiable or spreadsheetfriendly.

The snob scale. Even if we don’t have the money to back up the attitude, many of us have one. Most sailors I know have snubbed their noses at certain boat brands. One of my friends joked that he wouldn’t mind rafting his J/40 alongside a Bristol 35.5, but the O’Day 40 guy would have to fly solo. I advised another friend to reconsider buying an ugly boat he was ready to write a check for. “To attract women,” I told him, “you need a sexier boat.” Your future boat must be acceptable on your own snob scale.

Then, there’s the wishI-had-known factor. No matter how many experts’ opinions you gather or how hard you try to predict future annoyances—such as the step you will stub your toe on, the ledge that will repeatedly bruise your forehead, or the boat sailing like a pig

downwind—you may not figure out what’s to dislike about your boat until you own and sail her. The knowledge that you will swear at her later and have pangs of regret keeps you up at night and fits nowhere on a spreadsheet.

And where on that electronically shareable Google document does love fit? Can you quantify the warm and fuzzies? Really, if a friend tells you he or she is in love, do you ask, “On a scale from one to 10, how much?”

Does a je ne sais quoi feeling fit under the “equipment/ item” column?

In any season, there are two terrible truths about love and sailboat buying. The first is that the more money you have to spend, the more je ne sais quoi stardust you can conjure up in a boat. The other is that all sailboats are labors of love.

You must love your boat in the beginning. You must get a little giddy and feel that this boat, this means of escape and joy, is destined to be yours.

You have to see it. Then later, when times are tough, and you discover her weaknesses, when the engine breaks down and you find yourself dishing out three times your budget for unsavory items related to bilges, heads, and rust, you can remember the beautiful beginning. That, too, may require a healthy imagination.

Winans is the Editor of SpinSheet and PropTalk magazines based in Eastport, Maryland. This article first appeared in the February 2011 issue of SpinSheet.

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ROAD TRIP

BOB TAGERT

The Shenandoah Valley

and Muse Vineyards and Winery

T

his month we decided to return to the Shenandoah Valley and make the beautiful Muse Vineyard and Winery as our goal.

For the past two years we have written Owner Sally Cowell about our friends, The Eastport Oysters Boys, a band of locals from Annapolis and Eastport, Maryland. Once again, the Boys performed at the Woodstock Cafe the last weekend of September and we were there. If you want to learn more about the Eastport Oyster Boys and the Maritime Republic of Eastport, google MRE. The wives of the Boys spent their Saturday at Muse Winery and we heard a lot of good things about it so we decided to make it our destination.

If you have read our previous Shenandoah road trips you remember that we like to take as many back roads as possible, especially this time of year. On this particular Sunday it was raining for the first time this month, so we chose to take Interstate 66 west to I-81 and south to Woodstock, Virginia. It made the trip quicker, but at a price of leaf watching, especially for the driver.

We did notice that the leaves were beginning to show color and by the first few weeks in November, the colors should be reaching their peak. When you take exit 283 off of I-81 you can follow the signs to Muse Vineyards which is only about 2 miles out of town. The winery lies in a hidden corner of the Shenandoah Valley along the scenic North Fork of the Shenandoah River and at the foot of the mountains. The river snakes its way through the bottomland as it journeys to join up with the Shenandoah River. A low concrete bridge takes you across the water to the gravel road that leads to the tasting room.

I was a little apprehensive about the width of the road if I encountered a vehicle coming the other way. Much to my relief, I discovered after reaching the tasting room, that there was a separate exit that took you back to the main road on the other side of the winery. Although the roads were not marked one way, be assured that you will not encounter any head on traffic.

Muse Vineyards is considered a boutique vineyard “where art, science, passion, and reverence for the tradition of classic wine making converge to produce award-winning wine.” Vines were first planted on their 50-acre farm in 2005 and the tasting room opened in 2016. In 2015, Muse’s 2009 Clio, a Bordeauxstyle blend was awarded a gold medal in the prestigious Virginia Governor’s Cup. Today Muse produces approximately 2,500 cases.

The proprietors of Muse Vineyards are husband and wife Robert Muse and Sally Cowal.

We met Sally as she worked tirelessly in the tasting room. It is evident that she and Robert care deeply about their wines. According to Robert, Muse Vineyards’ viticultural philosophy and practice is that of minimalist agriculture. “We aim for as few sprays as possible. Our commitment is to employing only the latest generation of low-impact materials and taking great care when and how we use them.” “When grapes are allowed to speak for themselves,” Robert notes, “they ROAD TRIP > PAGE 27

26 | November 2019

Old Town Crier

ROAD TRIP | FROM PAGE 26

speak of the place where they were grown. They speak of the climate.

They even reveal things about how they were treated.”

The tasting room has a very contemporary feel with clean lines and high ceilings. The seating includes several 4 and 6 tops as well as communal tables and comfy sofa chairs. The interior is awash with bright colors which contrasts nicely with the changing leaves outside. Not only do they provide upright heaters for the outside patio tables, there is also a huge stone fire place to ward off the fall chill inside.

If you arrive with an appetite, they can solve that need with offerings from their kitchen. Served Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are Panini, seasonal soups, seasonal salads, grilled shrimp or chicken Caesar salad. There are various platters as well as an A la Carte menu available at all times. Check their website for details.

A quick note here. The wine maker at Muse Vineyards is Tim Rouse. Tim’s dad is Gabrielle Rouse, who first opened Barboursville Winery in the early 70’s and today has his own winery in Charlottesville. Gabrielle is considered the modern day father of Virginia wines and has produced some of the best. We tried all of their wines when we visited and they are top drawer across the board while leaning heavier toward reds. Tim Rouse is following in his dad’s footsteps.

While Muse Vineyards was our ultimate goal on this road trip, we always like to add a few other spots of interest. The town of Woodstock, as well as Edinburg, are fun to visit and you can find dining options as well as accommodations at each town. We have stayed at, and particularly like, the Edinburg Renaissance Bed & Breakfast and the Inn at Narrow Passage that sits along the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, a few miles down from Muse Vineyards. There is also a circa 1792 cottage on the property that has been maintained and updated with modern amenities - including a swimming pool without sacrificing the original charm of the home, and is for rent with room for up to 6 guests.

When we drove back home we opted for Route 11 north instead of I-81. It is slower but allows more time for sightseeing and observing Old Town Crier

the fall colors. This is how we came across Filibuster Distillery in Maurertown, slightly north of Woodstock. With spending my whole life near Washington D.C., the name filibuster struck a chord...just can’t stop talking. We had to stop in. Their business began on the corner of 9th and M St. NW, not far from the Capitol, so Filibuster was a natural choice for their name.

“We wanted to lampoon the intensity of the political culture in D.C.-maybe if everyone just talked it out over a few drinks, things would go more smoothly” is a quote taken from their website. Their whiskeys are made in single batches and consist of Bourbon, Rye, Boondoggler Whiskey (Boondoggler is neither a bourbon nor a rye in the traditional sense, but combines elements of each for a one-of-akind taste experience and is quite tasty).

The distillery is in an old warehouse but you don’t have to drive to Maurertown to taste it. It is available in Virginia ABC stores and is carried by all of the Alexandria Restaurant Partners establishments – Vola’s, Mia’s, Majestic, etc – where it is the featured bourbon.

The leaves will be gone by the end of the month. Take a road trip to Muse Vineyards and enjoy some of Virginia’s best wine and scenery.

Publishers Note: Take a close look at the Muse logo and see if you can see what is “special” about it.

Email what you see to office@oldtowncrier.com.

YOUR

ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE

Quality Sport & Trail Horses For Sale Open Year-Round Lessons • Training •Trail Rides • Special Events www.therockingsranch.com • 540.678.8501 November 2019 | 27

TO THE BLUE RIDGE

JULIE REARDON

Give Thanks I

t’s not winter yet, but the chilly nights and early sunsets remind us it’s just around the corner.

Fortunately even this close to winter there are plenty of mild days, fall colors and time to enjoy yourself before the rush of the holiday season and the shortest day of the year arrive next month. So, take a mini vacation or a Sunday afternoon (who cares about the Redskins these days?) and take in any or all of these adventures.

Saddle up cowgirls and cowboys and take a scenic tour of the countryside on one of the well trained trail horses

28 | November 2019

at the Rocking S Ranch near Winchester, therockingsranch. com 540-678-8501. Starting at $50 an hour, you can ride on trails once used by Union and Confederate cavalry during the Civil War in the northern Shenandoah Valley. With our warm fall and lack of rain, leaf peeping has been delayed and prime color should last well into November. See their ad in this section. Marriott Ranch in Hume also offers leisurely trail rides suitable for beginners on quiet, well trained trail horses with experienced trail guides on the ranch’s 4,200 acres in the Blue Ridge starting at $55 per person for guided rides.

Faster-paced rides are also available for more experienced riders. For both, advance reservations are required; check the website for details. marriottranch.com Deer hunting is perhaps the single most important tool for management of Virginia’s exploding white tail deer population; and venison is the quintessential organic meat: lean and tasty. Virginia’s firearms deer season in our area is Nov. 14 – Jan. 2. Locally, the Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries maintains several good wildlife management areas open to public hunting, including Merrimac Farm, 300 acres in Prince William county; C.F. Phelps, 4,540 acres on the Rappahannock in southern Fauquier County near Remington; Weston, 265 acres near Warrenton; Thompson,

3,963 hilly acres near Delaplane in northwest Fauquier County; and Rapidan, 10,327 acres in Madison County near Culpeper.

You can find your game by clicking on HuntFishVA.com.

Hunting packages are available if you don’t have time to scout an area; the Marriott Ranch in Hume offers hunters packages including tree stands in prime areas and even overnight stays in quaint hunting cabins in November and December with all the legwork done for you—visit their website marriottranch.com for details.

No more than 8 hunters are allowed at a time on the 4,200 acres so book early.

If you enjoy star gazing as much as leaf peeping, Sky Meadows State Park just outside of Upperville in Fauquier County at 11012 Edmunds La., Delaplane offers a chance to see the stars and space objects through large telescopes on November 23rd starting at 4:30 p.m. at the park’s Astronomy for Everyone event. In partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club and the Albert Einstein Planetarium, the evening offers a great way to see the stars and space objects without all the urban light pollution of the D.C. metro area. There’s even a junior astronomer event for kids starting at 4:30.

The event is free; parking is $5.

For information, call 540/5923556 or visit dcr.virginia.gov/ state-parks/sky-meadows Although the farmers markets in our area typically

shut down in November, the Archwood Green Barns will remain open Sunday afternoons until November 24th. A worthy destination itself, it’s also right off I66 just 8 miles west of Haymarket so easily accessed going to or from points west. It’s also one of the few markets that is worth a visit on a rainy day since most of the vendor stalls are located inside the historic converted horse barns. More than just produce, you can find organic and wholesome home grown Virginia goods for a week of healthful meals and artisan gift items. You can ask all the questions you like as the people selling the items are the ones that made them, since this is a produceronly market. You’ll find fruits, vegetables, baked goods, goat cheese, meats (fresh and frozen) to make your own locavore meal. Besides the hard to find local items you’ve been looking for, you’ll find items you never expected, too including orchids, olive oil, coffee, gourds, quilted specialties and homemade rustic wood furniture. You can find a list of vendors and what they sell on their website archwoodgreenbarns.com; open Sundays in November from 10 am until 3 pm. Don’t miss out, after November 24th it will not reopen until May. 4557 Old Tavern Rd., The Plains (right off I66 exit 31).

Old Town Crier

Background Photo by John Caslin

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Old Town Crier

Nethers Road, Sperryville Close to Old Rag and a few feet from the Hughes River, the Dodson House is the perfect country retreat. The 3.2 AC parcel features a 3 BR/2BA farmhouse that has been lovingly wrapped around a historic 1 room cabin. Enjoy the porch after fishing on the Hughes River. $449,000 CheriWoodard.com 37 Main Street, Sperryville, VA 22740 (540) 987-8500

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More Info Contact- Samantha.rpkgetaways@gmail.com

November 2019 | 29

DINING OUT

I

n 2018 Old Town Alexandria greeted the arrival of the Village Brauhaus and the place has been rocking ever since. Creator and owner, Bill Gross, wanted to share his love of Germanic food and created this restaurant of Austrian and Bavarian fare to reflect three simple thoughts...Great Food, Great Beer and Great Times.

The restaurant is huge by Old Town standards because it actually is the combination of two previous restaurants blended into one. There are two large dining rooms. The first is a more pub/beer hall concept while the other is upstairs and a little more elegant. The main bar is the first thing you see when you walk in and the bar area is separated from the dining area by a brick wall with open portals which allows for the subdued integration of the two rooms. There is also a second bar and small room on the second floor that is available for special occasions and over flow.

As one might expect, the restaurant has a lot of energy as well as great food.

The conversation is easy going as customers immerse themselves in a huge selection of great German beers. The Brauhaus offers 11 German beers on draft with a seasonal 30 | November 2019

THE GASTRONOMES

Above: Pretzel

Above: Strudel

Top Center: Brats and Kraut

Left: Jagerschnitzel

Village Brauhaus A TOUGH OF AUSTRIA AND BAVARIA IN OLD TOWN rotation of select beers. They also offer Beer Cocktails as well as ‘Specialty’ Drinks.

The appetizers are all Bavarian style except the American creation...wings, available in mild Buffalo, hot Buffalo or hot honey garlic.

We tried the Giant Bavarian Pretzel imported from Germany and served with sweet and spicy mustard and beer cheese. Even though we shared the pretzel, there was still some to take home for a late night treat.

The menu features a seasonal soup as well as Goulash Soup made from Braised Beef, vegetables and seasoned with paprika. They offer a House Salad, Caesar Salad and a Waldorf Salad made with Romaine lettuce, apples, candied walnuts and raisins. Each of these salads can be turned into a meal with the addition of either chicken, salmon or steak.

The side dishes to accompany your hearty meal include Red Cabbage, Braised Sauerkraut, Dumpling and

Spaetzle (a type of pasta made with fresh eggs), Warm German Potato Salad (my favorite), Seasonal Vegetables and the ubiquitous French Fries.

Going back to the days when I would go snow skiing, I would always look forward to a great Bratwurst cooked over a roaring fire. Like myself, I would imagine that was the way a lot of us were introduced to this delicious beef sausage, however, it was the only one I ever knew of at the time. At the Village Brauhaus you can try the “Best of the Wurst”...choose any two for $15 served with braised

sauerkraut and spaetzle. You can change out the sides if you like. The choices are Brautwurst, Krainerwurst, Weisswurst, Bauernwurst, a Hot Wurst platter or Wurst on a Roll. My dining partner opted to do the platter with a bratwurst and a krainerwurst and substituted the spaetzle with red cabbage. The sausages and the cabbage were quite good but she found the kraut to be a little on the salty side and a bit overcooked. The flavor was good but the texture was a bit off. This doesn’t mean she’s not up for trying it again on another visit.

The main course offerings are Bavarian/Austrian/ German specialties as well as a pan roasted Salmon and a NY Strip Steak. The specialties include Kassler Rippchen, Sauerbraten, Wienerschnitzel, Jagerschnitzel, Chickenschnitzel, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Paprikahendl, and Backfisch. I ordered the Jagerschnitzel for my dinner.

While I like Weinerschnitzel, I think it is a little dry so

I like the idea of a warm mushroom gravy over the breaded, boneless pork cutlet for this “hunters cutlet”, as it was originally called. The entree was served with red cabbage and spaetzle. I was very pleased with this offering as the cutlet was large with plenty of mushroom gravy.

The zesty cabbage added a great counterpoint to the pork and the spaetzle was very satisfying. The portions offered are huge. Come with a hearty appetite or look forward to taking part of your meal home for a meal later on.

Even though we had food packed up to go home we had to try the apple strudel. There was a minor problem in the kitchen with our order so it took some time to get it but it was worth the wait. We topped it off with some vanilla bean ice cream and a cup of coffee.

It was a nice way to end the meal.

The Village Brauhaus has been a welcome addition to the 700 block of King Street and the other establishments offering great food, drink and entertainment. Stop in for a nice lunch, hearty dinner, a cocktail with friends or for simply any reason. Check out their newly opened Black Forest Bar and let them host and cater your next Holiday Party!

Old Town Crier

®

EAT & DRINK At restaurants in Old Town.

All in one night. All for one price. All for children.

Let Murphy’s host your Holiday Party this year with seating up to 115 guests and featuring Fireside Dining

SUNDAY BRUNCH 10 AM-3 PM • ONLY $9.95 So many delicious choices

Pancakes with Sausage Irish Country Breakfast Three Egg Omelette Eggs Benedict Homemade Quiche French Toast Hamburger Platter STEAK & EGG SPECIAL only $10.95

Old Town Crier

Home of PATRIOTS FOOTBALL!

713 King Street Old Town Alexandria

703.548.1717 murphyspub.com

Thursday, November 7, 2019 General Admission $125 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Benefitting

VIP $300 Reception 5:00pm – 6:30pm After Party 9:00pm – 11:00pm

Get tickets at

RocktheBlocks.org

November 2019 | 31

BEHIND THE BAR

BRÜT CHAMPAGNE & WINE BAR 118 SOUTH ROYAL STREET OLD TOWN ALEXANDRIA 703-664-0214 BRUTWINEBARVA.COM Vive le Champagne

DUSTIN LARA How did you get started in the bartending business?

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

I started bartending at New Heights in Woodley Park. It was great money and I was able to put myself back in school in New York.

I love getting people turned on to wine that they normally wouldn’t expect to like so I have lots of interesting encounters….

What is your biggest bartender pet peeve?

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

People that flag you down and say that they are ready and they are not.

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

Actually no one has ever tried that with me. I’d love to hear someone try it.

What is the best/worst pickup line you’ve heard at the bar?

“Do you want to go to Cher right now?” She went.

32 | November 2019

The writer Italo Calvino Dustin is behind the bar from 5-10 pm Wednesday and Thursday, Fridays 5-11 pm, Saturdays 3-11 pm and Sundays 3-9 pm. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

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

Old Town Crier

dine out!

Small Batch, Gourmet Hot Sauce celebrating american cuisine with libations from around the world

Thanksgiving Day Feast!

We apply the “Hurricane Category Heat Index”

Cajun Dew Bayou Inspired

60” wood birning fireplace! private event room over 300 beer & wine

tjstones.com 608 Montgomery St Alexandria 703.548.1004

“A Washington Post Capitol Cuisine Favorite” The Very Best Alexandria has to offer in the Heart of Historic Old Town Famous for our She Crab Soup, Steaks and Crab Cakes

Cajun Dew is the perfect blend of Cayenne and Habenero peppers along with garlic, vinegar and salt. Simple and flavorful.

Available for purchase online at hurricanebobs.com or at The Old Town Store on Union Street in Old Town.

Also featured at several local watering holes in Alexandria.

Champagne

6th Annual

Dinner Saturday Nov. 30, 6:30pm

13 Champagnes 5 Course Tasting Menu $150 each

(tax and gratuity not included)

Reservations Required

Best Brunch in Old Town Saturday & Sunday 9am- 4pm

Happy Thanksgiving!

River Bend will be closed all day

7966 Fort Hunt Road * 703-347-7545

RiverBendBistro.com Old Town Crier

November 2019 | 33

AMERICAN

AUGIE’S MUSSEL HOUSE 1106 King Street 703.721.3970

JOE THEISMANNS 1800 Diagonal Rd. 703-739-0777

BILBO BAGGINS 208 Queen St. 703-683-0300

JUNCTION BAKERY & BISTRO 1508 Mount Vernon Avenue Alexandria 703-436-0025

BLACKWALL HITCH 5 Cameron St. 703-739-6090

LAPORTAS 1600 Duke St. 703-683-6313

CAFE 44 44 Canal Center 571-800-6644 CARLYLE CLUB 411 John Carlyle St. 703-549-8957

THE LIGHT HORSE 715 King Street 703-549-0533

CHADWICKS 203 Strand St. 703-836-4442 CHARLIE'S ON THE AVENUE Mount Vernon Avenue 703-851-3270

LORI'S TABLE 1028 King Street 703-549-5545 LOST DOG CAFE 808 North Henry St. 571-970-6511

CHART HOUSE One Cameron St. 703-684-5080

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

CITY KITCHEN 330 South Pickett St. 703-685-9172 fatcitykitchen.com COLUMBIA FIREHOUSE 109 S. St. Asaph St. 703-683-1776

MAGNOLIA’S ON KING 703 King St. 703-838-9090 MAJESTIC CAFÉ 911 King St. 703-837-9117 MASON SOCIAL 728 Henry Street Old Town Alexandria 703-548-8800 mason-social.com

EVENING STAR CAFÉ 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-549-5051 EXECUTIVE DINER & CAFE 1400 Duke Street 703-299-0894 FIN & HOOF 801 N. Saint Asaph St. 703-836-4700 FIVE GUYS 725 King St. 703-549-7991 FLAT TOP BURGER 529 East Howell Ave. 571-970-1006 FOSTERS GRILLE 2004 Eisenhower Ave. 703-725-1342 GADSBYS TAVERN 138 N. Royal St. 703-548-1288 GRATEFUL KITCHEN 727 N. Henry Street HARD TIMES CAFE 1404 King St. 703-837-0050 HEN QUARTER 1404 King St. 703-684-6969 HUMMINGBIRD 220 South Union Street 703-566-1355 JACKS PLACE 222 North Lee St. 703-684-0372 JACKSON 20 480 King St. 703-842-2790 JAVA GRILL 611 King Street 571-431-7631

34 | November 2019

LIVE OAK 1603 Commonwealth Ave. 571-312-0402

MOUNT VERNON INN Mount Vernon, Va 703-780-0011 MURPHYS IRISH PUB 713 King St. 703-548-1717 murphyspub.com MYRON MIXON PITMASTER BBQ 220 North Lee St. 703-535-3340 NECTAR COFFEE & WINE BISTRO 106 Hume Avenue 571-431-6150 NORTHSIDE 1O 10 East Glebe Rd. 703-888-0032 OCONNELLS RESTAURANT & BAR 112 King St. 703-739-1124 danieloconnellsrestaurant.com PORK BARREL BBQ 2312 Mount Vernon Ave. 703-822-5699 THE PEOPLES DRUG 103 N. Alfred Street RAMPARTS 1700 Fern St. 703-998-6616 rampartstavern.com RIVER BEND BISTRO 7966 Fort Hunt Rd. Hollin Hall Shopping Center 703-347-7545 riverbendbistro.com ROCK IT GRILL 1319 King St. 703-739-2274 RT's RESTAURANT 3804 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-684-6010 rtsrestaurant.com

SAMUEL BECKETTS IRISH GASTRO PUB 2800 S. Randolph St. Villages of Shirlington 703-379-0122 SHOOTER MCGEES 5239 Duke St. 703-751-9266 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 SWEETGREEN 823 King St. 571-319-0192 SWEET FIRE DONNA'S BBQ & HOPS 510 John Carlyle Street 571-312-7960 T.J. STONES GRILL HOUSE & TAP ROOM 608 Montgomery St. 703-548-1004 tjstones.com UNION STREET PUBLIC HOUSE 121 South Union St. 703-548-1785 unionstreetpublichouse.com VERMILLION 1120 King St. 703-684-9669 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 ASIAN

ASIAN BISTRO 809 King St. 703-836-1515 MALAYA 1019 King St. 703-519-3710 MAI THAI 9 King St. 703-548-0600 NASIME 1209 King St. 703-548-1848 STREETS MARKET AND CAFE 3108 Mt. Vernon Ave. 571-431-6810 THAILAND ROYAL 801 N. Fairfax St. 703 535-6622 TOKYO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 66 Canal Center Plaza 703-683-8878 CAPHE BANH MI VIETNAMESE 407 Cameron St. 703-549-0800 KAI ZEN TAVERN 1901 Mt. Vernon Ave. 703-836-1212 THE SUSHI BAR 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue 571-257-3232

CONTINENTAL

BRABO

by Robert Weidmaier 1600 King St. 703-894-3440 BRABO TASTING ROOM 1600 King St. 703-894-5252 CEDAR KNOLL GW Parkway at Lucia Ln. 703-780-3665 OLD HOUSE COSMOPOLITAN 1024 Cameron Street 703-717-9361 TEMPO 4231 Duke St. 703-370-7900 temporestaurant.com Village Brauhaus 710 King Street 703-888-1951 villagebrauhaus.com FRENCH

BASTILLE 606 N. Fayette St. 703-519-3776 bastillerestaurant.com BISTRO SANCERRE FRENCH 1755 Duke Street LE REFUGE 127 N. Washington St. 703-548-4661 FONTAINES CAFFE & CREPERIE 119 S. Royal St. 703-535-8151 LA MADELEINE 500 King St. 703-729-2854 TWO NINETEEN RESTAURANT 219 King St. 703-549-1141 ITALIAN

BUGSYS PIZZA RESTAURANT 111 King St. 703-683-0313 bugsyspizza.com FACCIA LUNA 823 S. Washington St. 703-838-5998 HANKS PASTA BAR 600 Montgomery Ave. 571-312-4117 IL PORTO RESTAURANT 121 King St. 703-836-8833 LA TRATTORIA 305 S. Washington St. 703-548-9338 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 PARADISO 124 King St. 703-683-5330 PINES OF FLORENCE 1300 King St. 703-549-1796 RED ROCKS FIREBRICK PIZZA 904 King St. 703-717-9873

MEDITERRANEAN

LA TASCA 607 King St. 703-299-9810 TAVERNA CRETEKOU 818 King St. 703-548-8688 tavernacretekou.com PITA HOUSE 719 King St. 703-684-9194 thepitahouse.com DELIAS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 209 Swamp Fox Rd. Alexandria, VA 703-329-0006 VASO'S MEDITERRANEAN BISTRO 1118 King Street 703-566-2720 VASO'S KITCHEN 1225 Powhatan Street 703-548-2747 SEAFOOD

CATCH ON THE AVENUE 2419 MOUNT VERNON AVE 703-566-1283 HANKS OYSTER BAR 1026 King St. 703-739-HANK FISH MARKET-OLD TOWN 105 King St. 703-836-5676 fishmarketoldva.com ERNIES ORGINIAL CRABHOUSE 1743 King St. 703-836-0046 THE WHARF 119 King St. 703-836-2834 INDIAN

DISHES OF INDIA 1510A Bellview Blvd.

703-660-6085 DIYA 218 North Lee, 2nd Floor 703-706-5338 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

Old Town Crier

BASTILLE BRASSERIE & BAR

M-F 4-7pm Sat-Sun Noon-5 pm 606 N. Fayette Street $6 Coq-tails, $5 House Wine, $2 off Beers

CHADWICKS 4-9pm M-F 203 Strand Street 703-836-4442

House Drinks $4.00, House Wines $4.00, Narraganset and Chadwick’s Lager $4.00 Select Bottles $3.00

FISH MARKET

CITY KITCHEN

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November 2019 | 35

LET’S EAT

CHARLES OPPMAN

Turkey and Smoked Sausage Gumbo

W

ith Thanksgiving arriving in a few weeks, we ought to consider a recipe that is a bit more interesting than the worn out leftover turkey and veggie soup. Most Americans know that gumbo is a classic soup made famous by Louisiana chefs, but it is also rooted in African and American Indian cuisines. Okra is commonly used as a thickening agent and for flavor. The slaves brought okra with them from Africa and the Choctaw Indians of Louisiana introduced filé (a spice essential to gumbo) to early American chefs. Gumbo came out of bayous of southwest Louisiana. There is not a single recipe for gumbo, every family and every restaurant has its own. Here’s one that I learned from a veteran New Orleans’ chef who passed away during Katrina. Try this soup, you’ll love it. Serves: 6-8

Ingredients 2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into ¼’’ slices 4 pounds turkey parts, thighs and legs (chicken, duck or pork is optional) 1 cup each parsley, bell pepper, celery and onion; chopped ¼ cup fresh garlic, chopped 6 bay leaves 4 tablespoons tomato paste 2 tablespoons thyme leaves 3 tablespoons Worstershire sauce ½ cup vegetable oil or butter ½ cup flour Hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions In a stockpot, just cover the turkey parts with water or chicken stock. Simmer uncovered until tender, approximately 1 hour. When cooled, de-bone the turkey reserving the meat and stock. In a large, heavy pot combine the oil and flour and make a roux. Cook over medium heat and stir continuously with a whisk until the color of peanut butter. DO NOT burn the roux as this will impart a burnt flavor to the soup. If burnt, discard and begin again. To the hot roux add sausage, onions, bell peppers, celery, parsley and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are partially cooked. Add thyme, tomato paste, Worstershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Add turkey stock and stir until mixture is homogenous. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Finally, add shopped turkey meat and adjust seasoning.

Remove bay leaves. Serve with white rice.

Time: 1½ hours

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NANCY BAUER

GRAPEVINE

Three DayS of Wine ON NORTHERN VIRGINIA’S

T

o weary DC commuters, a “3 Days on I-95” itinerary may sound like a cruel joke, but trust us: there’s gold in those exits. And wine.

For this getaway weekend, make Ashland – that burg you whiz by on the way to Richmond – your base of operations. It’s a fun whistlestop town – railroad tracks go 38 | November 2019

right through the center - plunked down in the middle of a region filled with Civil War sites, great biking roads, an iconic theme park, and a convenient handful of wineries.

DAY ONE Heading south from Northern Virginia on I-95, about 40 minutes past Fredericksburg, your first stop is Sassafras Shade Vineyard.

The small winery features some unusual bottles, such as

DAY TWO White Chambourcin and Granny Smith Apple, along with the more traditional.

Rocking chairs and a porch swing add to the familyfriendly feel.

The historic Hanover Tavern is a nice lunch stop, featuring made-from-scratch meals with a Southern flair.

James River Cellars, the closest winery to Richmond, is the afternoon’s destination.

Gewurtztraminer isn’t easy to find in Virginia, but you’ll find a nice one here.

For dinner nearby, try the new burger and beer spot, Industrial Taphouse, before heading back north to downtown Ashland, where you’ll check in to the Henry Clay Inn and enjoy an afterdinner sipper (BYO) by the fire in the drawing room.

Start your Saturday early and explore Ashland on foot.

Then stop by Caboose Market and Cafe and pick up picnic supplies as you head out to North Anna Battlefield Park, an intriguing site for Civil War buffs. Park signage guides you as you follow the routes taken by both Grant’s and Lee’s forces in May 1864.

GRAPEVINE > PAGE 40

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EXPLORING VA WINES

DOUG FABBIOLI

Balancing An Industry

I

have been in the middle of the maturing of the Virginia wine industry over the past couple decades. When we talk about maturing, I don’t want folks to think that there is an end to this part of our state.

There are different challenges that we take on as we plant more grapes and hopefully sell more wine. Trying to find the balance of how many grapes we get off our plantings against how much our consumers are buying of our products over a given year.

Also, what type of wines they are buying and what grapes those wines are made from.

In 2012, the sales of Virginia wine were moving faster than the vineyards could supply. So wineries, including myself, started purchasing fruit from out of state so we could keep the customers satisfied and keep business moving forward.

Many in the state, including myself, also planted more acreage to fill the void of our growing industry – remember, however, it takes five years until that planting is at full production. If I grow more of a certain varietal than I need to fill my production needs, I have a few winemakers that will buy that fruit. We teach our customers to appreciate and recognize the locally grown fruit. We also teach them that not all grapes grow in Virginia.

As those recent plantings in Virginia continue to come into fruition, we are seeing the scale tip a bit. With the good season that we had this year, many wineries brought in more fruit than they anticipated. Also, they are buying less fruit from out of state. While I was in California, I witnessed the boom and bust of the grape market and felt the ripples through the industry. In Virginia, a minute industry compared to CA, those ripples

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can have great impact on a number of wineries.

One of areas that give us some flexibility in our inventory balance game is bulk wine. As much as winemakers plan which wine program the grapes will go to, in heavy years the excess grapes will be processed as a sound and stable wine that another winemaker may purchase at a later date. Often times a new winery needs product to sell before its vineyards are in production. A new wine label may be developed for a certain retail effort. Years ago I made “Amici and Amanti” for Whole Foods. I was able to use excess wine to make the blend. Another option is excess wine can be used to turn into brandy at one of our local distilleries. It’s best to plan that use ahead of time so the base wine is made to the specs of the distiller.

The preferred use of the increased production is to sell the wine in the bottle. Virginia has seen an increase in sales of 14% in the wholesale market. This means that more Virginia wines are selling in wine shops, restaurants and box stores. Yes, wineries love to sell their wine out the front door, but the culture of our customers wanting more of a tasting experience persists.

We get less income selling it out the back door, but we have less costs incurred in selling that wine.

So today’s take home message is once again, to buy, drink and share your Virginia wine. Your commitment keeps us planting more lands, hiring and training staff, and improving our operations for your enjoyment. We will continue to find the balance point at higher levels as our wine continues to be recognized as the best on the East Coast. Enjoy a bottle with your Thanksgiving Dinner!

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GRAPEVINE FROM PAGE 38

The afternoon takes you back to wine country, just five minutes north to Doswell and Castle Glen Estate Winery.

This relative newcomer began planting in 2009 and now produces small lots of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, vidal blanc and blueberry wine, plus a sangria in the bottle.

End your day back in downtown Ashland over dinner at Iron Horse Restaurant, less than a fiveminute walk from your Inn. The menu changes seasonally, and there are at least a couple of Virginia wines on the menu (ask them to add more!).

DAY THREE Get an early jump on this

three-winery day heading back up I-95. Mattaponi Winery, the first stop, opens at 10am. This rustic winery honors the area’s Native American ancestry through its wines and the art that decorates the tasting room.

Wines are mostly sweet and have very loyal fans, especially the Wabamin (translation: white berry) and Odeimin (strawberry).

Another 20 minutes up I-95 and a quick veer left onto Route 17 brings you to Hartwood Winery, a Virginia wine pioneer at 30 years old, and known for its friendliness (they love kids). The original vineyard was planted in 1981, and wines today include some unusual offers such as a chambourcin/niagara/ seyval blend, a Beaujolais style red from chambourcin,

and a Claret from cabernet sauvignon.

By now you’re starving, but hang in there: the last stop, Potomac Point Winery in Stafford, has a fun little Bistro with a full restaurant menu, including all-day Sunday Brunch. After lunch, step over to the wrap-around bar for a tasting. Grapes grown on-site include viognier, merlot, petit verdot and petit manseng.

There’s plenty of outside deck space for a bit of relaxing before heading back up the road.

Who knew I-95 could be so much fun?

For more Virginia winery itineraries, pick up a copy of Nancy Bauer’s book, Virginia Wine Travel Journal 2019. ($15 on Amazon).

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f you’ve ever had to de-junk a house in preparation for a move or sale, you’ll agree with this: consumables are the new go-to gift.

They don’t put the “giftee” in an awkward position (Where the heck do I put this?) or need dusting, and if well-chosen, they nourish us as true gifts of love and caring.

Gifts of local wine have the added benefit of low carbon footprint (they weren’t trucked across country or across the sea), they come from land that’s helping to preserve our greenspaces, and they pair really well with all those other holiday consumables, like cheese, charcuterie, and chocolate.

Here are a few special bottles I recommend, and guarantee won’t hang around long: • Muse Vineyards 2015 Blanc de Blanc – nothing says holiday like sparkling wine, and Muse made only 100 cases of this beauty. $32.

A good, dry sparkler like this is a perfect match for anything salty, creamy, or smoky, so it’s a natural for appetizers. (musevineyards.com; Woodstock) • Horton Vineyards 2016 Petit Manseng – this full-bodied dry white won the top prize in Virginia’s top wine competition for 2019, and it’s a steal at only $25. Pair it with tuna steak with a citrusy gremolata. (hortonwine.com; Gordonsville)

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40 | November 2019

Holiday Gifts

• Granite Heights Winery 2012 Evening Serenade – red lovers will go nuts for this big merlot-dominant Bordeaux-style blend. $30.

Serve this with your classic roast beef dinner, or a savory rack of lamb. (gh.wine; Warrenton) For something really unique, try these: • Barrel Oak Winery 2011 John Marshall Declaration Madiera – at $99, this is quite a generous gift, but it comes with a great story: it’s made in the traditional style with sun and air aging, four years in oak barrels plus one more in bottle, and every bottle is hand numbered. Only 82 cases produced. (barreloak.com; Delaplane) • Fabbioli Cellars Raspberry Merlot – gift this perennial favorite with a big box of Virginia-made chocolate and you’re golden. $24/375ml. (fabbioliwines.com; Leesburg) • Keswick Vineyards Chocolate Sauce – a red wine-infused sauce for toppings desserts or sneaking straight out of the bottle. $19. (keswickvineyards.com; Keswick) Pair any of the above with a copy of my book, Virginia Wine Travel Journal, $15 on Amazon, or if you’d like signed copies, email me at nancy@ vawineinmypocket.com.

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FITNESS

NICOLE FLANAGAN

Staying Fit During the Holidays

T

he holiday season doesn’t just represent one day of overeating, it’s an extended period of time where there is more, alcohol, more snacks, and more appetizers that contain many more calories than are actually necessary. Media stories suggest that the average person gains 7 to 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. In surveys, people say they gain, on average, about five pounds this time of year.

However, several studies now show that the average weight gain during the winter holidays is just one pound. This news isn’t all good. According to the National Institute of Health, most people don’t ever lose the pound of weight they put on during the holidays. The average weight gain during adulthood is about one to two pounds a year, which means much of midlife weight-gain can be explained by holiday eating.

The key to maintain a healthy weight during the holidays is to monitor your portions. Of course this can be hard when the temptations are endless. For one, never arrive Old Town Crier

at a party hungry. It’s easy to over-eat when you arrive at a party and you’re starving. Try having a healthy snack and a glass of water before you head out. Opt for water or club soda instead of alcohol. Drinking alcohol not only adds on empty calories, it also inhibits your ability to control what you eat.

Many people will eat more when consuming alcohol than if they were only drinking nonalcoholic beverages. Not to mention it will make you feel much better for your morning workout!

Sticking to your workout plan will also play a big role in how your holiday season plays out. It’s a busy time of year and it is easy to get caught up with everything else going on.

Your Monday morning spin class or that personal training appointment should remain on the top of your priority list.

For one reason, that workout is going to give you the extra energy necessary to keep you going through your busy week.

Exercise makes you work more efficiently, and helps you sleep better. Also knowing that you have to meet with your trainer in the morning will keep you

focused when going out for a holiday party.

When cooking this holiday season limit your quality control taste testing. I must say that I am guilty of this, but a lot of the times when cooking I like to taste throughout the cooking or baking process. The problem here is that it adds extra calories, and by the time the dish is made I have already eaten enough calories to count for a meal, and I’m full for dinner. Of course when we are all doing much more baking, all those extra tasting calories can really add up.

This holiday season make an honest effort to control portions, limit tasting while cooking, and meet with your trainer or gym buddy on a regular basis and you can keep that holiday weight-gain under control. Remember that just gaining one pound can add up unless you can really lose it after the holiday season is over.

Although, if losing that weight was so easy in the first place, then I guess we would have nothing to make New Year’s resolutions over.

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November 2019 | 41

KIM PUTENS

FIRST BLUSH

A

s we approach the holidays, food becomes more than a necessity to nourish our bodies. It is a reason to bring families together, a reminder of fond memories, and the focus of many traditions. We don’t typically think of food as an important ingredient in our skin care products. In fact, many items from our holiday table are showing up in many skin care products. In the spirit of the holidays, one ingredient worthy of special attention is pumpkin. This enzyme is an alternative to Haircuts $15 Shampoo, Cut & Blow Dry $18 (extra charge for long hair) Scissors Cut $17+up Color $43+up Permanent $45+up (including haircut & conditioner)

alpha hydroxy acids as an exfoliant/peel ingredient for the skin. A fruit acid, pumpkin has many properties - as an exfoliation accelerator, a powerful anti-oxidant and a mild retonic acid substitute. As an exfoliant pumpkin gently breaks down the outer layers of the skin, leaving it looking fresher and feeling softer by sloughing off dead skin. As a powerful antioxidant, it combats oxidative and free radical damage. The beta carotene properties of pumpkin work to naturally repair skin damage. What also makes

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pumpkin so desirable in skin care products is that it does not contain fragrance chemicals that are often irritating to the skin.

Since food ingredients are proliferating skin care products, let’s explore some of the other common ingredients penetrating our products, their usages and beneficial properties.

and protects the skin. It is also very gentle and often used in products for sensitive types.

Basil – contains antiinflammatory properties and protects the vascular system. In doing so, it calms inflammation and diminishes dark circles.

Grapeseed – has powerful antioxidant properties known to help diminish the sun’s damaging effects and lessen free radical damage. It has also been shown to have wound-healing properties.

Blueberries – another darling of the antioxidant world, blueberries also have an important vaso-constricting impact. They help diminish redness and, because of its gentle qualities, it is safe for the rosacea-prone to use.

Chamomile – found in many forms, the principal components of the essential oil extracted from the flowers has moderate antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.

Cranberries – provides exfoliating properties, acts as an antioxidant to combat free radical damage, and works to combat inflammation.

Cucumber – softens, hydrates

Ginger – as an antiinflammatory, ginger calms inflammation on the skin.

Grapefruit – a fruit acid known for it exfoliant and astringent properties. It also absorbs excess oil on the skin.

Green Tea – contains polyphenols which are the active ingredients and possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties.

Green tea polyphenols prevent ultraviolet -induced immune suppression and skin cancer induction. Early studies have found the ingredients in the tea can reduce sun damage and may protect skin from skin cancer when applied topically. Using green tea extract under sunscreen may yield a double dose of protection. Like antioxidants, polyphenols have also been shown to reduce free radical

production. An antiinflammatory, polyphenols in creams and lotions may also slow signs of aging and reduce sagging skin and wrinkles.

Lychee – with antioxidant properties, lychee works to neutralize free radicals and prevent damage to the skin.

Papaya – an exfoliant that gently eats away dead skin cells.

Peppermint – in the oil or extract form, peppermint has antimicrobial properties and assists in providing a closer shave.

Rosemary – helps reduce inflammation, prevents bacteria build up on the skin and protects cells from free radical damage.

Tomatoes – the source of the power antioxidant – lycopene – it has amazing ability to neutralize free radical damage providing important protective properties while reducing inflammation.

Watercress – its main purpose is to tone and purify the skin.

Who knew a trip to the market could result in an abundance of skin care products as well as some staples of a healthy diet!

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FROM THE TRAINER

RYAN UNVERZAGT

❶

❷

FITBALL LEG CURL

T

his month’s exercise is the FitBall Leg Curl.

This exercise focuses on the hamstrings, but also involves the glutes, low-back, and spinal extensor muscles. Begin by lying flat on your back with your legs straight. Position the center of the FitBall underneath your heels. Lift the hips up by contracting your glutes and low-back. You should form a straight line from your shoulders to the feet. Arms can be parallel at your sides or out perpendicular (like a “T”) for better balance. This is the start and finish position.

Slowly roll the FitBall toward yourself using your hamstrings while maintaining the bridge position. Do not let your hips drop during the exercise. Keep the movement controlled as you roll the ball back to the start position.

The slower you go, the more difficult the exercise.

An advanced move is to

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perform this exercise with a single leg. From the bridge position, lift one foot off the FitBall a few inches while the other leg does all the work!

This simple maneuver takes much more effort and focus.

You will appreciate how much balance is required even though you are lying down!

I hope you are keeping up with your exercise routine going into the holiday season, will make it a lot easier to justify eating your way through Thanksgiving! Have a good one.

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

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November 2019 | 43

SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE PEGGIE ARVIDSON

What’s

“W

hen we see love as the will to nurture one’s own or another’s spiritual growth, revealed through acts of care, respect, knowing, and assuming responsibility, the foundation of all love in our life is the same. There is no special love exclusively reserved for romantic partners. Genuine love is the foundation of our engagement with ourselves, with family, with friends, with partners, with everyone we choose to love.” ― bell hooks Is then, love, or rather loving, the meaning of life? If so, why is it so hard to find meaning day in and day out. It should be rather easy to show up and love, and yet, at least for me, it’s pretty complicated.

I spent most of my 40s looking for meaning and purpose. I discovered hand analysis. I reignited my interest in astrology and tarot and I found wonderful teachers to help me access my guides, my crossed-over loved ones and my angels. While I’d been practicing yoga off and on in my late thirties, a more consistent practice, beyond the physical asanas became part of my life through my 4th decade.

Learning these things did not lead me, as I had hoped, to a life of ease and perpetual goodness. I was going to say that learning these things didn’t lead me to a life of love or purpose. However, that’s not 44 | November 2019

Got to Do With It?

entirely true.

Through the practice of showing up and paying attention purpose walked alongside me every step of the way. My belief in the meaning of a life’s purpose has changed though. I no longer believe that you have ONE PURPOSE and that you must take action on it or miss out on your chance for enlightenment.

What I know now is that purpose is the act of showing up, aware, in every moment.

Being kind and serving others no matter who they are, what they look like or, (and this is the hard one) who they choose to vote for is the purpose of my life. I suspect your purpose is similar.

Knowing that I can be on purpose working for a corporation, volunteering for my community or holding space for a dying parent is liberating. No more hunting for the ONE thing. No more worrying that I’m doing LIFE wrong. Sure, there are days that I’d like a mulligan or two.

Times when I wasn’t as kind as I like and days when I said and did things that made me less than proud of myself – and still I forge on.

If you’re lucky, you’ll get to be present through life escaping and life blooming. Nature gives us plenty of opportunity to learn about cycles of life and death. However, paying attention we see, through Nature, that life is ongoing.

Blooms fade, trees crumble, mountains shift and rivers

dry out AND there is still more coming to fill the void.

Recognizing that there is only life is a relief.

Have you ever observed the miracle of someone transitioning from this lifetime to another? Have you ever had the spiritual moment of being present for a human entering this world? In those moments, you get a glimmer of the magnitude of love that ties it all together. We are all tied together through love.

What does it mean to you and me in a practical fashion?

This focus on nurturing one another’s spiritual growth?

It means to show up and be present. To hold focus on whatever it is that lies beneath the surface and trust that it is moving you to where you’re meant to be in that moment.

This is the place where it gets tricky, I’ve found. The point is to be still when you most want to be DOING something.

To make a difference in life seems to require deep stillness.

In the stillness there is NOT nothingness, as we’ve been conditioned to believe. In stillness is the work of the soul, stirring below and around and within the space. Just as roots are lengthening and sap

is pulsing in the winter for the growth of spring, so is the beating of our meaning when we agree to the cosmic contract to sit still and observe. Not with our head in the sand, but head on, eye to eye, unblinking with the soul before us, whether that is our own reflection in the mirror or the eyes of a stranger or a long beloved human.

(Lately I’ve begun to see that all those I come across are, in fact, a reflection of the self I believe to be.)

As the winter comes, I wish you the space you need to love deeply into your purpose.

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GO FISH

STEVE CHACONAS

ANGLING INSIGHT

F

ishing involves a collection of skills.

Basically a fishing triangle is comprised of the base, which is casting, then lure presentation, and angling skills.

Accuracy, distance and the ability to make these casts from different angles takes practice, but fundamentals can get anyone started and up to a high level over time.

Next is lure presentation, making fish bite. Fishing lures don’t catch fish, fishermen catch fish. Lures just catch fishermen. Making the best selection for the conditions, primarily based on depth and speed, increases catching opportunities.

After obtaining a high proficiency casting level and making fish bite, angling skills come into play. That’s detecting a strike, setting the hook, and bringing fish to the boat. Subtle differences along the way can only be attained with time on the water.

Professional guides are exceptional at teaching these skills to ensure their clients

maximize the effectiveness of their fishing time. In a typical 8 hour trip, repetition and constant tweaking will develop or sharpen skills. Anyone can learn these skills, after all I did.

After 20 years, hundreds of clients and thousands of fishing hours, I feel very confident in my ability to achieve some level of success for my clients.

Young, old, big or small, athletic or not, fishing skills can be learned.

Stepping onto my Skeeter, Andy was eager to learn. He was in his 40s and has been blind since he was 4 years old. My immediate and only concern was his safety. I quickly learned that Andy was not helpless. He lacked sight but could see in his mind.

Quickly assessing the layout of my Skeeter, he was able to move around as needed.

Prior to the start of our trip, he clearly stated his objective was to improve casting and fish with soft plastic lures. Catching fish would take a back seat to the success of this trip.

I felt like the overprotective parent but settled into my

teaching role. Powering to our training spot, the Power Poles were lowered to keep the boat steady. This allowed a focus on teaching. From that point on, Andy was just another guy on the boat who was there to learn. It was up to me to overcome my communication handicap. I couldn’t simply state, “do it like this” or “cast over there”. It was up to me to truly be hands on.

Andy made a few casts while I tweaked his technique. In short time, I found Andy was easier to work with than most of my other clients. Not only did he listen attentively, he was able to duplicate each tip on every cast. It didn’t take long for him to nearly double his casting distance. When it came time to focus on accuracy, he was already there. I chose casting locations and directed his aim and he executed. The key to casting or any sport is consistency. Andy was already consistent, adjusting his casting distance according to my range direction.

Andy’s fishing brother had worked on choosing targets.

Using the boat to create consistent casting positions, he was a great help. The finer points were up to me. The essence of soft plastics fishing is based on feel. During our month long communications before this trip, we both ascertained that Andy had a leg up on other anglers. He was much more attentive to his surroundings and was able

to focus on what his lure was doing on the bottom. He was also free from distractions.

Ignoring another nearby boaters, airplanes or a pretty girl jogging on the bike path.

I did let him know about the distance of the other boat, the direction of the plane, and a few details of the jogger.

Without my input, Andy attained two skills. He was able to detect baits hitting the bottom. It’s a very slight indication and most anglers don’t feel it. Andy did.

The other was a bit more compelling. As part of casting instruction, lures should be about a foot from the rod tip.

Not knowing how to achieve this, I left it up to Andy. He quickly figured it out. Reeling until the lure hit the tip of the rod, he stopped and stripped out the appropriate amount of line. This was a pretty obvious way to reach this point. But it

was a bit later that I noticed Andy doing something else. I tie leaders to the main braided line. There is a small knot.

Leaders are about 5 feet long.

Andy was hearing the knot go through the guide, a signal the lure was close behind.

Andy learned two techniques that could be used under most fishing conditions. Drop shot and Neko rigs. Andy’s casting vastly improved and he took a major step toward being a complete bass angler.

As for me, my instructional methodology took a step that wouldn’t have been achievable without Andy showing me the way.

Author Capt. Steve Chaconas is Potomac bass fishing guide & freelance writer. Potomac River reports: nationalbass.com. Book trips/purchase gift certificates: info@NationalBass.com.

Potomac River Bassing in October Cooling water is encouraging fish to bite. Use search baits like Mann’s Baby X crankbaits on deeper cover or Baby 1-Minus for shallower cover. Tie to 10 pound test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon line.

Dock fishing is also good now. Pitch soft plastics with pegged 3/16 ounce weights on Quantum Smoke casting gear spooled with 12 pound Edge or Quantum Smoke spinning gear with 15 pound Gamma Torque braid with 10 pound Edge leaders. Texas rigged soft plastics with 3/0 Mustad Mega Bite hooks will work: stickworms, Mizmo tubes, and just about anything in blue, black or green pumpkin.

For deeper applications and just about anywhere else, drop shot with 3/16 ounce Water Gremlin BullShot weights and braid/fluorocarbon setups, 2/0 Mega Bite hooks with 4 inch soft plastics. NEKO rigged stickworms on red 2/0 Mustad weedless wacky hooks work too.

On cloudy or windy days, try Mann’s Classic spinnerbaits on 12 pound test Gamma Edge fluorocarbon.

Old Town Crier

November 2019 | 45

OPEN SPACE

LORI WELCH BROWN

The Art of the Bounce Back

Y

oga teaches you flexibility. Meditation teaches you serenity and oh so many things.

Algebra teaches you— well, I’m still trying to figure that one out. What no one teaches you, however, is the art of the bounce back which I’ve probably struggled with more over the years than advanced math. I’m talking about the ability to get back on your feet after life hands you lemons vis-a’-vis cruddy first dates, questionable boyfriends, maniacal bosses, layoffs, etc.

Most of my ‘pulling myself up by my bootstrap’ moments centered around romantic endeavors vs. professional livelihood. Lucky me. Personal rejection and/or unrequited love seemed to be the theme du jour.

In my teens and twenties, the romantic melodrama reached epic proportions. As many times as Mom tried to reassure me that men were like buses—“Oh, sweetie. Don’t worry—there will be another one in twenty minutes”—my heart (or maybe my ego?) couldn’t comprehend that fact.

Granted, teenage heartbreak is normal as you don’t yet have much to compare your emotional feelings to yet. It’s the first time you’ve touched 46 | November 2019

the stove and it smarts. By the time I reached my twenties, my romantic life was like a Shakespeare tragedy. For the record, as far as trends go, I’d be fine with bringing back the fainting couch. When Cupid turned his back on me, I turned to the pages of my poor tearstained journals. Praise be to Jesus that I had the foresight to burn those years ago. Oh, the anghst. When the date headed south, I headed to the self-help section of Barnes & Noble. By the time I hit my thirties, my personal library was pretty well stocked and I had a Master’s equivalent in narcissistic behavior, co-dependence, and interpersonal communications.

Happy hours with friends turned into therapy sessions thanks to my ability to quote sage advice from the likes of Pema Chodron, John Gray, Martha Beck, Iyanla Vanzant and others.

While I was succeeding at many things, I was not winning any medals in the art of the bounce back. A break up that I should have recovered from in a matter of days took me an embarrassing amount of time.

During the Dark Ages of my dating, I got stood up on at least three different occasions.

That’s pretty tough not to take personally. If that were to

happen to me today, I’d say to myself, “What kind of person does that to someone?” and be done with it. Delete. In that moment in time, however, it was like a hail storm to my heart. I took it personally and let it knock me further down the rabbit hole. I didn’t think there was something wrong with me, but was more like, “how or why does this keep happening to ME? Where is MY happily ever after?” I developed a victim mentality.

I became depressed. I became envious, jealous and resentful.

I was not bouncing back.

Wallowing is lovely some times, but it has a shelf life.

I indulged in all the usual suspects—long, hot bubble baths (today’s equivalent to a fainting couch); copious amounts of alcohol; country music journaling. Not familiar? Queue up the twang.

“Well, my date stood me up, the cat done thrown up, and my car payment is due. Why oh why do I feel sooo blue?” Nashville, here I come! I turned to God, girlfriends and even a very nice therapist named Lois. On the bright side, this is when I discovered my true tribe. My girlfriends lifted me up. They listened to my tales of dates gone bad without complaint and responded by telling me all

the things I wanted and needed to hear. They told me how magical I was and how horrible [fill in the blank] was—how I deserved better. They came up with hysterical nicknames for [fill in the blank]. When I was ready, they said “Put on that leather mini, break out your Lip Smacker, and walk your sweet butt out onto the dance floor, girl. It is time to shake it off.” That is how you bounce back. You get your butt back out there. Or, you get out of bed and dust off your resume.

Or, you lace your skates up and get back on the ice. Whatever your ‘thing’ is, you bounce back up, channel your inner Scarlett O’Hara, and confidently acknowledge that “Tomorrow is another day.”

Bouncing back is the space where you stretch your wings and learn to fly again. And— you remember how much you loved flying! It is weathering the storms, but remembering the sunshine. It is fielding fly balls and dodging curve balls.

It is waving your hands from the top of the mountain after navigating the valleys. It is the growing pains. The quicker you bounce back, the quicker you learn the lesson that was meant for you. It took me awhile to learn that I needed to raise the bar on who I was

willing to allow into my world.

There were some minimum requirements, i.e., do what you say you’re going to do and show up!

What would I tell my younger self? “Listen to your mother!” So trite, but so true.

I don’t really believe in soul mates. I think that people come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Some people aren’t meant to be your forever people—they are sent for a reason, a lesson.

Learn it and move on. Or, maybe you are teaching them their lesson. Maybe I was teaching someone how not to treat people. Next, stop taking things so personally. In every instance where I was stood up, the guy circled back later and apologized. The reason they ‘showed me the ghost’ had nothing to do with me.

Shocker. Life Hack #1: There is absolutely no reason on this planet why you should ever leave someone hanging. Two words for you: Karma, baby.

Eventually, you bounce back—in your own time, but why not learn to speed up the process? Start by practicing the art of self-care. Take the baths. Eat the ice cream.

Wallow a tiny bit. You deserve it. Next—acknowledge that the planet doesn’t revolve around you. Stop taking things so personally. Bad things happen to good people all the time.

These are the fender benders of life—you can’t avoid them so best to learn how to lean into them and ride them out. If you don’t practice self-care, the small issues can snowball into a big problem, i.e., the mole hill will become the mountain.

Death by a thousand cuts, so your job is to not let the cuts grow too deep.

Life is about being flexible to what life hands you, but also about dusting yourself off and getting back up—bouncing back—when life knocks you down. You don’t always get what—or who—you want. I’m here to tell you, however, that the one I got was worth waiting for, and all that getting knocked down taught me to get back up so I could dance with him.

Happy Thanksgiving. Give gratitude to all that life hands you. You got this.

Old Town Crier

NATIONAL HARBOR

LANI GERING

Football, Flight Deck and Fireworks!

I

t just seems like yesterday that I was sitting down to write this column… they say time flies when you’re having fun. Fall has indeed arrived…finally!

It was 88 degrees out when I was writing my October missive but it is a beautiful, sunny 55 degree day as I sit here today. I bought my mums on one of our trips to Rappahannock County near the Shenandoah’s a few weeks ago and have them displayed on my balcony and am headed to get pansies to round out the display after I get this done. Now if I just had a fire pit I could light up at night it would be perfect.

One of the drawbacks about living in a condo.

Old Town Crier

November in the Harbor is pretty quiet until the annual tree lighting ceremonies take place at the foot of American Way and in the atrium at the Gaylord and the holiday activities get underway for the season. We will have detailed information about all things holiday related in the upcoming December issue. I hate jumping the gun on Christmas “stuff ” before I even finish my Thanksgiving dinner left overs.

Sunday NFL Football will be airing on the Jumbo Screen as well. I was going to insert some smart remark about the Redskins here but I am a lifelong Denver Bronco fan and they, along with the Dolphins, will all three be fighting over

first round draft picks when it comes time. The Nationals will be playing the 3rd game in the World Series the day this issue goes to press so hopefully they will follow the Mystics steps in bringing another championship to the DMV. While the weekly Date Night and Family Night movies are no longer being aired on a regular basis, there is some action on the Jumbo Screen with Holiday Movies on the Plaza on the 16th (Planes, Trains and Automobiles), the 23rd (Elf) and the 30th (The Grinch circa 1990). Movies start at 3:30 pm – be sure to bring your comfy travel chairs and a blanket and enjoy

an afternoon of al fresco viewing. There are lots of places to grab some to-go eats and drinks and enjoy a cool weather picnic.

My favorite Harbor attraction, The Flight Deck Bar, at the base of the Capital Wheel will remain open on weekends through New Year’s Day. As long as the wind isn’t blowing a gale, this is the perfect place to sit and watch the world go by along the Potomac River with a glass of wine or a beer and a snack.

They will also be serving hot apple cider and hot chocolate along with a couple of “spiked” versions of both. Soft drinks and water are available as well. There are beautiful gas fire pits to sit around if you

so desire and free standing heaters to sit under. Hours of operation are Fridays 4 pm-10 pm, Saturdays and Sundays 12 Noon – 10 pm. As an aside, there are bathroom facilities at the end of the pier so no need to worry about having to get back to the plaza if the need arises.

There isn’t an official Tree Lighting ceremony at the Gaylord this year but the festivities all kick off with the opening of ICE on November 15th. The Harbor tree will be up and running on November 16th with the tree lighting around 5:30 pm and fireworks following. Watch this space for detailed info on all holiday activities in the December issue.

November 2019 | 47

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Old Town Crier

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