Old Town Crier - December 2013

Since 1988–Priceless

Decmber 2013

From the Bay to the Blue Ridge

Road Trip

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Personality Profile

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS Grapevine

ANKIDA RIDGE VINEYARDS Virginia’s Little Burgundy Business Profile

OLD TOWN DENTISTRY Put a Smile on Your Face Across the Bridge

NATIONAL HARBOR Ice, Ice and More Ice!

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Landini’s

Setting TheZAGAT Standard In Old Town For2006 Over 36 Years AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

AND THE PAST 15 YEARS

Franco and Noe welcome you!

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

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PArday 5 T E AL atu

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VALET PARKING Friday & Saturday 5-11 pm

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Our Family to Yours

COME FOR THE FUN, STAY FOR THE FOOD! Old Town’s Favorite Raw Bar Featuring the Freshest Shellfish in Virginia Fish Market has continued to rise above the tide with its winning recipe for success–good, fresh seafood, excellent service and a great location.

Such dedication to high quality and customer service has helped launch Fish Market as an Old Town landmark since 1976!

105 & 107 King St. Old Town Alexandria

703.836.5676 fishmarketva.com

Eat Fish, Drink Beer, Live Longer!

A Division of Crier Media Group 112 South Patrick Street Alexandria, Va. 22314

december’13

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phone: 703. 836. 0132 office@oldtowncrier.com oldtowncrier.com Published the first week of every month.

Worth waiting for!

PUBLISHER Bob Tagert MARKETING & ADVERTISING Lani Gering Bob Tagert SOCIAL MEDIA & WEBSITE Laura Parker DESIGN & PRODUCTION Electronic Ink 9 Royal Street, SE Leesburg, Va. 20175 CONTRIBUTORS Chris Anderson Vincent Arrunategui Peggie Arvidson Sarah Becker F. Lennox Campello Steve Chaconas Doug Coleman Ashley Denham Busse Jaime Elliott Doug Fabbioli Nicole Flanagan Lani Gering Elizabeth Jones Frances Killpatrick Miriam Kramer Genevieve LeFranc Julie Reardon Chester Simpson Bob Tagert Carl Trevisan Ryan Unverzagt Lori Welch Neil Williamson Molly Winans Sylvia Winterling © 2013 Crier Media Group, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher.

The Old Town Crier is published monthly and distributed to selected Alexandria residents, hotels, restaurants and retail shops. Also distributed in the Annapolis, Fredericksburg, Blue Ridge and Washington, DC areas as well as St. John, USVI.

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13 25 A Bit of History After Hours Art & Antiques Behind the Bar Business Profile Caribbean Connection Chef’s Special Civil Discourse Dining Guide Dining Out Exploring Virginia Wines Financial Focus

8 11 15 32 5 18 35 9 28 30 38 6

First Blush Fitness From the Bay… From the Trainer Gallery Beat Go Fish Grapevine High Notes Holiday Trivia National Harbor On the Road Personality Profile

43 42 22 41 14 40 36 10 27 46 1 4

Pets of the Month

13

Points on Pets

12 3

Publisher’s Notes Road Trip

20

Single Space

45

Spiritual Renaissance

26

The Last Word

17

To the Blue Ridge

24

Urban Garden

25

Virginia Wine Trail Profiles

39

On the road withOTC Old Town resident Lori Boyce Foster took the holiday issue of Old Town Crier with her when she visited friends and family in Mobile, Alabama. Lori found the lobby of The Battle House Hotel, a member of the Historic Hotels of America, to be the perfect place to enjoy The Crier. Her husband, John Foster, took the photo. They were married on 12-12-12! We wish them a very happy first anniversary this year!

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

About the cover Meow-y Christmas! See Stinky’s story on page 13.

Photo by Chris Usher

December 2013 | 1

2 | December 2013

Old Town Crier

PUBLISHER’S NOTES BOB TAGERT Personality Profile column while Lori Welch writes about Christmases past and present in Single Space.

My Road Trip, as is every December, takes on a home for the holidays theme—a look at Old Town in December. As with the many other historic towns of our region there is much going on. Learn about Alexandria traditions, but don’t miss Julie Reardon’s To the Blue Ridge and Molly Winans’ From the Bay with reflections of holiday activities in Hunt Country and along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. It is great to see our friend Kathy Coombs behind the bar once again. Stop in and see her at River Bend Bistro. Chester Simpson featured her in his Behind the Bar profile this month.

Many of you will remember her from her many dedicated years serving at Landini Brothers here in Old Town.

Christmas is a time of giving. Remember those less fortunate, and if the cold weather starts to get to you, crank up a rendition of Kenny Chesney’s hit holiday song…”All I want for Christmas is a real good tan!”

In keeping with the theme of this month’s publishers notes picture, let me close with:“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”

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

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111 south alfred street | 703.791.1167 www.AtHomeDCmetro.com

Happy Holidays from everyone at

by Laura Parker

Creating an informative blog is a great way to gain followers, increase company awareness, and improve your online footprint. In case you are new to the blogging world, here are a few tips from a fellow blogger and freelance writer to get you started.

1. Establish a timeline. Analytics show that readers prefer publishing consistency. They expect your weekly blog to be published on the same day and at the same time, each and every week.

2. Create unique content. This is often easier said than done. Content should be fun, informative,

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memorable, and most importantly, it should resonate with your readers’ interests.

3.Don’t forget the tagging. In the blogosphere, tagging is similar to utilizing all of those SEO optimized keywords and phrases that us marketing folks hear so much about. Blogging platforms, such as Wordpress, use tags to help filter search results. Properly tagging content will help your blog posts reach interested readers.

For more blogging and marketing tips please contact me at parke425@gmail.com or visit www.oldtowncrier. com for the full-featured article on blogging for small businesses. Next month’s topic... Mobile vs. Responsive websites, what's right for you?

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 East Oxford & Mount Vernon avenues Sat. 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.

Family owned and operated for over 55 years!

Local Farmers Markets

BEAUTY

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

Kings’ ewelry J

KingsJewelry.NET

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Old Town Alexandria

609 King Street

Store hours extended beginning December 13th until 8 pm Mon-Fri. Closed Sundays

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Market Square • 301 King St. Sat. 5:30 - 11 a.m. year round free parking in Market Square garage during market hours

Buying, Selling, Renting?

Make yourself @home!

RISING STAR ALEXANDRIA

From the Media Maven

Old Town Farmers Market

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sure sign that winter is on the way—I winterized my sailboat last month. Luckily it was 52 degrees at the time and not the mid-20s that we had a week later. I have heat on the boat, but still have to force myself to check on the boat when it is cold. The cold also signals the end of another year, but some things start anew.

The Old Town Theater has their restaurant in place and a new schedule for the rest of the year and into 2014. Check it out. It is a beautiful facility with varied entertainment, and right here in our town. Prices are pretty good, too!

Since this is a season for our teeth to chatter, Liz Jones profiled the business of Dr. Frinet Kasper, DDS in her Business Profile column this month. Relatively new to the area, Dr. Kasper is wasting no time making us all have a bright smile down at Old Town Dentistry.

Speaking of smiling, that is just what restaurant showcase writer Vince Arrunategui is doing right now as he has taken a month’s leave of writing his Dining Out column to hike South America. With Vince gone, we grabbed a few friends and visited Saphron restaurant in Prince Frederick, Md. Read about low country food in Dining Out. Sylvia Winterling took on the task of writing about her Christmases through the years in

INTEGRITY

December 2013 | 3

Personality profile SYLVIA WINTERLING

Christmas Traditions on the Farm The author with Santa

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he first twelve years of my life were idyllic. I lived with my parents and grandparents on a farm outside Bel Air, Md. in a little community called Emmorton. Today Emmorton has been transformed into a continuous series of shopping malls and townhouse developments situated between Interstate 95 and the town of Bel Air. But in my childhood it was composed of fifteen farming families all of whom knew each other, helped one another during harvest seasons and celebrated holidays and family events together.

This idyllic setting was the beginning of my memory and understanding of Christmas. Since we lived on a farm we didn’t go to the local nursery or Walmart—we hitched up old Bob and Maud to the sled and rode into the woods surrounding the pasture to find our perfect cedar Christmas tree. Later after Bob and Maud had gone to horse heaven we hitched up the Ford tractor to a wagon to find our tree. The tree was always placed in the living room bay window, where at night its lights would glow into the yard and surrounding fields like a beacon. Since there were no streetlights on Plumtree Road when it got dark it was dark!

Our celebration started on December 23 when the local Grange held the annual children’s Christmas party. The Grange is an organization that promotes the economic and political well being of agricultural 4 | December 2013

communities in the Unites States and the Grange Hall is frequently the center of social life in farming communities. Every year the Grange organized a party with children’s games, food, and highlighted by a visit from Santa Claus. The Grange Hall is where I learned that there is probably no Santa Claus. In my memory I’m at this party sitting with my Mom and Dad, when Dad says he’s going to the bathroom. Soon after someone yells that Santa Claus is outside. In he comes with a bag of toys and all of us kids line up to receive our gift. In reaching for my gift from him I notice that his hand is my Dad’s hand and I look into his eyes to see my Dad’s eyes. Neither of us said a word to each other. In fact we never did talk about that night. But from then on I knew Santa Claus was simply a man wearing a costume and my reliance on Santa Claus for a happy Christmas ended.

Christmas Eve was a day of preparing. My grandmother and mother baked pies, cookies, washed and ironed the good linen and locked the kitchen door to wrap gifts. In the evening we always attended service at the local Methodist Church that was built on land that my great grandfather had donated so that the main church in town could establish a small chapel for the farmers. It had one room, electricity but no plumbing. Even my grandfather who rarely left the farm, mainly because he didn’t have a driver’s license dressed up in his three-piece suit, polished his one pair of dress shoes, wore his fedora and sat next to me in the front pew along with my Mom and Dad. My grandmother played the piano and organ and my Aunt Margaret always sang “Ave

“American Homestead” by Winter by Currier and Ives

Maria”. After the service, my uncle and aunt and cousins would join us back at home for homemade (nonalcoholic) eggnog and the cookies baked earlier in the day.

Christmas Day started very early with my grandmother and mother in the kitchen preparing and cooking dinner. In addition to my uncle, aunt and cousins there always seemed to be a couple of friends invited for dinner. Before everyone arrived I was allowed to open my Santa gifts and my stocking, which one-year had an orange in it. I have never been able to remember any of my gifts that year but I do remember the orange. I wonder how my grandsons would react if they found an orange in their stocking? I’ve asked my mother if the orange was a filler for the stocking, but she claims no memory of that. After opening gifts starting with the youngest to the oldest, my cousins and I would go outside to play with toys and wait for dinner to be served. One year we decided to climb up the ladder to the silo filled with silage for the cows and I fell in. I was finally rescued by my Dad who took me back to the house where I had a bath and put on clean clothes before sitting down to dinner.

Another year we put my three-year old cousin on a sled and pushed him down an icy hill where he ran into a barbed wire fence. After a visit to the emergency room for stitches to his cheek, we had dinner. It was dangerous living on a farm.

After an exciting day of rescuing and doctoring injured children and having an extravagant dinner we all relaxed in the living room around the Christmas tree. In the early years we didn’t have a television and so the

entertainment was listening to the radio or talking to one another. I also remember often listening to records of Chopin’s Polonaise and Offenbach’s Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffman.

I’m not sure where these records came from or who they belonged to since no one in my family had attended college, taken music lessons or ever went to a concert. The only time anyone in my family traveled to Baltimore was when taking beef cattle and chickens to sell to the slaughterhouses. But to me that music was magic. All too soon the music was replaced by a television and the inevitable football games which my grandfather, father, uncle and cousins watched rather than talk.

“Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man.” A quote attributed to Ignatius Loyola meaning whatever happens to a child in his formative years determines his adult character and values. I think the saying has some validity and is appropriate to me as these early years living on a farm determined my understanding of the Christmas celebration for the remainder of my life—family, friends, church and food. When I was twelve my parents divorced and my Mom and I left the farm to live with my stepfather where new traditions were established.

But throughout the years, including my years as a wife and a mother and now a grandmother, Christmas to me is a lighted tree in a window, sitting in a church on Christmas Eve listening, once again, to the story about the birth of Jesus, and spending Christmas Day around a table with family and friends I love and while everyone else is watching football if I close my eyes and concentrate I can hear Chopin’s Polonaise.

Old Town Crier

business profile ELIZABETH jones

Old Town Dentistry Just around the corner!

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ive yourself (and your health) the gift that keeps on giving!

If you are anything like me, you put yourself and the personal ‘to do’ list on the back burner too often, and especially during the holiday season.

I sympathize. Who has the time to finish holiday shopping, eat organic, get eight hours of sleep, and do things like visit the dentist as often as we should? (For those who appreciate foreshadowing.)

How do you justify the “me time,” you ask? I’ve always referred to it as the oxygen mask theory, and I should disclaim that I am not the originator for its metaphor. We all know the rule of thumb; place the oxygen mask on yourself before helping the person next to you. For those who prefer ground transportation, the lesson is that in order to meet the demands of school, work, kids, pets, and life, sometimes you have to put yourself first. So what is the best gift we can give this holiday season? Dental care.

No really, I am not joking. Read on, because visiting the dentist will benefit you in more ways than you know.

(Also, it is probably on that ‘to do’ list, so you can call this “research”. Way to multitask!)

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Frinet Kasper, owner of Old Town

Old Town Crier

Dentistry, located in the heart of Old Town at 1203 Prince Street. Frinet has been practicing dentistry for almost 20 years and supports my “oxygen mask” theory when it comes to health.

We met at the office where I was welcomed by the friendly faces of her colleagues.

During our conversation I had the opportunity to hear about Frinet’s professional background and how Old Town Dentistry became home.

Few know that she was chosen by Dr. David Leekoff to be his successor in May 2013 upon retirement at Old Town Dentistry. Dr. Leekoff established his practice 25 years ago, and the loyal patients not only appreciate the familiar location but also the values of this practice.

Old Town Dentistry is focused on personalized care so patients can address their dental needs and achieve their individual goals. It has long been an aspiration of Frinet to have a practice that cares for patients’ needs while also reflecting her style and dental philosophy. She is committed to providing special care for each patient with what she refers to as “a conservative yet effective approach”.

We’ve all had those terrible visits at the dentist where you are told you need (gasp!) 10 fillings, but after a second opinion you only need to floss more often. If you can’t trust your

dentist, who can you trust? Dr. Kasper and Old Town Dentistry believe that respect and trust are a very important part of the treatment they deliver. They take this relationshipfirst approach with all of the quality dental services provided at Old Town Dentistry; from cosmetic needs like teeth whitening or Invisalign to more involved dental requirements such as crowns or implants. Frinet appreciates the opportunity to educate people about the services available so that they recognize the value of their teeth and good oral health.

If you were brainstorming your New Year’s resolution, you can remove the thinking cap. In between the turkey and the New Year carve out some time and make an appointment to visit Old Town Dentistry, and then cross it off your list (for another six months).

In a time when we acknowledge the connection between our teeth, our mouth, and our overall well being, it is more important now than ever to put on your oxygen mask (hypothetically speaking). A visit to Dr. Kasper and her team will be the gift that keeps on giving in 2014.

Dr. Kasper and the staff of Old Town Dentistry

photo: ©2013 Chester Simpson

December 2013 | 5

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

Market Capitalization A tool for understanding a stock’s risk

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earning about stocks? Find out how companies can be segmented and compared by market capitalization.

Market cap—or market capitalization—allows investors to understand the relative size of one company versus another. Market cap measures what a company is worth on the open market as well as the market's perception of its future prospects, because it reflects what investors are willing to pay for its stock. It is calculated by multiplying the price of a stock by its total number of outstanding shares.

For example, a company with 50 million shares selling at $30 a share would have a market cap of $1.5 billion.

Large-cap companies are typically firms with a market value of $10 billion or more.

They often have a reputation for producing quality goods and services, a history of

consistent dividend payments, and steady growth. As a result, investments in largecap stocks may be considered more conservative than investments in small-cap or midcap stocks, potentially posing less risk in exchange for less aggressive growth potential.

Midcap companies are typically businesses with a market value between $2 billion and $10 billion. These are typically established companies in industries experiencing or expected to experience rapid growth.

These medium-sized companies may be in the process of increasing market share and improving overall competitiveness. Midcaps may offer more growth potential than large caps, and possibly less risk than small caps.

Small-cap companies are typically those with a market value of $300 million to $2 billion. These are generally young companies that serve niche markets or emerging

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industries. Small caps are considered more aggressive and risky. The relatively limited resources of small companies can potentially make them more susceptible to a business or economic downturn. They may also be vulnerable to the intense competition and uncertainties characteristic of untried, burgeoning markets.

Micro-cap companies have a market capitalization of between $50 million to $300 million. The upward potential of these companies is similar to the downside potential, so they do not offer the safest investment, and a great deal of research should be done before entering into such a position.

What Impacts a Company’s Market Cap?

There are several factors that could impact a company's market cap. Significant changes in the value of the shares—either up or down —could impact it, as could changes in the number of shares issued. Any exercise of warrants on a company's stock will increase the number of outstanding shares, thereby diluting its existing value. As the exercise of the warrants is typically done below the market price of the shares, it could potentially impact its market cap.

But market cap typically is not altered as the result of a stock split or a dividend.

After a split, the stock price will be reduced since the number of shares outstanding has increased. For example, in a 2-for-1 split, the share 1

6 | December 2013

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Market cap typically is not altered as the result of a stock split or a dividend.

price will be halved. Although the number of outstanding shares and the stock price change, a company's market cap remains constant. The same applies for a dividend. If a company issues a dividend, its price usually drops as the number of shares increases.

To build a portfolio with a proper mix of stocks, you'll need to evaluate your financial goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. A diversified portfolio that contains a variety of market caps may help reduce investment risk in any one area and support the pursuit of your long-term financial goals.1 Because of the possibility of human or mechanical error

by S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications or its sources, neither S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications nor its sources guarantees the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or availability of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. In no event shall S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications be liable for any indirect, special or consequential damages in connection with subscriber’s or others’ use of the content.

© 2013 S&P Capital IQ Financial Communications.

All rights reserved. This column is provided through the Financial Planning Association, the membership organization for the financial planning community, and is brought to you by Carl M. Trevisan, a local member of FPA and Stephen M. Bearce. McLaughlin Ryder Investments, Inc. and McLaughlin Ryder Advisory Services, LLC and their employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. These materials and any tax-related statements are not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used or relied upon, by any such taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties. Taxbased statements, if any, may have been written in connection with the promotion or marketing of the transaction (s) or matter(s) addressed by these materials, to the extent allowed by applicable law.

Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. Securities offered

by McLaughlin Ryder Investments, Inc. and investment advisory services offered by McLaughlin Ryder Advisory Services, LLC.

Diversification does not assure a profit or protect against a loss.

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December 2013 | 7

a bit of history sarah becker

Lincoln and the Lieber Code

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n January 1, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Proclamation, a rewrite of a preliminary September 22, 1862 release, mostly freed the slaves. Civil War raged and Lincoln’s pen was mightier than the sword.

“Liberty is a slow fruit,” Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in November 1862, “and now comes Lincoln’s Proclamation…The President by this act has paroled all the slaves in America; they will no more fight against us; and it relieves our race once and for all of its crime and false position.” Cotton: what wrath it wrought.

Abraham Lincoln, Illinois lawyer and 16th President of the United States, was born February 12, 1809 in a log cabin in Kentucky. The hardworking son of frontier farmers— Lincoln’s parents emigrated from Virginia—he spent his formative years in Indiana. Lincoln learned poetry from his stepmother, attended school “by-littles,” and joined a Springfield, Illinois Poetical Society in the late 1830s.

Abraham Lincoln

Francis Lieber

of slavery.” Compromise was the challenge: The Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

The latter overturned the Missouri Compromise.

In 1854 Lincoln, a Congressional candidate, fought to repeal the KansasNebraska Act. On October 16, 1854, in a three-hour speech in Peoria, Illinois, Lincoln addressed the slavery issue:

equality of a type.

“Nebraska is urged as a great Unionsaving measure,” candidate Lincoln continued. “Well, I too, go for saving the Union….” President Lincoln was elected in 1860, in the wake of sectional unrest.

By 1863 the Civil War, a costly conflict of staggering proportions, was taking its toll. What was President Lincoln’s Union-saving solution then? Reconciliation was no longer a dilemma. Lincoln “wanted the [Union] Army to strike more vigorous blows,” to engage “in the hard hand of war.”

At the President’s invitation, Columbia College’s Francis Lieber, LL.D., codified the laws of war.

Section I, Article 16: Military necessity does not admit of cruelty—that is, the infliction of suffering for the sake of suffering or for revenge, nor of maiming or wounding except in fight, nor of torture to extort confessions. It does not admit of the use of poison in any way….” By jurist Lieber’s standards, George Washington’s May 1754 brutal Jumonville massacre approximated a war crime.

On April 24, 1863 President Lincoln, authorized by his war powers as commander-in-chief, issued General

At Lincoln’s invitation Columbia College’s Francis Lieber codified the laws of war.

Scottish poet Robert Burns was “a kindred spirit.” Abe wrote his first poem in his youth. “Abraham Lincoln/his hand and his pen/he will be good but/god knows When.” He penned his last documented verse on July 19, 1863 in response to the Union victory at Gettysburg.

Until 1860 Abraham Lincoln had been only “an occasional critic

8 | December 2013

“Let it not be said I am contending for the establishment of political and social equality between whites and blacks…I am combating what is set up as moral argument for allowing [blacks] to be taken where they have never yet been—arguing against the extension of a bad thing [slavery]….”

Lincoln initially supported gradual emancipation, colonization, and

Orders No. 100. “The U.S. War Department has officially proclaimed the instructions for the government of the armies of the United States in the field, prepared by Francis Lieber, Ll.D., and revised by a board of officers,” The Alexandria Gazette reported on May 20, 1863. “Having been approved by the President of the United States, he commands that they be published.” “[Section I, Article 4]…As martial law is executed by military force, it is incumbent upon those who administer it to be strictly guided by the principles of justice, honor and humanity—virtues adorning a soldier even more than other men, for the very reason that he possesses the power of his arms against the unarmed.” Some of Lieber’s laws remain; as part of the 1899 and 1907 Hague treaties, also the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the US Army Field Manual on the Law of Land Warfare.

President Lincoln finally embraced the Lieber Code on May 24, 1863, but only after designating April 30th as “a day of National humiliation, fasting and prayer [so] that our imperiled Nationality may be preserved.”

As the secession crisis unfolded, Lincoln studied military strategy. He concluded that a Union win depended on reducing Confederate armies. To accomplish this Lincoln relied on the North’s manpower, firepower, and ability to conduct simultaneous operations. In Grant, Lincoln finally found a General who agreed with his plan.

On December 9, 1863, Lincoln’s hard-war military strategy succeeding, the President proclaimed his reconstruction policy: “Therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do proclaim, declare, and make known to all persons who have, directly or by implication, participated in the existing rebellion, except as hereinafter excepted, that a full pardon is hereby granted to them and each of them, A BIT OF HISTORY > PAGE 16

Old Town Crier

civil DISCOURSE DOUG COLEMAN

The Execution of the Two William Henry Johnsons

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he first Union soldier to be sentenced to death was a 22 year old Vermonter named William Scott. Proving no good deed goes unpunished, he volunteered to stand guard in place of a sick friend. Assigned to Chain Bridge, Scott fell asleep at his post. He was caught. Confederates were close by at Bailey’s Crossroads and Falls Church in September of 1861, so this was deemed a serious matter. Scott would be made an example of and was sentenced to be shot, the sentence being confirmed by McClellan himself.

There was a public outcry against this execution—clearly Scott was a decent fellow who was guilty of nothing more than exhaustion, as this was the second consecutive night he had stood guard after a full day of working construction at Fort Marcy. The New York Times protested.

Almost two hundred of the officers and men of his regiment signed a petition begging clemency. Finally, Scott’s regimental chaplain interceded directly with Lincoln, who issued a presidential pardon. Lincoln drove his carriage at midnight to regimental headquarters to personally convey the pardon rather than trust the young man’s life to the telegraph.

Nonetheless, the pardon was delivered somewhat cruelly. At the appointed hour, Scott was made to stand before his firing squad in a hollow square of his comrades— only then was the pardon read aloud.

The assembled troops cheered the president and the country heaved a sigh of relief—Lincoln was no dummy when it came to public relations.

Such was the genesis of the “merciful Lincoln myth”. The reprieve was short-lived. Scott died in combat seven months later near Yorktown, sharing a grave with a soldier from the first American Revolution before being reinterred in the national cemetery there. For more, see: http:// www.vermontcivilwar.org/units/3/

Old Town Crier

sentinel.php.

Trooper William Henry Johnson did not receive a presidential pardon, becoming the first of 147 Union soldiers to be executed during the Civil War. Originally a native of New Orleans, Johnson had enlisted in the New York 1st Cavalry. December 4th of 1861 found him on picket duty at the crossroads of the Little River and Columbia Turnpikes near Annandale. According to Johnson, his desertion was not premeditated.

He rode out Braddock Road looking for a cup of fresh milk and, finding none, kept getting further and further away from his regiment as he went from farmhouse to farmhouse. Then it occurred to him that he could visit his mother in New Orleans if he just kept going. He claimed he had every intention of returning to the army after a few weeks, perhaps even with some valuable intelligence, and so rode toward the Confederate forts at Centreville.

Johnson had the misfortune of meeting a patrol of Colonel Taylor’s 3rd New Jersey cavalry.

Uniforms not being standardized early in the War, Johnson asked Taylor which side he was on. A suspicious Taylor fibbed and stated they were Confederates. Johnson confided he was a rebel too and was headed to New Orleans to see his mother.

Taylor then interrogated Johnson on the disposition of the Yankee pickets. Johnson responded with pertinent information and was immediately disarmed and placed under arrest.

Johnson was tried and convicted at the headquarters of Franklin’s Division, camped on either side of Braddock Road at Episcopal High School and Minnie Howard School.

McClellan approved the sentence, noting “for simple desertion, the

Execution images from the Library of Congress (above) and Harper’s Weekly (left)

penalty is death; for desertion coupled with such treachery, there can be no mercy.” On December 13th Franklin’s entire division of 10,000 men formed on the level plain just north of the Fairfax Seminary to witness the execution. The firing party was made up of twelve men, one selected by lot from each regiment of the division.

As was customary, Johnson was allowed a short speech regretting his offense and admonishing his fellows to avoid error. An unsteady

Johnson then sat on his coffin, blindfolded. A Catholic priest comforted him as he awaited his end. Then the firing party of eight stepped to within six paces of the condemned and waited for a mounted officer to drop a handkerchief. Six Sharps rifles cracked. Johnson shivered for a few seconds, falling over next to his coffin. Despite several shots to the chest, he was not dead— two of the soldiers had not fired and were immediately arrested. The reserve party of four stepped forward and finished Johnson with four shots to the head—in the chin, cheek and two in the forehead. The entire division was marched past to witness close-up the penalty for desertion.

CIVIL DISCOURSE > PAGE 16

December 2013 | 9

HIGH NOTES CHRIS ANDERSON

H

alloween is that time of year when we’re allowed to step outside ourselves and pretend to be someone else. As such, in 1994 Phish took on the mantle of donning a “musical costume” for the evening, performing the Beatles’ White Album during the second of a three-set show in Glens Falls, NY. There have been five further Halloween shows, in 1995, 1996, 1998, 2009, & 2010, where they performed Quadrophenia (The Who), Remain In Light (Talking Heads), Loaded (Velvet Underground), Exile On Main Street (Rolling Stones), and Waiting For Columbus (Little Feat), respectively.

Each of those albums were landmarks, and each one signaled a shift in Phish’s future directions.

Anticipation for Halloween 2013 was high and the rumor mills were abuzz with everything from Michael Jackson’s Thriller to Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway being bandied about.

Phish has always thrived in the throes of unpredictability but few were expecting what they had in store. This year, instead of some classic album from the past, the band surprised everyone by performing twelve songs from their upcoming album, none of which had ever been performed by Phish. Dubbed Wingsuit, they said this time they wanted to play an album from the future.

And, folks, the future is bright.

The plan was that three days after the show, they would enter the studio with the legendary Bob Ezrin producing (best known for his work with Pink Floyd). Over the past year, Phish had been gathering in secret and writing new material. Over the course of their thirty year career, Phish spent 10 | December 2013

Suit Up!

countless hours spontaneously creating new music as a band, but they had never attempted to write songs as a group until now. These clandestine writing sessions yielded a vast wealth of material that, combined with more traditionallysourced tracks, formed the basis for their intended new album. A few new songs had trickled into their live sets over the past year or two but much was held back. Fans had been growing frustrated with the lack of new Phish material over the last couple of years.

It’s all clear now.

The first thing that hit me was how the individual members’ influences mesh within the songs. Opening with “Wingsuit,” the set starts off on a dreamy, somewhat atmospheric vibe, one that makes Ezrin a clear choice for producer. “It feels good because it feels good”, a fair enough assumption where the band is, something that is also driven home when they sing, “You’re driven to the edge so put your wingsuit on,” which is exactly what Phish did that night, in the risks they

were taking, and the heights to which they soared.

From there, they move into “Fuego,” which is one of the most unique and complex songs Phish has done as of late. Several contrasting sections, a ferocious jam, and some fun lyrics make this one a clear winner. It’s also one of the heaviest songs the band has ever done. There is no doubt that it won’t be long before we see an epic second set open with a 23-minute “Fuego”. And it will be marvelous.

Next up is “The Line,” one of Phish’s best pop songs ever, and already one of my all time favorites. Written from the perspective of Darius Washington Jr, as he missed the two free throws that kept Memphis State out of the NCAA Championship in 2005, this song has gotten Phish more press than they’ve gotten in years. With its clear hooks and “oooohs” in the background, this could be a hit and one that we’ll no doubt hear for years as background to sports highlight montages.

The band strips down to an acoustic configuration for the peppy “Monica” which is the song from this album that has most stuck in my head. “Waiting All Night” finds Phish in uncharted territory, a reflective number that is another one that could almost be a hit.

Some very emotive vocals from Trey Anastasio clinch this song’s success.

Next up is “Wombat.” A lot of fans

like this song because it’s uber-funky and goofy as hell, but to me it’s a song that was fun to watch the first night and hopefully they won’t ever play it again. Not much substance and, really, the best part of the song was Abe Vigoda on stage, dancing in a wombat suit.

The band strips to an acoustic format again for Mike Gordon’s “Snow”. Musically akin to the alt.folk stylings of Fleet Foxes, and featuring some pretty interesting musical bits, this suffers greatly from Gordon’s falsetto vocals. He more than redeems himself with the funky “555,” one of the finest songs he’s contributed, but before that, Anastasio offers up “Devotion To A Dream,” a slightly rocking number that is sure to get the crowd dancing.

“Winterqueen” is the only song that had ever been heard before, performed once by Anastasio’s solo band in 2011, but here it is given new life, as it builds from a quiet ballad into a soaring, dynamic piece of music. Anastasio and Page McConnell lay down the sparse, acoustic folk ditty, “Amidst The Peals Of Laughter,” a song about the daily grind, with colorful references to Jack & Jill, before wrapping things up with “You Never Know,” a song about a guy who apparently stole all their money. It’s a fun number and perhaps the closest they came to sounding like early Phish. A killer way to end a killer set.

There are other songs slated for the album, which we’ve heard before.

Among those is McConnell’s exquisite “Halfway To The Moon,” a pair of Gordon originals (the funky “Say Something” and the reggae grooves of “Yarmouth Road”), and Anastasio’s spaced-out “Steam,” which has been a highlight of the last few years.

The final product is due in the Spring and who knows how it will turn up. Guessing is half the fun. The rest of the fun, however, lies within these tracks, all of which are available for download at www.livephish.com.

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December 2013 | 11

POINTS ON PETS ASHLEY DENHAM BUSSE

King Street Cats Adoption Calendar DECEMBER 2013 For details & MORE INFO website: www.kingstreetcats.org email: contact@kingstreetcats.org King Street Cats is looking for foster homes! You provide the spare room and TLC and we provide food, litter and all vetting. Please email for our Kitten Fostering FAQ at: contact@kingstreetcats.org King Street Cats 25 Dove Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Every Saturday & Sunday 1:30–4:30 pm Pro Feed Bradlee Shopping Center 3690 King Street Alexandria, VA 22302 Every Saturday & Sunday 1–4 pm PETCO UNLEASHED AT PENTAGON ROW 1101 S. Joyce Street Arlington, VA 22202 Saturday, December 7 Saturday, December 21 1–4 pm DOGMA 2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive Arlington, VA 22206 Sunday, December 8 1–4 pm Petsmart Willston Shopping Center 6100 Arlington Blvd Falls Church, VA 22044 Sunday, December 15 Sunday, December 22 Sunday, December 29 1–4 pm

12 | December 2013

Forewarned Is Forearmed

W

hen I was younger and the grateful human to several cats, I wish I’d known a bit more about what to watch for regarding their health. Many feline diseases can be minimized by early detection and treatment. Here are a few common illnesses in cats and what you should watch for.

Urinary Tract Infection

These are fairly common, just as in humans, and also fairly easy to remedy if spotted swiftly. What to watch for: your cat may seem to experience pain when urinating; may make more frequent trips to the litter box without producing much; may show traces of blood in their urine; may have accidents outside of the litterbox. Make sure your kitty is getting plenty of water; even consider upping the amount of wet food you feed him. Take your cat to the veterinarian for a round of antibiotics and your cat will be on the road to recovery. You don’t want to wait around on this, as the infection could spread to the kidneys, or there could be a blockage somewhere—which can be fatal.

Upper Respiratory Infection

Again, something that is common in both humans and cats. These infections, since they are like the common cold, are contagious but usually only affect cats who go outside or who encounter other cats a lot. The symptoms are the same as in humans—runny nose, fever, sneezing, coughing. You can let it run its course

Diabetes Mellitus

for a few days, but if there’s no sign of improvement, take your kitty to the vet to make sure there isn’t a secondary infection, such as a bacterial one, developing. Who knew we humans had so much in common with cats?

Chronic Kidney Failure

This is one I learned about the hard way, after caring for lots of different kitties with Doggywalker.com. Kidney problems tend to increase and worsen as cats get older, and they are extremely common. Basically, as a cat ages her kidneys cease to function fully; since kidneys clean the blood, kidney failure can be serious. You may notice your cat all of a sudden drinking a lot of water, as her body attempts to supplement the fluids needed to remove toxins from the blood. Other symptoms may include constipation, lack of appetite, lethargy and possibly nausea or vomiting. If you notice any of these symptoms, especially in a younger cat, get her checked out as soon as possible. It’s also possible she ingested something that is causing kidney trouble, such as antifreeze.

How to Keep Your Pets Safe this Holiday Seaon • No table food! As tempting as it may be, • If you can, keep plants such as ivy, lilies, especially with special meals, food that your poinsettias, and mistletoe out of your home, or dog or cat is not used to, or food with a lot of fat at least out of reach of your pets, as they can or bones or substances toxic to animals (onions, be toxic. chocolate) can cause mild to serious digestive • Make sure to minimize noise, crowds, and doors problems. Also, make sure that your guests left open as you welcome visitors or throw know the rules, too! parties—remember that pets can get stressed • Make sure to tape down cords and twinkling by the busyness of the season just as we do! lights, and other decorations such as Try to keep their routine as normal as possible. ornaments, that may pose chewing • Candles and liquid potpourri—make sure to temptations! keep them away from your cats! Many of them

If your cat is overweight, male, under a great deal of stress, or has hormonal abnormalities, he is at a higher risk for diabetes. Just as in humans, however, diabetes can be managed and treated. A diet with more fiber, as well as the use of insulin and—if needed—weight loss can help. Signs of diabetes include weakness, extreme thirst, frequent urination, rapid weight loss, depression (believe it or not!), and abdominal pain.

Feline Hyperthyroidism

This is usually caused by a benign tumor in the thyroid gland. It can be treated by removing the tumor, using medication, or injecting the thyroid with radioactive iodine. What to watch for: again, increased thirst and urination, weight loss, extreme hunger, rapid heartbeat, changes in the coat or in your kitty’s behavior, such as nervousness, excessive grooming, or increased meowing.

So… not exactly the most cheerful topic for the month of December, but an important one, nonetheless. Just remember to watch over your kitty, especially for these common signs of illness (increased thirst and urination, behavioral changes, and energy levels).

You might save his life!

Ashley Denham Busse has worked for Doggywalker.com since 2006. Doggywalker.com is a professional pet-sitting company located in Old Town Alexandria, celebrating more than 13 years of providing daily walks and customized in-home pet care. Visit doggywalker.com or email info@doggywalker.com.

contain essential oils that are tempting for cats to taste but can be deadly. Remember to blow out candles when leaving the house, too.

• When purchasing toys for your furry kids, make sure to get ones that are safe—and not ones that can be torn into small pieces and ingested.

And remember that, while string and ribbon seem like fun toys for cats, they should not be left where kitties can swallow them!

Happy Holidays to All from doggywalker.com

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I

Stinky

n November 2005, after seeing months of photos and videos of the terrible destruction wrought by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, I volunteered to help rescue the homeless cats and dogs still displaced by the storm. I promised my husband I would not bring back any cats (we had three at the time), and headed to New Orleans.

When a four-week-old kitten was brought into the shelter where I worked—rescued when a building collapsed, killing his mother and siblings—I melted. How could I not bring him home? Stomach problems earned him the name Stinky and by the time he was healthy, he knew his name, so it stuck.

So began my journey as an animal rescuer.

Since 2005, I've traveled internationally to help animals displaced by disasters, volunteered to shelter and care for animals rescued from hoarding cases across the US, and driven hundreds of miles transporting cats and dogs from kill shelters to rescue organizations.

I've trapped and re-homed stray cats in my neighborhood. I even fostered rescued mom cats with kittens and found homes for the kittens (see the cover of the OTC June 2011). I guess you could say rescuing animals is a hobby of mine.

You probably know that hundreds of thousands of pets, strays and feral cats die in shelters every year in this country. You might think that all animals in shelters have behavior problems or are mutts. This is simply not

true. I currently live on a 27 acre farm in the panhandle of West Virginia with six rescue cats. One is a purebred Siamese. All came from animal shelters or rescue organizations.

If you have, or are considering adding a pet to your family, please keep the following in mind: • Spay and/or neuter your pets.

• Microchip your pets in case they get lost.

• Consider adopting from a rescue group.

Even if you want a purebred animal, there are many groups that specialize in rescuing purebreds.

• Understand that a pet is a lifetime commitment. But if unforeseen circumstances force you to give up your pet, one thing most people don't know is that rescue organizations (and responsible breeders) have a clause in their contract which requires you to return the animal to them if for some reason you no longer can or want to care for your pet.

I am grateful to the Old Town Crier for featuring Stinky on this month’s cover. I am sad to say that when we moved from Alexandria to West Virginia in December 2012, Stinky ran away from our new home. The last time I saw him was February 1, 2013, about a mile from our home. He was fat and looked happy but despite setting traps and hiring professional lost pet finders, I have been unable to catch or find him. I miss him every day and hope he will come home eventually.

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GALLERY BEAT F. LENNOX CAMPELLO

Judith Peck: Blue Monday ,14x11 inches, oil and plaster on board

Judith Peck: Dialogue, 18x14 inches, oil and plaster on board

L

ast month I discussed the evolving phenomena of the art fair and the series of predators that have also evolved as a result of the growth of art fairs; this month I will talk about the unethical artist at the art fair.

I started to sell other artists’ works while I was an art student at the University of Washington in beautiful Seattle. As I’ve noted many times, while I was there, I sold my own works at the Pike Place Market, helped to start a Student Art Gallery, and 14 | December 2013

helped to connect buyers with some of my fellow artists. Then in 1996, my then wife and I opened the Fraser Gallery in Washington, DC and subsequently a second Fraser Gallery in Bethesda, Maryland. I left the Fraser Galleries in 2006 and the same year Alida Anderson Art Projects, LLC was created in Philadelphia, and in 2009 moved to the DC region, where it remains.

In all those years I’ve worked with hundreds and hundreds of artists, and I can count in one hand the number of artists whom I would call unethical due to their behavior in a business gallery relationship. I thank my lucky stars for that, but I also think that the vast majority of artists, for whatever artistic genetic reason, are good people.

But we are humans, and in any “industry” there are also bad apples, and my own 2-3 bad experiences with artists, plus the dozens of anecdotal stories from other dealers all add up to the fact that just as there are some unethical galleries, there are some unethical artists.

The art fairs’ paradigm gives these artsy deviants a powerful new way to use their lack of decent ethics.

As I noted last month, for your average, independently owned, commercial fine arts gallery, signing up to go to an art fair not only opens up the gallery to a whole new set of predators in the art fair scene, but also requires a significant financial environment, which, if not returned by sales at the fair, often causes a gallery to close its physical space.

Most good, ethical and decent art galleries are more often than not run by the skin of the dealers’ teeths, often financed at times by Mr. Visa and Mr. MasterCard, and nearly always a labor of love on the part of the owners. You drop $10,000 to $15,000 bucks on an art fair, and come home with little or no sales, and an empty bank account... that often means that it’s lights out for the gallery. I’ve seen and heard this happen multiple times in the decade that I’ve been doing art fairs.

As I’ve also noted before, there is a curious after effect to art fairs; I call it the “wake effect.”A ship leaves a wake on the ocean as it moves through the water; that wake can sometimes be hundreds of miles long and discernible for days.

I define an art fair’s “wake” as events that happen days, weeks, and even years after an art fair has taken place. These events can be sales, exhibition offers, curatorial interest, press, etc. The “record” for this is currently held by DMV area artist Judith Peck, who was recently approached by someone who saw her work at a Miami art fair four years ago and recently got in touch with Peck. As a result of that fair four years ago, Peck made a sale and was also included in a forthcoming art exhibition in Puerto Rico.

That’s a heck of a long-assed wake! That’s Judith’s work illustrating this article.

The wake effect is important and nearly always present after a fair closes. It is part of a gallery’s business prayer plan to survive the economic investments in attending an art fair.

In the Google age, the art of buying a piece of artwork has been Googlified and in any art fair one sees a huge number of people taking photographs of the art

being exhibited (a tiny minority of these photographers ask permission first... cough, cough...) and then (here comes the “new” part) they take a close up of the wall text card with the name, price, media and title of the piece.

Potential collectors, art students, art teachers, other gallerists, and nearly every fair visitor from the People’s Republic of China does this - it happens in every art fair.

Within minutes, a potential buyer can then Google the artist, even the piece, discover related works, other dealers representing the artist, etc.

Minutes later, direct contact with the artist often begins, closely followed by emails to other dealers and/or the artist requesting price quotes and availability.

Some of this is very smart, as there are unethical art dealers who inflate artists’ prices at art fairs in order to then offer huge discounts to potential buyers.

An ethical buyer armed with good information is an informed buyer, and ethical art dealers have nothing to fear when dealing with them.

Approaching an artist directly undercuts the gallery’s investment in the art fair and in promoting the artist’s work. However, one can make the case that some novice buyers do not understand this relationship and thus their “direct” approach to the artist, rather than working with the gallery where they saw the artist’s work, can be somewhat excused and attributed to a simple lack of understanding... cough, cough.

Experienced collectors who know and understand the commercial fragility of most art galleries, and how the artist-gallery relationship generally works, and yet bypass a gallery and go directly to the artist, should know better, but what can I say?

I know that this happens because I am nearly always one of the artists being exhibited at the fairs, not only by AAP, but also by multiple other art galleries in multiple art fairs. And I get emails from people who tell me that they “saw my work at the such and such art fair and love it” and want to know “what else I’ve got?” or what’s “the best deal” that they can get on this or that piece.

I also know this because I’ve had our represented artists pass the emails back to us; this is what an ethical artist must do.

Gallery contracts usually set an arbitrary time limit on how long a commission exists after an art fair for a direct sale made by the artist as a result of someone seeing their work at the fair. It is all on an honor system, and I am happy to report that as far as I know, no one has ever screwed me out of a single shekel in “wake effect” sales.

I also know this because I work with multiple other galleries, some of which represent the same artists whom I work with, and they too understand the “wake” effect and let us know that someone has been requesting price quotes on an artist that we share.

Enter the unethical artist.

By know I am sure that you know where I am GALLERY BEAT > PAGE 15

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circa 2012 • oil and alkyds on wood • 23.5 x 19.5”

BY SIMON MONK Available from

ALIDA ANDERSON ARTS PROJECT, LLC Washington, DC

for more info: email@alidaanderson.com or 301.437.1054 GALLERY BEAT FROM PAGE 14

going... The unethical part comes when an artist is approached directly by someone, during or after an art fair, and associates the query with “seeing the art at such and such art fair...” and the artist does not pass the contact to the gallery and makes an independent and direct sale and excludes the gallery from its fair commission (pun intended).

Or the artist is suddenly approached directly by someone, during or after an art fair, and that someone is from the city/area where the fair is being/was held. And the artist does not pass the contact to the gallery and makes an independent and direct sale and excludes the gallery from its fair commission (pun intended again).

Real life example: A gallery exhibits artist Jane Doeski in an art fair in Santa Fe. It is the first time that this artist has been exhibited not only in Santa Fe, but also the first time that Jane, who lives in Poland, has exhibited in the USA. Suddenly Jane begins to get direct queries from people who live in New Mexico.

Is it clear what Jane should do next?

December 2013 | 15

CIVIL DISCOURSE FROM PAGE 9

Shop Early.

Ship Early.

The original story from Harper’s Weekly can be found here: http://www.sonofthesouth. net/leefoundation/civil-war/1861/december/ execution-deserter.htm.

A second William Henry Johnson was executed near Petersburg on June 20th, 1864. He had deserted the 23rd Colored Infantry and, according to Harpers Weekly, “had attempted to commit an outrage on a white woman at Cold Harbor.” A gallows was constructed within view of the Confederate lines. The Confederates interpreted this as the hanging of one of their own. They opened fire on the execution party with artillery. Sergeant Polley of the 10th Massachusetts Infantry was torn to pieces by a shell just as the condemned man dropped. Apparently the execution was a success insofar as Johnson is claimed to have died instantly, notwithstanding the short drop illustrated in the photos. The troops convened to witness the execution were forced to shelter behind a hill while the hangman proceeded under fire. The Federals sent out a flag of truce

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16 | December 2013

with restoration of all rights of property, except as to slaves, and in property cases where rights of third parties shall have intervened, and upon the condition that every such person shall take and subscribe an oath, and henceforward keep and maintain said oath inviolate; and which oath shall be registered for permanent preservation, and shall be of the tenor and effect following, to wit: “I, ____, do solemnly swear, in presence of Almighty God, that I will henceforth faithfully support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the union of the States thereunder; and that I will in like manner, abide by and faithfully support all acts of Congress passed during the existing rebellion with reference to slaves, so long and so far as not repealed, modified, or held void

by Congress, or by decision of the Supreme Court; and that I will, in like manner, abide by and faithfully support all proclamations of the President made during the existing rebellion having reference to slaves, so long and so far as not modified or declared void by decision of the Supreme Court. So help me God.” “The persons excepted from the benefits of the foregoing provisions are all who are, or shall have been, civil or diplomatic officers or agents of the so-called Confederate Government; all who have left judicial stations under the United States to aid the rebellion; all who are, or shall have been, military or naval officers of said so-called confederate government about the rank of colonel in the army, or of lieutenant in the navy; all who left seats in the United States Congress to aid the rebellion; all who resigned commissions in the army or navy of the United States, and afterwards aided the rebellion; and all who have engaged in any way in treating colored persons or white persons in charge of such, otherwise than lawfully as prisoners of war, and which persons may have been found in the United States service as soldiers, seamen, or in any other capacity.”

“And I do further proclaim, declare and make known, that whenever, in any of the States of Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina,

to explain that they were hanging a colored soldier for an outrage against a white woman.

Perceptions corrected, the Confederates promised to hold their fire. Apparently they did, as two different photographers were allowed to set up and photograph the scene, which depicts soldiers in the open under the shade of a nearby apple tree. For more, see: http://blog.encyclopediavirginia.org/2011/06/20/ this-day-a-morning-execution-edition/.

Lest this last incident be construed as purely racist, one should keep in mind that the army was an equal opportunity disciplinarian. Thus a white soldier was hung on the ramparts of Fort Ellsworth for the rape of a free black woman, with all of the troops camped in Alexandria ordered to assemble on the opposite slope to bear witness.

The only soldier executed since the Civil War was Eddie Slovik, shot for desertion in 1945.

More recently, Fort Hood gunman Major Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death by a military jury for murdering 13 fellow soldiers, plus an unborn child, and wounding 30. One doubts the William Henry Johnsons will welcome him. a number of persons, not less than one-tenth in number of the votes cast in such State at the 1860 Presidential election, each having taken the oath aforesaid, and not having since violated it, and being a qualified voter of the election law of the State, existing immediately before the so-called act of secession, and excluding all others, shall re-establish a State government which shall be republican, and in nowise contravening said oath, such shall be recognized as the true government of the State….”

“The World thinks the Message is a creditable specimen of political dexterity, in view of the approaching Presidential campaign,” The Alexandria Gazette recounted on December 12, 1863. “As a scheme for the reconstruction of the Union it is deemed simply absurd.”

“Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away,” Lincoln wrote in his 1865 Inaugural Address. Lincoln borrowed much from poet Burns’ writing including his rhythmic beat.

Nothing was more upbeat than confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender on April 9, 1865.

Abraham Lincoln paid for war with his life.

“The curtain rose slowly on the second act, and while all were enjoying the eccentricities of Asa Trenchard…a muffled pistol shot was heard,” an eyewitness account read. “Within [Ford’s] theatre the wildest confusion for a time prevailed.”

President Lincoln was assassinated less than one week after Lee’s surrender. His 1860s Presidential railroad car, his funeral car was built in Alexandria’s Union-occupied car shops.

American slavery and involuntary servitude were not legally abolished until 1866, following ratification of the 13th Amendment.

President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers Home, a District of Columbia National Trust for Historic Preservation property, commemorates the Emancipation Proclamation’s 150th anniversary with an original exhibit. Freedom’s Eve, The Cottage’s New Year’s Eve gala is open to the public. Albert Nelson See’s Civil War diary and artifacts are also on December display. For more information: visit www.lincolncottage.org.

Old Town Crier

THE LAST WORD MIRIAM R. KRAMER

Love, Hate and Forgiveness: A Conroy Christmas

“I

don’t believe in happy families.

A family is too frail a vessel to contain the risks of all the warring impulses expressed when such a group meets on common ground. If a family gathers in harmony for a reunion, everyone in attendance will know the entry-ways and exits have been mined with improvised explosive devices.”

So says the novelist Pat Conroy. As the holidays are upon us, with dysfunctional family get-togethers gathering like storm clouds on our tinsel-taut, Nutcrackerbedecked horizons, there is no better time to review Conroy’s wrenching and starkly humorous family memoir, The Death of Santini.

Conroy first burst onto bestseller lists in 1976 with The Great Santini, a blazing, thinly veiled roman à clef about his father, a highlydecorated Marine fighter pilot who ruled and abused the Conroy family while deploying to fight in three wars during his military career. Conroy exorcised his childhood demons in vivid detail, revealing the physical abuse and emotional neglect exercised by his father under the guise of depicting turmoil in a fictional family named the Meechams. When the tightly held Conroy family secret was published for the world’s scrutiny, his father disappeared for three days, in denial about his abuse and bewildered after looking in the mirror his son had held up to him.

As a novel, The Great Santini has one or two less Old Town Crier

believable plot points, but these are minor difficulties.

The dialogue rings true and the story moves along at a rapid, engrossing pace. In its anger it lobs itself like a hand grenade, but it reveals truth and worth over time. In addition, this early work is an excellent precursor to reading a number of Conroy’s other books, including The Death of Santini.

Among these is Conroy’s well-received memoir My Reading Life, published in 2010. It brings to life the people, teachers, and authors who brought novels and poetry alive to him, along with the books he considers most important in transforming the reader with the power of their humanity and gorgeous language. Those interested in book suggestions and the reasons why books become dearly beloved friends would do well to peruse this book. It also interweaves tales of his family and their influence on his love affair with words and literature.

In The Death of Santini, Conroy looks again at his life from a non-fictional point of view, writing once more about his mother and father and their tortuous love-hate relationship, along with the collateral damage imposed on their family of seven children, one of whom committed suicide and another who became mostly estranged from the family through her anger, mental illness and genius.

Conroy pours his memory into the images and conversations between his siblings that took place during their childhood

ordeals, after the publication of The Great Santini, and in their adulthood, as the different views they held of their parents crystallized.

While Pat Conroy idealized and worshipped his steely, beautiful mother, many of his younger siblings did not. Here he first shows her own flaws and deep-seated insecurities as a voracious reader and autodidact who pretended she had been a wealthy Southern belle who had graduated from college instead of a povertystricken mountain girl from Alabama.

In his famous novel The Prince of Tides, Conroy wrote, "In families, there are no crimes that cannot be forgiven." He has certainly adopted this attitude towards his family in The Death of Santini. In it he describes the first time he was able to defend his mother and younger siblings as an adult when his father was drunk and hitting them. He kicked his father out of the house and onto the lawn, finally telling him the twisted truth that he loved him. That scene was written into his 1976 book, and it may have been the beginning of his real relationship with Col. Don Conroy.

After his mother left his father the day after he retired from the Marine Corps, his father was bereft and cried for the first time in front of his son. He also came around from his first reaction and began to enjoy his status as The Great Santini, coming with Pat to all his book signings and enjoying the filming of the movie version of the novel. Slowly they

developed a relationship, and Pat found a way to understand his father as a man of action who had buried his love of family and had almost no way to express it. In the retired Col. Conroy’s second act, his son was surprised to find that he had a great sense of humor that he had kept under cover. His father was beloved by grandchildren and other family members, and

very slowly found a way to become a better father and grandfather. His children, who had always wanted to love him, tried hard to accept his changing self despite their memories of childhood neglect and abuse.

The Death of Santini’s strength is that while sometimes humorous, it does not soft-soap the THE LAST WORD > PAGE 19

December 2013 | 17

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION JAIME ELLIOTT

D

ecember is my favorite month!

While Christmas time everywhere is special, there is something about the season in the Caribbean that, in my opinion, makes it that much better.

The weather is back to perfect with the humidity leveled off and the cool trade winds blowing again.

Restaurants and businesses are back open and our snow bird homeowners have flocked back for the season.

Our Christmas season officially kicked off this year at the Coral Bay Bizarre Bazaar, the first annual holiday fundraiser for a the Coral Bay Community Council, which has realized some amazing progress in reducing storm water runoff and protecting our bay. The organization

18 | December 2013

is all about planned, communitydriven growth and serves as an important voice for area residents. And, more importantly, their fundraising committee knows how to throw a party.

The day was set to feature a home brewer’s beer competition with six entrants, some of whom were bringing their suds over from St. Thomas to take part. Tons of talented local artists were there selling everything from original paintings to funky T-shirts and amazing hand-wrought jewelry. Buying directly from the artist is the perfect antidote to all those “pre-Black Friday” sales that start on Thanksgiving Day and all things Walmart.

Santa Claus even made an appearance in order to take pictures with the little ones - and not so little ones - and listen to those Christmas present wishes. A yard sale, plant

sale, bake sale, marine items sale and food sales were planned to round out the day and get everyone ready for a merry ole December.

A bit later in December brings two more of my favorite Coral Bay Christmas traditions. The annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Community Sing-along is handsdown one of my favorite nights of the year. Island elders used to gather together the night before Christmas and go door to door singing carols.

Those carolers were usually met with plates of food and glasses of local cordial as each neighbor would join the group until they made it to town and rang in Christmas morning.

While singers no longer go door-todoor there is still an early morning sing-along pot-luck hosted at the park in Cruz Bay each Christmas morning.

Over the years that singing tradition has grown to include a community party in Coral Bay which was started by a group of friends who gathered to sing their favorite holiday songs. Those friends began this tradition almost 50 years ago and each year neighbors from across Coral Bay, local church choirs and children from local schools still gather at the basketball court to sing their favorite Christmas songs.

We bring a group of friends from Skinny Legs, someone brings sheets of holiday song lyrics and we sing a few songs at the celebration each year.

The ceremony continues after the songs wind down, when Santa Claus arrives on a fire truck with sirens blaring, to the delight of every child in attendance. Everyone brings along a present and Santa hands them out to all the little kids shrieking in amazement. It’s impossible not to enjoy this Coral Bay gathering.

Another perfect Christmas outing is the annual holiday concert at the historic Moravian Church hosted by our adult choir, St. John Singers.

Each year brings a new delight of both ancient and modern songs and impressive solos by talented musicians.

The church affords some fantastic acoustics and there is usually a gentle breeze blowing through the huge arched windows overlooking the bay.

Our annual Skinny Legs Christmas Party is up next and we’re changing things up a little this year. We’re closing our doors and getting a caterer so we don’t have to worry about cooking and then enjoying our restaurant ourselves with our hard-working and amazing staff and their families. We’ll decorate our tree and hang our stockings. We’re going to be making Christmas cookies and I’ll be mulling up some wine. Then we’ll pop a few bottles of bubbly and enjoy a great meal together like the family that we truly are. I’m excited!

And all of that is before Christmas, which is my favorite day of the year!

We have very strict traditions at our house where mimosas are followed by opening presents and a breakfast of New Jersey bagels with Taylor ham, fried eggs and cheese. Then there’s an extravagant dinner and all the cookies and shortbread you can still eat.

I’m getting excited just thinking about it! Merry Christmas from St. John!

Publisher’s note: Make your plans to spend next year in the islands at one of the fine places that advertise here in the Caribbean Connection section! All of these properties are owned by local Alexandrians. Feel free to call us here at the Crier for references to any of them!

Old Town Crier

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THE LAST WORD FROM PAGE 17

completely dysfunctional, sometimes crazy, and terribly difficult relationships that continued to limp along within a longtraumatized family during adulthood and after their parents’ divorce. Many of the Conroy children suffered strong suicidal impulses, with their schizophrenic youngest brother jumping off a building to his death.

Conroy writes about his mother, the re-married Peg Conroy Egan, and how his family handled her death from leukemia years before the funeral that took place after The Great Santini developed terminal colon cancer. Some of Conroy’s sadness comes from his relationship with his sister, Carol Ann, a brilliant, highly unbalanced poet who developed a hatred for him stemming from a childhood where she was always undervalued by their parents while Pat got attention for playing basketball and eventually writing popular novels. Yet he accepts her with both love and exasperation, even during her lunatic shenanigans at their parents’ funerals.

Despite the awful memories and the tangled emotions of this family, the Conroy kids pulled together to take care of their parents and each other during illness and difficulty.

They share a great sense of black humor that erupts often, and particularly when speaking of their bizarre relatives from Chicago and Alabama. Comic relief punctuates their darkness and difficulties.

Conroy calls his family’s coming together the Irish loyalty inherited from his Chicago father’s side, but it is the loyalty that can be shown by anyone who has at least some ability to forgive, if not forget. There are few acts more difficult and long in coming than true forgiveness. The veins of forgiveness that pulse through this memoir are revelatory and helpful for those looking to come to terms with great hurt, whether inflicted by a parent, a sibling, a spouse, or a dear friend. One hopes that this memoir is redemptive for Conroy. There is no greater present than forgiveness and the beginning of acceptance for people’s limitations. Perhaps forgiveness is the best gift that anyone could give to another at this time of year, because it can be a priceless present for the recipient and an unexpectedly wonderful one for the giver.

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December 2013 | 19

ROAD TRIP BOB TAGERT

All photos: © Chester Simpson

20 | December 2013

For those of you who read us every month, you know that each month I visit a different area in our region as a road trip. However, each December I always write about our hometown, Old Town Alexandria. With the recent closing of the Robinson Terminal loading docks and the coal-fired power plant in north Alexandria, there has been a lot of activity as to what to do with the development of the waterfront. There is no doubt that change is coming, but for now, I am going to talk about December in Old Town Alexandria and the town itself.

The first settlement was established in 1695, a half mile down the Potomac River at the mouth of Hunting Creek. The ground was not well suited as a harbor as the shoreline was very shallow, so the settlement was re-established at its present site where the channel came closer to shore. Oronoco and Duke streets extended into deep water, but between the two lay an arc of swampy flatland backed by bluffs. Beginning in 1759 the filling in of this marsh and flatland began and a wharf was eventually constructed.

This was the beginning of Alexandria’s future as one of America’s leading seaports.

Old Town Crier

Soon warehouses were built to store all of he commerce that was coming to, and leaving Alexandria. These same warehouses standing today make up the shops and restaurants of Old Town. By the end of the 18th century, Alexandria was among the ten busiest ports in America and had been designated an official port of entry.

The town derives its Scottish heritage from Scottish merchants John Alexander, William Ramsay and John Carlyle. The celebration of that heritage continues today with the annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend and parade, which is held the first Saturday of every December. This year the Scottish Weekend is December 6 and 7 and is consistently ranked by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of he top 20 events in the South and regularly draws nearly 30,000 visitors.

The weekend kicks off Friday December 6, from 9 am to 5 pm with a collection of unique vendors under one roof at the Christmas Marketplace at the George Washington Masonic Memorial across from the King Street Metro. Also from 1 pm to 3 pm there will be a Deck the Halls with Santa, a charming Alexandria tradition for children. For the adults, there will be a Taste of Scotland to kick off the holiday season in style at the Memorial. Taste some of the finest Scotch and spirits; enjoy light fare, beer and wine. Check for prices.

The 43rd annual Christmas Walk will begin at 11 am and begins at Wilkes and South Saint Asaph streets, and ends at Market Square with massed pipes. The Walk has more than 100 Scottish clans, pipe and drum bands, Scottish dancers, re-enactment groups, service bands and, of course, Santa. This is a grand parade and day, but dress for the cold.

The evening of the 7th will feature the 14th annual Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights. Dozens of brightly lit boats will stretch along the Potomac River during the colorful parade at Alexandria’s historic harbor. The parade is led by Alexandria’s fireboat Vigilant and Washington, D.C.’s fireboat John Glenn. The boats are dressed to impress a panel of judges who will award prizes in a dozen categories including Best in Show, Thinking Outside the Christmas Box, and Hardiest Souls. Dockside festivities begin at 3 pm with the parade passing in review at 5:30. This is a fun event—I know—I entered my sailboat a number of years ago and even won a prize with my All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan theme!

All of these events are on the 6th and 7th of December, but don’t forget the rest of the month. From the waterfront to the Metro, Old Town Alexandria has unique shops, antique shops, furniture stores, restaurants and much more for its entire 18 blocks. This is the place to find a one of a kind outfit, piece of jewelry, or artwork at the internationally known Torpedo Factory Art Center. If it seems daunting, remember that there is a free trolley that runs every 15 minutes from one end of town to the other. Even though King Street is the main drag in Old Town, there are a lot of other stores spread throughout town. To help streamline your choices, the best of these stores advertise in the publication that is in your hands.

For those of you who are reading this outside of Old Town, I go to your towns eleven times a year and help bring them to life…come and visit mine and celebrate this holiday season. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Old Town Crier

December 2013 | 21

FROM THE BAY… MOLLY WINANS

Nothing T The Best of

photo: Shannon Hibberd

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here is nothing to do around here in winter. Except for walking along the seawall of the U.S. Naval Academy, as neighbors and fit Midshipmen jog by and a couple hundred sailors breeze past in the Annapolis Yacht Club Frostbite Races on Sunday afternoons.

Nothing to do but head over to Quiet Waters Park and find some friends frolicking with their pets in the dog park, go to the public ice rink and skate around in circles to classic rock, and grab a hot chocolate and some chili. Nothing, really, except for the first three Thursdays in December—the first two for Midnight Madness and the third for the Eleventh Hour—when all the downtown shops remain open late for shopping, pubcrawling, alpaca-petting on the sidewalk (you can’t make this stuff up), chocolate-covered strawberry and free Christmas cookie eating, and watching groups of carolers sing on Maryland Avenue, so lovely framed in garlands and twinkling lights, with the State House as a backdrop and a horse-drawn carriage jingling by, that you think maybe you’ve been transported into a Norman Rockwell painting.

What am I doing the second Saturday night in December?

Duh! What everyone in Annapolis is doing: checking out the Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade. Usually, we wander down into the crowd and watch the spectacle of boats and lights from the Eastport Bridge, until it gets cold, which it almost always does. Then, we walk briskly through the nippy night air to a friend’s house for our Curried Christmas dinner tradition, because, as we like to say, nothing says Christmas like curry.

Last year, we took the tradition to the water and entered into “the forest of trees.” Translation: we decorated a sailboat by stringing yellow lights up and down the mast and rigging in a tree-like formation (yellow to stay true to the curry theme), joined a bunch of other nuts who had decorated their boats with some sort of tree (much more attractive than ours), and paraded around the harbor for two hours in the dark. Blessed with unusually warm temperatures in the 50s, we merrily motored along, waving to the crowds, and figured we were just about the luckiest parade participants ever until the fog rolled in at the end. (Thanks to GPS, we safely found our way home to the curried feast awaiting us on land.)

There’s not much to do around here in winter unless it snows.

It does not need to snow a lot here. An inch will do. It’s a town filled with sailors. As soon as there’s a dusting of snow in this place, everyone makes a mad dash for the nearest bar as if it’s the only shelter. Walk into McGarvey’s Saloon and Oyster Bar after five inches of snow have fallen, and you’ll find customers five deep at the bar. I’m not always proud of this boozy mentality, but let’s be honest. It’s a small town. That’s how we roll.

There’s not much to do around here except drive over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the popular Talbot Street Parade in St. Michaels at 10:30 a.m. December 14, which may out-NormanRockwell the Maryland Avenue scene in quaintness and make a Grinch’s heart grow a notch. Or maybe stay in Annapolis to see Michael Bolton’s Holidays and Hits show at the Ram’s Head Onstage December 17 (you can’t make this stuff up).

Maybe I’ll just walk down and say hello to my friends Rob and Julianne, who live on their boat with their two dogs on the City Dock along Ego Alley in winter. They have learned over the years that the best way to enjoy the delicious nothing-to-do-ness of our fair city is to sit on deck, hot buttered rum in hand, and watch our quirky little world spin.

When she is not working as managing editor of SpinSheet and PropTalk magazines, Molly Winans plans to hole up this winter to finish her first novel.

11/13/2013 4:57:35 PM

Old Town Crier

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…TO THE BLUE RIDGE JULIE REARDON

Slow Down & Make a Memory Hunt Country holiday shopping offers unique charms

I

just love the shop local promotions that have taken hold recently. With the slumping economy, small local businesses struggle to compete with large national chains that can sell items for cheaper than the mom and pop store can get wholesale. While there’s no denying big box stores can help you save money and time, especially for Christmas shopping, there’s something special about a one of a kind gift you discovered at a little shop, perhaps in a small town, for that special someone. So here is a sampling of local businesses in the hunt country to entice you outside the beltway to shop locally.

Men’s Custom Clothing

We know you ladies can’t resist dressing your man in clothes you like, but how about some custom tailored duds? At Highcliffe Clothiers in Middleburg, you’ll find custom tailoring to be assured of something special you both like that’s fitted especially for him. No middlemen here; customers interact directly with proprietor Mark Metzger, who has 30 years of experience in fitting and designing custom clothing and currently serves as the vice president of the Custom Taylors and Designers Association. 16 S. Madison St., Middleburg, 540-687-5633.

Women’s Clothing

Christine Fox was a buyer for Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Gucci and Saks Fifth Avenue before opening her store bearing her name in Warrenton in the early 1990s. She knows fashion, and her store quickly became tremendously popular with the locals. Located in Old Town Warrenton, when you step

24 | December 2013

inside you can find traditional elegance as well as cutting edge high fashion exclusive designs by Project Runway star Wendy Pepper. 47 S. Third St., Warrenton 540-347-3868

Children’s Clothing

Dharma & Leopold’s Children’s Chic Boutique in Gainesville is a family owned business named for the family’s chocolate Labrador and Bengal cat, and features a whimsical selection of children’s clothing and accessories including girls’ jewelry, toys and shoes. You can also find baptism and holy communion outfits and chic diaper bags. Every visit is fun, as inventory is constantly changing, so you can’t go wrong if you seek a one of a kind gift for a special child. 7945 Stonewall Shops Square, Gainesville 571-222-7817

Antiques and Gifts

Baileywicke Shoppes just outside the village of Middleburg is the kind of place to go if you view shopping for antiques and/or a special gift as a treasure hunt. The brother-sister team of Lisa and Jim Vella have a 4,000 foot showroom stocked with vintage furniture, art, jewelry and unusual items they’ve found traveling far and wide scouring for collectibles. And, a portion of the store’s sales are donated to Golden Dreams Therapeutic Riding Center, a public charity using horseback riding to help children and adults with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities, so you can also feel good about the money you spend there. www.BaileywickeShoppes.com 21197 Saint Louis Rd., Middleburg 908-313-1441 Special theme oriented shopping in the villages of Middleburg and Warrenton allows you to explore dozens of quaint shops and unique boutiques with or without the family. Spend some or all of the weekend of Dec. 7-8 as the Town of Middleburg celebrates Christmas. Starting at 11 a.m on Sat., Dec. 7th. the Middleburg Hunt takes to the streets creating a spectacular sight as approximately 100 horses, riders in red coats and dozens of hounds come through the town.

The Middleburg Christmas Parade begins at 2 p.m. as spectators line the sidewalks

along Washington Street (Route 50) to watch as a unique assortment of floats, troops and bands march by in a mile-long parade. In keeping with the animal friendliness of the town, the parade includes over 700 horses, llamas, alpacas and dogs. Not to be missed are the antique fire trucks, children on floats, and of course, Santa brings up the rear riding on a beautiful horse drawn coach. Through the day there are hayrides, choir performances, the Garden Club's Christmas Flower & Greens Show and the Craft Show as well as shopping and dining in the town's shops and restaurants, creating a day-long family festival for visitors.

A Wine Crawl is the final element, allowing adults to wind down and relax while sampling wines from area vineyards, and foods in local restaurants. For more information, visit www.townofmiddleburg.org Warrenton kicks off a Christmas weekend on Friday, Dec. 6th. The evening will include the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Old Courthouse and the opening of GumDrop Square immediately following the parade. Santa Claus will glide down Main Street at the end of the parade on his sleigh drawn by majestic horses. Santa Claus will make his way to the Old Courthouse where he’ll light the town Christmas tree. Santa Claus will then head to the crown jewel of Christmas in Warrenton, the award winning GumDrop Square. Families will visit with Santa and receive one complimentary photo and the children then have the opportunity to enter Santa’s Secret Shop and purchase wrapped gifts with the help of Santa’s elves. Each gift in the shop is just two dollars. After the parade and a visit to GumDrop Square, stroll down Main Street enjoying carolers, orchestras, choirs, merchant open houses, a live nativity, food trolleys with warm treats and horse-drawn hayrides. Come and experience Christmas in true Old Town fashion.

With the combining of these events you have the ability to shop Old Town Warrenton shops on Friday evening with your family or come back the following day for ‘Small Business Saturday’. Beat the crowds and enjoy small town shopping at its best on the first Saturday in December. For more information, visit warrentonchristmasparade.com.

Old Town Crier

THE URBAN GARDEN LANI GERING

Poinsettia The Legend of the

A charming story is told of Pepita, a poor Mexican girl, who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy.

"I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro consolingly.

Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.

As she approached the altar, she remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes." She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene.

Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes.

From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.

Today, the common

Old Town Crier

name for this plant is the poinsettia!

Poinsettia Facts

• Poinsettias are native to Mexico.

• In nature, poinsettias are perennial flowering shrubs that can grow to ten feet tall.

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• The showy colored parts of poinsettias that most people think are the flowers are actually colored bracts (modified leaves).

• Poinsettias are priced according to the number of blooms. The more blooms, the more expensive the plant.

• A fresh poinsettia is one on which little or no yellow pollen is showing on the flower clusters in the center of the bracts. Plants that have shed their pollen will soon drop their colorful bracts.

www.hopkinsordinary.com Sperryville, Virginia 540.987.3383

• Poinsettias were introduced into the United States in 1825 by Joel Poinsett.

• December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. • There are over 100 varieties of poinsettias.

•

$220 million worth of poinsettias are sold during the holiday season.

• Poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant even though most are sold in a six week period.

• An NCCA Bowl game in San Diego is named the Poinsettia Bowl.

December 2013 | 25

SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE PEGGIE ARVIDSON

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

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DO YOU KNOW YOUR LIFE PURPOSE? Would you like to know the meaning of your life?

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

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

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

703-577-4759 or peggie@peggiearvidson.com

26 | December 2013

T

his has been such a deep year.

Hasn’t it? In the world—wars, elections, natural disasters! In the cosmos—eclipses, solar flares and more. And in our lives—births, deaths, marriages, divorces.

In these times of social media and instant news it can be hard to remember that these massive shifts are only temporary. They are blips on the screen of your life. Our grandparents had more time to between world events entering their consciousness. They had space to mourn losses and celebrate victories, while you and I are a product of our times— needing to process our deep emotional shifts in what seems like a moment’s notice.

I remember when the internet was first “invented” (Thanks, Al Gore :)). The ability to access the world-wide-web was a privilege for only a few of the senior folks at my then-office.

In fact, I can recall a time when a colleague was fired for using the internet at work! (can you even imagine?!)

So when our days are merging one into another and all of our celebrations, defeats and worries are posted for the world to see (or at least our 800 friends on Facebook) it’s hard to slow down and focus on the meaning of life.

Which is why there is such a deep-seated need coming from within to answer the question of “what am I here for?” The speed of life is causing an internal resistance to the rapid pace and forcing us to seek our own meaning, without the influence of followers and likes.

As the year closes, moving into darkness and the envelope of winter we have the capacity to reconnect with our own meaning and the legacy we want to make in the world. What’s the point of living if not an opportunity to love and to make things a bit better than how we found it?

During the season of peace, it’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect and reframe - to create a montage of what’s come before today and to map out a practical strategy for the year to come. This is not so much about New Year’s Resolutions as it is about coming to terms with your big why for the coming year.

Take time today to reflect and focus on these questions: • What happened to me in 2013 and what did I create?

• What do I truly want to create in the physical world in 2014 and beyond?

• What do I want to leave in my wake in the years to come?

• How will I be remembered in my family and my community when the time comes to leave this plane?

• Is there anything left undone/unsaid that cause me distress? What am I willing to do to change that situation in the year ahead?

• If money were no object, what things would I be doing, and who would I be doing them with?

You get the gist, of course. The point of this exercise is not to place blame, on yourself or others for things left undone. It’s about setting your sights on your bigger mission in the world. The one you’ve been sitting on and shoving into a corner, either because you’re waiting for a better time or because to name it out loud seems ridiculously daunting.

Take some time in the shorter days to shine your light into the corners and cobwebs of dreams shoved aside, of bridges not crossed and emotional baggage shoved, haphazardly into the closets and barricaded behind the detritus of everyday tasks and shoulds.

From what I know, we each get one turn on this Earth ride in this body and there’s a reason we are here, right now. The gift we’ve been given in our human form is the ability to exercise our free will, and in the process to the lighten the load we feel we must carry.

What if it were easier?

That question is so full of suspense and can literally stop my clients in their tracks. Brilliant, accomplished, creative men and women stammer and sputter when confronted with the possibility of ease.

When did the idea of complication take over your life? At what point did you stop believing in ease and grace and buy into the race to complete tasks and win at all costs. What have you won in the process?

While you don’t know what is going to happen in the coming 12 months, you can choose whether it happens with grace and ease or with struggle and discontent. Some surprises are certain to pop up and how you handle them is a testament to your decisions now, in the moment, about how you want to live your life.

Find the time to turn off the noise for 15 minutes a day between now and the new year. Use that space to hear yourself breathe and lean into your heart. Set your intention for the legacy you’ll leave and welcome the opportunities that come your way.

Peace.

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

1. In Frosty the Snowman, who brought Frosty back to life?

2. Who lost $8,000 in It's a Wonderful Life?

3. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, what biological shortcoming made the Grinch so mean?

4. Who tells you she's in town by tap, tap, tappin' at your windowpane?

5. What is the biggest selling Christmas single of all time?

6. What was Scrooge's first name?

7. Where was I when I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus?

8. What was the name of Rudolph's dogsled driving friend?

9. Who said "God Bless Us, Every One!"?

10. What carol contains the line "O tidings of comfort and joy"?

11. In The Night Before Christmas I sprang from my bed to see what?

12. Name the three reindeer whose names begin with a "D"?

13. In the song "Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer" what did Grandma go to get?

14. What was the first gift my true love sent on the sixth day of Christmas?

15. In what city did Miracle on 34th Street take place?

16. In It's a Wonderful Life, how did Clarence cleverly save George's life?

17. Who kept time with the Little Drummer Boy? 18. In The Night Before Christmas, where were the stockings hung?

19. What is the name of the little girl in most versions of The Nutcracker?

20. What is the last ghost called in A Christmas Carol?

21. What color is the Grinch?

22. How many pipers piping did my true love give to me?

23. In the movie The Santa Clause, who starred as the substitute Santa Claus?

24. What was Rudolph's punishment for his red nose?

25. In A Charlie Brown Christmas, who plays the dusty innkeeper in the Christmas play?

26. What did the traffic cop holler to Frosty?

27. What holiday drink contains sugar, milk, and eggs?

28. What popular bite-sized chocolate candy comes wrapped in red and green foil at Christmas?

29. What Saturday Evening Post artist was known for his whimsical pictures of Santa Claus?

30. What one reindeer is never mentioned in "The Night Before Christmas"?

31. St. Nick's beard is like what feature of winter?

32. Name the two reindeer whose name begins with a "C"?

33. In It's a Wonderful Life, what did Clarence receive for accomplishing his mission: wings or a halo?

34. What carol contains the word "Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la"?

35. In the "Nutcracker" section of Fantasia, what fungi dance the Chinese dance?

36. What did the Grinch use as a substitute for reindeer?

37. Who were nestled snug in their beds?

38. What 1990 movie told of a boy's experience when two men break into his house during Christmas?

39. What fruit is St. Nick's nose like?

40. What glittery bits of metal are hung on a Christmas tree?

41. In It's a Wonderful Life, what kind of spirit is Clarence?

42. What were Frosty's last words?

43. What piece of heavenly apparel does the Littlest Angel not wear correctly?

44. What is Charlie Brown's complaint about Christmas?

45. What instrument does Amahl play as he leads the procession in Amahl and the Night Visitors?

46. On what street did a Santa Claus miracle occur?

47. Counting Rudolph, how many reindeer are there?

48. What happened to the drummer boy's lamb when he played his song for the baby Jesus?

49. What did Rudolph never get to join in?

50. What Emmy award-winning cartoon was based on a newspaper editorial?

51. What carol is known as the counting song?

52. Where did there arise such a clatter?

53. What type of canned pie filling is a big seller at Christmas time?

54. What three characters sing "The Chipmunk Song"?

Old Town Crier

55. What gift did Caspar bring?

56. In It's a Wonderful Life, what part of George's house is always broken?

57. Traditionally, does the oldest or youngest family member open the first present?

58. What carol demands figgy pudding?

59. What flower does Moore compare St. Nick's cheeks to?

60. Whose eyes were made of coal?

61. What song was originally titled "One Horse Open Sleigh"?

62. What holiday film annually appears on television more than 300 times?

63. In It's A Wonderful Life, what two friends share their names with two Sesame Street characters?

64. What is Frosty's nose made of?

65. How does Scrooge improve Cratchit's life the day after Christmas?

66. What country started the tradition of exchanging gifts?

67. In A Charlie Brown Christmas, what winter recreation is the cast of characters doing in the opening scene?

68. What are tiny, inexpensive gifts usually called?

69. Name the reindeer whose name begins with a "B"?

70. What WWII First Lady wrote a Christmas story about a girl named Marta?

71. What non-smoking association sponsors Christmas seals?

72. Visions of what dance in children's heads?

73. How many times is the name of Santa Claus used in "The Night Before Christmas"?

74. What is the most popular tree topper?

75. What song contains the line "Although, it's been said, many times, many ways"?

76. What did the Little Drummer Boy give to the Christ Child?

77. What snack is often left out for Santa?

78. In It's a Wonderful Life, who starred as George Bailey?

79. What cola company was known for its ads featuring a big, smiling Santa?

80. What does Alvin want for Christmas?

81. Who wrote "The Night Before Christmas"?

82. What does the nutcracker become after killing the Mouse King?

83. What men's grooming appliance became a sled for Santa in commercials of the sixties?

84. What do most elves wear on the tips of their shoes?

85. After red and green, what are the two most popular Christmas colors?

86. What song contains the line "Somebody waits for you, kiss her once for me"?

87. What popular Christmas toy is based on a 1903 political caricature?

88. Who first recorded "Here Comes Santa Claus"?

89. What song does a caroler sing outside Scrooge's office?

90. What two words are normally pre-printed on gift tags?

91. Where was Mommy when she was kissing Santa Claus?

92. What film told the plight of a poor mountain family during the days of the Depression?

93. On every street corner you hear what song?

94. What was Brenda Lee doing around the Christmas Tree?

95. In A Charlie Brown Christmas, how many cents does Lucy charge for her psychiatric services?

96. Elvis Presley recorded what sad song in the fifties?

97. In "Winter Wonderland" the lovestruck couple pretends a snowman is who?

98. What parade was first held January 1, 1886?

99. What song is full of threats and warnings about Santa Claus?

100. Where did Santa land his sleigh in "The Night Before Christmas"?

101. Who yelled "Stop" to Frosty?

102. In It's A Wonderful Life, what did George dream of becoming?

103. What is the name of the first reindeer Santa calls in The Night Before Christmas?

104. What is the name of the most famous Christmas ballet?

105. What is the theme or essence of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"?

106. Who wrote A Christmas Carol?

answers page 39

HAPPY 2014!

Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Style at One of These Fine Local Establishments

Ring in the new YeaR at McLoone’s! $60 Four Course Pre-Fixed Menu Live Entertainment • Open Dance Floor Free Champagne Toast • Party Favors

8 pm - 1 am 141 National Plaza • National Harbor, MD 301.839.0815

Celebrate KSB Style!

Live Music at 7:30 pm King Street Blue Grass with Jeremy ‘Doc’ Hodges Kids Eat Free New Year’s Eve!*

112 N. Saint Asaph St • Old Town Alexandria 703.836.8800 • kingstreetblues.com *1 kid’s meal per adult entree ($10 or more). Kids 8 and under.

December 2013 | 27

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JACKSON 20 480 King St. 703-842-2790

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dining Guide

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

RED MEI 602 King St. 703-837-0094

MALAYA 1019 King St. 703-519-3710

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

MAI THAI 9 King St. 703-548-0600

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

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

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

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

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

LA MADELEINE 500 King St. 703-729-2854

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

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

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

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

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

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

28 | December 2013

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MAJESTIC CAFÉ 911 King St. 703-837-9117

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

VERMILLION 1120 King St. 703-684-9669

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

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

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

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

italian • pizzErias

CONTINENTAL BRABO

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

OVERWOOD 220 North Lee St. 703-535-3340

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

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

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

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

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

LAYLA 907 King St. 703-684-3288

CASABLANCA 1504 King St. 703-549-6464

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

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

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

LAS TAPAS 710 King St. 703-836-4000

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

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

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

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

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

703-660-6085

Old Town Crier

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

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TAVERNA CRETEKOU REGIONAL GREEK CUISINE SINCE 1973

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Ring in the new year with a local fine dining experience December 2013 | 29

DINING OUT bobtagert

Saphron Restaurant at the Old Field Inn

T

he cold weather arrived early this year. Temps in the mid-20s and wind gusts to 40 knots. This is a perfect time of year to head south to Prince Frederick, Md. and Saphron Restaurant for a dose of warm hospitality and great southern cuisine. Whether you opt for their signature low country offerings—gumbo, crab cakes, shrimp and grits, Miss Rosa’s fried chicken and James Island style shrimp—or their generous serving of lamb shank (that evening’s special), you just can’t go wrong.

I met some friends at Saphron for a leisurely dinner on a Friday night. We were greeted by owner Charlene Obal and gathered at the small bar for a drink and catch-up conversation. On this particular evening, as is often the case, Charlene had ditched her beautiful evening wardrobe and was attired in her chef outfit for serious

30 | December 2013

working, but did take the time to spend a few minutes talking with our party.

The place was buzzing this evening but, because of the layout of the building, it was difficult to determine how many people were in the restaurant. The Old Field House was built in the 1890s and, in 1927, became the home of Dr. Everard Briscoe, the head of one of Calvert County’s most prominent families. Today this home serves as the restaurant and is made up of four separate dining areas on the first floor with additional rooms upstairs, thus creating intimate dining areas without a large room feel.

Charlene’s roots go back to Charleston, South Carolina and she has brought her sense of low country cooking and southern hospitality to an elegant inn in Calvert County.

We started out with soup and appetizers. One person in our party ordered the low country Gumbo consisting of

tender shrimp with rice and collard greens. The serving was generous and very tasty.

I ordered the French onion soup, which is something that I cannot pass up. Loaded with caramelized onions, and simmered in a beef broth, the soup was one of the best since I first tasted French onion soup in Montreal. The cheese topping the offering was not as much as I was used to, however I learned that there was just enough not to take away from the flavor of the soup itself. On the specials menu for probably the last time this season—since they use locally sourced fruit and vegetables—were fried green tomatoes. My guest couldn’t pass up the opportunity to order them. They were perfect in that the coating was nice and light and they were fried to perfection. No oily residue left on the plate with these.

Keep them in mind for next spring!

For my main entrée I had

the Bronzini, an imported Mediterranean Sea bass. This is a delightful fish and was served whole over perfectly cooked kale and tomatoes with a lemon caper and tarragon sauce. Beware of the bones in a whole fish, but the flavor was excellent.

Another in our party ordered the gumbo as an entrée. This selection was, as a gumbo should be, spicy but not overly hot, with lots of shrimp, okra, tomatoes and everything else one needs for these cold evenings. The rice and collard greens layered on top were the crowning touch.

The lamb shank was one of the specials that night, served over a generous amount of smashed sweet potatoes. Our friend, chose to substitute the potatoes with sautéed yellow squash and spinach.

The serving was not only cooked to perfection but was large enough, that about half went home with him for consumption the next day.

We didn’t have one of Charlene’s signature dishes on this trip but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Crispy Flounder. It is a whole flounder scored and prepared with “secret spices” and an apricot glaze that is deep fried to perfection. It is served with your choice of sides and comes in both single servings and servings for two.

Don’t be afraid of the deep

fried method at Saphron, they know how to make it right.

We were all too full at the end of our meal, but memories of my mother’s pecan pie made me order a slice for all to share. I ordered two pies for Thanksgiving to take to my brothers house, it is that good. The sweet syrupy filling I remember in my mom’s pie was subdued in this version and it is literally “loaded” with pecans. The combination made this the best I have ever eaten. This pie also has a graham cracker crust base. Charlene also brought us a sampling of the bourbon balls that she has made by a local baker during the holidays. These will be making an appearance at our guests’ holiday gatherings as he plans to put an order in for several dozen. Although we didn’t try it, we understand that the $10,000,000 Southern Bread Pudding is to absolutely die for!

There isn’t enough room in this column to really do Saphron’s menu justice. Do yourself a favor and check out their ad in the Bay section of this issue and their website at saphronrestaurant.com for a complete menu as well as history and directions. It is about a 45-minute drive from Alexandria and 25 minutes from Solomons, Md. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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Old Town Crier

December 2013 | 31

BEHIND THE BAR CHESTER SIMPSON

Kathy Coombs

Celebrate the Holidays Roman-Style Book Your Holiday Party Now!

KATHY COOMBS IS BEHIND THE BAR AT RIVER BEND BISTRO photo: ©2013 Chester Simpson

7966 FORT HUNT ROAD HOLLIN HALL SHOPPING CENTER ALEXANDRIA, VA 703-347-7545 RIVERBENDBISTRO.COM Kathy is serving her River Bend Cocktail. You have to visit to find out what’s in it! She is behind the bar Wednesday, Thursday, Friday days, 11:30 am-5:30 pm.

Trattoria da Franco

authentic italian cuisine scallopine homemade pasta desserts fresh baked bread

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

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

32 | December 2013

How did you get started bartending?

In the early 70s I needed to supplement my income so I took a job waiting tables at night.

Liquor by the drink was new in Virginia, and people were very enthusiastic about drinking cocktails! I started working behind the bar and fell in love with it. Fine dining was just being introduced to the Washington area, and new restaurants were popping up everywhere. There were so many great opportunities.

What is your bartender pet peeve?

Someone talking loudly on their cell phone.

Ever hear of texting?

Tell us an interesting story?

Two gentlemen sat at the bar and I recognized one as a favorite customer that had moved away a year ago. I walked over to greet him not really focusing on the other man. He said “Kathy, so nice to see you again. I’d like you to meet James Gandolfini.” There he was.

Tony Soprano, himself! The show was really hot at the time, and I was a huge fan. He was really charming and funny, and I was thrilled to meet him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before “Tony” was recognized and had to be moved to a private room.

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

I won’t buy someone a drink because of a line. You have to earn that privilege.

Who would you most like to sit down and have a drink with?

Billy Coombs

What is the best pick up line you’ve heard?

I’ve never really heard a good pick up line.

I’m always amazed when they work.

Have a favorite bartender you’d like to see featured here? Send your request to chester@ chestersimpson.com.

Old Town Crier

MERRY! At Copper Fox we make Vir Gin by malting our own barley and tastefully distilling it in pot stills for a deep, rich flavor foundation that allows the malt to shine.

We finish with Mediterranean juniper, citrus, spice, and selected botanicals. Seasonal offerings from the distillery garden uniquely influence each small batch we produce. After all... at the heart of Virginia is “Gin”!

Sip it. Mix it. Give it!

TM

TM

DISTILLERY ENTERPRISES, LLC SPERRYVILLE, VIRGINIA

Tours daily. Go to www.copperfox.biz Vir Gin available in Virginia as Special Order No. 953024. Distributed in Maryland and D.C. by Prestige Beverage Group.

Old Town Crier

December 2013 | 33

City Tap House watch for our grand open ing !

City Tap House 901 I Street NW Washington, DC 20001 202.733.5333 citytaphousedc.com 34 | December 2013

Bart Invites You to the New Bugsy’s

Dining, Sports Bar & Delivery Come in and check out the new menu!

We have added several new options while maintaining all your favorites serving alexandria for 30 years • 1983-2013 111 King St•Old Town Alexandria 703.683.0313•www.bugsyspizza.com

® Book Your Holiday Party with Us Today!

Celebrate with Us New Year’s Eve! Reservations Only 6 PM - 1 AM $40 4-Course Meal Party Favors Midnight Champagne Toast Music by Pat Carroll & Ronan Kavanagh Open 5 PM Christmas Day with Dinner Specials & Music Open New Year’s Day for Brunch 10 AM - 3 PM

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

CHEF’S SPECIAL CHESTER SIMPSON

ivica svalina IS THE CHEF AT cosmopolitan grill 7770 richmond highway ALEXANDRIA, va 22306 703-360-3660 restaurant-cosmopolitan.com

Ivica Svalina When did you first become interested in cooking? Why did you decide to pursue a culinary career?

Early in my childhood, when I used to help my mom and grandma with their home cooking—that is how I got the idea to go to culinary school in the former Yugoslavia (now Croatia and Bosnia) where I worked along the Adriatic coast. Later, because of the war during the 1990s, I met great chefs across Bavaria and Germany who reinforced my love of food.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

Frank Kreutzer, a young German chef, with whom I worked for ten years. During this time I mastered the specialties of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary. Further down the road, Uffe Mikkelsen, the executive chef at the Ritz Carlton, inspired me. He hired me during my first week in the USA and now owns Rosina’s.

What dish on the menu are you most curious to see how it is received?

Momentarily I am very pleased with the response that I’ve received for all of my dishes. In particular, I was curious to see the response to the Züriche Geschnetzeltes with homemade Spätzle. Likewise the cevapcici we serve, homemade with organic meat, were unfamiliar to people, a dish we are still introducing to the community.

What do you do to insure the quality of the food going out to guests is of high quality?

I drive to the Pennsylvania Amish for naturally raised meat.

Overall, our ingredients are bought daily from various places (no freezers here!). Sometimes I go to a store for only one thing. It takes a lot of time, but this process insures all my ingredients— and therefore all of my cooking—is as fresh and of the highest quality as possible.

photo: ©2013 Chester Simpson

If any chef in the world could prepare a meal for you, who would it be?

Wolfgang Puck.

What’s your guilty food pleasure?

Grilled chicken in combination with shrimp in garlic, parsley, and olive oil with a side of pan-roasted potatoes.

Chef Ivica Svalina preparing and presenting Jager Schnitzel, Käse Spätzle, Wiener Schnitzel—all presented with a Greek salad.

Old Town Crier

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

December 2013 | 35

GRAPEVINE NEIL WILLIAMSON

ANKIDA RIDGE Virginia’s Little Burgundy T ucked far away from the cities on a steep eastern slope of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains is the home of Ankida Ridge Vineyards. A self-described family owned and operated micro-boutique winery, Ankida Ridge takes its name from an ancient Sumarian word meaning “where heaven and earth meet”. Spending a little time with any member of the family and one begins to understand the passion and energy they infuse into this project.

After founders Christine and Dennis Vrooman acquired their 100acre farm in Amherst County, wine growing was not paramount in their mind. As they got to tasting local wines and contemplating crops for the property, they researched the concept of growing grapes. Their digging led them to Virginia Viticultural Veteran Lucie Morton, who helped discern that the historic grapes of Burgundy (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) had the highest likelihood for success on the ridge. Such success with Pinot Noir is not unheard of but is rare in the Old Dominion.

At an elevation of 1,800 feet, the rocky mountainside vineyard is densely planted. Preparing the uneven ground for planting required multiple tons of rock to be moved away from the site. With the planting completed in 2008, the family worked and waited. Even with a small vineyard,

36 | December 2013

the nurturing in the first, non-fruit bearing, years can make a difference in fruit quality and quantity. Despite the challenges, the rocky soils have proven to be a net positive in the level of character expressed in the fruit.

According to the Virginia Tech Extension office, “Soil affects grapevine productivity and wine quality; but soil, like climate, comprises many components. The best vineyard soils are those that permit deep and spreading root growth and provide a moderate supply of water, released incrementally over time.”

Christine nurtures the vineyards with a mother’s passion. Writing on her blog she said, “These vines and the fruit they create, the earth and granite beneath my feet formed eons ago, all offer me the gift of connection…a link to something much greater than myself.

I find this to be for me, a spiritual inspiration, a source on unending joy; yes, even in the heat of the summer or when we struggle to battle fungi and other pests, joy is still my fuel, albeit a bit diminished at those times. It is all a part of something so grand”.

Beyond mere platitudes, Christine is dedicated to both sustainability and biodiversity by integrating the farm and vineyard into the larger ecological system of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They emphasize biodiversity by planting cover crops and perimeter flowers, fruit trees

and a small vegetable garden in the vineyard grounds, all providing habitat for beneficial insects (and healthy snacks). They use sheep at designated times to graze the vineyard floor, thus weeding and fertilizing the lownitrogen vineyard soils and beehives for pollination. In addition, chickens and guinea hens roam the vineyard to feast on the insect pests. Bluebird houses and Martin houses are placed near the vineyard to help with the bugs as well.

While not an organic operation, they attempt to hold their eco-friendly ideals while balancing the reality of the situation and the desire to end up with a crop. The French have a term for this “reasoned struggle,” La Lutte Raisonée.

With the vineyards in place, Dennis and Christine turned to son Nathan to serve as the winemaker for the enterprise. Working with award winning winemaker Matthieu Finot Nathan produced Ankida Ridge’s first vintage in 2010 with just under 200 cases of production from their vineyard. Currently producing just over 300 cases annually from their own vineyards, Nathan augments this production with three wines from leased vineyards he produces under the Rockgarden Cellar label.

While the Amherst County farm hosts four events a year (December 7th is the Holiday fete), the family thought there had to be another way to reach Old Town Crier

nathan vrooman of Ankida Ridge Vineyards Hometown Cazenovia, New York Item always in your refrigerator Beer, open bottle of wine and fermenting vegetables Most challenging wine pairing (and how you solved it) New out to the public. Thus the 22 Brix Wine Room of Charlottesville was born. Christine’s sister Cindy Wells recently moved out from Ohio to assist the family winery. On a visit to the local wine guild Cindy noticed a room was for rent in the share use house on 2nd Street just off the downtown mall.

The family quickly assembled a lovely tasting room with elegant fixtures and a cozy feel of home.

Cindy is quick to credit both her daughter Cody Rogowski and Marisa Vrooman for assisting in the interior design as well as Nathan’s carpentry skills (clearly he can do much more than just make wine).

22 Brix just opened in November and is operating Thursday-Sunday afternoons. The reception has been very positive. A word of warning the business grows the seasonal hours may be adjusted, always check their website.

The wines of Ankida Ridge have

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Best thing about the Virginia wine industry Rachel Stinson, winemaker at Stinson Vineyards (and fiancé)

Most overrated virtue Excessive organization

Worst thing about the Virginia wine industry Recent shortage of high quality fruit

Most embarrassing moment Flipping my ATV on bottling day of our 2010 Pinot Noir

received rave reviews. Jansis Robinson called them One of “Virginia’s Top Picks, … a new and exciting producer ”. Dave McIntyre of The Washington Post gushed “Amazing Pinot Noir,” An insider’s pick… that “wowed the crowd”.

The Rockgarden Cellars 2012 Voyage De Vert is inspired by the popular “Vinho Verde” wines from Portugal, this light, crisp blend of (85% Vidal Blanc and 15% Pinot Noir) has well balanced flavors of citrus and green apple with a hint of effervescence. A great summer deck wine it would also make a lovely aperitif.

I was quite taken with the 2012 Ankida Ridge Chardonnay. Aged in neutral oak, only half of the wine was allowed to go through malolactic fermentation. This restraint provides a solid backbone to this well-structured wine without the big buttery finish often evident in barrel fermented

Comfort food Meatloaf

chardonnays from the left coast. A true Burgundian style of winemaking that is rare in the Old Dominion.

The 2011 Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir is a great example of the potential for this grape. Medium ruby color in the glass the soft fruit forward attack includes highlights of red cherry and licorice. The midpalate expands to expose strawberry and a hint of white pepper. The balanced finish lingers nicely with additional red cherry notes.

Other than the Chardonnay, Nathan’s winemaking touch (and Finot’s influence) may be most evident in the blending of the 2012 Rockgarden Cellars Voyage De Rouge.

A Bordeaux style blend of 40% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc, this wine’s somewhat reluctant nose required a bit of swirling to release dark plum aromas and a hint of dark chocolate. The nice silky attack led a midpalate that

Favorite wine (yours or anyone else’s) I don’t have a favorite but if pressed I am partial to the 2010 Ankida Ridge Pinot Noir

showcases raspberry, strawberry and rhubarb. The lingering finish includes dark stone fruit, tobacco and hints of white pepper.

Considering the unique qualities of the vineyard site and the laser like family focus in the vineyard and the winery it is of little surprise that the wines of Ankida Ridge Vineyards are quite extraordinary. The addition of the 22 Brix Wine Room will likely accelerate the sales of these fine vintages. Limited production means the amount of wine available is equally limited. I encourage regular Grapevine readers to make a road trip soon because, to paraphrase a line from The Washington Post, if you don’t get it, you won’t get it.

Neil Williamson is chairman of the Virginia Wine Club tasting panel and editor of the Virginia Wine Journal.

Reach him at editor@vawineclub.com.

December 2013 | 37

EXPLORING VIRGINIAWINES DOUG FABBIOLI

The Virginia Style

A

“It’s All About the Seafood!”

Now serving Sunday brunch

Traditional & Creative Coastal Cuisine 119 King Street • Old Town Alexandria 703-836-2836 • wharfrestaurant.com

38 | December 2013

s we conclude another year of tremendous growth in the Virginia wine industry, it is important we take stock of where we were, where we are and where we are going. I was fortunate enough to attend the Virginia Wine Summit that was held in Richmond at the end of October. Being the productionist that I am, I usually skip the events that are more marketing based. My decision to attend was bolstered by the fact that the organizers chose our 2011 Cabernet Franc Reserve to pour alongside some other Cabernet Francs from around the world and our own neighborhood.

The big name at this event was Oz Clarke, a well-known wine writer and a true advocate for quality wines across the world.

His honest and well-spoken style engaged the room.

Oz recognized the challenges that the growers and winemakers assume in committing to growing grapes and making wine in our climate. He encouraged us to continue developing our own style—the Virginia style—which will always be different from California and France. His words and recognition were encouraging. We get caught in our own world sometimes. As a winemaker, I never want to kid myself about the quality of our wines. Humility is a great tool to keep things honest and real. But it sure feels good when a world renowned critic has some great things to say about your wines and your burgeoning industry.

There is a great video on YouTube titled Virginia Wine Summit 2013 that is well worth watching. We also heard the governor speak. His recognition of the industry has been tremendous as well. It is great to be working in a field where there is true bipartisanship in the support.

Oz Clarke also toured the state, visiting wineries, cider mills and restaurants. There were a few points where he was able to taste wines with the winemakers and give individual feedback. I was lucky enough to be one of the winemakers to receive this individual attention. He was quite elegant and passionate, but honest as well.

I truly enjoyed that he recognized my style as a bootstrapper and craftsman. His tasting of the pear wine brought him back to his grandmother’s cellar in the countryside many years ago. I know that my fellow vintners were moved by this visit as well.

I have been growing grapes and making wine in Virginia for 16 years now. I was very fortunate to grow right along with the industry in size and quality reputation. We will always have challenges ahead, but at this point we should pause, take a breath and be proud of our accomplishments. Thanks go out to the state leaders for supporting and encouraging the industry.

Thanks, as well, to the consumers who not only purchase our wines but share them with friends.

The people of the industry deserve the strongest nod. Through the challenges of weather, competition and financial disasters, we have remained collaborative, quality-conscious, and truly pleasant to work with over the years. Cheers to us for making it to the grown up table for the holiday meal!

Old Town Crier

VIRGINIA WINE Trail Profiles

Tasting Room Hours - Open Year Round Thursday-Saturday, & Monday 11-5 pm • Sunday 12 pm (noon)- 5 pm Now available at La Bergerie The Grille at the Morrison House and the12/23/2010 Virginia Shop Mention or bring this ad restaurant, for a complimentary tasting for two through

10100 Three Fox Ln. • Delaplane, VA • 540-364-6073

Taste the Altitude!

Climb the Mountain— Stone Mountain Vineyards

GOVERN2006 O GOLD MR’S CUP E WINNE DAL R

Botetourt County Wine Trail botetourtwinetrail.com The Wine Trail of Botetourt Country features 3 wineries in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Eastern Shore Wine Trail esvatourism.org The Eastern Shore of Virginia Wine Trail hosts three wineries along the Land Between Two Waters. This area is a unique rural coastal environment. Hundreds of miles of Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay shoreline provide a wealth of recreational opportunities for beach-lovers, fishermen, and boaters in addition to wine lovers.

Fauquier County Wine Trail fauquiertourism.com/wineries. html Fauquier County is home to 16 wineries and vineyards —each with its own unique flavors. Enjoy awardwinning Virginia wines, wine tastings and tours.

Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail svwga.org The Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail is an association of six vineyards and wineries.

www.StoneMountainVineyards.com

info@stonemountainvineyards.com

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

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Fabbioli Cellars Douglas Fabbioli Colleen M. Berg 15669 Limestone School Rd Leesburg 703-771-1197 www.fabbioliwines.com

Moore 82 A handsome prince 83 Norelco Electric Shaver 84 Bells 85 Silver and gold 86 "A Holly Jolly Christmas" 87 The Teddy Bear 88 Gene Autry 89 "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen" 90 To, From 91 Underneath the mistletoe 92 The Homecoming 93 "Silver Bells" 94 Rockin' 95 5 cents 96 "Blue Christmas" 97 Parson Brown 98 Tournament of Roses 99 "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" 100 Upon the roof 101 The traffic cop 102 An engineer/ architect 103 Dasher 104 Nutcracker 105 Peace on earth, goodwill to men 106 Charles Dickens

1376 Wyatt Mountain Road Dyke, Virginia 22935

54 Alvin, Theodore, and Simon 55 Myrrh 56 The bannister 57 The youngest child 58 "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" 59 A rose 60 Frosty's 61 "Jingle Bells" 62 It's a Wonderful Life 63 Bert and Ernie 64 A button 65 He gives him a raise 66 Italy (Romans) 67 Ice Skating 68 Stocking Stuffers 69 Blitzen 70 Elinor Roosevelt 71 American Lung Association 72 Sugarplums 73 None 74 Angel 75 "The Christmas Song" 76 A song on his drum 77 Cookies 78 Jimmy Stewart 79 Coca-Cola 80 A hula-hoop 81 Clement C.

Call: 434-990-WINE

Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail chesapeakebaywinetrail.com The Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail, in the Chesapeake Bay region, highlights six different wineries.

Heart of Virginia Wine Trail www.hovawinetrail.com The Heart of Virginia Wine Trail in Central Virginia presents several events throughout the year at four wineries located in the central region of the state.

Blue Ridge Wine Trail blueridgewinetrail.com The Blue Ridge Wine Trail features five wineries and vineyards in the spectacular mountains all within minutes of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

General’s Wine & History Trail thegeneralswinetrail.com In 2009, 10 wineries banded together to form a new type wine trail experience. The new wine trail experience was to tie our rich wine heritage with our rich historical heritage and thus the General’s Wine & History Trail was born.

Monticello Wine Trail monticellowinetrail.com The Monticello Wine Trail leads to 24 wineries from its hub in Charlottesville.

Source: Virginia Wine Marketing Office

25 Pigpen 26 "Stop" 27 Eggnog 28 Hershey's Kisses 29 Norman Rockwell 30 Rudolph 31 Snow 32 Comet and Cupid 33 His Wings 34 "Deck the Halls" 35 Mushrooms 36 His dog 37 The children 38 Home Alone 39 A cherry 40 Tinsel 41 An angel 42 "I'll be back again someday" 43 His halo 44 It is too commercialized 45 His reed pipe 46 34th 47 Nine 48 He came back to life 49 Reindeer games 50 Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus 51 "The Twelve Days of Christmas" 52 On the lawn 53 Pumpkin

Blue Ridge Wine Way www.blueridgewineway.com The Blue Ridge Wine Way features eight wineries and vineyards in the spectacular mountains of the Northern Virginia region.

Loudoun Wine Trail visitloudoun.org Loudoun’s Wine Trail in Northern Virginia takes you through Virginia’s hunt country to 23 participating wineries.

ANSWERS 1 Santa Claus 2 Uncle Billy 3 His heart was two sizes too small 4 Suzy Snowflake 5 "White Christmas" 6 Ebenezer 7 On the Stairs 8 Yukon Cornelius 9 Tiny Tim 10 "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" 11 What was the matter 12 Dasher, Donder, Dancer 13 Her medication 14 Six geese a-laying 15 New York 16 He jumped into the river first 17 The ox and the lamb 18 By the chimney 19 Clara 20 The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come 21 Green 22 Eleven 23 Tim Allen 24 Could not play in reindeer games

Bedford County Wine Trail bedfordwinetrail.com The Bedford Wine Trail in the Central Virginia region includes five vineyards and wineries surrounding Bedford.

December 2013 | 39

GO FISH STEVE CHACONAS

Fishing for a Holiday Gift?

O

h No! It’s that time again!

Finding a gift for the angler on your list is not only frustrating; but for the person receiving it there’s a guaranteed stint in the return line!

Nothing says classic styling and warmth than Woolrich in machine washable wool!

Simplicity makes the softer Stag shirt, as warm as it was 100 years ago, a timeless gift for any outdoors activity.

Simple in appearance, not in design. Legendary front and back double yokes shed moisture and hold in the warmth even around the twill inner collar liner. Two chest pockets with button-close openings under the front yoke provide extra protection.

Hand-warmer pockets.

Adjustable button cuffs. A memorable gift or a gift to build memories. woolrich.com Wet feet, wet hands, no fun!

In the outdoors, comfort is important! Hanz Legendary Extremity waterproof socks and gloves keep hands and feet warm and dry. Function meets performance with glove “gripper dots” to enable control of fishing equipment, your boat or wherever a good

grip is required. ChillBlockers with feature a Polartec fleece lining! Submergible Hanz wading socks keep water from entering from above!

All with Coolmax to wick way moisture for maximum comfort! hanzusa.com Not much is made in America anymore…but Farm To Feet brings old school materials to the feet of outdoorsmen. The Cedar Falls Traditional Over the Calf extra heavy duty wader socks offer full density cushioning throughout foot and leg for all day comfort and warmth.

A seamless toe with Merino Wool manages moisture and breathable comfort.

Durability or performance of Farm To Feet is guaranteed with replacement or refund. Fashionable and functional socks for many stocking stuffer applications!

Farmtofeet.com AFTCO long sleeve fishing shirts, featuring a hi-neck back, offer sun protection.

Quick dry 100% polyester performance fishing fabric is a moisture wicking, stainresistant, anti-microbial, UV protected shirt to wear anytime on the water. Mesh side panels provide airflow.

Four cool colors available.

Bassing IN DECemBER Potomac River

A month changing from beginning to end! Early, water will be around 50 degrees and near 40 by the end!

Early, try crankbaits like Lucky Craft GDS DR on 12-pound test Gamma fluorocarbon line on a sensitive cranking rod like Quantum’s KVD. Slowly crank drops and hard cover near deeper water. Red when it’s cloudy or water is a bit stained. Otherwise, try chartreuse patterns. New KVD Mustad Ultra Point short shank

40 | December 2013

AFTCO offers a sublimated printed Fish Camo, stealth for hunters and fishermen, version from fish artist Guy Harvey! Guy Harvey signature logo on chest with a safety orange label at hem.

AFTCO.com More sun protection from from Maui Jim sunglasses patented polarized lenses.

Blocking sun glare…direct, reflected and bounce back, Maui Jims are sporting a new style. Choosing from the Grey, HCL, Rose, or HT lens might be hit or miss. But new Switchbacks offer the ability to change with the weather or the sport! An interchangeable lens system allows users to have it all! Each Switchbacks frame comes with a single sunglass lens PLUS a clear lens. Additional lens colors are available for separate purchase. Great for hunters, golfers, and fishermen! See what you’ve been missing!

Mauijim.com Basketball and jogging shoes, great on the court or the road, not so good on the boat or in what Mother Nature dishes out. Known for sandals, Teva has created the versatile Omnium Men's GO FISH > PAGE 41

triple grips grab more fish and are angled to hold on!

They allow upsizing hooks one size. Bump cover for aggressive strikes. On warmer days, lower tides and clearer water; try Mann’s Baby 1-Minus in craw patterns along shoreline cover like tree laydowns.

Also try Mann’s Classic spinnerbaits with gold blades and white skirts slowly crawled through bottom cover.

With higher water, move to shoreline cover and docks with Mizmo Swamp Monster creature baits Texas rigged on 3/0 Mustad Ultra Point Mega Bite hooks on casting gear for pitching to cover with GAMMA 14-pound test fluorocarbon. Mizmo green pumpkin tubes on spinning gear with open-hooked insert heads.

Garlic flavor Jack’s Juice encourages fish to hold on.

Maui Jim polarized plus HCL lens sunglasses are best this time of the year to locate targets!

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FROM THE TRAINER RYAN UNVERZAGT

W

elcome to the final edition of From the Trainer for the year 2013! The holiday season can be your worst nightmare concerning fitness. Excuses are easy to find, but the ten pounds you’ve gained over the previous month will be harder to lose. What’s the old saying: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” There’s definitely something to that idiom. I believe prevention is the best medicine rather than taking medicine for prevention. Catch my drift?

Be strong and stay focused on what matters. Next to family and friends, your health should be one of the most important priorities in your life. Unhealthy = Unhappy.

I hope this column helps you become or stay healthy.

Each exercise provides an opportunity to improve your health. Take advantage of it.

GO FISH FROM PG 40

Sport Sandal. Additional coverage for protection, especially toes, in quickdrying comfortable materials and with Spider Rubber® to keep you on your feet. Perfect for water activities; fishing, canoeing, and amphibious hiking. Multiple openings in the upper non-abrasive and breathable stretch mesh liner allow water to drain freely! TEVA’s heel Shoc Pad™ absorbs shock. Multiple points of adjustment give Omniums the perfect fit. Teva.com If your angler wears the pants in the family, try Wrangler Rugged Wear Angler pants, a bass fishing community staple for years.

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FITBALL KNEE TUCK I call this month’s exercise the Fit Ball Knee Tuck. It’s designed to strengthen your core, but can offer much more.

Stability, flexibility, balance and endurance are all factors that come into play.

Grab a medium-sized ball (65cm) and a mat if necessary.

The start position is shown in Figure 1. There are several ways to get there, but I suggest you kneel behind the ball and then lay your stomach and hips over top of the ball. Roll yourself forward by walking on the hands until the ball is underneath your shins. If you have a workout partner, have him or her hold the ball still while you put your legs on top. Place your hands about shoulder-width apart for increased stability.

Next, roll the Fit Ball forward by tucking your knees toward the chest. Lift your hips to further engage the abdominal muscles. Figure 2 shows the correct position.

Notice how high the hips are

compared to the start position.

At this point, your feet should be the only thing in contact with the ball. The majority of your body weight is shifted onto the hands giving your shoulders a workout too. After a brief pause, slowly roll the ball back to the start position.

Balance is obviously the major factor during this exercise so keep focused. Try three sets of 10 reps with a one-minute rest break in between.

My challenge from last month still stands: Incorporate exercise as a part of your life even during the turbulent times (i.e. holiday season).

Have a great holiday season and a Happy New Year!

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Gift certificates are a great idea. Online, catalog and brick and mortar stores are loaded with outdoors gifts.

But the best gift of all is time on the water. Find a buddy, a

Unverzagt holds a BS in Wellness Management from Black Hills State University and is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He is an active member of the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA).

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December 2013 | 41

FITNESS NICOLE FLANAGAN

Working Out through Winter

W

ith the cold weather rolling in and the days getting shorter it seems like we all have less time on our hands. With an already jam-packed schedule we tend to skip out on workouts (or stop exercising entirely) and by the time we get to the New Year we all feel compelled to get back to that pre-holiday shape.

This year lets try to do things a little different. Instead of slowing down on the exercise routine and abandoning your diet completely, keep up the good work and by the time the New Year gets here you will be starting off on a positive foot. Pay attention to what you eat at your holiday parties and keep your butt moving through the last leg of the holiday season. Here are just a few tips to keep you looking and feeling your best!

Keep Moving

Without realizing it we sometimes

slow down on our exercise routines. This time make a steadfast commitment to workout. Just like you make your work schedule, take time to pencil in a workout. If you end up missing a workout make it up as soon as possible. Remember it is easier to stick to a fitness program than it is to start one after months of inactivity.

Take your workout outdoors: Most people will bring their workouts inside when the weather starts to get chilly.

Instead, take advantage of what the weather has to offer. Bundle up a bit and take a walk, you’ll have to walk a bit faster to keep yourself warm while also burning more calories.

TravelSmart

Don’t abandon your workout because of traveling for work or family holiday parties. If you are on a business trip try staying at a hotel that has a gym. You don’t need a whole room full of exercise equipment to

get a workout done. If gym access is not available get yourself moving with a light jog around the block and some AB crunches and push-ups. It is always better to do something than do no exercise at all.

Keep Hydrated

You won’t drink as much water because you don’t feel as thirsty.

Remember that dry indoor air can be more dehydrating that running outside. Make sure to keep drinking plenty of fluids during the day and especially during and after a workout.

Eat Hot and Healthy

Most people throw out those diet guidelines for the winter and fill up on home made chili and beef stews. Start your meals off with a bowl of chicken and vegetable soup instead. Not only is chicken soup good for you, studies have shown that people who ate it as

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FITNESS > PAGE 43

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42 | December 2013

Old Town Crier

FIRST BLUSH GENEVIEVE LEFRANC

All that Shimmers Isn’t Always Gold Or how to stay off the beauty naughty list

you don’t want to end up on the beauty naughty list!

Read on to find out what tricks to try for a picture perfect look, and how to avoid making a festive faux pas to ensure you’re the hit of the holidays.

Do: Experiment with festive razzle-dazzle.

Don’t: Go overboard! When it comes to sparkle,

a little goes a very long way. It’s important to pay attention to product descriptions, like “glitter” versus “shimmer.” It might sound silly but there is a world of difference. For an enticing peek-a-boo of glam when you bat your eyes, try a sassy swipe of bold shimmer eyeliner or a scintillating dusting of golden highlighter on your cheekbones, collarbones, or brow bone to give your makeup a festive feel. If you really aren’t a glitzy gal, try a subtle glitter or metallic nail polish instead.

Try:

image: Sephora

• Sephora Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner in Glitter Purple • OPI Liquid Sand Nail Polish in “Silent Stars Go By” • Benefit High Beam Liquid Highlighter

Do: Bold lips. Nothing feels more holiday than a vibrant red lip. For shy girls or newbies, a lip stain is a great way to achieve a pop of color that stays vibrant all night, even if you’ve spent half of the office holiday party underneath the mistletoe. Do avoid messy glosses that you'll have to constantly reapply or worry about smudging on your teeth.

W

hen your social calendar is jam-packed week after week with holiday parties and seasonal events, you know it’s time to officially add some drama to your standard makeup routine. Amping up the festive drama sounds fairly simple, but there are some hard and fast do’s and don’ts you’ll want to keep in mind for your beauty looks this holiday season. It’s easy to get swept up in the infectious glitz and glam of holiday cheer and go overboard, but

FITNESS FROM PG 42

an appetizer consumed less calories throughout the entire meal.

Go Nuts

Don’t: Pair loud lips with dramatic eyes. The key to

looking holiday chic is to choose one feature to play up and tone down others. Don’t be afraid to mix it up either. Everyone will be doing the red lip around the holidays, but don’t get stuck in a red lip rut!

Jewel tones like deep berries and plums make a great holiday lip as well.

Don’t: Forget to practice. Don’t wait until the eleventh hour when you’re already running late to slap on some lashes. Rehearse applying them a few times before the day of the event by watching various tutorials online. Also, be sure you don’t overuse glue or you’ll wind up with goopy spider web lashes.

Try:

• Sonia Kashuk Full Glam Eyelashes • Illamasqua False Eyelashes

Do: Add a little bronzed goodness to your sunstarved skin.

Don’t: Forget to exfoliate and moisturize. We all know dry indoor heat is harsh on our skin, and we know that artificial tanning products look blotchy and sallow on dry flaky complexions. Try a sugar scrub or loofah and switch to a heavier cream formula for your body lotion. Moisturize your face, body and hands every day. And don’t fake bake!

Try:

• Bliss Hot Salt Scrub • Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Ultra-Hydrating Body Butter • TanTowel To Go Classic Self-Tanning Towelettes

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

red wine or a rich tasting dark beer. Drink a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink. This will keep you hydrated and reduce your calorie intake.

back a week depending on how sick you get. Work toward improving your immunity by keeping up on your cardio. A recent study at the University of South Carolina in Columbia found that adults who get regular moderate exercise have significantly fewer colds. If you already have a cold, moderate exercise probably won't make it worse, but consult your doctor if you have possible flu symptoms such as fever, muscle aches or heavy coughing.

• Benefit BeneTint • Deborah Lippmann in “Bite Me” • AERIN Beauty Limited Edition Lipstick in “Mercer” • NARS in “Heat Wave”

Eating Out

When eating out try to avoid that “too full” feeling that usually comes at the end of a meal. One pasta plate at a restaurant is enough to easily feed two people. Instead of devouring everything yourself, offer to split a low fat appetizer, a salad and a meal.

By doing this you will eat less and also save a couple bucks.

Drink Better

Stay Healthy

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know how intimidating and foreign they can seem, but if you can’t bust out the falsies for New Year’s Eve, when can you get away with it? If a big, thick line of lashes seems too cumbersome, cut the strip into three separate pieces and apply each section individually. Finish with a coat of your favorite mascara to serve as a bonding agent. From glam rhinestones and flirty feathers to subtle fringe and special effects, there are countless styles of false lashes for every personality.

Try:

At the office holiday party instead of pigging out on the baked goods, candy and chips grab a handful of mixed nuts and munch on it slowly. Nuts are loaded with protein and healthy fat which makes you feel more full and therefore less likely to fill up on empty calorie foods.

Eggnog is a diet disaster. Instead of consuming half your day’s calories in one drink go for a glass of

Do: Have fun with false eyelashes. Trust me, I

One of the biggest set backs during the winter months is getting sick. Catching a cold can set you

Go to Sleep

Missing out on sleep as stress and time demands grow can result in lower virus fighting “natural killer” cells in our bodies. Sleep gives your body FITNESS > PAGE 44

December 2013 | 43

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the recovery time it needs to stay healthy and to keep your immune system working at its best.

Eat plenty of carotenoid rich vegetables like winter squash, carrots and pumpkin.

According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, a diet high in carotenoids can raise your immune-cell count by a third, which will help ward off illness and keep your fitness level intact Trying to stay healthy through the holidays can be tough, especially when everyone brings out their favorite pies and dessert goodies. Remember that the holidays come around once every year so its not like you are going to miss out on something if you don’t stuff yourself like a Christmas goose. Focus on keeping your fitness a priority and you will be able to start the New Year with a lot more pep than everyone else who decided to take the last three months off of exercise. Enjoy the rest of the holiday season by staying healthy and fit!

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Old Town Crier

SINGLE SPACE LORI WELCH

A Sunshine Family Christmas

D

ecember madness is upon us— holiday hangovers, crowded malls, parking spot wars, canned cranberries.

What’s a girl to do? Embrace it! On the flip side of all the ‘bad’ holiday stuff, there’s a bounty of beauty in the form of snowflakes, sweaters, toasty fires and time shared with family and friends. Lord knows I’ve had my share of ‘bah humbug’ holiday moments where I was forced to schlep around to whatever family member was hosting and stake my claim at the kiddie table. Over the years, I’ve learned to perfect my “Wow, isn’t that awesome” smile when unwrapping polyester teddies and sweaters with appliques and fringe from sisters-in-law who claimed to know me and/or be my friend. I’ve probably dragged a half ton of dinner rolls (that’s what they always assign to the single people) across state lines by this point in my life, and have purchased and given more scarves and puzzles to my brothers’ girlfriends du jour and their respective kids whom I’ll likely never cross paths with again all in the name of the holiday spirit. I convinced myself that all my sad, lonely holidays as a thirty-something were payment for all the great holidays I had as a kid. My family wasn’t rich by any stretch of the imagination —heck, we probably just skimmed the brink of middle class—but my parents always managed to make us feel like we were blessed, especially

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at Christmas. My brother Marty and I would fight over the Sears Roebuck catalog the moment it came in the mail.

By the time early December rolled around, those pages in the toy section would be so dog-earred and wrinkled from Kool-Aid spills, it’s a wonder Santa could even read them.

I imagine an entire landfill somewhere in Kansas with nothing but Sears Roebucks catalogs. We would start our lists in our little spiral bound notebooks the second the mailman dropped it off, and we would erase, cross off and add to the list based on our daily whims which changed with every after school commercial. Those people at Mattel were geniuses! Baby Daisy is out—Baby Alive is in! At an early age, I was very detailed oriented —my list had columns with page #s, style/order #s, and pricing info—I think I even tallied the total cost for Santa. If only every kid could have been so efficient! And so it went until Christmas morning shined upon us— which of course, was after Christmas Eve where my dad, mom, aunts, uncles and neighbors gathered around the kitchen table to smoke and drink themselves into oblivion until one of them announced it was time to put the bikes together. Ever wonder how many fatalities or injuries were due to some parents not tightening their kid’s handlebars correctly because they were hungover?

My all-time personal Christmas favorite (maybe I peaked out early) was the year I scored the Sunshine Family (Mattel’s hippie granola’ish

version of Barbie dolls), their general store, and the Snoopy Drive-In Theater. That was a gangbuster year, never to be repeated.

My point being that while I’ve had my share of “It’s a Wonderful Life” holiday moments (doesn’t get much better than the Sunshine Family and their general store) I’ve also experienced my share of Grinch-like moments. Holidays can be difficult when you’re feeling alone and/or lonely. For me, 2006, 2007 and 2008 are years I wouldn’t mind wiping from my memory. Christmas 2006 is the first one I spent without my mom —that was tough. I met my dad’s companion for the first time at the Christmas dinner table at 2007. She’s lovely, but it was hard to see someone else

sitting in my mom’s chair.

For whatever reason, I was feeling particularly depressed and alone as holiday season 2008 kicked off. I basically partied and drank my way through that one. Not proud of that fact, but it’s the truth.

The good news is that my social smoking ceased on December 26 of that year.

I’m sharing this because not every year can be a Winter Wonderland—for anyone— not even Kris Kringle. There may be a year or two where you just have to white knuckle your way through the fruit cake and festivities and make your way to the other side—the New Year of hope, happiness and prosperity that awaits you. Life is about cycles and change. Nothing stays bad forever, and that’s the thought that you must cling to as you

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I’m starting holiday season 2013 on a high note with XXL. Last Christmas (our first together) was one of my best ever, and we are creating our own traditions. While I know he can never deliver a Christmas like the year of the Snoopy Drive-In or The Sunshine Family, I know he’ll do his best and that’s really all that matters.

Merry Christmas and best wishes for a memorable holiday season filled with fun and laughter. Namaste.

If you would like to comment or broach a subject for my column, contact me at mysinglespace@aol.com

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am going to admit it right here in at her house! I know my sister appreciates this column, I am really looking that. The day after I mailed Elf off, we forward to Christmas this year for attended the preview of ICE at the Gaylord the first time in several! I really Resort and what did I find in that gift don’t know what to attribute to shop…a miniature Elf on the Shelf that I my unexpected enthusiasm. I think it immediately purchased and sent to Mason’s may have started when I sent my great father. Now he has to be really good at both nephew (meaning I am old and he is also houses! For some reason this put me in a

By Lani Gering great), Mason, his Elf on the Shelf a few holiday frame of mind! weeks ago. The “Elf ” is supposed to watch In previous years, ICE was located in a boys and girls during the day and report large tent located about a block from the to Santa at night when they are sleeping so…I sent hotel and featured The Grinch and characters from Mason’s Elf to his grandmother so he would behave several of Dreamworks blockbuster movies with 46 | December 2013

FAC

the likes of Shrek and Madagascar. This year, not only have they moved the location right next to the hotel where you can literally walk out of the atrium and almost right into the tent, the main theme is based on one of my very favorite Christmas poems, “The Night Before Christmas.” I was skeptical about the effect constructing the venue on the Riverview Terrace would have on the landscape of the resort but it seems to have worked fine. I also believe that the price tag on the tickets is a bit more reasonable than in years past.

NATIONAL HARBOR > PAGE 47

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Am Sat

Mo Fri

Sou Fri

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lean WAYYY back, do it! It was still fun even though several of the attendants had a good laugh at my expense!

As an extra attraction, this year ICE has a “Tribute to the Big Apple” section and a beautiful Nativity scene sculpture. The Christmas in New York City tribute is complete with a very festive Lady Liberty and a signature Yellow Cab (you can actually sit in the ice cab) along with the city’s famous skyline. The nativity sculpture is all carved in clear ice and

NationalHarbor.com

More Ice at the Harbor!

Peterson Companies is introducing a brand new activity here at the Harbor. The Ice Rink at National Harbor opens on Friday, November 29 for the holiday season. This is the same night as the National Harbor tree lighting ceremony! This brand new rink will be just one more fun thing to do while celebrating the holidays with your family and friends. The rink is located on the East Pier Platform and you will literally be skating “on” the Potomac while listening to holiday music and experiencing beautiful views of the Potomac River. They have even scheduled times for you to skate with some special guests during the season. Santa will be visiting on the November 30th, December 7th and 21st and you can skate with our very own Washington Capitols mascot Slap Shot on the 14th!

Ice Skating is $5 per person (includes skate rental) or you can bring your own skates if you like. More specific information can be garnered at www.nationalharbor.com

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mcloonespierhousenh.com 141 National Plaza • National Harbor, MD

national Harbor Calendar of Events November 29 National Harbor Tree Lighting 7 pm • Free November 30 – January 5 Harbor Tree Light Show Every 30 minutes after sunset until 10 pm November 29 – December 20 Holiday Fireworks 7 pm • Free November 30 – December 21 Carousel Rides With Santa 12-2 pm • $$ November 30 – January 5 Holiday Market Saturdays & Sundays • 12-5 pm November 29 – January 5 Just Add Ice! Drink specials at participating restaurants Need to present your ticket to ICE! November 29 – January 5 Ice Skating Rink • $$ November 29 – December 21 Holiday Caroling & Entertainment Fridays and Saturdays

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NATIONAL HARBOR > PAGE 48

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WATERFRONT DINING 301.839.0815 Enough about the mechanics, let’s talk about the show! I have to admit that I am a big enough sap that I kind of teared up a couple of times during our tour through this incredible maze while listening to the story as we walked.

While the images in this section are good, they don’t do justice to the actual sculptures and I guess the ambiance with the lighting and the music help as well. I attempted one of the 20 foot ice slides and guess I didn’t lean far enough back to just whip down it but I scooted to the best of my ability. When they tell you to

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December 2013 | 47

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is accompanied by a light show that reflects all sorts of beautiful shadows. All sections of the venue are accompanied with narration and music. To be honest, I may even make a point to go through it again while it’s here. For more detailed information on all of the events taking place during the holiday at the Gaylord Resort, keep the insert that is included in this issue on hand or log on to ChristmasonthePotomac. com.

While you are in the Harbor please take time to patronize those advertisers who regularly contribute in order for us to keep this section alive: Public House Restaurant, Harrington’s Pub and Kitchen, McLoone’s Pier House, Gaylord Hotel & Resort and Stonewall Kitchen. Look for news about the new retailers who have opened up in the harbor and a report on the introduction of the Tanger Outlet Mall opening in the upcoming January issue.

Over half a million of our cupcakes blissfully devoured each year

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