SUMMER 2018
Discover the trail less taken
The inner beauty of Miss Fauquier
PAGE 26
PAGE 45
A lifetime of memories PAGE 30
Some more s’mores PAGE 67
The stories that must be told
Discover the tales that make up the county collage SUMMER 2018
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Whiting Road ~ Marshall
Incredibly well constructed and well maintained French Country style residence on 50 open and rolling acres (in easement) with pond and views in a premier northern Fauquier County location. Features include: geothermal heating and cooling, limestone and antique white oak flooring, 4 fireplaces, gourmet eat in kitchen w/ fireplace, guest apartment with full kitchen and bath. Located just outside of Marshall, VA
$2,100.000
Sage Hill ~ Markham VA
76 acres and a circa 1926 farmhouse. Minutes to I66, a wonderful weekender, or full time residence in a very good commuter location. GREAT VALUE, very pretty mostly open rolling land with views all around, bold stream, pond. Several lovely building sites and/or renovate the solid, liveable farmhouse. In conservation easement.
$675,000
Norwood ~ Berryville, VA - UNDER CONTRACT
“Norwood” Historic farm property. 179 open, rolling acres, circa 1814 brick manor house. In very good overall shape, in need of updated kitchen and baths, cosmetics,landscaping, etc. A lovely farm and project well worth undertaking. On National Register and in scenic easement. Extensive road frontages, lovely event site or country home. An exceptional value.
$1,450,000
Atoka Chase ~ Middleburg, VA
A sunny country house with contemporary touches on 10 ac. in Middleburg’s best location. Open,sunny, floor plan with main level master bedroom suite, 3 additional bedrooms and baths, and a private guest suite. Approx 5500 sq.ft., pool, lovely landscaping, 3 car garage. New solid cedar shake roof, Hardiplank exterior.
$1,385,000
On Offer in Bluemont 4 acres, corner lot. 4 bedroom Perc. No HOA, minutes to Route 7. Build your dream cabin. Priced way below assessed value! $75k For more information on these or any other listings in our area please contact:
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Chris Malone 540-454-3775 SUMMER 2018 chris@theplainsrealty.com
www.theplainsrealty.com Full service brokerage and property management company
Jen Kitner 540.660.1804 jen@theplainsrealty.com
IN THE
The Stories That Must Be Told
25 PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER
FACES & PLACES 16 Following the long, and winding, road of county power couple Jimmy and Alison Lee
47 PHOTO BY DOUG STROUD
LIFE & STYLE 41 Greg Weakley: one of those county workers we should thank daily
21 Arash Rohanimanesh has his hands deep in a critical tech project
45 Find out how the Miss Fauquier pageants determine who’s queen of the county
23 You can count on local auctioneer Kathy Shumate
47 She’s sweet as Honey this therapy dog has a heart of gold
23 The soft touch of artist Jackie Yongue
48 Bert and Eleanor Harris say Fauquier’s for the birds. (See how that’s perfectly OK with them)
26 Tales of the trails 28 Discover the best of local waters this summer season 30 Navy veteran Emilio Frustaci takes a walk down memory lane
59 PHOTO BY CHRIS CERRONE
HOME & GARDEN 51 Love them or hate them, snakes play an important role in the local ecological balance 55 Lunch on the lawn 58 Rock gardening, 101 – it’s not so hard 59 Discover the natural deterrents to thwart those hungry, pesky mosquitoes this summer
69 COURTESY PHOTO
FOOD & WINE 64 Plan a solstice feast for the year’s longest day 67 Summer’s made for s’mores 69 Light and bright, seasonal ales and wines to please the palate 70 Four local chefs share their tips for summer fare 72 Peach season is short, but it promises a year of flavor
49 Trouble sleeping? Meet the team who can rock your nights.
35 On the straight and narrow with archery expert Ryan Merry 36 Born to it: Step into the principal’s office with Bruce McDaniel 26 Kaleb Leigh shares his thoughts on cancer, courage
ON THE COVER
EXTRAS
n County tidbits ..................8 n Then and now ................11 n Side by side ...................32 n The Last Word ................74
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Photographers Randy Litzinger, Doug Stroud, Chris Cerrone and Betsy Burke Parker provide the backdrop for the summer issue’s cover collage. Made up of all the photos used in this issue – plus the ones that didn’t make print, page designer Taylor Dabney says the photos are tribute to the mosaic of the county. Taylor hand-designed the Fauquier County collage, creating it in InDesign. She’d found a design program on the internet that would automatically build a digital mosaic, but the irregular shape of the county – and her attention to detail – made it easier, she says, to go with a custom cutout. The highlighted pullout images provide a guide to what’s inside, further bolstering this notion that Fauquier County is comprised of hundreds and thousands of life stories that together create the regional narrative. Pull out a magnifying glass to see who, what and where we are. SUMMER 2018
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Editor’s query – Find out little-known facts about the storytelling team Published quarterly by Piedmont Media Address 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, VA 20186 Phone: 540-347-4222 Fax: 540-349-8676 Publisher: Catherine M. Nelson cnelson@fauquier.com Editor: Betsy Burke Parker betsyburkeparker@fauquier.com Editor-in-chief: Chris Six csix@fauquier.com Advertising director: Kathy Mills Godfrey, 540-351-1162 kgodfrey@fauquier.com Consultants: Marie Rossi mrossi@fauquier.com Liliana Ruiz lruiz@fauquier.com Heather Sutphin hstuphin@fauquier.com Patti Engle pengle@fauquier.com Renee Ellis rellis@fauquier.com Tony Ford tford@fauquier.com Christa Tingen ctingen@fauquier.com Design Page designer: Taylor Dabney tdabney@fauquier.com Ad designers: Cindy Goff cgoff@fauquier.com Taylor Dabney tdabney@fauquier.com Annamaria Ward award@fauquier.com Sawyer Guinn sguinn@fauquier.com
Mary Ann Dancisin is a wine industry consultant with over 30 years in the trade. Specializing in Virginia wines since 2006, she was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association. Little-known fact: She admits she sometimes puts ice in white wine. Interior decorator and home cook Janie Ledyard has spent a year working with her chef husband to “develop healthier versions of beloved family recipes.” Little -known fact: Her favorite way to eat a fresh peach is washed, fuzzy skin on, as if it were an apple. A physics grad of the University of Chicago, Norm Schulze spent his career at NASA. Since retirement, he's been working on family history and genealogy. Little-known fact: the aerial shoot he did a few months ago of the old Marshall High School was Norm’s “first trip in a small aircraft since I first flew out of a small airport in Fairfax County around 1950 where the Lohman’s Plaza now is located.” He’s logged almost a million in commercial aircraft. A Fauquier native since 1994, Anita Sherman has been a journalist more than 20 years. Little-known fact: On a trip to Sri Lanka, she was encouraged not to brush off a praying mantis that landed on her knee, the advice coming from science fiction writer Arthur Clarke, author of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Seventh-grader Roxie Beebe-Center is 12. Little -known fact: “I used to live in a house that was once a church, and once a synagogue.” Warrenton-based writer Laura Lyster Mench is also a radio podcaster. Little-known fact: Laura has a monkey bite scar on her leg. Fauquier native Paula Combs studied journalism and communications at the University of Colorado. She’s senior editor at Piedmont Environmental Council and on the Experience Old Town Warrenton, Warrenton Farmers Market and Remington Community Gardens boards. Little-known fact: “I have dessert before dinner sometimes.” Stephanie Slewka is a writer, editor and awardwinning documentary filmmaker who lives in Rappahannock. Little-known fact: She once crossed Africa north to south by herself with a backpack
she still uses. Former newspaper reporter and editor and government spokesperson Pat Reilly has an impressive little-known fact: “I was on a Homeland Security team that deported two of the last Nazi war criminals from the U.S.” New York native editor and author Steve Price is also an avid mandolin player in a bluegrass band. Little-known fact: “If I had it to do all over again, I’d be a neurologist. Understanding the brain and how it works is the last frontier.” Master Gardener Sally Harmon Semple took an early retirement from her career as a Clean Air Act engineer and enforcement policy consultant. Little-known fact: Sally's head was recently grazed by a blue-footed booby. Vineeta Ribeiro teaches math and computer science, has six children (ages 13-28), and a husband of 31.5 years. Little-known fact: Vineeta's family just adopted a dog from the SPCA. Chewy looks just like a dingo. Little-known fact about photographer Chris Cerrone: His childhood nickname was Chipper, after Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. “I played third, plus I used Chipper’s batting stance. I was number 10 like him. Of course he was much better. He was just inducted in the Hall of Fame.” Connie Lyons showed Irish setters for 60 years. Betsy Burke Parker has worked for Piedmont Media and its predecessors for 30 years. She also operates a horse and livestock farm in Flint Hill. Little-known fact: She cries at sad commercials on television. “Happy ones, too.” Native Virginian Pam Owen is a writer, editor, photographer and passionate nature conservationist. Little-known fact: She once licked a large banana slug on a dare from a park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park to test the numbing effect its slime is supposed to have. (“Yes, it does,” she reports.) Alissa Jones leads writers’ groups, is a published author and in leadership at her church. She has two grown children, two grandchildren and another arriving in August. Little-known fact: A
bullfighter in Portugal tossed his hat to her from the ring dedicating the fight to her; she was 16. Hill School teacher John Daum says he’s “spent many years as apprentice of the great beer bars and breweries of Europe soaking in all the culture and history I can from the Old World masters.” Little-known, but unsurprising fact: John thinks “the historic pub craw along the Thames is one of the greatest walks in the world.” Local writer Nora Rice retired to Culpeper after serving as a federal government scientist, and operates Melissae Herbs and Honey's as proprietor and herbalist. Little-known fact: As a child, Nora explored Panamanian jungle streams to watch amphibians morph from eggs to adults. Freelance photographer Randy Litzinger triple majored in drawing-painting, photography and film-video at Penn State. He has had more than 50 photos in Sports Illustrated, photos on over 150 football cards, and 42 magazine covers, including two SI covers. Little-known fact: He used to dress up as Spider-man and throw his grandma's hairnets at people. Randy did not mention at what age he did this. Danica Low is a Warrenton-based writer who operates a PR agency, Higher Power. Writer Janet Heisrath-Evans, mother of three, lives in Warrenton with her husband Scott. Little-known fact: “I bagged my first Munro (what the Scots call climbing a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet), Ben Lomond, in 2016; only 281 Munros to go.” After honing her writing and editing skills at a weekly newspaper chain in New York, Robin Earl moved to Virginia in 1994 as managing editor of the Fauquier Times-Democrat. Little-known fact: Robin has exactly one page of her someday-to-be famous murder mystery book written. “Only 329 pages to go.” Designer Taylor Dabney recently moved from New Baltimore to Washington. She will be reverse commuting to Piedmont Media, where she has worked since the fall of 2016. Little-known fact: she’s lived in 10 different states, and now also the District of Columbia.
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Observation:
Personal tales connect people. Hypothesis: Everybody has a story. Proof: Ask. Listen. Learn. Thesis: It’s our responsibility to tell.
My grandma introduced me to storytelling. We’d visit my mom’s parents in Birmingham when I was a girl, and every night she’d tell us four granddaughters – my younger sister, me and two cousins – some amusing anecdote from her childhood. She’d been part of the ’40s war effort, driving a military limo. She recalled the very real possibility of having to raise her two young children as a war widow when my grandpa was shot down over Germany. She shared the icy fear that gripped her when a telegram arrived with the appalling news of his disappearance, and recalled the tears of relief when an officer reported his escape and recovery some months later. I remember saying at one point, “Mom Curry, you have great stories. You should write them down.” She’d laugh and promise “someday,” then we’d turn our attention to the snack cakes she’d famously proffer. She passed along the storytelling gene: My mom was section editor at a Nashville daily, and later authored three books; my own writing career starting at my elementary school newsletter and continuing to today.
“
sights
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
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SUMMER 2018
– Maya Angelou
True to her word, years later Mom Curry finally got around to writing about her life. She insisted on literally writing her memoir, by hand, hundreds of pages of loopy script in four matching memory books, taking advantage of neither her vintage daisywheel Smith-Corona nor the Kinko’s down the road. “Everybody has a story to tell,” she inscribed in my book. “Here’s mine.” It’s one heck of a narrative. She wasn’t a trained journalist, but the tale easily passes the J-school “so what?” test. Mom Curry had a natural aptitude for feature formula: What it used to be like, what happened, and what it’s like now. The roaring ’20s gave way to the Depression, then to the tense times of the Manchurian invasion, Pearl Harbor, and, eventually, her beloved husband hiding in a sheepfold in the French countryside to evade enemy fire. She captured the essence of an era, a time capsule opening with her own childhood, and stories of her parents, and closing with fond memories of shared vacations on the Gulf Coast and fishing for flounder off the pier. Her snappy period piece resurrected the cinematic black-and-white world of the Greatest Generation. My grandma’s long gone, but the book of memories is a treasured part of her legacy, and mine.
It’s an ancient need to be told stories. But the story needs a great storyteller. (We’ve got that.)
Around every corner is a story waiting to be told. And people are longing to hear it. Nothing is so warm and inviting, yet so challenging and poignant, as a powerful narrative, told well. When this hypothesis was presented to the inFauquier writing team, ideas flowed. We didn’t want to retell stories of local luminaries – their stories are well known. We wanted to dig deep, to discover the rich – hidden – tapestry of the county. Inside, hear the lost tale of an Italian immigrant and veteran by Anita Sherman, and discover the untold story of a county worker who performs a critical yet virtually unknown, and underappreciated, civic duty as told by Alissa Jones. Get to know a conservation power couple via Nora Rice, and meet an amazingly resilient teen, as introduced by Danica Low. Stories are written to be shared — not only for our own sake, but for the benefit of others. They shape entire cultures, connecting humanity and creating a ripple effect.
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SUMMER 2018
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COUNTY TIDBITS
Longer days, warmer nights
First Fridays in Warrenton
Get out and enjoy
Warrenton’s historic Main Street becomes a festive pedestrian park every first Friday through October. Vendors line the street, along with entertainment and games. Shops remain open late, some with wine tastings, sales and special events. Event host Experience Old Town Warrenton listed event dates and themes: July 6: Star Spangled Main Street August 3: Arts Walk on Main September 7: Dog Days of September Pet Celebration October 5: Celebrate Fall oldtownwarrenton.org
Our list is but a starting point. Visit fauquier.com and virginia.org for new listings posted and updated daily. History academy
The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area runs the National History Academy, a fiveweek summer residential program June 24-July 28. Students are based at Foxcroft School in Middleburg, touring the region weekly to discover the rich history of the Piedmont area. A recent report by the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that only 18 percent of high school seniors showed proficiency in American history and just 23 percent were proficient in civics. Of the seven subjects included in the report, students scored lowest in their knowledge of U.S. history. “We cannot have a democracy without future leaders and citizens who know and understand our history,” said JTHG president Bill Sellers. “Students acquire a new appreciation for the foundations of our society through our history, and a commitment to the preservation and conservation.” historycamp.com
Strothers open farm market near Delaplane
The Locavore Farmers Market at Valley View Farm near Delaplane sells Virginia wines and hard ciders, seasonal fruits and veggies and other
local farm products, including locallycrafted art and furniture. The 500-acre farm has been in the same family, with one exception, nearly three centuries. Charles Strother Jr. inherited the farm in 1997 and expanded the farm business, offering it as a retreat for day outings by business and religious groups and establishing a pick-yourown fruit and vegetable operation. In 2016, Strother and son Philip Carter Strother formed Strother Family Vineyards that operates a vineyard on 45 acres of the farm. Locavore Farm Market and Tasting Room is in a red barn built in the 1920s. Find Valley View Farm on Facebook.
New gadget makes soil checking a snap
Local wine winners
Savor Virginia Magazine recently published their annual list of Readers’ Choice awards. Judging included all of
Dog days of summer.
No, really. Blue Moon Wellness and Hungry Like the Woof host a special Dog Days of Summer event June 30 at the Old Town Warrenton shop. The event includes lectures, vendors, pet food representatives, training tips, canine massage sessions, animal communication sessions and more. The lectures are free, with communication and massage sessions by appointment. Lecture topics are canine nutrition and vaccinations with Dr Carol Lundquist, canine massage and Reiki with Mary Pat Corrigan, communicating with your dog with Patty Summers and training tips with Mountain View Dog Training. hungrylikethewoof.com PHOTOS BY CHRIS CERRONE, RANDY LITZINGER AND BETSY BURKE PARKER 8
SUMMER 2018
Virginia’s 275 wineries, 140 breweries and 28 distilleries. Warrenton’s Pearmund Cellars checked in with the gold medal as the commonwealth’s best winery overall, with Molon Lave winning bronze for its cabernet sauvignon. Fox Meadow in Linden won silver for its sauvignon blanc, and Naked Mountain in Markham took bronze for their chardonnay riesling. Barrel Oak’s dessert wine won bronze for the Marshall winery. Old Bust Head brewery at Vint Hill won silver as best craft brewery.
A new solar-powered soil sensor is available for gardeners a gadget that makes soil testing easier than ever. The Edyn Garden Sensor is basically a small stake with sensors built into it. You stick it in the dirt of your planting area, and it interacts through a smartphone app to provide instant readouts of soil moisture, temperature and nutrition. The app then suggests appropriate fertilizer and watering. The Edyn draws from a database of thousands of garden plants to suggest exactly which ones are most likely to thrive in your unique patch. Sensors are solar-powered but will also recharge under indoor lights. wired.com
Fall in love with lavender
Seven Oaks Lavender Farm in Catlett has Summer Bloom Fest planned June 30-July 1. The farm turns 15 this year, and the celebration includes food trucks, local crafts, lavender sales, picnicking on the farm and more. sevenoakslavenderfarm.com
Upcoming Master Gardener events
June 23: Berries and brambles. Tom Baughn will discuss berry production for the home gardener. July 26: Invasive plants. Learn how to
identify and control weeds, as well as what are good alternative native plants to add to your landscape. July 31: Good bugs, bad bugs. Virginia Tech professor Paul Semtner will teach about the critical importance of bugs in the garden. Aug. 7: Make your own hypertufa planter. Learn how to craft a concrete garden pot. Aug. 28: All about shrubs. Arlington extension agent Kirsten Conrad will talk about blooming, privacy, pollinator and specimen shrubs. Sept. 18: Wild, woody edibles. Survival instructor Tim MacWelch will teach about foraging for edible plants. Sept. 22: Winter habitat seminar and plant-seed swap. fc-mg.org
More than a library
The Open Late series June 29, July 27 and Aug. 31 at the National Sporting Library and Museum in Middleburg features music, local wine and Virginia craft beer. There are free gallery talks every Wednesday, Sunday Sketch events on the first Sunday of each month and coffee with the curator events on second Saturdays. On July 12, Jeffrey Allison, the Paul Mellon Collection Educator and Statewide Manager at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, will speak at NSLM about the Paul and Bunny Mellons’ lives, lifetime of collecting, and the works on view in A Sporting Vision: The Paul Mellon Collection of British Sporting Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. nationalsporting.org
Balloon festival
Aug. 18-19 Flying Circus, Bealeton
Dozens of hot air balloons launch each morning and evening, with rides available and lots of special events planned. Plus, regular Flying Circus airshows are every Sunday through October. flyingcircusairshow.com
Dance the night away
The Silver Tones swing band plays the new Summer on the Green concert series on the courthouse lawn July 7, and again at the Marshall Community Center Aug. 25. A Summer Sizzler bluegrass concert is set July 14 with the James River Cutups at Marshall. fauquiercounty.gov
COUNTY TIDBITS
June is National Dairy Month
June marks the 80th anniversary of National Dairy Month. At Crowfoot Farm, we think it is a perfect time to celebrate the health benefits of local milk. Summer’s hot weather is perfect for enjoying our homemade yogurt in the form of frozen blueberry smoothies – whole milk yogurt, frozen blueberries (local of course), a spoon of raw honey and maybe a little vanilla. Perfectly refreshing. A couple of notes about the recipe. The first step of heating the milk to 180° may be skipped, but the resulting yogurt will be thin. The purpose of heating is to prepare the milk proteins to form a thick curd, so if you like your yogurt thick, don’t skip that step. If you use plain yogurt as your culture, the new batch may not have the same flavor or texture as the previous batch because of variations in the bacteria levels.
Homemade yogurt
Horsing around
• The Great Meadow International CIC*** is July 6-8. There’s a huge vendors’ row and special events. greatmeadowinternational.com • Great Meadow Twilight Polo is Saturday nights through Sept. 22. Three games begin at 6 p.m. Lessons are also available through the club. greatmeadowpoloclub.com • The oldest pony show in America, the Warrenton Pony Show is June 27-July 1 at the historic Warrenton Horse Show Grounds. The 117th annual Warrenton Horse Show is Aug. 29-Sept. 2. warrentonhorseshow.com • Twilight jumper classes are set once a month Friday evenings at Great Meadow. Show dates are June 22, July 27 and Aug. 31. greatmeadow.org
Good quality milk Yogurt culture – from store-bought yogurt, or live culture yogurt from a previous batch Thermometer
Sterilize milk containers, glass jars and utensils in boiling water. Over low to medium heat, gently heat milk to 180°, stirring often to prevent scorching. Fill your sink with ice water. Once the milk has reached 180°, remove from heat and set the pot in the sink of ice water. Stir the milk constantly until the temperature has dropped to 114°. Take the pot out of the sink and stir in the culture. Use 1/8 teaspoon of culture for a half gallon of milk, or 1/4 teaspoon of culture for a gallon. If using plain live culture yogurt from a previous batch, use 2 tablespoons yogurt per quart of milk. Pour inoculated milk into sterilized glass jars with lids and place inside an insulated container. Allow it to sit undisturbed for 6-12 hours or until thickened. Refrigerate. For Greek-style yogurt, allow the yogurt to incubate
for at least 12 hours or until the curd is very thick. Ladle yogurt into a fine-meshed colander lined with butter muslin and allow to drain overnight in the refrigerator. Greek-style yogurt will have a sweeter flavor since the most of the sourness is removed with the whey. – By Rachel Summers
Gardening = Happy
Is digging in the dirt the new Prozac? It’s what gardeners have been saying all along.
Special for summer
• July 14, Aug. 18: Astronomy viewing sessions, Crockett Park, Midland • Aug. 4: Gold prospecting workshop, Monroe Park, Goldvein • Sept. 1-2: Scottish games, Great Meadow, The Plains • Sept. 10: Northern Virginia Senior Olympics cycling events, Vint Hill, east of Warrenton
Gardeners hardly needed to be told. But still, they’re thrilled with the published results – because it just strengthens their argument that dirt makes you happy. A study, “Identification of .. serotonins and .. potential role in emotional behavior” by Christopher Lowry published in Neuroscience magazine, links a recent rise in asthma and other allergies to, as he calls it, “living too clean.” The idea is that routine exposure to harmless microorganisms in the environment – that from garden soil bacteria, for instance – trains the human immune system to ignore benign
molecules like pollen or dog dandruff. Discover magazine writer Josie Glausiusz takes the “hygiene hypothesis” one step further, noting other studies indicating that a specific soil bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, may be able to alleviate depression. And since gardeners take in the bacteria by inhaling it on a morning walk around their plot, take it topically by digging with bare hands into the soil, and even get it introduced in the bloodstream by small cuts or nicks, there is an increasing body of evidence, Glausiusz writes, that gardening is an important link to the land. SUMMER 2018
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HIGH QUALITY ON TIME 10
SUMMER 2018
THEN & NOW
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SPOT THE DIFFERENCES:
Marshall dance hall, 1951 vs. 2018
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Key 1. Musicians – in 1951, the Free State Ramblers, in 2018, the Silver Tones – set up on the left side of the basketball court below the basketball hoop. 2. In 1951, the dance was a school function. Keeping tabs on the action back then were Marshall High Principal Joseph Tosti (left), ag teacher Mr. Hall and English teacher John Page Turner. The 2018 dance is a chiefly grown-up affair, without official supervision. 3. The auditorium’s basic appearance remains much the same. Soft blue seats, reflecting the old school’s blue and gold colors, replace wooden seats. Rails were added to protect enthusiastic dancers from flying off the stage, and interior cinderblock walls have been painted a soothing gray. 4. The blue and gold velvet valance with ”M,” for Marshall, has been removed. 5. An electronic scoreboard replaces the old-fashioned scorekeeping chalkboard. 6. Double-paned windows replace single-paned windows that were opened and closed to ventilate the basketball court.
Swing dancing in 1951 and 2018 looks almost identical By Norman Schulze It was fall, 1951. The Marshall High School football squad wasn’t great. School officials had a brilliant idea: boost spirits with a dance. The event was meticulously planned, held with great community support, and everybody danced the night away. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The football team still continued to lose. It wasn’t the losing record that did it – rather, school integration: But Marshall High closed in 1963, eventually becoming the Marshall Community Center of today. Dances are still held, now, as then, in the school gymnasium. Late this spring, some 67 years after the very first dance held in the gym, the 17-piece Silver Tones Swing Band, under the direction of Dave Shuma, provided the music for dancers of all ages that appeared to range from about 3 to 83. Many came outfitted in World War II era attire. In the ’50s, a large World War II memorial drape completely adorned the auditorium’s rear wall, featuring a star for every former student who served, with a golden star designating those who died in action. The current location of the drape has been lost to history. Few now are even aware of its existence. SUMMER 2018
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The hero: in fact and fiction Ordinary, and extraordinary, story subjects By Steve Price
Still, bravery in dangerous situations grab headlines, even today. Just a few weeks ago, Heroes in our lives act as role models James Shaw Jr. wrestled an automatic rifle whose courage, compassion and accomplishfrom a shooter who opened fire at a Tenments we admire. nessee restaurant. He’s a modern hero. “I’d Their stories inspire us. rather you regard me as… just a regular perThey might be friends or relatives, teachson,” he modestly said afterward, “because I ers or religious leaders, historical or political feel like everybody can do pretty much what figures, athletes or entertainers we know by I did.” reading or reputation. This same type of selfless behavior in a Heroes through history need not even stressful situation characterizes Chesley be flesh and blood because popular culture, “Sully” Sullenberger, the airline pilot who literature and art are full of characters we glided his powerless passenger jet to a textcan look up to, from Odysseus, Sir Galahad book-perfect ditch-landing in the Hudson and Robin Hood to Frodo Baggins, Wonder River in 2009 with no loss of life among the Woman and Buffy the 155 people aboard. Vampire Slayer. Sullenberger attribThe word “hero” uted such coolness wasn’t always used as caunder pressure to his sually as today (“Oh, you training and aviation found my missing car experience – confikeys – you’re my hero!”) dence is also a key eleIn the realm of literary ment in heroism. criticism, a hero had to A softer definition, meet certain criteria. the notion of intenIn his book “,The tional and voluntary Hero: A Study in Traservice to fellow man, dition, Myth and without thought of Dreams,” Lord Raglan recompense, is typiset forth 22 conditions cal of heroic behavior. to be a hero. The hero's Mother Teresa is a mother had to be a royal hero for devoting her virgin, his father a king life to helping the sick and a near relative had and downtrodden, as to also be a hero. are legion health-care Often, the circumworkers and firststances of a hero’s conresponders who risk ception are unusual, their own lives to resand he is often reputed cue victims in emerto be the son of a god. gency situations. At birth an attempt is Animals are widely made, usually by his farecognized for herother or the king, to kill Fiction and non-fiction heroes of literature share similar qualities of bravery and dedication ism: Dogs have alertthe fledgling hero. But to a cause as in Tolkein's Lord of the Rings series and Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy. ed sleeping owners in literature the hero to fire when smoke is spirited away, often alarms fail to do so. reared by loving and understanding foster- and capturing 132 enemy soldiers. Sergeant Reckless, a highly regarded Koparents in a distant land. But it doesn’t have to be bravery at war rean War horse, made 51 trips up to the gun On reaching manhood, the hero returns that defines the hero. Civil rights icon Rosa sites – often by herself - and carried more to his native land or future kingdom where, Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Ala- than 9,000 pounds of ammunition on her after defeating the king or a ferocious beast bama in 1955 and took a seat in the rear sec- back even though wounded twice. The mare or ogre, he marries a princess (frequently tion where the state’s segregation laws dic- evacuated wounded and dead from the batthe ruler’s daughter) and becomes king. He tated that blacks must sit. At personal risk, tlefield. later loses favor with the gods and is driven she defied a white man who, unable to find Do these creatures have the requisite hefrom the throne. A mysterious death usually a seat in the front of the bus, demanded that roic qualities found in humans, or were they leads to a myth or cult celebrating his life she relinquish her place. just acting on animal instinct? People who and powers. She refused and became an instant hero- benefited from such actions would argue If these criteria sound familiar, consider ine in American lore. that they definitely qualify as heroes.
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the identical tales of religious figures Jesus, Moses, Mohammad, Buddha and Krishna and mythical characters Hercules, Helen of Troy Achilles, Samson and King Arthur. Even Hamlet, Joan of Arc and Princess Leia follow the pattern. The stories of the hero – or heroine – are often practically identical. With regard to contemporary heroes, we have a far more realistic definition. Courage is chief among heroic criteria, as exemplified by Sergeant Alvin York, who received the Medal of Honor during World War I for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest and singlehandedly killing at least 25
Escape Madness. the
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Magnolia Vineyards & Winery is located in Amissville, just off scenic Route 211 in Rappahannock County, approximately 10 miles west of Warrenton. Owned by Glenn and Tina Marchione, we are a family-run boutique winery and vineyard, making small lots of mostly Bordeaux varietals. Quiet country peace, tranquility and great mountain views. Come relax in our cozy farmhouse tasting room or surrounding grounds. Our regular tasting is paired with cheeses and chocolate. The Tasting Room is open year-round on weekends, holiday Mondays and Fridays from April through November. We also offer events on select weekends such as Paint & Sips, local artisan exhibits, as well as live acoustic music with great local musicians. Check our website (www.magnoliavineyards.com) or Facebook page for current hours and events. Make an afternoon of it and visit Magnolia, Gray Ghost and Narmada Wineries, all within a few miles of each other on the eastern end of the scenic Route 211 wine trail. For more information on all venues on the Route 211 trail visit www.skylinewinetrail.com. The prettiest tasting trail in Virginia!
200 Viewtown Rd., Amissville, VA • 703.785.8190 • magnoliavineyards.com SUMMER 2018
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Join The Fauquier History Museum at the Old Jail and the National Museum of the Marine Corps in commemorating the 100th anniversary of World War 1. Discover the technology of the “The Great War.” Take a step back in time–try on uniforms, see where soldiers fought, and try your hand in some arts and crafts while we celebrate 1918. Discover the vast history of Fauquier County with a trip to the Fauquier History Museum at the Old Jail. Journey back in time with an array of programs from guided walking tours to lectures and kid’s activities. Explore our 1808 and 1823 jails featuring new exhibits, and shop for locally crafted goods in our gift shop.
10 Ashby Street, Warrenton, Virginia 20186 Open Wednesday - Monday 10:00am - 4:00pm Sunday 12-4:00pm (540) 347-5525 For more events visit fauquierhistory.org
SUMMER 2018
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His story, her story Combining horsepower and horses, Jimmy and Alison Lee are folds in the fabric of Fauquier Photos by Randy Litzinger Story by Betsy Burke Parker
Inside this section:
n Keep count with auctioneer Kathy Shumate n On point with archery expert Ryan Merry n Plus: Side-by-Side profiles link the old to the new through county historians
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Faces & Places WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE GO
SUMMER 2018
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FACES & PLACES
Ticking timeline
There’s not more family history, just more documentation. Track a tale of horses and horsepower.
Shady Valley land grant was signed from Thomas, Lord Fairfax to Jimmy Lee’s great-great-grandfather Francis Watts. He farmed until he died in 1807, the land passing to daughter Susannah Watts Strother, born in 1779. Her daughter Susannah inherited Shady Valley in 1855; she married James Thomas Lee in 1861. Jimmy’s dad, James Strother Lee, was born in 1865.
1786
Alison is recognized for decades of service to the Warrenton Horse Show Association with the prestigious President’s Award.
Jimmy is inducted in the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. He was voted in the National Hot Rod Association Hall of Fame in 2005.
First grandchild is born. Today, Tyler Hylton follows his granddad, and father Bobby Hylton, driving for Great Expectations. He’s clocked 5.80 over the quarter mile in his 392 cubic inch dragster.
2007
1995
1990
The only original structure left on the farm, the restored cabin is a one-room, hand-hewn building constructed of native chestnut logs.
1840s Alison is named Car Craft Magazine’s 1971 Top Dragster Crew Chief, the first woman so recognized. The same year, they joined a few other racecar teams invited to the White House for a photo op during Nixon’s reelection campaign.
1971
Recalling an intertwined tale of family roots
While lives are made of many moments, they’re often defined by a common thread. We asked generationsdeep county natives Jimmy and Alison Lee to share the pivotal times that mark their entwined stories. By Betsy Burke Parker A lot can change in 250 years. But on Jimmy Lee’s family farm, not a lot has. The oldest stones in the family cemetery by the house are from the late 1700s, he says as he makes his weekly ramble around the neatly-tended plot. The stones in the slave cemetery are just as old, he says, gesturing to a meticulously-mowed cutout in a pasture south of the main house. The actual rock came off the nearby Bull Run mountain range, Jimmy says as he wanders among the upright markers – 37 in this family plot, 90 or more rounded stones up the hill. He pulls a weed, snaps an errant twig. “It’s been entrusted to me,” he explains, stopping to study a pitted obelisk that’s sprouted moss from a crack halfway up the 3-foot-high face. “I tend it pretty careful. That’s an honor and a duty. “It’s something I take seriously.” Shady Valley Farm south of The Plains has been in Jimmy Lee’s family five generations. One of his prize possessions – one of many – is the 1786 original land grant, the actual piece of paper signed by Lord Fairfax. The farm, 158 acres today, passed from his great-great-grandfather Francis Watts by marriage to a Strother, then, again through mar18
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riage, into the Lee family. Jimmy, 85, studies a faded photo of his father James Strother Lee’s Bethel Military Academy cadet graduation. “There he is,” he points to a serious-looking round face no bigger than a kernel of corn, black-and-white proof of his heritage. It jogs another memory. “My uncle,” his dad’s brother, “rode his horse to work” at the old Enon School across Swain Mountain. He gestures west, behind the old log cabin. “He’s the one who taught me about the bees,” honey bees that were once part of farm operations along with beef cattle and hay. “He taught me to sit real still.” Lee sits real still
mimicking the 80-year-old memory. “The bees would crawl all over me. They’d never sting him, barely ever stung me. “I wasn’t scared.” Across the room – a comfortable family room casually furnished and filled with stacks of photo albums bulging with memorabilia – his wife of 59 years laughs. “Jimmy, I bet you were scared,” says Alison Lee, lifelong county resident with decades of Fauquier history herself. “My grandmother taught me to ride side-saddle in the ’50s. For years I wore her habit foxhunting and showing.” Alison recently donated a trophy her grandma won in 1929 for a new side-saddle race at the local pointto-point. She plucks an album off a teetering pile and opens it. “There’s so much history here.” They get it that they have no more, or less, “family history” than anyone else. What’s different about the Lee clan is this extensive documentation, Alison says. And that’s exactly the family narrative they strive to protect, and pass along. “We may be the end of the line for us,” Jimmy says wistfully, clasping closed the gate on the cemetery plot and making a slow nod. “The next generation has all the stories now.”
FACES & PLACES
Jimmy Lee is born, youngest of five kids. He graduated from the old Marshall Elementary and High School in 1952.
Alison Duffey Lee is born. Granddaughter of one of Fauquier’s best-known equestriennes – Viola Winmill, Alison attended the old Calvert School, now Highland.
Lee’s Taxidermy opens next door to Shady Valley, founded by Jimmy’s older brother Francis.
The model year of Jimmy’s favorite car, ever, a Chevy 2-door red convertible. “If I still had it, it’d be worth $100,000, easy.”
1933
1943
1950
1953
Jimmy sets his first – of seven – National Hot Rod Association drag records.
1967
Jimmy enters his first legal car race, though he’d done plenty of illicit street racing, he freely admits some 60 years protected. He and friends would race on the short, level strip on Route 211 west of the stoplight at Van Roijen Street to where the highway slopes upwards past WARF. Sumerduck Dragway opened in 1961. Jimmy and Alison bought a 1932 Chevy coupe, stripped it down and dropped in a 370-cubic-inch Oldsmobile motor and six two-barrel carburetors. They later switched to top fuel dragsters with their Great Expectations race team.
1961
Jimmy and Alison marry on August 22nd. They’d met on a Fourth of July blind date the year before.
1959
1958
Alison Lee (then Alison Duffey) is named top junior rider on the Virginia Horse Shows Association circuit.
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FACES & PLACES
Lending a hand for a complex problem Slung as a kid from America to the Middle East and back again, Arash Rohanimanesh shows homegrown pluck in robotics development By Vineeta Ribeiro At 28, Arash Rohanimanesh appears to be your “typical IT guy” at Lord Fairfax Community College, given his foreign-born look and subtle hint of an accent. He owns a couple of 3-D printers and Vex Robotics kits, standard issue for an exchange student computer whiz. But this first-generation Persian-American was actually born in Blacksburg, where both his Iranian-born parents earned degrees at Virginia Tech. He spent his first six years in the U.S. After his parents divorced, Arash and his elder brother spent the next eight years in Iran with their father. There, they led a fairly normal family life and maintained communication with their mother through letters. Ultimately, dire medical circumstances prompted Arash’s father to return both boys to their mother in America. As suddenly as the first-grader had been whisked away, Arash was plopped back into Warren County High School as a ninth-grader. At age 14, he again had to re-learn English to try to assimilate into teen culture – awkward for this American-born but not American-raised kid. The adjustment was rough both directions, he recalls: at age 6, he had struggled to learn Farsi from scratch to keep up with schooling in Iran.
A new start
Now, at double the age he was when he re-
turned to the States, Arash is starting all things afresh. Newly married, newly graduated from George Mason University – he already held two associates degrees from LFCC – and a new homeowner, Arash and his bride Shantae are settling into their house in Front Royal. Both work for Lord Fairfax Community College in Warrenton. In fact, LFCC is where they met. Arash started a company: Evolve Robotic. Robotics has been a lifelong obsession for Arash. In Iran, having watched the arm repair scene from “The Terminator,” Arash was inspired to create a controllable hand using moving parts. His first prototype was built with cardboard, but it worked. Arash’s project won a school science award. Fast forward to age 15 in the U.S.: Arash had worked enough odd jobs in his first year to have saved $400. He invested it all to purchase a Vex Robotics kit – a commodity unheard of in most schools at the time. Over the years, Arash has refined his working model to the point he is currently exploring patent options for his microcontroller-based hand.
Save to splurge
Perhaps because of the earlier challenges in his life, Arash has developed a tenacity that belies his years. Once his mind is set on a goal, he doesn’t lose sight of it.
As a boy in Iran, he wanted a bicycle, but the $90 price tag – in Iranian rials – was prohibitive. Undaunted, Arash began skipping lunch and saving his 25-cent daily allowance. Adding in money he received for birthdays and Eid – a celebration after Ramadan, the month-long fasting from food and water from dawn until dusk – his savings were sufficient after three years. When Arash again asked to go to the bicycle store, his father reminded him of the prohibitive price. Arash surprised his father by counting out his savings. “I don’t need the money; I only need a ride to the store.” He exhibited this same tenacity in completing his degree from GMU in information technology with a concentration in databases and programming. He managed the feat, which required commuting, while working full-time at LFCC as an IT specialist. Arash was awarded a fellowship that allowed him a one-year sabbatical during which he received 75 percent of his salary along with tuition costs toward his four-year degree. Arash is a strong believer in “working hard and earning to get what you want,” he says. He teaches robotics after school at Warren County Middle School, as well as at summer camps. He has creative bouts when the “ideas just come rushing in,” he says. Then, he is up until 4 or 5 a.m. because, before he knows it, he is prototyping a new design. PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER
Persian-born Arash Rohanimanesh has invented a controllable mechanical hand he hopes to patent through his Evolve Robotic company.
SUMMER 2018
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FACES &are PLACES This Season, you invited to experience Virginia wine excellence
Only an hour from Washington, D.C., Valley View Farm is a very pleasant trip from Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Rappahannock, Warren, Loudoun, and Clark counties. We do: Taste Valley View Farm wine and cider. Visit our Locavore Farm Market and Weddings | Engagement Parties Receptions peaches, | Birthday Celebrations | visit the orchard to pick your own|blueberries, apples and more! Family Reunions | Picnics | and more!
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4366 Stillhouse Road, Hume, Virginia 22639 540.364.1203 | pcwinery.com Hours: Sunday - Thursday: 11 AM to 6 PM, Friday: 11 AM to 9 PM, and Saturday: 11 AM to 7 PM
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• Set on a hill overlooking rolling pastures with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains this 28 acres is located in the _ Blue Ridge Hunt • First floor master suite with soaking tub • Spacious open kitchen, living dining area, breakfast area, _ dining room, high ceiling • Three additional bedrooms upper level • Lower level is finished with a bedroom, walk-in closet __and full bath • Recreation Room, with plenty of storage and outside _ _ _ access with full house generator • Other property on 25 acres is available adjacent to this __property please see MLS# CL10198994
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FACES & PLACES
Auctioneer Kathy Shumate: By the numbers By Stephanie Slewka
Kathy Shumate is a third-generation auctioneer, an antique store owner and Annie Sloan chalk paint franchisee. Since numbers are what auctioneers do best, take count of the Warrenton businesswoman.
SHE’S A COUNTY ORIGINAL
HALF: Shumate rattles off a pretend
Kathy Shumate is a lifelong Fauquier resident who traces her roots in the area back to the 1770s when her Huguenot ancestor de la Chaumette (a name that over the years morphed into Shumate) moved to the Elk Run area. She grew up in Warrenton and attended elementary, middle and high school here. Her first job, while still in high school, was working as a clerk at Vint Hill Farms Station Army base. After 13 years at Vint Hill, Shumate went to work at the USDA graduate school in Washington as a trainer. Following that, she worked at a computer firm on projects for customs and other government agencies. She retired in 1995 to take care of her ailing father. After he died, Shumate attended auctioneering school in North Carolina and reopened her father and grandfathers’ auction business. In addition to auctioneering, Shumate owns Past Reflections, an antique shop on Falmouth Street. She is also the local franchise owner for Annie Sloan chalk paint. Shumate holds monthly chalk-paint classes. pastreflectionsantiques.com
sale. “Will it go a quarter, will it go a quarter, will it go a half? Sold!” She chirps the final bid and turns her attention to the next lot. “You have to have your inflection where you want (the bidder) to jump off from,” she explains. “So, the numbers you already have in the bid are: two and a quarter, two and a quarter, two and a HALF. The half is where you want them to go.”
ONE: Shumate has auctioned tens
of thousands of items over the years. She’s sold off estates when families could not agree or when a judge ordered it or when someone died. Pretty much, she’ll sell anything for anybody. But there’s one possession she refused to sell. An elderly woman moving into a nursing home was attached to the rocking chair in which she had sat on her grandmother’s lap as a child. The woman’s daughter said there was no room for it at the home. “I looked at her, and I looked at the daughter, and I said ‘I can’t sell this rocker’,” Shumate recalls. “You need to take something that she’s taking (there) out and put this rocker in.” The woman kept the chair in her room until she died. Then the family contacted Shumate. She was happy, then, to sell it.
TWO: Every object has at least two
lives, Shumate says. “If you don’t like the dark armoire your grandmother left you,” she suggests, lighten it up with water-based Annie Sloan chalk paint. It covers wood, metal, linoleum or glass, she says. Shumate offers monthly classes for do-it-yourself projects, or she can paint the piece for you. Although Shumate doesn’t sell livestock, she recalls another twosome: two mules she once auctioned in a field.
THREE: Shumate is the third auc-
tioneer in her family. Her grandfather started auctioneering in 1916. Her dad entered the family business, sometimes holding auctions the same day as his father in different parts of Fauquier. Shumate grew up helping her elders, running sales tickets and placing
ads, but she didn’t “get out there and cry the sale,” in industry-speak. After her father died, Shumate attended auctioneering school. Another three is the three-minute grace period you get when you’re bidding online. If an online auction is about to close and you place a bid, the clock stops for three minutes. If someone else bids higher, the clock runs for another three minutes. This goes on until someone gives up, Shumate says. “Three” also played a role in the first item Shumate sold when she arrive at auctioneering school: a threelegged pig statue.
FOUR: Online bidding is the future
of auctioneering, Shumate explains, and software makes all the difference between a fun time and a frustrating one. She tried four software companies before alighting on one that is user-friendly for both bidder and auction house.
SEVEN: In auctioneering school, they tell students not to “call an auction” for longer than a few hours without a break. Shumate recalls once calling an estate sale for seven hours straight, only stopping when it got dark.
TEN: When Shumate’s father was
an auctioneer, she says, “Dad struck a deal, shook a hand, took 10 percent and moved on.” Today auctioneering involves contracts, inventories and a lot of paperwork.
EIGHTEEN: In addition to her
online auctions, Shumate sells equipment, mostly farm machinery, at live auctions. Yet her favorite kind of auc-
tion are charity benefits: Last year she auctioned for 18 local charities.
FORTY-FOUR: There were 44
students when Shumate attended auctioneering school. Like Shumate, most pupils had relatives already in the business. “I think it’s a genetic thing,” Shumate muses.
FIFTY: Shumate trained to become
an auctioneer late. “I decided to go to (auctioneering) school at 50. If I am going to do it, you know, half my life is gone, I gotta do it. So here I am.”
SEVENTY-FIVE: She’s sometimes
the buyer not the seller: Once Shumate paid $75 for a set of shark’s teeth for her grandson.
HUNDRED: Auctioneers “cry” an
auction, but Shumate likes to say she “rattles” one. Routinely she sells 100 objects an hour. If you’re going to an auction and want to gauge timing, count an hour for every 100 pieces, and show up 15 minutes before you think it’s time. Another 100 story: Once Shumate sold a lockable writing desk with no key. The seller didn’t want the lock broken before the sale. The desk sold for $50. When the new owner pried open the lid, he found a $100 bill inside.
ONE HUNDRED FIFTY: A quart of Annie Sloan chalk paint covers 150 square feet.
SIXTEEN THOUSAND: Between
2003 and 2015, Shumate auctioned 400-500 items per auction, three auctions a month. It adds up to more than 16,000 objects passing under her gavel.
PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER
Kathy Shumate is the third auctioneer in her family. Her grandfather started in 1916. Today she also owns the local Annie Sloan chalk paint franchise and a local antique shop, Past Reflections. SUMMER 2018
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FACES & PLACES
By Laura Lyster-Mensh
The watercolor storyteller
Watercolor artist Jackie Yongue lives in Old Town Warrenton with her husband, Harris, daughter Alicia, Spanish exchange student Ana, and their “very sweet” dog, Dakota. She tells a tale of the long and winding road on the way to developing a soft style with a broad impact.
Jackie Yongue: In her own words
After some major life changes a few years ago, a friend at church showed me some art work she had done. I was in love. She introduced me to a local artist who taught classes in watercolor for all levels. I had never had any training or classes in any type of art and was very nervous. My first class with Toni Bragg was in September 2016. I took three sessions and I was hooked. I spend almost every day practicing and trying new subjects. Last fall I put some my work in a local shop, Local Thirty-Five, where they focus on local artists. I truly know that this is a gift sent to me. I do not know what I would do if I did not have this special joy in my life. It has saved me in many ways. Art is truly a therapeutic venue. Your life changed a lot in 2012. I was diagnosed with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a rare cancer caused by a genetic disorder. My first surgery was in 2013. After the surgery I had to re-learn how to swallow and talk, and accept the change in my appearance. In essence I had to mourn the old me and embrace the new. Several years later after a few surgeries and moves my life settled down. I got married to the kindest man I have ever known. I became a Deacon at our church and tried volunteering at hospice and the elementary schools. But I needed more.
You started painting after you lost use of one eye and full use of your dominant hand while in treatment. I know: why on earth am I doing something that directly challenges my limitations? But everything is a limitation. Painting removes me from other concerns and things I am worrying about. How does painting with those limitations change the craft?
Because it takes two eyes to gauge distance, I work with different size brushes and techniques, especially with detail. I love the combination of loose painting and detailed painting.
What moves you to choose a subject? I see everything differently now. I feel like a storyteller, and while some subjects and images are perfect the way they are, sometimes I see stories in the things I observe as I live my life.
Often it is photos taken by friends or photographers. I have found I need to be in the right “mood” for the subject or it doesn’t turn out as I hope. I have to feel right about it. How long does a painting usually take to complete? Depending on the detail and subject, I take a day to two days to weeks to finish paintings. Sometimes I have to set a big one aside and take a break from it to have a better perspective. I have several projects in the works. Your painting studio overlooks the woods behind your home. Do you paint in silence? I listen to classical music, mostly.
How do you feel about letting go of your paintings? When I sell a painting, it gives me confidence in my work. When I give it away or donate to a good cause it gives me joy in feeling my work is being used in a way to help and share with others.
How have your paintings changed over time? I feel I am learning my own style of painting. I also continue to learn from artist and friends who love to paint. It’s always evolving, and I hope it continues to.
PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER Artist Jackie Yongue says a rare cancer forced her to think outside the box in her art.
Who are your favorite artists, and why? Toni Bragg and Betty Hadden because they got me started on this adventure. Also the father of a childhood friend of mine, Bob Pittman, was a watercolor artist. He passed away last year, but his work is still shown and inspiring. One of his sons, Jeff Pittman, has become a wonderful artist in Asheville, and I love looking at his work. Other more well-known in the watercolor world that inspire me are Jason Goldrick, Charles Reid, Andrew Geeson and Bev Jozwaik. I love to practice from their tutorials and then find my own and sometimes borrowed way. SUMMER 2018
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FACES & PLACES FACES & PLACES
Hit the trail in Fauquier County to discover the path less taken By Janet Heisrath Evans Fauquier County has a secret. But word’s gotten out. And, say county officials, that’s actually sort of the point. Scattered throughout Fauquier are town and county parks – large and small – with trails and secret paths and cut-throughs and roundabouts and little wildlife lanes that showcase the county’s beauty and history. Some are easily found, better trav26
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eled and well known. Their trails are well-worn, and – in some cases – even paved or graveled for easy walking. Crockett Park in the southern central portion of the county boasts two trails: the bluebird cross-country trail, a 1.5-mile trail on open ground, and the Four Seasons nature trail, a mile-long wooded trail. Both trails offer views of Germantown Lake. The Warrenton Greenway Branch is a popular 1.5-mile paved walking
path frequented by cyclists and hikers alike. The trail runs from Old Town Warrenton to Old Meetze Road. In the northern part of the county is the Northern Fauquier Community Park with a pond, ball fields, pavilions and a 1.75-mile paved walking trail meandering through the park of lush trees and grassy knolls.
Hidden jewels
Some of the area’s lesser known walking trails are hidden in plain sight.
Whitney State Park is located just outside Warrenton, is a 148-acre property gifted to the state in 1972 as a public demonstration forest. Timber production funds park operations. Signs posted along the forest road educate hikers on timber practices and invasive plant species. Seven miles of wooded trails intertwine and cross two meandering streams, well marked and distinguished by various colors.
FACES & PLACES
(it will make all the difference) The tall tree canopy provides a tranquil forest walk with dappled sunlight through oaks, maple, hickory and tulip poplar. Tiny white rue anemone and purple violets grow along paths and through the woods. The ruins of the Ashton House, a Revolutionary era home, are in the center of Whitney park. Three Wildlife Management Areas dot the county: Thompson in the north, Weston in south-central and Phelps in the south. Maintained by
the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries through access and license fees and Wildlife Restoration Funds, each is unique with its own offerings for public use, including various hiking experiences. WMAs conserve and manage wildlife populations and habitats, encourage outdoor recreation and activities through boating, education, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, trapping and wildlife viewing. There are 42 WMAs across Virginia.
• Thompson totals 4,000 acres. The main trail is lined with an enormous colony of trillium, along with purple and yellow violets, bloodroot and dozens of other wildflowers. A stretch of the Appalachian Trail crosses through Thompson. • Weston near Casanova is 271 acres with two hiking trails. Turkey Run Trail is a wide grass trail through open woods and along Turkey Run. The Nourse Woods Trail winds through a hardwood forest with a stand of bluebells near the creek. Weston was a private residence, but is now owned by the Warrenton Antiquarian Society. • C.F. Phelps WMA spans more than 4,500 acres near Sumerduck bordering the Rappahannock River. • White’s Mill Trail is named for an 18th century mill once located nearby. The 2-mile hike divides Cedar Run and a wetlands area from a housing development. • The Lord Fairfax Community College and Stafford Trails surround the college in Warrenton. The trail is the first phase of a trail that will extend the Warrenton Greenway. • Fauquier Trails Coalition works closely with Fauquier parks and rec to develop new trails and to help connect and maintain trails that already exist in the county. Members meet monthly – second Thursday at the Warrenton Community Center. “The Great Pumpkin Ride is the largest fundraiser of the year,” says Trails’ Ginger O’Brien. “(It’s in) late October. Last year we had nearly 1,800 (bikers) participate.” • C.M. Crockett Park was named after Charlie Mitchell Crockett who donated money to purchase the land for the park. Crockett’s wife was a descendant of German miners who created the first settlement in Fauquier. The community along Licking Run was called Germantown. In the mid-1980s Licking Run was dammed to control flooding; the resulting lake was named for the first settlers. • The Warrenton Greenway Branch is located along the old Warrenton Branch, the railway running from Calverton to Warrenton. Used by both Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War and along which several skirmishes during the war, the railway’s use diminished and was abandoned by the 1980s. Today the depot building houses a restaurant, Claire’s At The Depot. An original red caboose stands to signal the beginning of the hiking trail.
Trail difficulty ratings key 1: Paved, flat trail with little to no elevation change 2: Grassy or gravel, flat trail with little to no elevation change 3: Grassy trail with up to 100-feet elevation change 4: Wooded trail with up to 100-feet elevation change 5: Wooded trail with up to 300-feet elevation change 6: Wooded trail with portions up to 500-feet elevation change 7: Wooded trail, narrow and rocky with portions up to 500-feet elevation change Trails difficulty ratings • LFCC Connector Trail: 2 • Northern Fauquier Community Trail: 1 • Phelps Trail: 4 • Stafford Trail: 4 • Thompson Trillium Trail: 7 • Warrenton Greenway Branch: 1 • Weston Nourse Woods Trail: 4 • Turkey Run Trail: 2 • White’s Mill Trail: 1 • Whitney State Park: 5 Web sites fauquiertrails.com fauquiercounty.gov dgif.virginia.gov
PHOTO BY CHRIS CERRONE
The Thompson Wildlife Management Area near Markham is laced with hiking paths, from the main one that leads up to the Appalachian Trail, to smaller game trails that lead to 100-mile views from the top of the Blue Ridge. SUMMER 2018
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FACES & PLACES FACES & PLACES
Take a dip Fauquier’s public lakes are there for us year-round, but they’re made for summer Lake Thompson, Markham Lake Thompson, fed by a spring originating in the Blue Ridge, is a favorite spot for fishing. The 10-acre lake was constructed 70 years ago as a “farm pond.” Since 2008, it has unexpectedly drained several times due to a faulty drain feature, but it handily refilled itself after sediment blocked the outlet.
Germantown Lake, Midland Germantown Lake, was dammed in the
mid-1980s to control flooding of Licking Run. The 109-acre lake was named after the first mining community that settled there in the 1700s to mine iron ore on the property of then lieutenant governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood. Germantown Lake, part of Crockett Park, is used for fishing and boating.
Turner Pond, Paris Turner Pond, tiny at 3 acres, is one of the area’s most picturesque spots,
with the fishing and recreational pond surrounded by the Blue Ridge and Sky Meadows State Park. Turner Pond was formed by Gap Run.
Lake Brittle, New Baltimore
Fed by South Run, Lake Brittle is a 77acre lake constructed in 1953 as the oldest public lake in the county. It is managed by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. – By Janet Heisrath Evans PHOTO BY CHRIS CERRONE
Turner Pond near Paris may be small, but it is mighty in terms of amenities, views and ease of access from U.S. 17. Find out more at vadgif.gov 28
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Coming to America
Veteran, 92, recounts magical life journey By Anita Sherman
What a gift for Giuseppe Frustaci as he waited at the port of New York at Ellis Island for the arrival of his wife, Victoria, and four children. It was Christmas Eve 1935 when the SS Conte di Savoia, an Italian ocean liner built in 1932, reached port on a cold and wintry day. One of his sons, Emilio, born April 6, 1927, was 8 years old and remembers well the reunion of father and family. “My father had come to America and worked for awhile in Ohio at a paper mill and then he found work in New York,” says Emilio. He’d for years traveled between the small town where they lived, Sant’Andrea Apostolo dello Ionia in the Calabria region of Italy, to America doing so to ensure a better future for himself and his family. “In those days, you had to have work, you needed a sponsor – someone to sign for you – people who knew you, to come to America. Not like now,” Emilio says with a quick smile. “Seems like the timing of my father’s trips home, and there would be another baby.” At 92, Emilio is sitting comfortably in his home eager to share memories about his life and what has brought him to Virginia. “Go to the towel,” he commands his black Afghan, Gabrielle. She obediently trots over to a towel spread on the living room rug to enjoy a biscuit he gives her without spreading crumbs. “She’s good. She knows,” Emilio says of his canine companion of many years. “It was snowing. I remember,” recalls Emilio of their arrival to the U.S. that Christmas. His father had secured a house for them and bought them clothes but life would be hard. Emilio spoke no English and soon fell behind in school. His mother, who had managed to bring over olive oil in one of their trunks, quickly managed to secure garden areas. “We had three gardens,” says Emilio. “One in our yard, another at a friend’s and another with a relative. “We grew vegetables and bushels 30
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PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER
U.S. Navy veteran Emilio Frustaci has a lifetime of memorabilia from his youth in Italy, his time on the USS Roosevelt, running an Italian eatery in New York, and from his years as 'Mr. Fix-It,' a nickname he earned by being super-handy.
of tomatoes, canned them, ate them. We chopped firewood for the stove.” Emilio and several of his friends would caddy for golfers at a course in Rockland County. “We’d get about 90 cents to carry clubs for 18 holes,” says Emilio who, at 17, would follow the lead of brothers Bruno and Frankie and sign up for the military. Bruno joined the Air Force and Frankie the Army. “Frankie ended up walking from one end of France to the other during World War II,” Emilio says. He chose the Navy. A photograph of a young man with dark hair and eyes wearing a sailor’s
uniform sits prominently on one shelf. “That’s me,” Emilio points out. He gently pulls out documents from a worn folder detailing his commission with the U.S. Navy that had him on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, the second of three Midwayclass aircraft carriers. Emilio joined some 5,000 other crewmen when the Roosevelt was commissioned on Oct. 27, 1945 at the New York Naval Shipyard. From there, as part of the shakedown cruise, the Roosevelt represented the U.S. at the inauguration of Brazilian president Eurico Gaspar Dutra in Rio in 1946. The Roosevelt participated in maneuvers off the East Coast, the Navy’s first major postwar training exercise. “We were all kids…what the hell did we know,” Emilio says with a chuckle. “We never saw action.” Nevertheless, Emilio remembers 11 men lost. “Some were swept off the deck, some ran into airplane props, some had accidents.” Out of the Navy, Emilio held a series of different jobs. With no formal education, he worked hard at whatever job he landed but most of them in-
volved managerial positions in maintenance and, another of his loves, food. “I bought an Italian restaurant… Butterfield 8 in Haverstraw, New York,” says Emilio, “I still own it.” During the 1980s, Emilio worked for the Rockland County Association for Retarded Children. It was there that he garnered the title of “Mr. FixIt” coined by a local reporter. Described in an article as a “veritable troubleshooter,” Emilio was known for his repairing, mending, advising, lifting, pulling, hammering and, most of all, preventing things from falling apart or breaking down. He was recognized throughout the building as a man with “an air of confidence.” Strapped to his waist in a leather holster were the tools of his trade – pliers, wrenches, and screwdrivers. Whenever there was a problem, the shout would go out to “get Emil.” Emilio’s wife, Maria, died in 2011. Pictures of their life together can be seen on the walls and shelves of his home. He gets teary when talking about her. EMILIO, continued on Page 33
FACES & PLACES
Our mission is to foster and inspire an environment in Old Town Warrenton that enhances economic vitality while preserving the historic character of the community; and to promote a rich and appealing cultural atmosphere to live, play and do business.
UPCOMING EVENTS! 1st Friday
On Main Street from 6 pm - 9 pm JULY 6: STAR SPANGLED MAIN STREET Come celebrate our veterans! A veterans parade will begin at 6 pm on 5th & Main Street, and will conclude at the Court House. Come enjoy the tunes of the Silver Tones Swing Band, family fun, a variety of local vendors, delicious food, wine tastings and the Beer Garden! AUGUST 3: ARTS WALK ON MAIN SEPTEMBER 7: DOG DAYS OF SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 5: CELEBRATE FALL
Restaurant Week August 6-12
Old Town Warrenton restaurants and bakeries offering exclusive features and deals! More details coming soon at www.oldtownwarrenton.org
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Check out our Warrenton Community Calendar at www.oldtownwarrenton.org/events
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Historians of Fauquier County: The past is their present Story by Pat Reilly, Photos by Randy Litzinger
John Toler
Kevin Pawlak
For John T. Toler, plumbing the past of his hometown, Warrenton, has led to a career in journalism and a reputation as the go-to guy on local history. He says he caught the bug from good history teachers at Fauquier High School in the 1960s. He went on to the University of Virginia, where he majored in English and minored in history. While in Charlottesville, he had an epiphany looking at a 1915 UVA yearbook, that history happened in the same places he inhabited every day. It made him look at things differently. A job at the local newspaper and contributing to the University of Virginia Magazine started him on the career that would pay for his history habit. By sophomore year, on trips home, Toler was also working for the Fauquier Democrat, the Fauquier Times today. His special area of interest, besides everything local, is military history, national and international. Not content just to write history, he does what he can to preserve history for future generations. Twenty-five years ago, he was on the committee that erected the Fauquier Veterans Memorial on Hospital Hill. It contains the names of 158 Fauquier County war dead of the 20th century, which Toler helped to research and gather. Toler served in the Army during Korea and was in the reserves from 1969 to 1975.
Kevin Pawlak can remember falling in love with history on a family vacation to Gettysburg when he was 9. Before that, his only brush with the Civil War was the large memorial monument for Union troops in his upstate New York hometown of Albion. By the time he was in high school and asked to do a major project on an issue facing community, he wrote about the economic benefits of preserving battlefields. Four years out of Shepherd University with a degree in history, Pawlak is already on the boards of three different battlefield preservation organizations, has written three books on the Civil War and is the education director of the Mosby Heritage Area Association. His wife, Kristen, whom he met when they were both intern rangers at the Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park, works at the Civil War Trust. They were married in August. Pawlak insists he’s “just a student like anybody else.” History, he says, “is such a vast field. There’s always more to discover, it’s a constant quest.” Sometimes when on a quest, the journey takes an unexpected turn. When he was still in college and researching a book about the Maryland Campaign, he thought he’d have a chapter on Shepherdstown. “The story became much more of a social history,” he recalls. “How human beings lived in the aftermath of battle.” His book, “Shepherdstown in the Civil War, One Vast Confederate Hospital,” tells the story of what happened when an estimated 8,000 wounded soldiers passed in or around the town in a couple of days. When
Deja vu all over again
Living with the past creates a déjà vu effect on current events, Toler says, such as in the controversy
John T. Toler
over using U.S. troops to secure the southern border. Toler recalls that the Warrenton Rifles Reserves, his own unit, was federalized and sent to the U.S. border for a month in 1916 during a Mexican uprising led by Poncho Villa. The unit returned home only to be trained for service in France in World War I, where they were in the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest encounters of that conflict. “If you take any part of history, particularly in World War I and II, our people were there,” says Toler. “In every event and battle.” Another area where his vocation meshes with community service is his love of cemeteries. “When doing detailed history, it eventually leads back to the cemetery,” he explains. “There’s lots of information in birth and death dates” that lead to newspaper clippings and funeral home JOHN, continued on Page 33
Age: 70 Hometown: Warrenton Years in history: More than 50 Specialties: Local history, military history Job: Associate editor, Fauquier Times Associations: Fauquier County Architectural Review Board Fauquier Veterans Memorial Committee, Fauquier Historical Society Friends of the Warrenton Cemetery, board member Publications: “250 Years in Fauquier County: A Virginia Story,” George Mason University Press, 2009 “Warrenton, Virginia: a Unique History of 200 Years,” Partnership for Warrenton Foundation and the Town of Warrenton, 2010 32
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Union shells, whether intentionally or not, hit the town, thousands of walking wounded who couldn’t find a place in an ambulance, hired carriages or any vehicle they could find and moved on to Winchester, where there was a real hospital. The Shepherdstown book was published in 2015. Pawlak’s “The Guide to the Maryland Campaign” comes out this summer. As much as he loves reading and writing about it, Pawlak believes “to truly understand history, you have to get out there and experience it. You can read about it from the comfort of a chair in California, but you cannot understand it until you see it.” The Mosby Heritage Area Association is a good place to start. Based in the Mosby House at historic Atoka, the association’s scope encompasses five counties in the Piedmont: Fauquier, Loudoun, Clarke, Prince KEVIN, continued on Page 33
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Kevin R. Pawlak
Age: 25 Hometown: Albion, New York Years in history: 10 Specialties: Civil War and historic preservation Job: Director of education, Mosby Heritage Area Association Associations: Save Historic Antietam, board member Friends of Balls Bluff Battlefield, board member Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association, board member Publications: “Shepherdstown in the Civil War, One Vast Confederate Hospital,” The History Press, 2015 “Guide to the Maryland Campaign,” Savas Beatie, summer 2018 “Images of Antietam,” Arcadia, summer 2019
FACES & PLACES JOHN, continued from Page 32 records. “There’s so much history there,” he says. His work on the Architectural Review Board often leads to the preservation of historical places, such as buildings and cemeteries. Toler is on call to the Fauquier Library and the Historical Association as well as all of his colleagues at the newspaper, which after all is the “first rough draft of history” according to another newspaperman, Phil Graham. “Many times I’ve gotten tips for stories,” says Toler, while addressing a history question. KEVIN, continued from Page 32 William and Warren. The group’s name refers to Warrenton attorney John Singleton Mosby, who led a band of guerilla scouts all over the Piedmont and beyond to keep track of Union troops. “He was a reluctant secessionist who fought as hard as he could,” Pawlak says of Mosby. “But as soon as (the conflict) ended, he put everything aside and got on with it. The ‘lost cause’ ideologies didn’t appeal to him.” Mosby struck up a friendship with his former rival, Gen. Ulysses Grant, who became his patron.
He keeps track of the Fauquier family descendants, who have been on the move since the end of the Revolutionary War, when their Tory sympathies took them to Canada. Now all over the country, Toler still has ways to connect with them if only to verify a fact. In writing about the Civil War in Warrenton and Fauquier, he’s also looking at the Union troops, who spent a lot of time in in the area. His wife and proofreader Lynda’s greatgreat grandfather was a Union officer. Their Broad Run home was built The MHAA annual conference on Civil War topics attracts people from all over the world. “It’s the local people,” says Pawlak, “who really have the interest in preserving the land and the landscape.” His favorite spot in the area is the 1st Massachusetts Calvary Monument on a rise off Snickersville Pike in Aldie. It was the first regimental monument erected – in 1891 – by Union soldiers on a southern battlefield. Pawlak says you can still see the landscape and the nearby battlefield very close to the way it looked on the day of battle. “It’s the heritage area in a nutshell.”
two decades before the Civil War. Both of their sons, John and Robert, have history degrees. In his career, the biggest development in research has been the Iinternet. “The internet has opened things up,” he says. “It’s such a great help in research.” Still, a historian has to know his history. “There are people who consider themselves experts and write stuff that is just wrong.” he cautions. Even before the internet, this was a problem. He read in a book and repeated in his own work that the EMILIO, continued from Page 30 Up until two years ago, Emilio had lived in New York but with a son, Peter, living in Springfield and a daughter, Mia, in Warrenton, they wanted him to be closer. So, now Emilio calls Warrenton home, and he “loves it.” “He amazes us,” says Mia. “He still does everything…mows the lawn, was up on the roof the other day, drives where he wants to go. He’s inspiring.” “I am blessed,” Emilio says. “I am in good health.” There are some things about
tall steeple on the St James Episcopal Church had been blown off in a storm. In fact, a huge fire in 1910 claimed it. When a woman from Lynchburg dropped off old photographs of the church post-fire, the church called Toler, who now had the evidence. “Warrenton is so rich in history, Warrenton and Fauquier both,” Toler says. “Many of the people who come here realize it is a historical area. “Understanding that history unites the long- timers and the newcomers.” America that still mystify him. “What the hell is going on with politics. So crooked,” he says, adding the challenges of moving from one state to the other has been another frustration. Living not far from Vinnie’s Pizza, he’s quickly made friends with the owner. “When I go there, we can talk in Italian. Sometimes he makes me a special pizza with ricotta.” One thing that Emilio misses from decades in New York is the real Italian food. “I went to one place. Forget about it,” he says with a laugh.
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Zen in the art of archery, daily ritual for Ryan Merry Speeding arrow, sharp and narrow – Expert's thoughts on a lot of fleeting matters Who:
By Laura Lyster-Mensh
Ryan Merry, archery instructor and outfitter
Where:
Indoor archery range and pro shop at Cabela’s in Gainesville
When:
Ryan was struck hard with the archery passion for the first time at Warwick Castle in England when he was about 14, and remembers thinking “this is the coolest thing ever.”
First bow:
He and a childhood friend cut down a sapling and made their own bow.
Parents’ response to the pile of wood chips and bow and arrow:
Fine, “as long as you clean up the mess.”
Dream bow:
From a stave of European yew, which is difficult to import into the U.S.
Cool archery terms:
Bow sock, vivid zones, billets, nock, whisper biscuit, versa peep, soft kisser button
His favorite noise:
The exact sound, “hear that click?” of the arrow setting correctly on the string
Things you may not notice until he shows you:
“You can split an arrow.” Look above the door of the Archery Range for an example. One arrow is perfectly embedded in the other.
But still:
Movie scenes aside, Ryan says it is not a good thing to split an arrow. You lose points in competition, and you destroy both arrows.
Another archery no-no:
Do not “dry fire” a bow without an arrow. “Energy has to go somewhere.” Dry firing can delaminate and ruin your bow.
Ryan’s favorite archer in history or film:
Byron Ferguson, a traditional archer famous for shooting eight dimes in a row out of the air. He uses no sights or devices.
Best archery advice that relates to real life, too:
“Move the bow to fit you, don’t move yourself to fit the bow.”
Reasons you want Ryan to teach you:
• He uses “Robin Hood” as a verb • He can assemble a “takedown” bow in about a minute with no tools while holding a conversation and keeping an eye on customers • He believes archery is educational for 4-yearolds and a relaxing retirement hobby • He is familiar with everything from bowfishing to traditional Japanese archery on horseback • He makes physics and aerodynamics make sense PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER • He will make you feel successful at shooting Cabela's archery expert Ryan Merry is one of very few sportsmen who can use ‘Robin Hood’ as a verb. an arrow the first time you try SUMMER 2018
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FACES & PLACES FACES & PLACES
Meet lifelong educator Bruce McDaniel
He'd like to be the retiring type, but he just can't get away By Danica Low
He keeps trying to leave. And they keep calling him back. Bruce McDaniel began his career as an educator in 1977 in southwest Virginia. Starting out as a phys ed teacher, he’s served the past 41 years as teacher or principal to more than 20,000 elementary children. He tried to retire, twice, but McDaniel just can’t keep away. Most recently he’s been serving as Grace Miller Elementary’s interim principal. His official “retirement” started in 2011 when he left after years at Nokesville Elementary. Like many retired teachers, he kept his hand in by substitute teaching.
A few years later, he was asked to step up as principal at Pierce Elementary in Remington, then moved to Grace Miller last year. McDaniel learned about early education early: His mother taught first grade nearly five decades; two aunts taught elementary as well. He credits them for influencing his decision to dedicate a lifetime to education by instilling the values of education, hard work, dedication and appreciating others. “It was my mother who demonstrated a true commitment to her students,” McDaniel says. “I could see the joy she received from them. I knew I always enjoyed fitness and coaching and wanted to teach young students. “Time with (them) keeps me motivated and brings me great rewards. I like being involved (and) seeing how the students progress with their learning. “Ultimately, I believed I could continue to make a positive contribution. Having an attitude of gratitude and appreciating others are key for me. I try not to get caught up in negative energy. I am very thankful for my career, but carving out personal time away from the
job and computer are equally important and healthy and energize me to do a better job.” McDaniel emphasizes the importance of building relationships with students, staff and community. “It’s great to watch the students as they recognize their potential, see them celebrate their accomplishments, and develop a true appreciation of learning,” says McDaniel. “It creates more positive energy, stimulates growth and creates lasting bonds.” Students, especially young elementary pupils, need to be equipped with future skills they’ll need, McDaniel says, in an everchanging world. “I want students to know it’s up to them to make wise choices daily. Choose to be kind and respectful to others, believe in yourselves and do your very best, while being responsible individuals. Learning is the foundation for success. “Each student has the opportunity to make a positive difference in the world.” Teaching is a rewarding career, he says, the key being to “inspire our youth, care about them, appreciate their diversity, and encourage ideas and creativity.” PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER
Interim principal at Grace Miller Elementary, Bruce McDaniel comes from a long line of educators. He loves the job, even though he's tried to retire for years. 36
SUMMER 2018
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FACES & PLACES
Play on: Tune in to Summer on the Green series By Anita Sherman
You could almost hear a collective community gasp with the news in April that the Bluemont Concert Series would be no more. Begun in 1976, Bluemont reached an audience of millions over the years with not only their community concerts, but cultural programs held in local schools, nursing homes and numerous special events, estimated at more than 9,600. Fauquier would not be alone in their musical grieving. Dozens of communities throughout northwest and central Virginia would be hurting as well including Culpeper, Winchester, Leesburg and Fredericksburg. Warrenton’s Allegro Community School for the Arts jumped in to continue the popular series as well as First Night for the Town of Warrenton. “We were approached by the town about coordinating these events for Warrenton when Bluemont announced the organization’s termination,” explains Allegro executive director Sam Yoder. “The events fit well within the mission of Allegro. Allegro … intends to conduct them in a way that honors those who created and sustained Bluemont for 41 years. It is important that the concert series continue in the spirit of what they created.” Concerts continue on the Warren Green lawn. “This is a wonderful opportunity for Allegro to showcase local talent by having students perform during band intermissions,” says Jennifer Puffenbarger, Allegro board chair. “Because of its history of involvement in performing arts and the capacity to pick up the proj-
PHOTO BY ADAM GOINGS
Darryl Davis Band was a popular Bluemont regular. The summer concert series has been rescued by Allegro. ect, I was confident that Allegro could resume the programming with the support of the town and the VCA [Virginia Commission for Arts] grant,” says Warrenton Town Manager Brannon Godfrey. “The summer concert series is a long-standing cultural event for the town, and I believe this is a good option to preserve it for 2018.” The VCA Local Government Challenge Grant is for $4,500 and is a one-to-one match. The town funded the series with $4,500 from the VCA grant and $5,500 from town general fund). “I have used these same figures in my recommended fiscal year 2019 budget,” says Godfrey. Aimee O’Grady will serve as event chair. She’s thrilled to see “kids bouncing around in the streets” when the concerts come to town.
Summer on the Green Concert Series
No longer called Bluemont, the Summer on the Green Concert Series begins July 7 with the Silver Tones, running every Saturday through Aug. 18. The July 14 concert will be held at Eva Walker Park. “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to open this up to every entity in the community and encourage local talent,” O’Grady says. “We plan to set up an audition process so that anyone – not just limited to Allegro students – could try out.” While Bluemont was predominantly musical groups, O’Grady sees opportunities for dancers and live performances during intermissions. “We would welcome novices to professionals to showcase their talents,” she says. “This would open the doors to aspiring artists.”
BRAVE NEW WORLD
Kaleb Leigh – Two-time cancer survivor is thriving By Danica Low
Like most kids his age, 13-year-old Kaleb Leigh looks forward to a summer filled with riding his bike, playing video games, reading, drawing and playing with Legos. He’s a rising eighthgrader at Auburn Middle in Warrenton. It’s a ways away, but he’s already excited for 14th birthday in February. More than most kids, probably. For, you see, Kaleb has survived two bouts of childhood cancer. Celebrating a birthday is more exciting than normal for Kaleb, having received two horrifying diagnoses, undergone two lengthy, painful treatments, and endured two sets of heart-pounding periods hoping the monster had been tamed. You can understand why he’d be extra sensitive: Kaleb’s younger brother Noah is currently undergoing cancer treatment, something doctors say will end later this year. Kaleb says he’s living a normal, healthy teen life, but with Noah’s illness currently front and center, he insists that he’ll never forget the lessons he’s learned along the way. 38
SUMMER 2018
PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER
Kaleb Leigh, left, strives to live a normal teen life after fighting – and beating – cancer, twice.
inFauquier: You have had a very unique journey. Kaleb Leigh: I want people to realize how short and precious life really is - so make the absolute best of what you’ve got, when you’ve got it. IF: If you could change the world in one way, what would it be?
KL: I wish for the doctors to find a cure - not just for childhood cancer – but for all life-threatening diseases so that no family will have to go through years of treatment that may or may not work, depending on what (illness) you have. IF: What do you want to be when you grow up? KL: A movie costume designer for adventure and action films. IF: There’s got to be something positive to come out of something terrible. KL: Realizing the good in all things. IF: What would you do during your hardest days with cancer to get through? KL: What helped was having my mom and dad there for support. But what also helped was just having Hannah (sister) or Noah (brother) around. Family and friends are very important in hard times. IF: What makes you the happiest? KL: Getting to see my cousins at their house or the beach, driving my grandma and grandpa’s boat, and having friends over during summertime. Knowing that I’ll hopefully live a good, long, happy life gives me so much happiness.
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Life & Style THE WAY WE LIVE IN FAUQUIER
Who you gonna call?
Public Works hero Greg Weakley has the solution for a distressing roadside problem.
Inside this section:
Photos by Randy Litzinger Story by Alissa Jones
n There's a love affair going on at Clifton Institute (find out who, and find out why) n You're getting very, verrry sleepy. Discover the science behind a good night’s rest. SUMMER 2018
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LIFE & STYLE
Where the buck stops …
Ever wonder where the roadkill goes? Here’s your answer. If it wasn’t for Greg Weakley, Fauquier streets would be piled deep in dead animals. Did you ever stop to think about that? Give a little appreciation for what has to be the grossest job on the maintenance team.
It’s not a job you want to think about. Greg Weakley is one of many community servants performing critical, yet unrecognized, jobs we don’t even consider. When he gets the “1045” code from dispatch, Weakley might wince, but he springs into action. He knows there's a grateful public counting on him. Crew supervisor of grounds and maintenance for public works in Warrenton, he’s the one who receives the special code signaling a wild or domestic animal has met a terrible fate and whose dead body needs to be removed from the road. Weakley maintains keeping county drivers citizens safe, aware and protected is a responsibility he does not take lightly. “Public safety first,” he says, is his motto. Weakley was born and raised in Madison County. “My family has always lived on farms,” he says. He and his wife have property in Culpeper. They have six kids and five grandkids. He’s been with the public works department for two years. Public Works has 42 employees, and that includes admin staff. “We’ve always been responsible for the landscape and maintenance of parks, buildings, roads, highways, bridges, tunnels, traffic signals, snow removal, public utilities, water treatment and sewage,” he says. “And, of course, carcass removal.” inFauquier: As crew supervisor, you personally receive the “1045” code, but who does the pickup and clean up? Greg Weakley: There are times I need to call for backup assistance because I may be working on something else when the call comes in, but most times I’m the one who responds to the call. IF: What areas and highways are you responsible for? GW: The Town of Warrenton, 29, 211, 17, 15, and we will even go past the town limits if need be. When I receive a call from dispatch, either I try and stop what I’m doing and go and take care 42
SUMMER 2018
use soap and water to wash the area. If there are any visible signs of disease, we bleach the area.
of it, or I send someone else to. Public safety is very important to me and Superintendent John Ward. We can’t emphasize citizens’ safety enough. IF: What kinds of animals do you find along the roads and highways in and around Warrenton? GW: Primarily deer, with an average of one to two every day during breeding season, which is from October through December. We do receive calls most days about some small animal, like a squirrel, a groundhog, sometimes a fox, and then there’s skunk. You must make sure you have your protective equipment when you get that call. Then there are the personal pets, and those are hard. It’s also tough to see families of deer that have been killed at the same time. Many times, deer have twins and triplets and it’s tough to experience that call. IF: How do you handle personal pets when you encounter them? GW: Finding personal pets on the roads is difficult. We had several horses and ponies on the farm I grew up on, and I have dogs now. When I see an animal with a collar, I know it's someone’s pet, and it’s sad to me because I know perhaps a child will never see their pet again. We really go out of our way for the pets. Sometimes people call in to
public works when they are missing pets, so we keep our eyes open for them and put out service announcements. It’s not a pleasant thing to handle a pet, but we seal it in plastic and bring the pet back to (the office,) put it in a cooler with ice and see if someone calls. We usually keep a pet for a week and if no one calls we then dispose of it at the landfill, where we dispose of all animals we pick up. We always take care of someone’s pet in the most honoring way we can. IF: What training and tools are necessary when you respond to a call for carcass removal? GW: Removing dead carcasses involves mostly common sense about keeping yourself and others safe in every way, from maneuvering around traffic, to wearing protective gear and then how and where to dispose of the remains. Shovels, gloves, protective clothing and disposable bags are the main tools required. Everybody in the town works together, the police and fire departments will get something out of the road if they come upon it, or if there was an accident involving a vehicle that hit an animal. Then they call me and tell me where it’s at. IF: Blood? Guts? GW: If the road is bad with blood and guts scattered far, we scrape off as much waste as possible and then
IF: Should citizens remove carcasses off the roads themselves? GW: I would recommend that if a citizen must move an animal off the road, they not try and transport the carcass themselves. They should leave them along the roadside and call us to pick them up. It’s always best to call public works for cleanup of wild animals, but if someone finds it necessary to remove a carcass before we arrive, my caution to them is this: wild animals carry disease and dead animals are exposed to parasites, maggots, germs and viruses. Never use your bare hands, always using gloves and protective clothing, and always take a shower as soon as possible. After they remove it to the side of the road, they should call us, and we’ll haul it away. IF: Is it legal for a private citizen to pick up dead animals for private use like taxidermy? GW: There are no laws that say they can’t, I would just emphasize safety first. Again, dead wild animals carry disease and especially when they’ve been exposed to predators and vultures. But I am a hunter, raised on a farm and because of that, when I hunt I waste nothing, we eat everything from what I hunt. IF: How do you handle the stomach churning job of scraping up mangled guts and bloody appendages? GW: I guess by maintaining the perspective I gained growing up on the farm, and the one I learned as a hunter; understanding and respecting the cycle of life. This understanding has helped me do my job in an honoring way. Look, most of why deer cross the road is to get back and forth to the crops, so they can eat. The deer have had to learn to live with us, but we have not learned to live with them. No matter what, seeing an animal die that way, is hard, especially when
LIFE & STYLE it's someone’s personal pet. You have to remember there is life and death, that doesn’t make it easier, but you adjust to it. IF: What is the procedure if an animal is still alive and suffering? GW: We don’t usually find anything suffering, but if we do, we will call either the police or animal control and they will shoot the animal so it does not continue to suffer. Then we will do our job and take it to the landfill. IF: How can the community help you the most when you are doing your job of carcass removal? GW: What helps the most is when the community is patient with us, understanding that we get several calls sometimes a day and that we are getting things removed as quick as we can. Carcass removal is a service that goes on during daytime working hours as well as through the night. Whoever’s on call at night will do pick up and then bring the animal back to public works and store them until the morning when we can bring them over to the landfill. IF: If there was no carcass removal service, how would that change or affect our community?
GW: Simply put, there would be accumulations of dead animals on the roads and with that would come predators and vultures and what that would come disease. So, the roads could quickly become blocked and impassable. IF: What’s the craziest wild animal you’ve encountered on the road? GW: The craziest critter I’ve encountered was a coyote right in the middle of town. IF: Are there warning signs that reveal there might be more deer activity around the roads? GW: Deer tend to move before and after a weather front, so people should be aware of more activity with them during that time. During the storm they will stay tight so there’s less chance of them coming into the road at that time. And again, during breeding times and to eat are the reasons deer cross the road. Mainly dawn and dusk throughout the year, but anytime of the day throughout breeding season, October through December. IF: Do deer whistles on vehicles really work to keep deer away? GW: Yes! And I recommend getting them. I would also ask citizens to please pay attention to the deer crossing signs
where posted, they’re there for a reason. In the heavily deer-populated areas there are also deer reflector signs. Again, I stress, our concern first and foremost is for the safety of our citizens. IF: Is Warrenton becoming more populated with bears, and if so, why? GW: The area has become more populated with bear. So far, we have been fortunate and not had incidents with them, but there are more around now, and everyone should take precautions. I can’t emphasize enough not to leave food or trash out. Most times deer don’t care about the food, they’re resourceful, but bear are after the food. It’s also important to keep your dogs and cats inside as bear can be aggressive toward them. IF: What about the turtle crossing the road? How to help? GW: I have to say, very rarely do I see dead turtles in the road, which makes me think people are stopping and helping them across. You’ll find turtles around wetlands, around bodies of water and around drains. If someone wants to help, again, I emphasize, safety first. Be careful where you stop, please don’t stop in the middle of the road. Move them to the side of the road,
pointed in the direction you find them and then make sure you call us, so we can follow up if need be. IF: What would you like to say about where you work and your coworkers? GW: We’re not just people who work together, we are family, plain and simple. Everyone respects and appreciates every little thing we each do. There’s a saying, ''Find a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life.'' You won’t find anyone better than John Ward. He is a fair man who expects you to do right. All the beautification we do in this town is because of his love for it. IF: What are you thankful for? GW: The good Lord has blessed me in so many ways. There’s not a day that goes by that my family and I don’t give thanks for all we have and for each other. I’m grateful for my family, my wife, she’s my backbone. I’m thankful for my health, my job, my coworkers. And then there’s my 5-year-old grandson, he says the best prayers off the top of his head and it always includes thanking God for his "pappap," and I love that.
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LIFE & STYLE
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SUMMER 2018
LIFE & STYLE
The face of Fauquier – for the year, anyway Measuring an inner beauty
You gotta start somewhere Celebrities who began as beauties at the local pageant level
By Betsy Burke Parker
Shannon Simpson was nervous, actually petrified, she recalls. She was next up on stage, in front of a fidgety fair gallery and a grim judging panel together sweating away a midsummer’s evening smothered by famously unrelenting Virginia humidity. Public speaking was her weakest skill, Simpson recalls, and she figured she’d flub her chance to be the face of Fauquier County. She’d coveted the title – Miss Fauquier Fair – since she’d been wowed by the pageant queens as a little girl. She was dazzled by their crowns and mesmerized by their poise. “I want to do that,” she remembers telling her bemused parents while they watched the Miss Fauquier pageant waiting for craft show winners next door to be announced. Now it was her turn. It all came down to this - being articulate in a very public arena, remaining a picture of serenity even as sweat trickled down her back. Her heart raced. Simpson feared she’d freeze. “The on-stage questions, there’s where I thought I’d trip up,” Simpson says. “They read my question: something like, ‘If you’re selected Miss Fauquier County, how will you influence your community?’ I took a deep breath and answered – I can’t even remember what I said – with confidence, and clarity, and calm. “It was a magic moment.” The judges agreed. Simpson was crowned Miss Fauquier County Fair 2016, a thrill, she says, and the culmination of more than a decade of planning, dreaming, practice and hard work. There were hours of perfecting that trademark heel-toe catwalk walk for the evening gown judging, weeks of Sunday afternoons at Jerry’s Pizza while a friend googled “pageant interview questions” and lobbed them at her. “It was worth it,” Simpson says. In addition to the crown and sash, Miss Fauquier gets a $500 scholarship. Winning Miss Fauquier set into motion a whirlwind of activity, a flurry of expected engagements, and a year of civic – and personal – growth. “I met a lot of people,” says Simpson. “And gave a lot of trophies. There’s more to being a pageant winner than just wearing a tiara around.” “We’re expected to conduct ourselves in a proper and professional
COURTESY PHOTO
Miss Fauquier 2016, Shannon Simpson says her reign was a learning experience. manner at all times,” explains Lauren Pollard, chair of this year’s fair pageant who’d been Miss Fauquier 2011. “There’s so much good in the contests.”
How it happened
Simpson first entered the weird, wild world of pageanting at age 3, earning Top 10 in Tiny Miss Fauquier even though she threw a tantrum and stormed off stage. “I can’t remember why,” Simpson recalls with a wince. Her pageant conduct improved, and in 2011, Simpson won Teen Miss Fauquier, the same year pageant coordinator Pollard won Miss Fauquier, having been Teen Miss herself in 2009. Simpson says she looked up to Pollard, seeing her a role model and an inspiration. As a Tiny Miss and a Little Miss, there’s little for contestants to “do,” Simpson says, other than walk and twirl on stage. But starting at the
Teen Miss level, “you have a private interview, personality wear, civic engagement. You’ve got an evening gown competition, and an on-stage question. “It’s not just who’s prettiest.. It’s the whole package. You don’t have to be a size zero to make a difference.” A 2015 Fauquier High grad, Simpson grew up in Warrenton. Her father’s a doctor, her mother a registered nurse. Simpson is currently studying management and dance appreciation at George Mason, and figures she’ll pursue a masters in kinesiology. She’s vice president of her sorority, Chi Omega, and a member of the Masonettes dance team. When not in class, Simpson works at For A Dancer in Bealeton and at the Ballet Academy in Warrenton. She formerly taught at Excell Dance and Buffa’s Dance Studio in Burke. “I can see combining my degrees in some way after school,” she says. “I’d like to create a full-service
• Singer Rihanna won her high school beauty pageant in 2004. • Singer Britney Spears won her first pageant at age 3. • In 2000, actress Demi Lovato was crowned Texas State Miniature Miss. • Actress Halle Berry won Miss Teen All-American in 1985, then Miss Ohio in 1986. • “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria was crowned Miss Corpus Christi in 1998. • Media mogul Oprah Winfrey won Miss Black Tennessee in 1972. • Television host Kathie Lee Gifford won Junior Miss Maryland in 1970. • Action actress Sharon Stone was Miss Crawford County in 1975. • In 1983 future actress Vanessa Williams won Miss Syracuse and Miss New York, adding Miss America in 1984. • TV anchor Diane Sawyer was Kentucky’s Junior Miss winner in 1963, and went on to win the national title. • Wheel of Fortune hostess Vanna White was fourth runner-up in Miss Georgia University in 1978. • Politician Sarah Palin was crowned Miss Wasilla in 1984, and came third in Miss Alaska. • Actress-activist Lynda Carter won Miss Arizona County in 1972, leading to her representing the U.S. as a finalist in Miss World. • Actress Michelle Pfeiffer was Miss Orange County (California) in 1978. dance studio, offering serious dance for serious dancers, but with plenty of room for exercise dance, and little kids and special needs classes. Everybody benefits from dance. “All of it circles back to what I learned in the pageants. It’s paid off in a lot of ways.”
How it happens
Pageant rules are simple, says Pollard. Contestants in all levels of Miss Fauquier competition must be unmarried, without children, and must be female and have always been female. Participants rehearse the “runway walk,” Pollard says, plus plan and practice an opening number they’ll perform together on stage. Once you win, you’re expected at 12 or more mandatory events, appearances, parades, fundraisers and more, Pollard adds. You hand out a lot of trophies, smile a lot, and pose for a lot of photos. Continued on Page 46 SUMMER 2018
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LIFE & STYLE
All’s Fair …
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder at these equal opportunity pageants • Wednesday, July 11 Related to Miss Fauquier, but judged on different criteria, the Barnyard Beauty Contest is on opening day. Exhibitors compete in a timed animal dressing contest, outfitting their cows, rabbits, chickens, hogs – and more, in outfits ranging from fairies, kings and astronauts. Winners are determined by audience participation. There are divisions for junior, senior and open. • Thursday, July 12 In a show of equal-opportunity, the Men’s Pretty Legs Contest is set for 6 p.m. • Saturday, July 14 during the Fauquier County Fair, beauty contests begin with the Baby Pageant at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Wee Miss and Mister, Tiny Miss and Mister, and Little Miss and Mister Pageants. The Mommy and Me Pageant starts at 1:30 p.m., with Young Miss and Pre-Teen Miss Fauquier at 2:30 p.m. Teen Miss Fauquier and Miss Fauquier County start at 5 p.m. on the main stage in the Gravett Pavilion. fauquierfair.com
Continued from Page 45 “You’re sort of public property,” Simpson says. “We award the livestock show at the fair.” Teen Miss Fauquier awards the pie-eating contest. Salon Emage sponsors the pageant; before each public appearance, winners get hair and makeup done at the Warrenton salon. “It’s fun, but it’s work, too,” Simpson says. Saturday night of the fair – this year it’s July 14 – participants perform an opening number together, then do a classic runway show in “personality wear,” casual clothes that “reflects their own style,” Pollard explains. Each Miss Fauquier contestant lines up at a fishbowl to pluck out a question on community involvement. Before the pageant, judges conduct private interviews with each girl to gauge poise, speaking ability, personal achievement in education, civic and community participation. After evening gown, they announce the winner. It was a thrill to be queen of her home county, Simpson
says, but the reign ends abruptly. The previous year’s winners take a final walk on stage before the new queen is crowned, Pollard explains. “They give a speech about their year.” “We put the crown on the new Miss Fauquier,” Simpson
adds, “step off the stage, and that’s that. The end.” For as much as Simpson liked being Miss Fauquier, one thing it didn’t do was jumpstart her love life. “I think guys are a little intimidated by the crown,” she says with a laugh.
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Following are the programs being offered this Summer at the WARF: • Swim Lessons for all ages and abilities Preschool Cla (group, semi-private, and private) ss Te acher : Stude es • Lifeguard Recertification nt Ratio • Lifeguard Certification 1: 4 • Lifeguard Instructor Course • Jr. Lifeguard Camp Swim Lessons - Our swim lesson instructors are Red Cross Certified and are ready to teach you and your family how to swim. Learning how to swim and water safety should be a priority for parents with children of all ages, starting as young as 6 months old. Go to www.warfonline.com to register today or come by in person for assistance from our Front Desk staff!
Town of Warrenton Parks & Recreation Department 800 Waterloo Road TOWN OF WARRENTON Warrenton, VA 20186 Parks & Recreation
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540.349.2520
WARF Warrenton Aquatic & Recreation Facility
LIFE & STYLE
Therapy pet Honey is an important part of music teacher Hannah Butler’s success
By Roxie Beebe-Center
Imagine taking your dog to a restaurant – what with all the delicious smells, clanging cutlery and sizzling food, most pets would be bouncing off the walls. Not Honey. Hannah Butler’s dog is a picture of dinnertime politeness and table manners, lying at her owner’s feet, not jumping up, not begging for scraps, not moving a muscle. Honey is a specially-trained service dog for her owner, a piano teacher, voice coach and drama instructor at Allegro. Butler suffers from anxiety, depression and PTSD, but she takes comfort from Honey’s calm presence. And she takes Honey everywhere. Typically, Honey – a Pekingese – lies unmoving on the floor at Butler’s feet, her dew laps splayed on the beige carpet almost the color of her shaggy brown fur. The dog’s quiet but spirited personality helps to ground Butler during the panic attacks that she sometimes suffers. Honey helps her, Butler says, to look on the bright side when she’s feeling blue. “If I’m having a really, really rough day, and if I’m just feeling really overwhelmed and stressed out, I’ll just grab her and hug her and
pet her,” Butler explains. Honey is also being trained to locate help, such as Butler's husband or trusted friends, to come comfort Butler during full-blown panic attacks. Butler has had Honey for less than a year, but they are already extraordinarily close. Since her owner works directly with students, Honey’s calm demeanor is essential. The dog will curl up in her bed during practice, Butler says, or will lie quietly under the piano near a student’s feet. Butler says she likes to teach high energy kids, and can tell Honey “has a soothing effect on them, too.”
How it happened
Butler has been in theater for a decade. A few years ago, she says she was in a production where she was bullied. Someone she trusted started spreading rumors about her and twisting her words. After that, some cast members wouldn’t acknowledge her presence, and said bluntly ugly remarks to her face that hurt Butler tremendously. In subsequent auditions, she had panic attacks and worried “who’s gonna pick on me this time?” Breathing exercises, massages, essential oils and calming techniques were all tried, she recalls, but to no avail. It was only after long sessions
with a therapist that Butler investigated an Emotional Support Animal. Her therapist offered her two final options, anxiety medication, of which Butler is wary, or a therapy dog. Butler soon found a rescue that said they had a dog that might work. And the instant she met Honey, she knew it was right. “I sat there and I was like, oh this dog is just so sweet,” she recalls. “And it was like the first time in a very long time at that point, that I just felt calm. And I was like, so this is what that feeling is, this is being calm.” During a typical audition, Honey sits with Butler before her performance, and then comforts her afterwards. While Butler may have thoughts about rejection, she explains, she “can look at Honey’s goofy smiling face and know it will all be OK.” Honey is constantly with her owner. The only time the pooch isn’t is when Butler works at a spa in Leesburg. Honey might distract people, Butler explains. When they’re out to dinner, coos of affection arise from surrounding diners, every time. “We understand each other, and always support each other,” Butler says. “If Honey were a famous actor or singer, she’d be Jennifer Lawrence, because all she does is talk about food or sleeping.”
Nature? Or nuture?
Honey does not come from a long line of royal Pekingese, nor did she grow up in a palace. Butler found her at a small shelter for senior dogs, Paws for Seniors, and has done all of Honey's training herself. She says she knew immediately that, with Honey’s calm demeanor, the small creature had the makings of a therapy dog. Butler needed Honey to be a dog that she could bond with. She also needed Honey to care enough about her to assess how Butler was feeling and react if need be. Honey, she says, has a knack for sensing her emotions. It is not a learned behavior, Butler believes; it’s just the dog’s nature. "She's a very, very intelligent little dog." says Butler. "Believe it or not, I truly do believe it is an innate ability for her. That she just knows." Butler does take credit for one of Honey's more helpful actions. She trained Honey to fetch a trusted friend when she needs assistance. To achieve this she stood near a person and repeated their name over and over to Honey: Daddy, Uncle Liam and so on. Then, she put Honey in a different room of the house. Butler went to a another room, pretended to start panicking and called Honey. She told the dog to retrieve the person she named. “Honey caught on right away,” Butler says. PHOTO BY DOUG STROUD
Warrenton piano teacher and voice coach Hannah Butler relies on the comforting strength of a friend, leaning on therapy dog Honey when she feels stressed.
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Love of the land (and love for each other)
Bert and Eleanor Harris channel their passion for supporting native wildlife, habitat at Fauquier’s Clifton Institute By Nora Rice
Fauquier is for the birds, something Bert and Eleanor Harris especially love about the place. Executive director and managing director of the Clifton Institute near Warrenton, Bert’s work focuses on restoration programs, Eleanor’s on education. Bert hails from north Alabama, where his father introduced him to birding at age 5. Though 500 miles away, Fauquier has the same upland deciduous forest as his ancestral home, the same birds and animals he knew from his youth. Bert studied salamanders and environmental science at the University of the South, then worked two years in Ecuador on bird conservation and deforestation prevention. Bert earned a doctorate studying birds and climate change at the University of Adelaide, Australia. He went on to Princeton as a postdoctoral fellow studying Indonesian bird conservation and the effect of wildlife trade. He moved here to work for the Rainforest Trust. Eleanor grew up in Connecticut. She earned a math degree from the University of Chicago, then got a doctorate in computational biology at Princeton, where she met Bert. Her research focused on mathematical models of animal social behavior. In grad school, she became interested in education through formal coursework and volunteering. Eleanor was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland while Bert worked at the Rainforest Trust at Airlie in Warrenton. Bert and Eleanor have joined the Clifton team for dream jobs, they both say, combining research, field study, restoration ecology and education. Eleanor says they both "fantasized about running a field station," and Bert adds that it's great to work with his wife “since they never have to miss a meeting.” They can cover for each other when one goes out of town. They protect their private time by cutting off work at dinner.
Clifton Institute
Clifton Institute's goals are education, restoration and research. The guiding principle is “to learn the natural history of the northern Piedmont ecosystem, to share our knowledge of and passion for natural history with visitors, to protect native biodiversity and to inspire the next generation of scientists and environmental stewards.” Research opportunities are rich with 900 acres of a diverse mosaic of habitats: ponds, grasslands, shrubs, forests and vernal pools. Taxonomic experts, the Virginia Working Landscapes, the Virginia Native Plant Society, the Virginia Master Naturalists and members of the public are invited to help with research. Volunteers survey butterflies and dragonflies and take monthly bird walks. Scientists at the Clifton Institute are interested in all native plants and animals in the northern Piedmont ecosystem. The focus is on birds for a few reasons. Birds are easy to see in the day compared to secretive mammals that are often noctur48
SUMMER 2018
PHOTOS BY RANDY LITZINGER
Clifton Institute's Bert and Eleanor Harris.
nal. Even if you can't see them, birds sing and call year-round and can be identified by ear. Restoration ecology is important as exotic plants from Europe and Asia have pushed out native Piedmont area plants. Fescue and other grasses, while good for grazing cows, are not native host plants so there is less for insect-eating birds to eat. One ongoing Clifton project is to take a 200acre pasture and restore half to native grasslands, keeping the other half as pasture with rotational grazing. Studies in both areas track impacts on the entire pasture. The institute will scientifically study restoration efforts and share best practices. Grasslands on the East Coast turn into shrub, then forest, if not burned or grazed and mowed. Lightning strikes and big grazers like buffalo were agents of disturbance preventing the development of forests up until a century ago. Controlled burns, with support of the Virginia Department of Forestry and the local fire department, prevent succession and maintain grasslands so crucial to many species. Plants, animals and fungi are studied at Clifton. Vernal pools, which dry out each year so fish cannot survive, harbor dragonflies and spotted and Jefferson salamanders. Studies are underway to determine differences in salamanders living in grassland versus forest vernal pools. “Continual learning keeps the eyes open to appreciate the beauty of the environment,” Eleanor says.
The back story
There’s a lot of history at Clifton. Clifton Farm was so named in 1888 because of the rocky landscape. The Blackwell family were the original owners from the 1700s to the 1970s. Cordelia Scarff May was the next owner – she bought the property to conserve it. The International Academy of
Clifton Institute events JUNE June 23 Bird walk June 23 Advanced butterfly workshop June 30 Nature photography workshop JULY July 9-13 Nature camp July 10 Butterfly survey July 11 Bird walk July 28 Bird walk July 28 Butterfly walk July 28-29 North American Butterfly Association count July 30-Aug. 3 Nature camp AUGUST Aug. 7 Butterfly survey Aug. 8 Bird walk Aug. 11 Youth hike program Aug. 25 Bird walk Aug. 25 Butterfly walk Aug. 25-26 Slave dwelling project cliftoninstitute.org Preventive Medicine has conducted environmental programs on the property since the early 1990s. She bequested it to the academy in 2005. The Clifton Log Kitchen, thought to have been a slaves’ kitchen, was built in 1820.
LIFE & STYLE
NEED SOME ZZZZZZ, PLEASE
Local center wants to put you to sleep By Robin Earl
Nikki Stamps says that going to the movies was a waste of money. “I would always fall asleep” in the theater, says the Warrenton resident. More troubling, Stamps was having trouble staying awake while driving. “I’d have to roll the window down and slap myself to stay awake. It was bad.” Physician Dr. Joseph David recommended that Stamps have a sleep study at Fauquier Health’s Sleep Center. She’d had one done 10 years earlier, and though it convinced her that she had sleep apnea. Stamps “used a CPAP machine for a while, lost some weight, and thought I didn’t need it anymore.” The machine was bulky, and she was happy to ditch it. Another sleep study reaffirmed that sleep apnea was again a problem. Fortunately, technology has taken a big step forward since she was originally diagnosed a decade ago. “The CPAP I used then was cumbersome and uncomfortable,” she recalls. “Now, I just have a small piece under my nose that provides the oxygen I need. It’s much easier to use. I notice a 100 percent difference. I am much more energetic.” The Sleep Center helps those who have problems with normal, restorative sleep, and people who experience symptoms of obstructive sleep
Sleep technologist Brant Holland shows Nikki Stamps of Warrenton some equipment for her sleep study. apnea, periodic limb movement disorder or narcolepsy. Sleep deprivation can result in excessive daytime sleepiness and cardiovascular problems, including high blood pressure, heart rhythm abnormalities and stroke. Dr. Syed Murtaza is board certified in psychiatry and neurology as well as sleep medicine. He can evaluate symptoms, determine whether testing is called for – either in-home or in-lab, and prescribe treatment. Murtaza has specialized in sleep medicine for more than 10 years. He says obstructive sleep ap-
nea is the most common sleep problem he sees; it is caused by the throat muscles becoming too relaxed during sleep, allowing the airway to collapse and shut off the air supply. Although sleep apnea can have a disastrous effect on a person’s health, patients frequently don’t even know they have it. It is often the spouse or partner who observes the symptoms, including: • Loud snoring • Frequent silences during sleep due to breaks in breathing (apnea) • Choking or gasping during sleep • Sudden awakenings or waking up in a sweat • Daytime sleepiness The Sleep Center's diagnostic in-lab study is non-invasive. State-of-the-art computerized equipment monitors up to 20 biological and neurological sleep factors while the patient sleeps in a comfortable, home-like environment. Sleep studies are considered a hospital outpatient service and are covered by most major health plans. “Although medication can help a number of sleep disorders – insomnia, restless legs or narcolepsy, for instance, lifestyle changes can be very effective for improving sleep,” Murtaza explains. “We often work on sleep hygiene, healthy eating, working toward an ideal body weight and drinking responsibly (and not too close to bedtime).” fauquierhealth.org
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Home & Garden LIVING WELL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
Nature's marvels
Don't fear the scales: By any measure, snakes (well, most of them) are our friends. Photo and story by Pam Owen
Inside this section:
n Find out all about the incredible edibles hiding in plain sight on your front lawn n The hardscape of your garden can be just a stone’s throw away
SUMMER 2018
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HOME & GARDEN SNEAKY SNAKES
A case of mistaken identity can spell doom With the weather now warm, reptiles have emerged, including snakes. Learning more about snakes and how to tell venomous from nonvenomous species is not only good for us humans but also keeps snakes safer and helps us appreciate the vital role they play in our local ecosystems. The Piedmont is home to a lot of snake species, but only two are venomous: the northern copperhead and the timber rattlesnake. Both are pit vipers, a sub-family of snakes named for the heat-seeking pit behind each nostril that helps them detect prey. The third venomous snake native to Virginia, the northern cottonmouth, inhabits only the southeastern corner of the commonwealth. While poisonous snake bites can cause serious problems, they rarely lead to death in healthy humans. Snakes generally avoid people, and even the venomous ones don’t want to waste their precious venom on us. The timber rattler usually inhabits rugged upland forest, while the copperhead is common in a wide variety of habitat. Neither species is aggressive but will defend itself when startled or threatened. Distinguishing one snake species from another by its coloration and markings can be tricky, but three features distinguish the pit vipers from nonvenomous snakes: pupil shape, head shape and presence or absence of heat-seeking pits near the eyes. Pit vipers bear live young instead of laying eggs, as other snake species do. Many nonvenomous snakes die due to mistaken identity, being confused with venomous species. One of the most common to suffer this fate in the Piedmont is the northern watersnake. This shy, nonaggressive species mostly inhabits fresh-water streams and ponds and the area around them, often congregating
Serpent science, 101 Northern copperhead • Hourglass-shaped, dark-brown crossbands that are wide on sides, narrow along backbone • Usually some broken and unconnected crossbands • Head copper or reddish-brown • Pale underneath, but no white on body • Yellow tips on juveniles’ tails
Timber rattlesnake • Coloring can vary widely, from yellowish to pink to almost black • Most have a series of zigzag52
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PHOTO BY DAVID HAMILTON COX
A poisonous Copperhead munches on a cicada. Several harmless snakes look similar, but there are identifying characteristics.
Three keys for distinguishing harmful from harmless VENOMOUS Pupil shape Vertical Head shape Triangular, with back much wider and angular
NON-VENOMOUS Pupil shape Round
Pit behind nostril
No pit behind nostril
Head shape Narrower and more oval, with back only somewhat wider than front
with others of its kind. But it can also travel a good distance from water, ending up in yards and other places that can lead to its destruction. Often confused with the copperhead are the harmless eastern milk snake, eastern hognose snake, corn snake and mole kingsnake. While a rattlesnake should seem easy to identify because of the rattle at the end of its tail, some rattlers lack a rattle. Adding to the confusion, some non-venomous snakes mimic the rattlesnake by shaking to shaped, dark-brown to black blotches and crossbands on top • Tail is black or brown with black bands • Rattle at end of tail
Northern watersnake
• Thick bodied (like the copperhead and rattlesnake) • Can be brown, reddish, gray or black • Dark bands down a slender body that can be less distinct when the snake is in water • Vertical stripes across mouth
Eastern ratsnake
• Shiny black on top, white underside • On juveniles, black patches on back, crossed with white
make a rattling sound in an effort to ward of predators. The eastern ratsnake, often known as just a “blacksnake” can also suffer mistaken identity, especially when young. This bold, feisty snake avoids humans and is not aggressive but can stand its ground when threatened. Curious and a determined predator of mice and insects, among other prey, it is also an exceptional climber and can follow the smell of prey into buildings. At an average length of 42 to 72 inches, the eastern ratsnake is also our largest snake, which can be threatening to people who fear snakes. While an adult eastern ratsnake is easy to distinguish from our two venomous snakes because of its shiny black top and white undersides, juveniles have black blotches their backs, broken up by white banding and are often mistaken for a rattlesnake or copperhead. All native snakes are beneficial to our local ecosystems, especially in controlling rodent and insect populations. As one example, cop-
perheads and other snakes have been seen feasting on cicadas when large broods of the latter arise out of the ground periodically. The following predators prey on venomous snakes, and nonvenomous: coyotes, foxes, raccoons, opossums, domesticated and feral cats, crows, eagles, hawks, owls, turkeys and bullfrogs. Kingsnakes, which are nonvenomous, and skunks are immune to the venom of pit-vipers and are also known to kill and eat them. The eastern rat snake also preys on them but is also known to shack up with copperheads in the winter months, when staying warm is a bigger priority.
Eastern milk snake
• When threatened, will puff up, hiss loudly, flatten its neck and strike with the mouth closed, or roll over and play dead
• Y or V mark on top of head, tapered tail • Typically has a series of wide, reddish-brown bands across its back bordered by a narrower white band and black band • Underbelly checkered red, white and black
Eastern hognose snake
• Upturned snout (unique among Virginia’s snakes) • Variable coloration • Markings that can vary in color and shape but include black, which the copperhead lacks
Sources:
virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com, “Snakes of Virginia,” by Donald W. Linzey and Michael J. Clifford “The Reptiles of Virginia,” by Joe Mitchell “Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern/ Central North America,” by Roger Conant and Joseph Collins
Corn snake
• Aka “red ratsnake,” is usually more brightly colored and redder in hue than the copperhead • Blotchy color pattern that does not extend down the sides to the ground
Mole kingsnakes
• A strong pattern on juveniles that usually fades to a uniformed brown as the snake ages • Spend most of their time underground
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Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each office is independently owned and operated. © 2018 Century 21 Real Estate LLC. CENTURY 21® and the CENTURY 21 Logo are registered service marks owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each office is independently owned and operated.
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HOME & GARDEN
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HOME & GARDEN HOME & GARDEN
Tasty, fresh and free: Wildcrafting food in Fauquier By Laura Lyster-Mensh
It’s hard to believe, but many of the most common plants around you, even in your lawn, are edible and nutritious. They may seem like weeds or just pretty flowers, but look again. The old ways of foraging for dinner have largely been lost to the grocery store generation, but the plants are there to be rediscovered.
Day lily (Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus)
Bright orange (and yellow, red and multi-colored) day lilies make a bright and tart addition to salads, or dip in a light batter and fry up a plate of daylily fritters that will remind you of spring asparagus shoots. If you are a fan of Chinese hot and sour soup, you have already had dried day lily flowers. Gather blooms late in the day so you do not lose out on their one day of glory. Make sure to check for insects and bees before bringing inside, and verify you’re gathering day lilies, not “true” lilies, which have a strong scent.
Wild violets (Viola odorata)
Those delicate and pretty wild violets you have been trying to get rid of in your lawn are packed with vitamin A and C as well as flavor. Despite the name, violets appear in a range of petal colors: from white to deep blue. Scatter the flowers on salads for bursts of bright color and taste. Both the young leaves and flowers can be cooked as greens. For canning, wild violet jelly is a simple and inexpensive project to brighten your pantry.
Chickweed (Stellaria media)
You’ve pulled these stems out of your flowerbeds without a thought, but next time toss some in your basket to take into the kitchen. Long known as a folk remedy for everything from poison ivy rash to pain relief, this widely available green can be used like sprouts or lettuce in your sandwiches and salads. You can also use chickweed like spinach or kale as a cooked green. Eat fresh the day you harvest it.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Stop fighting the dandelions around you and yield to folk wisdom. Long used as medicine for acne to anemia, hardy dandelion with its bitter milky stem is a treasure in plain sight that has made itself at home around the world. It is a known source of antioxidants, and every part of the plant – including the taproot you keep trying to dig up – is edible. Tender fresh leaves brighten a salad; root can be dried and used like coffee or tea. The sunny yellow flowers can be infused in vinegar oil or syrup. If you are allergic to ragweed, daisies or chrysanthemums you may have the same reaction to this plant.
Common plantain (Plantago major)
You are probably thinking of the plantain that looks like a small banana, but this is also the name for a green plant you are sure to have on your lawn. This invasive plant is surprisingly versatile in the kitchen. Naturally, you can use it for salad and
cooked greens. Seeds can be a neat addition while baking, and with some olive oil and salt you have free access to a crispy plantain chip in your oven. Their firm texture makes for sturdy stuffed dishes. This plant can be bitter and tough especially when using older leaves, but a gentle boil in water can draw out the bitterness and tenderize the leaf.
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)
Use gloves and scissors to harvest, and take care not to overcook these tall, prickly greens. The reward is a bright vegetable for sautes, pesto, stews and soups. The greens are best harvested in spring and early summer before flowering. Cooking and drying get rid of the stinging hairs.
Learn more
Wild Woody Edibles is a free seminar being taught Sept. 18 at Rady Park in Warrenton by Fauquier County Master Gardeners. The class will be led by survival skills expert Tim MacWelch.
Resources:
“Edible Wild Plants: Eastern/Central North America,” by Lee Allen Peterson ediblewildfood.com almanac.com/content/dandelion-recipes-wonderful-edible-weed thenerdyfarmwife.com ledameredith.com Fauquier County Master Gardeners – fc-mg.org PHOTO BY CHRIS CERRONE
Common dandelions pop up year-round in lawns, Instead of beating back the green leaves and yellow flowers, try eating them in salads or boiling the roots for tea. SUMMER 2018
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Passionate for passionflowers
Virginia native stuns with tropical beauty in season Story and photo by Sally Harmon Semple
Hard to believe, but the exoticlooking purple passionflower is a Virginia native. Blooming now, June thru September, this local beauty can easily be grown by home gardeners. Known by botanists as Passiflora incarnata, the purple passionflower vine will not only decorate your garden with its 2-4 inch fragrant flowers, but can encourage butterflies that will dine on these nectar plants. Fanciful common names for this plant speak to some of its special characteristics. The name “passionflower” is said to come from early Spanish explorers or missionaries who saw the shape of the flower as symbolic of the crucifixion of Christ, also known as the Passion. The 10 petal-like structures represent 10 of the 12 apostles (excepting Peter and Judas). The wavy filaments that grace the flower, known botanically as the corona, depict the crown of thorns. Five large pollen-bearing anthers represent the wounds on Christ's body, and the three knob-like stigmas – sticky structures that receive the pollen – represent the nails in the cross. “Maypop,” another common name for passionflower, may refer to the popping sound when the fruit is stepped on. Each fruit is about the size of a hen’s egg and contains small seeds that are covered with an edible gelatinous pulp. But take heed, the seed pulp is bitter unless the fruit is perfectly ripe, and its scant quantity would hardly make a meal. Try waiting until the fruits have started to turn yellow or even wrinkle a little before the taste test. The fruit may smell sweet, but do not confuse our native purple passionflower with its better known and more readily edible relative, the passionfruit, Passiflora edulis, a tropical species. Adding to the intrigue of this plant, each flower opens for only about one day, yet healthy vines host a multitude of blooms daily. If you are lucky enough to be present at the moment of blossoming, you will see the petals unfurl in minutes. Many blossoms wait until midday to open. The flowers are perfectly suited for pollination by our native bumble bees, covering the fuzzy backs of the bees with pollen.
While the bees pollinate the flowers, the flowers feed the bees with pollen and nectar. You many notice fancy blackspiked, white-spotted, orangestriped caterpillars making holes in the leaves of the passionflower vine. These caterpillars are specially adapted to the passionflower, and will not hurt the passionflower or you. The passionflower is a prolific grower and can handle "damage" from these caterpillars. In fact, the passionflower is chemically protected with cyanogenic glycosides, which prevent most plant-eating insects from feeding on the leaves, except for these specialized caterpillars. So don't reach for the insecticides, and you will be rewarded with beautiful orange and black variegated fritillary butterflies.
Looking even more carefully at the passionflower vine you may notice a pair of little bumps on the leaf stalk. These are another nifty feature, called "extrafloral nectaries," which provide little wells of nectar outside of the flower. This sweet nectar is a very attractive food source for certain species of ants. It is thought that the ants, in turn, benefit the plant by cleansing it of fungal spores or grazing insects that may inhibit the plant’s growth. With so much beauty and such interesting ecological adaptations, are there any downsides to this plant? It is a vine, so it looks much better if given a big trellis to climb up and along. It can also be an aggressive grower, forming seedlings and succoring many feet away from the original plant and climbing on
nearby plants if not managed. If you want to keep it controlled, plant it in a large pot, not in the ground. In our region, the vine dies down to the soil level each year making it relatively easy to clear off the trellis and you can start afresh.
Passionflower growing tips
• Needs direct sunlight for at least half of the day • Prefers fertile, well-drained soils but will grow in heavier clay soils • Pick a spot where the plant may either climb or spread freely, or better yet, keep in a pot • Protect pot and plant from harsh winter freezes by wrapping pot exterior in bubble wrap • Expect and welcome colorful caterpillars SUMMER 2018
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HOME & GARDEN
Geriatric gardening Find out how to recapture your bloom By Connie Lyons
Old, sick, hopeless, useless and depressed: Many elderly people feel that way about themselves. Encouraging an elderly person to take up gardening, either as a new interest or the renewal of an old one can help them to focus on new and growing things rather than on decay and disability. Studies have shown that people confined to nursing homes benefit from active involvement in gardening. Physical, cognitive, psychological and social skills all show improvement. Horticultural therapy is used by hospitals, senior and rehabilitation centers, as well as nursing homes. A sense of pride and accomplishment accompanies the creation of a beautiful thing, often an edible one. Gardening can awaken a whole subset of new interests, like bird watching or cooking or joining a garden club.
Plan your senior garden
First, orient the garden for easy accessibility. Walkways between beds should be wide enough to ac-
commodate a walker or wheelchair. Raised beds can be easily tended with minimal bending and stooping, and can be maintained sitting or standing. The beds themselves should be designed so that the center can be easily reached. Flowers and vegetables can be grown in pots or hanging baskets; these can be attached to pulleys to make watering easier. Many vegetables and flowers – runner beans, vining plants like cucumbers, peas, and petunias – can be grown vertically rather than horizontally. Seed strips and large seeds make planting easier for the visually impaired. Use shrubs for borders, with perennial ground cover to take the place of high-maintenance lawns. For watering, soaker hoses make it less of a chore, and heavy mulching keeps moisture in and weeds out. Include wildlife in your garden to add to its attractiveness and interest. Attract birds and butterflies by planting flowers with food and cover potential. Install a birdbath and a bird feeder.
PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER
Raised beds, and level paths between them, make gardening easier, for any age.
Prepare for garden work
• Stretching and bending exercises help promote mobility and prevent injury. • Gather tools, labels and seeds in an attractive basket. • An apron with numerous pockets keeps things close at hand and orderly. • Brightly colored tools, either bought that way or spray painted, are less easily mislaid; cords tied to their
handles make them more easily retrieved if dropped. • A wide-brimmed sun hat and gardening gloves are essential. • Kneeling pads provide comfort, but for folks who like to get down and crawl around, knee pads provide a lot more mobility. • A dual-purpose bench provides protection while kneeling; when turned over, it becomes a handy seat.
Gardening between a rock and a hard place (it's easy) By Connie Lyons
For an unusual, and unusually interesting, addition to a garden consider a small rock garden augmented by a miniature sunken pool. The pool can be created with little expense and relative ease by using a plastic storage container. Excavate a hole the size of the container and sink the tub into it up to its rim. Level and backfill. Secure it in place with a mixture of sand and mortar trowelled smoothly around the top of the container. The next step is to acquire a supply of rocks of slightly varying sizes and textures. If you don’t have a ready supply at hand, construction sites are good sources for these; the builder will probably be happy to have them hauled away. Stones can also be found in wooded areas where a stream runs, or purchased at a quarry if all else fails. Position them around the edges of the pool in a random haphazard manner for a natural look; they can overhang the edge and overlap each other. One or more raised bed rock gardens can surround the pool. These are composed of approximately fourfoot groups of roughly circular rock groupings. Dig up the soil and add sand for better drainage. Embed the rocks in it, aiming for a “tip of the iceberg” effect, forming a circle within a circle. Form a mass of rocks with plants peeking out 58
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Make your own moss
Homemade moss can be made in a blender and spread on the rocks for an instant naturalizing effect. Search out some moss growing in the woods, and grab a few handfuls. Puree it in a blender with two cups of yogurt and four ounces of potter’s clay. Pour the mixture over the rocks in your new rock garden. Mist it occasionally to keep it moist while it re-establishes. from between the cracks. Porous soft rocks are more receptive to the growth of moss and lichen, giving a rustic, woodsy effect. Choose rocks that are similar in texture, color and form for a more natural look. Once the rocks are in place, proceed to the planting. Keep the variety limited, aiming for perhaps two different plants of each color, and choose for variations in size and texture as well as color. Always strive for as natural an effect as possible, planting in informal groups and drifts. The aim is to create an image of rugged terrain within a small space, with plants peeking out through, and sheltered by, crevices in the rocks. Pebbles can be used for mulch.
Various ferns, begonias and peperomias work well, as do yarrow, alyssum, harebells, lily of the valley, snow in summer, dianthus, gypsophilia, St. John’s wort, dwarf and crested iris, phlox, sedum, hens and chicks and violas. To get rid of the difficulties of having to mow a sloping bank, build a larger scale rock garden. Strip and stockpile the topsoil. Shape the undersoil to form the desired grades. Add sand to the depth of one foot and replace topsoil. In placing the rocks, aim for an uneven distribution for a natural look. Build from the bottom up, starting with the largest rocks. Plants with a trailing habit can be used to good effect: candytuft, vinca and portulaca are good choices. Spreading juniper adds evergreen color in the winter months.
HOME & GARDEN
Ode to summer: Tomato time What better way to spend the season than tending a patch of perfection?
Tomatoes are the basic staple in most backyard gardens. With just a couple tomato plants, we can expect a long growing season of continuous harvest. They are easy to grow in this area, like most. They come in an amazing variety of colors, sizes, shapes and, most importantly, a wide array of flavors. People have been cultivating tomatoes for thousands of years and, through careful selective breeding, have changed them a great deal from the wild tomato origins in Central and South America. In their native tropics, wild tomatoes are perennials that will happily live for several years. Humans have been carefully breeding and crossbreeding tomatoes for centuries to change the color, size and flavor. More recently, there has been a large focus on creating tomatoes that can be shipped long distances more easily and even creating varieties that make it easier to harvest with machines rather than by hand. These days, tomatoes are most often talked about as being either heirloom or hybrids. So, it’s important to learn exactly what these terms mean as you select the varieties you want in your garden. It’s also important to note that there are not any genetically modified, or GMO, tomato varieties commercially available. All of these changes in our tomatoes are happening through good plant breeding, not through laboratory manipulation. Heirloom tomatoes are simply varieties that have been around for a long time. An important quality to all heirloom tomatoes is that they are open pollinated. That means if you plant a patch of striped German tomatoes away from other varieties that might cross pollinate the plants, then you can save the seeds from those tomatoes and you will get true striped German tomatoes the next year. Very often people have come to believe that heirloom varieties are more flavorful and more desirable in the gardens. The truth is a bit more complicated than that. Seed companies have been spinning great tales of tomato varieties ever since someone first thought of selling seeds in a packet. There are quite a few absolutely fantastic heirloom tomatoes available but also even more heirloom varieties that are difficult to grow and just will not produce well in the field. Often heirloom tomatoes can be more sensitive to disease pressure. It is not unusual for many heirloom
Fauquier Education Farm classes July 11: Totally taters – Homegrown potatoes July 18: Summer high tunnel production – Summer crops grown successfully under cover July 26: Farmscaping – How gardens attract beneficial insects, and how to give the good bugs what they need Aug. 1: No-till vegetable production – Cover crops Aug. 9: Watermelon vs. watermelon – How each of 10 varieties performed in the FEF field, taste test included Aug. 25: Winter squash variety trial – See how 10 varieties of winter squash are performing in the FEF field fauquiereducationfarm.org
varieties to produce oddly-shaped, lumpy tomatoes that are prone to cracking and splitting. It is very well worth experimenting with some different varieties to find types that will grow well for you, regardless of the seed companies promises of a bountiful harvest. The hybrid varieties of tomatoes require human intervention in pollination to produce the seed stock. That means two very different varieties of tomato are crossbred with one another to produce a hybrid that will take on the strongest qualities of its parents and produce a plant with greater production, or disease resistance. These plants are bred by hand, taking pollen from one parent to fertilize the flower of the second, with people replacing the bees. These hybrids will not breed true, which means if you save the seed from a Big Beef tomato, you will get a tomato, but it will be different from its parent. People discovered ages ago that first generation hybrids will often be healthier and easier to grow than the parent stock. We call this hybrid vigor, and it is true in both animal and plant breeding. You will often see F1 attached to the name of a plant variety, which means it is a first-generation hybrid that was carefully selected for specific qualities. In the tomato world, these are often called disease resistant varieties, or they were breed to reduce cracking or superior size or more concentrated fruit set. It is true that some of these tomato varieties were bred of longer shelf life and have resulted in the tasteless, wintertime tomatoes in the grocery store. But that is not true of all hybrid tomatoes. A great many of these F1 hybrid tomatoes have become garden favorites that produce large crops of attractive and very edible fruit. – By Jim Hankin
PHOTOS BY BETSY BURKE PARKER
Basil is among garden plants that naturally repel mosquitoes.
Go all-natural to deter blood-thirsty mosquitoes As great as the summer is – wonderful weather, active garden production, tons of outdoor activity – an insect the size of the period at the end of this sentence makes us almost wish for winter. Mosquitoes have long been the bane of the sultry mid-Atlantic summer. Hot weather and humidity make the entire region a playground for the buzzing insects. Birds and bats try to do their part by supping on the little biters, but mosquitoes are numerous enough to threaten humans and livestock alike with diseases from West Nile virus to malaria. The uncontrollable need to be controlled. Instead of slathering yourself with harsh chemical mosquito repellents multiple times a day, there’s a kinder, gentler way to quell the mosquito tide. Certain strong smells are abhorrent to the insect, which is why citronella candles are pretty effective for an evening barbecue. But short of carrying a lighted candle with you everywhere, there are a number of herbs that mosquitoes find equally offensive. Crush fresh herb leaves in your hands to release essential oils, and literally rub them on your skin to keep them off. Bonus: these herbs are easy to grow in the Piedmont, are pretty additions to any garden – including in pots on a deck if not in rows in a cultivated bed, and they’re kitchen staples. Snip one sprig of lemon balm to smear on your body, another to garnish your fresh-made lemonade you pour over cracked ice.
Mosquitoes hate them
• Lemon balm • Catnip • Basil • Lavender • Peppermint • Citrosum (base for citronella) • Sage • Rosemary SUMMER 2018
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A wild life: rescuing orphaned opossums
Show these native woodland critters some respect, and they’ll reward you with bug control Story and photos by Pam Owen
I have a soft spot for some of the least loved among our native wildlife – opossums. A few summers ago, I was driving down the road where I live on a brutally hot, humid July morning and saw a woman with her dog at the side of the road and an opossum dead in the middle of it. The woman seemed distressed, so I stopped to see if she needed help. She told me the opossum had babies that were still alive. She was concerned about their fate but didn’t know what to do. An ancient species, the North American opossum (Didelphis virginiana), aka the Virginia opossum, walked with dinosaurs at least 70 million years ago, surviving longer than any other mammal species. It is the only marsupial native to the continent. Marsupials have a short gestation period, with the young still embryonic — blind, hairless and tiny (only a 15th of an ounce) — at birth. Each dimesized newborn must make its way, using a swimming motion, from the birth canal to a teat in the mother’s pouch and latch on. The teat then swells to secure the infant and provides a steady drip of milk. Opossums usually have two to three litters of six to 13 babies each a year. When the joeys are old enough to leave the pouch, the mother carries them around on her back until they’re ready to go off on their own. Nocturnal and omnivorous, opossums are attracted to roadkill, which in turn often leads to their meeting the same fate. If not retrieved from a dead mother, surviving joeys can die a gruesome death from starvation, dehydration or being eaten alive by scavengers. This mother had probably been dead for hours. Four of the five joeys still clinging to her body were outside her pouch and one was halfway in. A sixth lay on the side of the road. The joeys resembled baby rats, with gray fur, pointed noses, and naked tails. In retrieving them, I put a clean plastic bag over my hand to avoid transferring germs from my hands to the vulnerable babies or vice versa. They still had their eyes closed and chattered loudly when I took hold of them. Opossums have an opposable hallux (thumblike toe) on each hind foot and claws on all toes that help them climb trees as adults and, as babies, hang onto their moms, so it took some gentle pulling to get the joeys off their mother’s body. I rushed the litter back to my house, where I
Fun facts
• In the wild, opossums usually make their nests out of leaves in a log, tree or cliff, or a burrow that’s been abandoned by other species. • Opossums use their prehensile (grasping) tails to carry leaves for their nests and to climb, although it’s a myth that they hang from trees. • Along with carrion, opossums eat 60
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put them in a box on a towel, covered them with another towel, and put the box in a warm room. I didn’t attempt to give them anything to eat or drink, since I knew that, as with many wildlife species, that could do more harm than good. I didn’t know anything else about caring for orphaned joeys, but I did know a permit is required to keep wildlife. I figured the best solution was to get the litter to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. Our local wildlife rehabilitator was full up with critters, so I called the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Raising opossums is so tricky that few rehabilitators would take them on, but the person at the center directed me to Judie Graham, the “Possum Queen,” in Culpeper. I called Graham and arranged to meet her near her home. At the time, she was already caring for 27 opossums. When we met, Graham explained that it’s better to put joeys on tightly woven cloth, rather than the terrycloth towel I had used, because their sharp claws can get hung up in the loose weave. Concerned about the low temperature of the joeys when I turned them over, she said her first job would be to warm them up. She quickly transferred them to a fur-lined, heated container. Graham said the way young joeys are fed in the mom’s pouch is hard to duplicate for rehabilitators caring for them. Before starting them on a formula especially designed for them, she said she’d clean out their systems by administering a special solution. When I called Graham to check on the orphans a few days later, she said they had “a very good chance of surviving.” Their weight was around 1.5 ounces, and she expected to start them on formula soon. She guessed that they were close to three months old and that their eyes would open soon. Ten days later, I visited Graham to see how the orphans were doing. So far, so good, she said, but explained that sometimes young opossums who are orphaned when their mother is killed can incur trauma that is not apparent early on but may cause impairment or death later. Still, “our” opossums were doing well, the joeys starting to look like adults, faces becoming more pointed and covered with white fur. When they reached 1.5 pounds, they should be ready for release, Graham said. Graham showed me some of her other patients, including an adult female who is a favorite of hers. This possum was rescued as an orphan by someone
cockroaches, mice, other small animals, plants and fruit. Persimmons are a favorite. • Although they have 50 sharp teeth (more than any other North American mammal) and can bite, opossums are generally not aggressive unless threatened or injured and are more likely to go into catatonia (“play possum”) involuntarily under stress.
Want to help opossums in need?
If you find opossums in need of help, call Graham (540-825-6407), the Wildlife Center of Virginia (540-942-9453) or the wildlife rescue hotline (703-440-0800). Graham says she is also always looking for release sites that have a water source and cover, such as brush piles or forest, and are away from roads. Virginia licensed wildlife rehabilitators pay for the food and other supplies they use in their work, so Graham also welcomes contributions. At 71, she’s “thinking of retiring after this season but can’t get anyone to commit to the roundthe-clock feedings which are important for their survival.” Anyone willing to take on this challenge should contact her or the Wildlife Center. who was not licensed or properly trained to raise this unique species and had given her inappropriate food. This led to the opossum to suffer from health issues that precluded its being released back into the wild. Instead, Graham used her as an ambassador when giving talks to school kids and others about opossums. Later that fall, I had the satisfaction of seeing Graham release the joeys, now old enough to take care of themselves, on the mountain where I live. Every time I see an opossum here now, I wonder if it’s from that litter.
Where’s the ‘O’? Native American root word
The word opossum is borrowed from the Powhatan language and was first recorded between 1607 and 1611 by John Smith (as opassom) and William Strachey (as aposoum). When pronouncing the animal’s name, the 'O' is silent.
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Food & Wine WAY BEYOND EATING AND DRINKING
The solstice is nigh Hark back to ancient rituals and rediscover your taste for summer Photos by Chris Cerrone Story by Nora Rice
Inside this section:
n A bounty in the season's shopping aisle: Recipes to make the most of garden array n Cheers to beers, local and light and lively. Bottoms up at nearby craft breweries. SUMMER 2018
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FOOD & WINE FOOD & WINE
Year’s longest day was made for feasting The summer solstice, June 21, is the northern hemisphere's longest day of the year. Solstice is Latin for "sun stands still" because the sun appears to rise and set in the same place on the horizon for a few days. Cultures worldwide celebrate with bonfires and feasting. Traditionally people would leap over the flames or drive herd animals through dying embers to appease the gods and ensure a bountiful growing season. Ancients wore mugwort, yarrow and vervain woven into circlets as they danced around the fire. They tossed the herbs into the fire, burning bad luck with the greenery. Today we’re less likely to jump it and more likely to enjoy the fire by toasting marshmallows or roasting saugages. But if you’d like to hearken to days of old with your solstice celebration, try these ancient herbal recipes and potions.
Create your own Herbs de Fauquier Follow the French Aix-en-Provence tradition where families create unique Herbs de Provence blends.
Gather leaves and flowers of several favorite herbs such as thyme, rosemary, oregano, lavender, chervil, basil, tarragon, marjoram, savory or parsley. Dry the herbs, hanging them by their stems or spreading them on a screen. Once dried, strip the leaves and flowers from the stems. Chop or crumble rosemary, lavender and parsley leaves. Combine to taste and place in decorative jars to gift to friends. Sprinkle on chicken, eggs, hummus or salads. Mix into extra virgin olive oil and serve with a warm crusty french bread. Create an herbal butter by blending herbs with soft unsalted butter and serve on steaks, corn on the cob or rolls.
Make a fragrant tea
Fill a teapot loosely with fresh mint leaves and stems. Fill pot with boiling water and cover with the lid. Infuse for 5 to 10 minutes then strain into cups. Sweeten with honey. Use sugar or agave if serving to children 1 year or younger. Make soothing teas of violet or lavender flowers and leaves and stimulating teas of fresh thyme or rosemary the same way. Add hot water to taste after straining out the herbs for a milder tea.
Summer libations
Dip lavender flower stems stripped of leaves in honey and then sugar. Use to stir hot tea for an unusual floral sweetness. Make an herbal lemonade with lavender or thyme infused water. Garnish with a few sprigs of lavender or thyme.
Flower fritters
Pick unsprayed dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) flowers after morning dew dries. Trim the stem, keeping the green calyx and yellow "petals." Make fritters immediately, flowers wilt quickly. Heat 1/2 cup of oil. Use your favorite pancake batter or mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and one egg optional. Add salt and pepper or sugar to taste. Dip each flower in the batter, coating completely, then place gently into the hot oil. Fry a minute or two until lightly browned, flip with a fork and brown the other side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt or sugar or leave plain. Serve immediately with a salad or smothered in butter and honey. PHOTO BY CHRIS CERRONE
Fragrant lavender can be used on the summer table many ways. Dry flowers for an Herbs de Provence sachet, or dip stems in honey to make a tea stirrer. 64
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FOOD & WINE FOOD & WINE
Summer just got sweeter: But play it cool S’more the merrier
The first known recipe for the campfire classic s’mores appeared in the 1927 Girl Scout handbook “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.”
Classic s’mores Graham crackers Milk chocolate bars Large marshmallows
Break graham crackers in half, and break chocolate bars in similar sizes. Put a piece of chocolate on each graham cracker laid on a plate. Put a marshmallow or two on a stick and hold it over a campfire until toasted to your liking, but try to get the outside golden brown and the inside hot and melted. Lay your marshmallow on top of the chocolate, and top with a graham cracker. Let the hot marshmallow melt the chocolate slightly, or put in a tin pan over the fire for a few seconds to melt more.
top with the remaining graham crackers.
Make ahead s’mores
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 16 graham crackers, halved 2 cups miniature marshmallows In a saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat. Add milk, heat and stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Making one s'more at a time, spread 1 tablespoon chocolate mixture over each of two graham cracker halves. Place eight mini marshmallows on one cracker, and top with another cracker half. Store pre-made bars in plastic containers. Heat briefly in microwave to serve.
S’mores bars
Indoor s’mores
1/4 cup butter 10 ounces large marshmallows 12 ounces Golden Grahams cereal 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay half the graham crackers on a cookie sheet. Top with chocolate pieces to cover. Use kitchen shears to snip the marshmallows in half and scatter on top of the graham crackers and chocolate. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and
In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows; cook and stir until blended. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in cereal and press in a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Store in an airtight container. Variation: Add 1/4 cup of peanut butter to the marshmallows and stir a handful of chopped peanuts into the cereal.
32 miniature graham crackers 2 milk chocolate bars 8 marshmallows
Homemade ice cream sandwiches
Making a homemade ice cream sandwich is easy – ice cream squashed between two cookies isn’t difficult. But if you’ve ever tried to do-it-yourself, you realize there are a few tricks. Cookies too thick, and you can’t take a bite of cookie-ice cream-cookie. Cookies too thin, and they crumble. Cookies too chewy, and they don’t hold shape. Cookies too crisp, and they disintegrate on contact.
Sandwich cookies
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 tablespoon milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly grease, and set aside. In one bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop 2 tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, flatten the tops slightly with your palm, and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before transferring to a rack. Freeze at least an hour. Assembly: Take cookies out of the freezer. Top one cookie with a scoop of your favorite ice cream (slightly softened, and in an amount that doesn’t quite hit the edges of the cookie – about a ¼ cup sized scoop for these cookies.) Place another cookie on top of the ice cream and gently press down to form a sandwich. Roll the edges in chocolate chips, colored sprinkles, shredded coconut or your choice of treat, and immediately place back in the freezer. Freeze at least an hour before serving. Variations: Choose any cookie recipe you like – oatmeal, sugar, chocolate. Choose any ice cream flavor you like, or sorbet, or frozen yogurt. Choose any edging you like, as long as it is small enough to adhere to the slightly softened ice cream. PHOTOS BY CHRIS CERRONE SUMMER 2018
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FOOD & WINE
Summer farmhouse ales By John Daum
Summer’s here, and no better way to cap off a satisfying day of yard work, family adventures or a great day on the links than with a satisfying local beverage. In medieval France, this was the time of year when local farmers rolled out barrels of Biere de Garde which translates to “beer for keeping.” This type of beer was produced during the long winter months when it was too cold to grow much of anything. Farmers used surplus grain from the harvest to produce beer for the warmer months that workers would consume out in the fields. The great northern Renaissance painter Pieter Brugel features such workers in his masterful painting “The Harvesters,” which hangs at the Met in New York. In it, one group of workers tends the fields while another takes a break from the summer heat under a tree. Jugs of Biere de Garde are everywhere including one stashed secretly among the grain in case of a beer emergency. A first cousin of Biere de Garde is the traditional Saison style beer which was also a summer beer. The name means “season.” Both styles are often lumped together in a category known as farmhouse ales. Biere de Garde tends to be associated more with France, and
Saison with Belgium, although there is much overlap. Each farmhouse created their own variety of the style using whatever ingredients they had available at the time of brewing, a tradition of experimentation that survives in modern breweries today that produce these types of beers. Farmhouse ales are easy drinking beers that are crisp and typically dry on the palette and are often rounded out with spicy yeast notes and fruit flavors. They have an effervescent quality that makes for a very satisfying summer indulgence, and they pair very nicely with a wide range of foods you would include at a summer cookout. From brats and burgers on the grill to summer salad from the garden or the farmers market, farmhouse ales were custom-designed for the season.
Fauquier’s flavors
Locally, you will find great example of the farmhouse ale style at Powers Farm and Brewery just outside of Warrenton. Their beers are produced using ingredients fresh from their farm or other nearby farms. The ales are brewed in the same style that farmers in medieval France perfected. Powers is not a large multi-national operation or even a regional brewery that ships beer across many
state lines. Powers is local to its core, with most of its beer available only at the farm. Their Bramble Blackberry Saison is a perfect introduction to the style featuring French saison yeast and local blackberries which round out the finish with a sweetness that is nicely balanced but not too heavy. Another great Saison with a fresh-
and-local twist is their Passion Flower Saison which uses flowers from their garden to give the beer a distinctive, appealing, summery flavor. Round out an ale flight with their Spelt Bier de Garde. Seasoned with old world hops and copious amounts of spelt in the mash, this farmhouse favorite pushes the typically low alcohol profile up to 7.5 percent.
’Tis the season for light wine sippers By Mary Ann Dancisin
Summertime sips tend to be more casual and refreshing than the big reds we savor in winter. Think past the Chardonnay with new local blends.
Governor Fauquier 2015, Philip Carter Winery
This delicious white wine is off-dry and tastes of pineapple, citrus and melon. It is made of 100 percent vidal blanc grapes. Pair with spicy cuisines like Thai, Mexican and Indian.
Birthday Suit 2016, Naked Mountain Winery
Apple and lemon flavors are featured in this refreshingly unusual wine. Vidal blanc is 54 percent of the blend. 34 percent is rkatsiteli and the balance is seyval blanc. R-kats, as it is known for short, is rare in Virginia - it is an ancient grape originally grown in the Republic of Georgia. It adds a honey, tropical and slightly herbaceous note to the blend.
Skinny Dipper 2016, Naked Mountain
This is a sweet vidal blanc, with 4 percent residual sugar. The winemaker controls the amount of sugar in the finished wine by stopping the fermentation when the flavors are ideal. The fully ripe grapes give a banana-coconut tinge to the bright, juicy kiwi and citrus flavors of the wine. Though sweet, you can pair this with grilled mesquite pork.
Viognier 2015, Miracle Valley Vineyard
Don’t let the pale straw color of this intense wine fool you. Lush honeysuckle flavor leaps from the glass, complemented by pear and pineapple notes. Its mouthfilling body comes from brief aging in Hungarian oak 30 days prior to bottling. This is Miracle Valley’s most popular white; it’s easy to see why.
Gatto Bianco, non-vintage, Three Fox Vineyards
Gatto Bianco is Italian for white cat. Three Fox has an affinity for Italian style, but this charming white wine is a blend not of Italian grapes, but of viognier and chardonnay. “Non-vintage” means that the grapes that went into the wine were harvested in two different years. Bright apple flavors make this a pure summer joy.
Kokineli 2015, Molon Lave Vineyards
The signature Greek wine Retsina has a strong flavor that comes from pine resin, used to waterproof the wine barrels. Molon Lave created a rose using the same technique, in a subtle style. The wine features notes of rosemary, thyme and sage, married to clean strawberry fruit. A dry rose, this wine pairs nicely with grilled fish.
Cobbler Mountain Red, Miracle Valley
On the opposite end of the sweetness spectrum, this rose is made of a blend of cabernet franc,
chardonnay, vidal and concord, and will remind you of fruit jam with cotton candy flavors.
Rose 2015, Morais Winery,
Deep pink in color, Morais rose is made by the saignee method. Free-run juice from red grapes – in this case 100 percent cabernet franc – is siphoned out of the vessel that holds the newly-harvested grapes, then fermented. Fresh, crisp, spicy and bone dry, the wine has savory notes and a hint of earth – complex for a simple summer sip. Pairs nicely with summer salads, grilled shrimp or fish, watermelon with feta, tuna nicoise, paella or goat cheese. Morais produces two versatile food wines. Featuring palate-cleansing freshness, Morais Verdelho 2015 and Sauvignon Blanc 2015 burst with grassy, herbal flavors with a hint of lemon. SUMMER 2018
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The bounty of a Fauquier summer
by Mary Ann Dancisin
Summer brings an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits to the region. This year, you’ve got choices: Buy fresh at a farmers market or CSA, get your ingredients prepped and boxed to take home, or go all out and hire a personal chef to prepare a seasonal feast. Ralph and Jane Eickhoff’s Cobbler View Farm in Delaplane is the area’s newest CSA – community supported agriculture. Ralph retired in 2015 and extended his home garden to 10 acres. His ancestors farmed in Germany then homesteaded in Nebraska in the 1800s. He recalls childhood summers growing and selling vegetables on a family plot they called “Aching Acres.” Jane’s interest in sustainable agriculture solidified when she completed the Virginia Cooperative Extension Northern Piedmont Beginning Farmer rogram, and she’s since received a certificate in global sustainability consulting through Virginia Tech. The couple plans to be certified organic in the near future, and purchases seed from companies that do not sell GMO plants. They also grow from seed. In addition to CSA shares, they sell at the Middleburg Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Haymarket market on Thursdays from May through October. “One of the vegetables we grow that is beautiful, tasty, versatile, and does well in Virginia, is eggplant,” Jane says. “The secret to getting big, healthy plants is to keep them under row covers to keep out the flea beetles that will quickly eat through unprotected tender young leaves.” Once plants are a couple feet tall with tough older leaves, she explains, remove the covers and they’ll be fine. “Eggplant isn’t like other fruiting vegetables that need to ripen to be edible,” she explains. “They are always edible, (though) there is no point in harvesting a small eggplant. “We pick them while they are still glossy and there is a white line next to the green stem cap, which means they are still growing and the seeds are still soft.”
Eggplant Parmigiana
2 large eggplants 3 teaspooons salt 1/2 cup flour 1/3 cup olive oil 1 1/4 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped 3/4 teaspoon black pepper 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly-sliced or shredded 70
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3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons butter
Peel and wash eggplants. Cut crosswise into half-inch slices. Dust with 2 teaspooons salt, cover, and let stand an hour at room temperature, then drain. (I sometimes skip this step and it seems fine without it.) Dry on paper towels. Dust all over with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet; lightly brown eggplant on both sides. Place half the slices in a wellbuttered 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Cover with half the tomatoes; dust with pepper and remaining salt. You may want to coarsely chop some of fresh basil or other favorite herbs and add it to the tomatoes. Place half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan cheese in layers over the tomatoes. Add another layer of eggplant slices and the remaining tomatoes and cheese. Dot with butter and sprinkle with remaining olive oil. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350°F. Cool slightly, but serve quite warm.
Convenient and tasty
Gentle Harvest in Marshall features meat and vegetables farmed at Ayrshire in Upperville. Their aim is to provide local, whole, organic food, fast. Burgers and salads are available daily, along with breakfast items like bacon and eggs and a kids’ menu and even dinners for pets. Gentle Harvest has a unique concept for people with limited time but who love to cook. Gentle Harvest EcoLoco lets you select from a rotating list of meals and take home a prepacked bag full of recipes and ingredients. Laila Asbergs calls it a great choice for home cooks. “In general, we choose ingredients for both the meal kits and what’s sold in-store based on what’s fresh and in-season locally,” she says. “Ayrshire not only supplies farm-fresh meats that are bursting with flavor and perfect for grilling, but also a variety of heirloom fruits grown on the farm such as blackberries, raspberries, watermelon and cantaloupe. Otherwise we source from local area farms to ensure the freshest produce.” One of Gentle Harvest’s most popular summer recipes is Chicken with Grilled Romaine. Although this is a stovetop version, it can easily be cooked on the grill.
Grilled romaine salad with pan-seared chicken breast 2 lemons, halved and charred 2 ounces apple cider vinegar 2 ounces honey
1 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped 1 tablespoon cooking oil Salt and pepper
In a skillet or sauté pan, heat one tablespoon of cooking oil on high until the oil begins to smoke. Place the lemons in the pan, flesh side down and char them until they start to turn from golden brown to burnt. Allow to cool, and squeeze the juice of the lemons into a bowl through a strainer to remove seeds. Add all ingredients except for the oil and whisk to incorporate. Next, begin by slowly drizzling the oil into the bowl to start an emulsification. Continue whisking until all the oil is added. Season to taste. 1 head of romaine 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 3 ounces gorgonzola 2 ounces almonds, toasted
Cut lettuce in half lengthwise. In a bowl, toss romaine with olive oil coating the lettuce evenly then season with salt and pepper. Using a grill or heavy bottom skillet, use the same technique as the lemons and char the romaine on the bottom side. Allow to cool.
week – she comes with groceries and cooks up a week’s worth of meals in one shot. “I work within each client’s budget and prepare for them the best of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and humane, sustainable beef, pork and poultry.” She sources as many ingredients as she can from local farms. Meat and poultry can come from Whiffletree Farm or The Whole Ox, produce is often fresh from Over The Grass in The Plains. “I love Green Truck Farm in Markham,” Rowand says. “You can pick your own – they have the best berries. “Get strawberries early in the season. By late June, they’re done.” For summertime, Rowand leans toward blackberries, wild or cultivated. “Virginia has the perfect climate for blackberries,” she says. “And they’re not bothered by bugs. When the blackberries are producing in my garden, I use them in dishes both sweet and savory. “What can you not do with blackberries. Cobbler, fool, mousse, jam, ice cream, sorbet.” Rowand even makes blackberry wine, but just for herself.
For the almonds: Preheat oven to 375. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. 1 pound chicken breast 3 tablespoons cooking oil 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper
Heat a sauté pan to high with the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. When the oil begins to smoke in the pan, add the chicken and sear one side until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken over and place the pan in the oven along with the almonds and cook through, about 10-12 minutes. Assemble and plate, drizzling vinaigrette to taste.
Savory summer salad
Indulge yourself
Wash all ingredients. Halve the cherry tomatoes; pit and slice nectarines (do not peel); peel, seed, and slice cucumber; cut melon in small cubes. Artfully arrange all ingredients on plates. If desired, drizzle some blackberry gastrique and olive oil on each plate.
Personal chef Sylvie Rowand of Laughing Duck Gardens and Cookery says hiring a professional isn’t an indulgence – sometimes, it’s a necessity. Cooking for brunches, parties, weddings and special dinners, Rowand cooks in the client’s kitchen. “Everything is prepared fresh and on-site,” she says. Regular clients invite her in once a
1 pint fresh blackberries 1 pint multicolored cherry tomatoes 4 ripe medium nectarines 1 small cucumber 2 cups loosely packed fresh purslane 1 1/3 cup high quality whole milk ricotta 2 slices cantaloupe (or other seasonal melon) A few slices of bread and butter pickles Blackberry gastrique and extra virgin olive oil (substitute pomegranate molasses for the gastrique.)
Continued on Page 72
FOOD & WINE
Don’t Tell Your Friends About Us
Decode the Secrets of Fauquier County •Start with Vint Hill Craft Winery & enjoy Covert Wineworks creations. •Fuel yourself with a snack at Covert Cafe. •Finish your Mission with Black Ops at Pearmund Cellars.
Don’t worry, ‘You were never here’. Enjoy Fauquier’s Best Kept Secrets
VINT HILL CRAFT WINERY, Open Fri/Sat/Sun 11am-6pm www.vinthillcraftwinery.com Facebook @ CraftWinery/ Instagram @ vinthillcraftwinery 7150 Lineweaver Road Warrenton, VA 20187
COVERT CAFE Open daily 10am-3pm, Wed until 7pm, Closed Sun 7168 Lineweaver Road, Warrenton, VA 20187 www.covertcafe.com Facebook @ CovertCafe
PEARMUND CELLARS Open daily 10am-6pm 6190 Georgetown Road, Broad Run, VA 20137 www.pearmundcellars.com Facebook @ PearmundCellars Instagram @pearmundcellars
SUMMER 2018
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FOOD & WINE THE WARM AND FUZZIES
Catch summer’s first blush with peaches ripe as the golden globes By Janie Ledyard
Bewitching, velvety peaches are the essence of summer. Every family has a favorite peach recipe – something that captures that peachiness at the height of it’s flavor. But many argue the best way to enjoy a perfectly ripe, fresh-picked peach is leaning over a kitchen sink, or eating outside on the lawn since you know, no matter how you try to prevent it, those sticky sweet juices are going to run all down your hands, forearms and chin. But the mess doesn’t really matter, because in this first flush of summer glory, we take it as it comes. Just as much as when it comes. About this time of year, I start doing drivebys of my local farm co-op, anticipating the day the hand-painted sign goes up: “Fresh peaches!” Peach season is relatively short, but every year these few weeks take me back to childhood. We didn’t have a garden or an orchard in suburbia, we had something better – friends with an orchard and an older brother with a garden. We hunted and gathered their places spring to fall, and peach time was my favorite time of the growing season. Mother would take the big basket of peaches daddy presented when he got home from shopping: I remember her standing over the sink, shirt sleeves rolled up for a night of peeling and pitting. She’d make a pie that first night, ice cream the second. She’d put some up as jam, and freeze some with a sprinkle of sugar and a dash of citric acid, so we could enjoy it later in the year. And as fast as it arrived, peach season was gone. Sure, we’d eat the ice cream for a week or two, and
– boiled, grilled, scampi, fried – and eat a peach or two over the sink while we prepped dinner. Peaches made appearances at every meal: With yogurt for breakfast, cut up in a green salad for lunch, grilled as a side with our shrimp for supper, not to mention the frozen peach daiquiris for beach sitting. I’d make peach ice cream from mother’s original recipe I’d photocopied and crammed in my wallet before we left for vacation. We’ve traded a mortgage for the beach trips these days, but when we pretend at our backyard pool during peach season, I’m still taken back to those long ago summer afternoons.
Two ways to capture the season we’d remember the peaches later in summer with a jam sandwich, but fresh was best, then, like it is now. This kind of seasonal eating sort of fell by the wayside since I was a kid. International trade and air freight mean we can have tomatoes in January – from South America, no doubt – but it never made it right. Modern nutritionists tell us, actually, the old ways were better for a ton of reasons – local peaches picked ripe in summer have more nutrients, cost less in fossil fuels for storage and delivery, and they definitely taste better. In the early years of my own marriage, Steve and I would spend two weeks each summer at Tybee island, Georgia, one of the biggest peachgrowing regions in the mid-Atlantic. We practically lived like natives. Steve would go to the dock each afternoon when the shrimp boats came in from sea, and I’d go down to the farm stand and come home with a basket of perfectly fresh local peaches. We’d cook shrimp every way imaginable
Honey blackberry sherbert 1 quart ripe local blackberries 3/4 cup local honey 1 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons crème de cassis
Simmer blackberries, covered, in a non-reactive pan until they are tender, 10-15 minutes. Process in a blender until smooth. Pass puree through a food-mill or rub through a fine mesh sieve or a chinois to extract as much pulp as possible. Discard seeds. You should have 2 cups seedless puree. Adjust proportions of other ingredients slightly if you have more or less puree. 72
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For two servings, peel and pit one very ripe peach. In a blender, add the juice of one lime, a teaspoon or two of sugar, and 2 ounces rum. Blend until smooth. Add 1 cup of ice, and blend again until smooth. Add more ice if it needs to be thicker, more rum or a little water if it needs to be thinner.
Peach ice cream
2 cups sugar 4 cups mashed peaches (peeled and pitted) 6 eggs 3 cans evaporated milk 4 tablespoons vanilla ¼ teaspoon salt 3 cups whole milk 1 cup whipping cream
Cook first seven ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add whipping cream. Chill overnight, then freeze according to the directions of your ice cream maker.
Or, pour mixture into ice-cube containers and freeze until softly hard (not rock hard) then process in a high-power blender until smooth and the consistency of soft-ice cream.
Continued from Page 70 Purslane is a nutritious green naturalized in many gardens and generally considered a “weed.” It has a mild lemony taste and a pleasantly crunchy texture. If not available, substitute some mixed herbs such as mixed basil, parsley, tarragon, mint or dill, or mild baby arugula, watercress or lamb’s quarters.
Peach daiquiris
Watermelon gazpacho from Claire’s at the Depot Chill thoroughly either in an icebath or 8 hours in the fridge. Process puree with honey, sour cream and crème de cassis in blender until very smooth. Add more honey, a tablespoon at a time, to taste. Process in ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, pour the chilled mix in a flat container and put in the freezer. Every 20 to 30 minutes or so, scrape the icy parts and mix well until the sherbet has the consistency of soft icecream. Then let it finish to harden in the freezer for a few more hours.
1 watermelon – seedless 1/2 cup lime juice 4 tablespoons lime zest 4 teaspoons ginger, fresh chopped salt 1 can tomatoes, small dice 4 cups English cucumber chopped 2 each red and yellow peppers, diced 1 cup cilantro fine chopped 1/2 cup green onion chopped 5 tablespoons jalapeno diced 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 4 dashes tabasco
Puree half the watermelon in a food processor, small dice the remaining watermelon. Puree half the tomatoes in a food processor, small dice the remaining tomatoes. In a medium pan, combine ingredients. Chill four hours.
Local food sampler The farms interviewed for this story are only a few that provide homegrown fare locally. See pecva.org for more shopping options. Cobbler View Farm – Delaplane Ralph and Jane Eickhoff jane@cobblerviewfarm.com Gentle Harvest – Marshall info@gentleharvest.com gentleharvest.com Laughing Duck – Washington Sylvie Rowand laughingduckgardens.com Ayrshire Farm – Upperville ayrshirefarm.com Whiffletree – Warrenton whiffletreefarmva.com Over the Grass – The Plains overthegrassfarm.net The Whole Ox – Marshall thewholeox.com Green Truck Farm – Markham greentruckfarms.com
FOOD & WINE admin@middleburghumane.org
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Duncan and his mom were brought to MHF from a feral colony. Another facility was performing a TNR trapping when they found that she had a litter of kittens under a bush. The mom cat and kittens were brought to MHF where we provided care for them for the last 5 1/2 months. Duncan and two other kittens from that litter (Sophia & Drika) are still available for adoption. He is neutered and UTD on all vaccines and deworming, combo tested and has received a microchip.
Don’t miss your chance to advertise in the next issue of
Willy was abandoned on the front porch of a disabled woman. The mom cat and her litter of kittens were left in a laundry basket to fend for themselves. Once found, the cats were brought to MHF for care. All other cats were adopted but Willy and Rayland, his brother, still remain in foster care for the last four months looking for their forever home. Neutered, UTD on medical, microchipped, tested etc. Socialized with children.
Dixie is a sweet, mellow mare who found refuge with us after living in poor conditions and needing food. She gets along with other horses, is sound and healthy. Previously she was used in the Madeira School’s summer camp. She stands for farrier, great for vet, is an honest real lovable horse in need of a forever home. She is approximately 20 years old and only has one eye, however, that does not affect her in any way. She is an incredibly sweet mare who is a great companion for other horses.
inFauquier
Contact your sales consultant by August 22nd to place your ad in the Fall 2018 issue, out September 19th.
540-340-4222 kgodfrey@fauquier.com
Hello world, my name is Pippi and I am your queen. I love to lounge in the fields, eat all the food, and be sassy to anyone who comes by. I am the black and white Shetland pony X. The farrier seems to like how I stand for him well enough and my fosters have always thought that I am respectful of other horses space. I am older, but that just makes me more distinguished. My name is Ned and I am now accepting applications for cushy retirement homes. I’m only 15 hands and a grade horse mix. I am really not that big of a hassle to deal with. I love other horses but I definitely let them know when its time to get out of my feed bucket, thank you very much. I don’t have a lot of teeth left so you’ll need to make my grain as a mush and soak my hay cubes - this is gourmet food. I’m in my golden years, so help a guy out. We have been together for 4 years now and we would like to stay together in our new home. This ad is proudly sponsored by:
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A never-ending story
Honoring the then, and the now, of life’s ongoing tale I’ve been writing on the local journalism scene for nearly 20 years. During that time, I’ve worked for a number of papers in the Piedmont including the Fauquier Times Democrat, Rappahannock News, Culpeper Times and now back with the Fauquier Times. I’m also penning a weekly column – Simply Sherman – for the Culpeper Star Exponent. Telling stories has carried my career. For this issue of inFauquier, my interview with Emilio Frustaci, a World War II veteran and 92-year-old newcomer to Warrenton brought back memories of a series of veteran stories I did a few years ago. Partnering with Culpeper Media Network, we recorded the stories of 16 veterans. These brave men served from World War II to Vietnam to Afghanistan. We didn’t want their stories lost. We wanted to preserve the fabric of their lives. The stories are part of the Library of Congress Veterans’ History Project. Hearing – and telling – the tales was emotional and inspiring. From inspiring to heartwarming, my interviews with the leaders at Allegro proved powerful when the local music and drama school stepped in to rescue the floundering Bluemont Summer concert series. Countless people consider what they did a service to the community. In a way, telling stories goes back to the beginning for me. I’m writing this column from Portland, Oregon, where I was born. My own story looms at every corner from a visit to the
The Last Word BY ANITA SHERMAN
Our lives are so varied, and our stories so different, but ultimately this tangle of loose threads, knots and wild colors forms a perfectly designed tapestry. local farmers market to Powell’s Bookstore, one of the largest used bookstores in the country. From the Catholic grade school I attended, my all-girls high school and University of Washington Seattle, I ultimately graduated from Portland State University. Being in the Pacific Northwest brought my story into focus, and I remembered why the Oregon coast still has a grip on my heart. Its icy fingers reach for the shore often with a caress and other times with a hard slap. Each town has its own flavor and Cannon Beach, in particular, is now a
mecca of art galleries and upscale boutiques. My memories of walks on the beach span decades from time with my parents to later with my husband, children and sister. Each time I’ve walked there, the ocean waves pull at my soul and cause me to look to the horizon and imagine the possibilities of what’s next. Oregon will always be part of my story, but for the last 30 years Virginia’s been home. And it was to Virginia I returned to record and continue this story. Our lives are so varied and our stories so different, but ultimately this tangle of loose threads, knots and wild colors forms a perfectly designed tapestry. I doubt that we’re ever fully aware of the picture we paint, but through sharing so many stories over the years, I’ve come to feel we’re connected in more ways than we are disconnected. Stories are powerful, universal and worth sharing. They carry us down rivers, on paths, through woods. We see colors we hadn’t seen before, touch new experiences and often share smiles. From my experience as a storyteller, I recognize the importance of recording your own life, and for a reporter, the lives of others. Don’t let it get lost to time. Perhaps in this sharing of stories, we’ll discover new worlds and connections, and the opportunity to appreciate and respect each other as part of a beautiful whole. PHOTO BY ANITA SHERMAN
The coast at Gearheart was literally littered with royal blue pieces of puff known as ‘velella velella.’ Resembling jellyfish, velella is a cosmopolitan genus of freefloating hydrozoans that live on the surface of the open ocean. They’re commonly known by the names sea raft, by-the-wind sailor, purple sail or little sail. 74
SUMMER 2018
SUMMER 2018
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Structures, Furniture, Decor & Gifts. Amish Built is our specialty. Outdoor Living
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Financing and rent to own is available on most building structures. Gift Certificates & Layaway Available. 15 year warranty on most structures. Restrictions apply. SUMMER 2018