The House & Home Magazine: Aug/Sept 2018

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your complete home resource guide and lifestyle magazine Essex • Northern Neck • Middle Peninsula • Gloucester • Richmond • Williamsburg

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BURGER ON! Swamp Root & Old Bones Williamsburg Fall Arts www.thehouseandhomemagazine.com

August/September 2018

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August/September 2018

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A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The Best is Yet to Come

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o … we planted our gardens, donned our bathing suits, enjoyed the sun, attended parades, blinked a couple of times and here we are, preparing for summer sendoffs and the first whispers of autumn in river country.

When I was a kid, I spent my summers in a little river cottage in Tappahannock. My sisters and I, and our friends, swam, fished, crabbed and skied nearly every day, even in the rain. We sat out on the seawall until all hours, played goofy games and made way too much late-night noise. We were marked by suntans and mosquito bites.

When we huddled up during our parents’ Labor Day cookouts, we all promised each other that of course we’d be back in the next few weekends.

I don’t think we ever made a return trip in the fall — school, football games and our back-home friends took up our time.

Now I’m lucky enough to live here, and those of us who get to stay after Labor Day know that some of our best outdoorsy days are still ahead. River traffic is calmer, the cottages are quieter and the air is crisper. It’s the perfect time to enjoy a few more serene boat rides, a bonfire, fall festivals, the fruits of the harvest and maybe a toast or two. We’re set to bask in some of the season’s best weather while the busy holidays are still far enough over the horizon not to worry us too much.

In this issue of The House & Home Magazine we’re not quite ready to bring the party indoors either. We’re featuring some foodie choices suitable for a fine alfresco summer finale — the perfect picnic, the best burgers and an almostsecret regional delicacy — all accented by sweet tea, fine wines and perhaps a good cigar. We’re also highlighting arts across the region, with a schedule of events throughout the Historic Triangle and the launch of the new River to Bay Artisan Trail. Also noteworthy are stories focusing on a young winemaker with a maturing vineyard, the Chesapeake Governor’s School, and the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown. As always, we feature beautiful homes, interesting people, renovation trends and historical profiles.

Meanwhile, as you’re taking in the events of the season, be sure to pay a visit to one of our many advertisers, who always present the finest goods and services our area has to offer. They appreciate your business.

Enjoy a colorful and memorable Indian summer, and wherever you roam, remember to take along a copy of The House & Home Magazine. There’s no place like House & Home.

Read on!

Now I’m lucky enough to live here, and those of us who get to stay after Labor Day know that some of our best outdoorsy days are still ahead.

JANET EVANS HINMAN 6

August/September 2018

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PUBLISHER James L. Blanks EDITOR Janet Evans Hinman CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Zora Aiken Terry Buntrock Captain Bob Cerullo T. Patrick Cleary Janet Evans Hinman Randall Kipp Rebekah Madren Jackie Nunnery Linda Landreth Phelps Dianne Saison Barbara Weldon Deb Weissler ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Kirstin Canough ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE James L. Blanks: 804-929-1797 JLB Publishing, Inc. P. O. Box 2564 • Tappahannock, VA 22560 Office: 804-929-1797 • Fax: 1-888-747-2267 thehouseandhomemag@gmail.com

The House & Home Magazine is a free, four-color publication that specializes in providing home ideas, real estate, and lifestyle articles.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from JLB Publishing, Inc. The information contained herein are opinions of sources and interviews.

JLB Publishing Inc. claims no reliability or accuracy to any information contained within. The House & Home Magazine is published for reference purposes only and is not materially responsible for errors.

The House & Home Magazine is published bimonthly and is distributed at over 500 locations throughout Essex, Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula, Gloucester, Richmond, and Mechanicsville as well as subscriptions, direct mail, and trade shows.

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Contents

The House & Home Magazine • August/September 2018

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Choosing Your Wine Glass Fifes & Drums of Yorktown

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Sweet Tea

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Cigars 101

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www.thehouseandhomemagazine.com

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Swamp Root & Old Bones Picnic Perfection Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School

70 76 78 90

Get Your Burger On!

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Sugar Toads

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USS Tappahannock Memorial

Rivah Vineyards at The Grove

The River to Bay Artisan Trail Explores the Middle Peninsula

A Southern staple When smoke gets in your eyes, but it tastes really good

Aged to Perfection

Williamsburg Fall Arts 2018 Stratford Hall’s Annual Wine & Oyster Festival Fine Properties Blue Space Benefits through waterfront living

Urbanna Oyster Festival Investing in Diagnosis and Prevention That’s close to home

Anchors Courthouse Square

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W ine MGlass CHOOSING YOUR

choosing the correct wine glass for your specific wine allows all of the hidden notes and tones of each to be uncovered and enjoyed.

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By Barbara Weldon

ost wine aficionados have a favorite wine for almost every occasion. From a deep red to a light chardonnay, great wine should be enjoyed as an experience.

Wine experts, or oenophiles, encourage all wine lovers to understand the importance of choosing the correct glass for their chosen wine.

Many of us have long thought that choosing a great wine glass meant making sure the glass matched our perfect table settings. However, choosing the correct wine glass for your specific wine allows all of the hidden notes and tones of each to be uncovered and enjoyed. The science of the wine glass is an art that is worthy of study.

First, it is important to understand the parts of a wine glass. The foot of the glass is obviously the base that allows your glass to stand upright. The stem

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allows you to hold your glass without the warmth of your hands heating your wine. The stem also allows you to enjoy the wine visually without creating smudges on the bowl.

The bowl is where most wine glasses vary.

All wine glass bowls taper upward with a slightly narrower opening at the top than at the bottom.

This shape is designed to capture and distribute the wine’s aroma toward your mouth and nose. The bowl is also designed to allow a specific amount of surface area for each specific wine.

The rim is imperative to achieving the full experience from your chosen wine. The thinner the rim, the less distraction you get as you sip. A great wine glass will have a smooth cut that does not inhibit the wine as it flows out of the glass.

Cheaper wine glasses that have rolls or bumps along the rim distract from the flow.

Even the color of the glass is important. While colors are very attractive, when drinking wine in an attempt to better understand the full experience, the best glasses are crystal clear to allow the subtleties and the colors to better shine through. Crystal is better than common glass as it is softer and allows light to better diffract through, allowing for a better display.

Choosing a style of glass is as important as the wine itself.

Glass shape matters for each and every style of wine. The wine glass controls the tasting experience and ultimately makes your chosen wine taste better. The correct glass will highlight your favorite wine and allow for the display to be part of the entire experience.

There is a beautiful science that supports the importance of choosing the right glass shape for each and every wine. Each glass is designed differently to allow the wine vapors that carry aromatic compounds to your nose, producing the vast majority of flavors in wine.

There are many types of wine glasses. The shapes are referred to as standard, flute, tulip, coupe, hock, and tumbler.

Many of us are mostly familiar with the standard glass for wine.

The shape of a flute is ideal for sparkling wines.

The tall shape preserves the bubbles and pushes them up the glass, creating a stunning display.

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Even the standard wine glass has many different shapes to allow the wine enthusiast to thoroughly enjoy the experience.

White wines are made with red or green grapes that have been fermented without the skins and are often combined with citrus and spicy flavors. White wine glasses typically have a smaller bowl that is designed to preserve floral aromas, maintain a cooler temperature, and allows for the wine to deliver more aromas due to the proximity to the nose.

Full-bodied white wines like an oak-aged Chardonnay, Viognier, White Rioja, and orange wines are better enjoyed with a more U-shaped bowl. The larger bowl better emphasizes the creamier texture because of the wider mouth.

Younger white wines should be enjoyed from a glass with a slightly larger opening to allow the wine to pour directly onto the tip and sides of the tongue to enhance the sweetness. More mature white wines should be enjoyed in a straighter and taller glass, allowing the wine to dispense to the back and sides of the tongue so the bold flavors can be experienced.

Red wine glasses should be carefully considered because the flavor of the wine is drastically affected by the shape of the bowl. Red wines are made from the red-colored grapes that have been fermented with the skin included, giving the wine its deep red color. Red wines tend to taste smoother from a glass with a wide opening because the distance to the wine affects the vapors. This helps to mitigate the bitterness of tannin, delivering a smoother tasting wine.

Merlot, Cabernet, Sauvignon, and Bordeaux blends are fullbodied red wines with high tannin and should be enjoyed in a deeper bowl with a wide mouth, or the Bordeaux glass. They are designed to deliver more aroma compounds, burning more ethanol because of the distance from the nose.

Medium to full-bodied reds like Sangiovese, Syrah, Malbec, and Garnacha are better enjoyed in a standard red wine glass.

The medium bowl with a narrower body and mouth allows for 15

the spice to soften as the flavors hit your tongue progressively.

Red wines with floral aromas like Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Nebbiolo are best enjoyed in an aroma collector Bourgogne glass.

These lighter red wines have subtle aromas that collect in a deep bowl with a wide body and a wide mouth.

Champagne glasses are tall and narrow, in the shape of a flute, ideal for sparkling wines. The tall shape preserves the bubbles and pushes them up the glass, creating a stunning display. Asti, Cava, and Prosecco are also great sparkling wines to enjoy in a fluted glass.

Rose wines are pink or blush from the included grape skins that are allowed to remain for the first few hours of fermentation.

These medium-sweet wines are commonly served in either a short bowl glass with a slight taper or a short-bowled glass with a slightly flared tip. The flared tip allows for the crisp, sweet wine to contact the tip of the tongue first, where the sweetness of the wine is most enjoyed.

Dessert wines are sweet and generally served with dessert.

The glass is smaller and is designed to direct the wine to the back of the mouth so the sweetness does not overwhelm. The high alcohol content makes small glasses much more appropriate for ice wine, Riesling, Sherry, Vermouth, Raisin wine, and more.

And, not to be last and least, there is the casual wine tumbler glass. This glass style is designed for those who are less focused on the entire experience of the wine but more the moment happening around the glass of wine. While it is fun to experience each wine in its full flavor, don’t forget to enjoy the experiences happening around you. A great glass of wine is always better enjoyed with amazing company, even if in an imperfect glass. H

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1. Rim. 2. Bowl. 3. Stem. 4. Foot

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Fifes & Drums of Yorktown

By Deb Weissler Photos by Matt Mainor Drummers Call in Williamsburg.

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Alexandria, June 12, 1775 THE Subscribers would willingly learn any Number of Boys the MILITARY MUSICK of the FIFE and DRUM; and also supply any Persons with Musick for the said Instruments.

Gentlemen desirous of having Pupils instructed may depend on the greatest Attention being paid to them. Our Terms are half a Guinea Entrance, and a Guinea per Month for each Instrument.

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Corps surrounds Martha Washington at Mount Vernon.

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he call went out throughout the 13 American colonies for able-bodied men to gather as armies and militias to throw off the burdensome yoke the British monarchy had imposed on them for more than a century. Hostilities that had begun in April of that year erupted into revolution as a Provincial Congress assumed power and established a Continental Army under the command of General George Washington.

As more and more adult men took up arms, a call, too, went out to young boys 10 to 18 years old to fill the ranks of the armies’ fife and drum corps. Fifers and drummers were an important part of eighteenth-century armies, just as they had been for the previous 200 years. To assist and train these young musicians, Fife and Drum Majors were quite often musically talented soldiers.

Musicians provided music for an army on the move, providing effective motivation for troops during long treks.

But music wasn’t just for entertainment and ballyhoo. It was used to broadcast various signals throughout the day while encamped: time to rise, gather for meals, sick call, assembly, and evening retreat. But more importantly, musical signals were used to position troops on and off the battlefield.

Both fifes and drums could be heard from great distances, even over the din of battle. Drummers would play beatings that told soldiers where and when to turn, as well as to load and fire their muskets. When a command required broadcasting throughout an army spread across a broad front, a fifer and a drummer would play a specific tune, and other fifers and drummers would pick up that tune and play it in kind, until the entire army heard the message.

Both British and American armies used the fife and drum, so these instruments are strongly associated with the American Revolution. They continued to be used well into 20

the American Civil War. Over time, the bugle was preferred as it could be played with one hand, however shipboard Marine detachments continued to use fifes and drums until 1921. Eventually, they gave way to more modern instruments, but saw a resurgence in 1876 for the country’s centennial celebration as nostalgic, patriotic Americans recreated the music closely associated with the American Revolution.

YORKTOWN 1975 Two hundred years later a similar call went out for young musicians to gather on the battlefield; this time not to direct an army but to celebrate. What better place than Yorktown, site of the siege and surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis to General George Washington in 1781, that would effectively end the American Revolutionary War a year later.

The occasion was the country’s Bicentennial Celebration that paid tribute to the many historical events leading up to the creation of our nation as an independent republic.

The Bicentennial culminated on Sunday, July 4, 1976 with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The Fifes and Drums of Yorktown were formed by the County of York, one of the eight original shires formed in Colonial Virginia in 1682.

The Corps’ mission was and continues to be to preserve and present this historically unique Revolutionary Warera fife and drum music as an art form. Their focus is on teaching young people who have the willingness, dedication, and appreciation of their country’s history. By teaching the rudiments and drill of eighteenth-century field music and tasking them to perform for the public, these young men and women grow confidence and competence they can carry with them into the future. As the hometown Corps of the place where American Independence was won, the Corps carries on the traditions of our founding fathers.

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PRESENT Today, the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown is a 501-C3 nonprofit organization with a membership of almost 50 young people, ages 10 to 18, actively recruited from surrounding communities. Unlike other professional fife and drum organizations, no prior musical experience is required.

“Members are selected in order from our first-come, first-served waiting list,” explains Sharra Odom, Executive Board President.

Approximately 60 percent of members join with some musical background.

This can range from an elementarygrade recorder class all the way through to significant formal instruction.

Instrumental backgrounds run the gamut including drum, flute, piano, cello and violin. Formal musical experience is not always the best gauge of success, however. Each member starts off with the same instruction and basic music theory, and some members with no experience progress faster than those with prior knowledge. It comes down to discipline and determination.

Many of the Corps’ talented instructors are themselves alumni, collectively dedicating hundreds of hours annually to create a world-class musical ensemble that has performed at prestigious venues like the United States Capitol, Jefferson Memorial, Gettysburg Battlefield, Virginia’s Governor’s Mansion, the Statue of Liberty, Mount Vernon, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and are seen weekly at Yorktown Battlefield. Most Corps performances are free and open to the public.

As Music Master and Lead Instructor, Jim Camillucci has a Master’s Degree in Education and is currently a public school teacher and a percussion instructor in Gloucester. Now in his 16th year with the Corps, Jim continues to lead the music instruction with emphasis in the design of the field shows and focus on rudimental drumming. He is also instrumental in the development of the Corps’ musical repertoire.

Fife, Drum Instructor Stephan Southard is an accomplished musician with over 30 years of experience performing on trumpet, percussion, pennywhistle, recorder and voice. He served as Assistant Music Master from 1993-1997, providing instruction in music theory, fifing, drumming, marching, drumThe House & Home Magazine

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Drums stacked at Valley Forge.

Regimental uniforms and sticks at Fort McHenry.

2017 Memorial Day parade.

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majoring, and the history of martial music. He is certified with the International Association of Field Musicians as a Drum Major and a Fife Sergeant and is President of the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown Alumni Association.

Drum Instructor Ron Johnson recently retired from the United States Air Force after serving 24 years as a percussionist in the U S Air Force Bands and Music Program. Ron is currently serving as adjunct music faculty at Christopher Newport University in Newport News and Chowan University in NC. He holds a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Nebraska. He has been involved with the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown since 2013.

Fife, Drum Instructor Edwin Santana holds the distinction of being one of the original founding members of the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown. He brings extensive experience and depth to instruction of both the fife and the drum.

In addition to these four paid instructors, the Corps is overseen by a three-member elected Executive Board, who appoints various coordinators from among the volunteer parents who typically serve an average of three years.

For the Corps’ young people, public performances are the culmination of hundreds of hours of rehearsals and practice.

Music, marching, and flag bearing must be flawless when they step onto the public stage.

There are three levels of ability: Recruit, Junior, and Senior.

Each member proceeds through the three levels according to their abilities and dedication to move forward. Ultimately the goal of each member is to reach senior status; to parade and wear the Regimental uniforms reminiscent of eighteenth-century musicians who served in the Continental Army billeted in York Town. Senior Corps members must also demonstrate leadership principles and public speaking as they not only lead the Corps but engage the public during performances.

To achieve this status, each member must be able to read music, learn a minimum of 24 tunes, and march and perform in frequent public appearances and musters throughout the country. Drummer and fifer numbers and genders are fairly evenly split, although boys outpace girls by a small margin.

Members sign up for each performance as they are able, but there are five mandatory performances a year. It soon becomes obvious that to be a member is not for the faint of heart, something members’ parents quickly realize.

Fifes are purchased by the members, who generally start out on plastic fifes but move to wooden models upon promotion to Junior Corps. The fifers own their instruments and keep them after departure. The Corps provides the costlier drums. Members buy their own sticks, slings and practice drum pads. All are taught how to care for their instruments, and drum maintenance sessions are held where members learn to completely disassemble, repair, and reassemble them.

The Corps provides all uniform pieces for the Junior and Senior Corps, with the exception of their shoes, while Recruits wear khaki pants and polo shirts. For years, tailors made the Corps’ regimentals, while a hatter crafted the distinctive tricorn hats, but in the space of two years all three specialists have retired.

“We have identified a maker for the tricorn hats and are working to identify a tailor or seamstress for the red regimentals and blue vests,” Sharra explains. “We maintain the uniforms and August/September 2018

Appearance at the US Capitol in 2016. one of our busiest and most important board positions is that of Quartermaster, whose responsibility is for upkeep and tracking of the uniforms. We have a number of parents who pitch in for minor repair and sewing details. Senior Corps uniforms run approximately $1200 and the Junior Corps uniforms average around $500. We are on a five-year plan to rotate out and replace aging uniforms.� In the past, grants and donations have paid for the uniforms.

Headquartered in a 4,000 square foot facility on Church Street, custom-built from funds raised through a Community Capital project in 2006, the two-story building contains a practice and performance chamber, rehearsal rooms, and equipment storage antechambers on the first floor, and uniform and general storage on the second.

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The Corps principal supporters are the York County Arts Commission, the Virginia Commission for the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts, and the Celebrate Yorktown Committee. Support from local civic groups such as the Masons and Rotary, stipends earned from private events, and income through the sale of souvenirs and clothing help generate income.

Unlike other fife and drum groups who are fully funded, The Fifes and Drums of Yorktown are primarily supported by strong community involvement. As one of York County’s most visible performing arts groups, the Corps symbolizes what is best about Yorktown, our founding history, and some of the best in military field music.

For more information about The Fifes and Drums of Yorktown you can visit their website at www.fifes-and-drums.org. H

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a Southern Staple

SWEET TEA

By Linda Landreth Phelps

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Sweet tea was a staple drink when summer called people to sit a spell on the porch swing, equipped with a paper fan and tall glass of steeped amber nectar with fat drops of condensation sliding down its sides.

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ack in the day, when offered tea anywhere south of the Mason/Dixon line, you knew exactly what to expect. It was syrupy sweet and cold enough to make your teeth ache pleasantly. Perhaps it came with a juicy lemon slice perched jauntily on the lip or maybe a sprig of fresh mint plucked from the garden.

Sweet tea was a staple drink when summer called people to sit a spell on the porch swing, equipped with a paper fan and tall glass of steeped amber nectar with fat drops of condensation sliding down its sides. It’s a tradition that’s stood the test of generations. Every family’s tea recipe was sacred. Some swore by Tetly, others by LuziAnne, while debating at length whether sun tea in a glass jar was superior in taste and method to the more familiar brew made with boiling water.

Great-grandmother would be scandalized, but traditional sweet tea is becoming the latest icon to fall to the winds of modernization. The definition of a perfect

glass of iced tea is evolving. Now the iterations are endless: Decaf or regular? Sweet or unsweetened? Even green or black?

Innovations abound, with basic teas first infused with peach, passionfruit and raspberry, then escalating to chai spices, herbs and veggies. In my own home, instead of the formerly ubiquitous Lipton black tea bags, I now stock an assortment of boxes for the fickle tastes of guests and family. A fun tea infuser lives here, too, a tiny, tea leaf-stuffed guy who lounges his latex body in boiling water like it’s a hot tub. If that image doesn’t put you off, I’ll offer you a choice: Do you prefer organic? Got it.

Herbal? Got that, too. A total of 14 different varieties are found in the pantry, including a gift from a dear friend visiting from India, Tata Tea’s loose leaf Teaveda — its ayurvedic goodness contains Brahmi and Tulsi extracts.

The point is that it’s a new day and a new world, and even in the tradition-bound South we’ve become more adventurous. To join this trend, upgrade your tried-and-true beverage with some small changes at first. Freeze mint leaves or muddled fruit in ice cubes to add a surprise flavor to your glass. Replacing half the amount of sweet tea with sparkling water reduces calories and makes for a refreshing treat.

Try this recipe for a tea beverage that’s memorably different but still evokes a Southern summer day. Grammy would have approved. H

WATERMELON GREEN ICED TEA Serves 8

Ingredients: • • • • •

4 cups seedless, cubed watermelon, pureéd 2 cups water 2 green tea bags 1 lime Sugar, agave, or other sweetener to taste

Directions: Add tea bags to boiling water. While they steep, pureé watermelon cubes. After ten minutes, remove tea bags and add watermelon pureé, the juice of one lime and sweeten to taste. Chill before serving.

Garnish with a slice of lime or wedge of watermelon and enjoy. As a bonus health benefit, watermelon’s vitamins and minerals nourish the body as well as please the palate.

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Happy Summer Y'all!

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CIGARS 101 WHEN SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES but it Tastes Really Good

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By Rebekah Madren

August/September 2018

you don’t have to be Winston Churchill or JFK to get past the cloud of confusing lexicon. Under all the words and numbers, cigars are simple—an avenue to an hour of being still.

They are relaxing.

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igars seem pretentious. The brown sticks of leaves have elaborate names and sizing that must be explained. Their leaves are cured as an art and a science. The famous, and infamous, have enhanced their reputations with their cigar habits, like Babe Ruth, Jack Nicholson, and Al Capone.

But, you don’t have to be Winston Churchill or JFK to get past the cloud of confusing lexicon. Under all the words and numbers, cigars are simple—an avenue to an hour of being still. They are relaxing.

Long summer nights are a nice window of time for smoking. So, voilà, here is the need-to-know guide on the unsubstantiated yet seeming mystery of cigars. The truth behind the confusing cigar vocabulary stems from their history. Cigars have evolved over centuries and across continents, creating a great product, yet little standardization in its terms. To simplify it, you can categorize cigars into colors, shapes and sizes. Simple is good.

Cigar Color The color of cigars is the best place to start. The color of the wrapper can tell you a lot about the cigar flavor. Cigar wrapper colors are categorized differently by aficionados. So, let’s break them into three very general ones, starting from the light to dark in color: Connecticut, Natural/Habana, and Maduro.

Connecticut: These are light tan in color. The tobacco leaf is often grown in Connecticut under shade tents, called shade tobacco. They generally have a milder, sweeter flavor. A Connecticut wrapper is a go to for a new smoker.

Habana, also called Natural: Light brown to brown in The House & Home Magazine

color, these wrappers have a medium-bodied flavor. They have some spice and a fuller aroma.

Maduro: This color is deep brown, almost black. The color comes from tobacco being fermented longer and at higher heat. “Maduro” means “mature” in Spanish.

The taste is usually more full-bodied, with chocolate and pepper flavors.

Side note, along with the wrapper, a cigar has filler and a binder. The filler is what is inside. How filler is made varies, but the bottom line is that premium cigars have better filler.

The binder, obviously, holds the filler together and is then topped with the wrapper.

As a freshman smoker, steer towards Connecticut/Claro wrappers at the beginning. We could compare it to drinking beer. If you have never tasted beer, you don’t want to start with the darkest, bitterest IPA. Stay lighter and milder until you know what you like.

Cigar Size Beyond the color of the cigar, size and shape vary among stogies. Size is measured in length and diameter. Length is measured in inches. If it says 7”, you know the cigar is 7” long.

The diameter is not as straightforward. It is measured by ring gauge, a somewhat antiquated system. In any case, 64 units in ring gauge equals one inch in diameter. Let’s say a cigar has a ring gauge of 48. Forty-eight is three-quarters of 64, so it’s about 3/4 inch in diameter. So, if you see a cigar that measures 7 x 48, you know it’s seven inches long and 3/4 of an inch around.

Size matters. If you get a cigar that is close to 64 ring gauge, and say, at least six inches in length, it could take an hour 27

and a half to smoke it. Smaller diameter means less smoke time, and more flavor from the wrapper since there is less filler.

Cigar Shape Cigar shape is a different animal — so many shapes, so little time! Again, in general, there are three popular shapes to get started with cigar knowledge: robusto, toro, and torpedo.

Robusto: These are five inches long with a 50 ring gauge — a short, thick cigar. The sides are straight.

Toro: These have straight sides, and are longer and thinner than robustos, at 5 5/8 inch by 46 ring gauge. They go up to six inches by 50 ring gauge, approximately.

Torpedo: A torpedo is not straightsided like a toro or robusto. It’s shaped like — you guessed it — a torpedo. They will burn a little more slowly because of their tapered head, as the smoke draw is tighter.

Tools for Cigars There are three basic tools for cigars One to cut it. One to light it. One to store it. A cigar is closed on the smoking end (head) and must be cut to be smoked. Cutters made for cigars can be purchased. A kitchen knife works, too, if you want to wait until you are a committed smoker to spend money on a cutter. To light a cigar, use a match or a butane lighter. These are clean burning and will not add flavor or scent to the cigar.

Storing cigars well is important. A cigar can dry out if not protected. A humidor is the best way to store them.

Essentially, it’s a humidity-controlled box that keeps a cigar moist. Another option is an acrylic humidor “jar” that can be found on Amazon.com. The jar is a lowcost item and holds up to 25 cigars. If you commit to smoking cigars, browse Ebay or Craigslist for high-quality used humidors at great prices.

Choosing and Smoking a First Cigar For purchasing, options are varied.

Physical stores are the first places that 28

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come to mind. Aim to spend in the $8-$10 range at a smoke shop. Again, a cigar with a Connecticut wrapper is a recommended first cigar. Purchasing cigars online is a popular possibility, too. Prices on good cigars can come down to $4-$6 with online sales, free shipping, and bundles.

Cigar lounges are growing in popularity and are fantastic places for the inexperienced. Any questions can be answered, the selection of cigars is broad, and all the tools needed (cutter, the right lighter) are at your disposal. If you’ve got an extroverted bend, the social aspect will be worth the trip. Lounges are also a place to pair a drink with a cigar.

Cigar and alcohol pairings are a subject well-discussed. The possibilities seem intimidating. Common pairings are beer, merlot, port, bourbon and scotch. Aged rum is trendy right now.

The simple rule is: drink what you like to drink, then add a cigar. The experience is about relaxing, not impressing.

Finally, an unsophisticated rule for being relaxed as a beginning smoker: don’t smoke on an empty stomach or you might feel ill.

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Cigars in Virginia Jamestown was full of empty stomachs when John Rolfe arrived in 1610 with tobacco seeds. He was part of the “Third Supply” sent to Jamestown from England, that was shipwrecked near Bermuda and almost a year late. A shroud of mystery lies around where Rolfe got his seeds — some say Bermuda, some say Trinidad. Rolfe helped save the failing colony’s economy when he exported his first tobacco in 1614. Rolfe made tons of moolah, but Virginia-grown tobacco never made it to the cigar game. The Virginia species was smoked in pipes and use for snuff.

However, the Spanish began rolling cigars in Cuba in the late 1500s with their expertly cured tobacco.

Cigars became popular in the colonies and England around the 1730s, when the term “cigar” became recognized. For the etymologists out there, “cigar” is the English word derived from Spanish “cigarro”. But the Mayans in modern-day Guatemala may have a claim on the true origin. The Mayans used the word “sikar,” which literally means to smoke rolled tobacco.

Some sources credit the Mayans with the “invention” of the cigar around the tenth century.

In the twenty-first century, finding a way to relax is arguably more important than it was in the tenth. Cigar tobacco growing, and rolling, has also expanded worldwide in the past centuries. The amalgamation of history and culture wrapped into a brown stogie is fascinating. And, the commitment to be still to enjoy it is worthwhile. H The House & Home Magazine

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swamp root

&

old bones

By Captain Bob Cerullo

O

n a quiet country road just a few miles from Urbanna, Virginia, there is a tract of land on the banks of the Rappahannock River, touched by history. Obscured by overgrown trees and heavy underbrush, there lies what was once, more than 100 years ago, a thriving and vibrant farm for champion racehorses, including the legendary Kentucky Derby winner Exterminator. Ravaged by time and hidden from view, what remains is as incredible as is the story of how it began and what happened there.

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August/September 2018

medicines: Dr. Kilmer’s Indian Cough Cure and Consumption Oil, Female Remedy and Blood Purifier, Dr. Kilmer’s Ocean Weed Blood Purifier and Heart Remedy, and more.

In 1878, his brother Jonas took over the business end of the company. He bought out Dr. Kilmer’s share of the business in 1892. Dr. Kilmer then built a Sanitarium and Hydrotherapium (Spa) ten miles east of Binghamton. Jonas Kilmer brought his son Willis into the business. Willis graduated from Cornell University in 1880. SWAMP-ROOT sales took off when Willis Sharpe Kilmer took over the advertising. Kilmer learned the lessons well-taught to him by his first wife Beatrice Richardson’s father, who was an extremely successful New York advertising executive.

As the money rolled in, Willis Kilmer aspired to things beyond SWAMPROOT. In 1904, Kilmer founded the Binghamton Press. Rumor has it that he started the paper in an effort to put the Binghamton Evening Heard out of business because of articles critical of SWAMP-ROOT and in favor of the Pure Food and Drug Act. Kilmer endeavored to block the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act. He was not successful at stopping the act, but his paper prospered. Kilmer built a mansion on Riverside Drive in Binghamton, and on the same grounds he built Sun Briar Court. Kilmer had a keen interest in horse racing. Some say he saw it as a key to being accepted in the close, nice community of the super-rich. Sun Briar was a state-ofthe-art facility for the care and training Remlik Mansion. Courtesy of Southside Sentinel of racehorses. It had a 1/5-mile indoor horse track and an outdoor 1/2-mile track. There were 100 fireproof stalls, steam-heated broodmare stalls, feeding The story starts with a young lad born in both traditional and homeopathic machines, electric lights, a covered medicine. The business soon moved in Brooklyn, New York, on October 18, riding ring, and the entire facility was to a laboratory building in downtown 1869. For the first nine years of his life, kept immaculately clean. It included a Binghamton. The formula was called seeing horses pulling milk wagons, fire clubhouse, offices and living quarters. engines, coaches, trolleys, and just about SWAMP-ROOT. Its advertisement Kilmer spared no expense when it came said: “This is to certify that Dr. Kilmer’s anything on wheels was an everyday to horses. If he liked a horse, he would Swamp-Root is purely vegetable… The occurrence for young Willis Sharpe buy it, have it trained and race it under small quantity of alcohol it contains is Kilmer. In 1878, his family moved to his colors of brown, green and orange.

Binghamton, New York, where his father, used for the purpose of preserving the vegetable ingredients from fermentation.” His horse Genie was the son of Man o’ Jonas, became the business manager for War. Another of his horses, Sun Beau, It should be noted that SWAMP-ROOT his Uncle S. Andral Kilmer’s company, Dr. Kilmer and Co. In the beginning, the is believed to have contained nine to ten held the American record for money percent alcohol. This at a time when the won, until the great Sea Biscuit broke formulas for all sorts of ailments were the record in 1939. Kilmer’s gelding country was embroiled in Prohibition made in Dr. Kilmer’s sister’s kitchen. Dr. Exterminator won the Kentucky Derby (1920 to 1933). There were other Kilmer had some impressive credentials

Ravaged by time and hidden from view, what remains is as incredible as is the story of how it began and what happened there.

The House & Home Magazine

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1918 Kentucky Derby Winner, Exterminator.

Courtesy of Keeneland-Cook

in 1918. Sun Briar was the champion two-year-old of 1917 and the Kentucky Derby favorite of 1918. Kilmer bought a gelding named Exterminator as a companion and stable mate for his champion Sun Briar. At the last minute,

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Sun Briar developed a hoof problem called Ringbone that put him out of the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Henry McDaniel persuaded Kilmer to run the gelding Exterminator in his place. With William Knapp aboard, Exterminator pressed

the early pace, soon was dueling for the lead and ultimately edged away for a length victory over Escoba. Exterminator won the 1918 Kentucky Derby at 30-1 odds. The story of Exterminator is immortalized in the book HERE COMES EXTERMINATOR by Eliza McGraw (2016, Thomas Dunne Books, St Martin’s Press). Exterminator ran 99 races and won more than $3 million in today’s dollars. Kilmer was also the breeder of Reigh Count, the winner of the 1928 Kentucky Derby. Exterminator and his horse Sun Beau were elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Joe Palmer, in the 1945 volume of “American Race Horses,” said of Exterminator: “He lived a little over 30 years, a great age for a horse. Many horsemen thought him the greatest horse they had seen; many racing people who had never seen him knew of him as a sort of symbol of indestructibility, of stamina, and of thoroughbred courage.”

Exterminator was affectionately known as “Old Bones,” as portrayed in a popular children’s book by the same name.

Kilmer owned several properties, including a 1,000-acre farm in

August/September 2018

Middlesex County, along the shores of the Rappahannock River just outside of Urbanna, Virginia. Kilmer found this piece of property after arriving on his own yacht, the 200-foot Remlik. He was so impressed by the excellent game hunting at Corbin Hall land and what was then known as The Grange. It was located between LaGrange Creek and Robinson Creek. Kilmer’s yacht was later retrofitted for wartime, named the USS Remlik, and it earned a congressional medal of honor for its

performance in battle. Kilmer named it Remlik,, which is Kilmer spelled backwards. Kilmer liked to name things Remlik, including his luxurious private railroad car, his 200-foot yacht and his horse farm Remlik. Remlik Farm was an incredible stud facility for racehorses. For his own home, Kilmer built a mansion, one of several, he called Remlik Hall. The mansion was located on Kilmer Point, quite a distance from the indoor track. It was a 52-room

Kilmer sold his yacht Remlik to the US Navy at the start of World War. It was commissioned USS REMLIK (SR157). Courtesy of the US Naval Archives.

The House & Home Magazine

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Always dapper, Willis Sharpe Kilmer, 1910.

Courtesy of Broome County Historical Society

Aerial view painting of Remlik Farm.

Courtesy of Something Different Restaurant in Urbanna, Virginia

Remlik Mansion fire.

Courtesy of the Stanley Hart Family Collection.

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August/September 2018

“You really loved him or really hated him.” Villain or hero, there is no denying the many great things Willis Sharpe Kilmer did...

Tudor mansion which covered the equivalent of one city block. It burned in 1938 in a suspicious fire. Rumor has it that his second wife Sarah Jane Willis, did not like the mansion because to get from the main road to the mansion, the chauffeur had to open and close several gates, stopping to get out at each gate.

As he did at his horse farms at Sun Briar Court in Binghamton, NY, and Court Manor located outside New Market, VA, Kilmer poured money into his farm at Remlik, Virginia. At Remlik, there was a quarter-mile indoor track, a 1.5-mile outdoor track, large stalls for about 135 horses, three water towers that provided artesian well water to water mains throughout the farm and for firefighting, electric lights and of course, a daily dose of SWAMP-ROOT to all his horses. There was a residence for jockeys, and it is still in use as home to historian and farmer Bill Schutte and his wife, Patti Lou. Kilmer owned a game preserve near Binghamton called Sky Lake, and he was a pioneer in forest and game preservation in New York as well as in Virginia. Kilmer established his own pack of foxhounds. He created the Kilmer Pathological Laboratory in Binghamton and started Binghamton’s first nine-hole golf course, which later became the Binghamton Country Club. SWAMP-ROOT, real or imagined, helped millions feel as if they were being helped, as has been proven by doctors using placebos.

Willis Sharpe Kilmer died of pneumonia on July 12, 1940, leaving an estate estimated at $15 million, (over $200 million in today’s dollars). Willis Sharpe Kilmer is interred in the family mausoleum in Floral Park Cemetery in Binghamton.

People who knew him have said, “You really loved him or really hated him.” Villain or hero, there is no denying the many great things Willis Sharpe Kilmer did for SWAMPROOT, the science of advertising, and the economies of Binghamton. He brought numerous jobs to Remlik and other towns, orchestrated the revival of the sport of horse racing in Virginia and brought a measure of joy into the lives of millions. Virgil and Helen Gill owned the farm from 19411989. On the farm they developed a thriving turkey business.

Bill Schutte has continued that tradition and farms the land today. He raises turkeys and beef cattle.

The sound of hoof beats no longer echoes across the pastures of Remlik farm. There are no more champion racehorses at Remlik resting and training to get ready for their next big race or perhaps the Kentucky Derby. But, their stories live on and are cherished by the Gill family and Bill Schutte. Schutte has an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of Exterminator and the bloodlines of horses that once lived on the farm. Surely the ghosts of “Old Bones”, Sun Briar, Sun Beau and other great horses frolic still in the green pastures at Remlik Farm. H The House & Home Magazine

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Perfection

PICNIC

By Linda Landreth Phelps

“A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou beside me, singing in the wilderness…”

Omar Khayyam, 12th Century Poet 38

August/September 2018

W

hen was the last time you went on a real picnic with your sweetie? If it’s been a long while, maybe it’s time to step up your romantic game. With just a little planning, you can rise above the lazy temptation of takeout subs and chips and demonstrate to your loved one how special they are with a perfectly executed al fresco meal.

The first step on the path to picnic bliss is deciding on a venue, whether it’s a sunset sail on the York River, dinner on the lawn of the Governor’s Palace, or a blanket in your own backyard. What makes your honey happy? Go there. Once you have chosen the perfect location, let that place inspire the menu and decor. A beach picnic on the sand, for instance, might include seafood pasta salad with baby shrimp and a nautical-themed ground cloth.

The menu doesn’t have to be overly complicated but should be a bit more elaborate than that poetic loaf of bread and jug of wine. If alcohol is on your list to bring along (check to see if it’s allowed at your picnic location), consider the new convenience of good wines that are canned instead of bottled. In a recent event at a Williamsburg store, a chilled fruity red poured straight from a can was the hands-down favorite among tasters. An added bonus is not having to remember to pack the corkscrew.

Now’s the time to break out that cool vintage picnic hamper that’s been gathering dust. Pack it with a special cloth, the classic red-checked version or a bright print, but leave the plastic at home. Cloth napkins are a nice touch that shows you care enough to make a little extra effort. The truly old-fashioned picnic basket comes equipped with actual flatware, plates, and glasses which lend elegance to your special occasion. Modern plastic ware can also be stylish and safe, but absolutely no paper plates are allowed when you’re trying to make points in the game of romance.

On that note, you won’t want to skimp on ambience. If the picnic location is private, bring along a Bluetooth speaker and a special playlist of songs designed to set the mood or bring back shared memories. Reprise songs from the year you met or include tunes from a favorite singer.

When it comes to planning a menu, sturdy foods travel better, so save the crumbly delicacies for another time The House & Home Magazine

and stick with heartier fare. Whatever recipes you decide to include, make sure cold foods stay cold, and hot foods hot.

Insulated carrying bags work well to hold heat, and modern insulated coolers that use frozen ice packs come in any size and keep that chicken salad safe to eat for many hours.

For the final touch, a citronella candle or two ensures you’ll enjoy your lovely picnic free of unwelcome guests while adding to the romantic atmosphere. Relax, enjoy nature, and especially each other. Silence your phones and put them away out of sight so you can connect with each other in a deeper way, without distractions.

Remember as you’re planning, cooking and packing goodies such as these following suggested recipes, you’re putting together more than a picnic. You’re making a potential memory! H

39

CREAMY CHICKEN SALAD WITH RED PEPPERS AND CUCUMBER Start with cold pre-cooked chicken, either leftover, canned, or store-bought rotisserie to save time.

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • •

2 cups white meat chicken, cut up 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 red pepper, seeded, cored, and diced 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced 2 tbsp. red onion, diced 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper Butter lettuce/sliced tomato Fresh croissants, split

Directions: Combine first seven ingredients, then assemble croissants. Add a lettuce leaf and a slice of tomato.

Makes 4 servings

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August/September 2018

ELOTE, OR MEXICAN STREET VENDOR CORN Ingredients: • • • • • • •

4 ears sweet corn, white or yellow, shucked 1/4 cup melted butter 1/4 cup mayo 1/2 cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro chili powder salt to taste

Directions: Place corn on a hot grill for about seven to ten minutes, until lightly charred all over. Immediately roll in melted butter and spread with mayonnaise. Sprinkle with feta, chopped cilantro, salt, and chili powder to taste. Serve warm.

STRAWBERRY ASPARAGUS SALAD Ingredients: • 2 cups asparagus, blanched and cut into 2” pieces • 2 cups strawberries, sliced, with largest reserved whole for garnish • Toss in a bowl and set aside.

Dressing: • 1/4 cup lemon juice, preferably Meyer lemon • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil • 2 tbsp. honey • 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar • 1 tbsp. roasted sunflower seeds

Directions: Mix together and toss with salad, then garnish with roasted sunflower seeds. Chill before serving.

TOMATO BASIL PASTA SALAD Ingredients: • • • • • • • •

2 cups of halved cherry tomatoes 6 tbsp. olive oil 2 cloves crushed garlic 6 leaves fresh basil, torn or chopped 10 oz. fusilli pasta, cooked and drained 3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Stir tomatoes, onion, olive oil, garlic, and basil together in a bowl.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook fusilli in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite, 12 minutes. Drain. Toss warm pasta with feta cheese and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Stir tomato mixture into pasta and season with salt and pepper. Serve room temperature and refrigerate leftovers.

The House & Home Magazine

41

KIWI BANANA PARFAITS

Ingredients: • • • • • • •

1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt 2 tbsp. honey 1 tsp. vanilla extract 3/4 cup granola 2 bananas, peeled and sliced 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced shaved fresh coconut for garnish

Directions: Combine the Greek yogurt, honey and vanilla extract in a bowl and set it aside. Peel and slice the bananas and kiwis and set them aside. In a small-sized Mason jar, layer a small amount of the yogurt mixture on the bottom. Next, add a layer of the bananas, then add a layer of sliced kiwis, followed by the granola. Continue this pattern until the jar is full and you use up all of the yogurt, granola and fruit.

Refrigerate before serving.

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August/September 2018

The House & Home Magazine

43

CHESAPEAKE BAY GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL

20 Years of Growing Leaders and Making a Positive Impact on Our Region

By Jackie Nunnery Photos courtesy of Sara Harris Photography except where otherwise noted

E to provide “a community of learners the opportunity to explore connections among the environment, math, science, and technology” 44

very year, thousands of outstanding Virginia high school students are accepted to one of 19 Governor’s Schools across the state. With a focus on non-traditional teaching methods like hands-on experiences or small group instruction, they offer rich learning opportunities beyond the regular curriculum.

And with programs that focus on the arts, mathematics, science and technology; or government and international studies, gifted students have many opportunities to explore an area of interest and ability.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS The Virginia’s Governor’s School Program began in 1973 with three summer residential programs for 400 gifted students from across the Commonwealth. Since its start, the program has expanded to more August/September 2018

Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland counties) at two locations on the Glenns and Warsaw campuses of Rappahannock Community College (RCC).

Since then, CBGS has added two school divisions — Colonial Beach and New Kent joined in 2006 and 2010 respectively; and a third site in Bowling Green to lessen travel times for students in Caroline, King George, and King William counties. On average, CBGS now serves 250 students each academic year.

An added advantage to the CBGS program is dual enrollment. Since students are enrolled in the college while in high school, they earn college credits for some of their coursework. Some students have even earned an associate’s degree from RCC by the time they graduate from high school.

Dr. Kevin Goff and sophomores studying shallow fish population at Belle Isle State Park

TO INSPIRING, ENRICHED CURRICULUM

than 40 sites, serving 7,500 students throughout Virginia.

What sets the Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School (CBGS) apart from other Governor’s School programs is a focus on Marine and Environmental Sciences. This offers select high-school students from the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula an enrichment program that explores how math, science, technology, and research can be used to address environmental issues affecting our region.

CBGS launched in the fall of 1998 with 80 students from 12 school divisions (Caroline, Essex, Gloucester, King George, King & Queen, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, The House & Home Magazine

The mission of the CBGS is twofold: to provide “a community of learners the opportunity to explore connections among the environment, math, science, and technology” and to develop “leaders who possess the research and technical skills, global perspective, and vision needed to address the challenges of a rapidly changing society.”

And they’re doing just that. As a designated academic year program (there are Governor’s Schools with summeronly programs), sophomores, juniors and seniors spend their mornings with CBGS and return to their high-schools to complete their regular curriculum in the afternoons. In addition to coursework in lab sciences, marine science, and math, students participate in immersive field studies each year to provide real-world context to their classroom learning.

Sophomores follow the journey water takes as it travels from the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Chesapeake Bay; juniors study fresh and salt water tidal marshes of the Eastern Shore; and seniors explore barrier islands with a trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It is this approach to learning that is vital to the program.

“Our emphasis on authentic outdoor education in marine and environmental science and teaching scientific research methodology are why our students, and ultimately the school, are successful. It’s what sets us apart,” said Dr. Terri Perkins, Director of CBGS.

Sampling fish from the Rappahannock River

45

Chemistry Instructor, Gary Long, leading a “Messy Chemistry” session

These in-depth investigations provide a solid foundation for students to complete a two-year independent research project during their senior year.

It all culminates with the annual Senior Research Symposium, held at Virginia Commonwealth University. Seniors present their research projects, which are judged by members of the scientific community from area universities. Select students may also be invited to present at the Virginia Junior Academy of Science Symposium.

In addition to the school’s curriculum, there are exciting and challenging academic opportunities for students to apply their learning. Here are just a couple: Blue Crab Bowl Designed to test student’s knowledge of the marine sciences, this regional academic tournament, part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, is co-hosted by Old Dominion University and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. This is a great opportunity for CBGS students to receive regional and national recognition for their hard work.

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August/September 2018

MATE ROV (Marine Advanced Technology Education Remote Operated Vehicle) Competition An underwater robotics competition where students design, present, demonstrate, and develop a marketing plan for their vehicles.

“Competitions like this are important, especially for our region, because there aren’t many other opportunities for students interested in mechanical or electrical engineering to get this kind of experience,” said Greg Dorsey physics teacher and robotics mentor.

For the second year in a row, the team mentored by Dorsey and Julia Jones, mathematics teacher and marketing mentor, has won Best Overall and Best Product Demonstration in its division.

This year the team placed first in its division, sweeping every category with the addition of Best Marketing Display, Best Engineering Presentation, and Most Creative Design. Dorsey believes it is the diversity in the team’s skills — writing, presenting, engineering, electronics — that has been the key to its success.

The House & Home Magazine

Physics Instructor, Greg Dorsey, discussing seniors’ self-propelled vehicle challenge. Courtesy of CBGS

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AND IMPACTFUL SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY Additionally, students are encouraged to serve their communities through service projects that may or may not be environmentally focused. Many students choose to take on that challenge. Among the activities: performing educational outreach in area elementary and middle schools; volunteering at the Urbanna Oyster Festival Marine Science Day; and helping provide water quality testing at Cat Point Creek, Dragon Run, and Maracossic Creek. The Class of 2018 has provided nearly 4,600 community service hours, over half of which are environmentally related.

NOTABLE CBGS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

BY THE NUMBERS

1: Rank in the Governor’s Classroom Conservation Challenge. The winning project was developing and constructing a living shoreline and restoration oyster reef in Jamison Cove at the Urbanna Town Marina.

3: Number of years CBGS has been named a Top School by Virginia Living Magazine for its innovative programs and curriculum 11: Number of years that CBGS has been recognized for its efforts in supporting environmental conservation and stewardship by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries 23: Number of students invited to present their research at the 77th Annual Junior Academy of Science Symposium $1.7 million: Amount of college scholarships and grants awarded to the Class of 2018 CELEBRATING THE PAST AND PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE While there are many accomplishments and people to celebrate over the course of 20 years, the CBGS Education Foundation is also looking to the future.

Since state funding is not enough, the Foundation contributes to needs such as research and field equipment, teaching supplies, and expenses for attending competitions like the Blue Crab Bowl or MATE ROV. 48

August/September 2018

Grayson Johnson, President of the CBGS Education Foundation and Class of 2012, says these programs “provide valuable hands-on experience in addition to working with top students in the area.”

Since graduating, Johnson has gone on to earn a BS in chemistry and is working toward his PhD, both at the University of Virginia.

Not that every student who attends the program ends up in science, and that’s okay, Johnson says. Even if students find they no longer want to pursue science, the rigorous nature of the program better prepares students for college.

Furthering these exceptional outcomes is part of the CBGS Education Foundation’s capital campaign, with the goal of raising $20,000 for 2018.

This funding will provide scholarships to ensure student access to educational opportunities regardless of ability to pay; and allow access to equipment that enhances the educational experience but may not be covered by state funds.

The Foundation is sponsoring the CBGS 20th Anniversary Celebration Fundraiser, November 10, from 3:306:30 p.m. The ticketed fundraiser will be held at the Deltaville Maritime Museum and Holly Point Nature Park. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Chesapeake Bay and a museum steeped in the maritime history of the region, it’s the perfect setting to reflect on 20 years of environmental engagement and progress.

“It’s an opportunity to showcase the CBGS accomplishments and resulting impact on our community,” said Elizabeth Johnson, a director on the Board of CBGS Education Foundation.

Both of her sons, Grayson and Cullen, graduated from CBGS. Since then, she has been one of its biggest champions.

“One of my greatest joys is to encourage young people in our community to apply to the Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School because I know if they are accepted, the education they receive will open many doors for a bright and productive future,” she added.

For tickets to the fundraising event and/or to contribute your taxdeductible donation to the CBGS Education Foundation, contact Elizabeth Johnson at (804) 240-5909 or visit: CBGSEducationFoundation.org. H The House & Home Magazine

Dr. Kevin Goff explaining the importance of monitoring fish in the Rappahannock River

Students listening to lecture at RCC’s chemistry lab. Courtesy of CBGS

Juniors participating in another “Messy Chemistry” station

Juniors getting ready for kayaking orientation

49

get your

By Linda Landreth Phelps

“The man who invented the hamburger was smart; the man who invented the cheeseburger was a genius.�

- Matthew McConaughey

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August/September 2018

H

ot, juicy, thick, served plain or smothered with a dizzying choice of toppings from guacamole to a fried egg: a hamburger has no parallel in culinary offerings. For the true aficionado, a burger is one thing and one thing only: BEEF. When you crave a good, beefy burger, nothing else satisfies.

There are many opinions about what defines the perfect burger, but to sink your teeth into the best classic hamburger ever, always start with freshly ground, grassfed, organic beef for a depth and richness of flavor that can’t be beat. Skip the pre-packaged, frozen patties and take the time to craft your own; you’ll find the extra effort is well worth the trouble. Most chefs agree that an 80 percent lean to 20 percent fat ratio is ideal; any leaner and it may be a little healthier, but it could seem dry, and the full flavor just isn’t there. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as minced onion or garlic at this point, if you like, but with quality meat, simple seasoning is often enough and lets the intrinsic taste shine through. A favorite easy shortcut for many who still prefer to dress it up is to add a packet of dry Lipton’s Beefy Onion Soup mix and a raw egg (for a binding agent) plus a tiny splash of Worcestershire sauce for moisture.

Be sure not to overwork the meat. Aim for a firmness that will hold together while cooking, but still be tender to the tooth. Keep the meat nice and cold. When hand-shaping patties, body heat transfers to the meat, so prep them far enough in advance that it will allow them to rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. They’ll hold together much better if you include this step.

For a burger with true presence, 1/3 pound of meat per patty works great. Form into discs that are wider than the bun and a little shallower in the middle to prevent them shrinking to golf ball shape as they cook on the grill. Even though there’s a lot to be said for a good fried hamburger, hold that thought for bad weather or winter nights. Some cooks specifically swear by charcoal cooking, willing to trade the convenience of a gas grill for the smoky flavor added by a bed of hot coals.

Put the cold patties on a hot grill, reduce heat to mediumhigh and cook about five minutes each side, turning only once. Less handling is more desirable in this case. The object is to cook one side until the meat firms up and holds together when flipped. To be safe from bacteria, be sure to cook burgers adequately. An internal temperature of 160 degrees is optimal.

Consuming rare hamburger is risky.

Now comes the genius touch: cheese. Classic American cheese added at the last minute and melted thoroughly into the grilled meat has its loyal fans, but sharp cheddar is also gaining traction lately.

At this point, the hamburger you’ve cooked is a keto dieter’s dream, and though it’s totally possible to wrap it in lettuce leaves to eat guilt-free, buns are a delicious way to deliver condiments and soak up meat juices. There are two schools of thought here.

One is to butter a split bun and put it on the grill to toast; the other goes old-school with a slightly steamed bun, warm and soft. Whichever you prefer, be sure to buy the best quality bread.

Top one side of the bun with a slice of salted and peppered summer tomato, a thin slab of Vidalia sweet onion, and lettuce, then smear the other side with your choice of mayo, mustard, or ketchup before adding on the sizzling hamburger patty. This classic sandwich is a three-napkin treat, so go ahead—pick it up with both hands, lean over the plate, close your eyes in anticipation, and get your burger on! H

Skip the pre-packaged, frozen patties and take the time to craft your own; you’ll find the extra effort is well worth the trouble.

The House & Home Magazine

51

Sugar

By Zora Aiken

I

t’s no surprise that “sugar toad” does not suggest a mouthwatering gourmet delight. Alternate names don’t help at all: blow toad, mud toad, swelling toad, sugar bellies and more. Luckily, the names do not even apply to a toad — the creature in question is a finfish, properly known as the northern puffer.

Admittedly, the fish isn’t pretty. It’s not shaped much like familiar fish. Some call it club-shaped, some blunt-bodied. Its skin is covered with tiny sharp spikes, its mouth looks like a beak, and its teeth are few but large and powerful, with two each top and bottom, 52

August/September 2018

“Sweet as sugar and ugly as a toad”

Courtesy of VIMS

capable of crushing the crabs, clams, shrimp and other shellfish that are its main diet. It’s yellow-white on the underside, and the upper body shows a row of vertical dark stripes. Among commercial fishermen, northern puffers were mainly ignored as bycatch for years, thrown back or saved for fertilizer rather than the cookstove. Calling it a blow toad or a swelling toad added another reason why the fish was considered an undesirable — the names are a reminder that puffer fish are known to be poisonous.

Fortunately, the norther puffer is not a poisonous species. It will puff up when threatened — that’s its only defense against potential predators — and the little fish that suddenly becomes a slightly larger balloon does little to add to its appeal as dinner, though it does provide some entertainment value apart from its intended message. Despite all the reasons to dismiss it, someone discovered that the funny-looking fish was exceptionally good to eat. An Eastern shore waterman is said to have described the northern puffer as “sweet as sugar and ugly as a toad,” thus its now common name, and thus sugar toads became a staple on the menu boards of local watermen’s restaurants on both sides of the Bay. Fast forward a few years, and sugar toads began to appear on the listings of high-end restaurants in Williamsburg, Richmond, Washington and beyond. The menu may show them as sea squab, chicken wings of the sea, or chicken of the sea, a credit to the chefs for fine presentation and to the promotional teams for a successful change of perception. Either way, the fish has gone from bycatch to fine dining. Usually coated with a batter and sautéed or deep fried, the fish is served almost whole, minus the head and skin. Because it’s prepared with the spine of the fish still intact, it’s the perfect appetizer, served with lemon juice and one or more dipping sauces. Each restaurant will have their unique variation on that theme, but sugar toads are meant to be eaten like a tiny ear of corn, hand-held like chicken wings or chicken legs but nibbled on each side. The white meat has a delicate sweet flavor similar to white perch and sea bass.

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Because of their newfound popularity, northern puffers are now targeted by watermen. Recreational fishermen catch them on hook and line while bottom fishing, often with a two-hook bottom rig. In the lower Chesapeake and its tributaries, the fish are found from early spring to autumn, and in winter in deeper waters offshore.

If the family fisherman brings home fresh-caught sugar toads, the cook might need help initially with cleaning the fish, as the skin is like rough sandpaper and must be removed. The obvious benefit of buying sugar toads at a local market is that the fish will most likely be cleaned and ready to cook. They can be purchased fresh from May to October and can be frozen for availability year round. Fresh sugar toads should be cooked within two days of purchase. Deep-frying seems the most popular way to prepare the fish, but everyone can experiment, perhaps with recipes already in the family-favorites file. The range of possibilities for dipping can create a change of flavors each time sugar toads are on the menu. H

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Courtesy of Arnest Seafood

BUTTERMILK FRIED SUGAR TOADS WITH HOMEMADE TARTAR SAUCE Serves 4

Ingredients: • 1 pound Northern Pufferfish (a.k.a. sugar toads), cleaned with skin/fins removed • 1/2 cup cornmeal • 1/2 cup flour • 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning • Pinch of black pepper • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 cup buttermilk • 1 large egg • Oil (or Crisco) for frying

Directions:

HOMEMADE TARTAR SAUCE Makes 1 cup

Ingredients: • • • • • • • •

1 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons onion, minced 2 tablespoons sweet pickles, minced 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (or more, to taste) 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, more if you like it spicy Pinch of Cajun seasoning or Old Bay seasoning Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Mix all ingredients well in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Preheat oil to about a 1 1/2 inch depth in a cast-iron skillet until a thermometer reaches 375 degrees. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish mix together cornmeal, flour, Old Bay, and peppers. In another small dish, whisk together egg and buttermilk.

Pick up sugar toads by the tailfin and dip them in the buttermilk mixture and then dredge in flour mixture. Fry in hot oil until lightly brown and crispy. Be careful not to crowd the fish. Drain on paper towels or a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Lightly sprinkle fish with sea salt. Serve with tartar sauce and garnish with lemon wedges.

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Anchors Courthouse Square USS TAPPAHANNOCK MEMORIAL

By Janet Evans Hinman

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he Town of Tappahannock has rescued its maritime namesake from sailing into a fog of obscurity with the dedication in July of the USS Tappahannock memorial, a 5’ x 4’ blue granite slab on an angled pedestal anchoring the courthouse square. Residents looked on as local luminaries gathered to mark the installation of the nearly two-ton tablet, which features a carved silhouette of the ship and inscription and was crafted by Parker Memorials & Stone and Dixie Granite Company.

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The ceremony included remarks by Mayor Roy M. Gladding; Bill Croxton, Essex County Economic Development Authority; I.C. Smith, U.S. Navy veteran, former police officer and former FBI agent; Nathan (Nate) Parker IV, June Parker Marina; and Brandon Wooten, a chief engineer with the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command.

“We always talk about recognizing the history of our past,” said Mayor Gladding in his opening remarks. “We are here today to make history.”

The USS Tappahannock (AO-43) was a fleet oiler in the United States Navy, one of the hundreds of service vessels which kept the fleet replenished and repaired. The ship served for 30 years during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam August/September 2018

War, earning nine battle stars for WWII and nine campaign stars for Vietnam. The ship served in the South Pacific, China Sea, Mediterranean, Northern European waters, Caribbean, Hawaiian Islands and the Middle East. One of the longest-serving ships on the Navy’s rolls, the USS Tappahannock was launched in April 1942 and decommissioned in March 1970 and struck from the Navy’s rolls in 1976.

Unheralded and often forgotten, the service vessels were vital to the very existence and capability of aircraft carriers,

Bombs narrowly missed her deck, sending great fountains of water over her bridge. Despite losing its engines in the bomb attack, the Tappahannock fought bravely for her very life, downing two planes, even as its engineer brought the ship back to life after 15 minutes. By that time, the planes were gone, and “the Tappahannock was back doing her job,” Wooten said.

In addition to doing her job, the Tappahannock rescued sailors from vessels that were sunk by Japanese aircraft and submarines. At the end of WWII, the ship was in Tokyo Bay at the

The USS Tappahannock, AO-43 (center), refuels the USS Bon Homme Richard, CV-31, and USS Missouri, BB-63, in July of 1945. Courtesy of U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation

Unheralded and often forgotten, the service vessels were vital to the very existence and capability of aircraft carriers, battleships, destroyers, and other better-known combatants. Without service ships, the Navy’s fighting forces could not perform their missions. battleships, destroyers, and other better-known combatants.

Without service ships, the Navy’s fighting forces could not perform their missions.

“Today we gather here to pay our respects to a great ship,” said Wooten, keynote speaker at the dedication ceremony.

“When we think about the Navy, images usually come to mind of great aircraft carriers, planes, Tom Cruise in his F-14, but I’m here to tell you, ships don’t sail, submarines don’t submerge, and planes don’t fly without fuel,” he said. “The USS Tappahannock was a fleet oiler, it allowed those ships to take the fight to the enemy.”

The 520-foot, 22,000-ton ship had a capacity of 133,000 barrels of oil, about 18,000 tons’ worth, a 214 enlisted-man crew, along with a complement of officers. It was often the target of enemy fire and its duty was hazardous.

Wooten described a 1943 incident, as the Tappahannock was steaming away from Guadalcanal. The oiler, along with two destroyer escorts and their formation, came under attack by seven Japanese fighter planes. The ships had unknowingly steamed directly in the path of a segment of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s force as it made its last thrust against the American Navy in the Solomon Islands. “The prime target was the USS Tappahannock,” Wooten said; “because the enemy understood the importance of fuel. You take the oiler out, you limit every other ship in the fleet.”

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time of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri.

U.S. Navy oilers were traditionally named for rivers and streams with Native American names — Neosho, Monongahela, Neches, among others — the Tappahannock was an exception. As the story goes, the naming of the ship was a product of a friendship. In the years leading up to WWII, Mr. James P. Casbarian, president of the Bank of Maryland, and his wife, spent many pleasant weekends and holidays at the Riverside Hotel, a Tappahannock resort formerly located at the end of Prince Street on the Rappahannock River. A strong friendship developed between the Casbarians and Mr. Stanley S. Mundy, manager of the Riverside. When Mundy learned that Mrs. Casbarian was employed by the Navy Department and involved in the naming and christening of all naval vessels, Mundy asked her to name a ship after the town. And so, it came to be.

The USS Tappahannock was not only unheralded, it was almost unknown until John Lewis and I.C. Smith launched a mission to restore its memory. The ship caught Lewis’s eye when he saw its picture on a wall at Norfolk Naval Base. Lewis went online and found the photo and forwarded it to Nate Parker, who posted it on the June Parker Marina Facebook page in October 2017. In early December, I.C. Smith, a member of the Destroyer Escort Sailors Association, came across a brief reference to a Navy destroyer being refueled by the USS Tappahannock, which prompted him to do further research about the vessel.

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An exhibit featuring the USS Tappahannock at the Essex County Museum.

Tri Parker prepares to unload the nearly 2-ton granite monument.

Tri Parker and his son Nate mark the successful installation of the USS Tappahannock Memorial.

I.C. Smith, U.S. Navy veteran, former police officer and former FBI agent, addresses citizens gathered for the memorial dedication ceremony. Looking on are (seated l-r): Brandon Wooton, U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command; Bill Croxton, Essex County Economic Development Authority; Nate Parker, June Parker Marina; Mayor Roy M. Gladding; Barbara Sethmann, vice president, Essex County Museum and Historical Society; and Pastor Roy Foster, Upper Essex Baptist Church.

Admiring the new memorial are (l-r) Mayor Roy Gladding, I.C. Smith, Nate Parker, Walter Hugh Belfield, Bill Croxton, and Larry Sisson.

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Uniforms and mementos from the USS Tappahannock are a highlight of the exhibit at the Essex County Museum.

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Although the existence of the USS Tappahannock was known to Nathan “June” Parker, Jr., and the Essex County Museum and Historical Society for many years, and its picture has been in Lowery’s Restaurant, its existence had not been publicly celebrated. June Parker wanted to see a memorial to the ship many years ago, but the idea never gained traction. The ship captured his imagination in part because it was an oiler, and Parker was in the oil business.

To restore the vessel’s place in local history, I.C. Smith, Essex History Museum, The Woman’s Club of Essex County, and The Town of Tappahannock worked together to raise funds to cover the cost of the monument, now proudly displayed for the community.

The museum also created an exhibit and features USS Tappahannock memorabilia in its Rappahannock River Gift Shop. To aid in fundraising, I.C. Smith designed and produced special USS Tappahannock commemorative coins, which will be given to those who donate to the project.

Any person donating $10 or more to the Essex History Museum or the Woman’s Club will receive a coin.

The monument was designed, ordered and installed by Tri Parker of June Parker Memorials. I.C. Smith helped with the design, and Tri’s son Nate Parker was on hand for the installation. June Parker Memorials, in business for almost 80 years, is a company that was founded

by Tri Parker’s father, June Parker, upon his return home from his tour of duty in WWII. Parker spent time in Italy during the war and was impressed by the beautiful stone monuments there. He decided to bring a similar craftsmanship in granite and marble to his hometown families, thus preserving their memories — in stone forever.

Nate Parker spoke to the community before unveiling the Tappahannock memorial. “My grandfather knew that one of Tappahannock’s most valuable resources is its history, and it should be preserved,” he said. “Even though the USS Tappahannock never sailed on the Rappahannock River, it was an important oiler that provided one of the most necessary services to our greatest generation for winning World War II. It represented our great town through the waves of WWII, Korea and Vietnam.” H The House & Home Magazine

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AgedPerfection

Photos by Dianne Saison

to

RIVAH VINEYARDS at the Grove

When ‘Rivah Vineyards at The Grove’ in Kinsale opens to the public, its owner — Bryce Taylor — will be the youngest winery owner not only in Virginia and on the East Coast, but also one of the youngest in the country.

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By Dianne Saison

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he Northern Neck is renowned as being part of one of the premier Wine Trails on the East Coast, and later this year, a new addition will bring not only a fresh take on proven vines, but a historical first in the wine community. When ‘Rivah Vineyards at The Grove’ in Kinsale opens to the public, its owner – Bryce Taylor – will be the youngest winery owner not only in Virginia and on the East Coast, but also one of the youngest in the country. Don’t let the 26-year-old’s youth distract you, however, from the fact that his vines, and the plans for his winery, have been aged to perfection.

Taylor’s personal wine-tale has been a process more than seven years in the making, and it began with a dedication to his family that has borne amazing fruit.

Taylor’s family has owned the Kinsale, VA property, known locally as “The Grove” since 1799, when the Bailey’s received the property through what he calls “The Earle’s Grant,” which was a Crown Grant that gave property to homesteaders looking to build and establish a working farm. The Taylors, of NorAugust/September 2018

Construction of the wine tasting and event room.

Bryce Taylor

A view of the Yeocomico River Vineyards

Oak barrels for aging wine thumberland County, later married into the Baileys. The current brick manor was built by Taylor’s five-times grandfather, and although some evidence of an earlier house has been unearthed, it was likely destroyed during the burning of Kinsale in the War of 1812.

As a child, Taylor often visited the stately home and his grandparents, Sue and Bill, Sr., where he fell in love with the land and its bounty. At 125 acres, with 70-acres farmable, the home sits directly on the Yeocomico River, with stunning views and plentiful game.

“My granddad taught me the love of fishing and farming,” Taylor said of Bill, Sr., who died of a stroke in the 1990s, adding that after graduating from Smithfield High School in 2010, he decided to move into the home to be a companion and take care of his grandmother, Sue. “She was ‘Granma’ to everyone, and had the most infectious smile,” Taylor reminisced of the amazing woman who sadly passed in March of this year. “She was one of those people who couldn’t get through the telling of a funny story because she would laugh so hard. I am going to name my first Sweet Red after her and call it ‘Sweet Sue.’” Just a year after moving in, Taylor, who dreamed at the time of becoming a park ranger, had a conversation with his dad, The House & Home Magazine

an Episcopal Minister at St. John’s in Hopewell. The conversation changed his life. Taylor, who had always had a garden, was prompted by his father to look into growing grapes on the property. Taking him up on the idea, Taylor attended a viticulture class offered by Rappahannock Community College, and fell in love. He began visiting every winery in the region, absorbing all the lessons he could from time-tested vineyards.

It was during that time that he met Floyd Oslin, a wine-maker famous in the region for his palate, depth of knowledge about winemaking and all of its accoutrements.

Armed with the knowledge that it takes years for a vine to be aged enough for wine harvesting, and using an inheritance for his funding, Taylor planted his first grapes at age 19, starting with two acres of Viogner and Petit Manseng. After the first year, he took over more of his land, adding Chardonel, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and later Chambourcin vines. Most recently, Taylor planted Cayuga White, adding that Oslin has nicknamed it “The Elixer,” due to its “killer” taste.

For the past seven years, Taylor has devoted every moment of every day to the vineyard, its growth and health. Taylor recalls one night where he feared he would lose his vines from a polar vortex that threatened his crop with disastrous frost.

Like a scene from a movie, Taylor braved the cold weather 61

on an overcast, starkly still night. He set up burn barrels at strategic locations around the vineyard and constantly tended to the fires so that they warded off the cold and rotated the air but didn’t harm the vines. Throughout the night he raced around the vineyard, his dreams at stake.

When morning came, his work had paid off, and the future wine-maker was safe from the deep freeze.

Now, Taylor is building a new the addition to his land — the winery — a project that he started from scratch, which is about to become a dream come true. After doing research, Taylor teamed up with Eddie Hammond, of Tappahannock’s Hammond Builders. Together, they laid out the plans and began work on a carriage-style, colonial building that will include a wine-tasting area on the main floor, with the amenities necessary to host a multitude of events including weddings, parties and farm-to-table dining — all with an amazing view of both the vineyard and the Yeocomico River.

In the basement, areas have been built for barrel aging and storage, and Taylor has gone to great lengths to find some of the most unique barrels to truly bring out bold flavors, including Romanian, Hungarian, French and American Oak, as well as Acacia Wood, or Black Locust Wood. In addition, there will be room for the secret recipes and chemical mastery that go into the actual wine making.

With the flavors from the barrels, and the blends and recipes that he plans on utilizing, Taylor proudly notes that he has planned his wines to perfectly compliment area cuisine, especially seafood and crabs.

“That is something I have really planned, because what

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better place than this area to have wines that pair well with seafood,” he said, adding that eventually he will be adding a distillery to make his own Port and fortified wine, which he will be naming ‘Earle’s Grant Distillery’ after the early history of his family’s land ownership.

Taylor also has plans for an interesting group of varietals and hybrids, which he hopes will truly make people fall in love with the unique blend of tastes. He plans on showcasing those flavors at special-invitation wine tastings, barrel club events and other celebrations that he will be opening to the public once all of his permits and applications are finalized and the rooms are ready.

Although it may seem like an ambitious goal for such a young man, Taylor’s bright blue eyes shine when he thinks about his 10-year, and, YES, 20-year plans! He already has ideas for a beekeeping area, a berry patch, opening up the main house for distillery tastings, and even eventually a falconry on the land.

“I just want this to be an amazing place for people to enjoy delicious local wine, sit by the Yeocomico in a hammock, play with the dogs and just have a relaxing and amazing time enjoying the vineyard and what I have built,” Taylor said. “This has just gotten in my blood. I never dreamt I’d be doing this at 26, but it was just fate and now I can’t imagine my life any way else.”

Taylor plans on opening ‘Rivah Vineyards at The Grove’ later this year, and The House and Home Magazine will be keeping its readers up to date on all of the latest news, and the opening schedule, of this historic young man’s winery. H

August/September 2018

The Main House serves as a focal point of the winery.

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THE RIVER TO BAY ARTISAN TRAIL Greenwood Stained Glass, Wanda Greenwood Hollberg, Urbanna, VA

EXPLORES THE

Middle Peninsula

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he River to Bay Artisan Trail officially opened in July following its inaugural introduction at St. Margaret’s School in Tappahannock. With nearly 100 guests, the celebratory event included showcase displays by trail members and the unveiling of the trail’s brochure and map. This new trail is an initiative of The Artisans Center of Virginia and participating members, along with the Counties of Gloucester, Essex, Middlesex and Mathews (The GEMM of the Middle Peninsula).

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The River to Bay Artisan Trail is a regional trail featuring 97 participating sites, composed of artisan studios, agri-artisan farms, restaurants, lodging, and other points of interest in Virginia’s Middle Peninsula region. Along with promoting the visibility and sales of local artisan-related products, the River to Bay Artisan Trail also provides an important boost to the area’s general tourism industry by extending visitor stays in the community and increasing the region’s attractiveness as a tourist destination. Details on participating sites are found online at RivertoBayArtisanTrail.org and the Trail’s brochure/ maps are available at local trail sites, tourism outlets and Virginia Welcome Centers.

St. Margaret’s School provided the perfect backdrop against the shores of the Rappahannock River — encapsulating the trail’s River to Bay theme. During the inauguration, trail members had the opportunity to network with fellow trail participants, the community’s trail leadership, and other invited guests. Everyone enjoyed mingling among the trail’s creative artwork, scrumptious signature dishes and delicious award-winning wines.

Virginia’s Middle Peninsula offers an unforgettable natural experience along the region’s creeks, rivers and bays.

Experience the time-honored history and traditions up-close and personal and find something for everyone — nature lovers, artists, history buffs, boaters, and wanderers alike — all while enjoying breathtaking vistas and the simple pleasures of nature that river country has to offer.

“Virginia’s Middle Peninsula is a coastal hideaway begging to be explored and a true haven for artists. I am thrilled to be sharing our artisan traditions and creativity through the Artisan Trail network,” said Pam Doss, executive director at the Bay School Community Arts Center in Mathews.

The culture of the Virginia artisan inspires appreciative audiences for its unique products, while expressing a distinctive way of life. It invokes a natural order, firmly woven into the daily fabric of an artisan’s life, embracing the familiar relationship between the acts of creating and living. It’s a culture that links the past, present and future, and reconciles “meaning” with “making.” Virginia artisans are skilled individuals imparting distinctive qualities into their creations. They approach their work with passion and are The House & Home Magazine

Stewart Gallery, Theresa Stewart Hupp, Gloucester, VA

Caret Cellars, Floyd Oslin, Caret, VA

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Village Blacksmith, LLC, George Cramer, Gloucester, VA

Fine art from Dorothy Fagan willing to share their stories with those they meet.

The Artisans Center of Virginia (ACV) has created 18 of the now 32 community-focused Artisan Trails across the Commonwealth of Virginia, in addition to the Virginia Oyster Trail. The trails provide tools to creative and agricultural artisans, as well as support hospitality and culturally aligned businesses to better market themselves and collaborate with each other in a shared effort to increase tourism engagement.

The ACV develops and implements systems and strategies to improve economic outcomes for Virginia artisans and their communities while assisting them in promoting their local artisan culture.

As the official state-designated non-profit dedicated to providing opportunities for Virginia artisans (creative and agricultural) and to the benefit of the communities in which they reside, ACV is implementing a defined plan of strategic initiatives across the Commonwealth. For more information, visit ArtisansCenterofVirginia. org or follow on Twitter @ACVArtisans or @VAArtisanTrails.

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“Capitalizing on a community’s unique assets is crucial to its overall economic vitality,” said Jenny Crittenden, executive director of the Main Street Preservation Trust in Gloucester. “With a statewide focus on the creation of wine trails, history trails, oyster trails and now artisan trails, it gives us a chance to highlight how the arts are woven into our community. We are thrilled to partner to showcase the talent of our local artisans while inviting others to experience the Gloucester Village and all it has to offer,” she added.

“I see the Artisan Trail as a powerful marketing tool for organizations like the Tappahannock Artists Guild. However, it should also provide a wonderful opportunity for all of us to share resources throughout the Middle Peninsula, enhancing the quality of life for those who live here while attracting visitors to our beautiful, historic region,” said Frank Rixey of the Tappahannock Artists Guild.

“We are very excited about kicking off the new River to Bay Artisan Trail,” said Michelle Brown, economic development and tourism coordinator for Middlesex County. “Our trail captures the coastal art and the river way of life. Middlesex County has over 25 members on the trail including stained glass art, a wood crafter, galleries and our very own fine arts festival, ‘Arts in the Middle,’ held the first weekend in June each year. The trail is the perfect way to schedule your getaway itinerary for a fun-filled weekend.”

The River to Bay Artisan Trail Action Team (in alphabetical order): * Emily Allen, Mathews County Visitor and Information Center * Michelle Brown, Middlesex Economic Development & Tourism * Denise Carter, Gloucester Parks, Recreation & Tourism * Pam Doss, Bay School Community Arts Center * Lori Dusenberry, The Inn at Tabbs Creek * George Jennings, Jennings Fine Art * Alexis Powell, The Nurtury * Frank Rixey, Tappahannock Art Guild * Celane Roden, Arts in the Middle * R.D. Thompson, Caret Cellars * D’Arcy Weiss, Artisans Center of Virginia H The House & Home Magazine

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williamsburg

By Terry Buntrock

2018

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he 8th Annual Williamsburg Fall Arts season brings two months of gallery events, art festivals, performances and concerts, plus regionally inspired culinary opportunities. We have highlighted a few events and invite you to use the calendar below to plan your fall outings.

AN OCCASION FOR THE ARTS CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF ART! OCTOBER 5, 6, 7, 2018 Located in Merchants Square, the 50th AOFTA opens with the kickoff pARTy hosted with CultureFixVA. The festival features visual art in a variety of mediums from an artist pool of more than 300 applicants who are juried into the show by a national panel of award-winning artists. The quality and diverse art represents all mediums, including 20 performing artists plus a selection of the area’s best culinary offerings. The Youth Art show and activities are housed on Prince George Street. www. aofta.org YORKTOWN ARTS FOUNDATION’S ON THE HILL GALLERY, 5X5@5:55 SILENT AUCTION. OCTOBER 27, 2018 Regional artists contribute nearly 100 small works sized 5 x 5 for a silent auction that is sure to fill your Christmas stockings with small wonders! Adding to the fun this year will be pieces contributed by local celebrities. Proceeds from this event will fund free summer art camps, veterans’ art shows, York County Schools art shows, while also supporting emerging artists and #FoundinYorktown abandoned art. www.onthehillgallery.com TRIANGLE ARTS & CULTURE LEAGUE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WILLIAMSBURG AREA ARTS COMMISSION AND YES WILLIAMSBURG invite you to a 50year retrospective of the works of architect and artist Carlton S. Abbott, FAIA, ASLA. Abbott was selected as the region’s “50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Awards” recipient by the Virginia Commission for the Arts in the category: Outstanding Artists — using their talents to benefit the citizens of Virginia. The exhibition will be hosted by the Williamsburg Regional Library in the Stryker Center Gallery, September 13 — November 26, 2018.

WILLIAMSBURG BOOK FESTIVAL, OCTOBER 6, 2018, STRYKER CENTER, WILLIAMSBURG WBF is the region’s only free book festival and offers a platform for a juried selection of regional writers to share their work with the public. Classes for writers and readers round out the day. Dr. William M. Kelso is the 2018 featured author and from 1:00 –- 3:00 will sign his book, Jamestown: The Truth Revealed.

At 6:30, in Tucker Hall Theater, 350 James Blair Dr., William & Mary, Kelso will share information about the latest archaeological research at Jamestown. This talk is free to the public.

CULINARY ARTS Tasting Trail — The Fall Arts season is the perfect time to visit the 12 Williamsburg Tasting Trail locations: Alewerks Brewing Co., Amber Ox Public House, Billsburg Brewery, Brass Cannon Brewing Co., Colonial Virginia Wine Trail at The House & Home Magazine

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Wessex Hundred, Copper Fox Distillery, Eight Shires Coloniale Distillery, Silver Hand Meadery, Virginia Beer Company, Williamsburg Winery, Tasting Room and Wine Bar on Duke of Gloucester Street. For more information, go to www.WilliamsburgTastingTrail.com Back this year — Trellis Farm to Table Dinner, Friday, September 7, 2018, 6:30 reception, 7:15 family-style dinner with wine pairings, $125, done in partnership with Blue Talon Bistro, Dog Street Pub, Culture Café, Blackbird Bakery and the Catering Company.

Yorktown Wine Festival by Village Events — October 6, 2018, noon-6:00, $30 advance, $35 at the door. Enjoy wines from local sources plus Germany and France at this annual festival that includes a Craft Beer Garden, art displays and great food. Entertainment by Taste of Love with Bart and Jan at 12:30pm and The BrassWind at 3:30pm. www. villageevents.org AT THE KIMBALL THEATRE & BEYOND The Summer Breeze Unleashed concert series by CultureFix and Merchants Square ends with three free concerts on September 5, 12 and 19, 6:00-9:00, on the lawn of the Art Museums at Colonial Williamsburg. You’ll find more free music opportunities from the Virginia Symphony, conducted by Gonzalo Farias.

The City of Williamsburg hosts the Virginia Symphony at the Lake Matoaka Amphitheater at W&M on August 30, and The Celebrate Yorktown Committee will present the 21st free Symphony Under the Stars at Riverwalk Landing on September 1, 2018. The Watermen’s Museum at Yorktown will present a full weekend of Sea Shanties, Bluegrass, Blues, Country, Soul, Pop, Light Rock and Jazz during the final weekend of September.

LIVE PERFORMANCE! On September 7, join the Williamsburg Players for the opening of Shakespeare in Love! Opera in Williamsburg presents La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi for three performances at the Kimball Theater, opening September 12, 2018.

EVENTS TO BENEFIT A GOOD CAUSE! • Calling all Parrot Heads on September 15, 2018, for this 7th annual trip to the islands. This salute to Jimmy Buffet raises funds for P.I.P.E (providing indoor plumbing for everyone). So, bring your lawn chairs, pull out your flip flops and join the party-for-a-purpose.

• Contemporary Artisans & Plein Air Festival, September 29, 2018, benefits Housing Partnerships.

• Don’t miss Second Sunday on September 9 and October 14, 2018. Proceeds benefit Culturefix.

• The Yorktown Arts Stroll, September 30, 2018, benefits the work of the Yorktown Arts Foundation, which includes free art classes for children and veterans.

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Events Calendar AUG/SEPT 2018 August 30, Virginia Symphony, Lake Matoaka at W&M September 1, Virginia Symphony, Riverwalk Landing 1 Pottery Exhibition OPENS, Gallery at York Hall, Main Street, Yorktown 4 Williamsburg Contemporary Arts Center, Camera to Brush, OPENS 5 Summer Breeze at Art Museums at Colonial Williamsburg, The Raw Beets 7 Trellis Farm to Table Dinner, Duke of Gloucester Street 7 Rhythms on the Riverwalk, Riverwalk Landing 7 Williamsburg Players, Shakespeare in Love, OPENS 9 Culturefix Second Sunday, Prince George Street 10, 11 Williamsburg Symphony, Kimball, Masterworks 12, 14, 16 Opera in Williamsburg, La Traviata, Kimball 12 Music Jam Session, Watermen’s Museum, Yorktown 12 Summer Breeze at Art Museums at Colonial Williamsburg, BJ Griffin Galaxy Groove 13 Carlton Abbott 50 Years of Art, presented by TACL & WAAC, OPENS, Stryker 14 Rhythms on the Riverwalk, Riverwalk Landing 15 Yorktown Market Days, Riverwalk Landing 15 Jimmy Buffett Tribute, P.I.P.E benefit for Housing Partnerships, Lake Matoaka, W&M 15 Oyster Roast, Watermen’s Museum, Yorktown 19 Summer Breeze at Art Museums at Colonial Williamsburg, 504 Supreme & Truetone Honeys 21 Rhythms on the Riverwalk, Riverwalk Landing 22 Yorktown Art Stroll 28 Rhythms on the Riverwalk, Riverwalk Landing 29 Williamsburg Contemporary Artisans & Plein Air Festival, Duke of Gloucester Street 29, 30 Watermen’s Museum Folk Festival, Yorktown, Riverwalk Landing OCT 2018 October 3, Yorktown Art OPENS, Gallery at York Hall 5 Rhythms on the Riverwalk, Riverwalk Landing 5 American Craft Week at Local Art Galleries OPENS 6 Williamsburg Book Festival featuring Bill Kelso, Stryker Building 6 Yorktown Wine Festival, Riverwalk Landing 5, 6, 7 An Occasion for the Arts, 50th Anniversary, Merchants Square 13 Yorktown Fall Festival, Riverwalk Landing 14 Culturefix Second Sunday, Prince George Street 18 Williamsburg Contemporary Arts Center, Regional Juried Show, OPENS 21 Children’s Art Classes, On the Hill Gallery, Main Street, Yorktown 27 On the Hill Gallery, 5x5 Art Auction and Celebrity Art Sale, Main Street, Yorktown 29, 30 Williamsburg Symphony, Masterworks, Kimball H

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Stratford Hall

With a setting in front of the c. 1738 Great House, the festival has continued to grow and get better every year

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ou don’t want to miss this year’s Stratford Hall Wine and Oyster Festival on September 15 and 16. This popular event features wines from award-winning Virginia wineries and succulent oysters from Chesapeake Bay and Tidewater oyster growers.

But that is just the beginning for this festival that was voted by readers of Savor Virginia Magazine “Best Wine Festival Gold” in 2017.

With a setting in front of the c. 1738 Great House, the festival has continued to grow and get better every year. Thirteen wineries and four oyster growers will comprise the main event this year. And for those who cannot live on just wine and oysters alone, crafts brews from Montross Brewery, Beer Hound Brewery, and Adventure Brewing will be available. In addition, a variety of local food vendors will be providing barbeque, crab cakes, and other festival food.

Besides the wineries and oyster growers, a wide range of arts and crafts vendors will be located on the Oval in front of the Great House each day. Live music will be provided by a line-up of local bands and solo musicians.

Festival goers will have free admission to the Great house to see the results of the recently completed restoration.

Popular activities such as Treakle’s train barrel rides and the miniature farm anima’s exhibit will once again be part of the festival.

On Saturday, the Pony Riders Mustang Club of the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula, The Victory 7 Mustang Club of Richmond, The Herd Mustang Club of the Northern Neck, and the Midnight Riders will be displaying their vintage Mustangs. On Sunday, the Memory Lane Car Club, featuring a wide variety of makes and models, will once again be the featured car show.

Wine taster tickets include a free souvenir glass.

Oysters are sold a la carte. Ticket prices through September 6 are as follows: Wine-Taster Ticket $25, Non-Wine Taster Ticket $15, Child Ticket (Age 6-12) $5, children under 5 are free. After September 6, Wine Taster tickets will increase to $30 and are available online and at the gate.

Gates open at 10:00 am and close at 6:00 pm both days of the festival. Parking is free and transportation will be provided from the parking lots by Bay Transit and Trolley. The event will be held rain or shine, tickets can be used either day of the festival and are non-refundable.

Sponsors for the 2018 festival include: Signature Sponsor, Peoples Community Bank, The House & Home Magazine, Castle Brands, and Isabell K. Horsley Real Estate Agency. The annual event is held in cooperation with TOGA, the Tidewater Oyster Gardeners Association. H

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By Randall Kipp Photography by Maxwell MacKenzie

BLUE SPACE

Benefits through Waterfront Living

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ere in our little nook of the world, waterfront living is desired above all. That comes as no surprise considering the tranquil, secluded nature that waterfront property provides. In addition to the picture-perfect views, simply observing nature - specifically water - has been shown in scientific studies to have cognitive benefits. Simply observing water, or ‘blue space’ as it’s often called, has been linked to “higher perceived restorativeness” than those studied without exposure to water.

Supporting this notion, directly observing the water has been linked to a whole host of positive effects: calmness, clarity, creativity, relaxation, restoration, healing, peacefulness, negative ions, and general happiness, just to name a few. Simply put, being in the presence of water has positive effects on the mind and the body.

As an architect, my goal is always to maximize the benefits of the home and property by marrying the two in a way that 90

enhances the landscape and is tailored to my client’s desires.

Modern Architecture has always been my passion for many reasons - design, simplicity, intentionality, creativity, innovation - but what tends to separate Modern Architecture from more traditional design is the unique ability to merge spaces: To blend the indoors with the outdoors.

Waterfront homes are extra special. They give us an opportunity to tap into the benefits of “blue space” from inside the home while we’re sleeping, eating, reading, exercising, and so on. When we draw the water in, we are creating an unlimited flow of scientifically proven, positive benefits on the human body every single day.

I’ll leave you with three things to consider when building a waterfront home, with the intention of inviting the outdoors in: 1. Windows, windows, windows. Particularly on the waterfront side of the home, floor-to-ceiling windows help create the illusion of a merged space. With fewer areas of wall space and maximum window coverage, you’ll have the sense of being outside.

2. High ceilings. Low ceilings tend to give a feeling of conAugust/September 2018

“ Throughout history there is no shortage of people who have experienced and expressed the calming, inspiring, and even healing effects of water.”

-Wallace Nichols, The Cognitive Benefits of Being by Water

striction and block the feeling of expansion. Raising the height of the ceilings, even if only in the main living space, gives an open and flowing feeling to the home.

3. Acknowledging entirety. Maximizing the views and blurring the lines between indoors and outdoors isn’t just about the land or the home. It’s about creating a custom atmosphere by turning a waterfront lot into a personalized, intentional home. This can be attained through a comprehensive, cohesive design that considers both the architecture and the landscape, both existing and proposed. The structure and the landscaping should be one, not separate. For example: thoughtful design and placement of plants, trees, pools, patios, porches, piers, and other outdoor structures. H The House & Home Magazine

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“The VIP Oyster Lovers Experience”

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alling all oyster lovers and foodies!

The Urbanna Oyster Festival celebrates its 61st year on November 2 and 3, bringing this two-day pearl themed state celebration to the Commonwealth, oyster lovers are invited to be among a select few to enjoy the festival in VIP luxury style.

The VIP Oyster Lovers Experience is available either day (Friday or Saturday) of the event, is the newest addition to the annual festivities.

A $100 ticket gives VIP’s access to three hospitality tents throughout the Town of Urbanna during the festival – an Oyster Shooter tasting at the Town Marina Tent, along with first-served tastings at the Virginia Wine Tent and the Craft Beer Tent.

At each of the hospitality tents, support from a festival concierge who will help you navigate the event, serve you a refreshing bottled water and offer respite at the exclusive seating at the VIP tables. Do you dislike the long lines for a dirty festival privy? With the VIP ticket, private, clean restroom facilities are exclusive to you! One of the festivals main attractions is Saturday’s Oyster Shucking Contest. Get your special VIP seating and see our local celebrity, Deborah Pratt, world champion shucker, up close and personal. As a memento to take home, VIP’s will receive a 61st Urbanna Oyster Festival commemorative poster and a goodie bag from Virginia’s River Realm (the regional tourism brand) and coupons for discounts at local businesses to use for the next six months.

Tickets are $100 per person and available on-line at www. urbannaoysterfestival.com. Must be 21 years or older to purchase the VIP ticket and ID will be required. Rain or shine.

VIP’s, of course, are encouraged to move around town and take advantage of the entire festival.

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The festival kicks off with the Marine Science Legacy Program at the Urbanna Town Marina providing a hands-on field trip for local students to learn about the environment of the Chesapeake Bay, its oysters, its ecology, its history and its heritage.

Two parades move through town, including a fireman’s parade on Friday night at 7 p.m., followed by a dance with live music at the Urbanna Firehouse stage, then the grand feature parade on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

Arts and crafts vendors can be found along community row and in the festival village.

Three live music stages are located throughout the festival and a children’s activity area that includes games and bouncy houses.

Down at the Urbanna waterfront, tour historical boats, learn about the preservation of the Chesapeake Bay and the heritage of the watermen. Step into the huge watermen’s boots for your photo op, decorated by Wanda Hollberg, local artist.

The Oyster Shucking Contest will be held behind the Urbanna Firehouse on Saturday at 11:00 am. Be in the audience for a taste of all those shucked oysters after each contest and see Urbanna’s local celebrity, Deborah Pratt, a world champion shucker, who can shuck two dozen oysters in under three minutes.

The Urbanna Oyster Festival is the Official Oyster Festival of the Commonwealth of Virginia and has been around since 1957. The Town of Urbanna, with only a population of 500, closes its streets to host this two-day celebration of everything oyster, drawing up to 60,000 visitors. The 2018 festival takes place November 2-3, 2018.

For details on VIP tickets, festival activities, schedule of events and directions, visit www.urbannaoysterfestival. com or contact, Pam Simon at the Urbanna Oyster Festival Foundation at (804) 758-0368. H

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H E A L T H

INVESTING IN DIAGNOSIS AND PREVENTION

THAT’S

Close to Home

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sther Desimini has made no secret of the fact that she is trying to grow health care services for people in the Tappahannock and Northern Neck regions since arriving three years ago. She has long believed that, while Riverside Tappahannock Hospital itself is a small community hospital, that the entire complement of services that Riverside provides in the region means that patients can receive a wide array of high quality services close to home.

With newly renovated, private patient rooms and expanded and remodeled areas of the hospital, not all of the investment is aimed at inpatients. In fact, Desimini points out, many of the technology and provider investments that Riverside has made are designed to provide services to the community on an outpatient basis. With prevention and screening technologies, various clinics, and educational seminars, much of the emphasis for the leadership at Riverside Tappahannock Hospital has been on 94

serving the community through outpatient services. There have been tremendous investments to prove it.

“In the past two years alone, we’ve added 3D mammography, low dose CT screening, a new cancer infusion center – all of which are services that intended for patients who are not admitted to the hospital,” Desimini adds.

INVESTING IN TOOLS THAT FIND AND DIAGNOSE DISEASE EARLY Diagnostic care includes any testing or procedures that help diagnose or monitor a patient’s condition. These services include imaging studies – like mammography, CT, ultrasound, MRI and PET scans – and can also include lab tests, echocardiograms, or colonoscopy among others. Many of the diagnostic modalities can also be used for preventative medicine when patients are otherwise healthy and are trying to prevent or catch and treat a disease in its earliest stages when chances of success are greatest.

In recent years, Riverside Tappahannock Hospital has introduced several new programs and technologies that aid in diagnostic care and expanded

hours for ultrasounds. With cancer affecting a significant portion of the population – and as the leading cause of death to people in the region – offering screening exams provides the prevention and early detection that can save lives.

Riverside Tappahannock Hospital began offering 3D mammography, so women (and men) in the area have access to the very latest screening technology. 3D offers clearer pictures of the breast because there are more images taken and an image is reconstructed in 3D so that physicians can examine the breast in multiple layers.

This state-of-the-art technology has been proven to detect more breast cancers early.

Lung cancer of often silent in its earliest stages. Once patients begin to show signs of lung cancer, it has often progressed and requires much more invasive and aggressive treatment.

For people meeting specific criteria specifically those who are or have been long-term, heavy smokers – there is a screening option that can help detect lung cancer at much earlier stages. A low-dose CT scan (LDCT) is a quick, painless, and non-invasive approach to screen for lung cancer. This type of CT scan uses no dyes, no injections, and requires nothing to swallow by mouth. The actual scan itself takes less than five minutes to complete and from start-to-finish and it is now offered at Riverside Tappahannock Hospital.

Desimini points out that any screening decision should be made with a patient’s physician, as they are up to date on the latest guidelines and recommendations.

“The science of medicine is everevolving, and screening technology gives us many options for providing the best care possible,” Desimini points out.

“Our goal at Riverside is to offer services within the local community to make them accessible to many.”

That investment in services at Riverside Tappahannock Hospital includes a full suite of advanced imaging technology, cardiac studies, and laboratory services.

INVESTING IN NEW PROVIDERS FOR THE COMMUNITY Having the right tools is important, but Desimini is also quick to point out that is only part of the equation.

“Equal to the physical improvements and investments in new services is the August/September 2018

H E A L T H have also hosted several “Meet the Doctor” events to introduce investment in people… in our care team,” Desimini point out. new providers and allow patients to talk freely with physicians “That means having the physicians, advanced care practitioners, outside of a lecture setting. clinical team and staff to support all these enhancements.”

In recent years, Riverside has added several new physicians and advanced practitioners representing primary care, and ENHANCING THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE specialties in oncology, orthopedics, emergency medicine, plastic surgery, anesthesia and hospitalist (inpatient) care. Many of these In addition, Desimini is working with her staff on always providers have been providing free lectures, plus screenings and improving the patient experience. They look for ways to improve educational seminars to residents in community. communication and give team members a better appreciation for “Many of our providers – new and existing – are committed what patients have to go through. Desimini’s management team to educating the community about the services we offer and routinely looks at patient feedback, rounding on our patients and about the best ways to stay healthy,” Desimini adds. “I talk to loved ones and highlights great examples as well as opportunities physicians all the time who chose to come to Tappahannock for improvement to staff. because they enjoy providing care in a small community to “Patient care is everybody’s responsibility, and we’re all people who are friends and neighbors.” accountable no matter what our role” she adds. “The patients are why we all come to work every day.”

BUILDING AWARENESS TO HELP Desimini knows that the investments in patient care now KEEP PATIENTS HEALTHY and in the future will continue to pay dividends for patients in the region.

Desimini also knows that people in the community will not fully Some of the upcoming screenings and lectures benefit from Riverside’s recent investments if they are not aware being offered by Riverside Tappahannock of the services available.

Hospital include: “I often meet people who have not been to our facility in years * Skin Cancer Screening Event (August) and they are simply unaware of the work we’ve put into building * Breast Cancer Awareness Event (October) a better overall experience for patients,” Desimini adds. “We’re * Mammogram And Massage Event (November) continually working to change that.”

Visit www.riversideonline.com/tappahannock for In the last year, Riverside has hosted lectures on the more information. latest cancer treatment options, new diagnostic tools like 3D mammography and Low Dose CT, colon cancer, and Vibrio. They

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H

and

USE

H

ME?

Cowboy Up! (Editor’s wife’s note: Women may find the content of this article irritating. I encourage them to skip over it. Women who chose to read it are implored not to use the author’s behavior as a standard for their husbands—former, current or future.)

By T. Patrick Cleary

I

spent much of the 1960s watching cowboy action shows on TV. From television series to movies, if it featured cowboys, I’d be glued to the tube (for those familiar with the state-of-theart in adhesives, electronics, and parenting in the 60s, let me clarify that “glued to the tube” is just a metaphor.) When I wasn’t watching TV westerns, I was practicing how to shoot, spit, cuss, walk bow-legged, and other useful stuff.

It was standard operating procedure for cowboys to gather around a campfire each evening and unwind. Even the bad guys did that (night shift wasn’t invented yet except for saloon workers.) Around the campfire, a cowboy sometimes played guitar or harmonica or sang. If he was any good at it, like say Roy Rogers, some woman would latch on to him, and his cowboy days would be numbered. With that in mind, I made it a point to do poorly in music classes.

A few years ago, with no specific purchase in mind, my wife dragged me into a store that sold everything from patio furniture to gas grills. I explored the store independently and with my usual level of shopping apathy. That changed when I stumbled, literally, into the grill department. Glancing up, I saw a gleaming gas-fired grill surrounded by life-size

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photo cutouts of cowboys in dusters and ten-gallon hats. It was big enough to cook a meal for an entire posse with space left over to whip up something for the bad guys, too.

For a moment, I was transported back in time. In my mind’s eye, I was a taller, thinner version of Walter Brennan rustling up grub on that cowboy-endorsed gas grill. Why, I could almost hear folks calling me “cookee” and begging me to share my wisdom in between flipping food and saying ‘hey, hey, hey.’ In my mind’s nose (if there’s a mind’s eye there should be a mind’s nose, too) I could smell steaks cooking.

The salesman’s inquiry jolted me back to reality. “Which one will you take?” he asked. “This ‘Hoss’ model would be great,” I told him, “but my budget is more hibachi size.” “We have special low-interest financing available,” the salesman countered.

“Really?” “Yes, and the interest is taxdeductible,” he claimed. “Well, I figured the only way I would take home a ‘Hoss’ model is if I took out a second mortgage on my home,” I said. “That won’t be necessary,” the salesman said with a smile. “The second mortgage?” I inquired. “No. The taking home part. We have free delivery.”

Instinct kicked in and I said “sold!” before I had thought it through.

The grill was delivered in a bunch of boxes. Assembling it was a three swear word job: one first aid incident and two trips to the hardware store. I did manage to assemble it in only a few hours and to my wife’s surprise, it worked, at least for a while. The push button igniter died after a week, and the grill had hot and cold spots that made it impossible to grill evenly. The thermometer never worked right.

I could have done better at a bigbox store and saved a bundle. Blame it on cowboys. In hindsight, I don’t recall cowboys ever gathered around a gas-fired anything, except maybe for that scene in Blazing Saddles (decorum—a.k.a. the editor—prevents me from describing the scene in more detail.)

“I was duped,” I complained to my wife. “I’ll bet they weren’t even real cowboys. They might have been digitally created in some Madison Avenue ad agency.”

“Caveat Emptor,” my wife replied. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked. “In your case, Patrick it means cowboy up,” she declared.”Cowboy up.” H

T. Patrick Cleary is a freelance writer and humorist whose wife graciously allows him to live with her in Williamsburg, VA. August/September 2018

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