It’s a Family Affair! By Doug Fabbioli Vineyard and winery operations have traditionally been family owned businesses. If the family is strong, oftentimes the winery is strong as well. In the case of a start-up winery, the pressure can be hard on a family, especially a young one. I have been a Boy Scout leader for over 15 years now. My proudest position is that of merit badge counselor for the Eagle Required Family Life merit badge. I am teaching these young men, and in the future young women, about the importance of family in the community as well as in society. Family has leadership, communication, compassion, teamwork, finances, problem solving and adaptability all wrapped with love and care. If we work together as a family, we teach our kids to work as part of a group. As our kids got older, we started Forced Family Fun. With living on a farm, there is always more work to do. So getting away and not working has been an important thing to do. Making time to see a movie, visit a museum or go for a hike with mom and dad may have not been my kids first choice in those teenage years, but by keeping this alive, they learned how important making time is. Now that they are in their twenties, the kids actually make us schedule the “FFF” as they are here less and less and recognize the value of these moments. We hosted a Fabbioli Family reunion here recently. It was nice to have the space and facilities to make this happen. Having family together brings back the memories of Grandmas house, playing with cousins and learning new things in the garden as well as in the kitchen and the workshop. I recognized that that house was not…
They’re Burning Down the House! By Sarah Becker ©2018 President Donald Trump (R-NY) has done it again, he’s muddled history. On May 25, in a tetchy telephone conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump unthinkingly said it was the Canadians, not the British who burned The White House in 1814. The British assault on Washington was in retaliation for an American attack on Ontario, then a British colony. The President referenced the War of 1812 when asked for what reason he claimed incoming Canadian steel and aluminum “a national security” issue. In the early 1800s the United States became inextricably involved in European affairs. Customs duties funded the federal government; British, French, and Spanish trading policies shaped local economies, and the ongoing commercial war between Great Britain and Napoleon’s France cost neutral American merchants unnecessarily. American merchants were little more than pawns. The North American continent was a showground of imperial competition. The British controlled Canada to the north, Spain controlled lands to the west and south. Both nations provided arms and encouragement to Native Americans, hoping to block American settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains. As for Great Britain and France, “both sought to block the other’s commerce with America: through blockades, port closures, and the imposition of harmful customs duties,” Professor Michael Bottoms explained. “While both nations were equally guilty of abusing their American trading relationships, Americans focused their ire on Britain, partly because of Britain’s [sea-faring] impressment policy. The damage these policies did to the American economy, and to American prestige, led directly to war.” Georgetown resident and Federalist newspaper publisher Alexander Hanson, of Baltimore, described the War of 1812 as “without funds, without an army, navy or adequate fortifications.” Who were the War Hawks and to what extent did Americans support a second war with Great…
By Genevieve LeFranc Beauty Oils In the Summer? You Bet! Now that we’re in the thick of the humid, muggy summer months, each of us is searching for a way to beat the heat when it comes to our beauty routines. Strong perfumes have been replaced with light body mists and layers of heavy foundation with a light dusting of powder or bronzer. But…what about our moisturizing routines? The idea of slathering your body with a thick, heavy-duty body butter or cream lotion seems almost suffocating in summer. I am a religious user of cocoa butter formulas during the winter for their rich moisturizing properties and luxe smell, but in the dog days of summer, the same lotion leaves me feeling sticky and weighed down, sweating it all off in a matter of minutes. Enter oil beauty products. If you’re feeling skeptical, you’re not alone. I, too, found the idea of oil counterintuitive, but once familiar with the non-breakout-causing, skin illuminating benefits that various oil products offer, I’m a believer. Oils work differently, actually helping your own skin balance its natural oil production as well as hydrating face, body, and hair. And it’s universal. Oils aren’t just for those with dry skin or fried, split ends—they’re great for treating acne-prone skin. The surprises continue: not all oils are created equal. Dry skin needs a product that will hydrate all day, while those with oilier skin types should look for a product that has a lightweight consistency. The best thing about oil is the fact that you can tailor it to your skin’s individual needs. Once you know which product is best for you, expect it to go to work right away. Trust me, the first time I used almond oil after a shower I felt like a piece of bacon,…
By Lori Welch Brown Personal Freedoms As we celebrate the 4th, I give gratitude for all my freedoms. As an American, I have a veritable smorgasbord at my disposal. It’s an embarrassment of riches. I have more personal freedoms than Kardashians have Spanx. Every day I wake up to a plethora of choices. Whole bean, ground or French press? Tall, grande or vente? Gluten free or vegan? Two-day free delivery or Express? Gentle or flow? You get my point. Many gave their lives so I can have those choices, and I am grateful. Beyond. The freedom I most appreciate is the freedom to be me—which is the one I most often take for granted. I have the freedom to embrace my whole quirky, messy, moody feminine self. Dare I say, however, that most of us don’t enter the world knowing that we are blessed with the freedom to be these awkward, complicated, beautiful beings. We don’t have a clue that life is this crazy magical mystery tour of discovery that takes courage, patience and perseverance. I imagine there are a chosen few who shoot out of the womb with a suitcase of confidence, self-assurance and knowledge, but that wasn’t me. I wasn’t athletic or popular or particularly cute. I believed in Santa Claus until the fifth grade and secretly played with Barbie’s through the eighth. I guess you could say I was a late bloomer, but you could also say I was a little geeky. Somehow I managed to survive my incredibly awkward middle school years because I morphed myself into the kid who made other kids laugh. I worked hard at being likable. By the time I got to high school, I was well liked, but I wouldn’t necessarily say popular. I began smoking so I would fit in…
By Marc Apter Brendan Sailing Camp Concentrates On Youth with Learning Differences Annapolis – July 2nd – 13th St. Mary’s County – July 18th – 27th Are you looking for a fun summer camp for your child with learning differences? Operating in its 34th year in Annapolis and St. Mary’s County, non-profit Brendan Sailing Camp teaches students from 11 to 18 with a wide range of learning differences (dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADP, ADHD etc.) how to sail in a non-competitive environment, and uses sailing as a foundation for building life skills, self-confidence, and social ability. Brendan Sailing is currently enrolling at both camp locations, Annapolis Sailing School and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Brendan Sailing is the first summer camp to follow the National On-Water Standards from US Sailing certified instructors, providing up-to-date and professional sailing instruction tailored to youth with learning differences. Over 600 students have attended these camps and on the final day of both sessions, parents are invited to take a sail with their camper to show off the skills they have acquired. Founder and CEO Jim Muldoon has seen the tremendous growth that occurs within Brendan campers firsthand. Muldoon was inspired to start Brendan in 1985 after his son, who is dyslexic, became a confident sailor. “One day I noticed that this young boy, who was having trouble telling his right hand from his left hand, knew port from starboard and that he was telling my crew, these big burly sailors, how to run the boat. And they were listening to him” Muldoon said. “That’s what this program does, it builds a foundation for self-confidence, allowing the kids to be more confident and sure of themselves, and not just in sailing but in other pursuits as well.” An Annapolis area parent, Frank Fallon, said “Brenden is a program where…
Daniel Zielinski Daniel O’Connell’s Restaurant & Bar 112 King Street Old Town Alexandria 703-739-1124 DanielOconnells.com Daniel puts together O’Connell’s Dublin Grand Fashion – Jameson, Luxardo, Grand Marnier & Orange Bitters How did you get started in the bartending business? It was a pretty random affair. I have worked in the industry for the past 6 years and after I moved to O’Connell’s and worked as a server for a year I ended up picking up a couple of bar shifts and at some point ended up with a set bar schedule. What is your biggest bartender pet peeve? I don’t really have a whole lot of pet peeves, but I’d have to say that customers who try to grab my attention by whistling or sticking their credit cards in my face is a big one. I know you’re there – relax. What is the cleverest line anyone has used on you to get a FREE drink? An older gentleman came in with a small picture frame that contained a whole bunch of pictures of the Queen of England and plenty of memorabilia centered around the Royal Family. I found it really amusing that he brought that to an Irish bar. I had to treat to him to a pint of Harp. Needless to say we’ve never put that frame up! What is the best or worst pickup line you’ve heard at the bar? The worst one wasn’t much of a pickup line but….a young kid that was celebrating turning 21 asked a lady at the bar if she’d like to be his “booty call”. She completely shut him down saying she’s not interested in “wasting 5 seconds of her life”. The one cliché pickup line I enjoy has to be “nice dress, it would look great…
Girls of the Resistance Miriam R. Kramer In July books become a necessary accompaniment on vacation, whether you’re headed for the ocean, a pool, or a cabin in the woods. If you have a teenager traveling with you, you want to keep them reading during summer vacation with an intriguing piece of young adult fiction. Two recent books offer compelling stories of young women navigating the difficulties and horrors of World War II in Germany and Holland. Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen and Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse are exciting choices for keeping your adolescent learning not only about Europe in World War II, but also how to navigate the unpredictability of life itself. In Orphan Monster Spy, Sarah, a Jewish girl, struggles her way out of a car after her mother is shot at a roadblock on their trip out of occupied Austria to neutral Switzerland. Running from Nazis with dogs, she escapes only to bump into a British spy pretending to be a German at an abandoned factory. When he takes her on as his pretend niece, obtaining papers for her, she decides to go back with him to Berlin and help fight those who have taken over her country. With Sarah’s gymnastic training, acting skills, powers of observation, and desire for revenge, she plays the part of Ursula Haller, the niece to a respected German named Helmut Haller, who is in reality the British spy Captain Jeremy Floyd. Floyd is on a mission to destroy the equivalent of a nuclear bomb. He needs Sarah to infiltrate a Nazi girls’ boarding school to become friends with the daughter of the scientist building it. When Sarah agrees to take on this challenge, she puts herself in a situation where obedience to the state is key….
Social Media and Disaster Relief By Ashley Schultz Over the past few years, we have seen the increase in how social media can help accelerate disaster relief. It seems that disasters are usually at the top of all our news feeds recently, and will increase especially with the start of the 2018 hurricane season. Yet, with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snap Chat the world is constantly updated about what is going on in each of our backyards. The emergence of social media allows people in danger to tweet/post/share their locations and statuses, when other forms of communication are too busy, too slow, or just not working. I remember during September 11th, cell phone lines were overloaded and many people were not able to keep in touch with loved ones. Yet, if social media had been more prominent at the time, people could have posted that they were safe instead of having others wondering if they were alright. Each platform allows for quicker response times, localized rescues, and may prevent death. Geo-tagging has been one of the most useful additions to social media. According to the Red Cross, during Hurricane Sandy, over 10,000 Instagram posts with the hashtag #Sandy were posted, per second. Instead of sifting through all the hashtags from everyone worldwide, the Red Cross followed the geo-tagged locations and focused their attention on those areas in need of the most urgent relief. Twitter offers up-to-date alerts. These allow users to follow accounts such as @fema to receive accurate facts instead of just rumors around emergencies. Facebook has their “Safety Check” notifications that appear in your account if you are in locations where there is a potential for harm. This allows you to respond as “safe” to let loved ones know that you are OK. This feature gives you the…
The Origin of Uncle Sam By Kathy Weiser Uncle Sam Wants You! Although Uncle Sam (initials U.S.) is the most popular personification of the United States, many Americans have little or no concept of his origins. If pressed, the average American might point to the early 20th century and Sam’s frequent appearance on army recruitment posters. In reality, however, the figure of Uncle Sam dates back much further. Portraying the tradition of representative male icons in America, which can be traced well back into colonial times, the actual figure of Uncle Sam, dates from the War of 1812. At that point, most American icons had been geographically specific, centering most often on the New England area. However, the War of 1812 sparked a renewed interest in national identity which had faded since the American Revolution. The term Uncle Sam is said to have been derived from a man named Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied rations for the soldiers during the War of 1812. Samuel Wilson, who served in the American Revolution at the age of 15, was born in Massachusetts. After the war, he settled in the town of Troy, New York, where he and his brother, Ebenezer, began the firm of E. & S. Wilson, a meat packing facility. Samuel was a man of great fairness, reliability, and honesty, who was devoted to his country. Well liked, local residents began to refer to him as “Uncle Sam.” During the War of 1812, the demand for meat supply for the troops was badly needed. Secretary of War, William Eustis, made a contract with Elbert Anderson, Jr. of New York City to supply and issue all rations necessary for the United States forces in New York and New Jersey for one year. Anderson ran an…
Publisher’s Notes July 2018 As I write this it is two days after the summer solstice and each day the sun travels more to the south and the days get shorter. It also means the beginning of summer. Miriam Kramer recommends two books for summer reading in the Last Word. Lani Gering brings us the new and improved Farmers Market at National Harbor. In a Bit of History Sarah Becker gets the record straight that the British burned the White House. In Caribbean Connection we continue to follow our friends who are rebuilding the USVI. Read about the culture and unique sounds of these beautiful islands. Read about the Brendan Sailing Camp and founder and CEO Jim Muldoon, the owner and captain of the legendary racing vessel Donnybrook, in From the Bay. This month we took a short road trip to Occoquan, Virginia for the Road Trip column R&D. While in that part of the metro area we also visited Troy Clayton’s new venture…The Harbour Grille along the banks of the Occoquan River. We wish Troy the continued success that he enjoyed at Geranio Ristorante here in Old Town for 22 years. In Business Profile, we encourage you to take a break from the big box stores and visit Village Hardware in Hollin Hall…everything you need and more. If you are low on wine, read about the Rose’ wines in Virginia’s beautiful wine country in Grapevine and Doug Fabbioli reminds us what it means to be a Family Farm Winery in Exploring VA Wines. Check out Steve Chaconas’s take on the idea to fill Dyke Marsh along the Potomac River near Belle Haven Marina and the important role of SAV…subaquatic vegetation…in his Go Fish column. Ron Powers took a little different approach to his High Notes column this month and…
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