Above- “Colours of the Musical Sounds 1” Acrylic on canvas, 2013 By F. Lennox Campello A few years ago, when I was first exposed to Shiri Achu’s artwork, I described it as “Powerful African Art in a marriage of contemporary skills with strong African imagery”, and she was also one of my Top 10 artists at the 2016 ARTOMATIC. From a recent news release about her latest venture, we learn that Achu was born in Cameroon, and together with her family “immigrated to London when she was a child and where she found her passion for art and started painting at a tender age of 9 years old. Today she actively paints and exhibits around the world and has studios in the UK, Cameroon, and in the USA, where she currently resides.” At the recently concluded ARTOMATIC, I ran into this exuberant and enviably talented artist, and learned about her 10th Anniversary InPrint exhibition. From there we learn that Shiri believes “Art comes from, unsurprising, yet unexpectedly vivid moments, times, places and objects. I aim to capture the spirit of my subjects and make them come alive through form, color, texture and tone.” One of the aims of Shiri Achu’s art is to “showcase and promote Cameroon and African cultures worldwide. Shiri finds beauty in the woman carrying her child on her back and going her way. She finds beauty in the old lady who makes her ‘achu’ in her dark, smoky outdoor kitchen for her grandchildren. She finds beauty in African fabrics. She finds beauty, envy even, in the young girl climbing the tree, so, she paints these images. Shiri’s paintings reflect the beautiful simplicity of Africa and she offers this to the World to promote, and increase understanding of the cultures and the people.” Are you ready to…
By the Gastronomes Keeping up with all of the new eatery openings in the area has been a challenge these last couple of months but we are up to it! Frankie’s Kitchen & Cocktail Bar is one of those new additions to the culinary scene in Old Town Alexandria. Located at 823 South Washington Street in the space formerly occupied by Faccia Luna, Tara Hopkins and her side kick Kevin Peck have transformed 823 into a very cool spot. Both Hopkins and Peck are veterans of the service industry with well over 20 years each in the business. Needless to say, their experience shows. When we asked Tara what her vision was when she decided to delve into restaurant ownership, she confessed that “pizza” wasn’t exactly in the mix but in doing her research (both economical and potential customer base), she decided that keeping the very expensive wood fired pizza oven from the former tenant was the thing to do since the majority of her potential client base asked “will you still have pizza?” and…removing the oven was costly. Turns out it was the thing to do. After transforming the old space in to what we think is one of the best build outs around, Frankie’s is a very welcoming place. As you walk in, there are high tops in the window and along the north wall and a big horseshoe shaped bar and a large dining area with both booths and tables further back. The bar is where the action is since they have 13 craft cocktails on the menu, 6 beers on tap, 23 beer and cider offerings in cans/bottles and a fully stocked bar. While my favorite drink isn’t on the craft cocktail list, ask Tara to make you one of her spicy margaritas! However, we did…
What’s Happening On the 4th? THE NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE Starting at 11:45 a.m., witness the many floats, marching bands, drill teams and more on Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Street. The parade is co-hosted by the National Parks Service. NATIONAL MALL FIREWORKS SHOW The National Park Service will be hosting a fireworks viewing and celebration at the National Mall. Observe the show from both sides of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. FOURTH AT THE WHARF 2024 The Wharf is hosting its annual free celebration from 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm, along with a great view for fireworks viewing. Make sure to arrive early, as the pier may become extremely busy. 44TH ANNUAL ‘A CAPITOL FOURTH’ CONCERT Actor and comedian Alfonso Ribiero returns to host “A Capitol Fourth”, a concert filled with famous acts in pop, hip hop, R&B and country music. The event is hosted from the West Lawn of the United States Capitol and is free and open to the public, but if you can’t make it in person, the concert will be available to watch on PBS at 8 p.m. CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY 4TH OF JULY PARADE The parade starts at 10:00 a.m. on Capitol Hill’s Barracks Row. This year will mark the 21st anniversary of the parade’s occurrence. RED WHITE AND BREW ROOFTOP PARTY See an unobstructed view of the fireworks in DC while at a rooftop bar, all while supporting a good cause. All proceeds from the event will go to programs supporting the United Soldiers and Sailors of America. Join the party at 700 Pennsylvania Ave, SE Washington. INDEPENDENCE DAY TOUR OF THOMAS JEFFERSON’S WILDLIFE TIMES Learn fun facts about the nation’s first two-term president while taking a walking tour of famous areas he is associated with, including Lafayette Square, the National Mall, the Tidal Basin, and more. The tour starts at 11:00 am…
By Alexander Britell It’s right on the beach, with sparkling views of the sea, copious aquatic creatures, infinite bathing suits and even its own special shade of pink. Atlantis Paradise Island isn’t a Malibu dream house, but the legendary Bahamian resort has temporarily transformed into its own version of Barbie World. Atlantis kicked off its partnership with Mattel with the first-ever “Barbie Boardwalk Adventure,” an interactive event that’s part of a resort-wide Barbie takeover. Atlantis Paradise Island is already one of the world’s top family resorts. The Barbie program ups the ante. The experience, set in the lobby of The Royal resort next the famous “Dig” aquarium, is an immediate crowd-pleaser, with everything from a huge ball pit to Barbie-themed temporary tattoos, water bottle designs, bubble mazes, slides and, naturally, a well-stocked Barbie doll shop. Beyond the Boardwalk Experience, which lasts about an hour and lets kids temporarily travel to Malibu (replete with life-size doll boxes for the perfect Instagram shot), Atlantis has added a host of Barbie touches across the Nassau Paradise Island resort. That includes special Barbie-themed suites and rooms, Barbie-designed Cabanas at the Coral pool; and a transformation of the popular Sun & Ice eatery into a pink-accented Barbie-themed ice cream parlor. In all, 11 different Atlantis eateries are offering some form of Barbie-inspired dish. The resort has turned a collection of rooms into Barbie suites. My two daughters were among the first kids to try the Experience when it opened in June, and it was an instant hit, particularly the ball pit —easily the largest one I’ve ever seen. And as an added amenity for an already fantastic family-friendly resort, the Barbie takeover, which runs through the summer, is a welcome addition. Life-size doll boxes for the perfect Barbie photo. “It feels like I was in Barbie’s dream house,” my four-year-old said, highlighting the Barbie cruise-ship slide as a particularly…
By Julie Reardon The Fireworks If your idea of fireworks fun is to head away from Washington D.C. toward the country, Great Meadow in The Plains offers some big booms as spectacular as those fireworks, but in a rural setting. There is an admissions fee of $50 per car, but it covers all occupants so if your idea is to save money, pack the car with friends and a picnic. Food trucks will be available onsite with a variety of offerings and gates open at 5 pm July 4th. Pre-fireworks activities include Fair Games, Face Painting, Mini Golf, Concessions & Vendors, Music, Various Demonstrations and Exhibitions, music in the Beer Garden; Color Guard, Flyovers, National Anthem and other family activities that may include a polo exhibition, Tug-O-War games and pony stick races. Don’t forget your party lid: at about 8:30 judges will award prizes for best hat and best tailgate. Photo courtesy of Great Meadow The Concerts Enjoying live music concerts outdoors during the lazy, hazy midsummer days close to home needn’t cost a king’s ransom. Since the demise of the beloved Bluemont Concert series, that brought quality music to rural locations for 40 years, Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg has stepped up to the plate to offer a variety of live music weekends in Loudoun County. You can check out the acts for July and August at on their website at http://www.TallyHoTheater.com for the complete list. Our pick is the Toots and the Maytals celebration on July 14th. Go immerse yourself in some island reggae sounds for the ultimate summer experience. The Tally Ho Theater is a depression era movie hall renovated into an Art Deco style and lends itself beautifully to music and theater. It’s located at 19 W. Market St. in Leesburg. The Airshow The Flying Circus…
By Lani Gering w/City of Alexandria It is kind of hard to believe that I have lived here for 30 of these 275 years and a lot has changed since my arrival in Old Town in 1992. While time has taken a toll on some areas of this fair city, it has grown into one of the Nation’s top destinations for tourists while still remaining a great place to live. While I’m not a huge history-buff, I have a great appreciation for what it took to get where we are today. In looking for some condensed information about Alexandria to pass on to you all, I sourced the following from the City of Alexandria’s website. This is just a “snippit” of the information available on their site: “Alexandria, founded in 1749, has a fascinating history, and many of its historic buildings are still preserved today. During its long history, Alexandria was a tobacco trading post, one of the ten busiest ports in America, a part of the District of Columbia, home to both the largest slave-trading firm in the country and a large free-black community, a Civil War supply center for Union troops, and a street-car suburb for Federal workers. Alexandria was also the hometown of George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Jim Morrison and Mama Cass. 13,200 years ago to ca. 1675 CE The shoreline of the Potomac River where Alexandria is located today has been a useful and popular spot for centuries, long before the modern community was founded. Exploring the Chesapeake Bay in 1608, John Smith sailed up the Potomac River and contacted many different people along both banks. When Smith neared this point, he met at least two groups that we now refer to as the Tauxenents and the Nacotchtanks, both part of a larger affiliation known as the Conoy chiefdom. These…
By Ryan Unverzagt Welcome back to another edition of From the Trainer! Hope everyone has enjoyed the summer so far with plenty of sunshine, heat, and humidity on the way. July has a couple of important dates to note. The first is the celebration of our nation’s Independence from Great Britain on the 4th. The next day is my father’s birthday and Alexandria’s 275th Anniversary celebration on the 13th. There are plenty of reasons to celebrate this month which generally involves burgers, brats, and beer. Keep your health & fitness goals in mind while enjoying the summer BBQ’s. Eat and drink in moderation. Take advantage of all the local farmers’ markets by purchasing the fresh fruit and vegetables while supporting the area farmers as well as your health! My family farms in Wyoming and I know they appreciate when people support and recognize all the hard-working families that bring food to your table. With that said, I’ll move on to another exercise that can help you stay fit. I call it the Weight Plate Horseshoe. It targets the shoulders and upper trapezius muscles. I really enjoy this exercise because it challenges your balance, abdominal strength, and provides resistance from multiple directions. Many variations of this exercise exist, but I’ll describe just one version. Begin by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart holding a weight plate at one side with your arms straight (Figure 1). I suggest using a 10lb plate for women and a 25lb plate for men. Using your shoulders to lift, bring the plate up and out to the side of your body while keeping the arms straight. Continue to rotate the weight above your head (Figure 2), and then slowly let it down on the opposite side in the same fashion (Figure 3). A few things to…
By Lauren Hines-Acosta Unlike humans, who usually experience heat waves only in the summer, marine life can find itself in hot water, or marine heat waves, throughout the year. While the topic is well-researched in the world’s oceans, little is known at a smaller scale. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science wrangled 35 years of data to release the first study that analyzes marine heat waves below the first meter of water in an estuary, especially in the Chesapeake Bay. The study found that marine heat waves have seasonal patterns, which could lead to a habitat squeeze for fish and disrupt blue crab migration patterns. “The only reason that we are able to do [that kind of study] is because of all of the monitoring programs in the Chesapeake Bay,” said Nathan Shunk, who is the lead author of the study. “Everybody really cares about the health of the Bay.” Marine heat waves occur when water temperatures are warmer than 90% of previous observations for a particular location and time of year. They last 11 days on average in the Bay and can happen throughout the year. Wind, warm water from rivers, ocean currents and a warming atmosphere are all factors that cause this phenomenon. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the world’s oceans absorb 90% of the excess heat associated with global warming. In turn, marine heat waves are becoming warmer. However, scientists in the field emphasize that marine heat waves are not so frequent and intense that oceans will be caught in a perpetual heat wave. Instead, a warming planet calls for a new definition of “normal conditions” and new thresholds that define heat waves. “In reality, the impacts associated with global warming, which is a slowly evolving warming of the ocean, are going to be…
By Nicole Flangan Obesity in America is a big problem. We as a society are getting fatter each year. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. Some of the leading causes of death in this country include obesity related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. With that being said, I believe it may be time to take a closer look at how food and fitness play such an important role in the longevity and quality of this modern life. Today the term “you are what you eat” can have a very bad outlook if you consider what we are putting into our bodies. So much of what we eat is processed and manufactured to the point that when we consume this “food” our bodies don’t know what to do with it. The human body is meant to break down foods that come from natural sources such as whole grains, fresh produce, and natural sources of protein. Food should be seen as a source of energy for the body. When we eat clean natural food, our bodies can use every molecule. Each molecule goes to someplace in the body where it can be used and does something positive for your health. Protein molecules go to building and repairing tissue. Healthy fats are used to lubricate cells and keep things like hair, skin and other organs healthy. Molecules from complex carbohydrates are broken down and used as energy for the body to carry out its daily processes. Fiber is used to clean out our system and water carries important nutrients where they need to go. When every little bit of food is used up there is nothing left to store as excess fat. However, when our digestive system…
By Genevieve LeFranc With unbearable temperatures and stifling humidity, looking glam on the go isn’t always easy. Looking fly in Summer is especially difficult when we take our much-needed getaways and can’t rely on drawers full of products. That’s why smart beauty girls know the key to always looking your best is being prepared with a cleverly stocked arsenal. This month First Blush offers a handy guide to the essential beach bag must haves with this cheat sheet of everything you need to feel beautiful and have fun in the sun on vacation. Silicone wallet These adorable candy-colored silicone wallets by Wucci Wide are an absolute must have for any beach bag. Not only are they affordable and durable, they are water resistant. Both fun and functional, use it to store everything from your hotel key and credit cards to your Chapstick and sunscreen. They even have a cute kiss lock closure so it can double as your poolside clutch! Sunforgettable Mineral Sunscreen Brush Easily the coolest new innovation in sunscreen, Sunforgettable SPF 30 is perfect for those of us who hate the greasy, just-waiting-for-a-breakout feel of slathering on lotion formula sunscreen. This self-dispensing brush provides your sun protection in a sheer, lightweight, water-resistant mineral powder with a barely-there feel that’s easy to apply and reapply throughout the day. The best part? Choose from six shades to also achieve light foundation coverage to even out your complexion, and enjoy the skin-firming benefits of red seaweed extract. Gone are the days of fumbling with your sunglasses and magazine while leaving greasy fingerprints everywhere. Beach towel A trip to the beach just isn’t complete without the cutest, brightest beach towel you can find. Instead of grabbing just any old dingy towel in your bathroom, why not consider a unique beach towel full…
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