Captain Bob circa 2023 under sail on the Patuxent River with the “Betsy Ross Flag” flying.

By Bob Tagert

As I write these Publishers Notes on May 25th, it is a perfect spring day. Blue skies with puffy white clouds. The high temperature will be in the low 70’s. The last round of rain has been helpful for the fields that I travel by in Southern Maryland each month and the crops of corn, soybeans and winter wheat are thriving. It really feels like springtime is here to stay for a while. Hard to believe that summer is just around the corner already.

The popularity of Old Town and Alexandria continues to grow as does the traffic traveling through town. We live in the 300 block of South Washington Street and there isn’t a time of day or night when there aren’t vehicles headed in both directions. While I love living in Old Town and we depend on tourists to pick us up as a good resource for the region while they are here, the number of people that are roaming the waterfront and lower King Street are doubling every day. Summer is a good time for us locals to make plans to get out of town for a few hours/days.

Fortunately, if you do decide to get out of town, we have many nice destinations within an hour’s commute – many that have been written about in the “From the Bay to the Blue Ridge” section. From classic small towns in Southern Maryland like Solomons in Calvert County, located between the Bay and the Patuxent River, to Leonardtown in St. Mary’s County, located on the water Breaton Bay which flows into the Potomac, there are many places to plan a day trip. If the lure of the mountains is calling, you will discover first class wineries, breweries and distilleries near small towns the likes of Middleburg, Sperryville, Luray and Little Washington.

In keeping with the get out of town theme, From the Bay takes us to the beautiful Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center in Solomons and Julie Reardon reminds us why it is important to buy from local food vendors and farmers markets and gives you several options for places to do just that in To the Blue Ridge.

Contrary to the above suggestions, we stayed close to home for our Road Trip and spent an afternoon at the United States National Arboretum in North West D.C. I have lived in this area for 72 years and this was my first time there. It is a special part of the city for sure. Who knew there was 451 acres of legitimate green space in the heart of our Nation’s Capital?

We celebrate “Flags and Fathers” this month as well as the first day of summer. Be sure to read about the origins of Flag Day and pick up a few tips on how to practice flag etiquette when displaying the red, white and blue. I want to cringe every time I see a place that has a torn, filthy flag flying. In the May issue Caroline Simpson gave us the specs for applying for the job of “Mom” and in these pages she tells us about what she has learned from her father in our Father’s Day feature.

In High Notes, Ron Powers gives a listen to Noel Gallagher after the breakup of Oasis, while Last Word columnist Miriam Kramer pens a case for The Sandhamn Murders.

This month we welcome a new advertiser, the Peak Shenandoah Wine Region representing six of the wineries of the Shenandoah. Matthew Fitzsimmons introduces us to Peak Shenandoah Wine in his Grapevine column.

Doug Fabbioli addresses a Facebook post he saw on a local page stating that “Virginia wineries are a joke”. Doug sets the record straight in his Exploring Virginia Wines column. We all can learn from his thoughts.

In Let’s Get Crafty, Tim Long takes a visit to Bear Chase Brewing Company in Bluemont, Va. As a coincidence, Bear Chase is about a mile or so from our inside back cover advertiser, Twin Oaks Tavern Winery which, by the way, has had an extraordinary face lift and is also now owned by a dear friend of Lani’s. Great two-for-one destination when you are considering the aforementioned day trip to the mountains! Tim’s article is all about our tagline…”From the Bay to the Blue Ridge”.

On the health and beauty front, From the Trainer’s Ryan Unverzagt shows us how to get our triceps ready for the beach and Nicole Flanagan reveals a bit about the value of yoga in Fitness.

Also in this issue, and much more, you will find Go Fish columnist Steve Chaconas giving us some great ideas for Father’s Day gifts as he also lets us know about the great time of year for bass fishing as Lori Welch Brown writes about the lure of the seasons, but says “Summer, you are pretty special” in Open Space. Sarah Becker looks to the skies and flight in A Bit of History and we revisited Mystic Bar & Grill in search of Father’s Day worthy eats in Dining Out.

I hope that everyone enjoys this month’s issue of the OTC. We have been bringing interesting stories, local and regional information and entertainment to our readers since January of 1988. It is our pleasure to bring this unique magazine to you every month. Please patronize our advertisers as they are our livelihood.

Don’t forget Flag Day on the 14^th and Father’s Day on the 15th! Hang up Old Glory and give Dad a hug!

We would also like to congratulate our friend and wine rep extraordinaire, Holly Rocco Feraci, on her new position as Chief Sommelier and National Sales Director at Barboursville Vineyards, one of the Commonwealth’s premier vineyards. She joins Luca Paschina, Barboursville’s longtime Estate Director and Winemaker, and his team as they strive to promote Barboursville across the nation and abroad. We also want to bid a fond farewell to Jason Tesauro, who has filled these shoes for two decades, and wish him all the best as he takes his expertise back to his roots in Italy.

L to R – Luca, Holly, Jason