In the spirit of Dog Days, I am just sitting here on the waterfront in Southern Maryland with my canine girlfriend, Ceece. She belongs to longtime friends and former Alexandria residents Sherrie Jones and Per Huge-Jensen. Ceece has practically seen the world in her travels with Sherrie and Per. We like it when they are spending time in their Patuxent River home.

By Bob Tagert

Well folks, here it is…we are midway through the Dog Days of Summer. We have already had recurring temps in the mid to upper 90’s as well as a few over the 100-degree mark and August is supposed to be the hot month. Maybe global warming is not a myth as some think. I am 79 years old now and remember the days that I couldn’t wait to get out in the hot sun and on the water sans shirt and sunblock most of the time. Getting a good tan was paramount back then. Nowadays, not so much. Just working on a “healthy glow” this summer. In any case, I hope you all are staying “cool” – both figuratively and literally.

In celebration of the Dog Days of Summer, we published a piece that we ran a few years ago that lets you know that they aren’t just a by-product of our dogs having a tough time handling the heat. There really is some interesting history and even a little bit of an “out of this world/celestial” connection.

Let’s talk about what you can expect in this issue:

• A Bit of History – Sarah Becker kicks us off with an interesting story of the power of the Irish Jig. Alexandria, after all, has Irish origins along with our Scottish heritage.
• High Notes – Ron powers writes about a real favorite of young and old alike. We all danced and sang to Roy Orbinson in the 50s and 60s and on into the 70’s. In 1989, Roy made a remarkable comeback in the music world. If you see Lani out and about, you can catch her attention if you start humming ‘Pretty Woman’-she says it’s her theme song and she does have a birthday this month.
• Last Word – Miriam Kramer continues her search for books for summertime reading. Her passion began with In the Woods and continues with the recent trilogy by Tana French – The Searcher, the Hunter, and the Keeper.
• On Stage Old Town – Mark Edelman enlightens us on to what is happening in our area, although the summer has thinned the ranks be sure to take in the Little Theater production of “Catch Me if You Can” that runs through the 8th.
• Gallery Beat – Lenny Campello relates to the ups and downs of the artists in this industry and problems they encounter both internally and externally trying to get their work in front of the “right” people.
• From the Bay – Adam Tremper tells us of the early 1900’s in Solomons island and one of the cornerstones of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry – The Lore Oyster House.
• To the Blue Ridge – Our pal and main Hunt Country connection, Meg Mullery, writes about one of her passions – therapeutic riding – as she highlights the role Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center plays in the lives of many.
• Road Trip – Lani Gering brings us back to Solomons, Maryland with a visit to Annmarie Sculpture Gardens. This is a fantastic place where you can spend the whole afternoon under the canopy of 30 acres of woods all while seeing some of the amazing art from all over the world.
• Caribbean Connection – Alexander Britell and crew give us the downlow on the Ninth Annual Caribbean Rum Awards taking place on St. Barth in October. Plenty of time to plan your trip. It is on my bucket list!!
• Dining Out – In an effort to impart one way to keep cool in the heat, we highlight the 6 independent/small local chain ice cream and gelato shops in Old Town proper. Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, featured on the cover has been churning their wares since the 1940’s!
• Let’s Eat – Judy Eichner gives us some “cold” soup recipes that sound interesting to me but I’ve never been able to wrap my head around soup that isn’t piping hot. I know there are some of you out there who are going to give one of these a try.
• Let’s Get Crafty – Tim Long takes a break from analyzing brews and trades it in highlighting two of his favorites…golfing and cigars. There is a mention of one of the Morgantown, WV favorite watering holes, the Fish Bowl, and their “little” 20-ounce schooners. I bet they are just fine but, hey, we have 32-ouncers here at the Fish Market in Old Town!
• Grapevine – Matt Fitzsimmons has a great experience on the Sip and Savor Express train ride that runs out of Staunton! Operated by the Virginia Scenic Railroad, this adventure is a must try.
• Exploring VA Wines – Doug Fabbioli reinforces the importance of bees to the agriculture community and to the well being of plants in and around the vineyard.
• Beauty & Health – Genvieve LeFranc highlights tips on how to make the best of your makeup routine in this warm weather in First Blush, while Nicole Flanagan answers the question “Does Working Out in the Hot Weather Burn More Calories?” in Fitness and Ryan Unverzagt is back at it with the FitBall and one of the many exercises you can do with it in From the Trainer.
• Go Fish – Captain Chaconas imparts his wisdom in “Fishing with Confidence” and gives us tips on how to catch those bass in the Potomac River this month.
• Open Space – Every month Lori Welch knocks it out of the park with her column. This month she reminisces about how and why she loves Alexandria so much. If you haven’t already checked her art exhibit at Nepenthe Gallery on Fort Hunt Road, you have until the 19^th!
• National Harbor – Not sure what really happened, but Lani has been all nostalgic about leaving the Harbor over 6 years ago. She explains in this column.

On another note, it looks like the City has finally decided to “pretty up” the 200 Block of King Street that was closed to vehicle traffic a year or so ago. I thought it would be fun to show you all what our August 1994 cover looked like again. This was our rendition of what the lower 2 blocks of King should look like as a Pedestrian Mall. Maybe they should have consulted with us!

In the meantime…Stay Cool my friends!!