By Ryan Unverzagt Wow…It’s hard to believe that 2023 is almost over. This year has gone by way too fast, but December is a great time to find that perfect gift for the holidays. If you are one of those people who struggle to think of gift ideas, you should consider something fitness-related. Here are a few things that I recommend: Heart Rate Monitor: This is a tool that I think everyone should own. Heart rate monitor prices can vary anywhere from $30 to well over $300 depending upon the brand and type. The best thing about having one is that it will track the intensity of your workout no matter where you exercise! You don’t need to rely on a cardio machine at the health club to check your heart rate. It’s also easier than stopping in the middle of your workout to feel your pulse and count while watching the clock. Exercise Ball: (A.K.A. Fit Ball, Swiss Ball, or Stability Ball) I’m talking about the big ball you can sit on at the office or perform multiple exercises for the “core”. However, you can do much more than abdominal exercises with a Fit Ball such as squats, stationary lunges and pushups. Every ball should have an exercise sheet included to show you how to use them. They also come in different sizes and colors, so which one should you buy? Most manufacturers will have a size chart printed on the side of the box. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends these sizes for height: 4’8” – 5’5” – 45 cm Ball 5’6”- 6’0 – 55 cm Ball (most common size in stores) 6’1” – 6’5 – 65 cm Ball (most common size in stores) Taller than 6’5” – 75 cm Ball Prices for exercise balls vary from…
By Melinda Myers A garden filled with flowers, birds, bees and butterflies is a sight to behold. These winged beauties add color, sound and motion to our gardens. Plus, they help maximize a garden’s productivity by pollinating plants and managing plant-damaging pests. But what about those unwanted visitors to the garden? The aphids, mites and cabbage worms that feed upon our plants or the mosquitoes that feed upon us. There are ways to have a beautiful garden and at the same time enjoy the outdoors when we work with nature to manage our landscape. Add a birdbath, a few birdhouses and plants for the birds. They’ll repay you by eating many of the insects that feed upon your plants. Include seed-bearing plants like coneflowers, rudbeckias and cosmos as well as berry plants like juneberry, dogwood and firethorn. Add an evergreen and a few trees for shelter and nesting, if space allows. Include a hummingbird feeder and a few of their favorite flowers like columbine, salvia, penstemon, and phlox. Then watch as these fast flyers feed upon aphids, mites and mosquitoes in between sips of nectar. While watching the birds, bees and butterflies, examine your plants for garden pests. Catching insects early may mean the difference between a successful harvest and disappointment. Before reaching for the pesticides and destroying their food source, attract the good guys and manage unwanted pests with a few of these eco-friendly strategies. Tolerate a bit of damage and wait for the birds, lady beetles, praying mantis and other beneficial insects to move in and eat the bad bugs in the garden. Use barriers like row covers to keep cabbage worms off your cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Sink shallow containers filled with beer into the soil around hostas and some of the other favorite plants…
This summer, enjoy an abundance of festivals, outdoor music, pub crawls and more in Alexandria, Virginia, located minutes from Washington, D.C., on the Potomac River and recognized by Travel + Leisure among the Best Places to Travel in 2023 and Best Cities in the U.S. 2022 and voted a Condé Nast Traveler Top 5 Best Small City in the U.S. 2022. 8th USA/Alexandria Birthday Celebration 6 to 9:45 p.m. (Rain date: July 9, 2023) Admission: Free Oronoco Bay Park 100 Madison Street alexandriava.gov The City of Alexandria celebrates its 274th birthday and the USA’s 247th birthday on Saturday, July 8, with a performance by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and a grand finale fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. Enjoy the big birthday experience including cupcakes, local vendors and live music. 15th 10th Annual Old Town Pub Crawl 1:30 to 6 p.m. Admission: Free Various locations throughout Old Town 703-797-2739 portcitybrewing.com The Port City Brewing Company team will be at local restaurants and bars near the Alexandria waterfront, stamping pub crawl passes (available at participating locations) and handing out swag from 1:30 to 6 p.m. If you complete your Pub Crawl Pass, you will get a limited-edition pint glass. Participating restaurants include Blackwall Hitch, Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant & Sports Bar, Chadwicks, Daniel O’Connell’s, The Fish Market, Union Street Public House, Virtue Feed and Grain and Vola’s Dockside Grill and Hi-Tide Lounge. 20th Art Night in Old Town 5 to 7:30 p.m. Admission: Free Various locations throughout Old Town oldtownbusiness.org On the third Thursday of each month, discover an art gallery and/or cultural arts organization offering an evening of fine art and studio crafts. Come to Old Town for an evening of art and stay for dinner at a nearby restaurants More information on participating art galleries and restaurants can be found at oldtownbusiness.org. 29th Beats, Bites and Brews in Carlyle Square 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission:…
By Lani Gering We are always on the lookout for interesting content for the OTC and I ran across this piece posted on the Facebook page of a group called “OliViral”. This is a feel good page that only shares positive and uplifting information and with all of the negativity out there, this was refreshing to see. I was drawn to this post because I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this story – my sister and I share a 45 rpm record of Gene Autry singing the original song with his other hit “Here Comes Santa Claus” on the flipside that we have had for about 64 years and I am sad that I don’t know what happened to the book I got about that long ago as well. I watch the Christmas special EVERY year… After all of these years, I never knew the history of the origins of the story until now. I hope you find it interesting and that it touches your heart in some way during the holiday season. “As the holiday season of 1938 came to Chicago, Bob May wasn’t feeling much comfort or joy. A 34-year-old ad writer for Montgomery Ward, May was exhausted and nearly broke. His wife, Evelyn, was bedridden, on the losing end of a two-year battle with cancer. This left Bob to look after their four-year old-daughter, Barbara. One night, Barbara asked her father, “Why isn’t my mommy like everybody else’s mommy?” As he struggled to answer his daughter’s question, Bob remembered the pain of his own childhood. A small, sickly boy, he was constantly picked on and called names. But he wanted to give his daughter hope, and show her that being different was nothing to be ashamed of. More than that, he wanted…
By Ron Powers For this month’s Flashback article, I’d like to talk about a song from one of The Cars’ lesser-known albums. “Soon” is the fourth track off the iconic band’s seventh and final studio album, Move Like This which was released in May of 2011. The song has a heartfelt and sweet melody that complements touching lyrics which are addressed to the singer’s significant other. “Soon” is the sort of song that sends low-key vibes and sentimental feelings running through your soul. It has a way of bringing the truly important people in your life to mind and makes you feel grateful for them. “Soon” begins with softly played organ chords accompanied by faintly picked rhythm guitar notes. As the song progresses, sparse lead guitar is added with vibrato and reverb effects. After two bars of intro music, singer Ric Ocasek’s melodic magic hits the ears like a spell being cast. The words and melody work with the music to draw the listener into the song’s mellow sweetness. If you’re looking for a love song, it doesn’t get much better than this one. For the pre-chorus extra depth is introduced to the music by way of subtly distorted synth with hefty bass frequencies. The band quickly transitions into the chorus where the arrangement is further added to with emotive synth string chords. A classy echo effect is added to Ric’s vocal as he sings the chorus lyrics: “But soon / the time / will come / I know what I put you through / the time / will run / away from us like time it will do”. One of my favorite aspects of this song is the gradual introduction of new musical elements. The palm-muted electric guitar introduced on the second verse is a great example of this….
By Alexander Brittell The Loose Mongoose – A BVI Destination Beach Bar! It‘s a ritual for travelers to the British Virgin Islands… …Land at Beef Island Airport, go through customs, gather your luggage and head to Trellis Bay, where you’d find your ferry or charter, step on your boat and begin your BVI vacation. But in recent years, Trellis Bay has become more than just a jumping-off point. It has become a destination in its own right. And that’s in large part thanks to the Loose Mongoose, a Mecca in the British Virgin Islands, a restaurant and beach bar and town square all in one. The open-air eatery on the waterfront in Trellis Bay is a marvelous mix of outstanding food, creative cocktails and even a bustling weekend brunch, along with morning coffee for boaters in search of java fuel (or those heading to an early ride on the Anegada ferry). It’s not new, of course. For years, Loose Mongoose was a haven for boaters, travelers and rum lovers —until the storms of 2017 had their say. And now, following a dramatic reconstruction project, the Loose Mongoose has a whole new look and a new place in the pantheon of Caribbean beach bars, and a compelling argument for BVI travelers to stay a little longer in Trellis Bay. Loose Mongoose, which is the sister company of the renowned Anegada Beach Club hotel, is green, too, having been built from recycled hardwoods in true Caribbean style, with a thatched-roof look married with sleek, modern design. “Loose Mongoose was created to be a multi-faceted gateway to the outer islands, while serving as a unique destination in of itself,” owner Doug Riegels tells Caribbean Journal. That’s precisely what it’s done: Loose, as it’s affectionately known, has instantly become one of the coolest-looking beach spots in all of…
By Lani Gering The Old Town Shop – “Where the Past Is Your Present” It is hard to believe that this wonderful little shop hasn’t been around for many years. It just has that sort of vibe when you walk into the foyer and into the door on your right at 105 South Union Street. The Old Town Shop (OTS) will celebrate its 5 year anniversary in March of 2022. After the closing of a longtime favorite specialty retailer, The Virginia Shop that was located pretty much just across the street from the OTS, it was a welcome addition to the shopping scene in Old Town. We missed our “Virginia” specific retailer and were very excited to hear about long time Alexandria resident Valerie Ianieri’s plan to open an “Old Town Alexandria” specific venue. This shop is not just for those visitors who want to take something home to remind them of their experience in our fair city but it is for those of us who live here and want to share our fabulous locally made products and history with family and friends alike. Ianieri is definitely following through with her vision to help preserve and promote the culture, history and most importantly the creativity of our Alexandria locals along with others in the Commonwealth. This shop is a PERFECT place to find a gift that will impress that person on your list who has everything. The description on the OTS website pretty much says it all: “The Old Town Shop is the only area shop to feature a variety of local curated artisan products that are offered at the Alexandria Farmers’ Market. This section, known as Locals’ Alley, is dedicated to showcasing a variety of artisans who vend regularly at the Farmers’ Market, giving these artisans a more permanent presence in…
The Birth of American Independence When the initial battles in the Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, few colonists desired complete independence from Great Britain, and those who did were considered radical. By the middle of the following year, however, many more colonists had come to favor independence, thanks to growing hostility against Britain and the spread of revolutionary sentiments such as those expressed in Thomas Paine’s best selling pamphlet “Common Sense,” published in early 1776. On June 7, when the Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House (later Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, the Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion calling for the colonies’ independence. Amid heated debate, Congress postponed the vote on Lee’s resolution, but appointed a five-man committee—including Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and Robert R. Livingston of New York–to draft a formal statement justifying the break with Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of Lee’s resolution for independence in a near-unanimous vote (the New York delegation abstained, but later voted affirmatively). On that day, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail that July 2 “will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival” and that the celebration should include “Pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.” On July 4th, the Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence that had been written largely by Jefferson. Though the vote for actual independence took place on July 2nd, from then on the 4th became the day that was celebrated as the birth of American independence. Early Fourth of July Celebrations In the pre-Revolutionary years, colonists had held annual celebrations of the king’s birthday, which traditionally included the…
Gal-Pals Daisy, Lauren, and Lisa share a sunny lunchtime walk admist the cicada’s song in Historic Downtown Winchester. Pictured here is the John Handley Library, a Winchester Landmark.
WANTED: MOM…Apply Within By: Caroline Simpson Job Title: Mother. Requirements: must be willing to work overtime for no additional compensation. Necessary Skills: patience, fortitude, and super-human ability to multitask. Salary: none but must be able to provide monthly (at least) payments to clients. Travel: yes – lots. Benefits: bedtime and the one day a year that it is all about you! Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! If I was in charge, I would recommend you for a promotion and a raise, your service over the years has been remarkable. However, since I do not play the CEO role in this family, I will take this opportunity to honor you by giving you an inside look at my new plans for this holiday. In all seriousness, Mother’s Day is an important holiday. Allow me to provide a bit of the history for you. The tradition dates back as far as the Greek Empire and their Annual Spring Festival; various religions and spiritual groups dedicated a specific day in May to celebrate the Mother Mary, Mother Earth, the Mother of All Deities, etc. England expanded this honor to not just religious mother figures, but to all mothers, and the United States made it the celebration it is today about 150 years ago, when Anna Jarvis, mother and homemaker, decided that there were days for men and days for children, but there just was not a single day devoted to mothers alone. Anna would be proud. Today, Mother’s Day results in the highest volume of telephone traffic over any other day of the year, restaurants are more crowded on this second Sunday in May than any other holiday, and, of course, Hallmark card sales increase dramatically. Well, this Mother’s Day, I want to do more than just buy a card. I know that nothing…
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