Keswick Life

Lifestyles in Keswick and its environs

Keswick Life

BOOKWORM: Winter Fireside Reading

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By Suzanne Nash

As a New Year approaches it is time to stock up on a pile of books to get through the winter months that lie ahead. If you are still looking for a gift for someone because you are behind in your holiday festivities or you received gift card to your local bookstore, I have some great choices to make the winter months pass quickly.

I hope this gives everyone a good selection of diverse material to take you into a new year full of reading!

In Hotel Neversink, Adam O’Fallon Price introduces the reader to generations of Hotel Neversink’s owners and the mystery that continues to haunt it through the years. This is a multilevel tale with narration from Jeanie (the original owner’s daughter), Leonard (her son), a maid named Hannah, and multiple others who have been touched by the disappearance of children from the hotel. First, a young boy goes missing then a young cousin of the Jeanie, named Alice. Alice manages to escape the killer but cannot reveal who it was who abducted and attempted to strangle her. Built by a Jewish immigrant in the 1930’s, this Catskill hotel is loved by some members of the family and is despised by others, but no one can deny that it has created a community of people who help keep it running and who preserve the history and stories of its past. Hopefully someone will discover the identity of the killer before another child is harmed.

I immediately picked up The Spies of Shilling Lane when I saw it was published because author Jennifer Ryan also wrote The Chillbury’s Lady’s Choir, which I loved and reviewed last year. I couldn’t wait to dig into her latest novel, and I was not disappointed. Mrs. Braithwaite is quite a character. She is bossy, noisy, and tends to steamroll all those around her. No one is particularly sad when she is ousted from her leadership role at the Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS). Hurt and angry, Mrs. Braithwaite packs her bag and heads to London to visit her errant daughter, Betty, only to find her missing. Betty does not have a good relationship with her mother, and she has not been completely honest about her activities, to help in the war effort, Betty’s shy and retiring landlord, Mr. Norris, finds himself bullied into accompanying Mrs. Braithwaite as she goes on the hunt for her daughter. The adventures commence! It’s a lovely story that will make you laugh and keep you guessing.

Moving along from fiction to fact, Crisis in the Red Zone: the story of the deadliest ebola outbreak in history and of the outbreak to come by Richard Preston tackles a subject the author has covered before. The subject matter is crystal clear from the title. I was introduced into the world of ebola years ago when I read Preston’s first book, The Hot Zone, which transfixed me with the story of how this virus first emerged from a cave in Africa and described the devastation it wrought. His latest work is no less spectacular in its ability to explain the current condition and issues around this deadly virus. At the end of The Hot Zone, the conclusion was that ebola, while scary and horrible, was containable because it only mutated within animals, but now scientists have learned through the latest outbreak that the situation has changed. While the subject matter may not be something you think you would enjoy reading about, Preston is a very talented writer who can convey clinical information in a very readable way that informs and pulls you in. He has woven the facts about the outbreak and subsequent deaths with the personalities and dedication of those who fight to keep this virus from spreading. These are remarkable people who put their lives on the line every day to help those in peril and keep the world safe. They are passionate, caring people who risk their health and safety because they want to stay one step ahead of the most dangerous viruses that exist in the world. I love Preston’s writing style and I think we all need to be aware of what the CDC, Doctors Without Borders, and other organizations are doing to thwart a very real threat!

The Sisters of the Winter Wood seems a perfect winger tale to enjoy in front of the fire with a cup of cocoa. It’s a fantasy story that combines Jewish history and folklore and is a debut novel by Rena Rossner. I really enjoyed Rossner’s unique style that paid homage to her roots in Ukraine. There is a village near Moldova and Ukraine where Liba and Laya live. They live outside the village because they both come from a long line of shape shifters and their parents are determined to keep them safe and unaware of their lineage. When their parents leave them alone to deal with family matters far away, both girls learn the secret their parents were keeping. Liba finds herself shifting into a bear and swan-like Laya longs to take flight. This is a beautiful, lyric story of secrets and divisions between people. It combines the fairy tale aspect of goblins, shapeshifters, magic, and animals with historical events. The language is a beautiful combination of Yiddish, Hebrew and Ukranian. What is amazing is that this fantasy is based on the very real backdrop of the Pogroms in that area. It really adds another layer to the idea of the beast that lies within each of us. I loved this story and its message!

COVER STORY: Hunting Styles and Etiquette

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Fall is such a wonderful time of year when the field is mounted in full flight over hill and dale in pursuit of a good gallop in the countryside. The Hunt is an exhilarating sport for those adventuresome types, as well as for meeker types who follow on foot.

By Keswick Life, Photo by Warner Granade

Etiquette 

The Master is the final authority in the field –

Nicolette and Joel Merle-Smith in proper attire at the recent Keswick Hunt Club’s Blessing of the Hounds Meet

We often need to refresh the traditions and etiquette of this age-old sport. Foxhunting is meant to be a fun sport; after all, most foxhunters have risen early, cleaned a horse, tack, clothes, etc. shipped to the meet, and they are expecting a fun morning in the sport. The courtesies and conventions of the hunting field, developed over the centuries, aim to produce an environment in which an exuberant sport may flourish pleasurably and safely. As each new season begins, it is never inappropriate to remind ourselves of the courtesies 

There are proper conventions and etiquette that participants are expected to follow. Any unsafe, rude, or unsportsmanlike conduct will be addressed by the Master up to and including removal of a rider from the field. The Master is the final authority in the field. Any requests by the Master must be followed immediately and without discussion. At the beginning of the meet, all should greet the Master and Hunt Staff with a pleasant “Good Morning” starting the day to the “Moving Off” sound of the huntsman’s horn, awaiting a fun day of sport. If you bring a guest, introduce him/her to the Masters and Field Master, make sure they have signed a release before tacking up, and paid the capping fee before hunting commences. It is your responsibility to inform them of proper etiquette and ride with them at the back of the field. At the end of the day, thank the Master, Huntsman, and Staff; they worked hard, bringing you a day’s sport.

If there is one single overarching concept to understand about foxhunting, it is that we are guests on someone’s land and enjoy our sport solely through his/her goodwill. Without the Landowner’s hospitality, there is no hunting. The question is: How do we maintain that goodwill? We answer that question every hunting day in the way we treat our landowners’ land, crops, and livestock. Landowners are our lifeblood. Never miss an opportunity to speak to them and thank them. Please look for them at the meet to greet them. Please greet everyone you see working on the farm. Leave gates open that you find open and close securely those you find closed. If you break a fence while hunting, it is your responsibility to fix it then and there, if that is impossible, prop it up as best you can and immediately report it to your field master. Go around any crop fields or fields that you suspect have been recently seeded. Go slowly around livestock so as not to agitate them or make them run. Do not go on any lawns or mowed areas. If on the road, where possible, get to the side to allow cars to come through. Never take rides on Hunt or non-hunt days through hunting territory unless you have permission from the Landowner (s) and have called to make sure the area you wish to ride in is open.

Although the Hunt may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there can be no doubt that the efforts of a Hunt Club and their dedicated members throughout the world have successfully preserved vast tracts of land, in its original state — wild, unspoiled, and a safe haven to the teeming wildlife, ecosystems, and habitat that coexist on the land.

If you choose to carry your cell phone while hunting, be sure to silence it before the meet starts, further, be mindful if taking photos to be discrete, respect the privacy of our landowners, and never allow it to distract from hunting. Should you need to make an emergency phone call, ask your Field Master where the best place is to do that where you will be out of the way.

Attire 

“You and your horse should be properly turned out.”

While the guidelines for hunting attire vary in details from club to club, each follows similar rules of attire. You should be clean and neat, make sure your horse is fit and ready to hunt and is clean and properly turned out.

There are opportunities to get dirty along the way. If you have long hair, you must wear a hair net – male or female. Rated safety helmets are strongly recommended, and all helmet chin straps should be securely fastened.

For ladies and men — tan breeches, black boots, black jackets, yellow or tattersall waistcoat, white shirt and stock tie, knotted and secured with a stock pin. Each article has a field-ready purpose; the wool Melton jackets are tightly woven to repel the inevitable precipitation, vests, or waistcoats are insulating as well as protective, knee-high boots save legs from scratches and scrapes.  Historically, the stock tie and pin looking so impeccably turned out performed double duty as a tourniquet or sling. Tack should be of black or brown leather, with a white saddle pad, preferably contoured, not square. No colored pads, boots, wraps, fleece, etc., are allowed, especially on formal days – this is clearly not a sport for the faint of heart. When a rider has reached a certain level of dedication and expertise, he or she is awarded their “colors” by the Hunt’s Masters. This is a great honor and is designated with a change in dress. For women in the field, jacket collars are trimmed with the club colors, while men earn the right to wear “pinks” with white breeches… pinks… scarlet… red — it can all be quite confusing. “The proper term is always ‘scarlet’ when referring to ‘pinks,’ named after the tailor Mr. Pink who made the jackets in his London shop. Traditionally ‘red’ is never used as a descriptive term.” Also, interesting to note, “When the British soldiers came home from the war, they hunted in their uniform (redcoats).” Members of other hunts should always ask permission of a Master to wear their colors when hunting with a different hunt

Keswick colors were awarded to Suzanne Hanagan, Vanessa Massaro, Susan Travellin, DeeDee Slewka, Sophie LaPorte, Carol Pattie, Tracy Kilpatrick, Robin Schuler, Will Coleman III, Yvonne Wilson, Joel and Nicolette Merle-Smith, and Jerrie and Meri Wade. The Barrister Award was given to Warner Granade, for his many contributions to KHC above and beyond any reasonable expectation.

TRAVEL: A Bulgarian Redux

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By Charles Thacher

In September, at the end of a two-week trip, Ann flew home from Paris to spend a weekend with the grandkids, while I traveled on to Bulgaria to meet up with our Charlottesville friends, Nancy and Victor Schiller, who have been living and working in Sofia for three years. I spent only four days there, but came away impressed with the Country and its people, and the role that American individuals and organizations have played in its success. 

First is Roman Arena in Sofia Old City

The history of the Bulgarian people has largely been one of subjugation by foreigners. First the Romans, followed by the Byzantines, then from the late 14th Century the Turkish Ottomans were in control for over 500 years until Bulgaria gained its independence in 1908. In 1915, the country joined the Central Powers (Germany & Austria) in WWI in return for a pledge that it would dominate the Balkans after the War. That was a bad choice, and Bulgaria was punished post-war with the loss of territory and a bill for reparations. The combination of reparations and the economic deprivations caused by the Great Depression, made life miserable for most Bulgarians during the period between the world wars. From the start of WWII, Bulgaria remained neutral until March, 1941, when Germany demanded that it join the Axis powers, backed by a threat to invade. That demand, combined with the promise of annexing Greek territory, resulted in Bulgaria joining Germany, until the Soviets invaded in September 1944 and established a puppet Communist government, which lasted until 1989. A hapless history indeed.

For the past three decades, the country has been digging out from the disastrous economic effects of 45 years of Communism, while wrestling with the corruption, ethnic struggles, and tensions between the young and old, that have plagued most of the former Soviet bloc countries. Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007, though the latter move has not been all positive, as the freedom of movement it allows has created a significant brain-drain of talented young people. 

Wall graffiti

It was my second trip to Bulgaria. The first was in 1969 when Ann and I were there because she had accepted my offer of “You plan the wedding and I’ll plan the honeymoon.” I can still hear her mother’s plaintive call as, after the reception, we were in the limo leaving to take a flight to Vienna, where we would begin the two-week drive east to the Black Sea and back, “Are you sure that you wouldn’t rather go to Acapulco?” Once we left Vienna – driving through Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia – it was an “interesting” educational experience, but registered near zero on the luxury and relaxation scales, which some hopeless romantics think is important for a honeymoon. I suppose it was a good test, since on the entire trip we encountered almost no one to whom we could speak but one another. Bulgaria was the poorest of the countries that we visited, and the most repressive. There was only an occasional Russian car on the road, and donkey carts were the most common form of transportation. Buildings in the cities and towns were mostly drab and covered with soot. There were a few hotels designated exclusively for Westerners, not because they were luxurious – that concept didn’t exist – but because people who lived in the Soviet bloc countries were prohibited from mingling with the enemy, lest they learn forbidden things. The lovely Black Sea beaches were patrolled by soldiers carrying AK-47s, not to stop crime which was rare in all of the Communist countries, but to intimidate Eastern Europeans who otherwise might attempt to speak to the occasional Westerner.

There are numerous pithy aphorisms that capture the essence of the Communist system’s disrespect for the worth of the individual, and particularly his time. For example, a factory worker saying “We pretend to work and they pretend to pay us.” Or a factory manager explaining “I pay my men enough to buy one loaf of bread and one bottle of vodka a day. If I pay them more, they will buy two bottles of vodka and cannot come to work the next day.” Many little incidents that we encountered in 1969 displayed the Communist approach. To recall a few:

  • When we entered the Country, we purchased the amount of Bulgarian Levs that we thought we would need for our stay (credit cards were non-existent). Each day, our room had to be newly procured and paid for at the government tourist office, and on the first day when we proffered the correct amount for that night’s lodging, the office clerk scoffed at it, saying “We don’t accept Bulgarian money. Only dollars, marks or pounds.” We had foolishly assumed that every country’s government accepted its own money.
  • At a large and busy restaurant overlooking a beach, we waited a long time for the only menu to be passed to us from another table. The manager gave us the reason: since a menu must be changed regularly, it is wasteful to have more than one.
  • A line for an ice cream cone seemed to take forever. When we got to the window, we saw why. Each cone was put on a scale, and the scoops were gradually shaved or augmented, until the item met the exact government-mandated weight in grams.
  • In a small department store, we went to the floor for women’s dresses. It contained many racks of dresses, all in the same style and color, but in a full range of sizes. 
The Rila Monastery

A basic tenet of the Soviet-style Communist governing philosophy is that envy is especially dangerous to the State. People will accept being poor and deprived of even basic necessities, so long as other people in their spheres suffer under the same conditions. But, if they are deprived, and they live or work among people who are not, civil unrest is more likely. Even today, nearly three decades after the end of Communism in Europe, this principal divides the older and younger generations. Westerners are often surprised that people in their 70s and older will speak longingly of life under Communism. It should not be so surprising, given that for the oldsters, during all or most of their working years, compensation was determined by the State, but prices were also, and that provided economic security. The years following the fall of Communism have produced economic winners and losers – not always fairly – and currency devaluations have frequently occurred in countries with less productive economies, punishing those who have no opportunity to increase their incomes, and who tend to be older workers and pensioners. 

At the time of the fall of Communism, Bulgaria was the poorest of the European Soviet bloc countries that already existed. It remains so today. When I arrived in Sophia, I did not expect to be impressed. But during my short stay, the Schillers showed me many of the Country’s accomplishments and work in progress that changed my view, and the American government, and American foundations and investors have in the past, and continue to be, important contributors to the success.

A Ni Boyana studio lot

In late 1989, in the U.S., the Support for Eastern European Democracy (SEED) Act was passed into law.  Under it, separate enterprise funds were created in ten formerly Communist countries for development of private businesses, to be funded with U.S. tax dollars, but managed by voluntary boards comprised of American business executives and entrepreneurs. One was the Bulgarian-American Enterprise Fund (BAEF), established in 1991 with seed capital of $55 million. During the first three years alone, over 500 private investments were made throughout Bulgaria. In 2007 when Bulgaria entered the EU, the BAEF had served its purpose, and began selling off its assets, which had grown dramatically to $550 million. It was the most successful of any of the ten funds. Of the total, $400 million was generously given as a grant in 2009 to establish the America For Bulgaria Foundation (ABF), the mission of which is to continue to fund social and economic improvements in the Country. ABF has taken on major projects, such as building new facilities for the American University in Bulgaria, creating an interactive children’s science discovery center, assisting in the development of modern walking and shopping malls in cities, the restoration of two important 6th Century basilicas, and countless other important projects. ABF commits $20 million a year to its projects, and ten years after its founding, still has $400 million in assets. At a time when some of our political leaders proclaim that engaging in public international economic and social development is a waste of time and resources, the successes of the BAEF and the ABF demonstrate just how valuable our efforts can be. Unfortunately, few Americans know this.

Nancy Schiller has been on the Board of ABF since its founding, and has been its CEO for the past three years. Prior to that, she and Victor were actively involved with the Community Investment Collaborative (CIC) in Charlottesville, both as volunteer instructors, and Victor as a Board member. CIC trains under-resourced entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses, and also provides mentoring services and micro-loans. In 2016, the Schillers oversaw the replication of the CIC program in Bulgaria, and ABF provided funding for the necessary staff and translation of the extensive 17-week curriculum into Bulgarian. The program has flourished, and there are now five sites in operation in the Country, that have produced well over 100 aspiring entrepreneurs. The types of businesses that are served are very similar to CIC, such as restaurants, packaged foods, movers, hairdressers, cleaning services, wedding planners, etc. I have been actively involved in CIC almost since its inception, and a primary reason that I went to Bulgaria was to see how the program is doing. It is thriving.

In communist countries, the concept of volunteerism was virtually non-existent. The government provided for and managed everything. Programs like CIC can only exist with a substantial commitment from successful local entrepreneurs and executives to help others coming along behind them. Fortunately, it has never been difficult to recruit volunteers here (or in New York where I was previously involved for 38 years in a similar program), and it was very gratifying to see that volunteers were actively involved in the Bulgarian program. It is clear that the program will continue to expand there, and perhaps even to other countries in the region.

During my stay, Victor took me on several road trips to visit important and interesting sites. We saw the challenging restoration work on the major 6th Century basilica in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s “second city”, that ABF was funding, and the attention to historical detail was similar to that paid by restorers at Monticello and Montpelier. We visited the Rila Monastery in a remote mountain setting, established in 927AD, which is among the most stunning and best-preserved medieval religious sites that I have visited. And then there was the “graffiti village” of Staro Zhelezare, which is in a class of

its own. The outer walls of dozens of the buildings in this obscure small village are covered with murals of pop art – mostly caricatures of historical and political figures, TV and movie actors, often portrayed in a scene with local village residents. The pictures are humorous, profane, outrageous, or all three at the same time. This fascinating village was well off the beaten track, and we saw no other visitors while we were there. 

The restaurants in Sofia were attractive and the food was superb. They also had lively crowds, mostly of young people. The Bulgarian red wines were surprisingly good, and are worth trying if you find them in the U.S.

Modern cafes are abundant, and my small, boutique hotel which was in the City Center on a busy walking street, was excellent, with a great breakfast, and a larger room than I am accustomed to in Europe. Internet and telephone services are prevalent, and the roads are good and easy to navigate. I didn’t get to the beaches, but I was told that they are still beautiful, though without the soldiers and assault rifles. 

On my last afternoon in Sofia, we toured the Nu Boyana film studio in Sofia. This important facility, owned by a Hollywood company, was founded in 1962 and functioned throughout the period of Communist rule. It covers 75 acres, has ten sound stages and reproductions of a Roman coliseum, a cathedral, and numerous other elaborate sets, all of which are easily convertible for different uses. It has state-of-the-art sound and post-production capabilities. The list of hundreds of popular American action movies and TV shows that have been filmed there is impressive. Our group on the tour was only eight people, and all of us got to see everything up close and ask lots of questions. A couple of the people in the group had attended studio tours in the U.S., and said that this tour was more enjoyable because of the small group and informality. During the tour, I mentioned to the guide that when we were in Sofia in 1969, many of the streets near our hotel were blocked off for several hours while a crew filmed a chase scene. At the time we thought this was unusual, but he was not surprised, saying that Sofia was a popular site then because there was almost no traffic to halt.   

Most Bulgarians are poor relative to those in other EU countries, corruption at the highest levels of government and business is a continuing problem, and the recent racist incident at a football game with the U.K. in Sofia, as well as the ongoing alienation of the Romani people (Gypsies), all illustrate that more economic and social progress is still needed. Without that progress, the emigration of well-educated and ambitious young people to the West will not abate. But it was great to see the substantial amount of progress that has been achieved since capitalism first took hold, and how much of that progress is a result of the altruism of individual Americans and our government.

BOOKWORM REVIEWS: Holiday Gift Shopping List

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By Suzanne Nash

The holidays are upon us and so it is time for my Christmas Gift List of books to get your Christmas shopping started… or so you can start your wish list of what you’d like to find under the tree this year! I have been working hard to compile a list with an assortment of books that might fit any tastes. I am often asked if I actually read everything I recommend, and I can assure you that I have read each and every book I suggest… so it has been a very busy month for me!

Let’s start with some compelling fiction choices…

Promise by Minrose Gwin takes place in Tupelo, Mississippi and is based on the real event of a devastating tornado that ripped through the town on Palm Sunday in 1936. It left more than 200 people dead in its aftermath, but the official casualties did not include the black citizens of Tupelo which made up one third of the town’s population. This novel looks at the aftermath of the flood and the racial divisions, the destruction as well as the relationships amongst the townspeople. Dovely, a local laundress, is tossed into a lake by the violent winds and crawls out, injured, searching for her family. She makes her way to the home of the McNahh family, who she works for but despises. No one in the McNabb house has survived except the teenage daughter Jo. Jo however has a head wound and, in her confusion, she finds a baby that she decides is her baby brother Tommy. She is determined to protect this baby. Jo and Dovely must navigate this complicated and devastated landscape carefully. The background between the two families unfolds as well as the resentments and secrets that have shaped their worlds. It is beautifully written and will make you want to explore this forgotten part of history.

The Only Story by Julian Barnes is the winner of the Mann Booker Prize in 2018 and tells the story of Paul Casey who has an affair with Susan MacLeod, a married woman, in the ’60s. When they run away together to set up house in London, they leave behind Susan’s two grown daughters and Susan’s husband who they call Elephant Pants. Barnes explores how first loves can change your life and asks the question: What is love and devotion?

The Last Romantics is a novel about a poet looking back at her life and is written by Tara Conklin. Poet Fiona Skinner is giving a talk at a poetry reading late in her life and is asked about the inspiration for her most famous poem, The Love Poem. Up until now she has never revealed the tale behind this poem but finally, she is ready to open up about her past. When her father died when she was a child her mother went into what the rest of the family referred to as “the Pause” and the children are left to fend for themselves for close to three years. The siblings, Renee, Caroline, Joe, and Fiona become very close, dependent and loyal to each other. They face difficult choices and the story focuses on the fallout of their choices. It is a wonderful and interesting story told from multiple viewpoints that often spill over into each other and closely looks at the repercussions of having to grow up too fast.

I have a particular fondness for historical fiction and there are several really good choices this year if you have someone on your list who is also a fan.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn is spectacular on all fronts. Quinn is the author of best seller, The Alice Network, and has succeeded in yet another winner in my book! In this latest offering there are three story lines, three narrators and alternating timelines but she manages to pull it all off splendidly. In the midst of WWII, in the darkest regions of Siberia, Nina Markova struggles to overcome her past and becomes one of the famous Russian bomber pilots known as the Night Witches. When her father is denounced as a traitor to Russia she must flee and comes into contact with Lorelie Vogt, the Huntress of the German Reich, in Poland where Lorelie commits atrocities which put her on the list of war criminals. After the war in 1950s Boston, Jordan MacBride is interested in becoming a news photographer. Her father is a widowed antiques dealer who would prefer that she stay home to run his shop. When her father decides to marry a German woman named Anneliese who also brings a young daughter to the newly formed family, Jordan is taken aback and suspicious. Anneliese’s daughter Ruth seems traumatized and barely speaks but wins Jordan’s heart and once her father passes away, Jordan becomes closer to her stepmother and accepts her as a friend and confidant. All three of these women’s lives intersect as the Huntress becomes the hunter in the tightly packed novel. I was excited to learn more about the real Night Witches and it is worth taking a look at the real story behind this historical fiction.

The Poison Bed is by Elizabeth Freemantle and takes place in the Jacobean Court of 1615 in London. I did not know a great deal about this time period in English history and was so fascinated to learn about Robert and Francis Carr who were actually imprisoned on suspicion of murder during that time period. In this historical fiction Robert is the lover of King James I and Francis was the wife of an abusive man, Sir Thomas Overbury. There are period details throughout that make this story come alive and paints a picture of the court environment. Frances is unfortunately a pawn in this world of men and yet she has more political knowledge than most of the men surrounding her. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced thriller.

A Double Life by Flynn Berry is another historical fiction/thriller based on a true crime: The Lord Lucan Case set in London in 1974. Berry is the writer of the best selling The Girl on the Train novel and this new piece of fiction is just as fast paced and riveting. Claire is a doctor in London who harbors a secret. She is actually the daughter of a notorious killer who has escaped justice. When the police inform Claire that they have found her father, she is forced to go back over what happened in her childhood and figure out whether her father is wrongly accused or guilty of the violent attack on her mother that left another woman dead. Most Americans don’t know about the Lord Lucan Case that this story is based on but again, it is worth the time to look up the real story that is stranger than any fiction.

If you need a good mystery to keep you company over the holidays, try one of these…

The Dry by Jane Harper is a stand-alone mystery debut from 2016 and takes place in Australia. Aaron Flak reluctantly returns home to a small rural Australian town suffering under severe draught. He has come home to pay his respects at a funeral for a childhood friend, who has died under suspicious circumstances. Luke Hadler apparently came home one day and shot his wife and young son and then took his own life, leaving his baby girl alone in her crib. His parents don’t believe that their son could have acted in this way and ask Aaron to look into it. Aaron is now a financial investigator with the police and decides to stay for a bit to see if this could be linked somehow to the death of his friend Ellie several years before. Small town rumors and bigotry abound, and the rough scrabble life of the Australian farming community takes the forefront in this well-written mystery.

Jump from Australia to Spain and delve into the Galician countryside in All This I Will Give to You by Delores Redondo and translated by Michael Meigs. Manuel Ortigosa is an author in Madred who has been happily married for 15 years in Alvaro. When he suddenly is informed that his husband has died in a car accident far away from where he is supposed to be, secrets begin to be revealed. Alvaro is apparently very wealthy and the owner of a vast estate in Galicia. Manuel must travel to meet Alvaro’s family and deal with the estate affairs and comes face to face with prejudice and deceit and suddenly begins to think that perhaps his husband’s death was no accident. This is a page turner that kept me guessing to the end. I have been watching more movies and series and reading more books from Spain recently and I am hooked on the style of writing and storytelling.

If you are an Audible listener, I want to offer up a nice little mystery you can listen to over the holidays. It is an Audible original and that is the only format for this novella by Dervla McTiernan. The Sisters is a mystery set in Ireland which is a prequel to her book The Ruin. Handsome Robert Collins has been accused of the murder of his girlfriend and his case has been assigned to new lawyer, Aifric. Aifric becomes suspicious in the way the case was handled by the police, so she happens to leave the brief open for her roommate and sister, Carrie to find. Both women face an uphill struggle in careers that are dominated by men. The sexism is rampant in this book and when Carrie decides that there really is something wrong with this case, she becomes determined to ferret out the corruption. This case could make or break her, and she struggles to prove herself as she and her sister run simultaneous investigations. Carrie will be featured in more upcoming books by McTiernan.

I haven’t recommended much fantasy lately so here are a few choices for the fantasy lovers out there…

Neverwold Wake by Marisha Pessi is a twisted sinister tale of a young girl whose boyfriend was found dead in a quarry lake a year ago. She reluctantly gathers with old friends from high school for a party and upon their drive home there is an accident and they all end up dead. The story doesn’t end there, however. They are forced to relive the day again and again until they vote and can agree on who among them will be allowed to live. Each character has something that causes the reader to doubt their honesty. It is part psychological thriller, part fantasy, part sci-fi and part mystery which makes it fascinating, as far as I am concerned.

The Near Witch is another fantasy recently published and it is by V.E. Schwab. In the town of Near children are disappearing and everyone is poiting the finger at “the stranger.” They don’t like strangers in Near. Young Lexi is a tracker like her father before her and she is determined to find the missing children before any more are lost. She doesn’t however believe that the stranger, who she learns is named Cole, is the person responsible for what is happening. Fighting agains the men in charge and the prejudice of the town, Lexi races to prove that her new friend is not evil. She believes that the disappearances are related to old stories and legends about the Near Witch who supposedly disappeared years ago. The songs she and the children sing hold clues as to the frightening tale:

“If the wind calls at night
You must not listen
The wind is lonely
And always looking for company.”

Lexi must hurry because her sister may very well be the next victim!

If you are more interested in something inspiring I suggest Lightly: How to Live Simple, Serene, and Stress-Free Life in which author Francine Jay encourages you to go beyond decluttering and really look at the idea of simplifying your entire life and get rid of thoughts, ideas, and lifestyles that weigh you down. It is more about a change in philosophy. If you want to start fresh in the new year this might just be the book for you.

Another attitude adjuster is a book I really love called Love Your Enemies by Arthur C. Brooks. In this age of contempt this book is a call to rethink how you approach and communicate with those you disagree with. Disagreeing is actually a gift which allows you to explore and exchange ideas and concepts and this exchange is a great opportunity to understand others and grow. What a great way to start the new year by making it a goal to be respectful and loving toward each other despite our differences… could this be part of what Christmas is about? Just a thought!

My last suggestion for a Christmas gift is a British literature classic, though you may have heard of it. The Christmas Hirelings, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon was written in 1894 and tells the story of a wealthy widower who is convinced by his friend, Tom Danby, to hire some poor children to keep him company during the Christmas Season (Christmas Eve to Twelfth Night). Sir John believes Christmas is for children and otherwise not to be bothered with, so is enamored of the idea of youthful excitement about his lonely estate during the holidays. But when Moppet, Laddie and Lassie arrive on Christmas Eve, Sir John is nonplussed by their smallness and grumpy about the whole endeavor. Things seem to be headed in the wrong direction until he is charmed by the 4-year-old Moppet. These children slowly win the heart of this crotchety old man and the reader learns the back story of how Sir John lost his daughters. You can still find the book, but I have really enjoyed listening to it and suggest you play it as you travel about during the holidays. It will put you in the Christmas mood!

I hope you enjoy the Holidays and festivities over the next few weeks and make sure you give the gift of books because books broaden our minds and open our hearts!

COVER STORY: A Joyous Noise; Grace Church Unveils It’s New Bespoke Pipe Organ

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Story by Michael G. Latsko, Director of Music & OrganistPhotographs by Bill Remington

Just in time for its 275th anniversary in 2020, Grace Church will have a refurbished, refreshed (and slightly taller) chancel, a new musician’s gallery framing an interior view of the beautiful tower stained glass window, and a brand new, bespoke pipe organ – the result of the unlikely combination of Mother Nature’s fury and what music director & organist Michael Latsko likes to call “blessed insurance,” a riff on the popular hymn “Blessed Assurance.”

It all started in October 2015 when, after several weeks of constant rain, a visiting organist turned on the church organ. The resulting din sounded like a broken circus calliope – about 50 or 60 notes were sounding at the same time!  That was no “joyful noise.” The rains had overwhelmed water abatement systems at the top of Grace Church’s bell tower. Over the course of several days, a literal waterfall fell inside the tower where, several floors below, a major portion of the church’s pipe organ was housed. Leaking rain mixed with plaster dust to ruin tin, brass, wood, leather, metal and electrical components.

The damaged organ had been purchased and installed in 1959 for $8,500 by Waynesboro organ builder Mark Wetzel. The church raised the funds for the organ from numerous parishioners, including principal donor Donald Gordon Stevens, Jr. His donation was made in memory of his wife Margaret Douglas Randolph who sang in the choir for many years.  In 1995 the church commissioned moderate refurbishments at a cost of $85,000 which was raised through the combined efforts of many parishioners and church friends. The wife of Richards D. Maxwell, Jr. (1910-1990) generously offered a matching grant in memory of her husband.

The rains of 2015 were what Michael calls the “second strike” by the Almighty.  In spring 2012, the church’s basement boiler misfired (the “first strike”), sending an internal rainstorm of black, oily soot through the ducts and all over the church including the pipes and mechanism of the organ.  In July 2012 Grace Church paid organ technicians Grooms & Payne approximately $8,000 to remove the pipes, clean and reinstall the organ.

Water-damaged organs, however, are much more difficult to repair. “Given the organ’s age, repair would have been a stopgap at best, with no guarantee against further problems down the road,” said Michael, an opinion backed up by more than one consultant engaged to assess the damage.  Moreover, the configuration of the organ, with the console at the front of the nave and the pipes at the back, could now be rethought. “It certainly was not ideal,” said Michael. 

In summer 2016, the church commissioned an “organ task force” to consider options and make a recommendation. In addition to studying and learning as much as they could about pipe organs, the group took field trips, both locally and to locations in Virginia, Washington D.C., and North Carolina, to see, hear, and play a variety of organs, to meet with organ builders, and to learn about and actually see what quality organ building craftsmanship looks and sounds like. 

Back at home, some parishioners did not notice that anything was wrong! In fact, there were various notes missing among the “ranks” of pipes that would not, according to Michael, be obvious to the untrained ear. Significantly, only one of the two keyboards (called “manuals” on an organ) had working pipes, so Michael was limited in the literature he could play. Besides not being able to play music employing two manuals (common in organ literature), it was more difficult to avoid overpowering the choir with the sounds that were available (sounds are produced by organ “stops”. Some of the missing “sounds” included angelic and shimmering strings, the robust trumpet and quieter oboe, and other flutes and flues that create the “traditional” organ tone.  Finally, all of the unaffected pipes were “out in the open” and not behind shutters (called the “Swell” division) so the organist could not control the volume of the sounds produced or create an effective crescendo.  

The pipe organ was dubbed the “King of Instruments” by Mozart, and, until the arrival of the atomic bomb, the organ was the most complicated instrument conceived by the mind of man. In the 18th century, during Mozart’s time, no other machine or instrument was as complex – or as grand – as the pipe organ. The art of organ building has changed very little from its origins in the third century BC, and high-quality pipe organs have lasted for centuries. In fact, the oldest playable pipe organ is in the Basilica of Valère in Sion, Switzerland and was built around 1435. New organs like the one at Grace Church rely on organ building techniques that have been around for centuries. Except for some modern materials (like epoxy and electricity), the pipe construction and key action in particular have stood the test of time.  Even with modern materials (such as carbon filament for trackers), pipes are still made from wood and metal, keys with cow bone and wood, and bellows with modern simulations of animal skins.  Electronics and technology comprise the most differences – powering bellows to provide the air to the pipes and proving the organist with playing aids and conveniences that enable rapid fire changes to the sounds (“registration”) generated. 

During its research, the Grace Church organ task force met with the founders of Taylor & Boody Organbuilders. Founded in 1977 by Virginia native (and graduate of both Woodberry Forest and Washington & Lee) George K. Taylor and Maine-born John H. Boody.  In 1979 they moved their company to a renovated school building just outside Staunton, Virginia.  Before they began working together George and John studied and apprenticed with some of the most respected organ builders in the world today [Rudolph von Beckerath in Hamburg, Germany, Fritz Noack in Georgetown, MA, and John Brombaugh of Middletown, OH]. Working together between 1970 and 1977, they built some twenty organs before launching their own business. Important to the members of Grace’s organ task force, all the parts of Taylor & Boody organs are made in the company’s Virginia workshop including the metal and wooden pipes and reed stops, keys (from cowbone and native woods), and the internal workings.  

For any organ to perform at its best, it must be adapted to its space, and its space adapted to it, or, as Michael says, “the room (and acoustic) in which the pipe organ will be played is as important as any of the stops.” Taylor and Boody recommended that Grace engage Dana Kirkegaard, an acoustic engineer as well as an architect based in Downers Grove, IL. Dana has served as consultant to over 250 churches and concert halls and is the recipient of numerous architectural design awards by the American Institute of Architects and architectural critics. Dana visited Grace Church three times and, on one occasion, led members of the organ task force through a series of acoustic tests in the church. He also pointed out some structural issues that should be addressed. After lengthy and thorough discussions of the problems and possibilities, it became apparent that some modifications to the sanctuary would be needed for optimal acoustic effect. These modifications included minimizing sound-absorbing surfaces and raising the ceiling over the chancel. Aesthetic issues also were discussed.  In particular, locating the organ entirely at the front of the church would allow removal of the pipes and their mechanisms from the back of the church which would, in turn, permit opening up the sanctuary to the tower, allowing the light and color of the tower’s tall stained glass window to suffuse the nave.  Such an alteration was, in fact, a restoration of the way the tower and nave were related prior to the installation of the 1959 organ and would be a stunningly beautiful change in the sense of interior space and light.

“I keep saying the Spirit led us to where we are today,” says Michael, who had dreamed of re-opening the gallery arch which had been covered by organ pipes since 1959, envisioning sunlight once again flooding the nave and giving those inside a chance to see the tower window. 

The new pipe organ at Grace Church will be Taylor and Boody’s opus 77 and will be located in chambers built from existing niches on either side of the chancel. The chancel was added to the original building designed by William Strickland after the church burned in 1895. Its ceiling was lower than that in the nave, and a proscenium arch prevented sound from travelling out into the nave. Grace has enlarged the chancel’s floor space, added more flexible (and comfortable seating), and provided more room for the baptismal font to be surrounded with a wooden inlay decoration as well as additional space for wedding parties in the front. The chancel’s ceiling was raised sixteen inches, no easy task considering that after the 1895 fire three steel beams were added to support the roof over the new chancel. “I refer to it as the Holy Trinity of beams,” said Michael, “but that wasn’t enough, because the good people of Grace built a wall of rocks and stones atop these beams!” This strong structure explains why Grace suffered no damage in 2011 when a magnitude 5.8 earthquake rumbled from nearby Mineral. The new ceiling is constructed of quarter sawn oak and decorated with a beautiful design in wood marquetry thereby finishing out the chancel in the church’s original gothic revival style. The resulting acoustic will be a rich, warm sound that should enhance choir and congregational singing as well as the spoken word. 

The new organ will have three keyboards (manuals) instead of the former organ’s two with the customary pedal board to be played with the feet. The addition of a third manual will allow for the performance of almost all organ literature and offer performers, as well as Michael, almost infinite flexibility during service playing. The organ will contain 30 stops controlling 37 ranks of pipes (a rank generally means one pipe per note on the keyboard or pedal board). There will be over 1,800 pipes (ranging in length from sixteen feet to smaller than a pencil); the former organ had 800 or so pipes. All the pipes are made of lead/tin alloys or seasoned wood and constructed at the Taylor & Boody shop. The playing action is mechanical, or tracker action, meaning there is a direct mechanical linkage between keys or pedals pressed by the organist and the valve that allows air to flow into pipe(s) of the corresponding note(s). The former organ had electric action given the distance from the console in the front and the pipes in the rear gallery. 

The organ will have some truly beautiful sounds. In addition to the bold chorus one usually associates with a pipe organ, there will be lush and shimmering strings, bold reeds including a sixteen foot long pedal trombone and a somewhat softer oboe, many gorgeous flutes made of wood and metal, and a unique sixteen foot violone (string bass) in the pedal.  

Some of the old will be incorporated into the new. Several pipes from the old organ were melted into the alloy used to make the new pipes. In this way, Michael said, “we honor the many years of music-making given forth by the old organ which resulted from the generosity of many parishioners and their families, many of whom still worship at Grace today.” In addition, the chimes (tubular bells struck by felt hammers) will be relocated high along the wall of the north chamber. These chimes were refurbished in 1994 by former Keswick resident Helena (“Nini”) Stevens Sliney and her sisters “to honor our father Donald Stevens [former owner of Charlottesville’s Gaslight Restaurant] and to continue honoring his first wife Catherine Loving Stevens.”

Ace Contracting has performed all the interior construction and associated HVAC, electrical and other upgrades, including removal of the existing chancel ceiling and raising of the metal beams that extend across the chancel ceiling. The church’s lighting and sound system have both been significantly improved, including the new ability to transmit sound and video to the parish hall and stream worship services on the internet. In the gallery, the old organ was removed as was a drop ceiling which opened the bell tower. Small side galleries were boxed in to provide a reflective surface, and a new musicians gallery has been added with a wrought iron railing executed by Stokes of England Blacksmiths. 

Grace established a formal capital campaign to raise the $1.8 million needed for the renovations, new chancel furnishings and the organ. Fortunately, seed money for the campaign came from the “blessed insurance” that covered the damage to the former organ. The Grace Church family has been generous, not only with the needed funds (including a generous group who offered to match gifts) but also with “sweat equity.” Over several weeks, parishioners and friends hauled buckets of dirt and rocks to create enough room under the chancel floor for new electrical infrastructure and vapor barriers as well as a channel through which the trackers to the south organ case could run. Inlay on the wooden music desk came from trees that fell on the property during past storms. Other wood (walnut and quarter sawn oak) used in the new chancel ceiling and floor and the handsome new organ cases was donated by parishioners. Other parishioners provided hospitality and housing for the organ builders as they installed, tuned, and voiced the many pipes. 

“We truly hope that the new organ and the overall improvements to the building will enhance the outreach and mission of Grace Church by converting it into the cultural center of the Keswick community, serving as a venue for concerts, recitals and performances,” said the Reverend G. Miles Smith, the church’s rector.  

The organ will receive its official debut to the public on Saturday, December 14 at 4pm when Grace will host a Community Christmas Carol Singing featuring favorite carols, solos, trumpeters, and a few solo organ works to show off the new instrument. Michael has also lined up an exciting array of performers throughout 2020 to inaugurate the new organ and suggests paying attention to the Grace Church website and Facebook page for details of these celebratory events.

ONLY IN KESWICK: The Dog Who Writes Books

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By Tony Vanderwarker

So I’m on the board of Writerhouse, a Charlottesville not-for-profit that helps writers with classes, provides them space to write and supports writing in local schools. At a recent board meeting, we were discussing how to increase awareness and knowledge of our organization.

Being a former ad guy, I thought to myself: Maybe take advantage of all the interest in stupid pet videos on YouTube by having a dog try to write a book? I pitched the idea to the board, saying: “I don’t know if this will work but what if we had a dog get in front of a computer and start to write a book? Maybe the dog will start to type a sentence to engage people and then lapse into gibberish? Could get picked up and create some interest in us. At least get people going on the internet and checking out our website.” 

I was remembering a comedy routine of Bob Newhart’s where he said if someone put an infinite number of monkeys to work at an infinite number of typewriters, sooner or later they would write all the great books. After getting everything set up, Newhart explained that a monitor had to walk down the endless line of monkeys typing away checking to see if they were coming up with anything. Day after day, they came up with nothing but gibberish and he was about to give up when something caught his eye. Leaning over a monkey, he pulled the paper out of the typewriter and took a look. His eyes lit up when he read, “To be or not to be, that is the…” and then a look of dismay came across his face when he read, “…gazorninplat…”

I don’t know if the board believed I could pull it off, but they gave me the go-ahead, particularly when I told them I’d pay for it.

I have a friend with whom I’ve made a lot of videos and another friend who’s an agility dog trainer with three trained Border Collies. I figured I’d see if I could get them to make the idea work.

Both thought it was a funny concept and were willing to help. We scheduled the shoot and one morning we got together, Zach, the cameraman/filmmaker, my friend Lynne and her dog, Zeiss. We set my laptop up on our dining room table with a chair in front of it. Lynne said she’d trained Zeiss to jump up and sit in front of the computer but wasn’t sure how she was going to get him to move his paws over the keyboard as if he was typing. 

“Maybe if I lean over him and take his elbows and see if I can create the impression that he’s typing, that would work.” After filming Zeiss running across the room and jumping up in front of the computer, Zach set his camera up over the laptop so he was shooting down at the keyboard. Lynne crouched down behind Zeiss and when Zack said, “Action!” began to move his paws over the keyboard. We were delighted when Zack stopped shooting, smiled and said, “That looks great.” He showed us the footage on his camera viewfinder and we agreed. By cutting back and forth between the paws on the keyboard and words being written out on the screen, we could create the impression the dog was typing. 

After a couple hours of shooting, we wrapped and went back to our normal routines. All of us saying how much we looked forward to seeing the first edit. 

When Zach sent it to us, we were delighted, the video was a real hoot. After a couple of fine tunes to the edit, I sent it around to the board–everyone loved it

You probably will too, go on the web and watch Zeiss write a book at this address: https://vimeo.com/366580439

WHAT’S COOKING: Chicken Pot Pie Soup

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By Sam Johnson Deputy Director of Cullinary | 1776

This is one of my favorites. I love it as these winter days get colder and colder.  It’s so much fun to warm up with a bowl of soup and why not chicken pot pie soup. There are a couple of twists on the old classic in my recipe – I know it will be loved by all. Keswick, let’s settle into the fall season with this classic.

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter,
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
  • salt & coarse ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, and diced
  • 4 celery diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup fresh cut green beans
  • 2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions: 

  1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
  2. Reduce heat to medium; melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and poultry seasoning and rosemary.
  3. Whisk in flour until lightly browned.
  4. Stir in wine, whisking well.
  5. Stir in chicken stock and vegetable stock add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 min.
  6. Stir in green beans (can use frozen but fresh is better), heavy cream and chicken; simmer until green beans are tender and soup has thickened.
  7. Stir in parsley and lemon zest let stand for 10 min then serve.
  8. Roll puff pastry out cut into large squares brush with olive oil sprinkle with salt and pepper bake for 10 min at 400.

BOOKWORM: Cold Temps, Roaring Fires, Great Books

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By Suzanne Nash

The weather is turning very cold and a fire is roaring in the grate, so I think it’s time to offer up a few mysteries and thrillers to enjoy as you cozy up and stay warm and I have a group of them all centering around big old homes or ancients buildings that will keep you entertained. Enjoy the Thanksgiving Holidays and get ready for the upcoming book list for the Christmas Holidays!

– Suzanne Nash

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley is set in the Scottish Highlands on a secluded estate. A body has been found and snow has cut them all of from any help. Then the narration begins…three days prior to the body being found and rotates between multiple characters. There is Emma who planned this trip and it is quickly apparent that she is struggling to fit in and belong to her boyfriend Mark’s set of friends. Then there is the beautiful Miranda, who is married to Julien, and her best friend, Katie. Katie is the quietest and is harboring a secret. We also hear the thoughts of the manager of the Lodge, Heather, as well as the very attractive but aloof gamekeeper, Doug. Why would either of them agree to live out in the remote landscape and what are they running from? It’s a great mystery and perfect for cold and snowy weather.

Another tale with a similar bent is An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena. Once again guests are trapped at a remote location…only this time it’s Mitchell’s Inn in the Catskills. A blizzard begins, the power goes out and people begin to be picked off one by one. It’s a modern day take on an Agatha Christie mystery. David is a lawyer formerly accused of killing his wife. Gwen works in PR for a small firm in New York. Riley is her journalist friend suffering from PTSD. Candice White is an author who has come for the weekend to get some writing done. Beverly Sullivan is there with her husband Henry, and she is trying to save her marriage despite his neglect. Dana Hart is a beautiful actress engaged to the wealthy playboy, Matthew Hutchinson and the last couple is Lauren Day and her boyfriend Ian Beeton. Each of these characters reveal a little bit more of themselves as the story progresses and I found each time I thought I knew who the killer was, that person would end up dead and I would have to reassess the remaining suspects. It’s good little mystery that keeps me guessing!

Murder at the Queen’s Old Castle by Cora Harrison actually had me at the title and it is part of the Rev. Mother Mysteries. The Queen’s Old Castle is an old building in Cork, Ireland that was remade into a low-grade department store. It is 1925 and when the department store owner, Joseph Fitzwilliam, is killed during a very busy sale and the Rev. Mother Aquinas suddenly finds herself in the middle of a complex murder. There is a cast of characters that all could have been involved and it is up to her to sort out the truth from the lies. Helping her along the way are Eileen MacSweeney, a young ambitious reporter, and Detective Inspector Patrick Cashman. I enjoyed this enough that I am going to go back and read the rest of the series!

Alix Rickloff captures the imagination and introduces a bit of mystery in a lovely historical fiction, Secrets of Nanreath Hall. The setting is Cornwall, England in the 1940s and Anna Trenowyth is a WWII nurse who has just survived Dunkirk and is now assigned to the nursing staff at Nanreath Hall. Nanreath Hall also happens to the childhood home of her mother, Lady Katherine, who ran away from her family when she was young to pursue her dreams of painting. Anna knows very little about her mother or her family and so begins the quest to find out what really happened to her mother. The story jumps back and forth from the 1940s to 1913 and slowly the story unfolds.

The Snakes has most of its plot unfolding in a small hotel in France. Author Sadie Jones creates a psychological thriller that revolves around family dynamics and values, or lack thereof? Bea and her husband, Dan, decide they need a break from London and set off for a bit of an extended holiday, which they kick off with a visit to Bea’s brother in France. Bea’s parents have set Alex up with a hotel to run in an attempt to get him off of drugs and on a better path. They have not, however, taken the time to monitor him and his is going off the rails. When Alex winds up dead and Bea’s parents make an appearance to deal with the ensuing mess things really start to really unwind between Bea and Dan. Dan had no idea how wealthy Bea’s parents were and while Bea has tried to escape her parent’s influence, Dan quickly falls prey to all that money can buy. The snakes in the attic at Alex’s hotel are not the only snakes in this novel and it is a study in the ability of money to distort things and how much dysfunction can reside in one family. It is chilling…so sit a little closer to that fire!

COVER STORY: 9 Questions for 2 Campaigns Write-In Candidate Mike Johnson’s Responds

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By Colin J. Dougherty

Albemarle Supervisor – Rivanna District Representing Keswick

1.  Mike, in 100 words or less, tell us something about yourself:

I grew up on a farm in Oregon where I worked until I left for college. I acquired degrees in math and computer science (B.S.), biochemistry (M.S.) and biophysics (Ph.D.). I joined the UVa faculty in 1979, as a scientist, working chiefly on biomathematical modeling.

As an educator I have taught classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and directed the biophysics Ph.D. training program. I have also managed several federal grants.

I have lived in Albemarle County for the last 40 years, and in Rivanna District with my wife Diane for the last 21. Both of my children attended Albemarle County Schools and graduated UVa.

2.  Why are you running for Rivanna Supervisor?

I like the idea of serving the community that has given so much to me.

And truly, no candidate should run unopposed. Voters need to be offered a choice of two visions. My opponent’s vision is the same as the current supervisors who have started the county on an overspending and overtaxing spree that is making the county unaffordable for lower- and middle-income residents.

My vision is to let Virginia stay Virginia, where county residents are not overburdened with taxes and nitpicking regulations that interfere with their daily lives. Every new set of regulations calls for a new layer of bureaucracy to administer them.

I would like the County to take a more creative approach to solving problems, using free-market solutions, instead of throwing money at everything and setting up more inhibiting regulations. I want our county to be affordable for hard-working taxpayers, and more open to innovative solutions that do not cost money or add more regulations.

3.  What are your priorities for Albemarle County and its residents?

My first priority is the well-being and prosperity of Albemarle residents.

I want the county to stay affordable for all taxpayers. We are a small community and cannot afford the lavish spending programs that are planned for us by our current supervisors, and by my opponent. Real estate revenues come from only 37,000 homes!

More spending means higher taxes, and that comes out of household budgets. That hurts a lot of people. Fiscal responsibility means fiscal restraint.

I want to protect our agricultural community by keeping land-use values. County bureaucrats should not be micromanaging farms by an ever-growing body of regulations. Farmers remain the best stewards of their own land.

I would like to see the rural areas have more representation in our local government. About 41 percent of Albemarle’s population lives in rural areas, and yet 25 percent of the rural secondary roads remain unpaved. In 2008, Marcia Joseph, then chair of the County’s Planning Commission, stated: “I’d much rather put aside money for a park in the urban area than set aside money to pave a road in the rural area.” This means that the vehicles of many rural residents are ruined by wash-board, pot-holed gravel road surfaces. Rural residents also risk longer EMS response times.

And the Rain Tax? One of my neighbors told me she and her husband would have to plow up their paved driveway if it were passed. How did it even reach the voting stage in the first place? Our supervisors and my opponent never met a tax they didn’t like.

Traffic is another problem. But bike lanes, walking paths, ride-shares and more bus routes will not solve it. (My opponent wants ride-share lots to be built in our rural areas.) See below for my views on transportation.

4. What are your views on education?

I want our kids to have the best education possible, and that’s why I’m a big believer in back-to-basics education: a strong and demanding curriculum of math, science, English, history and languages. With that kind of broad background, our students will have the widest possible choices when they graduate. And it will be easier for them to change their career choices later on in life.

I am skeptical of the new Project-focused high school center model. The same goals could be accomplished with summer internships and apprenticeships – and save the county millions of dollars in infrastructure. It would also avoid shuttling students all around the county – increasing the already traffic-congested roads. I worry too that time studying the core subjects will be minimized.

Creativity is finding links between things that no one else can see. You need broad and deep knowledge to start the creative process.

I should add that I support building a new high school to serve the students in northern Albemarle. This will take hundreds of vehicles off the Rt. 29 corridor, and save students the hours they spend on school buses.

We could solve a lot of the area’s problems with some decentralizing.

5.  How do you think the County can make it affordable to Albemarle residents to buy their own homes? Would you support a permanent affordable housing fund as a line- item in the budget? Should the County purchase property and other real-estate to re-sell to low income residents?

We all want our residents to be able to afford a home, but too often government action can make things worse.

I think taxpayers going into the real estate business is opening a huge can of worms. I most definitely do not want – in my opponent’s words – a “permanent affordable housing fund” to “buy up properties when they become available and put those as part of our stock of affordable housing.”

It’s not clear if this “stock of affordable housing” would be for sale or for rent.

Either way, the county would need an entirely new and expensive layer of bureaucracy to find, purchase, and sell or rent, and to continue to administer a yearly growing stock of taxpayer-funded properties. That would cost taxpayers millions and millions of dollars. Would the neighborhoods have anything to say about this?

And what if buyers defaulted on a loan, or failed to pay rent? Or, if they bought a cheap, taxpayer-subsidized house, then resold that house to make a profit – at taxpayer expense?

Look at what’s happening in the real world: The lack of affordability in housing has to do with the red tape that the builders have to navigate just to get to the construction stage. There could be three or four design and architectural reviews, more meetings and reviews with the Planning commission, more public meetings with more demands, and, as always, thousands of dollars in proffers – all of which get added to the housing price.

Plus, there are the “inclusion” requirements that a certain percentage of those homes be sold at below the builder’s cost. These demands raise the prices of all units by thousands of dollars.

You cannot solve this problem by throwing taxpayer money at it. But you can pull the county back from its overbearing regulatory environment which is the direct cause of the lack of affordable housing.

6.  What suggestions do you have for solving the county’s transportation problems?

Our population needs to be mobile, to get to work on time, to spend less hours in traffic. Our residents should not be spending an hour on a bus to go 3 miles. Maybe that’s why are our buses empty most of the time. The system is clearly not meeting our residents’ demand.

We do need smaller buses, but not the high-dollar electric kind that will cost taxpayers in the millions. And the bus routes should be studied and redesigned – what a great summer “project focused” effort for high school students using data and programs and real-time experimentation, and a great way to earn extra credit towards college admission.

There is another “microtransit” solution that would save the county tons of money and transit riders lots of time. The county — perhaps in conjunction with the City using the county’s revenue sharing funds — could contract with a rideshare provider such as Via, Lyfft or Uber. The services use apps and smart phones to group travelers in a single vehicle that share a destination. This also works well for disabled constituents who need a more direct service.

This is being done in Arlington,Texas and in Innifsil, Ontario. I would not like to see the countryside dotted with (expensive taxpayer funded) rideshare lots. Carpooling should be a voluntary effort and individual decision.

7.  What do you think of the County’s “new economic development plan” whereby county funds are used to lure new businesses to the area?

There are a lot of ways to attract new business without taxpayers footing the bill.

Our hard-working taxpayers should not be asked to invest in a business they know nothing about. That’s not right. How do we know that the businesses funded by our taxpayers will remain solvent? And which ones will be the favored ones? This program is not only costly, but an invitation to corruption.

The best way to lure businesses to Albemarle County is to have a business- friendly environment, to make our county an easy place to do business, to lighten the burden of regulations and taxes. That’s a far better incentive than doling out taxpayer funds.

8.  Do you support the county’s Climate Action Plan?

Protecting our environment is a high priority with me. I am proud that our county is 72 percent tree cover and has no heavy industry. Our air, water and soil is in prime shape.

Having said that, I do not understand why county taxpayers should spend hundreds of millions of dollars following an international directive when we have done our job, as a county, to maintain our own environment.

I am the only candidate for supervisor who regularly attended the county’s Climate Action meetings. I never saw my opponent. The county staff’s Climate Action Phase 1 reports, the result of 2,000 hours of staff time, which were never published or publicized, can be viewed on my website.

Albemarle taxpayers will be funding, among other things, free EV (electric vehicle) charging stations, and “fuel” for the private vehicles of all county employees (second largest employer in Albemarle,) Residents could be subsidizing large solar farms, and solar panels for the homes of private individuals. Among many, many other things.

Another goal is to replace the our 222 school bus fleet with EVs, each costing $200,000 more – and which only have a range of 120 miles. That’s $44.4 million dollars! (Our county, with longer school bus ranges, will probably not be awarded any of Dominion Energy’s 100 subsidized EV buses.)

And that’s just for starters. The price tag for the county’s climate program is exorbitant. The goals that have been proposed have never been subject to cost-benefit analysis, let alone any measure of effeciveness.

The program will also come with an intrusive – and expensive – bureaucracy to administer the plan and monitor the daily lives of county residents. (The county’s budget currently calls for hiring three new planners, at a salary of $90,000 plus benefits.)

One part of the plan proposes “auditing” the utility usage of residents and businesses, to meet the challenges posed by lack of “transparency between energy providers and energy consumers.”

County taxpayers cannot afford it.

9.  What is the biggest threats to Keswick and how would you address them?

Keswick finds itself at the intersection of growth in Albemarle and the surrounding counties. We need to protect its rural, historic character while making it affordable for all.

Keswick has a serious traffic problem on Rt. 22/231.The huge trucks barreling around the curves are, in my opinion, the main danger. Police need to enforce the current truck traffic ban and perhaps impose a lower speed limit.. I would also push to reduce the maximum size of trucks allowed along Rt. 22/231.  The road is not suited for large amounts of traffic, let alone a stream of tractor-trailers. These mammoth vehicles are destroying the surface of the road and ruining the road for local traffic.

Other threats include over-taxation and over-regulation. After the “Rain Tax” debacle we cannot trust our current supervisors – or my opponent – to keep taxes and fees down. I have visited working farms and talked to farm owners. One of these farms was 500 feet from the Orange County border, and the farmer told me how much he would save if he only lived in the adjacent county! Farmers take taxes very seriously, it could determine their very survival..

Unlike my opponent, I am thoroughly familiar with the county’s Climate Action Plan. It is chock full of intrusive regulations that will pose a threat to  farmers and landowners not only in Keswick, but throughout the county. Our farmers who will be  beset with regulations and accompanying fines will be threatened, as will be our way of life here. The county’s plan will eventually demand that farm equipment be electrically run! Have they asked our farmers what they think?

Without our farms, we have lost our historic, rural character.  The same goes for all rural residents.  I believe we need to trust our farmers and landowners to steward their land, otherwise Keswick will lose its open, relaxed, wholesome character.

To cast your vote for Mike Johnson this Nov. 5, you must fill in the bubble next to the word “write-in” then write his full name. 

About the Candidate:

Mike Johnson, a retired scientist and UVa Professor Emeritus, is a forty-year resident of the county and has lived in the Southwest Mountain District with his wife Diane for the last 21 years.  As an educator, he taught pharmacology and biomathematics, and directed the biophysics Ph.D. training program, along with  several federal research grants. The Professor worries that excessive spending will result in higher taxes that will make the county unaffordable for lower- and middle-income residents. He believes that ethnic, racial and economic diversity in our community is what makes us rich. But the California tax-and-spend policies of his opponent will have the same results that they produced in California. People will be forced to leave their homes for lower-tax jurisdictions. 

“People who sit behind desks cannot micro-manage a farm through overbearing regulations and costs and expect it to stay solvent.” “The so-called ‘Rain Tax’ motivated me, and apparently the rest of the County,” he adds. “It showed how out-of-touch our Supervisors were.  They were all prepared to rubber-stamp this destructive tax proposed by County staff.  Now, how did that ever even get to the voting stage?  That tells me– it’s coming back. Several Supervisors should lose their seats over that one.”

“We want ethnic, racial and economic diversity in our community.That’s what makes us rich,” he says. “The lavish spending programs proposed by my opponent and the current Board of Supervisors will put an  end to that diversity.“You can see this in other localities that have put forth programs such as my opponent and the current Supervisors. Just look at what has happened in California. We do not want that to happen here.

“I am running to keep the County affordable, and to keep County regulations from stifling our vibrant agricultural and business cultures.”

To learn more about Mike Johnson, see his website: www.mikejohnsonforsupervisor.com.

COVER STORY: 9 Questions for 2 Campaigns Candidate Bea LaPisto Kirtley’s Responds

By

By Colin J. Dougherty

Albemarle Supervisor – Rivanna District Representing Keswick

1.  Bea in 100 words or less, tell us something about yourself:

I am a native Virginian from a military family. I have a Bachelors and a Master’s Degree and I had a long professional career as a teacher, principal and director of 24 elementary schools before retiring. I also served on my local city council for 20 years and on the planning commission for 4 years prior to that. I served on an air quality management board that focused on reducing the effects of air pollution. I also was on a transportation board that dealt with finding solutions to traffic congestion as well as on an organization of localities that found effective and economical ways of providing fire and police services.  So, I feel that I bring a lot of experience in working on solutions to many of the same issues that the Board of Supervisors are tasked with. 

2.  Why are you running for Supervisor?

I received a call from our current supervisor, Norman Dill, back in November and was asked because of my qualifications if I would be interested in serving on the County Board of Supervisors – and I said I would be. It does take a lot of time and fortunately I have the time, experience and energy that is necessary to effectively serve the citizens of Albemarle. I want to address the significant affordable housing issue in the county that affects a wide variety of citizens, including our growing senior population. I want to work on solutions for our transportation issues. I strongly support continued improvements to teacher compensation and investment in our school system.

3.  What are your priorities for Albemarle County and its residents?

The primary issues on my platform are preserving the rural areas, education, transportation, planning for climate change, affordable housing, and sustainable growth. 

4.  What are your views on education?

I spent many years as a teacher, then a principal and finally a director of 24 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. I am very supportive of teachers and believe we must ensure our teachers are compensated enough that we continue to attract the best qualified individuals. I would want to make sure that the County funding allocated for the School System addresses the needs of our students and that there is a plan to make sure the programs to give additional assistance and opportunity where needed is provided. 

The recent ProPublica report is a wake up call that we as a community need to solve the problem of equity in our schools. Not all families come with the same resources to provide extra advantages for their children but they all want the best education possible. 

5.  How do you think the County can make it more affordable for Albemarle residents to buy their own homes?  Would you support a 

permanent affordable housing fund as a line-item in the budget?  Should the County purchase property and other real-estate to re-sell to low-income residents?

I advocate property tax reimbursements for affordable housing projects to make them more attractive to build. Developers should sign performance agreements that keep the units affordable for 30 years in exchange for the property tax reimbursements. I favor the formation of an affordable housing fund governed by policies that allow the county to buy affordable housing when it becomes available in order to keep and increase existing affordable housing stock. The fastest growing segment of our population is seniors. As our County population ages, it is critical that we ensure our lower or fixed income residents, which includes seniors, have reasonable and adequate options for housing.

6.  What suggestions do you have for solving the County’s transportation problems?

In the urban ring, we must move the transportation system to the next level.  Working with the City,  UVA and JAUNT, we need to expand our coverage, especially in our growth areas. We also need to promote and expand Rideshare opportunities in rural portions of the County.  Implementing the use of smaller buses that run more frequently on a regular schedule is an efficient use of resources and is economical. More long term, complex solutions such as capital improvement projects designed to alleviate congestion and continuing to expand multimodal commuting opportunities in the urban portions of the County must also be addressed.  

7. What do you think of the County’s “new economic development plan” whereby County funds are used to lure new businesses to locate in the area?

It is a common practice to incentivize the relocation or startup of businesses to an area seeking to expand its tax base, and so these practices are not unique to Albemarle County. An example of how Albemarle County can work with community partners to provide desirable accommodation for business is ensuring a trained and skilled workforce in the County, by supporting Albemarle County Public Schools, PVCC’s Network2Work, CATEC, Piedmont Workforce Network, and the City of Charlottesville’s GO workforce training programs. Another example of a partnership is with the Commonwealth of Virginia and Habitat for Humanity on the redevelopment of Southwood, originally a privately owned, low-income mobile home park which was in a severe state of disrepair. The partnership has included $2.25 million in grants from the state, and this community-based project will ultimately create a mixed income, mixed use development that can serve both the residential and business population.

8.  Do you support the County’s Climate Action Plan? 

The County is still months away from formulating a Climate Action Plan, so we will have to see what the finished product looks like, but one of my biggest concerns is Climate Resilience, which involves actions that a community can take to protect its population and physical assets from destructive forces associated with Climate Change, such as flooding, more frequent and severe storms, drought, etc. This includes public safety as well as land use. For example, we want to be sure we have sufficient, well trained public safety resources available and a really good emergency system in place. This is something we really need to address, and in particular, a County-wide Enhanced 911 address and information system for providing citizens with correct addresses and road names, which includes assigning and installing address markers, road and street signs as necessary, and maintaining the database for the system.  With regard to land use, flood plain locations are changing, and we need to be able to identify and adapt to those changes.

9.  Bea, what are the biggest threats to Keswick and how would you address them?

Keswick is well known for its rural character and it is important to ensure it remains that way. County programs that help to ensure the preservation of our rural lands include the Agricultural and Forestal Districts designations and the Acquisition of Conservation Easements (ACE) program. The Districts are rural conservation areas reserved for the production of agricultural products, timber, and the maintenance of open space land as an important economic and environmental resources, and can provide the landowner with land use taxation benefits.  The ACE program was designed to provide a financially attractive way for lower income landowners to protect family farms in Albemarle County and their unique open space resources. I strongly support these successful programs that help to preserve our farms, forests and natural beauty for today and for future generations.

About the Candidate:

Bea LaPisto Kirtley is a Virginia native and a retired educator who wants to represent all the residents of the Rivanna District on the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. She and her husband, Ben, along with their two rescue dogs live in Keswick, where they bought land in 2005 and built their home.

Bea was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, where her father was stationed in the Army. Growing up, the family moved to a variety of locations with her father’s military transfers. “While my dad was Army, my oldest brother decided to join the Navy – which is why we moved to San Diego after Dad retired! California provided myriad opportunities for me – both professionally and in servce to my community and the region as a whole.”

Before retiring, Bea was a teacher, principal and director in charge of 24 elementary schools and her husband is a retired deputy sheriff. Bea also served on her local City Council for 20 years and 4 years on the planning commission. Other boards where she served include being the president of an organization for fire and police services that worked together to provide better services at a reduced cost for cities. She was on the Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (serving 14 million people), which works to reduce air pollution.  “I was always cognizant of the balance between cleaning up the air and working with the various industries to do so – looking for a common sense approach. You can only do that by listening to both sides of the issue.” She also served on a local council of governments, whose main mission was local transportation issues – something she considers urgent in Albemarle County as she listens to the needs of the residents. “It is imperative that we have a regional approach to solving our transportation issues – working with CAT, JAUNT and UVA, to improve services. “I’d like to see the use of smaller buses that run on a more frequent schedule.” Bea believes improving public services, whether it is transportation, fire, police, affordable housing – all of these are regional issues and working together with our community stakeholders can provide improved service at a lower cost. “Being fiscally responsible is an obligation of all elected officials – that’s good governance.”

“One of my goals is to ensure excellent educational opportunities for all our children and to support our teachers to make that happen.” 

Climate change planning is another area of focus for Bea, especially with regard to climate resilience, which addresses the planning required to ensure, to the extent possible, protection of assets and citizens. “We need to address our region’s climate change impacts in a way that ensures we have public safety programs in place for the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. For example, storms are increasing in frequency and severity, and so people need to be prepared for issues such as flooding that is greater than we used to see.”

 “I am issue oriented and listen to both sides of any issue before making a decision.” A case in point is Bea’s interest in working with the local Farm Bureau. “I recently met with citizens who are serving on the Albemarle Rural Advisory Committee and are also members of the local Farm Bureau and we discussed their knowledge regarding farming, agriculture and forested areas – and they offered to the County their free advice and expertise. I offered to be the liaison.”  

“A common sense approach to governance with practical solutions that will focus on the issues – that is what my experience has taught me. I don’t engage in drama  and negativity – there is important work to be done and my priorities are there.”

Bea has not been idle during retirement – serving our community as a CASA volunteer, helping fundraise for the Hospice of the Piedmont Keswick 5K Race, member of 100 + Women Who Care (fundraising for local nonprofits) and the League of Women Voters.

For more information or to know more about Bea, please visit her website: BeaForAlbemarle.com