Keswick Life

Lifestyles in Keswick and its environs

Keswick Life

COVER STORY: Hardie Perseverance – Big Plans and Vision

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Keswick Hall To Unveil a Dramatic, Expansive Transformation

Setting Bold Goal to have the Facility Open by the Third Quarter of 2020

Covered by Steve Bessett for Keswick Life

The beautiful and historic Keswick Hall is set to reopen late Summer 2020, following the completion of an extensive and loving restoration that marries the resort’s classic style and sophistication with luxurious comfort and modern amenities.  The Hardies are directors of the private investment firm H7 Holding Company, which owns Keswick Hall and The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, among other investments – including Clover Hill Farm and the adjacent Oakdale Farm. 

They purchased Keswick from Orient Express Hotels in 2012. Orient had purchased the property from Sir Bernard Ashley, co-founder of Laura Ashley fabrics and decorating, in 1999. Ashley had purchased the property, which was then a club facing bankruptcy, in 1990, and turned it into an inn.  The Hardies shuttered the inn to the public in January 2018 to start the renovation process. The remodeling is extensive. Much of the manor house has been taken down to the studs with the wiring and plumbing updated as well as the layout of rooms redesigned.

The entirety of Keswick Hall has been expanded and transformed, including a new guest wing that will increase the number of accommodations to 80 guest rooms, The room unveiled recently  is one of 38 planned The inn’s new look may be a big change for old customers. Previously, Keswick rooms were smaller with darker woods, artwork and antiques. The new rooms are less formal and more open. The older rooms were all of different sizes and dimensions and they were smaller with dark woods and a variety of antiques and paintings. The new rooms will be lighter, brighter and more consistent in size, although there will be different suites available. 

The main manor house, which was built in 1912 as a private residence and served as a country club before becoming a luxury hotel in the 1990s. The hall is currently under heavy renovation that will reduce the inn’s former 48 smaller lodgings by 10 while expanding the size of the new suites. An additional residential wing featuring 42 suites will join the manor house as well as the addition of a redesigned spa, a new infinity pool and cabanas and reimagined resort grounds. 

In addition, the renewed Keswick Hall will feature a signature restaurant by legendary Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. For this project, owners Molly and Robert Hardie tapped the architecture firm Hart Howerton distinguished lighting design firm, L’Observatoire International and the renowned landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz to work together and redefine the art of American hospitality.

“It has been no small undertaking to transform this special and iconic retreat and we cannot wait to unveil the new Keswick Hall,” said owners Molly and Robert Hardie. “We poured our hearts into thoughtfully redesigning the property and we feel confident that our passion for this project will be embraced by everyone who visits following our reopening.”

Guest accommodations will feature four signature suites, including a distinctive two-The new signature restaurant by acclaimed Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten invites guests to take in the expansive views of the Virginia Mountains while feasting on organic and sustainable ingredients from local family-owned food supplies and farms. Comprised of 130 indoor seats, 20 bar seats and 70 outdoor seats, the new space will feature white tiled and wooden floors, custom-designed light fixtures from L’Observatoire International, ceramic-face bar, a stone fireplace and vibrant outside area. As a pre-dinner treat, guests are encouraged to partake in a game of boules on the Pétanque court with a cocktail in hand.

Other property enhancements will include a Market located off the lobby, offering a selection of artisanal breakfast items, teas and coffees in the morning, thereafter transforming into a retail shop featuring a range of sundries, gifts for children, bathroom amenities and more. The newly designed ballroom with a pre-function space can accommodate up to 250 guests. There will also be several new areas specifically designed for weddings and special occasions, one housing a natural amphitheater adjacent to outdoor-tented areas that can hold events for up to 400 people.

To highlight the outdoor experience at the new Keswick Hall, landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz are creating an enchanting outdoor destination that will allure guests to explore myriad walking paths and beautifully designed resort grounds –all sustainable and reflective of the native Virginia landscape. Additionally, a striking infinity pool will be the focal point of Keswick Hall’s brand new pool pavilion and cabanas, providing a unique, hammerhead design – unusual for this type of pool – that will allow for more guests to take in the breathtaking views of the stunning Virginia countryside. Opening in spring 2021, will be Keswick Hall’s new spa featuring eight sumptuous treatment rooms with services that incorporate indigenous ingredients employing organic red flower products.

Robert and Molly Hardie: “We love the property and we can care for it and treat it with the respect it deserves,” he said. “We’re lucky to be the ones to bring it into the 21st Century.”

The pair has strong Charlottesville connections. Robert Hardie is a member of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors and earned a bachelor’s degree from the university as well as a master’s degree in business and a doctorate degree in management from its Darden School of Business.

A Richmond native, Molly Hardie graduated from the UVa School of Medicine and has served on the UVa Health Foundation Board of Trustees, the Virginia Discovery Museum board and the Peabody School board of trustees. The couple lives on a farm near Keswick Hall and are raising five sons.

“When we first saw Keswick Hall, we fell in love with it. We’re only about six miles from Charlottesville but it is like being in a different country. We realized it was time to update the property and we thought, why not us?” Robert Hardie said.

“We love the property and we can care for it and treat it with the respect it deserves,” he said. “We’re lucky to be the ones to bring it into the 21st Century.”

As part of the expansive and transformative restoration, Molly and Robert Hardie are creating five speculative homes at Keswick Estates, which will debut in 2021. Keswick Estates, the residential enclave that is part of the property, provides residents the opportunity of enjoying resort life all year round.

Keswick Hall, nestled in the heart of Virginia’s Piedmont region, among lush, rolling hills at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, will also offer exceptional local experiences for guests. This peaceful and pastoral property will provide access and transportation to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, James Madison’s Montpelier plantation, the University of Virginia, and gastronomic and cultural experiences including visits to local wineries, craft breweries, distilleries and farms

The goal is to have the facility open by the third quarter of 2020.

ONLY IN KESWICK: What’s a Virginia Fan Supposed to do?

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By Tony Vanderwarker

A true fan stands by Virginia sports team through thick and through thin, in good times and bad. The problem is, until recently, in Charlottesville it’s been all thin and awful. So we’ve developed emotional armor to protect ourselves from the pain, thinking, “In our hearts we know we’re going to lose.” It’s more than surface protection, it’s organic since we’ve inoculated ourselves with an anti-optimism agent to protect ourselves from what we know is the eventual disappointment. It’s not just “cover your bets,” it’s “save your ass.”

How many times have you heard, or said yourself, “Well, that’s Virginia football,” or “Well, that’s Virginia basketball.” We grin and bear the setbacks, the loss to UMBC in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. The loss to William and Mary in football a couple years ago or the heartbreaker to Tech last season because we know “That’s Virginia sports for you.” They buoy you up and then drop you down. While out lopsided win in the Belk bowl gave everyone hope about the 2019 season, it was a hope tinged with doubt. As Oscar Wilde once said about second marriages, “It is the triumph of hope over experience.”

So unless you want to be truly bummed out, Virginia fans resign themselves to the fact that no matter how well a team plays, at some point in time, they are destined to bum you out. We get into the NCAA tournament with an astounding 16-win season only to get shellacked in the first game. George Welsh gave us some winning seasons only to have the bottom fall out in his last years. Dom Starsia won us three national championships, then his program collapsed. 

It’s in the cards, in our blood, our favorite teams are going to let us down.

But this year we’ve got a problem. What are we supposed to do with this basketball program, this lacrosse program, this football program? Two teams win national championships and one is voted as the top team in the Coastal. We can rejoice in the incredible victories but we’ve been so burned over the years, shouldn’t we own up to the fact that they might just be one-offs, that they are certain to self-destruct as they always have. 

I remember being a fierce Chicago Bears fan, going through season after season with terrible records. Then we get Refrigerator Perry and a great quarterback, go to the Super Bowl and whip the living daylights out of the Pats. But then we dived back into the ditch and only recently had a playoff opportunity. 

But then some fans start thinking that maybe if we win two national championships in basketball and lacrosse that will attract talented athletes who previously wouldn’t have considered UVa. Is that what’s happening with football? Could it happen across the board and make Virginia an athletic champion? Make Virginia a nationally ranked and recognized sports powerhouse?

Then the anti-optimism inoculation kicks in and you think, “C’mon, stop that crazy thinking, after all, this is UVa. This is just a passing phase. Another disaster is just around the corner.”

So we’re in football season and every fan is on the edge of their emotional seats. Not sure to go all-in and think that like Columbus, we’ve found the New World or if we’re heading back to the bad-old-times and are going to fall off the edge of the earth.

I see people walking around with “UVA National Champions” T-shirts on and I begin to wonder, should I buy one also or should I just wait for the bottom to fall out and pick one up for cheap at Goodwill?

WHAT’S COOKING: Creamy Chickpea Pasta with Spinach and Rosemary

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By Sam Johnson, Deputy Director of Cullinary | 1776

Although this is not one of my own recipes, it is one that I love. This is an excellent hearty vegetarian meal full of flavor and great for those fall, chilly evenings in Keswick – a quick meal for friends with some great wine. It is now that time of year when all things are filled with boldness and spice.  

Ingredients

  • Kosher salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
  • ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)
  • Black pepper
  • 1 large shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach (about 6 packed cups)
  • 12 ounces spaghetti or bucatini
  • ½ cup finely grated Parmesan
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions: 

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high.
  2. In a wide, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the chickpeas, rosemary and Aleppo pepper, if using. Season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas start to caramelize at their edges and pop, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half the chickpeas to a bowl. Reserve for garnish.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots and garlic to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the pasta to the boiling water and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the pasta until a couple minutes short of al dente according to package instructions, about 5 minutes. Do not drain the pasta, but using tongs, transfer the pasta directly from the pot to the spinach and cream sauce. Add 1 cup pasta cooking water and the Parmesan, and cook over medium-high, stirring vigorously with the tongs, until the sauce is thickened and the noodles are al dente, about 2 minutes. Add a splash of pasta water to loosen sauce, if needed.
  5. Transfer to bowls, and top with reserved chickpeas, rosemary and black pepper. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges for squeezing on top.

BOOKWORM: Fall Weather Reading

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By Suzanne Nash

Halloween is right around the corner so once again it’s time for eerie tales filled with suspense and atmosphere. While not all of these are filled with ghosts and ghouls, they speak more about the monsters within us and in the people we know.

The debut novel, Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce, certainly will be perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train.  Everyone in this novel seems to be pushing boundaries and you are unsure from the get-go whether you can trust the narrator or not.  Alison is a criminal barrister who is at the top of her game.  She has just been handed her first criminal case and it seems pretty straight forward. A very posh woman has stabbed her husband and admits to doing so.  When Alison tries to learn a bit more and push the accused to try and save her from hanging, Alison finds herself hampered by her supervisor.  To make matters worse Alison is having a torrid affair with her cad of a supervisor, Patrick. And did I forget to mention she is a married woman who has a drinking problem with a young daughter?  Despite many cringe inducing drunken scenes, Tyce manages to get the reader to empathize with Alison and pull for her recovery and redemption.  This a great psychological thriller that will completely surprise you at the end.

Haunted Ground is the debut in a series about Nora Gavin and Cormac Maquire by Erin Hart which was published in 2003. In this first mystery a head is discovered in a bog in Ireland and experts are called in to determine the date of death. Years before a local woman disappeared with her son and her husband, Lord Hugh Osborne, was suspected of murdering them.  The Osborne home, Bracklyn House, holds many secrets which Nora and Cormac must unearth as both archeology and forensics are employed to uncover the truth. This is a very atmospheric book filled with Irish folklore, beautiful haunting landscape and the background of the traditional Irish music.  You can even order a soundtrack meant to accompany your reading of her books! I love all things which remind me of Ireland, so this was wonderful return to the green island.

Greer MaCallister gives us another type of horror and mystery in Woman 99. Set in San Francisco in the late 1880’s, this novel examines the life of women who didn’t conform to the strictures of society and family and what they risked by their behaviors. Growing up in Nob Hill provided a luxurious lifestyle but as Charlotte Smith and her sister, Phoebe, discovered, if you stepped out of line the consequences were horrific. Phoebe is unfortunately bi-polar and refuses to tow the line as her mother wishes. She soon finds herself committed to Goldengrove Asylum, much to the horror of her sister, Charlotte.  When Charlotte attempts a rescue, the reader is given a glimpse inside the world of the women’s asylum and all that an asylum entails. Stripped of your identity and given a number, your days are ruled by the wardens who insure you are mindlessly taken through your day.  The treatments and punishments are cruel and barbaric, though considered cutting edge at the time.  There are references to the investigative work of journalist Nellie Bly, who exposed the inhumane practices found in these institutions. This is a historical fiction that hits the mark with mystery, romance and family.

A creepy tale that will keep you up at night is The Hush by John Hart. Johnny Merriman lives secluded within 6000 acres that includes swamplands and mountainous areas in an area called Hush Arbor.  There is a mystery around what happened to him 10 years ago, but he rarely shows his face to the world. As long as Johnny stays within his area, he has strange and amazing powers, seeming at one with the nature that surrounds him.  Once he leaves the 6000 acres his gifts begin to wane.  Where have these powers originated from and how do they relate to the deaths and disappearances in Arbor Hush? When billionaire William Boyd decides he wants to buy up Johnny’s land to enhance his lodge and allow his guests to hunt big game, a confrontation is sure to take place.  What is out in the swamp that refuses to let anyone trespass? People are scared of Hush Arbor and they should be!

One of my favorite creepy novels this year is The Mere Wife by Maria Dabvana Headley.  I am a big fan of Beowulf and Headley has borrowed upon this classic epic poem to create a wonderfully written tale. Herot Hall is the perfect little community but hidden in the mountains overlooking this contemporary suburb is a former soldier, Dana, and her son, Gren. Of course, Gren is short for Grendal, as in…the monster in Beowulf. But as the reader quickly learns, monsters aren’t always obvious. Somethings that are labeled as monsters often aren’t and some things labeled as proper and good, often hide monstrous hearts. When Gren makes friends with Dylan, a young boy from Herot Hall, perceptions collide. The thin veneer that hides the true monsters of Herot Hall begins to crack and the chorus of the mothers plays backdrop to this amazing remake of an ancient story. The writing is brilliant! If you have never read Beowulf, it is one of the most important works of Old English literature and it is worth reading it, or even reading a little bit about it, before reading this novel so that you can see the parallels between the two. 

If you aren’t interested in tales fit for the season of Ghouls, try these last two novels which are beautifully written fiction that you can enjoy any time of the year.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens transports you to the North Carolina coast and reminded me a bit of a book I loved as a child, Girl of the Limberlost by Jean Stratton-Porter. The story of Kya, who grows up poor and isolated in the marshes, fending for herself and shying away from the town and its inhabitants, slowly intertwines with a murder mystery that involves an older Kya.  Kya’s appreciation and attention to the details of the marsh life feature prominently in the story and it paints a beautiful picture of the marshlands and the unspoiled nature that is threatened by an encroaching civilization, and the narrow minded views of a small town who doesn’t welcome anything that is outside their sphere of influence. Kya’s gifts aren’t appreciated or acknowledged, yet her vision is pure and bound to the land in ways the townspeople could never understand. Owens weaves a song of nature and survival, love and loss that will play in your heart for a long while.

Canadian Christine Higdon offers up her debut novel, The Very Marrow of Our Bones, and I am hooked by her story telling style. It’s 1967 and two women have disappeared from a small town. Both Bettie Parsons and Alice McFee have gone missing, leaving their families and friends wondering what might have happened.  Rumors circulate but not trace is found of either of them.  Ten-year-old Lulu Parsons, daughter of Bettie, strikes up a strange and toxic friendship with Alice’s abandoned husband, Mr. McFee.  She and her autistic brother are vulnerable after their mother’s death, while her older brother, Trevor, takes off to escape the family drama.  Lulu’s resentment builds and after a pivotal incident she runs and keeps running for 40 plus years.  It is only when she returns home after the death of her brother that the pieces begin to fall in to place under the watchful eye of the ever-present Doris Tenpenny, the mute egg seller. Upon his death, McFee has left his house to Doris and Lulu for some reason and once a body is found under the privy, the pace quickens.  Who might the body be? And what could have happened? This is a remarkable tale, jumping from past to present and yet it is not difficult to follow. Often when stories switch from past to present with frequency in the telling, I feel jarred. But in this case, I felt there was smooth transition and real movement in the story line due to this technique. The characters are very real and have substance that keep you invested in the story line.  I especially felt drawn to Doris as we, the readers, have access to her thoughts while the other characters are not privy to her inner world.  I look forward to reading more of Higdon’s work.

So, enjoy the cooling weather, which I am so grateful for and get ready for roaring fires and Holidays which are right around the corner! Don’t forget to keep those books always near at hand!

TRAVEL: Rapidan Camp

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By Charles Thacher

Lou Henry and Herbert Hoover on the deck of their cabin at Camp Rapidan, Virginia, August 2, 1930. Herbert Hoover Library.

Many American presidents have been enthusiastic fishermen. The most notable were Chester Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower and Jimmy Carter. Quite likely, the most accomplished was Hoover and, although during his lifetime he fished in many places throughout the world, his favorite fishing haunt while he was President was his camp on the upper Rapidan River – in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, about 55 miles northeast of Keswick. The Rapidan Camp has survived to this day and is contained within the Shenandoah National Park.

The Rapidan Camp can be accessed from the Milam Gap parking area on the Skyline Drive, and walking down the Mill Prong Trail about two miles. Alternatively, one can take Route 231 through Criglersville, then Routes 670/649 to an entrance gate, and then a walk of a bit over a mile along the River (one of the best native brook trout fisheries in Virginia) to the Camp. Note that the last seven miles or so of driving up to the gate is on a narrow, rough dirt road. The last time that I was there, a couple of years ago, it had intimidating deep, wide ruts that would disable any car that slid into them. I understand that it has since been improved, but it is still very slow-going, even with a 4-wheel drive vehicle. 

Building Camp Rapidan in such a remote site was a major challenge in 1929. Even traveling there by automobile to fish and enjoy the salubrious environment must have required an enormous effort, especially when the size of a President’s entourage is considered.  When I first learned of the Camp, I realized that I knew practically nothing about Hoover, except that he was the President when the stock market crashed in October, 1929 – an event that ushered in The Great Depression – three words which inevitably follow the mere mention of his name.  When I found that he was an avid and accomplished fly-fisherman and wrote frequently about the sport, I began to dig a little deeper.

Hoover was no anomaly, who become president by some backroom deal or a quirky primary process. He was actually an American icon, with a real “Horatio Alger” biography. His early life was the prototypical American rags-to-riches story: born in a small cabin in rural Iowa in 1874; parents both died before his 11th birthday; he and two siblings were sent off to live with three different families of relatives nearby; a year later, he and his older brother were sent to separate families of relatives in Oregon, then a very rural state with a tiny population of only about 100,000. Oregon had great trout and salmon rivers, and Hoover (called Bert) fished often, becoming an excellent angler, including with the fly. Bert was also a fine student, being selected for the initial class of what is now Stanford University, graduating in 1895 as an engineer, with a major in geology. During his college years, he camped and worked during the summers in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains on geological exploration and mining projects, sometimes with his classmate Lou Henry –a rare female geology major – whom he later married. He always carried his fishing rod, perfecting his skills by taking advantage of any free time to cast a line. After graduating, during the period 1896-1913, he and Lou traveled constantly and indefatigably, often under physically-demanding circumstances, on business to Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, New Zealand and other far-flung places, working on mining projects and, ultimately, investing in mines. Bert acquired a reputation as an intrepid traveler and an extraordinary miner and businessman, and Lou was his equal. They became wealthy – not Rockefeller-rich – but set for life. 

In 1914, while the Hoovers were enjoying a respite in the U.S., the war in Europe broke out, and many Americans were stranded on the Continent. An American Committee was formed in London to arrange for their rescues, and the Hoovers not only sailed to join them, but brought substantial personal funds to contribute to the effort. Bert quickly took over management of the Committee that was instrumental in rescuing over 50,000 Americans. That done, his Committee morphed into the Commission for Relief in Belgium, with a mission to save millions of Belgians starving under German occupation. Hoover’s Commission raised over $200 million from the Allies for the relief mission, at an administrative cost of less than $3 million, and not only fed the Belgians during the War, but had $24 million left over after the War for reconstruction.  Based on this impressive effort, and similar work in Russia and Ukraine, Hoover became highly acclaimed in America and Europe, recognized as a gifted engineer and manager – but with a heart – as evidenced by the sobriquet commonly given to him, “The Great Humanitarian”. 

When Warren Harding was elected President in 1920, he named Hoover as Secretary of Commerce. Previously the post had been of little significance, but Hoover, always independent and aggressive, made it a powerhouse, spurring the economic boom of “the Roaring Twenties.” He served in that position with distinction and without scandal (not easy in the Harding administration), and after Harding’s death, for six years under Calvin Coolidge. When Coolidge chose not to run again in 1928, Hoover was the overwhelming Republican choice, and he won the Presidency by a huge margin over Al Smith. By the time he took office in March, 1929, American economic growth had already slowed considerably, but the stock market continued to soar, as speculators ignored reality. The impending debacle was foreshadowed by the prominent financier, Bernard Baruch, who famously said:

When beggars and shoeshine boys, barbers and beauticians can tell you how to get rich, it is time to remind yourself that there is no more dangerous illusion than the belief that one can get something for nothing. 

Of course, it all crashed seven months after Hoover’s inauguration, leading to ten years of the worst and most prolonged economic decline in American history. Hoover wrongfully assumed that, as in the past, a natural recovery would ensue after a few years. His laissez-faire approach and the protectionist policies (which he personally didn’t favor, but nonetheless foolishly implemented because of loyalty to the isolationist Republican Party) failed miserably, and when he ran for re-election in 1932, the economy was at its nadir with 25% unemployment, and the stock market having lost almost 90% of its value from the 1929 peak. He appeared impotent and overmatched, and was crushed in the 1932 election by Franklin Roosevelt, who confidently promised hope and change, including major new government spending programs (an anathema to Hoover) to stimulate economic activity. The economy slowly recovered under Roosevelt through 1936, with unemployment dropping to 9%, but then a severe recession hit again in 1937-38, with unemployment more than doubling and general economic conditions being nearly as bad as they were in 1933. In 1939, World War II broke out in Europe, the need to supply the Allies jump-started the American economy, and recovery from the Great Depression began. Had Roosevelt not run for a 3rd term in 1940 – an unprecedented action, breaking an American tradition dating from George Washington – his legacy might be quite different than it is today, but such are the vagaries of history. 

Hoover was what today we would call a workaholic, usually putting in workdays of 12 hours or longer. But he believed that a President needed to get away occasionally for quiet, contemplative periods in order to recharge his batteries. The only leisure activity that he really cared about was fishing, and he also felt that being identified with the sport would enhance the image he sought, as that of a “common man”. In his memoirs, Hoover wrote: 

Fishing seems to be one of the few avenues to be left to Presidents through which they may escape to their own thoughts, may live in their own imaginings, find relief from the pneumatic hammer of constant personal contacts, and refreshment of mind in rippling waters. Moreover, it is a constant reminder of the democracy of life, of humility and human frailty. It is desirable that the President should be periodically reminded of this fundamental fact – that the forces of nature discriminate for no man. 

Shortly after his election, Hoover’s staff began exploring for a place to relax within driving distance of Washington, D.C., and the upper Rapidan was his choice. Using his and Lou’s personal funds, he acquired the land, and had the 13 rustic buildings constructed by a U.S. Marine unit. He mothballed the Presidential yacht (which held no interest for him) and transferred the crew to work there. The River in the chosen section is small, fast and subject to flooding, so he had screens put in below the Camp’s pools to retain the stocked fish, which raised the hackles on some Americans who thought that to be unsportsmanlike. In 1932, Hoover donated the Camp to the people of Virginia, for use as a future Presidential retreat. Roosevelt’s disability made the Camp impractical, so he had a new facility built at Camp David in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains, which continues to be a retreat for our presidents.  The last President to use Rapidan Camp was Jimmy Carter, in the late 1970s.

The Hoovers regularly held important meetings with both domestic and foreign dignitaries on the Rapidan, though the press was rarely invited to observe – a very bad public relations decision. There was telephone service, and a plane flew over every day dropping mail and newspapers. As the Depression worsened in the early 1930s, and many Americans suffered, Hoover was often chastised for his “feckless” excursions there, a criticism which seems quaint by modern standards for presidential getaways.

When Hoover left office in 1933, his national reputation was in tatters, particularly while the Depression continued. But he soldiered on, helping manage food relief programs in Poland, then later, Finland, after those countries were invaded in the late 1930s, and then through the War’s end, and during the rebuilding of post-War Europe. When he was not working, he was fishing, typically 10-12 weeks a year for the remainder of his life. He became a keen deep-sea fisherman for tarpon, sailfish and virtually every other variety that would bite. After the strain of fighting large fish in the open ocean became too great, he switched to chasing bonefish on the flats in the Florida Keys, and became an expert at that. For his last fourteen years he fished with a prominent Florida guide, Calvin Albury, who marveled at Hoover’s fishing ability, discipline and endurance. After their last trip, Hoover at age 89 gave Albury his equipment, saying he did not expect to return. He was right, and he died within a year.

Some writers and historians conflate Hoover’s passion for fishing and his Camp with the severity of the Depression. For example, Howell Raines in his entertaining 1993 memoir, Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis, which contains much to like about fishing in the American South, states that “the Marines scraped across the mountains in 1929 so that Herbert Hoover could reach the Rapidan (River). In those days the stream was reserved for his exclusive use. He also needed a place where he would not be bothered by the little people while he planned the Great Depression.” Certainly, Hoover’s policies failed in stopping or even slowing down the worsening of the Depression, but the idea that he planned it, or was even indifferent to it, is preposterous, and inconsistent with his history. Nearly all of his noble humanitarian efforts in Europe – both before and after his presidency – were on behalf of Raines’ so-called “little people”. Perhaps, had Raines written his book after his own scandalous debacle and departure in 2003 as Editor of the New York Times, he would have understood that leaders can make poor choices without being malevolent.

Hoover’s personality fit the stereotype of an engineer. He always fished in a suit with a white shirt and tie – whether alone on the Rapidan, on a mountain stream in the West, or a steaming bonefish flat. While fishing, he was laser-focused on his target and rarely engaged in idle conversation or took breaks. He had enormous energy, and would often work well into the night after fishing all day. Jimmy Carter was also an engineer, and both men failed to be re-elected, primarily because of the County’s economic problems while they were in office. They were often criticized for being too detail oriented, unable to empathize with the plight of regular Americans, and overly rigid in their thinking and approaches, but interestingly, both made greater contributions to their country and the world in their post-presidential years than the vast majority of modern presidents. 

Hoover wrote numerous magazine articles about fishing and other subjects after the 1950s. Remarkably, in his 80s, he wrote his 4-volume tome, An American Epic, about the history of his country’s food relief efforts around the world during the two World Wars and their aftermaths. In the last year of his life, at age 89, he wrote his only angling book, Fishing for Fun and to Wash Your Soul, a simple volume of snippets on the rewards and frustrations of fishing. It closes with:

There are two things I can say for sure: two months after you return from a fishing expedition you will begin again to think of the snow-cap on the distant mountain peak, the glint of sunshine on the water, the excitement of the dark blue seas, and the glories of the forest. And then you buy more tackle for next year. There is no cure for these infections. And that big fish never shrinks.

Only three of Rapidan Camp’s original 13 buildings remain today. Many of the landscape features of the Camp, such as trails, pools, bridges, and a charming stone fireplace also survive. The National Park Service has restored the exteriors of two cabins to their appearance in 1932, and the interior of one. That cabin, and a museum inside a second cabin are open to the public for scheduled tours led by Park Rangers.

Herbert Hoover was a successful and exemplary American for all but four years of a very long life. But those four years, during which he made bad decisions, or maybe he was just in a hopeless place at a hopeless time, have defined his political legacy – largely cancelling out all of his good work, at least in the eyes of most Americans. Hoover failed greatly in the biggest and most important job of his life, perhaps another tragic example of Teddy Roosevelt’s inspiring description of the Man in the Arena:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

ONLY IN KESWICK: Don’t Hide Things Where You Can’t Find Them

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By Tony VanderWarker

“C’mon,” you say, “that’s pretty obvious.” But then ask yourself, How many times have you put something down, a pair of glasses, a set of keys, a phone, and thought to yourself, “Don’t put it there, you dope, you’ll never find it.”

Right now is where the “I’m not as smart as I think I am,” syndrome kicks in. Because you forge right ahead, put the glasses under the chaise in the garden, leave the cell phone tucked into the seat of the mower or leave the keys after you got out of the car on the shelf with the old cans of paint. “Hey, I got a call and I had to put them somewhere,” you reasoned.

When you try to find them, that somewhere gets to be nowhere. Because you’ve gone from the of course I’ll remember I put them on the shelf where the old paints of can are to: “I have no effing idea where in the world I could have left them.” 

Suddenly life goes from breezy and carefree to unglued and capricious. Smacking yourself in the forehead you think, How could I be so stupid? 

Right here is where you get half-crazy because you need the keys to get in the car to pick up the kids, or you have a dinner party coming up and you need your glasses to read the recipes so now you go into a warp speed search. 

This is a setting which involves throwing pillows, tearing apart beds, madly sorting through the trash, shouting things you’d never say in polite company and other goofy actions which turn out to have nothing to do with finding the missing object. The thought that you might be slipping in mental capacity (which your spouse has suggested on multiple occasions) begins to creep into your mind. 

Which only aggravates the situation. And this is where the hard part comes in. 

The Big Goody: you end up finding that you put the keys on the paint can shelf, tucked the cell phone into the seat rail of the mower (it was wrecked), or found the glasses under the chaise in the garden (they were okay). 

So you end up feeling a sense of relief tinged with a feeling of How could I be so stupid? Plus you have to put the beds back together, buy a new cell phone and put the trash back in the bin.

Problem is, if you’ve stayed with me, this isn’t a one-off situation. Like sniffles and headaches, hiding things where you can’t find them recurs on a regular basis. 

And, while I don’t have the facts, I can make the case that it’s universal. 

Why else would Apple, which sells eighty gillion iPhones all over the world, put a “Find My iPhone” function on its phones? Because they know that everyone hides things where they can’t find them. 

And with the genius of Apple, they figured out that people would depend on their phones to find them where they hid them. 

So in our household, we go through a number of “Find My iPhone” situations. Not monthly, but surely quarterly, I find myself saying, “Hey, Hon, can I borrow your phone to call mine, I seem to have lost it.” 

This is where it gets funny. I mean, you’re standing in the bedroom dialing your own cell phone number because you have no idea in the world where you left it, and when it starts ringing you go into wolf-hunting-prey mode, running from room to room trying to narrow down where the ringing is coming from. 

Now these phones set you back good so you’re hoofing around frantically trying to narrow down the source of the sound, hoping it will ring in the house and not somewhere where you can’t hear it. When it rings, you’re triumphant, unless it’s stuck behind the pillows on the couch which muffles the sound. You can hear it but you can’t find it.

This is where the pillow tossing starts again, prompting the wife to remark, “Don’t get so crazy, you’ll find it.” But you’ve already left one on the mower and it got drowned, is going through your mind, that’s another seven hundred bucks I don’t need to spend.

Maybe it’s in the TV room so I run in there.  Then the ringing stops. Need to go back and call again. I don’t want to admit that I’ve had to make three “Find Your iPhone” calls, but I can console myself that at the same time I’ve hidden my iPhone, millions of people are doing the same. All over the world you can imagine people dashing around their houses or yurts or pagodas or tents trying to run down their ringing iPhones. 

So the next time you’re tempted to leave your keys by the old paint cans, stop and ask yourself if you want to go into How can I be so stupid? mode again. But if you’re like me, you’ll probably go ahead and leave them there again. 

Maybe I should get that gizmo that lets  you call your keys? One for my wallet too. That way I can find everything I hide. That will make me happy and probably Verizon too. All over the world people will be calling their phones, keys and wallets and the phone companies will be raking it in, Who knew?

WHAT’S COOKING: Paprika Chicken with Roasted Red Peppers

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By Sam Johnson | Deputy Director of Culinary 1776

I love this recipe it’s great for the fall dinner menu and makes an easy weeknight menu option for dinner. The smoky taste makes for a complex taste. Great served with rice and a side salad. Let’s make this and serve around the dinner table this fall.

Ingredients

  • Chicken thighs
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup parsley fresh, chopped
  • 2 tbsp oregano fresh, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
  2. In a small skillet heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and the herbs. Cook for about 1 minute over medium heat, do not burn the garlic.
  3. Pour this olive oil mixture over the drumsticks and make sure the thighs are coated thoroughly with the olive oil/paprika mixture.
  4. Place the thighs in a 9×13 baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken thighs are cooked through.

BOOKWORM: Fall is on the Way — Back to School and Halloween

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By Suzanne Nash

White the temperatures are still a bit warm, fall is on the way and with it comes Back to School and Halloween. This is my favorite time of year and each fall I get excited for some spooky reads to get me in the mood for tricks or treats! So, here are a few treats for you…

A couple of witchy tales:

The Familiars by Stacey Halls takes place in 1612 England and revolves around the Pendle witch trials. Fleetwood Shuttleworth is pregnant but finds a note from her doctor which says she won’t survive the birth. When she unexpectedly runs into Alice Grey who just happens to be a midwife her fortune seems to turn. Alice promises to deliver a healthy baby to Fleetwood but things get complicated when Alice is accused of witchcraft. If you are unfamiliar with the English witch trials in Pendle in the 17th century this will introduce you to the history and how the lives of women in that time were subject to the whims of society.

A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness’s new book, is the first in a series about Diane Bishop. She is descended from a famous family of witches in Massachusetts but turns away from magic and instead becomes an academic. She heads to Oxford to do a little research on alchemy and that’s where geneticist Matthew Clairmont finds her. Together they must find out the mystery related to one of the rare books in the Bodlein Library. There is romance and fantasy in this fun novel just made for spooky season.

Next up… ghosts and haunted houses:

I discovered The Ghost Tree by Barbara Erskin while in London this year and found it perfectly eerie. Ruth goes to her father’s home to sort it out after his death and discovers an ancestor she wasn’t aware she had. Thomas Erskin, who was Lord Chancellor during the 1700s. The tale travels back and forth through time, introducing Thomas’ life and how a man he helped to hang has come back to seek revenge on all of Thomas’ ancestors. Ruth is also dealing with a wretched man named Timothy who along with his sister has been scamming Ruth’s deceased Father. This historical novel that is actually based on the author’s real ancestor, Thomas Erskin.

Forgotten Bones by Vivian Barz is a great thriller ghost story and I read the whole thing in one sitting. Susan Marlan is a police officer called to the scene of a traffic accident where a car has plowed into a telephone pole, and in replacing the damaged pole, a body of a young boy is found. This discovery leads to a farm where more bodies of children are recovered, and the search is on for a pedophile they believe is responsible. Meanwhile a college professor new to the area, Eric Evans, is starting to have horrifying visions of a dead young boy… of course Eric also happens to be a schizophrenic.

The Widow’s House by Carol Goodman is another house that is haunted. The house in question is River House and Jess and Claire Martin have moved in so they can be caretakers. The house is owned by their former mentor and professor, Monty, who has difficulty taking care of the property. Jess is a formerly successful writer who needs some space to capture his former glory and Clare wants to support him. Once they move in, Clare starts to hear sounds and suddenly the past starts to come back to haunt them.

WHAT’S COOKING: Rosemary Truffle Popcorn

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By Sam Johnson, Deputy Director of Cullinary | 1776

This month I wanted to do something a little different. Let’s talk about popcorn and all the fun you can have with it. In the picture above I made rosemary truffle popcorn. As apart of 4 course meal for the Cystic Fibrosis fund raising gala at the Ritz Carlton in DC. It was a fun night, and all the guest loved having it on the table. So whether it for night at home or a fancy dinner let’s all have more popcorn.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of Popping corn
  • 1 tbsp oil (Use a neutral flavor oil like canola oil)
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/4 cup truffle oil
  • 3 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

Instructions: 

  1. Heat the oil, over medium heat, in a heavy bottomed pan with a lid. 
  2. Add 2-3 corn kernels in it. Once they pop, add the remaining corn kernels and close the pan. Shake the pan as often as you can, keeping the lid intact, till the popping sound stops. Switch off heat.
  3. Add the salt, truffle oil, rosemary and garlic powder toss well.
  4. For little fun you can also add fresh grated parmesan, trust me its great add.

BOOKWORM: The Heat is On – Summer Reads

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By Suzanne Nash

I am always able to read a great deal more in the summer months and I have been enjoying a pretty full bedside table lately so wanted to share just a few of the books I have been reading in July. I noticed recently that I have not had very many male narrators in my books over that last few months and wanted to rectify that immediately!

Ken Bruen has written loads of novels featuring the difficult alcoholic main character of Jack Taylor who somehow manages to work his way into your heart. Maybe it is his language or the way the narrative is short and emphatic and without any pretense but in his latest novel, In the Galway Silence, Brown once again lets Jack’s weaknesses play to the forefront. He is still drinking his Jameson and still popping pills but Jack seems happier and more settled. Of course, that cannot last for long and soon he is chasing up a double murder and suddenly finds a vigilante called “Silence” causing all manner of problems, including the disappearance of his girlfriend’s annoying nine-year-old son. Brown once said that the “Irish can abide almost anything save silence” and those words are never more apt that in this darkly funny addition to the series.

In Love is Blind author William Boyd introduces us to a piano tuner protagonist, Brodie Moncur, and we follow his journey from 1880s Scotland to France and Russia. Brodie narrates this story and we learn how he struggles to escape a miserable Scottish father and works his way from being a piano tuner in a Parish showroom to accompanying John Kilbarrron, the Irish Liszt, on his concert tours. Embedded in this story is also some pretty amazing homages to other books and there quite a few parallels to other great books that you might be able to notice. This is a historical saga that not only touches on the intricacies of piano tuning, captures the times and places in which Brodie travels in but also explores the blindness of love and the painful choices we have to make.  Boyd is a master of his craft and has written 15 novels to date, including Any Human Heart, and this latest offering shows that he is still a literary force to be reckoned with. 

French Exit by Patrick DeWitt is another darkly humorous novel that is partially set in Paris. It is about a very wealthy widow, Francis Price, and her adult son, Malcolm who seek to escape scandal and financial ruin by fleeing New York.  They are determined to survive and live in the beautiful sympathetic world of expats in Paris.  High Society has never been more humorous as these two continue to self-destruct in this lavish backdrop. The writing is brilliantly witty and the characters that live in the pages will keep you laughing. There is a psychic they meet on the voyage over, an investigator they hire to find her and a doctor who comes to make a house call, along with my favorite, Mme. Reynard, who is completely bonkers!  And one can’t forget the cat, Small Frank, where Frances believes the spirit of her late husband resides. None of them are particularly fond of the late husband.

If you want to keep laughing, you must pick up David Sedaris’ Calypso. I like it so much I kept stopping Bev to read him sections of it and he became enamored of the writing as well. While his subject matters are not always something you want to read about while you are eating dinner, I found his observations laugh-aloud funny most of the time.  If you like dark humor, no one does it better than Sedaris and each chapter delves deep in the sadness and humor of family relations, illness, loss and love. I love the fact you can put it down after reading a chapter and then pick it up a couple days later without losing anything. These are little gems strung together that can be read alone but when strung together become priceless.

My last book does not really have a male narrator but is the true story of several men and their impact on the history of Great Britain and India. The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India’s Quest for India’s Independence was written by Anita Anand and in the Intro she shares that she has a very real connection to the story she tells.  I always thought I had a passing idea of the history of India but must admit I did not know that much about Udham Singh and I asked my husband Bev (being an Englishman) if he had ever heard of him and he had not.  Once you read this book, you will understand why. In 1919, there is a massacre in India and one of its survivors pledges revenge. Years go by before the opportunity arises and Udham Singh becomes a hero to the Indian people and a blight to the British Empire. This is a fascinating story of the political climate, not only in India and in England, but also Russia and Ireland as native people fight to gain their independence from a colonial presence. The attitudes of the age are clearly laid out as the author takes us into the minds of political and military leaders and those who suffered in the shadows.