December 2010
Archive - December 2010
Features
A Civilized Christmas, by Erin Parkhurst
In a season notorious for clutter and commercialism, Keswick Hall offers a resplendent respite from the madness.
New Urbanism, by Ben Swenson
Newport News has buffed its image with an impressive collection of monumental sculptures--art for the people.
'Answer At Once', by Katrina M. Powell
Shenandoah National Park is a treasure, but few know the story of the mountain families who were displaced to build it.
In Every Issue
Letters | Contributors | Natives | Reviews | Style | Bellwether | About Town | Odd Dominion | Departures
Upfront
Bewitching Musician, by Ned Oldham
Singer Alex Caton likes getting at the core of things. She has a background in archaeology, broad instrumental skills and a passion for tradition, most evident in her embrace of old-time music since a move to Virginia.
Late and Loud, by Caroline Kettlewell
Witch Hazel goes to seed with a bang.
Later, Gator, by Bland Crowder
A reptilian stowaway from Florida gets a very harsh welcome.
Where Richmond Shopped for 150 Years, by Bill Glose
A "true history" of how Thalhimers Departments Store was founded, managed by three subsequent generations of the family and grew into a 26-store chain.
Out of the Fire, by Sarah Sargent
A visit with John Jessiman, the eminent ceramic arts teacher, artist and founder of Cub Crek Foundation.
Departments
Interview | Crossing the Chasm, by Mac Carey
We take email, file-sharing and the Internet itself for granted now, but network communications were unknown until the 1960s, when Robert Khan and other high-tech gurus working for the U.S. Department of Defense developed protocols enabling different computer systems to share data, making possible the Wolrd Wide Web.
Design | Affordable Housing, by Sarah Sargent
Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House, in Alexandria, is one of his so-called Usonian houses--inexpensive and horizontal in orientation, with an open-space design. It is also a signal example of the architect's fundamentally democratic nature.
Dining | A Contemporary Euro-Style Oasis, by Christina Ball
A new team has transformed the historic Ashby Inn and Restaurant into a first class experience of food, wine and hospitality.
Food | Kindred Spirits, by Richard Ernsberger Jr.
First comes the traditional Thanksgiving gathering, then the convivial feast, followe, in this case, by a "guitar pull" in the barn with musically-minded friends.
Home | Rough & Ready, by Kendra Hamilton
Randleston Farm is an Arts and Crafts manor house first built about 90 years ago by the owner of New York's Savoy-Plaza Hotel. It suffered under subsequent owners until Jim and Melinda Carter bought the estate about a decade ago and invoked its unique and masculine charm.
Town | A 'Fine Little Village', by Daisy Ridgway Khalifa
Waterford, in Loudoun County, has a weak water supply, scant commerce and insufficient parking, but village residents don't complain too much about those "bugaboos." They are certain that they live in a very special place, with its historic buildings, agrarian heritage and wide open spaces.
