Letter to the Editor: Derry Will Be Missed
Bob Feldkamp’s very nice memorial to Frederic Wolcott (Derry) Bancroft, which appeared in the Gazette Packet – Neighborhoods – old Town (Feb. 21) was much appreciated.
Letter to the Editor: Embrace Civic Duties
I am a proud 16-year citizen of Alexandria. One of the things I love most about living here is the city’s commitment to creating a caring environment and fulfilling the needs of its citizens.
Letter to the Editor: Saluting Members Of Santa Claus’s Yacht Club
Approximately 20 years ago, members of Santa Claus’s Yacht Club entered the lives of many families who reside in the city of Alexandria.
Letter to the Editor: Worthy of Preservation?
I live on a block adjoining the one with the ramshackle building which once housed the Carver Nursery School.
Letter to the Editor: Encourage Riding Bikes
Over the last few weeks there have been several articles about registering and charging fees for bikes in the city. Given the logic and questionable application of the economic concept of free rider(s), why stop at registering just bicycles?
Letter to the Editor: Support School Construction
Right now, Alexandria is facing the same issue as many other school districts: increasing enrollment. This year, ACPS enrollment jumped 5.8 percent, but this is not an anomaly; it’s a trend.
Letter: How I Got My Dog
We had been looking for a new dog for close to 10 years—I would occasionally stop at the animal shelter or at a rescue group set-up—but I really didn't know how to pick out a dog, so I just didn't. Our previous dogs had basically just fallen into our laps by differing circumstances.
Column: Major Step Forward
The short 45-day 2013 General Assembly session was a roller coaster, but I am glad to have the privilege of representing our community and our values in Richmond.
Column: A Tough Transportation Vote
The 46-day legislative session drew to a close on Saturday, Feb. 23. As you know, transportation dominated the debate this session.
Column: All’s Well That Ends Well
Not only did the 2013 session of the General Assembly end on time last Saturday, but it also ended on a high note. Having sat through a couple of decades of failed efforts to pass meaningful legislation addressing our transportation needs, I was not optimistic that we would be successful this year.
Column: Cautious Optimism for Reston RELAC
Well, we are about to get our wish. According to the Joint Petition filed with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), AQUA Virginia, the accidental corporate owner of the antiquated Reston Lake Anne Air Conditioning (RELAC), is going away. AQUA finally found someone to take it off their hands.
Field Notes: The Nose Rules
The other day I watched my canine companion, Zina, put her nose to the breeze and then bury it deep in the grass near the pasture fence. Her excitement reminded me of the days when my German Shepherds were able to roam freely in the fields before the housing development set in. Their nose-down, tail up odyssey fulfilled every scent-driven need in their bodies.
Column: To Buy Or Not To Buy
That is my question. And though I can’t quite quote Shakespeare the way I can quote The Three Stooges: “Moe, Larry, the cheese. Moe, Larry, the cheese,” “’tis nobler” to ask it nonetheless. Still, if Hamlet had been diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer, as I have, perhaps he wouldn’t have been contemplating suicide but rather allocating his monthly budget – as I do every day, with nearly every purchase. That’s my dream, “perchance” or otherwise.
Column: Before Adopting a Pet …
How to determine and find the perfect pet for one’s lifestyle.
Before you answer that online or classified ad for an adorable, floppy-eared puppy or ask to see that frisky kitten in the pet store window there are a few things you should consider before purchasing a pet.
Column: Definition of “Slippery Slope”
Figuratively speaking, of course. That definition being: a late stage cancer patient/survivor previously characterized as “terminal” awaiting the results of their most recent diagnostic scan. A scan that will indicate whether the tumors have grown, moved or God forbid, appeared somewhere new. If your life hung in the balance before the scan, waiting for results of this however-many-months-interval-scan will most assuredly loosen your figurative grip on your equilibrium and your most literal grip on your sanity. This is a domain, unlike the one referred to in one of the more infamous Seinfeld episodes, that one cannot master. To invoke and slightly rework Dan Patrick’s “catch” phrase: You can’t stop it, you can only hope to contain it.