Big City, Small Town Feel – Alexandria, VA

July 10, 2011 By 10 Comments
4 162x200 Big City, Small Town Feel Alexandria, VA

Photo: Wayne Hulehan

 

 

 

Alexandria is a little bit unusually.  Located inside the beltway (495 making it only minutes to DC) the city is a buzz of activity, the center for loads of national organizations and lobbyists, the home for lots of politicians, yet it retains the trappings of its small town roots.  One small town tradition is the annual birthday celebration, which always falls the weekend after Independence Day.

Last night folks came from DC, Maryland (across the Potomac for those not versed in geography), and Northern Virginia to celebrate the 262nd Birthday of Alexandria (making it nearly 30 years older than the United States).  True to its small town roots, Alexandria celebrated its birthday with birthday cake, fireworks (accompanied by the 1812 Overture and Cannons supplied by the Marine Base at Quantico).

While fireworks might have been the highlight for many, I went for the 1812 Overture (by Tchaikovsky) played by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra.  Like other small town traditions, Alexandria Symphony is populated by musicians from the local community whose full-time jobs often include band directors or orchestra leaders from local schools.

A core of musicians, along with a floating group of regulars and ad hoc members perform 5 concerts a year at a theater housed on the campus of Northern Virginia Community College — another characteristic of small town music.  In addition, the orchestra performs at a children’s festival and the yearly birthday celebration for Alexandria.

Last night’s program is part of Alexandria Symphony’s community educational outreach to give more folks a taste for symphonic music.  The program included the themes from ET and Harry Potter along with medleys from South Pacific, Sousa marches,  and swing music.

In addition to music, Alexandria’s birthday celebration included other small town events such as face painting for kids, balloon animals, political candidates, and lots of greasy food and ice cream.

About 100,000 people attended the event, bringing picnic baskets, lawn chairs, and dogs to enjoy the event.  A fun time was had by all!!

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Deer: Friend or Foe

June 20, 2011 By 3 Comments

deer Deer: Friend or Foe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the cute little Doe who visited us today.  I’m not sure whether I should be thrilled or upset — since she was eating my roses when I first saw here.

My dogs were in the picture window barking at her, but she just stood there staring at them.  She didn’t seem afraid of them at all.  She was really gorgeous.

 

But, she was still eating my roses.  So, I walked out to encourage her to try someone else’s roses.

Deer Versus Civilization

As humans expand out in ever-wider circles around cities, I guess it’s inevitable that animals and humans will have different ideas of the environment.  But, I live in Alexandria — just outside the 495 beltway around Washington, DC in an area that’s heavily populated and has been for generations.  So, I’m not sure how this little girl wandered into my yard.

And, she’s not the first one.  About a year ago I was heading for my car, when 2 deer almost knocked me over running across the yard.  I’ve heard of cars being damaged when they hit deer, so I could imagine what I would look like after being trampled by 2 full-grown deer.

Nuisance Deer

Fueled by restrictive hunting regulations, the deer population has exploded — with as many as 100 deer/ square mile in metropolitan areas.  Deer populations can double every 2-3 years in current environments with few natural predators and ample food supplies — much of this food in the form of our landscaping.  A friend posted on Facebook earlier this week that deer were eating her landscaping even with deer repellent.

Many have stories of hitting a deer, especially during mating season when deer fight over available doe.  We hit a deer a couple of years ago and it took out the entire front on the passenger side causing thousands of dollars of damage.  Of course it didn’t do the deer any good either.

So, what do you think — are deer Friend or Foe?  I’m still not sure.

 

 

 

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