My Virginia

                                  Above: The Farmhouse in 2014  I lived in this house from 1995-1998 as a teenager Me on the Farm in 1997  UPDATE: I have retracted information regarding a certain situation with the previous owners of this dwelling, Mr. Hottel.  As far as the original date of the house, it is unknown, but I believe it to be 1904, because it was verified by a descendant of the original builder. If there ever was a place that would be the perfect setting for a movie, this would be it. I spent most of my teen aged years on this old farmhouse located near the small village of Philomont, Virginia, just 7 miles north of Middleburg. You'll notice that I keep a picture of this farmhouse on the title of this blog. That's because it holds a very special memory  to me. The farmhouse was built in 1904 by a Mr Luck , as a wedding pres...

Years ago, I remember getting annoyed as a teenager when some dolt on "The Weather Channel" would refer to Virginia as part of the Mid-Atlantic region. Boy, was  I in for a surprise. Forget Mid Atlantic. Now we're considered the part of that frozen tundra called  "The Northeast".  Has the North moved South? Yes and No. But I think I don't really mind being called Mid Atlantic now. In fact I would long for it. Please call us Mid Atlantic or South Atlantic, East Coast,  or a border state. Anything but the Northeast!  If North Carolina is often referred to as "The Mind of the South", then Virginia is just above it. We are north of North Carolina,  and just below the Mason Dixon line. And we straddle the fence on what was once known as the "Upper South". But I don't think we are the Northeast. That is something I don't understand. How is Virginia the Northeast? Not by culture, certainly not by history, and no , not even geographically...

Loudoun County situated at the Northern tip of Virginia, has been almost fully engulfed by the premises of Washington, D.C. However, there still remains pockets of its "Old South" history- and rolling hills, and beautiful landscapes, and "hunt country" towns, still dominate the area. I grew up in Loudoun County, and being so close to the DC suburban region, was mostly unaware that all these beautiful Manor homes still existed. I was aware of Oatlands, near where I went to church, and a few other places, but that was about it. I have over time, discovered a treasure trove of these wonderful places. Granted, its just a smattering, but I am truly grateful these old Plantations have been preserved and restored to their former glory. For many in search of the Old South, Loudoun County, is truly the gateway. Loudoun County is the Northern Edge of Virginia, and the Northern edge of Dixie, but it has some of the most quintessentially Southern homes one could ever find to...