Frontiers

Rain fell softly over the Rockfish Valley that morning in May, and fog hovered over the Blue Ridge Mountains. The weather forecast called for a break in the rain from mid-morning to early afternoon, enough time for our guests and us to visit The Frontier Culture...

Growth and Judgment

We stood in the entrance hall at Monticello, my friend and I, listening to the house guide. It had been a few years since my last visit, but the artifacts and information looked and sounded familiar. After the house, we toured the gardens. Unlike my previous visits to...

Store or Grow

In the spring of 2010, Keith and I walked the mountain land with our contractor, marking the driveway and house site with an eye towards preserving the venerable oaks of the forest. Our minds envisioned a beautiful completed scene and pondered future projects: a bit...