valentine’s day guide a tribute to brian...
TRANSCRIPT
January 31-February 6, 2018
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Potholes Return;How To Report ThemNews, Page 7
Gifts for Valentine’s DayNews, Page 8
A Tribute To Brian Bunting
News, Page 3
Gabriela Munson, Erica Ralston and Jackson Diaz, members of the Bullis Choir, sing at the third annual Captain Brian Matthew “Bubba”
Bunting Memorial Dual Meet Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Valentine’sDay Guide
Page 8
2 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ January 31 - February 6, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Potomac Almanac ❖ January 31 - February 6, 2018 ❖ 3www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Peggy McEwan
The Almanac
Brian Bunting attended BullisSchool in Potomac from sixththrough 12th grade.
He competed on the school’sfootball, lacrosse and wrestling teams. Hewas a state wrestling champion and presi-dent of his class.
After graduation in 1998, he attended theUnited States Military Academy, served inthe U.S. Army, married and had a son.
On Feb. 24, 2009 Captain Bunting, knownto family and friends as “Bubba,” was killedby a roadside bomb while serving in Af-ghanistan, just months before his wife Nikkigave birth to their second son.
Last weekend Bullis School held the thirdannual Captain Brian Matthew “Bubba”Bunting Memorial Dual Meet WrestlingTournament to honor Bubba and his fam-ily. Ten teams from schools throughoutMaryland and D.C. participated in the day-long event.
“They are a beloved family, I felt like itwas the right thing to do,” said Bullis wres-tling coach and tournament organizer ChrisBrown.
The Bunting family has deep roots at theschool, Brown said. Bubba’s mother workedas secretary in the upper school and his fa-ther, Robert Bunting, Sr., was head of fa-cilities.
“Five of my children graduated fromBullis,” Robert Bunting said.
Nikki Bunting, too, graduated from Bullisthough, she said, she and Bubba were nothigh school sweethearts.
Bullis hosts thirdannual wrestlingtournament tohonor alum.
A Tribute to Captain Brian Matthew ‘Bubba’ Bunting
They met when she was in sixth grade,she said, but were just friends. Years later,when he was home on military leave andshe from college, they met again while outwith mutual friends.
The rest was history, she said.Nikki Bunting and her sons Connor, 10,
and Cooper, 8, along with other familymembers were at the tournament Saturday,Jan. 27, for the opening ceremony whichincluded the presentation of colors by mem-bers of the Magruder High School JuniorROTC, the National Anthem by Bullis Cham-ber Singers and “America the Beautiful” bythe Magruder Choir.
Members of the Bullis Middle Schoolwrestling team read a tribute to “Bubba”
Bunting and the school’s Boy’s Athletic Di-rector Andres Parra, class of 1999, spoke ofhis memories of Bubba as a Bullis student.
“This is a great way to share [Bubba’s]legacy,” Nikki Bunting said. “He has quite alegacy at Bullis.”
Steve Lilly, retired military and a refereeat the tournament Saturday, said he did notknow the tournament was in honor of aveteran until he arrived, but was moved bythe sentiment, greeting family members andwishing them well.
“I’m honored that they are having thistournament,” Lilly said.
Nikki Bunting said she feels the same.“We look forward to it every year,”
she said.
Trophies from the Captain BrianMatthew “Bubba” Bunting wres-tling tournament held at BullisSchool on Saturday, Jan. 27.
The Bullis Choir performs at the third annual Captain Brian Matthew“Bubba” Bunting Memorial Dual Meet Wrestling Tournament on Satur-day, Jan. 27.
Captain Brian Bunting’s family: Kimmy and Oakley Tennessee; CaptainBunting’s wife and two sons, Nicki, Cooper and Connor Bunting; and Cap-tain Bunting’s father, Robert, and, in back, Kayla and Stephanie Graver.Kimmy Tennessee and Stephanie Graver are Captain Bunting’s sisters
Nikki Bunting, left in purplesweater, and sons Connor, 10, andCooper, 8, listen to Bullis SchoolBoys Athletic Director and alumniAndres Parra, speak about BrianBunting before the Captain BrianMatthew “Bubba” Bunting MemorialDual Meet Wrestling Tournament atthe school Saturday, Jan. 27.
Photos by Peggy McEwan/The Almanac
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The Almanac
Potomac Almanac Editor Steven Mauren
703-778-9415 or [email protected]
See www.potomacalmanac.com
4 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ January 31 - February 6, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
POTOMACALMANAC
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EDITORSteven Mauren, 703-778-9415
ASSISTANT EDITORMike Salmon
CONTRIBUTING WRITERSSusan Belford, Carole Dell,
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By Donald M. Sweig
It was a frigid 4 or 5 degreesin Great Falls National Park,Va., on the morning of Sunday, Jan. 7. Even so, a hearty
and determined group of birderscarried on with their usual Sun-day morning bird walk. Part wayinto the walk, the leader, Kris Lan-sing, noticed something unusualabout a knot hole in a large tree40 or 50 feet away. She and an-other birder, looking carefully withtheir binoculars, realized it was anowl.
When spotted by the birders,the little (about 8.5 inches high),rufous-morph, Eastern Screech-owl (Megascops asio) wasperched in the sun on the edgeof the hollowed-out knotholethat was its roosting retreat.Doubtless the owl was hopingthat even the weak January sunwould provide some warmthagainst the frigid morning cold.For the birders, it was a pleasantand delightful surprise, eagerlyviewed with binoculars and spot-ting scopes, and recorded withcameras. Screech-owls are notunknown or unseen on the birdwalk or in Great Falls Park, butthey are a rare occurrence. Atanother point on that morning’swalk, the birders found and ob-served a larger (about 21 inchestall), gray-brown, Barred Owl(Strix varia), a more frequentsighting in the park than theScreech-owl.
TO MOST BIRDERS, many or-nithologists, not to mention thegeneral public, owls are often amatter of great interest and oftenfascination.
Four years ago, in January 2014,the appearance of at least twomigrant Snowy Owls (Bubo
scandiacus), about 23 inches high,at National Airport, and two morein downtown Washington, gener-ated great interest and discussion.Snowy owls migrate during thewinter months as far south as theWashington area irregularly. But,Screech-Owls, Barred Owls, andthe even larger Great HornedOwls, live and breed in local wood-lands. They are permanent resi-dents, even in the frigid winter.
Finding local owls can be, andusually is, both challenging andunpredictable. But when one isspotted it often becomes a subjectof intense interest. For that reason,most birders and other responsibleobservers, refrain from posting onthe internet or otherwise reveal-ing the location of a roosting owl,for the owl’s protection. TheScreech-owl found on the Sundaybird walk was reported on E-birdand the Virginia birding listserv,with a notation that the locationwould remain undisclosed. Evenso, birders and ordinary folks dofind and see local owls, particu-larly in the winter when there areno leaves on the trees.
GREAT FALLS NATIONALPARK, and environs, as well asalong the C&O Canal in Maryland,are excellent places to look andlisten for, and occasionally findowls. Similarly, they are some-times located in wooded areassuch as south of Alexandria, aswell as in local parks and even resi-dential yards. Local owls are of-ten as ubiquitous as they seem elu-sive. They frequently roost or nestin hollows in large trees, oftencompletely out of sight. It helps tohave an experienced owl-findingcompanion or two when lookingfor the secretive birds.
The Sunday morning Great Fallsbird walk is as good an opportu-
nity as any to chance upon a localowl. The walk meets at 8 a.m. ev-ery Sunday in the first large park-ing lot at Great Falls National Park,Va. Everyone is always welcome on
Winter Owls in our Midst
Nature
This rufous-morph, Eastern Screech-owl was foundand photographed in Great Falls National Park inJanuary 2018.
Barred Owls, such as this, are regularly seen and heard inGreat Falls Park, along the C&O Canal in Maryland, and inother local woodlands.
the walk, although there is noguarantee of seeing an owl.
Donald Sweig is a local birderand nature photographer.
This pair of Eastern Screech-owls, presumably a matedpair, were roosting in the woodlands along the Potomac,south of Alexandria. (The rufous-morph is the female andthe gray-morph is the male.)
This Snowy Owl was seen and photographed near Na-tional Airport during an unusual irruption migration inthe winter of 2014.
Photos by
Donald M. Sweig
Potomac Almanac ❖ January 31 - February 6, 2018 ❖ 5www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
Flu activity is now wide-spread throughout theregion and county healthofficials are urging all
residents to get vaccinated andpractice prevention measures toavoid the spread of illness.
“The best way to prevent the fluis to get vaccinated,” said Dr.Travis Gayles, County Health Of-ficer. “If you haven’t received a flushot yet, there is still time to getone and help protect you andthose around you.”
In addition, there are everydayactions that everyone can take tohelp prevent the spread of germsthat cause respiratory illnesses likeinfluenza (flu):
❖ Cover nose and mouth with atissue when coughing or sneezing.
❖ Wash hands often with soapand water, especially after cough-ing or sneezing. Alcohol-basedhand cleaners are also effective.
❖ Avoid touching your eyes,nose or mouth. Germs spreadthis way.
❖ Try to avoid close contact withsick people.
❖ If sick with flu-like illness, stayhome for at least 24 hours afterthe fever is gone except to getmedical care. A fever should begone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.
Hospitals in MontgomeryCounty are all experiencing in-creased flu activity and are imple-menting visitor restrictions to helpprotect the health of patients, staffand other visitors. Visitors at allsix hospitals who exhibit flu-likesymptoms such as fever, cough,sore throat, runny nose andmuscle aches will not be allowedto enter the hospital. Childrenunder the age of 12 will not beallowed in any area, except in ur-gent situations. In these cases,they may be asked to wear masks.If a visitor who must be at the fa-cility exhibits flu symptoms, theywill be asked to wear a mask. Hos-pitals will continue these precau-tions until flu activity slows down.
To find out where to get a flushot, visit https://vaccinefinder.org/ . For more in-formation about the flu,visitwww.cdc.gov/flu .
County reportswidespread flu.
Health Alert Issued
6 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ January 31 - February 6, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Submit entertainment announcementsat www.connectionnewspapers.com/Cal-endar/. The deadline is noon on Friday.
ONGOINGThe Underpants. Through Feb. 4,
various times at the F. ScottFitzgerald Theatre, 603 EdmonstonDrive, Rockville. Rockville LittleTheatre will continue its 70thconsecutive season with “TheUnderpants,” written by actor,comedian, musician and writer SteveMartin. “The Underpants” containssome mature themes and humor andis recommended for ages 13 andover. $22 for adults and $20 forseniors and students. Call the boxoffice at 240-314-8690, or visitfscottfitzgerald.showare.com.
The Wonder People. Through Feb. 25at Photoworks Gallery, in Glen EchoPark, 7300 MacArthur Blvd. “TheWonder People” exhibit is a series ofportraits of children and adultscaught in the global refugee crisis.Photographer Dorte Verner capturedthe exhibited photographs of peoplefrom Afghanistan, Burundi, CentralAfrican Republic, DemocraticRepublic of Congo, Iraq, Kurdistan,Myanmar, Rwanda, Somalia, SouthSudan, Syria and more over the pastone and a half years. Visitwww.glenechopark.org.
WEDNESDAY/JAN. 31Night of Design Thinking,
Inspiration and Activities. 6p.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School(Student Center), 8804 PostoakRoad, Potomac. New York Timesbestselling author and Marylandgubernatorial candidate Alec Rosswill be guest speaker for this Night ofDesign Thinking, Inspiration andActivities. This event will allowelementary-aged students toparticipate in activities where theywill exercise their design skills andflex their creativity. Visit saes.org.
JAN. 31-MARCH 3“Handbagged.” Round House
Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway,Bethesda. In Handbagged, the fourthwall comes down as Queen ElizabethII and Margaret Thatcher tell theirrespective stories of workingtogether. Their stories frequentlyconflict not only with each other butalso with themselves, as we see bothyounger and older versions of eachleader. Visit RoundHouseTheatre.org.
SATURDAY/FEB. 3Interfaith Harmony Concert. 7 p.m.
at Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’Center - Auditorium, 9900Stoneybrook Drive, Kensington.Mosaic Harmony presents the ThirdAnnual Interfaith Harmony Concertin celebration of 2018 United NationsWorld Interfaith Harmony Week.Free admission and parking. Visitwww.mosaicharmony.org.
Concert Series. 8 p.m. atWestmoreland Congregational UCCChurch, 1 Westmoreland Circle,Bethesda. Members of the PressendaChamber Players – performingrepertoire for violin, viola, cello, andpiano – will be featured as part of theWashington Conservatory ConcertSeries. Free (donations welcome).Audience members are invited to apost-concert Wine & Words in thechurch social hall. Visitwww.westmorelanducc.org/.
Swing Dance. 8-9 p.m. drop-in lesson;9 p.m.-midnight dance at SpanishBallroom at Glen Echo Park, 7300MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo.Swing Dance with Baltimore’s SarahSullivan and The New Old-Fashioneds. $20. Visitwww.americanswing.org.
SUNDAY/FEB. 4Lunar New Year Celebration. 4:30-
7:30 p.m. at the Potomac CommunityCenter, 11315 Falls Road, Potomac.Performances (70 performers),activities, ethnic appetizers, LionDance and more. The community isinvited. Visitwww.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec/where/centers/potomac.html.
WEDNESDAY/FEB. 7Meet Harriet Tubman. 7 p.m. Davis
Library, 6400 Democracy Boulevard,Bethesda. Janice Curtis Green willplay Harriet Tubman and reenactTubman’s story introducing the childand the woman who became the heroof the Underground Railroad. Call240-777-0922 or visitwww.montgomerycountymd.gov/library/.
FEB. 7-MARCH 3“US FOUR.” Various times at Gallery B,
7700 Wisconsin Ave., Suite E,Bethesda. “US FOUR” featuresartwork by Katty Biglari, YolaineRilhac Brochard, Nora Maccoby andGrazia Montalto. Visitwww.bethesda.org.
FRIDAY/FEB. 9Opening Reception. 6-8 p.m. at
Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Ave., SuiteE, Bethesda. “US FOUR” features
artwork by Katty Biglari, YolaineRilhac Brochard, Nora Maccoby andGrazia Montalto. The exhibit will beon display from Feb. 7-March 3,2018. Visit www.bethesda.org.
SATURDAY/FEB. 10Extreme Chopin. 8 p.m. in
Strathmore’s Concert Hall, 5301Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda.Join pianist Brian Ganz thisValentine’s Day weekend on Feb. 10as he continues his unprecedentedjourney through the complete worksof Frédéric Chopin with “Chopin’sHidden Gems & All Time Favorites.”Ticket prices are $28-$88; free forages 7-17. Call 301-581-5100 or visitwww.nationalphilharmonic.org.
FEB. 10-MARCH 18“The Princess & the Pauper – A
Bollywood Tale.” Various times inImagination Stage’s Annette M. andTheodore N. Lerner Family Theatre,Auburn Avenue, Bethesda. In thisBollywood-inspired musicaladaptation of the classic Mark Twainnovel, commoners work long hoursto support the luxurious lifestyle ofthe palace royals. Rani, a shydressmaker’s daughter, dreams ofruling the Sultanate with generosityand justice. Meanwhile, a corruptWazir plots to steal the throne, and aspoiled Princess Razia longs wistfullyfor freedom beyond the palace walls.Tickets start at $10. Visitwww.imaginationstage.org.
TUESDAY/FEB. 13Pancake Supper. 6-7:30 p.m. at St.
James’ Episcopal Church Parish Hall,11815 Seven Locks Road, Potomac.Join the St. James’ community for aShrove Tuesday pancake supperprepared by the Men’s PrayerBreakfast Group. A free-will offeringwill be accepted. Call 301-762-8040or visit stjamespotomac.org.
THURSDAY-SUNDAY/FEB. 16-19Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival. 1750
Rockville Pike, Rockville. The festivalprovides live musical performances,workshops and seminars. Seewww.midatlanticjazzfestival.org.
SATURDAY/FEB. 17Play in a Day. 8 p.m. at Imagination
Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda.Six professional Washington, D.C.area theatre companies will write,direct, rehearse and perform originalplays in only 24 hours. Generaladmission tickets are $15 and can bepurchased at www.bethesda.org.
Entertainment
PressendaChamberPlayers, fea-turing violin-ist AaronBerofsky,violist AmadiAzikiwe,cellist TobiasWerner, andpianist ReadGainsford.
Washington Conservatory Concert SeriesMembers of the Pressenda Chamber Players – performing repertoire for violin, viola, cello, and piano – will be featured as
part of the Washington Conservatory Concert Series. Saturday, Feb. 3, 8 p.m. at Westmoreland Congregational UCC Church,1 Westmoreland Circle, Bethesda. Free (donations welcome). Audience members are invited to a post-concert Wine & Wordsin the church social hall. Visit www.westmorelanducc.org/.
Potomac Almanac ❖ January 31 - February 6, 2018 ❖ 7www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
News
By Peggy McEwan
The Almanac
‘Tis the season for rough roadsand potholes, the result ofwinter’s freezing andthawing, rain snow and sleet.
Sometimes a rough road is just a bother,other times, like a slalom course, and stillothers, a true drivinghazard.
Montgomery Countycitizens have severalroad departments tonavigate in submittingroad repair requestsand it can be confusing.
Roads in the Potomacarea can be under thejurisdiction of thecounty, the state, or theNational Park Service.A little farther afieldroads can also be main-tained by one of the lo-cal cities such asG a i t h e r s b u r g ,Poolesville or Rockville.
“ M o n t g o m e r yCounty has been un-dergoing repairs for thelast two-three monthson the stretch [of MacArthur Boulevard]between Falls [Road] and Brickyard [Road].They are taking up pavement and layingdown new asphalt. Strangely, the repairedsections are ridiculously bumpy, not smooth.Drive from Brickyard [Road] toward OldAngler’s Inn and you will not believe howmuch you bump up and down on brand newasphalt. Same in the earlier stretches. Can’tfigure it. …. Makes no sense. At a minimum,perhaps an engineer for the county couldexplain why it has to be so. Frankly, we pre-ferred the old potholes,” Potomac residentHenry Strong wrote to the Almanac.
MacArthur Boulevard is a county road,maintained by Montgomery County Depart-ment of Transportation Gaithersburg WestHighway Maintenance Area, according toJosh Faust, public outreach manager.
Faust was aware of the repairs Strong re-ferred to and explained the repair was in-tended to be a patch not a full resurfacing.Indeed, the road surface does resemble apatchwork quilt.
“Every two years [MCDOT] surveys the
5,200 miles we maintain,” Faust said. “Ev-ery road is given a score from 0-100, grad-ing on different factors” to determine whateach road needs.
Faust said there is a short video onYouTube about the vehicle that travels theroads collecting information for the grad-ing. That can be found on the department’sdedicated YouTube page.
Faust also said resi-dents can call theMontgomery CountyInformation Center at311 to report a roadthat needs work or putin a request atm o n t g o m e r ycountymd.gov/mc311.
“Once a service re-quest is registered it issent to one of thecounty depots and gen-erally we can process[it] in 72 hours,” Faustsaid.
Residents looking forservice on state roads,most of the main thor-oughfares, can place aservice request onwww.roads.maryland.gov,Christopher Bishop,
Maryland State Highway Administrationspokesman, said.
To see if a road is state maintained visit:h t t p : / /www. roads .mary l and .gov/Index.aspx?PageId=484.
In distinguishing between county, stateand city-maintained roads calls for direc-tions, there is one more jurisdiction to re-member. The Clara Barton Parkway is main-tained by the National Park Service GeorgeWashington Memorial Parkway division.
Though it is called George WashingtonParkway, which is in Virginia, NPS does therepairs on the Maryland side too, said AaronLaRocca, park ranger.
“Last week, I think on Tuesday, the Na-tional Park Service closed the Clara Bartonfrom the Glen Echo turn around to ChainBridge to make road repairs,” LaRocca said.“We have our eyes on the roadway, not onlyfor potholes but for all kinds of [hazards].”
Information on Clara Barton road condi-tions and information for reporting neededrepairs can be emailed [email protected].
Submit civic/community announcements atConnectionNewspapers.com/Calendar. Submitat least two weeks before event.
THURSDAY/FEB. 1Education Seminar. 10 a.m. at Our Lady of
Mercy School, 9222 Kentsdale Drive,Potomac. Our Lady of Mercy School will behosting a seminar on the importance ofpreschool. The presentation will be led bytwo experts in the field of Early Childhood
Education and will consist of a presentationfollowed by a Q&A session.Babysittingprovided during the seminar. Free, open toall. Visit www.olom.org/.
WEDNESDAY/FEB. 14West Montgomery County Citizens
Association. Second Wednesday, 7:15-9p.m. at Potomac Community Center, 11315Falls Road. Attend the general meeting. Seewww.wmcca.org.
How to report potholes as they make theirannual appearance on local roads.
When the Going Gets Rough
Photo by Peggy McEwan/The Almanac
A sign on MacArthur Boule-vard just before going underthe Beltway warns drivers ofpavement conditions.
Bulletin Board
Kenny Lourie is an Advertising Representative forThe Potomac Almanac & The Connection Newspapers.
By KENNETH B. LOURIE
As a follow up to last week’s column titled“Lost in Space,” I have a few recommenda-tions for the medical profession, oncologistsparticularly, as it relates to their comings andgoings and the effect it might have on theirpatients, many of whom have been charac-terized as “terminal,” as I was.
Respecting and appreciating the fact thaton a good day, our anxiety level is likely offthe chart, we need you to work with us, notagainst us.
And though I can certainly recall how Iwas encouraged to reach out – either byphone or electronically, whenever we hadquestions or concerns, I believe there needsto be an upgrade to that advisory. That‘encouragement’ works fine when you’rehere/on site. However, based on my mostrecent experience, I need that ‘advisory’ towork equally fine when you’re not here.
Ergo: I want to meet and develop somekind of relationship with the oncologist whowill be covering for you when you’re absent.I want that oncologist’s name, email addressand phone number (none of which I hadduring this most recent experience). I wantsome assurance/acknowledgment that thisoncologist knows who I am, how I’m treatedand is familiar with any special circumstancespertaining to my care and feeding. Moreover,I want “t.l.c.,”. because I definitely deserve it.
As for the oncologist’s goings; on theoccasions when, for whatever reason, you’reaway from your office. I want to knowbefore, not after. I don’t want to learn aboutit by reading a default email saying you’re outof the office. Though I appreciate knowingafter, it’s not good enough. I want to know allthe time. In fact, every time you’re away, Iwant to know. Whether or not I have anymedical activities (lab work, infusion, scans)planned, I want to know, just in case some-thing unexpected – or even expected,happens.
This would help me to prepare, antici-pate, assimilate and coordinate any and allfuture medical activities so that I could deter-mine in advance, if necessary, an action plan.One that would proactively solve/prevent aproblem rather than reacting to one as mostrecently happened to me. I don’t want anymore surprises. I don’t want to experienceany lack of communication at any time. Idon’t care about how or why. I simply wantto know ahead of any potentially complicat-ing circumstances, not behind. I’m alreadyfeeling some relief just writing about it.
How can this be implemented?Electronically of course. I don’t need anycalls. A don’t-reply email is fine. I know thatsystem/process works when I want to com-municate with you and/or review informationwhich has been posted online. What I wantto know next is the doctor’s schedule, nothourly, maybe not even daily (although Iwouldn’t be averse to it), but weekly for sure,electronically in my inbox first thing Mondaymorning.
Knowing the doctor’s availability will helpme manage my expectations and minimizemy stress. As a cancer patient, I never knowwhat I’ll want or when I’ll want it. But findingout the easy way (in advance) is certainlypreferable to finding out the hard way(during/after).
Medically speaking, I don’t want to missanything nor do I, living forward, want any-thing to be missed. If you can email an after-appointment summary, you can certainlyemail me a pre-appointment schedule ofwhen and where my primary care physicians(oncologist and internal medicine) will be.Because out of sight unfortunately doesn’tmean out of mind, unless I know otherwise.
And that’s my goal: to mind my own busi-ness and not have to worry about yours.
Space In WhichI Wouldn’tGet Lost
8 ❖ Potomac Almanac ❖ January 31 - February 6, 2018 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com
Photo courtesy of The Picket Fence
Accessories like Moon Melt Lotion Bars byMoon Valley Organics at The Picket Fencein Burke might appeal to those who wantto create to a spa at home.
Photo courtesy of Home on Cameron
A bouquet of felt flowers in assortedcolors like these that were handmade inNepal, is a gift with a charitable flair fromHome on Cameron in Alexandria.
By Marilyn Campbell
One of the most heavily gifted holidays isValentine’s Day. In fact, much of the fun isthe anticipation. In preparation for Cupid’s
Day, a few local style aficionados offer up ideas tosweeten the celebration.
For those deserving some pampering, create a spaexperience at home with NW Rainforest Body Cream,advises Isabel Chiotti of Sonoran Rose in Potomac.
“Soaps and candles also make great gifts,” she said.“It can also be fun to think outside the box,” said
Courtney Thomas of The Picket Fence in Burke. “Sur-prise your Valentine with a gift certificate for a spaday or a shopping spree at her favorite store. Puttogether a basket of a few of her favorite things.”
Among the things that Thomas suggests are MoonMelt Lotion Bars byMoon Valley Organics.Decadent and indulgent,these scented moisturiz-ers combine herbs andbeeswax to help fight dryskin, she says.
For the romantics, Su-san Nelson and Todd Martz of Home on Cameron inAlexandria suggest a bouquet of felt flowers in as-sorted colors, handmade in Nepal. These eye-catch-ing, fair trade buds offer bursts of color and benefitwomen artisans who are heads of households.
For the bedhead, Amanda Mertins of Patina Pol-ished Living in Old Town Alexandria recommendssilk charmeuse pillowcases by Branche. “These won-
derful pillowcases help preserve one’s hairdo and helpto keep away wrinkles,” she said.
For the stylish, a fur neck warmer is a cozy sugges-tion that Mertins offers. And for the traditionalists,“Flowers are always welcome and, of course, the colorred being very popular as it conveys deep emotion,”she said. “Don’t be afraid to give varieties other thanroses.”
For the nostalgic, Kevin Sweitzer of Thos. Moser,Handmade American Furniture, believes that an heir-loom quality beacon box to hold keepsakes wouldbe ideal. “[It’s] meant to be passed down from gen-eration to generation,” he said. “A really nice andmemorable Valentine’s gift.”
For the entertainers, Nelson and Martz suggest allnatural, hand blown glass candles, while Mertins saysbar accessories work as gifts for mixologists.
For those with a sweettooth, Chiotti recom-mends hot cocoa by theCocoa Company, brownsugar toffee by GearhartsFine Chocolates or cara-mels by Big Picture Farm.
For almost everyone,Suzie Clayton of Dalton Brody suggests pictureframes. “From wood to Lucite to silver, there’s some-thing for everyone,” she said. “It’s more about find-ing the right thing for the right person.”
“Some of the most meaningful gifts are those whichare handmade including cards and a home-cookedromantic dinner,” added Mertins. “Don’t forget thebubbly and always lots and lots of chocolate.”
Gifts for Valentine’s DayLocal tastemakers offer thoughtful giving suggestions.
“It can be fun to think outsidethe box.”
— Courtney Thomas, The Picket Fence
Photo courtesy of Sonoran Rose
A basket of spa items like NW RainforestBody Cream from Sonoran Rose inPotomac is an indulgent Valentine’s Daygift.
SusanNelsonand ToddMartz ofHome onCameronsuggestall natu-ral, handblownglasscandles.
Photo
courtesy of
Home on
Cameron
Valentine’s Day