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Interesting, lesser-noticed stories from The Virginian-Pilot |
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NotesOwners Jane and Daniel Dhul explain how the design of this Frank Lloyd Wright home makes it so special. The home is currently on sale in Virginia Beach for only the second time since it was built. Read the story.
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Mary Lynch’s dad loved nice things, but with 11 children to send to college, he couldn’t afford to buy expensive items for himself. So with one of her first real paychecks, Lynch bought her father a cardigan sweater from Jacob Reed’s Sons, an upscale men’s store in Philadelphia. She was 18.
Her dad was thrilled, and he treasured the gift for 50 years. He wore it on special occasions - birthdays, Sunday dinners, graduation parties - even though he had newer ones in his closet. After each occasion, he’d fold the garment carefully and return it to its place in a drawer.
Lynch’s dad died in January at age 90.
“All my brothers and sisters knew ‘the sweater,’ so there was no question who would inherit it,” says Lynch, who lives in Virginia Beach.
The gift she bought her father years ago will always be special to her, she says.
“It represents a grateful man, a humble man, and the love between a father and daughter.”
Read what else people have kept for sentimental value -
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We’re sure there’s a perfect beach for you in Hampton Roads. You just had to find it. To make it easier, here’s our tongue-in-cheek guide to local beaches. See it bigger.
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Portsmouth master gardener Deb Hasse, center, talks with Amy Cooper of Farm Chicks Produce at the Portsmouth Farmer’s Market earlier this month. Meanwhile, actor Eric Price, left, portrays Col. William Crawford. The market sits in the shadows of Portsmouth’s 1846 courthouse. (Steve Earley | The Virginian-Pilot)
This is the fourth in our series of farmers market reviews. Check out the others:
Get Earthy at Five Points Community Market
Williamsburg Farmers Market has plenty to tempt already
Virginia Beach Farmers Market offers a wealth of good things -
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"High school kids have spent their entire lives being told what to do. We tell them to do all those other things, but we rarely if ever tell them to think about coming back home after college. We are quick to say that Virginia is for lovers, but we never say that we’d love it if you lived here."
From “Getting local graduates to settle here is a tall order” by Mike Gruss
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Ranjeeta Masand at the counter of the 7-Eleven she owns on Hampton Boulevard. Ranjeeta was a leading lady during her Bollywood career in the 1970s and 1980s. She’s recently been asked to return to the screen in a sequel to a movie she starred in years ago. (Bill Tiernan | The Virginian-Pilot)
Read her story: “From Bollywood to Big Gulps … and back” by Mike Gruss -
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My shadow on the wall revealed the truth in black and light: I can’t dance.
I have developed a rhythm deficiency.
As I cleaned my living room, music shuffled on the stereo. One cut, Slave’s 1979 funk evergreen “Just a Touch of Love,” pumped through the speakers, with its stomping beat and hips-seducing bass line. I tossed the Swiffer aside and surrendered to the groove. I was in a zone, wearing my “funk face”: furrowed brow and bottom lip tucked in. My forehead shone with sweat. In my mind, I was a star “Soul Train” dancer.
Then I spun around and faced the wall.
I noticed a figure shaped like me. The arms flailed wildly, almost like Kermit the Frog’s as he ran from Miss Piggy. This form on the wall was off beat, pumping and jerking like a man gone mad. Was it dancing to the same song? Would you call that dancing?
"From “Countdown to Lame: Am I missing a step … or never had it?” by Rashod Ollison
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Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss
Tomorrow would be the birthday of Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, who died in 1991. Local libraries are hosting an array of activities to commemorate the day. In his honor, we wrote a little poem.
Happy birthday to you, Seuss!
You cat in a hat!
If I ran the zoo
I would bring it to you
along with two fish
and a dozen large Sneetches
to have ice cream and cake
on our fine sandy beaches
with your books about eyeses and noses and feetses.
We would give you some presents!
Some wrappings! Some boxes!
We’d invite Horton, Thidwick
and Foxes in Soxes!
We would serve many treats
such as green eggs and ham
with Cindy Lou Who’s
homemade strawberry jam.
The Lorax would swim
in the ocean with jellies,
while the Grinch would wear
flip-flops and gather pink shellies.
We know you are gone,
but your birthday’s still very
much fun to observe
at the Norfolk library.
Or anywhere, really, for a girl or a boy
with places to go, and life to enjoy.
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Fushia Deville puts the final touches on her makeup before performing at Croc’s 19th Street Bistro. Deville is one of the drag queens that perform at the restaurant twice a month. Each brunch lasts about 90 minutes and features four performers. (Hyunsoo Leo Kim | The Virginian-Pilot)
Read more about “Drag Yourself to Brunch” in this weeks Pulse cover story. -
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In the deep of winter, the lack of color can make for a depressing landscape. Recently we set out to defy gloom and find the colors that still exist in our community. Check out the photo essay.
Pictured here: Just west of the ocean sits a speck of summer bathed in yellow and robin’s-egg blue. • In The Lemon Cabana store in Virginia Beach, sunlight sets a gold vase aglow. A silken dragonfly alights on a throw pillow. Roomy armchairs are covered in pastel blue. In one corner, a lampshade blooms from a bold green flower stem. • Owner Julie Fancher says, “We call it our happy place.” – Lorraine Eaton
