The Twelve Days of Gheorghemas: Day Eight

On the eighth day of Gheorghemas, Big Gheorghe gave to me:

Eight People and Places In My Neighborhood

Seven books for reading (and one for burning)

Six splurges for Christmas

Five Good News Stories, courtesy of Shlara

Soon to be Four on the Floor

Three Habits Forming

Two beers with Marcus Aerelius, an OBX Dave Joint, and

Two(?) dudes bested by Kazansky

I live in a classic small town, complete with a courthouse, and a quaint downtown with cafes, shops, bars, and local characters. My house is less than a mile from that downtown area. That proximity is a major benefit for us. Since we first moved to Leesburg 18 years ago this month, we've spent a great deal of time eating, drinking, and shopping in her little center. And now that we have a dog, I'm communing with my fellow townsfolk on a nearly daily basis.

One of the unexpected joys of having an active pup is the amount of time I get to spend exploring my area. Our lunchtime routine generally includes an hour-long amble through and around the downtown, largely because she's learned that there are friendly shop owners and residents who are more than happy to indulge dogs with copious treats.

And so today's Gheorghemas gift is a bit of a love letter to my home town, as told via a dog walk.

We live on a cul de sac, so I almost always let JoJo leave the house off her leash. She sniffskitters through the gate in the fence that marks the boundary between our property and the Catholic church that's our neighbor to the west. St. John the Apostle Catholic Church sits on 20 acres, which includes a large grass meadow that's perfect for an athletic dog to sprint around, chase squirrels and the occasional fox, and roll in deer shit.

Our usual move is to bound around the grass for a bit (she does most of the bounding, really) and then head to the edge of the church property to explore a wooded grove before walking along the church cemetery and heading into town. As soon as Jo gets her leash on, she's purpose-driven, making a beeline to Jock's Exxon. This is a relatively recent addition to our routine. I took my car there for a state inspection in October, and brought the dog with me. Turns out that Paula, the weekday clerk, is a dog lover. She stocks her counter with an abundance of dog treats, which she (too) generously doles out to the pups that come to visit her. Ever since that visit, Jo insists upon returning on a daily basis. Paula is country honest, and she's told me she won't remember my name, but she remembers Jo's. Can't blame her for her priorities.

We head to the Town Green after that so Jo can smell the smells, and then we duck down an alley that takes us to King Street, where we call on Stanley Caulkins. Mr. Caulkins was a local institution, owner of a downtown jewelry shop, former town council member, and one of the founders of Leesburg Executive Airport. He served in the Army Air Corps in World War II as a radioman and a waist gunner. Upon his passing in 2018, the town commissioned a sculpture of Stanley that sits on a bench smack in the middle of the most highly-trafficked downtown block. Jo likes to pay her respects.

Just a few storefronts away, the good people at Coldwell Banker Realty always put out water and dog treats for passing pooches, which Jo knows very well. So we stop by and wave to the receptionist as we get our biscuit. Got my eye on a little riverside house in West Virginia, too. 

We cross Loudoun Street at the corner where Delirium Cafe stands across from Leesburg Gourmet. If you dig good beer that's often hard to find, go see Dave at the latter. He's a gregarious dude who loves to talk about beer, and he'll pour you a sample of whatever he's got on tap. I've got a growler of Dogfish Head 120 in my fridge just rarin' to get consumed thanks to his good taste.

Just another block away, King Street Coffee's roasting a variety of terrific blends, and the hipster folks there are always friendly. It's a cozy reading/work spot on the days I need to get out of the house, but more importantly for Jo, they keep a stock of bones in a little jar outside the shop. Always a good spot for some conversation with the locals who sit in the rocking chairs outside the shop while I indulge Jo's food craving.

As we turn and head back towards home, the view looks something like this:

You can eat and drink at King Street Oyster Bar, The Wine Kitchen, Side Bar, Tarbender's, Rebellion (a new bourbon bar - much recommend), Echelon Wine Bar, Lightfoot, and a poke into a bunch of little art galleries, shops, and businesses. We always go to Brick and Mortar Mercantile next. In addition to having an eclectic mix of clothing, art, knicknacks (the more inappropriate and subversive, the better - last year I got an excellent placard for my desk that reads, 'I'm a Fucking Professional', and this year I'm asking for a gnome giving a middle finger or a bumper sticker that reads 'Be Kind. We're All Idiots' for Christmas), and housewares, the good people at Brick and Mortar love animals. So much, in fact, that they encourage dogs to come into the store to get treats (and they encourage humans to come in by offering free beer on weekends). The proprietor's name is Samantha (same as my wife), and she adores my doggo (like my wife, she tolerates me), who returns that feeling by drooling on the store's hardwoods. She's good people, even when Jo interrupts her trying to ring up a customer to beg for a treat.

We cross back over Market Street and enter the grounds of the Loudoun County Courthouse. The original structure was built on the same spot in 1758. The courthouse structure you can see in the picture below was erected in 1895, with numerous additions going up over the decades since. At present, a 92,000 square foot expansion is in progress which will dwarf the historic building. Jo doesn't care about that - she just enjoys chasing the squirrels that flourish on the campus.

Our final stop is just to the left out of frame at the courthouse complex. My friend Patrick retired several years ago after a career as a land-preservation attorney with the Nature Conservancy and got a master's in library science. He now works at the Loudoun County Law Library. As part of the library's public outreach program, they hosted an event a year or so ago that featured a pet-focused theme. They worked with a bakery that makes treats designed for humans and their dogs, and have stocked those treats ever since. And Jo found out about it, so now we see Patrick just about every day. Jo waits patiently at the door (as you'll see below) for him to notice her, and he and I have a chat while she gets her treat. Occasionally she'll go inside a do a bit of legal research. Small town living has its charms.

We wind our way back home, usually cutting back through the church property so Jo can run around a bit more. Our full journey (as mapped below) is about 1.7 miles. Jo gets her treats, and I get my steps, my fresh air, and a daily reminder of how fortunate I am to live in such a neat little town. It's a pretty good trade. I grew up an Army brat, and until my family moved into our current home, I'd never lived at the same address for more than 30 months. 

I might just get used to this.