Columns
By Adam Stevenson In Purcellville one is surrounded by a certain spatial gravity system—there are pulls emanating from the east: towards the suburbs of Leesburg, Ashburn, and Sterling; from the west and the Blue Ridge, Shenandoah River, and the Alleghenies on the other side; north from Lovettsville and Frederick, Maryland; and south, more ambiguously, from…
By Tim Jon The train has returned along those tracks from the past, and it is good. Or, so I feel. You see, upon my own return to Georgetown Park in Leesburg, I found some very captivating renderings of local locomotive history bedecking the faces of the humble bridge bisecting the linear acreage (or –…
Dr. Mike, Our sons are 17 and 12, and it’s already been a rough start to the school year. I thought we did well as parents with back-to-school shopping and with trying to get them back into a routine this year, but obviously not since they’re still staying up too late, and are on their…
By Tim Jon I guess I’d been driving by this site for well over 20 years before making a mental note to stop and spend some quiet time here, capture a few images on the camera and plant something in the memory banks for an eventual writing session – hoping I could learn a bit,…
By Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D. Dr. Mike, Our son completed neuropsychological testing when he was three years old, and he was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism. He’s now a rising First Grader, and my husband and I are still trying to figure out next steps for him with school for this fall. Our son’s therapist…
By Tim Jon The traffic along the main drag just keeps barreling through; I doubt that many of these drivers even pause long enough to appreciate the views of Mount Weather out on the Blue Ridge from this lower vantage point. I turned off onto a side tangent, to get a better (and safer) perspective…
By Tim John Give me a gloomy day, some moving water, and absolute solitude—and I’ll be generally happy; the day I last visited the site in question was certainly bountiful in all categories. The intersection of Whites Ferry Road and the Potomac River (on the Virginia Side, anyway) leaves one facing a gently sliding body…
By Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D. “Summer has a flavor like no other. Always fresh and simmered in sunshine.” – Oprah Winfrey When I was a kid, a typical summer day involved me jumping on my bike after breakfast to explore; maybe I’d head over to a friend’s house or to the wooded park near my house…
For the second consecutive year, peregrine falcon chicks have successfully fledged and are learning to fly at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP), Maryland. Out of four hatchlings, three chicks survived the vulnerable nestling phase and have entered the fledgling phase after they developed feathers enabling them to fly. Monitoring program volunteers and park staff have…
By Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D. Sharing the nest again and navigating how to function as a family when your son or daughter returns home from college can be challenging. Sure, your child will always be your child, and you may believe that you still know what’s best for them as mom and dad, but with every…