6/8/12
hi ben,
We really enjoyed meeting you at Artomatic on Saturday and we
still want to buy original art #5. Lets make a deal. How about we pay
you *** for #5 as currently framed PLUS dinner and the best
mixology you have ever had out at our house on the Shenandoah
River? (Um, I guess the fee includes delivery?!)
Wonder whether the dinner idea is sane and safe or if perhaps we
are murderous dog kickers? Well, check out the guesthouse blog
(our virtual guestbook):
The basic idea would be to have a nice dinner, drink too much, and
crash in the guesthouse. Breakfast would involve eggs so fresh
that they are still warm from being laid. And so on.
We can figure out where #5 will be put on the wall in the
guesthouse. Bring a sharpie. And river shoes.
———————
“Hey Sam, would you want to go with me?”
“Yeah!! Let’s do it!”
(Sam)
Many jokes were made during the drive down from Baltimore.
“Bring river shoes… Oh, and night goggles…”
“So the way this works is you drop your keys in this bowl…”
We had no idea what to expect.
As soon as we pulled up however, all those fears / jokes were put to rest. Our hosts are living the dream! Beautiful house, land, chickens, dogs, pigs, horses, peacock, river, garden, guesthouse, “and so on”! They seemed ageless. We were immediately ecstatic upon arriving. I think everyone at some point or another has considered what it might be like to settle down with someone they love & start a family farm out in the middle of nowhere. I know I have. My mom did it in Belize. It so so nice to be immersed in it, and to see it done so flawlessly. This is the real deal. The Little House on the Prairie, Ben Carson’s estate in Bonanza, Edward Gorey’s living room, the childhood home of Superman or Johnny Cash, a place like one you might picture Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Beatrix Potter, or Mark Twain producing their best work from…
The river felt amazing. The guesthouse seemed like it was pulled from a Wes Anderson movie. Dinner & breakfast were totally delicious (so much so that I tried to re-create it somewhat the following night to less than spectacular results). An evening full of interesting new friends & rum filled conversation was very much appreciated. We feel really lucky to have been invited. I’m totally overjoyed that this was all the result of an appreciation of my artwork. Would love to return one day to continue the wall drawings. And to finish the short lived foosball game…
Yesssssssss!
Once again, we had the privilege of staying at the Coal Stove Sink guest house. The best thing about it is by far the bathroom, which I took advantage of on multiple occasions. It’s very nicely done with beautiful tile, and the water pressure is fabulous. In addition to being able to shower to wash off the summer heat, we spent a nice restful evening in the guest house, sleeping in until past 9:30, very unusual for us.
The grounds are, of course, lovely. We spent some time lazing around in the river, wandering around the fields, admiring the garden and the animals. Just near the guest house reside a peacock and some goats, who pretty much ignored us, except when they were showing off.
It was a nice end to a long journey for us, for me, all the way from India to Indiana, and then to the Coal Stove Sink and back home again.
A Post Behind
I’m writing this entry under much duress, having totally neglected an entry on my last visit and with this one growing increasingly late. My only excuse is that my first trip to the Guest House was so incredibly eventful that my second visit [no post available] seemed comparatively calm.
Coal Stove Sink, it’s owners, and the lovely plot of country on which they reside are a truly special place. This place resides on a boundary. The boundary between high-tech and low-tech. The boundary between city and country. Between land and river. Order and chaos. The boundary is a lovely place to explore, but no two visits are alike and no number of visits prepares you for the next.
Among this visits highlights were a delicious dinner at Volt, an enlightening tour through new bitters and tasty spirits, a 2 hour search through Northern Virginia for an ABC store (that is, a state-owned liquor store) that didn’t exist, and finally the coup de grâce–the welcoming party that greeted me outside my door:
The welcome party consists of a pack of dogs.
You can tell a lot about people by their home and how they appoint it. In this case, it is appointed with intelligence, with beauty, with style, charm and wit that created a bit of an adventure for me as the visitor. It began with a sample of the host’s skills in mixology and a delicious home cooked dinner. I also discovered ten acres (more next door), four dogs, two goats, a horse and a pony, some peacocks, and a beautiful wide river. Also an apothecary (pictured above), a large garden with a screen door to keep the bugs out and a lovely guest house with a coal stove sink.
Thank you both for your hospitality and for opening your wonderful home.
Thanks again to [El Presidente] & [La Primera Señora], the ultimate couple, planning always for their guests [or family] to have loads of FUN. It was magic for Laura and me; attending the special film showing by [La Primera Señora]; listening to a band [El Bitter Liberals] while imbibing the best of drinks; strolling by the river in Spring time; watching soccer in the sleet; then enjoying a feast of quail and the trimmings; with more fantastic drinks; culminated with a special appearance by El Presidente [whose censorship staff has had at it]!
I could say all kinds of things about my visit at the guest house, but as everybody will understand, it’s all classified information related to cyber warfare, nuclear security, world peace… [smiley removed by editorial staff] In short: We were having a great time!
Ralph Langner
Centrifuges in Iran.
No, not Hitler’s hideout… we saw a huge eagle’s nest while hiking during my first stay at the Coal Stove Sink (hopefully, not my last).
This was an excellent place to stay. The hosts were so warm and gracious. I sincerely felt like I got to be part of their family for a couple of days. In particular, they can really entertain. All night long. At 12:50 in the morning I sent my colleague an SMS message that read “Holy crap. This guy is still going.” My only regret was being a little too loud. Sorry about that!
Oh, did I mention that wild life is really interesting, too?
Thank you very much for taking such good care of me. See you soon!
This was my first trip to the Coal Stove Sink. I hadn’t been able to pack my boots and other rural adventure gear, but a trip through Target while en route easily solved that problem. The first thing I saw while pulling up were the four dogs running out to meet us. In addition to the dogs there were cats, chickens, peacocks, goats, a horse, a pony and probably more. The area is beautiful and hikes along the river and through local fields provided incredible scenery. The Coal Stove Sink had tremendous charm and was surprisingly warm with hot water and great water pressure. The host and his family provided excellent company, delicious food, and more than a few drinks. Certainly country living at its finest.
dogs and cats living together ... mass hysteria
As they said in Ghostbusters: “…dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!”
I wanted to post more photos, but the only others I managed to take were of a colleague’s severely bruised buttocks (long story) As this is a family-oriented blog I’ll instead end with a haiku:
river walk with dogs
serious conversations
and bourbon tasting
My first ever visit to the Coal Stove Sink inspired limericks.
On the farm one is never alone
All manner of beasts freely roam
They cluck, oink, and howl
While you’re using your towel
But it makes one feel very much at home.
One night in the guest house I braved
The coal stove sink was well-behaved
If I’d found me a mirror
I might have seen clearer
And in the morning I just might have shaved.
Things started off well enough as the brain trust from Cigital assembled at Coal Stove Sink
Nabil was over dressed, but natty.
but when John Steven started plotting world domination with a globe from the ’60s (Soviet Union anyone?)
John Steven discusses global strategy.
things kind of fell apart
Scott sees a technical point after appropriate oxygen deprivation.
leaving us all looking like this.
At the end of the day, everyone looks like this.
Fortunately we adjourned for happy hour at the mixology center down the hill.
Coal Stove Sink 