‘What’s it like to live in Rappahannock?’ she asked; we respond
By James P. Gannon
More than a dozen years ago, when I was fairly new to living full-time in Rappahannock County, it was my habit to stop in Woodville at Burke’s Store to buy a morning newspaper and perhaps a breakfast treat.
This is Rappahannock. We like it this way.
One day as I warily eyed the Hostess Twinkies and Holsum powdered doughnuts, I found the courage to suggest that it would be nice if the store offered something home-made and fresh, perhaps a fresh-baked muffin or pastry.
The proprietor, Mabel Burke–a no-nonsense woman–gave me a penetrating look and then told me in no uncertain terms what she thought of my idea.
Her exact words are lost to memory but boiled down to this: “You people come out here from the city and pretty soon you’re telling us how we ought to change things to suit you. This is the way we do it here, buster, and don’t tell us how we ought to change it.”
I was chastised, and more than a bit annoyed, leaving the store with a feeling that I would not go back. But I did, and over time I came to believe that Mabel was justified in her irritation with me and other newcomers who breeze into the county and start agitating to make it more like the urban area from whence we came.
That recollection came to mind this week when a Northern Virginia woman named Debra Dalby posted a question on Rappnet, the county’s subscription e-mail list. “What’s it like to live in Rappahannock?” she asked, explaining that she and her husband Jack, who live near Leesburg, are thinking of building a home on a piece of land they own in the county. She asked what people love about living here, what are the challenges of living in Rappahannock, and about specifics such as internet and cable service, the art community, and volunteer opportunities.
A Rappahannock 'Welcome' sign: No billboards here.
She got some good advice from the Rappnet crowd. “If you have no patience for driving behind a tractor on the road, or you do not like the smell of animals, then stay in the city,” wrote Beverly Hunter.
“Don’t ever, ever, EVER volunteer,” urged Mike Mahoney, who’s done a lot of volunteering himself. “If you do, you will hear a mighty swoosh and immediately find yourself: a) feeding the poor; b) sewing costumes for the high school play; c) chairing a workgroup to make recommendations regarding the ash borer; d) soliciting funds to enhance the landscape at the tourist center; and e) fighting chimney fires. All at the same time.”
All that’s true, as were the other responses with the usual rhapsodic tributes to the beautiful scenery, kind-hearted people, community spirit and artistic talent of Rappahannock County. But the replies left out a few points I would like to make.
My dear Mrs. Dalby, before you move to Rappahannock, you must understand that you are leaving modern life behind you. Rappahannock is a repudiation of modern life as defined in urban America today. We reject most of what our culture tells us is most desirable and virtually indispensable today.
Forget fashion: clothes don’t make the man (or the woman) in Rappahannock. Leave your Lexus in Leesburg; get a Jeep or–better yet–a well-used, four-wheel-drive pickup. Cell phones barely work in most of the county; if you or your kids are wedded to your smart phones and Blackberries, you will be desperately unhappy here. (We sure got a big kick out of your question, “How is the cable service?”)
Here are some questions for you: How do you feel about hauling your trash to the dump? Do you mind the sound of chain-saws or deer rifles, or the smell of chicken “litter” spread for fertilizer on the field next door? Would it bother you that people are outnumbered by cows? Or that the Washington Post won’t deliver to your doorstep and that nobody here reads Vogue?
If you need a Starbucks around the corner, or a dry-cleaners less than 30 minutes away, or a McDonald’s within 20 miles, you won’t like it here. Shopping? We do that in L.L. Bean catalogs. If you are addicted to going to the movies, you’ll find the drive to Manassas or Winchester sort of annoying, unless you don’t mind waiting about six months for a recent film to be shown on occasional Friday nights at The Theatre in Little Washington.
For five years, my wife and I ran the Old Sperryville Bookshop and coffee house, where we served three kinds of coffee–regular, decaf and a flavored one. D.C.-area people would come in and be astounded that we could not get them a cappuccino, and then would get out their cell phones to call a friend to tell about this travesty, only to find no signal. We would advise them to drive east, immediately.
Oh, bookstores. Nope, not a one here. No supermarkets, either. No drug store, no fast food, no malls (unless you count the Flatwood mall, where you can pick up some recycled fashions on the give-away tables), no hospitals–but good vet clinics.
Are you getting the picture? You are probably not old enough to remember the 1950s, but we’ve got a pretty good replica of that era here. In my view, it was a good decade. The things we lack constitute our advantages: No traffic, no congestion, little crime, not much government, no colleges, no subdivisions, no shopping malls, no Interstate highways, no railroads, no airports, and virtually no politicians. Our Congressman never visits here, and we don’t miss him.
What we’ve got is good: open spaces, lovely farms, beautiful mountains, clean rivers, winding gravel roads, quiet, dark nights, many churches, lots of volunteers doing good work, nice neighbors and folks who wave at you when they drive by your place. We’d like to keep it that way, so if you come, remember what Mabel Burke told me years ago.
Rappahannock is where you want to live when you boil everything down to what counts–family, faith, friends, and God’s great creation–and can leave behind the trappings of modern, urban American life. It’s not for everybody. Thank God.
Jim,
I agree in good part with your article about living in “Rappland”. However, there are a few points I’d like to clarify &/or correct: (1) I am a VOGUE subscriber – just because you live in the country doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate & attempt to keep up with current fashion trends; (2) there is an excellent movie theatre in CULPEPER – no need to drive all the way to Manassas or the like; (3) we have quasi-fast food from Burgers & Things and Rudy’s Pizza – that’s as fast as it gets out here; (4) I disagree totally that there are no “good” vets here – we have ROSE HILL VETERENARY CLINIC (treating both small and large animals) which is right in Sperryville across from the high school – I’ve been using them for five years and have NO complaints; and last but not least, (5) we have “dark nights” out here – but more often than not – on those “dark nights” our sky is FULL OF STARS – stars that are not visible in other, more populated urban, suburban areas. And thank God for that and for Rappahannock County living.
“Rappland” is a wondrous and beautiful place to live. I will never regret moving here. But I felt obligated to correct you on those few points above. Even with no cell service and little high-speed internet w/o satellite of some sort – we DO have a few conveniences of the “Rappland” sort.
It appears you misread the part about vet clinics–I wrote we had no good hospitals, but (we have) good vet clinics. I agree totally on Rose Hill clinic, which tenderly cared for my late, lamented dog Clancy.
Jim: I certainly agree with you. People who move here should do so because they love what Rappahannock is and not because they hope to make it more like whatever they have left.
Jim,
Actually, we DO have several subdivisions. Rapp. Lakes, Deborah Hellen Estates and several others….facts are facts.