The parish rolls of Christ Church Alexandria, the home church of George Washington and Robert E. Lee,  are filled with the names of men and women who have served their country in military service.

From four star generals and admirals to combat pilots and coast guard commanders to privates and warrant officers, they are all part of a great legacy.

To honor that legacy, Christ Church Alexandria celebrates Veterans Day in very special way.

A "wall of heroes"  - photos of those who have served, past and present  - is put up for all to see.  Parishioners are invited to add photos of themselves or family members; a program and reception is presented between services; and a guest preacher offers the sermon.

Past speakers have included Secretary of Veteran Affairs Togo West, Gordon Sullivan, Chief of Staff of the Army, Ron Nessen, a war correspondent and press secretary to former president Gerald Ford.

Rev. Michael Pipkin

Today's speaker, former Navy Chaplain and rector of the Falls Church Continuing Congregation, brought his very recent experiences in Iraq and at Bethesda Naval Hospital to a welcoming crowd.  Rev. Pipkin noted the wall of heroes even as he spoke of the horror and inhumanity that is war and how he remains forever changed by his experience.

 My Vietnam days

Thank you to all who have served and thank you to Christ Church for honoring its veterans.

One of the great joys of living in the Alexandria/Northern Virginia area is easy access to some of the nation's most famous landmarks.  Last night's full moon, rising above the Lincoln Memorial, provided a memorable sight and a great reminder of why we love it here. 

A friend of ours, Julie Wommack, took this with her mobile phone on the way to choir practice!

The City of Alexandria maintains a series of 14 waterfront parks along the Potomac River.

Each is relatively small but together they form a linear line some two miles in length and are anchored by the Mt. Vernon Bike Trail.   Each one carries a marker denoting its hours, size and historical identity.  Today we will visit Tide Lock Park.

Tide Lock Park

Tide Lock Park consists of 6.70 acres that are completely accessible to the waterfront and takes its name from an old canal that existed in the 1800's.

The remains of the canal were discovered during the construction of an office building and were incorporated into the design.

These artificial waterways were used to move goods and materials to and from sea going ships. The goods were then transported by canal barges up and down the canal which were controlled by huge wooden locks. The last of the Alexandria canals were destroyed by floods in the early 1820's and were never re-built because the railroads were beginning to take over.

Today there is a replica of the lock and canal which uses many of original canal wall stones and is an integral part of the landscape for the Trans Potomac Canal Center/Savage Fogarty which maintains this property with permanent public access.

Tide Lock Park also includes quiet spots for sitting, an outdoor amphitheater, water features and examples of Greco Roman sculpture.  Truly a tiny gem, Tide Lock is a green respite for workers, visitors and residents and one of the things that makes Alexandria a great place to live.

Just like folks have destination weddings, trick or treat hopefuls have destination Halloween locations.  And in Old Town Alexandria that means only one thing - Lee Street.

An old fashioned block party in the best sense of the word, the Lee Street Halloween extravaganza stretches for six blocks between Gibbon and King.

With cooperation from the Alexandria police, the street is open only to foot traffic.  The party starts as early as 5:00pm, for the little ones, and goes as late as 10:00pm.

What makes Halloween on Lee Street so much fun is that every one gets in on the act.  Houses are decorated, costumed homeowners are waiting on the doorstep (no having to ring the doorbell here) and adults, children and dogs join in on the party.

Of course some of the adults have secret liquid "potions" that they only share with other adults!

No small venture, one Old Town resident told us they have to buy so much candy - some 3000+ pieces - that they order it online to get the best price!

Like we said, Halloween on Lee Street in Old Town Alexandria is a destination spot and folks come from miles around.

Edgar Allen Poe first visited Alexandria in 1849.  One hundred and sixty years later, he will make a return visit  - thanks to actor David Keltz - on Halloween. 

Appearing at the Lyceum in Old Town, Keltz will recreate the magic of Poe's visit to Alexandria with readings from "The Raven," "Annabelle," and "The Tell-Tale Heart" among other Poe favorites.

Click here for tickets and more information.  What better way to spend Halloween than with the master of suspense - Edgar Allen Poe.

Let me tell you right off the bat that this is a feel good kind of story.  The kind of story that makes you think about being kinder, a bit more patient, and perhaps seeing your neighbors in a whole new light.  This is how a pot of chili made all the difference.

Our block in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood hosts a chili "cook off" every year. It is very informal, open to all and operates primarily by word of mouth.  Some years it's a grand, busting at the seams affair, other times, it's small and just an excuse to get together.

From our neighbor and uber chili organzier, Laura Fries:

"Yesterday was the Chili Cook-Off.  Yes, the day with the driving rain and wind coming down hardest just when the cook-off was supposed to start.  The host families were talking of canceling - we had given it a good shot but the weather, for a second weekend in a row, wasn't cooperating.

The we looked out into the yard and there, huddled under the tent, were at least half a dozen residents of the group home from the next block.  They had made a pot of chili.  They weren't leaving.  Some had walkers, others were in wheelchairs and, despite trying to stay under the tent, they were getting soaked.

It was clear the show had to go on.  We put on rain coats and boots, grabbed some umbrellas and brought out our pot of chili.  We figured that even if there were just two or three entires to taste, it would make the group home people happy. Then something really amazing happened. 

People started showing up.  Lots of them.  They came with different umbrellas, pots of chili and corn bread, cakes and pies.  People went from tent to tent tasting eight different kinds of chili - two vegetarian and one with duck and rabbit!  Nobody seemd to care about the rain and a few neighbors new to the experience couldn't stop raving.

There was something happening here.  As he does every year, the Sherriff of Alexandria, Dana Lawhorne, came by to count the ballots.  (Yes, we have official ballots and everything.)  It had stopped raining by then and we lit a fire and sat around on hay bales waiting for the announcement, the moment of truth had come.

Turns out, the Wicked Wizards, the group home contestants who ran their wheelchairs through the mud and hung out all day in the rain, won first prize for their pot of chili.  I cannot adequately express their joy.  The supervisor of the group home accepted the homemade award on their behalf and it almost brought the whole crowd to tears.  He talked about how people with physical and mental challenges always feel on the outside of everything and that today they were winners and a true part of the neighborhood.  It was one of the best cook off's ever."

And that my friends, is how a pot of chili made all the difference.

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With the Mayor, most of Alexandria's City Council and U.S. Representative Jim Moran in attendance, the 2009 Del Ray Halloween Parade showed off under crisp blue skies only slightly behind schedule and with a record crowd.

A true home grown event, the Del Ray Halloween Parade is a chance for everyone  - dogs, parents, babies, etc.  - to put on a costume, or at least a funny hat, and make their way down Mt. Vernon Avenue.

And if you didn't want to "parade" it was perfectly acceptable to simply observe.

The really smart folks grabbed every available table at outdoor dining spots along the parade route which made it a great day for all of Del Ray's businesses.

Capping the night off - the Spooky Bean Halloween sponsored by Bean Creative on Mt. Vernon Avenue.

A special shout out to Gayle Reuter, the driving force behind the Del Ray Halloween Parade.  It wouldn't get done without you!

One of our neighbors at 210 Monroe Avenue in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood has taken Halloween decorating to a whole new level with this "vivid" depiction of events of the past year or so in the financial markets. 

As much as I like to take the "high road" I have to admit that the image of Bernie Madoff makes me chuckle and I think the little pigs are really appropriate.

Thanks to one of our regular subscribers for alerting us to these great images.  Stay tuned tomorrow for scenes from the Del Ray Halloween Parade.

Michael

Virginia has just been ranked as the top state for business for the fourth straight year by Forbes Magazine.  According to reporter Kurt Badenhausen, the Best States ranking measures six vital categories for businesses:

• costs
• labor supply
• regulatory environment
• current economic climate
• growth prospects
• quality of life

Thirty three different points of data determine the ranks in the six main areas. Business costs, which include labor, energy and taxes are weighted the most heavily. Nine different providers supply data with Moody's Economy.com being the most utilized resource.

Badenhausen goes on to say:  Relative to the rest of the country, Virginia is booming. Its 6.5% unemployment rate is fifth lowest in the country with the four states ahead of it all having dramatically smaller economies and employment bases.

Virginia is the only state ranked in the top 20 in each of the six broad categories we examined. The state finished in the top three in half of those categories (labor supply, regulatory environment and quality of life). Virginia's $325 billion economy is expected to be the 10th largest in the U.S. in 2009.

The state benefits from a highly educated workforce that is expected to expand over the next five years. Energy costs are 30% below the national average.  The state government's finances are in good shape--it's held on to a top AAA rating from Moody's since 1971.

Eleven public companies with more than $10 billion in revenues call it home and smart incentives help, too. Each year Park Ridge, Ill.-based Pollina Corporate Real Estate does a study that compares states' economic development departments and programs. This year Virginia topped the Pollina study after finishing second last year.

"Virginia's economic development department truly understands what global competition is all about," says Brent Pollina, who authored the study. The Virginia Jobs Investment Program, for example, is open to both new and existing companies and offers flexible and customized employee recruiting and job training for businesses. The program has helped more than 2,400 companies over the past five years recruit and train 75,000 Virginians.

On the downside, Badenhausen did note that Virginia's economy has deteriorated, with the number of unemployed soaring 60%, while gross state product is flat and household incomes are expected to fall 4 percent.

All in all, this is continued good news for the housing market.

Related story: Northern Virginia Ranks at #3 for Nation’s Healthiest Housing Markets

This week's offering is a bit different than our normal "Scenic Sundays" but it was an opportunity I didn't want to miss.  Yesterday some 40  members of the World Association of Flower Arrangers, gathered at historic Christ Church Alexandria for a hands on course in "How to Decorate a Colonial Church."

After a morning spent building wreaths, swags, candle rings, roping and more, the group moved to  the main church to put their pieces in place.  The result?  Beauty worthy of any interior design magazine and a glorious tribute to a church that has stood for more than 250 years.

Double click on each photo to bring it to full size.  Enjoy -

l