If you saw the movie Field of Dreams in 1989 you will never forget what an important role a cornfield on an Iowa farm played.  It reminded me of my paternal grandparents farm in Illinois and my maternal grandparents farm in South Dakota.  The crops were different, but the broad expanses of land will be etched in my memory forever.

Arthur and I moved to Northern Virginia in 1974 and were licensed in 1976.  If we went west to Loudoun County (about an hour from Washington, DC) it was to show rural property.  The center of civilization was the very historic Town of Leesburg.  Both sides of the 2 lane road through the county contained dairy farms - broad expanses of land similar to the Field of Dreams and my grandparent's farms.

I am not opposed to growth and development, but I firmly believe we have "lost our way".  Just look at the picture below - that is a recent photo of Loudoun County on the way to Leesburg.  That photo could be anywhere in every major metropolitan area in the United States. Somewhere along the way we as citizens and realtors have to insist that our elected officials consider the legacy we are leaving our children and grandchildren.  There has to be land use programs that realize "Under all is the land" - it would be to our benefit to leave more of it exposed.