Pat Kennedy - Your Washington, DC Real Estate Connection

© 2009 Patricia Kennedy. Unless otherwise noted, the content, both written and in pictures, is the property of Patricia Kennedy . If you would like to use this image, please  email me (housepat@mac.com) with your request. I'll almost certianly say yes, and ask only that you provide a link back to my original content as well as an acknowledgment.  The same thing applies to any other material you see posted here on Active Rain or on any of my other blogs.

Since 1937, Krispy Kreme has made what I consider to be the best glazed donuts.  And they may be responsible for at least a couple of inches of girth around my hips.

OK, my favorite therapist won't let me get by with that one.  I am responsible for the couple of inches of girth.  After all, I did eat the freakin' donuts!  Have you ever tasted a Krispy Kreme?  Can you at least empathize?

So imagine my surprise when I heard on the 11 o'clock news that Krispy Kreme is the target of a lawsuit.  Yep, Fairfax County has nothing better to do than to pick on everybody's favorite glazed donut baker!

Not only does Krispy Kreme make fabulous donuts.  They also have supported young entrepreneurs - including many Realtors® who got their start delivering these wonderful treats to their neighbors in their little red wagons.

Turns out that Krispy Kreme dumped some dough and yeast into the country sewer system, something the yummy baker vehamently denies.

OK, I know that dumping business, or I should say alleged dumping business, is not good, but the donuts are good enough that I'm tending to believe Krispy Kreme's denials.

A few years ago, I went on a reading binge on the Colonial period and all of the founding fathers and mothers.  And the player who fascinated me the most was Thomas Jefferson. 

So this Memorial Day weekend, my sweetie and I hopped into his really cute convertible and headed for Charlottesville, Virginia to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's plantation. 

The ride down was gorgeous, with a detour down Skyline Drive, with it's amazing views of the Shenandoah Valley.  We had the top down, and while the skies were pretty blue over the Shenandoah, on the other side of the mountain, the sky was black with scary looking clouds.  Still, it didn't really rain on us!

When we got to Monticello, the tour started with a film about Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence.  But I was more interested in seeing the house where he lived.  That came next.

The plantation has been restored to much the village it was in Jefferson's time.  It housed over 200 people, including around 150 slaves, owned by the man who wrote about all men being created equal in the Declaration of Independence.

They wouldn't let us take photos inside the house, but you can find them on the gallery official web site .  Being in Jefferson's private rooms, with his books and surveying tools, and the bed with a cool clock at the foot, was a little voyeuristic, especially when I spotted his boots set against the wall. 

The kitchen was set apart from the living quarters, because Jefferson's father lost his house to a kitchen fire  years earlier.  The cooks and servers then had to run the food through this hallway, up a back stair, and then they delivered it to the guy who served it.  They did allow photos of the kitchen, the brewery (yes, the had a little micro brewery thing going) and the cooks living quarters. 

Then there were the gardens.  There were flower gardens and space for produce.  

And if you are a history buff, the gift shop has the best collection of books that I've ever seen on the revolutionary period.

So here are the photos of the kitchen and the gardens that I promised!

Yesterday, a group of Evers & Company agents crossed the Potomac River to help a colleague price a house in Arlington, Virginia.

One agent who lives nearby thought the price might have to go down a bit because the elementary school was not a well rated as others in the county.  OK, schools are important, but...

This house had a great finished basement.  And in the basement there was a feature that made me flip my proverbial wig.  And rats!  I didn't have my little camera with me!

The owners had two large Shepherd mix doggies.  And in the basement, the husband (an excellent home improvement contractor) had built in a totally fabulous dog bath!  Everyone there with a dog was saying forget about the crummy schools, this place has a freakin' dog bath!  What I wouldn't give for one of those!

It was low enough that the dog could jump up and in easily.  And it was high enough that the dog washer didn't have to bend down.  Dang!  It just made my heart skip beats!

When I redo the back of my house, I will have to put one in for Willie - if not for me!

In the meantime, if you're a dog person looking for a great house in North Arlington, call me!  This one might be yours.

There are some nice things about working for a broker who has a little vineyard in nearby Bluemont, Virginia. It's a pleasant hour or so drive from Washington, out toward Leesburg and Round Hill.

Donna and Bob Evers invited us to their winery on Sunday for a little celebration.  OK, we didn't get to stomp grapes!  Still, we really had fun!

There is usually a pretty good stash of Twin Oaks Tavern Chardonnay in the office.  Until this year, they couldn't sell it, so they drank some and gave some away to friends and colleagues.  A few months ago, I brought a bottle to a dinner party with some serious wine snobs who deemed it more than just potable!  It's just oaky enough, and nice and light.  Yum!

Well, now the Commonwealth of Virginia has licensed Donna and Bob so they can sell their Twin Oaks Tavern wines, and the party was a celebration!

They had their 2005 and 2006 Chardonnay and a nice Cabernet, as well as scrumptious food and lively Irish music performed by a local title attorney and his buddies.

Bob and Donna bought the old tavern as a burned out shell and did a lovely restoration.  And drats!  I forgot to get a good photo of the house! And by opening the place up, they created a very special afternoon for their friends.

And here is the amazing view of the Shenendoah Valley from their deck!

Tomorrow afternoon between 1 and 4, I'm introducing my new listing in Arlington, Virginia to the market.  It's a pretty townhouse with an amazing view of the Potomac River, looking toward Georgetown University and Key Bridge.  If you travel a lot, you're a few blocks to the Roslyn Metro, which will whisk you off the National Airport. 

The house has many upgrades. 

Main Level:  Living room with river views, fireplace, built-in bookcases and French doors leading to a large deck.  A few steps up, there is a powder room, formal dining room, family room with fireplace, and eat-in kitchen with granite counters.

Second Level:  master bedroom with river views, fireplace and built-in bookcases.  The master bath has travertine tiles, large whirlpool tub, seperate shower and water closet.  There is a second bedroom.

Third Level:  third bedroom with hardwood floors, fireplace and full marble bath.  There is ample storage space on this level.

Lower Level:  rec room with French doors leading to large deck and hot tub overlooking the River and Georgetown.  There is a wine chiller, fireplace and closet with room for a full bath.

Count up the fireplaces.  There are five of them!

And just imagine waking up, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, and looking out your master bedroom window at the Potomac River floating toward the Chesapeake Bay!

If your'e in the market for a stunning home where you will be proud to live and entertain your friends. 

The asking price is $1,199,000

When my next door neighbor, Barb, asked me if I wanted to head out to Virginia for the Waterford Festival, I assumed she was talking about some discount outlet place for the beautiful Irish crystal.  And while I really love the stuff, my friends drink far too much to be trusted with it in my house.  

Then she said, "No, Silly!  It's the annual crafts festival in historic Waterford, Virginia!"

So we took off this morning, and an hour later found ourselves in a monumental traffic jamb outside this little town about an hour northwest of Washington, inching toward a huge field that served as a parking lot for the event.

So we parked and walked down a steep hill and back a bunch of decades.  

The first thing we saw (or rather, heard), on the steps of The Corner Store, was The Dominion 4, a traditional barbershop quartet, singing Zippidy Doo Dah.  Now that's one way to put me in the mood for fun.  

Then we walked to the old school house, now boarded up, where there was a huge field with amazing smells.  The whole trip from Washington, Barb talked about the fried Portabello mushroom concession, and when we reached the food area, I made a beeline.  The mushrooms and artichokes totally surpassed my expectations.  

And the houses were amazing.  Some date back to the 18th century, when the city was founded.  Its early citizens, mostly Quakers who left Pennsylvania, prospered until the Civil War, when they sided with the Union.  In Virginia, that was not a great short-term strategy.  

After the War, Waterford fell on hard times, starting with the railroads passing them by.  There was little growth or development until the 1930's, when a group of Washingtonians were looking for summer places and began to restore the dilapidated, but solidly built and charming, homes of Waterford.   

This town in architecturally diverse.  Here are some examples of the homes - log, stone, frame, and combinations of all of the above. 

This charming town and it's crafts festival get a WOW!