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Yearly Archives: 2022

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Real Estate Graph

By Michael Ardolino

Michael Ardolino

Great news is trending for 2022. The real estate market is still favoring sellers, and buyers can take advantage of mortgage rates that remain historically low.

Timing is everything. The best tip anyone can give a homebuyer is: Take advantage of rates on the low side now.

Let’s look at the data. According to Keeping Current Matters, mortgage rates are still below the average for each of the last five decades. Back in the 1980s, some people were paying rates as high as 12.7%! (See graph above)

For each single percentage point a mortgage rate is raised, it may only translate into a small increase in your monthly payment; however, over a few decades that will add up to a significant amount. Even half a point can make a difference.

The first few weeks of 2022 have been a prime example of how quickly mortgage rates can change. Freddie Mac reported 3.55% for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage on Jan. 27. Just three weeks before the company was reporting the same rate at 3.22%. Fortunately, the week before the 27th stayed flat despite the month-long rise, but these numbers are the highest in nearly two years.

Experts, such as Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist Sam Khater, expect the increase to be gradual, with rates possibly reaching 3.7% by the fourth quarter. We’ll stay on top of this closely.

Lock it in. People starting the home buying process will benefit from visiting various banks to find the best rate and locking it in. Rates fluctuate daily, sometimes even hourly.

How does a rate lock work? The lock will protect you against rate increases while in the home buying process. Of course, there is always a chance rates can go down, and that’s when it’s wise to ask your lending institution if they offer a “float down” option. Considering how things are trending, it’s most likely not needed now.

Make sure to ask about fees before locking in a mortgage rate. Depending on the lender, locks tend to last 30 to 60 days. Also, ask about extension costs past 60 days.

Make the move. The housing demand will continue to be high due to more buyers than sellers. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac predict trends that will see a strong increase in home prices in 2022.

Many homeowners wait until later in the year to put their homes on the market as many people in the past searched for homes in the warmer weather to prepare to move after the school year ended. Buyers will look earlier now that they see mortgage rates increasing. Get their attention by putting your house on market earlier than the rest.

Takeaway. Be the first to secure the best price for your home, and if you need to take out a mortgage on your new place, enjoy 16-year low rates. So … let’s talk.

Michael Ardolino is the Founder/Owner-Broker of Realty Connect USA.

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French Onion Soup. METRO photo

By Barbara Beltrami

When we think of onions, we usually think of them as something to add flavor to other foods. But they can also be dishes in their own right. When cooked properly they offer all sorts of flavor and texture dimensions from their sweetness when caramelized as they slowly release their sugars, to their sweet and sour crunchiness when pickled … and lots in between. 

I’ve had big Vidalia onions, stuffed and baked, onion tarts, French onion soup with its crown of melted cheese, pickled cipolle (small Italian onions), creamed pearl onions, and big thick slices of herb-marinated, grilled onions and so many more preparations and have yet to find a version I didn’t like.

French Onion Soup

YIELD: Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS: 

1 stick unsalted butter

4 to 5 large onions, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large bay leaf

1 large fresh thyme sprig

Salt and freshly ground black pepper      to taste

1 cup dry white wine

2 heaping tablespoons flour

2 quarts beef stock

1 baguette, diagonally sliced and toasted

8 ounces Emmenthaler or Gruyere cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot over medium heat melt the butter; add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring now and then, until onions are caramelized and take on a deep golden color (don’t rush this process), about 30 to 45 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, then simmer until wine is evaporated, about 5 minutes. 

Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs and discard; add flour and stir to incorporate; reduce heat to low and, stirring frequently, cook about 10 minutes, then add stock and simmer a good 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat broiler. When ready to serve, ladle soup into ovenproof ramekins, float toasted bread on top and cover with cheese; place under broiler and monitor carefully, then remove when cheese is melted and bubbly.  Serve immediately with a crisp green salad.

Onion Tart

YIELD: Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS: 

1 pie crust, rolled out to 1/4” thickness

1 pound onions

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 egg

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Freshly ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place dough in 10” round fluted false-bottom tart pan; drape over edges and move rolling pin over top to even out edges; press dough against inner edges and prick bottom with fork tines. Place pie weights or dry beans on crust and bake for 25 minutes. Remove weights; remove from oven and place pan on baking sheet. 

Meanwhile peel and cut onions in thin slices from sprout to root end. In a large skillet melt butter over medium-low heat, add onions and cook, stirring from time to time until they are caramelized, about 30 minutes (don’t rush this process). Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl beat egg and cream together, stir in onions, salt and pepper and nutmeg, then pour into tart shell and bake 25 to 30 minutes; let sit 10 to 15 minutes, then remove shell. Serve hot with a mixed salad.

Baked Stuffed Onions

YIELD: Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS: 

6 large onions, peeled

1/4 cup olive oil

6 leeks, washed and finely chopped

1 cup minced fennel or celery

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

3 cups warm chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

Take a thin slice off top and bottom of each onion; discard. Using a sharp spoon scoop out insides of onions from sprout end, but leave a few outside layers; finely chop scooped insides. In a large skillet, heat all but one tablespoon of oil over medium heat; add chopped onions, leeks, fennel, sage, and salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.  

In a medium bowl combine onion mixture with bread crumbs and cheese, then stuff centers of onions, leaving a little on top.  Paint outsides of onions with remaining tablespoon oil; place them in a shallow baking dish and surround them with broth. Basting occasionally with broth, bake them 1 1/2 hours. Discard any remaining broth or save for another use. Serve hot or warm with poultry or meat.

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Indian Hills Country Club. File photo by Sara-Megan Walsh

By Raymond Janis

The Preserve at Indian Hills, a planned retirement community along the Indian Hills golf course in Fort Salonga, is seeking approvals from two Town of Huntington boards. 

The Preserve is being spearheaded by Jim Tsunis, managing member of Hauppauge-based development firm The Northwind Group. Applications with the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board must be approved before construction can begin. 

“We’re building an extraordinary community on over 150 acres of property,” Tsunis said in a phone interview. “In addition, we’re preserving over 120 acres of the golf course. This is a win-win situation for the residents of Fort Salonga.”

According to Tsunis, 74 townhouse units will be built along with renovation of the clubhouse and construction of a fitness center. Under Huntington code, a golf course cannot be operated within a residential area without a special use permit from the ZBA. With this approval, The Preserve at Indian Hills can legally function as a golf community. 

“Because they are changing the location and the size of the clubhouse in their plans, they are required to come before the zoning board to request a continuation of their use permit to have a golf course on the premises,” ZBA chair Jerry Asher said in a phone interview. 

The application has sparked opposition from some Fort Salonga property owners. The Fort Salonga Property Owners Association is a civic group that formed to resist redevelopment at Indian Hills under the current plan.

“We want to make it clear we are not against development on the golf course,” said FSPOA president John Hayes in a phone interview. “But this plan with 74 homes, plus the expanded golf club, will have a detrimental effect on the community for the short and long terms.”

FSPOA’s objections to the project include its size and scope, proximity to surrounding neighborhoods, the potential for environmental harm and diminishing property values of neighboring homeowners.

“A number of the neighbors got their appraisals and [the existing homes] may, in effect, lose 10% of their values,” Hayes said. “The neighborhood is extremely concerned. We do not understand how they are planning to go ahead with this.”

By keeping the existing golf course intact, Tsunis believes that the project will preserve, rather than disrupt, the natural and historical character of the land and its surrounding area.

“Everyone that lives in the area references Indian Hills Country Club for their location,” he said. “There would be single-family homes twice or three times the size of my townhouses built all over the area if I didn’t preserve the golf course.”

Detractors demand greater initiative by the ZBA in a last-ditch effort to impose greater restrictions on development while the project remains in the planning phase. However, Asher indicates that the ZBA has a narrow purview over this matter.

“The only [jurisdiction] the zoning board has is whether or not we will grant them a use permit to run a golf course,” Asher said. “We don’t have jurisdiction over anything else. The Planning Board has jurisdiction over all of the other things.”

The Planning Board will hold its own public hearing on Feb. 16 without a vote, contrary to recent misreporting that a vote of final approval will be held on that date.

“I’ve read those reports and that’s inaccurate,” said Planning Board chair Paul Ehrlich. “We won’t be making decisions on the 16th. It really is just for the board to hear the comments.”

Andy Rapiejko, a Fort Salonga resident opposing the project, denounces the Planning Board’s decision to hold this hearing without the ZBA first granting the special use permit.

“In many steps, the process isn’t logical,” Rapiejko said. “Why would they have a hearing without a vote? Wouldn’t you want the community to have the information on what the ZBA determines?” 

Aware of the importance of its upcoming decision, the ZBA has brought in
outside help.

“We are hiring [a consulting firm] called H2M to give us some advice on how we ought to resolve the application before us,” Asher said. 

The ZBA is not expected to hold a final vote on the special use application until early April.

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Above, medical and quartermaster corps men in connection with the United States Army Hospital in Fort Porter, New York. Public domain photos

By Daniel Dunaief

[email protected]

At the end of World War I, Spanish Influenza caused the world to focus on the same kinds of measures that people have been using to protect themselves, including wearing masks and social distancing.

Back then, pharmaceutical companies couldn’t produce vaccines and boosters for the H1N1 flu virus which killed 50 million people worldwide, including 650,000 people in the United States.

A family and their cat during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918.
Public domain photo

History professors at Stony Brook University described a decidedly different period over 100 years ago and the reaction by the American people to the public health crisis.

The armistice to end the war was signed in the middle of the pandemic, said Nancy Tomes, distinguished professor in the Department of History at Stony Brook University.

“Our noble dough boys were coming back after having saved Western Civilization,” Tomes said. There was no finger to point to blame someone for the coming hardship. The American public recognized that this was an “ailment our brave boys brought home. It’s your obligation to take care of these soldiers.”

People who didn’t do their part to help heal members of the military and reduce the threat were considered “slackers.” When public health officials in New York asked workers to stagger the times they took the subway, people “were not supposed to kick up a fuss because this is war,” Tomes said.

During the Spanish Influenza, people didn’t express partisan politics about public health issues.“The idea was that there’s an epidemic and it’s all hands-on deck,” she added.

Contrast that with modern times, when an anti-federal government ideology has been developing for decades, said Paul Kelton, professor and Gardiner chair in American History at Stony Brook.

“That’s been brewing since the 1980s,” Kelton said. The COVID pandemic happened at a time when this distrust toward the federal government “reached its peak.” Today, “we have a national media culture where we focus on the federal government” and, at the same time, the country has an anti-federal government ideology that’s animating a large portion of the American population,” he said.

Kelton, whose expertise includes the study of Native American history, suggested that several tribes have embraced the opportunity to get the vaccine, in part because of the encouraging response among tribe leaders.

The Navajo, for example, who have a well-earned skepticism toward the federal government, have a high rate of vaccination because the tribal government has taken charge of this public health effort.

“When people are empowered at the state and local level, rather than the federal government coming in and doing it, it makes a difference,” Kelton said.

Indeed, the communities that have resisted vaccines and public health measures during the current COVID crisis include areas with high rural white populations.

To be sure, historians recognize that the specifics of each pandemic, from the source of the public health threat to the political and cultural backdrop against which the threat occurs, vary widely.

Recalling a saying in the field of public health, Kelton said, “if you’ve seen one pandemic, you’ve seen one pandemic.” That suggests that the lessons or experiences amid any single public health threat don’t necessarily apply to another, particularly if the mode of transmission, the symptoms or the severity of the threat are all different.

“The lesson from history is to expect the unexpected when you’re dealing with germs,” said Kelton. “Novel germs are hitting populations in different circumstances. We are living in different conditions than in the past.”

What pandemics generally do, Kelton said, is expose fissures in society.

Part of what the study of other pandemics suggests is the need for opportunities to live healthier lives among those who are impoverished or are feeling disenfranchised.

“If nothing changes and health care access [remains as it is],we are going to repeat that again,” Kelton said.

Basic access to better nutrition can help fight the next pandemic, reducing the disproportionate toll some people face amid a public health threat, he said.

“Things like making sure that homeless people can get into a homeless shelter and not infect each other, the nuts and bolts of keeping people healthy, we neglected,” added Tomes.

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David Tunney is ready to open a new restaurant in Stony Brook Village Center. Photo from Eagle Realty Holdings

After being vacant since September, the spot formerly occupied by Pentimento will be home to a new restaurant.

In a statement Jan. 31, Eagle Realty Holdings Inc. announced David Tunney, who owns and operates several restaurants on Long Island from Port Jefferson to Roslyn, will open a new restaurant at 93 Main St. in Stony Brook Village Center.

“After many interviews with at least a half-dozen local and more distant restaurateurs, Eagle Realty Holdings trustees are pleased with our choice of David,” said chairman Richard Rugen in the press release.

According to Eagle Realty, Tunney is expected to open the new restaurant in the spring. He has not announced the name of the business or what will be offered.

“This will be a new concept, different cuisine and a whole new look,” Tunney said in the press release.

The business owner has been in the restaurant industry for 35 years and is a familiar face in the Three Village area. He grew up in Setauket and graduated from Ward Melville High School. In 2019, he bought the former Raga Indian Restaurant on Old Town Road and turned it into Old Fields Barbecue.

“This is where I grew up, this is where my roots are, and it’s amazing to come back to it,” Tunney said in a 2019 TBR News Media interview.

In addition to the Setauket spot, he owns Old Fields restaurants in Port Jefferson and Greenlawn and Old Fields Barbecue in Huntington. He is also one of the founders of the Besito Restaurant Group along with his brother John and part-owner of Besito Mexican restaurants in Huntington and Roslyn.

In the 2019 interview, Tunney said he had good memories of growing up in the Three Village area. His mother, Marilyn, worked in the TBR News Media offices for 25 years, and one of his first jobs was at the Arby’s that once was located where the Setauket Main Street firehouse is today. Tunney said his first job was with the former Dining Car 1890 that was located on Route 25A and Nicolls Road, where he started as a dishwasher.

In the interview, Tunney said he leaves the cooking to the chefs and enjoys the hospitality side of the business, which he learned from his brother John.

“The part I really love about it is making people have a great experience and that they just love all the food, the service, the ambiance, how they are taken care of,” he said in the interview.

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By Barbara Anne Kirshner

Pulsating percussion, blazing guitar riffs, vocal gymnastics all set against a gold mine of 80’s hit anthems; that’s intoxicating Rock of Ages now playing at the Engeman Theater in Northport.

This five time Tony Award nominated musical with book by Chris D’Arienzo and arrangements/orchestration by Ethan Popp is an exuberant romp back to the 80’s brimming with defining hits including those of Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Poison, Styx and Steve Perry. The show premiered on Broadway April 7, 2009, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre and later moved to the Helen Hayes Theatre where it closed on January 18, 2015. The 2012 film featured Tom Cruise, Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta.

The Engeman is professionalism at its very best making for a completely enjoyable evening at the theatre. Attention to detail is key here from its plush stadium style seating to its sophisticated lounge to productions of the highest quality, and with Rock of Ages, the audience is taken on an exhilarating ride.

Director Igor Goldin has assembled an outstanding cast that blasts off right from the start and never quits until the final curtain. Goldin keeps the energy high with clever electric moments including a smoke screen that parts introducing Lonny Barnett (Matt DaSilva), who takes on the role of narrator. He’s a dead ringer for Queen’s Freddie Mercury with handlebar mustache and puffed out chest. DaSilva struts around the stage like he owns it, smashing the fourth wall, connecting to the audience.

Lonny is flamboyant and so much fun as he chronicles the tale of starry-eyed dreamers who hit the Sunset Strip in search of stardom only to find fame is illusive at best. Drew, a wannabe rock star working as a busboy at Dennis Dupree’s club, The Bourbon Room, craves the lead singer spot in rock group, Arsenal, when their front man, Stacee Jaxx, announces he is leaving the band.

A love triangle happens between Drew, Jaxx and Sherrie Christian, who just arrived from the Midwest with aspirations of being an actress. She is innocence personified with her squeaky clean Olivia Newton John looks and blonde flippy hair. Drew, who has fallen instantly, gets her a waitress job at the club. But when he says they are “friends,” she rushes into the arms of Jaxx who later insists Dupree fire her. Dupree reluctantly agrees since he is counting on Jaxx’s final performance with Arsenal to bring in the money he desperately needs to keep his club from demolition.

Dan Hoy delivers so much heart as Drew with eyes that embrace the audience and an incredible voice punctuated by sustained notes. Bailee Endebrock’s performance is compelling and her lilting soprano sails through songs like “I Wanna Know What Love Is.” Nick Bernardi’s Jaxx, dripping with sexuality, grinds his way in “Wanted Dead or Alive” causing the girls to swoon at his feet. Erik Schark as Dupree is a gruff, bigger than life presence, but allows glimmers of feeling to appear like in his comical duet with Lonny on “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”

Further conflict ensues when Hertz Flyingmann (Ryan M. Hunt) and his son Franz (Sean Widener), German real estate developers, convince the city’s mayor (Kenneth D. Washington) to rid the Strip of “sex, drugs and rock-n-roll” for wholesome developments. He commands, “Bring in the wrecking ball!” and erupts in outstanding vocals on “The Final Count Down” making Hertz a villain you love to hate.

Hertz and his son face direct opposition from Regina (Daria Pilar Redus), the City Planner, but when she wins Franz over, the two burst into a show stopping rendition of “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”

The ensemble sparkles through each scene with brilliant voices and they seem to defy gravity through Natalie Malotke’s titillatingly effervescent choreography. Of special note is Renee Titus as Justice Charlier, the owner of the Venus Club, a “gentleman’s club,” who hires Sherrie after she’s fired by Dupree. Her belting mezzo soprano in “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” sends shivers.

The five piece band conducted by Jeff Cox is onstage for the entire show igniting each scene with intensity that drives on the plot. Dueling guitars at the close of Act II are spectacular. Laura Shubert’s sound design is well-balanced and dynamic.

Kurt Alger’s costume and wig design is a party of colors and revels in the retro 80’s sequins animal prints, net stockings, thigh high suede boots, tight jeans, plunging necklines and long, lustrous hair, oh, and that’s on the boys.

Kyle Dixon’s scenic design impresses even before the show begins with its giant guitar stage right and a well-placed spiral staircase left used later to create emotional tableaus. Dixon’s choice of industrial elements adds grit with scaffolding outlined in pipes and black palm trees stenciled onto a white brick backdrop. Jose Santiago’s lighting design is kinetic ranging from brilliant to subtle. Of note is a flash of red illuminating actors that adds sensuality in one pivotal scene.

Engeman’s Rock of Ages is a high powered trip into 80’s counterculture that grasps the audience and when it lets go, all you want is a repeat performance.

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Rock of Ages through March 13. Tickets range from $75 to $80 with free valet parking. For more information or to order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

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Vanderbilt weathervane. Vanderbilt Museum Archives photo

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum has received a grant of $86,489 from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation that will finance the restoration of two weathervanes that once adorned the Vanderbilt Mansion and the Learning Center.

The mansion weathervane, once atop the Bell Tower, depicts a ship with wind-filled sails plowing through waves, followed by sea serpents, and includes dolphin forms sitting on top of a globe of stars. The sculptural work was created by Samuel Yellin, considered the foremost iron artisan of the twentieth century and known as the “Tiffany of ironwork.”

The large weathervane signifies William K. Vanderbilt II’s love of the seas, his years of circumnavigating the globe, exploring the oceans, and collecting specimens for his marine museum, The Hall of Fishes. The smaller weathervane is simpler — a rotating arrow with scrollwork and embellishments. Deterioration and public safety concerns led the museum to remove both weathervanes 30 years ago.

Restoration will be performed by Spirit Ironworks of Bayport, operated by siblings Rachel and Timothy Miller. For their restoration work at the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, they received the 2020 Stanford White Award for Craftmanship and Artisanship through the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art.

“We are thrilled that the Gardiner Foundation believes in the timeless significance of Samuel Yellin’s magnificent iron artistry — and in the Vanderbilt as stewards of an extensive repository of his unique art. We’re excited that the gifted, award-winning artisans at Spirit Ironworks will be restoring our Yellin collection,” said Vanderbilt Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Wayland-Morgan.

“Willliam Vanderbilt’s Eagle’s Nest is one of the few remaining North Shore estates open to the public. There were more than 1,200 built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Vanderbilt is one of the jewels of our Suffolk County parks system. These weathervanes, initially utilitarian objects, showcase the mastery of Yellin’s artistic interpretation and craftsmanship. Their restoration and re-installation will offer the visitor a new insight into how their Long Island Gold Coast neighbors curated and celebrated even the smallest details of their homes,” said Kathryn M. Curran, executive director of the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. 

“This commitment to preserve the two weathervanes produced by Samuel Yellin for William K. Vanderbilt II represents an incredible gift from the Robert D.L. Gardiner Foundation to Long Island’s rich heritage in the decorative arts. As the foremost artisan in wrought iron, Samuel Yellin fabricated architectural and ornamental fixtures for some of the more culturally significant constructions of the early twentieth century,” said Paul Rubery, director of curatorial affairs.

“In the past year, the weathervane — a unique alchemy of sculpture, scientific instrument, and public artwork — has specifically enjoyed renewed appreciation among art lovers and historians who seek to understand the full breadth of American craft. We look forward to the day when these historically significant works can greet our visitors from their proper positions on the Learning Center and Bell Tower rooftops,” he added. 

“Master blacksmith Samuel Yellin has an incredible body of work at the Vanderbilt Museum. By restoring two of his weathervanes, we gain respect for the elevated level of skill and design he used to create these works of art. Starting with a three-masted ship followed by sea serpents atop a star-filled globe, Yellin transformed a simple weathervane into a sculpture that honored his patron’s love of the sea, adventure, and exploration,” said Rachel Miller of Spirit Ironworks. 

“As fellow artist-blacksmiths here at Spirit Ironworks, we are honored to preserve a small part of his legacy by staying faithful to many of his means and methods used in these lovingly crafted weathervanes.”

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Photo from Harbormen Chorus

Love always finds a way! Even in the midst of uncertain times singers can express affection over the internet. This year again the Harbormen Chorus has prepared a “Virtual Singing Valentine” to be delivered to those Special Sweethearts out there. 

By digitally combining individual vocal renditions, their Director Rob Ozman was able to create a combined quartet effect to delight the viewer. For $35 they will email you a link which opens up to a classic, endearing Love Song for your Valentine, with your name attached. Please call Mr. Cupid soon (by Feb. 7 in time for Valentine’s Day delivery) to reserve your virtual presentation at 631-644-1029.

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The Asian American Association of Greater Stony Brook and the Town of Broohaven AANHPI Advisory Board will host an art exhibit celebrating the Year of the Tiger and the Lunar New Year at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main Street, Setauket on Saturday, Feb. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Over 50 pieces will be displayed in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture and mixed media and will touch on the theme of the Lunar New Year and/or the Year of the Tiger.

Awards will be given in three groups: pre-k to 6th grade, 7th to 12th grad and adult. The top three winners will be awarded a $50 Amazon gift card and award certificates.

All are welcome to attend this free event. For more information, email [email protected].

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Photo by Art Billadello

THE DAY AFTER

Art Billadello of Setauket snapped this photo of icicles outside the bedroom window of his 1735 house on Jan. 30, the day after Long Island’s first blizzard of the year. 

He writes, “This photo was taken from one of the windows in the bed chamber (bedroom) that President George Washington stayed in on April 22nd, 1790. Of that visit, he wrote in his journal: ‘.. .to the house of a Captn. Roe, which is tolerably decent with obliging people in it.’ I take that as a compliment.“

Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]

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