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Page 4 · column 1 of 3 · from the scan, no model involved
First impressions
Stephan Rosenfeld, a columnist for the Washington Post, wrote a column last week about his Fourth of July spent on the Mall in Washington, D.C. His words, in my opinion, could have been about Rappahannock County and had he been here instead of there, I’m sure they would have been.
“It is a subversive experience,” Mr. Rosenfeld wrote, “to celebrate the Fourth of July on the Mall. It was so mellow and golden there this year—the crowd so friendly and communal, the festivities so brilliant — that it was possible to imagine for afew hours that this is the way life actually is.”
I’m a newcomer here in the county and certainly have a lot to learn about Rappahannock and its people. However, what strikes me most poignantly about the area is the rare quality of life I have observed.
The quiet, unhurried atmosphere that appears to roll right out of the mountains down to the streets of the towns is like a breath of fresh air. People greet each other on the street, stopping to chat a bit, not just as acquaintances but as friends. A sense of community that would seduce the most hardened of cynics makes the relative newcomer feel that rather than having a subversive experience, this, indeed, “is the way life actually is.”
As we begin a new chapter in the life of the ..Rappahannock News, I imagine there will be times when you, the reading public, will: (A) like what you read, (B) hate what you read, or (C) sleep through what you read. In any case, whether you are liking, hating or sleeping, let us hear what you are thinking.
Being the “new kid on the block” is never a particularly enjoyable experience. You ask a lot of obvious questions, (I suppose the word dumb comes to mind) as you struggle to grasp how all the pieces fit together. While staffers at the - Rappahannock News are doing their best to break in “the new editor,” they have their own jobs to do and would appreciate a break from the constant onslaught of questions.
So, as a favor to the exhausted staff, I invite members of the community to stop in, say hello and take a turn at answering a never-ending barrage of queries that, hopefully, in time, will subside to a dull roar. I thank you, but the tired staff would thank you most of all.
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