Masterpiece Theatre

It was recently brought to our attention that we've fallen by the wayside when it comes to sharing the history of our little house. We do apologize to those who've been waiting and wondering... in deference to the current season, I invite you to grab the family dog (or borrow one if your have to), pour a glass of your favorite ice-cold beverage, and join us out on the patio for our next installment.

Michael and Mary (Riley) O'Sullivan

It was up to an Irishman to build the little house at 702 South Fairfax between 1852 and 1854.

The first smart move he made was to marry Mary Riley about 1850, certainly before census time.

Mary Ryrie (sic) had on January 24, 1849 bought from Amelia (Milly) Whiting the corner lot of Frankin and Fairfax "which was conveyed by Mayor Bernard Hooe ... and afterwards through several intermediate conveyances was devised to said Amelia Whiting." The lot cost Ms. Riley a mere 62 dollars and 50 cents.

Michael O'Sullivan had been buying up lots on Fairfax Street. Now, with his marriage to Mary Riley, he cemented his holdings on the 700 block of South Fairfax Street. The Alexandria Census for 1850 shows that the head of the family was Jane Sullivan, 50, born in Scotland; with family members Michael, age 30, shopkeeper born in Ireland, and his wife Mary, 26, born in England.

The sole evidence of this little house's construction lies in the tax records of the time. Records from as early as 1851 indicate that Michael O'Sullivan owned multiple lots and houses, though it is unclear if the house at 702 is yet among them. In 1854, the tax record states: Michal O'Sullivan (sic), owner of four houses and five lots at Fairfax and Franklin, worth $3,300, and occupied by Patrick Farrell, Mary Dainty, and Thomas Murphy. At this time it is virtually certain that the house at 702 was built, though there is not way to prove it, as building permits were not required at the time. The first reliable documentation of the home's existence is dated 1858: Micheal O'Sullivan (sic), owner of "L & M" [meaning "lots and improvements"] at "Frank & Ffx" [Franklin and Fairfax] worth $1,700, $400, $400, and $300 respectively. He paid two tithes (to vote), and furniture was worth $100. Total tax from the year was $33.50. Thus, through these invaluable tax records, the building of the little two-over-two house at present number 702 can be traced.

Michael O'Sullivan was a shopkeeper, as noted in the Census of 1850 taken in Alexandria. In 1856 and 1857 he made two disastrous Deeds of Trust and lost everything he had. He owed a little over $1,000.

I must admit, it is fun to imagine Michael and Mary O'Sullivan, first generation immigrants trying to make their way in America. According to the history, the two built this house at about the same stage of life as we're in now, over 150 years later. It lends a certain symmetry to the story that we're the ones who plan to revitalize it once again, restore the energy that it's managed to retain for so long. Let's hope our chapter of the story doesn't end as theirs did, in small claims court.

Man's Best Friend

Did you hear a horn tooting?

Our mothers taught us not to brag.  Well Mom(s), you taught us well.  So instead of bragging about the academic institution that opened our eyes to the world (and brought us together), we'll let Forbes.com do it for us:

America's Best Colleges

Off-Leash Dog Town

The good news: Alexandria has very professional and nice Animal Control Officers

The best news: Harry's a-okay

The bad news: We live in an area where a lot of people don't feel the need to control their dogs

The back story: Katie was taking Harry for an afternoon walk today when he was attacked by a little black dog that darted out from his person's front porch.  Luckily Harry's wound is very small and he's really no worse for wear.

Why Don't We Live in Michigan?, or Nice Hair, Andy

We spent this past weekend up in Andy's old stomping grounds. A good friend of his from high school got married, reaffirming (as if such reaffirmation were necessary) that we are indeed at the "marrying age." Darn, we're getting old fast.

Though the entire weekend was lovely, and dotted with the occasional adventure (wind+water+clouds-warm clothing = chilly Katie on her first sail), we particularly enjoyed our day on Saturday. Friends of Andy have a boat and we spent the day "wandering" from lake to lake, swimming, skiing, tubing and wakeboarding. Tough life. I know.

A self-proclaimed Mainer to the core, I have to admit a growing fondness for and enjoyment of Northern Michigan. Not sure I'd trade it for a nice spot on the coast of Maine, but it's a pretty special place nonetheless.

They're Multiplying

Before anyone flies into a panic, don't worry, the greyhound resting peacefully in the crate is not our dog, but a foster dog that we took care of this weekend while his long term foster parents were returning from vacation. His name is "Rollins" and we literally picked him up straight off the hauler from Daytona Beach, FL. Unlike Harry, who spent almost two months with his foster mom before we came along, Rollins was totally new to home life. We're pleased to report that he adapted quite well in the short time that he stayed with us. No accidents in the house, minimal whining and barking, and quick to learn. We've signed up to be "Emergency Fosters" with our adoption group, so we'll be watching foster dogs occasionally for shorter periods of time while the long term foster is out of town or unavailable.


Unlike our calm, sensitive Harry, Rollins is a real goofball. He's demonstrating the infamous greyhound lounging position, called "roaching," above. Harry's not a roacher, so Andy and I got a real kick out of it.
These dogs are so sweet and wonderful. We just can't resist the opportunity to help them in whatever way we can.

Harry Goes to Theodore Roosevelt Island

Tuday wuz rily fun. We wen to a park fur a lawng waak wid my frens. I rily likd it becuz I dont git to hang out wid uder greyhunds verry much, juz kittys. It wuz so fun becuz dere were soo manny nu smelz and nu playces to marck! Roo, roo! Juz look at al de picsures off me wid ma frens.






Danks, mum an dad fur taykin me to da park. I hadd fun!

Raising Money For A Friend

As many of you know, a good friend of mine - Matthew "Houli" Houlihan - died in October 2000.  This August I will be one of 11 runners running the Falmouth Road Race to raise money for a charity set up in his name and memory (the Matthew W. Houlihan Foundation).

On October 3, 2000 as a sophomore at Hamilton College and just one month shy of his 20th birthday, Matt passed away in his sleep.  In the wake of such a sudden and unexpected tragedy, Matt's family decided to establish a charitable foundation in his honor.  The Matthew W. Houlihan Foundation was chartered as a 501(c)3 in May of 2001.  The Foundation's mission, as stated on its website, "is to preserve Houli's memory through various charitable endeavors that reflect the vivacious and generous spirit of a young man who viewed the world through loving eyes and a kind soul."

On Sunday, August 10th I am running the Falmouth Road Race in Matt's memory.  Any contributions you can make to this fund raising effort will be sincerely appreciated.  My goal is to raise $750 by race day.  Please contact me if you are interested in donating.  Thank you for anything you can do to help.

Tell Us How You Really Feel

"Nala, how do you feel about your new doggy brother?"


Well, then...

Sitting Duck.. er, Dog

Well folks, it's been about two months since we adopted Harry, defying our status as "cat people," and effectively ending our ability to leave the house for more than 5-6 hours at a time. Truthfully, Harry has continued his winning streak as "quite possibly the most cat-like (and therefore most awesome) dog ever." He's quiet (3 barks in 9 weeks), sleeps most of the day, cleans himself, and has the same independent "I'm not going to jump all over you whenever I'm in your presence" quality that we do so value in our companion animals.

One area in which Harry has, thankfully, proven himself to be a model of the canine species is training. After a rocky start, Harry has done really well learning a whole variety of basic commands. Andy and I find one command particularly endearing, however, and that is Harry's newfound ability to "sit" on cue. You see, there is a widely held misconception that greyhounds can't sit because their bodies aren't "designed" for it. In fact, if you watch a greyhound who doesn't like to sit, you'll notice that it really does appear very uncomfortable. So "sit" was never a big goal for Harry's training. Our trainer suggested that we give it a try and boy, did she confirm why we're paying her to guide us through this whole training process. Harry doesn't just sit; Harry LOVES to sit. It has become his default position... if he's learning something new, and he knows that we're asking him for something, but he's not quite sure what it is, he'll give us a "sit" as a sort of "Hmm... I know this has worked quite a few times in the past. Maybe I'll get a treat if I sit." It's pretty cute, though we're no longer allowed to fuss over him when he does it without being asked. Even our trainer, Victoria, finds Harry in a sit to be endearing as she asked to take more pictures to post on her petside.com blog. So, without further ado, I present to you Harry, the Amazing Sitting Greyhound!

The Sitting Greyhound

Free Rice

You may have noticed an addition to our blog in the form of a banner for "Free Rice".  Free Rice is a website that allows you to expand your vocabulary while simultaneously providing rice to those in need.  Simply answer the vocab question correctly and 20 grains of rice will be donated to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).  Just like the new GRE, as you answer questions correctly the words get progressively harder.  So please, take a look, improve your vocabulary and help those less fortunate.

I'd like to thank Nikki for turning us on to this site.

Assorted Pooch Pics

More random Harry photos from the past couple of days...


Harry spots a mallard. Ignore the nasty old Potomac in the background.

Running is easy. Walking is hard work.


With these big brown eyes, I think it's fair to say he's going to get away with a lot in our household...
The "world's fastest couch potato," exhibit Harry.


Harry loves Andy... awww... male bonding.

Farmer's Market, etc.

Being good yuppies, Andy and I are committed to being as "green" as we can in our daily lives. Some changes in lifestyle are easier than others (we tend to get buried under mountains of recyclables before giving in and hauling tail to the recycling center). One lifestyle change we're thrilled to embrace is the farmer's market. We're fortunate to live a short walk away from the longest continually operational open air market in North America. That's right, folks, the very first marketplace in the country occupied this space in the aptly named Market Square in Alexandria long before the city was founded (and also housed the second largest slave auction in the years preceding the Civil War, but for some reason, the City of Alexandria doesn't trumpet that fact at such a loud pitch as the former).


We're not the only good yuppies in town...



This past Memorial Day weekend was gorgeous here in Alexandria. We didn't do much, really... took the pooch for long walks, enjoyed leisurely afternoons/evenings on our back patio with a book and a frosty cold beverage. I can't imagine any better way to enjoy the first weekend of the summer. This picture was taken on our Saturday night walk, only a few blocks from our little crooked house. The way the tree frames the image reminds me of that scene in Gone With the Wind where Gerald (aka "Pa") is explaining to Scarlett that land is a bit important... can't you just hear the theme in the background...

Jack

Yup... that's my nephew.

Quote of the Day

Scene: Harry is sleeping on his dog bed, legs twitching.

Katie: "You can tell he's running in his sleep... I hope he's winning."

..about 5 minutes later

Katie: "Of course he's winning."

Star Quality

Now that Harry has been living with us for a month or so, we figured it was time to get our boy signed up for some good 'ole fashioned obedience training. Truthfully, there's little "old fashioned" about the trainer and the training method we're using. Our trainer's name is Victoria Schade, and she specializes in positive reinforcement training (for non-dog people, that means only good things for good behaviors, no "correction" or pushing the dog to do what you want). She uses the clicker method to enforce the training, and we've been having fun watching Harry bend to our will -- uh, I mean catch on to his training.

Victoria was taken with Harry, but the surprise of our first in-home training session is how much she enjoyed Athena! In typical fashion, Athena took it upon herself to steal the attention from the object of Victoria's visit. Given her outgoing and affectionate nature, Victoria suggested that we give the clicker training a try with Athena.... hmmm... While we're off working on "leave it," and "get off the counter, you crazy feline," feel free to check out Victoria's postings about our kitties (Monday) and our puppy dog (Tuesday) on petside.com.

Silly Kitties

Pupper

The Light and the Way

This past weekend the National Cathedral was turned into a new piece of art.  For three nights the cathedral was lit up for all around to see.  We managed to get some pictures thanks to the gorilla pod.  Enjoy.

Watch Cat

China!

As in dinnerware, not the country (bummer). After months of shopping for, deciding on, waiting for and setting up a new china cabinet, Andy and I finally put it all together this afternoon.


Ta-da!

We used the money given to us as wedding gifts to pay for our nice china. Not sure when we're ever going to need 13 place settings of fine dinnerware, but I guess it pays to be prepared for anything. A great big thanks to those who helped make it possible. We'll enjoy it for years to come!


And a special thanks to my parents; the cabinet is their wedding gift to us. As young adults still transitioning from dorm furniture a la Ikea, this cabinet is far and away the nicest piece of furniture we own. We plan to have it and use it for many years to come.

Gratutious Harry Shot

He's just so handsome, I couldn't resist.