Erika Howsare, Author at C-VILLE Weekly

Living

The producers: Meet the locals who are taking the plunge into farming

Why did the farmer win an award? Because she was outstanding in her field. Well—all jesting aside—probably not. If she was anything like the real farmers of Albemarle and neighboring counties, she was just as likely to be found working a job in town as spending time on her land. And when she was in […]

Erika Howsare | August 29, 2018

Living

Day trip: A day with kids in the museums of Richmond

We’re lucky to have Richmond. As a mid-size city, it can offer certain things that Charlottesville doesn’t, but it’s small enough that it’s simple to navigate. And when I took my kids there recently, I was surprised—as I often am—at how easy it is to get there. That’s not even counting I-64, which might be […]

Erika Howsare | July 11, 2018

Living

Day trip: The Frontier Culture Museum brings history home

Just like America, the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton is big, complicated and beautiful. It’s one of my favorite places to take my two girls—a museum where almost anything can be touched and very little is written down. Creative writing professors often exhort students to “show, don’t tell,” and this museum nails that concept, presenting […]

Erika Howsare | June 13, 2018

Living

The Quarry Gardens at Schuyler are living proof that something old can be made new again

There’s a sardine can in Schuyler that holds decades of history. Imagine, sometime in the mid-20th century, a worker sitting down to eat lunch on the ground. He unrolls the top from a can of sardines and eats the fish, then maybe stretches out for a brief nap in the sun. When it’s time to […]

Erika Howsare | June 1, 2018

Living

Day trip: Adventuring with kids in our nation’s capital

Before I tell you all about taking your kids on a day trip to Washington, D.C.—one of the best destinations there is—I’ll admit right upfront that such a trip is exhausting. But here’s my secret for making it exhilarating too: Leave your car outside the city and ride the Metro in. It’ll break up the […]

Erika Howsare | May 23, 2018

Abode Magazines

The big update: Scott Weiss creates a farmhouse’s new wing

With six previous renovations under their belts, Frank and Rebecca Gristina had lots of practice sizing up old houses. When Rebecca, accompanied by her mother, came to see a 1906 farmhouse in western Albemarle, she quickly noticed promising signs. This was despite the fact that the place had been uninhabited and was so uninviting that […]

Erika Howsare | September 12, 2017

News

Shenandoah wildfire highlights changing views of the forest

“This is going to be catastrophic.” That was Jeff Koenig’s thought on the second day the fire burned, last April 17, in Shenandoah National Park. Koenig had first laid eyes on the flames the day before, when he pulled his truck up to Two Mile Run Overlook. It was a Saturday afternoon. A fire had […]

Erika Howsare | April 7, 2017

Abode Magazines

April Abode: Near Earlysville, an old farmhouse keeps its history at the fore

In a county like Albemarle, where vigorous growth routinely fills in open space with new homes, it’s reassuring to know there are still places where the opposite has happened. Wilhoit Mill Farm, near Earlysville, is one of those bucolic spots: a onetime rural village that’s less populated now than it was in the past. That’s […]

Erika Howsare | April 5, 2017

Abode Magazines

April Abode: A formal parterre dresses up a country garden

The solidity of the wide brick house off Garth Road is broken in just one place: Look in the front door, and your gaze can travel all the way through the back of the house to the distant mountains. It’s a moment in which the landscape asserts itself, thanks to the placement of a large […]

Erika Howsare | April 5, 2017

Abode Magazines

April Abode: Monticola, a fine Albemarle estate, turns back the clock

Here’s one for the dreamers: Monticola, a nearly 300-acre estate on the James River, is for sale. If you’ve never heard of Monticola, you’re not alone. Despite its rich history, it claims little fame and has never really been a public place. Now, spiffed up for a turn on the market, it’s ready for a […]

Erika Howsare | April 5, 2017