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Shrine Mont Retreat
A good-sized energetic gathering of Christ Church faithful attended the 2010 Shrine Mont retreat held last weekend, September 18th and 19th. 
Led by our Senior and Junior Wardens—Maisie McGuire and Caroline Roberts—the well attended event included Vaughn and Wendy Clatterbuck, Bob and Nina Randolph, Ian Williams, Bob and Lisa Goshen, Bob and Carol Sellery, Anne Randolph, Tyson Gilpin, and Don Frabutt.
The whole-group gatherings with refreshments and libations provided a wonderful time for friendly and reflective conversation. The two workshop sessions were led by Jonathon Bryan, a retired rector who added insight into our roles within the church and our community outreach by figuring out ways to become more grounded in God. The final event was the gathering at the outdoor shrine for Holy Eucharist before lunch and departure.
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4.1-3
Ante Up for a Winter Sleigh Ride
The Blizzard of 2009, arriving the week before Christmas, brings gleeful memories of my childhood in Plymouth Meeting, PA, where just about this time of year, our neighbors would surprise my sister and me with a winter wonderland ride on an old-fashioned sleigh drawn by two magnificent dapple grays, their sleigh bells ringing as they briskly trotted through the newly fallen snow.
This blog is dedicated to those who have never experienced the delight of riding in a horse-drawn sleigh. We start with a question posed by Flora Hillman, master storyteller and contributing writer and photographer at The Chronicle of the Horse magazine.
“So, what do you do when it snows over a foot? You take your camera and the old retired hunt pony (Ante Up, alias Andy), harness said pony up to the sleigh, hop aboard, and enjoy the snowy vista of Piedmont’s every beautiful Tuesday hunt country to the merry sound of jingle bells!”
Ante Up for a winter sleigh ride. Enjoy!
Flora continues–
The morning after the record-breaking Blizzard of 2009. Our area of Northern Virginia was hit with 21″ of fresh powdery snow—just perfect for a sleigh ride.
We put our sleigh—a 120 year old (c 1890) antique Portland cutter made by Union Carriage and Gear Company, Watertown, NY—to one of our foxhunting/driving ponies—a 12.2h Welsh Section C (pony of the cob type) who had been hunted for many years and driven for over 15 years as part of our former pair. At 27, he is now retired, except for the Christmas parades and sleigh rides!
To learn more about Flora Hillman and her adorable pony of the cob type, Ante Up, we encourage you to visit Auriga Farm.
Silent Auction Lark After Dark
This past Saturday, Christ Church, Millwood, hosted its annual Silent Auction and Dinner at the Millwood Country Club. Guests numbered over a hundred, and the sounds of clinking cocktail glasses and excited chatter filled the air as guests,
Silent Auction items displayed at one of five tables
clad in gay holiday attire, mingled and strolled between the five display tables to enter their bids. Auction items ranged from original oil paintings, antique china dishes and vases, a handsome china rooster, copper cookware, sterling silver, and a hand-crafted coffee table to certificates for gourmet desserts, a lunch and trail ride along the Shenandoah, a skeet shooting outing, tax preparation, and a five-page web site. Tempting trays laden with specialty cheeses and crackers, caviar and salmon delicacies accompanied the cocktails before guests sat down to an elegant table setting and enjoyed roast beef served with a delectable mushroom gravy, roasted vegetables, salad, rolls and carafes of red and white table wine, topped off with a slice of good old-fashioned (and very tasty) apple brown betty.
Dining at Millwood Country Club
Dinner was followed by the live auction conducted by auctioneer Billy Watkins. Satiated with good food and wine, the guests engaged in lively bidding, garnering a significant showing of generosity for a number of tempting items, such as the one-week stay in a five-bedroom vacation home on the coast of Maine.
The evening concluded with the announcement of raffle ticket winnings, among which was a dinner for two at L’Auberge Provençal—a top 100 Zagat-rated restaurant in nearby White Post. Proceeds from the fundraising event will benefit the ministry of Cunningham Chapel Parish.
