January Greetings from Pete!

Hello and Happy New Year from Pete and Capon Springs!  

Where did the Holiday Season go?  It seems like just yesterday morning Carolyn and I were out on our annual early Black Friday shopping adventure, but here it is the end of January. We're just as amazed at how quickly 2014 flew by.  Last year was our first year of not being at Capon on a daily basis in nearly thirty five years.  So, we had a lot of items on our retirement list.  Carolyn is absolutely loving retired life.  In addition to crossing things off that list, with three sets of grandchildren spread out between Winchester, Arlington and Lancaster, PA, she has had plenty to occupy her time with shopping for them, babysitting, school runs, scheduling visits and all those things you grandparents out there can appreciate.  She also visits with her dad Ted in Winchester several times a week.  He is 94 and is always happy to hear about Capon and his old friends.  I am kind of semi-retired.  

As the golfers in your Capon family know, I couldn't stay away from the golf course.  My great fortune is that I have been able to continue enjoying two of my favorite Capon things - watching over the maintenance of the golf course and visiting with golfers on the first tee in the mornings and afternoons. I've developed so many friendships during my forty plus years as a starter on the golf course.  In many cases I have gotten to know three or four generations of your families.  To be able to continue to catch up with everyone is just a wonderful thing!  

For those of you I do not see on the golf course, maybe this coming season we'll cross paths down at the Main House or on the lawn.  Jonathan has twisted my arm (not a really tough task) and I will be leading history tours again around the grounds on Tuesday afternoons in the Spring & Fall. Stay tuned for information on when those will take place. 

Hope 2015 has Capon in your plans!       

Pete (3rd Generation Family Member)

~For the Capon Family

Timeless Treasure of Time Together

Jonathan Bellingham (third generation Capon family member) here...

With all the merry-making that goes on this time of year, I find myself pausing and reflecting about how holidays and traditions are interwoven into the fabric of our shared Capon experience. This year the calendar lined up just right so we could celebrate Easter on the front end and Veterans Day on the back end of the 2014 season. When you think about it, during our usual 6-month stretch we get to enjoy most of the three day holidays along with some really big ones like 4th of July and Halloween.  Even the traditional Thanksgiving feast doesn’t escape us as we enjoy every Saturday dinner with turkey and all the fixings. And for those of you who go back in years a ways, you can recall how we even used to celebrate Christmas in June. (Any former Capon Santas out there?)

Sign that hangs on Main House Porch

Of course many of you tell us that because of competing school schedules, extended family commitments and even the weather, Capon vacation time has become THE ONLY time to gather as an entire family. This is especially true for military families, who because of their transient nature of their assignments, Capon is the only stable “home” they know. The evidence of this situation abounds this time of year as we receive many family holiday photos that highlight the smiling faces of your clan gathered here this past year.

For those who have generational ties with our family, those shared times connect all of us to even deeper heritage memories. And not to get too “smaltzy” on you, but as I watch the usual Hallmark Christmas movies this month, the message that comes through most of them is the same. One of the most important things we can do as parents to develop and support healthy, fulfilling family relationships is to provide opportunities to create and relive shared memories.

I relearned this lesson recently when our son Stephen was home for Thanksgiving during his first real visit from his freshman year at the Air Force Academy. Besides playing in the snow and enjoying a great meal, we watched some home movies.  Along with the videos of multiple family vacation and holiday gatherings, we found one that included his
first aviation experience just before his 6th birthday.  How rewarding it was to see him connect with his younger self as he now realizes the fruits of that foundational experience!


As you reconnect with family and friends at the end of this month, may you be blessed by shared memories, as well as be a blessing to others who may not be as fortunate to experience such love.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Capon,

Jonathan

~For the Capon Family

Jonathan, Betsy, Stephen & Katie during trip last year to Colorado Springs, CO.

Stargazing: Look up and chill out!

According to Dottie Edwards, president of the Shenandoah Astronomical Society, for thousands of years, both our ancestors and descendants have and will see the same shining night sky objects as we all move through time and space.  That is both a sobering and soothing concept in sharp contrast to our "hurry up, run-around" lives. 

Recently, that experience was not lost on a large collection of guests, including a Girl Scout Troop from Charlotte, NC, who gathered for Dottie's astronomy program at Capon Springs & Farms. Of course, it helped being out in the mountains of wild, wonderful West Virginia, where we enjoy both the opportunity for unobstructed views and no ambient light- a perfect recipe for star-gazing.  Earlier in the month, even without sophisticated equipment or knowledge of the heavens, we witnessed two fantastic heavenly displays: a total lunar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse.

So it was with great anticipation that on a perfectly clear late October night, we eagerly received instruction on how to identify half a dozen stars and constellations, clusters and nebula. Afterwards, we walked out to an open area where we could look up and get a full view of the night sky. In addition, with the help of two powerful telescopes, we were treated to close up views of a triple double star cluster and a fuzzy cotton ball object that is the Andromeda Galaxy.

We also learned the easy way to spot the Polaris, the North Star by following the cup part of the big dipper (see below). Knowing that both land and sea travelers use this reference point for navigation gave us an instant connection with anyone hurling through space on our tiny portion of this tiny rock we call Earth.  

Staring at millions of points of light provided an opportunity for awe and wonder that is necessary to keep one's sanity in a stressful world.  It allowed us to take a deep breath and contemplate the vastness of the universe and our place in it.  In these rapidly changing times of technological advancements, it was good to feel a sense of stability, time scale and size, providing perspective to the seemingly personal chaos of our everyday lives.

Dottie has offered to return next May with more members of her club, more telescopes and more opportunities to learn, reflect and enjoy the world around us.  

When was the last time you took a moment to go outside and ponder the stars?  Try it and see how much better you feel!