Customer Reviews

Capon Valley Sampler: Sketches of Appalachia from George Washington to Caudy Davis

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As local flavour fades in the glare of multinationalism shrinking the world for this new millennium, here is a reminder that not all places move so willingly ~ that is what local flavour is all about. The Capon, nee Cacapheon, Valley just over an hour from the suburban sprawl of Northern Virginia is still something of a time capsule and when a wonderful friend offered the use of a cabin along the river, I found among other things, this book on the nightstand.

Like finding the little road to Yellow Springs this book is one discovery essay after another; as though looking out the window only onto the quilt (hence the title) of time in a place of lush beauty and stark serenity. Writing about life and lives along the smallest of the 4 tributaries of the Potomac, Mr. Wirtz (self admittedly) stretches his faculty to embody patch upon patch of said quilt. Each piece from a different owner and time though sharing a connection to what becomes a strong theme of American flavour.

Unlike both the indigenous peoples and the European powers who variously sought control over the area, the ancestors of the present inhabitants chose to settle and remain there for strong personal reasons that more often echo the themes of settling "The West" in the 19th century than other stories of British Colonization. As a casual historian of such things this book is well suited to my taste and with a few visual references from the valley, wonderfully captivating.

Travelling through time and finding connection tied to connection through 250 years it is clearly a statement of the gifts the author brought to his public life and granted to readers of this later work. That the past is prolog, that revolution comes from time to time in America, and that individual resolve, ingenuity, and insight brews a fine draught pint is the local flavour along the Capon.