We stayed two weeks at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, VA and met some interesting folks. After parking the first night we noticed a man next to us in a small teardrop trailer. His unit only provided sufficient space to sleep and store essentials, and a rear clamshell door opened to a galley. We first greeted one another as he stood outside at the galley cooking dinner. He joined us outside for several evening conversations as we got to know each other. He had been on active duty in the middle east and survived some rough experiences. Once out of the service, he became recognized for his unique ability to help returning soldiers suffering from PTSD. He lived with his wife and daughter near Norfolk, VA, but spent his work weeks in the Washington DC area helping veterans while camped in his teardrop. He was a big, tough looking man with a warm, caring heart, although our politics couldn’t have been further apart.
Before we arrived, he had befriended an Arab family who frequented the park. He introduced us one late afternoon to Major Abdulaziz Alraken, Royal Saudi Army. Before evening fell, we met the entire Alraken family, including his wife, three boys, and young daughter. Major Alraken was serving a two-year assignment as an intelligence officer in the office of the Saudi Ambassador to the US. He was excited about this opportunity for two primary reasons. First, if afforded his family a unique exposure to life in the US; and second, this assignment would likely help him be promoted to Lt Col. We talked until dark, as we shared with them the experiences from our 12-month tour in Saudi Arabia in 1980-81. What we had learned in Saudi paid off when his wife joined us at our picnic table, and I moved so she could sit next to MFI rather than me (a male stranger). She subsequently mentioned to MFI her gratitude for this cultural consideration. We all hit it off extremely well; so well in fact, they set a date to return and cook a traditional meal for us. We accepted graciously.
The following week, they showed up entirely ready to prepare dinner, complete with their loaded cooler and an Insta Pot. Major Alraken was in charge of the cooking. He prepared what’s known as their national dish: lamb and rice stew, dates, and cardamon tea. The traditional spices and seasoning for the lamb stew included: black lime, bay leaves, cardamon, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorn, and a few chillies. Everything was absolutely delicious!



They stayed long enough to continue telling our Saudi stories, and I spent some time interacting with his children. The boys shared a cell phone, scrolled like young boys do, and at one point Major Alraken called his parents (in Saudi), and we chatted momentarily with them. True to Islam, they laid a woven rug on the ground, brought lounge pillows to support the gathering, and prayed at the appropriate time.


They showed us recent pictures of Riyadh, where we had lived during most of our assignment, andwe were shocked at how modern the city looked today compared to when we where there. Major Alraken was more interested in what the city was like back in the 80’s. When I told him we had lots of pictures from that time, he was extremely interested in getting to see them. Regretably, I explained they were all in storage because of our travels, but when we were done (timeline uncertain), I promised I would send him the best of the vintage photos. He has since reached out via text message, and of course we responded. Meeting this beautiful family through such serendipitous circumstances was a wonderful experience.
During our second week, new neighbors arrived in a vintage Airstream. I was immediately interested in and curious about what year and model it was. I began surreptitiously taking pictures of it from all sides and angles and luckily found an Airstream website that contained pictures of every model ever made. I played a version of “Spot The Hidden Differences” between my pictures and those online, until I found a pair that matched. They were camping in a 1956, 22′ Safari, or so I thought. When we finally introduced ourselves and had our first conversation, I shared my conclusion and was very pleased with myself when they confirmed it. MFI apologized for what she characterized as my creepy, snoopy photographic behavior.

We eventually spent a delightful evening with owners Trish and Ron and had the opportunity to take some interior photos. They had not owned their Safari for long, but long enough for Trish to be extremely happy and grateful over the fact Ron (retired pilot) was a person who could fix things.






Of course, Airstream design features and construction techniques have changed dramatically over the life of the business. As I researched the year and model, I learned a fascinating fact. You will note in the two center pictures above, that in order to achieve the curved front and rear shape, thirteen separate aluminum panels had to be rivetted together. While this looked very artistic from our perspective, it added many manhours to the assembly process and more cost to the consumer. Today, due to advanced techniques, the same shape is achieved with only five rivetted panels. MFI and Trish have been periodically in touch since our meeting.
We contacted good friends Steve and Teresa Hawley who lived in the area, and they kindly arranged a lunch at their house. We met them at Ramstein AB, Germany during the early 80’s. Steve was a communications NCO, and Teresa was the secretary for the NATO Division in Civil Engineering where I worked. I was honored to officiate at Steve’s retirement a decade later. We spent the afternoon with them, their older daughter Nicole, and Nicole’s two daughters. As has been our experience when meeting close friends whom we hadn’t seen in years, the conversation about common memories flowed easily and our jaws soon ached from nearly non-stop laughter. It was terrific seeing and visiting with them again.
MFI and I really enjoy getting to know the communities surrounding our TV parks. Whether it’s finding that perfect coffee shop, or unique restaurant, or interesting hiking trail; we love the exploration challenge. Such was the case when we stumbled upon a great breakfast restaurant called Founding Farmers in Reston’s Metro Plaza. We were eating a great meal and sharing a slice of buttered artisan bread when MFI took a bite and winched. Now the challenge was locating an emergency dentist. Incredibly, we found Dr. Rosemary Ahanor at the Aglow Dental Studio less than four blocks from the restaurant. Turned out to be a beautiful experience, if we ignore the undesirable circumstances.

During our drives around Reston, we kept passing a directional sign to a farmer’s market. I researched the market, and we finally spent a pleasant morning there. Reston was founded in 1964, and part of the original community layout included nine village centers, or clustered housing developments. Each village center was designed to have all housing within a half mile walking distance and incorporate both the retail and community service needs of residents. Lake Anne Village Center was the first one built and occupied by February 1965. The farmer’s market was set up every Saturday morning in a parking lot adjacent to the retail facilities supporting the development (bottom of picture).

We walked along the housing at the north end of the Lake and visited several of the retail stores. Being now nearly 60 years old, the once-unique development had a dated vibe to it and the exterior of the condos needed maintenance. The highlight was the breadth and freshness of the local produce for sale.








We had hoped to visiting/revisit some of the DC Mall monuments and Museums, but alas the remnants of COVID policies played havoc with our plans. As a minimum, we wanted to visit the Holocaust Museum, but advanced reservations were required; and when I went on line they were booked well past our planned stay. In fact, most other museums were still closed. We did get into the Natural History Museum and spent maybe a half day there. MFI poseed within Megladon jaws. Fortunately, we’ve seen much of what’s on the mall since we lived in northern Virginia for 4 years in the late ’80s.





But we weren’t done with our DC stay. New friends Becky and Matt Filipa now lived nearby in Alexandria, VA, and we learned they had projects. Check out our blog Filippa Family Project List – Alexandria, VA.