An Unexpected, Lifetime Memory of a Day: Aloha Salad with Huli Huli Chicken.

What a complicated, worrisome day. “I am going to try out for the equestrian team on Saturday!” she said. So she did. I woke and thought, "I need to stay busy, I can’t take it! It’s too much! So much! I’m fraught!"

Christoph: “Want to day trip to Urbanna?” GREAT suggestion! That'll keep us occupied until she returns safely to her dorm, when we can then call to support her, but be relieved. She knows she has had two years off, just a little backyard riding, that there are few spots open, and her competition competes weekly. I just want her back in one piece, call it a great experience, and then we can move on.

We nosed around town admiring its architecture, slowing to eye bustling marinas, Victorians, charming cottages, simply enjoying seeing people happily living their life, puttering around their yards, savoring Urbanna life. We read every historical marker, drove down every lane, and as we turned another corner, keeping busy, that’s when we got the call: “Hiiiii… I’M ON THE TEAM!!!!” Wait, what??? “Yep, I’m on THE UVA EQUESTRIAN TEAM.”

WHAT? What a *great* day! A fantastic day! This is just too wild! This day can not get any better!!! The RELIEF of a parent to see their child take risks, thrive, grow… we were so in awe and proud of her if she *didn’t* make the team! But she did! Suddenly, SO relieved she was safe, SO happy for her she had found her people, the world was suddenly sunny. 

We parked on the main strip of town. A beautiful historical site lined with flags gently waving along the sidewalk caught my eye. We read the marker. I bent down, trying to get the perfect shot, waiting for the wind to lift the flags… got it! So pretty! As we turned to walk back to the car, here came an interesting man.

First I saw the shiny golf cart, decked in flags. Then the Vietnam Vet hat. Finally: honest, friendly eyes and a big smile. “How do you like Urbanna?” We were enthusiastic and started talking about what we had seen. He paused, smiling, then offered, “So you like my house?” “Wait. That’s YOUR house????” “Want to come in?”

When I think about this day for the rest of my life I will be in shock. Sometimes you just have to let go, ride the turbulence, and might find… you’re suddenly surfing. We all surfed today.

Gingerly, gratefully, through the doorway we stepped.

“We used to open Lansdowne to the public for Christmas, for weddings, events, but since my wife passed, it’s just too much…” I was gaping at the Georgian details, the high ceilings, the restored paint colors. It was overwhelming to see something so simply majestic. Then the stories began.

As a preservationist (Do I say citizen preservationist or preservationist? Discuss.) what makes this site so special is not just its illustrious history, not just the architecture, but the love that eminates throughout the home thanks to its current stewards. Built in 1740, by the mid-1900s Lansdowne was uninhabited and in decay. 

Col. A. B. Gravatt begins: “In the 1960s I took my girlfriend Diane home to Kilmarnock. Do you remember the Miss Ann cruises at the Tide’s Inn? I took her on a cruise, and that’s how we ended up walking around Urbanna, and discovered this house. The house was unoccupied, there were windows broken, holes in the roof, but there was a door open (my dad always said there’s a door open in every home, so I just looked for it, and there it was!), so we gave ourselves a tour.

At the end of the day, Diane said she’d marry me. 

But only if we bought the house!”
(Cue It’s A Wonderful Life… but real!)

They married and lived their life serving in the military. The home is filled with treasures from their travels. I turned to Christoph: “Do you SEE all this china? Every pattern tells a story. THANK YOU Col. Gravatt for supporting your wife’s china habit!” “Yep, after every tour I paid *lots* of overage!” “I can’t imagine all the bubble wrap and care you took!!!” The care and love shines throughout.

When we marvel at exquisite historical sites, they are usually supported by conservation staff. At Lansdowne, after decades, and upon their retirement from military life, the Gravatts began their restoration… with friends, family, and any interested architect who might offer advice. 

After first encountering the “after,” seeing this gem now restored, the family album underscores their hard DIY work. Photo after photo shows Diane and A.B. with their friends, family, and community working room by room, fireplace by fireplace, in their restoration. 

“This marble fireplace was broken into many pieces. We consulted a marble expert and he said the key was superglue!” When you look at the mantle today, it seems pristine. If you look very closely you see art in its faint seams that organically mimic natural stone’s marbling. It’s like the Japanese custom of creating beautiful art out of broken pottery - Kintsugi. “We had a local guy come in to help us. He was telling stories about how as kids they would break in and roller skate around! He had something for us- roller skating, he had wiped out, hit the mantle, and broken off a piece. All these years he kept it in his sock drawer! Here it is! We didn’t know how we were going to fix that corner!” Pieces returned, restored, the site and community now whole.

We moved from room to room, and the dogs and cats followed. I deeply appreciate this historical site that is such a vibrant home. Everything is in it’s place and ready, tidy, restored like you would see at a museum; yet here friendly cats jump up on pianos, step over photo albums, knock over chess pieces and… are rewarded with a chuckle and pat, not scolded and shooed away. It is one more testament to the Gravatts - their love, service, deep community, and earnest welcome to outsiders like we.

I have two preservationists in mind with whom I would like to return. “I’d love to meet them!”

But first, as Col. Gravatt says, “One more story…”

Huli Huli Chicken with Aloha Salad:

“When my father-in-law passed, my mother-in-law moved in with us. We lived together many, many years and…” Here he paused and emphasized, “...never a cross word was spoken.” His love for his wife, his love for her family, their strength, all together, especially coming from uncertain ties, swelled our hearts. 

“It was time for a new assignment, and Diane thought we’d be sent back to Fort Bragg or another station… my mother-in law was SO EXCITED when I told them we were going to… HAWAII! 

She was SO happy there. Each morning, she’d ride out on her bike along the golf course and about town. Finally I got a call from the golf pro: ‘While we appreciate your mother-in-law’s thoughtfulness for you, might you speak with her to leave us some of our errant balls?’” 

I savored this image of a doting older woman picking up golf balls for her daughter’s sweet husband. What a family! People we aspire to be.

This is a day I will always carry in my heart, a lifetime memory.

I still can’t believe this day: beginning with concern, ending in so much joy! Lila’s on the team! And then a magical tour of Lansdowne! In the Gravitt’s honor, I made Huli Huli chicken.

(Back on the boat that started it all!)

Hawaiian food is based on the isolation of an island, relying on food locally available. Far on the mainland, in rural Virginia, I do not have easy access to most of it- I can not simply run out and grab some taro from the country store! But we do have bananas and pineapple in grocery stores, and the Asian influence in Hawaiian recipe ingredients can be acquired. One thing I know: I do not want to make 1960s Mainland takes on Hawaiian, loaded with sugary canned fruits. 

Heat a pan, add Duke’s mayonnaise (yes I’m on a mayo kick this year, it’s savory and great for simmering meat!). Add chicken thighs and let that sit on high heat until crisped, turn to do the same on the other side. Lower the heat and add sliced onions, green pepper, San J tamari (did you know they are in Richmond???), brown sugar, a fave hot sauce (today, mine has mango habanero!), a little jam, dry mustard, and ketchup. Stir it all occasionally as it thickens and browns. Sprinkle with garlic powder, seasoning salt, and toss over plenty of fresh minced ginger. 

I served the Huli Huli chicken with a simple “Aloha” salad- greens topped with fresh pineapple, cheddr (vegan for alpha-gal), and a dressing made of Duke’s, tamari, lemon, and since I wasn’t using canned pineapples (hence no juice), I added a little jam (today, peach), seasoned with garlic, salt, and pepper. Aloha dressing also usually has cream cheese, but I had none, being allergic now to diary.

Thank you Col. Gravatt for sharing your beautiful family and home with us. I hope to see you again, very soon. If I am able to return with preservationists (they DO want to come), I would love to bring you Huli Huli chicken, Aloha salad, and Hawaiian macaroni salad for lunch. 

I have questions! I hope these stories are continued.

Want to learn more?

Lansdowne:
https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/316-0003/ 

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=27015
https://afarmhousereborn.com/historic-property-at-urbanna/ 

Tide’s Inn Whiskey Run:

https://www.virginiasriverrealm.com/history-lesson-whiskey-run-at-the-tides-inn/ 

Learn more about Diane Gravatt: https://memorials.faulknerfuneralhcs.com/diane-gravatt/4618798/index.php 

A 1920’s Hawaiian Cookbook: https://archive.org/details/hawaiiancookbook00hono/page/20/mode/2up