Washington Week
Driftless, DC Dinners, Darlingside, Frank Howard, District Domicile
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue features five books I wrote, a novel of community and courage, dining in the District, a Dodger who went to DC and then to Detroit, and the presidential palace. I hope you like the picks and pics.
Barb and I spent a week in Washington, DC as we do every November. I delivered two workshops and served as a mentor at the annual KMWorld knowledge management conference. We also celebrated two birthdays: Barb’s (November 6) and our grandson Kieran’s second (November 8). The weather was mostly lovely, and it was great spending time with colleagues, friends, and family.
Fave Five 58: Washington Week. Words, Wisconsin (Driftless), DC Dinners (Founding Farmers, Georgia Brown’s, Harry’s Pub, MXDC, Unconventional Diner), Enchanting Ensemble (Darlingside), Gentle Giant (Frank Howard), and a District Domicile.
Fave Five List: My First Five Books
My latest book was shipped this week just in time for me to sign copies for visitors to the booth of my publisher, Lucidea, at KMWorld. It’s the fifth for which I am sole author; I have also written chapters for four additional books. I plan to complete two more for Lucidea over the next two years.
Proven Practices for Promoting a Knowledge Management Program (2017)
Handbook of Community Management: A Guide to Leading Communities of Practice (2020)
The Five Cs of KM (2022)
Book Best Bet
As a native of the Midwest, I appreciate well-written novels that take place in the central U.S. This one is set in Wisconsin, and I liked it a lot. But I was sad to learn that the author passed away last year.
From Amazon: The few hundred souls who inhabit Words, Wisconsin, are an extraordinary cast of characters. The middle-aged couple who zealously guards their farm from a scheming milk cooperative. The lifelong invalid, crippled by conflicting emotions about her sister. A cantankerous retiree, haunted by childhood memories after discovering a cougar in his haymow. The former drifter who forever alters the ties that bind a community. In his first novel in 30 years, David Rhodes offers a vivid and unforgettable look at life in small-town America.
A fast-moving story about small town life with characters that seem to have walked off the pages of Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology. — The Wall Street Journal
[Rhodes’s] finest work yet . . . Driftless is the best work of fiction to come out of the Midwest in many years. — Chicago Tribune
Set in a rural Wisconsin town, the book presents a series of portraits that resemble Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology in their vividness and in the cumulative picture they create of village life. — The New Yorker
Encompassing and incisive, comedic and profound, Driftless is a radiant novel of community and courage. — Booklist (starred review)
A welcome antidote to overheated urban fiction . . . A quiet novel of depth and simplicity. — Kirkus Reviews
It takes a while for all these stories to kick in, but once they do, Rhodes shows he still knows how to keep readers riveted. Add a blizzard, a marauding cougar and some rabble-rousing militiamen, and the result is a novel that is as affecting as it is pleasantly overstuffed. — Publishers Weekly
Rest in peace, David Rhodes (1946–2022) by Daniel Slager, Publisher & CEO, Milkweed Editions
Titled after the region of southwestern Wisconsin in which the novel is set, Driftless represents characters who are as unglaciated as the place they live in. Often outwardly ordinary and almost invariably off the beaten path, David’s characters are radiant and deep, eccentric and soulful, driven by desires that are as mysterious as they are commanding. Driftless became a national sensation when it was published in 2008, and it was thrilling to be part of an American master novelist’s return to a robust readership.
A sequel of sorts to Driftless, Jewelweed, followed in 2014. Rich with his distinctive sense of empathy and wonder, David’s fifth novel expanded his capacious vision, in which the seemingly mundane becomes magical, even mythical. And then not long after Jewelweed had been published, David approached me with a concept and a plan to develop the novel that would become Painting Beyond Walls, his sixth novel, which we published this fall. Set in the near future and engaging in unpretentious yet sophisticated ways with contemporary genetics, philosophy, and history, Painting Beyond Walls is perhaps David’s most ambitious novel. It explores what makes us human, what could make us better, and how and why it is important for us to come together in community.
Perhaps not surprisingly in light of his artistic vision, David Rhodes was a beautiful human being. He was voraciously curious yet refreshingly humble, wonderfully funny, keenly perceptive, and, perhaps above all, deeply caring. David’s was an essentially generous spirit, and one invariably left an exchange with him feeling enriched, if not always understanding why.
All of us here at Milkweed Editions are saddened by his passing, and profoundly grateful to have crossed paths with him. The six novels he wrote are among his greatest gifts, and we can think of no better form of reciprocity than engaging with his work.
Rest in peace, David Rhodes.
Restaurant Recommendations
DC Dinners
Washington is a great city for restaurants, with a wide variety from which to choose. Barb and I enjoyed several lovely meals during our time there over the past week.
Founding Farmers & Distillers DC 600 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
We met my Tenafly High School classmate Doug Kiel here for dinner after Barb and I drove to DC on November 3. Doug was in town for a medical conference, and this restaurant was right across the street from his hotel. Barb and I were introduced to Founding Farmers by our son Roger, and we have always enjoyed dining at several of their locations. We were pleasantly surprised to be able to reserve a table at this very popular spot just one hour in advance of our arrival on a busy Friday evening.
Fried Chicken & Waffle: spicy fried chicken, waffle, seven cheese macaroni, green beans
Georgia Brown’s 950 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
I took Barb here to celebrate her birthday on Monday. Four of my knowledge management colleagues walked over with us, and they kindly sent us champagne to toast the occasion. As I don’t drink, Barb enjoyed bonus bubbly.
Carolina Gumbo: spicy andouille, okra, duck, shrimp, chicken, dark roux, lump crab, dirty rice (front)
Charleston Perlau: jumbo shrimp, duck, spicy andouille sausage, red rice, toasted breadcrumbs (rear)
Harry’s Pub 436 11th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004
This was a short walk from our hotel and offered outdoor dining on a warm evening. Alas, we won’t be able to dine here next year, as Hotel Harrington and Harry’s Pub will close on December 12, 2023.
Turkey Club Sandwich with bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and our freshly roasted turkey layered between three slices of white toast
MXDC Cocina Mexicana 600 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20005
I dined here with two former Deloitte colleagues and another KMWorld attendee on Wednesday. My friend Lee Romero, who had run for 90 minutes as the sun rose that day, didn’t want to walk very far from our hotel, so I selected this one that was only one minute away. We all liked it very much.
Trio of Tacos
Carne Asada: soy-ginger marinade | pico de gallo | pickled onion | avocado
Short Rib Mole: hoisin braised | carrot slaw | pickled onion | cilantro
Cochinita Pibil: braised pork shoulder | pickled onion | cilantro | garlic aioli
Unconventional Diner 1207 9th St. NW., Washington, DC 20001
On our last night in Washington, we met our son Roger here for a final dinner. He had been here before and recommended it to us, and it was a great choice.
Crab Cake Sandwich & Fries: Pickled Slaw | Lemon-Garlic Aioli | Sesame-Seed Bun
Marvelous Musicians
This talented ensemble appeared at The Ark recently and Barb and I took our friends Ann and George Kruszewski with us to the show. I appreciate the band’s singing and versatile instrumental stylings. I love their harmonies, arrangements, and especially the witty band introductions by Auyon Mukharji.
On October 10, 2015, Barb and I attended the Michigan football game and then headed to Power Center for The Performing Arts to see Patty Griffin with our Cayamo friends, Don Alles and Cheryl Frueh. Barb is wary of opening acts and asked if there would be one. When we learned that there would indeed be one, she was not pleased. A group that we had not heard of, Darlingside, opened the show. As soon as they finished their brief set, Barb ran out to the lobby and bought all of their CDs. They were fantastic.
I saw them at The Ark in Ann Arbor on September 17, 2017, on April 14, 2019, and on October 29, 2023. I saw all of three of their sets on Cayamo 2019, which were among the highlights of that great lineup. I made a new friend, Denise Feikema, when she sat in the front row with me at each of their last two sets. Their final set was rescheduled after Dave Senft lost his voice. After that show on the final night of the cruise, Denise and I were pleased to be hugged by Auyon Mukharji.
From Wikipedia: Darlingside is a four-person indie folk band from Boston. The band consists of Don Mitchell (guitar, banjo, vocals), Auyon Mukharji (mandolin, violin, vocals), Harris Paseltiner (guitar, cello, vocals), and David Senft (bass, kick drum, vocals). Their style has been described as “exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop” by All Songs Considered. Darlingside began as a five-piece touring Indie rock band in the fall of 2009. Members met as undergraduates while attending Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. After Sam Kapala's departure from the band in 2013, Darlingside moved toward a traditional bluegrass set-up (notable because they do not play bluegrass) with all four remaining musicians clustered around a single condenser microphone.
In 2022, Senft announced that he would no longer tour or perform live with the band, though he would continue contributing in his other roles including writing and recording. Darlingside has since been joined on tour by Molly Parden (bass, vocals), Ben Burns (drums, guitar), and Deni Hlavinka (keys, vocals), who have also contributed to the band's studio recordings.
The band's name originates from a songwriting class taken by the band members at Williams College. The course instructor, Bernice Lewis, quoted British writer Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in teaching the class to “kill your darlings.” Lewis applied this philosophy to songwriting, wherein a favorite line, lick, or riff (“a darling”) might compromise the balance and arc of the song as a whole. The name “Darlingside” is an homage to “killing one’s darlings.” It is spelled with an “s” instead of a “c” (like regicide, fratricide, or homicide) because the band felt the “s” is easier on the eye.
Blow the House Down
White Horses
The Ancestor
My Playlist
Sports Star
Hondo Howard died on October 30, 2023 after playing for the Dodgers, Senators/Rangers, and Tigers. He is remembered fondly by those who met him:
He didn’t know me from Adam, but he always talked to me like I was his best friend. That’s the way he talked to everyone. One of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. — Tom Friel
Frank Howard, Towering Slugger Whose Homers Were, Too, Dies at 87 by Richard Goldstein of The New York Times
Frank Howard, the Bunyanesque slugger who struck some of baseball’s more awesome home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Senators while rolling up a prodigious strikeout total as well, unable to conquer his penchant for chasing bad balls, died on October 30, 2023 in Aldie, Va. He was 87.
Listed at 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds — though well above that weight at times — Howard played for 16 seasons in the major leagues and hit 382 homers. He twice led the American League in that category. Many of his home runs — and even some hits that didn’t clear the fence — were unforgettable.
As a Dodger in 1960, he hit a ball over the left-field wall at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh that was found alongside a parked car some 560 feet from home plate.
Batting against Whitey Ford in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series, at the original Yankee Stadium, he hit a drive that landed, in fair territory, just to the left of the monuments to Yankee greats in center field, about 460 feet from home plate. He lumbered only as far as second base in what has been called the longest double in Yankee Stadium history.
In Game 4, he hit a 450-foot homer off Ford into the left-field mezzanine at Dodger Stadium, in a 2-1 victory that completed a Dodger sweep of the Series.
Howard drove in 1,119 runs in his long career. But he also struck out 1,460 times.
A basketball and baseball star at Ohio State University before signing for a $108,000 bonus with the Dodgers in 1958 (almost $1.2 million in today’s currency), Howard became known as Hondo, after Hondo Lane, the strapping cavalry scout played by John Wayne in the 1953 Hollywood western Hondo. While playing for the Senators, he was called the Capital Punisher.
Howard was the National League’s rookie of the year in 1960, when he hit 23 home runs for the Dodgers after playing briefly for them in the two previous seasons.
His best years came with the Senators, who obtained him in a multiplayer trade before the 1965 season. He hit an American League-leading 44 home runs in 1968, buoyed by a spree in May when he walloped 10 in a stretch of six games.
Howard hit a career-high 48 home runs in 1969 and the next year led the A.L. in homers, with 44, and runs batted in, with 126.
He was an All-Star for four consecutive seasons as a Senator, mostly with losing teams. On Sept. 30, 1971, he hit the Senators’ last home run at R.F.K. Stadium before the team left Washington and became the Texas Rangers.
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors of the N.B.A. but shunned pro basketball.
From Wikipedia: Frank Oliver Howard (August 8, 1936 in Columbus, Ohio; died October 30, 2023 in Aldie, Virginia), nicknamed "Hondo", "the Washington Monument" and "the Capital Punisher", was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchises. One of the most physically intimidating players in the sport, Howard was 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighed between 275 and 295 pounds.
Howard was named the National League's Rookie of the Year in 1960 for the Dodgers. He twice led the American League in home runs, and total bases and once each in slugging percentage, runs batted in, and walks. Howard was a four-time MLB All-Star. He hit 382 career home runs and was inducted into the Washington Nationals Ring of Honor after his retirement.
The Senators moved to Dallas/Fort Worth in 1972, becoming the Texas Rangers. Howard hit the first ever home run for the Rangers but batted only .244 with nine home runs in 95 games before his contract was sold to the Detroit Tigers in August for the $20,000 waiver price. He platooned with Norm Cash at first base and batted .242. He was not eligible for the Tigers' 1973 postseason roster as he reported to the Tigers after the September 1 deadline. As the Tigers' designated hitter in 1973, Howard batted .256 with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs. The Tigers released Howard after the season.
Unable to find a job in the majors in 1974, Howard signed to play in Japan's Pacific League for the Taiheiyo Club Lions. In his first at bat there he hurt his back on a swing, and never played again. In 16 major league seasons Howard batted .273 with 382 home runs.
Following his retirement as a player, the Milwaukee Brewers hired Howard to manage Spokane for the 1976 season. Howard coached in the major leagues for the Brewers from 1977 to 1980 for managers Alex Grammas and George Bamberger before being named manager of the San Diego Padres before the 1981 season. The Padres finished in last place in both halves of that strike-shortened season, and Howard was fired. Howard became a coach with the New York Mets in 1982, where Bamberger was the manager, and took over as manager after Bamberger's resignation in June 1983. Howard managed the last 116 games of the 1983 season. The Mets finished in last place and the Mets did not retain Howard as manager.
Howard rejoined Bamberger with the Brewers as their hitting coach in 1985 and was fired after the 1986 season. He became a first base coach for the Seattle Mariners in 1987. Howard coached the New York Yankees from 1989 to 1993, the Mets from 1994 to 1996, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1998 to 1999. From 2000 to 2008, he worked for the Yankees as a player development instructor.
Picture Pun
About how much would something like this cost? It didn’t show up in Zillow.
