Trading Traffic Lights for River Views

Ron and Barbara had been married only two weeks when they pulled onto a long Northern Neck driveway lined with corn.

For Barbara, the view felt instantly familiar. Both of her grandfathers had been dairy farmers, and her grandfather Graham’s farm had a three-quarter-mile driveway with corn growing on both sides. As she and Ron followed the half-mile drive toward the property, those childhood memories came rushing back.

“I still get goosebumps when I remember what that felt like,” Barbara said. “I thought, ‘This is it.’”

Then they crested the hill and saw the river.

The property had been divided into several proposed parcels, but Ron and Barbara were not interested in purchasing only one. They wanted all 62 acres.

Today, the property has become more than a place to live. It is their home, a gathering place for family, and the foundation for the next chapter of their lives.

Ron spent his early childhood in New Jersey before his family moved to rural Carroll County, Maryland, when he was entering fifth grade. His older sisters were devastated to leave their friends behind, but Ron embraced the woods, streams, cows, cornfields and four-wheelers.

After high school, Ron briefly attended college before joining the Army. He later returned to school, graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and accepted a civilian position with the Navy. Although he initially viewed it as temporary, he stayed for approximately 25 years. He retired early at age 51 and now works as a consultant.

Barbara was born in Frankfurt, Germany, while her father was stationed there with the Army. A fifth-generation member of a military family, she grew up in a small Minnesota community surrounded by a large extended family.

After high school, she joined the Navy and served for eight years as an intelligence specialist, with assignments in Spain, Norfolk, and Okinawa, Japan. Today, she is executive vice president of the Army-Navy business group for SAIC, overseeing more than 8,000 employees supporting the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

Together, Ron and Barbara have four children and two grandchildren.

A Certain Beginning

Ron and Barbara met through a mutual professional acquaintance.

Ron had reluctantly agreed to meet the man’s boss, expecting someone much different from the woman who stepped out of the car.

Eleven days later, he purchased an engagement ring featuring Barbara’s favorite stone, a Montana teal sapphire. They married approximately 14 months after meeting, with the friend who introduced them serving as their officiant.

Choosing a Different Pace

After they married, Ron and Barbara began looking for property almost immediately.

Both had rural roots, and Ron had grown weary of the traffic, crowds and relentless pace surrounding Washington, D.C.

“For me, it was traffic lights,” he said. “I was done sitting in traffic constantly and dealing with the crush of people.”

They wanted land, privacy, water, and a quieter way of life.

“I don’t mind going 20 miles per hour behind a combine,” Ron said. “But going 60 miles per hour and then locking up your brakes to sit through three cycles of a traffic light is completely insufferable.”

The move has required some adjustment. Barbara still travels frequently for work, and both make regular trips toward Washington. Appointments, shopping, and errands often require more planning than they once did.

Yet those inconveniences feel small compared with what they have gained.

They did not simply purchase a weekend retreat.

“We’ve relocated our whole life,” Barbara said.

They found a new doctor, a pharmacy, trusted tradespeople, familiar faces at local stores, and a church they love.

A Place for Family

Family was part of their plan from the beginning.

When Ron and Barbara searched for land, they intentionally wanted enough property for Ron’s parents to build nearby. His parents eventually moved onto the property before Ron and Barbara settled there full time.

For approximately 14 months, all four shared the original house while the second home was being built. Ron and Barbara were newly married, and there was one bathroom.

Some memories, Ron jokes, have been “blocked.”

Now the arrangement has temporarily reversed. Ron and Barbara are living with his parents while their own home is gutted and renovated.

Their plans include a new kitchen and windows positioned to take advantage of the wide river view that first drew them to the property.  The couple also hopes to add goats or cattle one day. 

But before adding more animals, Barbara wants them to travel. They hope to explore Europe and other parts of the world, with the Northern Neck remaining the home base they return to.

Embraced by the Community

What has surprised Ron and Barbara most is not only the beauty of the land, but the warmth of the people.

They have found that one conversation often leads to a trusted recommendation, a local connection, or someone willing to help. Whether they need a contractor, medical care, or even enough crabs to feed visiting family, someone usually knows someone.

“The entire area has embraced us,” Barbara said. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re at the doctor, the pharmacy, Food Lion, Ace Hardware or just grabbing something to eat. Everyone is so friendly.”

Ron enjoys recognizing the same employees at local stores and continuing a conversation or joke from a previous visit. Even applying for building permits became memorable because county employees were personable and helpful.

That friendliness has given the couple a sense of belonging that cannot be measured in acreage or river frontage.

Their church has also become central to their lives. Through the church and the wider community, they have built relationships with people they trust and can call when a need arises.

Beauty That Points to God

For Barbara, the beauty of the Northern Neck offers something even deeper than peace and quiet.

“It’s hard to believe there’s no God when you walk around the Northern Neck,” she said. “It’s just so evident. I don’t know how you could reconcile the beauty in front of you and not believe in God.”

Ron feels it, too. The river, fields, trees, wildlife, and sunsets force him to slow down and look beyond himself.

“It forces me to stop,” he said. “You walk outside, and you’re just confronted by it almost daily.”

Ron and Barbara have found what they were searching for.  They came looking for land, water, privacy, and relief from traffic lights. They found a place for family, a community that welcomed them, and a landscape that continually reminds them of God.

The Northern Neck is not simply where they purchased property.

 

It is where they chose to build their life.