Meet Your Neighbors: Shiny Happy People

One thing about people from Reston: They love mauve. Also, they stay busy-- or at least busy enough to provide for the local newspapers touching tales about the Human Struggle, or maybe determination, or another one of those terms you see at the bottom of all the inspiring posters in your sales manager's office.

Take 60 years young Ken Stringer, who was one of three Fairfax County residents who climbed Mount Aconcaqua in Argentina, which the article tells us is "the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas."

Tom Hughes, 51, of Vienna, Bob Gaskins, 41, of Chantilly and Ken Stringer, 60, of Reston, flew to the state of Mendoza in Argentina on Jan. 16 to tackle the eight-day climb to the summit, which peaks at 22,841 feet. Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on earth, measures 29,028 feet.

The trio had previously tackled Mount Rainier in Washington state in 2004. While that peak reaches 14,410 feet, Hughes said Rainier is technically a bit more difficult than Aconcagua. Rainier is additionally much colder throughout the entire climb. While the peak of Aconcagua was covered in snow, the base of the mountain was enjoying an Argentinian summer.

“It was a big change within two days, you didn't know what you were going to be wearing from one minute to the next,” Hughes said. “We started out in shorts and short-sleeved shirts ... and by the time we got to the high mountain we were wearing big thick down coats.

From that brave tale of layering, we move on to someone you'd expect to see during the weather cutaways on the Today Show, not Reston: 100 years young Hazel Loney, four generations of whose family now call Reston home.

Hazel Loney moved to Reston from California two years ago to be closer to her daughter, Carol Bley, her granddaughter Betty Bley and her great-granddaughter, Betty's daughter Mackenzie MacDonald. The four women all share red hair and a love of music.

Then they'd all probably like the members of Laidback, a rock-and-roll combo that calls Reston home:

It’s hard not to love a band that pays musical tribute to Chuck Norris.

Sweet!

Laidback is just such a band, building and mixing rhythms and patterns in an organized but energetic way, making every song – including the aforementioned track “Chuck Norris” – sound like it came from a jam-session-meets-recording-session. The Reston-based group’s sound is vaguely reminiscent of earlier Dave Matthews Band, but happily the vibe is more “get up and dance” than “go make out in the corner.” Laidback tours around the mid-Atlantic, but keeps a home date the first Friday every month at Carpool, 208 Elden St., Herndon. Their next show is Friday, March 7.

Laidback is a Reston-based band consisting of 5 members: Brett Whitson - Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar; Brian Raubacher - Lead Guitar/Vocals; Garrett Wilhelm – Drums; Brad Hodson - Bass Guitar; Dave Adams - Percussion/Vocals

Tragically, the newspaper article neglected to say just how many years young any of them were.