Mrs. Reed's husband, Chris, often joins the hunt. An engineer who commutes to Alexandria, Mr. Reed says his coworkers seem perplexed when he tells them what he does. You tell them you do bassetting. Last Sunday the rabbits pitch a shutout. He later speculates that the previous night's full moon, when rabbits apparently run wild, has the critters hunkered down and unwilling to run.
Members shrug off the lack of rabbit sightings.
I love the hounds. They're great and they seem to be happy. They do what they were bred to do - not being couch potatoes. The Sunday hunts prove a social outing, both during the hunt and especially at the post-hunt gatherings. Following Sunday's hunt, the spectators move to the home of Col. and Mrs. R.S. Riddell for cider, coffee, cake and sandwiches.