Canada geese waddle across the neatly manicured lawns of Holman Hall, interrupted every so often by others taking off and landing in waves. My knock brings enthusiastic barking from within, and moments later Manley Johnson happily welcomes me. We walk through elegant hallways before we settle in front of a warm fire at the back of the house. A wall of floor to ceiling windows draws our eyes to the rolling Virginia countryside.

A smiling Mary Johnson joins us and we settle back to talk about what brought the Johnson's to Upperville and how they want to make a difference.

"We both grew up in Troy, Alabama, a college town of about 15,000," Manley says.

"We were high school sweethearts," Mary adds as they exchange a smile.

Later, in Tallahassee, Florida, Mary taught art at the local high school while Manley finished his PhD. They moved to McLean, Virginia, in 1977 when Manley became a professor of economics at George Mason University.

"I'd always wanted to live in Virginia, since I was a kid. Some of my forebears were Byrd family members," Manley explains. "But, it took us a few years to be able to move out here. The commute to Washington would have been too long, and our kids, Marshall and Merritt, wanted to stay close to friends."

"We came out to the Piedmont on weekends," adds Mary. "The beauty of the land and the sporting culture kept drawing us to the area."

Manley's career demanded long hours in increasingly demanding jobs. President Reagan appointed him, at 32, Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at Treasury where he served for five years. Next, he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve for another five years. Upon leaving the Fed, he returned to George Mason to take the Koch Chair in International Economics. At the same time, he began consulting.

In 1990, he joined forces with David Smick, a former Capitol Hill staff director and author of a current financial best seller, The World is Curved, to form economic consulting firm Johnson Smick International (JSI). Over the last 18 years the firm has successfully expanded into investing as well, and publishes a policy magazine called The International Economy. JSI also founded the G7 Council, a foundation that has staged conferences for heads of state and senior level policy makers all over the world.

Mary "was there for the children, and I did my best to keep our lives organized," she says with a knowing grin. "When we began building this house in 1997.... that took up three years of my life. We lived in the stable when we came out on the weekends to check on the progress."

"It was a labor of love to get it built," says Manley. "We are so glad we came to Upperville. There's a real sense of community here. We lived all those years in McLean and never really felt the same sense of community. Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful! Just not like out here. We love the people, the land and the culture here. So, naturally we want to help preserve it."

Two years ago, the Johnsons put their property, all 150 acres of it, in a conservation easement with the Virginia Outdoor Foundation.

"We have something really special in the Piedmont, and it needs to be protected. Residents have a wonderful opportunity to help with that. There is a spirit of working together. Some large tracts have been bought by groups of property owners banding together to protect scenic landscapes from development. A lot has to do with those who love to fox hunt, but plenty of people who don't hunt support keeping the land open and this culture alive.

"I rode occasionally as a boy and in college, but I only started riding seriously five years ago. There is nothing more exhilarating than riding with the hunt. I jumped out of airplanes in the Special Forces, but charging across a field on horseback, watching the hounds in pursuit, is one of the most exhilarating experiences of all."

I suggest he is very brave to start a sport like fox hunting this late in life.

"Brave or stupid," Mary posits with a laugh. Manley is still recovering from a broken clavicle he sustained going over a jump last month.

Now serving as Chairman of the National Sporting Library, Manley says, "The Library was founded by George Ohrstrom, Sr. and Alexander MacKay-Smith in 1954. Then George Ohrstom Jr. significantly spurred the expansion until his death in 2005. The collection started in the basement of The Chronicle of the Horse, then moved to the newly constructed carriage house library facility in 1999. As paintings, sculptures and artifacts were donated, quarters became too small. Now, plans for a new, larger sporting art museum are almost complete. We've raised the construction funds and have started the bidding process for a contractor. Fundraising for the operations side is continuing. Ultimately, the Board envisions visiting exhibitions from all over the world, with academic symposia supported by research from the library."

Manley is also President of the Upperville Colt and Horse Show (UCHS). "Since 1853 UCHS has been run on the same ground. For 155 years landowners such as Bob Smith and Shelby Bonnie have freely leased their land to run the Show. Tommy Lee Jones manages it, staging the event with the help of show secretary Ginny McCarty and a troop of volunteers. The Board meets all year just to plan this one-week event. People come to compete from all over the world. This year we had over 1,650 entries. It is very important economically to the surrounding towns. And for the last two years, the National Show Hunters Association voted us the Horse Show of the Year."

So what's next?

Another smile and a shared glance between the two.

"We're committed to preserving the Piedmont's land, history and sporting traditions for future generations," says Manley.

Nodding, Mary adds, "We'll just keep working at it."