IT WAS ONLY A MOMENT IN WHAT WOULD BECOME THE LONG WAR. THE INVASION

IT WAS ONLY A MOMENT IN WHAT WOULD BECOME THE LONG WAR. THE INVASION

of Iraq was barely a week old, and Private First Class Joseph Dwyer’s squadron had beaten back a 24-hour barrage of attacks from Saddam’s army. The fighting had just ended on March 25, 2003, when a hysterical cry filled the relative quiet. An Iraqi man ran toward the Americans car­rying a half-naked boy bleeding from an ugly gash in his leg. Dwyer, a 26-year-old medic on his first tour of his first war, saw the terror on the kid’s face. He knew there could be Iraqi soldiers ready to open fire. Still, he dashed out to meet the man, a large website cradled the boy to his barrel chest, and gently carried him to safety.

THEY MET IN ST. LOUIS

Jon’s office with her schedule in purple, Jon’s in blue, and the kids’ in green. They told the boys, “Everyone gets their own room now!” The Piejas explained the “in-home” separa­tion Support Tickets to friends at the golf club and endured the popping eyes and insensitive remarks. They even threw a dinner party, though that turned out to be awkward, as guests whispered in groups in various parts of the house. “It was very weird,” says their friend Amy Petty. “You didn’t know which way to look.” By the end of the evening, all four couples sat at the dining-room table trad­ing small talk. It was vintage Gray Carr: a bold plan for everything.

THE DREAM HOME SITS ON A HILL, WITH A STEEP SLOPE

THE DREAM HOME SITS ON A HILL, WITH A STEEP SLOPE OF

perfect green grass in the front and a golf course in the back. It’s 5,600 square feet, six bedrooms, and four and a half baths, nestled on two and a half acres of verdant countryside amid miles of rolling Virginia scenery filled with thoroughbred horses and cute roads named Over the Dam and Shipmadilly. Posted September 17 Jon Pieja sank a good chunk of his 401 (k) into this house, and it is lovely to behold, throwing a strip of shade over him on a Sunday af­ternoon as he sits on his patio, sips iced tea, and watches the golf carts go by. Gray Carr Pieja slides open the screen door and says her yoga class is starting in the basement. She’s 43 going on 29, capable of making skinny women half her age seem out of shape. Jon, who’s 39, nods and waits for the next golfer to stop by for a beer. He’ll go fishing with their sons later, after he takes a spin on his Harley. This is the life the couple imagined on the day in 2004 when they moved in. RocketTheme Except for one thing: Jon and Gray Carr Pieja filed for divorce over a year ago.

Roast Whisperers

The industry’s innovators are creating coffees that have the complexity of fine wines. Here are the homegrown companies that are redefining how the pick-me-up ought to taste.  Cameras & Camcorders

1             | COUNTER CULTURE COFFEE

Before coffee is transformed into beans, it’s tropi¬cal fruit, and one reason Counter Culture excels is that it treats new-crop coffee like just-harvested produce. The crew behind the Durham, North Carolina, company does its cooking when the so-called coffee cherries are at their seasonal peak—right after they’re picked, dried, and milled. Combine that with direct-trade sourc-ing from the best farms, and just try to go back to the mass-produced stuff. (919-361-5282, counterculturecofifee .com)

2             I STUMPTOWN COFFEE ROASTERS

The indie-roaster superstar Duane Sorenson, the man behind Portland’s Stumptown, Panel LCD Monitor has built a reputation as a cocky, public¬ity-friendly rebel. But he backs up his bluster, dropping more than $100 on occasion for an ex-ceptional pound of beans, auditioning cafe owners who want to serve his goods, and even setting up a charity to provide bikes to Rwandan farmers to make sure they get those precious cherries to the mill in double-quick time. (503-230-7797, stumptoivncoffee .com)

Brew Master

James Freeman, the founder of Blue Bottle Coffee Company, who also runs four cafes in San Francisco, spells out what it takes to achieve a perfect cup—with or without a machine. Q: Free tracks How long are A: They’re best within the week after they’re roasted—as long as you store beans good for? them in an airtight container in your cupboard, not your refrigerator or And how do you freezer.