We finally arrived in Mexico. The reason I know this is that they had policemen on the docks when our 1,100-foot craft squeezed into port early Wednesday morning. I know very little about Costa Maya except it’s in the Yucatan and the Mayans trashed this place, too. Ruined almost everything except the beautiful beaches and waters of deep turquoise. Being in Mexico, I try to keep one … [Read more...]
A Winter Wander-land at Boar’s Head
Each year, the Brewer’s, the Branch’s, and the Craig’s get together at Christmastime. We chose the Boar’s Head this year where we dined in the Mill Room (The NY Strip was exceptional) and then enjoyed the Winter Wander-land and all the Christmas Lights and decorations. This was my first visit to the display, and it was well worth the $20 to attend. The brightly lit holiday trail is … [Read more...]
Little San Francisco
Charlottesville is not yet in the same class as San Francisco as far as the prevalence of street junkies, filth, and drugs, but Mr. Jefferson’s town is making progress. Where there once was an historically significant statue of one of the greatest military generals of all time, there is now a cluster of tents in a city park. The newly hired City Manager, Sam Sanders, removed the park’s 11 p.m. … [Read more...]
The Violin Panhandler
Charlottesville has emerged as one of the top cities in the country for beggars. On nearly every major corner and intersection, there is a panhandler with a cardboard sign saying, “Homeless. Anything helps. God bless.” It must be working because they are at it every day. One guy on the corner near Kroger’s Rio Hill should be paying rent. Flanking the healthy looking 35-year-old were multiple … [Read more...]
Aldi’s Continues to Impress
I am now one of Aldi’s staunchest supporters and admirers. They continue to amaze me with the quality of their products and their low prices. In recent times, several grocery products have exploded in price. Cereal, for one. A box of Cheerios at Kroger’s is $4.29. Not a giant size - the regular 9-oz, box. I bought a 20-oz. box of the Aldi’s brand of Crispy Oats last week for $2.45 – twice as … [Read more...]
Letters, We Get Letters
Letters, We Get Letters We get lots and lots of letters Dear, Perry, would you be so kind To fill a request and sing the songs we love best Geezers will recognize the lyrics above as a theme song for the Perry Como Show where he sang requested songs. Perry got lots and lots of letters, but us? Not so much. Recently, there has been a rash of thievery, mostly … [Read more...]
“Hosta” La Vista, Baby
Hostas are hardy perennials that require almost no special attention and are perfect for a garden that doesn’t get too much sun. Reliable and easy to grow, hostas are long-lived—and may even outlive the gardener. Except. Hostas are a favorite target of deer and rabbits, and with all the deer around, hostas very seldom get the opportunity to bloom. They get eaten, first. But not our … [Read more...]
Pretty Good Cantaloupes
Buying a cantaloupe is like playing blackjack at Vegas. Sometimes you win, but more often you lose. Your store-bought cantaloupe sucks. Steve Caylor says you can ripen any cantaloupe by putting it in a paper bag for a few days, but I can never plan that far ahead. Recently, however, I have been on a hot streak as far as picking out tasty melons. I have found that the gnarly-looking … [Read more...]
Full Moons Arising
We spent a good bit of the time at the beach and along the pools of our hotel. We wore modest bathing gear, for sure, but many didn’t. There were quite a few, how shall we say, plus-size ladies and their swimwear left little to the imagination. Try as you may, no matter where you looked there were large and mostly bare derrieres. Forrest Gump would refer to them as large buttocks. They were big … [Read more...]
Bodo’s: An Excellent Choice
I happened to be in the parking lot behind Bodo’s on Preston Avenue this week and could see in the back of the restaurant where all the workers were busy assembling and serving up the famous Bodo’s Bagels. It was like watching a symphony. Each worker moved quickly and precisely to and from their stations. One delivered a fresh batch of bagels from the oven while another sliced the bagels and … [Read more...]