In the earlier years of TV, there were some mega-hits. Shows that everybody watched, with huge ratings. Shows like Gunsmoke, MASH, Get Smart, Dallas, Ozzie and Harriet, and Bonanza. But the very first mega-show was I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball, Desi Arnez, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. Lucile Ball was a glamour actress in her early years and played dramatic parts. Then she married Desi, … [Read more...]
Eating Amish Fried Chicken
One thing I wanted to do for sure during our visit to Lancaster County was to pull up a chair at a dinner table spread with Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Years ago, I had attended such a feast and I was ready to eat my way through one again. There are dozens of dozens of genuine Amish-style restaurants in Lancaster County, but we chose one near our cottage – Miller’s at 11 Lincoln Highway East in … [Read more...]
How to Access Cville Buzz
I had a reader ask me recently about an article I had published, and I found it and sent it to him. But readers of Cville Buzz can actually go back and access any article I have published in the last 8 years. I often do it myself to get an old recipe. To do this (I don’t think it works with an iPhone), go to CvilleBuzz.com on your computer and at the bottom of the page you will see categories - … [Read more...]
The Fly That Changed My Life
When I moved to Charlottesville in 1967, I had done some fly fishing, but nothing serious. I had caught some smallmouth and redeyes on a popping bug in the Greenbrier River and I frequently put a worm on a hook at the end of my fly rod and caught stocked trout. But I never had any luck catching trout on a genuine trout fly. That is, until I met Chuck Kraft. Chuck ran a sport’s shop in the … [Read more...]
The Beauty of Belize
Belize? Now we’re talking. Low country, pearl white beaches, pure tropical beauty. The Hilton Head Island of the Caribbean. Hundreds of islands guard the nation of Belize on the eastern coast of Central America, with Caribbean Sea shorelines to the east and dense jungles to the west. The jungles of Belize were homes to the Mayans – early terrorists. It seems that everywhere the Mayans went, … [Read more...]
Remembering the Old Christmas Specials
One thing I dearly miss from our Boomer years is a December full of great Christmas specials on TV. This was entertainment at its finest – top stars, top acts, great music, great comedy, and classic cartoons. In the 1950’s and 60’s, variety shows dominated the airwaves. Singers with top hits appeared regularly and comedians like Bob Newhart and Jonathan Winters left us in stitches … [Read more...]
Southern Fried Bluegills
I was raised on Southern Fried Bluegills. My native state of North Carolina has more farm ponds per acre than any other state in the union and each and every one had a bountiful population of bluegills, or “brim’ as they are called in the South. Most every Friday night, my Carolina relatives feasted on Fried Bluegills, Fried Cornbread, sweet Cole Slaw, a skillet full of Fried Potatoes and Onions. … [Read more...]
A Lazy River Float
After our wonderful tour at the bird sanctuary, we decided we were up for one more activity so long as it wasn’t strenuous, and no snorkels were involved. Our terrific guide, Omar (pontimetours@yahoo.com) said he had just the thing in mind – a bamboo raft float down the Great River, Jamaica’s longest waterway. He said the river flowed so slowly this time of year, that you could walk faster than a … [Read more...]
Remembering School Lunches
By Sherman Shifflett (ed. Note: My good friend, the late Sherman Shifflett, sent me this article back in 2019, and it’s worth reprinting) There were 11 children in my family and mom said I was the only one who did not like peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches. It didn’t make sense because I like peanuts and I like grape jelly. Go figure. But Mom mixed things up and we seldom … [Read more...]
A Wadcutter Bullet for Show and Tell
This story just goes to show how mightily things have changed from the 1950s to the world we live in today. I was in fourth grade, and it was nearing the end of the year. For eight months we had been doing Show and Tell every Monday morning, and now we were truly running out of good ideas. One kid brought in a comb with a few teeth missing he had found in a trash can and … [Read more...]