There were so many cars backed up on Rt. 151 that Critzer Family Farm in Nelson County had to open their gates a half-hour early. Folks had come early and were lined up to pick strawberries. Nancy and I came to gather enough berries to make her world-famous Strawberry Jam and we worried that all those folks ahead of us would mow down all the strawberries before we got there. But not to worry, the … [Read more...]

  It’s come full circle. The man who most influenced my love of fly fishing (and subsequent careers as a sport shop owner and outdoor writer) has now touched the life of Laura, my fly-fishing daughter. In the late 60’s and early 70’s, fly shops were as scarce as possums that looked both ways before crossing a road. Yet, that’s when I caught a severe case of fly fishing and fly-tying … [Read more...]

Nancy was looking for a plant called Showy Pink Evening Primrose. She had one before and really loved it, but the squirrels battered it to death as they insisted on digging up any and all the dirt in the poor plant’s pot. She has since discovered that if you put Blood Meal in a pot, the squirrels will leave it alone, so she wanted to try again. We checked with nearly every plant shop and … [Read more...]

  Nancy and I have been married a long time. Claudius was Emperor of Rome when we tied the knot. We have long passed the Gold and Diamond Anniversaries and are now in the Moon Rocks of Venus category – and Andrew Minton Jewelry has sold out of Venusian Moon Rock Rings. So, for this year’s anniversary we’re going to Jamaica, Mon’. I didn’t know much about Jamaica except it’s warm, even … [Read more...]

  It is Virginia’s finest trout stream. Period. Not only is the stream heavily and frequently stocked, but it also has a large population of native and holdover fish including some alligator sized browns. So, it’s probably difficult to access with all those trout? Not in the least. In fact, it is one of the most easy-to-fish streams in the Commonwealth with miles and miles of fishable … [Read more...]

There are a zillion wineries in Virginia. Maybe not a zillion, but at least a million. They are everywhere, especially in the Shenandoah Valley where grape vines truly thrive. One of our favorite pastimes is to visit a winery on a lazy Sunday afternoon, especially when Jimmy O is strumming his guitar, as he did last weekend at White Oak Lavender Farm. & The Purple Wolf Vineyard. The drive over … [Read more...]

    Fish, that’s what, and maybe crab a little. Still, you can’t fish every waking hour, though I’d like to try some day. But there are lots of other things to do and see in Deltaville. For starters, there is The Deltaville Maritime Museum and Holly Point Nature Park, home to the Nationally registered historic boat, the F.D. Crockett. Situated on 36 acres crossing both the … [Read more...]

Too bad I don’t have an editor. I’m the first and last one to look at my articles and sometimes I go to sleep at the wheel. Like last week. I said in my article on the Ark Encounter that Williamstown, KY was 665 miles from Charlottesville. It’s not. It’s about 465 miles. But I was correct that it takes about 8 hours to get there. 465 miles is still a ‘fer piece. I also gave credit to Daniel … [Read more...]

  In the Disney TV series on Dan’l Boone, Fess Parker spoke with a rural, Kentucky drawl. He said words like “Kilt him a ba’ar when he was only three.” The King of the Wild Frontier also said “a ‘fer piece” meaning a long way off. He was talking about driving from Charlottesville to Williamstown, which is indeed a ‘fer piece. The GPS lady said it was 692 miles and she was dead on. But … [Read more...]

I wrote recently about Spencer Sausage which I find on the Outer Banks and in Eastern North Carolina. It is good stuff. But there is another excellent sausage from down that way. When we were in Nags Head, I went to Food Lion and they no longer carried Spencer Sausage, but  they had a brand called Bass Farm Sausage. It looked good and I bought a package of 8 link sausages. Later, though, I found … [Read more...]