One of Virginia’s former great seafood restaurants is now out of business with no hope of recovery. Lowery’s Seafood Restaurant in Tappahannock has closed its doors for good. Years ago, I was headed to the Northern Neck and a fishing trip out of Lewisetta. A friend suggested that I stop in Tappahannock on my way and eat at Lowery’s if I was hungry. As it turned out, I went … [Read more...]

  By Sherman Shifflett   Most of us have places we would like to visit, but never got around to it. One of mine was the Cass RR in West Virginia. Finally, Ava Pippin and I made it happen on Thursday, July 1, 2021. Friends said we could go over there and back in a day, but it is a three-hour drive from where I live in eastern Louisa County (near Cuckoo), plus a four-hour train … [Read more...]

Everybody knows about the “blind spot” in their car – the view from the back left rear where a car may be between the side rearview mirror and the actual view outside the car window to the left. Always look back and check is the rule of thumb. But there is another blind spot that may be even more dangerous and because of it, I came within inches of typing my last article. I was in Ruckersville … [Read more...]

  Last week I wrote about the corn maze at Liberty Mills Farm, the largest in the nation at 32 acres. Last weekend, on a beautiful September day, Nancy and I decided to take a Sunday afternoon drive out to the sprawling farm near Somerset, but we decided in advance that we would let others do the corn-maze thing. Liberty has three mazes, the big one takes two hours (if you’re lucky), the middle … [Read more...]

Last Sunday, Nancy and I decided to celebrate Father’s Day with a Sunday Drive to the Shenandoah Valley. Nancy deviled some eggs and we stopped by the Colonel’s and picked up a bucket of Fried Chicken and we were off to Bridgewater. Why Bridgewater? Because not far from this small college town is one of the most bucolic places I’ve ever seen. We discovered it on a random trip we made last year … [Read more...]

By Sherman Shifflett Looking for a place in the mountains to get away for a few days?  A place to kick back and enjoy good food and scenic views? Well, there's a quaint place right here in Central Virginia and apparently, it is not a secret. On Friday, February 14, 2020, Ava and I decided to celebrate Valentine's Day at Lydia Mountain Lodge in Greene County, a few miles west of Stanardsville, … [Read more...]

  A few weeks back I did a piece on Planning a Trip to Hawaii and in it, I highly endorsed Robin Norell, an Accredited Cruise Counselor and Certified Travel Associate. She is extremely professional and thorough.  When you travel on a Robin-designed tour, it’s like having her in the suitcase. She handles every detail. But I think I put the wrong contact information in the article. She is … [Read more...]

  Nancy wanted to go to the State Fair and I had run out of excuses. The last time we went, it was at the old fairgrounds. We had to wait an hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic to negotiate the last mile. By the time we parked, I was ready to go home. Now, the State Fair is held at its new location at Doswell, but I feared the worst. As it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised. Whoever is … [Read more...]