You had to have been from the Deep South to have even once heard of Cracker Salad. It’s a true Southern delicacy often enjoyed at Church Picnics, Funerals, Weddings and Potluck gatherings. I remember it as being one of the first-to-go side dishes at Family Reunions. This is an effortless dish that combines the sweetness of fresh tomatoes with the crunchy, salty goodness of Saltines. A good way … [Read more...]
Hot Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay
If there is such a thing as a fishing hotspot, it’s the Chesapeake Bay. Everything is biting, even the newly arrived spadefish – like the giant shown above caught at the Chesapeake Light Tower. Cobia reports are increasing in the bay, with the lower bay and oceanfront, claiming most of the action. Red drum fishing has been non-stop with some big black drum in the mix. Catches of … [Read more...]
Crappies: Catch a Bunch
There was once a theory at the Game Department that crappie populations and sizes were cyclical. One year, there would be a pond or lake with huge crappie, then gradually, the sizes would lessen and the numbers would increase as the fish became stunted. Then, the stunted fish would die out, and with fewer crappie, the sizes once again increased. If memory serves, it was about a 7-year cycle. I … [Read more...]
Sgt. Dawson
It’s funny how things or people from the past pop into your mind. Last week, an incident happened to me that triggered such a memory. I didn’t have a paring knife that would slice warm butter and I like to tinker around the kitchen. By gum, I thought, I am going to go buy myself a sharp knife. So, I went to Home Goods and tracked down the meanest, scariest looking knife on the rack. Jack the … [Read more...]
The Lovely Amaryllis
My good friend Hal Hurka gave us an Amaryllis bulb last year as a thank you gift for some Lenten roses we gave him. Nancy planted the bulb, and it bloomed the first year with two flowers. A week ago, it bloomed again with three flowers, and it is the epitome of beautiful – delicate, graceful, and inviting. It transformed our porch into an art gallery. In some places called an Easter lily, … [Read more...]
Cordless, Electric Pruning Shears
My wife Nancy enjoys working in the yard – which has relieved me of many things I definitely do not enjoy. I mow the grass, piddle in the garden, suck up leaves in the fall and that’s about it. Nancy, though, will get out the weed-eater and trim up my work, she has about a hundred pots with flowers, three garden beds and she keeps our goldfish pond in pristine condition. For her, yard work is … [Read more...]
Ground Pork Patties
I enjoy ground pork – not ground sausage, just plain old pork that’s been chopped up. You can use it in lots of recipes, but I enjoy it in patties – like burgers. I bought a pound recently. It’s cheap, like four of five bucks and I figured I would decide later how to cook it. I decided on pork patties, but that night when I looked for the saltines which I use as a filler, we were out. Then I … [Read more...]
Maryland Twerps
We got a bill in the mail yesterday saying we owed the state of Maryland $21.49 for having the audacity to drive on one of their roads. Back in May, we drove to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania to see the play, Noah’s Ark. Our GPS Lady – who is now on double secret probation - suggested a route that took us through most of Northern Virginia, half of D.C. and then through Maryland by way of … [Read more...]
Checking Out the Freezer
It was the summer of 1973 and we had made close friends with Donald and Janice Ramirez from church. We ate at each other’s house, went out to eat together and had kids about the same age. It was destined to be a great friendship. They had even asked us to watch over their house in Woodbrook while they spent a week with family back in New Orleans. “I’d be delighted to feed the fish and the cats … [Read more...]
“Gill Time
At Lake Orange, the bluegills and shellcrackers are biting most anything put in front of them. Popping bugs have been especially effective. Elsewhere, recent rains have cooled Virginia waters, causing the fish to be on the move. Mid-depth docks have been hot spots for bass, crappie, and bluegills. Anna stripers are hitting live bait rigged on down lines. Trolling with deep plugs is also … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- …
- 441
- Next Page »