Mama Ida was a second mother to me. When my father was shot down and killed over Burma in WW II just a few days before I was born, my young mother went home from the hospital broken hearted and most distressed. Her mother, Mama Ida, pitched in and cared for me like her own son. In fact, she was the first I called “Mama”, but they quickly changed that to Mama Ida. My wonderful, sweet … [Read more...]
A Nag’s Head Breakfast
When Nancy and I find our way down to our favorite ocean front condo at Nag’s Head, we always enjoy a huge eat-in breakfast. On occasion, we’ll go out and squeeze into a booth at Sam and Omie’s. They have the best breakfasts on the beach – next to mine, that is. Nancy and I typically have a fresh melon, cheese grits, eggs over easy, toast and – yes – Spencer’s Sausage. Spicy, rich, … [Read more...]
KFC Coleslaw
I did a big pork shoulder last week. It was 98c a pound and I had the hungries for BBQ. I cooked the beast at 290 in the oven all day and it was falling off the bone tender. Everybody this side of Lexington, NC knows that coleslaw is vital in a good BBQ sandwich. Nancy makes good coleslaw, and I can hold my own, but the very best coleslaw comes from the Colonel. I pulled into the KFC … [Read more...]
Wow! A Painted Bunting!
Photo by Gary Youngblood Every morning, we amateur birders look out our windows in hopes of seeing a unique bird at one of our feeders. Not that there is anything wrong with our regular visitors, but to catch sight of a cedar waxwing or a red breasted grosbeak every now and then is nothing less than exciting. But imagine, if you can. taking a sip of morning coffee, … [Read more...]
Piedmont Power: Good Service, Good Prices
My kids gave me an electric mower last summer. My old gas mower was wobbling along on 3 wheels. Sometimes it started, sometimes it didn’t. The new mower was mouse-like quiet, light at as hair spray and did a great job. Except, it was a push mower and I have a heavy stand of zoysia grass in my front yard and pushing even that light mower was like pulling a red wagon through a 6-inch … [Read more...]
Our First Hummers
It seems our hummingbirds show up later and later each summer. We used to have a few flitting around our sugar feeders in May, sometimes April. But in recent years, they arrive later. In this case, almost July. We saw one this week. I had seen one across town the week before. Other birders have told me they are just starting to show up. You can understand how the little fellows … [Read more...]
Tournament Winner “Marlin Maniac”
The 18th AnnualVirginia Beach Tuna Tournament took place over the weekend. Over one hundred teams competed for more than $290,000 in prize money. MARLIN MANIAC took first place at 258.3 pounds, LULU finished runner up at 222.4 and third went to LORIEV at 173 pounds. Virginia Beach’s blue water action is getting better by the day with white marlin, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, wahoo, … [Read more...]
Gasoline: Take a Number
Know what’s worse than having to pay $5 or $6 for a gallon of gas? Not being able to buy gas at any price. There are many of us who remember when we couldn’t. It was called a Gasoline Shortage. Between about 1975 and 1980, gas was strictly rationed in this country. The shortage began in the Nixon years when OPEC decided to shut off the pipeline. When Americans sensed there … [Read more...]
High Temperature Eye of Round Roast
Eye of round roasts are one of those entrées we just don’t serve enough. They are quite inexpensive when compared to a rib roast, but unless you have a big family or company coming, I always felt that a roast like that was too much for a family of two. I now disagree with myself. They are perfect, even for just the two of us. I wanted some roast beef and saw an eye of round, about … [Read more...]
Billy Bull’s First Fish
I remember my first fish. It was a stubby little bluegill caught in a farm pond near my hometown of Raleigh. My resident bullfrog, Billy Bull, also caught his first fish and it may have been bigger than my first bluegill. I was feeding Billy some meal worms on a recent afternoon during cocktail hour. He had seen me sit down and moseyed his way over, knowing there were snacks at hand. … [Read more...]
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