Drive along most any road or street in town and you’ll see one or more. They will be perched on a mailbox, a utility pole, a tall shrub or a tree limb, and ready to swoop down and nail an unsuspecting insect. They are mockingbirds, one of the most interesting of all backyard birds and one of the best singers on the planet. This time of year, mocking birds stake out their territories, most … [Read more...]
No Fail Brisket
I have never had much luck with briskets. I have cooked them on the grill, I have smoked them, I have slow cooked them in the oven and the best I ever produced was just edible. My briskets have often turned out dry and tough. I see those barbeque shows on TV, salivate over the delicious-looking briskets, but for me, no luck – until this weekend when I decided to put the brisket in my slow cooker. … [Read more...]
Spring Gobbler Harvest Encouraging
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries announced a harvest of 17,929 turkeys during the 2019 spring gobbler season. The 2019 harvest was 11% higher than last year’s harvest. DGIF Turkey Biologist Gary Norman said the harvest was encouraging because reproduction was low in recent years, which would have predicted fewer 2- and 3-year old birds. These age classes typically comprise the … [Read more...]
Virginia Saltwater Action Peaking
Saltwater angling along the mid-Atlantic coast is peaking. Lots of cobias are being sighted along the oceanfront and in the lower bay. The Virginia cobia season opened June 1st with a minimum size limit of 40 inches, a 1 fish per person limit and a 3 fish per vessel maximum. Of the 3 fish, only 1 can be over 50 inches. Cobia will hit just about anything you throw in front of them: live eels, spot, … [Read more...]
Boomers Remember S & H Green Stamps
In today’s world of self-service, it’s hard to conceive that stores would actually give premiums to entice and retain customers. But Boomers clearly remember S & H Green Stamps and a national era of stamp collecting so profound that many people went around with green tongues from licking so many stamps. In the 50’s and 60’s, filling stations not only put gas in your tank, but they also … [Read more...]
White Tailed Blackbird
I have a white-tailed blackbird in my yard. You don’t see many of those, and I wish I didn’t see mine. She’s a grackle, a big thieving grackle that eats my expensive sunflower hearts and she has lots of friends. We noticed this bird a few weeks ago. When she’s pecking around on the ground, it looks like she has just one or two white tail feathers, but when she flies and fans out her tail, half … [Read more...]
Blacksnakes and Copperheads
Last week I ran an article on water snakes written byJ.D. Kleopfer, an expert in snake-ology. Basically, he said there are no cottonmouth moccasins in Central Virginia. They all live near the coast. Yet, everyday someone will see a water snake and swear it was a cottonmouth. Black snakes are another species that are misunderstood. We once had a small cottage on a lake in Greene … [Read more...]
Drum and Grits
By James Friend Dickerson During a recent trip to Manteo, NC, we got skunked on a Cobia fishing trip due to using a small craft during high winds. All was not lost! A friend stopped by the house and gifted us a couple of Puppy Drum - some call it a Drum, Red Fish or Channel Bass, depending on size and location. We call it delicious, whether for breakfast with fried potatoes or for dinner with … [Read more...]
A Drive to Graves Mountain Lodge
Sometimes it’s worth going to a restaurant for the scenery alone. If the food is good, that’s a bonus. Such is the case at Graves Mountain Lodge where the scenery is breathtaking and the food fabulous. Graves Mountain has a storied history. Captain Thomas Graves sailed the “Mary and Margaret” to Jamestown in 1608, and served as a representative in the Virginia Assembly at Jamestown in 1619. In … [Read more...]
A Super Rib Sauce
I had a hankering for ribs over Memorial Day weekend, but I didn’t want to use my typical Carolina BBQ Sauce. I wanted something with a little kick, but I can’t abide the Kraft-type sweet sauces. No matter which one you pick, which brand, they all taste the same - sickeningly sweet and gooey. I had picked out a beautiful rack of baby back ribs when I stumbled on an idea for a sauce. … [Read more...]
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