(This is the seventh in a series of growing up in Lewisburg, West Virginia in the 1950’s, perhaps the greatest town and in the best time to grow up that a young man could ever ask for.) Lewisburg was a Mecca for young bikers. Other than Washington Street, a fairly steep incline, most streets were level or close to it. We went everywhere on our bikes - in traffic and along the back … [Read more...]
Plant For The Butterflies
Besides bluebirds, the most welcomed guests in my backyard are Monarch butterflies. They are like miniature, fine-art paintings flitting from bush to bush and flower to flower. They are magnificent creatures and they are threatened. Their fiercest enemies happen to be human beings, who are rapidly destroying meadows and the milkweed plants that Monarchs must have in order to survive. One of my … [Read more...]
Basnight’s in Nags Head
Many of us are now making, or have already made, plans for a summer vacation and Nags Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a popular destination. Nancy and I like Nags Head because it’s more of a family beach, than the much-commercialized Virginia Beach. There are scads of things to do, the fishing is usually excellent and the food – ahhh, the food. There are some exceptional restaurants … [Read more...]
Meadowcreek in Prime Condition
Most larger cities have a municipal golf course or two, but few have one to rival the overall quality of Meadowcreek Golf Course here in Charlottesville. My golf amigos and I teed it up at Meadowcreek last Wednesday and the course is in excellent shape as it prepares to host the City Championship in a few more weeks. But the best part? We played our round in just over three hours. That makes … [Read more...]
Starting Plants in Plastic Cups
Nancy loves to can pickles. Well, I’m not sure if she loves to can them but I know everybody in my family loves to eat her sweet, crunchy homemade pickles. My wife has a work-out friend at the gym that in seasons past has grown enough cucumbers to supply the Vlasic Company. Really. She has a big garden supplemented with lots of manure and it’s been all-we-want cukes from her plot for at … [Read more...]
Company’s Coming: Make it Tenderloin Tails
Company’s coming. What to have? You want to have something special, but you would also not like to be confined to the kitchen while preparing an elaborate entrée. Twice in the past few months we’ve faced this scenario and twice we have served Tenderloin Tails – a delicious and versatile choice. The first company dinner, two guests were coming and we thought about a prime rib. But … [Read more...]
Blue Grosbeaks
I’ve had some surprise visitors in my back yard this spring – a flock of cedar waxwings and then a pair of male Indigo Buntings. Sue Overton in Waynesboro one-upped me with a pair of Blue Grosbeaks that hung around her yard for a couple days. Blue Grosbeak sightings are usually few and far between. I have had Rose Breasted Grosbeaks pay my yard a visit on occasion, but never their blue … [Read more...]
Muddy Waters
Just as fishing was turning on, the heavens opened this week, turning rivers into chocolate. Before the rains, here’s what was happening. Rappahannock River Like all rivers in Northern Virginia, high and muddy water is on the menu for the weekend. Big blue catfish have been taking cut shad fished on the bottom and the outside bends of the river. Creek channels are also holding lots … [Read more...]
Virginia Saltwater
Many of our spring species have found their way to the Chesapeake Bay and our coastal waters. The tautog action is still good and should remain so through the close of the season. The Tog season closes from May 16 thru June 30. Red and black drum are here in numbers and fishing for them should continue to improve over the next few weeks. Fishing fresh crabs, clams or live bait produces the best … [Read more...]
Phone A Friend
(This is the sixth in a series of growing up in Lewisburg, West Virginia, perhaps the greatest town and in the best time to grow up that a young man could ever ask for.) Not long after we moved into our house on Court Street in Lewisburg, WV, the phone man arrived and set up our line. Remember, this was 1955, before cell phones and apps, before touch-tone phones, even before … [Read more...]
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