The Spudnut Coffee Shop The Spudnut Coffee Shop was a Charlottesville institution, at least as famous as Monticello. People of all walks of life flocked to the small cinderblock building on Avon Street each morning to satisfy a craving which only a Spudnut could satisfy. Not long after I moved to Charlottesville, I noticed the new shop and the interesting name. What’s a Spudnut? I … [Read more...]
Blue Jays: My Nut-Aholics
I was out and about last week, stocking up on birdseed with 3-inches of snow and ice still clinging to the grass in my yard. I always have sunflower hearts and premium birdseed from Sam’s Club, but I bought a 5-pound bag of nuts and berries as a special treat for my mockingbirds, woodpeckers, titmice, and blue jays. I have a small gang of blue jays, maybe 5 or 6 birds, and they know somehow … [Read more...]
Signs of Our Times
Timberwood Grill
It’s been a while since we last ate at Timberwood Grill at Hollymead. There are so many restaurant choices these days that it takes a while to make the rounds, but a group of us decided to spend last Saturday night at Timberwood’s. I was most disappointed. The server was marginal at best and the food not up to snuff. It may have been partly my fault, because I usually order a sandwich or a … [Read more...]
Toys of My Life
Toy Soldiers One of the great toys of my life was a set of toy soldiers my Daddy gave me when I was about 7 or 8. Daddy was an FBI agent and was often away from home, usually just 2 or 3 days, but on one occasion he was gone for a couple of weeks. I was thrilled to see him when he finally came home, but he brought me a special present, a set of lead WWII toy soldiers. There were about a … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Spareribs
“Daddy! You’ve got to try this recipe. We used short ribs and they were the best I’ve ever tasted!” That was an email I got from my daughter, Angelin, after she and her husband Brent had just wolfed down every morsel from this Slow Cooker Ribs recipe out of Taste of Home. I think what makes them so good is both the tenderness from slow cooking and the sauce made with a … [Read more...]
Black Sea Bass
Over the years, I had caught a number of black sea bass, but nothing larger than 7 or 8-inches, most smaller. They were bait stealers as far as I was concerned. When we fished for flounder at Chincoteague, the little black devils were quick to steal a prime, live minnow. My opinions of black sea bass changed dramatically on an offshore trip out of Topsail, NC when our guide put us on a school … [Read more...]
Cereal Boxes and Prizes
I poured myself a bowl of cereal the other day and immediately turned the box around to read the back cover. Instead of a puzzle, a game, or the adventures of some cartoon character, I read only about fiber, saturated fats, calories, various vitamins, niacins, calciums and sugar content. According to the backs of modern boxes, cereals today are heart-healthy, gluten free, whole grain, nutrient … [Read more...]
Old Businesses of Charlottesville
Anderson’s Seafood They were some of the nicest people in the world. The Anderson family, and they brought fresh seafood to Charlottesville. I remember way back, when Mr. and Mrs. Anderson and occasionally a few of their children would set up a tent on a Friday afternoon beside what was Hardy’s at the intersection of Rt. 29 and Rio Road. I often stopped by to poke around in one of his … [Read more...]
Garlic/Ranch Pretzels
Pretzels are good, but Garlic/Ranch Pretzels are better. In fact, they are addictive. We received a gift box of theses scrumptious snacks for Christmas, and they were so good I decided to try my hand at a batch. I knocked it out of the park. As a snack, pretzels are a far better choice than chips with fewer calories and far less saturated fat. Homemade pretzels are a real treat, but I decided … [Read more...]
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