Looks like the Shenandoah is the spot for smallmouth these days. Water quality has been a bug-a-boo for the scenic Valley river but recent upgrades to runoff and pollution are paying off. Bryce Davis and John Savides from Afton took a float on the Shenandoah and put 50 in the boat, including nice smallies like the one pictured above. The river was a bit high and slightly stained and flashy … [Read more...]
The Family Car
It was the family car, and really a member of the family. It was the only “car member” of the family because most Boomer families in the 1950s and 1960s only had one car. Moms stayed home as a rule and dads drove the only car to work, or if mom had some shopping or errands to run, she dropped off dad and picked him up after work. Kids either walked or rode their bikes to school. The kids in the … [Read more...]
Sticker Shock at McDonald’s
When I was in college, McDonald’s hamburgers were 15c each. On a Sunday afternoon, I’d order 4, get a coke and some French fries and get change back from a dollar bill. Times have changed. Today (though prices vary from store to store) a Big Mac, Large Coke and Large Fries will set you back about $12.50. Add a buck and a quarter for Meal’s Tax and the total is now $14. If you are feeding a … [Read more...]
Corn Dog Muffins
The best Corn Dogs I have ever eaten came from a small stand just outside the grand-stand entrance to the West Virginia State Fair. Over the years, I made it a point to order one (or two) every time I went. These weren’t frozen, micro-waved Corn Dogs. They deep-fried them on the spot and sometimes there was quite a line waiting. But it was worth the wait for the piping hot, sweet, delicious … [Read more...]
Birds of a Feather
Not only do they flock together, they feed together. All of them. At the same time. My passion is watching birds, sometimes from the kitchen window and sometimes from my vantage point in a lawn chair in the back yard. One thing I have noticed is that all the birds seem to feed at the same time. You’ll see bunches of birds – cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, finches, and the like, then they will … [Read more...]
A Beautiful Road Trip for Golfers
Fellow Cville golfers. Tired of the same old, same old? Want to get out of your rut and play one of the most pristine golf courses on the Eastern Coast? Let me suggest a road trip to Lewisburg, WV, and a round at the Lewisburg Elks Country Club. I played there last week with my brother, Charlie and was thoroughly captivated by its beauty. There were gorgeous wildflowers in the rough bordering the … [Read more...]
Project Greek Island
My Dad joined the FBI in 1948, and after brief stints in Seattle and Pittsburg, our family settled in at Beckley WV. An extension of the Pittsburg office, Daddy was one of three agents in Beckley for about 6 years. Then, one day, Daddy came home and announced that he had been transferred to Lewisburg, population 2,200. Why would the FBI open a one-man office in Lewisburg? Many years later, … [Read more...]
A Bluefish Surprise
An early saltwater surprise this year is the large number of bluefish being caught all the way from the sounds behind Nags Head up to Virginia Beach and across the bay. Many of the fish are running 2 to 5 pounds, but some monsters in the 10-15 poundclass have also made an appearance. Biting alongside the blues, are Spanish mackerel which are now well up into Bay waters. Cobia are now along the … [Read more...]
Give a Kid a Creek
The greatest gift you can give a kid is not an X-Box or video game, or a cell phone or even a trip to Disneyland. Instead, give a kid a creek to play in and the child will be a happy camper. I remember a creek near Hopewell, VA. I was about 9 or 10 and staying a week with my Aunt Topsy and Uncle Jeffrey and I was bored out of my mind. Then, one afternoon, three or four neighborhood kids stopped … [Read more...]
Don’t Forget Buffalo Crrek
By Dr. Peter Brookes You don’t hear much about Buffalo Creek,, but fly fishing phenoms (and friends) Joe Irby and Derek Hutton have been trying to get me to come down to wet a line in the stream for quite a while. I was interested, but like everyone else I was “busy.” Looking back now on that piscatorial procrastination, putting off fishing Buffalo Creek was a … [Read more...]
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