My wife Nancy spends a lot of time working in our yard and it really shows. She has watered and weeded regularly and keeps things trim with her edging and weed eaters. Throughout the yard, our flowers and shrubs are lovely. But the section of the yard I believe both of us are proudest of are the wildflowers she has planted around our birdbath. They are perennials and flowers like you would … [Read more...]

We had great musicians and recording stars in our time – Elvis, The Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, Ray Charles and many others. One of the greats who received little fanfare but sold a zillion records was Fats Domino. His mega hit – Blueberry Hill – was one of the great love songs and slow dance records of all time. Born Antoine Caliste Domino Jr., … [Read more...]

I doubt many children will wake up this Easter morning and find dyed baby ducks or chickens in their Easter Baskets, but we did when we were kids. They sold them at dime stores, brightly colored baby ducks and chickens. I remember getting some baby chicks when we lived on Granville Avenue in Beckley. I was about 5 or 6 when I found 3 baby chicks in my basket along with chocolate bunnies and other … [Read more...]

In the earlier years of TV, there were some mega-hits. Shows that everybody watched, with huge ratings. Shows like Gunsmoke, MASH, Get Smart, Dallas, Ozzie and Harriet, and Bonanza. But the very first mega-show was I Love Lucy with Lucille Ball, Desi Arnez, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. Lucile Ball was a glamour actress in her early years and played dramatic parts. Then she married Desi, … [Read more...]

One thing I wanted to do for sure during our visit to Lancaster County was to pull up a chair at a dinner table spread with Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. Years ago, I had attended such a feast and I was ready to eat my way through one again. There are dozens of dozens of genuine Amish-style restaurants in Lancaster County, but we chose one near our cottage – Miller’s at 11 Lincoln Highway East in … [Read more...]

I had a reader ask me recently about an article I had published, and I found it and sent it to him. But readers of Cville Buzz can actually go back and access any article I have published in the last 8 years. I often do it myself to get an old recipe. To do this (I don’t think it works with an iPhone), go to CvilleBuzz.com on your computer and at the bottom of the page you will see categories - … [Read more...]

When I moved to Charlottesville in 1967, I had done some fly fishing, but nothing serious. I had caught some smallmouth and redeyes on a popping bug in the Greenbrier River and I frequently put a worm on a hook at the end of my fly rod and caught stocked trout. But I never had any luck catching trout on a genuine trout fly. That is, until I met Chuck Kraft. Chuck ran a sport’s shop in the … [Read more...]

Belize? Now we’re talking. Low country, pearl white beaches, pure tropical beauty. The Hilton Head Island of the Caribbean. Hundreds of islands guard the nation of Belize on the eastern coast of Central America, with Caribbean Sea shorelines to the east and dense jungles to the west. The jungles of Belize were homes to the Mayans – early terrorists. It seems that everywhere the Mayans went, … [Read more...]

  One thing I dearly miss from our Boomer years is a December full of great Christmas specials on TV. This was entertainment at its finest – top stars, top acts, great music, great comedy, and classic cartoons. In the 1950’s and 60’s, variety shows dominated the airwaves. Singers with top hits appeared regularly and comedians like Bob Newhart and Jonathan Winters left us in stitches … [Read more...]