Thanksgivings were always a big occasion for my family. In the earlier years, our family would load up our Pontiac sedan and leave the Wet Virginia mountains en route to Raleigh to spend the holiday with Mama Ida. In December, she came to our house for Christmas, but for Turkey Day, it was North Carolina. Mama Ida always had a huge spread with a big bird and all the sides, and I remember enjoying … [Read more...]

It was an upcoming Christmas in 1962 and there was only one thing on my wish list – a genuine bleeding madras shirt. Madras had popped up on the fashion scene as “the fabric to wear”, especially for wanna-be preppies. Madras referred to a city in India by that name where it had been traditionally worn for many years. Madras was a lightweight, cotton fabric generally woven into colorful plaid … [Read more...]

I read this week that the United States Mint will no longer produce pennies. On Wednesday, Nov. 12, the last of the 1-cent coins came off the assembly line. The penny’s demise was inevitable as it now costs nearly 4 cents to produce a single penny – and with fewer and fewer cash transactions, the penny is no longer in great demand. But it once was. There was a time when a penny would … [Read more...]

There was a time in America when drug stores didn’t occupy an entire city block. They weren’t part of corporate empires. This was a time when Boomers remember the local pharmacist as a family friend and a trusted adviser on most things medical. If a youngster in the family was running a high fever, the pharmacist would often meet a distressed mom or dad after closing hours to fill an important … [Read more...]

England has had kings on the throne for millenniums. Boomers know that America once had a king, too. But just one. Elvis Aron Pressley.  Born in a modest two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935, Elvis was truly America’s King, and his throne was any stage he occupied. Elvis Pressley was undeniably the most famous person of our generation. He was the King of Rock and … [Read more...]

Last weekend, I was having a hard time trying to remember exactly how I once drove to Monterey and Warm Springs. I had done it dozens and dozens of times and then it dawned on me – it had been 25 years since I last went over those mountains. Those were the days when I and my “buds” camped on the banks of the Jackson River and sheltered in place in a rustic hunting lodge at Millboro. But as the … [Read more...]

February 1, 1967 was an exciting day. I had packed my Camaro convertible with a few pots and pans, some linens, my guitar and stereo and headed to Charlottesville, my new home. It was a beautiful day, in the low 80’s and I put the top down on my drive over. This Virginia is a special kind of place, I thought. Two weeks later it snowed 16-inches, but on that first day of February, all was … [Read more...]

If pressed, I could not name one current, professional boxer, but there was a time when I could name the champion of each weight category. Those were the days of Joe Louis, Kid Gavilan, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Carmen Basilio, Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott, Gene Fullmer, and with Don Dunphy as ringside commentator. These pugilists were household names because boxing … [Read more...]

1959 Vintage Ramble American  with Whitewall tires  In the 1960’s if you drove a car with black wall tires, you were a low life. Sleek, muscle cars came with lots of glitz and chrome and absolutely with whitewall tires. But no more. Whitewall tires first came in vogue in the 1920’s and by the mid-30’s were commonly offered mostly on luxury brands. As tire sizes grew in the 50’s and 60’s, the … [Read more...]

In 1955, Lewisburg, WV was a painted city by Norman Rockwell, or could have been. Main Street was pretty much it – three blocks or so with a half dozen businesses per block. There were the usual stores – a five and dime, a barbershop, a bank, a savings and loan, some clothing stores, a jewelry store, two pharmacies, a couple small department stores, a record shop, a doughnut shop, and Zelda’s … [Read more...]