Faithful CvilleBuzz reader, Bob Huff, noted that his wife, Doris, thought the Betty Crocker mix for sugar cookies was better than Krusteaze – which I think are among the best sugar cookies I’ve ever put in my mouth. I was skeptical, but suggested that Bob arrange a bake-off to determine which indeed was the best sugar cookie mix – Betty Crocker or the Vanilla Butter Sugar Cookie mix from … [Read more...]

There are lots of things that are best done at night. Going to a drive-in movie is one. Frog gigging is another. And who wants to park on lover’s lane in broad daylight? Well, maybe when it’s cloudy, but definitely not in broad daylight. One thing that is best done when you can see what you’re doing is fishing. In fact, nighttime fishing is clearly advised against by the American Medical … [Read more...]

On a December morning many years ago – I suppose it was around the time Richard Nixon was suggesting that 18 or 20 minutes be erased from his Presidential tapes - a half dozen of us rose before dawn to drive and meet a charter captain at Callao for a fishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay. As I recall, we had our first Bloody Mary before we got to Richmond and had deplenished our entire bottle of … [Read more...]

I once went bird hunting in the median strip on US Route 29. It was one of many amazing adventures in my career as an outdoorsman. Here’s how it happened. It was the mid-1970’s. Elvis was still alive and there were lots of quail in Virginia. Since I was a kid, bird hunting was my passion. At the time I had a young setter named Hunter - the best dog I’ve ever had. Hunter never, ever busted a … [Read more...]

I grew up in West Virginia, so I know a few things about life that outsiders may not. For one thing, just because a morning starts out grey and cloudy (like every morning in West Virginia) it doesn’t necessarily mean rain. The fog and clouds are just the Mountain State’s way of sleeping in a little. Also, when you come to a top of the hill on a one-lane road, pull over to the right a little or an … [Read more...]

Macon was a beautiful animal, a graceful English setter with feathery white fur and only a hint of orange. He was a big male in keeping with a long line of registered English Setters I have owned out of Grouse Ridge Will. I had a friend with a female setter, which happened to be coming in heat. To the best of our knowledge, neither of these dogs had ever been with another dog, if you know what … [Read more...]

During the course of the life of an average man, there come a few times when he takes complete leave of his senses and does incredibly stupid things – like go camping. After rising to the top of the food chain and having access to things like heat pumps, wide screen TVs and multiple jet showers, some average men deem it desirable to forego the pleasantries of life and live among a cluster of other … [Read more...]

Went through a little place called Waverly not long ago. The peanut capitol of the world, or so they claimed. I had been dunking some bloodworms in the lower Chesapeake for croakers. Decided to come back the scenic route up Route 460 instead of fighting the US Navy getting off work on I-64 at Hampton. I loaded up on the croakers, by the way. Had a cooler full. So it was back to Charlottesville … [Read more...]

Intro: My son Jimmie recently had an encounter with a set of treble hooks, so I suppose it runs in the family. As he described his hook-up, it reminded me of this old article I wrote – which unfortunately is true. It’s an oldie, but hopefully worth reading again.   Sometimes a fisherman has a day he’d just as soon forget. I’ve had many of those days, but one in particular stands … [Read more...]