Like many Americans, I spend about an hour in my car on an average day. And like most others, I always have the radio on. If UVA sports is on, I tune that in. If not, I channel surf for music. I had recently been clicking back and forth between a couple of light rock stations, noting that Kelly Clarkson’s Heartbeat Song was played once an hour, every hour. It’s a great song, but every hour? By … [Read more...]

We don’t eat a lot of pizza, not because we don’t want to, but because both Nancy and I gain weight when we order out or cook our own pizza. Pizza is not inherently fattening, except it tastes so good that one tends to eat more than one should. Ergo, weight gain. Every couple weeks, though, usually on a Sunday night, we order a pizza. I’m not big on those giant pizza franchises. They tend to … [Read more...]

I used to spend lots of time fishing Mossy Creek, near Bridgewater in Augusta County. My drive over the Blue Ridge Mountains via Rt. 33 took me through Elkton, McGayheesville and Penn Laird before I turned off on Rt. 256, a bypass around Harrisonburg and a shortcut to Bridgewater. On one trip home, after a great evening fishing the sulphur hatch at Mossy, I was ravenous. I stopped in a little … [Read more...]

Nancy and I don’t go to many movies these days, mostly because there is rarely anything playing that we want to see. I’m not big into body parts being blown into smithereens, nor sophomoric chick and guy flicks with actors trying to out-gross one other. A remake of Ben-Hur, however, caught our attention. The film was playing at Violet Crown, a modern theater on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall … [Read more...]

Remodelers? Builders? Realtors? There is a store you should be aware of. It’s Lights Out, a discount, retail lighting store in Ruckersville. Lights Out specializes in discontinued items from major manufacturers – lighting fixtures, lamps, fans and mirrors – and they sell these items at a fraction of the original cost. Some items have been reduced as much as 75%! There is nothing wrong with the … [Read more...]

It’s so rare to have quality experience with a business these days, it’s worth a shout out when it actually happens. I had such an experience this week when I bought tires from University Tire in Charlottesville. For the past few months I have been agonizing about whether or not to relegate my 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee to the junkyard, or play Russian roulette and buy another used car. My Jeep … [Read more...]

No plans for this evening – Friday July 15? How about a short hop across the mountain to CrossKey Vineyards to enjoy the timeless music of Jimmy O? Jimmy will be playing at the vineyard tonight from 5:30 to 8:30. There will be great foods and wines available on a beautiful summer evening at CrossKeys at Mt. Crawford, near Bridgewater. Jimmy will also play at CrossKeys on Friday, Aug. 12 from … [Read more...]

For several years, I scheduled haircuts at a local salon. The girl did a great job and was thoroughly entertaining, but often my schedule didn’t match hers. I had to make appointments in advance and sometimes I just didn’t know when I could break away for a haircut. I tried a franchise-type salon for men but wasn’t impressed. Different stylists produced different results, and some weren’t very … [Read more...]

    The Charlottesville Free Clinic hosted its annual volunteer recognition and appreciation picnic on May 25 at the Carter Mountain Orchard. In addition to highlighting the work of our amazing volunteers involved with all facets of the clinic, we presented our first Volunteer Emeritus Award. This award will be given periodically to recognize a retiring Free Clinic volunteer. The … [Read more...]