There are now over 300 wineries in Virginia with a new one opening seemingly every week. The experts say that our Commonwealth has the perfect soil and climate for growing quality grapes. I’ll leave that to the pros since I thought Boone’s Farm was pretty good if you got it cold enough. But I do enjoy visiting Virginia’s wineries. It’s a good way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon, especially when … [Read more...]

We went out to eat with my daughter, Angelin, and her husband Brent, near their new home on High Rock Lake in Denton, NC. This is in the heart of Carolina, the original home of classic Southern cuisine and we had it in spades. We went to the afternoon buffet at a place called Classic Family Restaurant. The food was outstanding – Fried Okra, perfectly Fried Chicken, Fried Salt Pork, Homemade … [Read more...]

We got a bill in the mail yesterday saying we owed the state of Maryland $21.49 for having the audacity to drive on one of their roads. Back in May, we drove to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania to see the play, Noah’s Ark. Our GPS Lady – who is now on double secret probation - suggested a route that took us through most of Northern Virginia, half of D.C. and then through Maryland by way of … [Read more...]

Mark your calendars for the first couple weeks in April 2026. That’s when Holland comes to Virginia. A few weeks back, Nancy said she had a “spring surprise” for me. We hopped in the car and headed for Nokesville, VA. Nokesville? What could possibly be in Nokesville, I wondered? A world of stunning tulips, that’s what. We made a visit to Burnside Farms, which plants 2 million tulip … [Read more...]

Boy, have kayaks taken off. You see cars and vans hauling them down the road all the time. Kayaks, unlike jon boats and canoes, can easily be handled by one person, making most any body of water accessible. To all you kayakers out there, here’s a tip for a fun float. The Jackson River below Gathright Dam. Even though it’s August and 90 degrees in the shade, the water here is cold. It comes … [Read more...]

When we can, Nancy and I like to slip down to the Gloucester/Deltaville area for short vacations. We have found a really cool little Thrift Shop in the Cobbs Creek area that we make it a point to stop by and visit. I usually try to avoid going to these types of stores, but this one is different. They have a huge selection of most interesting clothing, gifts, home accessories, furniture, … [Read more...]

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...]

We spent a picture-perfect November weekend last week at the Oyster Festival in Urbanna. The cottage we have rented on Urbanna Creek for the last 15 or so years was no longer available, but we booked a cottage on Jackson Creek in Deltaville and made the 20-mile drive to and from. The views of the sunrise on the creek with the sailboats bobbing in the water, by the way, were beyond … [Read more...]

The corn maze is open again. Liberty Mills Farm has set aside 34 acres for a cornfield maze, one of the largest of its kind. The Maze is open for exploration on Saturdays from 10 to 6 and Sunday from 10 to 5. There are four separate trails ranging from “Anyone can do this” to “Where the hell are we?” You can purchase your tickets ahead of time on-line or at the Farm at Somerset. The hay wagon … [Read more...]