In Virginia saltwater, the rockfish season is in the rearview window, but there are still plenty of tautogs willing to bite. Sometimes called blackfish, ‘togs are scattered all along the East Coast. They are strange looking fish that average 2 or 3 pounds. Their claim to fame comes on the dinner table – they are delicious. There is even a restaurant called Tautog’s on 23rd St. in Virginia … [Read more...]
What Time is It?
Hey kids! What time is it? Breathes there a Boomer who doesn’t know the answer to that question? If it was Buffalo Bob Smith asking, and it was a weekday afternoon on NBC in the 1950’s, it was most definitely “Howdy Doody time.” Boomers remember the Howdy Doody Show as much for the quality of life during those years as for the quality of this popular children’s program. It was a time of … [Read more...]
Sweet Potato Pie
I had baked three beautiful sweet potatoes in the oven. I had rubbed them with a little olive oil and kosher salt and cooked them at 350 until they were soft and tender to the touch. They would have been delicious served with a slab of country butter – if I had just remembered to serve them. But I forgot, left them in on the counter behind a pot of collards and found them when we were cleaning up … [Read more...]
Dino-mite Melons
I have always said that I would gladly pay more in order to get a ripe, sweet melon than throw 3 or 4 dollars down the drain for a tasteless, unripe melon, and apparently I’m not alone. There is a new melon on the market from Brazil. It’s called a Dino melon because it looks a bit like a dinosaur (dino) egg. It’s white-ish with some specks of green on the skin. The flesh is also a light color and … [Read more...]
Randy’s Hardware
It’s always refreshing to see a new, small business opening. It’s a sign that the entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well in America. One such business opened recently in the Food Lion Shopping Center on Rt. 29 in Ruckersville – Randy’s Hardware. In a world of Lowe’s and Home Depot’s, Randy’s Hardware is set to compete. I poked my nose in the door recently to check it out and was glad to … [Read more...]
Jim’s Corn Farm
I did not intend to be a farmer with a crop of corn in my yard, but that’s how it’s all shaping up. For Christmas, I was the beneficiary of a big bag of dried corn ears. The plan is to screw one the ears on a gizmo hanging from a tree. The squirrels would then somehow locate the ear of corn and eat from it. But that’s not exactly how it works. Oh, the squirrels found it alright – took them … [Read more...]
The Barn
The Barn. That pretty much says it all. Anyone from Charlottesville or anyone ever associated with the University of Virginia knows that “The Barn” means the Aberdeen Barn, one of Virginia’s finest steak houses. The Barn was conceived and opened in 1965 by George Spathos. I first visited this iconic steak house in 1967. I was the Men’s Buyer at Leggett Department Store at the Barracks Road … [Read more...]
Creating an Outdoor Room
It’s expensive to add a room or an addition to a home. Current estimates to put an addition onto an existing home can be from $200 to $250 per square foot or more. That means if you’d like to add a 20 x 30 living area to your house, you’re looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000. But what if you already had the space, and many people do, in their own yards. With the proper lighting, … [Read more...]
Saving Seeds
My Dad was a big believer in saving seeds. Our basement furniture, such that it was, was covered with newspapers and assorted seeds, supposedly drying out. I don’t know if Daddy thought that his seeds were better somehow than new Burpee’s or if he was too cheap to buy new ones, but he saved all sorts of seeds, and for the most part, his garden flourished each summer. We have also saved a few … [Read more...]
Ocean Doormats
How badly do you want to catch a 10-pound flounder? If you are willing to bundle up and sneak out one day when the wind isn’t blowing 20 to 30, and if you head out into the ocean and find some nice structure, you just well might catch a 10-pound flounder – or two. They’re biting for those willing to track them down. The Chesapeake Bay striper season closed on December 31, but the … [Read more...]
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