Toys have certainly changed since I was a boy. Everything is electronic today – and expensive. I was thinking back about Christmas toys I have received over the years and one of the first I can remember was a Slinky. Slinkies were wire coils that – if you started them off just right – would work their way down a flight of stairs. I expect I sent my Slinky down Mama Ida’s stairs a thousand times … [Read more...]
Gayle’s Country Hams
Lots of folks give hams this time of the year. If you haven’t bought one yet, or need a last minute gift, consider giving a Gayle’s Ham for that special someone. 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 … [Read more...]
Attention Guys (Only)
Do not let your wives see this article. They think we are a bunch of dumb bunnies and can’t cook our way out of a Kroger’s grocery bag. We’ll show ‘em. About this time every year, ladies go into the kitchen to make special holiday stuff – jellies, cookies, cakes, candy and even fruit cake. They take out every possible pot and pan along with every spice in the rack to create their … [Read more...]
Save Big Bucks with VSGA Card
One of the knocks against golf these days is that it’s expensive. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. My golfing Amigos and I have been wearing out our VSGA VIP cards, making the game a lot less expensive and a lot more fun since we’re playing lots of different courses. A VIP basically allows a golfer to have free greens fees with a cart rental. Looking back over the past few seasons, I have … [Read more...]
All I Want For Christmas
By the Backyard Birds Hey Santa, we’ve been pretty good birds this year. Other than pecking at a few unfriendly starlings and pooping on some lawn furniture, we’ve behaved ourselves, so how about some treats for us this Christmas? For starters, we really need a heater for the bird bath (and some of us need a bird bath bowl as well – they must think we don’t need to drink water from … [Read more...]
Winging It
Nancy and I like wings. We often order them as a side with pizza, and sometimes we fix a batch at home – easy and tasty. But Nancy is always saying, “I like wings, but I like them crispy.” It’s easy to have crispy wings if you fry them, but that’s a chore. Last week I tried my hand at making crispy wings without frying and I knocked it out of the park – made the best chicken wings ever. If you … [Read more...]
Bigger Bass: Coming Soon
(Photo by Meghan Marchetti/DWR) The largemouth bass is unquestionably America’s favorite gamefish. Virginians, too, have a love affair with these freshwater fish which leap when hooked and can grow to impressive sizes. In a few years, if things go as planned, there may be even more large bass in Virginia waters. Here’s the deal. The Division of Wildlife Resources (previously … [Read more...]
Big Stripers Moving In Bay Waters
The water temps in the Bay are in the lower 50s and the big boys have moved in. Big stripers, that is. They like it cold – cold weather bunches up the bait. Reports of rocks pushing 50-inches are on the rise. It should only get better as we approach the season’s end on Dec. 31.The rivers are still giving up good numbers of medium size fish in the 24 to 28 inch range. Umbrella rigs in the lower … [Read more...]
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
They play Christmas music all day, every day on Z 95.1, and that’s the station I tune in. One song that plays often throughout the day is "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” The song was written in 1951 by Meredith Wilson and was recorded by many artists including Perry Como, The Fontane Sisters, Bing Crosby and more recently, Michael Bublé. The first stanza goes like … [Read more...]
One and Done
I don’t do many articles on team sports, though my first writing gig was as a sportswriter for the Brier Patch, the Greenbrier Military School newspaper. I covered the GMS/Fork Union Football game in 1960. So after a rather lengthy hiatus, here goes. I will go out on the limb here and predict that neither Duke nor Kentucky will ever win another NCAA Basketball Championship. Oh, they’ll win … [Read more...]
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