Hilltop Market used to be just a small convenience store. They sold lots of live bait to fishermen headed out to the Rivanna Reservoir. They sold some canned goods, drinks, snacks and some really good and fresh produce. Then they opened a small deli. Since then, I’d guess about 20 years ago, Hilltop Market has become one of the go-to lunch destinations for many in Charlottesville. You’ll … [Read more...]
Sprouting Seeds
I’d like to say that I am an excellent backyard gardener. I’d like to say that, but it wouldn’t be true. Sometimes the stuff I plant grows, and sometimes it doesn’t. One of the problems I’ve always had – because my soil is very claylike – is simply getting the seeds to sprout. The poor things find themselves under a big clod of clay and can’t make it through the soil. This year, … [Read more...]
Sunday Afternoons at Cross Keys
It’s Sunday. There’s still an afternoon left in the weekend, but what to do? Nancy and I have found through the years that an hour-long drive across the mountain to Mount Crawford near Weyer’s Cave ends up in a most pleasant afternoon experience at Cross Keys Vineyards. The scenic Shenandoah Valley destination offers delicious food, delightful wines and great entertainment. The June schedule … [Read more...]
Get Out of Sand Free
Remember Monopoly? Get Out of Jail Free? That was a nice card to have, even though sometimes it was better to stay in Jail for three rolls rather than to head down to the yellow and green properties stacked with hotels. But how about a Get Out of Sand Free card? In this case, it’s a golf club, not a card, and if you get in the sand, it’ll get you out. It’s a 55-degree utility wedge and it … [Read more...]
King of the Road
Drive along most any road or street in town and you’ll see one or more. They will be perched on a mailbox, a utility pole, a tall shrub or a tree limb, and ready to swoop down and nail an unsuspecting insect. They are mockingbirds, one of the most interesting of all backyard birds and one of the best singers on the planet. This time of year, mocking birds stake out their territories, most … [Read more...]
No Fail Brisket
I have never had much luck with briskets. I have cooked them on the grill, I have smoked them, I have slow cooked them in the oven and the best I ever produced was just edible. My briskets have often turned out dry and tough. I see those barbeque shows on TV, salivate over the delicious-looking briskets, but for me, no luck – until this weekend when I decided to put the brisket in my slow cooker. … [Read more...]
Spring Gobbler Harvest Encouraging
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries announced a harvest of 17,929 turkeys during the 2019 spring gobbler season. The 2019 harvest was 11% higher than last year’s harvest. DGIF Turkey Biologist Gary Norman said the harvest was encouraging because reproduction was low in recent years, which would have predicted fewer 2- and 3-year old birds. These age classes typically comprise the … [Read more...]
Virginia Saltwater Action Peaking
Saltwater angling along the mid-Atlantic coast is peaking. Lots of cobias are being sighted along the oceanfront and in the lower bay. The Virginia cobia season opened June 1st with a minimum size limit of 40 inches, a 1 fish per person limit and a 3 fish per vessel maximum. Of the 3 fish, only 1 can be over 50 inches. Cobia will hit just about anything you throw in front of them: live eels, spot, … [Read more...]
Boomers Remember S & H Green Stamps
In today’s world of self-service, it’s hard to conceive that stores would actually give premiums to entice and retain customers. But Boomers clearly remember S & H Green Stamps and a national era of stamp collecting so profound that many people went around with green tongues from licking so many stamps. In the 50’s and 60’s, filling stations not only put gas in your tank, but they also … [Read more...]
White Tailed Blackbird
I have a white-tailed blackbird in my yard. You don’t see many of those, and I wish I didn’t see mine. She’s a grackle, a big thieving grackle that eats my expensive sunflower hearts and she has lots of friends. We noticed this bird a few weeks ago. When she’s pecking around on the ground, it looks like she has just one or two white tail feathers, but when she flies and fans out her tail, half … [Read more...]
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