Southwest Virginia Blogs

The holiday season would not be complete for us without a trip to our home turf, Mount Airy, NC.  Our little home town was the inspiration for the popular Andy Griffin show.  My late mother who moved to Mount Airy in 1926 called the town home for most of 75 years.

Lots of towns have watched their downtowns disappear as strip malls and Walmarts have sucked the business off of main street.  This hasn't happened to Mount Airy.  Main Street Mount Airy launched itself with help from Andy, Barney, Aunt Bea, Snappy Lunch, and Floyd's Barber Shop.

Yet today, you can find every thing from the shiny white Apple computers at CyberGear to Vera Bradley bags at Specialty Gifts.  Along the way there are some really interesting spots even for us guys.

One of my favorite spots is Holcomb's Hardware and Locksmith.  The window shot to the left was taken today.  There is some amazing stuff in the window.  Many of the things are a little hard to find today unless you know a place like Holcomb's.  But it you need a gasket for your pressure cooker or a special key done, Holdcomb's is the place.

You can enjoy many other shops from a bakery or bookstore to an Army surplus story and everything in between.  We even saw a Christmas tree decorated with toy John Deere tractors.

Then there is food and drink.  There are several sandwich shops including Snappy Lunch and a restaurant or two.  There's even a candy store, a winery, and a downtown Cinema which operates on limited hours.

One of the things I like the most about Mount Airy is that there are always people on the main street.  You will see a wide variety of people.  Mount Airy is no cookie cutter city.  Every time that I see a thriving downtown, I have renewed hope for our country.  While sometimes I like the ready availability of chain store merchandise as much as anyone, I'll always try to find my goods in a local store first.

While part of that resolve might be a distaste for Walmart parking lots, the rest is a belief that local service and support will alway trump the impersonal nature of the big box stores.

For better views of the pictures, especially the John Deere Christmas tree, try clicking on them.

Many of us have young adults visiting during the holidays. It's always a great pleasure, but something of a challenge. I read an interesting post this morning on the NY Times site.  The article, "The Power of ‘Sorry’," brought back some memories.  Some of them are very recent.

I'm not sure when you cross the line from getting more flexible with age to becoming inflexible. I'm still on the flexible side of the line.  As is the case with most parents, I will do just about anything for my young adults. Sometimes it is really hard to do that without getting into a situation that strains relationships and requires an apology.

We all go through a stage when we know more than our parents.  The unfortunate thing is that often by the time we really know more about some things than our parents, we might have missed learning about the things that they really know and understand.  It's one of the great challenges of modern life which often causes me to wonder if the next generation will be able to even fix a toilet that won't stop running without calling a plumber.

Time and space often add to the challenge of keeping holiday enhanced families on an even keel.  Families are much more widely disbursed these days so sometimes you end up trying to cram too much of importance into a short time.

Reality is that we all live very complex challenging lives which often intersect in unpredictable ways with other very challenging complex lives.   It would be nice if there were fewer bosses like the ones we see so often in Dilbert.  It would be great if we older ones who aren't quite to Medicare didn't have to worry about health care, but that's not going to happen easily or quickly. Just like the pointy haired bosses aren't going away anytime soon.

Sometimes we realize that one of the greatest blessings of the holidays is that the  wonderful times often end before they have a chance to turn into something not so wonderful.

Many of us have young adults visiting during the holidays. It's always a great pleasure, but something of a challenge. I read an interesting post this morning on the NY Times site.  The article, "The Power of ‘Sorry’," brought back some memories.  Some of them are very recent.

I'm not sure when you cross the line from getting more flexible with age to becoming inflexible. I'm still on the flexible side of the line.  As is the case with most parents, I will do just about anything for my young adults. Sometimes it is really hard to do that without getting into a situation that strains relationships and requires an apology.

We all go through a stage when we know more than our parents.  The unfortunate thing is that often by the time we really know more about some things than our parents, we might have missed learning about the things that they really know and understand.  It's one of the great challenges of modern life which often causes me to wonder if the next generation will be able to even fix a toilet that won't stop running without calling a plumber.

Time and space often add to the challenge of keeping holiday enhanced families on an even keel.  Families are much more widely disbursed these days so sometimes you end up trying to cram too much of importance into a short time.

Reality is that we all live very complex challenging lives which often intersect in unpredictable ways with other very challenging complex lives.   It would be nice if there were fewer bosses like the ones we see so often in Dilbert.  It would be great if we older ones who aren't quite to Medicare didn't have to worry about health care, but that's not going to happen easily or quickly. Just like the pointy haired bosses aren't going away anytime soon.

Sometimes we realize that one of the greatest blessings of the holidays is that the  wonderful times often end before they have a chance to turn into something not so wonderful.

Many of us have young adults visiting during the holidays. It's always a great pleasure, but something of a challenge. I read an interesting post this morning on the NY Times site.  The article, "The Power of ‘Sorry’," brought back some memories.  Some of them are very recent.

I'm not sure when you cross the line from getting more flexible with age to becoming inflexible. I'm still on the flexible side of the line.  As is the case with most parents, I will do just about anything for my young adults. Sometimes it is really hard to do that without getting into a situation that strains relationships and requires an apology.

We all go through a stage when we know more than our parents.  The unfortunate thing is that often by the time we really know more about some things than our parents, we might have missed learning about the things that they really know and understand.  It's one of the great challenges of modern life which often causes me to wonder if the next generation will be able to even fix a toilet that won't stop running without calling a plumber.

Time and space often add to the challenge of keeping holiday enhanced families on an even keel.  Families are much more widely disbursed these days so sometimes you end up trying to cram too much of importance into a short time.

Reality is that we all live very complex challenging lives which often intersect in unpredictable ways with other very challenging complex lives.   It would be nice if there were fewer bosses like the ones we see so often in Dilbert.  It would be great if we older ones who aren't quite to Medicare didn't have to worry about health care, but that's not going to happen easily or quickly. Just like the pointy haired bosses aren't going away anytime soon.

Sometimes we realize that one of the greatest blessings of the holidays is that the  wonderful times often end before they have a chance to turn into something not so wonderful.

Though winter doesn't seem to have reached us yet, it is time to step back from our busy lives, and try to reset our perspective for another year.

Assuming the Christmas shopping is done, and we can get together with our loved ones and friend. Perhaps there will be the opportunity to relax a little and take time to listen to each other.

There will still be lots of cooking and cleaning up after meals to do, but at least in our family that's a group project these days.  My posts will be a little sporadic during the holidays, but no one should spend much time on the Internet during this season.

Now is the time to be with real people, to enjoy your families, and to look forward to another year with renewed hope.

As I was coming home from Wilmington tonight, I swung by Clyde Phillips Seafood between the bridges on the White Oak River as you pass from Swansboro to Cedar Point.

Lots of folks were already closed as the time neared six pm, but I took a chance and found that there was still fresh shrimp to be had.  They packed them in ice for me, and I'll get to them tomorrow when I have more time.  I did forget to buy some Kelchner's sauce.  The shrimp just would not be right without it.  I'll have my wife, Glenda, pick some up  tomorrow while I'm finishing my real estate classes. Fresh from the sea shrimp is a great holiday tradition that I enjoy.

The rocking chairs are a great symbol for the shift we need to make in this season.  Rushing around spending money that you may or may not have for presents that people may or may not need is not where our focus should be.  One of these days all those presents will just be presents. You might trade them all for a few more minutes with your loved ones who are no longer with you.

Now is time to renew our faith and recharge our spirits with the love from our family and friends.  Do it while you can before it is too late.

So here is our family's holiday wish to all my readers.

We hope your holiday season will be filled with family and friends creating new memories that will warm your heart for many years to come, and that good health will follow you and your loved ones through the new year.

See you sometime during the holidays when you least expect it.

Though winter doesn't seem to have reached us yet, it is time to step back from our busy lives, and try to reset our perspective for another year.

Assuming the Christmas shopping is done, and we can get together with our loved ones and friend. Perhaps there will be the opportunity to relax a little and take time to listen to each other.

There will still be lots of cooking and cleaning up after meals to do, but at least in our family that's a group project these days.  My posts will be a little sporadic during the holidays, but no one should spend much time on the Internet during this season.

Now is the time to be with real people, to enjoy your families, and to look forward to another year with renewed hope.

As I was coming home from Wilmington tonight, I swung by Clyde Phillips Seafood between the bridges on the White Oak River as you pass from Swansboro to Cedar Point.

Lots of folks were already closed as the time neared six pm, but I took a chance and found that there was still fresh shrimp to be had.  They packed them in ice for me, and I'll get to them tomorrow when I have more time.  I did forget to buy some Kelchner's sauce.  The shrimp just would not be right without it.  I'll have my wife, Glenda, pick some up  tomorrow while I'm finishing my real estate classes. Fresh from the sea shrimp is a great holiday tradition that I enjoy.

The rocking chairs are a great symbol for the shift we need to make in this season.  Rushing around spending money that you may or may not have for presents that people may or may not need is not where our focus should be.  One of these days all those presents will just be presents. You might trade them all for a few more minutes with your loved ones who are no longer with you.

Now is time to renew our faith and recharge our spirits with the love from our family and friends.  Do it while you can before it is too late.

So here is our family's holiday wish to all my readers.

We hope your holiday season will be filled with family and friends creating new memories that will warm your heart for many years to come, and that good health will follow you and your loved ones through the new year.

See you sometime during the holidays when you least expect it.

Though winter doesn't seem to have reached us yet, it is time to step back from our busy lives, and try to reset our perspective for another year.

Assuming the Christmas shopping is done, and we can get together with our loved ones and friend. Perhaps there will be the opportunity to relax a little and take time to listen to each other.

There will still be lots of cooking and cleaning up after meals to do, but at least in our family that's a group project these days.  My posts will be a little sporadic during the holidays, but no one should spend much time on the Internet during this season.

Now is the time to be with real people, to enjoy your families, and to look forward to another year with renewed hope.

As I was coming home from Wilmington tonight, I swung by Clyde Phillips Seafood between the bridges on the White Oak River as you pass from Swansboro to Cedar Point.

Lots of folks were already closed as the time neared six pm, but I took a chance and found that there was still fresh shrimp to be had.  They packed them in ice for me, and I'll get to them tomorrow when I have more time.  I did forget to buy some Kelchner's sauce.  The shrimp just would not be right without it.  I'll have my wife, Glenda, pick some up  tomorrow while I'm finishing my real estate classes. Fresh from the sea shrimp is a great holiday tradition that I enjoy.

The rocking chairs are a great symbol for the shift we need to make in this season.  Rushing around spending money that you may or may not have for presents that people may or may not need is not where our focus should be.  One of these days all those presents will just be presents. You might trade them all for a few more minutes with your loved ones who are no longer with you.

Now is time to renew our faith and recharge our spirits with the love from our family and friends.  Do it while you can before it is too late.

So here is our family's holiday wish to all my readers.

We hope your holiday season will be filled with family and friends creating new memories that will warm your heart for many years to come, and that good health will follow you and your loved ones through the new year.

See you sometime during the holidays when you least expect it.

Though winter doesn't seem to have reached us yet, it is time to step back from our busy lives, and try to reset our perspective for another year.

Assuming the Christmas shopping is done, and we can get together with our loved ones and friend. Perhaps there will be the opportunity to relax a little and take time to listen to each other.

There will still be lots of cooking and cleaning up after meals to do, but at least in our family that's a group project these days.  My posts will be a little sporadic during the holidays, but no one should spend much time on the Internet during this season.

Now is the time to be with real people, to enjoy your families, and to look forward to another year with renewed hope.

As I was coming home from Wilmington tonight, I swung by Clyde Phillips Seafood between the bridges on the White Oak River as you pass from Swansboro to Cedar Point.

Lots of folks were already closed as the time neared six pm, but I took a chance and found that there was still fresh shrimp to be had.  They packed them in ice for me, and I'll get to them tomorrow when I have more time.  I did forget to buy some Kelchner's sauce.  The shrimp just would not be right without it.  I'll have my wife, Glenda, pick some up  tomorrow while I'm finishing my real estate classes. Fresh from the sea shrimp is a great holiday tradition that I enjoy.

The rocking chairs are a great symbol for the shift we need to make in this season.  Rushing around spending money that you may or may not have for presents that people may or may not need is not where our focus should be.  One of these days all those presents will just be presents. You might trade them all for a few more minutes with your loved ones who are no longer with you.

Now is time to renew our faith and recharge our spirits with the love from our family and friends.  Do it while you can before it is too late.

So here is our family's holiday wish to all my readers.

We hope your holiday season will be filled with family and friends creating new memories that will warm your heart for many years to come, and that good health will follow you and your loved ones through the new year.

See you sometime during the holidays when you least expect it.

Last year, I took the dangerous step of posting pictures of where I went shopping for my wife's Christmas presents.  The post, "Tale of shopping two cities," was about my experiences of shopping in Tyson's Corner, Va and Lexington, Va. 

The Tyson's area is home to every conceivable store including all of the top end stores.  There's even a LL Bean's, an Apple Store,  Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Tiffany & Company, Gucci and everything in between.  A list of the malls in the Fairfax Virginia area confirms that Northern Virginia is shopping utopia.

That is if you can get through crowds.  It's possible if you know the area well to shop, get in and out of the malls without too much hassle.  My daughter, Erin, once took me on a highly successful holiday dish shopping trip to one of the malls.  She knows the area like the back of her hand so it was painless shopping.

However, it can be intimidating for us rural types not from Northern Virginia.  That being the case, last year, I reached a tipping point and gave up shopping in Tyson's and headed down Interstate 81 to the quiet streets of Lexington, Va.

I have a history of shopping in out of the way places.  One year I went up to the Homestead.  There are plenty of interesting shops in Hot Springs, and it is only an hour and half from Roanoke. 

Another year we took a trip to Charlottesville, Va. which happens to be a hot spot for unique retail stores. 

In one respect I have been fortunate to travel up and down Interstate 81.  Those trips gave me access to Rocky & Brenda's Gold and Silver Shop in Weyer's Cave, Va.  I think it must be the only place in Virginia you can find a silver asparagus server in any pattern.

Another year I bought some antique salts in Blacksburg, Va.   I have also had great luck tracking down Vera Bradley and other gifts in Mount Airy, NC which happens to be the location of the Sobotta Manor which is the wonderful bed and breakfast now established in our former family home.

The Roanoke area has some interesting shops outside the mall areas.  Over the years I have enjoyed shopping in Provisions Gourmet and Countryside Classics in Salem.  At one time I was even brave enough to shop in  the Roanoke branch of Salem Creek.  Last year my wife found "Ladles and Linens" which has some very interesting items.

My friend Stephen pointed out that Middleburg, Va. is a neat spot to shop.  Based on my one visit there, "Middleburg, Dog Days, and The Red Fox Inn," I would have to agree.

I guess the reality is that every area has some neat spots.  You just have to find them.  I know that both Beaufort, NC and Swansboro, NC have plenty of neat stores.  Unfortunately my wife has seen them enough this year to know almost every item on the shelves.  That left me on the coast of North Carolina looking for interesting and inexpensive gifts.

It did not take the "Holiday traffic headache" article in today's Jacksonville Daily News to convince me that 60,000 cars a day go down Western Boulevard where most of the shopping is located.  I was trapped there much earlier in the year one Saturday afternoon. That being the case, Jacksonville was ruled out as a shopping location.

Fortunately my trips to Wilmington led me by the Blue Moon Showcase.  I managed to spend some time there, and I think I have hit pay dirt.  It is nice to be out of the danger zone since I have found most of those all important Christmas presents for my wife. 

Thirty three years and fortunately I still haven't run out of unique spots to buy my wonderful wife a few tokens of my love.  Of course she might argue about the gifts she got from the Salem Northern Tool & Equipment one year.  Then again she now seems to respond quickly to the annual Christmas gift list request.

Yesterday when I finally got around to putting up some outside Christmas decorations, it dawned on me that I needed something to secure the greenery to the railing on the front porch.  Since this is a new house, I had never faced the problem before. 

I could not find any twine and fishing line was too much trouble to use.  I also had neglected to buy enough lights on my trip to Morehead City the night before.  I finally went off to Walston's in Cedar point.  It is one of my favorite local hardware stores.  I picked up some light wire, but could not find the kind of lights that I wanted.  That sent me over to Ace Hardware in Emerald Isle.  There I did not find any lights, but I did find a great solution for securing decorations.

The Velcro tape that I am so fond of using for my tomatoes was still in the plant aisle, and it was one of those ah hah moments.  It was immediately obvious that Velcro tape would work better than wire.

I finally had to go to CVS to get the rest of my lights, but the Velcro tape made short work of securing everything to the front of the house.

Yesterday when I finally got around to putting up some outside Christmas decorations, it dawned on me that I needed something to secure the greenery to the railing on the front porch.  Since this is a new house, I had never faced the problem before. 

I could not find any twine and fishing line was too much trouble to use.  I also had neglected to buy enough lights on my trip to Morehead City the night before.  I finally went off to Walston's in Cedar point.  It is one of my favorite local hardware stores.  I picked up some light wire, but could not find the kind of lights that I wanted.  That sent me over to Ace Hardware in Emerald Isle.  There I did not find any lights, but I did find a great solution for securing decorations.

The Velcro tape that I am so fond of using for my tomatoes was still in the plant aisle, and it was one of those ah hah moments.  It was immediately obvious that Velcro tape would work better than wire.

I finally had to go to CVS to get the rest of my lights, but the Velcro tape made short work of securing everything to the front of the house.

Yesterday when I finally got around to putting up some outside Christmas decorations, it dawned on me that I needed something to secure the greenery to the railing on the front porch.  Since this is a new house, I had never faced the problem before. 

I could not find any twine and fishing line was too much trouble to use.  I also had neglected to buy enough lights on my trip to Morehead City the night before.  I finally went off to Walston's in Cedar point.  It is one of my favorite local hardware stores.  I picked up some light wire, but could not find the kind of lights that I wanted.  That sent me over to Ace Hardware in Emerald Isle.  There I did not find any lights, but I did find a great solution for securing decorations.

The Velcro tape that I am so fond of using for my tomatoes was still in the plant aisle, and it was one of those ah hah moments.  It was immediately obvious that Velcro tape would work better than wire.

I finally had to go to CVS to get the rest of my lights, but the Velcro tape made short work of securing everything to the front of the house.

Yesterday when I finally got around to putting up some outside Christmas decorations, it dawned on me that I needed something to secure the greenery to the railing on the front porch.  Since this is a new house, I had never faced the problem before. 

I could not find any twine and fishing line was too much trouble to use.  I also had neglected to buy enough lights on my trip to Morehead City the night before.  I finally went off to Walston's in Cedar point.  It is one of my favorite local hardware stores.  I picked up some light wire, but could not find the kind of lights that I wanted.  That sent me over to Ace Hardware in Emerald Isle.  There I did not find any lights, but I did find a great solution for securing decorations.

The Velcro tape that I am so fond of using for my tomatoes was still in the plant aisle, and it was one of those ah hah moments.  It was immediately obvious that Velcro tape would work better than wire.

I finally had to go to CVS to get the rest of my lights, but the Velcro tape made short work of securing everything to the front of the house.

I can remember a lot of Christmas parades when I was a child growing up near Winston-Salem, NC.   I cannot ever remember being at one of those parades and being warm. 

Those parades created a lot of wonderful memories.  Still there is nothing like a small town parade to really kick off the holiday season.  Today we got to go to an old fashioned Christmas parade, and we did not even get cold.  In fact it was a nearly perfect afternoon for a parade.

The parade started a little after 4 pm and lasted for about forty-five minutes.  The kids around us had a wonderful time.  There was plenty of candy thrown to keep them busy.  I put up a slide show on the web with shots of most of the floats and some of the crowd.  It was a great all American event to get the holidays started with style.

I can remember a lot of Christmas parades when I was a child growing up near Winston-Salem, NC.   I cannot ever remember being at one of those parades and being warm. 

Those parades created a lot of wonderful memories.  Still there is nothing like a small town parade to really kick off the holiday season.  Today we got to go to an old fashioned Christmas parade, and we did not even get cold.  In fact it was a nearly perfect afternoon for a parade.

The parade started a little after 4 pm and lasted for about forty-five minutes.  The kids around us had a wonderful time.  There was plenty of candy thrown to keep them busy.  I put up a slide show on the web with shots of most of the floats and some of the crowd.  It was a great all American event to get the holidays started with style.

I can remember a lot of Christmas parades when I was a child growing up near Winston-Salem, NC.   I cannot ever remember being at one of those parades and being warm. 

Those parades created a lot of wonderful memories.  Still there is nothing like a small town parade to really kick off the holiday season.  Today we got to go to an old fashioned Christmas parade, and we did not even get cold.  In fact it was a nearly perfect afternoon for a parade.

The parade started a little after 4 pm and lasted for about forty-five minutes.  The kids around us had a wonderful time.  There was plenty of candy thrown to keep them busy.  I put up a slide show on the web with shots of most of the floats and some of the crowd.  It was a great all American event to get the holidays started with style.

I can remember a lot of Christmas parades when I was a child growing up near Winston-Salem, NC.   I cannot ever remember being at one of those parades and being warm. 

Those parades created a lot of wonderful memories.  Still there is nothing like a small town parade to really kick off the holiday season.  Today we got to go to an old fashioned Christmas parade, and we did not even get cold.  In fact it was a nearly perfect afternoon for a parade.

The parade started a little after 4 pm and lasted for about forty-five minutes.  The kids around us had a wonderful time.  There was plenty of candy thrown to keep them busy.  I put up a slide show on the web with shots of most of the floats and some of the crowd.  It was a great all American event to get the holidays started with style.

We were fortunate to be in area for the 2006 edition of the Swansboro flotilla and Christmas tree lighting.  The streets of Swansboro were decorated for the holidays.

There were luminaries all around Front Street and along the shores of the White Oak river.  The weather had a pleasant chill to it, and a wonder crowd had gathered on the shores of the river.

A carriage service was offering horse drawn rides around town.  All the stores were open, and Jana's was even open into the evening. 

It was very pleasant evening as we stood on the shore waiting for the first of the boats decorated with Christmas lights.   It took a while for  the flotilla to appear, but they were well worth the wait.  My vote would have gone to swimming sea turtle.   Unfortunately moving boats in the dark are too much of a challenge for my pocket size Nikon.

I guess the only way to really enjoy the flotilla is to be there.  I understand there will be another one in Morehead City and Beaufort next weekend.  I hope the weather is as good for their event as it was for Swansboro's.

It really was a magical evening.  We finished it off with a delicious seafood dinner at Captain Charlie's.

I can highly recommend the fried oysters.

We were fortunate to be in area for the 2006 edition of the Swansboro flotilla and Christmas tree lighting.  The streets of Swansboro were decorated for the holidays.

There were luminaries all around Front Street and along the shores of the White Oak river.  The weather had a pleasant chill to it, and a wonder crowd had gathered on the shores of the river.

A carriage service was offering horse drawn rides around town.  All the stores were open, and Jana's was even open into the evening. 

It was very pleasant evening as we stood on the shore waiting for the first of the boats decorated with Christmas lights.   It took a while for  the flotilla to appear, but they were well worth the wait.  My vote would have gone to swimming sea turtle.   Unfortunately moving boats in the dark are too much of a challenge for my pocket size Nikon.

I guess the only way to really enjoy the flotilla is to be there.  I understand there will be another one in Morehead City and Beaufort next weekend.  I hope the weather is as good for their event as it was for Swansboro's.

It really was a magical evening.  We finished it off with a delicious seafood dinner at Captain Charlie's.

I can highly recommend the fried oysters.

We were fortunate to be in area for the 2006 edition of the Swansboro flotilla and Christmas tree lighting.  The streets of Swansboro were decorated for the holidays.

There were luminaries all around Front Street and along the shores of the White Oak river.  The weather had a pleasant chill to it, and a wonder crowd had gathered on the shores of the river.

A carriage service was offering horse drawn rides around town.  All the stores were open, and Jana's was even open into the evening. 

It was very pleasant evening as we stood on the shore waiting for the first of the boats decorated with Christmas lights.   It took a while for  the flotilla to appear, but they were well worth the wait.  My vote would have gone to swimming sea turtle.   Unfortunately moving boats in the dark are too much of a challenge for my pocket size Nikon.

I guess the only way to really enjoy the flotilla is to be there.  I understand there will be another one in Morehead City and Beaufort next weekend.  I hope the weather is as good for their event as it was for Swansboro's.

It really was a magical evening.  We finished it off with a delicious seafood dinner at Captain Charlie's.

I can highly recommend the fried oysters.