Off the Shelf

As a cherry blossom lover too, I'd like to inv...

2011-04-20T10:21:35.673-04:00

As a cherry blossom lover too, I'd like to invite you to my blog for those pictures with the Haiku you addressed on this article, which I took and finished with my heart on my blog. I bet one dollar you would like it :)

Hopefully it will be posted on this blog site by t...

2011-02-23T20:26:11.043-05:00

Hopefully it will be posted on this blog site by the end of this week. You have a great Southern voice as well! I am very fond of listening to both of you.

Betsy, Where is this podcast? I ADORED it and Doug...

2011-02-23T12:05:45.717-05:00

Betsy, Where is this podcast? I ADORED it and Dougie's voice is perfection. All I have to say to myself is I'm a Hornsby from Newputnews in Dougie's voice and I giggle. With great fondness, Lee

Lewis - What a nice thing to say about dear ol'...

2011-02-19T17:30:21.218-05:00

Lewis - What a nice thing to say about dear ol'dad. He was a great guy, a great shot and thought the world of you my friend. -=DH=-

Betsy, I'm an old friend of Doug's , Gray ...

2011-01-02T17:18:17.360-05:00

Betsy, I'm an old friend of Doug's , Gray Bowditch just shared your Blog on Back
Bay and it was wonderful , brought back great memories , I was truly blessed
for Doug sharing his families Club with me, thanks to that exposure I'm now "Duckaholic" and need help!!! Some of my favorite moments were the time's
I spent with the one and only "C.W. HORNSBY" who taught me how to shoot and is the reason I have my 2 greatest passion , Duck Hunting and Shooting Clay Targets , I owe this all to Doug Hornsby for taking me to Back Bay. Thank you for recreating these stories, you really nailed it ! Thank you, Lewis A. McMurran , III

Caroline, Thank you, my friend!

2010-10-13T08:56:14.549-04:00

Caroline,
Thank you, my friend!

Betsy, have I told you lately what a fine, fine wr...

2010-10-11T14:55:02.233-04:00

Betsy, have I told you lately what a fine, fine writer you are? Love, Caroline

Thank you for your comment. The proximity to the o...

2010-09-29T04:20:07.805-04:00

Thank you for your comment. The proximity to the ocean is definitely one of the wonderful features of living in Chesapeake!

You have captured what many of us from these parts...

2010-09-24T12:12:30.415-04:00

You have captured what many of us from these parts take for granted in a most picturesque manner. I especially enjoy the Lindbergh quotes. Well done. :)

JennyD - I loved your story about the Ostrich Lunc...

2010-08-19T19:47:36.479-04:00

JennyD - I loved your story about the Ostrich Luncheon! What a combination! As a friend of mine use to say, nothing tastes better than hot fat. Cold fat definitely loses its luster. Thank you for sharing your memories!

Jeri, How nice to have these shared memories with ...

2010-08-19T19:38:10.943-04:00

Jeri, How nice to have these shared memories with you! Thank you so much for your lovely comments.

Well, Betsy, you don't know me at all, lol, an...

2010-08-19T00:35:28.708-04:00

Well, Betsy, you don't know me at all, lol, and I'm not even going to talk about trains, but I do have to tell you that I read your posts through the baby fawns and I've been SO mesmerized. Many, many thanks for all the great memories you conjured up in my old head (I'm 63), including Miller & Rhodes Tea Room. I was there every single Saturday for lunch with my grandmother from the time I was 5 until my teen years took priority. The Tea Room was where all young ladies learned the social graces and table manners that were necessary -- you know how the South is (tg) -- and never in a million years would we ever have walked into that room without gloves and a hat on. Little girl dresses depending on the age and beautiful suits when you became older were always the order. I miss that. I really miss it. I even remember my favorite lunch to order when I was 5: The Ostrich Luncheon. It's almost embarrassing to tell you what it was. What the heck, why not: picture a plate heaped in the middle with a mountain of mashed potatoes. Ladle into that a ton of gravy and encircle the entire dish with bacon. Omg, I can't believe I'm still alive. Man, that was soooooo good. I'd pipe right up and say, "I'll have the Ostrich Luncheon please".
If you ask some of the old cronies like myself about the piano music, they'll tell you it was Eddie Weaver, the same Eddie Weaver that played the organ at the Byrd Theater on Cary St.
I was lucky enough to always get to sit on his piano bench with him for an entire song every Saturday. Can you imagine how pleased I was? Why, I thought it was just for me, lol. Bless my grandmother; she talked him into it for all those years because they were friends and I didn't find that out until I was about 21.

I can't say a word about the wildlife post. I was in tears. I'm such an animal lover and I go through this same thing in my own back yard to this day. Whew, it's tough out there.

Anyway, I didn't mean to write an entire blog here or to take up so much paper (just kidding), but I'm sure your eyes are tired by now, so I'll end by saying once again how much I absolutely loved you blog. I think I might pop back in on occasion and see what's cookin'.
....and all this because I was doing a search on old recipes from Thalhimers, Miller & Rhodes, and Morton's Tea Room. I need to stop thinking about food :D
JennyD (ps/I'm in Richmond)

I really enjoyed the memories and information abou...

2010-08-16T16:18:40.660-04:00

I really enjoyed the memories and information about the Manassas Train Station and the old days in that special old Virginia town. The train station lives in my memories, too, as I lived there for thirteen years. I, too, have ridden the Amtrak rails north many, many times. Thanks for another beautiful trip.
Jeri Morton

Thank you both for your kind comments! I am happy...

2010-08-02T23:11:47.146-04:00

Thank you both for your kind comments! I am happy that the fawn is safe. Caroline, I have often thought of your columns, and of all the thought and effort it must have taken for you to produce such entertaining and timely pieces week after week. You have created quite a body of work.

I know I was amazed when I read a history of the r...

2010-08-02T14:51:33.322-04:00

I know I was amazed when I read a history of the railroads a few years ago. I had not realized the extent to which they shaped the nation.

Excellent post, Betsy. Interesting fact about the ...

2010-08-01T19:51:49.024-04:00

Excellent post, Betsy. Interesting fact about the time zones.

Betsy, you are such a good writer!

2010-07-19T13:38:44.251-04:00

Betsy, you are such a good writer!

what a lovely story, I enjoyed reading it and am s...

2010-07-19T13:09:59.376-04:00

what a lovely story, I enjoyed reading it and am so happy for that one little fawn

I know there USED to be cowboys in Tidewater becau...

2010-06-10T22:08:37.605-04:00

I know there USED to be cowboys in Tidewater because my husband's uncle, T.T. Dyer (who used to sing with Norman Phelps and the Virginia Rounders) sang "Goodbye Buckaroo"(an old Gene Autry song)at Willie Phelps funeral March 1, 2004. Uncle T.T. died May 19, 2004.

Thank you, you are a gentleman and a scholar, and ...

2010-05-15T08:54:51.535-04:00

Thank you, you are a gentleman and a scholar, and one of the finest book reviewers I know.

Hiya, Ms Betsy, good post. Loves me some peanut s...

2010-05-13T10:17:40.645-04:00

Hiya, Ms Betsy, good post.
Loves me some peanut soup, alas The Missus does not share the feeling.
As to poetry, weeeeeeeell, what's not to love.
That's a wonderful photo of you and pater-- I can see Kate there too.
Miss your dulcet tones, though I am glad to see you thriving with your new team.
Fond regards.

2010-05-06T23:42:49.498-04:00

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Love the blog, Bean Girl. Does the Bacon Girl foll...

2010-04-30T16:27:22.759-04:00

Love the blog, Bean Girl. Does the Bacon Girl follow? Someone at MWC had a sense of humour.

I'm pleased to see the Dismal Swamp getting mo...

2010-04-13T10:26:20.603-04:00

I'm pleased to see the Dismal Swamp getting more of the attention it deserves! When I lived in Chesapeake many years ago, I often hiked along its trails and explored the shores of Lake Drummond. I fell in love with this place, and used it as the setting for my first novel, In The Dismal Swamp. I'm sure I won't be the last writer to write about this wonderful place.

What a wonderful story, well-written and very well...

2010-04-13T09:02:04.198-04:00

What a wonderful story, well-written and very well researched; I loved reading it and learning more about a place I love.