Crozet residents soon will have a new coffee shop to add to the area’s growing retail and restaurant scene.

Oats are not high on my list of staples, and I rarely think about using them, except in the winter when we occasionally have oatmeal for breakfast. On the other hand, I had a friend who ate only oatmeal for breakfast every day for all of his adult life.

James River prepares for annual conference

While reading Andy Straka’s fourth thriller, “Record of Wrongs,” the thought occurred that speed-reading might be self-taught through the compulsive turning of pages. The urge to 1) solve the mystery of whodunit, and 2) prove that one is superior in intellect by how quickly said perp is fingered, can inspire new heights of rapid eye movements.

Some hike for exercise; others enjoy the scenic discoveries waiting at the end of an arduous climb.

Local wineries put their best fruits forward at the recent State Fair Wine Competition and came away with a lion’s share of ribbons at the Montpelier Center for Arts and Education.

Enjoy a Barren Sunset in Fishersville on Friday

Driving across Tennessee recently Allan and I found a delightful Italian restaurant near Exit 374 off of Interstate 40, west of Knoxville. The restaurant is called Vinny and Me.

Seven Virginians died last week, their deaths attributed to the record-setting heat wave.

Brookings president to speak at Miller Center

Cashmere Jungle Lords head to Cardinal Point

It is always amazing to me how many items in the culinary field we take for granted — such as the great variety of spices. Although we may not use them every day, food would be awfully dull without spices.

New Dominion is for NPR listeners

It was an encounter the whale researcher had never seen before, and his concern was reflected in his voice.

An interesting phenomenon takes place at Humpback Rocks Mountain Farm: Nothing plugs in, but everything recharges.

One of the finest compliments I’ve ever received came from Capt. Richard “Dick” Meadows.

Discussion groups meet at Crozet and Greene

James Stephenson’s book, “Losing the Golden Hour,” is a cautionary tale about our role in Iraq. The author — a retired senior Foreign Services officer — gives us a month-by-month account of his year-long post as USAID (United States Agency for International Development) mission director in that chaotic country. The book’s double-whammy title is defined in the opening lines of “Losing’s” jacket cover:

A Greene Country woman has spent a lifetime opening her heart and her home to help others.

An after-lunch stroll and some classic horse-trading ensured the preservation of one of the finest jewels in Charlottesville’s architectural crown.

As he flew over the border into North Vietnam, Capt. Richard “Dick” Meadows’ face lit up.

I frequently experiment with recipes and recipe ideas. This was the case the other day, when I was reading about the traditional French Tart Tatin. It is really an upside-down apple tart made with puff pastry. Thus I thought, “Why not make it with something besides apples?”

Virginia Arts of Book plans two workshops

If you are like me and enjoy hiking in the woods but don’t always have the time to drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway or Skyline Drive, then you come to really appreciate the Rivanna Trail that loops the city of Charlottesville.

Certain early summer mornings our family would pile into the van, drive out to fields in the far reaches of Virginia Beach and spend hours picking sweet red berries that peeked out from under bushy vines.

For many war veterans, every day is Memorial Day.

Hallowed Ground leads right through Monticello

Preparing to write about Tara Yellen’s first novel, “After Hours at the Almost Home,” I felt joyous. Yellen received her master of fine arts degree from the University of Virginia and was awarded the prestigious Henry Hoyns Fellowship. On the basis of the book under review, the foregoing may be preliminary dots and dashes leading to an elongated line of literary achievements.

“I can tell the sun is shining,” Daniel Eubanks said one recent afternoon as he taught Melvin Lunsford and a few other young men how to make clay elephants as they sat around a patio table at the Mary Williams Community Center in Charlottesville.
“A person near me looks like a dark spot in a light place. When I started to lose my sight, I was angry, upset.

Word of mouth was about the only advertisement needed.