I don’t remember this but I have been told that when I was a little boy I had this Howdy Dowdy puppet. Do you remember Howdy Dowdy, Buffalo Bob, Clarabell, and the Peanut Gallery? Anyway I was told that when I would come to the supper table that I always bought Howdy. My parents didn’t seem to mind because it looked like Howdy inspired me to eat all that was put before me. After several weeks of Howdy joining us for supper my parents noticed that Howdy had this awful smell. As it turned out I was shoving all the things that I didn’t like down Howdy. Like I said I don’t remember any of it but I do remember this. When food was left on the plate and I would ask to be excused my mother would tell me about all the starving kids in this world and make me eat everything. I seem to have carried that into adult life. I no longer do the physical work that I did when I worked as a commercial waterman. I don’t burn the calories off as easily as I use too but I can’t seem to leave the table if there is even the tiniest of morsels left. Does anyone know of a good shrink or maybe a hypnotist? I’ve got to get past this feeling that I’m responsible for world hunger if I leave some brussel spouts on my plate.

Real Estate in the Northern Neck has continued to sell. Look for property by searching the Northern Neck Association of Realtors Multiple Listings, Click Here  

The Northern Neck has become a popular place to live and retire.
Lancaster was rated as the 7th best place in the nation to retire by a national publication.

You are asked to share your stories and pictures of the Northern Neck.

The spring trophy season will open in the Potomac a Maryland tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay on April 21, 2007. In Virginia waters the season opens May 1.
I’ll try and keep you informed.
In the mean time please post pictures of fish you have caught.

There use to be so many oysters in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries that the oysters could filter the bay in 5 days. I have heard as few as 3 days. I can remember standing on long piers as a boy that went out into the Potomac River. The water was probably 8 feet deep and I could see the bottom. If someone threw a coin in the water we could dive in and find it. I really believe a lot of that was due to the fact that there use to be so many oysters in the bay and rivers. Over the years 2 diseases have hurt the native oyster population. Annual harvest is in the thousands instead of millions. It is my understanding that a non-native oyster (Asian species) is not affected by these 2 diseases. Currently this oyster has been introduced to the bay but it has been neutered so it will not reproduce. The oyster grows at a rate that is much higher than that of the native oyster. I personally feel as though this oyster should be introduced and allowed to spawn.

When I was a boy the towns in the Northern Neck were like most small southern towns. Local people owned small stores and all those stores were on Main St. Everybody knew everybody and the people that were driving didn't use turn signals because everyone knew where they were going. Things have really changed except the locals still don’t use turn signals and always wave to the passing car. I really have grown up in 2 different eras. I think most people my age have. All of our phone calls were operated assisted. No matter where I was I could pick up the phone and Ruth Brown would say, “Operator”. I’d say that I wanted to talk to Mama or Daddy and she would Say “Hi Ken” and connect me. Today I have to read a book before I can use my cell phone. I can remember being 8 years old and telling mama good-bye in the morning, getting on my bicycle, and not being home until suppertime. Can you imagine that happening today? A bunch of us boys would get together and play ball or go fishing. If I did anything wrong someone scolded me and when I got home Mama let me know about it. If I really did something wrong Daddy broke out the belt. There were no theaters but there was the Movie Hall or the Picture Show and on Friday and Saturday nights people stood outside and talked while waiting for the doors to open. I don’t think I ever saw a movie that the projectionist didn’t have to realign the film because you were seeing about 10 frames at a time. Either that or the film broke and he had to repair it. We did have a television but it only got 3 snowy channels. We really didn’t need that because the entertainment was sitting around one of the old country stores in the evening. The men all told stories, the truth got stretched, and even when you were the one getting ribbed you never got mad. And if you did you got over it.