Bear in an Oven Bag

Posted in Food on October 31st, 2011 by marklynn
Bear in an Oven Bag
Maybe you caught it when it originally aired, but I just discovered Bizarre Foods Appalachia. With a title like that, I expected to endure an hour’s worth of possum jokes, but as it turns out, the Travel Channel has produced a true salute to the wide ranging food traditions in Appalachia. All of the dishes are demonstrated by locals, from Swiss decendants cooking pfeffernusse to Native American’s baking up bear…the modern way. Read More »


Tags:
Leave A Comment »

Will Legal Pot End Appalachia’s Biggest Cash Crop?

Posted in History & Culture on October 23rd, 2011 by marklynn
Will Legal Pot End Appalachia’s Biggest Cash Crop?
White lightning might be Appalachia’s most famous vice, but the smokable pleasure of green lightning is reported to be our most lucrative one. According to a 2008 History Channel documentary on Appalachia, the region’s annual pot production is valued at a whopping $4 billion dollars. That far exceeds farm incomes, and it even outstrips Appalachia’s other breadwinner–coal. For instance, the world’s largest coal comp Read More »


Tags: , ,
2 Comments »

Leaf Peeping: The Rail Way

Posted in Outdoors & Travel on October 16th, 2011 by marklynn
Leaf Peeping: The Rail Way
According to forestry and travel sites, this is the peak week for fall leaves in the southern Appalachians. If you’re not already perched on a mountainside, run, do not walk, to your car. Now is the perfect time to cruise along a ridge line, peering over the guard rail to a swaying orange and red canopy that climbs the mountains like it’s trying to reach the sky. The only thing that can make your fall mountain ride any better is not Read More »


Tags: ,
Leave A Comment »

The Festy Experience is Back

Posted in Music on October 8th, 2011 by marklynn
The Festy Experience is Back
This time last year Ryan and I were headed down past Charlottesville for a weekend of sonic delights at a festival like no other — The Festy Experience. While we won’t be able to make it this go round (Mother is visiting this weekend), The Festy 2012 is going strong. It started yesterday and runs through tomorrow. Hosted by The Infamous Stringdusters, this one-of-a-kind festival brings together great bands from bluegrass, folk, world Read More »


Tags: ,
Leave A Comment »

The Waltons Creator to Return to Virginia

Posted in Art & Lit on October 2nd, 2011 by marklynn
The Waltons Creator to Return to Virginia
I’m not ashamed to admit that I like The Waltons. When I say so, younger friends stare at me blankly. They think I’m talking about the neighbors or some family at church. People over thirty-five respond in one of two ways. Either they invite me to sit on their porch and compare our favorite episodes or they smirk. Now, this is not your regular smirk, but the kind that substitutes for rolling your eyes when rolling your eyes would be Read More »


Tags: ,
6 Comments »