When Amanda Menconi was 13 years old, she experienced her first motorcycle ride and from then on thought any gal riding one was the coolest chick ever. “I made up my mind around age 18 that I would own a motorcycle before I was 25, and I did,” she recalls. After she met her husband Carlo, who grew up riding dirt bikes and motorcycles, she learned that his sister, Mary, secretly bought her husband a motorcycle as a surprise. “I …
re you looking forward to retirement? I did. There was a mental countdown that last year of school; 179 more days…98 …23 …1! I could hardly wait, but a friend asked, “If …
Reverend Robert Childress built churches—lots of churches and all but one from rocks in the 1.8-billion-year-old Blue Ridge Mountains. Isolated sections of Floyd, Patrick and Carroll counties conceal these stars in Bob …
Imagine my surprise when I asked Pat Buckley Moss recently what is her favorite thing to paint, and she reached for a pendant she was wearing on a long chain. It is …
When Dublin native Trish Hale married Dublin native Steve Hale, just shy of 50 years ago, she packed a suitcase, said her vows and went to Steve’s childhood home to set up …
The first response to Donnie Martin’s idea of retrofitting his motor boat with some fins and tail lights to match his 1959 El Camino was met with: “Are you crazy?” Donnie’s response …
There are more than 400 recognized dog breeds in the world. Working dogs, sporting dogs, herding dogs – terriers, hounds and toys … the varieties seem endless. If you have fallen in …
In a reversal of following in footsteps, Marc Manley indulged himself in falconry after his son, Kennet, pursued the ancient sport in high school. “Kennet began his apprenticeship in 2014, and after …
Lizzie Smyth loves picnics, and picnic planning was just a hobby until her 6-month dating anniversary picnic on the Blue Ridge Parkway. She pulled together a beautiful presentation, and a light bulb …
The covid-19 pandemic changed our daily habits tremendously, and some of those habits are sticking around long after lockdowns have lifted. One such transformation is the public’s utilization of telehealth. As medical …