Our September seminar took us to Northern Neck and I was very excited about the visit. As much as I complain about how few people travel to SW, it was a great personal reminder that there are many areas of Virginia that I have never been to. Northern Neck is one of those areas. I… Continue reading Food and Flexibility!!
Chesapeake
While I may have grown-up in Central Virginia...visits to coastal Virginia and the Chesapeake always seem a bit like a homecoming. With strong family ties to Virginia's watermen, their brogue dialect and food culture - it is always a welcome treat to return to the water.Day 1: Our trip to the Northern Neck kicked off… Continue reading Chesapeake
Family Business Leadership Lessons
Our Northern Neck-Middle Peninsula-Bay tour was just as eye opening as the previous regional visits around the state. Each region’s agriculture and aquaculture is unique, but some similar threads run through many of the businesses we have toured. One of those threads is family. The family farm business takes many different forms. One quality that… Continue reading Family Business Leadership Lessons
Reflections along the Waters of the Northern Neck
VALOR class VI started year two visiting the Northern Neck of Virginia. I don’t know what it is, but there is something that always calls me to the water. It seems like the water calms my soul and I often find myself reflecting on where I have been and where I want to go. We… Continue reading Reflections along the Waters of the Northern Neck
Whoah! We’re halfway there
Our recent Seminar took us to the Northern Neck of Virginia, marking the halfway point of this two-year fellowship. I feel like I repeat myself with each seminar, talking about how unique the culture is in each part of the state we visit. During this trip, we learned more about the culture of the Chesapeake… Continue reading Whoah! We’re halfway there
Down By The Bay
September marked our class’s one year anniversary, and brought our group to the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula, and Chesapeake Bay. One of the catchiest tunes that I can recall from my childhood is a song by Raffi called Down By The Bay. Unlike the character in the song we didn’t see any goats rowing boats,… Continue reading Down By The Bay
Oysters, Produce and Crab Cakes, O My!
The sixth fellowship of the VALOR program surpassed our halfway mark with a visit to the Northern Neck of Virginia in what turned out being some delightful weather for the majority of our four day visit. I enjoy taking some time after each VALOR session to recall each visit and capture a few nuggets from… Continue reading Oysters, Produce and Crab Cakes, O My!
The one VALOR trip I had to wake up before 6 am to get to on time.
Did you know that there was a practically a whole other state if you go west of Blacksburg in Southwest, Virginia??? I only jokingly say this (slightly), knowing that Virginia had its’ southwest portion of the state from my elementary (middle?) school education. But boy did my geography teacher leave a lot out! I always… Continue reading The one VALOR trip I had to wake up before 6 am to get to on time.
AppaLAYcha or AppaLATCHa?
I believe it is the latter, but during our time in southwest Virginia at the end of July I heard it both ways! What is more import is exactly how much this region of our great state holds. I was very surprised to see just how many different agricultural (and otherwise) industries fill this massive… Continue reading AppaLAYcha or AppaLATCHa?
Staycation
I affectionately referred to the July seminar as my “staycation”. This is because it was time to explore my home region. I am a native of Southwest Virginia and have spent most of my life here. It’s a region that is often misunderstood or even ignored by others across Virginia. This is especially true of… Continue reading Staycation
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