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Bath County writer is back to The Recorder
BY MARGO OXENDINE • STAFF WRITER
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Well, it's "back to the future" for Margo Oxendine.
After a seven-year hiatus, I am happy to be back on the full-time staff of this great paper.
If you remember my work from what I call the good old days, forget that. Things will be different this time around. I hope to leave news and politics to the reporters who already do a fine job of covering them. There is no shortage of hard, award-winning news in these pages; just ask the Virginia Press Association, who heaps awards on this paper and its writers year after year.
In my opinion (and you'll be getting a lot of that!), The Recorder needs some fun.
To that end, I'll be putting together arts and leisure features. We all appreciate some facet of the arts, and heaven knows, we all appreciate our leisure.
I'll be resurrecting my column "A Party of One," and I'll be doing features about who's doing what locally, and why you might find it interesting. As a contributing writer, I've already begun a few of the columns and features I hope will become an anticipated part of weekly Recorder issues.
There's "Day Tripping" - where to go and what to do, when you just have to get out of town for a change of scenery. We've been to Lewisburg, W.Va., and to the Roanoke Market. Expect a lot more of that.
I'll be "Weekending" at every opportunity. The first "Weekending," which appears this week, features one of my favorite towns, Baltimore, Md. By no means will "Weekending" be comprehensive - space is limited on these pages, you know - however, I'll tell you how to get there, suggest a few places to stay and shop and visit and, by all means, eat.
Remember, I'm a restaurant girl; nothing pleases me more than experiencing what a menu has to offer. We suffer from a deficit of restaurants here, but I'll be visiting those that we do have in Bath and Highland and the area, and telling you about their "Dining Delights."
I've spent the last seven years at the Bath County Historical Society museum. I have fallen in love with history. Those who've been reading this paper for decades probit ably recall Hugh Gwin's column, "Historically Speaking." While I will never be the local historian that Hugh is, I will be "Paging through History" from time to time. There are fascinating stories out there in Bath and Highland, and somebody needs to tell them to you.
Speaking of museums, they are one of my "must do" things whenever I travel. So, we'll be "Museum Hopping" around the region. We'll begin in our own backyards: the museums in Bath and Highland. These places are treasure troves; it's sad that more of us don't know and appreciate what we have right here at home. Then, we'll branch out. There are great museums in Lexington, Lewisburg, and Pocahontas County. We will go to Montpelier, to Monticello, to Mount Vernon, and to that pinnacle of museum land, Washington, D.C. If you have other suggestions, let me know what they are.
You're also welcome to come along as I "Tiptoe through the Tombstones." Cemeteries are another of my favorite haunts, both in and out of town. They are full of intrigue, mystery, grief and great stories. I'll scout them out, do the research, and let you in on the secrets buried there.
One of America's top leisure pursuits is poking around antique shops and flea markets. We'll be doing that, too. If strikes me as splendid, ghastly, hilarious or historic, I'll tell you where to find it. The same is true of the galleries that are popping up everywhere around this region. So, if you have an idea of where you'd like to go "Antiquing" or "Gallery Gallavanting," please let me know.
What's the most beloved thing in most American homes? Why, your pet, of course. One of my already-favorite columns will be "About Your Pets." I gave you the initial column here a couple weeks ago. I must tell you, I'm very disappointed. Not a single reader has written to "Ask Auntie Margo" about something funny or odd or worrisome that a cat or dog or llama might be doing. Come on! Do I have the only quirky cat and adorable dog out there? I think not. I have lots of experience with lots of different pets. I love animals! Let me know what yours is/are doing, and if it's something that requires a professional opinion, Dr. Ellen Miller has agreed to advise me.
Actually, running a close second to pets, the most beloved thing in most American homes is the TV. Come on and confess it: you love your TV; I know I
do. From time to time, I'll share my opin ions about "Channel Surfing." Fair warning: I'm a reality TV freak - Survivor, The Amazing Race (my favorite), Top Chef, Project Runway, American Idol. Hey - they're guilty pleasures, but they give me more pleasure than guilt.
There's no reason whatsoever to review movies in the Bath and Highland Recorder; we can't get there from here. But here's something most of us enjoy: Reading. I'd love to have a book review section, where you readers and I tell others about something we just weren't able to put down until 3 a.m.
Get the picture? It's all about arts and leisure. I sincerely hope that, as the fun topics progress we'll have all sorts of guest contributors. Let me know about your favorite things to do, places to visit, shops to patronize; tell me about your favorite restaurant, museum, gallery. Let me in on a memorable canoeing or rafting trip, a glorious place to hike, or fish, or ride your bike. I'm not professing to know how to fish, or that I ride a bike with any regularity, but there are lots of Recorder readers who do. And don't forget "About Your Pets."
To share your arts and leisure tips, zap me an e-mail. My address is: margox@tds.net.
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