THYME Magazine

Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor


Volume IV, Issue XXIIIa Special Edition

At the 'Center of the Universe' with Romney and Ryan

Ashland, Virginia proudly bills itself as the 'Center of the Universe.' Former mayor Dick Gillis came up with the slogan in the 1980s:  "...supposedly because it was close to the mountains, the beach, Richmond, and D.C. It is right along the railroad line and it is a college town: home to Randolph-Macon University." Travel writer Peter Greenberg took issue with the claim and advised his readers not to go there. Enjoying a fine dinner with my lovely wife at Ashland's Trackside Grill, I have to conclude that this is Mr. Greenberg's loss! Ashland is a lovely place!


Mitt Romney meets the crowd in Ashland...


...along with Vice Presidential candidate, Paul Ryan.


Ann Romney warmly greets supporters.

Presidential candidates, fortunately, ignore Greenberg's advice and this made for a great trip for my lovely wife and myself. In fact, SHE even suggested it when she saw the campaign stop mentioned in the Times-Dispatch. When we signed up we did not imagine how historic the day would be! True, Sarah Palin had made a campaign stop four years ago at Homemades by Suzanne, another Ashland eatery, but we had little reason to suspect history would repeat itself.

Driving along Interstate 64 that morning, we turned on the news and learned that Paul Ryan of Wisconsin had indeed joined the ticket... being introduced at the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk! In a packed auditorium at Randolph Macon, the mood was electric! Ryan's straightforward effort to tackle the Federal Budget [click to read] uniquely qualifies him for the work that lies ahead. Ryan and his family joined the Romneys in Ashland, making the day one to remember!

Joy in the Journey, Milepost 60

True Friends on the Road Less Travelled...


A special hike with my family after our celebration at Humpback Mountain picnic area.

I had no idea what it would feel like, reaching the next big turn of the odometer as it were, but the congratulatory messages started pouring in early from friends and family. The first was from friends in Thailand, where my birthday would have started earlier.

This Lovely Tribute [click to read] by my friend and fellow blogger, Lynn Mitchell, really moved me. Thank you!

Life in Renaissance Waynesboro

Reinvigorating Augusta's Gateway to the Blue Ridge


Fairfax Hall, originally the Brandon Hotel, once lured visitors to Basic City. Now Basic City is part of Waynesboro. Illustration by Bob Kirchman.



Waynesboro grew to its greatest extent in the mid-Twentieth Century propelled by industry such as the DuPont plant that employed thousands...

Waynesboro rode the industrial boom of the mid-Twentieth Century to become a very prosperous community. The city's beautiful homes and churches give evidence of this golden age. In This Two Part Series [click to read] NBC 29 looks at how the big factories helped build Waynesboro and their decline has led to new challenges for the community.

Fairfax Hall is one example of how the community is seeking to reinvent itself by revitalizing some of its great historic institutions. Bill Hausrath used historic preservation credits and incentives for creating affordable housing to restore Fairfax Hall to its original glory [with modern appliances]. The Wayne Theatre is being restored as a performance venue.

Wayesboro is located at the entrance to a major National Park and is convenient to two major interstates. There are a number of properties such as the old Virginia Metalcrafters building just waiting for creative 'reinvention.' The Valley has a willing workforce waiting to be tapped. The Governor is actively pursuing pro-market policies on the state level.

Silicon Valley firms facing higher taxation in California should be takng note.


...and provided the resources for them to build many fine homes in the city.


Lynn Mitchell was having lunch at Grean Leaf Grill [1.] on Main Street as our team was working on a project across the street which will bring more life to downtown. Photo by Lynn Mitchell

My Grandparents... August 21, 1904

Lynn Remembers a Special Day for Her Family



Guest Post by Lynn R. Mitchell in the Milestone Monday series.

There's a narrow gold wedding band I wear along with my own ... my grandmother's wedding band ... that was left to me when she passed away many years ago. Inside is engraved my grandparents' initials and the date of their wedding ... August 21, 1904 ... 106 years ago today.

My grandfather was from Grayson County in southwest Virginia. My grandmother was from Allegheny County, NC, just across the New River and state line. I don't know how they met, only that they were married in Cox's Chapel along the river. Their names were John and Molly and they were two teenagers beginning life together as generations had done before in those isolated hard-scrapple mountains.

They settled in a small cabin on the side of a mountain near an area known as Mouth of Wilson in the shadow of Grayson Highlands and Mt. Rogers in the days before it became a state park. The land was sloped and rocky ... the elevation was over 3,500 feet ... and to walk it today makes me wonder how they were able to survive in the harsh winters and difficult summers. In two rooms, they began raising their family that would eventually include 10 children ... my mother was the youngest ... as my grandfather farmed with a mule and plow, piling rocks on the hillside that are still in place to this day. A small creek passes below the cabin, a source of water during the days they lived in those cramped, sparse conditions.

They were surrounded by family. Our relatives are all through those hills, most staying close as they grow into adulthood, marry, and raise families of their own. My grandfather's parents lived in a log cabin on The Knob, the family place that was made up of two rooms and a fireplace on the ground floor, and one large room upstairs. My grandmother's father was prosperous and owned a store outside Sparta, NC. She left to marry and make a life of her own.

Because they were tough and made their own way, they set a work ethic for those of us who followed that continues to this day. And it began on this day 106 years ago when John and Molly became man and wife....