New Olivia Newton-John Song!

Okay, first the bad news: It's produced by egomaniac David Foster. And worse, there's a children's choir. The good news: It's Olivia!! (Thanks for the link, Mark.)

Lynchburg: A Touch Of Mink

After watching “Grey Gardens” with the parents... let’s see, my fifth or sixth time... as always, I relished the scene where Cap, the married man, rewards Little Edie with a mink. Ah, the delicious 1940s. That reminded me that hanging in my mammer's closet, gently calling out, “Chuck, darling, psst!” was Evelyn's mink coat, which she’s had for decades (calm down, PETA peddlers, that animal has been dead since before you existed).How could I resist trying it on for size (a perfect fit!), as well as attempting a little-Little Edie drag? Damn, I want to cuddle with that mink on a cold winter New York night.

Lynchburg: Parade Of Homes 4

The enduring classics: All of these stunning homes were built in the 1800s—and have the honor of returning to glory, thanks to a new generation of proud owners, who have restored them to their original grandeur. Most are in the historic downtown nabe of Diamond Hill, though a sprinkling are located in Rivermont.

Lynchburg: Deer Crossing

Driving through a residential neighborhood Sunday evening, I saw three deer grazing in the front yard of a house, nowhere particularly close to the woods. Deer are an ongoing challenge in the city, where you regularly see deer that have been hit along the roads, lying to the side, along with Deer Crossing signs in the midst of dense nabes. They love them some Lynchburg.

Lynchburg: Sunday In The City w/ Diddy

On Sunday afternoon, Dan and I escaped Evelyn's clutches to go laptop shopping! Yes, Dad wants to join the Internet revolution (god knows I'd be ecstatic to have the web at their place). Of course, like father, like son, there were side excursions along the way, including side roads (with a trailer park, hurrah!) and a stop at the GMC dealer to look at the new cars, as well as open land... and Best Buy. He's focused on the Acer Aspire 15-inch, which retails for an amazing $350.

Lynchburg: Evelyn & Dan, The Official Portrait

I took this when we went to the "Big House" for Sunday dinner, which requires "proper dress." Mammer Evelyn is 83 and my diddy Dan will be 86 on Dec. 8. Love this picture. I'm so fortunate to have my folks in good health, alert and with only a few replacement body parts.

Lynchburg: Lunchburg

I rescued nephew Matthew from Bedford on Saturday and we drove all around downtown Lynchburg, before meeting with Trix Moose and her 14-year-old Jack for lunch at the delectable Waterstone Pizzeria in the Craddock-Terry Hotel, named for its former usage as a warehouse for the shoe corporation, which was based in the 'burg. The web site says it best: "The decor is distinctly industrial with open exposed granite block walls, heavy timber beams and an airy atrium." The food was awfully tasty, too. Afterward, we took a walking tour of the hotel, which has been beautifully restored, with much of the original beams and brick in place.In the 'vator with Matty and Trix.My kind of sole! An actual ad from one of Craddock Terry's brands in the mid-1970s. It's displayed—where else—in the men's room.Original signage on the side of the building next to the Craddock Terry Hotel.Each room is decorated with a particular shoe on the door. How could I resist the elfin slipper? It sure beat the athletic sneaker theme.

Lynchburg: It's Beginning To Look...

Bro Chris and Judy put up their live Christmas tree Saturday, complete with that "real tree smell" that didn't even come from an aerosol can! Amazing, huh? I sat off to the side, licking their cutie Yorkie Blake on the top of his tiny noggin.

Lynchburg: Out WIth The Old

My brother and I both lost our facial hair within the same week. I shaved off my goatee, followed by the loss of Chris' porn star mustache, which he has had in place for 17 years. Do we look at all alike?

Lynchburg: Historic Downtown

Like most American cities, Lynchburg's downtown suffered near collapse as malls came to town and the population spread to the suburbs. But they've done a really fine job of restoring the area over the past decade or so, with new businesses opening in old warehouses and factories—maintaining much of the facade of the 1800s—while breathing new life into a once uninhabitable region. Some of the old haunts like Schewels Furniture and L. Oppleman music store, in fact, have never closed.

Lynchburg: Three Houses

1> Among the homes my diddy grew up in during the 1930s in Lynchburg, on Mimosa Drive.2> The house that I was born into, on Gorman Drive. We lived here until I was 4.3> This is home... Trents Ferry Ct., where my parents lived until 12 years ago, from my elementary days through college and beyond.

Lynchburg: J.T. Thornhill, Yet Another 20-Plus Years Reunion!

Facebook is a pretty astonishing phenomenon... Over the past year, I have reunited with no fewer than four friends from the deep past, thanks to FB hook-ups. On Friday, Donna Mae Moose hosted meese (har, Moose and meese, that's right friggin' funny) at her home, where hubby Cecil fixed a post-Thanksgiving feast for us: with high school buddy J.T. Thornhill (the IV, mind you), whom I have not seen, we're thinking, in about 27 years. Great reunion.

He's now in South Carolina, where he has a doctorate in Psychiatry. He teaches, is director of university admissions for his affiliated school and sees dingy patients. We also spent plenty of time piecing the past together including our starring turns in the play "Arsenic & Old Lace," which we all acted in, as did Strelie. The pictures from the play—with all of us in near-pancake make-up—were ridiculous fun.Twenty-seven years. Damn, we're old.