Owl-berta Virginia

In about the fall of 1953, we were driving from Baltimore, Maryland to Alberta, Virginia for a visit with my Grandmother Dot. I was about six at the time and could not remember the name "Alberta". Finally someone in the car, I think my Grandma Vera or maybe even Aunt Ellen told me to think of an "owl". Owl-berta is located about 50 miles Southwest of Richmond, Virginia right off of old Highway 1.

Highway 1 was a memorable experience. On this three lane highway, my father constantly reminded us how dangerous it was because either lane, south or north-going, could use the suicide middle passing lane. The landscape was green rolling hills wandering through small towns and shanties, frequently surrounded by dense forests of trees. No wonder my mother's stories about the little people invoked such strong beliefs in elves. If ever there was a magical place it was those mysterious forests gliding past me as we drove. Virginia creeper spread menacingly over the trees like a giant spider's web, suffocating their source of light and eventually turning them into skeleton trellises. The damp, humid woods was always in the continuous act of growing and decaying so the black rich soil seemed part wood full of bracken, bugs and worms and smelling of rich moist Virginia where anything would grow.

We would drive on and on and finally come to the turn off, drive past the Bethel Methodist Church or better yet, go around to main street and come over the railroad tracks, turn left and then on down the long lane lined with old trees leading to my grandmother's home. We were giddy with expectation, so excited to be greeted by Dot and Glenn and enter that beacon in my life known as Grandma Dot's house. Nothing was more warm and loving as going into that place. And it was all because of the way they lived.

Today Alberta, Virginia has a population of 306 people. I can't imagine that it has any more or less than it did 60 years ago.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

Location of Alberta, Virginia
Coordinates: 36°51′49″N 77°52′53″WCoordinates: 36°51′49″N 77°52′53″W
Country United States
State Virginia
County Brunswick
Area
- Total 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
- Land 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
- Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 397 ft (121 m)
Population (2000)
- Total 306
Website www.albertava.com
Alberta is a town in Brunswick County, Virginia, United States. The population was 306 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Christanna Campus of Southside Virginia Community College.
[edit]Geography

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 306 people, 128 households, and 86 families residing in the town. The population density was 278.3 people per square mile (107.4/km²). There were 158 housing units at an average density of 143.7/sq mi (55.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 59.80% White, 39.54% African American, 0.33% Asian, 0.33% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.33% of the population.
There were 128 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $27,361, and the median income for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $20,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,607. About 10.8% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 14.5% of those sixty five or over.

Monday Night is Soup Night

Monday is soup night because Grandma Boyer comes over for dinner. At 96 years old, she is having difficulty eating solid food so soup has become our weekly ritual. We look forward to sitting at the table, visiting with Lorraine, and eating one of several soups that have become dietary staples.

The table is set with place mats and usually the white Corelle plates and bowls because we love to use the white soup tureen Michelle gave me. The tureen is placed in the middle of the table and Marie or I, depending on who is sitting closest, spoon the soup into everyone bowls. Ladling soup into everyone's bowls with the aroma drifting around the table feels like an act of love, part of a woman's nurturing of loved ones. I also make toast sticks by buttering bread, then broiling it to nice warm brown color on one side and cutting the toast slice into thirds. The toast is crunchy on one side and soft on the other. The shape of the toast stick seems to elevate plain toast to a delicacy level.

Our favorite soups include:

Turkey or Chicken Noodle soup
Portuguese Kale soup
Sweet Potato Ham soup

God's Language

My father was an agnostic and my mother, a non-practicing Methodist. So I have often wondered how as a young child I developed this all encompassing belief that there was a God and that He was intensely aware of my little life. It may of been from my mother's side of the family. They were deep southern Christians with a grace and style that was compelling and attractive. I'm not talking about the way they dressed or moved, although that could be part of it. It was more the way they spoke. How they enunciated, the way they greeted me, their interaction and expression. And the vehicle they used, their speech, their voice, was laced with a deep southern accent peculiar to southeast Virginia. My cousin Betty Ann told me it was God's Language, how God spoke and I believe her.

It was her mother, my Aunt Ellen, who mastered the dialect. Her voice was like honey, cultured, clean, devoid of sarcasm or vileness and edged with love in every syllable. She was a lady in every aspect, sensitive to other's needs, patient, careful about her verbal exchanges. I named my dolls after her and tried to mimic her voice with all its melodic sound.

Whenever I go home to Alberta, Virginia, I launch into mimicking that dialect as if it were natural to me. Going to Alberta is like going to home to Heaven. In Heaven, surely you have to speak God's language.