COLUMN NUGGETS from readers are the focus today, on topics ranging from the old DAW theater in Tappahannock to a 2-year-old's funny "dragon" in Montross.

Dennis Smith of Spotsylvania County responded to my column about the DAW theater in Tappahannock, noting that he used to live on Mundy Point Road near the boundary between Westmoreland and Northumberland counties in the Northern Neck.

"One of the things I always liked telling non-Neckers is how a typical date back in the '60s would provide a round trip of about 100 miles," said Smith.

He pointed out that he'd go from his home on Mundy Point, not far from Kinsale in Westmoreland County to the other side of Heathsville in Northumberland County, then the 30 miles or so to Tappahannock in Essex County, and then back again.

"That hike seemed like nothing back then," he said. "A short date would be to end up in Callao at 'The Cave.' As you know, it was slim pickin's for things to do. Of course, there was a Dairy Freeze in just about every town you could circle."

He closed by saying that the real capper in my column was the mention of my Corvair.

"Now that really hit home. Mine was a dark blue, '62 Corvair Monza," he wrote. "What was yours?"

I'm not sure, since I bought it used
for $400, and it only lasted a few months before mechanical troubles put it beyond my repair budget.

I do, however, remember The Cave, the Northern Neck's one rock-music haven/hangout during the late '60s and early '70s.

As for the Tasty Freezes where we drove to and fro on weekend nights, that will be the subject of a future column.

Bunny Chidester of Stafford County shared a story about her son Jon and
an incident that happened when he
was 2.