CHARLES WILLIAMS PAINTED HIS WAY HOME, THE CARETAKER'S COTTAGE, LOCAL READS A VERY LITTLE BOOK STORE, THE COLORFUL WHITES, NEXTON'S INSPIRATION, SPRING-INSPIRED FRUIT CAKE, BOW TIE BASICS, UNANSWERED PRAYERS, Q&A W/ PHOTOGRAPHER VIRGIL BUNAO
Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 1
2 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Donnie Gamache Attorney at Law
100 S Main St. Suite C Summerville, SC 29483
(p) 843.821.8280 (f) 888.429.8289
dpkgcalendar@gmail.com
Features AZALEA Magazine / Spring 2014
78
TAKING THE SCENIC ROUTE
67
After spreading his wings, artist Charles Williams longed to return to his roots. So he painted his way home. by Will Rizzo
SOUTHERN ESSENTIALS
Time and tradition have shaped the Lowcountry lifestyle, requiring a few basic necessities for those who call it home. by Susan Frampton
Natural Talent Charles Williams in his studio space at Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston
Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 5
Contents
/ AZALEA Magazine / Spring 2014
23
53 07 Editor’s Letter 08 Letters 12 Contributors 15-21 FIELD GUIDE A brief look into our local culture SOUTHERN LIFE 23 Southern Spotlight - Food 26 Southern Spotlight - Community 30 Southern Spotlight - Community 33 Southern Spotlight - Arts
19
COLUMNS 39 Natural Woman by Susan Frampton 43 Southern Rambler by Chris Campeau 47 LIFE & FAITH Why Won't God Answer My Prayers? SOUTHERN STYLE 53 The Caretaker's Cottage Bursting with character, this Summerville home is a labor of love
26 39
84 64 Tie One On Bow ties are extremely trendy as of late, but rest assured, here in the South they will always be in style 84 Road Trip Aiken will win your heart and soul with her equestrian connections and beautiful parkways 90 THE LOCAL 94 Patchwork of the South by Michelle Moon
ON THE COVER: Shrimp & Grits, the Lowcountry's culinary crowning achievement / Photograph by Dottie Rizzo 6 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Lowcountry
IT’S
EVERYTHING
Two-thousand-acre master-planned community Restored 1800’s farmhouse
Come experience the natural beauty, culture and history of the Carolina Lowcountry at The Ponds.
Parks and playgrounds Nature trails
Homes from the $300s Located just 5 miles from Summerville’s town square.
Tour designer model homes from our featured builders. Fishing ponds, outdoor amphitheatre and on-site YMCA
DiscoverThePonds.com 843.832.6100
MUNGO HOMES DR HORTON SABAL HOMES SAUSSY BURBANK ACTIVE ADULT LIVING AT THE PONDS: CARILLON
SALES BY:
© 2014. Prices, home sites, home designs and other information subject to errors, changes, omissions, deletions, availability, prior sales and withdrawal at any time without notice.
Carnes Crossroads... New Home Shopping Made Easy!
Come Visit Our Model Row!
A New Community in the Heart of Charleston’s Growth Just minutes from the downtowns of both Summerville and Goose Creek, a new community is emerging. Carnes Crossroads will offer the lifestyle of a small town, with charming neighborhoods, beautiful parks, lakes and close proximity to stores, shops, restaurants, offices, schools and church. Homes are being built by David Weekley, Eastwood Homes, Sabal Homes and Ashton Woods Homes. Pricing starts in the mid-$200s. Our Carnes Crossroads Real Estate Information Center is a wonderful resource to learn about life here. Located across from the Village Green and the historic Green Barn, our office is open 7 days a week, with or without an appointment. Or visit CarnesCharleston.com to learn more.
843.761.8600
MOVE-IN READY!
710 Quintan Street
$314,693
Built by David Weekley, this traditional-style 3BR/2.5BA home offers a 2,280 sq. ft. floor plan. The gourmet kitchen has a large center island and stainless steel appliances and is open to the dining and family rooms. A first floor master suite features a spacious walk-in closet. Two additional bedrooms and a playroom are on the second floor.
CarnesCharleston.com
Where Community Comes Together 513 Wodin Place, Summerville, SC 29483 Carnes Crossroads Real Estate, LLC., Chuck Buck, BIC
Editor’s Letter
" There are necessities for life and then there are necessities for living well."
Our Sweet 15 In life there are four basic essentials for survival: air, water, food, and shelter (heat). A human being can last roughly three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food, and in extreme winter conditions, three hours without shelter. Without these basic needs, we would perish. (We strongly recommend that you take our word on this and do not try testing them for accuracy.) There are necessities for life, and then there are necessities for living well. I recently went on an early morning hunt. It was the last day of deer season, so we got to the camp early, to be ready when the sun rose. The temperature was a balmy 28˚ when I settled into the tree stand. I had everything I needed–or so I thought. Head-to-toe camouflage, a loaded rifle, a warm hat, and a sturdy pair of boots. I was ready for a good day in the woods. I was fine for the first thirty minutes; then my toes started to burn from the cold. I held out for as long as I could, then pulled off my boots and shoved the hand warmers a friend had given me into my thin cotton socks. You don’t truly appreciate good socks until you don’t have them. I did not have good socks, and my blistered toes were red, throbbing proof that hand warmers do not belong in boots. Though I'm sure I was a long way from frost bite, I learned the value of cold weather gear that winter morning. It only took a few minutes in the warm truck to thaw out, but had I been fully prepared, I would have enjoyed the last day of the season, rather than counting down the minutes to warming my feet on the dashboard. In our cover story, Southern Essentials (pg. 67), we outline fifteen necessities for Lowcountry living. Sure, you could live without any of these, but we think they go a long way toward living life to the fullest. Just as I learned in the tree stand that frigid morning, there’s a difference between simply surviving and living well.
Will Rizzo Editor In Chief Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 9
Letters
"It's a magazine, lovingly put together by someone who gets us Southerners and not a publisher/editor from a far off place like NYC or Chicago."
I FULLY INTEND ON STEALING THIS MAGAZINE So here I am sitting at MUSC Rutledge Tower looking over the waiting area magazines. I find the usual titles covering the worlds of sports, boats, cars and interior design, all older than a few months. Then I see this local title I had not seen before–Azalea. Ahhhh, now I have something that just might keep me entertained. I am hooked. Open it up and I see what I can only describe as fantastic. It's a magazine, lovingly put together by someone who gets us Southerners and not a publisher/editor from a far off place like NYC or Chicago.
I have spent a great deal of time in Charleston but now live in South GA. I fully intend on stealing this magazine and taking it home with me.
The stories and the articles have me hooked and the photo essay is one of the best slice of life pictorials I have seen in a very long time. Too often we forget the back roads and the core of our lives.
LIFE IS GOOD Love the Azalea Magazine Awards recognizing The Local Best. From the locally-inspired cocktail with sweet tea to the dish of the year, life is good in Summerville. -Summerville Visitor Center
Keep up the good work and when I am in town I will pillage the waiting areas of local hospitals in search of Azalea. - Tony from GA VERY NICE WORK Loved this Winter issue, y'all. Very nice work! - Blair Campbell
ALL ABOARD Take a trip down the Sweet Tea Trail in Historic Summerville, The Birthplace of Sweet Tea. Summerville Trolley Tours offer several tours that will take you on the back roads of our quaint southern town where tea isn’t the only thing that is sweet. There is our thoughtfully preserved downtown, historic homes, beautiful gardens, and unique history that makes Summerville one of a kind.
EXPERIENCE ALL FOUR
TOURS Good Eats on the Sweet Tea Trail • Historic City Tour with Timrod Library Historic City Tour with Tea at the Museum • Linwood Gardens and Historic City Tour 10 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Visit www.summervilledream.org for tour information
Charleston
G a s troent e ro l o gy S p e ci a l i s t s & E n doscopy C e nt e r
a higher standard
of caring
Will Rizzo Co-Publisher and Editor in Chief will@azaleamag.com Dottie Rizzo Co-Publisher and Managing Editor dottie@azaleamag.com Katie DePoppe Editor at Large katie@azaleamag.com Margie Sutton Style Editor Will Browning Faith Editor Jana Riley Copy Editor, Staff Writer
Contributors
Coming Soon! New Summerville GI Facility MT. PLEASANT 180 Wingo Way, Suite 305 WEST ASHLEY 1962 Charlie Hall Boulevard SUMMERVILLE 103 A Harth Place SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY
722-8000 l www.CharlestonGI.com 12 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Jason Wagener Susan Frampton Chris Campeau Rick Dunbar Michelle Moon
Advertising Jenefer Hinson jenefer@azaleamag.com 843.729.9669 Susan Frampton susan@azaleamag.com 843.696.2876 Azalea Magazine 114B E. Richardson Avenue Summerville, SC 29483 info@azaleamag.com www.azaleamag.com
Subscribe
*Available for $16.99 a year (4 Issues). Visit azaleamag.com for details.
Daniel’s Orchard Downtown Summerville
NEW MODEL
Calhoun kitchen
Daniel’s Orchard Single Family Homes $291,990–$323,990 2,281–2,898+ square feet • New Charleston Single Homes in Downtown Summerville • Walk or bike to shops, parks and restaurants • Dorchester II School System • Nearby YMCA provides pools, fitness and family fun
Now selling at Daniel’s Orchard! Our new fully-furnished Calhoun model is now open! This spacious floorplan—one of four Life Tested® plans available at Daniel’s Orchard—features a center island kitchen, a breakfast nook and formal dining room, and a second floor loft, in a neighborhood within walking distance to shopping and dining, and only one mile from the best that historic downtown Summerville has to offer. So hurry in to tour the Calhoun today! Pulte Homes. Life-Tested®
For more information, call 843.695.0339 or e-mail ken.huggins@pulte.com and darrell.connelly@pulte.com This material shall not constitute a valid offer in any state where prior registration is required or if void by law. Photographs are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be an actual representation of a specific community, neighborhood, or any completed improvements being offered. Please see a sales associate for details. ©2014 Pulte Homes Corporation. All rights reserved. 1.31.14
Featured Contributors
RICK DUNBAR / Writer-Blogger JASON WAGENER / Illustrator
Jason started his illustrious art career when he won a coloring contest in 3rd grade, subsequently titling him "proud owner of a Mickey Mouse dry erase board." He moved to the Lowcountry in 1990, and save an education at The Savannah College of Art and Design, has remained a faithful transplant ever since.
JANA RILEY / Writer
Jana is a writer and editor living in Summerville with her husband, Dan. Jana enjoys adventures with her three favorite kids, Noah, Jude, Forest, and their dog Alfie.
Let the hunt begin. For the first time, large properties are now available in the East Edisto Rural District. Located between the Ashley and Edisto Rivers in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, this historic land has been under the careful stewardship of MWV for decades. The natural character of the landscape and rich diversity of wildlife make it a true sportsman’s paradise. And, best of all, it’s only a half hour from downtown Charleston. We welcome your inquiry.
Properties range from 50 to 1,000+ acres.
R U R A L
D I S T R I C T
MWVLandSales.com | 843-509-1034
14 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Rick Dunbar, also known as Vacation Rick, moved to the Lowcountry from Northeastern Ohio in 2005 following retirement. In 2008, he began blogging at vacationrick. blogspot.com about the fascinating history and coastal beauty of Charleston and the Lowcountry. He is the proud father of five children and a grandfather of two. Besides writing and traveling, Rick's passions include oil painting, woodworking, and making new friends.
SUSAN FRAMPTON / Writer Susan Frampton has called Summerville home for long enough to keep the essentials on hand for almost anything the Lowcountry throws her way. Her husband Lewis is frequently named as the person most likely to survive stranded on a desert island. Everyone is invited to their house for the next natural disaster.
24-7 Pediatric Care alWays closE By.
EmErgEncy
Summerville Medical Center provides dedicated pediatric care for children — newborn to age 17. Our beautiful new Pediatric Emergency Department is
and inpatiEnt
now open! It was created just for young patients.
pEdiatric
• Board Certified pediatric emergency physician
sErvicEs closE
• 24/7 Pediatric Nurses specifically trained to care for pediatric emergencies
to homE. it’s
• All private rooms and area for families to stay with the child
somEthing
Residents of Dorchester and Berkeley Counties, North Charleston and
EvEry family dEsErvEs.
surrounding communities are now just minutes from emergency pediatric services. As a national leader in quality care, Summerville Medical Center is proud to make this healthy commitment to kids.
295 Midland Parkway | Summerville, SC 29485 | (843) 832-5000 | www.tridenthealthsystem.com/peds
19 Billion
It is against the law to eat chicken with a fork in Gainesville, GA, the "Chicken Capital of the World."
2,493 lbs The largest serving of fried chicken ever served
Popeyes Chicken is named after the character Popeye Doyle in the movie, “The French Connection.�
More than half the entrees ordered in American fast food chains, hotels, motels and restaurants are fried chicken.
The number of chickens on earth; 12 billion more than the number of humans
11 herbs & spices The secret recipe for KFC chicken is kept in a safe in Louisville, KY.
26
The number of people in the U.S. listed on whitepages.com with the last name "Chicken"
- Southern Fried Chicken -
Scottish immigrants are widely believed to have brought fried chicken to the U.S., but it was African immigrants, brought to work on plantations in Southern states, that improved the recipe with varied spices and seasonings.
Q& A
V I RGI L BUNA O MEET & GREET
Photographer
What makes locals tick, one neighbor at a time
Q What is your favorite thing about living in the Lowcountry?
A Lots to mention. We can be here all day.
The Lowcountry has always been "home" to me. I've left a few times but I have always found myself coming back to home. For me it is about the history, the southern culture, the people, the charm and the relationships we have built–that is my favorite!
Q What is your dream job? A What I am doing now–a photographer of people and of all things beautiful.
Q Is there a motto that you live by? A Do something great, keep becoming
great, develop big idealistic goals and beliefs, move out of your comfort zone, take risks, change, act with a humble heart and an open mind. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
18 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Q Who or what are you a fan of? A Art, and the tangible, meaning...anything
Q What is one thing you've bought in the last five years that you could go the rest of your life without?
A This super ugly shirt that I thought looked awesome on me, for a while. Then I realized I was wrong. Q What is your favorite music? A Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Billie Hol-
iday, Mumford and Sons, Amos Lee, Jay Z, Rihanna, and The Avett Brothers.
that creative people make with their hands and vision –pictures, sculpture and other handmade things.
Q What is your dream vacation? A Riding in a Land Rover (and taking pic-
last five years that you couldn’t live without?
Q What is your fondest memory of living in Summerville?
Q Coffee or tea? A Definitely coffee. Q What is one thing you've bought in the
A My vintage Rolleiflex film camera. It takes very beautiful, out of this world, black and white pictures. You should let me take a picture of you.
tures) through South Africa's vast land of wild animals. That my friend, would be fantastic.
A Friday night football games, then heading to Ye Ole Fashioned for some ice cream or a burger.
Field Guide Literary
LOCAL READS Whether you’re curled by the fire or languishing on the porch, these local stories and storytellers are sure to make the transition from winter to spring a little more bearable. Palmetto Profiles: The South Carolina Encyclopedia Guide to the South Carolina Hall of Fame By W. Eric Emerson (Editor) Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble Since 1973, nearly ninety citizens have been inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame for their contributions to state culture and their legacies beyond. Published on the fortieth anniversary of the opening of the South Carolina Hall of Fame and drawn from biographical entries in The South Carolina Encyclopedia, this guidebook presents concise profiles of the inductees from 1973 to 2013, including U.S. president Andrew Jackson, authors Elizabeth Coker and Pat Conroy, jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, artists Jasper Johns and Elizabeth O’Neill Verner, Generals Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter, civil rights leaders Mary McLeod Bethune and Reverend Bejamin E. Mays, and Nobel Prize winning physicist Charles H. Townes. Also an accomplished author, editor W. Eric Emerson serves a member of the Hall’s Board of Trustees and is the director of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History in Columbia.
Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 19
Field Guide
The Other Mother By Teresa Bruce Available at JogglingBoardPress.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
If Tigers Were Angels: With God, All Things Are Possible By Tom Tatum Available at Amazon & iftigerswereangels.com
Bikers and Pearls By Vicki Wilkerson Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes
Touted by Pat Conroy as “one of the next great American authors,” Teresa Bruce debuted her break-out “rememoir” (told in equal measures of first and third person), The Other Mother, in November 2013. In a journey that takes the reader from the Great Depression, vaudeville stage, and amidst the mad men of Madison Avenue to modernday Beaufort, South Carolina, Bruce lyrically and skillfully weaves the story of a friendship that changed her life.
Ben Taylor’s desire to succeed has consumed his life. Only after his children are grown, he is filled with regret for how he’s spent the majority of his years on earth. Fortunately, Ben’s 12-year-old neighbor, Andy, has a thing or two to teach him about life’s purpose and real communion with God. For anyone who needs an uplifting story, this debut novel by Summerville resident, Tom Tatum, is sure to stick with you long after it’s found its way back on the shelf.
From Summerville native, Vicki Wilkerson, comes Bikers and Pearls, the first in a series of romantic comedies set in fictional Summerbrook, South Carolina. When rebel biker Bullworth Clayton gets tangled up with pastel-and-pearlsclad April Church, sparks fly. But who said tempting a sweet Southern belle would be easy? Locals and romance lovers alike will enjoy this easy read inspired by the Lowcountry.
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you deserve a physician
ay! d y r e v e -11pm
open 7am
Now offering
Urgent Care.
Keeping little promises is important. And it's no different when it comes to healthcare. We at Palmetto Primary Care Physicians are HOMEGROWN physicians. We promise to keep appointments. To answer all your questions. To talk less and listen more. But most importantly, we promise you peace of mind. Peace of mind is knowing that our HOMEGROWN physicians have been serving the Lowcountry for over 10 years.
No appointment necessary Most insurances accepted
Dr. Otis Engelman On-site labs, x-rays and CT Oakbrook
With over 25 convenient locations and a state-of-the-art urgent care center, Palmetto Primary Care Physicians promises to be YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
URGENT CARE CENTER 2550 Elms Center Road North Charleston, SC 29406
Dr. Hogue
Moncks Corner
(behind Atlanta Bread Co. on Hwy 78)
(843) 572-7727
www.palmettoprimarycare.com HomegrownPhysicianLocator.com www.palmettoprimarycare.com
We are
Athletes For sixty years, Pinewood has been instilling the drive to lead and succeed in students in preschool through twelfth grade. Challenging athletics blend with rigorous academics to create an environment where students are tested to their fullest potential. Pinewood students are achieveing success on the field and in the classroom. With an impressive list of regional, state and national championships under their belts, our students are rising to the next level with the drive to succeed and lead.
We Are Athletes. We are Pinewood.
Arrange a tour today
admissions@pinewoodprep.com 843-376-0142 ext. 2001
www.pinewoodprep.com
Full and Half-Day Pre-Kindergarten -12th grade Financial assistance available
Katelyn Dambaugh
Class of 2013 Seven-time SCISA Player of the Year Three-time All-Region selection Seven-time All-Lowcountry selection CGA Vicki DiSantis Junior Champion 22 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Field Guide Apothecary
Apple Cider Vinegar It has been said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. The truth is, apple cider vinegar (ACV ) is the true medicinal wonder. There are many amazing health benefits of ACV, as well as household uses and beauty applications. In order to reap the true benefits of use (since it contains valuable minerals and enzymes), it is important to use the organic, raw and unfiltered version of ACV, available at most health food stores.
Dr. K. Britt Reagin
12 US E S F O R APP LE C I D E R V I NEGAR Two tablespoons of ACV taken before bed can help lower glucose levels in the morning by 4-6%, a great benefit for people with diabetes. ACV taken daily could lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. When taken daily with water, research shows that ACV can help with weight loss and increase your energy. Mix 1/2 cup of ACV with one cup of water for an all natural household cleaner with no unnatural chemicals. After shampooing, rinse hair with 1/2 tablespoon of ACV and cold water to boost body and shine.
Your Summerville Orthodontist
One Doctor One Focus Your Family (843) 871-4411 DrOrthodontics.com d /ReaginOrthodontics
Dilute 1 part ACV to 2 parts water and use as a facial toner after washing to help balance the pH of your skin. Add a cup of ACV to your bath and soak to help eliminate discomfort from sunburn. Mix ACV with equal amounts of water and apply to the face as a natural aftershave. A teaspoon of ACV taken with a bottle of water is said to help relieve heartburn. A spray made with 1 part ACV to 1 part water can be used to repel fleas from dogs. Add 2/3 cup of ACV to a pan with warm water and soak your feet in it for 20 minutes to combat foot odor. ACV kills bacteria that causes acne, and absorbs excessive oil from skin. Use 1 part ACV with 3-4 parts water. Apply to the skin using a cotton swab and leave for ten minutes, then rinse. Use twice daily. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are not meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease or medical condition. Please consult your doctor before starting any exercise or nutritional supplement program or before using this or any product during pregnancy or if you have a serious medical condition.
Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 23
Middleton Place
LIFE Total Fruit Cake
Taste the flavors of spring break in every bite of this sunny, tropical dessert. by
Susan Frampton
Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 25
W
ith the green and red cherries of heavy holiday fruitcakes behind us, we’re all ready for something to take us out of the winter doldrums. Nothing banishes the blues like something fruity, tropical, and very rich. If there isn’t a tycoon nearby, or a trip to the islands on your itinerary, our Millionaire’s Fruit Cake could be the next best thing. With its name hinting of extravagant taste, this is not your grandmother’s fruitcake. Brimming with orange and pineapple, a tiny umbrella might be all that separates this cake’s flavor from something you’d find in a glass by your chaise lounge. Slathered with a creamy filling, the tan colored toasted coconut of its nut-filled layers suggests a week of sunning by the pool.
Preparation is easy, and chilling the finished cake brings a cool deliciousness that says indulgence in every bite. No need for reservations–this is your ticket to feeling like a million bucks!
26 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
MILLIONAIRE CAKE Ingredients 1 package yellow cake mix 1 (8 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained, with 6 pieces reserved for garnish 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened 1 ½ cup confectioner's sugar 1 (4-serving size) package instant vanilla pudding and pie filling 1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained 1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed ½ cup pecans, chopped, with 6 pecan halves reserved for garnish 1 small bag coconut flakes 2 tablespoons of butter
Preparation Preheat oven to 350º F. Coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Prepare cake batter according to package directions, stirring in oranges, ½ bag coconut flakes and chopped pecans into prepared batter. Evenly divide batter between cake pans. Bake 32 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans and set aside to cool completely. Melt butter in a small frying pan. Stir in coconut and toast until golden. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and pudding mix. Stir in crushed pineapple and whipped topping. Place one cake layer on platter and spread with cream cheese mixture. Repeat with remaining layer. Decorate with reserved pecan halves, orange pieces and toasted coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 27
SOUTHERNSPOTLIGHT A Ve r y L i t t l e B o o k S t o r e : C o m m u n i t y
A Space For Books When it comes to creating a haven for young readers, Natalie Sober reaches for the stars. by Jana Riley
Natalie Sober has always held two major life goals–to open up a children’s bookstore, and to become an astronaut. In June 2012, she accomplished one of those, and fortunately for the town of Summerville, she hasn’t left Earth’s atmosphere yet. A Florida transplant by way of her husband’s military job, Sober earned a mechanical engineering degree at Florida State 28 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
University and later pursued a master’s in aeronautical science with the intention of taking her education all the way to outer space. After assisting in the design of a noise reduction valve for an F-22 fighter aircraft, Sober became pregnant with her first child, Cate, and took a break from the workforce to spend time with her daughter. A few years later, her son Riley was born, and the already avid reader quickly found herself immersed in children’s books. Booking Agent The storefront / Owner Natalie Sober
“I’ve always really loved children’s books, but once I had my kids, I fell in love with them even more,” explains Sober. “I kept finding myself in situations where my children needed something explained or reinforced, and I could pick up a book and read it to them, saying, ‘look, Llama Llama is going through the same thing.’” “Books really work with parenting,” says Sober with zeal. “My kids often listen to books way more than they listen to me!” As her children grew, so did her passion for the books they read together, and Sober switched her career focus from aeronautics
to abc’s. “After so many years of cuddling, I just couldn’t go back to a job that would take me so far away from my kids,” she explains. “I wanted something I could do with them.” Sober soon found herself driving around town, scouting locations for her dream children’s bookstore. During her husband’s third deployment, she stumbled upon what she thought was the perfect location in downtown Summerville, and spent the next six months learning about how to start a business, researching the area, meeting with mentors from small business associations and drawing up a business plan.
family. After a year, her husband joined the reserves, and they decided to move back to the Charleston area in early 2012. Sober’s dream began to resurrect itself, and within just three months, she and her husband had opened A Very Little Bookstore on Main Street in Downtown Summerville.
Books really work with parenting... my kids often listen to books way more than they listen to me
“When my husband came home, I said, ‘Surprise! I’ve figured it all out, and I’m ready to open up my bookstore!’ That’s when he told me that we had to move to Hungary in a year for his job.”
Sober wistfully packed away her plans, tucking them in a folder for a hopeful future, and made the move to Hungary with her
Nearly two years later, Sober is in her element as she manages her quaint shop. With intriguing window displays, doors covered in classic book quotes and weathered bookshelves lining the space, A Very Little Bookstore is the picture of small town retail charm. Her customers span all ages, from newborns receiving their first book to octogenarians recalling the forgotten literary tales of their youth.
Having read all of the children’s books in the shop, Sober is an expert when it comes to recommendations. When asked for a suggestion, her eyes light up with happy determination, and she begins to inquire about favorite books, authors, themes and series. Together with the customer, she narrows down the possibilities for their next favorite book until she comes to the perfect volume, plucking it off
Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 29
A Space for Books continued
Once Upon A Time Kids and moms alike gather weekly for storytime / Attentive listening gets a hand stamp / A mom and son enjoy a book together
the shelf and presenting it with a flourish. More often than not, her young customers return after reading her suggestions, and Sober is keen on collecting reviews and feedback from each reader. “It’s one of my favorite parts of the job,” she reveals. “These kids come in and they are little people with so much to offer and tell us, if we just listen. I just love to hear about how they felt when reading a book, what they didn’t like and what they’d like to see more of in the future.” A few of Sober’s repeat customers are also members of the store book club, a weekly gathering of a handful of young literature lovers between the ages of 7 and 13. Led by a local high school student, the meeting allows readers an opportunity to delve deeper into stories and meet others who share their literary interests. “They vote on a book each month to read and discuss, and then they really make 30 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
this place their own private space, and I love that,” smiles Sober. “It’s really fun to watch because the kids get off topic, just like in adult book clubs, and they end up sharing life experiences with one another.” For younger readers, Sober sets aside special time on Tuesday and Friday mornings for story time, where she enthusiastically reads some of her favorite titles to a rapt audience. A favorite of local mom groups, the weekly event is a treasured opportunity to interact with other parents and foster friendships among the young attendees. While she is busy with the bookstore, Sober’s plans to explore deep space are on hold. In the meantime, she approaches her role as town bookshop owner with honor and enthusiasm, guiding the children of the Lowcountry toward fascinating new lands, engaging their creativity and fostering a love of reading. AM
SOUTHERNSPOTLIGHT Nexton:Community
Look What's Next Honoring and incorporating our past, Mead Westvaco's Nexton community moves Summerville forward, connecting us to each other and to the world. by Susan Frampton If the concept of the Nexton community was a fairytale, Summerville would surely be cast in the role of Cinderella, with Mead Westvaco’s Community Development and Land Management Division (CDLM) waving the magic wand. Those who might have once underestimated the quiet, laid back town are sitting up and taking notice. Through the creation of Nexton, a modern, master planned community just across Interstate 26, Mead Westvaco has sent a touch of magic into the air, sparking a renaissance for the Town of Summerville.
native and natural materials in the new community. “You will see trees that are larger and more established than many new places,” says Kenneth T. Seeger, president of CDLM, “and find lakes and interconnected waterways that turn challenges like Lowcountry storm water run-off into beautiful amenities.” With an active family lifestyle in mind, Nexton has been designed to accommodate over 50 miles of trails, a regional sports complex and numerous opportunities for permanent and rotating public art. The first park is slated to offer a large green area with a pavilion that might play host to musical performances or exercise classes and public gathering spaces for family picnics, small concerts or festivals.
A vital part of Summerville’s landscape for over 80 years, Mead Westvaco has put together a team of the best local and national designers for the Nexton project. Balancing the historic Ground Breaking Mead Westvaco's Kenneth T. Seeger distinctiveness of the town with the up-to-the- surveys the construction progress minute connectivity and efficiency of a modern Much like Summerville’s downtown area, the community, the Mead Westvaco team traveled to communities community will nurture a sense of neighborhood, with work, across the southeast, drawing aspects from other successful areas school, shopping and medical care within walking or biking and merging them with those that make Summerville unique. distance. And, as one of the region’s top job centers, the residents and visitors to the Nexton community will drive a new customer Those aspects have come together in Nexton’s architecture and base to Summerville’s businesses, shops and restaurants. “Just like land planning, forming a rich, lush and vibrant landscape of the old adage that a rising tide lifts all boats,” says Seeger, “it is
our belief that more people visiting and living in Summerville will benefit us all.” But the Cinderella story doesn’t end there. CDLM has partnered with Home Telecom, to make Nexton the most technologically advanced community in the region, and the first Gigabit community in the state. Providing Internet service up to 100 times faster than average, GigaFi will be powered by Home Telecom, offering unprecedented productivity for Nexton residents and businesses. “As a Fortune 500 company, we were able to talk with many of the nation’s leading Internet providers,” Seeger noted. “And, frankly, none of them showed us a level of innovation and customer service to match South Carolina’s own home-grown company, Home Telecom, headquartered in Moncks Corner.”
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“Internet providers frequently boast about their fiber optic networks,” said William S. Helmly, Home Telecom President and COO, “but what they don’t tell you is that while those fiber networks may be in your neighborhood, their connections to your business or home are much slower.” In layman’s terms GigaFi’s technology translates into the kind of swift transfers of information between users that open a new world of possibilities to the area. Change is inevitable, and though it might seem daunting, the wellthought plan that Mead Westvaco brings to life in the Nexton community ensures that Summerville will not only grow in a positive direction, but will also thrive. By honoring and incorporating our past, Nexton moves Summerville forward, connecting us to each other and to the world; holding out the glass slipper for a new generation to slip on and dance into the future. AM Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 33
SOUTHERNSPOTLIGHT The W hite Family:Arts
The Colorful Whites For Everett and Joanna White, a love of art is a family affair. by Jana Riley
When Everett White told his wife, Joanna, that he was going to quit his job to become a full-time artist, she was floored. Just months earlier, he had convinced her to quit her own lucrative career to raise their children, and the family was just getting by as it was. Nevertheless, Joanna had confidence in her husband, and encouraged him to follow his dream –whatever that may be. Everett did, and spent the next two months tinkering in the garage of their Sullivan’s Island bungalow.
The confidence that Joanna White held in her husband’s artistic talents was not without merit; art seemed to run through Everett’s veins. Growing up, the Illinois native spent family gatherings mesmerized by his great uncle, Don ZanFagna, an accomplished artist whose work reflected abstract expressionism, postmodernism and conceptual art All In The Family and architecture. The Whites in front of their home / Everett's studio space
“Most of my family had a business background,” Everett remembers. “I had never met anyone like Uncle Don and Aunt Joyce–they were so creatively talented and so unlike everyone else in my family. I’d just think, ‘who are these people?’ And then Uncle Don would see me drawing, and he’d come over and teach me things like human anatomy and how the skin goes over it, which really helped me understand portraiture. I still remember and utilize many of his impromptu lessons to this day.” Everett dabbled in art throughout high school, but never took it too seriously. After graduation, he traveled around Europe and the Middle East for a while before coming back to the United States and settling down. One night, as he unpacked Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 35
The Colorful Whites continued
boxes in a new apartment, he came across a set of art supplies that had been gifted to him by his Uncle Don many years before. Everett had never used the set of charcoal, brushes, ink and paints, but had held onto them for sentimental reasons and moved them from place to place. That night, he says, “something just clicked,” and he was inspired. Using the moving boxes as canvases, Everett began to create some of his first true works of art, drawing and painting on every empty space. Within months, he had signed up for art school in New York, intent on learning everything he could about art and honing his talents. After a year and a half, though, Everett dropped out. “I was talking to my Uncle Don about art school, and he said, ‘You don’t need this. You have everything you need to create good art.’ And I realized during that time, that with art, like a lot of things, you always think that there will be someone who sits down and teaches you how to do it. But it often doesn’t work like that. You just have to throw yourself into it. And so I did.” Everett became immersed in experimental art, painting and 36 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
sculpting while exploring different themes. “I start with an idea, and I see where it takes me,” Everett explains. “I play it out to the end, working through every corner of my mind, working it every way I can, and then I start over with something else.” Everett’s journey in the artistic world took him back to his home state of Illinois, to a little town called Savanna. It led him to create a successful gallery for local artists there at the age of 28, where he met his future wife, Joanna, when she came in to purchase one of his paintings. Later, he felt called to create the Savanna Center for the Arts, an educational center offering a variety of arts classes to local students and adults. After a biker bar began to change the landscape of their small town, Everett’s artistic journey brought the family to South Carolina, where he was inspired by the beach and its inhabitants, painting and sculpting when he had the chance. And, eventually, his journey landed him in a garage on Sullivan’s Island, having just quit his job in advertising sales to become an artist full-time. It was here that he spent two months holed up inside, day in Art Infused Clockwise: Looking through some of Uncle Don's work / Family portraits / Everett and Rett inspecting the artifacts / Archeological finds from a family dig
Using the moving boxes as canvases, Everett began to create some of his first true works of art, drawing and painting on every empty space and day out, while Joanna cared for the couple’s children. And then, as suddenly as it had begun, Everett emerged.
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Joanna remembers the moment vividly. “He had carved this beautiful tiny mermaid, made of materials that he found around the island. I remember looking at it and saying, quite truthfully, ‘that is the coolest thing I have ever seen.’” Joanna never had any doubt that Everett would come up with something wonderful after those months spent in the garage. “When he starts,” she remarks, “you just can’t get him to stop. If he is working through an idea or theme, he can stand on his feet for 24 hours, just drawing and painting and sketching and creating. He just keeps going. And that is how he creates great art.” Everett took the mermaid sculpture idea and ran with it, creating more unique pieces out of palm leaves, seed pods, branches, and shells.
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The Colorful Whites continued
No longer in beach territory, the artist has taken to going on unofficial archeological digs Soon, he was ready to debut his work, and the couple took a few pieces to City Market in downtown Charleston. The sculptures were a hit, and for the next couple of years, they made their living there, selling Everett’s works of art to locals and tourists alike, and his notoriety grew. Everett continued painting and sculpting, and in 2008, he and Joanna opened a gallery on Sullivan’s Island aptly called White Gallery. Showcasing and selling the works of Everett and his great uncle, Don ZanFagna, the gallery also offered works by some artists represented by Joanna, whose own love of art led to a career as an art broker. The gallery was a success, and through it, Everett’s work became well-known in the local art community. In 2012, when ZanFagna’s health began to wane and Joanna became pregnant again, the couple decided to move to Summerville, where they found a house downtown with a separate cottage for his aunt and uncle. Though ZanFagna passed
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away last year, Joanna continues to represent him by arranging exhibits and viewings of his extensive collection of works. Everett, ever inspired by his artistic uncle, continues to recall the lessons of his youth while spending much of his time in his backyard art studio, painting and sculpting. No longer in beach territory, the artist has taken to going on unofficial archeological digs, pulling pottery, fossils and artifacts from the earth in a process that he says “truly defines awesome.” He plans to use the found objects in future sculptures and mixed media pieces. The couple’s children, Abby, 17; Clare, 10; Rett, 8; and Mills, 18 months, are each artistic in their own right, and Everett and Joanna are intent on helping each of their kids explore their interests and turn a profit when conceivable. Abby runs the White family’s art booth down at City Market, selling works by Everett and other local artists, and Clare and Rett are known to set up a table at Summerville’s Third Thursday and sell their own creations. Standing at his workbench dotted with scribbles from Mills, the couple’s youngest, Everett reflects on his passion for art. “It started with Uncle Don. And now it surrounds me. Art keeps me connected to the awe and beauty of life. It is a way to advance your individual struggle. Art allows you to express yourself in a way that can be almost immediately understood by anyone. It keeps you young. It keeps you looking. And it just keeps you connected.”AM
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NATURAL WOMAN
What Really Bugs Me
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by Susan Frampton
ot long ago, I was awakened by a strange, scratchy noise in the bedroom. Heart pounding, I launched myself straight up, flipping on the lights and waving my arms as if fighting off a swarm of killer bees. My husband sat up, squinting against the bright light to find me hopping from the bed to the sofa and back, flinging shoes, books and the dog’s stuffed monkey toward the far corner of the room. His first reaction was to question when I lost my mind, but to his credit, he quickly grasped the situation and resolved the problem with the well-placed swat of a size ten hiking boot. “You know that roaches can’t hurt you,” he said, rubbing his eyes
with one hand, and holding the offending beast in a wad of tissue in the other. “How did you even know there was a roach?” “I heard it! I heard it rubbing its hairy legs together.” Shaking his head, he explained yet again that my life was never in danger, and that crickets, not roaches, make sounds with their legs. On his way to the bathroom to flush away my tormentor, he could not resist pretending to throw the tissue in my direction. “That move never gets old for you, does it?” I yelled, leaping back to the sofa, shuddering and flailing. I heard him chuckle as he sent the bug to a watery grave.
ILLUSTRAT IONS BY JASON WA G E N E R Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 41
RAL NATU N WOMA
My phobia is well known to most all my friends, and during one particularly rainy season it was not uncommon for our daughter and her friends to arrive home to me standing on the coffee table, wielding a can of Raid like a six-shooter. After the first few times, they would nod knowingly at each other and whisper, “roach” as they made their way past me. My husband has come to recognize that there is a very specific intake of breath and an uncanny (and often violent looking) dance I do while screeching, “Get it! Get it! Get it!” that indicates a bug is in the house. He has perfected the skill of diving from his chair and slinging a book or newspaper with the accuracy of a trained killer. It is perfectly choreographed, and almost always followed by a great deal of eye rolling and the inevitable threat of the squashed bug being lobbed in my direction. The scourges of the southern climate, the creepy crawlers skitter across Lowcountry sidewalks, hurl themselves through the air at unsuspecting pedestrians and lie in wait to make cameo appearances in my nightmares. Their confidence in themselves only makes matters worse. Once, I watched with horror as a cheeky invader walked the entire breadth of the ceiling at a swanky cocktail party, and then sashayed down the wall to disappear behind a portrait of the host’s greatgrandfather. As it passed overhead, I was mesmerized and quite certain that I would strip naked in the middle of the room if it fell on me. There are those who attempt to gentrify the nasty things by referring to
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them as “Palmetto Bugs,” but let’s face it: though it gives me the willies to even say the word aloud, they are cockroaches, plain and simple. I can live with lizards and you can taunt me with toads. At reasonable distances, snakes don’t really bother me, and I can honestly say that until this moment I have never uttered the phrase, “Eek, a mouse!” However, the sinister, hairy-legged critters render me inarticulate, irrational and capable of jumping astoundingly high. I know they can’t hurt me, but experience has proven they can make me hurt myself.
Once, I watched with horror as a cheeky invader walked the entire breadth of the ceiling at a swanky cocktail party... I know good and well that I am not alone in my fear—just merely unembarrassed to admit it. Since I’m much more likely to be named Queen of Norway than I am to conquer it, I’ve stopped worrying that having the exterminator on speed dial makes me weird. I’ll always jump at scratchy sounds in the night and climb furniture at the sight of a darting shadow near the baseboards. I’ve yet to come out of my clothes in public because of it, but it’s probably only a matter of time. AM
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SOUTHERN RAMBLER
Enjoy The Pause by Chris Campeau
O
ur Sunday mornings at home are magical. We’re a family of five with school-aged children, so none of us really sleep in, but the beginning of the first day of the week is a sacred time for us. There are no alarms. No garbage trucks rumbling down the street. No neighbors blowing their driveways or bouncing that infernal basketball. No waking up in a panic thinking we’re late. Time seems to pause for a couple of hours on Sundays. I hear the lone cardinal chirping in the morning, the mockingbird singing its morning ballad and my children whispering down the stairs. Over the past few years, we’ve made a decision to pause, to slow down
and to enjoy life a little bit more. It didn’t happen overnight, but has been an evolving process. Instead of replacing football practice with soccer practice and basketball season with barbecue season, we have replaced that time with something far better–time together. This new, intentional pace started with a microwave. One day, eight years ago, as I was distracted in the other room, I heard a snap, a crackle and then a pop. The microwave was no more, and we never replaced it. (I don’t think my third grade baby girl has ever even used one.) I’m not gonna lie; life without a microwave was tough at first. We had to adjust to not heating leftovers and no instant popcorn, tea or hot chocolate. Preparation of meals took a little longer and we had to learn how to keep dinner warm on the stove top or in the oven rather than just
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ERN SOUTHLER RAMB
heating up a plate of leftovers. But, we got the hang of it. What started as an experiment to see how long we could go without instant gratification was the linchpin of our life change. We began to cook together as a family. With every squash that was sliced, every onion peeled and pepper diced, our old ideas about what was important and our self-imposed expectations began to melt away. Why were artificial deadlines and suppositions dictating our lives?
Our slower pace on Sunday mornings has most recently taught me that listening to Hank Williams, Jr. before church may not be the most appropriate musical selection.
By intentionally slowing down, it goes without saying that our family has grown more closely together. We don’t have to have things or activities to fill our days and nights. Learning to embrace and savor the pauses (and even create them) has started a wonderful journey of discovery and reflection that has developed a stronger family with a foundation deeply rooted in faith, food, family and a love of music. The pace of Sunday is symbolic of our new way of life. We usually start with 46 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
some classic rock tunes – a little Eagles, Springsteen or The Guess Who. (I must have played the Beatles’ “Good Day Sunshine” for my kids every Sunday for six months straight.) Sunday afternoons, after a homemade meal, are reserved for jazz. Our rooms are filled with songs by Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Ray Charles. My kids can sing along to Ray Charles much easier than they can Justin Beiber, Miley Cyrus, or any other flavor of the month. We also sprinkle some Latin, swing, Mozart and Beethovan in there–all the makings of my own musical foundation thanks to my mother. Our slower pace on Sunday mornings has most recently taught me that listening to Hank Williams, Jr. before church may not be the most appropriate musical selection. Last week, I remarked to my wife, Lorelei, as I ran to change the album, that I didn’t want my boy to walk into Sunday School singing, “All my rowdy friends are coming over tonight,” or to belt out George Thorogood’s “one bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.” On the contrary, Ray Charles’ version of “Ring of Fire” is breathtaking, and Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s version of “Summertime” is life-changing. It’s simply one of the best musical performances in American musical history. What self-respecting Southerner wouldn’t be proud to have his kids sing that on the way to Sunday School? Without our Sunday pauses, my week isn’t complete. It is the both the beginning and the end–a set of moments every six days to reflect on all that is truly important. Sunday sets the pace for everything that is to come, even the pace of the childhoods my kids will remember. It’s the most important thing I’ve figured out so far–and to think, it all started with a faulty microwave. AM
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LIFE & FAITH
E
Why Won’t God Answer My Prayers? by Will Browning
ven as a pastor, I don’t always understand why God does not answer my prayers. Jesus said, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22 ESV ) Often, I have prayed, trusting God with the results, but I have not seen the answer come.
In a USA Today article, Cathy Lynn Grossman reported that 83% of Americans believe God answers prayers, which means
there are a lot of us who are wondering: “When are my prayers going to be answered?” I have discovered there are no fewer than four ways in which God answers prayers that may be hard for us to understand. “Yes, but you have to wait.” During some formative times in my life, I remember praying desperately for companionship. I desired to find a wife, to start a family, and to settle into my future. I continually petitioned God for a spouse. The old adage “hindsight is 20/20” proves so true. In
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LIFE & FAITH
time, God brought the perfect counterpart into my life, but I had to wait on His timeline. “Yes, but it’s not what you expect.” For a Type A person like me, managing expectations is essential. I methodically organize my life with spreadsheets, calendars and budgets. As a card-carrying control freak, I have a hard time when things do not go as expected. When others meet my expectations, I tend to trust them more. God should not be treated in this manner. Since He is omniscient (allknowing), when He does not meet my expectations I should resolve to trust Him regardless. If I had all the information that He has at His disposal, His choices would make more sense. “No, because I have something better.” Ever tried to plan a surprise birthday party for someone? I’ve taken on this task a few times and without fail, a quandary is created. The party planner, aware of the secret party details, must create diversions that ultimately benefit the recipient. Unbeknownst to the recipient, a more advantageous future awaits, but all he/she knows is, “I’m not getting what I’m asking for.” Much is the same with God. God, who has a better plan, gives us a frustrating “no,” only to deliver an even more pleasing gift in the future. “No, I love you too much.” If I left my kids to plan our eating schedule, we would have candy for breakfast, Oreos for lunch and ice
50 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
If I left my kids to plan our eating schedule, we would have candy for breakfast... cream for dinner. Life experience has not taught them the implications of too much sugar on one’s stomach. Parental supervision has protected them from the onslaught of stomach pains from too much sugar. Love drives our desire to protect them from the consequences of such a diet. Love also drives God to say no to our prayer requests–considering that many of our requests, if answered, would create greater pain than we can perceive. This article may have grabbed your attention because you are praying regularly about something in particular, and you have not received the answer you hoped to receive. Know this: God is good, and He does love you like a father. Do not stop praying. And trust that your good and loving heavenly Father will respond with the appropriate answer. AM Cathy Lynn Grossman, “Poll: 83% Say God
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Warm Invitation An inviting hearth, redesigned during the art-deco era, displays vintage chalk dogs, carnival prizes from the early 1900s
The Caretaker's Cottage Bursting with character, this downtown Summerville home is a labor of love. by Jana Riley photos by
Dottie Rizzo
Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 55
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Just one house over from Azalea Park on Summerville’s South Main Street sits a yellow cottage, tucked quaintly back within the pines. Originally worker’s quarters for a much larger estate, the home has changed hands and visages over more than 144 years until it landed in the care of Bob and Tina Devereaux in 2006. Tina, a local history buff, began researching the home’s roots shortly after moving in, and became smitten with its modest beginnings.
caretakers of the home, we really feel like it is our duty to try to return the house to its former self as best as we can.”
“This is not a fancy home by any means,” she explains. “It never was. It started out small and rough–simply a place for the caretakers of the main house to rest their heads at night. So, nothing here is ‘perfect.’ The floors are crooked. Boards are roughly cut. Some doorframes seem to lean. There are unexplained missing pieces of molding and other oddities all over the house. But we love it that way, and have no intention of trying to ‘correct’ it. Instead, as the current
“I was looking at the walls in the living room and realized they weren’t consistent with the rest of the house,” explains Tina. “It was strange to me that all of the other rooms had beadboard, while the living room didn’t. So I took a large screwdriver and a hammer to an inconspicuous spot and began hammering away.”
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After settling into their new home, the Devereauxs began peeling back the layers that built up over a century and a half, on a mission to restore as many of the original elements as possible. One after another, the discoveries came, beginning with the living room wall.
Tina discovered that the walls were covered with actual sheet rock –not gypsum board.
Product Placement This Page: Vintage knitting needles perch atop a ladder repurposed as a bookshelf / Vintage children’s chairs sit beneath a sideboard repurposed as a coffee table. Opposite page: An antique chalkboard displays well-worn outdoor game sets, while the coffee table showcases vintage metal toys.
“I wanted to use a hue that the home had seen before,” she explains. “I chose the pink because it’s a happy color, and this is a happy house."
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Kitchain Aids Opposite Page: A vintage stove, double drainboard sink and barn wood cabinetry create a comfortable kitchen atmosphere. This Page: An assortment of coffee mugs rest on an antique wooden drying rack, framed by vintage aprons and whisk brooms / An extensive collection of colorful vintage pyrex sits charmingly inside a stepback cupboard / Mismatched chairs, vintage iron chandelier and a well-loved farm table offer a warm and inviting dining experience.
By the time her husband came home from work, half of the wall was piled on the floor and the original beadboard wall was exposed. “I just had a hunch,” she says. The Devereauxs have also uncovered a second front door and converted a boarded stairway window into a set of recessed shelves. They found original hardwood floors underneath carpet upstairs, replaced modern kitchen cabinets with antique cupboards for storage, exchanged a new stove for a vintage one, and returned a claw foot tub and double drainboard sink to the home. Most recently, Tina painted the living room a unique shade of pink–an exact match to flakes of paint she found beneath the baseboards. “I wanted to use a hue that the home had seen before,” she explains. “I chose the pink because it’s a happy color, and this is Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 61
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a happy house.” The Devereaux’s love of all things historical extends into the decor of the home, where antique and vintage items abound, many clustered into neat collections. In the kitchen, an array of old aprons hang near a cupboard full of vintage Pyrex dishes, and below, an old tool tray is stocked neatly with antique kitchen implements. Tina is quick to point out that in her home, nothing is “just for show.” “The things in this house,” shares Tina, “We use them all, sometimes daily. Everything from the vintage Pyrex, aprons, and kitchen tools, to the old fans, children’s toys and chairs–everything is well-used and wellloved.” Sourcing the elements of her collections from local antique and thrift stores, Tina says that
Vintage Oasis This Page: A custom brass bed is the centerpiece of the master bedroom. Above, an old ladder displays special family mementos, and an antique typewriter stand showcases rhinestone brooches and vanity items / Typewriters hang above a windowturned-bookcase. Opposite Page: An antique clawfoot tub sits beneath a recently uncovered window, offering a variety of soaps on an old drive-in restaurant tray.
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each of her collections relate back to happy moments from her childhood. Memories of photographing scenes with her father spawned a love of old cameras, and visits to the newspaper where he worked inspired the acquisition of a few typewriters. The Pyrex bowls recall times spent in the kitchen with her mother. Though the items in Tina’s collections are cherished, it is clear that she holds her family above every beloved thing she owns. “Family is the most important thing you have,” Tina says. “It’s irreplaceable. We wanted a warm and comfortable place to have our four daughters, their partners, and our six grandchildren to visit–a place to spend time together as a family. And even though our daughters didn’t all grow up in this house, when they are here, they always say, ‘it feels good to be home.’ And that’s what it’s all about.” AM 64 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Great Outdoors Vintage children’s chairs display potted pansies on the front porch / A collection of vintage brass hose nozzles and Hull and McCoy planters decorate an outdoor potting bench / Homeowners Bob and Tina Devereaux stand proudly in their home.
To the residents of Summerville: Spring in Summerville is something special! With Mother Nature’s handiwork and assistance from local gardeners and horticulturists, Summerville has become truly “The Flower Town in the Pines.” Visitors have flocked here for decades to see the azaleas, dogwoods and wisteria displays that can take your breath away as you walk or drive among towering pines and moss-laden live oaks. But don’t just take my word for it. Enjoy Summerville in Spring! Events during the Spring of 2014; Annual Flowertown Festival - April 4 through April 6, 2014 Farmer’s Market - Saturdays, April 12 through December 20, 2014 Fiesta Italiana 2 - April 26, 2014 Sculpture in the Park - May 15 through 19, 2014 Bill Collins Mayor, Town of Summerville
STYLE Timeless Classic
Tie One On
Bow ties are extremely trendy as of late, but rest assured, here in the South they will always be in style. The bow tie has made its way into today’s mainstream. Adorning the necks of rappers, rock stars, athletes and even ladies, the modern bow tie is not just for tuxedos or the devoted preppy anymore. This iconic fashion accessory dates back to the 1700s, when the Croatian army developed the first bow tie, the cravat, to keep their shirts from coming undone during battle. Soon, the French upper-class, the fashion bellwethers of the time, adapted the neckwear to what we now know as the modern bow tie. Whether it's a tux, suit, sport coat or jeans and tennis shoes, the bow tie can be worn with just about anything. It’s never been easier to pull off this style–but you have to tie one first… 66 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
THE BIG THREE
DIAMOND
BATWING
BUTTERFLY
a relaxing escape LOOP & PULL 1
2
3
4
5
6
a family adventure
a perfect getaway 1. Cross end “A over end “B. 2. Bring end “A up and under the loop. 3. Now double end “B over itself to form the front base loop of the bow tie. 4. Loop end “A over the center of the loop you just formed. 5. Holding everything in place, double end “A back on itself and poke it through the loop behind. 6. Adjust the bow tie by tugging at the ends of it and straightening the center knot.
Featured artwork by Betsy Wilson-Mahoney • www.facebook.com/TheStudioWhereArtHappens
Aiken Visitors Center and Train Museum 406 Park Avenue, Aiken www.VisitAikenSC.com 1-888-AikenSC
Southern Essentials Time and tradition have shaped the Lowcountry lifestyle, requiring a few basic necessities for those who call it home. written by
Susan Frampton
photos by
Dottie Rizzo
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Cast Iron Skillet Equally at home atop the stove or in the oven, cast iron implements come in all manner of shapes and sizes, but the cast iron skillet, blackened with age and seasoned by time, has long been the work-horse of the Lowcountry kitchen. Bathed in a skillet of hot oil, chicken emerges crispy and brown, and cornbread glows golden from the oven when baked in its burnished depths, which can reach 400º in four minutes. Cast iron must be seasoned when it is new; baked at a high temperature with a vegetable oil coating to form a patina that prevents rusting and ensures that food doesn’t stick to the surface. Seasoning builds up over time and improves with repeated use. A helpful guest in the kitchen risks life and limb by attempting to wash a well-seasoned skillet with soap. Properly maintained, a cast iron skillet can last 100 years. Properly prepared, the biscuits cooked in one won’t make it past breakfast.
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"Tropical Sunset" by Alexandra Kassing
Fishing Gear
Local Art
Surrounded by the salty ocean, black-water rivers and sparkling lakes, the requisite ingredients for fishing are always kept at the ready. Sunglasses are perched on noses year-round, and rods, reels and bream busters often ride shotgun with saltwater tackle in the back seat. Fly rods and flies nestle next to spare tires, and cane poles with bright bobbers hang in garages ready to plop dancing crickets into dark, swirling water.
Brimming with art galleries and events, the Lowcountry has a well-earned reputation for being home to a prolific stable of artists, whose mediums run the gamut from watercolor to wrought iron. Inspiration for artists is not hard to come by, and the area’s iconic architecture and natural beauty captured by their work allows us to celebrate them in our homes and businesses.
The specifics might vary depending on the season or proclivity of the angler, but Lowcountry fishermen can throw together equipment for a day on the water faster than you can say, “Stripers are running in the lake,” or “The bream are bedding in the Edisto.” Add the inevitable lucky hat, a la Grumpy Old Men, and a couple packs of Nabs for a quick breakfast or lunch between casts, and there will be fish on the table tonight.
The choices are counted in the thousands, but among them are perennial favorites: the pastel palette of Charleston’s Rainbow Row; Carew Rice silhouettes profiling life in stark black and white; boldly colorful images by Jonathan Green, depicting the mystique of Gullah culture; the handwrought grace of ironwork created by Philip Simmons and annual SEWE posters that help us remember a weekend of all things wildlife. Displaying local artists is a tangible way that we pay homage to life in the Lowcountry. Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 71
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Heirloom Plant
Oyster Knife
Indica azalea, our beloved azalea, appeared in Chinese medical texts as early as 772 A.D. Though associated with Chinese lore, the azalea came to South Carolina from Japan. It flourished, and now paints a dazzling backdrop of colors throughout the Lowcountry. “The Pride of Summerville,” a salmoncolored variety, lives among twelve acres in Flowertown’s Azalea Park, and local gardeners have traveled as far as Washington’s National Arboretum to preserve rare species found here.
Officially the season runs September through May, but the rule of thumb is if the month has an “r,” oysters are in. Oyster roasts find Lowcountry folks bellying up to tables topped with saltines, bowls of horseradishlaced cocktail sauce, and piles of juicy, steaming oysters. There is an art to prying out the tasty prize inside the singles or clusters of shells, and the secret is an implement built just for the task.
Another important part of our landscape, the camellia japonica arrived in South Carolina from China. American Camellia Catalog, published in 1950, and used by judges at camellia shows, captures the abundant varieties through hand-painted lithographs, and tells us, “regardless how complete might be the prose description, color portraits are required for perfect identification.” No statement has ever been truer, and the descendants we enjoy are living proof of the impressive range of names, colors and varieties. 72 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Selection of the perfect knife comes down to personal preference, and there are endless variations. Primitive or elegant, the handle may be humble plastic, plain or exotic wood, bone or even forged iron. The point on the business end of the knife, which is used to pry open the briny goodness of raw or roasted oysters, can be short and rounded, stiletto sharp or somewhere in between.Whatever form it takes, the oyster knife is a vital link in the Lowcountry’s food chain.
Book by Pat Conroy With unflinching honesty, Pat Conroy’s books take us on the roller-coaster of his life. In his pages we ride the swells to a one-room schoolhouse on Daufuskie Island, cross the Cooper River to hear music on the beach and feel the August heat pound the Citadel’s parade ground. His characters are raw and often flawed, but running beneath the push and pull of their lives, is the reassuring ebb and flow of the Lowcountry tide. Conroy’s books capture things we know to be true. We’ve heard with our own ears the roar of jets over the grave of the Great Santini. We’ve squinted into the same sun Tom Wingo watched rise over the marsh, tasted the she crab soup served to Leo King and know first-hand the stifling humidity of a Charleston night. We trust the words Pat Conroy writes, knowing that he paints the Lowcountry with a brush held by one who has walked among us.
Weather Radio Lowcountry residents know that if you don’t like the weather here, wait a few minutes and it will change. After experiencing a hurricane or two, or one of the summer storms popping up out of nowhere, we know that the weather radio quickly earns its keep. Sure, there’s an app for that, but our phones are so busy notifying us that we have mail, or that John hates clowns and Mary changed her profile picture, that we tune out a lot of the really important things like weather alerts. The weather radio lives to offer the comforting voice of the National Weather Service, with information about tides, wind speed and direction, sun rise and sun set. And, you can bet that if there are severe thunderstorms, hurricanes or most anything short of swarms of locusts in your area, it will make a sound conveying an urgency that will never, ever be confused with anything else.
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Family Heirloom
Favorite BBQ Joint
Whether our family heirlooms find their way to us from the hands of a cherished relative, or are sent through time to await discovery in a dusty antique store, it is rare to find a Lowcountry household without some artifact on display. Large or small, they may be ordinary or exquisite: an intricate gold locket, grandfather’s favorite shotgun or great-grandmother’s tattered Bible; a flag carried in battle, or a chair that rocked generations to sleep.
There are eating establishments, and there are joints; and when it comes to the best place to find Lowcountry barbeque, the latter most often applies. Strong views on barbeque joints can divide families. Arguments for sweet, ketchup-based sauce versus mustard or vinegar have the potential to turn ugly. Brisket or Boston butt? Don’t bring it up. Everyone has their favorite, and the map is dotted with places that hit the spot.
Things that have stood the test of time strike chords in us that sing of hard times and days of glory. The reality of what the pieces represent obliges us to hold them dear; the callused hands that once clasped them, or the delicate neck they adorned, the endurance they symbolize and the principles that made them worth fighting and dying for. No matter how they come to us, we find ourselves holding them with pride for our children, with the hope that they might someday better understand who we are and where we came from.
Often the establishments are tiny and off the beaten path, their whereabouts closely guarded by those unwilling to divulge the treasure tucked away under a homemade sign or behind weathered walls. The demographics run the spectrum, with lawyers and mechanics, traffic cops and CEOs shoulder to shoulder, unable to resist the pull of pork. But since good barbeque is created by slow smoking over wood, many are open only Thursday through Saturday. The results are worth waiting for. Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 75
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Stock Pot
Knowledge of the Shag
They conduct marriages of tomatoes and okra for vegetable soup, and coax chicken from the bone for winter purlieu. Lowcountry stockpots often start the New Year by serving up collard greens, simmering with the symbolic assurance of financial fortune. They bring the season’s green peanuts to tender perfection in boiling brine, and swiftly steam the summer goodness of crabs fresh from the trap.
The rhythm can be felt from the Folly Pier to Carolina Beach. If you live in the Lowcountry for long, beach music gets into your veins, making your feet automatically move to the tempo of "The (Carolina) Shag," official dance of the Carolinas. Triple step, triple step, rock step. Triple step, triple step, rock step. Many a mile has been danced to the pace, and it never fails to sweep us away to days of hot sun on our shoulders and sand in our shoes.
Made most often of stainless steel, the stockpot might be sized to hold a couple of quarts, or several gallons, and it can be a long distance runner of the stovetop. A slow cooker long before the electric crockpot rose to fame, it is capable of bursts of speed, but best known for its slow, steady pace. Though it might take the back burner, it inevitably brings us to follow our noses to the promise of good home cooking bubbling under its lid.
Though a good Shag partner is a match as individual as a life partner, The Shag is a forgiving swing-type dance as easily learned under the stars on a sun-bleached pier as on Hibernian Hall’s polished dance floor. Once you have it, you’re as ready for the debutante ball as you are a Saturday night soirée at the Bus Shed.
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Personlized Stationery Experiencing a resurgence of popularity of late, the monogram has never gone out of vogue here. Note cards or other stationery wearing our names or three initials are often gifted at birth, and for graduates, business people and new brides, they are an essential accessory to be used with great regularity. A note penned on personalized paper often tells far more about who we are than the words written on the page. A note unsent speaks volumes. We are a polite people, and the importance of a written expression of our thanks, condolences or best wishes has been drilled into us by mothers and grandmothers since we were old enough to hold a pen. In the day and age of emails and text messages, tweets and voicemails, the art of the hand-written note lives on to remind us that manners still matter in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
Sweet Grass Basket To own a sweetgrass basket is to hold time suspended in your hand. Woven using skills passed down through generations of those brought here as slaves, the sweetgrass basket is the quintessential symbol of the Lowcountry’s Gullah culture. Intricate designs of all sizes are a common sight north of Mt. Pleasant and in City Market in downtown Charleston. The basket ladies in their stalls have long welcomed visitors to the Lowcountry and bid them safe travels as they depart. As known for its beauty as for the resilience it represents, the sweetgrass basket is a treasured possession that is as worthy to hold jewelry on our dressers as it is to hold court at the center of our dining room tables. Each coiled strand is a nod to the first fingers to weave the pattern on a distant shore, and a celebration of the Lowcountry’s unique history.
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Shrimp & Grits Recipe
A Home Team
Found on the menus of most any restaurant from Myrtle Beach to Savannah, shrimp and grits has appeared on Lowcountry tables for generations. For the uninitiated, grits–the staple found in all southern pantries–originates from corn, ground to a fine, medium or coarse texture. Boiled with a little salt and butter, it delivers the warmth of home directly to the souls of Southerners. And when topped with tender, pink, fresh-from-the-creek shrimp, it becomes a Lowcountry delicacy recognized around the world.
Rooting for a home team is as necessary as mosquito spray in the Lowcountry. Crowds pile into “the Joe” for the Riverdogs at home, cheering wildly as Charlie the mascot gyrates atop the dugout. Fans need not be alumni to make the choice of orange paw prints in Death Valley or the garnet and black of Williams-Brice Stadium, and neither would be caught dead in the colors of the other (a detail worth noting during football season).
Variations of our recipes are limited only by our imaginations. The shrimp may be boiled, sautéed or grilled. Some stir up onions and peppers for adornment, while others prefer that a healthy slug of barbeque sauce crowns their crustaceans. Simple or fancy, and served any time of day, shrimp and grits is the go-to dish that carries the flavor of the Lowcountry in every bite.
Our blood pumps when the Stingrays hit the ice, the Green Wave scores at John McKissick Stadium or C of C kills it on the court. The Charleston Battery’s footwork has us bouncing soccer balls off our heads, and Bulldog baseball is a rite of spring. CSU, Ashley Ridge, Little League coach-pitch, Pee Wee football, volleyball or lacrosse; pick a season, pick a sport, pick a team. It’s what we do. Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 79
TAKI NG THE {S C}ENIC RO U T E AFTER SPREADING HIS WINGS, ARTIST CHARLES WILLIAMS LONGED TO RETURN TO HIS ROOTS. SO HE PAINTED HIS WAY HOME. by Will Rizzo
"Settled in Time" 22x24
{W}
hen I met Charles Williams, he was tucked into a small studio space at Redux Contemporary Art Center, working on a commissioned landscape piece. He invited me in, and asked if he could continue painting as we talked. I eagerly agreed; this offered me the opportunity to watch him transform a blank wooden canvas into a brilliant Lowcountry panorama. Born and raised in Georgetown, SC, Williams' talent was harnessed from a young age. His parents were aggressively instrumental in his success. "My mother noticed I was pretty good at coloring within the lines of my Ninja Turtle® coloring book,” Williams says, smiling. “She always had me drawing with a pen and pad." 82 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
"Lowcountry Nightscape" 8x10
In elementary school, his mother made arrangements with the school's art teacher to keep Charles after school, working on different art techniques, from colored pencil to water color. Williams' mother wasn't the only one supportive of his talent. On his first day of high school, his father visited the art teacher, Heath Hampton, and asked him what he could do for his son. Hampton took Williams under his wing, arranging private lessons with a local painter. There, he learned advanced art techniques, as well as the business side of the art world. When most kids were out partying or heading to Myrtle Beach for the weekend, Williams was at home painting, and with Hampton's help, he received a scholarship to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). "I switched majors back and forth," Williams says. “They offered so much; I wanted to do it all."
"After Hours" 10x24
"October Sky" 24x30
"Breakage" 16x20
Williams graduated in 2006, with a major in advertising and a minor in fine arts. He got a job in Tampa, FL, with the Publix Corporation, working on the design team for their Greenwise速 product line. Although he found success with Publix, Williams missed home. "I was eight hours from home, so I started painting it," Williams says. He painted scenes of the Lowcountry, reliving memories of his life on the Black River. Williams submitted his work to a Tampa Gallery, and was accepted into a group show. Little did he know that a late night mistake would come to shape the signature of his work. While working on a small painting for the group show, he spilled a cup of water on the canvas, causing the paint bleed to the bottom.
"Mirrored Souls" 36x60
He put it aside and forgot about it. When the gallery director stopped by his studio to check on his progress, she saw the painting loved the drip look and asked to have it. Williams sold out his first two gallery shows, and things snowballed from there. Selling numerous paintings, including private and corporate commissions, Williams quit his job at Publix to begin painting full-time. In 2009, he was accepted into the Hudson River Fellowship in New York where 32 artists out of 5,000 applicants were invited to walk the trails of master landscape artists and to study the anatomy of nature. "It was like a painting boot camp," he says. After completing the Hudson River Fellowship, Williams knew Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 83
"Afternoon" 22x22
what he really wanted, so he moved back to Charleston. On a visit to the Robert Lange Gallery, he told the owner that he would one day be featured there. She smiled, gave him a hug and told him to submit his work. After five “no’s,” the Robert Lange Gallery gave him a shot at a group show, where he sold every one of his paintings. He was given more shows, which also sold out. Williams was finally invited to join the gallery. On top of managing the stresses that come with being a full-time artist, Charles Williams also gives back to the community that has given so much to him. "I am always thinking of the kids in the classrooms who have talent, but don't know how or may not have the resources to cultivate that talent," Williams says. "I want to give them the opportunities and experiences that my teachers offered me." In an effort to help foster creative students in multiple art forms, 84 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
Williams formed the C.E. Williams Collaborative, offering what he has learned to middle and high school students interested in pursuing a career in the arts. He passes along the foundations and technical attributes of art, teaches students how to articulate their work and how to build relationships with collectors. "They are receiving all the important aspects of being a complete artist,” Williams says. The Collaborative recently held its first student art exhibition at Robert Lange Studios, giving the nine students of the Georgetown and Charleston County collaborative the opportunity to show their work. "They have some killer work," he says, smiling. Today, Williams is working on a new series of paintings. He has a museum exhibition scheduled for Spring 2015 at the Franklin
"Absence" 30x30
G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, where he will show works that reflect an issue dear to his heart. "I have had multiple near-drowning incidents in my past," he says. "I have taken swimming lessons, but I've never been a confident swimmer." Williams has been researching the history of swimming and how slavery and other cultural influences might have affected the African-American community's relationship with swimming. Through his research, he found that for every Caucasian drowning, there are three African-American drownings. "We hear all about deaths that result from drugs and violence," Williams says, "but drownings are like a silent killer in this community." For Williams' upcoming museum exhibition, he is working on a
(social awareness) series of paintings, pairing objects such as shoes and jewelry, items he feels the African-American community sees as status symbols, with water environments like pools and shorelines. He hopes this series will shine a light on the importance of focusing on water safety rather than the false security of material things. Charles Williams truly embodies the spirit of art. Not only is he a master of the techniques that make his work so captivating, but he also possesses humility and compassion, which shows vibrantly in his work away from the canvas. He has both literally and figuratively taken the scenic route to where he is today–a place where he can create his own landscape. AM
{
For more information on Charles Williams' work visit www.robertlangestudios.com/charles-williams www. cewpaintings.4ormat.com www. reduxstudios.org/artists/charles-e-williams/ Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 85
A Grand Entrance The front steps of the historic Willcox Hotel
Roadtrip Destination Aiken, SC
Where The Horse Reigns Supreme Aiken will win your heart and soul with her equestrian connections and beautiful parkways.
Roadtrip
Destination Aiken, SC
Looking out over the broad, oblong track, the pounding of hooves echo in my mind. Just beyond the interior fence, stands a stately oak tree; its bark greyed with age, evergreen leaves glistening in the mid-morning sun. I cross the sandy course, navigate the fence and take my place below the tree’s rustling branches. I am trespassing on hallowed ground– standing in the green grass where three granite gravestones lay tucked away. One, in particular, catches my attention. Engraved with the name “Blue Peter,” the dates read 1946-1950. This equestrian setting is part of the famous horse district of Aiken, South Carolina, where thoroughbreds are pampered and schooled for greatness. Blue Peter is one of those great ones. The sire of War Admiral, he is one of thirty-nine illustrious champions immortalized in the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame.
us with stories of an exercise rider nicknamed "Pockets" and a miniature donkey called Dinky. With her guidance, we tour the Legacy Stables. We quietly stroll past the young thoroughbreds eating in their stalls and watch the groomers wash and brush others who are anxiously awaiting a run. As we turn to leave, I catch a parting glimpse of two hoofed speedsters proudly sprinting around the stable with their riders sitting tall in their saddles.
Town Center Clockwise from top left: Corner of Park and Laurens / Pimiento cheese grits with sausage at Betsy's On The Corner / Serving up goodies at Cyndi's Sweet Shoppe Opposite: GM, Tina McCarthy of The Willcox
Peppered with old cottages and stables bearing names like Legacy, Dogwood and Darcy (the latter owned by Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai), the district is characterized by sandy dirt roads, just like the track. Tourists and locals alike must bridle their vehicles here – horses command the right of way. Our guide, a practical Southern lady with plenty of horse sense, humors 88 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
This charming town to our north isn’t just for the hippophile, though. While everything seems to tie into the thoroughbred history, there is much for the average weekender or staycationer to do and see. Located on the western end of the 136-mile Southern Railway System, some 110 miles from the Lowcountry, Aiken's legends, history and down-home beauty are as plentiful as its painted horse statues.
Broad avenues with park-like settings lead to the heart of the city where locally owned restaurants and shops line both sides of picturesque Laurens Street. You can browse a home and design shop, savor the sweet smell of candy, sample a micro-brew or lose yourself in the paintings of local artists at the spacious art gallery. Or follow in my footsteps to Betsy’s, a corner soda fountain and grill, where old-fashioned home-style cuisine and decadent ice cream treats are on the menu every day.
Roadtrip
Destination Aiken, SC
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Roadtrip
Destination Aiken, SC
Sweeping brick walls are built along Aiken Abounds In a Cottage Named Joye, the home will one the winding roads, beyond which Opposite page clockwise: Taking inventory / The gallery at Aiken Center day be bequeathed to the Juilliard School in for the Arts / Shopping at Nandina / Laurens Street / This page: Mixing up stand the regal estates of once- a cocktail at The Willcox / Cooling down after a training session New York. famous people like Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. And among them, one “Five or six musicians can play as loud as of the most famous–Hopelands Gardens, bequeathed to the city by the they want, anywhere in the house, and not be heard by one another. And American heiress, Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, as a public garden in 1969. The the ballroom would be great for performances that everybody in Aiken 14-acre estate also houses the aforementioned Thoroughbred Racing could come to,” Smith told the New York Times in 1996. Hall of Fame and Museum–fitting for the former winter home of Iselin, the first woman to compete as a crew member in the America’s Cup Indian lore tells of a chief who was instructed in a dream to carry his yacht race and owner of many thoroughbred racehorses. ailing daughter to the land of the whispering pines, where she would find her cure. Today, the whispering pines are known as Hitchcock Only the foundation of the main house stands today–now an elevated, Woods, one of the largest urban forests in the country. Fox hunts take brick courtyard with reflective ponds and fountains that lay tucked under place on its nearly 2,100 acres and visitors are welcomed to participate. 100-year-old oaks and deodar cedars, thought to have been planted by Iselin herself. A web of peaceful walking paths, benches carved from the Fresh from the hunt, a few gentlemen hounds and lady foxes decked out broken branch of a prominent cedar and a children's playhouse to be in their tall boots and full riding attire pass through the Willcox Inn, a “grand white-pillared glory.” Reminiscent of Summerville’s famed Pine envied have been added over the years. Forest Inn in interior and history, the well-appointed rooms once hosted Just a few turns in the road from Hopelands, literally on Easy Street, stands famous heads of state, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, the Joye Cottage. Hardly a cottage in definition, the 60-room colossus, in addition to Summerville’s own, Elizabeth Arden. But the pictures of thought to be the largest private residence in the state of South Carolina, jockeys that line the halls are a continuous reminder the Willcox sits in built by New York’s millionaire robber baron William C. Whitney (who the heart of thoroughbred country. also brought polo fields to Aiken), and designed in part by the architects of the Fifth Avenue New York Public Library, Carrere & Hastings, is a Perhaps an understatement, Aiken is idyllic – the quintessential recipe sight to behold. Now owned by Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh, for a Southern Stepford–built on history and the things of legend with the Pulitzer Prize-winning authors of Jackson Pollack’s 1991 biography a healthy dose of comfort and hospitality sprinkled in. It’s a place to who also immortalized the estate in their book On a Street Called Easy, reminisce, to play and where the horse will always reign supreme. AM Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 91
LOCAL S OCIA LS , CA US E S & COMMUNITY STAY CONNECTED
CHASE AFTER A CURE GOLDEN GALA The sixth annual gala raised $143,000 to help fund childhood cancer research at the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital. More than $30,000 was raised during the “Fund the Need” portion of the evening. That money will be used to purchase a new piece of equipment for the hospital, a Bio-Rad ChemiDoc Imaging System. www.chaseafteracure.com
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LOCAL S OCIA LS , CA US E S & COMMUNITY STAY CONNECTED
O'Lacy's Pub The Historic District's Neighborhood Pub • MARCH 15 St. Patrick's Day Street Party with a live band 5pm-9pm • April 5 Flowertown Festival Street Party with a live band 5pm-9pm • Every Saturday Karaoke at 9:30pm
843.832.2999 139 Central Ave, S'ville
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2nd ANNUAL JSL CHILI COOK-OFF The Junior Service League of Summerville hosted their 2nd Annual Chili, Cornbread and Pie Cook-Off and Vendor Fair to help support the community assistance fund. The afternoon also featured music, a raffle for a new gas grill, a bounce house, face painting for the kiddos, and other fun activities. www.summervillejsl.com
LOCAL SOCIALS, CAUSES & COMMUNITY S TAY CONNE CTE D
CHAMBER BUSINESS AFTER HOURS The Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce held its Business After Hours in the historic Hutchinson Square, Arcade with plenty of food, drinks and networking to go around. www.GreaterSummerville.org.
Spring 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM 95
Patchwork of the South
Winds Of Change
Riding out the storms of life. by Michelle Moon When Hurricane Irene visits the edge of Charleston, I find myself wedged into the crowd on Folly Beach. Palm fronds blow down the streets, leaves are turning cartwheels on the sidewalks and a grocery bag flies up and out of sight. The sea is lusty and vigorous, churning up froth and tossing it high onto the banks. Even though the waves reach heights of eight feet, the surfers are undaunted. They throw themselves into the storm, becoming tiny dots against the mountainous waves. Those of us on shore jostle for a better view, churning up our own froth as beer sloshes over the rims of our red solo cups. 96 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
We’re all here for the show–to experience the strength of Mother Nature, and to admire the gumption of the daredevil surfers. The sea swallows them up, and we hold our breath until every single one reaches the surface again. We keep tally, assuring ourselves that each head pops back up, that all surfers are accounted for. Our tiptoes are watchtowers because we are all lifeguards now. Even though we are afraid for them, it’s exhilarating when one is able to finally catch a hefty curl. We raise our beer in the air and, laughing, we turn to one another exclaiming, “I knew he could do it!” High-fives all around. Because a triumph for them is a triumph for us all.
Melanie A. Maes
Attorney and Counselor at Law
Separation Agreements/Divorce • Child Custody/Support/Modification Stepparent Adoption • Advance Health Care Directives/Wills/Probate Certified Family Court Mediator • Name Change
207 West Richardson Avenue / Summerville, SC / 843-501-0602 / info@maeslawfirm.com
Patchwork of the South Cont.
Winds of adversity sneak up on us, knocking us from our place of comfort and ease. As I watch this scene unfold, I can’t help but compare it to the storms of life. Once in a while we find ourselves in the midst of our own hurricane. Winds of adversity sneak up on us, knocking us from our place of comfort and ease. The waves pummel us from every direction and we are at the mercy of circumstances beyond our control. Everything that seemed familiar, that seemed safe, is snatched away and there is no guarantee of a safe landing. The hurricane bears down without mercy, and you are tossed about by waves of grief, sorrow, fear. Sometimes even shame and humiliation. Maybe your storm is a death, an illness. A divorce. The failure of a dream. Whatever the nature of your storm, these things are rarely cleancut. They are jagged, gaping wounds that damage layers and layers of the heart. Your survival is grueling and exhausting. But also beautiful. Beautiful because you are a survivor. You still breathe. You still rejoice. The scars you bear are exquisite and no one in all the world will carry a set quite like yours. And just like the spectators gathered to watch the surfers, so too do you have people cheering you through the storms. They shout with joy for those of you who overcome, and they pray all the harder for the ones who seem to be drowning. You may not see their faces; you may not hear their voices; but they are out there–holding their breath, standing on tiptoes and counting heads. AM 98 AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014
LET OUR SPORTS MEDICINE PHYSICIANS GET YOU BACK IN THE GAME David Jaskwhich, MD / James Spearman, MD / Adam Schaaf, MD / James McCoy, Jr., MD X-ray, Occupational Therapy, MRI, Physical Therapy and Outpatient Surgery Center By offering the newest techniques and most advanced technology, we have the knowledge to offer our patients an accurate diagnosis for the best possible treatment.
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North Charleston 2880 Tricom St. 843-797-5050
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Occupational Therapy 2881 B Tricom 843-797-505099 SpringStreet 2014 AZALEAMAG.COM
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MO D Beaute S tudio - styled 118 by E Rich d s o n Photo Av e , bySuniamh m m eellen rv il l e , SC 8 4 3 . 8 7 5 . 7 5 2 5 margiea rsutton Ste lla N o va S ummerville is t ra ns it io nin g in t o M O D B e a u t e S t u d io . N e w n a m e , sa m e w o n d e r f u l st a f f . 100AZALEAMAG.COM Spring 2014