February PineStraw 2022 by PineStraw Magazine

McDevitt town & country properties

Retire Your Perception of a

Senior Living Community.

QUAIL HAVEN VILLAGE OFFERS - A picturesque location conveniently close to the Village of Pinehurst

Schedule a visit to learn more.

- Newly renovated garden apartment homes - Our INSPIRE wellness program that helps promote an active lifestyle - Continuing care on-site to provide peace of mind Call 910.537.6812 to schedule a visit and discover all that Quail Haven Village has to offer. 155 BLAKE BLVD., PINEHURST, NC 28374 A Life Plan Community offered by Liberty Senior Living.

A West Coast Lifestyle Boutique

CoolSweats Village of Pinehurst 105 Cherokee Rd Pinehurst, NC 910.295.3905

February �� DEPARTMENTS 19 24 27 29 33 37 38 43 47 49 53 55 56 62 65 116 125 127 128

Simple Life By Jim Dodson PinePitch Good Natured By Karen Frye The Omnivorous Reader By Anne Blythe Bookshelf Hometown By Bill Fields The Creators of N.C. By Wiley Cash In the Spirit By Tony Cross The Accidental Southerner By Nan Graham Crossroads By Lisa Weiss Out of the Blue By Deborah Salomon Birdwatch By Susan Campbell The Naturalist By Todd Pusser Sandhills Photography Club Golftown Journal By Lee Pace Arts & Entertainment Calendar SandhillSeen PineNeedler By Mart Dickerson Southwords By Jenna Biter

FEATURES 69 Long Homestead in Winter Poetry By Julian Long

70 Look Gnomeward, Angels By Claudia Watson The secret life of Rassie Wicker Park

80 If You Can Call It a Game By Ed Southern

84 Boundless Beauty

By Jim Moriarty Stephen Hayes and the African American experience

92 Rooms With a View By Deborah Salomon Getting a lift by the lake

101 Almanac By Ashley Walshe

Cover photograph by Mallory Cash Photograph this page by L aura L. Gingerich

PineStraw

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Home is a Feeling find yours at Opulence…

Opulence of Southern Pines and DUXIANA at The Mews, 280 NW Broad Street, Downtown Southern Pines, NC 910.692.2744

at Village District, 400 Daniels Street, Raleigh, NC 919.467.1781

at Sawgrass Village, 310 Front Street Suite 815 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 904.834.7280

www.OpulenceOfSouthernPines.com Serving the Carolinas & More for Over 20 Years – Financing Available

Talent, Technology & Teamwork! Moore County’s Most Trusted Real Estate Team!

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PINEHURST • $2,300,000

PINEHURST • $485,000

SEVEN LAKES WEST • $455,000

432 MEYER FARM DRIVE

219 JUNIPER CREEK BLVD. Charming 5 BR/3 BA golf front home on 4th green of the #6 course. Situated on a nicely landscaped lot this home offers postcard views down the fairway from large screen porch in back.

111 RITTER DRIVE Newly constructed 4 BR/3 BA home in desirable gated community of 7LW. Home showcases beautiful finishes w/spacious upper-level bonus room and bath.

Beautifully built 5 BR/5 Full BA 2 Half BA custom home situated on 13th hole of Forest Creek’s North course. Home is spacious and impeccably maintained w/exquisite architectural features and unsurpassed attention to detail throughout.

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SEVEN LAKES WEST • $585,000

SEVEN LAKES WEST • $1,400,000

PINEHURST • $358,000

105 COOK POINT One of the most gorgeous waterfront lots on Lake Auman. Located on a point w/wide water views in every direction, this property has lots of water frontage and enjoys a northeastern orientation perfect for early morning sun and late afternoon swimming parties!

328 LONGLEAF DRIVE New construction underway! Amazing 5 BR/5 BA home on 6.64 acres in beautiful location. Spectacular gourmet kitchen, large butler’s pantry, spacious lowerlevel and large bonus room above the garage.

1 FUR COURT W. Wonderful 3 BR/2.5 BA split plan home on generous corner lot in beautiful Lake Pinehurst area. Floorplan is bright and open w/spacious living room and cozy corner gas log fireplace.

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PINEHURST • $565,000

SOUTHERN PINES • $420,000

28 BEASLEY DRIVE Amazing 3 BR/5.5 BA golf front home situated on 9th green of Pinehurst #6. Home has an abundance of space w/breathtaking golf views and is just steps away from the Clubhouse and Driving Range.

CARTHAGE • $663,000

495 CENTRAL DRIVE Adorable 5 BR/3 BA home nestled among the pines along the 8th fairway of the Pine Needles Golf course. Home has been beautifully renovated w/open design and rustic feel.

TBD PEACE ROAD Great opportunity to own a beautiful 95.71 acre property 15 minutes from Pinehurst. Large portion of property has been cleared with stumps removed and is ready for home site or pasture.

CO DER

IN MOORE COUNTY REAL ESTATE FOR OVER 20 YEARS!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! The Gentry Team has just completed our Best Year Ever!!! Once again, our team was #1 in the Moore County market, #2 for ReMax International in North Carolina and #4 across all agents in North Carolina.

TOP 5 AGENTS Res SF Home Sales for 2021 MOORE COUNTY $100,000,000 $90,000,000

$90,778,968

$80,000,000 $70,000,000

“Thank you for your business! Thank you for your referrals! Thank you for your friendship and kind words about our team!”

$60,000,000

$46,503,637

$50,000,000 $40,000,000

$35,111,732

$30,000,000

$30,943,318

$26,830,664

$20,000,000 $10,000,000

Martha Gentry Team

Lari Dirkmart Realtor Partner

Steve Veit Realtor Partner

Agent 2

Agent 3

Agent 4

Agent 5

Ginger Gentry Realtor Partner

Mark Gentry Realtor Partner

Hailey Gentry Team Coordinator

We look forward to serving your real estate needs in 2022!

Deborah Cook Realtor Partner

Martha Gentry Team Leader

Teresa Miracle Listing Coordinator

Lin Bourgon Closing Coordinator

Judi Jimenez Weekend Coordinator

Victor Uy Field Coordinator

David Sinclair Marketing Coordinator

Re/Max Prime Properties, 5 Chinquapin Rd., Pinehurst, NC 910-295-7100 • 800-214-9007 • Re/Max Prime Properties 5 Chinquapin Rd., Pinehurst, NC

www.ThEGENTRYTEAM.COM

• 910-295-7100

Always a Step Ahead

February, 2022

Winds Way Farm Caviness Land development in Aberdeen, NC. Set among beautifully manicured grounds with a spectacular wooded backdrop. Each home is set upon ½ acres lots with access to an immaculately presented pool and open-air covered BBQ area. Open floor plans are generously proportioned and flow effortlessly throughout from the living room through to your private covered patio where you can enjoy the stunning views. Gourmet kitchens with double oven and soft-touch cabinetry are just a couple of upgraded features that come as standard with these homes. These brand new homes provide all the elements for relaxing, comfortable, and easy-care living. See our floorplans and discover a new way of life.

Sold

2844 Floor plan

Serving Moore County and Surrounding Areas! 910.684.8674 | 120 N ASHE ST | SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28387

www.maisonteam.com

Own Your Dream Home in Winds Way Farm

Fort Bragg is located approximately 35 minutes away and Camp Mackall just 15 minutes.

This tranquil community is within close proximity to some of North Carolina’s award-winning golf courses including US Kids Golf academies as well as many equestrian farms.

SOLD

2977 Floor plan

www.maisonteam.com 910.684.8674

Within 5-10 minutes from the community. You will find beautiful boutiques, bistros, movie theatres, tennis courts, grocery stores, schools and so much more!

Buy, Sell or Rent through us - we do it all! 910.684.8674 | 120 N ASHE ST | SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28387

M A G A Z I N E Volume 18, No. 2 David Woronoff, Publisher david@thepilot.com Andie Stuart Rose, Creative Director andie@thepilot.com

Jim Moriarty, Editor

jjmpinestraw@gmail.com

Alyssa Kennedy, Digital Art Director alyssamagazines@gmail.com

Lauren M. Coffey, Graphic Designer laurenmagazines@gmail.com

Emilee Phillips, Digital Content emilee@pinestrawmag.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Jim Dodson, Deborah Salomon

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

John Gessner, Laura L. Gingerich, Tim Sayer

Family is Important Invest Wisely for their Future

With over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, David Yoder has joined Menendez & Ritter Retirement Group to pursue his passion for helping clients reach their financial goals. Since 1991, the Menendez & Ritter Retirement Group has been developing lasting, meaningful, and open relationships, and David is ready to continue that legacy with you.

CONTRIBUTORS Jenna Biter, Harry Blair, Tom Bryant, Susan Campbell, Bill Case, Mallory Cash, Wiley Cash, Tony Cross, Brianna Rolfe Cunningham, Mart Dickerson, Bill Fields, Laurel Holden, Sara King, Jan Leitschuh, Meridith Martens, Jason Oliver Nixon, Mary Novitsky, Lee Pace, Todd Pusser, Joyce Reehling, Scott Sheffield, Stephen E. Smith, Angie Tally, Kimberly Taws, Daniel Wallace, Ashley Walshe, Claudia Watson ADVERTISING SALES

Ginny Trigg, Advertising Director 910.693.2481 • ginny@thepilot.com Jennie Acklin, 910.693.2515 Samantha Cunningham, 910.693.2505 Terry Hartsell, 910.693.2513 Erika Leap, 910.693.2514 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

Emily Jolly • pilotads@thepilot.com

ADVERTISING GRAPHIC DESIGN

Mechelle Butler, Scott Yancey

PS Steve Anderson, Finance Director 910.693.2497

David Yoder - Financial Advisor

Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488

110 Turnberry Way | Pinehurst, NC 28374 | 910.693.2430 www.fa.wellsfargoadvisors.com/mrrg | david.yoder@wfadvisors.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Investment and Insurance Products: NOT FDIC Insured NO Bank Guarantee MAY Lose Value Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker/dealer and nonbank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2021 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved. CAR-0122-00990

PineStraw

910.693.2488 OWNERS

Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels Jr., Frank Daniels III, Lee Dirks, David Woronoff 145 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Pines, NC 28387 www.pinestrawmag.com ©Copyright 2022. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. PineStraw magazine is published by The Pilot LLC

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

LUXURY

415 Fairway Drive, Southern Pines

$2,750,000

4 bed • 7/1 bath

Pamela O’Hara (910) 315-3093 MLS 100297806

110 Hearthstone Road, Pinehurst

$1,799,000

Dunross Manor, built by Donald Ross in 1929 in Knollwood Heights on 2.3 acres. Beautiful chef’s kitchen, 1,900 sqft workshop, carriage house, fabulous outdoor kitchen, and breathtaking gardens.

MLS 100305682

Ferrell Carpenter (919) 692-2635 MLS 100297740

PREMIER GOLF FRONT PROPERTY Stunning lakefront custom home on 3rd hole of Pinehurst #9. Gated entry on a secluded cul-de-sac lot. Transferrable club membership.

$875,000

4 bed • 3 bath

Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 MLS 100297732

G N I D N E P 3 bed • 2/1 bath Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 Karen Iampietro (910) 690-7098

MLS 100304490 Under Contract in four days. Located on Pinehurst Course, this home went quickly. Call us to discuss selling your home.

Beautiful home on 16.5 acres in an equestrian community, The Fields. Gourmet kitchen, new appliances, open floor plan, screened porch, three car garage, and more.

$499,000

Debbie Darby (910) 793-5193

4 bed • 3/1 bath Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 Karen Iampietro (910) 690-7098

MLS 100306564 Nestled in the pines, beautiful home with Lake Pinehurst views. Hardwoord floors flow throughout the living spaces and Carolina room.

31 Village by the Lake, Southern Pines

Golf front brick on one level, open feel, light and bright in Pinehurst #6. Totally rennovated, enclosed pool for year round enjoyment.

3 bed • 3 bath

$625,000

G N I D N E P

114 Deerwood Lane, Pinehurst

5 Iverness Road, Pinehurst

$575,000

725 Lake Forest Drive SE, Pinehurst

341 Bracken Hill Road, Cameron

130 Wooden Bridge Lane, Pinehurst 4 bed • 5 bath

Karen Iampietro (910) 690-7098

LUXURY

$1,230,000

5 bed • 4/2 bath

BHHSPRG.COM

Located in the desirable Fairwoods on 7 Golf Community. This is a luxurious custom single-family residence.

$229,000

3 bed • 2 bath

Karen Iampietro (910) 690-7098

Under Contract. Carolina room townhome located close to downtown Southern Pines. Call me to discuss selling your home.

MLS 100301840

MLS 100299772

Q4 Market Update CLOSED UNITS *

* October 1 – December 15, 2020

-20%

CLOSED VOLUME *

-10%

AVG SALES PRICE *

+13%

vs October 1 – December 15, 2021

Pinehurst • 42 Chinquapin Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374 • 910 -295 - 5504 | Southern Pines • 167 Beverly Lane, Southern Pines, NC 28387 • 910-692-2635 ©2022 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC

IMAGINE YOUR HOME TOTALLY ORGANIZED

40% OFF PLUS FREE Installation 18 month financing (with approved credit) Available for a limited time

Terms and conditions: 40% off any order of $1200, 30% off any order $700 or more on any complete custom closet, garage, or home office unit. Not valid with any other offer. Free installation with any complete unit order of $500 or more. With incoming order, at time of purchase only. Expires in 90 days. Offer not valid in all regions.

CUSTOM CLOSETS • GARAGE CABINETS • HOME OFFICES • PANTRIES • LAUNDRIES • HOBBY ROOMS

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Dedicated 4th Grade Teacher

Married 29 Years BRICKWORK STONEWORK FIREPLACES OUTDOOR LIVING

910-944-0878

www.howellsmasonry.com 10327 Hwy 211 Aberdeen, NC 28315

SIMPLE LIFE

“The Chosen One” A red-tailed sentinel; the discovery of a spirit animal; and a faithful, four-legged soulmate

By Jim Dodson

ILLUSTRATION BY GERRY O'NEILL

Late in the afternoon

on an unnaturally warm New Year’s Eve, I hauled the last of autumn’s motherlode of leaves to the curb and sat down to rest on an iron bench at the back of the new shade garden I’ve spent hours building during the COVID pandemic.

My dog Mulligan walked over and sat down beside me. Mully, as I call her, is a wise old border collie of 16 who still walks a mile with us every morning before sunrise before spending much of her day in the garden keeping a sharp eye on things, including the head gardener. I call her my “God Dog,” the perfect palindrome for the joyful The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

young stray I found running wild and free back in 2006. Our journey together has been a gift from the universe, which is why I officially named my garden for the old girl on Christmas morning. As we sat together beneath the old oak trees that arch over the yard like the beams from some ancient Druid’s lost cathedral, watching the final rays of the old year slip away, I followed her gaze up the huge white oak I call Honest Abe and discovered — rather startlingly — a large female red-tailed hawk sitting on a limb, not 20 feet above us. I’d seen this same handsome lady hawk several times that week. But never this close. Perhaps, like me, she was merely resting from a long afternoon of hunting and being harassed by a murder of pesky crows that behave like drunken teenagers in our neighborhood, enjoying a moment of peace and quiet to contemplate the end of another challenging year on the planet. PineStraw

SIMPLE LIFE

Or maybe she was simply waiting for an early supper to appear, which could explain the sudden scarcity of squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks that normally scamper around our backyard at that hour. Given the timing of the moment, however, and the dramatic presence just feet above our heads, I had a slightly nobler thought. In Native American lore, hawks are considered sacred creatures that frequently appear as messengers from one’s ancestors, benevolent spirit animals sent to warn or offer a blessing. Almost every ancient culture on the planet, in fact, holds some version of this interpretation of hawks — noble creatures that symbolize clear-eyed sight and the urge for freedom. The knight-hero Gawain mentioned in the legend of Arthur, for instance — whose very name contains the Celtic word “gwalch,” which means hawk — sets off in search of the Holy Grail. Was this a message from my ancestors? A simple New Year warning or blessing being sent as the three of us — man, dog and scary mythic bird — sat calmly eyeballing each other from close range in the lengthening shadows of an unnaturally warm winter afternoon? Was it a final warning about the rapidly vanishing Arctic ice? Or welcome news that liberation from the killer virus might finally come in the days and weeks just ahead? Impossible to say. But either way, old Mully appeared to have

her doubts about our visitor, keeping a wary custodial eye on the big bird in case she tried some funny business in her garden. In the meantime, I took out my smartphone to sneak a photograph and do a quick fact-check on spirit animals over the internet. I was surprised to find several websites designed to determine one’s own spirit animal through various lifestyle questions that sounded more like a personality test for a dating website. The first quiz I took revealed my spirit animal to be an owl. Not quite what I expected. The second, a turtle. Seriously? Finally, I became the 7,437,375th person to take the animated YouTube “soul animal” test that revealed my spirit animal is a bear. I’ll admit to being kind of bummed that no red-tailed hawk made my spirit animal menagerie. All three sites did agree on one thing, however — that spirit animals choose us rather than the other way around. When I finally glanced up from my phone, the lady red-tailed hawk had flown away. Maybe she was looking for an early New Year’s Eve supper, after all. I’ve never seen her since. Mully, on the other hand, was still by my side. After 16 years together, whatever lies ahead in 2022, it was comforting to still be chosen by such a spirited animal. PS Jim Dodson can be reached at jwdauthor@gmail.com.

Lin gets Results! toP 1 % of Moore County reaLtors toP 1 % of u.s. reaLtors

ENERGY. EXPERIENCE. EFFORT. WWW.LINHUTAFF.COM

PineStraw

Lin Hutaff’s PineHurst reaLty GrouP Village of Pinehurst | 910.528.6427 | linhutaff@pinehurst.net The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

If Pinehurst has it, Lin can get it for you! Go to LinHutaff. com ER UND

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185 CHEROKEE ROAD • OLD TOWN “Concord Cottage”. Charming. Tastefully updated throughout! $1,200,000

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97 W MCKENZIE ROAD • OLD TOWN Large LOT, mature plantings. Open rooms with lots of light. $819,000

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39 GREYABBEY DRIVE • PINEWILD Oversized deck with sunken HOT TUB. Large kitchen. Golf front. Offered at $649,000 SOL

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20 NORTH HILLS DRIVE • FAIRWOODS ON 7 All brick, custom home. Carolina Rm with wall of windows. $799,000 SOL

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80 E RITTER • OLD TOWN LOCATION. HISTORIC. CHARMING. “Column Cottage”. Steps from the center of the Historic Village of Pinehurst. Seller revived exterior and interior after years of neglect. $765,000

355 S DIAMONDHEAD DRIVE • LAKE PINEHURST Updated throughout with 2nd LOT encompassing pool area. $560,000

45 WILSON RD • PINEHURST Elegant brick home less than one mile from the Village. $635,000

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107 CHESTERFIELD DR • FOREST CREEK Built by Cribbs Construction with all of the quality appointments, special features and sensational design upgrades expected of this high-end Custom Builder. $895,000

OLD PARSONS ESTATE Private Estate. Over 2 acres. Rambling brick home with beautiful gardens and waterfalls overlooking a tranquil pond.

ENERGY. EXPERIENCE. EFFORT.

Lin Hutaff’s PineHurst reaLty GrouP Village of Pinehurst | 910.528.6427 | linhutaff@pinehurst.net

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PinePitch Triple Play

The North Carolina Symphony will begin in tranquility and shift into high-octane energy in its “All Strings” concert featuring three selections: Novellette No. 1 by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; St. Paul’s Suite by Gustav Holst; and Souvenir de Florence by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The performance will be Thursday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m., at the Robert E. Lee Auditorium, 250 Voit Gilmore Lane, Southern Pines. For tickets and more information go to www. ncsymphony.org.

It’s Not Yellowstone, But… The painted ponies will stampede — if stampeding can take a couple of months — through the streets of Southern Pines for another year. These imaginings of 16 artists will graze all of February and March and will be auctioned off to the highest bidder on April 9. Proceeds benefit the Carolina Horse Park. For further information visit www.carolinahorsepark.com.

Freedom Fighter Bestselling author Kate Moore will talk about her book The Woman They Could Not Silence, the story of Elizabeth Packard who, betrayed by her husband of 21 years when he has her committed to an insane asylum, fights for her own freedom and the freedom of others. Moore will discuss her book on Tuesday, Feb. 22, from 2 – 3 p.m. at The Pilot, 145 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. For information call (910) 692-3211 or go to www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Another Classical Sunday The Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities will continue its Sunday music series on Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. with University of North Carolina School of the Arts faculty Kevin Lawrence on violin and Dmitri Shteinberg on piano in the great room of the Boyd House, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Cost is $25 for members and $35 for general admission. For more information go to www. weymouthcenter.org.

A Chance to Be Presidential The Carolina Philharmonic presents Presidential Keys featuring David Osborne's romantic piano offerings at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center, Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst, on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. Osborne has performed at the White House for Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama. For additional information call (910) 687-0287 or go to www.carolinaphil.org.

PineStraw

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

TEA LEAF ASTROLOGER

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)

Try, Try Again Postponed in January, poet and N.C. Literary Hall of Fame member Marsha Warren will present “Freedom Park: The Inspiring Story of How a Monument to Freedom is Built while Confederate Statues are Coming Down” on Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. at the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. The cost is $15 for Weymouth members and $20 for non-members. For further information go to www.weymouthcenter.org.

Puppy Love Roll over and join the “Furever Yours” Valentine’s Day Gala hosted by Caring Hearts for Canines on Friday, Feb. 4, from 6 – 9 p.m., at the Pinehurst Resort, 1 Carolina Vista Drive, Pinehurst. The cost is $60 for a night of dancing, good food, adult beverages and a silent auction to support the dogs rescued by Caring Hearts. For more info visit https://caringheartsforcanines.com.

Say what you will about Aquarians. That they’re headstrong. Paradoxical. Emotionally detached. But if there’s one thing to admire about this enigmatic air sign, it’s that they’re hell-bent on seeking the truth. In other words: You won’t find them drinking the Kool-Aid. This month, cut your favorite water-bearer some slack as they navigate some rather turbulent tides. Give them space. Give them time. They’re sure to come out shining.

Tea leaf “fortunes” for the rest of you: Pisces (February 19 – March 20) At this point, suffering is a choice. Aries (March 21 – April 19) Does the word “squirrel” mean anything to you? Taurus (April 20 – May 20) With great risk comes, well, you’ll see. Gemini (May 21 – June 20) Two words: trigger warning. Cancer (June 21 – July 22) No need to intervene. Read that again. Leo (July 23 – August 22) Yes, it’s shiny. Very shiny. But is it merely a distraction? Virgo (August 23 – September 22) Eat the cake. Libra (September 23 – October 22) Ask again later. Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) Just walk away. It doesn’t matter what they think. Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21) Let the candy hearts do the talking. Capricorn (December 22 – January 19) Put your phone on silent. It’s time for some “you time.” PS Zora Stellanova has been divining with tea leaves since Game of Thrones’ Starbucks cup mishap of 2019. While she’s not exactly a medium, she’s far from average. She lives in the N.C. foothills with her Sphynx cat, Lyla.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

PineStraw

Krystle Walsh, R.N., Amber Cicogna, R.N., Sun Moon Kim, M.D. and Peter Ellman, M.D.

Knowing what causes heart disease and how you can prevent it can help you live a longer, healthier life. Take our online heart disease risk assessment at www.FirstHealth.org/HeartQuiz

G O O D NAT U R E D

The Season of Love One day is just the beginning

wrights v ille

b e ach

winter beach

GETAWAY

By Karen Frye e think of love as we celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th but, hopefully, we focus on it the other 364 days as well, creating a lifestyle for ourselves. Start your day with feelings of love and spread it everywhere with everyone. End your day with gratitude for all the love you’ve received. Tune in to these feelings and reap the incredible benefits it brings to your life. We are born into the world with immense love. This force within us can be nourished and grow more powerful with practice. Life can be challenging, but its lessons can be opportunities to use our hearts to find a way through obstacles and grow stronger. When we understand that love can resolve so many of the confrontations and challenges life brings, we become more loving, even in the most difficult times. Each morning before you get out of bed, connect to your heart center. Be grateful that your heart is beating and sending feelings of compassion, empathy and love to every cell in your body. Open yourself to the good things happening to you. Sharing the love you feel with others will open their hearts as well. We must embrace, and even love, those who have hurt us. Love has the power to change many things. It can end anger, strife, resentment and emotional pain. Everything improves with practicing love, but the person who benefits the most is you. What footprint will you leave on this world? Walk the path of love. Uplift others. You will be happier, healthier and more content with your life, and the world will be a better place. PS Karen Frye is the owner and founder of Nature’s Own and teaches yoga at the Bikram Yoga Studio.

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

PineStraw

Your luxury is our legacy Prestige. Pedigree. Power. The Global Luxury Difference.

12 GLEN ABBEY TRAIL• PINEHURST NO. 6

350 QUAIL RUN • PINEHURST

4 bedrooms | 4.5 bathrooms | 7120+sqft | $1,375,000 MLS#306134 | Call Victoria Adkins, 910- 992-8171

4 bedrooms | 4.5 bathrooms | 5,355 sqft |$989,000 MLS#305800 | Call Victoria Adkins at 910- 992-8171

135 SAINT MELLIONS DRIVE • PINEHURST NO. 9

139 JUNIPER CREEK BLVD • PINEHURST NO. 6

4 bedrooms | 4.5 bathrooms | 4,250 sqft | $2,150,000 MLS#306052 | Call Leslie Riederer at 910-690-2827

3 bedrooms | 4.5 bathrooms | 3,197 sqft | $629,000 MLS#305732 | Call Leslie Riederer at 910-690-2827

178 SONNY LANE • HAMLET

703 TUFTS VISTA • JACKSON SPRINGS

3 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms | 2,739 sqft | $749,900 MLS#300049 | Call Jennifer Vance at 910-995-9791

910-693-3300

3 bedrooms | 3.5 bathrooms | 4672 sqft | $1,345,000 MLS#297563 | Call Cristin Bennett at 336-202-2858

@CBAofthePines

130 Turner St., Ste. A, Southern Pines | 100 Magnolia Rd., Pinehurst | 455 SE Broad St., Southern Pines

THE OMNIVOROUS READER

Mastering the Monsters A sci-fi novel for our surreal world

By Anne Blythe

If the past couple of years have proven anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.

We’ve battled a virus that has shown its ability to morph and shape-shift. Some people accepted it as real. Others chose not to believe. The world imagined by Cadwell Turnbull, a creative writing professor at N.C. State University, in his latest work of fiction, No Gods, No Monsters, gives us a similar choice. There are monsters, gods and humans living together and living apart throughout his book. They force readers to reconsider what is real and what is not, to look at others with a sense that they might be more like you than different — or more different than you know. Introduced as the first in a trilogy, No Gods, No Monsters opens with a professor sitting at a restaurant in Cameron Village in Raleigh, saying goodbye to his friend Tanya, and his academic life. As Tanya sits across from him, he tells her he has decided to leave his job and go home to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands (Turnbull’s childhood home), where the professor has unresolved issues over the death of his brother. Initially, we don’t know the professor’s name or how he’s connected to the characters in the pages ahead. He drops in and out of chapters, sometimes interjecting a jarring and puzzling voice, leaving readers to wonder who he really is and how the many storylines that Turnbull is juggling will come together. Along the way, we meet a wild variety of characters: bookstore workers who can turn into werewolves; a character named Dragon (a child who can sprout wings and fly); a senator from the Virgin Islands who can become a dog; an invisible sibling; a witch; and more. It’s not until the very end that we can see the novel’s worlds merging. Even then, much remains unanswered, leaving readers to wonder what the next book in the trilogy has in store. “I’m going to tell you a story,” the narrator says. “And like so many stories, it begins with a body.” That body belongs to Lincoln, a naked Black man, dead in the street, shot by police. Laina, Lincoln’s sister, picks up the storytelling. We learn from her that Lincoln had been hooked on drugs and living on the streets, estranged from his family. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

At first, it might seem as if this will be another story about an unarmed Black man being shot by police. While that theme pulses through the book, we quickly find out that this story is going to be different. Suppressed bodycam footage surfaces, and with its release comes a tale of monsters, werewolves and gods on Earth and beyond. Initially, Laina is in disbelief as she watches the bodycam footage of her brother’s shooting. It’s dark at first, difficult to make anything out. Then she hears the cop say, “I see it. It’s big.” Then she sees the creature, too. It’s doglike, she says, but “bigger than doglike.” It snarls at the cop and he fires his gun. His target falls to the ground. As residents from the houses along the street come out to see the aftermath of the shooting, the creature the cop saw lunging at him has become simply a naked man, left slain between two cars. “I don’t understand,” the cop says. The bodycam shows that Laina’s brother, at least for a moment, was a werewolf. Turnbull calls that moment “the Fracture.” It’s the instant when someone’s world opens to the realization that monsters are among them. Some people take notice. Others look away. “Most people outgrew true belief in monsters by adulthood, but even adults knew not to go outside at night during a power outage, go past a certain house or respond to whispers in the dark,” the senator from St. Thomas tells us after we meet her in the Virgin Islands. “Monsters existed in the liminal space of half-belief and practical superstition. Even folks who claimed not to believe in God knew not to tempt devils. Superstition allowed a certain kind of freedom, PineStraw

OMNIVOROUS READER

allowed a certain kind of power.” The arc of the story can be disjointed at times, adding a touch of mystery, as readers go on a spellbinding journey from North Carolina to Massachusetts to the U.S. Virgin Islands and places in between. The characters are good and evil, lovable and at times abominable. We see humans transform into werewolves as they shed their clothes and go on four-legged runs in the woods, chasing squirrels and other small critters. We meet a woman who drinks the blood of her sister and can pull her skin off and on. Others lead mundane lives while battling monsters of their own. Many of these characters eventually come together at a monster march, depicted as a kind of otherworldly Black Lives Matter rally when a large crowd marches through the Boston streets after Lincoln’s death, chanting, “No gods, no monsters!” By using the sci-fi genre, Turnbull tempts his readers to explore tough and touchy topics such as drug addiction, police shootings, societal divisions and the monsters that can be created when neither side explores the motivation of the other. Laina introduces us to Ridley, her asexual, transgender, anarchist husband who moved from Harrisonburg, Virginia, where his parents still live, to Massachusetts to open a co-op bookstore. We meet Rebecca, Laina’s girlfriend, who knew Lincoln, and Sarah, her housemate. Both Rebecca and Sarah have the ability to transform into sturdy-legged werewolves.

Throughout Turnbull’s book, we end up wondering whether monsters are people or people are monsters. “You think monsters are dangerous? Or you think people who believe in them are? Which one? Both?” Sarah asks Ridley after he tells her he might not go to the monster march in Boston because he’s worried about the potential for violence. “People need to be protected, too,” Ridley tells Sarah. The book tugs and pulls its characters through inner wars as they deal with a fractured world around them and their own splintered lives. At one point, Ridley sees the Earth open up below a circle of glowing red ants while on a retreat at a collective peanut farm in Virginia. He tumbles into an abyss with monsters so jarring that he stays mum about his experience. What are the consequences of speaking out or the cost of staying silent? Turnbull’s complex story takes readers across the surface of the Earth and into the many dimensions of the mind as his characters carom through a multitude of societies — some secret from long ago, some modern and seemingly ordinary but very destructive. Even for people not typically drawn to sci-fi or fantasy novels, settling in with this story is well worth it. PS Anne Blythe has been a reporter in North Carolina for more than three decades. She has covered city halls, higher education, the courts, crime, hurricanes, ice storms, droughts, floods, college sports, health care and many wonderful characters who make this state such an interesting place.

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BOOKSHELF

February Books

FICTION Carolina Built, by Kianna Alexander Based on the life of real estate magnate Josephine N. Leary, Carolina Built tells the story of a woman born into slavery who gained her freedom at the age of 9 and succeeds in building a real estate empire in Edenton, North Carolina. Striving to create a legacy for her two daughters, Josephine teaches herself to be a businesswoman, to manage her finances, and to make smart investments. But with each passing year, it grows more and more difficult to juggle work and family obligations. Alexander brings Leary to life in her page-turning book of historical fiction as Josephine becomes a wife, landowner, business partner and visionary. Love and Saffron, by Kim Fay This witty and tender novel follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all, and that friendship and laughter are the best medicine. When 27-yearold Joan Bergstrom sends a fan letter — and a gift of saffron — to 59-year-old Imogen Fortier, a life-changing friendship begins. Joan lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a food writer. Imogen lives on Camano Island outside Seattle, writing a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine. While she can hunt elk and dig for clams, she’s never tasted fresh garlic. The two women bond through their letters, building a closeness that sustains them through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and the unexpected events in their own lives. Told in three parts, this tender and honest book is a reminder that we are never finished growing, changing and loving. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The Christie Affair, by Nina de Gramont “A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman . . . ” So begins The Christie Affair, a stunning new novel that reimagines the unexplained 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie that captivated the world. The story is narrated by Miss Nan O’Dea, a fictional character based on a real person who infiltrated the wealthy, rarified world of author Christie and her husband, Archie — a world of London townhomes, country houses, shooting parties and tennis matches. First, she became part of their world, and then she became Archie’s mistress. What did it have to do with the mysterious 11 days that Agatha Christie went missing? The answer takes you back in time, to Ireland, to a young girl in love, to a time before The Great War, to a star-crossed couple destined to be together until war and their shameful secrets tore them apart. Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s death and her hidden past — a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California, beginning and ending with her famous black cake. Eleanor Bennett passes away in present-day California, leaving behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake — made from a family recipe — and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking journey that unfolds challenges everything the siblings thought they knew about their family, the secrets their mother held back, and the mystery of a long-lost child. PineStraw

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CHILDREN’S BOOKS Love You By Heart, by Peter H. Reynolds Triumphs, joys, fumbles, falls, when you truly love someone, you love all of them. The perfect little gem for Valentine’s Day, or any day, because when you love someone, you love them warts and all. (All ages.) Bob Ross, Peapod the Squirrel, and the Happy Accident, by Robb Pearlman Mistakes are just happy accidents when Bob Ross and Peapod are in the art studio. Celebrate art! Creativity! Fun! This little book encourages young artists to go with the flow. (Ages 4-7.) Smooch!: A Celebration of the Enduring Power of Love, by Karen Kilpatrick Whether you’re in the pool, the tub, or get licked by your furry friend, nothing can wipe away the kiss of someone who loves you. For family members who cannot be together this Valentine’s Day, this adorable title is the perfect way to say, “I love you.” (Ages 3-6.)

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Bold Words from Black Women: Inspiration and Truths from 50 Leaders Who Helped Shape Our World, by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli From Alice Walker to Zora Neale Hurston, this stunning collection features quotes and portraits of 50 amazing Black women. An absolute must-have for young readers. (Age 6 to adult.) PS Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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One Degree of Separation And other brushes with greatness

By Bill Fields

The first celebrities I saw

in the flesh weighed about 2,000 pounds apiece.

They were the Budweiser Clydesdales, parading down Broad Street in Southern Pines in the 1960s, and they didn’t yield to the left if they didn’t want to. To a 60-pound kid, a one-ton horse seemed as big as a brontosaurus. My celebrity encounters veered from the equine over the years, but star sightings outside the golf world — on which I’ve reported for four decades — have been few and far between. Sadly, Meryl Streep never looked forward to commuting on a train to Grand Central Terminal with me as she did as Molly to Robert De Niro’s Frank in Falling in Love. I did get a hello from Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis on a 1988 flight to Boston. Friendly, lots of hair, not a lot of height. In a long check-in line at LaGuardia Airport, Chris Farley, in sunglasses and a hoodie, nodded in my direction when we made eye contact. On a flight to London, Robin Givens, sans Mike Tyson, sat a few rows away. It wasn’t unusual for folks to see Paul Newman out and about in Connecticut. I walked past him once on a sidewalk in Westport, and his eyes were as blue as you thought they were. Covering a PGA Tour Champions event at Pebble Beach, I needed a few minutes from Bernhard Langer for an interview after his round, which concluded on the ninth hole a long way from the Lodge. Langer asked me to join him in the shuttle van so we could talk during the short ride back to civilization. Clint Eastwood, who had played in Langer’s group, was in the front passenger seat, and seeing an interloper clamber into the vehicle didn’t make his day. “You can take the next one,” Eastwood said to me. “Bernhard told me to come with him,” I replied. “It’s OK, Clint,” Langer interjected. Eastwood still seemed peeved when we reached the clubhouse. His demeanor to a stranger was much different from that of another

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Hollywood A-lister, Jack Lemmon, with whom I had crossed paths at a golf tournament at Pebble Beach years earlier. Lemmon was walking his standard poodle across a parking lot and offered a smile and a friendly hello. Lemmon was a fixture each winter on the Monterey Peninsula, where he tried in vain to make the amateur cut and play on Sunday in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the old Bing Crosby Pro-Am. I didn’t expect to see Glenn Frey of the Eagles under the big live oak at Augusta National Golf Club on Masters Wednesday in 1997. But Frey loved golf and was there, in a white caddie jumpsuit, to loop for pal Brad Faxon in the Par-3 Contest. I lament having not seen the Eagles in concert during the band’s heyday, but I got to meet Frey and shake his hand that day. Two iconic figures in sports and entertainment, John Madden and Betty White, passed away within a couple of days of each other near the end of 2021. Tributes focused not only on how much they accomplished during their respective careers but how well they treated people throughout their long lives. I never met either icon — saw Madden dining in a California restaurant once — but the coverage made me think of the time I met one of my childhood baseball heroes, Brooks Robinson. Back in the late 1980s, I knew the former Baltimore Orioles third baseman was going to be playing in a celebrity golf event in Florida that I was covering. Once on-site, a lot of people were paying attention to the former New York Jets receiver Don Maynard, a Texan who was teeing it up in shorts and spiked cowboy boots. I prioritized finding the baseball Hall of Famer who had worn No. 5 and won 16 Gold Glove Awards. If Robinson had grown tired of grown men asking him to sign a baseball while hearing about how he inspired them to play the hot corner in Little League, he sure didn’t show it. He was gracious and genuine, and as he signed the brand-new Rawlings baseball I’d brought along, I was 29 going on 12. PS Southern Pines native Bill Fields, who writes about golf and other things, moved north in 1986 but hasn’t lost his accent. PineStraw

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T H E C R E AT O R S O F N. C .

Red Clay and Jewels

Jaki Shelton Green captures the beauty and cruelty of humanity By Wiley Cash • Photographs by Mallory Cash

To read the work of North Carolina

Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green is to know exactly where her inspiration comes from; it comes from the red clay of Orange County, North Carolina, where a little girl leaves footprints in the dirt as she follows her grandmother down to the water’s edge, fishing pole in hand; it comes from the silence of held breath as parents hide their children beneath the pews of a darkened church while the Ku Klux Klan encircles the building; it comes from the peace and grandeur of a communityowned cemetery on a warm winter day when the past, present and future stretch out on a continuum that can be seen and felt. You can open almost any page in Jaki’s numerous collections of poetry and plant your feet firmly on that same red clay, witness the suffocating fear of racial terror, and feel the healing energy of the dead as they gather around you. I’ve known Jaki for years, mostly as a fellow writer at various festivals across the state. I’ve also hosted her for my own literary events when I needed the kind of in-person power that only a writer like Jaki can bring. To witness her read her poetry is akin to witnessing a god touching down on Earth to opine on the beauty and brutality of humanity. But I had never visited Jaki’s home, nor had I ever joined her on her native soil in Orange County. When my family and I pulled into the driveway of the neatly kept ranch home where Jaki lives with her husband, Abdul, she immediately opened the door to her writing room and welcomed us with a wide smile. Inside, morning light

poured through the windows on the east side of the room. In the center sat a long table where Jaki’s laptop was open as if she’d just paused in her work. Books were stacked throughout the room, not as if they were being stored, but as if they were being read, the reader having taken a break here to pick up another volume there. Art adorned the space: paintings, framed jewelry, sculpture, photographs. I smiled as my eyes took in the room. “Jaki, this is exactly where I thought you’d live,” I said. “You should’ve seen it when I bought it,” she said. “I think it had been condemned, but this was the house I wanted. My family begged me not to buy it.” It was nearly impossible to believe that this place so clearly suffused with peaceful, creative energy had ever been absent of life, but perhaps that speaks to the regenerative power of Jaki’s spirit. “Years ago, I bought this house just before Thanksgiving,” she said, “and then I got to work on it. By the holidays I was ready to host our family Christmas party.” Jaki took a seat at her writing table while my wife, Mallory, unpacked her photography gear. I followed my daughters into the living room, where Abdul set down a small cradle full of handmade dolls for our daughters to play with. He and Jaki have a 3-year-old granddaughter, and they are used to having small children underfoot. Later, as Abdul prepared breakfast for Jaki’s 105-year-old mother, who lives with the couple, he patiently listened as my first-grader shared with him the moment-by-moment intricacies of her school day while my kindergartner crawled on the kitchen floor, answering only to the name “Princess Kitty.” “How did you and Jaki meet?” I asked him. He smiled. “I was working in a furniture store, and Jaki came in. It didn’t seem like anyone else was interested in helping her, so I asked her what she was looking for. She said, ‘I don’t need help, brother. I know how to look for furniture.’” He finally got Jaki to share that she was in the market for a fainting couch, and that only made him more interested in her. “I found out she was a poet,” he said, “and I went to the bookstore and bought some of her books, and then . . . ” He smiled and shrugged as if nothing more needed to be said. Throughout the house, framed photographs of family members lined the walls, some of them recent pictures of grandchildren, others weathered black and white portrayals PineStraw

T H E C R E AT O R S O F N. C .

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of family members who have been gone for decades. Jaki’s voice drifted into the living room, and I could hear that she was talking about her daughter Imani, who passed away from cancer in 2009 at the age of 38. I never met Imani, and I only know her through Jaki’s heartrending poem “I Want to Undie You,” but as I looked at the photographs throughout the house, I wondered if I was seeing photos of Imani at the same moment her mother was evoking her name. Jaki, as if sensing my search, called to me from her writing room. “Do you want to go out to our family’s cemetery where Imani is buried?” Jaki asked. “Of course,” I said, sensing that we were being invited into a sacred space. “Will it be OK if I ask you some questions out there?” “That’s probably the best place for it,” she said. We left Abdul behind to serve breakfast to his mother-in-law, and Jaki climbed into the passenger’s seat while Mallory squeezed between the girls and their car seats in the back. Jaki turned and looked at them. “So, you girls like jewels?” They nodded, and she opened her hand and dropped gorgeous, polished rocks into theirs. The private cemetery where Jaki’s ancestors and other community members are buried sits just a mile or so up the road. Forests bordered the cleared land on both sides, and across the gravel road a crane stacked felled trees in a lumber yard, the low rumble of its engine edging through the air. Jaki and I sat down on a bench that had been placed by Imani’s headstone by Jaki’s two surviving children. Jaki looked at the markers around her, the names on them so familiar that she didn’t even have to read them to know who rests there. “I will never forget standing out here when my father was being buried, and my mom looked at Sherman (Jaki’s first husband) and me and said, ‘It’s all right, because y’all are going to have a baby next year.’ And we did.” Jaki grew up in a close-knit community called Efland less than 7 miles away, where two A.M.E. churches anchored the community. Her family members were active at Gaines Chapel A.M.E., and it was there that Jaki was first encouraged to write by

her grandmother, even though she wanted to be a scientist or an oceanographer. “I was fascinated by the stories around me,” Jaki said, “especially what was happening on Sunday morning. As a child I would sit there and make up stories about people, and my grandmother gave me little notebooks to write in. I was very nosy, but I’ve come to understand that writers should be nosy. We should be nosy about everything.” According to Jaki, she was not only nosy about the people in her congregation, she was nosy about the world around her, constantly asking questions like, “Where does the rain really come from?” and, “What makes dark dark?” You can see the questions in her poetry. In “I Wanted to Ask the Trees,” about the trauma of lynching in Black communities, she writes: I wanted to ask the trees. do you remember. were you there. did you shudder. did your skin cry out against the skin of my great uncle’s skin. “I want to tell stories of the South that are being erased and forgotten while reminding people that what’s nostalgic for some Southern writers is absolutely terror for others,” Jaki said. “White people talk about hound dogs in one context, but when we think about hound dogs we think about full moons and lynchings. When people talk about coon dogs, the coon was us.” When I asked Jaki why she left the South as a young person, she made clear how complicated her exodus was for her and her family. She was kicked out of public school in Orange County for organizing and participating in a walkout after Black students demanded equity during school desegregation. Before readmitting her, the board of education insisted that she sign an affidavit promising that she would not participate in or encourage any acts of civil disobedience. Her parents, themselves active in political and social issues, saw the board’s demand as an infringement on their daughter’s rights. She was readmitted, but being branded a troublemaker made life harder than she deserved. After being offered an academic scholarship to a Quaker boarding school The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T H E C R E AT O R S O F N. C .

called George School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Jaki headed north. For the first time in her life she was living outside the South and away from her family, surrounded by young people from all over the world, from different backgrounds and classes. “It took me leaving to really look back and see the entire landscape,” she said. Although she’d written poetry from an early age, leaving home and encountering the work of Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez and Nikki Giovanni made clear to Jaki the urgency of putting herself and her people on the page. Though away from home, she understood that life continued on in rural Orange County, the cycles of birth and death and political upheaval and cultural change never ceasing. “If we don’t tell ourselves who we are, then someone else will tell us who we are,” she said. Jaki and her first husband returned to the South after starting a family because they wanted their three young children to know their great-grandparents, to experience their wisdom and love, to know the place that had forged the lives of their ancestors. Sitting in the cemetery where so many of those ancestors and Jaki’s daughter have been laid to rest, Jaki is clear-eyed about the journey that saw her exiled from public school in Orange County to visiting public schools across the state as North Carolina’s first Black Poet Laureate. “There’s nothing magical about how I’ve arrived at this place,” she said. “It’s called working hard. It’s called having determination about what you want, and really knowing who you are.” The little girl who wanted to be an oceanographer became a writer instead, still asking questions about the world around her, still investigating it, continuing to draft poetic reports on the place she has always called home, the landscape where inspiration takes root and ideas are born, nurtured, and recorded. Wiley Cash is the Alumni Author-in-Residence at the University ofWNorth Carolina Asheville. ONDERFUL 100 His new novel, When Ghosts Come Home, is available wherever books are sold.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Arts & Humanities Lecture Series February 13 • 2 pm “North Carolina Freedom Park: The Inspiring Story of How a Monument to Freedom is Built while Confederate Statues are Coming Down”

Part 1(of 2): Speaker, Marsha Warren $15 Supporters / $20 General Sponsored by Deirdre Newton

Classical Music Sundays February 27 • 2 pm Join us for our popular series in an intimate concert setting, featuring University of North Carolina School of the Arts faculty and internationally renowned soloists Kevin Lawrence, violin, and Dmitri Shteinberg, piano. Program to include violin-piano sonatas by Bach, Schubert, and Bloch.

$25 Supporters / $35 General Sponsored by Deirdre Newton, Martha Parsons, Jack and Claudie Wells

“Shamrock the House!” St. Paddy’s Day Warmup Dinner March 12 • 5-7 pm

Pick up your dinner to go or stay for a picnic and enjoy Irish music on our beautiful grounds. Brined corned beef & cabbage, carrots, potatoes, Irish soda bread, and dessert prepared by Broad Street Bakery & Café. Bring your lawn chairs and BYOB.

$35 Supporters / $45 General

For tickets and more information, visit weymouthcenter.org Thank you to our sponsors: Richard J. Reynolds III and Marie M. Reynolds Foundation; Gerald Claude Kirby Trust; NC CARES for Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council; Arts Council of Moore County; The Palmer Foundation; Marion Stedman Covington Foundation; The Cannon Foundation; Donald and Elizabeth Cooke Foundation; The Pilot

We’re celebrating 100 years of our historic Boyd House, with 100 events in 2022 555 E. Connecticut Ave. Southern Pines, NC A 501 (c)(3) organization

WONDERFUL 100

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IN THE SPIRIT

Just the Two of Us

Cocktails you don’t have to post on social media

By Tony Cross

This month is

for the couples. Yes, love is in the air . . . or is it the sound of greeting card and chocolate companies rubbing their hands together, ready to rake in millions? Maybe it’s both.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TONY CROSS

Regardless, Valentine’s Day is one of, if not the busiest nights of the year if you’re in the restaurant business. I always recommend not going out the night of. Chances are, the establishment of your choosing will be slammed, the menu will be limited (and probably overpriced), service will be spotty, and you’ll feel rushed. Instead, go out the weekend before or after and, on Valentine’s Day, stay home and cook. Making drinks together can be fun, especially if you keep it simple. Below are some suggestions for you two lovebirds to tackle. The first is very valentine-y. The rest are uncomplicated and varied — a little something for every romantic taste bud.

Bitter French

This is a cocktail from bartender Phil Ward. It’s a subtle spin on the classic French 75 cocktail. The addition of Campari gives this drink a slight bitter flavor, which tastes incredible. If I happen to have strawberries in my fridge, I’ll muddle one while whipping this up. It’s a nice compliment to an already great classic. 1 ounce Plymouth gin (It doesn’t have to be Plymouth, but know that this gin is soft and not very juniper-forward. You know, juniper . . . the reason people who hate gin, hate gin?)

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1/4 ounce Campari 1/2 ounce lemon juice 1/2 ounce simple syrup Dry Champagne or any dry sparkling wine 1 grapefruit twist If you’re going to include a strawberry, muddle in a cocktail shaker. Shake all ingredients (minus grapefruit twist and Champagne) with ice, then doublestrain into a Champagne flute or cocktail coupe. Top with Champagne. Express oils of grapefruit twist over cocktail and discard.

Sidecar

The original recipe from this classic only calls for three ingredients: cognac, orange liqueur and lemon juice. However, to me, adding just a touch of rich simple syrup gives this cocktail a better mouthfeel. 2 ounces cognac (Remy Martin works fine, but use Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac if you can get it) 3/4 ounce Cointreau 3/4 ounce lemon juice 1 barspoon rich simple syrup Rich simple syrup: Combine two parts sugar to one part water in a pot and stir over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Let cool and refrigerate. It keeps for up to a month. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake hard for 10 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail coupe. No garnish.

Brandy (or Gin) Alexander

This is a classic dessert cocktail. If cognac isn’t your thing, substituting gin makes this drink worthwhile. May I recommend Sutler’s Spirit Co. out of Winston-Salem? When it comes to crème PineStraw

IN THE SPIRIT

Donald Ross claimed God created golf holes.

And it was his job to find them.

de cacao, please don’t use the cheap stuff. You can get Tempus Fugit’s online if it’s not available in your local ABC store. Trust me, the difference is well worth the time in ordering it. When using gin, I like to keep the recipe equal parts, but feel free to play around with the measurements. Brandy 1 1/2 ounces cognac 1 ounce crème de cacao 1 ounce heavy cream Nutmeg Gin 1 ounce gin 1 ounce crème de cacao 1 ounce heavy cream Nutmeg Combine all ingredients (minus nutmeg) with ice and shake hard until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Grate nutmeg over cocktail.

Dark ‘N’ Stormy

Easiest drink on the list. Grab a bottle of Gosling’s Dark Seal Rum, quality ginger beer, a few limes, and you’re good to go. If you want to try something different, Jeffrey Morgenthaler has a great little recipe using Chinese Five Spice. Google it. 2 ounces Gosling’s Dark Seal Rum 4 ounces ginger beer Lime wedge In a Collins glass, add rum, fill with ice and top with ginger beer. Squeeze lime wedge over drink before adding. Give a brief stir with a spoon and enjoy.

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Some of you may be rolling your eyes, but have you had a proper Cosmo? This drink is no joke and, if made correctly, it’s strong and delicious. There are many versions out there and this is mine. To any of you guys or gals who have already sworn off making this because of its pink hue, remember, it’s just a damn drink. 1 1/2 ounces citron vodka (If you’re like me, and only have a bottle of Belvedere in the fridge, that’s cool, too.) 3/4 ounce Cointreau (You may substitute Grand Marnier, but if so, scale back to 1/2 ounce — to me, it’s a bit rich.) 1 ounce cranberry juice (Ocean Spray is just fine.) 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice Lime wheel (optional) Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake hard until chilled. Double strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish that bad boy if you’d like. PS Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Edgar Allan Poe

Overcoming the misfortune of being born in Boston

By Nan Graham

One truth about the South can be

found in Truman Capote’s famous quote: “All Southerners go home sooner or later . . . even if it’s in a box.” So too, I believe, it is true that once in the South, Northerners — or those from someplace else, as I call them (to avoid the Y word) — become “Accidental Southerners.” Even if here temporarily, they are profoundly and sometimes unconsciously affected by the haunting strangeness of our part of the world. One such person is Edgar Allan Poe. Though born in Boston in 1809, Poe traveled the Southern theater circuit with his actress mother, Elizabeth, down the Eastern Seaboard from Norfolk to Charleston. She may have even played at Thalian Hall in Wilmington. I like to imagine toddler Edgar and his siblings in tow backstage. Later, the orphaned Edgar grew up in Richmond, Virginia, with foster parents, the Allans. Though New England born, Poe always considered himself a Southern gentleman. A student in the first class at the newly opened University of Virginia under its founder and president, Thomas Jefferson, Poe was a good student but a wretched gambler. His foster father’s refusal to pay off his gentleman’s debt (a serious violation of a gentleman’s code of honor) resulted in the young Poe being ousted from the university. He eventually joined the Army, served in South Carolina as a private, then returned to college at West Point. His career at West Point was as brief as that at UVA. First semester he received 44 offenses and 106 demerits. His second term shows a lack of improvement: In only a month he managed to accumulate 66 offenses. And the final straw? The story goes that Edgar Allan Poe showed up for “a dress parade wearing only his cartridge belt . . . and a smile.” The incident remains undocumented, but persists to this day, perhaps because it’s a great and hilarious anecdote. Mr. Allan left the impoverished Edgar out of his will despite having left a sizeable inheritance to his illegitimate son . . . a son he never met.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Poe’s contribution to American literature cannot be discounted as a mere writer of horror stories. His impact on American letters is major. His is the first authentic American voice among the young country’s other writers whose works were, for the most part, pale imitations of Europe’s literature. He is the first original American author and the first widely famous Southern author. Among his accomplishments, Poe wrote the first detective story (and detective, Inspector Dupin) in “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” inventing the genre we are addicted to even today. His ratiocination (what a word!), a method of solving a mystery by logical deduction and reason, cleared the path for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple. Poe was the very first American literary critic. He was also an early developer of the short story form. “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” remain classics. Why his claim (and mine) that he is a Southerner, despite his Boston birth? Mother Elizabeth had the good sense to die in Richmond and thus sealed Poe’s fate to be brought up a Southerner. Reared by his foster family in Richmond, he always considered himself a Virginian. Women have been long idealized in the South, and few writers have been more obsessed with women than Poe. He lost his mother, wife and foster mother to tuberculosis. According to Poe, the death and loss of a beautiful woman was the most elevated of all subjects for poetry and literature. We see this theme repeatedly in his works: “Annabel Lee,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “Berenice” and “The Raven.” The writer’s focus on lyricism and language usage is also very Southern. Much has been written on Poe’s sense of place, famous in Southern literature. His setting for “The Fall of the House of Usher,” in the phantasmagorical and swampy tarn, could be the low country South at its creepiest. Poe knew the Carolina low country. His short story “The Gold Bug” is set in Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, where he was stationed as a soldier — an island which today sports names like Raven Drive and Goldbug Avenue to honor the poet. My last reason that Mr. Poe is really a Southerner? He married his first cousin when she was 14. I won’t even touch that one! PS After 25 years of broadcasting commentaries for Wilmington’s PBS station, 40-plus years of teaching, and authoring two books, storytelling is still a passion for Nan Graham. PineStraw

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Moonshine Murder The legacy of the Big Swamp meltdown

By Lisa Weiss

Every family has its secrets. Some-

times they’re taken to the grave or held close to the heart for safekeeping. And sometimes, as was the case for my family, the secret — Granddaddy landing in the gas chamber at Central Prison — made an indelible mark on the soul of a skinny 8-year-old boy who would later become my daddy.

Granddaddy Palmer was a so-called tobacco farmer from North Carolina, although he had never plowed a field that Daddy could remember. Instead, he let his son (my daddy) ride shotgun in the old Ford pickup while he delivered homemade whiskey to the locals. Palmer and his uncle by marriage, George Allen, were two of the biggest bootleggers in the county, and the two of them fought for bragging rights to the Big Swamp distillery business. Uncle George owned the 15-by-15-foot store at the intersection of Seventh Street and Singletary Church Road in Robeson County, so he had a natural distribution point for his product. But Palmer had the most prized asset: a reliable and abundant supply of sugar. In fact, he had 3,300 pounds of it in the backwoods of the Big Swamp, which ensured a constant flow of his moonshine mash. Sugar during this time was rationed due to the war. Palmer’s secret stash, which in his mind was his patent, always kept him one step ahead of Uncle George. When he refused again and again to reveal his sugar source, Uncle George’s greed got the better of him, and he snitched to the local sheriff, spilling the location of Palmer’s stills. Naturally, festering contempt came stomping out of the backwoods. And with a loaded shotgun. Walking a mile to Uncle George’s house that morning did not tamp Palmer’s temper, but rather gave rise to it. When he stormed

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

into Uncle George’s house, George leapt from the breakfast table and fled out back, screaming for his wife to get his gun. Not intending to kill anyone — although he surely wanted to make his point — Palmer fired several shots between the siding of the barn where Uncle George went to hide. Daddy and his siblings had scattered that morning when they witnessed their own father’s rage and their mother’s pleading. Crouched low and staring bug-eyed at the edge of the cotton field where a split in the path led either to the swamp or Uncle George’s, they waited. It did not take long. The sound of gunshots, paired with the frenzied resolve on Palmer’s face when he returned, kept them as silent as Uncle George’s barn. Palmer rummaged through the house with a burlap sack as he prepared his getaway into the Big Swamp. He called for Blackeye, the family bulldog, who had a black ring the size of a hickory nut around his left eye, marking his reputation as a fighter. Palmer had paid $5 for him as a pup but when someone later offered $100 for him, he didn’t consider it. He loved that dog. And so, with his dog, a quilt, a cast-iron skillet and a 5-gallon demijohn of moonshine, Palmer set out into the dark swamp to ride out the manhunt. As the minutes turned to hours, and then days, a sense of self-satisfaction and pride grew. Man and dog survived the elements. But while the moonshine soothed Palmer’s soul, Blackeye grew weary. Over the years, that dog had fought off rowdy strays, snarled at drunkards — would have done anything to protect his master. But Blackeye did not growl, budge or even nudge Palmer as six men in uniform approached them through the dark muck. Like most things in a swamp, the dregs rise up or their stench gives them away. The dog sighed. Granddaddy went to jail. Uncle George had been carted off to the hospital in the back of a pickup truck. Gunshot wounds to the shoulder, leg and lower abdomen complicated by pneumonia sealed his fate. Following a two-day trial, Grandaddy Palmer was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to the gas chamber. Some folks tasted sweet revenge, while others puckered from the sourness of it all. PineStraw

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When facing certain death, some men become remorseful and discover a sense of purpose. During the eight months it took Palmer to walk the green mile, he learned a little French, sought out the forgiveness of God and his family, and wrote letters . . . lots of letters. His conversion story was covered widely by the local and regional press. His letters were published and used in sermons across North Carolina and Virginia. He was fighting for his soul while his lawyer fought for his life. Despite his remorse, including a petition signed by all but two of the jurors, he was denied an appeal by the State Supreme Court. Daddy used to say, “I don’t think he hated to die as much as he hated to see what he had caused.” On Feb. 19, 1943, a farmer turned bootlegger walked into the gas chamber at 10:01 a.m. in Raleigh, North Carolina. He smiled and nodded to the sheriff. His arms and legs were strapped to the wooden chair with a high back, a brown leather mask adjusted over his face. Any hopes and dreams were sealed in the airtight chamber. I can’t say they thrived, but all six of his children survived to tell — or not — their own stories of Palmer. The tragic tale became family lore. Creased, worn letters and press clippings from this born-again inmate passed down from generation to generation. Stories and memories of Palmer fell into the crevices of time, aged and somewhat forgotten; yet, they had the power to expose a gnawing urge to seek out “the unarmed truth and unconditional love”* desperately craved by a family, and particularly, by a fatherless 8-year-old boy, tender and sweet, despite the lack of sugar in his life. PS *From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1964 Nobel Prize acceptance speech A North Carolina native, Lisa Weiss is an interior designer and artist. She and her husband, Richard, live in the Charlotte area. Charles Meares, her father, served 41 years in the North Carolina Department of Corrections and was superintendent of the Gaston Correctional Center. He was twice the recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, granted by the office of Gov. Jim Hunt and again by the office of Gov. James Holshouser. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

OUT OF THE BLUE

Short on Days But loooong on celebrations

By Deborah Salomon

February is laden with

holidays — maybe more than any other month, beginning with Chinese New Year on Feb. 1, followed by Groundhog Day on Feb. 2. Then, Valentine’s Day on the 14th, with Presidents Day on the 21st. The entire month has been designated American Heart Month and Black History Month.

Every month has its sillies with February no exception: National Toothache Day, Crab-stuffed Flounder Day, Public Sleeping Day. Notable birthdays, too: George Harrison and James Dean were born in February, but so was Hitler. Besides being the most mispronounced month, February is also the shortest. Somehow, this evens things out cosmically while messing up the birthdays of those “leaplings” born on the 29th. Most Western nations live by the Gregorian (solar) calendar with 365.2425 days, as opposed to the Julian calendar of 365.25, which faded from fashion in 1582. Moveable religious feasts like Easter and Passover are determined by . . . well, it’s complicated. Obviously, Gregory and Julius didn’t have to deal with National Dog Biscuit Day, which falls on Feb. 23. Hmmm. I’m enjoying the extrapolation, starting with the Chinese Year of the Tiger on the 1st. No matter how you feel about President Xi Jinping, the food is sensational, especially holiday specialties which include a whole fish for luck, long noodles for long life and the yummiest dumplings. For background music, cue up Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” from Rocky III. Lincoln set forth the Emancipation Proclamation in September; it took effect in January. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in January; MLK Day is celebrated in January but Black History Month (love the soul food banquets) is observed in February. Why? Though it took

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

decades to arrive at the month-long celebration, the seed was planted in February because of the proximity of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on Feb. 12 and Frederick Douglass’ on Feb. 14. Lincoln’s birthday used to be a separate holiday, followed by George Washington’s birthday (cherry pie) on Feb. 22. Then the ski resorts figured out that by combining the two and adding all the other presidents — noteworthy or not — they could institute a midwinter ski jaunt, fueled by French onion soup topped with melted Gruyère. The government then instituted the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, designating the third Monday in February (glorious skiing, not too cold) as Presidents Day. On Presidents Day, I imagine John Adams commiserating with George H.W. Bush about stuff their sons messed up while in office. Or hear JFK and WJC blog about White House hanky-panky. American voters should know that LBJ was hooked on Fresca and that James Polk, the single-term president born in Pineville, North Carolina, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and invented the mullet, with photos to prove it. As for Heart Month playing off the Valentine symbol, I’ve yet to see a romantic menu lacking fat, cholesterol and lots of sugar. Speaking of St. Valentine, how sad that the patron saint of lovers came to such a gruesome end. Seems emperor Claudius had him beaten to death, then decapitated for defiance on Feb. 14. Legend adds that Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter, smuggling her a card bearing his name before his execution. Lordy, don’t tell Hallmark. Or Godiva, Russell Stover and Hershey. Groundhog Day sports a complicated history, from the ancient Celts’ pagan observance midway between the winter and summer solstices, to Candlemas, marking the presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem. Germans added the groundhog (originally badger) element when they settled in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania — as unspellable as Coach Krzyzewski, who was born Feb. 13. This year we are spared, barely, Mardi Gras, which happens March 1. I just couldn’t stomach gumbo after dumplings, chocolate, cherry pie and chitlins. PS Deborah Salomon is a writer for PineStraw and The Pilot. She may be reached at debsalomon@ nc.rr.com. PineStraw

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

B I R D WA T C H

Love, American Woodcock Style There’s hope for the pudgy and short-legged

By Susan Campbell

February is the month for love and,

for the American woodcock, this is certainly the case! By mid-month this pudgy, short-legged, long-billed bird of forest and field is in full courtship mode. However, most folks have no clue since their unique singing and dancing occurs completely under the cover of darkness.

American woodcocks, also called “timberdoodles,” are cousins of the long-legged shorebirds typically found at the beach. Like plovers, turnstones, dowitchers and other sandpipers, these birds have highly adapted bills and cryptic plumage. Woodcocks, having no need to wade, sport short legs that they use to slowly scuffle along as they forage in moist woods and shrubby fields. This behavior is thought to startle worms and other soft-bodied invertebrates in the leaf litter and/or just below the soil surface. Their long, sensitive bills are perfect for probing and/or grabbing food items. And camouflaged plumage hides woodcocks from all but the most discerning eye. Speaking of eyes, American woodcocks have eyes that are large and very uniquely arranged on their heads. They are very high up and far back, allowing them to see both potential predators above as well as food items in front and below them.

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Beginning in late winter, male American woodcocks find open areas adjacent to wet, wooded feeding habitat and begin to display at dusk. They alternately do their thing on the ground and then in the air. A male begins by walking around in the open area uttering repeated loud “peeent” calls. He will then take off and fly in circles high into the sky, twittering as he goes. Finally, the male will turn and drop sharply back to the ground in zigzag fashion, chirping as he goes, and then begin another round of vocalizations. In the Piedmont and Sandhills of North Carolina, displaying begins on calm nights in December. Some of these males are most likely Northern birds that have made the journey to the Southeast for the colder weather. They may just be practicing ahead of their real effort — in early spring back up North. Regardless, females visit multiple spots where males are known to do their thing before they choose a mate. So, it behooves the males to display as often as possible to impress as many females as possible during the weeks that they are on the hunt for a mate. Although long hunted for sport, it was Aldo Leopold, the renowned conservationist, who implored sportsmen to better appreciate these little birds. They are well adapted for a forest floor existence, hidden from all but their mates come this time of the year. And, on rare occasions, from birdwatchers keen on getting a glimpse of the American woodcock’s antics. PS Susan Campbell would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted at susan@ncaves.com. PineStraw

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T H E NAT U R A L I S T

The Bucket List Fish The wish of a lifetime comes true

Story and Photographs by Todd Pusser

I suppose my bucket list is different

than most. Firmly in the grip of middle age, with likely more life behind me than in front, my list has remained constant since the days of my youth. Unsurprisingly, for those who know me, most of the items revolve around natural history in some form or another, and frequently involve travel to remote locations to see rare or poorly known animals. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to check off a few items from the The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

list but one, in particular, holds a special place above all others.

It all started back in the early 1980s when, as a 12-year-old kid, I stumbled upon a photo in National Geographic Magazine of famed shark researcher Eugenie Clark, clad in a wetsuit and scuba tank, grasping the tall dorsal fin of a whale shark off Baja, Mexico. Such behavior is frowned upon today but, back then, the sight of a person grabbing onto the world’s largest fish and taking it for a ride a hundred feet below the ocean’s surface, down into the abyss, sparked my imagination. I wanted more than anything to see a whale shark in the wild, and above all else, I wanted to swim with one, up close and personal, in its own element. Fast forward to 1996. While standing on the flying bridge of a research vessel over 100 miles off the west coast of Florida, I encountered my first whale shark. The shark, nearly 40 feet in length, PineStraw

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cruised gently beneath the placid surface of the Gulf of Mexico, its white polka-dot body practically glowing in the brilliant blue water, as it passed by within a stone’s throw along the starboard side of the ship. To say I was ecstatic is an understatement. I was completely over the moon with joy, having seen the beast of my youthful dreams. Over the following 25 years, I encountered the immense fish a dozen more times in such varied locations as Hawaii, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and, once, off the coast of my home state of North Carolina. However, all of my sightings were made from the vantage point of steel decks on large ships, high above the surface of the sea. I never had the opportunity to actually get into the water and swim with these amazing animals. My National Geographic moment eluded me, until recently. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Isla Mujeres is an island located off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It is here, in the clear blue water surrounding this tiny speck of land, that the largest known gathering of whale sharks on the planet was recently discovered. Upon learning this, my partner, herself a marine biologist, and I hopped onto a plane and headed south to observe this phenomenon for ourselves. Capable of reaching lengths of over 45 feet and weights approaching 15 tons, a whale shark owes its common name to its immense size. Admittedly, it’s a name that can be quite confusing to the average person. Is it a whale or a shark, or some strange hybrid between the two? A whale shark is in no way related to the warm-blooded mammals known as whales, but rather is a cartilaginous fish — one of over 530 species of sharks currently known to science. Understandably, some may question the sanity of wanting to PineStraw

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T H E NAT U R A L I S T

swim with a fish the size of a school bus. However, whale sharks have extremely small, pointed teeth, and feed primarily on zooplankton and tiny fish, unlike the more carnivorous habits of their famous cousin, the great white shark. Whale sharks flock to the waters off Isla Mujeres each summer to feed on the eggs released by spawning schools of false albacore tuna. A thriving tourist industry has built up in the area, and thousands of people have experienced the thrill of swimming with these gentle giants. During our week there, we encounter well over 300 whale sharks, an astonishing number for such a rare fish. Though global whale shark populations are unknown, the species is considered endangered. At one point, as our boat drifted quietly on the calm Caribbean Sea, we could see whale sharks, with their immense polka-dot dorsal fins breaking the water’s surface, clear out to the horizon. Donning a mask and snorkel, I finally have the opportunity to slip into the water among the sharks. Lying motionless at the surface and staring out into the infinite blue, I find myself unconsciously humming the theme to Jaws. After a few minutes, near the edge of my vision, a dark shape appears. As it nears, I take note of the large mouth set on the front of a square-shaped head, and an immense body covered in a unique pattern of white spots. Powered by a tail spanning over 10 feet from tip to tip, the enormous fish swims closer and closer. Raising my underwater camera, I frame the shark in the viewfinder and press the shutter as it swims by within arm’s reach, completely ignoring me. Never before have I been so close to such a large creature. Enthralled and feeling more than a bit humbled, I continue to watch the leviathan as it swims slowly out of sight, disappearing into the infinite blue void — a childhood dream, carried nearly four decades, finally realized. PS Naturalist and photographer Todd Pusser grew up in Eagle Springs. He works to document the extraordinary diversity of life both near and far. His images can be found at www.ToddPusser.com. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Sandhills Photography Club:

Golden or Blue Hour

Tier 1 First Place: Half Dome - Ray Stone

Tier 2 First Place: Rise and Shine - Jacques Wood

Tier 2 Second Place: St. Mike’s Blue Hour - Darryl Benecke 62

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Tier 1 Second Place: ICU2 - Susan Batts

Tier 2 Third Place: Pinehurst Icon - Diane McKay

Tier 2 Honorable Mention: Vortex - Tom Batts The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Tier 3 First Place: Time to Seek Shelter Neva Scheve

Tier 3 Second Place: Smoke on the Water Neva Scheve

Tier 3 Third Place: Miami Skyline Pat Anderson

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G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L

It’s a Llamaversary Talamore’s trademark is in its fourth decade

By Lee Pace

When Philadelphia busi-

PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE TED FITZGERALD

nessman Bob Levy ventured into the Sandhills three decades ago to launch a golf venture halfway between the Pinehurst Resort bastion to the west and the Pine Needles/Mid Pines juggernaut to the east, he was savvy enough to understand the need to have a clever and engaging marketing hook. Levy remembered a story in Golf Digest in the 1970s about Chi Chi Rodriguez playing a course in Mexico with his golf bag strapped across the back of a donkey and thought a similar beastly caddie idea might work at Talamore Golf Club. He did some research and learned that a llama would be a better idea for the climate of the Sandhills, and thus Talamore opened in 1991 with golfers having the option of hiring a llama to schlep their golf bags around the Rees Jones-designed course. Photographs of the llamas doing their thing appeared in hundreds of newspapers and golf publications as the club opened its operation just off Midland Road, halfway between Pinehurst and Southern Pines, and Levy’s marketing staff later created a logo featuring the outline of a llama with a flagstick emanating from his midsection. Displayed in green and yellow, the mark had a striking resemblance to the map-and-flag trademark of a certain golf club in Augusta, Georgia. Talamore staff thought it something of a badge of honor when the club received a cease-and-desist letter from Augusta National’s legal team. The llamas are no longer used as caddies, but they reside

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

in a pen near the 13th green and are a popular diversion and “selfie” fodder for visiting golfers. “Everyone knows our llama logo,” says director of golf Tag Leon. “We still use it — just not in green and yellow. We were not going to do battle with those guys. But it’s a cool image. We’ve sold a lot of merchandise with the llama over the years.” Talamore and its sister property on the north side of Midland Road, Mid South Club, were 1990s entrants to the Sandhills golf derby, playing off a bustling golf economy nationwide and the burgeoning popularity of an area that hosted a U.S. Open, U.S Senior Open and U.S. Women’s Open that decade. Talamore was conceived as a daily fee/resort course amid the early 1990s golf boom and remains so today. Mid South is a 1994 Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay creation originally known as Pinehurst Plantation and planned as the centerpiece of a gated residential community. It changed owners in the early days and was later rebranded as Mid South, and then picked up by Levy in 2004 as a companion course to Talamore. Mid South remains a private club, but guests in the hundred lodges built over two decades at the two addresses have access to the course. Both courses and the club facilities have undergone extensive renovations in the 2016-17 window, each now sporting Bermuda greens and updated dining and drinking facilities. “I’ll put our two courses up against anyone,” says Matt Hausser, the general manager over the two courses who started as an assistant golf pro in 2003. “Both courses are in fantastic shape — fast greens and good fairways. It’s a great one-two punch. Mid South has a lot more water, and Talamore has more rolling topography and makes you play a lot of shots. You get a different feel at each course.” Rees Jones has extensive personal history in the Sandhills and remembers as a kid staying at the Holly Inn when his father, noted PineStraw

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architect Robert Trent Jones, visited to attend golf architect meetings and work on the redesign of Pinehurst No. 4 prior to the PGA Tour visiting in 1973, and on the collaboration with Willard Byrd on the design of the Cardinal Course at the Country Club of North Carolina. Rees designed Pinehurst No. 7 in the mid-1980s and immediately afterward was commissioned by Levy for Talamore, the name coming from a Gaelic word meaning “land of great value.” “Anytime you get an offer to design a golf course in Pinehurst, you get pretty darn excited,” Jones says. “I couldn’t wait to come back here and do Talamore. The land is very rugged. It has an awful lot of character. It lent to a very dramatic golf course. Strategy is a big part of the game at Talamore. In Pinehurst, you’ve got to build character and challenge, there are so many good golf courses.” The Mid South course winds around a half dozen lakes, the most noteworthy the one providing the anchor for the ninth and 18th holes and the double-green complex. The par-5 ninth runs right-to-left and downhill into the green, and 18 turns left-to-right into the green. There’s a safe approach on both holes and a more aggressive line as well. The clubhouse sits on a plateau overlooking the green complex and the lake. “This is a dynamite golf course,” said Seay, Palmer’s longtime design associate who lived in the Sandhills area from 196468 while working for Ellis Maples on the design and construction of the Country Club of Whispering Pines and Woodlake Country Club. “It’s everything a golfer could want. It’s one of the best we’ve done. Every hole nestles right in. From one hole to the next, you do not find a similar piece of ground. The variation in contour is remarkable for an area thought to be flat. That’s one of the charms of this golf course.” Mid South and Talamore operate a golf packaging business and can house golfers in villas clustered around the clubhouses and set golfers up with tee times at other area courses. Golfers are feted in-season with Monday and Thursday night pig-pickings at Talamore, and in 2022 Talamore will have installed 10 Toptracer stations and a short game area with a 12,000-square-foot putting The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L

green. The new amenities will turn the practice range into part game emporium and part sports bar, giving golfers an interactive and social experience during twilight and evening hours. “We can sleep 400 people on property,” says Hausser. “We’re giving them more reasons to get on property and stay on property. It will be a great hangout spot.” Consider the irony: Toptracer’s balltracking technology and array of virtual golf courses allow a golfer to tee it up on many world-renowned courses. Imagine playing the harrowing par-4 fourth on Pinehurst No. 2 from a virtual hitting bay just 3 miles away. Pinehurst and its U.S. Open venue have a lot of history, for sure, but Talamore and Mid South are forging new ground in remaining relevant. PS Golf writer Lee Pace has written about golf in the Sandhills since the late 1980s and has authored a dozen books about clubs, courses and the people who’ve made it special over more than a century.

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February �� Long Homestead in Winter — Las Cruces, circa 1932

Not in any literal sense a homestead: it was purchased you learned from an old deed sent you by a cousin. And in this winter photo, strange with magic of the never seen, a study in whites and grays, foreground trees and background barn shading towards true black, porch windows canvas covered against the cold, original adobe brooding behind, just one slender strand of air, smokey warm you guess, rising from a single flue suggests habitation, warmth inside. No one living knows its history now, when the barn was built; porch facing pristine snow now fades into surrounding silence. What was the day like when someone, your father perhaps, had hiked out the back door around towards the railroad track to capture the snow before it turned to mud underfoot; foot sodden you suspect later that morning when indoor voices might have called to breakfast, but leave your boots outside. All gone wherever memories are stored — you never saw the place in winter but you slept many a summer night there on that porch already mythical, heard the Santa Fe hoot by, carry the present away. — Julian Long Julian Long is the author of Reading Evening Prayer in an Empty Church.

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Look

Gnomeward, Angels

The secret life of Rassie Wicker Park By Claudia Watson • Photographs by Laura L. Gingerich

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

t was dawn, the hour when the sun’s rays bloom golden through the forest treetops and the birds speak to an invisible world. The air was chilly and leaves crunched underfoot as I stopped to pick up a hawk’s feather tangled in wisteria along a trail in Rassie Wicker Park. Over the bridge and into the woods, I followed the tiny brook into a naturalist’s nirvana — an area to explore, lush with native ferns, fluorescent moss, inkberry, sweet pepperbush, laurels and hickory. Minutes later, the woods fell silent when a jay’s squawking signaled alarm. I checked my surroundings and was drawn to a path the deer had shaped through a jumble of vines and briars. Working my way through, I found the massive upturned hollow base of an ancient hickory festooned in lichens. I placed my hands on a large burl to steady myself and peered into the dark cavity. Staring back at me was a diminutive chap with a long white beard wearing a well-worn yellow cowboy hat. He had a slight hitch in his gait, presumably because he wore only one blue boot, on his left foot. I pulled back, not sure of what I was seeing. “No need to be fearful,” he said with a wink. “My name is M.T. Chamber and a hundred thousand welcomes.” He pointed to a nearby log. “Please, stay and sit for a while.” I obliged, though I’m not sure why. Without warning, the hollowed-out stump suddenly became a The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

lively amphitheater. Dozens of colorfully capped tiny beings appeared out of nowhere, waving their hands, and welcoming me. “We’re forest gnomes,” explained Chamber, charmed I believe by my wonder and confusion. “A subrace of the common gnome,” he clarified. “What’s with the colorful hats?” I asked, believing as I did until that very moment that all gnomes wore only green or red. “We forest gnomes prefer to take on the colors of our world — the pokeweed, the walnut hulls, and those pink, purple and yellow flowers at the Big Garden. They all make unusual dyes. Our friends, the foxes and squirrels, donate the fur we weave into our hats, where we keep our most prized possessions,” he said, giving a firm tug to the wrinkled brim. “Some in our clan are 200 years old,” he boasted. “As a poet of some renown, I use my gnome de plume, M.T. Chamber, but in the community, I’m called Hop Along.” He pointed to his one bare foot. Strum Stetson, alias Tex — a noted songwriter, I would learn — took center stage and sang his hit single “Gnome, Gnome on the Range.” It’s a ballad recalling a treacherous journey by ship over the Great Water and later by wagon to this woodland, Rassie Wicker Park, the land they’ve called home for eons. Curious and impulsive, these pocket-sized gnomes take up adventuring and jubilantly eke out a life wherever they land. PineStraw

Now, nearly 100 forest gnomes inhabit the park, from the verdant valley edges of Board Branch brook and the magnolia garden to the upland zones of the longleaf pine savanna. Their primary purpose is to nurture and protect the Earth, including animals and humans. Underground burrows and holes in old trees provide cozy homes. They share an elaborate tunnel system with their friends — moles, mice and rabbits — and use it for inconspicuous travel within the realm. Aside from their work as craftsmen and tending to the forest, they spend their days gathering mushrooms, nuts and berries for the long winters. A voice hollers from the side. “Don’t mistake us for all work and no play. It’s dancing, singing, and telling jokes we love,” says Frobby, the ale-maker. “You missed the winter solstice celebration at the Great Moss Stump where we soaked up the last of the warm sunshine.” Maybe next year. Then, Chamber told me, to celebrate the New Year and, in lighthearted recognition of their characteristic large noses, they held their annual snoring contest, aided by abundant ale consumption. This year’s award went to Tolkyn Snuddlemoor, the clan’s storyteller. The gnomes go where their impulses lead them but remain respectful to others in the clan. They promote peace in the domain and are rarely ensnarled in disputes. However, on occasion, human activity may need to be addressed. That falls to the village elders, who meet irregularly up on The Hill. Since settling in the forest, most members of the gnome clan rarely make their presence known. But there’s always the exception. “Some people carry an unusual energy,” Chamber explained.

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“We’ll observe them to determine if they’re a threat or if they’re peaceful. The elders decide if we should make contact, like today.” Chamber pointed to a fellow in a broad-brimmed orange hat. “That’s Milkweed. He keeps watch at the Big Garden. There’s been a lot of digging activity there, which was of great concern. But they’ve cleared out the litter from the old landfill and planted an abundance of flowers and trees. They’re good stewards of all the living creatures — bees, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, little frogs, and, of course, gnomes.” Chamber jumped from the tree to stand beside me. He removed his big yellow hat and pulled out a translucent rock that glowed like the sun. “It’s come a long way,” he said, placing the rock in my hand. “It’s a treasure from our homeland to the guardians of the Big Garden and offers great protection. Keep it safe. Put it under your hat.” With a boisterous toast to our meeting and a hoisting of ale, the gathering of gnomes was gone as suddenly as it appeared. Staring into the quiet dark of the hollowed stump, I knew the true magic that fills this realm. Though the gnomes of Rassie Wicker Park are tiny, they have extraordinary power unique to the enchanted realm. Remember, they are shy. They will use their fade-away power and disappear if they are spotted, leaving only a figurine behind. Once you pass, their spirit will return. Enjoy the moment of discovery, and let it bring you joy. But please leave the figure behind so others can experience the same delight. If you’re lucky, here are some members of the gnome clan you may see. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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M.T. Chamber

Pollyanna and Dollyanna

Height: 2 1/2 inches

Height: 2 1/2 inches, each

Forest gnome, male, white hair and beard, yellow hat

Forest gnomes, female, flowing golden hair, coin and gem necklaces, red hats, blue dancing shoes

Aliases: Hop Along, Boot

Expertise: Cowboy lore Special abilities: “Hop Along” has trouble walking, but he is good at herding caterpillars. He is a renowned poet who authors cowboy poems and enjoys reciting them in the Ale Hall.

Aliases: Sin Twisters

Expertise: Dancing, singing, teaching, joy

Height 1 1/2 inches

Special abilities: These twin sisters are affectionally called the Sin Twisters for their ability to turn bad into good. They embody the original spirit behind Rassie Wicker Park, transforming “Going to the Dump” into “A Walk in the Park.” Though once believed to be a sinful waste of energy, these active sisters prove that dancing is a terrific exercise for the body and uplifts the soul.

Forest gnome, male, white hair and closely cropped beard, yellow Stetson-type hat, brown boots

Frobs Dreazielbub

Strum Stetson Alias: Tex

Expertise: Songwriter Special abilities: Writes and sings his own original country music ballads. Though Tex has never been to Texas, he hopes to make it as far as Nashville one day. His first ballad, “Gnome, Gnome on the Range,” remains popular today. He recently released “Country Roads, Take Me Gnome” on tiny streaming services.

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Aliases: Frobby, DZ Height: 2 inches

Forest gnome, male with an ale gut, white hair and goatee, ruddy nose, droopy yellow hat, orange boots Expertise: Ale maker extraordinaire Special abilities: Frobby is often welcoming friends to his Ale Hall, located one street off the main trail. He’s known for his The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

uncanny ability to identify any ale from smell alone. When he has a new batch, he holds raucous parties and invites the whole neighborhood.

Hagby Bukwert Alias: Haggy, Mustachio Height: 1 3/4 inches Forest gnome, male, white hair and beard, red cap, brown-asthe-mud boots Expertise: Nature Trail Inspector Special Abilities: After a rainstorm, he enlarges minor trail washouts until they are repaired by park maintenance. Haggy perches in a tree hollow near the pavilion to observe morning dog walkers and Tai Chi participants. One member of the Tai Chi group has an identical beard, mustache, and cloak but no hat, so some gnome affiliation is suspected.

Forrest Fahrenheit

Special abilities: Forrest Fahrenheit is Rassie Wicker Park’s First Responder. He is on 24/7 alert to keep the forest safe from the dangers of fire. He shuts down out-of-season fireflies or the unexpected appearances of old flames. Young couples need to heed him if they let sparks fly, or he may show up to douse the flames.

Officer Krumpke Alias: Occifer

Height: 1 3/4 inches Forest gnome, male, shaped like a fire hydrant, white hair and beard, wide-brimmed green hat, navy blue boots Expertise: law and order and policing the park Special abilities: Officer Krumpke is punctual and begins his daily patrol outside the police station on the long brick trail. Though he seldom finds problems, when he walks the west side, he befriends youthful gnomes who gather around him, dance wildly and sing funny songs.

Alias: Sparkie

Height: 2 inches Forest gnome, male, white hair and beard, a flushed purple nose, red Fire Chief hat, yellow boots Expertise: firefighting, flame dousing, hot stuff The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Chauncy St. Richland Alias: Mayor

Height 2 1/2 inches Forest gnome, male, white hair and beard, dark green pointy hat with a perforated brim, blue boots. Expertise: Forest treasure preservation Special abilities: Top elder of the forest gnome clan, he can be found perched in the central office up on The Hill where he works on the day’s essential business activities before mixing with the community to share his wisdom and advice, sometimes over a mug of ale. He inspires all to save and protect the forest’s treasures.

Gnomestradomus Alias: Wiz

Height: 2 3/4 inches Forest gnome, male, white hair and beard, orange pointy hat with an exciting twist, and green boots. Expertise: fortune-telling, astrology Special abilities: The Wiz is the Professor of Prophecy. A worldclass astrologer and seer, he obtained his advanced education at Avignome University in France. While other soothsayers read tea leaves for guidance, the Wiz, being of the forest, prefers to read pinestraw for inspiration. “One day others will also consult the pinestraw,” he predicts.

Milkweed Alias: Milkweed

Height: 1 1/2 inches Forest gnome, male, white hair, beard, wide white mustache, orange sombrero, tightly laced black boots to keep the fire ants from biting his feet. Expertise: Caterpillar farmer and butterfly identification

Special abilities: Sir William writes Elizabethan plays and organizes performances for the community, held at the Amphitheatre-in-the-Round at the old hickory stump. Nearly everyone in the forest gnome community has had a role in his plays. An early work, “Gnomio and Juliet,” received wide acclaim and, disturbingly, became an animated film. The attention caused him to be more careful with his manuscripts. He’s working on a new play about the inner conflict of a little piglet who ponders life’s choices as he matures into a Hamlet.

Pursey Moneypocket Alias: Jingle

Height: 2 3/4 inches Forest gnome, male, white hair and beard, tall yellow hat with its crown pulled forward, black boots. Expertise: Treasure collection and preservation Special abilities: As a coin collector and silversmith, Pursey descends from an ancient line of numismatists. A close friend of the mayor, they spend long hours talking about the treasures of the forest. Weather permitting, he sheds his clothes and frequents wishing wells and garden fountains, diving for coins that were offered in exchange for a wish.

Tolykn Snuddlemoor Alias: Tall Tales

Height: 2 1/4 inches Forest gnome, male, white hair and beard, green hat with a bulge at the top, yellow boots. Expertise: Storyteller Special abilities: At dusk, he travels between tree hollows to visit the children and read gnome adventure tales from the book that he hides under his cap. This calms the children as they snuggle for bed. He’s also been spotted at the Ale Hall where he rehearses his tall tales with his friends.

Special abilities: Milkweed spends most of his time in the Big Garden. He roams the area by foot (versus the tunnel system) to watch the native flora and fauna. Sometimes he works on his balance skills while standing atop the big rock. He enjoys visiting with the butterflies and shows the monarchs the freshest milkweed. He assists in their first training flights before migrating to Mexico.

Bernie Family

Sir William

Special abilities: Melanie is the milliner and Bernie is the haberdasher. They design and sell gnome hats, offering a variety of styles — plain, patterned, buckled, buttoned, pleated, or puckered. The hats are guaranteed not to frizz, fuzz, or fade. Buster Brown, the pig, and Tagg, the dog, welcome shoppers.

Alias: The Bard

Height: 2 1/4 inches Forest gnome, male, white hair, pointy white beard and mustache, ruffled collar, black hat with a small white feather, black boots. Expertise: Playwright and author

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Alias: Beanie’s Bunch

Height: 1 inch to 2 1/2 inches Forest gnomes, male, female, animal Expertise: Family business

Claudia Watson is a regular contributor to PineStraw and The Pilot. A special thanks goes to M.T. Chamber, the poet and potter, who wishes to remain anonymous. PS The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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If You Can Call It a Game By Ed Southern

f you can call it a game, my buddies and I have begun to play: no points or score, no goals or winners, no final horn, no written rules. Our field of play is a text thread. Our game time is whenever the spirit moves one of us, trusting each other not to be the guy who texts in the middle of the night. How do we play? Simple: Name an Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball player who played between 1982 and 1998. Why do we play? That might be simple, too.

Malcolm Mackey. John Crotty. Elden Campbell. Tom Sheehey. The player can’t be too obscure — no checking the internet for walk-ons and benchwarmers — but they can’t be too well-known, The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

either. There’s no fun in naming the first players everyone thinks of when they think of that era of ACC basketball: Michael Jordan, Ralph Sampson, Len Bias, Christian Laettner, Tim Duncan, Vince Carter. Those guys entered the consciousness enough to stick around long after their last March Madness. Their highlights still show up on TV, whenever the ACC or their school or some other advertiser wants to weaponize nostalgia and the idea of tradition. Remember them? Remember that dunk, that shot, that One Shining Moment? Remember how long and how much you have enjoyed this sport, this product? Our game’s goal is to trigger memories, too. Our point is to call up a name that spent three to four years at or near the forefront of our minds, and then left. To play our game, we name a player whose name and face and number and motion we once thought about a lot, and since haven’t thought of once. PineStraw

Walt Williams. Kelsey Weems. Pete Chilcutt. Bruce Dalrymple. Why 1982 to 1998? Those aren’t strict limits, but for us they mark an era. In 1982, UNC won the national title, its first since 1957 and the ACC’s first since NC State’s in 1974, when some of us were toddlers and some of us weren’t yet born. By 1982, we were old enough to remember not just the championship game — Patrick Ewing’s goaltending, Michael Jordan’s jumper, poor Fred Brown’s errant pass to James Worthy — and where we were when we watched it, but that season. We were old enough to be aware of basketball as more than bright, fast colors; the carnival sounds of cheering fans and pep bands; and “Sail with the Pilot,” the ubiquitous jingle of the Jefferson Pilot Corporation, lead sponsor of regional ACC telecasts. We were old enough to know something about how to play basketball. We were old enough to be aware of ACC basketball as a thing unto itself, to begin to absorb something of its weight and meaning in the suburbanizing Sun-Belt North Carolina where we all were born and were growing up. I was old enough to have had a friend come home with me from school on Quarterfinal Friday of the ACC Tournament, when the teachers fought over the big TV carts from the A/V room, so they and we could watch the games in class. As we waited in our kitchen for his mom to pick him up, he mentioned that his dad was at the Tournament, and had invited him to come, too, but he’d said he’d rather come hang out with me. “You did!?” my mother, my father and I all exclaimed, shocked, even a little appalled.

Jeremy Hyatt. Timo Makkonen. Olden Polynice. Anthony Teachey. In 1998, the youngest among us graduated from college, from Wake Forest, from the ACC. UNC made the Final Four; Duke, the Elite Eight. By 1998, their rivalry had established its hegemony over the conference, in results but more so in media coverage. A new or casual fan could watch an entire season on ESPN, and be forgiven for failing to realize that Tobacco Road was far longer than the 10 miles of U.S. 15-501 between Chapel Hill and Durham. In 1998 Antawn Jamison, who years before had been a Charlotte summer league teammate of my brother’s, won the Naismith, Wooden, and practically every other Player of the Year award. Between Wake’s 1996 ACC title, and Florida State’s in 2012, either UNC or Duke won the Tournament every single year but one. Between 1982 and 2019, ACC teams won 13 national titles, but only 3 of those were won by a team other than the Tar Heels or the Blue Devils. Those famous miles between the Dean Dome and Cameron Indoor sucked all the oxygen out of ACC basketball. In 1998, Wake Forest’s back-to-back Tournament titles were fresh in our minds, and the Heels/Devils dominance didn’t seem so assured. The ACC hadn’t expanded beyond nine teams, in a fairly cohesive regional spread between College Park and Tallahassee, and so every team still played every other team twice, home and away, each regular season. The Tournament was still only four days, Quarterfinal Friday still intact. Maryland hadn’t left for the Big Ten’s

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football-driven TV money. Our corner of college basketball still felt like a community, the season like a ritual, a reminder, an assurance through the winters, which still were cold.

Sam Ivy. Keith Gatlin. Mark West. Cal Boyd. The goal is that spark of recognition, yes, and the quick trip down Memory Lane (which in this case is a spur off Tobacco Road). This little game of ours, though, also serves to strengthen bonds, sustain connections, and — sure — show off a bit. We started playing the week before the 2020-2021 college basketball season began, nine months after the pandemic had shut down the ACC Tournament and cancelled March Madness. We’d seen each other some, at a distance and outdoors, but for the first time in more than a decade none of us had tailgated together, sat in the stands together, watched any games together. We didn’t expect to do so again any time soon, certainly not that basketball season, a season that might not play out to the end, a season they might should not play at all. We’re a homogenous group of seven, with two pairs of brothers who all went to Wake Forest, plus three Tar Heels. We all are North Carolinians, with roots going back generations. Four have known each other since their teens, when they were counselors together at a Baptist summer camp. Two of those roomed together during graduate school at Duke, and were looking for a third. One of them had a younger brother who knew my younger brother at Wake, and knew he was going to Duke for graduate school, and connected them. I’d hang out when I came to the Triangle for work, and crash on a sofa they still can’t believe I was brave or foolish enough to sleep on. Four of us now live in Winston-Salem, one in Raleigh, one in Tryon, one outside Goldsboro. All of us are white, straight, cis, middle class, professional. All of us are sports fans. We have other interests, even passions, and often have long and deep conversations about books, music, movies, whatever: Part of what I value about these friends is their taste, their intellect, their ability to talk about Walker Percy, Ron Rash, Rhiannon Giddens, Superchunk, Terrence Malick, and Mike Krzyzewski, over multiple beers in a single gathering, or over the miles of a day hike. Most of us, in fact, hardly follow ACC basketball anymore. The four Deacons have suffered through a decade of dreadfulness, Wake fielding teams who played with so little balance or spacing that they looked like pickup players who’d ended up together at random, not even knowing one another’s names. Conference expansion has made college basketball feel reduced, ditched the home-and-away ritual of the season, made Tobacco Road feel like a cul-de-sac. The one-anddone rule has stolen any sense of connection to the biggest stars: I sometimes forget that Zion Williamson and Kyrie Irving spent a season at Duke. The other five, in fact, follow European football, particularly the English Premier League, as avidly as any sport now, and spend the winter watching more NBA than ACC. (Four of us grew up playing soccer; one went to a Division II school on a soccer scholarship.) Still and always, though, ACC basketball conjures up our childhoods, calls back to where we came from. We all still live in North Carolina, each an easy drive from the place where we grew up. Where we grew up, though, is as gone from us as if we had come from overseas. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Craig Neal. Alaa Abdelnaby. Delaney Rudd. You probably think I’m thinking of where we cheered on The Dukes of Hazzard, tearing around the backroads in a souped-up Dodge they called the “General Lee,” the Confederate battle flag painted on the roof, the opening bars of “Dixie” blaring when they blew the horn. You might think I’m thinking of where Dad went to work while Mom stayed home and had dinner ready by 6. But I, speaking only for myself, am thinking of the place where we cheered on The Dukes of Hazzard, each of them “just a good ol’ boy . . . fightin’ the system like a true modern-day Robin Hood.” I’m thinking of the woods and fields and creeks that that friend and I played in after school, in between games on Quarterfinal Friday, and how they’re long since cleared and leveled and culverted for McMansions. I don’t blame you. Lots of people have confused the one for the other, the loss of the one for the loss of the other. Most of the North Carolina we grew up in should be gone — but it’s not. Some of that North Carolina we should have kept — but it’s gone.

Robert Brickey. Billy King. Cozell McQueen. Tony Massenburg. If we wanted to remember the highlights, the indelible moments, we’d text each other those: Lorenzo’s put-back, Laettner’s turnaround, Randolph’s crossover 3. If we wanted to remember the highlights, we’d text each other YouTube links. We already remember the highlights — the thrills, the shocks — and will until our memories fail, which is why they’re highlights in the first place. We want to remember more. We want to remember the shag carpet we sat on in front of the console TVs. We want to remember the urgent squeak of those lumbering A/V carts when our teachers wheeled them into the room at a trot, triumphant and eager and a little worried someone might hijack the TV in the hall. We want to remember our whole families gathered around, hanging on every bounce. We want to remember when ACC basketball seemed wondrous, and vital, and ours, belonging to our own backyards. Scholars and artists recognize and revere this capacity for transportation in other means, food and music and visual representation and rituals of culture and religion. We accept and respect that some media can take us beyond nostalgia and into deep memory, where our animating narratives reside and sometimes re-arrange. Sports, too, perform this function, serve as a vessel for memory, a comfort for the present, a hope for the future. If W. H. Auden was right that “Every high C accurately struck demolishes the theory that we are the irresponsible puppets of fate or chance,” then what else does a game-winning free throw do? If art is the beautiful expression of human creativity, with the power to stir deep feelings and thoughts, then how can a 360 dunk, a step-back 3, a no-look assist in traffic not be art? Art demands creativity but also discipline, inspiration and dogged practice, perseverance and courage. So do sports: the courage of a 6-foot-tall guard driving the lane against a 7-foot center, of a player setting his feet to take a charge, of a young person who steps to the line with the game on the line and the eyes of millions upon them. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Maya Angelou once wrote, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.” Dr. Angelou also lived the last 32 years of her life in WinstonSalem, teaching at Wake Forest, and in a 2012 letter described herself as “a Tar Heel (but not a Tar Heel).” Take that, Carolina. You got trash-talked by Maya Angelou.

Tom Hammonds. Joe Smith. Buck Williams. Marc Blucas. Here, now, I’m supposed to tell you What It Means, tie up all these threads I’ve unwound, make my closing argument that this is more than a flimsy anecdote I’ve overloaded, and our texts are more than a silly game of nostalgia, if we can call them a game at all. I’m supposed to, but I don’t know that I can. Or, rather, I could, but I don’t know that I want to. Maybe we started playing this game — if you can call it a game — not just to keep present what we missed and were missing in that year of pandemic, but to remember and even celebrate the courage, the perseverance, the grind of those players who wouldn’t go on to NBA stardom, to shoe deals and sponsorships. Maybe we’re reflecting our privilege. Maybe we just want the smiles of warm nostalgia, like the mid-life men we are. Maybe we want a break from the here, now, and its demands. Maybe we just need the distraction.

Brian Oliver. Bryant Stith. Robert Siler. Chucky Brown. I don’t know how long we’ll keep it going, this silly game of ours, if you can call it a game. Our lineup, so to speak, is large but not limitless. At some point our memories or the team rosters will run out, nothing left but the all-timers and the internet. We might stop when the pandemic does, when we can expect to go to games again, or gather together to watch. We might stop when my buddies read this, and give me a hard time for taking something fun and overthinking it. “Dammit, Ed,” the text will read, “if we wanted to think, we’d send each other the names of professors.”

Steve Hale. Serge Zwikker. Todd Fuller. Junior Burrough. Or we might keep going for as long as we can. We’re as close now to retirement age as we are to college age, which seems both yesterday and lifetimes ago. Before we know it, then, we might be old men, with canes and Depends, fumbling with our now-unimaginable communications devices, using the names of other men to keep alive our friendships and our memories. I hope those other men will be old, then, too. I hope that we’ll all have the chance to be old. PS Ed Southern is the executive director of the North Carolina Writers’ Network, as well as is the author of Fight Songs: A Story of Love and Sports in a Complicated South. It’s available wherever good books are sold. PineStraw

BOUNDLESS

Beauty Stephen Hayes and the African American experience By Jim Moriarty

PHOTOGRAPH BY SAMANTHA EVERETTE

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Stephen Hayes in front of his sculpture Flying W The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

e’re sitting in a mostly empty museum gallery, face to face, almost kneecap to kneecap. He has his mask on. I have my mask on. His words echo off the walls and high ceiling, but not with the plain thunder of his work surrounding us. To my right, his left, is Cash Crop! He made it 12 years ago on his way to his Master of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. It’s wood and cement and steel. Fifteen naked figures, pockmarked, burnt in places, arranged in a triangle, standing against 15 wooden pallets. On the back of the pallets is the drawing of the infamous Brookes slave ship plan, its cruelty accentuated by its simplicity, a barbaric commoditization of kidnapped humans laid end to end, elbow to elbow, head to toe, row by row, to endure the inhumanity of the middle passage. The figures — casts of friends, family, even one of himself — are linked together by rusted steel chain all gathering at a square wooden block. “It took me five months to create everything, start to finish. I did all the castings, the blacksmithing, the forging. Did all the carvings,” Stephen Hayes says of Cash Crop! “Five months, day and night, not thinking about anything but making.” He calls it his “machine mode.” The figures are upright so you can look them in the eye, then walk around and imagine them as a mark on a diagram, an entry in a ledger, given barely enough room to survive, sometimes not even that. Walking between the figures “you might hit a chain,” says Hayes. “Always stumbling over the past.” PineStraw

Two weeks after he first showed Cash Crop! in Atlanta, Hayes was interviewed by CNN. “I didn’t know the weight of what I had created. I had an apartment but I didn’t have heat. I had electricity but I didn’t have cable. I couldn’t watch it,” says Hayes. He went to an AT&T store to see himself on the news. Making sculpture is a pricey endeavor for a student, even a gifted one. “I knew how to penny-pinch,” he says. “My mom helped me out with money here and there.” Hayes grew up in Durham, where his mother, Lender, worked at the Durham County Department of Social Services on Duke Street. At night she cleaned the building as a second job. “She was everything,” he says. You might think that the line from CNN to a commercially successful career as an artist would be a more or less straight one, but you would be wrong. Hayes knew how to create, but he didn’t know how to market. When he was an undergrad student at North Carolina Central University, one of his teachers, Isabel Chicquor, went to his house, took photos of all his ceramic work, built him a portfolio and

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got him his first residency at Alfred University in upstate New York. He knew art — though he didn’t call it that — he just didn’t know how to navigate the system. When someone suggested he apply to SCAD, he “stayed on the porch of my house and built a bunch of stuff and took photos of it.” To his own surprise, he was accepted, left New York and went to Atlanta. That got him on TV but it didn’t get him a living. While Cash Crop! spent the next decade-plus touring museums from Montgomery, Alabama, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hayes got teaching gigs here and there. He returned to Durham and, at one point, worked in a shipping container yard. He was on the precipice of giving up on the business of art altogether the night he got a residency at the Halcyon Arts Lab in Washington, D.C., leading indirectly to another highly acclaimed work, Voices of Future’s Past, exhibited at the National Cathedral and currently on view at the North Carolina Museum of Art along with another of his works, 5 lbs. In Voices, Hayes recorded young Black men talking about their lives, The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

their feelings, their experiences, and placed their words inside the busts of older African American men. “When you walk by you have to get up close and kind of lean in to hear what the kid inside him is saying,” says Hayes. After D.C., Hayes, who now teaches at Duke University, was named the 2020 recipient of the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art. The exhibition hall where we’re sitting is in the Cameron Art Museum in Wilmington, where Hayes has a one-man show closing March 20. The exhibition of his work coincided with the unveiling of Boundless, his sculpture honoring the United States Colored Troops who fought in the Battle of Forks Road. The remnants of the old road and the vestiges of eroding Confederate revetments are a few yards from the museum’s parking lot. On that day, a section of the sculpture was being reinstalled after it was removed to add a plaque engraved with the names of 1,820 Black soldiers who fought there. Since 2006, the Cameron has hosted a re-enactment of the battle that took place on its property on Feb. 20-21, 1865, when a brigade of over 2,000 USCT soldiers assaulted well-entrenched Confederate infantry and artillery through a narrow gap between swampy Carolina bays. Re-enactors representing the Ohio 5th, a USCT regiment that included two recipients of the Medal of Honor and was known to have fought in the 34-hour engagement, are annual participants. In his book Glory at Wilmington, The Battle of Forks Road, historian Chris E. Fonvielle Jr. writes, “The headlong assault by the bravest of the brave African American soldiers and their comrades

Cash Crop! PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALAN CRADICK

at Forks Road was a ‘brilliant little charge,’ reported one journalist. But the concentrated Confederate rifle-musket and light artillery fire along the narrow front doomed the attack . . . The 5th U.S. Colored Troops at the head of the attacking column, suffered far more casualties than any other unit. The regiment’s 39 dead and wounded soldiers accounted for 74 percent of the total Union losses in the battle.” In 2019, after the museum’s deputy director, Heather Wilson, successfully wrote a grant securing funding for the sculpture, the Cameron commissioned Hayes to create Boundless. The museum’s executive director, Anne Brennan, invited him to attend the reenactment of the battle that February. “He was captivated by imagining the sound of their marching boots,” says Brennan of Hayes. “He’s hearing their boots coming up the road. They’re chanting. He’s a brilliant sculptor but it was the dimensionality of sound that first struck Stephen. Those boots. Those boots.” The DNA of Boundless stretches in two directions, toward Cash Crop! inside the museum and toward Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ 19th century sculpture of Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th on the Boston Common, 800 miles away. The story of the 54th was most recently retold in the 1989 movie Glory. “We took away the commanding general. Took away that beautiful horse and focused on the infantry,” says Brennan. “There had to be ranks marching. The drummer and the color bearer advancing in full

three dimensions activates the work. It’s an homage. It’s an inspiration. Stephen brings that contemporaneity to it.” For Boundless, Hayes did castings of the faces of seven USCT descendants and four USCT re-enactors for the 11 figures — a color bearer, a drummer and nine soldiers joined together in rows of three. “They’re moving forward. They’re in motion,” says Hayes. “Boundless is on the ground these soldiers actually marched on. I wanted it to be on the ground so people could walk through it and experience it — not be on a pedestal. They weren’t on horseback or anything. How did their footsteps sound? What did they sing? What’s going on in this man’s head?” Hayes’ sculpture has more contemporary artistic roots than SaintGaudens, linking to the tradition of Black sculpture of the 1960s and ’70s and, in particular, to the work of William Ellisworth Artis, who was born in Washington, North Carolina. “Hayes is following that tradition of humanizing the Black experience and really bringing it out in this figurative way,” says Maya Brooks, the Mellon Foundation assistant curator at the North Carolina Museum of Art. “He’s using symbols from across African American history to really think about the themes that he wants to present in terms of how an identity is created, how an identity is formed within a community.” Hayes says, “Everything I’ve done is thematically joined. Cash Crop! is talking about the transporting of people, but if you take 5 lbs.

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PHOTOGRAPHS BY SAMANTHA EVERETTE

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Boundless PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALAN CRADICK

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the roof off you can look at it like a sweat shop in a third world country with just enough room to produce as much goods as possible to ship to America. Boundless talks about freeing people of being slaves and talks about how we’re still fighting for that kind of freedom.” Fighting for the freedom proffered by the slave owner who wrote “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal …” The day after the Battle of Forks Road, the Confederate Army abandoned Wilmington, its last link to supplies from the outside world, and the Union troops marched into the city. “Come daybreak these men bury their dead and advance 3 miles to city hall,” says Brennan. “The USCT was on the front lines for Forks Road and then, come the victory march, they are in the back of the parade.” Hayes’ next big commission is in Charleston, South Carolina, where he’ll help create a memorial for 36 bodies of the poor and enslaved found in a mass grave nine years ago. “Every project holds a place in my heart,” he says. “I’m still pushing along, trying to make a name for myself. I’ve got to move on to the next thing.” Stumbling over the past, in machine mode. PS Jim Moriarty is the Editor of PineStraw and can be reached at jjmpinestraw@gmail.com.

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Rooms With a View Getting a lift by the lake

By Deborah Salomon • Photographs by John Gessner

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ime was, before video games and apps, every kid wanted a tree house — a place to daydream, to pretend, to lick drippy popsicles on a summer evening. It’s not too late. John Lennon built a beauty in Hollywood. Winston Churchill had one constructed on his estate, for the grandchildren. And, for $115 — less than the rack rate at a covey of hotels and motels — four people can stay in a little gem overlooking Lake Pinehurst, with a full magazineworthy kitchen plus two bedrooms, a loft, a living/dining area, a bath and a half, three TVs, WiFi, heat, AC, a wraparound deck and built-in relaxation. Sound like an infomercial? More like a PSA (public service announcement), since who isn’t soothed by a water view while greeting squirrels eyeball to eyeball? From a distance, these octagons on stilts — they’re not actually attached to trees — resemble intergalactic pods preparing to blast off for home. Surely, everybody who has driven by this cluster on the way to Lake Pinehurst wonders what lies within. The curiosity may be primordial. Earliest humanoids could well have slept in trees, unreachable by wild animals — though any archeological evidence of it would never have survived. Stilted structures, for storage and for living, were built in the The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Amazon region, all through the Indo-Pacific and in Africa. In the Arctic, stilts raise houses above the permafrost. And beach houses crowding the seashore and barrier islands up and down the Atlantic coastline have more stilts than YouTube has videos. You can find resort clusters in the Blue Ridge Mountains lifted off the ground and Rocky Mountain ski-in, ski-out chalets built into snow-packed slopes. Backyard tree houses can be status symbols for artists, poets, philosophers and wealthy Peter Pans. An International Tree House Architecture Competition draws wild entries from Denmark to Switzerland, France to Long Island, New York. Tree houses as vacation properties gained popularity in the 1970s — the Diamondhead era in Pinehurst — and were incorporated as part of the new lake community near the No. 3 course. The houses, ordered from catalogs (including Sears), arrived as kits to be assembled on-site. Their unusual shapes provoked mixed reactions from village traditionalists. Most of the original units have been remodeled, often glamorized beyond recognition. Some are owner-occupied seasonal vacation homes. Others are investment properties rented to golfers, wedding guests, family reunion out-of-towners, and businessfolk on retreat through Airbnb, Vrbo and local agents, including Sandhills Rentals. Perfect, when the in-laws visit — but do advise them to bring sensible shoes, because this house-on-stilts rises nearly 20 feet, accessed by an exterior stairway. Inside, the scale of this example in the Brae Burn enclave, at 800 square feet, feels compact except for the generous kitchen, with granite countertops, a full-sized fridge, built-in cooktop and oven, The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

dishwasher, microwave, breakfast bar with adjoining dining table seating six, facing a living room with sofa and upholstered side chairs. Two bedrooms sleep four. Between the kitchen and sitting area, a desk accommodates the ubiquitous laptop. With COVID still restricting office attendance, what’s not to like about a tranquil, private work getaway? The floors are easy-clean stained bamboo. Furnishings throughout blend a soothing grassy green with cream upholstery and dark woods. Tableware and linens are high quality. Curtains offer privacy since most of the tree houses are built in clusters. Every inch appears tasteful, spotless, well-maintained. For pretty obvious reasons, barbecue grills are not allowed on the decks. As consolation, this tree house comes with a kayak, facilitating an escape when the tigers and gorillas drop by for appetizers.

Tree House

A tree house, a free house, A secret you and me house, A high up in the leafy branches Cozy as can be house. A street house, a neat house, Be sure and wipe your feet house Is not my kind of house at all — Let’s go live in a tree house. — Shel Silverstein PS PineStraw

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Arts & Culture

GLASSFEST A premier sale of handcrafted glass March 5 • 9am - 5pm

Gallery • Studios • Classes

Glassblowing demonstrations every hour beginning at 10am

Shop Online and In Person Masks are required. Visiting requirements may change per CDC guidelines

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Pour it On – Alcohol Ink and Fluid Acrylics Opening Reception Friday, February 4, 5:00 – 7:00 Exhibition Open Until Feb. 25

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Gallery Hours: Monday - Saturday 12-3pm ANY MEDIUM Let’s Work Little – Betty Hendrix – Friday, February 25, 10:00-3:00 Working from Life – Plein Air Painting - Betty Hendrix Monday and Tuesday, March 28 and 29, 9:00-3:00 OIL & ACRYLIC Beginner’s Acrylic Pouring - Meredith Markfield – Friday, February 11, 11:30-2:30 Intermediate Acrylic Pouring - Balloon Kiss and Roll Technique - Meredith Markfield Wednesday, February 23, 12:30-2:30 Cold Wax Medium with Oil Paints - Jude Winkley – Saturday, February 26, 9:30-3:30 Flower Painting Series (Oil) – Harry Neely – Mondays, February 28, March 7, 14, & 21, 9:30-12:00 Discovering Acrylics – Beth Ybarra – Wednesday and Thursday, March 9, 10, 9:00-1:00 Intermediate Acrylic Pouring - Meredith Markfield - Thursday, March 17, 12:30-2:30 WATERCOLOR Watercolor Basics and More – Jean Smyth – Tuesday, February 1, 10:00-3:00 Silkscreen with Watercolor – Cathy Brown – Tuesday and Wednesday, February 8, 9, 10:00-12:30 Flowers and Glass Series – Jean Smyth – Fridays, March 11, 18, 25, 1:00-4:00 Watercolor on Rice Paper – Pat McMahon – Wednesday and Thursday March 30, 31, 10:00-12:00 DRAWING Intro to Calligraphy – Cathy Brown – Tuesday and Wednesday, March 1, 3, 10:00-12:00 Next Step Calligraphy – Cathy Brown – Tuesday and Wednesday, March 15, 16, 10:00-12:00 OTHER MEDIUMS We Love Ink – Alcohol Ink Fun Afternoon – Pam Griner – Monday, February 14, 12:30-3:00 Collaging Out of the Box – Sandy Stratil – Monday and Tuesday, February 21, 22, 10:00-4:00 Go with the Flow/Beginning Alcohol Ink - Pam Griner – Tuesday, March 8, 11:30-2:30

Ask Us About Becoming a Member • 129 Exchange Street in Aberdeen, NC www.artistleague.org • artistleague@windstream.net

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E HEATDA! H T D N N’T STKAITCHEN! UFF A C U O IF Y T OF THE 27, 2022 0 1 U Y R A O U T R GE FEB The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

A L M A N A C

February

By Ashley Walshe

ebruary is a creature from an ancient myth, a wise old woman, a mystical crone goddess. At first glance, she is homely, haggard and frightening. Her face is gaunt. Her garments, threadbare. Her skin like gray, crinkled paper. There is nothing soft or warm or pleasant about her. Time and the elements stripped her of her beauty long ago. She lurks in the shadows, a bag of bones with sunken eyes, crooked fingers and limbs like wind-swept trees. Her icy breath swirls through the air like a ravenous arctic wolf. Few have dared to approach — let alone understand — her. Most avoid her like the plague. She does not require your favor. And yet, should you dare to gaze upon her, she will offer a wisp of a smile. A mysterious light will shine from her deep-set eyes, and while she will not speak with words, you will hear her, clear as a bell in the night: follow me. Into the darkness you’ll trudge, cold air burning like poison ivy, frozen earth crunching beneath your feet. Rows of naked trees reach toward a grim, abysmal sky, and you wonder how life could possibly grow in this barren landscape, this pregnant silence, this bitter womb of winter. As she walks, the crone slips her wrinkled hand into her cloak pocket and withdraws a rusted skeleton key. At once it is clear: This is no forsaken beast. She is the chosen one: the gatekeeper between death and life, the end and the beginning, the black of night and the first blush of dawn. You begin to notice what was already here: early crocuses bursting through the frosty soil; milky white snowdrops and fragrant wintersweet; a host of sunny jonquil. A great horned owl screams out. The crone does not glow like a young maiden or a new mother. But as you softly gaze upon her, you see the grace of a soul who has witnessed many seasons — a wise one who knows that spring is ever on the silvery horizon. That the only way to it is through it.

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Feed the Birds

It’s been a long winter for everybody — especially our winged friends. Feed the Birds Day is celebrated each year on February 3. If ever you’ve wondered where St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, came up with his “For it is in giving that we receive” line, consider that he’s often depicted with a bird in his hands.

You think winter will never end, and then, when you don’t expect it, when you have almost forgotten it, warmth comes and a different light. — Wendell Berry

Space and Time

According to EarthSky.org, one of the most anticipated sky scenes of 2022 happens 40 minutes before sunrise from February 11–16, when Venus, Mars and Mercury will all be visible in the darkest spell of morning. Another scene not to be missed this month: The “Winter Hexagon,” a prominent group of stars comprised of Rigel (in Orion), Sirius (in Canis Major), Procyon (in Canis Minor), Aldebaran (in Taurus), Capella (in Auriga) and Pollux (in Gemini). Also called the “Winter Circle,” you can find this asterism by first looking for Orion’s brightest star, Rigel, the bluish star at the lower right (in other words, below the belt). From here, draw a line straight up to Aldebaran, then continue following the bright points counterclockwise until you complete the circle.

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE AMONG THE BEST IN THE SANDHILLS? A commitment to excellence in your craft Relationships with trusted, top-notch vendors and sub-contractors Full attention to all details, large and small Purposeful approach to projects Expertise in local land development & commercial construction Access to a full-service, in-house real estate team Our intentionally small team of long time locals are well rooted in this community, which makes us especially proud to be considered among the Best of the Pines

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

MOORE COUNTY’S L A RG E S T T I L E S H O W RO O M

I N D O O R S TO N E S L A B YA R D

MANY THANKS TO OUR CLIENTS FOR SUPPORTING US WITH YOUR BUSINESS! B E S T K I TC H E N & B AT H D E S I G N C O M PA N Y B E S T T I L E & C O U N T E RTO P S S TO R E ( 9 1 0 ) 9 4 4 - 3 0 6 2 • 3 0 5 F I E L D S D R , A B E R D E E N , N C 2 8 3 1 5 • S E T I N S TO N E S TO R E .C O M

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gift, Love, Lingerie or Gift Cards GIFT WRAPPING AVAILABLE Tues - Fri: 12-5PM; Sat: 12-4PM Private appointments always available. Email info@knickers-lingerie.com or call 910-725-2346 150 E. New Hampshire Ave / Southern Pines, NC 28387

Raspberries in Love

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When Brunch Is Their • • • •

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Arts Entertainment C A L E N DA R

Art Exhibit 2/

Although conscientious effort is made to provide accurate and up-to-date information, all events are subject to change and errors can occur! Please call to verify times, costs, status and location before planning or attending an event. JOY OF ART STUDIO. Painting, drawing and mixed media. Offering both private and small groups with safe distance. Classes are held at Joy of Art Studio, 139 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Suite B, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 528-7283 or www.joyof-art.com or www.facebook.com/ Joyscreativespace/.

Theater Show 2/

The Sandhills Woman’s Exchange presents “Breakfast with Scott Mason,” WRAL’s The Tarheel Traveler. Tickets are $65 and include breakfast, a cash bar, author presentation and book signing. Pinehurst Member’s Club, 1 Carolina Vista Drive, Pinehurst. Info and reservations: (910) 295-4677 or www.sandhillswe.org. ADULT STORYTIME. 12 p.m. Take a break from your busy day and join us for a story time designed for adults. Bring your lunch and listen to Audrey Moriarty read some of her favorites. Masks required. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-3642.

SCAVENGER HUNT. Pick up scavenger hunts at the Given Book Shop, Given Memorial Library or online at www.giventufts.org/program-andevents. The scavenger hunt will take you through the village of Pinehurst and there will be multiple themes such as science, shapes, historic buildings and more. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst.

BOOK EVENT. 4 - 5 p.m. Joe Christian will be speaking about his book, Investing with a Full Deck — What Las Vegas Taught Me about Managing Money. The event is free but registration is required. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3211 or www. ticketmesandhills.com.

BOOK SALE. This month’s sale is buy one, get one free on animals, gardening, golf, science and sports. Masks recommended in the book shop. Given Book Shop, 95 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-3642.

PAINTED PONIES. The third annual Painted Ponies Art Walk will continue through the end of March. Fifteen ponies line Broad Street for visitors to enjoy as they stroll downtown. The ponies will be auctioned off on April 9.

Tuesday, February 1

ART EXHIBIT. Don’t miss the exhibit “Stitches & Strokes,” featuring paintings and fiber art

BREAKFAST PRESENTATION. 9 a.m.

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Book Event 2/

by local artist Suzy Morgan. The exhibit runs through Feb. 15. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 295-2787 or www.mooreart.org.

Wednesday, February 2 FOREST BATHING. 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Make time to relax on a guided sensory journey into nature. Walks are led by Lara Beth Jones, licensed occupational therapist and nature and forest therapy guide. Cost is $45 for Southern Pines residents and $90 for non-residents. More dates this month will be Feb. 9 and 26. Whitehall Tract, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2463 or www.southernpines.net. LIBRARY PROGRAM. 3:30 p.m. ATLAS (at the library after school) is a new after-school program for kindergarten through secondgraders who enjoy stories and learning. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net.

Thursday, February 3 EMPOWERMENT LUNCH. 10:30 a.m. The Women Build Committee invites you to join a brunch with five local panelists sharing their experiences about being women in leadership. Cost is $75. Proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

CA L E N DA R Forest Creek Golf Club, 20 Meyer Farm Drive, Pinehurst. Info: www.sandhillshabitat.org. SYMPHONY. 8 p.m. The North Carolina Symphony presents Novelette No. 1, ColeridgeTaylor; St. Paul’s Suite, Holst; Souvenir de Florence, Tchaikovsky. Robert E. Lee Auditorium, 250 Voit Gilmore Lane, Southern Pines. Info and tickets: www.ncsymphony.org.

Friday, February 4 ART EXHIBIT. 5 - 7 p.m. The Artists League will host an opening reception for the exhibit “Pour It On,” an acrylic pour and alcohol ink exhibit. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979. VALENTINE’S GALA. 6 - 9 p.m. Join the “Furever Yours” Valentine’s Day Gala hosted by Caring Hearts for Canines. Enjoy a wonderful night of dancing, delicious food, bar and great silent auction to support the dogs they save. Cost is $60. Pinehurst Resort, 1 Carolina Vista Drive, Pinehurst. Info and tickets: www. eventbrite.com/e/6th-annual-furever-yoursvalentines-day-gala-tickets. LIVE THEATER. 7 p.m. The Sunrise Theater presents a live production of She Kills Monsters. There will be additional performances on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3611 or www.sunrisetheater.com.

Saturday, February 5 SATURDAY KIDS PROGRAM. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Bring your child to the library and you will feed their imagination. A love of reading and books starts with pictures, stories and rhymes. Arts, crafts and fun can be found in the library. Masks required. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-3642. WRITING GROUP. 3 p.m. Interested in creating fiction, nonfiction, poetry or comics? Connect with other writers and artists, chat about your craft and get feedback on your work. All levels are welcome. The session will meet at the library. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: lholden@sppl.net. COMEDY MUSICAL. 7:30 - 9 p.m. The Ladysticks Show is a live cooking musical show like nothing you have seen before. Bradshaw Performing Arts Center, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Sunday, February 6 MEDITATION WALK. 2 - 3:15 p.m. Join us for this monthly meditation walk with your guide, Eve Gaskell. The group will meet on the outside patio area of the visitor’s center. If it is raining, the event will be canceled. Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: harmonylifebalance@gmail.com. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Monday, February 7 MOMMY AND ME FITNESS. 9 - 9:45 a.m. Bring your child ages 4 months to 3 years and participate in a health and fitness class. Cost is $120 for Southern Pines residents and $240 for non-residents. Classes are held every Monday through Feb. 28. Train House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2463 or www.southernpines.net. SELF DEFENSE FOR ALL. 6 - 7 p.m. Learn safety tips needed for handling various types of attacks. For ages 12 and up. Cost is $60 for Southern Pines residents and $120 for non-residents. Classes are held every Monday through Feb. 28. Martial Arts Academy, 110 Pinehurst Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2463 or www.southernpines.net.

Tuesday, February 8 GIVEN TO GO. Final day to order your “Taste of N.C.” dinner prepared by Elliott’s on Linden in support of the library. Meal will be Tuesday, Feb. 8, and can be picked up between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Price is $27 per meal. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-3642 or email: giventufts@gmail.com.

Thursday, February 10 SENIOR TRIP. 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to travel with Southern Pines Recreation and Parks to get some spring shopping done or look for deals as they head to the Friendly Center in Greensboro. Lunch on your own at the mall. Cost is $10 for Southern Pines residents and $20 for non-residents. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. LUNCH ‘N’ LEARN. 10 a.m. Karen Pilson presents “The Benefits of CBD.” Tickets are $25 per person and include lunch by Chef Katrina. Info and reservations: (910) 295-4677 or www. sandhillswe.org. GATHERING AT GIVEN. 3:30 p.m. Amelia Rodarte, community engagement librarian for the State Library of North Carolina will join us via Zoom and highlight all the great resources and products found on the NC LIVE State Library website. She will discuss how to learn more about history, journals, magazines, sites for youth and more. Masks required. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-3642.

Friday, February 11 VALENTINE’S LUNCH. 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to have lunch at the Twisted Grape in Cameron. Don’t forget to wear your favorite Valentine’s outfit. Cost of lunch not included. Transportation cost is $2 for Southern Pines residents and $4 for non-residents. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

FAMILY GAME NIGHT. 5:30 - 7 p.m. Bring the whole family out for field games and board games while competing against other families. Cost is $25 for Southern Pines residents and $50 for non-residents. Train House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2463 or www.southernpines.net. THEATER SHOW. 7:30 p.m. The Encore Center Theatre presents its second annual dinner theater Around the World in 80 Days. The production includes a meal and wine from Ashten’s. Afternoon matinees include charcuterie and wine. There are more performances on Feb. 12, 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 2 p.m. Encore Center, 160 E. New Hampshire Ave., Southern Pines. Info and tickets: (910) 725-0603 or www.tix.com/ticket-sales/ encorecenter/6154.

Saturday, February 12 SUPER BOWL PACKS. The Sly Fox is offering Super Bowl Party Packs for the Sunday, Feb. 13 game. Preorder by Feb. 12 at 12 p.m. The cost is $45 for two people. The Sly Fox, 795 S.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 725-1621 or www.theslyfoxpub.com. CRAFT DAYS. Children and their families can come by the library for Drop in Craft Days to work on crafts at their own pace. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net. THEATER SHOW. Imagine Youth Theater presents Pippin. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 420-1025 or www.taylordance.org.

Sunday, February 13 VALENTINE’S DAY. 12 - 5 p.m. Come shop sales, grab a glass of prosecco and a snack from Spoon Lickers Catering. There will also be live music from Mary Stone. Twigg & Co., 206 N. Sandhills Blvd., Aberdeen. LECTURE SERIES. 2 p.m. Marsha Warren presents “Freedom Park: The Inspiring Story of How a Monument to Freedom is Built while Confederate Statues are Coming Down.” Cost is $15 for Weymouth members and $20 for non-members. Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.weymouthcenter.org.

Monday, February 14 LIVE MUSIC. 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with dinner and romantic live jazz with Dorian and Lou. Jaya’s Indian Cuisine, 169 N.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 725-0875 or www.jayasincuisine.com.

Tuesday, February 15 BINGO. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to come play 10 games of bingo. PineStraw

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CA L E N DA R Prizes given to the winners. Cost is $2 for Southern Pines residents and $4 for nonresidents. Space is limited to 24 participants. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. TEEN WRITING CLUB. 5 p.m. Are you a teen writer interested in creative writing and storytelling? Ready to share your work, hone your craft, or just hang out and get inspired with other young writers? Join us for the Teen Creative Writing Club. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or email: kbroughey@sppl.net.

Wednesday, February 16 LIBRARY PROGRAM. 3:30 p.m. ATLAS (at the library after school) is a new after-school program for kindergarten through secondgraders who enjoy stories and learning. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net.

Thursday, February 17 READ BETWEEN THE PINES. 5 p.m. SPPL’s book club for adults meets to discuss this month’s book. Southern Pines Public Library,

170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. To join, email mhoward@sppl.net.

National Athletic Village, 201 Air Tool Drive, Southern Pines. Info: (724) 816-1170.

CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE. 6:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be historian and author Dr. Chris Fonvielle, discussing the two Battles of Fort Fisher. Meeting starts at 7 p.m. Open to the public. Civic Club, corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Ashe Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 246-0452 or mafarina@aol.com.

WINE AND CHOCOLATE PAIRINGS. 6 - 9 p.m. Women of the Pines invites you to a Wine/ Bourbon, Cheese and Chocolate Pairings Party. Tickets are $60 per person, $100 for couples. There will be hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment, a bourbon room with roulette wheel, raffle, wine, bourbon, chocolate and cheese sales. There will be pairings by wine and bourbon ambassadors and a chocolatier for you to experience. Forest Creek Golf Club, 200 Meyer Farm Drive, Pinehurst. Info: www.womenofthepines.org.

Friday, February 18 MOONLIGHT HIKE. 6 p.m. All ages are welcome to discover nature by moonlight. Listen to the sounds of the night as you walk the trail. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Don’t forget to bring a flashlight. Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

Saturday, February 19 DANCING. 6 p.m. Carolina Pines Dance Club invites you for a fun evening of social dancing — swing, line, ballroom, shag and Latin. Doors open at 6 p.m. Dance lessons at 6:30 p.m. Dancing until 9:30 p.m. Beginners and experienced dancers, couples and singles all welcome. Cost is $15 per person, cash at door.

PHILHARMONIC. 7:30 p.m. The Carolina Philharmonic presents Presidential Keys featuring David Osborne’s romantic piano offerings at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center, Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst, on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. Osborne has performed at the White House for Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama. For additional information call (910) 687-0287 or go to www.carolinaphil.org.

Sunday, February 20 STEAM. 2:30 p.m. Learn about topics in sci-

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CA L E N DA R ence, technology, engineering, art and math. Elementary aged children and caregivers are invited to participate in STEAM projects and activities. This program will be held outdoors and advanced registration is encouraged. The topic will be parachutes. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

Monday, February 21 WOMEN OF WEYMOUTH. 9:30 a.m. The Women of Weymouth committee will meet and have a guest speaker. Free admission. Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www. weymouthcenter.org. DOCUMENTARY SCREENING. 6 - 8:30 p.m. There will be a screening of My Beautiful Stutter. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Tuesday, February 22 BOOK EVENT. 2 - 3 p.m. Kate Moore will be speaking about her book, The Woman They Could Not Silence. The event is free but registration is required. The Pilot, 145 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3211 or www.ticketmesandhills.com.

MUSICIANS’ JAM SESSION. 6 - 9 p.m. Bring your own instrument and beverage or just come and enjoy the music. Attendees must have the COVID vaccination. Free admission. Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www. weymouthcenter.org. TRIVIA NIGHT. The theme will be “The Year 2021.” The prize will be a $50 Visa gift card. The Sly Fox, 795 S.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 725-1621 or www.theslyfoxpub.com.

Wednesday, February 23 BOOK CLUB. 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. The Moore County Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to a two-part book club series to discuss the book The Burnout Epidemic. The event is free but guests are required to purchase their own book, available at The County Bookshop. Moore County Chamber of Commerce, 160 W. New York Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www. members.moorecountychamber.com/events/ details/book-club-1-the-burnout-epidemic-a2-part-series-13000. BOOK EVENT. 4 - 5 p.m. Chellie Kew will be speaking about her book, Crow and a Red Feather. The event is free but registration is re-

We Want You...

quired. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3211 or www. ticketmesandhills.com.

Thursday, February 24 DOUGLASS CENTER BOOK CLUB. 10:30 a.m. Multiple copies of the selected book for the month are available for checkout at the library. Douglass Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or email: mmiller@sppl.net.

Friday, February 25 PARENTS NIGHT OUT. 6- 8 p.m. Enjoy an evening out while your child has a great time with new friends and the Recreation Youth Team. For kids ages 5 - 13. Cost is $20 for Southern Pines residents and $40 for non-residents. Train House, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2463 or www. southernpines.net.

Saturday, February 26 CRAFT DAYS. Children and their families can come by the library for Drop in Craft Days to work on crafts at their own pace. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

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CA L E N DA R LIVE PERFORMANCE. 7 - 9 p.m. Roy Firestone and Paul Murphy will appear for a one-night show guaranteed to entertain. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info and tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Sunday, February 27 CLASSICAL MUSIC SUNDAYS. 2 p.m. Join us in the great room for the popular series featuring internationally recognized classical musicians in an intimate concert setting. February features University of North Carolina School of the Arts faculty and internationally renowned soloists Kevin Lawrence on violin and Dmitri Shteinberg on piano. Cost is $25 for supporters and $35 general admission. Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: www.weymouthcenter.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, March 4 ARTS FESTIVAL. 5 p.m. The annual Young People’s Fine Arts Festival showcases art by students in grades K-8 from Moore County’s public, private, charter and home schools. The students’ art is judged and awards given out at a special reception and awards ceremony. The art will remain on display through March 25. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2787 or www.mooreart.org.

GAME SHOW MANIA. 1 - 2 p.m. Adults 55 and over are invited to play famous TV games such as Jeopardy! and Family Feud. Southern Pines Recreation Center, 210 Memorial Park Ct., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

Saturday, March 19 DANCING. 6 p.m. Carolina Pines Dance Club invites you for a fun evening of social dancing — swing, line, ballroom, shag and Latin. Doors open at 6 p.m. Dance lessons at 6:30 p.m. Dancing until 9:30 p.m. Beginners and experienced dancers, couples and singles all welcome. Cost is $15 per person, cash at door. National Athletic Village, 201 Air Tool Drive, Southern Pines. Info: (724) 816-1170.

BRIDGE. 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy games of bridge with friends. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

Tuesdays

WEEKLY EVENTS Mondays WORKOUTS. 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to get their workout on. Open Monday through Friday. Cost for six months: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. INDOOR WALKING. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Improve balance, blood pressure and maintain healthy bones with one of the best methods of exercise. Classes are held at the same time Monday through Friday. Ages 55 and up. Cost for six months: $15/resident; $30/nonresident. Southern Pines Recreation Center, 210 Memorial Park Ct., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

BABY RHYMES. 10:30 a.m. Baby Rhymes is specially designed for the youngest learners (birth2) and their caregivers. Repetition and comforting movements make this story time perfect for early development and brain growth. Dates this month will be Feb. 1, 8, 15 and 22. There will be a duplicate session outside the library at 11 a.m. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. GAME DAY. 12 p.m. Enjoy bid whist and other cool games all in the company of great friends. For adults 55 and older. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. SPARK STORYTIME. 2:30 p.m. This Spark Storytime at Fire Station 82 is for ages birth

A healthy future begins with proper nutrition February 5

www.expernutritionadvisor.com/southern-pines-chiropractic The Ladysticks Show

BPAC’s Owens Auditorium

Learn how nutritional care and whole food supplements can assist your immune system and improve your quality of life.

February 21 My Beautiful Stutter Documentary Screening BPAC’s Owens Auditorium

February 22 Kate Moore The Woman They Could Not Silence Author Event The Pilot

For More August Events Visit TicketMeSandhills.com 910.693.2516 • info@ticketmesandills.com 145 W Pennsylvania Ave, Southern Pines

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Southern Pines Chiropractic, P.A. Serving the Sandhills since 1991

Dr. Joseph D. Wahl, Chiropractic Physician

361 N.Bennett Street •Southern Pines

910-692-5207 • www.ncchiro.com The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

CA L E N DA R through 2 and kids will have a chance to see fire trucks. Dates this month will be Feb. 1, 8, 15 and 22. Fire Station 82, 500 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net.

fruits, pasture meats, eggs, potting plants, cut flowers and local honey. Crafts, baked goods, jams and jellies are also available. Market is located at the Armory Sports Complex, 604 W. Morganton Road, Southern Pines.

TABLE TENNIS. 7 - 9 p.m. Enjoy playing this exciting game every Tuesday. Cost for six months is $15 for residents of Southern Pines and $30 for non-residents. For adults 55 and older. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

GIVEN STORY TIME. 10 a.m. Wonderful volunteers share their love of reading. Social distancing for children and masks required for adults. Stop by and join the fun. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info and tickets: (910) 295-3642.

Wednesdays CHAIR VOLLEYBALL. 1 - 2 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Get fit while having fun. Free to participate. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. BRIDGE. 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy games of bridge with friends. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

Thursdays MOORE COUNTY FARMERS MARKET. 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. The year-round market features “producer only” vendors within a 50-mile radius providing fresh, local and seasonal produce,

Fridays TAP CLASS. 10 - 11:30 a.m. For adults 55 and older. All levels welcome. Cost per class: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

CHESS AND MAHJONG. 1 p.m. For adults 55 and older. All levels welcome. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. CABIN TOURS. 1 - 4 p.m. The Moore County Historical Association’s Shaw House grounds, cabins and gift shop are open for tours and visits on a limited basis. See the restored and impressive tobacco barn that highlights the history of children in the industry. The cabins will be open Thursdays and Fridays with docents ready to host you. Shaw House, 3361 Mt. Carmel Rd., Carthage. Info: (910) 692-2051 or www.moorehistory.com. MUSIC AND MOTION. 2 p.m. Does your toddler like to move and groove? Join us for

outdoor “Music and Motion” to get those wiggles out and work on gross and fine motor skills. For ages 3 – 5. Dates this month will be Feb. 3, 10, 17 and 24. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

BRIDGE. 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. For adults 55 and older. Enjoy games of bridge with friends. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

Sundays GENTLE STORYTIME. 3:30 p.m. This is a sensory story time for families wi th children on the autism spectrum or with multi-sensory needs. This program is for children ages 3 - 8 and will combine books, songs, movement, and integrative activities. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. PS

Have a plan to

Fight COVID-19! Prepare Yourself

Get Tested

We offer a variety of preventive care options designed to optimize your immune system.

Get tested frequently and as soon as possible if you experience any symptoms associated with COVID-19.

Options include: • Vitamin infusions • Zinc and other supplements • N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

Seek Early Treatment

We use saliva-based PCR testing. PCR testing is considered the “gold standard” in detecting the virus that causes COVID-19.

Early treatment is ESSENTIAL if you contract COVID-19. Our healthcare professionals can design an individualized treatment plan for you using conventional and alternative medicines and therapies.

Drive-up testing is available at our Bennett Street location M-Th 8:00-5:00 and F 8:00-3:00 - no appointment is required. Call today to schedule a consultation with one of our healthcare professionals.

910.704.5299

www.covidtreatmentclinics.com 695 S. Bennett Street, Southern Pines

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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100% Guarantee

Season: Mar-Oct

ALL NATURAL TREATMENTS

Environmental Friendly • Organic and Non Toxic Human, Pet & Plant Safe Veteran Owned Local Business

@zappermosquito zappermosq@gmail.com 910.308.7082

KEEPING YOU COMFORTABLE SINCE 1948!

• Oil Furnaces • Boiler Repair & Replacement • Service & Repair • Heat Pumps • Gas & Electric Furnaces • Emergency Service Available • Residential & Commercial • Air Conditioners • All Plumbing Repairs

Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc

Serving the plumbing, heating & air conditioning needs of the Sandhills since 1948! License # 670

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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Books are the best way to say I love you!

We can pick out something special, wrap and ship a hand picked gift for your special someone!

KATE MOORE The Woman They Could not Silence February 22 at 2pm At The Pilot Newspaper

CHELLIE KEW

Crow and a Red Feather February 23 at 4pm At The Country Bookshop

CHECK THE STORE WEBSITE AND TICKETMESANDHILLS.COM FOR MORE EVENT INFORMATION 140 NW Broad Street • Southern Pines, NC • 910.692.3211 • www.thecountrybookshop.biz

The Art of the Perfect Sandhills Wedding

Special Occasions Parties • Weddings Concerts • Lectures

FOOD IS OUR FORTE. HOSPITALITY IS OUR PASSION.

For All Your Wedding Lingerie Needs! LINGERIE SLEEPWEAR LOUNGEWEAR MENSWEAR BRAS BREASTFORMS

Catering to all your wedding needs

Gift Cards and Gift Wrapping Available

200 Beulah Hill Rd. Pinehurst, NC 910.295.0166 www.thefairbarn.org

111 N. Sycamore St., Aberdeen, NC 910-757-0155 • www.eatatmasons.com 102 West Main Street, Suite 202 Aberdeen, NC • 910.447.2774 genuinehospitalitycatering.com

Don’t let your skin concerns ruin your special day

Pinehurst Dermatology,

120 Braemer Court, Pinehurst, NC 28374 910-295-5567

140 West Main Street, Sanford, NC 27332

Wedding make it the perfect

Photo : Jennifer B. Photography

Services: General Dermatology – Treatment for various skin, hair, and nail conditions

brickcapitalvideo.com Terry McMillian • 919.356.1624 terry@brickcapitalvideo.com

Events - Weddings Decorative Accessories - Fresh Florals 120 W. Main St., Aberdeen 910-944-1071

Tues - Fri: 12-5PM; Sat: 12-4PM Private appointments always available. Email info@ knickers-lingerie.com or call 910-725-2346 150 E. New Hampshire Ave Southern Pines, NC 28387

Whatever you fancy for your special day! First dance for bride & groom Lessons for group dance Parents dance We make the experience enjoyable & relaxing

Experienced Event Planner & Culinary Team Exceptional Banquet Space for up to 300 guests

The Country Club of Whispering Pines

910.949.3000

ACTIVE DUTY Military Discounts

712 SW Broad St. Southern Pines NC 28387 910-725-1846 • 910-585-2572 carolinadanceworks@gmail.com

Pick up a copy of the 2022 Bride & Groom at The Pilot’s office or online at pinestrawmag.com

LET US CREATE THE Perfect SMILE FOR THE Perfect DAY

DR. JORDAN RIDGE D.D.S. of DR. FRED RIDGE D.D.S. FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY

115 Turnberry Way Pinehurst, NC 28374 (910) 695-3100 www.pinehurstdentistry.com We’ll Keep Your Smile Healthy for Life

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Custom, all-inclusive packages on a historic 200-year-old farm.

www.rubiconfarmnc.com By Appointment Only • West End, NC

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen Stitches and Strokes Reception Arts Council of Moore County Friday, January 7, 2022 Photographs by Diane McKay

Gabby Studenmund

Suzy & Earl Morgan

Diana Simpson, Barbara Sherman

Sharon & Duane Erickson

Alex & Susan Bowness

Gina Bianchi, Jonathan Richards

Ann Carter, Carla Butler Mickey Walker, Laurie Deleot

Marshall Smith, Rollin Shaw, Cele Bryant, Bob Darst

Lana & Joshua Sterling

The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Betsy Rainoff, Ray Owen

Sandy Rudolph, Audrey Moriarty

Ann Dixon, Molly Thomas

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Pine ServiceS Pine ServiceS ENJOY WINTER PEST FREE ENJOY WINTER PEST FREE

BUZZWORTHY FINDS at BUZZWORTHY FINDS at

FIND EVERYTHING YOUR BODY NEEDS FROM MASSAGES TO FACIALS FIND EVERYTHING YOUR BODY NEEDS TO BODY SCULPTING FROM MASSAGES TO FACIALS TO BODY SCULPTING

(910) 420-8970 • BeesKneesPinehurst@yahoo.com 125 NC HWY• BeesKneesPinehurst@yahoo.com 73, at the corner of 15-501 (910) 420-8970 125 NC HWY 73, at the corner of 15-501

bookamassagebykathleen.com I’m Moving! bookamassagebykathleen.com 150 N Bennett Southern Pines I’mSt, Moving! (910) 691-1669 150 N Bennett St, Southern Pines (910) 691-1669

SSandhillS RenovationS llC andhillS RenovationS Large & SmallllC Jobs

Remodeling • Windows Remodeling • Windows Door • Siding • Sunrooms Door • Siding • Sunrooms Screen Porches • Decks Screen Porches • Decks Termite Damage Repair Termite Damage Repair

Large & Small Jobs

Call for All Your Home Needs! Call for All Your Home Needs!

910.639.5626 or 910.507.0059 910.639.5626 910.507.0059 Free Estimatesor & Fully Insured

Interested Interested in Advertising? in Advertising?

910-227-3883 910-227-3883

Call 910.692.7271 Call 910.692.7271 Vintage Vintage Watches Wanted

We are so proud and grateful We sosuch proud and grateful to are have a wonderful to have a wonderful staffsuch of nurses! staff of nurses!

Watches ROLEX & TUDORWanted Omega ROLEX & TUDOR Hamilton Omega Breitling Hamilton Breitling Pilot-Diver Chronographs Pilot-Diver Military Watches Chronographs Military Buying oneWatches Watch or Collection Buying one Watch or Collection Confidential Cash Buyer Confidential Cash Buyer

Personal Care and Private Duty Nursing Medication Planning • MealDuty Preparation Personal Care and Private Nursing Medical Appointment Assistance Planning •isMeal Preparation Your hardMedication work and dedication appreciated every year, ••CNAs, RNs Available•• Medical Appointment Assistance but thishard past year hasLPNs, brought unique challengesevery that year, you Your work and dedication is appreciated RN Assessment with ongoing havepast handled with grace and professionalism. ••CNAs, LPNs, RNs Available•• but Complimentary this year has brought unique challenges that you supervision and care management RNat Assessment with Home ongoing havefrom handled grace andHorizons professionalism. ThankComplimentary you all ofwith us Bright Care! NC Licensed and Nationally Accredited and management Thank you supervision from all of us at care Bright Horizons Home Care! NC Licensed and Nationally Accredited

Ed Hicks Ed Hicks Vintage Watch Collector Vintage Watch Collector 910.425.7000 or 910.977.5656

www.battlefieldmuseum.org 910.425.7000 or 910.977.5656

24 hour, 7 days a week availability • NO availability CONTRACTS REQUIRED 24 hour, 7 days a week

www.warpathmilitaria.com www.battlefieldmuseum.org www.warpathmilitaria.com

110-B Applecross Roada•week Pinehurst, NC 28374 NO 24 hour, 7 days aCONTRACTS week availability •REQUIRED NO availability CONTRACTS REQUIRED 24 hour, 7 days

Free Estimates & Fully Insured

110-B Applecross Road • Pinehurst, NO CONTRACTS REQUIRED 110-B Applecross Road NC 28374

Pinehurst, NC 28374 110-B Applecross Road

Awa rPinehurst, d WNC in28374 ning Pressure Washing 910-246-0586 Awa rd Winning Pressure Washing 910-246-0586 for

Plumbing Plumbing with with Pride Pride since since 1965 1965 Tired of running out of hot water? We’ve got your Tired of running out of hot water? We’ve got yoursolution! solution! Gas • Plumbing • Remodeling • Water Heaters Gas • Plumbing • Remodeling • Water Heaters Drain DrainCleaning Cleaning••Water WaterSewer Sewer 24/7 24/7EMERGENCY EMERGENCYSERVICE SERVICE || 910-295-0152 910-295-0152 MENTION MENTIONTHIS THISAD ADFOR FOR

25 25OFF OFFAny AnyRepair Repair

Tree TreeRemoval Removal Stump Grinding & Removal Stump Grinding & Removal Trimming Trimming&&Pruning Pruning 24/7Emergency Tree Services 24/7Emergency Tree Services Call Callor orText Text910.882.2802 910.882.2802for foraaFree FreeEstimate Estimate www.precisiontreetrim.com www.precisiontreetrim.com Licensed, Licensed,Bonded Bonded&&Insured Insured

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SERVICES SERVICES

HOUSE WASHING HOUSE WASHING WINDOW CLEANING WINDOW CLEANING GUTTER CLEANING GUTTER CLEANING CONTACT US! CONTACT US!

for

ter

for

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ROOF CLEANING ROOF CLEANING DRIVEWAY CLEANING DRIVEWAY CLEANING DRYER VENT CLEANING DRYER VENT CLEANING 910-986-9013 910-986-9013

www.gentlerenew.com www.gentlerenew.com

Visit

online @ www.pinestrawmag.com www.pinestrawmag.com The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

February PineNeedler By Mart Dickerson ACROSS 1. Mature 5. “___ as it is...” 9. Breakfast sizzler 14. Like garage sale buys 15. Eye 16. Accustom 17. All there, mentally 18. Apple spray 19. Acclaim 20. World’s smallest republic 22. Brings down, as a tree 23. Arctic, Atlantic, or Pacific 24. No-see-ums 26. Oolong, for one 29. Stop working 33. Colorful bird 38. Colorful bird 39. On the safe side, at sea 40. Durable beige fabric 42. Chorus member 43. Italian money 45. Alongside 47. Stashed 48. Automatic tournament advance 49. Bundle, as arrows or corn 52. Corpulent 57. Broke the silence

60. Outcome of a doctor’s exam 63. Papal court 64. Ancient Andean 65. “___ It Romantic?” 66. “You ___ kidding!” 67. Wood sorrels 68. Dressing ingredient 69. “Ick!” 70. Send by FedEx or UPS 71. One rating the merchandise DOWN 1. ___-Japanese War 2. Inventor Newton 3. Pasta choice 4. Swelling 5. Fly high 6. ___ fruit, Jamaican tangelo 7. Bell sound 8. Colorful bird 9. Protein-rich broth (2 wds) 10. Of one’s lineage 11. Collect or gather 12. Spoken exam 13. Brings home 21. Against prefix 25. Arsenal storage 27. Make information secret

Mardi Gras Is for the Birds (February is “National Feed the Birds” month!)

28. Spa sound 30. “___ be a cold day in hell ...” 31. Baptism, for one 32. Carbon compound 33. Bounders 34. Came down 35. Nevada gambling mecca

36. 37. 41. 44. 46. 50. 51. 53.

Indian hides and pelts Rim Apprehend Cooks, as leftovers Long, long time Mexican send-off Colorful bird Idaho town

54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 61. 62.

English written exam Burn Banana oil, e.g. Heroin, slangily Cat sound Sandwich cookie Healthy berry Astonished reaction

3 4 6 Puzzle answers on page 122 Mart Dickerson lives in Southern Pines and welcomes suggestions from her fellow puzzle masters. She can be reached at martaroonie@gmail.com.

Sudoku:

Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every 3x3 box contain the numbers 1-9. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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SOUTHWORDS

Driving for Dumplings

When you’re running on empty

We hit the foodie jackpot one

afternoon almost two years ago. It was a bitter, wet day. Icy rain pelted the already frozen streets of Chapel Hill. We shuffled down unsalted sidewalks, trying not to slip while hastily searching for shelter. “Dim sum! Let’s go there,” I said, pointing to a red neon sign with a bloodless, frostbitten index finger.

My husband, Drew, and I ducked into the dive, sloughed off our coats and plunked down at a four-top beneath a black and white wallpaper of what I assumed was historical Shanghai. After a flip through a laminated menu, Drew ordered the orange chicken, I opted for the sesame, and we picked dumplings to share — a No. 1, the pork soup dumplings. I dove in. One of the dumplings burst in my mouth. “Oh, hot, hot!” My internal temperature wheeled from frigid to blistering. I immediately poked for another. The flavor was so full and delicious the scalding liquid couldn’t stop me. “How do they get the soup in there?” Drew wasn’t listening. “I’d request these for my last meal,” he said. “Pork soup dumplings — so good, it’s impossible not to moan while eating them,” a Yelp review said. Recently Drew attended a going-away party at some watering hole next to a Food Lion in a strip mall. We moped inside, sacrificing our introverted couple’s night for The Electric Slide blaring above a dance floor sardined with people wearing glow-in-the-dark free-drink wristbands — an atmosphere fit for a reboot of The Twilight Zone. There was a stale smorgasbord of plastic baskets with tater tots, limp French fries and soaking-wet wings. We glanced at each other, down at our watches, back at each other. How long do we have to stay? said his eyes. Without being rude? my eyes replied.

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“An hour,” I said. Drew did the mental calculations. “An hour and a half to Chapel Hill gets us there at 8:30.” I raised my eyebrows. “Dumplings?” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’ll be late, but . . . ” A colleague slipped out the door, breaking the invisible seal. We were in his wake, thanked him for the cover, and dashed to our truck. By 8:40, we plunked down at our four-top, waved away the menu and ordered our usual: pork soup dumplings and a few dishes in a supporting role. “Oh, hot, hot!” I yelped, the dumpling bursting in my mouth as I poked around for another. “How do they get the soup in there?” I asked. “I’d request these for my last meal,” Drew said between slurps. The restaurant was empty except for a family of three socially distanced and catty-corner from us. “We’ll take an order of the pork soup dumplings,” the man said. “Sorry,” the waiter replied. “We’re out.” My dumpling slid sadly down my throat. What does he mean, ‘Out?’ How could that be? The magical little pouches are no different than any other dish. I believed down in my gut that pork soup dumplings materialized by wizardry or a magical snap of the fingers. The man’s shoulders sagged. “Do you normally run out this time of night?” His wife asked. The waiter nodded. “Usually after 8.” I stared at Drew. “We drove an hour-and-a-half to get the last order,” I whispered. He raised his eyebrows and snatched another dumpling between his chopsticks. “Lucky us.” And always worth the gamble. PS Jenna Biter is a writer, entrepreneur and military wife in the Sandhills. She can be reached at jennabiter@protonmail.com. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ILLUSTRATION BY MERIDITH MARTENS

By Jenna Biter

Our Communities Feel Different Because They Are NATIONALLY ACCREDITED LIFE PLAN COMMUNITIES Independent Living | Assisted Living | Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation

Independent Living at Pine Knoll

Independent Living at Belle Meade

With a variety and choice of comfortable residences with convenience to attractive and purposeful senior living amenities, Pine Knoll offers history and comfort.

Surrounded by lush greenery, Belle Meade is a gated, resort-style community that offers a wide variety of senior living options, including spacious homes and lavish apartments.

Call today to schedule your visit! For more information, call 910-246-1023 or visit www.sjp.org.

Southern Pines

Buyer, Purveyor & Appraiser of Fine and Estate Jewellery 229 NE Broad Street • Southern Pines, NC • (910) 692-0551 Mother and Daughter Leann and Whitney Parker Look Forward to Welcoming You to WhitLauter. @whitlauter_jewelers

February PineStraw 2022

Articles inside

Sout hwords By Jenna Biter

Out of t he Blue By Debora h Sa lomon

Hometow n By Bill Fields

T he Acc ident a l Sout her ner By Nan Gra ham

Birdwatch By Susan Campbell

Good Nat ured By K aren Fr ye

Crossroads By L isa Weiss

PineNeed ler By Mar t Dickerson

In t he Spir it By Tony Cross