April PineStraw 2014 by PineStraw Magazine

Fine Homes . . . www.prudentialpinehurst.com

Old Town: Own a piece of Pinehurst, NC history! Enjoy magnificent entertainmet areas which boast 2-stone floor-toceiling fireplaces, beamed ceilings, hrdwd, columns, arched doorways & more. Owner will consider Sell or Trade. Linda Criswell 910.783.7374

Coming April 18th

Knollwood Heights: A true Southern Pines treasure built by Donald Ross in the 1920’s. Enchanting estate! Leaded windows, wide plank original oak flooring, New Kitchen, 3-Frplcs. 4BR/7.5BA. $1,495,000 Maureen Clark 910.315.1080

Old Town: “Shadowlawn” - Finest estate in Pinehurst. Over 1.5 private acres of lush landscaping. 7-Frplcs, Elevator, Recreation Room. 6BR/7BA/2HBA. Guest House. $1,495,000 Emily Hewson 910.315.3324

CCNC: Golf front- overlooks pond & 10th hole of Cardinal. Stunning architectural detail. Open floor plan. High ceilings, 2-Frplcs, paneled library & more. 4BR/4BA/2HBA. $1,475,000 Maureen Clark 910.315.1080

www.BhhSprg.Com Old Town: Former Rectory House - Masterful renovation! Gourmet kitchen w/granite, 2-dishwasher, 2-sinks, Sub Zero refrigerator.5BR/5BA/2HBA. So much history! $1,275,000 Emily Hewson 910.315.3324

Forest Creek: On 13th Green of North Course. 1,900sf of outdoor entertaining. Lives cozy for 2 or spacious & private for a family. Furnished & Prof. Decorated. 5Bdrm/5Bath. $995,000 Beverly Del Guidice 910.603.9903

Old Town: “Liscombe Cottage” - History & Charm. Totally renovated with quality, elegance & exquisite detail inside & out. Separate Guest Cottage. 4BR/4BA. $1,150,000 Emily Hewson 910.315.3324

Lake Front 7 Lakes West: www.103CookPoint.com 4BR/3.5BA exceptional home & lot on Lake Auman. Magnificent lake view! Bulk-head, boat dock! Superior workmanship by Yates Hussey Construction. $975,000 Frank Sessoms 910.639.3099

Pinehurst: 910.295.5504

Fairwoods on 7: Golf Front! Dramatic, comfortable lving room/library, tiger wood flooring, gourmet kitchen opens to family room. 3BR/3BA/2HBA.4-Season Spa. Built to Green Specifications. $950,000 Maureen Clark 910.315.1080

Southern Pines: 910.692.2635

Log on to www.prudentialpinehurst.com FOR OUR Easy Search OR “SNAP & SEARCH” by snapping a picture of the “TAG READER” with your smartphone.

in the Sandhills www.prudentialpinehurst.com

Pinewild: Classic Home with French Country Flair. Gourmet Kitchen. Two Fireplaces. Oval Screened Porch. 2 Waterfalls. Quality Construction. Fabulous Landscaping & 1.4Ac of Privacy! $795,000 Pat Wright 910.691.3224

Pinewild: Fantastic View! A panorama of Pinewild CCs Holly Course #11, #12, #13 & Lake! Gorgeous open floor plan. Beautiful Study with curved wall of windows. 4BR/4.5BA. $774,500 Pat Wright 910.691.3224

CCNC: Waterfront home on two lots. Beautiful rustic con-

Old Town: Dream golf retreat! Spacious, open plan, family

Waterfront Lake Pinehurst: Live like you are on vacation! Fantastic water views from the Living, Family and Carolina Rooms. 3 Bedroom / 2 Bath. 305 SW Lake Forest. $529,000 Bonnie Baker 910.690.4705

Walk to Village: Fantastic opportunity to live in a gorgeous home near everything. Hardwood flrs, gourmet kitchen, 4BRs, 3.5BAs, plus Bonus. 1/2 Acre with fenced yard. Storage galore. Quality throughout. $517,125 Pat Koubek 910.692.8520

Weymouth Heights: Owner downsizing...your opportunity for a spacious house in serene setting! Fabulous Kitchen & great room overlooking pool. Min. to downtown! 4Bdrm/3Bath, 2-Car Garage. $483,000 Mav Hankey 910.603.3589

MidSouth Golf Club: Golf front on #11 Tee Box of a Par 3.

CCNC: Situated on 3.3 acres beneath lush foilage and mature landscaping. Interior is heart pine from 1811 Seagrove home. Potting shed. 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths. Owner/Broker. $360,000 Joel Rich 910.315.4009

Aronimink: Pristine, Golf Front Condo with Golf & Lake views. Hardwood in Living/Dining areas. PCC Membership. Open Tickets for Two. Furnishings Available. 3BR/3BA. $269,900 Debbie Darby 910.783.5193

Golf Terrace: Beautifully Furnished Condo, end unit, lower

Old Town: Charming 4BR/2BA Cottage 3 blks from Village. Heart pine floors & frplace. Renovated & added onto in 2000. Carolina Rm, Ktchn opens to Family Rm. Deck overlooks private grounds. Emily Hewson 910.315.3324

room, game room, hardwood flooring, gourmet ktchn w/ granite & cherry cabinetry. Master opens to back porch. 4BR/3.5BA. $699,000 Maureen Clark 910.315.1080

Unique custom featurs throughout! 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths. $449,900 Debbie Darby 910.783.5193

level, view of 18th green on PCC Course #5. Spectacular recent renovation. Units are seldom on the Market. Don’t miss the opportunity! $195,000 Beverly Del Guidice 910.603.9903

temporary with many renovations. In ‘04 - ‘05 new master bath and laundry/hobby room. Double fireplace between living room & den. Very Private. $750,000 Joel Rich 910.315.4009

www.2014pinehurstgolfrentals.com © 2013 BRER Affiliates LLC. An independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates LLC. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license with no other affiliation with Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity

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PineStraw M A G A Z I N E

Jim Dodson, Editor 910.693.2506 • jim@pinestrawmag.com Andie Stuart Rose, Art Director 910.693.2467 • andie@pinestrawmag.com Kira Schoenfelder, Graphic Designer 910.693.2508 • kira@pinestrawmag.com

named a top 100 hospital with great neurosurgery and spine programs – becker’s hospital review

Lauren Shumaker, Graphic Designer 910.693.2469 • lauren@pinestrawmag.com Serena Brown, Associate Editor 910.693.2522, serena@pinestrawmag.com Judi Hewett, Graphic Designer 910.693.2464 Brianna Cunningham, Graphic Designer contributing Editors Deborah Salomon, Staff Writer Stephen E. Smith, Staff Writer Mary Novitsky, Proofreader Sara King, Proofreader contributing Photographers John Gessner, Tim Sayer

capeable

of bringing you hope and healing

Contributors Tom Allen, Cos Barnes, Tom Bryant, Susan Campbell, Geoff Cutler, Al Daniels, Annette Daniels, Kimberly Daniels, Mart Dickerson, T.X. Dodger, Sarah Edwards, Robyn James, Jan Leitschuh, Meridith Martens, Dale Nixon, Lee Pace, Jeanne Paine, Gayvin Powers, Toby Raymond, Sandra Redding, Debra Regula, Sally Ronalter, Noah Salt, Astrid Stellanova, Brandi Swarms, Angie Tally

PS David Woronoff, Publisher Advertising Sales

Pat Taylor, Advertising Director

If you or a loved one has a neurological problem, you may not know where to turn. You may even think you need to travel out of town to an academic medical center for treatment. Cape Fear Valley Neurology and Cape Fear Valley Neurosurgery offer comprehensive treatment and surgery right here in Fayetteville: Headaches : Dementia : Movement Disorders : Neuropathies : Neuromuscular Diseases Stroke and TIA : Epilepsy and Seizures : Trigeminal Neuralgia Brain Tumors : Aneurysms : Simple and Complex Spinal Disorders : Neurosurgical Management of Pain Together these specialists bring hope and healing to patients from all over the Cape Fear Region and beyond. Call to learn more about your treatment options. [910] 615-3350.

Ginny Trigg, PineStraw Sales Coordinator 910.693.2481 • ginny@thepilot.com Deborah Fernsell, 910.693.2516 Terry Hartsell, 910.693.2513 Perry Loflin, 910.693.2514 Darlene McNeil-Smith, 910.693.2519 Meagan Powell, 910.693.3569 Johnsie Tipton, 910.693.2515 Karen Triplett, 910.693.2510 Advertising Graphic Design

Kathryn Galloway 910.693.2509 • kathryn@thepilot.com Mechelle Butler, Clay Culberson, Maegan Lea Subscriptions & Circulation

Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488

PineStraw Magazine

neurosurgery and spine www.capefearvalley.com/neuro

145 W. Pennsylvania Avenue Southern Pines, NC 28387 pinestraw@thepilot.com • www.pinestrawmag.com ©Copyright 2014. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. PineStraw magazine is published by The Pilot LLC

April 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Improve your lie. Engineered to help relieve back pain, The DUX Bed uses a component system configured to provide continuous, pressure-free support.

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April 2014

Volume 9, No. 4

Features

61 Controlled Burn at Reservoir Park

70 Hollywood in the Pines By Noah Salt Was that who we think it was?

Poetry by Sarah Edwards

72 Story of a House By Deborah Salomon

An unforgettable trip to the forbidden island of the Caribbean.

83 April Almanac By Noah Salt

62 On Cuban Time By Susan McCrimmon 66 The Angel Carver By Gayvin Powers

The inside story on a beautiful Southern Pines house that defies classification. Plants with benefits and the Green Man Cometh

In learning to carve, Mickey Presser, aka Mickeyangelo, found grace and healing one precious object at a time.

68 Crowning Glories By Gayvin Powers

Our salute to the hats and hooves of Stoneybrook Steeplechase.

Departments

7 Sweet Tea Chronicles Jim Dodson

10 PinePitch 13 Cos and Effect Cos Barnes

15 The Omnivorous Reader Stephen E. Smith

19 Bookshelf 23 N.C. Writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Notebook Sandra Redding

25 Sandhills Photography Club 29 Hitting Home Dale Nixon

49 The Evolving Species T.X. Dodger

51 Birdwatch Susan Campbell

53 The Sporting Life Tom Bryant

57 Golftown Journal Lee Pace

Jan Leitschuh

84 Calendar 97 SandhillSeen 107 Thoughts From the Man Shed

Deborah Salomon

109 The Accidental Astrologer

Robyn James

111 PineNeedler

Gayvin Powers

112 SouthWords

31 Seen and Unseen Tom Allen

33 The Kitchen Garden 39 Food for Thought 41 Vine Wisdom 43 Pleasures of Life Dept. 47 Out of the Blue

Geoff Cutler

Astrid Stellanova Mart Dickerson Sally Ronalter

Deborah Salomon

Cover Photograph by Tim Sayer, Model Whitney Parker, Hat Design by Andy Pellegrino, Makeup by Megan Weitzel, Styling by Sherry Samkus 4

April 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

FOXFIRE

$298,000

Gorgeous new construction in Foxfire! Open floor plan with soaring ceilings, hardwood floors, stone fireplace and expansive deck area. This home also offers a gourmet kitchen with beautiful custom cabinets, upscale appliances and tile floors. Oversized master bedroom and bath. A unique and very special property! 3 BR / 2.5 BA

Code 1102

1 N. Wrenn Place

SOUTHERN PINES

$235,000

PINEWILD

3 BR / 2.5 BA

Code 1119

215 Canterbury Road

$450,000

“Talent, Technology & TEAMWORK” Moore County’s Most Trusted Real Estate Team

This lovely one story brick home was custom built by Bonville Construction and is located on the Holly Course of Pinewild Country Club. Rothes Court is a quiet, heavily wooded cul-desac. The home is open and light with spacious, inviting rooms and an extended patio area to enjoy the wonderful golf course views. Pinehurst Country Club membership is available! 3 BR / 2 BA

Code 1116

FOXFIRE

$359,000

Code 1113

Code 1088

WHISPERING PINES

459 Longleaf Drive

$235,000

$585,000 Aberdeen $145,500 Pinehurst Fantastic, all-brick golf front home Cute home on large corner lot 4 BR / 3.5 BA 3 BR / 2 BA www.80LakewoodDrive.com www.110RavenswoodRoad.com

Wonderfully unique home located on the 12th green of the West Course at Foxfire Golf Course! Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s renowned apprentice, Eleanor Petterson and built by Cranford Garner, this is truly a one of a kind home with many incredible design features. Floor to ceiling window walls let in- plenty of light, but the heavily wooded lot - almost an acre- offers plenty of privacy. Living area are open with hand-built stone fireplaces. Very special home! 5 BR / 3 BA

Beautifully designed to capture all the wonderful water views, this custom built Lake Auman waterfront home is bright and open, built to enjoy! All the rooms are spacious and well designed, there is a lower level with additional living space, bedroom space and all important workshop - great for guests and family! Best price on the lake! 3 BR / 2.5 BA

12 Rothes Court

$258.000 $179,000 Southern Pines Pinehurst $199,900 Foxfire Lovely and pristine in Longleaf CC Lovely updated golf-front home Cute cottage w/nice renovations 3 BR / 2 BA 3 BR / 2 BA 4 BR / 4.5 BA www.205HunterTrail.com www.4DogwoodCourt.com www.17ChestnutLane.com Wonderful two story home in popular Sandhurst area of Southern Pines! Your family will love the cozy comfort of this spacious home. All the bedrooms are located on the second floor and offers an upstairs bonus room with closets! Recent improvements include a new kitchen with new cabinets, appliances and flooring, a new master bath walk-in shower and flooring, all new windows, fencing and a new hot water heater. This is a great neighborhood and is conveniently located close to Ft. Bragg!

SEVEN LAKES WEST

$442,000

19 Ridge Road

This immaculate home is pretty as a picture and located on an oversized lot with lots of tress and great privacy. The owner was the builder so there are lots of nice upgrades with hardwood floors, crown molding and custom cabinets. The lot next door is also available so you could have several acres of land in popular Farm Life School District. 3 BR / 2 BA

Code 1118

3129 Niagara Carthage Road

$329,000 $890,000 Longleaf CC $449,000 Pinehurst $239,000 CCNC Pinehurst $75,000 Pinehurst Custom Built Villa Overlooking Water Custom built all brick golf-front home Brick single story w/view of 17th green Covered porch & large fenced lot Updated Immaculate Golf View Condo 3 BR / 2 BA 4 BR / 4 Full & 2 Half Baths 3 BR / 2.5 BA $395,000 3 BR / 2.5 BA BR / 1 BA WEST $265,000 SEVEN 1LAKES CCNC PINEWILD $337,500 www.16SteeplechaseWay.com www.110HearthstoneRoad.com www.8RoyalDornoch.com www.210StAndrewsCondo.com www.1340BurningTreeRoad.com

$1,295,000 $189,000 Pinehurst $269,000 Pinehurst $475,000 Pinebluff 7 Lakes West $635,000 Pinehurst Stunning custom home in Fairwoods on 7 Charming brick ranch home GorgeoustownhomeintheheartoftheVillage Open plan, gourmet kitchen, pool & more! Stunning All Brick Water Front 4 BAgolf & 2front Half BANew hardwood 3 BRexpansive / 2 BAgolf views and convenient one level living4inBR 3 BR / 2.5 BA 3 BR / 2.5 BA This elegant custom built Villa in CCNC 3 BR / 4.5 BA Enjoy this / beautiful home! This elegant home, custom built by Bolton Builders won the 2005 Judges Choice Award enjoys a gorgeous setting overlooking water on floors greet you on entry and continue throughout all the main living areas! Spacious living and dining area from the Moore County Homebuilders and it’s easy to see why! Immaculately maintained, www.170InverraryRoad.com www.145SugarPineDrive.com www.105MastersWay.com www.6HollyHouse.com www.135AndrewsDrive.com an oversized lot. Home is located on one lot and has a half lot on either side for complete the home offers an open floor plan, high ceilings, split bedrooms, hardwood flooring, separate office and formal dining room. Great curb appeal and well landscaped yard. Easy walking distance to the marina swimming area and playground! 3 BR / 2 Full & 2 Half BA

PINEHURST

Code 1117

108 Smathers Drive

$585,000

privacy. Lovely water views from the large private patio and interior living areas, including a large Carolina room. 3 BR / 2.5 BA

Code 841

MID-SOUTH CLUB

8 Royal Dornoch Drive

$250,000

offer crown molding, chandelier, and wide golf course views. Gourmet kitchen features custom wood cabinets, under-cabinet task lighting, new granite countertops & appliances. Kitchen opens up to a wonderful family room w/cozy fireplace flanked by bookshelves and Built in TV w/surround sound. 3 BR / 2.5 BA

Code 1040

PINEHURST

13 Devon Drive

$399,000

$269,900 $187,900 Pinehurst $185,000 Southern Pines $225,000 Pinebluff Pinehurst $375,000 Foxfire Great home in family- friendly neighborhood Stunning new construction condo Golf front new construction in The Pines Immaculate all-brick w/golf views Elegant & luxurious w/spacious rooms 5 BR / 3 BA 3 BR / 2.5 BA 3 BR / 2 BA 2 BR / 2 BA 4 BR / 3 BA www.23BerylCircle.com www.100CypressCircle.com www.153LaurelOakLane.com www.18ShamrockDrive.com www.10StantonCircle.com

Exquisite townhome right in the heart of the Village. This gorgeous second floor home is Gorgeous golf front home with expansive long views and wonderful privacy. This special home features Pristine and ready for the new buyer, this charming Abbey model features two master suites easily accessed by elevator and enjoys private views of downtown Pinehurst shaded by huge hardwood floors throughout the main living areas, gourmet kitchen with granite countertops and stainwith private baths and huge walk-in closets. Owner has updated with cherry hardwood oak trees. The property has been completely with deep crown molding, hardwood Sevenrenovated Lakes South $279,500 Seven Lakes West $298,000 $895,000 Pinehurst $241,000andPinehurst South $199,000 less steel Seven appliances,Lakes deep crown moldings, two gas log fireplaces and a screened porch that’s perfect for tile floors, maple cabinets and plantation shutters. floors, state of the art kitchen and much more. High ceilings and oversized cool mornings and relaxing afternoons. The spacious downstairs area features a bedroom and bath suite, Completely golf front home Gorgeous in the Old Great family home w/private back yard Charming golfandfront w/panoramic Kitchen features stainlesshome steel appliances. GreatTown golf views! Wonderful 2-story home on cul-de-sac windows give a wonderful open feelrenovated to the floor plan. study or den with fireplace views of the course -great forview an office, also - a separate workshop!

4 BR / 3 BA 3 BR / 2.5 BA 4 BR / 3.5 BA Code 1039 80 Lakewood Drive 2 BR / 2 BA www.11GraysonLane.com www.122DevonshireAvenue.com

4 BR / 3.5 BA Code 1084 127 W. Chelsea Court www.50OrangeRoad.com

4 BR / 3BA 3 BR / 2.5 BA www.108Rector.com

3 BR / 3.5 BA 6 Holly House www.117OxfordCourt.com

Code 910

View Floor Plans andTours Virtual of Our Listings andListings See ALL Moore Information County at View Floor Plans and Virtual of OurTours Listings and See ALL Moore County and Community Listings and Community Information at

www.MarthaGentry.com www.MarthaGentry.coM

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

Military?!Check out our Military Advantage Program at www.MarthaGentry.com

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

PLAY

Must be 62 or older.

After a lifetime of work, it’s time you relaxed and enjoyed yourself. There’s no better place to play than Belle Meade and Pine Knoll. These two beautiful, engaging communities offer an endless array of events and activities, plenty of fun-loving neighbors to share them with, and the added security of the St. Joseph of the Pines continuum of care should you ever need it. So let the fun begin.

CALL TODAY – 910.246.1008

Where life just keeps getting better. 6

Southern Pines, North Carolina • www.sjp.org • 910.246.1008 April 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A . .member . . . . . .of . .the . . St. . . .Joseph . . . . .of . the . . .Pines . . . . Aging . . . . .Services . . . . . .Network . . . . . . .continuing . . . . . . . .the . . legacy . . . . . of . .the . . .Sisters PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills of Providence.

sweet tea chronicles

Life on the Wing

By Jim Dodson

It’s funny

to think something so simple could give so many years of uncomplicated pleasure.

Then again, maybe that’s one of life’s truest messages. Simpler is always better. I’m speaking, of course, of the crumbling bird feeder that graces my backyard garden. It’s is a well-loved and well-traveled friend. My old high school English teacher Miss Emily Dickinson — her real name, by the way, and a red-lipped spinster to boot — would be horrified by such poor usage, firmly noting that it’s grammatically impossible to have an inanimate object as a “friend” because friends are living and breathing entities, equally impossible to “love” anything except other human beings, though I’m not sure there were many of those in Miss Emily’s grammatically pristine life. At risk of earning her wrath from beyond the grave, I hereby repeat my oath of love for my aging friend the bird feeder because it is absolutely alive and breathing with birds of all sorts and has been for nearly two decades now, even though it’s beginning to fall apart at the seams, not unlike its owner these days. I bought it on the side of a coast road in Maine one late autumn afternoon not long after my wife and I moved into the post-and-beam house we built upon a forested hill. This was the year my daughter, Maggie, was born, 1989. An old man was selling a dozen or so of his homemade birdhouses and feeders from the flatbed of his pickup truck. The houses were beautiful affairs, painted white with elegant gables and fancy copper roofs. The feeders, which came in three sizes, were unpainted models of pure functional simplicity — basic affairs open on all four sides, with ample room for birds to gather beneath a peaked roof. I bought one of the fancy birdhouses and took it home for my newly laid out “Southern” garden that was protected from the north wind and received the most sun. It looked great standing in the garden, a luxury home for some lucky bird. Curiously, though, after two weeks not a single bird showed up to claim the house. A month passed and not a single bird even poked its head in to investigate.

By then the weather was closing fast. In Maine, winter hits like the bite of an ax. I happened to be taking that same coast road when I saw the old man and his pickup truck parked by the side of the road. The fancy copper-roofed birdhouses were all gone. But there were still a few of the large, simple, unpainted feeders left. Against my better judgment, I pulled over and bought one. He didn’t seem to recognize me, and I didn’t bother telling him his fancy birdhouse had no interested takers. He sold me the feeder for half price. I took it home and mounted it on a post in the rapidly hardening ground just outside our den window, just as the first snowflakes began to fill the air. I drove to the feed store in town and asked the clerk what seed would work best in my simple open feeder. She told me a 50-pound bag of sunflower seeds. I went home and filled up the feeder. Early the next morning, there was a foot of snow on the roof of the birdfeeder — and maybe half a dozen black and white chickadees feeding like crazy in the feeder. I remember getting the first cup of coffee and just sitting down in my favorite wing chair to watch them go at it. I was transfixed. The thermometer outside read 12 degrees. I think I went through two 50-pound bags that winter. No matter the temperature, the chickadees were always there, flitting in, flitting out, remarkable creatures, an ounce of feathers on the wing, ounce for ounce the toughest creature in the Maine woods. In spring, returning robins showed up at the feeder, followed by noisy jays and even a pesky red squirrel that caused Riley the dog to park himself by the window and growl menacingly at the intruder. To the delight of our infant daughter, who loved to watch the birds along with her old man, a favorite daily excitement was to let Riley out the kitchen door in order to tear around the house and chase off the squirrel, who only once dawdled long enough to nearly get caught. The lady at the feed store advised me I needed to upgrade to a swanky squirrel-proof feeder with an inverted plexiglass bowl beneath the feeding area and slotted glass vents that regulated the amount of seed consumed, preventing costly spillage. The rig she showed me cost nearly a hundred dollars.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

910-295-9040

Buying or Selling?

Invite us in, we’ll bring results.

20 Muster Branch, Where’s that?

Exquisite setting, this hidden gem crowns the 6th and 4th fairways of legendary Pinehurst No.2. Call for directions.

$2,250,000. Debra Serino Brenner • 910.315.9051

115 Graham Road, Village of Pinehurst Not your mother’s floor plan! Exceptional one acre setting. Gourmet kitchen, 3 car garage. $649,000. Victoria Adkins • 910.315.9000

180 North Ridge Street, Southern Pines

Charming Weymonth 1930’s cottage 4 BR/2.5 BA. Walking distance to downtown. It’s a gem!

$525,000. Inge Dahl • 910.690.3531

Suzanne Colmer April 2014 . Broker

910.639.9494

110 Hearthstone Road, Pinehurst

Prestigious Fairwoods on 7 home. Beautiful frontage and views of 17th fairway.

$890,000. John McNeill • 910.638.9158

1. Old Town Pinehurst 2. Village Acres 3. Cotwold Townhomes 4. The Arboretum, SouthernPInes

$410,000. $229,000. $349,000. $339,900.

3 Sugar Gum Lane, Pinehurst 4 BR/3.5 BA in Lake Pinehurst area. Mature lot, heated pool, 14 foot ceilings, hardwood floors, new HVAC. $359,000. Alex Reed • 910.603.6997

www.WRTAC.com

30 Chinquapin Road Village of Pinehurst, NC 28374

20 Shaw Road, Old Town Pinehurst “Hillcrest Cottage” Consider purchasing the adjacent lot and own the entire block! Exquisite setting, elegant home. $990,000. John McNeill • 910.638.9158

15 Barrett Road East, Village of Pinehurst

Meticulous total restoration on 1.29 acre private lot. Stunning Carolina Room, high end kitchen, hardwood throughout.

$649,000. Suzanne Colmer • 910.639.9494

51 Richmond Road, Foxfire Beautiful custom home in gorgeous setting on the Red Fox 15th hole. Open floor plan, granite, SS appliances. $282,000. Jodie Fondrie • 910.639.9788

Wink Kinney

Victoria Adkins

Bob Brooks

Linda Harte

John McNeill

Jodie Fondrie

Bob Carmen

Inge Dahl

Alex Reed

Patti Mahood

Debra Serino Brenner

910.690.6568

910.315.9000

910.690.1575

910.922.1767

910.638.9158

910.639.9788

910.215.3764

910.690.3531

910.603.6997

910.723.8803

910.315.9051

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sweet tea chronicles

But there was, I confess, something beautiful and primal about the wideopen feathered mayhem that happened at any moment in my wide-open democratic bird feeder. Life in the wilds of Maine — anywhere, really — is a balancing act between here and now, life and death, survival and extinction. A bird never ponders any of this, of course. Only we devoted bird watchers marvel at such faith on the wing. Consider the birds of the air, said St. Matthew; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Gorgeous gray and red-striped finches along with handsome yellow-throated evening grosbeaks the size of a lady’s evening shoe dropped by to eat their fill, and even a pair of Baltimore orioles visited for a solid week in late Yankee spring. I had a silly mental image in my head of word passing among the birds that an avian soup kitchen had opened up and all were welcome, come as you are. I soon bought a small book to try to identify the many new visitors — grackles, starlings, wrens and waxwings. Barn swallows, towhees and several kinds of sparrow. Once I looked out and saw a magnificent red-tail hawk trying to muscle in on the dining action, too big to shelter under the feeder’s roof. After a long day doing battle with uncooperative words or simply trying to keep up with my young rambunctious family, the parade of birds and constantly changing variety at my feeder were a tonic to the soul, a living metaphor for these transient moments of life — a reminder to pause and take notice of the beauty right before my nose. I often sat with my daughter, and soon her little brother, watching the birds feed and finding a strange and welcome stillness in the end of my day. On the hardest winter days, those dive-bombing chickadees were nothing shy of an inspiration. When we moved home to North Carolina, I left behind the fancy birdhouse but dug up several of my prize hosta plants and — my very last act before driving away without looking back — took down my democratic bird feeder and placed it in the trunk of my car.

By then it was really showing its age and wear. Before I raised it again by a pair of trained Savannah hollies leaning over our backyard terrace, I replaced rotted pieces of the framing and tacked on a new roof, then gave the whole thing its first coat of paint. Almost eight years later, that old feeder is busier than ever, a Grand Central Station of Southern feeding birds — robins and Carolina wrens, nuthatches and mourning doves, swifts, fly-catchers, kingbirds, barn swallows and what seems to be a large and ever-expanding clan of cardinals. I’ve seen one bluebird but maybe a half a dozen pileated woodpeckers. Towhees and juncos are frequent visitors. Seated in my favorite Adirondack chair with a cold Sam Adams and my well-worn bird guide in hand, I’ve identified everything from pine siskins and a rare saltmarsh sparrow. One unforgettable evening I stepped out and surprised a dozen beautiful American gold finches perched on the edges, feeding. They flew off like a burst of gold in the still evening air. I even tolerate a pair of pesky gray squirrels who love to sneak along the top of the fence and gorge themselves when they think nobody is watching. My dog Mulligan lives to chase them off, a game she picked up from old Riley, who died a few years ago. Life hasn’t gotten any simpler since I bought my beloved bird feeder by the side of a lonely coastal road. My children have now grown up and flown the coop, and I’m still wrestling with uncooperative words. Yet the time I spend in my wooden chair just watching birds feed and the seasons come and go is still like a tonic to the soul — somehow feels more important than ever, a simple pleasure that reminds me to keep still and somehow keep the faith. These birds neither reap nor sow nor gather into barns, after all. But as long as this earthbound father is around, they’ll be welcome to eat at my old feeder. PS Contact editor Jim Dodson at jim@pinestrawmag.com.

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PinePitch Born in a Barn

On Thursday, April 6, Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Horseback Riding celebrates thirty years of service with a Spring Barn Dance featuring foot-stomping music by King Curtiss. The mission of Prancing Horse is to improve the physical and emotional well-being of special needs individuals through therapeutic horseback riding. Tickets: $50 (available at Given Book Shop, Cabin Branch, Lady Bedford’s, Moore Equine, Sandhills Winery). To reserve a table of eight: (910) 246-3202. The Fair Barn, 200 Beulah Hill Road South, Pinehurst. Info: www.prancing-horse.org.

Flowerly Pros

Meet the Farmers

On Super Bowl Sunday, Pennsylvania’s famed groundhog predicted another several weeks of winter, although he might have feigned early spring for proper incentive. Like expediting what happens at the Village of Pinehurst and nearby Cannon Park mid-April through late September. (Never mind that he’d need to travel over 500 miles for the organic fruits and fresh vegetables. You don’t.) On Saturday, April 12, meet area farmers and artisans — all from within a 75-mile radius — on Village Green Road in Pinehurst for the grand opening of the Sandhills Farmers Market, which features live music, face painting and chef demos by Elliott’s on Linden. The first markets of the season offer homegrown tomatoes, pasture-raised pork, free-range heritage eggs, fresh flowers, local honey, artisan baked goods, hand-crafted soaps and pottery. Sandhills Farmers Market is open Saturdays, April 12 – September 27, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. (Location: Sand Parking Lot, 1 Village Green Road, West); Wednesdays, April 16 – September 24, 2:30–5:30 p.m. (Location: Cannon Park, Rattlesnake Trail and Woods Road, Pinehurst). Information: sandhillsfarmersmarket.com; facebook.com/SFGMarket.

Be sure to stop and smell the flowers on Wednesday, April 9, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., during the Southern Pines Garden Club’s 2014 Home and Garden Tour. Stops showcase historic architecture and include a reinvented cottage, the 2013 Moore County Home Builders’ Home of the Year, a home in the heart of Horse Country, plus a house at the Country Club of North Carolina (CCNC). Outside: mini Edens. Inside: dazzling flower arrangement by the Southern Pines Garden Club. Proceeds benefit community landscape projects and help fund horticultural scholarships at Sandhills Community College. Tickets: $20/advance; $25. Tickets for lunch buffet at CCNC (11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.) available day of tour. Info: (910) 295-4617 or www.southernpinesgardenclub.com.

One Horse Town

Live from London’s West End, National Theatre presents War Horse, the international smash hit featuring astonishing life-sized puppets by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford, this landmark production takes the audience on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France. The music is stirring; the drama is gripping; the horses breathe and gallop as they charge to life on stage. Friday, April 11 (7 p.m.), Saturday, April 12 (2 & 7 p.m.) and Sunday, April 13 (2 & 7 p.m.) Tickets: $20. Sunrise Theater, 250 North West Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8501 or www.sunrisetheater.com.

Signs of Spring

Pollen aside, Southern Pines bursts with color this month — especially on Saturday, April 26, with bright-eyed children bouncing around in face paint and local vendors lining both sides of Broad Street to showcase their handmade wares. Springfest (arts, crafts, games, rides, food and entertainment), free to attend, runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., same day as Tour de Moore, the oldest road race in the South. Cyclists start at the Campbell House on East Connecticut Avenue; course features a 27-mile rolling loop of the Fort Bragg Military Reservation. Info: www.southernpines.biz/event/springfest; www.sandhillscyclingclub.org/tourdemooreroadrace.html

April 2014P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

For Old Times’ Sake

Once deemed the Dewberry Capital of the World, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Cameron was a bustling commercial center with general stores, turpentine distilleries, a millstone company, and the largest department store between Richmond and Augusta. Much of the old architecture still stands, including the Muse Bros. Store, which, like several buildings along this one-mile stretch, now houses various antique dealers. Rain or shine, Cameron’s annual Spring Antiques Street Fair — we’re talking over 300 dealers lining the charming streets of the historic antique district — takes place on Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food and parking provided by local churches and civic groups, or consider stopping by the Dewberry Deli, located inside an old hardware and mule auction center, for a slice of pie. Info: (910) 245-3055; (910) 245-3020; www.antiquesofcameron.com.

Fine and Dandy

Last month, for the first of three fine arts lectures on “American Art and the Creation of a National Identity,” Dr. Molly Gwinn (art historian) explored portraits of Revolutionary heroes done by Copley, Stuart and Peale. This month, Lecture No. 2 features scenes of country life by Mount and Bingham (April 3, 10 a.m.); Lecture No. 3, which focuses on Westward expansion, depicts both sides of the struggle (April 24, 10 a.m.). Lecture series, presented by the Arts Council of Moore County and Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, focuses on works of art that were deeply expressive of American identity at particular moments in the nation’s history. Registration: $11/ACMC & Weymouth members; $16/nonmembers. Weymouth Center, 555 East Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2787) or www.MooreArt.org.

That’s the Spirit

Fancy a little Whiskey 101? Author Dane Huckelbridge visits The Country Bookshop on Friday, April 11, 6 p.m., to talk about his new book, Bourbon, described by HarperCollins Publishers as “a rollicking biography of bourbon whiskey that doubles as a rich and surprising history of America itself.” What’s not to love about the spirit that fueled the novels of Faulkner, Fitzgerald and Papa Ernest Hemingway? Tickets: $32; $55/couple (includes book, bourbon tasting and hors d’oeuvres). Cash bar available. Customers must be over 21 to buy a ticket. The Country Bookshop, 140 Northwest Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3211 or www. thecountrybookshop.biz.

Words with Friends

Sixteen-year-old Casey Ryan Goggin knows the woes of Kenneth Rexroth and the heart of Fulke Greville. Believe it or not, he’s seen the world through the eyes of Imagist poet William Carlos Williams. At least that’s what it must have felt like to judges when he recited poems by Rexroth, Greville and Williams at the statewide Poetry Out Loud competition in Greensboro last month and became the state champion for the second consecutive year. Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word and theater into high school classrooms. “Before this, I didn’t really read poetry that much at all, except in English class,” said the Pinecrest junior after becoming the 2013 POL champion of North Carolina. “I definitely have a newfound interest . . . I think there’s a lot of joy and lessons to be had.” This month, April 29–30, Casey will compete in the National Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C. Snaps for Casey. Info: www.poetryoutloud.org. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

April 2014 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Cos and Effect

Mr. E.T.

How Grandpa saved my writing life By Cos Barnes

When I was a freshman in college, I was re-

How do you want to retire?

! t n e v Rein

quired to take an English composition class. Three times a week I had to write a theme in class. In the beginning each paper came back with a D on it.

I became quite discouraged and went to talk to my professor. Her advice was the same advice every aspiring writer is given: “Write about what you know.” My next essay was about my grandfather, the late Mr. E.T. Frith. I received a grade of C+. I thought then Phi Beta Kappa was only a few more themes away. Years later I studied again an old photograph of the subject and was filled with nostalgia. I rambled through files until I found the faded paper dated October 1950. This is what I had written: “To the townspeople he was known as Mr. E.T., to his children he was always Pap, to me, he was Grandpa.” He died in 1941, and yet I remember his appearance. Tall of stature, thin as a reed with a heavy crop of white hair, pale blue eyes, thick, bushy eyebrows which he claimed were marks of wisdom, and a silver mustache, which was often stained with tobacco juice. I remember him best in a well-worn brown suit more rumpled than pressed and a faded hat perched on his head in a debonair fashion. He carried a gnarled brown cane though I suspect it was more for effect than necessity. Noted for his philosophies and quotations, he developed what he called Proper and Improper Language. He would ask, “Now, Mr. Bones, it is a mite surprising to me why you drink to such excess, when you know it is injurious to your constitution. “Now, isn’t that proper?” he would ask. “All right, Mr. Bones, it is mighty oxprising to me why you drink to such decess when you know it is conjurious to your insquition.” Then he’d remark, “Improper.” Grandpa claimed a cigarette was nothing but a fire at one end and a fool at the other. Of course, he smoked a pipe. No one could get the best of him, nor was it possible to contradict or confuse him. He always had a comeback that would put the most daring grandchild in her place. Constantly he complained about our noise and mischief, but he goaded us into many of our actions and delighted in our spirited antics. He’d pound on the downstairs ceiling with his cane if we were making too much racket in the upstairs bedrooms of his home. A storyteller, he captivated his listeners. When young men came to call on his daughters, he quickly engaged them in conversation and expounded on his homespun humor. His embarrassed daughters said they sat red-faced but helpless. Grandpa was quite fond of corn liquor. My granny argued with him about his frequent trips to Parcell’s — the nearest place his favorite whiskey could be obtained. And he did love his hot toddy, and would frequently give a sip to a grandchild, much to Granny’s chagrin. She stayed on him, too, about his profanity, but his language never lost its saltiness. My grandmother’s name was Matilda, but he always called her “Mis Tildie.” His legacy: Poke a little fun — at yourself as well as others. And speaking of poking fun, I’d like to tell that professor I’m still writing about what I know. I have files of rejections as proof. PS Cos Barnes is a longtime contributor to PineStraw magazine. She can be contacted at cosbarnes@nc.rr.com.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

Hop into the Shop

for these great April Author events! Wednesday, April 2nd 5pm Robert Morgan ROAD FROM GAP CREEK

Tuesday, April 10th 5pm Kim Church BYRD

Thursday, April 17th 5pm Walt Wolfram and Jeffrey Reaser TALKIN’ TAR HEEL

Wednesday, April 9th 5pm Christy Jordan COME HOME TO SUPPER

Saturday, April 12th 2pm David M. Crowe WAR CRIMES, GENOCIDE, AND JUSTICE: A GLOBAL HISTORY

Wednesday, May 7th 5:30pm Roland Lazenby MICHAEL JORDAN: THE LIFE

Friday, April 11 6:00 at The Country Bookshop

Dane Huckelbridge

BOURBON: A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT

There has been no comprehensive and accessible history of this wholly American spirit until now and Dane Huckelbridge is coming to The Country Bookshop to tell us all about it. Huckelbridge tells the story of Bourbon taking us on a lively tour across three hundred years. He introduces the fascinating people central to its creation and evolution and illuminates the elusive character of the nation itself. Interweaving the development of bourbon to America’s own rise, his engaging and unique study is popular history at its best, offering a lively and informative look at our past through a hilariously thick pair of whiskey-bottle glasses. Tickets will be $32 per person and $55 per couple. They include the cost of the book, hors d’œuvre and a bourbon tasting. There will be a cash bar. CUSTOMERS MUST BE OVER 21 TO BUY A TICKET.

The Country Bookshop

140 NW Broad St., Southern Pines 910.692.3211 • thecountrybookshop.biz

The Omnivorous Reader

One Thing Too Many A short story collection that's not short enough

By Stephen E. Smith

I didn’t watch

the sitcom The Office more than a couple of times — not because I’m too sophisticated for TV humor but because Steve Carell played such a convincing jerk that I found his character insufferable. I did, however, take notice of a couple of the more likable characters — Pam, Jim and Kevin, in particular, and Ryan, a dark-haired corporate climber whose face appeared to be composed of mismatched parts. When I happened upon that very face staring at me from the dust jacket of a book of short stories, I thought: Oh, no, fiction by an actor who’s convinced that everything he does is worthy of notice. Spare me.

I should have trusted my instincts. B.J. Novak’s first story collection, One More Thing, is worth reading if you’re a lover of cynical, quasi-intellectual short-short stories — many of them no more than anecdotes — and you’re amused by dark, quirky, nonsensical humor. The actor turned author is certainly capable of weaving a mildly humorous narrative that takes the reader in unanticipated directions, but he has only a modest talent for observing the world through a skewed lens. The best of his stories have little to say. So how funny is One More Thing? Funny enough to maintain a steady

level of bemusement punctuated by the occasional chuckle. The story “A Good Problem to Have” is typical. An old man who claims to have invented the algebraic word problem — “A man leaves Chicago at 12 p.m. on a train heading for Cleveland at sixty miles per hour” — barges into a classroom full of precocious fourth-graders to claim credit for his achievement. He rambles on and on in a schizoid frenzy about how he wasn’t paid enough for his mathematical creation. When the child narrator asks if the man could produce the stationery on which the problem was written, the old man claims that he kept the original copy in a shoebox. “‘You know, I did go through the box once. And it was there. But I didn’t look very carefully, though. I didn’t even really look at all. Just put my hand in there and took it out. That’s not really looking . . . But I’m not looking again. But maybe it’s there. You know, maybe I’ll look again. That’s not a bad idea.’” The teacher points out how much good the word problem has done for children and receives a puzzling response. “‘It is . . . I guess what you said before, it is nice seeing that you all know it,’ said the old man. ‘It’s a reward. Not the only reward, but . . . you take what you can get. I’ll try to get more, but you take what you can get. It’s done so much good for the world that I do feel like I deserve more. But, yeah, that’s a good thing.’” When the old man leaves the classroom, a student asks, “What the hell does that mean?” and the teacher replies, “Language.” Incoherence probably makes sense in a universe where there’s no rationality, where the only thing that makes sense is that nothing does, which is a little too easy and at best tenuous a theme. Many of the stories purposely turn on paradox and narrative reversals, and are written using contemporary language patterns and hip expressions that might be found in the Urban Dictionary. The text is filled with allusions to celebrities past and present — Elvis Presley, Johnny Depp, JFK, Dan

The Omnivorous Reader

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Fogelberg, John Grisham and, of course, Justin Bieber — which vaguely grounds the reader in what would otherwise be an unknown time and place. All of this disorganized free writing and overt name dropping might come across as a form of Dadaism if the stories didn’t present themselves as allegoric. The characters are flat and settings and timeframes are purposely vague, leading one to believe that a message is the primary purpose of the story. That might be the case if Novak played it straight, but the stories always include a touch of social satire and a dose of humor, which negate any serious resolution. And of course there’s nothing new here. Parables and fables abound in Western literature, and readers will be reminded of humorous allegorical fiction by James Thurber, Joseph Heller, Donald Barthelme and Richard Brautigan rather than the straight-ahead parables of Franz Kafka, George Garrett and Jorge Luis Borges. Most of the stories are blessedly succinct, ranging in length from nine words to as many as twenty pages. In the case of “Kindness Among Cakes” there are only two short sentences: CHILD: “Why does carrot cake have the best icing?” MOTHER: “Because it needs the best icing.” If those lines fall with a predictable thud, the story “Romance, Chapter One” works on a simplistic level: “The cute one?” “No, the other one.” “Oh, she’s cute too.” Clever though these short-short stories may be, there’s little thematic resonance and no memorable passages, and the longer, more developed tales tend to dissolve into shaggy dog stories. Novak is a TV star, and One More Thing has attracted attention because of his celebrity status. In “Confucius at Home,” he touches on that very dilemma. The illustrious Chinese sage asks one of his servants if there are any noodles around. “CONFUCIUS SAY: BRING NOODLES!” shouts the servant to the cook. When Confucius tells everyone to settle down, that he’s just asking a question and his words don’t constitute a momentous pronouncement, the servant says, “CONFUCIUS SAY: CALM DOWN!” Finally, Confucius tells the other members of the household, “Stop it, okay? Not everything is a thing.” Which, of course, is also taken as a wise pronouncement. The story concludes with the line: “But if the scribe wanted to write those other two down . . . well, Confucius wasn’t going to stop him.” That’s the message. PS Stephen E. Smith’s most recent book of poems is A Short Report on the Fire at Woolworths. He can be reached at travisses@hotmail.com.

April 2014 P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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B oo k s h e l f

April Books A Very Short Book Excerpt “The choreography is old-fashioned, but as Rusakov circles the stage doing high, perfect coupes jetes en tournant, his technique is not frosty but pure. His movements are quick but unhurried, impossible in their clarity and difficulty and extraordinary in how they seem to burst from nowhere, without any apparent effort or preparation. But the beauty of Arslan’s dancing is not what moves Joan to cry in her red velvet aerie: it is a dream of perfection blowing through the theater. She has been dancing since before her fifth birthday, and she realizes that the beauty radiating from him is what she has been chasing all along, what she has been trying to wring out of her own inadequate body. Forgetting herself she leans out over the railing, wanting to get closer. Etonnez-moi, Diaghilev has said to his dancers in the Ballets Russes.” Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead. This is a magnificent but quiet novel about much more than just ballet and the defection of Russian dancers. It is about the quest for perfection — a contrast between relationships of ballet and domestic survival from the late ’70s to the mid-’90s and over multiple generations. The writing is wide ranging and astonishing in its own right.

By Kimberly Daniels and Angie Tally Natchez Burning by Greg Iles. This is a fantastic book by a master of Southern fiction. One of my most discerning readers LOVES this book. Intricate and compelling, it will keep you turning the pages. Also check it out on audio. The Steady Running of the Hour by Justin Go. Twentysomething Tristen gets a surprise phone call from a law office in England and is set upon a journey filled with discovery of love, history and who he is. Set in Europe during WWI and after, it is an adventure story like no other. If your family history turned into the Amazing Race, this would be the result. All the Birds Singing by Evelyn Wyld. Jake lives alone in England with her sheep and her dog. She is haunted by memories of life in Australia, and you will be haunted by her story, which is dark yet compelling. Miss Julia’s Marvelous Makeover by Ann B. Ross. The new Miss Julia book! Just in time for warm weather! The Church of Mercy by Pope Francis. Pope Francis has captured the world’s attention with his seemingly counter intuitive approach to leadership. This is a first-hand look at Pope Francis’ vision of the good news of Christian hope and mercy and full of speeches, homilies and essays that reveal so much.

501 Amazing Uses for Salt, Vinegar, Baking Soda, Olive Oil and Lemons by Laura M. Westdale. This is fun and practical information that we should all know! Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit by Dane Huckelbridge. This is a fabulously entertaining and enjoyable read of the story of bourbon. Read this and you will have cocktail tidbits for a lifetime! 50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple’s Extraordinary Rescue Mission Into the Heart of Nazi Germany by Steven Pressman. A Philadelphia couple defied the obstacles of both America and Europe and took matters into their own hands to enter Germany and save fifty children against all odds in 1938–1939. Children How to Babysit a Grandma. In this followup to the best-selling How to Babysit a Grandpa author Jean Reagan shares just what to do during a sleepover at Grandma’s, including: how to keep a grandma busy; things to do at the park; possible places to sleep; and what to do once you’re both snugly tucked in for the night. The perfect Mother’s Day gift! Autographed copies available on request. Ages 3–7

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Winter Horses by Philip Kerr. It is 1941 and the State Steppe Nature Reserve of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic held the last few remaining Przewalski (“She-val-ski”) horses in the world. Kalinka, a young Jewish orphan, unwittingly becomes the one human who can protect the endangered breed from the hands of fast-approaching Nazis who wish to exterminate the horses they consider sub-equine. Young historical fiction readers will love this story of two horses who are lone survivors and represent a religious group that nearly suffered same fate. Ages 10–14 Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. Oz has turned into a savage dystopia under Dorothy’s rule, and now Amy, a new girl from Kansas, must take her down. Joining up with the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, a group of dispossessed witches and warlocks who despise the tyrannical ruler that Dorothy has become, Amy is now the best chance the ROW has of taking Dorothy down. “Although the story falls under the ‘dystopian’ umbrella it is quite different and creepy,” says Chelsey, an early reader. “And Dorothy’s friends are wonderfully terrifying. I had shivers reading about the Scarecrow.” Ages 14 and up.

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Noggin. Fans of Libba Bray’s Going Bovine will enjoy this unconventional novel from Printz award winner John Corey Whaley (When Things Come Back). Travis Coates has cancer. Had cancer. Well, it is complicated. Five years ago, Travis Coates was diagnosed with cancer and chose to have his head cryogenically preserved until the day sometime in the distant future when it could be reattached to a healthy body. When Travis rises from the deep freeze, his family, his friends and his girlfriend have progressed all the way though the five steps of loss and have moved on. At once silly, soulful and sad, the story of Travis Coates’ life and death and life prompts one to “not lose your head” no matter what life rolls your way. The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer. Smart, funny, sweet, sarcastic Ethan and his three best girlfriends, all students at the prestigious Selwyn Arts Academy, write a vigilante epic poem to stage an ingenious takedown of a low-brow reality TV show being filmed at their school. Perfect for fans of John Green’s books, this wry and hilarious look at life at a prestigious arts academy, where each student is more talented than the next, is great Spring Break fun reading. PS

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Readings and Such Reading can take you anywhere. Hop on for the ride. April 3–6 (Thursday–Sunday). Mark your calendar for the North Carolina Literary Festival 2014, The Future of Reading, James B. Hunt Jr. Library, N.C. State University, Raleigh. “Reading is, in fact, on the upswing,” the organizers of this free event proclaim. Look for: Readings/discussions; performances; book signings; children’s activities; and book sales. For complete information: www.lib.ncsu.edu/literaryfestival. April 8 (Thursday, 5 p.m.), The Fountainhead Bookstore, Hendersonville. Launch of Miss Julia’s Marvelous Makeover, the thirteenth of Ann B. Ross’s popular series. Fans will giggle once they discover what the crafty protagonist is up to this time. A small clue: After her husband runs for N.C. State Senate and has a gallbladder attack, Miss Julia replaces him on the campaign trail. The curious are invited to ask best-selling author Ross all they ever wanted to know about Miss Julia and her shenanigans. April North Carolina bookstore stops include Books-A-Million, Gastonia; Barnes & Noble, Greensboro; Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh; and Fireside Books & Gifts, Shelby: www.missjulia. com. April 13 (Sunday, 2–4 p.m.). Mystery Writers Appreciation Day! High Point Library, 901 North Main Street, High Point. Win free mystery books, snack on cookies, and chat informally with mystery authors and publishing professionals. www.highpointpubliclibrary.com. Choose an author as you choose a friend — Sir Christopher Wren

True Mystery

More mysteries are written in our state than any other genre. The best ones contain much more than gory slayings. Jeffrey Deaver, Chapel Hill suspense writer, says, “My books are primarily plot driven, but the best plot in the world is useless if you don’t populate it with characters readers can care about.” Margaret Maron demonstrates how much a well-written who-done-it can accomplish. Her protagonist,

District Court Judge Deborah Knott, uncovers murder in every corner of the state. Maron’s prize-winning prose also educates us on local “problems of race, migrant labor, politics and unstructured growth.” On April 17, Maron will speak about her books and writing career at Kinston-Lenoir Public Library in Kinston. www.neuselibrary.org.

Revision is the heart of writing — Patricia Reilly Giff Recently Stephen King spent time in the eastern part of N.C. producing a TV serial. In his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, he cautions writers of all genres: “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart.” Well, my dears, he doesn’t mean you should strangle your cute protagonists. Oh, no, his warning cautions writers to STRIKE OUT EVERY UNNECESSARY WORD. If you can’t stomach surgery, seek help. In this month’s “Words of Wisdom,” Elizabeth Hudson, editor in chief of Our State magazine, describes how valuable an editor can be: In the movie Almost Famous, a senior editor at Rolling Stone calls up a journalist and says, “This is your editor; how’s the story?” “Your” editor. I like that, the possessive pronoun. I like it, because writing is a solitary pursuit, a lonely pursuit, and if there is anything a writer needs, it’s someone to partner up with, someone to claim as his own, a compatriot and a conscience, a muse and a motivator. Writing itself is the ultimate act of ownership — you own those words you put onto paper, you possess them, you hold them tight to your chest and they belong to you and no one else; sometimes they even possess you, and sometimes it’s not so easy to let them go. An editor — your editor — is the transition between you, the writer, and the rest of the world. He is the person who can help you let go, the one who can release your words and set them free. April 12 (Saturday) attend the North Carolina Writers’ Network Spring Conference in the MHRA Building on the campus of UNCG. A great opportunity to learn about writing and publishing, pitch your manuscript and read your work during an open-mic session. www.ncwriters.org. Keep writing; keep loving to write! PS Greensboro writer Sandra Redding’s novel, Naomi Wise: A Cautionary Tale, is a riveting story about heartbreak and hope in the 18th century Quaker community of Deep River.

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April 2014P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Easter Orchids

By Dale Nixon

There are

orchids and there are Easter orchids. My husband is partial to the Easter kind.

When the girls were young, each Saturday night before Easter, he would hide three boxes in the refrigerator. He stashed them behind the milk and the orange juice, hoping I wouldn’t find them. The contents: orchids for me and the girls. Then on Easter Sunday, he’d walk around the house and say, “When will my girls be dressed?” “Aren’t you ready yet?” “Let me know the minute you’re dressed.” “Hurry up and get dressed. I’ve got a surprise for you.” Hmmppff. Surprise, I think. Bob’s “surprise” Easter orchids. When we were dressed, we presented ourselves to Bob. Grinning from ear to ear, he would make a show of pulling the boxes from behind his back. All three of us girls would roll our eyes at each other and mutter under our breath, “Here come the Easter orchids.” Hollis got a tiny orchid. Edie got a medium-sized orchid. I got a huge orchid. (I mean a HUGE orchid.) I would pin Hollis’ on first. She immediately complained about how it tickled her chin and asked when she could take it off. Edie’s was pinned on next. She complained that the orchid ruined her “look.” At the time, I had to agree with her that an orchid didn’t seem appropriate with her ensemble of black leather mini-skirt, fish-net hose, an off-the-shoulder blouse and one long dangling earring. But I’m ashamed to say that I protested the loudest of all. “Bob, how much did these orchids cost? I really don’t need an orchid every Easter. I’d rather have a new blouse or a pair of shoes — something that won’t die.”

Ignoring my protests, he ceremoniously pinned the orchid on me. It flopped upside down. He repinned the orchid, and it slanted sideways. I guess he didn’t realize that it is almost impossible to pin a 5-pound orchid onto a sheer piece of fabric. As the pinning and repinning ceremony proceeded, I made my stock comment. “Bob, you’re going to tear a hole in my dress with that pin. Can’t I just carry the orchid?” His spirit undaunted, he said, “No. I want you and the girls to wear your orchids to church and then out to lunch. I want everyone to know how proud I am of my three girls at Easter.” Edie, Hollis and I always glanced at each other, shrugged our shoulders — the shoulder without the orchids pinned to them — the shoulder we could move, and rolled our eyes at each other some more. We made our pilgrimage to church and to lunch. When we got back home, the three of us hit the back door, fumbling with orchids and pins. We got the orchids off as fast as we could and placed them gently back into the cardboard boxes and put them into the refrigerator, where they slowly but surely would shrivel up, turn brown and die. Each Easter Monday, I would say to Bob, “Next year, pllleeeeeeaaaase don’t get us orchids for Easter.” Tired of our constant complaints, he eventually stopped buying and presenting us with the Easter orchids. After all these years Edie, Hollis and I are now a little ashamed that we didn’t appreciate his act of kindness and love. So Bobby, this year your three girls would love to have a surprise on Easter morning. I have saved a space behind the milk and the orange juice for three cardboard boxes. PS Columnist Dale Nixon may be contacted at dalenixon@carolina.rr.com.

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Seen and Unseen

Good Friday Gardening Praise the Lord and pass the potatoes, please

By Tom Allen

I love to garden,

as did my dad. Folks tell me I’m natured like my mother, but hail from my father’s end of the gene pool when it comes to growing things — no green thumbs on my mom’s hands, but he can cultivate just about anything.

Dad, like his parents, gardened with faith in one hand and folk wisdom in the other. That meant if “the signs” were right, he planted something on Good Friday. And that “something” often included a row of “arsh” potatoes. The significance of planting potatoes and other crops on Good Friday remains vague. Folklore claims Irish Protestants turned their noses up at the little spuds because potatoes weren’t mentioned in the Bible. Irish Catholics skirted the issue, planting the beloved staple on Good Friday. Others note planting a seed mirrors Jesus’ death and burial on that somber day. Even in the Bible Belt, the tradition probably has more to do with weather than the Bible. Old-timers plant by phases of the moon. Easter, based on a lunar calendar, occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. Potatoes prefer cooler months. Good Friday can fall from late March to late April, perfect days for spud-growing. Soil and weather permitting, Dad’s Good Friday tradition began earlier that week. My family didn’t own a tractor but with our community connections, some farmer was always willing to till the half-acre behind our house and lay out rows. Dad flattened rows with a potato rake. A scattering of 10-10-10 gave the already-fertile plot a boost. When Good Friday arrived, an early-morning visit to Holmes Hardware topped Dad’s to-do list. Patronizing Aaron Holmes’ establishment was a long-standing family tradition. Holmes’ feed-and-seed aisle stocked everything from chicken mash to fertilizer. Seed packets, secured with aging tape to quart-sized Mason jars, informed customers what vegetable would hopefully find its way onto their tables. Weighed on seed scales, then poured into small manila envelopes, a dollar’s worth of Kentucky Wonder or a few ounces of Seneca Chief could produce a bounty of snap beans and sweet corn. Likewise, handfuls of seed spuds — Yukon Gold was dad’s choice — tossed in a brown paper bag, would eventually provide enough potatoes to fill our family’s plates as well as the bowls of some fortunate neighbors. Planting seed potatoes became a Good Friday afternoon chore, especially after “things warmed up.” Preparations were made on our weathered picnic

table, shaded by the branches of an old water oak. Dad, wearing his sky blue coveralls, emptied the seed potatoes from their brown paper bag, then opened his Case pocketknife, a tool I covet to this day. He sliced each tuber into palm-sized pieces, being careful to leave at least one “eye,” the little divot that would eventually sprout a new potato. The sliced potatoes went back into the bag. One year, he handed me the sack, a rite of passage not unlike the first dove I bagged when he showed me how to shoot his Remington 410. With hoe in hand, we made our way to the garden. Starting at the end of a row, Dad would dig out equally spaced notches, instructing me to drop a Yukon Gold slice in each little burrow. Following the rhythm of a seasoned gardener, he backtracked, gently covering the hope-filled trenches, tamping the soil with the hoe’s blade. If Good Friday came early, as in March, Dad might plant his potatoes next to a row of Jersey Wakefield cabbage. If Easter was late, Baby Bush zucchini or yellow crookneck squash might be paired alongside the tubers. Dad never watered. He left that to God. And most of the time, April kept its promise. After a few spring rains and several weeks of growth, my father would “hill” his potatoes, mounding soil from each side of the row around the base of the plants. Then we waited a few more weeks for that first harvest. Digging potatoes was a lot more fun than burying their parent tubers. Even the final harvest, dug after the foliage died back, was better than an Easter egg hunt. Dad showed me how to rummage for buried gems — “new potatoes” — using my fingers. I still remember my excitement and his big smile when I found a hidden jewel. And I can still remember how good those boiled new potatoes tasted when served with a “mess” of home-grown snap beans. Mr. Holmes died years ago, but Holmes Hardware survives. I’ve planted potatoes for several years and although I don’t grow the bushels my father grew, the joy of digging those first new potatoes hasn’t dimmed. Dad, now 92, will probably plant something this Good Friday. The garden plot is smaller and its bounty not as varied, but Yukon Golds are still on his list, along with Kentucky Wonders, yellow crooknecks and Jersey Wakefields. Good seeds, planted in good soil, on Good Friday, still grow. All it takes is a handful of faith coupled with some folk wisdom — although a little 1010-10 never hurts. PS Tom Allen is minister of education at First Baptist Church, Southern Pines, and a frequent contributor to PineStraw.

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April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T h e k i tc h e n g a r d e n

Contain Yourself

It’s easier than you think. Just follow a few “laws” and you’ll be knee-deep in great, home-grown veggies

By Jan Leitschuh

With spring in the air and gar-

den fever front and center, those with limited space and rapacious neighborhood deer might want to try growing vegetables in containers.

I was asked to teach a class on the subject recently, and a waiting list of two dozen for the class persuaded me to jot down some shorthand particulars here. Consider this your class handout. First off, know you’ll have your work cut out for you. Growing food plants in containers takes attention — attention to water, fertility, light, sun-baking of roots and other matters. You are growing a crop, and that takes inputs. On the other hand, if you don’t have a fertile quarter-acre in the back yard, it may be your only option to enjoy growing a few fresh treats. You can defend your produce from neighborhood critters. You can share the miracle of life and good nutrition with children, because if they grow it, they will most likely eat it. You can deploy that one patch of summer sunlight on your property and set pots there. You control the pesticides, or lack thereof. Folks with only balconies, patios, sunny porches and rooftops may enjoy vegetables by container gardening. What can you grow? Well, what do you like to eat? I wouldn’t grow sweet corn, say, but try something you enjoy fresh off the vine. The most popular vegetables indicated by the class participants are real tomatoes and fresh greens, both very easy to grow in containers with the right attention. According to a Guy Clark song, “there’s only two things that money can’t buy, and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes.” A ripe, juicy tomato is something folks hanker after, and containers make that possible for those without space. Perhaps also try growing something that’s not readily available at local markets, such as a special heirloom tomato, a personal-serving sweet melon or unusual, speckled lettuces. Squash, eggplant, specialty peppers, cucumbers, kales, chards and other greens are also reasonably easy to grow in containers, and tasty.

Herbs such as rosemary, oregano, lemon balm and basil are another flavorful option. Some of these, like the mint family, thrive in less light, and spread so rapidly that containing them to a pot seems like a good idea. Bush green beans also do very well. We have a Vass friend who lines one end of his sunny pool deck with five-gallon buckets that soon cover the plain containers nicely and also provide a lovely green privacy screen — and, by the way, an abundance of the freshest of green beans. He mixes in a few trailing petunias for color, and the whole assembly makes for a very attractive summer setting. You can grow produce in anything that holds an adequate volume of soil. The very expensive commercial self-watering containers are popular, although one wonders if the expense is ever recovered in produce value. Do-it-yourself selfwatering container plans abound on the Internet, so a simple search could reveal just the right plan and price point. People have grown plants in an endless variety of containers, from the simple and ubiquitous black plastic nursery pots to fancy urns on casters, from fivegallon buckets to tin cans, from tires, garbage cans, watering tanks, moss-lined mesh circles, cloth feed sacks and empty soda bottles to old hiking boots. You can grow in about anything, although that does not mean it will be practical. You may want to evaluate your container choice in light of some simple principles. For ease of remembering, I like to refer to the LAWS(S) of container veggie growing: Light, air, water, soil and space. LIGHT: For greens and such, you’d like your plants to get a minimum of six hours of sun a day, though you may get away with a little less. Fruiting plants such as tomatoes and peppers prefer much more, ten to twelve. Not enough light will give you long, spindly plants and a poor harvest. Lucky you with the shady garden, you can move your pots into the sunlight. Portability is an asset. You can also move pots outside to thrive on a bright spring day, and move them back inside before the night’s frost sets in. Light also means radiant heat, and that mid-summer sun can bake a dark pot and scald the roots. To remedy, tuck your pot among the foliage of other plants (allowing the tops to remain in the sun) or slip your pot into another, larger, lighter-colored pot for insulation. Avoid stressing the roots of your container crop.

T h e k i tc h e n g a r d e n

AIR: Plant needs air circulation. This promotes healthy, strong stem growth and lessens certain diseases and troublesome insects like aphids. Some plants, such as tomatoes, appreciate a gentle breeze for those reasons; wind also shakes the plant slightly, sending down a shower of pollen and helping it to pollinate. In the absence of wind and pollinating insects, such as in the greenhouse, producers often give the tomato plant a gentle shake to help disperse pollen. Container soil needs air spaces, too, called porosity. This is one reason ordinary garden soil is not as desirable as specially crafted potting soils. Air temps grow warmer before soil temps do, and this is another advantage of container growing — you can plant heat lovers like peppers, tomatoes and eggplant in warmer soils than you would find outside in March and April, thus giving your patio crop a head start. Again, pull pots inside when nights are in the 40s. Greens such as kales, spinach, lettuces and such can stand cooler temps. WATER: Like in the tale of “The Three Little Bears,” water needs to be “just right” — not too much, and not too little. Don’t over-water in early spring. Young plants are not that demanding. Their roots haven’t filled their container yet, and the pot “stores” a certain volume of water in reserve. Once things get crowded in there, though, you may have to water twice daily during certain critical periods such as blossoming and fruiting, or blazing days in the 90s and above. Stick your finger into the dirt of the pot, up to the second knuckle. If it feels dry, then it’s time to water. Pay attention to correct watering during blossoming

times especially, as that is a critical period for the plant. If the plant is drooping, it’s past time to water; avoid this, as a plant will often shed its blossoms during periods of stress. No blossoms, no fruits; no fruits, no ‘mater sandwich! Too much water is also an issue, especially in the spring, as mentioned. Over-watering washes out expensive fertility and invites root rot. Be certain your container has adequate drainage holes. If you’re handy, the local hardware stores carry simple drip irrigation systems that can take some of the daily work away, although it’s still useful to pay attention in case an emitter isn’t working. Again, the internet abounds with do-it-yourself methods. SOIL: You’ll want to use a welldrained potting soil for containers. Even though we have a native sandy soil, for excellent drainage avoid using garden soil in your pots. Dirt in a container behaves differently, one could say, than the ground as a whole. A pot is a closed system, depending on you for everything. That means you will have to supply the fertility too. Mix in a slow release fertilizer at planting time, or buy a potting soil with a slow release fertilizer already mixed in. Once your plants approach production, fertilize weekly with either a gentle fertilizer such as fish emulsion or a soluble commercial fertilizer. If you are growing a plant for its leaves, such as chard, lettuce or arugula,

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T h e k i tc h e n g a r d e n

a balanced fertilizer (where all three numbers are the same, such as 10-10-10) should be fine. But for plants that produce fruits, such as tomatoes, squash, peppers or cukes, go easy with the first number, the nitrogen. Too much nitrogen will give you lush green plants at the expense of the fruit. Bugs like aphids are attracted to the hypergrowth. Try something like a 15-30-15. A word on organic container growing. You can easily control the use or not of pesticides, but avoiding commercial fertilizer is tougher. It can be done, but it is tricky and plants often suffer problems such as blossom end rot or other nutritional deficiencies. A sickly plant is then more prone to insect damage and diseases. This defeats the purpose of avoiding pesticides in the first place. A container-grown vegetable is much easier to produce using commercial fertilizers — remember, a pot is an artificial, closed system and you have to provide all the good stuff. An organic system like a garden plot is a complex living organism, where the soil life (bacteria, earthworms and so much more) makes nutrients available to the plants. The well-drained potting soil you purchase will lack in both biodiversity and sufficient numbers of beneficial bacteria that break down organic matter and make it available to plants. Even if you add compost, you really don’t have the practical volume to overcome some of the issues. That’s my experience, anyway. That said, I invite you to break the rules and find a way to do it. I often use a combination of the two methods. SPACE: Again, use an adequate volume of soil for your container crop.

Give your plant room to root out. Once the container fills up with roots, the demands for water and nutrition skyrocket. A large enough pot gives the patio gardener a little safety cushion to prevent drying out. Start young tomatoes in smaller containers and move them up. One more time — make life easy for yourself and make sure that the final container has a large enough volume of soil. You can actually grow a big plant in a small volume of soil — greenhouse farmers do this all the time, but they also have daily drip irrigation with soluble fertilizers that ensure the plant has everything it needs. To allow drainage and save on potting soil, some folks fill the bottom inches with small bark chips, and the like. In wet periods, you can also space your containers a little apart, to promote air circulation and avoid spreading diseases like powdery mildew. Container growing need not be boring. Why not mix a few attractive vegetables in with flowers? A gorgeous, dark-green Tuscan kale can form the upright interest in the center of a spring porch pot surrounded by, say, pansies or cyclamen or even beautiful green and red lettuces. Red-stemmed Swiss chard is a visually stunning plant, as are the multi-colored stems and leaves of rainbow chard. For summer, some of the smaller, hot red peppers are extremely decorative. Mix these up with colored basils, overflowing golden oregano or flowering seasonal plants, and enjoy the best of both worlds. PS Jan Leitschuh is a local gardener, avid eater of fresh produce and cofounder of the Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative.

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April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Endocrinology

Endocrinologists are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with a wide variety of hormonal problems. Such as: Thyroid • Pituitary Parathyroid • Adrenal Pancreas • Testes Physicians who specialize in Endocrinology are also trained to care for patients with metabolic diseases of the bone.

Endocrinology Locations

Pinehurst Medical Clinic - East

205 Page Road Pinehurst, NC 28374 (910) 295-5511

Pinehurst Medical Clinic Our Endocrinologists: A “Consultation-Only” Practice

The Endocrinologists of the Pinehurst Medical Clinic maintain a “consultation-only” practice. This means they see patients who are referred to them by other physicians for an Endocrinology problem or issue. After seeing a patient, our Endocrinologist will report back to the physician who referred the patient. Working with the referring physician and the patient, the Endocrinologist will determine the most appropriate plan of care related to the Endocrinology problem or issue. Joleen Moore, FNP, Brooks Mays, MD , F.A.C.E. Olga Ostmann, MD, Nanci Sullivan-Blackert, NP

Our Endocrinologists do not become the patient’s regular physician. Instead, they provide care at the request of the patient’s regular physician.

New Patient Appointments Welcome

Please call our New Patient Department (910) 255-4329

For more information and a complete listing of our physicians

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April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Food for Thought

Matzo Ball Magic Eight-day holiday deserves three-day soup.

By Deborah Salomon

Matzo ball soup

is like golf: Cooks talk a better game than they play, for good reason. Made properly, this Passover icon takes three days. No mixes. No short-cuts. Not only must you have a big stockpot but also plenty of refrigerator space.

Relax. Put yourself in my hands and all will be well. Passover — the story of Moses leading the Israelites from Egyptian bondage — is recounted in Exodus, therefore suitable for ecumenical celebration. In fact, many churches now celebrate Passover with a Seder, the family meal rich in food symbols. Foremost among them is matzo, a 7-inch square unleavened cracker representing the bread snatched up by fleeing Israelites before it could rise. Observant Jews banish all leavening for the eight days of Passover, this year commencing at sundown on April 14. Matzo is eaten in place of bread, also ground into meal for other purposes. However, a Seder without matzo ball (chicken) soup is like Easter without eggs, Thanksgiving without turkey. There’s no sense going through the process for a small quantity. Instead, locate a super-size (about eight-quart) cauldron with lid — and roll up your sleeves. The simple ingredients: Two whole small-but-plump chickens (not parts), about 3 pounds each or one 5-pound roasting chicken 4 carrots 2 large onions 1 parsnip 1 whole head of celery Handful of parsley 2 teaspoons of salt 4 large eggs 4 tablespoons reserved chicken fat 1 cup matzo meal, mixed with 1 teaspoon salt and a dash white pepper 1 tablespoon mixed chopped parsley and pale inner celery leaves Day one: Remove giblets, cook separately for the cat. Wash chicken(s) thoroughly, inside and out, leaving fat globules intact. Place in cauldron, cover with cold, heavily salted water and soak for an hour. Pour off water, rinse chickens, cover with cold water, bring to boil and boil for about 5 minutes until frothy scrum rises. Pour off water, rinse chickens again. (This process removes any undrained blood). Once again, cover chickens with a generous amount of cold water. Add to pot four peeled fat carrots, two large onions

peeled but left whole, one peeled parsnip. Cut off the heart end of celery head, leaving about 3 inches of ribs attached and add to pot, along with a generous handful of parsley and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook at least 90 minutes, until meat falls off the bone. Cool slightly, lift out chicken (will fall apart) and vegetables. Pour soup through a colander into one or two containers. Save carrots, discard other vegetables. (I spread the buttery-soft parsnip on a piece of matzo . . . yummy.) Remove skin and bones, set aside meat for world’s best chicken salad.

Refrigerate carrots and soup. Crowded fridge solution: Remove crisper bins, consolidate contents into an ice-filled cooler. Use this space for soup containers.

Day two: Lift and reserve hardened fat off soup. Melt and cool. Beat four large eggs (preferably free range organic) with 4 tablespoons melted chicken fat. Stir in 1 cup matzo meal mixed with 1 teaspoon salt and a dash white pepper. Stir in 4 tablespoons soup and 1 tablespoon mixed chopped parsley and pale inner celery leaves. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (This recipe for about 15 small matzo balls may easily be increased by 50 percent, or doubled.) Day three: To clarify soup, heat to a boil. Crack two eggs, separate whites from yolks. Save yolks for another use. Crush shells, stir with egg whites into simmering soup. Simmer for a minute, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and let sit about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Line a large strainer with doubled cheesecloth; pour soup through into a fresh container(s) and refrigerate. Fill cauldron two-thirds full with water; bring to a boil. With wet hands, form and roll matzo balls not more than 3/4-inch in diameter. They double in size. Drop balls into simmering water, cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes. Slice a matzo ball as a test; the center should look uniformly spongy, not dense. Simmer another 15 minutes if necessary. With a slotted spoon, lift matzo balls into a pan. Empty and wash the pot, pour in soup (now crystal clear), adjust salt and white pepper; slice carrots into soup on a diagonal. Bring to a simmer, turn off heat and add matzo balls. Let stand at least an hour to blend flavors. Return to a slow boil at serving time. Ladle into warmed shallow bowls, two matzo balls and several carrot slices per bowl. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley leaves. Don’t say you weren’t warned. Perfect matzo ball soup is a production. But so was building the pyramids and wandering in the desert for decades. Once a year, one big production deserves another . . . right? PS Deborah Salomon is a staff writer for PineStraw and The Pilot. She may be reached at debsalomon@nc.rr.com.

Hand-crafted Custom Cabinetry

May 3-4, 2014 • Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center

Prepare Yourself. Five Senses Simply Won’t Be Enough.

The Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce presents the Sanford Arts and Vine Festival featuring 80-plus artists, more than a dozen wineries and breweries, and live music, all coming together in Sanford for a weekend! The Sanford Arts and Vine festival benefits Art Angels for Budding Artists’ Scholarships with each admission ticket! Art Angels for Budding Artists is an outreach program of the Sanford Brush and Palette Club and provides art materials and support through various art outlets for up-and-coming artists in our area. For more information, visit SanfordArtsAndVine.com or call the Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce at (919) 775-7341.

910.690.9800 What wood you build?

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April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Vine Wisdom

Finding Proper Closure Despite the popularity of the screwcap, the jury is still out on the best way to close a bottle of wine

By Robyn James

Although the screwcap has gained popularity

in the last five years, the debate still rages about the best closure for your wine bottle. Let’s examine the pros and cons of different types of closure.

Natural cork: This has been the preferred closure for wine bottles for 400 years. Harvested from the bark of cork trees in Portugal and Spain, this is perhaps the best environmental choice. Coming from a renewable resource, corks are biodegradable. Glass bottles expand and contract and natural cork will harmoniously do the same. It will allow a tiny amount of oxygen into the bottle to allow the aging process to take place. From a nostalgic standpoint, you will have the preferred “pop” when you pull the cork. Natural cork, in 3 to 5 percent of all bottles, could possibly introduce cork taint (TCA), a chemical that will turn your beloved bottle rancid. It’s expensive, and can break, dropping pieces of cork into your wine. Synthetic cork: No chance of cork taint here. Also no chance of any aging potential whatsoever because oxygen is completely blocked by this closure. Synthetics are cheaper, hopefully passing that savings on to you, and they are recyclable. Extremely difficult to remove, I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen folks break their corkscrews trying to remove them. Corkscrew manufacturers often put a disclaimer on their tools warning con-

sumers not to use them on synthetics. This is crazy because you can’t know you have a synthetic until you get the bottle home and pull off the capsule. It’s never noted on the label. But if you do manage to remove the cork, you will be rewarded with the desired “pop!” Screwcap: Also known as “Stelvin closure,” the Aussies introduced these back in the ’60s, and it’s almost the only closure used in New Zealand and Australia. Extremely easy to open (although I have seen incidents of people trying to drive a corkscrew through them — scary!), and they will let a small amount of oxygen in to help with the aging process. They are recyclable but not biodegradable and will deprive you of the coveted “pop.” Other stoppers have been spotted in the market, the vinolok (a glass sealer) and the zork, which is like a plug. These are particularly expensive, however, and all of us are not of the mind to pay another 50 cents or dollar for a plug that will be tossed. So, if you are a collector and want to keep a cellar of aging wine, perhaps keep your eye on the natural cork. If you, like 95 percent of the population, are going to drink the bottle you bought within twenty-four hours, your synthetic or screwcap will work just fine. It’s just a matter of getting closure. PS Robyn James is proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at winecellar@pinehurst.net.

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April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

P l e asu r e s o f L i f e d e pt.

Breakfast at Betsy’s

How a thin French pancake — and a new friend — made me feel at home in the Sandhills

By Gayvin Powers

Photograph by Brandi Swarms

The first time I saw Betsy’s Crepes

on Broad Street in Southern Pines it felt like I might be coming home. After all, I simply adore crepes; and once I saw a restaurant specializing in crepes, I knew I had to move here. Not to mention, it reminded me of something I’d missed while recently living in a tiny town known as “California’s Last Frontier,” a town so far away from, well, anything, that the closest Wal-Mart was thirty minutes away. I once drove four hours to the nearest crepe shop just to eat one. To me, Betsy’s was better than the swankiest shop on Fifth Avenue; Betsy’s was my Tiffany & Co., and I’d gladly trade Holly Golightly’s jewelry for thin French pancakes.

Within weeks of moving to the Sandhills, I’d made up for all the crepes I’d missed out on while living in the frontier. I instantly liked Betsy the first time I visited her restaurant; her crepes and down-to-earth style reminded me of the hipper places I’d loved in California. In no time, I found out we had more than just fancy pancakes in common. Both of us spent a number of years in Los Angeles, where she was raised in Venice Beach by a hippie mom who was Frank Zappa’s accountant, and I went to college in Los Angeles where I questioned my dating prospects

— aspiring Frank Zappas need not apply. Betsy, with her wild, red hair and boho style, made me wonder when the incense was going to get passed; she didn’t fit into the Tiffany mold. She was much more Ann-Margret at a beach party. That suited me just fine. As my grandfather used to say, “She’s a character. I like characters.” As it turns out, Betsy and I both moved here to be closer to family and raise our children in the Sandhills, each of us in less than ideal situations once we arrived. One day over crepes, I found out that Betsy relocated from the West Coast back to her hometown of Southern Pines with her two young sons, Tom and Derek. But it wasn’t a beach party. Betsy knew her situation was dire: She didn’t have a lot of skills and needed to put food on the table. She answered an ad in the paper for a waitress at The Holly Inn, although she’d never waited tables before. “Why should I hire you?” The Holly manager asked. A passionate person by nature, she proved to him that she was a hard worker and caught on easily. It’s good she had those skills. On her first day of training, she was the only server that showed up for the entire dining room. She was slammed all day. Within a year, The Holly Inn awarded her “Server of the Year.” That was twenty-eight years ago. As a single mom, Betsy raised three boys while balancing family life and working crazy restaurant hours at various Sandhills establishments. “The local Boys and Girls Club saved me,” she often says when remembering back to those challenging years. With her three sons, and their significant others, now working at the restaurant, this feisty redhead also treats her workers like family. I even spent a time working at Betsy’s after first relocating here when I was in need of a job. She has a soft spot for those in need.

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H o l lyw o o d a n d t h e h i l l s

When I arrived in town, I felt like a displaced Holly Golightly — only less glamorous. In looking back, I’d consider Betsy not only my first employer but also my first friend here. Crepes were the glue that bound our friendship. I was searching for a job at the time, and I noticed that Betsy’s had relocated to a larger space across Broad Street with only one food server. We were a natural fit since Betsy needed help and she was one of the five people I knew in town. The first day I showed up to work, we were slammed. All. Day. Long. In my experience, there are few employers who care as much for their customers, staff and business like Betsy. During her first two years in business, including weekends, she took less than ten days off. It’s a dedication that carries over to all aspects of her life. One day while cleaning up, I asked Betsy why she opened up a crepe shop. She said that she wanted to create something for her family — which now included daughters-in-law and grandchildren. When she brainstormed about the kind of restaurant to open, fond memories of Sunday mornings eating cinnamon sugar crepes with her grandfather came back to her. This popular Betsy crepe is known as the Sweet and Simple. Or as my son likes to call it, “Monkey Brains,” a sweet and simple crepe with strawberries, named after my son by a former cook at Betsy’s. The funniest part of Betsy describing her startup story is the hitch. Yes, there was one. Betsy hadn’t an iota of an idea how to make a crepe. “The first ones were disgusting,” said Betsy, giggling as she remembered back to the initial experiments. The taste tests had her wondering if she’d made the right choice. Betsy and Jack, her youngest son, solved the problem by eating crepes at every meal — for several months — until they perfected them. I’m glad they did; as a bacon lover, I salivate walking into her shop. The French Toast (which I think is better than real French toast), Bella (so creamy that it instantly adds two pounds to a waistline) and Soprano (a meat lovers’ dream) are only a few crepes where bacon makes them oh so good. There are regular devotees to the Samurai crepe, Jack’s creation inspired by salmon sushi, and the Veggie Patch, a delicious alternative for those who go meatless. Even people with a gluten sensitivity can order gluten-free crepes. I could go on . . . and many times do. I go to Betsy’s whenever I need a scrumptious meal and a hug — something that even Tiffany can’t wrap up in a little blue box. Let the rest of world have Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In the Sandhills, we have Breakfast at Betsy’s. PS Gayvin Powers is a frequent contributor to PineStraw magazine.

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Out o f t h e B l u e

The Winter That Was … Forgettable and, mercifully, no more By Deborah Salomon

April means

showers, azaleas, hay fever and the tax man. This year, for the first time ever, I rendered unto Caesar on March 1. What a feeling, like finding last year’s jeans are way too big. So I’m left with vacuuming dust bunnies, scrubbing kitchen cupboards and reacting to winter happenings, such as . . . The XXII Winter Olympics, held in Sochi-by-the-Sea — more South Beach than Siberia. My problem wasn’t the security, iffy hotel accommodations or medal count, rather that NBC turned the games into one big edited and spliced TV special. The network transported an army of familiar faces — from the entire “Today” show to evening news anchor Brian Williams, AND a Starbucks outlet to keep them juiced. Really, did medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman need to be onsite? Imagine the wardrobe airlift for Savannah Guthrie and Natalie Morales alone. Why, Bob Costas practically medaled in pink eye. Because of the time warp, results were known long before prime-time coverage, which became a variety show, with “human interest” segments on the competitors’ backgrounds, families and obstacles. My best take-away: Gus Kenworthy, nephew of Rooster’s Wife Janet Kenworthy, copped a silver medal in one of those terrifying snowboard events besides receiving international acclaim for rescuing a mom-dog and her puppies. Also, Al Roker has no business in a skin-tight bobsled suit. Season 4 of Downton Abbey began mid-January. My pre-ordered DVD arrived two weeks later, a good thing since DVDs of Seasons 1 through 3 are almost worn out. What could possibly top the shocking death of dreamboat Matthew Crawley, on the day his son was born? Nothing. I am still underwhelmed by the plot line: a hodgepodge of new characters and situations catapulted into the Roaring Twenties/Jazz Age. C’mon, everybody knew that nasty ladies’ maid O’Brien would abscond. Other than an off-camera rape scene (shades of Greek drama), DA provided no gasps, not even the black nightclub singer with a terrible voice. I don’t really care which suitor Mary selects in Season 5 or whether Alfred will finally return Daisy’s affections. The reappearance of Shirley MacLaine and her son, played by a bald-and-bored Paul Giamatti, seemed gratuitous since all MacLaine did was repeat the “embrace change” message hammered home in Season 3. Teenage

cousin Rose annoys like a mosquito on a hot July night. And toddlers Sibby and George are crabby and unattractive. The sole mystery: What happened to Lady Edith’s married babydaddy Michael Gregson? In other words, I adored Season 4. Glorious costumes, OK character development, a wellbehaved golden Lab, some silly romance and that eternal question: When will Carson and Mrs. Hughes get it on? Polar vortex? Sounds like the newest Dairy Queen shake. Snow hit the Sandhills on February 12 much as Al Capone’s Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre hit Chicago in 1929. Southerners learned a thing or two, like if the Duke-Carolina game gets postponed nobody belongs on the roads. Charlotte and Raleigh became the butt of smug Yankee jokes. But what smug (half) Yankees like me didn’t realize was that successful winter driving comes through experience and proper equipment. With sufficient road preparation, four-wheel drive, snow tires, winter wipers, brushes and scrapers Uncle Bubba himself could make it to Bojangles. Otherwise, keep those home fires burning, y’all. Time (Warner) marches on. During Olympic February, the cable company crawled some horrible news across the screen: In March, channel numbers will change and be regrouped for customers’ “convenience.” Why? Was there a customer uprising about the present grouping? Who stormed corporate offices? After memorizing every favorite channel now to do it over — ridiculous. Channels are already grouped as sports, news, movies, science. Reminded me of Peter Finch screaming in the 1976 film Network: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Keep those antennae up on this one. Back in December, I read a study that confirmed the importance of sleep in disease prevention, better appearance and general well-being. The study also reported alarming sleep deprivation among Americans. Perhaps this is because Leno’s monologue and Letterman’s Top Ten dominate conversation around the office Keurig, not to mention needing an intelligent opinion on wunderkind Jimmy Fallon and, even later, Seth Meyers. Supposedly, networks are courting the younger crowd, with years and years left to ruin their appearance and health. Turns out the wakeful witching hours make you look like a witch — and burners of the midnight oil better pick Olay. April — bring it on. I’ve molted winter. PS Deborah Salomon is a staff writer for PineStraw and The Pilot. She may be reached at debsalomon@nc.rr.com.

Make room for new furniture!

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We are

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HERE WE GROW AGAIN! In our 50th year, we like to think we know something about growing. This fall we will break ground on the Parkview, a small apartment building at the back of our lush 38-acre community. To learn more about this and other projects going on at Penick Village or to join us for lunch, please call us at (910) 692-0449.

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Southern Pines, NC

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April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T h e Ev o l v i n g S p e c i e s

Surer Than Death

April’s taxing deadline? I laugh, I cry, I consider making a break for the hills

By T.X. Dodger

By the time you read

this, I will have just completed my taxes, which is like voluntarily sticking needles in your eyes. Self-selecting for pain.

Don’t even think of trying to trace me, IRS. I’m seeking asylum. Maybe in Russia with WikiLeaks, Julian Assange. Or in Ireland, with tax-free residency for artists and writers. (Just how ironic this is, you will know shortly.) Or, perhaps I will be in an actual asylum. Here’s why I became truly schedule A-, B- and C-shortform-phobic: I got my DNA tested, and guess what? I am descended from a long line of unfortunates, and carry the genetic markers for Those Who Run Seriously Afoul of the Tax Man. The gene can be traced back to my great-greatgreat-great Irish grandmother, who got tossed into jail when she killed a tax collector with a fire poker. (It was during the potato famine, people.) She was a widow with children. The family story is that the tax collector came to seize her only valuable — the cow — in lieu of taxes. She declined and brained him with the poker. This story was repeated in hushed family circles every April. My great uncle was so enamored of the story of our murderous grandma that he spent considerable time and effort trying to trace details. He declared she was given a choice — death or exile. No fool, our ancestral grandma brought her brood and heifer to a North Carolina penal colony, where she could claim the cow as a dependent. (Just kidding about the heifer.) Like our grandma, I couldn’t handle prison, either. But my father and great uncle, wellllllll, they thought nothing of starting companies with little experience or capital to back them. Risk was catnip. Despite being burly, madcap, Hemingway he-men, they paled and fell silent whenever you said those three little letters: IRS. In Dad’s case, he did not pay his income taxes when stretched to breaking financially. Although he knew he could not win in this evasion, he tried to resolve his worries through magical thinking and quantities of Hershey bars. The way dad’s lawyer explained it to me when I attended his trial, if you file a fraudulent return, they can hit you with a misdemeanor. If you simply don’t file, without so much as an extension when you owe taxes, then you can get criminally charged with a felony. Which is what happened to Dad, who made a habit of not contacting the IRS every April.

Seven years later, the suits came to the door. Dad wound up in a federal facility. His lawyer referred to it as a “country club prison.” If that was the country club, you would have hated the bad part of town. Dad was incarcerated with Watergate counsel Charles Colson. (Chuck to his fellow inmates.) A liberal, Dad protested this was cruel and unusual punishment. But personally, I think he was sort of relieved to be liberated from the IRS men in black. He paid his debt to society by peeling potatoes. He became a model prisoner and even pals with Colson, who once sent me a letter advising me against dating a guy my dad disliked. Colson dictated the letter to his wife, who typed it on cream-colored Pentagon stationery with the logo crossed out. So my fear of country club prisons, or worse, notches up through April as I lose all ability to do simple math, calculate mileage, account for my misspent money, or my youth. Adding to the sheer adrenalin rush, it always takes us until the last minute on the tax clock to complete our return. Meantime, I go feral — stop showering, go wild-eyed, and sprout ten coyote-like gray hairs in the final days of tax review. And every time I look at a tax worksheet, I can taste fear on my tongue, like a dog. In fact, I considered wearing my dog’s pheromoneinfused calming collar. As we huddle in my husband’s office, I have the quick-trigger reflexes of a cornered possum when my husband frowns at my tax worksheet. Whaaaa?? I ask, tearing a shred of nail with my incisor, thinking of climbing the tree outside his window and staying there, nesting with the tax-free squirrel family. I don’t understand this deduction, he says, finger tapping page 297 of our Turbo Tax simplified filings worksheet. Then just forget about it! I declare, throwing my arms up in immediate surrender. We argue, calculate, fret, and, finally file in the generally hellacious walk up to the 15th. When we finally hit the electronic transmit command, I swallow a Xanax and pour the last of the Murine into my bloodshot eyes. Then, as any Irishwoman from my gene pool would do, I head to the barn to sleep with the family cow and our ancestral fire poker. It will be warmer there, and safer, than the tree. PS T.X. Dodger is not our writer’s real name. We withheld that to protect the IRS.

The Ice Cream Parlor Established in 1976

Downtown Southern Pines 910-692-7273

sandwiches

burgers

salads wraps

soups floats ice cream

Run for the Roses 15th Annual

Wine, Beer & Food Tasting

in Partnership with Mutual Distributing

Friday, April 25  6 to 9 p.m. Fair Barn  200 Beulah Hill Rd S  Pinehurst Taste Over 75 Wines Courtesy of Mutual Distributing, Enjoy an Outdoor Beer Garden Hosted by Sly Fox Gastropub & Underground Beer Co., & Sample Delicious Fare from Local Chefs. A Benefit for Sandhills Children’s Center

coffee check out our daily specials on facebook

Purchase Tickets at (910) 692-3323 or www.SandhillsChildrensCenter.org

agency

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are always

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Refer to The Pilot Newspaper for current sale dates & locations or go to ThePilot.com

Paul Blake 910.315.7044 Chuck Helbling 910.315.4501

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

B IRD WA T C H

Brown-Headed Nuthatch The squeaky toy in Triad treetops

By Susan Campbell

If you have ever heard the sound of what

Photograph by Debra Regula

seems to be a squeaky toy coming from the treetops here in the Triad, you may have just had an encounter with a brown-headed nuthatch. This bird’s small size and active lifestyle make it challenging to spot, but once you know what to look — and listen — for, you will discover a common year-round resident and a bird of stunning, but subtle coloration.

Brown-headeds are about four inches long with bright white bellies, contrasting gray backs and, as the name suggests, chocolate-brown crowns. Interestingly, males are indistinguishable from females. Their coloration creates perfect camouflage so they’re hard to see among the pine branches where they forage for seeds and insects. Their oversized bill allows them to pry open a variety of seeds as well as pine cones. With sharp eyes, you can see them dig deep in the cracks of tree bark hungry for grubs. By virtue of their strong feet and sharp claws, brown-headed nuthatches can clamber down the trunks of trees with the same ease that other birds crawl up. Although they do not sing, these birds have a distinctive two-syllable squeak that they sometimes roll together whenever they really get excited. Brown-headed nuthatches love bird feeders. So if you live near a significant stand of mature pines, you will have a good chance of seeing them up close. Brown-headeds, when they have found free food, will frequent both hanging suet and sunflower-seed feeders from dawn until dusk. They quickly grow accustomed to people, so viewing them at close range is pos-

sible, as are fantastic photo opportunities. This species is one of the area’s smallest breeding birds. It is a nonmigratory resident, living as a family group for most of the year. Unlike its cousin, the white-breasted nuthatch, which can be found in mixed forests across the state, the brown-headed is a bird that thrives only in mature pine forest. Brown-headeds are endemic to the southeastern United States, from coastal Virginia through most of Florida and west to the eastern edge of Texas. Their range actually covers the historic reaches of the longleaf pine. This little bird, however, has adapted to living among loblolly and Virginia pines as large stands of longleaf pines have become scarcer and scarcer. Brown-headed nuthatches have long excavated their own nest holes in small dead trees in early spring. But over the years the number of the appropriate sized trees has diminished due to humans tidying up the landscape. Luckily, brown-headed nuthatches have taken to using nest boxes whenever available. However, unless the hole is small enough to exclude larger birds such as bluebirds, they find themselves out-competed for the space. For this reason the species is now one of concern across the Southeast, with populations in decline. In addition to issues related to nesting, logging, fire suppression and forest fragmentation pose significant challenges for brown-headed nuthatches. Because of the obstacles these small birds face, North Carolina Audubon has begun a campaign to encourage bird lovers to help brown-headed nuthatches. The goal is to increase smaller nest boxes available across our state by 10,000 within the next two years. Please consider getting involved and check out: nc.audubon.org/make-little-room-brown-headed-nuthatch. PS Susan Campbell would love to hear from you. Send wildlife sightings and photos to susan@ncaves.com or call (910) 949-3207.

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April 2014 P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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T h e sp o r t i n g l i f e

The River Girls

Hooked on fly-fishing and female companionship

By Tom Bryant

When the River Girls go out to play,

Photograph Courtesy of tom bryant

They stand in the river, and fish all day. They talk about this, and they talk about that, And have those little flies penned to their hat. — Dave Williams

Fly-fishing is not an unusual sport to me. My grandfather taught me to use a fly rod when I was about 10 years old, and I’ve fly-fished off and on all of my outdoor life. In the times that I’ve wandered and waded little creeks and rivers, I’ve met quite a few fly-fishermen; but until this year, I’ve never encountered a fly-fisherwoman. I met Emma Apple and Mimi Williams for lunch at the Green Valley Grill in Greensboro. They were on a mission, and that was to tell me about their fly-fishing club, The River Girls. Emma, a brunette with mischievous eyes, met me first at the grill and told me that Mimi was delayed and would be arriving in about ten minutes. We waited in the vestibule and immediately our conversation turned to flyfishing. “I’ve heard about your group for a couple of years and wanted to see what it is about the sport that entices you ladies to fly-fish.” She smiled and said, “With me it’s the water. I’ve always enjoyed being around rivers and the ocean. Until recently we had a beach house at Wrightsville Beach, so I’ve been close to the water since I was a girl. Fly-

fishing has just become an extension of that.” Emma is married to David and has two children, Katharine and Helen. “Since the kids have grown, fly-fishing, especially with the club, has become one of my favorite hobbies.” Mimi Williams arrived about that time and we grabbed a table close to the western windows. The sun streaming in was bright enough to encourage the talk about a fishing trip, especially after the rough winter we were enduring. Mimi, a vivacious blonde with a take-charge attitude, continued the conversation about the group. “I guess we’ve been an organization for about five years, and the number of members varies from about ten to a high of fifteen. We try to get together and fish as a group four times a year. As a matter of fact, our last trip was to Jefferson in the mountains. We had a marvelous time.” Mimi, a retired speech pathologist, is also married to a David and has two children, Caitlin and Curry. I asked her about the other ladies involved with the club. “You know some are novices and a few are very talented. We have had a grand time together and have participated in casting clinics with our longtime guide, Jeff Wilkins. We try to get him to go with us on a lot of our trips. He’s a great guy and has taught us a lot.” “You know how unusual it is to fly-fish,” I said. “Most people meeting you ladies for the first time would automatically assume that for sport hobbies you golfed or played tennis, maybe gardened, or played tournament bridge; but wading a flowing mountain river with a fly rod and all the paraphernalia that goes with the activity? I don’t think so. What is it about the sport that hooked you?” “I love the peacefulness,” replied Emma. “You can be with a group on an outing, but when you’re on the water you still feel as if you’re alone.”

T h e sp o r t i n g l i f e

“It was my parents,” Mimi said as she pulled a fly-fishing fedora from a bag. “Look at this hat.” Around the band of the hat were a dozen or so old fly-fishing license pins. Years ago in Pennsylvania, a fly-fishing license was a pin that could be attached to a vest or, as Mimi had done, to a hat. “These were my father’s. Look how far back they go. The earliest license was issued in 1948. Mom and Dad just loved the sport. As a matter of fact, they went on a fly-fishing trip on their honeymoon.”

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Mimi also had hand-tied flies done by her father in a shadowbox frame. They were beautiful, more artwork than an imitation of a bug to catch fish. “Do y’all eat the fish?” I asked. “No,” they replied in unison. “It’s all catch and release. Here, let me show you some photos of the fish we’ve caught on some of our outings.” Mimi had brought her laptop computer, and I hitched my chair around out of the sunlight so I could see the images better. And it was something to see. “Wow, those are some nice trout,” I exclaimed as Mimi played her slide show of The River Girls and the fish they had caught. “Yep, we’ve caught rainbow, brook and brown trout on our excursions,” Mimi said. “Fishing as a group cuts down on some of the risk, but wading a fast flowing river can be dangerous. Those rivers flow in some pretty

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T h e sp o r t i n g l i f e

out-of-the-way places,” I said. “Any problems on the water?” Emma laughingly replied, “I fell in last November, but we were right at the lodge and I was no worse for the wear. Just wet. And we always use the buddy system when we’re on the water.” I could have talked to these two enthusiastic ladies for hours, but I looked around and we were just about the only customers left in the entire restaurant.. As we were packing up and getting

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ready to leave, I asked, “What’s the best thing to you about The River Girls?” “The fun of the group and the peacefulness of the rivers,” Emma replied. Mimi looked thoughtful for a moment and said, “My father died when he was 54. It’s like I didn’t get to know him as much as I should have. When I’m on a river, with a fly rod in my hand, sometimes I can feel his presence.” It was a pleasure meeting and getting to know Emma and Mimi. People who fly-fish, be they men or women, have a kindred spirit, and it’s all about the experience; the freedom of a day on the water with a fly rod and maybe a few fish is all that’s needed for a memorable time. PS Tom Bryant, a Southern Pines resident, is a lifelong outdoorsman and PineStraw’s Sporting Life columnist.

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April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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G o l ft o w n J o u r n a l

Let’s Play Two

With Pinehurst on the eve of hosting the Men’s and Women’s U.S. Opens back to back, history will be made, and hopefully a good time had by all

By Lee Pace

David Fay and his

colleagues at the United States Golf Association had long admitted to a twinge of envy late every summer when the world of tennis was focused on Flushing Meadow, New York, and the concurrent U.S. Open Tennis Championships for men and women. Six times in its history the two-week conclave has drawn attendance of more than 700,000, and the women’s final one day followed by the men’s the next day draws a white-hot laser beam of media attention and sports world buzz.

“Every once in a while, we’d say, ‘Why can’t we do something like tennis, with the Open and the Women’s Open at the same site?’” says Mike Butz, a USGA senior managing director and staff member since 1981. “Every four or five years it would come up. We talked different scenarios — do it over a couple of weeks or, if we found the right site, do it all in one week, the men on one course and the women on another.” Jim Hyler, a USGA official on various committees for a decade leading up to his presidency in 2010 –11, remembers the concept being floated one time as it applied to Pinehurst and his suggestion of playing the U.S. Open on Donald Ross’s No. 2 and the Women’s Open concurrently on Tom Fazio’s No. 4. “That lasted about thirty seconds and then we dismissed it as a bad idea,” Hyler says. “Still, the concept was intriguing. The more we thought about it, Pinehurst was the only place it would work. They have an infrastructure and volunteer base like no other U.S. Open site we have.” As the USGA convened for its annual meeting in Newport Beach, California, in February 2009, Fay, the executive director from 1989 through his retirement in 2010, was faced with having to find a venue for its 2014 Women’s Open in fairly short order. Pebble Beach was one

year away from hosting the U.S. Open in 2010 and was penciled in as the venue for the Women’s Open four years afterward. But the 2008 – 09 financial crisis had gut-punched the world of golf, and corporations were cash-poor and mentally timid to take risks in travel and entertainment in the golf world in that environment. “Pebble told us it would be too much a financial hardship to hold the Women’s Open so quickly after the Open,” Fay says. “Thus it would have been too much a drain on us to prop them up. We said we understood and moved on to find another site.” At that point Fay floated to the Championship Committee the concept of the double-header he and the staff had mused about over the years. With Pinehurst No. 2 already set for the 2014 Open, why not play the Open and Women’s Open back-to-back? The committee gave him the green light to pursue the idea with Pinehurst owner Robert Dedman Jr. and resort president and

COO Don Padgett II. Fay boarded a red-eye flight from California to New York after that February 2009 meeting and began doing a pros-and-cons exercise on a yellow legal pad. One side of the argument was that this had never been done before and would draw considerable buzz in the world of golf. It would put the women on the same revered No. 2 course as the men and give them a chance to showcase the considerable skills that Fay believed were underestimated by the golf public. There would be some modest cost-savings by setting up infrastructure at just one venue instead of two. Heading the opposite column was the issue of scheduling: What if bad weather the first week forced a playoff into the following week? Could you find enough volunteers to support the mammoth labor needs of a major championship, the marshals and scorers, the drivers and doctors? Would the lesser attendance at the Women’s Open lead to an awkward view of empty bleachers on television screens? Could the golf course hold up for two weeks of intense play? “I finished the exercise and the positives far outweighed the negatives if Pinehurst would go for it,” says Fay.

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Fay then floated the idea to key staff lieutenants Butz, Mike Davis and Reg Jones. “I can remember like it was yesterday David coming into my office and saying, ‘I have this idea,’” says Davis, at the time senior director of rules and competitions and later Fay’s replacement atop the USGA staff. “I heard it and thought, ‘Have you lost your marbles?’ Then you got to thinking about it and began to see all the wonderful possibilities.” Fay was scheduled soon after the USGA annual meeting to speak at the Carolinas Golf Association awards banquet at Pinehurst and met Padgett for breakfast to broach the idea. “It gave me pause,” Padgett says of the pitch from Fay. “It was a concept I’d never heard of or contemplated. I had no point of reference. I said, ‘David, that’s interesting. Why do you want to do this?’ “David said that he’d really like to showcase women’s golf. He said the women don’t get enough credit for how good they are.” Padgett asked if such an arrangement would impinge on the USGA’s relationship with nearby Pine Needles, the site of the 1996, 2001 and 2007 Women’s Opens. Fay allayed that issue. “Pine Needles and the Bell family have been wonderful, but we’d been there three times in a relatively short period of time,” Fay says. “Sometimes the sequel doesn’t live up to the original. You could say that about the 2005 Open at Pinehurst versus the 1999 Open. I felt it was important to put the women on the same No. 2 course that we had used for the Open.” Fay and Padgett dissected the operations angle over the meal, and Padgett said he’d call Dedman at his office in Dallas. “Has this ever been done before?” was Dedman’s first question. Dedman thought it would be ground-breaking, memorable and neat that the resort and club his father, Robert Dedman Sr., had bought in 1984 would be at golf’s epicenter for fourteen consecutive days. “We’re in,” Dedman told Padgett. “I immediately thought it was a great example of the USGA thinking out of the box and doing something that had never been done before,” Dedman said later. “We were excited to be a part of it.” The announcement was made at Bethpage in June during the 2009 U.S. Open. “Somewhere Ernie Banks must be smiling — let’s play two,” Fay said. This unprecedented arrangement with the U.S. Open in its traditional third Sunday of June finish and the women playing the following week on the same golf course was announced in June 2009. Now the idea is about to come to fruition. “We think we’ll have two magical weeks that have never been done before,” Davis says. “There will be great synergy between the two weeks. We

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

G o l ft o w n J o u r n a l

look at this as one big event and two weeks of wonderful golf. As with any innovation, there is always some risk. But we thought there was more upside than potential downside.” The operation outside the ropes has been made possible by the fact that Pinehurst and the Sandhills community have a deep reservoir of experienced volunteers. Jones, the U.S. Open championship director, says he can think of no other venue beyond Pinehurst that would have fit the double-header and that 6,200 volunteers spread over eighteen committees are signed up. “Three-quarters of the volunteers have signed on to work both weeks,” Jones says. “The volunteers here have been incredibly supportive of the two Opens we’ve had at Pinehurst and the three Women’s Opens at Pine Needles (in 1996, 2001 and 2007). They work the North and South Amateurs and the U.S. Kids every summer. They are experienced and passionate about the game and their role in helping us.” Inside the ropes, the course will play approximately 7,500 yards for the men and 6,700 for the ladies. Since the course has been shorn of all its thick Bermuda rough with the restoration from Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2010 – 11, there’s no issue of adjusting grass heights from one week to the next. The greens will roll in the 11.5 range on the Stimpmeter both weeks — “The women can handle the fast speeds just fine; they did so magnificently at Oakmont in 2010,” says Davis — but they will be softened incrementally the second week. Without question the sticky element comes during the transition — hopefully concluding the U.S. Open around 6 p.m. on Sunday barring weather delays and moving into practice rounds for the women. The staff has run a myriad of scripts of possible disruptions and Plan Bs. “I’ve been working the Open since Merion in 1981, and there’s a sense of excitement around this June I’ve never seen before,” says Butz. “Does it come with some sleepless nights trying to figure it all out? Absolutely. But our team is really looking forward to the challenge of making it work.” As Davis says of the ebb and flow of weather and the unknowns of running championship golf, “We’ll figure it out.” When it’s over, Pinehurst will become the first club to have hosted the USGA’s five premier events (Opens for men and women, Amateurs for men and women and the Senior Open), as well as the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. “To be the first one and very likely the only one for the foreseeable future to make that statement, that’s pretty cool,” Padgett says. PS

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Lee Pace has written about golf in Pinehurst for 30 years and his most recent book is The Golden Age of Pinehurst — The Story of Rebirth of No. 2. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

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April 2014

Controlled Burn at Reservoir Park On the safe side of the pond, wild-eyed deer pant, peer from bushes, nostrils flare with soot. Beaver find sanctuary at waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge, watch as all their calculations, measured sticks, hour-glass woodcuts, turn to ash. Squirrels tightrope from smoldering branches to pine boughs ready for wreathes, and snakes slither from under smoking leaves, coil into cooler dens. All have fled the sour smell of driptorch fuel, laid down along the path like hemming on a skirt, then set fire.

Lodge pole pines sow popcorn-bursting seeds helter-skelter in the spiking heat, explode, a firing squad with no target but the swirling embers. The fire runs its course, finally surrenders to the boundaries. It deplores the necessary truce, but lays its dying weapons on the ground. Soon, cattails will reweave walls for shoreline caves. Birds with heads the color of flame will find homes. Charred ferns will push their fiddle-headed nobs up through the cindered earth as burn turns terror to green.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sarah Edwards

Letter from Habaña

On Cuban Time On the trail of Papa Hemingway, vintage American cars and a living sense of a captive Caribbean neighbor

Story and Photographs by Susan McCrimmon

ometimes there is no better reason to do something out of your comfort zone than to just pick up and go. Case in point is my recent unexpected trip to Cuba, the former jewel of the Caribbean that lies just ninety miles off the coast of the U.S. but has been offlimits to most American citizens for more than half a century. Tensions and travel restrictions to Cuba have been relaxed by our own government somewhat in recent years, but a mystique of the forbidden still colors most Americans’ understanding of the supposedly communist island nation. When an opportunity arose for me to go there, I didn’t hesitate — though my purpose was anything but political. Simply put, I was eager to meet the people and see the sights of one of the oldest cities in North America, a place famous for its music and food and architecture, its role at the center of Caribbean life. If given a chance to return, I would not hesitate. The countryside was lush and gorgeous, the villages quaint with their own palette of fading pastel colors, the people among the friendliest I’ve ever encountered. Art and music were everywhere. And incredible architecture in Old Habana — decayed and softened by the seasons — must be seen firsthand to be truly appreciated. And then there were the vintage American cars . . . But wait. Let me take you back to our arrival at the José Martí International Airport, which looked like any small island landing strip save for “Madam Pipi,” the artfully named bathroom attendant who greeted us upon arrival at the surprisingly modest air terminal. Her function was to watch over the facility and make sure toilet paper was available for the new arrivals. Toilet paper is a big deal in Cuba. Not only is it hard to come by, but whatever is available is typically of poor quality — a little like very thin brown paper towels. Having done some research beforehand, most of us carried our own. It was kind of funny to pack rolls of TP and not be going camping. I once observed a clandestine transaction in a nice res-

taurant that involved a roll of good old American TP. Tellingly, one of the nicest gestures you can make to the average Cuban is a gift of good quality toilet paper. Customs was surprisingly easy. We had been warned ahead of time that there was a possibility of being pulled aside for routine questioning and, if so, one of the questions would be concerning if we had brought anything “extra” with us. This was not about contraband, but had to do with gifts and such. Having done our homework, most of us had stuffed all of the extra space in our bags with items we had planned on giving to our service people and the children we were to meet in our “People to People” cultural exchange. We had been instructed to answer that we had “gifts,” not — God forbid — “donations.” The questioning, we were warned, might be accompanied with the possibility of a bag search. It was never made totally clear why there was such a big deal over such semantic differences. But then again we weren’t in Kansas — or Southern Pines — anymore. Once on the streets of Habana, the first thing every foreign visitor looks for — and sees everywhere — are the antique Americans cars, models straight from the 1950s and ’60s, except these vehicles are very much a living necessity, lovingly maintained by their owners to keep running indefinitely, a powerful sign of how Cuba is frozen in time. I was reminded that the ’50s were a great time for car design with their sharp, sloping fins, rounded body lines, and those big snarling front grills. Throw in some of that tropical color and you have an ever-changing feast for the automotive eye, an old car connoisseur’s tropical paradise. One just had to stand on any, and I truly mean any, street corner at any time of day to enjoy the parade of vintage autos. There are more than 60,000 classic cars in Cuba with about half dating from the ’50s and the other half divided between the ’40s and ’30s. Chevys, Fords, Plymouths, Chryslers, Dodges, Cadillacs, Buicks, Willys and — to my personal delight — one Edsel I spotted not long after we arrived.

April 2014P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

One of the available treats is to rent a convertible and be driven around Old Habana. My cohort in crime, my niece Laura, and I slipped away one afternoon and finagled a yellow ’52 Chevy Bel Air convertible to squire us about. The rates were extremely reasonable and a damn sight better than the cost of taxis in Miami. It was only $30 for an hour and we most certainly got our money’s worth. Ramon was our driver and the car’s current owner. His immaculate Chevy had been passed down from his father. As a rule, once obtained, cars are generally passed down to younger family members since they are prohibitively expensive to own and operate. Ironically, during our stay in the city, a small number of cars were released to be sold to the public — old models of Kias the government decided to sell for $45,000 apiece. On an island where the highest paid workers — doctors and government officials and such — are paid about $20 a month, it’s difficult to imagine any ordinary Cuban being able to afford even an old Kia. But clearly a subterranean economy exists. Many Cubans receive money from their families in the States.

ut back to Ramon and our private tour of the city. At one point, he encouraged Laura and me to sit on the back of the convertible as we were driven through Old Habana at dusk. At first we felt kind of silly sitting up there like visiting American princesses, but soon it was hard to resist not giving the royal parade wave to people we passed — who smiled back as if they were enjoying the show. We quickly got over self-conscious reservations and had the time of our lives — prompting other cars to honk and passengers to wave as they passed us. At one point, Ramon pulled in and parked on the Paseo de Martí in front of the Distrito Capitolio, a central meeting place for these old model cars. It was a wide four lane boulevard with a diagonal parking strip running down the middle. Out we hopped and wandered up and down the row of cars, posing and taking photos, chatting with the owners, bumming cigarettes and entertaining us with their stories. Talk about an afternoon lost in time. We won’t forget it anytime soon. Ramon dropped us off at a local restaurant that was definitely off the beaten path, and the evening ended with a stroll through Old Habana, where locals and tourists were out in force. On any given street you’ll hear a hodge-podge of languages and accents. While ambling through the narrow cobblestone streets, we never knew what we would encounter next: bustling outdoor cafés, infectious music tumbling from doorways, intriguing glimpses into exotic looking courtyards, or expansive plazas with children running about. We capped off our footloose evening at the famed Floridita, birthplace of the daiquiri. Ernest Hemingway often stayed in room 511 at the Hotel Ambos Mundos, which just happened to be located on Obispo, the same street and just a few blocks away from El Floridita. Daiquiris and mojitos were supposedly two of Hemingway’s favorite libations, and it was reported that he was known to consume an average of over fifteen daiquiris a day. We lingered a bit at this famous watering hole and even puffed on a real Cuban cigar, hoisting our daiquiris to Papa. When in Habana . . . A traveler cannot simply visit Cuba without encountering tributes to Ernest Hemingway almost everywhere you turn. It was said that he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls during his frequent stays in his corner room of the Hotel Ambos Mundos (which had a cigar named after it). Being an avid fisherman he kept his boat, the Pilar, docked in the fishing village of Cojimar. The village and its inhabitants were the inspiration for his novel The Old Man and the Sea, for which he received both a Pulitzer and the Nobel Prize for Literature. When the villagers heard of Hemingway’s death, a local artist volunteered to make a commemorative bust of him if the needed metal could be provided. Having no money or means to purchase the metal, the local fishermen collected scraps and pieces from their fishing boats. The completed bust was placed on a pedestal overlooking the harbor and its pier — and stands watch today. Of course, a lively bar also sits on the harbor where the local lore has it that Hemingway once swiped a public urinal and carted it home to his house, arguing that he had “pissed away” so much of his money into the urinal that he rightfully owned it. Papa Hemingway purchased a home nearby for his third wife, Martha

Gellhorn, who was an acclaimed war correspondent at a time when women did not venture to the front lines. The open ranch style home stands in evidence of an elegant lifestyle sitting atop a hill with a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside. Visitors are not allowed inside but can lean into the front door or peek into windows under the vigilant gaze of attendants. When the house was first restored, visitors were allowed to wander throughout, but once authorities realized that volumes of the former owner’s personal books were vanishing, the practice was stopped. The home is not lavishly decorated but is heavily and beautifully appointed with animal trophies and other mementos from Hemingway’s African safaris, set against white walls and simple, yet comfortable, furniture. Rumor has it that Ava Gardner was a frequent guest at the Hemingway home and was “caught” by Hemingway swimming nude in his palatial swimming pool. One can only hope it’s true, though it’s not clear if their supposed tryst was before or after she was cast in the movie The Snows of Kilimanjaro, based on his novel of the same name.

n another occasion, we traveled about two hours out of the city to the village of Viñales. The first stop was at the home of a local tobacco grower named Benito, quite a character. In Cuba, a beautiful woman or handsome man is said to be a “mango.” Several of us thought that Benito was most definitely a mango! He met us in a tobacco curing barn and explained how Cuban tobacco is harvested and cured, and demonstrated the way to roll a perfect cigar. After inviting us inside his home for superb coffee, we were invited to walk around anywhere on his plantation, the Cuban appellation for a farm. Benito also grew sugarcane and had a small cane press where the juice is extracted.

Adding a shot of rum to a glass of the sugarcane juice made a refreshing drink called guarapo, although I don’t think the rum was a requirement. Rum seems to be the standard additive to anything one cares to drink, especially the coffee. Lunch that day was at Finca Agroecologica el Paraiso, which was an unconventional organic farm and restaurant. One didn’t just walk off the street, sit down and order food as we do stateside. The procedure was more of an arranged meal. We dined in an open-air thatched-roof pavilion overlooking the Valle de Viñales, where the village takes its name with part of the Guaniguanico mountain range rising in the distance. These mountains are characterized by mogotes, which are calcareous rock with sheer sides rising up to 1,500 feet. They were reminiscent of Arizona mesas minus the desert aridness. The meal was prepared in a small attached kitchen that seemed to consist of a large roasting pit and little else. The main course was a roasted pig as good if not better than most I have consumed in famous barbecue restaurants across the American South. All of the food, except the pig (which came from a neighboring farm), was grown by the folks doing the cooking and was served family style. It was simply superb. After a week of dining in various establishments, there was never any question as to our favorite spot. Fantastic locally grown food with a view to die for prepared by the host family with pride and love. It doesn’t get much better than that — in any language. The final stop that day was at a tobacco sorting warehouse. Originally, we were to visit a cigar rolling factory. Unfortunately, the Cubans were celebrating the 55th anniversary of “The Revolution” which took place on January 1, 1959, when Fidel Castro overthrew the dictator Fulgencio Batista and declared Cuba a liberated socialist nation. Thus the cigar factory was closed. However, with some finagling by our translator, we were able to go inside of a tobacco grading and fermenting warehouse accompanied by a local woman who had worked in the facility for over thirty-five years.

April 2014P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Having been raised on a tobacco farm, I found the whole process from planting to rolling quite absorbing, especially how workers in the sorting, fermenting, and rolling warehouses are reading literary works as they labor. The tradition began in 1865 and continues to this day. Not only are the workers relieved of what would otherwise be monotonous work, the theory goes, but are inspired to learn to read and write themselves at a time when it is more important to work than go to school in order to support their families. Because of this dichotomy, the country’s tobacco factory workers are among the most educated of the population. The day’s reading generally starts with a daily newspaper and is followed by continued reading of the unfinished book from the day before. Usually it is the workers themselves who choose the title. The genres range from classical to contemporary subjects, including political and detective page-turners. Many famous cigar brands such as Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta were created during the readings of Dumas and Shakespeare and John Grisham. One way to get a feel for the history of an area is to check out the local cemetery. A good cemetery is not only beautiful with statuary, artistic headstones, and impressive crypts, but gives visitors an even deeper sense of history and cultural permanence of the island. Since I love a walk around a good cemetery, I was not at all disappointed in the Cementerio Cristobal Colon. Established around 1871, the beautiful burying ground encompasses over 138 acres of marble and granite monuments and statues on the more than one million tombs. Yet, because of the traditional method of exhuming remains and placing them in an ashery near the original grave so another body can be interred, more than two million people are actually buried there. On average the cemetery has about forty funerals per day. Among the magnificent tombs and gravestones is a rather modest grave with a statue of a mother holding a child in her arms. This is the grave of Doña Amelia Goyri who died, along with her child, while giving birth at the age of 23. Her distraught and devoted husband came every day to the grave to visit her, local lore holds, knocking three times on the lid of the tomb in order to awaken her soul as he poured out his heart to her. Then he would place beautiful fresh flowers on the tomb and always back away as he left, so as not to turn his back on his beloved. When it came time to open the grave and move Doña Amelia’s earthly remains to the ashery, it was discovered that the remains of the child, which had been laid to rest at Amelia’s feet, were now in her arms! People from all over the world have paid their respects to Amelia following her husband’s ritual of knocking three times, touching the statue as they encircle the tomb asking her to grant their wishes, and exiting without turning their back to her as a sign of respect. The graves next to hers are covered in marble and granite plaques giving thanks to Amelia for granting their requests. It is the only gravesite in all of the cemetery that by the end of every day is covered with fresh flowers.

ur glorious Cuban sojourn ended too soon. We reluctantly departed for home with a lot of unanswered questions about this incredible Caribbean island, but not because anyone was unwilling or unable to answer them. In retrospect, I wondered about small things, like how did they manage to get Tabasco sauce in the breakfast restaurant at the hotel, and how is it that American Airlines can land there if we have an imposed embargo? How the heck can these friendly and welcoming people live on a ration book and $20 a month? We also missed the beaches, which I understand are rather amazing, but maybe next trip. Cuba’s future seems paradoxically up in the air and lost in time, though after our lovely and intensely personal “people to people” visit, I must say what a sad thing it is that this silly embargo remains in place. Time and tides will surely change Cuba. But in the meantime I can say without hesitation that the captive island nation captured a piece of my heart — and I would happily return to visit in a heartbeat. And now not just because I can. PS Susan McCrimmon is a noted science geek, sudoku and crossword puzzle addict, and rumored to be besotted by words.

April 2014P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The

Angel Carver

By Gayvin Powers • Photographs by John Gessner

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” — Henry Ford

ickeyangelo whittles a piece of wood while watching two tall pine trees dance amid a storm. When the world thunders all around him, Mickeyangelo, a Carthage woodcarver, whose given name is Mickey Prosser, finds inspiration to create pieces of symbolic comfort. With every chisel, Mickeyangelo carves away a bit more wood, reminded that each stroke is similar to the countless and seemingly insignificant moments that make up a person’s life; once taken away, the missing moments reveal the heart of a person. In looking at this life, these are the same moments that Mickeyangelo once thought insignificant. Combined, these moments made him the artist he is today. It began when Mickeyangelo was 18 years old. He was digging graves for a living. “I would stand in the graves and wonder, ‘Is this what I’ve become?’” Mickeyangelo didn’t know it at the time, but his depressing work in a job that no one else wanted was the first step that led him to becoming an artist. One day while pondering his life in another person’s grave, Mickeyangelo realized that he had a choice: He didn’t have to be this person. “That was when I changed my life.” It led him to joining the Air Force, where he trained as an aircraft technician and lived all over the world. While stationed in England, he struck up a friendship with Jim Grieve, who ran the hobby shop on base. Grieve had been trained in woodcarving by a concentration camp survivor who had relocated to London after World War II. The passing of knowledge and skill was important to the man who taught Grieve, and Grieve thought it equally important to pass along to Mickeyangelo. “When you start taking the wood away,” Mickeyangelo says, remembering back to Grieve’s guidance, “you get a feeling for what belongs and what doesn’t.” Today, Mickeyangelo’s carvings are natural with a slight look and feel of folk art during the creation process. Completed pieces, like the bench on his front porch, show a beautifully detailed eagle. “Getting the eagle right is all in the brows,” Mickeyangelo says. Eagles and angels figure prominently in his artwork. Near two six-foot-tall angels in his yard are several wooden eagles that remind him of freedom. For Mickeyangelo, it recalls his time with the Air Force and who he’s become in life.

Throughout his life and as an artist, Mickeyangelo’s inspiration has also come from angels; none of them are more important to him than his wife of 33 years, Bonita, who is an NIC nurse. “I could live a thousand lifetimes and never find a love like I have with her,” says Mickeyangelo. “She’s an angel.” The couple weathered devastation when their 10-year-old son, Joshua, passed away from leukemia. “I was never the same,” Mickeyangelo says. “I try not to take anything for granted. Not a moment, not a second.” The loss inspired Mickeyangelo to return to woodcarving as a way to channel his grief. The art form was a welcoming salvation. It’s an art he hopes to teach others. What they weren’t prepared for were the costs to bury their son. When thinking back, Mickeyangelo says, “Most people spend more than they can afford. People are vulnerable and in emotional distress when a loved one is buried.” Top-of-the-line funeral expenses, including fresh flowers, memorial keepsakes and plush, lined metal caskets can total over $35,000. There are funeral costs, inheritance taxes, medical bills and unforeseen expenses. For Mickeyangelo and his wife, who were living on a tight budget, they had to borrow $8,000 to bury their son. Due to their personal situation, Mickeyangelo’s goal is to train people throughout the country to be able to fashion and carve affordable caskets, thus spreading the good will in their communities and developing their own woodworking skills. “People shouldn’t have to go into debt when trying to bury a family member,” he says. Mickeyangelo believes that the greatest outcomes are gleaned from the hardest moments in life. That moment for him was with Joshua. “Looking back,” Mickeyangelo says, “if I hadn’t done that job as a gravedigger, I’d never have joined the military, never met Jim Grieve, never met my wife, and never had Joshua.” It’s a journey that started years before with a young Mickeyangelo seeking a better life for himself. What he saw and where he went in those years traveling the globe sculpted Mickeyangelo into an empathetic artist. The key to art and life, as Mickeyangelo sees it, is to “not look at things as they appear, but to think of the possibilities. Everything is possible when angels are present.” PS

Crowning Glories At the Stoneybrook Steeplechase, all the pretty horses race for glory but it’s the outrageous hats that really turn heads By Gayvin Powers

wispy ostrich feather reaches beyond a bouquet of lush spring flowers accenting a magnificent organzadraped, wide-brimmed sun hat. Indisputably, it’s a millinery masterpiece, a work of art, a fashion statement and an aspirational reflection of the wearer’s social derring-do. What does this one-of-a-kind hat that takes three days to create, you might ask, have in common with the outrageous fascinators found — and obsessively photographed — during England’s famous Royal Ascot week each summer? The answer is pretty simple — and as close as April’s premier outdoor event, the Stoneybrook Steeplechase, a day when the outrageous hats come out to turn heads even before the horses are running. The British aristocracy probably started this whole big-hat thing at the original race at Ascot in the late 18th century, though modern royals and wannabe imitators, whether at horse races or other occasions, swoon — ever so properly — at the chance to decorate their cheveux. At first appearance, a fascinator sounds, well, fascinating. After all, Princess Diana wore dainty miniature hats, commonly thought of as headpieces, quite regularly. Kate Middleton has followed in her late mum-in-law’s footsteps. Even cousin-in-law Beatrice showed up wearing a widely debated fascinator designed by Philip Treacy to Kate’s wedding, wagging tongues right and left. Memorably, one less-than-kind commentator described the sculpted hat as a “pin cushion,” which promptly got its own Facebook page. Long before social media, Marie Antoinette was making her own stir at court with larger-than-life hats. She favored those made by Rose Bertin, her official milliner and first fashion designer. Bertin routinely pouffed ladies’ hair up to three feet tall, recreating impressive historical tableau — famous battles, sailing ships and love affairs — within the hair and on the hats. All of this creative indulgence was designed to secure a woman’s strategic position in the upper crust of society, for the extravagance and cost of such a

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styling (hat, hair and attire) was typically far more than a commoner could earn in a year. Back on our side of the Atlantic, when Mr. and Mrs. Meriwether Lewis Clark needed sartorial inspiration for early runnings of Kentucky’s famed Derby — then known as a rough drinking and gambling event for men hoping to move up in local business circles — they looked to England and France for guidance. It was the Grand Prix de Paris and the British Epsom Derby, in fact, that gave them the idea of how to turn the Kentucky Derby from a drunken debauch into a respectable sporting venue. Mrs. Clark artfully spread the news to her high society friends that following the derby would be a fancy picnic in the park. This meant properly dressing up. Hats, the quintessential decorative fashion of the day, were expected. A hat, after all, is a reflection of the person wearing it, a changeable personality unto itself. Even Margaret Atwood, the famous feminist author of The Handmaid’s Tale, was moved to observe, “I myself have twelve hats, and each one represents a different personality. Why just be yourself?” Indeed. Last year, a friend who went to the Kentucky Derby in an ambitious hat hoping to impress, found herself standing in sudden sheets of rain. Not to bother. As some ran for cover, the hat-wearing crowd simply wrapped their outrageous lids in garbage bags and put them back on their heads. “You simply don’t pay hundreds of dollars for a hat,” my friend explained in her sweet Southern accent, “just to put it away for a little ray-in.” Faint utterings, she reports, of “bless your heart” could also be heard. For many women, the hat IS the event, reports Nicole Dunstan, local stylist and owner of SASS (Shopping and Styling Service by Nicole), whose spark for fashion started when she worked in the Knightsbridge area of London where she discovered that many locals had a “great knack for PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

mixing high street with campy vintage.” It was there that she fell in love with the British fascinator hat, a hat that she loves to wear to weddings and such stateside and, of course, abroad. This year she hopes to decorate an original creation for the running of Stoneybrook as well. Andy Pellegrino, owner and stylist at Bamboo Hair Salon in Southern Pines, is well known for the extravagant hats that he designs expressly for the Stoneybrook Steeplechase. When we asked if he might consider designing one for the cover of this month’s PineStraw, we weren’t surprised when he delivered a real head-turner – a towering masterpiece with a cascade of fragrant spring flowers. He won last year’s hat contest with a similarly brazen design. When hats are more than a mere foot in height, they do indeed become works or art or events unto themselves. Kokin, a New York milliner with a stunning assortment of hats sent to the races since 1987, advises: “I tell ladies, ‘With that hat on, you could be naked and nobody will notice because everyone’s looking up at that hat.’” With the Stoneybrook Steeplechase taking place this month, it’s fun to speculate what will be the upcoming fashion-forward hats — or, better yet, the talk of the track? If history has anything to do with it, whimsy will continue to win out over more serious haute couture. If Jane Taylor, the official milliner of Kate Middleton, has anything to say about future hatty trends, she believes that, for the moment at least, the classic English fascinator that has graced so many ‘do’s of royals and aspiring “celebutantes” is, well, darling, so last season. “It’s the cocktail hats, the Jackie O shapes that are in now,” she declares. As the heads turn and the cameras snap, dear ones, might we give a patriotic tip of our hats to Jackie Onassis for making the United States a presence in the hats arms-race once again? Who can say what sculpted wonders will show up to dazzle patrons at this year’s Stoneybrook, but the smart money wouldn’t bet against Andy Pellegrino, who understands the power of a beautiful head of hair and a whimsical pièce de résistance on top. PS

Our Model is Whitney Parker. Photograph by Tim Sayer, hat designed by Andy Pellegrino, makeup by Megan Weitzel of Retro.

Celebrities are different from you and me, mainly because they are famous and don’t carry cash. That doesn’t stop them from trying to lead normal lives the way you and I do, which is why a place like the Sandhills — known for its world class outdoor sports, elegant spas and hideaway hotels — is the ideal place for weary celebrities to escape the stress factors of fame and pesky paparazzi, let down their hair, tee up a ball, enjoy a discreet affair, and just be themselves, whoever that happens to be. Unfortunately, God or IBM invented smartphones, which is why there truly is no place left on Earth, in fact, for a famous person to hide. Thanks to these devices, we’re all suddenly put in the position to document a celeb-sighting. Not long ago, for instance, we could swear we saw Oprah Winfrey waiting at the Par Three Car Wash to get her Mercedes cleaned; then again she’s supposedly had a house in Southern Pines for years, so maybe she doesn’t count. Drop into Tom Stewart’s golf shop in the Village or belly up to the bar any given weekend night at the Pine Crest Inn and you’re likely to see somebody famous from the world of golf, hopefully misbehaving. Keep a sharp eye at the Ryder Cup Lounge or the elegant dining room at The Carolina and you just might score a Clooney or Branjelina sighting. Someone we know claims they recently saw Charlie Sheen buying organic manure at Lowe’s. Go figure. On a lark, with spring in the air, we asked a dozen phone-happy friends of PineStraw to send us their own documented smartphone celeb shots. The results discreetly speak for themselves. Celebs are here among us. Yes indeed. That is Donald Trump — or at least his hand — emerging from the stall in the men’s room at the Pinehurst Resort. Fresh off buying and refurbishing the dowdy Doral Hotel and Golf Club in Miami, rumors are flying that Donald has reportedly set his sights on buying the Pinehurst Resort and surrounding village before the U.S. Opens come to town in June. He plans to rename the village “Trumptown” in his honor and reportedly has recently made a similar offer to acquire St. Andrews, Scotland, which would give him ownership of two celebrated “Homes of Golf.” “If they won’t let you play in a major golf championship,” Mr. Trump was recently quoted as saying, “you can at least own the golf course and town around it.”

Comedian and game show host Howie Mandel was recently spotted by two elderly Broad Street shoppers having a quiet moment in front of Betsy’s Crepes, probably reading a little Spinoza and enjoying the spring sunshine, a nice break from the craziness of America’s Got Talent. When the two elderly ladies approached him to say hello and ask if there was any truth to the rumor that Clay Aiken, currently running for Congress, might have a shot at a judge’s slot on the top-rated show, the man shown here denied he was Howie Mandel and ran away before leaving a tip, dead giveaway of a vacationing celebrity.

We sure love Natalie Portman. Fresh from filming Jane Got a Gun, a film we know nothing about, a fan of the committed animal rights and vegan film star glanced up from her iPad in a local coffee shop just in time to catch a glimpse of the Black Swan strolling along a rainy street, lost in her own world. “I hated to bother her,” our friend reports. “So I ordered a second doublecaffe mocha latte.

Who would have guessed we would spot Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House and argumentative star of CNN’s refurbished Crossfire, having lunch at the Lunch Box that Rocks on Morganton Road. We think he was having “Hutch’s Over-Stuffed Reuben,” which is truly delicious and somehow perfect for Newt.

Is that really Joan Rivers checking in at Pine Needles? Our source (who took this picture in a hurry, shortly before some big burly guy accompanying her tried to grab the Galaxy phone and put it where the sun doesn’t shine) claims it really was the acid-tongued, multifaced-lifted, 112-yearold comedian who reportedly showed up hoping to get a golf lesson from youngster Peggy Kirk Bell. In exchange for her help, inside Needles sources report, Mrs. B will do a cameo on Joan’s popular Fashion Police show and possibly work as a commentator on next year’s Oscar red carpet show. We’re setting our DVRs now.

April 2014P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Lovebirds Warren Beatty and Annette Bening clearly love pizza. We’re fairly sure that’s them sitting over in a quiet corner of P.ZZA on West Pennsylvania. They’re so classy our secret photographer didn’t have the nerve to approach them. We think they were here in the Sandhills for the double-cheese woodland mushroom.

Look closely at the navy blue Mercedes speeding through the light at Midland Road and Voit Gilmore Lane, and you may see the watery reflection of a scowling Michael Jordan, former basketball star and local golf clubber, who was none too happy to have his picture snapped early one morning. It’s tough to get up before noon.

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Former Blowfishturned-countrysinger Darius Rucker loves golf. Unfortunately he loves his tour bus even more, which is why if this photo had been taken just five seconds before you would have seen him giving the photographer the universal gesture for “You’re Number One in My Heart.” Apparently he had a bad day on No. 2, which can make anybody want to get in their customsized tour bus, shut the door and drive away in a hurry.

We think this really is poor Courtney Love, wife of expired punk rocker Kurt Cobain and lead singer of Hole, who reportedly has become so obsessed with the missing Malaysian airliner she’s downloading millions of satellite images of the Indian Ocean and searching for traces of the missing plane herself. Alternatively, it could also be Justin Bieber wearing a very blond ladies wig as he orders corned beef on rye, attempting to hide out from the pit bulls at Entertainment Tonight. Either way, we didn’t have the courage to find out.

When he’s not out saving the world, Bono enjoys a good party. Which is why he was gracious enough to allow a regular at Neville’s to take his photograph on a recent busy Friday night. Our happy celeb photographer had no memory of taking this picture, or even of meeting the rock star, which may explain the photo’s quality.

LS! PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

The Inside

Story

A landmark Southern Pines residence rises again with minimalist flair

By Deborah Salomon • Photographs by John Gessner

udge not this book by its cover. Outside, Trish and Jarrett Deerwester’s historic residence in downtown Southern Pines resembles a regal Victorian lady with wraparound veranda, gingerbread trim, bay windows and porch swing dominating an acre dotted with 50-foot pines, magnolias and a lone flaming maple. Surely, family heirlooms proliferate beyond the polished mahogany door. Only if the family owns Architectural Digest or Metropolitan Home. Because even minimalist is too fussy a word to describe this interior. Start with shock and awe. Progress to artful. Sophisticated. Elegant. Terribly Manhattan. Wuthering Heights . . . on Kindle. Cream-colored walls backdrop a gallery of French and North Carolina paintings, mostly still life and landscapes created by artist/friends. Exterior walls are one window after another, without treatments to obscure the view. Gleaming, mostly bare oak floors echo footsteps. On the kitchen counter rests only a tray of fine oils and another of European aperitifs, including Cherry Heering and Pernod. The good life lives here.

April 2014P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Browns and cream upholstery — with splashes of coral and chartreuse — dominate the main floor which, from many small rooms, has been deconstructed into a spacious livingdining-kitchen space. Trish calls her furnishings — generously proportioned, with clean lines — “transitional, which can mean anything to anybody.” This house, in fact, has survived several transitions. In 1905, Joseph Gregory, inventor of the Perfection Burner kerosene heater, followed other captains of industry south for winters. The imposing residence he built on a corner lot facing New Hampshire Avenue endured to earn the “landmark” title, a small miracle given its flammable wood construction. Gregory gave the house to his son who, in Depression-era 1931, was forced to auction it on the courthouse steps for back taxes. Dr. James Milliken purchased the property, where he lived for thirty years. The house was sold and stood vacant. While visiting Southern Pines years later, daughter Louise Milliken Howard wrote of its deplorable condition in a letter to the newspaper. “It was a happy house, a wonderful house for teenagers. We would put on music, open the bay windows and dance on the porch,” Howard says, from her home in Savannah. Subsequently, Hayes-Howell Architects turned the residence into an office building, with partitioned rooms and acoustical ceilings. When the company closed the house once again stood vacant — and in jeopardy. A house resembles a child in that it contains genetic material from both parents, which is molded by nurture and circumstance. Trish grew up many places, part of a military family. A rolling stone gathers little moss. “Neither of us are cluttery people,” she says. She worked in design engineering for General Electric, installing MRI and CT scanners. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

Later, she designed jewelry. After leaving the Army Special Forces at Fort Bragg, Jarrett, an North Carolina State University graduate, lived on Connecticut Avenue. Experienced in construction and cabinet-making, he became a homebuilder. His eye was on the neglected house long before the sign went up. No better project could be found to showcase his skills. “We ought to buy it,” the couple decided in 2007. Except, Jarrett recalls, its condition was worse than anything Norm Abram tackles on This Old House: rot, mold, termites, water damage, antiquated systems. Following architect Matthew Mills, plans, Jarrett’s crew peeled it down inside and out, rearranged the bones, fleshed them out, and dressed the body in High Point couture. Small rooms became bathrooms and porches. Fireplaces were uncovered, windows replaced. A greatly enlarged kitchen claimed the spot of a small, utilitarian one. However, since the kitchen opens into the dining-living room, Jarrett chose to

April 2014P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

downplay the look of a food preparation center. Cabinets are sleek and black. Wall ovens do not face outward. An informal eating area has upholstered banquettes reminiscent of a cocktail lounge — ‚ but where’s the refrigerator? “I didn’t want all that stainless steel (visible),” Jarrett says. So he tucked it away in the butler’s pantry. Jarrett paid homage to original details by studying photographs taken during parties held in the house, in the 1940s. “I looked over the shoulders of the people at the moldings,” he says. The upstairs conforms to a DINK (double income no kids) lifestyle. A two-bedroom master suite has been reconfigured into a sleeping area with soaring ceiling separated from a sitting room by a floating wall. Here, softer pieces (including a carved settee and graceful side tables) and floor coverings play off the angular lines that dominate the main floor. What was once a

child’s bedroom is now their entertainment center done in a rich Hershey brown. Smaller spaces contain a laundry room and Jarrett’s office displaying military memorabilia. Throughout, spacious bathrooms with wood floors, high ceilings, untiled walls and parlor furniture belie their purpose. The renovation, completed in only ten months, won a Moore County Homebuilders’ Association Home of the Year award in 2008. Art weaves Trish’s design into a whole. With few objects and no clutter to distract, her collection jumps off the wall. Some, by Sarah Blakeslee, who taught and painted in eastern North Carolina during the 1970s, contribute still life and low country landscapes. In contrast, the vibrancy and color of Impressionism — especially a vase of sunflowers — instantly connects

April 2014P�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Gérard Isirdi, otherwise master of sassy Provencal café poster art, to Vincent van Gogh. “We met him in France and became friends,” Trish says. One painting of a nude woman beside a tall urn provokes a double take: Yes, that is the very urn on the Deerwesters’ hearth, a gift from the artist. Trish cherishes a small line drawing by Isirdi, of her from the rear, with backpack. Save a last gasp for something no industrialist or physician homeowner dared include: a massive 13-foot table with stainless steel top set on a gravel oblong in the side yard, sometimes used for al fresco Thanksgiving feasts. “I saw it in a magazine and Jarrett duplicated it for me,” Trish says. “I went for a long bike ride and when I came home, it was finished.” Here, by lantern-light, the Deerwesters entertain friends. Trish recalls one dinner party, for twenty. “Afterward, some people

who were walking by came in the front door and started looking around. They thought this was a B&B.” Although their Southern Pines home defies classification, except for what Jarrett calls “original Deerwester,” the couple does not. They are living an outdoorsy “good life” which has recently taken them to a business venture in Florida and another uncluttered home, this with a 1950s exterior. When heat engulfs both locations they escape to a log cabin Jarrett build for his wife in the western North Carolina mountains. Whatever happens next, this landmark is, once again, viable. “After I grew up and came home here, it was like leaving the world behind,” Louise Milliken Howard says. She found the changes startling but appropriate. “We were so grateful that Jarrett bought it. We so appreciate his effort.” PS

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By Noah Salt The Almanac Gardener politely begs to differ with Mr. Eliot on the subject of April, the month he claimed to be the cruelest of months for daring to mix memory with desire, watering dull roots with spring rain. We frankly like the sudden downpours, fancy the smell of a waking and deeply drinking Earth; we happily note the daffodils’ last stand and the deepest hue of fading tulips, the azaleas and dogwoods in full cry, the first scent of honeysuckle in bloom. Though even modern man must render his tax to the king come April, the longer light makes life far more tolerable than the crazy mood swings of March, softened by steeplechase picnics and rusty golf rounds and garden tours for the botanically covetous; and simple evening walks about the neighborhood that make us pause, breathe deeply and finally — exhale.

The Origin of Rainbows An ancient Anglo-Celtic tradition holds that April 26 is the day that the waters of the Great Flood mentioned in the Book of Genesis began to abate, bringing Noah’s ark to rest on the slopes of Mt. Ararat. From Shepherd’s Prognostication, 1729: “When thou seest in the morning a rainbow, it betokeneth Rain, and a great Boisterous Storm. When it doth appear at three or four in the afternoon, it betokeneth Fair Weather and a Strong Dew; when at the going down of the Sun, then for the most part doth it Thunder and Rain. When it appeareth in the East, then followeth Fair Weather; or when in the North, Fair Weather and Clear.” One last bit of ancient rainbowology: “When thou seest a rainbow, bow to it, for it is God’s token between Him and Mankind. But to point at it is Very unlucky.”

Nice Pair of Avocados You’ve Got There One of our favorite garden writers, Raleigh’s Helen Yoest, has a delightful new book with a provocative twist — detailing the secret sex life and aphrodisiacal properties of ordinary herbs, flowers, fruits and veggies from your garden. In Plants With Benefits (St. Lynns Press, $17.95), Yoest leads readers on a lusty caprice through the ages and the garden. Did you know, for instance, that ginger root is not only a superb digestive aid (Confucious was never without his), but according to an 11th century Persian physician “heightens lustful thoughts,” the reason the famed medieval medical school at Salerno prescribed ginger to aging gentlemen who lost, ahem, their sexual vigor. “Eat ginger and you will love and be loved as in your youth,” Yoest says — thousands of years before Cialis had lovers sitting in separate bathtubs. “I didn’t start out to write a botanical Kama Sutra,” notes the author in her introduction. “I am a gardener. I write about designing gardens that are in harmony with nature. When I see a plant, I want to know what it does, which of my senses it will satisfy.” With a playful yet scholarly eye to botanical history, cultural lore and ancient medicine, Yoest takes us on a merry romp through her garden, finding something to love — or just improve love — from almonds to watermelon, with growing tips and terrific accompanying recipes. Who knew that our favorite spice, cinnamon, was mentioned in the Song of Solomon and used to spice up the bedchamber in ancient days? My advice: Pour yourself a nice glass of ginger beer and enjoy.

The Green Man Cometh Hidden in the walls of many old churches and cathedrals can be found a strange figure, the mysterious face of a man surrounded by vines and leaves — it is the Green Man. Its original meaning has been lost in time, though some speculate the signature of individual stone masons depicting the mood or mindset of their creator — reflecting a vast array of emotions ranging from simple mirth to sinister warning. Some Green Men were depicted as tricksters in the leaves, others as wild creatures meant to ward off evil spirits. In medieval times, no garden wall or residence was complete without a resident Green Man, often regarded as a symbol of rebirth and the garden’s presiding spirit. April, the queen mother of rebirth months, is the ideal time to go hunting for the Green Man, who is enjoying a popular resurgence that has his foliate face turning up on everything from plant urns to garden gates. PS

Arts Entertainment C a l e n d a r

Star Party at Weymouth Woods 4/

April 2

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PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 – 4 p.m. This month’s themes include I Love Music; Dinosaurs; Little Bunny Foo Foo; Fancy Flowers; and Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. For infants and toddlers ages birth through 5 years. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

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BALLROOM DANCE CLASS. 6:30 p.m. Classes for beginners. Pinehurst Dance Center. Pinehurst Executive Center, 300 Hwy 5, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 331-9965.

• • Art

Music/Concerts

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Explorations Series for Adults at Southern Pines Library 4/

April 3

LUNCH AND LEARN. 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. “Bright Beginnings” with Barbara Dixon from Obagi Skin Care. Gift bags and specials. The Laser Institute of Pinehurst, 80 Aviemore Court, Pinehurst. For info and RSVPs: Victoria Conner (910) 295-1130.

Key:

Spring Matinee Races

•

April 4

FINE ARTS LECTURE SERIES. 10 a.m. Molly Guinn with “New American Art Series.” Cost: $10. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info and reservations: Arts Council of Moore County: (910) 692-2787.

•

CHILDREN’S STORYTIME. 10:30 a.m. Join us for reading and fun! Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst.

STATEWIDE STAR PARTY. 7:30 p.m. Join the fun at Weymouth Woods and be a part of the second annual statewide Star Party for the North Carolina Science Festival! This year is a lunar theme, so come ready to learn some fun facts, make some outdoor observations, and shoot for the moon! In case of bad weather or clouds, the rain date will be Saturday, April 5. Free and open to the public. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www. ncparks.gov.

•

• • Film

Literature/Speakers

KILN OPENING. Bulldog Pottery kiln opening welcomes the beginning and celebrates the full flowering of spring with lively conversation about recent works and light refreshments. Bulldog Pottery, 3306 US Hwy 220 Alt N, Seagrove. Info: (336) 302-3469 or bulldogpottery.com.

•

SPRING BARN DANCE. 6 – 10 p.m. Food and fun for all in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Prancing Horse. Includes Foot stomp’n music by King Curtiss. The Fair Barn, 200 Beulah Hill Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 246-3202 or www.prancing-horse.org.

Dance/Theater

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History

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CONCERT. 7 – 10 p.m. Operation Finally Home featuring Madison Rising. The Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: www. sunrisetheater.com.

April 5

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STONEYBROOK STEEPLECHASE. 9:30 a.m.– 6 p.m. 63rd annual race. The Stoneybrook Steeplechase is the official rite of spring in the Sandhills. Enjoy the thrill and beauty of horse racing as well as a day with family and friends. Check out the expansive Kid Zone, the hat contest and stick horse races, the 5K Run for the Ribbons and so much more. The first horse race typically starts at 1:30 p.m. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford. Info: (910) 87-2074 or www.carolinahorsepark.com.

•

Sports

METROPLITAN OPERA: LIVE IN HD

May 10th: La Cenerentola - Rossini (Last Opera of the Season!)

TICKETS $25

Available Online, at the Box Office or Over the Phone

For a complete list of show times: sunrisetheater.org or call 910-692-8501 250 NW Broad Street Southern Pines, NC 28387

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Author at The Country Bookshop 4/

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ART ON THE GREEN. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Artists and crafters will have their work for sale at this annual event on the Village Green in downtown Pinehurst. Info: (910) 528-7052.

•

PLANT A LIVING WALL. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Workshop conducted by the

“Plant Diva” Linda Hamwi. Participants will make a living wall picture with plants. The workshop will take place at Steed Hall/Stephens Laboratory building. Cost: Horticultural Society members $60, non-members $65. Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 695-3882 or sandhillshorticulturalgardens.com. Key:

so exhilaraTiNg that it makes you rejoice to be alive. -The Times

TheaTrical magic!

Pinehurst Garden Club Plant Sale 4/

Easter Egg-Stravaganza

• • Art

•

CELEBRATION OF THE MILITARY CHILD. 12 – 3 p.m. Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of the Sandhills in partnership with the Village of Pinehurst, this event honors and celebrates the courage and resiliency of military children living in the Sandhills. A performance by the 82nd Airborne

Music/Concerts

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Dance/Theater

Chorus will highlight the day! All he day’s activities are free. Info: (910) 235-0271 or www.kiwanisclubofthesandhills.org.

•

MEET THE ARTIST AT WORK. 12 – 3 p.m. Diane Kraudelt. Hollyhocks Art Gallery, 905 Linden Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 255-0665 or www. hollyhocksartgallery.com.

• • Film

Literature/Speakers

ExpEriEncE

• • Fun

History

•

Sports

The NaTioNal TheaTre’s internationally acclaimed production of War Horse, an encore from London’s West End to cinemas around the world.

the emotional journey that charges through the battlefields of history straight to the hearts of the audiences.

-New York Times

Five shows oNlY – aT The suNrise TheaTer! April 11th, 7:00pm | April 12th & 13th, 2:00 & 7:00pm reserved seaTiNg TickeTs $20 For Tickets & info: www.sunrisetheater.org 910.692.8501 | 250 NW Broad Street, Downtown Southern Pines, NC

The Sunrise Preservation Group, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) Tax-Deductible, Non-Profit Organization

.’

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014 ®

ca l e n d a r

April 6

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SPRING MATINEE RACES. 11 a.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 1 p.m. with the first of eight races scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Cost: $5 per person (12 & under are free). Pinehurst Harness Track, 200 Beulah Hill Road South, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 281-4608 or www.vopnc.org.

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CONCERT. 3 p.m. Nancy Green on the cello and Jeremy Thompson on the piano. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 6926261 or www.weymouthcenter.org.

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BACKYARD BIRD BASICS. 3 – 5:30 p.m. Come and discover some strategies for attracting birds to your backyard. Discuss feeders and types of food, review the common birds you might see at your feeders and talk about ways to encourage or discourage them. Free and open to the public. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov.

•

EXPLORATIONS SERIES FOR ADULTS. 3 – 4 p.m. The Library welcomes local bird expert Susan Campbell, who will present “Attracting Hummingbirds to Your Backyard.” Campbell, an affiliate of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and member of the Hummer Bird Study Group, has been banding hummingbirds since 1999. Learn about local hummingbirds species, what they eat, and how to make your yard an inviting habitat. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

April 9

• Moore County Choral Society

Spring Classical Concert Sunday, April 27, 2014 4:00 p.m. Conductor Anne Dorsey with orchestra featuring

The Puccini Gloria Verdi Opera Choruses Robert E. Lee Auditorium Pinecrest High School Southern Pines, NC Tickets $18; Students $9 Tickets available at The Campbell House, The Country Bookshop, Sandhills Winery/Seven Lakes

CALL 910.692.6979 FOR MORE INFORMATION This project received support from the Arts Council of Moore County with funds from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. MCCS also received support from Moore County Unrestricted Endowment Fund, which is administered by the North Carolina Community Foundation.

www.MooreCountyChoralSociety.org 86

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 – 4 p.m. This month’s themes include I Love Music; Dinosaurs; Little Bunny Foo Foo; Fancy Flowers; and Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear. Join us for stories, songs, and fun, and then stay for playtime! For infants and toddlers ages birth through 5 years. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

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AUTHOR AT THE BOOKSHOP. 5 p.m. Christy Jordan with Come Home to Supper. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 6923211 or www.thecountrybookshop.biz.

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HOME AND GARDEN TOUR. Southern Pines Garden Club 2014 Home & Garden Tour of the Sandhills. A mix of houses and gardens that range from a historical, architectural gem in Southern Pines to clever reinventions of a small Pinehurst cottage and the 2013 Moore County Home Builders’ Home of the Year. Proceeds benefit community landscape projects and scholarships in Moore County. Info: www.southernpinesgardenclub.com.

April 10

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CHILDREN’S STORYTIME. 10:30 a.m. Join us for reading and fun! Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst.

•

CONCERT AND LUNCHEON. 12 p.m. Lydia Gill and Maryann Cantrell-Colas on the piano. Cost: $25. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or www.weymouthcenter.org.

•

GATHERING AT GIVEN. 3:30 p.m. Join Jean Walker for a PowerPoint presentation titled “Motoring Along the Double Road.” Learn the history of Midland Road when it

••• • •

Key: Art Music/Concerts Film Literature/Speakers Sports

• • •

Dance/Theater Fun History

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ca l e n d a r was known as the Yadkin Trail and the various businesses that were there in the past. Given Memorial Library. This event is free and open to the public.

•

FAMILY FUN NIGHT. 5:30 p.m. Children’s Poetry! Kids in grades K-5 and their families are invited to listen to classic, fun, and inspiring children’s poetry, and then write their own! Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

April 11

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AUTHOR AT THE BOOKSHOP. 5 p.m. Dane Huckelbridge with Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3211 or www.thecountrybookshop.biz.

April 12

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PLANT SALE. 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Sandhills Horticultural Society will hold its spring plant sale. Annuals, perennials, woody plants and bulbs will be for sale. Plants may be pre-ordered or purchased the day of sale. Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 695-3882 or sandhillshorticulturalgardens.com.

•

CLENNY CREEK DAY. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is Clenny Creek Day at the historic 1820s Bryant House and 1760s McLendon Cabin. Enjoy a day of fun with food, music, refreshments, crafters and re-enactors. This is a special day for the whole family! In case of rain, Clenny Creek Day will be held on April 13, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Bryant House, 3361 Mount Carmel Road, Carthage. Free admission. Info: (910)

692-2051 or www.moorehistroy.com.

•

ARTIST STUDIO CLEARANCE SALE. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A unique opportunity for the public to purchase from a varied and wonderful selection of original oils, watercolors, acrylics, framed and unframed, and a unique selection of silver jewelry selected from the artists’ private studios. All artists will be present. A limited number of giclees will be available. Hollyhocks Art Gallery, 905 Linden Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 255-0665 or www. hollyhocksartgallery.com.

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SPRING GALA. 6 p.m. Habitat for Humanity’s 25th Anniversary Spring Gala. Pinehurst Member’s Club. Cost: tickets $125. Includes dinner, dancing, and a live and silent auction. Info: (910) 295-1934 or info@sandillshabitat.org.

April 13

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SPRING WILDFLOWER HIKE. 3 p.m. Discover some of the colorful spring wild flowers in bloom along the trails in Weymouth Woods. Approximately 1.5 mile hike. Wear comfortable shoes, bring bottled water. Free and open to the public. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov.

•

SUNDAY AFTERNOON MOVIE. 2:30 p.m. BYOP (Bring Your Own Pillow) if you want to get comfy as you follow Anna and Kristoff, along with Kristoff’s loyal reindeer Sven, battle the wintery elements in a race to save the Arendelle kingdom from an eternal winter. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

April 14

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KINDERMUSIK. 10 a.m. Kindermusik with Ellen & Friends. Join us for stories, songs, instruments, dancing and more! Open to children ages birth through 4 years. Given Key:

Tone and Tighten Your Body

• • Art

Music/Concerts

•

Dance/Theater

Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 315-0990 or www.kndermusikwithellen.com.

•

PHOTO CLUB MEETING. 7 p.m. “Things We Love” Competition. Sandhills Photography Club.

April 15

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LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. 10 – 11:30 a.m. Victoria DesJardin, a floral and event designer, will reveal how flowers came by their meanings in folklore and how flowers became the language of courtship, love, friendship, beauty and more. Cost: members $15, non-members $20. Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 695-3882 or sandhillshorticulturalgardens.com.

•

BOOK CLUB. 2 p.m. Guests on Earth by Lee Smith. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or www.weymouthcenter.org.

•

YOUNG ADULT READERS’ PROGRAM. 5:30 p.m. Blackout Poetry. Learn how to turn newspapers into artistic poems with nothing but a Sharpie and your mind! For grades 6 – 12. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

April 16

•

• • Film

Literature/Speakers

• • Fun

History

•

Sports

Pole Fitness • Chair Dance FloorWork • Booty Beat Sexy Stretch • Choreography

Bachelorette Parties Birthday Parties Girls Night Out

Special Offers 5 class package for $60 10 class package for $90

910-725-1931

www.aryiafit.com

180 S. Page St. • Southern Pines, NC 28387

Award-Winning, Certified Green Builder

Quality Homes Built with Precision. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

Tickets on sale NOW at

www.pinehurstconcours.com or call 910–973-6594 SAVE $10 with online ticket purchase prior to April 16 Tickets also available in the Pinehurst Resort Main Pro Shop, Carolina Hotel Newstand and Village Putter Boy Shop

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ca l e n d a r

April 17

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CHILDREN’S STORYTIME. 10:30 a.m. Join us for reading and fun! Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst.

•

AUTHOR AT THE BOOKSHOP. 5 p.m. Walt Wolfram and Jeffrey Reaser with Talkin’ Tar Heel. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3211 or www.thecountrybookshop.biz.

April 19

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KILN OPENING. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Thomas Pottery Spring Kiln Opening features their newest pottery designs for entertaining and decorating your home, garden, and patio with a new selection of flowerpots, garden ornaments and planters. Kiln will be unloaded followed by tours of the studio and demonstrations. Thomas Pottery, 1295 S NC Hwy 705, Seagrove. Info: (336) 879-4145.

•

MEET THE ARTIST AT WORK. 12 – 3 p.m. Linda Griffin. Hollyhocks Art Gallery, 905 Linden Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 255-0665 or www.hollyhocksartgallery.com.

April 20

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EASTER EGG-STRAVAGANZA. 3 p.m. An Easter egg hunt in the woods! Nature’s tiny treasures for you to find, then gather up to learn about them after everything’s been found. Even look at some real eggs from nature, everything from the tiny hummingbird egg to the huge ostrich egg. This program is perfect for families so bring all the kids, the grandparents, and your favorite Easter egg basket if you like. Don’t miss out on the fun, the sweet treats, and

a beautiful afternoon out in nature! Free and open to the public. Weymouth Woods. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www. ncparks.gov.

Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info and reservations: Arts Council of Moore County: (910) 692-2787.

April 21

CHILDREN’S STORYTIME. 10:30 a.m. Join us for reading and fun! Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst.

•

WOMEN OF WEYMOUTH MEETING. 9:30 a.m. Tales of Amelia Earhart from Barbara Para. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or www.weymouthcenter.org.

April 25

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ANNUAL BEDDING AND PLANT SALE. Friday, 1 – 5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m to 2 p.m. Sale for the Benefit of Student’s Educational Field Trip. Annuals, herbs, tomato and pepper plants available. Steed Hall. Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3395 Airport Rd., Pinehurst. Info: (910) 695-3882 or sandhillshorticulturalgardens.com.

April 22

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SOUTHERN PINES CITIZEN’S ACADEMY. 6:30 – 8 p.m. Attendees will get a behind the scenes look at operations of the Library. Spaces may still be available for drop-in at this session. Call the Library. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

•

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT. 7 – 10 p.m. The Lorax. Bring your blankets or lawns chairs and enjoy free family movies. Come early for free face painting and games. Concessions will be sold by Pinehurst Elementary School’s PTA. Village Arboretum, 395 Magnolia Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910)295-190 or www.vopnc.org.

April 23

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April 26

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SPRINGFEST. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Join us for arts, crafts, games, rides, food, entertainment, and more! Over 160 vendors from all around North Carolina and the country. Enjoy beautiful artwork and crafts. Kid’s Block is full of activities. Downtown Southern Pines, 132 SW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 315-6508 or www. southernpines.biz.

April 24

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SPRING CONCERT. 7 – 9 p.m. Moore Philharmonic Orchestra at Sandhills Community College. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www. mporchestra.com.

•

FINE ARTS LECTURE SERIES. 10 a.m. Molly Guinn with “New American Art Series.” Cost: $10. Key:

• • Art

Music/Concerts

•

Dance/Theater

ANNUAL PLANT SALE. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pinehurst Garden Club hosts its annual plant sale. There will be geraniums, begonias, mandevilla, plus exciting new pre-order varieties including vinca and marigolds in mixed colors

• • Film

Literature/Speakers

• • Fun

History

•

Sports

Guess

What’s 50?

So is the Given Memorial Library.

Like us on Facebook 910-944-0711 • Tuesday - Saturday 10-6

Given Memorial Library/Tufts Archives Monday-Friday 9:30am-5:00pm, Saturday 9:30-12:30pm 150 Cherokee Road Pinehurst, NC

(910) 295-6022 GML or (910) 295-3642 TA www.givenmemoriallibrary.org

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Your navigators through the maze of senior care services

Services Include

Assessment & Solution Plan Care Management • Care Monitoring Home Safety Evaluation • Relocation Support Basic Money Management Planning for the Future

Aging Care Solutions

www.agingcaresolutionsnc.com Call us today to learn how our Certified Geriatic Care Managers can save you time and money.

(910) 684-8075

CUSTOM HOMES REMODELING METAL BUILDING Proudly supporting the Military, ask us how you can receive your custom home plans for FREE.

Offering the highest quality dog and cat foods, supplements and supplies. Training classes offered by 2 area trainers Large selection of products made in the USA

Award-winning Builder Certified Green Professional NC Housing Hall of Fame

Daniel Adams, Owner

Phone: (910) 295-1504 • Fax: (910) 295-1549 Email: Danny@danieladams.com PO BOX 3090 • Pinehurst, NC 28374 www.danieladams.com

Located in Cam Square 1150 Old US Highway 1S, Southern Pines, NC 28387 910-693-7875 Hours: M to F 10-6 • Sat 10-5 Follow us on Facebook: Cared for Canine and Cat

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ca l e n d a r and zinnias. All proceeds benefit scholarship funds and local beautification. Pinehurst Fire Station, 405 Magnolia Road, Pinehurst. Info: 910-638-3354 or 910-295-1358.

•

SPRING LIBRARY CRAFTS DAY. Get ready to celebrate spring by making welcoming crafts, including giant tissue paper flowers! The craft tables are available all day. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 6928235 or www.sppl.net.

•

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION. 2 p.m. Party for the Pine! Come meet the oldest longleaf pine tree in the world. We’ll celebrate its 466th birthday with cake and punch and learn about the unique piece of land where the tree resides. There will be a short hike involved, so wear comfortable shoes and bring water, sunscreen, and bug spray. Free and open to the public. Info: (910) 6922167 or www.ncparks.gov.

April 27

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AWARDS CEREMONY. 2 p.m. Moore County Writers’ Competition Awards Ceremony. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or www.weymouthcenter.org.

•

OLDIES & GOODIES. 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Classic film series presents a James Bond classic starring Sean Connery. Enjoy a free movie and refreshments. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Avenue, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

•

THE NATURE OF COLOR AND DISGUISE. 3 – 4 p.m. Come and learn how nature uses color to survive and prosper. Who really is the best at camouflage? Which are more attractive, earth tones or bright colors? Free and open to the public.

Weymouth Woods. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov.

April 28

•

LUNCH & LEARN. 12 – 1 p.m. Janet Peele of Aberdeen Florist and Garden Center, Selecting Plants for Success. This series of classes take place the last Monday of each month starting in April and ending in August. Bring your lunch and the Garden will provide drinks. Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 695-3882 or sandhillshorticulturalgardens.com.

•

SANDHILLS NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY MEETING. 7 p.m. “Wetland Restoration in the Sandhills.” Jeff Humphries, wildlife diversity biologist with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, will talk about restoring isolated wetlands on the Sandhills Game Land. Since 2009, NCWRC staff have been restoring isolated wetlands to benefit pond-breeding amphibians and other wildlife and plants. Jeff will discuss how amphibians have responded and lead a future field trip to several restoration sites. Visitors welcome. Weymouth Woods Auditorium, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-2167 or www. sandhillsnature.org.

April 30

•

• • Art

Music/Concerts

•

Dance/Theater

May 3

•

ANTIQUES FAIR. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cameron Spring Antiques Street Fair. Rain or shine. Over 300 dealers in the shops and on the streets. Info: (910)245-3055 or (910)245-3020 or www.antiquesofcameron.com.

Weekly Happenings Wednesday

•

FARMER’S MARKET. 2:30 – 5:30 p.m. Cannon Park, Pinehurst. Come out and meet your local farmers and artisans! Baked goods and great gift ideas: handcrafted goat’s milk soaps, kiln-fired pottery, scarves, bird houses and more! Continues through September 24th. Info: www.sandhillsfarmersmarket.com.

Saturday

FARMER’S MARKET. 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. The • Village of Pinehurst parking lot . 1 Village Green Road

West, Pinehurst. Come out and meet your local farmers and artisans! Continues through September 27th. Info: www.sandhillsfarmersmarket.com.

Art Galleries ABOUT ART GALLERY inside The Market Place Midland Bistro Building, 2160 Midland Road, Pinehurst. The gallery features local artists. Open Monday-Friday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (910) 215-596.

• • Film

Literature/Speakers

• • Fun

History

•

Sports

CoNCEPt the art & Science of Pure Flower & Plant Essences SaloN

125 NE Broad StrEEt

dowNtowN SouthErN PiNES

910-246-0552

ca l e n d a r ART NUTZ AND RAVEN POTTERY, 125 SW Broad St., Southern Pines. Come see the potter at work. Features art, pottery from local potters, handmade jewelry, glass and more. Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (910) 695-1555, www.ravenpottery.com. Artist GAlleRy OF SOUTHERN PINES, 167 E. New Hampshire Avenue., Southern Pines. Features art and fine crafts from more than 60 North Carolina artists. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday. (910) 692-6077. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St. in historic Aberdeen. Exhibit hours are noon – 3 p.m., Monday-Saturday. (910) 944-3979. Broadhurst Gallery, 2212 Midland Road, Pinehurst. Showcases works by nationally recognized artists such as Louis St. Lewis, Lula Smith, Shawn Morin, Rachel Clearfield, Judy Cox and Jason Craighead. Meetthe-artist opportunities available. Monday-Friday (closed Wednesday), 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m and special appointments. (910) 295-4817, www.broadhurstgallery.com. The Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Avenue., Southern Pines. Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and every third weekend of the month from 2 – 4 p.m. (910) 692-4356, www.mooreart.org. The Downtown Gallery inside Cup of Flow, 115 NE Broad St., Southern Pines. Ever-changing array of local and regional art, pottery and other handmade items. (910) 693-1999. Exchange Street Gallery, Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange Street in historic Aberdeen. “It’s Southern, Ya’ll,” works of Pat McMahon and Betty DiBartolomeo. September 2-28. Regular hours noon to 3:00, Monday-Saturday. (910) 944-3979. The Gallery at Seven Lakes at the St. Mary Magdalene building, 1145 Seven Lakes Drive. Just nine miles from the Pinehurst Traffic Circle up 211, this gallery is dedicated to local artists. Wednesday-Thursday 1 – 4 p.m. Hastings Gallery in the Katharine L. Boyd Library at Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst. Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday 7:45 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday 7:45 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

You can have an original painting of your home for Posterity 1650 Valley View Road • Southern Pines, NC Adjacent to Hyland Golf Course on US 1

910-692-0855

www.WindridgeGardens.com

Spring Hours: Mon. - Sat. 10AM - 6PM Sun. 1PM- 6PM

Artist, Jeanette Sheehan jsheehanartist1@nc.rr.com (910) 695-1644 www.jeanettesheehan.com

HOLLYHOCKS ART GALLERY, 905 Linden Road, Pinehurst. Features artwork by local award winning artists, Phyllis Andrews, Diane Kraudelt, Linda Griffin, Carol Rotter, Jessie MacKay, jeweler Michele Garrett Laster and artist/owner, Jane Casnellie. MondaySaturday 10:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. (910) 255-0665, www. hollyhocksartgallery.com. Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlour, 21 Chinquapin Road, Pinehurst. Features local artist Jude Winkley’s original oil paintings. Tuesday - Saturday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (910) 255-0100, www.ladybedfords.com. The Old Silk Route, 113 West Main St., Aberdeen. Specializes in Asian original art, including silk paintings, tapestries, Buddhist Thangkas and Indian paper miniatures. Monday, Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. (910) 295-2055. SANDHILLS WOMAN’S EXCHANGE, 15 Azalea Road, Pinehurst. All merchandise at the Exchange is handmade by consignors who live in the community. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Lunch served 11.30 a.m – 2 p.m. (910) 295-4677.

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

ca l e n d a r Seagrove Candle Company, 116 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Showcases art of the Sandhills and Seagrove area. Monday, Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., (910) 695-0029. SKY Art Gallery, 602 Magnolia Dr., Aberdeen. Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (910) 944-9440, www.skyartgallery.com. Studio 590 by the pond in Dowd Cabin, 590 Dowd Circle, Pinehurst. This historic log cabin is the working studio and gallery of artists Betty DiBartolomeo and Harry Neely. Fine oil paintings, commissions and instruction. (910) 639-9404. White Hill Gallery, 407 U.S. 15-501, Carthage, offers a variety of pottery. (910) 947-6100.

Nature Centers Sandhills Horticultural Gardens (32 acres of gardens). The Sandhills Horticultural Gardens are handicapped-accessible. Daylight hours year-round. (910) 695-3882.

Bryant House and McLendon Cabin. Tours by appointment. (910) 692-2051 or (910) 673-0908. Carthage Historical Museum. Sundays, 2 – 5 p.m. or by appointment. Located at Rockingham and Saunders streets, Carthage. (910) 947-2331. House in the Horseshoe. Open year-round. Hours vary. 288 Alston House Road (10 miles north of Carthage), Sanford. (910) 947-2051. Malcolm Blue Farm and Museum. 1 – 4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Group tours can be arranged by appointment. (910) 944-7558 or (910) 603-2739. North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday-Friday, at the Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Avenue., Southern Pines. (910) 692-6261. Shaw House. Open 1 – 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. (910) 692-2051. Tufts Archives. 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Saturday. (910) 295-3642.

Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve (898 acres). 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. (910) 692-2167.

Union Station. Open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Located in downtown Aberdeen. (910) 944-5902.

VILLAGE ARBORETUM. 35 acres of land adjoining the Village Hall on Magnolia Road, Pinehurst. (910) 295-1900.

Sandhills Woman’s Exchange Log Cabin. Open 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (910) 295-4677. PS

Historical Sites

To add an event, email us at pinestraw@thepilot.com by the first of the month prior to the event. Or go to www. thepilot.com and add the event to our online calendar.

Bethesda Church and Cemetery. Guided tours for groups by appointment. 1020 Bethesda Road, Aberdeen. (910) 944-1319.

BUYING GOLD & SILVER HIGHEST PRICES PAID!

Afrom TIMELY LIMERICK page 111

April PineNeedler Answers Solution:

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Trendy & Affordable Fashion Favorites

We Are Buying: www.PinehurstCoins.com • Rare Coins & Bullion • Scrap Gold & Silver

• Sterling Flatware

• Platinum, Gold & Silver Coins

• Diamond, Gold & Silver Jewelry • US Paper Money & Notes • Free Appraisals • Private Transactions Rooms Available Upon Request • On Site Smelting and Assay • View our Entire Inventory On Our Website

PCE

Pinehurst Coin Exchange Inc.

1420 Highway 5 | Pinehurst, NC

910.235.COIN (2646)

www.cooperandbaileys.com

(910) 603-8088 • 1832 NC Hwy #5, Aberdeen

Summer Camps

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Summer Camps

Scotland Riding Academy Summer Camps Monday June 23- 27th

SUMMER CAMPS

Our camp days start at 9am and end at 1pm All camps are $275 (Exceptions can be made ONLY if more than one child from same family attend camp.)

ATHLETIC CAMPS u Baseball u Cheer u Football u Girl’s and Boy’s Basketball u Girl’s and Boy’s Soccer u Golf u Softball u Tennis u Volleyball

All camps are for ages 5 and up. We work with all levels. Beginners are welcome and encouraged!

Campers will be grouped by age/level and rotate through different stations, the Private Lesson station, the Arts and Crafts station, The Bareback Station just to name a few.

ACADEMIC CAMPS u Environmental Science Camp u Forensics Sciences Camp u STEM Camp u SummerJam! Music Camp

Campers can bring their own helmet or we can provide one to them. Flat/rubber sole boots (1/2 inch heel) is ideal for riding.

21560 Marston Rd., Laurel Hill NC 28351 scotlandridingacademy.com 910-462-3526 Please leave a message

Offering Full Day Offering Full Day Campfor forAges Ages6-12 6-12 Camp

For dates, registration requirements, and more information, visit methodist.edu/community. 910.630.7000 |

facebook.com/MethodistUniversity

Ad_Pinestraw.indd 1

3/7/14 4:50 PM

Group Sports, Special Activities GroupGames, Games,Crafts, Crafts,Trips, Trips, Sports, Special Activities Activities based around weekly themes. Campers will be provided

Activities based around weekly themes. Campers will be provided daily with a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Camp will be daily with a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Camp will held Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. June 9th be held Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. June through August 22nd. Weekly fees are $60 for Aberdeen Residents 9th through August 22nd. Weekly fees are $60 for Aberdeen and $100 for non-residents with a onetime registration fee of $10 Residents and $100 for non-residents with a onetime registration for residents and $20 for non-residents. RegistrationRegistration begins April fee thof $10 for residents and $20 for non-residents. rd 4 through 23 . The May Parks23rd. and Recreation needs begins April May 4th through The ParksDepartment and Recreation Jr. Counselors ages 13-16 to assist with daily activities. Space is Department needs Jr. Counselors ages 13-16 to assist with daily limited , Space so earlyisregistration encouraged. activities. limited, so isearly registration is encouraged.

FOR MORE SUMMER CAMP INFORMATION, CLICK ON THE SUMMER CAMPS AD ON

www.thepilot.com

Weekly Weekly Themes Themes and and Dates Dates Week 9-13 Mind and Body Week1-1-June June 9-13 Mind and Body

Week June16-20 16-20Rocking RockingRocks Rocks Week22-June

Week - June 23-27 Week3 3-June 23-27All All American American Week 5 - July 14-18 Wacky Water Week 5– July 14-18 Wacky Water Week 7 - July 28 –Aug 1 Nature Week 7– July 28 –Aug 1 Nature Week 9 - August 11-15 Amazing Race

Week 4 - July 7-11 Blast from the Past Week4 July 7-11 Blast from the Past Week 6 - July 21-25 Amazing Animals Week6 July 21-25 Amazing Animals Week 8 - August 4– 8 Outdoor Week8 August 4– 8 Outdoor Week 10 - August 18-22 Prehistoric

Week 9– August 11-15 Amazing Race Week 10 August 18-22 Prehistoric

301 Lake Park Crossing Aberdeen NC 28315 (910)-944-7275 301 Lake Park Crossing Aberdeen NC 28315 (910)-944-7275

FEATURING ELLIOT LAUREN | JOSEPH RIBKOFF INSPIRED BY SPANNER | TRIBAL ALA CARTE | MING WANG NIC & ZOE AND MORE!

SIZES 2-16

Casual to Dressy

CELEBRATING WOMEN

OF ALL AGES

the

CLOTHES HORSE Beside The Fresh Market | 163 Beverly Lane Southern Pines, NC 28387 | 910.693.2111 Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm | Sunday 1pm-5pm facebook.com/ClothesHorseofSPines

10570 Hwy 211 E Aberdeen NC BMW - MERCEDES - PORSCHE - AUDI - VW

FREE DIAGNOSTIC SCAN (first time customers only)

COMPLETE AUTO SERVICES  Air Conditioning Service  Oil and Lube  Brakes and Shocks  Engine and Transmission Service  Electrical Troubleshooting  PAINT - BODYWORK - RESTORATIONS

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen

Shellie Sommerson, Dr. Nick and Effie Ellis

David Raley

Moore County Hounds Hunter Trials Saturday, March 1, 2014

Photographs by Jeanne Paine Rhonda Dretel, Chrissie Doubleday, Mary Cremmins

Linda Lindsey, Nelson Neil

Terry and Charlie Cook

Dick Webb, Effie Ellis, Shellie Sommerson, Cameron Sadler

Neil Schwartzberg, Laura Lindamood, Effie Ellis David Raley, Dick Webb, Katie Walsh

INNOVATE

130 PADDOCK LANE, LONGLEAF CC. 3BR/2.5BA CUSTOM HOME WITH GOLF FRONTAGE 2 SIDES, MAHOGANY FLOORS $398,000

101 TRIPLE CROWN CIRCLE, LONGLEAF CC. 3BR/2BA, NEW STAINLESS APPLIANCES, CHERRY FLOORS.$268,000

HUNT COUNTRY PROPERTIES OFF U.S. 1 WITH FOUNDATION ACCESS. 10.85 ACRES, 1 ACRE POND WITH DOCK. $299,999

231 OX RIDGE LANE, 3BR/3BA WITH POOL, OVERLOOKS POND, 2-3 STALL BARN & 2 PASTURES. FOUNDATION ACCESS. $674,000

LOT 4A BRACKEN HILL RD, CARTHAGE. 13.5 ACRES IN PASTURE. “THE FIELDS” WITH 2 COMMUNITY RINGS. $152,031

ONLINE AUCTION. 6.01 ACRE SO PINES GOLF FRONT TRACT, VALLEY VIEW RD. SEE WEBSITE FOR AUCTION DETAILS .

Dr. Kathryn Tate, Landon & Page Nesser

Your Specialist in Horse Country Farms, Homes & Land.

Cindy Pagnotta, Broker/Owner 910.528.6768 • cindy@innovaterealestate.com For more information visit www.innovaterealestate.com We support the Walthour-Moss Foundation. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

Pounce. HoP. SPring!

The ChoiCe for Needle ArTs

iN The sANdhills

910-295-3727

150 NW Broad Street | Southern Pines | 910-692-9322

850 linden road, Pinehurst, NC Tuesday-saturday 10:00am-4:00pm moorethanneedlepoint.com

April 2014P��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Buck Kernan, Grant Perry

SandhillSeen Pinehurst Capital 30th Anniversary Gala Charitable Event for Wounded Warriors Project Saturday, December 14, 2013 Photographs by Dana Kirk

Grant Perry, Sis & Bill Mann

Shauna Kerr, Grant Perry, Erin Archambault

Alive & Clickin’ Tap Dance Troupe

Iris & Henry Winters, Mike & Connie Brough

Jeff, Susan, and Gina Gibbons

Buck Kernan, Grant Perry, Charlie Oliver, Erin Archambault, Sharon Oliver, Shauna Kerr & daughter Kaya

SandhillSeen Eighteenth Annual Young People’s Fine Arts Festival Friday, March 7, 2014

Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels Stephanie Burt, Evelyn Ellington, Kristina and Jeannette Burt

The Strom Family –Parker, Keifer, Elena, and Natalie

Maggie Jackson, Ashlynn Smith Front – Michael and Aidan Douglas, Nora Miller Back – Helen Probst Mills, Nadia Douglas

Hayden and Myra Marks

Jeff, Susan, and Gina Gibbons

Danila Devins, Summer and Taylor Compton

Spring Pick Stitch collection from

A UniqUe SpeciAlty Store FeAtUring WeSt coASt cASUAl liFeStyle clothing.

Exclusive. Timeless. Chic.

Village of Pinehurst - 910.295.3905 raleigh north hills - 919.782.0012 WrightsVille Beach - 910.509.0273

A Mod-o-doc specialty store | www.coolsweats.net | pinehurstcoolsweats@gmail.com

Looking for custom made? We’ll build what you need to make your house a home.

CUSTOM CABINETS AND FURNITURE INCLUDING BOOKCASES, MANTELS, LIBRARIES, MEDIA CENTERS, BATH AND KITCHEN CABINETS 707-F South Pinehurst Street, Aberdeen 910-944-0922 • custommade.com/by/perfectdesign

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April 2014 i��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen DAR Teacup Auction and Luncheon Pinehurst Membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Club Saturday, March 15, 2014 Al and Annette Daniels

Kathleen Kay, Pat Blank, Nan Leaptrott

Martha Blake, Kim and Mary Sue Woodard

Judith Gibson, Jill Bonacci Pat Tomasetti, Cyndy Weeks

Jeannette Donnelly, Laura Spence

Shelby Herbert, Judy Miles

Shelby Herbert receives Good Citizen Award from Dr. Sara Hawes, as Cyndy Weeks and Lara Herbert look on

Martha Campbell, Anne Ratcliffe

Pat Blank, Kerry Wathen, Leah Brennan

Linda Brown Walker, Louise Brown, Sandra White, Margie Ruddle

Jacqueline Wade, Cos Barnes

Kay Lund, Sarah Hawes

Kay Lund, Carol Fox

Mary Sue, Kim Woodard, Dr. Sarah Hawes

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

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Carolina Center for Pain

4 Courses

2 Clubs

YOUR Membership!

is pleased to be the first in Central Carolina to offer an exciting new treatment for tendon and joint problems – REGENERATIVE THERAPY. This therapy uses your own body’s stem cells and platelet rich plasma to heal inflammation and repair damaged tissue. This treatment is very effective for tennis elbow, bicipital tendonitis, plantar fascitis and major joint pain from arthritis, torn cartilage, rotator cuff tear, or other pathology.

The same platelet rich plasma,

obtained from your own blood, can be used to heal wrinkled skin. It has been called the “Vampire Facial” because of the red tint of the plasma. The Carolina Center for Pain is pleased to offer this treatment for facial cosmesis, in addition to botox and dermal fillers.

The Club of the Sandhills 4 Championship Golf Courses

Unlimited Golf at All Four Courses Unlimited Complimentary PGA Golf Instruction Swimming Pool & Fitness Center Access Exceptional Meeting Space for 10 - 345 Guests

Carolina Center for Pain 293 Olmsted Boulevard, Ste. 4 Pinehurst, NC 28374 910-295-3200 910-295-3222 (Fax)

Beautiful Wedding Venues Experienced Event Planner & Culinary Team Lodgings at CCWP Golf Courses Open To The Public For Membership, Events & Accommodations 910.949.4332

ACTive DUTY Military Discounts on All Memberships

416 S. Elm Street High Point, NC 27260 336.887.1315 M/C, Visa, AMEX, Cash Accepted Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm 102

April 2014 i��PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen Hobby Field Hoedown Walthour-Moss Foundation Fundraiser Saturday, March 15, 2014 Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels

Jo-An DeSell, Rick Thompson, Tia Chick, Craig Stokes, Jeanne Paine

Charlie and Terry Cook

Tia Chick, Fran Gertz, Kathy Daly, Tommy Doonan

Joe Silva is flaniked by Betsy and Ellie van Gemeren

Linda and Jack Kennard

Seated: Jim and Lucille Buck Standing: Donna and Dick Verilli

Gary and Tina Stover

Jane Demeulemester is flanked by Dennis and Jim Alley

Anne and Dick Webb, Marilee Nagy, Marcia Bryant

Sandy McShea, Barry Dumser, Mike Russell, Mary Rosebush

Richard Moore, Elenor and Larry Smith

Brooke Maiello, Taryn Garrett holding baby Brynn

Barbara Schindler, Sandy McShea, Abby Shultis

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Easter Worship Services

Liberty Christian Church 1810 Quewiffle Road Aberdeen, NC 28315 Sunday School 9:45 a.m.

Come Join Us! Maundy Thursday - April 17th Worship Service at 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday - April 18th Worship Service at 7:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday - April 20th

Worship Services at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Worship Service 11:00 a.m. Sunday night service 6:00 p.m. 910-281-3320

Corner of Kelly and Everette Roads in Pinehurst www.communitypres.com (910) 295-6848

EMMANUEL EPISOCPAL CHURCH 850 East Massachusetts Avenue Southern Pines, NC 28387

(910) 692-8171 • www.emmanuel-parish.org

Holy Week and Easter Schedule Palm Sunday: April 13 7:30 a.m. Rite I Service/Holy Eucharist 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Rite II Services/ Holy Eucharist

Stations of the Cross:

Monday, April 14 & Tuesday, April 15, 6:00 p.m.

Tenebrae Service:

Wednesday, April 16, 6:00 p.m.

Maundy Thursday Service/Holy Eucharist: April 17, 7:00 p.m.

Good Friday Service:

Friday, April 18, Noon-3:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday:

Sunday, April 20, 6:00 a.m. The Great Vigil of Easter/Holy Eucharist Breakfast and Egg Hunt following the Vigil Service 9:00 a.m. Rite II Service/Holy Eucharist, 11:00 a.m. Rite II Service/Holy Eucharist

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April 2014 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Holy Week MAUNDY THURSDAY, April 17 10:00 A.M. Prayer Service 5:45 P.M. Seder Meal and Service GOOD FRIDAY, April 18 12:00 P.M . Seven Last Words From the Cross HOLY SATURDAY, April 19 1:00 P.M. Kids Easter Egg Hunt EASTER SUNDAY, April 20 6:30 A.M. Sunrise Service at The Carolina Hotel 8:15 A.M. Communion Service 9:30 A.M. Family Service “Village Life” Sunday School 11:00 A.M. Traditional Service

Community Congregational Church, UCC You are invited to join us for

Palm Sunday Service • 11 am • April 13 Maundy Thursday Worship Service • 7 pm • April 17 Easter Worship Service • 11 am • April 20 Sunday Bible Study • 10 am

The Village Chapel

The Rev. Michael C. Dubbs 141 N. Bennett Street, Southern Pines, Phone: 910-692-8468 www.communitycongregational.org

An Interdenominational Christian Community

10 Azalea Road • Pinehurst 910-295-6003 Discipleship opportunities for all ages.

ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSOURI SYNOD TRADITIONAL WORSHIP

GOD’S WORD IS SPOKEN HERE

COME HEAR IT AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS PALM SUNDAY AND EASTER SUNDAY WORSHIP 9 A.M. HOLY THURSDAY WORSHIP 7 P.M. SUNDAY WORSHIP 9 A.M.

SUNDAY SCHOOL 8:20 A.M.

NURSERY SERVICE DURING WORHIP SERVICE

PASTOR: REV. DENTON WHITE

PHONE: 910-949-2345 3253 NIAGARA CARTHAGE ROAD, WHISPERING PINES 28327 PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2014

105

PineServices

Bella spa & nails

www.Bellanailspa.us

Giving families

a brighter future with

compassionate home care.

Located in the Village of Pinehurst

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katherine rice, instructor

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April 2014 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T h o u g h ts f r o m T h e Ma n S h e d

Left Behind

The high-tech revolution has left me smarting

By Geoff Cutler

Technologically speaking,

I’m falling behind, and I’m not sure if this is something to worry about or not. On the way to the beach last week, I couldn’t seem to program the destination into the car’s GPS. So I printed out Google directions. While I did finally arrive at my destination, I got lost a couple of times along the way.

Then, the radio was already programmed to my wife’s channels, and they gave way to static within twenty miles of Southern Pines. Pushing the button on the steering wheel just changed the channel from one fuzzy programmed station to the other and then back again. Where’s the damn spin knob to manually change the station, I wondered? There aren’t any on a computerized touch screen. So I shut the radio off altogether and drove on in silence. I should have brought the outdated iPod the kids gave me, I thought. Then I realized, I didn’t know how to sync it into the car’s radio. For that matter, I couldn’t use my cell phone in the car “hands free” because I don’t know how to sync that either. It suddenly dawned on me that the family car can do just about everything but come into the house and vacuum the rugs, and I don’t know how to make it perform any of its modern day functions. And speaking of the cell phone, I wish now that I’d held on to my old flip phone. You know, the thing that had a dial pad inside and you dialed someone’s number and they’d answer and you talked to them? The one I had didn’t text, or email. It didn’t Google or play games. It didn’t Facebook, have apps, play music or let me read a book. It just let me talk to someone if I needed to. Now I’ve got a smartphone. A Samsung Galaxy something or other that does all those things, and I can’t figure out for the life of me why I bought it because I’m either too dumb to know how to use it, or don’t care enough to learn. Then there’s our new television to replace the one that blew up during a thunderstorm. It’s “smart” too. It took me a week and a bunch of phone calls back to the installer just to learn how to turn the bloody thing on and off. My wife still doesn’t know how. That’s not all bad, really. After all, how many times should anyone have to watch the The Notebook? She wants us to dump another couple of hundred on something called a universal remote. That way she’ll be able to turn on the TV herself, and I won’t have to navigate between four guns just to raise the volume, change the channels, or switch over to Apple TV.

Now, Apple TV is pretty cool. With it, we have the world of television, games, music and Hollywood at our fingertips. Some of it free, most at added cost. And it was while trying to catch up with the hit show House of Cards, (my son and I watched four episodes of the first season in a row the other night) that I realized that, since we’ve had this new entertainment center, all we’ve done every night is watch TV. We’re all caught up with Downton Abbey, The Following, and True Detective. We’ve seen a bunch of movies on Netflix, and once we’re current with House of Cards, my son says I have to watch Sherlock. Do I? I haven’t sat with a good book by the fire in months. We sit in front of the tube like zombies. And suppose I take the time to learn how my smartphone works. Does that mean that, like almost everyone you see who has one of these things, I’ll bury my head in it during all the waking hours of the day? There seems to be some kind of an odd trade-off to do with modern communication technology. On the one hand, certain things are made much simpler, like being able to quickly obtain information by referencing Google, or receiving reliable directions from a modern automobile’s built-in GPS. On the other hand, it seems like a lot of this wizardry simply clogs our lives like a stopped-up toilet. And to what good? I’m too long out of college now to remember who the philosopher . . . maybe it was a theologian . . . who said that all our actions in life should be directed toward either a personal or overall better or good. That seems like sage advice, but I’m confounded if I see the greater good in watching endless hours of television just because I can. And just exactly what are those folks whose heads are stuck in their phones doing all day? Seems more like some kind of bizarre addiction than any kind of useful goodness or betterment. There are probably some things to do with all the available technology I should learn that will actually save some time and make life simpler. Though I’m not even sure about that because riding along in the car with the music off was quite peaceful, and by taking a couple of wrong turns on the way to the beach, I saw a beautiful and historic part of old North Carolina that probably hasn’t been seen by beach-bound Interstate motorists in the last half-century. So for now, anyway, even if I am falling behind with media technology, I’m not going to sweat it. There’s a world out there that millions of us have passed through and survived without all this stuff, and I’d hate to think I was going to miss any of it because I’d become a willing slave to smart machines. PS Geoff Cutler is owner of Cutler Tree LLC in Southern Pines. He is a regular contributor to PineStraw. He can be reached at geoffcutler@embarqmail.com.

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Real Estate in the Sandhills

NEED TO SELL A HOUSE? WANT RESULTS THAT WORK?

ADVERTISE

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To advertise in the Pinestraw Realty Section Call Perry Loflin

910-693-2514 perry@thepilot.com

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April 2014 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

T h e A c c i d e n tal A st r o l o g e r

April’s Wild Ride By Astrid Stellanova This month’s got me nervous. The stars ain’t looked this strange since the stock market crashed. But fear not, star children. Just heed Astrid’s advice. “It’s this old world and then the fireworks,” Aunt Ethel used to say. What did that mean? I got no idea, but not everybody’s in for a bumpy ride . . . some of us got our shocks fixed and our front ends aligned.

Aries (March 21–April 19) You just ain’t happy sitting still and letting things be. You’re all about mixing it up, changing it up or messing in somebody else’s business. You also like to be the giver (read: prone to be too extravagant, my cupcake). But this month, with Jupiter in Cancer, the stars have a very nice birthday gift for you. Good ole Jupiter is generous. Good luck and gifts are twinkling in that night sky above you, illuminating the whole month with some kind of Aries fairy dust. Another tip: It’s a good time to sell property if you were thinking of it, including that swampy lot you bought ten years ago that just ain’t perked. This is your chance to unload it. (Also, just so you know, it’s a good time for investments.) Money is about to land in your hands — gift or loan, whose complaining, child?

Don’t spend any energy on worrying about betrayals or conspiracy theories. Use your noggin to roll out a new venture, because it gets a green light.

Libra (September 23–October 22) You got 2,499 Facebook friends who all either want to give you a job or invite you to a party. The first half of this year is like a career and social jackpot. Take advantage before July 16 when Jupiter leaves your house of golden opportunity in dang near everything. If you want 2,500 friends, push away from the desk and kick back. What doesn’t come together by the end of this month will manifest itself by December. Also, you finally find that family reunion T-shirt you thought you lost.

Scorpio (October 23–November 21) Your life is like one of those Taylor Swift songs; that catchy tune sounds so hummy/sunny before you realize she is singing about how she’s going to castrate her old boyfriend with a wing nut. You have Scorpio in your sign this month, and you’ve been doing a lot of new things with mixed results. The eclipse on April 28 will be very interesting for you, and every one of your exes. That foreigner may be worth your while. At least meet for drinks.

k l

Taurus (April 20–May 20) You laid on the couch an awful lot last month, mooing like a sick cow. But this month, you are kicking that Taurus gusto into gear and charging onto the on-ramp of the highway of life. Full speed ahead and straight for a change! Wanna know how come? There’s an eclipse on the 29th in Taurus. Aw, I know what you’re thinking about that “c” word. Taurus doesn’t necessarily like change, but good ch–ch– changes are here. You’re in high spirits this month and I don’t mean just because you scored your own barrel of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select at Sam’s Club. Gemini (May 21–June 20) Last month you were like a set of worn-out windshield wipers: swishing too hard and smearing up the windshield. You had all the right cards to play — you got them third, fourth and fifth chances . . . but you got stubborn. Somehow, you just couldn’t, wouldn’t and didn’t. Move on. This month is a do-over: The money is good, my twin, and you got raises and windfalls in the stars. Keep a straight face when you get the raise. Don’t wish you had held out for more, because it’s only the start.

Cancer (June 21–July 22) I had to look twice in my Magic Eight Ball, because I didn’t want to overpromise and underdeliver. This year is altogether different than last, and even a blind crab could see that times are going from good to better. It’s been overdue, for sure, and now the planet of good fortune stays in your sign right until July. There’s more, too: a payoff from something you completely forgot about. This could also mean you have memory issues.

Leo (July 23–August 22) It seems weird to say it, but Leo is one of them signs that make you wonder. All that confidence out front, but underneath it, a whole lotta doubt. Sorta the Liz Taylor syndrome — like the beautiful woman who can’t stop ruining her figure with beer and nachos. Well, you get to put that public charisma and star shine to work, because the stars love you by the middle of 2014. Think of it as coming into your stride — but it is a golden period ahead. Spanx or not.

Virgo (August 23 –September 22) There’s enough gas in your tank this month to get you to Nevada. But as good as that sounds, you been a little spend-thrifty and maybe, Baby, you ought to stay away from slots. That said, you got Mars driving you, and your considerable ambition. Friendships are rock solid, like I keep sayin’.

Sagittarius (November 22–December 21) You caught a fast wave that built from the end of the new moon last month. It was fun and fast, but then you realized it knocked your swimsuit off. No worries. Duck down and keep your lower half out of sight and just tread, Baby. Your deadbeat ex winds up having to settle an old debt. By the end of the month you are going to be in high cotton financially. Only you know how to make profit off cotton. Capricorn (December 22–January 19) The planets may have challenged you last year, but this year, uh huh. Different story. You, cool thing, finally see the benefit of not letting life crush you. It’s a whole new game, Baby, and just you wait. If you are still single, wedding bells may jingle for you yet this year. If not a wedding, a surprise. Something’s jingling, and you’ll be tingling. Plus, you have an unusual number of good hair days coming up before we get into the heat and humidity cycle. Aquarius (January 20–February 18) Empty the tip jar and get yourself that luxury item you’ve been saving up for — don’t deny yourself. That eclipse on April 28 is going to bring some nice progress for your sign, and not just in one dimension. Work, health, love, name it. You’re going to be speeding toward the good life faster than Danica Patrick with a Petty on her rear. Pisces (February 19–March 20) Until July, you have extra special work mojo . . . and friends in high places are going to reach a hand to pull you on up. (What took them so long, you wonder? So do I, little fishy.) But a lunar eclipse on the 15th means you best keep your money in your wallet — it will impact your finances. And just consider a different hair color. It’s Astrid’s cheapest trick, but tried and true. A new do will make you feel better, and in my humble opinion might change the tide of human events. At least for you. PS For years, Astrid Stellanova owned and operated Curl Up and Dye Beauty Salon in the boondocks of North Carolina until arthritic fingers and her popular astrological readings provoked a new career path.

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i n i n g

Gui

d e

Looking for a great menu with a fantastic atmosphere?

Enjoy Spring

195

on the Patio...

for Lunch or Dinner.

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lunch tues-sat 11-3 dinner wed-sat 5:30-9:30 chef prem nath

195 bell avenue southern pines 910.692.7110 www.195americanfusion.com

155 NE Broad Street Southern Pines, NC 910.692.4766 belltreetavern.com

FARMERS

MARKET

WEDNESDAYS 2:30-5:30pm Cannon Park/Camelot Park Rattlesnake Trail & Woods Rd

off Hwy 211 W. Pinehurst (near traffic circle) SATURDAYS 10:00am-1:00pm Village of Pinehurst Parking Lot 1 Village Green Rd. West

Opening in April

MOORE COUNTY FARMERS MARKET

Tomatoes, Strawberries, Fruits, Veggies, Jams, Meats, Flowers & Plants, Opens April 21st - Mondays- FirstHealth (Fitness Center) Facility courtesy of First Health

Fresh & Local Produce

170 Memorial Dr • Pinehurst 2pm-5:30pm Will be open through October 27th

Free Range Eggs & Baked Goods

Open Year Round • Thursdays - 604 W. Morganton Rd

Children’s Activities & More!

(Armory Sports Complex) Facility courtesy of Town of Southern Pines Southern Pines 9am-1pm Opens April 19th Saturdays - Downtown Southern Pines

Facility courtesy of Town of Southern Pines Broad St & New York Ave 8am-Noon Will be open through October 25th

Call 947-3752 or 690-9520 for more info. hwwebster@embarqmail.com Web search Moore County Farmers Market Local Harvest www.facebook.com/moorecountyfarmersmarket SNAP welcomed here

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Pasture Raised Meats Crafts & Live Music

Opening Date April 12th, 2014 until September 27th

Chef Demo

Opening Day - April 12th by Elliotts On Linden and facepainting for kids! Contact Us: 803.517.5467 www.sandhillsfarmersmarket.com sandhillsfm@yahoo.com | www.facebook.com/SFGMarket

April 2014 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

April PineNeedler

By Mart Dickerson

A Timely Limerick A TIMELY LIMERICK

5 13

Where

Fashion meets

Family.

Sudoku:

Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every 3x3 box contain the numbers 1-9.

910.639.9097

171 NE Broad Street • Downtown Southern Pines marieandmarceleboutique.com Like Us On Facebook

72 Girl's toy 73 russian ruler

8 Put into a container 9 Soft cheese 10 Wee 1 rascals 19 20 21 22 23 11 America init. 2 like baggy clothing 13 Anesthetic 24 25 26 3 doesn't win 4 __ lanka15 Embedded, like 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 decorative wood 5 sleevless jacket or tile Freezing 6 34 35 36 37 38 39 21 Element time 7 line dance, old 40 41 42 43 Brand of jeans container 8 Put into a23 9 soft cheese 25 Pitch from our pines 44 45 46 47 48 10 Wee 28 Takes advantage of 11 america init. 49 50 51 52 29 Santa’s helpers 13 anesthetic 31 like See ya! In Italy decorative 53 54 55 56 57 15 embedded, 32 3rd verse: With wood or tile 58 59 60 61 62 nothing ___ ___ 21 element 23 brand of jeans(2 words) 63 64 65 66 67 33our Apply pines the brakes 25 Pitch from of back and forth 28 takes advantage 34 Walk 68 69 70 29 santa's helpers 35 Smell 71 72 73 31 see ya! In Italy 36 Old Russian initials 32 3rd verse: With nothing ___ 38 Painful cry ___(2 words) 42 Strong metal apply the brakes 33 63 Be angry 34 2nd verse: sitting ACROSS nitwit ACROSS 39 an home in April Walk back and forth 34 45 Mortarboard 64 Prego’s competition 1 Ailments 40 Paid spots on tV down____ embellishment 35 smell 66 Last Verse: The 5 1Second to the ailments 37 Capital41ofbirthmark Norway 36 old russian 46 initials Green Gables gardening in May President 5 second to the President 43 hubbub Painful cry dweller, or Miss 38 he’ll soon will _____ 39 Nitwit 9 9British unit british energy energy unit 44 __ rica 42 strong metal Cameron 40 Paid spots on TV division 68 Voiced 12 12There thereonce oncewas was aa man from 47 religious 45 Mortarboard 48 embellishment Computer part Always 41 Birthmark man from _____ _____ ernie's 48 henhouse, like at 69 dweller, oraround Miss 46 Green Gables 50 Traveled CollegeBus. bus. course course (abr) 43 Hubbub 49 off the straight and 70narrow Sri __ 14 14College Cameron 52 Aspartame brand Colored part of eye 15(abr) 44 __ Rica51 Wooly animals 71 Sea eagle 48 Computer part 54 Well done!, at the suggestpart of eye 53 stuck up person 15 16Colored 50 traveled around 72 Girl’s toy 47 Religious division Opera In __ (together) 55 outfit, like a kitchen aspartame brand 52 16 17Suggest 73 Russian ruler 48 Henhouse, like at 18 one of Columbus' ships 56 58 Impersonator the operaremovers 54 Well done!, at Wrinkle Ernie’s 4 verse: and fighting the ____ 17 InMyrtle __ (together) beach dir. 19 60 57 Ski jacket 56 Wrinkle removers 49 Off the61straight and 18 20One of apparel Columbus’ head DOWN Cleaning cloth ski jacket 57 58 Happy cat sound narrow63 be angry ships 22 airplane's kitchen 1 Rascals sound 58 happy cat 59 Asian country 51 Wooly64animals 19 24Myrtle Beach dir. organic compound Prego's competition 59 asian country 2 Like baggy clothing 60 Unfold or curl, like a 53 Stuck up 20 26 Head afloatapparel last Verse: the gardening in 66 person like a flag 60 unfold or curl,flag 3 Doesn’t win debate May he'll soon will _______ 27 55 Outfit, like a kitchen 22 Airplane’s kitchen 62 Cogged wheel 4 __ Lanka 62 Cogged wheel Kicks out 68 Voiced 63 enemy 58 Impersonator 24 30 Organic compound 5 Sleeveless jacket 34 2nd verse:sitting home in an 69 always 63 Enemy hair stuff 65 60 4th verse:sri and 26 Afloat april down____ __ 70 6 Freezing 65 tape Hair stuff 67 digital audio fighting the ____ 27 37 Debate Capital of norway 71 sea eagle 7 Line dance, old time 67 Digital audio tape 61 Cleaning cloth 30 Kicks out 12

Marie & Marcele

DOWN

3 8 7 6 9 4 1 1 5 8 1 8 4 7 1 8 9 5 7 6 5 8 1 6 3 9 4

Puzzle answers on page 93

Mart Dickerson lives in Southern Pines and would welcome any suggestions from her fellow puzzle masters. She can be reached at gdickerson@nc.rr.com.

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southwords

The Y (Not?) Chromosome By Sally Ronalter

It was a long, hot

afternoon, near the end of a long, hot summer, and the boys were bored. One of them had a cast on his arm, and it was itchy. Another had the skinny white leg that comes of a cast just removed; all of them had scars of one sort or another. The four of them were roaming around downtown, traveling in a tight pack as middle school boys tend to do. They played a little basketball at the park, listened to some music at the coffee shop, devoured some fries and sodas at The Ice Cream Parlor. They ran into other groups of boys, and then moved on when something new caught their eye. They had the attention span of a swarm of gnats.

Suddenly, one of them caught sight of something shiny sticking out of a Dumpster they were passing by. Immediately, they were climbing up and into the Dumpster, hauling out an old bike. The tires were gone (only the rims remained) and the seat was pretty ripped up, but all in all, it had possibilities. They pushed it home, and after a lengthy and heated discussion, disappeared into the basement in search of spray paint. Leaning it against a tree, they sprayed the bike and the tree it leaned against, then the trees nearby, and finally themselves. When the air cleared, the bike had a psychedelic, Peter Max sort of look to it, the trees all had smiley faces, and the boys looked, well, like boys covered in war paint. They rummaged around in the garage until they found some rope, and cut several pieces about ten feet long. These they tied to the bar directly under the seat, and then they went of search of bamboo, which grows wild a couple of blocks over. Bringing back pieces about as long as their arms from elbow to wrist, they tied these to the other end of the ropes. They were exhausted by all of this, and hungry and thirsty besides. Like locusts, they swarmed the kitchen leaving crumbs and general stickiness in their wake. Belching and farting and generally feeling better, they reemerged to hunt for their skateboards. As boys never actually put anything away, this was slightly troublesome; some thought was required as to where they actually might have skateboarded last, but they managed and after a

112

detour to a friend’s house to retrieve the boards, they were finally ready. The craziest one (of course) rode the bike. Some serious speed and general fearlessness would be required here. The other three mounted their boards and off they took for the last straightaway on Massachusetts Avenue, the long, steep slope that empties onto Connecticut. The one on the bike leaned low to the handlebars, a maniacal grin on his face. The other three tried to carve graceful arcs on the street behind him without running into their companions. Their eyes darted nervously from side to side as they tried to track their friends. They got a little air (jumped) and waved gaily at everyone they saw. Mothers drew their breath in sharply, dads exhaled in awe. They felt the air rush past them, drying their sweat and widening their grins. They couldn’t have stopped smiling if they’d wanted to. They were looking good, and they knew it! Life was awesome, and so were THEY! They were practically flying down that hill! As the bottom of the hill (and busy Connecticut Avenue) drew near, a quiet panic started to set in. They had neglected to check on the bike’s brakes. Did they work? Or would they have to try to hit the field at the bottom of the hill to slow down? Could they even make the turn? Was there gravel down there? The daredevil on the bike started to press on the handbrakes, gently at first but quickly with considerably more urgency. Nothing — nothing at all. He began a gentle arc to the right, then cut across to the left heading for the field, inadvertently cutting off his friends. Reaching out for each other, they spun briefly in a circle before going down in a snarled tangle of arms and legs, ropes and sticks, metal and rubber. Then slowly, like a phoenix rising from the gravel, they lifted their heads, brushing the hair from their eyes and the rocks from their elbows and knees. Gingerly stretching their limbs, they started to grin as they realized that nothing was broken, they were OK; that heck, they were great! Cocky now, they stood; and using the tails of their T-shirts dabbed at the bits of blood here and there, smearing it into the dirt on their faces and legs. As one, they raised their bloody fists to the sky, and screamed a primal “Yes!!! Now that was an awesome ride!” Hi-fives all around as they grinned into each other’s faces. And then, gathering their boards and sticks and ropes and bike, they went in search of something to eat, all the while wondering aloud what else might be in that Dumpster. PS Sally Ronalter was PineStraw magazine’s first place memoir contest winner. You can read her essay in the January PineStraw.

April 2014 i�� PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Illustration by Meridith Martens

Boys will be boys. That’s the problem. No street is safe

Purveyor, Buyer & APPrAiser of fine And estAte Jewellery 229 NE Broad StrEEt • SouthErN PiNES, NC • (910) 692-0551 • In-House RepaIRs Mother and daughter Leann and Whitney Parker Look ForWard to WeLcoMing you to WhitLauter.