NRV Magazine Jan-Feb 2023

Jacquelin Harris.

Photo by Dario Calmese

Your First Choice for Heart and Vascular Care.

» FIRST IN THE REGION TO PERFORM:

• Open heart and heart valve surgery in 1982

• TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) procedures

• Device implants for stroke prevention for patients with AFib (atrial fibrillation) patients

• LVAD (left ventricular assist device) implants

• Complex heart ablation procedures

• Cardiac cath and PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) in 1978

• EVAR (endovascular aortic repair) and TEVAR (thoracic endovascular aortic repair) procedures

» FIRST AND ONLY IN THE REGION TO PERFORM:

• Complex AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm), including FEVAR (fenestrated endovascular aortic repair) procedures

Largest cardiac and vascular team in the region, available 24/7/365. We are involved in research studies that are answering questions about future patient care advancements.

Dedicated operating rooms (ORs) for heart and vascular procedures. Our two hybrid ORs are the only ones of their kind in the region.

We’re the most experienced option for your care, performing the most cardiac & vascular procedures in Southwest Virginia. Looking to the future, we’re building our dedicated Cardiovascular Institute to continue as your comprehensive heart care center.

Dedicated cardiac, vascular and thoracic surgery intensive care units for post-surgery care.

JUAN LUIS NICOLAU VIRGINIA TECH PROFESSOR

I FOUND MY FREEDOM BANKING WITH

Juan Luis Nicolau, PhD is the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Professor of Revenue Management in the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business. As an expert in hospitality and tourism management, he wanted to bank somewhere with excellent customer service and helpful staff. He found that Freedom First was the perfect fit for him.

“My favorite thing about Freedom First is the personal relationship that they have with the customers,” said Nicolau. “It made my transition from Spain much easier because they helped me navigate a completely different financial system.”

NEW RIVER VALLEY MAGAZINE

P. O. Box 11816 Blacksburg, VA 24062

o: 540-961-2015 nrvmagazine@msn.com www.nrvmagazine.com

PUBLISHER

Country Media, Inc.

Phillip Vaught

MANAGING EDITOR

Joanne Anderson

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Kim Walsh

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Dennis Shelor

WRITERS

Joanne Anderson

Emily Alberts

Jo Clark

Becky Hepler

Nancy Moseley

Kameron Bryant

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kristie Lea Photography Kevin Riley Tom Wallace Billy Bowling Photography Nathan Cooke Photography

COVER PHOTO Photo by Tom and Christy Wallace RealPixs LLC

© 2023 Country Media, Inc.

Country Media, Inc. will not knowingly publish any advertisement that is illegal or misleading to its readers. Neither the advertiser nor Country Media, Inc. will be responsible or liable for misinformation, misprints, or typographical errors. The publisher assumes no financial liability for copy omissions by Country Media, Inc. other than the cost of the space occupied by the error. Corrections or cancellations to be made by an advertiser shall be received no later than 5 p.m. the 20th of each publishing month. No claim shall be allowed for errors not affecting the value of the advertisement. Paid advertising does not represent an endorsement by this publication. Content cannot be reproduced without written consent from Country Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Real Estate advertised in this publication is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968.

When a contractor digging a trench (with a “clean ticket” to dig) alongside my driveway for a neighbor’s new high-speed fiber managed to chop my Verizon cable underground, I found myself without a phone (landline) or internet for a few days. To the rescue? The public library.

I shared this little fact with Ryan, a freelance client in New York City. When you write for someone for years, a virtual friendship develops. I’ve written all the blogs for paintworks.nyc and emergencyworks.nyc and think he is brilliant using this blog space as a superior sales and marketing tool. [Hint to local painters and contractors.]

Here is his response when I told him as soon as I got my home internet back, I’d write, download and shrink the photos and post to squarespace.com the five assignments he recently sent. He never reads my work first. He sends me as much as a whole dozen words, sometimes less, a couple photos, and I take it from there. His response:

Sorry to hear about the cut cable. Enjoy the library. Libraries never get enough love.

I enjoyed my internet time so much that I’m going to go to the library when I don’t need to, just to be among the books, the very kind and knowledgeable librarians and the large, bright, nicely furnished spaces. The rolling chairs at the computer stations are ergonomically-comfy. I can work or read there peacefully, and I like giving the library a little love, too.

A couple decades ago, my late husband John, second generation Swedish, called me from a business trip to Sweden. “Guess what?” he began over a broken-up, long distance call. “I

now know why I love everything white and simple with all clean lines.” The memory was like yesterday when I took a look at Pinakin and Michelle Gandhi’s new house outside Fairlawn. It embodies the Scandinavians’ love for “everything white and simple with all clean lines.”

One of our other publications, “See & Do New River Valley 2023” is out, despite a few printer glitches. It was supposed to have a more hard card stock cover and be “perfect bound” with a square edge, not stapled like the magazine. Well, these things happen when you deal with mere mortals, and we are distributing it to hotel rooms and in our magazine racks across the New River Valley.

A new, regular, 2-page spread in each magazine in 2023 will feature a few seasonal suggestions and spotlight the advertisers in the See & Do book. You can find it online at nrvbook.com.

For those who may not revel in winter, remember that “if you choose not to find joy in the snow, you will have less joy in your life, but still the same amount of snow.” Personally, it’s my second favorite season after autumn and a very cool way to usher in a new year.

Happy New Year!

Joanne Anderson ManagingEditor jmawriter@aol.com

Ryan and Amanda Green

October 8, 2022 | Kairos Resort

When things are meant to be and couples are meant to marry, deleting your dating app may not keep fate from intervening. Back in 2016, Amanda Powers and Ryan Green had both recently gotten out of long relationships and were not seeking anything serious. “We both ‘swiped right’ on the same dating app and messaged maybe four times when I decided to delete the app,” Amanda relates. “To my surprise, a friend of mine happened to be dating one of Ryan’s friends, and we met after all.”

In a beautiful botanical garden setting on vacation, Ryan proposed on Oct. 8, 2020. He filmed the entire proposal for Amanda’s mother to view later. Now there’s one way to get on the right side of a future mother-in-law! A family member told Amanda about attending a wedding at Kairos in Giles County and how beautiful it is there. “We fell in love with the place at first look,” she adds.

Planning a wedding is stressful, the couple agrees, and the best support for them was both families and the bridesmaids. “My amazing mother helped me every step of the way,” says Amanda. “We did everything on our own down to the food. For the décor, we found a place called ‘Something Borrowed’ where we rented all of our décor. My wedding was everything I imagined it to be.”

Photos by River Songs Photography Riversongsphotos.com

I hope that every bride's day is as special as mine turned out to be. ~ Amanda Green

Blake and Brenna Harris

October 29, 2022 | Doe Creek Farm

Food: Domino’s Pizza and Hethwood Market Flowers: D’Rose Cake: Primrose Weddings Music DJ: Bobby Hash

From apple picking dates to a wedding date, Blake and Brenna Harris love the setting and scenery at Doe Creek Farm in Giles County. The couple met online on Tinder and communicated a few months before their first in-person date at The Palisades also in Giles County. They love hiking and being outside, so Blake proposing at Falls Ridge Preserve in Elliston was apropos. The wedding date was set for a year away. “Plan everything early,” Brenna advises. “This helped us save so much time to enjoy being engaged, along with a bachelorette party, bridal shower and other small events. When it came to weeks away, there were only a few minor details left to address.”

Blake explains the sneakers: “We both are comfy sneaker kind of people, so it felt fitting to wear them on our day, and we have cool, matching shoes forever.” A final tidbit from Brenna is to make the wedding about you. “Many people will have many opinions about your wedding, and while that can be helpful, it’s ultimately about making it personal for both of you.”

Photos by Silver Pebble Photography Silverpebblephotography.com

Make each other smile a lot at the wedding (and in life).

~ Brenna Harris

Say It With Flowers

Text by Jo Clark

Flowers have been a part of our lives since a funeral in 62,000 BC. While excavating a cave in Iraq, archaeologists discovered ancient burial sites surrounded by flowers.

Giving bouquets flowered (pun intended) during the Victorian era, the 1800s, because verbalizing one’s feelings was considered bad manners. Presenting bouquets is still a wonderful way to send some love. A girl never forgets her first flowers (or the boy who bashfully delivered them), whether a store-bought bouquet or a handful of wild sweet peas picked alongside the road.

Flower-giving has evolved from a seasonal event, when they were in bloom, to ordering flowers worldwide almost any time of year. The supply of fresh flowers has had a few challenges, especially the blooms from South America. Sometimes, like people, flowers miss their flights, or their flights get delayed. Between increased grower prices, escalating airline costs, and blossoms that shrivel at airports, it is little wonder flower prices have increased by 25% to 45%.

Some chain stores have purchased flower farms for their own use, leaving independent florists challenged. Small florists must compete with big stores and large corporations for flowers, and now they also must contend with occasional airplane delays, websites and grand marketing budgets.

Wedding Flowers

One family with five children bought all their wedding flowers online so the family could create the arrangements. Buyers can order fresh flowers for delivery directly to homes or event locations. Blacksburg Kroger’s floral manager, Sandra Davis, says she makes bridal bouquets, boutonnieres and arrangements for a few weddings a year. Teresa Harris of Floyd’s Blue Ridge Florist offers a DIY price, allowing brides to buy the flowers they want and do their own designing.

Most brides want fresh flowers for their wedding

Gwynn Hamilton surrounded by heirloom Ranunculus © Stonecrop Farm

Sunflowers make everyone smile © Stonecrop Farm

day, and independent florists provide exceptional personal service and professional advice. They know the industry and can offer valuable input as they learn what each bride wants for colors, style, texture and so on. Fresh flowers not only grace the bride, but also the wedding party, family members, reception tables and elsewhere at the ceremony venue. Shopping locally is akin to spending money with a neighbor, as local money stays longer in the community. For brides going the silk flower route, there are many options online and at stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby.

Herbert Simpkins, owner of Angle Florist in Christiansburg, says today’s florists have to sell whatever they can, fresh or silk flowers, dish gardens, memorial, wedding and holiday flower arrangements. To stand out from the competition, he is using social media and their website more often to promote their flowers and unique floral designs.

Gwynn Hamilton and husband Bert Webster of Stonecrop Farm in Newport embrace the “sell what you can” theory. When they started farming 20 years ago, they grew 95% vegetables and 5% flowers. The demand for fresh, organic flowers was so great that they transitioned to 5% vegetables and 95% flowers.

Stonecrop is many an NRV bride’s favorite. They also found places to sell so customers do not have to drive to the farm in Giles County. On Saturdays from April to December, buyers find armloads of flowers at the Blacksburg Farmer’s Market, plus Wednesdays between July and October.

Local florists often have better quality flowers and a large selection of ribbons, foil, beads and other accoutrements to dress up their bouquets and plants. They all offer local delivery and have contacts with networks across the country for sending someone out of town a sweet, special, surprise, fresh, fragrant floral arrangement.

Even Florists Can be Scammers

Google “florist near me,” and the first four or five listings will be paid ads. Some of those may belong to scammers, also known as order gatherers. They have no storefront, just a phone number or website. When you place an order, they take the money and call a local florist telling them to send whatever they have for about half of what you paid. In the end, you pay double for something you don’t want.

Your best defense against this is to call a local florist or use a reputable long-term flower website. Better yet, search for a local florist where you want to send flowers and connect directly.

Sending flowers may not be as popular with the younger crowds, though when covid forced people to remain apart, sending flowers had a measurable increase. Gwynn says young people line up to buy fresh flowers at the farmer’s market to brighten their apartments and dorm rooms. And her favorite comment: “Oh! I love this flower. My grandmother used to grow these.”

Radford’s Northside Flower Shop has been familyowned for 70 years, the last 19 by Gabriel Graham. “Tell the youngsters—support your florist. One day you’ll need them to still be around.”

The biggest day of the year for local florists is Valentine’s Day. But sending the natural beauty and fragrance of fresh flowers any day will warm someone’s heart by your love and make three people smile – the grateful and perhaps surprised recipient, the independent florist, and you!

Writer Jo Clark’s birthday is on the calendar in red - a Valentine baby. Virtual bouquets can be sent to her Facebook page, Have Glass, Will Travel, or her Instagram @ JoGoesEverywhere.

Cool Flower Facts

World’s largest flower, Puya raimondii (a bromeliad in the Andes mountains), has 8,000 white flowers on a 35,000-foot stalk

Tulips in ancient Holland were worth more than gold

Broccoli really is a flower

Sunflowers produce toxins that kill plants around them

Flowers are brightly colored and scented to attract pollinators

Bert Webster with the dahlia bar at the Blacksburg Farmers Market © Gwynn Hamilton

Stonecrop bouquets © Gwynn Hamilton

and strands of the same size, color and shape are more expensive. If you opt for one of these, be sure each pearl is knotted independently so if it breaks, only one falls away.

Diamonds are still a girl's best friend, and not much illustrates understated elegance more than a charming, brilliant, diamond pendant. Rubies, emeralds, opals and other colorful stones look stunning on a polished chain. A diamond tennis bracelet will add glamour to your wrist. A few things to consider in jewelry apply mostly to the bracelet and anklet locations.

s Be sure the clasps are smooth

s Avoid anything with raised settings that could catch on your dress, veil or train

s Have a jeweler check the setting of each stone for security

s If you wear an anklet, test it with your shoes and long dress

s Double check clasps for secure latching

s Make sure your hair will not interfere with a necklace

s Be cautious that any ring, bracelet or anklet cannot get tangled in your gown

s Have your mom or maid of honor put on your jewelry last.

The sparkle of gem stones, the warmth of an emotional connection to a special piece of jewelry and the comfortable complement to your wedding gown, veil, train, hair and smile will accent every photograph and every moment of your wedding day.

Photo by Scott Webb

Sophisticated Simplicity

in Scandinavian Style

Text by Joanne M. Anderson

Photos by Tom and Christy Wallace

SScandinavian design centers on clean lines, simplicity, comfort, light, and a strong connection to nature. By virtue of the location and climate of Scandinavian countries, the people spend a lot of time inside and cherish a minimal approach which combines function, beauty and comfort. Natural materials, an open floor plan, white or neutral color palettes, wood-burning fireplaces and abundant windows are the hallmarks of these houses.

New River Valley native Michelle Gandhi and her Indian-born husband Pinakin Gandhi knew from the

beginning that their new house would embrace all the simplicity of Scandinavian design principles. “We had both traveled in Europe, and the more we researched this style, the more we both loved it,” Michelle explains. Their backstory depicts two people not looking for a relationship. Michelle was in the process of getting divorced when she attended a hypnotherapy training session in Jersey City, N.J. “I decided to take myself out on a date,” Michelle relates. “Once seated in the restaurant, I noticed the solo man nearby only after the waiter made a

silly comment about the octopus or something. We made eye contact. Turns out he was treating himself to dinner after finishing his taxes.”

From there, the long-distance relationship suited each of them. Michelle works as a REALTOR with ReMax8 in the New River Valley and as a hypnotherapist and yoga instructor at Whole You in Radford. And she has three kids, one still at home. Pinakin loves his job with the telecommunications giant Cisco and enjoyed working in New York City.

and off the market for a few years, and Michelle and Pinakin visited one super frigid, very windy, bitter cold day. Hey, think: Scandinavia! Theirs was the only offer.

The onset of the covid pandemic in early 2020 took Pinakin away from the Big Apple to remote working. Well, now he could work from his New Jersey apartment home – or make a new home with Michelle. The couple purchased the land in the spring of 2020 and married later the same year in a small covid wedding.

Blacksburg was too expensive, and they were outbid on every offer. This 2.5-acre parcel had apparently been on

“We designed all the elements from our own ideas and things we had seen in other houses,” Michelle relates. The contractor reviewed their sketches and took it to an architect for suitable drawings. “I have a home design program and put the whole blueprint into that. Then I had the actual dimensions of everything and began re-thinking the windows and doors and making adjustments.” As a real estate professional, along with her experience with home design, Michelle is an available home design consultant in the New River Valley.

Yet, somewhere along the way the pair decided they might hook their wagons together and looked for land to build. With a view.

Windows are abundant purposefully, meeting the Gandhis objective of embracing the view as the major piece of art. “It changes constantly,” Pinakin offers. “Every morning, every sunset, every season, every day things can look different.”

One nod to his homeland is the Calcutta quartz kitchen counters, including a waterfall counter where the counter material flows to the floor on one end. All the appliances are Bosch (nod to Europe) stainless steel, and cabinets a smooth white laminate. One of the largest construction costs was the numerous windows. “I studied the position of the sun throughout the day in different seasons and added windows, including a 5-foot-square one in Pinakin’s office after inputting the design into my program,” Michelle explains. “We were very focused on bringing the outside in.”

The wood burning fireplace in the center of the main living space has glass on both sides and can emit 70,000 to 90,000 BTUs, sufficient for heating this 1,843-square-foot home. The one floor living design is perfect for convenience as well as retirement, though they do have a 983-square-foot basement under the house. The contractor was Jared Jones Construction, and Rivera Landscaping was responsible for the outdoor look.

For Michelle, it is the second house she’s lived in during her adult life, and for Pinakin, it is his first house and first time living outside a big city. He has enthusiastically stepped outside of apartment and city life by learning to split and haul wood, and he has set up a woodworking shop for his new hobby.

This is the Gandhis forever home, designed for gracious daily living, aging in place, and reproducing the stunning Scandinavian lifestyle of simplicity and sophistication. The design embraces the natural world and, in this case, considers the view a masterpiece of natural art to be savored on both sides of the windows.

For home design consultation and real estate representation, Michelle can be reached at Michelle.Gandhi@remax.net.

This style doubles as “organic modern”, loosely defined as melding modern minimalism with nature’s splendor for an elegant, tranquil, uncluttered lifestyle.

A Much-Loved Studebaker

Text by Joanne M. Anderson | Photos by Tom and Christy Wallace

Lest you think electric vehicles have come to the market recently, consider that Studebaker designed and produced an electric car in 1902, designed by none-otherthan Thomas Alva Edison. Two years later, their first gaspowered vehicle came on the market. However, across the previous 40 years, the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company produced covered wagons. Many a Studebaker Conestoga took many a pioneer family to settle the American West.

Three of the five ingenious Studebaker brothers (there were five sisters, too) established their business in 1868 (or 1852 depending on the source) in South Bend, Indiana. A 4th brother joined the firm later, and they called themselves “The World on Wheels”.

Studebaker was a popular automobile in the 1920s, then took a hit in the Depression years of the 1930s. The company emerged from bankruptcy with models which incorporated better steering gears, a silent gear transmission and free-wheeling brakes.

From 1942 to 1945, Studebaker did not manufacture cars, but was active in the efforts of World War II, producing army and cargo trucks. The company also manufactured 63,789 Wright Cyclone 9-cylinder radial engines for the B-17 Flying Fortress, a low-wing, heavy bomber.

With lofty car model names like Commander, Skyway Champion, President and Pinehurst, the firm continued producing cars until 1966. In the middle, 1954 to 1962, Studebaker was part of the Packard Motor Car Company.

The deep maroon, 1932, 2-door sedan pictured here was owned for decades by J.C. and Kathleen Absher of Christiansburg. The couple toured all over the country in this vehicle, and the car won a dozen or more show awards as well. About a year after Kathleen died in April of 2021, J.C. needed extra care, and their precious Studebaker sat idle.

Chester Linkous, also of Christiansburg, stepped

in and purchased the classic car in mid-2022. He enjoys carrying on their legacy of caring for it, driving it and showing it in the warmer months. The car sports an automatic 3-speed transmission with a 289 Ford engine under the hood. The trunk looks like an add-on in the back, and 1932 design changes include the oval headlights, veeshaped grill and sloped windshield.

“It’s 90 years old,” Linkous relates, “and it looks like it just came out of the showroom. I did a few small cosmetic things, but any restoration work was all done, and it runs fine.” Linkous has owned other old vehicles during his career as a trucker. The New River Valley native is especially humbled to own and appreciate the Abshers much-loved Studebaker.

When my spell check put a capital letter on Conestoga, I had to research why. Apparently, the first known reference was in a man’s accounting log in 1717, and it was named after either the Conestoga River or the Conestoga Township. The latter name comes from a small tribe of Native Americans of the Susquehannock in Lancaster, Penn. This transport vehicle was constructed with a flooring which was tipped up so contents inside would be safe from shifting along the bumpy ride. Seams were caulked with tar for protection of the interior load when crossing rivers. Tool boxes, just like on today’s pick-up trucks, were mounted on the sides, with livestock feed boxes on the back.

Pennsylvania’s Conestoga Valley also bred a draft horse specifically for hauling the wagons loaded with heavy freight. The breed never became official, though there is a claim that the Conestoga was the first outstanding horse to be developed in America. Justin Morgan of Vermont might take issue with that, as he is credited with founding the Morgan breed in the late 1700s.

Oxen, however, became the preferred covered wagon haulers because of their strength and needing less forage than horses. They were slower, and not so beautiful, thus, less likely to be stolen by Indians. Well, that makes sense.

Photo by James Lee

Wares for

Makers, Crafters, Artists

iby Nancy S. Moseley Photos by Tom and Christy Wallace

If only the path to career success and happiness - trumpet fanfare included - was a straight line. Imagine knowing, with a peaceful certainty, when you launched, you would land exactly where you're supposed to.

Unfortunately, it often takes going 'round the bend before finding where you are meant to be. True in most career paths, but particularly in those more malleable than traditional ones, those that require a certain creativity to finesse.

Jessica Jones grew up in Winchester, Va., with parents who design and build houses. Art and creativity, she says, was always around. After a freshman year at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, she transferred to Virginia Tech and knew that she needed to declare studies in something intrinsically interesting in order to stay motivated and engaged. As a result, she kept coming back to art.

"I realized within my first year here [at Virginia Tech], if I stood a chance of walking across that stage to receive a diploma, I had to do art. Art was something I loved and was reasonably good at. I knew that I could handle that coursework." Jones graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a minor in art history in 2005.

In undergraduate school, Jones met her husband, Mark, and while he finished a doctorate degree, she went to work at Blacksburg's beloved art supply store, Mish Mish. When Mark matched with an internship in northern New Jersey, Jones worked at DaVinci Artist Supply in New York

Text

City, followed by an administrative position at the School of Visual Arts.

The two eventually returned to Blacksburg, and Jones went right back to work at her sweet spot, Mish Mish. She took a few years off to be a stay-at-home mom to son Oliver and daughter Lucy, currently 12 and 8, respectively. When she was ready to return to work, she became the manager of New River Fiber Company in Christiansburg.

Next was a bit of serendipitous timing. Mish Mish announced retirement in the summer of 2019, and after receiving precious advice and an ultimate blessing from the owners, Jones purchased the yarn shop and immediately started planning for expansion.

New River Art & Fiber opened its iconic smalltown corner entrance in January of 2020. The shop sells an abundance of yarn, thread and fibers and all associated tools, but with the addition of "art" in the name and paper products, painting, drawing and printmaking supplies, sculpture products, office supplies and nitty-gritty tools for cutting, pasting and measuring. You can find seasonal and everyday gifts, and a children's craft supply section complete with art and project kits for all ages. Customers are a good mix of regulars, new visitors, local artists and students.

"The two ways that small retail is able to stand out is community engagement and service," Jones offers, "being able to knowledgeably answer questions when customers come in the door and give them outlets to not only be a part of, but also sustain, a creative community."

To further serve and elevate the local community, the shop is part of an unofficial local referral program. For

example, if a customer comes in with a problem the store does not solve - like framing, model supplies, custom stich projects or tailoring - they refer within the community.

Jones adds: "Yes, we're a retail store, but we also like to be a nexus of information for all things related to the products we sell and how you use them. And if we don't have it, where in the community can you get it. It helps us lift up other small businesses and drives traffic offline and into local brick and mortar."

Their website offers as a mission statement of sorts, emphasizing the importance of both form and function when operating in a creative space. Jones rounds out the statement by adding: "I like to think of art existing in both worlds, the marriage of form and function. It was a way for me to tie together the fine arts and the fiber craft. This was our origin. It is language that is very familiar to architecture and engineering students."

Jones has a relationship with both the architecture and art departments at Virginia Tech, and the store provides incoming freshman students with fully assembled "art supply kits" that include whatever is required to get their collegiate career off with one less thing to navigate.

After working for years at Mish Mish and passing through the world of art supplies in New York City, Jones discovered a love rooted in the materials themselves. "I found it fascinating to learn about what all is out there to use for being creative. You may be solving a problem, but you're also enabling creativity and sparking inspiration. It is extremely enjoyable to introduce someone to a new medium they've never used before, to watch their eyes light up."

Perhaps that is where we should find peace instead, not in the straight line, but in the imperfect path forward. Sometimes it just takes the right compass, the right wellinformed art advocate, to get you started in the right direction. The rest is up to you to create.

Nancy S. Moseley is a freelance writer from Blacksburg and a wannabe maker. She is decidedly an inside-the-lines type artist, and finds the peace of a crooked creative path definitely surpasses her understanding.

The shop's long-standing, popular stitch events called "Loop Groups" have spread out across Blacksburg into four uniquely personifiable groups that meet at the Blacksburg Public Library, Halwa Bakery, Rising Silo Brewery, and Market Square Park on a weekly basis. Some offer the option for fun libations while you work.

For More Information on "Loop Groups," "MakeAlongs," Learn to Knit Kits and More ...

VISIT: newriverartandfiber.com

FOLLOW: Instagram @artandfiber

EMAIL: neweriverartandfiber@gmail.com

See & Do NEW RIVER VALLEY

Best wardrobe pieces: Winter jacket, mittens, waterproof boots, heavy socks, turtleneck, warm hat with pompom on top, long thick scarf, cable crew sweater, flannel lined jeans, long wool or flannel skirt.

For outdoor work, add: Longjohns and/or winter insulated coveralls or bib overalls, shearling-lined leather gloves, pocket warmers.

Indoor essentials: Warm slippers, soft throws, magazines, plaid pillows, flannel jammies, soft sweats, library books, seed catalogs.

Places to go: Coffee shops, movies, aquatic center, Wonder Universe and Lily’s Playground (both at Uptown Christiansburg, formerly NRV Mall), axe throwing, bowling, arcades.

Unique ideas: With creative State Farm ads all over the NFL football games, consider taking your insurance needs for the coming year to Eric Johnsen over in Christiansburg. He’s been in the business a loooooong time, and he’s ready to help you evaluate what you need – and what you don’t need.

Check out The Lyric Theatre every week at thelyric.com. The popcorn is tasty, and annual memberships for students, individuals and families are less than $50.

Allure Spa offers myriad personal services to lift the winter blahs. From massage and the halo infrared sauna to salt therapy and advanced skin care treatments, this is the place for a very special winter outing.

Take your entire year’s list of birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions and even next year’s Christmas gifts to the P. Buckley Moss Gallery. Paintings and prints are abundant, along with porcelain, playing cards, ornaments and a variety of gift surprises. Imagine having all your gift shopping done before the first daffodil blooms!

Book a winter night getaway at The Oaks Victorian Inn. Reopened last year by sharp new owners who are full-time, onsite, experienced innkeepers, it’s a glorious place to refresh a relationship or indulge in a solo winter staycation and enjoy NRV’s Victorian style, silver, lace and grace at its finest.

a simple guide to activities during this “magazine season” which is January + February

The Barn Builder

~ Mike Bowers

Text by Jo Clark Photos courtesy of Bowers Custom Barns

I always sort of swooned at the sight of the classic barn structures in central and northern Minnesota, where everything seemed rustic and weathered and made to age gracefully. ~ Actor Richard Dean Anderson

What child – or adult(?) - doesn’t crane his or her neck to get a look at a barn and perhaps glimpse a horse or cows, sheep, goats or llamas. Barns capture the imagination and speak of rural lifestyles and agriculture, even milk and eggs.

Barns have been a necessity since, well, who knows? The Christmas season just passed, reminding us of a barn more than 2,000 years ago. Those raised in Virginia know of historic structures since 1607 Jamestown. The world’s oldest standing pole barn is Cressing Temple in Essex, England, open to the public for tours. It boggles the mind that timber frame structures from 1220 still stand. The oldest American barns, too many in derelict condition, are hundreds of years newer.

A Natural Obsession

Mike Bowers grew up on a farm in Maryland where he and his brother were always on horses. By the age of 16, they had a horse van and were showing and training horses for others. People told them they should go west and work on a ranch, so the brothers did, living and working in Tucson, Ariz., for a while.

The multi-talented pair could shoe horses and start horses under saddle. They moved to Colorado, training and working to pay for college, ending up at a farm that offered draft horse sleigh rides, hay rides, and team driving lessons. Cue the pretty horse lover, Sharon, who came to learn team driving and left with Mike’s heart. Fast-forward a few years to 1992 when Sharon was looking for a graduate program in animal nutrition, while Mike was looking for a nice, rural place to put down roots. Blacksburg fit the bill.

When you have horses, you need barns and sheds. They bought property and enlarged the barns and built new ones. He placed one quarter-page ad in the old Roanoke Times Current section for constructing sheds and barns, and

he’s still busy. “I love designing and building. Construction suits me,” he relates.

In 1966, Eric Sloan published his book An Age of Barns. An artist, he tried to research American barns for a series of paintings, but discovered little published on the topic, and the seed for his book was planted. When asked if he was familiar with the book, Mike Bowers responds: “I learned a lot from his books; for an artist, he knew a lot about construction.”

Barn Raising and Boys Work Day

In 18th- and 19th-century rural life, communities held barn raisings to construct barns, often in a day. Building large structures requires many hands, and volunteers knew their free labor would be repaid when they needed a barn. In the New River Valley, for 25 years and counting, Bowers has been one of the participants in Boys Work Day. It is a committed bunch of guys who work on each other’s places, put up fences at community gardens, build a ramp for someone and help out wherever they see a need. Anyone is welcome, and Bowers hopes some younger folks will start their own monthly group, tools in hand, lunch in a sack, camaraderie at its best.

A Class A Licensed Contractor, Mike has built barns for more than 20 years — horse barns, storage barns, barns

for goats, boats and kayaks — all within an hour’s drive of Blacksburg. At 68, he has his eye on retirement, and his bowing out of the business in a year or two opens the door for another enterprising barn builder to step up.

Old Can Be New Again

Besides building new barns, Bowers Custom Barns rehabilitates old barns. When the North Fork Historic District needed barns and a 1700s blacksmith shop restored, they called Mike.

The owner of one dilapidated frame house had been advised to burn it down. Their second opinion was from Mike, who discovered and restored the late 1800s log cabin hidden beneath the siding. Inspection revealed round chestnut log floor joists with bark still clinging to the logs.

Mike confided that his favorite place to build is fenced land with a nice house because when you build a barn, then you have a farm!

He fits the barn to each customer’s desires, constructing two-story barns, warehouse-style barns, some half steel-sided and half wood-sided. All his structures have a 1.5-foot overhang all the way around and steel roofing.

When asked what he would like New River Valley Magazine readers to know, Mike Bowers gives it thoughtful consideration and responds: “I’m grateful to have had a business I love for so long with wonderful customers. The area I love had needs that fit my skill set. If you like working with your hands, go for it. Hard work does pay off. We started with absolutely nothing, and it worked for us. God Bless America!”

Jo Clark is a life-long horse lover, though now her [globe] trotting is more likely on planes, ships and automobiles. Follow along on Instagram @JoGoesEverywhere, or Facebook, Have Glass, Will Travel.

One trend gaining traction is to convert hay lofts or entire barns into living quarters, the new “barndominion” concept. Mike cautions that residential structures have many different requirements. Plans and accessory building permits are needed, along with special utilities considerations, inspections, insulation and so on.

I was so naive as a kid I used to sneak behind the barn and do nothing. ~ Johnny Carson

Many a kid has tried a first smoke behind the barn, so confident that parents could never see or figure out where smoke was coming from around the side or wafting from an outhouse.

Come One, Come All!

Blacksburg Newcomers Club has something for everyone

Text by Emily K. Alberts

Maybe you just moved here from a big bustling metropolis. Maybe you just moved from the next town over. Or maybe you’ve actually been here for years! Whatever your story, you’re welcome with open arms in the Blacksburg Newcomers Club.

Come to think of it, you don’t even have to live in Blacksburg -- anywhere in the New River Valley will suffice!

“Newcomers has been a wonderful opportunity for me to meet people,” says Brenda Moses, a Newcomers Club board member who works with interest group leaders. “I feel more connected to my community, and we simply like to have fun! I very much enjoy the walking, dinner and wine tasting groups.”

Whether you’re into nature or needlework or a night out on the town, the Blacksburg Newcomers Club has you covered. The list of special interest groups is exhaustive – Mah Jongg, Book Club, Lunch Bunch, Biking

Buddies … you name it! And if by some crazy chance you don’t see your hobby on the list, it is super easy to get a group started. Brenda is there to help get the ball rolling. “Although I lived in Blacksburg for a while before joining, I have made new friends through Newcomers,” she states.

While members certainly don’t have to be new to the area, they don’t even have to be new to the group! “Many members come and go, join for a year or so, take a hiatus, then rejoin later,” says Kristin Knights, president of the Blacksburg Newcomers Club. “Whatever you’ve got going on in life, our door is always open.”

Kristin moved to Blacksburg from Baltimore in 1998, and though it was a bit of a culture shock, she quickly took to the warmth and generosity the people demonstrated. While juggling a new baby and grocerygetting, a total stranger offered to load her groceries into her car, and that’s when she knew things were

different here – in a good way.

“I joined the club right before the pandemic,” Kristin explains. “Talk about great timing! Brenda was a friend who had been inviting me to come, and I finally took the bait in 2020. I came on board as the communications director, sending out weekly e-blasts, letting everyone know what the interest groups were up to, info about our upcoming speakers and events, that sort of thing.”

Kristin became president of the club in July of 2022, taking over for Lisa Kinder. “Lisa did a phenomenal job keeping the group afloat during the pandemic (thank you, Zoom!). Though we lost some members, we have quickly gained membership and have a good routine going. Word of mouth is huge, and the website has been helpful. We also have a booth every year at Steppin’ Out, and our Facebook site is gaining in popularity.”

The club has also attracted the attention of foreign students and family members looking to establish relationships here, integrate into the culture, and share their culture with others. “We have several new Korean members, and we really welcome the diversity that our area offers.”

newriverartandfiber.com @artandfiber

*Limit: one per transaction. Cannot be combined with any other discount.

101 South Main Street Downtown Blacksburg

Supplying artists and makers in the New River Valley Coupon! 10% Off*

The Blacksburg Newcomers Club has been a steady pillar of the community since the 1960s. From supporting financial needs of families or needs of local children, to assisting various nonprofits and improving the overall community outlook, the Newcomers are committed to outreach and philanthropy.

“Joanne Dean recruits the guest speakers for our general meetings, and she is the perfect person for the job,” exclaims Kristin. “She is so wonderfully extroverted. She teaches spin classes and runs the “Make A Difference” ranch -- her enthusiasm is contagious.” With more and more people choosing the home-office from which to work, it can be difficult to bridge that gap between home-life and community. If you’re struggling to feel connected to your community, or if you’re simply hoping to make a difference but you’re not sure how, the Blacksburg Newcomers Club may be the perfect place for you.

Emily K. Alberts was a member of the Blacksburg Newcomers Club back in 2009 when she traded her busy office life to stay at home with her brand-new baby. The monthly meetings offered stimulating conversation (and scrumptious food to boot!).

Blacksburg Newcomers Club second Tuesday, Sept to May 9-11:30 a.m. Luther Memorial Church, 600 Prices Fork Road, Blacksburg Open to everyone in the New River Valley General meetings are free Membership is $25 per year blacksburgnewcomer.wix.com/bbnc

Advertisers Index

45 15 48 23 43 45 25 4 16 21 46 8 39 39 15 6 16 41 21 43 16 41 5 31 41 2 3 17 21 45 25 39 31 41 48 39 47 45

A-1 Heating & Cooling

Allure Spa

Anne-Collins Albimino Beliveau Farm

Blacksburg Battles Cancer Brickhouse Pizza Brown Insurance

Carilion Clinic Celco FCU Dehart Tile & Flooring Center Dogtown Roadhouse

Dwight Atkinson Energy Check

Eric Johnsen - State Farm Eyes on Main Freedom First Giles County Goldsmith Roberts Historic Smithfield Joba Designs Kairos Resort Kesler Contracting Long & Foster Blacksburg Macado's Matrix Gallery Member One FCU Moss Arts Center Mountain Lake Lodge Nest Realty

New River Art & Fiber

NRV Home Expo

NRV IP Law

P Buckley Moss Gallery Progress Street Builders Rayne Stenger Shelter Alternatives

The Mitchell Law Firm

The Shaheen Firm, P.C.

What our Clients are saying:

"STOP LOOKING NOW AND USE RAYNE!!!!!! She is amazing! She was so patient, kind, thorough, expert and more than we could have ever asked for! She knows the area incredibly well as well as the other agents and the market. Rayne is on the ball at all times! After previous experiences, my husband and I agree that we would never trust anyone else to sell our home or help us purchase a new one "

"Anne-Collins has been a pleasure to work with since we first met her. She listened carefully to our needs, found us plenty of suitable homes to view, and then came through by finding us our dream home! When it came time to sell, Anne-Collins was the first call we made "

"Rayne is a pro I recommend her to anyone I know looking for a real estate agent She was always able to be contacted, and was full of good ideas. Rayne really went to bat for us in the negotiation process, and we feel like we got a great deal because of her "

"Anne-Collins is the best Realtor She was thorough and Professional and great to work with She is honest and forthright. Anne-Collins is extremely communicative and easy to reach to answers any of our questions at all times . Her responsiveness and communication not only helped us with the logistics of the transaction, but also made us feel comfortable and secure I highly recommend her."

Anne-Collins Albimino, Realtor® | 540.239.3246 | ac.albimino@nestrealty.com Rayne Stenger, Realtor® | 540 641 4006 | rayne stenger@nestrealty com