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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
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DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dennis Shelor WRITERS Joanne Anderson Karl Kazaks Emily Alberts Jo Clark Becky Hepler Nancy Moseley Kameron Bryant PHOTOGRAPHERS Kristie Lea Photography Kevin Riley Tom Wallace Billy Bowling Photography Nathan Cooke Photography
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NRVMAGAZINE.com
One day I looked out my kitchen window to see a few men walking in the woods on my property. Two of them were wearing bright orange vests, so I did not figure they were doing anything on the sly. I called my neighbor asking if I should let out my dog and/or call the police. “Oh, no,” exclaimed Dee Whitter. “They are falconry folks. I told them they could hunt on my land [next door]. Go out and say hi.” I left the dog inside and walked out to where one had the most beautiful big bird on his arm. I did not have a camera or get a contact name. Fast forward a year or more, and a couple cars were parked along my dead-end street. There was the man with the most beautiful big bird on his arm! And that’s how I met Marc Manley and his awesome hawk, Zephyr, story on page 38. It was 1993 when we committed (at Steppin’ Out) to raising an 8-weekold yellow Lab puppy for Leader Dogs for the Blind. From there, it was a love affair with Labs. Kent came at age 2 (from Leader Dogs), Canyon was 3 (from SWVA Lab Rescue). We only had one or two at a time, but once one passed over the rainbow, we’d get a call or find another one. Pepsi Bear was 8 when he arrived (SWVA Lab Rescue). Brodie and Robbie were 10-year-old littermates whose owner had died in Maryland (Lab Rescue of the LRCP). Robbie passed away 4 months later; Brodie lived 4 more years. Patton (Lab Rescue of the LRCP) was with me 3 ½ years, from age 8 to 12. Emily Alberts shares more info on adopting older dogs on page 34. I would rather have had an amazing dog for three years than not at all. And all my Labs have been amazing, of course! I have been turning magazine pages since I was old enough to turn magazine pages. I love magazines, great learning tools. If you have a child who does not like to read, buy a magazine subscription to a favorite
Pasture Talk
topic like sports, cats, camping, cars, photography, etc. A few of my friends bring magazines from their travels, and I recently received a stack from the Hamptons, as in THE Hamptons. Perfect bound, glossy pages, all 266 or 156 pages, like catalogs, heavy. The people are all beautiful. The houses beyond spectacular. The ads enticing. The jewelry practically glitters on the paper. I turned those pages with excitement, yet not with an ounce of envy. Give me the New River Valley, its people, places, coffee shops, mercantiles, events and properties like the 6th generation Hale home in this issue. ‘Nuff said. Point made. Make some limeade, light the firepit, pull out the marshmallows, go to the Star-Lite Drive-In, watch the fireflies, and enjoy these lazy, hazy days of summer in our lovely slice of Southwest Virginia.
Joanne Anderson ManagingEditor
jmawriter@aol.com
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