April PineStraw 2011 by PineStraw Magazine

Fairwoods on 7

Exquisite home for entertaining the most discriminating guest! Luxury surrounded by Quality. PRU3N4E9

Eddie Thompson ( 910) 690-3145

Old Town Pinehurst

Exceptional Privacy in the Village, 3196sf, 3BR/3BA on .54 acre. New Price $699,000! PRU9N9Y3

Maureen Clark (910) 389-2225

Fine Homes Pinewild Country Club

Golf Front and overlooks a Pond. Carolina Room & Lower Level Rec. Room, 4+Bdrms/3.5BA. $680,000 PRU7W7W3

Marie Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien (910) 528-5669

2008 Waterfront Home

Exquisite Whispering Pines Home - 4/3, bonus, workshop, hardwood, huge porch & deck. $524,900 PRU5Y2Q5

Nettie Calfee (910) 315-6225

Southern Pines

Wonderfully spacious 4BR, 4BA home with guest suite. Delightful gardens & neighborhood. PRU7M9J7

Mav Hankey (910) 603-3589

Joel Rich (910) 315-4009

www.prudentialproperties.com

National Golf Club

Waterfront! Exquisite, 4BR/3.5BA, Hardwoods, fireplace, wrap-around deck on lakeside. $625,000! PRU3F2W5

Maureen Clark (910) 528-2129

Historic Perfection

CCNC: Gracious 3BR, 4BA home. Hardwood, crown moulding, solid surface, 2 fireplaces. $475,000 PRU7Z6J5

Bonnie Baker (910) 690-4705

Weymouth

Charming Southern Pines cottage with hardwood flooring. Den/Office, 3BR/2+BA. $355,000. PRU2G8V6

Emily Hewson (910) 315-3324

Log on to www.prudentialproperties.com Enter the PRU ID for our Easy Search or Snap & Search with our FREE APP on your Smart Phone

910.295.5504 Pinehurst

Golf Front

CCNC: Overlooks a pond & the Cardinal Course, views from almost every room! 3755sf. $686,000 PRU5D8E9

CCNC Villa

Lake views everywhere in this comfortable villa! 3BR. Fully furnished! $525,000 PRU2S9L5

Joel Rich (910) 315-4009

Pinehurst Village Condo

Upstairs, 2 balconies, 2BR, 2BA, study, elevator, frplc, storage. NEW PRICE: $460,000 PRU5F5P7

Maureen Clark (910) 528-2129

Pinehurst #6

The Bedford Cottage, custom designed & wonderfully constructed with lovely landscaping. PRU3L4P9

Mav Hankey (910) 603-3589

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910.692.2635 Southern Pines

ÂŠ2011 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. An independently owned and operated broker member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license. Equal Housing Opportunity.

PineStraw M A G A Z I N E Jim Dodson, Editor

910.693.2506 • jim@pinestrawmag.com

Andie Stuart Rose, Creative Director 910.693.2467 • andie@pinestrawmag.com

Kathryn Galloway, Graphic Designer Ashley Wahl, Editorial Assistant Editorial

Deborah Salomon, Staff Writer Noah Salt, Staff Writer Stephen E. Smith, Staff Writer Sara King, Proofreader Mary Novitsky, Proofreader Photographers

Glenn Dickerson Laura Gingerich Jeanne Paine Tim Sayer Hannah Sharpe

Contributors

Tom Allen, Cos Barnes, Tom Bryant, Susan Campbell, Geoff Cutler, Jim Dalton, Al & Annette Daniels, Frank Daniels III, Mart Dickerson, Kay Grismer, Robyn James, Pamela Powers January, Jan Leitschuh, Cathy Marion, Meridith Martens, Dale Nixon, Nancy Oakley, Lee Pace, Sue Pace, Astrid Stellanova, Angie Tally

David Woronoff, Publisher Advertising Sales

Ginny Kelly, 910.693.2481 • ginnykelly@thepilot.com Terry Hartsell, 910.693.2513 Marty Hefner, 910.693.2508 Peggy Marsh, 910.693.2516 Darlene McNeil-Smith, 910.693.2519 Johnsie Tipton, 910.693.2515 Karen Triplett, 910.693.2510 Perry Loflin, 910.693.2514 Pat Taylor, Advertising Director 910.693.2505 • pat@thepilot.com Advertising Graphic Design advertise@thepilot.com

Kathryn Galloway, B.J. Hill Mechelle Wood, Scott Yancey, Kristen Clark Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488 • dstark@thepilot.com PineStraw Magazine 910.693.2467 145 W. Pennsylvania Avenue Southern Pines, NC 28387 pinestraw@thepilot.com • www.pinestrawmag.com ©Copyright 2011. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. PineStraw magazine is published by The Pilot LLC

April 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

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Tď?¨ď?Ľ Rď?Ľď?łď?Żď?˛ď?´ Lď?Šď?Śď?Ľď?łď?´ď?šď?Źď?Ľ Yď?Żď?ľ Lď?Żď?śď?Ľ, ď?Ąď?´ ď?´ď?¨ď?Ľ Pď?˛ď?Šď?Łď?Ľ Yď?Żď?ľ Wď?Ąď?Žď?´.

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ORWV GHQ KRPH U D * Sď?Łď?¨ď?Ľď?¤ď?ľď?Źď?Ľ Yď?Żď?ľď?˛ Pď?˛ď?Šď?śď?Ąď?´ď?Ľ Tď?Żď?ľď?˛VTď?Żď?¤ď?Ąď?š W DUW DW KMX VKWRP H LW GZ FNDJHV DQG ODQ S D IURP Located just 5 miles from Pinehurst, Legacy Lakes offers an incredible collection of resort amenities, including:

â&#x20AC;˘ Legacy Golf Links, a Nicklaus-designed 4Â˝ star public golf course â&#x20AC;˘ The Plantation House Racquet & Fitness Club â&#x20AC;˘ Full ďŹ tness center â&#x20AC;˘ Resort-style pool

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Golf course home sites are available from $47,500 and home & land packages start at just $186,400.

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DEPARTMENTS

7 10 17 19 23 29 31 33 37 39 41 43 45 49 51 55 88 101 108 110 111 112

Sweet Tea Chronicles Jim Dodson PinePitch Cos and Effect Cos Barnes The Omnivorous Reader Stephen E. Smith Bookshelf Parenthood, Etc. Sue Pace Hitting Home Dale Nixon The Kitchen Garden Jan Leitschuh Vine Wisdom Robyn James Spirits Frank Daniels III A Few Minutes With Ashley Wahl Letters from the Sandhills Tom Allen Feats of Clay Jim Dalton Birdwatch Susan Campbell The Sporting Life Tom Bryant Golftown Journal Lee Pace Calendar SandhillSeen Thoughts from the Man Shed Geoff Cutler The Accidental Astrologer Astrid Stellanova PineNeedler Mart Dickerson SouthWords Nancy Oakley

FEATURES

62 The Sandhills Celt

Nicole White

Mickey Walsh had a dream and we have a grand steeplechase

68 PineStraw’s 2011 Limerick Contest 71 A Legend and a Gentleman Jim Dodson

An evening with James Bond, Tom Jones and ﬁlmmaking great David Picker

72 The Well Traveled Lens

The latest winners from the Sandhills Photography Club

74 Story of a House

Deborah Salomon

Jim and Lucille Buck are just what the doctor ordered for this classic Pinehurst home

82 The Garden Path

Noah Salt

Diane Vosilus’ Pinewild garden heralds Sandhills spring and timeless reflections

Artwork on the cover and this page by local artist Meridith Martens. To purchase these or view more of Meridith’s artwork for sale, go to trowbridgegallery.com

April 2011 Volume 6, No . 4

Live the Lifeyou want

Enjoy golf privileges at 7 premier courses!

Call today and reserve your private tour of our spacious homes, quaint cottages and beautiful apartments. Discover all Belle Meade and Pine Knoll have to offer as two

Nationally Accredited Continuing Care Retirement Communities.

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St. Joseph of the Pines is the leading provider of senior living and healthcare serving the Sandhills region since 1948.

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sweet tea chronicles

The Right Way to Live

By Jim Dodson

During my lonely freshman year at

college way down in the eastern part of this state, April became my favorite month for a couple reasons, both modern and ancient.

To begin with, April was when the sun shone, gardens bloomed, birds and honeybees performed their timeless dance of life, and the tanned legs of coeds were suddenly so numerous I could have sworn they belonged to an army of Aegean goddesses I read about in professor Luis Acevez’s Latin and Greek classics class. With my first occasionally homesick year away from home nearly concluded and summer break looming on the horizon, I spent several glorious afternoons just pedaling a second-hand bicycle through the flat green countryside of rural eastern North Carolina trying to imagine what curious things might lie just over the horizon, occasionally playing golf with my two roommates and a bunch of pot-bellied tobacco farmers who’d built their own course over in Aiden — always with a slim copy of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in my hip pocket or golf bag. In retrospect, the way I wound up in professor Acevez’s classics class was either pretty sad or pretty amusing, a happy accident of sorts — although, as I was soon to glean from both him and the Philosopher King, there are really no such things as accidents or coincidences in this universe. In a nutshell, I was disgraceful in math, specifically terrified of calculus and trigonometry. A budding Archimedes I was not. At East Carolina, however, fragrantly abloom that April, some kind administrative soul — perhaps a long-suffering English major and fellow math flunkie — created a curriculum that offered chronic math-challenged

types a way to avoid the torture of a solitary advanced mathematics requirement: the option of being able to take three optional courses in either Latin, rhetoric, or logic, the three plinths of the Classical education. Given the trouble I was having keeping my first checkbook balanced that first year, the three-for-one bailout option seemed like a real bargain, or at least a way to avoid GPA meltdown. So first quarter I took Latin I, followed by a winter quarter in Latin II, discovering I had an unexpected affinity for all things Greek and Roman. Both classes were taught by professor Acevez, a dapper and cosmopolitan son of Guadalajara, Mexico, who favored Harris tweeds and striped bow ties; John Houseman with a Spanish accent. Contrary to the popular notion that Greek and Latin were dead or dying Romance languages, Professor A. preached that the languages and cultures of ancient Greece and Rome were the cornerstones upon which all of Western society was built — shaping our world views, institutions and favorite stories to this day. He argued the fundamental basis for our understandings of nature and life and even God evolved from the great thinkers and philosophers of the age of Peracles and the glory of Rome.

A Most of all, in the face of a volatile and ever-changing world — perfectly symbolized at that moment by an unpopular war that was winding down and the first Middle Eastern terrorist attacks, a pending oil embargo that would produce long lines at the gas pump — Professor A. believed the spiritual teachings of Marcus Aurelius, the last great Caesar, as he called him, “the Philosopher King,” answered the timeless question first posed by Socrates to his pupils over two thousand years ago: “What is the right way to live?” Specifically, he pointed us to the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, who was emperor of Rome for nearly twenty years beginning in year 161 of the

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

sweet tea chronicles

Common Era — overseeing an unprecedented period of social justice and peace — but ironically spent most of that time camped by the frozen Danube River defending the frontier against Germanic tribes. If you’ve ever seen the beginning of the wonderful film Gladiator, the old king played by Richard Harris is a splendid rendering of Marcus Aurelius, whose noble empire was destroyed from within by the corruption of his own children and the emperors who followed them to the throne. The meditations Marcus wrote alone at night in his tent — missing family, despairing over the death of his men and ravages of war — were probably never meant to be made public; they were simply one man’s reflections on his lonely place in the universe. I took the Meditations along with me on my first spring bike ride out to the country that

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Dig within. There lies the wellspring of good; ever dig, and it will ever flow. April, stopped somewhere on a country bridge and read for a solid hour, underlining bits and pieces that struck me as amazingly relevant to a weary student nearing term’s end. Give your heart to the trade you have learnt, and draw refreshment from it. Let the rest of your days be spent as one who has wholeheartedly committed his all to the gods, and thence is no man’s master or slave. A few days later, after nine holes with my buddies over in Aiden, I whipped out my little book and read a few more passages while I downed a chili dog between nines. “What the hell is that book about?” asked my friend Kent — a cheerful modern-day barbarian who would soon drop out of school and start a landscaping business. “I can’t tell you exactly,” I said honestly. “I think it’s about life, death. Nothing much. Just how to live your life, that sort of thing.” “Does it mention anything about golf?” “Not directly. Though the author does say loss is nothing but change, and change is the way of the universe. Love rather than fear all.” “Sounds like a long-haired hippie.” “More like a long-haired enlightened warrior.”

March 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

sweet tea chronicles

I sat in the Croatan student lounge trying to make sense of a poor mark in advanced English comp I simply did not deserve. The unfairness was insufferable. Everything that happens to you is as normal and expected as the spring rose or the summer fruit; this is true of sickness, death, slander, intrigue, and all other things that delight or trouble the foolish minds of men. Instead of going abroad to school as planned that summer, I returned home to work as a summer intern at my hometown newspaper in Greensboro. Truthfully, I was bitterly disappointed by this unfair turn of events. Adapt yourself to the life you have been given; and truly love the people with whom destiny has surrounded you. That summer internship was a blast. I made one of the best friends of my life, and fell in love with writing. Looking back, it changed my life. Two years later, I was contemplating graduate school — maybe even marriage — when a girl I loved suddenly died. I couldn’t imagine the future without her and turned to the Philosopher King. Don’t disturb yourself by ruminating on your entire life; don’t dwell on the many troubles that may happen to you. On each occasion ask yourself, ‘What

is there in this that is unendurable or unbearable?’ For you’ll eventually be ashamed to admit it can all be endured. Then remember — the past and future can’t hurt you — only the present can. And this can be reduced to very little.

A Looking back, it’s funny to realize how much the old emperor’s private meditations meant to my developing life, and how dog-eared copies went along wherever I ventured over the next 30 years. Over the years, I must have given twenty copies away as gifts to friends I thought could benefit from his simple spiritual wisdom. Not long ago, a host on a radio show interviewing me about a new book project asked if I could name my favorite professors back in college. I could honestly only think of two whose influence I feel to this day. One was my English advisor, a lovely man named Irwin Hester, who urged me to seriously consider a writing career. We’ve stayed in touch over the decades. The other was dapper Luis Acevez, who showed me the beauties of Greek and Roman life and introduced me to the Philosopher King. Not long ago, I gave a copies of the Meditations

to both my children. One is preparing to graduate from college in Vermont, the other will follow from Elon about this time next year. There’s much I want to tell them, of course, as they embark on a wider trek through this changeable world. I’d like to tell them there will be good days and bad, tragedy and sudden joy, ups and downs aplenty, unexpected trials and triumphs, slights and unexpected praise, the need to forgive and be forgiven, thoughts of giving up, sudden unforeseen breakthroughs, moments of pure grace, setbacks and epiphanies. I would like to tell them to look up at the stars the way Marcus Aurelius did camped by the frozen river on the Roman frontier. Gaze in wonder at the ever-circling stars, as if you were floating among them; and consider the alteration of the elements, constantly changing one into another. Thinking such thoughts you wash away the dust of life on earth. In coming weeks, the spring air will be full of sage advice to graduating seniors on these matters, though I’m still convinced the voice I heard one flowering April forty years ago says it simply and best. Dig within. There lies the well-spring of good; ever dig, and it will ever flow. PS

Happy Tails Veni Vino Vici

Elliott’s on Linden’s ongoing wine-tasting series, “Battle of the Old World,” features wines from European wine producing regions … at war! Don’t miss Piedmont vs. Veneto on April 1, followed by Tuscany vs. Sicily on April 15. The palate picks the winner. Tasting begins at 5:30 p.m. Cost: $20. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775.

On May 11, The Covington House in Southern Pines will host O, The Places You’ll Go, a (live and silent) travel auction, featuring wine tasting, food and live music to help the Companion Animal Clinic Foundation continue their efforts to reduce the number of stray animals in Moore County by providing affordable spay/neutering. Raffle tickets available for a chance to win a Wood-Mode kitchen designed by Artistic Kitchen and Baths. Tickets: $125. Raffle tickets: (855) 439-3498. Information: www.CompanionAnimalClinic.org

Clay Day, Clay Day!

Celebrate spring in Seagrove on the weekend of April 1617 when over 50 clay artists open their doors (and their kilns) and offer special opportunities for visitors. Browse, shop and witness a 200-yearold tradition. Information: www.DiscoverSeagrove.com

Art of Darkness

On Saturday, April 2, discover a sensory experience that has received culinary acclaim from Munich to San Francisco: Dining in the Dark. Hors d’oeuvres and music by Danny Infantino prelude dinner. Evening begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst. Blindfolds included. Event benefits the MIRA Foundation, an organization that provides guide dogs to blind children and youth ages 11-16. Cost: $125 per person. Information and reservations: MIRA office at (910) 944-7757.

Old-Fashioned Fun

History meets family fun in Carthage on Saturday, April 16, for the sixth annual Clenny Creek Day on the four-acre site of the Bryant House and McLendon Cabin — former homes of the county’s early settlers. Festivities begin at 11 a.m. Food, games, crafts, re-enactments, demonstrations and war stories to be expected, plus bluegrass music by Clyde Maness & Friends and The April Fools. Free admission. Location: Bryant House, 3361 Beulah Hill Church Rd. Information: (910) 6922051 or www.moorehistory.com

April 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Birdsong (Sort of)

The Rooster’s Wife Concert Series presents Rob Ickes and Jim Hurst on Sunday, April 10, at 6:45 p.m. Hurst is a flat-licking, guitar picking fiend; Ickes is a dobro genius. Together? Magic. Location: The Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight Street, Aberdeen. Cost: $15 (advance); $18 (day of show). Information: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.com

Wolfgang Plucky

Weymouth Chamber Music Series features clarinetist Alan Ware and pianist Wolfgang Menschner on April 10 at 3 p.m. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-6261.

Spring Fest(ivities)

Spring is in the air on April 30 starting at 8 a.m. with the annual Tour de Moore — a 100-mile bicycle race around the county. Race begins at the Campbell House, Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines, featuring riders from around the globe. Information: (910) 692-2463. Find an old (but gently used) book at the Southern Pines Train Depot from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., same day, at the Friends of the Library annual book sale. Information: (910) 692-8235. Springfest kicks off at 10 a.m. Handmade crafts, live entertainment and great food plus bike, trike and big wheel races for the youngsters. Register children 10 and under for the Youth Bike Races at the Sunrise Theater from 9 – 11 a.m.; races begin at 11:15 a.m. Family fun lasts until 4 p.m. Information: (910) 692-2463 or visit www.southernpines.biz.

Fish & (Scholar)ships

The Junior League of Moore County’s annual “Oysterfest” fundraiser, to be held on April 30 from 4 – 8 p.m., benefits the club’s community projects, including a scholarship to Sandhills Community College. Local band “House Call” will entertain on the lot on the corner of Bennett and New York (behind the post office) in Southern Pines. Tickets: $5. Hamburgers, hot dogs and — of course — oysters for purchase. Information: www.jlmcnc.org

Silver Dining

Celebrate Sandhills/Moore Coalition’s silver (25th) anniversary on the grassy lawn of Pinehurst Arboretum on May 1 from 3 to 6 p.m. in picnic fashion. Sweet Lew & The Jayhawks will provide musical entertainment. Admission: $5 (ages 10 and up). For admission bracelets, visit The Coalition Resale Shops or call (910) 693-1600.

Plant Matter

Three’s a Charm

United Way of Moore County’s 2011 Tour de Trike is bound to be a riot — how could a three-wheeled race for big kids not be? On Thursday, April 28 at 5:30 p.m., catch the tricycle street race everyone’s talking about in front of the Sunrise Theater in Southern Pines. Rider fee: $100 (minimum). Gift certificate will be awarded for best costume. Information: (910) 692-2413.

On Saturday, April 30, find the Pinehurst Garden Club in the sand parking lot next to Given Memorial Library in Pinehurst Village with their annual plant sale. Geraniums, impatiens, vinca and begonias are available for pre-order; hanging baskets, herbs and other plants available for purchase from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. day of sale. Proceeds fund Sandhills Community College scholarship and local beautification projects. Information and pre-order: (910) 295-4548 or (910) 295-1765.

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

177 PINE RIDGE DRIVE, WHISPERING PINES

Keeping Track

The gates of Pinehurst Harness Track will open at 11 a.m. for late morning tailgating on Sunday, April 10, preceding the annual spring matinee races. Opening ceremonies begin at 1 p.m.; races kick off at 1:30 p.m. Fun hats and friendly “bets” on trotters and pacers. Admission: $5 (adults); free for children 12 and under. Information: Sim Brown at (910) 603-5695.

The Art Gene

Evelyn Condon Dempsey began taking drawing and painting classes at Sandhills over a decade ago, then studied with renowned painter and muralist Jeffrey Mims. Despite her training, it’s clear Evelyn’s got art in her blood. Her son, John Richard Dempsey III, is proof. Mother and Son Art Exhibit at Hastings Gallery features the work of Evelyn and John Dempsey through April 21. Still life, landscapes, portraits and more. Katharine L. Boyd Library, Sandhills Community College. Information and schedule: (910) 695-3995.

Roses are Red (Wine is, Too)

The annual Run for the Roses Wine Tasting runs — pardon the pun — in conjunction with the celebrated Kentucky Derby. Over 100 wines, hors d’oeuvres provided by local chefs, equestrian décor and beer garden tour on April 29, 6 to 9 p.m. at The Fair Barn, Pinehurst Harness Track, N.C. 5. Tickets: $55 (general admission); $75 (VIP Jockey Club ticket). Event benefits Sandhills Children’s Center. Information: (910) 692-3323.

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PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

Goosey, Goosey, Gander The King Ain’t Dead

On April 9, an “Illusion of Elvis” benefit concert will be held to help the citizens of Lakeview repair the dam of Crystal Lake. Catch Keith Henderson of Chapel Hill, one of the country’s best Kings, crooning at Union Pines High School Auditorium at 7 p.m. Tickets vary. Reservations and information: (910) 245-7231.

Sparknotes

The 2010-2011 Ruth Pauley Lecture Series caps off the evening of April 12 with a presentation by internationally best-selling American novelist and screenwriter Nicholas Sparks, a North Carolina native. Should be a “talk” to remember. Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: Sandhills Community College, Owens Auditorium. Free event. Tickets required. Information: Buddy at (910) 692-8571.

Green Acres

Given on the (Village) Green is an elegant, “progressive style” affair featuring intimate ambience, ﬁne food, entertainment and lots of moseying. On May 14, from 7 to 10 p.m., uniquely decorated tents bedecked by local interior designers will be complemented by delicious food á la local caterers at the Village Green in Pinehurst. Cost: $75. Proceeds beneﬁt Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives. Tickets: Given Memorial Library or the Given Book Shop in Olmsted Village. Information: (910) 295-6022.

Who says Mother Goose is just for kids? On April 14 at 8 p.m., the North Carolina Symphony will dazzle folks of all ages with Once Upon a Time, a program that includes Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and Stravinsky’s Bluebird Pas de Deus from Sleeping Beauty. Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks will lead the way. Location: Pinecrest High School Auditorium. Tickets and information: Symphony Box Office at (877) 627-6724 or www.ncsymphony.org

Swing is in the Air

Moore OnStage presents “Swingtime,” on Friday, April 29 (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday, April 30 (4 and 7:30 p.m.), featuring the best of the “swing” music from past Moore OnStage productions. Steve Menendez will direct. Reservations must be made for this fundraising event. Tickets: $40. Tickets and information: (910) 692-7118.

Save The Date!--May 21, 2011 The Second Annual

Holland & Holland Shooting Event at King Fisher Society (Horizontal Close-Up on Holland & Holland shotgun)

Picture of Shooting Clay

Picture of Fishing

Picture of Chip & Falcon

Spend the day shooting fabulous Holland & Holland Shotguns, Fishing for 5 pound bass and 2 pound Bluegill And getting up close and personal with Raptors. $230 per person R.S.V.P. to 910-462-2324 – Cut-off date is April 30th! For more information go to our website: www.kingfishersociety.com/h&h.html PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

Painting By Elizabeth Morrison Barron

coS ANd effecT

No Place like home

By Cos Barnes

especially if home is Southern Pines.

And how my children love downtown Broad Street. The daughter who has two little ones visited several weeks ago. While she browsed in a favorite shop, I sat on a bench with the two children, who both had ice cream cones as tall as they are. A kind gentleman who had recently moved to Pinehurst relinquished the bench to us, exhibiting his good manners, plus an appreciation for the damage done by dripping ice cream, which the children were happy to share. We chatted about the weather, the townspeople, and what a grand selection he had made in moving to the Sandhills. I told him my tale about sitting on the bench many years ago with a friend, Tom Worth, while his daughter and her mother shopped. The daughter literally had a fashion show for us on the street. She modeled, and we commented, both pro and con, on her selections. And I remember thinking, “Only in Southern Pines.” Our daughters, who hail from those shopping meccas Atlanta, Washington and Charleston, still like to come home to check our wares, and they never return home without buying something. Of course, they appreciate the friendliness and helpfulness of the sales personnel who helped them when they were young and shopping with their moms. It is interesting, also, that they bring their friends, and they love the boutiques, pottery country, and the TLC that each merchant supplies. I had to tell my new friend about another experience from years ago. I was interviewing the late Admiral Galatin in my newspaper office, and the phone rang. He could do nothing but listen to my conversation. The bank was calling to tell me my college-age daughter was overdrawn. The admiral, who had lived all over the world, praised the friendliness of our small town and the thoughtfulness of the bank to call me. I remember him saying if he bought a pair of shoes the clerks told him, “Take them home and wear them for a while. If they don’t work, bring them back.” He made me remember our wonderful shoe store, Sullivan’s, which was so popular with us and shoppers from all around. Charlie Sullivan hired the cutest boys in high school, and they became adept at finding the right shoe for the right customer — even my 11-year-old with Olive Oyl’s skinny feet. When I moved here 40 years ago, I was told by many it was a great place to live because it was so cosmopolitan, with many residents having retired from exotic jobs and places. They seemed to like our small-town atmosphere and embrace it as their own. There is no place like home, and if you have an hour or so to idle, sit on a bench on Broad St. — if The Pilot editor Steve Bouser isn’t hogging it — and watch the world and the colorful characters go by. PS Cos Barnes, we’re thrilled to say, lives and writes in Southern Pines. She is a longtime contributor to PineStraw magazine.

APRIL SHOWERS CAN BRING M AY F L O W E R S , A S W E L L A S A LIFESTYLE IN FULL BLOOM. April showers can not only bring its famous May flowers, but wonderful new friendships, too. Here, you’ll enjoy a welcoming neighborhood full of them, as well as a carefree lifestyle and peace of mind. To learn more about our continuing care retirement community, call (910) 692-0386 or (910) 692-0382 today.

PENICK VILLAGE

500 East Rhode Island Avenue | Southern Pines, NC 28387 (866) 545-1018 toll-free | www.penickvillage.org

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

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April 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

The oMNIVoRoUS ReAdeR

Pun Intended

A splendid new look at an ancient form of word play

By sTephen e. smiTh

I admit there have been

moments when I’ve wanted to choke Greg Fishel, WRAL’s chief meteorologist, not because he got the weather forecast wrong — they all do that — but because he’s the only practicing punster on local TV. He might, in fact, be the only human on the planet whose puns are zipping through the mythical ether to a universe millions of light years from earth where intelligent beings will be completely stumped by what Greg has to say, punwise. If they were somehow able to figure out one of his puns, a collective moan would rip through all the galaxies and into the great abyss that lies beyond. We can avoid this unfortunate happenstance if we include a copy of John Pollack’s The Pun Also Rises in our next Voyager probe. Pollack, a former presidential speech writer and winner of the 1995 O. Henry World Championship Pun-Off, has given us a monograph of one of the least appreciated word-play obsessions available to the paralyzed cerebrum. If you regard the pun as the redheaded stepchild of the joke, consider this brief exchange between two contestants in the eighteenth World Pun Championships held in Austin, Texas, in the late ’90s. The subject was “Air Vehicles.” Contestant A: “If a helicopter had a baby, would it be a baby Huey?” Contestant B: “I hope I come up with the Wright Flying Machine.” A: “That was so plane to see.” B: [The next pun was a crude allusion to “Fokker,” the defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer.] A: “I guess if I’m going to B-52 next week I’m never going to C-47 again.” B: “Well, I’m looking for a Liberator out there.” A: “This guy’s pretty good. I was hoping he’d B-1 bomber.” B: “You don’t think I’d take flight, do you?” A: “I don’t know. You’re just up here winging it.”

B: “U-2.” And so forth and so on ad nauseum. But Pollack has not written a joke book. If you’re searching for knee-slapping one-liners, you won’t find a convenient compilation of them here, and much of The Pun Also Rises will require a fundamental knowledge of how language works, and more importantly, a grasp of the mechanisms that generate laughter. Pollack begins by examining the etymology of “pun,” tracing its root back as far as Sanskrit, which is pretty far back. As for viable definitions, they abound, depending on the type of pun (or joke), its derivation and structure. Pollard’s informal definition is adequate: “Punning is all about connecting ideas, no matter how disparate. And like the law, its rules offer widest latitude to advocates who can make the jury laugh.” Spoonerisms — “He always wixed up his merds” — credited to the Reverend Archibald Spooner, had a profound influence on the art of punning, as did the eventual adoption of the Freudian view of language as expressed in “Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious,” which states that slips of the tongue provide insights into the speaker’s repressed thoughts. Pollack also touches on Charles Dickens’ favorite word play, the Wellerism: “‘It won’t be long now,’ said the monkey as he backed into the fan.” And there’s a brief explanation of the good old Shaggy Dog Story — “The dog that I lost was shaggy but not that shaggy” — which has, in recent years, evolved into a literary subgenre with established academic practitioners. Readers will not escape the knock-knock joke, of which there are far too many, and the Daffynition, at which Ambrose Bierce excelled in his The Devil’s Dictionary: “Patience: a mild form of despair disguised as a virtue.” Even more technical is Pollard’s investigation of the brain and its attendant functions when solving the riddle of language, spoken or heard, and in evaluating all forms of punning. His explanation of the man-woman mental processes is worth committing to memory: “First, women were quicker to dismiss a cartoon as not funny. Second, women were less apt to expect a cartoon to be funny. In other words, they had lower expectations than men. Third, the dopamine rewards they experienced when a cartoon actually did seem funny were higher. However, the researchers suggest that this intensity of reward might not have been due to the fact that women found a given cartoon any funnier than the men did on an absolute scale, but rather that they had lower expectations to begin with.” Makes no difference if you’re a man or woman or something in between, you can take the above explanation to the bank.

Tell her you LOVE HER

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FRAMER’S COTTAGE 162 N.W. Broad St. Southern Pines, NC 28387 910.246.2002

The oMNIVoRoUS ReAdeR

So why are we so disdainful of the lowly pun? For thousands of years, the pun was a respectable form of joke and “enjoyed a privileged status in Western philosophy, art, and religion.” In the centuries following the Battle of Hastings, the official written language of England was French, but spoken English absorbed the more formal French and was later dispersed by the Black Plague, which killed off a third of the population in Europe and forced the relocation of much of the remainder. What followed was a time in which punning was a completely acceptable form of joking. Shakespeare used it in his plays to entertain a population that may have been semi-

So why are we so disdainful of the lowly pun? for thousands of years, the pun was a respectable form of joke and “enjoyed a privileged status in Western philosophy, art and religion .” literate but was clever with innuendo and double meanings. But when a language takes on written form — and obviously English has — there’s a natural tendency to codify meaning, and puns, indirect and imprecise, fail the rationality test. Still, punning persists and can be enjoyed in country music lyrics — “If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?” — and in rap and hip-hop. Puns are often employed on Broadway and in movies such as The Spy Who Shagged Me, and they are increasingly found in newspaper headlines and story titles in magazines, excluding, of course, The New Yorker. So what about the obligatory groan that’s likely to emanate from the inhabitants of distant planets when they eventually comprehend Greg Fishel’s puns? As with all things, it will no doubt be lost forever in slime and paste. PS Stephen Smith’s most recent book of poetry, A Short Report on the Fire at Woolworths, is available at The Country Bookshop. He can be reached at travisses@hotmail.com.

April Meet The Author events April 4 - Angela Davis-Gardner with “Butterﬂy’s Child,” 4 p.m. April 7 - Denny Emerson with “How Good Riders Get Good,” 7 p.m. April 11 - Margaret Maron with “Christmas Mourning,” 7 p.m. April 13 - Toby Bost with “The Successful Gardener’s Guide,” 7 p.m. April 14 - Heather Newton with “Under the Mercy Trees,” 7 p.m. April 18 - Michael Lee West with “Mermaids in the Basement,” 7 p.m. April 19 - Andrea Reusing with “Cooking in the Moment,” 7 p.m. April 20 - Patricia Harman with “Arms Wide Open,” 7 p.m. April 21 - Donald Davis with “Tales From a Free-Range Childhood,” 7 p.m. April 26 - David Blevins and Michael Schafale with “Wild North Carolina: Discovering The Wonders Of Our State’s Natural Communities,” 7 p.m. April 28 - Robin Oliviera with “My Name is Mary Sutter,” 7 p.m. April 29 - Diane Daniel with “Farm Fresh North Carolina,” 4 p.m. April 30 - Nathaniel Philbrick with “The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn,” Penick Village Auditorium, 2 p.m.

140 N

The Country Bookshop S

•S

21 , NC • (910) 692-3211

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . TREET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OUTHERN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .INES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011 ORTHWEST ROAD

Bookshelf

New Releases For April By K ay Grismer and Angie Tally for The Country Bookshop FICTION-HARDCOVER BEL-AIR DEAD by Stuart Woods. Barrington is dragged into a deadly web of intrigue when his ex-girlfriend asks him to help her sell her deceased husband’s Hollywood studio. BUTTERFLY’S CHILD by Angela Davis-Gardner. The acclaimed NC writer returns with her new novel set in late 19th century America that begins where Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly” ends. DEAD BY MIDNIGHT by Carolyn Hart. Annie Darling investigates a death that appears to be a suicide, but a towel hidden in a gazebo, a crystal mug, and a bloody shirt lead her to suspect murder.

MYSTERY by Jonathan Kellerman. Psychologist-sleuth Alex Delaware uncovers dark secrets in high places when he investigates the gruesome murder of a beautiful and melancholy young woman named Mystery. THE PHILOSOPHER’S KISS by Peter Prange. In 1747, a young French girl falls in love with Diderot, the famed philosopher, as he is about to publish an encyclopedia containing all of human knowledge that threatens to undermine both the monarchy and the church. TREASON AT LISSON GROVE by Anne Perry. While Thomas Pitt investigates a murder in France, his wife, Charlotte, helps the head of the London Special Branch foil a plot that threatens the very fabric of the English state. FICTION – PAPERBACK

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS by Donna Leon. Venetian police commissario Guido Brunetti investigates the murder of a retired teacher who was helping abused women escape their abusers. A Question Of Belief is now in paperback.

ANTHILL by E. O. Wilson. A modern-day Huck Finn takes action when developers begin to threaten the endangered marshlands in his native Nokobee County.

FIELD GRAY by Philip Kerr. Cynical and world-weary anti-Nazi Berlin PI Bernie Gunther becomes the pawn of duplicitous “allies” over three decades — from riot-torn Berlin in 1931 to Adenauer’s Germany in 1954.

APE HOUSE by Sara Gruen. The author of Water For Elephants returns with the story of a family of Bonobo apes kidnapped from a language laboratory and moved to New Mexico, where they become a media sensation as stars of a reality TV show.

44 CHARLES STREET by Danielle Steel. Strangers become roommates, roommates become friends, and friends become a family in a turn-of-the-century house in Manhattan’s West Village. FRIENDSHIP BREAD by Darien Gee. Two estranged sisters, three newfound friends and a whole Midwestern town are brought together by a loaf of Friendship Bread. HISS OF DEATH by Rita Mae Brown. While Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen copes bravely with a diagnosis of stage one breast cancer, a sad discovery distracts her from her illness. A LESSON IN SECRETS by Jacqueline Winspear. Maisie Dobbs’ first assignment for the British Secret Service takes her undercover to Cambridge as a professor, and leads to the investigation of a murderous web of activities being conducted by the up-and-coming Nazi party. MILES TO GO by Richard Paul Evans. In the second installment in Evan’s new series an executive who loses everything embarks on a walk that takes him across America. MISS JULIA ROCKS THE CRADLE by Ann B. Ross. Miss Julia vows to mind her own business when a body is found near her house, concentrating instead on Hazel Marie’s impending due date. Miss Julia Renews Her Vows is now in paperback. ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS YOU by Elizabeth Berg. Berg offers a story about the power of love and family as her new novel follows the journey of a couple who meet again after their divorce. ONE WAS A SOLDIER by Julia Spencer-Fleming. When Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne rules a veteran’s death as a suicide, Rev. Clare Fergusson, recently returned from Iraq, sides with other vets against him.

CAUGHT by Harlan Coben. An investigative reporter must face the possibility she has unwittingly been part of a grand manipulation aiming to destroy an innocent man. CLAUDE & CAMILLE by Stephanie Cowell. Through years of painting, misunderstanding, and love, struggling artist Claude Monet and the beautiful and mysterious Camille Doucieux carve out a life together. EVERY LAST ONE by Anna Quindlen. A suburban family must face the disastrous, unintended consequences of what seem like small, casual actions. THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett. Three women start a civil rights movement of their own in 1962 Mississippi, forever changing a town and the way women — black and white, mothers and daughters — view one another. IMPERFECT BIRDS by Anne LaMott. Parents of a smart, athletic, beautiful teenage daughter must confront the fact that her lies and deceptions have profound consequences for them all. LOWCOUNTRY SUMMER by Dorothea Benton Frank. Family-centric Caroline Wimbly Levine confronts a mix of personalities who deliver nonstop clashes, mysteries, and meltdowns in Frank’s long-awaited sequel to Plantation. OUR KIND OF TRAITOR by John Le Carre. A bigtime Russian money launderer enlists a young couple on vacation in Antigua to help him defect.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

Bookshelf

PEARL OF CHINA by Anchee Min. In this interpretation of Pearl S. Buck’s extraordinary life, two young friends experience love, motherhood, civil war, and exile. THE POACHER’S SON by Paul Doiron. In this novel set in the wilds of Maine, an estranged son is thrust into the hunt for a murderous fugitive — his own father. STORM PREY, by John Sandford. Investigator Lucas Davenport’s surgeon-wife becomes a target as the only surviving witness to the robbery of the hospital’s pharmacy ending in the murder of a co-worker. A THREAD OF SKY by Deanna Fei. Three generations of women tour mainland China on a journey that will change their family forever. NON-FICTION – HARDCOVER THE BATTLE FOR NORTH CAROLINA’S COAST by Stanley R. Riggs et al. Four experts on coastal dynamics examine issues that threaten NC’s barrier islands. A COVERT AFFAIR by Jennet Conant. Conant chronicles Julia Child’s early life as a member of the OSS in the Far East during World War II and the tumultuous years when she and Paul Child were caught up in the McCarthy witch hunt. IT HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO WAR by Rye Barcott. The UNC grad recounts co-founding Carolina for Kibera, a nonprofit organization in Kenya to promote development and prevent violence, just months before serving in Bosnia, Djibouti, and Iraq as a Marine Corps officer. THE LONG GOODBYE by Meghan O’Rourke. O’Rourke chronicles how caring for her mother during her illness and death from cancer at 55 changed and strengthened their bond. MARTIAN SUMMER by Andrew Kessler. Kessler shares the summer of 2008 when he spent three months in mission control of The Phoenix expedition with top NASA scientists as they explored Mars. ONE HUNDRED NAMES FOR LOVE by Diane Ackerman. The author of The Zookeeper’s Wife tells of helping her husband, author Paul West, recover from a stroke which left him with aphasia — loss of language.

Bookshelf

SARA FOSTER’S SOUTHERN KITCHEN by Sara Foster. The owner of Foster’s Market in Durham and Chapel Hill, and author of The Foster’s Market Cookbook, shares contemporary interpretations of classic Southern dishes. THE SIEGE OF WASHINGTON by John and Charles Lockwood. The authors offer a minuteby-minute account of the 12 days after the fall of Fort Sumter when the fate of the Union hung in the balance. TRUE BOO by Boo Weekley and Paul Brown. Golfer Boo Weekley shares his Southern-fried country humor as he takes readers on a rollicking journey from his humble childhood to the top of the PGA Tour. NON-FICTION – PAPERBACK CHASING GREATNESS by Adam Lazarus and Steve Schlossman. The authors tell the story of the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont when 26-yearold Johnny Miller edged out legends Palmer and Nicklaus with a record-setting 63 to win by a single stroke. THE LAST STAND by Nathaniel Philbrick. The National Book Award-nominee for In The Heart Of The Sea, and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Mayflower, brings new information to the collision between two American icons — Custer and Sitting Bull — and offers a reappraisal of the clash that gave birth to the legend of Custer’s Last Stand. MAKING THE ROUNDS WITH OSCAR by David Dosa. Dr. Dosa tells the story of an otherwise ordinary cat who has the uncanny ability to predict when people in the Steere House nursing home are about to die. PAUL AND ME by A. E. Hotchner. Hotchner offers an intimate account of his 53-year friendship with his pal, actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. SIXTY FEET, SIX INCHES by Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson. Two baseball greats offer a candid and unfiltered look at America’s pastime, discussing the art of pitching and hitting, and all things baseball. SPOKEN FROM THE HEART by Laura Bush. The former first lady tells the story of her path from Midland, Texas, to the world stage, and lifts the curtain on what really happens inside the White House. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

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Bookshelf

THE SUCCESSFUL GARDENER GUIDE by Toby Bost. Consulting horticulturalist and field faculty emeritus of NC State’s Cooperative Extension and co-author of The Carolina Gardener’s Guide ushers in the spring planting season. CHILDREN’S BOOKS PETER RABBIT FINGER PUPPET BOOK Even the youngest Beatrix Potter fans will enjoy this tale of the mischievous Peter Rabbit with things to count on each page and a soft finger puppet to bring Peter’s story to life. Ages 1-4. LITTLE WHITE RABBIT by Kevin Henkes. Caldecott winning author Henkes offers this delightful new picture book about a little bunny with a big imagination. Ages 3-6. HOME FOR A BUNNY by Margaret Wise Brown. This classic tale from Goodnight Moon author Margaret Wise Brown, about a young bunny looking for a home, is now available in a snuggly padded board book just perfect for young hands. Ages 1-3. ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD by George Ella Lyon. “Faucet, well, raincloud, sea … from each of these comes water. But where does water go? To find out, dive in. With tongue, or toes, with eyes and ears and nose and wonder at the flow of this great world’s life story.” Ages 6-10. THUMB WARS Complete with training exercises, classic challenges, score cards, a referee guide and the “sleeve of doom,” a sleek, shiny, sensational sleeve into which two contenders slide their hands then poke their thumbs through the holes thereby locking hands in place, this handy package contains everything young thumb wrestlers need to host their own thumb war challenge. Fun for ages 7-12. 39 CLUES: VESPERS RISING by Rick Riordan, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman and Peter Lerangis. Fans of the NYT best-selling 39 Clues series will be anxiously waiting for this next installment in the fast-paced mystery that transports readers to the far reaches of the globe to search for the secrets of the powerful Cahill family. However, dangerous enemies, the Vespers, have been waiting in the shadows and threaten to rise to a powerful position of their own. Ages 10-13. PS PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

P ar e nt h o o d , Et c .

Demoted Mom

Losing a part-time job is tough. But my kids think I’m a keeper

By Sue Pace

I’ve been demoted.

I’m not talking about the fact that my second child has moved on to college, reducing my title to When-I-Need-You Mom. I’m talking about being demoted from my part-time assistant managerial job at a small garden and gift shop. That’s right, at 50, I’m a knickknack failure.

Last fall when my daughter Charlie went off to college, I realized that after being home full-time for 13 years with both my kids it was time to get back out there officially — shower, put some makeup on and get back to work in some capacity. I had already been working at this gift shop but only a day here and a day there. When Charlie went to college, conveniently, the assistant manager’s position opened up. Despite my lack of retail managerial experience, I threw my name into the hat. It was a two-and-a-half-day-a-week job — perfect. Selling home décor items in a small shop — be still my heart. I had been a freelance graphic designer for many years while raising my kids. I had marketing skills, and people skills to boot. Plus, I loved knickknacks. Useless items are nested in the nooks and crannies of my house like a Pottery Barn catalog photo. Trust me, I can justify form over function any day. I can sell some knickknacks, right? They hired me and I started as assistant manager in the fall of 2010, just in time for the hectic holiday season. I was prepared to set the knickknack industry on its ear. I felt powerful — transitioning from Motherhood to Management all before the sweet smell of my daughter’s Victoria’s Secret perfume had dissipated from the house. I knew I had this second-half-of-life thing down, baby. I’d shed the Mom title and it was back to a real job now. Should be like riding a bike, I thought. I quickly learned mine would need training wheels, a kick stand, and you better throw in a helmet. The holiday season meant that merchandise came in by the truckload daily. Boxes, Bubble Wrap and foam packaging peanuts abound. I learned to receive deliveries, give new items their store numbers, price and put out the stock and learned it all at record speed. Of course, I had to help customers, answer the phone, work on store displays and count money at the end of the day. At small shops like this you go solo pretty quickly. My manager would help on her days off and always had a kind word for me — even when I goofed. I had daily battles with seemingly simple tasks. I would hurl expletives at the flattened boards going in every direction but the dumpster. Packaging peanuts clung to my legs like toddlers. It took me an hour to load the pricing gun. I accidentally broke merchandise. I was too easy on one vendor who messed up an order. I thought it was a neat idea to use pre-framed, inexpensive botanical prints as small vanity trays. BIG MISTAKE. I learned the bottom line is your lifeline.

As a stay-at-home mom, the phrase “life is too short” had been getting me through my day. Uh-oh!! Being a full-time mom means you lose sight of the small details because your focus is on controlling the bigger picture. As Roseanne Barr put it, “I figure if my kids are alive at the end of the day, I’ve done my job.” But working in retail management means there are so many daily details to cover. Your performance is measured every evening in the form of a spreadsheet. Up until a couple of years ago, I was used to kissing a sleepy but breathing kid good night to let me know I’d done a good job. Upon review, my manager stayed patient, explaining to me I just needed to slow down. She praised my strengths — my creative displays and my welcoming nature to our customers. We both jokingly blamed it on perimenopause. Luckily, I was making fewer mistakes after the hectic holiday season. My sales were up, but still, the owner wasn’t too impressed. She was pleasant, but reluctant from the get-go to hire me due to my lack of retail management experience. I should have known I’d be on a short leash while learning the curve. I gave her plenty to focus on. One goof, two goofs, three goofs, four — here’s your hat, can I show you the door? OK, so maybe I’m exaggerating, but after six months I was told I could go back to working a day here and a day there. I guess using Spanish moss instead of the green kind in an arrangement was the last straw. I told you, I’m a knickknack retail failure. I declined the offer to go back to working a day here and a day there. I’ll miss working with the loyal customers I had gotten to know. I’ll miss Derrick, the handsome UPS guy. I’ll miss creating displays. I’ll miss the great discount, the wonderful merchandise and my manager. Half of my house is decorated with this store’s stuff. I’m thankful for the experience because I learned a lot and felt I was making progress on the details. But, what do I know? I thought using a little epoxy putty and touch-up paint on a broken wing of a ceramic bird (yes, I broke it) would work, but I guess I goofed there, too. My 50-year-old ego was bruised, but after all, I wasn’t discovering a cure for cancer. I was ringing up delicately scented candles and concrete bunnies. Apparently, I wasn’t doing such a hot job at that. But, I’ll find another job. My former manager said she’d write a great letter of recommendation. She’ll just focus on my creativity and easy manner with customers while leaving out a few details — sounds like something I’d do. I’ll learn from this and work harder next time on the small things. I’ll instill confidence in my abilities with the next decision-maker who will see I’m worth the learning curve. Maybe I’ll be through menopause and my mush brain will solidify a little. I still think the vanity tray was a good idea. Yes, I was demoted from the gift shop, but in the bigger, far more important “store front” of life, my kids think I’m still one hell of a manager. At the end of the day, I’ll be surrounded by them and my husband, not my knickknacks. And to that I can happily say — a job well done. PS Sue Pace lives in Raleigh.

h i tt i n g h o m e

When Tomorrow Comes Life is short. Go slow and enjoy it.

By Dale Nixon

Today I got behind an elderly lady at the grocery store. I became impatient.

She was in front of me, walking so slowly up the aisle. It seemed to take her forever to make her selections and place them in her cart. I willed her to go on. My step was much quicker than hers and my decisions much easier. She was holding me up. I had places to go, people to see, and things to do. I said to myself, “Little old lady, won’t you please get out of my way?” Later, I got behind an elderly gentleman as I was driving down the highway. I became impatient with him, too. He was in front of me, driving ever so slowly. He was going 10 mph below the speed limit, and it took him forever to decide where to turn. I willed him to go on. I could drive much faster than he, and I knew where to turn. He was holding me up. I had places to go, people to see, and things to do. I said to myself, “Little old man, won’t you please get out of my way?” For today, I am much younger than you, and I must hurry. I will not be old until tomorrow. Tomorrow I will eat cereal for my dinner and leave my teeth by the sink. I will spoil my grandchildren and refuse to tell them, “No.” I will search the house over for my eyeglasses, knowing that someone moved them. I will declare that the world is coming to an end and place most of the blame on the young people. Tomorrow I will need someone to hold my elbow as I cross the street. And I will need to rest as I climb a flight of steps.

I will reminisce about the “good old days” but will forget what happened last week. I will squint a little more and hear a little less. I may call you by the wrong name or pretend that you’re not there. Tomorrow I may have some difficulty getting out of a chair, standing in line, or finding my way. My food won’t taste as good, nor the flowers smell as sweet. Tomorrow I will listen for my doorbell or telephone to ring, but there will be no sound. I will attend the funerals of my best friends and cry myself to sleep. And I will know that the sky was bluer and the stars twinkled more brightly when I was young. Tomorrow is just around the corner for me. I will move ever so slowly as I walk down the grocery store aisle. It will take me forever to make my selections and place them in the cart. When I drive, I will drive 10 mph below the speed limit, and it will take me forever to decide where to turn. I’ll be holding someone up. And they will become impatient and say to themselves, “Little old lady, won’t you please get out of my way?” And I will remember today … . Today was 25 years ago, and this little old lady herself has now turned the corner. I wrote this column years before I was a member of AARP, looked forward to receiving my Social Security check each month, and was anxious about the complications of applying for Medicare. PS Columnist Dale Nixon resides in Concord but enjoys a slice of heaven (disguised as a condominium) in the village of Pinehurst. You may contact her by e-mail at dalenixon@ carolina.rr.com.

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April 2011

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Vine Wisdom

Lovely Loire Valley In the Garden of France, white wine is king

By Robyn James

When I graduated from college,

I took off with a couple of friends for one of those cut-rate student tours of Europe. We traveled by bus, slept in hostels and ate on a budget.

My favorite stop on the entire tour of the European continent was Chateau Chenenceau in the Loire Valley of France. Springtime always reminds me of the striking beauty of Chenenceau, how I came to love their wines and how perfect they are for the onset of warm weather. Often called the “Garden of France,” the Loire Valley is an enchanted land of vineyards, flowers and rolling green hills dotted with more than a thousand chateaux. It is perhaps the charm of its gentle pace of life that has, for centuries, made it a sought-after location for poets and writers. It is a step back through the history of some of France’s finest works of art. French royals kept summer homes and mistresses there, and worshipped at the amazing medieval Cathedral of Chartres. The Loire Valley, on the Cher River, is the cooler part of France and the perfect home for Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and the Melon De Bourgogne grapes. Unlike every other wine growing region of France, white wine is king here. The cooler weather makes it a little more challenging for red grapes, which need higher temperatures to fully ripen. Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir are the only red grapes that seem to thrive in the valley. I chuckle sometimes when I think of the recent huge popularity of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in the United States. I know that the Kiwi winemakers, being reasonable and modest people, hang their heads in hushed silence when the names of Jolivet, Delaporte or Salvard are thrown around. These are the families who put Sauvignon Blanc on the map and in the mouths of enthusiastic fans for many generations. They set the bar for this grape for centuries and all others can only kiss the hem of their Loire Valley robes.

The most famous and prestigious towns for Sauvignon Blanc are Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé (not to be confused with Pouilly Fuisse, in Burgundy). Descriptors for these wines include: “Searing Acidity,” “Minerality,” “Gooseberry,” “White Asparagus” and “Wet Stone”. These wines are not for the faint of heart, so prepare to pucker. For the bargains in Sauvignon Blanc, head down the road to some of the lesser known, outlying villages of Cheverny, Quincy, and Menetou-Salon. They may not have the cachet of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, but the wines are vibrant and energizing. Salvard’s Cheverny is one of my favorites and they make an inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc called “Unique,” which they say is unclassified Sancerre. The Loire Valley is also the home of Chenin Blanc, notably in the famous village of Vouvray, where the wines are so versatile they may be dry or sweet to the point of a dessert-style wine. They may be oaked or unoaked and there are rivers of cheap sparkling Chenin Blanc from the Loire that are delicious. For a bargain in dry Chenin Blanc, just past Vouvray is the town of Saumur, where you may find a delicious bottle for under $10. Melon de Bourgogne is better known as Muscadet, the name of the wine that it produces. This is the dominant grape of the area around Nantes on the coast of Brittany, where the Loire meets the Atlantic Ocean. Muscadet has such bracing sea tang salinity, and an affinity for the shellfish of the Breton coast. These are considered the driest wines in the world. To an even greater degree than the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chenin Blanc, the Melon de Bourgogne, despite its name, is a grape that achieves its best expression in the Loire. It is rarely planted elsewhere. As Muscadet, however, it produces one of the friendliest, most refreshing wines in the world — the ideal seaside wine. As the weather warms, consider the enchanting, refreshing wines of Loire. They do not disappoint. PS Robyn James is proprietor of The Wine Cellar and Tasting Room in Southern Pines. Contact her at winecellar@pinehurst.net.

April 2011

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

A Crop For The Impatient The radish may be as close to instant gratification as a vegetable gets

By Jan Leitschuh

Now here is a crop for the impatient:

radishes. Fast germination — plant a row, water and watch them come up in three or four days. This is as close to instant gratification as vegetables get.

Fast maturing — hot, mild or spicy crunch in about a month. Yes, new gardeners, edible vegetables in 30 days or less. Is that not gratifying? You can practically grow them during a Sandhills golfing vacation. So why haven’t you planted any this spring? In fact, the genus name of this spicy root vegetable — the “Raphanus” of Raphanus sativus — means “quick growing root that gets really, really hot if you don’t pick it young” in very loose translation. Plant now and have radishes by the end of April. It doesn’t get any swifter than that in vegetable-land, unless you count alfalfa sprouts. With our Sandhills sand, you can try planting the seeds as soon as the ground is workable. February is a bit chancy, but radishes are tough, and you never know. But certainly in March, with a warmish spell to hasten germination, it’s worth a flutter. April would be the last sowing, in my book. And then, before you know it, radish season is over, halted by the hot weather that speeds growth and increases pithiness. Come fall, you can start all over again for another go. If you like the spicy Japanese daikon or the round Black Spanish black radish, both winter radishes, the seasons flip a bit. Plant those in late summer and leave them to overwinter right in the ground. They will resume growing in the spring. Winter radishes tend to be a bit more pungent, also highly esteemed for their health-giving properties. It’s useful to sow radishes where you need a marker. For example, a few radish seeds tossed in with slower germinating seeds like carrots will demarcate a garden

row fairly quickly, helping you watch for (and water) the tardier species. I like to sow in waves, so as not to be overwhelmed with an entire seed packet’s worth of radishes to eat at once. They don’t freeze well either, with all that watery crunch, and The Radish Fairy can be generous. Garden radishes also “age out” quickly. Overmature radishes can grow spongy and hot, and will often split. Hot weather hastens this process, as well as “bolting” — when the plant flips over into reproductive mode and sends up a flower stalk. The solution is simple. Sow a short row every week to ten days or so. The seeding depth is quite shallow — a quarter to a half an inch — so stay on top of the watering. Don’t sow too thickly, or you’ll have all tops and tiny roots (although the green leaves are edible and nutritious, being in the brassica family). With as few seeds as a kitchen gardener is setting out, you can hand-press them into the furrow at whatever spacing you desire. There’s always room for radishes in a garden. If you’re tempted to try a little edible landscaping, I have always thought a shallow furrow drawn along the front of a planting bed and sown with radishes would be interesting, unobtrusive, and yield a tasty harvest. Another idea is to sow about 20 or 30 seeds in a large pot; say, three pots worth for succession sowing. Then, if it gets too hot outside, you can always bring them in or nudge the pot over to a shady spot for the hot part of the day. This is a fun project for children, especially if using colorful “Easter Egg” radishes. Harvest time is a guessing game at first. Record your planting date and then watch the calendar. I used to pull a little dirt back from the red “shoulders” peeping above the soil to check for size. Anything that looks of edible size is usable. If you let your crop go on too long, no worries; pull them up and compost. Using the succession planting method, you can have another batch coming along nicely right behind it. What type to plant? What do you like? The familiar “Cherry Belle” red globes found in supermarket produce sections through the country? The colorful “Easter Eggs” that are popular at farmers markets across the country? This year I am growing an attractive globe radish called “Watermelon” — white on the

April 2011

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– Guy Beringer

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outside and pink like a watermelon inside. I think it will look lovely sliced on a spring plate. For several years I grew “French Breakfast” radishes for the farmers market here. That is a longish pink-red radish with a white tip, and tends to be milder. I always had regulars who would show up for their bunches of French Breakfasts, which are best young and tender. Radishes are usually eaten raw, with salt. My father used to take a shaker of salt right into the garden, shake off the dirt and eat with relish. The Dutch like to serve their radish varieties thinly sliced on buttered bread, with good beer. Those with a thyroid disorder may have to limit their intake of the raw brassicas, and that includes radishes. The brassica family includes also such healthy stars as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Brassicas in general tend to inhibit production of thyroid hormones, not a problem in ordinary folks eating moderate amounts. But in those with a tricky thyroid, overconsumption — Radish Fairy quantities — might cause the thyroid to swell in its attempt to produce more hormones. Cooking deactivates these so-called “goitrogens,” to a large extent. But when was the last time you ate a cooked radish? On the other hand, the humble radish also aids jaundice by removing bilirubin and, again like its brassica cousins, assists the liver in its detox role. They have a diuretic effect that is helpful in kidney and urinary disorders. Can you pronounce molybdenum? No matter. Radishes are a source of the rare trace mineral molybdenum, as well as wickedly healthy and full of vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium. Maybe that’s why they are helpful nibbles to support cholesterol reduction, lowering blood pressure, breast and colon cancer reduction, and the above-mentioned liver support. You would expect nothing less from a member of the brassica family. Radishes are said to be highly regarded by the ancient Greeks, too, with the physician Androcydes prescribing radishes as an intoxication prevention. (That liver thing again!) I have not tried this, so don’t count on radishes to get you home safely from the party. To prepare (assuming you didn’t do the gardendining thing), scrub under running water to remove dirt, then either bite right in, or slice it into garnish or those clever radish roses our mothers used to know how to do. Or shred them with carrots into a salad. Soaking in ice water increases the crunch and crispness. All in thirty days or less. So, what are you waiting for? PS Jan Leitschuh is a local gardener, avid eater of fresh produce and co-founder of the Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative.

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Tease Like a Tart

By Frank Daniels III

Our Saturday morning

tradition is rolling out of bed at the crack of nine, putting on gym clothes so it looks like we got up early and worked out, donning a baseball cap to hide the bed-head, and heading down to the Nashville farmers market with a Starbucks in hand to wander through the vendor offerings.

We are fortunate to have Amish and Mennonite communities in the area and they array their labors for our benefit. The fresh dairy products and meat are excellent, and we consistently find new things to try, from fresh baked cookies and breads from several different vendors to the savory sauces from the hippie salsa guy. One of our favorites is JD Country Milk from Russelville, KY (their chocolate milk chuggers are sinfully good). Their cream is luscious and makes this cocktail one that is repeatedly demanded by our friends. I practice an unusual kind of conservatism (and liberalism too) that leads me to pick carefully what goes into my drinks. My guideline is one cocktail, and I don’t think I should skimp, on either the ingredients or the size of the glass (a lesson I learned from my grandfather that I’m sure I’ll cover sometime). This cocktail is a prime example of better ingredients, better cocktail. I stole the basic idea from The Palm Restaurant in Nashville, where we go before hockey games and symphony concerts. The Palm chain of restaurants, like several of the high-end steakhouse chains, does a very good job of introducing signature cocktails to boost their bar business, and their Tease Like a Tart was a great idea, and an even better name. The major difference between their version and ours is the cream.

Also, I like cocktails that call for freshly squeezed juice. I love the process of squeezing juice from limes, especially since I confiscated my wife’s grandmother’s juicer. And it is a cocktail that lets me use my home-infused vanilla vodka, which has a bit more vanilla flavor and nose than the store-bought brands, though they are quite good and certainly work well in this drink. Tease Like a Tart combines the decadence of fresh cream and the tart goodness of fresh limes to deliver a frothy libation that is especially good as the weather warms up. Enjoy! Tease Like a Tart ½1 oz Cointreau (or Combier if you can find it) 2 oz vanilla-infused vodka 2 oz freshly squeezed lime juice 2 oz heavy cream 1 tsp sweetener or sugar Lime wedge Sugar Lime peel In chilled ice-filled cocktail glass pour the Cointreau and swirl to coat the glass. Dump the ice and Cointreau into a cocktail shaker and add the vanilla vodka, lime juice, cream and sweetener. Shake vigorously for several minutes until the mixture thickens. Rim the cocktail glass with the lime wedge and coat the edge with sugar. Strain the cocktail mixture in the glass and garnish with the lime peel. PS Frank Daniels is an editor and writer living Nashville, Tenn. His blog on cocktails is www.frankslittleblackbarbook.com. fdanielsiii@mac.com

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A few minutes with

Mama Hen

Photograph by Hannah Sharpe

When it comes to chicken and lamb cakes, she knows best

By Ashley Wahl

For many folks, it wouldn’t be Easter

without all the beautifully colored eggs — plastic, painted or otherwise. For Janet Kenworthy, Easter means Mama’s chicken cake.

Huh? As proprietor of The Rooster’s Wife concert venue in Aberdeen, Janet has gained somewhat of a reputation for her charming eccentricities. Still, when she told us about her family’s Lenten tradition, we couldn’t help but scratch our heads. On a recent spring afternoon, we went straight to the mother hen, 80-year-old Priscilla Johnson, for clarity. PS: Janet told us you bake chicken cake every Easter. Could you kindly elaborate? PJ: (Laughter.) Oh, it’s just a simple pound cake. I saw the mold in Martha Stewart Living one year and thought it was pretty cute. I’ve made it every year since. It’s sort of a joke, really.

PS: So if Jake is the rooster, then that makes Janet the rooster’s wife? PJ: Exactly. Janet’s the hen, and I’m the big hen — I take the money at the door and do all the cooking for the volunteers and musicians. PS: Chicken cake notwithstanding, what are your culinary specialties? PJ: I do a lot of soups, and Caesar salads made with kale. And I always make chocolate chip cookies. PS: That sounds delicious. What does the dining table look like at your family’s Easter gatherings? PJ: A lot of time Jake will do a leg of lamb on the grill, with asparagus. And then, of course, there’s lamb and chicken cake for dessert. My cakes are the main centerpieces. PS: You make a lamb cake, too? PJ: Sure I do. When I was a child, my grandma always had a lamb cake at Easter time.

PS: Are you a fan of Martha’s?

PS: Are the cakes difficult to decorate?

PJ: Well, yes and no. I think her magazine is very pretty, but her recipes call for too many steps to suit me. I found a lovely pound-cake mix that comes in a box. I use it for the chicken cake instead. I like shortcuts.

PJ: They’re certainly time-consuming. Sometimes I pipe very well, sometimes I don’t.

PS: We’re relieved to know your cake is named for its form as opposed to its ingredients. How did The Rooster’s Wife get its name? Did it have anything to do with your cakes? PJ: No, no, no (laughter). Have you ever met Janet’s husband, Jake? He used to be a steeplechase jockey. He’s very muscular and trim, and very self-confident most of the time. And if he isn’t self-confident, he certainly gives the appearance of being so (laughter). Jake’s very much like a bantam rooster.

PS: After all the effort you put into chicken and lamb cakes, how do you go about cutting them? PJ: Oh, that doesn’t faze me a bit. (Laughter) My grandson Will always had great delight in eating the head off the chicken. It’s always been this great thing. PS: Do the grandkids ever help with the baking? PJ: Certainly not. That’s the big hen’s job. PS

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Food for Thought

In the grace of a first Passover meal, two worlds meet and wonders never cease By Tom Allen

A young minister’s first Passover

reveals the power of our stories. I met Suzi Jacobs my senior year in a world religions class at Furman University. She sat in front of me and was cute, in a perky sort of way. She was also short, so I had an unobstructed view of Dr. David Smith, a gentle Baptist soul who’d traveled the globe, returning with fascinating stories of his encounters with the religious other and inviting students to lower their buckets into the deep well of his experience and knowledge.

The class was a requirement for me, a religion major. Suzi was a senior chemistry major, a Connecticut Yankee with aspirations for medical school, a sharp wit who needed one more humanities elective to complete her course requirements. She loved to rib me about my Southern accent and how I could stretch the word “what” into three syllables. And I loved to give it right back — “Honey, down here, you’re the one with the accent!” She had curly coal-black hair and drove me crazy at times with her gum chewing — she was a real smacker — but when Dr. Smith shared stories of sipping tea with Tibetan monks or bathing alongside Hindu priests in the Ganges, even her busy jaw stood still. Religious life at Furman was diverse, much like its student body. The university, located in Greenville, South Carolina, with roots in the Baptist tradition, had long provided students opportunities to nurture their spiritual lives and meet others who shared their respective faith traditions. Furman’s Jewish Student Association was one such group. Though small in number, each spring they invited students and faculty to a Passover seder, the annual ritual and meal recalling the Jews’ liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. Dr. Smith, ever alert to new opportunities for learning, had encouraged us to make reservations for weeks. “I hope to see you tonight,” he announced at the end of class the day of the seder. “You going?” Suzi asked. “Yeah, are you?” “Probably,” she said, smiling. “Need to pad that GPA with a little extra credit? You’d better have a reservation,” I fired back. The seder was held in a smaller dining room off the main dining hall.

The Association’s adviser, a rabbi from an area synagogue, welcomed the packed room and explained how we’d eat the symbolic foods found on each table’s seder plate — parsley, horseradish, and charoset, a nutty concoction of apples, cinnamon and grape juice — at various points in the service. A boiled egg served as a reminder of spring, and sheets of matzo, recalling the bread hastily prepared without leavening as the Hebrews prepared for their exodus from Egypt, sat next to Dixie cups filled with sweet Mogen David wine. Four cups of wine are traditionally served during the seder. We’d have to ration our Dixie cups to four sips. Welch’s and water were provided for strict teetotalers. Seated next to the rabbi was a short, perky gal with curly, coal-black hair. After his greeting, Suzi Jacobs stood and introduced herself as a senior chemistry major and president of Furman’s Jewish Student Association. She instructed those seated near candles to light theirs along with her; then she welcomed the holiday, beautifully intoning the Hebrew blessing, “Baruch atah Adonai eloheinu melech ha’olam ... Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe... .” Suzi invoked the blessing throughout the evening — when we ate parsley dipped in salt water, to remind us of the tears shed in Egyptian slavery and just before we sipped our Mogen David, leaning to the left to recall the relaxation that comes with freedom. She spoke the sacred words while we slathered pieces of matzo with the cinnamon-laced apple mixture, symbolic of the mortar that became bricks for Pharoah’s cities, and again as we made sandwiches of matzo and horseradish, eye-watering morsels that brought to mind the bitterness of oppression and bondage. We sang and clapped our hands, heard the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, imagined what it must have been like to see the Red Sea part, and wondered again, if Moses really looked like Charlton Heston. We ate college-cafeteria baked chicken, predictably served alongside steamed vegetables, with sponge cake and thawed strawberries for dessert. When the evening ended, I hugged Suzi and thanked her for the experience — my first Passover seder led by my first Jewish friend. On that warm April evening, the tobacco barns of my rural roots seemed as distant as the cities those ancient slaves labored to build. I walked back to my dorm, content and filled, amazed at how food can call to mind stories, both tender and tragic, which make up the narrative of our lives. I fell asleep, grateful that even in our darkest moments, Passover, like Easter, reminds us that good can overcome evil, that hope is an authentic possibility, and that wonders have really never ceased. PS Tom Allen is minister of education at First Baptist Church, Southern Pines, and a frequent contributor to PineStraw.

April 2011

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By Jim Dalton

Bobbie and Scott Thomas

met at Lee Senior High School in the early ’80s. She was a sophomore art student; he was on the job, a high school graduate helping to construct a kick wheel for Bobbie’s art class. Today the couple makes a life of throwing clay together. It just took them a while to get back to where they started.

An artist by nature, Bobbie explored many artistic disciplines before finding her niche, making and selling goods for craft fairs around the Sandhills. Eight years ago, a simple afternoon of yard work ignited an old spark — and a new hobby for Bobbie and Scott to share. While cleaning clay off an old shovel, the couple flashed back to their time together in the art room at Lee Senior. “Let’s get a potter’s wheel,” he proposed. And with that, a new career was born. Starting small, the Thomases purchased a wheel, built a studio, acquired kilns, and began developing the skills needed to produce the kind of work they could be proud of. Pottery classes at Montgomery Community College, one of the most respected in the state, combined with lots of practice began to produce the desired results. Open house studio sales became a weekend ritual for the Thomases, and their work began gracing several galleries in the county. Before long, the duo found it hard to keep up with customer demand — and Bobbie

struggled to balance the demands of a full-time job with the creative passions of her art. In order to expand their capacity and escape the limitations of working from a home studio, the Thomases purchased an old farm near Seagrove in 2006. A renovated barn made for a spacious, 1,200-squarefoot studio. A log cabin they built became a perfect showroom. Another log home was built for living. Bobbie resigned her job and took the plunge to become a full-time potter; Scott throws pottery in the evenings and on weekends, keeping his day job as a building inspector for the Village of Pinehurst. Although Bobbie throws some pieces on her potter’s wheel, her passion is hand building; she has attended workshops all over the country with several noted artists to learn from their demonstrations and adapt their techniques to her own work. Among her most popular work are trays and platters. When you walk into their showroom, it is easy to imagine a table with hors d’oeuvres on Bobbie’s large leaf-shaped platters, or dips and sauces in her signature trifooted bowls. She uses a variety of sculpture techniques such as individual, drawn-on decorations or handmade stamps. Enhancing her clay creations with a variety of glazes, Bobbie produces a large variety of items, all of which are both completely functional and highly decorative. Her love of chickens and plants is reflected in the chicken planters she has come to be known for. Each is unique, a whimsical, light-hearted way to display a favorite plant. Mirrors are another of her favorite, and most popular, hand built items. Each is decorated with her own tiles, individually stamped and decorated with a wide variety of images, and glazed in an array of colors.

April 2011

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Scott loves to throw on the wheel. His platters, bowls and pitchers reflect the tradition of Moore County, where he grew up. His mugs, teapots and vases show both the traditional influence but a bit more of a tendency toward decoration. Each fall, Scott produces a limited number of quirky little piggy banks that are quite popular, and always are completely sold out before the holiday shopping season is over. Hospitality, living naturally and sustainably are themes that run through all of the work. One need only stop by Thomas Pottery to understand their influence. Scott and Bobbie are avid gardeners. They raise chickens, grow organic vegetables and entertain a host of wild birds on their farm. Visitors can sit in a swing and listen to a waterfall cascade down into a Koi pond, watch

When you walk into their showroom, it is easy to imagine a table with hors dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;oeuvres on Bobbieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s large leaf-shaped platters, or dips and sauces in her signature trifooted bowls. geese and herons on the lake out of the studio front window, or enjoy a fresh picked organic tomato (or pickles if tomatoes are not in season). In the Thomases studio, Bobbie has room to host hands-on clay parties. Customers may come for just a day out of the daily grind, to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or shower, or as a team building experience away from the ringing phones, and hustle and bustle of the office. The hands-on experience can be on the wheel or hand building, and even though participants are likely to get a bit of clay on their hands, all describe it as good clean fun. In addition to maintaining a retail store at their Seagrove location, the Thomases work is available at Seagrove Creations, and other galleries in the Southeast. They also show their work at the Holly Arts and Crafts Fair in the Village of Pinehurst, the Celebration of Seagrove Potters in Seagrove, and the Carolina Pottery Festival in Shelby. They are active in the Seagrove Area Potters Association. Thomas Pottery is located at 1295 South NC 705 in Seagrove. They are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM - 5 PM, and other times by appointment. PS Jim Dalton, whose wife is a Sandhills potter, can be reached at jim@lindadaltonpottery.com. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

April 2011

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Sandpipers

Look sharp and you may see one nesting in wet habitat

By Susan Campbell

Wait. What? Sandpipers — here? Indeed! If

you look closely in the right spot, you may find individuals of several species here in the Sandhills. The two best bets in spring are the spotted sandpiper or the closely related solitary sandpiper. These birds frequent wet inland areas. It is very unlikely to see either species at the beach. However, they have the long legs, long bill, and rapid flight characteristic of the group. But spotteds and solitaries prefer invertebrate prey associated with moist grassy areas or the shallow edges of ponds and streams, which we have no shortage of in our area. Both species hunt prey visually, not by probing, as many sandpipers do. Therefore it is not a surprise that they have extremely good eyesight. The name of the solitary sandpiper is actually deceiving. During spring migration, as they return to their Canadian breeding grounds, these grayish birds move in small groups. Most of the time, they are not seen until they flush from pond edges or from the weedy edges of marshy areas. Around here I have frequently found them

hunting insects in the grassy aprons of our dams. Solitaries move slowly and deliberately. When still, they are almost invisible given their dark color. If alarmed, they will give a high, two-noted whistle as they take flight. Their destination is nesting grounds in the short, grassy tundra well to our north. The spotted sandpiper is, well, white with dark spots most of the year. In winter, it looks very similar to the solitary. But by the time they move through our state, the bold spotting on their underparts has returned. These plump little birds teeter as they move along, which is very characteristic. They often walk along the shoreline in search of hatching insects or stunned prey in areas with significant wave action. When the bird has flushed, a bold white stripe is evident in the center of the outstretched wing. And the spotted’s flight is distinctive: short bursts of rapid fluttering followed by a glide. Their calls are similar to that of the solitary but slower and lower in pitch. These plump birds also have the tendency to teeter as they move along. Spotteds breed along creeks and rivers across much of the United States and Canada. Although there are records from some of our higher peaks in North Carolina, nests are more likely to be found at elevations in the Middle Atlantic states and throughout much of New England. So the next time you are headed for wet habitat in the spring, take a pair of binoculars so that you can scan the edges for these elusive shorebirds. You may be rewarded with a glimpse of a spotted or solitary sandpiper — or perhaps both! PS Susan would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted by e-mail at susan@ncaves.com, by phone at (910) 949-3207 or by mail at 144 Pine Ridge Drive, Whispering Pines, NC 28327.

April 2011

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

Black Friday

Historic Images by Emerson Humphrey

The infamous blaze that set the sidewalks of Pinebluff on fire

By Tom Bryant

It was one of those beautiful, early spring days

that make Moore County a haven for people from all areas of the frozen tundra to the north. Dogwoods were about to bloom, and the air was ripe with the sweet ambrosia of peach blossoms. Birds were singing and robins, the harbinger of the longer days of spring, were everywhere. It had been a long hard winter, and everyone was happy for the warmer days, the beginning of an outdoor season. Golfers were limbering up at the driving range at Pine Needles, and the plunkplunk of tennis balls could be heard on the courts in Pinehurst. In West End on Hoffman Road, a sawmill was taking advantage of the beautiful weather to catch up on orders that the end of a bad winter had slowed. It was a perfect day with the exception of a gusty west wind that was blowing up dust devils in the freshly plowed farm fields between West End and Hoffman. An operator at the small sawmill took a break from his hot job to get a cup of water from the oak water barrel nearby. He left the saw running at full speed, knowing that he would be gone only a minute. As he took a long swig from the tin cup that was kept hanging from a rafter, he reflected on how dry the winter had been and how badly rain was needed. The sun was bearing down. It was already hot and just a little after ten o’clock.

As he hung up the tin cup, the engine on the saw, revving at top speed, backfired and threw sparks out of the exhaust into the nearby wire grass. Before he could get back to his station, a small brush fire had started; and faster than the sawmill crew could react, the blaze roared into the piney woods and became a full-fledged forest fire. The date was April 4, 1963. E. H. Mills, the mayor of Pinebluff, was in Chapel Hill on business when he heard that a rogue fire was burning in Moore County. He hurried toward home and stopped in Pinehurst to help the beleaguered fire crews prepare firebreaks to keep the blaze out of the village, not even thinking that the fire could reach all the way to Pinebluff. The blaze grew into a major forest fire and was bearing down on Pinehurst as Travis Wicker, county ranger, told Mills, “This thing is a monster. It jumped the old Jackson Springs Road like it wasn’t even there.” They both realized that if the wind, now being escalated by updrafts from the fire, did not change, Pinehurst was in deep trouble. Mills hesitated, not wanting to leave but knowing that if the wind did change, Pinebluff would be next in the fire’s path; and the little town with meager firefighting resources would need all the help it could get. As he drove toward home, all he could think of was the thickening smoke and how the small community with pine straw sidewalks and miles of longleaf pines was a tinderbox waiting to explode. The wind did change, saving Pinehurst from a disaster that could have wiped out the entire area. But before Mayor Mills could drive the short distance to his house, he saw flames skipping from the top of pine trees on the western side of town and the Elmore Smith dairy barn in full blaze. “It’s gonna be a real battle,” he thought. He turned down the closest street

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to the fire station. Smoke made the ride almost impossible; and as he neared the water tank with the firehouse right underneath, he passed residents hauling whatever they could from their houses, preparing to evacuate. Quite a few citizens decided that the fire was too much and immediately left town for safer areas. The smoke got thicker. Pinebluff fire chief W.K. Carpenter sounded the general alarm to warn people and to bring out every available firefighter. During their battle with the fire, some of the volunteers received superficial burns but kept right on with the ordeal. They were fighting for the town’s survival. By now, all the volunteer fire departments from neighboring counties and soldiers from Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall were in the midst of the action. The fire was crowning from tree to tree, feeding on the hot wind it generated. The air was filled with flames and the smoke was so dense it was hard to breathe. The smoke column could be seen fifty miles away. Fire ran down the pine straw sidewalks and into yards. One exhausted firefighter on the western perimeter was heard to say, “We need a miracle. If this wind doesn’t change, Pinebluff is history!” The roar of the flames could be heard getting closer. Finally, as the evening dragged on, the miracle everyone wished for was granted and the wind turned south, taking the fire with it. The swamp at Drowning Creek and the military base at Camp Mackall were next in line, but troops used huge bulldozers to cut fire lanes. The wind seemed to be abating. A little after midnight, the “Black Friday Fire,” as it became known, was declared under control. During its day-and-a-half life, it had burned numerous homes, horse farms, barns, and more than 11,000 acres. J.A. Pippin, district forest ranger, noted wearily around midnight as the firefighters regrouped for instructions on mop-up, “If I have a word of advice for the people of Pinebluff, it is this: Rake up those pine needles.” Addendum: When asked if a fire of the magnitude of the one in 1963 could recur, Billie Lewis, our current Moore County ranger, replied, “It could, and it would probably be more dramatic. For one thing there are more houses in the area. A lot of people will cut a dirt road back in the woods and build a house on two or three acres, leaving themselves susceptible to wild fires. The good thing today, though, our firefighters are better trained and have more equipment; and communication is almost instant with all the cell phones. We don’t even man our fire towers today. If a column of smoke is spotted, we get several phone calls right away from concerned citizens.” PS Tom Bryant is a lifelong outdoorsman and PineStraw’s Sporting Life columnist. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

April 2011

G o lft o w n J o u r n al

Dormie Club For the moment at least, the Coore-Crenshaw masterpiece is available for all to see — and play

No. 3 Green

By Lee Pace

There is a mound behind and to the

right of the second tee at Dormie Club, the new golf course located some six miles northwest of the village of Pinehurst. Atop the mound is a small cross, and Bill Coore paused one morning in April 2010 on a tour of the premises to pay respects to the remains buried below.

“Twenty years at least … golf courses from Hawaii to Nebraska to New York to Pinehurst,” he said wistfully. “Finally, she gave out. There was nothing left to fix. We figured she needed a proper burial.” A loyal and trusted employee of the golf design firm of Coore & Crenshaw? A beloved dog, a Collie or Lab, perhaps, which followed the firm’s designers across the country from one job site to another? Not exactly. Buried underneath the ground are the remnants of a small tractor — a machine about the size of a riding lawnmower — that Coore adapted from its original purpose of raking bunkers to his specific needs for sculpting, scraping, tweaking, and burnishing greensites. The machine had been to Kapalua, where Coore & Crenshaw got their start in their golf

design partnership in the late 1980s; to Nebraska, where they achieved critical acclaim for their 1995 Sand Hills creation; to the South Carolina Low Country, where in 2000 they crafted a marvelous paean to classic architecture called Chechessee Creek Club; and now to the North Carolina Sandhills, where in 2007 they broke ground for Dormie Club. “We gathered around one day and paid our respects,” Coore says. “We saved a few parts and felt like the rest of it belonged buried on a golf course instead of in a dump heap somewhere.” Coore & Crenshaw and their shapers and construction guys are not your typical golf design firm. They do only two courses at a time. They do not use high-tech drawings. Coore himself “floats out” every single green the firm has ever built. They are hands-on, “muddy boots kind of guys,” says a former client. They resist the concept of “signature holes.” They will not be put in a box — there is no law that par for 18 holes must be 72 or that a par-4 must be at least 350 yards long. They will politely decline if offered a site with real estate corridors already staked out. Spend a day with them walking any job site and they can quote the maestros of the business from Alister MacKenzie to Charles B. MacDonald like they were old pals. Coore, a native of Davidson County and a graduate of Wake Forest University, and Crenshaw, the two-time Masters champion from Austin, Texas, have designed some two dozen courses from Colorado to Australia, but it’s taken them a quarter of a century to design a course in golf-rich North Carolina.

April 2011

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g o L F T oW n J o u r nA L

Dormie Club was worth the wait. The club was conceived to be an exclusive enclave for golfers with a traditional bent toward the game — generous corridors with fairways yielding to natural sandy roughs, rugged and unkempt bunkers, walking preferred. It’s a “take-what-you-find-and-play-golf” mindset. Construction began in October 2007 but was suspended for eight months in 2009 when the bottom fell out of the worldwide economy. The course got back on track and was completed in the spring of 2010. The business model has been modified, though, as the universe of potential members has shrunk and become more conservative in spending its leisure and golfing dollars. Thus the club has opened its doors to the public on a limited basis (golf shop phone (910) 9473240; www.dormieclub.com). Dormie is located on land north of Hwy. 73 and east of Beulah Hill Church Road (close to where spectators to the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Opens parked for their shuttle rides to Pinehurst No. 2). The site has two lakes, a hundred feet of elevation change, and a mix of pine forests and hardwood trees.

No. 18 Green The designers at the outset had topographical maps but no wetlands maps, atypical for the process that normally requires knowing where the wetlands are before you start routing holes. But Coore found the best holes by walking the site as he does for days and feeling the land under his feet as he trekked through the woods and up and down the ridges. He was pleasantly surprised when he eventually saw wetlands maps and learned that the course mostly avoided the untouchable areas. “If they had handed me a map at first with the wetlands delineated, I’d have handed them back and said, ‘You can’t do a golf course here,’” Coore says. “But it worked out fine. It just proved to me that if you lay the golf course out the way the land wants to go, in most cases the wetlands are going to be OK. The topos will tell you a lot of things, but

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they won’t tell you the feel of the place. You have to go walk a site and experience it, get a feel for the way the golf course will circulate. Because we laid the holes out the way you would naturally play from highs to lows, the wetlands had little impact.” The course is reasonably compact as it was built for walkers (caddies are available). There is no long grass on the premises — just wide fairways and thousands of wire grass plants in the sandy rough areas. Luck plays an important role at Dormie; your errant shots might be sitting fine in an area of hardpan sand, they might nestle up against a stand of wire grass, or they might be sitting atop pine straw, requiring careful attention at address and impact.

There is no long grass on the premises — just wide fairways and thousands of wire grass plants in the sandy rough areas. There are some marvelous short holes. The par-4 third and 14th are each drivable at fewer than 300 yards, but the smart play can be to hang back and give yourself a hundred yards on the approach, the better to take a full wedge swipe at a pin nestled in a small cupping area on the green. Twelve is an uphill par-3 of 98 yards, with the tees stair-stepping upward from back to front. The course builds to a heroic finish with the par-5 17th having a Pine Valley feel — the tee shot flying over wetlands and the second shot having a vast expanse of hardpan sand and wire grass to traverse. Eighteen is a stout par-4 of 407 yards into the prevailing wind. It’s quite the golfing experience, this Dormie Club, and an interesting addition to a Sandhills golf menu that includes six courses by Donald Ross, five by Tom Fazio, and two dozen more by everyone from Ellis Maples to Jack Nicklaus. Coore & Crenshaw belong in the mix, given their courses have an old world patina and “golden age” glow. Ross achieved his look with mules and a drag pan, Coore with that old Smithco tractor buried in the sand on the outskirts of Pinehurst. PS Lee Pace, author of “Pinehurst Stories,” is an award-winning sportswriter and a longtime resident of Chapel Hill.

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April 2011

April 2011 Adolescent April April, May and June: Three young girls in flowered dresses Ruffled hems Wispy curls. They chirp, chirp, chirp Like baby robins Life is starting, starting, starting. April is the youngest, fairest, springest Barely budding. On her cheeks The flush of womanhood Not yet understood. May, her sister, Has awakened, knows the score But hardly more. Her violet eyes have opened, glisten Gleam with promise Unfulfilled. June is ripe, anon, with berries Sweetness teases, offers What? She cannot answer. No need. The lad she’s watching Gangly, blushing On his lip a shadow shows He knows. April listens as they chatter Sisters of a widening gap Safety, childhood melt behind her White and virgin winter snows. Ahead lies an uncertain summer Green and sultry Where her wiser sisters pause. April is Earth’s nubile daughter Blossoming from soft warm rain Her petal skin is aromatic Beckoning a likewise swain. “Wait for me,” April begs her sisters, In shaky, childlike, frightened tones: “…wait for me.” - Deborah Salomon

Photograph By Hannah Sharpe

The

Sandhil ls Celt

The Legacy of Hall of Famer Mickey Walsh Lives on Each Spring With the Renewal of the Stoneybrook Steeplechase By Nicole White

e fell in love with the Sandhills, but didn’t golf. The outdoors was his playground, but he didn’t fish or hunt. His gnarled hands weren’t from woodworking or tuning up cars, and even though he had a razor-sharp memory, he wasn’t a banker or businessman. But Michael G. Walsh knew one thing better than anyone around, and that was horses. “Dad lived and breathed horses,” Walsh’s daughter, Audrey Walsh Colgan, says. “Horses always came first. That’s just how it was, and none of us knew any different.” If his nickname, Mickey, or his permanently cocked newsboy’s hat didn’t tip you off, his still-thick Irish brogue was a dead give-away. Mickey Walsh was as Irish as they come. Born in Kildorrery, Ireland, Walsh was a fifth generation horseman. His father bred and trained horses by day and ran the Walsh’s Corner House Pub by night. With his sights set on a better way of life, Walsh was 19 when he set sail for America. Although he hadn’t planned on “messing with ’em [horses],” as he told one friend, it didn’t take Walsh long to realize his first job of digging ditches in Central Park wasn’t his calling. He soon found work as a stable hand at the barns on Long Island and started building his reputation as a talented horseman. Long Island not only set his path toward horses again, but also set the stage for a chance meeting with his high school sweetheart, Kathleen (Kitty) Roche. In Ireland, Kitty had lived in the next town over — the “bog,” as Walsh liked to tease her. A few years after he set sail for America, Kitty found herself making her way over the ocean as well. It was just a coincidence, she was quick to assure people, adamantly denying she

Mickey Walsh sitting on a favorite lead pony, Loco Patches, holding one of his most famous horses, Crag’s Corner, the winner of The Lovely Night Hurdle Handicap at Saratoga Race Track

Mickey Walsh jumping Little Squire with no bridle, saddle or helmet. Fence’s height is 7 ft. tall. A 1942 family photo: Mickey Walsh, with his five oldest children: Kathleen, Joanie, Sheila, Mickey Jr. and Maureen. The last three won races at the original Stoneybrook Steeplechase six years later.

Stoneybrook Farm advertisement, featuring boarding and schooling capacities with a photo of Mickey jumping three horses in tandem

The original Stoneybrook Steeplechase races: thousands lining the rails at Mickey’s farm

was following her future husband — a claim her children never quite believed. Homesick and disenchanted with her job in New York City, Kitty wrote just one letter to Walsh, and he was “Johnny on the spot” to help, notes Walsh’s youngest daughter, Phoebe Walsh Robertson. “Dad was working as a chauffeur then in addition to riding for George Milburn. He got her a job as a cook near him on Long Island,” she says. Their high school romance was rekindled and wedding bells rang in 1927. The two would prove nearly inseparable for the following 65 years. Later in life, Walsh would name a winning horse “3 Bells for Me” after his time as a chauffeur while courting Kitty. Story has it he never had a driver’s license the entire time. Once, when he and Kitty were stopped by the police on Long Island, Walsh responded with utterly convincing shock, “I never knew I needed one, Officer!” The early 1930s weren’t easy years. Not even the wealthy barns on Long Island could escape the crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression. Longtime friend and former president of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, Richard (Dick) Webb, recounts Walsh telling stories of riding horses from Long Island all the way to Central Park in the hope they would sell for just $50. Maybe it was the Irish blood, maybe it was the Depression, but Mickey Walsh was not

one who backed away from hard work. Times could be tough, but Walsh knew as long as he could ride, he’d be able to feed his family.

he break Walsh was looking for came in the late 1930’s when he was hired to ride for Mrs. Audrey Kennedy’s Seven Star Stable in Massachusetts. There Walsh met and rode mounts like Erin’s Son, who won at 7’6” at West Chester and Little Squire, the 13.2-hands pony with a larger than life heart. “Dad and Little Squire just took to each other,” said Robertson. “Little Squire would follow him around like a pet — he loved my dad.” Indeed, there was hardly anything Walsh asked that Little Squire wouldn’t do, including jumping fences 7 feet high with Walsh bareback, bridleless and bare-headed. They made show jumping history together, winning the 1936 National Jumping Championship in Madison Square Garden and the Open Jumper Championship in 1939. Walsh’s talent wasn’t relegated to just riding, but training and breeding too. He knew how to get all types to perform, and he never forgot a horse. “He had this uncanny ability to get a horse to do crazy things — like a horse whisperer,” recalls M. Nixon Ellis, who rode for Walsh.

(Left to right) Mickey Walsh; his daughter Joanie; Joanie’s friend Marge Baker; Mickey’s daughter Phoebe; Phoebe’s friend M. V. Morton.

Mickey Walsh in front; his daughter Sheila alongside on the grey horse with daughter Kathleen following.

Walsh first visited Southern Pines while showing for Audrey Kennedy and Eleanora Sears. With its tall pines and unbeatable footing, the Sandhills reminded Walsh of Ireland. He and Kitty had found their spot. They moved here in 1939, and bought Stoneybrook Farm in 1944. Walsh continued to show in prestigious events, competing for the last time at Madison Square Garden in 1950 to win both the Hunter Championship and the Green Hunter Title. By then his breeding and training operation was in full swing, and his own annual steeplechase meet, Stoneybrook, was in its third year. Building just a training operation, not to mention starting a steeplechase, was a gutsy move. He had no wealthy backing and no indication his stables would succeed. Many nights, with his family of eight living in the apartment above the stables, it seemed more appropriate to call home “Stoneybrook Farm.” And then calamity struck. In 1952 Walsh’s entire racing operation was in training at Belmont Park, N.Y., when a barn fire killed all six of his prized thoroughbreds. Every saddle, every bridle, every dream it seemed had gone up in smoke. But Walsh refused to be defeated. Just one year later the determined Celt was recognized as the country’s top steeplechase trainer and won the same accolade in 1954, 1955 and again in 1960. Two years after the Belmont fire, Walsh’s King Commander brought retribution by winning Horse of the Year. For the better part of a quarter century, Walsh was consistently among the country’s top four

trainers, both in races won and money earned, and was only the third person to ever earn a million dollars in steeplechasing. If Joe Palmer were around, he surely would have dubbed Walsh a “producer for the game.”

ver time Walsh garnered both wealth and prestige, but more important to him than both were his family and his horses. On both fronts, Kitty was his greatest partner and staunchest ally. “They were the perfect team,” says Charles Colgan, former executive vice-president of the National Steeplechase Association and husband to Walsh’s daughter Audrey. “He with his outstanding horsemanship, and she with her unswerving Irish wit, charm, and brains. He knew how to build a formidable racing stable, and she knew how to pay for it.” Together they established a golden reputation that still stands today. Walsh’s skill in building his racing stable came in part because of his talent with young jockeys. “Dad had a great gift for teaching,” says Robertson. “All young riders wanted the opportunity to train with ‘M.G.’” Webb was one of those riders who spent multiple seasons training with Walsh. “Mickey was always very generous; he always gave me horses to ride for

Ginnie Moss participated in the second steeplechase and won. Beating out all the male jockeys wasn’t even the biggest triumph, but doing so on her thoroughbred hunt horse, Battlewick, had everyone talking.

Kitty Walsh; unknown; Fritz Hollings, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina

At the Stoneybrook Ball: Bert (Mrs. Parker) Hall, Mickey and Kitty Walsh, Parker Hall, a Stoneybrook official. his Sunday schoolings,” Webb reminisces, and then with a wink adds, “and there were always so many lovely ladies around.” Webb recounts Walsh as more than just a horseman, but also a genial and fun-loving Catholic with a twinkle that never left his eye. “Mickey Walsh... he was a character! I remember a time Joanie [Walsh] and I had gotten on these two horses. Mickey was on his tractor in the front paddock spreading manure… Notre Dame’s boarding school for girls was just up the road and down the path in a single file line came the nuns with the girls on their way to church. Mother Superior was leading them and when she saw Mickey working on the Sabbath she made him come down off the tractor. From across the field, Joanie and I saw Mickey kneel down while Mother Superior bade the Father forgive him. The second Mother Superior was out of site around the corner, Mickey was right back on his tractor spreading manure.” His sheepish grin was evident from across the pasture. Undeniably, Walsh was an all-around great horsemen. In his early years he made his mark show jumping and then earned unparalleled respect by training winners over hurdles, brush, timber and on the flat. But his true love was always steeplechase racing. It would prove to be an ongoing love affair that would define much of the entire Walsh family for nearly 50 years. In the spring of 1948, at his Stoneybrook Farm, Walsh and his closest confidants worked by the light of the moon in the pelting rain to dig the last few stumps, fill the holes, and drag the race track smooth. It wasn’t the greatest place for a track — Walsh would be the first to admit that. It was rough and raw. It didn’t have a proper tower or railing, not to mention the fact that it was in his

back yard. That first year, with the track finished only the night before, hundreds of excited spectators showed up to partake in what quickly became an annual Sandhills’ tradition. Before long, 15,000 people strong went tromping through the Walshes’ back yard every year.

rom the beginning, the annual Stoneybrook Steeplechase brought together young and old, rich and poor, equestrian activists and those who just loved an exciting spectacle and a good Bloody Mary. Often, an old farm truck would find itself tailgating next to an Aston Martin or a Rolls Royce. A smartly dressed butler, serving his patrons off a silver platter, would tip his head to the newcomer in overalls as he hopped into the bed of his truck to tap a keg of Budweiser. This was Stoneybrook — the “Rite of Spring” as many called it. No matter how you celebrated, Stoneybrook was not an event to be missed. From the first running on St. Patrick’s Day 1948, Stoneybrook drew crowds from up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Although Walsh’s focus was always on the sport, it was the combination of the races, the cocktail parties and the fashion contests that attracted the top of the East Coast’s social registry. By 1953, the informal, home-grown day had evolved into a National Steeplechase and Hunt Association sanctioned race meet. Stoneybrook was a whole family affair and everyone pitched in. When most families would be going to the beach or heading for the mountains, the Walshes would be training, schooling and preparing for Stoneybrook. “Fiftyone weeks of the year I was a Hogan,” shares Bill Hogan, Walsh’s grandson.

T h e S a n d h i l l s c e lt

“But for the second week of April I was Joanie Walsh’s kid. It was our favorite time of the year.” From Walsh’s ancestors to his prodigy, horses have reigned. Walsh’s children and grandchildren have been instrumental in carrying on his legacy in both steeplechase racing and training. Numerous grandchildren are still in the Sandhills, including Tommy and Michael Walsh, who have both garnered names for themselves as jockeys and trainers; Dan McCollum, who trained multiple steeplechase winners for his mother’s stable, Yadkin Way Farm; and Kevin Cremins and Bertha Hogan, who have also been involved, training and owning race horses. The Walshes have multiplied and spread, but their enthusiasm, knowledge and talent within the equine world continue, aptly reflecting the Walsh who started it all. The races at Stoneybrook Farm ended in 1996 and were started again by the Carolina Horse Park in 2001. This year is the 60th running of the Stoneybrook Steeplechase, and will take place Saturday, April 9th. “Race day activities have evolved and grown through the years, but the foundation of Stoneybrook is and always will be the sport of ‘chasing.” The Walshes’ involvement in the community was ongoing and selfless. Whether it was Walsh emptying his own stables for the horses coming in for Stoneybrook, Kitty spending weeks beforehand preparing the lunch that would feed hundreds on race day, or both volunteering to give pony rides to the nuns and girls at the Notre Dame Academy on Young’s Road, Mickey and Kitty were known for going the extra mile. “It’s just the kind of people they were,” says Robertson. “They didn’t know how to be any different.” At the age of 80, Walsh finally slowed down a bit. Instead of training 40 to 50 horses, he worked on only 20. If he couldn’t be at the track, Walsh would say, he’d just as soon not be around. In 1975, Walsh was awarded steeplechasing’s highest honor, the F. Ambrose Clark Award. In 1976, he was elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, becoming the only horseman to be included. Walsh died in 1993 at the age of 86. He was inducted posthumously into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1995 and two years later into the Racing Hall of Fame. For the better part of 40 years, Mickey and Kitty Walsh were household names in the Sandhills community. Their family of eight children grew to 29 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. Although both are gone, every year with the return of the Stoneybrook Steeplechase, the legacy of the Walshes rides on. And in response to the Gaelic greeting on their front door, Cead Mile Failte, or “one hundred thousand welcomes,” we say, thank you Mickey and Kitty Walsh — the first couple of Sandhills Steeplechasing. PS

PineStraw’s 2011 Limerick Contest Picking our top three limericks was a tricky task, especially with an entire basket of witty Irish ditties to choose from. Nonetheless, here are our winners, plus a whole (blue) strew of honorable mentions we couldn’t bear not to print. Thanks to all who participated.

1st Place ed Flynn m a n t s r u h e om Pin An old man fr rin use for chag a c is e m a g Whose golf e yips Along with th hili-dips Came a few c . hat did him in w s a w k o o -h But the pull - Fred Zinn a to gift certificate

Winner received $100

2nd Place There was an old man from Moore Whose youth he sought to restore

3rd Place

He tried some Viagra And went to Niagara

There once was a man that liked beer,

But the main event was a snore.

It always brought him good cheer,

’Till he had more than a few,

- William D. Brewer

Winner received a $50 gift certificate to

Choked on his stew, And awoke to a wife with a sneer.

- Carolyn Renner

Winner received a $25 gift certificate to

w, t of his ja e s a h t i w aw The cop, t PineStr u o t u p t a u folks th Said: “Yo t that a tes w o n k d l t Shou ick is bes r e m i l e s ho For w w!” a state la n i l o r a C t Is agains rummond D w e l L y r - Mer

oved to Pinehurst. People ask why we m the worst. Quite frankly, it isn’t He listed excuses I know the truth is… golf he will burst! If my husband can’t - Kristin Mueller

There once was an Irish laddie Who was an excellent caddie He had the gift of the sight Could club you just right But, alas, my game is still shabby.

- Patricia Black

A mustachio’d author named Rounds, s! Being prep’d by his doc, shouted, “Zound

You may shave ’round my ass, ‘Tho’ I do think that’s crass, !!” But my beard, man, that is out-of-bounds - Georganne T. Austin

I’d do anything to win a free dinner But I’m not sure this poem’s a winner I don’t write with style Not even with guile But the good news is at least I’ll stay thinner.

- David V. Picker

I’ve got a grand

with auburn ha

ir. folks always sta re. She knows she’s cute, While gram’s an ol’ coot — Together we ma ke quite the pair ! - Marilee Hays When we go out

There once was a mailman from Nantucket One day he told his boss to shuck it So he went to the sea Where they let him be Now he rakes clams in his bucket.

- Jamie Eilert

ud of her two o r p is e h s s Upstair s want to do y u g e th s ir Her downsta e I find The challeng ind rching my m a e s s e lv o v In . oing too blue g t u o h it w r To find humo udi Anderson R

With tofu my heart will stop tickin’ And eggplant will cause me to sicken No quinoa or curd Just flip me the bird This carnivore’s stickin’ with chicken.

- Michael B. Fox

There once was a fair-haired Swede,

Who thought she had all she could need.

Then along came a man,

With big feet and hands,

And now all she needs is some sleep.

- Tim O’Shaughnessy

Col. Bob, whil

Courted girls

st stationed a

t Bragg,

with his shin y new Jag. When he foun d one that wo uld They climbed out on the ho od, The better to zig and to zag !!! - Quincy

, rack meet t e h t t a t in the lo ’Twas out ck seat; a b e h t o t in aulted him That she v dark car, And in the r; lear the ba c id d t s ju He last heat. e h t r fo d ee pole he’d n w e n a t u B um - Bill Mang

A Legend and a

Gentleman An evening at the Movies With david Picker

By Jim DoDSon

et me tell you about the first time I met a famous Hollywood film studio head. Actually, David Picker is the only Hollywood film studio head I’ve ever met — but, my towering regard of him notwithstanding, David is one of the biggest and most beloved moviemakers in the history of Tinseltown. Which, in nutshell, explains why I was uncharacteristically fidgety when I went to New York to meet David Picker in the late autumn of 1997. At that time, I’d just published a memoir about taking my dying dad back to Scotland to play the golf courses where he’d learned to play during the Second World War, and David had purchased the rights to make the book into a feature film. At that moment, David was the president of Hallmark Films. It appeared that Final Rounds was going to be made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, which suited me just fine. Frankly, I had no idea what to expect from this experience save for complaints I’d heard from other authors whose books were optioned by major studios that I would most likely come away hating the studios and Hollywood in general, feeling the soul of my book betrayed. Hoping to find out something in advance about David Picker, I did a bit of research and discovered he’d been the head of several major studios and made some of my favorite movies, including Tom Jones, Midnight Cowboy, Last Tango In Paris, Days Of Heaven, Lenny, Being There, and Ordinary People. He was also responsible for major hits like Saturday Night Fever, Ordinary People, and An Officer And A Gentleman. If that weren’t sufficient for celluloid immortality, he was the man who lured the Beatles to the United States and made their hit movie Help. About that same time, he also convinced a young unknown actor named Sean Connery to star in the first half-dozen James Bond movies. He eventually discovered comedian Steve Martin and made several of his best films including The Jerk. During David Picker’s time as the head of United Artists, he lured a host of celebrated European directors to American theaters for the first time, including Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Francois Truffaut, Louis Malle, and Sergio Leone. You no doubt begin to see why I was a tad nervous to meet this guy. But in walked a big charming fellow who greeted me warmly, then spent more than an hour talking about my book, which it turned out he was terribly passionate about making into a film. We went to lunch, and I began to realize this guy was not only a class act — genial, relaxed, disarmingly low-key, full of stories and funny as blazes — but exactly the kind of fellow I would wish to make Final Rounds into a film. We formed a private partnership — and better yet, deep friendship — that endures to this day. For a number of reasons that directly relate to a rapidly changing movie world, despite two trips to the altar with major studios, David and I haven’t been able to get Final Rounds translated to the screen the way we feel it ought to be made. Perhaps in time that will happen. If it does, it will happen because David Picker has never wavered in his belief that this intimate story deserves to be told in a certain manner, maintaining the integrity of a book a lot of people seem to love. And that’s just one reason why I love David Picker and personally wish to invite you to a remarkable intimate evening with this moviemaking legend at the Sunrise Theater on April 21, 7 p.m., celebrating his life in films and hearing his incomparable insights on the movie industry. As chairman emeritus of the Producers Guild East, David is in constant demand as a guest lecturer at leading film schools, and is currently in the process of finishing up his memoirs about his remarkable life in American films. Having spent years coaxing great stories about Hollywood and some of the biggest films ever made out of David, I’m thrilled at the prospect of having an entire evening to view clips of his best known movies and hear him share tales about their creation. We’ll be sure to leave time for you to ask him about your favorite stars and films, too. If you love the movies, you won’t want to miss this extraordinary evening at the Sunrise, a production of PineStraw magazine. Your only admission cost will be a donation to benefit the Coalition for Human Care. PS PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

Sandhills Photography Club Transportation Competition

The Sandhills Photography Club welcomes all who have an interest in improving their photography skills and gaining the technical knowledge that goes along with it. The club meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at Christ Fellowship Church on Midland Road at Pee Dee. Regardless of skill or background, any prospective member is invited to attend. Website: sandhillsphotoclub.org

Class A 2nd Place

Jim Davis Sunset Landing

Class A - 1st Place Len Barnard Amtrak Arrival

Class A - 3rd Place Donna Ford Vintage VB

Class A - Honorable Mention Len Barbard Sicily Air Drop

Class A - Honorable Mention

Dave Verchick In the Heart of Every Porsche Lies a Race Car 72

Class A - Honorable Mention Mike Stratil A Bat Out of Hell

Class B - 2nd Place

Class B - 1st Place

John German Pilot Boat

Debra Regula Big Rig

Class B Honorable Mention Lois Pollard Car Wash

Class B 3rd Place

Alison Earl Waiting to Carry Out Precious Cargo

Class B Honorable Mention

Kathy Green Dashboard Sunset

Class B - Honorable Mention John German For Hire

Class B - Honorable Mention Kathy Green Pair of Threes

Class B - Honorable Mention Barbara Milson A Day at the Racetrack

Story of a house

The Bucks Stop Here A “Cradle” of Civility Lures New Yorkers By Deborah Salomon • Photographs By Glenn Dickerson

et’s say newlyweds Will and Kate Windsor desire a post-honeymoon retreat where they can play the iconic Scottish game and whatever. The ideal digs would be British/European formal sprinkled with youthful whimsy. Someplace offering a master suite reminiscent of a five-star Paris hotel, Asian art (ah, Hong Kong), quarters for their staff, a garage for the Bentley, a cellar for the wine and a sun-dappled French country kitchen for morning tea and scones. Glorious gardens and a swimming hole go without saying. A private airport — perfect. For all this done up in not-too-Tudor architecture, the Windsors need only contact a man raised in a basic cross-hall Colonial in Ohio and a woman from a modest East Texas cottage. “My mother was a widow,” Lucille Buck says. “We struggled.” Struggle over. Jim and Lucille Buck divide the year between an East Side Manhattan apartment, their primary residence, and Berceau (French for cradle). The Pinehurst gem is a museum of fine fabrics, eye-popping wallpaper, heirloom furnishings and a desk belonging to Academy Award-winner Loretta Young. “She was famous and pretty,” Jim says. “I liked her.” In truth, Berceau is the house the New York Stock Exchange built. Jim Buck, an attorney, served as senior vice-president and corporate secretary for the exchange. Buck was stranded on Wall Street when the second plane hit the South Tower on Sept. 11. His book, “The New York Stock Exchange: The First 200 Years,” is considered a definitive text. Lucille was associated with prestigious Hewitt School in New York and National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., as teacher/administrator. An award, aptly nicknamed “Gumption,” bears her name. Pre-Bucks, pre-Berceau, the Tudor residence already owned a chunk of Pinehurst history. Circa 1910, Leonard Tufts approached Dr. Myron Marr of Boston about becoming the Pinehurst Resort physician during the October-to-May season. His position warranted a showplace home close to the Carolina Hotel. Marr House (and pool, still operational) was designed and built about 1921 in a relaxed Tudor style by Boston architects, to accommodate the family and servants. Photos from the 1930s show them spread on the lawn, with children, grandchildren and dogs. The Marr family lived in the house until the doctor’s death in the early 1950s. Jim and Lucille are only the fourth owners in 90 years. They met at Duke University graduate school and married in 1960. Their first house was seven rooms, nothing special, in Kansas.

Above: Comfortably Tudor, the vacation home enjoyed by Lucille and Jim Buck was built for Pinehurst Resort’s first doctor. Right: Private and serene, the gardens, added by the Bucks, are four-season lovely. Photographs of Garden by Hannah Sharpe

April 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . e Sandhills

Left: Lucille Buck waited years for the right house to use this favorite floral fabric. Dark beams were lightened — more cheerful, the owners say. Above: The Bucks’ formal living room is often the site for arts events.

Left: Loretta Young’s desk (and photo) and original stock exchange “seat” (middle) join memorabilia in Jim Buck’s office. Right: Jim and Lucille Buck, at their not-so-sweet garden.

Jim harbored bigger ideas. “I had an absolutely unqualified dream that I would live in a house like this (Berceau).” Drives through upscale Tudor-studded neighborhoods in Ohio fueled his boyhood ambition. Once home, he drew pictures. The Bucks lived in a Monument house (after architect Josh Schweitzer’s minimalist cube design), a Bannerman (Greek revival), a shingled Cape Cod, a Hamptons beach weekender. “But I always wanted more,” Jim says. More than their spacious New York City co-op which, he continues, was “the center of the universe at that time.” Lucille eventually diverged. “I wanted a house in the South — a big old house I could renovate.” Jim acquiesced: “I had kept her in New York all those years. We were close to retirement. She ought to have what she wanted.” Oddly, their search began in Rhode Island, moving on to Connecticut, Chesapeake Bay, Savannah and Augusta. During a visit with their daughter in Charlotte the Bucks investigated Pinehurst — known to them from a biography of Gen. George Marshall, a resident during the 1940s. They drove over, fell in love, found a prospect but lost it. Better luck next time. Videos of Marr House lured them down again. “It smelled right,” Lucille says. “East Texas had longleaf pines, azaleas and gardenias. I felt at home.” Jim recognized the Tudor grande dame of his dreams. The house, although well-preserved, needed freshening. Or, as Lucille diplomatically offers: “A lot of things had been done that were best undone.” “We undid them,” says Brenda Lyne, the Pinehurst interior designer who, with Margaret Page, carried out Lucille’s décor mission, stated as “Barefoot formal … a place where the grandchildren can sit on the sofa and eat popcorn.” No matter that the sofa is upholstered in the exact rich cream, red and green Brunschwig et Fils fabric chosen by Kennedy White House decorator Albert Hadley for Brooke Astor’s library. Lucille spotted the fabric long ago but held out for suitable surroundings.

Whimsy, whimsy everywhere — elevator statuary, carousel pony on the staircase landing and fashion posters in the granddaughters rooms.

he 5,000-plus-square-foot house has a longitudinal footprint perpendicular to Linden Road, with a servants’ wing on one end, a circular drive and darling brick rear patio added by the Bucks, who also camouflaged the front-yard pool with a brick wall. Niceties of the period include a copious butler’s pantry, telephone nook off the entrance hall, Lucille’s “pouting room” (former sleeping porch, now a dressing room where she hangs professional citations), cathedral window on the main staircase landing, a library, breakfast alcove in the formal dining room, a reading L in the living room, screened porch. Magnificent heart of pine strip-board floors bear cleat marks from Dr. Marr’s golfing guests. Oppressively dark beams and woodwork were lightened. Lyne opened up a few spaces, added showers to bathrooms fitted with original fixtures, but no major structural changes were needed. Amazingly, the Bucks wallpapered the entire interior, which gives each room texture and individuality. “Jim and I decided wallpaper is what holds the house together,” says Lucille, with characteristic wit. “In fact, if we found some we really, really liked, we might wallpaper ourselves.” In several rooms, wallcoverings approach art. “Lucille has a fun way of looking at things,” Lyne says. This attitude sings in the kitchen, where a wallpaper of giant Delft-blue platters echoes the blue Viking range. Soignée fashion drawings dominate wallpaper in the granddaughters’ girly bedroom. English china teacups are the motif of Lucille’s pouting room, carried from wallpaper to cushions to real ones on the dressing table. Fanciful birds adorn the upstairs laundry room. Some ceilings are covered in anaglypta, a

dimensional wallpaper resembling tin tiles, which can be painted. On other walls, stripes, mini-geometrics, French toile and Asian patterns backdrop window treatments, paintings and photographs. But risers on the back stairs bear captions like “Eat Less, Chew More.” Fun continues in the children’s (formerly servants’) wing, with a rubber ducky bathroom — dozens, in all sizes, everywhere. In place of a toiletries cabinet, Lucille used metal school lockers, lacquered bright red. And in the full-sized elevator (!) she tucked a statue of a woman dressed only in a hat and pearls. “Not everyone’s that brave,” Lyne says. “Lucille knows her style.”

ucille also knows the stories behind her acquisitions. The guest room, in soft avocado tones, displays a cradle which holds a framed love letter, dated 1852, from a relative named Amanda, who also stitched the quilt nestling beside it. Jim’s boyhood bed, also his father’s, centerpiece other rooms. One painting of a fishing vessel was done by an artist on young Jim’s paper route. “After the artist died, his wife gave us the painting for a wedding gift,” Lucille says. A massive bed with four posters and lavish drapery suspended from the ceiling dominates the master suite, with room to spare for a stacked chinoise armoire. Here, fabrics, wallcoverings and furniture in soft gold and dark woods blend Asian with Williamsburg. The long upstairs hallway forms a gallery of Manhattan photographs, an homage to the place where, Lucille says, her juices flow.

Giant print wallpaper, and an old mantelpiece and museum frames (left) make the country kitchen a charming mish-mash. Butlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pantry (to die for) and breakfast nook speak of the genteel, early-20th-century resort lifestyle.

Another wall features Hilary Knight’s Eloise posters created for a book event reflecting Lucille’s involvement with education. And the staircase landing stages Lucille’s prize: an antique carousel pony found at a resale shop in New York. “All my life I wanted one.” Strangely, she passed it by, then reconsidered. “When I went back, it had been reduced by 30 percent.” Lucille uses her formal dining room for community events, recently a Chinese New Year dinner for the arts council.

“T

his is Jim’s shrine,” Lucille announces as she enters the office adjoining the living room. Near her husband’s portrait commissioned by a former NYSE chairman stands a broad-armed chair resembling a student desk. This, Jim explains proudly, is an original Board of Governors

seat, per the “a seat on the exchange” expression. He also owns a wooden number from the pre-electronic “big board.” Jim retired from his position in 2001 but retains a strong attachment: “The harshness of retirement is that information doesn’t come to me anymore,” he says. “I have to piece it together myself.” Beside his office stands a sweet little bench that was his mother’s sewing kit and, nearby, the Godiva chocolates box he filled for their daughter each Valentine’s Day. Berceau, exuding intelligence and taste, fits Jim and Lucille Buck like a kid glove with pearl buttons. “There’s a lot of Jim and me in this house,” Lucille says. They glory in its spaciousness: “We don’t rattle around, we keep it going,” she adds. Berceau attracts their grown children, who come down and spread out when the couple leaves for New York. “The grandchildren think it’s cool that Grandma has a pool.” Beyond cool. More like fit for a king-to-be and his princess. PS

Above: The Bucks’ master bedroom is a masterpiece of fine European fabrics, classic American furniture and Asian motifs.

Top: English teacups — everywhere — in Lucille’s dressing room, formerly a sleeping porch. Above: What guest wouldn’t love this bedroom, with Jim’s childhood bed and a window seat?

Surprises in the Garden An Ancient Labyrinth and Bounty of Tulips and Daffodils Herald Spring in Diane Vosilus’s Pinewild Garden

By Noah Salt very garden holds its surprises, but Diane Vosilus has made something of an art of the surprise in her beautiful Pinewild garden. As you read this, several hundred tulips and thousands of naturalized bulbs of almost every sort will be reaching bloom stage in her wild and witty garden — the impressive result of a decade of careful planting and cultivating, an annual process that requires her, among other things, to plant more than 350 new varieties in a spacious island bed every fall for a few weeks of tulip glory in late March and early April, after which Diane carefully digs up the bulbs, stores them in a cool dry place, then typically passes them to her gardening friends even as she’s deciding on what varieties to try next year. Such is Tulip Madness — a sweet malady common to folks who regard the tulip as the monarch of the spring garden. “It’s admittedly a lot of work, but so worth it,” Diane explained on a recent warm spring afternoon while tooling around her garden with a “dibble” — read: bulb planting tool — in hand, one of half a dozen of varying sizes she owns. “I think of my garden as a dramatic and ever-evolving space. I’m always in search of something new, and the reward of seeing a flower I’ve never seen in my garden before is always a great surprise. Tulips are perfect for that.” But tulips aren’t the only surprise, merely the showiest. If nature takes its usual course — meaning nights remain cool and daytime temperatures gradually increase — a wave of more than 3,500 naturalized daffodils in bloom will fill the woodland pines around the Vosilus house and herald the arrival of spring in late March, followed by a grand spring finale of late-blooming tulips in April that is a little different every year. Scattered around her property are individual beds chock- full of dwarf iris and crocuses that add bright touches of bloom and color as the pageant unfolds. “I really never know what to expect until they simply appear. Last year’s tulips were really magnificent,” she notes. “Lots of wonderful ivory white and pale and rose pink varieties, even some tangerines in the mix. It was sensational while it lasted.” Ah, to paraphrase the Bard, unlike endless summer in these parts, spring’s lease hath too short a lease. Many crack gardeners, in fact, will tell you they have no luck whatsoever cultivating and producing robust beds

of tulips. Between our dry summer heat and marauding deer populations, what chance do tulips — traditionally a cool climate bulb — have? Wind and rabbits are also no friend to the regal tulip. But Diane Vosilus seems to have cracked the Sandhills tulip code. Friends rave about her tulips, especially her island tulip bed that greets visitors in her driveway. If all goes as planned, this year the space will feature a bounty of ivory and a mix of light and dark violet tulips. “I buy my tulip bulbs from the same source in Virginia Beach every year and usually like to wait until the last possible moment to place my order. When they arrive, I open them up and let them breath for a bit in a cool dark place before I plant them close together in my front bed.” After planting her bulbs in tight configuration for the effect of a mass blooming, she only gives them a shot of “Bulb Booster” and avoids traditional fertilizers like blood meal — guaranteed to attract nibbling critters, she says. In order to keep the deer off guard, several posts around the property are equipped with electronic infrared “Night Guard” devices that simulate the eyes of larger predators. Diane and husband Harry moved to the Sandhills a decade or so ago from Arlington, Virginia, and built a classic Pinehurst cottage-style home in Pinewild in late 2002. Both are Navy veterans. Upon retirement from the Navy some years back, Diane took a psychological test (“eager to learn what I might be good at...” ) that revealed she should either consider a secondary career in library science or horticultural planning. She promptly enrolled in landscape design

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011 Photograph this page by Hannah Sharpe

HomeStyles at George Washington University and eventually went to work for a nursery designing gardens. “I was eager for the day to come when I wanted to have my own landscape to design and play with.” The concept of play seems apt for Diane to use in relation to her style of active gardening, for all around the couple’s two-acre property are delightful little gardens highlighted by an ever-changing tapestry of perennials and bulbs and made all the more appealing and whimsical by imaginative uses of sculpture and ordinary utilitarian objects. A curved garden wall faces those arriving, for example, featuring the inset face of a mythological Green Man and leading the way to a courtyard. A rear rock garden off her back terrace uses old railroad plates to help hold mulch in place, symbolic of the half a dozen trains that ramble past the house every week at the back of their property. A nearby wash was decorated with stone and bits of blue glass and various spring bulbs, producing the effect of vernal spring. In other places, giant earthen pots have a wind-harp that emotes a soothing sound. Maybe the biggest surprise, and most clever use of her landscape artistry, lies in the rear portion of her property, where she used soil taken from the adjacent golf course during a renovation to create novel berms that have been lushly overgrown with native pine saplings. It’s here she’s chosen to naturalize daffodils by the thousands, adding roughly 300 or so bulbs a year over the last eight or nine years. She intends to keep adding them until ... well, whenever. “I got the idea years ago when I read about a woman who put in a hundred or so daffodils every autumn for years. Eventually her property was covered with them and people made special trips just to see them in bloom. I’d like my garden to be like that someday.” In the meantime, when the daffodils and tulips aren’t on show, two features invariably command the fortunate visitor’s attention. One is a stunning metal sculpture by Raleigh artist Mike Roig — a kind of Mad Mad weathervane — that presides over a beautiful large labyrinth that features a gorgeous polished sitting stone in the middle. The stones marking the path to the calm center are set from a famous quarry in the ancient Uwharrie hills, aptly enough, and moss has naturally occurred in the labyrinth. “I wanted a place where people could come and walk and withdraw into their own world,” explains Diane, recalling a close friend who found spiritual succor and healing walking her beautiful labyrinth. “That’s really what a garden is for me — a place to be in nature. I love golf, too, but my garden is where you’ll almost always find me now.” She smiles and adds, “I’m either digging up bulbs or planting new ones, eager to see what surprises the next season brings, always eager to try something new.” PS

LYNETTE WILLLIAMS Broker

Specializing in all of Moore County

910.295.6056

lynettwllms@aol.com www.foxcreekre.com

Fort Bragg Military Relocation Specialist Got orders? Let Elaine make your buying or selling transition simple. Call today.

Elaine Rios 910-528-2204

Elaine@FortBraggRelocations.com www.FortBraggRelocations.com

“

HomeStyles

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"CCNC Golf Front" Gleaming hardwood floors, open sunny kitchen and family room, lovely Carolina room overlooking pond and Cardinal course, views from almost every room. Formal living and dining rooms, 3BR, 2BA, 2half-baths, 3755 sq. ft., 2 fireplaces and 2 wraparound porches, this is a fine home in a perfect setting. $686,000

homeowners insurance value in town.

”

"CCNC Villa Ready to Enjoy" Encircling lake front frames this villa. Lake views everywhere, 3BR, 2-story family room, wet bar, eat-in kitchen, Carolina room, separate living and dining rooms, office loft, a fun home in great location. Now priced at $525,000 completely furnished.

State Farm Agent:

Jim Leach Joel Rich 910.315.4009

www.findhomesofpinehurst.com www.prudentialpinehurst.com ©2011 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. An independently owned and operated broker member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Hwy 211 West, Pinehurst, NC 910-215-8150

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“Call me when you refinance your home for a great rate.”

MAGNIFICENT HOME Pinewild Country Club — Gated Community

Unique Design, lushly landscaped with golf and water views. Amenities include a Theater, Wine Cellar, Carolina room, Recreation and Bonus rooms, Wonderful Gourmet Kitchen. More than 5,500 sq. ft. with 4 bedrooms, and 5.5 baths. MORE AT WWW.28KILBERRYDRIVE.COM

EVA TONEY 910.638.0972 eva@pinehurst.net www.realestateinpinehurst.com ©2011 Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities. An independently owned and operated broker member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license. Equal Housing Opportunity.

HomeStyles

Investment and Multiple Property Loans Local Service & Flexible Programs VA, FHA, USDA, Conventional, & Jumbo Mortgages

Chet Mann 919.777.0114

cmann@primelending.com NMLS: 171268 &KDWKDPP 6WUHHW Â&#x2021; 6DQIRUG 1& www.chetmann.com

Â© 2011 PrimeLending, A PlainsCapital Company. Trade/service marks are the property of PlainsCapital Corporation, PlainsCapital Bank, or their respective affiliates and/or subsidiaries. Some products may not be available in all states. This is not a commitment to lend. Restrictions apply. All rights reserved. PrimeLending, a PlainsCapital Company (NMLS #: 13649) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of a state-chartered bank and is an exempt lender in NC.

,0 0

FIVE POINTS HORSE PARK area 20 acres with private pond and great pasture. Really beautiful

1 Brassie Circle-Foxfire Village MLS 141939 EXCELLENT INSIDE & OUT! Great Things come in 3's! 3BR/ 3BA! 3 Car Garage! Tremendous Kitchen w/Island! Travertine & Ceramic Tile. Spa Like Master BA. 2nd Master Suite. Almost 1 Acre! Walk to Golf Course! Almost 2500 sq. ft. Amazing condition! All for $282,000! 150 Drumar Ct, Southern Pines MLS 141250 ADORABLE COTTAGE GOLF FRONT - HYLAND HILLS, 3BR/ 2BA. Fantastic Culde-sac local. 2 Carolina Rooms! Lovely Views. Wonderfully maintained interior & exterior. Soft color pallet.Wood Deck & Fenced Yard. Immaculate! Quick to Ft. Bragg! Priced to sell $245,000!

14 Bobolink Rd. , FoxfireVillage MLS 140793 GOLF FRONT - Almost 1 Acre! All BRICK & Custom Built! Vaulted Ceiling LR. 3BR/2.5BA. Huge Kitchen. Carolina Rm. Circle Drive. 2 Car garage & Golf Cart Garage. Fantastic Views! Only $295,000

FIVE POINTS HORSE PARK area 42 acres, lake front, pasture, trees off Montrose

Binky Albright Properties LLC 910-315-2622

www.binkyalbright.com M E M B E R

F I R M

April Sunday

PINEHURST HARNESS TRACK SPRING MATINEE RACES. 1 p.m. (910) 603-5695. WEYMOUTH CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES. 3 p.m. (910) 692-6261

ROOSTER’S WIFE CONCERT SERIES. 6:45 p.m. “Katharine Whalen & Her Fascinators” and “Cinder Conk.” The Poplar Knight Spot. (910) 944-7502 or www. theroosterswife.com.

Monday

MEET THE AUTHOR. 4 p.m. Acclaimed NC writer Angela Davis-Gardner returns with Butterfly’s Child. The Country Bookshop. Information: www.thecountrybookshop.biz or (910) 692-3211

ART CLASS. 11 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Artists

League of the Sandhills, (910) 944-3979 or www. artistleague.org. PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB MEETING. 7 p.m. www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.

MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Michael Lee West. The Country Bookshop. (910) 692-3211 BENEFIT GOLF TOURNAMENT. Shotgun at 1 p.m.; ltaylor@monteithco.com.

Tu e s d a y

CLASS. 510 a.m.ART - 3 p.m. Artists

Friday MOTHER & SON ART 1EXHIBIT. Sandhills Community College. (910) 695-3995

ART EXHIBIT & OPENING RECEPTION. 6 - 8 p.m., (910) 6922787 or www.mooreart.org

We d n e s d a y

COOKING CLASS: Guiltless Comfort. 5: 30 p.m. Elliott’s on Linden. (910) 295-3663

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 - 4 p.m. Bring infants and toddlers (birth through 5 years) for stories, songs and fun. The Southern Pines Public Library. (910) 692-8235 or www. sppl.net

RUTH PAULY 12 LECTURE SERIES: An

HOME & 13 GARDEN TOUR. 10

TEA WITH BEATRIX POTTER. 2:30 p.m. Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlor. (910) 255-0100

CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. 7 p.m. Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. (910) 687-4746

League of the Sandhills. (910) 944-3979 or www. artistleague.org

Evening with Nicholas Sparks. 7:30 p.m. Owens Auditorium, SCC

a.m. - 5 p.m. Campbell House. (910) 295-4617

Thursday GATHERING AT 7 GIVEN. 3:30 p.m.. Given Memorial Library. (910) 295-6022.

MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Denny Emerson. The Country Bookshop, www.thecountrybookshop.biz NORTH 14 CAROLINA

SYMPHONY: 8 p.m. Pinecrest High School Auditorium. (877) 627-6724 TRUNK SHOW. Opulence of Southern Pines at The Mews. (910) 603-0336

PRESCHOOL 20 STORYTIME. 3:30 - 4

MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Patricia Harman. The Country Bookshop. (910) 692-3211

MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Donald Davis. The Country Bookshop. (910) 692-3211

ART CLASS. 26 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Artists

League of the Sandhills. (910) 944-3979 or www. artistleague.org

SENIOR EVENT: Birthday Party & Bingo. 12 p.m. Douglas Community Center. (910) 692-7376

COOKING CLASS: Supper in a Snap. 5:30 p.m. Elliott’s on Linden. (910) 295-3663

WOMEN GONE WINE. 5 - 7 p.m. The Village Wine Shop. (910) 295-5100.

TOUR DE TRIKE. 5:30 p.m. The Sunrise Theater. (910) 692-2413

ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Impressionist Oils and Acrylics with Irene Dobson. Artists League of the Sandhills. (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org.

p.m. The Southern Pines Public Library. (910) 692-8235

SENIOR EVENT: Ava Gardner Museum Fieldtrip. 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. (910) 692-7376

MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Robin Oliviera. The Country Bookshop. (910) 692-3211

JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 - 10 p.m. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery, Riverton Road. (910) 369-0411 WALKING TOUR 8AND HISTORIC HIGH TEA. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. (910)235-8415

UNTAPPED: Belgium Beer Tasting. 5:30 p.m. Elliott’s on Linden. (910) 215-0775 WINE TASTING. 6 - 8:30 p.m. The Village Wine Shop. (910) 295-5100

UNCORKED: Battle of the 15 Old World Wine Tasting. 5:30 p.m. Elliott’s on Linden. (910) 215-0775.

CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. 7 p.m. Owens Auditorium, SCC. (910) 687-4746 WINE TASTING. 6 - 8:30 p.m. The Village Wine Shop. (910) 295-5100

PINE NEEDLES JUNIOR INVITATIONAL. Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club. (800) 747-7272 MEET THE ARTIST. 12 - 3 p.m. Studio 590 is the working studio of artists Betty DiBartolomeo and Harry Neely. 590 Dowd Circle, Pinehurst South. (910) 315-6256 or (910) 639-9404

SWINGTIME. Presented by Moore OnStage. Steve Menendez will direct. Reservations required. (910) 692-7118 RUN FOR THE ROSES WINE TASTING. 6 - 9 p.m. The Fair Barn. (910) 692-3323

April

PineStraw MAGAZINE Saturday

CORN HOLE TOURNAMENT. 4 - 6 p.m. The Village Wine Shop. (910) 295-5100 DINING IN THE DARK. 6:30 - 9 p.m. Country Club of North Carolina, Pinehurst. Information: MIRA office at (910) 944-7757 FREE WINE TASTING: Spanish Values. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775

STONEYBROOK STEEPLECHASE: 60th annual event. Gates open at 9:30 a.m.; (910) 875-2074 or www.carolinahorsepark.com THE MET AT THE SUNRISE. 1 p.m. Rossini’s le Comte Ory, Live in HD. The Sunrise Theater. Tickets: www.sunrisetheater.com ILLUSION OF ELVIS CONCERT. 7 p.m. Reservations and information: (910) 245-7231

CLENNY CREEK DAY. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Bryant House. (910) 692-2051 SPRING BARN DANCE. 6 p.m. McLendon Hills Equestrian Center. (910) 246-3202 or www.prancinghorse.org.) 215-0775 CELEBRATION OF SPRING IN SEAGROVE. : www.DiscoverSeagrove.com

THE MET AT THE SUNRISE: 23 Strauss’s Capriccio. Live in HD. 1 p.m. The Sunrise Theater. Tickets: www.sunrisetheater.com

FREE WINE TASTING: French Values. Reds under $15. Elliott’s on Linden. (910) 215-0775 LONGLEAF PINE HORSE TRIALS. Carolina Horse Park. (910) 875-2074

Arts & Entertainment Calendar

April 1 – 15

April 5

AARP TAX HELP. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. A.A.R.P. Tax Help will be available at the Southern Pines Library on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Clients must register onsite. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 West Connecticut Ave. Information: www.sppl.net.

April 1 – 21 MOTHER & SON ART EXHIBIT. The works of Evelyn Condon Dempsey and son, John Richard Dempsey III. The Hastings Gallery, Katharine L. Boyd Library, Sandhills Community College. Information and schedule: (910) 695-3995.

April 1 – 27 ART SHOW & SALE: On Being Human. 12 - 3 p.m. (Monday - Saturday) Witness what it means to be human as artists confront the amazing range of the human experience and tackle incorporating the human form in some manner in the visual field. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org.

April 1 UNCORKED: Battle of the Old World Wine Tasting. 5:30 p.m. Piedmonte v. Veneto. Which will win? Cost: $20. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775. ART EXHIBIT & OPENING RECEPTION. 6 - 8 p.m. Featuring Ben Owen Pottery and William Mangum Art. Exhibit on display through April 29. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-2787 or www.mooreart.org. JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 – 10 p.m. Live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres, rain or shine. Admission: $8. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery, Riverton Road, Wagram. Information: (910) 369-0411. MEET THE ARTIST. 12 - 3 p.m. Studio 590 is the working studio of artists Betty DiBartolomeo and Harry Neely. Located by the pond in the Dowd Cabin, 590 Dowd Circle, Pinehurst South. Information: (910) 315-6256 or (910) 639-9404.

April 2 PRAYER TALK. 11 a.m. Christian Science Healing: Praying with Certainty. A public talk to be given by Kevin Graunke, CSB of Milwaukee, WI. Horticulture Center at Sandhills Community College. Information: (910) 692-7759.

SPRINGFEST. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 30 (910) 692-2463 or visit www.southernpines.biz

CORN HOLE TOURNAMENT. 4 - 6 p.m. Food, wine and beer at The Village Wine Shop, 80 Magnolia Rd, Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-5100.

THE MET AT THE SUNRISE: Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Live in HD. 1 p.m. The Sunrise Theater. Tickets: www.sunrisetheater.com

DINING IN THE DARK. 6:30 - 9 p.m. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and the celebrated music of Danny Infantino, followed by a unique sensory dining experience. Event benefits MIRA USA, the only organization providing guide dogs to blind children and youth between the ages of 11-16. Country Club of North Carolina, Pinehurst. Information and reservations: MIRA office at (910) 944-7757.

OYSTERFEST. 4 - 8 p.m. Held at the lot on the corner of Bennett and New York (behind the Southern Pines post office). www.jlmcnc.org

FREE WINE TASTING: Spanish Values. Spain is full of great wines (at great prices). Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775.

April 4 MEET THE AUTHOR. 4 p.m. Acclaimed NC writer Angela Davis-Gardner returns with Butterfly’s Child, her new novel that begins where Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly” ends. The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Information: www.thecountrybookshop.biz or (910) 692-3211. Key: Art

Music/Concerts

Dance/Theater

Film

SENIOR EVENT: National Garden Month. 11:30 a.m. Honor National Garden Month by planting herbs in a pot. Cost: $3 (residents); $6 (non-residents). Fee includes supplies for herbs. Douglas Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-7376. COOKING CLASS: Guiltless Comfort. 5:30 p.m. Texas Chicken Fried Steak with Peppercorn Cream Gravy, Buttered Dill New Potatoes, Tender Asparagus with Lemon & White Balsamic Vinaigrette & Coconut Cream Cupcake. Cost: $30. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-3663.

April 6 PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 - 4 p.m. Bring infants and toddlers (birth through 5 years) for stories, songs and fun. The Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. Information: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

April 7 ART CLASS. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Diane Kraudelt instructs “Creating With Oils.” Cost: $110 (Supplies included). Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org. GATHERING AT GIVEN. 3:30 p.m. The Plant Diva Linda Hamwi will talk about putting together great looking containers with various plants, utilizing different colors, textures and growing habits at Given Memorial Library, Pinehurst. Event is free and open to the public. Information: (910) 295-6022. WINE TASTING. 6 - 8:30 p.m. Celebrate Thursday at The Masters. Wine Tasting features PGA Golfer’s Wines. Cost: $10. The Village Wine Shop, 80 Magnolia Rd, Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-5100. MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Denny Emerson with “How Good Riders Get Good.” The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Information: www.thecountrybookshop.biz or (910) 692-3211.

April 7 - 10 RICHMOND COMMUNITY THEATER: “Guys.” 8 p.m. (Thurs. - Sat.); 2 p.m. (Sun.) A wild and crazy musical that celebrates all the wild and crazy things we love — or don’t? — about guys. Tickets: $9. Information: (910) 997-3765.

April 8 HISTORIC WALKING TOUR AND HIGH TEA. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Discover the stories of Pinehurst’s history and enjoy the traditions of classic high tea at one of America’s Historic Landmarks. Cost: $25. Space is limited. Information and reservations: (910)235-8415. UNTAPPED: Belgium Beer Tasting. 5:30 p.m. One of the oldest beer producing regions; arguably the best. Cost: $20. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775. WINE TASTING. 6 - 8:30 p.m. Celebrate Friday at The Masters. Ben Hogan Wine Tasting. Cost: $10. The Village Wine Shop, 80 Magnolia Rd, Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-5100.

Literature/Speakers

Fun

History

Sports

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . March 2011

ca l e n da r MEET THE ARTIST. 12 - 3 p.m. Studio 590 is the working studio of artists Betty DiBartolomeo and Harry Neely. Located by the pond in the Dowd Cabin, 590 Dowd Circle, Pinehurst South. Information: (910) 315-6256 or (910) 639-9404.

April 9 – 10 HORSE & RIDER COMPETITION. Chadbourne Farm hosts the USNETO Spring T.R.E.C. Competition, a test of communication skills between horse and rider on the trail and on obstacles. All levels and disciplines welcome and encouraged. Volunteers needed. Spectators welcome. Information: (910) 944-5797 or www.trec-usa.org.

April 9 STONEYBROOK STEEPLECHASE: 60th annual event. Gates open at 9:30 a.m.; first race begins at 1 p.m. Family event includes picnics, tailgating, hat show and the most exciting horse race around. Carolina Horse Park at Five Points, Hoke County just off Hwy. 211. Information: (910) 875-2074 or www.carolinahorsepark.com. FOOD DEMONSTRATION. 12 & 2 p.m. Local cheese. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-3663. THE MET AT THE SUNRISE. 1 p.m. Rossini’s le Comte Ory, Live in HD. Rossini’s vocally dazzling comedy stars bel canto sensation Juan Diego Flórez in the title role. He vies with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, in the trouser role of Isolier, for the love of the lonely Countess Adèle, sung by soprano Diana Damrau. The Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Tickets: www.sunrisetheater.com. FREE BEER TASTING: Amber Ales. If you like Fat Tire, try these. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775. ILLUSION OF ELVIS CONCERT. 7 p.m. Awardwinning Keith Henderson of Chapel Hill, one of the country’s best Kings, will perform at Union Pines High School Auditorium to benefit Crystal Lake. Tickets vary. Reservations and information: (910) 245-7231.

April 10 PINEHURST HARNESS TRACK SPRING MATINEE RACES. 1 p.m. Late morning: Tailgating; Opening Ceremonies: 1 p.m.; Races begin 1:30 p.m. Annual Harness Races with trotters and pacers. Pinehurst Harness Track, Route 5, Pinehurst. Information: Sim Brown at (910) 603-5695. EXPLORATIONS: An Ongoing Series. 3 p.m. A Forum for Adults will present “Composting.” Master gardener Alice Romans-Hess will explain this simple and free way to fuel plant growth and restore vitality to depleted soil. The Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. Information: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. WEYMOUTH CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES. 3 p.m. Featuring Alan Ware, clarinet, and Wolfgang Menschner, piano. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-6261. ROOSTER’S WIFE CONCERT SERIES. 6:45 p.m. Rob Ickes and Jim Hurst. Tickets: $15 (advance); $18 (day of show). The Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight Street, Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.com.

April 11 ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Follow the Leader with Joan Williams. Cost: $70. Bring your own lunch; dessert provided. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org. PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB MEETING: Portrait Competition. 7 p.m. “Portraits” are defined as representa-

Key: Art Music/Concerts Dance/Theater Literature/Speakers Fun History Sports

Film

ca l e n da r tions that capture personality, character and mood. They are composed images of one or more persons in a still position. Animals are not to be included. Prints may be black & white, sepia or color. Christ Fellowship Church on Midland Road at Pee Dee. Information: www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.

April 12 ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Impressionist Oils and Acrylics with Irene Dobson. Cost: $135. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org. PIZZA WITH PIZZAZZ. 5 - 6 p.m. Create dioramas using marshmallow peep chicks and rabbits as the characters. Bring a shoebox and have fun with your “peeps” while eating free pizza. Students grades 6-8. The Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. Information: (910) 6928235 or www.sppl.net. COOKING CLASS. 5:30 p.m. Braised brisket with candied young carrots, red skin potato souffle, tender baby greens, strawberry cream & Matzo Napoleon. Cost: $30. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-3663. RUTH PAULY LECTURE SERIES: An Evening with Nicholas Sparks. 7:30 p.m. Nicholas Sparks is an internationally-bestselling American novelist and screenwriter. He has 15 published novels, with themes that include Christian faith, love, tragedy and fate. Six have been adapted to film, including Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song. Sandhills Community College, Owens Auditorium. TEA WITH BEATRIX POTTER. 2:30 p.m. Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit introduce Spring, Easter, horticulture and, of course, proper Afternoon Tea. Cost: $25. Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlor, 21 Chinquapin Road, Pinehurst. Reservations and information: (910) 255-0100 or www. ladybedfords.com.

April 13 ART CLASS: Pastel. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Floral and/or Still Life with Betty Hendrix. Cost: $45. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org. HOME & GARDEN TOUR. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Southern Pines Garden Club’s tour of six wonderful homes and their gardens. Tickets $15 (advance); $20 (day of tour). Begins at Campbell House, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Tickets and information: (910) 295-4617 or www.southernpinesgardenclub.com. CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. 7 p.m. Holy Week Concert with Chorus. Main Sanctuary, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, 300 Dundee Road, Pinehurst. Information: (910) 687-4746 or www.CarolinaPhil.org. MEET THE AUTHOR 7 p.m. Garden expert Toby Bost, consulting horticulturalist and field faculty emeritus of NC State’s Cooperative Extension and co-author of “The Carolina Gardener’s Guide,” ushers in the spring planting season with his new book, “The Successful Gardener Guide,” written with Leah Chester-Davis. The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Information: www. thecountrybookshop.biz or (910) 692-3211.

April 14 ART CLASS. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Diane Kraudelt instructs “Creating With Oils.” Cost: $110 (Supplies included). Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www. artistleague.org. SENIOR EVENT: Pan-American Day. 12 p.m. On this day 79 years ago, leaders of the International Conference of American States met in Washington, D.C. to commemorate and strengthen their international relationship. Appreciate and savor the culture of others on this day by playing games,

learning facts and making “Refresco” (fruit milkshake). Cost: $2 (residents); $4 (non-residents). Douglas Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-7376. OLDIES & GOODIES. 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Presenting “Alice Adams.” Katherine Hepburn and Fred MacMurray star in this 1935 film about a social-climbing small-town girl. Enjoy a cup of tea while watching what Hepburn considered one of her favorite film roles. The Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. Information: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. SIR WALTER RALEIGH: The Man Behind the Myths and Legends. 5 p.m. Sir Walter Raleigh (1554 - 1618) played many roles on the public stage of Elizabethan England. Historian Mark Nicholls, President and Librarian of St. John’s College, Cambridge University, will discuss a new biography of Raleigh he has co-authored that offers fresh insights and observations about a man whose spirit of adventure helped set the course of the history of North Carolina — a state he never visited but whose capital city bears his name. North Carolina Collection Gallery, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill. Information: (919) 962-1172. WHAT’S IN THE GARDEN? 5:30 p.m. Kids grades K-2 and their parents join for stories and crafts about gardening. Free “salad bar” dinner to follow. The Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. Information: (910) 6928235 or www.sppl.net. MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Heather Newton presents her debut novel, “Under the Mercy Trees,” the story of a man forced to face his troubled past when he returns to his small hometown in the mountains of NC after his brother disappears. The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Information: www.thecountrybookshop.biz or (910) 692-3211.

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NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY: Once Upon a Time. 8 p.m. Associate Conductor Sarah Hicks and featuring Stewart Goodyear, piano. Music includes Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and Stravinsky’s Bluebird Pas de Deus from Sleeping Beauty. Pinecrest High School Auditorium, Hwy 15-501, Southern Pines. Tickets and information: Symphony Box Office at (877) 627-6724 or www.ncsymphony.org.

April 14 – 15 TRUNK SHOW. J. McLaughlin Spring 2011 Trunk Show held at Opulence of Southern Pines at The Mews, 280 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Information: Patricia at (910) 603-0336.

April 15 UNCORKED: Battle of the Old World Wine Tasting. 5:30 p.m. Tuscany v. Sicily. Which will win? Cost: $20. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775. CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. 7 p.m. Holy Week Concert with Chorus. Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College. Information: (910) 687-4746 or www.CarolinaPhil.org. WINE TASTING. 6 - 8:30 p.m. French Wines. Meet Thomas Meunier, French Importer. Cost: $10. The Village Wine Shop, 80 Magnolia Rd, Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-5100. JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 - 10 p.m. Live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres, rain or shine. Admission: $8. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery, Riverton Road, Wagram. Information: (910) 369-0411.

April 16 FOOD DEMONSTRATION. 12 & 2 p.m. Greek Brunch Casserole. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-3663.

Key: Art Music/Concerts Dance/Theater Film Literature/Speakers Fun History Sports PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

ca l e n da r (third place). The Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. For contest rules and entry forms: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

CLENNY CREEK DAY. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Enjoy a day of fun with games, food, refreshments, crafters and re-enactors at the cabin built by one of Moore County’s earliest settlers. See how early pioneers cooked on an open hearth and hear Civil War stories. Musical entertainment provided by Clyde Maness and Friends and The April Fools. Free Admission. Bryant House, 3361 Mt Caramel Church Rd., Carthage. Information: (910) 692-2051.

MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Michael Lee West, author of “Mermaids in the Basement,” introduces the first novel in a new series, “Gone With a Hansomer Man,” featuring Teeny, an out-of-work Charleston pastry chef whose fiancé turns up dead. The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Information: www.thecountrybookshop.biz or (910) 692-3211.

SPRING BARN DANCE. 6 p.m. Country music, good eats and boot scootin’ fun. Tickets: $40. Ticket locations: Country Bookshop, Moore Equine Feed, Faded Rose, Given Bookshop, Sandhills Winery. Benefits Prancing Horse Center for Therapeutic Riding. McLendon Hills Equestrian Center, West End. Information: (910) 246-3202 or www.prancinghorse.org.

BENEFIT GOLF TOURNAMENT. First annual golf tournament at the National Golf Club to benefit the Children’s CARE fund at the Moore Regional Hospital Foundation. Shotgun at 1 p.m.; lunch, dinner and awards ceremony follow. Information: Lindsey at ltaylor@monteithco.com.

FREE WINE TASTING: Newest Arrivals. All “new” wines will be discounted 15% off a case. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775.

April 18 – May 7

PLANT SALE. 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Sandhills Horticultural Society Annual Plant Sale to be held at Steed Hall. Perennials, bulbs and woody plants available. Information and pre-order: Tricia Mabe at (910) 695-3882. WELLNESS DAY. The community is invited to an annual health fair hosted by Sandhills Community College. Event features evaluations and screenings, fun exercise classes, demonstrations, garden walks, healthy foods, 5-K run/walk, exhibits and more. Food vendors and a steel drum band will also be present. To be held inside Dempsey Student Center in case of rain. Information: (910) 692-6185.

April 16-17 SOUTHERN PINES COMBINED DRIVING EVENT. Carolina Horse Park at Five Points, Hoke County just off Hwy. 211. Information: Kelly Valdes at fkvaldes@aol.com or www.carolinahorsepark.com. CELEBRATION OF SPRING IN SEAGROVE. Over 50 clay artists will offer special events and kiln openings throughout Seagrove this weekend. Maps and information: www.DiscoverSeagrove.com.

April 17 ROOSTER’S WIFE CONCERT SERIES. 6:45 p.m. “Katharine Whalen & Her Fascinators” and “Cinder Conk.” Tickets: $15 (advance); $18 (day of show). The Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight Street, Aberdeen. Information: (910) 9447502 or www.theroosterswife.com.

April 18 LIBRARY TEEN ADVISORY BOARD: Peep Show. “Peeps” Diorama contest with book characters represented by marshmallow chicks and rabbits. Winners will receive $25 (first place), $15 (second place), or $10 Key: Art

Music/Concerts

Dance/Theater

Film

SENIOR GAMES IN THE PINES. A network of 54 local games held in every county or region of NC. Senior Games is a wellness and health promotion program that includes fun, fitness, fellowship and over 25 team and individual sports. Two divisions of competition: Silver Arts and Official Sports. Information: Rynet Oxendine at (910) 692-7376.

April 19 ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Impressionist Oils and Acrylics with Irene Dobson. Cost: $135. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org.

April 20 PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 - 4 p.m. Bring infants and toddlers (birth through 5 years) for stories, songs and fun. The Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. Information: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. West Virginia nursemidwife Patricia Harman returns with “Arms Wide Open” (the prequel to her acclaimed memoir “The Blue Cotton Gown”), her account of living a communal life in the wilds of Minnesota during the sixties and seventies, where she formed alliances with the eco-minded and antiwar counterculture that was both loved and reviled in those days, and where she became an idealistic home-birth midwife. The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Information: www.thecountrybookshop.biz or (910) 692-3211.

April 20 – 22 ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Painting Animals in a Natural Setting in Oils with Yvonne Sovereign. Intermediate/advanced. Cost: $130. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org. Literature/Speakers

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ca l e n da r

Opening in April

MOORE COUNTY

FARMERS MARKET Tomatoes & Strawberries Fruits, Veggies, Jams, Meats, Flowers & Plants

Opens April 18th • Mondays- FirstHealth (Fitness Center)

170 Memorial Dr • Pinehurst 2pm-6pm

Will be open through October 31st

Opens April 21st • Thursdays- Morganton Rd (Armory Sports Complex) Southern Pines 9am-1pm

Opens April 16th • Saturdays - Downtown Southern Pines Broad St & New York Ave 8am-Noon Will be open through October 29th

Call 947-3752 or 690-9520 for more information.

On the web: Moore County Farmers Market Local Harvest

Visit us on facebook! SNAP Cards Accepted

April 21

April 26

FINE ARTS LECTURE SERIES. 10 a.m. Dr. Molly Gwinn, “Thomas Hart Benton & Grant Wood: Celebrating the Heartland”. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Reservations: Arts Council of Moore County at (910) 692-2787.

ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Impressionist Oils and Acrylics with Irene Dobson. Cost: $135. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org. COOKING CLASS: Supper in a Snap. 5:30 p.m. Salmon Croquettes with wilted spinach salad, deviled eggs, gazpacho and strawberry & rhubarb cobbler. Cost: $25. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-3663.

SENIOR EVENT: Ava Gardner Museum Fieldtrip. 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tour the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, NC. Afterward, see Ava’s birthplace, the Teacherage where she grew up, the Howell Theater where she first went to the movies, and her gravesite at Sunset Memorial Park. Cost: $20 (residents); $40 (non-residents). Cost includes transportation and admission. Registration required by April 13. Douglas Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-7376.

April 27

LIBRARY BOOK CLUB. 5:30 p.m. This month’s book selection is “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel. The unforgettable story centers on Pi Patel, the precocious son of a zookeeper, who survives a shipwreck only to be stranded on a life raft with a Bengal Tiger. No pre-registration required. Inquire at the desk to reserve a copy. The Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. Information: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. WINE TASTING. 6 - 8:30 p.m. Easter Wine Tasting features wines that pair well with Easter Dinner. Cost: $10. The Village Wine, 80 Magnolia Rd, Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-5100.

MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. Robin Oliviera presents her novel, “My Name is Mary Sutter,” the story of a brilliant young midwife struggling to become a surgeon who heads to Washington, D.C. to tend the legions of Civil War wounded. The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Information: www. thecountrybookshop.biz or (910) 692-3211.

PINE NEEDLES JUNIOR INVITATIONAL. Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, 1005 Midland Road, Southern Pines. Information: (800) 747-7272.

TOUR DE TRIKE. 5:30 p.m. Tricycle race (for adults!) to be held in front of the Sunrise Theater, Southern Pines. Rider fee: $100 (minimum). Gift certificate will be awarded for best costume. Information: (910) 692-2413.

April 22 MEET THE ARTIST. 12 - 3 p.m. Studio 590 is the working studio of artists Betty DiBartolomeo and Harry Neely. Located by the pond in the Dowd Cabin, 590 Dowd Circle, Pinehurst South. Information: (910) 3156256 or (910) 639-9404.

April 29 – 30 PLANT SALE PRE-ORDER PICK UP. Sandhills Community College Landscape Gardening Student’s Annual Bedding Plant Sale pre-order pick up Friday (1 - 5 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m. - 2 p.m.) at Steed Hall. Order forms available at the Ball Visitor’s Center or by calling Tricia Mabe at (910) 695-3882.

April 23 THE MET AT THE SUNRISE: Strauss’s Capriccio. Live in HD. 1 p.m. On Opening Night of the 2008-09 season, Renée Fleming dazzled audiences when she sang the final scene of Strauss’s wise and worldly meditation on art and life. Now she performs the entire work, in which the composer explores the essence of opera itself. Matthew Polenzani and Sarah Connolly also star; Andrew Davis conducts. The Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Tickets: www.sunrisetheater.com.

SWINGTIME. Moore OnStage presents a fundraising event featuring the best of the “swing” music from past productions. Friday (7:30 p.m.); Saturday (4 and 7:30 p.m.) Steve Menendez will direct. Reservations required. Tickets: $40. Information: (910) 692-7118.

April 29

FREE WINE TASTING: French Values. Reds under $15. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775.

April 23-24 LONGLEAF PINE HORSE TRIALS. Horses and riders compete in a three-phase competition including dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. Free for spectators. Carolina Horse Park, Montrose Road, Raeford. Information: (910) 875-2074.

Dance/Theater

Film

WOMEN GONE WINE. 5 - 7 p.m. Get ready for the Royal Wedding. Lesley Ann Slisko’s Royal gems and jewelry will make Kate and Will wish they’d asked you to be there. Enjoy $4 wines by the glass as you shop. The Village Wine Shop, 80 Magnolia Rd, Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-5100.

ART CLASS: Surface Design. 6 - 8:30 p.m. Using Mixed Media to Alter Surfaces with Nanette Zeller. Cost: $70. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Information: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org.

April 22-24

Music/Concerts

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 3:30 - 4 p.m. Bring infants and toddlers (birth through 5 years) for stories, songs and fun. The Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave. Information: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

April 28

MEET THE AUTHOR. 7 p.m. NC’s beloved storyteller Donald Davis shares recollections of growing up in the southern Appalachians in his new book, “Tales From a Free-range Childhood.” The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Information: www. thecountrybookshop.biz or (910) 692-3211.

Key: Art

SENIOR EVENT: Birthday Party & Bingo. 12 p.m. Celebrate individuals whose birthdays fall between January and April. Bring a covered dish to share. Sign up by April 14. Douglas Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-7376.

RUN FOR THE ROSES WINE TASTING. 6 - 9 p.m. Celebrate the Kentucky Derby with amazing wines, great food and unbeatable company. Advance reservations necessary. Proceeds to benefit The Sandhills Children’s Center. The Fair Barn, Pinehurst Harness Track, Route 5, Village of Pinehurst. Information: (910) 692-3323. JAZZY FRIDAYS. 7 - 10 p.m. Live jazz music and hors d’oeuvres, rain or shine. Admission: $8. Cypress Bend Vineyards & Winery, Riverton Road, Wagram. Information: (910) 369-0411.

Literature/Speakers

Fun

History

Sports

cA l e n dA r

April 30 TOUR DE MOORE. 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. Several cyclist levels of competition; riders from around the world participate in this feature race; 100 miles around Moore County; Olympic Teams represented. Starts at Campbell House, Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-2463. BOOK SALE. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friends of the Library will hold annual book sale at the Southern Pines Train Depot. Thousands of almost new and gently used books will be available for purchase at reasonable prices. Information: (910) 692-8235. SPRINGFEST. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Fun family entertainment. Handmade crafts, great food, live entertainment, kids block and more. Bring bikes, tricycles or big wheels for the annual Youth Bike Races for children 10 and under. Registration is scheduled from 9 - 11 a.m. at The Sunrise Theater. Bike races begin at 11:15 a.m. Broad Street, Southern Pines. Information: (910) 692-2463 or visit www. southernpines.biz. FOOD DEMONSTRATION. 12 & 2 p.m. Soup’s a Meal in Itself. Corn & Crab Chowder. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information: (910) 295-3663. THE MET AT THE SUNRISE: Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Live in HD. 1 p.m. David McVicar’s stirring production of Verdi’s intense drama premiered in the 2008–09 season. James Levine leads this revival, starring four extraordinary singers — Sondra Radvanovsky, Dolora Zajick, Marcelo Álvarez, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky — in what might be the composer’s most melodically rich score. The Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Tickets: www.sunrisetheater.com. MEET THE AUTHOR. 2 p.m. Historian Nathaniel Philbrick, National Book Award-nominee for “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,” and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for “Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War,” will present his book, “The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.” Penick North Auditorium, 401 E. Rhode Island Ave., Southern Pines. Reservations and information: The Country Bookshop at (910) 692-3211. FREE WINE TASTING: Pinot Gris/Grigio. Similar, yet oh-so-different. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Rd., Pinehurst. Information and reservations: (910) 215-0775. OYSTERFEST. 4 - 8 p.m. The Junior League of Moore County’s annual fundraiser will feature local band “House Call” as well as oysters, hamburgers and hotdogs for purchase. Ticket: $5. Proceeds benefit the Junior League’s community projects. Oysterfest fundraiser will be held at the lot on the corner of Bennett and New York (behind the Southern Pines post office). Information: www.jlmcnc.org. PLANT SALE. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Pinehurst Garden Club Plant Sale funds a scholarship for a student in the Landscape Gardening Program at Sandhills Community College and benefits local beautification projects. Geraniums, impatiens, vinca and begonias available for pre-order; hanging baskets, herbs and a variety of other plants available day of sale. Sand parking lot next to the Given Memorial Library, Pinehurst Village. Information and pre-order: (910) 295-4548 or (910) 295-1765.

Resurfacing For Existing Concrete Specializing In Garage Floors Unlimited Colors & Designs Available

Before

After

DESIGNER BEAD BASH. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Featuring the work of local artists Linda Costantini and Noel Banks. Refreshments will be served. Pine Crest Inn. Information: (910) 295-6121.

May 1 CELEBRATORY PICNIC: Sandhills/Moore Coalition 25th Anniversary. 3 - 6 p.m. Featuring Sweet Lew and The Jayhawks. Admission: $5 (ages 10 & up). Location: Pinehurst Arboretum. Information and admission bracelets: (910) 693-1600. Key: Art Music/Concerts Dance/Theater Literature/Speakers Fun History Sports

Film

Garage Floors • Walkways • Patios • Driveways • Showrooms • Warehouses • And more

3 years Residential Warranty - Skid Resistant - Resists Black Tire Marks, Oils, Gasoline, All Household Chemicals & Most Corrosives

Phone/Fax 910-295-3821 • Cell 910-315-4901

cA l e n dA r

Art Galleries BROADHURST GALLERY, 2212 Midland Rd., Pinehurst, showcases works by nationally recognized artists such as Louis St. Lewis, Lula Smith, Shawn Morin, Rachel Clearfield, Judy Cox and Jason Craighead. Meet-the-artist opportunities are available. Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 1-4 p.m. (910)295-4817, www.broadhurstgallery.com. ART GALLERY AT THE MARKET PLACE, 2160 Midland Road, Pinehurst, features original art by local artists Joan Williams, Deane Billings, Jeanette Sheehan, Mike Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Andrea, Janet Burdick, Nancy Yanchus, and Cele Bryant. Meet one of the artists Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (910)215-5963. ARTIST ALLEY features juried art and fine crafts from local and regional artists, 167 E. New Hampshire Ave., Southern Pines. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday. (910)692-6077. ARTISTS LEAGUE OF THE SANDHILLS, located at 129 Exchange St. in historic Aberdeen. Exhibit hours are noon-3 p.m., Monday-Saturday. (910)944-3979. THE CAMPBELL HOUSE GALLERIES, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines, is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and every third weekend of the month from 2-4 p.m. (910)692-4356, www.mooreart.org. THE GALLERY AT SEVEN LAKES, a gallery dedicated to local artists. The Gallery is open on Wednesday and Thursday each week from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 1145 Seven Lakes Drive, The St. Mary Magdalen building. Just 9 miles from the Pinehurst Traffic Circle up 211. HASTINGS GALLERY is located in the Katharine L. Boyd Library at Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst. Gallery hours are 7:45 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 7:45 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday; and 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. HOLLYHOCKS ART GALLERY, 905 Linden Road, Pinehurst, features original artwork by local artists Diane Kraudelt, Carol Rotter, Mary Frey, Jean Frost, Sandy Scott and artist/ owner Jane Casnellie. Open Monday--Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (910)255-0665, www.hollyhocksartgallery.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. Open Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. (910)295-2055.

Key: Art Music/Concerts History Sports

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Film

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Worship Directory

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF PINEHURST UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Rev. Brent A. Bissette, Pastor 895 Linden Road (across from Elliotts) â&#x20AC;¢ Pinehurst, NC 28374 www.youarewelcomehere.org â&#x20AC;¢ 910.295.2243 â&#x20AC;¢ Child care available

Easter Sunday Worship - 10am Joyful music and Holy Communion Celebrate the Risen Christ with us!

God is still speaking,

No matter who you are or where you are on lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey, you are welcome here..

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Holy Week

First Baptist Church of Southern Pines 200 East New York Avenue â&#x20AC;¢ 910-692-8750 â&#x20AC;¢ www.fbcsp.org Thursday, April 21

7:30 pm - Shadows of His Cross: A Service of Tenebrae and Communion

Sunday, April 24 8:45 am - Easter Worship 9:45 am - Continental Breakfast and Bible Study 10:45 am - Easter Worship

Subscribe today and have PineStraw delivered to your mail box!

St. Mary Magdalene Church

1145 Seven Lakes Drive â&#x20AC;¢ Seven Lakes, NC â&#x20AC;¢ (910) 673-3838

Easter Worship Service April 24th, 9:30am

Worship with us Easter Sunday. All are Welcome! Take Rt 211 to Seven Lakes Drive. Turn at light, go 50 yards.

The Community Congregational Church

United Church of Christ, Inc. Invites you to join us for Easter Worship Service 11:00 a.m. 141 N. Bennett Street, Southern Pines, NC Phone: 910-692-8468 www.communitycongregational.org

cccspnc@embarqmail.com

PINEHURST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 4111 Airport Road 910-215-4559 3DOP 6XQGD\ 0DUFK WK :RUVKLS DQG DP DQG 6XQGD\ 6FKRRO DP

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Southern Pines United Methodist Church 175 Midland Road 692-3518 â&#x20AC;¢ www.southernpinesumc.org

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

April 20 â&#x20AC;¢ Healing Service 7pm April 21 â&#x20AC;¢ Communion Service 7pm April 22 â&#x20AC;¢ Good Friday Service 7pm Easter, April 24 â&#x20AC;¢ Sunrise Service 6:45 am â&#x20AC;¢ Worship 10am Professionally Staffed Nurseries for all services.

ca l e n da r Seagrove Candle Company, 116 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines, showcases the arts and crafts of the Sandhills and Seagrove area. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday, Wednesday-Saturday, (910)695-0029. SKY Art Gallery, 602 Magnolia Dr., Aberdeen, is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. (910)944-9440, www.skyartgallery.com.

Resale Retail Retail Resale

Studio 590, located in a historic log cabin, is the working studio and gallery of artists Betty DiBartolomeo and Harry Neely. Studio 590 offers fine oil paintings, commissions and instruction. Studio 590 is located by the pond in the Dowd Cabin, 590 Dowd Circle in Pinehurst South. (910)639-9404. White Hill Gallery, 407 U.S. 15-501, Carthage, offers a variety of pottery. (910)947-6100. The Downtown Gallery (inside Flynne’s Coffee Bar)is located at 115 NE Broad St. in downtown Southern Pines. Ever-changing array of local and regional art, pottery and other handmade items. (910)693-1999. Lady Bedford’s Tea Parlour, located at 25 Chinquapin Road in Pinehurst, is featuring local artist Nancy Campbell. Original oil and watercolor paintings are on display inside the tea shop. Open Tuesday - Saturday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (910)255-0100, www.ladybedfords.com.

Nature Centers Sandhills Horticultural Gardens (32 acres of gardens). The Sandhills Horticultural Gardens are handicapped-accessible. Daylight hours year-round. (910)695-3882. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve (898 acres). 1024 Ft. Bragg Road, Southern Pines. (910)692-2167. VILLAGE ABORETUM. 35 acres of land adjoining the Village Hall on Magnolia Road, Pinehurst. (910) 295-1900.

Historical Sites Bethesda Church and Cemetery. Guided tours for groups by appointment. 1020 Bethesda Road, Aberdeen. (910)944-1319. 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 Ave., Southern Pines. (910)692-6261. Shaw House Property. Open 1-4 p.m. TuesdayFriday. (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. Union Station. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Located in downtown Aberdeen. (910)944-5902. Sandhills Woman’s Exchange Log Cabin Open 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (910)295-4677 To add an event, send us an e-mail at pinestraw@thepilot.com by the first of the month prior to the event. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2011

Youth Summer Programs

O’NEAL SUMMER FUN

Visit our website for more information on O’Neal’s Summer Programs. www.ONealSchool.org/StudentLife/Summer

Youth Summer Programs

Offering a Full Day and ½ Day Camp for Ages 6-12 301 Lake Park Crossing Aberdeen NC, 28315 Phone 944-PARK

At camp we like to encourage the kids to be themselves, have fun, participate, and be a team player.

GROUP GAMES • CRAFTS • SPORTS • TRIPS • SPECIAL ACTIVITIES Full Day • 8am-5:30

Kids must be picked up by 5:30 pm

1/2 Day • 8am-12pm

Kids must be picked up by 12pm

Camp Fee: $60 Aberdeen Residents per-session $90 Non-Residents per-session Session 3: $50R/$80NR per-session Session 4: $40.00R/$70NR per-session

Camp Fee: $60 Aberdeen Residents per-session $65 Non-Residents per-session Session 3: $35R/$60NR per-session Session 4: $25R/$55NR per-session

Session 1: June 13 – 17 Registration Deadline: May 31, 2011

Session 6: July 18 -22 Registration Deadline: July 11, 2011

Session 2: June 20 – 24 Registration Deadline: June 13, 2011

Session 7: July 25 – 29 Registration Deadline: July 18, 2011

Session 3: June 27 – 30 Registration Deadline: June 20, 2001

Session 8: August 1 – 5 Registration Deadline: July 25, 2011

Session 4: July 6 – 8 Registration Deadline: June 27, 2011

Session 9: August 8 – 12 Registration Deadline: August 1, 2011

Session 5: July 11 – 15 Registration Deadline: July 5, 2011

Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged! There is no camp on July 1 or July 4 & 5 There will is a one-time fee of $10 Residents & $20 Non-Residents that is required the first time you register for camp.

Registration Forms available at the Aberdeen Recreation Station or www.townofaberdeen.net

Pick and choose from 9 theme weeks

1/2 day $80 per week - 9am to Noon • ages 3 to 13 All Day $170 - 9am to 5:30pm • ages 5 to 13

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(early drop off available) • $5 off 2nd child or 2nd camp Preregistration necessary. Payment due at time of registration Grouped by age and ability

June 6-10 - Here comes Summer June 13-17 - CheerMania/Transformers June 20-24 - Princesses vs. Knights June 27-July 1 - Jedi Training July 11-15 - Gym Stars July 18-22 - Pirates July 25-29 - Survivor August 1-5 - Super Hero August 8-12 - Aloha Summer

Snacks provided All Day Campers bring a bag lunch

Summer Dance Camps

Afternoon and evening classes- boys and girls all levels June 6 to August 5

910-695-7898

220 Ampersand Road Aberdeen • 910-295-0724 www.sandhillsgymnastics.com

at Carolina Performing Arts Center

http://cpac.webimaginarium.com 670 SW Broad St • Southern Pines, NC 28387

Youth Summer Programs

Scotland Riding Academy

SUMMER CAMPS 2011 910-386-7757 â&#x20AC;˘ Cackie Stephenson 21560 Marston Rd. â&#x20AC;˘ Laurel Hill, NC

scotlandridingacademy.com

Tuesday, June 14 - Friday, June 17 Monday, June 20 - Thursday, June 23 Monday, June 27 - Thursday, June 30 Our camp days start at 9AM and end at 3PM All camps are $195 Early dismissal (1pm). Suggested for ages 5-7 $150 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 during the morning. Afternoons consist of games, horse bathing, and a special speaker or a riding exhibition

For Camp forms and Map/Directions visit

ScotlandRidingAcademy.com

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April 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen

Patty Kempton, Susan Sherard and Karen Triplett

Seventh Annual Spelling Bee for Literacy Thursday, February 24, 2011 Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels

Irene Martin and Marian Kim Cotty and Mikulski Anne Collins

Providing Custom Homes & Remodeling

Fax 910-295-1549 P.O. Box 3090, Pinehurst, NC 28374

Georganne Austin and Tom McHale

Irene Martin, Marian Mikulski, Hal and Jean Luppens and Ruth Lamb

Claire Karamalegos and Kathy Luckhaus

Vera Pelekoudas, Mary Ann Jackson, Susan Sanders and Ginny Siedler

Sharon Stevens, Angel Smith and Susan McKenzie

Wendy Dodson, Sharon Stevens and Laurie Holden

April! National Humor Month! Solution:

H E W S

PineNeedler Answers From page 111

Alison Chernin, Matthew Friesen and Josh Roberts

Susan Cox, Brent Bissette and Audrey Pennington

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The British Bunch

SandhillSeen Moore County Hounds 79th Hunter Trials March 5, 2011 Photographs by Jeanne Paine

Henry Spencer, Beth Dowd and Campbell Jourdian

Mary Dembosky and Taylor Ellis

Savannah Russell, Halie Cunningham, Bailey Mitchell, Kayela Smith and Kate Liner Savannah Russell, Joanie Bowden, Halie Cunningham and Mel Wyatt

Ashley Van Camp, Campbell Jourdian and Jim Van Camp

Janie Boland and Bernadine Dembosky

Sassy Riley, Chrissie Doubleday and Neil Schwartzberg

Dick Webb, Anne Webb, Cameron Sadler and Effie Ellis

Effie Ellis, MFH and Barbara Bean

Savannah Russell and Wayne Moore

Cameron Sadler, MFH and Tayloe Compton

Effie Ellis, Campbell Jourdain and Keith Thomasson

Cameron Sadler, Babs Minery and Effie Ellis

SandhillSeen MCH Hunt Breakfast at Mid Pines

Jean Rae Hinton, Dr. Lee Sedwick, Barbara Sedwick and Naomi Johnson

Anne Webb, Arlene Shachnow, Linda Gibbs, Donna Griffin and Maj. Gen. Shachnow

Wendy Hopper and Cameron Sadler

Mary Anne and Peter Winkelman

February 26, 2011 Photographs by Jeanne Paine

Dr. Lee and Barbara Sedwick

Linda Boone, Fran Gertz and Meridith Martens

Peter Winkelman, Brig. Gen. Bob Johnson and Tayloe Compton

Carol, Dan and Cassie Butler

Dick Walsh, Betty Johnson, Katie Walsh and Dick Cavedo

Charlie Coulter, Ashley Van Camp and Campbell Jourdian

Susan Gaines, Mel Wyatt, Beth Clark and Halie Cunningham

E.I. Johnson, Shellie Sommerson and Dick Webb

SandhillSeen Heart ‘n’ Soul of Jazz February 13 & 14, The Carolina Hotel Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels Ann and Joe Doster

Ann Benton, Judy Mellars and Twila Tuxbury

Mary and Renouard Sanders

Jimmy LaRocca, Dave Buhler and Jim Morgan

Petty McDermott Hood and Judy Oldham Jim and Jenny McRae Tawnia and Brian Jones

Jerry and Ruthann Ritter, Nancy and Stu Heilman

Michael Granberry and Terrell Reeves

Michael and Carolyn Ronco

beautiful

You want to own a home in the Country Club of North Carolina?

So, you want:

• To locate in Pinehurst, NC. • A house with a heated pool. • A brick bi-level house located on approx. 1.3 acres. • A house located on two lakes and a golf course. • A house with a full size pool table and seating room. • A 3 car garage. • A four bedroom house each with full bathrooms. • A house with three additional powder rooms. • 3 fireplaces. • A house with an irrigation system drawing water from lake. • A guest bedroom that has private access to the pool. • A study downstairs and TV room upstairs. • A studio/exercise room overlooking lakes and golf course. • A full size, fully equipped kitchen with adequate seating. • A separate laundry room. • A beautiful living room and dining room. • A 5600 plus square foot house. • To part with $1,150,000 one way or another including inspection.

Right?

If so, please call owner at 910-692-5455 or fax 910-692-5435

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Debby and Stuart Fields and Katie Gahr

SandhillSeen

MCHBA Spring Home & Garden Expo Preview Thursday, March 3, 2011 Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels Robert and Jackie Privott, Paula Nash and Kathryn Atkinson Tiffany Powles and Blair Alligood Baker

Kim Cotty and Anne Collins

Mark and Sandy Stewart

Meredith Sledz and John Pandich

Lisa Stephenson, Mark Collier, Ray Bosworth and Debrell Robinson

Craig and Francey Thompson and Jim O’Malley

Densel and Sheila Williams, Ruthann Angrick, Blake Jarrett, Sheila Forester and Alan Angrick

Yates and Carmen Hussey

Chrissy Smith and Sharon Bialer

Larry Smith and Carole Williams

CUTLER TREE

Tree Pruning • Removal Plant Site Consulting Stump Grinding • Shrub Care Tree Conservation for New Home Sites Free Estimates Geoffrey Cutler Fully Insured 910-692-7769 910-690-7657

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April 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

SandhillSeen

Susan Baldelli, Pamela Guest, Robert McCall and Steve Baldelli

Il Poggione Wine Dinner at The JFR Barn January 31, 2011 Photographs by Cathy Marion

Chuck & Penny O’Donnell, Gary & Grace Walsh, and Dori Kenn

Tom Moynihan and Al Barbero Hugh Menzies, Allan Quiron, Donald Raider and Jon Devault

Chad Whitaker, Kelly Bryson and Jeff

Drs. Ray & Toni Anne Washington and Amy Frye

Italtian Wine Guest Speaker, Alessandro Bindocci

Sanford 

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i n i n g

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New Expanded Menu!

Table on the Green Now pairing American Cuisine with the exotic tastes of Thailand

910-295-3240, 295-4118 Midland Country Club, Midland Road PUBLIC WELCOME www.tableonthegreen.com Live Music & Entertainment Every Wed & Thurs | Please call for info

Sunday Brunch 10-2pm Lunch 11:30 - 2:30 Tues. - Sat. Dinner 5 - 9 Tues. - Sat. Closed Monday Reservations Suggested | Banquet Room Available Elegant Dining with Family Friendly Atmosphere

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so much more than olive oils...

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Easter Brunch,

Sunday, April 24th 11-2pm

910.246.3510 140 E. New Hampshire Avenue Downtown Southern Pines Serving Dinner Tuesday-Sunday

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Celebrating our first anniversary April 24! Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 105 Cherokee Road

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(910) 986-0880

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

A True Gem

How a patient man took care of a family

By Geoff Cutler

t looks cold and lonely as I drive by. The winter rye grass he plants each fall is still day-glo green, and I can see him through the trees raking the gravel drive, just as he has done for the last 40 years or so. But he is the only one there now, keeping the house warm. No smoke from the chimney, no cars shined each morning and then parked out front. Very few lights. I get a pit of emptiness in my stomach and keep driving. I don’t want to think about it. When he first came to apply for the job, there was life in the house and he was a young man. My grandmother lived there then, and she met him at the front door. “Hold out your hands, please, and show them to me.” He did, and she gripped his hands in her arthritic ones and studied them, her wet and rheumy eyes seeking out imperfection. “If you would go home and clean out from under your fingernails, you may have the job,” she said. He tucked the references and sheet about himself back into his pocket and went home to scrub his nails and tell his wife the good news. There’s an air of Driving Miss Daisy to this part of the story. Like Jessica Tandy in the Academy Award-winning movie, my grandmother was a stubborn old coot, set in her ways and perfectly happy to share the rightness of those ways with anyone who cared, or didn’t care, to listen. Robert, like the character Hoke, played by Morgan Freeman, was a soft-spoken Southern gentleman who just happened to possess the one requisite attribute necessary for success as caretaker to my grandmother. He had the patience of Job. A proper manicure was just the beginning of things to come, and in short order, Robert was to discover that cleanliness carried over into every aspect of my grandmother’s life. An agnostic to the bitter end, cleanliness for her had nothing to do with Godliness. It was more a way to beat back germs, which in her mind were animate and life-sized monsters that lurked like gremlins behind every curtain and under every rug. She carried on a lifelong personal jihad against them. Perhaps the closest she ever got to faith was with the advent of paper towels, for how could anyone but a divine deity have created a product for collecting germs that could then be thrown away? Robert kept pallets full of Bounty paper towel at the ready to deal with her crusade against germs. He had to have wondered about her sanity, and his, when weekly, she asked him to scrub the floor and walls of the basement. It’s an indelible memory that all my siblings share. When we visited her, none of us could get over the floors in the basement. You could lick them without picking up a grain of dust. And they were painted annually, as was the garage floor, which never saw a drop of leaked motor oil or antifreeze. God forbid! Were

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such a sacrilege to occur, Robert would have whisked the offending vehicle off immediately to the mechanic for new gaskets or drain plugs. Above the sink in the garage, Robert had his own personal paper towel rack, and rolls-in-waiting lined the shelves. A saint is what the man was, and that’s just what my father called him for his steadfast patience with a woman whose obsession with cleanliness probably woke Robert up at night from nightmares about armies of paper towel soldiers chasing him through the halls of my grandmother’s house. He took it all in stride, and when she died, I spotted Robert, sitting in a lone chair in the front hall, his hands clasped together in his lap and tears running down his face. And then my mother and father took up residence for half of each year. While not as fastidious as her mother before her, my mom had her own set of quirks. These were of the type that could have been subdued had someone thought to prescribe whatever medications are now given to children with Attention Deficit Disorder, because Robert, whose job it was to take care of both the inside and outside of the place, never got one minute into any project, whether washing cars, mowing lawns, or vacuuming the living room, without my mother finding something more pressing for him to do. She’d call out in a faux French accent, “Monsieur Robert … where are you?” And he’d hear her from wherever it was that she summoned, and call back: “Coming Madam.” Where he got the “madam” from no one is quite sure, but it is the term he adopted for her, and based on her constant need of his attention, we thought it fit nicely. We used to plead with our dad to please let Robert go about the Herculean tasks of taking care of a place as large as Broadhearth and tell Mum to leave him be for just one minute. But my dad, never one to say anything negative about his bride, just smiled and said we needn’t worry about it, it would all work out … or something to that effect. For my father, I think Robert had the greatest affection. And that was probably because they were the most alike, and shared the same understanding of the word patience. My dad’s needs weren’t great. He liked his car washed, his birds fed, and help from Robert when it came time to get his license renewed at the DMV. After my dad died, Robert told me he promised my father that he would be there for my mom until the end, and that he meant to keep that promise. And as far as I know, even though my dad’s long gone, his birds are still being fed. My mom did not come down this year, but there is Robert raking the driveway just the same. I change my mind and turn around to go say hello and have a chat with him. He’ll probably have some checks for me to sign. And besides, if I’m lonely looking at the empty house, he too must be lonely that there is no-one there to take care of but himself. It wouldn’t be right with this wonderful venue that is a page in PineStraw not to take this opportunity to say: Thank you, Robert, for your years of care over this house and this family, and for your remarkable patience with us. As my mom has said of you, you are a true gem! PS Geoff Cutler is owner of Cutler Tree LLC in Southern Pines. He is a regular contributor to both The Pilot and PineStraw. He can be reached at geoffcutler@embarqmail.com.

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Aries

(march 21 - April 20) god bless Texas Pete! You’re ﬁxing to make a decision that’s bigger than the backside of a bread baker (and half as pretty) . Try not to sweat it, Sweets . mercury will have you feeling saucier than mama’s carbonara by the 9th . Just be sure your mouth doesn’t overload your rump . Like it or not, mars will have you reheating old cabbage on the 19th. Bring a fresh perspective . otherwise, you’re liable to ﬁnd yourself in more jeopardy than Alex Trebek’s bowels after a quarter-pound of brie .

Taurus (April 21 - May 21)

Wake up and smell the doggone coffee, Toots. Dreaming is as useless as tits on a tomcat unless you’re willing to chase after them. That said, you’ve got more energy than a 16-oz. can of shook-up Red Bull this month, Honey. Unleash it — for Pete’s sake, if not your own. Venus and Pluto will have you in a dither at the month’s end. Suck it up, Sugar. You’re not the only one in a pretty pickle. Oh, and remember: If at first you should succeed, try to hide your astonishment. Gemini (May 22 - June 21)

For the love of Lysol, Child! This month is liable to plum stink (unless, of course, you’re willing to stop being so cotton-picking competitive). Jupiter will have you busier than a moth in a mitten on the 11th. Remember: A sharp ax is better than a big muscle, Doodle Bug. On the 17th, Venus will have you feeling keen as mustard seed. Try not to let it get to your thick head, Dumpling. Everyone already knows you’re brighter than a boiled peanut. Your arrogance is as welcome as a pork chop in a synagogue. Cancer (June 22 - July 23)

Dill my pickle, Pumpernickel. News nicer than ninepence is heading your way on the 3rd. Practice a bushel and a peck of patience or it’ll be as useful as lips on a chicken. On the 17th, Saturn will have you itchy as the grass is green to resolve an issue with someone close as kin. Like my Aunty Pearl used to say, “Misers aren’t much fun to live with, but they make great ancestors.” Take a hike on the 20th. Seriously. That routine of yours is dull as dishwater, Child. Leo (July 23 - Aug. 23)

Well I’ll be Sam Hill. Biting off a little more than you can chew, aren’t you, Sugar Lump? Although Saturn has you bolder than Arabica coffee beans on the 3rd, be sure to balance that gusto with a little something called common sense. On the 9th, Mercury will have you flapping your gums like Mr. Ed after a spoonful of Skippy — you’ll be red as a beetroot if you let too much slip. Oh, and keep your composure on the 21st, would you? Excuses are like backsides. Trust me, everybody’s got one and they all stink. Virgo (Aug. 24 - Sept. 23)

That rumbling in your stomach isn’t from the beerbattered onions, Sweetie. Those are nerves — and you’d be wise to listen to them. Although your insides feel as twisted around as a two-pronged corkscrew — especially on the 3rd — acting brashly will prove as useful as a knife in a gunfight. Lucky for you, the full moon on the 17th will be as refreshing as a dunk in the deep blue sea. Relish it, Pickle. ’Cause Venus is fixing to make you as crazy as a sprayed roach. Libra (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23)

Pure as the driven slush, this month is liable to have more twists and turns than my favorite romance novel. Be flexible, Sweet Cheeks — and when Mercury goes retrograde on the 9th, for heaven’s sake, bite your tongue. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a situation that’s stickier than

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Grandpa’s handkerchief. Venus will try her darndest to throw a wrench into your love department on the 27th. If there’s one rat you see, there are 50 you can’t. Scorpio (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22)

Listen up, Poopsy. This month might seem common as muck, but you’ve got another thing coming if you think you’re not making any progress. In conjunction with the new moon on the 3rd, an old idea of yours will finally begin to take root. Just try not to push your luck, Hon. On the 20th, you’ll feel pretty as a pickle spear. Use some of that confidence to tell someone you love exactly what’s been eating at you. I swear, you’re a fry short of a Happy Meal sometimes. Sagittarius (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21)

If there’s one thing I learned from my exes, it’s this: Between the bug and the bee martin, it ain’t hard to tell which will get caught. That said, you’re walking the thin edge of a wedge this month, Toots. (And you’re blind as a mole if you can’t see that.) On the 11th, you’ll be busy as a blowfly trying to cover your keister. If you hide the fire, what’ll you do with the smoke, Einstein? Oh, and when it comes to personal affairs (on the 30th), don’t blame the cow when the milk gets sour. Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20)

Sure as a cat has climbing gear, you’ll feel lower than a worm belly in a wagon rut this month, Child. Keep that chin up. Believe it or not, the stars are on your side. The new moon on the 3rd will encourage you to chuck old plans and start afresh. Whatever you do, don’t hesitate, even if someone you love has you madder than a gum tree full of galahs on the 23rd. Peter Piper didn’t pick a peck of pickled peppers because he wanted to, Sweetie. Just saying. Aquarius (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19)

You’re greener than a fried pickle in the tall grass, Honey. (That has nothing to do with your horoscope. I just thought you should know that.) Hang on to your britches on the 3rd when things turn doggone cataclysmic. You’ll need to get your ducks lined up on the 11th to convince an authority figure that your new path isn’t battier than Babe Ruth’s bimbos. If you’re careful, the end of the month could shape up well. But whatever happens, it’ll be better than a slap in the face with a wet fish. I can just about promise you that. Pieces (Feb. 20 - Mar. 20)

Bless your little ticker, you’re about as wise as a slab of flank steak, Sweetie. The new moon on the 3rd will have your hopes higher than Tommy Chong on Earth Day. I hate to break it to you, Dumpling, but you’re a few dice short of Yahtzee if you think those dreams of yours won’t require a little blood, sweat and tears. I hope to high heaven you’re a good hurdler. You’ll have quite a few obstacles in your path on the 18th. A soreback mule is a poor hand at guessing the weight of a sack of meal. PS

April! National Humor Month! April! National Humor Month April PineNeedler 1

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In Praise of Mrs. Kravitz She saw everything in the neighborhood — thankfully

By Nancy Oakley

he wryly calls herself “Mrs. Kravitz,” after the busybody character from the 1960s television comedy Bewitched. This would be my friend of 20-odd years, who for the last 15 has rented to me an old servant’s cottage that sits at the end of her driveway. Our neighborhood oozes Southern charm and romance of a bygone era, but its proximity to downtown invites a stream of foot traffic, and every now and then, crime. It was during a rash of break-ins that “Mrs. Kravitz” came to be. She is not the first, for every neighborhood has one. Growing up in Greensboro in the 1960s and ’70s, my family and I had a Mrs. Kravitz for a next-door neighbor. She was cheerful, kind and generous, a salt-of-the-Earth type who baked pies and gave my sisters and me rides home from school. She had a distinctive laugh, a high-pitched cackle — and an eagle eye. “I just happened to wake up in the middle of the night last night,” she’d often begin, “and noticed the lights were on across the street, and two people were leaving the house. I declare, who in the world would be going somewhere at that hour?” The phrase “across the street” referred to the young divorcée whose lawn-mowing attire consisted of a low-cut blouse and a miniskirt. My sisters and I never dared throw any parties on the rare occasions that our parents went out, as we knew that they’d get a full report from you-know-who. She gave us the lowdown on everyone else in a twoblock radius: the fellow down the street who was hospitalized after a heart attack; an older woman who was drunk and ranting in the middle of the night (“when I just happened to be up with a headache,” said Mrs. K.); the mysterious nine-month case of “mononucleosis” that a teenaged girl had contracted; various children who skipped school or left their bicycles in her front yard. Never was she more incensed, however, than the day she caught her other next-door neighbors’ son teasing his dog, and vehemently scolded the boy: “Don’t you be mean to that Jingles; she’s a sweet dog!” Shortly before this Mrs. Kravitz died, my parents acquired new neighbors on the other side of their house, a young couple with three children. We shall call them Mr. and Mrs. Kravitz. Energetic, with a hail-fellow-well-met demeanor, their brand of surveillance was fueled by sympathy. “We feel so sorry for Sue and her girls,” they’d sigh, be-

fore describing in excruciating detail the plight of the single mom whose husband was serving a jail sentence. They worried about the health consequences of one family’s hoarding tendencies and revealed that the two mutts responsible for leaving calling cards in our front yard were, in fact, rescue dogs. When the same drunk and ranting woman who had offended the first Mrs. Kravitz locked herself out of her house, these Kravitzes were the first on the scene to help and even looked into rehab programs for her. But back to my Mrs. Kravitz, who evolved into her role. In the first few years that I lived in the cottage, I would get nervous phone calls from her on nights that her husband was working late or out of town. “Just wanted to make sure you’re there,” she’d say. But years later, when my purse was snatched and I was the frightened one, she insisted on dispatching me to her guest room and consoling me with a few beers while she wrangled with the police. They explained there wasn’t much they could do since the perp had slipped away, but Mrs. K. refused to let the matter go. “Don’t you have someone on the neighborhood beat who can track him down?” she snapped. I was impressed with her audacity to sass the cops, a contrast to my deferential “Yes, Officer; No, Officer” responses. The police came to know her by name as the summer wore on and crime escalated. She demanded follow-up on another purse snatching, on the car break-in next-door, and routinely called in any suspicious-looking loiterers, until the city’s finest suggested she form a neighborhood watch. She did just that, starting with an e-mail chain that always ended with, “Mrs. Kravitz is on the case!” Literally. One night, she went out on patrol with the cops in a squad car, and I considered changing her moniker to “Dirty Harriet.” But Mrs. Kravitz, while vigilant, is no vigilante. She and her counterparts before her are compassionate souls who only want the best for everyone, whether a defenseless animal, a troubled soul or frightened neighbors. So the next time you discover a Mrs. Kravitz in your midst, be glad she — or he — has your back. And if you’re planning any late-night revels, keep the noise down; Mrs. K. might happen to wake up. PS Nancy Oakley last wrote for PineStraw about her mother’s heirloom ornaments. Illustration by Pamela Powers January

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