Behind this door is your perfect match…
Jennifer Ritchie, REALTOR® Everything Pines Partners, LLC Call/Text: 910-987-5565 JenniferRitchieHomes@gmail.com Don’t miss out on
“Frank’s February Favorites Giveaways” Follow me on Facebook & Instagram to play along and win great local gifts!
Follow Me! @JennSellsMoore
Talent, Technology & Teamwork! Moore County’s Most Trusted Real Estate Team! CT TRA
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SOUTHERN PINES • $365,000
PINEHURST • $420,000
PINEHURST • $449,000
107 W. CHELSEA COURT Lovely 3 BR / 3 BA townhome in the private community of Mid South Club. Nice layout and gorgeous kitchen.
22 KILBERRY DRIVE All brick 3 BR / 2.5 BA golf front home nestled in quiet and serene location in popular Pinewild CC.
20 JUNIPER CREEK BLVD Amazing 4 BR / 3.5 BA custom home in popular #6. Bright and open layout w/special touches and features throughout!
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SEVEN LAKES WEST• $339,000
PINEHURST • $334,000
SEVEN LAKES WEST • $310,000
339 LONGLEAF DRIVE Attractive 3 BR / 2.5 BA home on lovely, wooded lot. Home offers hardwood flooring in main living space and nice views of nearby Lake Auman.
70 SHADOW CREEK COURT Beautiful 4 BR / 3.5 BA two-story townhome in Forest Hills community w/gorgeous layout and tons of appeal.
115 PITTMAN ROAD Delightful 4 BR / 2.5 BA home w/bright and open layout, master bedroom on main level and great loft area – perfect for growing family!
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WEST END • $355,000
PINEHURST • $392,500
9 PRINCEVILLE LANE Appealing 4 BR / 2.5 BA home in Pinehurst #6. Home is situated on corner lot w/beautiful floorplan and secluded master suite.
401 MOUNTAIN RUN ROAD Gorgeous 4 BR / 3.5 BA home in great location w/open layout, bonus room and attached 3 car garage - perfect for a growing family!
219 JUNIPER CREEK BLVD Outstanding 5 BR / 3 BA newly constructed golf front home in #6 w/views of green and down the fairway.
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IN MOORE COUNTY REAL ESTATE FOR OVER 20 YEARS!
Luxury Properties Moore County’s Most Trusted Real Estate Team!
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PINEHURST • $525,000 18 KILBERRY DRIVE Beautiful 3 BR / 2 Full BA 2 Half BA brick home situated high on slightly sloping wooded lot. Luxury tile flooring and high ceilings are among the special features this home offers.
PINEHURST • $785,000
PINEHURST • $510,000
20 WALNUT CREEK ROAD Custom 5 BR / 4.5 BA home w/over 5500 sq.ft of luxury living. Located in desirable Fairwoods on #7 this home offers open layout w/pool and patio in large backyard.
47 PINEWILD DRIVE Spectacular custom built 4 BR / 3 BA home overlooking the 4th tee of the Azalea course in private Pinewild CC.
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PINEHURST • $575,000
PINEHURST • $502,000
PINEHURST • $1,300,000
12 ABINGTON DRIVE Elegant 5 BR / 4 BA Southern Living style custom home. Home is situated on private wooded lot across from Pinewild CC.
90 MAGNOLIA AVENUE Attractive 3 BR / 3.5 BA home in quiet cul-desac. A stately private oasis w/winding drive, grand entryway, spacious layout and beautiful views!
13 LAKESIDE COURT Stunning 4 BR / 4.5 BA custom lakefront home on Lake Pinehurst. Layout is open and light w/expansive view of Lake Pinehurst – Pinehurst living at its finest.
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SEVEN LAKES WEST • $590,000
PINEHURST • $535,000
SEVEN LAKES WEST • $735,000
145 MORRIS DRIVE Charming 3 BR / 3 BA home w/open floorplan, large living room/dining room, and captivating water views of Lake Auman.
49 GREYABBEY DRIVE Contemporary 4 BR / 4.5 BA home on 7th hole of Pinewild CC’s Magnolia course. Interior is light and open w/beautiful gourmet kitchen.
122 ANCHOR POINT Gorgeous 4 BR / 3.5 BA waterfront home on Lake Auman. This custom brick home offers lovely floorplan and spectacular water views.
Re/Max Prime Properties, 5 Chinquapin Rd., Pinehurst, NC 910-295-7100 • 800-214-9007 • Re/Max Prime Properties 5 Chinquapin Rd., Pinehurst, NC
www.ThEGENTRYTEAM.COM
• 910-295-7100
February ����
DEPARTMENTS 13 Simple Life
By Jim Dodson
FEATURES 61 Greyhound
17 PinePitch 21 Good Natured
62 Foods We Love By Jenna Biter
23 The Omnivorous Reader
70 Late Bloomer By Bill Case
27 Bookshelf 31 Hometown
Poetry By Crystal Simone Smith Treat yourself all year round
Though he never swung a club until age 35, Walter J. Travis became America’s first great golfer
76 Building Strong Roots By Claudia Watson Reconstructing a Pinehurst landscape
82 Blast from the Past By Deborah Salomon Out with the new! In with the old!
By Karen Frye D.G. Martin
By Bill Fields
33 The Creators of N.C.
By Wiley Cash
39 In the Spirit
By Tony Cross
91 Almanac By Ashley Wahl
41 The Kitchen Garden
Cover: Boozy Hot Chocolate — photographed and crafted at The Leadmine. Photograph by John Gessner
45 Weekend Away
By Jan Leitschuh
By Jason Oliver Nixon
51 Out of the Blue By Deborah Salomon 53 Birdwatch
By Susan Campbell
54 The Naturalist
By Todd Pusser
57 Golftown Journal
By Lee Pace
100 Arts & Entertainment Calendar 103 PineNeedler
By Mart Dickerson
104 Southwords
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By Jim Moriarty
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Classic Comfort
20% Off All Home Treasures in February
COUPON CODE: HT2021
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Opulence of Southern Pines and DUXIANA at The Mews, 280 NW Broad Street, Downtown Southern Pines, NC 910.692.2744
at Cameron Village, 400 Daniels Street, Raleigh, NC 919.467.1781
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www.OpulenceOfSouthernPines.com Serving the Carolinas & More for Over 20 Years – Financing Available
SERVICE DEPARTMENT OFFERS
LIFETIME LIMITED POWERTRAIN WARRANTY! UNLIMITED TIME… UNLIMITED MILES! NO ADDITIONAL COST! Lifetime limited non-factory warranty on all new Toyotas. Good at participating dealerships nationwide. No additional charge. See dealer for details. 2 YEARS NO COST MAINTENANCE! * The first fir 2 years/25,000 miles are covered under the Toyota Care program. VALUE SHIELD Diminished value vehicle protection. 1 year $5,000 benefit included on every new vehicle. OUR BEST PRICE DIFFERENCE!** If within 3 days of purchasing your new vehicle from us, you find a lower price on the exact same vehicle on our lot, we will refund you 100% of the difference! 100% CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GUARANTEE!*** CU If within 72 hours of purchasing your new or pre-owned vehicle you are not completely satisfied, bring it back and exchange it for another vehicle at Pinehurst Toyota! *2 years No Cost Maintenance and 5 years Roadside Assistance provided by ToyotaCare. **Must present
Ipsum written offer or ad onLorem exact same vehicle from our dealership. ***Mileage driven must not exceed 200 miles.
BROWSE INVENTORY I GET PRE-APPROVED I COMPLETE PAPERWORK
CURBSIDE PICK-UP & DELIVERY OF YOUR NEW CAR!
910-684-4028 PinehurstToyota.com
10760 Hwy 15-501, Southern Pines, NC 28388
ElEvatEd living
in thE
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M A G A Z I N E Volume 17, No. 2 David Woronoff, Publisher Andie Stuart Rose, Creative Director
910.693.2467 • andie@pinestrawmag.com
Jim Moriarty, Editor
910.692.7915 • jjmpinestraw@gmail.com
Alyssa Rocherolle, Graphic Designer
910.693.2508 • alyssa@pinestrawmag.com
Lauren M. Coffey, Graphic Designer
910.693.2469 • lauren@pinestrawmag.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Jim Dodson, Editor Emeritus Deborah Salomon, Staff Writer
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
John Gessner, Laura Gingerich, Tim Sayer
CONTRIBUTORS Jenna Biter, Harry Blair, Tom Bryant, Susan Campbell, Bill Case, Mallory Cash, Wiley Cash, Tony Cross, Brianna Rolfe Cunningham, Mart Dickerson, Bill Fields, Laurel Holden, Sara King, Jan Leitschuh, John Loecke, Meridith Martens, D.G. Martin, Jason Oliver Nixon, Mary Novitsky, Lee Pace, Todd Pusser, Joyce Reehling, Scott Sheffield, Stephen E. Smith, Angie Tally, Kimberly Taws, Daniel Wallace, Ashley Wahl, Claudia Watson, Renee Whitmore ADVERTISING SALES
Ginny Trigg, Advertising Director 910.693.2481 • ginny@thepilot.com
1215 Massachusetts Avenue • Southern Pines Taking a turn from the equestrian hunt box, this Weymouth residence, located on a woodland acre, takes second floor living to the ultimate experience. Instead of stalls underneath, there are 2 BR, 2 BA, a huge workshop, office, room for 3 cars connected by stairs or an elevator to the second floor. Built in 1984, with over 4,000 sq ft., features include a great room with welcoming fireplace, soaring beamed ceiling, a loft, Carolina room and gracious dining room, master and guest bedroom, 2 more bathrooms, all upstairs. Outside are elevated decks, terraces, a firepit and fenced yard. NEW LISTING. Offered at $845,000
To view more photos, take a virtual tour or schedule a showing, go to:
Maureen Clark
www.clarkpropertiesnc.com
when experience matters
Pinehurst • Southern Pines BHHS Pinehurst Realty Group • 910.315.1080 ©2015 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of American, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC.
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Jennie Acklin, 910.693.2515 Samantha Cunningham, 910.693.2505 Terry Hartsell, 910.693.2513 Erika Leap, 910.693.2514 ADVERTISING COORDINATOR
Emily Jolly • pilotads@thepilot.com
ADVERTISING GRAPHIC DESIGN
Mechelle Butler, Scott Yancey
PS Steve Anderson, Finance Director 910.693.2497 Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488 SUBSCRIPTIONS
910.693.2488 OWNERS
Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels Jr., Frank Daniels III, Lee Dirks, David Woronoff 145 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Pines, NC 28387 www.pinestrawmag.com ©Copyright 2021. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. PineStraw magazine is published by The Pilot LLC
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Under Construction
Under Construction
121 Chanticleer The Welsummer Design
125 Chanticleer The Gournay Design
Two more French country cottages designed by Mark Parsons in prestigious Forest Creek Golf Club are underway, 121 Chanticleer for $554,500 and 125 Chanticleer for $548,500. 109, 130, and 126 Chanticleer are Under Contract. 113 Chanticleer, the Sebright design for $515,000 and 117 Chanticleer, the Roscomb for $556,500 are the next two homes slated for construction as this popular development nears completion.
SOLD
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105 The Welsummer
110 The Rosecomb
114 The Gournay
118 The Welsummer
134 The Welsummer
122 The Sebright
Maureen Clark
910.315.1080 • www.clarkproperties.com
205 Crest Road • Southern Pines
Classic Colonial Revival in Knollwood Heights, built in 1930 on 2 acres, 6700 sq ft with 5 BR, 5.5 BA and attached 2 car garage. Highlights include fireplaces in living, dining, master and Carolina room, original hardwoods, and large backyard pool. Offered at $995,000
123 Pinefield Court • Southern Pines Built in 2006, this 6580 sq ft residence on 8 acres includes 5 BR, 6.5 BA, theater room, billiard room, open living plan, wine cellar, 3 car garage and outdoor kitchen. Gated privacy. Offered at $1,900,000
15 Pebble Beach Place • CCNC • Pinehurst
Generous rooms and ceiling height complimented by lovely building quality, earmark this handsome, one-story traditional home. Built in 1984, this 2 BR, 3BA home has 2 powder rooms, over 3,200 sq ft, two fireplaces, attached 2 car garage. NEW LISTING. Offered at $530,000
90 Redtail Lane East Lake • CCNC
This lot in the popular East Lake Development with the gated Country Club of NC is sited beautifully on the high ground of Redtail Lane. The lot fans out in the back allowing a buyer’s future home to have a nice view of Lake Dornoch. Offered at $145,000
Berkshire Hathaway HomeSercies and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity.Housing Opportunity.
February is American Heart Month
ARE YOU AT RISK FOR PAD? ( PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL DISEASE )
DON’T WAIT TO FIND OUT. PAD is a chronic disease in which plaque builds up in the arteries to the legs. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or you have diabetes, ask your primary care provider to fax a referral to 910-215-3080
Vascular & Vein Care 910•235•2536
www.pinehurstsurgical.com 5 FirstVillage Drive, Pinehurst, NC 28374
SIMPLE LIFE
Let There Be Light
From planets, people and all that glitters in this clockwork universe
By Jim Dodson
Shortly before sunset on the
winter solstice, my wife and an old friend and I walked up a grassy hilltop west of town hoping to view a rare celestial event called the Great Conjunction, which last took place not long after the invention of the telescope in the 17th century.
I was sure I’d found the perfect hilltop for viewing what some think is the astronomical origin of the Star of Bethlehem — a summit far away from madding crowds and city lights. Silly me. A crowd of upwards of 30 turned out to bear witness as a pair of giant gassy planets — Saturn and Jupiter, the solar system’s twin heavyweights — verged so close they appeared to shine as one blazing star in the Southwest sky just after sunset, intensifying their light as the darkness deepened. Before this evening, their closest alignment was July 16, 1623. Before that, the last viewing was March 6, 1226, the year Saint Francis of Assisi died. The 2020 light show was a pretty brief one, lasting just over an hour before the planets slipped below the horizon. But the unexpected pleasure for this starwatcher was witnessing the lovely effect this phenomenon of rare light had upon the assembly of earthlings on the hill. As they patiently waited, couples young and old stood arm-inarm like star-crossed lovers, silently silhouetted by the afterglow of the sunset. Old timers sat on lawn chairs with binoculars. A family with six kids spread out a large quilt on the hill and shared The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
a thermos of hot chocolate, chattering like excited starlings in the grass. One wee girl wrapped in a plaid Scottish blanket kept asking her mother where, exactly, the baby Jesus was sleeping. Dogs and their owners mingled joyfully in the dusk, while neighbors greeted neighbors they hadn’t seen in a small eternity. An amateur astronomer set up a large electronic telescope and drew a crowd of kids and parents eager to get a rare glimpse of the rings of Saturn and the four moons of Jupiter. We humans, it hit me, are like the planets that shine above us. The closer we come to each other, the more light we project, the brighter our shared humanity grows, enriching our collective orbit through a clockwork universe. This was no small solstice revelation during a year of viral darkness and enforced isolation that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. In the crowd, an older lady swaddled in a red Wolf Pack sweatshirt and a ball cap that simply urged Love Thy Neighbor Y’all, wondered out loud if the shining object might not be an omen of good news to come for 2021. Murmurs of agreement erupted. Light and hope, of course, go hand in hand, and have since the very beginning, whenever that was — Big Bang or Garden of Eden. A thousand years before the Bible said as much, the Upanishads advised that consciousness is the light of the divine. The third verse of Genesis 1 agreed: “God said Let there be light and there was light. And God saw the light and it was good.” The Gospel of John called Jesus the light of the world. Matthew urged his followers to let their light shine before others and pointed out the folly of keeping our light beneath a basket. Scriptures of every faith tradition, in fact, bear lavish witness to the power of celestial light. Buddha advised human beings to become a light unto themselves, while Chapter 13 of the Bhagavad Gita notes that the Supreme Lord Krishna is the “light of all lights, the illuminator of even the sun and stars . . . By his light all creation is full of light.” PineStraw
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SIMPLE LIFE
In his captain’s log, Christopher Columbus wrote that he followed the light of the sun to leave the Old World behind — and thereby found a new one. In our darkest moments, Aristotle advised, we must focus to see the light — both outward and inward. With the dawning of the Age of Reason, science celebrated the power of light to illuminate vast unimagined worlds, to heal disease and grow the future. Light turned out to be the engine of photosynthesis and all life biological, confirming what gardeners and country folk have understood for millennia as they planted by the cycles of the seasons or danced by the light of the moon. A good idea is symbolized by a blazing light bulb — which only took Thomas Edison a thousand or so failed efforts to invent. To “lighten up” means to let things go. Whereas to “see the light” implies a sudden change in perception or awakened consciousness, to “enlighten” is to furnish knowledge and slowly deepen one’s spiritual insight, to see the truth of the matter and make one a fraction wiser. The rising sun may be a living metaphor for a new beginning, but however we find the light, it’s also bound to find us. There’s a crack in everything, reminds the late Leonard Cohen. That’s how the light gets in. Artists spend their lives chasing light for the simple reason that in light there is revelation, an unveiling and inspiration.
Falling sunlight makes stained glass windows come alive, Hudson River landscapes unforgettable, fields of sunflowers explode, butterflies dance, afternoons utterly peaceful. It is the distinctive light of a Rembrandt — The Night Watch or The Return of the Prodigal Son come to mind — which makes the figures appear so fragile and real, humans cloaked by the mystery of darkness, the hidden unknown. In the meantime, it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness — or so advised everyone from Confucius to Eleanor Roosevelt. Every morning of my life, almost without exception, I light a lone candle on my desk in the darkest hour of morning, a small act of respect for the darkness. This little ritual of desktop fire-making may be far more symbolic than I fathomed, an ancestral memory of awakening to the possibilities of daily rebirth, a fresh start, a friendly summons to any thoughtful angels or muses who happen to be passing through the neighborhood. After a year that no one will ever forget, news of COVID vaccines coming our way has been hailed as “light at the end of the tunnel.” We can only hope — and pray — this is true. For as those souls who gathered like ancient shepherds on a starry solstice hilltop intuited, we all need more light in the darkness and delight in our lives. Wherever it comes from. PS Jim Dodson can be reached at jim@thepilot.com.
Lin gets Results! toP 1 % of Moore County reaLtors toP 1 % of u.s. reaLtors
ENERGY. EXPERIENCE. EFFORT. WWW.LINHUTAFF.COM
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Lin Hutaff’s PineHurst reaLty GrouP Village of Pinehurst | 910.528.6427 | linhutaff@pinehurst.net The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
If Pinehurst has it, Lin can get it for you! Go to LinHutaff. com SOL
315 N BEULAH HILL ROAD • OLD TOWN Elegant, historic, formal, “Cotton Cottage”. Restored Historic home with large Master Suite, indoor pool and elevator. New 3 bay garage. 6BD, 5 ½ BA. Offered at $1,250,000.
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80 COMMUNITY ROAD • OLD TOWN “Thistle Cottage” was home to Annie Oakley in the early days of Pinehurst. Built in 1916. Updated in 1998 including Gourmet kitchen with Viking gas range, double oven, stainless, etc. 4BD, 3 ½ BA. Offered at $845,000.
22 KIRKTON COURT – PINEWILD Beautiful home on the LAKE in Pinewild CC. Situated on nearly two acres with gorgeous landscaping, brick walkways, a fountain and private dock. Gourmet kitchen. 5 BD, 3BA, 2 Half baths. Offered at $825,000.
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64 STONEYKIRK DRIVE • PINEWILD Design or quality was not spared. Two Master suites on main level. Gourmet kitchen. Expansive wrap around deck. Separate living quarters on lower level. 4BD, 4 1/2BA. Offered at $825,000.
14 GREYABBEY DRIVE • PINEWILD Stunning, golf front, contemporary home with walls of glass. Amazing gourmet Kitchen boasts Miele and Thermidor appliances, Miele stainless hood. Superb. 5BD, 4 ½ BA. Offered at $795,000.
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175 MIDLAND RD • OLD TOWN Completely renovated throughout including kitchen open to patio and pool with outdoor fireplace. Separate office on main level. Large rooms are light and bright. Handsome Master and Master bath. 4BD, 2BA, 2- 1/2BA. Offered at $750,000.
PRIVATE ESTATE IN FAIRWOODS ON 7
215 INVERRARY RD • FAIRWOODS ON 7 PRIVATE Estate on over 4 acres within the gates of Fairwoods on 7, a gated Community minutes from the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club and the Historic Village of Pinehurst. Surrounded by over 1000 feet of golf frontage including golf holes #13, #14 and #15 of Pinehurst No 7. Gracious grounds, extensive covered porches, and gorgeous home with all the charm of a southern sanctuary. Open floorpan, lavish finishes, gourmet kitchen and walls of glass. An elevator goes to the second floor Home Theatre and Club room with entrance to roof deck for panoramic views of golf and private grounds. Spectacular! Offered at $2,475,000
ENERGY. EXPERIENCE. EFFORT.
Lin Hutaff’s PineHurst reaLty GrouP Village of Pinehurst | 910.528.6427 | linhutaff@pinehurst.net
LUXURY
10 Village Green Road, Pinehurst
$2,989,999
BHHSPRG.COM
5 bed • 4/2 bath
Emily Hewson (910) 315-3324 MLS 182223
LUXURY
LUXURY
14 Cumberland Drive, Pinehurst
$1,545,000
3 bed • 3/1 bath Kathy Peele (312) 623-7523 MLS 203384
Downsizing done for you, without sacrificing space. This casual sophistication & timeless style are the hallmarks of this gracefully presented home in the prestigious gated, Forest Creek. Potential for another bedroom to be built above the garage. Expansive outdoor living on multiple lots.
LUXURY
4 bed • 4 bath
Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 MLS 196830
Peaceful horse farm and certified wildlife habitat. Custom home with wrap around porch, main floor master suite, and basement. 4 stall barn, riding area, and private trails.
129 Overlook Drive, West End
$255,000
3 bed • 3 bath
Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 MLS 203724
4 bed • 5/2 bath Kathy Peele (312) 623-7523 MLS 202572
This home performs perfectly for grand scale entertaining to casual everyday living all on one level. Dramatic wine cellar, home theatre, game room. A home you’ll never want to leave! Designed by Stagaard & Chao. Expansive terraces.
150 Crest Road, Pinehurst
$990,000
5 bed • 4/1 bath
Jennifer Nguyen (910) 585-2099 MLS 200500
Chimbley House: c1922 has been completely renovated into an elegant updated home. Surrounded by a spectacular garden. Private but minutes from downtown.
LUXURY
178 Lost Trail Drive, West End
$875,000
LUXURY
228 Meyer Farm Drive, Pinehurst
$1,495,000
Original schoolhouse on 1st fairway of #2 golf course. Totally renovated. Enclave blends tradition with luxury ameneities. Garage apartment.
7 Lakes North home with split floor plan. Large kitchen with dining and fireplace, office, renovated baths, new deck, 2 car garage and more.
250 E McCaskill Road, Pinehurst
$785,000 Emily Hewson (910) 315-3324 MLS 198787
Prime Old Town location. 2.23 commercial acres next to Pinehurst Brewery. Located on McCaskill and Magnolia roads. Zoned VMU - Village mixed use.
285 Olmsted Blvd, #201-9, Pinehurst
$159,000 Marie O’Brien (910) 528-5669 MLS 200118
Opportunity knocks! Pinhurst Office Space. Large office condo with over 1200 sq ft. Large reception area, 5 exam rooms, kitchenette, restroom, and elevator. Great location, close to Moore Regional, shopping and the Village of Pinehurst.
103 Forest Creek Drive, K, Pinehurst
$300,000 Kathy Peele (312) 623-7523 MLS 203664
Play & stay! Located in the private gated community at Forest Creek Golf Club. This clubhouse suite overlooks famed South golf course. Fully furnished and decorated by Ferry, Hayes & Allen designers of Atlanta, GA.
106 Elkington Way, Pinehurst
$65,900 Kathy Peele (312) 623-7523 MLS 203067
Private lot located on the corner of a cul-de-sac. Lot is perfect size to build a two story, but large enough to accommodate a one story. Located at Forest Creek Golf Club. Premier gated community in the Sandhills area.
Pinehurst • 42 Chinquapin Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374 • 910 -295 -5504 | Southern Pines • 167 Beverly Lane, Southern Pines, NC 28387 • 910-692-2635 ©2021 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC.
PinePitch
TRUST BUT VERIFY: As our communities deal with the challenges presented by the novel coronavirus, please be aware that events may have been postponed, rescheduled or existed only in our dreams. Check before attending.
Eats and Art Is Groundhog on the Menu? The Sandhills Woman’s Exchange opens on Feb. 2, either for the spring season or for six more weeks of winter. Delicious lunches are available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the gift shop, featuring 25 artisans, will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information call (910) 295-4677 or go to www.sandhillswe.org.
The Encore Center and Ashten’s Restaurant will bring dinner theater to downtown Southern Pines with a performance of Love Letters on Friday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m. There will be additional performances on Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and on Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30-$50. For information call (910) 725-0758 or go to www.encorecenter.net.
Born to Zoom Cupid II Join the Southern Pines downtown businesses and the Sunrise Theater’s marketplace for an afternoon of shopping, adult beverages and Valentine’s Day perks in the second annual Cupid’s Crawl on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 12 to 4 p.m. No further information is necessary, just support our local businesses.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
February features a pair of electronically-distanced author events. John Grisham joins John Hart to talk about Hart’s new book, The Unwilling, from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3. For information go to www.ticketmesandhills.com. Then, on Wednesday, Feb. 10, you can join a conversation with James Patterson, Matt Eversmann and former Air Force Combat Controller Dan Schilling about the book Walk in My Combat Boots. For more information go to www.countrybookshop.biz
PineStraw
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Always a Step Ahead
Introducing a brand new Caviness a brand new Caviness LandIntroducing development in Aberdeen, NC. Land development in Aberdeen, NC.
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Pre-Selling Now! Winds Way Farm Winds Way Farm Set among beautifully manicured grounds with a spectacular wooded
Set among grounds with a spectacular wooded backdrop. Eachbeautifully home is setmanicured upon ½ acres lots with access to an immaculately backdrop. Each home set uponcovered ½ acresBBQ lots area. with access to anplans immaculately presented pool andisopen-air Open floor are presented pool and open-air covered BBQ area. Open floor plans are generously proportioned and flow effortlessly throughout from the living generously proportioned and flow effortlessly throughout from the living room through to your private covered patio where you can enjoy the stunning room through to your private covered patio where you can enjoy the stunning views. views. Gourmet Gourmetkitchens kitchenswith withdouble doubleoven ovenand andsoft-touch soft-touchcabinetry cabinetryare arejust justa a couple coupleof ofupgraded upgradedfeatures featuresthat thatcome comeasasstandard standardwith withthese thesehomes. homes.These These brand brand new new homes homes provide provideall allthe theelements elementsfor forrelaxing, relaxing,comfortable, comfortable,and and easy-care living. See our our floorplans floor plansand anddiscover discovera anew newway wayofoflife. life.
Serving Moore County and Surrounding Areas! 910.684.8674 | 120 N ASHE ST | SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28387
www.maisonteam.com
MLS 203362 453 HERITAGE FARM ROAD Carthage, NC • $450,000
MLS 201005 436 MCLENDON HILLS DRIVE West End, NC • $534,999
MLS 203808 609 INGLESIDE LANE Carthage, NC • $350,900
MLS 203609 217 THISTLEBERRY DRIVE Aberdeen, NC • $337,000
MLS 203604 205 THISTLEBERRY DRIVE Aberdeen, NC • $333,900
MLS 203628 608 INGLESIDE LANE Carthage, NC • $332,500
MLS 203805 557 FOOTHILLS STREET Aberdeen, NC • $330,225
MLS 203806 563 FOOTHILLS STREET Aberdeen, NC • $327,500
MLS 203803 545 FOOTHILLS STREET Aberdeen, NC • $296,960
MLS 203608 727 WINDS WAY Aberdeen, NC • $328,900
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G O O D NAT U R E D
The Heart Chakra Connecting to a love-focused life
A West Coast Lifestyle Boutique
By K aren Frye
T
he chakra system, comprised of seven major energetic centers, is inside each of us. Constantly spinning, these centers run vertically through the body from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, creating a kind of spiritual nervous system.
Each of the seven chakras has a particular organ or gland to assist. In order to operate efficiently, the chakras must be balanced. Tuning in to the seven centers in the morning before getting out of bed is the best way to ensure they are all in sync, helping you maintain an energetic body. Often, physical and emotional imbalances improve. The heart chakra is the fourth chakra located in the center of our being. It represents love, which is the glue of the universe. The field of love that is all around us is intelligent and compassionate, ready to embrace us and bring us countless blessings. We need only to melt away the barriers we build around ourselves to receive it. When we open our hearts fully, we wash away the fears that keep love away. February is the month to open your heart, connect to the love you feel, and receive the love given to you by others. Generosity, compassion and forgiveness can all generate the opening of the heart. You never know when selfless acts of kindness will have a ripple effect in the world, creating positive change. When you live from your heart center and address situations with love rather than a negative state of mind, the most incredible, and seemingly impossible, outcomes can emerge. Grasping the power of a “love-focused life� can lead to less hardship, sadness and anxiety. Let it begin one day at a time. PS
Karen Frye is the owner and founder of Nature’s Own and teaches yoga at the Bikram Yoga Studio.
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THE OMNIVOROUS READER
Waiting for Gurganus And savoring his short fiction
By D.G. Martin
Like two other important
North Carolina authors’ debut novels, Thomas Wolfe’s Look Homeward, Angel in 1929 and Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain in 1997, Allan Gurganus’ Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All in 1989 caught the nation’s attention and stayed at the top of the bestseller lists for months. It has sold over 4 million copies and become an American classic.
Set in the 1980s, the book is narrated by 99-year-old Lucy Marsden, who married 50-year-old Col. William Marsden when she was 15. She tells of her marriage to the Confederate veteran, his wartime experiences and the entertaining and poignant routine of her daily life in the fictional town of Falls, located somewhere near Rocky Mount. Widow was followed in 1997 by Plays Well with Others. Sandwiched between the two novels are a couple of collections of short fiction, White People and The Practical Heart, the last published in 1993. So, what had he been doing in the years afterward? “Writing, every day,” he says, “and getting up at 6 a.m. to do it.” Finally, in 2013 Gurganus published Local Souls, taking us back to Falls, where Widow and many of his short stories are set. Local Souls is neither a novel nor a collection of short stories, but three separate novellas. All are set in Falls, but the characters and stories are independent and quite different. Susan, the main character in the first novella, “Fear Not,” is a 14-year-old all-American girl growing up in Falls when her father dies in a boating accident. Seduced and made pregnant by her godfather, she gives up her baby, pulls her life together, later marries, has two children, and leads a normal life until she is reunited with the child she gave up. Then her life is transformed in a surprising and puzzling way, one that only Gurganus could conjure up.
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In the second novella, “Saints Have Mothers,” a divorced woman, smart and ambitious enough to have published a poem in The Atlantic magazine, has two sons and a 17-year-old daughter. The daughter is more committed to serving those in need than she is to her mother, whose life is wrapped up in hopes for her daughter’s future. When the daughter announces that she plans to go to Africa on a service project, the mother objects. But the daughter still goes. Communication with her daughter is spotty until a middle-of-thenight phone call brings word of the daughter’s death. As the mother and the Falls community prepare for a memorial service, Gurganus brings the story to a shocking and touching conclusion. The third novella, “Decoy,” is the history of a relationship between two men. One is a beloved family doctor, part of an established Falls family. The other is a newcomer, who came from the poverty of struggling farm life, but has achieved modest financial success and near acceptance by Falls’ elite. When the doctor retires, their friendship is disturbed and then swept away by a “Fran-like” flood that destroys both men’s homes and much of Falls. With its complex characters and plot, “Decoy” deserved to be a separate book. In 2015 that happened, and it sold well as a stand-alone. In his latest book, The Uncollected Stories of Allan Gurganus (January 2021), several stories take readers back to Falls. In one story, “The Deluxe $19.95 Walking Tour of Historic Falls (NC),” a tour guide narrates and takes a hard look at the town. She begins: “Moving along nicely. No stragglers, please. Incorporated in 1824, almost immediately made the county seat, Falls still boasts five thousand local souls. We’re down from our peak seven thousand during the commercial boom of ’98, 18 — 98. See that arched bridge? Some say that yonder River Lithium accounts for both our citizens’ soothed temperaments and for how hard we find leaving home. Few local students, matriculating up north, last long there.” Longtime fans of Gurganus will appreciate the inside look at his favorite town. Newcomers will find that the tour of Falls forms the basis for another engaging Gurganus tale. The new book includes one of my favorites. In “A Fool for Christmas,” Vernon Ricketts, a pet store manager in a mall near Falls, is the lead character and narrator. He is the fool for Christmas PineStraw
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who cannot resist a call to take care of a homeless teenager, keep her warm, and help her hide from the security officer, who is dedicated to getting such undesirables out of the mall. The teenager is pregnant, and Gurganus’ story draws on the Biblical account of Christ’s birth in a way that brings out the same sort of deep feelings. Gurganus wrote this story for NPR’s All Things Considered in 2004 and read it on the program. He has rewritten it regularly. Last year it made its way into print in a limited edition that sold out quickly. The story’s inclusion assures that the new book will be a family treasure. Perhaps the book’s most timely story is “The Wish for a Good Young Country Doctor,” which was published first in The New Yorker in April last year. It is set in a rural village in the Midwest during a cholera epidemic in 1850, where a young doctor does his best to save its citizens. But when many die, the doctor is blamed. How did Gurganus manage to time his story to coincide with the current pandemic? He says he finished the story early in 2020, “on the day that coronavirus appeared for the first time in The New York Times. And the context was completely changed. I sent it to my agent, who sent it to The New Yorker, which bought it in a day, and it appeared two weeks later.” These stories and six more in the new book will remind us of the talented North Carolinian’s ability to make us laugh painfully at ourselves and our neighbors while we wait for his long-promised, long-delayed opus, An Erotic History of a Southern Baptist Church. When I pushed him to tell us when it would be finished, Gurganus smiled and said, “I’ve got a lot of material. Every time I think I’ve finished the book, somebody tells me another story about a corrupt preacher and the choir director. And I add another chapter. So I think it might be a trilogy instead of a single volume.” I am waiting hopefully. But I am not holding my breath. PS D.G. Martin hosts North Carolina Bookwatch Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and Tuesday at 5 p.m. on UNC-TV.
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BOOKSHELF
February Books FICTION Milk Blood Heat, by Dantiel W. Moniz A livewire debut novel that depicts the sultry lives of Floridians in intergenerational tales that contemplate human connection, race, womanhood, inheritance and the elemental darkness in us all. Set among the cities and suburbs of Florida, each story delves into the ordinary worlds of young girls, women and men who find themselves confronted by extraordinary moments of violent personal reckoning. The Unwilling, by John Hart Gibby’s older brothers have already been to war. One died there. The other, Jason, came back misunderstood and hard, and ended up in prison. After his release, and determined to make a connection with his brother, Jason coaxes Gibby into a day at the lake: long hours of sunshine, whisky and two older women. When one of the women is savagely murdered, suspicion turns to Jason; but when later the second woman is kidnapped, the police suspect Gibby, too. Determined to prove Jason innocent, Gibby must avoid the cops and dive deep into his brother’s hidden life. What he discovers is a truth more disturbing than he could have imagined. Crime fiction at its most raw. The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as drought grips the Great Plains. The crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. Elsa Martinelli — like so many of her neighbors — must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. Written by the author of The Nightingale, Winds is an indelible portrait of America during the Great Depression as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation. The Nature of Fragile Things, by Susan Meissner Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a New York tenement that she answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. Widower Martin Hocking is mesmerizingly handsome, but Sophie discovers hidden ties to two other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved. When the 1906 earthquake happens, they are all forever changed. NONFICTION Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs A perfect book club selection, Incidents is the reissued autobiography of a woman born into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina. A compelling read in modern day, it was written between 1853 and 1858 and published in 1861 under the name Linda Brent. Walk in My Combat Boots, by James Patterson and Chris Mooney These are the brutally honest stories usually shared only between comrades in arms. Here, in the voices of the men and women who have fought overseas from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, is a poignant look into what wearing the uniform, fighting in combat, losing friends and coming home is really like. Romantics and Classics: Style in the English Country House, by Jeremy Musson In this coffee table book featuring houses of the English countryside, Musson and photographer Hugo Rittson Thomas have assembled a stunning collection of charming homes that reveal a remarkable wealth of taste and style, ranging from classic to contemporary and bohemian. In addition to featuring homes like Haddon Hall, Smedmore, Court of Noke and The Laskett, the book includes essays expanding on the essential components of country style. The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation, by Anna Malaika Tubbs In this groundbreaking debut, Tubbs celebrates Black motherhood by telling the story of Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King and Louise Little, who taught resistance and a fundamental belief in the worth of Black people to their sons, even when these beliefs flew in the face of America’s racist practices and led to ramifications for all three families’ safety. The fight for equal justice and dignity came above all else for the three mothers who pushed their children toward greatness. PineStraw
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I’ll Love You Till the Cows Come Home, by Kathryn Cristaldi Oh, my goodness, this is the sweetest thing — a perfect read-together that will make you want to cuddle with your favorite 3-year-old and share the yaks in Cadillacs and frogs on big-wheeled bikes. “I will love you till the cows come home, from a trip to Mars through skies unknown, in a rocket ship made of glass and stone . . . I will love you till the cows come home.” (Ages 1-4.) The Beak Book, by Robin Page Straining, sniffing, tossing, crushing, cooling, filtering, snapping — beaks are incredibly versatile, and the birds that own them wildly diverse. Budding ornithologists and nature lovers will enjoy learning about the wide world of birds and their beaks in this fun new title. (Ages 3-8.) Bear Island, by Matthew Cordell There is no one good way to get through a bad time, but after losing her best dog, Charlie, Louise retreats to a tiny island near her home, where her days are filled with warm sun, quiet animals and time — time to think and be and find a path forward. A lovely story of healing after loss from a picture book wizard. (Ages 3-6.) The Cousins, by Karen McManus Milly, Aubrey and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they’ve never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. When they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they’re surprised and curious. The longer the cousins are on the island, the more they realize how mysterious — and dark — their family’s past is. A fast-paced thriller for fans of Genuine Fraud or We Were Liars. (Age 14 and up.) PS Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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HOMETOWN
My Two Cents What’s your oldest possession?
By Bill Fields
This particular Sunday after-
noon more than a half century ago was different from the others.
On a regular weekend visit to my grandmother Daisy’s house in Jackson Springs, looking for entertainment beyond the porch swing and GRIT magazine, I found a jar of coins on a table in a dim hallway. Ma-Ma, as we called her, gave me permission to examine them. Some of the coins might have been change Ma-Ma carried home from the Red & White grocery in West End or Kimes Blake’s store just down the hill. I discovered others, though, minted much earlier. With Ma-Ma’s blessing, a few Mercury dimes, buffalo nickels and Indian head pennies became the foundation of my boyhood collection. So did two badly tarnished coins, each slightly larger than a quarter but smaller than a half dollar, about 1 1/8 inches in diameter. “They’re very old,” Ma-Ma told me. I confirmed this after borrowing her magnifying glass. One was so browned and worn that no date could be ascertained. The other, though, was in a bit better condition — it was an 1854 one-cent piece with a lady’s head encircled by 13 stars. After I purchased a coin guide from The Country Bookshop — then located in a tiny space at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Bennett Street in Southern Pines — I found out my treasures were copper “large cents.” I later learned this denomination was produced from 1793 to 1857, when it was replaced by the smaller penny. A half-dozen variations were minted in that span. My discoveries were of the “braided hair” final design that debuted in 1839. All of the millions of large cents were made at the Philadelphia mint. “Old things are better than new things because they’ve got stories to tell, Ethan,” one character says to another in Beautiful Creatures. My large cents — under a jeweler’s loupe the other one appears to be from 1851 — remain my oldest possessions. They pre-date the Civil War, the telephone, automobiles and manned flight. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
They were minted during the California Gold Rush. The New York Times came off the press for the first time in 1851, the same year Herman Melville wrote Moby-Dick, and the Great Flood ravaged the Midwest. In 1854, the Republican Party was founded, and George Eastman and John Philip Sousa were born. There were just over 23 million people in the 1850 U.S. Census, including 3 million slaves. The early 1850s was a time of pungents, leeches and tinctures, cod liver oil and pickled oysters, parasols and goatskin bootees. A large cent went a long way: It was 11 cents a pound for flour. A bushel of potatoes ran 90 cents. You could buy a lard lamp for 25 cents and a ton of coal for $6. Board might be $1.50 a week, and steady work could leave something left over for a bottle of Scheidam Schnapps, for medicinal purposes, of course. Life expectancy at birth was less than 40 years. I’ve pondered whose pocket or purse held my large cents more than a century before I claimed them. Had they been passed along to my maternal grandfather, who was born in 1861, when he was a boy? Where might the coins have been other than Montgomery and Moore counties, where my family has roots? Although it is a coin-collecting no-no but aware that they aren’t worth much as collector pieces, recently I couldn’t resist cleaning my Coronet cents. I soaked them in various solvents — vinegar, ketchup, Coke — and rubbed their surfaces with a pencil eraser. The wear and nicks are still there, but the original copper color is nicely revealed. Their history always will be a mystery, but I hope my youngest relatives, now of elementary-school age, some day will wonder about their heritage decades down the road the way I do now. If they have children and pass the cents along, these mid-19th century coins could be the oldest things owned by someone in the 22nd century, when they will be very, very old, and cash itself might be ancient history. PS Southern Pines native Bill Fields, who writes about golf and other things, moved north in 1986 but hasn’t lost his accent. Bill can be reached at williamhfields@gmail.com. PineStraw
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
T H E C R E AT O R S O F N. C .
A Walk in the Woods
In writing and in life, Belle Boggs explores a sense of place and belonging By Wiley Cash • Photographs by Mallory Cash
As they do most days, especially since
the coronavirus pandemic began, writer Belle Boggs and her 7-year-old daughter, Bea, are walking through the woods near their home in Pittsboro to the banks of the Eno River. Boggs, whose most recent novel, The Gulf (2019), tells the humorous yet complicated story of a struggling writer and teacher, is a teacher herself. Her inclination to educate is evident as she pauses now and then to point out varieties of mushrooms, species of birds and the best places to ford the various creeks that criss-cross the landscape on the way to the river.
While Boggs is clearly not in the classroom at North Carolina State University, where she has taught Creative Writing since 2014, the classroom never seems very far from her mind. The names and stories of her students — both past and present — find their way into conversation easily, as does her interest in the broader implications of education in rural North Carolina, especially Alamance County, where she is at work on a book-length study of the public schools there. Boggs and her husband, Richard, settled in North Carolina after a stint in New York City, where Boggs taught first grade in Brooklyn while simultaneously earning an education degree from Pace University. Before that, she lived in California, where she earned an M.F.A. from UC Irvine. She knew she wanted to come back to the South, and she and her husband chose North Carolina because they had friends here from his years as an undergraduate in Chapel Hill. But there was something else that brought her back: the sense of place and the benefits and challenges that come along with it. “I’m interested in the challenge of being an artist when you’re from the South,” she says. But while Belle Boggs has lived in North Carolina since 2005, one of the greatest challenges she faced was that of focusing her literary eye on her adopted state. “It took a long time for me to identify as a North Carolinian because I’d always identified as someone from a very particular place in Virginia,” she says. Her first book, the story collection Mattaponi Queen (2010), is set on the Mattaponi River in the tidewater region of Boggs’ youth and reflects her deep appreciation for place, which must have rung true to native Virginians as the book
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T H E C R E AT O R S O F N. C .
won the Library of Virginia Literary Award. It was also a finalist for the 2010 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, proving that the most powerful regional writing often resonates far outside the region of its birth. Although Tidewater Virginia certainly informed Boggs’ earlier writing, rural Chatham County is clearly full of marvels for her, and she talks about them with an infectious sense of wonder. Across the river, she points to the spot where eagles are nesting in an impossibly tall tree; in the summer, she says that the waters of the Eno are often low enough that one can sit in a beach chair midstream and read a book; and she follows a path to an oak tree with a hole in its trunk that is large enough for young Bea to climb inside of and nearly disappear. But, for Belle Boggs, life outside of the woods is approached with these same investigatory powers. Along with the environment, other themes that have long held her interest — specifically race, class, education and motherhood — are rendered with the same precise detail that she uses to describe the world that she chronicles on these daily walks. The issues of race, class, education and motherhood — instead of competing — have found a way of intertwining in Boggs’ recent work, especially once she became a mother. Her 2016 essay collection, The Art of Waiting: On Fertility, Motherhood, and Medicine, chronicles her use of in vitro fertilization after years of confronting the possibility of being childless. And while IVF led to the birth to her daughter, Bea, followed a few years later with the surprise birth of her daughter, Harriet, the process was not without its financial burdens. “As I was waiting for the medication for my IVF cycle, which is like $3,000, our well failed,” The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
she says, “and we had to drill a new one. Both of those things were big stretches for us to pay for, and there was so much uncertainty behind them both. They became a natural metaphor for one another.” This radical honesty, both the struggle to conceive a life and the struggle to keep her own afloat, is the kind of honesty that readers appreciate in Boggs’ writing, something which she finds surprising. “I think in general I’m a pretty reserved writer,” she says, “and I try to let the facts and the details speak for what I’m describing.” Never were the facts and details more important to undergirding the radical honesty of an experience than when Boggs recently published an essay about her and Bea and a group of people being pepper-sprayed during a peaceful march to the polls in Graham, on the last day of early voting. Boggs had taken her daughter to the march to give her an education in democracy, but what she got instead was a lesson in power: who has it, who does not and how it is used. These same issues of power are what led her to undertake her current project on public education in Alamance County, especially as it pertains to race, class and the issues of regional segregation. It is clear that Boggs’ time some years ago in the first grade classroom fuels both her current work and her deep emotional connection to primary education. “I’m lucky to be teaching in a program like the one at N.C. State,” she says. “But sometimes I feel guilty that I’m not still a first grade teacher, because I think that may be some of the most good you can do in the world.” But while Boggs teaches undergraduates and graduate students, she has found a way to keep one foot in primary education. Over the course of the pandemic, she and Bea created a Zoom-based writing PineStraw
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#NewArrivals club for children in kindergarten through second grade, and, perhaps following Boggs’ lead, several of her graduate students have begun working on writing projects with school-age children. The day is ending. The woods are growing dark. Boggs and her daughter walk back uphill away from the river toward home, where 3-year-old Harriet and Boggs’ husband are waiting. Bea walks ahead of her mother on a trail toward the house, but Boggs stops, calls her daughter back. Boggs has spotted a mushroom, and while she cannot remember the name of it, she believes her daughter may know. The two of them kneel on the forest floor to get a better look. The light is fading, but there is still enough light to see, and there is still so much to learn. PS
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Wiley Cash is the writer-in-residence at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. His new novel, When Ghosts Come Home, will be released this year. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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IN THE SPIRIT
Ready, Set, Go Shake, stir and be snappy
By Tony Cross
One of my
PHOTOGRAPH BY TONY CROSS
good friends manages a restaurant and recently had to jump behind the bar because of a lack of help due to COVID. As new bartenders emerge in restaurant bars — and establishments who market themselves as “cocktail bars” — there are basics that even novice bartenders need to master.
My friend can make a decent drink — no worries there — but it pains me every time he shakes a cocktail. When he’s finished, he has the damnedest time separating the two shakers. So, what does he do? He bangs it against the bar until he gets them to come apart. Good thing he’s got two tin shakers. If one of them was a pint glass, hitting it against the bar could send shards of glass flying, ruining a perfectly good drink. That’s cocktailcide. So, what to do? When placing your two shakers together, don’t put the top shaker (smaller tin, or pint glass if using a Boston shaker) pointing straight up. Place it at a slight angle, so that the two shakers sort of curve, something like the contour of a banana. Then shake. And shake hard. When you’re ready to separate your two tins (or Boston shaker), hit the bottom of the inside of your hand against the seal of the two shakers. You’ll see the two start to separate — that’s where you give it a quick snap of the hand, and voila! This is the correct way to do this, but it also saves time, and looks way more professional than beating it against the back of your bar. Previously, I’ve discussed the importance of dilution in your cocktails, and how/why water is a key ingredient. Dilution is important, so when I watched a bartender take the time to whip up a nice
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
variation of an old fashioned, it killed me when she added a small bit of ice and gave it a few lousy stirs, like it bored her. In that short 10 seconds of her life that I know she wants back, she had to have been thinking, “Ehh, here you go.” Now, did I ask her to redo the drink and stir more? Of course not, that would be silly. What’s also silly is charging $12 or $15 for a cocktail, and not knowing what you’re doing from A to Z. So, what to do? Pack it with ice in a chilled stirring vessel and stir until cold and diluted. I’ll finish with a pet peeve: Be fast. This is a must in any establishment, whether they’re busy or slow. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen bartenders doing their thing, but taking forever to get the drinks out. Bartenders do a lot more than just make cocktails — they set the tone for the night, make their guests feel at home, and so on. But you have to be fast. The stirred cocktail I ordered above was correctly made, minus the lousy stir job, but it took her forever to make it. The establishment was slow, so she was conversing with a couple at the bar while she made my drink. It was torture. I once worked under a bartender that loved chatting with his patrons more than making the drinks, or it seemed that way. The wait staff and I almost formed a coup. Yes, it was that bad. So bad that in between ingredients, he would forget what he had put into his mixing vessel. His solution? Add another part of spirit. Nine times out of 10 this resulted in the drink being sent back for being too boozy. So, what to do? Move it. If you want to be good at your job, you’ll be multi-tasking drink orders, conversation, food orders and so on. You have to be fast. Don’t be that place that’s known for slow service. Eventually your guests will go somewhere else. PS Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.
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THE KITCHEN GARDEN
Cataloging Our Desires A cornucopia of mid-winter reading
By Jan Leitschuh
You could call
them Valentines from the fashion gardenistas.
Piled up by the couch, near the fireplace, lies a colorful pile of lavishly illustrated seed catalogs — the lurid romance novels of the produce patch. Tempters extraordinaire, as lovingly photographed as the sleekest supermodel, with their sexy photos of plump Chioggia beets, exotic red okra and butter-and-eggs sweet corn, these enticing, lush catalogs whisper breathily: Yes, darlin’, you, too, can grow produce like this. Maybe. Maybe not. Years of hard practical experience in the Sandhills shoot back with cynical sweet nothings, like: Squash bugs. Blights. Thrips. Powdery mildew. Hornworms. Flea beetles. Weeds and 100-degree heat. Deer, bunnies and voles. And yet, love is blind. The candy store that is a seed catalog is far too seductive when set against February’s stern, cold winds and deep-chill nights. We rationalize and justify — a few packets of seed, a valentine to ourselves. In any case, we’ve been staring at these wish books, lovingly circling and then crossing off old favorites and tempting new varieties since Christmas. It’s time to order up — or pitch the damn things. So, that gorgeous red okra. Do we want to try it this summer? For a couple of bucks, we can raise eye-catching scarlet pods. Then what? Will the hubby even eat red okra? The catalog listing swears it is the tenderest. There’s an exotic orange variety from China as well. But maybe a The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Japanese pink okra would be an even more illicit garden thrill? Flip to the “Garden Pea” section for the sugar snap selection. Garden lovers, take heed. If you only order one thing, from a catalog or a local provider, it ought to be a sugar snap pea variety. Podded sugar snap peas come thick and fast at a time in the spring when fresh produce is deeply appreciated. The seeds can actually be planted directly in the garden pea patch this month. If you have grandchildren (or even if you don’t), picking these crisp, tender pods fresh, with their tiny, sweet peas inside, is gratifying. Children will eat them. Even more gratifying is tossing a fresh handful atop a salad, or into a soup, stew or dinner stir-fry. Then that cynical voice of reason slides in a warning: deer. Deer love pea vines. (Note to self: Plant a few pots on the deck to climb up the porch rail, along with a patch in the garden. Closer to the kitchen, anyway.) Eat Your Colors offers a rainbow of produce possibilities. All kinds of bright salad greens beckon from its catalog pages, as do multiple, colorful varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Black zucchini, magenta eggplant. The sweetest, most tender green beans. Candy cane-striped beets. Turquoise corn? Every possible color of sweet and hot pepper one can conjure (except turquoise). The breathless, attendant copy makes each variety sound better than the last, the writers having cut their teeth on romance novels, no doubt. So many circled items, so little garden space . . . But wait. What is this? The rabbit-hole distraction of the flower seed section. Silky purple poppies? Orange cactus zinnias? Stocks PineStraw
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THE KITCHEN GARDEN
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and snaps and strawflowers. That kiss-meover-the-garden-gate — a pink, Victorian-era, cottage garden classic — looks intriguing. (Sound of pen circling.) Hmmm, and here are gomphrena seeds . . . haven’t seen these sun-loving, hardworking little purple flower globes in local nurseries in a while . . . so maybe I should grow my own? Many seeds can be sown directly into the garden or pots. Plus, a greater variety of seeds are available than the transplants you can find locally. Seeds are also less expensive than transplants. You can also grow your own transplants, with a little desire. Six to eight weeks before the transplanting date, sow the seeds according to packet directions into some kind of a container indoors. They will need good light to stay stocky, and not grow leggy. Bottom heat also helps heat-lovers like peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. Gradually transition your seedlings from the sheltered environment of your home to the garden. I like to set them out on sunny, mild days and bring them in at night before they chill. Toughen your tender love children by slowly introducing the transplants into full sun for a longer period each day, over a week’s time. But back to our spring fever. The melons are particularly seductive. Perhaps try some small, serving-sized melons this year? Do we lust after the striking “copper red/striped with cream and green” 2-pounder from Punjab? The flesh is green and “slightly musky.” What does musky taste like? Or would we rather plant that Armenian heirloom 1-pounder, a “vibrant yellow with fire-red zig-zag stripes,” with the “sweet, intoxicating aroma that will fill a room . . . ?” No matter which sexy selection is chosen, and which fantasy fashionista seed ends up winging its way to our doors, it’s fair to say that we will remain true to our original garden valentine — the sugar snap pea. You really should try it if you haven’t, for fun. Smile if ya got some. PS Jan Leitschuh is a local gardener, avid eater of fresh produce and co-founder of Sandhills Farm to Table.
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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W E E K E N D A WA Y
Georgia on Our Minds The Madcap Cottage gents scamper off to Savannah
By Jason Oliver Nixon
I hadn’t been to Savannah in years, and John had never visited.
Pre-pandemic, Savannah was often bandied about as a possible Madcap weekend away destination, but somehow we always wound up in places like London or, closer to home, Charleston instead. And we do love Charleston, but sometimes the Holy City can be a tad too polished. “Savannah is like Charleston’s wild child,” noted a friend with deep ties to the Georgia coast. “We aren’t as uptight and formal, and we really like to kick up our heels and throw a good party. After all, our nickname is the ‘Hostess City.’ And remember that we are an opencontainer city, so always get your cocktail to go!” Meanwhile, our next-door neighbors in High Point spend most of their time in Savannah, where they have a second home and run a ghost tour company, Savannah History & Haunts. The pair has been urging us to visit for years. “You will love it,” said Bridgette, one half of the powerhouse behind the couple’s multi-city tour company. “There are great hotels and restaurants, and the history is off the charts. Plus, you can take one of our tours!” John and I re-read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and, yes, screened Forrest Gump late one night to get into a Savannah state of mind. Weekend away, here we come! We decided to take George, our pound-rescue Boston terrier, along for the adventure and left the pug posse back home in the capable The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Drayton Hotel PineStraw
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910-944-3979
Gallery • Studios • Classes
“A February to Remember” Benefit/Fundraiser Opening Reception Friday, February 5, 5:00 – 7:00 ALL proceeds go to support the Artists League
Exhibit Open thru February 25
“March is for the Arts” Opening Reception Friday, March 5, 5:00-7:00 Exhibit Open thru March 25 Gallery Hours: Monday - Saturday 12-3pm CLASSES Oil and Acrylic Intro to Cold Wax Medium with Oil Paints - Jude Winkley – Saturday, February 13, 9:30-3:00 Paint Like Sorolla - Harry Neely - Wednesday & Thursday, February 16, and 17, 10:00-3:00 Introduction to Oils for Beginners - Linda Bruening - Monday & Tuesday, March 29, & 30, 9:30-3:30 Watercolor Watercolor Basics and More - Jean Smyth - Wednesdays, March 3, 10, and 17, 10:00-3:00 Creative Doodling/Mandala Art (Watercolor/Acrylic) Mixed Media Joy Hellman - Friday, March 19, 10:00-3:00 Colored Pencil and Pastel Planning/Problem Solving - Colored Pencil - Betty Hendrix – Wednesday, February 24, 10:00-4:00 Let’s Have Fun-Bolder/Looser Think Value and Pattern (Pastel) - Betty Hendrix - Wednesday, March 24, 10:00-4:00 Drawing Perspective and Architectural Drawing (Pencil/Pen/Paper) - Brandon Sanderson - Thursday and Friday, February 11 & 12, 1:00-4:00 Other Mediums Go with the Flow/Beginning Alcohol Ink - Pam Griner - Friday, February 19, 11:30-2:30 Abstract Composition & the Art of Motorcycle Riding (Not) - Mixed Media – Acrylic, Watercolor, Inktense, and Tissue Papers - Vicki Hogan, Tuesday, February 25, 10:00-4:00 InkTastic/Intermediate Alcohol Ink - Pam Griner - Tuesday, March 16, 11:30-2:30 InkFinity/Advanced Alcohol Ink - Pam Griner - Tuesday, March 23, 11:30-2:30 Gimmicks, Tricks, and Teases in Painting – Vicki Hogan – Friday, March 26
129 Exchange Street in Aberdeen, NC www.artistleague.org • artistleague@windstream.net
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W E E K E N D A WA Y
hands of the dog sitter. For the five-hour drive from the Triad, John and I meandered through Cheraw and Florence, S.C., instead of facing — or more like being smoked by — Charlotte’s notorious speed demons. Still, after a few hours on the I-95 leg, John and I were ready for a strong libation as we pulled up at our weekend roost: the recently opened and absolutely stunning, dog-friendly Drayton Hotel. George trotted in like he owned the place, and we all settled into The Drayton’s colorful Living Room, aka the lobby, where masterfully crafted, medicinal martinis were quickly rustled up. George perched happily atop a poof and preened. Housed within the historic American Trust and Bank, The Drayton calls to mind an intimate, London-style hotel that mixes colors and patterns, giving a nod to the past with modern flourishes and understated — but beautifully presented — service. Smack on the corner of busy East Bay and Drayton streets, The Drayton offers the perfect location but feels worlds away from nearby River Street with its tourist hustle-bustle. The five-story hostelry boasts a terrific restaurant, St. Neo’s Brasserie, a chic, high-ceilinged dining room and first-rate service (our server, Libbie, was a gem). The rooftop bar wasn’t open for the season, but there is a slick, tucked-away bar in the basement and a coffee outpost just off the lobby that didn’t disappoint. Our intimate suite was equally cool with knockout views of the container ships plying the Savannah River (Savannah is the third largest container port in the nation) and a truly inspired bathroom with a wet room that paired a shower and clawfoot soaking tub. With refreshed to-go cocktails in hand and George happily tucked away, we decided it was time to hit the town. Savannah is the perfect walking city. Of course, the city celebrates its 22 signature squares, verdant and dripping with Spanish moss, which span one square-mile of its downtown. You will probably pick a favorite over the course of your visit. For us, it was Lafayette, but be sure to visit Chippewa, the site of Forrest’s iconic bench (his actual bench was a prop, now found at the Savannah History Museum). The squares are surrounded by historic residences with gated gardens, many of which you can tour, including the Davenport House and the Mercer-Williams home, site of the murder detailed in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. There’s also dreamy Forsyth Park and museums aplenty. “SCAD seems to be gobbling up the city,” noted John as we found our Savannah sea legs and looked around for more gin to accompany lonely olives. SCAD, of course, refers to the Savannah College of Art and Design, and the institution does, indeed, seem to have kudzued here, there and everywhere in between. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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W E E K E N D A WA Y
The Fat Radish
We passed the famed Olde Pink House eatery (too crowded!) and questioned whether we had to wear masks outdoors — you’re supposed to. Geographically and pandemically situated, John and I decided to follow our friend’s lead, and we truly kicked up our slip-on Converseclad heels. We dined at The Fat Radish (bliss!), the farm-to-table Cha Bella, The Collins Quarter and The Fitzroy. We sipped cocktails on the roof of the glamorous Perry Lane Hotel and brunched at Clary’s Cafe, the Little Duck Diner and B. Matthews Eatery. And then, we shopped. Savannah boasts a glorious assortment of design outposts such as Courtland & Co., PW Short General Store (incredible!), Alex Raskin Antiques (the crumbling building alone is worth the visit) and minimalist favorite Asher + Rye (too Scandi spare for Madcap maximalists!). We were in home design heaven. Our neighbors’ 90-minute 9 p.m. candlelit ghost tour was an especial highlight of the weekend. Throughout, we explored dark byways and atmospheric squares and learned about the ghosts and cemeteries that haunt and dot Savannah. Dan, our High Point neighbor, guided the tour. Decked in historic-styled garb, he was a font of knowledge paired with heaps of charisma and a true spirit of fun. John and I trotted George out for long walks (Savannah is super dog friendly), sampled ice cream at fabled Leopold’s, sipped more potent potables at Artillery and the Lone Wolf Lounge, nibbled treats from Byrd Cookie Company and explored the refurbished Plant Riverside District with its power-station-meets-pure-glitz JW Marriott Hotel and river-facing sushi and biergarten eateries. And, whew, there went the weekend . . . But there is so much more to see and experience in Savannah. We will most certainly be back — with cool Chatham Artillery Punch cocktails in hand, of course. PS For more information about The Drayton Hotel, visit thedraytonhotel.com. The Madcap Cottage gents, John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon, embrace the new reality of COVID-friendly travel — heaps of road trips. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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OUT OF THE BLUE
The Day of Doing Nothing And being all the better for it
By Deborah Salomon
People bandy the word stress like it’s va-
nilla ice cream . . . you know, commonplace, ordinary. So if everyday life is stressful, what happens when a pandemic on top of political chaos on top of financial uncertainties happens?
Hide under the covers. By comparison to most old ladies, my stress appears manageable. I’m in reasonably good health, have a satisfying part-time job I can accomplish from home. My grandkids are doing well. I can just about pay my bills and haven’t lost my car keys in years. But stuff happens: a serious family illness, an expensive dental procedure. A misspelled name. All of a sudden, I’m sliding down that slippery slope, now more twisty than an Olympic luge run. Suppose I contract the virus? Suppose one of my kitties falls ill? What if my creaky computer or my 8-year-old car breaks down? Fatigue sets in, caused partially by the ungodly hour I rise every morning, a lifelong habit for which going to bed early no longer compensates. Mind and body demand respite. Not tomorrow or over the weekend. Now. After the kitties had been fed, let out and in; after the emails had been answered, the news watched, the coffee and toast consumed, I turned off the phone and crawled back into bed with my arthritic shoulder on the heating pad. Ahhh . . . The clock frowned 5:15 a.m. Lucky and Missy looked at each other, puzzled. They are cats of habit. Morning naps are their purview, not mine. Then they hopped in beside me. The hell with everything. Slowly, my painful neck and shoulder relaxed. I slept until 8:00. Glorious. Now what? A second breakfast. I love breakfast, mostly the unconventional kind like cold macaroni or a grilled cheese, tomato and spinach sandwich. Nobody’s watching, might as well. Maybe I can sleep a bit more. As I lay there, eyes wide open, the sun climbed higher and higher on the wall, illuminating one picture, then another. I glance at them every day but haven’t studied them in a while; my daughter at about 10 months, like a cameo, displaying the beauty that would blosThe Art & Soul of the Sandhills
som and, after years of illness and suffering, fade. A house that had provided so much pleasure — but not for long. An enormous Chagall poster, wedding-themed, as he was wont to paint, with animals floating among the clouds and his omnipresent fiddler. A clay mask from a pottery shop in the serpentine lanes of Venice. A photograph of my mother, her parents and her baby brother looking grimmer than grim, as subjects did in 1906. I stared at each until they absorbed me into their background. And then I nodded off. I awoke around noon, disoriented, but with no compulsion to get up. Time was out of joint, yet I felt rested, empowered to continue looking at the objects I see every day; a snapshot of my grandson, frowning intently, from the sidelines of his soccer game. Not many people keep photos of frowning grandkids but this one displayed the concentration and the will that propelled him through grueling years of study, culminating in a law degree, at 22. Silly, but I still have three artifacts from Duke: a pin (the attached ribbon long disintegrated) freshman girls had to wear during orientation, a small felt banner and a stuffed, baby Blue Devil that sat on my bed for four years, and on my other daughter’s for her four years there. Then I looked straight up, at the rough stucco ceiling. What is that black dot — a fly, in December? I stared, hard. The dot began to move towards the wall but never arrived — an optical illusion with a name, probably. I had to find out, since I don’t put much store by the unexplained. I once heard that Mona Lisa’s eyes follow the person walking by her roped-off enclosure in the Louvre. Unfortunately, she and I failed to make eye contact, or maybe I was distracted by her small size (less than 30 inches) and poor lighting. Again, Google failed me. By now the winter sun was dropping low, the kitties agitated for their supper, the pandemic and politicians were still raging and I had accomplished absolutely nothing the entire day. Except for this: less tension in my shoulders, less fatigue in my brain. Less stress. Stress is difficult to define. What one person can absorb sends another over the wall and under the covers, to watch a black speck not crawl across the ceiling, to squeeze memories from photographs. Beats pills, any day. PS Deborah Salomon is a contributing writer for PineStraw and The Pilot. She may be reached at debsalomon@nc.rr.com.
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
B I R D WA T C H
Unexpected Guests
The red crossbill makes an appearance
By Susan Campbell
This winter has been quite a season for birders across the Eastern United States. Here in North Carolina, it has been incredible with a variety of unexpected species scattered across the state. A few of them, like the snowy owl on the Outer Banks, were only around for a day. But others have been surprisingly widespread, are persisting and are being found in numbers. One such species is the red crossbill.
This feisty little seedeater with the oddly crisscrossed bill is native to the boreal forest, where conifers are abundant. They are uniquely adapted to pry open the sizable cones of spruces, firs, pines and even the small, compact cones of hemlocks. Crossbills are after the oily, nutrient-rich seeds found within. With short legs and strong feet, they cling easily to not only the bark and branches of the trees they forage on, but to the needles and cones as well. The challenge for these birds of the North is that the cone crop that they depend on, especially during the colder months, is not predictable. Some years there is more than enough food to sustain The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
them. But in seasons such as this one, red crossbills are forced to migrate much farther south than usual to find enough seed to make it through the winter. They may appear at feeders, especially those with hulled sunflower (referred to as “hearts” or “meats”) that the birds can easily consume. Red crossbills often give themselves away, since they travel in noisy flocks. Their distinctive “jip” calls are unlike any other vocalization you might hear in the winter in central North Carolina. Although the adult males are a bright red-orange color, the females and immature birds are more muted. They may get overlooked as one of our more common finches or sparrows. The streaky brown plumage of a female crossbill might cause confusion: They look very much like our familiar female house finches. So, be sure to look very closely at the bills of all the “little brown jobs” that show up at your feeder. And if you get lucky and spot a crossbill or two, I would love to hear about it. Interestingly, we do have a small population of red crossbills that breed in the northwestern corner of our state. The habitat on Mount Mitchell is the equivalent of the boreal forests of Canada and northern New England. So, if you don’t happen upon any in the coming weeks, should you find yourself at elevation in the mountains this summer, you may, nonetheless, catch a glimpse of one of these unusual birds. PS Susan would love to receive your wildlife observations and/or photos at susan@ncaves.com. PineStraw
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T H E NAT U R A L I S T
The Dweller of Sandy Places A new species described from the Sandhills
Story and Photographs by Todd Pusser
One might assume in this
age of globalization and the internet that there is nothing left to discover on the planet. If there are any new species of plants and animals yet to be observed by human eyes, they must exist in some poorly explored corner of Earth, tucked away in a remote Amazonian rainforest or at the bottom of the deep sea.
Of course, the trouble with assumptions is that they are frequently wrong. We are living in an era many naturalists have dubbed “a new age of discovery.” Thousands of new species are being described each year — everything from monkeys to brightly colored tropical birds. Indeed, many new species are found in faraway jungles and at the bottom of the sea, but a surprising number are discovered right in our own backyards. 1n 1995, an entirely new species and genus of tree dubbed the Wollemi Pine, which grows over 130 feet tall, was found just outside of Australia’s largest city, Sydney. In 2010, biologists lifted a rock in the middle of an eastern Tennessee stream and found a new crayfish. At nearly half a foot in length, the Tennessee Bottlebrush Crayfish looks more like a Maine lobster than a denizen of a backwater creek. Perhaps most spectacular of all, a new species of whale — a whale — was described in 2002 from specimens that washed ashore on the
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crowded beaches of San Diego in the 1970s. Originally thought to be a rare species of beaked whale from the Southern Hemisphere, biologists using advance genetic techniques, revealed that the castashore leviathans were in fact a new species, which they named Perrin’s Beaked Whale after the biologist who first examined them. Despite their swimming in waters offshore our most populous state, humans have yet to observe a member of this odd species of whale alive in the wild. In biological circles, North Carolina is frequently described as “the salamander capital of the world.” With 64 species found within its borders, North Carolina has more of the cold-blooded amphibians than any other state. Some, like the eel-like greater siren, a resident of murky, coastal swamp waters, can grow to lengths of over 3 feet. Others, such as the pygmy salamander, barely reach an inch in length and are among the smallest amphibians in the world. Fifty years ago, Alvin Braswell, then an assistant curator of lower invertebrates at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, examined an unusual red salamander that had been found in the Sandhills region of the state. He initially thought the tiny 3-inch-long amphibian was just an unusual red variant of the Southern Two-lined Salamander, a common species found throughout much of North Carolina. As more and more of the unusual salamanders were brought to the attention of the museum, Braswell began to suspect that they might be something new. Over time, it became clear that the little red salamander was found only along the margins of small creeks that meander through the Sandhills, and nowhere else. In this day and age, describing a new species is a long, painstaking process that requires a lot of time and energy. Exact, minute, morphological measurements, as well as DNA analysis, need to be The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
made across a series of collected specimens and then compared with those of closely related species. Often, the specimens were collected many decades ago, and their remains are preserved in jars of formalin tucked away in dusty museum cabinets scattered around the globe. Tracking each one down to make a proper comparative study is daunting and time-consuming. Over the ensuing decades, Braswell worked his way through the ranks of the museum and eventually became the assistant director. Other duties called, and the description of the little red salamander was put on the back burner. Enter Bryan Stuart, who began work at the museum in 2008 as the curator of reptiles and amphibians. Stuart, an expert in amphibian genetics and no stranger to working with new species, has found and described dozens of snakes, frogs and salamanders from the remote forests of Vietnam and Laos in Southeast Asia throughout his career. With Braswell’s blessing, Stuart took over the study of the little red salamander and in December of 2020, published a paper (with Braswell as a co-author) formally introducing the Carolina Sandhills Salamander to the world. Since 1735, when Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus introduced the concept of taxonomy, every living thing on the planet has been assigned a two-part Latin name. For the Carolina Sandhills Salamander, Stuart chose the Latin name Eurycea arenicola, which translated means the dweller of sandy places. Though small in size, the salamander was big news in scientific arenas, and garnered worldwide coverage in the popular media. It was prominently featured on many end-of-the-year lists of the top species discoveries of 2020, right up there with a new monkey from Myanmar, a snake from India, and an orchid from Papua New Guinea. For those who care about wildlife, the discovery of the Carolina Sandhills Salamander was a rare bright spot in the rather bleak year that was 2020. It also highlights just how little we know about this planet we call home. Who knows what other wonders are still out there, just outside the back door? PS
Naturalist and photographer Todd Pusser, who grew up in Eagle Springs, N.C., works to document the extraordinary diversity of life both near and far. His images can be found at www.ToddPusser.com.
The Carolina Philharmonic presents
MOZART
AT THE PIANO A special live stream
Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 7:30pm Maestro David Michael Wolff joins musicians from the Philharmonic as he brings you into the realm of late Mozart, leading his immortal Piano Concerto #23 from the keyboard. Go behind the scenes of the creation of the work and discover how it’s pieced together into a richly rewarding pre-romantic tapestry. Then enjoy a full live performance.
Tune in at www.carolinaphil.org The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L
All Four One
A magic number creating memories
Dixon is a town of about 16,000 located a hundred miles west of Chicago, and its claim to fame is being the the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan, four seasons, the four L-R: Bill Shaw, Joe Crisham, who worked as a lifeguard at a park Bob Branson and Jock Heaton just north of town and caddied at the corners of the globe, four golf course (known today as Timber points on a compass, four Creek Golf Course). The golfer who phases of the moon, the four Gospels, the four hit the first shot in the first Masters, Ralph Stonehouse, was the club pro in the early 1940s. elements. There are the Four Horsemen and “After about 20 years, we became the senior group at the club, the Four Tops. The number four in East Asia is and we kept going,” Shaw says. “We not only shared our golf together, but life experiences, the good and the bad as our converconsidered unlucky; some hospitals and apartsations evolved from raising our young families to Social Security ment buildings skip the number four as many in and Medicare.” They played a game of nine point that revolved around the America do with the dreaded number 13. standard low-ball and low-total from two-man sides but featured And in golf, there are four players. The foursome. extra points for birdies, sandies, a “sneaky par” (getting up-andThere is no pat answer on the number’s evolution through the down) and a “poley” (making a putt longer than the length of the history of golf as the standard size of a group taking to the course. flagstick). Rarely did anyone lose more than $100. But unlike most The fact that in the early days clubs and balls were expensive and offoursomes, they never settled up at the end of the round. Crisham ten shared by two or more players lends credence to the idea that golf was appointed the group’s treasurer, set up a checking account and developed in Scotland as a game for two players playing alternate sent out a bill every month for each player’s obligation. A tidy sum of shot, aka foursomes. The Rules of Golf of the Royal and Ancient Golf a few thousand bucks accumulated, and the guys decided in the midClub of St. Andrews in 1858 specifically mentions that golf is played 1990s to spend their money on a golf trip. They picked Pinehurst “by two persons, or by four (two a side) playing alternately.” and in 1996 traveled south and played Pine Needles, Pinewild and And so it was that four men in their late 20s arrived by happenPinehurst Plantation (later renamed Mid South Club). stance on the first tee of a small-town Illinois country club in 1978. “What small-town Midwestern golfer would not be impressed Bill Shaw, a fifth-generation newspaperman. with what Pinehurst has to offer?” Shaw reflects. “It has a multitude Jock Heaton and Bob Branson, both attorneys. of fine golfing venues, as well as watering holes like the Pine Crest And Dr. Joe Crisham, an orthodontist. Inn and Dugan’s Pub. The village with its winding streets and old“The club had a traditional men’s day — you played golf in the time charm captivated us from the beginning.” afternoon and stayed for drinks and dinner afterward,” Shaw says. “Pinehurst, I love it,” Branson adds. “It’s the best place in the world.” “You needed to play in a group, so the four of us hooked up. We About this time a burgeoning golf enterprise was evolving on clicked for whatever reason. land just northeast of the village. The Meyer family had Chicago “The same four guys — for 39 years.” By Lee Pace
There are
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G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L
and Illinois roots and for many years had used “The Farm,” as they called their expanse that at its height numbered 2,500 acres, for family trips to pursue equestrian and golfing pursuits. The family’s third generation, comprised of brothers Terry and Louis Brown and their cousin Heidi Hall-Jones, decided to develop some of their land into a private golf and residential community. The first course at Forest Creek Golf Club opened in 1996, and the family used its connections in Chicago and throughout the Midwest to promote the club and the Sandhills community. “After our first trip to Pinehurst, a friend heard about our experience and told me about Terry and his new club,” Shaw says. “On a lark, I called Terry and soon after returned to Pinehurst to check things out. He invited me to play golf. I was thrilled with it. It seemed like every hole was a signature hole.” They played the Tom Fazio-designed course (it would later be deemed the South Course when Fazio completed the North Course in 2005). Then they moved on to the par-3 19th hole — a one-shotter over water that connects the 18th hole to the clubhouse. It’s called “The Hog Hole” as you can go “whole hog” and bet all of the day’s winnings on one par-3. “Terry didn’t need to send me a bill,” Shaw says. “I wrote a check for a charter membership standing on the green.” So now Shaw’s foursome had a home base for its annual golf trip. For two decades each autumn the golfers stayed at the Comfort Inn in Southern Pines, played two rounds of golf at Forest Creek, and ventured throughout the community as time and weather allowed.
And they watched as Forest Creek matured into a club celebrating its 25-year anniversary in 2021. “We were in golfing heaven,” Shaw says. “As the years passed, our time together became more precious. The memories piled up.” Sadly, the group was reduced to three in June 2017, when Jock Heaton succumbed to cancer. “He is always with us in spirit,” Shaw says. “The second seat in my golf cart is occupied by a lifetime of memories. I invited his son Jon to join us at Forest Creek in the spring of 2019. It was an emotional day, to say the least.” Shaw still lives in Dixon but visits Forest Creek at least a couple of times a year. Branson is retired and lives in Aiken, S.C., and has joined Shaw on the membership roll at Forest Creek. Crisham lives in Vero Beach, Fla. “When you reach retirement and a certain age, you can reflect upon what was really special in a lifetime,” Shaw says. “How lucky we were to have golf, to have our foursome, to have Forest Creek, to have Pinehurst. As I’ve gotten older, I have a few more aches and pains. But the azaleas, the birds singing, the scent of the place — all of that’s still there.” PS Chapel Hill-based writer Lee Pace has written about the charms of the Sandhills and Carolinas for more than three decades. Write him at leepace7@gmail.com and follow him at @ LeePaceTweet.
Several Convenient Ways to Order You can place your order online at RoastNC.com, call-in, and order delivery (5pm-8pm). You can also pre-order on our mobile app or website and use our drive-thru pick-up window for “dine in a dash” convenience. We are the Sandhills’ premier farm to table restaurant. Come in and experience creative, unique gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads. We are a scratch kitchen - from our roasted meats all the way to our fermented sriracha. Many vegetarian / vegan and gluten free options. We are located near the Moore County Airport traffic circle, in front of the Southern Pines Ace Hardware. We look forward to serving our community and supporting North Carolina farms.
Taste The Difference | Taste What’s Local | Taste The Roast 910.725.7026 | Next to Ace Hardware on Capital Dr. | Southern Pines, NC 28327 | roastnc.com
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WE NOW DELIVER DAILY! 5PM-8PM The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
EARLY FEBRUARY EVENTS
Check the store website and Ticket Me Sandhills for more event information
VIRTUAL CONVERSATION VIRTUAL CONVERSATION February 3rd at 7pm
John Hart – and –
John Grisham about The Unwilling
February 10th at 7pm
James Patterson
& Matt Eversmann with former Air Force Combat Controller Dan Schilling
about
Walk in My Combat Boots
True Stories From America’s Bravest Warriors
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IT’S A
Give her a gift this Valentine’s Day that will leave her relaxed, refreshed and feeling as special as she is. You choose the amount. And she can turn her gift card into any of our rejuvenating therapies, including a stimulating facial, a refreshing body wrap or one of our couple’s therapies in our romantic couple’s suite.
Call 910.235.831 1 today and give her a gift that you’ll both enjoy.
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Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina • pinehurst.com
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Greyhound
February ����
Every year for one summer week we fled city concrete, our skinned and scarred bony legs climbing steel bus steps. Our mother shaking her head at the zoomorphic use of a racing dog she believed was grossly falsified, sighing: Why they would put a fast dog on this slow-ass bus is beyond me! The driver collecting tickets always shook his head back, not for the misleading hound, but the long night ahead — a sundown that commenced crying fights, the lap feast of cold fried chicken and bread slices, head balancing acts of sleep upright. All to get down home, a foothill in the blue ridge mountains where we stepped off into a morning and the arms of our grandmother who’d say: My you’ve grown. How was the ride? Who’d boast she rode the mule-pulled tractor to the schoolhouse in snow. — Crystal Simone Smith (From the book All the Songs We Sing, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective published by the Blair/Carolina Wren Press.)
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Foods
We Love Treat yourself all year
By Jenna Biter • Photographs by John Gessner
W
e’re ready for the traditional lineup of Valentine’s Day confections. Bring on the chocolate-covered strawberries, red and pink M&M’s, conversation hearts and all of the other holiday sweets in between. (To be totally honest, we even use the lover’s day as cover to sneak desserts that have no holiday repute . . . say, two scoops of vanilla with sprinkles.) But for the supposed holiday of love, Valentine’s Day can be quite the Scrooge with its adoration. Trust us, we’re not knocking desserts, but other meals have merit, too. Here are a few “not desserts” that deserve their holiday due, six breakfast-through-dinner favorites being served up year-round that might just give Valentine’s Day desserts a run for their date-night money. These belong high on the list of “you just gotta try this.” It’s not that these dishes have anything to do with Feb. 14, it’s just because it’s food we’re in love with 12 months of the year. Of course, we’ll still be saving room.
Vietnamese Pho Steve’s TK Pizza & Hot Subs
A pizza shop isn’t the first place we’d go to look for Vietnamese cuisine, but it should be. “With the pho, we didn’t have it around here,” says James Lam, co-owner with his wife, Keena, of Steve’s TK Pizza & Hot Subs. Pho is a traditional Vietnamese soup that combines a protein, rice noodles, onions, seasoned broth and toppings like Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts and lime wedge. “It was a drive for us to go to Raleigh and back to even get it,” he says. So, the couple channeled their Vietnamese heritage and started cooking up pho at Steve’s. The recipe came from Jame’s brother Ti Lu. And it’s definitely been worth it for us. The restaurant offers pho ga, which is chicken; and pho bo, which is beef, in a regular or super-sized bowl. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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Train Wreck
Mason’s Restaurant & Grocery “The dish is one of our homemade split buttermilk biscuits, deep-fried chicken thighs in a special breading that we put together. We top it with some cheddar cheese, pecan-smoked bacon, overeasy egg, and we put our homemade sausage gravy on top,” says Brian Hainley, chef and co-owner, with his wife, Alison, of Mason’s Restaurant & Grocery. And if you’re looking for an extra kick to help sweat out that hangover, get it Nashville hot. “It’s just a little bit of everything; it’s messy,” Hainley says with a laugh. Hence the name Train Wreck. “I’ve seen one person try to pick it up and eat it, and you can’t do that. It’s a knife and fork thing for sure.”
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Blueberry Pancakes Pinehurst Track Restaurant
“We do plain, we do chocolate chip now as well, but everybody loves that blueberry pancake,” says Tracy Cormier, owner of the Pinehurst Track Restaurant. She and her late husband, harness racer Real “Coco” Cormier, bought the restaurant almost 25 years ago and have since earned well-deserved accolades for their blueberry pancakes, even making a cameo appearance on The Golf Channel. “We get the mix, but my husband started it . . . and doctored it up. I can’t tell you the recipe. It’s a secret,” says Cormier. “I think it’s special also because it’s fresh blueberries.” But we’re convinced it’s because of the people. Get a short stack, full stack or even ask for a single — Tracy’s brother and restaurant manager Glenn Hartman will whip it up.
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Bell Burger In-the-Rough Lounge
Sometimes all you need is a good burger, especially after 18 holes. Lucky for you, Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club has been serving up the Bell Burger for years at their 19th hole, the In-the-Rough Lounge. “It’s something that’s been a staple here,” says Graham Gilmore, the manager of the lounge. It’s a classic — a fresh 8-ounce patty topped with American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, shaved lettuce and tomato, sandwiched by a toasted brioche bun that’s branded with the Pine Needles logo. “Anything to do with Mrs. Bell was always the biggest and the best, so that’s what we wanted to do with the burger,” says Gilmore of the staple’s namesake, World Golf Hall of Famer Peggy Kirk Bell. “It goes with the whole motif here; everything is about Bell and golf.”
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BBQ Sundae The Pik N Pig
There’s no ice cream in the Pik N Pig’s BBQ sundae. “It’s barbecue, baked beans, cole slaw, and we top it off with two hush puppies here in the restaurant,” says Jerad Wilson, the restaurant’s manager. The trifle-style dish is layered into a mason jar that’s nested in a bowl, so you can dump out the goods and mix them all together. “The idea came from the fair,” Wilson explains. “When we got into the state fair, it was, ‘What can we make that’s easy for people to walk around with and still eat?’ And that’s when we put everything into a cup. At the fair, it comes in a to-go cup with a spork, and people just go to town.”
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“Taterman” Tots The Deuce
“It’s kind of a fan favorite as far as the appetizers go,” says Francesca Carter, manager of The Deuce — the 19th hole at historic Pinehurst No. 2. She’s talking about the restaurant’s famed “Taterman” Tots. This shareable dish features a basket of golden-brown tater tots garnished with scallions and served with a trio of housemade dipping sauces: chipotle sour cream, Pepper Jack cheese and, of course, a classic ketchup. But the bacon, broken into halves and nestled in behind the tots, is the real MVP. “That’s what people order this for,” Carter says. “They will tell us, ‘Oh yeah, we came here and got this just for the pecan-crusted maple bacon.” Jenna Biter is a writer, entrepreneur and military wife in the Sandhills. She can be reached at jenna.biter@gmail.com.
More Foods We Love
Because we couldn’t decide on just six drool-worthy dishes, here are a few more to tantalize your taste buds. The Leadmine — Boozy Hot Chocolate (on the cover). Real chocolate, real milk, real marshmallow and real bourbon
The Ice Cream Parlor Restaurant — Homemade chicken salad, in a wrap or on whole wheat, white or rye.
The Bell Tree Tavern — Hand-breaded fried dill pickle chips, a Southern staple.
SoPies Pizza — Chicken Parm Hot New York Hero. Italianbreaded chicken breast topped with marinara sauce, mozzarella and Romano cheese.
Fish Co. — Ramen bowls. The full panoply of Char Siu pork, egg, spinach, mushroom, nori or scallion. Jaya’s Indian Cuisine — Coconut Chicken Curry. Little rice, little naan, little raita. Little wonder.
Sweet Basil — Tomato fennel soup. If it’s on the menu, it’s your lucky day.
Granny’s Donuts — The Tarheel. But of course. The state donut.
Wedgie’s — The Pinky. A flatbread sandwich of roast beef, turkey, ham, Pink’s peppers, mozzarella, LTO&M.
Betsy’s Crêpes — The Samurai. Warrior-class breakfast, salmon and rice for the sushi lover in you. Southern Angel Donut Co. — Apple fritter. They can’t make enough. Vito’s Restaurant — Traditional white pizza. Virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, mozzarella, add a little spinach. Bellissima. Sunrise Theater — Popcorn with real butter and real movies, one day soon. The House of Fish Seafood Restaurant — Stuffed salmon. Seafood in the center, asparagus on the side. Li’l Dino — French fries. How to push a sub over the edge. Buggy Town — French Toast Paninis. Raspberry cream cheese or bacon, egg and cheese. Slap on the maple butter. Lynnette’s Bakery — Guava and Cheese Pastelitos. Puff pastry, topped with glazed honey. Oh, my. Elliott’s on Linden — Sticky Toffee Dessert. Classic English dessert with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and dried figs. You don’t need a passport. Ashten’s Restaurant — Reuben Egg Rolls. Stuffed with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and caper remoulade. Grab them if you can. The Bakehouse — Barcelona Burger. It’s a beef, spinach and onion mixture topped with American-Swiss cheese and garlic sauce on a fresh-baked bun. Drum & Quill — Blackened Mahi tacos with superfood avocado slaw and lime. Olé. Grinders and Gravy — Meatball Parmesan grinder with gravy and mozzarella. A legend already.
Southern Whey — Pimento cheese. Enough said.
Chef Warren’s — Yoga waffle. You can’t get bent out of shape with this Belgian waffle, biscoff, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Beefeaters — French Silk Pie. Whipped rich chocolate mousse on a flaky pie crust with a creamy whipped topping and a chocolate drizzle on top. Uh-huh. Southern Prime Steakhouse — Lobster Rangoons. Wantons with scallions and sweet chili garlic sauce. Ironwood Cafe — Chicken and waffles. Corn flake breaded tenders with malted red velvet waffles. Sly Fox Pub — Fish and chips with mushy peas. A pub staple. Dugan’s Pub — Pub soup. Beef, bacon, cheddar cheese, onions, and on and on. Hot soup for a cold day. Chapman’s Food and Spirits — Turkey Lurkey. Oven roasted turkey, dill Havarti, spinach, tomato, onion, herb mayo, cranberry and mango chutney on sunflower bread. Berri Bowlful — Tart of Recovery Smoothie. Organic acai, organic tart cherry, banana and blueberries. Nature’s Own — Verlasso Salmon Cake. Homemade salmon cake, tzatziki, paprika aioli. Wolcott’s — Lobster bisque. Just like Maine. Table on the Green — Chicken Pad Thai. Sautéed rice noodles with bean curd, ground peanuts, scallions, egg and fresh bean sprouts. Midland Bistro — Lily’s Lobster Roll. Fresh Maine lobster, celery, green onion and tarragon aioli mayo on a Hawaiian sweet roll. PineStraw
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Late Bloomer Though he never swung a club until age 35, Walter J. Travis became America’s first great golfer
I
By Bill Case
n late March 1904, Walter J. Travis checked into the Holly Inn for three weeks of golf, hoping it would culminate in winning the coveted United North and South Amateur Championship. His arrival was considered a big deal because the Australian immigrant was generally recognized to be the best golfer in the United States — amateur or pro. Called “the most conspicuous figure in the golfing world today” by the Pinehurst Outlook, the 42-year-old Travis, playing out of Garden City Golf Club on Long Island, had won three of the preceding four U.S. Amateur championships, capturing the Havemeyer trophy in 1900, ’01 and ’03. It was a return trip for Travis, who had already won the resort’s special “Inauguration” tournament in January. “Mr. Travis was delighted with his first visit to Pinehurst,” proclaimed the Outlook, “and he returns, not only with the championship cup in his mind’s eye, but to renew pleasant associations.” Pleasantness certainly marked his March golf. In a casual four-ball match, the homburg-hatted Travis, partnering with Charles B. Corey, carded a record score of 69 on Course No. 1, then measuring 5,408 yards. In the North and South, he posted the best medal score of all qualifiers and trounced each of his match play opponents en route to the 36-hole final against his four-ball partner, Corey. Emitting clouds of smoke from pungent black cigars, the bewhiskered Travis played brilliantly from the outset, leaving his erstwhile partner six holes in arrears after the morning round. Following lunch, he coasted to an 8 and 7 championship victory. While the North and South was a valued title, Travis had his eye on a greater prize: the British Amateur championship in May at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England. No American had ever accomplished anything noteworthy in the event. It seemed a pipedream for Travis to think he could stand toe-to-toe with British stars like John Ball and Harold Hilton, considered far superior players to the best in America. C.B. MacDonald, the renowned course architect and 1896 U.S. amateur champion, thought otherwise, pointing out that Travis was four strokes better over 36 holes than any other American. If Travis (already approaching the life expectancy of the average
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American male in the first decade of the 20th century) could withstand the rigors of the ocean voyage and change in climate, reasoned MacDonald, he would likely give a good account of himself. Most golf aficionados “on the other side of the pond” scoffed at the idea. On his previous trip to Great Britain in 1901, Hilton had beaten him easily. Short of stature and weighing less than 140 pounds, Travis was admittedly not a long hitter, a problem because Royal St. George’s was tailor-made for powerful drivers. Could he carry the venue’s vast bunkers like the aptly named Sahara and Himalayas? Most of all, British golf cognoscenti doubted that anyone who hadn’t taken up the game until the age of 35 — and looked even older than his years — could hope to be a true championship player. Nothing about Travis’ hardscrabble early life suggested that he would become a celebrated sportsman. Born in Maldon, Australia, in 1862, he was the fourth child of Charles and Susan Travis. A native Englishman, Charles had emigrated Down Under in 1852, seeking to capitalize on the country’s gold rush. Though he failed to amass riches, he did land a respected position as a mining engineer. Tragedy struck in 1880, when Charles was killed in a mining accident, leaving wife Susan and their seven children in dire circumstances. When Walter’s older brother perished the following year, the burden of supporting the family fell primarily on him. After it became apparent that work in a grocery store and sheepherding on the side wouldn’t support a family, he took a position with the hardware merchants McLean Brothers in Melbourne. He rose rapidly up the company ranks and, when McLean Brothers decided to open a New York City branch in 1885, 23-year-old Travis agreed to head up the satellite office. Travis diligently attended to McLean Brothers’ affairs. Though a bit standoffish, he spent convivial evenings with his mates, drinking whiskey, shooting billiards and playing poker. His interests expanded to include bicycle racing, tennis and bird hunting. But his most intense outside interest was courting the comely and spirited Anne Bent. “For a man seen as dour, abrupt and serious for much of his public life, Travis was effusive, romantic and smitten while courting Anne,” says Bob Labbance, author of The Old Man, a biography of Travis. “He could write six pages about nothing more than how much he loved her, missed her, and couldn’t possibly wait until they were together again.” Anne would play hard to get, but Walter’s persistence won her over, and the couple married on Jan. 9, 1890, settling in Flushing, New York, and parenting a son and daughter.
I
n 1895, McLean Brothers sent Travis to London on temporary assignment. While there, he learned that several friends back in Flushing intended to become members of a new golf club. At first, Travis rejected any notion of joining them. He would write that “the game made no appeal to me. I am free to confess that I had mild contempt for it.” But, not wanting to be left out of the mix, Travis grudgingly purchased a set of clubs, “and with anything but pride, brought them over on my return.” He joined the Oakland Golf Club in the fall of 1896 and embarked on his improbable golf journey. Just a month after hitting his first ball, he won a handicap competition. The next month he
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finished second in a scratch competition. He was hooked. The golf convert assiduously studied golf instructional books authored by British golf greats Willie Park and Horace Hutchinson. Together with “an enormous amount of experimentation,” it culminated in Travis gaining a well-grooved swing that invariably resulted in an exquisitely controlled hook. The following summer, Travis, now down to a 7 handicap, entered numerous medal play events, acquitting himself with distinction. He won an event at the Meadow Brook Hunt Club after riding his bicycle to the first tee to submit his entry for the competition. That triumph was followed by a victory in Oakland’s club championship. He won his first foray into a match play event and lost in the finals of another. The press took notice of what was rapidly becoming a Cinderella story. One headline read, “Travis a Surprise — Almost an Unknown Man.” More titles followed in the summer of 1898. Encouraged, he entered the U.S. Amateur that September. Incredibly, the player of less than two years’ experience made the semifinals. Dogged by poor putting, Travis was beaten decisively in the penultimate match by Findlay Douglas, a player who would become a perennial foe. The two met for a second time in the semis of the 1899 Amateur championship, and Douglas would prevail once again 2 and 1. It was clear, however, that Walter’s golfing skill was fast approaching that of his fiercest rival. Prior to the 1899 Amateur, Travis was approached by a friend, James Taylor, to see if he would be interested in designing a new course, Ekwanok Golf Club, in Manchester, Vermont. America’s early courses often featured flat, square-shaped greens with bunkers, chocolate drop mounds, and hazards sprinkled across the entire width of fairways. Travis believed such hindrances should be placed at the sides of fairways so as not to penalize straight hitting, and that greens should have varying shapes and undulations. Sensing he could design a layout with more challenging features than most he had encountered, he accepted the commission. Travis spent much of September and October of 1899 in Vermont, immersed in Ekwanok’s construction. His detail-oriented mind and organizational skills proved well-suited for the multi-faceted task of designing and building a golf course, and he relished the work. The finished course, recognized as excellent in all regards, established Travis as an architect of stature. Early in 1900, the Travis family moved from Flushing to a house in Garden City, where he joined the Garden City Golf Club, a short walk from home. He was immediately appointed club captain and chairman of the green committee. His choice of Garden City proved especially timely because the club was hosting the 1900 U.S. Amateur. By the time the championship began, Travis knew every blade of grass on the course’s 6,070-yard layout. Medalist in the 36-hole qualifier, Travis blitzed through four opponents to the final where, once again, he confronted Findlay Douglas. Despite having lost twice before to Douglas in the championship, Travis exhibited fearless confidence in this encounter. “Always be on the aggressive,” Travis would write in his autobiography. “(Be) quite sure of yourself and never give an opponent the psychological advantage of imagining you are the least afraid of him.” The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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ravis more than made up for his relative lack of length with stellar pitch shots and sand play. “Eight times Travis got into the sand hazards or in the long grass,” reported Golf magazine, “and each time with his iron he laid himself dead to the hole.” He led Douglas by three holes after the morning round. During the afternoon, Douglas made inroads on the lead, and was only 1 down coming down the 18th. By then a torrential downpour had flooded the course, and the home green was transformed into a virtual lake. Still, play continued. After successfully splashing his approach onto the waterlogged green, Travis needed to get down in two strokes for the championship. He concluded, however, that rolling a putt with a mostly submerged ball was impossible. Instead, he executed a brilliant flop shot that left his ball inches from the hole, clinching the match. Just three years and nine months after his first strike of a golf ball, Travis had won the national amateur and vanquished his nemesis Douglas. He repeated as amateur champion in 1901 and won the title a third time in 1903. He also finished runner-up to Scotland’s Laurie Auchterlonie in the 1902 U.S. Open, also contested at Garden City. Thus, while the Brits airily belittled his chances of winning the 1904 British Amateur, Travis was quietly optimistic, having just won the North and South in Pinehurst. Four Garden City club members accompanied him to Great Britain. The entourage referred to themselves as Walter’s “board of strategy.” The jocular Simeon Ford was among them. Ford would cheekily recall Travis’ debilitating seasickness during the ocean voyage. “He (Travis) spent the major portion of the time leaning over the rail, perfecting his follow through, and casting his bread upon the water.” Once on shore, Travis’ queasy stomach became the least of his concerns. His good form vanished in wretched practice rounds at St. Andrews and Prestwick. He felt completely lost. Fortunately, his game markedly improved once he arrived at Royal St. George’s. “From the first ball I struck, I knew I was on the road to recovery,” he wrote. Travis’ putting had been particularly atrocious. On the eve of his opening match, an alarmed board of strategy cohort lent his personal putter to Travis. The “Schenectady” was a center-shafted mallet putter quite unlike the paper-thin blades then universally used. The loaner proved to be a godsend. In his final practice round, Travis suddenly began holing putts from outlandish lengths. His golf was turning around, but Travis was growing increasingly resentful of how the Brits were treating him and his friends. Presumably due to oversight, no rooms had been reserved for them at the hotel where the other players were housed. The club failed to provide Travis a locker; he was relegated to changing clothes in a public hallway. The better players declined playing with him in practice rounds. The caddie assigned to Travis was beyond incompetent, “a natural-born idiot, and cross-eyed at that,” he groused. Officials refused Travis’ request for a replacement. Unlike the top British players, he was not afforded a first-round bye. British spectators cheered his misses. For the seething American, these incidents provided what would have been bulletin board material, had such a thing existed. The slights spurred Travis on, as he later acknowledged metaphoriPineStraw
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cally. “A reasonable number of fleas is good for a dog,” he mused. “It keeps him from forgetting he is a dog.” In The Story of American Golf, Herbert Warren Wind described the unusual methods the board of strategy employed each evening to prepare Travis for the following day’s matches. “They played cribbage with him and fed him large portions of stout,” while lauding the talents of prospective opponents. Goaded and fortified, a steely Travis stormed to the semifinal, leaving four opponents in his wake. His deadly accuracy with the Schenectady astounded everyone. Fears that his shortish drives would not surmount Royal St. George’s cavernous bunkers proved unfounded — but just barely. Time and again, he would carry the sand by about a yard, frustrating his opponents and those touting British superiority. In his semifinal match, Travis confronted none other than Horace Hutchinson, the man whose instructional book he had devoured. With spectators openly rooting against the upstart American, Travis fought his way to the championship match, defeating his “teacher” 4 and 2. In the final, he faced Ted Blackwell, regarded as one of the game’s longest hitters. But Travis assumed control of the match from the outset. “I had a comfortable feeling all through,’ he would recall, “and after the first few holes had been played, I felt certain of winning.” His black cigar smoke permeating the crisp air, Travis coasted to a 4 and 3 victory. The Scotsman described him as “coolness personified.” The triumph marked the first glimpse of the coming American hegemony in golf. “No international sporting event for a long time has created the widespread interest that has been excited by Travis’ victory. Travis may now justly be called the amateur golf champion of the world,” claimed The New York Times.
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eted as a conquering hero upon his return to New York, Travis’ celebrity status opened the door to lucrative opportunities. He received additional course design assignments, one of which was updating his home course, Garden City. Having authored his own instruction book, Practical Golf, in 1901, Travis was widely sought as a contributing writer by golf-related magazines and penned pieces on topics ranging from proper upkeep of greens to the art of putting. In 1908, he became the editor of a new magazine, The American Golfer, a publication that he promised would promote “the best traditions of the Royal and Ancient game.” Among the backers of the venture was Pinehurst mogul Leonard Tufts. Able to financially support himself solely from golf-related activities, Travis resigned his post with McLean Brothers. There were occasional mutterings that his receipt of income from golf architecture and writing ought to disqualify him from amateur competitions, but USGA rules were not specific on the matter, and most concluded that Travis wasn’t doing anything wrong. By the time Travis took the reins of The American Golfer, the 46-year-old had already been tagged with the moniker “the old man.” Due perhaps to advancing age or focus on the magazine, the singleminded competitive drive that had characterized his golf began to wane. His days of winning national titles were behind him as talented young stars like Chick Evans and Jerry Travers rose to prominence. Still, Travis remained a threat to win any tournament he entered throughout his 40s. He relished playing, particularly in Pinehurst,
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which from 1904 until 1915 served as a second home for him from January to April. Travis would typically arrive after Christmas and stay at either the Holly or The Carolina through Valentine’s Day, then migrate to Palm Beach for a month before returning to Pinehurst in mid-March. It would be Travis’ headquarters until the conclusion of the United North and South Championship in midApril. In all, he won that coveted event three times, following up his 1904 title with victories in 1910 and 1912 — at age 50. Travis participated in a number of lesser Pinehurst tournaments, winning more than his share. His trophies included the Mid-Winter, St. Valentine’s Day, and Spring tournaments. The competition he faced was stiff, and he lost more than he won. He played numerous four-ball exhibition matches, many involving the Ross brothers, Donald and Alex. Hundreds of resort guests eager to see him in action attended. His conspicuous presence undeniably enhanced Pinehurst’s growing reputation and, as editor of The American Golfer, he arranged for extensive coverage of Pinehurst golf doings throughout its season. Travis’ most important contribution to Pinehurst golf, however, may have been his role in transforming easy and bunker-free Course No. 2 into a venerated championship venue, maintaining that he was the person who persuaded the resort’s owner to redesign the course. “For several years, I had been at Mr. Tufts, the proprietor, to make this (No. 2) an exacting test,” wrote Travis in his 1920 piece for The American Golfer. “Finally, in 1906, I won him around to my way of thinking . . . ” He further claimed that Tufts gave him the job of making the required changes to No. 2. “He gave me carte blanche to go ahead,” he wrote. Travis maintained that he was responsible for bringing Donald Ross onto the project. “I knew the changes I had in mind would result in a big uproar at the start, and I didn’t feel like shouldering the whole responsibility. So I suggested that Donald Ross and I should go over the course together and, without conferring, each The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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propose a separate plan. I knew what the result would be.” While stopping short of taking credit for No. 2’s redesign, Travis did say that Ross adopted virtually all of his suggestions, and that the Scottish transplant “was merely an echo of my own views regarding golf course architecture.” While it’s fair to speculate whether Travis could have been exaggerating his role given his substantial ego — and the fact that he made these boasts 14 years after the events in question — it’s also reasonable to assume that in redesigning No. 2, Ross would have listened to anything the country’s leading golf figure (and fellow architect) had to say. And Ross never publicly contradicted Travis’ account. Whatever the extent of his involvement, it would seem Travis deserves, at minimum, some credit for contributing to the Ross masterpiece. While normally restrained in his emotions, Travis effusively expressed his affinity for Pinehurst in remarks at a 1911 banquet at the Holly Inn. Travis said Pinehurst had come to have a “very warm place” in his heart and that “what St. Andrews is to golf on the other side, Pinehurst is to the game in America.” The Old Man competed in Pinehurst events well into his sixth decade and, at age 53, won the resort’s March 1915 Spring Tournament. “Surely golfers may come and go,” reflected an admiring piece in the Outlook, “but Travis goes on forever! Straight down the alley, straight for the pin, straight for the cup.” But age was taking a toll on his already insubstantial drives, something that didn’t escape the notice of frequent playing companion Ross. “I watched him get crabbier and crabbier the older he got,” confided Pinehurst’s masterful architect. “He was always a great putter . . . but his long shots became shorter and shorter and he couldn’t reconcile himself to his loss of distance.” Not long after that final Pinehurst victory, Travis decided to quit playing major events. While the decline in his play surely factored into the decision, the USGA was also on the threshold of adopting a rule that would result in golf course architects losing their amateur The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
status. Travis was looking forward to expanding his course design business and, realizing it might be problematic, retreated from competitive efforts altogether. He elected to make the 1915 Metropolitan Amateur at The Apawamis Club in Rye, New York, his last important event. He shocked everybody with a series of impressive victories in the preliminary matches, even edging the formidable Travers, en route to the final where he faced John G. Anderson. Travis’ supporters questioned whether he could still summon the necessary stamina and concentration for a 36-hole match, and he did flag down the stretch, blowing a 3-up lead over Anderson in the final nine holes. The match stood dead even as Travis staggered to the final green. He needed two putts from 40 feet to send the contest to extra holes. Instead, he electrified onlookers by holing the mammoth putt for the championship, his fourth Met title, and a spectacular farewell to big time golf for “The Old Man.” Travis’ architectural services were increasingly in demand, and over the following 10 years he designed or remodeled 31 courses, many now regarded as timeless classics. His notable projects include courses at Westchester Country Club (Rye, N.Y.); Equinox Golf Links (Vermont); Jekyll Island Golf Club (Georgia); Hollywood Golf Club (Deal, N.J.); Country Club of Scranton (Pa.); Van Cortland Park Golf Club (Bronx, N.Y.); and modifications at Garden City. He designed courses until the end of his life in 1927, and today the Walter Travis Society continues to celebrate his accomplishments. In 1979 he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Given his late start, it is difficult to conceive how Travis managed to pack so much achievement into such a short period of time. Still, it was never quite enough. “Full as my cup has been,” Travis reflected, “I shall never cease to regret the many prior years which were wasted.” PS Pinehurst resident Bill Case is PineStraw’s history man. He can be reached at Bill.Case@thompsonhine.com. PineStraw
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Building Strong Roots Reconstructing a Pinehurst landscape
By Claudia Watson • Photographs by L aura Gingerich
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little cottage on a well-kept street in old town Pinehurst sparked my curiosity for nearly two decades. The modest, single-story house hid behind a towering barricade of overgrown hollies. It looked melancholy except for a single camellia that hugged the tiny porch and bloomed during the dullest days of winter. The house was built in 1957 of clapboard beveled heart pine siding and painted a then-trendy minty green. On occasion, an older woman cautiously peeked out a barely opened door, looking distraught by it all. Nearly six years ago, after the owner died, there was an estate sale, mostly glassware, kitchen items and furnishings. A shed, almost fallen with age, was strewn with rusty yard tools and broken pots. All of it seemed so sad. I was not the only one who was captivated by the old house. Sean Butler stopped by often to check on the owner and offered help with repairs. “In its day, I knew it was a very nice home. It had good bones,” recalls Butler, owner of Butler Constructs. He and his business part-
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ner, Wes Smith, who lived in the neighborhood, walked through the house the day of the estate sale and made an offer on it that day. They purchased the half-acre property in 2015. Butler’s redesign of the house maintains the original structure’s required exterior “cottagey” style. Inside, he let his imagination work as he drafted a new plan for the home, nearly doubling its size. As work on the house continued, Angie Averitte and Patti Rainwater, both highly focused on buying a cottage in old town, noticed the renovation. “We were in town with our real estate agent, stopped and saw that it was going on the market the next day. It was meant to be,” smiles Averitte after explaining they’d lost out on two other houses in the bidding wars of a hot real estate market. Born down the road in Hamlet, North Carolina, Averitte started working for the predecessor of CSX Railroad in the small town. Her management career required relocating all over the East. “We called ourselves gypsies because we moved 12 times in 25 years,” she says. When she closed her career with CSX after 38 years, she and Rainwater, a project manager for a home health company, lived in The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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Nashville. Averitte’s desire to be with family coaxed them back to the Sandhills. “We moved back Christmas week of 2018. It was a good way to get out of Christmas,” she laughs. Once settled, they recognized that living in a smaller house would take some adjustment. While they had many “what-if” dreams — they weren’t particularly conscious that the landscape might play a role in helping them put down strong roots. During the late winter months, they’d walk the property assessing its potential. “We had a new patio, an old shed, some dead shrubs and a bit of a drainage issue, and didn’t know where to begin,” says Averitte. “We wanted livable outdoor space that was pretty, offered privacy and a place for entertaining. It was obvious that we needed help.” At the suggestion of a friend, she called and then hired Dee Johnson, a highly recognized landscape designer who has always had a deep passion for gardens and horticulture. Growing up in rural West Virginia, Johnson often worked alongside her grandmother, an avid gardener. She and her parents enjoyed the outdoors, and getting their hands dirty was part of each day. She studied botany in college and relocated before receiving an undergraduate degree. When she and her husband moved to the Sandhills, she explored the Landscape Gardening program at Sandhills Community College. “I thought it would be a nice hobby,” she laughs. She earned an associate degree in landscape gardening and began teaching in the Continuing Education program. After receiving an undergraduate degree in education and a master’s degree in agricultural extension education, she returned to teaching. Appointed coordinator of the landscape gardening program at SCC, she held the post 17 years. Her private design business remained in the background, but she geared it back up once she retired. Johnson describes her design style as naturalistic — and she The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
does not mean native plants, but plants in their natural form. Though she does design formal Williamsburg-type landscapes, these are not her preference. She disdains power shears used to make meatballs of shrubs. “Plants will fight you tooth and nail. If it’s not supposed to be round, don’t make it. It’s going to try to go back to its natural state,” she insists. One of Johnson’s formative influences is British landscape designer John Brookes, who introduced the notion that “gardens should be low-maintenance as well as beautiful by recognizing the proposed use of a garden before designing it.” He felt this ensured “that lifestyle, architecture and garden are a harmonious whole.” Johnson uses the same approach with clients, and emphasizes they need to consider how they want the space to function. Those characteristics and the site orientation, house style, outbuildings and cultural history drive her gardens’ design and style. These aspects are equally important as the practical considerations of budget and how much time the owner has to maintain the area. Being prepared with the information upfront keeps the plan and planting scheme on track and tailored toward the client’s taste. Even if it’s a DIY landscape renovation, going in without a plan is not a good strategy. “It’s like going to the grocery store without your list. You’ll end up spending money on things you don’t need, then trying to find a place for it all, and then digging yourself out with a shovel for a long time,” Johnson says. After a thorough site assessment, Johnson presented her proposal, including landscape and hardscape details, budget and timeframe. Though not a requirement of Johnson’s, Averitte and Rainwater elected to have her bid out the project and supervise the installation to ensure its successful completion. Johnson promised a turnkey project. She used Joe Granato of PineStraw
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Star Ridge Aquatics and Richie Cole of Knats Creek Nursery, two contractors who know her work and expectations. Start to finish, the project was completed in eight weeks, and just in time to take full advantage of the autumn rain and cooler temperatures that gave plants their roots. The design is balanced and merges beautifully with the surroundings. It sets the space for arrival, and an invitation to explore and participate in the landscape. There are distinct areas of the landscape, with some “rooms” open and spacious, and others cozy and intimate. All of it is colorful year-round. At the front entry, a whimsical masked tin pig peeks out from under the giant leaves of a potted philodendron Philodendron selloum that Averitt has toted around for 30 years. Another keepsake, a toxic Jerusalem cherry evergreen shrub Solanum pseudocapsicum, steals the show with boldly red, yellow, and orange fruit. The owners, not fans of crape myrtles, asked that the two crape myrtles next to the house be removed. Johnson creatively moved them forward to a new planting bed between the semi-circular driveway entrances. “This is a basic design principle,” explains Johnson. “You want to soften the edges of the house and the roof ridgeline and move your eye toward the front door.” The crape myrtles give height to the area, as dwarf buddleia, fountain grass, rosemary, variegated liriope and yucca offer a tidy look and color throughout the year. As with many old town cottages, the practical but pesky issue is the lack of a garage. For the owners, who have two cars, maneuvering to park in the semi-circular driveway was tricky. “Every time I was there, someone had to move a car,” recalls Johnson. She widened the driveway to permit another car to move by a parked car and added a parking area to the side. Now, tumbled stone edging keeps driveway gravel out of the grass and provides a finished edge that blends in with the surrounding plantings. Johnson carefully plants closer to the property’s edge, which helps define the barefoot-friendly Zeon zoysia lawn. The garden areas serve
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as visual boundaries to the property, creating a pleasing view from inside the house by giving the eye more to see than just grass. The small, one-story house suggests the plantings’ scale and shape, and a linear planting design combined with curved beds keep the eye moving across the site. The use of plants with shorter growth habits allows the owners to enjoy the view from their windows without much maintenance. From the street, a passerby catches a glimpse of the colorful perennial and herb garden. It’s tucked into the back corner of the property and bordered by a cedar privacy fence. The old shed was renovated to become the she shed, its lines softened by blueberry bushes at the entrance and the young hardy kiwi vines Actinidia arguta ambling skyward along a sturdy cedar arbor. Anchored by a delicate ‘Forest pansy’ redbud Cercsis canadensis, several Camellia sasanqua ‘Survivor,’ and a trio of winter hardy Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight,’ the garden provides breathtaking summer and late autumn color. In the spring, the Itea virginica ‘Little Henry’ blooms in a cascade of lightly fragrant white spikes. Its foliage deepens to orange and red colors into autumn. Existing loropetalum, boxwoods, and miscanthus grasses were relocated to the area to extend the allure during the winter months. But it’s the perennials that provide the punch. The flower combinations complement each other rather than clash or compete. Pollinator favorites like Coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolate ‘Moonbeam,’ Walker’s Low catmint Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low,’ Coneflower Echinacea purpurea, Goldstrum black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia fulgida, Black and Blue Salvia Salvia guaranitica, and the dependable Stonecrop, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ enliven the garden. Johnson blends eucalyptus, lamb’s ear, rosemary, culinary sage and English lavender into the garden with an appreciation for the texture and fragrance offered by silvery foliage. Just out the kitchen door is the often-used pergola-covered patio. It’s become a favorite spot for a glass of wine before dinner, especially when the nearby cluster of gardenia Gardenia jasminoides ‘Kleim’s The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Hardy’ releases its heavenly scent. But of all the new spaces, it’s the striking fire pit that draws the accolades. A curved stone walkway leads to the area that seats six in rainbow-colored Adirondack chairs conveniently outfitted with cup and wineglass holders. “It was insightful, though we didn’t know it at the time,” Averitte remembers. “When COVID started, we didn’t interact with anyone for two to three months. Once spring came, and the yard was full of blooms, we invited two friends over and a couple of neighbors. It morphed into a pretty cool and safe way to visit in the middle of this pandemic.” A sitting ledge hugs the back curve with the surrounding garden filled with Verbena ‘Homestead purple’, English lavender and butterfly bush Buddleja davidii ‘White Provision.’ A laceleaf Japanese maple Acer palmatum ‘Seiryu’ is flanked by two lovely hydrangea Hydrangea quercifloia ‘Snowflake,’ providing visual height, privacy and spectacular seasonal color — at least until the deer discovered them — calling for new options. As the moon rises in a velvety blue sky, the intimate water garden off the master suite is a tranquil setting with the sound of falling waThe Art & Soul of the Sandhills
ter accompanied by a chorus of frog calls. The backlit Japanese maple Acer palmatum ‘Waterfall’ and saucer magnolia Magnolia soulangeana ‘Jane’ offer a pretty backdrop. Dwarf gardenias Gardenia jasminoides ‘Radicans’ provide fragrance, and Sweet flag Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’ adds spiky texture and bright color. Averitte says she was impressed by Johnson’s attention to detail and dedication to the project. “Her work touched every part of our property and, in so many ways, and that’s enhanced our lives.” Living in a smaller house has been a significant change. Still, she and Rainwater agree that they have a greater appreciation for nature’s calming power, especially during the pandemic. “It’s become our sanctuary,” says Averitte quietly, who never considered herself a gardener. “I find myself in the garden and bringing the garden inside now — taking snippets, spending time deadheading plants, and thinking about how this beautiful place is all ours now. We’ve put down our roots and will be here for a long time.” As for the little cottage, it’s renewed and happy again, too. PS Claudia Watson is a frequent contributor to PineStraw and The Pilot and finds the joy in each day, often in a garden. PineStraw
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Blast from the Past Out with the new! In with the old!
By Deborah Salomon Exterior Photos: Derk’s Works • Interior Photos: By Colette Photo 82
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nd now, for something completely different: A residence titled Lansmyr Cottage, embraced by overgrown shrubs, vines, moss, weeping cherries, centenarian trees at the end of a long, narrow, unpaved driveway — amid yet hidden from old town Pinehurst mansions. Eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms on three levels approaching 9,000 square feet. Two pianos, one a spinet, the other a concert-worthy grand by Mason & Hamlin, the craftsmen lauded by Rachmaninoff and Ravel. A home-school classroom with a skeleton in the corner, for teaching purposes. A gazebo and two-tier treehouse. Five fireplaces with carved mantels, no two the same. Eight-zone AC. A working call bell system to summon servants. An attic playroom only 7 feet shorter than a regulation bowling lane. A master suite encompassing two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sitting room. All things considered, a residential relic that shuns hyperelectronics, paneled Sub-Zeros and similar stressors.
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Obviously, a house this unusual reflects the family within: Nathan and Jacqueline Spearing and their children, Abel, Sophie, Eli, Aria and Jude. Their lifestyle follows religious tenets, as does their house, on occasion. The Spearings have hosted prayer meetings, an Easter egg hunt (2,000 eggs) and a sunrise service attended by 170 followed by brunch, without crowding. The house also showcases Nathan’s restoration business, Transform, N.C. Jacqueline, an accomplished classical pianist, fills the expanse with music. Therefore, this home must be viewed through a different lens than neighboring renovations with altered floorplans, spa bathrooms, electronic gadgetry and High Point heirlooms.
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Nathan, from Alabama, has six siblings. Jacqueline, from Florida, has 10. Imagine the cousin count when the families gather for holidays. Nathan’s mechanical aptitude blossomed while helping his father and grandfather with renovations and construction. He is conversant in many trades, eager to accept the challenges of plumbing, heating, carpentry or laying vintage tiles. When Nathan retired from Special Operations at Fort Bragg, the growing family gravitated to Moore County, where he purchased and renovated a 1400-square-foot cottage, circa 1918, in downtown Southern Pines.
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Several more projects preceded Lansmyr. Their purpose, Jacqueline says, was to strike a balance: “We wanted modern living with the beautiful details that were worth preserving.” “Each house has a story,” Nathan says. “When you work on a house as a tradesperson, you can see the craftsmanship.” Jacqueline casts a designer’s eye. “The curved glass, the carvings, the transoms — you don’t find that in new homes.” Occupying the house during renovations deepened the experience, especially at Lansmyr, where blue-blooded ghosts roam long halls with polished floors.
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Chicago insurance magnet Lansing B. Warner discovered Pinehurst, then a chic winter resort, in the early 1930s, while visiting a stepson at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He appreciated the clientele, the social scene, and decided to build. Greensboro architect William Holleyman (responsible for the Cone Estate in Greensboro’s posh Irving Park) designed a Colonial Revival with Georgian details, including a Chippendale winding staircase and several areas with vaulted barrel ceilings. When the announcement was made, the Pinehurst Outlook envisioned dancing in the streets with church bells ringing to celebrate the first substantial winter home construction since the beginning of the Great Depression. The house was completed in time for the 1934 “season.” After Warner’s death in 1941, his wife sold Lansmyr to J. Stillman Rockefeller and his wife, the daughter of Andrew Carnegie II. Imagine the name-brand guests entertained within these walls.
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The bloom had faded when the Spearings purchased the house in 2016. Bones and plaster, still strong, but the guts
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(plumbing, wiring) had to go. “This is the best-built old house I’ve encountered,” Nathan says, because of the plethora of skilled labor available during the Depression. “This was my Ph.D. house. I knew what to do. I knew it would be our family home.” The family moved in as work progressed, the children all bedding down in one finished room with fireplace near a functioning bathroom, then splitting up as other rooms were completed. At this juncture, most renovationists — as opposed to restorationists — start moving walls. Not the Spearings, who, with minor exceptions, left both footprint and floorplan intact. This means a ground floor guest bedroom historically called “granny’s room” assuming an elder could not manage stairs; smallish bath and powder rooms; and a hall running the length of the longitudinal layout angling into a servants’ wing and three-car garage with chauffeur’s apartment. These wings, some distance from the master suite and with modest rooms intended for the help, make ideal quarters for older children. Two of the Spearing boys share a room there; the other three children have singles. But where are the toys, the dolls, the balls and games? In that long attic rec room with a TV where the children can watch videos and movies if they’re stuck inside. “Our kids play and ride bikes outside,” Nathan says.
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The Spearings’ strongest preservation statement remains the kitchen. In the luxury home market where dream kitchens clinch sales, this one hums retro. Not only have the tall carpenter-made
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glass-front cabinets remained intact, they have been repainted the eerie pale green of yesteryear, when the cook ruled the kitchen, not the chatelaine. Countertops were replaced but the porcelain sink and double drainboards stretching 10 feet survive. This layout forced the dishwasher into an elongated butler’s pantry which has another sink, intended perhaps for flower arranging. Concession was made for a tea-coffee prep area, a European sixburner gas range and a tall refrigerator in sleek brushed metal. “I thought an island would be convenient but . . . ” Jacqueline says. Instead, daytime meals are eaten at a free-standing modern table and chairs while the family gathers nightly in the dining room, at a 12-foot table with rough-hewn top and massive turned legs. The former servants’ dining room now serves as a pantry and utility space. Furniture throughout is sparse but functional, including frigate-proportioned beds. A few pieces and artwork come from Jacqueline’s mother, but heirlooms aren’t plentiful in large families.
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The couple’s palette veers from traditional pastels, substituting a variety of greens — from money-hued to swamp to lemon-lime — The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
using a British paint with dense pigment and a velvety matte finish. Charcoal grey appears, even a daring mauve bedroom adjacent to a purple bathroom. Nathan learned that dark colors suit larger rooms, as well as highlighting trim. Window treatments are few, partly because the Spearings love natural light, also because the children discovered swinging on the drapes. Area rugs splash multi-colors and abstract designs over stained wood. Nathan built a wall of bookcases in the living room where the top shelf houses Jacqueline’s collection of globes. The overall effect: vast, from the grand piano filling a bowed window in a sunroom large enough for a recital to two acres of enchanted forest where siblings play, instead of watching TV; uncluttered; bright. Lansmyr is playbook for opposing lifestyles: first opulent, maintained by servants; now a family-oriented retreat from worldly distractions. “When I left the military we could have moved anywhere,” Nathan says, “but we love this community. Most important, we have a lot of people here that we love in the military and church communities. This is where we want to put down roots.” Or, as his motto proclaims: “Still livin’ the dream.” PS PineStraw
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A L M A N A C
February n
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By Ashley Wahl
ebruary is the space between the darkest hour and the earliest light. A paper-thin sliver of silver moon. A sensuous world of deep silence. High in the towering pine, a pair of great horned owls sit with their clutch in the black of night, yellow eyes like ancient, swirling galaxies. In this realm of shadow and mystery — this wintry temple of stillness — they are the wisdom keepers. And they are always listening. Warm beneath the great horned mother, three white spheres hold tiny, secret worlds. Days from now, the brood will hatch. But in this moment, all is quiet. Until it isn’t. On the forest floor, movement flickers like a light in the dark. There’s a faint rustling of leaves. The stealthy owl king twists his head until he targets the source, seeing with his ears before his eyes. Hare? Mouse? We’ll never know. Nature holds her secrets close. February heightens the senses. Silence cradles every sound, and you can feel it — the charged nothingness before the rhythmic hoots of the great horned beasts. The charged nothingness that follows. Mystery flirts with your mind like wind dancing through metal chimes. Just before the earliest light, you hear what sounds for all the world like the piercing, primal scream of a banshee. You are half frightened, half delighted, which speaks to your own primal nature. Next, you hear a sequence of yips and yups. A shriek and more yups. Then, silence. You suspect what you’ve heard is a pair of foxes, but only the owl knows for sure. And in this sacred window between darkness and light — this thin crescent moon of a month — nature holds her secrets close.
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
When you listen with your soul, you come into rhythm and unity with the music of the universe. — John O’Donohue Year of the Ox
Friday, February 12, marks the celebration of the Chinese New Year — day after the new moon. Cue the paper lanterns for the Year of the Ox, a year of hard work and, let’s hope, positive change. According to ancient myth, twelve animals raced to the Jade Emperor’s party to determine which order they would appear in the zodiac. The ox is the second because, well, the rat tricked it. All of this to say, trust your gut — and get ready for a good year in your garden.
Winter Bloomers
What is that spicy, glorious aroma, you ask? That would be paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha), which gets its name from its bark, not its fragrant yellow flowers. Paperbush is a deciduous shrub that blossoms in late winter. Native to the Himalayas, China and Japan, this winter bloomer prefers moist, rich soil and a shaded landscape. And with its elegant silhouette and bluish, almost silvery foliage, it dazzles all year. Speaking of bluish . . . let’s talk about violets. Blue violet, purple violet, hooded violet, wood violet, meadow violet, woolly blue violet. Whatever you call it, the birth flower of February is an herbaceous perennial celebrated for carpeting the winter landscape. They’re edible, too. Although the common violet grows wild along our East Coast, there are hundreds of species of violet (genus Viola), first cultivated by the Greeks circa 500 B.C. According to Greek myth, hunter-goddess Artemis transformed one of her nymphs into a violet — not, say, a red rose — when the huntress’s twin, Apollo, tried to pursue her. Thus, the violet is said to represent modesty and humility. It’s also been known as the “lesbian flower,” and in 1927, a play called The Captive featured a female character sending violets to another female character. The production stirred the pot, so to speak, with its conspicuous theme of lesbianism and was eventually shut down. But in 1978, the color violet made its way into the rainbow flag for San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Celebration. Violets are for everyone. PS
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PS PROfiles The People & Businesses That Make The Sandhills A More Vibrant Place To Live and Work!
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN GESSNER FEBRUARY 2021
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The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
NIKKI BOWMAN OWNER / BROKER
Nikki and Jessica are lifelong Southern Pines natives with the knowledge and a sense of pride in the community that only a true local can possess. These successful Realtors put this expertise to work for their clients, buyers and sellers, to help them navigate the area’s diverse market to meet their individual needs. Since 2005, Nikki Bowman has been actively working as a local real estate agent and opened Realty World Properties of the Pines in 2011. Her business partner, Jessica Rowan, has been working alongside her since 2015. Nikki specializes primarily in listing homes. With a track record to prove it, Nikki is usually the agent that can sell a house that others couldn’t. Jessica, who prefers to work with homebuyers, provides the advice to newcomers to fully embrace moving to a new area— where they should eat, shop and play by pointing out her favorites around their new neighborhood. The only things these two love more than their hometown is helping their clients fall in love with it too.
760 B NW Broad Street Southern Pines, NC Nikki Bowman - 910.528.4902 Jessica Rowan - 910.585.5438 www.realtyworldofmoore.com
JESSICA ROWAN BROKER
SAM & BETTY GLICK OWNERS
225 W Morganton Rd Southern Pines, NC 910.725.0394 www.greyfox-outdoor.com
Both born and raised in the heart of Amish Country, Lancaster, PA, Sam and Betty Glick have always felt a deep connection to local products and high quality craftsmanship. Sam’s tenure at Swing Kingdom brought him to the Sandhills region several times and gave him experience and business connections in the field of outdoor solutions, which led to their move to the area in the fall of 2018 and opening the showroom of Greyfox Outdoor in January 2019. To Sam and Betty, the most important part of their work is providing quality, low-maintenance outdoor solutions while being a beacon of light to the community. They offer mostly American made products and pride themselves on their personable customer service as the two of them serve most of North Carolina and parts of northern and eastern South Carolina. Family has always been at the core of their business from the very beginning, as only two days after Sam and Betty opened their showroom on January 15, 2019, their daughter, Gabriella, was born. They are expecting their second child in February of this year. Their dog, Summer, rounds out a family that loves to go on hikes and trips to local state beaches.
JAMES WINKLEYM.D. BRIAN THWAITES M.D. LAUREN SYLVESTER M.D. Twenty-five years after its founding, FirstHealth Back & Neck Pain has become one of the most highly accredited pain centers in central North Carolina. Brian Thwaites, M.D., who established the practice, and his partner, James Winkley, M.D., have always had the same primary goals: stopping or greatly reducing chronic, debilitating pain while taking a personal approach to patient care. In the summer of 2019, Lauren Sylvester, M.D., brought her talents to the Sandhills when she joined the FirstHealth Back & Neck Pain team. Like Dr. Thwaites and Dr. Winkley, she is double board certified in anesthesiology and pain medicine, which allows her to provide comprehensive care for all pain conditions from head to toe. Dr. Sylvester earned her M.D. at Louisiana State University, completed her anesthesia residency at the University of Arkansas and did a fellowship for pain management at the University of North Carolina, where she fell in love with the area. She has an article published in Anesthesia and Analgesia discussing radiofrequency ablation of genicular nerves. This is a very common procedure she performs that can provide excellent pain relief for chronic knee pain. Dr. Sylvester and her colleagues enjoy being able to drastically improve someone’s quality of life with a procedure or simple medication change. This is why they continue to bring the latest and most cutting-edge treatment options for chronic pain to their patients. They are one of the only local practices that specialize in mild® (Minimally Invasive Lumbar Decompression) for patients with Lower Lumbar Stenosis (LSS.) A procedure that takes less than an hour,
mild® removes excess ligament tissue to restore space in the spinal canal leading to long lasting back and leg pain relief and improved mobility. ® For patients struggling with joint pain, the team at FirstHealth Back & Neck Pain have recently started doing platelet rich plasma injections as an effective treatment to improve joint function, reduce pain and repair damaged tissue. Depending on the source of the pain, the team also offers many other advanced procedures, including epidural steroid injections, selective nerve blocks, spinal cord stimulation, radiofrequency ablation for both for spine and peripheral joint pain. These three doctors work alongside a team of seven physicians, three physician assistants and one nurse practitioner. In their hands patients are able to receive the most advanced, academic level of care in their hometown.
35 Memorial Drive | Pinehurst, NC 910.715.1794 | www.firsthealth.org/pain
DR. JEREMY THOMAS D.P.M., DABMSP PODIATRIST Do you have foot pain? Well, now there’s a doctor in Southern Pines who can fix that. Dr. Jeremy Thomas, rated a top doctor in North Carolina five times and board certified in foot and ankle surgery and primary care in podiatric medicine, just moved his practice to a state of the art clinic in Moore County. With EMR, digital x-ray, diabetic shoe fitting, custom made orthotics and an in-office store with creams, washes, callus care, and socks, this office is ready to treat all foot and ankle conditions.
Growing up in Greensboro he loved playing tennis, golf, soccer, and ice hockey, which led to a career focused on health and movement. He received degrees in exercise science and fitness management from Western Carolina University, a doctorate from the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia, and attended one of the top surgical residencies in the country at Dekalb Medical Center at Emory University. He opened his clinic in Cary in 2009, where he was extremely successful. But he felt compelled to relocate his practice to an underserved area here in Southern Pines. A family run business since its inception, Dr. Thomas’s wife Victoria is the practice administrator. The office treats all foot and ankle conditions including general foot pain, heel pain, flat feet, nail fungus, ingrown toe nails and much more. Dr. Thomas also performs surgery on all conditions of the foot and ankle from bunion surgery to ankle fractures. They’re currently open to new patients of all ages and take most insurance carriers.
Disclaimer: Dr. Thomas is photographed here with his son. This practice follows all CDC safety guidelines.
217 Davis St. Southern Pines, NC 28387 910.757.0058 www.trianglefoot.com
DOTTIE BLACK OWNER
North Carolina native Dottie Black decided to follow her entrepreneurial instinct after 10 years of managing the Pinehurst branch for a large national title insurance underwriter and open her own agency. In 2011 she opened A Southern Land Title Agency, which now operates in downtown Southern Pines and provides title insurance throughout North Carolina. With 28 years of real estate experience in both new home sales and title insurance, Dottie has successfully grown her own business from a one-woman show to a team of six knowledgeable, loyal, and dedicated staff members. Together they work to produce an accurate title policy and assist customers with finding the best solutions for their clients. With an in-house attorney, experienced commercial and residential underwriters, and the friendliest support person in the industry, the team at A Southern Land Title Agency, LLC extends the respect and support they have for each other to their customers every single day. When not in the office Dottie enjoys traveling with her husband, Michael, playing tennis with her daughter, a freshman at The College of Charleston, and playing cards or chess with her son. A Southern Land Title Agency continues to watch the industry trends, prepare for the changes on the horizon, and are ready for whatever may come their way.
540 NW Broad St Southern Pines, NC 910.725.0503 www.aslandtitle.com
DAVID YODER FINANCIAL ADVISOR After gaining 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, David Yoder has joined Menendez & Ritter Retirement Group to pursue his passion for helping clients reach their financial goals. David earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and philosophy from Lenoir-Rhyne University and a master’s degree in economics from North Carolina State University before
joining the financial services industry. David grew up in Hickory, but he’s spent the past 15 years making a home in Pinehurst with his wife, Krissy, and children Marianne, Caroline and John David. Since 1991, the Menendez and Ritter Retirement Group has been developing lasting, meaningful, and open relationships, and David is ready to continue that legacy with you.
110 Turnberry Way | Pinehurst, NC | 910.693.2430 | www.fa.wellsfargoadvisors.com/mrrg Investment and Insurance Products: • NOT FDIC Insured
NO Bank Guarantee
MAY Lose Value
Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker/dealer and nonbank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2018 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved. CAR-0121-01386
Journey’s End Antiques
SELLING CIVIL WAR MILITARIA journeysendantiques.com
Restored Vintage Illumination from 1900-1940 Antiques, Collectibles, Paper Money, US Coins, Furniture, Glassware, Old Toys, Dolls & Trains
Art Deco || Art Nouveau || Mission || Beaux Arts
www.alwaysclassylighting.com
D I S E O A T R I D O E O P N I H O T C O C E R R O R A D I O S D N A G A S P S E N S U E A C I N G R E C T O C R U S H
A R I S T O
D E G E R M
S E P A R A T O R S
L E E R
E D D O
T R A I T
I C B M
C L I O
H O W D O Y O U D O
PineNeedler Answers from page 103
The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
A L P S
S E A T
H O S A N D U N E L A E A T H E R R M I E I E L D N L I E U S S S O S E N
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E N T R A C T E
N E A R B E E R
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7 4 1 9 6 3 5 2 8
Paul Brill Home: 910.725.0466 • Cell: 910.638.4542 apbrill@earthlink.net journeysendantiques.com
TESLA HRC
HAIR RESTORATION SOLUTIONS
125 Fox Hollow Road, Suite 103 Pinehurst, NC 28374 910-684-8808 | 919-418-3078 | teslahrc@gmail.com Anna Rodriguez • Confidentiality is ensured.
2 9 5 8 4 1 3 6 7
3 6 8 7 2 5 1 4 9
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Oil • Natural Gas • LP Gas Boiler • Steam or Hot Water Sales • Service • Repairs New Installations & Replacements After Hours Emergency Services Available
Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc
Serving the plumbing, heating & air conditioning needs of the Sandhills since 1948! License # 670
Homes, Churches, Businesses, Schools
949-3232
Also - Here for all your plumbing repairs and upgrades Call us for all your commercial and residential HVAC and plumbing needs. PineStraw
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&
Arts Entertainment C A L E N DA R
Opening Reception: “Diverse Works”
2/
5
The Kruger Brothers
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Although conscientious effort is made to provide accurate and up-to-date information, all events are subject to change and errors can occur! Please call to verify times, costs, status and location before planning or attending an event.
then call (910) 295-6022 or email info@ giventufts.com. Staff will fill request and contact with instructions on pickup. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst.
JOY OF ART STUDIO. New 2021 Joy of Art Studio Winter Arts begins with lots of fun and creative classes for all ages. Paint with Joy twice a month. Offering both private and small groups with safe distance. Classes are held at Joy of Art Studio, 139 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Suite B, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 528-7283 or www.joyof-art.com or www.facebook. com/Joyscreativespace/.
LIBRARY READING PACKETS. Given Memorial Library has new reading packets available which include craft supplies and activity sheets. Please check www. giventufts.org for library hours for pickup. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-6022 or info@giventufts.com.
GIVEN BOOK SHOP. The Given Book Shop is open to the public on a limited basis. Those who wish to enter must wear a face mask, have their temperature taken and abide by rules of social distancing. For those not wishing to enter the bookshop a “to-go” request form can be found at www. giventufts.org/book-request-form/. Please check www.giventufts.org for up-to-date information on the status of open days, hours of operation and book donations. The Given Book Shop, 95 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 585-4820. GIVEN MEMORIAL LIBRARY. Given Memorial Library is open on a limited basis. Those who wish to enter must wear a face mask, have their temperature taken and abide by rules of social distancing. Please check www.giventufts.org for upto-date information on the status of open days and hours of operation. For those not wishing to enter the library “to-go” orders can be placed by phone or email. Go to the online catalog. Check for availability
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Book Club Zoom Meeting
LITTLE READERS. Little Clips for Little Readers features fun rhymes, songs and literacy tips for children age birth to 5 and their parents and caregivers. Look for these videos posted weekly on SPPL’s Facebook and YouTube channel. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. MOORE ART SHARE. The Arts Council of Moore County and Given Memorial Library invite citizens of all ages to share their art with the community by submitting it to an online publication. Submissions can include visual arts, music, theater, short stories, videos, photography, recipes and more. Info: (910) 692-2787 or www.mooreart.org. WEYMOUTH CENTER. The Weymouth Center has tentative events dependent upon the directives of the governor’s office. Visit www.weymouthcenter. org for upcoming event information. DIAL A STORY. The Southern Pines Public Library will host the 2021 African
American Read In, where there will be local students and community members reading literature from Black authors and poets. Easy to use from any phone, just call (910) 900-9099. Choose a line, sit back, and enjoy listening to a story read by the SPPL Librarians. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. TAKE AND MAKE BAG. Kids in grades K-5 are invited to pick up a Take-and-Make Bag featuring projects, experiments and crafts. These bags will feature all the materials and instructions for activities based on science, technology, engineering, art, and math. New bags are available on Wednesdays on a first-come, first-served basis. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.
Tuesday, February 2
SANDHILLS WOMAN’S EXCHANGE. The Sandhills Woman’s Exchange will reopen for the spring season. Stop by for a casual delicious lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy browsing in the gift shop featuring handmade gifts by 25 artisans. The Exchange is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Info: (910) 295-4677 or www. sandhillswe.org. Wednesday, February 3
BOOK EVENT. 6 - 7 p.m. John Grisham is joining John Hart to discuss Hart’s new novel The Unwilling. The event will meet via Zoom. You can get a copy of the book on www.thecountrybookshop.biz. Info: www.ticketmesandhills.com.
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Friday, February 5
SYMPHONY. 12 p.m. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Streaming from Meymandi Concert Hall. Info: www.ncsymphony.org. OPENING RECEPTION. 5 - 7 p.m. The February exhibit will feature the art of all members of the Artists League. Each artist has volunteered to donate any proceeds from sales to help fund the continuation of the classes, workshops and other events held at the League. The exhibition will remain open through Feb. 25. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www. artisleague.org. OPENING RECEPTION. The Arts Council of Moore County presents “Diverse Works,” featuring art by the Wilmington artists in the Diverse Works Art Group. The exhibit continues through Feb. 26. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2787 or www.mooreart.org. Saturday, February 6
CUPID’S CRAWL. 12 - 4 p.m. Join the Southern Pines downtown businesses and the Sunrise Theater’s marketplace for the second annual Cupid’s Crawl, an afternoon filled with shopping, adult beverages and special Valentine’s Day perks. Downtown Southern Pines. Sunday, February 7
WRITING GROUP. 3 p.m. Interested in creating fiction, nonfiction, poetry or comics? Connect with other writers and artists, chat about your craft and get feedback on your work. All levels are welcome. The session will meet via Zoom. Southern Pines The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
CA L E N DA R Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. To join email: lholden@ sppl.net.
$30 - $50. The Encore Center, 160 E. New Hampshire Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 725-0758 or www.encorecenter.net.
Monday, February 8
Saturday, February 13
PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB. 7 p.m. The Sandhills Photography Club will be holding a meeting via Zoom. Info: www. sandhillsphotoclub.org. Wednesday, February 10
BOOK EVENT. 7 p.m. Join The County Bookshop for an exclusive Zoom event with authors James Patterson and Matt Eversmann in conversation with former Air Force Combat Controller Dan Schilling. Tickets include a copy of their book, Walk in My Combat Boots. Info: www.thecountrybookshop.biz. Thursday, February 11
THEATER SHOW. 7:30 p.m. “Can’t Help Falling in Love: A Valentine Cabaret,” is an evening of music celebrating love, friendship, camaraderie, community, coming together, young love and romance. Performances run through Feb. 21. Temple Theatre, 120 Carthage St., Sanford. Info and tickets: www.templeshows.com. Friday, February 12
DINNER THEATER. 6:30 p.m. The Encore Center will present a dinner theater in partnership with Ashten’s entitled Love Letters. There will be additional performances on Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets are
SYMPHONY. 8 p.m. Valentine’s Romance. Beloved romantic music like Claire de Lune. Streaming from Meymandi Concert Hall. Info: www.ncsymphony.org. Thursday, February 18
LECTURE SERIES. 7:30 p.m. The Ruth Pauley Lecture Series hosts former Republican Congressman, Bob Inglis, with a presentation on “A Free Enterprise Solution to Climate Change.” Info: www. ruthpauley.org. Saturday, February 20
SYMPHONY. 8 p.m. The Kruger Brothers. Streaming from Meymandi Concert Hall. Info: www.ncsymphony.org. Sunday, February 21
PINES PRESERVATION GUILD. 3 p.m. Join the Pines Preservation Guild for a Zoom class on the “Introduction to Historic Preservation in the Sandhills.” This session will provide an overview of historic districts and adaptive reuse, with a special look at some heritage properties in Southern Pines. Visit the Southern Pines Public Library Facebook page for more information about registering for this virtual event. Tuesday, February 23
PAGE TURNERS. 10:30 a.m. Southern
Pines Public Library’s newest book club will meet via Zoom. The book for February is The Guest List, by Lucy Foley. Can’t make the live meeting? Head over to the SPPL Page Turners Facebook Page to post your thoughts and interact with group members. Info: (910) 692-8235 or email lib@sppl.net. Saturday, February 27
SYMPHONY. 8 p.m. Famous Overtures. Streaming from Meymandi Concert Hall. Info: www.ncsymphony.org. WEEKLY EVENTS Mondays
INDOOR WALKING. 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Improve balance, blood pressure and maintain healthy bones with one of the best methods of exercise. Classes are held at the same time Monday through Friday. Ages 55 and up. Cost for six months: $15/ resident; $30/non-resident. Southern Pines Recreation Center, 210 Memorial Park Ct., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. WALKING WITH EASE. 10 - 11 a.m. Participants will learn how to walk safely, improve flexibility, strength and stamina all while getting into shape. Classes are held every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for six weeks. Ages 55 and up. Cost: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Southern Pines Recreation Center, 210 Memorial Park Ct., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. TAP CLASS. 1:30 - 3 p.m. For adults 55
and older. All levels welcome. Cost per class: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. Tuesdays
TABLE TENNIS. 7 - 9 p.m. Enjoy playing this exciting game every Tuesday. Cost for six months is $15 for residents of Southern Pines and $30 for non-residents. For adults 55 and older. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. Wednesdays
TAP CLASS. 1:30 - 3 p.m. For adults 55 and older. All levels welcome. Cost per class: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. Thursdays
FARM TO TABLE. Join Sandhills Farm to Table Co-op by ordering a subscription of local produce to support our local farmers. Info: (910) 722-1623 or www. sandhillsfarm2table.com. Fridays
TAP CLASS. 10 - 11:30 a.m. For adults 55 and older. All levels welcome. Cost per class: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. PS
BPAC February 3
A Conversation w/ John Hart & John Grisham
BR ADSHAW PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Available Now!
sandhillsbpac.com/podcasts
The Country Bookshop(online)
February 10
James Patterson & Matt Eversmann in Conversation w/ Dan Schilling The Country Bookshop(online)
February 21
WINi 2021
Walter Magazine(online)
YouTube
BPehind the Curtain ODCAST The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
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February PineNeedler and Cozy WarmWarm and Cozy By Mart Dickerson
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SOUTHWORDS
Winter Carnival
Between a rock and a hard place By Jim Moriarty
It was as if the town was flash frozen. I
don’t remember exactly when it happened, nor do I recall the fulsome meteorological explanation of why. Something about a toad-strangling tsunami followed immediately by the polar vortex. The mind mercifully disguises traumatic events like this one — the week my mother, the Dark Lord, and my wife, the War Department, coexisted in a 20x20 space with nothing but a deck of cards, dying cellphones, a finite supply of crossword puzzles, a package of Ballpark franks, two cats and a fireplace with a dwindling pile of wood.
Like most transplanted Northerners, we once held the ability of our Southern brethren to drive in snow in utter contempt. It wasn’t personal, though I confess we did at first find it unusual when the merest whisper of snow, the slightest suggestion of a flake wafting from the sky on butterfly’s wings, could by itself empty the entire dairy section of the Winn Dixie. Fools that we were. We had been raised in a land of salt and sand and hard-packed stuff that your tires could bite into like a ferret sinking its teeth into an old man’s calf. We had yet to meet real, honest to God, Southern ice. We knew ice, of course. Through years of evolution we’d learned to navigate it on skating rinks using blades sharp enough to carve a leg of lamb. But drive on it? Where we came from only Zambonis did that, and that was strictly to make more of it. So, when the rain hit, and then turned to slushy snow, and then turned into serious, deep snow and then froze as solid as that 5,300-year-old caveman they found in the Alps and then stayed that way for day after day after day, well, it was a problem. The first night was filled with the sounds of overburdened pine branches cracking and snapping, followed by the dependable echo of transformers exploding. We were in for it. Our street just happens to be in a neighborhood with a three-
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grackle limit — any more than that sitting on the wire at one time and the power goes out. We do not blame anyone for this; it’s just a property of the property, as it were. Our part of the grid has a tick. But this was a beast of a different stripe. The whole town was down. With some difficulty, and relying on my years of Northern exposure, I was able to rescue the Dark Lord from her apartment and bring her to our house. We closed off all but two adjoining rooms and put a fire in the fireplace. It was cozy. How long could this last? It would get warm. The sun would melt the snow. The birds would sing in the fields. The electricity would be restored and, with it, the heat pump and the stove. Hot water would blossom like forsythia in the springtime. Only it didn’t get warm. It got even colder. Because age has its privileges, the Dark Lord got the couch. The War Department and I settled into a sleeping bag on the floor. The cats looked at us much the way we once looked at Southern drivers. Resting like mountain lions high up on the backs of overstuffed chairs, you simply knew they were looking down, wearing their little fur coats, thinking to themselves, “You people have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” Day one. Day two. Day three. Still no electricity. After our flashlight batteries flickered and died, the remaining sources of light after sunset were the wood fire and a single oil lamp that, I believe, had last been used by Ahab on the Pequod. Encouraged by a captive audience, the Dark Lord found this a splendid time to deliver a rambling, and yet oddly comprehensive, historical perspective of the many things the War Department had done wrong. This involved everything from her husband’s — “I’m right here, mother” — shortcomings to our current lack of modern conveniences. By day four several of the area hotels were up and running and I managed to relocate the Dark Lord into one of them, thus saving her from being smothered in her sleep. It was six, no seven, no six — oh, I don’t know — days until a power crew came down our little dead-end street reconnecting the doohickey to the thermocouple. They were from Houston, Texas. God bless Houston, Texas. I ran from the house waving my arms as if they were the Allies liberating Paris. Vive les Americains. Remember the Alamo. We don’t laugh at Southern drivers anymore. And if snow is forecast, hi, ho, hi, ho, it’s off to the Harris Teeter we go. PS Jim Moriarty is the editor of PineStraw and can be reached at jjmpinestraw@gmail.com. The Art & Soul of the Sandhills
Buyer, Purveyor & Appraiser of Fine and Estate Jewellery 229 NE Broad Street • Southern Pines, NC • (910) 692-0551 Mother and Daughter Leann and Whitney Parker Look Forward to Welcoming You to WhitLauter. @whitlauter_jewelers