department
CONTENTS SENSE GOES MULTI-MEDIA
5
SPOTLIGHT Edward Ladd recalls the magic of Mardi Gras
6
THEY SPEAK Contributors
9
IN THE LOOP
13
THE SENSE OF IT ALL
14
MARKETPLACE The alternative and faster route for locals
18
CUISINE Lucy Buffett’s New Upscale Southern Dining
29
WELLNESS The juicy news on liquefying produce
32
ARTS French artist looks at cultures vanishing
41
OUTDOORS LIFE Ski Resorts Near You!
44
LITERATI The Girl With The Fire Hair
18
BEING THERE: Must-sees and have-to-dos throughout the South
COUSIN LEROY SPEAKS
14 32
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 7 / FEBRUARY 2014 Issues-oriented Sense magazine gives voice to diver se political opinions but does not endor se the opinions or reflect the views e x p r e s s e d h e r e i n . Yo u a r e w e l c o m e t o s u b m i t y o u r O p - E d p i e c e v i a e m a i l t o e d i t o r @ t h e s e n s e o f i t a l l . c o m .
2 | FEBRUARY 2014
design 22
5
Mardi Gras Magic ON THE DRAWING BOARD WITH MARDI GRAS
22
The Beauty of Carnival BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF A MARDI GRAS TRADITION
views
AND NEWS
30
THE WHY OF WRITING
31
BETWEEN THE LINES
38
Q&A
Cathy Marie Buchanan talks about how she finally took the plunge into becoming a writer
Recommended Reading from Page & Palette
Best-selling author Nancy Horan talks about her eagerly anticipated novel about Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson and his American wife
35 SENSE MAGAZINE | 3
ENSE
ECLECTIC INTELLECT FOR THE SOUL
PUBLISHER Jamie Seelye Leatherbury VIEWS AND NEWS EDITOR
Stephanie Emrich
ART DIRECTOR Ronda Gibney-Burns CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Guy Busby Eusebia Logue Fink Robin Fitzhugh Emily Hill Jamie McFaden CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Major Adam Colbert History Museum of Mobile Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Olivia Grace Fryfogle Marlene Rathle ADVERTISE WITH US
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Sense is published and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License by Eco-Urban Media, a division of Eco-Urbaneering Corporation. Creative Commons defines the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright and the public domain. For more information go to http://www.creativecommons.org and http://creativecommons.org/about/ licenses/ and http://www.theSenseofitAll.com. All content of Sense is copyrighted. However, Sense also works under Creative Commons licensing guidelines for works published in Sense by contributing writers, artists and photographers. All rights to works submitted to and published by Sense will revert in their entirety to the respective contributing authors, artists and photographers 120 days after publication. At Sense, we believe this policy promotes journalistic independence and fosters mutual goodwill between the publisher and the contributing writers, artists and photographers..
4 | FEBRUARY 2014
| S POT L I G H T
MARDI GRAS MAGIC STARTS ON THE DRAWING BOARD Float designs have inspired generations of Carnival fans. TEXT BY GUY BUSBY
A
ny tradition that can thrive after a war should be deemed magical. Though halted by World War II hostilities for a time, Mobile’s Mardi Gras resumed more vibrant and flamboyant than ever. Edward Ladd can recall the very moment the magic struck. Born just before World War II, he was too young to remember Mardi Gras before the celebrations were halted during the hostilities. In 1946, however, Carnival resumed and young Edward was on the streets of Mobile. Almost 70 years later, he recalled the drum beats, mounted marshals riding high, and—above all—the floats. The enchantment stuck. Ladd sketched his first design for a Carnival float in the sixth grade. As a young man, he began working with float and costume designer Edmond de Celle. de Celle studied in London and Paris, eventually moving to Mobile to share his design flair. After drafting floats for the Order of Myths for 50 years, de Celle retired and the mantle fell to Ladd. Before his own retirement 35 years later, Ladd would dream up and design more than 350 floats from the 1970s into the 21st century. He continues his work promoting the Gulf Coast’s pre-Lenten celebration as director of the Mobile Carnival Museum.
Pointing out a 1968 picture of a float on his wall, Ladd displays photo evidence of the perfect storm of imagination and magic that go into the process of float design and construction. The float, a tribute to medicine, included a giant hand holding a beaker. The hand moved back and forth on the finished float, an impressive design for the time. When the float rolled, however, the hand hit an overhanging light, sheering off at the start of the parade. Another float from the 1970s portrayed the children’s story “The Little Tin Soldier.” The toy soldier hit an obstruction, tilting the head back. Instead of steadfastly looking forward, the soldier appeared to be gazing into the night sky. “I don’t think many people noticed, but I certainly did,” he said, laughing. Despite literally hitting snags and bumps in the road, the Carnvial floats’ course has been and still is a wondrous, exciting journey for all involved in the creation. Over the years, float design has changed. In the beginning, many floats were built of paper Mache and wood. Today, building materials include fiberglass and Styrofoam. Colors are more vivid, moving away from the old school pastels used in years gone by. Some things, however, have not changed. “It’s still magic,” Ladd said. “It’s still amazing after all this time.”
The process begins with an idea. Carnival organization members meet with the designer and discuss the theme for the upcoming parade. The next step involves creating floats that will portray that theme while fitting onto a 35-foot-long moving platform. Once the sketches are complete, the design is passed along to float builders, who complete construction in the krewe’s float barn, bringing these creative, often fantastical, ideas to fruition. “When I started, we didn’t have computers or anything like that,” he said. “You come up with ideas and ask yourself, ‘Can this be built? Can this work out and can I put people on this thing?’” Other questions also come into play. A float has to roll through Mobile’s downtown streets. Anything taller than about 16 feet high will not be able to clear the traffic lights and overhanging oak limbs.
1988 float design from Edward Ladd titled “When In April” SENSE MAGAZINE | 5
| THEY SPEAK
C O N T R I BU TO R S GUY BUSBY has traveled by glider, hot-air balloon, sailboat, steam locomotive, Mardi-Gras float and other forms of planes, trains, boats and automobiles for more than 20 years to cover life on the Gulf Coast. He has been an award-winning reporter and columnist for the Mobile Press-Register and other publications. He received his bachelor’s degree in communication arts from the University of South Alabama. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Silverhill, Ala.
ROBIN FITZHUGH, A Mobile native, has called the Eastern Shore home for more than 14 years and enjoys writing about both sides of the bay, their communities and the people who make them special. As a former director of the Eastern Shore Art Center, she has a particular interest in local art and artists and their contributions to the quality of life in this special place.
EUSEBIA LOGUE FINK has lived in Fairhope for seven years. She is a graduate of Spring Hill College, a retired commercial real estate executive, a reader, writer, potter, avid cook, and enthusiastic grandmother of seven. She has always written for magazines, newspapers, or just for pleasure. She is a member of a writers’ circle and two book clubs.
JAMIE MCFADEN is a magna cum laude graduate of UAB, and a freelance writer based in Mobile, Alabama. She is a self-proclaimed Pure Barre "bunhead" and poetry enthusiast who digs counterculture, wine of both cheap and expensive varieties, Alabama football, and reading novels penned by brilliant (and often tortured) women. She can't braid or snap her fingers and has difficulty walking in high heels.
WANT TO BECOME A SENSE CONTRIBUTOR? Sense is always looking for new talent. If you are interested in becoming part of the Sense team, e-mail us at editor@thesenseofitall.com.
6 | FEBRUARY 2014
HERE’S WHERE TO FIND US...
MOBILE Alabama Coastal Foundation Apricot Lane Ashland Gallery Ashland Pub Atchison Imports Atlanta Bread Company Azakea City Physicians for Women Ballin’s Limited Renaissance Battle House Hotel Bay Area Physicians for Women Bebo’s Springhill Market Bicycle Shop Bliss Salon & Day Spa Blue Rents Bradley’s Café 615 Callaghan’s Irish Social Club Camille’s Grill Candlewood Suites Carpe Diem Coffee & Tea Company Carter & Co Cathedral Square Art Gallery Chat A Way Café Center for Living Arts Center for Dermatology Claude Moore Jeweler Cold Snap @ Old Shell Road Cold Snap @ USA Debra’s Delish’s Desserts & Eatery Downtown Mobile Alliance Dragonfly Boutique Estetica Coiffure Exploreum Science Center Fort Conde Inn Fort Conde Welcome Center Fuego Coastal Mexican Eatery Goldstein’s Hampton Inn Downtown Hemline Holiday, Inc Iberia Bank Legacy Bar & Grill LLB&B Realty Martha Rutledge Catering McCoy Outdoor Company Mercedes Benz of Mobile Mobile Arts Council, Inc. Mobile Bay Bears Mobile Infirmary Office Tower Mobile Museum of Art Mobile Regional Airport Mobile Symphony Orchestra Red Or White
Satori Coffee House Serda’s @ Royal Street Shoe Fly Something New Bridal Springhill Family Pharmacy Spoke ‘N Trail The Bull The Ivy Cottage The Union Steak House Thompson Engineering Tmac’s Hair Studio Twists Cupcakes @ Legacy USA Mitchell Cancer Institute Wintzell’s Airport Wintzell’s Downtown Zoe’s Kitchen Zundel’s Jewelry DAPHNE Baldwin Bone & Joint Baumhower’s Wings Comfort Inn Daphne Library East Shore Café Glamour Nails Guido’s Hampton Inn Hilton Garden Inn Homewood Suites of Daphne Infirmary West Lake Forest Shell Market by the Bay Moe’s Barbeque Publix Rosie’s Grill The UPS Store Thomas Hospital Thomas Medical Plaza SPANISH FORT Barnes And Noble Bayside Chiropractic Don Pablo’s Eastern Shore Toyota Malbis Parkway Pediatric Dentistry McMurphy Orthodontics Magestic Nails Mellow Mushroom Private Gallery @ Spanish Fort Tom Bierster Fine Homebuilding & Restoration Twist @ ESC Wintzell’s
SOUTH BALDWIN COUNTY Beach Club Bimini Bob’s Cobalt Cosmo’s Restaurant and Bar Jesse’s Kaiser Realty Lulu’s Meyer Realty M II the Wharf Prickett Real Estate The Hangout Turquoise Tin Top Restaurant Villaggio Grille
Private Gallery Project Mouvement in Art Publix Red or White Sadie’s of Fairhope Shanghai Cottage Southern Edge Dance Center Southern Veranda Marriott’s Grand Hotel
FAIRHOPE/POINT CLEAR Agave Mexican Battles Wharf Market Bayside Orthopedics Bean & Bistro Belle Shain Boxwood Bouche’s Cigars Brown & McCool Gynecology Chasing Fresh Coffee Loft Cold Snap Dragonfly Restaurant Eastbay Clothiers Eastern Shore Art Center Eastern Shore Heart Center Estate Jewelers Fairhope Inn Fairhope Library Fairhope Music Fairhope Physical Therapy Gigi & Jays Hair Designs by Ann Rabin Hampton Flooring & Design Hampton Inn Happy Olive Iberia Bank Leatherbury Real Estate Lyon’s Share Gallery Market by the Bay Master Joe’s Page & Palette Panini Pete’s Papa’s Pizza
Sense is distributed to over 100 locations throughout Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Because we are in the business of promoting the economy and design in Gulf Coast communities, we distribute through our advertisers and local businesses. We feel that this brings the opportunity to exchange ideas, encourage conversation, and support the local economy. It will also move us forward by furthering thought for our future and how we wish to design it, resulting in participation by each of us in weaving the fabric that is our Sense of Community.
SENSE MAGAZINE | 7
| IN THE LOOP
TOP
10
FEBRUARY EVENTS
1 Buddy Guy and Johnny Lang FEBRUARY 19 | MOBILE, AL
Blues legend Buddy Guy appears at the Mobile Saenger. At 76, Guy is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He has received six Grammy awards, 28 Blues Music awards – the most of any artist, the Billboard magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone ranked him in the top 25 of its “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” Tickets are $39.50 to $60. For more information, go to www.mobilesaenger.com/events/buddy-guy-johnny-lang/.
2
Fairhope Brewing Company FEBRUARY 8 | FAIRHOPE, AL
The Fairhope Brewing Company, Lower Alabama’s only craft brewery, is celebrating its first anniversary from 4p.m. until the party stops. The locally-owned brewery will offer its four year-round brews – Everydale Ale, Painted Black IPA, Fairhope 51, Section Street Wheat – in signature anniversary glassware that patrons can take home. Rounding out the event will be live music from the Grayson Capps Band, the Street Eatz Food Truck, and in true, first birthday party fashion, a small petting zoo featuring fainting goats.
3
Chili For Charity FEBRUARY 15 | FAIRHOPE, AL
The 14th annual fundraiser will feature the lively music of Blind Dog Mike and the Howlers, inflatables and a balloon man for the kids, a bucking bronco for courageous participants, a variety of homemade desserts for sale and of course, a chance to sample some of Baldwin County’s best chili. Tickets are $5 for children (ages 3-12), and $10 for adults. All proceeds benefit Ecumenical Ministries’ programs which assist Baldwin County neighbors facing hardships.
4
Celtic Woman FEBRUARY 21 | PENSACOLA, FL
Global music phenomenon Celtic Woman comes to the Pensacola Saenger as part of The Emerald Tour. The all-new stage production will celebrate Ireland and the Emerald Isle’s Celtic heritage through an extraordinary presentation of traditional Irish anthems, pop standards and original music by Emm®-nominated music producer, David Downes. Tickets are $43 to $103 plus service charges. For more information, go to pensacolasaenger.com/events/celtic-women-the-emerald-tour.
5
Niña and Pinta’s Sailing Museum FEBRUARY 8 | BAYOU LA BATRE, AL
7
PHOTO BY CATT SIRTEN
Eastern Shore Potters, Artwork for Daily Use FEBRUARY 1-28 | FAIRHOPE, AL
More than 200 pieces of local pottery from prehistoric times to the present. Fairhope Museum of History on Section Street. Free admission. For more information, call 251-929-1471.
8
Pensacola Symphony: “ A Night At The Movies” FEBRUARY 15 | PENSACOLA, FL
Academy Award-winning composer Bll Conti takes the baton for a night of music from his famous soundtracks, including music from Rocky, For Your Eyes Only, Inferno, and more. The performance begins at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $22 plus service charges. For more information, go to pensacolasaenger.com.
9
Smithsonian Institution: The Way We Worked FEBRUARY 15-MARCH 29 | FAIRHOPE, AL
“The Way We Worked” is a Museum on Main Street program produced by the Smithsonian Institution in partnership with the Alabama Humanities Foundation to bring traveling exhibits to small towns. Fairhope is one of six communities where the exhibit on work in America will be on display. Admission is free. For more information call 251-929-1471 or go to www.cofairhope.com/departments/museum.
10
Homegrown Country Live FEBRUARY 20 | BILOXI, MS
Kick up your heels on the dance floor with local regional acts as K99 Country and Tin Roof Brewing Co. present Homegrown Country Live at the Hard Rock Biloxi Hotel & Casino. Come out and party with Andrew Lawson, Derek Norsworthy and Taylor Made. Visit www.hardrockbiloxi.com to get your free tickets.
The Niña and Pinta will be touring together as a new and enhanced ‘sailing museum’ and will stop at the St. Margaret’s Catholic Church Dock in Bayou La Batre Saturday, February 8th. It is a great experience for children and adults to come aboard the ships and learn about famous explorers. The ships will be open from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and tickets are $5.00 on site.
6
25th Annual Sandestin Gumbo Festival FEBRUARY 14-15 | DESTIN, FL
This winter festival favorite is back for its 25th year! Gulf Coast restaurants will be featuring their top secret recipes! Spend the day sampling a variety of gumbo- dark of light roux? Chicken & Sausage or seafood? Then, vote for your favorite for the “People’s Choice Award.” Celebrity judges will name the “Area’s Best,” and award the most creative set-up as “Best Display.” Enjoy live music and family entertainment. Visit www. SandestinGumboFestival.com for details.
Submit events to events@thesenseofitall.com SENSE MAGAZINE | 9
| IN THE LOOP
BOOK IT 1
Bobby Deen
FEBRUARY 11 | THE VENUE
Fresh off the success of his #1 New York Times bestseller, From Mama’s Table to Mine, Cooking Channel star, Bobby Deen, is back with Bobby Deen’s Everyday Eats : 120 All New Recipes, All Under 350 Calories, All Under 30. Page and Palette is thrilled to kick off Bobby’s book tour with a meet and greet and cookbook signing at The Venue at 6 p.m. Tickets to the event are $15 and include a $5 coupon toward the purchase of Everyday Eats. Guests will sample delicious recipes from the cookbook and a cash bar will also be available. For couples interested in attending the event, Page and Palette is offering a Valentine ticket special for $30 which includes admission for two and a $10 coupon toward the purchase of one cookbook.
2
Nancy Horan
FEBRUARY 13 | THE VENUE
Join us at noon for a Read It & Eat luncheon with New York Times bestselling author of Loving Frank, Nancy Horan. Nancy’s much-anticipated second novel Under the Wide and Starry Sky, tells the improbable love story of Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson and his tempestuous American wife, Fanny. Tickets to the event are $15 and include lunch and $5 toward the purchase of the book.
3
Robert Bailey
FEBRUARY 15 | PAGE & PALETTE
Author Robert Bailey will sign copies of his latest novel The Professor from 1-3:00 p.m. at the bookstore. The first in a series of tense legal thrillers, The Professor combines the thrills and authenticity of a John Grisham novel for the audience that flocked to Friday Night Lights.
4
Jen Lancaster
FEBRUARY 17 | THE VENUE
New York Times best-selling author Jen Lancaster is “as adept at fiction as she is at telling her own stories” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). And now in her new novel, reality gets an unreal makeover. Join us at noon as we host Jen for a Read It & Eat luncheon at The Venue. Tickets are $15 and include lunch and $5 off the purchase of Twisted Sisters.
5
Cathy Marie Buchanan
FEBRUARY 19 | EASTERN SHORE ART CENTER
Join us at 1 p.m. for a Read It & Eat luncheon with best-selling author Cathy Marie Buchanan as she discusses her historical novel The Painted Girls. This event is free and open to the public. Bring your lunch or call the bookstore to reserve lunch from Andree’s for $10.
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10 | FEBRUARY 2014
| I N T H E LOOP
MOBILE COUNTY PARADES Saturday, Feb. 1
1 p.m. - Krewe de la Dauphine (Dauphin Island)
Saturday, Feb. 8
1 p.m. - Island Mystics (Dauphin Island)
Friday, Feb. 14
6:30 p.m. - Conde Cavaliers (Mobile, Route A)
Saturday, Feb. 15
2 p.m. - Order of the Rolling River (DIP) 2:30 p.m. - Bayport Parading Society (Mobile, Route A) 6:30 p.m. - Pharaohs, Order of Hebe, Conde Explorers (Mobile, Route A)
Thursday, Feb. 20
6:30 p.m. - Order of Polka Dots (Mobile, Route A)
Friday, Feb. 21
6:30 p.m. - Order of Inca (Mobile, Route A)
Saturday, Feb. 22
2 p.m. - Mobile Mystics, Mobile Mystical Revelers (Mobile, Route A) 6:30 p.m. - Maids of Mirth, Butterfly Maidens, Krewe of Marry Mates (Mobile, Route A)
Sunday, Feb. 23
BALDWIN COUNTY PARADES Friday, Feb. 21
6:45 p.m. - Apollo’s Mystic Ladies (Daphne)
Saturday, Feb. 22
6:45 p.m. - Knights of Ecor Rouge (Fairhope)
Friday, Feb. 28
6:30 p.m. - Mystical Order of Mirams (Orange Beach) 6:45 p.m. - Mystic Order of Persephone (Daphne) 6:45 p.m. - Maids of Jubilee (Fairhope)
Saturday, March 1
11 a.m. - Foley parade (Foley) Noon - Mystic Revelers (Bay Minette) 2 p.m. - Krewe of Mullet Mates (Mullet Point) 5:30 p.m. - Mystics of Pleasure (Orange Beach) 6:45 p.m. - Shadow Barons (Daphne)
Sunday, March 2 (Joe Cain Day)
2:29 p.m. - Loyal Order of the Firetruck (Daphne)
Monday, March 3 (Lundi Gras)
6:45 p.m. - Order of Mystic Magnolias (Fairhope)
Tuesday, March 4 (Fat Tuesday)
10 a.m. - Gulf Shores Mardi Gras Association (Gulf Shores) 2 p.m. - Orange Beach Parade (Orange Beach)
6:30 p.m. - Neptune’s Daughters, Order of Isis (Mobile, Route A)
Monday, Feb. 24
6:30 p.m. - Order of Venus (Mobile, Route A)
Tuesday, Feb. 25
6:30 p.m. - Order of LaShe’s (Mobile, Route A)
Thursday, Feb. 27
6:30 p.m. - Mystic Stripers Society (Mobile, Route A)
Friday, Feb. 28
6:30 p.m. - Crewe of Columbus (Mobile, Route A)
Saturday, March 1
11 a.m. - Krewe of Kids (Krewe of Goats Prichard route) Noon - Floral Parade, Knights of Mobile, Mobile Cadets, Mobile Mystical Ladies, Order of Angels (Mobile, Route A) Noon - Krewe of Goats Parade (Prichard) 2 p.m. - Krewe of Mullet Mates (Mullet Point) 6 p.m. - Mystics of Time (Mobile, Route A)
Sunday, March 2 (Joe Cain Day)
2:30 p.m. - Joe Cain Procession (Mobile, Route A) 5 p.m. - Le Krewe de Bienville (Mobile, Route A)
Monday, March 3 (Lundi Gras)
Noon - King Felix III and Floral parades (Mobile, Route A) 1 p.m. - Prichard Mardi Gras Association Parade (Prichard) 3 p.m. - MLK Business and Civic Organization, MLK Monday Mystics, Northside Merchants (Mobile, Route D) 6:30 p.m. - Infant Mystics (Mobile, Route A)
Tuesday, March 4 (Fat Tuesday)
10:30 a.m. - Order of Athena (Mobile, Route A) 12:30 p.m. - Knights of Revelry (Mobile, Route A) 1:30 p.m. - Comic Cowboys (Mobile, Route A) 2 p.m. - MAMGA Mammoth Parade (Mobile, Route B) 6 p.m. - Order of Myths (Mobile, Route C)
2014
MARDI GRAS SCHEDULE
Mardi Gras Mural painted by Mobile artist John Augustus Walker. Photo courtesy of the History Museum of Mobile Mardi Gras is the carnival celebration before the Lenten season. This mural shows symbols that have special meaning. The word Felix means the king; the man with the balloons is Folly; the skeleton represents death; the cat is the symbol for the “Infant Mystics.”
12 | FEBRUARY 2014
| THE SENSE OF IT ALL
L E ROY
S P E A K S :
O U T S I DE
TH E
BOX.
C O U S I N
Eclectic as it is,
Sense is constantly evolving in discovery of how best to serve our community....
Are we Engaging?
T H I N K
CL I MB
Do we Entertain?
I N S I D E T HE
Are you Informed?
2014 calls for a new approach......let us know, we want to hear from you.
B OX .
Yours in Community,
cousinleroy@thesenseofitall.com
T HERE
IS
A
SOLU T I O N . SENSE MAGAZINE | 13
| MARKETPLACE
MOBILE BAY FERRY: A unique experience TEXT BY EMILY HILL
T
he Mobile Bay Ferry Service is known for providing an alternative and faster route for locals and visitors who hesitate to intertwine with bumper-to-bumper traffic on Alabama 59 or the Mobile Bayway. However, the ferry also immerses passengers into the history of the coast while providing a scenic, relaxing ride. The ferry began service in the 1980s, said Neil Shanahan, director of Gulf Coast Operations at Hornblower Marine Services. The service was privately owned at first, but was taken over by the Alabama Department of Transportation, which contracted with HMS Global Maritime to handle operations. The marine management company has operated the ferry under ALDOT since June of 2005. According to Shanahan, the ferry’s convenience is evident. “If you were to drive from Dauphin Island over to the [Fort Morgan] landing it’s about 119 miles, so it saves a lot of miles off of your trip around,” Shanahan said. The distance 14 | FEBRUARY 2014
“It’s easy to see that the popularity and folks using the ferry has increased dramatically.”
from Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan by ferry is about 5 miles and a 30 to 40-minute ride. HMS operates two ferries. Shanahan said one vessel can hold 18-22 vehicles, and the other can carry 28-32 vehicles. Both ferries are 149 passenger vessels which stay active particularly from May through the middle of September. During the slower winter and spring seasons only one ferry operates. Also during the winter tide levels are low, which sometimes forces the ferry to decline transporting motor homes. But the ferry system has seen larger threats, from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill about five years later in April 2010. The oil spill impact is evident in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism statistics. In a visitor profile report that includes information on the percentage of visitors who visit SENSE MAGAZINE | 15
“It’s sort of a ride through history and through what the Alabama Gulf Coast is really all about.”
For schedule and ticket information, visit mobilebayferry.com 16 | FEBRUARY 2014
certain attractions, in the spring of 2010, 9.9 percent of visitors visited the Mobile Bay Ferry. This number is a significant drop from the 11.2 percent in the spring of 2009, and an even larger decrease in visitors from the 14.5 percent in the spring of 2008. The percentage of visitors who visit the ferry seems to be on a downward slope, with the spring 2011 percentage coming in at 8.1. The ridership and profit report for the ferry system was released and shows data obtained from Jan. 1, 2013 through Dec. 26, 2013. The report reflects information from both ferries combined. The number of passengers who boarded the ferry in Dauphin Island, including walk-ons, children under 12 and additional passengers, totals 46,119 people. The number of passengers who boarded the ferry in Spanish Fort total 53,178, bringing the total number of passengers on the ferry system in 2013 to 99,297. With passengers, trailers, motorcycles, automobiles and motor home transportation prices combined, the ferry system brought in about $1,387,665 in 2013. Although visitors appear to be less interested in the ferry, Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier has seen a heightened interest from locals. “It’s easy to see that the popularity and folks using the ferry has increased dramatically,” Collier said. Collier said due to demand the second ferry was introduced, and in the last couple of years the ferry schedule has expanded to make one or two more trips daily during the in-season period. The traffic the ferry brings through the coastal area creates some level of revenue enhancement, but Collier said that’s something that’s unable to be tracked. The ride itself across the sparkling Mobile Bay displays everything the coast has to offer. “You can see everything from fishing boats, shrimp boats, to the big ships that go up to the port. You’ve got the lighthouse, obviously you’ve got historic forts, Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan. And they (passengers) are actually crossing the waterway where the Battle of Mobile Bay pretty much took place so there’s a lot of history there as well,” Collier said. “It definitely enhances trips, that’s what people tell us,” said Joanie Flynn, vice president of marketing at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism. The ferry is a unique form of transportation, but it also provides a unique environment. Shanahan admitted that the ferry service has seen some outof-the-ordinary passengers. Two men roller blading across the country, a man jogging cross country and a horse (that ended up being transported in a trailer) are some of the more memorable riders. Regular ferry rider Johnny Gibson lives near Dauphin Island and has a business across the bay, and he has had unique encounters as well. Gibson was riding the ferry in February of 2013 when the Carnival Triumph, which had experienced a fire onboard and lost power, was pulled into Mobile Bay. “We just circled around it. Everyone was snapping pictures of it and people were waiving off of the ship, ready to get off that thing,” Gibson said. He also saw President Obama board the ferry in Dauphin Island in June 2010. There’s now a plaque on the ferry in the spot where Obama stood. SENSE MAGAZINE | 17
| CUISINE
LUCY BUFFETT’S
Love Letter TEXT BY SABE FINK PHOTOS BY MAJOR ADAM COLBERT
T
he idea came to restaurateur Lucy Buffett as she looked at a map of the Gulf of Mexico. She pictured all the cuisines in all the cultures along that coastline – from Cuba and the Florida Keys to Vera Cruz and TexMex; from the Vietnamese influence in Mississippi and Bayou la Batre to the French Creole and Cajun classics of New Orleans. What if, she thought, she could fuse all those cultural flavors into one version of Gulf Coast cuisine? Buffett is serving that brand of fusion cuisine at Lucy B Goode. She has enlisted Chef Randall Baldwin, whose local roots grow just as deeply as hers, to take the culinary lead in this ambitious undertaking. As a youngster, Baldwin remembers catching, cleaning and cooking fish, all in the same day. After growing up in Saraland helping his mother and grandmother in the kitchen, he trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. His experience working in the kitchens of several of Chef Frank Stitt’s acclaimed Birmingham restaurants, insured that Chef Baldwin was up to the task. He wants “tomatoes that are still warm from the afternoon sun when they come in the back door of the restaurant.” This shared passion for fresh, local, sustainable ingredients solidified his working relationship with Buffett and sets the tone for the Lucy B Goode menu. The centerpiece on any given day may be a chargrilled black grouper with summer yellow squash, or a fresh, healthy variation on traditional Shrimp Creole. This dish is called Large Pretty Shrimp Gently Simmered with Stewed Okra, Crushed Tomato, Sweet Onion and Bay Leaf and brings a sophisticated twist to a familiar dish. Chef Baldwin has a special gift of introducing new ingredients and new preparations in a way that seem timeless. Even with Buffett’s vision and Baldwin’s passionate skills, Lucy B Goode’s menu remains true to the classics of the region and features some favorites like West Indies Salad and LuLu’s famous gumbo. The offerings also include items and preparations seldom seen in the region. Braised rabbit with house-made pappardelle and bacon-wrapped quail with cornbread stuffing aren’t exactly mainstream home cooking in most kitchens these days. Ribs are ubiquitous, but Baldwin’s Beyond-delicious Babyback Ribs are painstakingly braised and glazed with a sticky 18 | FEBRUARY 2014
sauce made with black beans. Baldwin was challenged to keep the menu fresh, sometimes changing almost daily. “What looks good in the market that day, that’s what we’ll be serving,” he said. That makes things interesting and keeps every level of the staff on its toes. “The cooks come in daily and ask ‘What am I going to cook today?’ and that sort of enthusiasm runs through the staff,” said Baldwin. Lucy B Goode puts an emphasis on “social eating,” with sharing and tasting among friends encouraged. Buffett, local personality, philanthropist and foodloving Crazy Sista of the Gulf Coast’s own Jimmy Buffett, says of her newest venture, “I call this my upscale New South restaurant. I’ve wanted to do something like this for some time and, quite frankly, I have reached a point where I can do it now.” The restaurant’s name, from the Chuck Berry classic “Johnny B Goode,” is a reflection of her rambunctious, somewhat rock ‘n roll, nature. “I have learned to leave the door open to the unexpected and this is proof of what can happen,” she said.
“I wanted Lucy B Goode to be a tribute to my parents and how they raised us. It’s my love letter to the Gulf Coast!”
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| CUISINE
Buffett grew up in the Mobile area where her parents both worked at the local shipyard. In the summer, she would split her time between vacation rental houses on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay or Gulf Shores and her grandparents’ homes on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She took her culinary inspiration from both grandmothers, each exceptional cooks but with very different styles. “My Peets grandmother had a more polished palate, because she worked as the dietician at a girls’ finishing school in Long Beach. My Buffett grandmother grew up in a boarding house in Pascagoula so her family meals were gargantuan feasts with several courses of meats, vegetables, salads, and sweets. From the time I was a tiny mite, I was underfoot in their kitchens. It was simply the most fun and interesting place in the house and some 50 years later, it still is,” she said, laughing.
Buffett’s love letter is well-illustrated, with her own favorite corner – where she sits for a quick bite or entertains friends – adorned with framed family photos featuring her parents and siblings and her beloved beach. The rest of the space is full of the work of local artists including such notables as Jim Laughner, Richie Gudzan, David Tate and Leigh Copeland. Even the tableware is a nod to the art of the area. Handmade platters and individual casseroles from Steve and Dee Burrow’s Sea Oats Pottery in Gulf Shores share space with square white plates and clear blue Mason jars that serve as water glasses to add to the coastal feel. Lucy B Goode seats about 120 inside the light and open restaurant. The furnishings are an eclectic blend of reclaimed barn wood and exposed ductwork and gleaming industrial track lighting. A giant metal shrimp crafted by acclaimed repo-renaissance artist Bruce Larsen is suspended from the ceiling and dominates the area between the bar and the dining space. The weatheredwood colored woven wicker chairs and expansive roll-up windows add to the airy feeling, and the stainless ceiling fans provide a continuous, almost imperceptible, soft breeze. The chandeliers are an ingenious creation, with clusters of small bulbs inside quart-size Mason jars hanging over the tables and banquettes. A full bar spans one end of the open room, and features a cool steel-topped bar surface and wicker stools.
“After the oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, I was profoundly reminded of how this beautiful region had molded and shaped me and my family for generations. My appreciation deepened for this exquisite coastal culture and community that I call home. If I had grown up in Montgomery or Birmingham with less access to the beaches, bays and rivers, I would be a completely different person. I wanted Lucy B Goode to be a tribute to my parents and how they raised us. It’s my love letter to the Gulf Coast.” she said.
“I wanted Lucy B Goode to be a tribute to my parents and how they raised us. It’s my love letter to the Gulf Coast!”
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There is a comprehensive wine list, with a nice variety of wines offered by the glass. Alabama craft beers are front and center on the beer list, including Buffett’s own Crazy Sista Honey Ale on draft as well as a selection of domestic and imported brews. In addition, there is a menu of specialty cocktails and mocktails – nonalcoholic concoctions with all the quality and appeal of the stronger beverages – and daily drink specials. Lucy B Goode is located at 202 E. 25th Ave. in Gulf Shores; right next to LuLu’s overlooking the Homeport Marina, and opens seven days a week at 11:00 a.m. The restaurant is accessible by boat, with docking facilities available just outside the door. For information call the restaurant at 251-948-4101 or visit www.lucybgoode.com
We offer lessons in: Piano Guitar Violin Bass Saxophone Trumpet Trombone Clarinet Flute Ukulele
Fairhope music 1/4 page ad We also sell:
Music Instruments • PA Equipment • Miscellaneous Gear 251.455.5335 • Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm 247 S. Greeno Road • Fairhope, AL 36532 Facebook.com/FairhopeMusic SENSE MAGAZINE | 21
| DESIGN
The Beauty Behind Carnival Season Take a look behind-the-scenes at a Mardi Gras tradition. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HISTORY MUSEUM OF MOBILE
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loat and costume design takes thousands of hours of preparation and work; preparations actually begin a few weeks after Mardi Gras for the next season. Floats and costumes are designed around the Krewe’s particular theme for the year and often satire current topics and cultural events. The preliminary designs are beautiful pieces of art in their own right. With Mardi Gras season upon us, we showcase a few designs from two famous Mobile artists, Edmond de Celle, 18891972, and John Augustus Walker, 1901-1967, who actually studied under de Celle around 1920. John Augustus Walker is remembered as an artist who worked long hours in his North Royal Street studio. Walker’s watercolors are displayed in many homes throughout Alabama and he is especially remembered for his murals in buildings that include the History Museum of Mobile, Mobile City Hall and the Federal Building Courtroom. Walker has also earned a reputation as a Mardi Gras float and costume designer. As illustrated here, many of his float designs are still displayed in museums.
Right, float design by Mobile artist John Augustus Walker titled “The Gryf Of Jad-Ben-Otho.”
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| DESIGN
Credited to Edmund Decelle, 1957
Edmond de Celle’s design of an OOM cape.
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Edmond de Celle and his wife, Kathryn were prominent in Mobile’s social, cultural and intellectual life. Edmond studied in London, Belgium and Paris before moving to Mobile in 1914. After World War I, he began designing Mardi Gras tableaux and continued his float and costume designs for fifty years until he retired and passed the torch onto Edward Ladd. Seen here are a few samples of de Celle’s costume designs. Not just limited to costume design, de Celle’s paintings, murals and designs can be found in the United States and Europe in private homes, museums and public buildings, including Murphy High School.
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| DESIGN
So this Mardi Gras season, as the streets are filled with the sights and sounds of brilliant colored floats and maskers decked out in vibrant costumes, remember all those ideas started out as beautiful illustrations that were brought to life for our enjoyment.
Right, another float design by Mobile artist John Augustus Walker, 1955
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Other questions also come into play. A float has to roll through Mobile’s downtown streets. Anything taller than about 16 feet won’t fit under the traffic lights and overhanging oak limbs. Ladd pointed to a 1968 sketch on his office wall. The float, a tribute to medicine, included a giant hand holding a beaker. The hand moved back and forth on the finished float, an ambitious design for the time. When the float rolled, however, the hand hit an overhanging light, sheering off at the start of the parade. Another float from the 1970s portrayed the children’s story “The Little Tin Soldier.” The toy soldier hit an obstruction, tilting the head back. Instead of steadfastly looking forward, the soldier appeared to be gazing into the night sky. “I don’t think many people noticed, but I certainly did,” he said laughing. Beowulf was the theme of the first parade for which Ladd designed floats. Over the years, some of his favorites included “The Wizard of Oz” in 1977 and “Prince of Humbug,” a tribute to P.T. Barnum in 1996. Over the years, float design has changed. In the beginning, many floats were built of paper Mache and wood. Today, building materials include fiberglass and Styrofoam. Colors are more vibrant today. In years past, designed tended more toward pastels, he said. Some things, however, have not changed. “It’s still magic,” he said. “It’s still amazing after all this time.”
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| WELLNESS
JUICY INFORMATION Blending Up Convenience and Nutrition TEXT BY JAMIE MCFADEN
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hey appear in car cup holders and insulated glasses peeking out of tote bags. Celebrities swear by them, and more than a few people dedicate most of their Instagram to them. Juices – not just any juices, but fresh pressed, carefully blended for optimal flavor and nutrients, and not the kind of thing mixed with champagne for Sunday brunch. Sippable fruits and vegetables have found their place among the palates of the Deep South with many regional farms providing perfectly ripe and in-season ingredients to create juices worthy of being Instagrammed. This liquid trend encourages an old-fashioned “eat your fruits and veggies” mentality while creating an opportunity for people on the go to get a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Juicing has various benefits when used as a complement to a healthy diet, said Kristi Sibert, a 20-year registered dietician and nutritionist with the Eating Disorder Center of Alabama. “The benefits are multifaceted and include providing a beverage loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and producing a pulp rich in dietary fiber that can often be added into other foods like soups and baked goods,” she said. Juices also allow neglected vegetables to slip into one’s diet with disliked flavors masked in the mixture. Fiber-rich beets are not always a favorite, but when blended with sweeter items like mangoes and apples, someone who is not usually a fan of beets can enjoy the results while reaping healthy benefits. Juices can be a particular benefit for people with digestive problems, such as Crohn’s disease, spastic colon or irritable bowel. The blends add the extracted high-fiber fruits and vegetables available in juices to a diet that includes whole foods and healthful meals. While juicing is a popular choice among health enthusiasts, people should not, in fact, be consuming even the most healthful foods in liquid form for every meal, Silbert said. “The primary risk involved in replacing normal meals from food with juices is the lack of much needed nutrients such as protein and fat. Although juicing coupled with blending in proteins from powder, milk, yogurt, and-or peanut butter can produce a more nutritionally balanced drink, this should only serve as a supplement or snack, not as a complete meal,” said Sibert.
Any way people choose to get in a healthy dose of fruits and vegetables is encouraged, but the American Cancer Society states that there is no convincing evidence that extracted juices are any healthier than whole foods. Still, juicing provides a convenience factor for people who are constantly on the move, particularly when they can simply buy a juice prepared for them. The Sweet Olive Bakery and Juice Bar in Fairhope, provides such a solution to movers and shakers who are dedicated to maintaining health despite a busy schedule. The juice bar at the Windmill Market allows for customers to select fruits, vegetables and herbs to create a juice that appeases even the pickiest enthusiasts. The juice bar also provides mixture suggestions for those who are not sure what they want to blend. Sweet Olive sales associate Bekah Davis said that The Doctor, a blend of carrots, beets, celery, ginger and cayenne, is a popular choice that can promote digestion from the beets and natural energy from the ginger. All of the Sweet Olive’s juices come from local and organic markets and encourage seasonal consumption. At $4.50 to $6 depending on size, these juices make for an affordable and convenient snack. In Birmingham’s Crestline Village area, The Pantry by Stonehollow Farmstead provides blended juices in 16-ounce plastic bottles for $10 to $12. The Pantry’s juice ingredients are sourced and selected depending on what ingredients are in season to guarantee freshness and vibrant flavor. The Pantry’s ingredients, which are listed on the bottles, serve different purposes based on the nutrients, from promoting glowing skin to boosting the immune system. As a staple among the health-conscious community in Birmingham, the treats feature interesting combinations of fruit, vegetables, spices, and herbs. Juices produce can be a healthy snack option, but should not be used to replace solid food meals and is not recommended in any sort of fasting or cleanse capacity. “It is impossible to find a moderate balance if food itself is not being consumed, and the boredom or monotony from a juice-only diet can ultimately lead to binge behaviors and/or the concept of disordered eating. Food is not just nutrition for our bodies, it is also meant to pleasurable and enjoyable,” said Sibert.
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| VIEWS AND NEWS
THE WHY OF WRITING
BY CATHY MARIE BUCHANAN
I MEET CATHY MARIE BUCHANAN Award-Winning Author of
The Painted Girls
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2014 READ IT AND EAT AT 1:00 P.M. EASTERN SHORE ART CENTER Free and Open to the Public. Call the bookstore to reserve lunch from Andree’s for $10
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’m often asked if I always wanted to be a writer. It’s a question I answer with a definitive no. I would love to have a story like Margaret Atwood, who I’ve heard walked across the high school football field composing poetry, but nothing is further from my experience. I spent my teenage years disgracing myself in English, often getting upwards of 20 percent deducted for spelling mistakes on exams. When it came time to head off to university, one of the criteria I used for selecting my courses was that there was no writing — that is spelling — required. I graduated with a degree in biochemistry without having written a single essay and went on to receive my master’s degree in business, still very much steering clear of the written word. I spent the bulk of my non-writing work life at IBM, at first in finance and then in technical sales. It was while I was at IBM that spell-check started to be commonly used, and all of a sudden my world shifted. I became the departmental wordsmith, the person charged with giving the proposals the final read-through before they went off to the customers. I suspected, though, that this supposed newfound ability to write had more to do with the fact that my colleagues were engineers and math and computer science grads, many with English as a second language, than any particular talent I might possess. Given my education and corporate work life, it might come as a surprise to learn that there was evidence early on of my creative leanings. In high school I was a serious student of classical ballet, spending four or five nights a week in the studio or on the stage, and I sewed and designed most of my clothes. I think now that throughout my teenage years I satisfied my creative yearnings through the dance and the sewing. While I was working at IBM, I was always enrolled in a continuing education course — always something with an artistic bent, again, I think, appeasing my creative side. I took drawing and painting and art history and wood working and interior design and eventually creative writing, but signing up for that first
course was more of a whim than anything else. I was flipping pages of a continuing education catalogue and thought, ‘Well, why not give creative writing a try?’ From the outset I was smitten. Our first assignment was a setting piece — a single page description of our childhood bedroom. I must have spent eight hours on that page, and I wanted it to be perfect. I kept up the regime of full-time work by day and a bit of crammed-in writing or a class in the evening for four years before I took the plunge and turned to writing full time. Both my debut novel The Day the Falls Stood Still and The Painted Girls found homes on New York Times bestsellers lists. They’ve been published internationally and translated into multiple languages. The Painted Girls has been optioned for a television series, and most recently it was selected as one of the Best Books of 2013 by Good Housekeeping, National Public Radio and Goodreads. Am I delighted? Yes. Astonished? Yes. When I think back to the early days of writing The Day the Falls Stood Still, my highest hope was that the book would one day be deemed worthy of publication — that perhaps a few readers (other than relatives) would pick it up. I had dreamt of neither an international readership nor the joy of coming upon a reader holding open my book, eyes steadfast on my words. About the Author Cathy Marie Buchanan’s The Painted Girls is a #1 National Bestseller in Canada, a New York Times bestseller, and has garnered rave reviews and been showered with special attention — everything from selection as a People Magazine pick to inclusion in Entertainment Weekly’s Must List. Her debut novel, The Day the Falls Stood Still, is a New York Times bestseller and a Barnes & Noble Recommends selection. She holds a BSc (Honours Biochemistry) and an MBA from Western University. Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario, she now resides in Toronto with her husband and three sons.
B E T W E E N
T H E
L I N E S
REVIEWS OF BOOKS AVAILABLE AT PAGE & PALETTE BOOKSTORE
THE INVENTION OF WINGS BY SUE MONK KIDD
Writing at the height of her narrative and imaginative gifts, Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom and the desire to have a voice in the world. Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early 19th century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s 11th birthday, when she is given ownership of 10-yearold Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next 35 years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love and ostracism before
leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements. Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better. This exquisitely written novel is a triumph of storytelling that looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment and expression will leave no reader unmoved. ($27.95, Penguin, On Sale Now)
responsible. They are led to a rough-hewn lake town, defined by the violence both of its landscape and its inhabitants. There Caleb is forced into a brutal adulthood and slowly begins to discover truths about his mother he never expected, uncovering dark secrets connected to the deaths of his siblings and his religious father, to whom he had always felt an alarming distance. And Elspeth must confront the terrible urges and unceasing temptations that have haunted her since being expelled from her childhood home, and grow into the maternal figure that Caleb needs in order to survive. ($25.99, HarperCollins, On Sale Now)
THE SECRET OF MAGIC BY DEBORAH JOHNSON
THE KEPT BY JAMES SCOTT
In the winter of 1897, a trio of killers descends upon an isolated farm in upstate New York. Midwife Elspeth Howell returns home to the carnage: her husband, and four of her children, murdered. Before she can discover her remaining son Caleb, alive and hiding in the kitchen pantry, another shot rings out over the snowcovered valley. Twelve-year-old Caleb must tend to his mother until she recovers enough for them to take to the frozen wilderness in search of the men
In 1946, a young female attorney from New York City attempts the impossible: attaining justice for a black man in the Deep South. Regina Robichard works for Thurgood Marshall, who receives an unusual letter asking the NAACP to investigate the murder of a returning black war hero. It is signed by M. P. Calhoun, the most reclusive author in the country. As a child, Regina was captivated by Calhoun’s The Secret of Magic, a novel in which white and black children played together in a magical forest. Once down in Mississippi, Regina finds that nothing in the South is
as it seems. She must navigate the muddy waters of racism, relationships and her own tragic past. The Secret of Magic brilliantly explores the power of stories and those who tell them. ($26.95, Penguin, On Sale Now)
THIS DARK ROAD TO MERCY BY WILEY CASH
THE SWAN GONDOLA BY TIMOTHY SCHAFFERT
On the eve of the 1898 Omaha World’s Fair, Ferret Skerritt, ventriloquist by trade, con man by birth, isn’t quite sure how it will change him or his city. Omaha still has the marks of a filthy Wild West town, even as it attempts to achieve the grandeur and respectability of nearby Chicago. But when he crosses paths with the beautiful and enigmatic Cecily, his whole purpose shifts and the fair becomes the backdrop to their love affair. One of a traveling troupe of actors that has descended on the city, Cecily works in the Midway’s Chamber of Horrors, where she loses her head hourly on a guillotine playing Marie Antoinette. And after closing, she rushes off, clinging protectively to a mysterious carpetbag, never giving Ferret a second glance. But a moonlit ride on the swan gondola, a boat on the lagoon of the New White City, changes everything, and the fair’s magic begins to take its effect. ($27.95, Penguin, Pub Date 2/6/14)
The critically-acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller A Land More Kind Than Home returns with a resonant novel of love and atonement, blood and vengeance, involving two young sisters, a wayward father and an enemy determined to see him pay for his sins. When their mother dies unexpectedly, 12-year-old Easter and her 6-year-old sister Ruby are shuffled into the foster care system in Gastonia, NC, a town not far from the Appalachian Mountains. But just as they settle into their new life, their errant father, Wade, an ex-minor league baseball player whom they haven’t seen in years, suddenly appears and wants to spend more time with them. Unfortunately, Wade has signed away legal rights to his daughters, and the only way he can get Easter and Ruby back is to steal them away in the middle of the night. Narrated by a trio of alternating voices that are at once captivating and heartbreaking, This Dark Road to Mercy is a story about the emotional pull of family and the primal desire to outrun a past that refuses to let go. ($25.99, HarperCollins, On Sale Now)
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| ARTS
Cities of Ys: A Conjunction of Cultures
NOMA exhibit shows parallels between medieval legend and struggles in modern Louisiana TEXT BY ROBIN FITZHUGH
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or centuries, legends have told of magical cultures being consumed by rising waters and vanishing for all time beneath the waves. An exhibit now on display at the New Orleans Museum of Art looks at two of those stories, one from medieval France and one from the disappearing wetlands of modern Louisiana. “Camille Henrot: Cities of Ys” is a cutting edge exhibition by French artist Camille Henrot that links the old and new worlds of French culture through a variety of art objects for which Henrot is famous. The exhibition opened in October and will continue until March 2. The multi-media exhibit draws a parallel between the legendary, submerged city of Ys in Brittany in Henrot’s native France and the disappearing wetlands of south Louisiana that are home to the Houma Indians, whose language and culture were strongly impacted by French immigrants of the 18th and 19th centuries. Concerning her artwork, Henrot has said “art and anthropology are sites for grappling with the construction of cultural identity,” a concept she considers to be as fluid as the waters surrounding the coasts of France and Louisiana. Henrot is an artist who has never confined herself to a particular medium. Working as sculptor, painter, videographer and potter, she blurs the traditional categories of art history by using a variety of art forms to blend myth and reality. In “Cities of Ys,” Henrot uses a combination of video and sculptural work to explore the legends of Ys as well as the modern problems confronting the Houma people who are struggling to preserve their culture and their homeland.
Principal Chief of the Houma Thomas Dardar Jr. said “Camille really got to the heart and soul of the tribe.” Cities of Ys is an American solo debut for Henrot, a 35-year-old artist described by Art magazine as “versatile, solitary, talented.” Currently living in New York and Paris, she has had exhibitions of her work at the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris and the Palais de Tokyo. She was nominated in 2010 for the Prix Marcel Duchamp and in 2013 was awarded the Silver Lion at the 55th Venice Biennale for her video “Grosse Fatigue,” that she developed while working as a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow in Washington D.C. She is currently a finalist for the Hugo Boss Award from New York’s Guggenheim Museum, a competition that recognizes significant achievement in contemporary art. As one of the oldest cultural institutions in a city renowned for its artistic heritage, the New Orleans Museum of Art houses over 35,000 art objects that span more than 4000 years of world art. “NOMA has been committed to being a laboratory for artistic innovation in post-Katrina New Orleans,” Taylor said. The New Orleans Museum of Art is located in City Park and houses 46 individual galleries. Closed on Mondays, NOMA is open Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The adjacent Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden includes work by 60 artists and is open every day. For additional information on exhibits and events, call (504) 658-4100 or visit the website at www. noma.org.
“Camille Henrot’s project for NOMA is in perfect alignment with our mission of inviting artists to do sitespecific work in New Orleans,” Susan M. Taylor, NOMA director, said Images and artwork by members of the United Houma Nation are also included in the NOMA exhibition. “It is [the artist’s] hope that by approaching cultures through their connections rather than their differences, we may increase our sense of global empathy,” a statement on the museum website reads. In an article in “What Now” magazine, published in Terrebone and LaFourche parishes where the Houma live,
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| OUTDOORS
Snow Skiing Galore!
Ski resorts near the Gulf Coast to fill your void of snow angels TEXT BY SARAH ELLEN REYNOLDS
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| OUTDOORS
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e Southerners have it pretty good when it comes to winter. We rarely have to scrape ice off our windshields or shovel snow off our driveways. In fact, the only white powder we usually see during the winter months is sprinkled on top of our beignets. Missing the Winter Wonderland of the North does have its drawbacks, though. Namely, we’re given the cold shoulder if we want to try our hands at sledding, skiing, snowboarding or those other sports we mostly see every four years during the Winter Olympics. But just because no one’s going to build a bunny slope in Baldwin County doesn’t mean you can’t get your fill of winter sports. There are several ski resorts only six to 14 hours away by car that have all the amenities for a relaxing or exhilarating vacation. More than 2.2 million people skied in Southeastern U.S. resorts last winter, according to SkiSoutheast.com, an industry publication. Enthusiasts can choose from among 20 resorts sprinkled throughout Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is a popular place for snow lovers. A mountaintop of endless activities is there for all ages to participate in such as ice skating, snow tubing, skiing and of course snowboarding. There are several shops and restaurants for the ones who would rather enjoy a frothy cup of hot cocoa than face plant into fresh powder. If you don’t have equipment or clothes, you may rent from the rental shop or buy from their mall downtown. Of course buying a season pass is much more affordable if you need to get your snow fix throughout the season. If you thought Alabama was full of sandy beaches and ice melting temperatures, you must have never been on top of Lookout Mountain. Cloudmont Ski and Golf Resort is located in the small town of Mentone, Ala. amidst the rocks of Lookout Mountain with two, one-thousand foot slopes. Known to be uncrowded, Cloudmont is the perfect place if you are just beginning in your snow hobby journey or just looking for a get-away in the crisp mountain air. One of the more popular southeastern destinations, Snowshoe Mountain Resort, is located in Snowshoe, West Virginia on over 11,000 acres. 251 of those acres is skiable terrain with jaw dropping scenery of the Appalachian Mountains and 57 trails to choose from. Not too graceful on skis? The mountain is packed with endless activities for vacationers of all ages. With a spa, teen center, shops and a chapel, you can fill your time if you are too sore from rolling down the slope.
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To plan your trip, visit these websites: www.cloudmont.com • www.snowshoemtn.com • www.skisoutheast.com • www.obergatlinburg.com
Make sure you have your insulated jacket when you visit Sugar Mountain Resort in Banner Elk, North Carolina. This glittering ski resort has a whole park designated just for snow tubing! They also have 20 slopes, an ice skating arena, and you may even bump into Sugar Bear, Sugar Mountain’s mascot. There are villages surrounding the mountain with quaint shops and diners should you continue your exploration off of the snow-kissed slopes. As you read above, there are several resorts within a reasonable driving distance from our beloved Gulf Coast to give you and your family a thrilling vacation. What could be more fun than enjoying the winter season by making snow angels in the fresh powder, face planting when you tangle up your skis, or cozying up with your loved ones while enjoying the view of majestic mountains covered in snow. It’s never too late or too early to start planning your snow adventure.
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| VIEWS AND NEWS
Under The Wide And Starry Sky with Nancy
Horan
From New York Times best-selling author of Loving Frank Nancy Horan comes the eagerly anticipated Under the Wide and Starry Sky which tells the passionate love story of Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson and his intrepid American wife, Fanny. At the age of 35, Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne has left her philandering husband in San Francisco to set sail for Belgium — with her three children and nanny in tow — to study art. It’s a chance for this adventurous woman to start over, to make a better life for all of them and to pursue her own desires. Not long after her arrival, however, tragedy strikes; and Fanny and her children repair to a quiet artists’ colony in France where they can recuperate. Emerging from a deep sorrow, Fanny meets a lively Scot — Robert Louis Stevenson, 10 years her junior — who falls instantly in love with the earthy, independent and opinionated “belle Americaine.” Fanny does not immediately take to the slender young lawyer who longs to devote his life to writing — and who would eventually pen such classics as Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In time, though, she succumbs to Stevenson’s charms, and the two begin a fierce love affair — marked by intense joy and harrowing darkness — that spans the decades and the globe. The shared life of these two strong-willed individuals unfolds into an adventure as impassioned and unpredictable as any of Stevenson’s own unforgettable tales. Your New York Times best-selling debut Loving Frank explored the true story behind Frank Lloyd Wright and his lover, Mamah Borthwick Cheney. What prompted you to turn to the Stevensons next? Part of it was serendipity. I stumbled upon Robert Louis Stevenson while visiting the Monterey area, where he lived in 1879. Curiosity spurred me on. Why was he there? The more I learned, the more I saw how rich a character he was, how timely his life might be for contemporary readers. But equally engaging was Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne, the California woman he fell in love with and pursued. Both Stevenson and Fanny were on their own journeys of discovery when they met. There were plenty of obstacles in their way, but they managed to marry, and their life together after that was marked by adventures and challenges worthy of a Stevenson novel. I felt immediately that they were good company, and I knew from the start they would remain so for the next four or five years — however long it would take to write their story. At first glance, Robert Louis Stevenson didn’t seem to have much in common with Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne. Yet he fell passionately in love with her, crossing the Atlantic and the American frontier and risking his life in order to win her hand. Why were they so drawn to each other? Louis, as he was known by his family and friends, was attracted to Fanny at first by her appearance. He spied her through the window of a French inn where she was dining with some of his artist friends, who had arrived before he did. He was smitten by her earthy good looks, her olive skin, her lack of stiffness. She was entirely unlike the young women his parents had in mind for him, and that was part of her attraction. She rolled her own cigarettes and carried a pistol. Since he was a boy, Louis had fantasized about a life of travel. As he grew to know Fanny, he discovered a fellow free spirit who’d had her own high adventures already. She had lived in Nevada mining camps, and in other ways exhibited the grit associated with pioneer women. Yet she was a lover of books and art who had artistic ambitions of her own. Fanny was not immediately drawn to Louis. She thought he was charming and entertaining, but immature, eccentric and a bit melodramatic. As she came to know him, though, she discovered his great talent as a writer, as well as his genuine decency. Stevenson was much loved for his kindness and generosity.
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How did Fanny and Louis shape each others’ artistic lives and accomplishments? Has researching and writing Under the Wide and Starry Sky changed your view of such classics as Treasure Island or The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Fanny married Louis when he was a relatively unknown travel writer and essayist who was not yet able to support himself with his writing. He began writing novels after he was married to her. He trusted her critical opinions of his work, calling her his “critic on the hearth.” Some biographers believe she meddled too much in his work, yet Stevenson continued the practice of seeking his wife’s opinion for many years. Robert Louis Stevenson was a towering literary figure in the 19th century. Possibly Fanny’s greatest contribution to his achievements (aside from providing a living, breathing example of a complicated woman for his female characterizations) is the fact that her devoted attentions kept him alive despite his terrible ill health. Simply rereading Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has made me appreciate him much more. The two books are very different. Treasure Island, which was serialized in Young Folks magazine when it first appeared, was viewed as a boy’s adventure story, and Stevenson got the reputation of being a children’s author after it was published. I think that reputation fell away with Jekyll and Hyde, which is dark, dark, dark. It is an allegory that strikes a chilling chord in most readers. Interestingly enough, most people today haven’t read it. Yet during the writing of my book, I was struck by how often the names Jekyll and Hyde appear in print or are spoken in conversation. Even if the story is not read much today, people understand the theme of it quite well: that in most of us, a duality exists. We contain within ourselves the potential for both good and evil.
from a couple of respected anthologies of English literature. Though his popularity waned over the years, a number of great writers defended his work and credited his influence on them, including G. K. Chesterton, Jack London, Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway and Vladimir Nabokov. Recent scholarship has reexamined his work and has championed his reputation as a great stylist, an outspoken critic of imperialism and an intrepid experimenter in genres. Stevenson passed on his hard-won wisdom not only in his novels and short stories, but in wonderful essays on a range of topics. His letters — which fill eight volumes — make entertaining reading as well. My hope is that readers of Under the Wide and Starry Sky will be inspired to pick up The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or Kidnapped and its sequel David Balfour, or read Treasure Island to their children, or try out The Beach at Falesa or some other stories written while he lived in the South Seas. It has been a pleasure to get to know him and Fanny. About Nancy Horan Nancy Horan’s first novel, Loving Frank, chronicles a little-known chapter in the life of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was translated into 16 languages, remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year and was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction, presented by the Society of American Historians in 2009. Under the Wide and Starry Sky is her second novel. Nancy Horan has two sons and Thursday, February 13, 2014 lives with her husband on an island in Puget Sound.
Did Stevenson shape Fanny’s literary accomplishments? In some ways, yes. She had written magazine pieces before meeting him, though she’d only published one before their marriage. Later, she wrote several short stories that made it into print. Publication of her stories may have occurred because of Stevenson’s influence with editors. Fanny and Louis collaborated on one collection of linked stories, entitled The Dynamiter, and a play called The Hanging Judge. Nevertheless, I believe Fanny felt frustrated living in the shadow of so popular a figure as her husband. She longed to be appreciated for something more than her value as his helpmeet. Can you talk a bit about the Stevensons’ legacy? What do you hope readers take away from Under the Wide and Starry Sky? The perception of Robert Louis Stevenson’s legacy has gone through some changes since he was at the height of his popularity at the end of the 19th century. After his death in 1894, there were glowing tributes from friends and critics. As early 20th century readers embraced realism, however, Stevenson’s star fell rather dramatically; increasingly he was seen by critics as an outdated Romantic. By the late-20th century, Stevenson’s name was excluded
Read It & Eat
NANCY HORAN Thursday, February 13, 2014 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. The Venue
LUNCHEON
Tickets are $15 and include lunch and $5 off the purchase of the book! For more information contact Page & Palette at 251-928-5295 or visit www.pageandpalette.com.
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| LITERATI
THE GIRL WITH THE FIRE HAIR BY JOSHUA FEWELL
Images pulse as a heartbeat thunders across the plains Colors burst and stars fall. The girl with fire hair looks at me as she smiles She is beautiful inside and out and reads me like a book although I do not know how. She speaks one sentence: “Enjoy the ride”. I take it in and let life go I am floating in the world but my body stays neutral. I hear the sounds of an ocean swell….a bird caws Enjoy the ride. Water falls on a pit of dreams Peace is here and spirits fly high. Walls surround you like gates and you are alive again Enjoy the ride. My nerves adapt to the patterns of melodies My body reacts in twitches of joy I hear what drives me, my soul is erupting Enjoy the ride I am on top of the Earth now and I feel so alive My mind has been purified and I am whole again Things are clear and it took only a few words I see, I hear, I taste with such limpidness I say to the world what made me truly happy If only the girl with the fire hair was standing near me She would whisper it into my ear. Enjoy the ride.
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