Boomers Virginia-Carolina
SUMMER 2012 • vol. 2, no. 1
The region’s Source for the active generation
Mighty fine living for N.C. couple PLus ...
4 ways to lose weight after 50
8 strategies for the downsizing couple
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Age 6: Mom was always there to make the monsters go away. Age 13: My biggest cheerleader made sure I was never late to cheerleading practice. Age 18: She could still always tell when something was wrong. Age 27: Tears of joy when I told her she was going to be a grandma.
Age 29: We found that warding off monsters is even easier as a team.
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Contents | summer 2012
Boomers VIRGINIA-CAROLINA
THE REGION’S SOURCE FOR THE ACTIVE GENERATION
PUBLISHER Steve Stewart EDITORIAL STAFF Cal Bryant, Dale Liesch, Vail Stewart Rumley, R.E. Spears III, Ashley Vansant, Tracy Agnew, Gwen Albers, Christ Prokos, Amanda VanDerBroek, Matthew Ward, Thadd White SALES Sue Barnes, Crystal Butler, Tony Clark, Joe Cowart, Ronnie Daw, Linda Evans, Judy Farmer, Tina Louise Harris, Susan Holley, Earl Jones, Mitzi Lusk, Tammy Perry, Cecilia Prokos, Kay Sharpe DESIGN Troy Cooper BOOMERS REGIONAL OFFICES AHOSKIE, N.C. Roanoke-Chowan Publications LLC P.O. Box 1325 Ahoskie, N.C. 27910 Phone: 252-332-2123 FRANKLIN, VA Tidewater Publications LLC P.O. Box 497 Franklin, Va. 23851 Phone: 757-562-3187 SUFFOLK, VA Suffolk Publications LLC P.O. Box 1220 Suffolk, VA 23439 Phone: 757-539-3437 WASHINGTON, NC Washington NewsMedia LLC P.O. Box 1788 Washington, N.C. 27889 Phone: 252-946-2144
Inside this edition
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ALL ABOUT ‘Shrooms
Dave and Dee Scherr quit their jobs at a Franklin, Va., automobile dealership in 2003 to grow a mushroom farm from the ground up. “I didn’t want to sit in a rocking chair and play the what-if game,” says Dave.
MAKING OB-DOCS
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LIFE IS MIGHTY FINE
Peter and Christine Watson of Washington, N.C., enjoy retirement on the high seas. ‘I prefer my temperatures from the low 70s to the high 70s,” says Peter.
Boomers is published twice a year by Community Magazines of Southeast Virginia and Northeast North Carolina Advertising rates and information available upon request. Mail subscriptions are $10 annually for residents of North Carolina or Virginia; $12 annually elsewhere in the United States; and $20 for international customers. Please make checks payable to Suffolk Publications LLC, P.O. Box 1220, Suffolk, VA 23439.
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New Dominion Pictures, based in Suffolk, Va., specializes in observational documentaries -- and inspired the creator of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigators.” “Military, science, the paranormal, forensics - you name it,” says CEO Nicolas Valcour of his catalog of offerings.
A MARRIAGE WITH CO-PILOTS
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The flight paths are different for Mike and Deborah Spalding of Ahoskie, N.C., but husband and wife both make their living in aviation. They “kept bumping into each other at the airport” — and ended up married.
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what to do July 4 70th annual Fourth of July Festivities Belhaven, N.C. A street dance, parade and pageants are topped off with fireworks on the water. Don’t miss a festive Fourth in Belhaven, one of the oldest Independence Day celebrations in the state. From 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. Call 252-943-3770 or visit www.belhavenchamber.com for more information. July 4 Independence Day Salute Hertford County High School, First Street/NC 561 West, Ahoskie, N.C. The Town of Ahoskie will host its annual Independence Day celebration at 6:30 p.m. with music and games along with hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks. The fireworks show will start at 9:15 p.m. Parking and admission are free. July 5-Aug. 30 We Be Jammin’ Barrett’s Landing on Blackwater River in downtown Franklin, Va. Enjoy live music from local and regional bands and refreshments from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Summer concert series is sponsored by the Downtown Franklin Association. July 22-23 29th annual Norfolk Jazz Festival Town Point Park
Norfolk, Va. Enthusiasts will chill to the sounds of smooth jazz at the region’s longest-running outdoor jazz festival. This musical festival has hosted performances by Joyce Cooling, Ramsey Lewis, The Rippingtons, Euge Groove, Kim Waters, Pieces of a Dream, Spyro Gyra and many others. The Norfolk Jazz Festival also features local and regional jazz favorites. Visit festevents.org for this year’s performance schedule and activities.
July 28-29 11th annual Cheroenhaka Nottoway Indian Pow Wow and Gathering: A Celebration of the Green Corn Dance. Southampton County (Va.) Fairgrounds, Route 58 and New Market Road, Courtland Experience the traditions, history and culture of the indigenous people of Southampton County at the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribal Pow Wow and Gathering. A $6 donation is requested; See what to do page 8
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what to do $4 for senior citizens and youth 6-12; free for children under 6. Event will be held 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. For information, call 562-7760 or visit www.cheroenhaka-nottoway.org. Aug. 1-4 North Carolina Watermelon Festival Murfreesboro, N.C. This year’s theme is a salute to agriculture, a Sweet Carolina Tradition, and, as customary, there is no admission fee. Special festival events include a 5K race and walk, sponsored by Murfreesboro Rotary Club, music, food, nightly street dancing and fireworks show. A crafts & collectibles fair, a tasty variety of food, amusements rides, and watermelon games and contests round out the activities. North Carolina’s largest agricultural parade will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4 in downtown Murfreesboro. In addition, the festival’s large fireworks show will take place that night at 9:15. Featured bands are The Band of Oz on Aug. 1, Spare Change on Aug. 2, The Janitors on Aug. 3, and Pizzazz on Aug. 4. The festival and nightly street dances will be held in the Murfreesboro Historic District, one block north of Main Street. For information contact Laurie Brook at 252-398-7695 or melons@watermelonfestivalnc. com or visit www.watermelonfestivalnc.com. Aug. 5 The Art of Noyes Capehart exhibit
Downtown Windsor, N.C. Opening reception is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bertie County Arts Council, located at 124 S. King St. in downtown Windsor, N.C. Capehart is a well known artist and was featured in a recent program on PBS television. For information, email bertiearts@earthlink.net. Aug. 9-11 32nd annual FranklinSouthampton County (Va.) Fair Fairgrounds at Route 58 and New Market Road in Courtland, Va. Main stage entertainment includes rising country stars Hunter Hayes at 9 p.m. Friday and Kip Moore at 9 p.m. Saturday. For information, call 757-562-3765.
Aug. 14 Josh Lane Classic Beechwood Country Club, Ahoskie, N.C. The annual golf tournament benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The event features
two flights. Tee times are 8:30 a.m. (registration from 7:30-8:15 a.m.) and 1:30 p.m. (registration from 12:30-1:15 p.m.). The cost is $350 per four-person team. Featured events include a $10,000 putting contest (50 percent split between the winner and JDRF); hole-in-one prizes; and contests for the straightest drive and closet to the pin. Participants can register online at www. joshlanegolfclassic.com or by calling JDRF at 800377-0476.
Aug. 18-19 Nansemond Indian Pow Wow Lone Star Lakes Lodge Pembroke Lane Suffolk, Va. The powwow held by the Nansemond Indian Tribal Association is an event filled with music, dancing, food, entertainment and history and attracts thousands of visitors eager to partake in the See WHAT TO DO page 9
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what to do pageantry, the explosion of colors and the music of sacred drums and singers. With participation from many American Indian tribes, the powwow always promises to be an exciting event for those who love all things Native American. For more information, visit www.nansemond.org. Aug. 25 Pickin’ on the Pamlico Washington, N.C. This event celebrates the famous and delicious Blue Crab and summertime in beautiful eastern North Carolina. Collect your friends and family and head to the banks of the Pamlico River next to the North Carolina Estuarium. Enjoy all the fresh N.C. steamed crabs and shrimp you can eat, listen to fun party tunes from a live band, drink a couple of cold ones and enjoy a beautiful sunset. This event supports the revitalization of downtown Washington. For information, call 252-946-3969.
Aug. 31-Sept. 2 Verizon Wireless American Music Festival Boardwalk Virginia Beach, Va. The sounds of rock, jazz, country, blues, R&B, and more flood the Virginia Beach oceanfront for three sun-filled days over Labor Day Weekend at the Verizon Wireless American Music Festival. The largest outdoor music event on the East coast,
the Verizon Wireless American Music Festival brings together local, regional and national acts to play on a 60-foot wide and 60-foot tall stage on the beach at 5th Street and at stages in parks along the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Food vendors, beer, and merchandise kiosks enhance the festival atmosphere along the boardwalk. For more information and this year’s
lineups, visit www.beachstreetusa.com/events/ VerizonWirelessAmericanMusicFestival Sept. 8 Heritage Day Southampton Agriculture & Forestry Museum & Heritage Village in Courtland, Va. See What to do page 10
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10 Boomers VOLUNTEER continued from page 8
what to do
Southampton County’s rich cultural heritage will be celebrated from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attractions include local arts and crafts, entertainment and food. Admission is $2. For information, call 757653-9554 or 757-653-9028. Sept. 12-15 Isle of Wight County (Va.) Fair Joel C. Bradshaw Fairgrounds, 21311 Courthouse Highway, Windsor, VA. Main stage shows include Broke by Sunday on Thursday, HonkyTonk Highway on Friday, country star Tracy Lawrence on Saturday and Southern Heartland on Sunday. For ticket prices, call 757357-2291. Sept. 15 Motown Downtown Washington, N.C. Noted musician Carroll Dashiell brings his star-studded Motown review to downtown Washington. From 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. For more information, call 252-946-3969. Sept. 22 North Carolina Symphony Washington, N.C. The North Carolina Symphony will perform on the waterfront as part of Beaufort County’s 300th anniversary celebration. For more information, call 800-999-3857.
Oct. 5-6 Franklin (Va.) Fall Festival Main Street, Franklin Friday will feature a block party from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Barrett’s Landing on the Blackwater River. Saturday will feature a traditional street scene with arts and crafts booths, food vendors, local musicians, clowns, children’s games and more. Need a booth or want to show off your talent? Call the Downtown Franklin Association office at 757562-6900 for more information. Oct. 4-7 Suffolk Peanut Fest Suffolk Executive Airport Suffolk, Va. Now in its 35th year, the Suffolk Peanut Fest is the premier fall celebration in Virginia’s Western Tidewater region. A carnival midway with a wide variety of rides, food vendors and games is only the beginning of the fun. Each night features a different top national entertainer on stage, and events range from tractor pulls to Southeast Virginia’s only annual demolition derby to a massive motorcycle ride around the Great Dismal Swamp. For more information and schedules, visit www.suffolkfest.org or www.suffolk-fun.com. Oct. 26-27 Smoke on the Water
Washington, N.C. The smell of downeast barbecue fills the air in Downtown Washington on the Pamlico River. This family festival features barbecue and chili cook-offs, a run, Beaufort County Arts Council juried Fine Arts Show, music, children’s activities, and artisans’ market. For information, call 252-946-3969. Oct. 27-28 Driver Days Driver, Va. Driver Days was started as a way of celebrating the comeback of the village of Driver following a tornado that destroyed much of the historic community in Suffolk, Va. In honor of the hard work done to rebuild the community, the people and businesses of Driver host a free two-day party each year. Along with a parade to kick off the festivities, there is an antique-car show, food and craft vendors, live entertainment and lots of fun things for children to do. For information, visit www. driverevents.com.
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Chowan Beach:
North Carolina’s Fountain of Youth
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ome down, spend a restful and invigorating vacation. Beautiful shade trees, natural spring water, cozy cottages equipped with hot and cold running water, and unsurpassed food. Prices reasonable. Chowan Beach began in 1926 when J. Eli Reid of Winton, N.C., leased property in Hertford County on the Chowan River with the intent to turn it into a family-oriented resort or playground. In order for his mission to be a success, accommodations, food service, and clean and safe recreational activities were needed. Picnic shelters, a dance hall, dining facilities and vacation cottages with running water and electricity were added along with amusement rides. Guests could even have their photograph taken in the photography studio. Families from all across the region could vacation for a day with a picnic or stay several weeks.
Cottage guests included medical doctors, dentists, attorneys, professors, and bankers. Chowan Beach was a major stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit (where black musicians performed for black audiences) and hosted musicians and performers such as B.B. King, the Coasters, Louis Jordan, the Ravens, Ruth Brown, Sam Cooke and the Dominoes. In later years, Captain Goldie, Robert Parker, Freddie King, and the Kelly Brothers all performed at “The Beach.” Sam Pillmon of Ahoskie, N.C., purchased “The Beach” from Reid in May 1967. Following the purchase, Pillmon made several renovations, including enlarging and bricking the gatehouse, expanding the menu in the restaurant, and painting and repairing several of the buildings. Guests could also enjoy the snowball stand, duck pond, boat rides, a fun house and carousel. Disco was popular during the late 1970s
and early 1980s. Acts such as Wildman Little Freddie Scott, The Exciters and Master Story Teller all performed at “The Beach.” Chowan Beach became so popular that buses full of guests would arrive from areas along the East Coast, including Washington, D.C. Attendance at Chowan Beach fell off in the late 1980s with competition from newly opened parks such as Kings Dominion near Richmond, Va. The Pillmon family continued to run Chowan Beach until its closing in the early 1990s. The Museum of the Albemarle is requesting images and artifacts pertaining to an upcoming exhibit on Chowan Beach and its impact on northeastern North Carolina. Please call or email Wanda Stiles, curator, at 252-331-4033 or wanda.stiles@ncdcr.gov. The Museum of the Albemarle credits Frank Stephenson for his interest and foresight in collecting items related to Chowan Beach.
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growing like fungus
Boomer couple’s mushrooms grow into thriving business photography and story by Dale Liesch
D
ave and Dee Scherr quit their jobs at a Franklin, Va., automobile dealership in 2003 to grow a mushroom farm from the ground up. Determined to make it successful, the couple went to area farmers’ markets and door to door at restaurants throughout Hampton Roads selling their oyster mushrooms. “I didn’t want to sit in a rocking chair and
play the what-if game,” said 59-year-old Dave. “What’s the worst thing that could happen? I could fail.” “It was a gut feeling that we’re going to do this,” said Dee, 61. “It was something inside – call it faith – that we were going to be successful.” The culinary scene at the time was shifting to a focus on locally grown ingredients, said Dave,
and the couple found their niche. “As we got one restaurant, we used that as a reference for another,” Dave said. Dave and Dee’s Homegrown Mushrooms, based in the quaint Southampton County village of Sedley, Va., has grown its customer base to 80 to 90 restaurants throughout Hampton Roads and Richmond. “We can’t even grow enough for our market,” See mushrooms page 15
Boomers Mushrooms continued from page 14
Dee Scherr said. Their mushrooms are grown from plastic bags filled with a substrate of cotton seed hulls and wheat straw. The bags are prepared with the substrate, the spores are added and the bag is pasteurized to kill any competing fungus before they are shipped to Sedley from Pennsylvania. The bags hang from the ceiling of a room that is temperature- and humidity-controlled. The mushrooms must be grown in temperatures ranging from 64 degrees to 69 degrees and in humidity ranging from 92 percent to 95 percent. The growing process takes seven days. The fungus could be grown outside, Dave said, but the couple’s method helps them control output to help meet demand. “We create the optimum conditions here so they will grow the fastest and be the best quality,” he said. He said the mushrooms grow yearDave Scherr — Mushroom Farmer round under these conditions. He can harvest just about every day. It keeps the couple busy, but they are more than willing to do the work if it means success. “As you get older in life, there are some things you know to be true,” Dave said. “We know we had the skills to run a business. We had all of those skills to bring to bear for us.”
“We create the optimum conditions here so they will grow the fastest and be the best quality”
It’s about quality time
Boomers Virginia-Carolina
The region’s sourCe for The aCTiVe generaTion
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Storytellers
Virginia firm’s documentaries pioneered true-crime TV genre story and photography by R.E. Spears III
I
t’s a common enough situation in American homes that it has become a cliché: A husband and wife sit in their living room together, watching television. He’s got the remote control, and he’s flipping through channels, hunting for something better to watch than whatever is currently on the screen. She’s quietly — or, perhaps, not so quietly — wishing he’d just settle on something, anything. Things are different in Nicolas Valcour’s household. There, he concedes without a trace of shame, his wife controls the remote. She loves “NCIS” and, “Because she watches,” Nicolas says, “I watch with her, but I don’t really watch TV. She’s the one with the remote, and I don’t care.” At first blush, it seems an odd admission from the chief executive officer of New Dominion Pictures in Suffolk, Va., a company that produces and distributes a fat catalog of programming for clients including Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, TLC, The History Channel, Investigation Discovery See Storytellers page 17
Boomers
Nicolas Valcour clowns around a bit outside the Suffolk, Va. offices of New Dominion Pictures, where he is the chief executive officer. The property includes a Hollywood-style back-lot with a series of building façades that are sometimes used when the company has to film portions of its award-winning “ob-docs” in Suffolk. storytellers continued from page 16
and Discovery Health. When he’s at work in the company’s offices near Godwin Boulevard on the outskirts of historic Suffolk, he might well be found with a remote control in hand, flipping through channels to see what’s being produced by the competition, keeping a watchful eye for a fresh approach to the ob-doc, or observational documentary, style that is New Dominion’s specialty. It comes with the job, of course, and a lifetime of exposure to the industry — his father was named “Mr. Television” in Canada in 1953, and all of the father’s six sons and two daughters wound up in some part of the television industry — has honed his talent for picking winning ideas. A display case full of trophies in the company’s conference room attests to that talent. “We are storytellers,” he says. “We know how to tell a story.” In fact, the process seems almost seems formulaic when Valcour explains it. The first act of an episode of one of the company’s pioneering shows, “The New Detectives,” for instance, should be 17 minutes, without interruption. During that time, the crime is set up, the characters introduced See Storytellers page 18
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and the hook set for the viewer. Most important, he says, “You never tell who is the criminal until the end.” It’s a formula that worked so well it spawned a new genre of television. Anthony Zuiker, the creator and executive producer of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigators,” freely and widely credits “The New Detectives” for giving him the idea for his wildly popular franchise. In a 2006 interview with Hollywood Global Entertainment Network, Zuiker explained: “My wife was 8 months pregnant with my first son. And when your wife is pregnant, she allows you to go outside and play, so to speak, for an hour a day, which my wife did. And I was at a place where I could walk out the front door to play basketball for an hour, which was my means of exercise, or sit next to her and watch this show on cable called ‘The New Detectives.’ I decided to sit and watch the show ‘New Detectives,’ and from watching that episode, the idea for ‘Crime Scene Investigation’ was born – to do a cop show with forensic twist and really, really do a procedural-type show with that kind of forensic perspective. If I would have walked through that door and played basketball, I might not have ever re-engaged in that idea, and there would be no such thing as ‘Crime Scene Investigation.’ ” Today, “The New Detectives,” which filmed for nine seasons, can still be found on cable television stations around the world. But it’s only one of nearly three dozen shows comprising 500 or so hours See Storytellers page 19
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Storytellers continued from page 18
“When you see Mr. and Mrs. Nobody tell you that story, you get of video that New Dominion has produced, to include “FBI Files,” goose bumps right away,” Valcour says. “We shoot past tense. We shoot “Navy SEALS,” “Critical Rescue,” “Chasing Warbirds,” “Special Forces: stories.” The Untold Stories,” and, most recently in production, “A Haunting,” And as one might expect from a man with a lifetime of television which begins filming its fifth season around Hampton Roads, Va. in late experience, Valcour knows his market for those stories. For example, in June. And, most recently in production, “A Haunting,” which begins women are the biggest fans of the crime series. filming its fifth season around Hampton “The female — most of the time, she is the Roads, Va., in late in June. victim, and they like to see the bad guy caught.” “Military, science, the paranormal, And “A Haunting” is the perfect date-night forensics — you name it,” Valcour says. show, he says, especially on a cold night, when All of them followed the company’s first couples can snuggle up on the couch. production, “Archaeology,” produced in “When you have a success — high audience Valcour’s native Montreal with Canaratings — that’s glory,” he says. “But people dian tax credits and financing through don’t know the work that’s behind a one-hour a variety of Canadian public and private show.” From idea to sale to research to shooting broadcast companies. to editing to post-production to delivery, it’s an The search for a simpler finance incredibly complex process that is mostly invismodel brought Valcour to America and ible to the average viewer. eventually to Suffolk. But he brought the Nicolas Valcour — CEO, New Dominion Pictures So it pains Valcour to know that folks at model for this new brand of documenhome aimlessly flip through the channels. Pertaries along with him. haps that clichéd man in the living room could With “A Haunting,” the company is learn something from Valcour’s approach to “pushing documentaries to the edge,” he viewing television at home: Give the wife the remote. Take some time to says. Actors portray some of the parts, and some of the filming is done get to know a show. Snuggle up on the couch and catch an episode of “A on sets in Suffolk or on location around Hampton Roads. But the series Haunting.” After all, there’s a whole new season on the way. rests on a foundation of facts as presented by the people who experienced the events described in each episode.
“When you have a success — high audience ratings — that’s glory. But people don’t know the work that’s behind a one-hour show.”
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A Mytyfyne way of life For N.C. couple, life is a nautical pursuit of ‘high 70s and sunny’
By Vail Stewart Rumley Photography by Ashley Vansant
O
n their first date they talked about one day owning a boat. She knew she wanted to travel. He, 20 years old at the time and still at university, was already thinking of his future retirement. Four decades and an ocean away from their first date in landlocked Beaconsfield, England, Peter and Christine Watson now own the boat, spend eight months out of the year traveling and Peter Watson has at long last retired. In between now and then, of course, they had careers — Peter, in management with Glaxo Inc., Christine, a junior schoolteacher — and had a daughter, Laura. In the early See Sailing page 21
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Sailing continued from page 20
Top, a view of Mytyfyne’s salon, leading back to the boat’s master stateroom. Hand-finished teak adds warmth and luxury to the 40-foot Pacific Seacraft’s interior. (Photo/Bill Kund). Above, Peter Watson, shown here with Christine at anchor in Georgetown, Great Exuma, quotes Simon and Garfunkel when explaining his philosophy of keeping track of world events while cruising: “I get all the news I need with the weather report.
1990s, they packed up their worldly belongings and moved from their native England to Glaxo Inc.’s U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Both learned to sail as teenagers and kept their sailing skills fresh in their new country, on small boats, on nearby lakes. But it was two years before Peter Watson would retire that the Watsons stepped aboard a Pacific Seacraft sailboat at the Annapolis Boat Show in Maryland. They were hooked. “We decided we would just get the boat,” says Peter Watson. “The” has extra emphasis: the ultimate goal, the perfect boat for the cruising lifestyle they’d envisioned after retirement. The boat was a 40-foot Pacific Seacraft with a spacious salon and two staterooms, all beautifully finished in teak. Better yet, the boat was designed for easy sailing by a small crew, say, a husband and wife team who’d been dreaming of sailing away for as long as they’d known one another. They bought the boat on the spot. When it was delivered to the Pacific Seacraft dealer in Washington, N.C., Carolina Winds, the Watsons christened her Mytyfyne, and docked her at the Carolina Winds marina on the See sailing page 22
22 Boomers sailing continued from page 21
“There’s no reason to have a boat like this unless you use it full-time — they’d just be a liability.” Here, Peter Watson brushes an acid-based compound on exposed metal fixtures to ward off rust.
Pamlico River. For the next two years, they visited her on the weekends. Cut to the present and it’s a sunny April day in the Watsons’ homeport of Washington, N.C. They’re aboard their 10-year-old boat doing general maintenance before they set sail again. Mytyfyne and her crew of two have only recently returned from a winter spent sailing through the island chains of the Bahamas. “We wanted to buy a boat we could sail around the world on,” says Christine Watson from her seat at the helm. “But we’ve decided we didn’t need to go that far afield.” The Watsons are content with the seasonal pattern they’ve established: departing for the azure waters of the Bahamas in late November, returning to North Carolina at the beginning of April; departing for northern climes, to Block Island, R.I., and the rocky coasts of Maine, in late June, to return at the beginning of October. “I prefer my temperatures from the low 70s to the high 70s,” says Peter Watson with a wry grin. For eight years, they’ve chased the perfect temperature from the white sandy coves of Exuma Cay Land and Sea Park, to “The Narrows,” the boulder-strewn bluffs guarding the entrance of Somes Sound in Maine, with each trip seeking out new adventures amidst the old familiars. “We always have new places we want to visit, but we have our favorites as well,” Christine Watson explains. “But it’s really not one place that we love; it’s the lifestyle.” That lifestyle isn’t simply a matter of changing latitudes. It’s long nights keeping watch. It’s the unspoiled beauty of the natural world. It’s surprises like a Navy submarine surfacing through thick fog, 50 yards away. It’s periods of solitude punctuated by a social life filled with an ever-growing number of like-minded sailors. “We keep meeting the same boats over and over again. There’s quite a community out there—people doing the same thing we’re doing,” she says. See Sailing page 23
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Sailing continued from page 22
“Now they come and visit us when we’re in Washington and stay at the town docks.” And it just so happens that Washington became the ideal homeport for the Watsons. While they’d already chosen the historic town, with its long waterfront and gracious homes, as their home-away-from-Mytyfyne, in the years since they did, a large retail store carrying all things boat-related opened blocks away from the river and new ownership moved the California-based Pacific Seacraft company to Washington, N.C. Now the town has everything they need on land, with the added bonus of it all being within walking distance. This summer, the Mytyfyne and crew are off again — to Montauk Point, to Newport, to wherever the winds and their whims choose to take them. They say they’ll live the nomadic life chasing “high 70s and sunny” during the day and “low 70s and clear at night” until they don’t feel the need to do so anymore. But for now, it’s fun. And there’s no doubt it’s a mighty fine way of life. Mytyfyne docked on the Pamlico River in Washington, N.C.
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common ground
You’ve got to get you one of these Column and photography by Rex Alphin
W
hy did no one tell me about this? Was I absent in school that day? Did I miss that class? Existing all this time and there has been no great fanfare? Why, there should have been a parade! A great campaign to inform the public that such a thing exists! Billboards, full-page ads, hot-air balloons, radio and television blitzes! This should be a Super Bowl commercial, the platform for campaigns, fireworks! It’s mystical, I tell you. Not of this world. It transcends meaning. No math equation can explain the enigma it entails. Like some elusive butterfly, its beauty can be comprehended but not grasped. That it cannot be bought magnifies it worth. That it cannot be defined solidifies its existence. But try and define it I must! It is an expansion of your DNA, an extension of your flesh, a replication of your being. It is a room one does not know exists until the
first step is taken inside. Yet once entered, to your amazement, the beauty is astounding, enthralling, mesmerizing! You want all those you know to accompany you, to experience this place, to travel this path. Where you once spent your days passionately pursuing the duties our daily lives demand, you are now perfectly content just sitting and watching. Forget the clothes piled in the chair! Forget the house in disrepair! Changing the oil in the car can wait! Call the Smiths and tell them you’ll be late! For he has just discovered a bouncing ball! He is standing! On his own! Come see! He took a step! Look! Call the neighborhood! Call the newspaper!
But now, be quiet! Shhhhhhhhh. Just watch now, as he picks that toy tractor out of the box and scoots it along while pursing his lips. Just watch as he points to the sky and makes a sound. Just watch. Look at those little fingers. Shhhhhhh. Watch now. He’s looking your way. He’s looking right at you. Here he comes, arms outstretched! Pick him up! Pick him up! Notice how content he seems in your arms! Your arms! Kiss him on the neck! Squeeze him! Watch him laugh! I’m telling you, reader, you’ve got to get you one of these. Beg, borrow, cheat, steal, plead, bribe. Sell your house, your car, your hair, your farm. Talk to your lawyer, your banker, your real estate agent. Look to the heavens and ask. Send letters, sign a contract, whatever. No living, breathing, heart-beating human should ramble through life without one of these. I’m telling you, reader: You’ve got to get you a grandchild.
28 Boomers
to your health
Lose weight after 50 F
ew people relish the steps needed to drop a few pounds. But losing weight when you are younger may be easier than it is for those 50 and older. That’s because metabolic changes and habits may interfere with weight loss. As we age the body goes through different changes. For many, metabolism might just slow down. That means whatever is eaten could take longer to be digested and burned off. However, metabolism isn’t directly linked to age. It has to do more with muscle mass. It is well-known that muscle burns fat. The more muscle a person has, generally the less fat there is and whatever fat is present is burned more quickly. As one ages, muscle mass may decrease. This contributes to metabolism changes, often resulting in more fat.
There are different types of fat that can affect one’s health. Visceral fat: This is the most dangerous fat that surrounds the internal organs. It can be hard to get rid of this fat without healthy eating and exercise. Subcutaneous fat: This fat is directly underneath the skin. Although it can be unsightly and cause a person to be self-conscious, it isn’t as dangerous medically and is the easier fat to remove with diet and exercise. To help ensure health and promote greater weight loss, here are some tips to employ. 4Get walking: Walking is a low-impact cardiovascular exercise that is beneficial to most people. In addition to cardiovascular exercise, walking can help to reduce stress. 4Eat smaller portions: As we age, we may
simply need less food to fill us up. Try scaling back on portions. 4Do toning exercises: Muscle strengthening exercises can keep muscles strong, which can promote overall strength and better posture. It can also help to keep bones and joints aligned to reduce injury. 4Make gradual changes: Sudden changes could be jarring to the body. Plus, they’re harder to accept than gradual changes. A little change here and there is most effective.
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30 Boomers
Best of Both Worlds: Engaging Lifestyle & Business Location
T
he City of Franklin and Southampton County are both family-oriented communities located in the western Hampton Roads region. Franklin is home to approximately 8,600 residents and Southampton County’s population is 18,600. Both communities are 40 miles west of Norfolk and can be accessed via State Route 58 or State Route 460. Both are ideal locations with their small-town lifestyle, close proximity to the Hampton Roads region and excellent business opportunities.
QUALITY COMMUNITY LIFESTYLE
The City of Franklin and Southampton County communities are home to unique shopping and recreational amenities. Both have fully developed business and commerce parks, advanced telecommunication systems and a strategic location offering residents and industry access to markets via State Routes 58 and 460, both of which connect to major interstates I-64, I-95 and I-85. Outstanding health care is provided by Southampton Memorial Hospital, a modern 220 bed advanced health care facility. Franklin and Southampton both maintain excellent secondary education programs, small teach-student ratios and complete state accreditations. Southampton Academy and the Rock Church School, both private K-12
programs, offer additional secondary education opportunities. Paul D. Camp Community College is located in Franklin offering many two-year associate degrees, technical programs, and workforce development training. In addition, 12 other colleges and universities serve the region. Residents enjoy abundant outdoor recreation activities with parks, ponds and rivers for fishing, canoeing and kayaking; hunt clubs, campgrounds, horseback riding and trails for nature walks. Both communities share a full service YMCA, and the Cypress Cove Country Club, with its 18-hole golf course, tennis courts and
swimming pool. The community is served by the Blackwater Public Library System, the Rawls Museum Arts Center and Franklin maintains a municipal airport which accommodates corporate aircraft.
Boomers
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Franklin and Southampton County are not just great places to live, but they present wonderful opportunities for those looking to relocate or start a business. Three combined business and commerce parks, all zoned for industrial development and ideally located on or within one mile of the State Route 58 corridor, make the area perfect for starting or expanding an industrial enterprise. For those interested in starting a small business, the award winning Franklin Business Incubator presents a wide array of benefits to help you grow during the start-up period. Contact Nancy Parrish, Small Business Development Manager at 757-562-1958 or nparrish@ franklinsouthamptonva.com for more information.
THE PERFECT PLACE TO WORK, RAISE A FAMILY OR ENJOY RETIREMENT Franklin and Southampton County offer a comfortable residential lifestyle where you are recognized by your first name with plenty of unique small-town amenities.
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34 Boomers
living
Downsizing New homes are getting smaller
F
rom the early 1990s to the beginning of this century, “bigger is better” certainly was the mantra of the home-building industry. All across North America buyers could browse among home developments boasting homes of 3,000 square feet or larger and multiple bedrooms and bathrooms. But according to new data, home buyers are seeking less space today but more in green amenities. Research by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association has found that many people now desire smaller homes with multipurpose rooms and energy saving features. They’re not ready to trade in their two- and three-car garages just yet, though. Plus, a survey of International Furnishings and Design Association members forecasts that McMansions will become a thing of the past and more emphasis will be placed on smaller, more eco-friendly homes. Family rooms will grow larger, as will kitchens. Other rooms in the home will disappear, including the living room. Many homeowners and potential home buyers realize that with girth comes a cost. In today’s fragile economy, the ability to cash in on the dream of homeownership may come at the compromise of a smaller, better-planned
home. According to Tim Bailey, the manager of Avid Canada, a research and consulting firm for the building industry, “While many consumers are willing to forgo space, they are not equating this with having to forfeit functionality. Design creativity is requisite to adapt to this changing preference.” Here are some things that you will and will not find in newer homes moving forward. 4The dining room is becoming extinct, with larger, eat-in-kitchen/entertaining spaces the norm. The kitchen will be the main room of the home and be renamed the “kitchen lounge.” 4Separate rooms are evolving into spaces that serve many different purposes. 4 Although the sizes of bathrooms may be scaled back, the amenities will not. Spa-style bathrooms with luxurious products, high-tech features and televisions will be on the rise. 4The master bedroom suite may not shrink in size, but it could be combined to form a home office and exercise space. 4Expect to see more high-tech offerings, such as voice- or motion-activation devices in the home. Lighting, entertainment gear, heating/cooling systems, and even blinds could be
hooked up to a master control system. 4Thanks to an increasing number of people working from home, the presence of a dedicated home office is a given in newer homes. Nearly 40 percent of industry forecasters say they expect one in every home. 4Home storage solutions will also be a vital component of new homes. Builders will create clever solutions for mixing storage into more compact spaces. 4With aging Baby Boomers comprising a larger segment of home buyers, expect to see more one-level homes, or at least homes where there is a master suite and the majority of the living space on the first level. Part of what is driving this trend is the cost of homes in relation to space and the increased interest in environmental conservation. Smaller, more efficient homes require less in terms of heating and cooling energy. They need less furniture, and new materials made from sustainable products help further fuel green initiatives in the building industry. Energy efficient homes are a main priority for buyers. Although the homes may be smaller, they will not be minuscule. And home buyers can expect a host of amenities that will make the smaller size of homes barely perceptible.
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A marriage that soars 36 Boomers
N.C. husband and wife enjoy careers as corporate pilots story and photography by Calvin Bryant
It’s a match made in heaven – or at least 40,000 feet off the ground. While most married couples work different jobs, the professional careers of Mike and Deborah Spalding of Ahoskie, N.C., have followed a similar path. In their case, a flight path. Pardon the pun, but the couple actually “flew” into each other’s arms. “We met at Norfolk Airport, where I was flying as a corporate pilot and she was a student pilot,” Mike said. “I took her for a ride in a Lear jet.” As it turned out, it was love at first sight. While working in Dam Neck, Va., as a civilian contractor with the government, Deborah saw a newspaper ad promoting a company that trained aspiring pilots. “My first thought was would they allow
girls to fly, and, of course, the answer was yes,” said the Virginia Beach native. “I just figured it was a man thing. “Within one year I had my private-pilot’s license, and I decided then this was something I wanted to do full time,” she added. “I quit my government job, a decision that my father threatened to kill me for, took out my retirement and used the money to put myself through flight school out in Tennessee.” After receiving the ratings she needed to fly professionally, Deborah returned to Virginia Beach and scored a job as a co-pilot with NorShipCo, spending four years with that organization. “During that time Mike and I kept bumping into each other at the airport,” she recalled. “Next thing you know we began dating and later got married.”
The newly married couple worked together in the skies for a short time, with Deborah serving as her husband’s co-pilot. “I’m proud to say that we’ve been married 21 years. There’s so many couples that just don’t stay together that long anymore; some split up in a year or so,” said Deborah. The Natural
Mike’s father, a Norfolk native, was a private pilot. It was only natural for Mike to take his initial solo flight at age 16. “By the time I got into flying planes, my father had stopped,” Mike said. “Growing up, we were always around some sort of plane or at an airport, watching planes take off and land; I guess my fascination for flying started there. It just came natural for me. I was flying a plane before I starting driving a car.” See Spalding page 37
Boomers Spalding continued from page 36
In fact, Mike’s first solo flight, in a Cessna 150, took him to the now-closed Jernigan Airport, a dirt strip just south of Ahoskie. From there he would walk 3 to 4 miles to the family home place, now a 112-year-old farmhouse that he and Deborah have restored and live in. The Cessna plane he flew back then was part of the Civil Air Patrol, a service that Mike referred to as the “Boy Scouts of flying.”
“It’s where I was able to get a lot of seat time in learning how to become a pilot,” he said. However, his first paycheck as an adult had nothing to do with aviation. Mike initially found employment with a firm that manufactured prosthetic limbs, but eight years later his true love – flying airplanes – came home to roost. He evolved through the hierarchy of pilot
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ratings – instrument, commercial, etc., or, as he put it, “where I could get paid for what I was doing.” “I got started as a flight instructor,” Mike recalled. “From there, I landed a job as a charter pilot and now as a corporate pilot.” That corporate job is for Landmark Media Enterprises, the Norfolk-based parent company of the Virginian-Pilot, The Roanoke (Va.) Times, the News & Record of Greensboro, See Spalding page 38
During time away from his regular job as chief pilot for Landmark Media Enterprises, Mike Spalding enjoys flying vintage World War II aircraft. Below, Deborah Spalding serves as the senior female pilot for this Embrea Air jet owned by Flight Options.
38 Boomers Spalding continued from page 37
N.C., The Annapolis (Md.) Capital, community daily newspapers in Maryland, Florida, Kentucky and New Mexico, and KLAS-TV in Las Vegas and WTVF-TV in Nashville, Tenn. “My first real job was delivering the Pilot at age 11,” Mike said. “To come full circle and now serve as chief pilot for that company is a treat for me.” Landmark owns a pair of eight-passenger Citation jets. “The flights vary, depending on what’s going on inside the company,” Mike said. “We may be out one week on a three-day trip and have nothing scheduled the following week. February was a busy month for us; we were out for 18 days.” On occasion, Mike will fly to work in his vintage 1941 Stearman bi-plane that he keeps in a hangar on the farm. He also owns a 1949 North American T-6 that is housed at the airport in nearby Franklin, Va. “Both of those types of planes were used as training aircraft by the military; you first learn to operate the Stearman and then move up to the T-6,” Mike said. “Almost every pilot in World War II trained in a T-6 and then moved up to a fighter or a bomber.” In his spare time, Mike volunteers as chief pilot for the Military Aviation Museum located in Pungo, Va. He flies its vintage World War II military aircraft to various air shows, including one held annually in May at the museum. “I just love to fly, no matter the stick, no matter the plane,” Mike boasted. Spreading her wings
Deborah’s love of flying did not start with a desire to pilot an aircraft; rather, she wanted
to become a flight attendant on a commercial airline. “I applied with every airline across the United States; the only one to call me for an interview was Piedmont Air,” she said, recalling that time of her life in 1973. “They were based in Winston-Salem, and I drove there for an interview. Wouldn’t you know it but on the same day of my interview Piedmont decides to institute a hiring freeze because of the gas shortage. My timing was bad.” Shifting career goals, Deborah applied and was hired as a civilian contractor – based in Portsmouth, Va. – for the federal government, performing tasks for the Navy. She spent 15 years working for the government. After answering the newspaper ad and discovering that her true calling was that of a pilot, Deborah earned a job with a company in Wichita, Kan. That firm offered fractional ownership in an aircraft. “That worked on the principle where a company or individual would purchase a share of an aircraft,” she said. “I now work for a management company (Flight Options, based in Cleveland, Ohio) that deals with the same type of fractional ownership. They sell shares to an individual or company who, in turn, schedules flights according to their level of ownership. It’s kinda like having a time share on a condo.” Currently, Flight Options employs approximately 250 pilots. Deborah is the company’s senior female pilot, and she has been with the company for the past 14 years. Among the fringe benefits of her job is “celebrity sightings.” “We fly a lot of movie stars and entertainers,” she said, mentioning Megan Fox, Cameron
Diaz, Vin Diesel, Robin Williams, Dennis Miller, George Clooney, Martha Stewart, Susan Sarandon, Kelsey Grammer and Julia Roberts. “Robin Williams is one of my favorites; he’s a hoot to be around. For the most part, they’re all pretty nice.” Deborah’s company also provides air travel to the legendary rock band KISS. “That involves a lot of late-night flight assignments, flying the group from one concert site to another, but I’ve never had them on one of my flight assignments because I prefer not to fly in the wee hours of the morning,” she said. A typical assignment for Deborah is eight days of work, then a stretch of seven days off. “I’ll receive assignments on my Blackberry; go to Norfolk to catch a commercial flight to my starting destination and go from there,” she explained. “When my eight days are up, I’ll park the jet at that particular location, hand it over to a new captain and crew and come home.” While husband and wife are able to swap – and understand – work stories over the dinner table, their future in aviation is as different as night and day. Deborah still enjoys flying, but she plans to retire in three years at age 60. “I have a wonderful and exciting job, but there’s no place like home and having a chance to be with my husband on a more regular basis,” she said. Conversely, Mike plans to “keep flying as long as the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) keeps renewing my license.” No matter when retirement arrives, one thing is certain: Mike and Deborah Spalding are a match made in the wild blue yonder.
The largest aircraft operated by Flight Options is this 13-passenger jet, which features club seating and a galley. Deborah Spalding of Ahoskie is a veteran pilot of this type of jet and is joined onboard during work assignments by a First Officer and a flight attendant.
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