Western Tidewater Living Summer 2014

Western Tidewater

Living

Not just a pony ride

Children get an opportunity to improve their life skills through equine therapy.

The game of legend

Western Tidewater has a long history with baseball, and some believe the roots rest with the Killdees.

Above the clouds

A Zuni stay-at-home mom has a lot of fun jumping out of planes.

SUMMER 2014 • vol. 5, no. 2

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME. {While we do the cooking.} When you live at The Village, you’ll experience all the comforts of home—and a lot more. While you relax and enjoy the company of good friends in The Village’s new Back Porch Restaurant and Grille, our chef will be busy preparing you a delicious meal. You might think of it as the best dinner party you ever threw—without the work.

Call today to schedule a personal tour of our newly renovated community and discover the charm and ease of maintenancefree living at The Village at Woods Edge. (757) 562-3100

The Village at Woods Edge

Small town charm. Engaging senior living.

Small town charm. Engaging senior living.

Find us on Facebook.

1401 North High Street • Franklin, VA 23851 • www.villageatwoodsedge.com • (757) 562-3100

4 western tidewater living

Western Tidewater

Living

One of the keys to good journalism has little to do with how gifted a writer is in stringing words together in a way that’s interesting to the reader, but the lengths to which he or she is willing to go to capture a good story. And for this issue of Western Tidewater Living, managing editor Cain Madden has literally gone to new heights to do a story on local skydiver Cassandra Albert. Cain recently went up in a plane with Cassandra in an attempt to capture the essence of skydiving, as she prepared to make one of her nearly 600 solo jumps.

letter from the publisher And to make sure he captured the whole experience for our readers, Cain jumped out too.

Folks, I’ll do a lot of things for you. But jumping out of a perfectly good airplane isn’t one of them. So I hope you appreciate what Cain has done in the name of bringing you an interesting, if not completely insane, story of one of Western Tidewater’s most daring residents.

As for a guy who doesn’t like climbing a two-step ladder to change a light bulb, I know I sure do.

Tony Clark Publisher Tidewater Publications

Photo by John Hennessy

western tidewater living

5

contents summer 2014

Cover photograph

by Cain Madden ON THE COVER: Asa Fleetwood at Graz’n Acres riding Big Bud

Tony Clark Publisher

INSIDE THIS EDITION

6

western tidewater living

where am I?

PARTY PIX

Western Tidewater residents got together for concerts, barbecues and to celebrate Zuni and coach Larry Logan

In each edition, our magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts for readers, testing how much of Western Tidewater they really know. We photograph a scene in Western Tidewater that is visible to motorists or pedestrians.

Whoever can identify the location pictured above will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to any one of our partner advertisers.

For the spring edition, the photo was taken of the Rochelle Prince House in Courtland. Photo by Cain Madden.

So, if you know where this issue’s photo was taken, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. E-mail your answers

29

29

Tell us where our photographer took this photo and get a chance to win a gift certificate.

to magazine@tidewaternews.com Go out and enjoy Western Tidewater!

Cain Madden Managing Editor Stephen Cowles Staff Writer Merle Monahan Contributing Writer Leah Lewis Columnist Ryan Outlaw Designer Loretta Lomax Editorial Assistant Mitzi Lusk Advertising Director Ginnie Spivey Advertising Representative

NOT JUST A PONY RIDE

Students, horses at Graz’n Acres bond, learn from each other.

32

24

30 western tidewater living

R

ita D. McClenny will travel where and when necessary to show and tell people about what a great place Virginia is to visit. Her dedication has taken her not only throughout the commonwealth, but also across the country and around the globe. Quite a distance from the family farm where she grew up in Ivor.

“It’s a dream job,” said McClenny.

“I get to go out and talk about a place I love, and get to know Virginia like the back of my hand. Every corner I always find something new.”

That “job” as she calls it, is being president and chief executive officer of Virginia Tourism Corp. And apparently McClenny is doing something right. This past March, Gov. Terry McAuliffe reappointed her to the responsibility. She was first named in 2012 by then Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Mostly recently McClenny was in New York talking to media represen-

30

Catching up with Rita McClenny

Rita McClenny

THE GAME OF LEGEND

story by Stephen H. Cowles photos submitted by Virginia Tourism Corp.

tatives about Virginia — its places and products, particularly seafood.

She claims the commonwealth as the oyster capital of the country.

Last year her travels took her to England and Asia, including the major cities of Tokyo, Bejing and Shanghai.

“Many Chinese are traveling to Virginia, and we want more to come,” she added.

While foreign visitors are obviously always welcome, the department’s research has shown that the majority of people coming to Virginia are driving here from other states, and the target market is millennials — young families with children.

In 1948, the Franklin Cubs emerged onto the scene and took the baseball-crazy town by storm.

Kate Archer Marketing Consultant Michelle Gray Office Manager Western Tidewater Living is published four times a year by Tidewater Publications, LLC P.O. Box 497, Franklin, VA 23851 757-562-3187 Advertising rates and information available upon request to ads@tidewaternews.com. Subscriptions are $20 annually in-state, $24 annually out of state and $30 annually overseas.

46

46 western tidewater living

ABOVE THE CLOUDS

Zuni resident Cassandra Albert tested her fear of heights and became passionate about an extreme sport.

38

Make your mark

A

mong a scatter of chairs and benches there is a table that sits on my front porch. It is white, long and cluttered, and at times dirty.

Upon a closer look, the surface reveals several marks – marks of a memory. It is one of little helpers and many hands working together in a determined attempt to repaint the table. What is seen are traces of the effort left behind in loops, archs and whorls – sticky finger marks imprinted and permanent. Some are smeared and sloppy, made with smudged knuckles, others are distinct lines belonging to a thumb or maybe a palm.

What a strange and mysterious detail shared by all hands. In patterns of ridges and indentations there is an immeasurable amount of variation, as no two are the same. Fingerprints, in all of their countless contours, are stamped everywhere. Like a unique signature, they are inscribed on the stuff we encounter, and then left behind as traces of our presence.

As it turns out, trailing every person is a long line of marks that is indispensible. Why? Because it testifies to our ability to reach out and touch, to really feel, and thus to experience the meeting of two substances: you and this world.

There is an incredible sense of tangibility here. The earth is infused with matter.

It is the physical, actual setting in which we live, beyond windows, glass and paint, which not only demands our attention, but also invites our touch. And when we fully feel and savor the stuff that is everywhere, that is the moment our mark is impressed. It is as if words are exchanged: This world and I are real; I was here and engaged, actively participating in all the tangibility of the moment.

I remember watching my son that day

column by Leah Lewis photo by Judson Alphin

as his two hands gripped the paintbrush.

The gooey mess dripped down his arms, shirt and legs. It was his first real encounter with paint and there was no holding back. With no thought other than the task at hand (a trait at which kids are usually good), he was fascinated with the substance – the way it stuck between his fingers and clung to arm hairs, how it looked on the brush and splattered in thick blobs, landing in the grass. With his face inches from the bucket, he noticed, as it was mixed, the way it created tiny swirls.

It was like a gallon of melted, vanilla ice cream; how could all that white paint appear so clean?

You see, that is what it looks like to feel life’s holdings. I want to dive in the ocean, build with the dirt, lie in fields, see bugs and gather, stare at the tide, roll in the sand, and make mudpies – barefoot and fingerprinting through it all. I want to handle its richness because this is our splendid right as human beings.

Columnist Leah Lewis urges Western Tidewater to make its mark.

6 western tidewater living

Amy Phelps Scholarship Concert Top right, Andy, Gannon and Amanda Ritter at the inaugural Amy Phelps Scholarship Concert in Courtland on June 7. Middle right, Cora Falkins holds DeAndre Falkins, left, and Thomas Falkins. With them are Showanda Binnns, Dorothy, in back, and Forrest Jordan. Bottom right, Team Amy included Judy Phelps, left, Ginger Stradley, Heidi Denson, Summer Holt and Abbey Webb. They helped out at the fundraising scholarship concert in memory of Amy Phelps. Her brother, Ben, and his band, The Ben Phelps Project, performed beside the Rawls Museum Arts. Bottom left, Curtis Brown holds his nephew, Ben Phelps II. PHOTOS BY STEPHEN H. COWLES

party pix

western tidewater living

NEED A LOAN? Call Lauren TODAY at our Courtland Branch and find out what Farmers Bank can do to

finance your dreams

Lauren Harper 757-242-6111

Vice President Commercial Lender Franklin Resident Farmer

7

party pix

8 western tidewater living

Hunterdale Ruritan Beef BBQ Top left, Naseeb Ali, left, and Carrie Ali of Franklin at the 51st Hunterdale Ruritan Beef BBQ. Top right, Linda Carter of Franklin, left, with Jamie and Sherry Lee of Courtland.

Bottom left, Jerry Allmond of Yuma, Arizona, with Deloris Holt of Franklin witih Beverly Whitley of Chuckatuck. Bottom right, Anna Anello, left, and Angie Tilley, both of Windsor.

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN H. COWLES

western tidewater living

Better business tools can help you win those daily battles.

With Charter Business, you get powerful Internet up to 100 Mbps–over 66X faster than phone company T1. Not to mention reliable phone with unlimited long distance and business calling features. Even TV with over 100 channels in HD, plus commercial-free digital music that’s perfect for lobbies and break rooms.

Call Mark Spivey at 757-376-7178

9

party pix

10 western tidewater living

Hunterdale Ruritan Beef BBQ Katherine Skinner, left, and Cloyce Parker, both of Murfreesboro, North Carolina at the 51st Hunterdale Ruritan Beef BBQ. Bottom right, Toni and Kenneth Roberts with their children, Wyatt and Valorie from Suffolk. Top left, Ryan Petrasek, left, with Kyle and Kim Petrasek of Franklin.

Bottom left, Rosemarry Britt of Surry, left, Jeanie Jackson of Ivor, Kristen Carrington of Franklin and Courtney Britt of Ivor.

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN H. COWLES

western tidewater living

WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED

THIS SUMMER

Breakfast & Lunch Daily BBQ Fishing Licenses & Bait Non-Ethanol Gas for your Small Engines Picnic and Grocery Items

m o c t o d s w e ws n e r N e t t a tes w a e L e tid to th Key r u Yo

11

12 western tidewater living

party pix

Coach Larry Logan Appreciation Back in April, former players got together to honor their longtime coach, Larry Logan, who was a Southampton High School assistant coach from 1972-1972. Under then Head Coach Wayne Cosby, Logan and the Indians won 4 state championships. Top, Ronnie Thomas, Steve Ellsworth, Lincoln Blowe and Tim Darden, all former players. Middle, former players Ricky Cross, Dennis Stephens, Ronnie Thomas, Michael Goodwyn, Sam Sturdifen, Roy Beale Jr. and Cyrus Lawrence. Bottom, Kent Barnes, Dora Lee, Belinda Barnes, Felicia Blow and Trevor Blow.

PHOTOS BY CAIN MADDEN

western tidewater living

Walter Noona Trio Concert Top, Jean Martin of Courtland, left, with Tracy Morrison of Richmond at the Walter Noona Trio concert in March. Bottom, Raja Bakhshi, center, with his children, Joshua and Emma of Virginia Beach.

PHOTOS BY STEPHEN H. COWLES

13

party pix

14 western tidewater living

Shad Planking Top left, Dustin Rinehart, Courtney Britt, Eric Philipkosky, Peter Foster at the Shad Planking in Wakefield.

Middle left, David Vick, Ashley Allen, David Yancy and Julie Hammo.

Bottom left, Kasey Nabal, Nick Colette and Rebecca Palamer.

Bottom right, Ray Ashworth, Ashley Grizzard and Ronnie Grizzard PHOTOS BY DON BRIDGERS

western tidewater living

Shad Planking Emma Peck, Emily Grunewald, Addie Bryant, Alice Tong and Lauren Santabar at the Shad Planking in Wakefield.

PHOTOS BY DON BRIDGERS

15

16 western tidewater living

Zuni Day Top, Pearl Darden, left, and Peggy Rush, both from Franklin attend Zuni Day. Middle, Kathy Darden, left, and Laural Pope, both from Sedley. Bottom, Gavin, Angela and Byron Nagle from Carrolton.

PHOTOS BY MERLE MONAHAN

western tidewater living

17

18 western tidewater living

Windsor Pig Pickin’ Top, Dean Wagonbach and Carolyn Boothe from Franklin at the 38th Annual Windsor Pig Pickin’. Middle, Billy Poteat, Richard Saunders and Dale Robertson. Bottom left, Jess and Raye Atkins from Chesterfield. Bottom right, Jim and Diasnne Griffin from Chersterfield.

PHOTOS BY MERLE MONAHAN

western tidewater living

19

20 western tidewater living

what to do

formation, call Anne Bryant at 562-5783.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9

CALENDAR OF EVENTS TUESDAY, JULY 1 Craft Week at library The Walter Cecil Rawls Branch, 22511

J.B.’s Rattles The reptile show will be offered at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Walter Cecil Rawls Branch, 22511 Main St., Courtland. Call

Main St., Courtland, will offer crafts for

653-2821 or visit www.blackwaterlib.org

youngsters to pick up and take home.

for details.

This will go on through Saturday, July 5.

FRIDAY, JULY 11

Call 653-2821 or visit www.blackwater-

PDCCC benefit concert

lib.org for details.

The Paul D. Camp Community College

FRIDAY, JULY 4

Foundation is sponsoring a benefit con-

Town of Windsor Fourth Of July

cert at 8 p.m. at the Regional Workforce

Windsor will have its annual Fourth of July

Development Center, 100 North College

Celebration on July 4, beginning at 5

Drive, Franklin, with national recording

p.m. on Church Street and Duke Street

artist Colton James performing. Tickets

near Windsor High School. Church Street

may be purchased at the Barnes & Noble

will be closed from the intersection at

bookstores on the Franklin and Suffolk

Route 460 and Church Street to the main

campuses or online by visiting www.

entrance of Windsor High School at 4:30

PDCConcert.org. For more information,

p.m. Handicap parking will be available

call 757-569-6790.­

on the Duke Street parking lot, which is

MONDAY, JULY 14

to Duke Street. From 6 to 9:30 p.m., Is-

Basketball camp The Southampton Boy’s Basketball Camp

From 5 to 8 p.m., there will be an antique

will be on Monday, July 14 through

car show along with awards. From 5

Thursday, July 17, from 1 to 4 p.m. Con-

to 7:30 p.m., there will be children’s in-

tact Coach Sharone Bailey at sbailey@

flatables and activities. At 6 p.m., there

southampton.k12.va.us or 653-9251 for

will be a patriotic parade, starting at the

details.

go off when it is dark. The timing of the events may be moved up if inclement weather is approaching.

The GFWC Sedley Woman’s Club will

a.m. at the Walter Cecil Rawls Branch, 22511 Main St., Courtland. Call 653-2821 or visit www.blackwaterlib.org for details.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 Mad Science native learning, and begins at 10 a.m.

SATURDAY, JULY 19 Enameling on precious metal clay

at the Walter Cecil Rawls Branch, 22511 Main St., Courtland. Call 653-2821 or visit www.blackwaterlib.org for details.

This class is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rawls Museum will cover instruction in

Veterans recognition program

Storyteller

The program is intended to spark imagi-

entrance to Windsor High School. Dinner will be at 7 p.m. And the fireworks will

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 Patti Watkinson will be the guest at 10

accessible from Court Street to A Street land Boy will perform in the gazebo.

Windsor Fourth of July

working with Precious Metal Clay on day one, and on day two we will explore the

SATURDAY, AUG. 23 Glass-fusing The Rawls Museum will have a glass fus-

sponsor a veteran’s recognition program

techniques of applying and kiln-firing

ing class from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. students

at 10 a.m. at Sedley Baptist Church on

enamels to the silver objects created on

from ages 14-adult will learn the basics

Johnson’s Mill Road. All area veterans

day one. The class is for ages 14-adult.

of glass fusing using a variety of beauti-

and their families are invited to attend.

Tuition is $60 members and $65 for non-

ful glass to make fused glass jewelry.

There will be music, refreshments, group

members. Please pay when you sign up.

Glass cutting, kiln firing techniques,

photo of all veterans and the keynote

Sign up at least one week in advance.

and fused glass jewelry design will be

speaker will be Air Force Master Ser-

presented in this class. Tuition is $60 for

geant Kathy Brown, retired. For more in-

members, $65-non-members.

western tidewater living

21

22 western tidewater living

Welcome to

FRANKLIN

757-569-8152 | 201 N. Main St.

western tidewater living

You’ll Get Hooked On Us!

23

24 western tidewater living

Ayden Boone, 4, rides Annie

Not Just a Pony Ride western tidewater living

Students, horses at Graz’n Acres bond, learn from each other

S

story by Stephen H. Cowles photos by Cain Madden

itting on a picnic bench one day in late May, Kiana draws in a coloring book along with several other students from Riverdale Elementary School. They’ve either had a turn or are waiting their time to ride one of the horses at Graz’n Acres Therapeutic Riding Center in Sedley.

Kiana Clark, 11, had just finished her session. Like most children she’s shy around new people, but with a little prompting she confirmed what makes the visits here worthwhile.

“Yeah, riding is my favorite part,” said the girl.

Asked if there’s also a horse she particularly likes, she said, “Annie,” on whom she rode minutes ago.

Kiana added that she would like to have a horse of her own one day. Then she goes back to coloring, occasionally looking over at a fenced-in area where another student, Asa Fleetwood, is astride Big Bud. They’re being led under the guidance of staff and volunteers.

“This is not a pony ride,” said executive director Cyndi Raiford.

That’s because Kiana and Asa — like

25

26 western tidewater living fellow students Steele Zinn, Rachel Blythe, Mariah Babb, Hunter Kesselring and Ford Felts — share a common denominator of living with disabilities. Rarely, if ever, is the word ‘handicapped’ ever used.

Regardless of whether these challenges are emotional, educational, mental or physical, the children’s therapy with the horses is tailored to their individual needs in the equineassisted activities and therapies. Sixty percent of the clients are involved in this particular program.

Graz’n Acres TRC, which celebrated its 15th anniversary in April, is qualified to work with children, teens and adults on a wide spectrum of issues. These can range from Attention Deficit Disorder or other Hyperactivity disorders to muscular dystrophy and from paralysis to weight control.

With their own goal of helping people with disabilities, Raiford and her husband, Phil, started with one horse — Orcland Supreme Wind — and two students in 1999. Today they’re up to around 80 clients and 11 horses.

“We have a waiting list and we’re

Kiana Clark rides Annie

Ayden Boone tries to pin the correct number on the dice

working to get it down,” she said.

The students come from all over: Franklin, Suffolk, Cheapeake, Southampton County, Isle of Wight County, Prince George County and even parts of North Carolina. They’re recommended by special education departments in Southampton, Franklin and Rivers Bend Academy in Suffolk.

Graz’n Acres TRC is one of four such centers in the region, with the others in Virginia Beach, Toano and Richmond.

“We’re the only horse industry with mandated guidelines,” said Raiford.

A 501(c)(3) non-profit, the facility is certified through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. That organization has its origins when a woman from Denmark who was enduring polio did therapy using a horse. Lis Hartel went on to earn a silver medal in the 1952 Olympics, according to history found on the website, www.pathintl. org. Her success inspired both equine and medical professionals to look into riding horses as physical therapy.

The idea caught on in America, and

western tidewater living

in 1969 the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association was formed in Virginia. The group later changed its name to PATH Intl.

Referencing again Hartel’s therapy using horses, Raiford said, “The human walk is equal to that of a horse — it’s the only animal who does that.

A horse works every single muscle.”

So, too, do the clients have to work, even if it takes every fiber of their being. And there’s plenty of compassion and patience, but no coddling.

“They’re treated just like everyone else. They don’t always get that outside here. We push to make progress,” Raiford said.

But to many of the students it’s not work, it’s fun.

“They are having fun. They do want to be here,” said Raiford.

Two other challenging programs at Graz’n Acres TRC are for at-risk individuals and driving for the disabled.

The former was begun in 2004.

“None of them are bad kids. They just haven’t learned the necessary life skills,” she said. “Teenagers are at a difficult time in life.”

Ford Felts colors while waiting to ride

She said that 14- to 24-year-olds are especially prone to commit suicide. Graz’n Acres TRC has been able to flag those clients they think need intervention.

“Some kids are really struggling.

But there’s no better equalizer than a thousand-pound horse,” she said, and added that horses can sense, interpret and reflect people’s body language.

The driving program, started in 2006, uses carts for students who are unable to safely stay mounted on a horse.

All in all, the benefits from therapies at Graz’n Acres TRC are many.

In the EAAT program, students not only can develop balance, improve coordination and increase flexibility, they also get a boost in their self-confidence.

At-risk clients can learn to foster patience and empathy, better their communication skills, and increase control over feelings of anger and frustration.

Cart riding enables the students to experience working with horses even if they can’t ride. They learn about the

Rashawn Cumbo, 4, rides Shadow

27

28 western tidewater living

western tidewater living

animals, the required safety practices and teamwork.

In addition to riding the clients also get barn lessons, as Raiford calls them. Youngsters such as Hunter, 11, and Steele, 9, are also learning to take care of the horses by brushing or feeding them.

She said that when Steele gets to groom Annie, for example, he’s also learning motor skills.

All this helps to familiarize the humans with the horses and vice versa.

That in turn creates bonds between the two that strengthen lessons. Everyone benefits.

Among those who get as much out as they put in are the volunteers. The Rev. Donna Smith of Waverly United Methodist Church is an example.

She’ll walk alongside the clients as they take their therapy.

“I love horses and kids — it’s a natural affinity,” said Smith. “It feeds my soul both ways.”

To learn more about Graz’n Acres TRC, call 653-9615, visit www.graznacres.org or like the organization on Facebook.

Kiana Clark gets in the jumping position on Annie

Anna Hubbard, 3, rides Shadow

29

western tidewater living

where am I?

In each edition, our magazine staff provides a challenge of sorts for readers, testing how much of Western Tidewater they really know. We photograph a scene in Western Tidewater that is visible to motorists or pedestrians.

Whoever can identify the location pictured above will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to any one of our partner advertisers.

For the spring edition, the photo was taken of the Rochelle Prince House in Courtland. Photo by Cain Madden.

So, if you know where this issue’s photo was taken, let us know. If you’re right, you could be a winner. E-mail your answers to magazine@tidewaternews.com Go out and enjoy Western Tidewater!

29

30 western tidewater living

R

ita D. McClenny will travel where and when necessary to show and tell people about what a great place Virginia is to visit. Her dedication has taken her not only throughout the commonwealth, but also across the country and around the globe. Quite a distance from the family farm where she grew up in Ivor.

“It’s a dream job,” said McClenny.

“I get to go out and talk about a place I love, and get to know Virginia like the back of my hand. Every corner I always find something new.”

That “job” as she calls it, is being president and chief executive officer of Virginia Tourism Corp. And apparently McClenny is doing something right. This past March, Gov. Terry McAuliffe reappointed her to the responsibility. She was first named in 2012 by then Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Mostly recently McClenny was in New York talking to media represen-

Rita McClenny story by Stephen H. Cowles photos submitted by Virginia Tourism Corp.

tatives about Virginia — its places and products, particularly seafood.

She claims the commonwealth as the oyster capital of the country.

Last year her travels took her to England and Asia, including the major cities of Tokyo, Bejing and Shanghai.

“Many Chinese are traveling to Virginia, and we want more to come,” she added.

While foreign visitors are obviously always welcome, the department’s research has shown that the majority of people coming to Virginia are driving here from other states, and the target market is millennials — young families with children.

western tidewater living

No matter who they areor how people get here, presenting the numerous opportunities and possibilities the state offers is a large part of what McClenny and her staff will do in their own travels.

For example, they’ll point out skiing, golfing and hunting as a few of the many sports-related activities.

“You can really do a lot,” she added.

McClenny also pointed out that the state slogan, “Virginia is for Lovers” as being “45 years young. It’s one of the most recognized, and we want people to associate that with travel in Virginia.”

Other outdoor experiences can include history, culinary experiences, agri-tourism (“Wineries are a growing business”), beaches and other kinds of adventure that make for what McClenny calls a “full-bodied vacation experience.”

“Visitors are looking for that experience — the beach, bird watching, etc., as part of taking advantage of the environment. They’re looking for that authentic real experience,” she said. “We want to create the demand for repeated visits.”

Despite or perhaps because of difficult economic times, the work of her depart-

Virginia author Adriana Trigiani, second from left, meets with Virginia lawmakers Josh Meyer and Bud Oakey and Virginia Commissioner of Tourism, Rita McClenny, regarding film incentives in 2009 at Big Stone Gap.

ment has been paying off.

“Our visitation for tourism is up, combined with the last four years, it’s up by 20 percent,” said McClenny. She shared that in 2012, tourism generated $21.2 billion in revenue, supported 210,000 jobs in the hospitality industry and got $1.36 billion in local and state taxes.

“It adds to the diversity of Virginia’s economy, and touches every part,” she added.

Rita McClenny, second from right, stands with Andy Edmunds, left, vice president of the Virginia Film Office, Kera O’Bryon, an actress, and Terry Stroud, chief operating officer for In Your Ear recording studios. They’re standing on the steps of the Capitol in Richmond.

Before taking on the responsibility of tourism, McClenny was for 21 years in a related field as director of the Virginia Film Office, a division of Virginia Tourism.

After graduation from Southampton High School, she studied economics at Fisk University in Nashville. Her work opportunities have included Eastman Kodak, banks and Lockheed.

The opportunity to come back to Virginia and promote filming in the commonwealth came about because she was friends with Laura Oaksmith, the director then of the film office “I was in the right place at the right time,” said McClenny. “Twenty years later, here I am.”

There were many highlights with that responsibility.

“Definitely recruiting “Lassie” — thrill of a lifetime. Meeting Anthony Hopkins of “Hannibal.” It was an out-of-body experience. Then capping that off with “Lincoln.”

Cheering her success are her mother, Portia, 92, and her two sisters and two brothers — McClenny’s the baby of the family, she said.

“It’s been wonderful and exciting,” she said about the work. “I’m fortunate and proud to be appointed by the governor.”

33

32 western tidewater living

western tidewater living

story by Cain Madden and Clyde Parker photos by Cain Madden

The Game of Legend T

he late 1940s and early 1950s was a time of growth in the U.S. The war — the big one — was over, and with that the most splendid generation was being born and the nation was rapidly expanding on the global stage.

But nothing was bigger than baseball and the giants who dominated the fields at the time. Yogi Berra, Harmon Killebrew, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays and of course the great Mickey Mantle, to name just a few, were conversations happening at every dinner table in America.

In Franklin the same thing was true, said Laurie Atkinson. That’s because in 1948 the town was overtaken by a farm team to a minor league team. The farm team was the Franklin Cubs, which was later renamed the Southampton Killdees when the original owner sold the team to a non-profit, The Southampton Athletic Association. The heritage behind the name was a team that played in Franklin in the late 1800s. They were named after the bird, the Killdeer, because the players’ long skinny legs resembled those of the

bird.

The Franklin-based team played in the Virginia League. It was a D-League team that was the baby of Frank Lawrence, who owned the Portsmouth Cubs.

“I know it sounds ridiculous that a Class B team had a farm team, but that’s just what it was,” Atkinson said. “Frank Lawrence needed a place to store baseball players for the Portsmouth Cubs.”

The team ended up winning the Virginia League championship in 1949. They had a .500 record in 1950, going 65-65, and a losing record in 1951, 49-70, before they were disbanded at the end of the season due to crowds not coming out like they had before.

During those first years of local baseball, Franklin became enamored by the legend that was baseball, as was most of the country, especially the little team in its corner of the world, said Atkinson, a brother to a member of the original team.

“I can tell you, baseball was a conversation at every table in Franklin,” he said. “It was a good commu-

nity event. People were enthusiastic and supported it.”

The names being discussed at the dinner table locally were a little different, of course. Though all of the names still had that special baseball ring to them. Some of the fan favorites during were Vernon “Moose” Shetler, Harold Atkinson, Jim Gillette, John “Tink” Cornwell and John Zontini.

Shetler, who played outfield and first base, had one big year in Franklin that first year in 1948. He boasted a batting average of .361, had 167 hits and sent a ball out of the park 21 times with his powerful swing.

“Moose Shetler was the most colorful person on the team,” Atkinson said.

“Moose was probably also the best player

“I can tell you, baseball was a conversation at every table in Franklin...”

33

34 western tidewater living on the team, but he was quite a character. He was always cutting up — people would just laugh when he took the field because of the way he acted.

“I think he could have done better than Franklin, but he hung around. In those days, once you were locked in a contract, it was harder to move around.”

Dean Wagenbach, who used to be a batboy with the team, said he particularly remembered Shetler.

“It used to be exciting when Moose would come up to hit,” he said. “I remember one time he hit the ball over the fence, and in the distance there was a two-story house. He knocked the ball right over that

two-story house.”

Harold Atkinson Jr., better known as Hal, said that his father signed with Portsmouth to pitch put ended up playing outfield after getting hurt. He later became Franklin’s City Manager, but before then Harold Atkinson was listed as the team’s business manager. Atkinson was involved with the non-profit that kept the team in Franklin from ‘49 to ‘51. Harold was a decent hitter, Laurie said, and in 1948 he had a batting average of .266.

“My brother Harold played one year,” he said. “He never wanted to actually play in Portsmouth when he signed. He signed because he wanted to play in Franklin.

“I remember one year in spring training, he went down with the Portsmouth Cubs — all of the Franklin players did.

I went down to see him play one spring, and I remember him hitting a big home run. He really enjoyed baseball.”

Jim Gillette, a

lefty, ended up playing with Franklin until 1950, and his best season was in 1949 when he batted .341, had 181 hits and was able to circle the diamond 11 times after hitting long-balls. Gillette from Courtland was also a former National Football League halfback, and Atkinson said he was using baseball as a method to stay in shape during the offseason.

“Jim, being from Courtland, was a big favorite,” Laurie said. “He was just a good athlete. He’d gone to the University of Virginia and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. He ended up playing for the Cleveland Rams when they won the championship in 1945.”

Second baseman Tink Cornwell, who was also local, had 123 hits in ‘48 and 117 in ‘49.

“He was a good baseball player,” Atkinson said. “He was a real young fellow then and his better baseball days were ahead of him, but he was starting and people loved him.”

Billy Cornwell, Tink’s son, said his dad was

“Franklin was probably close to the smallest town in that D-League, but they really supported it...”

western tidewater living

actually pretty humble about his baseball skills, but he does remember that everyone he met in Franklin used to tell him how great his dad was.

“He was getting ready to go to the major leagues when he hurt his knee,” Cornwell said. “It was terrible. He’d been locked in on that Portsmouth team, and when he finally got the chance to go somewhere big, he got hurt.”

John Zontini, who was the manager in ‘48, played for Franklin in ‘48, ‘49 and ‘50, though during that last year he was sent to the Suffolk team mid-year. Zontini was 39 when he came to the team from Portsmouth, but he managed to keep a decent D-League batting average during the three years at .302. The outfielder/ third baseman led the team in home runs in ‘48 with 27.

“John had been around baseball a long time,” Atkinson said. “But they really liked him in Franklin. He always drew applause from the fans.”

Franklin played in the Virginia League, which in 1948 consisted of the Blackstone Barristers, the Emporia Nationals, the Lawrenceville Cardinals, the Petersburg Generals, the Suffolk Goobers and, of course, Franklin. Blackstone was affiliated with the New York Yankees, Emporia the Washington Senators and Lawrenceville the St. Louis Cardinals. The other teams were officially unaffiliated.

In 1949, the Hopewell Blue Sox replaced Blackstone.

“Franklin was probably close to the smallest town in that D-League, but they

really supported it for a town that size,” Atkinson said. “Of course, in a town that size, there were not really a lot of other extra-curricular activities besides the Killdees.”

Some of the fans were interesting in themselves, and few were bigger fans than Willie Weed, said Atkinson.

“Mr. Willie was funny,” said Atkinson.

“The whole Weed family was very religious and went to High Street Methodist Church. On Sunday, Mr. Willie couldn’t go to the baseball game, or he’d catch hell from his brother and two sisters. But on Sunday Mr. Willie would ride by the ball park, get on the running board, and look

over the fence to see what the score was.”

Wagenbach just loved being around baseball. He was 12 in 1948.

“I had a social security number at that age, and I was working at the time,” he said. “I sold drinks, I was a bat boy, and I also chased down foul balls. I had a team of boys that I was in charge of to get foul balls and home runs.

“I just had a wonderful time. I lived close by and walked over to the park every day.”

On top of loving baseball, it was also the biggest thing in Franklin at the time and Wagenbach didn’t want to miss out on a year.

The 1948 Franklin Cubs

35

36 western tidewater living

“If there was some action going on, I wanted to be in the middle of it,” he said.

“I didn’t stay home very much.”

Spending time with baseball players can be productive, though, especially when you are named after Jay “Dizzy” Dean and baseball is in your blood.

“I used to hang out with the baseball players, and they taught me how to throw a knuckleball,” he said. “They also taught me how to throw a curveball, but I was a really good knuckleball thrower. I pitched a no-hitter for Franklin High School.”

Wagenbach also remembers traveling with the team. He said Gernie Blunt used to operate the bus service that shuttled the team and got to see the other ballparks.

“Mr. Blunt looked after me, and I used to sit up front with him,” he said. “I think our stadium was just as good as the others.”

At the old ballpark in Franklin, the grandstand was enclosed and there were bleachers going all the way down the side.

Advertising was plastered down the outfield fence.

Billy Cornwell said he remembered playing little league there.

“It was nothing spectacular — just a ‘50s-style ballpark,” he said. “But it was a right neat place for a kid to play little league.”

Billy said he remembered his team being called the Lions.

“I knew that my dad had played in that ballpark,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it was sentimental, but I was young at the time. I will say that my father completely inspired me to want to play baseball. He

western tidewater living

would always teach me something when he came home.”

The only other player on the team that Billy could recall was Harold Atkinson, and that’s because he grew up around him.

“Daddy used to always say how good of a player he was,” he added.

Billy still lives in Franklin and is now running a local HVAC company. The actual playing was before his time, but he’d heard stories from people growing up.

“People really loved it,” he said about the Killdees. “They had a lot of folks who used to go to those ball games in the old stadium that was behind the high school [on Charles Street]. They pretty much filled that up. Baseball was big then.”

His father loved baseball so much that he had a very special ceremony on a field—a wedding to Eula Maude Wise.

“They got married on the pitcher’s mound when he was with Portsmouth,” Billy said. “I had some of the clippings of their wedding, and it was neat how Portsmouth handled it.”

Billy said the whole time growing up, baseball was the big sport in the area. He himself played all through school and continued playing in recreation leagues into adulthood. Even though they were only around for 4 years, he thought the Killdees might have had something to do with it.

“The whole area that we lived in, we all just loved baseball,” Billy said. “I’m pretty sure that the Killdees did contribute to the heritage of baseball in the area.”

37

38 western tidewater living

H

er palms are sweating, her whole body is shaking and her entire world is mock silence in the small plane. There are too many people. It feels like the walls are moving closer as the plane rapidly rises to the drop point.

“What in the world am I doing?” She thinks to herself. How did she get here?

All she could do at that point was just try to reason with herself, so she made a solemn promise. She was going to do this. She was going to get on the ground.

And then that was that — she would walk away for good.

The doors open, it goes up a lot like a breadbox and the opening is not a much larger. She can feel the cool air coming in, clearing her mind. The trembling dissipates, she takes a step out onto the platform and dives into the blue. And like that Cassandra Albert spreads her arms and she is flying far above the clouds.

“I had forgotten everything that I had promised myself on the plane,” she said with a big smile. “Once I left the plane, I was totally relaxed. I was completely in my element. I landed, threw my gear on the ground and I was like, ‘Let’s do this again!’”

And so she did — Cassandra went back up that very day and embarked on her sixth solo skydive. That was more than 550 jumps ago and counting.

It all started for the Zuni resident about 8 years ago when she was 35.

“I was bored,” she couldn’t help but laugh at that thought. “I was a stay-athome mom, and I was looking on the Internet, and I found a skydiving video.

I said, ‘I want to do that!’”

Cassandra was watching a clip from “Point Break” with Patrick Swayze, and there was just something about the way he did it that made skydiving look really cool.

That’s not to say that she shut down

Above her browser that instant and jumped out of a plane. As much as it appealed to her, she was actually quite terrified of the idea.

It was November when it started, and at that point it was just talk. Cassandra was telling her family how cool skydiving is, and in January for her birthday her husband Chad Albert called her bluff and bought her a gift certificate for

a tandem jump at Skydive Suffolk.

“Well, I can’t back out now,” she thought at the time. “It still took me six months to actually schedule my appointment.”

The first jump, a tandem where she is harnessed to an instructor who controls everything, wasn’t scary at all.

“I was loud and excited and just screaming,” she said. “I kept telling my

western tidewater living

s d the Clou

dden in Ma a C y story b

Cassandra Albert dives after a weighted tennis ball. The ballmaster retrieves it before pulling the parachute and carrying it safely back to the ground. Photo by Simon Palacio

tandem instructor that I couldn’t believe that he got to do this every single day. I was a little jealous at that point.”

From there, Albert was skydiving every single month. For her, it was a way to keep active. It also gave her a chance to spend some quality time with her family.

“The longer I stayed out here, the more my kids and I spent time together,” she

said of Skydive Suffolk. “My husband would also come out and spend weekends on end, just hanging out with us.

“I mean, it is way better than just sitting in front of the TV on the couch doing nothing.”

At that time, Erika Albert, her oldest, was 12.

“I thought she was the coolest person in the world,” Erika said. “How many

people can say, ‘Yeah, my mom skydives.

She jumps out of planes.’ I absolutely bragged to everybody.”

Samantha Albert was 6 at the time and didn’t completely understand it.

“I am sure I was scared, like all of the other little kids whose moms come out and skydive,” she said. “But I’m happy for her now. I’m glad she’s happy.”

Samantha added that having a mom

39

40 western tidewater living

Cassandra Albert, left, catches up with her daughter, Erika, and her tandem instructor, Don Jaget. Photo by John Hennessy

who does something really cool came in handy on career day.

“Everyone loves it,” she said. “Everyone kind of knows me now by how my

Cassandra flies her canopy in for a landing after a helicopter jump. Photo by Chad Albert

mom skydives.”

Cassandra continued doing tandems after that first one until the following January. From there, she started her Ac-

celerated Free Fall Course to learn how to jump by herself.

On her first jump, she knew she could handle the free fall, but there was something that was nagging her.

“I doubted myself,” Cassandra said. “I doubted that I would be able to fly the canopy back to the airport. If there is one thing that I struggle with, it is flying the canopy. But all of that training and stuff you go through, it hits you. When you are flying your canopy, it is there.

You recall all of it.”

And ever since that terrifying plane ride up, she’s never looked back.

“It’s what I do to relax,” she said. “I just leave all of my stress on the ground and focus on nothing but the skydive. It is just so much fun.”

She’s even been able to fly with her oldest daughter. Erika, now 20, had grown up in the sport and was completely ready to jump as soon as she was old enough to do it. Like her mom, she started out with a tandem, and her mother went along for the ride.

“I wasn’t scared at all. I think she had all of the fear for me,” Erika said. “I had waited for a couple of years and I was

western tidewater living

like, ‘Yeah, let’s do this.’ I was instantly hooked.”

The second tandem jump for her wasn’t quite as easy, however.

“Once we got ready to jump, I didn’t want to go,” Erika said. “I think it finally clicked. I was just thinking, ‘I’m seriously about to jump out of this plane, am I crazy?’”

She still did it, of course, and has done seven more tandem jumps since then and can’t wait to go again. She’d also like to train to do solo jumps.

“I would absolutely love to,” Erika said. “I’ve just got to get some bills paid first. Save up a little money.”

The first jump was special, though, particularly as it was one of the dives she got to do with her mother.

“I was just excited that she was able to jump with me, and that she was there,” Erika said. “It is a lot of fun to jump with her because we can joke with each other in the air.”

“She makes faces at me and I make

Photo by Mark Wilder

faces at her,” Cassandra added. “She makes fun of me the whole time.”

Cassandra said the picking is well-deserved. It goes back to one jump out of a small plane with nothing but a tiny strut to balance on before you leap off.

“You can see where this is going,”

she said with a laugh. “I was supposed to stand out there and wave at her and leave. And as I went to grab onto the strut I missed and fell out of the plane. I am falling back-first and can see her sitting in the door of the plane pointing at me and making fun of me.

Center, tandem instructor Don Jaget jumps with Amanda Hlinovsky of Walters. Completing the formation are Cassandra Albert and Matt Firme. Photo by John Hennessy

41

42 western tidewater living

While Cassandra Albert is packing her parachute, her daughter Erika crashes the party and takes over. Erika has been packing parachutes at Skydive Suffolk for years.

Photos by Cain Madden

“That one didn’t go as planned, but it was fun anyway.”

Despite the joking, or perhaps because of it, jumping with her daughter is the best experience she’s ever had skydiving.

“I almost cried,” Cassandra said about the first time they jumped together.

“There were a ton of different feelings.

“I was afraid for her. I was afraid she was going to be scared and there would be nothing I could do while we were up in the air. I was afraid for me — I didn’t want to mess up. I wanted to be in my slot.

“And most of all, I was really proud of her. I was really happy that she was able to do something that she wanted to do.

Us being able to skydive together was huge.”

Samantha, now 14, can’t jump for 4 more years. She wants to skydive then, but she’s also got some reservations.

“I guess I am scared of getting up there, being in the air and realizing how big everything is, and then not being able to stop it right then,” Samantha said. “But at the same time, I really want to try it out.

“There’s just something about it — you are up there where nothing can touch you.”

She’s heard about what it’s like all of her life, and part of her wants to know that experience despite the fear she’d have to overcome.

“I have always loved the feeling of just sitting in the pool and floating there, but I have hated the limited amount of air,” Samantha said. “Everyone says it is kind of like floating in the pool, but it’s wide open and you can breathe.”

Cassandra said when that day comes, it’s totally Samantha’s decision.

“If it is something that she wants to

western tidewater living

do, then I hope she loves it,” she said. “If she choses not to, then that’s that.”

A unique fact, though, is that Cassandra and Erika are actually afraid of heights, while Samantha’s not. During Bridge Day at the New River Gorge in West Virginia, Samantha is leaning on the rail of the bridge, just admiring the view and the beauty of the gorge. Meanwhile, an arm’s length away from that rail, Cassandra is hanging back holding her daughter’s belt.

“She is like, ‘Mom, it’s OK to look, you are not going to fall off the bridge.’ And I’m just standing back like, ‘I’m OK from here,’” Cassandra said. “It wasn’t even a problem for her.”

When she’s in skydive mode, though, Cassandra is able to overcome that fear for the purposes of making that leap. It’s almost like she’s doing a job or completing a task. She’s making sure everything

Erika Albert, left, Cassandra Albert and Samantha Albert, 14, in an airplane at Skydive Suffolk.

Photo by Cain Madden

is where it should be and completely focusing on making sure the skydive goes off without any problems.

A little bit of fear never hurt anyone, anyway. It might even save your life, as that respect for the danger keeps you focused on making sure you mentally go through the drills, making sure your gear is set and thinking about every other little detail that goes into a successful skydive.

“Fear is good. Fear keeps people alive,” she said. “If there ever comes a day when you feel like you are invincible, that’s the day where you should sell your gear and quit skydiving.”

And she’s been afraid of some aspect every time, but no time more so than that fifth jump when she made the leap of her life. These days, she’s only disappointed she didn’t start sooner because it delayed many of the wonderful expe-

riences she has had in the air.

While most of her jumps have come from an airplane, some of those experiences include few special jumps, one out of a hot-air balloon and two from a helicopter. Her husband has jumped, though she doesn’t think she’ll ever convince him to do it again; and she even jumped with her mother twice. There’s also her extended family at Skydive Suffolk who make it special.

“The friendships you build are great, just being up there with your friends is hard to describe,” she said.

It’s also not easy to describe what it’s like up there, with her arms spread out, above the clouds.

“There’s just a feeling of being free,” Cassandra said. “Just being able to move around the sky with my own arms, like a bird. Now we know why the birds sing, right?”

43

44 western tidewater living

Catering to your tastes story and photos by Merle Monahan

W

hen International Paper closed in 2010, Steve Ivey, who had worked there for 33 years, was out of a job.

But he was one of the lucky unemployed ones, he said. “I had started a catering business a few years earlier as a hobby.

I was pretty well established already, so I just picked up speed,” he added with a grin.

Today, his business, “Noth’in “Butt” Fun Catering” keeps him so busy, he said he wishes he had started it much earlier.

“It’s very profitable, pays the bills and I just love it,” he admitted with a broad smile.

Ivey, 57, works from his home on One Mile Road near Unity. He just recently built a 24x24-foot state-of-the-art kitchen, with a 24x30-foot shelter in back for his two smokers and custom-built gas grill.

With the help of some good friends who helped build, he was able to save some money and get up and going in short order.

“I had planned to go into the catering business when I retired anyway,” he said.

“It just happened sooner than I thought.”

Ivey said he had also made plans to build the kitchen. “Grilling on the patio and running into the house for different things got to be a little hectic. Now everything is at my fingertips, so to speak.”

Married to the former Lynn Joyner and the father of two grown children, Kristen and Brandon, Ivey’s catering is a family

western tidewater living

operation, he said. “They all help and on occasion, we call in my mother-in-law, Bobbi Joyner.”

He said the only other help he has is one very good friend, Justice Fuller. “He has always been a friend of our family,” he added.

Ivey stressed all of his food is homecooked.

“I make my own barbecue from Boston butts with my own sauce, grill all the meats and even cook vegetables and desserts on the grill. For the most part, the recipes are my own,” he said, “although I sometimes use one contributed by a friend.

“For instance, the peach cobbler recipe I use was given to me by Margie Reed. It is delicious!”

The dedicated cook says he doesn’t know why he has always had an interest in cooking, but remembers he started preparing his own breakfast when he was “just a kid.”

“Then I had four siblings and when we got home from school, we’d be hungry. So I cooked for us—hot dogs, hamburgers and fries.”

He started cooking for others when they’d have fundraisers at church.

“I’d grill the meat and the ladies would fix vegetables and cakes or pies. The money we raised for the dinners all went to the church.”

Ivey became somewhat well-known as time went on, he added, and started catering for small groups. Business continues

to pick up and he now has a pretty good list of clients, he said.

“We cater for weddings, reunions, meetings and just about everything in between,” he continued. In fact, we’ve served at several events at the Workforce Center in Franklin, Relay For Life rallies, Hercules, Eastern Virginia Medical School graduates and the grand opening of the new asphalt plant in Ivor.”

He added that his team is capable of serving from 15 to 300, but will also cook an entire dinner for a family of 12-to-15 on some occasions.

“We will cook hams and slice them, or we’ll prepare a turkey and all the trimmings for a Thanksgiving dinner, for in-

stance.

“In fact, we sell a lot of home-cooked collards,” he added with a grin. “A lot of people like them, but just don’t like to cook them.”

Ivey’s business extends as far as Richmond, Virginia Beach and Nags Head.

It is not unusual for him to serve 300 in Richmond and another 100 to 200 at Nags Head the same week.

Although he is appreciative of the larger crowds, there is a smaller dinner that he loves to cook, and he does so every day.

That is for himself and his wife, Lynn.

“She is a teacher and her work days are long. I try to have her dinner ready when she gets home,” he said.

STEVE IVEY’S RECIPES HAMBURGER STEAK WITH MUSHROOMS AND ONIONS: Ingredients: 2 Lbs hamburger 2 lg. onions, sliced 8 oz baby bella mushrooms 1 tube Ritz crackers, finely crushed 3 eggs 2/3 cup Lea & Perrins sauce I stick sweet butter

1 (28 oz) can cream of mushroom soup Directions: Saute onions and mushrooms in 1 stick butter until tender.

Add soup, mix well and set aside. Mix hamburger, crushed crackers, 3 eggs and 2/3 cup Lea & Perrins and form 5 large patties. Grill until done. Place in baking dish, pour gravy over patties

and simmer in oven at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve over bed of rice.

HOMEMADE PEACH COBBLER: Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups sugar ½ gal peaches 4 ½ tsp. baking powder 1 ½ tsp. salt

2 ½ sticks sweet butter 1 ½ cups milk Directions: Mix all dry ingredients. Melt butter and pour into large aluminum pan. Mix milk into dry ingredients and pour batter into pan. Place peaches on top of batter. Set pan on grill and cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until middle is done. Serve with ice cream.

45

46 western tidewater living

Make your mark

A

mong a scatter of chairs and benches there is a table that sits on my front porch. It is white, long and cluttered, and at times dirty.

Upon a closer look, the surface reveals several marks – marks of a memory. It is one of little helpers and many hands working together in a determined attempt to repaint the table. What is seen are traces of the effort left behind in loops, archs and whorls – sticky finger marks imprinted and permanent. Some are smeared and sloppy, made with smudged knuckles, others are distinct lines belonging to a thumb or maybe a palm.

What a strange and mysterious detail shared by all hands. In patterns of ridges and indentations there is an immeasurable amount of variation, as no two are the same. Fingerprints, in all of their countless contours, are stamped everywhere. Like a unique signature, they are inscribed on the stuff we encounter, and then left behind as traces of our presence.

As it turns out, trailing every person is a long line of marks that is indispensible. Why? Because it testifies to our ability to reach out and touch, to really feel, and thus to experience the meeting of two substances: you and this world.

There is an incredible sense of tangibility here. The earth is infused with matter.

It is the physical, actual setting in which we live, beyond windows, glass and paint, which not only demands our attention, but also invites our touch. And when we fully feel and savor the stuff that is everywhere, that is the moment our mark is impressed. It is as if words are exchanged: This world and I are real; I was here and engaged, actively participating in all the tangibility of the moment.

I remember watching my son that day

column by Leah Lewis photo by Judson Alphin

as his two hands gripped the paintbrush.

The gooey mess dripped down his arms, shirt and legs. It was his first real encounter with paint and there was no holding back. With no thought other than the task at hand (a trait at which kids are usually good), he was fascinated with the substance – the way it stuck between his fingers and clung to arm hairs, how it looked on the brush and splattered in thick blobs, landing in the grass. With his face inches from the bucket, he noticed, as it was mixed, the way it created tiny swirls.

It was like a gallon of melted, vanilla ice cream; how could all that white paint appear so clean?

You see, that is what it looks like to feel life’s holdings. I want to dive in the ocean, build with the dirt, lie in fields, see bugs and gather, stare at the tide, roll in the sand, and make mudpies – barefoot and fingerprinting through it all. I want to handle its richness because this is our splendid right as human beings.

©2011 Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser® Beer, St. Louis, MO

www.smhfranklin.com