Starting Over

A new look for a couple . . . and a neighborhood

By Deborah Salomon   •   Photographs by Amy Freeman & John Koob Gessner

Old Town Pinehurst suggests cottages — likely sizable vacation homes — built in the early 1900s, first by James Tufts, then by wealthy Northeastern families eager to populate the newly chic golf resort. Those still standing have been restored and modernized to the nines. Most are furnished in antiques, Persian rugs, period pieces, family portraits, golf or equestrian art. Behind every armoire door and over every carved mantel hangs the latest in flat-screen technology.

When the cottages ran out, people who desired strolling distance to the village began buying land and building. Some new construction followed classic styles. Other homes veered afar, like an asymmetrical front with interior half-story facilitating a balcony overlooking the family room; an intimate living room with four armchairs around a low table but not much else; and a breezeway into a mud wing with direct access to the rear deck and gardens so guests on their way to the (not yet built) pool or cookout would avoid traipsing through the house.

New ideas, indeed, just what Elizabeth “Cissy” Beckert and her husband, Bruce, wanted. So new that when they found this house built in 2007 they decided to purge their furniture circa big-dogs-sleeping-on-the-couch and start fresh.

“It’s something Cissy always wanted to do,” Bruce says.

What fun for a couple who had worked in the High Point furniture industry. They hired designer/friend Leslie Moore, whose motto is “perfectly imperfect,” and, after Market closed, walked through the showrooms selecting pieces that fleshed out their ideas. Many came from Hickory Chair, a century-old North Carolina furniture manufacturer that still crafts 90 percent of its products in-state.

The Beckerts’ purpose was born far, far away.

“Six years ago we took the family to Puako, Hawaii, and stayed in a VRBO on the Maui Channel,” Cissy begins. “We loved how the house allowed the outside to come in — every window framed a view. We returned to Pinehurst wanting to find a home with the same feel except instead of the ocean, the views would be magnificent magnolias, gardenias, hydrangeas, daylilies and Carolina jasmine.”

To illustrate, Cissy points to a tall, paned powder room window draped on the outside with jasmine vines resembling a drawn-back curtain.

The house they found had been designed sans cookie cutter. It required no structural changes. High ceilings throughout are delineated by simple, elegant crown moldings. The unusual floorplan (four bedrooms, six bathrooms and an attached garage tucked around back, accessed by an alley) suited their purposes: children grown and gone who visit occasionally. Now Cissy could select rugs and furniture to fit room dimensions.

Bruce reacted immediately. “As soon as I walked in the door I said, ‘I can live here.’”

The foyer opens into a longitudinal layout featuring a spacious open core encompassing kitchen, vaulted family room with skylights, and a dinette devoid of table and chairs.

“We eat at the bar or (for events like Thanksgiving) in the dining room,” maybe outside under a vine-covered pergola, Bruce says. He repurposed the dinette as a plant gallery — tall ones, in attractive ceramic pots, with matching rug.

“We’re outdoors people,” Bruce continues. “I like plants — they scrub the air.”

But wait: Outdoors, especially Hawaiian, means sun-splashed color. Yet beyond the handsome arched front door the walls and many furnishings hum Zen gray.

“I shy away from bright colors that assault the eye,” Cissy explains. “Gray is peaceful.” Then, thinking deeper, “I was the middle child. Gray is between black and white.” She tempers the gray with several shades of blue, mostly in fabrics: “A blue sky mesmerizes me, especially the turquoise from New Mexico.”

About that tiny monochromatic living room: “We have our morning coffee there,” Cissy says. Or sit with a few friends, sipping wine by the fire. Contemporary architecture often shrinks this traditional gathering place, adding space elsewhere. The dining room is also smallish, intimate, and gray, which suits Cissy.

“When we close the curtains we’re enveloped. I’m a high energy person. This calms me down.”

However, tall ceilings suggest a spaciousness that allows large pieces, like the massive bed of dark woods in the master bedroom — the only piece retained from their previous home. Here, minimalism rules. No clutter, just a few pieces with clean lines to foil the decorative bed frame.

“Don’t be fooled; I like sturdy furniture,” Cissy says, pointing to a heavy rustic coffee table in the family living area.

Don’t be fooled by all the grays and neutrals, either, not even one upstairs bedroom with a beach sand-colored coverlet where lies Ted, their matching sandy-hued rescue kitty with a lion’s face. Also upstairs, besides guest bedrooms and many bathrooms, a huge “bonus” room over the garage, with café au lait walls and marshmallow-soft cocoa carpeting, which they use for watching movies.

For Cissy, this house became a place to express her newfound interest in art, particularly contemporary and abstract paintings done by Southern women. The gray walls come alive with Picasso-esque faces by Windy O’Connor of Charlotte; other artists represented live in Atlanta, Charleston and Athens. Trish Deerwester of Southern Pines created three abstracts in, no surprise, gray, blue and white, while Cissy commissioned Becky Clodfelter of Greensboro to create a large abstract for the foyer, which introduces the palette continued through the house.

Over the clawfoot tub, a seated nude. Dominating the stairwell, a 10-foot geometric canvas found rolled up in the corner of a High Point showroom corner.

Yet Cissy’s favorite is a portrait of a cow. “They’re gentle, they give milk.”

Bruce leans another way. “I’m an Ansel Adams, Ben Ham (black and white photography) kind of guy,” as represented in the mix.

Taken together, Cissy dubs the look she and Moore created “polished casual,” to which Bruce adds “comfortable, not too pretentious.”

Landscaping is another story. “Some people have a boat. We have a garden,” Bruce says. From the looks of it, both boast green thumbs plus green fingers. A few magnolias and other trees came with the house. They have added a dense wall of greenery to screen the house from a moderately trafficked street. Cissy reels off the names with expert familiarity: tea olive bush, loropetalum, butterfly bush, viburnum, nandina, lavender, rosemary, aucuba and enormous blue hydrangeas framed by the windows.

Starting over, as the Beckerts have done, seems unusual except after fire or flood. Bruce reasons differently: “People have too much stuff. I don’t want my stuff to dictate my life.” This should be easier with new stuff that lacks an emotional attachment to heirlooms.

Cissy sums up their effort. “This house is who were are and what we love.”   PS

Sporting Life

Keepin’ It Cool

Fans, porches and a visit to the ice plant

By Tom Bryant

Good night nurse, it was hot! Fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk kind of hot, and I was in the woods at a little farm pond trying to fish. The morning had started off pleasant enough. I was up and at ’em early, anticipating the scorcher promised by the Weather Channel, another of their disaster predictions, and I hoped to catch a mess of bream before the sun could cook my brain.

Fishing was slow, as I knew it would be, and I was going at it the lazy way. I cast a couple of lines baited with night crawlers, anchored the rods securely on the bank, and looked for some shade. The tree line was too far from the pond, so I pulled the old Bronco close to my set and kicked back on a camp chair in her shade. That made it right tolerable.

Growing up when air-conditioning meant an opened window and, if we were lucky, a strong window fan, I think people knew how to handle the scorching summer heat. As kids, we would head to Pinebluff Lake. It was fed by springs and a little creek, and I can still remember swimming into a cool spot created by one of the natural springs. We spent hours in the little lake, devising all kinds of games to play in the naturally cool water.

Probably one of the reasons I don’t like swimming pools today is that I feel like I’m cooped up in an oversized bathtub.

I was also fortunate that my dad ran the massive ice plant located next to the railroad tracks in Aberdeen, and if the summer temperatures got completely out of hand, I could always cool down in one of the storage rooms that were wall-to-wall with ice. Typically, I didn’t stay long. The average temperature in those rooms was about 28 degrees. It’s a pretty good shock to your system when it’s summer outside and, all of a sudden, you’re freezing.

We kids had a routine: Pinebluff Lake in the morning, home for lunch and a nap, and back to the lake in the late afternoon. It was not just a normal nap. Dad had installed a window fan in my sisters’ bedroom, the kind of fan that had four speeds and was reversible, and I knew exactly how to make that thing work. My little brother and I had the bedroom right across the hall from our sisters. We were upstairs so I could close the door at the bottom of the stairs, open our bedroom doors, put the fan blowing out, switch it to “high,” and stand back. That fan would have the curtains in my bedroom standing straight out from the window, and the cool breeze was constant. The sound of the fan and the cool air wafting through the room were almost hypnotic, and in no time I was in the midst of a great nap. I think that’s the reason I nap today and have a sound machine nearby.

I was jolted out of my reverie by the zinging of one of my rods as the line was being pulled in the lake. I raced to catch it and yanked to set the hook. Nothing. Whatever was on it was gone. I reeled in, rebaited the hook and went back to the Bronco. The sun had angled around the corner of the truck, so I rearranged the chair and kicked back again.

The lake, naps and ice plant weren’t the only ways we had to cool down. Most of the Aberdeen downtown businesses were just beginning to install air-conditioning, and the movie theater was one of the first. The mothers in Pinebluff alternated carpooling us kids to the theater on Saturday afternoons. It was 15 cents to get in, 5 cents for a drink and 10 cents for popcorn; and we really got our money’s worth when there was a double feature. The cowboys — Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Lash LaRue and Rex Allen — reigned supreme in those early movies. Air-conditioning, a novelty at first but soon to become a necessity, made for a kid’s great afternoon of fun.

My ancestors in the 1800s weren’t so lucky. A South Carolina low country summer could be unbearable. Our old family home place was built to provide a little relief from the heat.

First, there’s a rain porch that stretches across the entire front of the house with columns to the ground. The roof’s overhang is far out from the edge of the porch so that during a storm, a person won’t get wet while relaxing in the swing. Next, a long entrance hall runs the length of the house to the back door that opens onto a screened sleeping porch. The house also faces east to catch the prevailing breezes, and the foundation pillars are about 4 feet tall and connected with latticed skirting, allowing air to flow beneath the house. Big rooms with 14-foot tall ceilings and 8-foot windows also helped.

All of these features were great in the summer, but winter was another story. Every room has a fireplace, and in those days, using them kept at least one person busy hauling wood. I guess those early relatives thought that frostbite was preferable to heat stroke.

I checked the lines on the fishing rods to make sure they still had bait, went to the back of the truck for a cool libation, moved my chair to the diminishing shade, and sat back down. The ride home was going to be a hot one because the Bronco doesn’t have air-conditioning.

That thought got me thinking about our first air-conditioned car, a 1969 Buick LeSabre. Prior to that, I thought air-conditioning a car was an expensive add-on that we could do without. Needless to say, after a couple of summer trips to Florida in our un-air-conditioned 1962 MGB, my bride, Linda, helped me to think otherwise. So, along came car air-conditioning.

The sun was now almost directly overhead, so I decided to give up the fishing expedition and try again in a few days when it got a little cooler. I felt a little like a wimp, though, as I loaded the gear in the back of the Bronco. Back in the day, I would have stuck it out till dark, and did that many times. It made me wonder if the reason we suffer so much from the heat is that, as a general population, we’ve become softer and more acclimated to modern conveniences.

That observation needs more study, I thought, something to think about when I take my afternoon nap. I hope Linda turned down the air-conditioning. I fired up the Bronco and headed home.  PS

Tom Bryant, a Southern Pines resident, is a lifelong outdoorsman and PineStraw’s Sporting Life columnist.

Good Natured

Liver Helper

Artichokes to the rescue

By Karen Frye

One of the hardest working organs in our body is the liver. It’s at the center of every metabolic process. Everything, from what you eat and drink, the medications and supplements you take, even the body care products you apply to your skin and hair, gets filtered by the liver. Consuming certain foods on a regular basis or adding effective supplements will help keep the liver working properly.

Artichokes are one of the best liver-friendly foods to add to your diet. In fact, you will often find artichoke extract in many of the liver-detoxifying supplements. The artichoke is high in many antioxidants and a great source of silymarin (also abundant in milk thistle). Silymarin helps to protect and nourish your liver.

Fresh artichokes may be a little intimidating to prepare, although once you get the hang of it they may be on your plate more often. Artichokes are relatively easy to prepare by trimming the base, and steaming them till tender. Dip the leaves in a bit of warm butter and lemon juice — it makes a nice appetizer to share, and you might find your new favorite food!

Here is a simple recipe for summer meals that includes artichokes. The lentils are also good to eat on a regular basis. They are a high source of fiber, especially soluble fiber, which helps to control blood sugar. The microbiome (the microbes that live in our bodies) loves fiber, feeding on it and promoting a healthier gut. Tomatoes are an important ingredient in this recipe as well, as they are rich in lycopene — a potent antioxidant especially helpful for prostate health.

Easy Artichoke Lentils

2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil

2 large shallots, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large zucchini, diced

2 teaspoons Italian spice blend (in the summer substitute fresh basil and parsley)

1 15-ounce can lentils, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté shallots, pepper and zucchini until just tender. Stir in spice blend, lentils, artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Cook until hot. Stir in the vinegar, salt and pepper just before serving. You can serve this hot or chilled. Add a green salad with all the good things from your garden and you have a delicious healthy meal.

P.S.  Remember to drink your chilled hibiscus tea through these hot summer months.  PS

Karen Frye is the owner and founder of Nature’s Own and teaches yoga at the Bikram Yoga Studio.

Almanac

Snapshots from July are salt-laced and dreamy.

Children skipping through sprinklers on the front lawn.

Baskets of ripe peaches, still warm from the sun.

Tree houses and tackle boxes.

Tangles of wild blackberry.

Brown paper bags filled with just-picked sweet corn.

Last summer, gathered in celebration of July 4, we made a game of shucking sweet corn on my grandmother’s front porch. Two points for each clean ear, a bonus per earworm, yet as husks and corn silk began to carpet the ground beneath us, joy and laughter were all that counted.

And now, memories.

Like Papa’s pickles, made with the cukes from his
own garden.

Speaking of Papa . . . something tells me he would have loved watching us turn a chore into a simple pleasure, perhaps the secret of any seasoned gardener.

The Art of Shade-Dwelling

In the sticky July heat our state is known for, not just the flowers are wilting.

Advice from a fern: seek shade and thrive.

Yes, you.

Bring a hammock, summer reading, refreshments, pen and journal.

Daydream beneath the lush canopy. Bathe in the filtered light. Indulge in the summery soundscape. Cloud gaze.

And if you’re looking for a spot by the water, follow the spiraling dragonfly. She will always lead you there.

The dandelions and buttercups gild all the lawn: the drowsy bee stumbles among the clover tops, and summer sweetens all to me. — James Russell Lowell

Fresh from the Garden

Eggplant, snap beans, green beans, summer squash. Plump tomatoes are spilling from the vine, but there are two words on my mind: melon season.

In one word: cantaloupe.

And while it’s fresh and abundant, consider some new ways to enjoy it.

Blend it with club soda and honey.

Salt and spice it with crushed peppercorn and sumac.

Toss it with arugula, fennel and oregano.

Make cool melon soup, or sweet-and-salty jam.

Nothing spells refreshing like chilled cubes of it after a hot day in the sun, but if you’re looking for savory, check out the below recipe from Epicurious.

Cantaloupe and Cucumber Salad

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 large cantaloupe, rind and seeds removed, flesh cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large English hothouse cucumber, sliced on a diagonal ½-inch thick

2 Fresno chiles, thinly sliced

1/2 cup unsalted, roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped mint

Sumac (for serving)

Ingredient Info

Sumac is a tart, citrusy spice generally sold in ground form. It can be found at Middle Eastern markets, specialty foods stores and online.

Preparation

Whisk oil, vinegar, coriander, salt, pepper and cardamom in a large bowl. Add cantaloupe, cucumber and chiles, and toss to coat in dressing. Let sit, uncovered, 15 minutes.

To serve, add pumpkin seeds, cilantro and mint to salad and toss gently to combine. Top with sumac.

Lazy Days of Summer

The full buck moon rises on Tuesday, July 16, which, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, is a good day for pruning, mowing and weeding. But if R&R is more your speed, below are a few obscure holidays you might add to the calendar.

July 10: Pick Blueberries Day

July 17: Peach Ice Cream Day

July 20: Ice Cream Soda Day

July 22: Hammock Day

Happy Independence Day, friends. Happy, happy hot July.  PS

The Pleasures of Life Dept.

The Heat is On

The journey from Alaska to the Appalachians

By Katherine Smith

It’s nice to be hot again. That’s what I tell people when they ask how it was living in Alaska, and how it is to be back home. This time last year, and the previous year, and the one before that, I was living and working deep in the boreal woods of the Chugach, the second largest national forest in the country.

Each summer, our five-person trail crew lived in tents for eight consecutive days every two weeks as we built the forest’s newest trail in an area accessible once a day by train — that is, if the tracks weren’t flooded. The Chugach is where, during my first hitch, a bear clawed through my tent and stole my only clean clothes. It’s where I learned to fell big trees with a big chain saw and little ones with an ax; where I learned to shoot a rifle; and where I competed with the guys to carry the most tools, hiking miles with a sledgehammer on one shoulder and a steel rockbar on the other.

It’s where I grappled with scoliosis, hypothermia and trench foot, and learned the hard way that my worth is not defined by what I can do. It’s where I learned that my four fellow trail workers eat even more than my four siblings, and became known as Mama Kate for Southern-size group dinners of jambalaya, biscuits and gravy, cornbread and collards. I’ve spent solid eight, 12-hour days inside long sleeves, high socks and a bug net as protection against every kind of winged, blood-sucking bug imaginable, and hitches inside fishing-grade rubber raingear and Xtra-Tuff rubber boots, falling asleep and waking each day to the sound of hammering, unending rain.

My favorite hitches were the ones that should have been hardest, redeemed always by my jolly crew family. We’d belt out Irish drinking songs in hailstorms, make doughnuts from canned biscuit dough, carry 600-pound trees together for a primitive turnpike, laugh until we cried, and play games of bocce ball, cribbage and dice long into the night.  

July in the Chugach brought a cacophony of flowering salmonberry bushes, an Independence Day tradition of exploring Bartlett Glacier, and buying a second freezer for all the salmon we caught. July is sunlight by midnight, bears by day, wolverines by night, and lynx prints in the mud. July brought my first wildland firefighting assignment when I was flown out to Colorado and Wyoming for 18 days of adrenaline and exhaustion digging line, laying hose, sawing, protecting cabins when the fire grew closer and, hardest of all, eating MREs. July is Alaska’s warmest, driest month, shooing my crew and me skinnydipping into sun-baked kettle pools and, after long days, into the numbing glacial creeks where we gathered drinking water. One July, the heat climbed to nearly 80 degrees.

Now, back in the 100s, I am exactly where Alaska shepherded me. For the last three summers, I spent my days off gathering the plants that healed my chronic urinary tract, bladder and kidney infections. Now I am in the Appalachian Mountains, deep in a clinical study of the herbal medicine that redeemed my health. I am learning how to read bloodwork and walk barefoot; the chemistry of polyphenols and my body with 500 acres of quiet, virgin land.

There is vastly more plant diversity here, the woods reverenced for their endangered medicinal gems like bloodroot, black and blue cohosh, goldenseal, ladies slipper and American ginseng. The ancient plant healing tradition has been kept vividly alive by the sharing of medicines from native peoples to Irish and Scottish immigrants and African-Americans, whose poverty passed down the knowledge by necessity. And while I am learning textbook assignments of isolated botanical constituents to illness, it’s framed by the Western tradition of herbalism that hails back to Hippocrates — the assessment of imbalance of the individual’s hot, cold, damp, dry, tense and lax energetics.

Here, I’m learning the science of my granny’s medicine.

July in the Appalachians is the sweet scratch of blackberry and briar-draped bushes, peaches for sale in old truck beds, and sunshine as the crow flies. It’s just now here, on the proverbially flying time, and yet we find it just the same as we remember it in our young hearts. It’s good to be home in the first mountains I loved, in dusks wet with locust song, fingers purple with mulberry juice, bluegrass on the front porch, an accent growing familiar again on my prodigal tongue, and, slow and honeyed as the South, the sweet, heavy heat.  PS

Katherine Smith is a wild-prone witness who grew up swinging from ivy vines and hunting water lilies in Pinebluff, North Carolina. She’s returned to North Carolina to study clinical herbalism at the Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine in Lowgap, calling Ireland and Alaska home in the interim.

Birdwatch

Beak House

This time of year sees a hot real estate market for house wrens

By Susan Campbell

Throughout the Piedmont and Sandhills, Carolina wrens are year-round residents easily recognized by their handsome rufous coloring, prominent white eyebrows, cocked up tails and loud voices. The emphatic “chirpity, chirpity, chirp” calls are made primarily by males, although, from time to time, females may join the chorus. These inquisitive birds, foraging almost nonstop in all sorts of nooks and crannies looking for bugs, are known to find their way into garages and even homes if there is a crack large enough for them to squeeze through. In addition, they seek out protected places to nest, often using front door wreaths, mailboxes, hanging baskets and manmade objects of all kinds.

House wrens, on the other hand, are a bit smaller and drabber in coloration. Both the male and female are gray-brown with faint streaking on wings and tail. These diminutive birds are just as feisty as their more familiar cousins. Their song, however, is a lovely mix of bubbling notes that carries quite a way. House wrens, too, are voracious insectivores, found in close association with people.

Once upon a time, they were considered seasonal migratory visitors to both the Piedmont and Sandhills, skulking in thick vegetation during spring and fall migration. In 1922, house wrens were seen nesting in the Piedmont and are now found commonly around Raleigh, and from Greensboro to Charlotte. The first documented, known successful breeding attempt in Moore County was sighted in Pinehurst during the summer of 2007. Since then a few pairs have been reported from Whispering Pines, as well as pockets around the Village of Pinehurst. However, these birds are easily overlooked by folks unfamiliar with the species. At this point, they are almost certainly breeding in more locations in at least the northern half of the Sandhills.

House wrens have a breeding strategy that allows them to colonize new habitat quickly. Females typically produce two sets of four to seven young each summer. The males are frequently polygamous. Interestingly, a female may move to the territory of a different male for the second nesting. And female house wrens are known to raise broods in quick succession. The male may finish raising the first brood as the female begins nest-building for round two.

Unlike Carolina wrens, house wrens are cavity nesters, so they will use bird boxes readily. Small holes are hard to come by on the human-altered landscape — but birdhouses are not. With increased urbanization and the widespread interest in providing for birds, more boxes are appearing on the landscape every spring. Although house wrens will use a box that is pole- mounted, they actually prefer hanging houses. It is possible that this is because dangling accommodations are less likely to be invaded by predators.

The challenge that house wrens no doubt have been facing here in the Sandhills as they attempt to become established, is available “real estate.” When they return to nest in mid-April, the bluebirds, as well as our nonmigratory chickadees, nuthatches and titmice have not only claimed a large percentage of the available bird houses but are also well into incubation. House wrens then must search for an empty box. If you are interested in providing for these uncommon little birds, it is best to wait to hang a suitable box until about April 15. Also you might want to consider a box with a smaller (1-inch or 1 1/2-inch) entrance that will exclude larger cavity nesters. If you happen to attract house wrens, please let me know. We are still very interested in the progress of these birds as they continue their southward dispersal here in central North Carolina.  OH

Susan would love to receive your wildlife sightings and photos. She can be contacted by email at susan@ncaves.com.

PS Profiles June 2019

PS PROFILES JUNE 2019

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Dr. John F. Ceraso, DMD

Dr. John Ceraso has been practicing general dentistry since 1990, with a concentration in cosmetic work, dental implants, and full mouth rehabilitation. He is an established and distinguished member of both the ADA (American Dental Association) and NCDS (North Carolina Dental Society). Dr. Ceraso regularly participates in advanced courses of study, mainly due to the fact that he is firm in the belief it is important to remain on the cutting edge of dentistry.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dr. Ceraso graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. He then went on to achieve his DMD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. In his final year at this renowned university, it was believed by many of his peers that he was the most likely to succeed in the field of dentistry.

And succeed he did, eventually settling in North Carolina and becoming one of North Carolina’s leading Implant and Cosmetic Dentists. Today, Dr. Ceraso is known for his exceptional artistry in creating beautiful, attractive, long-lasting smiles. As a result of his hard work, he is well aware of the fact that the personal image you project is of the utmost importance. Thus, each patient’s treatment is personalized and unique, with specialized treatment crafted for each client’s individual needs.

Dr. Ceraso’s mission is to touch every patient individually. “It may not even be through a dental procedure, but to listen and understand their individual and specific needs from the most straightforward procedure to the most complex making that person at that time in the moment be the most important person in the room,” stated Dr. Ceraso. Due to his advanced skills and experience, Dr. Ceraso’s cosmetic dental procedures are virtually “painless,” which is incredibly appealing to many patients.

In addition, Dr. Ceraso has been working with dental implants longer than many other dentists and was one of the first Implant Dentists in the Sandhills area, affording him a great deal of first-hand experience when it comes to implants. Dr. Ceraso was even personally invited to Germany by a renowned dental implant company to visit the factory, learn more about the product, and to meet the top implant dentist in the world. This was an invitation only event and quite the honor for Dr. Ceraso to be personally selected due to his skill.

Dr. Ceraso was instrumental in organizing and establishing the mobile free dental clinic sponsored by St. Joseph of the Pines. He had a key role in obtaining equipment and instruments  required to operate a mobile dental clinic for the underprivileged in Moore County. Often, Dr. Ceraso devotes a Saturday to care for less fortunate people who desperately require dental care. He finds his contributions to the community rewarding, and these patients are incredibly appreciative of Dr. Ceraso’s charitable work.

Dr. Ceraso married his high school sweetheart, Karla, in 1988. Today, they reside in Pinehurst, North Carolina, with their three children. When he is not in the office, he enjoys racquetball, fishing, playing golf, and spending time with his family. Dr. Ceraso intends to continue providing top-quality dental care to the residents of the Sandhills for many years to come, both in the clinic and on the road.

910.692.5250
125 Murray Hill Road Suite A
Southern Pines, NC
www.cerasodental.com

 

Lin Hutaff, Realtor

Golfing in the Sandhills since 1978, Lin knows the Moore County Real Estate Market! She moved to NC with her husband, Phil, in 1978, when he was called home to help with the family business. At the time, Lin was on the Corporate staff at IBM and split her time between White Plains, NY, and Research Triangle Park, NC. While with IBM, Lin was part of the Finance Industry Marketing Division and later briefed Executives of IBM’s top 50 accounts. She credits her early experience in marketing at IBM for much of her success as a Real Estate Agent.

She served on the Boards of The O’Neal School, the former Moore Regional Hospital, the Lee County Commission on Youth and together with her husband, chaired the Hospital Ball in 1991. Lin currently serves on the Board of St. Joseph of the Pines, Partners in Progress and Rotary Club of the Sandhills.

Lin has a Masters Degree in Mathematics from St. Louis University, a Jesuit University.

Lin is consistently in the top 1% of MOORE County Realtors and top 3% of U.S. Realtors, selling more than $2 Million in Real Estate each month

Lin Hutaff’s Pinehurst Realty Group offers a KNOWLEDGABLE, COURTEOUS, and CONFIDENTIAL Real Estate Experience with the very best outcome possible! “With our experienced Group of Realtors, we can be available to our clients whenever they need us!” 

Call Lin if you are considering Selling or Buying a home in Moore County.

910.528.6427
25 Chinquapin Road
Pinehurst, NC
www.linhutaff.com

 

Veronica LLOyd, Owner

Mother-Daughter duo, Pat Phillips and Veronica Lloyd, have always had a passion for fashion and a dream of together, owning their own boutique. They’d been loyal Monkee’s customers for many years before becoming a part of the beloved franchise this year.

Pat, with her hard-working entrepreneurial spirit, has had a great amount of success operating and expanding her family’s NC-based specialty chemical company. She’s business oriented, but fashion forward!

Veronica, who played basketball at the University of the South in Tennessee and rode for the University’s Equestrian Team, is a former elementary school educator with a Master’s Degree and an obsession for fashion!

When the Monkee’s franchise opportunity became available in Southern Pines, it was a no-brainer for this fashionable pair. They took ownership this past January and are continuing the Monkee’s tradition of excellent customer experience and high quality shoes, apparel and accessories.

Veronica, who has since become the face of the popular Broad Street store, is thrilled about her new career as a Monkee’s franchise owner and feels incredibly blessed to have her mom as both her business partner and mentor.

As new owners to the sixteen year old store, they’re constantly seeking new and interesting lines to carry that have admirable backstories and a special flair.

But both Pat and Veronica are particularly passionate about shoes! They aim to help each client find their own personal shoe style. Monkee’s franchises stress the importance of maintaining a comfortable and inviting “living room” for shopping. Fittingly, they’ve created an enjoyable, shoe-parlor atmosphere where shoppers can have a fun, fabulous experience whether they’re trying on shoes or clothes, and feel as if they’re in the comfort of their own home.

Pat and Veronica both possess an ardent enthusiasm for connecting and building relationships with the community and their customers. Their commitment is truly apparent every single day, especially through their huge social media presence, where they inspire their current and potential clients by styling and modeling Monkee’s shoes, clothing and accessories on a daily basis. Give Monkee’s a follow
@Monkeesofthepines to stay in the loop and to get in on the fun!

910.693.7463
124 NW Broad Street
Southern Pines, NC
www.monkeesofthepines.com

 

Diane Williams, Gastroenterologist
Ann Edgerton, Physician Assistant

Tired of counting calories, feeling hungry, and eating foods you don’t like, yet still seeing zero results? HEALcare Clinic of Pinehurst is changing the game in the Sandhills with their clinically tested, low-carbohydrate ketogenic program that uses “food as medicine” to put type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, and obesity in remission without the use of medication or insulin. HEALcare’s goal is help you stop being a “patient” and enjoy a healthy, normal life. Those who participate find their lives are completely transformed.   

That’s because HEALcare is far more than just an ordinary diet plan. Developed by Dr. Eric Westman at Duke University, HEALcare participants receive personalized, expert-guided keto diet, nutrition and lifestyle support, plus medical supervision as needed until they can safely and effectively eliminate insulin and medication and improve health.

In addition to weight loss and type 2 diabetes remission, recent research shows that the ketogenic diet can combat high blood pressure, slow the effects of aging and lead to improvement in other medical conditions, such as joint pain, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, fatty liver disease, and other ailments influenced by diet.

Diane M. Williams (left), MD MHS graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School. She then did her residency in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Fellowship at Duke University, during which time she also received a Master’s in Health Science. She stumbled upon information about diets and disease and spent the last two years furthering her education on the matter. She felt the need to incorporate this learning into her practice, and with the help of her GI Partners, Dr. David Martin, Dr. Tom Swantkowski and Dr. Eric Frizzell, became host to the HEALcare Clinic of Pinehurst.

The HEALcare of Pinehurst team is led by Ann Edgerton, PA-C, a North Carolina native who found her calling in health services. Edgerton received her undergraduate degree and attended Physician Assistant School at Wake Forest, then made her way to the Sandhills region when her husband relocated to work at the local hospital. Edgerton particularly enjoys being on the front end of healthcare, where she can help others gain control of their health.

While the HEALcare Clinic is a separate entity from the Pinehurst Medical Clinic, they have been supportive in their efforts to bring this option to the Pinehurst community. HEALcare plans to continue bringing holistic care and wellness to the Sandhills, opting to replace medication with education, better dietary choices, and a healthy, happy lifestyle.

888.509.9016
4204 Murdocksville Road
West End, NC
www.healclinics.com/pinehurst

 

Brian Thwaites M.D.
James Winkley M.D.
Rob Thomas PA-C
Steve Collins PA-C

Back in the mid-’90s, the Sandhills was in need of an interventional pain management clinic. Brian Thwaites M.D., (far right) of Pinehurst Anesthesiologist Associates stepped up and collaborated with FirstHealth (then Moore Regional Hospital) to start FirstHealth Back and Neck Pain. They started small, borrowing what space they could find in the Ambulatory Surgery Center and pulling resources from other areas of the hospital, determined to build the operation they knew this community deserved.

Dr. Thwaites came to Moore County after an anesthesiology residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and serving as a staff anesthesiologist at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Texas. He now works alongside seven physicians, three physician assistants, and one adult nurse practitioner. Years later, Dr. Thwaites and his team have grown into one of the most highly accredited pain centers in Central North Carolina.

Their goal is to stop chronic, debilitating pain or reduce it to the greatest extent possible. They view themselves as a diagnostic center first, working through thorough evaluation to find the root cause of pain problems.

Because back and neck pain can stem from a multitude of causes, it sometimes takes a combination of therapies to get pain under control. For this reason, the clinic serves as a central point for clients’ pain management plans by providing access to a complete range of pain relief options in an environment that is both comfortable and compassionate.

FirstHealth Back and Neck Pain treats a wide variety of nerve and mechanical pain issues, primarily related to the neck, thoracic spine, and lower lumbar spine, including herniated discs, spinal stenosis, lumbar and cervical radiculopathy, and sacroiliac joint problems. However, other pain issues that are chronic in nature, such as knee arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, cancer related pain, and postherpetic neuralgia, can be treated by the clinic physicians.

Depending on the source of the pain, treatments administered through Back and Neck Pain include steroid or pain medication injections, neurostimulation, radiofrequency interruption of nerve connections, selective nerve blocks and other treatments designed specifically to alleviate chronic pain. The newest and most cutting-edge treatment option offered at FirstHealth is Coolief, which uses radio frequency to relieve osteoarthritis knee pain in a safe and non-invasive treatment plan.

Partners in the practice, James Winkley M.D., (second from left) and Dr. Thwaites are both double board certified in anesthesia and pain management. Additionally, both doctors share ties to the Army, as their medical careers started while serving in uniform. Dr. Winkley is the proud father to 9 children with his wife, Jeannine, and is the Bishop at the Pinehurst Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After serving in the Navy, Steve Collins (far left), PA-C worked in family medicine and emergency for 23 years in Richmond county. He has been with FirstHealth since 2014.

Rob Thomas (second from right), PA-C is a Pinehurst local who attended PA school at Methodist University. He has been a practicing physician assistant for the last decade focusing on acute and chronic pain syndromes. Like his colleagues, he is passionate about offering a multimodal approach to pain management.

910.715.1794
35 Memorial Drive
Pinehurst, NC
www.firsthealth.org/pain

 

Nicole  Johnson, Owner

Owning a permanent makeup business, a training academy, and most recently opening a studio in downtown Southern Pines, Nicole Johnson knows that life is too short not to pursue your passions. 

Originally from Ohio, Nicole gained work experience in her early career in both the medical field as a surgical assistant and also in esthetics when she worked in a busy, highly-rated medical spa. 

As the owner of Fanatical Skin & Ink, she now sits at the top of a very niche industry of medical tattooing, through which she discovered she could combine her two diverse interests together in a single career.

Microblading and micropigmentation tattoo work is designed to appear subtle and natural, filling in brow lines or shading in bare areas on the scalp with whisper thin strokes. 

But some uses for medical tattooing are not commonly known. Nicole uses micropigmentation on breast cancer survivors to reduce the appearance of scars and to mimic the look of lost areola tissue. She also works with combat veterans to camouflage scars, a service that can also be used on anyone with burns or other wounds they wish to disguise.

Through her services, her clients can see immediate improvement, both physically and mentally, which can be a life-changing moment. 

Nicole opened Fanatical Skin & Ink in downtown Southern Pines in February this year where she performs these medical tattooing services in addition to aesthetic skin care services including hair removal, body treatments, skin rejuvenation, professional peels, microblading, hydrafacials, permanent cosmetics, lash services, injections, skin resurfacing, laser, dermaplaning, microneedling and more.

But, inevitably, it’s her unbeatable eyebrow shaping that she has become best known for around town.

With so many service offerings, it’s no wonder Nicole’s bringing on a new medical service provider later this summer.

910.684.0001
124 W Pennsylvania Avenue
Southern Pines, NC
www.fanaticalskin.ink

 

Tristan Locklear, Owner
Trey Bowman, Barber

Tristan Locklear, owner and founder of The Old Pines Barber Shop, has been cutting hair for as long as he can remember. Tristan was tired of other barbers cutting his hair incorrectly in his hometown of Lumberton, North Carolina, which sparked his inspiration to open up a barber shop of his own.

It wasn’t long before Tristan earned trust amongst his high school peers and quickly gained the reputation as one of the best barbers in his small town. Cutting hair in high school was only the beginning for Tristan, however. It didn’t take long for him to work his way to the top and achieve his dream when he opened The Old Pines Barber Shop in September 2018.

Trey Bowman works alongside Tristan at the quaint, old-school barber shop, located in the heart of Southern Pines. Trey, a Southern Pines native, graduated from Sanford Barber College, which requires 1,528 extensive hours of training. He learned from the very best teacher and mentor, Mr. Cotten, who taught him everything he knows about barbering. His passion is to help men find their own, personal style and figure out what works best for them.

Old Pines Barber Shop, thanks to it’s downtown location, has a laid-back, approachable atmosphere where everyone can feel at home and at ease while visiting. They’re also kid friendly!

Tristan and Trey both enjoy riding fourwheelers in their spare time and Tristan loves for every minute outside of the shop to be spent with his five-year-old son, Rylan.

910.725.2500
171 NE Broad Street
Southern Pines, NC

 

Nikki Bowman, Owner / Broker
Jessica Rowan, Broker

Nikki Bowman (left) has called Southern Pines home since she was only two years old. She has Moore County knowledge and a sense of pride in the community that only a true native can possess, and as a realtor she puts this expertise to work for her clients in every real estate deal that she facilitates.

Nikki has been actively working as a local real estate agent since 2005 and opened Realty World Properties of the Pines in 2011. Her buyer’s agent, Jessica Rowan, has been working alongside her since 2015.

Like Nikki, Jessica is a lifetime Southern Pines resident and the only thing she loves more than her hometown is helping others fall in love with it too! Together, with the community knowledge they possess, they’ve honed a unique skill set to help their clients understand and navigate the area’s diverse market to meet their individual needs as buyers or sellers.

Nikki specializes primarily in listing homes, fearlessly and professionally facing the challenges that come along with selling a home. With a track record to prove it, Nikki is usually the agent who can sell a house that others couldn’t.

Jessica, who prefers to work with homebuyers, provides the advice to newcomers to fully embrace moving to a new area, which she knows can be intimidating for families. So she helps homebuyers find more than just a new home in Moore County- she identifies where they should eat, shop and play by pointing out her favorites around their new neighborhood.

The duo also provides assistance in helping clients find rentals and manage their properties, rounding out their full service real estate agency.

Nikki has always found energy and inspiration from her three children who motivate her to work hard every day. When Jessica is not working, she can be found window shopping in downtown Southern Pines while petting every dog she sees along the way.

910.725.1137
760-B NW Broad Street
Southern Pines, NC
www.realtyworldofmoore.com

 

Philip Holmes, Manager

Frank Crumpler knew from an early age that he wanted to pursue a future in funeral service. After graduating from the Cincinnati School of Embalming in 1956, Frank moved back to his hometown of Clinton, NC, where he began working with Jernigan Warren Funeral Home in Fayetteville. It was when he was working a funeral service in the Raeford Cemetery that he met his future wife, Dayne Capps. After their courtship and marriage, Frank and Dayne later founded Crumpler Funeral Home in Raeford.

Frank and Dayne had three children, Kemp, Kel, and Kalen, who all grew up to be licensed funeral directors themselves. Frank and Dayne purchased LaFayette Funeral Home in Fayetteville in 1992. Five years later the couple opened up their third funeral home in Red Springs. In 2006, Frank and Dayne purchased 10 acres of land at the corner of US 1 and Windy Hill Road in Aberdeen. They renovated the colonial house on the property and gave it new life as a modern funeral home to serve the families of Moore County. Now, almost 60 years after they opened their first funeral home, Frank and Dayne’s grandson, Philip Holmes, has become a third generation licensed funeral director, managing Crumpler Funeral Home of Aberdeen. 

Growing up, Philip did all kinds of manual labor around his family’s funeral homes. His grandfather, Frank, kept him busy hand-digging graves, washing vehicles, laying sod, and other tasks that needed to be completed around the funeral homes. Philip remembers Frank saying that he “never considered a day in funeral service ‘work,’” but as the one who always ended up covered in dirt and sweat, Philip couldn’t quite relate. It wasn’t until he served his apprenticeship and became a licensed funeral director that he began to understand what his grandfather meant. It is evident that Philip’s calling lies in serving the families of those who have lost someone they love, helping with genuine and sincere compassion, and guiding the families even after the services are completed.

The appreciation expressed by families who have been served is what he, as well as the entire Crumpler Family, strive for. 

The countless number of lasting friendships that have developed over the course of Philip’s tenure as a funeral director has been invaluable to him.

910.944.9400
40229 US Hwy 1 south
Aberdeen, NC
www.crumplerfhaberdeen.com

 

Charlotte Williams, Owner

Charlotte Williams is the backbone and namesake of Charlotte’s Furnishings and Finds. With a degree in Interior Design and a minor in Business from Meredith College, Charlotte is driven to find the best deals to pass along to her customers and she gives her all to running her small business – that is really anything but small.

For starters, her downtown Aberdeen store has over 6000 sq ft. Charlotte uses every square inch of floor space to display a wide variety of furnishings, and home decor. She hunts for beautiful, tasteful additions from her market sources, then brings those market sample pieces to her shop and passes along the wholesale savings to her customers! Case goods, upholstery, accessories, rugs and wall art are just some of Charlotte’s special finds that you can pick up for yourself.

Her most loyal and savvy customers know to stop by often and to shop quickly. Unlike big box furniture stores or boutique home decor retailers, Charlotte’s pieces are straight off the market floor, and therefore every day brings brand new additions to her eclectic collection, and the pieces sell fast! Just because that amazing solid wood dining table is in her showroom today, doesn’t mean it will still be there tomorrow, or ever again for that matter.

With an impressive background in design, Charlotte is great at helping her customers find exactly what they need. No matter your personal style, Charlotte’s huge and ever-changing inventory is sure to have something for everyone.

Expansion has come quickly and in a big way for Charlotte. She has opened a second storefront just a couple dozen yards from her corner location on Poplar Street. As if you couldn’t find what you need behind door number one, walk on over to her Main Street extension to see more choices for your design projects.

There’s so much to discover on a trip to Charlotte’s, it should be no surprise that her unique store has been a Best of the Pines nominee and winner for two consecutive years! Safe to say that Charlotte is doing big things with her small company.

910.690.7922
101 N Poplar Street
Aberdeen, NC  

PinePitch

Music Festival of the Pines

Third Stream Duo and the Weymouth Center collaborate to offer two days of adult and young artist classes for high school-age musicians and adult music lovers. The program includes two concerts open to the public. The Third Stream Duo concert is at 7 p.m. Friday, June 14, with a $15 suggested donation. The Young Artists/Third Stream Duo joint concert is Saturday, June 15, at 5:30 p.m. For information on class fees or further concert details, call (910) 692-6261 or go to weymouthcenter.org. Tickets are available at ticketmesandhills.com.

Dive into June

Join Southern Pines Recreation and Parks for its Juneteenth Celebration at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 16, at the Pool Park, 735 S. Stephens St., Southern Pines. The event is co-sponsored by the Southern Pines Public Library, Southern Pines Police Department and West Southern Pines Citizens for Change. For more information, call (910) 692-7376 or go to www.southernpines.net/136/Recreation-Parks.

First Friday

The June 7 edition of First Friday features the high-energy sound of Mountain Heart on the First Bank Stage next to the Sunrise Theater, 250 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Music begins at 5 p.m. There will be food trucks and alcohol for purchase. For more information, call (910) 692-3611 or visit www.sunrisetheater.com.

Queen Bee on the Menu

Author Dorothea Benton Frank will talk about her new book, Queen Bee, at a luncheon at noon on Friday, June 7, at the Country Club of North Carolina, 1600 Morganton Road, Pinehurst. Tickets are available at ticketmesandhills.com.

Broadway on the Big Screen

One of the most elaborate productions of the Broadway classic 42nd Street comes to the Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Sunday, June 9, and 10 a.m. Thursday, June 13. For more information, call (910) 692-3611 or visit www.sunrisetheater.com.

The Rooster’s Wife

Sunday, June 2: Logan Ledger. A young talent’s dream of getting discovered by the right Music City tastemaker really can come true. In the case of Logan Ledger, a demo recording caught the attention of Americana architect T Bone Burnett. Preview his new record. Cost: $15.

Thursday, June 6: Jon Roniger and the Good for Nothin’ Band. Bringing New Orleans to LA — Lower Aberdeen! Slick, sly, charming and authentic, the band practically crackles with chops. Cost: $12.

Thursday, June 13: Open mic with the Parsons. Your chance to take the stage. Free to members.

Friday, June 14: John Westmoreland, Skylar Gudasz. Westmoreland brings his new project, “Cast Fire,” a debut album of his original songs and music, and special guest, Charlie Lowery. Gudasz is a singer/songwriter from Durham, and then some. Last spotted traveling with Mipso, and The Jayhawks. Cost: $12.

Sunday, June 16: Chaise Lounge. Big league jazz with five of the Washington, D.C., area’s top jazz musicians playing sparkling arrangements of standards and original tunes, featuring the soft, luminous vocals of Marilyn Older. Cost: $20.

Thursday, June 20: Rebecca Newton. Great songs on a brand new album, her first solo project after all these years. Cost: $10.

Friday, June 21: Drew Gibson, Abigail Dowd. Gibson brings a new album and fabulous pedal steel by Dave Hadley. Our own Abigail Dowd returns to the Sandhills with songs of self-discovery, holding close and letting go. Cost: $15.

Sunday, June 23: Randall Bramblett. “You can’t do better than Randall Bramblett,” says Bonnie Raitt. Who are we to argue? Cost: $20.

Thursday, June 27: Kerrville Winners’ Song Circle. Rachel Laven, Nathan Evans Fox and Wes Collins bring a celebration of songs from the annual Kerrville Folk Festival, where they all took honors. Cost: $10.

Sunday, June 30: House of Hamill. Rose Baldino and Brian Buchanan met backstage 10 years ago, when their bands, Enter The Haggis and Burning Bridget Cleary, were sharing the bill. The two bonded over a love of Irish fiddle tunes, Radiohead and 4 a.m. whiskey. The bond continues, stronger than ever. Cost: $15.

Unless otherwise noted, doors open at 6 p.m. and music begins at 6:46 at the Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Prices above are for members. Annual memberships are $5 and available online or at the door. For more information, call (910) 944-7502 or visit www.theroosterswife.org or ticketmesandhills.com.

Shakespeare in the Pines

The Uprising Theatre Company brings the Bard back to Pinehurst’s Village Green with performances of As You Like It on June 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16. The play begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Tufts Memorial Park, 1 Village Green Road W., Pinehurst. General admission is free. For information on VIP tables, call (541) 631-8241 or go to www.uprisingtheatrecompany.com.

60 Minutes Man

Join CBS’ 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, author of Truth Worth Telling, at 6 p.m. on June 4 for a conversation and book signing with Kimberly Daniels Taws at the Pinehurst Country Club, 80 Carolina Vista, Dr., Pinehurst. Pelley, was the CBS Evening News anchor from 2011-17, travelled with the XVIII Airborne Corps on its assault into Iraq in 1991 and served as the network’s chief White House correspondent from 1997-99. The event, sponsored by The Pilot and The Country Bookshop, costs $35 which includes a copy of the book. Tickets are available at ticketmesandhills.com.

Literary Luncheon

Join New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Michelle Gable at noon on Monday, June 3, at the Holly Inn, 155 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst, to hear about her new novel, The Summer I Met Jack. Ticket sales will benefit the Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives and are available at ticketmesandhills.com.

Bookshelf

June Books

FICTION

The Summer Guests, by Mary Alice Monroe

When a hurricane threatens the coasts of Florida and South Carolina, an eclectic group of evacuees flee for the farm of their friends, Grace and Charles Phillips, in Tryon, North Carolina. They find the Phillipses’ daughter, Moira, and her rescue dogs; famed equestrian Javier Angel de la Cruz; makeup artist Hannah McLain; horse breeder Gerda Klug and her daughter, Elise; and another island resident, Cara Rutledge. They bring with them only the few treasured possessions they can fit in their vehicles. Strangers to all but the Phillipses, they ride out the storm together. During the course of one of the most challenging weeks of their lives, relationships are put to the test as the evacuees are forced to confront the unresolved issues they have with themselves and with each other. Rumor is that Caroline Young, who left Southern Pines for Tryon a few years ago, makes an appearance in the novel.

The Electric Hotel, by Dominic Smith

Aging mastermind Claude Ballard, the innovative filmmaker behind a lost masterpiece of silent film, The Electric Hotel, lives in a rundown Los Angeles hotel. He lives out his days walking the hills, foraging for mushrooms, attending to an elderly actress, and largely ignoring the decaying film canisters surrounding him. When a curious student working on his dissertation interviews Claude, the original film and stories spanning decades and continents are unearthed. You will be mesmerized by this work of historical fiction.

The Snakes, by Sadie Jones

Bea and Dan — a young couple seeking respite from their London life —travel to Paris to spend time with Bea’s brother, Alex, in the rundown hotel her parents purchased for him. Opening the door to the hotel opens a door to the family from which Bea has long tried to distance herself. Insanely rich, dabbling in dangerous play, and with twisted ideas about familial love, Bea and Dan find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into something they never wanted. Quietly terrifying, Jones’ writing grabs the reader on page one and, no matter how much you want to look away from the downward spiral of Bea and Dan’s fate, each page demands to be turned until the hammer falls.

Recursion, by Blake Crouch

The author of the best-selling Dark Matter returns with the story of New York City cop Barry Sutton investigating the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome — a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. As Sutton searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease, a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. This book will satisfy those in need of a good, dark read and could be your favorite of the year.

Paris, 7 A.M., by Liza Wieland

In June of 1937, Elizabeth Bishop, still only a young woman and not yet one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, arrives in France with her college roommates. They are in search of an escape, and inspiration, far from the protective world of Vassar College, where they were expected to find an impressive husband, a quiet life, and act accordingly. But the world is changing, and as they explore the City of Lights, the larger threats of fascism and occupation are looming. There, they meet a community of upper-crust expatriates who not only bring them along on a life-changing adventure, but also into an underground world of rebellion that will quietly alter the course of Elizabeth’s life forever.

Summer of 69, by Elin Hilderbrand

It’s 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother’s historic home on Nantucket. But like so much else in America, nothing is the same. Blair, the oldest sister, is marooned in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha’s Vineyard. Only-son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding a troubling secret. As the summer heats up, Ted Kennedy drives a car off a single lane bridge in Chappaquiddick, man flies to the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country.

NONFICTION

Every Man a Hero: A Memoir of D-Day, the First Wave at Omaha Beach, and a World at War, by Ray Lambert and Jim DeFelice

The co-author of American Sniper joins forces with Seven Lakes resident Ray Lambert to write one of the most remarkable memoirs of our time. Seventy-five years ago, Lambert hit Omaha Beach with the first wave. Now 98 years old, he delivers a tour-de-force of remembrance evoking his role as a decorated World War II medic who risked his life to save the heroes of D-Day. Every Man a Hero is the unforgettable story not only of what happened in the incredible and desperate hours on Omaha Beach, but of the bravery and courage throughout the Second World War — from the sands of Africa, through the treacherous mountain passes of Sicily and beyond to the greatest military victory the world has ever known.

Gather at The River: 25 Authors on Fishing,
by author/editors David Joy and Eric Richstad

Reading Gather at the River makes you feel as if you have been invited to sit down to a feast with your favorite contemporary writers. These are not “fish stories,” but literary essays evoking nostalgia for a simpler place and time; growing up and growing old; what changes and what stays the same. If finding pure pleasure in savoring this collection isn’t enough, it’s wonderful to know that a portion of the proceeds from each sale go to the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation, benefiting children with special needs.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

If I Was the Sunshine,
by Julie Fogliano; illustrated by Loren Long

In an ode to spring, nature and love everywhere, Fogliano and Long have teamed up to create natural beauty in this lovely picture book. It’s the perfect gift for a new baby or a delightful read-on-yout-lap book with that special little person.  (Ages birth-6.)

Bruno the Standing Cat, by Nadine Robert and Jean Julien

Cat person or not, everyone must admit cats are just a little, well, weird — but in the most wonderful ways. Bruno is no exception. Young cat lovers will laugh out loud at Bruno’s escapades and his incredibly entertaining expressions. (Ages 3-6.)

You Made Me a Dad,
by Laurenne Sala and Mike Malbrough

The absolute perfect Father’s Day gift for brand new dads, this fun little book showcases all the fabulous opportunities that come with this amazing new job. (Ages birth-6.)

Diggersaurs, by Michael Whaite

No need to decide between that truck book and the dinosaur book when Diggersaurs is on the bookshelf! Young readers will delight in this rhyming ode to all things dinosaur and all things with wheels. (Ages 2-5.)

Finale, by Stephanie Garber

It’s here! It’s here! It’s finally here! Just in time for summer beach reading, this amazing third and final book in the Caraval series is sure to leave readers reveling in this lush, magical, and oh-so-dangerous world. Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy; Scarlett must do the impossible; and Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him. Called impressive, spellbinding, original and wondrous, the Caraval series is just perfect for warm beach days and long summer nights.  (Age 14 and up.)  PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally

In the Spirit

Summer Well

Catching up and resting up

By Tony Cross

It’s my favorite time of the year. I love hot weather, and hopefully, I’ll be able to get out of town for at least a few days. If that’s the case, you’ll find me on the beach with either drink or book in hand. I enjoy Miller Lites, ice cold and in bulk. And when I’m reading, it’s almost always non-fiction. This summer, however, I hope to catch up on a few cocktail books that I haven’t had time to digest. It seems like every month there are tons of new books available on Amazon dedicated to spirits, cocktails, bars that make them, and the history of all of the above. Here’s a few that I hope to tackle soon.

Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions, by Alex Day, Nick Fauchald and David Kaplan

From one of the partners of New York City bar Death & Company, and co-authors of Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails (which is, in my opinion, one of the best, if not the best cocktail book ever penned), Cocktail Codex is an in-depth look at six cocktails, and how every cocktail served today is based around them. These “root” cocktails are: the Old-Fashioned, the Martini, the Daiquiri, the Sidecar, the Whiskey Highball, and the Flip.

Each section starts off with the root recipe, and then off it goes! It delves deep into understanding the core of the drink, i.e., all of the ingredients, and why they work. This is very important, because as the chapter continues, it shows other classic-style drinks that are based on the root recipe. All of the crazy drinks that you may find in cocktail bars, books and even from Instagram almost always come from one of these root drinks. Any good bartender will tell you, if you don’t understand the classics (and, just as importantly, the balance), you’re going to have a tough time coming up with your own creations.

Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails, by Shannon Mustipher

This one is hot off the press. I saw Tiki in a Camper English Instagram post in April. He routinely posts on cocktail books that he is sent or purchases. I love all things tiki, so I decided to give it a shot. What a book! Shannon Mustipher’s credits include cocktail consultant, spirits educator and one of the founding members of Women Leading Rum, which, according to her book, is “an organization dedicated to providing education and professional development for industry and trade professionals.”

This is a very thorough, creative and inspiring tiki book. I had a little cocktail class the last weekend in April, and my guests wanted to do a drink with vodka, and one with whiskey. The first cocktail that I saw in this book was the one I ended up using that night. Who says tiki drinks have to be made with rum? The Lorikeet was so good, two of the guests that night admitted it was the best drink they’ve ever had. I wish I could’ve taken credit for the recipe — it’s complex, yet easy to drink and delightful. (Recipe below.)

Anything from the Given Book Shop in Pinehurst.

I met Lisa Richman last spring when she asked me if I’d be interested in doing a science workshop with cocktails as the theme. Of course I would. I didn’t tell her that I failed chemistry in high school until after we made the date official (the ol’ college try had a different outcome). When I showed up for the event, she had stashed away at least 15 cocktail books that were donated to the used bookstore by locals cleaning out their closets. I walked away with a steal — six books that you just can’t get anywhere else, unless you get lucky at the Salvation Army.

This year, the same thing, another successful “Science of Cocktails” class, and another bag of books for me. Lisa is not only efficient at what she does, she’s a huge sweetheart. The Given Outpost took its first shot at hosting a wedding event last fall, and it just happened to be my best friends tying the knot. Lisa made the whole experience easy for them, and for all of their guests. Plus, you guessed it, she had put away a couple of cocktail books and articles for me to sort through and take home. One of my favorites, which sits in my guest bathroom, is Johnny Carson’s Happiness is a Dry Martini. Classic.

Lorikeet

2 ounces rye whiskey (preferably Rittenhouse)

1/2 ounce banana liqueur (preferably Giffard’s Banane du Bresil)

1/4 ounce cinnamon syrup*

1 ounce pineapple juice

3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice

6 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

4 dashes Angostura bitters

Orange twist and pineapple spears, to garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass. Top with pebbled ice, then garnish with an orange twist and 2 pineapple spears.

*Cinnamon syrup: In a pot, combine 4 ounces of water and 8 ounces (by weight) white sugar over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. In a blender, combine syrup and 15 grams of cinnamon sticks. Blend on high until cinnamon sticks are completely broken down. Pour into a small container, let cool and refrigerate overnight. Strain out cinnamon the next day. Will keep for two weeks when refrigerated.   PS

Tony Cross is a bartender who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.