Cape Cod Soul

Cape Cod Soul

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Cape Cod Soul

Heartwarming highlights on a Southern shore

By Hazlette Huskins

Photographs by John Gessner

Chris and Kerrie Szczuka grew up in the small Massachusetts towns of Salem and Holyoke, respectively, and when they began to search for a place to settle down as a young family, they managed to combine her love for rural farmland with his desire for proximity to the coast. Newburyport fit the bill, an hour north of Boston, where they could take their three kids — Jack, Craig and Emma — for activities and lessons. As an engineer with a firm that has offices nationwide, Chris eventually decided to look at other locations to call home, and they honed in on the Research Triangle. With what they considered a God wink to their plans, they relocated to Apex and settled into Salem Village.

In 2020, they began looking for lake property and, impressed with the clear Moore County lakes, eventually found the perfect lakefront lot in the Seven Lakes West neighborhood. At just over an acre, it gently slopes toward the waterfront with a long-distance view across the broadest part of the lake. They visited occasionally, bringing their boat to check out neighboring lakeside properties, and saw several places that reflected the New England style they are so fond of.  While their youngest child was in high school in 2023, they began the construction process so that it would be completed once they were ready to move.

With the help of Susan Arciero Interiors, they began designing the home around a few basic principles: cedar shake siding was a must, a gable roof line to create a little more interest, and a main floor that would feature one-level living just for them. Dreading the thought of passing empty children’s rooms as they went about their day, they created a separate area for the (now grown) kids to feel at home, even in a new build in a new town. Ascending to the small cluster of rooms upstairs feels like entering a pilothouse overlooking the most magnificent view of the lake.  With a family of tennis enthusiasts, Kerrie decorated a small sitting area at the top of the stairs with some memorabilia, including her childhood racket and tennis balls from both the French and Australian Opens. No space is wasted, even along the staircase wall where book club progress is measured spine by spine along a narrow shelf. With the help of K. P. Quality Builders, they thought ahead with smart details like an upper level closet that could one day be easily converted to an elevator.

Downstairs, the breakfast nook accommodates a crowd, with built-in upholstered benches around a custom-built dining table Chris commissioned from Oak City Customs in Raleigh. A favorite painting adorns one wall and ties in the colors from the rest of the home. Created by a former neighbor in Massachusetts, it is a treasured piece that invokes the memory of a Cape Cod beach where the family spent time when the kids were young.

Continuing the creamy wall color with a similar hue in cabinetry, the kitchen wows in its simplicity. Gingham-wrapped books of favorite recipes were gifts from the kids that stand on a countertop, while the beginnings of a teapot collection fill the glass-front cabinets along the ceiling — proudly representing Ireland, England, their wedding day, and soon, a piece from China. LA Cabinets in West End created the kitchen cabinets and matching living room built-ins, with rattan inserts to disguise speakers, as well as the storage cabinets with floral cut-out detail in the mud room. Tucked behind barn doors, Chris has a home office that allows for focus when necessary, and a spectacular view of the glistening lake when a break is needed.

A few creative and heartwarming highlights are found in unsuspecting places, such as the wallpaper. The piano room just off the foyer is partially covered in an enlarged Nav Chart Art map of Newburyport, with stars indicating the places they called home during their time there.

Another way of preserving the family’s past is displayed in the walk-through pantry. With a nostalgic nod to the sitcom Who’s the Boss?, one of the doors had to be swinging, and both have porthole windows to let light pass through. At first glance you notice a display of Kerrie’s grandmother’s blue and white Currier & Ives china. On the wall itself, you discover a recipe in her grandparents’ handwriting, enlarged and printed onto a wallcovering. Her Italian grandmother lived on a lake in New Hampshire where Kerrie spent much of her summers growing up, and this nook honors her in a unique way.

The lower level with direct access to the backyard and the lake beyond is a vast space designed for late-night hangouts and leisure activities. The shower was extended to accommodate the family’s two golden retrievers, Alice and Maggie, who often come home soaking wet from a swim. Outside, the couple formed a mini beach area complete with chairs and an umbrella. Their boat, fittingly named Waggin’ Wheel, sits at the head of the inlet and admires each sunset across a 1 1/2 nautical mile stretch of Lake Auman.

A standout feature is the cupola above the garage with a whale weathervane atop, lovingly called Winnie the Whale. While Winnie seems to have been purchased specifically for this house, she came from Newburyport and has been watching over the family for 18 years, at one time residing on a stake in their Apex yard. She appears right at home after her latest and final move.

The couple incorporated pieces that reflect traditional New England style and stayed true to the origin of certain items, including wood canoe paddles from Maine-based Shaw & Tenney that hang high on the living room wall. A New York artisan, The Carving Company, created the hand-carved wooden exterior house sign that hangs over the front door and mirrors its color. Presented with numerous shades of blue paint options, Kerrie decided to flip the samples over to read the names instead.  Newburyport Blue was staring back at her and the door’s fate was sealed.

Chris and Kerrie love the natural cedar shake siding that adorns the facade and, faithful to the Nantucket style they adore, intend to let it age gracefully. It lends an unpretentious welcome that greets you at the Dutch front door, perfect for the two pups to keep an eye on passersby.

This custom home has packed so much charm and love for family into its walls that it immediately has a sense of place. It was built at a time when their family had begun to scatter — more far than near — for their next stages in life, and has established a refreshing place to relax, recharge and reconnect in a home that embraces old memories, new friends, and life by the water.  PS

Hazlette Huskins is a native North Carolinian, international business graduate of UNC Wilmington, real estate broker, children’s book author and an Arts Council of Moore County Fine Arts Festival award recipient.

Jack’s Lanterns

Jack's Lanterns

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Jack's Lanterns

The joy and wonder of carved pumpkins

Story and Photographs by Todd Pusser

In the fall of 2011, our family displayed one last, grand pumpkin show. It was an event that my parents still talk about to this day. That year, the autumn weather was glorious, filled with bright, warm sunny days and cool, crisp evenings. A full week was spent prepping the front yard for the throngs of people that would venture out to our rural Eagle Springs home just to see a display of carved pumpkins. These were not just any run-of-the-mill jack-o’-lanterns with triangular eyes and teeth, mind you, but pumpkins that glowed with the faces of popular cartoon characters, collegiate mascots, famous movie stars and wild animals. Bales of hay were stacked high across the front yard. Scarecrows were staked into the ground. And tiki torches lined the drive.

A local farmer, Charles Martin, had kindly volunteered to grow us a crop of pumpkins on a portion of his property. We picked the pumpkins, an extra-large heirloom variety known as Mammoth Gold, from his dusty field the first week of October, and by the time Halloween weekend rolled around, I had carved over 200 of the giant gourds. Mammoth Gold pumpkins average around 40 pounds in weight and are bright orange. Their skin is relatively soft and pliable, making them much easier to carve compared to store-bought pumpkin varieties, like Sugar Pies or Connecticut Field pumpkins, which have thick skins, dense fibrous insides and long stems.

Over 8,000 people visited the yard during the three nights that we displayed the pumpkins. People had traveled all the way from Greensboro and Fairmont just to see jack-o’-lanterns glowing beneath a star-filled sky. We asked that visitors donate cans of food for local charities, which they did by the truckload. It was the highlight of our year.

Jack-o’-lanterns displayed on the front doorstep on Halloween night are as iconic as Christmas trees and baskets of Easter eggs. They are holiday symbols that have become fully ingrained in our American culture over the last 150 years. In her book Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon, author Cindy Ott notes that the first published image of a carved jack-o’-lantern appeared in an 1867 issue of Harper’s Weekly magazine. However, the origin story of jack-o’-lanterns takes place on the far side of the Atlantic, in the woodlands and moors of the Old World.

Centuries ago, ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland celebrated the end of the harvest season in a festival known as Samhain. The festival commenced at sunset on Oct. 31 (Samhain’s Eve) and continued until sunset on the following day. During that first night of celebration, the Celts believed that the spirits of the dead would walk about the land, freely among the living. In order to ward off those restless souls, people would dress in frightening costumes and carve scary faces into root vegetables like turnips and potatoes.

Originally cultivated in North America over 7,000 years ago, pumpkins, a type of winter squash, were at the time completely unknown to Europeans. They would not encounter pumpkins until much later, when the first Colonists arrived on our shores and discovered Native Americans growing the fruit (yes, pumpkins are scientifically a fruit and not a vegetable) as a crop. Among those early European settlers were Irish immigrants who brought with them the legend of Stingy Jack.

Though countless versions of this tale have circulated through the centuries, all agree that Jack was an unlikeable character who had a penchant for tricking people. In one recurring tale, Jack even tricked the devil. Not one to trifle with, the devil banned Jack from hell when he died. Due to a lifetime of mischievousness and immorality, Jack had already been denied access to heaven. He was soon cursed to wander between both worlds for eternity, with only an empty turnip lantern to guide his way. Eventually, the devil felt pity for Jack and granted him a single ember of coal to light his lantern on his journey through purgatory. And the jack-o’-lantern was born.

My fascination with carved pumpkins dates back to my earliest childhood days in Eagle Springs. Like most kids, I loved Halloween. I planned my costumes months in advance. Devouring Mary Janes and Bit O’Honey candies, as well as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, acquired from a night of tricks or treats was one of life’s great pleasures. To no surprise of anyone who knows me, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown was, and still is, my favorite TV show.  So, when my parents took me to see a display of jack-o’-lanterns at a local farm one crisp October night, I quickly became obsessed with the glowing gourds. The farmer, Otis Boroughs (who taught in Moore County schools for 30 years and would later become my driver’s ed teacher), grew a large field of pumpkins each summer near my grandmother’s house.

Turns out Mr. Boroughs also had an artistic side. He would carve extraordinary scenes into the pumpkins he harvested and display them each and every Halloween night for all to see. People traveled from all parts of the state to see his magnificent jack-o’-lanterns. Dozens and dozens of glowing pumpkins lined his yard and the loft of his old red barn. Everything from Mickey Mouse to Bugs Bunny and E.T. to the N.C. State wolf mascot were on display. One of his most popular was of a horse-drawn carriage, carved over multiple pumpkins, with Cinderella sitting inside.

For a kid who loved to doodle and had notebooks full of drawings of dinosaurs and snakes, I could not figure out how he had carved such intricate characters into the sides of the giant gourds. I would spend hours walking among his glowing creations as the aroma of baked pumpkin pie (from the candles burning inside) hung heavy in the cool, evening air. It was magical.

For years, I pestered Mr. Boroughs to teach me how to artfully carve a pumpkin. Finally, one Saturday afternoon, after the fall harvest, he relented. I was around 10 years old at the time. That day in his workshop, surrounded by tools and tractors, he taught me the trick to great pumpkin carving.

First, you must choose a pumpkin that fits the design that you have in mind. That day, I had brought with me some permanent markers to draw the Demon Deacon, the mascot of Wake Forest University — my dad’s favorite team — on the side of a pumpkin. Mr. Boroughs picked out a rather tall, oblong-shaped pumpkin that was able to stand upright on its own. It matched well with the long face of the Deacon. After a few minutes, I had completed my drawing.

Next came the most important part, choosing the proper knife to carve out the design. Mr. Boroughs’ tool of choice was a 12-inch compass hand saw with a small metal handle. The narrow, finely serrated blade enabled him, and me, to work magic on a pumpkin. With that simple blade, I easily cut out the sharp corners and intricate patterns, like the eyes and bowtie, of the Demon Deacon. It was much easier to use than the large straight-edged blades I was accustomed to using when cutting out the stereotypical triangular eyes, nose and mouth of past jack-o’-lanterns.

The crowning glory was when Mr. Boroughs placed a candle inside the pumpkin and turned off the lights in the workshop. The face of the Demon Deacon exploded to life, casting a golden glow throughout the tool hed. It was jaw-dropping. No doubt, this is what those early Irish immigrants felt when they put candles in those first pumpkins instead of turnips.

With that afternoon’s pumpkin carving class fully embedded into my memory bank, I went on my way. That Halloween, I carved out a half-dozen jack-o’-lanterns, following the outlines of my hand-drawn designs, including a ghost and caricatures of Mickey Mouse and Godzilla. The only people to see them were my parents and grandmother. My father loved the Demon Deacon. Still, Mr. Boroughs insisted that I tell no one the secret sauce for carving extraordinary pumpkins.

Throughout my teen years, Mr. Boroughs continued his annual display of jack-o’-lanterns, drawing ever larger crowds. His pumpkins were featured in newspapers and on local television stations. Despite being distracted by the usual teenage boy preoccupations of sports and girls, I made it a tradition to visit his farm each and every Halloween.

But alas, all good things come to an end. Father Time finally caught up with Mr. Boroughs. The toll of tending a pumpkin field and carving over a hundred jack-o’-lanterns each year became too much, and he eventually closed his grand pumpkin show for good in the late 1990s. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. His pumpkin display had meant so much to the communities of Eagle Springs and Jackson Springs. The thought of local kids not experiencing the same kind of wonderment that I had experienced as a child viewing his marvelous jack-o’-lanterns was simply too much to bear.

After a couple years of dark Halloween nights, I decided to follow in the footsteps of Mr. Boroughs and create a pumpkin show of my very own, this time in the yard of my childhood home, just a few miles from his farm. The yard was just shy of 2 acres and could easily accommodate many pumpkins, as well as long lines of people. And that is exactly what I did for nearly a decade, culminating in that last pumpkin display in 2011. By that time, life and work had begun to take me far away from Eagle Springs. It became impossible to commit to the time necessary to produce such a large show, so I hung up my carving knives.

Since then, things have changed dramatically. The secret sauce for great pumpkin carving is now readily available to everyone, with mass-produced pumpkin carving kits showing up on store shelves well before Labor Day. Countless online stencils, of every subject imaginable, can be downloaded and applied to pumpkins for easy carving. One can even buy artificial carving pumpkins so you can preserve your jack-o’-lantern for years to come.

Mr. Boroughs passed away in 2024, at the ripe old age of 87. Eagle Springs farmer Charles Martin followed soon after, in February of this year.

I am now a proud parent to a precocious 7-year-old girl named Ella. She has an artistic side herself. Every year, we try and make a point to carve at least one jack-o’-lantern for Halloween. Perhaps this year she will want to carve out a character from the hit K-Pop Demon Hunters since she is constantly singing the movie’s songs on the way to school. Or, after seeing Toy Story 5 this past summer, she may want to try a Buzz Lightyear.

Or maybe, just maybe, I can convince her to carve a horse-drawn carriage with Cinderella sitting inside — for old times’ sake.  PS

Prost, Y’all

Prost, Y'all

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Prost, Y'all

Pines, ponies, porch swings and a stein full of Bavaria

By Warren Henry Lewis

Photographs by John Gessner

Feature photo: Ben Lewis, Emily Von Cannon and Warren Henry Lewis at Railhouse Brewery

Remember when we lived in a small town, the kind of place where you gave directions like “if you get to Red’s Exxon you’ve gone too far”? We’ve grown up some since then — a few more roundabouts, which I don’t want to discuss, a few more golf courses, and some great new neighbors up the road — but nothing’s touched the two things that matter most: the pine trees and our unshakable belief that any excuse to gather outside is a good one.

In October, somewhere between the second julep and the third round of “who makes the best pimento cheese,” Moore County goes full Bavaria. So what if Munich’s version begins in the middle of September and runs until the first Sunday in October? At least we’re in the queue. For a few golden weekends, we swap the porch for the biergarten and nobody blinks. Bavaria gave the world lederhosen, oompah bands, and a beer stein you need two hands and a chiropractor to lift. We gave the world the steeplechase, the pine-shaded front porch, and a fierce, decades-long opinion about how to dress a pimento cheese sandwich. Different heritage, same instinct: get dressed up, stand in a field, toast to nothing in particular. By November we’re back to seersucker and sweet tea.

We already gather by the thousands for a golf tournament and treat it like a religious observance. And we’ve been known to put on our finest tweed to watch horses jump over things. Adding a polka band and a plate of bratwurst to the calendar isn’t a stretch. It’s just one more excuse.

None of this is new for us, if I’m honest. I’ve lived here long enough to watch the county become a little bit of everywhere. Retirees roll in chasing sunshine. Military families cycle through Fort Bragg, importing a piece of wherever they’ve come from. Golfers from around the world bring their love of the game and our community. Riders and trainers show up every autumn from as far away as Kentucky and overseas for horse country season. By now, Moore County isn’t really one thing, it’s a lot of things, filtered through tall pines and slow afternoons. A German beer garden is just the latest arrival at the party.

I’ll admit the setting helps the illusion along. Bavaria has its Black Forest, dark and fragrant with fir. We’ve got the longleaf pines, and on a crisp evening at Weymouth Woods, with that turpentine smell in the air, it isn’t hard to squint and think you’re somewhere far grander and colder. Swap the fir for the longleaf, the alpine chill for a Sandhills breeze that still remembers summer, and you’ve got a passable Bavarian backdrop. Minus the yodeling. (Tell the truth, did you hear the Ricola ad in the back of your mind?)

The village of Pinehurst throws its own Oktoberfest at Tufts Memorial Park. Kinderfest opens the evening — a couple of hours of music, crafts, bubble artistry and a nod to Halloween for the kids — before the grownups take over with German music, food and beverages that need no translation. It’s free, it’s friendly, and the crowd is exactly what you’d expect: a few actual dirndls, several ambitious attempts at lederhosen, golf carts neatly parked in rows, and a lot of people who simply came as themselves, beer stein in hand.

There’s something wonderful about watching a man who spent his afternoon in seersucker switch by evening into suspenders and knee socks; or a woman who traded her sundress for a dirndl like she’d been doing it her whole life. The Sandhills needs no excuse to play dress-up.

A bit down the road, Railhouse Brewery has been running an honest-to-goodness Oktoberfest for more than a decade. I go most years for the curry brats and stay for the hammerschlagen, which, if you’ve never seen it, is kinda like cornhole for people who enjoy hitting things with a hammer while a crowd of strangers cheers them on. There’s stein-holding too, which separates the casual reveler from the truly committed, and relay races that end, as most good ideas in the Sandhills do, with everyone a little out of breath and ready for another round.

None of this makes us honest-to-God Bavarians, and I’m not claiming otherwise. What it makes us is a place willing to borrow a good time when we see one — take a festival built for beer halls and mountain villages, and set it down happily among the pines, the ponies and the porch swings. We’ve spent more than a century collecting traditions from elsewhere and making them feel like home: the hunt from England, golf from Scotland, sweet tea from points South, and now, on a crisp weekend each fall, a beer garden from Bavaria. Does life get any better than that?

So pour something cold, find a polka you can stomp along to even if you can’t name it, and raise a glass to the strangest, most delightful thing about Moore County: We’ll find any excuse — horses, hounds or hops — to get dressed up, gather outside, and celebrate together. I hope my lederhosen still fit! Prost, y’all.

————

Let’s talk curry brats. Delicious. Pair them with a great stone-ground mustard and my potato salad. Below is a recipe for the brats, but it’s really OK to pick them up in a good supermarket or meat market if you don’t want to make your own.

Curry-Flavored Bratwurst

Yield: 12 sausages

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus chilling time

Ingredients

(It’s important to keep everything nice and cold while you’re making these or any sausage.)

2 pounds (900 grams) ground pork, preferably 20–25 percent fat

1 1/2 tablespoons mild curry powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup cold beer, broth or water

2 tablespoons finely minced onion

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Sausage casings, if making links

 

Directions

1) Chill the pork, mixing bowl and grinder parts until very cold.

2) In a small bowl, combine the curry powder, salt, coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, ginger, cayenne pepper, garlic, onion, brown sugar, Dijon mustard and nutmeg.

3) Add the seasoning mixture to the cold ground pork. Pour in the cold beer, broth or water.

4) Knead the mixture for 2–3 minutes, until it becomes sticky and holds together.

5) Fry a small sample of the mixture in a skillet. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.

6) Cover and refrigerate the sausage mixture for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight.

7) Stuff the mixture into sausage casings and twist into links. Alternatively, shape it into patties.

8) To cook, place the bratwurst in a skillet with a small amount of water or beer. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes.

9) Remove the lid and continue cooking, turning often, until the bratwurst is browned and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F

Serving Suggestions

Serve with sauerkraut, German mustard, my warm potato salad, grilled onions or crusty bread.

 

Warm Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds red bliss potatoes, quartered

1 tablespoon blended oil

1/3 cup shallots, sliced into rings

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

 

Wash your potatoes well.

Put them in a pot large enough to cover them with water by 2 inches. Add enough kosher salt until you can just barely taste the salt.

Bring the water to a boil, and then lower to a simmer. Cook the potatoes until a bit more than fork tender, but not falling apart.

Let’s multitask: at the same time, in a pretty large sauce pan, warm until the oil starts to shimmer.

Add the shallots and garlic.

While the shallots and garlic are slowly doing their thing, drain the potatoes. Now, toss the potatoes with the shallots and garlic. Toss them rough enough to kinda bust the potatoes up.

Turn the heat off. Add the two vinegars, the butter and parsley.

Season with salt and pepper.

Writer’s Valhalla

Writer's Valhalla

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Writer's Valhalla

Celebrating the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame

By Bill Case

Feature photo: Etching of Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities by Denise Baker

There are 30 rooms, give or take,  in the sprawling Boyd House, and if the walls of those rooms could talk, they would have plenty to say about the country manor’s storied literary history, especially the parade of renowned writers who graced the home as guests of James and Katharine Boyd long ago.

The great room would remember a January morning in 1937 when the nonplussed Boyds found Thomas Wolfe (Look Homeward Angel, among other works) asleep on the sofa. Arriving in Southern Pines on the 4 a.m. train, Wolfe trudged uphill to the estate and, after finding the doors locked, gained entry by scrunching his 6-foot, 7-inch frame through an unlocked window.

The cozy Boyd library witnessed the cringeworthy 1935 incident in which an overserved F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby, among other works) insultingly critiqued his host’s most recent novel. Boyd’s first historical novel, Drums, published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1925, was touted at the time as “the finest novel of the American Revolution that has yet been written.” The well-oiled Fitzgerald would pen a letter of apology.

From 1932 until his untimely death in 1944, Boyd dictated his books while standing at the middle window at a built-in writing ledge in his second-floor study. From this elevated perch, he could gaze down on his foxhunting horses and hounds quartered nearby. Fifty-two years after his passing, the spacious study would become the home of the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, the ultimate embodiment of Weymouth’s literary heritage. The walls of Boyd’s study speak with a decidedly bookish vibe, covered with photos and biographies of the 80 members inducted from its founding in 1996 through this October’s class of 2026.

Revered by those who appreciate great writers and their works, the hall’s biennial induction ceremony at the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities is an eagerly awaited date on the calendar. Though a fixture of the state’s literary scene for 30 years, the road to the Hall of Fame’s founding and location at Weymouth was full of twists and turns. The idea for a state literary Hall of Fame arose from a program adopted by the Library of Congress in 1977, called the “Center for the Book,” designed to “stimulate public interest in books, reading and libraries.” States were encouraged to participate in the project by centralizing their library and writing programs. National Book Week was initiated under this umbrella.

In August 1992, North Carolina’s then-state librarian, Howard McGinn, proposed that North Carolina enact legislation to designate Southern Pines as the site of the state’s “Center for the Book.” McGinn also recommended that the proposed center house a newly created literary Hall of Fame for North Carolina. It would be the first of its kind in the country.

His plan was tied to the availability of a specific building on Broad Street that, at the time, housed the Southern Pines Public Library. For the project to work, the existing library would need to be relocated. McGinn’s suggestion contemplated the construction of a new public library for Southern Pines at a vacant lot on Connecticut Street. He proposed that following the library’s move to new quarters, the old library would become the home of the Center for the Book and a Hall of Fame situated in the vaulted main reading room and “patterned after the Baseball or Football Halls of Fame.” The state librarian envisioned the hall attracting regional and national writing conferences and the performance of plays.

The old library already possessed a connection to North Carolina’s literary heritage. In 1948, Katharine Boyd contributed funds to add a new wing to the building. It included the James Boyd Room, dedicated to her late husband. McGinn agreed with Southern Pines government officials that the town needed a new public library facility, but many citizens opposed moving from the charming old building designed by Aymar Embury II. They included Sam Ragan, the owner-editor of the town’s newspaper, The Pilot. An affirmative vote of the Town Council was required prior to any such move and, given that certain members of the council and the influential editor of the paper had misgivings, that approval was far from certain. 

Bolstered by McGinn’s support, the proposal to purchase the Connecticut Street property for the purpose of constructing a new library squeaked through the council by a 3 to 2 vote on February 10, 1993. With the prospect of his community (and the old library) becoming the epicenter of North Carolina literature, Sam Ragan jumped on board too. The soft-spoken son of Granville County tobacco farmers would become a tireless advocate for the project.

With McGinn’s proposal for a Hall of Fame heading to the state legislature, Ragan used his formidable statewide influence to assure its passage. In addition to his own writing credentials, Ragan’s clout stemmed from his years as the executive editor of The News and Observer in Raleigh. A country gentleman nattily attired in a fedora hat and bowtie, Ragan was known and respected by North Carolina’s movers and shakers, especially those in state government. Diligently working his contacts, he persuaded key legislators to fast-track the resolution establishing the center and the Hall of Fame in Southern Pines. He arranged for the measure to be introduced under the name of Paul Green, author of The Lost Colony and a great friend of the Boyds.

To explore potential financing for the project, Ragan, together with Marsha Warren, then executive director of the North Carolina Writers’ Network, met with the state’s Secretary of Cultural Resources Betty Ray McCain. She indicated her department would be in a position to make a one-time grant once the center became a reality; a figure of $100,000 was discussed.

On July 23, 1993, the measure establishing Southern Pines and the old library building as the home for North Carolina’s Center for the Book and the literary Hall of Fame was passed by joint resolution of the House and Senate. According to its text, the placement of the center in Southern Pines would “build upon the significant contributions made by Sam Ragan and former Secretary of Cultural Resources Sara Hodgkins [who lived in Southern Pines] and the many other authors and journalists from North Carolina.”

Left: Sam Ragan

Right: The Former Southern Pines Library

Southern Pines Mayor Alex Bowness said, “I am very thrilled that everything is on track and the N.C. Center for the Book is becoming a reality.” In his Pilot editorial, Ragan expressed delight “that the present library building will not only be preserved but will become a distinguished statewide cultural site which is sure to attract nationwide visitors.” Town officials offered to lease the old library for a nominal amount, perhaps as little as $1 a year.

But to run the center like a sports hall of fame, as envisioned by McGinn, more funds would be required. Marsha Warren, who in addition to managing the Writers’ Network was working hand-in-glove with Ragan to make the center and Hall of Fame a reality, recalls their mutual mindset on funding. “Sam and I were aware we could probably count on $100,000 from Betty Ray McCain’s department,” Warren remembers. “Betty was on board with granting the money to the Writers’ Network, because it was a 501(c)(3) organization qualified to receive the funding and manage the project. The grant would get the project started. We hoped Southern Pines might do more also. But we weren’t thinking too far ahead. We’d figure it out as we went.”

The new Southern Pines public library building opened on July 5, 1995. Later that month, Ragan scheduled a tour of the vacant old library for attendees of the North Carolina Writers’ Conference at Weymouth. According to his editorial in The Pilot, the visitors “praised it for the excellent condition in which they found it and its special character and suitability for the Center and Hall of Fame.”

But that same month, Sam expressed uneasiness regarding the direction of the project in correspondence with the town’s new mayor, Mike Fields. “I also hope that the Town of Southern Pines will take action immediately in the necessary steps to make this splendid program a reality,” wrote a concerned Ragan. “I will assist in any way I can. The potential for Southern Pines is so great it would be a tragedy to see the program falter through any delay.”

But it did falter. By October 1995, it had become clear that occupancy of the old library by the Center for the Book and the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame was not going to happen. A Ragan editorial reported one explanation for the jettisoning: the town manager’s determination “that the old library was needed for space to locate several town agencies.” (It would eventually house the town’s utilities office.) Marsha Warren wrote about a second daunting concern — an inspecting engineer had estimated that, “it would cost, conservatively, $250,000 to bring the aging building up to code.” Warren, who was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2018, remembers that Ragan was “heartbroken” by the staggering estimate. “We knew raising that kind of money was beyond our reach,” she says.

Without the old library, could the project be salvaged? Warren believed that it could. “Betty McCain indicated she was still prepared to grant the Writers’ Network $100,000 even if we had to scale back the project. With that assurance, we could abandon the larger undertaking of a Center for the Book and focus entirely on a literary Hall of Fame. And James Boyd’s studio at Weymouth was an obvious place to put it.” The term “Center for the Book” would become associated with State Library programming and not a specific physical location.

Ragan welcomed the revised plan. After all, he had played a major role in forming the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, as well as saving the Boyd House from the wrecking ball in the 1970s.

After McCain formally issued the $100,000 grant to the Writers’ Network in November 1995, Ragan began greasing the skids with the Weymouth Center board. His efforts resulted in a long-term lease between Weymouth and the Writers’ Network enabling the latter to operate and manage the Hall of Fame at Weymouth. The Writers’ Network tendered a one-time payment of $10,000 to Weymouth and agreed to reimburse its expenses for upkeep of the former Boyd study.

After the financial niceties were resolved, it was determined that the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony would take place on May 18, 1996, beneath the flowering cherry trees on Weymouth’s grounds. Marsha Warren, with input from Ragan, took the laboring oar in addressing the details: the adoption of the hall’s mission statement; determining criteria for election; selection of judges; identifying presenters for the inductees; preparing written materials; staging the ceremony and the reception afterward.

It was decided that the inaugural class should honor the state’s deceased literary figures. On March 13th, 1996, the judges announced their selections: James Boyd, Charles Waddell Chestnut, Jonathan Daniels, Inglis Fletcher, Paul Green, Bernice Harris, O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), George Moses Horton, Randall Johnson, Guy Owen, Thad Stem, Richard Walser, Manley Wade Wellman and Thomas Wolfe.

A proud Ragan, who was scheduled to emcee the event, wrote a glowing editorial following the announcement. “Under the guidance of Marsha Warren and the Writers’ Network, the dream is quickly becoming a reality. . . . The first induction promises to be a lively affair.”

The gathering turned out to be more poignant than spirited. During the month preceding the festivities, the 80-year-old Ragan’s health suddenly deteriorated. He passed away on May 11, one week before the inductions. His generous spirit and unflagging support of the Hall of Fame were mentioned by virtually every speaker at the blisteringly hot ceremony, including newsman David Brinkley, who forwarded a moving video tribute. Ragan had given the famed broadcaster his first job in journalism, hiring Brinkley as a reporter for the Wilmington Star in the late 1930s.

Ragan’s unflagging support for Weymouth and the Hall of Fame barely scrapes the surface of his literary interests. In addition to penning editorials and columns for The Pilot, he authored books of nonfiction and six volumes of verse. His poetry was lauded by Tom Wicker, a North Carolinian who worked at the New York Times, who noted, “It could only have been written out of a Tar Heel’s sense of place.” His poetic achievements (twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize) led to Ragan being named the state’s poet laureate in 1982, a position he kept the rest of his life.

Ragan also taught creative writing and journalism at local colleges and was a prime catalyst in establishing Weymouth’s Writers in Residence program in 1979. His writing colleagues began referring to Sam as North Carolina’s “Literary Godfather.”

“Sam swam in many literary streams,” says poet and Weymouth board member Pat Riviere-Seel. “Bringing the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame to Weymouth allowed him to channel those streams into one big literary river.”

Six writers were inducted in the Hall of Fame’s second year, 1997, including Ragan. His daughter, Talmadge Ragan, accepted on behalf of her father. After the 1998 ceremony inductions were scheduled every other year and, after three steamy ceremonies during which attendees wilted in the heat, the ceremony was moved to October.

The number of judges who selected the inductees was fixed at 15. All were required to have a strong literary background. A candidate for induction must be a “North Carolina writer,” defined as someone who is, “significantly shaped by his or her time in the state; and/or (b) identified in the public’s mind as a North Carolinian; and/or (c) self-identified as a North Carolinian.”

In 2008, the Writers’ Network approached other literary institutions and requested they collaborate with it and Weymouth in producing the induction ceremony and promoting the Hall of Fame. The Center for the Book at the State Library, the North Carolina Humanities Council, and the N.C. Collection of the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina all agreed to assist. The resulting collaboration reduced the out-of-pocket costs of the induction ceremony, helping to preserve the fund created by the Department of Cultural Resources grant. Ed Southern became the Writers’ Network’s executive director in 2008, a position he still holds.

The 80 inductees to date have come from virtually every corner of literary life. They include short story master O. Henry; diverse poets like Ragan, Maya Angelou, George Moses Horton, and Shelby Stephenson; news journalists Jonathan Daniels and Tom Wicker; illustrator and children’s book author Glen Rounds; Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg; historian Wilbur J. Cash; newspaperman (and ambassador to the Court of St. James) Walter Hines Page; and iconic novelists Thomas Wolfe and Lee Smith.

The five newest inductees — D.G. Martin, Shannon Ravenel, David Sedaris, Daniel Wallace and Michael Parker — are to be enshrined in the hall on October 4 and likewise hail from diverse literary backgrounds.

D.G. Martin, who passed away last December, was the host of “North Carolina Bookwatch” on UNC-TV (now PBS NC). Martin was no softball questioner. He probed writers to find out what made them, and their books, tick. He also wrote a syndicated weekly column covering politics, cultural issues, and anything else occurring to his fertile mind. “D.G. had his finger in every pie,” says his close friend Ravenel. A graduate of Davidson College and Yale Law School, he practiced law in Charlotte before joining the University of North Carolina as its vice president for public affairs. A devotee of diners and cafés, Martin authored a chatty book on the subject, North Carolina’s Roadside Eateries.

Shannon Ravenel’s literary journey involved editing and publishing. She provided invaluable exposure for numerous Southern writers, including several fellow Hall of Fame members. Following her graduation from Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, the Charleston, South Carolina, native worked for publishers in New York, Boston and St. Louis. She became editor of the annual anthology Best American Short Stories. In 1982, she partnered with her former English professor, Louis Rubin, to start Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill (where she eventually moved), providing an important outlet for the work of Southern writers. Through Algonquin, Ravenel edited another annual short story anthology, New Stories from the South. Fellow Hall of Fame member Jill McCorkle will present Ravenel for induction. She will be returning a favor. It was Ravenel who presented McCorkle at her induction in 2018.

Self-deprecating humorist David Sedaris became a national phenom after his uproarious comedic appearances on a Chicago radio program led to frequent gigs on National Public Radio. In his first NPR appearance, he read an essay titled “Santaland Diaries,” describing his job as a Christmas elf at Macy’s. That smash success led to Sedaris authoring sardonic essays for Esquire and The New Yorker. Several of his essay collections became New York Times bestsellers. His book, Me Talk Pretty One Day, describes many hilarious (though often mortifying) vignettes from his childhood in Raleigh, North Carolina. The book won the 2001 Thurber Prize for American Humor. In explaining why so much of the humor in his writings concerns his own misbegotten experiences, Sedaris says, “There are two types of people: those who pay to tell others about their problems, and those who get paid to tell others about their problems. I prefer to be in the latter group.” Sedaris has resided in Paris, London and New York City, but he retains a seasonal presence in North Carolina, vacationing in Emerald Isle.

Daniel Wallace was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended college at UNC-Chapel Hill, but left school early because his father, owner of an import/export company doing business in Japan, persuaded his son to join him in that enterprise. By Wallace’s own admission, his employment in Japan was a bust. Returning to Chapel Hill, he worked in a bookstore and began writing novels. His first five efforts were summarily rejected by publishers, but his sixth, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, became a bestseller and was made into a movie directed by Tim Burton. A 2008 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, he teaches creative writing at his alma mater. Of his ill-fated employment in Japan — as well as the rejection of his early novels — Wallace says, “Sometimes, failure is not failure. Perhaps I never would have figured out I could be a writer if Japan had worked out. And the many mistakes in my rejected novels taught me what not to do.”

A product of rural North Carolina, Michael Parker was born in Siler City and grew up in Clifton. His father was a newspaper editor and his mother a teacher. As a schoolboy, Parker woke at 4:30 a.m. to deliver newspapers. His short fiction has resulted in his winning three O. Henry Awards. He has also authored seven novels, including The Watery Part of the World, a haunting tale set on a nearly deserted barrier island off the coast of North Carolina. The book contains an element of historical fiction — the supposed survival of Theodosia Burr, Vice President Aaron Burr’s daughter, lost at sea in 1812. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill Parker taught in the MFA writing program at UNC-Greensboro for nearly 30 years. He lives in Durham. “The fact that this state treasures writers so much, particularly in an era when our culture does not support and promote the arts as much as it once did, makes receiving the award especially fulfilling,” he says.

When the new inductees climb the stairs to Boyd’s study they may linger at the bronze bust of Sam Ragan, the man most responsible for making the Hall of Fame a reality. As Marsha Warren wrote in her foreword to Lewis Bowling’s book Sam Ragan: North Carolina’s Literary Godfather, the founding of the literary Hall of Fame was “Sam’s last and greatest gift to the state.” They’ll also find new photographs on display — their own — giving the walls more stories to share.  PS

Pinehurst resident Bill Case is PineStraw’s history man. He can be reached at billcasewrites@gmail.com.

Poem October 2026

Poem October 2026

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Poem October 2026

Lenard D. Moore

Like Windblown Sand

No favorite fictional character comes

to the forefront, though feature films

open doors to other places

open doors to other cuisine

open doors to other rhythms.

I do not long to list characters,

because some actors could be left off

like a burst of milkweed

like the last unpicked apple

like a raw peanut in the sun.

I imagine watching the films —

decades of them unwinding

and rewinding over and over again.

Who would not be remembered?

Would the name be streaming

on the wind like a movie?

Now I offer these lines

as an aching to know

before too many minutes tick away

like windblown sand.

 

Falling in Love

FALLING IN LOVE

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Falling in Love

And planting in abundance

By Randy Boyd  •   Photographs by John Gessner

You do learn some things at your mother’s knee, which is how I ended up falling in love with gardening. I was raised by a passionate gardener, and while my chores started with mowing the lawn, my eyes inevitably fell on my mother tending her many beautiful rosebushes. Over the years she had more than 30 varieties, all flourishing the way the joy of gardening did in me.

Being raised in Laguna Beach, California, and having designed a number of gardens there, I knew the plants and care appropriate for the West Coast like the back of my hand. When I moved to Pinehurst a little over a year ago with my husband, Mark, my desire for a garden came with me, but the requisite knowledge did not. I had to learn the plants that love to grow in the Sandhills.

In our home here, a walled brick patio and a small, long side yard presented their own promises and problems. I had to rethink what to use and how to landscape this new area. My greatest influence is English gardens, particularly in the Cotswold area, and I approach landscaping like I approach interior design for my clients — I look to see what entertainment or area of interest needs to be found and supported. On the patio this translated into pots of various sizes and materials to help add interest, along with some art pieces like a tall, vintage aviary and some statuary. We located a dining table there to entertain as well.

I watch the sun and temperatures to see what will thrive in what place. My pots are lush because I tend to plant in abundance. I don’t want it to look like we are waiting for something to fill in. Because my side yard has fencing and the patio has brick walls, I have the freedom of not worrying about deer — a luxury not everyone enjoys. I use pots of various sizes, 18-22 inches, filling each with three or four plants purchased at a decent size, anchoring with a 1-gallon plant and adding 4-inch containers.

One important factor in either the side yard or the patio is to have things — pots, statuary, plants — that take the eye up and down so there is constant visual interest and movement. Color needs to be thought through to give a sense of peace, avoiding the kind of clash that can throw off the natural feel while still maintaining a curated plan.

In the first year for the patio I’m using climbing roses on a trellis, hostas, potato vine, shasta daisies, hydrangeas and geraniums. For the side space — inspired by an English garden’s sense of controlled chaos — I plan for height in the back, using color as the eye trails down and forward. Flowers are intentionally planted at the edge of the path to soften the lines.

In California I took a more Mediterranean approach, which has to do with temperature, dryness and the look of the houses where I lived. All the elements, from architecture to flower bed, need to complement one another. I tend toward a cooler color palette of pale pinks, lavender both in color and the plant itself, hostas in various shades, and grey hews from accent plants for contrast. We also have some small lemon trees and a Japanese maple in large pots.

Gardeners love every step from preparing the dirt, filling pots and even watering (although next year I am getting a drip line). Gardening doesn’t just happen — it takes planning and executing and then the daily job of weeding and deadheading so it always looks neat and tidy. All of this brings me great satisfaction as I wander out first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee, or in the evening with my glass of wine. I feel at home and at peace.

England has been called a nation of gardeners. Pinehurst may be called the Home of Golf, but some of us think it could be the Home of Gardeners, too.

A Stitch in Time

A STITCH IN TIME

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A Stitch in Time

Every quilt tells a story

By Sharon Swanke

Every other year “Quilting in the Pines” fills the Pinehurst Fair Barn with color and creativity. Since its beginning in 2004, the show has gathered quilters and their work from all over the Southeast to be shown and judged. Sponsored by the Sandhills Quilters Guild, the 2026 show is Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 – 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and free for children under 18.

Beyond the judged quilts, the show includes a variety of vendors, a boutique of quilt-related and craft items made by guild members, a quilt raffle, a silent auction, a children’s scavenger hunt, raffle baskets and food trucks. All proceeds from the show go toward gifting handmade quilts and pillowcases to local charities, including Habitat for Humanity and Falcon Children’s Home.

Members of the Sandhills Quilters Guild include traditional and modern quilters, art quilters and storytellers. All quilts are true expressions of the artist’s vision, often telling stories of why the art was created.

Among the guild’s award-winning members, Mary Abbott Williams started her quilting journey at age 5, choosing fabrics to add to her babysitter’s projects. Abbott Williams has matured into a multiple award-winning traditional quilter who finds joy in studying and re-creating antique quilt patterns and motifs with the ultimate goal of “making quilts that look like they belong in another century.” This year she’s curating the balcony display, which will feature her reproduction quilts from the 1760s to the 1800s in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Christine Weld is a modern quilter and Army spouse who has found quilt guilds across the country ready to welcome her wherever her family has relocated. From the Colonial Piecemakers Guild in Williamsburg, Virginia, to the Hudson Valley Modern Guild, Weld has discovered a social network of sewists. She joined the Sandhills Quilters Guild before her family even moved to the area. During the pandemic she designed modern quilts on her blog and submitted a pattern to Moda Fabrics for its “Bakeshop” line. Now, with Moda quilt patterns in four books published by Martingale & Co., Weld continues to lend her talents to the challenge of creating new and exciting modern quilts using precuts.

Linda James’ art quilts are exquisite expressions of her creativity. She started her sewing journey making doll clothes, and her search for appropriate fabric led her to the Quilters Gallery Shop, where she gawked at the completed quilts for so long the staff came to check on her. James loves it when her quilts tell a story that engages the viewer. “My first show entry featured funky twinkling stars with odd cuts of fabric. It reminded me of peering at the stars in New Mexico with my brother at my side,” she says. James won the Viewer’s Choice award at the 2024 show. Her work with needle and thread has led her to create eye-popping quilts, winning multiple quilting awards and launching a longarm quilting business.

Abbott Williams, Weld and James are just three reasons “Quilting in the Pines” captures the passion and creativity of the art.

Quilter: Mary Abbott Williams, Quilt Name: The Bucket List Burgoyne, Pattern Name: Burgoyne Surrounded, Technique: Machine pieced and hand quilted with eagles and circles of stars
Quilter: Linda James, Quilt Name: Blue Danube, Pattern Name: Variation of Halo Medallion, Technique: Machine pieced, hand guided longarm machine quilted
Quilter: Mary Abbott Williams, Quilt Name: Star of Freedom (Sandhills Quilters Guild Raffle Quilt for 2026), Pattern Name: Lone Star, Technique: Appliqués of bouquets and eagles are added for interest, machine quilted by Ellene Place and friends
Quilter: Christine Weld, Quilt Name: Where the Heart Is, Technique: A fun house block quilt made with charm squares, or 5” squares
Quilter: Christine Weld, Quilt Name: Prismatic Patchwork, Technique: An exploration of color using a different color palette in each block
Quilter: Christine Weld, Quilt Name: Family Reunion, Technique: A classic granny square block in a medallion style, with each round becoming a less complex block
Quilter: Christine Weld, Quilt Name: Boomerang, Technique: This modern quilt is made with various shades of blue on a light gray background. It was included in an exhibit of modern quilting at the Virginia Quilting Museum in date
Quilter: Linda James, Quilt Name: Room For All-In My Garden and In My Heart, Pattern Name: An original design from a photograph, Technique: Machine pieced, machine appliqué, broderie perse, photo transfer, beaded, hand guided longarm machine quilted
Quilter: Linda James, Quilt Name: Snowy Woods, Pattern Name: Redesigned pattern of Over The River & Through The Woods, Technique: Added machine appliqué words and different star designs. Hand embroidery, machine pieced, hand guided longarm machine quilted with metallic thread

Point of View

POINT OF VIEW

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Point of View

Lakeside living in the Sandhills

By Jenna Biter  •   Photographs by John Gessner

At the end of a sleepy cul de sac, beneath a Southern canopy of magnolia, dogwood and pine, stands a dove gray house with a water-lover’s view. Bob and Mary Jo Newman enjoy 270 degrees of Lake Pinehurst from their place on the point.

“We wanted every room available to the view,” says Mary Jo.

The Newmans hired Mark Parson to make that happen. The architect spent hours on the acre-and-a-half property, envisioning a traditional-style design that works with the trees, shoreline and lake itself. The 4,000-square-foot build combines stone with wood shingle siding, white accents and porthole windows that evoke a weekend of sailing.

A rounded veranda takes advantage of the view. “It’s a very serene and relaxing place to finish the day,” Bob says. Heaters and a ceiling fan make the space comfortable year-round. Way up in the tower, a baby blue room takes equal advantage of the view. No TV, no distractions, just sunsets and the lake. Off to one side, there’s a dock for the Duffy cruiser. “You can’t be on a lake like this and not have a boat,” says Bob.

The Newmans found Pinehurst by way of nearby real estate investments. “I discovered what a great place it would be to live,” Bob says. Residents of Minnesota, the Newmans camped out in the Sandhills while searching for a place to purchase. The hunt was short-lived. The lakefront lot had been on the market for six years, probably because the home that sat on it was a bit of a project, but the Newmans were ready to take it on.

“We just fell in love with the property,” says Mary Jo.

It was the trees and lakeside living. Bob grew up in California, competed as a rower, first at Orange Coast College, then UCLA, and then the U.S. National Team before coaching for 17 years. Their plan was to remodel, but due to restrictions, it didn’t work out. “So, we scrapped it and built,” says Bob.

That was about three years ago. The Newmans relocated their primary residency from Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, to Lake Pinehurst. Now they’re consolidating life in their North Carolina home. They spend mornings and evenings outdoors and retreat to air conditioning when the summer sun is unbearable. They open the glass on the double front doors to let the lake breeze waft through screens when it isn’t.

Bob’s Swedish ancestors would be impressed by the Viking-worthy wood beams holding up the vaulted ceiling of the great room. “I’m 6’ 6” so I really appreciate volume around me, particularly height,” Bob says. The men’s locker room at Forest Creek Golf Club inspired the design. A wood-burning fireplace stretches to the ceiling, and a pair of Mary Jo’s watercolors flank the column. They’re portraits of dogs past and present. Dog present, a Welsh springer spaniel named Winston, puppies around on the hardwood floors.

“I love a center island,” says Mary Jo, moving on to the kitchen. “I do a lot of cooking.” She wanted counter space to work and room for people to congregate during parties. She got both. There is a telescope and a dining table that seats 12 when both leaves are inserted.

“This was an add-on, an afterthought we call ‘the alcove,’” Bob says, referencing their favorite room, a sitting area by the kitchen. “It was supposed to be open patio, but we thought that a large open patio wasn’t going to be used as productively as it could.” They pivoted. The shingle siding had already been installed. They kept it and closed the outdoor space in. It’s flooded with natural light and became the place where they spend much of their time.

There’s an oar on the wall from Bob’s rowing days. The Newmans purchased the coffee table from an English antique shop when they were abroad for the Henley Royal Regatta. It features a segment of a rowing boat, Bob guesses from the 1800s.

Another favorite space, Bob’s office, is on the first floor, plus the master bedroom with an heirloom needlepoint chair from Mary Jo’s family. Two guest bedrooms, one decorated with green and the other navy, are on the second. Both have dormer windows on two walls.

“The fact that you can see the water from almost every room — it’s like living in a park,” Mary Jo says.

“It’s a little hideaway,” says Bob, “a real pleasure to live here.”

Chalk Talk

CHALK TALK

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Chalk Talk

Are you ready for some football?

By Mike Pagel   •   Photograph by John Gessner

SAME PLAYS, DIFFERENT LANGUAGES

The key for an offense is to develop a system that can communicate the action plan or play to all the offensive players in a concise but still complete way.

The responsibility of creating the play calling language falls on the offensive coordinator. Most take various portions of play calling systems they’ve known before and create their own version. There are various methods for an offense to notify all its players where, for example, a running play is to be executed. Some teams use a numbering system, while others may use names. In numbering systems the “holes” or running lanes can be numbered from right to left, with 1 being wide right and 9 being wide left. Other teams number left to right. Some teams will use even numbers to the right (right guard is 2 with 8 signifying wide right) and odd numbers to the left (left guard is 3 and 9 wide left). Zero and 1 represent the center’s right and left hips, respectively. And, of course, some teams use odd to the right and even to the left.

And then there are naming systems. Instead of numbers, teams may use specific words to explain where a play is to be executed, with a category of names describing the play (examples may include cities, states, animals, etc.). Using states as an example, Ohio may designate an outside or wide play, while Texas may mean an inside play. If, say, Ohio means a wide play toward the tight end, Georgia may mean a wide play away from the tight end.

At times, a directional call is needed. Any pair of “opposite” words can be used. Common examples: red = right and blue = left or hot = right with cold = left. Teams usually settle on 2-3 ways to call a direction. Pass play calls are even more complex because they include not only the line blocking scheme but also the routes the receivers need to run to stretch the defense. Plus there are audibles (plays called at the line of scrimmage), which may or may not be changing the play. Remember Peyton Manning and “OMAHA”?

BEND, DON’T BREAK VS.THE ATTACK DEFENSE

While an offense needs to determine if they will be a ball control offense (stronger emphasis on running plays) or a more aggressive passing attack offense, defenses need to determine what style of play they want to use. The two basic styles are “bend, don’t break” and the “attack” defense.

The “bend, don’t break” defense focuses on the defensive players not allowing the opponent’s offense to make big yardage plays, the theory being the longer it takes for an offense to penetrate deep into the defense’s territory, the more likely the offense will make a mistake putting themselves into a more difficult situation to obtain a first down or to score points. The problems with this defensive philosophy are the defensive team’s offense will have fewer chances to score plus it can lead to the opponent’s offense dictating the tempo of the game.

In the early 1980s, the Miami Dolphins were very successful in utilizing the “bend, don’t break” philosophy. They had numerous experienced veteran players who were very good at anticipating how an offense would try to attack them, which led to the Dolphin players rarely being out of position. They would give up yardage but were able to capitalize on an offense’s mistakes to thwart drives.

During my four years with the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise, we were in the same division as the Dolphins, which meant we played them twice a year. In 1984, we added four new plays against the Dolphins when they visited us in Indianapolis. By utilizing these four plays throughout the first half, we were able to confuse and disorient their defense, which led to us being in complete control of the game. At halftime, the decision was made to go away from the new plays (I still don’t understand that one), which led to the Dolphin defense regaining their composure and holding us scoreless in the second half. Meanwhile, the Dolphin offense, led by Dan Marino, got untracked, and we ended up losing the game.

The opposite defensive theory is the “attack” philosophy. The goal of the “attack” defense is to impose its will on the opposing team’s offense. This philosophy calls for the defense (especially the defensive linemen) to penetrate into the backfield of the offense to disrupt the timing and to force the offense into making mistakes. If successful, an opponent’s offense can become very frustrated. But if the pressure does not disrupt the timing of the offense, the second and third line of defenders have much more ground to protect which could lead to big yardage plays.

The 1985 Chicago Bears’ “46” defense was an attacking style defense. Their alignment allowed their talented players to be blocked by one player at a time. Often, at least one of the Bears’ players would defeat their opponent, which would disrupt a play. In 1985, the Indianapolis Colts lost to the Bears 17-10 because we did not capitalize on two scoring opportunities. After the opening kickoff, we marched deep into Bears’ territory. We could not score a touchdown, so on fourth down we tried a short field goal, which was missed.

Late in the game, one of our receivers got behind the Bears’ secondary. Unfortunately, the pass was not completed. We had our chances but didn’t take advantage of the opportunities — a fatal mistake against those Bears because you weren’t going to get many.

 
PLAYMAKERS VS. STEADY PLAYERS

For a football team to be successful, the offensive and defensive units need a specific combination of players. Each unit needs to consist of three or four steady players and seven or eight playmakers. What’s the difference? Steady players put themselves into the proper position to make a play. If they fail to do this, they are more easily defeated.

Playmakers have the ability to overcome being out of position yet still be successful. Unfortunately they tend to be out of position more than steady players, which can create opportunities for their opponents. Why three or four steady players? If there are more than four steady players within a unit, that unit is less likely to make out of the ordinary plays. With fewer than three steady players, a unit can be very effective until their opponent gains some momentum.

To stop the momentum, playmakers are forced to gamble more. This often leads to the players being even more out of position, which creates more opportunities for the opponent’s offense. Just because a player may be classified as a steady player doesn’t mean he can’t make great plays, nor does carrying a playmaker label mean the player tends to be out of position too often. Mike Singletary, the Chicago Bears middle linebacker from 1981 to 1992, always seemed to be in perfect position while being very intense. That combination made him a steady player who was also a playmaker.

On the other hand, Jerry Rice, the San Francisco wide receiver from 1985 to 2000, would be considered a playmaker. He could shred a defense, but that happened because he was disciplined running his pass routes as designed which made him very consistent. He was a playmaker who was also a steady player. Only a few players have the ability to do both as often as Singletary and Rice did, which is why these two are in the NFL Hall of Fame and the vast majority of players are not.

FIRST NFL START

Five minutes before the opening kickoff of my second NFL preseason game, the coaches told me I was going to start the game at QB. That was OK with me and I was very excited. Early in the game, we faced a third down passing situation. The defense played a two-deep zone with man-to-man coverage on our five receivers. On the left side of the field, both of our receivers ran an inside (toward the middle of the field) route, which left that side of the field devoid of defenders.

I sprinted into the voided area on the left. Just as I recognized how open the left side of the field was, I experienced what felt like a freight train running behind me. Approximately 20 – 25 yards downfield, the freight train began catching up to me. Wisely, I ran out of bounds. It was at that precise moment that I realized just how big, fast and talented NFL players were. Oh, by the way, the freight train was named Lawrence Taylor.

DON’T BE A HERO!

Late in my career and as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, we were playing the Minnesota Vikings in Anaheim, California. We were losing 21-7 in the second half when our coaching staff made a change at quarterback. As I ran onto the field, my thought was, “Don’t try to do too much.” Instead, I focused on speeding up our tempo. This caught the Viking defense off-guard. We marched down the field, the drive ending with a touchdown pass to our tight end. Now the score is 21 – 14 and our crowd is getting excited. We kick off and one of our players crushes the ball carrier, causing a fumble that we recover around the Vikings’ 20-yard line.

As I ran back onto the field, the thought crossed my mind that if we scored, we would have a great chance to win the game and I might be considered a hero. We drove inside the Viking 10-yard line when a pass play was called. Instead of throwing the ball to a receiver who was on the goal line, I tried to throw to a receiver deep in the end zone. Huge mistake. The pass was intercepted, ending that drive and effectively taking away any chance we had to win the game. All because my mindset changed from “do your job” to “you can be the hero.”

BUILDING AN OFFENSIVE LINE

One of the most important but also one of the most difficult tasks in creating a good football team is to develop a solid offensive line.

First, you need five players with enough talent to play in the NFL. Next, the five players need to develop the trust and respect of the other linemen. And then, as a group, they need time playing alongside each other so they can develop the understanding and instinct of how their line mates will react in every situation. They have a split second to make the correct decision and then complete the block. If one fails, they all fail.

Some NFL teams have figured out what type of offensive lineman fits in their system. Every year they tend to have a solid group. Some teams struggle to figure out the type of linemen that fit their system, or they cannot find the linemen with the required skill sets. These offenses tend to be very inconsistent. For decades, the offensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers looked the same. The players changed but the replacement had very similar skills as the previous player. The Steelers knew what type of player they needed for each of the five line positions, and they would sign players who fit their criteria.

During the late ’80s, when I was with the Cleveland Browns, we had a very solid offensive line. Most had been together for a number of years and had developed a solid group chemistry. Cody Risien was an extremely talented right tackle who was often tasked with pass blocking the defensive end over him all by himself. This allowed the other four linemen to work together to block the other pass rushers. In the running game, they were well-versed on how to block the defensive players based on how the defensive players reacted.

TRANSITION FROM STARTER TO BACKUP

When players join the NFL, they can find themselves in an unfamiliar situation. Most NFL players had great college careers, but instead of being on the field most of the time, they’re relegated to part-time duties. Not only can it be tough on the ego, it also limits the opportunities to improve. Because the starters take most of the repetitions during practice, the backups must find a way to maintain and improve their skill sets to ensure they can perform at their highest level if called upon. This takes determination, desire and consistent effort. Those who figure out how to be ready are often rewarded with longer careers.

During my first four years in the NFL, as a member of the Baltimore, then Indianapolis, Colts, I started the majority of games. Before my fifth year in the league, the Colts traded me to the Cleveland Browns, who had a talented second year QB named Bernie Kosar. Early in our pre-season camp, Bernie was named the starting QB. At first, this did not sit well with me. I had to change my mindset. The first adjustment was to convince myself that I was the starting QB but wouldn’t be getting much playing time. Second, instead of getting physical repetitions in practice, I had to take mental reps. I would stand behind the offense and “read” the defense to determine which receiver should be targeted with a pass. Learning how to practice the mental game helped me to produce when my chances came.

JOHN TEERLINCK

John Teerlinck was a former NFL player who became a well-respected and accomplished defensive line coach in the NFL. In fact, he was such a great coach, the award given annually to the best defensive line coach is named after him. In 1990, John was the defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns. As the backup quarterback for the Browns that year, one of my responsibilities was to simulate our upcoming opponent’s offense for our defense. (The group of players who simulate an opponent’s offense or defense in practice is called the “scout” team.) Every Wednesday ­— which is usually the first day of an NFL work week — John would ask me to simulate some characteristics of our upcoming opponent’s offense. If our opponent’s quarterback liked to scramble, I was asked to scramble in practice. If our opponent’s QB stayed in the pocket, so did I. Sometimes John would notice a certain movement a QB would make just before the ball was snapped. He would ask me to simulate the movement in practice so our defensive linemen could get a split-second jump on the snap in the game.

Over the course of that season, John and I developed a great bond. After the 1990 season (the Browns won three and lost 13 games), John and I were released (fired) by the Browns. John quickly signed with the Los Angeles Rams. Luckily for me, he developed a friendship with the Rams offensive coordinator, Ernie Zampese. After John saw that I had been released by the Browns, he told Ernie that I’d be a good fit for the Rams. The Rams gave me a tryout and allowed me to be part of their 1991 preseason training camp. Because of John’s recommendation, I ended up as a member of the Rams from 1991 through 1993, my last three years in the league.

EMBRACE THE ‘NO ONE’ ROLES

One day while I was a member of the Cleveland Browns, Clay Matthews Sr. made a comment that has always stuck with me. He said he would rather be the “rush” linebacker instead of the “cover” linebacker. This confused me, so he explained. As the “rush” LB, not many fans see him unless he makes a sack. Everyone cheers the sack. As the “cover” LB, no one notices until he fails and the guy he’s covering makes a catch. No one cheers after that.

To be clear, Clay was a terrific player who was equally adept at rushing the QB and covering a receiver. There aren’t many like him. As a backup, 1 was always searching for ways to get onto the field. One of the few opportunities for a backup QB was to be the “holder” on extra point and field goal kicks. Like a “cover” linebacker, no one notices the holder unless he makes a mistake. In simple terms, the holder kneels on one knee approximately 7 yards from the line of scrimmage. When the ball is snapped, the holder has to catch the ball, place it on one end, rotate the laces away from the kicker and put the proper tilt on the ball. All of this needs to be completed within one second.

Fortunately, I was afforded the opportunity to be the holder for the Browns for a few seasons. During my first preseason with the Rams, I didn’t get the chance to “hold” for the newly acquired veteran kicker, Tony Zendejas. Instead, I held for a rookie left-footed kicker. During the preseason games, the first team (Zendejas) had a number of mishandled extra point and field goal attempts. After one last mistake in the final preseason game the special teams coach pointed at me and said, “You’re holding from now on.” And with that statement, I knew I would be a member of the 1991 Rams.

BROKEN NOSE

In the early 1980s, the New York Jets defensive line was called the “New York Sack Exchange.” And yes, they could put some serious heat on an opponent’s quarterback. Their left defensive end was Mark Gastineau. He was one of the NFL sack leaders for multiple years in a row. Since we played them twice each of my first four years in the league, he had plenty of opportunities to sack me. During one of our games in Indianapolis, his forearm “inadvertently” went inside my face mask, which broke my nose. (In today’s game, that would be illegal, but in 1985, not so much.)

After the game, one of our team doctors told me my nose would be off to one side of my face in the morning and to simply push it back into place. The doctor was right. A few weeks later, we were playing the Cowboys in Dallas. One of their running backs caught a pass near our sideline and our linebacker pushed him out of bounds. As fate would have it, the running back’s helmet hit the same doctor in the face, which broke the doctor’s nose. As he was lying on the sideline with his nose bleeding, I took the opportunity to tell him his nose would be off to one side in the morning and to just push it back into place. He laughed, got up, stopped the bleeding and finished the game on the sideline.

UNBREAKABLE RECORDS

There are two records of mine that will never be broken. In 1983, I threw the last touchdown pass in Baltimore Colts’ history. And in 1984, I threw the first touchdown pass in Indianapolis Colts’ history. Robert Irsay, the owner of the Colts at the time, packed up and moved the team from Baltimore to Indianapolis in the middle of the night on March 28, 1984.

AUTOGRAPH REQUESTS

Believe it or not, fans still send autograph requests through the mail, which I sign and return, time permitting. Here are a few pro tips if you’d like to get an autograph from a former player:

1. Don’t tape the back of the envelope. It’s a pain to open.

2. Try to provide a self-sticking SASE. It’s kind of disgusting licking a bunch of envelopes.

3. Don’t tell the ex-player how many years he played. We already know.

4. Provide a short, fun experience or memory. They’re a blast to read. 

Tables of Togetherness

TABLES OF TOGETHERNESS

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Tables of Togetherness

A guide to stylish spreads

By Emilee Phillips  •   Photographs by John Gessner

The beginning of autumn means the holiday season is right around the corner. With that brings the innate desire to gather. But you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to host. Dinner parties invite guests into your world in a way that technology never can. As the seasons settle into a gentler rhythm, let your evenings do the same. Allow conversation to fall in step with the changing season — intentional, comforting and unhurried, like wax slowly melting from a candle. To help inspire your next dinner party, we asked two elite hostesses their favorite tips and tricks for throwing together tables of any size, in a way that welcomes guests to relax, slow down and stay awhile.

Harvesting Hospitality

Maribeth Tumberg has a knack for making people feel welcome. In fact, the running joke among her closest friends is that she could talk to a brick wall, which means hosting comes naturally to her. “My goal was always to make our house the house everyone comes to,” says Tumberg. As a military spouse, she knows how important community is, and moving often means searching for it again and again. To her, a dinner party is a golden ticket. “It’s the easiest way to make friends. Who doesn’t want to go to a cute dinner party?”

Tumberg thrives on Southern hospitality. “I find smaller events give you more freedom with the choices you make,” she says. “But for me, just being around the people you love most and having a good meal makes it a great time.”

Every plan of hers begins with a mood board. Tumberg uses a lot of color when she’s decorating for a party, no matter the season. She says unexpected elements, patterns and textures tie everything together. “I love to be creative; I get that from my grandma.” 

 

Must Have:  Patterns, whether it’s the plate, the cup or the napkin — something should pop. Substance-wise? Wine.

Tip: If you’re on a budget but still want things to feel special, you can find plenty of rentals for things like linens and glassware in the area.

Setting: If the weather permits, always host outside. Nothing matches the beauty of the outdoors.

 

Maribeth Tumberg owns Party with MB, an event planning and design business for anything from a two-person dinner to small weddings. Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, Tumberg has been soaking up life in Southern Pines for the last 2 1/2 years, until her next move.

Grandeur, Simply Served

Capel Brendel believes a house is happy when it’s full. When she hosts, her goal is to make the atmosphere seem effortless. “People want it to feel easy and comfortable. It’s less intimidating to reciprocate if you’ve gone to someone’s house and it’s not quite perfect.”

Brendel fondly recalls her parents’ dinner parties, and now, as a frequent hostess herself, she strives to create those memories for others. “To me, that’s the best gift to give,” she says. Her place settings often consist of borrowed items like napkins or plates from her mother and grandmother, giving each table spread a sense of character she cherishes.

If you have an extra set of hands, Brendel recommends dividing the responsibilities: Have one person greet guests, chat and mix drinks, while another handles the behind-the-scenes work like cooking and cleanup.

Games are an underrated tool to get folks talking and laughing. “You can linger around a table in someone’s home longer than you would in a restaurant.” Use that to your advantage.

 

Tip: Don’t wait to take a shower; you always run out of time at the end.

Drinks: Greeting guests with a sparkling rosé or ending the evening with a port gives the occasion a nice touch.

Must Have: Local flowers from the farmers market

 

Capel Brendel was born and raised in Southern Pines. A mother of four, she lives in Southern Pines and works remotely with Laforce, a communications firm in New York City. She considers the Sandhills the definition of a hidden gem, and you’ll often find her at the farmers market