tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89579998343048610162024-03-12T18:02:12.203-07:00John Carlin's VirginiaJohn Carlin's Virginia is the Emmy Award Winning segment on the Fox 2127 10 o'clock news that airs the first and third Tuesdays of the month. It focuses on out of the way places, people and the things they do -- in Virginia. This blog includes John's thoughts on the stories that air, and whatever else comes to his mind along the way.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-86741196307031646942013-05-21T08:32:00.000-07:002013-05-21T08:35:12.138-07:00Of Sheep, Felt, Necessity and Art<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6LRrMdDPhuY/UZuNXSio5hI/AAAAAAAACcA/zUm-779bHJo/s1600/Store.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6LRrMdDPhuY/UZuNXSio5hI/AAAAAAAACcA/zUm-779bHJo/s400/Store.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa's Shop on Monterey, Va.</td></tr>
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We had just finished trekking through the drifting snow. The feeling in my toes had returned and I was ordering hot food and a cup of coffee, when suddenly, a woman approached the table.<br />
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"I am a felter," she said. "You need to come to my shop and see. It's just a couple of doors up."<br />
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Thus was my introduction to Lisa Jacenich.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l2GeXAzLORw/UZuPVWwfPVI/AAAAAAAACdM/wDPVSk5aHZw/s1600/Sheep+shots-8051.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l2GeXAzLORw/UZuPVWwfPVI/AAAAAAAACdM/wDPVSk5aHZw/s320/Sheep+shots-8051.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa Jacenich with felt she created.</td></tr>
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Lisa and her husband Jim are, to quote <a href="http://www.artfulgifts.biz/" target="_blank">their website</a> "full time fiber artists." That and so much more.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eCXYB7nTEkA/UZuPchGk5OI/AAAAAAAACdc/95PtQRrZNb8/s1600/Sheep+shots-8059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eCXYB7nTEkA/UZuPchGk5OI/AAAAAAAACdc/95PtQRrZNb8/s320/Sheep+shots-8059.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Jacenich</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Fox videographer Curt Schruth and I had just finished shooting our story on the <a href="http://johncarlinsvirginia.blogspot.com/2013/04/suspense-in-maple-country.html" target="_blank">late arriving maple syrup season in Highland County</a> and had settled into a diner in Monterey. Lisa has seen the news vehicle parked out front and didn't want to miss an opportunity to share her story. I'm glad she didn't.<br />
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The more I learned, the more I realized it was going to be difficult to decide which <i>parts</i> of her story to tell.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VhLMHwr2whM/UZuP-9p0YfI/AAAAAAAACek/l31a74vgtfY/s1600/Sheep+shots-8104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VhLMHwr2whM/UZuP-9p0YfI/AAAAAAAACek/l31a74vgtfY/s400/Sheep+shots-8104.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Highland County lambs.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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First of all -- I didn't know what a "felter" was or is. I'm assuming most of the public does not either.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3fWg0G_z58/UZuQBYBWOaI/AAAAAAAACes/nPkAmangkzk/s1600/Sheep+shots-8114.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3fWg0G_z58/UZuQBYBWOaI/AAAAAAAACes/nPkAmangkzk/s200/Sheep+shots-8114.jpg" width="133" /></a>So a story on "<i>where felt comes from</i>" could be a story in itself. Condensed version: Shear a sheep. Clean and comb the wool. Spread it out in large sheets -- like 6' x 10' or more, add soap and water, roll it up and agitate it for hours. The wool compresses and you have felt. Who knew?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BPDHmlpFQwE/UZuPRRKqVCI/AAAAAAAACdE/ItC5m3LLEs4/s1600/Sheep+shots-8046.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BPDHmlpFQwE/UZuPRRKqVCI/AAAAAAAACdE/ItC5m3LLEs4/s200/Sheep+shots-8046.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wool just before it</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">becomes felt. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Only Lisa is one of the few people in the world who have a special machine to agitate the wool. (In some parts of the world they drag the roll behind a horse) On top of that she is an artist who makes unique felt clothing. And unique felt art. And unique felt lampshades. And she combines her felt with silk and other materials. And her husband, Jim does something called kumihimo or Japanese braiding, which is cool. AND Lisa has been to that part of the world where they drag the roll behind horses to consult with people who make their houses from felt.<br />
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See what I mean?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-00v1t16mAoY/UZuPgh-ClCI/AAAAAAAACdk/Ej0u12J9erk/s1600/Sheep+shots-8060.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-00v1t16mAoY/UZuPgh-ClCI/AAAAAAAACdk/Ej0u12J9erk/s320/Sheep+shots-8060.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Examples of Lisa's work.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LfBY06A8ujc/UZuP2FNSCII/AAAAAAAACeU/9XVPETnqrag/s1600/Sheep+shots-8089.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LfBY06A8ujc/UZuP2FNSCII/AAAAAAAACeU/9XVPETnqrag/s200/Sheep+shots-8089.jpg" width="200" /></a>Another other layer in the weaving of this tale, is that Lisa and Jim are doing this in Highland County which is famous for it's sheep and it's beauty <i>and</i> is one of my favorite places. So we had to show some of the countryside as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LcSqfbkrTS8/UZuNXHSi7kI/AAAAAAAACcE/KG-v8T8VsfU/s1600/Curt+and+sheep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LcSqfbkrTS8/UZuNXHSi7kI/AAAAAAAACcE/KG-v8T8VsfU/s400/Curt+and+sheep.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox Videographer Curt Schruth takes video of the shearing process.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IT_W3g63M8g/UZuPOYxeMwI/AAAAAAAACc8/DpGJQvtdSaA/s1600/Sheep+shots-8045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IT_W3g63M8g/UZuPOYxeMwI/AAAAAAAACc8/DpGJQvtdSaA/s320/Sheep+shots-8045.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not a painting, it's Lisa's creation from felt.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4y_0pgLkbqI/UZuPZv72KDI/AAAAAAAACdU/cQ7S4YhcF5E/s1600/Sheep+shots-8055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4y_0pgLkbqI/UZuPZv72KDI/AAAAAAAACdU/cQ7S4YhcF5E/s200/Sheep+shots-8055.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Souvenirs from Mongolia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bvr4-beHWZo/UZuPnXmSYMI/AAAAAAAACd0/phrz9KyHp2M/s1600/Sheep+shots-8064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bvr4-beHWZo/UZuPnXmSYMI/AAAAAAAACd0/phrz9KyHp2M/s320/Sheep+shots-8064.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High Fashion felt. Scroll down for more.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3fWg0G_z58/UZuQBYBWOaI/AAAAAAAACes/nPkAmangkzk/s1600/Sheep+shots-8114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7lR-i6of7vE/UZuPj3dptiI/AAAAAAAACds/SRQjQWIS0Nc/s1600/Sheep+shots-8062.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7lR-i6of7vE/UZuPj3dptiI/AAAAAAAACds/SRQjQWIS0Nc/s200/Sheep+shots-8062.jpg" width="133" /></a>Bottom line is that there are multiple stories here. From the art, to their decision to move to the country and become artists, to the fact that they have traveled to Mongolia where the world's best felters reside -- because they make their home from it, there is a bottomless pit of story angles. (I won't even get into the wedding dress she is making that involved a role of felt that was on a ship that <a href="http://www.grifworld.com/perryhome.html" target="_blank">Commodore Perry captained as the United States first visited Japan</a> in the 1800's. )<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qJYkVB4BE5M/UZuPufL7PII/AAAAAAAACeE/wFR0ZEqDoEc/s1600/Sheep+shots-8066.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qJYkVB4BE5M/UZuPufL7PII/AAAAAAAACeE/wFR0ZEqDoEc/s320/Sheep+shots-8066.jpg" width="213" /></a> The bottom line is this. Lisa is a talented artist, who is doing something that is rarely done anywhere. Her creations are literally world class, and each one is unique. And she is doing all of this while sequestered in a beautiful, small town in the mountains where life is causal and low stress. <br />
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All she needs is a little visibility. I am happy to help.<br />
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For more information, you might want to check out Lisa's website <a href="http://www.artfulgifts.biz/" target="_blank">www.artfulgifts.biz </a>or take a drive up Route 220 to Monterey. It's a beautiful drive and there are great places to eat once you arrive.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-17913351580368494042013-05-07T19:06:00.000-07:002013-05-21T06:26:49.170-07:00Barn Quilts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q552E17fWPo/UYmtHsEjeRI/AAAAAAAACOA/eQH96wrZlfY/s1600/IMG_5846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q552E17fWPo/UYmtHsEjeRI/AAAAAAAACOA/eQH96wrZlfY/s200/IMG_5846.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
There is a cool phenomenon finding its way into the rural landscape. Barn Quilts.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8854554" target="_blank"><i>Click here to see the TV story. </i></a><br />
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A barn quilt is a simple quilt pattern, painted on a sheet of (usually) plywood and affixed to the side of a barn, shed or some other out building.<br />
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My story on Fox focuses on Cydney Willis who has a barn quilt on her horse barn. I found out about it, when by son, Ben came home with a photo of the quilt on his cell phone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rul3YpLCc2I/UYmwtCFqOcI/AAAAAAAACOg/RwDYI1N8p_E/s1600/IMG_5849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rul3YpLCc2I/UYmwtCFqOcI/AAAAAAAACOg/RwDYI1N8p_E/s200/IMG_5849.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cydney Willis works on her next barn quilt.</td></tr>
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"Dad, I want to do a barn quilt for Gramma," he said. "For Christmas."<br />
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"What," I asked, "is a barn quilt?"<br />
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He then showed me Cydney's painting and I was instantly hooked on the idea of the quilts in general, and specifically for my mother who has been making real quilts for the boys since they were babies.<br />
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Ben methodically measured out the squares and chose the colors and painted and painted until he was essentially done.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TvlI6SLBnkU/UYmww_7yCiI/AAAAAAAACOo/0KIGWgHx64Q/s1600/IMG_5851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TvlI6SLBnkU/UYmww_7yCiI/AAAAAAAACOo/0KIGWgHx64Q/s200/IMG_5851.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cydney works on her patio.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Then we had to strap two, 4x8 sheets of plywood to the top of the mini-van in freezing cold weather so we could transport the gift to my parents' home in central New York. We hoped there was a place on the side of the barn large enough to hold the quilt and that Gramma 'Laine would want it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xdpDE9cyXIA/UYmv0FweYGI/AAAAAAAACOM/zG9sxHOLYqY/s1600/photo(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xdpDE9cyXIA/UYmv0FweYGI/AAAAAAAACOM/zG9sxHOLYqY/s320/photo(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Boys piecing together the barn quilt.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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It's one thing to put the grand kids' coloring projects on the refrigerator and quite another to change the complexion of your property with a huge painting the neighbors might not understand. Barn quilts are, after all, a bit of a new development in agricultural decor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnimCKSZjx0/UYmyRMmL3wI/AAAAAAAACO0/uBvJRgMTW9g/s1600/Barn+quilt-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LnimCKSZjx0/UYmyRMmL3wI/AAAAAAAACO0/uBvJRgMTW9g/s320/Barn+quilt-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Mother, Elaine Carlin, Ben and my Dad, Jack Carlin. Ben had just showed them the quilt.</td></tr>
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So we pulled in on Christmas morning. We enjoyed a huge breakfast of egg casserole, home fries, and other delights my mother makes in her cast iron skillets. We warmed ourselves by the fire and exchanged gifts.<br />
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And then the boys went out, pulled the massive quilt off the car and leaned it against the barn, while I guided my folks out to surprise them.<br />
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Mom almost cried.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7zc6XHGWLlA/UYmyVKSXs7I/AAAAAAAACO8/VbL9qQ3pevk/s1600/Barn+quilt-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7zc6XHGWLlA/UYmyVKSXs7I/AAAAAAAACO8/VbL9qQ3pevk/s320/Barn+quilt-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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To be clear, it was tears of joy. She had labored so long to make Ben, Jonathan and Tyler special quilts, with special patterns. They had all taken them to college, and sleep overs and dragged them around until they basically fell apart.<br />
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Now Ben had made a quilt for Gramma in the same pattern she had made for him.<br />
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It now has a permanent home on the side of the barn and has become a great source of family pride. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z34ggGXVm4I/UYmycySiK6I/AAAAAAAACPM/hqzv-xqG8Hs/s1600/Barn+quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z34ggGXVm4I/UYmycySiK6I/AAAAAAAACPM/hqzv-xqG8Hs/s320/Barn+quilt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom sees the barn quilt for the first time.</td></tr>
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Cydney is hoping community groups and others will begin making these and attaching them to buildings all over Virginia. Based upon our experience, that's a pretty good idea.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-20979345892619653152013-04-18T06:17:00.000-07:002013-05-21T06:26:24.071-07:0025 Years of Roanoke MustangsThe<a href="http://www.roanokevalleymustangclub.com/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">Roanoke Mustang Club</a> has been in existence for the past 25 years. During that time they have shown a lot of cars, raised a lot of money and donated it to many local non-profits.<br />
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I first met Suzanne Beels sixteen years ago, when the Mustang Club wanted to donate to <a href="http://www.saintfrancisdogs.org/" target="_blank">Saint Francis Service Dogs</a>, where I was (and am) on the board of directors. The club has continued to donate every year since for at total of $15-thousand plus. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKsHt5_bGNU/UW8KbVX79yI/AAAAAAAACK8/-ZHenLmHsJQ/s1600/IMG_5705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PKsHt5_bGNU/UW8KbVX79yI/AAAAAAAACK8/-ZHenLmHsJQ/s320/IMG_5705.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This year the club will again donate to Saint Francis as well as the <a href="http://www.mmzoo.org/" target="_blank">Mill Mountain Zoo</a> and the Virginia Museum of Transportation.<br />
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What struck me about the club is how much it ISN'T about the cars. I mean, it's a <i>Mustang</i> club. You can't show your car with them unless it is FORD powered, and they spend thousnads or tens of thousands of dollars on their vehicles. So when I asked various members of the club what it was about Mustangs that was so enduring and endearing, they all said something to the effect of, "the People."<br />
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Members of the Roanoke Valley Mustang club like to get together and talk about their cars, but they really like to just get together. They like serving the community and they enjoy the company of one another.<br />
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So congratulations to the Mustang Club as they celebrate their upcoming 25th anniversary on Sunday May 5, at Red Sox Stadium in Salem. They will have all kinds of auto related activities and at least 100-150 Mustangs. Anyone can show their car -- as long as it is Ford Powered.<br />
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I encourage you to check out the show. You'll see some cool cars, and meet a great group of caring people.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-78223692897656712792013-04-02T12:05:00.001-07:002013-04-02T17:29:37.312-07:00Suspense in Maple Country<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TQLAiNh9Fuo/UVspvnAT92I/AAAAAAAACDU/LxL2SO_V1pE/s1600/Maple+Pix-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TQLAiNh9Fuo/UVspvnAT92I/AAAAAAAACDU/LxL2SO_V1pE/s320/Maple+Pix-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ronnie Moyers taps a maple tree at Laurel Fork Sapsuckers.</td></tr>
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<h2>
People have been in a bad mood the past few weeks. They are tired of the winter that "just won't let go." How many times have you heard that?</h2>
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You don't need statistics to know that we just endured a long, cold March. You can look at the expressions on the faces of the people around you, or you could ask a <a href="http://www.highlandcounty.org/index.html" target="_blank">Highland County</a> maple tree.<br />
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The people are probably grouchy and out of sorts. The tree will simply refuse to give up its sap.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FTWq66vzQ4U/UVspvI-ogYI/AAAAAAAACDQ/hfNaVQGd_v8/s1600/Maple+Pix-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FTWq66vzQ4U/UVspvI-ogYI/AAAAAAAACDQ/hfNaVQGd_v8/s200/Maple+Pix-3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ronnie Moyers</td></tr>
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That was the case the day I scheduled a visit to the Laurel Fork Sapsuckers, located on a 4,000 foot mountain about ten miles west of Monterey. <br />
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As bad as winter has been in the Roanoke Valley, it's been worse there. The day we went it was about 50 degrees here. When we arrived at the Laurel Fork sugar camp there was blowing and drifting snow and the temperature was in the low 20's. Our host, owner Ronnie Moyers, met us in his driveway off route 250, thankful we had four wheel drive. We would need it to get our gear even close to the sugaring process.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ErjcEqaK20/UVsp0w3lK8I/AAAAAAAACD4/f6XZucCB10o/s1600/Maple+Pix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--ErjcEqaK20/UVsp0w3lK8I/AAAAAAAACD4/f6XZucCB10o/s320/Maple+Pix.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Syrup tastes different at 4,000 feet.</td></tr>
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And on that day, it was a bit moot, because there was no sugaring process. It was just too cold. The sap was not flowing. Not flowing into buckets hanging from trees and not flowing in the plastic lines that save time by transporting the sweet sap to huge holding tanks. There would be no wood burning fire to evaporate the water leaving behind the sweet syrup. There would be none of the video opportunities we had driven over two hours to see.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dgO46K7Wdmw/UVspxevdPBI/AAAAAAAACDo/eu0UuYkboXA/s1600/Maple+Pix-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dgO46K7Wdmw/UVspxevdPBI/AAAAAAAACDo/eu0UuYkboXA/s320/Maple+Pix-6.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sap drips into a bucket.</td></tr>
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When life gives you lemons you try to make lemonade. We couldn't do a story on making syrup, so we crafted a report on the frigid weather! <br />
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It actually was very pretty. A winter wonderland in <a href="http://www.highlandcova.org/" target="_blank">Highland County</a>, often called, "Virginia's Switzerland."<br />
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Despite the weather, Ronnie and his family were busy tapping trees, and preparing for the annual <a href="http://www.highlandcounty.org/maplefestival.html" target="_blank">Highland Maple Festival</a> which happens every year on the 2nd and 3rd weekends of March -- rain, shine or cold.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LleLcALuLCM/UVsp1AU08YI/AAAAAAAACD8/hfXtsvdRxrM/s1600/Maple+Pix-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LleLcALuLCM/UVsp1AU08YI/AAAAAAAACD8/hfXtsvdRxrM/s200/Maple+Pix-7.jpg" width="200" /></a>As you'll see in our report, Ronnie and the Laurel Fork crew focus on doing things the old fashioned way. All the sap is boiled over wood fires, in a sugar camp built from materials on the property. There is not even an electric line running to the camp. "We don't care about quantity, we care about quality, and doing it old school," Ronnie told me. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laurel-Fork-Sapsuckers/533692339986401" target="_blank">Visit their Facebook page.</a><br />
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Fast forward to today, April 2nd and I can report that the long, cold winter was no figment of our imaginations. Ronnie called last night to say that the sap did in fact start running, and it's still running. He projected that the season would go later this year than any in recent memory.<br />
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He also says he has plenty of the syrup from his sugar camp for sale -- though he expects to sell out pretty quickly.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vypa7-gYw5o/UVspyPfDgvI/AAAAAAAACDw/yi_dmKwz_Bs/s1600/Maple+Pix-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vypa7-gYw5o/UVspyPfDgvI/AAAAAAAACDw/yi_dmKwz_Bs/s320/Maple+Pix-5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A long-awaited drop of sap.</td></tr>
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As a warm weather lover, I'm hoping this winter was the exception and not the rule. If this keeps up -- They may have to move the Highland County Festival to the 2nd and 3rd weekends in April.<br />
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<i>By the way, if you've never been to Highland County, it's worth a trip. It's one of the prettiest counties in Virginia no matter what time of year you visit. <a href="http://www.highlandcova.org/" target="_blank">Click here to learn more about the year-round activities of "Virginia's Switzerland."</a></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J3DD0wDEZi8/UVspwDf6JdI/AAAAAAAACDg/YAoAS8NRiHg/s1600/Maple+Pix-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J3DD0wDEZi8/UVspwDf6JdI/AAAAAAAACDg/YAoAS8NRiHg/s400/Maple+Pix-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No fire today. Normally the wood stove is steaming.</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-25619394339557997502013-03-05T13:49:00.000-08:002013-03-05T13:57:01.221-08:00The Leather Man<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r-UWPhEJVOs/UTZhKAu97zI/AAAAAAAAB2o/5b9fz09Ipfc/s1600/IMG_5552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r-UWPhEJVOs/UTZhKAu97zI/AAAAAAAAB2o/5b9fz09Ipfc/s200/IMG_5552.JPG" title="" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Al Perkins</td></tr>
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I read a fictional book once where a successful TV weatherman chucked it all to open a lawn mowing business. His life was crumbling from stress and he wanted to get back to doing simple things.<br />
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Now -- to be sure, Al Perkins did not "chuck it all" due to a crumbling life, but he IS getting back to a simpler way of working, using mostly his hands, his knowledge and his skill. It's something I think many people would envy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zob36Z_ANCo/UTZhA5M4sgI/AAAAAAAAB14/GDw_10ebTH4/s1600/IMG_5538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zob36Z_ANCo/UTZhA5M4sgI/AAAAAAAAB14/GDw_10ebTH4/s200/IMG_5538.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on knife sheath.</td></tr>
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Al learned leather working as a boy. Not the kind you did at summer camp -- but the professional kind he practiced with his father in their shop in Lansing, Michigan. Now he's returned to it after a professional business career. How many of us hope that there is something we will be able to do besides golf, fishing and gardening when we reach "retirement?"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XeC2Pbs5lyw/UTZhI_qmEDI/AAAAAAAAB2g/rxO0AnYYFKA/s1600/IMG_5547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XeC2Pbs5lyw/UTZhI_qmEDI/AAAAAAAAB2g/rxO0AnYYFKA/s200/IMG_5547.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some tools are more than 100 years old.</td></tr>
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Al is using some tools that are more than 100 years old and still in great shape. He has some newer tools and machines which make life a bit easier than back in the day. As you watch him work, you can tell it's all second nature.<br />
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"What I enjoy most is working with my customers," he told me. "I like to hear their need for something special, and then find a way to fulfill that need."<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zQXWBtBU_uc/UTZhMH0vjeI/AAAAAAAAB24/FiTq6ZNb23U/s1600/IMG_5555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zQXWBtBU_uc/UTZhMH0vjeI/AAAAAAAAB24/FiTq6ZNb23U/s200/IMG_5555.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Some people his age are doing crossword puzzles just to keep their brains active. He's rebuilding saddles, making belts that are as much art as they are useful, (Well maybe 80-20 in favor of useful -- but they sure are pretty and definitely unique) and custom bridles for horses and holsters for handguns.<br />
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It's nice to see someone who seems to have figured out how to spend his days doing something he enjoys while still making what Al calls, "... a living wage." As we baby boomers enter the retirement years we might be think about what in our lives could be to each of us as leather working is to Al Perkins. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mav4Y4IDQWs/UTZoBStdzDI/AAAAAAAAB34/qZ9mHQJnISU/s1600/Knife+Sheath+Finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mav4Y4IDQWs/UTZoBStdzDI/AAAAAAAAB34/qZ9mHQJnISU/s320/Knife+Sheath+Finished.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished knife sheath Al began in our TV story.</td></tr>
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To get in touch with Al you can visit his <a href="http://www.perkinsleathershop.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. E-mail him at al@perkinsleathershop.com or call him at 540.319.1378.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-69032539920979003482013-02-19T17:22:00.002-08:002013-03-05T13:51:15.530-08:00The Santa Who Never Quits<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tuXFnHTWwpY/USQkI04hf_I/AAAAAAAAB0c/qUpR-vNw5Mo/s1600/santa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tuXFnHTWwpY/USQkI04hf_I/AAAAAAAAB0c/qUpR-vNw5Mo/s1600/santa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Williams' everyday look.</td></tr>
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Christmas was two months ago, but don't tell that to Tom Williams, who is the closest to a dead ringer for Santa Claus as any man I've ever seen. You either.<br />
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Tom can't help but look like Santa, whether it's December, or July or last week when we caught up with him as he volunteered at the <a href="http://habitatnrv.org/" target="_blank">Habitat ReStore</a> in Christiansburg.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l26BQSRFB_s/USQkIf2wBWI/AAAAAAAAB0M/5XO1OnkQD0U/s1600/Kid+and+santa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l26BQSRFB_s/USQkIf2wBWI/AAAAAAAAB0M/5XO1OnkQD0U/s1600/Kid+and+santa.JPG" width="200" /></a>He can't just turn it off.<br />
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We saw that when a young child approached him wide-eyed in the ReStore. As far as that kid was concerned, THAT was Santa, and the boy wanted to talk to him. Tom, of course obliged.<br />
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I asked him why he didn't just shave the beard and get a haircut. "Then, I wouldn't look like Santa," he said.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s3jRRxVNelE/USQkITSHIJI/AAAAAAAAB0U/UKXHEochwZk/s1600/Santa+wide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s3jRRxVNelE/USQkITSHIJI/AAAAAAAAB0U/UKXHEochwZk/s1600/Santa+wide.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The C'burg ReStore</td></tr>
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See, Tom wants to look like Santa. Not for the notoriety. Not so he can sit in the mall at Christmas. (Which he doesn't do.) Not for some personality disorder, or even for local fame. Tom wants to be Santa so he can accomplish good.<br />
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In my story, you'll see how Tom volunteers for numerous organizations. You'll hear about his <a href="http://www.santacares.org/?page_id=2" target="_blank">Santa Cares Program.</a> You'll see the story of a man who is truly trying to put the giving not just into Christmas -- but into every other month of the year as well.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-41538883506710352312013-02-05T18:16:00.001-08:002013-02-05T18:22:35.830-08:00Time for Renewable Energy?<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Hanson's home</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Has the time come for Virginians to seriously consider solar panels and windmills to heat and cool our homes, power our blenders and light up our flat screen TV's? Are battery powered cars finally the best way to get to and from work? Maybe.<br />
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Make that a <i>qualified</i> maybe. There are still a few obstacles to overcome, but one of the biggest -- price, is fading like a light bulb in a black out.<br />
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And that's generating new enthusiasm for long-time renewable energy fans like the men in my story, Mark Hanson and Mark Howard. As we toured Hanson's home which is chock full of renewable energy and carbon footprint shrinking technology, the thing we heard over and over is that the cost of solar panels has come way down. Enough that the two Marks, and their club, REEVA for <a href="http://www.reevadiy.org/about_reeva.html" target="_blank">Renewable Energy and Electric Vehicle Association</a> are hoping more people will get in line to try what has been historically a passion reserved for hobbyists and environmentalists.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2I5P0LB20Zo/URGAM8QcJLI/AAAAAAAABwc/Z-JIqBuSEb4/s1600/IMG_5410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2I5P0LB20Zo/URGAM8QcJLI/AAAAAAAABwc/Z-JIqBuSEb4/s200/IMG_5410.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Hanson</td></tr>
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REEVA is an active club, and their website is <a href="http://www.reevadiy.org/gallery.html" target="_blank">full of pictures</a> of projects the group has taken on -- often at the homes of other club members. But they will go to just about anyone's home to help install wind, solar or electric car equipment, if the person will just buy it.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aDPXpuYcpQ0/URGAOl9z5uI/AAAAAAAABws/d-MegcVOxfw/s1600/IMG_5412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aDPXpuYcpQ0/URGAOl9z5uI/AAAAAAAABws/d-MegcVOxfw/s200/IMG_5412.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanson's custom electric VW</td></tr>
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"We figured the cost of the energy has come down to the same price as traditional options, but the equipment still costs money. We figured if we supplied the labor to install it, then renewable energy is a viable choice for a lot more people," said Hanson.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x13MP1XFaAQ/URGANCTWcKI/AAAAAAAABwY/gng6dT9YC24/s1600/IMG_5411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x13MP1XFaAQ/URGANCTWcKI/AAAAAAAABwY/gng6dT9YC24/s200/IMG_5411.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Howard</td></tr>
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It's not like their phones are ringing off the hook, but interest has steadily been picking up. The other Mark -- Mark Howard, owner of <a href="http://www.powermarkelectrical.com/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">PowerMark Electrical</a> is a certified electrician who specializes in solar installations, he says about half of his work last year was solar related. <br />
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The Marks and the rest of the club make valid points about our dependence upon non-renewable energy sources. It's hard to argue with a solar panel, which as Howard points out, "... Has no moving parts. Once its installed it just produces energy."<br />
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Say one thing for these guys and, from what I can tell the rest of the club. They talk the talk, and drive the drive. They are offering to donate their time and their minds to see others discover what they already believe -- that there's a better way. I wish them well.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-35837645829230856452013-01-15T19:21:00.001-08:002013-01-17T05:48:13.497-08:00Urban Farming is Here.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eqzMFeskGKk/UPYXFLCkzrI/AAAAAAAABcU/UuCaJlWy4bQ/s1600/IMG_5339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eqzMFeskGKk/UPYXFLCkzrI/AAAAAAAABcU/UuCaJlWy4bQ/s320/IMG_5339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8196162" target="_blank">Click here to view the TV Story from the Fox 21/27 10 O'clock news. </a></i><br />
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Roanoke has been trying to get in on the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/education/learning-urban-farming-to-foster-personal-growth.html?_r=0" target="_blank">urban farm movement</a> for some time now, and the city would have already been there had it not been for neighborhood uneasiness over urban chickens on said urban farm that would have been located on a portion of the old <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/300802" target="_blank">Countryside Golf Course</a>.<br />
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If everything happens for a reason, then that happened so the farm, owned by the Roanoke <a href="http://roanokenaturalfoods.com/" target="_blank">Natural Foods Co-op</a>, could land where it is now -- at the back end of the Center for Industry and Technology, and industrial center that is home to warehouses and light industry.<br />
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Though it's not exactly "urban" as in a vacant lot between two houses in an old neighborhood, or an abandoned industrial site, it is inside the city limits. Add in a barn once used for the city's mounted patrol horses, a charming, if run-down log cabin and an organic agriculture expert named Sean Jordan and it is definitely a "farm."<br />
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Sean is already hard at work, raising chickens, (inside when we were there in November, but since moved outside.) and preparing the land for spring planting. By this summer there will be a retail store where people who appreciate sustainably raised produce can come and fill their baskets.<br />
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By then, Sean hopes to be living in the old cabin -- which has been renovated so many times that it will be impossible to make "original." At least it will soon have a foundation that is not crumbling, and a roof that has not been patched with Roanoke highway and utility signs.<br />
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I was most intrigued by the cabin -- which is a big part of our TV story. As they begin to dismantle it, who knows what they will find? What clues as to who has lived there and how since the mid 1800's? (And why would someone junk it up with an over sized fireplace, complete with wall safe?)<br />
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On the cold gray November Day that we were there, the farm and cabin were more of a mystery than a reality. It was hard to imagine rows of crops, hoop houses full of vegetables and fruit trees laden with apples. It's difficult to envision the final status of the the cabin. But with the potential of the rolling hills, and a group that is determined that Roanoke should take its rightful place in the sustainability movement, you get the feeling this urban farm will be both popular and cool.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-28786455223355385472012-12-12T11:52:00.001-08:002012-12-20T06:55:51.020-08:00Virginia Horsewoman to Ride in Mongol Derby<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2q2TUuKTuHc/UMja2Exw6II/AAAAAAAABZQ/Sc09GAtoLg8/s1600/IMG_5268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2q2TUuKTuHc/UMja2Exw6II/AAAAAAAABZQ/Sc09GAtoLg8/s320/IMG_5268.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></i></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lynne on Mercuric</i></td></tr>
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<i><a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8084787" target="_blank">To view the story that aired on Fox 21/27 click here. </a></i><br />
<i>Note: the video story includes a night ride photo taken by photographer Becky Siler Pearman.</i><br />
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Somehow, a fun loving bunch of promoters with a distinctly European style have crept into Virginia's horse country.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.theadventurists.com/" target="_blank">Adventurists</a> sponsor <a href="http://www.theadventurists.com/the-adventures/mongol-rally" target="_blank">all kinds of crazy adventures</a> which you can read about on their website. One of those adventures is the Mongol Derby. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PK3SpdIXvD4" target="_blank">(Click here for their promotional video)</a> It's a 1,000 K race across the Mongolian steppe. The race re-creates the ride of Genghis Khan and his conquering forces. Participants must be invited and they must have the resume to support the notion that they can complete this race without dying.<br />
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That's where Lynne Gilbert comes in. She has qualified to participate in this insanity and is actually excited about it.<br />
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As you'll see in the TV story, Lynne is an accomplished endurance rider, who with her horse, Mercuric, is a top finisher at "races" of 50 to 100 miles here in the United States. She learned earlier this year that her application to participate in the Derby had been accepted.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><u><b>From the Adventurists Website: </b></u></i></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h1>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Horses</span></h1>
<div id="internal-source-marker_0.310893029673025">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.theadventurists.com/the-adventures/mongol-derby" target="_blank">Mongolian horses</a> were
the Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles of the thirteenth century. These
indefatigable steeds once carried the all-conquering Mongol warriors
across half the world. Diminutive, sturdy, fearless, wild and
unbelievably tough, they're rightly revered in Mongolian culture, and
have changed very little over the centuries, free as they are from human
interference.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RhR27A3SAUM/UMjbXBFj5dI/AAAAAAAABZ4/K3ptfjocSOE/s1600/IMG_5274.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RhR27A3SAUM/UMjbXBFj5dI/AAAAAAAABZ4/K3ptfjocSOE/s400/IMG_5274.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br />
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<div id="internal-source-marker_0.310893029673025">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n2e12Ur7kjQ/UMjbBSyPXRI/AAAAAAAABZg/ddErKAzDEVA/s1600/IMG_5270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n2e12Ur7kjQ/UMjbBSyPXRI/AAAAAAAABZg/ddErKAzDEVA/s200/IMG_5270.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">This means she has earned the rights to pay the $12,000 entry fee so she can suffer immeasurably as she trades horses every 25 miles, and sleeps in local Mongol family homes while traversing the deserts, swamps, shorelines and hazard-filled countryside over the steppe during a period of about 10 days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After which, if she survives, she will participate in: (again -- from the website) </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ekxKskgO7g/UMjbkyDXcMI/AAAAAAAABaM/mFV35KpaSMI/s1600/IMG_5276.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">...Final dust expected to settle Sunday, August 13/14th, whereupon speeches
will be made and holy vodka sprinkled. And imbibed. Riders will be
transferred back to Ulaanbaatar on August 14/15th</span> </i></blockquote>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ekxKskgO7g/UMjbkyDXcMI/AAAAAAAABaM/mFV35KpaSMI/s1600/IMG_5276.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ekxKskgO7g/UMjbkyDXcMI/AAAAAAAABaM/mFV35KpaSMI/s400/IMG_5276.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is either going to be the most painful experience since Khan's soldiers arrived on someone's doorstep, or one heck of an adventure. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you'll check out the story on <a href="http://www.fox2127.com/category/220112/john-carlins-virginia" target="_blank">Fox 21/27</a> at 10 p.m. on December 18 or the Fox Morning News on December 19. We had a great day shooting the interview and footage of Lynne as she and Mercuric galloped across the green fields of a Lexington Farm. There were blue skies, and tall cliffs along the Maury River and just enough leaves on the trees to make it pretty.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When you see Lynne -- who can't weight more than 100 pounds -- if that -- you will likely think as I did, that you could not find a single person who is further in character from the famed Genghis Khan. She is pretty, sweet and determined. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Only 35 people are admitted to the Derby, and who knows where Lynne will finish. I'm betting however that she WILL finish, and that's saying a lot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By the way, each rider must choose a charity to support through the training and racing process. Lynne's is the <a href="http://www.hoofsandboots.org/" target="_blank">Wounded Warrior Equestrian Program.</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wounded-Warrior-Equestrian-Program/123523111034924" target="_blank">Click here for their Facebook page.</a> The program provides
both emotional and physical therapy to veterans using rescue horses. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I’m so excited that I found a charity that helps both animals and
people. I work with many veterans and have volunteered with
HoofBeats Therapeutic Riding Program. The decision was tough because
there are so many great organizations that need funding
but this one just seemed right for me," she wrote in an recent e-mail. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you would like to support the Wounded Warrior Equestrian program in honor of Lynne's efforts, please contact me at carlinagency@gmail.com. </span> <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-80526211325850192332012-12-05T08:50:00.001-08:002012-12-19T13:06:05.751-08:00John Carlin's Virginia: Father/Daughter Team Restores Antique Boats<a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8033851#.UL97RcbELoo.blogger">John Carlin's Virginia: Father/Daughter Team Restores Antique Boats</a>: Bill Garrecht and his daughter Lily have spent the last two years restoring a boat in their garage. This is a link to the story aired on Fox 21/27Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-7995622272066970142012-12-05T06:42:00.001-08:002012-12-05T06:42:40.114-08:00John Carlin's Virginia: Roanoke River<a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7690273#.UL9dPP4Luzs.blogger">John Carlin's Virginia: Roanoke River</a>: Today in John Carlin's Virginia, we are knee-deep in the Roanoke River. Here is a link to one of my favorite stories.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-65094129136825210902012-12-05T05:46:00.001-08:002012-12-05T06:00:51.321-08:00John Carlin's Virginia: Touchdown Tommy<a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7985480#.UL9QNja6GD8.blogger">John Carlin's Virginia: Touchdown Tommy</a>: John Carlin's Virginia: Touchdown Tommy<br />
Here is a link to the Television Story on Touchdown Tommy. Scroll down to find the blog on Tommy and additional information. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-16749498615499674522012-12-04T18:26:00.002-08:002012-12-19T13:06:29.774-08:00Lily's Boat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8033851" target="_blank">Click here to see the story that aired on Fox 21/27.</a><br />
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Lily Garrecht wants to study architecture in college, and she thinks the itch came from the time she's been spending with her father, Bill in their garage. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WU5Zd6REImg/UL6r8CwF_rI/AAAAAAAABXM/N41pC79wdBU/s1600/IMG_5219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WU5Zd6REImg/UL6r8CwF_rI/AAAAAAAABXM/N41pC79wdBU/s1600/IMG_5219.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill and Lily Garrecht work on their 1955 Chris Craft</td></tr>
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There, they have spent countless hours over the past two years, lovingly restoring a 1955 Chris Craft. This isn't just stripping the finish and applying new varnish. This is a complete restoration screw by screw and board by board, and it's a true father-daughter project.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pT0nGhkONvw/UL6rwi_eJRI/AAAAAAAABWs/tZfVfRbC4ZI/s1600/IMG_5216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pT0nGhkONvw/UL6rwi_eJRI/AAAAAAAABWs/tZfVfRbC4ZI/s1600/IMG_5216.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Garrechts already have a replica wooden boat.</td></tr>
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What struck me the most about this -- beyond the amazing quality and difficulty of the work and the expertise that it requires, is Lily's unusual love for the project. You sort of expect a guy Bill's age to enjoy woodworking and motors and so forth, but how often do you see that in a 17 year old female high school cross country runner? You can say I'm stereotyping if you want -- but stories happen when there is something unexpected -- when man bites dog.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJxI_63hiuI/UL6sE69ssEI/AAAAAAAABXc/zXDBes3RD7A/s1600/IMG_5221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJxI_63hiuI/UL6sE69ssEI/AAAAAAAABXc/zXDBes3RD7A/s1600/IMG_5221.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The frame is original. All the wood is being replaced.</td></tr>
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Not only does Lily enjoy this work -- but she is atypical in the sense that she thinks watching TV is a waste of time. Ditto for video games and most of the other things parents and society at large are complaining about with respect to teenagers.<br />
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{page:Secti</style><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"When I was little I always wanted to build things and I
wasn’t the kind of person who wanted to be in the kitchen cooking or downstairs
with my mom sewing. I always
wanted to be outside doing stuff with my hands," Lily told me.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This really is a great story at so many levels. The father/daughter team, Lily's atypical approach and the boat restoration itself. We cover that in more detail in the TV segment.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I hope you'll check it out and enjoy it for all the reasons I did.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>For more information on wooden boats and the vibrant antique boat community <a href="http://www.woodyboater.com/classic-boat-shows/21st-annual-smith-mountain-lake-antique-classic-boat-show-and-festival/" target="_blank">at Smith Mountain Lake check out this report</a>. Also, many thanks to George Blosser who seems to have a bottomless supply of old boat stories. </i></span></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-23873348090357718032012-11-20T12:28:00.004-08:002012-12-19T13:07:43.229-08:00Whatever Happened to Touchdown Tommy?<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r7srAcjBhjw/UKvrmJuhEqI/AAAAAAAABV4/XP4CBfXYW9c/s1600/Edwards_Tommy_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r7srAcjBhjw/UKvrmJuhEqI/AAAAAAAABV4/XP4CBfXYW9c/s200/Edwards_Tommy_1.jpg" width="156" /></a><br />
<i>"I was having a nervous breakdown on national television and no one could see it." </i><br />
<i>-- Tommy Edwards in our interview for John Carlin's Virginia. </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cn2YbWQMEFE/UKvg1RfFFjI/AAAAAAAABVY/lNnrdm_HDuQ/s1600/photo(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cn2YbWQMEFE/UKvg1RfFFjI/AAAAAAAABVY/lNnrdm_HDuQ/s320/photo(3).JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We interviewed on his front porch in Roanoke.</td></tr>
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Tommy Edward's story is an intricate one. We all live complicated lives, but few among us have lived so close to the <i>edge</i> as Touchdown Tommy.<br />
<br />
Let me explain what I mean by "edge." There's an edge we think of as the "cliff." Right now the entire nation is watching the president and congress to see if we can avoid going over the fiscal cliff. That would be bad.<br />
<br />
Tommy has certainly gone over the cliff several times in his life as he has battled mental illness, drugs and alcohol. But there's another "edge" as well. And that edge is only seen by folks who have talent beyond everyday people. Tommy's talents have taken him to places most people could never achieve. His edges are often as close to greatness as they are calamity.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N_Tw7XDlo-Y/UKvrn1JioRI/AAAAAAAABWE/EvxO-QOeFK0/s1600/Tommy+hand+plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N_Tw7XDlo-Y/UKvrn1JioRI/AAAAAAAABWE/EvxO-QOeFK0/s320/Tommy+hand+plant.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tommy does a hand plant.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hA7BTzsAxXg/UKvrnDwMITI/AAAAAAAABWA/6MZtQwYgecg/s1600/Edwards_Tommy_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hA7BTzsAxXg/UKvrnDwMITI/AAAAAAAABWA/6MZtQwYgecg/s200/Edwards_Tommy_6.jpg" width="133" /></a>Not only is he a celebrated <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4U9ZTb74Aw" target="_blank">football player</a>, he is also an artist and musician who has played with some big time names. He is an entrepreneur who has started companies and foundations. <br />
<br />
Tommy has seen higher highs and lower lows than 99-percent of us. He's led the league in rushing. He's created his own skateboard company. He's recorded multiple CD's from his part-time home in Nashville. But he's also suffered from too many bangs to the head (from football and skateboard accidents). He suffers from mental illness that has not always been under control. He's been homeless.<br />
<br />
This is a tough story to tell in a TV news segment. Tommy's story really deserves treatment in a longer form -- a documentary, reality TV segment or a book.<br />
<br />
In tv news we interview our subjects, do some research, take some video and put it on the news. Tommy's doesn't fit very well in that format. There's just too much.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bM9rb6MU2tw/UKvg0SOHfnI/AAAAAAAABVQ/v6mQzkKjFPA/s1600/photo(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bM9rb6MU2tw/UKvg0SOHfnI/AAAAAAAABVQ/v6mQzkKjFPA/s320/photo(2).JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tommy keeping life "in balance"</td></tr>
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What you DO get from a tv story, however is a measure of the person, just by watching the interview clips that make air. You get a certain sense of the person that can't be described by the written word or still photos. In Tommy's case you will also see him balancing on a roller board, playing guitar and singing a song he wrote. Life on the edge. Or with the roller board, as Tommy puts it, "Life in balance."<br />
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And now, with the internet, I can share additional information about Tommy's talents by providing you with links to his <a href="http://www.theheartofva.org/" target="_blank">Heart of Virginia Foundation</a>, or his music. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avT9QKedaW4" target="_blank">Click here for a You Tube Video</a> that shows some of his football prowess and ends with his musical talents. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-afGH0aj0pp4/UKvg2bXSOqI/AAAAAAAABVg/G5qnrzG1wsI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-afGH0aj0pp4/UKvg2bXSOqI/AAAAAAAABVg/G5qnrzG1wsI/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a>As I write this, Tommy seems to be near new levels of achievement in two aspects of his multifaceted life. His music, which is getting more and more attention, and his advocacy for help for people with mental illness -- specifically with respect to the mass shootings that dominate the headlines. Tommy avers that society needs to recognize, embrace and help the people who suffer from treatable disorders or we will continue to suffer at the hands of deranged individuals who somehow believe that killing others is the solution to their problems.<br />
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He's sharing the dark side of his story as a call to action. <br />
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The hook for the TV story was pretty simple: Whatever happened to Touchdown Tommy? What happened to the kid who seemed like a lock for the NFL even when he was at Radford High School? The tv story answers those questions, but who knows where the complicated story of his life will go next? One day the world may look at the body of his work and say, " Wow, he was also a pretty good football player."<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-39408651724826912792012-11-06T18:51:00.002-08:002012-12-19T13:07:43.237-08:00Cat Trappers<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DoyyI9uvs7M/UJnGFpd34nI/AAAAAAAABTw/dm7RIy69IEs/s1600/IMG_5036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DoyyI9uvs7M/UJnGFpd34nI/AAAAAAAABTw/dm7RIy69IEs/s320/IMG_5036.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7930440" target="_blank">Darcie Luster with trapped kittens. </a></td></tr>
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<i><a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7930440" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000ee;">Click here <span style="color: #0000ee;">t</span>o view the Television Story that aired on Fox 21/27.</span></a></i><br />
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When you talk about feral cats, you begin to get frustrated.<br />
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Your reasoning goes something like this: Cats are pets. People should take care of their pets. If people would just do what they are supposed to do there would be no such thing as "wild" house cats. Can't we just go catch them all, tame them and see that they get good homes?<br />
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Another, less sympathetic line of reasoning might be: If these "wild" house cats are causing such a problem, let's catch them and have them euthanized so they can't cause any more problems.<br />
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Neither solution will work.<br />
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That's what I learned when I spent a day last summer with Darcie Luster, a cat trapper in Floyd County.<br />
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According to Darcie, there will always be feral cats. The best we can hope to do is manage them. People will always drop off unwanted litters near barns, dumpsters or the side of the road. Those kittens will create populations that will sustain themselves, unless there is human intervention.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-na3XiFX-JI0/UJnGU9iywoI/AAAAAAAABUI/8Cu4BRLLwfU/s1600/IMG_5039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-na3XiFX-JI0/UJnGU9iywoI/AAAAAAAABUI/8Cu4BRLLwfU/s320/IMG_5039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I initially had a hard time understanding the intervention part. <br />
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Darcie traps the cats, takes them to the <a href="http://www.mountainviewhumane.org/" target="_blank">Mountainview Humane Spay/Neuter Clinic</a> in Christinansburg where they are "fixed," given a rabies shot and returned to Darcie who returns them to the wild. (unless they are kittens young enough to be tamed and adopted.)<br />
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Why in the world would you return them to the wild?<br />
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Apparently, it actually keeps the numbers of feral cats in check. The neutered cats still own that piece of territory. They interact with other neutered cats in that zone and produce no kittens. They also prevent other strays from taking up residence there.<br />
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Darcie says the case study in our TV segment proves it. (As do many cases.) The feral cat population has dwindled from about twenty down to five or six near the Floyd warehouse where we shot the segment.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7XiIcE0Pero/UJnGZAboczI/AAAAAAAABUU/hLrkEJ03qfU/s1600/IMG_5040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7XiIcE0Pero/UJnGZAboczI/AAAAAAAABUU/hLrkEJ03qfU/s320/IMG_5040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I also asked her if she ever mistakenly trapped someone's pet. She says it happens occasionally but real house cats act differently than their feral cousins. "Feral cats don't meow," she explained. "That's a learned behavior that comes from being around humans." They also act differently after they've been trapped. They are much calmer. "If it happens, we just take them back to their home unharmed," she said.<br />
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All in all, Darcie and Kathy Poole, president of the <a href="http://floydhumanesociety.org/" target="_blank">Floyd County Humane Society </a>make a strong case for TNR -- Trap, Neuter and Release.<br />
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They are dealing with dozens of colonies around the county. They have garnered widespread support, and it seems to be working.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-35013764637194034422012-10-16T19:08:00.003-07:002012-12-19T13:07:43.235-08:00Tiny Houses<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xprm-QTsc3g/UH4RJF9mwJI/AAAAAAAABSQ/s5TwMjqm1GI/s1600/Tiny+House+-++APUS+7-12+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xprm-QTsc3g/UH4RJF9mwJI/AAAAAAAABSQ/s5TwMjqm1GI/s320/Tiny+House+-++APUS+7-12+019.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7850394" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8957999834304861016" target="_blank">John puts the mic on Sarah McNair</a></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7850394" target="_blank"><i></i></a><i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8957999834304861016" target="_blank"><br /></a></i></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7850394" target="_blank"><i>Click here To view the TV Story that accompanies this blog. </i></a><br />
<br />
When you look at Sarah McNair's master's thesis, sitting in her parent's back yard in Giles County only a few miles from Mountain Lake, you ask yourself, why? Why would anyone want to live in a home that's only 150 square feet including bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and what Sarah jokingly calls the "great room."<br />
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<br />
At first you think, "This could be cool." But then you realize it could be cool for a weekend, or maybe for a few weekends in summer or for an occasional getaway. After all, that's why we have camping.<br />
<br />
But Sarah has tapped into something that's a bit of a movement in the United States. People are leaving behind all of their "stuff." They are moving toward a less "impactful" way of living. People are leaving it all behind, living with just what they need and nothing more.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53Bp33MUCMY/UH4Syb0zilI/AAAAAAAABTU/WnnLYvlmrYk/s1600/IMG_4846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53Bp33MUCMY/UH4Syb0zilI/AAAAAAAABTU/WnnLYvlmrYk/s200/IMG_4846.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_house_movement" target="_blank">Wikipedia's report on the small house movement </a>credits<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Susanka" target="_blank"> Sarah Susanka</a> with starting the movement in 1997, with her book entitled, The Not So Big House.<br />
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<a href="http://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-house/the-small-house-movement-whats-the-big-deal/" target="_blank">A recent blog</a> exclaims that Americans have too much stuff and that stuff, "doesn't necessarily lead to greater happiness." <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P-VaKcxkxNo/UH4Sukx1rZI/AAAAAAAABTM/W0iuNvWIglI/s1600/IMG_4840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P-VaKcxkxNo/UH4Sukx1rZI/AAAAAAAABTM/W0iuNvWIglI/s200/IMG_4840.JPG" width="200" /></a>Sarah McNair mentioned all of that when she gave me a tour of the home she's been building this summer in her parents yard. For her it is about sustainability, a smaller carbon footprint and living responsibly. Sarah is working on her master's thesis at <a href="http://www.amu.apus.edu/" target="_blank">American Military University</a>, which is open to both military and non-military students. (Sarah is non-military.)<br />
<br />
Her professors have allowed her to build this house in addition to the more traditional research paper she must write to earn her degree. Instead of living in it, she will sell it. Sarah says she believes int he movement, but this project is about research.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_D0GdWdgGiQ/UH4RUw-MeGI/AAAAAAAABSc/f7YaLo7LjU0/s1600/Tiny+House+-++APUS+7-12+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_D0GdWdgGiQ/UH4RUw-MeGI/AAAAAAAABSc/f7YaLo7LjU0/s320/Tiny+House+-++APUS+7-12+028.JPG" width="320" /></a>For instance she has learned that "green" building supplies can be expensive. One of the virtues of small houses is that they are supposed to be inexpensive, "so people can live mortgage free." Sarah did her part by purchasing a lot of the materials from used materials stores. The <a href="http://www.habitat-roanoke.org/the_habitat_store.php?menu=3" target="_blank">Habitat ReStore in Roanoke</a> would be an example. If people take old sinks and fixtures to the store and others buy them, then that stuff doesn't go to the landfill and the world's energy isn't wasted building new sinks and fixtures...<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MavVLZqoDd4/UH4R_plyP7I/AAAAAAAABTE/hJSHE0rKhm8/s1600/Tiny+House+-++APUS+7-12+121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MavVLZqoDd4/UH4R_plyP7I/AAAAAAAABTE/hJSHE0rKhm8/s320/Tiny+House+-++APUS+7-12+121.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now what was I going to say?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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But there is a point of diminishing returns on the sustainability front. Sarah figures she will have about $15,000 invested in her small house by the time it's done. "I could have spent $50,000 if I went completely green," she told me. That's not a bad lesson.<br />
<br />
As much as I wanted to delve into the sustainable side of this story -- and I'm a huge advocate for sustainable living, I just couldn't get past the whole, how do you live in such a cramped space story?<br />
<br />
So that's the focus of the <a href="http://www.fox2127.com/category/220112/john-carlins-virginia" target="_blank">TV report</a>. There was simple too much don't bump your head low-hanging fruit. Where do you put your skis, aquriums, kitchen gadgets yada yada yada. It was fun, and Sarah is a good sport. <br />
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At some level I agree that we have too much stuff. Heck, the utility room in my basement is the same size as Sarah's house. I'm pretty sure I couldn't even fit all the Carlin family Christmas decorations in her "home!"<br />
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So be it. It's a cool project and it raises some good questions about the way American's live their lives. If people want to down size, why not?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-53434031410930672842012-10-02T18:57:00.005-07:002012-12-19T13:07:43.247-08:00Big Spring Mill<a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7796119" target="_blank">Click here to view the story that aired on Fox 21/27. </a><br />
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I'm not sure what I expected to find at the <a href="http://www.bsmill.com/Welcome.html" target="_blank">Big Spring Mill</a> in Elliston.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E8FRqHQqDRw/UGuZ1FuumQI/AAAAAAAABRQ/ZJDn-3iASjs/s1600/IMG_0347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E8FRqHQqDRw/UGuZ1FuumQI/AAAAAAAABRQ/ZJDn-3iASjs/s1600/IMG_0347.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bob Long</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Bob Rotanz owner of <a href="http://www.macandbobs.com/" target="_blank">Mac and Bob's</a> restaurant in Salem and a fellow <a href="http://www.ymcaroanoke.org/" target="_blank">YMCA</a> board member told me he used their flour in the restaurant and thought their story was a good one for my segment.<br />
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Not only is it the story of a mill that still does things the "old fashioned way" -- that is one of the few family owned mills the the state -- and might be the only one, (I just didn't have time to check) but it represents a true family enterprise that's grown through generations of millers and their wives who tested the flour to ensure really fluffy biscuits and seasoning that creates amazing fried chicken. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4MJPcd8tO8/UGuaAOT_jqI/AAAAAAAABRY/VrTmf0NLjGM/s1600/IMG_0358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4MJPcd8tO8/UGuaAOT_jqI/AAAAAAAABRY/VrTmf0NLjGM/s1600/IMG_0358.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand tied bags of flour</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O76MGAB0k7Q/UGuaKeKMCDI/AAAAAAAABRk/Ng5QiYbwezw/s1600/IMG_0360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O76MGAB0k7Q/UGuaKeKMCDI/AAAAAAAABRk/Ng5QiYbwezw/s1600/IMG_0360.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished product</td></tr>
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This would be a better book than a TV news story... but I did the best I could in my allotted time.<br />
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The Long Family from the current owners Bob and his uncle, David to Bob's retired father Bill to the his parents and grand parents who set up shop in the same spot in 1937 -- it's a story of perseverance.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PwGHoSZkpjg/UGuaiqDzoeI/AAAAAAAABR4/ODzbBC3hJiY/s1600/IMG_0368_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PwGHoSZkpjg/UGuaiqDzoeI/AAAAAAAABR4/ODzbBC3hJiY/s1600/IMG_0368_2.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
Standing there it's cool to see people coming and going to buy a bag of flour, or animal feed over the counter in the quaint business office at the mill. It's amazing to watch workers deftly using twine to tie miller's knots on every sack of flour, and to hear stories of how the famous seasoned flour is mail-ordered from all over the world because nothing else tastes quite like it.<br />
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Yes. This is the story of an old way of doing things through the generations, but it's also evidence that left alone, just off the beaten path in our generic world of big box stores and franchise restaurants Virginians continue to find success and happiness in a simple, rural lifestyle.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-8335676064812545192012-09-17T18:58:00.000-07:002012-12-19T13:07:43.254-08:00Snoflex Skiing in Summer -- in Lynchburg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DIG6IqFtlII/UFfUYcr5EEI/AAAAAAAABQg/Lnvdh5EaccM/s1600/IMG_4623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DIG6IqFtlII/UFfUYcr5EEI/AAAAAAAABQg/Lnvdh5EaccM/s1600/IMG_4623.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<i><a href="http://www.fox2127.com/global/category.asp?c=209682&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=7741847" target="_blank">Click here to view the story that aired on Fox 21/27. </a></i><br />
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I wasn't sure what to expect, but ever since the <a href="http://www.liberty.edu/snowflex/" target="_blank">Liberty Mountain Snoflex Centre</a> opened a few years ago in Lynchburg, I had been wanting to find out.<br />
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Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. had been nice enough to give me a tour in 2009, just prior to the park's opening. He had explained how the white AstroTurf-type material was designed just for skiing and that it was very popular in Europe. All they had to do, explained, was to trickle water through a system that is not unlike a sprinkler system for your yard, and this stuff was ski-able. <br />
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So trusty videographer Curt Schruth and I headed out on the hottest day of the summer to find out if we could in fact, ski.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hhaszzB_hss/UFfU9b_WGoI/AAAAAAAABQ0/Cmm6H2YqDSA/s1600/IMG_4624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hhaszzB_hss/UFfU9b_WGoI/AAAAAAAABQ0/Cmm6H2YqDSA/s1600/IMG_4624.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I grew up skiing in Vermont. It's like second nature to me. So I was both excited at the prospect of getting in some turns, and apprehensive because after all -- it just wasn't really snow.<br />
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All the gear is the same, skis, poles, bindings etc. No shorts because if you wipe out, the rug burn is pretty bad. <br />
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Out on the hill there were some guys doing amazing flips and tricks on their snowboards, so it had to be doable right?<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUSaOS3jcmY/UFfURi6_hAI/AAAAAAAABQY/OhzJ-bUlbf0/s1600/IMG_4618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUSaOS3jcmY/UFfURi6_hAI/AAAAAAAABQY/OhzJ-bUlbf0/s1600/IMG_4618.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Plus You Tube is full of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI-uJEr3fJk" target="_blank">videos like this one</a>, showing exactly how awesome it is. <br />
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Well, not so much. Not for me. I didn't fall, and I was able to turn, but I was not able to link together long beautiful arcing turns (or even fun quick ones) like I can on snow.<br />
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To be fair, they say it takes a while and that long-time skiers often take a bit longer to get the hang of it, because they need to unlearn habits born on real snow.<br />
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And it doesn't matter what I think. There are tons of people doing this and loving it. The business seems to be growing and let's face it -- we we skiing in Lynchburg -- in July.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-21050420857702717512012-09-04T15:16:00.002-07:002012-12-19T13:07:43.225-08:00Bob Jenkins and the Roanoke River <style>
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<i>I hope you’ve been enjoying the “best of” stories we’ve been
presenting this summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been traveling the region for two years now, bringing
you stories from off the beaten path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If there is another reporter on the story – it’s probably not the right
fit for this segment!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
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<i>During the past couple months, videographer Curt Schruth and I have been busy shooting new stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the first one airs tonight, September 4. -- jc</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Bob Jenkins</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riverweed Darter </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We did not see any other media on our recent outing on the
Roanoke River where I hoped to accomplish two things – profile Bob Jenkins the
man who wrote <i>the</i> book on the freshwater fishes of Virginia – and to show you
video of what he’s written about – not the bass and sunfish you already know
about, but the beautiful denizens of the river bottom most people have never
seen nor heard of.</div>
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I’d say we did both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We met Jenkins and a team led by Dr. Steve Powers at Green
Hill Park in Roanoke County. Jenkins had recently retired from RC and Powers is
the person who picked up where Bob left off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The group used large seins or nets to capture dozens of specimens, among
them many darter species that are among the most beautiful fish in the river.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roanoke Darter</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hx9JkVpbMZk/UEaYjqigrxI/AAAAAAAABOs/8bbG_te_ub4/s1600/IMG_9503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hx9JkVpbMZk/UEaYjqigrxI/AAAAAAAABOs/8bbG_te_ub4/s320/IMG_9503.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Powers and the team chase small fish into the net.</td></tr>
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We also talked about some of the other “keystone” species,
like chubs, which build nests out of pebbles, that other species depend upon
for reproduction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fantail darter</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Jenkins, a noted character who loves Pink Floyd (and other music once described as counter culture) as much as
the river, was as colorful as advertised
and had no trouble sharing a lifetime of river research on camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t worry we edited out the parts where he
was a bit <i>too</i> scientific!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(He is, after
all, a scientist)</div>
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I admit it – I’m a fish geek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find this stuff fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope in this story you will see some reason
for your own fascination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps you
will be – as many are – amazed at the number of and variety of fish that call
the Roanoke River home.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonefly nymph</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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If nothing else – maybe you’ll look at the river that flows
through the heart of our valley a little differently next time you cross over
it in your car or while you’re <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>walking
along the greenway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q48V4i31vGA/UEaYM3Ly4nI/AAAAAAAABOk/AaPiy-ZnIjc/s1600/IMG_9540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q48V4i31vGA/UEaYM3Ly4nI/AAAAAAAABOk/AaPiy-ZnIjc/s320/IMG_9540.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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By the way – it’s in better shape than you might think and
represents a great resource for all of us.<br />
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<i>Thanks to Dr. Steve Powers for the photos of the darters. </i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-22326626043368316672012-05-15T14:35:00.000-07:002012-12-19T13:07:43.227-08:00After Jack<i>For the second segment in a row we have focused on talented local musical acts trying to accomplish the same thing as the American Idol contestants. How hard is it to make it?</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ToySanqbXMs/T7LJD65W3wI/AAAAAAAABJQ/tMFlVSKx90Q/s1600/IMG_7666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ToySanqbXMs/T7LJD65W3wI/AAAAAAAABJQ/tMFlVSKx90Q/s400/IMG_7666.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox Photographer Curt Schruth takes some video of After Jack.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iDcSg-dGslE/T7LIylXZ1MI/AAAAAAAABJI/fsM2jgcVf_k/s1600/IMG_7663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iDcSg-dGslE/T7LIylXZ1MI/AAAAAAAABJI/fsM2jgcVf_k/s320/IMG_7663.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Allison</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/afterjack" target="_blank">After Jack</a> is an interesting band to say the least. Three young women -- all talented actresses, musicians and vocalists who play a twangy, bluegrass or "roots" oriented sound that ranges from Lady Gaga to their own song, Bless Your Heart.<br />
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They play multiple instruments and harmonize beautifully.<br />
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All three live in the same old farmhouse out in the country. What a hoot it was to record our segment as they practiced on their front porch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DM_ta_9iPUM/T7LJ8o346jI/AAAAAAAABJw/JuC4WFyMYFU/s1600/IMG_7679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DM_ta_9iPUM/T7LJ8o346jI/AAAAAAAABJw/JuC4WFyMYFU/s320/IMG_7679.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Blankenship</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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In the previous segment I asked local rockers Madrone how hard they were willing to work to make it. The four young men said they would work as hard as they could, but have no delusions about being the next Metallica.<br />
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I had hoped they would say they wouldn't quit till they had a wall full of gold records, but that wasn't their answer.<br />
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Ditto for After Jack. <br />
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"We work for the privilege to continue working," said Emily Rose Tucker.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">"We work for the privilege to continue working."</span></blockquote>
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In other words we hope to be good enough to get another gig. And then another. And another.<br />
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Like Madrone, the members of After Jack want to build a following, get better every performance and see "where it takes us."<br />
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You have to admire that. Last night (May 14) I had the honor of speaking to Roanoke's B'nai B'rith award winners -- essentially the true who's who among Roanoke Valley High School seniors.<br />
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I shared with them the thought that they needed to figure out what they loved and where they excelled and to pursue that. I asked them, "How many people who work in cubicles, 'work for the privilege to continue working?'"<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ih8uD142M2c/T7LJvQp8NBI/AAAAAAAABJo/E95sy6zEG5s/s1600/IMG_7677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ih8uD142M2c/T7LJvQp8NBI/AAAAAAAABJo/E95sy6zEG5s/s320/IMG_7677.jpg" width="213" /></a>Look, we all have to work for a living, and few people with responsibilities can pack up and hit the road chasing a dream. But if you have the talent and the passion. If you know that's who you are, why not?<br />
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Emily Rose Tucker, Rachel Blankenship and Mary Allison, whom I've seen perform in the <a href="http://www2.ferrum.edu/jacktales/" target="_blank">Jack Tale Players</a> and in musical productions at <a href="http://www.ferrum.edu/" target="_blank">Ferrum College</a> seem to me to have the presence and talent to entertain the masses. They have only been After Jack for nine months.<br />
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After a lifetime of performing each said they felt a certain success with this band they had not felt before.<br />
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I hope one day we see them on the Grand Ole Opry or hear them on the radio or interview them when they make a gold record.<br />
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But for now, they are just hoping to be good enough to "keep on working."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-48801185187441386862012-05-01T19:09:00.000-07:002012-12-19T13:07:43.243-08:00Madrone: Rockers Trying to Make It.<i>During May, I am talking to two bands who are trying to "make it" in show business. This blog is dedicated to the Roanoke based rock band Madrone. The segment on May 15th will focus on the all-female band After Jack.</i><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WabZYLlcuJE/T6COsMXBA6I/AAAAAAAABHA/4eft9N5XBWE/s1600/IMG_7547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WabZYLlcuJE/T6COsMXBA6I/AAAAAAAABHA/4eft9N5XBWE/s320/IMG_7547.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John "JD" Sutphin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I don't have a musical bone in my body, but I have always appreciated those who do. Like many of you I watch American Idol and I see an enormous amount of talent. When it's down to the final groupings, it's really hard to say who should stay and who should go.<br />
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But then even the winners don't often stick around for long. Why? Why do some people make it and some not?<br />
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Before American Idol and the other shows that have attempted to capitalize on the concept, people had to make it the the old fashioned way.<br />
They had to earn their way to the top. I thought it would be interesting to look at two local bands who have created a following to see what it takes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2fYwCO4gINE/T6CNn3RkDfI/AAAAAAAABGY/TXkI5mP_qPM/s1600/IMG_7514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2fYwCO4gINE/T6CNn3RkDfI/AAAAAAAABGY/TXkI5mP_qPM/s320/IMG_7514.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guitars stashed near the Tide.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I keep thinking of the Frank Zappa song, Joe's Garage, that we played on the college radio station: <br />
<br />
<i>It wasn't very large<br />
There was just enough room to cram the drums<br />
In the corner over by the Dodge<br />
It was a fifty-four<br />
With a mashed up door<br />
And à cheesy little amp<br />
With a sign on the front said<br />
"Fender Champ"<br />
And a second-hand guitar<br />
It was a Stratocaster with a whammy bar</i><br />
<br />
Local rockers Madrone, made up of JD Sutphin, Joey Coleman, Blaine Davis and Tanner Dogan seemed the perfect people to ask. They have had a top 50 hit on the rock charts. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMmkrvNm1Vk" target="_blank">(Daybreak) </a>They play 150 gigs a year and they have opened for some bands that have already made it to the next tier.<br />
<br />
They don't play in Joe's garage. They play in JD's basement. They have cool stuff all around their half of the cellar. The other half has washing machines and lawnmowers. They are living the dream.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmO4qs6CEyA/T6COc31J6JI/AAAAAAAABG4/O216oPAbvmE/s1600/IMG_7544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmO4qs6CEyA/T6COc31J6JI/AAAAAAAABG4/O216oPAbvmE/s320/IMG_7544.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blaine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>We could jam in Joe's Garage<br />
His mama was screamin'<br />
His dad was mad<br />
We was playin' the same old song<br />
In the afternoon 'n' sometimes we would<br />
Play it all night long<br />
It was all we knew, 'n' easy too<br />
So we wouldn't get it wrong</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Madrone let me sit in on a practice session, and they answered my questions with enthusiasm. They are as anxious to tell their story as they are for their next gig. They love what they are doing. Each band member said plainly that he would rather play music than do anything else.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JKv7txkvbQw/T6CPhz5WYbI/AAAAAAAABHY/ca14cr11_EI/s1600/IMG_7535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JKv7txkvbQw/T6CPhz5WYbI/AAAAAAAABHY/ca14cr11_EI/s320/IMG_7535.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joey on drums</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I push on the "making it" part. How hard are you willing to work? How long are you willing to be a short order cook by day so you can play at night? (Blaine) Or in Joey's case -- how long are you willing to paint explosives trucks on 3rd shift so you can replace sleep with the drums?<br />
<br />
For now -- they are all willing to do whatever it takes. I expected that. What I didn't expect was the definition of "making it."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hRgprnCX3Os/T6COBM6W3GI/AAAAAAAABGo/Aa12BAMWiOQ/s1600/IMG_7516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hRgprnCX3Os/T6COBM6W3GI/AAAAAAAABGo/Aa12BAMWiOQ/s320/IMG_7516.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
While JD says it would be "awesome" to tour in the band's own bus, "pulling an suv," for the most part the consensus was that they would be happy to always be improving. To hone their sound so that it is in fact <i>their</i> sound. You hear the music and you say, "Oh, that's Madrone." <br />
<br />
And they are working hard, in JD's basement to do just that. "We'll never be Metallica" I heard during the interviews.<br />
<br />
Well, maybe not. I'm not qualified to say who has what talent. But I think it's an interesting question, and in the meantime Madrone is on a roll to who knows where.<br />
<br />
Here's a link to Madrone on Reverbnation: <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/madrone">http://www.reverbnation.com/madrone</a><br />
The My Space Page: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/madrone" target="_blank"> http://www.myspace.com/madrone</a><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-58788302438918011412012-04-17T10:20:00.004-07:002012-12-19T13:07:43.249-08:00Wytheville UFO's 25 Years Later<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MWt5oSKifas/T42ku7H0dwI/AAAAAAAABCM/qtgHmA_8xC4/s1600/gordonphoto1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MWt5oSKifas/T42ku7H0dwI/AAAAAAAABCM/qtgHmA_8xC4/s320/gordonphoto1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1987 UFO photo by Danny Gordon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's been a long time since I thought about the UFO sightings in Wytheville. They happened over a six month period starting back in 1987. At the time I had been the news anchor at WSLS for just a few months, but I also enjoyed reporting from the field.<br />
<br />
So when the call came in to the newsroom that people were seeing something in the sky over Wytheville -- and that some of the witnesses were credible lawmen -- off I went.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-51Do6-5Udcw/T42l8ruOJsI/AAAAAAAABCU/OPFb3vc2LUE/s1600/dannygordon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-51Do6-5Udcw/T42l8ruOJsI/AAAAAAAABCU/OPFb3vc2LUE/s200/dannygordon.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny Gordon in early 1990's</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The story had, as we say in the news business, "legs." Which means it continued from day to day with new developments and angles. It died down after a while, and then came back to life a few years later when NBC's Unsolved Mysteries ran a lengthy segment in the early 90's.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AcjcHt8fqFY/T42mQcL012I/AAAAAAAABCk/T80cBu1SQn8/s1600/gordonphoto2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AcjcHt8fqFY/T42mQcL012I/AAAAAAAABCk/T80cBu1SQn8/s1600/gordonphoto2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another of Gordon's images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That was the last I thought of it, until a documentary producer named Sean Kotz e-mailed me a couple of weeks ago asking if I would agree to be interviewed. His company is <a href="http://www.horsearcherproductions.com/" target="_blank">Horsearcher Productions</a>, and he wanted my media perspective on the sightings. What was it like to cover a UFO sighting? How did we approach the story? Were we looking for answers as to what people were seeing, or were the people themselves the story?<br />
<br />
I agreed to the interview and then asked Sean if he would allow me to do a segment on him and his project. I wanted to know why he was revisiting the story. What if anything had been learned in 25 years? Did people still believe they had seen something? What impact did the sightings have on people's lives? What did he plan to talk about for the entire length of a documentary?<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h2>
So, in a rare piece of media history, Sean interviewed me on camera, and then I turned around and interviewed him.</h2>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B7FvMlSTCWg/T46Q3My43HI/AAAAAAAABCs/uAho2eFmauM/s1600/IMG_7500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B7FvMlSTCWg/T46Q3My43HI/AAAAAAAABCs/uAho2eFmauM/s320/IMG_7500.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean and I interviewing in my study.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
He agree to be interviewed for <a href="http://www.fox2127.com/category/220112/john-carlins-virginia" target="_blank">John Carlin's Virginia</a>. So, in a rare piece of media history, Sean interviewed me on camera, and then I turned around and interviewed him. It's certainly a first in my career.<br />
<br />
Sean then sent me <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk80FDocWx4%20" target="_blank">this clip</a> he is using to raise money for his documentary. It shows Wytheville radio newsman Danny Gordon -- the epicenter of the original story talking about what he remembers and how it impacted his life from people breaking into his home, to a nervous breakdown.<br />
<br />
Here is a link to his fundraising page: <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/strangecountry" rel="nofollow" style="color: #234786; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.indiegogo.com/<wbr></wbr>strangecountry</a> And if you are wondering what he's uncovered so far, you might want to check this out.<br />
<a href="http://www.horsearcherproductions.com/wythevilleufo.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: #234786; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr></wbr>horsearcherproductions.com/<wbr></wbr>wythevilleufo.html</a><br />
<br />
Sean hopes to have the documentary ready by the actual anniversary date in early October. He will make it available on DVDs, and he's hoping to get some notice at the fall's film festivals.<br />
<br />
As to what he's found about the UFO's and the impact some 25 years later... Some of that will be shown on my segment on the FOX 21/27 10 p.m. News. The rest he's holding close to the vest. to be revealed in his documentary.<br />
<br />
Then and now, the Wytheville UFO's are a fascinating story. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-1387951142927109382012-04-03T19:20:00.004-07:002012-12-19T13:07:43.222-08:00Paint Bank Trout Hatchery<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWLJ7QGKS2U/T3uvNFtKMGI/AAAAAAAABA0/vXxUd0DOFLM/s1600/IMG_7417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWLJ7QGKS2U/T3uvNFtKMGI/AAAAAAAABA0/vXxUd0DOFLM/s200/IMG_7417.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Paint Bank</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Here is a link to the story that aired on FOX 21/27: </i><a href="http://www.fox2127.com/category/220112/john-carlins-virginia">http://www.fox2127.com/category/220112/john-carlins-virginia</a><br />
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This is the time of year I always think of fishing for trout. And I often think of how my buddies always
gloat when they catch a brown trout, as if it’s a bigger prize than a brook
trout or a rainbow.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Let’s face it,
for the most part trout fishing in Virginia is 95-percent “put and take.” For non-anglers that means, the state
stocks the fish in the creeks and rivers, and dozens of people come in not far
behind them and catch the fish.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nobody is using any different technique to catch a brown
trout. They are fishing for trout. Period.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bVZGKOiFFoc/T3utxsqr9AI/AAAAAAAABAE/feT-unsvQAw/s1600/IMG_7356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bVZGKOiFFoc/T3utxsqr9AI/AAAAAAAABAE/feT-unsvQAw/s320/IMG_7356.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown Trout</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So imagine my surprise as we toured the <a href="http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/vbwt/site.asp?trail=2&loop=MIO&site=MIO05" target="_blank">Paint Bank Trout Hatchery</a> for the latest edition of John Carlin’s Virginia and Supervisor Brian
Beers essentially conformed what my buddies have said about browns. And then he proved it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We walked beside the raceways where thousands of trout
swarmed to the food pellets he threw in the water.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x0mP5RdlV4c/T3utMb1lxZI/AAAAAAAAA_s/T0JEloEjgrM/s1600/IMG_7337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x0mP5RdlV4c/T3utMb1lxZI/AAAAAAAAA_s/T0JEloEjgrM/s320/IMG_7337.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beers with a net full of trout.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As we approached the rainbows they came swimming toward us
in anticipation of dinner. The
brookies did the same. But not the
browns.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we approached the pool full of brown trout, they swam in
the opposite direction!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s a lot harder to domesticate browns,” mused Beers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So there you go.
If you catch a brown, go ahead and brag.</div>
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<br /></div>
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By the way, the hatchery is open to the public. Tours are available during hours the
hatchery is open. And while you
are there, you owe it to yourself to stop at the <a href="http://www.theswingingbridge.com/" target="_blank">Swinging BridgeRestaurant</a>. It’s a great way to
spend a day not too far from Roanoke.
Just take route 311 until you get there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68J-PsQMQq0/T3uue1vvdAI/AAAAAAAABAc/d7NDcF5PK4k/s1600/IMG_7382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68J-PsQMQq0/T3uue1vvdAI/AAAAAAAABAc/d7NDcF5PK4k/s400/IMG_7382.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy John</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V7Eg2SEwBPg/T3utlqXjilI/AAAAAAAAA_8/ynGzu9LI24s/s1600/IMG_7345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V7Eg2SEwBPg/T3utlqXjilI/AAAAAAAAA_8/ynGzu9LI24s/s400/IMG_7345.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beers with a Rainbow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVWUnre-GwQ/T3uutT8b4DI/AAAAAAAABAk/Hnv_wfrPeCo/s1600/IMG_7405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sVWUnre-GwQ/T3uutT8b4DI/AAAAAAAABAk/Hnv_wfrPeCo/s400/IMG_7405.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Browns from above</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-11247103609436887312012-03-20T18:26:00.003-07:002012-12-19T13:07:43.220-08:00Twisted Sticks<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-by8B4YiItAc/T2krVJlquRI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/7TB7L4-lqQY/s1600/IMG_4367.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-by8B4YiItAc/T2krVJlquRI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/7TB7L4-lqQY/s200/IMG_4367.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Al Stewart and one of his creations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You don't typically wake up in the morning thinking you want or even need a carved walking stick. At least most people don't. Then you see Al Stewart's work, and you wonder how you can live without one. <br />
<br />
Al seems to be about as unlikely an artist as you might meet. At least on the surface. Remember I've worked in ad agencies and in television where creative people have that certain look. Call it agency <i>chic.</i><br />
<br />
Not Al.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GHvB8v3GKmQ/T2krHgsnGpI/AAAAAAAAA8o/X_ZMZWI5MKg/s1600/IMG_4362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GHvB8v3GKmQ/T2krHgsnGpI/AAAAAAAAA8o/X_ZMZWI5MKg/s200/IMG_4362.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Al is a retired maintenance manager. He lives on in a regular house in a regular, semi-rural neighborhood and he and his wife attend craft shows.<br />
<br />
But then he takes out a knife or a dremel or some other tool and starts carving and you start thinking about lessons learned from book covers and judging.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t0KRsmd65Ek/T2krR-ZoZmI/AAAAAAAAA9I/OejnCMyReAc/s1600/IMG_4366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t0KRsmd65Ek/T2krR-ZoZmI/AAAAAAAAA9I/OejnCMyReAc/s320/IMG_4366.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This stick has a rare, crossing vine mark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Al looks at a piece of root at the end of a stick and sees an elephant, or a fish, or a giraffe.<br />
<br />
He pointed out all the options to me as we shot footage for the TV story on Fox. All I saw was a root on the end of the stick.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>It's not all about money </b></span></blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I have to mention that I'm amazed at the pattern that's developing in my John Carlin's Virginia interviewees. They are not motivated by money. They just want to keep doing what they are doing.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eMwc8xVKNCU/T2krGR9ia7I/AAAAAAAAA8g/3JN5Opocfcg/s1600/IMG_4361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eMwc8xVKNCU/T2krGR9ia7I/AAAAAAAAA8g/3JN5Opocfcg/s200/IMG_4361.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw sticks with vine marks.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Al is afraid to sell his works on Ebay, where he cold get more money, because he's concerned he won't be able to find enough sticks. What would he do with his time, should he run out?<br />
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Like others I've interviewed of late, it's more important to be able to keep doing what they are doing, than to have more money. Whether it's Wayne Henderson who sells a guitar for $5,000 that he could sell for $40,000, Nancy Weekly, who works 12 hours on a bracelet and could get $200 for it, but sells it for $80 -- about minimum wage, or Al who gets less than $100 (typically though some go for much more) for his rare creations -- it's the same story every time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L4CkqAM_5aM/T2krmbayXiI/AAAAAAAAA94/hSqcl319FAY/s1600/IMG_4372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L4CkqAM_5aM/T2krmbayXiI/AAAAAAAAA94/hSqcl319FAY/s320/IMG_4372.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Videographer Curt Schruth shoots video in Al's garage.</td></tr>
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In each case, it's clear that the product he or she is producing is a part of them. They couldn't live as happily without making guitars, jewelry or walking sticks.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMxy1G04W9M/T2krp-gMdKI/AAAAAAAAA-A/iOnZgl7-1gM/s1600/IMG_4373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMxy1G04W9M/T2krp-gMdKI/AAAAAAAAA-A/iOnZgl7-1gM/s200/IMG_4373.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
That's probably true for many people. And I'm betting there are many more who spend their entire lives searching for that single passion that, like the vines on Al's saplings, can entwine itself around one's life, needs, personality -- whatever.<br />
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So here's to people with a talent, a passion, and the sense to recognize its true value.<br />
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<i>If you would like to contact Al, e-mail me at Carlinagency@gmail.com. </i><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957999834304861016.post-85920020982246734252012-03-06T18:31:00.001-08:002012-12-19T13:07:43.256-08:00Mission: Jewelry<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xODvrtZEdRY/T1ah3vfftrI/AAAAAAAAA5s/s2opyqyRhww/s1600/IMG_4318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xODvrtZEdRY/T1ah3vfftrI/AAAAAAAAA5s/s2opyqyRhww/s320/IMG_4318.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox Photographer Curt Schruth takes some video of Nancy.</td></tr>
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Jewelry is not exactly my thing. I don't wear a fancy watch, and aside from cuff links and a very basic wedding band, there is nary a bit of bling in my being. But a couple of weeks ago when my wife Mary and I went to lunch at <a href="http://rescuemission.net//category/2nd_helpings/" target="_blank">2nd Helpings</a>, I met Nancy Weekly, whose creations are well beyond bling. <br />
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Nancy was demonstrating how she makes the jewelry that's for sale in the cases. A significant percentage of each sale goes to help the <a href="http://rescuemission.net/" target="_blank">Rescue Mission</a>. <br />
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It was intriguing to see how she took pieces of wire and created elaborate chains, or transformed pieces of rock into shimmering mini-sculptures, which she then wrapped in gold or silver to create original, wearable pieces of art.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OZad8WC51SE/T1ak0yz7S7I/AAAAAAAAA60/dFsrQhK1jZM/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-03-06+at+6.57.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OZad8WC51SE/T1ak0yz7S7I/AAAAAAAAA60/dFsrQhK1jZM/s320/Screen+shot+2012-03-06+at+6.57.49+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The daily report of good from the Mission's website.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span id="goog_616302309"></span><span id="goog_616302310"></span>And then there's the part of her that is called to ministry. She makes jewelry not only to generate a small amount of money to augment her retirement income, but because she believes in the value of the Roanoke Rescue Mission.<br />
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There wasn't a lot of time in the TV story to get into how Nancy learned about how to make the jewelry and how she became involved in the Mission, so I'll take a moment here.<br />
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Nancy was working with a local women's group looking for activities and tours. She took a group to the Rescue Mission and she was hooked. Now, she not only sells her jewelry exclusively for the Mission, but she also teaches jewelry making to people at shelter who need a distraction, a vocation or both.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHzENXrfz7U/T1aiJSDHUbI/AAAAAAAAA6s/e_kbZ0RJakM/s1600/IMG_4326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHzENXrfz7U/T1aiJSDHUbI/AAAAAAAAA6s/e_kbZ0RJakM/s320/IMG_4326.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18" Genuine Stone sets -- Normally $45, now $25.</td></tr>
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She asked me to pass along the fact that during the months of March and April, the mission has a special offer on the necklace and earring sets in the photo. They are half price, and a value even at full price.<br />
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You owe it to yourself to take a trip to 2nd Helpings, have lunch, check out the art on the walls -- and in the jewelry case.<br />
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Like I said I don't know much about jewelry, but I do know talent when I see it.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0