The Santa Who Never Quits

Tom Williams' everyday look.

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.

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 Habitat ReStore in Christiansburg.

He can't just turn it off.

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.

I asked him why he didn't just shave the beard and get a haircut.  "Then, I wouldn't look like Santa," he said.

The C'burg ReStore

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.

In my story, you'll see how Tom volunteers for numerous organizations.  You'll hear about his Santa Cares Program.  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.

Time for Renewable Energy?

Mark Hanson's home

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.

Make that a qualified 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.

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 Renewable Energy and Electric Vehicle Association are hoping more people will get in line to try what has been historically a passion reserved for hobbyists and environmentalists.

Mark Hanson

REEVA is an active club, and their website is full of pictures 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.

Hanson's custom electric VW

"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.

Mark Howard

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 PowerMark Electrical is a certified electrician who specializes in solar installations, he says about half of his work last year was solar related. 

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."

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.

Urban Farming is Here.

Click here to view the TV Story from the Fox 21/27 10 O'clock news.

Roanoke has been trying to get in on the urban farm movement 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 Countryside Golf Course.

If everything happens for a reason, then that happened so the farm, owned by the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op, 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.

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."

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.

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.

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?)

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.

Virginia Horsewoman to Ride in Mongol Derby

Lynne on Mercuric

To view the story that aired on Fox 21/27 click here. 
Note: the video story includes a night ride photo taken by photographer Becky Siler Pearman.


Somehow, a fun loving bunch of promoters with a distinctly European style have crept into Virginia's horse country.

The Adventurists sponsor all kinds of crazy adventures which you can read about on their website.  One of those adventures is the Mongol Derby.  (Click here for their promotional video)  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.

That's where Lynne Gilbert comes in.  She has qualified to participate in this insanity and is actually excited about it.

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.

From the Adventurists Website:

The Horses

Mongolian horses 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.

 

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.

After which, if she survives, she will participate in: (again -- from the website) 

...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

 

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.

I hope you'll check out the story on Fox 21/27 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.

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.  

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.

By the way, each rider must choose a charity to support through the training and racing process.  Lynne's is the Wounded Warrior Equestrian Program.  Click here for their Facebook page.  The program provides both emotional and physical therapy to veterans using rescue horses.   

"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.  

If you would like to support the Wounded Warrior Equestrian program in honor of Lynne's efforts, please contact me at carlinagency@gmail.com.    

John Carlin's Virginia: Father/Daughter Team Restores Antique Boats

John Carlin's Virginia: Father/Daughter Team Restores Antique Boats: 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 21/27

John Carlin's Virginia: Roanoke River

John Carlin's Virginia: Roanoke River: Today in John Carlin's Virginia, we are knee-deep in the Roanoke River. Here is a link to one of my favorite stories.

John Carlin's Virginia: Touchdown Tommy

John Carlin's Virginia: Touchdown Tommy: John Carlin's Virginia: Touchdown Tommy
Here is a link to the Television Story on Touchdown Tommy.  Scroll down to find the blog on Tommy and additional information.