Washington the Magazine

JULY/AUGUST 2012WAShinGTon, norTh CAroLinA

The Maynes on Main enjoy nature at home

Summerbreezes

Garden fresh appetizersfor the season5

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4 • WaShingTOn The Magazine | JULY/aUgUST 2012

FEATURES & DEPARTMENTS

ShOppingCool items:Treat yourself orothers to summer finds

12

A musical life:Potts spreads positivity one note at a time

MUSiC

27Garden goodness:Fresh veggies a highlight of summer season

FOOD

49

Publisher’s Note

The Scene

Advertiser Index

Cast a Line

Word on Wine

Calendar

Why I Love Washington

68

2644475566

in eVeRY iSSUe

20 40

49

18

27

On The COVeR

hOSpiTaLiTYWhat a way to start a day: Breakfast plays key role in stays at B&Bs

20

62

34

14

City sanctuary:A work of art...and nature

naTURe58

aT hOMePainted lawn:The true colors of home

34

At one with the water:River kayaking enriches mind, body and spirit

RiVeR LiFe

40

JULY/AUGUST 2012

WAShinGTon, norTh CAroLinA

The Maynes on Main

enjoy nature at home

Summerbreezes

Garden fresh

appetizers

for the season5


Tiki time:Cottage-turned-tiki bar rebounds after hurricane

DOWn The RiVeR

62

inThiSiSSUe

Airy and light, the sun porch makes an ideal spot for Emily and Wink Mayne to unwind. A local artist painted an imitation Aubusson rug on the porch floor. See PAINTED LAWN, page 34. (Photo by Meredith Laughlin)


Thank you for reading Washington the Magazine. Thank you for allowing us to tell your stories. Thank you for sharing your feedback.

Washington’s own lifestyles magazine is fast approaching its first anniversary. With our next issue, we complete our first full year of publication. We look forward to many more.

We hope you enjoy the magazine half as much as we enjoy putting it together.

As always, we welcome and appreciate your thoughts, suggestions and ideas. This is, after all, your magazine.

Drop us a line and let us know what you think.

In the meantime, we hope you’ll enjoy our July/August issue:

• Check out photos of your friends and neighbors out and about town. This issue’s The Scene features images from the BoCo Music Festival, Beaufort County Arts Council Members’ Exhibit, the Summer Festival Golf Tournament at Washington Yacht and Country Club and the NAACP Annual Banquet.

• Snatch up the hottest items in town during the hottest part of the year. What’s In Store is your guide to the must-have items of

the season.• Local Bed & Breakfasts serve up a

special treat with some of the best eating around. Read all about area establishments that really put the “breakfast” in B&B.

• Find out how Emily and Wink Mayne added charm to their historic West Main Street home while preserving its original character.

• Muse with musical mainstay Robin Potts, Washington’s well-known accordion player.

• Celebrate the return of one of Washington’s most popular restaurants and leisure destinations.

• Picture yourself at peace on the Pamlico. Area paddlers already know the experience only offered from the seat of a kayak. Now you can, too.

• The big fish are biting this time of year. Captain Richard Andrews tells you when and where.

• Fresh veggies are the highlight of the summer season. Check out delicious recipes drawn straight from the garden.

Until next time, I hope you and yours have a wonderful summer on the Pamlico.

Ashley Vansant, Publisher

Thankyou

nOTeFROM

aShLeY

We would love to hear what you think about Washington the Magazine. Email us at [email protected] or write to P.O. Box 1788, Washington, NC 27889. Letters chosen for publication may be edited for length and clarity. All submissions become the property of Washington the Magazine.

Write to us

PublisherAshley Vansant

EditorChrist Prokos

ContributorsMike Voss

Vail Stewart RumleyBetty Mitchell GrayKevin Scott CutlerMeredith Loughlin

Kathy SchermerhornAdam FeldhousenMargie Gardner

Sara CowellMona Moore

Marketing and SalesCecilia ProkosRonnie Daw

DistributionSylvester Rogers

Art DirectionRyan Webb

Contact informationWashington the Magazine

P.O. Box 1788Washington, NC 27889

Advertising inquiries252-946-2144 Ext. 233

Subscriptions & change of address252-946-2144

Washington the Magazine is published six times a year by Washington Newsmedia, LLC.

Copyright 2012, Washington Newsmedia, LLC



OUT anD

aBOUT THE SCENEBOCO Music Festival

Put on by the Beaufort County Arts Council and the Beaufort County Traditional Music Association, the BOCO Music Festival drew the masses out to Festival Park on the Washington waterfront on an unseasonably cold day in late April. Onward, Soldiers, Carolina Still, Mandolin Orange and many other bands turned out for the all-day event.

Seth, Amanda, & Annabelle Laughlin

Caroline Anthony, Blue, Jane & Emmett Olsen

Sara Woolard & Neil Loughlin Curt Klump & Niki Litts

Maddy Young & Cheyenne Leggett Josh Iorio & Andy Hill

Gil & Jackie Leebrick

JULY/AUGUST 2012 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 9

OUT anD

aBOUT

Beaufort County Arts Council Members' Exhibit

The Beaufort County Arts Council’s Members Exhibit draws the region’s talent out of the studios and into the Washington Civic Center for this annual show. The Members' Exhibit is just a part of the Arts Council’s 40 events this year to celebrate 40 years of the organization’s cultivation of the arts in Beaufort County.

Monica and Justin Ferrari with their daughter Kerri’s artwork, “Stepping Through”

Ginny, Mikaela and David Jones

Pat Carlson and Allan Weaver

Carol Mann with her piece “From the Garden”

Judy Chesnutt, and Skip and Catherine Major

Kathy and Tom Daly Jon Derby with his piece "Lakota Woman”

Peg Franklin and Pat Axness

Charles and Brenda Woolard, and Bill Mann


OUT anD

aBOUT THE SCENEBCCC reception forDavid McLawhorn

Faculty, friends and family paid tribute to David McLawhorn as he ended his 11-year tenure as president of Beaufort County Community College. Barbara Tansey was named as the new president on March 16.

Bryan VanGyzen and Matthew Lincoln

Kim Moulden, Velma Worsley and LaTanya Burrus

Genny Williams and Alma Friedman

Amy Alligood and Wesley Beddard Phyllis Broughton and Debbie Cayton

Jennie Singleton, Marcia Norwood and Theresa Edwards

Judy Jennette and Joan Chrismon

Sandy Harris and Mary Jo Vance

Phillip Price, Janice Page and Dick Barber

OUT anD

aBOUT

Summer Festival Golf Tournament at WYCC

Golfers unwind after competing in the 2012 Summer Festival Golf Tournament at the Washington Yacht and Country Club June 8-10. Tee Davies won the championship flight with a two-round score of 145.

Andy and Susan Hill

Jamison Knight, Glenn Rodman & Joneice Carroll

County Commissioner Ed & Eltha Booth

Brad and Brenda Davis Amy and Chad Feyer

Rosa & Rev. Russell Wilkins City Manager Josh Kay, Mayor Archie Jennings & Sen. Stan White

Herman Gaskins, Whitney Tine & William Booth

WYCC Summer Festival staff – Brooks Patti, Jonathon Holder, James Russell, Katie Yelle and Jeremy Shadle

NAACP BanquetThe Beaufort County chapter

of the NAACP asserted its theme of “Affirming America’s Promise” at the 31st-annual Freedom Fund banquet. The Rev. Russell Wilkins, keynote speaker, spoke of the importance of eliminating racism while assuring political, educational, social and economic equality of all people.

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WhaT’S in

STORe

WRiTTEN BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAYPHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM FELDHOuSEN

Sweet treat

For a cool break during the dog days of summer, why not stop into Scoops ice Cream Parlor at 217 W. Main St. in downtown Washington? Scoops has three new flavors of Hersey’s ice cream — peach cobbler, malt shop crunch and wacky vanilla — along with fresh popcorn and homespun cotton candy. Summer hours are noon to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and noon to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Prices vary.

Rock away

With football season fast approaching, why not plan to watch the game in a rocking chair in your favorite team’s colors. Big Bargain Furniture and Appliances, 120 W. Main St., Washington, has rocking chairs by Hinkle Chair Company in team colors to please Blue Devil, Pirate, Tar Heel and Wolfpack fans. Other school colors are also available. Price $199.

Cool items for lazy days

WhaT’S in

STORe


Art notes

if you’re looking for local art at a reasonable price, stop at Artisans on Main Street in downtown Washington for notecards by Carol Mann. The Chocowinity artist offers packets of notecards based on her original watercolor designs featuring flowers, local marine life and a scene of downtown Washington in the snow. Price $10.

For friends with feathers

Summer is a good time to buy a bird feeder so your feathered friends will have a supply of food during the fall and winter. Tractor Supply Co., at 608 W. 15th St. in Washington, offers a variety of bird feeders that will attract your feathered friends for the rest of the year. Various prices.


WhaT’S in

STORe

Plate and Palette

For a real taste of Beaufort County, visit the Lane Gift Shop and Gallery at the Beaufort County Arts Council, 108 Gladden St. in downtown Washington. The arts council’s cookbook, “Plate and Palette: A collection of fine art and food from Beaufort County,” features recipes from local cooks and works of art from the First South Bank art collection. Price $25.

Summer settings

if you’re tired of your tableware, stop in at Abbyz Fine China at 2289 W. Fifth St. in Washington. Now an official Mikasa retailer, Abbyz carries all Mikasa dinnerware, flatware and crystal patterns to help you dress up your table during the coming holiday season. Abbyz also carries some vintage tableware sets. Prices vary.

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WhaT’S in

STORe

Pirate booty

Washington Jewelers, at 183 W. Main St., is the only place in town to find Guy Harvey Jewelry, a line of nautical jewelry masterpieces in sterling silver, enamel and other metals. Featuring sea life designs as well as designs for the pirate-lover in your family, the jewelry includes pendants, bracelets, earrings and rings. Prices available on request.

Treasure time

Bloom Women’s Apparel, 100 W. Main St., is Washington’s only source for Michael Kors watches. Just in time for fall, the latest line includes an oversized runway watch in dark horn and rose gold that will help your wardrobe transition into the new season. Price $275.

Rustic charm

if you’re thinking about updating your home this summer, why not check out the latest lighting designs from Fabrics & Fringe interiors, 918 Grimes Road in Grimesland. Fabrics & Fringe offers a variety of table and floor lamps and chandeliers including this rustic hand-painted italian chandelier that’s great for an entry hall or dining room. Price $825.

The Moss House Bed and Breakfast has custom-made mugs, in which a special blend of coffee, The Moss House Blend Coffee, is served.



What a way to start a day

RiSeanDShine

Breakfast plays key role in stays at B&Bs

When visitors to Washington stay in a bed and breakfast, there’s a good chance

they will talk about breakfasts they were served before they discuss the beds they slept in.

Have one of those meals, and you will understand why breakfasts may be the preferred “B” when it

comes to B&B in Washington. Yes, a comfortable bed makes for a good night’s sleep, but a great breakfast is “the cherry on top” of that good night’s sleep, said Virginia Finnerty, hostess at The Pamlico House Bed & Breakfast.

“The breakfast is part of the name. People come here to have the breakfasts. That’s a big part

of it,” Finnerty, who prepares the breakfasts for her guests, said. “I don’t see myself as a restaurant person. … I’m not a chef by any means. I’m a cook. I follow someone else’s recipes, but I do it well.”

“Just from my knowledge of people, I know they love pancakes. I know they love sweets for breakfast, so that’s what I typically

The Moss House Bed and Breakfast is owned and operated by Beckie and Scott Sipprell.

WRiTTEN BY MIKE VOSS | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MEREDITH LOuGHLIN


welcome them with. Either banana pancakes served with season fruit — strawberries, blueberries, something on top — or French toast,” she said. “From what people tell me, it’s the best French toast they’ve ever had. They love it. They really enjoy it.”

If guests stay more than one or two days, Finnerty alternates her breakfasts between sweet and savory dishes, including egg dishes. When possible, Finnerty said, she tries to accommodate guests’ requests for specific dishes. On the online reservation form for The Pamlico House Bed & Breakfast, there’s a section where a person may list dietary requirements, she noted.

“My philosophy is to find out

enough information about them in advance so I can cater to their needs or personal tastes so when they come here they feel pampered, they feel like I did something specifically for them,” Finnerty said.

Finnerty said some guests don’t mind having the same breakfast over and over because that’s what they want.

One guest has returned six times in the past 12 months, requesting Finnerty’s cheese-grits casserole for breakfast at each stay.

But for the most part, Finnerty said about her guests, “They don’t know what they’re going to have until I set it in front of them.”

At The Moss House Bed and

Breakfast, Beckie Sipprell does the cooking, except on the rare occasion when her husband, Scott, fills in for her.

No matter what’s served for breakfast, a special blend of coffee — The Moss House Blend Coffee — is available to guests and other visitors if their timing is right.

Asked which is more important, the bed or the breakfast, Beckie Sipprell replied, “That is a tricky question, because we figure those are the two things you’ve got to have right. … For me, I love having nice rooms and all that, but I love doing breakfast. I think for a lot of the guests who come here, they look forward to it. We have a lot of repeat guests. They go, ‘I can’t wait to see what Beckie’s

Virginia Finnerty is the innkeeper and hostess at The Pamlico House Bed & Breakfast.


RiSeanDShine

Pancakes topped with strawberries, sliced bananas, powdered sugar and accompanied with bacon are among the various dishes that come out of the Pamlico House kitchen.

going to come up with. So, we try to surprise them when we can. Boy, that’s a tricky question for a B&B.”

Sipprell said she always provides a full breakfast for her guests and does her best to meet any dietary requirements guests may have.

“I always do a fresh baked good. This morning (Good Friday), I did hot cross buns,” she said. “My specialties are — I make my own sausage — Moss House apple-sage sausage that has sautéed apples and sage from the garden in it. I love to do … orange French toasts that I do with grated orange peel and sometimes a little Grand Marnier in the batter that goes on the bread. I love to use that Hawaiian bread that I can get in the store, if I don’t make my own challah (bread),” she said. “I also do oatmeal pancakes. That’s a specialty here.”

Sipprell also cooks her version of Eggs Benedict: scrambled eggs, country ham or bacon and Hollandaise sauce over a slice of Italian bread rather than an English muffin. She also makes her own specialty sauces that she “drizzles” over some of her dishes.

“Most people like the idea of the full breakfast. I think that’s why they come to us because we can be individual and different rather than a hotel,” Sipprell said.

One morning when she had a full house, one guest had a gluten allergy, another guest suffered with diabetes, another guest had a problem with eating fresh fruits and vegetables and one guest who

could not eat grapefruit.“Somewhere in there, I had to

come up with a breakfast that was usable. I had actually ended up making two or three variations so I could adjust it,” she said.

One regular guest repeatedly requests poached eggs.

“She tells me I make the best poached eggs going,” Sipprell said.

After feeding one of her guests, Sipprell learned he was a chef from up north. Sipprell worried about what he thought of her dishes. He left one morning to continue his trip farther south. On his return trip home, he spent another night with the Sipprells — and enjoyed breakfast the next morning.

Both lodging establishments provide to-go breakfasts for

guests who check out early in the morning, such as newlyweds heading to catch a plane in Raleigh so they can start their honeymoon or guests who just want to get an early start.

Both lodging establishments try to buy as much local produce and other foods as possible, visiting places such as Petals & Produce, Southside Farms and Saturday Market (which includes a farmers’ market) on Washington’s waterfront Saturdays from April through October.

By law, beds and breakfasts can accommodate and feed no more than eight people on any given day. They also aren’t required to have commercial kitchens, but they are inspected.

RiSeanDShine

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A musical life“It is a dream to do my music every day. It used to

be the last thing I got to when I was teaching. Now, I practice all the time. It is pure joy to me.”


MUSiCnOTeS

inTheaRTS

Robin Potts



MUSiCnOTeS

Delight dances across Robin Potts' face as she talks about the music that is her life.

“I’m living a dream,” she says. “It is a dream to do my music every day. It used to be the last thing I got to when I was teaching. Now, I practice all the time. It is pure joy to me.”

Potts may be known to many locals as the accordian-playing minstrel in her signature black-and-white-striped suit and hat at Washington’s Music in the Streets celebrations held the third Friday from April through October.

“I love playing my music for festivals, nursing homes, any place,” Potts says.

Dressed in a flowing polka-dot skirt, black top and polka-dot scarf, Potts sits sprightly in the sunroom of the Smallwood home she and husband Zoph have lived in for more

than 40 years. Behind her is the Steinway piano her mother once played and on which she now plays every morning. Music sheets overflow the console. Her violin and bow rest on a bench nearby.

Potts' big, blue eyes sparkle and her wide smile flashes often as she talks of her passion for music.

“I’ve always loved music. It is such a gift,” she says. “I use the music to share, to connect with people.”

Born and raised in Washington in a family that relished music and art, Potts began playing piano at age 4. She learned to read and play classical music, taking lessons until she graduated from high school. At age 10, Potts unexpectedly found the accordian.

“My family went for a visit to Hatteras. We stayed at a little B&B, and the woman who owned it brought out her accordian in the evenings and

played. I thought it was magic,” Potts remembers.

That Christmas, Potts got her first accordian.

“It was more than half as tall as me,” she says, laughing.

Potts taught herself to play “Hot Cross Buns” and “Country Gardens.” She also learned to improvise, listening to songs and recreating them by ear on the accordian, as she still does today. But the instrument remained a “closet accordian,” only coming out for birthdays and a few special occasions, she says.

Illness and Music in the Streets changed that.

After surviving cancer in the late 1980s, Potts faced the disease once again in 2002. While finishing her treatments she saw a notice in the newspaper for Music in The Streets.

“I thought the street was the perfect place for my accordian,” she

Potts spreads positivity one note at a timeWRiTTEN BY VAIL STEWART RuMLEY | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MEREDITH LOuGHLIN

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says. “It sounds like a little band. It’s a very happy sound.”

Potts has played her accordian at Music in the Streets ever since, even following another medical setback in 2010.

“Once I was better, the first thing I did was Music in the Streets,” she says. “It made me feel like myself again.” She always appears in her black-and-white striped suit, a Mother’s Day gift from daughter Riley. “I like the way it matches the keys on the accordian.”

Potts is grateful for her music, her family and the full life she has lived in Washington, raising four children and teaching French to the city’s elementary-school students.

“I’ve had so many opportunities here. I have been very blessed,” she says.

She and husband Zoph celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this year. They met at the Washington fire station when she was 9 and he was 11.

Her grandmother was voting there, and young Zoph gave her a tour. She was smitten.

“He had a big smile and knew everything,” she says.

Potts embraces life with positivity.”I never feel I’m finished. I have a

lot still to do. I always feel I am just getting started,” she says.

She proved this point when she decided to learn to play the violin 12 years ago.

“I was taking my granddaughters to their violin lessons and hearing everything they were. The teacher said why don’t you just learn it, too, so I did,” she says.

They learned the instrument using the Suzuki method, a program that teaches music first by ear and then by sight-reading.

She now plays violin in the Beaufort County Community Orchestra and enjoys playing her accordian wherever she can.

“I love to play at the nursing

homes. I play as long as I can for people. I think most people love music,” she says.

Potts plans to return to Music in the Streets as well.

“I love to see people singing and dancing and enjoying the music. Music is my life. I don’t know any other way than music.”

MUSiCnOTeS

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Exuberant roses test the bounds of a formal American boxwood pattern on the front lawn of Wink and Emily Mayne’s West Main Street home.

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The tin ceiling in the breakfast room is one of the few major changes the Maynes have made to the circa 1915 house.

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A blank slate. Onto it, paint a lawn, measured and exact. To this lush expanse of green, add American boxwoods woven into tight, symmetrical patterns. Then a

splash of red precisely here, a burst of yellow there, just enough to soften rigid lines and make a formal garden feel…not so very formal, after all.

Emily and Wink Mayne bought the West Main Street home in 2005. It was a year later that Emily Mayne’s passion for roses uprooted the front yard and her carefully planned design for the garden came to fruition.

Mayne enlisted the help of neighbor Sandy Ratcliff in the design and after much debate of placement and pattern, the two arrived at a formal parterre to accent the roses.

The hybrid tea roses were chosen not for fragrance, but for color, for how their bright beauty would play against the white canvas of the Federal-style home behind them. But it would be hard to call these roses formal. They are no less than exuberant, each bush bursting from the confines of its allotted square of boxwood, explosions of color reaching upward and outward, defying the structure that once confined them.

“Roses are just so beautiful and parterres just scream for roses. I think I’ve watched too many episodes of Downton Abbey,” she laughs.

“Planning was the fun part. Digging in the roses

was not necessarily the funnest part…But I wanted the formality, especially with this house — with the columns and the symmetry,” Mayne pauses, gaze sweeping over the masterpiece of the garden.

“A garden is always evolving, because it is a living, breathing thing.”

The same could be said about a home.Structurally, the Maynes have done little to

change the circa 1915 home over the past seven years, choosing instead to simply augment what was already there: crown molding added to rooms here

and there, a tin ceiling to the breakfast nook and a guest bedroom closet transformed into a half bath. What’s been left untouched speaks of a dedication to preservation – original windows, gleaming tiger oak floors with mahogany inlay, once covered in carpet, and generations of paint stripped from interior oak doors and mantelpieces. Upstairs, the master bathroom is a study in the latest

style with an elegant clawfoot tub, decorous tile, and a shower stall

created by three solid slabs of marble — elegance personified in early 20th century.

“In the name of renovation, you don’t want to destroy the integrity of what’s been around for 100 years,” Mayne explains. “We don’t want to take any character out of the house. People either love that about a house or hate it.”

Preserving the home’s original character, however, hasn’t prevented the Maynes from solidifying

WRiTTEN BY VAIL STEWART RuMLEY | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MEREDITH LOuGHLIN

A whimsical cupid graces the stairway in the home’s foyer.

The true colors of home


that character into a home with a more-friendly, less-formal air, though built in an era known for its formality. Lightness, color and playfulness saturate the interior design: turquoise overstuffed chairs seamlessly blend with stately antiques and beaded chandeliers; white wicker furniture with the pastel mural of an Aubusson rug painted on the porch floor beneath it.

The addition of a sprawling deck along the back of the home brings indoor living outside in the warmer months. The river plays peekaboo between the homes on Short Drive and the foliage of a back garden in a state of colorful evolution. Started

two years ago (once the roses were in full bloom out front), Mayne continues to add to its growth. New plantings vie with older, established ones: groupings of lilies, knockout roses, purple-bloomed chaste trees and hydrangeas. The back garden has a looser, meandering feel. The difference between the back and front gardens is likely due to the origin of the plants. Unlike the roses, studied, sought and purchased from Witherspoon Rose Culture in Raleigh, these plants found her.

“I went to a nursery and found a $1 greenhouse, that’s how this started,” she laughs. “I love the discount rack, perennials on sale.

That’s how you get the lushness: layer, on layer, on layer.”

The result is deliberately airy and casual, filled with motion from the soft river breeze catching blooms and stems and leaves to create a swirl of color. Where the view from Main Street shows a reserved and proper place, tempered only by the flamboyant display of roses, the back is the opposite. It’s an invitation to unwind and relax at the end of the day; to put one’s feet up and stay for a while.

Stripped of sobriety through gardens and hue, the Mayne home may be painted white, but it reflects a profusion of both color and care — the true colors of home.

A bird’s-eye view of the backyard where lilies, knockout roses and butterfly bushes add color and sway to the landscape.

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Emily Mayne chose to design around the existing wallpaper in this guest bedroom upstairs.

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At one withthe water


A light breeze ripples the surface as we glide across the water. Birds twitter among the pines, cypress and marsh grasses. A green heron

darts from a downed branch at river’s edge. A fish jumps nearby, amusing us, then jumps again … and again. A turtle pokes its head above the water’s surface. Another slides away from its warming spot on a fallen log.

This is river kayaking in the Pamlico estuary — recreation that not only provides “fun fitness” but also enriches the mind and spirit.

“You can get exercise in a variety of ways. You don’t have to get on a treadmill. Just find something you like to do,” says Kim Chadwick, an intern at the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation who studied recreation at East Carolina University and coordinates the nonprofit’s youth kayaking program.

“Wellness is comprised of five things: physical activity, mental, emotional and spiritual health and social connection. We need to have an even balance throughout life.”

Kayaking could be considered an ideal sport in that it impacts all five wellness areas — the physical paddling, the mental, emotional and spiritual joy of being on the river and among nature and the social aspect of sharing a paddle with others.

WRiTTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY KATHY SCHERMERHORN

RiVeRLiFe

River kayaking enriches mind, body and spirit

the water

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“There’s a lot to be said for the workout you get. Paddling is a full-body experience. It’s fun fitness. There’s a mind, body, spirit thing going on, kind of like the yoga effect,” says Liane Harsh, owner of Inner Banks Outfitters, a kayak and bicycle retail and rental shop next to Havens Gardens in Washington.

“It’s such a great social event, too… families, dates, couples. … It’s a way for you to do something together. It doesn’t discriminate. Almost anyone can do it. It’s such a forgiving sport,” she said.

Many who paddle share similar sentiments.

“It’s good exercise. It gets you close to nature. It doesn’t hurt the environment. It’s a good way to meet people. It centers you and soothes you,” says Washington resident and frequent paddler Dinh Rider.

“I like the sense of freedom … getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Exercise is another part of it. Getting out into nature … that’s a big part of it, too,” says Washington native and weekly kayaker Melton Everett.

There are dozens of places to paddle in Beaufort County and hundreds in the estuary. A good place to start is selecting one of the paddles mapped out in the Beaufort County Paddle Trails guide available at Inner Banks Outfitters and through PTRF.

It maps 20 trails of all lengths and difficulties throughout the county that can be paddled whole or in parts. It also provides river access information and detailed

descriptions of the trails and what each has to offer.

Another excellent and handy place to start, especially for beginners, is a trip to Inner Banks Outfitters. There you can rent and test out kayaks of all types and sizes and receive basic kayaking instruction. Kayaking classes are offered periodically throughout the summer.

An option for children ages nine through 18 is to join a paddle with PTRF’s youth kayaking program, which offers morning paddles every Wednesday and Saturday, either in Washington or Greenville. Children learn basic paddling skills, water safety, environmental and wildlife education and social skills, says Chadwick.

“It’s about youth wellness and getting kids outside. A lot of kids haven’t connected to nature. They learn kayaking skills, environmental stewardship and water safety. We’ve had a lot of successful trips taking out about 60 kids (the program is in its second year). We try to teach proper form so, hopefully, they’ll stay on the river and continue paddling,” Chadwick explains.

Chadwick and Harsh point out that kayaking uses muscles throughout the body, especially when using proper form. You can

increase the physicality of the sport by paddling race-style or keep a leisurely pace and focus on your surroundings, which still gives you a workout. The type of kayak you use has an affect on speed, ease of travel and comfort.

Kayaks come in three basic kinds — recreational, transitional and touring.

Recreational kayaks are wider and shorter and offer greater comfort and stability. They are ideal for beginners. Transitional kayaks are more performance-oriented. They are longer and sleeker but still offer comfort. Touring kayaks have few bells and whistles for the comfort-minded, are longer, narrower and lighter, and cut through the water with little resistance.

Most people start with recreational styles and graduate into the others as their needs change, says Harsh.

Whichever kayak you choose to paddle, there’s no scarcity of places to glide across the water. With the plethora of rivers, creeks and inlets that abound in the estuary, there is always a new place to paddle where you can rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit and soak up the silence, sounds, scents and images of the rivers.

Inner Banks Outfitters is located at 1050 E. Main St., Washington, and can be reached at 252-975-3006 or online at innerbanksoutfitters.com. For more information on PTRF’s youth kayaking program, call 946-7211 or send an email to [email protected].

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Kayakers break from a sunny paddle on the Pamlico River.

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Big fish are biting in July, August

July and August are the months for catching giant fish on the Pamlico system. In early July, local anglers begin to see the first influx of tarpon making their annual spawning migration into our estuarine waters from

Florida. The tarpon typically range from 60 pounds all the way up to 150 pounds and can be 4 to 6 feet in length. In late July and August, the large schools of giant red drum or "old drum" migrate into the Pamlico Sound for their annual spawning migration from the near-shore waters of the ocean. They typically range between 30 and 60 pounds and are about a pound per inch in length. For anglers seeking the excitement of big game fish in our estuaries, July and August is the time to get the heavy tackle out and chase down some world-class fishing opportunities right here on the Inner Banks.

Since tarpon and giant red drum fishing are very similar in nature, the same technique is used for both with just a few differences. Tarpon and drum both cohabitate the same areas of the Pamlico Sound, with the tarpon venturing further up the river into the fresher waters of the upper Pamlico. The giant drum typically aren't found west of the middle portion of the river (South Creek, North Creek, Indian Island, etc.). While the larger schools of tarpon are typically found around live bottom areas in the Pamlico Sound, some schools of these powerful game fish make their way up the Pamlico River as far as downtown Washington. Last year, local anglers witnessed tarpon chasing schools of mullet between the trestle and the old U.S. Highway 17 bridge right in front of downtown Washington.

While the tarpon and drum are here to spawn, they must eat to maintain their energy levels for their return migration to the ocean, so they are typically located close to baitfish such as mullet and menhaden. Tarpon fishing is a high risk, high reward fishery and anglers spend countless hours in the blistering heat in hopes of hooking just one of these giant creatures. I do know of rare days where anglers have hooked double digits. Our giant red drum fishing is much more consistent. Double-digit days are the norm in certain areas of the Pamlico Sound. The best time to fish for the tarpon is early in the morning before the

wind picks up, which is usually sometime in the late morning or early afternoon during the summer. The best way to target them is to ride slowly up and down the river looking for schools of tarpon rolling on the surface. Their unmistakable silver back shows up well against the morning sun. Once you see one, you won't ever forget it and you won't mistake them for some other large fish such as porpoise or cow-nosed ray, which are often seen rolling on the surface in a similar manner.

In North Carolina, most anglers set up on the drum and tarpon by anchoring and deploying four to 10 fresh cut baits or live baits in conjunction with chumming. Fresh bait is an absolute must. Many different types of baits will work. Most local fishermen favor mullet, but menhaden, blue crab, spot, croaker and pinfish are also popular. Some anglers only fish their baits on the bottom while others cover the entire water column by using smaller weights for the mid water column and balloons or corks for their surface baits. Heavy spinning tackle with at least a 6000 series reel or light heavy bait-casting tackle such as a Shimano TLD 15 are popular setups. For the tarpon, the idea is to ride until you see them roll or find an area where you think they might be frequenting, such as a section of the river with elevated baitfish activity. For the drum, most anglers fish over structure such as sharp ledges, the tips of large shoals and live oyster reefs.

With world-class fishing opportunities at your doorstep, I encourage you to venture out and explore some of our big game angling opportunities. With a little time invested, you might surprise yourself and be rewarded with a fish of a lifetime!

Capt. Richard Andrews is a resident of Washington and the owner of a local year-round guide service

offering fishing excursions on the Pamlico and nearby rivers. He can be reached at 252-945-9715 or [email protected]

WRiTTEN BY CAPT. RICHARD ANDREWS

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Founders fond of wine

When we celebrate Independence Day in July, we usually

think of fireworks, flags and barbecue. But don’t forget about wine. Many of our Founding Fathers, like most Americans at the time, were fond of their libations. John Adams liked to start the day with a draft of hard cider. John Hancock was accused of smuggling wine. And we all know that Sam Adams was a brewer. The most avid fans of good wine, largely because of the time they spent in France trying to get aid for the young nation, were Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

Jefferson was a passionate wine advocate and connoisseur. He became interested in wines and viticulture during his diplomatic service in France during the 1780s, taking time to tour vineyards in Alsace, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne and the Rhone and Rhine valleys. He collected wine, bought 20,000 bottles of European imports as president and advised George Washington, John Adams, James Madison and James Monroe on vintages. Jefferson has been described as America's "first distinguished viticulturist" and "the greatest patron of wine and wine growing that this country has yet had." He tried to grow the European vitis vinifera grape varieties at Monticello, his Virginia estate. But New World pests wreaked havoc on the Old World varieties, and he wasn’t happy with the wines he made with our native varieties of grape (the fox grape, vitis labrusca, and the Scuppernong variety of the southern muscadine, vitis rotundifolia). So, he worked more on his cellars of imported wine than on making wine

locally because, as he wrote, “Good wine is a necessity of life for me.” Jefferson thought of wine not as a rich man’s pleasure, but as a healthy daily beverage for all — “I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines as a tax on luxury. On the contrary, it is a tax on the health of our citizens.” A forward-thinking attitude.

Franklin wasn’t the wine farmer Jefferson was, but he was probably more of a connoisseur of good French wine. There is even a story that Queen Marie Antoinette gave

Franklin a bottle of fine wine while he was serving as ambassador to France for the fledgling United States. Franklin was a diplomat, so it was important to him that “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.” Of course, Franklin was also a famous aphorist, and he penned one of the most widely circulated wine quotes of the early American Republic: “We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, and which incorporates itself with the grapes, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.”

So, when the month of July is making you feel patriotic, you can give three cheers for the red (wine), white (wine) and blue (Carolina skies).

James “The Wine Guy” McKelvey and “Chef Yvonne” Sedgwick are proprietors of Wine & Words ... & Gourmet in downtown Washington.

WRiTTEN BY JAMES McKELVEYAND YVONNE SEDGWICK

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Garden goodness

LeT’SeaT

JULY/aUgUST 2012 | WASHINGTON THE MAGAZINE • 49

Summer squash casserole


WRiTTEN BY KEVIN SCOTT CuTLERPHOTOGRAPHS BY MEREDITH LOuGHLIN

FOOD PREPARATiON BY VAIL STEWART RuMLEY

Carrots and cucumbers and tomatoes ... oh my!

It's hard to beat fresh, homegrown vegetables, and a highlight of

summer dining is the availability of these nutritious, not to mention delicious, offerings.

Whether you've stepped out the back door and picked a basketful from your own garden, visited Washington's Saturday Market or stopped by a farm’s roadside stand, the sky is the limit when deciding just how to prepare your favorite vegetables.

If you need a little help, it's a safe bet to check out the regular recipe feature, Pamlico Pantry, in the Washington Daily News. The column spotlights favorite dishes found in fundraising cookbooks published by area churches and nonprofit organizations, with an emphasis on good stick-to-your-ribs, down-home cooking.

This issue of Washington The Magazine takes a look at how local residents like to prepare their favorite fresh vegetables. We hope you'll find something that will whet your appetite, and we encourage you to seek out the best our farmers and home gardeners have to offer this summer.

Fresh veggies a highlight of summer season

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Helen's Veggie BitesCatherine PartrickSaint Peter's Episcopal Church

1 pkg. crescent-shaped rolls; 1/2 c. mayonnaise; 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened; 1/2 packet dry ranch dressing mix; 1/2 c. minced broccoli; 1/2 c. minced carrots; 1/2 c. minced green pepper; 1/2 c. minced green onions; 1 med. tomato; 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese.

Roll crescent-shaped rolls onto cookie sheet, sealing perforations to form solid sheet. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven eight to 10 minutes. Cool. Combine mayonnaise, cream cheese and dressing mix; spread evenly over cooled rolls. in food processor, using steel blade, process separately until minced, broccoli, carrots, pepper and onion. Sprinkle over rolls. pat to embed into cheese mixture. adding vegetables to rolls separately makes a prettier appetizer. Finely chop by hand, the tomato and sprinkle over vegetables. Sprinkle cheddar cheese for last layer. Cover; refrigerate several hours or overnight. Cut into bars. Yield: 24-36 bars.

Creamy Garden SpaghettiCarolyn DrexlerGrace Lutheran Church

1/2 lb. fresh broccoli (broken into florets); 1 1/2 c. zucchini, sliced; 1 1/2 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced; 1 lg. carrot, sliced; 1 Tbsp. olive oil; 8 oz. uncooked spaghetti; 1/4 c. onion, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 Tbsp. butter; 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour; 2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules; 1 tsp. dried thyme; 2 c. milk; 1/4 c. Swiss cheese, shredded; 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded.

in a large skillet, saute the broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms and carrot in oil until crisp-tender. Remove from heat and set aside. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. in another saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, bouillon and thyme until blended. gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheese until melted. add the vegetables; heat through. Drain spaghetti; toss with vegetable mixture. Yield: four servings.

Helen's VeggieBites

Okra-Onion CasseroleAnna M. CrispChurch of God of Prophecy

2 c. sliced okra; 1 sm. onion, chopped; 1 c. buttered bread crumbs, divided; 1/2 c. (2 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese; 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted; 1 egg, beaten; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. pepper.

Combine all ingredients except 1/4 cup buttered bread crumbs. Spoon into a lightly greased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with reserved buttered bread crumbs and bake five additional minutes.

Squash CasseroleHeather AlligoodBeaufort County Grange 1233

2 sm. yellow summer squash, sliced; 1/4 c. chopped onion; 1/2 tsp. salt, divided; 1 egg; 1/4 c. mayonnaise; 2 tsp. sugar; pepper to taste; 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese; 2 Tbsp. crushed cornflakes; 1 1/2 tsp. butter, melted.

in a small saucepan, combine squash, onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for two minutes or until squash is crisp-tender. Drain. in a bowl, beat the egg, mayonnaise, sugar, pepper and remaining salt until blended. Stir in cheese and squash mixture. Transfer to a greased two-cup baking dish. Toss the cornflakes and butter; sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Yield: two servings. Reduced-fat or fat-free mayonnaise is not recommended for this recipe.

Fried Green TomatoesDottie Lou SmithTri-Community Ruritan Club

1 lg. egg, lightly beaten; 1/2 c. buttermilk; 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, divided; 1/2 c. cornmeal; 3 med. green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch slices; 1/2 tsp. pepper; 1 tsp. salt; vegetable oil; salt to taste.

Combine egg and buttermilk; set aside. Combine 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, cornmeal, one teaspoon salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or pan. Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour, dip in egg mixture and dredge in cornmeal mixture. pour oil to 1/4 to 1/2 inch into a cast iron skillet. heat to 375 degrees. Drop tomatoes in batches in hot oil and cook two minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

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Holiday season sets sail

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MORE HOSPITALS. MORE PHYSICIANS.

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YOUR FAMILY OF CARE JUST GREW BY TWO.

We’re very proud to welcome Beaufort and Pungo Hospitals to our

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Pitt County Memorial | Chowan | Bertie Memorial | Roanoke-Chowan

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Learning

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You knew and trusted us as University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina. Now,

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To put faces with our new name, visit VoicesOfVidant.com.

Say hello to

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19th Annual

BCCC Foundation Golf Tournament

Friday, September 28 Washington Yacht & Country Club

The BCCC Foundation – Creating Success! Hope • Opportunity • Jobs!

Sponsored by Potash Corp - Aurora Co-sponsored by East Carolina Bank CenturyLink Lee Chevrolet Buick Park Boat Company Tideland Electric Membership Corp P & G Manufacturing Wells Fargo First South Bank Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Vidant Health John Farkas, AIA and Carver Machine Works

For more information, call Marcia Norwood at 252-940-6218 or visit www.beaufortccc.edu.

1 p.m. tee time Lunch at 11:30 a.m.

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OUT anD

aBOUT CALENDARWednesday through Friday

River Roving Educational Tours

• N.C. Estuarium •Learn about the history and

habitats of the Washington waterfront. These tours cruise the Pamlico River Wednesday through Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. No admission fee is involved for the tour, but advance reservations are required. Riders should check in 15 minutes in advance. Children must be at least 6 years old to ride; a responsible adult must accompany children under 16. River Roving 2012 is sponsored by Lee Chevrolet-Buick of Washington. Call 252-948-0000 for reservations.

Every Saturday through October 13

Saturday Market• Downtown Washington •It is a great place to spend

the morning with a terrific cup of coffee while talking with local farmers or maybe searching for a unique present. The market features local growers of fresh fruit, vegetables, plants and flowers. The fishmongers offer fresh seafood from local waters. Try some delicious, fresh-baked goods. BCTMA hosts a Saturday Morning Jam across the street from the Farmer's Market under a shady tree from 10 a.m. Musicians of all skill levels are invited to come out for this informal event. Bring an instrument, a chair or just come to listen (www.bctma.org/welcome.html). Shop for a unique item from a varying display of handmade crafts from jewelry, artwork, pottery to seasonal merchandise. This is the place to find one of a kind gift for that special person. Located across Main Street at the corner of West Main Street and Gladden Street near the red caboose and Beaufort County Arts Council.

July 7, August 4Historic Washington

Ghost Walk• Downtown Washington •Join Terry Rollins as he leads

you down the haunted streets of the Original Washington and through its three centuries of history. This 90-minute ghost walk begins promptly at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 per person and may be purchased at The General's Store on Main Street.

July 10“Aurora’s Famous

Fossils”• N.C. Estuarium •

George Oliver, educator at the Aurora Fossil Museum, talks about the unique fossils of the Aurora area. Do you know what kinds of sharks left behind so many teeth? Find out about prehistoric life in the Pamlico area. Bring in shark’s teeth you have found for identification, and have the opportunity to search for more fossils. Call 252-948-0000 for reservations. From 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. There is a $2 program fee. (Adults and Children)

July 11, August 8Storytelling

• N.C. Estuarium •Storytelling with the Inner Banks

Storytellers Group. More stories, music and puppetry fun. Suitable for families and school-age children. From 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There is a $2 program fee. Call 252-948-0000 for reservations.

July 12Beekeeper day• N.C. Estuarium •

Local beekeeper Anthony Bailey tells of his experiences with these fascinating insects. He will have an active hive of bees and share some of the honey they have made. Call 252-948-0000 for reservations. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. There is a $2 program fee. (Adults and Children)

July 12, August 9Senior Dance

• Washington Civic Center •Senior Dance at 7 p.m. featuring

music by "The Colours Band." Admission is $7 and there will be a 50/50 drawing and door prizes. No alcohol, smoking or children.

July 14Second Saturday: Living off the Land

• Historic Bath •From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at

Historic Bath Visitor Center, this program will highlight a market day of country products, foods, and equipment. Activities of the day will include watermelon seed spittin' contests and water bucket races. Vendors will be on hand to sell their wares to the sounds of old time music. The activities are free. For more information, call 252-923-3971.

July 17Snakes of the East

• N.C. Estuarium •Renowned herpetologist

Howard Vainright brings his live non-poisonous snakes to show. Learn the differences between poisonous and non-poisonous snakes and understand more about one of nature’s most feared reptiles. Call 252-948-0000 for reservations. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. There is a $2 program fee. (Adults and Children)

July 20Ice Cream Social

• The Blind Center •6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Join us and

bring all your friends to enjoy yummy homemade ice cream with toppings! $3 a cup. All proceeds benefit The Blind Center. Made possible by “Freezin’ for a Reason” - Roger & Diana Cates. The Blind Center, 221 N. Harvey St., Washington. Children of any age welcome. The Gift Shoppe will be open. For more information, email [email protected] or call 252-946-6208.

Saturday Market shoppers can enjoy fresh baked goods while visiting with Rachel Kathleen Midgette, proprietor of Rachel K’s Bakery. The market is open every Saturday morning through Oct. 13 on the west end of Stewart Parkway.

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Music in the Streets• Downtown Washington •Enjoy a wonderful evening with

your friends and neighbors in Historic Downtown Washington. No matter what your musical taste, you will find entertainers to delight you in this monthly musical event. Downtown Washington comes to life, shops stay open late and the restaurants are glad to see you. From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Call 252-946-3969 for more information.

July 24BuGS!

• N.C. Estuarium •Alina Suedbeck, a high school

student at Green Acres Academy, shares her fascination of bugs with children ages 7-12. She will teach the children how to collect, classify and mount specimens. They will also make a bug net and collect bugs on the Estuarium grounds. Parents must accompany young children. Bring a small bug jar such as a baby food jar. Call for reservations at 252-948-0000 as space is limited. From 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. There is a $2 program fee. (Children 7 to 12)

July 26, August 16Fish Printing T-Shirts

• N.C. Estuarium •Decorate your own T’s with

prints of fish and other critters. Bring your own T-shirt. Children must be at least 6 years old and accompanied by an adult. It is best to wear old clothes. Call 252-948-0000 for reservations. From 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. There is a $2 program fee. (Adults and Children)

July 31Birds of Prey• N.C. Estuarium •

Birds of Prey. Owls, hawks and falcons play a special role in the environment. Their mystery, beauty and speed have fascinated humans for ages. Learn more about these birds as the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter brings some of its rescued birds to display. Call 252-948-0000 for reservations. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. There is a $2 program fee. (Adults and Children)

August 7National Night Out

• Beebe Park •From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

National Night Out is an event celebrated all over the United States that brings the community and law enforcement together to fight against crime in our neighborhoods. There will be various activities for children such as a hula hoop contest and much more. Washington High School band will open up the festivities with the national anthem. Admission is free. Donations are accepted. For more information, call Kimberly Grimes at 252-943-1715.

August 9Film: “Refuge-

Roanoke River”• N.C. Estuarium •

Blake and Emily Scott speak about their fourth “REFUGE” film, “Refuge - Roanoke River.” This film offers a breathtaking view of wildlife flourishing in the deep swamps along coastal North Carolina’s most unusual river system. From 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. There is a $2 program fee. (Adults and Children)

August 9Art Walk

• Downtown Washington •This free-to-the-public showcase

of local visual art runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Main, Water and Gladden streets. The quarterly happening features art in galleries open to browsers, collectors or the plain curious, with refreshments and live entertainment thrown in for good measure.

August 11Second Saturday: The Written Word

• Historic Bath •From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at

Historic Bath Visitor Center. Join area authors and poets as they read some of their favorite selections and talk about what inspires them to write. Book sales and signings will take place. The Bath Community Library will also conduct a used book sale on the grounds. Adults and children can try their hand at quill writing throughout the program. The activities are free. Call 252-923-3971 for more information.

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Dancing with Our Stars

• Washington High School •Fundraiser for Eagle's Wings

Food Pantry and other non-profits. Dances performed by local non-profits and businesses. Performances at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. General seating $20. Call 252-975-1138 for tickets and information.

August 14Film: “Rescue

Men — the Story of the Pea Island Life Savers — 1896.”

• N.C. Estuarium •This documentary film takes

a closer look at the story of an all-black lifesaving station on the Outer Banks in the late 1800s. Suitable for adults and students 7th grade and up. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. There is a $2 program fee.

August 25Pickin’ on the

Pamlico• Downtown Washington •This event celebrates our

famous and delicious Blue Crab and summertime in beautiful eastern North Carolina. Collect your friends and family and join us on the banks of the Pamlico River next to the N.C. Estuarium! Enjoy all the fresh N.C. steamed crabs and shrimp you can eat, listen to fun party tunes from a live band, drink a couple of cold ones and enjoy a beautiful sunset. This event supports the revitalization of downtown Washington. For information, call 252-946-3969.

ON EXHIBIT“Opening the Doors to Bath’s History”

• Historic Bath • This display will highlight

the restoration of the Palmer-Marsh and Bonner houses from acquiring deeds to opening doors. For more information, call 252-923-3971.

“The Fruits of the Spirit”

• N.C. Estuarium • Oil paintings by Williamston

artist David Brown are on display for the month of July. David has been painting for more than 40 years and is the author and illustrator of a children’s book titled “Ted’s Journey.” He believes his paint brushes are the best tools to show people the fruits God has blessed him with.

“Storm Season” by Daniel Kariko

• Lone Leaf Gallery •These series of pinhole

photographs were shot in southern Louisiana. They range from 2006 until 2010, just as the first oil from the Deepwater Horizon platform was reaching the estuary's barrier islands. Open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, call 252-833-4889.

Juried Photography Exhibit

• Beaufort County Arts Council •

The fifth-annual Juried Photography Exhibit by the Beaufort County Arts Council (BCAC). The exhibit is open to the public in the Belk-Bracy Gallery of the Washington Civic Center, Tuesday to Friday. On display from July 19 – August 30. For more information, call 252-946-2504.

“Coastal Memories through

Photography”• N.C. Estuarium •

This show includes new work by the artist as she explores High Dynamic Range Photography (HDR). The images are composed of three different exposures of the same subject and then combined into one image by using a specific software package. Louise Sharpless chooses subjects from the coastal areas of North Carolina.

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A potting shed hides among azalea and Japanese holly, magnolia, edgeworthia and ferns.


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He prefers Latin names to their common counterparts. In his garden, there is precision and order, a geometrical map laid out

to restrain the wildness of nature. His is no flower garden. It’s a thesis in structure and form where colorful blooms are used for contrast, not because they’re pretty. There’s no doubt he can grow anything: he’s a farmer. It’s what they do. But this farmer has taken his skill to another level in the backyard of his West Main Street home. This is not farming. This is art.

A native of Terre Ceia, Sandy Ratcliff started the journey from farmer to horticulturist two decades ago. The primary reason: a chain link fence encircling his then-recently purchased property. He wanted it gone, so he made it disappear — with bushes and shrubs, exotic trees and plants, with more color and texture and definition than the eye can take in at once. Oh, the fence is still there many years later. But one would have to look very hard to find it.

“I learned everything I know when I was getting this started. It was my self-taught horticultural education,” Ratcliff laughs.

Step through the side gate beside the modest house and it’s like stepping into another world, a decidedly green one.

“The coolest thing to do to have a garden in the city is to close it in, create an enclave, all you can see is green,” he explains. “My idea was to cram as much stuff back here without going tacky. I wanted to

City sanctuaryA work of art…and nature

WRiTTEN BY VAIL STEWART RuMLEY | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MEREDITH LOuGHLIN


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plant it to the max — the garden equivalent of ‘planting fence row to fence row.’”

It’s impossible to take the garden in all at once, which was a deliberate move on Ratcliff ’s part. The environment he wanted to create was one that would draw a person in, make them want to explore further. And explore, you can. From the small parterre, to the rose arbor, to the far reaches of the yard which seems miles away but is truly only a stone’s throw, the area where brick paved paths line beds and a place Ratcliff calls “geometric and formal with a little randomness thrown in.”

Every section has its own character. The first, the parterre, is both formal and wild in an English-

manor way. Each quad of the brick design is anchored at three corners by precisely pruned American boxwoods. Scattered about are pots filled with a variety of heat-resistant sedum. While Ratcliff wouldn’t call it an herb garden, bay, oregano, basil, rosemary, lemon balm, fennel and parsley grow rampantly among lantana, iris and roses. In one area, dark, wispy fennel floats between roses, an effect Ratcliff likens to puffs of smoke rising up, surrounding the blooms. The contradiction appeals to his gardening style — an interesting accident and exactly why he lets it remain.

A tall cypress fence creates both diversion and division between the

parterre and the middle section of the yard. Ratcliff wove the cypress into a flowing trellis for a pear tree. Standing at the opening, which acts as a doorway into the next lush room, the eye is drawn to two perfectly aligned rose arbors framed by narrow beds of iris bisecting a neatly trimmed lawn. Here, the chain link fence is obscured by ivy and hydrangea, by bold splashes of color and shape with spikes of scarlet-striped canna leaves (also known as canna lily, although not a true lily), helianthus (sunflower family), rudbeckia (black-eyed susans), and euphorbia, its oblong leaves ranging in color from green to purple to orange.

Through another arbor the last

Above: Sandy Ratcliff at home among the greenery.

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section, seemingly worlds away from the garden entrance, ends in a wall of George Taber azaleas. Here, shade reigns. Both formal and exotic, beds containing polygonatum (Solomon’s Seal), arisaema atrorubens (Jack in the Pulpit), a variety of ferns and other shade-lovers lay between moss-slicked brick paths, hemmed in by more handmade cypress fence.

It’s taken Ratcliff twenty years to create this place that is both cool and hushed, where the only disturbance comes from birdsong wafting down from the black walnut, magnolia and oak trees towering above. In the winters of each year, he works the garden. In April, he lets it coast. In May, he’s back at it again, pruning, shaping, creating nothing less than a colorful sanctuary for the rest of the year to come.

“I’m a farmer. I grow corn, soybeans, and wheat. I drive over acres and acres and acres of that stuff,” he says jokingly as he looks out over his creation. “It’s nice to have this.”

Throughout the season, one surprise after another is revealed by the garden’s bloom and growth — which seems to be a never-ending source of amusement and revelation to Ratcliff. In many ways, the garden is exactly like him: equal parts formal and laid back, a calm space designed for observation and thought. Yes, there is structure. But the structure is within the confines of the most benevolent of gardeners. It has organization and constantly evolving form. He’s filled it with life and now Ratcliff has the presence of mind, and spirit, to sit back, let nature take its course and watch his garden grow.

The coloring of plants like canna and euphorbia (shown) create visual contrast with surrounding greenery.


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Backwater Jack’s Tiki Bar and Grill


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Hurricane Irene may have saved someone’s life.

“It turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” said

Laura Scoble. She and Cathy Bell own Backwater

Jack’s Tiki Bar and Grill. Had it not been for the hurricane that flooded the restaurant and closed its doors for nine months, some unsuspecting patron might have gotten hurt climbing stairs supported by a faulty floor.

Located along Runyon Creek at the end of East Main Street, the 1935 cottage-turned-tiki bar has seen its share of floods. After each flooding, previous owners laid new flooring atop the existing one. Bell and Scoble discovered subflooring that had long since rotted away.

The hurricane led to another discovery for Scoble and Bell. They learned firsthand what it meant to be a part of Washington and were

overwhelmed by the support the community showed.

“They have truly embraced us,” Scoble said.

Bell said it truly took a village to restore Backwater Jack’s.

“People just would come by and do little things that meant so much to us,” Bell said.

A stranger saved their stage, tying it down to prevent it from floating away.

A Reid Shutters representative saw the gutted-out building and chose not to charge the restaurant owners to replace the shutters.

Jerry’s Landscaping came by and regularly mowed the businesses lawn. When asked the costs, the mower said there wasn’t one, “Just open back up.”

Their banker checked in regularly, asking if the pair needed financial help or someone to talk to.

“Everybody was just so generous with their time and support,” Scoble

said. “And that’s why we love it here.”Catherine Glover, executive director

of the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce, said people were “devastated” when Backwater Jack’s flooded and had to close.

She called the restaurant a wonderful addition to Washington.

“It’s outdoor eating on the water with a great atmosphere. When you go to Backwater Jack’s, you have fun no matter what age you are,” Glover said.

The family atmosphere was no accident.

“We want it to be a place people can bring their children to play ring toss,” Scoble said.

They even covered “risqué” mermaids that lined the outdoor bar with bikini tops (another generous donation from a local seamstress). Like the rest of the décor, Scoble said they hoped the mermaids would bring smiles to their guests.

Bell and Scoble found a way to

Cottage-turned-tiki bar rebounds after hurricane

Tiki timeWRiTTEN BY MONA MOORE | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MEREDITH LOuGHLIN

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bring to Backwater Jack’s the laidback charm of their Florida roots to the Pamlico.

University of Florida flags advise diners that they have entered Gator country. Jimmy Buffet tunes waft through screened porches as children dance on “Pebble Beach” in front of a stage crowned by a grass-skirted roof.

A ship’s bell sounds when the owners give out a free round of shots.

One table of diners often morphs into three tables as people run into old friends and make new ones. Hugs and smiles are as common as flip-flops and T-shirts on patrons of Backwater Jack’s.

“We like to think of it as one big party,” Scoble said.

She said the staff was one big family. They rally around each other when someone needs help and look out for each other’s safety.

“We have a lot of people who count on us for a living,” Scoble said.

That responsibility motivated the restaurateurs to reopen as quickly as possible. They say it could not have been done without the help of contractors Brian Stocks and Seldon Taylor. The company started construction right away and gave the owners everything on their wishlist.

Scoble and Bell were surprised to see that all but two of the staff members returned to work after the hurricane.

The wait staff zips by tables wearing shirts that promise an experience that’s “a little less fast, a lot more fun” delivering checks in tackle boxes to diners.

The menus include a promise, too: hot beer, lousy food and bad service.

“We like to keep everybody’s expectations low,” Scoble said with a chuckle.

So far, it has not worked. Backwater Jack’s popularity has spread beyond the county lines.

In just a few short years, Backwater Jack’s has become a destination spot, luring visitors to the area with its Mahi Mahi Reubens, Pamlico Punch and live music.

“At the visitor’s center, we have people coming in who have already heard of Backwater Jack’s. They dine there then stay to see the rest of the town,” Glover said.

Bell said tourism was not the driving force of the restaurant. The owners say the restaurant depends on its regulars and that understanding impacts every aspect of the dining experience – especially the menu.

“The food has to be pretty good, pretty constant because we feed locals,” Bell explained.

When Bell and Scoble first opened Backwater Jack’s, the menu was pretty simple: burgers, seafood and appetizers. They soon discovered they were missing one important staple.

“People kept slipping us chili recipes under the table,” Bell said.

The chili was a part of the renovated house’s history. Bell and Scoble, both natives of Florida, learned that the Carver house was home of the 10-cent chilidog. The family who used to live in the house would sell chilidogs to boaters and passersby.

For nostalgia’s sake, the Backwater Jack’s menu now features chilidogs, too.

Nostalgia was what attracted Scoble and Bell to the tiny little house that became their tiki bar.

“It reminded us of all the little places we would see in Florida,” Scoble said.

Bell brought in the Buffett influence and the menu grew around Southern Florida staples like quesadillas, Caribbean chicken and fresh seafood.

Florida may have had its influence on Backwater Jack’s but Scoble and Bell say Washington is their home.

They loved the area so much that they moved their families to the area.

“We weren’t born here but we feel like we’ve never been anywhere else,” Scoble said.

Bell agreed.“We’ll always be here,” she said.

“This is our home. This is our family.”

Bell and Scoble have often heard Washingtonians squabble over the city’s nickname. For them, it isn’t “Little Washington” or “the Original Washington.”

“It’s ‘our Washington,’” Scoble said.


Your partner in economic development!

Beaufort County Community CollegeCreating Success - Hope • Opportunity • Jobs!

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution

Beaufort County Community College is proud to be a partner in economic development in Beaufort County.Each year, some 3,200 curriculum stu-dents receive valuable training in jobs as diverse as accounting, machining, nursing and welding that prepare these students for the workforce.BCCC’s Business and Industry Services works with potential and current small business owners to help them suc-ceed and is an active partner with local industry to provide on-the-job training for their workforce!To find out more about BCCC’s role in economic development, visit www.beaufortccc.edu or telephone 252-946-6194.

P.O. Box 1069, Washington, N.C. 27889252-946-6194 •www.beaufortccc.edu

Train for a second career or find a new hobby!Beaufort County Community College’s Division of Continuing Education can help you train for a second career or simply fall in love with a new hobby!The Division of Continuing Education offers short-term computer classes that can give you the skills you need whether you’re looking for a second career or wanting to move up in the workforce. If you want to learn flower arranging, brush up on a second lan-guage or learn to crochet, the divi-sion offers a variety of leisure pursuits classes that can add to your leisure time. And for continuing education credits, BCCC also offers online, ed2go and AlphaSPROUT classes. For more information about BCCC’s extensive short-term classes, contact Lou Stout, director of occupational ex-tension with the Division of Continuing Education at 252-940-6307.


For me, the simple answer to that question is because Washington loved me first. That may sound odd to some, but as you read further, I trust you will understand.

I was born nearly 39 years ago at Beaufort County Hospital in Washington. Hence, I am blessed to be a native son of this community. From my first cry in the “new world” I found myself in, I was loved by Washington through the care of my parents, siblings, neighbors, friends, pastors, teachers, doctors and others.

My hope is that each of us already know, love and appreciate the places and special treats of Washington like the great history of this community as reflected in the beautiful historic homes and buildings. As so many writers before me have shared, the river is a place of unrivaled beauty where I find hours of pleasure and recreation. I love late-evening walks down Stewart Parkway or Main Street admiring the beauty of our downtown. Truly, Washington is a place of beauty with a strong sense of history and Southern charm.

I have found during my lifetime here that, beyond all the historic homes, shops, the river and, yes, even Bill's Hot Dogs, it is the faces of Washington that mean so much to me. Before I was even aware of the place I was born, the people of Washington loved and cared for me as they do everyone blessed to call this special place home.

I love Washington because it is a place where people wave, honk their horns to say hello, share the bounty from their gardens and, most importantly, where you are known and called by name. During the dark and difficult times in life, Washington is always there to support, encourage and love.

For 39 years, Washington, North Carolina, has

been a place where love, charm and hope abound. We see this after hurricanes when neighbors leave their own destruction to help others. We see this when illness or death occurs and people across faith communities reach out in support.

Washington's homes, buildings, boats, shops and waterways are all special, but for me and those blessed to call her home, Washington is a place that loves each of us through the wonderful people who live here. The people of Washington, the faces of all ages and races, are the greatest asset of this community, and that is why I love Washington and Washington loves all of us.

Love, charm and hope aboundWRiTTEN BY DERIK DAVIS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MEREDITH LOuGHLIN

Y’aLLCOMeBaCK Why I love Washington

Derik Davis

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