By Iris Llewellyn Angle » Photo by John Patota I wrap sunshine around my shoulders, not to keep warm but to remember. Sky so blue, I cannot describe. Maybe the blue John Glenn saw when he looked back at Earth on his space-ride. I hear a giant pine tree groan, then a stick sprouts wings and flies, grasshopper foreign in February. Pinecones float on a sea of non-ocean sand, sandhills sand spiked with pine ..read more

Next generation takes over and creates fresh, new vibe By RAY LINVILLE  »  Photos by G. FRANK HART The next generation at 195 American Fusion is not only here; it has quietly taken over from the restaurant’s founder and long-time owner. The newest rock star on the Sandhills culinary stage is Anna Pilson, who owns and operates 195, the winner of this magazine’s Best of the Best contest in the fine ..read more

Bar Dugan’s Pub duganspub.net This full-service restaurant and pub is the fun place to be in Pinehurst. With a traditional Irish pub upstairs and a second pub downstairs, Dugan’s has the largest selection of import drafts and single-malt scotches in Pinehurst as well as a complete wine list. Enjoy a beverage in either pub with a full meal or light appetizers in a friendly, service-oriented atmosph ..read more

This fall go nuts – and plant a pecan tree By Elizabeth Sugg  »  Photo by Ken Bosma This fall as you consider adding a tree to your landscape, consider a native tree whose nuts are as identified with southern cooking staples as grits are. The pecan tree brings a distinctive quality to any panorama with its sleek leaves in rich green and its towering trunk, and it can live for 300 years or more. T ..read more

A curated collection of pillows can say a lot By Elizabeth Sugg  »  Photos by John Patota Want a little interior design pick-me-up? Go to a home and interiors store, the more locally based the more unique choices you may discover and explore the joy of a simple update of your surroundings. Recently on the journey to writing our arts section at One Eleven Main in Southern Pines, I was struck by th ..read more

A love of animals lured this self-taught artist to her long career By Elizabeth Sugg  »  Photos by John Patota As a young girl Merry Scotland began sketching the wildlife around her. Born in the picturesque town of Newport, Vermont, where the shores of Lake Memphremagog separate the small New England town and Magog, Quebec, the natural beauty seemed to lure a pencil to her drawing paper whenever ..read more

Apartment Complex Eagle Landing eaglelanding.com Experience next-level living when you live in these lavish apartments. This newly constructed community combines luxurious apartment features and convenient, resort-style amenities to create the perfect place for residents to call home. Indulge in a new kind of apartment living and experience the lifestyle you deserve at Eagle Landing. Architect Hecke ..read more

These books by NC authors are simply splendid  By Lewis Bowling To Any Soldier: A Novel of Vietnam Letters by G.C. Hendricks and Kathryn Watson Quigg The main character Ashley is from a small North Carolina town in To Any Soldier: A Novel of Vietnam Letters, written by G.C. Hendricks and Kathryn Watson Quigg. Ashley as a freshman at a university in North Carolina in the late 1960s, is told that Vi ..read more

Fall reading that informs and inspires By Lewis Bowling Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow with Roseann Foley Henry Steven Petrow, who lives in Hillsborough, N.C., has written a book about things his parents did as they aged that he didn’t want to replicate as he got older. This book, full of wit and humor, addresses habits of aging such as constantly telling others of your ..read more

Chic looks that will augment your autumn wardrobe Fashion Coordinator: Tess Gillespie Photos: Mollie Tobias Venue: Rubicon Farm J McLaughlin   132 MW Broad St., Southern Pines jmclaughlin.com Amara dress in Golden Ochre, $288; Arlette sweater in Lake Blue, $158; Gemma scarf in denim and gold, $118; Watson Pant jeans in goldenrod, $188; Angela handbag/Mega Buckhead, $398; Suede ankle boots in woodland ..read more