As a child I experienced the Piedmont of North Carolina and its coastal cities, where red clay and pine and cattails meet. As an adult, I headed for the mountains, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail. As a mineral collector, I've roamed from Franklin to Spruce Pine, and as a lover of folk and classic arts, wandered the byways to find potters, glassblowers, and places I could learn these crafts, like Wildacres. North Carolina remains one of my favorite getaways, but the longer I live in the flatlands, the scarier those roads can be!