magazine

Behind the Scenes for the May 2008 issue

Finding the right word

Working with a great group of editors is like having a living dictionary or thesaurus at hand. When all else fails or time is of the essence, I can turn to any one of them to help me come up with the elusive word or phrase.

That’s what I tried to do when writing my column for the May issue. I needed the word for the little thingy that rims the edge of an umbrella — you know, those things you catch your hair on or get caught in a scarf or sweater.

I stuck my head around the corner and found Elizabeth Hudson, editor of our sister publication, North Carolina Signature. "What do you call those little tips around the edge of umbrella?" I asked her. "I don’t know — do they even have a name?" she asked. "And why do you need to know?"

Through the hall I went, collecting words like "tines," "spokes," and "sprockets." "Did you try Google?" someone asked. No, I hadn’t thought of that. I’d been sure someone had it at the tip of her tongue to give it to me.

The next morning when I walked in my office and turned the light on, there on my desk was a diagram of an umbrella: printed from the Internet, with all the parts neatly labeled. Ribs and stretchers provide the framework for the umbrella fabric, but the little thingy at the end? It’s simply called a tip. Nothing more, nothing less.

Another day — the satisfaction of another word.

Editor's Column - May

Sun Drops

Family trips to the beach seem to require more accessories than they used to. There was a time when my husband and I could pack everything we needed in a suitcase and a tote bag — the trunk of the car had room to spare. Then, in addition to beach blankets, we began adding beach chairs, two boys with the necessary buckets and shovels, fishing tackle galore, and a bag full of books, magazines, and word puzzles for me. Yes, our trunk was definitely shrinking.

In the past few years, we've topped the mountain of gear required for several days at the beach with a purchase we made at the Kure Beach Pier shop one season: a rainbow-colored beach umbrella. I've reached an age when a visit to the coast is no longer about absorbing as much of the sun's bronzing rays as possible. I admit there's something ironic about a donning bathing suit and sunglasses and then heading straight for the shelter of an umbrella's elliptical shadow. And yet, how perfect. From my one-person cabana, I can enjoy the breeze and the cry of gulls. I can dig my toes into the sun-warmed sand and enjoy my pages free from the sun's intense gaze.

There's one thing about a beach umbrella, however, that I have yet to totally master, and that's the finesse required to set it up just so. First, the stake has to be driven deep enough for the umbrella to withstand a stiff ocean breeze. Then there's the angle. Not too straight up or, again, the wind becomes an issue. Not too much of tilt, though, or I find myself needing to tunnel my way in to the beach chair in the most ungraceful manner, trying to avoid the umbrella's tips.

My umbrella has a nifty little gadget that allows me to bend and lock the top part of the pole at an angle from its anchor. So I set up and adjust, sit down and check it all out, get up and fine tune the adjustment, and then, finally, I'm settled and ready to relax and read. At that point, invariably, my son hollers from the water's edge: "Mom, come on! The waves are great!" How can I resist the invitation? After all, that's what brought us here in the first place — the ocean's siren call.

In this year's annual lighthouse and coastal issue, it's all about the call of the sea and the lives it shapes. Climb aboard the Jeanie B with Lee and Brooks Sutton as they teach the next generation in the North Carolina School of the Compass. "Dive Down" to the underwater resting place of the Queen Anne's Revenge, and learn more about the host of shipwrecks catalogued and researched in the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum's archaeology workshop. Spend the day on a charter boat with the Winner family of Carolina Beach.

Finally, don't miss this year's special feature on North Carolina's seven ocean lighthouses. Art Director Craig Smith has created an exciting poster-quality photo feature, and freelancer Misti C. Lee reveals some surprising tidbits about each one in the accompanying story.

So join us seaside, and answer the call of the waves.

Vicky Jarrett
Editor–in–Chief