Day 316

Car of the Day:

 

1997 – 2004 Porsche 911 GT3

Character of the Day:

Quina – A little bit of Salsa

I was introduced to Quina through MJ (Day 308). Between the three of us we had quite the international background. She was born in Germany and lived there until the age of nine. Her parents (both Spanish) decided to return back home to Spain. Her love for Madrid was apparent as she talked about the culture, the city, and the people. Shannon and I have always wanted to visit Spain and Quina quickly reignited our desire.  Quina’s introduction to the US was quite the culture shock. She moved to Boone, NC from Madrid! It only took a year for her to realize Boone wasn’t the place for her and she found her way to the Lake Norman area. Now she’s loving life and teaching pre-schoolers. Her love for the outdoors especially hiking (which coincidentally wasn’t inspired from Boone) keeps her in good shape. I can only imagine how much energy it takes to keep up with a classroom of three year olds. It was a pleasure getting to know Quina and hearing her point of view (especially with her wonderful accent). Her favorite thing about Birkdale… “the atmosphere & Starbucks”.

Day 315

Car of the Day:

 

2003 – Present Rolls-Royce Phantom

Character of the Day:

Dana, Tammy, & Baby Dane – The Happy Family

I was introduced to the Davis family through Sarah (Day 276). Dana was casually reading the paper and Tammy was cradling Dane with a big smile. Tammy was born in Long Island and grew up in Pittsburgh while Dana is from the Northeast corner of upstate NY. They moved to North Carolina due to the “opportunity and weather”…..as well as the proximity to the mountains and ocean. Dana attended Bentley College in Boston, MA for his undergrad and also received a Masters degree in business from the State University of New York in Plattsburgh. He works for MoneyGram International (a better version of Western Union) as a Regional Sales Manager  helping establish relationships with mortgage companies in the Payment Products Division. Tammy attended Point Park University where she received her theater degree with dreams of becoming an actress. “I just couldn’t pull the trigger and move to NYC” she said with a smile. “Family is too important”. Motherhood though, has exceeded all of her expectations and it was apparent that she wouldn’t want to do anything else. Birkdale will be remembered fondly in both of their hearts since it was at the Corkscrew where they first met. With Dane in the picture their hobbies have been condensed to grabbing some sleep whenever possible. They are fans of the movies and try to enjoy them as much as possible. They also enjoy travel and working out. It’s great to see such a happy family. Their favorite thing about Birkdale… “The Vibe and the people….this is home and we love it here!!!!!!!!!!!”.

Day 314

Car of the Day:

1946 Chevy Truck

Character of the Day:

Chris – The Environmental Scientist with a Civil War Gun

I first met Chris at Toastmasters where I got a taste of his dry sense of humor during a March Madness speech. Chris is one of those guys that should have been born in the 50’s. He’s an anominally of the modern man. He is a true southern boy born and raised in Georgia where he attended UGA. It was there where he met his wife of six years (they locked eyes at a bar in Florida where she was drinking from a Football), played in the marching band, and earned his degree in Environmental Science. This is where he becomes a child of the 50’s. He’s actually using his degree and has been working as an Environmental Scientist at Terracon for the past six years. When it comes to a hobby, Chris’s is unique. You can find him decked in full Civil War or WW2 gear shooting the enemy during reenactments. Obviously they use blanks but accidents do happen. “It seems that people tend to get hurt during the Civil War reenactements. One kid loaded a canon which misfired and blew his arm off”. He and his wife recently had their first son and Chris is loving every minute of fatherhood. I enjoyed really getting to know Chris and look forward to seeing him at Birkdale. His favorite thing about Birkdale… “it’s a great example of the way property should be developed so that people can live, work, eat, be entertained, and socialize all within a 5 minute walk”.

Day 313

Car of the Day:

2006 – Present Range Rover Sport

Character of the Day:

Kristi – Hippie with a Gun

Kristi was on page eleven of Twilight when I started our conversation. I found out she was born in Pineville, NC and raised in Charlotte. She was supposed to attend North Meckleburg High but decided on Hopewell High due to their softball team. After high school she attended Penbrook University on a scholarship and quickly realized the small town atmosphere isn’t her style. After coming back home and waitressing for a few months she decided to follow in her best friend’s footsteps and join the Army reserves. I asked her what was the hardest part of basic training, “The gas chamber, my skin was burning, my eyes were burning, snot was coming out my nose as I had to recite the soldier’s creed and walk out slowly” she said smiling. She does plan on getting an art degree from a college before she enlists full time in the Army with aspirations of becoming an art teacher after military retirement. Wanting to be as close to the action as possible she joined the 101st unit where she is a parachute rigger. When she has some free time she enjoys frisbie golf, running, and reading.  Her favorite thing about Birkdale… “Starbucks”.

Day 312

Car of the Day:

1952 MG TD

Character of the Day:

Bill – MG Master

When I saw Bill driving by in his 1952 MG TD (pictured above), I was quick to chase him down. I didn’t get to spend too much time getting to know him but I did manage to get my three standard questions answered. He was born and raised near Saratoga, NY and moved to North Carolina because of work and the weather. He’s the Mid-Atlantic Sales Manager for Southern Erectors Inc. which I learned provided environmental equipment and construction for the Marshall Steam Plant project. As you can see from the picture his love for his grandson “Richard” eclipses his love for cars. Perhaps the next time I see him driving his MG I’ll be able to catch up on the rest of his story. His favorite thing about Birkdale… “watching my grandson play in the fountain”.

Day 311

Car of the Day:

2007 – Present Lexus LS460

Character of the Day:

Michael – The Philosopher

Michael has served many beers to Shannon and I at Corkscrew. Today instead of being across the bar he was across the table outside of Starbucks enjoying his coffee sharing his story. He was born in Germany and lived there until the age of six. His father was in the Army serving a seven year stint as a MP. His introduction to the States was South Carolina and California. He split time between both states and attended the University of South Carolina studying Philosophy. After college he started working in the restaurant service industry where he made the natural transition into wine sales. It was his wine experience that landed him the job at Corkscrew. What’s apparent when talking to Michael is that he is in tune with himself and others. Our discussion covered a range of topics such as music, spirituality, and life. Never would I have guessed the bartender serving our drinks had such a deep grip on life. That’s what’s so great about Birkdale, the stories behind the people. His future aspiration is to own a place like Corkscrew. “I love people and wine”. His favorite thing about Birkdale… “the diversity of the people within the community”.

Day 310

Car of the Day:

1998 – 2004 Porsche 911 Cabriolet

Character of the Day:

Morgan – Furture Film Maker

Morgan just finished her freshman year at UNCW where she is working on her film degree. She is home for the summer and I was able to catch her today as she was grabbing a cup of coffee with her Dad, Mike (Day 244). It was interesting getting to know this young lady who was born in Charlotte and raised in Huntersville. Her passion is film and writing with a preference to movies with happy endings aka Disney movies and fantasies such as Lord of the Rings. She  just recently directed, produced, and edited a student film titled The Ladies of the Ring which showcases great performances of both her and Denise (Day 247). Interestingly enough, she received an email from YouTube informing her that a 15 second portion of her movie infringed on a copy right law. Who knew they actually check all of their videos. Morgan isn’t quite sure what her final role is going to be in the movie business. She does know that camera work isn’t her forte, preferring the editing room opposed to keeping the camera steady. Not only is she producing films at UNCW, she is also in the environmental club. Perhaps an environmental documentary is in her future. Her favorite thing about Birkdale… “Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and T1 Tapas of course”.