After a 30-year career in the senior living industry, Greg Byrge, Executive Director of Brandon Wilde, has never forgotten the words his first administrator told him when he took a position as Director of Admissions and Marketing.
Phone: (706) 868-9800
4275 Owens Rd, Evans, GA
See our website: www.brandonwilde.com
Rob Clifton is CEO of Clifton Construction.
AUGUSTA
706-731-0978
4324 Wheeler Road
Martinez, GA 30907
COLUMBIA
803-767-1816
1621 Pickens Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Email: rob@sdclifton.com
Bill has catered hundreds of weddings, large parties and private events across the Southeast. He also is proud to handle catering for the Lunch of the Governor and First Lady of Georgia.
“People enjoy good food. It makes them happy and evokes feelings of nostalgia and comfort,” he says. “Achieving that goal is pretty special. It is to that end that I strive daily to do my best.”
Chef’s new cookbook, Southern Menus: Season by Season, available in October.
2569 Central Avenue | Augusta, GA
706-364-5059
See us on: www.sweetazalea.com
Offering: • Auto • Home • Condo • Renters • Life •Health •Life • Business • Disability • Boat • Recreational Vehicles
Call Today 706-733-6744
2501 Wrightsboro Road | Augusta, GA 30904
Fax: 706-733-9540
Email: Hoke@HokeBrantley.com
Mon-Fri 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
4 (6-ounce) salmon filletsHeat oven to 325 degrees. Season both sides of salmon with salt and pepper, to taste. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Add garlic and capers and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring, until warm. Remove skillet from heat and add salmon, skin side down. Top with some of the garlic caper butter and loosely cover skillet with foil. Bake, covered, 15 minutes. Uncover and spoon more garlic caper butter over salmon. Cook, uncovered, 5-10 minutes more until desired doneness. For a crispy top, place under the broiler briefly before done, but do not overcook. Place on salad and squeeze a lemon quarter over each piece. Top with fresh parsley and more garlic caper butter. Garnish with sliced lemon. Makes 4 servings.
Photos courtesy of the Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race & Festival
There’s a reason – in fact, more than one – that the picturesque community of Helen, Georgia is the state’s third most-visited city. Hint: one of those reasons will take off at the end of the month.
From May 30 to June 1, the town will be the site of the Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race & Festival – the South’s oldest balloon event and the country’s only long-distance hot air balloon race.
A Helen businessman, the late Pete Hodkinson, started the event in 1974, and he founded the race on two guiding principles. First and foremost, the people of Helen, who transformed their lumber town into a Bavarian-style village in the 1960s, believe that their community is the center of their world. And, harkening back to the days of Christopher Columbus, the Atlantic Ocean was considered the “edge of the Earth.”
Launch & Land
About 25 brightly colored hot air balloons, piloted by race competitors and local flyers, will fill the sky in a mass ascension at 7 a.m. Thursday, May 30, weather permitting, as the race gets underway. If conditions are too windy or if storms are forecast, then the takeoff will be postponed until the weather is favorable.
The majority of the balloons will take off from the launch field that is located across the Chattahoochee River from Cool River Tubing and the city’s River Park. However, a few balloons may launch from various places around town.
While the race begins in the Alpine village in the North Georgia mountains, the finish line is Interstate-95. The actual end point is fluid, however, as balloons can reach their destination anywhere between Maine and Miami. The winner is the first person to cross I-95, or whoever is ahead at sunset on Friday, May 31.
The shortest distance to the interstate is 225 miles, and the race usually takes two days. Although the race has been done in one day, some have taken as many as four days.
As the competition to the Atlantic continues, other balloonists will compete in local events beginning Thursday evening around 6:30 p.m.
Local flying events also will take place on Friday and Saturday around 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. each day, weather permitting, for one to two hours. About 20 balloons will fly locally.
No ballooning activities take place during the middle of the day. Dawn or two or three hours before sunset – the cooler hours of the day – are the best times for balloons to take off.
Launches and landings also are easier during these hours because winds typically are light.
Flying at these times also avoids thermals, which are vertical air currents caused by ground heating that makes it more difficult to control the balloon. In extreme circumstances, the downdrafts associated with strong thermals can exceed the ability of a balloon to climb and force it into the ground.
Involvement & Entertainment
The balloon race challenges the skills of the pilot and crew as they have to navigate the mountains, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and Unicoi, Smithgall Woods, Moccasin Creek, Vogel, Tallulah Gorge and Amicalola Falls state parks that surround the village.
However, the bird’s eye views of treetops, vast woodlands, streams, waterfalls and wildlife make the flights worthwhile.
In addition to the overhead views, attractions of ballooning include the exceptional quiet (except when the propane burners are firing) and the lack of a feeling of movement. Since balloons move with the direction of the wind, passengers don’t feel the wind other than brief periods when the balloon climbs or descends into air currents of different direction or speed.
A balloon can only go the same speed and direction as the wind, so the pilot must find the altitude that gives the best speed and direction toward the finish line.
The race also is a crew event as the balloons are limited to 40 gallons of propane fuel – enough to last four hours – so they must land for refueling. If the crew is not at the landing site immediately with fresh tanks, the balloon loses valuable time while the pilot and crew try to find each other.
The public can get involved in the race by assisting with the inflation of the balloons or by joining a chase crew that follows a balloon.
Helen also offers many sights and attractions for visitors when the balloons are not flying. These activities include river tubing, hiking to waterfalls, going on a picnic or a buggy ride, visiting an amusement park, playing golf, panning for gold, exploring museums or shopping.
If You Go:
What: Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race & Festival
When: Thursday, May 30 – Saturday, June 1
Where: Helen, Georgia
More Info: helenballoon.com
By Morgan Davis
Photography by Relentless Pursuit
Until their permanent home is completed, this Appling family is enjoying living in their party barn.
Whether they’re hosting neighborhood bonfires or taking in animals in need, Cori and Chris Pittman and their sons love to share their hospitality with human and four-legged companions.
There is ample space for them to accommodate guests and furry (or feathery) family members on their 11-acre Appling property, where they plan to start building their permanent home this year. For the past 16 months, however, they have been living in the party barn that they initially constructed on their land.
“It’s built for company and to entertain,” says Cori. “It’s not ideal for forever, but for now, it’s perfect.”
The barn has a coastal farmhouse look, and some of its exterior features will match outside accents on the house.
For instance, the house will include shaker shingles like those on the upper level of the barn and an A-framed roof pitch and gable that will match the barn. The house also will feature the cedar accents and galvanized lighting that give the barn its coastal feel.
Outdoor Living
Along with their three rescue horses, bull, heifer, male and female donkey, six chickens, fainting goat and Texas Blue Lacy dog, the Pittmans love to spend time outside. So, naturally, the party barn has lots of outdoor gathering spots including two covered porches.
The porch off the master suite features double doors to the bedroom, two rocking chairs, a “grandma coastal vibe” lamp with a wicker shade atop a distressed table, an outdoor tweed rug, a tongue-and-groove ceiling and two lanterns beside a pair of olive trees.
“We turn the lamp on at night, and we enjoy our time in the morning out here,” Cori says. “We like to come outside and visit with the horses. They line up along the fence while we drink our coffee.”
A TV on the other covered porch stays on for game days, so guests can watch sporting events outside or in the living room. This porch includes wicker furnishings, a wooden bench, two ceiling fans, three galvanized lights, a tongue-and-groove ceiling and a diamond-cut concrete floor.
The Pittmans also like to eat and grill outside, and Adirondack chairs surround a fire pit on the patio.
“We didn’t want a traditional fire pit,” Cori says. “It looks like a gas drum that has been cut in half.”
The main entrance to the barn is a rollup, all-glass garage door that they can open for entertaining, and rustic metal planters by the garage door match the lighting. Cori decorated around the greenery-filled planters, which were her first purchase for the barn.
Sealed cedar corbels support the overhang above the garage door to break up the white exterior, and the overhang also includes a tongue-in-groove ceiling. A single galvanized light fixture hangs above the large picture window that is centered atop the garage door.
“I wanted a really large window in the front that could be a focal point,” says Cori.
Western Gothic Style
An outdoor staircase leads to the upper level office that Cori and Chris share.
“We incorporated both of our styles in the office space so we could both enjoy it,” she says.
In this room, where she has a desk on one side and Chris has a desk on the other, Cori decorated around the antler light fixture.
The décor includes rustic blacks and blues, neutral colors, Aztec prints, animal print pillows, a shimmery antelope print rug, a coffee table between two brown leather couches and two cowhide rugs.
“We took a trip to Texas, and we wanted to bring back cowhide rugs,” Cori says. “We got a lot of ideas.”
Built-in benches run the length of opposite walls beneath clerestory windows that let in light, and the ceiling features a gray-washed cedar wood beam. Moody blue suede drapes on the large picture window add a different texture to the space, and equine head pictures flank either side.
However, Cori also seamlessly mixes in coastal décor to soften the look.
A vase filled with preserved hydrangeas accents a rustic, distressed light blue chest in the entryway.
“I got the chest to put downstairs, but it fit perfectly in the office,” Cori says.
Pop of Personality
Neutral colors are the hallmark of the living room, but greenery brings it personality.
“The fiddleleaf plants and ferns give it a pop of life,” says Cori.
Across from the rollup door, a magnolia leaf wreath is centered in the black metal window frame that rests on a black chest against the shiplap wall.
“I wanted it to look like art. I wanted something tall here,” says Cori. “I knew it would be the focal point because this is what people see when they come in.”
A distressed floor lamp stands next to the chest, where more dried hydrangeas fill a vase. A horse statue is placed in a tray.
“I love the look of preserved flowers, and you’ll find horses hidden all around the house,” says Cori.
The décor also includes a shimmery antelope rug, accent pillows and a full-length antique bronze mirror. A flat-screen TV, which features an art mode when it is not in use, hangs above a distressed serpentine chest.
“I bought the chest when we started building,” Cori says. “I wasn’t sure where I was going to put it, but I knew I would find a spot for it.”
She custom-made the living room drapes with a “drop cloth” look, but a strip of light blue with navy trim gives them a touch of elegance.
The powder coating on the galvanized rails of the rollup door give the space a homey feel.
“I wanted the living room to be a cozy spot where everybody would feel at home,” Cori says. “My husband jokes that we live in a fishbowl, but I love the openness and the natural light. It just feels so homey and comfortable.”
Farmhouse Features
The sealed concrete flooring throughout the barn connects the living room with the adjoining eat-in kitchen.
“We wanted to keep the floor low-maintenance,” says Cori. “It’s perfect for summer because it’s cool. The squares keep it from cracking, but give it a rustic look.”
Other features throughout the barn include shiplap, antique bronze hardware and faucets, wicker, wood, an indoor/outdoor audio system and three-panel doors.
Although the space is open, another gray-washed cedar beam offers a bit of separation between the living room and kitchen.
“We put a gray wash on the beams to take off the red,” says Cori.
The kitchen also includes vertical shiplap on one wall, wicker chairs at the round table, a wicker light fixture above the fluted farmhouse sink, a laundry nook and cabinetry that stretches to the ceiling.
“The cabinets go all the way to the ceiling to draw the eye up,” Cori says.
She also added black and white MacKenzie-Childs accents such as a tea kettle and salt and pepper shakers “to give the kitchen a little pop.”
A Private Oasis
The master bedroom includes distressed furniture, another shimmery antelope rug and colorful accent pillows on the four-poster, bead-framed bed. An arched mirror tops the gray distressed chests that serve as nightstands, and a pendant light with a glass shade hangs above each chest.
The room also has an accent wall featuring wallpaper with a gold and white design.
“I wanted the bedroom to feel different from the rest of the house,” says Cori. “I wanted it to be our own little oasis.”
A set of three framed Masters watercolor prints hangs on either side of the closet door, and Cori pulled the olive green from the accent pillows for the suede custom drapes on the double doors.
She also redid the distressed white dresser, which the couple has had since they’ve been married.
“I like a mixture of furniture,” Cori says. “I especially like the distressed look.”
The bath includes a round mirror and sconces on the shiplap wall as well as a farmhouse sink.
Between the boys’ bedrooms, Cori created an accent wall where a decorative sheep head mount separates two pictures of the couple in frames with vertical black and white stripes.
“I like being able to be creative and have more than one design style,” she says. “It all comes together in the end.”
By Betsy Gilliland
It’s nearly halftime 2024 with a steady bloom and boom into hotter days. The anticipation of sultry destinations and backyard traditions drops the boogie into the yearly smorgasbord of fun, and there is nothing finer than a boppin’ soundtrack to usher in the good times.
An essential sonic treat to throw into the road trip duffle bag is Old School, by Britain’s own The New Mastersounds. Old School is a peanut butter and soul-jam sandwich slathered in the golden age of soul and funk, proving that sometimes the best way forward is to rewind in order to unwind.
The group drops a Slip-n-Slide groove to the classic sounds of the ’60s and ’70s with a cannonball splash of funky homage to the past while providing an ice cream truck full of astro-poppin’ futuristic cool.
The album is a stacked 10-pack of refreshing jams that melt into a box fan ice bowl of breezy soul sounds that bounce like a raft through rocky riffs and rolling torrents of sound – the perfect album to press repeat, get down and let the loop create the whoop.
As the May mood finds the day groove, grab a popsicle and some sweatbands, fill up the kiddie pool and crank up the hi-fi with this assorted cooler-than-cool flavors that bring the heat.
– Chris Rucker
You or a loved one being injured through the negligence or malicious actions of someone else can be a traumatic experience, possibly robbing you of your health, your livelihood, and hurting your relationships. Depending on the injuries involved, you may need time off of work to recover, and you might incur medical and other expenses to deal with the consequences of your accident. Your relationships can be impacted and your daily life negatively changed. Your mental state can suffer along with your physical health.
Hawk Law Group – Augusta Office
338 Telfair Street. Augusta, GA. 30901
Hawk Law Group – Aiken Office
156 Laurens St NW. Aiken, SC. 29801
Hawk Law Group – Evans Law Office
4384 River Watch Pkwy. Evans, GA. 30809
Hawk Law Group – Thomson Law Office
146 Railroad St A, Thomson, GA. 30824
Hawk Law Group – Waynesboro Law Office
827 Liberty St, Waynesboro, GA. 30830
Contact us at 706-444-444
Photography by Sally Kolar
Golf is a way of life for this Champions Retreat family.
Whether you’re an avid golfer or you’ve never picked up a club, Masters Week can be a cause for celebration. Last year Evans residents Brandon Zapata and his fiancée, LeAnne Morlan, threw a “Creek Three Party” at their Champions Retreat home on the Friday before Masters Week.
“We love the Masters. Brandon and I met during Masters Week. He plays golf. I follow golf,” says LeAnne. “We wanted to do something to kick off the week, especially since the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is at Champions Retreat.”
And why not? From the open floor plan to the outdoor living space, this contemporary home, situated on the third hole of the Creek Nine at Champions Retreat Golf Club, is the perfect place to host friends and family.
“I love having events and parties,” LeAnne says. “That’s the great thing about this house. It was designed for entertaining.”
‘Everyone’s Home’
The home, which features a gray hardy board and white brick exterior, is full of statement-making pieces from the wide wood pivot front door to the first thing you see when you walk inside.
Beneath the floating European oak staircase in the foyer, a Harley Davidson chopper is parked on a zebra-skin rug. The chopper, which Brandon won in a drawing to benefit a pediatric cancer charity, features an African ostrich seat and the original bronze artwork and patina by artist Jerry McKellar.
The foyer’s European oak flooring, which can be found throughout the house, leads into the formal living room. European oak wood beams accent the two-story cathedral ceiling, and the fireplace includes a 3D granite surround.
While a cowhide cabinet sits on one side of the fireplace, a built-in bench occupies the other side. Four black and white portraits of their four sons hang on a wall above the bench.
“That’s my favorite wall in the house,” says LeAnne. “I’m big on personalizing things. We are a blended family, so I want everyone to feel like this is their home.”
Furnishings include a curved sofa, two leather chairs and a geometrically shaped coffee table.
A partition of black-framed glass offers separation between the living room and the wet bar, which includes a gold sink, icemaker and wine refrigerator. On one of the three open shelves in the bar, a Woodford Reserve bottle features a custom painting of the Augusta National clubhouse.
In the kitchen, LED lights behind the marble backsplash complement the brass hardware. The room also features an Italian oven, lots of drawer space, cabinetry with a bamboo look and a countertop that separates the black refrigerator and the black upright freezer.
A pair of chandeliers hangs above the large marble island where cookies are artfully stacked in two glass cookie jars.
LeAnne also made the Masters-themed arrangements on the breakfast area table. She put floral foam in two golf ball-shaped vases and attached various Masters tournament, practice round and Berckman’s Place tickets to the foam. Commemorative Masters lapel pins are attached to ribbons, and each arrangement is topped with a golf ball.
The butler’s pantry includes open shelves; a microwave; a speed oven, which operates as a microwave and a convection oven; an expresso machine and a desk. Barn doors with brass inlays lead to the pantry.
An abstract painting of a view of the golf course hangs in the dining room, where the walls are painted Iron Ore by Sherwin-Williams. Wainscoting, along with sconces on either side of the painting, accents the walls.
Offering an actual view of the golf course, the master bedroom features a cathedral ceiling with European oak wood beams, a brass canopy bed, sitting area and remote control drapes.
The adjoining master bath includes heated marble flooring, marble countertops, more cabinets with a bamboo look, brushed brass fixtures, wall sconces and a chandelier. The walk-in shower has dual entrances, marble walls and hexagon-shaped tiles on the floor. The lights beneath the vanities also change colors.
A hallway with built-in drawers connects the master bath and LeAnne’s walk-in closet, which features a chandelier and cathedral ceiling. A chute in the closet leads to the laundry room, which includes gold-spotted wallpaper on an accent wall and marble countertops.
Cheerio, their golf cart ride-loving Netherland Dwarf rabbit, also calls the laundry room.
Part of the Community
Sliding glass doors from the master bedroom lead to a covered porch, which features a square bed, raised hearth white brick fireplace, cathedral ceiling, recessed lighting, ceiling fan, TV and a hanging swing egg chair.
Additional outdoor living space includes another covered porch with heaters in the tongue and groove ceiling, ceiling fans, screens that can be lowered to offer protection from the elements, and an outdoor kitchen with a pass-through window to the interior.
While the outdoor living space is ideal for relaxing or entertaining, the award-winning, salt-water gunite infinity pool is just as inviting to family and friends. Four round stools on the concrete deck, plus lounge chairs in the pool under an umbrella, offer ample seating.
The backyard also features a water fountain, poolside fireplace and a section of Astroturf grass and concrete in a herringbone pattern. The LED lights under the steps change colors.
Although the family loves all of the outdoor amenities, LeAnne calls the casual living room her favorite room in the house.
“The casual living room is warm and cozy to me,” she says. “It’s where the family hangs out together. This is where we sit down to watch movies or football games.”
A painting of Brandon’s private plane hangs above the entryway. The room also features a cathedral ceiling with European oak beams and a ceiling fan, built-in bookcases and a stone backdrop to the gas fireplace with a 3D granite surround.
For more fun and games, the golf simulator room includes a Full Swing golf simulator, TV, indoor basketball goal – the boys love it – tabletop shuffleboard game and two slot machines. The sports décor features autographed basketballs by Stephen Curry and LeBron James and a shadowbox picture of a golfer made of black golf tees.
“When we host parties, this is where everybody ends up,” LeAnne says.
As much as the couple enjoys opening their home to company, they also take advantage of everything the neighborhood has to offer.
They frequently dine at Champions Retreat, and when the golf course is closed, they catch and release fish in the pond.
“We’re very much a part of the community here,” says LeAnne. “We have a lot of friends that live here.”
By Sarah James
Photos courtesy of Chloe and Luke List and Augusta National Golf Club
A local PGA Tour pro is taking a different approach to this year’s Masters Tournament.
Masters Week is always special for Augusta residents Chloe and Luke List, but to say that it has great promise this year is a gimme.
Luke, a two-time PGA Tour winner, will make his third appearance inside the ropes at Augusta National Golf Club when the Masters Tournament gets underway.
“The Masters has such a rich history,” he says. “You just feel it at the tournament and the golf course. You feel the presence of Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones. It’s as close to heaven as you can get.”
He played in his first Masters in 2005 when he was a Vanderbilt University sophomore, qualifying as the U.S. Amateur runner-up the previous year. He finished T33 and even made a hole-in-one on the seventh hole in the Par 3 Contest.
Seventeen years later he was invited for the first time as a professional after securing his inaugural PGA Tour win at the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. However, he missed the cut.
“When I played at the Masters as an amateur, I had a good time and enjoyed myself,” says Luke. “Two years ago, I put too much pressure on myself. The caretaker in me wanted to look after my family and friends.”
This year he’s taking a different approach.
“I can’t worry about entertaining friends and family,” he says. “I have a job to do. The Masters is a tournament I want to compete in and try to win. I want to be there on Sunday.”
Luke qualified for this year’s tournament in dramatic fashion. On the first hole of a five-man, sudden-death playoff at the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship in October, he drained a 45-foot birdie putt for his second career victory. While he looks forward to competing in the Masters, he still plans to enjoy himself – and take pleasure in seeing family and friends.
“Every green you walk off, you see somebody you know,” he says. “It’s great to have support from everyone.”
Chloe is looking forward to the tournament as well. “I feel more excited this year because we know what to expect,” she says.
From watching Luke practice on the main course with their children in tow to taking part in the Par 3 Contest as a family, she also has fond memories of the 2022 Masters.
“It was so special to drive down Magnolia Lane with Luke for the first time,” she says. “I made a six-foot putt in the Par 3 Contest two years ago, and everybody cheered for me. I thought, ‘Oh, wow! That’s what that feels like.’”
Fast Start
Luke, who calls his ball striking and iron play the strongest parts of his game, believes Augusta National suits him well.
“Putting has been my nemesis my whole career, but I’ve turned a corner in that,” he says. “When you control your speed and make short putts, you’ve got a big advantage.”
He also got off to a fast start this season. Making the cut in six of his first eight events, his results include two Top 25s, a Top 10 and a T2 finish at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
The tournament, which he led for several holes, wasn’t just memorable for Luke’s performance, though. That week he and Chloe, who met in 2013 when they both lived in Los Angeles, also had the chance to relive the genesis of their relationship by recreating their first date.
Luke, who grew up in Jasper, Georgia, and Chloe, a 2008 Evans High School graduate, were set up by a mutual friend. Fittingly, they started the evening with drinks at The Georgian, a Santa Monica hotel, and then had dinner at the Huntley Hotel. This year the couple, who recently celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary, had Valentine’s Day dinner at the Huntley.
Luke still recalls his first impression of his future wife.
“I thought she was gorgeous. After our first date, I texted a friend and said, ‘That’s it for me. I’m done with dating. This is the girl I want to marry,’” Luke says. “I knew that was my last first date ever.”
The feeling was mutual.
“He was charming,” says Chloe. “It was love at first sight. I texted the friend who set us up during the date and said, ‘He’s my husband.’”
At the time Luke had lost his PGA Tour card and was back on the Korn Ferry Tour, and he invited Chloe to watch him play in a tournament in the San Francisco area.
“I asked him what I should wear. I said, ‘Is it like the Masters?’” recalls Chloe. “He said, ‘You can wear your pajamas. You might be the only spectator there.’”
Although she had gone to the Masters when she was growing up and worked at the tournament during high school, she didn’t follow golf or know much about it. However, Luke credits her with keeping him going when he struggled on the course.
“I kept pushing and following my dream,” he says. “She could see my passion and how much it meant to me. Even when I wasn’t playing well, I didn’t want to pursue anything else.”
Putting Down Roots
While the start of his career was rocky, the Lists have settled seamlessly into life here after moving to Augusta in 2018. They wanted to raise their family in the Southeast, and they considered living in Nashville, Charlotte and St. Simon’s Island. However, with Chloe’s family still in the area, a homecoming for her made perfect sense.
“It’s been such a dream to put down roots here,” says Luke. “The ability for me to leave town and know that my family is in good hands is great. It helps me be able to take care of business.”
Their children were born here – daughter Ryann in 2018 and son Harrison in 2021 – and the Lists support local children’s charities.
Chloe is involved with Heart and Sole, which benefits the Children’s Hospital of Georgia heart program, and Ronald McDonald House Charities is a passion for both of them.
In December, the Lists presented a check for $250,000 to Children’s Hospital of Georgia to support the expansion of its Children’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The donation was made possible by the proceeds Luke earned when he won the RSM Birdies for Love charity competition during the 2022-23 PGA Tour season.
He doesn’t remember how many birdies he had – just that he won by a single birdie. “It was nerve-wracking because I really wanted to get it done,” says Luke.
The contribution was especially meaningful to the couple because Harrison, who was born prematurely, spent two weeks in intensive care at Children’s Hospital. After leaving the hospital, he soon was readmitted due to RSV, a respiratory virus, and was intubated for two days.
“Hopefully, in the next year we can get our own foundation up and going,” Chloe says. “Children’s charities are something we’re passionate about, but we would love to support a broad range of charities.”
‘Rich Golf Culture’
The local golf scene was a draw for settling down here as well. Luke loves to play rounds with friends at area courses such as Augusta Country Club, Champions Retreat, Forest Hills, Sage Valley and The Tree Farm.
“There’s a rich golf culture here that’s really special,” says Luke. “There are a lot of good private and public golf courses around town.”
His favorite tour stops include Torrey Pines, Riviera, Quail Hollow and Harbour Town Golf Links. And of course, Augusta National.
“The West Coast will always have a special place in my heart, but obviously, the Masters is number one,” he says. “I’ve been dreaming about that my entire life. Living here, but not being in it was very difficult for me. We have always stayed in town during the Masters. It’s such a great week. You make the most of it.”
Luke, whose golf idols are Davis Love III and Ernie Els, makes the most of life on the PGA Tour as well.
“It’s a fantastic job to play golf for a living,” he says. “I love traveling and being able to give back to the community.”
However, because of time away from family and how difficult it is to win, PGA Tour life isn’t as glamorous as it seems.
Before the Florida swing, Luke said, “I’ve played 263 times, and I’ve won twice in my entire career. You have to take little victories where you can to build your confidence.”
Chloe also has helped him take the ups and downs of professional golf in stride since he has become a husband and father.
“Life is not all about golf. There’s so much outside of golf,” she says. “Once we had kids, it’s been a lot easier to stay grounded and never get too high or too low. Luke can come home and just be Dad.”
The Excitement of Competing
Luke, who learned to play golf when he was about 6 years old from his late grandfather, Robert Brown, also has strived to maintain his core values since becoming a pro golfer.
“I try to stay the same and treat people how I would like to be treated,” he says. “The game keeps you humble. Golf teaches you so much about yourself. When you’re in contention, it’s nice to see how you handle it to reach your goals and achieve your dreams.”
He also remembers the way his grandfather taught him to play. “He taught me the basic fundamentals, but he really kept it fun,” Luke says.
A piece of advice from another golfer has stuck with him as well.
“When I was about 10 or 11, I played a practice round with an older kid that was headed to college,” Luke recalls. “He told me, ‘Play as much as you can.’ Practice is fun, but it doesn’t compare with competing. Practice doesn’t simulate the excitement or nerves of a competitive tournament.”
While Luke once just hoped to earn a college golf scholarship (he did) and considered playing on the PGA Tour “a pipedream,” his top goal now is to win a major.
“My confidence level and my ability to trust my game is growing,” he says.
His first PGA Tour victory, with his family waiting by the 18th green, is certainly a career highlight. However, he’s not ready to pinpoint his biggest thrill on the golf course just yet.
“That’s to be determined,” Luke says. “I feel like it’s still out there.”
By Betsy Gilliland
Recipe courtesy of Wisconsin Cheese Board
Beverage pairing by Hailey Etzel, sommelier
6 strawberries, sliced
Place strawberries in small bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar; set aside. Spread mayo on 1 side of each bread slice. Heat skillet over medium-low heat. Place one bread slice, mayo-side down, in skillet and top with goat cheese, strawberries, basil and brie. Add remaining bread slice, mayo-side up. Grill sandwich until golden brown on one side, about three minutes. Carefully turn over and repeat until browned and crispy. (Reduce heat if needed for bread to get crispy without burning.) Makes 1 sandwich.
Plays well with: French Champagne or a Fruited Sour Beer
A concoction of sonic fizz and Southern mystique always is brewing in the music laboratories of Athens, Georgia – a scene that has pioneered legends like R.E.M., Widespread Panic, the B-52s and Pylon Reenactment Society.
Pylon’s latest album, Magnet Factory, is a testament to the awesomeness that bridges past and present with a kaleidoscope of sound and emotion. Original member Vanessa Briscoe Hay is the vocal thunder and driving creative force behind its undeniable energy and appeal.
Her lyrics are at once poetic and deeply introspective, inviting listeners to reflect on their own experiences and drawing them into a world where boundaries between reality and imagination blur.
Tracks like “3X3” and “Flowers Everywhere” showcase the band’s ability to create atmosphere and tension, while “Spiral” and “I’ll Let You Know” offer moments of intimacy and mystery.
But perhaps the true genius of Magnet Factory lies in its ability to surprise and delight at every turn. Just when you think you have the band figured out, they throw a curveball like “No Worries” or the uber catchy “Fix It,” which features the equally legendary Kate Pierson of the B52’s leaving you breathless and hungry for more.
Pylon dares to be different and has created a masterpiece that defies easy categorization. Let yourself be swept away this spring by the magnetic pull of Southern charm and creative energy — and, of course, pimento cheese sandwiches.
– Chris Rucker
Photos courtesy of Michelle Scarborough Johnson
From fairies to potheads (literally), this yard art is an expression of personality and playfulness.
There’s no rest for makers like Michelle Scarborough Johnson, who has been creating yard art and garden sculptures for the past 10 years.
Her creative juices never stop flowing – even in her sleep.
“I’ll wake up in the morning with an idea and think, ‘I could do this,’” Michelle says.
The retired critical care nurse makes her pieces out of hypertufa, which is a lightweight, porous, manmade rock consisting of Portland cement and aggregates such as vermiculite, perlite, peat moss or sand. She mixes up the cement-based substance, which is a substitute for a porous type of limestone called tufa, herself using a recipe she found online.
“I honestly don’t remember where I saw it, but I taught myself,” Michelle says.
Recycled and Refurbished
Yard art is just the latest creative endeavor for this self-taught artist.
“I sew a lot. I paint. I quilt,” Michelle says. “I always wanted to make pottery, but you need a kiln. I love gardening.”
When Michelle was 10 years old, her grandmother taught her how to sew. Otherwise, however, she taught herself the other crafts.
“It’s very fulfilling for me to be making something all the time,” says Michelle, a mother of six who earned her nursing degree at age 42.
She makes hats out of refurbished materials, and for every hat she sells, she donates one to someone in need.
She also incorporates discarded and recyclable materials such as wine bottles, plastics, metal hardware, balloons, ice cream containers, milk jugs and strips of fabric into her hypertufa projects.
“I wrap the bottles in old clothes that can’t be donated,” says Michelle. “I dip the fabric in cement. As it dries, I build it on top of the mixture.”
Her tools include old screwdrivers, picks, a drill and paintbrushes. “I just make do with what I have,” she says.
Fairies and Potheads
Michelle hand-molds her pieces, and she works in her outdoor studio on her 2-acre property in Blythe. Some of her favorite things to make are fairies and “potheads,” which are head-shaped planters.
“I talk to them while I’m making them,” Michelle says. “Some of them are kind of flirtatious. They have smoochy lips. The snarky ones have sly smiles. They develop a personality as I’m making them. I feel like people want to buy them when they see something in them. I don’t make their personality. I just let it evolve.”
Although each fairy and pothead has its own personality, they have a lot of similarities in their faces because of the way Michelle molds them. In addition, they generally have one characteristic in common. Most of them have their eyes closed.
“They look peaceful to me,” Michelle says. “I’ve done them with their eyes open, but they don’t look as happy.”
She rarely names her creations, either. “I let everybody choose what they want to call their pothead,” she says.
One of her fairies, which has rosy cheeks and wings, a blue dress and hair made of bed springs, has been selected for inclusion in the Greater Augusta Arts Council’s WetPaint Party & Art Sale on Friday, March 8.
To make fairy wings, she casts elephant ears or various leaves that she finds in her garden. “I use old jewelry on the fairies,” Michelle says. “I used to make jewelry, so I have a lot of jewelry supplies.”
To make a pothead, she starts with a balloon that she wraps in strips of cement-dipped fabric. Once it dries, she turns it upside down to drill a hole in the bottom.
While Michelle can shape a piece in an hour or two, it can take a few days to finish the yard art because the work has to be done in stages. However, she says she can spend a month making a garden fairy.
Texture and Color
Michelle also paints her hypertufa pieces with acrylics, and after drying and curing them, she seals them with concrete so they can withstand the elements.
“I love texture and color,” she says. “They’re just so natural and pretty.”
She likes secondary colors such as purple, teal and orange, and she highlights textures with off-white paint. However, she tries to make her pieces look natural in their outdoor setting.
“I want them to look like they belong there, but I also want them to stand out,” Michelle says.
She paints the elephant ears, which she also uses to make yard art such as birdbaths, a different color from the grass to make them stand out. In addition, she makes totem poles by putting a piece of rebar in the ground and stacking it with hypertufa pieces that she makes one at a time.
Six years ago, she spent the entire summer building a pathway with pavers she made out of cement to connect the greenhouses in her garden.
Although she doesn’t use her nursing skills in her craft, she has found that it takes a combination of art and science to create a piece.
She needs to use the correct proportions of aggregates when she mixes the hypertufa so it doesn’t crumble. Anatomy also comes into play when she makes fairies and potheads because “the ears need to be equal with the eyes.”
In addition, she says, “My pieces are not anatomically correct, but that’s part of the fun of it.”
Creativity and Connection
Michelle started a Facebook page called Hypertufa Heffas, which is named after the heifers that graze in a field behind her property. She sells most of her work on various Facebook sites or by word-of-mouth.
“It’s fun when somebody really loves a face and they connect with it somehow,” Michelle says. “Sometimes the personality speaks to them. I love that somebody loves a piece.”
She teaches group and private classes and hosts parties at her outdoor studio when the weather is warm. She also loves the creative process and the ability to bring joy to others with her work.
“Being able to create something frees up your mind. You can get lost in it. When you’re gone, you have something to leave behind. Something you make by hand is more important than a piece of furniture,” says Michelle. “It’s good for my spirit to be creative. I think artists just have this need to always be making something.”
By Leigh Howard
Photography by Chloe Giancola
The seaside colors and decor of this Evans home make it the picture of serenity.
Life is busy for Evans residents Chloe and Nate Giancola and their three young children. So, when they built their home in Stonegate in the spring of 2023, they wanted it to be as restful and relaxing as a day at the beach.
Outside of their own home, there are few places this family would rather be than Hilton Head Island, South Carolina or the beach towns off of Scenic Highway 30A in Florida. Accordingly, they turned to these seaside communities for design inspiration.
“The overall theme for our house is definitely coastal, but we didn’t want to lean too hard into one theme,” says Chloe.
Simplicity and Durability
These DIYers also did some of the work themselves. Nate and a former neighbor designed the floor plan for the one-story house with a basement. “We’ve never seen a floor plan that was this wide open,” says Nate.
The couple, who met in high school in Watkinsville, Georgia and got married in 2012, have lived in several different houses, so they had a good idea of the type of floor plan they wanted.
Nate and his father, a retired furniture maker, also constructed the playroom as well as the built-ins in the house.
In addition, many of the walls feature photos that Chloe, a professional photographer, has taken through the years on their various trips around the world.
“It brings me a lot of joy to take photos wherever we are because we don’t know when we’ll go to those places again,” she says.
Other features that can be found throughout the house include five-panel doors, simple craftsman crown molding and LVP flooring.
“We love the color and durability of the LVP flooring. It handles scratches and water well,” Chloe says. “And we wanted to keep the crown molding simple since we have paneled doors.”
Open and Inviting
Their favorite spot in the house is the living room. “It’s a nice, central spot where we can connect with each other,” says Nate.
The space features white walls, white furnishings that provide lots of seating and red oak open shelving. However, the focal point of the room is the electric fireplace on sea blue shiplap in a chevron pattern.
“I love the color,” says Chloe. “We didn’t want too much blue, but we wanted to make a statement with it.”
Nate’s father also built the oak fireplace mantel from a tree that fell on his property while the house was under construction. “I love the grain on the side of the fireplace mantel,” says Chloe.
They added the corbels to the mantel to make it stand out from the shelves, where Chloe displays more photos, driftwood, candlesticks and a ceramic pineapple – a symbol of Southern hospitality.
“I love pineapples,” she says. “I can never have enough pineapple home décor.”
The living room opens into the kitchen, where the island is the same shade of blue as the shiplap.
“I didn’t want it to look too matchy-matchy, but I wanted it to look like a cohesive space,” says Chloe.
The kitchen also features quartz countertops, quartz backsplash and glass-front cabinets beneath the crown molding. The oversized gold hardware in the kitchen matches the gold lanterns above the island.
“We wanted a classic white kitchen,” Chloe says. “I also love the oversized look of the hardware.”
A doorless recessed pantry is located in the hallway around the corner from the kitchen.
“I chose to not put a door on the pantry. With it being in a hallway, I felt like that made sense,” says Chloe. “No one can see it from the kitchen, and it’s also an incentive to keep it organized.”
The nearby drop zone includes board and batten walls and a greenish-blue shade that was inspired by a signature color of Spartina 449, one of her favorite Hilton Head-based stores.
A starburst light fixture hangs in the laundry room.
“I like a fun, unexpected light,” says Chloe. “It brightens up the room and makes it more fun.”
Nature and Wildlife
They also hung a chandelier in a fireworks design in the dining area, which features a coffee bar with quartz countertops. The tabletop, which rests on white metal legs that were custom-made to support the weight of the stone, is made of quartz as well.
“I love how it looks like water is running through it,” Chloe says of the tabletop.
She made the painted oyster shells, which are decorated with blue and white paper napkin prints, in the leaf-shaped wooden bowl in the center of the table.
Three spotlights on the wall highlight coastal-themed photos that Chloe took on family vacations to Hilton Head and 30A along the Florida panhandle.
Succulent plants are arranged on a trio of open shelves in a corner of the dining area, and the space includes lots of cabinets and drawers in the coffee bar to store cookbooks and appliances.
They also like the view of the backyard where they see deer, turtles and an owl.
“Even though we don’t live in the country, we still see a lot of wildlife,” says Chloe.
Work and Play
The home features an office for Chloe and Nate and a playroom for their children as well. The two rooms, which are across the hall from each other, share some of the same characteristics including built-ins, lots of drawer space and a herringbone wood countertop.
To make the office feel more formal, they selected decorative hardware for the drawers. The canvases on the wall are photos that Chloe took in Italy and Greece when they went on a babymoon before their first child was born.
Nate also built a shelf above her computer to display Chloe’s camera equipment.
The playroom features drawers for the children’s toys, and each child has an individual drawer. There also is plenty of floor space in the room to play.
“The playroom will grow with our children,” says Chloe. “Right now we make a lot of crafts there, but they can do their homework in the playroom when they get older.”
In the center of the built-ins, nine frames feature sea creature sticker puzzles from a book they got in Hilton Head and put together as a family.
The coastal theme continues in the master bedroom, where lamps with a gold seahorse base sit on each of the light blue bedside tables. A trey ceiling, a gold canopy bed and a full-length wood cheval mirror accent the room as well.
“We don’t have curtains on the windows, so the sun shines through in the morning,” says Chloe.
Calming and Peaceful
A hallway, which features a walk-in closet on either side, connects the master bedroom with the master bath.
In the master bath, a photo that Chloe took in Savannah features Spanish moss hanging on trees. The room also includes quartz countertops, a ghost chair at the vanity, oversized gold hardware and a soaking tub with black fixtures on the wall.
Vertical white tile in the walk-in shower is accompanied by a strip of greenish-blue tile in a chevron pattern. This tile, along with the tile in the shower niches, matches the color in the drop zone. The shower also has a tile floor, a built-in quartz bench, rainfall showerhead and black hardware.
“I wanted the space to feel like the entire house – calming and peaceful,” says Chloe. “This is where we start the day to go to work or school. But we can also come in and rest and get re-energized to go back out in the world.”
The family also likes to recharge on the back porch, which includes a fire pit, vertical aluminum rails, a vinyl cathedral ceiling that mirrors the shape of the house, two ceiling fans and Trex composite material on the floor.
“We wanted maintenance-free flooring so it wouldn’t rot or swell,” says Nate. “We don’t have to treat it.”
The porch also features several lighting choices including natural light, recessed lights and string lights.
“We found the perfect lot,” Nate says. “It’s close to everything, but it’s still quiet and secluded.”
White brick on the exterior gives the house a textured historical look, and they built a mailbox post with leftover brick.
“We loved the white brick, but we didn’t want it to be perfectly white,” says Chloe. “We wanted it to look like it had been here for a while.”
They plan to remain in the house for a while as well.
“Our plan is to be here until the kids grow up,” Chloe says.
By Betsy Gilliland
