Chilly temperatures make beautiful sculptures!
We know it is cold when the fountain outside Health Care at The Pines freezes solid and gives us a glimpse of the beauty of winter on a bright January day. Hoods and hats were very fashionable this week to protect our heads from the stiff breeze but not to worry, warmer days are ahead this weekend.
News today of weddings for Sheena Goldstein and Kirkley Griffeth as well as a trip report from Kevin Beach. In addition we have a note about the career of Timothe Bittle and a word about a book swap in Charlotte.
WEDDING BELLS
Sheena and Seth (photo by Jay Weinmiller at Indigo Photography)
Sheena Goldstein and Seth Zwiebel
Congratulations to Sheena Miriam Goldstein and Seth Michael Zwiebel who married on Sept. 18, 2011. Sheena is the daughter of Allison Smith Goldstein and Irwin Goldstein of Davidson. Seth is the son of Susan and Alan Zwiebel of South Orange, N.J. The couple met in New York City when Sheena was attending NYU. Sheena now works as a photo researcher at John Wiley and Sons Inc. of Hoboken, N.J. Seth is a free-lance technical director for several television stations in the NYC metropolitan area and also does cinematography, editing and equipment rental for film and video productions.
The late afternoon wedding ceremony and reception were held at The Point Lake and Golf Club in Mooresville, with Rabbi Michael Shields officiating in a traditional Jewish ceremony. Musicians were Jonathan Shaw on bagpipes and a “Viva Klezmer” ensemble with Ali and Gene Kavadlo. The bride’s grandmother, Sibyl Smith, and aunt, Dorothy Watson, came from Edinburgh, Scotland, for the festivities. The groom’s grandmother, Edith Zwiebel, traveled from Akron, Ohio, for the wedding.
Sheena chose her sister, Rachel Goldstein of Concord, as her maid of honor. Bridesmaids included Joanna Burgess of Cornelius, Florencia Gonzalez of Scarsdale, N.Y., Sara Hudson, a native of Huntersville who now lives in Brookline, Mass., Amanda Yee of Scarsdale, N.Y., and Sharon Zwiebel of Miami, Fla. Wei Chu of Reading, England, was Best Man for Seth. Groomsmen were Max Evry of Brooklyn, N.Y., Tim Quinn of Cambridge, Mass., Justin Starling of Jersey City, N.J., Brendan Ryan of Montclair, N.J., and Greg Neil, originally of Huntersville now living in Los Angeles.
The festive occasion included dinner and dancing following the wedding ceremony. Sheena and Seth spent two weeks in the Greek Isles for a honeymoon trip and now are making their home in Jersey City with their cat, Charlotte.
Best wishes to the new couple.
Kirkley Griffeth Jock (Sarah McClendon Photography, Gainesville, GA)
Kirkley Ann Griffeth and Brian Hampton Jock
Not many in Davidson know Kirkley Griffeth but a special note about her wedding caught our attention and we wanted to share this charming story with our readers. Kirkley, the daughter of Jack and Barbara Griffeth, is the niece of Joe and Linda Griffeth of Pine Road and cousin to Patrick and Daniel Griffeth. Kirkley and Brian married in Gainesville, Ga., on Dec. 10, 2011.
Everyone knows the simple bridal rhyme of wearing “something old, something new, something borrowed something blue.” On Kirkley’s wedding day, her veil of silk and Chantilly lace has been worn by her mother and grandmother. The wedding shoes were new but adorned with three small beaded clovers from the original wedding gown. The wedding gown filled the category of “something borrowed” as she was the sixth “Kirkley” bride to wear the gown first worn by her grandmother, Barbara Lillian Kirkley, in 1953. It was also worn by her mother, Barbara, as well as three other family brides. “Something blue” were the eight small blue bows sewed onto the bride’s petticoat: four given to the bride’s mother by her maid of honor and four new ones given to Kirkley by her matron of honor.
One look at Kirkley in her wedding gown and you have to applaud these wonderful family traditions that make a wedding day so special! Thanks to Linda Griffeth for sharing this story.
A happy moment with a youngster in a South African township.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 30 DAYS?
No, it actually took a few more than 30 days. Kevin Beach, son of Connie and Eddie Beach of South Street, is back in North Carolina after spending 109 days circling the globe as part of his studies at Elon University. Travel comes naturally to Kevin since his Mom is a travel agent and the family (with brother, Brendan) has journeyed overseas many times since he was small.
A junior at Elon majoring in Business and Environmental Studies, Kevin applied last spring for a spot on the SAS or Semester at Sea program administrated by the nonprofit Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE) with academic sponsor the University of Virginia but with participation from more than 280 colleges and universities. This is the first year of Elon’s sea semester, which sent 10 juniors (nine women and Kevin!) to join a group of 450 students, 70 faculty and staff, 75 lifelong learners (older adults) and 200 crew who sailed from Montreal aboard the M.V. Explorer last Aug. 27. (Interesting to
learn that SAS was begun in 1963 through Chapman College (now University) and has been academically sponsored by several
universities before coming to UVA in 2006. Remember Dr. Nancy Cable, formerly Davidson College admissions director, was the ISE vice president of development and alumni affairs for two years.)
Where else but India's Taj Mahal!
On board the M.V. Explorer, Kevin attended classes at sea until reaching a port where the students had free time and a chance to explore a city or plan trips to neighboring areas. Everyone was required to take a Global Studies class while at sea and to meet for a Cultural Geography class before any shore leave. Kevin’s favorite class was Vernacular Architecture. All meals were buffet in one of two dining halls with a gala ball at the end of the semester. Kevin’s “bunkmate” was from Michigan but the majority of the young travelers were from the West Coast.
Sporting his new suit jacket tailored in Vietnam, Kevin enjoyed the trip's end gala dinner with Keara Maureen, also from Elon.
Where did they stop on their journey around the world? From Montreal to Morocco, then on to Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius (outside the reach of Somali pirates … but Kevin mentioned that the M.V. Explorer is one of the fastest cruise ships and could outrun anyone!) to India and on to Malaysia and Vietnam. Hong Kong and Shanghai were port cities before stops in Japan and then nine days of cruising to Hawaii with Thanksgiving celebrated along the way. Another nine days of cruising found the group in Costa Rica (Punta Arenas) followed by “sailing” through the Panama Canal with a video hook-up whereby Connie and Eddie could watch the ship in the canal through a live feed. The students had a “reading day” during the Panama Canal passage before exams were administered. Post exam R&R was spent in Honduras before returning to US soil in Ft. Lauderdale and returning to Davidson.
Taking advantage of free time in port, Kevin made side trips to Agra and Varanasi while in India, to Angkor Wat while in Vietnam, to Guilin from Hong Kong, and to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate his 21st birthday with friends while the ship was docked in Malaysia. His favorite countries? South Africa was tops followed by Vietnam (where he purchased a handsome custom tailored suit for $105.) and Cambodia.
Kevin had no problems with rough seas, local food or safety during this marvelous semester. He stayed healthy and came home with pages of passport stamps and hundreds of photos on his computer not to mention memories for a lifetime packed into 109 days and friendships which will endure for much longer. Welcome Ashore, Kevin!
Nyra keeps up with the talented Timothe Bittle
TALENT ON THE STAGE
Remember Timothe Bittle? We have a catch-up note about this engaging young actor.
Last summer The Davidson Community Players performed “Ragtime” on the Duke Performance Hall stage with guest artist, Timothe Bittle who got to know many in town during the run. Nyra Brannan, a resident of The Pines, had known Timothe from earlier theater productions and provided lodging at The Pines while Timothe was in Davidson.
From Davidson, Timothe relocated in NYC to try his luck on the Broadway stage. He was selected as one of three final candidates for Universal Studio’s live show at their theme park in Osaka but was told he would be notified later in the year if chosen. Making ends meet in Manhattan proved difficult so Timothe accepted a contract from the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre in Wytheville, Va. Last November he got a call from Universal Studios that he would be on stage in Japan with a year’s contract leaving in February 2012.
Selected from thousands who auditioned, Timothe will be performing in Osaka’s Theme Park in Monsters Rock and Roll Show. Hooray for this talented young man! To show his appreciation for all the support and kindnesses the residents of The Pines provided to him, he returned to Davidson this past Dec. 12 to have lunch and a “visit time” at the retirement community. Later that day he had dinner at the Brickhouse with friends from the Davidson Community Players. Lots of people were on hand to congratulate Timothe on his success.
And how about Timothe’s No. 1 fan? Nyra plans to fly to Japan to see Timothe perform but only after she completes her contract to play Aunt Eller in Oklahoma at the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre from May 3 until July 1. She is hoping a few from Davidson make the “road trip” to Wytheville to see the show.
Book swaps are marvelous events!
NEED A GOOD BOOK?
Thanks to Susan Walker for keeping us informed about a book swap in Charlotte next Monday. If you love books (and we all do), plan to visit the WNBA (Women’s National Book Association) Charlotte’s annual Book Swap and Networking Social meeting. It will be held this coming Monday, Jan. 9, 7-9 PM, at the Northwest School of the Arts media center, located on Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte.
Bring books you’d like to discard and exchange them for other books you’d like to read. You don’t have to take home as many as you bring, but you could if you want to! This is a great chance to have a stack of good reading on your night table in case we get snowed in!
Leftover books will be donated by WNBA to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s annual book sale later this year, so all will be used for a good cause. You do not have to be a member of the WNBA to participate but are welcome to join. More information can be found on their website: http://wnba-charlotte.org/wnba/calendar/chapter-meetingsevents/
This article has been updated to correct information about the Semester at Sea program.
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Have news for Around Davidson? Write to Brenda Barger at hbarger@bellsouth.net.
