1 00:00:00,767 --> 00:00:02,102 [gentle orchestral fanfare] 2 00:00:02,202 --> 00:00:05,805 ♪ 3 00:00:07,073 --> 00:00:09,909 [resonant strings lead building orchestration] 4 00:00:10,010 --> 00:00:11,911 (male narrator) Welcome to Our State , 5 00:00:12,012 --> 00:00:14,547 a production of UNC-TV 6 00:00:14,647 --> 00:00:17,817 in association with Our State magazine-- 7 00:00:17,917 --> 00:00:19,386 for over 75 years 8 00:00:19,486 --> 00:00:24,090 bringing readers the wonders of North Carolina. 9 00:00:24,190 --> 00:00:25,825 On this edition... 10 00:00:25,925 --> 00:00:27,827 Tony Award-winning designer William Ivey Long 11 00:00:27,927 --> 00:00:30,630 returns to his roots at The Lost Colony... 12 00:00:30,730 --> 00:00:33,066 [chanting and drumming] 13 00:00:33,166 --> 00:00:35,068 then, head to the woods 14 00:00:35,168 --> 00:00:37,804 with naturalist, herbalist, and storyteller Doug Elliott 15 00:00:37,904 --> 00:00:41,274 for a glimpse at his southern Appalachian lifestyle 16 00:00:41,374 --> 00:00:44,377 and his passion to connect with nature. 17 00:00:44,477 --> 00:00:47,280 [mellow guitar and piano arrangement] 18 00:00:47,380 --> 00:00:49,716 [firewood crackling and crickets chirping] 19 00:00:50,984 --> 00:00:52,886 [gentle piano melody] 20 00:00:52,986 --> 00:00:54,821 (male announcer) Since 1872, 21 00:00:54,921 --> 00:00:57,924 BB&T has been supporting the people and communities 22 00:00:58,024 --> 00:00:59,492 of North Carolina. 23 00:00:59,592 --> 00:01:01,561 From our small-town roots 24 00:01:01,661 --> 00:01:03,730 to the banking network you see today, 25 00:01:03,830 --> 00:01:06,399 we've always been here for all our clients, 26 00:01:06,499 --> 00:01:10,070 stretching from Manteo... to Murphy. 27 00:01:10,170 --> 00:01:11,738 We're proud of our heritage 28 00:01:11,838 --> 00:01:14,107 as the oldest bank in North Carolina, 29 00:01:14,207 --> 00:01:16,342 and we're very proud to provide funding 30 00:01:16,443 --> 00:01:18,111 for Our State . 31 00:01:18,211 --> 00:01:20,113 ♪ 32 00:01:21,381 --> 00:01:23,116 Quality public television is made possible 33 00:01:23,216 --> 00:01:24,784 through the financial contributions 34 00:01:24,884 --> 00:01:26,586 of viewers like you, 35 00:01:26,686 --> 00:01:30,023 who invite you to join them in supporting UNC-TV. 36 00:01:31,424 --> 00:01:33,460 [piano and clarinet interlude] 37 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,995 ♪ 38 00:01:36,096 --> 00:01:37,363 [dramatic arrangement] 39 00:01:37,464 --> 00:01:38,765 [fire crackling] 40 00:01:38,865 --> 00:01:40,967 (narrator) September 11th, 2007, 41 00:01:41,067 --> 00:01:43,036 a catastrophic day 42 00:01:43,136 --> 00:01:45,805 for North Carolina's most famous outdoor drama-- 43 00:01:45,905 --> 00:01:48,007 [dark piano and string composition] 44 00:01:48,108 --> 00:01:50,610 all the costumes for The Lost Colony 45 00:01:50,710 --> 00:01:52,912 reduced to ashes. 46 00:01:53,012 --> 00:01:57,450 ♪ 47 00:01:57,550 --> 00:01:59,252 I get a phone call 48 00:01:59,352 --> 00:02:02,122 from the producer at that point, and, uh-- 49 00:02:02,222 --> 00:02:04,124 saying every piece of clothing, 50 00:02:04,224 --> 00:02:06,693 every piece of history, every reference book, 51 00:02:06,793 --> 00:02:10,363 every book, every armor, Andy Griffith's sword, 52 00:02:10,463 --> 00:02:13,566 all burned up, all gone, all the history of design, 53 00:02:13,666 --> 00:02:16,102 the history of design through all those decades 54 00:02:16,202 --> 00:02:19,072 was gone in a flash, and then AP called. 55 00:02:19,172 --> 00:02:20,540 Their question was, 56 00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:22,775 "Well, what's the most valuable thing you lost?" 57 00:02:22,876 --> 00:02:24,777 And I said, "Oh, Andy Griffith's sword! 58 00:02:24,878 --> 00:02:26,679 He wore it as Sir Walter Raleigh." 59 00:02:26,779 --> 00:02:29,449 We kept it, and we used it on special nights, 60 00:02:29,549 --> 00:02:31,451 and you know, it was irreplaceable 61 00:02:31,551 --> 00:02:33,486 because it's in all the photographs. 62 00:02:33,586 --> 00:02:35,522 He's kneeling, holding it, and everything. 63 00:02:35,622 --> 00:02:38,258 And, uh, the next morning, in the morning, 64 00:02:38,358 --> 00:02:40,426 [imitating Andy Griffith] "Billy? This is Andy. 65 00:02:40,527 --> 00:02:42,028 I've got the sword." 66 00:02:42,128 --> 00:02:44,297 (narrator) William Ivey Long knows every prop 67 00:02:44,397 --> 00:02:47,200 and stitch of clothing in The Lost Colony. 68 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:49,502 He grew up there, in fact, 69 00:02:49,602 --> 00:02:52,272 but it wasn't his first theater experience. 70 00:02:52,372 --> 00:02:54,207 (Long) Well, once upon a time, 71 00:02:54,307 --> 00:02:56,342 when I was, I guess, six weeks old, 72 00:02:56,442 --> 00:02:57,944 I was brought back 73 00:02:58,044 --> 00:03:00,680 from the hospital experience in Raleigh 74 00:03:00,780 --> 00:03:05,318 to the outdoor amphitheater of the Raleigh Little Theater 75 00:03:05,418 --> 00:03:07,887 stage left dressing room. 76 00:03:07,987 --> 00:03:09,923 It is still there to this day, 77 00:03:10,023 --> 00:03:11,824 and that became my first home-- 78 00:03:11,925 --> 00:03:14,227 first home with walls and a ceiling-- 79 00:03:14,327 --> 00:03:16,095 and I lived there with my parents 80 00:03:16,196 --> 00:03:18,164 for three years-- my first three years-- 81 00:03:18,264 --> 00:03:20,767 until my brother was expected, and then they thought, 82 00:03:20,867 --> 00:03:22,835 "Maybe we should have a proper home." 83 00:03:22,936 --> 00:03:24,704 But it was my first proper home, 84 00:03:24,804 --> 00:03:26,706 and you can remember back to three. 85 00:03:26,806 --> 00:03:29,342 I remember, you-- you would open the door 86 00:03:29,442 --> 00:03:31,778 outside of that-- you know, to go outside, 87 00:03:31,878 --> 00:03:35,081 and the first step you took was onto the stage. 88 00:03:35,181 --> 00:03:37,750 Then to the left would be the auditorium 89 00:03:37,850 --> 00:03:39,919 and all the seats, and to the right-- 90 00:03:40,019 --> 00:03:42,555 much more important for me-- was the rose garden, 91 00:03:42,655 --> 00:03:44,390 because there was a fountain 92 00:03:44,490 --> 00:03:46,125 with a cherub holding a dolphin 93 00:03:46,226 --> 00:03:47,860 and all these roses, but mostly 94 00:03:47,961 --> 00:03:49,862 there was the fountain and the water, 95 00:03:49,963 --> 00:03:52,999 and I just wanted to go swimming all the time. 96 00:03:53,099 --> 00:03:55,868 And to grow up, literally, on a stage 97 00:03:55,969 --> 00:03:59,038 has set the tone for my entire life. 98 00:03:59,138 --> 00:04:01,140 My parents-- I'm named after my father, 99 00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:04,244 who was William Ivey Long, and my mother Mary Wood Long. 100 00:04:04,344 --> 00:04:05,979 They both were from farm families-- 101 00:04:06,079 --> 00:04:07,714 actually, my father from farm family, 102 00:04:07,814 --> 00:04:09,315 my mother from lumber family. 103 00:04:09,415 --> 00:04:10,917 They met at Chapel Hill. 104 00:04:11,017 --> 00:04:12,585 They both were Carolina PlayMakers, 105 00:04:12,685 --> 00:04:15,255 which was one of the sponsors of The Lost Colony. 106 00:04:15,355 --> 00:04:18,358 The Carolina PlayMakers were, uh, focused and-- 107 00:04:18,458 --> 00:04:21,227 and concerned about folk drama. 108 00:04:21,327 --> 00:04:22,962 And of course, The Lost Colony 109 00:04:23,062 --> 00:04:24,831 is sort of the ultimate folk drama. 110 00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:26,699 It's the beginning of who we are, 111 00:04:26,799 --> 00:04:29,302 first colony, uh, established in North America 112 00:04:29,402 --> 00:04:31,104 by English people. 113 00:04:31,204 --> 00:04:34,774 My brother and I and my sister, uh, 114 00:04:34,874 --> 00:04:36,643 have all been in The Lost Colony. 115 00:04:36,743 --> 00:04:38,711 We had to wait until we were eight, 116 00:04:38,811 --> 00:04:40,580 and then, they deemed us old enough 117 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,283 to be allowed to run around in the dark, barefooted, 118 00:04:43,383 --> 00:04:45,251 backstage with strange theater people, 119 00:04:45,351 --> 00:04:47,320 and then by 12, I was prop master. 120 00:04:47,420 --> 00:04:48,688 I was precocious. 121 00:04:48,788 --> 00:04:50,490 I'm a natural list maker. 122 00:04:50,590 --> 00:04:52,225 I'm a Virgo, born in August, 123 00:04:52,325 --> 00:04:54,394 so, of course, I'm organized and make lists, 124 00:04:54,494 --> 00:04:56,162 so, of course, you know, 125 00:04:56,262 --> 00:04:58,798 prop master was the natural next step. 126 00:04:58,898 --> 00:05:02,201 But by 18, I was tech director myself. 127 00:05:02,302 --> 00:05:04,837 Then I went off to school at Yale drama school, 128 00:05:04,937 --> 00:05:07,407 which is all about the plays-- "the play's the thing." 129 00:05:07,507 --> 00:05:09,008 I was a set designer. 130 00:05:09,108 --> 00:05:10,743 That's what I wanted to do. 131 00:05:10,843 --> 00:05:12,612 I was gonna be the stage designer 132 00:05:12,712 --> 00:05:13,980 of all time. 133 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,716 And I've taken only one course in costume design 134 00:05:16,816 --> 00:05:18,151 in my entire life. 135 00:05:18,251 --> 00:05:19,585 Isn't that crazy? 136 00:05:19,686 --> 00:05:22,288 [swelling strings introduce busy score] 137 00:05:22,388 --> 00:05:24,624 (narrator) Like all aspiring theater people, 138 00:05:24,724 --> 00:05:27,760 William felt the pull of New York City. 139 00:05:27,860 --> 00:05:30,663 ♪ 140 00:05:30,763 --> 00:05:32,832 (Long) I was, at the beginning-- 141 00:05:32,932 --> 00:05:35,335 I moved to the famous Chelsea Hotel, 142 00:05:35,435 --> 00:05:39,372 because I was, uh, just desperate to be-- 143 00:05:39,472 --> 00:05:42,442 land in the middle of it, in the thick of New York. 144 00:05:42,542 --> 00:05:44,310 Well, boy, did I-- ha, ha, ha! 145 00:05:44,410 --> 00:05:45,945 The famous, infamous Chelsea Hotel-- 146 00:05:46,045 --> 00:05:48,014 I lived there for my first five years 147 00:05:48,114 --> 00:05:49,382 on the front, 148 00:05:49,482 --> 00:05:52,018 next to the Chelsea Hotel sign, uh, 149 00:05:52,118 --> 00:05:54,220 and I was in room 411. 150 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:55,588 What is 411? 151 00:05:55,688 --> 00:05:57,023 That's information. 152 00:05:57,123 --> 00:05:59,692 So I would get calls on the house phone 153 00:05:59,792 --> 00:06:01,494 from the most interesting voices 154 00:06:01,594 --> 00:06:05,031 that sound oddly familiar, and I had a phone book, 155 00:06:05,131 --> 00:06:08,601 and I would look up the number and tell it to 'em. 156 00:06:08,701 --> 00:06:10,970 So, I have never-- I've almost never, never, 157 00:06:11,070 --> 00:06:13,072 never gotten a job from an interview. 158 00:06:13,172 --> 00:06:16,609 I have only gotten a job from the person 159 00:06:16,709 --> 00:06:18,945 who sat to the left of me in school 160 00:06:19,045 --> 00:06:20,680 or to the right of me 161 00:06:20,780 --> 00:06:23,049 and with whom I did a lot of productions 162 00:06:23,149 --> 00:06:26,252 and saved the day with, "Oh, here's the perfect--" 163 00:06:26,352 --> 00:06:27,687 fill in the blank: 164 00:06:27,787 --> 00:06:30,490 shirt, shoe, blouse, pannier, um. 165 00:06:30,590 --> 00:06:33,259 "Oh, I understand how to solve that character dilemma. 166 00:06:33,359 --> 00:06:35,261 Let me think-- figure it out." 167 00:06:35,361 --> 00:06:38,731 So that's the only way I've ever gotten any jobs. 168 00:06:38,831 --> 00:06:42,034 So I never got a-- for three years, 169 00:06:42,135 --> 00:06:43,636 no one would hire me. 170 00:06:43,736 --> 00:06:45,238 Finally, I get a call. 171 00:06:45,338 --> 00:06:48,207 A friend of mine had a job as the set designer 172 00:06:48,307 --> 00:06:49,842 for Inspector General 173 00:06:49,942 --> 00:06:52,512 at the Circle in the Square, and the late, great-- 174 00:06:52,612 --> 00:06:54,247 he just passed away-- Liviu Ciulei, 175 00:06:54,347 --> 00:06:55,882 Romanian director, was directing it. 176 00:06:55,982 --> 00:06:58,651 He said, "Oh, get me someone to do the costumes." 177 00:06:58,751 --> 00:07:00,520 So she said, "I've got a friend--" 178 00:07:00,620 --> 00:07:02,455 He said, "Fine, let's just start work." 179 00:07:02,555 --> 00:07:04,056 So, I didn't even interview. 180 00:07:04,157 --> 00:07:06,125 I just came with my portfolio, so proud. 181 00:07:06,225 --> 00:07:07,994 "Oh, look, maybe you get this job," 182 00:07:08,094 --> 00:07:09,862 and he just started giving me notes. 183 00:07:09,962 --> 00:07:11,931 That's how I got my first Broadway show. 184 00:07:12,031 --> 00:07:14,333 Just like that-- "Oh, I've got a friend." 185 00:07:14,434 --> 00:07:18,604 ♪ 186 00:07:18,704 --> 00:07:20,740 (man) Yes, of course, he's fashionable, 187 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,342 but that's not why you hire William 188 00:07:23,443 --> 00:07:25,244 to create your costumes. 189 00:07:25,344 --> 00:07:27,880 You hire him because he understands 190 00:07:27,980 --> 00:07:30,216 he's designing for character, 191 00:07:30,316 --> 00:07:34,554 for theme, for plot, and, of course, uh, 192 00:07:34,654 --> 00:07:36,556 he's sexy and fashionable. 193 00:07:36,656 --> 00:07:38,724 But it's the other stuff that comes first. 194 00:07:38,825 --> 00:07:41,060 How do you tell the story? 195 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:43,830 And William is extremely helpful, uh, in-- 196 00:07:43,930 --> 00:07:47,567 in carrying his weight in telling the story 197 00:07:47,667 --> 00:07:49,635 that the author intended. 198 00:07:49,735 --> 00:07:52,305 I--I start by reading the play 199 00:07:52,405 --> 00:07:56,742 and researching the period, and, you see--and, oh, it-- 200 00:07:56,843 --> 00:07:59,145 it's high--high style; it's high style. 201 00:07:59,245 --> 00:08:02,181 It's rich people in Paris who go out the weekend 202 00:08:02,281 --> 00:08:03,916 to misbehave, and, of course, 203 00:08:04,016 --> 00:08:05,952 it all-- all hell breaks loose. 204 00:08:06,052 --> 00:08:09,155 And so this is 1959, uh, Balenciaga. 205 00:08:09,255 --> 00:08:12,058 These are--because they do dress for dinner, 206 00:08:12,158 --> 00:08:13,793 it's called Don't Dress for Dinner, 207 00:08:13,893 --> 00:08:15,661 but they do dress for dinner now. 208 00:08:15,761 --> 00:08:17,330 [sarcastically] Ha, ha, ha! 209 00:08:17,430 --> 00:08:20,166 Anyway, uh, look at these reference pictures. 210 00:08:20,266 --> 00:08:21,834 I always do this beforehand 211 00:08:21,934 --> 00:08:24,270 and surround myself with walls and walls 212 00:08:24,370 --> 00:08:26,005 of these research pictures, but John-- 213 00:08:26,105 --> 00:08:28,040 the set designer came and, you see, 214 00:08:28,140 --> 00:08:29,976 his original set was very beige, 215 00:08:30,076 --> 00:08:31,944 but after looking at how well 216 00:08:32,044 --> 00:08:33,946 these colors work with everything, um, 217 00:08:34,046 --> 00:08:36,015 he brought in more of this burnt umber, 218 00:08:36,115 --> 00:08:37,783 this very light burnt umber, 219 00:08:37,884 --> 00:08:40,253 just to say, and I people them 220 00:08:40,353 --> 00:08:43,089 after the set designer's created the world. 221 00:08:43,189 --> 00:08:45,558 Who...are...you? 222 00:08:45,658 --> 00:08:46,826 Me? 223 00:08:46,926 --> 00:08:48,961 (man #2) It's her; you know who. 224 00:08:49,061 --> 00:08:50,863 I haven't the faintest idea who! 225 00:08:50,963 --> 00:08:52,999 Why do you think I was going bananas? 226 00:08:53,099 --> 00:08:54,667 Trying to keep warm? 227 00:08:54,767 --> 00:08:56,536 I didn't know what you were doing. 228 00:08:56,636 --> 00:08:58,137 You mean, it isn't her. 229 00:08:58,237 --> 00:08:59,872 Course it isn't her! 230 00:08:59,972 --> 00:09:02,575 Well, if it isn't her, who is it? 231 00:09:02,675 --> 00:09:04,577 That's what I'm trying to find out! 232 00:09:04,677 --> 00:09:06,078 [audience chuckling] 233 00:09:06,178 --> 00:09:07,747 Who are you? 234 00:09:07,847 --> 00:09:09,549 I'm his girlfriend. 235 00:09:09,649 --> 00:09:12,184 [audience laughing] 236 00:09:12,285 --> 00:09:14,253 (Long) And I do my first sketches 237 00:09:14,353 --> 00:09:15,855 after the research, like this. 238 00:09:15,955 --> 00:09:17,323 These are called thumbnails. 239 00:09:17,423 --> 00:09:19,625 Here are the men; here's the husband, 240 00:09:19,725 --> 00:09:22,028 the lover, and the husband of the cook. 241 00:09:22,128 --> 00:09:25,398 And I show them in order, and then I color them in, 242 00:09:25,498 --> 00:09:27,099 and you can actually-- 243 00:09:27,199 --> 00:09:28,834 when you see these bigger pictures, 244 00:09:28,935 --> 00:09:31,270 you can see that I' ve really sort of solved 245 00:09:31,370 --> 00:09:33,773 most of the proportion an d color problems right here. 246 00:09:33,873 --> 00:09:36,342 And here are the ladies an d the same thing-- 247 00:09:36,442 --> 00:09:38,878 here's the mistress, th e wife, and the cook. 248 00:09:38,978 --> 00:09:41,914 So then I do her big ball gown, you see, blue. 249 00:09:42,014 --> 00:09:44,250 I have this theory that ladies of the house 250 00:09:44,350 --> 00:09:46,886 either dress to stand out from their environs-- 251 00:09:46,986 --> 00:09:49,221 environments or to blend into it, um. 252 00:09:49,322 --> 00:09:51,791 She stand out from it, 'cause the blue stands out 253 00:09:51,891 --> 00:09:53,225 from all this beige. 254 00:09:53,326 --> 00:09:55,928 The best friend and lover of the wife-- 255 00:09:56,028 --> 00:09:57,363 I match them up. 256 00:09:57,463 --> 00:09:58,965 You do things like this. 257 00:09:59,065 --> 00:10:00,833 I call it Kiss Me, Kate designing. 258 00:10:00,933 --> 00:10:02,902 They are matched because they are the ones 259 00:10:03,002 --> 00:10:04,637 having an affair at the beginning. 260 00:10:04,737 --> 00:10:06,372 This is not in the script. 261 00:10:06,472 --> 00:10:08,674 This is what I proffered to the production. 262 00:10:08,774 --> 00:10:11,844 Well, the day begins with the staff coming at 9. 263 00:10:11,944 --> 00:10:13,980 So I've prepared all the projects 264 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,015 and their notes-- really annoying notes-- 265 00:10:16,115 --> 00:10:17,383 on everyone's desk, 266 00:10:17,483 --> 00:10:19,118 and then we're off and running. 267 00:10:19,218 --> 00:10:22,355 And the phones start ringing, and all the projects call. 268 00:10:22,455 --> 00:10:24,156 "I need this; I need that." 269 00:10:24,256 --> 00:10:26,959 So there's a lot of technical support work 270 00:10:27,059 --> 00:10:29,495 that's done, first off, around the globe, 271 00:10:29,595 --> 00:10:31,497 whatever country Chicago is touring 272 00:10:31,597 --> 00:10:33,499 or something else our producers-- 273 00:10:33,599 --> 00:10:35,601 Hairspray, they're still touring all around-- 274 00:10:35,701 --> 00:10:40,072 and then the--the actual-- that day, uh, begins. 275 00:10:40,172 --> 00:10:41,807 And sometimes, people come for fittings. 276 00:10:41,907 --> 00:10:43,476 Sometimes, I go to fittings. 277 00:10:43,576 --> 00:10:45,745 Then, if it's rehearsing in the afternoon, 278 00:10:45,845 --> 00:10:48,314 the latest show, I go and have a wig fitting, 279 00:10:48,414 --> 00:10:50,883 or they want to show me a new dance number 280 00:10:50,983 --> 00:10:52,918 and why the shoes are not working, 281 00:10:53,019 --> 00:10:55,554 and I do that, and then the evening performance. 282 00:10:55,655 --> 00:10:57,590 I'm supposed to be at least two-- 283 00:10:57,690 --> 00:10:59,925 at two shows in previews tonight. 284 00:11:00,026 --> 00:11:01,861 So I will go back and forth, 285 00:11:01,961 --> 00:11:03,929 and then I go for notes afterwards. 286 00:11:04,030 --> 00:11:06,699 So I'm done by about 1 o'clock--1 a.m.-- 287 00:11:06,799 --> 00:11:08,834 and then I get up at 5. 288 00:11:08,934 --> 00:11:10,836 Now, that's not all the time. 289 00:11:10,936 --> 00:11:12,838 That's-- that's on a good day. 290 00:11:12,938 --> 00:11:15,074 I'm happy to be working. 291 00:11:15,174 --> 00:11:17,977 (narrator) Seaboard, North Carolina, up in Northampton County, 292 00:11:18,077 --> 00:11:21,313 is about as different from New York as you can get, 293 00:11:21,414 --> 00:11:23,182 but it's William's family home, 294 00:11:23,282 --> 00:11:25,051 and it tugs at him. 295 00:11:25,151 --> 00:11:27,319 As the town's fortunes have declined, 296 00:11:27,420 --> 00:11:30,756 William has stepped in, putting in a health clinic, 297 00:11:30,856 --> 00:11:32,291 buying the old school 298 00:11:32,391 --> 00:11:34,260 where his father learned playwriting... 299 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,229 (Long) We took out all the really rotted stuff 300 00:11:37,329 --> 00:11:39,765 so we could get at the asbestos. 301 00:11:39,865 --> 00:11:41,434 Now, it looks just insane. 302 00:11:41,534 --> 00:11:43,169 I love the way it looks. 303 00:11:43,269 --> 00:11:45,037 I actually love the way this looks-- 304 00:11:45,137 --> 00:11:46,539 very Tennessee Williams. 305 00:11:46,639 --> 00:11:47,940 (narrator) ...and partnering 306 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:49,642 with North Carolina State University 307 00:11:49,742 --> 00:11:52,778 on a school of fashion and costume. 308 00:11:52,878 --> 00:11:56,415 And I've spent the last-- about 12 years, uh, 309 00:11:56,515 --> 00:12:00,252 trying to help the town become whole again. 310 00:12:00,352 --> 00:12:02,054 (narrator) A home in New York 311 00:12:02,154 --> 00:12:04,123 and a home in Seaboard should be enough 312 00:12:04,223 --> 00:12:05,725 for one person, right? 313 00:12:05,825 --> 00:12:08,794 Especially someone as busy as William Ivey Long. 314 00:12:08,894 --> 00:12:10,863 Then I just thought, OK, now I'm sailing. 315 00:12:10,963 --> 00:12:13,666 I've broken through the curse of no one will hire me, 316 00:12:13,766 --> 00:12:15,968 and look, I'm doing this one and this one. 317 00:12:16,068 --> 00:12:17,570 Oh, I'm not going back. 318 00:12:17,670 --> 00:12:19,872 You know, I won't go back to Lost Colony. 319 00:12:19,972 --> 00:12:22,208 I've got more things-- more important things to do, 320 00:12:22,308 --> 00:12:25,211 and I just thought, "Oh, I'm gonna be a New Yorker." 321 00:12:25,311 --> 00:12:27,246 Well, for 15 years I tried. 322 00:12:27,346 --> 00:12:29,682 So then I come back to the 50th anniversary. 323 00:12:29,782 --> 00:12:31,383 Good grief. 324 00:12:31,484 --> 00:12:34,019 I was blown away. 325 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:37,857 Somehow it was the right time, the right place. 326 00:12:37,957 --> 00:12:41,160 I was at the right moment, and I thought-- 327 00:12:41,260 --> 00:12:43,028 I had one of those lightbulbs, 328 00:12:43,129 --> 00:12:44,897 those big lightbulbs that go off, 329 00:12:44,997 --> 00:12:46,365 those Edison lightbulbs, 330 00:12:46,465 --> 00:12:48,601 and I realized that I had learned 331 00:12:48,701 --> 00:12:52,238 every single thing I knew down here. 332 00:12:52,338 --> 00:12:53,906 And I thought, "Well, I-- 333 00:12:54,006 --> 00:12:55,908 I just have to work there again." 334 00:12:56,008 --> 00:12:57,810 [fire crackling] 335 00:12:57,910 --> 00:12:59,812 The phoenix quotient-- heh-- 336 00:12:59,912 --> 00:13:02,414 out of the flames, uh-- 337 00:13:02,515 --> 00:13:06,752 the phoenix bird morphed into historical accuracy. 338 00:13:06,852 --> 00:13:09,889 That was the phoenix because we had a chance 339 00:13:09,989 --> 00:13:13,425 for the very first time since 1937 to reimagine, 340 00:13:13,526 --> 00:13:17,129 all at the same time, the entire picture. 341 00:13:17,229 --> 00:13:19,965 I watched him as he was doing, 342 00:13:20,065 --> 00:13:22,968 off and on, the new Indian costumes. 343 00:13:23,068 --> 00:13:26,071 He went to the only source we have. 344 00:13:26,172 --> 00:13:29,842 Governor John White, who was in the 1584 expedition 345 00:13:29,942 --> 00:13:33,045 and the '85 and the '87 expedition 346 00:13:33,145 --> 00:13:37,716 to Roanoke Island, had drawn the Native Indians, 347 00:13:37,817 --> 00:13:40,953 kings, maidens, and so forth, 348 00:13:41,053 --> 00:13:45,090 and William Ivey took those sketches of John White 349 00:13:45,191 --> 00:13:46,859 and interpreted them 350 00:13:46,959 --> 00:13:50,229 so that they could be used for years. 351 00:13:50,329 --> 00:13:54,133 We never have a costume that is made for one year. 352 00:13:54,233 --> 00:13:57,503 Ten years, at least, they've got to be worn, 353 00:13:57,603 --> 00:14:00,139 and that was a real, uh-- 354 00:14:00,239 --> 00:14:03,275 a real change in the Colony when he did that. 355 00:14:03,375 --> 00:14:06,278 I am optimistic that The Lost Colony will survive. 356 00:14:06,378 --> 00:14:08,681 There is a story being told here, 357 00:14:08,781 --> 00:14:10,883 and it goes to the root-- 358 00:14:10,983 --> 00:14:14,286 hokey, uh, corny, uh, 359 00:14:14,386 --> 00:14:15,821 grassroots-- 360 00:14:15,921 --> 00:14:18,257 all those seemingly negative terms. 361 00:14:18,357 --> 00:14:19,525 Guess what? 362 00:14:19,625 --> 00:14:21,126 That's what hits the heart. 363 00:14:21,227 --> 00:14:22,862 Franklin Roosevelt came to the opening 364 00:14:22,962 --> 00:14:25,431 or came to Virginia Dare's birthday for a reason. 365 00:14:25,531 --> 00:14:27,566 He showed up and said, "This is important-- 366 00:14:27,666 --> 00:14:28,934 story to tell." 367 00:14:29,034 --> 00:14:30,469 We're still doing it. 368 00:14:30,569 --> 00:14:32,538 It, uh-- it engages one's connection 369 00:14:32,638 --> 00:14:34,340 across the decades 370 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,543 and the centuries to man striving to, you know, 371 00:14:37,643 --> 00:14:39,912 be the best he can be. 372 00:14:40,012 --> 00:14:41,647 Dreams come true. 373 00:14:41,747 --> 00:14:43,749 Dreams fail, but you still stick with it. 374 00:14:43,849 --> 00:14:45,618 I mean, these are great, great themes, 375 00:14:45,718 --> 00:14:47,219 and we're still doing it. 376 00:14:47,319 --> 00:14:49,355 Now more than ever, we need to believe 377 00:14:49,455 --> 00:14:51,090 we can conquer this. 378 00:14:51,190 --> 00:14:52,658 It's a wonderful story. 379 00:14:52,758 --> 00:14:55,327 It's a true story, and it's our story. 380 00:14:55,427 --> 00:14:57,830 [piano and string arrangement fades] 381 00:14:59,265 --> 00:15:01,133 [strings re sonating] 382 00:15:01,233 --> 00:15:03,135 ♪ 383 00:15:03,235 --> 00:15:05,237 [plucked guitar joins] 384 00:15:05,337 --> 00:15:07,239 ♪ 385 00:15:07,339 --> 00:15:09,575 (Elliott) I just was one of those nature kids. 386 00:15:09,675 --> 00:15:11,677 You know, I was born with this passion. 387 00:15:11,777 --> 00:15:14,246 ♪ 388 00:15:14,346 --> 00:15:16,148 You know, I'd gotten out of college. 389 00:15:16,248 --> 00:15:19,318 I was radical; I was excited about life-- 390 00:15:19,418 --> 00:15:23,989 had a B.A. degree in art; I was totally unemployable. 391 00:15:24,089 --> 00:15:26,358 So I thought, what could I do? 392 00:15:26,458 --> 00:15:29,128 I wanted to explore up into Canada. 393 00:15:29,228 --> 00:15:31,430 We were campin' out, and I kept lookin' around. 394 00:15:31,530 --> 00:15:33,499 There were snow-capped mountains all around me, 395 00:15:33,599 --> 00:15:35,668 so I started climbin' up this mountain. 396 00:15:35,768 --> 00:15:38,304 It was like the earth and the sky were one. 397 00:15:38,404 --> 00:15:40,372 So I started just drawing pictures of that. 398 00:15:40,472 --> 00:15:42,541 It was-- it was awesome. 399 00:15:43,809 --> 00:15:45,778 I didn't want to spend the night there, 400 00:15:45,878 --> 00:15:47,212 so I went down. 401 00:15:47,313 --> 00:15:49,281 I got to the spruce and fir trees. 402 00:15:49,381 --> 00:15:51,016 All of a sudden-- [flapping noise] 403 00:15:51,116 --> 00:15:52,618 this big bird flew up. 404 00:15:52,718 --> 00:15:55,421 It was like a grouse but wasn't like any grouse 405 00:15:55,521 --> 00:15:56,855 I'd ever seen before. 406 00:15:56,956 --> 00:15:58,524 I pulled my sketchbook out. 407 00:15:58,624 --> 00:16:00,359 I started sketchin' this bird. 408 00:16:00,459 --> 00:16:02,828 ♪ 409 00:16:02,928 --> 00:16:05,531 Then that bird flew away, and I thought, 410 00:16:05,631 --> 00:16:08,000 holy cow, I'm a wildlife artist! 411 00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:09,601 Did National Geographic hire me? 412 00:16:09,702 --> 00:16:11,136 Well, not exactly. 413 00:16:11,236 --> 00:16:13,272 I climbed the mountain and started doin' it, 414 00:16:13,372 --> 00:16:16,108 and I realized right then, if I wanted to do something-- 415 00:16:16,208 --> 00:16:18,711 was not wait for validation, not wait for a job, 416 00:16:18,811 --> 00:16:21,046 but just go for it with passion, 417 00:16:21,146 --> 00:16:24,183 with integrity, with humility, determination. 418 00:16:24,283 --> 00:16:26,485 And it was probably 10 or 15 years later, 419 00:16:26,585 --> 00:16:28,354 I was talkin' to a Native American. 420 00:16:28,454 --> 00:16:30,923 He asked me if I'd ever seen a spruce grouse. 421 00:16:31,023 --> 00:16:33,225 He says, "Well, you know, we consider spruce grouse 422 00:16:33,325 --> 00:16:34,827 "to be a messenger bird. 423 00:16:34,927 --> 00:16:37,329 "When it comes around, you might pay attention 424 00:16:37,429 --> 00:16:39,531 because often it brings an important message." 425 00:16:39,631 --> 00:16:41,600 And I thought, yeah, I think I know 426 00:16:41,700 --> 00:16:43,369 what we're talkin' about. 427 00:16:43,469 --> 00:16:46,805 And you know, in some ways that kinda influenced my life. 428 00:16:46,905 --> 00:16:48,841 [wandering piano melody leads] 429 00:16:48,941 --> 00:16:52,444 ♪ 430 00:16:52,544 --> 00:16:54,580 I've been livin' in western North Carolina 431 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:56,682 for probably the last 30 years. 432 00:16:56,782 --> 00:16:58,684 ♪ 433 00:16:58,784 --> 00:17:02,054 What attracted me here was the cultural integrity... 434 00:17:02,154 --> 00:17:03,889 ♪ 435 00:17:03,989 --> 00:17:05,391 basically, many people 436 00:17:05,491 --> 00:17:08,794 who have a deep relationship with the land. 437 00:17:08,894 --> 00:17:10,396 Some of my best teachers 438 00:17:10,496 --> 00:17:12,398 have been traditional Appalachian folks 439 00:17:12,498 --> 00:17:14,633 and Native Americans and just broadened 440 00:17:14,733 --> 00:17:17,636 whatever book learnin' I could ever get. 441 00:17:17,736 --> 00:17:21,874 ♪ 442 00:17:21,974 --> 00:17:24,243 And there is this story about the old-timers 443 00:17:24,343 --> 00:17:26,078 sittin' around the store, 444 00:17:26,178 --> 00:17:28,914 [chuckling] up on one of these back roads over here, 445 00:17:29,014 --> 00:17:31,417 sittin' round the store saying, "Yep, saw ole Zeke. 446 00:17:31,517 --> 00:17:33,652 "He was out there plowin' with his mule. 447 00:17:33,752 --> 00:17:35,687 "Yep, had his hippie with him"--hah, hah! 448 00:17:35,788 --> 00:17:37,756 I think I know who they're talkin' about... 449 00:17:37,856 --> 00:17:39,291 [laughing] 450 00:17:39,391 --> 00:17:41,160 'cause I certainly have spent my time 451 00:17:41,260 --> 00:17:42,561 following the footprints 452 00:17:42,661 --> 00:17:44,763 of wise old-timers, you know. 453 00:17:44,863 --> 00:17:47,466 ♪ 454 00:17:47,566 --> 00:17:50,536 Our drinkin' water--we only drink a gallon or two a day, 455 00:17:50,636 --> 00:17:52,838 and there's a little spring that's below the house, 456 00:17:52,938 --> 00:17:54,840 so we just go and fetch it. 457 00:17:54,940 --> 00:17:57,443 In some ways, that's sort of a pleasant routine. 458 00:17:57,543 --> 00:17:58,944 There you go. 459 00:17:59,044 --> 00:18:02,314 Fresh, mature spring water right out of the mountain. 460 00:18:02,414 --> 00:18:04,383 ♪ 461 00:18:04,483 --> 00:18:06,251 We have runnin' water to the house, 462 00:18:06,351 --> 00:18:07,719 but it's creek water. 463 00:18:07,820 --> 00:18:09,121 [waterfall hissing] 464 00:18:09,221 --> 00:18:12,024 Well, the creek does have a little waterfall. 465 00:18:12,124 --> 00:18:17,496 ♪ 466 00:18:17,596 --> 00:18:19,398 And there's a little catchment basin 467 00:18:19,498 --> 00:18:21,266 that catches the water. 468 00:18:21,366 --> 00:18:24,570 It runs through a couple of settling tanks. 469 00:18:24,670 --> 00:18:27,639 Then, we have a buried pipe all the way to the house. 470 00:18:27,739 --> 00:18:29,708 It's clean water, but we don't drink that 471 00:18:29,808 --> 00:18:32,511 'cause we don't know who waded through it the night before. 472 00:18:32,611 --> 00:18:34,947 What that does--that gives us incredible water pressure, 473 00:18:35,047 --> 00:18:38,016 so even during a drought, Yanna can water the garden 474 00:18:38,117 --> 00:18:40,119 and keep an irrigation system goin'. 475 00:18:41,386 --> 00:18:43,088 It's a nice little scene. 476 00:18:43,188 --> 00:18:46,725 Thank goodness my wife Yanna has a passion for gardening. 477 00:18:46,825 --> 00:18:49,027 (man) Looks like a pretty good pepper year. 478 00:18:49,128 --> 00:18:50,629 (Elliott) Yep, good peppers, man. 479 00:18:50,729 --> 00:18:52,131 They are so pretty. 480 00:18:52,231 --> 00:18:53,499 This is great. 481 00:18:53,599 --> 00:18:55,367 I'm tryin' to keep these tied up. 482 00:18:55,467 --> 00:18:58,437 So this is the time of year when everything is comin' in, 483 00:18:58,537 --> 00:19:00,739 so our job now is to celebrate the harvest. 484 00:19:00,839 --> 00:19:02,808 (man) Yeah, let's eat one fresh. 485 00:19:02,908 --> 00:19:06,478 (Elliott) So we eat as much fresh as we can. 486 00:19:06,578 --> 00:19:09,681 We try to can it; we try to dry it. 487 00:19:09,781 --> 00:19:12,484 We freeze it so we have enough to last all winter. 488 00:19:12,584 --> 00:19:14,253 Yanna's so good about that. 489 00:19:14,353 --> 00:19:17,723 She takes a tally of how much we eat during a normal year, 490 00:19:17,823 --> 00:19:20,292 and then, she'll usually preserve about 1 1/2 times 491 00:19:20,392 --> 00:19:23,295 just in case the next year doesn't produce real well. 492 00:19:23,395 --> 00:19:26,665 Plants have some of the same struggles that all of us have. 493 00:19:26,765 --> 00:19:28,867 How do you get along in this world, 494 00:19:28,967 --> 00:19:30,469 protect yourself from invasive things, 495 00:19:30,569 --> 00:19:31,904 protect yourself from pests? 496 00:19:32,004 --> 00:19:33,772 Often, the plants that are most nutritious 497 00:19:33,872 --> 00:19:36,542 have something to keep things from eating 'em. 498 00:19:37,809 --> 00:19:39,278 These are stingin' nettles. 499 00:19:39,378 --> 00:19:41,280 Reason they call them stinging nettles 500 00:19:41,380 --> 00:19:43,515 is 'cause they have little, tiny hairs. 501 00:19:43,615 --> 00:19:45,584 They actually inject you with formic acid. 502 00:19:45,684 --> 00:19:48,253 That's the same thing that an ant stings you with. 503 00:19:48,353 --> 00:19:50,622 Sometimes, the mountain people call it seven-minute itch 504 00:19:50,722 --> 00:19:53,192 'cause it kinda gets on ya for about seven minutes, 505 00:19:53,292 --> 00:19:55,761 but it's usually not much of a problem after that. 506 00:19:55,861 --> 00:19:57,196 My sweet wife Yanna, 507 00:19:57,296 --> 00:19:59,498 she likes to use it as a nerve tonic. 508 00:19:59,598 --> 00:20:01,366 If she's feeling a little carpal syndrome, 509 00:20:01,466 --> 00:20:03,735 she'll actually apply some of that to her hands. 510 00:20:03,835 --> 00:20:05,904 So even though this plant will sting you 511 00:20:06,004 --> 00:20:08,540 when it's fresh and live, if you pick it carefully, 512 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:10,375 then you can take it in... 513 00:20:10,475 --> 00:20:11,643 [clinking] 514 00:20:11,743 --> 00:20:13,579 drop it into boiling water, 515 00:20:13,679 --> 00:20:16,515 let it simmer for just a couple of minutes, 516 00:20:16,615 --> 00:20:19,618 and it'll turn it into a delicious vegetable. 517 00:20:19,718 --> 00:20:21,486 It's one of the most nutritious plants 518 00:20:21,587 --> 00:20:23,355 that we have here in the garden. 519 00:20:23,455 --> 00:20:24,957 They're good! 520 00:20:25,057 --> 00:20:27,359 [resonating tones support piano] 521 00:20:27,459 --> 00:20:29,528 ♪ 522 00:20:29,628 --> 00:20:31,863 We're all part of this miracle of creation, 523 00:20:31,964 --> 00:20:34,733 and sometimes, I think that my desire 524 00:20:34,833 --> 00:20:36,702 to know about all these creatures 525 00:20:36,802 --> 00:20:38,704 is part of wanting to know myself. 526 00:20:38,804 --> 00:20:40,706 ♪ 527 00:20:40,806 --> 00:20:43,375 You know, the favorite line my dad used to say, 528 00:20:43,475 --> 00:20:45,544 "That boy knows what's under every rock 529 00:20:45,644 --> 00:20:46,979 between here and town." 530 00:20:47,079 --> 00:20:48,780 And I still turn over rocks, 531 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:50,882 and you know, I'm still lookin' for critters, 532 00:20:50,983 --> 00:20:52,884 but I'm also lookin' for the stories 533 00:20:52,985 --> 00:20:54,453 that connect those critters, 534 00:20:54,553 --> 00:20:58,690 the stories that connect those critters to us. 535 00:20:58,790 --> 00:21:01,026 And so I guess part of my passion 536 00:21:01,126 --> 00:21:04,763 has been trying to find more points of contact. 537 00:21:04,863 --> 00:21:12,170 ♪ 538 00:21:12,271 --> 00:21:14,706 Look what's here on this little persimmon tree. 539 00:21:14,806 --> 00:21:16,975 This is a hickory-horned devil caterpillar. 540 00:21:17,075 --> 00:21:19,044 This is one of our most amazing caterpillars, 541 00:21:19,144 --> 00:21:21,346 and look at the horns on this little devil. 542 00:21:21,446 --> 00:21:23,215 They're absolutely harmless, but they are probably 543 00:21:23,315 --> 00:21:24,983 one of our most extraordinary caterpillars, 544 00:21:25,083 --> 00:21:27,019 and this one's only about half-grown. 545 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:28,453 When they're full grown, 546 00:21:28,553 --> 00:21:30,055 they're almost six inches long. 547 00:21:30,155 --> 00:21:31,423 What a critter! 548 00:21:31,523 --> 00:21:33,992 It'll turn into a great, big moth. 549 00:21:34,092 --> 00:21:35,727 My friend Scott Geouge always says, 550 00:21:35,827 --> 00:21:37,329 everything's got its weak point, 551 00:21:37,429 --> 00:21:38,797 its vulnerable points. 552 00:21:38,897 --> 00:21:41,733 You grab the crab from behind; you can hold it safely. 553 00:21:41,833 --> 00:21:43,602 You hold the rattlesnake behind its head. 554 00:21:43,702 --> 00:21:45,203 You can hold it safely. 555 00:21:45,304 --> 00:21:46,938 Hold a possum by the tail. 556 00:21:47,039 --> 00:21:48,607 You can hold it safely. 557 00:21:48,707 --> 00:21:50,108 [Jew's harp twanging] 558 00:21:50,208 --> 00:21:51,943 ♪ 559 00:21:52,044 --> 00:21:53,712 Yeah, look at this rascal. 560 00:21:53,812 --> 00:21:55,147 Ain't she a beauty?! 561 00:21:55,247 --> 00:21:56,615 Let's see. 562 00:21:56,715 --> 00:21:58,050 Yep, she-- heh, heh! 563 00:21:58,150 --> 00:22:00,052 Ya know how I can tell? 564 00:22:00,152 --> 00:22:02,421 Look at that, she's got a pouch. 565 00:22:02,521 --> 00:22:04,423 Our only marsupial in North America 566 00:22:04,523 --> 00:22:06,591 has a pouch like a kangaroo. 567 00:22:06,692 --> 00:22:08,026 And look at this, 568 00:22:08,126 --> 00:22:09,828 very few creatures in the world 569 00:22:09,928 --> 00:22:12,764 that have opposable thumbs, humans and possums. 570 00:22:12,864 --> 00:22:14,132 You know, humans-- 571 00:22:14,232 --> 00:22:15,734 we've used our opposable thumbs 572 00:22:15,834 --> 00:22:17,369 to build great civilizations. 573 00:22:17,469 --> 00:22:20,138 Possums, they've been usin' theirs just to hold on, 574 00:22:20,238 --> 00:22:22,708 and they have been holdin' on for a long time. 575 00:22:22,808 --> 00:22:24,576 The first little mammals that showed up 576 00:22:24,676 --> 00:22:26,311 after the age of dinosaurs 577 00:22:26,411 --> 00:22:28,647 were almost identical to our modern possums. 578 00:22:28,747 --> 00:22:30,515 We maybe let you get back home. 579 00:22:30,615 --> 00:22:32,384 Go on, take care there, little gal. 580 00:22:32,484 --> 00:22:34,119 You know, sometimes people say, "Oh, 581 00:22:34,219 --> 00:22:35,987 I can't stand those old possums." 582 00:22:36,088 --> 00:22:38,123 Some scientists did some stomach analysis studies, 583 00:22:38,223 --> 00:22:40,826 and they found out that in some areas, 584 00:22:40,926 --> 00:22:42,994 half of their diet is copperheads. 585 00:22:43,095 --> 00:22:45,163 I mean, you like copperheads? 586 00:22:45,263 --> 00:22:47,866 ♪ 587 00:22:47,966 --> 00:22:51,403 Oh...look at this beauty! 588 00:22:51,503 --> 00:22:53,939 Oh my! 589 00:22:54,039 --> 00:22:56,541 This is a black rat snake. 590 00:22:56,641 --> 00:23:00,045 Sometimes, people in Carolina, they call these king snakes. 591 00:23:00,145 --> 00:23:02,080 These are kind of the arboreal snakes. 592 00:23:02,180 --> 00:23:03,882 They really like to climb around. 593 00:23:03,982 --> 00:23:05,617 They're the ones that you'll find 594 00:23:05,717 --> 00:23:07,953 sometimes in your attic or in your barn. 595 00:23:08,053 --> 00:23:11,890 They call them rat snakes 'cause they love rats. 596 00:23:11,990 --> 00:23:14,192 Oh, what a beauty! 597 00:23:15,460 --> 00:23:17,396 You know people say, snakes are aggressive. 598 00:23:17,496 --> 00:23:18,930 They're very rarely aggressive. 599 00:23:19,030 --> 00:23:20,499 They're defensive sometimes. 600 00:23:20,599 --> 00:23:22,100 Sometimes, they get really scared, 601 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,403 and they'll bite at you, and-- 602 00:23:24,503 --> 00:23:28,173 He'll get his freedom here soon enough--hmm, hmm. 603 00:23:28,273 --> 00:23:31,576 All right, now we're gonna do the old snake-charmer trick. 604 00:23:31,676 --> 00:23:33,578 [wood flute leads] 605 00:23:33,678 --> 00:23:38,583 ♪ 606 00:23:38,683 --> 00:23:39,951 Isn't that in credible, 607 00:23:40,051 --> 00:23:42,020 the muscular control of a beast like that. 608 00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:43,388 Look at that! 609 00:23:43,488 --> 00:23:46,258 Look at how much of its body is straight up. 610 00:23:46,358 --> 00:23:48,927 ♪ 611 00:23:49,027 --> 00:23:50,662 Looks like it's been well fed, 612 00:23:50,762 --> 00:23:52,397 which is, of course, good news 613 00:23:52,497 --> 00:23:55,066 'cause with all the voles and things in our garden, 614 00:23:55,167 --> 00:23:56,902 we are so glad to have 615 00:23:57,002 --> 00:23:59,638 a few of these big, fat snakes around. 616 00:23:59,738 --> 00:24:03,608 ♪ 617 00:24:03,708 --> 00:24:05,444 [piano leads] 618 00:24:05,544 --> 00:24:08,380 You know, some say, this is like this little Eden here 619 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:10,582 with all your gardens and ponds and swamps, 620 00:24:10,682 --> 00:24:12,584 things like that. 621 00:24:12,684 --> 00:24:16,388 You have to realize that Eden is everywhere 622 00:24:16,488 --> 00:24:18,490 if we can just sorta tweak our eye, 623 00:24:18,590 --> 00:24:20,492 open our heart, and realize it, 624 00:24:20,592 --> 00:24:22,461 even if it's a suburban backyard. 625 00:24:22,561 --> 00:24:25,163 Nature just wants to be a part of our lives 626 00:24:25,263 --> 00:24:27,566 since we are a part of nature. 627 00:24:27,666 --> 00:24:34,239 ♪ 628 00:24:34,339 --> 00:24:36,041 It's such an honor that people 629 00:24:36,141 --> 00:24:38,143 actually wanna hear what I have to say, 630 00:24:38,243 --> 00:24:39,878 and I'm just so lucky 631 00:24:39,978 --> 00:24:42,781 that people think that's of value. 632 00:24:42,881 --> 00:24:44,649 Well, you know, we all tell stories. 633 00:24:44,749 --> 00:24:46,718 When I ask you what you did today, 634 00:24:46,818 --> 00:24:48,887 you're basically composing a narrative. 635 00:24:48,987 --> 00:24:52,057 That's how we make sense of our lives. 636 00:24:52,157 --> 00:24:54,459 There was the story about the African tribe 637 00:24:54,559 --> 00:24:56,995 and some missionaries brought 'em over a TV. 638 00:24:57,095 --> 00:24:58,763 For the first couple of weeks, 639 00:24:58,864 --> 00:25:00,565 the whole village all gathered together, 640 00:25:00,665 --> 00:25:03,735 and they just watched that TV, and they watched that thing. 641 00:25:03,835 --> 00:25:06,137 And then, after about a couple of weeks, 642 00:25:06,238 --> 00:25:09,074 they started going back to the village storyteller. 643 00:25:09,174 --> 00:25:10,842 This is a Taoist story-- 644 00:25:10,942 --> 00:25:14,279 story from Asia about the guy that was chased by the tiger, 645 00:25:14,379 --> 00:25:16,281 and they asked him, they said, 646 00:25:16,381 --> 00:25:19,718 doesn't a TV know more stories than your storyteller? 647 00:25:19,818 --> 00:25:24,122 And he said, "Yeah, it does, but the storyteller knows us." 648 00:25:24,222 --> 00:25:26,191 He was runnin' for all he was worth. 649 00:25:26,291 --> 00:25:28,059 There was no tree he could climb-- 650 00:25:28,159 --> 00:25:29,794 either the tiger or the cliff. 651 00:25:29,895 --> 00:25:31,229 He chose the cliff. 652 00:25:31,329 --> 00:25:33,298 He jumped off, and he caught that vine. 653 00:25:33,398 --> 00:25:35,033 He was hangin' on that vine. 654 00:25:35,133 --> 00:25:37,102 He looked up, and he saw that tiger 655 00:25:37,202 --> 00:25:39,671 lookin' over the edge of that cliff, and he thought, 656 00:25:39,771 --> 00:25:41,406 Ohh, I'm safe from that tiger. 657 00:25:41,506 --> 00:25:43,708 All I have to do is lower myself down. 658 00:25:43,808 --> 00:25:45,143 He looked down below. 659 00:25:45,243 --> 00:25:47,746 There was another tiger pacing back and forth. 660 00:25:47,846 --> 00:25:50,048 He was tryin' to figure out what to do. 661 00:25:50,148 --> 00:25:52,617 He noticed the vine was just up outta his reach 662 00:25:52,717 --> 00:25:54,352 stretched tight over a little ledge. 663 00:25:54,452 --> 00:25:56,655 Up on that ledge, just up outta his reach, 664 00:25:56,755 --> 00:25:58,123 he saw some movement. 665 00:25:58,223 --> 00:26:00,392 There was a little mouse, a light-colored mouse. 666 00:26:00,492 --> 00:26:02,527 That mouse was as light as the day. 667 00:26:02,627 --> 00:26:04,129 That little mouse came up 668 00:26:04,229 --> 00:26:05,864 and started nibblin' on that vine. 669 00:26:05,964 --> 00:26:08,934 That little mouse went in, and another mouse came out, 670 00:26:09,034 --> 00:26:11,102 a little mouse, dark as the night. 671 00:26:11,202 --> 00:26:12,537 That mouse started chewin'. 672 00:26:12,637 --> 00:26:14,506 That vine kept gettin' thinner. 673 00:26:14,606 --> 00:26:16,241 The little light mouse came out; 674 00:26:16,341 --> 00:26:17,676 dark mouse went in. 675 00:26:17,776 --> 00:26:20,645 They kept taking turns, the light and the dark. 676 00:26:20,745 --> 00:26:22,514 The vine kept getting thinner and thinner. 677 00:26:22,614 --> 00:26:24,816 He was trying to think, what do I do? 678 00:26:24,916 --> 00:26:26,885 He looked, and growing out of that cliff 679 00:26:26,985 --> 00:26:28,787 was a strawberry, a perfectly ripe strawberry. 680 00:26:28,887 --> 00:26:30,155 He reached out. 681 00:26:30,255 --> 00:26:31,856 He grabbed that strawberry. 682 00:26:31,957 --> 00:26:35,560 He ate that strawberry, and he enjoyed that strawberry, 683 00:26:35,660 --> 00:26:37,896 and he gave thanks. 684 00:26:37,996 --> 00:26:41,266 And the Taoists say that's the end of that story, 685 00:26:41,366 --> 00:26:44,035 and that story-- that story's about our life... 686 00:26:44,135 --> 00:26:46,037 ♪ 687 00:26:46,137 --> 00:26:49,007 about how we're just hangin' by that little thread of life, 688 00:26:49,107 --> 00:26:51,076 and the main thing we can be doin' 689 00:26:51,176 --> 00:26:52,677 while that thread gets thinner 690 00:26:52,777 --> 00:26:54,746 as the day and the night pass 691 00:26:54,846 --> 00:26:57,315 is enjoy our strawberries and give thanks. 692 00:26:57,415 --> 00:27:06,057 ♪ 693 00:27:07,592 --> 00:27:12,497 ♪ 694 00:27:12,597 --> 00:27:15,033 [piano and wood flute enter] 695 00:27:15,133 --> 00:27:23,575 ♪ 696 00:27:23,675 --> 00:27:35,587 ♪ 697 00:27:35,687 --> 00:27:37,589 Caption Editors Will Halman & Kelly Teagle 698 00:27:37,689 --> 00:27:40,625 Caption Perfect, Inc. www.CaptionPerfect.com 699 00:27:40,725 --> 00:27:43,528 (announcer) To subscribe to Our 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