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[electronic strings droning]

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♪

3
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[piano notes lead]

4
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(elderly man) 
It's never really 
mattered to us

5
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how it came here 
or why it was here,

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but we felt the necessity 
to try to protect it

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as much as we could.

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If it needs somethin', 
what does it need?

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♪

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Well, most 
every morning is--

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is the best time 
of the day for me.

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I'm always loved 
early mornings.

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♪

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And I like to make my coffee,

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sit in a chair, 
and just kinda meditate.

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I enjoy watching the sunrise.

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Frequently, when I'm lookin' 
out over the water,

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that comes to mind,

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about how much things 
have changed in my lifetime.

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[musical mood brightens]

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It was, uh, 
a young boy's dream

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to have a home on the water,

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look out, and enjoy the view 
that's offered every day.

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♪

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Across the way 
is Jockey Ridge.

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It's not growing 
in height.

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It's growing in diameter,

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as all the hills do 
in this area.

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They move to the southwest.

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♪

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My parents and grandparents 
that were here on the island

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said that the island 
was always full of grapevines.

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♪

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And most every family

35
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on the north end 
of Roanoke Island

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had a scuppernong grapevine 
in their yard.

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♪

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The north part 
being a sandy soil--

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it's what the grapevines 
look for.

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But the rest of the island

41
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and the south part 
of the island,

42
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they'd have very few 
grapevines down there,

43
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and so the grocery stores 
had a market for 'em.

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My first money that went 
in my pocket that I made

45
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came from the sale of grapes 
off the grapevine,

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old scuppernong grapes.

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♪

48
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In 1939, 
I was pickin' some grapes

49
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at my grandmother's 
and grandfather's yard

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when I saw a lotta smoke.

51
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My grandfather 
had an old Model T truck.

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He said, 
"Let's ride downtown and--

53
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and see what's happening."

54
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It was quite a scene,

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major fire in town

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that destroyed probably 50%, 
60% of our town waterfront

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with what stores 
and post office

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and everything 
on the waterfront.

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[guitar leads solemn score]

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At the time 
that I first spotted the fire,

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I was on top of the grapevine, 
picking grapes.

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[violin leads]

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♪

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[off-screen] 
Bigger piece, 
that's a bigger piece there.

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[voice-over] 
When we first moved here,

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which was 1957, 
I think it was,

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the grapevine 
I knew all about--

68
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I knew it was there, 
and we knew--we joined it.

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(Estelle) 
Th 
e vine ties you 
an 
d I together

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for all these years.

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(Jack, voice-over) 
First important thing to us

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was the fact 
that that's our neighbor.

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That's a good neighbor.

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They won't-- 
we won't have

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any hard times 
with each other.

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♪

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With this age, 
you never know what to expect,

78
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I guess, but the harshness 
of the winter

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doesn't really concern me 
about the vine.

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I figure it's-- 
if it's been here this long

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and done well that weather's 
not gonna be the--

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the key to a problem 
with it.

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The main thing 
is to make sure that it starts

84
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to bud around everywhere.

85
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We haven't had the weather 
that will bring it out,

86
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but I think it's comin'.

87
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♪

88
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In the early part of spring, 
as it changes

89
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over to warmer weather, 
the sap begins to rise.

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♪

91
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Frequently 
when I'm lookin' out

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over the water, 
there's never a time

93
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that I can't sit 
in a chair there

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and look out 
and see something

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I'm real happy to look at

96
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and enjoy 
and appreciate the fact

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that it's there 
and that I'm here to see it

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and how lucky I am 
to still be here.

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[airy, droning strings 
support piano]

100
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♪

101
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In the spring, when it 
first starts to come back,

102
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and the first thing you know,

103
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you see little sprouts 
breaking off,

104
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and then the leaves start.

105
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It goes through just about 
the same stage every year.

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[undulating 
electronic droning]

107
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When that grapevine 
has green leaves,

108
00:05:05,004 --> 00:05:07,006
they stay green, 
no matter how much

109
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a lack of rain 
that we may have.

110
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Our yards may turn brown.

111
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Some of our trees may turn,

112
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but that grapevine 
feeds itself.

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It has, as most people say, 
as much root in the ground

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as it does vine on the top.

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There was some researcher 
from a college that came here

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who had tried 
to determine the age.

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At that time, 
they started talkin' about

118
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in excess 
of 400 years old,

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the theory 
that it was probably

120
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the first cultivated vine 
in America,

121
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And it was 
the old Mother Grapevine.

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How the Mother Vine got here, 
I really don't know.

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There have been 
so many stories,

124
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everything from the fact

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that it was brought over 
by the Lost Colony

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to where the Indians 
cultivated it.

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(Estelle) 
One of 'em said they were sure

128
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that the colony 
had cuttings on that ship

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from a scuppernong grape 
that they brought over

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at the time they 
actually landed in this area.

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Another one, 
that when they arrived,

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there was the sweet aroma 
of grapes.

133
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Everything smelled 
like grapes.

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Which was right?

135
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No one 
would ever know.

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(Jack) 
Only thing I can tell you is,

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I know that it's 
been here 90 years.

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[piano leads 
reflective arrangement]

139
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It's never 
really mattered to us

140
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how it came here 
or why it was here,

141
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but we felt the necessity 
to try to protect it

142
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as much as we could.

143
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It was about three 
or four years ago.

144
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It came as a surprise.

145
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Everything was doing normal.

146
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[guitar melody joins]

147
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♪

148
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I noticed some browning 
in the leaves

149
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right on that power pole.

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♪

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The power company, 
they were going

152
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all over Roanoke Island,

153
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and they were actually 
spraying and cutting,

154
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the clearance 
of the power lines.

155
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Probably didn't even know 
what they were spraying.

156
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Didn't realize it was a-- 
a grapevine

157
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that was important to anybody,

158
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and that spraying 
had started advancing

159
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real fast 
into the Mother Vine,

160
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and it looks for the roots 
to kill the vine.

161
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So then, I knew

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we had to cut back 
onto the vine.

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We got ahold of a person 
down in Wilmington,

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and he cut a piece 
of the vine and says,

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"You see the little brown 
in there?"

166
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Said yep.

167
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He said, "That's poison,

168
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so I've got to cut further 
back on this vine than that."

169
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From the day that he came 
and started cutting the vine,

170
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it was probably six weeks.

171
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He did get ahead of it, 
and he did stop it.

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The power company-- 
they were as cooperative

173
00:08:15,127 --> 00:08:17,897
as anybody 
could ask anybody to be.

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I'm so happy 
that it did work out that way

175
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and that the vine is, 
in my opinion,

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over the shock of the poison.

177
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And I hope the vine 
appreciates the protection

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that we're trying to give it.

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♪

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[reflective piano theme]

181
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I've had such a great life...

182
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no complaints.

183
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♪

184
00:08:45,958 --> 00:08:47,226
(Estelle) 
Good morning.

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00:08:47,326 --> 00:08:48,594
(Jack) 
Good morning.

186
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(Estelle) 
heh, heh...heh

187
00:08:50,162 --> 00:08:53,065
(Jack, interview) 
Maybe my life span 
has something to do

188
00:08:53,165 --> 00:08:55,067
with how much 
association I've had

189
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with scuppernong grapes.

190
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Who knows?

191
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I can't say it does; 
I can't say it didn't.

192
00:09:01,407 --> 00:09:04,977
Only thing I know is, 
I'm still enjoying it.

193
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♪

194
00:09:07,446 --> 00:09:09,315
(Estelle) 
You see some?

195
00:09:09,415 --> 00:09:11,484
♪

196
00:09:11,584 --> 00:09:15,354
Oh yeah, 
I see 'em now, sure.

197
00:09:15,454 --> 00:09:19,225
I haven't given it 
as much time as Jack,

198
00:09:19,325 --> 00:09:22,428
but I love the vine.

199
00:09:22,528 --> 00:09:24,897
I mean, it's part of me.

200
00:09:24,997 --> 00:09:28,200
♪

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00:09:28,301 --> 00:09:30,903
(Jack) 
Even today,

202
00:09:31,003 --> 00:09:33,739
when the time is right,

203
00:09:33,839 --> 00:09:35,408
you could ride anywhere

204
00:09:35,508 --> 00:09:37,643
up in this 
Mother Vineyard area,

205
00:09:37,743 --> 00:09:40,079
and you will get that aroma,

206
00:09:40,179 --> 00:09:43,115
a sweet, delicious smell...

207
00:09:43,215 --> 00:09:45,117
♪

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00:09:45,217 --> 00:09:47,920
from the old Mother Grapevine.

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00:09:48,020 --> 00:09:50,523
♪