The Roanoker - September/October 2020 - 10

from the editor

Living Green
Sneak a peek into gorgeous local homes, get inspired for your own decor changes and
learn about how our region is doing its part to help the environment.
OUR ANNUAL HOMES ISSUE IS ALWAYS ONE
of my favorites. I love seeing how passionate people are
about their houses-have I told you that my house was
built in 1931?-and how every home is different due to
styles and creative interiors.
I'm a proud homeowner-even when something
breaks! After so many months of quarantining at home,
however, I'm over the same colors, pillows, curtains and
rugs. But since I can't move (I truly hope I'm in this
Wasena home until I'm ancient), or spend thousands
of dollars on new furniture, I really appreciated Christy
Rippel's design dilemma tips, with ideas on how to make
my interiors exciting again even on a budget (page 90).
Our cover story, written by Christina Nifong,
showcases a couple flipping houses in the Grandin area
(page 68). How fun it must be to walk through the
neighborhood and know you had such an important
hand in creating beautiful homes for your neighbors!
Plus, the gorgeous Patrick home, covered by Christy
Rippel, will knock your socks off-do you think owner
Dayna would mind if I came over and asked to take a
swim in that amazing bathtub with a view (page 60)?
We've spent a few summers improving our beloved
kitchen with additional cabinets and counters, gas
range and dishwasher, and while it's my favorite space
in the house, it's a relief knowing we've also increased
our home's value. We only have one bathroom in our
house, so while I sometimes dream of knocking down

a wall to expand it, realistically I have a much better
chance of improving it with Christy's bathroom and
kitchen remodel guide (page 84)!
We're also calling this the "Green Issue," putting
focus on our local environment. There has never been a
more important time to think about the earth's future,
and every step we take impacts it for better or worse.
It's not just about recycling, either (though we should
all be doing more of that-have you seen what happens
to garbage dropped off in landfills? Yikes.).
From Christina Nifong meeting citizen scientists
(page 38) and Ashley Fellers sharing how volunteers
work on our urban forests (page 42) to Dan Smith's
coverage on a sustainable community (page 45) and
wondering about the quality of our water (page 50),
there are a lot of great ways we're attempting positive
impacts on our region. Even our favorite restaurants
are thinking about food waste, as depicted in Layla
Khoury-Hanold's piece (page 114). If we work
together, there is more than a little hope for our
children's futures.
Remember the old adage: reduce, reuse, recycle!

TELL US ABOUT...

your home! How do you
make updates to your house
or what would you love to do
to it? Share your thoughts on
our social media pages!

WE WANT TO
HEAR FROM YOU
Questions, comments
or feedback about The
Roanoker? E-mail llong@
leisuremedia360.com

FOLLOW
THE ROANOKER
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Be well,

llong@leisuremedia360.com

meet the contributors

Aila Boyd

is an educator and
journalist who resides
in Roanoke. She holds
an MFA in Writing from
Lindenwood University.
Read her Gist piece
about Open Studios Botetourt celebrating a
decade of art tours on
page 18.

10

Ashley Fellers

is a writer, selftaught painter and
contemplative
photographer in
Roanoke. When not
working at the public
library, she snaps
photos of sidewalk
cracks, rescues wet
leaves from windshield
wipers and leaves
poems hidden under
park benches. She has
a Master of Fine Arts
degree from Virginia
Tech. See her Keepers
of the Urban Forest
piece on page 42.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

Christina Nifong

is a writer with a
decades-long career
profiling interesting
people, places and
ideas. She's recently
launched a new email
newsletter focused on
life in the slow lane,
called Nourishing
Stories. Sign up and
find more of her work
at christinanifong.com.
Read her Gist piece
on page 20; Citizen
Scientists on page 38;
and her cover story
of Renovating Raleigh
Court on page 68.

John Park

has become the
quintessential food
evangelist for SW
Virginia and the
surrounding regions.
Though John lives in a
suit by day, he prides
himself on sharing his
love of great eats and
the people who make
it possible. Follow his
social media moniker
@hungryasianrke and
see John's dining
photos of his Amigos
on page 108.

Bob Sowder

is a native of Roanoke
and enjoyed a career
in broadcast television
and advertising,
working in markets
from D.C. to L.A. and a
lot of fly-over country.
On a visit back to
Roanoke in 1999 with
his wife Jules, they
discovered Roanoke
and returned to raise
their two children. See
Bob's photography on
the cover and in our
Homes section starting
on page 60.

Dan Smith

is an award-winning
writer, author and
photographer and a
member of the Virginia
Communications Hall
of Fame. He is a former
Virginia Small Business
Journalist of the Year.
Read Dan's Gist piece
on page 22; Mast
General and Downtown
Retail on page 34; the
Local Environmental
Footprint on page 45;
and What's In Our Water
on page 50.

Laura Wade,

founder of Thrive by
Heart, offers workshops
and individual guidance
to empower women to
live from soul to goal
and love their lives. She
is passionate about her
family, holistic health,
personal transformation
and sharing ideas to
inspire others to live
their best lives. Read her
Gist piece on page 26.

TheRoanoker.com
http://www.christinanifong.com http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker - September/October 2020

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