It's a head scratcher for sure.  Where has the time gone?  It seems just like yesterday I was collaborating with a handful of folks about the idea of creating a volume second to none, a tribute to the Old North State like no one could have envisioned before.  It all be began when I was being raised on a farm by my Aunt Kate in Broadway, North Carolina back in the third grade.  I attended Boone Trail High School.  My mother recently took ill and Aunt Kate poured her love and affection all over me.  There was one major problem I had never lived on a farm before!  What left an indelible mark on me was her pantry.  Aunt Kate would preserve some of the most amazing fruits and vegetables from her garden to pass along to friends and family and to also enjoy during another season.

Her pantry, her preserves inspired the idea that an artist could do the same thing with unique personalities and icons of our state and preserve them for future generations to come.  The genesis for "Carolina Preserves" was born and now it was time to put together a team to pursue this vision.  Joy Ross who continues to be my invaluable associate and I began to formulate the talent that would help us fulfill this vision.  Cindy Adams and Jean Davison secured the 48 North Carolinians that would lend their stories to color the pages of this volume.  With contributors like, Richard Petty, Michael Jordan, Elizabeth Dole, Billy Graham, former Governors, award winning teachers, postal carriers to CEO's of Fortune 500 companies we amassed one of the most amazing group of individuals to share their stories with future generations.

At the same time Bill was criss crossing the state finding just the right subjects to compliment the authors stories and capture unique locales for "artist perspectives" to sprinkle throughout the book.  Two years in the making this 165 page volume is a fitting testament to one of the greatest places on earth to live.  North Carolina's heritage and charm is cataloged in this epic book with testaments from some of state finest daughters and sons that call it home.  Besides the production of this magnificent coffee table book, UNC TV stepped up and with funding from Bank of America created the very first High Definition program in our state.  "Carolina Preserves" was the title and today lives in the archives of the state's libraries and is available online for you to watch today.