The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Earned Media Coverage

January 16, 2014

“The Top 25 Spas in the United States”

1/13/2014

Still recovering from the holiday season? Relax, we’ve got you covered. From Hawaiian oceanfront retreats, to scenic alpine getaways, these are the best spas in the U.S., according to our readers. Also check out their top-rated spas in the world.

18. WILLIAMSBURG INN

Williamsburg, Virginia

A "very old-world" hotel with contemporary spa amenities and staff that "provides the ultimate experience in true service," the Williamsburg Inn's 20,000 square feet of treatment rooms and outdoor sanctuary provide a cozy atmosphere for relaxing rituals. North American botanicals used since the 1600s for their restorative properties play a starring role in many service menu offerings. Hydrotherapy and toning Pilates classes bring treatment experiences into the 21st century.

18. WILLIAMSBURG LODGE

Williamsburg, Virginia

http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2014/01/best-spas-resorts-in-the-united-states_slideshow_18--Williamsburg-Inn-_6

The Spa of Colonial Williamsburg at Williamsburg Lodge is "everything a spa should be," offering aromatherapy rooms, customized facials, and muscle-repairing massages. "Marvelous" Williamsburg's rich healing history is adapted to modern tastes through the 17th-century Detoxifying Herbal Wrap & Hot Stone Massage Spa Experience for releasing impurities. Guests can arrive early or linger after treatments to make use of a circuit of steam rooms, showers, and whirlpools.

http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2014/01/best-spas-resorts-in-the-united-states_slideshow_18--Williamsburg-Inn-_6

“8 Family Hotel Deals for Presidents Day”

By: Hilarey Wojtowicz

1/15/2014

Didn't get a chance to travel with your family over the winter break? Don't stress -- Presidents Day is right around the corner and the three-day weekend is the perfect time to book a hotel in one of these historical cities, which provide plenty of fun activities and ways for families to pay tribute to patriots from the past and present. The holiday weekend will be here before you know it, though, so book one of these seven hotel deals in honor of Presidents Day now!

1. Williamsburg Lodge, Williamsburg, Va.

Explore the rich history of Colonial Williamsburg, Va. with the Revolutionary Experience Package at the Williamsburg Lodge. Witness men and women dressed in old-fashioned clothing and surrounded by 18th Century decor as they take you back in time through reenactments of this revolutionary time period that truly helped shape America as a nation. The package includes a three-day, two-night minimum stay, with admission to the Revolutionary City and the Art Museum, plus complimentary breakfast. Rates start from $79 per person, per night, and are valid through April 10, 2014.

http://www.familyvacationcritic.com/8-family-hotel-deals-for-presidents-day/art/

“Travel deals from the Far East to Gettysburg”

By: Phil Marty

1/14/2014

Enrichment Journeys is offering a trip that mixes the opulence of the Middle East with the exotic offerings of the Far East. But you'll need a lot of time on your hands. The 27-day journey starts in the United Arab Emirates, where you will explore Dubai and Abu Dhabi and take a desert safari via four-wheel-drive vehicle. Then it's off to Bangkok for five days of checking out temples, markets and palaces. Flying to Singapore, you'll board the Celebrity Century for a 14-night cruise that will explore Myanmar; Phuket, Thailand; and three Malaysian ports, including Penang. The Jan. 29, 2015, trip is priced from $5,199 per person double occupancy and includes round-trip air from New York on highly regarded Emirates airlines, pre-cruise lodging, four tours each in Dubai and Bangkok and the cruise. Air add-on is available from other cities, including Atlanta $300, Boston $200, Chicago $300, Miami $250 and Washington-Dulles $250. Info: 888-296-1992, tinyurl.com/kfxmvl7

Small-group adventures

The small-group adventure company Intrepid Travel is 25 years old this year, and to celebrate it is offering a 20 percent discount on its 11 most popular trips. Intrepid's trips tend to be reasonably priced, and it also frequently has discounted tours, including markdowns of as much as 25 percent for last-minute travel. Among the trips eligible for the 20 percent discount are the 10-day Vietnam Express, which can be had for $920 per person, or the 12-day North India Highlights, discounted to $1,448. To get the 20 percent discount, you need to book by Feb. 28 for travel between May 1 and Aug. 31. You can find links to all of Intrepid's discounts, including the last-minute deals, at tinyurl.com/nybf9ur, or call 800-970-7299. Note that some trips require additional money for a trip "kitty" that may cover items such as food.

History at a great price

Presidents Day is Feb. 17, and the long weekend is a good chance for families to get away. The folks at Family Vacation Critic (familyvacationcritic.com) think historic towns are a perfect match for Presidents Day and have come up with lodging deals in eight that are rife with history. You can't get much more historic than Gettysburg, Pa., and its Civil War ties. The Wyndham Gettysburg has rates as low as $89 a night, making for an inexpensive place to expose the kids to important parts of the country's legacy. The Williamsburg Lodge in Williamsburg, Va., has rates from $79 per person per night that include admission tickets to Colonial Williamsburg's Revolutionary City and art museums. Read about these deals and six more at tinyurl.com/l4yylme.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-01-14/travel/sc-trav-0114-trips-20140114_1_presidents-day-deals-20-percent-discount

“RevQuest Offers Intrigue for the Whole Family in Colonial Williamsburg”

By: Shannon Entin

1/13/2014

A Threat to America is gaining strength very near this place, and our country is in need of your help.

So begins RevQuest, Colonial Williamsburg’s modern treasure hunt that immerses you in the history of the American Revolution and puts you in the center of the action as a spy.

To participate in RevQuest, you need a phone with texting ability. Pick up your “orders” at any ticketing location – the game is included with your paid admission to Colonial Williamsburg – and wrap the black kerchief around your arm. Text SPY to the number given in your orders and you are instantly connected to the Screenmaster who will be your guide throughout your mission.

I played RevQuest with my nine-year-old daughter, and while my teenager initially scoffed, he and my husband were quickly drawn in. A challenging sequence of finding clues and decoding them, the game takes you down side streets and into areas of Colonial Williamsburg you might otherwise bypass.

Joining the Secret Society

http://www.thisgirltravels.com/2014/01/13/revquest-offers-intrigue-whole-family-colonial-williamsburg/

We met the Sentinel, a Friend of America, and were admitted to the Crossbones Club meeting only after asking the secret question, “How do Americans pay their way?” The mission was explained and we were off looking for clues.

Here is a quote from our orders: “Our Friends have risked their Lives to obtain intelligence of the location and nature of the gathering Threat to America. Your plan of operation will commence when you depart from the Sentinel, carrying with you a captured map that includes notations pointing the way to the Threat. The meanings of the notations can only be understood by breaking the ciphers in a Dispatch intercepted from our enemies.”

This was no joke. I was swept up in Revolutionary spy fever.

We recognized other Friends of America by the black & white ribbons they wore, but had to approach them carefully and quietly so as not to expose the Society. To progress through the game, we were instructed to use some of the “newest” ciphering techniques of the day: book, wheel, and numeric. Educational and exciting, using the ciphers taught us about the different ways sensitive information was exchanged in colonial times. When answers were uncovered, we texted the Screenmaster who informed us of our success (or failure) and gave us the next order.

Spoiler Alert!

If you want to be truly surprised by your adventure, skip to the next paragraph. I can’t stress enough how riveting this game is. Just when we thought we had completed the mission, it was revealed that we’d been played by the British! At the final checkpoint, something seemed amiss. My feelings were confirmed when a British redcoat appeared and thanked us for our service! Fortunately, we were able to make up for our mistake by continuing on with a new mission. The game feels very real – I was actually shaking a bit from the shock knowing “what I had done” for the redcoats!

Accomplishing Your Mission

http://www.thisgirltravels.com/2014/01/13/revquest-offers-intrigue-whole-family-colonial-williamsburg/

We were told the mission would take about two hours. We watched a brief reenactment and stopped for lunch, but it took us nearly four hours, so be sure to start early in the day and stay focused on your task.

We finished the mission and received a special RevQuest medallion, along with a password to access the Screenmaster online for additional tasks after leaving Williamsburg. A new mission is created each year – we are already looking forward to our return trip.

RevQuest brings the whole family together. Whether it’s reading maps, decoding clues, or finding hidden dispatches, it often took the four of us putting our heads together to discover an answer. Don’t miss out on the challenge and intrigue of the gamewhen you visit Colonial Williamsburg.

Disclosure: Thank you to Colonial Williamsburg for providing my family with complimentary admission. All opinions are my own.

http://www.thisgirltravels.com/2014/01/13/revquest-offers-intrigue-whole-family-colonial-williamsburg/

“Blog: Atlanta Rug Market Wraps Up Day One”

By: Andrea Lillo

1/9/14

ATLANTA-More is more in Atlanta, as rug companies debuted their first introductions of the year at the Atlanta International Area Rug Market. New and expanding licensed collections were prominently featured, and color and texture continued their reign.

Capel’s Infinity, left, and Aspen

Some companies also debuted new categories. In its new showroom, Kas officially launched its pillow and pouf category, which included embroidered and sari silk items, and themes such as nautical and travel. About half of the new category coordinates with rug designs, while the balance is standalone designs. Kas will celebrate the new category with a party later today, which will include a ribbon cutting with newly signed licensor Donny Osmond.

Safavieh debuted a printed collection with Cedarbrook, a cotton line with geometrics and other patterns. The company also bolstered its shag offerings with a major introduction, with about 100 new designs in all colorways. New items included shags with lurex, ones that were sculpted and others that had Moroccan and geometric designs.

http://www.hfnmag.com/opinions/blog-atlanta-rug-market-wraps-up-day-one/

Kas debuted its poufs at market.

Capel expanded several of its licenses. Its line with Hable Construction, having first debuted to the trade this past fall, now has handknotted rugs. Made in India, the three designs–Infinity, Laurel and Aspen–will retail for $3,300 for an 8-by-11.

Capel’s Williamsburg licensed line grew with the Grand Palampore tufted design in three colorways.

Momeni experimented with laser printing with its new Minerals collection, which prints photos of minerals, such as malachite, onto cotton. Another introduction was Lace, a flatwoven design that was inspired by Indian block printing.

Parties last night included Oriental Weavers’ celebration of its newest group of Pantone-licensed rugs, which focused on 2014’s color of the year, Radiant Orchid, as well as the first designs from its new Tommy Bahama licensed line.

Couristan also debuted its newest designs with designer Emma Gardner with a party last night. The introductions included several outdoor designs as well as items in its Prismatic collection, including the patterns Harvest Moon and Working Late.

http://www.hfnmag.com/opinions/blog-atlanta-rug-market-wraps-up-day-one/

Momeni’s Minerals collection is laser printed.

Later today, Loloi will celebrate its 10 years in business with a showroom party. Surya will host a market party as well

http://www.hfnmag.com/opinions/blog-atlanta-rug-market-wraps-up-day-one/

1/14/14 www.creators.com/print/lifestylefeatures/home-and-garden/decor-score/hot-for-cool-contemporary-bath-design-31b900e6ee.html

www.creators.com/print/lifestylefeatures/home-and-garden/decor-score/hot-for-cool-contemporary-bath-design-31b900e6ee.html 1/2

Décor Score

by Rose Bennett Gilbert

Hot for Cool Contemporary Bath Design

Q: We are planning his and hers baths in our new house. I know what I want — old-fashioned tongue-and-

groove walls, cream cabinets ... everything warm and cozy. My husband surprised me by asking for strictly

contemporary: slate floors and walls to the ceiling, a tub in the middle of the room and European-design fixtures.

Help! I don't know where to begin.

A: Begin with that famous French saying, "Vive la difference!" Some like it hot, or warm and cozy; some like it

cool, really cool, as in the sleek, stark bath in the photo we show here.

Actually, that should read "sleek, Starck bath," as in Philippe, the French architect and nonpareil product

designer (remember the iconic, long-legged juicer he created for Alessi in l990, now in the Museum of ModernArt?).

High, wide and handsome, this bath embodies Starck's obsession with reducing design to its very essence. Nofuss, no feathers, no nonsense. As he says, "It has been shown that less really can be more — however, only

when the reductions are made in the right places."

A philosopher as well as world-acclaimed designer — who speaks of his pared-down designs as "truthfulness"

and "the intelligence of ergonomics" — Starck has been partnering with Duravit, a leading supplier of bathroom

furniture the world-over, for the past 20 years. He not only designs spare-and-elegant fixtures like those in thisbath, he built the company's headquarters in the Black Forest, which incorporates a giant toilet in its facade.

Why the giant toilet? "It was for the little boy riding with his family through the Black Forest," the architect once

explained. "Nothing but trees, trees, trees ... then, suddenly, 'Daddy, look! A giant toilet!'"

The same sense of purpose — and fun — keeps Starck's Duravit designs far from the everyday "necessities"

they actually are. This is why you should have a look (duravit.us) on behalf of your husband's new bath. In this

iconoclast designer's hands, less can be a whole lot more.

Q: I've never been to Colonial Williamsburg, Va., but I love traditional design.

We're planning a trip. What should I see?

A: Lucky you! Although every house and shop in the recreated town is rich with ideas for lovers of colonial

design, a new exhibit is about to open on Feb. 14 that promises to open your eyes to many new ideas.

Called "A Rich and Varied Culture: The Material World of the Early South," it's a one-of-a-kind gathering of

1/14/14 www.creators.com/print/lifestylefeatures/home-and-garden/decor-score/hot-for-cool-contemporary-bath-design-31b900e6ee.html

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decorative arts made in the U.S. South from the l7th century through l840, just before the War Between the

States. You'll see furniture, paintings, prints, silver and pewter, ceramics, mechanical arts and arms, architectural

elements, archaeological objects, rare books, maps, costumes and accessories, and musical instruments,

according to the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum in Colonial Williamsburg.

Prepare to be dazzled. "Southern artists and artisans generated a vast body of material in virtually every

medium," says Ronald L. Hurst of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

It's also fun to step back two centuries in the historic town and see how our forebears lived, dressed and ate —

don't pass up the spoon bread in Christiana Campbell's Tavern!

(SET IMAGE) rgi011314adAP.jpg (END IMAGE) (SET CAPTION) Cool but far from tepid, a

contemporary bath is furnished with sculptured fixtures by designer Philippe Starck. Photo Courtesy Duravit.(END CAPTION)

Rose Bennett Gilbert is the co-author of "Manhattan Style" and six other books on interior design. To find outmore about Rose Bennett Gilbert and read features by Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the

Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2014 CREATORS.COM

| SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2014 |

MarkNelsonsays he’s notan adrenalinejunkie, butthere’s billow-

ing evidence to the contrary.The 54-year-oldNewportNews

resident has been flying hot-airballoons safely for decades. It’s asport that requires sharp skills,good judgment and the ability toembrace a certain degree of unpre-dictability.

“This is going to be fun,” he saidwith a sly grin just before launchingone coolNovembermorning inSmithfield. “We’re going to hop overthose trees and go.”

Itwas about 7 a.m. andhe hadn’tyet inflated his colorful flyingmachine. Thewindwas gusting enough tomake himuncomfortable, but not enough tomake him scrap the day’sadventure. After lighting large flamethrower-like propane burners, hefearlessly blasted jets of fire into the belly of the balloon, even aswind bent

the fabric uncomfortably close to theheat.

Seconds later, he barked orders topassengers and crew. “I need you inthe basket, now!” he commanded, hisvoice resonatingwith urgency.

Bodies scrambled on board asNelson, already inside,worked swift-ly tomake final preparations fortakeoff.

Franticmoments ensued asground crewmembersworked torelease the tether holding the bal-loon to the earth. Then, after a quickadjustment, the balloon floated si-lently over barns and treetops. Ev-eryone on boardwas quiet as thecraft glided skyward, opening pasto-ral vistas.

Asked later if he enjoys the thrillsof this relatively low-tech formofaviation,Nelson said he sees it asmore relaxing than exciting.

“It’s an aerial naturewalk, amagiccarpet ride,” he said.

Cruising over creeks and golfcourses,woods andneighborhoods,

Nelson started to look at ease. Gazing down at a pasturewhere a fewhorses sprinted nervously, Nelson called to them.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DIANNA M. KEEN

Mark Nelson and Reed Basley soar shortly after launching their balloons in November from Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield.

UP, UPANDAWAY

UP, UPANDAWAY Balloon master Mark Nelson soars quietly

through the friendly skies of Hampton RoadsBalloon master Mark Nelson soars quietlythrough the friendly skies of Hampton Roads

PHOTO COURTESY OF DIANNA M. KEEN

Reed Basley fills his balloon with hot air shortly before launching from Windsor CastlePark in Smithfield.

By SamMcDonaldsmcdonald@dailypress.com

SAM MCDONALD/DAILY PRESS PHOTO

Mark Nelson gazes ahead as he pilots his hot-air balloon near Smith-field. A balloon flown by his friend Reed Basley cruises in the distance.

Please turn to Page G2

Noone today remembers thenames ofmore than16,000 in-fants taken in byLondon’sFoundlingHospital during themid-1700s.

But that doesn’tmean there’snoway to tell their poignantstories.

Scrupulously recorded by the

hospital’s clerks,more than 800feet of ledgers and entry bookssurvive in the still-operatingcharity’s archives, each one filledwith detailed physical descrip-tions of the forsaken childrenwhowere registered not by namebut by number.

Pinned to some 5,000 entriesare scraps of fabric preserved asboth tokens of the child’s identityand the affection of parentswho

dearly hoped to but rarely suc-ceeded in reclaiming their aban-doned babies.

Small cloth hearts, strips ofribbon and scrawled notes rankas themost plaintive of thesesymbols, 59 ofwhich are on viewatColonialWilliamsburg’sDe-WittWallaceDecorativeArtsMuseum in the onlyAmerican

Fabric tells foundlings’ story

PHOTO COURTESY OF CORAM(FORMERLY FOUNDLING HOSPITAL)

A heart cut from red woolen clothaccompanied Foundling No. 10563when her mother handed her overon Nov. 22, 1758.

Records frommid-1700s form identity of babies handed over

Please turn to Page G2

ByMark St. John Ericksonmerickson@dailypress.com

InsideHome & Garden:Masculine colors,integrated edibles andrepurposed materialsare just a few gardentrends to try in 2014.Page 8

Savvy Shopper:Check out ourinformation onbudgets, guests anddresses forbrides-to-be as bridalshows start coming tothe area. Page 13

2 DAILY PRESS Sunday, January 12, 2014

showing of “Threads of Feeling:TheLondonFoundlingHospi-tal’s Textile Tokens, 1740-1770.”

The tokens have leftmorethan a fewgallerygoersweeping.

“It’s such amoving exhibit,”saysColonialWilliamsburgtextiles and costumes curatorLindaBaumgarten,who spenttwo years negotiating the show’stransatlantic journey.

“We’ve had people leave thegallery in tears.”

Founded bywealthyEnglishsea captainThomasCoram in1741, the FoundlingHospitalwasdedicated to the “education andmaintenance of exposed anddeserted young children.”

But because ofwhatCoramhimself saw as the shockinglylarge numbers of children aban-doned by the poor of Londonduring the time, the hospitalwasoverwhelmed from the begin-ning.

Fewapplicants older than12monthswere accepted—andthen only if the parent drewawhite ball froma bag filledwiththe black balls of rejection.

Then the babieswere strip-ped of their names and regis-tered as a number on a ledgersheet alongwith a long list ofphysical descriptions.

“The process of giving over ababy to the FoundlingHospitalwas anonymous,” said exhibi-tion curator John Styles in abook accompanying the exhibit.

“Itwas a formof adoption.TheFoundlingHospital becamethe infant’s parent and its previ-ous identitywas erased.”

To avoid any threat of dis-closure—and the shame thatmight lead somemothers todump their babies in the streetsor even kill them— the hospi-tal’s clerkswere strictly forbid-den to record themothers’names until the1760s.

But because themother re-tained the right to reclaimherchild if her circumstances im-proved, each onewas encour-aged to leave a token that couldbe used as an identifyingmark inthe future.

Notes and letterswere a com-mon response from the literate.But because somany of Lon-don’s poor could not read orwrite,manymoremothers leftscraps of fabric cut from theirclothes or the garmentsworn bytheir infants.

“Someof themappear to havebeen cut on the spot,” Baum-garten said.

“But nomatterwhat formthey took, each piece of fabrictells a story.Wehave the date ofadmission.Weknow the sociallevel of the child.Wehave awholewindow that tells uswhotheywere.”

In practice, fewer than a thirdof the infants taken in during themid-1700swere accompanied bysuch tokens of hope.

Some came fromcircum-stances so desperate and desti-tute that theirmothers handedthemover in rags.

In1757, one little boywasdescribed as “ClothedwithRagsSwarmingwithVermin.”

Another admitted twomonths laterwas “AMear Skili-tonCoveredwithRagswith aHole in theRoofe of theMouth.”

“ManyFoundling babiesweresimply dumped at theHospital,uncared for and unloved,” Styles

writes.“(But) the presence of the

unwanted among the Foundlingbabies is hardly surprising. TheHospitalwas set up specificallyto care for them.”

Still, alongside somany casesof heartless desertion, numerousexamples ofmaternal love,yearning and remorse can befound in scribbled notes, deco-rated ribbons andnames, initialsand birth dates sewnonto piecesof fabric.

FoundlingNo. 453, for exam-ple,was admitted onOct. 7, 1748,with a neat yellow ribbon tiedaroundhiswrist.

“Myname is Andrews,” thecarefully lettered inscriptionsays.

FoundlingNo. 8959wasadmitted on June19, 1758,with ascrap of fabric printedwith dotsand red flowers aswell as thefollowing plea:

“Florella BurneyBorn junethe19: 1758: InTheParish off St.

Anns SoHo.Not Baptize’d, prayLet partiuclareCare beTak-en’en off this Child. As itwill becall’d forAgain…”

FoundlingNo. 704 arrivedwith a stillmore touching noteof identification.

“Myname is Robert Cutler,”it stated. “Iwas christened10Feb.1750 andmymotherwasburied at the same time.”

Fewer than1percent of thechildren taken in by the hospitalwere reclaimed by theirmoth-ers.

But that dismal figuremerelymakes the lone example illus-trated in the showall themorepowerful, Baumgarten said.

WhenFoundlingNo.16516was admitted onFeb.11, 1767, hewas accompanied by a piece of

patchwork onwhich hismotherhad stitched and then cut in halfa heart sewnwith bright redthread.

Eight years later, SarahBend-er returned to the hospitalwithher half of the heart— and sheandher sonCharleswere finallyreunited.

“These stories pack powerful,emotional punches sure to reso-natewith parents,” saidRonaldHurst, chief curator and vicepresident of ColonialWilliams-burg.

Erickson can be reached at757-247-4783. Find his visual artsandmuseum stories atdailypress.com/entertainment/arts.

Exhibit tells poignant storyContinued from Page G1

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG

This period image of the London Foundling Hospital was made in London about 1755.

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLONIALWILLIAMSBURG

Wealthy English sea captainThomas Coram, shown here in a1749 mezzotint engraving,founded the London FoundlingHospital in 1741 to help savesome children.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CORAM(FORMERLY FOUNDLING HOSPITAL)

Foundling No. 16516 was admitted to the LondonFoundling Hospital on Feb. 11, 1767. Eight years later,the child’s mother returned with her half of theheart and reclaimed her son.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CORAM(FORMERLY FOUNDLINGS HOSPITAL)

This ledger entry for Foundling No. 935, a boy ad-mitted to London’s Foundling Hospital on April 11,1753, included a blue and white cockade left as atoken of identification.

Want to go?“Threads of Feeling: TheLondon Foundling Hospital’sTextile Tokens, 1740-1770.”Where: DeWitt WallaceDecorative Arts Museum, insidethe Public Hospital of 1773,Francis and Henry streets,WilliamsburgWhen: Through May 26Cost: $11.95 adults, $5.95children 6-12 or by ColonialWilliamsburg ticketInformation: 757-229-1000 orwww.history.orgOnline: Go todailypress.com/threadsoffeelingto see a gallery of images fromthe show.

“It’s OK. It’s OK, girls,” heyelled. “I’mnot going to landthere.”

Later, Nelson explained thatanimal psychology is an often-overlooked facet of ballooning.“Horses hear the human voiceand they calmdown.Cows aresmart. The only animal you can’treasonwith is a pig. They don’thave a sense of humor.”

Nelson’s love affairwith bal-loon flight dates to1977. That’swhen, after graduating fromBethelHigh School the previousyear, hemoved toLynchburg torun awaterbed store. Soon after,he caught the bug. “Itwasmyflotation period,” he saidwith asmile.

Afterwatching anHBO specialabout ballooning, hewas on thephonewith a pilot arranging hisfirst ride. It didn’t take long forhim to buy a balloon.

Nelson spent the next 20 yearsliving inVirginia’s ShenandoahValley.Whileworking in thebedding and furniture business,flyingwasmostly aweekendactivity. Over time, as Virginia’stextile and furniture industriesbegan toweaken, he began devot-ingmore time to offering charterballoon adventures.He’s pilotedthemacross the nation aswell as

in Israel andMexico.ReedBasley, a friend and fel-

lowballoonistwho lives in JamesCityCounty, has flown alongsideNelson onmany expeditions. Thetwopilots have known each otherfor 20 years.

“Mark’s in a league all his own,”Basley said. “He’s a very enthusi-astic person.He’s always lookingfor another angle on doingflights.”

Basley saidNelson organizedthe Israel trip through contactsforged throughdecades of bal-looning.

“Five or six of us fromVirginiawent over to Israel,” he said. “Wetoured thewhole country, northand south. The last flightwemadewas on the outskirts of theGaza Strip. I landed in a field. Ittook awhile for the trucks to findus, sowe sat there in the fieldlistening to the bombs go off inthe distance.”

Nelson said hemoved back toNewportNews about two yearsago to care for his aging parents.He began launching charter bal-loon flights from theWilliams-burgKOAcampground and sincehas secured a license to fly fromparks in Smithfield.

Last year, a film crewhired bytheVirginiaHistorical SocietyflewwithNelson so they couldcapture dramatic aerial footage

for a shortmovie that’s to bescreened regularly at he society’smuseum inRichmond.

Flying over and around thePeninsula has its challenges,Nelson said. Bodies ofwater cancreate sticky situations. So canmilitary bases.

He remembers one ill-fatedtrip that ended in the restrictedterritory of theCampPeary nearWilliamsburg.

“Thatwas an interesting day,”Nelson said, smiling.When secu-rity forces arrived,Nelson noticedtheyweren’t amused. “Theyaskedme, ‘Can you tellmewhy amember of your crew is inmysniper stand?’ I said, ‘I can’t an-swer that question.’ ”

Wind andweather can createan element of unpredictability tothe sport, butNelson said his 36years of experience give him anedge. By harnessing air currentsat different altitudes, he can tackback and forth like a sailboat andmove in a desired direction.

“There are two types of pilots,”Nelson said, “oneswho ride andoneswho flywhere theywant togo. I can fly10miles and land at aparticular schoolyard.”

Nelson’s ground crew chief,LukeMason, confirms that hisboss can take the balloon exactlywhere hewants—weather per-mitting, of course.

“I’ve seen him set it downbetween a house and a garage andanother house. Boom.Right inthemiddle,”Mason said.

First-timers planning a balloonadventure should know thatplanning and flexibility are key,Nelson said. If conditions aren’tright, there can be no flight.

“I’ll say this about life: Thebetter things require planningand time,”Nelson said. “Youhaveto be patient and schedule youradventure and plan it. If it’sworth

doing, take the time to plan it.That’s the big thing.

“Theweather is either flyableor it isn’t. I don’t push it. I neverhave. Imake the right decision. ...I always askmyself, ‘Would I flymymother today?’ If Iwouldn’tflymymother, I’mnot going to flyyourmother.We carry preciouscargo.”

McDonald can be reached byphone at 757-247-4732.

Newport News man’s career floating skywardContinued from Page G1

PHOTO COURTESY OF DIANNA M. KEEN

A ground crew helps untetherMark Nelson’s balloon just beforelaunch.

Want to go?What: Hot-air balloon rideswith pilot Mark Nelson andhis company World BalloonAdventuresCost: $200-$250 perperson, with some specialsoffering a trip for two for$349More information:849-2366 orwww.worldballoonadventures.comWhat: Hot-air balloon rideswith pilot Reed BasleyCost: $225 per personMore information:328-7412,www.virginiaballoonflights.com

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