Classic Answer Man: Will Candler be invaded? Do leaves die on July 17?
Note: This column originally was published Sept. 12, 2011.
A fine crop of questions this week. Keep 'em coming.
Let's get right to your queries, my smart-aleck responses and the real deal.
Question: What's with the buildup of military surplus in Candler, on both sides of U.S. 19/23? It continues to grow! No tanks yet, but I'm sure they are coming! Are we under threat of invasion by Canton or Woodfin? Or are we gearing up to protect ourselves from annexation?
My answer: I'm pretty sure this is how Biltmore Lake turned the tide against the city of Asheville back during the Great Annexation War earlier this century. Hey, might makes property rights!
Real answer: No need to worry about tanks or an invasion, says Geri Frank, chief financial officer at Mountain Gear Surplus Sales in Candler.
"We are the biggest stockpiler of surplus military tents on the East Coast," Frank said. "We've sent I don't know how many truckloads of military tents to Haiti after the earthquake and to New Orleans after Katrina."
The company also sells to hunting groups and other outdoors-related endeavors, as well as to a market that's an unfortunate sign of the times.
"There are people living in these things all over the country now because of foreclosures," Frank said. "These are big, sturdy tents and you can put a wood stove in them."
They've also tapped into a little more glamorous market: Television and movies. Mountain Gear surplus tents have appeared in the TV shows "Army Wives" and "Lost" (season seven), and the movie "Men Who Stare at Goats."
They buy the tents whenever they can get them, repair them and sew them back up if necessary, and then sell and ship them.
Regarding the trucks, Frank said they buy them on occasion, but that's not the main part of their business. Some vehicles are operable and used for transport, while others they break down to sell off parts.
Incorporated in 2003, Mountain Gear does own some property across the street, but they needed more space and moved much of their gear to the location across Smoky Park Highway. The floods in 2004 limited the use of some of their indoor space, which explains why some equipment remains outside, Frank said.
They plan to open a retail surplus store on the site in the next few months, but right now the business is not a retail establishment and cannot accommodate on-site shoppers. People interested in tents can call 665-7731 or visit the website www.armytents.com.
Question: Years ago, when I lived in Columbia, Tenn., I took the Nashville Tennessean. There was a columnist named Elmer Hinton who wrote of this, that and the other about once a week. In one column he said that some of his naturalist/forester friends had decided that on July 17 the leaves on the trees stop growing and start dying. Do you have a way of checking this out?
My answer: Well, I camped out deep in the woods the week of July 17, and I'm still deeply disturbed by the haunting wails of all those dying leaves. Oh, the screams! The horror, the horror!
Real answer: I found out that Hinton died in 1979, so I'm confident I don't have to worry about him refuting the answer below. Whew!
"Leaves don't stop functioning until they fall off," said Kathy Mathews, an associate professor of biology at Western Carolina University and the institution's leaf color guru. "Until they turn brown, they're still functioning. If they're green, they're still producing sugars for the tree."
If they're yellow or red, they're in the process of transferring the nutrients to the tree's roots.
This is the opinion of John Boyle. Contact him at jboyle@citizen-times.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Classic Answer Man: Will Candler be invaded? Do leaves die on July 17?
