To say that Becky Anderson is a force of nature is somewhat misleading. True, she has a certain whirlwind energy, but there’s nothing tumultuous or overpowering about her. She’s more like a mountain stream, patiently carving an indelible path in the landscape, keeping things flowing — sparkling and refreshing.

Becky’s lifelong efforts on behalf of her beloved corner of Western North Carolina have benefited the civic, economic and cultural sectors. She’s served the area with the Chamber of Commerce, courted and supported our industrial and economic growth, helped to establish the Buncombe County Child Development day care program and, most recently, nurtured and directed a nonprofit organization that has become a national benchmark for developing the potential of the local arts and crafts community: HandMade in America. In 1999,

At home in an Arts & Crafts-inspired aerie in Asheville, Becky surrounds herself with the things she loves best: her husband Ed, works by some of her favorite artisans, stacks of books and magazines and a breathtaking panorama of her treasured Blue Ridge Mountains.

"We have a westward view," says Becky, "so I can look out to mountains that are the heritage of my family for generations. I can see Pisgah, where we’d go, sit on the rocks and eat fried chicken almost every Sunday, and the Rat and Bridal Veil. South of that, you can see Cold Mountain. I can make out Hooker’s Gap and Doggett Mountain out by Spring Creek where my family is from. So I not only see splendor, I see history, family and tradition."

The Anderson home, like Becky, is warm, welcoming and unpretentious. She and Ed have filled it with local handcrafts of all types, from traditional functional pieces to stunning decorative work. "Here in Western North Carolina, we have both, and their influence on each other is very strong," Becky observes. "I don’t see a war between the contemporary maker and the traditional maker. There’s a great deal of respect on both sides. I think it’s one of the major strengths of our region that they come as equals to the table."

Living with handcrafts, Becky says, adds a new dimension to everyday tasks.

"I can’t say I have a favorite piece, because so many of these craftspeople have become friends. The true story of craft is that the maker is so imbued into the piece. It’s the human connectivity of these objects that cannot be replaced."

Becky spends considerable time traveling, so her home offers a sanctuary from the hectic pace. "Weekends are almost a hibernation; sometimes we don’t even answer the phone. But there’s usually music playing. I love traditional music — mountain music — there’s no doubt about it, and then on into the folk genre. I’m a huge Doc Watson fan, as is everybody else in the world," she laughs. "Ed’s a blues man, so we also listen to a lot of the hard-core Delta and Mississippi blues."

Often, Ed will retreat to his woodturning studio, a passion he has developed in the past seven years "ever since I retired — for the third time." He finds inspiration in many of the handcrafted items that surround him and in the materials themselves. "When you cut a piece of wood and it looks and feels right — the grain, the swirls, the colors — the wood just tells you what you should do."

As for Becky, she’ll usually be found at her computer, doing research or writing a grant proposal. Even at home, she’s still connected. "My life is interwoven with this community," she says. "At every turn. I think about it all day long. I grew up in a family tradition of community." That legacy of connection and stewardship inspired her parents, both of whom were teachers and community leaders in the Canton area, and is brought forward by Becky’s civic service and celebrated in the literary works of her brother Fred Chappell, former poet laureate of North Carolina.

Even so, Sunday is for kicking back; a leisurely breakfast, a relaxing walk, catching up on reading and even some TV time. "I’m a news-aholic," Becky confesses. "I have to watch the Sunday morning talk shows and I’ve been a fan of

Becky and Ed put a similar optimism into practice with their informal gatherings. "We try to have good friends over for a casual Sunday night supper. Usually, the topic is politics," she says with a smile. "When I think about it, we’ve never had a gossip session here. I can’t ever remember a time when we took somebody down.

"I’m so inspired by the people around the table. I learned from my family that one of the most sacred things you can do is to share a meal with someone, so dinners at our house would go from seven in the evening ‘til 10 o’clock at night. My father would not let us come to the table unless we’d read the day’s paper — the funnies and sports page didn’t count — and he’d lead the conversation."

But for all the scintillating dinner table debates — past and present, Becky’s favorite spot in the home is solitary — and as down-home as you can get. "At the kitchen sink, just gazing out the window. It’s mesmerizing. In the summer, when the tree cover is out, the immediate surroundings fascinate me. We have two hawks that I start tracking in the spring — their morning and evening circles. In the winter, you get the long view."

A fitting allegory, since Becky’s gift lies in the ability to clearly focus on what’s right in front of her, look out to what lies beyond, and deeply appreciate the value of both. "I just gawk all the way down the mountain," she says. "That’s the joy of it."