Wow! Your Laurel team and the good folks at Walton Press (the best commercial printer on the planet) worked as hard as we could to get this issue out the door, printed and in your hands. This was a challenging month for us but that isn’t even worth mentioning when we see the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. I have to thank the men and women of Georgia Power and HEMC and all of the tree services who came to help. Also our law enforcement, EMS, Fire Services and volunteers. We will be praying for those who have lost loved ones and those who are still searching for their family, friends and neighbors. Material loss is horrible but things can be replaced. Thank you to all who have loaded trucks, gathered and driven supplies to those in need.
It is hard to talk about all of the great things that are in this issue when my heart is so heavy seeing what others are going through. We were without power for a few days and weren’t aware of all that had happened around us. It is a reminder that in the blink of an eye our lives can drastically change. We have so much to be thankful for and we should live everyday with purpose, serving others and sharing all that God has blessed us with. Be an encourager and make the world a better place.
Life is a blessing and it’s short, leave a lasting impression on those you meet, share kindness and the love of Jesus. If you feel like I am preaching at you, it’s because I am and to myself as well. We are here for a reason and God has a plan for your life and mine. We all (me included) need to step back and take a look at what we are doing with all that we’ve been blessed with. We all have different gifts and abilities. I believe God intends for us to act as a family, taking care of each other as best we can with what we have. I am not talking about your money, be the hands and feet of Jesus. Get up each day and try to do the next right thing. Go out of your way, go the extra mile, go do some good!
Let’s pray for each other, our country and the world. We’ve got a lot going on but I serve a God that is bigger than all of it. If you are not a believer or have no faith, I’ll move you to the top of my list cause I love you too.
Be kind, Tracy
Writers & Contributors: Peter McIntosh, Victoria (Tori) Carver, Lorie Thompson
Rev. John Hutcheson, Jr., Dr. Jackson, John Shivers, Liz Alley
Dick Cinquina, Susan Cookson, MD, MPH, FACP, Mark Holloway
Rabun’s
The Arts
10 - Cover Artist - Anna DeStefano
14 - Featured Artist NGAG - Jean Mitchell
16 - North Georgia Community Players
Around Town
18 - Sky Valley Fall Festival
20 - Highroads Tasting Room
26 - Celebrating Kathy McClure
The Outdoors
37 - Adventure Out40 - Firmly Rooted
Faith in Christ 46 - R4G
A Taste
50 - Family Table
56 - Emma Poole Personal Chef 58 - Providence Farmstead
Homes
62 - Harry Norman Luxury Lake & Mountains
66 - Amanda Stewart Team Shield / Keller Williams
Healthy and Well
70 - Ask Dr. J - Vertigo pt 2
72 - What’s New at Clayton Family Medicine
74 - F.A.I.T.H
It’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month
76 - Global Warming & Infectious Diseases
77 - Medications & Dementia
Just Thinking
60 - Lovin’ the Journey Get Uncomfortable
80 - Lizzie Writes - Hyreath
Looking Back
82 - An Afternoon with Hubert Houck
84 - The Making of Tallulah Falls Dam
“If what you are doing doesn’t excite you, find what does.”
- Anna DeStefano
ANNA DESEFANO + AFFIRMATION PHOTOGRAPHY
It’s Healing.
Anna DeStefano is an incredible photographer. Her work goes beyond that, offering an experience of positivity, joy and healing. This is why her work is on display throughout northeast Georgia in medical facilities such as Emory Hospital and North Georgia Health Systems, our Rabun County Health Department and other offices. The softness of her nature photography evokes a peaceful feeling that draws you to linger there. Her paintings are much the same leading me to believe that this comes from the master behind the lens and the brushes. Artwork is a newer exploration for Anna and she is exhilarated by this leg of her journey. In sitting with her for a recent interview I found that the peaceful nature is within her and the photography and art are an extension of that. The road to finding that peace has been a sometimes bumpy one. Like most of us, Anna has experienced grief, sadness and pain. Through her art she has worked through it and now hopes to share this healing journey with others.
What you’ll find with Affirmation Photography is that each image tells a story. From a bear cub in an oak tree to a river flowing over rocks in autumns splendor like the image on our cover, there was an adventure involved. The vibrant colors of nature, chosen subject matter and variations in focus have become a common theme recognizable as Anna’s work. A storyteller at heart she looks for new ways to share these stories through her work. She hopes to encourage and uplift those on a difficult path, not to avoid life’s difficulties but to make friends with them and find our way to the other side. The hard times we face make us stronger and give us a story to share as well.
Anna experienced a devastating loss early in her life when she lost her father. A true “daddy’s girl”, the loss was great and the struggle was real. Creative outlets are typical for left brain dominant individuals but Anna leans more right brained. She has a very analytical nature and ironically she uses both sides in her work today. After years in the computer technology field, writing code, she felt drawn to more creative endeavors, but her parents encouraged her towards a path that would allow her to support herself. She shared that she has always dreamed of creating but it wasn’t until she left the technology world and became a mother that she allowed herself to indulge these inclinations fully.
She was staying home with her son and that is when she began writing and publishing novels. With 27 to her credit and writing for big names like Harlequin, she found a way to make a good income from home. Everyday she walked and seen nature clearly for the first time in her life, she purchased a digital camera and began capturing the beauty around her. When she began sharing her photography the response was incredible and it imploded. She began to teach herself more about the camera and lighting, composition and all aspects of great photography. She found mentors along the way who guided her and she found her own style which is truly an extension of her soul. Fast forward to today and Anna works one-onone with new photographers to share what she has learned. Like most great photographers she sets the camera up before the shot, rarely using photoshop and programs like that to enhance her work. If she utilizes these platforms it is to customize or personalize her work.
Her gift is entering a space, be it a medical facility or a client’s home, and being capable of seeing beyond color schemes and décor to capture the missing element that will transform the space. She can then place art that will convey a positive energy of peace or healing and enhance the beauty of the room. She has learned to mesh her analytical and creative sides to the benefit of her clients. This is what sets Affirmation Photography and Anna apart.
Anna and her husband had been residents of Atlanta before moving to Habersham County in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was then that she set up a studio in her home where she would “play” and she filled it with “toys”. She began painting never dreaming she would be able to sell her art it was just another path to explore. But like her photography, people began responding to it and it also became a way to share her stories and offer healing for herself and others. Art is a beautiful thing and is multi-faceted and individualized. Anna can look back on her life and education and see how the business, creative science and communication degrees have all helped her in establishing her art career. She says she would not be where she is had she not pushed herself to invest time on the business side of her art. She realizes though that every minute she spends on that takes away from the creative side. It is a balancing act for sure and one this artist seems to have mastered.
On the painting side, she creates beautiful custom ornaments, original pieces of art, prints and says she is figuring out new ways to create what makes her happy. She does take commissions from clients and once she captures their vision it is brush to canvas and the results are beautiful. Anna has many ideas that are going to take her work to the next level. Seeing that spark in action is remarkable and I can’t even imagine where she can go. I can only tell you that it will help humanity in ways only she can. Anna and her art are a gift to the world.
You can view her work in many spaces, such as Timpson Creek Gallery in Clayton and Hemlock Gallery on the square in Clarkesville. Her website is www.AffirmationPhotography.com and you can follow her on social media @affirmationphotography. For questions and more information email annawrites@mindspring.com
Finding
Art
IJean Mitchell’s
Unique Hand Built Pottery
Tricia Moore
nspired by nature in both color and design, Jean Mitchell’s one-of-a-kind pottery is quite unique. Using subtle earth tones of greens, blues, tans and creams with a leaf motif, Jean creates bowls, plates and trays that are true pieces of art.
Jean is a self-taught artist who became interested in pottery after her husband Bob began working in clay. Fascinated with the medium itself, but not the method Bob used, which was wheel thrown pottery, Jean began creating her beautiful hand-built pieces around fifteen years ago. Jean comes by her artistic ability naturally as her mother was also an artist.
With a BA Degree in Anthropology and a Master’s Degree in Gifted Education, Jean taught ninth grade science for 28 years in Zephyr Hills Florida. She retired 22 years ago, and Bob, a Speech Therapist, retired a year later. Jean and Bob now split their time between their home in Zephyr Hills and their mountain retreat in Hiawassee, Georgia – a beautiful property they purchased 42 years ago. The original home is still on the property, but they have since built a new home there.
While Jean is known for her beautiful, but also utilitarian nature-based pottery, she reveals a different side to herself with the whimsical creatures she sculpts in clay. This menagerie includes rabbits, cats, dragons, and birds. Her sense of humor shows up in the creatures as well as the names she chooses for these whimsical pieces. For instance, she titled the sculpture of the chicken with all the little chicks, “Oh Lordy, what have I done now.” She bases her animal sculptures on cartoons that she sketches out. Yet another facet of her artistic ability is displayed in the intriging masks she creates from clay.
A variety of tools and materials are used by Jean as she works her magic. He choice of clay is a snow-white clay she purchases from Highwater Clays in Asheville, NC. Her signature leaf motif features many different types of leaves including Sassafras, Nasturtium, Grape Vine and Virginia Creeper. In addition to the leaves, she uses stencils, texture tools and other types of texture to enhance her designs. For the bowls she makes, a plaster mold is used. A detail that Jean pointed out is that the feet of the bowl look as if they are growing out of the bottom of the bowl, further carrying out the nature theme. A unique feature of much of her work is the juxtaposition of underglazes and glazes creating a wonderful contrast in texture. This requires two firings in her kiln, which further adds to the time that it takes to produce her one-of-a-kind pottery. Jean states that she usually creates two to three pieces per week and likes to have 20 – 30 new pieces for each show.
Jean exhibits her work at five shows per year including the guild’s two shows – Sassafras and Painted Fern. To view and purchase her work, please visit her at these shows. In addition to being a member of NGAG, Jean is also a member of the Hiawassee Art Guild.
Tricia Moore is a retired teacher, having taught both English and Art in public and private school settings. She is currently an active member of the NGAG and has held several positions on the board. With her background in both art and writing, she feels that writing the NGAG featured artist article in the Laurel of Northeast Georgia is a good fit and something that she will greatly enjoy doing.
North Georgia Community Players Moon Over Buffalo Brings Backstage Laughter to Dillard
Joshua M. Peck
Rebecca Bilbrey and Matthew Johnson have adored each other for 25 years, lived together (no, not romantically), and entertained huge numbers of people together in plays and comedy. But they never got to play husband and wife on stage before they did I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change for a very amused audience in Dillard last year. Now they expand their on-stage marital relationship into a comedic explosion this October when they take on the lead roles of George and Charlotte Hay on the same Rabun County stage.
Moon Over Buffalo, the autumn offering of the North Georgia Community Players, puts the old friends and NGCP veterans as George and Charlotte Hays, who, like the actors playing them, have spent their lives in the theater. The backstage, rollicking farce by Ken Ludwig rises to hilarious heights involving mistaken identity, alcohol, adultery, and aching aspirations for theatrical stardom that has always eluded them. Also...the famed film director Frank Capra may have roles for them.
George and Charlotte are a stage couple who have worked for years, yet never quite “made it,” and are, as the play opens, preparing to do two strikingly different plays in repertory in the title city, rather distant from Broadway. The plays—“Cyrano de Bergerac” and Noel Coward’s “Private Lives,” have nothing to do with each other, but naturally, an inebriated George begins putting on the costume for one when he’s slated to do the other. And that’s only the beginning of the confusion.
Johnson, a professionally trained singer who most recently showed off his pipes in standout roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,—directed by Bilbrey -says it’s fun not to worry about music and just play regular lines for laughs. One of the challenges: “I’ve never had to be drunk for an entire act before.”
Bilbrey, who’s directed four shows since moving from New York to just across the state line in Otto a few years ago, said “I love working with Mattie, and it’s terrific to be an actress and not have to run the whole production.” Bilbrey noted she is enjoying following director Foy Tootle’s primary instruction: “However crazy it gets—go crazier!” The play lends itself well to that as the cast of eight find themselves striving to pull a play together when everything in the show and their lives is falling apart.
The comedy runs for two weekends—October 4-6 and 11-13, at the Dillard Playhouse inside Dillard City Hall. Tickets can be purchased online at www. ngcommunityplayers.com/tickets, or by phone at (706) 212-2500.
Celebrate Autumn at Sky Valley’s 11th Annual Fall Festival
Sky Valley is delighted to welcome everyone to its 11th annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 19th, from 10 AM to 4 PM. This highly anticipated event promises a day filled with fun, festivities, and community spirit, making it the perfect way to embrace the autumn season.
The festival will feature a variety of arts and crafts vendors, showcasing unique, handcrafted items that are perfect for holiday shopping or simply treating yourself to something special. Car enthusiasts won’t want to miss the classic car show, where beautifully restored vehicles will be on display, gleaming in the autumn sun.
For families and children, there will be activities designed to inspire creativity. Live music will fill the air throughout the day, adding to the lively and festive atmosphere. One of the day’s highlights is sure to be the parade and costume contest for dogs, where our furry friends will strut their stuff in their best fall-themed outfits, delighting the crowd.
Food lovers will be treated to a selection of delicious offerings from food trucks. Whether you’re in the mood for a hearty lunch or a quick snack, there will be something to satisfy every craving.
Sky Valley’s famed Hay Bale Trail is a must-see during the festival. This popular attraction features creatively decorated hay bales that add a touch of whimsy and charm to the town’s autumn landscape. Each bale is a unique work of art, reflecting the community’s creativity and love for the season.
Don’t miss the opportunity to take a scenic hayride through the beautiful surroundings of Sky Valley. These relaxing rides offer a chance to take in the stunning fall views and conclude with a visit to the majestic Mud Creek Falls. The combination of crisp autumn air,
breathtaking scenery, and the gentle pace of the hayride makes it a perfect activity for all ages.
We invite everyone to come and experience the magic of autumn at the Sky Valley Fall Festival. Whether you’re a local resident or a visitor, this festival offers the perfect opportunity to connect with the community, enjoy the season, and create lasting memories. Don’t miss out on this beloved event—join us on October 19th for a day of fall fun in Georgia’s highest and coolest city!
Highroads Tasting Room
Matt and Lynda Ann Price are the faces of Highroads Tasting Room. They offer an excellent selection of local wine and mead produced by Jabe Hilson under the labels Slanted Window Wine and Southern Origins Meadery.
As a business on Main Street in Clayton, they have created a cozy atmosphere that makes you feel at home, even before you take your first sip. There is a place for everyone here - no exceptions. You don’t have to find a community because community finds you at Highroads. They are named after the Southern Highroads Scenic Trail, a 360-mile scenic drive through the bountiful mountains, rushing rivers, and by hiking trails of northeast Georgia.
Highroads Tasting Room not only offers local wines and meads but a variety of 50 craft beers and over 90 wines from across the country and around the world. We love to help people discover their taste. “Everyone knows what they like, and we give them words to describe their palate for the best we have to offer”, said Linda Ann. Matt is working on his level 3 certificate through the National Wine School.
Local artists are invited to show their art for sale on a monthly rotation. Local artisans lead classes on creating unique works of pottery, wet felting, crochet, and alcohol inking.
Follow them on social media to see their latest events including arts and crafts on Sunday, classes for wine tasting and pairings on most Thursdays, and live music on Fridays. Starting in September, Matt and Linda Ann will be open 7 days a week, with later evening hours on weekends. Try a flight of wines, meads or beer, by the glass or buy the bottle. They are there to help you discover your taste and find what you like. The couple can also help you find the perfect wine gift for everyone in your life. Stop by and see for yourselves. Matt shared, “We are always chasing the good and escaping the normal.”
Unplug, uncork, and unwind at Highroads Tasting Room, 58 North Main Street in Clayton, Georgia.
Black Bear Estate Sales, LLC – A Company with Customer Service at its Core
Black Bear Estate Sales, LLC is a company founded by Kevin Krzeminski and Kathy Colwell. After retiring, Kevin opened antique and resale shops and recently added off-site estate sales to his services. The need for estate or liquidation sales often arises from life-changing events such as the loss of a loved one. Kevin noticed that many of his clients struggled to organize these sales, which prompted him to establish his company.
Black Bear Estate Sales, LLC serves various areas including the western North Carolina towns of Highlands and Franklin. The upstate of South Carolina and northeast Georgia from Clayton to Blue Ridge and south to Swanee, Georgia.
The company’s services include inventory management, staging of items, and tagging of all items. Kevin and Kathy also have connections with local and Atlanta dealers who provide expertise in collections, artwork, and jewelry. They are knowledgeable in vintage, folk, commercial, and period furniture, as well as train and car collections. Notably, the company does not charge any fees for these services, but rather takes a percentage of the sales.
Kevin and Kathy work with one client at a time, allowing them to focus on ensuring a successful sale for each client. They prioritize getting to know their clients and offer personalized service, which sets them apart from others in the industry.
In the months since beginning this business Kevin and his team have done everything from pack entire homes, referred clients to trusted local REALTORS®, scheduled movers and set up donation pickups after the sale. He has sat with clients who just needed someone to listen and held the hands of those who grieved. Kevin and Kathy have big hearts and are motivated to help those who trust them to handle their estate sale. This level of personalized care is what truly sets Black Bear Estate Sales, LLC apart. For information, you can contact them at 706-982-9858 or via email at blackbear@estatesales.site, or follow them on on Facebook.
Visit Clayton
Celebrating the Achievements of Rabun County’s Kathy McClure!
Tracy McCoy
Kathy is truly an exceptional individual known for her strong community involvement and unwavering commitment to her clients. With an impressive career spanning over 40 years in banking, Kathy has dedicated herself to guiding people through one of the most significant milestones in their lives - purchasing a home.
From 2015 to 2021, Kathy held the esteemed position of President at Clayton’s United Community. While she enjoyed her time in this role, her passion for mortgage banking led her to transition to the role of Mortgage Banker at United Community in 2021, serving Rabun and Habersham Counties. United Community operates in six states across the southeast, allowing Kathy to extend her lending expertise across multiple states. Her daily responsibilities often involve traveling to various locations for client meetings and closings.
In 2023, Kathy set a personal goal to achieve a lending volume of $12 million. Remarkably, she surpassed this target and wrapped up the year with an outstanding volume of $16.5 million. This accomplishment signifies Kathy’s pivotal role in helping numerous families secure their first home or the vacation home they’ve always dreamed of. Her success is especially noteworthy given the challenging market conditions of recent years.
Kathy’s unwavering dedication and exceptional work ethic were rightfully recognized at the 2024 MBAG Gold Awards at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta. She was honored with the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia’s Gold Award received the designation of 2023 United Community President’s Club, reflecting her professional integrity, compassion, determination, and genuine care for her clients.
Speaking with Kathy, she expressed optimism about the improving home lending market, noting a more stable direction with leveling out and dropping interest rates. This presents an opportune time for those contemplating homeownership.
For those seeking Kathy’s assistance, she can be reached at United Community in Clayton, Georgia or Clarkesville, Georgia. Her contact number is 706-212-2462, and her email is kathy_mcclure@ucbi. com. Kathy is always ready to support individuals taking the next step towards homeownership.
Lake Burton & Waterfall Properties
WATERFALL DRIVE # 5E - HANDS DOWN THE BEST LOT IN WATERFALL! GOLF COURSE, LAKE AND LAYERED MOUNTAIN VIEWS! THIS IS THE ONLY WALK OUT LOT IN WATERFALL - CLEARED AND READY FOR YOU TO COME BUILD YOUR DREAM HOME! MLS 10382442- $625,000
*** Sellers are offering a $5000 BUYER INCENTIVE IF CLOSED BY NOVEMBER 15, 2024!***
351 BLALOCK GOLDMINE RD LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! NEW LISTING NEAR LAKE BURTON- PRIVATE 1+ ACRE OASIS SURROUNDS ADORABLE 3/2 TURNKEY HOME 5 MINUTES TO ANCHORAGE & 7 MINUTES TO LAPRADES. THE EXTERIOR SPACE CREATES A FEELING OF SERENITY AND TRANQUILITY WITH THE METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED LUSH LANDSCAPING! THIS ONE WON’T LAST LONG! MLS 10333467- $650,000
325 SHOALS WAY LANE - CLARKESVILLE - SPACIOUS HOME IN GATED RIVER COMMUNITY. 3,614 SQUARE FEET AND SITS ON 1.6 WOODED ACRES. SOQUE RIVER ACCESS AND STORAGE AREA FOR YOUR RV OR BOAT. MLS 10373799- $849,900 CO-LISTED WITH TAMBRIE KITCHENS
0 YELLOW ROSE - ONLY LAKE BURTON ACCESS LOT W/ LAKE AND MOUNTAIN VIEWS, WELL AND 3 BR SEPTIC IN PLACE ACCESS TO 4 DEEP WATER DOCKS. OVER $75K OF CONCRETE IN YOUR DREAM HOME’S FOUNDATION MLS 10148010- $500,000
“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.”
-Oscar Wilde
Adventure Out Autumn Road Tour to Whitewater Falls
PETER MCINTOSH
On this adventure we’re going on an autumn road trip to North Carolina’s Whitewater Falls. There are actually two cascades on the Whitewater River just before it flows into Lake Jocassee, Upper Whitewater Falls and Lower Whitewater Falls. We’ll be visiting the more accessible upper falls. By any standard this is a stunning waterfall, tumbling 410 feet over ledges and boulders, all directly across from a wonderful observation platform on the opposite side of the river gorge. And this is also an access point for the Foothills Trail, a 77-mile footpath located along the Blue Ridge Escarpment that runs from Oconee State Park to Table Rock State Park. The hike to the waterfall itself is easy, first on a paved trail of less than 1/2 mile, and then a descent down a beautiful wooden stairway to the observation platform. And along the paved walkway there is a nice opening where you can overlook beautiful Lake Jocassee. It’s 154 steps down to this spot but if you’re not up for that, the view of the waterfall from the end of the paved trail is very nice as well. And it’s handicapped accessible to this spot.
There is a parking area at the trailhead with a $3.00 fee and there are some picnic tables here and there, should you want to enjoy a snack. Whitewater Falls is a popular destination, so keep that in mind if you’re visiting on a weekend. And if you want to make this adventure a loop road trip, backtrack on the road just a few miles and take Highway 107 up to Cashiers. (Gorges State Park is on this road, and well worth a visit.) From there, you can come back through Highlands. Happy hiking!
For month number 10, let my poem begin: The colors are changing and nature’s calling, Let’s visit a place where the cool water’s falling. On a crisp autumn day, what could be fina, Than a grand waterfall in North Carolina!
Getting there:
From Hwy 441 in Clayton, go east on Hwy 76 E. 8 miles to the Chattooga River and continue 2 miles to Chattooga Ridge Road. Turn left on Chattooga Ridge Road and go 5 miles to stop sign at Whetsone Road. Turn right and go 5 miles to intersection with SC Hwy 28. Turn left and go about 1.5 miles to where Hwy 107 bears off to the right. Go right on Hwy 107 for 14 miles and follow signs to Whitewater Falls.
To see more Peter’s photos or if you have a question or comment, visit: www.mcintoshmountains.com
Peter McIntosh is an accomplished professional photographer. His photography is displayed in collections across the country. His passion for nature and the outdoors is what fuels his column. His work is available as fine art prints. Peter offers one on one and small group instruction on camera operation and photography. To see more of Peter’s photos, or if you have a question or comment, visit Peter’s website: www.mcintoshmountains.com
Firmly Rooted - Celosia
Victoria “Tori” Carver
Before we get started with this month’s flower spotlight, I wanted to be sure and let you know we are working tirelessly behind the scenes updating our website for all the fall bulb goodness that starts in November. We will also be in-person at the Of These Mountains Marketplace on November 2, 2024 with oodles of bulbs, roots, and corms. If all goes according to plan, we will have tulip, daffodil, and allium bulbs, ranunculus corms, and giant Amaryllis bulbs again! But, this year we are adding peony roots and paperwhites to the menu so make sure and check out the updated website and visit us at the Of These Mountains Marketplace in November!
Without further ado, this month’s flower spotlight is on Celosia. Celosia is a tender annual and one of my absolute favorite fillers. If you have never heard of celosia, you are not alone. I had never heard of it before I began my flower farming journey either. It is believed to be native to Africa, North America, and South America, although the exact origin is unknown. This hardworking group of plants are known for their fuzzy, velvet-like flowers and are very easy to grow.
Plants can be started in seed trays in the early spring and transplanted out after all threat of frost has passed but in most of the South, it can also be direct seeded. In fact, Celosia reseeds itself so easily that over half my yearly crops are areas that have reseeded itself the prior season. So, although it is an annual, if you had an area dedicated to it, it could become a perennial of sorts. Celosia plants need full sun, or at least six hours of direct sunlight per day so be sure and pick a sunny spot.
Celosia come in a distinct range of colors and shapes, including
wheat, plume, and cockscomb (often referred to as the brain type). In years past, the brain type has been my favorite with its velvet ribs and intricate colors, but this year, I have found a new appreciation for the plume variety. This variety is also referred to as feather celosia because the blooms are fuzzy and resemble feathers. I had so many blooms this year that took “feathery” to a whole new level. Similar to fuzzy peacock feathers in shades of pink, blush, and coral. Feathers on steroids.
Celosia are insanely long-lasting as a cut flower often lasting up to 2 weeks with a simple change of water. Flowers can also be dried for later use which make this an incredibly versatile plant. Of all the plants I grow, celosia is the easiest to collect seed from and I’ve been busy hoarding thousands of little seeds from all my favorite blooms and look forward to growing this gem for years to come! Do you grow celosia or plan to add them to your garden this coming season? If you already grow them, I would love to know your favorite varieties.
Victoria (Tori) Carver is a flower farmer. From the thousand bulbs and plants that she puts in the ground each year, she creates lovely bouquets. Many enjoy her flowers in their home each week. She has established a subscription program for her customers or an honor-system bouquet sales for random purchases. Tori and her husband and children make their home in Clayton, where they are a treasured part of the community. If you are interested in Firmly Rooted Flower Farm please reach out by email to firmlyrootedflowerfarm@gmail.com or phone 706-490-0041. You will also enjoy their website at www.firmlyrootedflowerfarm.com
Victoria (Tori) Carver is a flower farmer. From the thousand bulbs and plants that she puts in the ground each year she creates lovely bouquets. Tori and her husband and children make their home in Clayton, where they are a treasured part of the community. If you are interested in Firmly Rooted Flower Farm please reach out by email to firmlyrootedflowerfarm@gmail.com or phone 706-490-0041. You will also enjoy their website at www.firmlyrootedflowerfarm.com
Faith in Christ
Complete Surrender
JOHN HUTCHESON, JR.
This Summer much of the world watched the 2024 Olympics in Paris. While ideally the Olympics are meant to promote friendship, solidarity, fair competition, wholesome entertainment, and the amazing skills of some of the best athletes in the world, these Olympics games were not without their share of controversy. From the opening ceremonies, to some of the individual competitors, to judges’ rulings on reviews, there was plenty of controversy to go around. But the controversies surrounding these Olympic games are not the focus of this article. Let’s go back a hundred years in Olympic history.
The 2024 Olympic Games marked the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell famously winning gold for Great Britain in the 1924 Olympics, which ironically was also held in Paris. Liddell won the 400-meter race setting Olympic, European and British records at the time. What made this so interesting and historic was that the 400 meter was not his strongest event. The 100-meter dash was. However, because the qualifying heats for the 100-meter dash were held on Sundays, Liddell, a devout Christian could not in good conscience run those qualifiers.
I don’t personally hold to that viewpoint, but he was fully persuaded that to abstain from running on Sunday was the course of action he must take. Even though he had worked so hard for a shot at Olympic glory, he was not afraid to take that stand even though it was difficult and made him the target of much ridicule and misunderstanding.
I certainly commend him for sticking by what he thought to be true even though, again, I don’t personally hold to that viewpoint. I can also appreciate his spirit in it, saying, “It’s just my belief. I don’t criticize others about it, but I’m not going to run on Sunday.” Of course, as many of you know, this story is iconically captured in the 1981 movie classic, Chariots of Fire.
Eric Liddell was born in 1902 to Scottish missionaries in China. At the age of 5, his family returned to Scotland where he was then sent to boarding school for missionary children in London. There he became quite an athlete excelling in cricket, rugby, and track. He had a unique running style in which he would hold his head way back.
John Hutcheson is the pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church. He grew up at Tabernacle while his dad, John Hutcheson, Sr., pastored it from 1977-2000. After high school, John moved away to prepare for ministry. This preparation included meeting and marrying Sarah, his helper in ministry, and completing a BA in Bible, an MS in Counseling, and an MA in Pastoral Studies. Prior to coming to Tabernacle in the Fall of 2015, he pastored in Ohio and served on church staffs in South Carolina and Missouri. John and Sarah have three girls: Hailey, McKenzie and Macy. His desire is to see people become God-exalting, Christ-loving, disciple-making believers.
Yet, while he gained great notoriety and success as an athlete, specifically as a runner, he didn’t let opposition stop him from what he believed to be true. That was true in the 1924 Olympics and even more so in life.
As a rising popular star, barely a year after he won Olympic gold, he gave up that fame and pursuit of a promising a career as a professional athlete to go back to China to follow in his parents’ footsteps as a missionary teacher. There in China he married Florence Mackenzie, the daughter of Canadians missionaries in 1937, and they had 3 daughters, Patricia, Heather, and Maureen.
In 1937 Japan invaded China, and by 1941 the conditions for Westerners in China had become very dangerous to the point that the British Government advised its citizens to leave China. By 1941 Liddell became concerned for his family’s safety to the point that he made the difficult decision to send his wife (who was pregnant with Maureen at the time) and 2 daughters to her family in her homeland of Canada while he felt compelled to stay behind at a remote mission which served the poor.
That was the last time he would see his wife and daughters, and he would never meet his 3rd daughter, Maureen. In 1943 Eric Liddell was sent to one of the Japanese internment camps, but even there, he served faithfully helping the elderly, teaching bible classes, arranging games, and teaching science to the kids who affectionately referred to him as Uncle Eric.
Due to overwork in the camp, Eric and others believed he was suffering a nervous breakdown, and he ended up dying at age 43 from an inoperable brain tumor—just 5 months before liberation at the end of the war.
His reported last words were to a fellow missionary , a nurse by the name of Annie Buchan, “Annie, it’s complete surrender.” Whether he was running races, no matter how high the stakes, or teaching science to kids, or teaching bible classes or helping the elderly, Eric Liddell was faithfully committed to the principles and mission God gave him—even to the point of great personal sacrifice in staying behind after sending his family to safety. He knew what complete surrender was.
To be a follower of Jesus means we are to be completely surrendered to Him. “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24 ESV).
While many know about Eric Liddell the runner, largely because of the movie, Charitos of Fire, not nearly as many know about Eric Liddell the missionary and the sacrifices he made for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I commend to you the biography, For the Glory, by Duncan Hamiliton for your edification. It is also available in audiobook format as well. Grace!
A Taste
Family Table
LORIE R. THOMPSON
It is good to see October! Fall is the best season in the mountains! The incredible display of color on the mountainsides, the crisp evenings, and, typically, dry weather make me happy, and as I tell you, every year, it is my birthday month!
Our family has always cherished our Fall camping trips. It’s a time to truly connect, enjoying each other’s company and the beauty of the outdoors. We cook, talk, eat, talk... cook, talk, eat, talk... and repeat, creating memories that we’ll always treasure. My nephew, Pete Ramey, and his wife, Ivy, are foundational to the family adventures. Over the years, they have taken on the host duties from Mountain Man and me. We are so grateful that we have the younger generation to shoulder the work required to continue the traditions. Pete plays a large part in the setup and works hard to create a comfortable camp for the family. Ivy organizes the trip meals and the kitchen, making it easy for everyone attending. Our trips would end if it were not for them. They are an impressive couple.
Pete is an equine natural hoof-care specialist. You will study using his books and training videos if you train in this field. Ivy is his support staff, organizing and scheduling their lives. They have traveled all over the world teaching and are each knowledgeable in many subjects, even beyond hoof care. They are adept woodsmen and are both master foragers. Ivy makes salves and balms from gathered plants. You will always find a tube of Ivy’s jewelweed salve with me as it relieves painful or itchy bug bites or stings. I love to sit around a campfire and talk to these two people. They are interesting, interested, and smart!
During a previous October camping trip, Ivy cooked a delicious meal for my birthday supper that included her version of Bang Bang Shrimp and ended with Dutch-Oven Apple Betty. She visited with me this week, and we cooked those dishes to enjoy and photographed them to share with you. Pete and Ivy discovered Bang Bang Shrimp at Clayton’s Rumor Hazit restaurant. After the restaurant closed, Ivy made it a mission to learn how to make the well-loved dish. Initially, Ivy used a copycat recipe of a chain restaurant’s rendition of the Bang Bang Shrimp. Ivy changed the recipe to include using coconut oil for frying. You can use vegetable oil, but coconut oil brings a beautiful flavor to this dish.
For the Bang Bang Shrimp, you will need one pound of peeled and deveined shrimp that have been rinsed and patted dry. We cooked two pounds for the four of us and made another batch of sauce. Cook more than you think you will need, as this is so good! Soak the shrimp in 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup Thai Chili Sauce, and 1/4 cup Sriracha for the sauce.
Using a heavy-bottomed pan, bring Coconut Oil to 375 degrees for frying. A fryer thermometer is recommended to ensure the oil’s temperature is correct. Dredge each shrimp in corn starch and drop it in hot oil for 2-3 minutes (depending on the size of the shrimp). Cook in batches of 6-8 shrimp to maintain oil temperature, turning to cook on both sides if needed. Fry until golden. The first batch will be blond, and the color of the shrimp will deepen as you cook more and the oil darkens.
Drain the cooked shrimp on paper towels, then dredge in the Bang Bang Sauce. Serve with a drizzle of Sriracha.
Ivy recommends using the Huy Fong Sriracha and Mae Ploy Thai Red Chili Sauce. Pete shared a great story behind the Huy Fong Sriracha Sauce with me. The Sriracha inventor was an immigrant from Vietnam. He could not find a sauce as good as what he could buy in his homeland, so he created his own. Be sure to look it up and read the story. After you read it, you will always buy the “Rooster Sauce!”
Ivy’s Dutch Oven Apple Betty is so good and is a unique recipe! It is the ultimate camping recipe, as it requires only a few ingredients and can be made with nothing more than a mixing bowl and a fork. To bake this in the oven, preheat to 325 degrees. Use an 11x13” Pyrex dish. When camping, use a 10” Dutch Oven with a tight-fitting lid and prepare approximately 26-30 long-lasting charcoal briquettes for cooking. If using the camp oven, butter it before adding the apples. You will need four large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into thin slices. Mound them up in your pan, sprinkle them with a squeeze of lemon or orange juice, and then spread them evenly over the pan surface.
Mix 1.5 C of all-purpose flour, 2 cups of sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and two pinches of salt in a separate bowl. Cut 1 C of butter into slices and cut into the flour and sugar mixture using a fork. It is OK to have some chunky pieces of butter. They create crunchy spots
in the crust. Spread the crust mixture evenly on the apples and lightly sprinkle a dusting of extra cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, for approximately 60 minutes or until the top is golden and the apples are bubbly. To cook this in a Dutch Oven, place 6-8 coals under the bottom and 20-24 coals on top for approximately one hour. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. So good!
Try these recipes, and let me know if you enjoy them so I can pass along your thoughts to Ivy. As we step into this Fall season, I encourage you to make the most of it. Spend time outdoors, breathe in the fresh air, and cherish moments with your family. These are the moments that truly matter and create lasting memories.
May God bless you and keep you.
Lorie Thompson is a REALTOR at Poss Realty in Clayton, Georgia. Her expertise in her industry is second only to her culinary talents. Lorie is a dynamo in the kitchen. Honestly if she prepares it, it will likely be the best you’ve ever had! Lorie and her husband, Anthony (Peanut), make their home in the Persimmon Community. Lorie is the proud mom of Joe & Charli Thompson and BJ & Kendall McCauley.
E A T LOCAL
WEmma Poole Personal Chef & Future Restauranteur
TRACY MCCOY
e spend our lives looking for our place in the world. Some never find it but settle in to a job that satisfies but doesn’t excite. The young lady I am writing about today found her place where she didn’t expect to. Emma Poole, is in the kitchen. Before we tell you how she got there, let’s start at the beginning.
Emma is the daughter of Seth and Nikki Poole and granddaughter to Charlie and Susie Poole, the founders of Anchorage Marina. She grew up at the marina, now owned and operated by her parents. She graduated from Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School and took over the Take it on the Lake deli at Anchorage before going off to earn a four-year degree in Hospitality Management and a minor in Media. Emma then landed a job as concierge at the Grand Bohemian Hotel. When Covid-19 hit Emma returned to Clayton and she got two jobs that changed the course of her life. The first was the manager of a B&B and then head cook at a boutique lunch spot. Emma’s exposure to the culinary world began to expand and her eyes were opened. Oh, food was her passion and she had always been exposed to fine dining but not wearing the Chef’s hat.
Emma has wonderful memories of cooking with her grandmother. They spent hours talking and cooking together. She enjoyed incredible food and loved the people who prepared it. All combined these new experiences and fond memories made Emma consider a little different career path. With little hesitation she applied to Asheville Buncombe Technical College to study Culinary Arts, finishing the program in the summer of 2023. A-B Tech’s Culinary Program has been named “Best in the Nation” for six consecutive years. When competing, their Culinary school won gold three years in a row. Quite impressive. In 2024 with her Chef’s hat in hand she returned to Lake Burton with a dream. The Pooles are building a fine-dining restaurant at Anchorage Marina planned for 2025.
Since returning to the lake, Emma began offering Private Chef services. She loves to cook and feels such satisfaction when people enjoy her food. She offers a truly upscale dining experience with 4-5 course dinners and wine pairings. What is her specialty? She doesn’t have just one. Emma enjoys preparing international cuisines like Italian, Indian and Greek to name a few. She prides herself on her Americanized Farmto-Table and Southern Appalachian cooking. She had the pleasure of working under some extremely talented Chefs.
A glance at her hand-drawn menus and perusing her portfolio full of food photography is more than enough to whet your appetite. Emma spoke of creating a customized experience for her clients. A consultation gives her insight into their culinary preferences, dietary restrictions and how formal or informal they’d like the atmosphere to be at their dinner. She likes to do this about two weeks before the meal. She will tour the kitchen so she can be prepared. This will all allow her to get a vision for the experience she wants to present to the client.
There are a few givens when Emma cooks for you. For one the bread will always be homemade and next there will be no measuring cups necessary as everything is flavored with love. Seriously, Emma says she has a gift and that is that she knows taste and presentation. You can expect that your meal will be exquisite in both. Also you should know that if you are even the least bit food curious, she is going to be so excited. Maybe you’ve always wanted to explore Thai food or a Moroccan menu, she is game. More and more people are opting into a fine dining experience in the comfort of their own home and for good reason.
Emma’s new restaurant will be named 1967 in honor of Charles and Susan Poole who purchased the Anchorage Marina in October 1967 from Ned Stockton. Her only regret is that they aren’t here to see her dream come to fruition. But to the Lake Burton families who have watched Emma grow up she invites you to enjoy her food in your homes and hopes the community will come dine with her at 1967 next year.
To reach Emma and schedule a consultation for your private dinner or event call 706-982-2417 or e-mail emmapoole11@ gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram @Emsgoodcookin
“Thank you for supporting our journey of bringing exceptional beef and dairy products to the community!”
~The Russell Family
While they came from different parts of the country, Georgia native C.A. Russell and California native Kirsten Clauss both shared a common passion for agriculture and family farming. After working together for 30 years in California, raising their family, and developing a nationally recognized Jersey Dairy, in 2018 the family turned their compass back to the North Georgia Mountains to begin Providence Farmstead. This family has been directly involved in dairy farming for five generations. They are aligned around family, animal welfare, consumer education, and environmental sustainability. Providence Farmstead provides premium American Wagyu beef that they breed, raise, and process to individual customers, markets, and restaurants in Northeast Georgia and Western North Carolina. Purchasing Blue Ridge Meats (formerly Blalock Meat) in Rabun Gap, GA in 2022 provided them with a new challenge and the rare opportunity to have complete oversight of their beef business even through processing and packaging.
After many delays the Russell family were delighted to finally welcome Jersey dairy cows to their new home in Otto, North Carolina in February 2024. This state-of-theart robotic milking facility is now home to 85 Jersey cows and 35 calves! They are working to provide their community with A2A2 All-Jersey dairy products including glass-bottled milk, cheese, and ice-cream. You can purchase their beef and dairy products from their neighborhood store, The Farmstead Market, located at 135 E Savannah Street in Clayton, Georgia Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 am - 5:30 pm. The family hopes to share their passion for agriculture inspiring a desire for high quality and sustainable food products. Please continue to follow along with them on their website www.providencefarmstead.com or social media @providencefarmsteadnc to stay up to date on new products, farm tours, and more.
Shout Out
to Blue Ridge Honey for being so amazing!
“Possibilities” Define Every Aspect of This Home”
John Shivers
Rushing creek waters are the musical backdrop for the postcard quality vistas that surround the property at 524 Stornoway Drive in Clayton… just five quick minutes from the shops, dining and entertainment in a vibrant downtown.
This exquisite retreat, built in 2001, offers much more than you see at first glance. In addition to the 1.92± acre lot, a main house and a connected guest house provide many different living possibilities. There’s also adjacent land where a garden spot awaits your creative cultivation.
Designed with both comfort and elegance in mind, the 2,367± square foot Cape Cod style main house offers three spacious bedrooms and two oversized baths. Anchoring the open concept main level is an expansive great room with woodburning fireplace and a spacious dining
area. The convenient, adjacent kitchen offers stainless appliances, hard surface counters, and generous work space for the resident chef. A laundry room is off the kitchen and a sun porch on the back of the home overlooks the rushing creek waters, and is accessible from the great room and the master suite.
Completing the main level, where beautiful woodwork is a key design element, is the expansive retreat for the owners, including a room size closet and en suite bath with shower, whirlpool tub, and double vanity. Upstairs, a shared bath, two oversize bedrooms, quaint sloped ceilings, dormers with window seats, and generous closets further sweeten this deal.
A screened porch off the back of the house is one more connection with the natural beauty of this home, and leads down to a multi-level deck space, where a hot tub increases the enjoyment factor. A bridge from the main level connects the two-story guest house that further enhances potential possibilities.
With 1,152± square feet of living space, one bedroom, one full bath, this open concept studio apartment is appropriate for a few nights as a guest, or full-time as a family member. With a full complement kitchen and even a small desk area, this quaint and comfortable cottage is a crowning perk. The completely finished lower level with double entrance doors includes a powder room, and currently sees service as a gym that opens onto a rear deck overlooking the views, and as storage space.
This sanctuary property truly does offer the best of all worlds, translated into a quality lifestyle for the people who call it home. Wiring for a generator is in place, and durable Hardie Board siding and a metal roof equate with easy upkeep.
Agent Rosa Icela Carter with Harry Norman REALTORS® Luxury Lake and Mountain is ready to show you this fantastic property, MLS #10276169. Rosa’s cell number is 619-921-1796, She can also be reached at the Harry Norman office, 706-212-0228.
SoulCraft Systems: Pioneering Home Technology with Passion and Expertise
In the late ‘90s, childhood friends Justin Vogel and Ryan Honey, united by a bond of integrity and a spirit of adventure, embarked on a journey that would redefine home technology. Their deep-rooted friendship and mutual support through diverse life experiences inspired them to explore the burgeoning field of home technology together.
Their professional journey began in 1998 at Bertech Systems in Atlanta, where they were hired as a package deal. They later advanced their careers at Atlanta Home Theater, rapidly ascending through the ranks while working on multimillion-dollar home theaters and acquiring pivotal skills.
Justin’s path led him to California, where he honed his expertise with top-tier home automation systems and theaters for celebrities, earning hard-to-achieve certifications and deep technical knowledge. He returned to Atlanta and founded SoulCraft Systems in 2010, adopting a philosophy centered around simplicity and reliability. His firm became known for installing minimal yet effective technology systems that enhance client enjoyment without overwhelming their spaces.
Meanwhile, Ryan ventured into sales and marketing, later starting his own business in the travel and tourism industry. He moved to Rabun County in 2010, started a family, and ventured into contracting and project management. In 2020, Ryan rejoined Justin to ex-
pand SoulCraft Systems into new territories in Northeast Georgia and North Carolina. Together, they continue to guide homeowners toward smart investments in home technology, emphasizing quality and ease of use.
As SoulCraft Systems grows, Ryan and Justin remain dedicated to their original spirit of adventure and integrity, enhancing homes with technology that enriches life without complicating it, proving that true innovation lies in simplicity.
What a Home! What a Home! Just Waiting…
John Shivers
Make it a point when you tour the remarkable home at 430 Heyden Ridge Drive in Habersham County outside Clarkesville, to sit on the upper deck and savor the layered mountain hues of blue and purple. Appreciate that when you’re the family at home in this spacious dwelling, those mountains in all their splendid glory come with the house. They can’t be bought separately.
In an area of the state that hangs its hat on unbelievable, unforgettable four-season mountain views, this home delivers all twelve months of the year. Located in the highly sought-after Heyden Ridge neighborhood, this 4,065± square foot home anchors a heavily-wooded four acre± tract that guarantees privacy at the same time its natural beauty is assured. What a place to plant a home!
Built in 2003 and beautifully maintained and updated, this three level country rustic craftsman home and adjacent two car garage and upper floor space deliver all that a family could ask for, and then some. It’s the home that keeps on giving… and giving… and giving.
One word sums up the main level of this house that’s waiting for you to call it yours: Views. Thanks to a vaulted great room and immense expanses of glass that overlook the undulating hills beyond, whether you’re enjoying the ambience of the living area around the custom fireplace, working in the spacious kitchen, or chowing down some of Mom’s home cooking, that beautiful outside is right there with you. Eye candy. How sweet it is.
While this home has excellent nuts and bolts, it’s the little details, the finishes, the architectural elements and embellishments married to an open floor plan that make it stand head and shoulders above the rest. Many uses of tongue and groove wood throughout, slate and real wood floors head the list. Three fireplaces. A total of five bedrooms, four full baths and one half bath. High end furniture
style kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities with granite tops and stainless appliances. A versatile laundry room and pantry adjacent to the kitchen. Room to party, a play room, wet bar, and media room, and generous storage.
Completing the main level is a powder room off the foyer, and a master suite with en suite bath that features a large double vanity, oversize tiled walk-in shower, tub, and separate water closet. The adjacent room-size closet offers an assortment of clothing storage options.
Upstairs, off the balcony that overlooks the great room, another large bedroom, a spacious bonus room and a full bath add to the livability. On the daylight lower level, where even more casual, relaxed living is possible, two more bedrooms and a full bath add more possibilities for sleeping friends and family.
But that’s not all.
Above the two-car garage an efficiency suite is waiting for overnight guests, or even those who need to stay longer. Complete with a large sleeping area, closet, and full bathroom, and sloped eaves to lend an air of coziness, this space includes a living area and a kitchenette. So close, and yet so private.
This remarkable home is the best of two worlds: convenient to town and shopping, yet so very secluded. All three levels, including the garage efficiency, are a front row seat on some spectacular landscape that’s just waiting for you to enjoy.
Agent Amanda Stewart with Keller Williams Lanier Partners is excited to introduce you to this unparalleled property, MLS #10364414, that’s ideal as both a primary residence or a second mountain home. Contact her by cell phone at 706-499-1029, by email at amandastewartrealestate@gmail.com, or at the office in Clarkesville, 706-754-5940.
Vertigo ASK
DR. JACKSON
Common sense answers to frequently asked questions from a community ENT physician
Dr. J; I keep getting vertigo. It usually happens when I get up in the morning, but it can be when I’m driving, at work, watching sports, you name it. It lasts anywhere from a couple hours to all day and then goes away. They tell me it’s my inner ear. Is that right?
Last month’s issue I talked about benign postural positional vertigo, the “crystals in the inner ear” problem. Your presentation is different.
Remember that the way we stay balanced in space is through three major systems. Our eyes – the visual system - tell us where the horizon is located and what’s up and down. The muscles of posture in our neck, back, legs – the musculoskeletal/proprioceptive system – tells us where gravity is pulling us. And the semicircular canals of the inner ear – our peripheral vestibular system – lets us know how fast we’re rotating, bending forward or back, and starting or stopping. All these components send simultaneous messages to the brain where the information is processed.
So, you can have vertigo from changing eyeglasses, neck muscle spasms, left inner ear or right inner ear changes, or brain problems. Most vertigo is inner ear or brain related.
One quick way to differentiate which problem is likely present is to ask how long the problem lasts. If it is brief and goes away with eating something, it could be as simple as low blood sugar. If it comes on with severe spinning and nausea with movement and lasts days to weeks, it is usually inner ear related. If it comes on like yours, it most likely represents a little-talked-about manifestation of migraine.
When I tell someone their whirling, nauseating, world altering, scary symptoms are migraine-related, they often get defensive. “But I don’t have a headache with it, doc,” they’ll protest. I explain that with this presentation, instead of a terrible headache, they have vertigo. If they have a personal or family history of migraine, the diagnosis is most likely correct. If it happens when weather fronts come in, the diagnosis is highly likely, because the only things that gets worse with barometric changes are migraine-related problems. Migraine is most likely if you become light or sound sensitive (although Meniere’s disease, next month’s topic, makes you sensitive to noise). I suspect migraine
primarily because it lasts as long as migraines last, hours to all day.
As far a treatment goes, figuring out triggers for the migrainous vertigo episodes are very important. The migraine trigger most common in my practice is clenching and grinding the teeth. Hours of strain on the muscles that clench the jaws and flex the neck when bruxing – the medical name for this problem – can be hard to recognize, because it happens when you sleep. Women, in particular, grind when anxious. Men mostly grind because they think they must sleep freezing cold. Night guards help grinders. Sleeping warmer helps men. I don’t know how to help women, because in sleep there is no rationality that can change their “Id”, the controller of what they think about when unconscious.
There are many other migraine triggers. We can’t do anything about changes in the weather. We can avoid certain foods and drink. The National Headache Foundation has a list of what commonly triggers migraine and what can be substituted in its place. I had a patient who saw three neurologists and they didn’t put together the fact that she started eating a certain nut in place of sweets to lose weight when her migraines became frequent. Chocolate and red wine are famous as migraine triggers, as well.
ENT related issues like allergy and sinusitis can trigger migraine, too. So, treatment of these should be maximized.
Occasionally, migraine meds like Imitrex, if taken at the very first onset of symptoms, can decrease the severity of the vertigo (just like a migraine headache). If you don’t have prescription medication, pain relievers with caffeine or sinus meds with a decongestant help. That’s because migraine is an abnormal dilation of blood vessels and “speed” like caffeine and Sudafed shrink blood vessels. If episodes occur over 3-4 times a week, daily prophylaxis for migraine may be needed and should be supervised by your primary care doctor or a neurologist.
Diagnosing vertigo can be hard, but the vast majority of the time just figuring out the timing leads to a correct diagnosis.
Keith Jackson, MD is a graduate of Medical College of Georgia and Emory Medical School, where he completed his Residency in ENT. Dr. Jackson practiced as an ENT specialist in Atlanta at Northside, Scottish Rite, North Fulton, and Saint Joseph’s Hospitals until moving to Lake Rabun in 2020. Currently, he is in full-time ENT practice at Mountain Lakes Hospital in Clayton, Georgia. His interests include music and art. Dr. Jackson is a Rotarian and enjoys giving back to the community.
What’s New at Clayton Family Medicine
Tracy McCoy
Dr. Brian Pratt opened Clayton Family Medicine in 2019. Coming from Knoxville, TN he was unsure how well he would be received in this small town, but he was here to stay. It was common for Dr. Pratt to tell his new patients, “Look I’ll take care of you until you are 100, and after that you are on your own.” He is friendly, has a genuine smile, understanding nature and a wonderful wife! Melinda works alongside her husband as office manager and his team of healthcare professionals is top tier. I am speaking from experience because Dr. Pratt is my family’s physician. As the practice of medicine evolves, Dr Pratt is dedicated to patient care and continues to learn of cutting edge technologies and new treatments. I wanted to discuss and share a few of the new treatments offered at his practice. I will address each with a paragraph giving you some insight into what and why it is important to keep his patients healthy and thriving.
For starters, Clayton Family Medicine offers weight management for those of us who battle obesity. When it became apparent that the GLP1 medications were being studied for weight loss and certainly after Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly began making them for obesity, he prescribed these life-changing drugs to his patients. I for one have lost a total of 90 pounds using these medications. A lifelong student of weight loss who tried and failed every diet out there, this treatment had been beyond remarkable. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, this may be the answer. Patients are administered the injections in the office, with weigh-ins and weight loss management appointments.
Next up they are offering IV Therapy. Realizing the importance of hydration and being well aware that most of his patients do not consume enough water, this service was added. Vitamins can be added to a standard saline solution to supplement and give you what your body may be lacking. This therapy can help you recover from illness but also make you feel your best. If you don’t have time to get an infusion they also offer vitamin injections without an appointment.
Botox is used for both cosmetic and medical purposes. It’s most well-known for its cosmetic use in smoothing wrinkles and fine lines on the face. It can also be used to treat a variety of medical conditions, including neck spasms, TMJ, hyperhidrosis, and migraines
Of course like most Physician’s offices Clayton Family Medicine offers vaccinations against Flu, Covid-19, Shingles, Pneumonia, HPV, and more. Dr. Pratt recommends that his patients get these
vaccines to lessen their risk of illness or complications from illness. The office has these injections available.
Dr. Pratt offers pain management to his patients who experience chronic pain, this program is strictly monitored and he continues to explore non-narcotic alternatives for his patients. Along with that he offers addiction counseling and options for patients who struggle with alcohol and opiate addiction. Both programs are conservative approaches to care for patients.
Managing mental health conditions like treatment-resistant depression, anxiety disorders, and PTSD can be incredibly challenging. Ketamine therapy offers a potential solution by using low doses of ketamine to provide relief. While traditional medications aim to correct neurochemical imbalances, ketamine therapy harnesses the potential psychedelic effects of ketamine to achieve more sustained results. It’s important to remember that serious, treatment-resistant depression can take away hope for the future, but ketamine has the potential to provide help and hope to those who have not found relief with other treatments. This treatment may even be lifesaving for individuals considering suicide or battling addiction.
As we age, and with some medical conditions, we can be prone to urinary incontinence. As a post menopausal woman this has been an issue for me. Dr. Pratt has added EMSELLATM to his office. EMSELLATM is a chair that a male or female can sit on and vibrations stimulate the pelvic floor muscles. This stimulation increases pelvic floor strength which helps to eliminate bladder leakage. It is truly miraculous. After just one treatment I saw improvement. The recommended program is two visits per week for three weeks. After the level of improvement is satisfactory future treatments may or may not be necessary. You remain fully clothed, it is non-invasive, no drugs are needed and it is a walk-in walk-out procedure. I am extremely pleased with the results. Perhaps it would be effective for you too.
EMFACETM is the solution to your double chin. It is a non-invasive approach to reducing fat and toning your face. It is a simple 20 minute procedure time with no needles, no bruising and patient comfort in mind. One patient said this, “I noticed definition in my jawline, a reduction of my double chin and people around me are beginning to notice. I look fantastic, I feel fantastic, so I am thrilled with the results.” Don’t we all want to feel good when we look in the mirror? Monopolar radiofrequency (RF) and AI is the newest skin treatment
to improve skin texture. EXION Fractional RFTM treats the face/ neck, abdomen, thighs, eyes and delicate areas. Skin will appear smoother and this treatment provides precise energy delivery to deeper skin layers. It is fast and comfortable with less pain and more gain. It’s on my bucket list.
You know that “baby belly” or those little love handles you wish you didn’t have? Well, EMSCULPT NeoTM, the #1 procedure for body shaping. It is considered a breakthrough in non-invasive body sculpting. The procedure simultaneously delivers heat and magnetic energy resulting in more fat reduction and more muscle growth. Combined it is a 30 minute treatment causing fat to breakdown and muscle to warm-up. Muscles in the treated area are contracted at intensities that are not achievable during routine exercise. After treatment fat cells are slowly removed from the body and the strained muscle fibers initiate a growth process. The result is less fat and more muscle. As we age and with our sedentary lifestyles weak muscles and lack of exercise lead to strength, balance, posture and discomfort issues. Every 11 seconds an older adult is treated in the ER for losing balance and falling.
The Whole Core Work Out for men and women is a combination of EMSCULPTTM and EMSELLATM. This combination treatment resulted in 55% average increase in core strength and 68% of elderly patients report improvement in back discomfort, stability and posture. This can be life-changing and is backed by science. “I was pleasantly surprised by how much stronger I felt with Core to Floor Therapy and my incontinence improved as well.” one patient reported.
More and more research suggests that our hormones, or lack thereof, result in decreased health and life satisfaction. In fact, studies show that optimized hormones are necessary for good health. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is backed by science and precision dosing is key. Hormone levels decrease by 10% yearly as we age but today we can replace what is lost for better health. Dr. Pratt has seen great improvement with his patients health and quality of life with Biote® . Hormone optimization may relieve some age-related issues including: decreased bone density, poor heart health, abnormal breast and prostate health, diminished cognition and memory and reduced energy and sex drive. An indepth hormone blood analysis is performed and your body’s specific needs are part of a comprehensive plan to optimize your health. A patient care plan is established and some patients have reported improvement in as little as one month. It is possible to turn back the clock for better health.
Many of these new procedures and treatments can help prevent or even treat age-related issues. Some improve those nagging issues that cause you to avoid the mirror and affect your mental health. Some could even save your life. I always thought I’d age gracefully and not worry about lines on my face or sagging jowls. Then I began to see these things happening and after spending thousands of dollars on products that promise to lift, tighten, diminish, define, tone and treat only to be disappointed, I opt to trust my doctor.
Clayton Family Medicine is dedicated to good health, wellness and preventative care and it appears that there is more to that than another pill or invasive procedure… you deserve a better life.
A Lifeline for Domestic Violence Survivors
For nearly three decades, F.A.I.T.H. (Fighting Abuse in the Home) has been a beacon of hope and safety for victims of domestic violence in Rabun County and surrounding areas. Offering 24/7 support, information, and advocacy, the organization has provided critical services to individuals facing the trauma of abuse. Domestic violence often occurs behind closed doors, making it a hidden crisis, and F.A.I.T.H.’s mission is to ensure survivors have access to the resources and support they need to break the cycle. From emergency shelter to counseling, F.A.I.T.H. creates a space where victims can begin to heal.
The impact of domestic violence is far-reaching, affecting individuals from all walks of life. National statistics reveal that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. The emotional, psychological, and physical toll can be overwhelming, particularly when the abuser is a loved one. Victims often face isolation and fear, making it difficult to seek help. F.A.I.T.H. not only provides immediate assistance in the form of crisis intervention and legal advocacy, but it also works to restore confidence and empower survivors to reclaim their lives.
Education and awareness are key in preventing domestic violence before it escalates. F.A.I.T.H. is committed to informing the community about the warning signs of abuse and the resources available for those in need. By raising awareness and fostering conversations around domestic violence, F.A.I.T.H. empowers individuals to recognize harmful patterns and encourages intervention when abuse is suspected. Together, through education and support, the community can become better equipped to protect the vulnerable and create an environment where abuse is no longer tolerated.
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, F.A.I.T.H. amplifies its mission to support victims and raise awareness about the prevalence of domestic violence in our community. As an organization that has been on the frontlines for nearly 30 years, F.A.I.T.H. uses this month to engage
the public in recognizing the signs of abuse, supporting survivors, and advocating for prevention efforts. By hosting events, sharing survivor stories, and offering educational resources, F.A.I.T.H. strengthens the community’s understanding of domestic violence and empowers individuals to take action. This month is a powerful reminder that we all play a role in creating a safer, more informed community.
For information, to make donations, get involved in fundraising efforts or if you need help please reach out to F.A.I.T.H at 1-888-7821338 or visit www.faith-Inc.org
F.A.I.T.H Danger Assessment
• Has the physical violence severity increased?
• Do they own a gun?
• Have you recently left after living together?
• Are they unemployed?
• Have they ever used a weapon or threatened one?
• Do they threaten to kill you?
• Do you have a child that is not theirs?
• Do they ever try to choke or strangle you?
• Do they control most all of your daily activities?
• Are they violently and constantly jealous of you?
• Do they follow or spy on you?
• Do they threaten to harm your children?
Shout
Out to Dosher Physical Therapy for being a loyal advertiser!
Global Warming and Infectious Diseases
Susan Cookson, MD, MPH, FACP
As we head into fall, we need to reflect on this past summer. It probably is the coolest summer we will see going forward. I am not an environmental scientist, but I am an infectious disease specialist and am troubled at what I am seeing.
For example, in 2016, thousands of reindeer died and hundreds of people were hospitalized, with one boy dying, in Northwest Siberia above the Artic Circle. The cause was anthrax, the same bacteria that caused 22 Americans to become ill, with five dying, in 2001. But the real cause of this outbreak was the climate. The bacteria became active when the permafrost thawed with the extreme summer heat wave and dry conditions. The reindeer are now vaccinated to prevent this from happening again.
Scientists are concerned about what other infectious diseases will be released from the thawing permafrost – diseases that have not been seen for centuries to thousands of years. The infectious diseases buried in the permafrost are unknown and unpredictable. But what has scientists more concerned are the known infectious diseases and global warming. Last summer was the first year we saw nine US locally acquired (not imported) cases of malaria – Florida (7 cases), Texas, and as far north as Maryland.i The type of Anopheles mosquito found to carry malaria in the US only bites humans 30% to 50% of the time. But the type of Anopheles mosquito in Africa bites humans 98% of the time, infecting and killing one child every minute. Let us hope that the African type of Anopheles mosquito remains in Africa.
Another type of mosquito, Aedes, is showing further spread into the Northern Hemisphere because of global warming. Aedes mosquito can carry the viruses for dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. We are seeing the effect in the US. Thousands of dengue cases are reported annually here, including 22 imported cases in Geogia in 2024. From 2010-2024, seven states reported locally acquired dengue cases. Florida and Texas have the most locally acquired cases with 465 and 40, respectively. But also concerning are the other states, including our neighbor – North Carolina, West Virginia and even New York. It is only a matter of time until Georgia has locally acquired cases of dengue.
Increased temperature also increases the active period of another vector of disease, ticks. Their range and duration of when people may be bitten have increased. As a result, Lyme disease is now in
Canada and Norway. In the US from 1996-2020, Lyme disease cases have doubled. Studies are underway now in Europe and the US for the dose and schedule of a Lyme vaccine and not too soon.
Besides mosquitoes and ticks spreading, bodies of water are getting warmer. The bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus is known to live in the warm summer water of the Gulf of Mexico. It infects small cuts of people swimming or wading in contaminated warm seawater and can be fatal in about 20% of the infected, especially those with liver problems. From 1988-2018, it has increased eightfold and moved northward 30 miles a year. Last year, people were infected with Vibrio vulnificus in Connecticut, New York, and once again our neighbor – North Carolina.
In fresh water, there have been increases in severity of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms. I first learned about cyanobacteria when the Brazilian Ministry of Health asked my colleagues and me to investigate liver failure and deaths among their citizens using a hemodialysis center. Since 2006, these algae blooms have been increasing rapidly, even in forested watersheds like ours. This increase is a direct effect of climate change with warmer water surface temperatures and is expected only to increase. The negative effects of these blooms on ecosystems, human health, and socioeconomic wellbeing are increasing, affecting our already fragile water supply.
So those mosquito bites and tick sightings that you thought had increased this past summer are not just your imagination but part of a global trend. It is time to start wearing insect repellent even in our mountains. Also, our bodies of water are holding new threats for us as far north as New York. The diseases that I learned were tropical diseases are now occurring in our neighboring States. As Heather Yun, MD, FACP of Brooke Army Medical Center said, “Climate change is affecting infectious diseases in the United States in our backyards in real time.”
We all need to educate ourselves about global warming, the impact we have on it and it has on us, and what we can do to help stop it. Things we can do now include spreading the word that this is real, planting more trees, stop wasting food and eating more plant-based food, and shopping locally and combining our trips to town to make them less frequent. We must take personal responsibility to help stop this global crisis.
Susan Cookson, MD, MPH, FACP (retired, US Public Health Service) is an accomplished Infectious Diseases Board-certified Physician with a Master’s degree in public health. She is also an Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine Board-eligible Physician. Susan’s resume is quite impressive including a 25 year career with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 years with Dekalb Board of Health and 3 years with the Georgia Division of Public Health. Today, Susan resides in Rabun County and is working for the Rabun County Board of Health as a Preventive Medicine consultant.
Medications & Dementia
It’s important to be aware of the potential link between certain medications and dementia risk, although it hasn’t been definitively proven. Research suggests that long-term use of specific medications could be associated with an increased risk of dementia. Here is a list of drugs linked to dementia that many doctors advise against prescribing to seniors whenever possible:
Studies have shown that long-term and high-dose use of these drugs can elevate the risk of dementia. It’s surprising, but even something as simple as allergy medications or cold medicines could cause cognitive decline if used long-term and in high doses. If you are concerned about this risk, please discuss it with your doctor.
According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, adults aged 55 and older were nearly 50% more likely to develop dementia if they took just one anticholinergic daily for three years. Additionally, other studies have found that common over-the-counter antihistamines, such as Benadryl and Vicks NyQuil, are also linked with higher rates of dementia.
It’s worth discussing this with your doctor if you are concerned, or if you are managing the medications of a loved one. Understanding what prescription drugs affect dementia could lead to safer medication choices, particularly for vulnerable seniors.
Why do certain drugs have a stronger effect in older people?
Due to physiological changes associated with aging, certain medications can affect older adults differently. The following physiological and lifestyle factors mean that older adults often require different dosing regimens and careful monitoring when using these medications to minimize the risk of adverse effects:
Slower metabolism, Changes in body composition, Altered drug receptor sensitivity, Increased sensitivity to central nervous system (CNS) drugs, Liver function decline, Decreased kidney function, Reduced protein binding, Comorbidities and taking multiple prescriptions
How to minimize medication-induced dementia risk:
If you’re uncertain about your loved one’s exposure to drugs linked to dementia, bring all their medications to their next doctor’s appointment for review. Remember to include over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and prescriptions. A geriatrician can provide valuable insight into your loved one’s medication regimen and offer information on alternative treatments safer for seniors than the above drugs, which a general practitioner may be unfamiliar with.
Just Thinking
Lovin’ the Journey
Get uncomfortable
R. Mark Holloway
In 14 years, I hope I have never introduced you to a boring person in this column.
Meredith Thompson will not disappoint.
She is a: wife to Yance, mother of TEN, works full time, airplane pilot with a marine rating, Christ-follower, a three-time Ironman, including a finisher at the Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii and all this with a blood disorder limiting her oxygen intake. I was passing by the Reeves employee parking lot in Clayton and an Ironman window decal caught my eye.
I called my friend Jeff Reeves.
“Jeff, who drives an SUV with an Ironman sticker on the back glass? I want to tell them about our informal Ironman breakfast club.”
“Oh, that’s Meredith Thompson, Scott Poss’ daughter,” says Jeff. Scott shared Meredith’s number and we spoke. Not five minutes into our introductory phone call and I just knew I needed to write about her.
I’ll tell you about her 12 pack family in a minute.
But first…more about this fireball packaged in a 5’5, 135 pound body.
Getting a Finishers’ medal at an Ironman Triathlon requires months of training. Then on race day, you must swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles, then run a full marathon of 26.2 miles. That’s 140.6 miles in under 17 hours to avoid the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish) label.
If you want to get invited to Hawaii to compete, you must finish among the top three athletes in your age bracket in a prior Ironman.
Covid and boogie boards
“I ran my first ever half marathon in December 2019 on Sea Island. I then trained hard for my first marathon on Skidaway Island in 2020. Organizers pulled the plug on the race a day before when America shut down with Covid. I came home and ran my own marathon around Pinnacle Knob.”
Meredith began training hard for her first Ironman. It would be in Maryland. But Covid would strike again. One month before her triathlon, she got Covid. She was very sick with pneumonia and was forced out.
Maryland Ironman rolled back around and she entered again. Just before that event, her son left a black boogie board by her bed
during their beach trip and in the morning darkness, she stepped on it and broke her foot.
Maryland Ironman just wasn’t to be.
So her first two Ironman training efforts would be in vain. Now she endured another recovery time and she would have to process through the disappointment…again.
“I really try and practice gratitude while training. Because your mind goes to all these dark places. You can start to get irritable when you do long distances. Even in a race, I pray for each one of my kids.”
It takes a lot of work to become the best in the IronMan world. But Meredith asks the question: “Do you do anything else with your life? My family always comes first. Are you making a difference in anyone else’s life?“
Meredith and Yance were able to have a child naturally but that was the end of the road…until….
Over the years they have fostered more than 60 children and adopted six and currently have three foster children.
Megan 20, Hannah 17, Khanii 16, Ky 14, Amir 14, Marcus 10, Elias 7 have the perfect balance for parents. Yance is the more compassionate parent while Meredith runs a tight ship and demonstrates ambition and goal setting.
“I don’t have a high tolerance for laziness. It is really a self-control issue. You must want more for your life. I get up at 4 AM each day to train and then I get my family going afterwards.”
To be clear, she tells me, “God gives you talent, but you must grow it. Hard work and discipline just don’t appear. I want my kids to see that it is possible. And you don’t have to be LeBron James”
The road to the World Ironman Competition in Hawaii had to pass through the blistering heat of Waco Texas and 40mph side and headwinds. Leading up to this 2022 race, she re-injured her foot and had to drag it through the water then not pedal with it, resting it on top of her cycling shoe 112 miles.
Then came the marathon stage. She ran the final stage not having run the three months before the event. She did great…doing well enough to join the other top two women athletes at Kona.
At the 2023 Kona Ironman, her swim skin suit rubbed the back of her neck raw and combined with salt water and sunburn, her blond locks matted into the oozing injury.
Yet she pressed on through the pain.
“You have to have the discipline to make yourself uncomfortable.”
In April of this year in Texas, she completed her third full Ironman.
She’s a relative newcomer to endurance racing. Yet she is already setting the standard of what a Rabun wife and mom can do when determination is your core motivator.
“It’s never convenient. But why not me, why not the little girl from Northeast Georgia…why not? Why should I tell my kids I’m not good enough?”
Below is Meredith’s Timeline of endurance events:
Dec. 2019 - Sea Island 13.1
March 2020 Skidaway Island
-Covid Cancelled-
Aug. 2020 - 50k Ultra Marathon at Fort Yargo State Park
IM Gulf Coast 70.3 May 2022
IM Waco 140.6 October 2022
IM Kona 140.6 October 2023
IM Texas 140.6 April 2024
Plus 8 marathons in total.
Meredith is strategic. She keeps two ‘old school’ day planners with her everywhere she goes. One is for 2024 and the other is for 2025 which is filling up.
I’m glad she slotted me some time on her calendar for a visit at the White Birch Provisions coffee shop.
I hope you meet her.
See you on the trail!
Mark and Carol Holloway are outdoor adventurers and love the thrills of rock climbing and hikes to waterfalls and exploring all of God’s creation. They own PropertyStewards.com and are passionate about delivering excellent care to the homes and property of their clients. For More Information call 706-949-5937
Lizzie Writes Hiraeth
Liz Alley
I’ve been trying to write this article for weeks now. I sit at my computer and watch the blinking line beckoning me to write, but nothing comes. The seasons are changing, and I am bereft, though fall is my favorite time of year. Finally, I realized the writing block I was experiencing was my mother, or rather me, missing my mother. It is my granddaughter’s hand in mine squeezing 1,2,3 for “I love you” and me squeezing back 1,2,3,4 for “I love you too,” the same that mother did to me and that I did to my daughters. It is me in Bath and Body Works asking if they still carry lotion in “Warm Vanilla Sugar,” and when the answer is yes, it is me inhaling the scent as it was Mother’s favorite. I find her in the softened butter in her yellow mixing bowl, waiting for me to make pumpkin bread. It is Mother in my favorite scarf, which was hers. It is Mother when my daughter and I chase my grandchildren through the house, and I think, “Didn’t Mother and I do this with my girls?” We did. It is Mother in the dappling light at the end of the day, in the long shadows on the table, and in the smell of coffee and cinnamon in the morning.
My mother and I have a favorite poem named “After the Dawn.” The author is unknown. When I was in college, a professor handed it out, and I called my mother to read it to her that night. One of the lines in the poem is,” You begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes ahead with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.” It has taken me a while to do this in life. When I got divorced seven years ago, I was broken, but in time, I pulled myself together, and one day, as I was bent tying my mother’s shoes, she put her hands on my head and said, “I’m proud of you and how you’re handling this hard thing in your life with such dignity. You have handled it with the grace of a woman.” We both knew that was a line from the poem and that I
needed those words like I needed air to breathe, and they kept me going when I thought I could not.
One day, when the calamity of the divorce had settled down, I came to visit Mother, and she noticed immediately that I had a small tattoo of a cross on the inside of my wrist with the word “hiraeth” underneath. Shannon Alley was fit to be tied. “Liz!” She’d said, “Have you lost your religion?” And I laughed at the obscurity of that statement. I told her what Hiraeth meant. “It’s a Welsh word;
Liz Alley was born and raised in Rabun County in the city of Tiger. She loves to write. She is an interior designer specializing in repurposing the broken, chipped, worn, and weathered into pieces that are precious again. She is the mother of two daughters and has four grandchildren. She divides her time between her home in Newnan and Rabun County. Liz would love to hear from you; drop her a line at Lizziewrites0715@gmail.com.
it means a homesick feeling, maybe for a home you never had. A place you can’t go back to.” I said, “It’s nostalgia for lost places, and the cross is there because Jesus takes care of all my hiraeth.” She was silent for a moment but did not buy that this truth had to be tattooed on my wrist, and I thought maybe I’d lost the dignity card I’d had with her. I hoped not.
When Mother died a couple of years later, we slowly went through her things. I sat with her bible in my lap, looking over notes in the margins, bulletins with events underlined, and pressed flowers, when a small white piece of paper fell onto my lap. In Mom’s beautiful handwriting, which had turned shaky over the years, were the words “hiraeth- Homesick Feeling.” I was stunned. I like to think she felt a connection to the word hiraeth and placed it in her bible for safekeeping. I framed it, and it sits on my bedside table.
I’m not still in mourning for my mother; that pain of constant grief has passed, but there are days that I mourn her. It’s hiraeth when I long to walk into our house in Tiger and find Mother baking a cake in the kitchen. I think of Dad’s hoe and the sound it made when he worked in the garden out back, for our small but beautiful life in Tiger, and how I remember it with rose-colored glasses sometimes. It is during these times I do my best to mourn with the grace of a woman and not the grief of a child, as my mother did and taught me to do as well.
Shout Out to Rabun C&D for
being a loyal advertiser!
An Afternoon with Hubert Houck
Tracy McCoy
Recently I had the privilege of interviewing a very special man for the second volume of Remembering Rabun, a book published by The Rabun County Historical Society featuring essays on local history. He is not unfamiliar to me, in fact I’ve known him all of my life. Mr. Hubert Houck was a good friend to my parents and is one of my favorite people so it was a pleasure to visit with him at his Warwoman home.
Hubert was born to John and Maude (Wilbanks) Houck on January 5th, 1936. Hubert grew up on what is now John Houck Road in the Sandy Ford community. He was raised up with 4 brothers and 3 sisters on meager wages. Hubert attended the Antioch School until the 6th grade and then he was on to Clayton.
Mr. John Houck was a leader in the Warwoman community. Back in those days travel was limited to wagon and mule or horses. Mr Houck would check with his neighbors to see what the community
needed before making a trip to Clayton. He would pick up things for them as he went and deliver it back on his way home. Most all families grew what they ate and raised pork and beef to feed their family. Hubert remembers them growing potatoes, green beans, cucumbers, beets, squash and they planted a very special field corn seed. Mr. John Houck created the seed himself through a process known as fertilization or syngamy. Hubert still grows this corn today and the seed is part of Clemson University’s Heirloom Seed Collection. It is a yellow field corn that is long and narrow. It has a distinct flavor and is said to make excellent corn meal and grits. It has been grown in the Carolinas and Georgia for well over 100 years. Unfortunately they misspelled John’s last name as Haulk. This was often the case back in those days.
Hubert attended school through the 10th grade and when he turned 18 he caught a ride to Michigan with his brother Harold, who had just came home from Korea. Both had heard that jobs were available at General Motors from family and friends who had moved north. Jobs were easily had in the automotive industry in the late 40s and early 50s. Hubert rented a room at a boarding house and later stayed
with my parents. He worked for 6 years before returning to Clayton. In 1960 he hired in at Burlington Industries and three years later he met his future bride, Lucy.
Hubert spotted Lucy eating ice cream in front of the old Dickerson’s Hardware with her sisters who were visiting her from Hartwell, Georgia. He asked her for a date and they went out that very night. She always told the story that Hubert asked her to marry him that night. With a grin he said he didn’t think he did. Either way the couple were married in Hartwell a short four months later and were married for 59 years. Hubert took care of Lucy until the day she went to Heaven and will love her for eternity.
Lucy was renting at Cross Apartments when she met Hubert, before they got married they bought a trailer and set it up in Clayton. Lucy moved in and Hubert joined her after the wedding. A bit later they moved to Warwoman. This is where their beautiful daughter Carla (Matheson) was born. She was the apple of her daddy’s eye and they are still very close. “When Lucy and I put Carla on the school bus that first time, we both cried.” Hubert told me.
A couple of years later the Houcks bought some land and built their house. The store on the property had been in operation but Hubert and Lucy took it over and ran it from the early 1970s to the late 1990s. It was during this time that they added Greg to their family. Hubert was thrilled to have a son to teach to fish and farm. Hubert and Lucy helped many people in their community and if only those store walls could talk. I remember walking into the store and seeing Warwoman residents sitting around conversing. I imagine a lot of fish tales and stories were shared there.
Hubert has a good memory and knows much of the Warwoman history that I will share in the Remembering Rabun Vol 2 book. When I asked him how he knew all of that he said that he would ride in the wagon with his dad from their house down to some property they had on Sandy Ford to feed the animals and all the way there and back his father would tell him stories and he just remembers them.
Hubert has a great niece named Caroline who is very special to him. She loves to come visit her Uncle Hubert and helped name all of his cows. He has two grandchildren, Trey and Tessa Matheson. “I am very proud of both of them.” he told me. “Tessa got Lucy’s brain, Lucy was very smart. She works as an accountant and Trey works as a Welder and he is very good at it.”
Today, life has slowed a bit for this 88 year old gentleman, he still farms a bit but leaves most of that to Greg. He did have a good stand of his daddy’s corn just out from the house the day I visited. Carla, who is one of my dearest friends was with us on Hubert’s porch. Boxes of old photos were gone through and some shared with me. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
We visited for over three hours, I could have stayed all day and listened to his tales. Hubert is one of kind. Always smiling and optimistic. I asked him what advice he would give his great-grandchildren or their children and without hesitation he said, “Be kind to everybody. Save money and work hard.” Great advice for everybody!
Be sure to pre-order your copy of Remembering Rabun Volume 2 and if you don’t have one go ahead and get Remembering Rabun Volume 1, before they are all gone. We look to have the new books in by Thanksgiving 2024 and they will be available at the Rabun County Historical Society and on their website www.rabunhistory.org. It’s an easy read and a great family treasure to be handed down. Priced modestly at only $10 so go ahead and get everyone on your list a copy. You can order by calling 706-782-5292.
The Story of Tallulah Falls Dam Atlanta Streetcars, Hydroelectric Technology, a Tunnel and the Wife of a Confederate General
By Dick Cinquina
The hydroelectric dam at Tallulah Falls might never have been built were it not for the Atlanta streetcar system. If that had been the case, Rabun County would lack the distinction as the site of Georgia’s first environmental battle. But the dam was constructed, becoming the third largest hydroelectric plant in the nation that forever tamed and silenced the Niagara of the South.
Water rushing through the gates of the recently completed Tallulah Falls Dam, circa 1914
Advancing technology is the starting point for the story about the Tallulah Falls dam. By the late 1800s, a new type of water turbine had been developed to improve the operation of grist mills. Experiments were conducted to combine the improved water turbines with electric generators. This combination, together with the newly developed ability to transmit electricity to distant cities, proved successful at the Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant that began transmitting power 20 miles to Buffalo in 1896.
37,300 Kilowatts Per Day
Atlanta’s demand for electric power steadily was growing with the expansion of the streetcar system operated by Georgia Railway and Electric Company. The May 28, 1901, issue of the AtlantaDaily News estimated that the city’s requirement for electricity totaled 37,300 kilowatts each day, an amount that was straining the capacity of the utility company’s steam generating facilities.
The initial solution to this problem was hydroelectric generation on the nearby Chattahoochee River. A 48-foot-high dam was constructed, and seven, 1,500-kilowatt water-powered generators entered service in early 1905. However, the Chattahoochee facility experienced periods of power interruption due to low water levels in the dam’s reservoir and equipment failures. When this occurred, Atlanta’s streetcars came to a screeching halt along with all other
electric light and power service. It took hours before Georgia Railway and Electric’s steam generating units could fully restore service.
These issues notwithstanding, the success of the hydroelectric plant on the Chattahoochee River spurred interest in harnessing the power of other rivers, especially those in the north Georgia mountains. The North Georgia Electric Company built a log dam on the Chattahoochee near Gainesville and brought its hydroelectric plant online in 1908. The company planned to build a second facility on another prime site but went bankrupt before construction began.
Tallulah Gorge and the Niagara of the South
North Georgia Electric’s intended site was Tallulah Gorge in southern Rabun County. After dropping into the 1000-foot-deep gorge, the Tallulah River roared over six waterfalls. This spectacle transformed the village of Tallulah Falls into one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Southeast during the 1880s. An 1898 edition of Electrical Engineer described the Tallulah River cascading through the gorge as the “Niagara of the South” and predicted “this unused and unusually large and well-situated water power will soon be harnessed” (for hydroelectric power).
Between 1908 and 1910, the assets of the defunct North Georgia Electric Company were purchased by Georgia Power Company (not the same firm as today’s Georgia Power). Included in these assets was land along the Tallulah River on the edge of the gorge. This transaction did not go unnoticed, and a movement was begun to protect the gorge by making it into a state park. A committee of the Georgia legislature estimated the project would require one million dollars, but given the high cost, nothing was done. Not so for Georgia Power. Construction of a dam on the Tallulah River commenced in 1910, but unfortunately for the company, the widow of a Confederate general entered the scene.
Crusading Environmentalist
Helen Dortch Longstreet of Gainesville waged a crusade to halt the destruction of what she called “the most wonderful natural asset of the Western Hemisphere.” Fearful that the dam would reduce the flow of the river through the gorge to a mere trickle, she intoned, “The Judas Iscariots are not all underground. Some of the men who would betray their lord for a handful of silver are doing business in Georgia today.” (Longstreet apparently had no problem with hyperbolic proclamations.) She took Georgia Power to court in Rabun County where the jury decided in favor of the company. On appeal, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s ruling. The fight to save Tallulah Gorge was over, which greenlighted completion of the dam and its powerhouse. However, Georgia Power
realized it needed additional capital for its mammoth undertaking and, through a series of transactions, a new, well-capitalized company was formed, Georgia Railway and Power Company, the predecessor of today’s Georgia Power.
Complex Construction Logistics
The logistics for developing the Tallulah Falls site were complex. There was no adequate road connecting Rabun County to Atlanta. By truck, the trip took 12 grueling hours over a winding dirt road that became a muddy quagmire in wet weather. Consequently, all required construction materials and equipment had to be shipped on Southern Railways from Atlanta via the connection with the Tallulah Falls Railroad at Cornelia. A spur line was built from the railroad’s depot in Tallulah Falls to the construction site.
In addition to machinery and hundreds of workers, oxen, mules and horses, which required a team of blacksmiths, also played a role in the facility’s construction. Temporary buildings were constructed atop the gorge, including a sawmill, machine shops, storerooms, living quarters and a dining room.
Gravity-Type Dam
Construction of the gravity-type dam across the Tallulah River was the easiest aspect of the overall project. Engineers considered the foundation site on the edge of the gorge to be excellent. A footing was laid 20 feet below the construction site, and the dam was built into the solid rock walls of the gorge. In addition to the use of concrete, rock for the dam was quarried within 300 yards of the site. When completed, the dam, which rose 129 feet high and was 426 feet across the river, backed up a 63-acre reservoir named Tallulah Lake that is about one mile above the site of the powerhouse on the bottom of the gorge. The distance from the reservoir to the powerhouse was the greatest of any hydroelectric plant east of the Rocky Mountains, including the facility at Niagara Falls
Then came the more difficult part of the project. To transport workers, materials and equipment to the bottom of the gorge, a 1,200-foot incline railway was built. With a grade of 98 percent, it was the steepest incline railway in the country. Powered at various times by steam, compressed air or electricity, this railway transported 30,000 tons of material and 400,000 passengers to the bottom of the gorge without an accident.
6,666-Foot Diversion Tunnel
Water to spin the turbines in the powerhouse was to be carried from the reservoir by a 6,666-foot-long diversion tunnel that had to be blasted through solid rock. To build the tunnel, drills powered by compressed air bored holes into the gorge’s rock face for blasting powder. The 14-foot high by 12-foot-wide, horseshoe-shaped tunnel took 15 months to complete. The tunnel directed water from Tallulah Lake into five enormous penstocks or five-foot-diameter pipes that carried water an additional 608 feet to each of the five turbines in the generating plant. Most of the penstocks were laid during the summer of 1912 when the temperature inside the pipes reached daytime highs up to 170 degrees. For this reason, joint riveting on the pipes had to be done at night after the penstocks had cooled.
Nation’s Third Largest Hydro Facility
The first unit of the Tallulah Falls power plant began sending electricity to Atlanta in 1913; four additional units were brought online in 1914. The five units generated 60,000 kilowatts a day, making the Tallulah Falls plant the third largest hydroelectric plant in the nation. Since the output of the facility exceeded Atlanta’s daily power needs, Georgia Railway and Power began seeking new customers outside Atlanta for the surplus power. Towns in Rabun County and other parts of northeast Georgia were not considered for this marketing effort. However, America’s entry into World War I in 1917 created a surge in demand for electricity for armament factories in Atlanta that eliminated the need for new customers.
As Helen Dortch Longstreet feared, Tallulah Falls dam dramatically reduced the flow of water through the gorge. The taming and silencing of Niagara of the South caused tourism to dwindle, and
Workers installing steel forms in the 12-foot wide tunnel that runs from Tallulah Lake to the penstocks
A 60-ton generator is carried down to the powerhouse at the bottom of the gorge by the incline railway
Penstocks that carry water from the diversion tunnel to the powerhouse at the bottom of Tallulah Gorge
the town of Tallulah Falls went into a steady decline. The Atlanta Constitution shrugged, “To be sure, the majestic gorge of the Tallulah Falls is not possessed of that glory of old days before modern progress…but it (the dam) is a wonderful and impressive sight.”
Five Additional Hydro Dams
While the Tallulah Falls plant was still under construction, a larger vision of Georgia Railway and Power had taken shape. The 1,200foot drop in elevation along a 26-mile stretch of the Tallulah and Tugalo rivers in Rabun, Habersham and Stephens counties was ideal for additional hydroelectric plants. Five more dams and power plants were built between 1915 and 1927, sending 166,420 kilowatts of power to Atlanta. The Tallulah and Tugalo rivers became the most completely developed stretch of waterway in the country for hydroelectric power.
Since none of the electricity generated by these facilities was used in northeast Georgia, the region had to wait decades before electric lights, toasters and refrigerators became facts of daily life. Instead, the immediate but unintended benefit of the hydroelectric dams were the reservoirs that soon became recreational lakes. This chain of lakes on the Tallulah and Tugalo rivers attracted growing numbers of tourists, who pumped badly needed cash into local economies. In addition, the summer homes built on their shores fattened the property tax rolls of Rabun and other counties. It would not be until 1972 when Tate City in neighboring Towns County became the last town in northeast Georgia to be electrified.
(Information in the book Energizing Georgia, The History of Georgia Power 1883-2004) was used in this article).
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