The Best Of The North Georgia Mountains Issue 15

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Bingo! Monday nights At Shanes at 6:30, Ellijay

Check Out Rocco’s NEW Acoustic Music & Art Night Every Tuesday

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e started this little “funpaper” so we could have a nice, fun, part time job, well it’s doubled in size and become a full time job! Problem is that Robb has been having some health issues lately, of course he says “It’s just a touch of diabeetus!” He’s so macho. Anyway, we are thinking it’s time to plan for his retirement. He will be 62 1/2 in November 2016 which means he gets social security! Robb’s kind of excited about it “Checks in the mail! Checks in the mail!!! Yea! Hey wait a minute! That means I’m an old fart!”

It’s tough though, it’s a very tough decision. He goes back and forth, back and forth. It depends on the day, on how he’s feeling I guess. But in case he does decide to retire we need to start thinking about finding a way to have this wonderful paper continue after we are gone. We have been considering several options. These are the top two. We can sell it outright, but it’s our baby, so we’ll need to find a very special person, family or organization that will take it over and can keep up a fun community focused publication. Or we can take on a working investor and stay on for awhile, doing what we do best, the writing, graphics and layout, while they run the business end and then eventually take it over.

It’s all up in the air right now, but we wanted all our wonderful advertisers, distributors, staff and readers to know what was going on. If you have another idea, or know someone who would be interested in taking this paper over and running with it, please let us know. Email us at TheBestOfEBRJ@Gmail.com. And feel free to share this info with all your friends. We know the perfect solution is out there, we just have to find it! Thank you so much for your support. Can you believe we are in our third year of this craziness? <3 Thia

Garden Club Monthly Meetings 11:30 to 4pm every 1st Wednesday of the month at Gilmer Arts, 207 Dalton St. Ellijay, Ga. 30540.

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Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams....Hosea Ballou

Acoustic Blends, Live Music at 7pm on the 3rd Fridays of the month at Gilmer Arts

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t is internationally known – or rather holistically and therapeutically accepted, by those with higher insight into the physiological make-up of the human mind and body than I could ever muster, that mud baths – yes, baths in mud, are actually good for you. Yes, you read that right, mud baths. Bathing in mud.

When I first ever heard of such, I thought about how advanced I must’ve been as a child – clearly a fifth grader well beyond his years and far before his time, because I absolutely relished playing in mud holes. I mean, aside from being a stunningly handsome young man with an otherworldly IQ rivaled only by the likes of Einstein and, well, Einstein, I was somehow keenly in tune with the physiological intricacies of my metaphysical being. Imagine if Jerry Garcia, Stephen Hawking and Brad Pitt were somehow fused into one person, that would be how advanced I would’ve been as a child. And, for the record, it’s OK to cringe at the thought but you get the point.

My mom, though, simply thought I was a rambunctious little boy with an innate talent to find the nearest mud hole and jump in it. “Waller” as she called it. And, it turns out, she was right.

Metaphysics and stunning good looks aside, I simply loved to play in the mud. Boys will be boys I suppose.

Now, let me reintroduce “Lucy”. Yes, the same “Lucy” from a previous article (tinyurl.com/lucyhike) where I detailed the ebbs and flows and ups and downs of taking a 4 month old Pit Bull for her first hike. Well, Lucy has become a veteran so to speak when it comes to hiking and, like me as a child, feels that she is well beyond her years when it comes to hiking knowledge. And, yes, to her credit and still at the tender age of 10-11 months old, she has hiked most every trail in the Cohuttas. She’s braved the cold, the heat, rain and snow, crossed rivers, and climbed steep mountains.

Lucy maintains the trail, listens to commands and is obedient, “mostly” anyway but amazingly so for a 10-11 month old puppy. Oh, and she’s friendly - almost to a fault, with any human, dog or other wilderness critter crossing her path. And playful, though, “playing” is not simply fetch with a tennis ball but more so a rugby type affair with an abundance of tackling, pushing, pulling and grunting. It’d be like if Lassie, Old Yeller and Lady from “Lady and the Tramp” somehow fused

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into one dog, that’d be Lucy. Maybe add in a dash of Tramp just for good measure.

Over the course of our many hikes, I’ve come to know her “looks” if that makes any sense. I can tell when she’s genuinely excited, apprehensive or pensive, grumpy and tired, hungry or thirsty, or simply ready to get back in the truck and head home so she can sleep on the couch. On a recent hike to Emery Creek Falls – which, by the way, are a must see when in the area, I encountered a “Lucy look” I’d not yet seen before.

Regarding the hike, from the lower end of the Emery Creek Trail, (located on Forest Service Rd #18 which is accessed from Gates Chapel Rd off Hwy 52), this is a relatively easy 5 mile or so hike – out and back, with several water crossings along the way. On one of those sweltering North Georgia summer days where the stifling humidity wraps you like a heavy blanket, this is a fun filled hike offering many swimming holes along the way that are just simply the perfect remedy for revitalizing the body and rinsing off the suffocating swelter of summer – and the one at the base of Emery Creek Falls is the best by far!

As is now customary, Lucy sits anxiously perched in the passenger seat. Not yet knowing where we’re headed as we’ve hiked a different trail each time, her excitement isn’t fully realized until the truck stops; I reach into the backpack and get her collar. Yes, she has a special collar for hiking that has this little red bear bell attached and when she hears little bear bell jingle, she smiles this big ol’ smile and her enthusiasm is infectious. And, yes, Lucy smiles.

Now, normally, I attach the collar, open the truck door and she hops out. Lucy will then gallop to the back of the truck, jump on the tail gate, sit and wait patiently – although its abundantly clear that she’s about to burst at the seams with excitement. For clarification, she does gallop.

It’s rather gazelle-like in grace but with the sturdiness of a Clydesdale -but it’s a gallop none the less.

Today though, there was this look in her eyes – a little wild, not sure what it meant. No one was at the trailhead, no mountain critters, nothing.

Not seeing anything peculiar, I shrugged it off thinking that maybe Lucy may just have to answer the call of nature – really badly, and we’ve all had that wide eyed wildness look in our eyes once or twice in our life when that call to nature must be answered with the upmost of urgency and there’s not a phone booth to be found.

Truck door opens, she bounds over me knocking the backpack to the ground, leash dragging

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behind with bear bell collar partially attached and wrapped around one ear – and certainly more kangaroo like then the norm of gazelle meets Clydesdale. I trip over the back pack and stumble against the side of the truck trying to give chase as she disappears from sight. What I found upon arriving at the source of the wild eye wilderness look was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Lucy, slowly easing herself into a deep mud hole of black mountain soil and leaves as if she’s at some holistic spa for dogs. Her eyes closed, body fully submerged and perfectly still. Clearly, Lucy had either found her a canine Zenlike moment of deep meditation or she was keenly aware somehow of the therapeutic benefits mud has on the skin. Either way, this mud hole placed her such state of euphoria that no amount of bear bell ringing would break her moment of transcendental doggy bliss. As some time passes and her moment of Zen and reflection transitioned to playful puppy enthusiasm, she begins to roll around in the mud – or “waller” as my mom called it, runs around in circles in full gazelle meets Clydesdale form and splashes into the muddy slush once again – covering me with black mountain mud with her rugby like playfulness in the process.

For a moment, admittedly, I was jealous. I remembered how much fun I had as a kid playing in the neighborhood mud holes.

Then, the adult part of me rationalized the situation and began envisioning the mess Lucy’s mud bath would leave in my nice clean truck on the ride home. But, she’s still a puppy and I was happy that – in a way, she could enjoy some of the same things I did growing up. Trucks can be cleaned plus we’d probably get washed off at the swimmin’ hole at the base of the falls anyway, and moments of mud induced canine Zen are to be appreciated.

I don't care who you are, life has challenges....Tom Cruise

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he stars sure do come out in the North Georgia Mountains! This summer so far we have had three blockbuster movie actors show up on our streets!

We had Tom Cruise in Ballground filming Mena. I joined a Facebook group called Cruisin’ Ballground, and a lot of my pictures came from our local members there. Tom scouted several areas and Ballground was HIS choice for where to shoot the movie! He used the local airport and many of the downtown shops. It seems T.C. liked us too, here’s a message he posted on his Twitter account- “Thank you to everyone in Georgia who has been so welcoming as Doug Liman and I shoot our next film.”

Michael Keaton was in Canton to shoot part of “The Founder.” He plays Ray Croc, the man who grew McDonalds into a huge franchise. Filming took place in Canton’s historic theater, and Keaton was nice enough to stop often for chats and autographs with the residents who waited outside the theater.

Reese Witherspoon had a stop over in

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Blue Ridge to visit the A&S Clothing factory that is sewing blue jeans for her new retail line, Draper James Girl. She also made some stops in downtown and chatted with locals. She posed for lots of pictures and had a big smile on her face in all of them. She even posted a picture of our own Miss Jean, and had this to say-“Meet Miss Jean, who has been making denim in the U.S.A. for over 50 years! Her true talent and pride in her work are so inspiring. So honored she is part of the #DraperJames family.”

More than 30 movies and TV shows were being filmed in the state of Georgia in June, several of them right in our back yard! Currently Georgia is third in Film and TV production in the U.S. Our state has tax incentives, help with location scouting and affordable, experienced crews. According to movie industry sites, Georgia is moving up the ranks and is now behind only Louisiana and California for the top slot. I can’t wait to see these three movies that were shot here. And who knows what films will be in town next!

There's no bad consequence to loving fully, with all your heart. You always gain by giving love...Reese Witherspoon

Pickens County Cannery Now Open call Pickens High School for questions call 706-253-1800 and leave a message

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I love to sing around the house and in the car, but my daughter hates it....Reese Witherspoon

Everybody needs love. Everyone deserves it....Reese Witherspoon

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olf Creek Canyon has added a Family Dining room to their restaurant and we decided to try it out! A couple of our staff family members, Sueanda Hosier and Tara Nelson brought their kids and met us there. We ordered just about everything on the menu and shared it all around the table.

We had a plate of ribs, an order of the special that night which was fried fish, a smoked turkey platter, some chicken wings, and one of each side dish. The kids had been talking about exotic things they’d eaten before including alligator. When our server Angela asked me what I wanted to eat, she just laughed when I joked around and ordered the zebra.

We also ordered all the kids meals, including a hamburger, chicken fingers and grilled cheese.

The food was delicious and the evening was a lot of fun. Tara had told me she was working hard at teaching her kids manners, and there were a few mentions of, “elbows off the table.” I’m probably not the best example of manners, because as soon as we finished eating, I threw the first french fry. ( And it was a great shot right down Sueanda’s shirt! Sorry Sueanda.) And suddenly everyone was throwing french fries! (We did clean them up afterward though) Then Kaden came up with the idea to see who could get the most french fries in their mouth at the same time. We couldn’t decide the winner, but we sure did have a lot of laughs! Luckily our waitress Angela, played along with our tom foolery. If you want a wonderful fun meal with your family at great prices, stop in and visit Wolf Creek Canyon’s new family dining room! They are open Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, and have specials each night.

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Every Thursday evening through September, starting at 6:00 live music starts for Pickin’ at Horseshoe Bend 1156 River Rd, Mineral Bluff, Ga

We asked each person, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What did you like best about our dinner?â&#x20AC;?

Sueanda - I liked the fish, that was my favorite.

Kaden - When we stuffed fries in our mouth. And the hamburger.

Kalina -The chicken fingers.

Klair- Fish.

Natalie - When we stuffed all the french fries in our mouths!

Lacey - The mild wings Tara - All the great conversation, and the fish was great.

Robb - The ribs with the sweet sauce were excellent. The onion rings and the baked potato were great. I had a great time.

Our server Angela- Why everything of course!

(Kaden chimes in, Angela likes the twenty dollar tip she got!)

Thia - I liked the zebra! Just kidding. I like everything I ate, and all the wonderful people I ate it with!

Great Happenings at the Ellijay American Legion! https://americanlegionellijay.wordpress.com

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In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer...Albert Camus

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obb and I love spending time in nature. We like driving back roads and looking for beautiful views.

Waterfalls are definitely one of our favorite things to explore. When we found this book, “The Wayward Traveler’s Guide to Waterfalls and Back Roads of Northern Georgia”, we knew it was the beginning some new adventures.

Robb and I picked a place that sounded amazing and at our level of hiking, which would be, not actually hiking, but more like walking on an easy path because I am an expert at tripping and falling down. (Just ask the curbs in downtown Ellijay!) Telling you the skill level of each place is one of the many things I love about this book. It tells you whether you can see the waterfalls right from your car, or it’s an easy walk, or a bit of a hike, or a difficult climb. Robb and I will stick to the first two. We chose Blood Mountain Creek Falls, near Dahlonega for our first trek, and it was so worth the one and a half hour drive. We drove through a creek, talked to fishermen, met some people camping, and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon driving and walking in an area filled with waterfalls, hiking trails, and wilderness. The water was very cold when we were there in May, but 10 degrees from now, I’m gonna be there panning for gold! We will be using this book to find many more spectacular places. I can’t wait!

Read on for an interview with the authors of this book Dave & Tammy Wolfe

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Story by Thia Photos by Robb

A must see, Amicalola Falls - gastateparks.org/AmicalolaFalls 706-265-4703

visit Blood If you want to Falls for Mountain Creek some are yourself, here sâ&#x20AC;Ś easy direction h ug Take 19N thro n you he Dahlonega. W u are yo spot City Hall om the fr s about 12 mile t the inhi turn off. If you & 129 tersection of 19 2 mile 1/ t you went abou is says n g too far. The si e Manlif Chestatee Wild nce you O a. agement Are you will , make the turn and see a s drive 2.3 mile u are ensign showing yo ilderness w tering a public mile a of area. 4/10â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s e beginfrom there is th . ning of the falls

Too hot to walk! Some great driving tours here- n-georgia.com/driving_tours.htm

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•Are you married? How did you meet?

Dave: We met in 2000 while I was playing in a backgammon tournament on the internet. After a few months we met face to face and got married in 2002.

We moved from AZ to the mountains near Dillard, GA in 2010 •How did you decide to write a book on Waterfalls & Backroads?

Dave: Having grown up in Baltimore I used to visit this area often along with driving the entire Blue Ridge Parkway in NC. When Tammy and I decided to relocate I was looking for a place with lots of waterfalls. It was either this area or the Transylvania county area of NC near Brevard. Once we moved we started visiting as many waterfalls and driving every road we could find.

Being a semi retired chef we had ample opportunity and time to explore. After a few months everyone even the locals were asking us how to find the falls we were posting on our Facebook page ( waterfalls and Back roads of North Georgia). It was then that I decided someone needed to compile a comprehensive list of all the falls in N GA. We had lots of info on North Carolina waterfalls but what was available for Georgia was limited. So five years and 250 waterfalls later I sat down and self taught myself how to layout and print a full color book.

•How did you find all these places to begin with?

Dave: We started with all the available information on the internet and from every magazine article and book we could find. It didn't take long however to realize the best kept secrets were from folks we met on the trails.

Every time we would explore a couple falls someone would tell us about 4 or 5 more they knew about. It really is a never ending quest as I'm sure there are hundreds if not thousands more out there we have yet to visit. On a side note we often get asked what constitutes a waterfall as opposed to a rapid or cascade. My loose definition is a waterfall is something that would kill you if you went over it...not very scientific but works for me.

•How do you split up the job? Who does what?

Tammy : Dave and I along with our Poodle Merlot go to almost every waterfall together. Most are fairly easy hikes of under 2 miles. Sometimes though the terrain gets too much for Merlot so we stand watch up top while he goes down and gets the pictures. I handle a lot of the office work while he lays out the artwork and guides. We answer a lot of phone and email questions from readers and share in that enjoyable endeavor.

•Anything really funny ever happen to you while doing your “research”?

Tammy: Well I don't know how funny it is but several times we have driven an hour into the wilderness only to be thwarted in our quest by a tree fallen across the road. To date we have not had and hope to never have a tree fall behind us on a long one way dirt road. Another amusing problem was after we decided to write our first guide for NC we had already visited over 80 waterfalls but had to go back and get accurate driving distances and better photographs of each one. Now a days no matter where we are when we go to a fall we record that info, just in case it is ever needed.

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•What is your all time favorite place in the book to visit?

Tammy: We have never met a waterfall we didn't like (well one that had water in it anyway) but the places that leave us in awe are Tate City west of Clayton, GA and the Cohutta Wilderness north of Ellijay and Blue Ridge. Another really good one mile hike is Hemlock Falls near Lake Burton as the level trail passes all kinds of neat spots.

•How do you decide your rankings together? Who gets the deciding vote, Merlot?

Dave: We decide on the rankings together and of course they are somewhat subjective. We base them on ease of access and suitability for swimming / lounging etc. Anything ranked 8 or higher is almost certainly a must see but extreme heat or drought can of course make for a less enjoyable time. If the access is hard or there is nowhere for Merlot to stand or play Tammy doesn't enjoy it very much so I'm sure it weighs on her rating, hence I guess Merlot does get a say in the rating. Why not, that dog pretty much runs my life anyway!

• What is the scariest thing that ever happened to you when you were out in the wild? And what was the coolest?

Dave: We have been lucky as we have never come across a bear or poisonous snake on a trail. They are out there though so always use caution. We did disturb a yellow jacket nest once near a remote fall and Tammy got stung a dozen times...that was scary. We have also had a couple flat tires and once had engine trouble way down a secluded dirt road.....nothing too bad but we were lucky the phone worked there. We always carry provisions and water with us when exploring. The coolest thing I think would have to be when we found Tallulah River Road and Tate City by accident. We had just moved here and were driving aimlessly around. The road passes several waterfalls as it descends through the canyon, to this date 20,000 miles later have never found one quite like it.

• Are there more books to come?

Dave: This new book on North GA is our second. After I get a couple hundred stores in GA to carry it we’ll probably work on a South Carolina edition. Not sure however as we are also thinking about doing one on the mills and covered bridges in GA. We pass so many in our travels, but shoot I forgot to write down the directions to all those that are not in the waterfall book. So will have to revisit them!

• Where can the readers find you and your book?

Both current guides are available from our website www.waywardguide.com There are also several stores in the your area that carry them. Here are a few-Cartecay River Trading Company, New Ground Market, R&A Orchard, Crossroads Grocery, Stanley's Grocery, Amicalola Falls Lodge, Mercier Orchards. There are lots more stores that can be found on our website. We would love to hear from any other stores that would like to stock them http://www.waywardguide.com Facebook-Waterfalls and Back Roads of North Georgia

Hike Bear Creek to the giant Gennett Poplar Tree! Directions www.brownsguides.com/blog/bear-creek-hiking-trail/

Pickin' in Horseshoe Bend Park - every Thurs 6:00 to dusk, May through September. McCaysville, GA 706-632-7696

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Story by Thia Photos by Robb

obb and I wanted to check out the new Billiards Room at Fighting Town Tavern, but we are far from knowledgable about playing pool. We put the word out that we were looking for an experienced pool shooter who could show us the basics.

Michelle Merrell contacted us to tell us about her husband, Johnathan Merrell. “My husband is one of the best pool players here in Gilmer County even though he says no.”, Michelle said, “He's has played most of his life and and will teach y’all not only how to play but also show you some awesome tricks. He is a hilarious person to be around and always making people laugh. I really think y’all would have a good time with him.” Michelle was right! She and her husband met us at the tables and we ate some yummy chicken wings and homemade fries, along with having a soda and playing some pool, and watching Johnathan do some amazing tricks! Here’s some of our conversation…

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Thia: So tell me again, the pool shark thing. I want to call you our pool shark that we brought to Fighting Town Tavern, but I don’t want to insult you. Is that an insulting term?

Jonathan: It’s not an insult. It’s something you don’t want everybody to know. If anybody knows you’re a pool shark, nobody’s going to want to play you. A pool shark is someone who stays under the table, lays low, and hustles. I mean, he’s the hustler. The pool shark is the hustler.

T: Isn’t there a movie about it with Jackie Gleason?

We should watch that movie.

J: It’s great.

T: Is it? It’s called The Hustler.

J: And The Color of Money is the follow-up.

T: The Color of Money. What would you call yourself?

J: I’m just a pool player.

T:: Just a pool player, alright. When I said something about going to play pool, my friend said to me, “It’s shoot pool”.

J:. No, how you say it, I guess, really depends on where you’re from.

T: So you have balls spread all around the table, what is going to happen?

J: I’m going to shoot some in the pockets. My record is eleven balls in one shot.

T: Oh my goodness! If you got three balls, I would be very impressed. So you have played in a ton of pool halls, what do you like best about this billiard room?

J: I really like that it is separate from the bar and restaurant.

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I just love dogs, and there really is no better companion than an animal...Rita Rudner

It is a room all to itself. You can just play and have a coke and enjoy yourself.

T: So you used to play a lot of pool. Did you play in tournaments?

J: The best way to go, is if you got into a tournament.

T: In a tournament then you win prizes. Did you ever play in a pool league?

J: Uh, no. Do I have an APA, card? Yeah. Did I play a lot of APA tournaments? Yeah. Did I go to an APA event every Wednesday? No. T: But you have played in some APA tournaments?

J: Oh yeah. Now, again, once you get into an APA tournament, it’s a whole different animal… Now you can come, anybody can come, to a local town pool room and be a hero.

But when you get into them APA tournaments, that’s when you separate the pool players from the wannabe pool players. And like I said myself, I consider myself just a local pool player. I never was too much, I just liked to play at any holein-the-wall I could find between Chattanooga and Florida.

T: Did you ever win any tournaments or awards?

J: Yeah, I won several tournaments.

T: Michelle, he’s being shy, isn’t he? Does he have trophies at home for pool?

M: No, he’s in it for the money.(Laughs) J: Seriously what I was chasing was the almighty dollar. I’d find out what the highest-paying tournament was going to be, and I’d just go and get it, and like I said, it got to where around here it wasn’t the money I was looking for, personally. So I had to travel elsewhere. Most of the time, I’d stay in Atlanta, a lot. And I just did it whenever I got a chance for fun. (Laughs) T: Now you don’t get to play much anymore. How many kids do you have?

M: Four T: Yeah, so you have to be a daddy, more I guess, then being a pool player. But you have a passion for pool.

J: Oh yeah. I really used to have a true passion for this game. I lived, breathed, ate this game. Pool gets a bad rap.

I mean, it’s a young man’s game, it’s turned into a young man’s game. It’s a game of endurance. My little kid can beat me one game, anyone can beat me one game. But to beat me seven times, before I beat you seven time, that’s what true players care about. When you get to that level, you’ll know, you’ll learn. The greatest thing is, I like to hear these guys who say they’ve never payed for lessons, they never took lessons. They’re not a pool player. Because every pool player had payed for lessons. You’re gonna be beat.

Once you get beat, that’s a lesson.

T: Have you always been passionate about pool?

J: When I was four years old, and sitting on Santa’s lap, my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I said “A pool table!”

Johnathan is a heck of a talented shooter. After just a quick lesson from him, I hit four balls in, in a row! (It also helps that the tables are laser balanced!) Pool tricks, appetizers and conversation, in the Billiards Room! Check out Fightingtown Tavern for some good clean fun! 18 and over only. Contact the tavern for details. (706) 946-2006

Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect humans....Stewart Udall

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he summer is already sweltering, but man’s (or woman’s) best friend can’t stay in the AC all season long (though, admit it, it IS a bit tempting), and they can’t be locked up in a boiling hot vehicle either. Our dogs want to get out of the house and on the town every bit as much as we do. So where to go, what to do? The park is always a great option! But here we give you some more ideas…

Take your furry friend to Bow Wow Meow Professional Grooming, or Benji & Friends, both located on Old Hwy 5 South in Ellijay-Your precious pup needs some beauty and relaxation too! Treat her and make her look her best! For a more interesting experience try “glamping,” or glamorized camping, with your rugged rascal; The Martyn House’s Farm locale offers these events in which pets are often welcome.

At their In Towne location on South Main Street, they even have a local Glamper kitty. And pets can attend patio concerts with their owners out on the edge of the back deck. After glamorizing up your pooch, stop by Paws and Claws Thrift & Gift, located on South Main Street, and treat her to a new outfit or dog bed. While you’re at it, pick up something for yourself! Feeling hot and need a treat? Dairy Queen on South Main Street has outside benches where you can share a cone with your canine.

Restaurants in downtown Ellijay are known for their hound hospitality, as much as their friendly service to their human customers. To name a few: The Back Porch Bistro on Northside Square welcomes pooches to their back porch.

As Thia says, “Great food, nice view, and dogs like it too!”

The 1907 Restaurant Bar & Grill on River Street is TOTALLY “pet-friendly.” All pets are welcome on the front porch and rear patio, and are provided with water bowls and treats!

Also on River Street right off the downtown square, River Street Tavern customers can sit out on the deck with their doggies to enjoy food and drink.

Many other downtown locations have water bowls and/or treats as well. So take a stroll, and enjoy! Your pet and you may just run into or meet new friends!

American Legion Post 82 members often bring their military mutts along with them to dine at the club and eat out on the back deck- it’s a real treat on steak nights, with geese to chase in the river behind, country music playing, and the chance at some scraps from the delicious menu. Pets may even meet the club’s resident feline, Melissa. Located on Legion Road in Ellijay.

Many locations in Blue Ridge cater to canines as well! Mike’s Trackside Barbecue loves pets just as much as the patrons (if not more so!), and has yummy treats available for them to enjoy while you eat, and you can all sit down to dinner on the front porch. Black Sheep Restaurant, Bar & Patio are very dog-friendly- they allow dogs on their new patio, which has tables with umbrellas to keep off the hot sun. There is also a nice big oak tree where dogs can relax. And water bowls and treats are available for puppy patrons and canine customers as well. C-Bolt’s on East Main Street, like many other locations, allow dog dining out on the patio. So does Blue Jean’s Pizza and Pasta Factory on Mountain Street, in Suite C. Right next to Blue Jean’s in an adjoining suite, is Dawn’s Country Crafts & More; you and your artisan animal can tour the gallery and visit with Mordecai, so long as yours is friendly and on a leash.

If you’re picking up produce at Mercier Orchards, your pup may accompany you on the spacious patio. Afterwards, you and your mutt can catch a movie together at the Swan Drive In on Summit Street- they are welcome on a leash or within your vehicle.

In Pickens County, Rocco’s Pub on Mountainside Village Parkway also allows pets outside on the patio. Johnny’s pizza has an outdoor patio where dogs are welcome too.

Don’t have a pet yet, or looking for another canine companion? Tri State Pet Rescue in Blue Ridge has saved over 6,000 dogs since 2007, and has many available for you to take home. The North Georgia mountain area is just a beautiful region, with residents friendly towards all, welcoming locals, visitors,and their furry friends. May you and your canine companion have a great summer!

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Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails....Max Eastman

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole....Roger Caras

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Adults are just outdated children...Dr. Seuss

The population of Ellijay grew to 659 by 1910, and began to acquire many new modern conveniences such as electric lights and power, a telephone company and many new businesses.Then in 1912, a fire ravaged the city, destroying 23 buildings. As a result, many new buildings were constructed under new and stricter fire and safety guidelines.

Ellijay is home to Carters Lake, the deepest man-made lake east of the Mississippi.

Sixty-five percent of Gilmer County is public land, and Ellijay lies at the center. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unique Georgia Laws!â&#x20AC;?

You cannot live on a boat for more than 30 days during the calendar year, even if just passing through the state.

No one may carry an ice cream cone in their back pocket if it is Sunday.

Donkeys may not be kept in bathtubs.

It is illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.

Spitting while riding is only legal in Georgia if you are driving in a truck. It is completely illegal in a car or bus.

The State of Georgia was originally colonized with three prohibitions: no alcohol, no slavery, and no Catholics. www.50states.com/facts/georgia.htm#.VVvLuJN0e8A www.blueridgemountains.com/history.html www.theblueridgehighlander.com/history/north_georgia_mountains/fannin-county.php Wikipedia

All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up....Pablo Picasso

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very community has its favorite swimming hole. My town was no different. Hot summer days would find us climbing on the rocks and diving into the cool mountain oasis. There’s just something about that mountain stream that makes you forget about all your troubles and just waste away those days.

I believe it was a Thursday afternoon and me and some of my friends were wasting the day away at the swimming hole, when Todd dared Ricky to jump off the high bank into the water. It didn’t matter how deep it was, the die had been cast. The dare was made and nobody with any salt about them was gonna let a dare go unanswered. I mean, those are the things you never live down. There was the customary “you go first” but we all knew he would have to be the first one. So up the bank he went. It probably wasn’t more than ten feet high and he wasn’t real sure about what he’d gotten himself into. He slowly made his way over to the edge and looked down. You could see the fear oozing out of him but he didn’t have a choice. He had to jump. After all, he was dared. After several false starts, Ricky took a really deep breath and yelled as loud as he could as he jumped.

Now if he was going for points I’m afraid he would have scored real low. He hit the water on his back and he came up gasping. He had knocked the wind right out of himself. Everybody cheered him as he lay on the shore trying to get his breath back.

Then it happened. One of the guys said well, if he did it, I think I’ll give it a try, and up the bank he went. He yelled loud as he jumped and made quite a bit better entrance into the water. He surfaced laughing and headed right back up the bank. We all took off up the bank to get our turn at the death defying jump.

One by one we plummeted off into the cool mountain stream. Man was it a rush.

We must have jumped fifty or sixty times that day before it got so late we had to get home.

That very next day, we all met at the swimming hole again to hang out after our chores were done.

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Ricky looked at Todd and said, I’ve got a dare for you today. As a matter of fact, I dare all of you to go skinny dipping! Well, we weren’t having any of that but Ricky kept on daring and double dog daring.

He said fine, how about if I go first. With that he bent down and pulled off his trunks and tossed them on the bank. Ok who’s not chicken he taunted. We all looked at each other and as Ricky did his best chicken imitation, slowly, one by one, we all stripped down and tossed our trunks on the bank.

Ricky said, well I guess y’all ain’t chicken after all. He slowly made his way to the bank and climbed out, wearing his swimming trunks! How were we supposed to know he had on two pair? He slowly gathered up our trunks we had tossed and said with a laugh, guess I’ll be heading home now. We all stood there in silence as Ricky slowly walked out of view.

I dare not share with you the things that were said about Ricky as he disappeared down the trail. You could hear him laughing even after he was out of sight.

As we argued about who was gonna go get everyone some clothes, Ricky snuck back to the swimming hole and sat down on the bank we had been jumping off just yesterday.

He sat there very quietly and listened to us argue for ten or fifteen minutes and finally he couldn’t keep his laughing quiet any longer. Here again, I will choose not to share the things we said to him.

After a good bit of taunting, Ricky tossed down our trunks. We all scrambled to get them back on. We all took off up the bank to get him but just as we reached to top, he jumped off into the swimming hole. Of course, we jumped off after him but he was out and running back up the hill laughing the whole time. I know it must have been a funny sight, us chasing him up and down that creek bank, laughing at each other. Well, we finally caught him and dunked him a few times for good measure. He just smiled and said, Gotcha!

There were a lot of lessons I learned growing up but one I will never forget isbe careful when people dare you to do something. They’ve already got a plan and in the end, everybody might be laughing, except you.

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet...Roger Miller

If you want grown-ups to recycle, just tell their kids the importance of recycling, and they'll be all over it..Bill Nye

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ooks can be deceiving. As you pass by or pull up to Buffalo Lukes you might get the feeling that it’s a “fast food” place. You might even get that feeling as you walk in and look around and even when you walk up to the counter to order your food in that very familiar way. Yes, after you order your food at the counter the food does come out really fast but the fast food experience ends there. It’s when you get your food that you’ll notice that this is not “fast food”.

Generally speaking, when you order something in a fast food outlet, even a hamburger really, or say a specialty sandwich, something like a Philly cheese steak, meatball sub etc., what you get is “their version” of it. What you get is usually a tiny replica of a Philly cheese steak and not a very good one at that. If you get chicken wings from a fast food outlet (or even some regular restaurants that should know better and serve better) what you receive always looks like the wings were harvested from a breed of pygmy chickens and subsequently frozen in some magical freezer guaranteed to produce freezer burn every time. That’s always a great disappointment for a wing lover. Buffalo Luke’s is nothing like that. No lousy replicas here.

What Buffalo Luke’s serves you is the real deal, and the food is fresh. So while the food comes quick, it is not fast food!

When you place your order they give you your own personal beeper and alert you when your food is ready so you don’t have to stand there, milling around. But, even though there’s no actual table service, many times they’ll just bring your food to you with a smile.

The place is filled with big screen TVs, a great place to watch a game and munch out. They serve beer, lots of beers and wine. Or catch up on

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the news while you’re eating.

On to the food! While you’re waiting for your food to arrive you’ll notice bags and bags, huge bags of potatoes stacked in the restaurant. That means real, fresh french fries not frozen. There is a HUGE difference between fresh french fries and frozen. The fries at Buffalo Luke’s are great. John, the co-owner and co-creator of Buffalo Luke’s told me they go through LOTS of potatoes! He said they use 1500 lbs of potatoes a week to make their fresh french fries, and serve around 10,000 chicken wings a month!

I LOVE philly cheese steak sandwiches. The one I received was no miniature replica, it was a very large sandwich, with lots of juicy meat and cheese and a nice, slightly chewy hoagie roll. If you love Philly cheese steaks, try this one.

The wings were delicious. Big, juicy… the kind you’d expect from a restaurant that specialized in chicken wings alone. You know, a place where wings are their “thing”. Ignore the rest of the sizable menu and that’s what you’ve got here.

Speaking of that sizable menu, there was only so much Thia and I could order. We wished we had brought along some co-eaters for this review so we could sample a few more of the offerings that looked wonderful as we saw them emerge from the kitchen. Thia did order the “Veggie Quesadillas “ I’ll let her describe that experience. I didn’t try them, if I eat something too healthy my head will explode. I was way too interested in the wings, cheese steak and fries.

Thia here- I had the Veggie Quesadillas. This is delicious indulgence my veggie head friends! Lightly cooked and crisp fresh green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms and tons of two kinds of melty,

Kids deserve the right to think that they can change the world....Lois Lowry

gooey stringy cheese wrapped in a grilled tortilla and served with sour cream and chunky salsa. One messy bite and I was hooked. I’d definitely order this again. I also stoled a couple of Robb’s teriyaki chicken wings.

They were flavorful, crunchy, juicy and delicious.

Yes, the menu is sizable. I could say they have all your favorites and be fairly accurate.

Besides the above mentioned you can also have all kinds of salads, and grilled chicken sandwiches and chicken tenders. They have a meatball sub I would have liked to try. And we didn’t even get to the pasta and pizza, a lot of varieties of pizza and if you don’t see your favorite on the menu you can even create your own.! Or the hamburgers, several to choose from including a turkey burger.

Are they all as good as the items that we sampled? I’d bet they are. We’ll just have to go back again (and again) to find out!

61 Melissa Parkway, Jasper GA 706-692-0890 See their Menu at www.BuffaloLukes.com

I tell the kids, somebody's gotta win, somebody's gotta lose. Just don't fight about it. Just try to get better...Yogi Berra

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The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any....Fred Astaire

The continued existence of wildlife and wilderness is important to the quality of life of humans...Jim Fowler

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Amie Hughes Ellington Ask Jackie Ellington to grab me a bag and tissue to wrap a present....this is what I get....men!!!

DrewHeather Earley -Just sittin around playin some tunes.. #itsahardlife #beingarockerbaby

Donna Smith - My grandkids were photo bombed by a camel. Lol Julie Pritchett- Uh oh .

Lander got in the Petroleum jelly. U think I would have learned a better place for the p.j. after Lawson did the same thing at the age (Thia: And we used THAT picture in the paper too!)

Hannah Baker Towns sends her son, Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s picture while he is playing hide and go seek. And also to let me know they need more papers! :)

Brian Young -Deep thoughts by Lucy "ok daddy, I really appreciate the beef smoked rawhide whatever treat and enjoyed streaming the WP set from Wanee tonight on the back porch.

But, seriously, you didn't bring me any extra fajitas from Pueblos so now I'm going to stare at you until you give me some of that leftover spaghetti you're eating..."

Diana Hays - Yesterday on way home from school Danielle : Mama when I look at all these old buildings I imagine myself running through them during the Zombie Apocalypse.

Me: Honey maybe you shouldn't watch so many zombie movies.

Danielle: Seriously Mom, I'm just getting prepared.....

Paul Douglas - Little Bit celebrating Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1st WIN of 2015 at Talladega baby!!!

Stacy Dunn Patterson Is this the year of the snake???

Devin Spivey Aaron David: "Mom, when you were little I bet they didn't have alarm clocks. So you had to use a rooster!"

He also thinks I'm 60 years old. SMH

Andrea Rich Martin - Me: Johnny, do you think I am beautiful?

J: Yes I do. I don't care what people say about you.

Darren Gaddis Gaddis men are rib men

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If you see or post something adorable or funny on Facebook, please tag us in it, and maybe youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see it here!

I feel like I'm nothing without wildlife. They are the stars. I feel awkward without them....Bindi Irwin

Want To Reach Over 30,000 Readers - Advertise In The Best Of The North Georgia Mountains www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/Advertise 35

A

fter a cold winter, the warm weather brings a lot of work that needs to be done on a farm. The garden gets planted and the little seedlings begin to grow into big healthy plants that will feed our family. The barn gets a good cleaning and all that composting hay and manure turns into amazing fertilizer for the garden. The animals seem happier and able to enjoy going from one spot to another eating bugs and grass and foraging all day in the warm sun. For me, the best part of Spring and Summer on our farm are all the new babies that are born.

Setting eggs in the incubator to hatch during the colder months gives us a lot of baby chicks and ducklings. My husband said to me the other day, “why don't we put the incubator away for a little while.” I said, “I can't, I'm addicted to hatching eggs!” He shook his head and walked away mumbling “Oh no, we are going to have hundreds of chickens!” I have to wonder, what is the problem with that?

The goat kids are born in the Spring and the entertainment on the farm becomes priceless.

We raise Great Pyrenees and we added a new male puppy to our herd of dogs and he is a handful. His name is Bear, but we should have named him Trouble. However, as rambunctious as he is, I wouldn't trade all his hijinks for anything, he is adorable. I could write this entire article about our dogs and the adventures they bring, they are definitely lively!

Raising baby animals is a little different than the care we give to our adult animals. We have to feed them differently and keeping adults out of the baby food becomes quite a circus. Our house becomes a revolving door for newborn baby chicks and ducklings. We start them in a brooder indoors. They are messy, little stinky creatures, and require daily cleanup and maintenance.

When they are six weeks old we move them out to a small house, in my fenced garden, where they learn to live outdoors safely. Once they are about ten weeks old and figure out the joy of eating my roses, they move to our grow out pen attached to the big chicken house so the older chickens can get to know them without hurting them. After they are about twelve weeks old we let them comingle with the older chickens free ranging, and eventually they all learn to live well together.

The baby ducks grow faster than the baby chicks and they usually move into the established duck flock earlier and easier than chickens. Of course, every flock has that one grouchy hen that doesn't want to get along. You will find me outside sit-

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ting in a chair every day, watching the babies play and holding my “grouchy hen stick” to keep our Miss Meanie from pecking at the babies. If I'm honest, the stick is more protection from Mr. Bandito, our rooster, than Miss Meanie! He stalks me and gives me this look like I am not his owner, I am more like a giant insect, plump and ready to eat! I am sure that one day Google earth is going to get a photo with me in it, that is why I wave periodically just in case.

Our baby goats, called kids, are a barrel of energy and fun. I can sit outside and watch them all day long. They run and jump and do some pretty interesting ninja moves as they explore their world and learn important goat stuff from the adults. I just love how free spirited they are and how everything seems to excite them. Although, when they start jumping on the hood of the car and get in the trunk when I'm unloading groceries, I don't love that so much. If you ever see a car at Wal-Mart with strange footprints all over the hood, you will know that is me. Goat kids stay close to their mother and mommy is very protective of them. I can't help but laugh when our dogs get too close and she gives them a bump with her head. Our big Great Pyrenees aren't phased by it, but our Chihuahuas have learned to run for the hills if she starts coming at them. Normally, our dogs and goats hang out well together, but mom doesn't feel like she needs any help raising her kids, although the dogs feel like she does.

Adding a new puppy to the house has brought a lot of chaos to our family, but how can you not love a fun, energetic puppy? It took about two weeks for the other dogs to get adjusted to him.

Our little Chihuahuas look at me every day as if to say, Why? But, the other Great Pyrenees are happy to have a little spunky puppy to play with and to teach. They take him on walks and show him the ropes on how to guard and protect the family and animals. Right now, he's more interested in finding out how much destruction he can get into than guarding anything. When he knocked the screen out of the window to get a better view, I couldn't get mad at his cute puppy face. We are wearing some pathetic looking shoes around here too, he seems to grab and run faster than we can catch him. So a lot of our shoes have a few bite marks on them. He didn't waste any time learning how to dig! Our back yard looks like the face of the moon these days with all the craters and holes. It seems the big girls are proud of themselves for teaching him how to make use of those giant paws!

If you ask me, this is the best time of the year and the most fun on our hobby farm. I love all the new life and excitement around here and I wish that there was something I could put in the water that would keep them all little babies. Who doesn't love baby faces looking up at you every day? It's pure joy!

The love of family and the admiration of friends is much more important than wealth and privilege...Charles Kuralt

Recent surveys claim that the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, referred to as the "Gold Belt," still holds the majority of its wealth in gold. The estimate is that 80% of the original gold is still here, making the North Georgia mountains a favorite, for amateur gold hunters.

Ellijay, in Gilmer County produces more than half a million apples every season.The most popular apple varieties grown in Georgia include Empire, Fuji, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Jonathan, Ozark Gold, Paulard, Red Delicious, Rome Beauty (pictured), and Yates.

The origin of the town name excites considerable speculation, but conventional wisdom holds that Ellijay is an Anglicized form of a Cherokee word, perhaps meaning "place of green things" or "many waters" or â&#x20AC;&#x153;new groundâ&#x20AC;?.

Gilmer County was cut from Cherokee County in 1832, and Ellijay became the county seat in 1834. Ellijay existed as a remote mountain community until the Marietta and Northern Georgia Railroad (later the L and N) arrived in 1884. www.dumblaws.com/laws/united-states/georgia www.ncta-testing.org/index.php www.rv-travel-with-kids.com/interesting-facts-about-georgia.html www.beyondthepalace.com/georgia/georgiaotherplaces.htm

Jasper Cruise In Home Depot 3-7 Every fourth Saturday All Summer

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oday I went to a Dermatologist for a Blue Light treatment. That’s for the prevention and treatment of skin cancer. I had my scalp treated with something called a Vulcan Carrotstick. Or something like that. They apply this solution on your head and you have to wait two hours for it to sink into your scalp.

Then you sit under a Blue Light with a small fan pointed at your head for 16 minutes and 40 seconds. I don’t want to think of what would happen if you stayed 16 minutes and 43 seconds. I didn’t ask.

I was told that while under this Blue Light, it will not heat the skin, but I may experience the sensation of burning, tingling, stinging, or pricking of the treated areas, but that the discomfort would subside anywhere from one minute to twenty four hours after the treatment is over. So help me it’s exactly what is printed on the brochure. Kind of a broad range don’t you think? It said only three percent of the people stop the treatment before the time is up. I was determined not to be one of those three percent. I was ready, my watch was in my hand so I could keep track of the time. The fan was turned on, the Blue Light was turned on, and I didn’t feel any tingling sensation at all until about six seconds into the treatment. The tingling felt like a thousand needles were stuck into my scalp. At about twelve seconds, I started to feel the stinging and at twenty seconds the burning sensation started. Only sixteen minutes and twenty seconds to go. For sure the worst was over.

Not so. For the rest of the time, it felt like my head was swelling and throbbing to the beat of In a Gadda Da Vida. And my scalp was about to burst into flames. I’m not sure but out of the corner of my eye I think I saw the technician putting a marshmallow on a stick. Then I heard a pong and it was all over. In about one minute the burning sensation did go away. But I think it’s going to be a lot longer for the rest of the sensations to go away. To be more realistic, the brochure should have the word “intense” in there. I would also point out that at some time midway through you feel like someone has put a very hot skillet on your head.

Your scalp may not actually get hot but you feel like if someone cracked an egg or two on it, it would cook very fast. One sunny side up, one scrambled. All kidding aside, if you are prone to skin cancer, go have this procedure done. It’s only sixteen minutes and forty seconds. You can do it. If you have this done around lunch time, bring some marshmallows.

It seems that my smart phone is not as smart as I first thought. The auto correct spelling needs some tweaking. It does not rec-

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ognize certain words, or just doesn’t want to spell them, or it just doesn’t like me, and wants to create trouble for me. For instance; when I use the calendar part of my phone to remind me of important events like today is the last day to get my column to Rob and Thia , or my wife’s birthday, or a dinner engagement tonight, or similar events, I type in dinner with “Ginny”. That’s my wife’s name. It refuses to print Ginny. Instead it prints “Vinnie”. I tried everything to change it, but I can’t. So I just leave it as Vinnie. Needless to say last week my wife used my phone and the calendar was open when she used it. Reading, call “Vinnie” today was OK, then having lunch with “Vinnie” was OK, but the buy a card, flowers and a gift for “Vinnie” for Valentine’s Day, raised her eyebrows a bit. Not to mention a questionable stare. Darn that smart phone.

In the future if I ever need help with a smart phone, I’ll just ask the nearest five year old.

I’m told there is now a phone that will print out a piece of paper. So this next idea for a smart phone is not too farfetched. There is a need for a smart phone that will be able to dispense a piece of toilet paper in case of an emergency.

Here are a few things you can do to have some fun at a restaurant. Let’s say you are having breakfast and the menu says two eggs any style. When the waitress asks how you would like your eggs? Look her straight in the eye and say one sunny side up and one scrambled. She may ask you again as if she didn’t hear you correctly. If she is a good waitress she will just write down the order and not say anything. You may think she wasn’t surprised by your order, that she has heard that before.

Bet she hasn’t. Be sure to watch her as she goes to put the order in. I will bet, that at some point you will see a head peak out from the kitchen looking to see who the weirdo is that ordered the eggs that way. Also keep an eye out for the other waitresses. Most likely your waitress told them about the order and they will be checking you out also. There’s one more variation on that order. If you get toast with your eggs, ask for one white and one rye.

You will now be classified as a double weirdo.

Just a thought, why is it that you will order your eggs sunny side up, but you also order them over easy. If it’s sunny side up, then why not sunny side down?

If you go to a drive-in window at a burger place try this one out. Have it your way was what they advertised, so this is your way.

When asked “can I have your order please” say I’ll have a cheeseburger and can you reverse the bun please. I will bet that when you get to the window to pick it up, there will be more than one person in that booth wanting to see who ordered that!

PLEASE! Make sure you tell our advertisers, the sponsors of this publication "I Saw You In The "FUNpaper"!!! - Thanks!

Family is not an important thing. It's everything....Michael J. Fox

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he best summer of my life began with a tragedy. In the spring of 1955, my Uncle PeeWee died from pneumonia. Without any hesitation mother and daddy loaded the kids in the car and drove non-stop to Orlando, Florida. When we arrived, it was obvious to even this twelve year old kid that my Aunt Betty was devastated.

Mother’s brother, PeeWee had left three children under the age of nine. It was just too much for Aunt Betty and she couldn’t even manage to leave her bedroom. Mother, like always, just took charge. Pasty, my sister, daddy and I just followed mother’s directions, like always. When the funeral was over, mother was still in charge. The following morning she just announced she was taking them all home with us and we were on the road by noon with Aunt Betty and her kids following us in their car.

As most of you know, when you solve one problem you usually create a few more. With the two families together there were seven kids and three adults. Two of the kids were only four years old. At 12 I was the oldest and mother never stopped reminding me of that fact. The first problem was figuring out where everyone would sleep. Now, believe me, my mother was creative, but I began to get a little nervous when I noticed everyone had been settled into a place except for me. Then she went to the closet and began to pull out old clothes. Puzzled, I watched as she threw them into the bath tub. When the pile was about four inches high, she calmly spread a blanket across them, then folded a large bed sheet in the middle and spread it on top of the blanket. She left the room and minutes later returned with a pillow. The light bulb came on over my head when she smiled and said, “Raland, this is your bed.” I slept there every night for the next three months. It was secure – I didn’t need to worry about falling out of bed. I just wish I could sleep today like I did in that old bathtub.

That summer daddy plowed a garden twice as big as usual. While he was at work at the Tennessee Copper Company (the plant), mother and I planted it. Every time we’d start planting something new, mother would say, “Make another row for your Aunt Betty.” I remember thinking who in the world is going to eat all this food? What I should have been worrying about was who was going to weed and hoe all those rows of vegetables! I have fond memories of Aunt Betty’s boys, Ricky and Roger, playing in the fresh dirt as I cut the weeds.

It’s funny how it’s the little things you remember about people.

Something that stuck with me all my life was Roger’s reaction to pain. If he got a bee sting or stumped his toe, he would yell “Oy, Oy, Oy!” all the way to his mother. In all my travels in life I’ve never heard that again. It still makes me laugh.

I don’t know when we began to harvest, but I definitely remem-

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ber who got stuck doing it – ME! I especially remember green beans that summer. Mother would spread a bed sheet on the front porch in front of the swing. She and Aunt Betty would string and break the beans and then toss them into the center of the sheet. As the day went on, the pile grew higher and higher.

It was all I could do to keep them with a steady supply of beans.

Sometime just before supper mother announced, “That’s enough beans, Raland. We’ll take them to the cannery tomorrow.” I looked at the bed sheet and the pile was about two feet high and went all the way to the edges on all four sides. Now you need to know I’d never been to the cannery before. Like everything else, there’s a procedure to follow. You wash them, you place them in a large tin can, you seal the can and then you cook them in a huge container.

At first I couldn’t understand why I had to be there. Then the old man that ran the cannery approached me and said, “Son, let me show you how to seal your mother’s cans.” Two hundred and fifty cans later I realized exactly why mother had brought me along.

When the cans were put into the huge container to cook, I actually thought I’d be able to rest. Wrong… I think my mother knew every single person in the county in that cannery that day. When someone new would come in, mother would talk and joke with them and then she’d volunteer me to seal their cans. Those people really loved my mother.

We did two more cycles with the beans over that summer. I couldn’t believe how each little plant could produce so many beans. But I need to confess, when mother said to me it should be the last of the beans, I made sure. I pulled up each plant as I picked the beans off of it. I wasn’t taking any chances she’d see new beans coming on the plants and change her mind. When September arrived, Aunt Betty and the kids started putting all of their belongings in their car. But before they did, Patsy and I loaded their trunk and floorboard with five hundred sealed tin cans of green beans and other vegetables.

Later I heard mother tell daddy that Aunt Betty’s brother had moved in with her. Not too long after that I heard she’d gotten remarried to a man she’d met at her church. Like most kids, something out of sight is out of mind. I don’t remember having any contact with them again until after I’d been in the Army for almost ten years.

I’d like to think that she and her family are living happily ever after because their visit, gave me the best summer of my life!

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life...Richard Bach

Classic Cars Cruise In Dairy Queen Parking Lot Blue Ridge Highway 4th Friday All Summer

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I

know no other way of life except the Southern way of life. And I don’t care to know another way of life. But unfortunately, the south has been inundated with the you-knowwho and it shows.

Especially, and sadly, our food. Bagels, anyone? Now, I myself have Yankee kin. So take into consideration they are the flip side of this here say so on food, and we ain’t gonna fight to the death over it. Been there, done that. So, what’s left, other than poking a little fun at each other?

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saw about the Yankee who is down south and about to order breakfast. When he asks about the special of the day, the waitress mentions grits. He says he doesn’t know what that is, and he’ll just skip it but she insists it comes with the special. So, he says, “Well, I guess I’ll try it. But since I don’t know if I’ll like it, I’ll just take one grit this time.”

Speaking of grits, I was raised to eat them with butter and sugar. My South Georgia friend was raised to eat them with butter, salt and pepper. And of course, there’s the messedwith grits, with cheese and stuff put in them. People cannot leave good enough alone, apparently.

Growing up, for breakfast at one grandparent’s house, you had biscuits, sawmill gravy (raise your hand if you know what sawmill gravy is), and eggs, fried. Fried how depends on how busy my granddaddy was cooking the meat. They might be sunny side up, they might be runny as the creek in the back yard or as hard as a rubber ball. Didn’t matter, you ate them. There was also bacon; sometimes sausage. Homemade blackberry and apple jelly and butter were always in the center of the table.

At my other grandparents house there was oatmeal first.

Didn’t matter if you disliked oatmeal, you ate a bowl of it before you got your biscuits, scrambled eggs and bacon.

At home, breakfast was whatever I got thrown at me on the way to school.

And another thing that’s been ruined is chicken. There was, in the not so distant past, no such thing except fried chicken. (Unless you had chicken and dumplings) And now there’s chicken whatever. I admit some of it is good, but it’s a lot like sin: good going down, and fun while you’re at it, but awful when you are spitting it up in the middle of the night because it’s just too spicy a thing for how God made you. Stay away from both as much as temptation will allow.

And tea. Dear lord. When I was growing up, you had tea.

If you were fortunate enough to go to a restaurant you ordered tea. Not hot or cold, not sweet or (please don’t make me say it) unsweet(ened) tea. And you didn’t have to worry about a nasty old lemon hanging off the glass, either. If you wanted something icy cold to drink that tasted like lemon, guess what you ordered? Like, duh.

If I wanted to horrify Yankee kin, I could say words like okra and squash.

And remember eating watermelon straight from the

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branch, where it had been kept in the frigid stream all day so it would be cold by mid-afternoon when July was an inferno? What about homemade ice cream from an old wooden, hand cranked thing that only a grown man could turn toward the very last? No soft drinks except “cocola”, Nu-grape and Nesbitt’s Orange. “Pop” was what your cap gun did. And contrary to popular belief, not everything was cooked with lard. Some things were cooked with butter. So there. Don’t you dare sit there, all smug, and tell me food is much better for you now.

Really? Why did my grandparents live to be eighty-seven years old?

That’s right. Lard is a preservative. It’s a pretty tightly kept secret, so I’ll ask you not to pass it along. The you-know-who folks might get ahold of the information, and then where would we be, Scarlett?

They’re annoying enough as it is.

The family is one of nature's masterpieces...George Santayana

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future...Alex Haley

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I

folded a sheet today. Slowly smelling the freshness, aligning all the corners, taking my time just to appreciate everything it represents. In the rush of my daily life, I don’t think I have ever really taken my time folding a sheet, and even less so thought about what it means. I slept in a cozy bed last night as the summer storms came through, yet I was safe and sound. I have a beautiful roof over my head, food in my belly, and the precious companionship of another next to me. All of my needs are taken care of, and many of my wants, albeit simple things, so easy to take for granted.

A saw a sign the other day that stated “What if the only things you awoke to this morning were the things you were thankful for yesterday?” If that were true, where would we stand? We take so many things for granted.

While having a discussion with a friend, they were concerned they haven’t “accomplished” many things, and felt less than grateful for the many contributions they had made, because they were comparing themselves to others.

Each of us have a particular path to walk, and all are equally as important.

Imagine the surgeon without the ability to purchase gasoline for his vehicle at the local store, take the store’s clerk out of the picture and that heart surgery may not take place.

So many individuals and their contributions are taken for granted, it is time we realize gratitude is about recognizing everyone is a blessing and whatever their service is to others, we should thank them for it. We are all blessings, simply in service to each other. As I put the clean sheet away, I thought for a moment of the many hands that made it possible – and took a moment to be thankful for all of them. “Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.” Robert Brault.

Here is hoping you are able to find something everyday to be thankful for….grateful for you, enjoy your day!

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I think togetherness is a very important ingredient to family life...Barbara Bush

Family is the most important thing in the world....Princess Diana

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’ve always been curious about yoga. You see people doing these amazingly poses, and I think to myself I could never do that in a million years! I met Christy Tolbert when she opened her Yoga studio, The Happy Elephant. She is one of those people that you like instantly. She just radiates beauty, calm, openness and happiness. I really wanted to find out more about her, and once and for all, try this Yoga thing! So Christy invited me to her studio to give me a private lesson while Robb took pictures. I learned a lot from Christy, and yoga was very relaxing and calming. We did an interview between poses so you can learn more about too.

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Thia: Why Yoga?

C: It changed my life. I stopped working; I worked for a law firm as a paralegal, office administrative. And then, I moved to Kennesaw when I got married. And I went from working, like, 60 hours a week, to not working at all, and I was very unhappy. All of my past stuff, came to the surface. And I had a hard time dealing with it. I drank a lot. I needed something that was going to make me feel whole. My husband is a great husband, very awesome, but I wasn’t happy. And so I started taking yoga, and all of a sudden one day, I felt that quiet, that stillness, that I’d been wanting my whole entire life. And it changed me from the inside out. And, you know, I was able to let my authentic self come to the surface.

And not worry about what everyone else was thinking.

T: That’s wonderful.

C: I thought about how I was feeling and being genuine to that. And so, once I’d been through a couple years of it, I was like, okay, I need to teach, I need to share this, because I have a lot of friends that are, not doing so well, some who are going through menopause, some are dealing with different issues…, divorce, kids, things like that. It changed my life, so if it can do so much for me, then it can do for other people too.

T: So you started your own studio.

C: So when we moved here last April, I thought, I’m gonna open up my own studio, and it just all happened. The universe kinda put it all in place.

T: My brain spins constantly. So what does yoga do to make you stop?

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C: You’re more mindful of your breath.

We don’t breathe with the full capacity of our lungs. We don’t take those deep breaths. The mind is the master of our senses, and the breath is the master of the mind. So when you’re thinking about your breath, and you’re thinking, “I’m just going to breathe in, and exhale out now,” your brain starts slowing down, your heart rate starts slowing down, your nervous system is soothed. So you start just to kind of chill out. And you realize, five minutes can go by, and you’re like, “wait a minute; I’m not thinking at all about anything.” (Laughs) T: I don’t think I’ve ever not thought about anything…

C: I used to be one of those people, I couldn’t go to sleep. My mind was constantly worried, our minds are like monkeys. Going tree, to tree, to tree…

T: Yep, that’s me.

C: That’s how our brains works, we’re going from thought to thought to thought. But when we focus on our breath, it doesn’t leave room for all that. And that becomes where you start with a meditative practice. But the practice of yoga, the big part of yoga is breath. Yoga really means “yoke, to unite.” So the breath is what unites the mind, the body, the spirit. You go through practice, and it doesn’t really matter what poses you do, it really doesn’t. You could do a bunch of different poses every class will be different, but the end result is, the last pose, the bliss pose where we lay on our back.

We’re slowing everything down, we’re being more mindful of our body, and then by the end, hopefully, you’re chilled and relaxed.

T: So this has nothing to do with religion or …

C: Absolutely not. Some people believe I’m gonna have them chanting “ohm,” and praying to deities… No. T: It’s body work.

C: It is body work. It’s about you getting in touch with you, and whatever it is you believe is going to surface. I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus, and I believe that my relationship with Him has strengthened because of my practice. Meditating, you’re listening to God. When you get yourself real still, you hear your inner voice; that inner consciousness speaking to you, which I believe is God.

PLEASE! Make sure you tell our advertisers, the sponsors of this publication, "I Saw You In The "FUNpaper"!!! - Thanks!

T: So tell me about the Karma class that you’re going to have tonight.

C: Karma Class is all about giving back.

We ask for donations, and, it’s whatever you can afford to give, and then we give those to the Gilmer Food Pantry. We wanna put good stuff out there so we can receive good stuff back.

T: That’s a great thing. What do you see in the future?

C: More classes, more teachers, just getting more, of the community involved, letting people know what really yoga is about. We just taught a bunch of fourth graders…

T: How was that?

C: It was the scariest thing in the world.

I thought teaching a bunch of older folks would be hard, but no, the fourth graders, they’re onto you.(Laughs) T: If anybody wants to have a group come in, like all their girlfriends, or a quilting group, you will do a yoga class for them? Or will you go to them and do a yoga class ?

C: Oh, yeah, definitely. I’m very open to that.

Robb: I want to ask a question.

T: Oh, here we go Christy.

R: Is there any truth that if you do yoga a lot, you can learn how to levitate?

C: Well, I have not been able to master that…(Laughs) R: So it’s a guru thing…

C: The gurus are the monks in Tibet. I haven’t seen them personally… (All laugh) You are supposed to be able to use your mind to bend matter; mind over matter. So, I guess once you become that enlightened, maybe you really feel like you’re levitating. So, I guess I’m gonna keep on practicing. (Laughs) R: These are the kinda things I wonder about.

T: That’s what spins in his mind late at night. He’s thinking about how these guys get to levitate. (Laughs) R: I do have a serious question though. One of the big things that is going on now is this whole thing about mindfulness. About meditation, and that has to go in together with this.

C: It does. Because you do want to be mindful, you want to be more centered, and more grounded, in the things that we do, and the things that we say, the things we put in our body… and yoga

really is all about mindfulness. It is about, realizing that you are here, and whatever you do is going to have an effect on other people, on yourself, whether it’s what you eat, what you say, it all has impact. And yoga kind of brings you in to your center, you know?

So when you do yoga, you just push pause. Everything else, outside becomes still. So you can focus on the moment.

And you’re in the moment, in the present. If you’re living in the past, it causes depression. If you’re living in the future, it causes anxiousness. But if you’re living in the present, you’re living in happiness.

R: I like that. So when you have a class of all new beginners, is there, all kinds of moaning and groaning and bone snapping, and… ?

C: Always. Yes, always. (Laughs) People will grunt. They will moan. I’ll try not to take it personal. (Laughs) But everyone is smiling by the end. So, if you have a smile on your face at the end, I’m taking that as a job well done.

R: So, yoga is not something that people should feel intimated by…

C: Absolutely not. The hardest part is going to be showing up.

R: So it’s easy entry?

C: Yeah, very easy entry. And you’ll completely know what you’re supposed to do, where everything’s supposed to go.

And once you’re here, it’s easy peasy.

R: Do you have guys?

C: Um, I do have guys. I have guys that come to the class as well. (Laughs) We do have gentleman that come to the class. Usually their wife brings them, and then they’re like, “oh,” and they really enjoy it afterwards. Yeah, they tell me how much it’s gonna help them with their golf swing.

T: So Christy and I did lots of poses.

It’s my turn to take Robb’s picture doing a pose.

R: Me? T & C: Yeah, yeah (Robb tries to do a few and cracks up of course.)

C: So at the end of our practice, after your body has been oxygenated, all your cells are tingling, and sparkling and dancing with all that amazing energy, and you feel great!

T: I do! And I feel relaxed! I like the Bliss pose the best of course. Thanks for teaching me Christy!

Want To Advertise In The Best Of The North Georgia Mountains? Go To: www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/advertise

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Story Nancy Brown & Thia Newman Photos by Nancy Brown

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wners Billy and Kathleen Deal have been running an auction for almost fifteen years. Their Granddaughter Kaleyn is their clerk.They keep it all in the family.

Before being in the auction business Billy worked in the mines! I thought DEAL was such a great name for an Auctioneer. It must have been meant to be. I had a lot of fun visiting with the Deals and also attending the auction. Their motto, “Antiques to Uniques, We sell it All!”, sure does fit. The night I was there, there was a light up alligator on the auction block! They have regular "pickers" who travel in from Hiram Ga., Stone Mt. Ga., Rocky Face, Cleveland Tn and of course locally. Everyone has a good time and gets a good deal. I asked Billy a few question.

What was the most interesting or unusual piece you've sold?

So many different things. A few of them are: an old pack saddle for oxen, an iron wheel railroad cart from the gold mines, a Wells Fargo strong box used to haul gold from mining camps.That last one the buyer donated to a museum.

Why do people come to your auctions?

People come from all around because it's entertaining and "We Sell Stuff" What three things do you like the most about your business?

1: Going through the stuff- You never know what you're going to find.

2: The Selling Part.

3. All of the wonderful people who come and make it happen, without them we couldn't do it.

What Do you like the best about running the auction?

When I start selling stuff, it the most exciting!

Several of the Deal’s customers also had good things to say…

Rob T. — A pleasant way to spend the evening. Well run and they always have interesting items.

Lorraine K. -Always something to buy. Billy is such a nice man and so is his wife. Love going there!! It's our favorite auction. Always nice things!

Patricia T.- We've been to them all, and Billy's is the BEST! Great assortment of items, friendly atmosphere.

So if you are looking for a fun way to spend an evening, with some great items to bid on, and a fun friendly atmosphere, take a trip to the McCaysville Auction!

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There's nothing I value more than the closeness of friends and family, a smile as I pass someone on the street...Willie Stargell

A happy family is but an earlier heaven....George Bernard Shaw

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Story & Photos by Tara Nelson

P otos & Story by Jim Harmon â&#x20AC;˘ Spec l T

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hen I say "ICE" you say "CREAM", ready?? ICECREAM!! ICE-CREAM!! If you have not guessed as of yet...My girls and I had the pleasure of visiting numerous ice-cream/frozen yogurt establishments. Natalie and Lacey now think of me as some kind of super womanhero; all in the name of ice-cream! Our first day we traveled to Jasper and stopped in at Polar Vortex; located at 28 Bill Wigington Pkwy suite A106. I was able to sit down with owner Darryl Payne, while my kiddos and two younger cousins filled their cups with yummy frozen yogurt and toppings, with some help from my sister and lovely Nana, who met up with us there.

Let us start with your hours of operation please sir?

Darryl: Well we are a bit different from other fro yo/ice cream places, we serve gourmet coffee and homemade pastries from 6:30am to well all day. Frozen Yogurt usually from 11-9pm Mon-Thurs. and 11-10pm Fri & Sat. How many flavors do you generally always serve?

D: 10 flavors, 2 that are sugar free and 2 that are sorbet Toppings?

D: Lets just say over 57 toppings.

(Tara: and talk about anything you could possibly dream of, even peanut butter and marshmallow!)

Any deals or specials?

D: We have coupons in the paper, but anyone can follow us on Facebook (polarvortexyogurt) we sometimes put specials on there.

What is the best thing about owning a frozen yogurt shop?

D: Watching kids enjoy eating the yogurt and families just enjoying time together. There are no TV's, so you can enjoy sitting down and talking to one another. I wanted to make a fun, comfortable place, a nice breath of fresh air after a long hot day, and I we have a few bible study groups that come in the mornings; I would love to see more of that.

What is your favorite thing to eat here?

D: My homemade cinnamon roll, it will knock your socks off. It took me a long time to perfect that recipe.

On day number two, we ventured to Moobears in downtown Ellijay, on 40 River Street; Owner Carrie Durden was behind the counter eagerly awaiting our orders. A few friends and their little ones met up with us there and we each tried a different flavor of hand dipped ice cream. After visiting a few minutes Carrie was able to pull away for a few questions.

What are your hours Mrs. Carrie?

C: Mon-Thurs 11:30-5pm, Fri & Sat 11:30-8 and Sundays 1-6 How many flavors do you always generally have?

C: 20! 2 are no sugar added and 1 yogurt.

Do you have any deals/specials?

C: We have a rewards card, 10 visits you spend more than $3/visit you get $4 off your 11th visit. $3 is not hard to spend!

What is the best thing about owning an ice cream shop?

C: Meeting the people, and putting a smile on their faces and in their tummies.

What is your favorite thing to eat?

C: Eskimo Kisses! But for lunch hotdogs. We serve 100% Angus beef dogs-Rueben dogs...11 types of dogs!

We left there with very full and smiling tummies. While we were in Ellijay, we had to stop at DQ! Now I know almost everyone knows where to find Dairy Queen Brazier, but if you want the address I have that covered. 1043 S. Main Street We went in and I had just missed owner Ricky Wimpey, but the employees were more than friendly and helpful to assist me

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nk to L

You can pour melted ice cream on regular ice cream. It's like a sauce!...Chris Pratt

with my questions and Mr. Wimpey called me shortly after we left and also answered my q's.

How many flavors do you have?

DQ staff: Unlimited, pretty much your hearts desire, we can make it.

Types of toppings?

DQ staff: Fruit, candy, nuts, cookies and syrups.

Any deals/specials?

Ricky: Depends on the month-always a different blizzard for each month. Then we have the $5 lunch with a sundae special.

Best thing about owning an ice cream shop?

Ricky & Staff: All the people you meet, forming friendships with the regulars.

Favorite thing to eat here?

Staff: Jurassic Smash Blizzard! is by far the best!!

Ricky: Banana split and chicken wraps, and yes Jurassic smash is one of the best combinations they have come up with.

If you thought our ice-cream/frozen yogurt fun stopped there...you are wrong! We headed towards home and stopped in downtown Blue Ridge. We found a parking spot and strolled into our last stop C-Bolt's! Where can you find it?

644 E. Main Street.

Owners Dianne Seabolt and son Chris Seabolt were busy filling food, drink and ice cream orders. Once our turn came up I introduced myself and let my kids then order their last ice cream for the day. They got their cones and I decided to try one of their freeezzz's. Yummy! Once things settled down, Mr. Seabolt was able to sit down with me.

What are your Hours?

C: Well lets just say Mon-Sun 11-5, but we sometimes will either close on Tuesday or Thursday depending on weather and things we may have going on. But we are normally always open Mondays, Wednesday and the weekend.

How many flavors do you have?

Chris: 85 flavors of hand dipped ice cream, Italian ice and over 1,000 combinations of shakes, malts and non-dairy freeezzz. We serve Greenwood Ice cream and have the largest selection in North Georgia. You cannot buy Greenwood in any store.

Types of toppings?

Chris & Dianne: No toppings, but we do banana splits, sundaes, old fashioned ice cream sodas and floats.

What is the best thing about owning your own ice cream shop?

C: We like to be our own boss, set our own schedule/hours.

We managed it for 16 years but we have owned it for about 3 years and 3 months.

Favorite thing to eat here?

C: Well we are famous for our malt shakes and chicken salad. We were voted in Garden and Gun magazine as one of the best burger joints in the state.

Chris then fixed us a giant banana split! If we were not already full we definitely were after that! Miss Emma Gail was more than happy to try a few bites too.

I loaded up my girls and drove home, ready for a long long nap. We have had our fill for ice-cream for now, but now we know where we can go no matter which county we just happen to be passing through.

Go check them all out! Then send me a picture of what you came up with along with your favorite paper in hand! tnelson0321@gmail.com

Love is an ice cream sundae, with all the marvelous coverings...Jimmy Dean

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S

ummer is here and the hills are alive with the sound of music.

Pickin in the park and pickin on the porch are always one of my favorite summertime activities. Speaking about porches, there is nothing better then sitting on my cabin's porch with my morning coffee and taking in all the sights and sounds of nature at its finest.

I love this time of the year. Everybody in the neighborhood has very unique and beautiful humming bird feeders either hanging from their porches or in their beautiful gardens. Each one filled with a special, homemade sugary liquid. However, my humming bird feeder came from our local Walmart that I filled with that bottled pink stuff (and I'm not talking sweet and low) As a photographer, I look forward to capturing the most perfect shot of a hummingbird congregating around my feeder. So, you can only imagine my excitement when I fill up my hummingbird feeder for the first time in the summer. Looking forward to sitting with my camera in one hand and a drink in the other hand. Quietly and ever so patient, I sit and wait for the first sound of a hum.

Being from Florida, I rarely sit outside during the the summer months. Perhaps it is the fact that I don't think lizards are cute! The buzzing sounds of mosquitos getting ready to dine on my arms and legs is enough to make me run and hide. Oh, and when running to hide, I must always look down to avoid stepping on a pile of red ants since I am highly allergic to their bite. If you get a red ant bite they will cause quite discomfort for weeks on end.

Wait, what is that buzzing sound? SHHHHH I quickly grab my camera and aim it toward the direction of my feeder. Oh no! I must be seeing things. My humming bird feeder has been taken over by gigantic black carpenter ants and buzzing carpenter bees! It's a mutiny.

How can this be? First my spring gardening disaster and now this. I am starting to think that there is a conspiracy going on here in the mountains.

There is no way I am going to let these little buggers ruin my summertime enjoyment. I am calling my exterminator immediately or better yet, I think I will head back to Walmart, and look at their toy department and find myself the biggest, baddest ant farm they make!!

Turning lemons into lemonade, thats my motto. Hakuna Matata!

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One touch of nature makes the whole world kin...William Shakespeare

Remember even though the outside world might be raining, if you keep on smiling the sun will soon show its face and smile back at you....Anna Lee

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T

he craft we are sharing with you this time is very exciting and has so many different options for you and your children to really make it your own. We decided we wanted to make our own unique tic tac toe game using materials we thought would be fun. The kids today doing this craft are my eight year old Tristan and his eight year old friend Payton. These two are the best of friends and have so much fun in everything they do so crafting with them is always a learning experience and lots of laughs. The boys love painting crafts and this is a painting craft so we will be using acrylic paint and paint brushes for any steps involving painting.

We decide on our materials and start to gather them. The boys and I have decided on a paper canvas as the “board” part to our game. You can use many different things as the background as long as it is a flat surface object such as a piece of wood, paper, or a glass plate. The boys paint the background a solid color of their choice. Tristan choses red as his background because it is his favorite color and Payton choses blue as his for the same reason. As they paint and laugh they talk about how much fun this game is going to be to play when they are finished with it and it reminds me of all the fun a simple craft can bring not only while you are doing them with your kids but even after as you enjoy playing with the craft or displaying it depending on the craft you are doing. Tristan gets a little carried away painting and has red hands and red on the paint drop cloth which causes much giggling and chatter which I love hearing fill the room. I secretly think this is why the boys like paint crafts so much, because they love making a mess. Once the background is painted the solid color or any other color or design variation that your child chooses you will need to let it dry for a little while before painting on the lines for the game.

While we are waiting for the background to dry we begin to get our things together for the game pieces. We are using rocks as our game pieces for this project. There are so many options you can choose when it comes to game pieces but we thought rocks would be cool and a lot of fun to work with. You can go on a rock hunt and gather your rocks from the forest or the creek. We are using the flat smooth creek rocks because those are the ones we like the best. We searched through them to find the ones that are the right sizes and shapes for what we want our game pieces to look like. Once the boys were satisfied with the rocks they wanted we were all set to make them part of the craft.

There are many choices on how to decorate the rocks from painting them a solid color to painting them to look like creatures or designs and even just painting the X or O on the top of each one. I had each child pick out twelve rocks each and divide them in half to decorate six of them in one color or design and the other six in another color or design.

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The boys are keeping it very simple today and wanted to paint their rocks solid colors instead of a design. I would have made a design if it were mine but I try very hard not to influence them too much when it comes to crafts. I give them their options and some ideas and let them make their own choices and creations for their vision of the craft.

Tristan painted half his rocks orange and the other half blue but since his rocks were black the blue dried very dark. He was happy with it just the same and that is what is important. Payton decided to paint his rocks yellow for the first six and red for the last six. The rocks needed a couple coats so once the first coat dried the boys did apply a second one to make them brighter. Once all the rocks were painted, we went back to our background and added the lines for the board to be complete for the game. While waiting for all of this to dry the boys talked about how cool the rocks looked and whose game they were going to play with first and how they can invite other friends over to play the new games also. It was great to hear them so excited about their new games. It takes about thirty minutes to an hour for the game to be completely dry depending on how many coats of paint your child likes to use. Tristan and Payton love to add layers so sometimes theirs takes a bit longer to dry but is bright and pretty when it is done.

Finally the games are all dried and it is time to play! This is the best part as I hear them laughing and talking while they take turns playing each game and discussing the craft they just made and the choices they made in creating it and making it their own. They played Tristan’s game first taking turns going first for a few games then moved on to play Payton’s game doing the same thing showing their manners and playing nicely. I know it is hard to believe but this craft went off without any drama or major melt downs so I don’t have any funny stories of that kind to share with you, but I can tell you this one was a lot of fun to do and continues to be fun today and I suspect it will throughout the summer also.

When crafting with your children try to remember not to set up too many rules and guidelines but rather follow their creative ideas. I know it is hard sometimes in our adult world to remember this but they are individuals whose ideas are vast and plenty. They will take more of an interest in doing the craft and using it after it is finished if they truly feel it was their creation. I used to be guilty of “helping” too much to try and make sure it was perfect, but over time have discovered it’s the imperfections that make it unique, their own and over all perfect. I truly hope you and your children have as much fun making this craft as we did and that it brings you all as much joy and fun to play with as it does us. Summer is the perfect crafting season so have fun and make the most of it.

“Check Out Our Website www.TheBest OfEBRJ.com and Like Us on FaceBook

have known Thomas Fountain’s family for many years and in the last year and half I have seen Thomas’ musical talents begin to become more and more recognized in the community of Jasper and beyond. He is a rising talent who has traveled around the United States building his fan base and making his name well known in the world of country music. His accomplishments in the last year show just how far he has risen. He was named Cherokee’s Best Musician 2014 by readers of Cherokee Life and won both Male Vocalist of the Year and Best Over All Artist of the year at the Georgia 2014 Country Music Awards. I have attended many shows from Rocco’s Pub to his opening act for Joe Diffie at the Woodstock Summer Concert Series and even our local Jeep Fest and it’s clear to all who attend that Thomas Fountain really knows how to draw a crowd and put on a great show. He spends time with his fans and appreciates each and every one of them. He signs autographs and takes pictures as well as taking time to talk to and thank fans for coming to the shows. You can tell with his laid back and friendly personality that he is a genuine guy who will never forget where he came from or the people who supported him along the way. I see big things happening in this guy’s career in the future and wish him all the best success.

I

Interview by Lora Bunch

Lora: How old were you when you first started singing and writing?

Thomas: I was always singing throughout my entire life just with family and friends like everyone else does growing up but it wasn’t until I was about 21 that I started singing and getting paid to do it.

L: Which instruments do you play and how old were you when you started playing them?

T: The guitar is the only one that I claim to play while I have played around with other instruments the guitar is the one that I play well. I didn’t start playing the guitar until I was in college.

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L: What was the first song you learned to play?

T: Knocking on Heavens Door L: Is your family musical or is that just you?

T: My family isn’t really musical maybe some distant cousins are but not anyone in my immediate family. It’s interesting how it skips some generations and it’s just me who is musical in the family.

L: Do you work another job besides music right now?

T: Yes I am a middle school PE Teacher and I enjoy my job and it allows me the flexibility to work on music as well as having income to finance my music.

L: Which famous musicians have you worked with?

T: I have worked with many famous people in music. I opened shows for Trace Adkins, Chris Stapelton, and Joe Diffie. I have worked with people in other areas of music such as writing and musicians who have played with big names like George Straight, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks and Gretchen Wilson.

L: Do you get nervous before a performance or competition?

T:: Sometimes depending on what the show is. I used to get more nervous in the beginning but now it’s more nervous excitement than it is about getting on stage and actually performing. I feel less nervous the more prepared I know I am and that the band is for the show.

L: Where is one place you would like to perform someday and who is one artist you would like to open for?

T: The place I would most like to perform one day is the Grand Ole Opry and the artist I would love to open for is Meryl Haggard.

L: Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations and what are the top songs on your play list right now?

T: I think my inspirations have changed over time with experience and knowledge but definitely the 90’s country and people like Alan Jackson and Travis Tritt. The top songs on my play list are Chris Stapelton’s new album, 90’s country, some Keith Whitley and even some Blue Grass.

PLEASE! Make sure you tell our advertisers, the sponsors of this publication "I Saw You In The "FUNpaper"!!! - Thanks!

Photos Lora Bunch L: What is your favorite of the or Courtesy of songs you have written and what is Thomas Fountain your favorite song from another artist?

T: My favorite song of mine is the one I haven’t written yet because I am always looking to better myself and thinking there is a better one.

My favorite song of others depends on what kind of mood I am in but one I really like is Where the Corn Don’t Grow Old by Waylon Jennings that Travis Tritt redid.

L: Tell me about the members of your band and what they do?

T: I sing lead and play rhythm guitar, Grant Reynolds plays lead guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, keys, and harmony vocals, Gaylon Matthews plays Pedal steel guitar, dobro, and banjo, Miles Landrum plays the bass and sings harmony vocals, and Blake Mincey plays the drums and percussion.

L: What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you guys at a show?

T: A lot of funny things happen so let me see if you I can pick some. Well the funniest thing that happened on the road was we were staying in a hotel and kept hearing something and didn’t know what it was and when we found it there was a cat in the bath tub in the hotel room. At one show a guy tried to steal four of my t-shirts by grabbing them and stuffing them into his girlfriend’s purse and I did a dive off stage and ran him down to get them back. There is always a lot of things happening at shows.

L: Do you have any unique fan bases out there?

T:: I would say Iowa has had the most unique fans especially out in the little small towns where they get really interesting.

L: What is the biggest show you have ever done?

T: Middle Tennessee District State Fair with Trace Adkins and the Jeep Fest in Jasper are probably the ones that have had the largest crowds.

L: Have you ever done any fun live radio performances?

T: I was on NBC affiliate- Studio 41 in Macon playing live and doing a live interview. That was pretty cool.

L: Tell me about your love for country music and why.

T: I love the story telling in country music and how it relates to my life and how I grew up. That’s also why I am such a big fan of the 90’s country because it is the most relatable to me and my life. I do also like the dynamics of Country music.

L: What do you see in the future for yourself and your music?

T: I see me doing a lot more writing, playing shows, and even making a living at music and getting a publishing deal.

L: Would you ever consider moving

to Nashville if you needed to?

T: Yes, if the opportunity arose but its better sometimes to stay home and build your following and fan base until it is necessary to move.

L: Do you have any hobbies outside of music and what are some things that you feel you couldn’t live without?

T: I like to go hunting and fishing. I am a big sports fan especially of basketball and the Georgia Bulldogs. I love spending time with my family and all my nieces and nephews. I would say things I can’t live without would be hunting and fishing, seafood, BBQ, my guitar and my truck.

L: What advice would you give to beginners in the music business?

T: I would tell them learn as much as you can as early as you can. Put your focus on it if you are serious and get out there and beat the bushes.

Put your songs out there and perform as much as you can. Go out and watch other people and their performances also because you can learn a lot about what you want to do and need to do by watching others who have more experience. Learn the behind the scenes stuff and surround yourself with people who know what they are talking about.

I really enjoyed doing this interview with Thomas Fountain. He wants people to know that he is a normal down home simple country boy raised in Pickens County and doing something he loves to do. He says it has been great to have the support of the people from his small town and the surrounding towns in North Georgia and thinks that if there is something he can do to represent them and make them proud then it makes him proud too. He says that they give him motivation to go further knowing that the people back home are pulling for him. Yes this home town country artist is well aware of his roots and proud of them as well. You can find his music on I tunes, Amazon, Reverb Nation, google, and any other digital download. He has also released an EP album in 2014 and you can buy copies of this off his pages or at is shows.

He has social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. His web site is www.thomasfountain.com.

You can also find listings of his shows and their dates and times on his web page and social media pages. I am excited to see what 2015 brings for Thomas Fountain!

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes....Carl Jung

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chool’s out for summer! Those words ring true yet again. The weather is getting hotter and more humid, and the kids have a permanent smile on their faces! Charlee’s freckles have already made their summer appearance, even with the sunscreen slathered over them. The desperate dig for the swim suits is over and now the laundry of seemingly endless wet piles of towels begins! And of course, memories of past summer fun with my kids. Oh, these kids of mine!

Charlee and her adorable freckled face! The freckles somehow make her look more innocent than she could ever be! She’s definitely my mischievous one, but she doesn’t TRY to be, it comes natural…oh dear. We had gotten her a kitten when she was six. Ok, our older daughter, Chelci, had brought home a stray kitten and had kept it hidden so long that Charlee found it and fell in love. Yes, we kept it. She carried that poor kitten around everywhere she went. It didn’t have a choice and eventually they became partners in crime of mischievousness! Charlee came to me one day and said, “Mom, me and the kitty are playing hide and seek!” Clue one. I asked her whose turn it was, and she said it’s the kitty’s turn, but she knew where it was. All giggles and curls, she ran to the washer and asked, “Do YOU know where it is?” Clue two. I exclaimed I didn’t know, but was concerned for the kitty as she started jumping up and down and said it wanted to hide in the washer! I ran to the washer and opened the lid. No kitty. No more clues, just panic now. I asked her if she was sure that’s where the kitty was hiding. She was certain. I looked again, nope. No kitty. She was sure that it was there and she hadn’t gotten it out, (the washer was off, no worries) then I heard a meow. From inside the washer. I looked again. No cat. It had somehow crawled from the tub of the washer and was on the inside of the machine! I told her dad that it was his turn now!

He gently pulled the washer out from the wall,

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and out crawled the kitten, all sassy and covered with lint, happy that it was the reigning champion of Hide and Seek! At that moment I understood my mom’s favorite phrase, “That’s why I never had kids!”

My mom was the most incredible lady in the world, not just because I’m partial! She smiled through her pain and was always making other people happy. She told it like it was, too! The boys from the neighborhood knew to pull up their pants as they came through Granny Grump’s door! I had gone to visit mom one Saturday afternoon, and my son was coming up later in his Honda Civic. Cute little car, but it was more fun to watch this muscle-bound lad that measures 5’17” tall (ok….6’5”, it seems shorter when I say the first one…) slither and shrink himself into this tiny car that sits so low to the ground. Bless him, he gets his driving skills from his mom and Granny Grump, and it seems some of his ideas. He had called me to tell me he would be there soon, and as the time kept going, I was getting worried. Finally, the phone rang, and he said in a meek voice that someone wanted to speak to me. The next voice I heard was a very stern serious man’s voice, introducing himself as Deputy so and so. My heart dropped as it usually does when Timothy’s driving is involved. He proceeded to explain that he had pulled my son over because he had taken all four of the doors off of his Honda and was driving it through his town, doorless! He continued with the fact that he has searched all the laws and couldn’t find any about taking the doors off of a vehicle in which you were driving/riding. Timothy was young and quite nervous that the officer had pulled him over, and explained that it was very hot and pretty outside, and he just wanted to be able to keep cool and enjoy the beautiful weather. The poor perturbed officer was so serious as he kept searching for a law against it, and my mom couldn’t contain her laughter any longer when she got on

the phone with Timothy. As nervous as he was, hearing his Granny laughing made it very difficult for him to contain his own laughter, and he was fighting it but snickering. The officer again got on the phone and told my mom that it wasn’t a laughing matter, what if a dog had started to chase them, then I got the mental picture of how that would be if it happened! Yes, he put the doors on the Honda and now has a Jeep that he doesn’t get stopped in if the doors are missing!

Oh these kids of mine! Chelci is not an innocent one by far! Although she kept most of her crimes a secret, there were a few that still make me go hmmm… The one I remember at this moment is when she was about 13. She was all into makeup and hair. She had Barbie hair, as I called it. Long, thick, healthy beautiful blonde and all natural. It had a slight curl so she could curl it or wear it straight. It got natural highlights from the sun and they stayed year round.

But she, as most of us, wasn’t happy and wanted to color it. I refused! Then she wanted highlights, pink ones. I was thinking about allowing her to do that, but she beat me to the punch!

One day she came home with red streaks in her hair, but mostly around her face. I almost fainted. It wasn’t professionally done, either, and it was NOTICEABLE! I asked her what in the world she had done, and told her to go wash it instantly! She took the towel off her hair, and it was faded to pink! She finally told me that she had done it…with a red SHARPIE MARKER! Just in case you didn’t know, let me tell you, Sharpie markers aren’t kidding when they say PERMANENT on them! She did win in getting her hair highlighted, but the pink was still there! It took months for that to fade out of her hair! Did I mention that of course she did this the day before family portraits?

These are just a few of the funny stories about my kids and the reason I now share my mom’s phrase, “THAT’S WHY I NEVER HAD KIDS!”

If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night, I'll bet they'd live a lot differently....Bill Watterson

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ven though I had never visited Brasstown Bald before, I was already in love with the place. This Peak is part of the reasons that we now live in the North Georgia mountains! It is the highest natural point in Georgia at 4,784 feet. But it is also how I watched the beautiful view of the area from my computer. You see, I lived in Florida where the only seasons were hot or hot and rainy, and I longed for the four season life I grew up with (in upstate New York), but I didn’t want the long cold winters. So while looking for a vacation spot, I found a webcam that showed the amazing mountains in green, or fog or fall colors. These webcams are on the top of Brasstown Bald! We took a couple long weekends up to the mountains, and we loved it.

And when I was in Florida, I watched those cams from BB, and couldn’t wait to get back to to the place we loved, the beautiful North Georgia mountainous woods. And often, even when I didn’t have a trip planned, I would watch the cam to see the beautiful place I fell in love with and wish I was there. So Brasstown Bald holds a big place in my heart because of the “virtual” or computer view it granted me. But today…

Robb and I will be visiting for the first time in person.

We mapquest it and from Ellijay it’s less than 40 miles. So after less than an hour’s drive, we arrive at this amazing and calmly beautiful place. We parked and met the rangers at the Visitor’s center, paid $5 each at the store and then hopped in the van for our ride to the top.

Mike was our driver for the quick jaunt from the visitor’s center to the mountain. Mike had decided he wanted to try the retirement life and this was his choice to experience nature and meet new people. He was a wealth of enthusiastic information about the park and we really enjoyed our chat with him. When you arrive you will find a beautiful overlook. I’m using the word beautiful too much, but there is not a word I can think of that will describe this better.

When you get to the top you will find a spectacular view overlooking four states. You can stay as long as you like, check out all 4 directions, each with a different view. There are even those coin operated binoculars if you want to see better. I waved to the webcam, just knowing that like I did, there were a bunch of people in other places watching what I was seeing in person. Besides the view, there is also a movie theater ( broken when we were there) and a little museum with lots of interesting and interactive displays. It was a lot of fun, a serene, relaxing visit with nature and some learning in the museum. Plus there are rocking chairs if you just want to sit a spell and breath the fresh air. I’m telling you it is the most beautiful mountain views I’ve ever seen, and this is in the summer. I can’t wait to come back when the leaves are changing in the fall .

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Photos by Robb Story by Thia

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better....Albert Einstein

Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower....Hans Christian Andersen

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Appalachia farmers in this area grew products that had to be taken to a mill and "cracked" before use, hence the term "cracker" was frequently applied. Agriculture, and the businesses supporting agriculture, have been (and still are) a mainstay of the Fannin County economy since its earliest days.

Blue Ridge Mountains have a rich cultural heritage associated with the southern Appalachians. Out of that heritage came many varieties of folk art and music, including bluegrass. Bluegrass music is a unique sound that features mostly acoustic instruments and combines elements of both traditional Scottish and Irish folk music. Music and other aspects of mountain culture and folklife are celebrated at the Georgia Mountain Fair, held every August since 1950 in Hiawassee.

Fannin County was approved as its own entity, by the State of Georgia in 1854 from parts of Union and Gilmer County. The town of Morganton was the site for the Fannin County seat. Farm communities and modest towns were quickly becoming permanent fixtures within the county.

Sources: Caldwell, Wilber W. "Ellijay." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 29 June 2013. Web. 19 May 2015.

Seabrook, Charles. "Blue Ridge Mountains." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 25 August 2014. Web. 19 May 2015.

Lind, Catherine G. "Apples." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 17 May 2013. Web. 19 May 2015. www.gpb.org/georgiatraveler/funfacts

Nature always wears the colors of the spirit....Ralph Waldo Emerson

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chool ended and Lacey, Natalie, Emma and I struggled for a few days to get accustomed to a new schedule. No more getting up before the sun, so nice! We set up the pool and these silly girls have spent hours upon hours swimming, splashing and just having fun. I tried putting Emma in with them, but nope...she was not at all happy. In her defense though, the water was still a bit chilly; that did not, on the other hand stop the other two. Every day after breakfast they ask can we go get in the pool, if our room is clean I mean? Pretty please?

Sure IF your room is clean.

I finally was able to drag them away for the day and we went to visit Gramps and Nanny. We all met up at one of our favorite restaurants; White Columns. Natalie and Lacey always get the same thing-grilled cheese with mayo, and fries/tater tots. I love the roast beef with gravy and which ever veggies I feel like having on that day. I chose mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. Now I know my Nana, would kick my behind; she always says do not eat two starches!

Shhh...don't tell her. My dad ordered the chicken liver plate and my mom ordered the chicken strip plate. We caught up on each others lives. I listened to my dad rant and rave at Emma about how much she looks like her daddy. Then how much it makes him want to cry because she looks just like her daddy. Which she does, I swear if I had not given birth to that child...or as my dad likes to say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;he pooped you out little girl.â&#x20AC;? I tried to speak with White Columnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s owner Denise Teague, but she was unavailable.It gets busy in there! After dinner, my parents walked the girls down to the Family Dollar and let them buy some goodies to take home with them; in other words, spoiled them. It is always a lot of fun to go out to eat, and spend time with your family.

When there were all the many, many days of rain...I couldn't stand to see the kids moping around because they could not go outside. So, I finally told them one evening, go put your bathing suits on.

They both looked at me quite puzzled, but for once, they listened! When they were ready I walked to the door, opened it, and said, have at it. Natalie looked outside and then back at me with this odd look and said huh? But its raining. (in that duh kind of sounding attitude) I said yep I know, so you better get out there or I am closing the door! They both hightailed it outside and were so excited,

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jumping and splashing in the water puddles and mud. I snapped a few pictures, and then it thundered pretty loud after about 15 minutes and I told them the fun was over. I don't mind them playing in the rain, but not when there are chances of lightening!

I like to meet up with my Nana often.

She is my rock in life other than my wonderful, loving husband. We talk daily and have always been very close. I called her up and asked if she had some free time.

We settled on a day and met in Jasper at the city park. My hubby told me about it.

When we arrived, the kids could hardly contain themselves. They leapt from the car and jetted off toward the wooden playground. We let them play for a bit and then talked them into walking around the park to explore. It is a lovely park. There are picnic tables all around; swings and even a covered pavilion with a swing by the pond. The peaceful sound of running water is heard over the laughter of children running around and playing in the sand. On the far back part of the park is a multi-colored playground fenced in next to a tennis court. We put them in the fence and found a swing close by to enjoy the view, while still keeping an eye on the kids.

Nana brought my two little cousins and my sister. So the girls had company to play with and we all just sat in silence for a bit taking in the beautiful-very hot day, while Emma bear was napping in my arms. The kids soon were ready to go back to the wooden playground, it has swing sets, a huge fort and a wooden train to climb all over. Emma woke up so I put her in my lap to swing and she loved the breeze it caused. ( So did I! That sun was hot! ) The rest of the kiddos played in the sand some more There is also a waterfall, that flows into the pond with tons of ducks, geese and turtles to look at. After a few hours of near heat exhaustion we loaded them up to leave. Of course, just my luck the girls were so tired they wanted to nap on the way home; but I was able to occupy them with music and conversation until we got back. We ate some yummy dinner and slept so good that night.

Whether we stay home (and play in the rain) or go out ( to the park or dinner) we always find something that is fun to do.

We may spend money or we may find some free things to do. It is always fun to meet up and spend time with your family and friends. Because as long as we are together, that is all that matters.

Some of the most important conversations I've ever had occurred at my family's dinner table....Bob Ehrlich

Thia Says, “This is the stuff that Jerry puts on his FaceBook page, and it cracks me up!”

Someone took the commode out of city hall this morning. Police said they have nothing to go on.

My new pickup line that never fails… hey baby, does this napkin smell like chloroform to you?

They say pain makes you stronger, I must be approaching Super Hero status!

Did you hear about the blonde that went to the doctor with a broken arm? The doctor asked her what happened. She said she was raking leaves and fell out of the tree.

I’m thinking we should take the warning labels off everything. This would let the growing idiot problem fix itself.

Everybody has a book out now. Well I just finished my book last night. Over 1200 pages. That was a lot of coloring.

I missed my ex today. All I know to do is reload.

I’m tired of the same old thing around here. This afternoon I'm going to lay on the T.V. and watch the couch.

I've been wondering why I never see a deer at a deer crossing.

I’ve drank so much coffee this morning I can see noises.

I asked my wife today, why she kept putting baby powder in my underwear drawer. She said it's miracle grow stupid.

My neighbor told me last night that if I was her husband she would put poison in my tea. I told her if she was my wife, I’d sure drink it..

The doctor told me that walking everyday would add years to my life. He was right. I feel ten years older now..

I”m trying to be normal today, don't worry it won't last.

Looking for a place to eat? www.thebestofebrj.com/restaurant-reviews

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A

s some of you may have figured out, I have a passion for art and color... I love to twist Balloons into whimsical creations, play with paint, experiment with textures and upcycle ordinary items into unusual décor designs. Rusty metal, paper, buttons, beads, crystals, lace and fabrics are all subject to my imagination transformations.

Quite a few years ago (before the informative tutorials of YouTube) I got the urge to play with solder and glass.

So I went to a home improvement store and purchased a soldering gun, flux, solder, dust masks, and gloves. I was so excited! I came home, read the instructions and jumped in. Now I can’t really tell you what went wrong.

Perhaps it was the fact that the soldering gun was well, gun shaped and large and hot and quite intimidating or perhaps, I just wasn’t sure where to begin, or what to do, but for whatever reason after several attempts at soldering, I decided it was just not for me and I wrote it off to a failed attempt.

As years passed I had discovered that I could just frame stained glass in copper foil tape, wrap it in copper wire and incorporate it into my art work. It worked well, and I was satisfied with the results, but recently I decided to revisit the idea of soldering and making “real” stained glass décor. This time, I started by visiting YouTube and Pinterest, reading up on techniques and watching how to - tutorials. Feeling armed with the right information I again purchased a soldering iron (this time more of a wand than a gun, smaller and a lot more comfortable to work with) and the other supplies I would need. I purchased a lovely but chipped china plate at a local thrift store and smashed it into pieces so I could turn it into something new. I taped up the edges, heated up the iron, opened a window, turned on a fan and went for it. I spent several hours gliding the iron across the glass,

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Supplies: lead containing solder (see • Piece or Pieces of stained product warnings) Always use a glass in desired size and shape lead-free solder for jewelry (For this project we will not be deposititems.) cutting and or smoothing glass ing the • Gloves (as desired) we are starting with ready to solder onto the tape and even figured use pieces.)

• Flat pliers with coated end for out how to add some rings. By the end • Copper foil tape (comes in difholding hot glass, split rings, of the afternoon I felt very accom•Alligator clamp ferent sizes and shapesI Love plished with my lumpy, bumpy solder • Some kind of fire proof work the scalloped) Split rings coated pieces of broken china... I knew surface, I use heat resistant • Flux (liquid) it wasn’t the result that I was looking tiles, • Flux brush for and I had somehow managed to mangle the tip of soldering iron, but I • Dust mask • Soldering Iron (These come in was on my way.

•Well-ventilated area many different styles) That was just a few tries ago, and • Solder (unless you are making • Beads, crystals, buttons since then I have learned that 1: Sola jewelry item it is okay to use a Chain, ribbon, lace dering irons can heat and cool during use and that the fluctuation in temperTime (an afternoon) ature can cause the disintegration of the soldering tips. 2: the fluctuation in temperature can also play a big part in Disclaimer: Making Stained Glass is Hot! Yes, it is Hot as in really cool, but it is also Temperature Hot! This is not something to do with how smoothly the solder flows, 3: I seem to be getting the hang of it 4: I the kids, or with a few glasses of your favorite adult beverage... Use Love doing it! And 5: It is addictive... caution and respect for the tools and instruments that you will be So even though I am by no means an using. Also, there are health risks involved with the use of solder and expert at stained glass, I am going to flux, and the glass gets Hot! Please read all hazard labels and protry and walk you through the steps of ceed with Care and caution as directed. Please know that I am by no D.I.Y. stained glass.

I won’t lie, the supplies are probably means an expert in the art of stained glass. In fact I have only done it 4 times. I am excited to say that I seem to have gotten a knack for it, not something you have just hanging around... (Hmmm, does your husband and have learned so much already by simple trial and error. have some out in his man cave that you could borrow?!) There are defiDirections: nitely some costs involved, and it can 1: Plug in soldering iron and allow to warm to desired temperature be hazardous due to high temperatures and other health hazards (please (600-700F) read the warnings)... But I will tell you, 2: Clean glass with a glass cleaner to remove all oils. Dry thoroughly. it’s worth the investment. For those of 3: With backing still on foil tape measure half way around your glass you who get the knack – there’s no with the tape, double the size adding a bit more for small overlap and cut. turning back!

4: Remove small amount of backing at end of tape and adhere to corner I found this beautiful broken neckof glass. Be sure that your tape is evenly placed so that the same lace at a yard sale and knew that it amount of tape overlaps at each side of glass. would look amazing as part of a stained glass decoration. It just so hap- 5: Continue to peel and adhere tape around the outside edge of the pened that I had the perfect piece of glass, keeping it even. Do not allow the sides to stick to glass. complimentary glass to go with it and 6: Smooth down both sides of one end of tape using your thumb and so I decided to create this project. I fingers, then smooth down the opposite end. Now smooth down the last hope you will enjoy the process, as much as the finished product. Be Safe, two ends, making sure to fold over the corners securely.

7: Using a bone folder or other similar tool (side of pen or pencil?)

Have Fun and Keep Creating!

Visit my blog on Facebook @ Do or DIY firmly smooth down tape. This is tricky, as you need to be firm enough Creative Celebrations by Nancyfangles to get a smooth bond but not so hard that you crack the glass... and post your comments, pictures and 8: Be sure that your tape is pressed down well and that there are no design ideas. wrinkles or gaps for the flux to get under.

I want people to know that movie stars live a normal, middle-class life....Shahrukh Khan

9: Place one end of your glass in an alligator clamp, hold in flat nose pliers or lay flat on heat resistant surface.

(Glass will get HOT when you begin to solder) 10: Apply flux to one side of the glass with a flux brush; be sure not to miss any spots as the solder will only adhere to the places that have been coated with flux.

11: When your iron is fully heated you should be able to hold it to the pulled out end of your solder roll and it will pick up a bead of solder... Some people prefer to solder by picking up small amounts of solder at a time and applying it to the tape...I find it easier to lay the glass down and hold the spool of solder in one hand and the iron in the other allowing the solder to flow more freely.

12. Continue steps 10 and 11 until all of the tape is coated with solder. I usually do the back first, the front and then the sides.

13: You do not need a thick coat of solder; in fact a nice thin coat is much prettier than a thick, lumpy one. As you get used to the dynamics of soldering you will find it easy to smooth it down to a thin, even finish.

14: Adding the Rings... Just when you think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the knack for soldering it will be time to add the rings. Of course, you could skip this step all together, but it might be just a little hard to hang your beautiful piece without one or two rings.Really, adding the rings uses the same basic principle; add flux to the part of the ring that you want to attach and to the solder where it will be attached to. Sounds easy right, maybe with 4 hands. I found that it is somewhat of a balancing act and it does require a steady hand. I also found that for me, laying the glass down and holding the ring with the pliers while picking up the solder on the iron and depositing it where the ring and solder meet, is the easiest way. Having said that yes... I have soldered the whole ring into the solder, yes... I have filled up the hole with solder... and yes... It takes a little practice, the good news is - you can de-solder (kind of a melting process) using the tip of the hot iron...Yes the iron is HOT! 15: The hard part is over. You did it... If you have made it to here Congratulations, and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you LOVE IT!? Now you want to let your glass cool down... Unplug the iron, and clean up your work station (this may be a good time for that beverage) 16: After your glass is cooled, gently clean it with water and a mild dish detergent. You can clean the entire piece, including the solder. Then clean again with glass cleaner and a paper towel, buffing it up while dying it...

And hey, look what you did! Pretty nice huh?

Now you can do whatever you like to embellish your piece.

Use beads, crystals or buttons and add some ball chain, ribbon or lace to hang it from. Be proud, and Enjoy!

If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story....Orson Welles

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If you have kids, it is the most important thing to create good times....Tom Cruise

During the Memorial weekend, a daughter of a friend of mine made this. I was impressed with the flavor and the ease of making this, as well the appeal. I made one and shared with family and friends, it was a hit. You will need a Sugar cookie dry mix (make up the dough according to directions on the package) or if you prefer the refrigerated sugar cookie dough.

Sugar cookie dough Pizza pan 12oz. Cream cheese 2 Tablespoons powder sugar 1 tea. Vanilla 1 qt. of fresh strawberries 1 pint of fresh blueberries Spread cookie dough on pizza pan and bake at 350 about 10 to 12 minutes. Bring cream cheese to room temp. Whip cream cheese until fluffy add powdered sugar and vanilla and whip until mixed well. Spread on cooled cookie. Clean strawberries and cut in half.

Place around outer layer, add blueberries in the center. It may not take the whole pint. Keep chilled until serving.

You will be the hit of the party. This is also something your kids can do with you. Have a great and safe summer.

Until next edition!

Nan

Everybody needs love. Everyone deserves it....Reese Witherspoon

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