The Best Of Ellijay, Blue Ridge & Jasper by The Best Of Ellijay, Blue Ridge & Jasper

My brain has too many tabs open. - Author Unknown

Trust is like a paper, once it is crumpled it can never be perfect.

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Story By Bayou Betty Photos By Bayou Betty

s a South Georgia girl toiling away in the film industry in New York City for ten years, I became really adept at finding a place geographically nearby, but a world away from the ‘iron death maze’. Any weekend I could, I would pack up my Jeep and head to the “country” as my New York friends affectionately called any place off the island of Manhattan. Don’t get me wrong, New York is exciting and intoxicating but my soul just feels better underneath the pine trees. In just a few hours from the city I could be in a completely different landscape, surrounded by nature which gave me comfort and anchored me to something that I was familiar with, the woods. I returned to the city with topped off batteries ready to tackle next week’s location or soundstage. When I settled in Atlanta I found myself again on the lookout for another one of Mother Nature’s recharging stations. You can find solace in the sounds of nature. I did some internet research on potential destinations and decided to surprise my spouse with a Christmas trip to Ellijay. It was a short trip from Atlanta but truly a world away. With loads of outdoor activities and ten places to buy fried pies within a five mile radius, how could you go wrong! Long Creek Falls off Forest Road 56 became a regular hiking destination for the family. It’s a two mile round trip hike with several views of cascading falls which intersects with the entrance to the Appalachian Trail. We stayed at a cabin in Ellijay for a week in 2006 and have been back several times a year ever since then. This has become a respite and knowing that it’s there is like finding your parachute’s ripcord. My discovery of Ellijay predates my bass fishing obsession. Originally I just targeted trout in Clear Creek

with yellow corn and didn’t much care if I landed the big one. Once I was fully indoctrinated into the glorious life of bass angling, I found other nearby places to stalk the big green fish although Clear Creek does hold some small bass. Carters Lake in nearby Chatsworth is the place to go for spotted bass. This twisted sister of the largemouth packs a mean punch when they attack your bait. It is a deep mountain lake, (400 feet in some places,) with structure, rocky ledges and points, where these fish like to hang out. It is a great spot for fishing shaky heads, crawler jigs, or drop-shotting. My favorite color for a Carters plastic bait would have to be something in the green pumpkin variety. You really can’t go wrong with that color. Add a little JJ’s Magic chartreuse dip dye to the tail and watch out! I like to use 7-10 lb. fluorocarbon line with these set-ups. In March as the water starts to warm, the jerk bait bite really picks up so make sure you have one tied on. My two favorite areas to fish on the lake are by the dam and by the marina. In addition to some the finest spotted bass in the state, on Carters you can also hook up with the occasional walleye or catfish, so don’t be surprised. One of the first times I fished there I hooked up with a 9 lb. carp using a KVD 1.5 square bill crank bait. I thought I had the new state record spotted bass. Not so much, but it certainly was a killer fight! Lake Blue Ridge is just up the road from Ellijay and I love to target smallmouth bass there. It is one of the only places in Georgia that you can target small mouth bass. These fish are some of my favorite in the black bass family. They are feistier than the spotted bass and are shaped more like a tea drop with beautiful bronze coloring. I caught my biggest smallmouth on Lake Blue Ridge so perhaps that is why I love it so much! I recommend having a top water plug tied on at all times on this lake. Smallmouths and spots will school together there and there is nothing better than getting into a wolf pack of hungry fish feeding especially when they blow up on top water baits. It’s a very exciting bite to say the least! You might try looking for long wind blown points for these fish. If you have good elec-

tronics on board you can often locate fish in the brush piles and fish for them with a drop-shot rig. It’s sort of like video game fishing though. You can watch your bait fall on the screen and then watch the fish hit it. Crazy. Largemouth are in here too, so be sure to fish the few docks that are on the lake as well as around the marina. I would use shaky heads or a creature bait of some sort. Perhaps a hula grub or Texas rigged baby brush hog. Worms, cranks, jerks, and creatures oh my! Throw them and get ready for March Madness! Once the water hits 50 degrees the crawfish will emerge from the rocks and start doing their thing. A crawfish imitation or a creature bait with a little red color to it may be just the ticket. Just on the other side of Blue Ridge Dam is the tail waters of the Toccoa River. It’s a rainbow and brown trout river paradise. There is a kayak and canoe launch just on the other side of the dam. You need to keep an eye on this river while you’re fishing it as water levels will change and change quickly. Be sure to check the schedule to see what times Blue Ridge Dam is generating water. If you are looking to target trout, I would try drop-shotting the deeper pools with Salmon Eggs, or Berkley Gulp! Trout Worms. I would also suggest one of my favorites, the Strike King Bitsy Minnow. You can catch every variety of fish on this little guy. I throw it with ultra light spinning gear with 4 lb. test line. I also like Smithwick’s Rattlin’ Rouge when targeting something a little bigger. If you are into fly fishing, this area is certainly for you. And, if you fly fish you already know more than me, so all I can say is match the hatch! One of my goals is to learn to work a fly rod. There is something very Brad-Pitt-A-River-Runs-ThroughIt, that I find appealing. I went to Ellijay on a whim in search of solitude in nature and found a second home. Find me on facebook.com/bayoubetty or email me at bayoubetty1@gmail.com

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here’s are no two words besides Santa Claus that breathes life into a child more than Snow Days! Yep, it’s that time of year when parents get the phone call that changes all regular day to day plans that we all go through. The call from Gilmer county school system that says "No school for students today". Now I do remember being young and having a paper or a project, or just plain ole homework due, and living to hear bout that phone call so I do understand the importance of the message. To a kid, it’s a great thing whether you are in elementary school or high school, it’s a free pass to be a kid for a day. Or as we’ve had it lately, a few days. Now, as a parent, it means other things, like going to the store and getting all the necessities to run a household in case the power goes out. Also, making sure your boss agrees with the school superintendent. Meaning you will be at home with the charged up young’uns. It’s still amazing to me how hard it is to get the kids up for school, but give ‘em a snow day and man, they will be up at 6:00 am. Ok, it’s time to make a plan, with 4 girls between the ages of 8 and 12. It’s up to me to find entertainment for 5 girls (including Aby). We just finished a big birthday party with about 10 girls staying with us for a weekend and going ice skating in Blue Ridge, GA, so that took a lot outta the bank. But as usual, I go to the mountains for help. Now I’ve been up here a long time and when we had snow days we always got away. So I will do the same. It’s time to go off to Grassy mountain. This place has offered tons of entertainment around here for many a generations, and many to come. I’m always amazed to see the people we run into up there that remember doing the same thing when they were young. It’s good to see the younger kids doing what we used to do when we could drive and had the day off. I go to the gas station and see all the four-wheel drive trucks fueling up for the trip. It’s good to see an Ellijay tradition is still intact. Now, since there ain't no chance of getting extra sleep on a snow day, might as well head to town and fuel up, get provisions and make a plan. Grassy mountain has a history of snow days. It’s the place we all go to see what we usually have right out front in our yards, but there’s something about going above and beyond where non-locals can go that draws us to this place. This is a pilgrimage that has gone on as long as the snow day itself. I gather the girls to bundle up and we head to the top of the mountain. As we get farther outta town we notice just how much white sheets has covered the terrain, now the call from the school becomes more reasonable. We head out Chatsworth highway and it is a sight to behold, beautiful fields of white and trees bending almost to the breaking point with the weight of the snow. The girls are getting excited since this is a few of 'ems first time up here in the snow. It’s cool how they are a little scared, but trust daddy to get us all there. Makes me feel good. We stop at Bear Creek Falls, there’s plenty of fun here with the snow built up enough for snow balls and snow men. Not to mention the beauty of the falls cascading through the snow. The overlook is a great place for pictures looking down through the snow covered trees to the water rushing below. The girl’s find a small cave to crawl into and surprise me and momma with a snowball attack. Oh I got em back, don’t think they won that battle. Now it’s time to continue up the mountain. We head out and it is still pretty cool to see we aint the only fools out here taking on the challenge of the snow covered roads. We get to the road that goes to Conasauga lake but lo and behold it’s closed, time to adapt and overcome. The road we came in on has a good steep hill so daddy decides to unload the sleds. Good idea, the girls have a ball sledding down the road to the turn. This is a good time had by all, even with the frostbitten hands and feet. Funny how nobody mentions this til it’s time to go home. Now the next day there’s another call, "No school today", what do we do now? It’s off to Brasstown Bald, another great place to enjoy the wonders of these glorious mountains we are so lucky to live in. This place is tucked deep in the National forest up in Union county. I’ve been coming up here for years, and bringing my oldest girls. The gate is closed going to the tower but the road ahead is perfect for sledding. We rode that hill numerous times, forward and backward. Plenty of deep, clean snow for more snow men and women, and snowball fights. These are days we can’t get back, and are blessed to live in a place where it ain't hard to find great entertainment for you and your family. Whether it’s sunny and 80 degrees or snowing and 32, we are so lucky to have places to go and have great family fun the way our forefathers did. You will be so surprised to see how much fun you can have with your family on a day that a lot of people dread, and those smiles and "Thanks daddy" are well worth the time outta bed. Get out there no matter what the weather is and enjoy what we have, no ipods, no facebook, no wondering what the kids are doing or hearing, "I’m bored". It doesn’t cost much and you might just find something you will be looking for long after it’s gone, Your Kids. We love it and hope you do too, and nothing like hearing those great words from your kid’s. "Thanks daddy this was the best day ever". To read all of Matt’s Family Adventures just go to www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com and type MATT WILLIAMS into the site search window.

Besides, at every stop along the tour we will be playing games, giving out prizes, having a raffle and having lots of FUN!

Story By Thia Pictures by Robb or Courtesy of the Discovery Channel

ave you seen the Discovery Channel show, Moonshiners? Here’s how they describe it- “Moonshiners tells the stories of the men and women who keep tradition alive…Think the days of bootleggers, backwoods stills and “white lightning” are over? Not a chance! It’s a multi-million dollar industry. But perhaps more importantly to the moonshiners, it’s a tradition dating back hundreds of years, passed down to them from their forefathers. It’s part of their history and culture. While this practice is surprisingly alive and well, it’s not always legal.” The show follows different ‘shiners and tells their stories, along with giving us looks back at the history of moonshine. I have really learned a lot and found it interesting to watch. Robb and I spent some time with the our two favorite “Moonshiners”, Jimtom & Roy a while back. It was really fun to hear all their stories and exciting experiences in the outlaw biz, and it’s something their family has been doing for generations. Here’s some of our conversation-

Thia: I like your song Rye Whiskey! Jimtom: I just made that up! I couldn’t sing the original song Rye Whiskey, because that has a copyright and all. So I made a full song on my own. There is a lot more too it then what you have heard on the show. Thia: You are quite creative building stills and writing songs. Roy, how did you meet up with Jimtom? Roy: We’ve known each other for most of our lives. Thia: I didn’t get to see this part but I heard that you two got in an argument on the show. Roy: People are still asking us if we were in a fight. Jimtom: I told him I was going to leave him to build the stills and I was going into the music business. Roy got mad. Roy: I said you stick that big nose over here. Jimtom: I said what happened did you get hit in the head by lightening? We were just like that. We’re good buddies. Thia: Like bickering, you don’t stay mad at each other. Jimtom: No, we don’t. There is a store we hang out at called the Time Out Market. Roy: And we say did you hear about so and so who got killed last night? Jimtom: And they are all asking who was that? Who was that?

Thia: So that didn’t really happen, you are just starting trouble! Jimtom: I’m gonna have fun. I’m seventy-three year old and feel eighteen. Thia: How did you decide to start making stills, because you make beautiful ones. Jimtom: I just decided to make me one, just for myself. I just started building one at home and had it setting on a table and someone seen it. That was about thirty-three year ago and I ain’t quit since. I’m more ‘an seventy behind. Roy is making some now too. There is a lot of work in it. Thia: And you sign your initials.

So what have you got to lose? Check “THE SAFE”‘s tour schedule, grab the kids, some friends and......

Les and family

Jimtom: Oh, I have to sign ‘em. If I don’t, they won’t buy em because they gotta be authentic. Roy: I’m making the gallon size so they can sit on your table. Thia: Do they work or are they for decoration. Roy: Well you could use it. Jimtom: But they are most for decoration. I build big ones and little ones, all sizes. Thia: I’ve always wanted one, not to make moonshine, just because I think they are beautiful and part of history. I thought maybe I would find an old rusty one in the woods someday and bring it to my property for a decoration. But maybe I want one made and signed by you guys instead. Jimtom: If you get a small one, you will eventually want a big one. People ask me to make them a 5 gallon one, and I tell em you’ll be back next year wantin’ a 25 gallon because you won’t be producing

enough to suit you. Thia: How do they get away with showing you making moonshine on TV? Showing who you are, your face, where you live, everything. Jimtom: They’ve got to catch you red handed. Thia: Don’t they follow you around everywhere? Jimtom: You gotta be hard to find. They try to catch me and they just about did twice, but they wasn’t slick enough. Once was in ’74, and once was about 25 year ago. I was makin’ in this haller, I set an watched 12 law men go right beside me. Thia: That’s scary. Jimtom: No it wasn’t. I didn’t care. Thia: You didn’t have anything? Jimtom: Yeah I was running a thirty gallon still! I was under a building with a trap door. I know so many liquor tales it would take me ten years

COME ON DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

to tell em, and every bit of it is true. 100%. From what I’ve been through and to still be a kickin’. I’ve been in all these bad wrecks, motorcycle wrecks, blew up cars with not a scratch on me. I was lucky. Robb: So now, here you guys are at this stage in your life and you are famous! Jimtom: They said all the time you spent sittin’ by your liquor still did you ever imagine you would be on television? I said it never entered my mind, unless it was because ATF had me. Robb: How does it feel to be known? Does it feel funny? Jimtom: I don’t feel funny. I just feel like Jimtom, myself. I just act like myself. Roy: It don’t bother me either. Thia: Did you ever make a batch that was bad or tasted awful? Jimtom: Not really. It’s all awful (Laughs) Some would smack their mouth if you gave em a bottle of rubbing alcohol and say it was good. Thia: I heard on one of the shows that you have to throw away the first liquid that comes out because it has dangerous stuff in it that can make you blind. Jimtom: I’ve heard that, but I don’t believe it would. You are talking about when it first starts running. I throw about a pint away. Catch it and throw it out, to clean my pipes. I’ve heard about a thousand different things. Roy: You’ve got to keep the still clean. Cause I never did throw none away. Jimtom: I don’t think it would make you go blind. I’ve known too many people that never throwed an ounce away! They are still a kickin’ And they can still see real good! Thia: (Laughs) Roy: Years ago, they didn’t know to clean it, and you’d get still poisoning and a lot of people died. You could have poison in the still in the copper. That green stuff. Thia: Is that why those two on the show that made some and it came out blue? Roy: That stuff you watched Bill and Josh make? Yeah, they hadn’t flushed the pipes. They run the poison out of that copper tubing. Jimtom: It’s just as easy to make good whiskey as it is to make bad. And I can’t figure out why someone wouldn’t make some good drinking material. Thia: Are Bill and Josh really that bad? Jimtom: They don’t know what they’re doing. I really hate to say that. They aren’t as old as we are. You talking about Bill and Josh and Cutie Pie Thia: : Yes. I love that adorable dog, Cutie Pie. Jimtom: They came over to my house and I showed them how to build a still and they built one pretty good. Thia: Well the ones you guys make are works of art. You can sell those small ones just for people who want to have one for a decoration for their house. Do they play your show all over? Jimtom: They play it all over they world. They were saying they wanted to take me to Japan. Thia: Oh wow, how cool to have people recognize you in Japan! Jimtom: I talked to five Englishman the other day and they said when they are home they watch it every Tuesday. Thia: So you are definitely world famous. What is your favorite story to tell? Jimtom: Well this is from a long while back. We had drank some moonshine and then the next morning we went to the Army doctors and they checked us over. On the paperwork they asked if we had ever been in jail. I didn’t want everyone to know I’d been in jail, so I said I never have. Then they got all of us ready, they called my name and said you’re going to Fort Collins, Kentucky. I said HEY, I been in jail for eighteen months at Peachtree on the chain gang. The bus driver yelled out, we got another one going back to Robbinsville. That’s how I got out of going in the Army. Thia: Good story! The next time we got together, we took Jimtom & Roy out to Shane’s BBQ for some boneless wings and we found out they liked hearing moonshine stories as much as telling them, and they loved meeting their fans. Even though we got a private table and put Jimtom with his back toward the entry, so people wouldn’t see him, we

I named my dog "5 miles" so I can tell people I walk 5 miles every day.

STILL had people coming up to talk to us because they recognized his voice! One guy stopped by with his family to tell us the story about his mom and how she put herself through school with Moonshine! Les: Can I tell you a quick story? My name is Les. I’ve lived here all my life. My grandfather, god rest his soul, was a moonshiner. He was a farmer, but mostly a moonshiner. Jimtom: That’s the tales I like to hear. Les: That was the only way they could make a living back then. Jimtom: They’d about starved to death, I know. I’ve talked to the old timers. Les: He taught my uncles to be make Moonshine. Jimtom: And they didn’t make much. On the pint, sometimes a quarter or fifty cents. Most of it was pure corn whiskey. Les: They had a still over on the ridge. One time the revenuers came and busted the still. One of my uncles ran off and the other one got caught. The revenuers went to the house to arrest my grandpa. Luckily he was gone. He’d went to town. He went to town once a month. So they found my grandmaw in the garden hoeing. They were going to arrest her. She wanted to change her shoes because she had mud on them from the garden, and they wouldn’t let her change shoes. She got so mad. She’d tell that story on her death bed about her muddy shoes. She was madder about that, then them busting up the still and taking her to jail. They took her to the big jail in Atlanta. Jimtom: That’s the way them old timers were. Those old people, it was the only way they had of making it. Bless their heart. And it was pure corn whiskey. They didn’t have the money to buy a bale of sugar with. They’d dry that corn. I made liquor my whole life and I never did make a run of pure corn whiskey. Les: My mother, Anne is a beautician. She has been cutting hair for thirty years. She went to Pickens Tech. She drove an old station wagon. You know where they hide the spare tire? They’d take the spare tire out and put the liquor in there. She hauled liquor across Burnt Mountain and drop it off various places, you notice I’m not mentioning no names, collect the money, and her Daddy gave her half the money and that’s how she put herself through Pickens Tech to get her Beautician license, and she’s still cutting hair today. Without that liquor she never woulda got through school. So my mother was a bootlegger too. Jimtom: I love them liquor tales! Then we took a short drive over to Jilly’s for some dinner and drinks and to hear Matty Croxton tunes. Jimtom and Roy were visited by everyone in the place who came over to say hi and talk about the show, get their pictures taken and some asked for autographs. The ladies seem to especially love these guys. And I will admit they are both very charming. Jimtom is a musical guy himself, and has several music videos out that you can see on youtube. If you’d like to learn more about ‘shining, check out the show, Moonshiners. Here’s some more info and a little history from the Discovery Channel“Moonshining – a multi-million dollar industry based on a practice that’s more than 200 years old – brings shiners from all across Appalachia, and as far south as Mississippi, who are working with the elements to create the stuff of legends. MOONSHINERS shares the stories of the men and women who keep tradition alive – and make a fortune in the process – distilling illegal whiskey in the back woods of their respective territories. The series also follows the law enforcement tasked with capturing shiners in the act of making moonshine. While moonshine can bring a pretty price, it’s all crafted outside the bounds of federal and state laws. The cat-and-mouse game between moonshiners and law enforcement becomes a high-stakes exercise of constant pursuit, near captures and repeated escapes. Moonshiners must constantly adapt to the changing methods of law enforcement and apply new and covert methods of distillation and distribution to increase profits while staying one step ahead of the law. A tradition dating back hundreds of years and passed down through generations, the origin of moonshining in the United States has been linked with the Whiskey Rebellion during the 1790s. Under President George Washington, a federal tax was imposed on whiskey, which farmers strongly resented - leading to a backlash and rise in illegal distillers. Even the origins of NASCAR have been linked back to the skilled driving of moonshiners eluding law enforcement.” This just in- Jimtom & Roy have signed on for the next season of Moonshiners, so watch out for them!

I miss being able to slam my phone down when I hang up on somebody. Violently tapping "end call" just isn't doing it for me.

Kids getting a puppy soon? Name it what you want but, remember, this will be the answer to security questions for the rest of your life.

I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

ki… I mean O.K., Robb here. I’ve been to OKI Japanese & Sushi Restaurant twice now. (Oki is the owner/chef’s name) The first time I stopped in for a late lunch. I ordered the chicken tempura appetizer and chicken & steak hibachi. It was great, fresh, flavorful, looked and smelled terrific and tasted even better. The problem, I guess is that I’m not a big fish eater and so, as you might imagine, I’m even less of a raw fish eater. So how could I possibly tell you how good the sushi at OKI is? The solution… bring in a team of serious sushi lovers! And so I did. Perhaps even more than your average sushi lovers. You see, Pat & Dave (Couple on the left: You may recall them for our story “Pat & Dave’s Excellent Zip-line Adventure”) are world traveled and have actually eaten sushi in Japan. They also sampled it in major cities all over at world-class sushi restaurants.. they know sushi. Kelly, on the right cooks (uncooks?) sushi at home, she’s quite the accomplished sushi chef herself and has sushi parties. She knows sushi. So does Pat ( an amazing cook also), Kelly’s mom. So I asked them to accompany Thia and I to OKI. Thia loves California rolls, there’s no raw fish in those. She knows California rolls! (Thia- I don’t eat fish and I don’t eat raw fish either, so Robb & I are a lot of fun at a sushi restaurant! But my favorite thing is a roll that I have made up myself. I call it a 3C roll. Crab, cucumber and cream cheese wrapped in seaweed and rice with sesame seeds. Oki, made this for me and it was perfect. The chef will be happy to make any kind of sushi you come up with.) I usually upset starving people at my table forcing them to watch and drool as I complete a photo session with their food. Friends would never complain however my wife Thia always complains “I never get to eat my food hot anymore!” The great thing about sushi is that’s no problem. I’ll describe and comment on what I can here. The tempura at OKI is fantastic. Big, crispy but not at all greasy. The tempura appetizers are only $3.95 and are big enough to count as a meal on their own. The cheese rolls were fantastic especially when dipped in that sweet sauce. Those bean-things up there to the left are actually, for those that don’t know, boiled soy beans lightly tossed with salt, it’s called “Edamame”. Very healthy according to all my vegetarian/pescatarian friends. Thia: Get the vegetable tempura, we

shared it and it is delicious, I tasted the mushrooms, sweet potatoes and onions, and I would stop in for a snack just to get this again. So good!) Let’s talk about seaweed. There were those at the table that love seaweed (Thia-Everyone else at the table loved the seaweed salad, it was large, fresh and tasty) but me, I had never had it. I have had it stuck in my toes on the beach in many occasions however I never felt compelled to pick it off and eat it. But hey… different strokes for different folks I guess. (Thia-Robb is not too adventurous about veggies. His preference is corn or peas, he won’t eat spinach either because he says it looks like weeds) On this occasion I was urged by the group … “Just try it!” I’ll admit it look beautiful, like some gorgeous air-plant. I finally gave in… I tried it. Now let me say I have no doubt that the rest of the table that loves and knows good seaweed when they have it is correct and this is some great sea weed, however when I tried it… well, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words…… (To the right, note Pat’s sinister smile just off camera.. she knew, she knew…..) That said…. my dinner was fantastic! I ordered the shrimp & chicken hibachi and the first thing I noticed was how the shrimp had that little “snap” as you bit into it. That’s fresh shrimp, that’s shrimp perfectly cooked. The flavors were wonderful. I opted for the fried rice and was glad I did. The entire dish was really good. My OKI experience was a very good one all in all. The service was spot on. I am raising my fork to OKI. Thia: We all shared appetizers of seaweed salad, tempura veggies and edamame. Then I had my 3C roll and tasted Robb’s hibachi. Our friends got all kinds of sushi and everything was very fresh. We loved it all, and the prices are low! I asked for comments from our dinner companions and Kelly & her mom Pat said they REALLY enjoyed the whole experience! And Pat & Dave on their Oki Sushi adventure? They said “Had a great experience at OKI. The food was wonderful and ample; the staff very courteous and attentive; and the price very reasonable. We’ll be back!” We’ll be back too! We all raise our chopsticks to OKI! Two Forks up! Oki is in Ellijay in the Walmart/Lowes plaza next to Pueblo Mexican Restaurant 706-276-6020 See the photos BIG on the Oki Info Page www.thebestofebrj.com/oki www.facebook.com/okijapanese.steaksushi Read all of our restaurant reviews at www.thebestofebrj.com/restaurant-reviews

Of all the possible utensils that could have been invented to eat rice with... How did 2 sticks win out!?

went to see our friends in Topper: Voices Of Rock (topperlive.com ) performing at Tin Loong Restaurant in Blue Ridge and David Rode (the guy playing the guitar behind his back) told me some exciting news……

“James Sturgeon is going to produce & direct a music video on the title track from our upcoming album project, ‘Playing The Game’ The album project is a collaboration with Louisiana Hall Of Fame vocalist/drummer Billy J Morris, engineer/producer, Dexter Mathis & Topper, recording at Dexter’s studio in Shreveport, LA. We’ve completed 3 tracks & almost done with a new one.” James Sturgeon was at the event and I asked him “What’s all the excitement about? “The exciting news is Topper - Voices of Rock is shooting a music video for their new song

“Playing the game”. We are very excited to have Brian Kast, six time Emmy Award winning videographer behind the camera. The video will be shot at numerous locations throughout North Georgia. One of the location shoots will be STURGEONS AMPHITHEATER on April 19 2014. We need a lot of people for the concert scene so we are having a FREE concert! Everybody is invited so tell all your friends. If you want to be in a music video come on out Saturday, April 19th enjoy the show and get your shot at stardom.” Exciting news, for sure. The band sounded amazing, as usual, I feasted at the Tin Loong buffet as I listened and enjoyed. Seeing Topper perform on the outdoor stage at Sturgeon’s Amphitheater ( sturgeonsamphitheater.com ) is sure to be amazing as well. If you haven’t heard these guys you don’t know what you’re missing. - Robb Newman reporting

The word "gullible" isn't in the dictionary.

Business idea: a home surgery kit called Suture Self.

Who’s Playing Where? What’s Going On? What Do You Want To Do? - www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/calendar

It is truly easier to forgive your enemies than figure out how to limit their access to your facebook page.

Dear business person... you are reading this, shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you be advertising here? www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/advertise

ld MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O.... I'm pretty sure EVERYONE knows that song. There's just something to be said about farm life. Most people fall in love with the 'romanticism' of living in the country, farming, and the back to the land movement; they love the idea, but don't realize how much is actually involved (including me!) You see, I was born in a big city and we never had gardens and animals, except for the stray dogs and cats I was constantly dragging home, much to my parents dismay. When my parents decided to move us to the country when I was 9 years old, I was all for it and ready for an adventure! I remember being in complete awe of all the beautiful land, the vast pastures and the mountains on the day that my mom drove me to my school to register me. Oh! How excited I was to see that there was a cow pasture, and an ACTUAL live cow right across the little road of my elementary school! It was like bringing pages of a book to life. Living in the country was great! All the nature I could take in right at my fingertips. I spent all the time I could exploring everywhere and building forts out Big Creek road, where we used to live. I would play out different scenarios, all of which included me by myself and living off the land. I never even really knew that there was a name for it, or that there were people that actually lived that way. My mom was always asking me where my ideas came from since, other than an Aunt that had a garden, I was never really exposed at all to that way of life. Keep in mind, this was before cable tv and before everyone could access the world wide web at the touch of a button. I never really had an answer for her though, because I never

really knew myself; It just came naturally. And speaking of the Aunt with the garden, oh how I hated working in that garden! (although I did have a blast riding on the bulldozer with Mr. Walker while he was clearing the garden plot!) At around 10 years old, I didn't really have much of an interest in doing that kind of thing. It was too much like work and I would much rather have been out riding my bicycle and exploring the woods. Around the age of 13, I got my first taste of 'homesteading' (even though I still didn't know the name for it) when I went to spend a summer with some family members that we rarely saw who lived in another state. They had rabbits and chickens; fruit trees, berry bushes and gardens and my cousins and I would pick produce and sell it at the little roadside stand they had set up. Before leaving at the end of summer, My Aunt Donna offered to give me a chicken. What! My very own chicken? I still remember holding that little Cochin hen in a box, in my lap, petting her and talking to her for the entire 5 hour ride home. I named her Chick-a-litus (pronounced Chik-a-LEET-us). Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure why I named her that; it was just the first thing that popped in my head. It always amazed my brothers, and my parents, to see that little chicken follow me everywhere and even running with the dogs to meet me when I got off the school bus in the afternoons. Chick-a-litus, being a part of the family (even if only considered so in MY opinion), also received baths in the tub on a regular basis What mom? Chickens like to smell good too! I would also bring her in to watch TV with me and had more than one egg layed on the couch next to me. One of my brothers discovered the egg on the couch the hard way after taking a flying leap, land-

ing on the couch......and the egg. My parents werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t too keen on me having her on the couch after that. I was in high school when I got my next chicken. A friend of mine had an uncle that had some chickens and after a lot of begging, he finally agreed to let me come pick one out. I still remember how sad and pitiful they all looked, kept up in a building and missing most of their feathers. I picked the saddest looking one and brought her home with me. Goldie ended up being a beautiful copper color after all her feathers came in and was a fine looking specimen indeed. Sadly though, once Goldie came into the family, Chick-a-litus decided she had a new best friend, and stopped following me around, choosing to hang with Goldie instead. During high school, I also met a lady that had some farm animals. She had turkeys, guineas, chickens and goats. Since I would often housesit for her and her husband when they were gone on business, I had to learn how to milk the goats and care for the animals. Milking the 4 Nubians was way easier than I thought it would be, and I enjoyed doing it. It always amazed me how they knew whose turn it was to come out and exactly where to go. I also remember how mischievous they were and every time they got out you never had to worry about chasing them down to catch them, because they were too busy up on the porch trying to get inside the house! It was always so much fun being at their house and dreaming of one day having my own farm and animals to care for. Now that I'm an adult, I do have my own animals, and it's quite an adventure. Next time I'll tell you about my farm, About Thyme.

Stalking is when two people go for a long romantic walk together but only one of them knows it.

“Where should we got for dinner?” - Read all of our Restaurant Reviews at www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/restaurant-reviews 25

Thia Says, “This is the stuff that Jerry puts on his FaceBook page, and it cracks me up!” Last night I dreamed I was a muffler, I woke up exhausted. I know two wrongs don’t make a right, but four lefts will bring you back to where you started. Just saw a bumper sticker that said, “ Excuse me. I’m out of Blinker Fluid.” I love the grocery store. It's the one place where someone always ends up checking me out. In the event of darkness, depression, sadness, or loneliness, your Bible can be used as a flotation device. I was at the doctor's office. The desk clerk asked me "when's your birthday?” October 9th I replied. "What year" she asked. I told her- Every year! NOTICE: I am getting married on February 30, 2015. Everyone is invited to attend. We need to make a new holiday.. HAPPY-

DAY!!! No bad news.. no bad talk.. nothing bad just a day to smile and laugh, sounds good to me. Read a recent survey, it said 35% of all pet owners slept with their pets. I did it one night and my gold fish died. I couldn't pull out of my parking space at WalMart. so I used my backup plan. My neighbor gave me some dead batteries, free of charge. I love to go jogging in the park. I meet a lot of new people there. Mostly paramedics. The old woman who lived in a shoe wasn't the sole owner, there were strings attached. I've been to the dentist so many times, I know the drill.. Went to the store yesterday to buy 6 cans of sprite, noticed when I got home I picked 7 UP. A lady came to my door this morning, asking for a donation for a community pool. I gave her a glass of water.

The best nicknames are usually the ones people don't know they have.

ou know that cliche saying, “If you haven’t tried so & so, you don’t know what you’re missing!”… well, I can’t help it, I just HAVE to say … If you haven’t tried Rocco’s Pub, you don’t know what you’re missing! You can bring the whole crowd, because there is something on the menu for everyone, from cool things like elk burgers, to “normal” food like all beef hot dogs. The appetizers are fresh, made from scratch, not frozen. The mozzarella sticks were fluffy, super-soft, stringy cheese hand battered and fried perfectly, served with a very tasty marinara sauce. The jalapeño poppers were big fresh peppers hand-sliced and stuffed with cream cheese, served with sour cream and a sweet & sour sauce. The hotness of the pepper was calmed down with the sweet chili sauce and the combination was delicious. Without a doubt the best jalapeño poppers, we have ever had, hands down. (We both agree on this and that’s rare that we agree on anything!) Both appetizers were generous servings and fairly priced. The dinners were great. Thia ordered the sirloin steak with a baked potato. Rocco prides himself on his meat. Only the best hormone free beef make up his steaks and burgers and tasty just doesn’t do it justice. I know because Thia let me try some, we always share. I’ve had a few Rocco Burgers before but never tried the steak. The Rocco Burgers are fantastic, so you can imagine the steak. Very juicy. Thia- The steak was tender and juicy. I had it medium and it was cooked perfectly. The baked potato was soft and fluffy and came with lots of butter and sour cream. Writing this is making me hungry for Roccos! I ordered the fish & chips, it was extraordinarily good. I’m not a huge fish lover to begin with so sometimes I order this as a test to see how good the restaurant is. If I like their fish chances are great everything else is spectacular. I liked it a lot. It was white and tasty and the breading was crispy. Gina was our super server, service with a big smile, well, until I pointed the camera at her. I had to coerce her to get a picture without her covering her face with the menu. Did I mention the service was great? Ashley came over to say hello, I had her hold up the salad for the picture but, come to think of it, I don’t know why because she’s the bartender. Thanks anyway Ashley! (LOVE her hair!) And we took the salad home with us because we didn’t have room because…. They brought us this amazing dessert! A warm chocolate brownie, with vanilla ice cream. It was as they say “To die for!” Chef José , the man, the legend, the artisan that prepared our fine meal. This guy can cook! Bravo! We sat on the enclosed patio on a sunny day and had a wonderful meal that didn’t break the bank, with great friendly service. Everything was perfect. Thank’s Roccos! There’s a huge outdoor deck so you can eat and enjoy the great spring weather and Rocco’s has lots of live music on both their inside and outside stages for you to enjoy while dining too. Check their FaceBook page for schedule. Thia and I each raise our fork so that makes it.....Two Forks UP!

To read all of our “2 Forks Up” Restaurant Reviews just go to www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/restaurant-reviews/

Who’s Playing Where? What’s Going On? What Do You Want To Do? - www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/calendar

Whatever you do in life, always give 100%. Unless you're donating blood...

I always thought by 2014 we would have flying cars. Instead, we have blankets with sleeves.

Isn't it ironic how the colors Red, White and Blue represent freedom - Until they're flashing behind you.

Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;George Carlin

t's 4:55 a.m., Saturday February 2nd, 2013. The clock is set for 5:00 a.m. but gusty winds have been battering the bedroom window all night so I’m already awake. I turn off the alarm and quietly lumber out of bed, trying not to wake my wife. Stumbling through the darkness, I head for the kitchen, bang against the kitchen table and lean across the sink to click on the front porch light. Peering through the window, I see the thermometer outside. Twelve degrees. Ugh. I shake my head and begin making breakfast. As I’m scarfing down gooey undercooked pancakes, my wife comes into the kitchen to make coffee. I’ve been married almost 15 years and I know this wasn’t just a random I-want-coffee kitchen visit. This was another chapter in her unending quest to see how I would once again rationalize doing something that most would deem, well, stupid. Hearing the howling wind and seeing my face painted with a look of disgust, she smirks and asks, "Excited about racing The Snake this morning?" "No." Still smirking, she asks "Why not?" “It's cold. It's gonna hurt. I'll become frustrated, demoralized and at some point want to smash my bike against a tree and throw it off the mountain." My wife, being a bit condescending and overly exaggerating a look of bewilderment prods, "Why are you going to do it?" "Because it's fun." She makes her coffee, heads back to the bedroom muttering something about me being an idiot. “The Snake Creek Time Trials”, (“The Snake” as it’s called), is an annual series of 3 races completed on the first Saturday of January, February and March. The course follows the Pinhoti Trail for 34 miles and is hosted by the Northwest Georgia Chapter of SORBA (Southern Off-road Bicycling Association) – who, by the way, do an awesome job of hosting the event. Roughly 400 mountain bikers compete each year with the majority of the proceeds going to support local charitable organizations and trail advocacy efforts. For me, “The Snake” is not a race. It’s an epic battle against an unforgiving landscape littered with big jagged rocks, steep mountain climbs, twisty slippery roots and ice cold water crossings. As if the brutal terrain wasn’t enough, Mother Nature likes to have her fun as she dumps some of the harshest winter weather nastiness she can conjure each year. It’s 7:05 and I’ve arrived at “The Snake Pit” – which is the warm, friendly welcoming name of the race’s staging area. The temperature has warmed up to a balmy 17 degrees, not factoring in the 20-30 m.p.h. wind gusts. Mother Nature, being the prankster she is, has promised to deliver some freezing rain, sleet and snow mid-morning. There’s a shuttle to take the racers from “The Snake Pit” to the starting line. On arriving, riders pile out of the cozy, heated bus into a gravel parking lot at the base of Mill Creek Mountain. Because it’s a time trial, riders start one at a time. No shelter, no heat, just us and Mother Nature waiting on our turn to begin. And it’s cold, very cold. After 45 minutes of waiting, sleet now falling, my body is already in shut down mode. My race begins at 9:40 a.m. The first 1-1 ½ miles is a steep, winding trail that climbs Mill Creek Mountain. Shivering, numb, wet, and literally freezing, I grind it out to the top. The cold air shoved into my heaving lungs makes it difficult to breathe and I’ve already lost feeling in my fingers and toes. “Because it’s fun”, I keep saying, “Because it’s fun”. Actually, my face was more or less frozen so if anyone was around to hear, it probably sounded more like, “Beose disss sssspunn”. At the top, the rock filled trail sweeps along the ridge. The sleet and freezing rain has coated everything with a thin layer of ice – including me. Not that any section of this trail is “easy”, but Mother Nature blanketing the landscape with ice makes the whole place just downright mean. From the ridgeline, the trail drops to the valley and parallels a creek. The ground is a muddy orange frozen slush. There are several creek crossings here before climbing back up a forest service road to the top of Middle Mountain. Breathing remains difficult and my lungs are heaving as I grind on. I’m miserable. At the top, before breaking left towards the trail, there’s a volunteer run checkpoint – a hearty bunch to be sure given the weather, offering encouragement, medical support, food and water. “You’re doing great, you’re doing great!”, they yell. Through my frozen face, I muster a “Taank woooo”. Here, another rock-filled ridgeline waits. This one is worse that the first. Bigger rocks and tougher climbs culminating in a steep, tricky rutted out downhill. At the bottom, this is when it becomes demoralizing. “The Wall”. A climb that’s straight up – so steep you may actually roll backwards at any given time. Any ounce of confidence left in completing this race without a shattered spirit is lost here. “The Wall” is followed by more rocks, roots and general nastiness before reaching the final 2+ miles. This is when things get epic. The last two miles are along a ridge about 2 feet wide with both sides dropping down into an abyss. What trail you are afforded is nothing more than big rocks stacked upon bigger rocks. I’m literally frozen and legs gassed. I’m frustrated, hungry and want to be somewhere else. No confidence, spirit crushed and completely demoralized. Once topping the ridge, it’s a screaming fast downhill to “The Pit”. I arrive at 12:20pm. At “The Pit”, riders tell race war stories and volunteers provide great post-race grub – chili, peach cobbler and hot chocolate. The Best! Its 3:15 p.m. Exhausted, muddy, bruised and bleeding from a fall mid-race and still shivering – an early sign of hypothermia I was later told, I arrive at home. My wife greets me at the door, smiling, “How was it?” “It was fun.”

To read all of Brian’s Misadventures just go to www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com and type Brian Young into the site search window.

Not sure what to do with all the daylight we are saving.

“Where should we got for dinner?” - Read all of our Restaurant Reviews at www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/restaurant-reviews 33

A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don't have a top for it. - Jerry Seinfeld

ell here we are, looking forward to another Spring. It’s that time of the year when Mother Nature wakes up and starts showing us what she can do. She gives us gifts of light breezes, blooming trees, budding flowers, and warm sunshine. This lets us feel alive again after a long hard winter. There’s nothing that compares to the first time that you go outside in the spring, look at all the beauty and take a deep breath of airborne pollen and mold spores. Ah, the long awaited watery eyes, runny nose, congestion and sneezing. It just makes you wanna say, oh crap, spring is here. Spring is like that saying, "I've got some good news and some bad

news." Spring is also that time of the year when men (husbands) put away their hunting gear and get out their fishing gear. It’s also that time of the year when women (wives) tell us it’s time to clean out the garage. That’s a polite way of saying it’s time to throw out your stuff. To them it’s junk, but to us, it’s our cherished items we have been saving because we know that someday we will need them. When your wife asks you what a particular item is, just say it’s a need-able. I’m not sure that’s a word, but I’m betting she won’t know that it isn’t. I think it sounds better than saying it's junk. If you had to define a need-able, it would be something that you will need just days after your wife makes you throw it out. Like a seat for a 1968 John Deer tractor or a hubcap for 1955 Caddy or a half a gallon of what you think may be paint. Not to mention coffee cans filled with nuts, bolts, washers, and screws. Some rusted tools that you have no idea what they could ever be used for, but they look so cool you just have to keep them, those are need-ables too. Women save things also but for different reasons. They have a certain place that they use for, let’s call them switch-ables. For instance, they will put a gift that they have received that they think is too ugly to be put on display in this certain place so that they can get to it right away. So this way, when this person comes to the house for a visit, they can go to this certain place and switch it so that this person will think its always on display. There being a switch-able! No hurt feelings that way. Men don’t do that. If one of our friends gives us something no matter how ugly, we proudly put it on display. Most of the time we don’t think its ugly. Most of the time our wives do. If for some reason you don’t happen to see it one day, look for it in the garage right behind that 1968 John Deer seat. I can remember the first time my wife and I came up to our house in Ellijay after spending the winter in Florida. It was our first experience with Georgia pollen. We had thought someone had painted our house green. People were saying it was a bad year for pollen. That was 2002. Every year since then has been a bad year for pollen. I’m still waiting for that good year of pollen. I asked my Doctor what I could do to ease the pollen problem He said, "Move to the North Pole." Some people get a bad reaction from pollen and have to take prescription drugs for it. For those of you that have to take prescription drugs for allergies or for that matter, have to take prescription drugs for anything, I would like to give you some advice. Beware of the possible side effects. There was a time when side effects were not known to the public. Today, the public has to be informed about the possible side effects of everything. So much so that you now see it in TV ads. After they pitch their drug product to you, they have to tell you about the side effects. Here’s my tip, don’t take any drug where the side effects part of the ad is longer than the drug ad itself. I looked up the definition of side effects. It is an unintended occurrence. So is diarrhea. After you read some of these side effects, diarrhea isn’t so bad. Here’s an example of side effects printed on a prescription bottle. Some scary stuff here. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects: shallow breathing, slow heart beat, feeling light headed, fainting, confusion, unusual thoughts or behavior, seizure (convulsions), problems with urination or nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellow of the skin or eyes). Less serious side effects include: feeling dizzy or drowsy, mild nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, constipation, blurred vision, or dry mouth. In rare occasions, these symptoms may also occur: eye twitch, loss of one or more toenails, severe nose hair growth, the urge to yodel, the ability to compare rap to Shakespeare, the desire to wear tie-dyed underwear and finally, a propensity to use the word "like" in every sentence. Would you believe that all of these symptoms could occur from a baby aspirin? I didn’t think so. However, the “call your doctor at once” and the less serious side effects parts were taken from an actual prescription drug warning label. If you happen to run into me around town, ask me and I’ll tell you which drug it is. After all this is my column on making fun of Spring. If I had to choose, it’s my favorite time of the year. What's yours?

To read all of Jack’s Random Thoughts just go to www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com and type Jack Bellinato into the site search window.

The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off due to budget cuts- Steven Wright.

hipa Wolf hitchhiked into Georgia in the 70â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and fell in love with the wonderful North Georgia Mountains. Being of Native American decent ( he describes himself as redneck and Indian) he was captivated by the rich history of our area. He made Pickens County his home in 1983, and still finds it the most amazing place to live. He has been a producer of cultural festivals for twenty-five years now. Quite an amazing and successful accomplishment.

Thia: Why did you decide to be an event planner/promoter and why specific to Native American events? Chipa: My favorite uncle was my Uncle Indio, the famous Indian wrestler of the 1940's & 50's known as Chief Lone Eagle. He once took the title from the ever famous "Gorgeous George". Where I am mostly white by virtue of my blood, I was always intrigued by my Uncle Indio and my Aunt Bonita Wolfe who performed along side of my uncle prior to his wrestling presentation. I found myself traveling out west to join in PowWows, Indian Rodeo's and fellowship. After seeing the void in Georgia's recognition of Its original landlords, I found myself working within the school systems, churches and even within the ranks of the military to instill diversity and Native American awareness in Georgia. Around 1989,

there was grave desecration. It was this protest that allowed for me to meet with some very important people in the world of Georgia's Indian movement such as Lloyde and Dawn Arneach, Ken Rhyne, Cleto Montalongo, Bobbi Orr and a host of other Champions of the Native American

plight. It was time for

Georgia to quit celebrating Indian People as a part of their history alone but rather to make them a viable breathing part of Georgia's history. A powwow was in order. Thia: What does Pow Wow mean? Chipa: PowWow was actually derived many years ago from the northeast as a medicine gathering but has since become an intertribal gathering referring to dancing, singing, commerce, festivities and sometimes in today's contemporary corporate anglo world as a meeting. Thia: For 25 years now, you have held the Mother’s Day Pow Wow event. What will we see, feel, experience and eat if we come to this Mother’s Day Pow wow? Chipa: The Cherokee County Indian Festival & Mother's Day PowWow will offer a handsome assortment of activities and things to see starting with a

good looking market place filled with turquoise. Silver, beadwork, textile, clothing and lots of unique crafts along with some exquisite fine art. Cultural foods such as Indian Fry-bread, gator tail, buffalo, pima wraps, roasted corn and your favorite Americana foods will be on hand. Thia: I will try everything and can’t wait to try authentic gator tail. I want to hear the beautiful drumming that I associate with indian culture. This is such a colorful festival, literally, emotionally, visually, and sensually. What are the most fun things to do and see at this powwow? Chipa: You will experience performances of the Aztec dance company, stories of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek Indians and cultural singing artist Cherokee Rose and Silena. You will walk through an authentic American Indian village comprised of really cool Native American dwelling’s.There will be so much to see; hide tanning, fire by friction, earth cooking, archery, and brain tanning. We will also have kids activities. There are too many things to list. CONTINUED ON PAGE 54

I think Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house. - Yogi Berra

Sometimes life is funny by accident. Something unexpected happens that cracks you up and you just have to tell the story again and again and again because it’s too funny to be true, but it IS true. Or sometimes, it’s something SO touching or cute you just have to share. If you have a story like that, a true one, send it to us, preferably with a picture that goes with it and we’ll feature it here.

Send yours to: TheBestOfEBRJ@Gmail.com April Sexton I walked into the sunroom and found rows and rows of matchbox cars. I asked Justice what was he doing, he said "mom it's carmax, I can't put them up yet, no one has bought a car!”

Charle Smith Jordan tells her Grampa, Bill Smith- “But Amps you said to find something I wanted!” (As she stands in front of the case holding the Swarovski Crystal Cinderella Castle priced at $36,000). The look on Bill's face was priceless.

Julie Pritchett Baby's Gone Wild! Omg.. Biggest mess ever made by the boys award goes to Lawson!! After changing 2 babies diapers, went to lay baby down.. Lawson helped himself to my diaper bag - yes that's petroleum jelly ugh.. Lesson learned lol.

Brittany Henderson Me: Easton, do you want to go build your first snowman? Easton: Yeah, where's my hammer? Thia Newman When we first started coming up to Ellijay for long weekends, we were not yet used to the southern accent. I sent Robb to Ingles to get us some marshmallows to cook out on the fire pit. He had a hard time finding them, so he asked a clerk for help. She told him the marshmallows were in the bacon aisle. He walked around for awhile trying to find the bacon aisle. He saw the clerk again and she said, you haven’t found them yet? Come on I’ll show you where they are. She walked him over to the aisle with all the cake mixes… The Baking Aisle!

From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere. - Dr. Seuss

Photos by Allison Grooms, Robb Newman & Courtesy of Paul Constantine Interview (mostly, lol) by Thia Newman

usician/Singer Paul Constantine has just released his latest two CD’s, one featuring him and his guitar and one produced in Nashville by the legendary Doc Holiday. We got to hear some of the acoustic songs in person when “Dr Paul” performed at The Blue Ridge Brewery. He was kind enough to do an interview with us before hand.

Thia: We want to know how you got started in the music business. Paul: I started playing when I was about 14. My dad bought my brother a guitar and my brother did not understand the power of the guitar with women, but I did, so I started playing and did a lot of parties, and at the hot dog stand on the weekends. Robb: Hot dog stand? Now there’s a venue. Paul: Yeah. Out in the parking lot. Then I got drafted. Went into the service for 2 years. When I got out, I couldn’t get my job back. Some friends of mine had started a band and they needed a bass player and they convinced me that anybody could play the bass so we went to New York; I bought a bass, and I was a musician.

Thia: Just like that? Paul: And then they discovered well, maybe this guy can sing, so let’s make him the lead singer and this was supposed to be like Fridays and Saturdays; everybody worked (a regular weekday job). This turned into Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and I was having trouble getting up and going to work so I told my dad, “ I don’t owe anybody any money and I’m single so I’m going to give this a try.” I quit working and I augmented the band work with solo work playing acoustic guitar. So, one thing led to another; I hooked up with a touring group and I was on the road from 1972 up until about ‘83. In the 80’s, I ended up in Tampa with a job that was supposed to be 3 months and it took three years. Met my wife there; got married and started having kids. Things change when you have kids, so I quit playing music for about 25 years. Thia: What did you do if you weren’t playing? Paul: I got into electrical contracting, which is a skill that I had before the service. I eventually started my own company. I sold that company in 2004 and we moved up here to the mountains. I decided, I’ll give music a try again, so I started playing a little bit. One thing led to

another and the crowds have been good. They’ve been very receptive. I had a producer contact me a couple of years back in Nashville and he said he thought there might be a market for an old guy with a beard so we’ve done six recordings so far and we’re shopping for a label right now. I do this full time, other than Social Security. Thia: Can I ask how old you are? Paul: I’ll be 65 this coming May. I’ve got five daughters and five grandchildren. I live up in Hayesville, NC; in a little log cabin on the hill. We’re living a fairly simple lifestyle. I’ve got a new CD out that came out last month and it’s been selling pretty well. My Nashville CD has 3 songs on it right now; but we’re putting 3 more on. The 3 song CD is even been selling pretty well and a song has been released to radio so we’re getting some airplay; mostly outside the Country; New Zealand, Africa, Scandinavia but, their money spends so I can handle that. Thia: Who’s the most famous person that you’ve ever played with? Paul: Al Jarreau. My band opened up for him at the Bay Front Center in Saint Pete. I think that was in 1981 or ‘82. Woody Allen, I played with him in New York City. I

When I argue with my wife, I always get the last word. It's just that sometimes she can't hear it.

Dr. Paul’s Schedule - Don’t Miss Him! Fri, 18 Apr Blue Ridge, GA Blue Ridge Brewery Sat, 19 Apr Blue Ridge, GA Christy Lee's Courtyard Grille Wed, 14 May Jasper, GA Roccos Pub Sat, 17 May Blue Ridge, GA Christy Lee's Courtyard Grille

Sat, 14 Jun Blue Ridge, GA Christy Lee's Courtyard Grille Sat, 21 Jun Blue Ridge, GA Christy Lee's Courtyard Grille Fri, 04 Jul & Sat, 05 Jul Blue Ridge, GA Christy Lee's Courtyard Grille

Check Facebook Paul "Dr. Paul" Constantine for the all his appearances

used to go into the city quite a bit and look for a place to jam and he had a regular Monday night jam session, so that was a lot of fun. The early part of my career was all focused about the bass. I was very heavily involved in the bass. I wanted to be the best bass player that anybody had ever heard. I got close, but I like singing. I like telling stories and that’s kind of what I do now. Thia: You’re good at it. Paul: Well thank you Thia: What song do you want to be on the radio? Paul: ‘I’m coming home Carolina’. Right now, out of all of them, that’s kind of the song I like the best. It’s about a fella who lived in the mountains and couldn’t make a living here and had to go back to Florida Robb: A lot of people will relate. Paul: Yes they will. Thia: You play out a lot. Paul: Last year, I did 175 shows. Thia: Wow! That’s every other day. Paul: Just about, yes. Some months I would work fourteen days straight. Dragging this equipment around. Thia: Oh yeah. Robb played for twenty years. He put me through college. Yeah, that was the worst part of his

job. Paul: And that’s what I tell everybody. You don’t pay me to play…. Robb: Exactly. I play for free. You pay me to drag this stuff around! (Everyone Laughs) Thia: Play Freebird ! Paul: No Freebird Thia: How much do you hate that? Paul: No Freebird Thia: Why is it that people yell out that song or Stairway to Heaven? Paul: Well, they like the songs. They just don’t know the limitations of a soloist player. Robb: Freebird. Such a pain in the butt even if you wanted to, you just can’t capture that solo. Paul: Of course, I get all the usual ZZ Top things you know and I’m as far removed from them as you can be. I’m more the Leon Russell kind of character. Thia: So everyone thinks you resemble a ZZ Top musician. Robb gets that too. Who is it they say you look like? Robb: Jerry Garcia.

Paul: Oh, absolutely. Thia: And he doesn’t know any Jerry Garcia music. Paul, what’s the most rewarding thing about your job? Robb: I thought I was doing the interview? Thia: I ask better questions. But you can take it from here, that’s my last question. Paul: Watching the people while I sing. I keep my eyes closed a lot, but I do peek every now and then and seeing somebody tapping their feet or mouthing the words and knowing that they are getting involved in the performance; that’s what does it for me. Thia: That’s the rush that you get. Paul: Yeah. Thia: When everybody is into you Paul: Yeah. Thia: I can totally understand that! Thanks for taking the time. We look forward to watching you play! Paul: Thank you! Robb: Thia, I thought you were done asking questions. Thia: I am. The interview is done silly! www.facebook.com/paulcon83 www.reverbnation.com/drpaul

Will YOU be the one to crack “THE SAFE” and WIN over $2,500 in Cash & Prizes?

hat is it like living with an artist? We will tell you what it's like. We are the animal "offspring" of the artist who is the normal author of these articles. One bird and one dog living in harmony with someone who loves to make a mess, all for the sake of art. My name is Psycho. (Don't laugh. I didn't ask for that name) I am a Blue-Fronted Amazon parrot who would normally live in a jungle of warmth and fabulous colors. As a pet, I live in a brick house in the beautiful Tennessee mountains with my mom, the artist, and all the colors of her paints and pastels. It was beyond entertaining trying to figure out this "art" thing she does. Of course I had no clue what it was all about, as many people often don't. What was the purpose? Why was she creating things on paper, wood and everything in between. It seemed like a waste of time to me. After all, her spare time should be scratching my head you know. But as I sat on my cage and stared intensely at her creations, which usually end up all over the living room, I noticed that creativity was a source of happiness to her. Art brought something to her life that nothing else could. It was fulfilling and served as a source of expression for her, much like my shredding of boxes and sticks and anything I else I can get my beak on, are for me. Mama has drawn and painted scenery around our house, a portrait of Granny, her mama...and some crazy abstract stuff that I have no clue how to describe. I saw her splash paint about, cover her hands in chalk, ruin her clothes, get frustrated, smile largely and I even noticed her FOCUSING. That is NOT her strong suit usually. Yes, something about creativity just brings out the best in her. Mama goes to work each day at creative jobs at the Art Center in Blue Ridge and the Copper Basin Learning Center at Copper Basin High School. Granted I miss her when she's gone, but I know she's in her element at these places. I hear there are other places like these close by, the Gilmer Arts and Heritage Center and Sharptop in Jasper. Apparently there are a lot creative people in our area. She talks about them often, and although she doesn't realize it, I actually do understand her, when she talks to me. These creative people aren't afraid to take risks. They try things, and when those things don't work, they try different things until they get their masterpieces like they want them. They ponder. They erase. They explore. They simply create. I've watched it happen time and time again. I have even tried it myself, until mama caught me. I tried to pick up her paints and pastels and start my own masterpiece, but that's hard when your hands are your feet and your beak is your guide. It's even harder when mama finds these things in my mouth, knowing I'm probably going to end up eating them, and takes them away. Probably for the best. I'll leave the creating up to her. I'll just sit and watch her, sometimes even up close while sitting on her shoulder.

Wait. Hold up. This is Lizzy here. I am the dog portion of this story, and I have a different take on this whole art thing. Psycho, you may be intrigued by this creative thing, but I on the other hand was subject to torture. Apparently a creative mind encompasses a large area of possibilities. Granted this torture didn't really hurt, mama would never do that. But, she did make me look like a canine ball of confetti when she covered me in an endless array of colorful ponytails. Each color was strategically placed, something to do with primary colors and contrast. She was bored, so she used me as her canvas. She then posted my picture all over Facebook and people laughed at how "cute" I looked. I think I heard her say something about wanting to put colored streaks in my hair. If she does, I'm packing my toys and leaving! And there are times, like you said Psycho, where she is focused intently on her creations. I put my paw on her arm. I give her those puppy dog eyes. I sit and stare at her. Nothing. She just keeps on painting. Every now and then, she'll scruff my head or let me sit in her lap while she works. But I'd rather her just throw the ball. Not to mention, her room is a mess with paintings and panels everywhere. I can't jump on the bed without running into something. Once I tried to jump in the bed with her and ran smack dab into her guitar and about knocked myself senseless. She laughed. I left. Artists! Children, children. Mama here. (This is Jenn, the one who is supposed to be writing this column.) Yes, creativity is all these things. It is fulfilling, expressive, frustrating, messy and all over the place at times, at least for me. I have surrounded myself with many artistic friends and jobs, and yes there is much of all of this in the North Georgia Mountains. It even surprised me when I finally realized this since I have technically lived here all of my life. This place can be a haven for creativity and I do see it every day that I go to work. I don't mean to drive you two nuts with my over the top way of painting, drawing or taking pictures. I just sort of "have to." It's the artist's way. We have to express or we aren't ourselves. As a matter of fact, it helps us discover ourselves and the world in which we live, by studying and re-creating the things we see and expressing the things we feel. I don't mean to discourage you Psycho by not allowing you to ingest my paints, and Lizzy I don't mean to abuse you by color coding endless pony tails all over your pretty fur. It's just that art is everywhere, even in you. Animals can be a fantastic art study. It's just a beautiful world, full of fantastic colors and amazing images. I'm glad to be a part of it, and I hope people will see art for what it really is, a celebration of life.

Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been. - Mark Twain

95% if the worlds problems could be solved with a ball peen hammer.

met Matt Youngblood at Rocco’s Pub last year when I was one of the judges at the Texaco Country Showdown. He invited me down to the station and I was eager to see the behind-the-scenes and see him and Ava Rogers behind the mic, in action. WYYZ is a small station but they are doing some big things over there.....

Robb: Can you tell me a little bit about the radio station? Your cast of characters?

Ava: Our cast of characters range from myself, I’m Ava Rogers, with my classic rock, to Matt Youngblood, my business partner who handles our Bluegrass music, a lot of our Gospel and does the programming around here. Kelly Anne, who is our assistant in the mornings. We have Mustang with 'Mustang's Place' on Saturday afternoon; A very novel show with some very old country. We have Jim Quinton on weekdays for “Jim's Country Classics”. So, we just really do have a wide range of music and personalities around here but, we all meld together very nicely. Robb: So, you two are relatively new owners of the station? Ava: Yes. We bought it in August of 2013. Matt: I've been here since 2007. It took us about a year to go through the whole process and right now we're giving it new life. We cover the sports, parades, all aspects of the community and through our streaming we're able to get a wider reach and use that for some of our more creative shows. On Ava's Saturday morning show, she brings in local and regional artists to play live. Robb: Yeah. Like back in the old days of Elvis. That was normal for bands to come and play in the studio. Ava: There has been a great response to this and I'm just having the best time doing it. Robb: That's got to be a blast. I'm assuming they are coming in and do it unplugged? Ava: Yeah. Just live right here. We talk; we chat, cut up. Robb: They don't bring in amplifiers and all that? Ava: No. They plug right into the board and we set up their mics. Robb: So you get the real organic feel of the band. Just the instruments and their harmonies Ava: You really do. I’m enjoying it beyond words. Robb: Have you had any famous, more national level stars in here at all? Matt: A lot of our national stuff comes through phone interviews. Anybody from scientists, doctors, celebrities, it’s amazing who you get to talk to. We’ve had authors that include Dean Koontz to Flags of our Father’s author, James Bradley. Celebrities range from Malin Akerman, the actress from Watchmen, to Olympia Dukakis. Robb: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened? You must have some goofs, things that went on the air that maybe shouldn’t have?

Matt: We’re always pretty careful about that. Ava: Yeah, we kind of have a rule with this room, that the mic is always on. Robb: Are you on a loop? A Delay? Ava: No, we broadcast directly onto the air. Robb: Really? That is what you call BRAVE! If you gaff, you gaff. Ava: We mess up and everybody knows real quick. Robb: That’s like doing the high wire.... Matt: Tightrope? Robb: Not the tightrope, the... uh...without a net you know? Ava: Trapeze without a net! Robb: Yeah. Trapeze! Brain’s working slow, not eating enough fish I guess. Robb: So Texas.. Matt: Texas Showdown..... Ava: Texaco! Robb: Sorry! Tex-a-co Country Showdown. That’s a great contest for up and coming talent. On all levels. They go through the local, state and then hopefully they make it to the nationals and become a star. I was one of the judges, that was a great experience for me. There an amazing amout of high-level talent in North Georgia. It was really hard to choose a winner. Has there been anybody local that you’ve worked with in the past that’s been a breakout that has actually made it? Ava: Yeah. A couple of young ladies are making it. Jordan Grassi was the winner of the 2012 Texaco that we had here, she was our winner in 2012 and she is a working musician and she’s 16 years old. She’s also in college already because she’s just that smart; and was also accepted in to a very special music songwriters program at Belmont University. She will actually be in here in April. And then little miss Chloe Litton was our winner this past year of the Texaco and she is now working steady in Nashville to the point where she had to move there. Robb: Really? Excellent. She was great. She shows you that the promotion does help. That’s the point. Places like Rocco’s Pub, radio stations such as yours, and whatever we can do, it actually is an incubator for talent. That’s where the stars of tomorrow come from. Ava: Right! And we’ve been so blessed to have the support of Mr. Dan Cirrocco (owner of Rocco’s) He’s got one of the greatest music venues in this area; in our county. I know that there’s a couple of great ven-

Anywhere is walking distance if u have the time . . . - Steven Wright

ues in Ellijay and Blue Ridge as well. But, to have access to that great music venue here and as supportive as he’s been of Matt and myself taking over this station, we couldn’t ask for a local business owner just to care more. Robb: He’s great. He wants to help. He wants to support. Ava: Performers absolutely love his venue, and brag on the great steaks. Now, our Sunday show at Roccos, we’ll have one that starts at 1:00. The other one starts at 3:30 or 4:00. It’s just a great way to spend the afternoon on that outside deck at Rocco’s enjoying great food and some great, local performers. We’ll have somebody different in every Sunday. There’s no cover for that. You just come in, buy your food, sit back, relax and have a great Sunday afternoon listening to some great music. If it wasn’t my job, I would probably still go and hang out there on Sunday afternoon for this music show because it’s great, relaxing company. It’s just beautiful. Robb: Great food. Great music. Great friends. That’s great. Did I say great too many times? So it’s all about local at WYYZ. Ava: We’ve been using the slogan ‘Hometown radio home again’ because I am a Jasper native. I’ve been here my whole life. About 5 generations I can count back on my mother’s side within a five mile radius of where I still live now. So that’s been a big push of ours to let people know that the ownership is back home and it is with people that really care about Pickens County. Matt: Oh, and we have to mention Don Rice. We have a Pastor that is here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10-12. He has been a Pastor for 35 years? 40 years? So, he does music, he does faith based...loves to have other spiritual and faith and community leaders come in that he talks with that is a very open conversation so any spiritual leaders or faith churches, anyone like that that would like to come on and be on his show Robb: You guys cover it all! You’ve really touched on everything: it’s music, it’s informational. No poetry? Matt: Poetry. Yes! I have a show on Mondays with a co-host, Clifford Brooks, who is a local poet. He was nominated for a Pulitzer, Georgia Poet of the Year last year and so, on Monday nights, we do...right now, we’re doing it every two weeks, but essentially we sit down and have different conversations we’ve recorded that kind of looks at things from a Southern perspective. We interview artists in all forms from vi-

sual arts, music, literature. “Dante’s Old South” is the name of that show. We’re only good news. Robb: That’s kind of our paper too. We don’t have politics or negatives. We just do fun. Matt: I think one of the hardest hitting questions is we do ‘The Southern Test’ which is: What time do you have dinner? Robb: What time do you have dinner? That’s the Southern test? Matt: Exactly! What time do you have dinner? Robb: Uh... 6pm. Matt: See! For the mountain perspective, dinner falls at lunchtime now Robb: Oh, I get it. Dinner. Matt: You’re thinking of supper. Robb: Right. Ok. Matt: And that’s why it’s the old Southern Test. Robb: Oh. Ok. So supper is dinner and dinner is lunch.. So is brunch ... brinner? So you have programming for the people. Matt: Localism, trying to have something for everybody and always an open door policy. Love to have people stop in; business owners, we love to have guests. That’s the fun part of hometown radio. In the summertime we cook out for lunch. We have a grill. Robb: That’s cool Matt: It’s really what I think radio should be. It’s supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to be enjoyable, and it’s supposed to support the community. Robb: Sounds like fun. Matt: Our fax number, give them our fax number Robb: Fax? Do people fax anymore? I don’t do fax, I don’t have fax. Matt: We get fax. Robb: You get emails right? Matt: Yeah. We get emails, we get fax. One thing we do is we have our local announcements at 8, noon, and 5 so, if you’re a church event, nonprofit, a community event, let us know about it. Ava: Right down to a yard sale! Tune in to WYYZ 1490 AM Online: www.wyyzradio.com Email: WYYZ1490AM@Gmail.com Fax: 706-692-4012 Studio Line: 706-692-4100

Have you checked out our website lately? www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com

hia and I pulled into downtown Blue Ridge at about 6:30pm and cruised along East Main Street at the legal 5mph. We noticed that the street was lined with cars, we wondered. “Where are all the people?” When we entered Fightingtown Tavern it looked like everybody was there! The place was cookin’! Well, they were literally cooking too of course, but it was packed. And deservedly so, I L-O-V-E this place. Great food, great drinks, great service, great atmosphere = really, really good. Just recently opening, I’d say they’re off to a great start. I have been watching the development of FTT since I first heard it would be opening and I love everything about it. ALL 100%, absolutely FRESH food. As they say “No microwaves, no freezers, no preservatives, NO KIDDING! There’s a full liquor bar that serves craft beer from local breweries. What a concept! And all presented with a commitment to being eco-friendly. The first thing you’ll notice is this place is beautifully done, in a recycled material kind of way. One thing I really liked is at the main door. There’s this fantastic welcoming creation made out of old electric sign parts. Outside on the patio all the tables are created out of shipping skids. (They will be having live entertainment soon and I’d guess it will be out there. At least I hope it will be, that would be really nice) There’s lots of creativity going on here, not only in the decor but in the menu as well as I’ll explain in a bit. The owners must be music lovers because there’s rock n’ roll posters and the dinners, or at least some have band names. This first time we went we ordered “Golden Earrings” Crispy fried golden beets with fried goat cheese and a peach bourbon dipping sauce – for our appetizer, great! A refreshing change from the usual fried green tomatoes on the menu. Nothing against fried green tomatoes, it was just a bit of out of the box thinking that I enjoy. (Thia says- I LOVED these so much! So original and delicious!) I had the “INCUBUS”, a delicious, FRESHLY GROUND beef burger with habanero relish, pepper jack cheese and grilled jalapeños. Not to sound redundant, but, GREAT! I chose FRESH fries and got some of the most interesting “cole slaw” I ever had. You’ll just have to try it, it too was tasty and not like the usual cole slaw. Thia had the bacon-wrapped meatloaf and pota-

toes with at grilled cob of corn. Again, the meatloaf is made out of beef they grind on premises daily. The portion was huge, she couldn’t eat it all. Of course, good husband that I am, I helped. This too was absolutely delicious and looked beautiful on the plate. Thia says- “We’ve been back several times now and every time I go I end up with a new favorite. This last time Robb & I shared three appetizers! We had; Type O Positive which is delicious tender steak tidbits with a bloody mary sauce, an order of spicy fresh cooked yummy wings, and my NEW favorite Mac-n-Cheese balls. This amazing homemade, creamy mac & cheese is rolled into a ball with a tender piece of pork belly in the middle, then they are breaded and come out from the kitchen crispy on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside. So good! I can’t wait to go back and have them again.” Robb here, this time, I ordered the fish & chips… it’s always interesting to see how well a place that isn’t a “fish restaurant” handles the delicate art of fish preparation and I must say, they handled it well. The fish was, of course, fresh, and delicately fried, not greasy. Very enjoyable. Everyone is so friendly. The owner, Rhonda always stops by the table to make sure everything is good. Her husband, Jim also makes the rounds, he’s the chef and he is the one creating all these amazing original dishes. Allison, our most recent server, was friendly, and attentive, just like everyone that has waited on us before. As a side note… the mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup served are freshly made in house! Talk about fresh! Talk about attention to detail! Talk about a great place to eat, play shuffleboard & darts, have drinks and have fun. The Fightingtown Tavern will also have live music this spring. We’ll see you there! 511 East Main St. Downtown Blue Ridge 706-946-2006

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Photos By Cal Crenshaw

ello North Georgia! My name is Danny Tatum and I am truly excited to be here! The name of my little spot in this paper is entitled "Tales From The Backstage Door." I am a musician and have been most of my life. I will be sharing some of my experiences from shows in the past. I will also tell you about some really neat people who I have been very fortunate to work with and to learn from. I feel pretty sure some of those names you will recognize ! I am currently the band leader and lead guitarist in the Carla Tatum band. This band consists of Carla Tatum, Danny Tatum, Cody Tatum, Larry Padgett and Dwight Potts. Yes you caught that didn’t you, and yes you’re right. Carla is my wife and Cody is our son and also our drummer. Larry is Carla’s brother and Dwight, we just recently found out is a distant cousin to Carla. Enter one of those I’ll be Dawg moments Ha-ha! We have been a husband & wife team in this crazy music business for a long time. As time has went by The Carla Tatum band has done a lot over the years working with some really neat folks and folks that have really taught us a lot of valuable lessons. Sometimes lessons in life for musicians and people in general come in some of the strangest places. I would like to share one of those experiences if I may. Last summer, The Carla Tatum band was doing a show at the beautiful Sturgeons Amphitheater in Ellijay Georgia with the Waymore's Outlaws, who are all Waylon Jennings former Band members, along with the well known hit makers Confederate Railroad. (Queen of Memphis, Jesus and Mama, Trashy Women). It was a hot August evening and the forecast had called for a fifty percent

chance of rain, so everyone was on pins and needles hoping it wasn’t going to rain. All of our band members were hot, scared and sweating, waiting, wondering. For some fulfilling a dream. For all a day of real achievement. We get to the Amphitheater around 4:30 with our gear trailer and of course we step out of the car and it is nothing but go! from then on. We get the privilege of meeting Waymore's Outlaws not long after we arrive and they are the nicest people you will ever meet. They made us feel really welcome and were super nice. Unfortunately we were all still scared to death! You see we was the first band to ever step foot on the stage at Sturgeon's Amphitheater! Not only was we opening for two bands of true living legends we was also christening the Venue! Arg! Well we go up and get sound check done and have maybe ten minutes before show time. The time comes for us to make our way to the entrance ramp to the stage. The Carla Tatum band is Nervous! Yep! Yes indeed! Carla turns and looks at me and says I am scared to death! I look up from my mind wandering into the twilight from my own case of nerves and quickly agree. Just then, from under the wing of the stage appears a sort of stocky built guy whom we had talked to just briefly a little earlier and he looks at us and says in these words “Ha ! This isn’t anything to be scared of. Think of this. You’re in the woods. You have been hunting. You’re being chased by a bear and you're ALLLLLLLLL out of bullets! Now that is something to be scared of!“ We all died laughing and needless to say we weren’t quite as nervous as before. The gentleman wished us luck as the introduction took place. We jogged up to the stage and had a great show!

Next we watched Waymore's Outlaws with Tommy Townsend (whom Waylon Jennings had spent a lot of time working with) take the stage! Wow! You can bet Waylon would have been very proud. Tommy took Waylon’s songs and truly made them sound as if Waylon was right there with him. In a lot of ways I believe he was. Tommy’s talent along with the rest of the band was astounding! As I watched the show I kept thinking about that guy who had told me the story about the bear and couldn’t get over the fact that in more than 30 years of working in the music business nothing or nobody could help me get rid of stage fright until just then. Next up was Confederate Railroad and when they took the stage that’s when I realized who that gentleman with the "out of bullets story" was. It was Mark Dufresne! The drummer for Confederate Railroad. We were all like well I’ll be dawg! I guess if anyone would know about nerves it would be these guys. With over twenty hits on the Bill Board country charts and countless American Country Music awards, Mark was still kind enough to come over and visit with us and share some really cool wisdom. I will always be grateful to Mark Dufresne along with Confederate Railroad and Waymore's Outlaws for the kindness and friendship they shared with us that day. Overall, the concert played out perfectly and not one drop of rain fell. And yep, I still hold on to that memory before every show when I start getting the stage fright butterflies. Instead of butterflies I think about bears and the bears chase away those butterflies every time! Ha-ha!! Until next time North Georgia, with more Tales from the Backstage Door- Love ya, Peace! Danny

Another World's Oldest Man has died. This is beginning to look suspicious.

My exercise program consists of having a lot of stairs in my home and forgetting things.

I was addicted to the hokey pokey but I turned myself around.

"It's" Gonna Hit The Fan!

hat was a phrase repeated over and over again when we watched Doomsday Preppers and Doomsday Bunkers.

And if any variety of “it” did hit the fan, I believe that Robb and I are not prepared for the slightest emergency. And we should be. It's important to think of how to keep yourself and your family as safe as possible. We should be able to defend ourselves, we should know how to fire a weapon and our house should be made as safe as possible from intruders, whether they are human or animal. And really, shouldn't we all be able to take care of ourselves? We rely on stores to supply us with food, police to protect us, big gas companies to keep our car tanks full and the county to supply us with clean drinking water. We should know how to take over these responsibility for ourselves, if we had too. In the old days, the pioneers, the cowboys, the farmers, and the native american indians took care of themselves. Times have changed. We have become a people of dependency; on government, on banks, on stores, and on corporations, rather then a people who are dependent on ourselves, our family and our friends and neighbors. Robb and I started thinking about this a lot after watching a few seasons of Doomsday Preppers and Doomsday Bunkers, and while we don’t plan on being that hard core, those shows taught us that we had not a clue about self survival. We’ve learned so much since then. But this story is just the beginning…

_____________

Interview by Thia Photos by Robb

Cassie is the safe structures expert and runs Protective Structures. Doug is the director of operations for TruPrep and oversees all three stores and their website. Tammy runs the Jasper TruPrep store, and is a funny lady. TruPrep and Protective Structures share a store on Main Street in Jasper. We learned so much talking to all three of them. Thia: Hi Cassie! We started out knowing nothing, so we watched Doomsday Bunkers. And I know that is the extreme end. But we enjoyed the show and it made us realize that we were not protected at all. Even on the smallest scale, like for a bad storm. We should have a safe place to go in case of a tornado, and we don’t. So to start on the basic level, what would we need? Robb: I want to jump in because I was already talking to Cassie and she made a great point. Those nice wooden sheds, like the ones you would buy at Home Depot, is three grand, four grand. Thia: So you could have that one of these structures for your storage and use it for an emergency shelter. Cassie: Yes. It’s above ground and it’s anchored, so it’s not going to blow away. Its a good place to keep your valuables, your necessities. There is no point in stocking a supply if you have no where safe to keep it. In case of a tornado, your house gets blown away, all your supplies do as well. Thia: Yes, why have a shed outside that is just a shed. Cassie: It doesn’t even have to be outside. It can be in your garage, in your basement, in your home. Thia: I like the underground idea for some reason. I guess because of the Wizard of Oz. Robb: Yes and then I can have a periscope! Thia: You and your periscopes.

Cassie

A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I'm afraid of widths. - Steven Wright

Doug

Cassie: The hidden aspect is also something that attracts people. Thia: Yes, your neighbor has a secret! Cassie: Another thing we do is safe rooms, if you aren’t looking for a room with tornado resistance, but are looking for a safe storage room or a place you can run too in case of emergency. We have mirrors that open up into secret rooms. See this looks like a mirror on a wall. But it opens up and there is a space behind it. If someone was going to try to break in your home and steal your supplies, if they were in here they would be well hidden. There’s bookcases, staircases, with hidden spaces. There is even a safe within a safe. Thia: Do you have some cool stuff like that that I can see? Cassie: Yes we have display models downstairs, I’ll show you. (we go downstairs) Here we have two above ground units and a below ground unit. Everything is tested for F5 tornados, but also offers protection from ballistics and intrusion. Thia: (whispers to Cassie) Let’s lock Robb in! Cassie: (laughs) Robb: No! Cassie: This one you can use with new construction or a basement because when it’s finished it doesn’t look like a panic room, it looks like just a regular finished room. This one over here is a seven gauge steel walk in vault type of structure. It’s modular. Most of the above ground units are prefabricated and welded, so you have a lot of options of where you can install them. This one can be inside or outside. Robb: What size is that and how much does it cost? Cassie: It’s 6’ x 8’ and costs $6400. Thia: This looks about the same size as an efficiency apartment we used to have when I was in college. Robb: (Laughs) it’s does. This would make a great double duty shed. A wood shed that would blow away would be about $3500. I’d go the extra money for the safety aspect.

Cassie: The beauty of this is it anchors to the concrete. It’s not going to go anywhere. It weighs 3000 pounds. Thia: So if a tree fell on top of this, you’d be fine. Cassie: If a car fell on top you’d be fine. Thia: That’s amazing! If a tree fell on our house we’d be dead! What if you shot a bullet at this? Cassie: It depends on the bullet. It would at least stop small arms, up to a 44 magnum, potentially rifle rounds as well depending on the velocity. I know a 12 gauge sheet will stop a 357, so you can imagine what a 7 gauge would stop. Robb: So if you order one of these, it comes on a pallet, in sheets and you bolt it together? Cassie: Yes, if it is a local job, we have installers. But you can do it yourself. Thia: It goes on a concrete slab? Cassie: You can either pour a slab outside your home, or you can bolt it down to the slab if you put it in your garage. You can install it in your basement. Robb: I think this is really cool, and a smart thing to do. It is definitely something to consider getting. Cassie: And you can start with a small one and if your family grows or you decide you want more room, you can move up by buying another section to extend it. Robb: That’s great to know! Thia, go in this one and sit on the toilet. Thia: I’m NOT sitting on the toilet! Besides it is a for display only model! I will Vanna White the toilet for you. So this is the underground one because there are stairs going up. Cassie: Yes and you don’t need concrete poured or anything for this one because it would be buried under the dirt. The top of the dome would be buried 16 inches underground. Robb: And the underground one has a floor. How much is this one? Cassie: It’s $6400, and a little bit more for delivery and installation. Robb: I was just thinking of the one we saw on Doomsday Bunkers, it had a hand

rail down the stairs, and they could push a button and flames shot out of it, so no one would be able to get to you for sure. Cassie: Wow. That’s extreme Thia: But it would kill zombies! Since we are brand new at this, what are some really important basics I should know to be prepared? Cassie: You should keep a copy of all your important documents, your driver’s license, insurance cards, doctors names, phone numbers… Thia: That is such a smart idea. You never think about that. But it is really hard to replace those, and after a storm that hit the whole area? It would be impossible to do it quickly. Cassie: Your social security card, your marriage license, that stuff is so hard to replace if you have no Identification. Thia: Yep. It would be a lot easier to get a new driver’s license if you had a copy of the old one, than if you had nothing at all. You are right. That is such good information. Learning about all this is really eyeopening as to how unprepared we are for an emergency. Even something small, like not having power for three days because of a winter storm. We would be in our house and unable to get anywhere on the roads. So we would be stuck there, freezing, with no extra water, and no heat. We are not prepared for the slightest disruption in our world. Cassie: Yes, even this winter’s snow storm where people were trapped in their houses or in their cars and couldn’t get any additional supplies. Thia: Yes, luckily for us our power stayed on and we had just bought groceries so we were fine. If we hadn’t had groceries and heat and lights, it would’ve been really awful. I don’t like being cold. Cassie: If you have a shelter, you can run a heater off of your generator, and we have a bench seat here that is full of blankets and pillows and sleeping bags. Thia: It would be a cozy little safe place. Thanks you for all these wonderful ideas. What else should we know, as people who

know very little about prepping? Cassie: It’s all about planning. Then practice and implement the plan so that all your family members know what to do. Have all your phone numbers saved. Thia: Yep, having them saved in your iPhone doesn’t count! Cassie: Right. On a larger scale, you can also have community shelters built out of this material (20 gauge steel modular panels). You can have corridors of schools made out of this and all the classroom doors are tornado resistant doors… Thia: So the kids can go in the hallway and shut the doors and they are safe. That is brilliant. There should be one of these rooms in every firehouse and police station, in every first responders location. Because we need them safe first so that they can come and save us. Cassie: Exactly. Everybody can find a way to keep their family safe because there are a large variety of affordable options. Stop by, I’ll be happy to tell you all about them! ProtectiveStructures.com Facebook-Protective Structures, Ltd.

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Thia: Okay, we are going to start by admitting that to prepare for this story and interview we watched Doomsday Preppers. Now we realize that most people aren’t as extreme as the people on that show. Doug: There is the extreme and then they push it and then they tweak it, and then they try to make it sensational, then you get there. Thia: You don’t have a 40,000 square foot bunker in your back yard? Doug: I have 5 acres with some chickens and some potatoes growing. Thia: Oh, I love growing stuff! Do you have seeds? Doug: We have heirloom seeds. They reproduce themselves. We have everything you can imagine from tomatoes to more exotic things like bok choy

Don’t worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older it will avoid you. - Joey Adams

Tammy: All the herbs, Some of them are over one hundred years old from the originals and most of them are from Georgia. Thia: So you plant the seed and it grows into a plant and you save it’s seeds and plant them, so it regenerates itself. Doug: Yes. If you manage your stock you don’t have to worry about it. That’s different from hybrid seeds. Hybrid seeds are great because they have the parasite resistance of one parent and the high yield of another. But because they are a hybrid, they are like a mule and they won’t reproduce themselves the next year. Those kinds of seeds will probably only give you 30% germination and they won’t look anything like the originals you planted, because they will have the seeds from one of the two parents. Thia: I get it, because only the dominant gene or seed will show up the second time. I see you have big time canning supplies. Doug: You are not going to find this stuff anywhere. Not only do we have the jars and the lids. Tattler are reusable lids. You wash them and use them again. Thia: Right because you are not supposed to use Ball lids again. Doug: Those, rubber and metal are a one time use. Plastic is reusable. Thia: Very interesting. I am growing a garden, and am going to learn to can this year. All this information is really useful to me. Robb and I are not prepared at all. After this story, we are going to start working on it. Doug: Our philosophy is not to go live in a bunker underground somewhere. It is to adopt a way of life that you are prepared for whatever happens. That means having a garden, taking care of yourself and being self reliant on a day to day basis. If there is an ice storm and you need power, your generator kicks on. You’ve got canned food stored. If there is a tornado, you have a tornado shelter to go to. If there is a black out, you are able to maintain for a couple of weeks, because you live a lifestyle that is regenerative.

Thia: What you just said is perfect. Everyone needs to be prepared. Before we watched those shows, we never even thought about it. Doug: Our grandparents were prepared. They had a storm shelter. They had a fruit cellar. They had a cistern. They had a garden. Now we have this fast food way of life where we think everything will be at the store when we need it, and it may not be. A little bit of common sense preparation makes all the difference. Thia: You are so right. We have gotten away from thinking about being self reliant. Are there names for the levels of preparedness? Like we would be Newbies, just starting out, and the full fledged extreme people like on the show might be really called “Doomsday Preppers, but what about all the different sections of people in between? Doug: I don’t think there are terms for the different grades. It all depends on what you think is going to happen. There are people that are preparing for a global economic crisis and electrical grid shutdown for years. There are different degrees of how much they want to go into it. If you are really into it, you may be looking for a bunker and how to do everything on your own. If you are just starting out you might want to buy a little kit that is assembled so you can have a little piece of mind. As you start to think about what else can go wrong you start to grow. As far as a level, it’s more how far you have grown and thinking about this as a life style. But there are a lot of things that could happen. For example, a job loss. It’s a good idea to have a couple of months of cash stored up so you can pay your bills while you find a new job. But instead of just saving cash, you could save food, and other things you use on a daily basis. If you lost your job and had a back stock of three months of food, you would be pretty well set. The best way to start prepping is to add 25% to your grocery bill. Whatever you are buying, just buy 25% more of what you nor-

mally buy every week and stock it away. After a short time you will end up with a pantry that is well stocked, with toothpaste and toilet paper and food. And once you get three months worth of this ready, you might want to next look into water filtration, so you can always have fresh water. So now you have food and water and shelter, which is your home. Next you would want to look into medical supplies. That includes taking classes so you know how to use things in your first aid kit. Thia: I am going to do exactly what you just said. That is the perfect way to begin prepping. How do you keep all your food supplies fresh? You can’t let it sit there for years, can you? Doug: Canned food, like you get at Kroger lasts for about 5 years. And you just keep your stock rotating, you’ll use it long before it expires. Thia: On a lighter note. Being in this business Doug, do you get teased about Zombies? Doug: We embrace the Zombie thing. We do radio shows out of Atlanta. Our first show aired on Halloween and it was all about Zombies. Thia: We love zombie shows. We love The Walking Dead. Doug: We have a commercial that aired on the Walking Dead a couple of times. You can find it on YouTube. Search TruPrep Zombies. Thia: What is this? Bacon flavored.. Doug: No it’s 100% real bacon in a can. Thia: Oh, this has to be a big seller. Who could live without bacon! Doug: There are people who come in and buy case after case of it. It keeps for 15 years. I’ve heard you can eat it right out of the can, or microwave it to make it crispy. Thia: So it’s fully cooked. Doug: Yep. We have canned cheeses, canned meats, we have canned butter. Thia: Where’s the lobster tails? Doug: (chuckles) No lobster tails, but we do have a seafood chowder that has shrimp and clam in it, that is amazing and

it keeps for thirty years. Thia: Thirty years? Wow. Oh, what is this? An ice cream sandwich? Does it come out cold? (Boy I ask stupid questions sometimes) Doug: No, it’s a little different. You don’t rehydrate the ice cream sandwiches. Have you ever heard of astronaut ice cream? That’s exactly what this is. Wanna try some? Thia: Sure! Robb: It’s good! Doug: My kids go crazy for these. The stuff you rehydrate, like this macaroni and cheese, tastes just like Stouffer’s Mac and cheese out of a freezer. Thia: I want to get some of these foods and try them! Oh, look at all these beautiful colors! What is this? Doug: TruPrep Brand Paracord. That is what is used in a parachute. The idea is that it holds 550 pounds of weight. So you can do a lot with this stuff. And it is made up of seven strands braided together so you can unbraid it and instead of having one hundred feet you have 700 feet that you can use to start a fire as kindling, or tying light things together. People also make things with it like bracelets, belts, rifle slings. Anything you are going to carry with you on a daily basis you can make the strap out of paracord, and we have over one hundred different colors. Thia: You have lots of medical supplies. Doug: We have from the basic first aid kit that you can carry with you to the guide kit, which has everything just short of doing a tracheotomy. Thia: So you could give someone stitches? Doug: Yes. We also have a kit for doing sutures. Thia: Can we try that like we tried the ice cream sandwich? Doug: Sure as long as I do the stitching! (Laughs) Thia: No wait, I was going to do the stitching! Doug: This stuff here is amazing, it was developed by the military. If you have a gap-

Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. - Will Rogers

ping wound you just open up the pouch and slap it on hold it for thirty seconds and the bleeding stops. Thia: These are things that everyone should have at the house and in their car. You could save someone’s life. Doug: They have Prepper Expos now. They had one in Atlanta last week, and there was a medical person there teaching you how to do sutures. Thia: Oh that is so cool. I want to go to one of those! Chris: (who was shopping in the store while we were doing our interviews) That would be helpful in a Zombie-pocalypse Thia: So what are you looking for today Chris? Chris: Well after the snow storms we had this winter, my wife and I were thinking we didn’t have much of a plan if things were to go badly we would be in a bit of a pickle. I was asking about water storage because that’s about as smart as we were to fill up some pitchers of water. So I just thought this store would be right up my alley. Robb: What do you have for shoving through zombies’ heads? (Everyone cracks up) Tammy: Oh we have “shove through the zombie’s heads” stuff! This is for beheading and it swings itself around. (Chris is now checking out the beheading tools)

Thia: Chris you came in for water storage and you are going to go home with weaponry. Robb: That is the difference between men and women. Who was that comedian? Tammy: Tim Allen. Robb: Right. Huh huh huh huh. That’s men. Doug, have you ever had anyone rich and famous come into the store? Doug: Well on Friday afternoon it’s interesting to take a look in the parking lot, especially at the Marietta store. You have everything from a Jeep with a wench and bullet proof tires to a Prius, to a Mercedes Benz, right along your Chevys. Different people come for different reasons, but they all come. Thia: I would think it would cross all economic levels, because if a big disaster comes, there is no more economy. Then the people that are most prepared are actually the “rich” ones. So is preppers the right word to call you? Doug: It probably is. There is somewhat of a negative connotation because people think of the “Doomsday Prepper” show. It’s about being able to sustain, survive and have a lifestyle for your children that doesn’t get interrupted by an event. Thia: So what name would you prefer? Doug: Homesteading survivalists is what we are. Facebook Jasper TruPrep http://truprep.com

Tammy

Robb to Tammy: Didn’t you tell me you sold chicken diapers? Tammy: We don’t sell them, but they do have them. I have chickens and I love my chickens but I would never put them in my house. Go online and you will find chicken diapers… Robb: So how come you don’t stock them here? You are missing out on a whole market of people who have chickens pooping in their living rooms.

We were very lucky to have the chance to interview such knowledgable people as Cassie, Doug & Tammy. We are certainly as novice as you get at “prepping” but after our research and writing this article, we have already started taking baby steps. Our first goal is to get to a prep of a three day storm. While we are too green to feel that we should be giving any advice, we will tell you what we have doing so far…. • Getting our gas generator cleaned up and ready to be hooked to our propane tank. • Getting extra water, and extra canned food that will keep for a couple years. Plus a three day supply of easy to eat foods that requires no preparation, heating or cooling, like peanut butter, crackers, squirt cheese, sausage, nuts and canned fruit. • We will be buying two cold weather sleeping bags. • We have bought several flashlights & batteries • And right away making two copies of everything important, one for somewhere safe in our house, and one to keep at a different location. This is the very top of our list and we are working on it. We have a long way to go, but we are on our way to being preppers!

Food Review - by Thia

I just ate rehydrated food out of a pouch. We weren’t sure what it was going to taste like, and were actually expecting the worst. But we were wrong! It was GOOD! Okay, not restaurant good, but definitely better than a can of chef boyardee or hamburger helper. On par with, maybe even a little better than a stuffers frozen dinner. Def had healthier ingredients ( I could read and understand everything on the label) and each was packed with protein. Both were very meaty dishes and tasty. It would certainly be something to look forward to eating if you were out camping, or stuck in the house because of a storm. The price was fair and they last 10 years! So it’s something we will be buying to keep around the house just in case. Both the ones we tried, spagetti & meat sauce and beef stroganoff with noodles we would buy again. The dessert,

came out a little worse then we had hoped, with a gritty chocolate pudding, and chocolate powder and peanuts on the top. Kind of tasted like a cool melted fudge sundae. I would try a different dessert next time. Not that it was bad, but it wasn’t something to look forward too.

Any kid will run any errand for you, if you ask at bedtime. - Red Skelton

Thia: What has changed over the years lately about indian culture. Chip: I guess the funniest thing I have witnessed over the years of our PowWow productions is that a segment of our guests have somehow felt compelled to become Indians merely because they were invited to come into our arena and join us in what's known as a intertribal dance. What makes this relatively funny is that many of these folks are comprised of just good old everyday people that may have found or heard that they had some Indian blood or might have or would like to... Thia: No matter where we originally came from, I think, everyone who is an American, hopes they can trace back to a drop of the original Native American Heritage. Chipa: Before "Dances with Wolves" I couldn't find any Indians around Georgia or at least not enough to account for a populace. Well, all of the sudden our PowWow had so many that wanted to be dancers. Those who felt the drums move their spirit took the spiritual stimulus as a sign to reclaim themselves as a Born Again Indian. The next thing you know we would see these culturally hungry good hearted people dressed out in deer skins or Naugahyde while shaking some kind of a dead animal on the end of a stick. Thia: I’m guessing there are a lot of people here, who can trace their heritage back to some Native American blood in them. I wish I had some. But I happen to know that my grandparents came over through Ellis Island. I can’t wait to experience my first Powwow! I’ll let you sum this up Chipa. Chipa: The truth is, Rolling Thunder Enterprises is a good time family oriented festival and we are all inclusive and simply about bringing Georgia the best of the best in education, entertainment and good times. This event is for everybody so please come and join us this Mother's Day weekend May 10 and 11th for the 25th annual Cherokee County Indian festival and mother's day powwow and don't forget to bring mom!

“Where should we got for dinner?” - Read all of our Restaurant Reviews at www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/restaurant-reviews

Just before Christmas my daughter informed me that she is a vegetarian. We have always been a meat and potato family, so I had to get creative with our menu. We have always liked fish and shellfish but only occasionally. She has lost 25 lbs as of 2/14/14. The grilled portobello is one of our favorites. You really don't miss meat with this sandwich.

Grilled Portobello 4 large portobello's 2T olive oil 2T balsamic vinegar Salt & pepper 1/2 t Italian seasoning 2-4 T Mayo 2T chopped basil 4 kaiser rolls or pretzel rolls 4 slices of beefsteak tomato 4 slices of mozzarella 4 large jarred roasted red pepper Lettuce Wipe mushrooms clean. Using a spoon, scrape off the gills of the mushroom. Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Brush on mushrooms. Place on grill, gill side first, grill 2-3 minutes per side. Place cheese on gill side, after you flip. Remove and cover to keep warm, while you are putting sandwich together.

Baked Zucchini Chips These are great replacement for potato chips and have only 99 calories per serving. 1 large zucchini cut into 1/8 or 1/4 inch slices 1/2 c panko 1/4 c Parmesan ( reduced fat ) 1/4 t pepper Sea salt to taste 1/8 t garlic powder 1/8 t cayenne pepper 3 T low fat milk Mix all dry ingredients together in large ziplock. Dip slices of zucchini in milk then into ziplock with dry ingredients, shake to coat. You can put on baking sheet or a rack on top of baking sheet. Bake at 425 until crispy. Enjoy,

Nan To read all of Nanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Recipes just go to www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com and type NAN into the site search window.

Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. Albert Einstein

y maiden name, Harper, in Scotland, means: “one who played the harp at fairs and festivals or for an important lord; often a hereditary official.” The coat of arms did have variations, but were similar to each other. In 1798 a family, who had lived in Ireland, but was originally from Scotland, moved to Virginia, and had a baby. They named him Jessee Harm Harper. He died in Gilmer County 1864. A Dutch family who had moved into North Carolina had a little girl in 1805. They named her Margaret Elizabeth Minton and called her Betsy. She died in Gilmer county 1864. The Harper family moved to North Carolina at some point. Jessee and Becky met, and married June 4, 1834. They were my great-great-great grandparents. One of their children, Jesse Franklin Harper, was born May 26, 1839. He died in Gilmer County, 12/27/1895. When he was a baby, the family moved to Gilmer County. Jessee and Becky purchased over ten thousand acres of land, reaching to Salem Church on Boardtown Road to the Zion Hill Community. They grew corn, beans, cabbages and apples. They owned somewhere around ten slaves. Jesse Franklin grew up farming the land on Wolf Pen Gap, where his parents had built their home, and at some point, married Margaret Elizabeth Patterson Douglas. She was born somewhere in Georgia on 5/22/1839 and died 10/25/1915 in Gilmer County. They had a son, whom they named Jesse Harme Harper. He was born 3/28/1868 and died 3/14/1954, when I, his great-granddaughter, was six weeks old. Jesse also farmed and made his home on Wolf Pen Gap. Jesse Harme Harper met and married Macy Victoria (Vic) McGuire, who was born in Dawson County on 4/3/1871 and died in Gilmer County 3/11/1957. Her Father, a Scotsman, was William McGuire. Her mother, Elizabeth Hulsey was a Cherokee. This is all I know about her family. Although I never knew this set of great-grandparents, I have heard stories about them. Apparently Jesse was a man who often got himself in circumstances that amused others. One such story my daddy could not tell without laughing so hard he would cry: Before refrigeration (and afterwards, because I remember this practice when I was a small child), people had dinner in the middle of the day. They still call it “dinner” in Scotland, I understand. They still do at my house, too. Anyway, after this meal, the food would be covered up with a tablecloth and left to set on the table until supper, when folks would eat the leftovers. One day Jesse went into the kitchen and happened to catch their big tom cat with his head under the tablecloth, helping himself. Jesse picked up the cat, intending to throw him out the door. But he missed by a few inches and slung the cat into the wall. The cat bounced off the wall and landed on Jesse’s head. He was found because of his hollering, “Vic, Vic, come help me turn this cat loose!” Vic rearranged furniture one day. She placed their sewing machine at the foot of the bed. In the middle of the night the chickens started putting up a big ruckus and Jesse got out of the bed to go see about them. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten about the sewing machine and wound up straddling it. He couldn’t seem to untangle himself, so he said, “Vic if you’ll help me down, I’ll go see what’s a’botherin’ them chickens so.” One of their sons, my grandfather, was John Henry Harper, and he was born 8/8/1895. He died

11/24/1982. He met and married Viola James, who was born 11/10/1900. He died 10/8/1987. Viola’s father was Henry Robinson James. Henry was born somewhere in the mid-1870’s in Gilmer county and died in the late 1950’s in Eton, Georgia. His father was William H. James, who came to Gilmer County at the age of fifteen. William H. was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina in 1836 and died 4/15/1925 in Gilmer County. He served in the Confederate Army, Co F, 60th Ga. Regiment. William H.’s father was Ahijah James, he was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Henry James’ mother was Mary A. She died in Gilmer County 4/5/1917. Viola’s mother was Henrietta (Etta) Drennon. She was born on 5/29/1881 and died on 5/1/01, in Gilmer County. Etta’s father was Tom William Drinon (the spelling was changed for some reason). He was born in 1850 and died in 1943. His father was T.W. Drinon , Sr. and died 4/18/1906. These two generations are buried in Gilmer County. Etta’s mother was Addie Wilson, a Cherokee. She was born 12/10/1859 and died 4/18/1900 in Gilmer County. My grandmother’s father, Henry James, was still alive when I was a small child, but I don’t remember him individually. What I do (vaguely) remember is a bunch of old men and women sitting on the front porch when we’d go to visit at his home in Eton, Georgia. He was one of them. He was widowed at a very young age (my grandmother was six months old and her brother two years old), and he remarried quickly. He had two daughters by his second wife. He outlived her too. He also outlived his third wife, with whom he had a daughter. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t have entertained being his fourth! His brothers were William James, Robert James and Jesse James. He also had two sisters, Altheia and Arminda. Growing up, I thought I had a bunch of famous ancestors. But, no. Wrong James family! The only stories I heard about Henrietta growing up was that she always sat in a straight chair, because a soft chair was weakness, and she smoked a pipe. She died of the Red Measles when she was nineteen years old. Next time I will cover what I know about the other side of my family and work down to that set of grandparents.

Coats of Arms complied by Lowry A. Harper

To read all of Kathy Hill’s Columns just go to www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com and type KATHY HILL into the site search window.

If tomatoes are technically a fruit, is ketchup technically a smoothie?

I can see exactly 6 years into the future. I have 2020 vision.

emember last year when we did an article on the amazing gorillas at Dewar Wildlife? We were really happy to get a call recently from JoBeth Dewar inviting us to come up for another visit. She said that after our first article they were getting twenty five calls a day inquiring about their tours and it really helped them. So we sure were happy to go visit them again. Out of all the adventures we have covered so far, the most awe inspiring and moving one, in my mind was spending time with Kidogo & Jasiri. It is a life changing experience and I really want everyone to get the chance to do this. Dewar Wildlife is not a zoo. It’s more like a sanctuary. And your visit with the gorillas is an up close and personal one that you will never forget. I know I won’t. So we got to go see “the boys” again, and spend the afternoon with the founder of the center, Steuart Dewar and his wife JoBeth. I also fed Kidogo a carrot! I was eight inches from him! And as usual, we were full of questions…

Robb: So Steuart, how did this come about? Did you see Jurassic Park and say I want something just like that? Steuart: I was a computer software designer. I wrote calendar software that I licensed to Palm and IBM, and that’s actually what paid for this. It is all self-funded. I’ve always been interested in animals myself. I was married at the time to someone who was passionate about gorillas. We hired a fellow from England who was the lead keeper at Howletts. Howletts has the largest collection of gorillas in the world, they have like 80 gorillas. And he knew everything about gorillas and how to build gorilla facilities. We did everything with the animals in mind. Robb: This place is huge!

Steuart: The habitat is 8 1/2 acres. Inside the fence is 60 acres, and the whole property is 186 acres. Thia: Wow. So you put an electric fence around 60 acres? Steuart: Yes, that’s ten feet high. JoBeth: As scary as it is, the signs saying 10,000 volts, it is not any more than a horse fence, or cow fence like they have all over the county. Steuart: It would give you one heck of a whack if you touched it though! JoBeth: The fence is to keep people out, not to keep the gorillas in. Robb: I wouldn’t climb over the fence. Steuart: I tell people on the tours, there is no documented case of a person being killed

by a gorilla, not one. Which is kind of an amazing statistic. Robb: I would not like to be the first one, and since no one witnessed it, it didn’t get documented, doesn’t mean it never happened. Just sayin’. Steuart: They are not naturally aggressive animals. I mean if you went up and punched one in the face, you could get seriously hurt. Robb: I’m thinking, how stupid would you have to be to punch a gorilla in the face. Who would do that!? Thia: Tell us about the tours, because although we have been here twice, we haven’t done the official tour yet, and that is what people who come up would get to do. Steuart: We sometimes get the question, “You only have two gorillas here?”

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Thia: How many do you need really? You are experiencing the gorillas, and being close to them. Steuart: After the tour, there has not been one person who was not super enthusiastic and said they would remember this for the rest of their lives. Thia: I so agree with that. Steuart: It is an educational experience. We explain the behaviors. We tell the etiquette; don’t stare, don’t point, don’t show your teeth. If you go to a zoo and follow that, the gorillas will respond to you, look a civilized human being at last! Do you know how to tell gorillas apart? Humans look at eyes. Gorillas, you look at the nose, all their noses are different. Diane Fossey, if you look at her notebook, she identified them by drawing their noses. Thia: I did not know that. I bet kids love to come up here to visit. JoBeth: We have schools and girls scouts come out. They bring a whole group. We spend the afternoon with the gorillas and learning about them, then we have a weenie roast with a campfire, make smores. They spend the night, then we have breakfast and they spend that morning volunteering. Helping us with cleaning up brush, painting. They can sleep in hammocks in the trees or in tents, or in the unused cages. We need more of those groups. Thia: I can imagine there are so many kids clubs, and classes and groups that would love to do this!

Steuart: One of the teachers who brought her kids here, (last semester), told us that she would normally have 20 kids in line to sign up for her class and this year the line was out the door and down the hallway because the kids had heard about coming up here, and they all wanted to do it. The thing about coming here is you can get really close to the animals. You can get close to animals at zoos, but it is usually through glass and you don’t smell them. Thia: Well I wouldn’t say they smell good, but it is definitely an important part of the whole experience. Steuart: Well we do allow people to feed the gorillas (carefully and safely under supervision) and that is an amazing experience. Thia: Because you are no longer just an observer, you are now interacting with them. Steuart: People connect with the animals and they get to see their personality. Robb: So what part of the facility are the dinosaurs kept in. (Everyone laughs) JoBeth: That’s a secret! Steuart: Maybe in future expansion. JoBeth: One thing you guys didn’t talk about in your last story is the cardiovascular testing we do.

Heart disease is the number one health problem in gorillas in captivity. Monitoring them is a top priority. Steuart: Gorillas in captivity are living so much longer. Normally they live into their 30’s and now they are living in captivity into their 40’s or 50’s. The oldest one is 57 years old which is a new world record. When they live that long their hearts give out. They have small hearts and huge bodies. Their cardiac problems are the major impediment to them living into their 50’s. Thia: So have gorillas had pacemakers put in? Steuart: Yes. And Joe was on medicine like beta blockers and ace inhibitors, standard things that people are on. (Joe was the first gorilla to live at Dewar Wildlife) Thia: You could make a really cool movie up here. They do a lot of films in Atlanta and that is less then 2 hours away. You should register it as a set. Steuart: I probably should do that. They are often looking for interesting places. There aren’t many places that have an eight acre walled area with huge gates. They probably could have shot some of Jurassic Park here. Robb: Walking Dead, Zombie Gorillas! Thia: In Walking Dead, they were in a prison and they just left, now they could find this gorilla sanctuary and move in.

One of the 'World's Strongest Man' events should be "Pulling apart two shopping carts that are stuck together.

Steuart: There are 36 hundred yards of concrete. If you poured a column 3 x 3 inches straight up in the air, it would bump into the international space station. Thia: Wow, that’s a lot of concrete! Gorillas are really smart. Do they understand what we are saying to them? Steuart: They are like a three year old, they know their names, and some words for things. They respond to hand gestures. Food is a big incentive. They are amenable. They have a good relationship with the keepers. If you point in a direction they understand. They’re pretty smart. Robb: Last time, we saw they followed commands for open their mouth, put their chest on the bars. Thia: Yes, the chest on the bars helps you check their hearts! JoBeth: That way zookeepers with the veterinarians can do awake ultrasounds to monitor their hearts. Thia: What kind of gorillas are they? Steuart: They are western lowland gorillas. Thia: Where is their native habitat? Steuart: Cameroon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, just below that hump on the left hand side. No one knows for sure how many are left in the wild, but it’s probably around eighty thousand. Thia: Imagine being there and you are walking down the dirt road and one of these guys comes right up to you. Steuart: I did go on a gorilla trek to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Thia: If it’s impenetrable how did you get in? Sorry I had to say that, continue… Steuart: (laughs) I got within ten feet of a 450 pound wild gorilla. The way I describe it to people, it’s kind of like being on a park bench watching the squirrels, they are interesting to look at. The gorilla has no natural predators, so they were not scared of humans. BANG! BANG! Thia: That made me jump. Someone is trying to make us aware that he is here, by banging on the walls! Well you are definitely the only one in your neighborhood who has gorillas! Steuart: Yes. There are only two other places in the United States that have private gorillas. One is in California with Koko, and Ndume, and there is King, in Monkey Jungle in Florida. This is the only facility that is AZA certified. (Association of Zoos & Aquariums) Thia: Do they ever get mad at you? JoBeth: No. But they got in a fight with each other. They play like boys. One slapped the other and he came running over to me… Thia: Like mom, save me! JoBeth: It was so cute. Robb: You know what would be really neat? I just saw an eagle cam and.. Thia: A gorilla cam! JoBeth: That would be so neat if someone would donate one! Thia: It would! I’d love to watch the boys from my computer! Steuart: They love stripping the bark off trees that is one of their fav pastimes. Thia: Do they eat it? Steuart: Absolutely. Thia: Look at him climbing the tree! I can’t believe it doesn’t tip over! Thanks so much for inviting us back to visit. We loved hanging out with you, JoBeth and Steuart and the boys. I hope everyone that reads this, gives you a call to come and visit. This is definitely something everyone should do at least once in a lifetime. And if you are lucky twice. Hey, can you guys invite us back again next year? ;) www.dewarwildlife.org • info@dewarwildlife.org For tours: JoBeth@DewarWildlife.org • 706-374-5109 Facebook: DewarWildlife

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

Thinking of becoming an evil genius. So far I can only see two stumbling blocks.

hen choosing a craft for the kids I like to also try to implement some type of lesson and/or some knowledge that will help them in life. That is what I had in mind when I chose the craft for this issue. Now don’t get me wrong, any craft you do with your kids will be teaching many life lessons such as sharing, taking turns, and spending quality time together. I decided this time we would take it a step further though. Seeing how Spring and Earth Day are coming up and are special to me I settled on a craft that would be perfect for both of these. We are making wind chimes from recycled household materials. Not only is this craft simple and fun, but it is also economical since we are using cans that come from vegetables and tuna. You will need at least two of the taller vegetable cans and two of the smaller tuna cans per child to do this craft. We have only three Krafty Kids today who would complete the craft and agree to be photographed and they are Tristan who is seven, Gracie who is eight, and Breanna who just turned eleven. Secretly we also have Teri who is 18 also doing some painting, instructing and helping the kids but she does not want to be photographed being the silly teenager she is. We get started by getting our cans all washed, cleaned and dried. Then we get out our paint and decide we want to decorate our cans in pretty Spring colors and décor. Some of the kids want to paint patterns and solids while some want to have flowers, and butterflies. This is always a fun part of the craft because the kids love to paint almost as much as I do. We talk about how we are making use of the cans instead of putting them in the trash which helps out environment and saves our Earth. The kids were really excited to know that they could have this much fun creating and do something wonderful for the planet as well. I'm very proud of the responsible caring citizens they are becoming and am honored to be able to pass on knowledge to them that will help secure a better future for them and all other humans and animals. I enjoy watching the kids paint their cans. You can see the wheels turning in their mind as they are deciding the colors they want to use and picking out the patterns and decorations. They chatter amongst themselves about how they want their cans to look and how they are happy to be helping the planet and the animals. They know both of these are important issues we should all care about. They are amazed as they work to see how their ordinary can that was once nothing more than trash is transformed into beautiful art work. As always I find myself thinking how I set out to teach them a lesson on the environment and crafting and once again I am the one learning so very much from my kids. Now that the cans are all painted, we have to leave them sitting for a while to dry before moving on to the next steps. This is a good time to do some cleaning up from the painting and getting your next supplies ready. We all pitched in and did just that. The kids cleaned up the paint supplies and I got out a ball of string, scissors, a hammer, a nail, and some small washers to complete the craft with. When the cans are all dried we start with the string and small washer to put our wind chime together. You will need a string and a washer for each can that you painted. You will also need to put a small hole just large enough to feed your string through in the top (it is actually the bottom turned upside down) of each can. We used a nail and a hammer to punch a hole in each can. Then we fed the string through and tied a washer onto the end to keep the string from coming out of the hole. Once all the cans had the string and washers firmly attached we arranged the cans in the order which we liked the sounds and looks of the wind chime and tied all the string together in a knot. This is how you complete your very own homemade recycled wind chime. The only thing left to do with your wind chime is to hang it outside where the wind can make the movements necessary to hear your wind chime make the sweet music it was destined to make. They look beautiful, help save the planet, and make beautiful music. What more can you ask for to help make your Spring day fun and exciting? I invite all of you to not only craft with your children but to talk to them while you do your craft. You will be amazed at how much they know and what wonderful imaginations they have. It always amazes no matter how many crafts we do together at just how much they know about life and what wonderful creative minds they have. You never know when something you share with them like recycling can change not only their life but the lives of everyone else they come in contact with. It only takes one person to start a movement that can change the world and planting those seeds with a child is the best way to ensure that it will grow and manifest into greatness. Until we craft again enjoy our recycled wind chimes and if we teach our children to have care and compassion for their environment, we can never go wrong. To read all of Laura’s Krafty Kids Columns just go to www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com and type LORA BUNCH into the site search window.

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I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges.

Older people shouldn't eat health food, they need all the preservatives they can get. - Robert Orben

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rowing up in the north Georgia Mountains, hunting and fishing are just a way of life. We have many species of game and fish in our area and most all young boys and girls are introduced early to these. Now, there’s a reason they call it hunting and not killing. A true hunter studies his prey, learns their ways and prepares for the hunt. Despite what some people say, it is more about the hunt than the kill. Yes, most hunters expect to achieve their goal, but in reality, not all hunts are successful. Many times the hunter is outsmarted by his prey. All the hunters I know make use of all game taken hunting and many of them provide needy families with food for their table. I know several hunters who willingly share some, if not all, of their prize to a relative or a family they may know who is in need. They are not looking for a thank you or anything in return. The knowledge they have helped provide for someone in their time of need is all they seek. If you talk to any true hunter, the experience of hunting has more to do with getting out and in touch with nature and your surroundings and attempting to outsmart your prey, which are pretty dang smart! No hunter I know willing admits when they are outsmarted but that does not dampen their desire to try again. Now let me tell you about my first experience “goin coon huntin”. I was probably sixteen and some friends said they wanted to go “run the dogs”. We'll not mention any names of those involved, but they know who they are. As we stood around in a group discussing going, someone asked if anybody had a 22 rifle. I did, but was out of shells. One of the others piped up and said he'd bring a bunch of shells if I'd bring my rifle. Well, we were committed. I was going coon hunting for my first time. I arrived at the location we had agreed on with my single shot 22 rifle. As the others arrived, one had the dogs, another had some snacks and flashlights and then the guy with the shells showed up. Except, he didn’t have any shells. He forgot to bring them. So there we were, dogs anxious to get out of the box, and here we are trying to figure out what we’re gonna do. The time was getting late, probably around 11 pm. We decided since we were here, we’d let the dogs run for a few hours and see what they could find. I locked my empty rifle back up in the car and we opened the dog box cages and out they came. Now, if you’ve ever been coon hunting, you know you spend most of your time walking around the woods in the dark listening for the dogs bark to change. There is fancy tracking equipment you can buy to help locate your dog, but we didn’t have any of that back then. So the dogs were out of sight in about three seconds and their barks faded within a couple of minutes.

We started walking in the general direction we though the dogs had gone. Now coon dogs have distinctive barks for what they’re doing. We could hear one of the dogs moving away from us barking. His owner said, “He’s tracking something”. We sat down, listening as the barking faded out. So there we sat. Talking about everything teenage boys might think of to talk about. We probably sat there a couple of hours and suddenly, in the distance. We heard the dog returning. The bark was just a little different. His owner said “let’s go, he’s got something and its running”. And we’re off! It’s probably two o’clock in the morning and here are us kids fighting our way through the thick brush down toward the river. Oh, and those flashlights, they didn’t work so good. As we got closer to the river, the dogs bark changed, a lot! His owner said, “He’s got it treed”. We fought our way through the trees and briars, finding the occasional hole or log to fall in or over. We finally made it down through the abyss to the river where the dog was going crazy at the base of a large poplar tree that grew out over the water as opposed to every other tree that was standing straight and true. We tried to calm the dog down as best we could and with the one flashlight still working, we scanned the tree to see the large raccoon the dog had treed. After all, it was a coon dog and coon dogs tree coons, right? Well, not this night. As we peered up the tree with the one working flashlight, we could faintly make out the dogs foe. A cat. Yes, this prized coon dog had treed a stray cat. The cat, obviously not happy about its current situation appeared to be weighing its options. We were busy trying to keep the dog from climbing up the tree after the cat. This dog was focused on the cat so intently we could not drag him far before he would break free and run back to the tree. We stood there several minutes, trying to devise a plan to get the cat out of the tree and gone without the dog getting a hold of it. We tried to poke sticks at it but that only seemed to make it mad. I guess it didn’t understand we were trying to help it. The cat started to slowly walk down the tree towards us and the awaiting dog that was having a fit. About half way down to us, I guess the cat understood what the dog’s plans for it were and knew we weren’t going to be able to stop it. The cat stopped, looked at the dog, looked up at us, and then back to the dog. In one swift move, the cat jump out into the moving water which took us all by surprise. Then the dog broke loose and jumped into the river. The dog was close enough to the bank we could grab him as we watched the feline swimming downstream into the darkness and then, in a few minutes, we heard the rustle of the leaves as it made its way onto the bank on the other side of the river. It was probably getting close to four in the morning so we

decided to pack it in for the night. As we made our way back to the vehicles, tired, wet, and muddy, we shared laughs about the events of the night. We finally found where we had parked and got the dogs loaded back in the box. We stood around talking for a little bit, as friends do. Slowly one by one, decided it was time to head home. Well, that’s my story about my first coon huntin' trip. We had the dogs, we had snacks and drinks, and we had a rifle with no bullets and flashlights that were questionable at best. We had a small group of close friends sharing a few hours in the middle of the night in some woods somewhere near the banks of the Toccoa River and that in itself is priceless. We’ve all made memories both good and bad, but the adventures of our childhood are the most treasured we have. Just remember, before you judge the hunters, remember, for most, it has nothing to do with the kill. It has everything to do with spending a few hours away from their hectic day enjoying this beautiful area God has given us to live in and take care of. In addition, along the way, if we are lucky, we will spend some time with great friends and make some long-lasting memories.

Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep.

There may be no "i" in "team," but there are three in "narcissistic."

hen I was a kid, I knew exactly the moment spring had arrived – April 1st! That was the day trout season opened in Georgia. That’s the day my daddy, my brother and I would go fishing. The limit was eight trout and when one of us reached his limit, we’d all go home. The rule in our household was we had Cousin William Long, Mamaw, Raland to clean our own catch. Daddy had us leave the head on the fish (I have no idea why) and then wrap them in waxed paper. Obviously this was before the days of plastic bags. Then we’d place them in the freezer at the top of the refrigerator. We’d eat them a couple of times a week until they were gone and then we’d go fishing again. As a kid there was one thing everyone in North Georgia had in common; a vegetable garden. When it was plowed, you’d experience that first smell of spring – freshly turned soil. Another tradition was kids never wore their shoes in the fresh dirt. When the garden was plowed, the shoes came off and weren’t put back on until school started in the fall, except for church and Sunday school. Back in those days small children too young to walk were placed on a small blanket in the yard while the parents planted and worked in the garden. The inquisitive child would pick up the damp earth and like children everywhere, immediately put it in their mouths. As I remember, my mother’s reaction was very simple. She would wipe my sister’s mouth and hands and calmly state, “No, no.” I don’t think mothers back then ever thought eating dirt was threatening or harmful. In fact, my mother seemed to think it was normal and a part of life on the farm. I distinctively remember hearing her advise my younger sisters to go make mud pies if they were bored – and what cook doesn’t taste what they make? I was just thinking about being barefoot and running free and it made me remember there was a price to be paid for going without shoes -- it was a painful thing called a stone bruise. A stone bruise is a bruise of the fat pad of the heel and can occur after stepping on a rock or other hard objects. I’m sure today it has a more sophisticated name and the doctor will prescribe the child a crutch until they get better. I don’t remember ever receiving any guidance when it happened to me. We all knew it would last a little over a week and if you asked anybody what to do, they’d tell you to just walk it off. Most kids got at least two of them a year and they were easy to spot, as they were the kid walking on his toes on one foot. I guess you’d call it the stone-bruise-shuffle. I have a bet with my wife that kids today don’t even know what a one is. What do you think? New life came with the arrival of spring on the farm. The calves were being born and this was an exciting time for me. Because I wanted to be a cowboy when I was young, I would lasso the fun-loving calves. I need to point out if I made a mistake and lassoed the momma, I’d be taken behind the woodshed for a little punishment. Rule #1 on the farm – don’t mess with momma! Also with spring came wild lettuces, (or weeds as I called them), with hot bacon grease poured over them. That was Mamaw Patterson’s way of purging your system, and my first experience with a laxative. But the most invasive ritual was spring cleaning. The house had been closed up all winter, so mother would start by opening all the windows and washing everything in sight – sheets, curtains, bedding – and hanging them out on the clothesline. She’d spread the thickest blankets out on the ground as they were too heavy for the line. This was not a fun week for us kids… As a soldier serving in foreign lands, I would compare the simple life I had in the forties and fifties with what I saw there. I’d watch farmers in Korea work their fields all day and as twilight approached, they’d sit on a stump and look over their land admiring their day’s work – just like farmers all over the world. I’d see much of the same thing in Viet Nam. Looking back, I now realize the difference was they and our children today will never know the simple freedoms that we took for granted back then – wandering off all day with our friends to explore the rivers and woods knowing with absolute certainty that we were perfectly safe and if we did happen to get hurt a neighbor would always be there to help. Or leaving our doors unlocked, our keys in the car or even picking up a person hitchhiking home without worrying about our safety. I regret that children today are not able to greet spring with the same hope and wonder that I did as a child growing up in North Georgia and I often long for the safe and simpler times. Back then, our parents allowed us to explore, where parents today instinctively protect. Sometimes I wonder if maybe we need to let our kids eat a little more dirt… To read all of Rayland’s Columns just go to www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com and type RAYLAND PATTERSON into the site search window.

Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end you get, the faster it goes!

“And In The End... The Love You Take, Is Equal To The Love... You Make.” - The Beatles