The best of the north georgia mountains issue 16

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

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

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obb and I are very happy to announce that we have found someone very special to join our dream team. Mitch Talley will be coming on board with the next issue to help us run things.

Mitch has been a journalist since serving as sports editor for the Cherokee Phoenix, the high school paper at Calhoun High School. He began his professional career in 1976 as janitor/delivery-boy/writer at the Calhoun Times, where he worked his way up over the next 33 years to sports editor, city editor, and editor before leaving in 2009. He's currently serving as Director of Communications for Whitfield County government and also writes 20-25 stories each month for Corvetteblogger.com, in addition to running a part-time photo business since 1979.

Mitch tells us about himself. “I have a lovely wife of 26 years, Cindy. We have four children- Drake, 23, a recent graduate of the University of Georgia; Chris, 16, a junior football player at defending state champion Calhoun High and an avid Corvette and hunting/fishing enthusiast; Sophia, 14, a beautiful cheerleader and ninth grader at CHS; and Jack, 8, who keeps us young and is just starting his first recreation football season for the Falcons. Our entire family loves the mountains of North Georgia, having stayed in many of the great cabins and farmhouses in the Ellijay, Blue Ridge area over the past several years. We feel like honorary citizens already and are really looking forward to getting to know the great folks of the area even better in the coming months. We're honored to join the "Best Of" team.”

Mitch, we are honored to have your family join our staff family! Looking forward to making our “Best” even better!

Thia

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What do ghosts serve for dessert? Ice Scream.

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

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y ranking of seasons, in order of the grandest of the grand to the most dreadful of the dreaded, is Fall to Summer to Spring to Winter. Such has always been to case but since moving to the mountains of North Georgia, the gap between Fall and the rest of the “also-ran” seasons has grown by leaps and bounds. Fall, you might say, it’s the Mount Everest of seasons. To add a bit more perspective, summer would be Alaska’s Mount McKinley, Spring – for a local reference, Fort Mountain and the miserably awful season of winter would be the always metaphorical favorite point of comparison, the mole hill.

Back to Mount Everest. The mountains in the Fall are, simply, beautifully epic. Or, epically beautiful.

Grammatical appropriateness aside, the fall always seem to offer the best Nature has to offer - the sky always a deep ocean blue and leaves a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges and yellows. Slight breezes brush the crispy crunchy leaves against one another creating a soft rustling sound that is the perfect accompanying chorus to nature’s most spectacular of canvases. Yep, I’m hooked on fall.

On this day, October 28th, 2014, (I know this to be the date because it’s also the date listed on my Medical Insurance Billing Summary – more on that shortly), my plan is to partake in the splendor of the fall season by riding the Bear Creek Trail up to the Bear Creek Overlook. For those not in the know, there are few places better for partaking in top notch high quality leaf looking than being perched upon a rock while taking a long gander at the expansive views offered at the Bear Creek Overlook.

My plan for the day, once reaching the Overlook on this spectacularly splendid of Fall days, would be to reach for my snack – two homemade double fudge brownies lovingly baked by my wife – who also just happens to be spectacularly splendid. Then, slowly and carefully, unwrap these scrumptious delights so as to not smudge the fudge by a hurried or otherwise careless glancing brush of the protective napkin covering. Once the double fudge brownie unfurling ceremony is complete, I would find the perfect perch from atop a big rock and prepare to become completely engulfed by the magnificence of the season that is the Cohutta’s in the Fall. Brownies at the Bear Creek Overlook, this in nothing finer.

I leave Gates Chapel Rd, (Just off Hwy 52 about 5 or so miles from downtown Ellijay), and pedal up the Forest Service Road #241 a mile and a half before reaching the trail head. The trail itself is beautiful.

The beginning follows a creek for a ways before turning up towards the higher elevations. Along this trail, not far from the trail head, is the giant Gennett

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Poplar – named for the family that owned the land before selling it to the US Government some many years ago. If it isn’t Georgia’s tallest tree – or rather the Mt Everest of trees, it’s definitely a Mount McKinley. Standing 100+ ft high and over 20 ft in circumference – it’s a dang big Poplar.

Now, mountain biking is a sport in which a rider must remain focused as trails can be challenging, hazardous and downright dangerous with slippery roots and jagged rocks laying in what for that single isolated moment a rider’s attention is diverted. In the Fall, the trail is often covered by those previously mentioned crispy crunchy leaves colored in a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges and yellows so, even with eagle-eyed focus, keeping the “rubber side down” so to speaks becomes even more challenging. Then, toss in the urge to rubber-neck at the fabulous Fall regalia Mother Nature has used to decorate her forest and, well, things can go unwell fairly quickly for the distracted mountain biker.

“Brownies! Double Fudge Brownies!” Of course, and just to clarify, I’m not yelling this aloud as that would be alarmingly strange to nearby bikers and hikers. But, in my brain, that’s the rallying chant that’s churning my legs to pedal pedal pedal my way up this mountain….”Brownies!” As with many mountain trails, the path is narrow with a steep plummet towards an unknown abyss on one side and the rocky wall of mountain on the other. Needless to say, the margin of error is, well, marginal. And, as much as I love mountain biking, my appreciation and wonderment for all things outdoors often – particularly in the greatest of all seasons – Fall, takes top billing in the thought processing regions of my brain.

About three quarters of the way to the Overlook, my thoughts are bouncing from pretty red leaves to brownies and then pretty orange leaves and then back to brownies before bouncing to pretty yellow leaves before heading back again to those double fudge brownies. That critical component to mountain biking I mentioned earlier – the eagle eyed focus part, has been trumped by Mother Nature’s majesty and the mouthwatering brownies I would soon be enjoying….

I regain my sensibilities at the bottom of a culvert, that unknown abyss – also mentioned earlier, with my face firmly planted in a kaleidoscope colored pillow of leaves…and, yes, I know that kaleidoscope was mentioned earlier as well. I roll over onto my back, sit up and begin to assess the situation. A path of broken limbs, churned up earth and what could best be described as a debris field of mountain biking gear - a water bottle here, a water bottle there and a glove here, a shoe there, is readily apparent.

The trail itself, I assume, is somewhere near the beginning of that debris field.

From above, I hear a, “Are you alright?” I can’t

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see anyone; just hear the voice echoing from above. “I’m not sure yet?” Again from above, “Do you need any help?”

Well, I sure as heck didn’t think I was going to crawl out of this situation on my own – and I did have a bit of a headache, some scrapes and scratches and a knot or two… and I wasn’t sure how long I’d been down there or really how I’d even gotten there.

I slowly worked my way back toward the top and upon reaching the trail, about 30 feet from the unknown abyss I’d fallen into, I found my bike upside down in some twisty mountain laurel along with more random mountain bike gear debris scattered about. It became apparent that at some point during a transitional thought process bounce from colored leaves back to brownies, I lost control of my bike and, literally, fell off the mountain. The good Samaritan hikers help me gather my things and walked with me to a forest service road not far from the scene of the brownie and fall leaf season induced crash scene. There, I hitched a ride down the mountain – sliding and banging around in the back of an old rusted pick-up truck all the way to the bottom.

My wife, who I’d called while walking towards the forest service road, was waiting for me at my truck. Head shaking, arms crossed and with a slight smirk, she asks,

“So, what did you hurt THIS time?”

Sitting in the passenger seat on the way to the medical center, I feel the brownies in my pocket – those scrumptious and delectable brownies. I take them from my pocket, wipe away some dirt and leaf fragments, and begin to peel away the napkin. Saying they were “smudged” would be an understatement. I begin to eat one and offer my wife the other. She again shakes her head and - looking at the crushed brownie in my hand, politely responds, “No, thank you.”

The good folks at the medical center cleaned me up and said I had suffered a mild concussion to which my wife replied, still shaking her head of course and with arms crossed, “Maybe this will knock a little sense into him.”

A week later, after getting clearance to ride again from both the doctor and my wife and remaining much more focused as I should be when riding a mountain bike over dangerous terrain, I made it to the Bear Creek Overlook. There, I sat on a big rock and stared at the Cohutta Mountains – which were in the full bloom of fall. I also had a delicious snack, homemade oatmeal cookies this time. Things were perfect and there’s simply no better time of year than Fall, and no better place to enjoy the fall season than in the Cohuttas.

There is a certain feeling of nostalgia as fall comes, from the sights to the smells to the change in the air.~Author Joe L. Wheeler

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Autumn, the years last, loveliest smile. ~William Cullen Bryant

Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.~ Jim Bishop

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There is NO better place to be in the fall than in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains, and if you like fun, we have plenty of it! Fall time is Festival time! We have SIX, count ‘em six going on in October. Here’s a little bit about them. Check the websites for more info.

The 44th Annual Apple Festival takes place on the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds on two weekends, Oct 10-11 & 17-18. There are over 300 vendors with handmade, hand-crafted items. There is amazing food, like our favorites, the spicy potato chips at the Cajun booth and the German bratwurst plate with all the fix in’s run by Hope Lutheran. We also really enjoy the cloggers, one of many acts that take the stage to perform. www.georgiaapplefestival.org Apple Arts takes place in downtown Ellijay on the same weekends as the Apple Festival.

Lots of local craftspeople, apple houses, and scarecrows to see in a low key and friendly atmosphere. No charge for admission or parking. You can also enjoy our wonderful shops and restaurants. Sat 9-6 Sun 9-5 www.gilmerchamber.com/home/explore-the-ellijays/annual-events/apple-arts/ Blue Ridge 2015 Fall Arts in the Park takes place from 10-5 on Oct 10 & 11 in downtown Blue Ridge. With almost 200 booths full of beautiful arts, crafts, food and more, you’ll find art in all price ranges and artists of all types. Taking place in the park under neath the large shade trees, the event is both buzzing with activity and relaxing at the same time. $5 admission, kids free. Paid and free parking. www.blueridgearts.net/artsin-the-park.html

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Who did Frankenstein take to the Halloween Dance? His ghoul friend.

The Cherry Log Festival takes place right off of 515 in the town of Cherry Log on the first three weekends in Oct. They serve a delicious homemade breakfast starting at 7, and the booths open at 8. Local musicians perform on the stage. Log sawing competitions take place. The booths are filled with local craftspeople. There is a huge amount of canned vegetables made by the Cherry Log Community available for sale. And the best thing of all is the homemade lunch and dinner available each day until they run out.

Looking for the best fried chicken around? It’s here. Free admission and parking. Look on Facebook under Cherry Log Festival The 35th Annual Georgia Marble Festival happens on Oct 3 from 10-6, and Oct 4 10-5.

Besides the booths full of crafts, food & fun, there are also bands playing non-stop. This is also the only two days of the year you can take a guided tour through the marble quarry. www.georgiamarblefestival.com The 21st Annual Heritage Days Festival takes place in downtown Talking Rock on Oct 17-18 from 9 to 5. You will find booths filled with arts and crafts, but also antiques and collectables. Great bluegrass and gospel musicians perform in front of a railroad track filled with restored railcars. Free admission, paid and free parking. www.talkingrockga.com

What’s a vampire’s favorite fruit? A necktarine!

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Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.~Walt Whitman

Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt. - William Allingham

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Thia: Our trip to visit the Cajun Depot Grill was just about a perfect experience. We were greeted at the front door with smiles and "How ya'll doing?" After being seated in a comfortable booth, I noticed the beautiful decor. New Orleans and Mardi Gras were represented, but subtly and tastefully. The dining room was bright and sunny with some quiet jazzy music playing, and the seating being far enough apart to offer private conversation. The dining area and the bathrooms were spotless.

Our waitress Cynthia was pleasant, and friendly. Not having a clue what Cajun food was all about (my only experience being spicy gumbo), I was looking forward to trying something new, and we did. Appetizer of Shrimp, jalepeno & cheese poppers (called Shrimp Jammers) was eye-watering and delicious, served with a side of sweet jelly to tone down the burn.

We shared a cup of spicy red beans and rice (and sausage) that was hearty and delicious.

Our main courses of blackened chicken breast and blackened shrimp arrived cooked perfectly, protein was moist, veggies crisp and white rice just a touch al dente. My chicken was thickly topped with spices and smelled yummy. The food arrived hot from the kitchen and pretty enough for pictures. It tasted as good as it looked.

Robb downed all of his dinner and I ate about half of mine, before we were both full. So we had no room to try the dessert on this visit.

There were no missteps or slip ups from start to finish. From walking in the door to walking out the door, the dining experience at Cajun Depot Grill was perfect. If I had to LOOK for something to complain about, the only thing I would do differently would be to ask for my blackened chicken "kicked up a notch" since it was served on the mild side, and I wouldn't have minded more heat.

The prices were very fair, lunches around $8, dinners in the $11-18 range.

Robb: I couldn’t agree more with most of what you said Thia, I loved The Cajun Depot Grill, but .... “...protein was moist...”.... that sounds like something Mr. Spock would say.

We didn’t eat “protein”! It sounds like you’re doing an autopsy on the food! I’m just saying, a little clinical my dear. It was splendidly cooked... uh... meat? Uh... well ...

My fork is up, yours too.... that’s 2 Forks Up!.

Address: 67 Depot St #101, Ellijay, GA 30540 Phone :(706) 276-1676

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Review by Thia - Photos by Robb

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Who do monsters buy their cookies from? The Ghoul Scouts.

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Story here is this pretty interesting thing...called "thebyin-Thia Photos by Robb ternet!" I was thinking that I have been writing and telling you all about various places; but how about more of the free places? So I jump on our family computer and type in: "Free places to go to in the North Georgia Mountains". Several sites popped up (I love GOOGLE) and no I do not get paid to say that, ha ha. I just browsed through all the different pages and sent Miss Thia a list to see what she thought about the idea.

We agreed on a few, and then it was off to plan an outing. Of course my Nana joined us! (and my cousin Jaren).

We had our eyes set on Sleepy Hollow Enterprises in Blairsville. Located at: 5279 Hwy 515 E. Blairsville, Ga. They are open 9am-4:30pm Monday thru Saturday. You can always call if you need help on directions or if you want to check: 706.379.9622. I was so anxious, and really hoping that the creator/Artisan-Art Millican Jr. would be there. And he was! Lacey, Natalie, Emma, Jaren and Nana walked around looking at the fairy houses, while I asked Mr. Millican if he could spare a few minutes to speak with me. He obliged and proceeded to show me his workshop that is adjacent to the gift shop. He told me how he has lived in Blairsville for 13 years or so now. But before that he was employed by Disney for 15 years! Mr. Millican was Head of the 3D art department, he helped design a lot of the park-as an Imagineer. But don't think that he just went to Disney and got a job with the snap of his fingers! When Art graduated high school he applied to work at Disney. They then hired him as a popcorn salesman. A popcorn salesman who was not happy to just be in the door, so he worked hard and any time he could he would go to the art departments to learn from the wonderful talented artists. Within a year, he was given his chance, and he worked in the model shop. From there he moved around in each department, where he learned various skills; welding, sculpt, paint, and fabrication.

After working at Disney for years, Mr. Millican decided after one too many bad storms that it was time to leave Florida. He wanted to retire to the mountains. He already had a cabin while he lived down south; that he would vacation at to raft the Ocoee. I too have rafted the Ocoee so we shared some fun memories. He knew this is where he wanted to retire.

In his lifetime he has worked for the late Michael Jackson; where he helped conceive and build his Neverland ranch. He has also done work for Universal, Six Flags, Dollywood and locally in McCaysville he has teamed up with Rip (Santa). Art has built houses themed around Christmas and they have been trying so hard to make it all apart of the Polar Vortex train ride during the winter months. (Maybe some of our avid readers could call in and help persuade it to happen...)

I thanked Art for taking a break from his work to speak with me and then joined my family for a stroll through the fairy garden. Now please take note these houses; BIG or small are available for purchase. Just like their flyer says, "Invite fairies to visit your garden by giving them a house all their own." Each one is unique in size, color and shape.

They are very whimsical and just fun! Lacey and Natalie

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Story & Photos By Tara Nelson

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

want one badly now. I guess I will be working on that...or they can puppy dog eye daddy.

We stopped in the gift shop where there are all kinds of art supplies, fairy garden accessories and a very cheerful two ladies behind the counter. Mr. Millican's mother was just changing shifts, so I was unable to ask her any questions. But she was replaced with Mrs. Wendi Millican, Art's wife! So I of course had to speak with her. I wanted a more personal view of Art, then just facts. People are more relatable that way. Take note please that during this conversation Mrs. Wendi repeatedly said I was going to get her into trouble :) .

She told me he is one of three brothers, but playfully adds, he is the favorite. I asked her how it was being married to a creative mastermind. "Patience! No-he is amazing. He works 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. I am very proud of him." I can see the admiration in her eyes. She then tells me how his mind never stops, even when he is home “resting”, he is on the couch with a notebook joting down ideas. I then asked if she was creative.

Wendi said she did use to help him in the workshop. She says she was into art, but not as a profession. She met Art the day before the store opened, so about 13 years ago. "I let him chase me for 5 years! Before letting him catch me. I figured if a man will chase you that long, that is LOVE. He built me the castle as an engagement present. Our initials are above the door." Awww.

How has business been? Wendi, “A daily struggle, locals still do not know we are here.

EVERYTHING is handmade and painted. It takes Art at least 2 weeks to work on one house! People feel they are priced to high, but do not understand the work he puts in, the hours.” A customer, Jeff Malloy, chimes in; "If it is any consolation, every time we come to visit, we stop by here." Wendi thanked him. Wendy continued, “A lot of the websites talk about the houses/prices but never explain who Art is, his background.”

So I am hoping this gets the word out! I loved speaking with both of them. They are such nice, down to earth people. Oh! You can follow them on facebook: www.facebook.com/sleepyhollowent Before I left Wendi gave me a business card and she told me how Art also engineers steam punk contraptions! So he is always creating! He wanted to retire in the mountains and start building things he loves and is passionate about. During that process he met his lovely wife Wendi. (He is peter pan). Sounds like a fairytale with a wonderful Happy Ending!! THE END.

What do mummies like listening to? Wrap music!

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Review & Photos by Robb

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ive in Jasper, just visiting or passing through and want to have a GREAT breakfast? Mary Ann’s is the place. The first clue as to how good Mary Ann’s is, is that it’s always packed. This place is hopping! Not only is the dining area full but they have drive thru service too!

Me, I like a big breakfast and there’s nothing skimpy about the portions at Mary Ann’s as you can see from the pictures. My omelet was moist and fluffy and packed with sausage, cheese and onions, just the way I like it and the hash browns were nice and crispy. Even though my plate was more than enough to fill me up I knew I had to bite the bullet and try the pancakes for you, dear readers, and they did not disappoint. Huge and fluffy they were absolutely delicious.

My breakfast companion this day was “Griz”, that his nickname anyway. Yes he is a “mountain man” of sorts but he travels all around the country and he knows a

great breakfast when he eats one, he said…

“Maryanne’s is in my top five best breakfasts I’ve ever had and I’ve eaten at hundreds of restaurants up and down the east coast. Nice calm atmosphere, busy but not noisy. Lots of food that tasted great, and not expensive. I fell in luv with our waitress Sharon, she was super. She handled everything with outstanding country perfectionism. Whenever I am in the Jasper area I will definitely come back here for breakfast. Not only great food, service and prices, but I had a lot of fun too!”

Don’t let me lead you on to think Mary Ann’s is all about breakfast. It’s a great spot for lunch too and very reasonably priced. I featured Mary Ann’s in our “Search For The Best Fried Chicken”, I never actually picked “The Best” I wanted to leave that up to the readers to decide, but I will say this, Mary Ann’s has great fried chicken!

Mary Ann’s is open from 5:30 am (Do human beings actually get up that early?)til 2pm.

They’re located at 408 E Church St in Jasper. Phone (706) 253-2225 check out their FaceBook page for menu info.

Mary Ann’s is a must try. We definitely give it -- 2 Forks Up!

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What does a ghost eat for lunch? A BOO-logna sandwich.

Everyone is a moon and has a dark side, which he never shows to anybody. Mark Twain

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W

e left our house around 1pm with clear skies, the sun shining and the outside temperature at 82.

Our destination is one and a half hours southwest of Ellijay, so we had a nice ride though small towns and one big one, Rome, to get there. The traffic was not bad at all. But yes it’s August when I write this, so by the time you read it, you will have to make some seasonal adjustments for weather and traffic conditions.

We arrived in downtown Cave Spring, Georgia at about 2:30, and it was 94, with the sun hammering down on us. It was a cute little (very little) downtown with a tiny pavilion that had a sign with a paper map taped to it, sort of showing the directions to the cave. Only a tiny bit further down the road you see an iron gate that says Rolater Park on it. There is no charge to enter or park, and we find a space pretty close to the spring. Children are playing in it and I ask them if it’s cold.

Yes they all said!

A short walk to the cave entrance we find something resembling a small rock castle. There is no line, and we walk inside and pay our $1 each admission to a friendly elderly gentleman, and walk to the small enclosed outdoor courtyard area. We can already feel the wonderful coldness flowing over us. It is blowing out of the cave! We enter. It’s a bit slippery, but well lit and we see small stalactites, as in the rocks coming down from the ceiling. There are interesting rock formations throughout, and cold temperatures!

It’s a steady 57 degrees in the cave, filled with moist air and a slight water drip coming down the rocks ( which makes the ground slippery so wear your water shoes, not crocs) There is a short path through a rock tunnel (nothing scary or small or claustrophobia inducing) until you get to the main large open part, I guess the “amphitheater” would be a good description of the cave. I did a little singing and there is a great echo! You are standing in a large open area. It’s like the “great room” of the cave, probably going up four stories and being big enough to fit a ball room party into. You can go up a little bit higher with some carved rock steps up, and there are a few areas that are off shoots of the cave if you want to bend down and crawl in. I didn’t do any extra crawling or slippery up stairs walking, but I felt happy to be able to say that today, Robb & I were spelunkers. And we are using the definition in it’s mildest form… Spelunk- To explore a cave. We did. And it was fun!

Photos by Robb Story byThia

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Old Scottish Saying-From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us

While we were in Cave Spring, we had to take a look at the other claim to fame they have, the town’s pool. It is manmade, but made as a basin for the spring to pour into. And their spring, is not a hot spring, it is a cold one! So this big pool in the middle of town, with lots of folks playing, floating, swimming and having a blast in it, is COLD! Or at least that was the answer I got, when I asked the lady running the pool what the temperature was, COLD she said! So if you want to go for a walk in a cave, or a dip in a very cool pool, take a trip up to Cave Spring, Georgia!

Why do vampires need mouthwash? They have bat breath!

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Acting is like a Halloween mask that you put on. River Phoenix

What does a vampire fear most? Tooth decay.

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Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand. Kurt Vonnegut

What do you call a skeleton who won't work? Lazy bones!

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Anna Taylor’s son Trip is really a Trip!

Cassie Stover - I met Movie and TV star Norman Reedus! I love him from Boondock Saints.

He is Darryl, a main character in The Walking Dead. He was at Walker’s BBQ.I saw a post and was already about to pass. So I had a Brunswick stew craving, and got this picture.

Kelly HenslerKaptain Kam

Mark Bubba Aaron David’s mean face after the game.

Crystal Shubin- Bryson grew this with the help of his Uncle Lanny (Lanny Chastain)

Page Burnett- Natahala has a Spaghetti Face!

Joshua Hopkins-So last night Madden tells me he has a loose tooth from hitting a boy so hard at the football game yesterday! Well I just laughed it off until he asked me to pull it for him right before we got in bed, and low and behold it really was loose and was probably loose for a while but I thought it was hilarious how he thought it was caused by a tackle! Anyway I should have posted last night but he’s sleepy/happy that the tooth fairy showed up picture from this morning was too good!

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Kimberly VoylesKasen is flying over Panama City Beach!

Mistie Hughes-Well if you wanna know what muscle rub tastes like when you’re half asleep brushing your teeth Brittany Parks- Kollin will with it thinking it was be so much happier when toothpaste? Well just this tooth finally breaks ask Mistie Loo cause through. she can tell you. Her Will Minick- Is Brock not tongue was numb the coolest kid ever?

Lora Bunch- and gross all day!

Tristan sold Gaylon Mathews-Welp... almost all of After a ride to the hospital in his paintan ambulance, over half the ings at the day spent in the emergency Jasper Craft room and what's sure to be a Fair! huge bill, I'll NEVER get on another horse as long as I live! I'd probably be dead right now if the manager at Walmart hadn't ran out there and unplugged it.

If you see or post something adorable or funny on Facebook, please tag us in it, and maybe you’ll see it here!

A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween.- Erma Bombeck

What's do you call the ghost of a chicken? A poultry-geist.

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I've made a career off of Halloween. Cassandra Peterson (Elvira)

Halloween starts earlier and earlier, just like Christmas. Robert Englund (Freddie Kruger)

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t is no wonder that when people think about treasure hunting in the North Georgia mountains their thoughts immediately turn to gold panning. Georgia is rich in minerals such as gold, amethyst, rubies, quartz and tourmaline. In fact four out of five of the largest, ''reported" gold nuggets in Georgia were found right here, in the Whitepath area of Gilmer County, the largest weighing in at 4 pounds 6 ounces.

But there are other treasures hidden here in the area. The treasures I am hunting can’t be found at the bottom of a creek or on the side of a mountain. They are found within the walls of our local Thrift shops! As the saying goes, “One man’s Trash is another man’s Treasure”, and there are treasures to be found!

Years ago, thrift shops were a place for those short on cash to buy the necessities that they could not otherwise afford. Household goods, clothing and used furniture were all available for pennies on the dollar.

These days thrift shopping is “in vogue”! Thrift shops are no longer the dark and dusty stores of the financially oppressed they are a “gold mine” for treasure seeking shoppers and a fountain of resources used to help fund community aid and support programs. With a strong trend toward re-cycling and Upcycling more and more people are searching for articles to reclaim, reuse, and resell....

As a multimedia artist, I am always on the lookout for art and craft supplies and unusual trinkets to use in my creations, and a day of thrifting almost always renders me a full trunk of treasures and a boat load of

inspiration.

Sometimes I find something that I may never have thought to use in an art piece, but I will see it and a bell will go off and the creative gears will start turning. From that one unusual item, a whole creation will emerge.

In fact, my DIY project in this issue came about when I found a set of fall cookie cutters on one of my thrift excursions, and the rest as they say, is history.

It is not just the artists and crafters looking to find that unique inspiration who are frequenting thrift shops, there are the antique store owners who are looking for that perfect piece of period furniture, the collectors who are looking for the missing piece to add to their collection, the savvy shopper, who knows that she can find that $40.00 pair of designer jeans, just broken in and comfortable for a fraction of the retail price, The interior designer who is shopping for accessories with that retro feel, the book seller, who can buy a hard bound book for $2.00 and resell it for $20.00, a college student looking to furnish their dorm room on a budget or the man I met yesterday, who just wanted a pair of work pants.

Of course, there is never any guarantee that you will find exactly what you are looking for, but with Thrift shopping “The thrill is in the hunt”!

Rummaging through boxes, looking through bins, finding some buttons and baubles and pins... and sometimes what you do find, is way better than what you were looking for to begin with... Warning: Thrift shopping may be addictive!

Story & Photos by Nancy Brown

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Halloween is huge in my house and we really get into the "spirits" of things. Dee Snider

An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself. - Charles Dickens

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e recently ate at Okinawa Steak and Sushi - East Ellijay for dinner. When we first started visiting Ellijay, Okinawa quickly became one of our favorite restaurants. We ate there every time we came up north. And after we moved here, we made it a habit to dine often at the restaurant tucked away in the Ingels shopping Center. But after many wonderful food experiences we had a few bad ones in a row and we sadly stopped going. We really missed it, so decided to give them another chance this month and visited with some friends ( Amy & Marty), and boy were we glad we did!

We were seated and met our beautiful, sweet and patient waitress Lydia. ( We didn’t know what we wanted and made her come back three times) We eventually ordered some appetizers and they came out fast. Soup, salad, seaweed salad and fried crab rangoon was brought out and enjoyed by all. The seaweed salad was gone in about one minute at our table. Even though Robb will NOT eat seaweed, he did us a favor because it left more for us, we slurped down his too! The crab rangoon was delicious, crispy and served with a sweet sauce. The salad with ginger dressing was delicious! (Salads have recently been upgraded to mixed healthy greens, cucumbers & carrots, no more plain ice berg lettuce!) The manager Wade stopped over to say hi and and make sure we were happy. And we were. I didn't know it, but Monday's are Hibachi night starting at $10.95. So of course I ordered that!

Next came the show! We were all seated around a large table slash grill. Chef Desmond introduced himself to us and I was surprised to have a hibachi chef with a southern accent. He assured me he was well trained and was most probably the ONLY hibachi chef with a southern accent… in Ellijay! He was funny, friendly, entertaining and talented. Besides cooking our food to deliciousness, he also flipped utensils, did tricks with eggs, set things on fire, and even threw a knife around (safely). We loved the interaction, and it was fun for us. (and if you have kids, this would be so much fun for them to experience!) But Desmond wasn’t there just to be showy, he also cooked us excellent food. And he did it with care. When I asked how he knew that the big chunks of chicken breast were properly cooked, he told me that he checked the three biggest pieces for doneness before he served it. Being such a picky eater, I loved that about him!

Chef Desmond, hand cut, seasoned, cooked and delivered to my plate an awesome and large serving of grilled chicken breast, fresh vegetables, fried rice and noodles.

Robb had the same plus some shrimp ($14.95) Marty had the shrimp hibachi and had a very enjoyable time also. Amy was on a special diet, she says, “My tummy is full. They accommodated my diet quite well. I opted for 2 plain salads and mixed in cucumber salad and a side of plain grilled shrimp.” It was like dinner, and a SHOW! We will all definitely be visiting again soon.

Thanks to our efficient waitress, Lydia & the manager Wade, and all the other helpful and attentive staff. Yes (Head Manager) Melissa Teems, they do a great job even when you aren't there!

Robb and I visited again recently for lunch. After being friends on Facebook and chatting for years, I was happy that I finally got to sit down and talk to Melissa in person.

Melissa tells me that they did have a rough patch for a little while about three years ago, when the restaurant changed hands, but that everything is wonderful and back on track now, and she is right! We met the owner Steven and his family and they are warm, friendly people, with a terrific restaurant.

Overall, we had a wonderful dinner experience. All four of us said we can’t wait to go back. Everything about our meal, the food, the chef, the service, and the attention of the manager was excellent. And then there’s the price, for all you get, and the fact that it’s cooked right in front of you, well worth it. Our dinner for 4 without tip was around $60. Give Okinawa a try, you won’t be disappointed! Two thumbs, plus two more thumbs up!

Old Orchard Square, East Ellijay, GA 30540 (706) 698-2222 www.okinawaellijay.com • facebook.com/OkinawaSteakandSushi

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I'd like to see a ghost. It would confirm there's an afterlife. - Marlon Wayans

Have I personally ever seen a ghost? Not one. Dan Aykroyd (Star of Ghostbusters)

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Every particular in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole, and partakes of the perfection of the whole. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Want To Reach Over 30,000 Readers - Advertise In The Best Of The North Georgia Mountains www.TheBestOfEBRJ.com/Advertise 37

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hile heading north on 515 past Blue Ridge you will come to the quaint historical town of Blairsville, Georgia.

The town square looks like a scene right out of the movie, Back to the future. I was ecstatic to learn that my absolute favorite Hiawasssi restaurant relocated and changed their name as well and expanded their menu and size.

Michaelee's Italian Life Cafe is truly a family run restaurant. Chef Michael is a graduate from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, as is my husband, Marty.

His wife and children also work at the restaurant.

I was happy to see that chef Michael kept many of his signature items I had fallen in love with. He creates very unique salads, wraps and entrées infusing chocolate!!! As an admitted chocoholic, I find myself always ordering the pan seared chocolate shrimp or chocolate infused chicken salad. Not overly sweet just subtle tones of chocolate. Oh great, now I am actually craving this as I sit here writing this story.

The restaurant also features many Italian favorites from homemade pastas, sausage, shrimp, and a selection of prime Angus steaks. You can also order sandwiches and a paninis if you are not wanting a complete meal.

We have already visited this establishment twice. This trendy, quaint restaurant is quite popular and I would definitely suggest making reservations. They are open from 11:00 am- 8:00 pm and until 9:00pm on Friday and Saturday nights. They are closed on Sundays.

The decor at Michaelee's is quite unique. Be sure to look up at the espresso cup lighting fixture. You will see large modern black and white photos on the walls and fresh flowers on every table. The restaurant allows you to bring your own wine or beer and

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are happy to open your bottles without a corkage fee.

This is one place that I strongly recommend you save room for dessert. If you are having an early dinner, you can settle your restaurant bill and have dessert in the restaurant's cellar. You will be directed out the back of the restaurant and down a few stairs and there you will find a wonderful room filled with the scent of coffee and chocolate. Large glass dessert displays are filled with a huge selection of gourmet chocolate truffles, fudge and delicious gelato from Milan, Italy. ( you can ask for samples) Oh my, I must be heaven. You will also see a selection of Italian extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars as well as house blended loose leaf teas to purchase. On our first visit, we made it down to the cellar. However, on our last visit we chose to have dessert at our table. The chocolate creme Brule was definitely our table’s favorite. The gelato and a six layer carrot cake were also devoured pretty quickly Since I was dieting, ugg, I sipped on a Pina colada tea. Great presentation on their hot beverages.

Coffee and teas are served from individual presses. That was a first for us. The waitress gave us a quick tutorial and explained that we would get deeper and richer flavors from our beverages using this method. Both of our visits were full of amazing food and wonderful company. (Anna Ward, Barbara Muti and Art Muti, Suzanne and Tony Dew and Tony from Country Kitchen, and Eleanor.) I can't wait to go back to Michaelee's Italian Life Cafe. This restaurant is definitely worth the drive!!

On the way to or from the restaurant, I always stop at Rose’s Department store in Blue Ridge. They sell the best luxury sheets for our beds. You can find most anything at that store.

You meet people at festivals and renew acquaintances year after year. - Bill Monroe

I think I first realized I wanted to be in country music and be an artist when I was 10. And I started dragging my parents to festivals.-Taylor Swift

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ost of the people whose family goes back many generations in the Appalachian Mountains are from Scots/Irish descent, with a little English and Cherokee Indian thrown in. That’s why we talk “funny”.

These mountains were secluded for hundreds of years, and we still carry over words that were saved or pronounced a certain way by our ancestors.

Don’t make fun of us, and we won’t make fun of the way you talk. Let’s all play nice! Unless you wear men’s dress socks with sandals and shorts, then all bets are off.

Spring in the south is a wondrous time.

Azalea and dogwood trees are beautifully matched with pale green shoots of leaves from trees, grass and kudzu. If ya’ll don’t know what kudzu is, why don’t you have someone show you? You can take a cuttin’ home and start some in your yard. It is a lovely, edible, fast growing vine. We also see crocus, hyacinth, jonquils, Queen Anne’s lace, forsythia, bachelor buttons, peonies and more. Then we see it get frostbit and turn brown. All except the kudzu.

It’s also time to turn off the heat, fling open doors and windows and enjoy the early sounds of spring.

You might want to make your doctor’s appointment in advance as all the other fools are doing the same thing and allergies and sinus infections will be raging. Everyone rushes to their nearest nursery and begins planting baby flowers and vegetables; that ancient stirring inside insisting we begin to work the dirt. All that gets frostbit, too. Except for kudzu.

Everyone brings out the flip-flops and shorts, but leaves on sweatshirts and jackets, because you don’t know from day to day what the temperature will be. We are still eating winter foods, as it is too cold to get the grill out or fish and there are no fresh vegetables as of yet (see above).Men are looking forward to some kind of sport, as usual. In the south the sports most loved are: Wrassling, Football, Wrassling, Hunting, Wrassling, Baseball or maybe Wrassling.

Then Summer heat hits. The old houses in the south were built with wide porches, tall windows and high ceilings. Not for beauty, though they are, but for the ability to make the house cooler.

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Big houses had upstairs sleeping porches, where in the dead heat of night you could drag a mattress or have a day bed there, and sleep with maybe a breeze to cool your sweat drenched body. With electricity, (but before air conditioning) we had floor fans, ceiling fans, window fans, hand fans (called Jesus fans by many because they had church scenes on them; they were distributed by local funeral homes) and little children forced to stand and fan Aunt Flory because she was big and fat and everybody was afraid she was gonna have a heat stroke just sitting there. Summer sees the blooming of iris and day lilies, cannas, crepe myrtle, lilac, roses, hydrangeas, weigela, sweet william, etc.

Summer also sees bears in your yard, bears in your bird seed, bears in your garbage, and who knows, maybe bears driving your car. If you are lucky you will see baby bears (from a distancesay your kitchen window) and fawns, foxes, blue birds, humming birds, and all sorts of tropical looking birds that come and go quickly on their way to somewhere else. And then it gets really hot. You cry if you have to get in your car because the windows have been rolled up all morning. You try to think of ways not to leave the house after ten a.m. so you don’t melt (at least your make-up). But that stupid garden you so lovingly planted has gone hog wild and you got beans, squash, maters, squash, cucumbers, squash, onions, squash, corn, squash, taters, squash, peas, squash, watermelon and squash to pick. Some of it has to be canned or frozen, if not, cooked immediately. If not that, sneaked into people’s unlocked cars during church.

But it’s all worth it for that first bite of the first tomato of the season. Fresh bread, lots of Blue Plate, and that mater in between…we have them from July to September and mourn them the rest of the year. You wear as little as possible to avoid spontaneous combustion, so don’t make fun of people at Wal-mart. Kids eat anything sticky and sweet, so if you come within a three foot radius, you will become sticky, too.

They are gross and sweaty, and want to give you a kiss and hug as soon as possible. Do not go near anyone under four feet tall July and August. You have been warned.

Men bring home fish to fry, eaten with potatoes, hush puppies, cole slaw and tea so sweet you’ll fit in with those under four feet tall if you spill any. There are also steaks, burgers and hotdogs to grill, which keeps the kitchen a little cooler. Because the kitchen has been at an all time high temperature canning all them beans and such. We even sit on the porch to string and snap beans because the kitchen, even with air conditioning, has become unbearable.If you have good porch lighting, you can do this in the

We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples. Ralph Waldo Emerson

evening while the kids chase lightning bugs, as the temperatures drops way down to the eighties.

Thank God for Autumn. The fall of the year is God’s gift. The leaves are so beautiful; they don’t look like even a possibility. I knew a lady from Germany, and when she sent photographs of our mountains in October, her family thought she was pulling their collective leg. You know that the bronze, pinks, oranges, etc., cannot be described. The air cools, at first only at nights, but that’s okay. That makes it pleasant enough to go to the drive-in, or sit on the front porch and swap lies, if you can hear over the cicadas. You may still wear your shorts and flip flops, but the bathing suits are packed, and out come the sweatshirts and jackets. Smelling smoke in the air, you know someone has raked leaves and piled them up. Running the kids off after allowing them to jump and scatter a few times, the pile is burned. Some attempt to do the same to the kudzu, foolish dreamers that they are. Late fall brings a change in the air, even in the way the light slants in the afternoon. You begin to think of quilts and firewood, and may smile to yourself, a little.

After all the kudzu will die. Foolish, foolish, dreamer.

And, finally, winter. We southerners really like to brag about our winters. People from up north don’t believe we have a winter. My cousin, who spent every summer here, and all other seasons up north, packed a bathing suit when her parents decided to visit one December. I woke her up at 6:00 a.m. to see it snowing. Made her maddern a old wet hen.

We do love snow, that’s for sure. It’s like a holiday. Not because we are stupid and can’t drive in it – in fact, many stupid people do drive in it- so STAY HOME. We have mountainous, curvy, cliff dwelling roads, and generally that doesn’t mix well with snow and ice. There’s nothing better than snow outside, a roaring fire inside and homemade vegetable soup and cornbread for dinner. Blackberry cobbler for dessert brings a fond memory; picking those berries when it was ninety degrees in the shade.

We wear wool, flannel and heavy denim with thick socks and good shoes. We southerners don’t have winter as long as Yankees.

It mostly shows up for real sometime in December after a few false starts, and leaves by the end of March.

And then spring begins again.

I eat apples whole, seeds and all... yes, like a horse. Trevor Donovan

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ne obvious question about Halloween is, "What does the word itself mean?" The name is actually a shortened version of "All Hallows' Even,” the eve of All Hallows' Day. "Hallow" is an Old English word for "holy person," and All Hallows' Day is simply another name for All Saints' Day, the day Catholics commemorate all the saints. At some point, people began referring to All Hallows' Even as "Hallowe'en" and then simply "Halloween."

Most of the traditions of Halloween date back to Samhain (sow-en), the ancient Celtic New Year. Samhain, which translates to "end of summer," occurred around the end of October, when the weather started to get cold. After the last harvest had been gathered in and before the onset of the harsh cold of winter the people of the Celtic lands marked this time with observations that have been carried forward into our own time and across the sea into the mountains of Appalachia.

For many centuries throughout Celtic Europe it was believed that the souls of the dead returned at Samhain to visit their old homes and families. It was customary to welcome them in, to once again warm themselves by the hearth fire and share in the family meal. The family would prepare a meal consisting of traditional foods that were always eaten at Samhain for good luck. In Ireland this would have consisted of colcannon which is a mixture of potatoes and cabbage or kale, brown bread and porridge. A place was set at the table for each person present as usual. But, at Samhain one more place was laid. This was for the visiting spirits.

By Heather Magallanes

Trick-or-treating —going from house to house in search of goodies—has been a popular Halloween tradition in the United States and other countries for an estimated 100 years. But the origins of this ritual, which costumed children typically savor while their cavity-conscious parents grudgingly tag along, remain hazy. Possible forerunners to modern-day trick-or-treating have been identified in ancient Celtic festivals, early Roman Catholic holidays, medieval practices and even British politics. Modern trick or treating is a custom borrowed from guising, which children still do in some parts of Scotland. Guising involves dressing in costume and singing a rhyme, doing a card trick, or telling a story in exchange for a sweet. The Scottish and Irish brought the custom to America in the 19th century.

The jack-o-lantern has somewhat mixed origins. In the Celtic regions of

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northern Europe adults, originally, and later children would go out after dark on the eve of Samhain traveling from house to house and asking for handouts of food or money. They dressed in costume. With them the traveling masked ones carried lanterns which were made out of hollowed out vegetables, usually turnips, yet another connection to the harvest. The turnips shell was carved into a face. A wire was attached across the top for a handle and a small candle was inserted inside so that the entire object glowed in the dark. The finished lantern was carried on a stick. When the Celts came to America there were a number of vegetables that could be

“Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself” Franklin D. Roosevelt

used for this purpose that had not been available in Europe, most specifically, pumpkins and other members of the gourd family. Gradually, the pumpkin became the vegetable of favor to be carved out as a lantern in America.

One popular legend about the Jack-o-Lantern speaks of a cranky prankster name Jack, who played mean spirited jokes on his fellow villagers. One day, Jack decided to play a trick on the devil himself. Conning and then trapping the devil up in the branches of a tall tree, Jack refused to let the devil down.

Jack made a deal with the devil, he would release him from the tree only if the devil in return would promise that no matter how bad his behavior ever was, he would never take his soul into hell. The devil agreed. When Jack finally died, his enduringly evil lifestyle had negated any opportunity for him to enter heaven, and yet the devil was true to his promise and did not take Jack into hell. Jack’s soul was forced to roam the earth for eternity. As a final gesture of wicked altruism, the devil tossed Jack an ember to burn in a turnip as he eternally wandered the earth on his endless journey. In this moment, the first Jack-oLantern was born.

Many old world Halloween customs made their way to Appalachia and although they've changed slightly over the years they're still here. Ever hear this one? If a young lady peels an apple without breaking the peel; then throws it over her back; it will land in the shape of the initial of the person she will marry?

This old wives tale originated in the British Isles-where it was supposed to be performed on Halloween. The traditions of trick or treating and dressing up in costumes also came from the British Isles.

The black cat has long been a symbol of bad luck as well as it being a very commonly used Halloween decorating symbol. The black cat has a bit of an evil reputation going as far back as the time of the middle ages. During this time, the black cat was often associated with witches, witchcraft or even the devil himself. The black cat was often thought to be the witches familiar or sidekick--and in those days, being in cahoots with a witch was definitely not a good thing, especially when suspected witches were being burned at the stake or being hung in the gallows! Sometimes black cats were said to be gifts to witches from Satan; others went as far to say that the black cat was the devil himself in disguise.

Bats – Lighting bonfires was common practice during the Halloween night. This was done in honor of the night of transitions. The bonfires attracted insects, the very insects in return attracted bats and owls. Well, can you guess why the insects attracted these two night-flying creatures?

Simply because insects served and until today serve as a very delicious meal for the owls and bats. Well this is the simple and basic history of the association between Halloween and bats and owls.

Now what does a innocuous little flying rodent have to do with Halloween anyway? Like many other traditional Halloween symbols, the bat’s history with Halloween goes back deep into ancient days. Long before Halloween was Halloween and the ancient Celts were celebrating the holiday known as Samhain,

part of the festivities happened around great bonfires. Bonfires were built to dance around and were also part of the animal sacrifices that were made to the pagan gods the Celts worshipped and felt were responsible for their bounty. Bonfires of course, naturally attract a lot of bugs; so at night while these large bonfires were burning brightly while the villagers were celebrating, bugs of all kinds were attracted to the light and were flying around in great abundance. The local bat population was clearly not dingbats, and when they saw an opportunity for a good feeding frenzy, they were all too happy to take full advantage of it. The bats came out to eat the bugs; it’s as simple as that. Bats have been associated with Halloween ever since. The connection between Halloween and bats probably got an extra boost when the rumored “flying ointment” that was purported to be enjoyed by evil witches was said to contain bat’s blood as one of its ingredients.

Ghosts are likely one of the oldest and most authentic of all the Halloween symbols. Ancient folklore taught that during the celebratory time that was the precursor to our modern-day Halloween, spirits of the newly deceased would be out and about at the dawn of winter, intermingling with the living.

Today dressing up in Halloween costumes that appear to be ghostly beings is a very fun and popular way to get into the spooky spirit of Halloween. Telling ghost stories and tales of the paranormal is also a favorite activity done at Halloween time.

When it comes to Halloween decorating, the use of ghosts, ghostly-looking beings or even pseudo-apparitions is a great way to set a truly scary scene that is perfect for the Halloween season.

One of the most interesting Halloween facts in my own opinion is that there is a term for the fear of the Halloween and it is called samhainphobia and currently it is the only holiday phobia in the medical literature! Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first. Here’s hoping you enjoy yours! Happy Halloween!

References Bannatyne, Lesley Pratt. 1990. Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History. New York, New York: Facts on File, Inc. Rogers, Nicholas. 2002. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.

Skal, David J. 2002. Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween.

New York, New York: Bloomsbury.

Thompson, Sue Ellen. 2003. Holiday Symbols and Customs. 3rd Ed. Detroit, Michigan: Omnigraphics, Inc. a “Halloween.” National Confectioners Association. Accessed: September 30, 2010. b “Largest Rutabaga-World Record Set by Norm Craven.” World Records Academy. December 6, 2008. Accessed: October 4, 2010. c Levenson, Michael and Kathy McCabe. “A Love in Common for Pumpkins.”

Boston Globe. October 22, 2006. Accessed: October 2, 2010. d Morrow, Ed. 2001. The Halloween Handbook. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press. e Rogers, Nicholas. 2003. Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. f Skal, David J. 2002. Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween.

New York, NY: Bloomsbury. g Thompson, Sue Elled, ed. 2003. Holiday Symbols and Customs. 3rd Edition.

Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, Inc. h “Trivia for Halloween.” IMDB. Accessed: October 2, 2010.

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. - Carl Sagan

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ell summer is over here in Georgia, and most people’s thoughts are now about the upcoming fall season. Things like apples, apples, and apples. But my thoughts are about the things that happened this summer. Fond memories that only summer can bring. Things like fishing, hiking, camping, barbequing, heat stroke, flies, chiggers, mosquitoes, wasps, yellow jackets, snakes, rabid raccoons and scorpions. My friend Dana got bit by a scorpion while sitting on a wooden plank at my house party. Wanting to be a good host, I had thoughts about sucking out the venom until I found out she got bit on the butt. Now I’m known as “bad host Jack” and Dana is known as; well never mind, that’s all BEHIND her now.

Where were we? Ah yes thoughts of summer.

That reminds me of a camping trip my wife and I took back in the early 1980’s. We drove to the Big South Fork in Kentucky. It was Memorial Day weekend. We were camping and looking for things to do. A flyer told about a family type canoe trip on the beautiful Cumberland River.

My wife thought that would be nice and relaxing. The trip was to leave at 9:00 a.m. the following morning. We got up early and hit the road. When we were within a mile of the departure spot, I saw a McDonalds and was going to stop for a quick breakfast because we were early. My wife said, “No, lets check out the place first and then go have breakfast.” It turns out that was a huge mistake.

As we pulled into the parking area, there were people standing all together and one person was waving to us. We got out of the van and walked over to her and she said you’re the last ones, people are waiting. I’m thinking we were early. Its 8:30 and I thought we were to leave at 9:00. But I guess I got the time wrong.

The person who was waving gave us a life jacket, a helmet and a paddle and told us to sign a waiver of some sort. My wife asked me did I think a helmet was necessary for a canoe trip? I said I didn’t think so but I guess it was an insurance requirement. We were rushed onto a bus and as we pulled away, I noticed four adults and three children standing in the parking lot waving goodbye to us. I said to one of the employees standing in the aisle, what are those people doing there? She said, “Oh they are waiting for the 9:00 canoe trip.” Canoe trip? Isn’t this the canoe trip? She said, “No it’s the whitewater rafting trip.”

My wife’s eyes got as big as saucers and she screamed. We were now on the highway and the bus wasn’t stopping. I said, we were supposed to be on the canoe trip. The girl told me one couple called and said they were running late and when we pulled up they assumed we were that couple. I had a hard time understanding what she was saying due to my wife’s

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screaming. The people sitting in front of us were trying to tell my wife that it would be ok, not to worry, it will be fun. I’m not sure how much my wife understood, due to her screaming. After about 10 minutes the screaming turned into sobs and after hearing promises that we would get their “best guide” and it was only a class 2 and 3 rapids and it would be fun and a new experience, my wife calmed down.

We got off the bus and put in at the base of Cumberland Falls which they call Little Niagara.

It’s very impressive. Their “best guide” James put my wife in the back next to him. He said he would take care of her. Instead of going downstream, he told us to paddle as hard as we could and he headed us toward the falls. Without any hesitation and apparently not a lot of thought, we all did as he asked and started to paddle as hard as we could toward the falls. As we got closer all we could hear was the roar of the falls, and my wife’s screaming. It turns out that even Olympic paddlers couldn’t get too near the falls because of the swift current the falls created. We were turned around by the current and headed downstream. We were all wet from the mist and we all were excited. Now we were in a calm stretch of the river. My wife stopped screaming.

I asked our guide how many times he had made this trip down the river. I figured his answer would ease my wife’s anxieties and show her how experienced their “best guide” was.

He said that this was his first time on the river.

My wife screamed. In fact being that this was Memorial Day weekend, it was the first run of the season. He also said that it had rained hard the day before and because this was not a release controlled river, today it was rated as a class 3 and 4. He told us to get ready for the 1st rapid called “broken nose”. My wife screamed.

After many more rapids with colorful names and many more screams, the trip was over.

Two people did fall out of the raft at one point, but were easily pulled back in. I said to my wife that was some really nice scenery along the way. She said she had her eyes closed most of the time. My wife could hardly talk for two days. Not necessarily a bad thing. Did I mention that she did a lot of screaming? My wife will not go on any more white water rafting trips. She says the screaming gives her a headache (and everyone else in the raft I might add) It’s just as well, because I think they sent a picture of my wife to all the outfitters and guides in the area saying- if you see this person, be sure to wear ear plugs or guide another raft.

Maybe we will take a canoe trip next year.

On a small pond. I’ll bring ear plugs just in case. Have a great fall and buy some apples.

They really are good.

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

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es, there really IS such a place as Tank Town U.S.A.! A place where you can drive a tank and use that massively powerful, monstrously heavy “Big Boy Toy” to crush a car! On the day I was there there were several people lined up waiting for their turn to climb into and get behind the wheel of a tank.

Tank Town U.S.A. is responsible for crushing more cars than Godzilla, well, in North Georgia anyway. Ever since Fox News (National) did a story about it people from all over have been making the trek to fulfill this slightly bizarre wish/bucket list item. It’s also, evidently, a great present for the person who has everything. Many have received their Tank experience as a birthday or Christmas gift. When you’ve run out of ideas, this is a new, fresh one.

I was having a ball just watching so I can only imagine how much fun Paul, a fifty-something physician from Charlotte, was having inside. His wife was watching when Fox aired the story and knew right away THAT was a perfect present for her husband. After the tank turned the car into a veritable metal, plastic and glass pancake Paul emerged from the tank to inspect the damage as his family cheered and took photos of him posed in a victory stance atop his trophy. I asked Paul, why crush a car with a tank? With the smile of a mischievous little boy he said “Because they don’t have anything here for us to blow it up with.”

Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.- Robert H. Schuller

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hen I was about two years old, my daddy bought the old Godfrey farm. It was a little more than two hundred acres that hadn’t been worked in years, but it was apparent that the Godfrey family must have loved apples. Every field on the farm had at least three apple trees, so I grew up picking apples every fall from the unpruned trees. Now as a kid, I decided there were only three kind of apples – the June apple, a sweet apple and a cooking apple. The June apple was my first real mystery as a kid. They get ripe in July and were sweet to the taste, so why didn’t they call them July apples? After a while I reasoned they were named June apples by an adult who didn’t really know about apples. We had a thirty foot tall June apple tree in the middle of our meadow. The first apples to ripen were near the top. One of my neighbors, a girl who was several years older than I was, would climb to the top and throw the apples down to us. Yeah, you guessed it – she was my first crush. She was pretty, but more importantly to me at that age, she could climb like a squirrel.

Now let me tell you about the sweet apple. They were solid white in color. Wright’s farm which was a mile away had two of the trees; one on each side of Old Highway 5. Mr. Wright would let us kids take all the apples we could carry. In the sixties he sold his farm to the county and we lost those trees when they built a hospital, which is now the site of Fannin Regional Hospital.

This was one kid who felt we didn’t need a darn old new hospital at the expense of those trees. I miss those old white apples and in all my travels never saw them again.

The cooking apple gave us kids a reason to look forward to

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fall. Starting in September Mother would have fried apples for breakfast at least three times a week. No, I don’t know how she cooked them as my job was just to eat as many of them as I could. I guess I need to tell you how I would determine if an apple was a cooking apple. It was a simple test; you took a big bite out of it and if the apple was so tart it made you squint your eyes and face, it should be used to make pie, applesauce or my favorite, apple butter.

My mother and Mamaw Patterson used to can just about everything, but as far as I was concerned the best thing they did was make apple butter. Trust me, you can never find a better taste than to bite down on a hot, steaming cathead biscuit with apple butter spread through the middle. My mouth is watering just writing about it.

Now I’m a little older and my sweetie has us on a gluten free diet. That means no more cathead biscuits. But…every once in a while when I sneak off and eat breakfast by myself at Mercier’s Apple House I order biscuits and gravy. Every waitress there knows they better bring a cup of apple butter if they’re expecting a good tip. Please, please don’t tell my wife. Each time I break the rule on gluten, I have a flashback of being in my mother’s kitchen eating a biscuit so big I needed two hands to hold it. The outside was still hot from the oven, then my tongue would taste the cool, sweet flavor of that homemade apple butter. So please help me keep my secret. But if you’ve never spread apple butter in the middle of a hot homemade biscuit, you’ve never lived. I think everyone should taste heaven at least once in their lifetime.

What did one Jack-o-lantern say to the other? Cut it out!

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion. - Henry David Thoreau 49

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all on the farm, not literally of course, unless you are me and then yes, I've fallen on the farm more times then I want to count! The ground gets slick and with cold rains and the dirt turns to mud and I have slipped and slid trudging out to the barn to feed the animals and have fallen down in nasty chicken poo a few times. Now that is a vision I am sure you needed to have of me, right?

Even with a few tumbles, the fall season is a wonderful time of year.

It's harvest time and all the hard work over the summer starts to wind down, and the results are months worth of canned vegetables and jelly and frozen berries. And, this year will be our first apple harvest. Living in Ellijay, the apple capitol, we would be remiss if we did not have an apple tree and that is what we have, one mature apple tree. We planted two apple trees a couple of months after we moved onto the property. Unbeknownst to me, deer love apple trees, and the deer didn't think we needed one of them and ate it right down to the ground.

I was heartbroken, but angry enough to make sure they didn't eat the other one. It takes about four years for a young apple tree to grow and produce apples and I am elated that this year I have a tree full of beautiful apples.

We did plant another apple tree, but that one will take time to mature. I have always purchased my apples in the fall from local orchards to make all my yearly apple delights. I am sure I will continue to give my business to local orchards because you can never have enough apples. I love to make home made apple sauce and fill up quart jars to last us all winter and I love freezing apples to have an apple pie or cobbler any time we want one.

One time, years ago, when our middle son was about four years old, I had canned several jars of apple sauce, in the fall that previous year. It was spring and my husband and I were outside and putting up a swimming pool for the kids and we told our oldest to keep an eye on the other two as they watched television. When his little brother, an applesauce addict, asked for applesauce, my oldest son didn't think anything of letting him eat not one, but two quart jars of it. Later, when my son was writhing in pain and crying and unable to really tell us what was wrong with him, we rushed him to the hospital. After hours of tests and trying to figure out what was wrong, they decided they were going to take him into exploratory surgery. My oldest son was standing there with us, and the doctor, asked us what he had eaten that day, for surgery purposes, my son exclaims “he ate two jars of applesauce.” We all gasped, because even I didn't know about this and the doctor laughed and said “well now we know what is wrong. He is constipated!” Who would of thought the word constipation and relief could all be used in one sentence. From then on, applesauce has always been doled out in small portions in our house.

Now that we have our farm, apples aren't just for us anymore. The animals love apples and apple peels and all the other leftovers that are coming out of the garden. I like to mince up peels and apple bits and mix them in meat fat, I then add a little scratch feed and other things I have on hand like berries and chopped greens in aluminum pans, and freeze it. On rainy days during fall and winter, my home made suet is a great rainy day treat for the chickens that are stuck in their house all day. You are

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thinking this lady has too much time on her hands or she's crazy right? Yes, I agree I probably am a crazy chicken lady, being that on cold winter days my birds eat warm, steamy oatmeal for breakfast. But, happy chickens lay healthy eggs for me.

The fall season is the time to do some major yard work to get ready for winter. As the garden begins to die off, it's time to open the gates and let the goats and the chickens and ducks in to clean things up for me. I let them eat whatever they want and put the rest in our compost pile to mix with soiled hay from our barn and other compost goodies. This gives me black gold compost for my gardens in the spring. I cut back my roses and the goats devour the dead roses and branches. They even eat those thorns, I have no idea how they handle them but they love them. I take old hay from the barn and lay it over all my beds to mulch the ground and feed the soil. Fall is when I plant my perennials for the next year. I love all that Autumn color in my yard. Golds, reds, yellows and oranges mingling with the changing leaves on the trees. It's beautiful and such a wonderful time of year.

Let's not forget pumpkins and if I did try to forget pumpkins my chickens would revolt and there would be a mutiny on the farm. They absolutely love pumpkin.

This is their favorite time of year when it comes to treats. By now they are sick of bananas and black berries. However, I am never sick of watching them fight over a piece of banana! It's hilarious and pure entertainment. Like us, chickens love pumpkin everything and we all know that pumpkin everything is a fall tradition. You can't go anywhere without seeing a pumpkin flavored coffee or milkshake. I've read that pumpkin is a natural wormer for chickens and then I have read that it's not. If it is, great, and if it isn't, well, no one cares around here, they just want to eat it. I slice a pumpkin in half and lay out for the birds and they clean that pumpkin down to the shell. The goats don't get left out, I start cutting back branches that need to be trimmed and they eat all the leaves. They love pine branches, but I save those for them during the winter when grass is scarce and the leaves are gone. You know when it's time to start cutting pine branches when the goats are standing at the fence looking at me like I am something green. Don't worry about my goats though, they are just as spoiled as the chickens and there are many treats that they get that keep them happy. Even oats, but not cooked and warm and steamy. They prefer theirs dry and right out of my hand. I think they actually know what the oatmeal container looks like from the store, because they will go for that grocery bag in my hand every time!

Fall is my favorite time of the year. The days are warm and the evenings are cool. The trees are changing and the colors are magnificent. Baggy hoodies, sweaters and flannel shirts come out of the closet. Hot cocoa and of course, pumpkin flavored coffee, and toasty, roaring fires in the fireplace or outside in the fire pit are common place. The cooler nights are cause for soups and stews for dinner and hot apple pie or cobbler for dessert are a must have during Autumn. It doesn't last long so you just have to savor every moment of the fall season. My family and our animals certainly do.

Q: What do you get when you divide the circumference of your jack-o-lantern by its diameter? A: Pumpkin Pi.

“It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.” ― Sarah Addison Allen

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Grateful For Gratitude Bet I am going to drive the editor crazy with the name on this column. “You can’t be grateful for gratitude.” And yet here I am in print with exactly that. Merriam Webster defines gratitude as “the state of being grateful.” Let me explain. It seems everywhere you turn our society is fixated on conflict, violence and disdain. Anything negative is raised to heights overshadowing all the kindness in the world. No one is exempt from feeling down from time to time, life can be a challenge. We have a tendency to enjoy structure, familiarity and the illusion of control – inside our comfy boxes, made with the best of intentions. Day after day we travel through time without the mindfulness of presence – always analyzing previous actions or preparing for our next endeavor. Stress, despair and downright grumpiness settle in as we struggle to break free – then the breeze of gratitude sweeps in to save the day. You see it is nearly impossible not to experience happiness, enjoyment and joy when experiencing gratitude.

Whether you are thankful for the flowers, rain, clouds, stars, water, a job, clothes, hair ties, football or food – when you express gratitude – an air of kindness overcomes you.

Others around you may notice it, and if you share the feeling with them, gratitude multiplies faster than bunnies! It doesn’t take anything, or anyone but you to experience gratitude – heck you can even be grateful for taking a breath. We are more surrounded by things to be grateful for than bad things – it is just that sometimes we take things for granted, we forget to lower the sides of our boxes and just be. Just be aware of our heart beating, our lungs breathing, and our minds thinking. Slowly expand the thoughts out to your surroundings, especially here in the mountains, the red clay, the magnificent trees, and the sky above. Stop for just a moment, take a deep breath, now another. Look around slowly and drink it all in. We are amazing creatures, surrounded by other amazing creatures and beauty. Don’t forget to be present and grateful. So today, I am grateful for gratitude; my ability to change the perspective on what I see and feel, to experience inner kindness and to share gratitude with others! Here is hoping you find something to be grateful for every day!

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Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.” ― J.K. Rowling

“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile." ― William Cullen Bryant

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Story by Tara Nelson Photos by Robb

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omething I love about living in the North Georgia Mountains is...the Swan Drive In! Since there are very few left in the U.S, it is definitely a perk having one so close by. Our Drive-In is celebrating their 60th Birthday! Happy Birthday Swan! They are located in Blue Ridge at 651 Summit Street.

We decided to take a mid week break before school started back and catch some movies. I invited my friends Christina Thomas, her children and friends: Mikayla Simms(12), Noah Hess(11), Caleb Merrell(7), Patrick Thomas(4), and Jayden Simms(2). Another friend Rebecca Conn and her two girls Madelyn Conn (9) and Miley Conn (7).

Then of course I had my three, Lacey Nelson(11), Natalie Bottongino(8) and Emma Nelson(8months). With two cars full of anxious kids, we pulled in to the drive in and set blankets up in the back of my Toyota, and an area on the ground behind the truck.

We brought pillows too! Then we met up with Mrs. Thia and Mr. Rob, and went to terrorize the concession lady! The owners, Steve and Kathy Setser and their staff were wonderful. They treated us like special guests, but they might just treat everyone that way. We had funnel cake,

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

deep fried oreos...POPCORN (of course!), and candy and drinks, oh MY! Which with Mrs. Thia’s encouragement we ended up having a popcorn fight! (I still have popcorn in the back of the truck) (Thia says, sorry Tara!)

At nine it was dark enough to get the movies started. The first movie to play was "Minions", and the second "Pixels".

The kids laid down and you could hear their laughter at Stuart, Kevin and Bob. Brought a smile to my face to hear them all having such a good time. I love those moments, spending times with great friends, getting our kids all together and enjoying a fun night out. Not many kids can say they go to a drive-in these days.

But our kids will always have that memory to share. Make a memory with your family, spend an evening at the Swan Drive In! You can call 706.632.5235 or visit the website www.swan-drivein.com to see what is playing and what time it starts. (The starting time goes along with when it gets dark, so it changes) The admission is Adults $8.00, Kids aged 4-11 $5.00, Little ones 3 years old and under are free! Only cash is accepted, no credit or debit cards.

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

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obb and I were super excited when we got invited to visit the 1907 Restaurant while it was being inspected by the Murray County Paranormal Investigators! We got to met the whole group, learn about all their instruments and even see something spooky happen… One of the investigators was exploring a corner of a room when his arm was cut and he didn’t know how it happened! After our initial meeting, I went out to lunch with Dewayne Patterson, the leader of the group, and we did an indepth interview.

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So when you were a kid, do you remember anything supernatural happening to you?

I always had a feeling like there was something more out there. I was a big fan of the Universal movie monsters, a fan of the horror movies…even though it scared me to death. I would watch something really scary and go hide under the covers. My brother and I shared a bunk bed, in a really little room in a little single wide trailer, in the middle of nowhere. So we had lots of critters outside that would make all kinds of a racket. Sometimes they would even come inside the home. But, we always grew up with a belief in that kind of stuff. My grandmother was Cherokee and Creek, so she was definitely a believer. Everybody always

Story by Thia Photos Courtesy MCPI

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called my grandmother crazy because she always saw this old black panther at her house.

And for many years she would tell the story that she’d see this thing, it had a broken tail, and it’d come up to her house. And one night, someone else saw it; it was a black panther. It was on her porch.

So it was real. And you did an investigation at the Ellijay restaurant, 1907.

Yes, this past year, Wayne ( the owner) found out about us, and asked us to come take a look at the 1907, which we’d known it was haunted for years.

What did you hear about it?

That people would feel like there was someone standing there, and it would look like somebody that worked there, but not be. Turning lights on and off on, noises, voices, back door won’t stay closed, or locked; just things of that nature. Wayne didn’t know about the stories, until he started talking to his servers. And he actually experienced it himself, with someone flipping the lights on and off in the bathroom, and then the back door opening itself up a few times. So he actually got a taste of it, and now he wanted somebody to take a look at it.

What’d you guys find? I heard you found a hot spot, or a cold spot?

We have special equipment, that picks up proximity and temperature. And one of the areas, you were there when our tech manager was investigating a corner. Well that same corner, he ended up with a puncture on his arm, and we don’t know how it got there.

I remember that and it was scary!

Yeah, we were thinking it was a hornet or something like that. But it was actually a rather large puncture, and there was a whole little plug of skin missing. We can’t prove that it was something supernatural that happened, we just know there’s no logical explanation for it. And that same corner, we decided to set up what

we call a multimeter, which is a device especially charged to measure temperature and Electro Magnetic Frequency (EMF). Something with its own static field passes close to it, it will set it off. We were sitting fairly far back, and the temperature in the room for some reason in that corner continued to rise, the meter kept going off. So it was letting us know it was there. In addition to that, we have what we call a full spectrum camera; and what it was doing, it was picking up a mist, that would materialize, and then it would disappear. Even Wayne picked it out the first time he saw it on the video.

Don’t you ever get scared sometimes when you’re there?

No, not at all, because that’s what we’re looking for. We want to be scared. That’s one of the benefits of doing this, you get to ride the roller coaster over and over again.

But when that guy got his arm cut…I remember him coming over, it was bleeding…

Right, well it didn’t hurt; it was just like something just took a plug out of it. And he might have been messing over there close to something that he probably shouldn’t have.

He’s a skeptic anyway, so…

Well then, how does he explain it? Because he doesn’t believe in any of this stuff.

But the problem is, we couldn’t find what scraped it. So it shook him up a little bit. He blew it off, “Well, maybe I just brushed up against something.” he said.

Well that was scary and cool, we got to see someone bleeding. Sorry I shouldn’t make light of it.

That corner was where the hot spot that we’re talking about was. And that corner, in the front of the restaurant corresponds to a place on the sidewalk where supposedly someone committed suicide. We can’t prove that; again, we’re still looking into that. But supposedly a

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus

jeweler, who had some trouble with his wife, had walked up there ( to the sidewalk by that corner of what is now 1907) and just decided to end it right there in front of the shop.

Any other stuff like that downtown?

Yeah, Main Street Antiques.

While we were there we actually caught a crib that rocked itself.

Again, it’s one of those things where you can’t prove one way or the other.

Possible Spectre

What is the scariest thing that you ever saw personally happen? Like you said that that crib was rocking? That kinda gives me chills.

We’ve had a private hunt in a person’s home, near the railroad tracks. And they kept having some pretty stout activity like scratching, their dogs would be barking at odd hours. So we took a person who was mildly psychic, if that’s how you want to put it, untrained, with us, and undoubtedly, something he did upset it. Because it suddenly got cold enough that we could see our breath in front of our face, and we all saw blood spots floating above the leaves.

That’s creepy! Do you ever worry that something really permanent is going to happen to you? Or you’ll bring something home?

No, I don’t. We take precautions. And besides, it could happen even if I didn’t do this.

At our home we had this old television. It would kick on, it would suddenly race up to 100 on the volume, and it would start changing channels in what appeared to be a random pattern. And it would turn itself off, turn itself back on. The first couple times it happened my wife was freaking out, like, “What’d the heck did you bring home with you?” So I got to researching it, and there’s a certain brand of card, that if it was used in this TV, would do that.

So it was totally explainable.

Totally explainable, right. But ever since then the running joke is “Dewayne brought something home with him.”

So how often is something totally explainable?

Nine times out of 10.

So you do just go some places and go, “It’s the furnace?” Or… A Squirrel. We were in a house where the person’s mother and father had passed away. They kept hearing weird noises and seeing things. So we went in and we set up, and it was pretty quiet. So Terrica goes up into the attic, and she comes back down, butt first, and says, “Okay, we’re leaving.” And I said, “What do you mean?” And she says, “Well, this case is closed.” Well, we get outside, and She said, “There’s a snakeskin up there, and it’s six foot long. There ain’t nothing you gonna find in there, other than that and rats.”

It’s big enough to make a belt and a pair of boots out of.”

That’s funny; she’s scared of the snake but not of the supernatural. What do you call the beings?

Are they supernatural? Paranormal? Spirits? Ghosts?

A true spirit, we will call a spirit or an entity. Entities, also, we use that term in reference to demonic, or non-human or just of a spiritual nature. Then you have intelligent spirits, you have spectres, you have ghosts …

What’s a spectre?

Spectres are an old world spirit, usually around the anywhere from around 1100 to about 1400. They were always dressed in black. A lot of people attribute the Grim Reaper as a specter.

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking when you said that.

I’ve got a picture we took of one I’ll send you. And as far as I know, no one has ever gotten harmed by them, unless they’ve provoked them. But there’s always some-

thing, either death or injury, associated with their presence. There’s actually been a case where and again, I can’t mention the name.

The gentleman had woke up in the middle of the night, and he kept thinking there was something there, so he flashed a picture. He sent the picture to a friend, who’d held on to the picture. And, they found this guy, he had gotten up and gotten dressed for work, and was just laying on top of his bed.

There was nothing, no note; they could never find any cause of death. And we got the picture; actually it was a couple of months after he passed, his friend sent it to us. We developed the picture and lightened it up, and there’s the classic spectre shape, right there in the picture.

Eek! Okay, so let’s get lighter here. What are some funny things that have happened when you have been out in the field?

The snake skin, that’s one. People jump all the time. We’ve had, people have problems, sometimes, in their homes, which, you know, they can’t help it; pests, and that was scary.

What did you find?

Oh, roaches that came out of a place we went to one one time, that were literally big enough you could see them turn their head around. I mean they were at least three inches long. They were hearing noises every night, and what it was, is they kept dog food outside.

So they had these big chunks of dog food, and these things were like, feasting. I’ve walked into spiders; yeah, that’s always a fun thing; yeah, when you’re walking around, and you’ve got your little head lamp on, and you walk into something that just smacks you across the forehead. First fight I’d ever been in, it was with a spider.

So tell me about the tours you do where civilians can come with you.

A tour is where we take people, and we introduce them to who we

Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win. - Stephen King

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are. We give them a little bit of history about the place and the area. And we show them some of our equipment, we introduce them to our methodology, they get to actually participate. We show a little bit of the camera equipment and all that, and for some people, that’s their first experience.

So we have to mention that you will be doing tours when this issue comes out and you can find the info on your Facebook page, that is under “Murray County Paranormal Investigations MCPI.” So where do you buy equipment for this, on Ebay?

We use Amazon, there are companies like, Ghost Stop and Shadow Hands; there are different companies that actually make equipment just for us.

Wow. See, I would have never known that.

Precision Measurement makes the multimeter, a specialized measuring device for different types of liquids, air, temperature. And different circuits are added to allow us to use it for what we do.

Well look what you are using to record me, they were originally used for dictation, and we use these for EVP recorders; Electronic Voice Phenomenon. Which if you ask a question and wait ten seconds to give them time to form an

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a point now, I can tell moisture, I can tell bugs, I can tell dust. 99% of the orbs aren’t real. But there are real ones out there. answer, you won’t hear it then, but when you play it back, the device will convert it into a format that you will be able to hear it. That’s our base, that’s our bread and butter, is the EVP. Really. I watched a couple of those programs, like “Ghost Hunters, just because I knew I was going to talk to you. What do you think of those?

Some of them are good. Those are not realistic in that you’ll see them do things in 30 minutes, that it may take a week of just grind and gruel and methodical… The reality of it is, it’s not that interesting when you’re doing it, the fun side is when you’re reviewing the evidence.

Because we’ve gone all night where I’ve thought we haven’t found anything, but then reviewed the evidence, and it’s like BAM! All this stuff pops up.

Right, but when I was there that night and your photographer was showing me pictures of floating lights and I’m like, WOW! That’s pretty cool!

Well now orbs, we’re very leery of the orbs.

Because a lot of times it’ll be either a bug, or it’ll be dust. And we can tell by looking, I’m to

Well see, that’s what I like about you, is that you are a skeptic. You believe in this stuff, but you’re going to do what you can to figure out why it isn’t real. And what do think of the old Ghostbusters movie? (Laughs) I think it was great, I think it was a lot of fun.

But the tech involved, was not realistic.

I want to end with the scariest thing you’ve ever heard the supernatural say.

We had a whole family in the room, doing a Ghost Box session. It’s a radio that’s been specially modified. And I asked, “Do you mean this family any harm?” The response was “Yes.” I ask, “What has this family ever done to you?”

And we got no answer. Then it starts naming the children in the room. And it says my name.

So that was pretty intense.

That’s scary.

It was dark, luckily no one could see the hair standing up on my arm.

Yes. I think I should end it with that. “Yes.” They mean you harm. (Imagine some scary noises and fade to black….)

Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters. - Victor Hugo

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can’t think of a more beautiful place to spend the fall season than in the North Georgia Mountains. With the glorious colors of the foliage, the clean fresh scent and crisp nip of the autumn breeze, the apple trees bountiful with their fall fruit, the harvesting of pumpkins and gourds and the hospitality of the local North Georgia folks, why would you want to be anywhere else?

This is the time of year when the locals are canning apple butter and baking apple bread and the tourists are coming in to enjoy the many fall fairs and festivities happening in and around the Appalachian Mountains. Apples are in bounty. They are one of the simple pleasures in life, a gift of nature and a tradition here in the North Georgia Mountains.

It seems only right that we start our Apple House journey on Highway 52 East in Ellijay at an orchard that captures the very spirit of the local traditions associated with this time of year. Aaron Family Orchards has been owned and operated by the Aaron family for four generations. Their motto “Family Grown for Your Home” defines their business, putting quality above quantity and offering their customers a relaxed, nostalgic shopping experience. You will enjoy selecting a bushel of your favorite autumn treats. While you are there, enjoy one of Aaron’s wonderful new apple slushies, and ask Stephen Aaron to share a bit of the Aaron family’s apple business history, which spans over 70

years in Ellijay.

If you’re looking for family fun on the farm, just down the road you can find B.J. Reece Orchards. With everything from zip-lines, wagon rides, apple cannons, pig races to a petting zoo, B.J. Reece offers an all inclusive place to stay and play for the day. They also let you pick your own apples and, you can milk the cows, so you get to play Farmer Brown with the little ones. The BJ Reece bakery makes some of the finest fried apple pies in the area, made fresh every day. No matter what you or your kids are looking for, you can find all that and a bag of apples at B.J Reece Orchards.

On 282 West you’ll find the Red Apple Barn. There you can enjoy beautiful walking trails or wagon rides from their rustic barn to the orchards located on their 100-acre farms.

You can pick your own apples or visit the flower patch where you can cut your very own flowers for beautiful fall bouquets and centerpieces. In October, the Red Apple Barn has a pumpkin patch where you can reenact scenes from “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”.

Pack a lunch and plan a private picnic by the creek. The Red Apple Barn also has a rustic barn- the perfect backdrop for a beautiful country wedding that captures the color and spirit of the autumn season.

For a beautiful ride through the countryside, head out toward McCaysville and visit Mountain View Orchard and the Cider House Cafe. You may be greeted by the loving and loyal dogs, Molly and Ollie who will encourage you to play a friendly game of apple fetch. This

small family owned orchard offers 14 varieties of mouthwatering apples that you can pick yourself after a wagon ride through the orchard. Or head to the store for home-made jams and jellies, tasty apple pies, fabulous fritters and a selection of local honeys. We also highly recommend that you plan to eat lunch or dinner there at the Cider House Cafe. You will find true, southern home cooking and a price that is too good to be true. And buy a fresh apple pie to take home, for dessert.

Whether you’re looking for some family fun on the farm or a more relaxed and traditional afternoon with the family, you can find it all here: picnics by the creek, rides in hay-filled wagons pulled by John Deere tractors, petting zoos and zip-line adventures. Whichever orchard you visit, you’re sure to have a unique and wonderful experience here in the North Georgia Mountains. Memories are just waiting to be made in big red apple barns, under apple trees, down wooded trails and in fields of pumpkins.

These are our favorite apple orchards in the area, the ones that capture the honest to goodness hospitality and spirit of the local North Georgia folks. There are many other terrific families who work hard to fill their shop with fresh apples from their orchards. We really love them all. So do your own exploring and tell us, which apple house you choose as your favorite! And if you want to find our paper, it is available at all the places we talk about above, plus Mercier’s in Blue Ridge and R&A Orchards in Ellijay.

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. - Jim Davis

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Story by Thia Newman

I love to read. I love to write. I am honored to do this story on these five talented authors who allowed me to read their books and write about them. They are all closely associated to our wonderful North Georgia Mountains, either by their geography, the geography they write about, or both. You will enjoy getting to know them better, just like I did, through these interviews. And if you are looking for some really special reading material, I would wholeheartedly recommend these novels.

It’s Not My Mountain Anymore by Barbara Taylor Woodall. A poignant Appalachian book written in an authentic voice by a veteran of the phenomenal Foxfire Books. This book is a journey which mirrors that of other proud Appalachian people who tamed this once wild Eastern frontier. Taste the harsh realities of change in our once secluded mountain community. Dad once said, “The time will come when you’ll have t’ lock your barn at night.” That time has come. Mountain hospitality needs no formal invitation, so drag up a chair, cock up your feet and enjoy a journey filled with appreciation, humor, love and loss.

Learn all you can about vanishing cultures. When it's gone it's gone.

You talk about Firefox a lot in the book. Would you tell our readers what Firefox is?

In the mountains, foxfire is a bioluminescent fungus that grows on decaying wood and glows in the dark. Likewise, in 1966, a young teacher found the answer to student boredom and restlessness at Rabun Gap Nacoochee School for students like me who were bored with traditional classrooms and were rotting away in our wooden desks. That 1966 tenth-grade English class decided to interview the grandparent generation in Rabun County and the surrounding area and to self-publish their findings."Foxfire Magazine" grew by leaps and bounds into a high school folklore magazine that was published four times a year and had subscribers in all fifty states. Collections of articles from the magazine became the bestselling series, "The Foxfire Books".

What is your all time fondest memory of growing up in Raburn area?

There's no way I can narrow it down to a single fond memory, as each day brought forth new adventures. I remember walking through snow-covered coves, hunting a Christmas tree. I remember picking plump blackberries in brier thickets while birds fussed at us. I remember Granny Lou telling tall tales to pass the day. The smell of freshly turned dirt from the end of Dad’s plow and the smell of ripening corn in the field always brought floods of visual memories of how we lived off the land. Many memories, of an age gone by, warm my soul.

You still live in the same area where you grew up and wrote about. What changes for the better have happened since you wrote the book a few years ago?

The books I've written have opened many doors of opportunity for a voice from Appalachia to be heard, even worldwide, allowing me to share our precious heritage with others.

Ten years from now, what changes, good & bad, do you predict for your small town?

I am sure we will continue to see "growth" in terms of bigger highways and more tourists seeking a place of solace. Industry or land development will replace many remaining family farms. Over time, the loss is becoming more than losing land. The unique, cultural things that set us apart are disappearing. We look the same as Atlanta, New York and Japan, with McDonalds and Walmarts. I hope my books will cause visitors to understand and appreciate not only the beauty of our area but the way of life and the values that were passed down through

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previous generations. And...change is not always bad. No longer do we need to tote spring water into the house to make lye soap.

Tell us about your other book.

My second book, “A Time For Every Purpose,” takes a look at the twenty-eight appointed times listed in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, and at how nature and daily living in these mountains have taught me important lessons pertaining to those times. It weaves wit and wisdom of plain living with Biblical principles to offer simple prescriptions for life in today’s world.

Where can your book be purchased? www.itsnotmymountainanymore.com It’s also available on Amazon.

Webfoot by Calvin Camp During the American Civil War, Jacques “Webfoot” Boudreaux, a coal heaver on the Union ironclad Nahant, rescues a six year old slave girl from the Savannah River. As the ship moves north, in battles afloat and ashore, he begins to realize the grip she has on his heart. This is the story of Webfoot, Little Bit, Sarah and a new breed of ship…..a ship with no sails, an ironclad propelled by coal fired steam engines. It is a tale of battles with blockade runners, raids on plantations, and storms at sea. The story unfolds over a six month period….January to July 1863----and culminates in the New York Draft Riots. It is also the story of a young white man, a young black woman who fall in love in a time of great danger and of the child who loves them both. The novel is based on years of research into the naval aspect of the Civil War, ironclad ships, the horror of slavery, and the escaped slaves and bluejacket sailors who found each other on salt water in the year 1863.

Why did you decide to write a book that takes place in the Civil War? And why did you decide that your main character, Webfoot would be on the side of the North?

Like a lot of Southern kids, I became interested in the Civil War early because that history is all around us. When I was about 9 or 10, I became interested in the ships of that war and read everything I could find on the subject. I also began reading about the escaped slaves, many of whom reached freedom aboard the US Navy’s vessels. I began, over time, to view those two groups....the sailors of the US Navy and the escaped slaves as unsung heroes of the war. I had ancestors on both sides as most mountain Southerners did. For reasons I cannot explain, I felt an early kinship with my Union ancestors. It seemed to me that they were the patriots, standing by the old flag.So, I suppose it was a combination of my research on the Union Navy, the escaped slaves, and my own Union kinfolk that led to Webfoot being a Union man. I cannot imagine him otherwise, frankly.

What kind of historical research did you do/use to make your book realistic?

I used primary sources a lot....battle reports, letters, diaries, and a lot of newspaper articles. The Official Record of the War of the Rebellion (Armies, 128 Vol.) was very useful as was the OR (Navies, 30 Vol.) I also read secondary historical material, including biographies, and many (over the years) works of historical fiction. “Cold Mountain” by Charles Frazier

Every man should keep a fair-sized cemetery in which to bury the faults of his friends. - Henry Ward Beecher

Your dialect in the book is spot on. How did you learn to speak, and write like that?

As for dialect, I learned it starting at birth. That is my true language, and, really if I have to be honest, I'd prefer to speak that way, I certainly think that way! But of course I don't anymore because I probably would be considered quaint. I gradually "unlearned" a lot of it when I had to be a public speaker in my job. I will say it's hard to get out of that way of speaking when I am writing that way. I find myself, after a session of writing, talking like that and have to shake it off!

How do you make snow cream and what does it taste like?

Snow cream. You find "clean" snow (like off a car). Put it in a big old bowl, add sweet milk, sugar and vanilla flavoring to taste. Eat it quickly or it melts!! And it tastes a little bit like God's heaven.

Please name all your books and give us a sentence on what they are about.

"Falling", is a Christian romance written for young women, middle school through college.

"The Crow and The Wind" a little book about a big god is a children's book. It was the runner up in the mid-child's division of the Georgia Author of the Year Awards, 2011.

"Signs from God" is a contemporary novel about relationships. Folks settle into their late twenties and kind of know how they want their life to go...then something big happens and they have to decide: Do I do what I want to do, or do I do what I should do? This book has a big old dog that just about took over the book!

"The Christmas Closet and Other Works" is a small, hard back with short stories, art and poetry regarding the holiday. The first story is the most favorite one I've ever written. One of the others won first place in a short story contest. It's a great little gift book for best friend, children's teacher, your secretary, or secret pal, etc.

"Out on a Limb of the Family Tree" is about 4 generations of Appalachian women.

The Year Of Nine by Kathi Harper Hill It's 1963 and And lastly, my new novel, "The Year of Nine: Where the Rain Benine-year-old Tansy Corbin is about to take you by the gins". Whew! hand and walk you through her world of close-knit Where can people find your books to buy? family, fast friends and quirky characters that small My books are available through me (706-276-4675). You can also purtowns in the deep south are famous for. Tansy will chase them at Gilmer Arts and Heritage Association here in Ellijay, share her world view, opinions and Yawn's Book Store in Canton, Georgia (or on their website). The Christgreat wisdom as only a nine-year-old mas Store in Copperhill, Tenn. has "The Christmas Closet and Other little girl can do. Prepare to smile all Works" and Merciers Orchards in Blue Ridge carry "Out on a Limb of the way through this delightful book the Family Tree" as well as "The Year of Nine: Where the Rain Begins". and wish for just a few more pages beAll the books can be purchased through amazon.com too, but I prefer fore the adventure ends. you get them through me if you are local!

Nine is so realistic. How did you put yourself in the mind of a Applachian Gold by J. Michael Herron An inheritance nine year old to write it? from a distant relative in Georgia launches Adam Sanders I put myself in the mind of a 9 yr old by simply going inside and findon a quest in search of his roots and self-fulfillment. A ing my own nine year old self. She's still in there, you know. chance encounter on a mountain trail with Jordana Lasher I know a lot in the book comes from your own experience growand her son Jeremiah sets him on a path where native leging up in a small town. Tell us of one story that is in the book and ends and love become intertwined. Using clues comes from your childhood? from the past to help guide them, they disOne "true" story that is in the book: the story of the older woman cover that a variety of secrets can be hidden in who comes into Tansy's granddaddy's store to pay her monthly bill. the earth. The Southern Appalachian MounThis woman existed, and was a real character. She always conversed tains provide a spectacular and scenic backin ways that many times could be misconstrued. She would also drop for the journey. begin talking about something out of the blue that no one knew what the heck she was talking about. Sort of like she was having a conversation in her head and suddenly wanted others to join in. Some of the What inspired you to write a love story? older generation who have read my book know exactly who she was. I’ve always wanted to write a novel. It took me until after I retired to fiI only remember her from living close to her. I was a very small child nally put in the time to get it done. I originally thought I would write a when she died. I have a list of some of the things she said. And as for spy thriller or murder mystery ( a la Tom Clancy or John Grisham) because I used to read them frequently. In fact, I started a book called the scene in the book, I wasn't there, but as you can imagine it The Message in 1996 that was about an email that was misdirected and quickly became a "legend" in my family stands out as one of the best Civil War novels ever written. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Washington in Seattle. I was fortunate to have professors there who drilled into me the proper way to conduct and evaluate historical research. I also benefited from two courses in Creative Writing and a very good English professor who encouraged me after I wrote several papers on the naval aspect of the Civil War. Of all these, I think the Civil War newspapers were the most useful and most interesting. They helped me decide to have Webfoot become a printer.

What branch of the service were you in? Did you serve in a war?

And what were your duties and title in the military?

I served in the US Navy from 1967 to 1975. I served aboard three ships, the last one being a guided missile cruiser. In addition to ocean patrol, we served in Vietnam and saw combat during the Easter Offensive of 1972. Our ship also evacuated refugees during the Fall of Saigon on April 29th, 1975. I was a Second Class Bosun’s Mate (E-5).

How does Webfoot's persona resemble your own?

I suppose every writer gives his main character some of his own traits. I shared with Webfoot the nasty habit of vomiting after combat....something many experience but few admit. He shares my love of books and newspapers. He married a black woman; I married an American Indian woman from a small native village in Alaska. So, I suppose we are alike in many ways.But Webfoot is also a mixture of a lot of people I have known, both in the Navy and in civilian life.

What is your second book about?

It will be entitled “Sarah, A Tale of the American Civil War.” It is a sequel to “Webfoot” and, as the name implies, will feature Webfoot’s wife, Sarah, as the central character.

Where can folks purchase your books?

As an E- Book or a paperback through Amazon.

All the candy corn that was ever made was made in 1911. - Lewis Black

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set off a whole chain of events but never finished it, even though I wrote more than 200 pages of it. I got stuck when trying to write all the “action” scenes. In 2012 I told my wife that I wanted to cross writing a book off of my bucket list and sat down and wrote Black Diamonds. I was more surprised than anyone when it turned out to be a love story. I finally realized that if people want to read about murder, greed, corruption and violence - I’ll give them any major city newspaper. I wanted to allow people to escape, if only for a brief period of time, the downside of today’s world. I wanted something that would leave them feeling more positive and optimistic about life.

I love how you use real places ( like Cucina Rustica Restaurant) in your story. Are they your favorite places to visit?

And how did you decide which ones to use?

I’ve used real places (as well as fictional ones) in all of my books.

In Appalachian Gold I also used real people. I tried to use places and people that were important to me and also fit in with the storyline. I do/did enjoy eating at Cucina Rustica, Jim’s Smokin’ Que and Monet’s Cafe as well as banked at United Community Bank and shopped at Ingles. I wanted to make the setting as realistic as possible to the people who live in the area while still be descriptive enough for readers who have never been there. It was fun to take that approach and I think the local people and businesses appreciated it.

You also use a lot of true history in your fictional novel, what kinds of research did you do? Did you actually explore Blood Mountain on foot?

I do a fair amount of research into the legends, mythology and history of areas in which I set books, then try to weave it all into a modern day love story. In addition to local resources, the Internet is a powerful tool that enables me to dig deeper into such things like the Trail of Tears, Blood Mountain Gold, Trahlyta’s Grave, etc. My wife and I did a fair amount of hiking on the Benton Mackaye trail and the Appalachian trail as well as other lesser trails. We volunteered at the Len Foote Hike Inn a couple of times as well. All of those experiences played into Appalachian Gold and I try to convey my appreciation of the natural settings into my books.

Is this your first book? What other books do you have out or coming out?

I have completed 4 books so far, my Colors of Alaska trilogy (Black Diamonds, Blue Ice, and Green Skies) and Appalachian Gold, a stand alone. I essentially took the last 15 months or so off of writing as my wife and I were in the process of expanding our horizons and deciding to try living in another country. In 2014 we won International Living Magazine’s contest to Test Drive Retirement Overseas and they sent us to Coronado Beach, Panama for a month. We spent an additional 6 weeks on our own exploring the rest of Panama. In January, we returned to Ecuador which we had first visited in 2010 and made the decision to move to Cuenca, which we did in March of this year. I am currently working on another series entitled Moonlight Memories. So far I have 5 books planned in the series. Part of the books will be set in the US, part in Panama, part in Ecuador, possibly Mexico and who knows where else. Over the next few years we plan to spend time in Ireland and Italy and I hope set books there as well.

Where can our readers purchase your book?

My books are available on Amazon in both e-book and printed formats. My author’s name is J. Michael Herron and if they search that they will be directed to the Amazon store to purchase them.

Editors Note- This book is for adults only.

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Gravely Gap by Raland Patterson Gravely Gap continues the story of Jesse and Michael Barkley, of Sugar Creek. They return from war to uncertain times in the North Georgia Mountains they call home. Dreaming for a better life and security for their families, they leave their fears behind and embrace the changing times of the 1940’s and 1950’s. They and their children continue their journey by falling in love, having children, dealing with loss and learning the values of living in a small town where friendships are real and neighbors really do help each other. By embracing faith, family and hard work, they never abandon their strong mountain values and prove the American dream is still alive and well.

When did you decide you wanted to be an author? And how long did it take you to write your first book?

My first book was written in 2003. I decided to write my first book when Ann, my wife, challenged me to write one. It took me four months to write Hogback.

GG really sounds like a true to life story, how much of what goes on in the book really happened to you?

I would probably say 80% of the events took place. Of course, I changed the details of the events in order to tell a story. My memories were just a place to begin and I changed people and places. It’s a lot easier to write about something you know or experienced. For example in GG, the two hundred acres was really my family’s farm.

Does tomato juice really work to get off skunk spray, (didn't seem to work really well for Jessie in your book), and do you have any first hand experience with that?

The skunk incident -- I was in the jeep shown on Page 72 and that actually happened. My next door neighbor took me coon hunting and would you believe that was my last coon hunting trip. The tomato juice didn’t work for me either, but Mother only let me waste one quart of her canned tomatoes in the effort. It’s a good thing I slept in the attic!

Would you please tell us the names of all your books and give us a sentence describing each?

Hogback – I brought a serial killer to Blue Ridge in the seventies. “Suspense.”

Hoverdown – I used an event from Vietnam to come up with the story of a young warrant officer being sent to Leavenworth. Upon his release, I located him in Ellijay, Ga where he seeks revenge on two of the characters from Hogback who were responsible for his incarceration. “Suspense.”

Talking Rock – It’s the third book in the series and is a suspense. The main character is female.

Sugar Creek – An elderly couple are instrumental characters in the previous books. This one tells their story of growing up in the forties.

Gravely Gap – Is a continuation of the story of the two brothers from the previous book, Sugar Creek. It’s Blue Ridge in the fifties.

Bear Cat – This book begins when the main character gets on the plane to go to Vietnam and follows him as a maintenance officer and test pilot for a helicopter unit during his year in country.

The Ledger – It’s a story of a soldier who tries to fulfill his father’s deathbed request for him to make a difference in the world.

Silver Bullets – It’s a non-fiction book compiled of short stories of life’s lessons I’ve learned to motivate young people as they enter the business world.

I heard the exciting news that one of your books is being made into a movie. Would you tell us about that?

My revenge thriller Hogback has been turned into the screenplay, “Blue Ridge”, by Doug Klozzner. Blue Ridge” has been optioned by Oscar and Emmy winning director/producer Agustin (“Badge of Honor” starring Mena Suvari, Martin Sheen) and the project is in development; Doug is co-producing.

Where can people purchase your books?

You can get my books at---- Mercier's, Ingles in Blue Ridge, Pat's Kitchen, Amazon, Kindle, and the best place is at a book signing.

What do you get if you cross an apple with a shellfish? - A crab apple!

What's worse than finding a worm in your apple? Finding half a worm.

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t is getting to be that time of year for our fun fall activities so we chose our craft along those lines. We wanted to find something that was cute and fun to make but could be used to leave out and decorate your home for the entire length of the fall season. We couldn’t think of anything more fitting for this than to make scarecrows. The biggest problem is trying to decide which scarecrow craft to make but then we thought why choose one when we could double the fun and pick two!

We are making a couple different kinds of scarecrows. The first one will be made from Popsicle sticks and the second one is made from empty toilet paper rolls. In addition to these items we used colored foam pieces, cupcake liners, colorful cotton balls, googly eyes, and markers. Todays Krafty Kids are my 8 year old son Tristan and his best friend 8 year old Payton. They are very excited to get started and make some cool scarecrows.

First thing before we get started I decided to use the hot glue gun to glue together the popsicle sticks but you can also use school glue on them if you have the extra time to wait for them to dry. I glued 7 sticks side by side and one diagonal for the hat line and to help hold them all together. While I was doing this the boys were picking out their eyes and cutting their hats out of the colored foam pieces. It was a frenzy of chatter and laughter as they went through the art supplies talking about their ideas to make their scarecrow special.

Once the sticks were ready I helped them glue on their eyes which they had chosen one huge eye and one small eye to make their scarecrows extra silly and then we glued on their hats they had cut from the foam. Last thing to be glued was the fuzzy little noses made of colored cotton balls. The boys were then left to decorate the hat and draw on the mouths with their markers which they were more than ready to do all the while smiling and chatting like little boys do. Tristan decided his scarecrow needed a mustache to make him extra cool while Payton wanted a more clean cut looking scarecrow.

Once these scarecrows were finished we were on to our next project of making our empty toilet paper roll scarecrows. For this little guy all you need is one roll, one popsicle stick, one cupcake liner, the eyes and the cotton balls for hair. The boys again picked out their supplies and we gathered

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them together while talking about how creative we could be to make these little scarecrows look unique. I love hearing them giggle and talk about all the ways they could make their project their own.

They are not at all shy about telling me exactly what they want for their scarecrows so we gather it all together quickly and get straight to work.

I again got out the glue gun and glued the stick across the middle and back of the roll. This allows it to stick out each side looking like the scarecrows arms. Tristan decided he wanted his scarecrow to have red hair and Payton couldn’t decide what color hair he wanted his to have so we did a multi-color hair of green and red. I glued the hair onto the inside of the cupcake liner and then glued the liner onto the top of the roll. This gives the look of the liner being the hat and the hair sticking out from under it.

Last thing to get glued was the eyes which amazingly enough both boys decided to leave them both the same for these cute little scarecrows and of normal size. Once everything had been glued into place they were ready to get back to the markers to add their special touches to them. They drew on the noses and mouths and decorated the body and hat. Again playing and discussing the differences and similarities of their scarecrows with each other.

Fall is filled with so many fun and interesting crafts that you can do. If your family goes to festivals or on leaf hunts you can use many of the cool things you find in these places to make a fun fall craft that will bring your family together for some laughing and creating. I always consider it an honor to be able to craft with my kids and listen to their laughter while I watch their world open up with the many creative ideas they bring to life with each new craft.

I hope you have enjoyed out scarecrow crafts and that you will try some of these ideas with your own children. Just have fun with it and make it your own. Often the best crafts can be created with just the little extra things you have laying around your house. Sometimes we even make a game out of who can create the coolest crafts using things we would have normally thrown away. The important thing is to take the time to create while enjoying your children. Little people sometimes have the biggest and best ideas!

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Interview by Lora Bunch

had the pleasure of doing an interview and chat with Ms. Ashlie Rae a top rising female artist located right here in our North Georgia Mountains. I attended a show of hers recently at the Brew house in Rome and was blown away, not only by her amazing voice and talent, but by her stage presence and energy.

This lady really knows how to put on a show! She is very involved and is constantly interacting with her audience. You can tell she is having a blast performing for her fans. There was immediate energy filling the air when she took the stage and grabbed the microphone. Ashlie is a laid back and happy person and spent a few minutes chatting with me before and after the show making sure I felt welcome. We later got together at her home in Cartersville for a sit down interview with her and her sweet puppy Millie where some girl talk may have broken out as well..

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

Ashlie: I started singing at the age of two. I didn’t start writing until after high school about 2008.

Lora: What was the first thing you learned to sing?

Ashlie: The Little Mermaid and other Disney Movie songs.

Lora: Is anyone else in your family musical?

Ashlie: Yes both my sisters sing and my dad is an amazing drummer.

Lora: Do you play any instruments and if so when did you start playing them?

Ashlie: Yes, I play the piano and started playing it in middle school then went to a performing arts high school and took classes there. I also took performing arts classes there including appearing in 21 musicals and plays. I have recently started learning to play the guitar as well.

Lora: Where are you from?

Ashlie: I was born in North Carolina and grew up in South Carolina. I

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have been a Georgia Peach since 2001.

Lora: Do you have another job besides music?

Ashlie: Yes, I am a waitress at Long Horn in Cartersville Monday through Thursday for lunch.

Lora: Tell me about why you love country music?

Ashlie: I love that it is ever changing and that the people are very inviting. Everyone at shows just wants to have a good time. I love music period and it is just in my blood.

Lora: Who are the members of your band and what do they do?

Ashlie: Corey Forsyth plays bass, Ray Cupp on drums, Kyle Pitts guitar, Tim Burris guitar and Ashlie Rae vocals. My dad owns a gym in Cedartown and we all meet there about once a week to practice.

Lora: Who are your biggest musical inspirations and if you could play anywhere and open for anyone where and who would you choose?

Ashlie: My biggest musical inspirations are Reba McEntire. She is sassy and timeless. Also, Christina Aguilera, Miranda Lambert and Pistol Annies. If I could play anywhere it would be the Grand Ole Opry and if I could open for anyone I wanted it would be Miranda Lambert.

Lora: Who is your favorite musician right now and what songs are on your play list?

Ashlie: Kasey Musgraves. She started out writing songs for Miranda Lambert and is just so cool and a very good song writer. Songs on my playlist would be Kasey Musgraves songs, Sangria by Blake Shelton and Diamond Rings and Old Bar Stools by Tim McGraw.

Lora: What is the biggest show you have ever done and who are some big names you have had the chance to work with?

Ashlie: The biggest show I have ever done was opening for Billy Currington at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, I won an open mic contest in Rome at the 333 and got to do a tailgate party at Rome River Jam in which Billy Currington also headlined and I have also done a writers workshop with Linda Davis in Nashville.

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

Photos by Lora Bunch Lora: What is your favorite song or Courtesy of you have ever written and why?

Ashlie Rae Ashlie: Six Dollars in the Tip Jar, because it has real background and a lot to do with my dad’s influence on me and my music and it tells the truth as to how it really is when you are starting out and you realize how you will have to work your way up and pay your dues.

Lora: What do you see in the future for your music?

Ashlie: I definitely see more originals that I write being played on the radio and I want to play for a billion people in Phillips Arena.

Lora: Do you still get nervous before a show?

Ashlie: Maybe a little if it’s a really big show, but mostly now I just get excited and I am always ready to perform.

Lora: What is the funniest thing that has ever happened at a show?

Ashlie: I was performing at The Pour House in Ellijay and it was slam packed. We were taking a break out by my trailer and all of a sudden there is a guy on a horse coming from the liquor store and he stops and ask if we have a beer. We tell him no but we have fireball so he decides to stay and rides his horse named Moses over and hooks him up out back and goes inside to watch us play. After the second set he comes up and says there isn’t enough money in the tip jar so he decides to bring his horse in and rides the horse around the bar with the tip jar and gets tips. After one round he says it still isn’t enough so he makes another round. He stands on the horse doing tricks. He has since done this again at another show there where I rode with him carrying the tip jar and singing Bon Jovi’s Dead or Alive and when it came to the part about the horse I sang on Moses I ride instead of a steel horse. It was definitely unique and a lot of fun.

Lora: Do you have any other special or unique fans you want to talk about?

Ashlie: Tim Pattison just has a good time and brings many people to all the shows and promotes us on Facebook with shares and videos of shows. He is a very loyal fan with a unique personality. Randy Broom comes to shows whenever he can and helps with equipment relentlessly and has filmed tons of shows and promoted videos on You Tube and Facebook. Neither of these guys will take pay for helping they just show up and want to help in any way they can.

Lora: What hobbies do you enjoy outside of music and what are three things you can’t live without?

Ashlie: I love to shop and do crafts and three things I can’t live without would be mascara, my dog Millie who is a Boston terrier and my friends and family.

Lora: Tell me about your tattoos?

Ashlie: I have 6 of them and the first one is on my hip. I was 18 and got a crown because I thought I was a princess. I have music notes behind my ears to remind me there is always music to be heard, the word dream on my hand reminding me to dream and chase my dreams, one on my foot in remembrance of a friend who has passed away, another one on my hip of peacock feathers which means lots of good things, and then a key on my wrist for the key to happiness.

Lora: Do you have any advice for beginners?

Ashlie: Give it all you got even if it is in front of a crowd who isn’t paying much attention to you. You have to toughen your skin because you will get negativity and just never give up.

Ashlie says she is just a regular girl trying to live out her dreams. She plays a variety of music in her set list of old and new rock, pop and country music and likes to keep things interesting and new. Her family is very supportive and helpful and she says she couldn’t ask for anything more. She has won awards such as GA Country and Gospel Music Associations best female vocalist and best entertainer for the last 3 years in a row and is currently nominated in the preliminaries of the GA Country Music Awards for best female artist 2015.

She is a rising star with much talent and an electric energy about her.

You will definitely be entertained and have a blast if you attend her shows. You can find her on ITunes, Reverb nation, Spotify, You Tube, and social media sites such as Facebook (Ashlie Rae and Ashlie Rae Music), Twitter (Ashlie Rae Music) and Instagram (Ashlierae89).

You can find her music and listings for shows on all the above listed sites as well. Keep an eye and ear out for this dynamic female because you will be hearing the name Ashlie Rae often in the coming future.

Q: Do monsters eat popcorn with their fingers? A: NO, they eat the fingers separately.

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s we rushed out the door again this morning, the thought of first day of school traffic and school buses on the roads was quickly erased as the breeze gently reminded me to slow down. It’s summer still, but there was almost a chill this morning. Driving down the steep incline from my house, I commented to Charlee that the days were already getting shorter because we were still surrounded by dusk. The crisp air and her chatter took my memory back through the years. That seems to happen a lot this time of the year, along with the fact that this is my 21st year in a row of first day of school…but only six more years to go! I must admit though, I LOVE autumn! I think it’s my favorite season! I love bonfires and festivals and the cool weather being nice enough to walk and enjoy the sounds and smells of the leaves now covering the ground, and the beginning of the holiday season! Of course, you know it also brings out stories of my kids!

Chelci, my oldest daughter, loves Halloween.

She always has. She loves dressing up and comes up with unusual costumes, even to this day! Growing up, she’s always been so adorable in her costumes, until she was old enough to wear the scary ones. I made most of her costumes through the years, a Hershey’s kiss, a hobo, and Pocahontas just to name a few. But one year during her Barney phase, I found a Baby Bop costume for her. It was thick and plush, a very nice costume. She loved petting on it and wanted to carry it around wherever she went. She was probably two, and so adorable with her little pig-tails carrying a deflated Baby Bop. Finally, it was here! HALLOWEEN!! We were so excited and went to put the costume on her to head out to the square for trick-or-treating. I got her all dressed, it wasn’t as easy as I had thought to cram all of her into that costume, but finally succeeded.

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She went toddling out of the bedroom with her tail wagging, literally! Then…a screeching halt as she passed the full length mirror. Blood curdling screams came from my tiny adorable dinosaur! She saw her reflection and was absolutely terrified. She thought Baby Bop ate her! I tried and tried to explain to her, but that’s the one year she went as Chelci for Halloween, and NEVER touched the costume again!

On into the wonderful season, my mom’s favorite holiday, THANKSGIVING! The excitement of going to see all the family and friends, getting the Christmas tree up, sweaters and jeans…aaahhh…Thanksgiving. The season of overeating. This particular holiday puts a memory of my young Charlee in my mind. It was at the Thanksgiving dinner at church. There was such a wonderful smorgasbord of smells and mouthwatering dishes from which to choose.

The sounds of laughter and chatter filled the kitchen area. We always got the kids’ plates first, then went to prepare our own after getting them settled into a Sunday school room, so they could play when finished. I was in line and could almost taste the turkey and dressing, when a little hand tugged my sleeve. I looked down, and it was a little girl a little older than Charlee, with an almost frightened look on her face. She said, “Miss Mechelle, you may want to come look at this.” So I followed her to the room, and there was my Charlee, as happy as could be, to the point of beaming with pride!

She said, “MOMMY! WOOK! I made dis pretty!” I can’t explain what I was feeling as I assessed the damage of the Big Bird yellow paint that was dripping from the container onto the table where it finally landed. The walls, carpet, chairs and table were all “decorated” with the paint, and my little Picasso had a healthy dose of yellow all over herself! I was mortified! She had an audience of toddlers

silently staring as I stood there, dumbfounded.

My poor baby didn’t understand why I was messing up her beautiful artwork when I started grabbing anything I could to clean the mess. And what a mess it was! We even rented a carpet shampooer and scrubbed for hours to try to get it up. If I have a tip from this, it would be…if the label on paint says “washable”…don’t believe it. It may not be true.

Oh my Charlee. She definitely keeps me on my toes wondering what she’ll do next. Same church, different holiday, CHRISTMAS! The Christmas play was finally here! Charlee was a fairy in that particular play, and wore an adorable purple costume with a sequined tutu. She was such a ham, and the audience never seemed to bother her at all. I can’t recall the theme of the play, but I know there were fairies and for some reason, there was a red child-sized shopping cart there, along with a few other props. The children all did a fantastic job with the play, and the manger scene with a baby doll serving as baby Jesus.

When they finished, there was a big surprise!

SANTA CLAUS! He came into the church to see all the children and hear their wishes.

Charlee was a bit cautious of Santa, but she sat on his lap and hurriedly had a chat with him, but it was like she had an ulterior motive. And she did. When she got down from his lap, she kept an eye on Santa, but as quick as a flash, when he was busy, Charlee took the cart and kidnapped baby Jesus from the manger, chunked him in the cart and took off as fast as quickly as she could to keep Santa from seeing her! She took him to the back of the church and held him for just a few minutes, then quietly returned him to the manger, all with Santa being oblivious to her activity. I really hope that’s the last of her criminal activity!

On Halloween night, it's when people play tricks on each other. It's all make-believe- Jamie Lee Curtis in “Halloween”

Story by Thia - Photos by Robb

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micalola is one of the most beautiful places in our area. Wilderness, waterfalls, hiking trails and nature give you just about everything you can imagine for a fun filled, awe inspiring day with mother nature. But you are gonna get hungry! And there is a solution to that problem just a short walk away! Last Sunday, we attended the Amicalola Lodge’s Brunch. The view from your table is magnificent, but the food is almost better than the view. Let me start by saying that they have the best bacon I’ve ever had in my life! And I found out the secret to cooking it, but more about that later. It was breakfast time so I thought I’d go grab some eggs and toast, but when I neared the buffet, the first thing I saw and smelled was a delicious prime rib being sliced by a friendly chef. Right then and there I decided I’d be having lunch. A chunk of beef smothered with au jus, some scalloped potatoes and green beans and broccoli is what was on my plate when I sat down to eat. The

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meat was tender, succulent, and spicy around the edges, just the way I like it. The potatoes were flavorful and cooked just right. The veggies, which honestly I just got to make the pictures look nice, were so good that I ate every single one of them! So after having my lunch for breakfast, and taking a break to look out the window, chat with our waitress and the chef, I had enough room for another round of deliciousness.

Okay, this time I was having breakfast for breakfast, so I grabbed some squares of a fluffy egg/spinach dish, six pieces of bacon and some cubed potatoes with peppers mixed in. My breakfast was awesome!

The bacon was out of this world! Crispy, not greasy, thick, cooked perfectly with the fat being brown and the red meaty part, salty and crunchy. And it was close to flat strips! So after some chatting up the chef, he finally gave in and was nice enough to tell me how they made that bacon.

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

Not fried, not deep fried, not microwaved. It was baked!

Baked in the oven. The best I can describe what he explained to me was, you start with a cookie sheet. On top of that you put a raised wire rack.

You lay the bacon on that.

Then you put another cookie sheet on top of it, and the whole thing goes in a hot oven. The grease drains down, the bacon crisps up and stays flat. Now, I can’t guarantee I have that exactly right, he was kind of whispering it when he told me because it’s a secret.

So you can try it at home, but I highly recommend that you just go there and let them do the hard work, and enjoy an absolutely over the top terrific meal, in a clean friendly relaxing atmosphere, with an amazing view. Plus you can ask the chef for yourself and maybe you’ll do a better job at getting the directions. I would have been happy to pay 19.95 for the all you can eat buffet, even without the view! But the view? It’s spectacular!

Robb here - Of course, we had to visit the falls. As we left the lodge the top of the falls were right there on the way down. We parked our Jeep and took the short walk to the overlook to enjoy the view from the top. It is a truly beautiful spot.

We got back in the car and headed down to the bottom.

Getting to the actual falls is a bit more of a hike but well worth the trip. Thia was too full of bacon, she decided to wait at the bottom while I made the trip up. The path is paved all the way but it gets a bit steep in areas. All along there are lots of mini-falls, great spots for picture-taking or just to sit, relax and take in the beauty. My suggestion, it might be a better idea to take the hike to the falls first, work up an appetite and then hit the buffet.

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

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

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. - Martin Luther

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As an artist, nothing is as inspirational to me as the amazing colors of fall. The bright yellow, red and orange hues spread out over the landscape transform it into a giant interactive work of art that I get to drive through, live in and be a part of, until the last leave has fallen and winter’s chilly presence drives me inside to hibernate and create…

When I was trying to decide what to create for the fall issue of The Best of The North Georgia Mountains, I knew that whatever I made, it had to include leaves in some way shape or form. Then, when I was on one of my thrift shop explorations I found a package of autumn cookie cutters, and knew that that was the beginning of my creation. Although I wouldn’t normally mix shiny metal with more rustic and natural components, as the pieces of the puzzle came together, I was excited to see how they would play off of each other and how the silver would add a spark to the more muted and natural pieces.

I knew that I wanted some kind of branch or twig as the main structure of the piece and when my daughter Rose pointed out the wonderfully knurly branch sticking out from a pile of yard debris, I knew that it was exactly what I was looking for. I remembered seeing the pine cones at another thrift shop, and was lucky enough to still find them there when I went back to purchase them. Hunting up the acorns in our yard seemed an easy thing to do, until I realized that even though there were an abundance of caps, the squirrels, deer and other wildlife had beat me to the nuts. Not a problem though as I had just purchased a bag of wooden beads at a yard sale that just happened to be the perfect color and size to glue to the caps and create my own acorns… In fact I even decided to share one of my acorns with the friendly little squirrel who sits on top of the mobile. In the end, I was so pleased with how things “came together “and I hope you are too.

I post instructions and directions for my projects for you to follow as a guideline, but I hope that you will use them as inspiration to get you started as you create your own, one of a kind D.I.Y. “Falling Leaves” mobile.

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Time: Time: Gathering the supplies – Take your time; enjoy the beautiful weather as you rummage through the woods to find your acorns and pine cones, or through the area’s thrift shops looking for that special object that sparks your imagination... It will take a little prep time the day before to get things ready and an afternoon with a cup of your favorite warm beverage and inspirational music to assemble your mobile

Supplies: Tree branch, twig, or piece of driftwood Chain to hang it from 3 - Split rings to attach chain Acorns, hand-picked, homemade or store bought Pine Cones (same as above) Cookie cutters in chosen theme

Small metal bells in coordinating finish String, twine, jute, wire or fish line as desired (must be strong) Glue (E6000), super glue 1 Screw Drill press, small drill, Dremel tool or hammer and nail

Directions: Before you start to assemble your mobile, please heat your natural elements in the oven to exterminate any creatures that may be attached.

CAUTION: Please be careful, watch your oven carefully and do not leave anything unattended! Let cool 1: Carefully drill small holes into acorn caps (using a small drill bit, Dremel tool or hammer and nail) 2: Glue bead into cap making sure that the holes line up. Let dry. (I used E6000 glue) I also did this step the day before I strung the mobile to insure that my glue had set properly 3: Carefully drill small holes into top and bottom of Cookie Cutters 4: Attach chain to both ends of branch using jump rings.

5: Find center balancing point and add third jump ring as hanger. *I found that at this point it was easier to hang the mobile to continue working on it, but you may also prefer to just lie it down on a large, flat surface.

6: Cut string into desired lengths (vary lengths for visual interest) 7: Attach string to desired spot on branch. Tie tightly making several knots. Put a drop of super glue on knot to hold.

8: Begin stringing your decorative pieces onto line one at a time. *For visual interest, vary the spaces between each piece.) * To add a little tingle, I also tried to make sure that a bell would touch a cookie cutter, or a cookie cutter would touch an acorn as the breeze moves them.

As you string on your components tie a knot under each to hold it in place. (Depending on the size of the hole, you may have to make several knots.) *When stringing on the cookie cutters I ran the line through the top hole and held the cookie cutter in the desired position, I then strung a bell up into the hole in the cookie cutter and tied a knot under the bell, this not only held the cookie cutter in place, but it let the cookie cutter rest on the bell rather than the string itself. I then ran the line through the bottom hole and tied a knot.

9: I chose to hang all of my pine cones at the bottom of each line to act as a wind catcher.

I simply made a slip knot at the bottom of each line and wrapped it tightly around a cluster of the pine cone. I then put a knot at the very end of the line to insure that the slip knot would not come lose. I also put a drop of super glue where the string and the pine cone meet.

10: Pre-drill hole in squirrel and branch and screw squirrel onto branch.

11: Share one of your acorns with the little squirrel, glue it at the bottom of it's feet or in it's hands.

12: Hang and Enjoy!

"Be afraid... Be very afraid.”- from “The Fly”

"Every town has an Elm Street." -Freddy Krueger)

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“Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.”- from A Nightmare on Elm Street

I wanted a different and lighter Apple recipe. My daughter had a great idea for this dish. We have been trying to eat healthier with less sugar. Together we made this dish. She made the pastry, using crescent rolls, purchased at the grocery store. I went on line and got a lighter caramel sauce recipe to drizzle over the top.

Filling 6 medium apples (I used Honey Crisp apples) 1/4 cup brown sugar ( light or brown) 2 T. Flour 1/4 t. Cinnamon 1T. Lemon 1T. butter 1/4 t. Vanilla

Caramel sauce 1cup light brown sugar 1T. flour 2T. butter 1cup boiling water 3/4 t. Cinnamon 2t. Vanilla Pastry is Crescent rolls

Core and peel apples. Cut in 1/2 inch pieces. In a sautĂŠ pan add butter on medium high setting, add brown sugar, flour, cinnamon.

Mix together. (don't let the butter burn) Add apples, mix well, cover and sautĂŠ until apples are soft. Remove from heat add lemon and vanilla, set aside to cool.

Open crescent roll, lay pastry in a rectangle on a cookie sheet and pinch together to make it so that it is one solid piece of pastry. Leaving about 4 inches in the middle for the apples, cut one inch pieces along both sides. Place apples down the middles and crisscross strips over apples and close up both ends to prevent any filling from coming out. Beat one egg white and brush top. Cook according to directions on crescent roll package.

While apples are baking, boil 1 cup of water. In a sauce pan, mix brown sugar and flour, stir in water. Cook on medium stirring constantly until slightly thick, add butter and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in cinnamon and vanilla. Drizzle over apples and serve warm.

Until next edition, enjoy!

Nan

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"We all go a little mad sometimes." -Norman Bates in Psycho

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"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” from The Shining

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