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Summer Lovin’ Love stories from area couples
Inns and B&B’s A Train Ride to New Orleans
Lady Devil Adriana Durden
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Volume 8 • No. 4
Publisher/Ad Director DAN SUTTON Editor ANGYE MORRISON Graphics Coordinator IRIS HARBIN Design/Layout DEREK SCHAPER Contributors STEVE CARTER MIKE CHASON LATASHA EVERSON BECKY TAYLOR CHRISTINE TIBBETTS Circulation RACHEL WAINWRIGHT
Tifton Scene Magazine is published bimonthly at 211 N. Tift Ave., Tifton, GA 31794 by The Tifton Gazette p: 229.382.4321 • f: 229.387.7322 P.O. Box 708 • Tifton, GA 31793-0708 email: angye.morrison@gaflnews.com www.tiftongazette.com Letters and all editorial contributions may be sent to the above address or emailed to angye.morrison@gaflnews.com TiftonScene is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. Reproduction or use of any article, photo or graphic content, without the express permission of the publisher is prohibited. Advertising rates and ad specifications available by contacting: • Jody Benson, Ext. 1932 • Kitty Stone, Ext. 1910 • George Moody, Ext. 1929 • Chelsea Fowler, Ext. 1928 Newsstand: $3.00 Subscription (six editions per year): $12.00
A Magazine with Personality!
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CO N T R I B U TO R S Angye Morrison is the editor of The Tifton Gazette. Morrison is a Georgia native who hails from Lincoln County, and is an avid high school football fan, as well as the Georgia Bulldogs. She is a graduate of Augusta State University, and has worked at newspapers in Georgia and Florida, as a reporter, photographer, paginator and editor. For her, summer lovin' has but one meaning…water. She loves to go to the beach or camp out beside a mountain stream. “There’s no noise like the babbling of a brook or the sound of ocean waves,” she says. “Nothing says summer like that, for me.”
Latasha Everson has been with The Gazette for more than two years as a reporter (three years on August 16 to be exact). Everson started August 16, 2010, fresh out of college. She graduated from Turner County High School in Ashburn in 2006, where she was involved in yearbook and journalism. In 2010, she earned her bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in professional writing from Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus. While at GSW, she was involved with the literary and visual arts magazine, Sirocco, for three years. “When I think about the words ‘summer love,’ the first thing that comes to mind is enjoying a nice, tall glass of something sweet with ice outside on a hot summer day, sitting on the porch or in the yard with family. I have always loved the outdoors, especially during the summer, laughing and reminiscing on the past with the people I love. That’s what I call some good ol’ southern, summer lovin’.” Becky Taylor joined the sports department of The Tifton Gazette in September 2012. She was reared in Berrien County and developed a love of sports, starting with the 1991 Atlanta Braves and an invitation to keep basketball scorebooks for Nashville Middle a year later. She graduated from Berrien High, attended ABAC and finished Valdosta State with a degree in History. Five years later, she found herself in Athens and later graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Newspapers. Prior to joining The Gazette, she worked some with Georgia Public Broadcasting for the in-production “As If We Were Ghosts” and has done research for the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association. She believes the feelings of summer are invoked in beach music. The Beach Boys’ anthem of All Summer Long. The Lovin’ Spoonful telling you about Summer in the City. A sense of youth, freedom and hopefully the smell of someone grilling. Christine Tibbetts started life in New Jersey and ventured west in 1966 for the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Tifton became home in1978. Her professional focus for 30 years was marketing and public relations for the arts and education, for healthcare and early childhood education, plus a healthy dose of community activism and political advocacy. You can find her work for the Equal Rights Amendment on record in the Library of Congress. Crafting stories of places near and far dominates Tibbetts’ work now. Summer lovin’ evokes memories of the Jersey shore for Tibbetts with childhood summers spent in Bruce Springsteen’s neighborhood.
Steve Carter grew up loving newspapers and began working for his hometown paper in Ocilla when he was a sophomore at Irwin County High School. Besides working there, Carter has also worked as a student sports information director at Albany State University, as a scorer for the minor league South Georgia Sharpshooters basketball team and in several capacities for the Albany Polecats. During his time in school, Carter was the 1988 Staff Member of the Year with award-winning paper at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, The Stallion. Carter began working at the Gazette in 1999, and has served in several capacities, including sports editor and assistant news editor. He is currently the pagination supervisor for The Gazette. “I love summer for all of the new movie releases. I normally try to put aside time to catch everything when it comes out the first weekend,” Carter said. Mike Chason is the director of Public Relations Emeritus at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. He is a native of Lakeland, a 1970 graduate of Lanier County High School, and a 1974 graduate of Valdosta State College. He was sports editor of the Valdosta Daily Times before joining the ABAC staff as director of Public Relations in 1979. He retired from ABAC in 2011 and now works part-time for the college while running Chason Enterprises LLC. “I love summer time! ‘Summer loving’ conjures up thoughts of long, lazy summertime days in Lakeland, filled with boyhood adventures like catching fish and frying them on the banks of the Alapaha River, sitting on top of the homemade ice cream churn while my dad cranked it, playing under the sprinkler on melting hot summer afternoons, and settling back in front of the oscillating fan reading books from the Lakeland Library.” JULY•AUGUST 2013 | TiftonScene
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Jan Walker Keadle • Natalie Barber & Todd Barnette • March 2, 2013 & March 9, 2013 Lauren French & Rob Buckley • rch 16, 2013 Danielle Godwin Ma • n so hn Jo vis Erica Ward & Tra rch 16, 2013 Ma • ns ke Lu t ur Hallie Willis & Co Ron Arant • March 30, 2013 n& Amanda Bullingto even Bruner • March 30, 2013 St rch 30, 2013 Randi Cooney & & Josh White • Ma ril, 5 2013 Tiffany Crumley Ap • e & Kyle Payn Kimberly Gandy • April 6, 2013 & Marcus Nichols • April 13, 2013 Latilya Johnson s ow ad Me l ae ch & Mi Becky Lastinger & Luke Hogan • April 20, 2013 Rebecca Sapp • April 27, 2013 Camaron Revels April 27, 2013 Summer Pate & • el ni Da Brannon 4, 2013 Hilar y Aycock & er Morrow • May 13 ph to ris Ch & ry 20 4, y Ma • id Michelle Bemb Me even VanDer Abby Walker & St Luke Gordon • May 11, 2013 Shelley Baxter & tt Hughes • May 18, 2013 Haley Moore & Ma e Shelley • May 18, 2013 Jo Allyson Harten & ew Rutland • May 18, 2013 Dr & ez av Ch ne 1, 2013 Teresa ed Tompkins • Ju Raleigh Hall & Jar Blake Edore • June 8, 2013 & Haiden Hudson • June 8, 2013 & Joseph Hardy • June 8, 2013 Heather Hullett rts ds & Joshua Robe Georganne Swor & Elliot Sumner • June 15, 2013 t igh Wr ha nt ma • June 22, 2013 Sa & Detera Marshall June 22, 2013 Alyssa Bonneau • rs ke Vic s Jame ne 29, 2013 Amber Bruner & & CJ Schofill • Ju Brittany Courtoy & Kris Stone • July 13, 2013 Amanda Johnson • July 20, 2013 & Shelby Jarrell gust 10, 2013 Heather Sumner Au • chael Music Kristy Baker & Mi nt Graves • August 10, 2013 Ga Jessica Baxter & August 24, 2013 & Eugene King • Charnele Smith gust 31, 2013 Au • ns he ep St Sara Wells & Paul Carpenter • September 7, 2013 & Chance tober 5, 2013 Heather Busbin one Webster • Oc Ashly Stone & Bo ed Hall • October 12, 2013 Re Kristen Chung & October 26, 2013 John Robinson • mber 2, 2013 Kristian Swain & b Miller • Nove Macie Hood & Ro November 9, 2013 David Beranek • November 9, 2013 & s rd wa Ed lle • n Danie so in St ew ky & Andr November 9, 2013 Kristen Kostelec d Patrick Fallin • Cecilia Estella an rren Elder • November 30, 2013 Wa Angela Moore & sh Miley • December 14, 2013 Dana Sloan & Jo ob Mayne • December 21, 2013 d Jac Meagan Royal an
contents JULY•AUGUST 2013
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FEATURE Age doesn’t mean a thing
FEATURE It’s the scenery along the way that counts
FEATURE Journey to the altar
TRAVEL Snazzy inns and B&B’s
TRAVEL Taking the train to New Orleans
SPORTS Tift’s Durden hoping for a big season
EVENTS Kids lovin’ summer
ON THE COVER Andy and Suzanne Oliver spend many a summer’s day enjoying life and loving summer – as well as each other – on the screened-in porch of their home. Photo by Angye Morrison
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memorandum
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ummer lovin’. For some folks, the words evoke images of sand castles, starfish and sea foam. For others, it’s about that trip to the mountains for a stay in a remote cabin. For still others, summer lovin’ brings to mind images of a long-lost first love. Still for some, images of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John in a certain movie pop up. Whatever you think of when you hear the words “summer lovin’,” one thing is for certain. Everyone loves summer. There’s tons to do, and lots of places to be explored. There’s nothing like running through the grass in your bare feet, or riding a bike down a hill, feeling the breeze blow through your hair. Or how about that lazy summer afternoon spent in a hammock with a good book? For me, summer lovin’ – our theme this issue – is all about freedom. It starts when we’re kids, and that last school bell of the year rings…and we know summer is officially here. Pool time, playing, popsicles and picking berries. We chose this theme because it has so many layers. Summer lovin’, at first glance, would seem to be romantic in nature. It is, of course, one layer. We all remember that first summer crush. In this issue, we do give a nod toward romance by talking with two couples who are in it for the long haul – one has been together for 60-plus years, while the other, by comparison, is still in their honeymoon period…they’ve been together 23 years. We are also turning the spotlight on one of our own, Latasha Everson, who is in the midst of planning her wedding for toward the end of the summer. She shares with us her journey to the altar. But summer lovin’ is also about loving summer, and we’ve tried to bring that out as well. We are featuring a story about a local young lady who is a terror on the mound as a top softball player. Summer was made for softball. In addition, you’ll find two travel stories, written by local folks who have traveled throughout the state and beyond. Travel is a big part of summer, and we know you’ll love reading about the places Christine Tibbetts and Mike Chason have visited. Last but not least, we’re sharing photos of kids at our local library enjoying another reason we love summer – reading. We feature photos from a recent library event with a storyteller, who engaged the children and helped to increase their love of using their imaginations. We also showcase photos of children who are working to test their knowledge and comprehension as they read, and to work toward earning high marks for reading. Join us as we journey on this summer, loving the season, loving the fun and loving Tifton and Tift County.
Angye Morrison, Editor 811529
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FEATURE
For this Tifton couple –
age doesn’t mean a thing by ANGYE MORRISON
“She’s the reason I breathe.”
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ndy Oliver speaks these words with such love in his eyes as he looks at his wife, Suzanne. The Tifton couple has been together for 23 years, and in many ways are like any other couple. They like going out to dinner and seeing the latest movie. They enjoy travel. Family is important, and they love to spend time with them. But what makes them different is also what makes them work – Suzanne is 25plus years older than Andy. The couple met while they were both working at the Target Distribution Center in Tifton. “I was on a trial season and then they let the seasonals go,” said Andy. “When they turned me loose that day, all I made sure of was that we had a date for that night.” When Andy first approached Suzanne and asked her out, she was unsure about it. “She thought it would be like going somewhere with one of her sons, but it wasn’t,” Andy said. “He worked out on the floor, and they were doing write-ups. He had to come and get the sheets from me. Every time he would come in, we would talk some. After a while, I noticed he was coming in way too often to get those sheets,” she said. “We started off as friends, just talking at Target, and then we dated a year and a half,” Andy added. Suzanne said the pair were both at Kutters in Tifton getting haircuts, and Andy asked her, “What would you think about going to a movie?” “I said, that would be fine. My family wasn’t here, and it will be something to do. It’ll be like going out with one of my sons. Only he had different ideas,” Suzanne said. “I had been widowed for eight years. I had
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no intention of getting married again. I thought, OK, I’m earning my own money and taking care of myself, and the boys were doing good, so I didn’t want to complicate my life. The first time I was married it ended in a divorce, and that’s as bad as a death to go through.” Suzanne said once they began dating, she quickly saw “which way he was going.” “I was telling him, listen, I’m just going to get older, and with older comes health issues normally. I threw everything at him I could think of,” she said. “But I could see how committed he was to this. I kept thinking about his age, but he kept on trying to sell it.” Suzanne was especially concerned with what Andy would be giving up if they were to marry. “I was scared. I fought it because I knew this would take away him ever having any children and the joy of having children. That really bothered me that I might be depriving him of some things in life,” she said. “When I knew I was in love with her, I said in one aspect, it doesn’t matter what happens. I’m always going to be here,” Andy said. “We enjoyed our dating time. I asked her to marry me six months into it. I asked her several times. I wouldn’t go away.” She said as they talked about the aging process, she told him, “it’s not going to be pretty.” But eventually, Suzanne realized that “this could be possible.” “I believe that God puts people in your lives for a reason. At first, I was totally opposed. I had told my grandmother I would never go with anybody younger than me. My grandmother said, ‘Don’t say what you won’t do. God will make sure you get to do that.’ I had to get rid of that idea,” she said.
Suzanne said she’s a private person, and was concerned at first about how other people would react. “But Andy is so outgoing and loves everybody. So I finally gave in and said OK, we’re going to do this. But I told him when I’m married, I am totally committed. I’ve always been very monogamous. I went into it thinking, we’re going to make this work,” she said. “We didn’t come into this marriage with the idea that if it doesn’t work, we’ll just get a divorce.” Early on, the couple faced opposition. There were people in each of their families who were against the match. Suzanne’s two sons each had their own opinions – the eldest had more trouble accepting it at first, while the younger said he felt more comfortable with Andy than he would have with someone closer to his mother’s age. These days, the couple enjoys a wonderful relationship with Suzanne’s sons, as well as the couple’s granddaughters, Evie and Eowyn, who spend a lot of time with the Olivers in their home. There’s even a special room in the house, just for the girls. Suzanne also has enjoyed a great relationship with Andy’s mother, who purchased their home for them a couple of years ago, and renovated it for them. “She said she wanted to get us something for Christmas, and I thought it was a truck or something,” Suzanne said. “But
The Olivers spend a lot of time on their screened-in porch, just talking and “watching the world go by,”they say. Photo by Angye Morrison
then she brought us out here, and said ‘if you like it, I want to give it to you.’ And we love it out here.” “This is why we say we’re so blessed,” Andy added. But the couple is aware there are still critics of their relationship. “We have a double standard in this country,” said Suzanne. “If a man marries a younger woman, it’s a trophy bride.” She added that someone once called her a “cougar,” a term with which she takes exception. “To me a cougar is someone who goes after a lot of younger men. My husband is the only younger man I ever dated. My other husbands were older than me,” she said. “You just tell them I chased you, you didn’t chase me,” Andy added with a grin.
“We do still get the looks because I know we’re the odd couple,” Suzanne said, adding that it still bothers her somewhat. “I especially get it from women. I don’t think about age now. I did in the beginning. I don’t consider that anymore. He keeps me young. He’s always wanting to do something, and I think that’s good. It keeps your marriage from getting stale.” Andy says marriage has matured him. “I’ve grown up and I’ve come to appreciate her more. You take each other for granted sometimes. I did that once. But open heart surgery will either tear you apart or bring you closer together. It cemented us,” he said, referring to Suzanne’s surgery, which required a two-year recovery period. She died on the table twice, and this made Andy all the more appreciative of his bride and the life they share.
“It got really ugly. But through a lot of praying, she’s still with me,” he said. “He was my slave driver. There were days I didn’t want to get up because it just hurt too bad. But he kept pushing,” Suzanne added. “We feel like we’re the most blessed people in the world,” Andy said. “We’re happier than a lot of couples who have been married half the time we have. I talk to guys at work all the time who are unhappy and just frustrated with their spouses.” He added that he and Suzanne just genuinely like each other. The couple is only apart when he has to work or has a church meeting. They are active at St. Anne’s in Tifton, and say that faith and family have played a large role in not only their lives as individuals, but in their marriage as well. Having each other, as well as the support of family and their church has helped them deal with Suzanne’s health issues the past few years. “I am reconciled about my health. I am going to live my life and do all the things I want to do,” Suzanne said. “If we’re on the road and something happens, fine, I was having a good time.” “I joke and say I’m married to a gypsy,” Andy said. “But my biggest fear is losing her. I can go through this life but being without Suzanne…I can’t handle it. I know how close I am to losing her and it scares me to death.” But the couple is quick to say that no matter what life throws at them, they are grateful to have found each other, and they continue to have a sense of humor about life in general, as well as their age difference. “I had a good friend who told me I was crazy to marry him. But she told me later on that I had the right idea. She said, ‘You won’t have to take care of him, and you won’t have to bury him. I used to think you were crazy, but now it makes sense.’ If this hadn’t been right, I think God would have let me know,” Suzanne said. Suzanne said when they get “the look” from people, she just thinks to herself, “You don’t know me and you don’t know our lives. You don’t need to worry about this. We have it under control.” Andy gets a kick out of the occasional comment that perhaps he married Suzanne for her money. “I say, she was a clerical at Target. It’s a good job, but you don’t get rich doing it,” he said. “When I fell in love with her, I fell hard. She’s a beautiful woman, inside and out. I am more in love with her now than then.” “I want to say to people, don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it,” Suzanne said.
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FEATURE
It’s not the mileage... it’s the scenery along the way that counts story & photos by BECKY TAYLOR For Bobby Rowan, it was love at first sight. He started describing the evening that changed his life: “Let’s go back to December 1948. On or about the 10th we went to a cottage prayer meeting. That was a Thursday.” Cottage prayer meetings, or community prayer meetings, were set up to take place at area houses. “It was a little four-room bungalow. She was sitting up on a sewing machine and I thought she was the prettiest thing. I cast her an eye and a wink.” They were but 16 and 17. Despite being at the same community prayer meeting, the two were unfamiliar with each other, their residences being on the opposite sides of the Berrien-Cook county line. Bobby hailed from Brushy Creek in Cook. Thelma was from West Berrien.
For Thelma, it was love, but she admits she did made him wait. “Of course, I kind of played hard-to-get. I wanted to be sure.” But get her Bobby did and 18 months later, on June 10, 1950, they were married in her parents’ home. Flash forward 63 years later and they are still together. They still finish sentences for one another and Bobby even has their anniversary down to the exact hour. Their home is filled with milestones of their years together. Between the seats of their love seat is a quilt with their names and wedding date stitched. That was a gift for their 60th anniversary. A wall of their bedroom is covered. There is their wedding picture. Then, there is their 25th. Their 50th. In the center is the document that unites them all: the marriage license itself. Now settled in their home since
2006, for a time they were constantly on the go. After the ceremony, the couple decided to begin their wedded life in Lenox. Their oldest child, Judy, was born and the two felt ready to move up a bit – to the other side of town. They had been renting a duplex for $15 per month, but decided to move into a house. Such moves do not come cheap; Bobby said it increased their payment to $19 per month, but “we were very well pleased to have a place of our own.” Life in Lenox would be short. Bobby started construction work, which uprooted the family to Warner Robins, where he worked for Robins Air Force Base. Soon, they would be in Oak Ridge, Tenn. A little over three years later, they would be back in south Georgia, but life had changed quite a bit.
The beginning: Bobby Rowan and Thelma Purvis were married on June 10, 1950.
50 years together
From their 60th anniversary. The Rowans have added three years since.
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Lovin’on the loveseat. Bobby and Thelma Rowan are still in wedded bliss after 63 years.
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Opposite: Their marriage license is the centerpiece to a wall of memories.
“Our family had doubled,” Bobby said. Twins Gary and Larry were born in 1954 and their third son Don came along in 1956. Having sold their house in Lenox when they left, they bought land on the other side of the New River, in Berrien County. There, they had a four room house for a family of six, but Bobby had plans. “I built something we could add on,” he said, adding that he gradually increased the house’s 800 square feet to 2,700. It would be home for them for the next 48 years. “We felt blessed by the Lord,” he said. Their four kids grew up, and started their own families. The Rowans have eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Beaming, Thelma mentioned that they were expecting everyone the weekend of June 22 for an anniversary party
and reunion at Shoney’s. After 63 years of bliss, they have their theories on why their marriage has lasted.
For Bobby, it was the ability to make the best of things. “Life is what anyone makes of it. We were to determined to make the
best life possible,” he said. When asked what he would advise young couples, he emphasized faith. “[They have to] put God first in their life. Their lifetime mate comes next. Keep God and church in your life. Make it very important.” He also believes that learning to be flexible has aided his marriage. “It’s not 50/50. You have to go beyond some of the time.” Thelma agrees, admitting that early in their marriage she had to learn to roll with the travel. She laughs about the long station wagon rides down pre-interstate Georgia, memorizing every mile of U.S. Highway 41. “You have to learn to say ‘OK’ a lot of the time,” she said. “He’d say, ‘I need to move.’ I’d say that scared me, but I want to go where you want to go.”
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FEATURE
Journey to thealtar
IT ALL STARTED WITH A LOOK. Before the friendship, the first phone conversation, awkward and nervous first date, first kiss and “I love you’s,” meeting the parents and the one-year anniversary, there was something about a look that began a now seven-and-a-half-year journey. Being that I was a senior, a very involved and focused student and a cheerleader all through high school, I never really noticed the talented junior football player with the number 24 printed on his uniform. Mind you, my high school (Turner County High School) is not big at all, but yet, he and I somehow never came in contact with one another. Ironically, his parents’ house was located on the same street as my great aunt’s home. Growing up, I would visit my aunt often to play with my cousin who was a year younger than me, but I never imagined that the quiet guy living in the “blue house” sitting only a few houses down the street would one day ask me to marry him. As graduation was approaching my senior year, the guy I never noticed and who never really noticed me, spotted me one day while at football practice. He says that day as I was running around the school track with the cheerleading squad, he looked up and realized that he didn’t know who I was. He then asked his teammates about this mystery girl who he had never met. This first look soon led to our first phone conversation after he asked me one day if he could give me a call. A friendship quickly developed. Passing each other in the halls became something we looked forward to. By our first date, it was obvious that we were smitten with each other. I would even find myself scribbling “Latasha Ford” in my notebooks. Knowing full well that he liked me, I was timid at first because for one thing, my daddy, loving and caring as he is, can be pretty strict when it comes to his daughters and the word “dating” (my 13-year-old sister doesn’t have a chance). Mama, on the other hand, is more laid back, but don’t let that sweet, small lady fool you, she can lay down the law when required. However, the day he met my parents and sister, I knew he was the one by the end of the night. My mama wanted to know who his parents were, and she approved. His well-mannered upbringing was also a plus. My younger sister instantly loved him. He was caught off guard when a little girl with long pigtails came running around the corner from her room and jumped into his lap like she had known him forever. Wide-eyed and smiling, she wanted to know everything about him. 14
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by LATASHA EVERSON • photos contributed
But the big test was my daddy. With me not really dating much at all, Daddy never really had to worry about me bringing boys around the house. So he was curious to find out what teenage boy had caught his daughter’s eye. As I introduced him to my parents, my daddy smiled because, surprisingly enough, he had already met him before. Breathing a sigh of relief, I knew then that he was the guy for me and that our relationship would go far. I had an overwhelming feeling that we were meant to be and that maybe this was all fate.
When I met his family, I knew my test would be his mother, because with him being the baby of the family, he had to a “mama’s boy.” When he introduced me to his mother, I knew then that I had guessed right. Same as my mama, she wanted to know who my parents were, and she approved. My good manners, of course, also pleased her. I was always taught being respectful and polite gets you far in life. After meeting his folks and learning from him that they liked me, that feeling again came back — this had to be fate. Then 17 years old, we both saw a future in our relationship early on. The toughest time during our relationship was when we went from seeing each other almost every day to mostly just talking on the phone when I went off to college at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus and him going off to college in Arizona the following year.
I cried when I left home, knowing I would miss my family and of course, him. Even though I was only a couple of miles away from home and would be returning there on the weekends to work and visit, it seemed as if I was a million miles away. He would make special trips to Americus to come visit me on campus, and when I went home on Fridays, I would go to his football games to see him play. When he left for college, my heart felt empty. I had heard that long distance relationships tend to not survive, but we were up for the challenge to prove otherwise. I admit, it was tough, but those who last are the ones who are committed. I saw the distance as a test. It was up to us. When he returned home the second half of my sophomore year, our relationship grew even stronger. On Valentine’s Day, he visited me in Americus, bringing balloons, candy and a teddy bear. I was very appreciative of the gifts, but for some odd reason, I was expecting him to propose and he didn’t immediately. I already had a promise ring he had given me in high school. The day of our engagement comes back to me vividly. We were in my car headed to a restaurant. He was driving, and when we parked the car, he handed my keys
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to me. Not realizing it, I somehow ended up throwing the keys in my purse and then proceeding to put my purse in the trunk of my car. As he locked the doors from inside the car, it hit me that I had just thrown my keys in my purse, which was now in the trunk of my car. Realizing what I had done, all he could do was shake his head. I, on the other hand, was so upset that I had just ruined the night. We tried calling a locksmith but were unsuccessful. I ended up calling my parents, who had a spare key to my car. They couldn’t believe what I had done. Mama and my older cousin figured they would just drive from Ashburn to Americus and bring the spare key. I felt bad that because of me, they had to drive all that way. As we waited for their arrival, we sat outside and chatted. I kept apologizing for ruining Valentine’s Day. He could only laugh. At some point as I was sitting in his lap, I felt a small box in his left pocket. Immediately, my mind thought about a ring. Trying not to show my expression, I got up and began walking around, but he knew. Soon my mama and cousin arrived. After we all had a good laugh about the whole key situation, they returned to Ashburn. At this point, I wasn’t hungry anymore. All I could think about was that ring.
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After we ate at another restaurant, we returned to my dorm room, and he appeared nervous. Then after a few minutes, he got down on one knee and asked me the million dollar question. In response, I cried and said “yes.” Although that day didn’t go as smooth as planned, it’s something I’ll always remember and will tell our future children and grandchildren.
“...we have learned from most married couples who have been married for many years, including our parents, that communication is very important in having a long and successful marriage.” Now that we’ve grown even more and are getting married this August, I’ve found that planning a wedding, no matter how simple or small, can be very stressful. As a news reporter working long hours, it gets somewhat difficult to find the time to plan, but having a great, supportive family has
taken part of the load from me. Both families have really pitched in to make our day as special as we want it be, and we’re very much appreciative. He and I have never been fond of having a huge wedding. It’s not for us. The way we feel for each other is bigger than any-over-the-top, expensive ceremony. In the end, it will come down to what comes after the wedding day — the rest of our lives. As the big day grows nearer on my calendar, I find myself ready for that next chapter of our lives. What we have learned from most married couples who have been married for many years, including our parents, is that communication is very important in having a long and successful marriage. We have been through a lot in our relationship over the years, and I’ve found that although we’re young, we know how to communicate and learn from each other. I still remember the 17-year-old high school girl that I was, falling in love and knowing that one day, I would become Mrs. George G. Ford III. It was fate. It will end the way it all started — with a look. As I walk toward him on the day of our marriage, I will look into his eyes and he into mine and we both will know that we’re in this together, and the rest of our lives will be just another journey.
TRAVEL
Lovin’ Summer... in snazzy inns with sumptuous breakfasts too! by CHRISTINE TIBBETTS • www.TibbettsTravel.com Grand romances launch and rekindle away from routines, so stories are told, and that includes home-state bed and breakfast inns. Girlfriend getaways happen there too, and solo trips dedicated to peace and quiet. Families? Absolutely in some fine inns but that’s a fact to check first – if you want to take the kids, and if you want to be gone without anybody else’s kids.
The inn itself can be a complete destination, no need to venture forth for sightseeing. Proprietors like people, so conversation’s always possible. They’re generally savvy, too, and recognize the need for solitude. Save yourself the cold research; I’ve already warmed up each of these so if you like, start a “Summer Lovin’” bucket list of inns in Georgia. This is but a bare beginning.
ASKA LODGE
BLUE HERON INN
BLUE RIDGE
DARIEN
www.askalodge.net 706-632-0178 Mary Jo and Bob Stamper, proprietors
www.BlueHeronInnGACoast.com 912-437-4304 Jan and Bill Chamberlain, innkeepers
This two-story lodge comes with a certified master naturalist so be ready for birds and flowers, the essence of North Georgia flora and fauna all around. Fifteen hummingbird feeders line the expansive porches; I couldn’t count so many hummers. Choose between wicker or wooden, café tables or rockers for claiming the view. Aska Lodge offers four guest rooms, all up stairs, and each with different grand views. Binoculars provided on every porch and balcony. Blankets by the door for chilly early morning coffee times, or evenings after fire pit marshmallow roasts. In addition to woods, trails, roadways for hikes, intriguing gardens of glass or chocolate-themed plants, and bottle trees abound. Leave the pets at home and your children 10 and under. Bring your breakfast appetite with you. My zucchini cheddar frittata with smoked turkey sausage, carrot jam and banana bread one morning was actually surpassed the next day with a smoked Gouda spinach soufflé and sausage rolls.
Painted buntings provide a solid time to stay here; they migrate through from April to October. Truth is, however, something’s always flying by, including blue heron. Four bedrooms in the main inn and two cottage options too. Marsh everywhere, and quick access to the ferry to Sapelo Island.
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Casual comfort you can envision here, with proprietors delighting in the marshes, their birds and wildlife, the sounds and scents of this location 11 miles from downtown Darien. Embrace seclusion. They’ll be embracing abundant growing seasons, applying fresh foods to breakfast recipes. Hope you get there for sweet potato pancake morning. Challenges? Should you choose the wooden swing overlooking the marsh, a short trail from the house. Or, the pair of red Adirondack chairs looking toward Sapelo Island? Back to the house each one, no reminder of the world, only abundant marsh gazing and musing.
1884 PAXTON HOUSE INN THOMASVILLE www.1884paxtonhouseinn.com 229-226-5197 Susie Sherrod proprietor Brand new worlds are possible with short, simple drives. Choose this inn close to home and leave the cares of home behind. A winter cottage in 1884 for wealthy northerners traveling south, Paxton House Inn abounds with four-poster beds made of
cherry and mahogany, pencilpost style and massive ones too. Expect 12foot ceilings, eight-foot doors and a dozen fireplaces, each with different mantels and stone or marble. Proprietor Susie Sherrod, a retired Army Nurse Corps Colonel, shares fine tales about the antiques and family heirlooms. “The collections chronicle my life,” she says. We’re not talking trinkets here; Paxton House Inn is filled with Lladro porcelain, Russian nesting dolls, Miessen glass, Italian hand-painted pottery, intricate enamel boxes, Hummel figurines and much more. Breakfast was a work of art: the china, colors of the fresh fruits, flowers on the table and sunshine streaming in gracious windows.
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ASHFORD MANOR WATKINSVILLE www.ambedandbreakfast.com 706-769-2633 Mario Castro and Dave Shearon, proprietors
Love the notion of sleeping in a manor? It presents a different tingle from an inn or house. There’s one in Watkinsville, 1883 Queen Anne style and manners, standing tall on 10 acres of gardens and green, terraces and seating. Shakespeare even happens on this lawn.
Breakfast isn’t simply sumptuous – it’s served whenever and wherever you like: your room, the dining room, pick a porch or a terrace. With others, or solo. “We’re very high service oriented,” proprietor Dave Shearon told me. That translates to choices: ground floor accessible room, selected pet-friendly rooms, cot-
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tages with suites, privacy and seclusion or convivial opportunities. This grand manor with all its lawns and terraces feels like a secluded garden, but emerge on the city side of the tall front hedge and find yourself a 10-minute drive to Athens or a half-minute walk to eight restaurants. Wi-Fi is easy, no password, and music on the porches is gentle and alluring. Eggs are fresh from the Manor chickens, and traditions of great benevolence from the founding Ashford family in 1893 continue. Visited, not overnight: Highly recommended summer lovin’ and year-round delights based on my strolling, roaming, inspecting and dining, but not sleeping (yet.)
MARTYN HOUSE ELLIJAY www.martynhouse.com 706-635-4759 JoAnn and Rick Lucas, proprietors
Twelve-foot ceilings, luxurious linens, fine dining, farm-to-table style, secluded bedroom and seating area plus verandah, hot water on demand bathroom with environmental toilet. Some might call this glamorous camping; Martyn House likes glamping. Proprietor JoAnn Lucas selected the tents and their fabrics in India, reflecting the bold and sensuous colors of that vast land. She and photographer husband Rick live in the 1930s farmhouse on these 18 acres, and that’s where they serve breakfast. I’ve walked through each glamping tent, and danced and dined at a dinner event featuring at least a dozen North Georgia farm purveyors. This is elegance, upscale and connected to Mother Earth.
Heritage Hall and a secret-garden kind of fitness walking path. Does it matter knowing Madison was the USA president 1809-1817? Seemed appropriate to look that up. Seems more right to check in and go to the spa bearing his name. Each luxurious room has a safe large enough to hold a laptop, selections of books by local authors and rain showerheads in tile showers with teak stools, and all the other amenities you’d expect too. Chairs are particularly interesting in public spaces—their fabrics and size and shape. Do stroll around the Inn, allowing time to enjoy the art.
JAMES MADISON INN MADISON www.JamesMadisonInn.com 706-342-7040 Seventeen guest rooms and two suites make the James Madison Inn the largest Summer Lovin’ recommendation, yet it feels personal on a scale that’s inviting. Downtown Madison is the location, easy access to Town Park filled with events, to antique and other shops, the MadisonMorgan Cultural Center, fascinating 1811
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726 West 2nd Street, Tifton, GA •
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TRAVEL
Taking the train to
New Orleans
A
by MICHAEL CHASON
gentle rain soaked the green countryside as the rhythmic sound of the rails provided perfect harmony to my inner being. It was contentment personified on a recent spring afternoon when my family took the train from Atlanta for a weekend in New Orleans. Add one more link on your bucket list. Ride the Amtrak Crescent. For some passengers, the journey began at New York’s Penn Station and wound its way through Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Charlotte, N.C., Atlanta and Birmingham before reaching New Orleans. For our party of five, the trek began at 9 a.m. on a Thursday in Atlanta and ended at 8 p.m. in New Orleans. The ride on the Crescent was just one leg of our five-day trip. My wife, Kris, and I love to travel and have written many times about our Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College trips to Italy, England, Croatia, Turkey, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, New York, Hawaii and Alaska. Diane Kilgore directs the ABAC travel program and has some terrific trips lined up this fall to the Smokies, South Africa, Boston, Britain and Ireland, New England, Rome and the Classic European Markets. Sign up by calling ABAC at 229-391-5070 or visit the website at www.abac.edu/travel.
Here’s a day-by-day account of our recent journey:
• DAY 1: In the springtime, there is no better beauty spot in Georgia than Callaway Gardens. My brother, Tim, and his wife, Lynne, launched our excursion with a blue-sky afternoon tour of the Gardens including the Azalea Bowl and the Sibley Center. Tim (ABAC Class of ’79) is the executive vice president at Callaway and should really work for free just for the opportunity to admire God’s creation in such a magnificent setting every day. We hit the azaleas at their peak, and the wow factor was off the charts. Everywhere we turned, it was a picture post card. Definitely put Callaway Gardens on your stay-and-see Georgia tour. It’s awesome.
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Callaway Gardens should be on every Georgian’s vacation itinerary this summer.
Jackson Square in New Orleans provides the heartbeat of the annual French Quarter Festival.
• DAY 2: My brother, Mitchell, joined us for a pre-dawn trip to Atlanta from Callaway. We hunkered down on our very comfortable seats on the Crescent while coaxing the conductor to do his famous “all aboard.” As it turned out, we had an entire car to ourselves for the Atlanta to Birmingham leg. Each seat had plenty of leg room and even a pull out section like your dad’s recliner. Our conductor said he worked four days on and five days off. He was on the train when it left New York at 2:15 p.m. the previous day. Our one-way ticket from Atlanta to New Orleans was only $58. Our train had two diesel engines, two sleeper cars, two dining cars, one luggage car and four coaches. I’m definitely trying the sleeper on a future trip. The Crescent has a top speed of 79 miles an hour. We stopped in Anniston, Birmingham and
Tuscaloosa in Alabama, Meridian, Laurel, Hattiesburg and Picayune in Mississippi, as well as Slidell, La. It’s fascinating to watch the little towns roll by and to see sites such as the used car lot where each car was totally yellow from the pollen, a hillside cemetery which sloped toward a lake like looking at a drive-in movie, and a farm supply business with a horse and cow on top of the building. We waved to the workers at a mass transit bus factory as they reclined on metal picnic tables while eating their lunches. We celebrated Tim’s birthday with party hats and had the conductor snap our picture. I watched two movies on the iPad, took a long nap, read a book and ate a sandwich in the dining car. This has to be the most relaxing form of travel known to man. We crossed Lake Pontchartrain at
sunset and rolled into New Orleans where the Superdome and the New Orleans Arena were all lit up. A quick check-in at the Maison Dupuy hotel in the French Quarter and then we were off to a late night dinner of gumbo, shrimp po boys, and jambalaya. And of course, our first stroll down Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street is unlike any other street I have ever visited in the world. Raucous. Bawdy. People having fun. All of the above...and a whole lot more.
• DAY 3: Up early for the short walk to the Café Du Monde for beignets and coffee. Definitely a must when you go to New Orleans. Get that powdered sugar all over you. It’s great. The French Quarter Festival was in full swing while we were there, and the area around Jackson Square a block off
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Jazz bands and parasols make a parade in New Orleans something really special.
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the Mississippi River was hopping. This was my first visit to New Orleans so I expected a parade. I got one at mid-morning complete with jazz bands, parasols galore and bead-tossing at its best. A classic moment. We took the trolley down St. Charles Street past the campus of Tulane and had lunch at The Camellia Grill. Sat on stools at the old time lunch counter and devoured fabulous hamburgers. The afternoon meant people-watching along “Old Man River” including a man walking his pig. We took supper at the Acme Oyster House. My brother ate a dozen raw while I opted for the fried shrimp. Excellent. Get there early. Nobody has to go to the movies on Friday night in New Orleans because the show is on Bourbon Street. Music. People. Police on horseback. It’s all there.
• DAY 4:
1019 Love Avenue • Tifton, GA 229-238-2851 Hours: Monday - Saturday 10-6 26
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Breakfast on the second floor veranda afforded me a chance to watch actual street sweepers with brooms and dust pans pick up a lot of the leftovers (no people, just their souvenirs) from the night before. Then along came a water truck that wet down both sides of the narrow street. Found a bench at Jackson Square to watch the artists set up and the palm readers ply their trade. At least 50 times, one blackbearded early bird near my bench said, “first reading free. If I’m wrong, it’s on the house. Start with your past and work to your future.” Lots of people carrying coffee or Bloody Marys. Guy dressed in his Bart Simpson costume right in front of me on the street corner as another gentleman outfitted completely in pink feathers walked by. Street musicians abound, each with a cardboard box so you could reward them with some folding money.
All the while, jazz music acts as the background sound and the cry of the steam whistle from the authentic paddle-wheeler on the Mississippi adds to the cacophony of noise which assails the senses in a good way.
Bananas Foster with a flame at Brennan’s in New Orleans.
My wife attends a Cajun cooking school while I converse freely with a genuine Cajun on my bench. He describes the horror of Hurricane Katrina. Our city tour guide later in the day says 300,000 people left New Orleans after Katrina. Many of them never came back. We saw the Ninth Ward which our guide said became the bottom of a pond when Katrina dumped 22 feet of water on a place that was already eight feet below sea level. The houses are small, some of them still marked with the day they were inspected post-Katrina. In another section of town with very nice houses, a huge hole is still in the roof of one house where the owner hacked his way out to sit and wait for the helicopters to rescue him and his family. He never fixed it because he never returned. Some porches have baby blue ceilings to keep away mosquitoes and wasps because the insects think the ceiling is the sky. Many houses are made of cypress because as the guide says, “we live in the water, not on the water.” The cemeteries are all above ground where as many as five families share a single tomb. A scene in the movie, “Double Jeopardy” was filmed here as were scenes from “Easy Rider,” “Live and Let Die” and “Ghost Rider.”
The tour takes us down Magazine Street which is jam-packed with antique shops. In another area, we see the home of vampire author Anne Rice. We stop at a wonderful park and eat more beignets. Our guide tells us that the Haitians brought voodoo to the city, and that the Germans planted live oak trees. At night, we dine in style at Brennan’s, a longtime New Orleans landmark. The steak is superb, and the show that the waiter puts on for the trademark bananas foster dessert is fantastic.
• DAY 5: A monsoon-like downpour wet blankets us every step of the way on our drive to the airport. Twelve hours on the train to New Orleans turns into a 56-minute plane ride on the way back to Atlanta. From the splendor of Callaway to the swing and sway of “The Big Easy,” we made some wonderful memories. How about you? Grab an ABAC trip and go somewhere today. Chason is director of Public Relations Emeritus at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
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SPORTS
After stellar freshman campaign, Tift’s Durden hoping for big sophomore season by STEVE CARTER Most high school softball players would dream of having the year Adriana Durden had in 2012. She helped her Tift County Lady Devils squad make the state softball tournament, while being named the Region 1-AAAAAA Player of the Year. She was also the first-team All-Region 1AAAAAA pitcher and the Tift County Defensive Player of the Year. To earn those accolades she was 12-1 on the pitching mound. In 91 innings of work, she struck out 145 batters, while only walking five. In 16 games, she allowed 14 earned runs and posted a 1.08 ERA. Incredibly, while most players that have those types of seasons are usually seniors — and in some cases, juniors — Durden was only a freshman, which means she will be back on the mound in 2013 for coach Taylor Wilkins’ Lady Devils. As a sophomore, Durden is hoping for similar success individually this coming season, but she also hopes that success will help her team to have a big campaign. “I definitely want to go farther than the first round of state this season,” said
Durden. “And I want to win the region again this year.” Wilkins feels like Durden will be a big reason for another run at the region title. “A, as we call her, is a great young lady and a tremendous teammate. For having as much success as she has had this early in her high school softball career, she is very humble,” said Wilkins. “She is a little on the quiet side but her performance in the circle speaks loudly. Her demeanor on the field is always steady, never too high or too low. I think that has a lot to do with her success. She will be a huge part of our attempt to repeat as region champs here in 2013.” The Lady Devils prepared for the 2013 season with a lot of summer practice and games against other teams around South Georgia. “The summer practices are fun and good for us. They help bring us closer as a team,” said Durden. Asked about her best friend on the team, and Durden gave an appropriate answer for a pitcher.
“I would say it is (Tift catcher) Taylor (Simmons),” the sophomore said with a smile. The battery of Durden and Simmons was a good one last season. Durden said she has two key pitches, a rise ball and a curve ball, and Simmons was a master at handling both. With her tremendous success in 2012, Durden realizes if she keeps her work up on the mound she could be soon drawing attention of college coaches. “I have to get my grades up and work hard in the classroom,” said Durden. “I would love to earn a college scholarship.” Wilkins feels like his petite pitcher has a great future. “Don't let her size fool you. Dynamite comes in small packages. Without question she is a game changer and certainly a pleasure to coach. If she continues to work hard and stays humble, which I'm sure she will, the sky is the limit,” said Wilkins. “I believe she has only scratched the surface on how good she can be. She is definitely one to keep an eye on over the next few years.”
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EVENTS
photos by LATASHA EVERSON
At the opening of the testing center at the United Way’s Betty Jo Roach Community Center on Fourth Street in June, many local readers came out to test their knowledge on what they had read in support of the 2013 Summer Accelerated Reader (AR) Testing Program. The program will run through July 25. The goal is to reach 5 million AR points by the end of this year.
photos by ANGYE MORRISON
Kids are lovin’summer at the Tifton-Tift County Library. In addition to reading books on their own, kids can attend activities at the library like the recent visit by Mama Koku, who told the children the story of“Where the Wild Things Are,”the 1963 children’s book by Maurice Sendak. The storyteller brought the story to life for the room full of children by using hanging masks, and getting them involved portraying the characters. Children from all over Tift County attended the event.
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