From Northwest Georgia to Belize, one couple brings their expertise in luxury to build a resort from the ground up.
There are so many reasons to love living at The Spires, a stunning lakeside senior living community immersed in the vibrant campus culture of Berry College. A 27,000-acre backyard full of walking paths, wildlife and breathtaking views. A state-of-the-art fitness center offering everything from cardio drumming to water fitness. A bustling music scene where you can sing, dance or jam to your heart’s content. And the peace mind of a full continuum of care if further assistance is ever needed.
What our residents are saying:
“I’ve enjoyed making new friends and the staff is unbelievable from top to bottom.” — Dr. Woody Davis, Resident
“People here have been intensely supportive, and they mean it. It’s been a happy serendipity.” — Ann Marie Hollomon, Resident
“I think the best way I can describe the experience here is ‘community’ and I just give thanks. The opportunities are just endless for people to connect.” — Dr. Jennifer Barbieri, Daughter of Resident
“For social, emotional, mental and physical wellbeing — everything I need is here. It’s just been amazing the way our community loves each other.” — Julie Wahtola, Resident
Come see for yourself — we think you’ll love it here, too. Call 706-607-5322 or visit RetireAtBerry.com to schedule a personal tour.
MARCH 2025 COLUMNS FEATURES
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Letters to the Emperor is a monthly humor column from the self-proclaimed Emperor of Rome, GA. This month, Emperor Nero dyes the Coosa River green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Every neighborhood has a self-appointed person who manages its roving critters, but Nina Lovel’s neighborhood is safe a little longer from her.
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Local travel agent Mike Burnes shares his experiences from recent travels to Prana Maya Resort, an oceanside villa run by
Barnsley Resort alumni.
Your Community Bank
Publisher's Note
Kiss Me, I'm Roman
Letters to the Emperor is a monthly humor column from the self-proclaimed Emperor of Rome, GA. Nero Romansky, the unqualified descendant of Julius Caesar, answers his letters from his less-than-loyal subjects. It’s like an outof-work leprechaun gluing extra petals on three-leaf clovers.
Top o’ the mornin’ to ya Roman’s. Tis the season of St. Paddy’s Day.
Nero remembers back in 2017, capturing my first Leprechaun. The magical creature was with hundreds of his kind, clad in green sporting attire from head to toe. When he saw me, he ran like a pistol down Broad St. for about 3.1 miles. When I finally caught him, I shouted, “Leprechaun, where’s your pot of gold?” Instead of answering, he rushed into a mob of sweat and bubbles outside the Forum. Nero never saw him again, but stayed for the after-party.
First Question.
DEAR EMPEROR,
“I loved your story about the Leprechaun-a-thon. What would you buy if you found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?”
Izzie Klondalt | Executive Chef at the [redacted]
DEAR IZZIE,
You cannot tempt a being such as I with the prospects of easily gained material wealth. Emperor Nero does not need an instant boost to his lavish income. Every river, hill, street, building, and property in the Enchanted Lands of Rome and Floyd County is mine.
But if ole’ Nero wanted a true magical pot of gold, he would double the number of tickets from RedSpeed School Zone Cameras.
Me Vexat Pede, — Nero
Mark Suroviec, M.Ed., is the Chief Ambassador of Fun at WorkPlay Solutions, the author of Forever Sisters, and the Vice President of the Children’s Museum of Rome. He hopes you pity laugh at his humor and satire stories, especially the ones that aren’t funny.
EMPEROR NERO,
“How did the ancient Romans celebrate St. Patrick's Day?”
—Ezekiel Maccabees | Unity Christian School, Class of 2027
DEAR EZEKIEL
Here’s what they didn’t tell you in history class. Roman culture inspired most of the St. Patty’s Day traditions. Senator Brutus, always fun with the ladies, wore the first emerald green “Da Mihi, Ego Sum Romanus” tunic to celebrate the holiday.*
Remember when Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland with a long stick? Half a century before, our trusty legionnaires ran off millions of poor peasant farmers at spearpoint.
Do you know how some communities, like Savannah, dye fountains and rivers green? Ancient Rome started that tradition, too. But our rivers were mostly red because of those same farmers and spearpoints.
And remember how St. Patrick hid colorful eggs and chocolate in baskets for children after Jesus was born? Or how he stayed awake all night in a pumpkin patch with Charlie Brown? I could go on and on, but divine Emperors don’t owe you an explanation.
Me Vexat Pede,
— Nero
NONE OF THAT IS TRUE,
“Your tutors have not read you How the Irish Saved Civilization. Thomas Cahill argues that following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the tradition of scripture preservation by Irish Monks prevented the Germanic hordes from …[seven more pages highbrow academic jargon].”
— Dr. Humbert R. Tuffleson, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Ancient History at Georgia Highlands College
DEAR HUMBY DUMPTY,
You tired old fool. Ancient Rome may have collapsed before St. Patrick lived, but the city of Rome, GA, has everything we need. It’s at the height of prosperity— probably because of the traffic cameras.
Me Vexat Pede, — Nero
NERO,
“What is the secret recipe for a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake? Asking for a friend.”
Dave Thomas | Not, not the founder of Wendy’s
DEAR DAVE,
Place the following ingredients in a mixing bowl at 417 degrees Kelvin.
• 2 lbs of ice
• A quart of heavy cream
• 14 gallons of emerald green food dye #92
• ½ cup of the hairy part of a tennis ball
• 12 fluid ounces of genuine Rome, GA, bee pollen—scrapped off the windshield of a 1992 Ford F150 pickup
• 45 milligrams of depleted Uranium 278
• The gooey part inside of a glowstick
• ¼ pint of “Leprechaun Spice”
Stir heartily for two minutes, then the contents of the bowl into the Shakeo-Matic 5000.
Then go home because the McDonald's ice cream machine has been broken since 1962.
Me Vexat Pede,
— Nero
Disclaimer: Emperor Nero Romansky is a satirical character written and created by Mark Suroviec, M.Ed. All people and quotations are fictional, invented by the limited imagination of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of the author, editors, or V3 Magazine. *English Translation, “Kiss Me, I’m Roman.”
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE? STILL GET SCREENED FOR COLON CANCER
What is Colon Cancer?
Today, the second most common cause of cancer death is a treatable one – colorectal cancer. Most colorectal cancers start in the inner lining of the colon or rectum as a growth called a polyp.
Although polyps are common as patients age and most are benign or noncancerous, some types of polyps can change into cancer over time. The chance of a polyp turning into cancer depends on the type of polyp it is. If cancer forms in a polyp, it may grow into the wall of the colon or rectum over time. Colorectal cancer starts in the innermost layer of the wall and can grow outward through some or all the layers. When these cancer cells get in the wall, they can grow into blood vessels or lymph vessels, and from there, they can travel to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
How Common is it Really?
According to the American Cancer Society, the number of young people being diagnosed every year continues to increase. The rate of people younger than 50 receiving diagnoses has increased by 2.4% annually. Now the suggested age for screening is 45 years of age. Today, the American Cancer Society’s estimates for the number of colorectal cancers in the United States for 2025 are:
• About 107,320 new cases of colon cancer (54,510 in men and 52,810 in women)
• About 46,950 new cases of rectal cancer (27,950 in men and 19,000 in women)
The reality is, at age 45, many people feel “healthy,” and colorectal cancer often goes undetected as there are few early warning signs. Despite your activity level and diet, if you are 45 or older, it is time to begin screening for colorectal cancer.
Dr. Whitney Jennings
Proud of Your Healthy Lifestyle? Still Get Screened.
Local Harbin Clinic Gastroenterologist, Dr. Whitney Jennings, reiterates that lifestyle alone is not a great predictor of risk. Dr. Jennings said, “Unfortunately, there is a real trend of developing colon cancer or advanced colon polyps at ages younger than historically seen. Even patients that are otherwise healthy are not immune.
Our guidelines have been updated to reflect this new norm, recommending colon cancer screening starting at age 45 for all average risk patients. Patients with a family history of colon cancer or colon polyps will need to start screening sooner.”
Beyond Screening
In addition to being aware of risks and scheduling regular preventative screenings, here are a few tips for maintaining and improving colon health:
• Chew food thoroughly to aid enzymes in the digestive system to better break down food.
• Eating fewer fried foods, red meat and other high-fat foods may lower chances of developing colon cancer.
• Increase intake of probiotics which are found in foods such as yogurt and pickles.
• Increase daily fiber and whole-grain intake for optimum colon health.
• Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption.
• Hydration is key to a healthy colon. Make sure the drink water!
This month, talk with your primary care physician to discuss when you should be screened.
For more information, visit Harbin Clinic Gastroenterology at https://harbinclinic.com/gastroenterology.
The Neighborhood is Safe a Little Longer
Nina Lovel ponders retirement, then writes a love letter to her job.
and
Now
with Nina Lovel
I am the proud owner of a Nerf Super Soaker Flip Fill Water Blaster, and I know how to use it. This gun replaced my previous Nerf Super Soaker Pistol, which had a decent range of 30 feet, but had begun to leak profoundly.
My eagle-eyed lil’ grandbuddy spotted the new box immediately and of course, wanted to play with it. But it was January, so I told him it was a summertime swimming-pool toy and he could play with it then; he reluctantly acquiesced.
Now I’m not sure what I’ll do when summer gets here, because I didn’t get that gun for swimming pool play. I got it to defend my porch.
Have you ever had a fur-covered nemesis in your yard? Even though I’m in the city limits, there’s an abundance of neighborhood wildlife.
We have deer so tame they’ll lie around under our trees like they were pet goats. We also have groundhogs, who pose no threat that I’m aware of, but just sit up on their hind legs looking around till a car comes near, then quickly lumber (how do you even do that?) into their burrow which at my house is the storm drain running under the road. The other day I saw a groundhog going into one end of the culvert and a cat going into the other. I didn’t stick around. The potential was terrifying; I didn’t want to know. They probably just went to sleep.
But, we also have foxes. With thick red fur and a bushy tail, a healthy fox may be beautiful to behold, but our neighborhood foxes are way past looking pretty; they have manifested themselves as the predators they are.
I know we’ve living in what they consider to be their turf, but when one summer a neighbor has a fox family in his backyard that leaves the heads of another neighbor’s chickens they just murdered lying around in his driveway like some Godfather message, and the next summer, a friend’s cat gets an $800 chunk bitten out of his flank, these red dog-cousins are just getting too territorial.
Will I use my Nerf gun to chase groundhogs from my culvert, deer from my pansies, or foxes (God forbid) from my outdoor kitty cat? Naw…I’m okay with the deer, the groundhogs are too stinking cute to bother, and I’m way too slow for the foxes.
I’m just after one little tomcat who fervently believes that my porch belongs to him and makes it a priority to mark it often, so all the neighborcats will know.
I’m sure he first noticed my porch when I accidentally left my outdoor kitty’s food bowl out after she had finished dining and left some kitty biscuits behind. Now, I’m not one to deprive a kitty-cat of nourishment, but this is a well-fed nearby-dwelling critter who just enjoys foraging for high-quality kitty biscuits (that I sure don’t leave out anymore), and he wants to own the source.
My porch is not his territory. It belongs to a sweet little silky black cat to whom I made a promise years ago, and I’m keeping that promise. Being a laidback grown-up girl kitty, she has no truck with defending her own porch; she just lays aside and lets the fella have his way with the porch corners. Lucky girl, she knows her sustenance is secure, whether she bats a paw or not.
I’m using the gun to spray the cat back.
This isn’t another cat story; I’ve already done that one. It’s just a preface to something I’ve been wanting to write. I hope you’ll read on with me.
“When
are you going to retire?”
I am of that certain age that prompts well-meaning people to ask this question. And while the frequency of the question increases with time, the answer stays the same: “Maybe in about five more years.”
All my friends within three years of me have retired, and while they have (mostly) weathered the life change intact, their lives are now different in ways that I’m not ready for my life to be different. You see, I love my life the way it is right now, and most of all, I love my job.
I never say that without feeling a bit obnoxious, and if you’re in a job you can’t wait to retire from, I’ve had those jobs myself and would be right there with you. But I got lucky this time around: nearly twenty years ago I found myself in the most perfect job on earth, for me.
My work embraces my inner introvert. I work alone in a nice quiet office, and am required to attend very few meetings. I do not supervise anyone, and my own supervisor trusts me to the point that we only touch base when there’s important information to share. I get to think, and create, and learn. Every single day.
Because I’m not of a wandering nature, I don’t take long trips, which frees up my vacation time to be used on day-long paddle trips, or to watch my granddaughter play softball in Alabama. The nature of my work allows short-notice leave (as long as my tasks are current, and they always are), so I’m secure in the knowledge that one of those 78-degree February days really can let me answer the call of the river.
My work? I write code. I work in higher education, building apps for my college’s intranet. My fifteen-second elevator description is, “I design, build, maintain, and support over 25 apps that bring efficiency to my colleagues’ days at work, and value to my organization.”
We deliver accredited, career-growing instruction in more than forty locations throughout nine Northwest Georgia counties, so when a decision was made in the ’00s to create internal workflow tools for efficiency, I was in the right place at the right time and joined the team to build them.
When a coworker wants to request time off, they use one of my apps. Their supervisor uses the app to approve it, and the payroll technician uses it to ensure accuracy.
When a supervisor has an open position, they use one of my apps to describe it, upload documentation relative to it, and receive the five required administrative signatures on it, sometimes all within an hour. You can imagine the paperwork this thing replaced. Nine counties.
When we need documentation for an accreditation visit, it has already been gathered and stored in several of our apps, and when it’s annual performance evaluation time, you’ve got it - there’s an app for that, too. Our apps are used to reserve meeting facilities across all of our campuses, and if your ceiling light is burned out or your plumbing is in disarray…. yep, an app. Facilities staff use it to make their daily task lists, and if any of these things ever misbehave, you may be sure I hear about it.
More than three hundred faculty members use an app that was last updated in 2009 to create fresh syllabi for every class they teach, every semester. A syllabus may be created in fifteen minutes, and each one is preserved in an archive. That’s more than 32,000 syllabi served by this little workhorse of an app! It is about to be replaced with a shiny new version that I’ve been building since July, and trust me, it’s earned the right to retire with dignity.
How did I get here? Besides blind luck, it’s just that I wanted to learn to code at the same time my college needed someone to do that. There were originally three of us, and the others built apps we still use too, but I wound up the last nerd standing.
Why have I remained in this little niche-cubby instead of purveying my skills throughout the high-revenue, high-reward tech industry? Refer to the lifestyle description above. And anyway, I never would have survived in a development environment with more than one person. Developers work in teams; constant communication and pulling your own weight are essential. I code so slowly that it would drive a development team to lose their minds, and me to lose my job.
All of my users are internal, and we’re surrounded by high-level security protocols, so while I code with best practices, our technology team does the heavy lifting on security, leaving me free to just build apps. Some apps are show-horses, turning flips, purveying targeted notifications, and populating complex data tables, some help us pay people, and some save us money. One of them is old enough to drive, and still performs perfectly, every day. (Its screens *are* butt-ugly to look at though.)
Because these are business apps, all they need to do is work great; they don’t need to “sizzle”. Not having to deal with graphics, videos, and state-ofthe-art design makes my left brain so happy! Oh, and I also get to make my own deadlines. It just doesn’t get any better than this. I know, obnoxious.
So here’s my answer to “When are you going to retire?”
When it’s not fun to go to work anymore. When I no longer find myself standing in the shower thinking through a feature I’m going to go in and write. When my brain’s processor stops letting me keep enough code in my RAM to make my work efficient. When I no longer love my co-workers (not gonna happen). If work ever stops being like solving puzzles all day long, I’ll move on, but there won’t be enough Sudoku in the world to fill the hole.
The world isn’t ready for me to be out on the streets with my hyperactive brain suddenly idle. I would go stake out that tomcat eight hours a day and take on the other beasts too.
For now, the world needs me where I am. I’ll know when it’s time to go somewhere else.
For now, the neighborhood critters are safe.
Belizean Paradise
A Northwest Georgia Couple Develops A New Oceanside Resort
Text: Mike Burnes
Photos: Mike Burnes & provided by Prana Maya Island Resort
Upon entering the seaside village of Placencia in southern Belize, the first thing I noticed was the lack of condo complexes, sprawling resort hotels, tourist shops, and expensive restaurants. This wasn’t Cancun, Cozumel, or even San Pedro, Belize’s more well-known resort area to the north. Rather, it’s an uncrowded, friendly, and largely undiscovered town that welcomes vacationers and a relatively large population of unassuming ex-pats.
My wife and I along with another couple arrived in Placencia for a three-night stay at the new Prana Maya Island Resort after a two-plus-hour shuttle ride from the Belize City airport. The drive seemed much shorter courtesy of our guide, who provided a thorough and entertaining orientation on the country and a visit to a local chocolate farm. The coolest part of the drive? Seeing road signs warning of jaguar crossings. Sadly, the jaguars must have been taking their afternoon naps.
At the end of the village road in Placencia, a Prana Maya shuttle boat was waiting to take us on the five-minute trip from the town dock to the resort where we were greeted by the entire staff, a refreshing beverage, and Keith Izydore, the Managing Partner and the man responsible for the logistics of the resort’s development.
marketing and sales, have worked in the industry for a combined 84 years at resorts such as Blackberry Farm in Tennessee, The Cloister at Sea Island, Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee, and Barnsley Resort. While working at Barnsley, they lived in Cartersville but now call Marietta home. In March 2023, while at a family wedding, a guest told them about his plans to build a boutique resort in Belize. In September, he formally offered Keith and Ginny the opportunity to bring the
resort online. Ginny told me that when she and Keith first arrived at the site, “there were just sticks in the ground,” but only 18 months later, Prana Maya welcomed its first guests.
The resort is located on a small island, Placencia Caye, and consists of a main inn with ten 800-square foot suites and six two-story, three- and fourbedroom villas ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 square feet. In addition to the restaurant and bar, the main inn houses a fitness room, a full-service spa (one of the largest in Belize), and a pool. The resort also offers free kayaks, paddleboards, and water bikes for guests to use and even provides equipment for fishing off the inn’s dock, which juts into the Caribbean.
When we entered the inn’s lobby, we immediately felt the ocean breezes courtesy of the open-air restaurant and bar area. Our airport shuttle guide had called in our menu order while we were still on the road, so we were soon enjoying a wonderful meal overlooking the ocean while our luggage was taken to our rooms. The chef, handpicked by Keith and Ginny, had developed an eclectic menu. My favorite was, surprisingly, an Argentinian hot dog.
Prana Maya is designed to foster a sense of relaxation and rejuvenation (Prana is translated as “breath of life” or “lifegiving force”), and the resort’s open design and quiet location do just that.
Watching sea birds dive into the gentle waves while listening to the breezes in the mangrove trees is a great way to forget about work deadlines back home.
Although guests will be tempted to relax at the resort for an entire stay, there is plenty for the more adventurous to do off the resort. The concierge will schedule excursions such as snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, and jungle tours with recommended tour operators. My wife and I spent a half-day snorkeling with tropical fish, nurse sharks, and sea turtles near the Belize Barrier Reef, the world’s second-largest, while our friends caught yellowjack and barracuda on a fishing excursion. As a bonus, the restaurant’s chef cooked the fish and served it to us later in the day.
For a more laid-back experience, the concierge can summon the shuttle boat for a short ride into Placencia to spend a day on the village’s extensive beach or enjoy a traditional meal of Belizean stewed chicken and rice along with a bottle of the national beer, Belikin. One of the unexpected benefits of vacationing in Belize is that it’s the only English-speaking country in Central America, the result of the country’s previous status as the territory of British Honduras. Getting directions, ordering food, and interacting with the locals is easy.
Incorporating the local environment in the design and operation of the resort became a focal point for Keith and Ginny soon after they first arrived. For example, they decided not to offer all-inclusive meals and drinks to encourage guests to eat at the excellent restaurants in the village, stroll down the boardwalk to shop and, if so inclined, stop for drinks in one of the local bars. And no, there are no jaguars in or anywhere near Placencia.
The local emphasis was evident throughout the resort. The entry doors of each suite and villa were carved by a Belizean artist. Signs on the property were engraved in hand-cut slate taken from the nearby mountains. Vegetables are grown on a local farm, and the staff uniforms were handsewn in Placencia. Most importantly, the staff were hired from Placencia and other surrounding towns. Our bartender hailed from the Belize-Guatemala border area and spoke English and Mayan.
Until I talked to Keith, I had never really thought about the detailed planning required to open a full-service resort. The things a visitor takes for granted…simple items such as bed linens and pillows; silverware, plates, and glassware for the restaurant; yoga mats for the fitness room; shampoo, soap, and towels for guest bathrooms, all must be sourced, ordered, and delivered. Large items such as furniture, exercise equipment, and kitchen appliances had to be ferried to the resort on barges. He also had to interview and hire all the staff and train them in the customer service techniques expected at a luxury resort.
A new resort also needs a marketing campaign. A common tenet posits that “50% of marketing is just getting people to know you exist.” To tackle this challenge, Ginny had to create logos, select colors and textures, and develop slogans and language to be used for websites, social media, and print media. She attended travel trade shows, hosted presentations, positioned the resort on travel websites such as Booking.com, and developed relationships with agencies and consortia within the luxury travel field. Since the first guests arrived in December, the resort has hosted conferences and a wedding and has been featured in the Robb Report and Forbes Magazine.
When I spoke with Ginny, she had recently returned home to Marietta while Keith stayed in Belize. I asked her about the challenges of shuttling back and forth to Belize (not to mention the travel to trade shows in the U.S.) and the days spent apart. While acknowledging the hardships of separation and constant travel, she said they were sustained by their “passion for independent resort properties.” When asked for the most satisfying thing about developing Prana Maya, she replied, “It was very special to have accomplished this together.”
What they have accomplished is truly special. I’m looking forward to my next visit. And, on the next shuttle ride from the airport, I’ll have my fingers crossed to see a jaguar stroll across the road.
Mike Burnes is a travel agency franchise owner in Rome. He can be reached at mburnes@dreamvacations.com
