Feb_March 2011

even Lake Wedowee Life

Table of Contents

February/March 2011

Vol. 4 No. 1

Special this Month 11. Weddings 101: Lessons from a Professional Bridesmaid 20. Wedded Bliss: Local couples use family and friends to make day special 22. For Better or For Worse: Trashing the Dress 28. Readers’ Photos: Lake Wedowee enjoys a snow day 35. News to Know: Local “Slow Foods” group sends member to Italy 42. Market Conditions: Lake We-dowee Real Estate is “Freaking” Un-believable 44. Where in the world is Lake Wedowee Life? Readers take Lake Wedowee Life around the world 46. News to Know: Southern Union presents Tartuffe 47. Chamber Chatter: Chamber cele-brates professional women March 29

Monthly Features 7. Enjoy Life! - Letter from the Editor 8. Built on the Lake 10. Southern Living House Plan 14. Creative Crafting 17. Charley’s Treasures 26. Lake Map 38. Hooked on Lake Wedowee 32. Simply Fabulous 50. Redneck Adventures

contributing writers Darlene Bailey, Leisel Caldwell, Amanda Causey, Max Fulbright, Kesa M. Johnston, Reed Montgomery, Charley Norton and Skeeter

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On the Cover Jamie Sanchez braved the cold January waters of Lake Wedowee to make our cover dreams a reality. To see

more of Jamie’s photo shoot, turn to page 22.

General Manager LEISEL CALDWELL

[email protected]

Editor KELLY CALDWELL

[email protected] (256) 276-7959

Advertising Sales LAVOY CALDWELL

[email protected] (334) 863-0737

Lake Wedowee Life 877.959.LAKE (5253)

18285 Highway 431 � Wedowee, AL www.LakeWedoweeLife.com

Lake Wedowee Life magazine is published six times a year and available around the Lake Wedowee area which includes Randolph and Clay Counties in Alabama as well as parts of West Georgia. Paid mail subscriptions are available for $18 a year. All content in this publication is protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, or otherwise published without the prior written permission of Neighborhood Publishing.

© 2008 Neighborhood Publishing

“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” In 1976, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, now a professor at Harvard, coined the phrase

in a scholarly article as a graduate student. But, in the last few years, it has be-come a statement of empowerment for women of all generations.

That statement came to mind when we were discussing our plans for this issue of Lake Wedowee Life. The last two wedding issues have featured a bride and groom on the cover and while those have been great, we didn't want to do the same thing yet again.

So we tossed around several ideas before we came up with “Trashing the Dress.” I didn’t know how we were going to pull it off because it’s the middle of

winter, and not too many people would be brave enough to be out-side in a wedding dress much less dare to get in the lake!! So I pitched the idea to a few photographer friends and Amanda Causey stepped up to the plate. She saw my vision and ran with it. She found a bride not only willing to dress up for an outdoor shoot in January but also not afraid of get-ting in the freezing water of Lake Wedowee. The day of the photo shoot Jamie Sanchez was fearless. We spent hours on the lake that afternoon attempting to capture the perfect cover shot. We were all freezing but Jamie was a ROCK STAR! She rolled around in the mud and played in the lake all with a smile on her face. That’s the fun about being fearless. You never know what kind of

magic you will create. So what do you think of this issue’s cover? Let us know at

www.facebook.com/lakewedoweelife or email us at [email protected].

We also welcome any of our other Fearless Female Friends to send us their “Trash the Dress” pictures. Get creative with your wedding or prom dresses, and it might appear in an upcoming issue of Lake Wedowee Life.

Kelly Caldwell Enjoy Life!

Having Fun and Being Fearless

Lake Wedowee Life 7

Do you remem-ber where you were twenty years ago? I do. I was in a small movie theater in Gainesville, Geor-gia. I was seated on the left side of the theater…near the back. I had my popcorn and coke and a little six year old girl on my lap. I’m sure she had her two fingers in her mouth as we set-tled in to watch Father of the Bride. It’s a day neither of us will ever forget.

Amanda and I were both fine as we started watch-ing. We both laughed as Steve Martin struggled with his daugh-ter’s engagement announcement and the ensuing wedding prepara-tions. But slowly, we both realized we were watching our-selves in the not so distant future. The night before the wedding, Steve Martin is thinking back on memories of his daughter as a little girl….back when he was the only man in her life. By the time they showed the daddy – daughter basketball scene, we couldn’t take it any-

more. We got up and left the movie….both sobbing uncontrol-lably.

Over the next nine years or so,

I tried not to think about Fa-ther of the Bride. I refused to watch it. I coached little girls softball and basketball teams. I went to twirling exhibitions and cheerleading competitions. I attended Daddy-Daughter dances. I watched the Spice Girls movie (one of my all time favorites). But I did NOT watch Father of the Bride. Then one day it happened. One day I was the man of the house and in control of my family. The next thing I knew, there was a police car in my drive-way with flashing lights. He had pulled in behind the kid that was about to take my daughter on her

first REAL date. Today that kid is my son-in-law,

Jake. Jake has been a part of the fam-

ily since he was a sixteen year old kid determined to take my daugh-ter away. They are best friends and he makes my daughter laugh. He makes all of us laugh. He ac-tually tried to send me a TEXT

Built on the Lake by Max Fulbright

Tales from the Father

When Max Fulbright’s daughter married in 2009, the family created this poster for her.

8 Lake Wedowee Life

Lake Wedowee Life 9

message to ask for my daughter’s hand in mar-riage. I didn’t have my phone with me and he ended up having to do it in person. Suddenly, I found myself in my own Father of

the Bride movie. The following year was a whirl-wind of going to fancy parties, writing checks, and writing checks. It was a lot of fun for my daughter and her mom. I thought the check writing was fun. One day I was a young man playing basketball

out in the driveway with a beautiful little girl. The next day I was a not so young man watching my daughter being swept away and I was powerless to stop it. Amanda was so happy, I didn’t really want to. Amanda and I both knew it was inevitable.

Time flies and on a beautiful spring day in 2009 I walked my little girl down the aisle. The preacher asked who was there to give her away. GIVE HER AWAY?? Like a good father, I said, “Her mother and I”. Then I sat down in the pew and I cried just like I did twenty years ago in that theater in Gainesville, Georgia. Max Fulbright has designed and built dozens of

homes on Lake Wedowee.

Call McKinney Builders, Inc. at (770) 527-7355 The exclusive Newnan-based member of the Southern Living Custom Builder Program

2,259 Square Feet Plan #1379 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths Ceiling heights: 8 feet 11 inches ground floor; 9 feet second level Basement foundation Pricing Category E

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Lake Wedowee Life 11

I will start by saying I am not a wedding expert, but I have been a bridesmaid or part of a wedding more than a dozen times and have attended at least double that in my lifetime. That being said, I know a thing or two about the ins and outs of weddings. Weddings

can be an ex-pensive affair for all involved considering the average wed-ding in the United States cost $28,000 in 2009 (which by the way is more than I paid for my car). Granted, every

bride wants her day to be this magical event she has been dreaming of since she was six years old, but sometimes the meaning of the day is overshadowed by the flash. And, in these economic times, the word budget is used more and more. But, with a little imagination and creativity, the wedding of your dreams can still happen with money to spare... 1.Identify what is most impor-tant to you... For some brides, the dress is the most important thing because they want to look their best. For others, pic-tures or the reception is most important. It's kinda like when I wrote my letters to Santa all those years ago...My parents told me to ask for three things your really want and let the rest be surprises. In other words, prioritize your wants and budget accordingly. 2.Don't be afraid to ask for

help... You can't come right out and ask for money to help pay for your beau-

tiful day, but who says you can't ask for people to help out in other ways. Your friends will remember the day even more if they are a part of the events. I am not saying you have to have 20 bridesmaids and groomsmen. But if you have a friend that is a photog-rapher, florist, d.j. etc. Don't be scared to ask if they would do-

nate their services as a wed-ding gift (because how many

toasters can a girl use...) 3.Use what is around you... When it comes to decorating for the event study your surroundings. It doesn't make a lot of sense to have a December wedding decorated with spring flowers. (go for a Christmas wed-ding in a church and a lot of the decorations are done for you!!! If you are having an out-door wedding, keep it natural... Ferns are a lot less expensive than flo-ral arrangements of the same size. You can jazz them up with twin-kling lights and ribbon for a sunset wedding and you will be amazed at the impact. On the topic of deco-rations...Creative

brides can do a lot themselves (with the help of friends and family of course) Picking up flowers at a wholesaler will save you tons and if you want tips on arranging check out youtube.com for video tutori-als. 4.Do the trimmings really mat-ter? You can save tons if you think outside the box when it comes to the veil (you want it to match the color of your dress of course but other than that does it matter where you get it), shoes (I have seen many a bride wear flip flops on the

Lessons from a professional bridesmaid

Weddings 101 by Kelly Caldwell

big day) and jewelry (Make use of those something old, borrowed and blue traditions because your dress is probably new). 5.Remember you aren't the only one paying...When pick-ing bridesmaid dresses PLEASE pick something af-fordable (yes I am being selfish on behalf of bridesmaids every where). We are extremely hon-ored that you chose us to stand up for you on the big day but just understand we are paying too...For the dress, the shoes (because bridesmaid's shoes always show), jewelry and a place to stay for the weekend. 6.Smile pretty for the cam-era...Pictures are worth a thou-sand words but change that to dollars and it can get expen-sive. To cut down on some of the cost be very specific with your hired photographer.

Their time is money and you want to get the most out of it. Make a list of the pictures you want that day and put some-one else in charge to make sure each is taken. After that make sure you have plenty of friends with their digital cameras handy. Candid pictures cap-ture the day in ways you will forever cherish. 7.Tasty treats...I have been to a few weddings where it was truly a family affair with the family and friends providing food for the reception. This is a great idea in the South because you know we can cook down here!! 8.Timing is everything...Pick the time of your wedding wisely and you can save tons. A caterer friend of mine did a brunch wedding a few years ago and I thought this was a terrific idea. She even did the

groom's cake out of dough-nuts. If you are interested in saving money you don't want to have your reception at meal times (lunch or dinner) be-cause then “etiquette” says you should do a sit down re-ception. 9.Let them eat cake... A wed-ding cake can be elaborate, simple or somewhere in be-tween. If you have always dreamed of a huge wedding cake ask your baker if they can use faux layers to make the cake appear bigger. You get the look you want at a reduced cost (not to mention saving all that wasted cake). Another op-tion that is growing in popu-larity is having a “Wedding Cake” made out of cupcakes. 10.When all else fails...Forget 1-9 and elope! Just don't forget the camera!!

20 Lake Wedowee Life


A long time ago when I was a

young man living very far from home, an older couple that lived in the apartment next door de-cided to take it upon themselves to look after me. It started as a dinner invitation, but eventually it got to the point where I would get scolded if I was late. I ate there pretty much every day. Marge ( my neighbors wife) was a good cook and made me lots of dif-ferent tasty foods. But at almost every meal I could count on one thing to always be on my plate and that was cauliflower. Now I don’t know if she had read somewhere that southern people loved cauliflower or if she and her husband loved it but the fact was, I couldn’t stand it. But being raised right and taught to clean my plate, I would choke it down. The first few times were the most difficult but even-tually I learned that if I mixed it with the potatoes and doused it with brown sauce, it was toler-able. But I never got used to it or found the taste any less than re-pulsive. Put simply, there are things that a body and mind just don’t like, but can tolerate if it has to. And that leads me to the male species and weddings.

Now I’m sure there are those out there somewhere that may be the exception but for most men, there is almost no part of a wed-ding and the events that lead up

to one that they will enjoy any more than I did Marge’s cauli-flower. And for this majority, I would like to apologize to all the brides to be. I apologize for the

many times you will hear him say “Whatever you think” and the empty and uncaring comments made to end an issue to which the subject escapes him because he was so bored that only his body was present at the time when it

was discussed. Keep in mind that when he is help-ing you pick a dress or make wedding invitations, he is eating Marge’s cauli-flower and is looking for the potatoes and brown sauce by drifting away in his thoughts. Please appre-ciate that it is his undying love for you that motivates him and understand his moments of weakness. He loves you with all his heart so please remember that when he threatens to burn down the next store you want to go register in, it’s the cauliflower talking, not him. I know that it is hard for the bride to understand why her man isn’t excited about the details of the wedding, but there may be a way for them to get an idea. I think some empathy can be found by the brides if

there was a trade of tasks. Like when a bride has her groom help her pick out the wedding cake. The next day, the groom should have his bride help him gut a deer or go hunting with him at 4 am in 12 degree weather. Maybe she could spend a day with him at a gun show or stay at home and watch a Mythbusters marathon. The point is that what’s fun for one can be downright awful for the other. But that’s what true love is all about. It’s doing awful things for the one you love be-cause (trust me on this) they are going to do a lot of awful things for you. Mom used to tell me, “Sometimes you have to do things

A Wedding Apology from the Man

Charley’s Treasures by Charley Norton



you don’t want to”. Such a wise woman she is to say so much in so few words.

As for myself, I was fortunate. When Kim and I decided to get married, we called the preacher, met him at the church, got married (with the cleaning woman as a wit-ness) and went home. I called her dad just before her curfew and told him I wasn’t bringing his daughter home. I think he was the second happiest man on Earth that night. His daughter was married and it didn’t cost him a dime (just kid-ding Billy)! I admit that I do some-times feel a little guilty that I didn’t have to earn my bride by the emas-culating ordeal which is often a wedding.

But you know, it really doesn’t help matters when the man is called the “groom”. I looked it up and other than the guy that cares

for horses, there isn’t anything manly about the word. Most defi-nitions of groom have something to do with being a servant, EEEEK! Most manly men won’t be too cool with that! So I thought it would soften the blow if we called the groom something else. I think I would handle it better myself it she was called the bride and I “The Man”, and maybe reverse the or-der so it would be “The Man and Bride”. I like that better. That way when he is dragged in to look at wedding pictures, the photogra-pher will ask him “Are you the Man?”, he can say “Yes, I am the man”. And when the bride insists he go to one of those wedding showers, a nerve raking torturous event, at least when he enters all the ladies there will say, “Oh look, she brought the man”. And he could respond proudly “Yes, I am

the man”. It would be a constant reminder to him, even when there is no testosterone left, that he is and always will be, the man.

So when the fateful day arrives, and the future husband stands there at the altar with his loyal friends at his side, being gazed upon by an anxious crowd. They will all know that there before them stands The Man and his Manly Men and all is good. He knows as he watches his future wife doing the step and stop, bride hop down the aisle drawing ever so near, that he can look forward to a life of steak and potatoes, with a little cauliflower on the side.

Charley Norton is co-owner of Norton’s Flooring, a company started by his mother and father in 1976. Norton’s Flooring prod-ucts are in countless homes on

Lake Wedowee.


W hen Richie Smith asked Brittany

Keling to marry him, they both new one thing for sure, they wanted to get married outdoors.

“We first thought we wanted to get married at Chimney Cove, but it was booked for the weekend we wanted,” Keling-Smith said. “So we went to Rice Pavilion and it was per-fect.”

The couple exchanged wedding vows October 2, 2010 on the dock at Rice Pavilion.

“I thought it was going to be so hot and muggy that day,” Lisa Keling, Brittany's mother, said. “But, I was wrong. It was a perfect day with wonderful weather.”

Richie and Brittany had a very short engagement and relied on the help of family and friends to make

their day magical. “Our guests were really part of

the event because we all had jobs to do to make it happen,” Lisa said. “We had so many things do-nated or given as wed-ding gifts that it really helped keep things in budget.” There was no caterer for the event. Different friends and family pro-vided the food that fed Brittany and Richie's 150 guests. Brittany and Lisa bought the flowers for the wedding at a whole-saler and had a friend arrange the bouquets for the bridal party. Simple

arrangements of daisies were used as centerpieces on the reception ta-bles.

“We couldn't have done any of this without the help of our family and friends,” Lisa said. “It also made the day memorable for every-

Brittany Smith Story...

Brittany Keling and Richie Smith said “I Do” in front of friends and family Oct. 2, 2010 at Rice Pavilion on Lake Wedowee.

Married on the Lake Story by Kelly Caldwell

Photos by Tammy Woodard

one because they were a part of the festivities too.” A professional photographer was not hired ei-

ther. Lisa's dad Tony Mirabella, Richie's mom Tammy Woodard and a family friend took on the role of photographers for the event. “Richie's mom has taken some photography

classes and did an awesome job that day,” Lisa said. “Really our biggest expenses for the wedding were renting the place and Brittany's wedding dress. “We got my dress from Susie Q’s (in Tallapoosa,

Ga.) and my parents let me pick out my dress (within reason of course) because I wanted to look my best on our day,” Brittany said. “Our wedding day was special because so many

of our family and friends made the trip to be with us,” Brittany said. “Most of my family lives in Georgia and haven’t really been on Lake Wedowee before. So it was fun to have our wedding at such as beautiful place on the lake.” To be included in next year’s Lake Wedowee

Life wedding issue, please contact Kelly Caldwell at [email protected]

The couple asked friends and family to pitch in to make their special day magical. Richie’s mother and Brittany’s grandfather along with an-other family friend were the photographers for the day.

“Trash The Dress” is not al-ways about destroying the gown beyond recognition. It is a way for the bride’s style and personality to come out from the restraints of a traditional wedding ceremony. Sometimes called “Rock the Dress” or “After Sessions” to deter from the term trashing, these post wedding photo sessions are an opportunity for the bride and groom to let their imagination and creativity fly. The photog-raphy session traditionally takes place a few days after the wedding. In some cases women who have been married for years are dusting off their wed-ding dresses and giving it a go. These shoots are stylistic and creatively staged at Victorian mansions, lakes, barns, forests

or even amusement parks. Although gown trashing has

become a popular post-wedding trend for brides, it is not for everyone. One of the most frequent criticisms is, it is wasteful to ruin a gown that can be donated to charities or even resold. However, many brides feel they have purchased the gown and can do with it what they please. Other brides only engage in trash the dress if their gown was stained or ripped during the actual wed-ding, therefore making it diffi-cult to donate or re-sell. The idea of damaging the dress that was specially chosen for such a momentous occasion is another reason some brides find dress trashing in poor taste. The gown is a piece of history,

A fter the wedding is over what do you do with the dress...Spend hundreds of dollars to have it professionally cleaned and preserved? Not anymore. A new photojournalism trend is giving brides another option for what to do with their dress after the big day is over. “Trash the Dress” has become a popular term in wedding

photography. Photo sessions are typically staged days, months or even years after the initial wedding and showcase the Bride’s individuality. It involves a bride wearing her dress in unusual places which may result in a "trashed," or ruined, dress.

representing the beginning of a new life, one where two people committed their lives to one an-other. Finally, some women con-sider the potential uses for the dress to be a reason to avoid trash-ing it. They may want to hold

onto it and wear the gown during a future vow renewal ceremony or in case their daughter or daugh-ter-in-law may want to wear it during her wedding. Whichever position you take,

the trend is here to stay. This

trend is something that will al-ways be a buzz worthy topic of discussion for years to come.

To see the complete album or more “Trash the Dress” ideas visit:

beaumondephotography.blogspot.com.

“Trashing the Dress” does not necessarily mean destroying it. It is a state of mind that leads to creativity with your gown. It can be in any number of places and the only limits are your imagination.

About our Models Jamie and Salvador Sanchez

Jamie Gipson was born and raised in Memphis Tennessee. Salvador Sanchez was born in Tampa Florida but raised in Miami.

They met in Memphis in 2003. At the time Jamie was a student and Sal was the lead guitarist in a popular local band. They dated for three years and decided to move to Jacksonville, AL to be closer to Sal’s family when they learned that they were expecting their first child, Audrey

Piper Sanchez. Two years later they got married at the Calhoun County Courthouse. Since then they have lived happily ever after and now have amazing “wedding” photographs to share with

their family and future grandchildren.

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Information is deemed to be correct but is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and is subject to change.

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Locations on the map are approximate, for directions to proper-ties displayed, call the listing agent.

We have had our share of winter weather this season and our Lake Wedowee Life readers have

submitted some of their favorite scenes.

Submitted pho-tos (above, clock-wise) By Bonnie Huddleston, Mike Burns and Nancy Barrett.

Submitted photos (above, clockwise) By Bill Staib, Julie McCrae, Harold Bonner, Rhonda Hall, Bill Staib, Martha Burnett, Laddie Carter.

We love to see what Lake Wedowee means to you. Email your photos to [email protected]. High reso-lution photos are preferred.

Light Chocolate Pie

N ow that the holiday's are behind us, and we have all probably eaten our way to Disney World and back, I know what you are thinking... Time to loose some of that weight gain.

The big question is which diet are you going to try and tackle? I have learned the best way to loose weight is not, that's right not go on a diet but change your eating habits.

A few simple adjustments such as buying lesser calorie items like bread, milk and soda make a huge difference. Microwave popcorn is a great late night snack because you can honestly eat an entire bag with little damage. Switching to decaf. tea and soda help to assist your body in ridding itself of water gain. (caffeine retains) Instead of 3 large meals in your day balance with 2 lighter choices and 1 not so light.

By making smarter choices you'll never have to diet again. After you have dropped a few pounds reward yourself with my mouth watering chocolate pie. No one will ever know this is a "diet" desert.

Time for you and your sweet tooth to join me in the kitchen

Let's Get Cookin. Please let us know what you think of our recipes.

You can email me directly at [email protected]. I love feedback.

Glass Slipper Events 256.449.2946

Cream 1 T spoon of milk, splenda and cream cheese together. Fold half of cool whip into mix-ture and pour into crust. Mix pudding and rest of milk well and pour over mixture. Top with re-mainder of cool whip and chill.

8 oz. cream cheese (fat free) 11/2 cup cold milk (skim) 1 T spoon Splenda 2 cups cool whip (light) 1 sm. pk. instant chocolate pudding (sugar free) graham cracker crust

Simply Fabulous Story by Darlene Bailey �� Photo by Kelly Caldwell

“Those who cook meals as a family and eat meals as a family are not only performing a great service to themselves, but to their fellow man in general,” Stan Edwards, owner of Mt. Gilead Farms, said. It's a simple concept, but one

that is often forgotten in this world of instant gratification and “want it now” mentality. Edwards, raised on a family

farm, knows the value of “living off the land” and hopes to en-courage others to think of ways to do the same. The farm has been in Ed-

wards' family since 1919 when his great-grandfather purchased the land in Newell, Ala. and through the years the Edwards' clan has continued the family farming tradition with his grand-father, father, uncle and cousin Tim raising hogs and cows, growing vegetables and operat-ing Edward's Brothers Farm Sup-ply Store (now known as Burgess Feed and Seed.) Although Stan grew up on the

farm, his first profession was as a surveyor traveling the world including Canada, Alaska, Cali-fornia, Costa Rica, Mexico and many other foreign locales. Stan was still surveying with his cousin Tim Shelton, who now owns Newell Farms, when he met Will and Laurie Moore. Will and Laurie own Moore

Farms, a local farm that brings together others in East Alabama and West Georgia who offer lo-cally grown foods to those inter-ested in good tasting “slow food” (as opposed to conven-ience driven fast food). At the time Stan met the

Moores, he had just finished reading the book “Five Acres and Independence” by Maurice Kains. The book had encouraged Stan to consider what he could do with his own five acres, espe-cially since his surveying busi-ness had significantly decreased with the recession. Stan set out to change not only his own way of doing things, but also to en-courage others to buy local and to consider the source of the food they eat.

The first crops that Stan raised and sold to Moore’s Farms included eight orders of rad-ishes, turnips and three dozen eggs. Since then he has learned how to get the most out of his

land and to survive “off the grid.” Stan’s farm, Mt. Gilead Farms,

was founded on the premise of versatility and stepping away from what Stan calls “the mono-culture.” Stan plants approximately six

to eight “immediate” crops that take anywhere from 30 to 60 days to produce. These are the crops that Stan lives on, not only for a profit, but also for his own food. Some of Stan’s favorite “immediate” crops include the Scarlet Red Stemmed Turnip, the Hakurai Japanes Turnip, a filet bean and cherry tomatoes. He also plants “staple” crops

which take anywhere form 90-100 days to produce but that tend to yield larger profits so that he can buy equipment to sustain his farm. Such longer growing “staple” crops would

“Slow Foodie” learns new methods in Turin, Italy

News to Know by Kesa M. Johnston

This is one of the farms Stan Edwards toured while attending Terra Madre in Turin, Italy.



include big on-ions, butternut squash, sweet po-tatoes and others.

Edwards’ per-sonal philosophy is that he is help-ing to provide to the masses “the option of good, clean, fair priced food.” Stan takes pride and strongly believes in his commitment of giving back to the earth instead of only taking. Stan stresses that “Everybody eats; Not that every-body physically performs the act of eating only, but that everyone has the right to eat as the Earth has plenty of food for every-one.” Edwards, many of his other friends and slow “foodies” feel that when you involve a family or other individuals in the act of farming that the family unit and community as a whole becomes stronger.

“Instead of sitting down and watching television, a family who participates in farming their land and then participates in the process-ing of the food to put it on the dinner table becomes a stronger family,” Edwards said.

Many local businesses partici-pate in purchasing from local farmers and recently the Farm-house Restaurant in Roanoke along with Jon Boy’s and the Grapevine in Woodland have purchased turnips from Stan. The Moores also service many local

individuals and are the founders of the new East Alabama / West Georgia Slow Food Group. (www.usaslowfood.org)

According to the website, “Slow Food USA seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system. We reconnect Americans with the people, tradi-tions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food.

We work to inspire a transforma-tion in food policy, pro-duction practices and market forces so that they ensure eq-uity, sus-tainability and pleas-ure in the food we eat.” As part of Stan’s in-volvement with the local slow food group, Stan

was asked to be a delegate to 2010’s Terra Madre (terramadre.info) event in Turin, Italy where more than 5,000 representatives from the worldwide Terra Madre network met. Terra Madre, which means Mother Earth, brings together those players in the food

chain who together support sustainable

agriculture, fishing, and breeding with the goal of preserving taste and biodiversity. The five-day meeting brought together food communities, cooks, academics, youth and musicians from all over the world, who are united in a desire to promote sustainable local food production in harmony with the environment while re-specting knowledge handed

This is one of the buildings on Edwards farm.

Stan Edwards, far left, provides produce for Moore’s Farms and Friends to sell. He is pictured with some of the other growers including Will and Laurie Moore, far right.


down over the generations. Stan traveled to the event

with the help of Moore’s Farms and its supporters who assisted Stan with airfare and accommo-dations.

There are approximately 1,100 plus chapters of Slow Food Groups throughout the world. Stan was very excited to share his experiences at Terra Madre and to meet other farmers he could identify with. Among Stan’s newfound friends are a 78-year-old Baptist preacher from California who single-handedly started eight commu-nity gardens and helped two gangs to disband to help run gar-dens in their community. Stan also befriended two brothers from Ghana and a young Hurri-cane Katrina victim displaced from her home, who at the age of

24 is now farming her own 6 acres in Savannah, Georgia.

Edwards shared that when he was younger, he felt that no one had it any better than the USA, but now that he has traveled around the world, in particular to Terra Madre, he has seen ex-actly what is left for Americans to do to protect their future and better their way of life.

“Italians appear to have a great appreciation for their fel-low man and tend to enjoy life, the center of the land, healthy living, great food and great con-versation,” he said. “In general, there is somewhat of a fellow-ship around the art of growing food, preparing food and eating food.”

Stan hopes to continue to share his newfound knowledge from Terra Madre as well as his

hard earned personal knowledge of farming, living off the earth’s bounty and protecting our food sources while supporting local farmers.

Kesa M. Johnston is a local

attorney who is an avid sup-porter of local farmers and the slow food movement. Her office

website is www.thepowerofadvocacy.com.

Please contact Kesa at [email protected] or Will & Laurie Moore at

[email protected] for more information on support-ing local farmers or joining the local slow food organization.

Late-winter warming trends, a full moon phase, the lake’s rising waters and early spring’s sun-drenched, shallow water. These are all trig-gering aspects that greatly influence the movement of pre-spawn bass. All of which al-ready “instinctively know” its time to make their move towards the lake’s shallow water to produce another year’s offspring.

Throughout Alabama’s Lake Wedowee (Impounded in 1983), this pre-spawn migration of both the Tallapoosa River breed of spotted bass and some of the lake’s big, native largemouth bass is always a somewhat slow move-ment.

These “bass of winter” are ac-tually making their first major move in groups of both pre-spawn male bass and pre-spawn female bass, all that eventually congre-gate together in choice, holding spots near the lake’s shoreline.

As these bass come out of a “somewhat state of hibernation” they begin to make their slow, purposeful travels seeking the best spawning grounds. Usually consisting more towards a select composition of some type of sandy or small-pebbled bottom found in the lake’s shallow water, spawning grounds.

But before any of these -- both male and female -- bass make their move towards the lake’s very shallow, spawning grounds, they have all got to make a stop-off first and feed heavily along some type of “ Point.”

WHAT ARE POINTS?

Points are actual, “stop-off places” near deep water these pre spawn Lake Wedowee bass con-gregate around before they begin their trek towards the lake’s shal-low, spawning grounds to lay their eggs and produce another year’s offspring, each spring sea-son. Every lake in Alabama has points.

Points are found along shal-low-to-deep water drop-offs and a “point” is one of the very first places both spotted bass and largemouth bass congregate along and feed around, before phase two of the spawning season proc-ess takes place. The actual spawn itself.

SPRING – THREE PHASES

AND THEY ALL INVOLVE

FISHING POINTS

Phase One -- of this annual, spawning ritual consisting of three cycles -- is dubbed,” the pre-spawn period”, a time when bass gather in huge numbers and feed

for weeks at a time in se-lect locations, before the female bass actually go on the bed to lay their eggs. They especially gather along points. Phase Two is during the actual spawn, when most bass are bedding. Still, their beds may be near some type of point they may occupy or hang around while bedding. Phase Three is that “seemingly short” period

of time when the spawning season has ended, often to the dismay of most reluctant, springtime bass anglers. A time when bass relate to points as well.

Phase Three is called, “the post-spawn period,” taking place during the latter part of the spring season. This is when these Lake Wedowee bass are recuperating from the spring spawn. A time when they are rather easy to catch as they feed in reckless abandon Then they begin to fatten up once again, prior to the approaching summer season.

Again, getting back to the sub-ject of “points”. Bass anglers should always keep in mind, “not only do these bass gather around these deeper, main lake points and major feeder creek points dur-ing these pre-spawn times, but they gather along some very shal-low water points as well. When the actual spawn is taking place.”

Generally, from late-February all throughout the month of March (on Lake Wedowee and most of Alabama’s lakes), is a short, and very timely six week period often dubbed, ” the official pre-spawn period.” But this is the norm. Pre-spawn bass can be seen

Searching for Late Winter and Early Spring Bass...Get the Point

Hooked on Lake Wedowee by Reed Montgomery


cruising the shallows as early as the first week or two of February or as late as the first week of April. Its is all according to the weather.

If there has been a very harsh winter in Alabama -- like during the past few winter seasons, when it was hard to tell the difference in these two months -- the pre-spawn movement of these, ”slightly le-thargic bass” will be stalled. That is, until better weather conditions arrive. Like a week or two of un-seasonal, very warm weather and rapidly warming waters.

Then suddenly, the lake’s water temperature can rise into the upper 50’s to low 60’s, triggering these bass to quickly make their move towards the lake’s shallow, spawn-ing grounds. As the first, week-long warming trend of the early spring season arrives, there can suddenly be many huge schools of bass found congregating along some type of stop-off, feeding spot, like a point.

Rapidly warming shallows, the full moon nearby, and a good bot-tom composition, all play huge rolls in when and where these bass will move up and this is where they end up spawning each year in the spring.

So, when going only by the weather, just like the bass, the an-gler that pursues these little green

fish may decide to await the best (and most stable) weather condi-tions, when actually targeting these pre-spawn bass.

So, what are points? How do you fish these points? And with what? That’s a three-part set of questions that deserves three good answers!

First of all, points can be found both when the lake is at full pool and when it is down for winter pool.

POINTS…SOME ARE

HIDDEN SOME ARE VISIBLE

So what is a point? A point is a mass of land that protrudes out into the lake. No, this not a quote from Webster’s dictionary. Just a fact. All you have to do is look around Alabama’s rocky, timber-infested Lake Wedowee and you will see some type of point. There are thousands of em’!

Points can easily be seen around most islands, especially when the lake is at low pool. The mouths of small cuts, pockets and major feeder creeks, can be seen just off of the main lake and all have some type of point on both sides of these lake backwaters as you enter the mouths. Even rock bluffs have points and main lake flats can have hidden, underwater points. But they are exposed during the winter months.

During a period, from-late fall

all throughout the entire winter season and on into the early spring season, most of Alabama’s lakes are drawn down several feet for winter pool. In winter’s past Lake Wedowee has been drawn down anywhere from 10-15 feet below a normal, full pool lake level.

During lake draw down is the best time, during this early spring, pre-spawn period, to look for points that will soon be hidden un-derwater when the lake is returned to a normal, full pool lake level.

Take pictures, record these points on your GPS and log them in your memory banks. For each and every point will soon be un-derwater. If you intend to fish these points all throughout the rest of the year, its good to know what’s down there!

This goes for thoroughly scruti-nizing main lake points, major feeder creek points and secondary creek points as the spawning sea-son grows nearer. Each point has a bass holding feature all its own, one or more features that will soon be hidden underwater (if the lake is currently low), when the lake is returned to a normal, full pool lake level during the mid-portion of the spring season.

Even small, in-obscure points can be seen along the lake’s origi-nal, full pool shoreline in the shal-


lows. These shallow water points will hold bass all throughout the months of April, May and June. All bass relate to points during the spring season.

Not only will you catch bass right now during the lake’s pre-spawn spring season, while fishing all around these points, but these exact same points are travel routes that will hold returning schools of bass as they “back track” to the lake’s deep water haunts they in-hibit during the summer months.

Points are stop-off places you can return to as well! With hopes of fooling these bass during the post-spawn period later on in the months of May and June. As you again interrupt their travels when huge schools of bass congregate along these “natural homes” con-sisting of either rocks, standing timber or some type of bottom composition.

FISHING POINTS FOR

SPOTTED AND

LARGEMOUTH BASS

Although points can be fished about any time with just one lure, to thoroughly cover the top, both sides and along the deeper drop-offs found on most points, you really need a good set of lures and the correct rods and reels to fish them with. Just like a golfer needs a good set of golf clubs to help him get the job done!

Thinking like a bass, along with the aid of a good depth finder, fish locator, or some kind of imaging-type depth sounder, helps tremen-dously. But your eyes play a huge role when fishing points as well.

Ask yourself a number of ques-tions, mostly pertaining as to where these bass will be under a certain set of conditions and what lures to use to entice them to bite when targeting points.

* Questions such as; What depth should these pre

spawn bass be holding, along on each and every point you fish on any given outing to Lake We-dowee? Is there evident current? Is the water clear, stained or muddy? Is the wind blowing or calm? Is it cloudy or is the sun out? What was the weather like yesterday, and a week ago, prior to your planned trip? Is the water still very cold in the 40’s and 50’s, or has it suddenly soared into the upper 60’s? CONDITIONS PLAY A HUGE

ROLE

Conditions pay a huge role as to where these bass will actually be located on every trip you make to Lake Wedowee this spring season. Putting together a certain set of conditions helps you complete this pre spawn puzzle, before you ever make your first cast along any tar-geted point.

Cold weather, warming trends,

along with cloudy days, rainy days, evident current or sunny, high pressure conditions, will all have some affect on the way these bass will approach and hold along these pre spawn points. Often tak-ing place for several weeks at a time, with very little fishing pres-sure from most anglers that are awaiting the warmer weather and spring’s very catch-able spawning bass.

These conditions also affect the way the baitfish and the crayfish (that these bass will constantly feed on), will act as well. So just imagine what’s down there and how the bass is relating to each and every point and what potential meal that may come its way. Use each lure you choose accordingly, influenced by both what you see and what you can feel that is down there. For not all points are the same.

EQUIPMENT AND LURE

SELECTION FOR FISHING

POINTS

Fishing these points involves using your standard, conventional-type fishing rods and reels loaded with various kinds of fishing line, and selecting among hundreds of types of lures. The latter of which can become an actual task, with today’s mind-boggling choice of modern day fishing tackle.

This decision may involve the use of several lure choices that will


range from fishing from top to bottom in the water column. So rigging up several rods prior to your fishing trip is suggested. For more time spent on the water fish-ing, not rigging rods while others are catching bass!

Select several rods you may need. Such as light-tackle outfits, medium-length rods and some very long rods. Even rig up a few rods with several different types of lures and various pound test line you think these bass can be fooled with. That is, if you already know the lake’s conditions.

If, as they say, “your are going blind” first, take a good look at each point you decide to fish. Long before you make your first cast. Consider the conditions. Then make your lure selection. Then decide how your going to approach that particular point and

use each one of those select lures, to thoroughly cover every spot, while continuously casting from every angle you can on these points.

* Always quiz yourself first; Is it a long, shallow point? One

that bass may scatter on and they may hit top water lures, spinner baits, shallow running crank baits and lipless lures? Is it a rock bluff point that suddenly drops right into very deep water, calling for a number of lure selections such as using a deep diving crank bait, jigging spoon oversized lipless, ¾ ounce lure, or bottom fished lures, like worms and jig combos?

On Lake Wedowee there are a lot of rocky points that have standing timber. Consider fishing this natural, wood cover for pre spawn bass that may suspend within this timber. Then contem-

plate what depth, what approach, and just as important, what direc-tion your offering should be com-ing from.

Lastly, you have to decide what lure choice you must make, to successfully fool these big, pre spawn bass into biting, during these early, spring season, pre-spawn times. Choose your lures wisely. Your next cast could land you the bass of a life time!

A Time When A Point…should be your target, for some Big, Lake Wedowee Pre-spawn Bass!

Thanks and Good Fishin’

Reed Montgomery / Owner of Reeds Guide Service (205) 663-

1504 E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.fishingalabama.com Always call on Reeds Guide

Service…first!

Lake Wedowee Real Estate is “Freaking” Unbelievable As a seasoned real estate agent, I

have received a lot of educational and motivational training over the past 30 years. The real estate busi-ness is constantly evolving and the career I started in 1978 as an agent does not resemble much of the work I do today. We still get the seller to sign a listing agreement, put up a sign and pray it sells, but a good agent knows this is just the beginning of the process. To be a successful agent in today’s market you must be part computer geek, professional marketer, public rela-tions specialist, advertising special-ist, negotiator, decorator, mediator, counselor, database manager, etc.

Another thing that has not changed from the early days, is eve-ryone who knows you are in real estate will ask, “How is the real es-tate market?” It is a great conversa-tion starter but sometimes very dif-ficult to answer honestly without appearing negative and pessimistic. And that is not something you want to do when you are attempt-ing to get people to list with you or buy from you.

Early on in my career I attended a Tom Hopkins class. Hopkins was one the greatest real estate trainers in the 70s, 80s and 90s in the United States. At this class, he taught us to respond to “How is the real estate market” by saying “it is unbeliev-able.” As he said you are not lying

and can keep everything on a posi-tive note.

So, this all leads me to the current market and the question, How is the Lake Wedowee Real Estate Market? IT IS FREAKING UNBELIEVABLE!

We have definitely seen freakish things happen in the current market such as lenders allowing owners to stay in properties when the buyer is in extreme default and has other assets, appraised values differing more than $100,000 from one ap-praiser to another, banks and mort-gage companies dumping proper-ties for 50 to 60 cents on the dollar, builders signing properties back over to their banks, banks reorgan-izing and lending practices chang-ing drastically. Yes, it appears many are FREAKING out and bailing out, which in my opinion is keeping the market from correcting itself.

The current pricing of lake homes is FREAKING UNBELIEVABLE too. As you can see from the chart below, 2010 showed declines in the average price and median price. More than half of the lake houses sold in 2010 sold for less than $275,000.

Almost all predictions say we should not see a turn around in the

market for another one to two years. But, don’t be fooled by think-ing you will get a better deal by waiting. There are tremendous buy-ing opportunities on Lake We-dowee right now. The best advice I can give a potential buyer is if you find something you like at a reason-able price, you better buy it now, because the opportunity to buy at these low prices and low interest rates are not going to last forever!

For those who have to sell. Think like a buyer and make your house the best deal possible. Price it competitively, make needed re-pairs, get it in the best showing con-dition you can. It is also advisable to get a good local agent, someone who is experienced, knowledgeable and who will work hard to get your property sold. Don’t just settle for the first agent you call or see, inter-view two or three agents. Then choose the one you feel is most hon-est, listens to your needs, and has a real plan to get your property sold.

Last but not least, don’t FREAK OUT by low offers, be appreciative you got an offer, discuss your op-tions with your agent and make every attempt to negotiate a deal that will work for you and the buyer.

Leisel Caldwell is the broker

for RE/MAX Lakefront on Lake Wedowee.

Information taken from ezMLS an online listing service used by most of the local agents to promote and sale their listings in the Lake Wedowee area.

Market Conditions by Leisel Caldwell


Lake Wedowee Life

(Opposite page top left, clock-wise) Moriah Autrey, Marilyn Taylor, Hilary Taylor, Becca White and Carolyn Taylor brought two issues of Lake We-dowee Life along with them on trip to Notre Dame in Paris France. Linda and Barry Smith traveled with Lake Wedowee Life to the Sea of Galilee in Israel; Billy Stewart, Susan Crook, Jack Shelton, Betty Shelton, Patsy Daniel visited the Hoover Dam in Nevada with their favorite maga-zine; Kevin and Brandon Koskey visited the ruins of Tulum, Mex-ico with the August/September issue of Lake Wedowee Life. Ronnie Underwood brought along Southern Holiday Life to the Na-tional Championship game in Glendale, Arizona. Garry and Carol Hendrix brought

Lake Wedowee Life along to Gat-linburg, Tenn. (This page top left, clockwise) Caleb Brown brought Lake Wedowee Life along on a recent business trip to Seoul Ko-rea. Cary Kilgore and Greg Daniel visited the San Diego Zoo with Southern Holiday Life on a recent trip to California. Anne Marie and Jerry Nix brought along their favorite issue of Lake Wedowee Life to Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. If you travel, be sure to take Lake Wedowee Life along with you. Take a picture at a land-mark and send it back to us! Email your photos to [email protected]. Please be sure to tell us where you are in the photo and who is

with you!! Thanks and happy travels!

The Southern Union Fine Arts Department begins its spring per-formance calendar with the thea-tre department’s production of Tartuffe.

The original play, written in 1664 by French poet Moliere, was quite controversial for its time and was even banned by the French Roman Catholic Church.

“Tartuffe is most mature play we have done,” Theatre Director Michael Williams said. “And, probably the most ambitious as far as performances go..

“The play is based on a holy man who is not holy at all,” Wil-liams said. “He is constantly us-ing the guise of religion to hide his actual intentions of embez-zling money and chasing women. Basically Tartuffe uses this façade to con a patriarch of a family.”

Most of the family does not believe in Tartuffe, however the father does completely...So much so that he seeks Tartuffe’s counsel on all matters of his life including his finances, faith and friends.

“As you can imagine this puts the rest of the family in a bind because they see through Tar-tuffe,” Williams said. “But, it is one of those situations where the more the family proves Tartuffe’s true intentions, the more the fa-ther believes in him. It causes a lot of conflict as you can imag-ine.”

When Williams was searching for a translation of the play, he wanted to focus more on the ac-tual words the characters were saying instead of a translation attempting to capture the poetry of the original.

“This is a comedy but it has a

lot of tragedy in it as well,” Wil-liams said. “There are some mo-ments that are absolutely heart-breaking.”

This production will be set in the era of the Great Depression instead of Neoclassic French era of the original.

“We are using a contemporary translation that you can relate to today,” Williams said. “It is a case of the Haves and Have-Nots. That is what makes this family so vulnerable. They are not at the highest ranks in class but they are not suffering either, and they don’t want to be suffering.”

The play opens at 7 p.m. on February 23 and will run nightly through February 26. Tickets are

$5. “I have been very encouraged

by the work and effort my actors have put into this production,” Williams said. “And, if I were to ever complain about my cast I would be insane!”

After the production closes, Williams will be taking half of his actors to audition for colleges across the country at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

“We placed several students last year in different programs and we hope to do the same this year,” Williams said.

Southern Union will be con-

ducting scholarship auditions March 14 and 15. For more infor-mation on auditions, please visit

www.suscc.edu.


News to Know by Kelly Caldwell

Southern Union presents Tartuffe

The Southern Union Theatre Department will present Tartuffe February 23-26 at Brazeal Auditorium. (Photo courtesy of Southern Union State Commu-nity College)


Chamber celebrates professional women March 29 Hello Ladies!!!

Mark your calen-dar for the 21st an-nual Randolph County Chamber of Commerce Pro-fessional Women’s Luncheon March 29 at the First United Methodist Church’s Family Life Center.

Themes of past luncheon’s include Women’s Wellness Mind and Body as well as Celebrat-ing a Successful You.

The table deco-rating contest will continue this year with the win-ning table receiving a cash prize. Over the last two years more and more people have volunteered to decorate the tables for the lunch-eon.

If you or your company is in-terested in decorating a table for the event please contact us at the chamber office, 334.863.6612. You can decorate your tables from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday Mar. 28 or you can decorate from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. the day of the

luncheon. In order to be judged, tables

must be fully decorated by 9 a.m. on March 29.

Our annual door prize tradi-tion will continue this year as well with the grand prize being a day at the spa. Door prizes will be given throughout the luncheon

and you must be pre-sent to win. (You will receive a ticket as you enter the luncheon) Local businesses do-nate the prizes each year, and if you are interested in donat-ing, please contact me as well. We give away more than 50 prizes that day and it is al-ways a hit with the attendees. Tickets cost $16 per person with $1 going to the Pilot Club of Roanoke’s Christmas for Kids program. Make plans to attend this year’s Randolph

County Professional Women’s Luncheon from 11:30 to 1 p.m. on March 29.

Dorothy Tidwell is the Execu-tive Director for the Randolph County Chamber of Commerce. To contact her for more informa-tion, please call 334.863.6612; 334.863.1402 or email her at

[email protected].

Chamber Chatter by Dorothy Tidwell

Different groups and businesses decorate tables for the Profes-sional Women’s Luncheon sponsored by the Randolph County Chamber of Commerce.

Skeeter Continued from Page 50


game. This was a good plan in theory, but the animals had plans of their own. All the critters had gone into the “layup and hibernate” mode. That first day even the dogs, Ole Roho, Patches, and Snuffy, didn’t want to leave the dog box. Everything was dead still, no sound at all, cept for an occasional limb breaking from the weight of the ice. We had another truck besides the old bus, but it was of no use since the roads were blocked by ice laden trees so we were stranded, the only mode of transportation was afoot. Normally this would not have fazed me and Red, but since we were camped on top of a high ridge covered with ice, walking about was a little bit treacherous, specially if you went down one of them hills and had to climb back up.

The first day we pretty much just layed around the camp playing poker and nursing an occasional cold one planning our hunt for the next day. That morning we turned the dogs, but they were not able to jump a deer so by lunchtime we were all back at the camp, pretty much worn out from all the climbing those icy mountains. Later on that afternoon, me and Red took John M. and Lewis P. and hit the woods looking for “tree rats”. I don’t recall seeing one squirrel moving, but we did shoot into several beds and sure enough

most of them had squirrels. That night’s supper was fried squirrels, gravy, and hot biscuits, wow..show was good. After a few hands of poker and maybe a couple of cold ones, we all hit the bunks with anticipation of better luck hunting the next day.

Day three, we were up early and after a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and coffee, we all scattered out along the ridges and saddlebacks. As best I remember, Lenard turned the dogs loose and in a few minutes Ole Roho, Patches, and Snuffy were running hot on the trail of a deer. A few minutes more, I heard one shot and the dogs hushed. We all begin making our way toward the sound of the shot by the time we got there, Joe was just finishing up field dressing a spike buck. He had a smile on his face and a steaming deer liver in his hand! We all whooped and hollered, slapping one another on the back, cause we had food. Then we realized we had about a half a mile drag to make..UPHILL..in the ice. About that time, Joe (still grinning and holding onto that steaming deer liver) said “You boys get him back to the bus and I will go ahead and cook lunch”. So Joe took off with the liver while me and Red and Terry started to climb with that hundred pound spike buck. Now Lenard being a little older and somewhat wiser

never left the top of the ridge, so when me and Red and Terry got there with that three hundred pound spike buck he was grinning from ear to ear. By the time we got that five hundred pound spike buck back to the bus and hung up in a tree, Joe was hollering to come and get it…now I have never been much of a liver eater, especially deer liver, but that morning that fried deer liver between two pieces of loaf bread tasted like manna from heaven!!

The next day the ice had begun to melt, but it weight had taken it toll on all the smaller pine trees and they still blocked our departure. For the next several days we stayed fat and sassy eating deer and playing cards. We would just lower that hundred pound spike buck down, cut off what we needed, then hoist it back up. We did more hunting and did kill a couple of small bucks, but nothing to brag about. On Saturday we heard chain saws running off in the distance and by that afternoon, Dad, along with Uncle Ronald and Uncle Jerry had come to our rescue. I had figured that Dad would be pretty pissed, but since he and I were cut from the same cloth, he just grinned and said “Well, I hope you got it out of your system for a while”.

Skeeter

www.lakewedoweelife.com

Index of Advertisers A & E Metal 41

A & M Insulation 30

Affordable Tire & Repair 12

AGL 19

Bank of Wedowee 6

Brian Morris 18

C & M Building Services 34

Chad Lee, Attorney At Law 16

Charles Thompson Construction 37

Cheaha Realty, Billy Robertson 30

Cooks Pest Control 47

D & S Marine 43

Docks ETC 30

Farmers Insurance 34

Fiberglass Unlimited 13

Fishing Alabama 30

H& M Drugs 34

Halls Propane 19

Lakeview Auto Sales 31

Lakeside Grill 2

Mac McKinney Properties 19

Main Street Animal Hospital 16

Max Fulbright Designs 16

Midway Treasures 15

Norton's Floor Covering 18

Perryland Foods 31

RE/MAX Lakefront Grady & Linda Stone 39

RE/MAX Lakefront, Josephine McGuire 18

RE/MAX Lakefront, Kelly and Leisel Caldwell 43

REMAX Lakefront 52

Scott Hewitt, Attorney at Law 15

Sheppard's Jewelry 15

SmallTown Bank 9

Southern Union 13

State Farm Insurance 15

Steele Chiropractic 31

Summit Storage 40

Superior Gas 41

Tallapoosa River Electric Coop 43

TEC Security 31

Traylor's Tax & Gifts 9

W & M Grocery 33

Wedowee Building Supply 51

Wedowee Lake and Lands 28

Wedowee Marine 3

Wellborn Cabinet 51

Williamsburg Manor 3


Well it’s been a while since

our last story and in my case I have no new adventures to tell about. Deer season to say the least has pretty much sucked, so far I’ve yet to kill a deer with horns much less a racked buck! The new thousand dollar “Matthew’s Cap” I got before bow season never came through either!!! Christmas came and went, but

was some what uneventful. Now don’t get me wrong, I was together with family and friends which is always a blessing. We shared food and gifts, socialized some, and remembered Christmas’ of long ago; but “Sany-Claws” was a big disappointment! Now I’d seen one of them rigs that fastens on to your four wheeler that lifts stuff up on your rack, was called a HOOKER LIFT. It looked like a pretty handy device to have, so I started hinting around to my wife that I would like to have one. She let me know right quick that I best not be fooling around with no hookers and that I sure as heck didn’t need no lift to be picking them up with!!! You know what she got me? She bought me an “anus extractor”…you know …a “butt reamer”…for the skinning shed!!!!!!!! Today, it is the eleventh of

January and we had a little snow and ice, but not too much, not as bad as some of the “ice overs” in past years. As I sat around the past couple of days watching out

over a green field I have planted just beyond the back yard, I thought back about a big ice storm we had back in 1973, could have been 1974, but it was one of them years. Anyway, Dad, myself and an assortment of friends and family had spent the weekend over in the “Needham’s Bottom” hunting, we had camped in an old school bus that Dad and the guys had fixed up for such times. It had a gas stove, lights, bunks and a table, even had a gas frigate, pretty nice!

Everyone knew the storm front was coming in that Sunday night so we all left out pretty early that afternoon with the exception of Red, Terry, Lenard, and Joe, they didn’t have to work the next week and had decided to tough it out in those mountains and hunt until they could get out, a couple of days at the most…leastwise that is what they figured. At that time I was living and working up in Birmingham and Dad had told me that I had to leave early to beat the storm, but I could not stand the thought of Red hunting all the next week whilst I had to work!! So we hatched out us a plan, a couple of the fellers were going to make a trip into town before the storm hit to procure the basic supplies

they would need for a

couple of days. You know things like bread, eggs, bacon, coffee, can goods, dog food and last but not least BEER had to have beer. In the mean time I’d leave mom and dad’s on my way back to Birmingham, but instead I would “rondayvue” with the guys. Now I knew the plan would work until they missed me at work and called mom to see where I was, but by then it would be too late. The ice would have us blocked in with trees bent over the road and more importantly it would have Dad blocked out….What a plan!!! Everything went off just as

planned, that night it started raining and then turned cold, by morning we were in a winter wonderland. The rain had turned into a thick sheet of ice which was a lot heavier than we had expected. What was planned as a couple of days hunting adventure turned into a solid week, one that we’d all talk about for years to come! That first day, we realized that

we’d probably “bit off” more that we could chew, but there was nothing we could do about it. The amount of food and beer we purchased was not going to be near enough, so we decided to start rationing that first day, especially the beer! Now we were on a hunting expedition, so we had our guns and plenty of ammo so we would just supplement our diet with wild


Redneck Adventures By Skeeter

See SKEETER Page 48

Documents

Feb_March 2011