Newspaper Page Text
Forsyth County News- Sunday, June 7,1998
Forsyth Life
Leading
from the
other end
of the
leash
Sheri R K
Toomey IpHA
Really, I did train my dog, Sam,
to come, sit and heel. I don’t think
he’s forgotten these lessons.
Instead, I believe he’s still working
on training me.
Usually, when he wants to go
outside he’ll stand or sit in front of
the door. When I open it, he gazes
up at me expectantly as an invita
tion to join him. Then when I do,
he walks out the door and stands
like a statue, sniffing the air for
what seems like minutes at a time.
The only action that really gets
him going is a squirrel, lizard or
me running around the yard.
So you see who’s really doing the
work here? It’s not Sam, it’s me.
Sometimes he wants to go out
side and I don’t want to go with
him. At these times, he gazes out
'the door as if looking into a void
and doesn’t move an inch.
; When I’m at home, Sam follows
me all around the house no matter
what I’m doing, but I just know
‘he’s waiting for me to sit down in
front of the television. He likes it
when I read too.
This is cause for celebration. He
does a little dance and then picks
up his bone and starts chewing.
Evidently this activity can’t be
done without an audience since he
doesn’t usually chew them when
he’s by himself.
Last weekend I was standing in
the living room and Sam was
perched on the Oriental rug with
his bone nearby. I thought, “He’s
just waiting for me to sit down.
In that dog language he speaks,
he’s non-verbally commanding
me to sit.” So I did. And then he
did his dance and started in on
his bone.
Is it just me or was this trick
number one on his list for me to
accomplish?
If I didn’t know any better I
would say this dog prefers every
one in the house to laze around on
the couch watching television
every evening, except after meals,
when he prefers to take a walk.
Sam doesn’t like it when any
body cleans except when you’re
sweeping up dust He’ll gladly sit
and wait for you to sweep up all
the floors and then bat at it with his
paws while you’re trying to sweep
it into the pan.
Doing the laundry is another
story. Once the clothes have piled
up Sam feels it is his duty to drag
them all over the house. Once you
decide you actually want to wash
them he is happy to help . But
instead of making for the washing
machine, Sam heads for the nearest
carpet or bed to chew on what he
believes is a well-deserved treat for
helping out.
OK, so he would rather watch me
sit on the couch than follow me
from room to room while cleaning
or doing the weekly laundry. I real
ly treasure him and definitely
approve of his training efforts.
He’d rather I was reading than
the dishes. How many
people can you say that about?
Maybe he was a writer in a previ
ous life or he’s the canine version
of an editor. It doesn’t really matter
since whatever he’s doing is work
ing out just great.
! I’m just wondering what the next
hoop he has in store for me to
jump through. I don’t mind being
trained, it’s just that I actually start
ed out thinking it was me that was
doing it No matter.
Sam definitely has plans for me. I
can see it in his eyes but he’s not
talking.
Winter inspiration featured on local pond tour
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Photo/Tom Brooks
Dennis Whittle feeds the koi in the pond he and his wife,
Linda Whittle, built one winter.
Going from gold to grapes in
the North Georgia mountains
By Sheri Toomey
Lifestyle Editor
Two bottles of champagne - Dom Perignon
and Andre- stood waiting in Doug and Sharon
Paul’s hotel room during their honeymoon. They
chose Dom for their first taste of champagne and
then continued the tradition by searching for a
1978 Dom Perignon every year after their fifth
wedding anniversary, said Doug. z /
After picking up Wine Spectator magazine,
they were hooked. Twenty years later, the couple
has planted their first grape crop on 180 acres in
the heart of Lumpkin County’s Frogtown dis
trict.
Doug said this was probably the first commer
cial vineyard established in Lumpkin County
since the end of prohibition.
The Pauls bought the property, which is in
Georgia’s Piedmont region, in 1995 and estab
lished the company in 1996.
“The soil here is similar to the Piedmont region
of Italy,” said Doug.
Before choosing which types of grapes they
would plant, the Pauls hired viticulturist Dr.
Tbny K. Wolf as a consultant. Wolf, the author
of “The Mid-Atlantic Winegrape Growers
Guide,” is a consultant to many vineyards and
‘Go
Dawgs! ’
By Sheri Toomey
Lifestyle Editor
Artist Frances Camp’s inspiration
for her painting, “Bulldog
Country” came at the request of
her grandson, Drew Camp.
“My grandson has always loved
sports,” said Frances. “He played
baseball, basketball and football
throughout grammar and high
school.”
Once Drew began college at the
University of Georgia, he also
started playing football for the
Bulldogs.
“On his first Georgia Day game,
Drew wore the number 55,” said
Frances adding that his heart was
still attached to number 5, when he
played sports for Henry County
before high school graduation.
Drew asked Frances create a
painting in remembrance of his
first number and the UGA
Bulldogs. The result is a colorful
collage of images significant to the
Bulldogs and her grandson.
“Bulldog Country” has been
licensed by the Collegiate.
Licensing Company and is a limit-
wineries around the country.
‘We spent the last two to three years studying
and learning and preparing the soil on the prop
erty,” said Doug.
Almost 6,000 vines and six different varieties
of wine grapes were planted in April including
Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Blanc and
Chardonnay as well as the French-American
hybrid, Vidal Blanc and the east coast’s popular
native American varietal Norton.
“Cabernet Franc and Merlot are typically
blended to make a good red,” said Doug.
The plants are a combination of French grapes
grafted on to American root stock sealed with
paraffin wax.
These plants were also grown for two years
before they were even planted in the Georgia
soil, said Doug. After soaking, they were planted
in the field 50 at a time.
The Pauls consider Three Sisters a family busi
ness and hired Sharon’s brother, Ken VanDusen,
as the farm’s operations manager.
Instead of digging holes by hand the Paul’s
used the Vineyard Auger, designed by Charley
Dresser, president of Equipment That Works,
based in Kansas City.
See WINE, Page 2B
Photo/submitted
“Bulldog Country” by Cumming artist Frances Camp.
ed edition print, signed and num
bered.
“I always liked UGA,” said
Frances. “It always reminds me of
our great state.”
The painting combines images of
goal posts, footballs, several bull
dogs, football helmets, the United
States flag, an umpire and of
course, Drew and one of his fellow
players and friends.
Frances, a Cumming resident,
By Sheri Toomey
Lifestyle Editor
Four years ago on a Sunday
morning in January, Dennis
Whittle announced to his wife,
Linda, that they’re were going to
build a pond that day instead of
going to church.
“We laid the plastic on
Valentine’s day,” he said. “It took
about a month.”
Two of the rocks that now sur
round the pond and mini-waterfall
were attached to log chains and
pulled out with their car, he said.
A sundial sits on top of the water
fall which trickles down into the
pond filled with lily pads, cattails
and koi. Azaleas and hostas are
planted around it.
The pond is home to several gen
erations of koi, some that were
even bom there, said Dennis. The
pond water is clear and purified by
an installed filter and an ultra vio
let light that keeps it algae free.
A man with a burlap head and
stitched eyes and mouth, clothed in
jeans, a work shirt and hat sits on a
bench by the pond.
This gardener man spent last
weekend at the Relay for Life, said
Dennis adding that his wife sewed
his clothes and the burlap woman’s
has been painting since 1981 and
is a member of the Sawnee Art
Association.
“Bulldog Country” prints are
available for $35 plus $5 postage
by mailing a check to Frances
Camp, 2290 Mountain Laurel
Drive, Cumming, Ga., 30040.
They can also be purchased at
Home Team Sports Collectibles at
(800) 573-0309 or Sports Art Inc.,
at (770) 985-4688.
standing underneath the Redbud
tree.
Dennis has planted numerous dif
ferent plots around the house filled
with everything from lemon balm,
thyme, patchouli and anise in one
section to azure blue and pink pop
pies in another. Everywhere you
turn, there is a new color or fra
grance emanating from each of the
well-tended plots of vegetables,
flowers and herbs. There is even
catnip for their calico cat, Callie.
Straw protects one area where
asparagus is planted. A comer
nearer the house holds his newest
project, a greenhouse where he
experiments with different plants
and colors.
A pie cherry tree stands on the
other side of the house near the
pond along with another flower
garden.
As a future project, Dennis said
he’d like to build a stream to one of
the flower beds.
“We joke about having a gardener
but I’m it,” said Dennis. “My wife
grew up on a vegetable farm and
she thinks it’s amazing that I find it
relaxing. In our household, mow
ing the lawn is the easy job.”
The Whittles have lived on these
10 acres foj 18 years - ever since
they moved to the area. Dennis is
■ks/
Agricultural Commissioner Tommy Irvin and Lumpkin County
Commissioner Charlie Ridley join Doug and Sharon Paul for their cer
emonial first planting in Three Sisters Vineyards.
150 years of faith
By Sheri Toomey
Lifestyle Editor
Support for the 150-year-old
Orange United Methodist Church
exists, not through the wood used
to build the first one room building
in 1848, but in the pieople.
“In this community, there’s a
strong commitment to being fol
lowers of Jesus,” said Pastor Tim
Reeve who has been there for
almost two years.
People in this community may
forget the exact words of the
Sunday sermon during the follow
ing week but they never forget to
help out their neighbors, especially
in their time of need, said Reeve.
The church was established in
1948 in a small room, 30 feet by 40
feet, on a three-acre tract 11 miles
east of Canton in Smithwick Hill.
Early settlers to the area chose the
name Orange, from a nearby post
office in Orange, Ga.
A new wood building was con
structed in 1909 donated by
William A. Lathem which is still
used today, said Reeve. Additional
space has been added for the grow
ing membership along with a fel
lowship hall.
When sermons were delivered
June artist of the
month
PAGE2B H
from the Bronx and Linda is from
upstate New York. They met at
Hartsfield Airport when both were
Volunteers In Service 7b America.
Both taught for this government
volunteer group in middle Georgia.
After they were married, the cou
ple moved to Forsyth County and
continued using their education
backgrounds in the school system.
• • •
The second annual Forsyth
County pond tour is set for June 13
and all proceeds go to Family
Haven, a United Way Agency
established to provide shelter,
counseling and referral services for
victims of family violence.
Family Haven was the first shel
ter of its kind in the tri-county
region and is the only shelter that
provides a full service program for
victims and their children.
Additional ponds are still needed
for the tour. Tickets are $lO and
include a raffle for a free pond pro
vided by Noah’s Ark Pet Supply.
Door prizes include: Pappy Red’s
Barbeque gift certificates, a coffee
set and a wrought iron planter.
Refreshments will be provided at
each stop on the tour by Family
Haven and each child will receive a
stuffed animal. For more informa
tion, call (770) 889-7812.
by pastors traveling through the
area, the church was on the
Holbrook circuit. In 1964, the
church services became as solid as
the walls that had housed all those
traveling preachers and the mem
bers.
The Rev. John Ozley was the first
full-time pastor and served the
church for 16 years, said Reeve.
Membership has grown from the
first founding 10 to 320 members
in 1998.
Several influential families
helped bind the strong ties that
make the church and the communi
ty what it is today including the
Lathams, the Smithwicks and the
Whites, said Reeve.
“This church has been one of the
focal points of the community,”
said Reeve. “It has stayed true to
the proclamation of the Bible.”
Today, voices and bells from
three choirs and three chimes
groups grace the Sunday services.
The Orangemen, a male bluegrass
gospel group, also plays in the
church and the surrounding area.
There is also a praise team which
Reeve said, “leads in praise and
worship courses.”
See ORANGE, Page 2B