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PAGE 4B PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. APRIL 1.2021
O ’Neill Outdoors
Taking a date and a little brother fishing
provides great rehearsal for adversity in life
Mr. and Mrs. Williams depart from their 1965 wedding. A fishing trip where nothing
went right but the couple kept their senses of humor has led to a marriage of more than
55 years.
By O’Neill Williams
It was during my 19th
summer that I decided it
might be worthwhile to take
my younger brother, 11 -years
old at the time, and my girl
friend of recent vintage out
for an evening of fishing. I
was an experienced fisher
man. Not many guys were at
that age and I felt I could im
press her with my knowledge
and aptitude. Okay! Maybe I
did not think things through.
It turned out to be a learning
experience for us all that
would foreshadow the future.
I had been catching a few
crappie shortly after nightfall
from around the docks at
Norris Lake near Lithonia,
Georgia. A short trip, from 7
p.m. to midnight, did not
seem too difficult. Knowing
about the lake, docks, and
general layout would serve
us well and we appropriated
a small 14-foot aluminum
boat at the community dock.
With lanterns and gear in
hand, off we went into the
gathering darkness.
Well, first-of-all, my
brother lost the only paddle
overboard, never to be re
trieved. Eleven-year old boys
are rarely known for their co
ordination. However, refus
ing to give in, I scrounged a
lengthy 2x4, about 12 feet
long from the shoreline, and
I rowed on ‘kayak’ style, to
ward a destination not yet re
alized. That necessary
paddling style unfortunately
wet the matches in my shirt
pocket. That situation un
folded as we reached the des
ignated dock. No matches for
the lanterns. What now?
Press on; we were there,
so fish anyway. As our hands
and feet scrambled in the
darkness on the uneven
planks, my special little
tackle box used for this type
of fishing was kicked into the
water and quickly faded into
the dark water. This frazzled
18-year old, trying his best to
impress his beautiful date, at
tempted to decide who
should take the blame. Well,
it seemed important at the
time but without result.
No light, no tackle, little re
solve! Give Up! Live to fish
another day. Paddle back to
the dock.
As I tied a stem line to the
post at the dock, I was as
sured by my date that the
bow was likewise secured.
The lone female on this little
jaunt needed to visit the little
girl’s room. She and my
brother hurried away, privacy
and all that. “No problem,
you guys proceed, and I’ll
unload.”
Alone now, I placed the
remaining gear on the dock
and stepped out. Secured
bow line? No, the unsecured
bow turned sharply left and I
quickly did an acrobatic split
and plunged into the dark
water headfirst. My returning
date noticed the soggy foot
prints on the pavement after I
resurfaced and then recalled
the part about the bow line.
Teenage giggles mounted
into infectious laughter as she
surveyed the scene. Remem
ber now these people were a
couple of 18-year-olds.
There I stood, no glasses,
they were lost during the im
promptu dive, soaked to the
bone, dignity dripping wet!
Hardly the impressive con
clusion I had envisioned.
Anyway, we got through
that evening, sense of humor
finely tuned, knowing a great
deal how we would react to
and eventually overcome ad
versity. It was kind of a re
hearsal, I guess, that first
fishing trip. We are still pad
dling, that girl and I, some
times ill equipped, but al
ways willing to go back and
start over, during some of
troubled times occurring in
any marriage, with dedicated
love and shared humor. We
have been together now for
58 years and married for 55.
O'Neill Williams, born in
Atlanta, is host of O'Neill
Outside, which reaches
277,000,000 subscriber
households weekly on FOX
Sports Southeast, Amazon
Prime, Outdoor Action Net
work, and others. His
"O'Neill Outside" radio
broadcasts are heard in 38
states via WSB Radio.
"O'Neill Outside" radio is the
#1 outdoor based live radio
talk show in the country’.
Find oid more or contact
him at ONeillOutside.com.
Look for his columns the
first week of every month in
the Pickens Progress. Or in
our e-edition archives at any
time.
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The bid is for five (5) permanent mounted genera
tors.
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306 Hawkins Ridge Jasper Ga 30143
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Contractor to provide the following services:
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• Generator system include engine block heater,
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control. And RSAIII-Remote annunciator,
Factory authorized startup, operator training,
and system load testing using building load at
beginning and all conduit and wiring for
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• Generator to be located in area specified by
Pickens County and contractor to construct
concrete pad (3,000 psig) as foundation for
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The work will consist of producing and installing
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All bids must be in by Thursday April 8, 2021
at 3:00 pm. No bids will be received or accepted
after 3:00 pm, April 8, 2021. Bids submitted after
the designated hour will be deemed invalid and re
turned unopened to the bidder. Pickens County re
serves the right to waive any irregularities or reject
any and all bids.
Bid Packages can be picked up in the Water De
partment at the Administrative Building located at:
1266 East Church St. Jasper GA 30143
Hooker, Lanning take top awards
in art, essay contest
Pickens County Farm Bu
reau would like to congratu
late the winners of the 2021
Georgia Farm Bureau Art &
Essay Contests.
Congratulations to Molly
Hooker who is an 8th grade
homeschooled student.
Molly was the county level
winner in the Georgia Farm
Bureau Middle School Essay
Contest. Molly’s essay was
on the topic of “How does
utilization of Certified Farm
Markets and agritourism ben
efit both the farmer and the
consumer?” Her essay
showed her strong grasp of
agriculture and her talent for
writing. It was sent to Geor
gia Farm Bureau in Macon to
be judged for a chance of
winning at the state level.
Congratulations also go
out to Hailey Lanning, a 9th
grader at Pickens County
High School who was the
county level winner for the
GFB Art Contest. Hailey’s
PHS 9th grader Molly
Hooker.
beautiful pencil drawing de
picted a farm scene complete
with a bam, fields, crops and
farm animals. Her attention
to detail and shading was
very impressive. Hailey’s
drawing was sent to Georgia
Farm Bureau in Macon for a
chance of winning at the state
level.
PHS 9th grader Hailey
Lanning.
Both students were pre
sented with a certificate and
gift card by Pickens County
Farm Bureau Office Manager
Rachel Hoffbauer. The entire
staff at Pickens County Farm
Bureau is very proud of all
the participants in the contest.
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Attention Veterans!
We are your American Legion!
We are dedicated to:
❖ Veterans
• Emergency assistance for homeless Veterans.
• Coordinating with Home Depot for Veteran related projects.
• Benefits counseling so that Veterans get what they earned.
• Fellowship for Veterans-We have served our country so we understand
what you are feeling.
• Monthly meetings, weekly lunches, participation in community events
throughout the year.
❖ Community
• College scholarships for Pickens County Veterans.
• Scholarships for two high school students each year.
• Youth Sports Sponsorship for 5 teams and 50 baseball players.
• Sponsorship of Scouting at the Senior and Cub levels.
❖ Patriotism
• Dedicated to the preservation of our country, its symbols
and its values.
• Participation in community events and presentation of our flag.
• Instructing in flag etiquette and proper disposal of worn flags.
❖ Remembering the Cost of Freedom
• You know the cost because you helped to pay the bill.
• All gave some. Some gave all.
We know a thing or two, because we have seen a thing or two.
Contact your
American Legion Post:
American Legion Post 149
P.O. Box 477
Jasper, GA 30143
706-253-1715 alpost149@gmail.com
www.americanlegion149.com
Donations are tax deductible.