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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JUNE 3. 2021
Letters totfa Editor W
To the Editor,
Rest In Peace
There was a moving cere
mony at Sunrise Memorial
Gardens in Jasper on Memo
rial Day. The Marine Corp
League Detachment 1280,
American Legion Post 149,
Disabled American Veterans,
Daughters of The American
Revolution, Young marines
and Pickens Ministerial As
sociation all combined to
make it a very memorable
and moving event. They
were aided by the Cagle Fu
neral Home and Jasper
Florist.
Colonel Robert Cagle was
the featured speaker. He
spoke eloquently of the sac
rifices made to earn and
maintain the freedoms we
have come to expect in this
country. It was a beautiful
day weather wise. The sun
shone down on the crowd
that had gathered to honor
our deceased military mem
bers.
After the ceremony ended
and all of the participants and
observers left the cemetery, I
looked out over the
gravesites. The flags that had
been placed on all of the
graves (not just Veterans)
were waving in the cooling
breeze.
The trees and mountains
in the distance seemed to
speak to the beauty of this
great land. In all of the peace
and beauty that permeated
the scene, I hoped that those
residing there had found
comfort and peace.
We often are so immersed
in the circumstances of our
particular moment in life.
We have to really make an ef
fort to think of those who
came before us and made
what we have today possible.
On Memorial Day and Veter
ans Day, we should all pause
to give thanks to those who
made our way of life possi
ble. It does not matter what
your political beliefs and af
filiations are. We all have in
curred the debt that can never
be repaid.
Jim Brescia
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O'NeiLL OUTDOORS
BY O'KteiLL WILLIAMS
“Then there was the time...” When you head into the outdoors, you never know what
will happen — exciting, funny, unbelieveable — these stories will remain with you for a
lifetime.
Old Stories
Told Again
[Due to a popular re
sponse, O ’Neill s column will
move from monthly to twice a
month, apearing in first week
and third week of the month.]
Ah, these good old out
door stories, recounts of fish
ing and hunting days afield.
Stacked like leaves of gold to
be turned again and again,
shared with and amplified to
an eager audience. Think
about it. I’ll just bet you have
plenty.
Sure, Ernest Hemingway,
in novels, and Russell
Annabel, in magazine tales
and books, and many other
writers chronicle their adven
tures for your reading enjoy
ment. However, those stories
are their stories, not your
story. No personal story ex
ists like ones from the out
doors.
For instance, it was a
bright, clear, windless No
vember day, about lunch
time, in the Lewis Pond area
on Lake Seminole, way
down in Southwest Georgia.
Fishing friends for this trip,
Tom and Jim, were in the
boat beside us, about 100
yards from the nearest weedy
shoreline. Along with the
tasty sandwiches and ice-
cold drinks from the onboard
cooler, the topic of conversa
tion among the four of us was
to find out why the dark wa
ters had been giving up so
few bass.
We’d been working hard
on it but were not very suc
cessful but were enjoying the
day.
The banter came to a halt
as I looked over my shoulder
to see a six-foot long (aren’t
they all six feet long?) rat
tlesnake weaving his way di
rectly to my old boat.
The rust colored menace
was closing the space be
tween us and him rather rap
idly. Mr.‘No-Shoulders’was
on his way. As his triangular
head peeked over the tran
som, looking, it seemed, di
rectly at me, I tapped him on
the head with the longest rod
I had. He retreated, coiled
and rattled his warning, sit
ting high in the water like it
was a solid rest. We cranked
up and left him to his own
pursuits.
I passed along the day’s
exciting occurrences to the
nearby bait shop owner that
evening as we bought up sup
plies for one more day on the
water. We were told with
great confidence that rat
tlesnakes could not and
would not swim. We were
not dreaming, and it was a
rattlesnake. I have the pic
tures. Oh well, it made for a
great story and a true one at
that. Those are the best ones.
See what I mean? They get
better with age. That hap
pened over fifty (55) years
ago.
One of those surprise
March ice storms was on the
way and I was alone pre-fish
ing on the Friday before the
Saturday event at Lake Sin
clair for a Sport Bass Anglers
tournament.
Sinclair is in south central
Georgia near Milledgeville
and not especially known for
ice storms and such. As the
skies darkened and the wind
picked up and whipped the
water frothy in the 33 degree
afternoon, I was trying to
scare up a bite or two in the
shallow forty-four (44) de
gree temperature waters of
Potato Creek, slow rolling a
spinnerbait along a stumpy
flat. The trolling motor
whined, gurgled and splashed
as the high wind tossed the
bow up and down. Back then
it wasn’t the norm to have a
foot-controlled trolling
motor.
Most of us just stood on
one foot and places the other
on top of the unit and con
trolled it that way. On the
downward decent after a
wind-blown wave, the motor
shaft slammed down on the
top of an submerged stump. I
lost my balance and fell out
of the boat. Think about it,
there I was, up to my chest,
snow mobile cold suit and
heavy boots rapidly soaking
up the freezing, muddy
water. The tolling motor was
still running and taking the
boat away from me. Luckily,
I managed to grab the circle
tie-down ring with one finger
as the boat started to swing
away.
After struggling up over
the transom next to the motor
and using the prop as a step,
and sloshing forward to the
bow, I felt surprisingly warm
and was tempted to stay on
and fish a little while longer.
Stupidity can be a surpris
ing influence. Sensibilities
prevailed however and I
started the long run back
down to the Little River
ramp, about three miles dis
tant, to take the boat out and
dry off. As the thirty-three
(33) degree air swirled
around me during my ride
down the lake, my body tem
perature fell rapidly, and I
quickly became delirious,
dodging imaginary birds and
other dark objects passing
overhead. Hypothermia?
Maybe! Although thick
tongued and colored light
blue for a while, I recovered
promptly with no apparent
damage, at least my fishing
partners didn’t make fun of
me very long.
That little adventure hap
pened over fifty (50) years
ago.
Then there was the time...
.well, you get the idea. Out
door stories, unique and per
sonal, can be told and retold,
passed along by loved ones
to loved ones, and possibly,
after many years have waned
and after you have long since
left the parade of life, provide
a connection to you for them
as you lived your time.
All set? Inspired? Go get
some for yourself.
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 out more or contact
him at ONeillOutside.com.
Look for his columns the
first and third week of every
month in the Pickens
Progress. Or in our e-edition
archives at any time.
Rotaract marks Memorial Day
Rotaract placed flags at the courthouse and town flower beds last Friday for Memo
rial Day. The workers were Max Caylor, Cassie Rasco, Rotary District Governor Tina
Fischlin, Michelle Tidwell, Cindy DeMaio, Chris DeMaio and Clerk of Court Jennifer
Jordan.
WBALL
Golf Tournament
The Pickens County Chamber of Commerce
would like to thank the golf teams, volunteers,
tee sponsors, raffle prizes donors,
and hole sponsors for participating in our
15th Annual Snowball Golf Tournament.
All proceeds from this tournament benefit the
Youth Leadership & Leadership Pickens A
Programs. f
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THE MORE BANKS
CHANGE, THE MORE
WE STAY THE SAME.
Community Bank of Pickens County is the
only true local community bank in Jasper
and Pickens County. We are proud of our
professional and experienced staff that is
home-grown and continues to provide the
personal service you've known for many years.
We live here, we make all banking decisions
here, and we invest in Jasper and Pickens
County every day.
If you have not met us, come by and let us show
you why local banking is better banking.
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ommmutu
CPictpens
County
MAIN OFFICE: 15 Sammy McGhee Blvd. • Jasper, GA 30143
COVE ROAD OFFICE: 65 Cove Road • Jasper, GA 30143
(706) 253-9600 • www.cbopc.com
Member
FDIC M