Covington GA Living

I took my 6-year-old granddaughter, Abbey Grace, to Covington's historic square last night to watch the "Lighting of the Courthouse."  This Covington tradition signals the start of the Christmas season.

Santa arrives in town in a horse-drawn carriage (well, we are in the South here!), there's free hot chocolate and cider on the sqaure, and merchants decorate their shops and extend their hours for early shoppers.

Then, as darkness sets, there's a little ceremony on the steps of the historic courthouse, people crowd into the street to watch, and a local "celebrity" throws the switch to turn on the courthouse's Christmas lights.

All that happened last night, but there were no "Oooo's" and "Ahhh's!"

I knew it might be a long evening when Mr. and Mrs. Claus came by in the carriage.  Abbey Grace jumped up and down and waved, then suddendly turned to me and said, "Hey...I know that lady!  She works in the office at my school!"  At least, she gave the elderly gentleman standing next to us a good laugh!

By the time I explained how the "real" Mrs. Claus was probably pretty busy supervising all the elves, so had to send a "helper," it was time for the festivities on the courthouse steps to begin.

Our community orchestra played a couple of carols... much too slowly.  The fantastic Oxford Singing Children performed... but the sound system was lousy and you had to strain to hear them.  The welcoming speechs and introduction of the "celebrity" lighter were long enough to loose the crowd's attention.  And though I think I have a pretty good basis in the community, I still don't know who the "celebrity" was.

Worst of all, when the switch was thrown to light the courthouse, there were no "Oooo's" and "Ahhh's."  The only lights there were, were on a wreath around the clock on the tower, and around arches atop the courthouse steps.  I've seen more lights than that on a double-wide!

Come on Covington! 

I know it will cost a little money,  but at this time of year, let's tastefully string lights to highlight the architecture of our beautiful, historic courthouse! 

Let's get a sound system that can be heard all over square! 

Let's hear some rousing carols to put people in the spirit of the season!

Next year, when we throw that switch, we need some "Oooo's" and "Ahhh's!" 

It's something of a tradition with a large number of families in Covington to eat Sunday lunch out after church.  In fact, I've heard from a number of clergy in town that some members of their congregations get a bit upset if services run overtime so that they don't beat the Methodists/Baptists/Presbyterians, or whomever to their favorite restaurant.

This past Sunday, my wife and I tried a place new to us... Yummy's.  It's located past Oxford at the intersection of highways 81 and 142 in one end of a small strip anchored by a Texaco service station.  Here's our personal impression of the place.

Atmosphere and Ambiance:  You have to stretch some when you're in one end of a Texaco station, but Yummy's was nice for it's location... very clean, light and airy with table seating for 30 to 40, mainly at tables of four.  No table cloths, but more of a family place.  The menu was pretty extensive, offering everything from burgers to full dinners with meat and vegetables.

Service:  Servers and staff at Yummy's were very friendly and attentive.  Service was fast, and someone was coming by often to refill tea and water glasses and see if there was anything you needed. 

Food: On this Sunday, we opted for a full lunch of meat, vegetables, bread and salad.  The salads were cold and crisp with standard ingredients... iceberg lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, onion, croutons.  I had chicken-fried steak and gravy, mashed potatoes and fried okra.  Jean ate fried chicken, mac and cheese and green beans.  Portions were adequate, and though the food was tasty, it was "institutional."  By that, I mean that nothing was "homemade," other than perhaps the fried chicken.  The steak was a patty you can buy in pre-packaged bulk.  The potatoes weren't home mashed with cream and butter.  The mac and cheese could have been from a Kraft box, etc.

Overall, Yummy's wasn't bad, but only adequate.  I'd rate it 2 and 1/2 forks out of 5.  The burgers and other "faster food" items may be homemade and wonderful.  But we didn't try that kind of fare.  It might be a good place to drop in for a bite if you live in the immediate area.  But as a destination restaurant that one must make an effort to get to, Yummy's might have a problem. 

If you've eaten at Yummy's, let me know what you think.  Or if there's another restaurant in Covington or the surrounding area that you really enjoy, I would love to hear about it, as I'm sure other readers would.

Ireland... 40 shades of green, thatched cottages, quaint villages, pubs, St. Patrick, leprechauns,   friendly, ruddy-faced people, sheep, a pint of Guinness and a dram of good Irish whiskey.  All those things pop to my mind when I picture Ireland.  But it's all that and so much more!

My wife and I and two of our closest friends, Hal and Harriette, just returned from two weeks in Ireland.  Hal and Harriette had visited several times before, but this was the first trip for Jean and me.  Although we've lived and worked and traveled all over the world, we'd never made it to Ireland.  We're so happy we finally got there!

The first part of October is a great time to go.  The tourist season is almost over so the crowds are gone.  The weather is still comfortable... upper 40's at night, lower 60's during the day. Just look for rain at any minute.  And if it doesn't rain at that minute, look for it the next minute.  We had a total of four rainless days during the 14 days we were there. 

Months ago, Jean and Harriette read a book called "Last of the Donkey Pilgrims" by Kevin O'Hara.  O'Hara was a Viet Nam vet who set out in the late seventies to pull his life back together by walking the entire perimeter of Ireland with nothing but a donkey and a cart, like Irish pilgrims hundreds of years ago.  One year, and a book full of adventures later, O'Hara made it back to his starting point, and so impressed Jean and Harriette that we set out to follow most of his route around the Emerald Isle.

After a couple of days in Dublin visiting Trinity College to see The Book of Kells, Kilmainham Gaol (jail) to learn some Irish history, Guinness brewery to down a few pints, and Jameson distillery to get my certification as an official Irish whiskey taster, we set out on our trek in a rented van on the "wrong side" of the road.

There's no way I can show all the 400+ photos I took.  And it would take days to explain all we saw and experienced.  But here are a few highpoints.

We headed north to Newgrange to see the passage tombs built by Neolithic Stone Age Irish inhabitants.  The tombs, huge mounds of dirt and stones, are older than the pyramids.  Once each year, on the summer solstice, the rising sun shines through the passage into the tomb lighting the interior chamber for exactly 17 minutes, offering the promise of summer and another season of growth.  It's hard to comprehend the age of these monuments and the primitive intelligence required to build them.

We visited more passage tombs at Knowth before coming to the Hill of Slane where St. Patrick angered the Irish King of Tara by lighting a huge bonfire which, by tradition, could only be lit by the King.  The Hill is now site of an old cemetery filled with Celtic High Crosses, the ruins of an ancient monastery, and a memorial to St. Patrick.

Still traveling north, we saw more castle and monastic ruins, Celtic High Crosses and round towers.  Ireland is an ancient land, inhabited for millennia by Celts and invaded periodically by Vikings, Normans and Anglo-Saxons.  The remains of castles and the round towers of Irish Chieftains dot the entire countryside, sharing space with sheep, dairy cattle and thatched or tile roofed cottages, all nestled among those 40 shades of green.

On the northern coast is the Giant's Causeway, an amazing formation of hexagonal columns rising from the earth with a volcanic eruption over six million years ago.  Legend has it that the columns once reached across the channel and were the stepping stones over which giants traveled between Ireland and Scotland.

Further along the donkey pilgrim's path are the spectacular Cliffs of Mohr, the Dingle Peninsula, ancient stone "beehive huts"  where Irish monks "saved civilization" by copying the bible and ancient books smuggled off the European continent, and the ruins of countless castles and abbeys.  Two castles not to be missed are Bunratty Castle, with its medieval banquet and Irish folk village, and Blarney Castle where you too can kiss the blarney stone and receive the gift of "eloquence" - or, as my wife calls it, "bulls**t", which she swears I already possessed!

Our final "sightseeing" sight was the Waterford crystal factory in Waterford.  Watching the glass blowing, etching and cutting was fascinating.  But unless you purchase a piece that is exclusive to Ireland, don't buy your crystal at the factory.  It's actually less expensive in the U.S.

If you intend to drive through Ireland, consider taking along a GPS system.  It makes the trip much more enjoyable not having to pre-plan every route.  There are few "motorways" in Ireland, so it takes longer to get wherever you're going.  But the drive is worth it.   Most roads are narrow two-lane passages between quaint rock wall fences and beautiful fuchsia hedges.  I thought fuchsia only grew in pots on my patio, but in Ireland it grows in tall, lush hedgerows defining walking paths and roadways.

The Irish economy is flourishing - as much as it can be during the current economic crisis.  But, the Irish culture is changing.  Thatched cottages are disappearing due to the lack of craftsmen who know how to "thatch" roofs.  Communities of summer homes are springing up in the countryside for more affluent and retired families moving out of the cities.  And over 1500 pubs have closed, not because of the "off premise" sale of alcohol, but because of recent "no smoking" ordinances.  Most Irish now had rather buy their Guinness and drink it at home where they don't have to go outside to smoke.  Funny - and rather sad - how such small things can affect changes in an entire culture.

The Ireland experience was fantastic... beautiful, educational, and inspiring.  But, I must admit, my favorite place was Sean's Bar, a small pub in the old village of Athlone.  Sean's is certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest pub in the world.  Its original reed and wattle walls have been carbon dated to 900 A.D. 

The weekend we were there, Sean's was chock-a-block with happy locals.  An impromptu group of musicians, tucked into a corner of the pub beside the peat-burning fireplace, played authentic Irish tunes nonstop.  We could have spent all night listening and singing and sipping Guinness and fine Irish whiskey.  In fact, I think we might have!

Ahhh... ‘tis like a morn in spring!

What's the most important thing you'll put your "X" beside when you go to the polls in Covington on November 4^th?

The name of the next President?  We hear more about the Presidential race than anything else.  In fact, we've been bombarded for months with positives and negatives about each candidate, what they allegedly stand for and what they'll do for us if elected.  That's pretty important stuff.  But, most important?

The name of your next Senator or Congressman?  Heck, if elected, they'll be part of the 535 people who really run this country.  That makes their election or rejection pretty important too.  But, most important?

Equally important as either of those races is whether you put your "X" beside the "YES" or "NO" on three Georgia Constitutional amendments on the ballot this year.  These three amendments will be instrumental in directing the continued intelligent growth and quality of life in our State and local communities for years to come. 

The Georgia Association of Realtors Board of Directors has voted to support each of the three.  And my inclination, even before that endorsement, was that they would benefit our State and community too.  As the amendments are stated on the ballot, however, may cause some not to vote for the initiatives because of the confusing and even misleading way they are presented.  So, if there is anyone out there who hasn't investigated what the three amendment questions are all about or hasn't taken advantage of early voting, here's a quick tutorial...

Amendment 1: "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the General Assembly by general law shall encourage the preservation, conservation, and protection of the state's forests through the special assessment and taxation of certain forest lands and assistance grants to local government?"

The primary things this amendment does is to allow property owners with 200 acres or more of forested land to voluntarily enter into a "covenant" with their local governing authority to preserve their land for a period of 15 years, and get a reduction in their property tax on that land by entering the covenant.  It costs the general taxpayer nothing, preserves some of the state's natural beauty, is environmentally friendly, and can be bought out of at any time by paying back taxes along with some penalties.  It's the same deal that farmers have today with Agricultural Conservation Use Covenants which are about the only thing keeping their property taxes low enough to make farming a viable profession.

Amendment 2: "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize community redevelopment and authorize counties, municipalities, and local boards of education to use tax funds for redevelopment purposes and programs?"

At first blush, this sounds like we may be taking school funds to redevelop and cure slums and blighted areas.  Not true!  If this amendment passes, school systems will not lose any tax dollars, but in the long term will gain.  This amendment would authorize the use of school tax funds for the redevelopment and revitalization of blighted areas within "Tax Allocation Districts (TADs)" with out raising our taxes.  Once the redevelopment is complete and property taxes within the TAD increase, the increased tax revenue would pay off development bonds.  Once the bonds are paid off, the local government and school systems continues to reap the benefits of the higher tax base and associated revenues.

Amendment 3: "Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to provide by general law for the creation and comprehensive regulation of infrastructure development districts for the provision of infrastructure as authorized by local government?"

This could be the greatest thing for intelligent, controlled growth within our state and local communities since the hard hat.  The establishment of Infrastructure Development Districts (IDDs) within a particular area offer an essential means of financing and building new infrastructure - roads, bridges, sewer, parks, street lights, schools, municipal services, etc. - by taking the burden off the taxpayer and shifting it to the private sector.

Through bond sales by a private board overseeing the IDD, growth is financed and paid off by the renters or purchasers of the new development, resulting in tax growth, greater job opportunities, planned growth, environmental safeguards, and greater quality of life without higher taxes for anyone.

There's no most important on the ballot this year.  Everything there is important.  But, isn't that the way it always is?  Make your voice heard on all the important stuff on November 4^th.  Vote!