Georgia Magazine - April 2010 - (Page 5)

GEMC ® M A G A Z I N E www.georgiamagazine.org (800) 544-4362, in Georgia; (770) 270-6950 GEORGIA Magazine, the largest-circulation monthly magazine in the state, is published by Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (GEMC), the trade association for Georgia’s 42 consumer-owned electric utilities. On average, more than 500,000 members welcome the magazine into their homes each month. Georgia’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives provide reliable, safe and affordable electric service to more than 73 percent of the state’s land area serving 4.5 million residents. For more information, visit www.georgiaemc.com. EDITOR Ann Orowski, CCC MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Hewett, CCC ASSOCIATE EDITOR Victoria Scharf DeCastro PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Steve Jacobs CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Emily Allen, Meghan Chestnutt, Render Davis, Jane F. Garvey, Janet Stamps Gay, Pamela A. Keene, Jackie Kennedy, Chris E. Marsh, Bill Shanks, Lynn Westmoreland, Bill Verner, Kathleen Walls CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS ‘It was awesome!’ BY PAUL WOOD President/CEO, Georgia Electric Membership Corporation Granddad and Mikaila F Kelly Cline, Steve Chalker, Render Davis, Sharon Dowdy, Jane F. Garvey, Richard Lubrant, Chris E. Marsh, Stephanie Schupska, Parker C. Smith, Kathleen Walls Laurel George, Laine Kirby Wood, ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE (404) 541-0628 ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE (770) 289-5700 DESIGNERS Trudie Thibodeaux, Kerstin Weis Mary Wellman, (770) 270-6981 SUBSCRIPTIONS 2010 ADVISORY BOARD Christy Chewning, Jeffrey Ferguson, Stacey Fields, Tony Griffin, Johnnie B. Hall, Pamela Keene, Doyle Medders, Jeff Pierce, Donnie Prince, Steve Rawl, Brandon Reece, Romeo Reyes, Tony Sinclair, Jere Thorne GEORGIA EMC OFFICERS CHAIRMAN Neal Talton, Flint Energies VICE CHAIRMAN Alice Mallory, Coweta-Fayette EMC SEC.-TREASURER Randy Crenshaw, Irwin EMC PRESIDENT/CEO, GEMC A. Paul Wood georgia Magazine (USPS-473120, ISSN 10615822) is published monthly by Georgia Electric Membership Corp., P.O. Box 1707, 2100 East Exchange Place, Tucker, GA 30085. Periodicals postage paid at Thomaston, GA, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to GEORGIA Magazine, P.O. Box 1707, Tucker, GA 30085. Printed in Georgia by Quad/Graphics. Acceptance of advertising by GEORGIA Magazine does not imply endorsement by the publisher or Georgia’s electric membership corporations of the product or services advertised. GEORGIA Magazine’s LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN, OR OMISSIONS OF, ADVERTISEMENTS, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES TO THE ADVERTISER’S BUSINESS, SHALL IN NO EVENT EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF CHARGES FOR THE ADVERTISEMENT THAT WAS OMITTED OR IN WHICH THE ERROR OCCURRED. or a while now, it has been in vogue for people of a certain age to develop a list of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket.” Such lists often test the limits of the daredevil in us. To skydive or go bungee jumping, however, are a little too extreme for this ol’ boy, even though I was an Army paratrooper many years ago. I have nothing against risk taking, but bungee jumping falls into the category of “just plain crazy.” This past Christmas, however, I took a small step on the extreme side when my children and granddaughter accompanied me to Utah on a ski trip. For many years, my wife, Suzanne, and I talked about how much we would enjoy skiing in the Rocky Mountains, but we never acted on such impulses. So it remained an experience for a later time, something for our “bucket list.” This Christmas, I decided to start a new family tradition, one that Suzanne would have been proud of. I took my kids and granddaughter to Park City, Utah, for a full week of skiing. As we landed, my granddaughter grabbed my hand and excitedly asked, “Granddad, will you take skiing lessons with me?” I responded, “Sure,” with the voice and confidence of a 21-year-old. Only I forgot to check the mirror; that face is not 21 anymore. At the slopes, everything started out well. The ski lift was a lot of fun, and I considered stopping right there, but the excitement in my granddaughter’s eyes told me I www.georgiamagazine.org would not escape so easily. So, I skied. Twice I raced down the mountain without incident, my confidence growing even if my skill did not. On the third trip—not far from the top, they tell me—I lost control and fell head over heels for what seemed like forever. When I finally stopped, a quick inventory convinced me that I still had all vital parts and nothing was broken. Goggles protected my face, but the rest of my body was badly bruised. Nothing, however, was bruised as badly as my ego when I was forced to suffer the indignity of being brought down the mountain on a gurney by the ski patrol. All I could think of was, “I disappointed my granddaughter.” I shouldn’t have worried about that. As the medics released me, she came running up, bubbling over with pride, and said, “Granddad, that crash was awesome!” There are several lessons here. Chief among them is certain activities you believed at a younger age you could always do well are downright impossible to do well as you grow older. I also learned an 8-year-old granddaughter can convince her grandfather he can do anything she wants him to do. Finally, if you have your own “bucket list,” don’t wait for age to scratch life experiences from it; go for them now. Yep, I scratched one item from my “bucket list,” and it was officially recorded as “awesome.” Next: hot-air ballooning. 5 April 2010 http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiaemc.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - April 2010

Georgia Magazine - April 2010
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar
Currents
Special Energy Report
Major League Fun at the "Minors"
Remarkable Rivers
Southern Graces
Around Georgia
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Cookbook of the Month
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - April 2010