Oct. 7, 2001 – Nestled on a hillside looking over Coral Bay, St. John writer Pam Gaffin is building her dream home among the lush greenery. On a recent trip, we benefited from some of her flourishing bounty in the form of fragrant lemon basil.
"Cut as much as you want," she said. "It grows so fast."
Our children nipped away with clippers until there was a whole bag full of this aromatic herb. The idea of making pesto instantly came to my mind.
Called the "royal herb" by the ancient Greeks, who revered it for both culinary and medicinal uses, basil is a member of the mint family. The green leaf has a pungent flavor often described as a cross between licorice and cloves. However, lemon basil also has a decidedly tart citrus taste.
For cooking, lemon basil leaves should be fresh with no signs of discoloration or wilting. To keep just-picked basil fresh, refrigerate it wrapped in damp paper towels and tucked into a plastic bag. Or, place a bunch of basil stems down in a glass of water and cover the leaves with a plastic bag.
Lemon basil is especially good for making teas and herb vinegars, and to add flavor to chicken, fish and vegetables. A substantial amount of the herb is needed to make a suitable quantity of pesto.
Pesto is an uncooked, paste-like sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts and olive oil. The ingredients are whirled together in a blender until they come together as a beautiful, smooth green mass. Pesto can be melted over spaghetti in place of tomato sauce, used as a bread spread similar to mayonnaise, employed as a seasoning or stuffing for chicken and fish, and even used as a baked-potato topper.
Try making up a batch and inventing your own flavorful uses.
Lemon Basil Pesto
2 tablespoons pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
3 cups fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Drop pine nuts and garlic into the container of a blender or food processor; process until minced. Add basil, cheese and lemon juice; process until finely minced. With blender at low speed, slowly pour in oil and process until mixture is well blended. Spoon pesto into a plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator. Makes 1 cup.
Nutrition per tablespoon: 35 calories, 3 gms fat (80 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 20 mg sodium.
Variation: Pesto also can be made from other Virgin Islands herbs. For example, substitute rosemary or thyme for the basil in the recipe above. Or, try making a mixed-herb pesto with thyme and rosemary along with spinach, parsley and chives.
MEETING SET ON VENDORS PLAZA, PARKING FACILITY
Oct. 7, 2001 – A community meeting is set for Oct. 18 to share information and obtain public input on a vendors plaza and parking facility proposed for construction across from the Cruz Bay car ferry dock. It will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the third floor meeting area of the Marketplace.
The meeting is sponsored by the Gateway Planning Council and will be co-hosted by St. John Administrator Julien Harley and V.I. National Park Supt. John King.
Harley said the purpose of the meeting is to inform the community about the status of the planned facility and to obtain on how it should be designed and managed. "This is an important and long-awaited project," he said. "Public input is critical to ensure that it meets the community's needs and makes Cruz Bay a more attractive place to live and visit."
Representatives of the Office of the Governor and the Property and Procurement Department will explain the project’s background and the process for determining the facility’s design, construction and maintenance.
Input will be solicited on issues such as what the facility should look like, how it should be used, whether parking should be paid or free, who should manage it and the parking operation, and how the cost of leasing commercial space should be determined.
A separate food court project also will be discussed.
The Gateway Planning Council was created earlier this year by Harley and King to lead community efforts in planning for the future of Cruz Bay. Its purpose is to advise and assist the territory and the National Park Service in cooperatively planning for the improvement of downtown Cruz Bay as a "gateway community" to the V.I. National Park.
The council's functions include short- and long-range planning, information sharing and coordination of activities by public and private groups involved in projects affecting downtown Cruz Bay. For further information, call Corine Matthias at 776-6484 or Jim Owens at 776-6201, ext. 247.
The meeting is sponsored by the Gateway Planning Council and will be co-hosted by St. John Administrator Julien Harley and V.I. National Park Supt. John King.
Harley said the purpose of the meeting is to inform the community about the status of the planned facility and to obtain on how it should be designed and managed. "This is an important and long-awaited project," he said. "Public input is critical to ensure that it meets the community's needs and makes Cruz Bay a more attractive place to live and visit."
Representatives of the Office of the Governor and the Property and Procurement Department will explain the project’s background and the process for determining the facility’s design, construction and maintenance.
Input will be solicited on issues such as what the facility should look like, how it should be used, whether parking should be paid or free, who should manage it and the parking operation, and how the cost of leasing commercial space should be determined.
A separate food court project also will be discussed.
The Gateway Planning Council was created earlier this year by Harley and King to lead community efforts in planning for the future of Cruz Bay. Its purpose is to advise and assist the territory and the National Park Service in cooperatively planning for the improvement of downtown Cruz Bay as a "gateway community" to the V.I. National Park.
The council's functions include short- and long-range planning, information sharing and coordination of activities by public and private groups involved in projects affecting downtown Cruz Bay. For further information, call Corine Matthias at 776-6484 or Jim Owens at 776-6201, ext. 247.
CAN NON-VIOLENCE COUNTER TERRORISM?
Dear Source,
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, it is difficult to know what to think! I've been trying to reconcile my desire for peace with the desire to safeguard our way of life. This is how I see it:
Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. showed that the way to make changes in a society that esteems human rights is civil disobedience and nonviolent protest.
Terrorists have every right to use the nonviolent method to painfully point out the areas in which Western society falls short of its own mark. They are not invoking this method. They invoke another, older method: violence and terror.
This makes me very sad. Terrorists do not realize that embarrassing us with our own hypocrisy would be far more effective than violently attacking us.
I do not know why they take the violent path. I suspect they are unable to take the nonviolent path. The terrorists define and reveal themselves by their choice of the violent path.
Here's how it is for me: We are each cells in the body of humanity. As in a human body, there are cancerous cells that arise every day and are naturally destroyed by the immune system. There will always be some errant cells in the body; the body can live with that. It's the balance that counts. Such a body is healthy.
But when the body gets cancer, the best solution is to do whatever it takes to remove the cancer. Cancer is a disease that crosses a threshold. By that I mean that it is not prudent to tolerate large numbers of errant cells together.
Indeed, some people choose to let the cancer run its course, especially if they are elderly and content to die. But the body of humanity is young, with a long future. If we meet a grave challenge with an ambiguous response, that future may be bleak. (Imagine the whole world being like Afghanistan!)
If you got cancer, would you cut it out, or simply question what it was that you did to get the cancer? I, personally, would do both.
In like manner, questioning what brought on this terrorism is appropriate, right from the start.
But our appropriate response to terrorists is: "What you did was wrong. The damage you inflicted is not justifiable under any circumstances. Your stated goal is to topple our way of life. You use our own extraordinary freedoms, technology, and open society as weapons against us. We shall remove your ability to harm us."
We must treat terrorists like cancer: eradicate the cancer, while asking how to avoid producing more cancer in the future.
P.S. — Explaining to kids what is happening is a challenge. Using the cancer analogy can be helpful. Kids know what cancer is, they know that medical treatment can sometimes be scary and painful, and they know that we have to "do what it takes" to get better.
Craig Barshinger
St. John
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, it is difficult to know what to think! I've been trying to reconcile my desire for peace with the desire to safeguard our way of life. This is how I see it:
Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. showed that the way to make changes in a society that esteems human rights is civil disobedience and nonviolent protest.
Terrorists have every right to use the nonviolent method to painfully point out the areas in which Western society falls short of its own mark. They are not invoking this method. They invoke another, older method: violence and terror.
This makes me very sad. Terrorists do not realize that embarrassing us with our own hypocrisy would be far more effective than violently attacking us.
I do not know why they take the violent path. I suspect they are unable to take the nonviolent path. The terrorists define and reveal themselves by their choice of the violent path.
Here's how it is for me: We are each cells in the body of humanity. As in a human body, there are cancerous cells that arise every day and are naturally destroyed by the immune system. There will always be some errant cells in the body; the body can live with that. It's the balance that counts. Such a body is healthy.
But when the body gets cancer, the best solution is to do whatever it takes to remove the cancer. Cancer is a disease that crosses a threshold. By that I mean that it is not prudent to tolerate large numbers of errant cells together.
Indeed, some people choose to let the cancer run its course, especially if they are elderly and content to die. But the body of humanity is young, with a long future. If we meet a grave challenge with an ambiguous response, that future may be bleak. (Imagine the whole world being like Afghanistan!)
If you got cancer, would you cut it out, or simply question what it was that you did to get the cancer? I, personally, would do both.
In like manner, questioning what brought on this terrorism is appropriate, right from the start.
But our appropriate response to terrorists is: "What you did was wrong. The damage you inflicted is not justifiable under any circumstances. Your stated goal is to topple our way of life. You use our own extraordinary freedoms, technology, and open society as weapons against us. We shall remove your ability to harm us."
We must treat terrorists like cancer: eradicate the cancer, while asking how to avoid producing more cancer in the future.
P.S. — Explaining to kids what is happening is a challenge. Using the cancer analogy can be helpful. Kids know what cancer is, they know that medical treatment can sometimes be scary and painful, and they know that we have to "do what it takes" to get better.
Craig Barshinger
St. John
Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
UVI HOSTS 5 P.R. TEAMS IN VOLLEYBALL MATCHES
Oct. 7, 2001 – The University of the Virgin Islands Lady Bucs and Male Bucs will host five Puerto Rico teams for a series of volleyball matches Thursday through Saturday at the Sports and Fitness Center. The schools include Metropolitan University (UMET), Politecnica University, University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Mayaguez, UPR Utuado and Colegio Universitario del Este (CUE).
Fans can see four matches each day for an admission of $2 ($1 for students with I.D.).
Matches begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, as the UVI Lady Bucs take on the UMET women on one court and simultaneously the CUE females tackle the Politecnica women on the second court. The men will play as soon as these games finish.
Friday matches begin at 5:30 p.m., with UVI Lady Bucs vs. CUE. The Male Bucs will play CUE men following, and the men of Politecnica will take on their UMET counterparts in the nightcap.
Saturday matches begin at 1 p.m. CUE will play UMET, and UVI will take on Politecnica, with both male and female teams seeing action.
Fans can see four matches each day for an admission of $2 ($1 for students with I.D.).
Matches begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, as the UVI Lady Bucs take on the UMET women on one court and simultaneously the CUE females tackle the Politecnica women on the second court. The men will play as soon as these games finish.
Friday matches begin at 5:30 p.m., with UVI Lady Bucs vs. CUE. The Male Bucs will play CUE men following, and the men of Politecnica will take on their UMET counterparts in the nightcap.
Saturday matches begin at 1 p.m. CUE will play UMET, and UVI will take on Politecnica, with both male and female teams seeing action.
UVI HOSTS 5 P.R .TEAMS IN VOLLEYBALL MATCHES
Oct. 7, 2001 – The University of the Virgin Islands Lady Bucs and Male Bucs will host five Puerto Rico teams for a series of volleyball matches Thursday through Saturday at the Sports and Fitness Center. The schools include Metropolitan University (UMET), Politecnica University, University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Mayaguez, UPR Utuado and Colegio Universitario del Este(CUE).
Fans can see four matches each day for an admission of $2 ($1 for students with I.D.).
Matches begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, as the UVI Lady Bucs take on the UMET women on one court and simultaneously the CUE females tackle the Politecnica women on the second court. The men will play as soon as these games finish.
Friday matches begin at 5:30 p.m., with UVI Lady Bucs vs. CUE. The Male Bucs will play CUE men following, and the men of Politecnica will take on their UMET counterparts in the nightcap.
Saturday matches begin at 1 p.m. CUE will play UMET, and UVI will take on Politecnica, with both male and female teams seeing action.
Fans can see four matches each day for an admission of $2 ($1 for students with I.D.).
Matches begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, as the UVI Lady Bucs take on the UMET women on one court and simultaneously the CUE females tackle the Politecnica women on the second court. The men will play as soon as these games finish.
Friday matches begin at 5:30 p.m., with UVI Lady Bucs vs. CUE. The Male Bucs will play CUE men following, and the men of Politecnica will take on their UMET counterparts in the nightcap.
Saturday matches begin at 1 p.m. CUE will play UMET, and UVI will take on Politecnica, with both male and female teams seeing action.
UVI HOSTS 5 P.R. TEAMS IN VOLLEYBALL MATCHES
Oct. 7, 2001 – The University of the Virgin Islands Lady Bucs and Male Bucs will host five Puerto Rico teams for a series of volleyball matches Thursday through Saturday at the Sports and Fitness Center. The schools include Metropolitan University (UMET), Politecnica University, University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Mayaguez, UPR Utuado and Colegio Universitario del Este (CUE).
Fans can see four matches each day for an admission of $2 ($1 for students with I.D.).
Matches begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, as the UVI Lady Bucs take on the UMET women on one court and simultaneously the CUE females tackle the Politecnica women on the second court. The men will play as soon as these games finish.
Friday matches begin at 5:30 p.m., with UVI Lady Bucs vs. CUE. The Male Bucs will play CUE men following, and the men of Politecnica will take on their UMET counterparts in the nightcap.
Saturday matches begin at 1 p.m. CUE will play UMET, and UVI will take on Politecnica, with both male and female teams seeing action.
Fans can see four matches each day for an admission of $2 ($1 for students with I.D.).
Matches begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, as the UVI Lady Bucs take on the UMET women on one court and simultaneously the CUE females tackle the Politecnica women on the second court. The men will play as soon as these games finish.
Friday matches begin at 5:30 p.m., with UVI Lady Bucs vs. CUE. The Male Bucs will play CUE men following, and the men of Politecnica will take on their UMET counterparts in the nightcap.
Saturday matches begin at 1 p.m. CUE will play UMET, and UVI will take on Politecnica, with both male and female teams seeing action.
SALSA AND MERENGUE ARE ON THE MUSIC MENU
Oct. 7, 2001 – The V.I. Carnival Committee continues its 50th anniversary celebration with La Gran Fiesta Latina, a show at Lionel Roberts Stadium Saturday at 8 p.m. Performing will be Bobby Valentin and Nelson Mendoza and his merengue group, La Banda Chula.
The evening promises to be a feast for your ears and your feet. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. They are available on St. Thomas at International Records and Tapes, Modern Music/Havensight, Parrot Fish, Nisky Pharmacy, T&P Cash and Carry, Family Health Center, Krystal & Gifts Galore, Celsa's House of Beauty and Belkis Bakery; and on St. John at the Drug Center.
Bobby Valentin has a reputation as a "foremost salsa bandleader and one of the genre's top-of-the-range arrangers," according to his Internet site. He's been one busy musician. Known as El Rey de Bajo ("King of the Bass"), he also plays trumpet and trombone. He moved from Puerto Rico to New York City at age 17, and by age 24 formed his own band. He returned to live in Puerto Rico in 1968, continued to release records, and formed his own label, Bronco Records. His musical breadth promises lots of surprises during the evening.
The Dominican Republic's Nelson Mendoza, better known today as "Nelson de la Olla," founded La Banda Chula (sometimes translated as "The Insolent Band") while very young. He is the group's composer, arranger and lead singer. The band has a number of merengue recordings and has successfully toured abroad, especially in Germany. It played at the 4th annual Globe Awards (Premios Globo) at the Latin Quarter last March. This group also promises a lot of Latin variety.
This is the Carnival Committee's offering for October. Watch in November for a circus and the opening of the Carnival Museum, with more to come. It's all part of the 50th anniversary celebration of modern-day carnival on St. Thomas.
The evening promises to be a feast for your ears and your feet. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. They are available on St. Thomas at International Records and Tapes, Modern Music/Havensight, Parrot Fish, Nisky Pharmacy, T&P Cash and Carry, Family Health Center, Krystal & Gifts Galore, Celsa's House of Beauty and Belkis Bakery; and on St. John at the Drug Center.
Bobby Valentin has a reputation as a "foremost salsa bandleader and one of the genre's top-of-the-range arrangers," according to his Internet site. He's been one busy musician. Known as El Rey de Bajo ("King of the Bass"), he also plays trumpet and trombone. He moved from Puerto Rico to New York City at age 17, and by age 24 formed his own band. He returned to live in Puerto Rico in 1968, continued to release records, and formed his own label, Bronco Records. His musical breadth promises lots of surprises during the evening.
The Dominican Republic's Nelson Mendoza, better known today as "Nelson de la Olla," founded La Banda Chula (sometimes translated as "The Insolent Band") while very young. He is the group's composer, arranger and lead singer. The band has a number of merengue recordings and has successfully toured abroad, especially in Germany. It played at the 4th annual Globe Awards (Premios Globo) at the Latin Quarter last March. This group also promises a lot of Latin variety.
This is the Carnival Committee's offering for October. Watch in November for a circus and the opening of the Carnival Museum, with more to come. It's all part of the 50th anniversary celebration of modern-day carnival on St. Thomas.
SALSA AND MERENGUE ARE ON THE MUSIC MENU
Oct. 7, 2001 – The V.I. Carnival Committee continues its 50th anniversary celebration with La Gran Fiesta Latina, a show at Lionel Roberts Stadium Saturday at 8 p.m. Performing will be Bobby Valentin and Nelson Mendoza and his merengue group, La Banda Chula.
The evening promises to be a feast for your ears and your feet. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. They are available on St. Thomas at International Records and Tapes, Modern Music/Havensight, Parrot Fish, Nisky Pharmacy, T&P Cash and Carry, Family Health Center, Krystal & Gifts Galore, Celsa's House of Beauty and Belkis Bakery; and on St. John at the Drug Center.
Bobby Valentin has a reputation as a "foremost salsa bandleader and one of the genre's top-of-the-range arrangers," according to his Internet site. He's been one busy musician. Known as El Rey de Bajo ("King of the Bass"), he also plays trumpet and trombone. He moved from Puerto Rico to New York City at age 17, and by age 24 formed his own band. He returned to live in Puerto Rico in 1968, continued to release records, and formed his own label, Bronco Records. His musical breadth promises lots of surprises during the evening.
The Dominican Republic's Nelson Mendoza, better known today as "Nelson de la Olla," founded La Banda Chula (sometimes translated as "The Insolent Band") while very young. He is the group's composer, arranger and lead singer. The band has a number of merengue recordings and has successfully toured abroad, especially in Germany. It played at the 4th annual Globe Awards (Premios Globo) at the Latin Quarter last March. This group also promises a lot of Latin variety.
This is the Carnival Committee's offering for October. Watch in November for a circus and the opening of the Carnival Museum, with more to come. It's all part of the 50th anniversary celebration of modern-day carnival on St. Thomas.
The evening promises to be a feast for your ears and your feet. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. They are available on St. Thomas at International Records and Tapes, Modern Music/Havensight, Parrot Fish, Nisky Pharmacy, T&P Cash and Carry, Family Health Center, Krystal & Gifts Galore, Celsa's House of Beauty and Belkis Bakery; and on St. John at the Drug Center.
Bobby Valentin has a reputation as a "foremost salsa bandleader and one of the genre's top-of-the-range arrangers," according to his Internet site. He's been one busy musician. Known as El Rey de Bajo ("King of the Bass"), he also plays trumpet and trombone. He moved from Puerto Rico to New York City at age 17, and by age 24 formed his own band. He returned to live in Puerto Rico in 1968, continued to release records, and formed his own label, Bronco Records. His musical breadth promises lots of surprises during the evening.
The Dominican Republic's Nelson Mendoza, better known today as "Nelson de la Olla," founded La Banda Chula (sometimes translated as "The Insolent Band") while very young. He is the group's composer, arranger and lead singer. The band has a number of merengue recordings and has successfully toured abroad, especially in Germany. It played at the 4th annual Globe Awards (Premios Globo) at the Latin Quarter last March. This group also promises a lot of Latin variety.
This is the Carnival Committee's offering for October. Watch in November for a circus and the opening of the Carnival Museum, with more to come. It's all part of the 50th anniversary celebration of modern-day carnival on St. Thomas.
GRAND EXPERIENCE: A WEEK OF HORSING AROUND
Oct. 7, 2001- Last year I took my grandson to England, where the major event was feeding the Queen’s swans. This year, I decided to take him to a horse ranch, where we could enjoy the great outdoors doing something we both thought ultra cool.
The Southern Cross Ranch is just outside of Madison, Ga., about 70 miles southeast of Atlanta. Madison is known as "the town Sherman didn’t burn," leaving one reminder of plantation opulence within a swath of destruction.
Nearby the ranch is Hard Labor Creek State Park, with an 18-hole golf course, swimming and riding trails on 5,800 acres; and Lake Oconee, the second-largest lake in Georgia, covering some 19,000 acres. Plenty of opportunities for other activity if we tired of riding.
The Southern Cross offers day trips to Hard Labor Creek State Park twice a week at $40 for horse cartage and park permits, with a day’s ride through the forest and lunch beside the lake. The terrain is challenging, yet fun and quite safe for almost any class of rider. Also available is a free trip to Stone Mountain State Park for the laser light show. Most important, the ranch it is a little over four hours by car from Stephen’s home.
The two of us loaded up my son’s SUV on a Friday morning, packing clothes for a week, fishing gear, books, snacks, extra pairs of shoes, and way too much other stuff. It's amazing what you can pack into a personal vehicle. On the other hand, when you get back home, you have to unload it all.
We decided to forgo the Interstate when possible and travel through the countryside via state roads. We basically drove the hypotenuse rather than the two legs and make up in distance what we lost in speed. Furthermore, it was much less boring for me, which was good, as I tend to become somnolent cruising at 80 mph.
When Stephen spotted a Krispy Kreme, we stopped for drinks and fresh doughnuts. On our way into the store, we had a pleasant conversation with a retired Navy destroyer crewman who as out sightseeing with his missus. I spent a very short time on a "tin can" and do not care to repeat. On the other hand, I have a great respect for those men and the job they have done and continue to do. Also, I find them great sports to trade barbs, lies, and other genialities with.
Big beds and big lunches
We arrived at the ranch just in time for lunch. We had booked our space far in advance, which was fortunate, as the ranch had filled up with some 30 guests. While I had paid for a king-size bed with a futon couch, we ended up with two king-size beds — which I am sure Stephen appreciated.
We unpacked and headed to the chow hall. Lunch is the main meal, and what a meal it was. Steak, several types of fresh vegetables, potatoes, a rich gravy, salad, fresh fruit and all the drink you could pour. The ranch has a Pepsi machine with Dr. Pepper and other flavors I don’t bother with, but there also are gallons of iced tea (it is the South) and lemonade. As we began to slow down, the cooks brought out fresh dessert and ice cream.
After a brief respite, it was off to the barn and an afternoon of riding. Well, first of all you must catch your horse, bring it to the yard, pick its hooves, brush its coat, bridle it, saddle it and walk it to the pasture entrance. Then, you are ready to ride.
There are two riding areas at the ranch. One consists of two ponds and the glen in between, the pasture which surrounds the main house and barns, and a segment of forest with a creek. The other is a forest behind a fence (to keep out the ponies, colts, yearlings, pregnant mares, cows and calves). The fenced forest is a maze of trails allowing for many small groups of riders to weave in and out without disturbing others to any great extent.
Experienced riders can venture off on their own, while those who wish can form groups of up to six with a guide. The rules are basic: No running in the pasture (because of holes and the risk of broken legs). Ride with at least one companion. Be back in time to put up your horse before it's time for the wranglers to go eat. Optimal independence with reasonable control.
Since we were the new kids on the block, the wranglers took us out on a trial run for an hour. We proved we could get our horses to walk, trot, canter and gallop; so, we were cleared for independent riding. When we finished our ride, it was back to the stables to unsaddle, wash down and pick the hooves before releasing our horses back to their paddock.
Returning to our room, we jumped into our swimsuits, then headed for the pool. Well, to be honest, I headed for the hot tub, to relax a few tight muscles. Stephen hit the pool and found several simpatico kids to play "Marco Polo" and other games with.
Wild West appeal with a German accent
Dinner is a supper at Southern Cross Ranch, and it emphasizes the German influence: hot potato salad; fried bread with cinnamon; a yummy plateful of mixed German sausages, newly pickled cucumbers with onion; and, on request, a top-notch German mustard.
Presented with this wonderful selection of my father’s favorite foods, I reflected on the fact that all but one of the female wranglers was German, the lead cook was German, and several of the guests spoke a language I didn’t understand. Although my great-grandfather and great-grandmother came from Berlin, it seems they were fluent in English by the time my grandfather was born, and the family has all spoken only "American" ever since.
I learned that the young man who manages the ranch owns it with his mother, who came to the United States from Germany. Since they speak German, and since Germans in general have a great love of the American West complete with cowboys and Indians, the ranch has been able to parlay its offerings and its proximity to Atlanta's international airport into a very profitable business with German tourists. Most of the rest of the guests are short timers, staying one to three days, who live in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The ranch has a nice game room attached to the chow hall. I was able to teach my grandson to shoot 8 Ball, and he was able to teach me the finer points of Foosball. There's an electronic dartboard, but you need an advanced degree in gamesmanship to understand all the buttons. Of course, Stephen mastered them within a couple of minutes of my leaving the room.
Stephen’s evenings were spent in the pool or the game room. We old-timers usually took a soak in the hot tub, then retired to our rooms to watch videos. The ranch had a library of 60 or 70 movies, including a good mix of family-oriented flics, children’s flics and adventure flics.
About halfway through the movie, I would do a "Stop" and mosey over to the chow hall for a drink and a snack. The cooks had a habit of fixing something special almost every evening after dinner — cookies, doughnuts, brownies etc. Fresh fruit, peanuts, pretzels and candies also were available.
Hard Labor Creek ride is painful
On Thursday, we took the Hard Labor Creek ride. It took us 14 miles up and down the hills, through the water and along the lake, with plenty of opportunity to trot and gallop. My lunch was a delicious sandwich stuffed with German sausage and cheese, and, for once, Stephen bypassed his traditional peanut butter and jelly for one of the same.
If I had it to do over again, I would take the ride on Monday instead of Thursday. When one is young, one becomes better conditioned to overcoming pain. When one has aged, pain accumulates. Stephen had a wonderful time. I had a good ride and a great day with my grandson — at a painful price.
After a week of riding, relaxing and eating, I was ready to go home or buy a new wardrobe. We ate our last breakfast, rode our last ride and saddled up the old SUV.
Again we bypassed the Interstate for the state routes. Shortly after noon, we were outside Aiken, South Carolina, and the home of Dukes BBQ. Unless you have spent time in South Carolina or died and gone to heaven, you are not familiar with true ambrosia of the pig persuasion.
Suffice it to say, grandson Stephen, who is a known picky eater, put away three full plates of BBQ washed down with a couple glasses of water. I put down two full plates of everything including BBQ, limiting my intake only after realizing that almost everyone else in the restaurant was over twice my size. At $6.50 per person for all you can eat of BBQ and 20 side dishes — plus serious hush puppies, lemonade and sweetened ice tea — those boys, girls, men and women do excel.
Bottom line: It was a great week. I would highly recommend the Southern Cross Ranch to any parents (or grandparents) with children who want to ride. To read more about it, visit the Southern Cross web site.
I'm hoping my son will take his whole family and enjoy the facilities as much I did, if not more. Next year, I think I am going to try for an Elderhostel outing with grandchildren, or maybe a train ride up to Canada and around the continent.
The Southern Cross Ranch is just outside of Madison, Ga., about 70 miles southeast of Atlanta. Madison is known as "the town Sherman didn’t burn," leaving one reminder of plantation opulence within a swath of destruction.
Nearby the ranch is Hard Labor Creek State Park, with an 18-hole golf course, swimming and riding trails on 5,800 acres; and Lake Oconee, the second-largest lake in Georgia, covering some 19,000 acres. Plenty of opportunities for other activity if we tired of riding.
The Southern Cross offers day trips to Hard Labor Creek State Park twice a week at $40 for horse cartage and park permits, with a day’s ride through the forest and lunch beside the lake. The terrain is challenging, yet fun and quite safe for almost any class of rider. Also available is a free trip to Stone Mountain State Park for the laser light show. Most important, the ranch it is a little over four hours by car from Stephen’s home.
The two of us loaded up my son’s SUV on a Friday morning, packing clothes for a week, fishing gear, books, snacks, extra pairs of shoes, and way too much other stuff. It's amazing what you can pack into a personal vehicle. On the other hand, when you get back home, you have to unload it all.
We decided to forgo the Interstate when possible and travel through the countryside via state roads. We basically drove the hypotenuse rather than the two legs and make up in distance what we lost in speed. Furthermore, it was much less boring for me, which was good, as I tend to become somnolent cruising at 80 mph.
When Stephen spotted a Krispy Kreme, we stopped for drinks and fresh doughnuts. On our way into the store, we had a pleasant conversation with a retired Navy destroyer crewman who as out sightseeing with his missus. I spent a very short time on a "tin can" and do not care to repeat. On the other hand, I have a great respect for those men and the job they have done and continue to do. Also, I find them great sports to trade barbs, lies, and other genialities with.
Big beds and big lunches
We arrived at the ranch just in time for lunch. We had booked our space far in advance, which was fortunate, as the ranch had filled up with some 30 guests. While I had paid for a king-size bed with a futon couch, we ended up with two king-size beds — which I am sure Stephen appreciated.
We unpacked and headed to the chow hall. Lunch is the main meal, and what a meal it was. Steak, several types of fresh vegetables, potatoes, a rich gravy, salad, fresh fruit and all the drink you could pour. The ranch has a Pepsi machine with Dr. Pepper and other flavors I don’t bother with, but there also are gallons of iced tea (it is the South) and lemonade. As we began to slow down, the cooks brought out fresh dessert and ice cream.
After a brief respite, it was off to the barn and an afternoon of riding. Well, first of all you must catch your horse, bring it to the yard, pick its hooves, brush its coat, bridle it, saddle it and walk it to the pasture entrance. Then, you are ready to ride.
There are two riding areas at the ranch. One consists of two ponds and the glen in between, the pasture which surrounds the main house and barns, and a segment of forest with a creek. The other is a forest behind a fence (to keep out the ponies, colts, yearlings, pregnant mares, cows and calves). The fenced forest is a maze of trails allowing for many small groups of riders to weave in and out without disturbing others to any great extent.
Experienced riders can venture off on their own, while those who wish can form groups of up to six with a guide. The rules are basic: No running in the pasture (because of holes and the risk of broken legs). Ride with at least one companion. Be back in time to put up your horse before it's time for the wranglers to go eat. Optimal independence with reasonable control.
Since we were the new kids on the block, the wranglers took us out on a trial run for an hour. We proved we could get our horses to walk, trot, canter and gallop; so, we were cleared for independent riding. When we finished our ride, it was back to the stables to unsaddle, wash down and pick the hooves before releasing our horses back to their paddock.
Returning to our room, we jumped into our swimsuits, then headed for the pool. Well, to be honest, I headed for the hot tub, to relax a few tight muscles. Stephen hit the pool and found several simpatico kids to play "Marco Polo" and other games with.
Wild West appeal with a German accent
Dinner is a supper at Southern Cross Ranch, and it emphasizes the German influence: hot potato salad; fried bread with cinnamon; a yummy plateful of mixed German sausages, newly pickled cucumbers with onion; and, on request, a top-notch German mustard.
Presented with this wonderful selection of my father’s favorite foods, I reflected on the fact that all but one of the female wranglers was German, the lead cook was German, and several of the guests spoke a language I didn’t understand. Although my great-grandfather and great-grandmother came from Berlin, it seems they were fluent in English by the time my grandfather was born, and the family has all spoken only "American" ever since.
I learned that the young man who manages the ranch owns it with his mother, who came to the United States from Germany. Since they speak German, and since Germans in general have a great love of the American West complete with cowboys and Indians, the ranch has been able to parlay its offerings and its proximity to Atlanta's international airport into a very profitable business with German tourists. Most of the rest of the guests are short timers, staying one to three days, who live in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The ranch has a nice game room attached to the chow hall. I was able to teach my grandson to shoot 8 Ball, and he was able to teach me the finer points of Foosball. There's an electronic dartboard, but you need an advanced degree in gamesmanship to understand all the buttons. Of course, Stephen mastered them within a couple of minutes of my leaving the room.
Stephen’s evenings were spent in the pool or the game room. We old-timers usually took a soak in the hot tub, then retired to our rooms to watch videos. The ranch had a library of 60 or 70 movies, including a good mix of family-oriented flics, children’s flics and adventure flics.
About halfway through the movie, I would do a "Stop" and mosey over to the chow hall for a drink and a snack. The cooks had a habit of fixing something special almost every evening after dinner — cookies, doughnuts, brownies etc. Fresh fruit, peanuts, pretzels and candies also were available.
Hard Labor Creek ride is painful
On Thursday, we took the Hard Labor Creek ride. It took us 14 miles up and down the hills, through the water and along the lake, with plenty of opportunity to trot and gallop. My lunch was a delicious sandwich stuffed with German sausage and cheese, and, for once, Stephen bypassed his traditional peanut butter and jelly for one of the same.
If I had it to do over again, I would take the ride on Monday instead of Thursday. When one is young, one becomes better conditioned to overcoming pain. When one has aged, pain accumulates. Stephen had a wonderful time. I had a good ride and a great day with my grandson — at a painful price.
After a week of riding, relaxing and eating, I was ready to go home or buy a new wardrobe. We ate our last breakfast, rode our last ride and saddled up the old SUV.
Again we bypassed the Interstate for the state routes. Shortly after noon, we were outside Aiken, South Carolina, and the home of Dukes BBQ. Unless you have spent time in South Carolina or died and gone to heaven, you are not familiar with true ambrosia of the pig persuasion.
Suffice it to say, grandson Stephen, who is a known picky eater, put away three full plates of BBQ washed down with a couple glasses of water. I put down two full plates of everything including BBQ, limiting my intake only after realizing that almost everyone else in the restaurant was over twice my size. At $6.50 per person for all you can eat of BBQ and 20 side dishes — plus serious hush puppies, lemonade and sweetened ice tea — those boys, girls, men and women do excel.
Bottom line: It was a great week. I would highly recommend the Southern Cross Ranch to any parents (or grandparents) with children who want to ride. To read more about it, visit the Southern Cross web site.
I'm hoping my son will take his whole family and enjoy the facilities as much I did, if not more. Next year, I think I am going to try for an Elderhostel outing with grandchildren, or maybe a train ride up to Canada and around the continent.
MASS OF REMEMBRANCE AT CATHEDRAL
Oct. 7, 2001 – A Mass of Remembrance at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral will celebrate the fellowship of former students of Sts. Peter and Paul School, both living and deceased. Bishop George Murray, SJ, will be the celebrant.
All former students, teachers, administrators, family and friends of the school are invited to the Mass, and to the reception following in the courtyard next to the cathedral.
All former students, teachers, administrators, family and friends of the school are invited to the Mass, and to the reception following in the courtyard next to the cathedral.
