GoCo360

4th

2012-07-14T09:59:00.001-07:00

Each year, to celebrate the 4th of July, the community has a fireworks show. The local fairgrounds host the activities of the day. Once evening arrives and the sun begins to set, thousands of motorists park along the HWY to get a view of the show. This year was no different. For me, the coolest part of the evening is as the show ends and all of the car lights come back on. Only then do I realize how many people are out there in the dark.

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Wally's Friends

2012-04-27T03:51:00.003-07:00

Since July of 2011, Wally's Friends have been traveling to Gordon County to offer their low cost spay/neuter services to the community. Once a month they arrive early in the Shoney's parking lot, collect a van full of cats and dogs, and take them to their facility in Chattanooga. They then spay and neuter all of the animals and return with them the next morning. The volunteers of Friends of Gordon County Animal Shelter help coordinate the monthly transport, and are responsible for getting Wally's Friends to start offering their transport services in Calhoun.

Spay and neuter programs are the solution to the homeless and unwanted pet problem our community faces. Education about the services offered and the benefits to animals that have been spayed/neutered are key. From Wally's Friends:

Spay and neuter helps solve pet overpopulation. Millions of healthy, adoptable pets are destroyed each year for lack of homes. A spayed or neutered animal will live a longer, healthier life with decreased risk of developing ovarian, uterine or breast cancer (females) and prostate cancer or testicular tumors (males). A spayed or neutered animal is better behaved and less aggressive.Spay and neuter will reduce the desire to roam, fight, and "mark" territory

The mission of Wally's Friends™ is to dramatically impact the numbers of unwanted animals destroyed in shelters and starving on the streets by:

Providing high quality, high volume, low cost, spay and neuter surgeries for cats and dogs, with an emphasis on serving rural and lower wealth areas of Chattanooga.
Connecting people and animals through education on dog and cat overpopulation and responsible guardianship to elevate the quality of life within the community.
Providing transport of animals to the clinic for low wealth and disabled guardians, and free spay/neuter when guardians lack the funds for spay/neuter.

And who was Wally?

Wally was a German Short-Haired Pointer who was found abandoned, starving and seriously injured on the streets of Sacramento, California. Although suffering, her eyes still held a light of hope and kindness. Wally was rescued and lived a long full life of 17 years. She always welcomed any cat or dog her humans brought home to her, each one homeless as she once was.

Wally's Friends was established in memory of Wally, and all homeless animals who have suffered needlessly.

For more information, please visit Wally's Friends, or call at 423-877-9966. Please spay and neuter your pets, it saves lives.

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Abandoned

2012-03-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

An abandoned lot.

At one time this empty lot, now abandoned, was worth well over $30,000. Now the lot might bring $5,000 at an auction. The subdivision I live in is full of similar lots. The bank that now owns these lots won't even return a call about selling them. They know how little the lots will bring.

This is a common site throughout the community, region, and country at large. Some developments are like the one I live in, half empty lots, half with homes. Other developments are nothing but empty streets, with decaying infrastructure, slowly being reclaimed by the forests and pastures they were built in. Our small town has a handfull that were developed (streets, sewer, power, etc.) without a single home ever being built. Numerous more have a minimal amount of homes.

Perhaps as banks finally let go of these lost subdivisions, they can be converted into something useful and beneficial to the communities they are in. If municipalities are ever able to acquire the lands some could be converted back into green space, community gardens, walking parks (they're already paved), or something (anything) useful. Now they are eyesores and a blight on the community.

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Rescue Me

2012-02-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

A frightened, adorable young dog.

Today I joined a few members of our local photography group to help shoot some images of animals at the Gordon County Animal Shelter. Members of the Friends of Gordon County Animal Shelter met with us to help with the animals.

The Gordon County Animal Shelter takes in thousands of dogs and cats each year. Before the "Friends" began working to help find rescues and homes for the animals, less than 10% of the animals were rescued. Thanks to the volunteer group and staff at the shelter, more than 40% are now rescued or adopted.

If you're considering a new pet, please look into rescuing one of these wonderful animals. Sadly, there are always many to choose from at the shelter. The Gordon County Animal Shelter can be reached at 706.629.3327, and is located on Harris Beamer Road in Calhoun. Please spay and neuter your pets. It saves lives.

One of the many puppies needing a loving home.

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Foreclosure

2012-02-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

Auction

A familiar sight across the country during the past few years: a home being auctioned. It is perhaps one of the defining themes nation wide over the past 5 years, as millions of homes have been lost to foreclosure. What is a heartbreaking disaster for one family is an incredible opportunity for another.

The housing and overall economic downturn has also reshaped the construction and wider real estate markets. When the housing boom was at it's height, hundreds of new homes were being constructed each year in Gordon County. This year there have been virtually zero. Construction jobs have vanished. What little construction remains is either remodeling or a tiny amount of commercial work. Developers have either stopped work and abandoned projects, gone bankrupt, or shifted into other markets (rental). Existing home sales have slowed to a stand still as prices of existing homes have plummeted, due to the inventory of foreclosed homes and decreased demand.

Home.

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The Best Mexican Food You'll Never Eat

2012-01-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

Tacos from El Rodeo

A friend recently suggested that I check out a local place for some authentic tacos. So one rainy Friday night, we drove to El Rodeo in Calhoun, and I had some of the best tacos I've ever tasted.

Sadly, many of you who read this may probably never attempt to eat at El Rodeo. It's a small Latino store on North 41 in Calhoun. There, a limited amount of groceries and phone cards are available for purchase, a couple of pool tables provide entertainment for those who seek it, and a small restaurant nestled in the rear of the store offers an array of authentic comida (food). The menu is in Spanish; however, the staff speak a bit of English. The salsa is HOT, and the menu items are not what you'll find at Taco Bell or any of the Tex Mex type of Mexican restaurants which are so popular in the area.

View El Rodeo in a larger map

I sampled a variety of tacos: cabeza (meat from the head of a cow), lengua (tongue), tripa (stomach), al pastor (pork), and chorizo (spicy sausage). Some will cringe at the thoughts of eating any of these tacos; however, I am convinced that if I gave you a bite and didn't tell you what you were eating, you would love it. Then you would go on to tell me this was some of the best tasting, most tender, delicate (ok, not the tripe, it's a tad chewy, but awesome) pieces of meats you've ever eaten. How do I know this? Because that's exactly what I thought when I first tasted these types of tacos years ago. I didn't know what I was eating, but after the first bite I didn't care. This is some of the best food that you'll never eat.

We are lucky to have such authentic food from a different culture so readily available, at such cheap prices (~$2 per taco). Be adventurous. Try something a little different. The staff were so kind and helpful. Another customer even offered to help translate the menu for us. If you decide to try out some tacos (or other items), it might be helpful to look up some of the items on your phone so you'll know what you're getting (or maybe not!). Don't be afraid of the drinks (aguas frescas) either. We tried horchata and pineapple, and both were great. Get out there and EAT!

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ConTreeversy

2012-01-10T05:49:00.001-08:00

This past year, a new Christmas tree was unveiled in Calhoun, causing somewhat of a controversy. It was quite the departure from a traditional tree. Some people loved it. Many more did not. If nothing else, it was a lively topic of discussion during Christmas.

The Tree as traffic passes by.

Tree from the Court House

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