Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Writing on HubPages and Zombie Apocalypse

What does writing on HubPages and Zombie Apocalypse have in common? Not a whole lot, only that Zombie Apocalypse is one of the articles I  have published on HubPages. HubPages is an online writing site that allows writers to earn money off of adsense, Amazon, eBay and through their HubPages own advertising and referral program. HubPages is similar in someways to Associated Content and Suite 101 in that writers can choose their topic, however the earning scheme is different. While HubPages is as not as strict in their guidelines as Suite 101, they do have certain guidelines you must follow.

One of the polices is that you may not post anything that has already been published, nor can you republish anything on the Internet that you have posted on HubPages without HubPages taking your article offline. Associated Content allows you to publish previous published works and also keep your rights to republish an article if that is what you want to do.

When you publish some writing on HubPages it is known as a Hub.I have published a few Hubs so far and made a little revenue. I suppose I will give it a try for a while as well as writing for Associated Content and Textbroker. My latest Hub on HubPages is a work of fiction titled Zombie Dad. This is an ongoing project with only two chapters completed so far. If you have the opportunity, check it out; also, if you enjoy writing check out HubPages writing opportunities.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Omitting in Under God from the Pledge

According to Fox News, NBC apoligized for omitting "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance during their broadcast of the U.S. Open golf tournament. For some reason, the words "under God" were omitted from a clip of children reciting the pledge. Why would NBC omitt this part of the pledge? Was in a coincidence or is NBC afraid to mention God or are they anti-God? I don't know about the executives at NBC, but as for me and my house in Blue Ridge, Georgia, (which aint Heaven but will do until I get there) we are proud to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in its entirity including, no especially, those words "under God".

Friday, June 17, 2011

Trout Fishing Streams in Fannin County

Delayed trout fishing to start on November 1.

Many people venture to beautiful Fannin County, Georgia for the trout fishing opportunities. Living in Fannin County for the better part of 48 years, I am well acquainted with many of those streams and have fished in some of them. I decided to compile a list of trout streams to give would be trout fishermen visiting the area an idea of where to start in choosing a trout stream.
  • Fightingtown Creek - This stream snakes through Fannin County and has its origin in Cashes Valley off of State Route 2. Fightingtown Creek enters the Ocoee River below Copperhill, Tennessee.
  • Jacks River - Jacks River is in the Cohutta Mountains and is accessed via State Route 2. This mountain stream is in the wilderness and flow through the Jones settlement, the last bit of civilization I know of before going into the wild. I have not visited lately, but it use to be teeming with large native brown trout. A word of warning, look out for rattlesnakes.
  • Hothouse Creek - This stream flows from North Carolina and feeds into the Toccoa River.  The baptizing hole om Curtis Switch in times past has been a popular fishing hole with locals.
  • Toccoa River - The Toccoa River feeds Blue Ridge Lake and flows from Blue Ridge Dam into Tennessee. The river is accessible above the dam by Aska Road and Highway 60 and below the dam via Highway 515, Curtis Switch, McCaysville and multiple other ways.
  • Rock Creek - Located in the mountains between Morganton, Georgia and Suches, Georgia. This stream has multiple camping sites and is home to the Rock Creek Fish Hatchery.
  • Coopers Creek - This creek is off Highway 60 just past the road that turns off to Rock Creek. like Rock Creek, Coopers Creek has campsites available for campers.
This is not a complete or exhaustive list of trout fishing streams in Fannin County, but will give vacationers and trout fishermen a good idea of where to begin looking for that golden trout fishing opportunity.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Toccoa River

According to an article in the May 27 edition of the News Observer, trout fishing is good this year in the lower Toccoa River. Local outfitters report that fish are being caught below the Blue Ridge Lake dam from Tammen
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Park right below the dam to Horseshoe Bend Park above McCaysville.

The Toccoa River is stocked with trout weekly between the months of March and July and stocked twice a month from July 4 through the Labor Day holiday. The total number of fish released into the river is in the 20,000 range with some of the trout measuring 9 to 10 inches in length.

The Toccoa River feeds Blue Ridge Lake, located in Fannin County. After leaving Blue Ridge dam, the Toccoa flows towards Polk County, Tennessee where its name changes to the Ocoee River, which is well-known for its white-water rafting. There are many places to fish along the Toccoa; some of the better known places are Curtis Switch, Tammen Park, Horseshoe Bend Park and McCaysville City Park. In addition to fishing from the banks of the Toccoa or wading out into the river, fishers can also take canoes, rafts and small boats down the river.

The Toccoa River runs through Fannin County and is easily accessed by taking I-575 North until it runs into Appalachian Highway 515, and then taking 515 into Blue Ridge, Georgia. Highway 515 crosses the Toccoa on the North side of Blue Ridge right before reaching Lakewood, Georgia.

Source: News Observer, page 1, May 27 edition

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Running Bleachers - Great Aerobic Activity

For a great aerobic activity, try running bleachers. Yesterday I went over to the local elementary school, which is West Fannin Elementary located in Fannin County, Georgia and started out by walking around the old football fields. After several laps I decided to walk up the old bleachers. Walking up the bleachers was not too much of a challenge, so I decided to try running up them. After running one, I decided to do another, then walked up them and then ran up the bleachers again. I continued alternating running and walking up the bleachers until my kids made me leave. If you have not been running or working out I recommend starting out walking bleachers until you have built up to running. I like walking up bleachers because you not only get a great cardio but a great leg workout as well. Additionally, walking bleachers burns calories and in my opinion picking up your knees as you walk up the bleachers is probably hitting the abs as well. So if you are looking for an exercise to take you to the next level or just wanting to try something different to break the monotony, try running bleachers.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Hot Day in Blue Ridge

It has been another hot day in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Blue Ridge Lake, which had been drained during the Winter has came up dramatically from the Winter levels. My wife and kids have already paid two visits to the lake since school in Fannin County has been let out. If you are looking for a reprieve from the heat or just a little fun in the sun check out Blue Ridge Lake. As for me, I have to put in another day at the Cracker Barrel in Canton, Georgia, which means I need to lay down and catch a few winks before it gets too late. Everybody have a good night, stay cool and remember that God loves you, try loving Him back.