Home Living in North Georgia

HOME Living in North Georgia

July | 2017

A home built for entertaining Crisp and cool summer appetizers

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HOME Living In North Georgia July 2017 3

From the Editor Building a better Hall

Editor/Designer Michelle Boaen Jameson General Manager Norman Baggs Advertising Sales Leah Nelson HOME Magazine, a division of: The Times Gainesville, GA A Morris Multimedia Inc. property 345 Green St. | Gainesville, GA 30501 | 770-718-3421

www.homemagazinenorthgeorgia.com

Hall County Habitat for Humanity has been extra busy this summer.

The nonprofit is working on a new project in the Copper Glen subdivision and it has just moved the ReStore to a location off Murphy Boulevard. The location was the home of the store back in the 1990s. The new space means the donations will need to move sooner rather than later, which means even better pricing. All the proceeds benefit Habitat and its many building projects. In the month of July, Habitat will need volunteers for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for builds. Lunch and water is always provided. To volunteer, visit www.habitathallcounty.org to sign up.

Also in this issue, we look at the liquid version of getting in your greens.

Find recipes for smoothies to boost your health on page 28. But if you’re looking for something a little more filling, check out a few recipes from Scott’s Downtown for refreshing summer appetizers on page 13. And if you want to see a fabulous kitchen in which to whip up those apps, see our cover story on the Lawson home. As always, follow us on Facebook and Twitter and send us your story ideas. Enjoy!

M

J

ichelle ameson

Michelle Boaen Jameson editor@homemagazinenorthgeorgia.com

Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @HomeMagazineNGA

4 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

Manuscripts, artwork, photography, inquiries and submitted materials are welcome. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Morris Multimedia Inc. Although every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy of published materials, Morris Multimedia cannot be held responsible for opinions expressed or facts supplied by its authors. HOME: Living in North Georgia reserves the right to refuse advertisements for any reason. Acceptance of advertising does not mean or imply the services or product is endorsed or recommended by HOME: Living in North Georgia.

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16

Travel & Leisure 8

What started as a fascination with a British 1960 Triumph TR3A has culminated in a 50-year love affair with a car affectionately named “the White Knight” by its owner, Joe Garcia.

32

Gainesville resident Pamela Keene decided to head down south for an adventure — south of the equator that is. A trip to Ecuador took her down the headwaters of the Amazon all the way to the Galapagos Islands.

30

Food & Drink 12

Beat the summer heat with sweet and savory appetizers from Scott’s Downtown on the Gainesville Square.

From the Tuna Tower to proscuitto-wrapped melon, wash it down with a signature cucumber cocktail.

Home & Garden 16

Debbie Lawson Davis dreamed of building on her family land near Lake Lanier. She and

32

6 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

homemagazinenorthgeorgia.com

12

26

husband Vince recently made that dream a reality with a home built with family and entertaining in mind.

Health & Fitness 26

Not one for eating your veggies as recommended? Maybe getting the needed nutrients from fruit and vegetable smoothies can help you get them down.

Natural Juice Cafe tells us how.

8

Charitable Living 30

Hall County is in the middle of an affordable housing shortage. To help first-time homeowners, Habitat for Humanity lends a hand — several actually — to build houses for those in need.

On the Cover A tiled barrel ceiling and pendant lights accentuate the black walnut wood and granite flanked by custom cabinets in the home of Debbie Lawson Davis. The cabinets are just one of the many beautiful highlights.

Photo by Craig Sheridan Photography

Inside Every Issue 4 34

From the Editor Events Calendar

Clarification In the May issue of Home, an article on Skogie’s should have read the restaurant is open every Sunday of summer for brunch, even on holidays.

The cover photo in the May issue was taken by Ulrich Brinkman provided by AHT Interiors.

HOME Living

In North Georgia

July 2017 7

A major

Triumph Joe Garcia celebrates 50 years owning his British roadster Story by Marcus Rodrigue | Photography by Scott Rogers

8 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

busy, and tinkering with it is fun. It helps me relax and get away from the stress at work.”

Indeed, he has done plenty of tinkering over the years — everything from repairing the engine and electrical work to routine brake jobs and cosmetic upgrades. Garcia estimated there are only a few hundred models of the car left in the U.S., and his has always had tags and been roadworthy.

“He spends a lot of time working on it, and he just loves to fix things and solve problems,” Berry said. “ … He knows every darn nut and bolt in that car.”

After 50 years of ownership, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Garcia said he paid $500 for the “bucket of bolts” in 1967, becoming the Triumph’s third owner. He was 20 years old, working ordnance in the Navy on a base in San Francisco and simply needed a reliable mode of transportation.

After finishing his service and receiving an economics degree from Stanford, the Los Angeles native spent 25 years performing contract administration and various other roles for the Santa Clara-based Kaiser Electronics, where he interned during his senior year of high school.

His passion for aircrafts, which he fostered

“

I could put a lot of new technology into the car, but I refuse to. I want it to be as pure as it was when it came off the lot.

“

O

n Joe Garcia and Jayne Berry’s second date, Garcia decided it was time to bring the car along.

The couple cruised up to Dawsonville’s Amicalola Falls in Garcia’s 1960 Triumph TR-3A, which he has affectionately dubbed “the White Knight.” He whipped the British roadster around the winding mountain roads, though Berry was a bit oblivious to the car’s history and significance.

“I thought it was kind of novel, but it didn’t impress me like he thought,” said Berry, Garcia’s wife of five years. “I had no idea what the car was.

But then I told my girlfriend who knows cars, and she said, ‘Holy cow, there are only 600 of those on the road.’”

Garcia has made that possible through decades of diligent care for the vehicle that has become intertwined with his entire adult life.

The Gainesville resident has owned and maintained his white Triumph for 50 years, during which the simple set of wheels transformed into a passion project. Garcia doesn’t treat it like a show car, instead savoring its drivability and striving to keep it on the road as long as he can.

“I’m really not a car nut at all; this was just my mode of transportation for a long time,” Garcia said. “I grew up with it. It’s something to keep me

Joe Garcia has owned his classic vehicle, a 1960 Triumph TR-3A, for 50 years. He is the third owner of the British sports car which was produced between 1955 and 1962 by the Standard-Triumph Motor Company of Coventry, England.

during both his Naval and professional careers, led him to Gainesville in 1999 when he began working at L3 Technologies, an aerospace and defense company in Alpharetta.

The Triumph came along, of course, courtesy of Garcia’s new employer shipping it in a van for the nearly 2,500-mile trek to northeast Georgia.

“It’s a driver’s car, but I don’t think it could have made that trip,” Garcia said with a laugh.

He retired from L3 in 2015, and the 70-year-old joked his prized vehicle seemed to know he had much more time on his hands. A malfunction of the Triumph’s throw-out bearing, which releases the clutch, prompted an extensive rebuild in which several local businesses assisted.

Four Gainesville shops — Lester Radiator Sales and Services, Southern Auto Color, King Precision Machine and North Georgia

HOME Living

In North Georgia

July 2017 9

Supply — provided replacements, refurbishments and paint jobs. North Georgia Paint & Body in Dahlonega performed painting and sanding, even extracting a wrench from the car’s left fender.

Yet Garcia estimated 90 percent of it is still original, which is what he believes lends the vehicle its “classic” aspect.

“I think what makes a car classic is in the originality,” Garcia said. “ … I could put a lot of new technology into the car, but I refuse to.

I want it to be as pure as it was when it came off the lot.”

The parts that must be replaced, he said, aren’t too difficult to find despite being expensive. Still, Garcia estimated he has poured only $10,000-$12,000 into the vehicle during his 50 years with it.

10 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

Though he doesn’t keep the Triumph exclusively for shows, the Gainesville man has entered it in a handful of competitions. It most recently placed third out of eight TR3As at the Atlanta British Motorcar Day in Roswell.

Berry recalled a show that didn’t go so well for her husband’s car. When the two were still dating, Garcia entered a competition at Berry College in Mount Berry but quickly realized he was outclassed.

“An exquisite car came by with two handlers, and the car had etchings on it of who painted it,” Berry said. “I remember Joe just gently closed his hood and said, ‘We’re out of here.’”

But that’s fine with Garcia, who instead finds joy behind the wheel of “the White

Knight.” He said he’ll keep the “eclectic” vehicle, which he guessed has racked up about 250,000 miles, as long as it runs and he’s having fun with it.

The latter factor, at least, doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.

“Once you name a car, you’re toast,” Berry said with a laugh. “I enjoy the car, and I love to see him happy about it. He has gotten to see his nephews when they were babies interested in the car, and now they have kids that are also interested in it.

“He used to drive his dad to work in that car and has had a lot of adventures in it. It has been a friend for 50 years. That’s a long relationship to have with an object.”

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Summer: An app for that Cool off with savory starters and chilled soups Story by Pamela A. Keene | Photography by David Barnes When the north Florida heat and humidity of July settled in, my mom had a plan: Prepare light meals and small bites of foods that required little cooking. She’d head to the closest roadside stand and come back with fixings for cold soups, fruit dishes or delightful appetizers to curb our appetites without slowing us down.

These days, the heat of North Georgia in the dead of summer can be just as challenging.

The simple act of heating up the stove or oven can significantly raise the temperature in your house and cause your air conditioner to work

12 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

overtime. And the thought of eating a heavy meal — you get the picture.

“Appetizers and light meals made with fresh ingredients are the perfect choice for summer,” says Scott Dixon, owner of Scott’s Downtown just off the Gainesville square.

“We have an extensive menu of appetizers in the summer, dishes that people can order and share. It’s the ideal way to enjoy a variety of flavors and tastes.”

Dixon says that the tuna and crab tower is one of most-requested summer appetizers.

“There are so many choices for fresh seafood

in the summer and their salty taste makes an excellent complement to other foods.”

The fresh colors and textures of summer fruits and vegetables can make appetizers more appealing. “We do more than enjoy food with our taste buds,” he says. “Our first impression of what we eat is visual. A colorful presentation is just the indicator of what’s to come.”

Scott’s serves several appetizers that are easy to replicate at home. From gazpacho, prosciutto-wrapped fruit pieces, to shrimp or crab cocktails garnished with fruit or

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avocados, these simple-to-prepare recipes can be the hit of your next outdoor party on the deck.

As a bonus, Scott recommends serving

his Signature Summer Cocktail. “It’s an excellent accompaniment for a colorful selection of appetizers.”

Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon

Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon Makes 24 pieces Ingredients: 1/4 pound Prosciutto di Parma Ham, very thinly sliced 24 1 inch cubes of cantaloupe, honey dew, or other melon or a mix of all 24 black berries, blue berries, green or red seedless grapes (Use all of one or mix) 24 fresh mint leaves Preparation: Slice on your slicer or have Prosciutto sliced very thinly at the deli.

Slice larger slices into 2 to 3 smaller slices to wrap around your melon cube leaving the side of melon exposed.

Top with a fresh mint leaf, blackberry, grape or blueberry then skewer with a pick to hold it all together.

Arrange on serving platter and refrigerate or serve immediately.

Scott’s Signature Summer Cocktail Ingredients: 3-5 very thinly sliced English cucumber wheels 1 ½ oz. Hendricks Gin 2/3 oz. St. Germaine Elderflower Liquor Club soda Line sides of a chilled glass with cucumber slices. In a shaker combine ice, Hendricks Gin and St. Germaine and shake well. Pour contents of shaker into cucumber-lined glass; top with a splash of club soda. Enjoy responsibly.

Tuna Tower appetizer. Photo courtesy Scott’s.

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Gazpacho Created by Scott’s Executive Sous Chef John Dinzole Ingredients: 10 nice-sized tomatoes, cored, medium diced 3 large English cucumbers, medium diced ¾ cup orange bell pepper, seeded, small diced ¾ cup yellow bell pepper, seeded, small diced ½ cup poblano pepper, seeded, small diced 1 large red onion, small diced 1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed, minced 3 limes, juiced 3 quarts tomato juice 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce Kosher salt and pepper to taste

A newly added gazpacho dish can be enjoyed at Scott's Downtown, 131 Bradford Street NE, Gainesville. Visit scottsonthesquare.com for more.

Preparation: Combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, red onion and salt and pepper mix, (1 ½ teaspoon) in a large mixing bowl.

Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Combine with all remaining ingredients and move to storage container. Refrigerate overnight for at least 12 hours to allow flavors to meld.

Serve cold in a chilled bowl with a fresh parsley or cilantro garnish.

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Coming Home

16 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

Davis house creates retreat filled with memories Story by Pamela A. Keene

L

Photo by Craig Sheridan Photography

ong before Lake Lanier came into being, Debbie Lawson Davis’ family owned about 100 acres in Northeast Georgia.

Her father had traded it for the installation of an air-conditioning system in the mid-1940s.

Little did the family know that 44 acres of the property would be used to build Lake Lanier within the next decade. That left the Lawsons with 66 acres on Lanier and a small cabin that the family used as a weekend retreat while Debbie was growing up. Two California redwood trees that Debbie and her father purchased as seedlings on a family vacation when she was 8 years old now provide deep shade and fond memories.

“By 1974, my parents had built their final home on the land near Little River and lived there full time,” Debbie says. She and her husband Vince Davis built a home on the compound, but after her mom passed away, they decided they didn’t need two homes on the property. “So we tore down my parents’ home and built a brand new home on its footprint.”

The couple designed the home themselves, and worked with architects Caldwell and Cline of Marietta to finalize blueprints. “We considered the flow of the house and the architects really listened to what we had in mind,” she said. They maximized the lake vistas from many rooms, including a clear view from the kitchen across the breakfast area toward the water.

Debbie and Vince moved into the 14,000-square-foot home, built by Whitmire Custom Homes, in February 2017 and have already begun hosting friends and family there, including members of their Lakewood Baptist Sunday School class.

HOME Living

In North Georgia

July 2017 17

Photos by Craig Sheridan Photography Left: The wine room in the Davis home. Right: The main kitchen is lined with custom cabinets by Housley Enterprises. Below: Debbie Lawson Davis and her husband Vince Davis stand on their back porch during a tour of their home in Gainesville. They specifically designed their home to entertain large groups of people, which is reflected in the spacious areas, generous seating and other amenities. Bottom: Debbie lies back in the Disney Cruise Spa inspired steam shower.

Photo by David Barnes

Photo by David Barnes

18 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

Her main kitchen — the house has four kitchens when you count the two outdoors — is filled with custom cabinets designed and built by Chris Housley of Housley Enterprises in Suwanee. Finely appointed with rich gray glazed wood and accented with natural black walnut detailing, the cabinets are complimented by a soaring barrel ceiling made from reclaimed brick. “We used local subcontractors as much as possible and they helped us find so many special touches,” Debbie says. “For instance, Mountain Marble and Granite in Cleveland found the brick for the kitchen’s barrel ceiling in an old Chicago warehouse.”

The kitchen has a separate hidden working pantry where Debbie can do all the preparation for entertaining while keeping the main kitchen organized. The pantry even has a dishwasher, full-size refrigerator and a sink. Just off the kitchen, the main floor wine room with its double glass doors and custom wrought iron work lends itself to romantic dinners for her and Vince. In fact, they have many choices for where to enjoy meals together or dining with their two sons, 24-year-old Taylor and 22-yearold Travis, who works in the family business — Lawson Air Conditioning & Plumbing.

The main- loor master suite features a 10- by 12-foot shower with two heated spa tiled loungers.

“The loungers were inspired by a Disney Cruise Spa experience,” she says. There’s a generous screened porch off the master suite with lake views, “the perfect place to just enjoy a glass of wine and look at the beauty of the lake.” Two guest suites, one on each floor, provide space for overnight visitors.

“We tried to think of incorporating the kinds of things that would have made my mother’s life easier,

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including an elevator so that we would be able to live here for a long time.”

Debbie’s touch is evident throughout the five bedroom home that has five full baths and two half-baths. “Vince and I had no idea that we could do design work at this level,” she says. The home fits well on the gentle sloping lake lot. With ample outdoor entertaining space, screened porches and a pool, it’s a retreat from the workday world and a chance to relax surrounded by nature.

“I was so attached to the property where I spent my youth, it just seemed like the right thing to do,” she says. “The lot is so special to us and it’s filled with such great memories. We are so blessed to be able to share this with our family and friends.”

Left: The Davis home has a large outdoor space for entertaining.

Davis points out the wood-look granite counter tops in her kitchen.

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If you had a hammer

You could help Hall County Habitat for Humanity build needed homes Story by Pamela A. Keene | Photography by David Barnes

Habitat for Humanity volunteers work at a homebuilding site in Gainesville.

From a vision in the Southwest Georgia town of Americus grew a global life-changing organization that helps families own their own homes. And it’s at work here in Hall County through Habitat for Humanity.

“Since we were founded in 1989 here in Hall, we’ve built more than 50 homes, most of them scattered around the county,” says Tim Williams, executive director of Hall County Habitat for Humanity. “Thanks to an anonymous donor we now have a 21-lot subdivision called Copper Glen to help people realize home ownership. This has become especially important in our county where there’s a huge shortage of affordable housing.”

The pace is picking up now that Habitat has access to property. It was also the recipient of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center Foundation’s 2016 Golf Tournament that donated $284,000 to the organization. In the past two years, the group has built eight homes.

22 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

HOME Living

In North Georgia

July 2017 23

Right: Mark Molinaro, 23, left, and Caleb Last, right, volunteer with Habitat for Humanity in Gainesville. Below: Beth Colvin, 55, center, and Joe Byrd, 35, left, both Habitat for Humanity volunteers, work at a site in Gainesville. Bottom: John Latigona, 58, works at a homebuilding site in Gainesville. Opposite page: A Habitat home built for the Global Village and Discovery Center in Americus, which highlights the types of homes built around the world.

How It Began, Where It’s Going

Tim is clear that Habitat’s mission is not to provide free homes.

“We offer no-interest mortgages and sell the homes at no profit to people who qualify,” he says. “And anyone who receives a Habitat home must make a commitment as well: they must take classes to educate them about finances and homeownership, they are required to donate 260 hours of work on builds — 200 hours on other homes and 60 hours on their own homes. And they receive counseling over the life of their mortgage to help with credit issues and how to stretch their budgets.”

Corporate support and sponsorships are key to the continuance of Habitat, but in many ways, it’s the people who volunteer that keep the program thriving. Companies can sponsor building a home both financially and with man-power, setting up team build days.

Employees and friends gather at the build site to help with framing, drywall, painting and landscaping during the building process.

Licensed contractors do the mechanical work, such as plumbing, heating/air-conditioning and electrical.

The eligibility requirements are stringent and there’s currently a waiting list in Hall of nearly 300 people who must first attend a Habitat orientation program before applying.

These usually take place twice a year. Habitat’s next session is scheduled for July 28-29 and interested people can contact Habitat and asked to be invited to attend.

24 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

From humble beginnings in the mid-1970s, Habitat for Humanity was founded by Millard and Linda Fuller, who were associated with an interracial Christian community near Americus called Koinonia.

The Fullers and Koinonia founder Clarence Jordan conceived the idea of building homes to sell to families at no profit through no-interest mortgages. They started with 42 half-acre lots. Today, Habitat has helped more than 6.8 million people around the world have affordable housing.

Habitat’s Operations Headquarters is still located in Americus, where it maintains a Global Village and Discovery Center that consists of examples of existing housing around the world and 16 Habitat-built homes to show the variations in housing for people in Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Europe. It is open for tours by visiting www.habitat.org/about/global-village-discovery-center. The organization’s international headquarters in Atlanta manages fundraising and administrative duties.

Photo by Christine Tibbetts

We’ve Moved: Habitat ReStore’s New Location

Each local affiliate pledges to tithe 10 percent of the funds raised to Habitat International to help with the global commitment. Many, like Hall County, operate a ReStore, a storefront that sells furniture, building supplies and surplus items to the public.

At the beginning of the summer, the Habitat ReStore moved to 2380 Murphy Boulevard in Gainesville. In a sense, it’s like returning to its roots, once again occupying an 8,700-squarefoot space that housed the first ReStore in the early 1990s.

“People can get really good deals here, from overstocked building materials, furniture, appliances and lighting,” says Tim Williams, executive director of Hall County Habitat for Humanity. “We’re open to the public, plus we accept donations from businesses and individuals.”

Tim explains that the goal of the ReStore is to provide funding for all the administrative costs of managing the Habitat for Humanity’s program. “That way, any donations made by the community to Habitat are used 100 percent to build homes.”

The ReStore accepts household and kitchen items, but it does not accept clothing. Dave Sneed manages the ReStore.

For more information, call 770-718-1070 or visit www. habitathallcounty.org.

“Our goal here in Hall is to eliminate poverty housing in the county,” Tim says. “So many people deserve a decent and affordable home. It’s awesome to help someone who otherwise might never be able to own their own home.”

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Getting

juiced Enjoy the health benefits of smoothies and blends of fruits and veggies Story by Steven Welch Photography by David Barnes

One of the Natural Juice Cafe's Superfood Shots, Organic Wheatgrass.

26 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

Trying to beat the heat with something not too sweet?

Sodas carry excess sugars and calories, so a nice glass of juice or a frothy smoothie can be the perfect alternative.

Brett Copeland, owner of Natural Juice Café at 2480 Limestone Parkway in Gainesville, is a big proponent of a nutritious glass of fruits and vegetables, having run his restaurant with his wife Jeannie for a little more than four years.

He decided to get into the industry after realizing the lack of options and availability of juice in the area.

“There wasn’t anything close to it in Gainesville at the time,” he said. “It was a bit of a food desert in ways when it comes to healthier options, so it was something we were interested in.”

Natural Juice Café works to sell whole foods and whole juices, which mean the products aren’t full of processed sugar or other unnecessary ingredients. The result is a healthier menu of items for his customers to enjoy.

“You’re getting all the vitamins and nutrients because it’s not processed,” he said. “With the juicing especially, you’re going to get a lot of vitamins and nutrients packed into a very small package.”

While Copeland’s restaurant has lots of choices available for juice and smoothies, the most popular one is a mix of cucumbers, celery, kale, apple, lemon and ginger known as “50 Shades of Green.” He says the mix of fruit and vegetables offers a wide range of benefits for those who drink it.

“The kale obviously is loaded with minerals; it’s got a nice sort of balanced flavor that I think anyone can approach,” he said.

Juicing is also a quicker way to fill your body with the nutrients it needs, as it means getting all the fruits and vegetable servings without having to spend the day chomping on carrots or apples.

“A 16-ounce juice is going to have about 13 or 14 carrots in it,” he said. “It’s a great way to put a lot of vitamins into your

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A 50 Shades of Green smoothie at the Natural Juice Cafe in Gainesville.

system.”

Copeland understands the hesitation that might come with someone changing their diet to include more fruits and vegetables, and says juicing is a good way to experiment to see what might work and what might not. He likes working with them to change some of their habits and find healthier options.

“We try to make a bridge for people who are used to eating at McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A or something like that,” he said.

“We provide a way for them to try some healthier stuff without it being such a shock to their system.”

For those who might want to try new recipes at home but might not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, Kelsey Higgins, a registered dietician and the owner of BreakThru Nutrition, LLC in Lawrenceville, says frozen ones will also work, but to check the labels for certain additives.

“Frozen fruit is picked at the peak of season when the fruit is at its prime. This is a great alternative when you are craving fruit that may be out of season,” she said. “Look for frozen produce that does not have any added sugar or sodium.”

Having the right preparation methods can also go a long way to getting the most out of your juice or smoothie.

“The key is to chop them up into small pieces before throwing them all together in the blender. It's also important to add protein and a healthy fat to your smoothie,” Higgins says.

“Some examples include fat-free Greek yogurt or one scoop of

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July 2017 27

Whey Protein powder, and adding one to two tablespoons of peanut butter for a healthy fat.”

No matter what type of juice or smoothie is made, Higgins recommends five servings a day of some type of produce in order to get the complete health benefits and achieving a better lifestyle. She highlights the fact that those who are new to the whole process have lots of options to work with.

“Be creative and don't give up,” she said. “There are endless varieties of fruits and veggies out there so if you don't like one kind, try another.”

Total Health Booster Ingredients 1 medium apple (8 ounces), cored and cubed 2 medium soft pears (such as Bartlett), cored and cubed (about 1 pound total) 1/2 cup cherries (fresh with pits removed or frozen and thawed) Preparation In a blender, combine apple, pears, and cherries; blend, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth. Strain juice and, if desired, thin with water. Before serving, garnish with fresh cherries, if desired. Refrigerate up to 2 days (shake before serving).

Power Gulp Ingredients 1 cup sliced kale (from about 3 large leaves) 1 cup seedless green grapes (about 28)

One of the Natural Juice Cafe's Superfood Shots, Dragon's Breath.

1 English cucumber, thickly sliced 1 small Granny Smith apple (4–6 ounces), cored and cut into chunks 1/2 cup water Preparation In a blender, combine kale, grapes, cucumber, apple and water; blend, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth. Strain juice and, if desired, thin with additional water. Before serving, garnish with a fresh kale leaf and a cucumber slice (optional). Refrigerate up to 2 days (shake before serving).

Source: Health.com

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Brett Copeland, owner and head chef of the Natural Juice Cafe, cuts produce to make a 50 Shades of Green smoothie at the Natural Juice Cafe in Gainesville. Below: Copeland serves up a smoothie. Right: Natural Juice Cafeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two Superfood Shots, Organic Wheatgrass, top, and Dragonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Breath, bottom.

HOME Living

In North Georgia

July 2017 29

Welcome to the South Seeing Ecuador from the Amazon to the Galapagos Story and photography by Pamela A. Keene

The streets of Quito are filled with pedestrians with the mountainside in the distance.

30 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

One of the great things about traveling to South America is minimal jet lag. And flying five hours to Ecuador, visitors can experience mountains, rain forests and the Galapagos Islands, all within easy traveling distance.

My husband Rick lived in Ecuador for four years several decades ago, but this was my first foray into South America. We flew into the two-year-old modern airport north of Quito, the country’s capital, which would become our base for the three-week trip. After joining nine other travelers with Boston-based Overseas Adventure Travel, we visited Old Town Quito, the amazing “Gold Cathedral” and the Botanical Gardens, with its beautiful orchid houses and many plants that were familiar to us from North America.

In Quito, we were more than 9,000 feet above sea level, where the temperatures were always cooler and the air less oxygenated, but the adjustment wasn’t too difficult.

After a few days, we returned to the airport to catch a commercial flight to Coca, then a two-hour trip on the Napo River in a motorized canoe to our next destination — four days in the Amazon rain forest. We stayed in small cabin lodges with thatched roofs, took boat rides into the forest and along the shores of the main river to see parrots, Rosetta spoonbills, herons, crocodiles and other exotic animals.

The riverside lodge was located in the center of a small village that included a school, a medical clinic, about a dozen homes and some small plots of farmland. Students grades K-12 shared the multiroom building where classes met from about 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. each weekday, then headed home to help with chores.

Meals prepared and served in the open-air main lodge featured fresh vegetables, pork, chicken or fish, plus rice, plantains, yucca and potatoes, called papas. There was always dessert, often an adapted version of cake, custard or a combination of fruits.

We returned to Quito by canoe and plane for two days in the city before flying to the small airport at Baltra on the island of Santa Cruz, Galapagos. Several boat and bus rides later, we boarded our on-the-water home for the next eight days — 16-passenger The EcoGalaxy II. With excellent accommodations, rooms larger than most hotels in Europe and first-class meals, we were well taken care of as we island-and beachhopped to see marine and land iguanas, sea turtles, land tortoises, blue-footed boobies, blue herons, flightless cormorants, lava flows and sandy shores.

Most days, we’d enjoy a morning shore excursion via a pair of hard-bottomed Zodiacs for a wildlife walk among the iguanas and sea lions, or a dip in the warm waters of the islands.

Then we’d return to the boat for a buffet lunch, and our mandatory daily Galapagos siesta to rest up from the heat and humidity. In the afternoons, we’d explore another island, snorkel or

take the Zodiacs to coves and interior streams to look for birds and underwater life.

Overseas Adventure Travel promotes immersive tourism, so we often had an on-board learning and discovery experience. The day we crossed the equator, all 11 of us gathered on the ship’s The NAPO lodge quadraplex bridge while the captain at the amazon headwaters is navigated from the Southern where visitors stayed. to the Northern Hemisphere, then pulled out his guitar to sing some Ecuadorian folk songs. Another day, the chef taught us how to prepare ceviche, which we then had as part of our dinner.

The Galapagos has long been legendary as “proof ” of evolution, but as we soon discovered, there’s a big difference between evolution and adaptation. When species are geographically isolated, over time they tend to make physiological changes to survive. The flightless cormorant is an excellent example: a bird by physical characteristics, it has adapted to being a land-dweller with no use for its wings. It swims

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Top: Tourists canoe up the headwaters of the Amazon with their guides. Right: A typical lunch of empanadas in Quito.

Left: Tour guides head out to the Galapagos Islands.

to catch its prey of fish, octopus and squid.

We were surprised to learn that most of the wildlife doesn’t fear humans on the Galapagos. That’s because they’ve never been hunted by humans and very few natural predators exist for them on these isolated islands. We were able to get close to – but urged not to touch – tortoises, iguanas, sea lions and penguins.

32 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

Fascinating. There was something new around every turn.

Visitation and tourism is strictly monitored in this well-protected national park; tour groups must be accompanied by licensed guides, who carefully ensured that we left nothing behind except footprints and took nothing with us but photographs and memories.

At the end of our trip, we flew back to the mainland and on to Quito where we headed home. Our heads were full of new experiences and our cameras and phones overflowed with photos. Needless to say, it was a trip of a lifetime. I found out that it’s good to stay in the same time zone, but things are certainly different south of the equator.

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EVENTS CALENDAR

July July 3 Patriotic Pops Concert, 6 p.m.

The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St. SW, Gainesville. $18 adults, $15 students and seniors 65 and older, $194 table for eight. www.theartscouncil.net July 3.

Patriotic Pops Concert. 6 p.m.

The Arts Council Smithgall Arts Center, 331 Spring St. SW, Gainesville.

July 4 Dahlonega’s 4th of July Celebration. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hancock Park, Hawkins and North Meaders streets, Dahlonega. 706-867-3763, laura@dahlonega.org. Free.

July 4 Sparks in the Motorsports

Park. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Atlanta Motorsports Park, 20 Duck Thurmond Road, Dawsonville. 678-381-8527.

July 4 Independence Day celebration, 5-10 p.m. Braselton. Free. downtownbraselton.com July 4-8, 11-14.

Southern Appalachian Artists Guild Member Exhibition.

Bowen Center for the Arts, 334 Ga. 9 N, Dawsonville.

706-216-2787.

July 6 Captain America.

11 am - noon, Interactive Neighborhood for Kids 999 Chestnut St., SE, # 11 Gainesville.

July 7 Swami Nirvanananda Devotional Chanting. 7 to

relax in luxury... and allow us to offer you the very finest care.

8:30 p.m. Antahsara Yoga Shala and A Garden For Wellness, 140 Laprade St., Clarkesville. 706-490-2609, bassmanandrobin@yahoo. com. Free.

July 7 Beach Bash. 7 p.m.

Hula hoop, limbo and concert featuring the Sons of Sailors, a Jimmy Buffet tribute band.

Photo booth,VW Bugs.

Downtown Gainesville Gainesville. Free.

July 7 First Friday with Manuel Covington. 7-10 p.m.

Cresswind at Lake Lanier Clubhouse, Gainesville. $5

34 July 2017 HOME Living In North Georgia

August

July 8 Grammy winner Lari White 8-10 p.m. The Crimson Moon 24 N Park St., Dahlonega July 8 Dragon Boat Atlanta Will Have Picnic And Moonlight Paddle. 5:30 p.m. Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club 3105 Clarks Bridge Road, Gainesville.

Aug. 9 Veterans Roundtable Meeting.

1 to 3 p.m. Gwinnett Public Library Buford Library, 2100 Buford Highway, Buford.

770-978-5154, events@ gwinnettpl.org. Free.

July 9 Metallica, 6 p.m. SunTrust Park, 1100 Circle 75 Parkway SE, Atlanta. $60-$160. www. metallica.com

Ongoing

July 15 Butternut Creek Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Meeks Park, 490 Meeks Park Road, Blairsville. Free.

706-781-1221, or www. butternutcreekfestival.com

635 Green Street N.W. Gainesville, GA 30531

July 28 School Supply Drive Movie Night. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. East Hall Football Stadium, Old Cornelia Highway, Gainesville. becky.martin@hallco.org.

Free.

Aug. 4-5 4th Big E Festival & ETA Competition. Main Street Event Facility, 215 S. Main St., Cornelia. 706-201-8232, elvisqueen@windstream.net. $20-25.

July 14-22 “42nd Street” 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Holly Theatre 69 W Main St., Dahlonega. www.hollytheater.com

678.450.1570 • spaongreenstreet.com

a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Gwinnett County Public Library Collins Hill Branch, 455 Camp Perrin Road, Lawrenceville. Free.

770-978-5154, events@ gwinnettpl.org or www. gwinnettpl.org

July 15 Cooking for a Lifetime, 11

Dawsonville Bridge Club.

12:30 to 4 p.m. Mondays.

Dawson County Senior Center, 201 Recreation Road, Dawsonville. 770-722-5852, techmgr@windstream.net.

Historic Downtown Gainesville Farmer’s Market.

2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Fridays.

Downtown Gainesville Square, 118 Main St. SW, Gainesville.

Hall County Farmers Market.

Saturdays 7 a.m. to noon, Tuesdays 2:30-6 p.m. Through October. 734 E Crescent Drive, Gainesville. Free

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