PUBLISHER
Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Stephanie Williams
CREATIVE | DESIGN
Elizabeth Beasley
Stephanie Williams
ASSISTANT MANAGER
Nikki Anderson
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
AND MEDIA RELATIONS
Ann Owens
SALES
Dottie Hicks
Daphne Walker
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Renée Martin
Beverly McClellan
Beth O’Neal
Ann Owens
Jackson Sharpe
Paula Dees-Toole
Teri R. Williams
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Lillian Morse Burton
The Davis House
Logic4Design/Eric Love
Ann Owens
Paula Toole
Daphne Walker
PROOFING
Beverly McClellan
COVER PHOTO
Daphne Walker
Toombs County Magazine© is
published bi-annually by
Red Door Design & Publishing, LLC
148 Williams Avenue • Lyons, GA 30436
(912) 526-4195
All rights reserved. Copies or reproduction of this publication in
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subject to omission, errors, and other changes without notice.
F R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R
A taste of home
“We enjoyed our visit with you. We are sending a care package from
home with some pasta, spaghetti sauce, and olives.” The email was from our
friends Dent and Marsha Temples who, while visiting Rome, had met us for
dinner. Tommie gave me a puzzled look....after all, these are the primary
things we’ve eaten since our temporary job opportunity in Rome.
A few days later, we were thrilled to receive the package. We laughed
because instead of pasta and sauce, the Temples had actually sent bags of
butterbeans, blackeyed peas, cornbread and grits–all things that I miss and
have been unable to find in the Eternal City. Needless to say, we had a feast
that night. My kids literally only wanted to eat butterbeans and cornbread for
two days.
A few weeks later, my sister visited with her family and brought stories
and laughter and good times like old times. Then came Shirley Somers and
her daughter Savanna. We had a couple of nice evenings catching up over
dinner, and I think we talked their ears off because it was so good to connect
with people we know and to converse in English.
After that, we had a visit from Tommie’s brother Clint, his wife Teri, who
is one of our writers, and their grandchildren. It was Thanksgiving week, and
Romans do not celebrate Thanksgiving, so I wasn’t sure what to do about
that. “Well, we have to have Thanksgiving,” said Clint. As he headed out to
our local butcher shop to find a turkey, Teri and I searched the grocery store
for anything that resembled corn meal. Good Southern dressing always starts
with corn bread. With pocket translator in hand we searched the aisles,
translating ingredients for an hour until we came up with the closest thing
we could find – “corn flour” for making polenta. We also had to substitute
gouda and provolone for cheddar and Velveeta in Lluuanna’s famous mac and
cheese recipe. Clint of course, returned with a pork loin and a huge turkey
breast that he seasoned with my Italian spices. We all wondered if we could
pull this off without our usual ingredients, but a few hours later my house
smelled just like “home.” Each of the dishes were fabulous. We are even
talking about making optional notes to the family cookbook. This is proof
that sometimes compromise works well.
It was a different Thanksgiving for sure. But it was good. It made me
realize how important it is to be flexible and to enjoy the giving of thanks no
matter where you are. Each of these visits has
helped us feel closer to Toombs County, and in
return, we have been able to share Rome with
our friends. It’s a weird place to live in between
two entirely different cultures, but ultimately
the relationships you foster are what keep you
anchored.
This issue of TCM is one of my favorites.
It has been a delight to work on these stories
and to think about all of you who make South
Georgia great. In the daily grind, it is easy to
take your community for granted, but from my
viewpoint, Toombs County, you are the most
special place on Earth!
thankful,
Stephanie Williams
Executive Editor
To share a story, send a note, or just get information:
toombscountymagazine@gmail.com • (912) 293-0063
For more stories, visit us at
www.toombscountymagazine.com
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