At a recent family meal with 10 people around the table in Ponte Vedra, Fla., Boots and Shirley Gunter's two-year-old grandson, Porter Brown, posed a question to his mother, Alicia Brown (after hearing cousin Isabelle Hale mention a movie about "Heaven.) "Mama," Porter said, "When we goin' to Heaven?" She replied, "When we finish here on earth, Porter." Brother Luke Brown, with his five-year-old explanation, ended the discussion with, "We can't drive there. . . . It's not a State Park!" . . . Shirley and Boots had the misfortune of being involved in a four-car pile-up on I-95 on the way home from this beach trip. They were stopped at an exit when a chain reaction sent the three cars behind them into the rear of the Gunter Odyssey van, causing extensive damage. No one was injured, and after a long delay to settle all the details they were able to drive home. They are waiting for insurance to clear so they can get the van repaired.

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The News-Reporter is getting a good response for its newest feature, Where in the world is The News- Reporter? Many readers have told us that they enjoy the feature and a good number have brought their picture holding The News-Reporter for us to publish in the paper. We have had Wilkes Countians with The News-Reporter in Detroit, Michigan; Savannah; Pineview; San Antonio, Texas; Hilton Head, S.C.; Niagara Falls; The Canadian Rockies; Great Wolf Lodge, Concord, N.C.; the Virgin Islands; Jekyll Island; Disney World; Las Vegas; New York City; Golden Gate, San Francisco, California; Graceland (Elvis' home) in Memphis, Tenn.; London, England; the Bahamas; Rocky Mountains in Colorado; Washington, D.C.; Ripley's Museum in St. Augustine, Fla.; and other places. . . . Don't forget to take your News-Reporter with you when you travel, and have your picture made with it. Then bring it to us.

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Marvin Hudson, Washington- Wilkes' Major League umpire, was one of the umpires for the Braves games in Atlanta last week. I saw him behind the plate calling balls and strikes, and as third base and second base umpire. The umpires (players, too) are sometimes hard for me to recognize with all the gear and contraptions they wear to protect themselves. The Braves are doing a little better now. They're so busy trading players from one team to another that I can't keep up with it. That's one of my biggest complaints about Major League baseball -- trading players as if they were cattle or horses.

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The long-empty house at the corner of South Alexander Avenue and South Street (next door to Suzanne and Gary Norman) is being torn down. Mike Dyches says it has some nice windows, doors, and mantels in it.

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Dr. Bill Branan celebrated his 85th birthday in fine style Sunday afternoon at a party given by his family. There were some out-oftown guests at the party and everybody had a good time tasting all the delicious cakes. Dr. Branan didn't have any trouble blowing out the candles on his cake. . . . I remember when he came to Washington as a young man about 1947. He hasn't been retired for very long and is still very active in the community. I wonder how many people's lives he has made better by providing them a way to see better. . . . Two of the out-of-town guests were Ann Parker Payne and her daughter, Jen Parker Hammonds. Ann was Dr. Branan's receptionist at one time.

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At the June wedding of Casie Jo Bunch and Ben Bentley, the ringbearer was five-year-old Eli Denard. Ben Bentley was the ringbearer in the wedding of his uncle and Eli's dad, John Denard, some years ago.

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It has been a bit slow around town since he Fourth of July. I'm sure many folks are trying to get in a few days of vacation before school starts Friday, August 7. I refuse to believe it's "recession." . . . It's just the lull before school starts and all the many activities that it brings.

. I have had several positive responses from the suggestion that we try to restore the Christmas lights canopy on The Square. If you have an opinion, call and tell me -- 706- 678-2636. If I'm out of the office at the time, leave your name and telephone number and I'll call you.

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When Rev. Klay Aspinwall, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Washington, was attending the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in June, he discovered that there is actually a movie of the first Vacation Bible School conducted by Rev. Homer L. Grice at the Washington church in the early 1920s. He obtained a copy of the movie and showed it to us at the Wednesday night prayer service last week. Dr. Grice is credited with starting the first Vacation Bible School in the Convention and went from the Washington Church to oversee the entire Vacation Bible School program for the Convention.

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Some of you may have seen the re-broadcast of the 2007 Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) Georgia Traveler's visit to Washington- Wilkes last Wednesday night. The program was produced by Emmy winning David Zelski. Mark Waters says he was interviewed for 25 minutes in searing 98 degree temperature but was on camera only 40 seconds! However, the program was very well done. While attending a reunion of the Hialeah High School Class of 1958 recently in Orlando, Fla., Mark and his wife Emilie met Bob and Becky Seamans of Roswell. Bob and Mark were in the same graduating class but didn't have any classes together. In a rather casual conversation with Becky about Washington, Emilie asked if they ever visited here. Becky said that they had not but that her son had and that "He produced a program from Washington and loved the town." She was David Zelski's mother. Mark says he is working on GPB returning to Washington in the fall for a follow-up program.

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I need your help again. Please call and tell me what you know or think you know and I will check it out before putting it in this column. The number is still 706-678-2636.

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