"Beauty and The Beast" Part II

I continue my writings about our family’s trip to Nicaragua, the homeland of my wife to which she had not been back in 30 years. As I said last week, Nicaragua is a country of stark contrast, or what I called Beauty and The Beast. Last week I wrote about the beauty. This week it’s the beast.
The beast is in large part due to the country’s history of civil wars and natural disasters. Since the 1920’s the country has experienced at least four civil wars that were directed against either the right winged American back governments or the left wing communist governments backed by Cuba and the Soviet Union. At least two of their presidents and numerous political rivals have been assassinated in these revolutions.
Added to the political chaos have been several major natural disasters. In 1972 the capital city of Managua was rocked by a massive earthquake that killed 5,000 people, left the city in ruins and 60% of its inhabitants homeless. The aftermath of the earthquake also took the life of the Pittsburg Pirate’s Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente. He was killed in a plane crash on his way to help the victims of the earthquake. Hurricane Mitch and the resulting mudslides in 1998 killed 9,000 Nicaraguans and left 2 million homeless.
The end result is the second most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere. Over 50% of the people are unemployed or underemployed. 80% of the people live on less than $2 a day. My mere words can not adequately convey the utter poverty that we observed. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central American and the vast majority of the people live in absolute poverty.
The cities are the worst in many respects. Managua has to be one of the most filthy cities in the world. Trash is everywhere and the stench of sewage can be smelled frequently. The rural areas often look like they probably did 100 years ago. Horse drawn buggies and tin shacks with dirt floors are common sites.
The most heartbreaking though is the children. Many are orphaned or working on the streets. They are begging or selling anything you can image (except of course hot water and air conditioning). It is no wonder that Nicaragua has become one of the top mission fields of evangelical churches from the United States.
For us the major discomforts were 8 days of no hot water and little to no air conditioning in 95 degree weather. The trip made me realize that we Americans are spoiled. Even our most impoverished folks live like kings compared to other parts of the world. And I have even less tolerance for all the Americans, both on the left and the right, that want to complain about the ills of our country. Sure, we’ve got our problems but, Simply Put, we’ve got it made in the shade compared to many of the folks around this world.
From the front porch: Coach said sorry looks back, worry looks around and faith looks up.

“Beauty and The Beast” Part I

I continue my writings about our families trip to Nicaragua, the homeland of my wife to which she had not been back in 30 years. The country of Nicaragua is a country of stark contrast, or what I’ll call over the next two weeks Beauty and The Beast. This week I’ll write about the beauty.

There were several locations that we journeyed to during our eight day visit that were very beautiful. The most beautiful to me is what they call Laguna De Apoyo (Apoyo Lagoon). Nicaragua has more volcanoes, some dormant and some active, than you can shake a stick at. The Apoyo Lagoon was created when one of these volcanoes erupted thousands of years ago. The lagoon is now surrounded by vast hills and the dormant volcano known as Mombacho. The water is crystal clear blue and is great for swimming. We rode horses down a mountain trail and after a 1 ½ hour horse ride, the swimming was fantastic. After a horse ride back up the mountain, we were treated to some breathtaking views from the hill tops (See photos on the right).

Another location that we enjoyed was the beaches of Las Penitas / Poleloya / Playa Roca. These beach areas are on the west coast of Nicaragua and feature the Pacific Ocean. Playa Roca (Rock Beach) features some very large rock formations on the beach that my wife’s grandfather would take all the grandchildren to many years ago. When the tide is just right, these rock formations create tidal pools that youngsters can enjoy, safe from the hard pounding waves of the Pacific. By the way, those hard pounding waves are a favorite of the surfer dudes, several of which came from the United States just for the surfing.

In the towns of Granada and Leon we also visited several of the Cathedrals that date back to the 1700’s. While I’m not much on architecture, even I could appreciate the craftsmanship that built these cathedrals 300 years ago. In Leon we toured one of the cathedrals (they have 18 in the city) and the artwork and interior were stunning. Our tour took us to the top of the cathedral for fantastic views of the city.

While not necessarily beautiful, one fascinating stop that we made was at the Volcuno Massaya National Park . This park features an active volcano (Massaya). You can drive to the top, park you car and then peer over the edges of the volcano. You can see the actual crater as well as see and smell the gases billowing from the volcano. That was quite a sight.

Next week I’ll write about “The Beast,” as there were plenty of aspects to the country that were not at all beautiful. But there are parts of the country that are certainly worth seeing and, Simply Put, I will treasure the opportunity to have seen them.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob said he doesn’t mind the wrinkles on his face because wrinkles only go where a smiles has been.

Simply Put

"Home "
As I wrote in last week’s column my wife is from Nicaragua and had not been back to the country in 30 years. She had not been back for a variety of political, family and financial reasons. But we bit the bullet and made the trip last week. It was quite a trip, or maybe adventure would be a better description. I hope you won’t mind, but I plan to take the next few weeks to write about our trip.
This was not a typical vacation and I’ll be the first to say it sure was good to come home. You know, sleep in my own soft bed, recline in my own recliner, take a hot shower and things of that nature. But it was also good to come home to Marianna and Jackson County, the place of my birth, my child hood and teenage years. The place where I have chosen to reside as an adult and raise my family.
I have a newfound appreciation for being home. My new found appreciation for being home is because of watching my wife for the past week. As I said my wife had not been back to Nicaragua in 30 years. From the late seventies until the early 90’s the country was ruled by a communist government. That communist government, known as the Sandinistas, came to power in a revolution that resulted in the death of my wife’s father. He was a pilot in the Nicaraguan Air Force and was killed in the early stages of that revolution. So with the Sandinistas in power, traveling back to Nicaragua was not an option for my wife.
The Sandinista’s fell out of power in the early 90’s but the country was still in turmoil. Add to that that our children were small and medical services in the country are poor at best. We just did not feel it was safe to take small children into that situation. Before we knew it 15 years had gone by and we still had not made the trip. So this year my wife proclaimed we were going and we did.
This was an emotional trip for my wife. For 30 years she had not been to the country to which she was raised as a young child and spent her summers as a teenager . She had not been to the grave site of her father. She had not been to the grave site of her grandparents, both of whom died since she was last in the country.
It made me realize that those of us who live in the same area in which we grew up are fortunate. We have roots and those roots are right here with us. We can see and touch those roots on a daily basis.
Simply Put, we’re home.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob said that the same dog that brings a bone home will carry one away.

"Check Another One off The Bucket List "

Simply Put

Last month I wrote about my bucket list. I got the idea for a bucket list from a recent movie that I saw called "The Bucket List." The movie is about two older fellas that come up with a list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket.
Hopefully it will be awhile before I kick the bucket, but I came up with my own bucket list. Things that I want to do and places that I want to go while I’m still young enough to do them. As you read this column I’m on one of my bucket list trips as my family and I have traveled to the Central American country of Nicaragua. While some of the locations on my bucket list like Key West and the Grand Canyons are travel hot spots, Nicaragua is probably not at the top of a lot of folks preferred travel destinations.
So why Nicaragua? Well that is easy. My wife’s father was from Nicaragua and that is where she lived when she was a young child. You might wonder how a Jackson County boy marries a girl from Central America. It is an intriguing story complete with local flavor. My wife’s father was a pilot in the Nicaraguan Air Force and came to train at Graham Air Force base in Marianna back in the 50’s. While here he met a young local girl name Patricia Griffin. Her parent’s family had moved to Marianna some years earlier from the metropolitan area of Gap Pond in Washington County. Gap Pond is south of Wausau, home of the world famous Possum Festival.
So this young Nicaraguan Air Force pilot fell in love with this young Marianna girl. They got married in the Graham Air Base Chapel, which is still used as a Chapel for Sunland. They moved to Nicaragua and had four children, with my wife being the 2nd oldest.
If you know much at all about Nicaragua, you know that it is a country that has had its share of political turmoil, including civil wars and revolutions. My wife’s father was tragically killed in the early stages of a revolution that would ultimately result in a communist take over of the government in 1979.
My mother-in-law found herself widowed in a foreign country with four small children. She eventually returned to Marianna to live and raise her four children. The end result of that, at least for me, is that I met the young lady that I married in 1986.
We’ve always wanted to go to Nicaragua but for a variety of reasons (political, family and finances) we’ve never pulled the trip off. My wife has not been back since 1977 and has yearned to return to her homeland. So we made our minds up to go and have made the journey south of the border. So, Simply Put, check another one off the bucket list and Adios Amigos.

From the front porch: Coach said that a good sport has to lose to prove it.

Simply Put "Third Ain’t Half Bad "

The Chipola Men’s and Women’s Basketball squads returned from their respective National Basketball Tournaments this past week with a pair of third place finishes. While I suspect there is some measure of disappointment with not winning a national championship, for both squads from the same school to finish in third place in the nation is nothing to sneeze at.
The disappointment for the men’s squad might be a little heavier than for the ladies. The men have been ranked number one in the nation for most of the season. After losing their second game of the season the Indians then reeled off 32 straight victories. That string of victories included going 12-0 in Panhandle Conference play and winning another state championship (three in a row, five out of the last six years). They headed to Hutchinson, Kansas and avoided a disappointing first round loss like they suffered last year. They made their way to the Semi-Finals before falling to Salt Lake CC, the eventual National Champion. The 2008-09 Indians finished the season with a third place finish at the national tournament and a record of 34-2.
I suspect the Chipola Lady Indians are also disappointed, but hey there were plenty of folks who probably thought they would never see Kansas this year. The Lady Indians, after winning three state championships in a row (2007, 2006 & 2005) failed to even make the state tournament last year. Head Coach David Lane and the 2007-08 Lady Indians had to endure last year’s state tournament as spectators from the stands. This year’s squad finished second in the conference and knew that a state championship would likely have to go through Gulf Coast, Chipola’s arch rival and Conference Champions for this season. That is exactly what happened and a last second basket by Pearl Johnson gave the Lady Indians a thrilling 68-67 win over Gulf Coast for the State Title. That earned them a trip to Salina, Kansas where they also finished in third place. They concluded their season with a record of 30-6.
When athletes and coaches have invested so much physically, emotionally and mentally over the year, getting so close but not getting the cigar so to speak can seem worse than never getting so close to begin with. But the reality is that there are thousands of athletes and coaches out there that would trade places with the Chipola squads in a heartbeat. The success that both squads had this year (combined record of 64-8) have carried on the phenomenal run that Chipola athletics has been having the last 5-6 years. And once the disappointment from their recent losses wear off a bit, I hope the athletes and coaches can appreciate the outstanding season they’ve had and realize that finishing third in the nation, Simply Put, ain’t half bad.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob said that one thing about the little town that he grew up in is that there is still no place to go that you shouldn’t.

"River Talks "

Simply Put
I had the privilege to be on CCTV’s River Talks program recently and the comments that I have gotten through e-mails, phone calls and folks stopping me on the street tells me that we’re on to something good. If you did not catch the show, which aired locally on Comcast Cable Channel Four, you may be able to view it on the internet at www.chipola.edu/tv. If you can’t find it there, call Royce Reagan at Chipola College and maybe he can help you navigate your way to view it on the internet. If you’ll pay him off with some boiled peanuts, he’d probably burn you a copy on a CD.
Some of you may be wondering what I would be talking about on River Talks. I was invited to be on the program to talk about The Times series last summer called Rollin’ Down The River. If you recall the series, I paddled different portions of the Chipola River. I then wrote weekly articles that chronicled my trips and included pictures.
Stephanie Parker, The Times editor, took some of those pictures and organized them into a slide show. I took this slide show with me to the River Talks program and shared the slide show with the program’s host, Gary Latham and the viewers. Gary and I talked about the series and then talked about the different slides. We concluded the show with another slide show of the pictures along with a little background music, bluegrass of course. The idea was to give the feel of traveling down the river without ever having to leave your recliner.
Our plan is to continue the journey down the remainder of the river this summer (I made it to Peacock’s Bridge last summer). Once again I’ll chronicle my journey with weekly articles and pictures. Our long range goal at the paper is to put together a DVD that would offer a pictorial tour of the Ole Chipola River, from beginning to end. The DVD would include some narration, historical information about the river and of course some mighty fine bluegrass music as the backdrop.
I felt like this was a good idea but you really never know how folks will respond until you throw it our there. Judging by the response from our readers and viewers, this Rollin’ Down the River idea is a good one. Who’d a thunk it? Well you know the old saying, even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then. Well we’re going to take the ball and run with it to use a sports analogy.
So to Stephanie Parker, Royce Reagan, Gary Latham and all the others who have helped or showed their support for the project, Simply Put, thanks.

From the front porch: Coach said that the road to success is always under construction.

"Once Again, You never know "

Simply Put

I’ve written on numerous occasions about the fact that coaches can have a tremendous impact, both positive and negative, on the young folks under their care. I’ve also written on how we often fail to realize just how much we impact the lives of those around us.
About two weeks ago I got an e-mail from Bob Langford. He had been a member of the 1952 Rotary team that was profiled recently in our Yesteryear feature. He now lives in Navarre and subscribes to our paper. I am sure to his surprise, the Yesteryear feature was about his little league baseball team from more than 50 years ago. But I did not have any information about where Bob or teammate Jimmy Kelly were these days so I had not profiled them as I did with the other team members.
Bob gave me some information about what had been going on with him since his little league days. He also happened to be familiar with Jimmy Kelly since the two were college roommates and have kept in contact.
In Bob’s email he also mentioned that my father, Charles Cox, had been his football and basketball coach in high school. He further relayed how much he admired my father and how much of an impact my dad had on his life. In fact, long after high school Bob relayed that he went to my father for some career advice.
My dad, like most coaches and administrators, came into contact with thousands of folks over his lifetime. While I know he always tried to make a positive impact on people’s lives, I suspect that he did not consciously think about that every time he dealt with someone. But he has been gone now for over 26 years and it never ceases to amaze me how many people still recall the impact that he had on their lives.
I know that I have written often about my father. Maybe, some feel, too often. But the point of my column is not really about my father. My point is that coaches and administrators always need to be mindful of the impact they are making on the people they come into contact with. We, myself included, often get so busy with the hustle and bustle of coaching or administrating that we lose sight of how we can make a difference in people’s lives.
My father and others like him set the standards, or high water marks, for us to follow. It is up to those of us who benefitted from their mentoring to carry on the tradition of making a difference on those folks around us. Want to know a good measuring stick? Twenty-six years after you and I are gone from this earth, Simply Put, will anyone still remember the impact that we had on their lives?

From the front porch: Uncle Bob asked his daughter’s date one time if his intentions were honorable, to which the young man wanted to know if he had any choice.