Photo by Minette Tomasch/fairburyjournalnews.comDaycare—Crystal Snyder is joined by excited members of the community for the official ribbon cutting for the new Little Grif-fins Daycare.

Photo by Timothy Linscott/fairburyjournalnews.comPreparing—(Top) Jordan Hauschel led a group of Boy and Girl Scouts on Friday afternoon to place flags on grave markers at the Fairbury Cemetery. (Above, left) There are several older grave markers at the local cemetery that time and the weather have worn heavily, many are Civil War veterans. (Above, right) Included in the Civil War veterans are Confederate veterans.

JOURNAL-NEWSThe Fairbury

WWW.FAIRBURYJOURNALNEWS.COM FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2017 8 PAGES | DIGITAL VOL. 1 | NO. 42

Your Community. Your Paper.

The Little Griffins Daycare was a sight of smiles and laugh-ter as the project director Crystal Sny-der was joined by staff and supporters for the official ribbon cutting ceremony. The event was cel-ebrated with refresh-ments and cookies.The building was

previously the old music room from the Diller-Odell Elemen-tary. It was moved and relocated across the road from the el-ementary school. In

total it took approxi-mately two months to gut and refurnish the old music room. Snyder said it was

Lottman Carpenter that moved the facil-ity and from there it was her and her family who worked hard to redo the en-tire inside and build the shelving. “It has always been

a dream of mine to go bigger,” Sny-der said. Having grown up and gone to school in Diller, Snyder wanted to always give back to her community.

Little Griffins Daycare Open In Diller

By Minette TomaschFairbury Journal-News

Pool Steering Committee: Two Down, One To GoThe Fairbury swim-

ming pool steering committee heard two proposals Wednes-day night, with a third scheduled for Wednesday, May 31.JEO Consultants

and Larkin Aquatics made their respec-tive pitches over the course of the three-hour meeting. Both firms have ties to the area. JEO de-signed the new pool in Geneva, which opened Friday, and is currently consult-ing with Beatrice on how to improve their aquatic center (potential addition of a lazy river, a slide complex, water pads, and other features).Larkin has a more

direct but older rela-tionship with Fair-bury. Founder Kenny Larkin designed the current community pool 65 years ago.JEO was first up.

Presenters Lucas Billesbach and George Parizek ac-knowledged some of the challenges of pool design, both in general and spe-cific to Fairbury. For example, like Ge-neva, Fairbury has a limited population from which to recruit lifeguards. Parizek said designing the pool to cut down on the number of neces-sary lifeguards would be a priority and said overlapping attrac-tions is one way to do that. Other priorities

such as improving storm water drainage in the area, pro-tecting against levy failure, and building a pool suitable for hosting swimming competitions would also be factored in to

the eventual design, Billesbach noted. The pair also

touched on the most popular design se-lected by an informal internet poll in Fair-bury. According to a chart JEO provided, the internet poll de-sign (which included a lazy river among other attractions) represented 17,500 square feet of surface water. That’s nearly as large as JEO pool projects in Aurora, Geneva, and Ponca combined (18,000 square feet).Pool commit-

tee member Brad Kuzelka said the number was so high because it included 50-meter swim-ming lanes. How-ever, Parizek said the 17,500-square foot number was derived using 25-yard lanes.Striking a balance

between what the community wants and what it can af-ford to build, main-tain, and staff would be JEO’s chief prior-ity, the representa-tives said. Using the internet poll design as inspiration, JEO created an early-draft design that incorporated some of the elements with space to add more as time went by. Parizek was quick to point out the design was not by any means a finished proposal but rather an example to use as a potential starting point.Even then, the

rough draft was a 9,000 square foot pool, which the JEO representatives ac-knowledged was “big for the population” when asked by the pool committee.Toward the end of

the presentation, committee mem-

ber Spencer Brown asked what Fairbury could do to set itself apart from other pools in the area. “You’re cooking

up all this stuff for Beatrice to steal our market share,” Brown joked. “I want to get it back.”The JEO represen-

tatives said larger attractions such as a water obstacle course or a wave rid-er might fit the bill. However, Billesbach said that sometimes bigger doesn’t mean better.“It used to be

everybody wanted to have the biggest water slide. But once you’ve got the biggest water slide, it’s an attraction for a few months. A slide is a ‘thrill ride,’ and once you’ve done it a few times it loses that thrill,” he explained. The most endur-

ing elements of a pool are sometimes among the simplest, Billesbach contin-ued. “Diving boards may

seem like a small

thing, but they are time-tested,” he said. “There’s always a line at the diving board, no matter what pool you go to.”Diving boards allow

kids to be imagina-tive, Billesbach said, which is why they re-main appealing. “You for sure want to have a three-meter diving board. Not every pool has one of those,” he said.Larkin Aquatics

representatives said their core business is building pools in communities like Fairbury, citing Auburn and Phil-lipsburg, Kansas, as examples. They also noted that not only did Larkin Aquaticsdesign and build

the existing Fairbury pool, but they’ve also continued to provide support throughout the intervening 65 years.“We are proud of

that. That’s a core part of who we are,” said Andy Smith.The Larkin repre-

sentatives said the design process will

begin by identifying what the city wants from the pool, list-ing pursuits such as leisure, swim teams, swimming lessons, lifeguard training, aqua fitness classes and more.With the commu-

nity’s needs and desires in mind, Larkin will then rec-oncile that with what the community can afford in a pool, the representatives said. They also acknowl-edged several of the same challenges JEO did, including lifeguard recruitment and flood mitigation.Larkin is based in

Kansas City, Mis-souri, and designed pool projects in that state including St. James and Pleas-ant Hill, as well as Oberlin, Kansas. Those pools ranged in size from approxi-mately 4,500-5,500 square feet and cost around $2 million. Like JEO, Larkin is also working with an area community to improve existing fa-cilities; in this case,

York.Kuzelka had re-

searched Larkin and asked about two troublesome pool projects in Iowa. Smith said he wasn’t familiar with one, and speculated it may have occurred prior to his join-ing the company in 2000.The other, in Shera-

ton, Iowa, took place 16 years ago, Smith said. The problem was Larkin allowed the contractor to use a new product the contractor was unfamiliar with, which resulted in sections of concrete wall needing to be redone. The matter meant to mediation, and Smith said Lar-kin did pay a portion of the cost to replace the concrete but the contractor paid more. Smith noted the community of Sheraton was made hole and didn’t have to pay for the re-work.Kuzelka said that

matched what he’d heard from the Sheraton City Man-ager, and added the manager only spoke positively about Larkin.When Brown asked

the Larkin repre-sentatives what Fairbury could do to set itself apart, McCawley suggested a theme could make the new pool stand out, as well as in-corporating different spray elements into the pool.The third presenta-

tion, from Waters Edge Aquatics, is scheduled for May 31 at 6 p.m. It is open to the pub-lic and will be held in the city council chambers.

THANK YOUWilliam Howe

For subscribing to the Journal-News

WEDNESDAY

High of 82Low of 61

THURSDAY

High of 79Low of 60

WEATHER FORECASTFRIDAY

High of 81Low of 59

SATURDAY 70% Ch. Precip.High of 71Low of 52

SUNDAY

High of 77Low of 53

MONDAY

High of 79Low of 51

TUESDAY

High of 80Low of 55

By Ben SchwartzFairbury Journal-News

Photo by Ben Schwartz/fairburyjournalnews.comKyle McCawley, standing, with Larkin Aquatics, gives a presentation on possible pool designs to the Fairbury swimming pool steering committee.

Paying Respects To Those Who Served

“Your Community. Your Paper.

Page 2 The Fairbury Journal-News Sports Friday, May 26, 2017

By Jim PhelpsFairbury Journal-News

Playing his final rounds as a Jeff, Justin Peterson competed at the Class B State Boys Golf Championship Tuesday and Wednesday. In opening round action, Peterson shot an 82, and in second round play, carded a

79. To finish at +17 for the two-day tournament. Coach Jed Martin commented, “I couldn’t ask for any better from a 4-year letter winner. JP epitomizes Jeff Pride.”

To begin its season the Wasser-man/Schmidt Trucking Ameri-can Legion Juniors struggled at the plate and on the mound in a 7-3 road loss May 21 versus Wilber-Clatonia.The Juniors' offense was

handicapped with 13 strikeouts against Wilber-Clatonia pitchers Cooper Bates and Tyler Hooper in the six inning game.In the first four innings, the

Juniors pitching was decent surrendering just one earned run, but after that its pitching would fade giving up four hits and five earned runs to Wilber-Clatonia in the following two innings.Wasserman/Schmidt Juniors

scored one run in the top of the first inning and maintained a 1-0 lead until Wilber-Clatonia tied the game at 1 with a single run in the bottom of the third inning.After holding the Wasserman/

Schmidt Juniors scoreless the next two innings, Wilber-Clato-nia's offense awoke plating four runs in the bottom of the fifth to stretch its lead to 5-1.A two-run top of the sixth

inning by the Wasserman/Schmidt Juniors sliced the defi-cit to 5-3.

Wilber-Clatonia responded back in the bottom of the sixth inning tallying two runs to expand its margin back to four runs.The game was called after six

innings of play due to the two-hour time limit.Wasserman/Schmidt Truck-

ing's offense included Carson York, triple, single, Joe Melcher, single, and Andrew Novotny singled.Melcher drove in two runs,

while Devin Wanamaker had one RBI.Carson York took the loss on

the mound pitching four innings allowing two earned runs along with six base hits, while chalk-ing up six strikeouts and walked two.Cooper Bates started on the

mound for Wilber-Clatonia pitching four innings earning a no-decision, as he struck out nine, while giving up no hits, no walks, and no runs.Tyler Hooper finished out

the game pitching the final two innings to earn the win. He allowed one hit with three strikeouts and two walks while surrendering two earned runs.At the plate for Wilber-Clato-

nia, Tad Moldenhauer went 2 for 3 with three stolen bases, and Bates added three RBIs.

Fairbury Juniors Drop Season Opener

Thayer Central junior golfer Max Madsen shot well on both days of the Class C Boys State Golf Championship held on Meadowlark Hills Golf Course in Kearney. Madsen shot an opening round 80, followed up with a second round 80 as well, which placed him 9th overall with a 160 total.

Peterson Competes at Highlands

Madsen Ends Season With Top 10

Finish

Boys State Golf Roundup

Tri County bested the Fairbury Juniors on the open-ing night in Fairbury by the score of 9-6. For more on this game, see Wednesday’s print edition!

Photo by Tim Linscott/fairburyjournalnews.com

Bringing It—(Above) Seth Firmanik brings the heat with a first pitch strike against Tri County on Wednesday. Firmanik had 47 percent first strike pitches. (Below) Creighton Niemeier swings into a line drive during second inning action for Tri County. The T.C. Juniors were down early but came away with a 9-6 win over Fairbury.

SPICED BURGERS WITH CUCUMBER SAUCE

½ seedless cucumber,peeled and finely chopped½ cup low-fat plain Greekyogurt1 tablespoon fresh cilatro,choppedkosher salt and groundpepper1 ¼ lbs lean ground beef¼ cup red onion, finelychopped1 clove garlic, finelygrated1 ½ teaspoons red or yelow curry powder1 tablespoon extra-virginolive oil4 hamburger buns, splitand toasted

Mix the cucumber, yo-gurt, cilantro, 1/2 tea-spoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Set aside

while you make the burg-ers. Combine the beef, onion,

garlic, curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 tea-spoon pepper in a bowl and mix with your hands until just combined. Form into four 4-inch-wide patties, about 1/2 inch thick. Heat the olive oil in a

large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the burger patties and cook, turning once, until cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes for medium.Place the burgers on the

buns. Stir the cucumber-yogurt mixture and spoon on top. Serve the burgers with sweet potato chips and pickled okra.

CUCUMBER SALAD

2 cucumbers1 small red onion 1 ½ tablespoons salt1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar1 teaspoon sugar2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tablespoons freshSlice the cucumber lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slicethinly. Thinly slice the onion.

In a colander, toss the cucumber and onion with the salt and let it sit and drain for 20 minutes. Press the liquid out of the vegeta-bles and rinse well with cold water. In a medium bowl combine the vinegar and sugar and stir well.

Add the cucumber mixture and toss to coat. Stir in the dill.

COUNTRY STRAWBERRY CAKE12 tablespoons unsalted butter,room temp2 cups sugar4 large eggs, room temp¾ cup sour cream, room temp½ teaspoon grated lemon zest½ teaspoon grated orange zest½ teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose flour¼ cup cornstarch½ teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon baking sodaFilling:1 cup heavy cream, chilled3 tablespoons sugar½ teaspoon vanilla extract1 pint fresh strawberries, hulledand sliced.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of two 8-inch

cake pans. Then line them with parchment paper and butter and flour the lined pans. Cream the butter and sugar on

high speed in the bowl of an elec-tric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs,

1 at a time, then the sour cream, zests, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mix-ture to the butter mixture and combine just until smooth. Pour the batter evenly into the

pans, smooth the tops, and bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and let cool to room temperature. If using 1 cake, wrap the second well and freeze. To make the filling for one cake,

whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bot-tom slice of the cake on a serv-ing platter, spread with 1/2 the whipped cream and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Deco-rate with strawberries.

SLUSHY MARGARITA SHOTS6 oz tequila2 Limes, juiced2 tablespoons agave nectar1 cup ice, chopped in blender1 lime wedgesalt, for rimming glassChopped strawberries, pineapple, blackberries, and raspberries, for shotsIn a blender, blend tequila, lime juice, honey, and ice.Run a lime wedge along the tip of the shot glasses and dip in

salt to rim glasses.Fill shot glasses with chopped fruit and pour in tequila mix-

ture.

GREAT RECIPES FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

Page 3 The Fairbury Journal-News Recipes Friday, May 26, 2017

Items of InterestWhen I write my

column, I usually pick a single topic to write about. Some-times I may pick two different subjects if they seem some-how related, or I can make them related. There is, however, another approach. Some writers will collect a series of short pieces into a single column in a sort of rapid-fire, rat-a-tat-tat of news stories and obser-vations. They are often referred to in the newspaper biz as item columnists. The most famous of these is prob-ably Herb Caen, the legendary San Francisco writer, but he was by no means the only one. Right here in Fair-bury, Clyde R. Moore wrote just such a column, “Moore Or Less At Random,” for the Journal-News for decades.The biggest struggle

for me in writing my column is coming up with something new to write about every week. Some-times I come up with ideas that I think are interesting but I just can’t seem to flesh them out for a full length column. I have a lot of them just sitting around, not being used. So what can I do with them? I’ve decided to stitch a few together, a la Frankenstein, and make an item column out of the pieces. This is an especially useful

approach when I’m feeling too lazy to write a real column.Planned obso-

lescence has gone too far: My mother owned the same vacuum cleaner for 20 years. These days, when you buy anything, from a computer to a car, you can expect to be buying another one in a just a few years, probably the nano-second the warranty expires. Apparently, the warranty on Olympic medals just ran out. According to reports, more than 130 medals given out at the games in Rio de Janeiro last summer are falling to bits and rusting away. Rio Games communications officer Mario An-drada said this was “completely normal.” I guess this will teach ‘em to get the extended warranty next time.Art imitates life...

eventually: How many times have you been watching a movie or televi-sion show and seen a character on the telephone? Someone on the other end of the line suppos-edly hangs up and the character left on the phone holds the receiver away from his or her ear and stares at it. I’ve been seeing this move for decades. Of course, it never happens in real life. No one ever does that. Except, with the advent of cell phones with

their little screens, people now do stare at their phones when the conversa-tion is over. It seems real life has finally caught up with the movies.Well, this story is

nuts: In local news, a very nice vehicle at a local business is not running thanks to the machinations of a mama squirrel and her three ba-bies. Apparently, the family had taken up residence inside the vehicle and mama chose to redecorate their new digs by chewing through some wires. Squat-ters have no respect for private property.Smelling the fu-

ture: A while ago we received a scratch-and-sniff card here in the mail and it got me to thinking. With all the talk of news-papers going down the drain, publishers have been looking for a new gimmick to engage readers and I think this might just be the ticket. I smell a real opportu-nity here. Literally. Scratch-and-sniff newspapers are destined to be the next big thing. Just think about some of the recent stories we’ve run here at the paper and how the

reader’s experience might be enhanced with an olfactory ele-ment. Stories about the Bonham Theatre could smell of hot buttered popcorn. Updates on the new pool would smell of chlorine. Imag-ine pumpkin spice scented stories for Halloween or pep-permint for Christ-mas. On the other hand, there are all those pig farmer stories.Shut the gate: Ever

since the Nixon ad-ministration and the break in at the Wa-tergate Hotel, politi-cal and high profile scandals have been labeled with the suf-fix -gate. Bridgegate, Irangate, etc. My all time favorite was the ignominy involving disgraced televange-list Jimmy Swaggart, dubbed Pearlygate. Yet, despite this tradition, not to mention the con-stant comparisons to Nixon and Wa-tergate, the firing of FBI Director James Comey has not once been referred to as Comeygate. Puz-zling. Personally, I am looking forward to the day Microsoft founder Bill Gates gets into trouble, just to see the head-line, Gatesgate.

We Cannot Afford to Wait on

Tax ReformRep. Adrian SmithNebraskans have been waiting far too long

for a simpler, fairer tax code. To help them plan for the future for their families, farms, and businesses, we need to move forward on comprehensive, pro-growth tax reform.Over the past several years, we have exten-

sively reviewed our country’s tax policies, looking for ways to simplify compliance and lower rates by broadening the base. Since 2011, we have held more than 40 tax reform hearings on the Ways and Means Commit-tee.Now is the time to finally complete this

necessary work. This week, we held a full committee hearing to discuss the details of our tax reform plan and stress the impor-tance of getting this done.We know our broken tax code is killing

opportunity. Dollars which could be used by job creators to hire more workers, in-crease wages, and reinvest in the economy are instead flowing to the Internal Revenue Service and tax preparers. Because the tax code is so complicated and riddled with loopholes, 90 percent of taxpayers have to hire outside professionals or use computer software to help them file.The way we tax businesses in the U.S.

makes us uncompetitive with the rest of the world. Along with having one of the highest corporate tax rates among major economies, we are also the only one which taxes profits on a worldwide basis. These conditions put U.S. exporters at a competitive disadvan-tage. In Nebraska, this hurts everyone from the

agriculture producers helping feed the world to the manufacturers developing the equip-ment to help people in other countries feed themselves.Additionally, I hear almost daily from pro-

ducers and small businesses in my district about the need to eliminate the Death Tax and provide them the certainty they need to ensure they can keep their operations going, creating jobs and economic opportunity for their families and their neighbors for gen-erations to come.These families are not awash in cash and

liquidity. Their assets are held in the land and equipment they use to make and grow, and for them the question often comes down to what assets to sell or whether they can afford to borrow to pay this tax. How they decide to handle this decision can have a very real impact on the productivity of their businesses going forward.Our plan for pro-growth tax reform will

benefit Americans at all income levels. With lower rates across the board, the Tax Foundation estimates each family would keep $4,900 more in earnings each year. By doubling the standard deduction, more than 90 percent of Americans could take it and dramatically simplify the filing process. The plan also increases how much new

businesses can immediately deduct, from equipment to machinery to buildings, so they can keep more of their startup cash and grow their operations. Additionally, it eliminates the Death Tax once and for all to protect family farms, ranches, and small businesses.Rather than making piecemeal changes to

our tax code, we need permanent reforms individuals, families, and businesses can depend on. By providing this certainty, we have the potential to drive double the eco-nomic growth we would see through short-term tax cuts.We cannot afford to wait any longer to fix

our tax code. This is the time to finally lift the burden, reclaim our country’s leader-ship in the global economy, and unleash greater opportunity to improve the lives of all Americans.

Secretary Perdue Visits Cherry CountyBy U.S. Senator

Deb FischerMy husband Bruce

and I recently had the pleasure of wel-coming Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to our fam-ily ranch just south of Valentine. It was a snowy May day in the Nebraska Sand-hills, but Secretary Perdue felt right at home. The secretary joined with me in hosting a round-table discussion with more than 60 of our friends and neigh-bors. We had a wide-ranging conversation about the challenges facing ranchers in Nebraska and across our country.During our dis-

cussion, Secretary Perdue highlighted recent news regard-ing new beef export opportunities to China. He believes the agreement will better enable Ameri-can ranchers to sell our world-class beef to a growing mar-ket. As the secretary explained, the Chi-nese middle class wants more protein in their diets. Like me, he’s convinced that when they get a taste of American beef they’re going to want more of it.I know Nebraska

ranchers stand ready to capitalize on this great opportunity.Ag producers feed

the world and their hard work benefits the economy. Right now, foreign sales make up nearly a third of agriculture income in the United States. Strong pro-duction agriculture and the revenue generated from the 48,700 farms and ranches in our state helps everyone’s bot-tom line. For exam-ple, food and live-stock processing has added nearly 20,000 jobs in metropoli-tan Omaha alone. These jobs bring a diversity of expertise to Nebraska, from technology and engi-neering to irrigation and food processing. Finding new trade partners will make the lives of all Ne-braskans better.Secretary Perdue

also made clear that he understands the role of the U.S. Department of Agri-culture (USDA) and how his department should function. Our job is to produce the food, he told the crowd, and his goal is to sell it to the world. That’s what I like to hear coming out of the USDA.

The secretary has been a strong advo-cate for trade, and we saw first hand how committed he is to supporting ex-ports. He knows that opening markets will expand opportuni-ties that will help Nebraska families and our country as a whole.We need smarter

agriculture policy, as well, and I was encouraged when the secretary showed his understanding of how red tape hurts ranchers and farm-ers. He knows how federal regulations can often be ob-stacles for our local economies. I look forward to continu-ing my work with the USDA to lift regula-tory burdens and provide certainty so Nebraska ranch-ers can prosper and continue to feed the world.I was also grateful

we had the opportu-nity to discuss how important infrastruc-ture is for economic development in rural areas. When our roundtable began, I asked everyone in the room to see if they had service on their cell phones. Nobody did. Our ranchers, farmers,

and rural citizens must have the ability to communicate with the outside world. Technology is be-coming an increas-ingly critical tool in how we do busi-ness. Connectivity is also key to keeping younger generations of entrepreneurs in our communities. Showing Secretary Perdue this prob-lem made a strong, personal impres-sion. I look forward to working with him to encourage better telecommunications and broadband in-frastructure so that our ag producers have the tools they need in a changing world.Giving producers

more stability in public policy while also promoting trade agreements will strengthen our economy, produce more jobs, and raise our standard of liv-ing. I’m pleased that Secretary Perdue is committed to lis-tening, acting, and standing up for rural America. After our candid discussion this past weekend, I know working with him to create more opportunities for Nebraska families is a good thing to do.

LETTERS POLICYThe Fairbury Journal-News welcomes

opinions in the form of responsible let-ters to the editor. The FJN will publish letters as space permits but reserves the right to edit any letter for style, punctua-tion, spelling or vulgarity. The paper and its staff also reserve the right to reject any letter at its discretion. Letters must be signed (email is OK) and include ei-ther an email address or phone number for verification. Authors are restricted to submitting a letter once within a 30-day period.

Linscott Media LLCP.O. Box 415, 510 C St., Fairbury, NE 68352

Published on Wednesdays(UPS 184-000)

Periodicals Postage Paid at Fairbury, NE 68352Postmaster: Send Address Changes to:

THE FAIRBURY JOURNAL-NEWS, P.O. Box 415, Fairbury, NE 68352

STAFF DIRECTORYSUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

Single copy price: $1.50Terms by mail: $55.00 a year by mail in Jefferson, Thayer, Fillmore, Saline and

Gage Counties in Nebraska and Washington and Republic Counties,

Kansas. All other parts of Nebraska and Kansas, 2yr is $90.

PRINT AND ONLINE: $75/YEAR OR 2 YEARS $130.

Colorado, Iowa and Missouri $58.00 a year. PRINT AND ONLINE: $78/YR.

All other parts of the United States $65.00 a year, 2yr is $107.

PRINT AND ONLINE: $85/YR.

Outside Continental United States $90.00 a year.

Single copies by mail $5.00 each.Phone: (402)729-6141 • Fax: (402)729-5652

ADVERTISERS:The newspaper, its owners and employees shall not be liable for damages caused by typographical errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for space actually occupied by that portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred. Advertisers must notify sales representatives of adjustment request within 7 days of first ad run date. Adjustment will be made in the form of credit. Credit

will be given at the current open inch rate with a 1” minimum. No price adjustment or credit will be given on proofed ads.

Timothy Linscott ......................................................Owner/Publisher - timothylinscott1@gmail.comSusan Bartels ...............................................Advertising Director - susan@fairburyjournalnews.comJennifer Lewis ...... ..Lifestyles/Obits/Classifieds/Public Notices/Circulation/Website/Graphic Design.....................................................................................................- jennifer@fairburyjournalnews.comBenjamin Schwartz ............................................................... Editor - ben@fairburyjournalnews.comMinette Tomasch ........................................................Reporter - minette@fairburyjournalnews.comTrevor Gill .......................... Bookkeeping/Social Media Editor - trevor.gill@fairburyjournalnews.comGordon Hopkins ...........................................................Special Contributor - gordon.fjn@gmail.comJim Phelps .................................................................................Sports Editor - fjnsports@gmail.com

PRIZE WINNING NEWSPAPER 2016

Nebraska Press Association

www.fairburyjournalnews.com

The FairburyJOURNAL-NEWS

GORDONHOPKINS

Special Contributor

Cautiously Optimistic

Page 4 The Fairbury Journal-News Editorial Friday, May 26, 2017

Page 5 The Fairbury Journal-News Comics Friday, April 26, 2017

Page 6 The Fairbury Journal-News Agriculture Friday, May 26, 2017

Fairbury FFA StudentsContinue Projects

Does your child, age 14-15, work on a farm or acreage nearby? Or do you employ a young per-son on your farm or acreage?If the answer is yes, this little-known informa-tion is vital. Federal law prohibits youth under 16 years of age from using specific equipment on a farm unless parents or legal guardians own the farm. Certification received through a course provided by Nebraska Extension grants an exemption to the law, allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do field work with certain mechanized equipment.The most common cause of agricultural-related death in Nebraska is overturned tractors and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Employing anyone uncertified under age 16 is a liability risk for farmers if those children operate such equip-ment.Tractor Safety TrainingNebraska Extension’s Tractor Safety & Hazard-ous Occupations Courses takes place at vari-ous Nebraska locations this year for teens 14 or 15 years of age who will work on a farm. Anyone older than 15 is also welcome to at-tend, but those under age 14 are not eligible to take the class. Extensive training on tractor and ATV safety occurs during in-class lessons with hands-on activities. Instilling an attitude of safety and a respect for agricultural equipment are primary goals of the course.The course consists of two days of instruction plus homework assignments. The first day of classroom instruction includes hands-on dem-onstrations, concluding with a written test. Students are required to pass the test before

taking the driving test on day two. Classroom instruction will cover the required elements of the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Opera-tion Program. Students will complete homework assignments that will be due on day two.The second day will include a driving test, equip-ment operation, and ATV safety lessons. To re-ceive certification, students must demonstrate competence in hitching and unhitching equip-ment and driving a tractor and trailer through a standardized course.Two locations, Gordon and McCook, will offer online course instruction to replace the first day of the two-day course. Students complete this at their convenience before attending the driv-ing component of the course on-site.Class Schedule, Dates and LocationsAll on-site classes begin at 8:00 A.M. and end times will vary, depending on the number of participants. Dates, locations, and Site Coordi-nator phone numbers are as follows:•May 30 & 31 – Kearney Fairgrounds (308) 236-1235•June 1 & 2 – Auburn Fairgrounds (402) 245-4324•June 6 & 7 – Valentine Fairgrounds (402) 376-1850•June 13 & 14 – North Platte West Central Re-search and Extension Center (308) 532-2683•June 15 & 16 – Gering Legacy Museum (308) 632-1480•June 19 & 20 – Wayne Fairgrounds (402) 584-2234•June 22 – Gordon Fairgrounds (308) 327-2312

•June 23 – McCook Fairgrounds (308) 345-3390•July 10 & 11 – Grand Island College Park (308) 385-5088Submit a Tractor Safety Registration Form to the Extension office location that participants will attend at least one week before the course. Call the specific location number listed above with any questions.Program FeeCost of the course is $60, which includes edu-cational materials, instruction, supplies, and lunches

Tractor Safety Training Starts May 30th

LINCOLN, Neb. – The following is a listing of Nebraska Game and Parks Com-mission events and important dates in June. Get more event details at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov. Visit OutdoorNebraska.org for a list of hunter education classes and boating safety classes.June 1 – Underwater spearfishing season begins at Box Butte Reservoir and on private watersJune 1-30 – Archery paddlefish seasonJune 2 – Final day eligible landowners may apply for one elk permitJune 3 – National Trails Day, Indian Cave State Park (SP), ShubertJune 3 – Ash Hollow Trail Walk, Ash Hollow State Historical Park (SHP), LewellenJune 3 – Aquatic Center Grand Opening and Dedication, Ponca SP, PoncaJune 3-4 – Living History, Fort Atkinson SHP, Fort CalhounJune 3-4 – Rock Creek Station Trail Days, Rock Creek Station SHP, FairburyJune 5 – Pollinator Workshop, Calamus State Recreation Area (SRA), BurwellJune 6 – Pony Express Re-ride, Rock Creek Station SHP, FairburyJune 6-8 – Wild About Wildlife Day Camp, Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center, LincolnJune 7 – Family Fishing Event, Benson Park, OmahaJune 7 – Monarchs on a Mission Educator Workshop, Holt County Extension, O’NeillJune 7 – Pony Express Re-ride, Fort Kearny SHP, KearneyJune 7, 21 – Family Fun Night, Red Willow Reservoir SRA, McCookJune 8 – Family Fishing Event, Mormon Island SRA, Grand Island; Oak Lake, LincolnJune 9-10 – Western Sugar Cooperative Nebraska Fishing Tournament, Lake Minatare SRA, MinatareJune 10 – National Marina Day, Lewis and Clark SRA, CroftonJune 10 – Kids’ Fishing Clinic, Alexandria SRA, AlexandriaJune 10 – Rimfire Steel Plate Challenge, Platte River SP, LouisvilleJune 10 – Fish and Chip Tournament, Willow Creek SRA, PierceJune 10 – Wildflower Walk, Wildcat Hills SRA, Gering; Lake McConaughy SRA, OgallalaJune 10 – Tea and Canvas, Lake McConaughy SRA, OgallalaJune 11 – Family Fishing Event, Terry’s Pit, TerrytownJune 12-23 – Residents and nonresidents may apply for one deer permit in any draw unitJune 12-23 – Residents and eligible landowners may apply for one buck or ei-

ther-sex antelope permit in available unitsJune 12-23 – Residents may apply for one elk permitJune 13 – Family Fishing Event, Walnut Creek Reservoir, PapillionJune 13 – Monarchs on a Mission educator workshop, Ponca SP, PoncaJune 13-15 – Wild About Wildlife Day Camp, Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center, LincolnJune 14 – Family Fishing Event, Bowling Lake, LincolnJune 15 – Lost Ladybug Project, Nebraska Game and Parks Northeast District Office, NorfolkJune 16-17 – Ash Hollow Pageant, Ash Hollow SHP, LewellenJune 17 – Republican Valley Archery 3-D Shoot, Red Willow Reservoir SRA, Mc-CookJune 17 – Ranch Life in the 1860s, Rock Creek Station SHP, FairburyJune 17 – Carp-O-Rama, Branched Oak SRA, RaymondJune 17 – Battling Rhinos Sculpture Dedication, Ashfall Fossil Beds SHP, RoyalJune 17 – Hike/Bike Trail Dedication, Fort Kearny SRA, KearneyJune 18 – Father’s Day Buffet, Fort Robinson SP, CrawfordJune 20 – Family Fishing Event, Holmes Lake, LincolnJune 20 – Firefly Watch, Nebraska Game and Parks Northeast District Office, NorfolkJune 20-22 – Wilderness Awareness Day Camp, Nebraska Game and Parks Out-door Education Center, LincolnJune 21 – Family Fishing Event, Windmill SRA, GibbonJune 22 – Family Fishing Event, Cottonmill Lake, Kearney; Towl Park, Omaha; Skyview Lake, NorfolkJune 22 – Nebraska Game and Parks Commission meeting, GeringJune 23 – Family Fishing Event, Birdwood WMA, North PlatteJune 23 – Dog Walk at the Lake, Lake McConaughy SRA, OgallalaJune 24 – Nature Center and Shooting Range Grand Opening, Wildcat Hills SRA, GeringJune 25-27 – Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Directors’ Con-ference, Eugene T. Mahoney SP, AshlandJune 27-29 – Outdoor Explorers’ Day Camp, Nebraska Game and Parks Outdoor Education Center, LincolnJune 28 – Family Fishing Event, Prairie Queen Recreation Area, LaVistaJune 29 – Family Fishing Event, Carter Lake, Omaha

JUNE OUTDOOR CALENDAR

Landowners in the Lower Big Blue NRD plan-ning to install terraces, tile outlets, grassed waterways, or other conservation practices will have the opportunity to apply for cost-share assistance during the week of June 5 th -9 th at their local NRCS office. Land-owners applying for cost-share assistance will make application at the NRCS offices in Beatrice, Fairbury, Wilber, and Pawnee City. It is estimated that State and NRD cost-share funds together will total approximately $200,000 for FY 2018. The maximum cost-share payment has been increased this year to $8,000.00 for all applications. Last year, landowners installed over 140 miles of ter-races, 28 acres of grassed waterways, and over 35 miles of tiled outlets in the Lower Big Blue NRD.

Soil And Water Conservation Cost-Share Sign-Up On Saturday, May 20, 2017,

the Lower Big Blue NRD, Bea-trice Optimist Club, and Swan 5 AdvisoryCouncil hosted the 16 TH An-nual Free Family Fishing Day and Youth Fishing & Cast-ing Derby at the Willard L. Meyer Recreation Area near Tobias. The day consisted of a Youth Fishing Derby, Cast-ing Contest, Hands-On Archery Demonstration by Big Indian Archery Club Members, Ne-braska Game & Parks Fish-ery Display, Tri County Burn Association trailer, Homestead 4-H BB gun shoot, trapping

demo by J&J Outdoors, and a free hot-dog lunch.Despite the cool, dreary day, over 60 kids ages 1-18 par-ticipated in the Youth Fishing Derby. Awards were presented for the Most Fish Caught, Big-gest Fish Caught, Smallest Fish Caught, and for the Casting Contest. Prizes were awarded to all participants. The top award winners in each age group were: Ages 5 and under: Most Fish-Breckyn Rut,Tobias; Biggest Fish- Elijah Rosenthal. Beatrice; Smallest Fish- Bro-dy, Rains, Dorchester; Casting Contest- Conner Bridges, Wil-

ber; Ages 6-9: Most Fish-Jetta Stewart, Daykin; Biggest Fish-Olivia Schafer, Daykin Small-est Fish-Wyatt Crosby,Wilber; Casting Contest- Brody Rob-erts, Beatrice; Ages 10-12: Most Fish-Jaala Stewart, Daykin; Biggest Fish-Jackson Maas, Lincoln; Smallest Fish- Cade Kresak, Milligan; Casting Contest-Cade Kresak, Milligan; Ages 13-18: Most Fish-Josiee Sobotka, Tobias; Biggest Fish- Lexie Lorenz, Crete; Smallest Fish- Jeremy Pliva, Dorchester; Casting Contest-Jaicee Sobot-ka, Tobias.

Award Winners of the 16th Annual Youth Fishing and Casting Derby at Willard L. Meyer Recreation Area

Photo by Trevor Gill/fairburyjournalnews.comEven After—School might be out, but that didn’t stop the FFA Chapter from planting flowers. They also picked up litter along Hwy 136 on Wednesday.

Editor’s note: This is part two of columnist Gordon Hopkins’ travel series on India.

“Know the rules well, so you can break them effec-tively.” ― Dalai LamaThe bus ride to McLeod

Ganj would last about 16 hours, most of it up the side of a mountain in the dark. The bus was packed but there was one empty seat and, fortu-nately, it was the seat right next to me. I was too releived to be offend-ed that no one wanted to sit next to the fat, white guy. It meant I didn’t have to spend the bus ride with my enormous, overstuffed backpack sitting in my lap. Once on the road, I plonked it into the seat next to me and made myself com-fortable. Unlike a plane, I can sleep on a bus. Indeed, I sometimes have a hard time not falling asleep and have missed my stop on more than one occasion. I would not be sleeping on this bus ride. Ten minutes on the road and I was just starting to nod off when a television mounted at the front of the bus came life, blaring a movie. I guess I wouldn’t be sleeping after all. At least I’d have something to keep me entertained for a couple of hours. It was my first ever

Bollywood film. It was in Hindi but had English subtitles. “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” was a biographi-cal movie about Milkha Singh, an Olympic run-ner known as “The Flying Sikh.” The movie was a series of flashbacks to his childhood, his service in the army and the mostly horrifying events of the India-Pakistan partition. “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” translates as “Run Milkha Run” and for a while I thought I was watching a Bollywood “Forrest Gump,” except Milkha Singh was a real person and the movie, I found out later, was based on his autobiogra-phy.I would have prefered

to have been sleeping but, overall, I enjoyed the movie. It was over three hours long and, when it ended, I hoped the driver would shut the TV off rather than put on another movie. Alas, he did neither. Instead, he started playing the same movie again. It would play over and over the entire journey.After several hours, I

was tired and cranky and had a pounding headache. It was hot and stuffy on the bus and my window wouldn’t open. I wasn’t the only unhappy rider. Somewhere behind me, I could hear someone being sick. A few minutes later, a man in the seat behind me tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and, without

explanation, he handed me a plastic bag, of the type groceries come in. It was hot and squishy and it took me a moment to realize what it was. If my belly hadn’t been empty, I might have been ill my-self. The bag was being sent down the line like a bucket brigade. I quickly handed it off to the per-son in front of me. The bag made it’s way to the driver, who then flung it out the only window on the bus that would open and it dissappeared into the dark with an audible splat.It was after midnight

when the bus pulled into a rest stop. A tiny brick building sat on the side of the mountain, with rows of picnic tables under a canopy. A couple of spotlights mounted on the building and aimed at the tables provided the only light. There were no street lights and no other buildings. A few passen-gers remained sleeping but most piled out. I was glad for the opportunity to stretch my legs. My fellow passengers walked up to a window and came away with metal, army-style trays piled with food. I was assailed by the scent of curry and other spices. My stomach groaned like a creaky door. I stuck a hand into a pocket and fingered the rupees therein, as I considered buying some food. My hunger almost overcame my fear of the local cuisine. Almost.Instead, I just paced

around the bus, unsure of when the next chance to exercise my legs would come.After about an hour, we

all reboarded the bus got underway again. For the next several hours, I tried leaning my head against the window. The bounc-ing got worse the higher up we got and it made my head bang against the glass. I pulled a shirt out of my bag, wadded it up, and used it as a pillow, though I still didn’t sleep.Eventually, I became

aware of a soft, blue haze of light. The sun was coming up and, for the first time, I could see out the window. Until that moment, though uncom-fortable, I was reasonably calm. Now I could look down and see a few scant inches of dirt road sepa-rated the tires on the bus from a sheer drop down the side of the mountain. Now I clutched the arms of my seat in sweaty ter-ror like, much like I do when traveling by plane.At long last, we pulled

into Dharamsala and climed out of the bus. The air was much cooler than it had been in Delhi and slightly damp. A light mist hung in the air. I located a taxi to take the the remaining three kilometers north to McLeod Ganj. I took a proper car, avoiding

the infamous three-wheeled tuk tuks. The driver spoke little English but recognized the name of the Pink House, the guest house where Derek had made reservations. The driver dropped me off on Jogiwara Road, close to the main square, and charged me 300 rup-pees. I have no idea if I had been ripped off or not and, at that point, didn’t really care. The taxi couldn’t take me to the front door because there is a descent of 99 uneven stone stairs to reached the guest house. I would soon learn that very little of McLeod Ganj is horizontal. With my overstuffed backpack weighing me down, I had to lean over to keep my balance and nearly tipped over headfirst a couple of times.I dragged myself into the

building, dripping with sweat despite the chill in the air, and was met

by Mr. Javid, the owner/manager. My room wasn’t ready yet, so I sat in his office for about half an hour. An adorable little girl in a pink dress, about four years old I think, brought me a cup of chai on a tray. She was Javid’s daughter and, according to him, the one who was really in charge.Finally, I was taken to

my room. It had a small balcony with a single plastic chair and view of the Himalayas that seemed so close I thought I could almost reach out and touch the skyline. Birds circle overhead. I enjoyed the view for only a moment or two. Then I dropped onto the bed and was out once again.My arrival was a few

hours before the rest of the tour group, who were coming from Amritsar. I had anticipated killing a fews hours wandering the neighborhood nearby the guest house. Instead, I didn’t wake up until I heard a knock at the door. I had fallen asleep face down, so my hair stood straight up and my face was red and had a crease across my face left by a pillow’s seam. I looked like a mugging victim. Hoping I didn’t scare off my caller, I opened the door and was presented with a tall, loose-limbed white man in a blue t-shirt and a brown, tightly-coiled Jew-fro. This was a man for whom the term “lanky” had been invented. He in-troduced himself as Der-ek. My brain still fuzzy, it took a moment to recog-nize this was “Wandering Earl,” the man who was to be my tour guide. I ex-

pressed my relief at his arrival and he asked me if I wanted to join the others for a bite to eat. I barely avoided blurting out, “Dear God, finally!” Instead, I said, “I sup-pose I could eat.”I did a quick change of

clothes. My new outfit was rumpled from hav-ing been stufed into a backpack for days but at least it didn’t smell like a 16 hour bus ride. In the lobby, I was introduced to Tammy. She smiled at me and asked, “You from Nebraska?”This guess would have

been a lot more impres-sive if I hadn’t been wearing a “Go Big Red” t-shirt.I confirmed my heritage

and she told me she was from Kansas. Then she made a reference to some sports team that I didn’t recognize and I smiled and nodded as I often do when someone men-tions sports. This would be the last time I saw her smile, though I couldn’t swear it never happened when I wasn’t watch-ing. She wasn’t surley or unfriendly, at least to me. She just wasn’t very out-going. She was also the only other midwestener in the bunch and, like me, was of a more, shall we say, “sturdy” con-struction than the others. The 99 stairs were

a lot harder going up than down and I had to stop about half way for a breather. We took a short walk that probably seemed longer because so much of it was up hills, and Derek led us

“Your Community. Your Paper. Your FJN”

Friday, May 26, 2017 Travel The Fairbury Journal-News Page 7

INDIA TRAVEL SERIES PART IIMCLEOD GANJ: SPIRIT IN THE SKY

Bhagsu Falls

Prayer flags see MCLEOD, page 2

to a small cafe where we met up with a couple more members of our group, Queenie and An-astasia. Unlike Tammy, they were the dictionary definition of outgoing. At this point, I should probably point out that, traditionally, first-per-son memoirs like this are true but names of individuals are often changed to avoid any embarrasment or legal hassles, and with cer-tain exceptions I follow this practice. However, it didn’t take long to realize I would never in-vent names cooler than Queenie and Anastasia, so I got permission from them to use their real names. They had been traveling together for some time, previously on Derek’s Mexico tour. Apparently they liked it enough to follow him to India. Both were from the states, Queenie was from California while Anastasia was originally from Russia. Anastasia had only a hint of an accent unless she was drinking or angry, and then it got quite a bit thicker.None of the others

joined us. Most were still recovering from var-ious stomach ailments. At this point I was so hungry I pretty much didn’t care what I put in me, even if it came out again at warp speed.I opened up a menu

and was surprised at what I didn’t see. I didn’t see curry. I didn’t see naan. I didn’t see biryani or tandoori chicken or palak pan-eeer or any Indian cuisine I was used to. There was a reason for this. McLeod Ganj is at least as Tibetan as it is Indian. McLeod Ganj is the adopted home town of the exiled Dalai Lama as well as Tibet’s gov-ernment-in-exile. It is home to a large commu-nity of Tibetan refugees, including Buddhist monks and nuns. For a great many of these refugees, India is the only country they have ever know, yet they con-tiue to maintain strong ties to their culture. I ordered vegetable

soup and a plate of mo-mos. Momos are a type of half-moon shaped dumpling, the unofficial national dish of Tibet, and for the next several days, they made up the bulk of our diet. They

could be had steamed or boiled or fried or float-ing in soup. They usu-ally had a vegetable or cheese filling. Spinach and cheese was espe-cially good. Supposedly, they could also come with a meat filling but I never once saw that offered on any menu. We spent five days in McLeod Ganj, so my first week in India, I didn’t have curry once.The next day we went

for a hike. It was my first official outing with the group. Some of the group, anyway. While more were feeling bet-ter, a few still elected to stay behind. This would become a pattern dur-ing my time in India. I just assumed I would be spending the tour with the same group of people the entire time. Instead, Derek planned all these excursions to keep us entertained but it some folks would al-ways go off and do there own thing. It was rare the entire group was to-gether at any one time, except when traveling. Like most of my jour-

ney through India to date, much of the trek was up. There was a whole lotta up involved in the walk to Bhagsu Falls and much of the approach was erratic to say the least. We would be walking on a path or uneven road or sometimes even stairs going up the side of the mountain, only have it end suddenly and we would be scrambling over rocks and dirt. Pe-riodically, we spied rows of prayer wheels lining our path. Prayer wheels

are cylinders with sym-bols painted on them. According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, spinning a prayer wheel is effectively the same as reciting a prayer aloud. It was impossible to resist spinning each one as we ambled past.The trek is probably

not for low-energy types but well worth it if you appreciate the natural beauty of waterfalls. We kicked off our shoes and waded through the shal-low, chilly water, then sat down to enjoy the scenery or take photos. Already worn out from the walk, I found myself almost lulled to sleep by the “white noise” of the falling water.There were other tour-

ists around, enjoying the view. Mostly Tibet-ans and Indians. In my mind, I see Buddhist monks as these pious figures who live the sim-ple existence of another time, so it is somewhat jarring, at least for me, to see a couple of shav-en-headed, orange and crimson robed monks taking pictures of each other with tablets.A common complaint

from western women visiting India is the un-wanted attention they receive from locals. In-dian men often go up to western woman and ask to have their pictures taken with them or even snapping pictures without permission. This proved not to be an issue with Queenie and Anastasia as I soon learned these ladies simply loooove having their pictures taken. They were both quite happy to pose in front of the falls, up to their shins in cold water. This must be what it’s like to be a celebrity, I thought. In the end, I’m certain those men went away with far more pics of Queenie and Anastasia than the falls.Despite traveling with

a group, I spent much more time in McLoud Ganj by myself. I en-joyed just roaming the streets and alleys. It was peaceful and relax-ing, especially after the manic pace of Dehli. It was also much cooler and I hadn’t brought any warmer clothes, a mistake many tour-ists make. When you think India, you think hot. Market stalls dot-ted along the roads sell souvenirs to tour-ists, including locally made wool blankets. A lot of visitors buy these blankets and then wear them around their shoulders like shawls. I bought a blue and red one with a label that assured me it was made from “Genuine Yak Wool.”Later, I showed my

new trinket to Anasta-sia. She took a corner

and fingered it, thought-fully. “It’s not wool.”“The label says its

wool,” I objected.“It’s acrylic.” She said.

Then she pulled out a cigarette lighter. “Here, I’ll prove it.”I snatch it away. “I

don’t care if it’s not real. I still like it.” What kind of a person goes around setting fire to blankets, anyway?At the end of every day,

or evening if we were out late, I would drag myself down 99 steps to my room. Because of the stairs, I did keep going back to the guest house during the day. I left in the morning and made it a point not to return until I knew I was done exploring for the day. The room next to mine was occupied. I didn’t know who was inside. I never saw the door open once. I only saw a tray on the floor in front of the door, every morning and ev-ery night, with banana peels and empty tea pots.We weren’t able to

visit the Dalai Lama’s temple. I never did find out why. According to Derek, there seemed to be a lot more security than usual, making a trip to the temple not impossible but more of an ordeal than most of us were willing to put up with. Instead, we visited the Norbulingka Institute.The insitute is dedicat-

ed to the preservation of Tibetan literary and artistic Tibetan culture. It is a school that teach-es painting, woodwork-ing, metal work, screen printing and other artis-tic endeavors. We were given a tour, shown the various forms of art being produced, then allowed to wander the grounds, which were quite splendid. Hang-ing from ropes strung across the gardens were brightly colored flags. It made me think of a used car lot. These were actually prayer flags. Prayers were printed on the flags and you can see them hanging all over McLeod Ganj.Having wandered off

on my own once again, I heard a strange, squeaking noise. I fol-lowed it and found my-self by a small stream. Sticking out of the water was a lone prayer wheel, being turned by the flow of the water. A perpet-ual prayer wheel. A sat down on a rock on the bank and watched the wheel turn. Despite the peaceful surroundings, I found myself getting depressed. I had just seen rooms filled with young people, all ac-tively working towards their goals of becoming artists of one sort or an-other, every one of them producing something

beautiful. On the other hand, I was well into my forties and, despite claiming to be a writer, had produced nothing of any significance. Oc-casionally, I would write something, fail to sell it, and become discour-aged enough to aban-don it. This had been my modus operandi for years. At that moment, I felt guilty for having ac-complished nothing.Later that night, a

group of us went out to dinner and, afterwards, decided to get some-thing to drink. That sounded like a good idea to me, alcohol be-ing the usual prescribed treatment for feeling sorry for yourself. Booze isn’t always that easy to get ahold of in cer-tain parts of India. You really need someone who knows their way around, which, fortu-nately, Derek does. The only beer available is this horrible stuff called Kingfisher. I’m not much of a beer drinker anyway. Actually, I’m not much of a drinker, period. When I do drink, my preferred tipple is rum. When I travel, I usually stick to quint-essentially tourist-type drinks, like Mojitos and Pina Coladas. Those were not an option where I was, but Derek had managed to procure a bottle of Bacardi.After an evening of im-

bibing, we headed back to the Pink House and those 99 steps became even more of a ordeal to navigate. I man-aged it without break-ing my neck, though I came close a couple of times. The grounds are criss-crossed with pipes carrying water from the mountain and I tripped on one. I stayed upright but I almost took the entire group down with me.The next morning, I

stepped outside and spotted a thin column of water hissing from a pipe like a foutain. I hoped I wasn’t the one responsible for the leak.Finally, it was time to

depart McLeod Ganj. Mark had recovered enough to join us and we all gathered in the lobby. For the first time, I would see the entire group in one place. I thought I had met ev-eryone individually but there were two ladies I had never seen before, a towering blonde and a darker, smaller but equally pretty young lady. They were the occupants of the room next to mine and they had been so ill that they hadn’t left their room once since arriv-ing in McLeod Ganj. Now everyone seemed reasonable fit and we all loaded onto a bus for our next destination.

MCLEODFrom Page 1A

The Himalayan Mountains

Page 8 The Fairbury Journal-News Travel Friday, May 26, 2017