Ponderings by Dan Ponder

I rarely write a column that so illustrates the many connections between the two communities that carry my weekly column, namely Bainbridge and Donalsonville.  These two cities share many more bonds than some realize.   One of the newest connections has to do with the expansion into Donalsonville of the Friendship House of Jesus.  This…

Donalsonville enjoyed its second Net Days this past week.  The larger elementary school auditorium accommodated hundreds more people than viewed the first Net Days at the Olive Theater.  The technology, sound, lighting and cameras were state of the art, allowing our community and other parts of the world to share their talents at the same…

“Be home by dark”, my Dad would say when we were kids.  That was one of the great things about growing up in a small Southern town in the 60s.  I could get on my bike and go anywhere in town without letting anyone know as long as I was home by dark.  Of course,…

With my recent travels to China and our community’s efforts to expand its efforts in a more global way, I have been a bit surprised by a few of the comments I have received about “Buying American”.  Being as patriotic as anyone I know, and yet also mindful of the changes in the global economy,…

Following up on last week’s article written while in China, I want to give a brief summary of the remainder of the trip.  By the time our delegation left the city of Dalian, our work was largely done.  The final couple of days in Beijing allowed us to relax a bit and visit some of…

For just over a week I have been leading a small delegation from Donalsonville on a trip to China seeking to leverage the work being done to make our city the most connected rural city in America.   What I have learned could fill a small book; too much information for a weekly column.  Instead, I…

My mother celebrated her 84th birthday this past week with all of her children and spouses.  We spent it in the North Georgia Mountains near Blue Ridge.  It was a far cry from the flat farm land where we grew up in Southeast Alabama and where most of us have lived since then in Southwest…

I had the opportunity yesterday to spend about six hours showing a couple of visitors around Donalsonville and Seminole County.   Both are world travelers and much more knowledgeable about life in major metropolitan areas versus the small rural area that I call home.   I can pretty much do the city tour with my eyes…

Today was a double whammy.  I slid off my post-Easter high thanks to spending two days working on my taxes while listening in the background to the endless coverage of our Presidential Election.  I am not sure which was the more depressing. It takes me back to the first year after Mary Lou and I…