May 2015 – Random Connections

Gallabrae 2015

May 29, 2015 Tom No Comments

NOTE: I’m just now getting around to completing this post. This has been a very busy week.

Gallabrae – rhymes with Gallifrey, for the Whovians out there. It’s a made-up Gaellic term that’s supposed to mean “bold and daring” and “beautiful highlands.” It’s also the name that has come to symbolize the Greenville Scottish Games at Furman University. This year was the tenth anniversary of the games.

I hadn’t planned to attend the games this year. However, Laura’s plan for the day was to relax and read at the house. She needed the down time, but I’d been working around the house all week. I decided to head on up to Furman for the games.

Great Scot Parade 2015

May 25, 2015May 25, 2015 Tom No Comments

Entertainment, Local

Memorial Day Weekend in Greenville means that the Scottish Games are once again coming to the Furman University campus. Last year we participated in the Great Scot Parade downtown in our Mini. This year we not only did the parade, but I made it over to the games themselves.

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Asada

May 21, 2015June 5, 2015 Tom No Comments

Restaurants

Laura says that I suffer from agoraphobia. While it’s true that I don’t particularly like crowds, it’s not necessarily the crowds that bother me. It’s large, unpredictable groups scrambling for a limited resource. That resource might be limited seating at a venue, but most often it’s food. For this reason I’ve never been a fan of Fall for Greenville.

Food trucks seem to fall into this same category. They seem to be wildly popular right now, especially as something of a novelty in our area. While some of them looked quite intriguing, with interesting menus, they also tend to attract the types of crowds I’d prefer to avoid.

Such was the case with Asada. When I heard that the Latin fusion food truck had opened a brick and mortar restaurant, I had to try it out.

Lake Hartwell from Lawrence Bridge

May 21, 2015May 21, 2015 Tom 4 Comments

Paddling, Photography

I really wanted to get out on the water. It was a beautiful day, but storms were predicted for the afternoon, so a morning paddle would have to do. That meant selecting from one of the many short-paddle options nearby. I had been threatening to introduce Ken Cothran to kayaking, so I decided to pick him up and head to Lake Hartwell. Specifically, we would be launching from Lawrence Bridge on the Keowee River branch of the lake and exploring some of the coves nearby.

Honeysuckle and Racing Fuel

May 17, 2015May 17, 2015 Tom No Comments

Entertainment, Local, Photography

Paul Wagenknecht had a confession to make. He and several other Furman professors had been making regular treks out to the Greer Dragway for their Thursday “Practice and Grudge Night.” He invited me to come along and bring my camera and audio recorders. How could I possibly refuse?

Nan Herring Shape Note Singing 2015

May 13, 2015May 13, 2015 Tom No Comments

Local, Music

Saturday was one of those busy days where I needed to be about five people. Between potential paddling trips, Artisphere, Furman graduation, and other local festivals, there were lots of choices. I decided to head over to Furman for the 2015 Nan Herring Shape Note Singing.

The Nan Herring Singing is held each year on “the Saturday before the Second Sunday,” using the parlance of the singing community. This year and last year the date conflicts with Furman Graduation. This was not the case before Furman went on a semester system and graduation was in early June. The last time I came to this singing was in 2008, before the change, and we were able to use Herring Hall, where we rehearse for Chorale. This time, due to conflicts with the Furman Singers needing their home space, we held the singing on the stage of Daniel Recital Hall.

From Pickens to Oolenoy

May 11, 2015 Tom No Comments

History and Genealogy, Local, Miscellaneous, Photography, Rambling

It was a spectacular Wednesday morning. I’d been doing yard work all week, and needed to escape. That seemed like the perfect time for a trip to the Pickens Flea Market. This time, rather than carry cameras, I had a backpack loaded with audio recording gear.

Apparently everyone in Pickens County had the same idea as me. I had planned to get there around 8:00, but Highway 183 from Greenville to Pickens was a zoo, and traffic was clogged headed through the town and out to the flea market. Eventually, though, I did get a nice, shaded parking space, and set out to explore.

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Blue Ghosts 2015

May 10, 2015 Tom 2 Comments

Local

Note: Once again life is happening faster than the blogging thereof. I’m still trying to play catch up from the last couple of weeks before I do anything else interesting.

As we were getting ready to leave Florida I got an e-mail from our friend Joyce McCarrell saying that it was once again time for the Blue Ghost fireflies. These elusive insects are only active for a limited time in the spring, and only appear in very limited areas. Of course we were going to try to make it back in time.

Quick Trip to Florida

May 6, 2015 Tom No Comments

Family, Paddling, Photography

We’ve been making more trips than usual down to Florida. Laura’s been trying to help out with her elderly mom, so we’ve been heading down as often as we can. Amy had to give a talk in California, so Laura flew down before the weekend, and I drove down and joined her after my Chorale concert.

Since we’ve been making so many trips down this way I decided to bring a kayak down and leave it so that I wouldn’t be hauling one back and forth. I decided to take the Wilderness Systems Pamlico 145 tandem that I have. We can use it as a tandem boat, but if I push the front seat back it works well as a solo boat.

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The Mystery of Altamont Hotel

May 5, 2015 Tom 28 Comments

History and Genealogy, Local

Ken and I had found one mystery on our outing on this particular Friday, but a second mystery was in the offing. Since we had access to the convertible we decided to drive up Altamont Road over Paris Mountain. Along the route we took a moment to drive up Tower Road to the top and admire the vista.