A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
Humans are weird. At least in our western culture, they expect that a sixteen square foot plot of land will be set aside for them in perpetuity, to be held sacrosanct as a memorial of their existence. It seems that over the generations we would eventually run out of land for burials. Perhaps that’s one … Read More “The Orphaned Graveyards of Greenville County” »
The Second Saturday of August meant time for another adventure with my friends from Lowcountry Unfiltered. Matt and I bounced a few ideas around before settling on The Jungle, a section of Lake Moultrie featured as part of the Berkeley County Blueways. It was a new venue for us, and turned out to be a … Read More “Exploring The Jungle of Lake Moultrie” »
The story of a “Crybaby Bridge” seems to be a common trope in tales of the paranormal. There are Crybaby Bridges all over the country. Each bridge has a similar story. Usually, a distraught mother kills a baby by tossing it into the water below. Thereafter, any travelers crossing the bridge at night will hear … Read More “An Electric Crybaby” »
For many years I’ve known about the underground railroad passage in Anderson, South Carolina. The passage hints at a forgotten history and neglected part of the city. I’ve visited the entrances to the passageway several times, but just never got up the nerve to explore it by myself. This past week fellow explorer Alan Russell joined me, and together we finally got a chance to explore Underground Anderson.
Last spring a guy with the unusual name of Beezer Molton contacted me about a photo. It turns out that Beezer is the owner of the Half-Moon Outfitters franchise. The Greenville store would be moving into a new store and he wanted a large print of the above photo to go into the new location. … Read More “Full Moon at Half-Moon” »
I worked in Spartanburg county for fifteen years. During all of that time I never got around to visiting Nazareth Presbyterian Church. I knew it was one of the first churches in the area, having been established around 1765, but for some reason I thought that the building had been updated and no longer retained its historic character. I was wrong. When I had driven by it I had seen the new Family Life Center (a.k.a “gym”) and had thought that IT was the church, somehow missing the older building right next to it. While out doing some research on another project about church architecture Alan Russell and I finally paid Nazareth a visit.
As a teenager I’d read a South Carolina Wildlife article about Capers Island, a barrier island on the coast. The place fascinated me, a wild, undeveloped island accessible only by boat. On this paddling trip with Lowcountry Unfiltered I was to learn that there are TWO Capers Islands in South Carolina, and the one we visited had some unusual human-created features.
We had taken one ferry trip, but the Keystone to Port Townsend trip was a bit short for Laura’s tastes. She wanted a longer ferry ride. So this past Wednesday we headed over to Anacortes to catch the ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. This time we would be walk-on passengers. Our plan … Read More “On the Ferry with a $20 Camera” »
When we were living out here in Washington I bemoaned the dearth of flea markets like the ones we had back home. There just weren’t any that met on a regular basis. There were yard sales and annual events, but no weekly markets like the Anderson Jockey Lot or Pickens Flea Market. What the PNW … Read More “Anacortes Shipwreck Days” »
Several weeks ago Laura and her sister Amy drove across country to the house they inherited on Samish Island, Washington. They spent some sister time together and were able to do some final steps to close out their parents’ estate. Earlier this week Amy and I traded places. I flew out on Monday and will drive back across with Laura in a couple of weeks. In the meantime we’ll be getting back together with friends and visiting places we came to love during our year out here.