2008 – Page 6 – Random Connections

The Oconee Bale Trail

October 20, 2008 Tom 4 Comments

Laura had a quick business trip to Chicago, so Glynda and I decided to get out and see the countryside. I had spotted an advertisement for the Oconee Bale Trail, a series of decorated hay bales through that county, and it looked like as good an excuse as anything to get out and about.

Glynda hadn’t been with my on one of my photo rambles before. As with most of my family, she loves photography, too. She has also inherited our parents love of exploring backroads. While growing up, instead of calling her by her name Glynda Jo, my father called her “Glynda Go.” She had just finished her last day at the Boys Home of the South on Friday, so this was going to be a celebratory get-away.

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Working with the Flip Mino

October 19, 2008 Tom 1 Comment

EdTech, Gear, Photography

One of the perks of my job is that I get to try to try out lots of new tech toys. One of our curriculum coordinators had requested one of the little Flip Mino video cameras. She graciously let me give it a whirl before giving it back to her.

Even though this device (or some version of it) has been out for about a year now, I hadn’t gotten very excited about it. High-quality video cameras are now very reasonably priced, and now even point-n-shoot cameras come with a video mode. The question was – Is the Flip redundant? Would you be better off applying the cost of the Flip toward a better point-n-shoot? I really needed to find out because I’ve got several others requesting these, and needed to know how best to spend our equipment funds.

Winnie, One Year Later

October 16, 2008 Tom No Comments

Miscellaneous

This time last year we thought we had lost our little cat, Winnie. A trip to the vet in August of 2007 gave us the bad news – she had a large mass in her abdomen, possibly malignant. In September of that year she went missing and we thought she was gone for good. Then … Read More “Winnie, One Year Later” »

Dinner and a Show

October 15, 2008 Tom 4 Comments

Restaurants, Weirdness

For it to be her birthday, Laura certainly had a rough start to the day. It began with her fighting off the beginnings of a cold and went downhill from there. When she got to the office, water started pouring from an overhead pipe and flooded their new offices. The rest of the day was … Read More “Dinner and a Show” »

Scuppernongs

October 14, 2008 Tom 2 Comments

Miscellaneous

There are few foods that evoke such intense memories – the warm days of early autumn, climbing under the vines to find the ripe fruit, feeling as much as tasting the sweet juice and ripe pulp. My Grandmother Ellenberg had huge scuppernong vines growing on her farm. I can just barely remember them, but I … Read More “Scuppernongs” »

Rio Grille Reflections

October 13, 2008 Tom No Comments

Local, Restaurants

Our reunion dinner was at Rio Grille in the West End of Greenville. Since this is part of a chain, and since the circumstances of our visit were out of the ordinary, I won’t do a formal review, but I thought I’d reflect on the experience, none-the-less. First there was the salad bar. This alone … Read More “Rio Grille Reflections” »

Class of ’83 25th Reunion

October 13, 2008 Tom No Comments

Miscellaneous

It’s hard to believe the years have passed so quickly. This weekend was Homecoming at Furman, and my 25th Reunion. There seems to be a core group of my classmates that attend these reunions. This wasn’t really the group I hung out with while at Furman, and my friends have been spread out over several years, so we have tended to do our own thing at various Homecoming reunions.

Since this was a biggie, though, Laura and I decided to do the entire thing, and had tickets for a cookout Friday night, breakfast Saturday morning, a luncheon, then a reunion dinner in the evening. My friend Dwight was coming up Friday to spend the night with us and join in the activities. In addition to our 25th reunion, this year marks 50 years that Furman has been located on its present campus. There was much to celebrate, and lots of events planned.

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Elements at Furman

October 12, 2008 Tom 2 Comments

Photography

My photo collage, Elements, was hung in the Furman Chemistry offices just in time for the Homecoming weekend. It turned out very well, and black and white was the appropriate choice for the rich red wall on which it’s hanging. We had a time getting this thing framed. Each of the photos is 13″ X … Read More “Elements at Furman” »

Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands

October 8, 2008 Tom 1 Comment

Entertainment, Local

I added yet another book to my growing collection of South Carolina ghost lore. Tally Johnson has a book out entitled “Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands.” While the subject itself was of interest to me, what sealed the deal as far as my purchasing the book was the dedication in the Acknowledgments section: To … Read More “Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands” »

The Passing of Two Musicians

October 7, 2008 Tom No Comments

Local, Music

The music world of Greenville is a little quieter this week, and that’s not a good thing. Two long-time musicians in the area, Mike Shankle (78) and Tod Cyrus (90) both passed away on October 4th. I first met Mike many years ago when I was teaching at Brushy Creek Elementary. At the time Mike … Read More “The Passing of Two Musicians” »

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