A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
Today, August 3, 2024, would have been my father’s 100th birthday. He was born August 3, 1924. Dad died on November 3, 2011 at the age of 88, and I have missed him just about every day since then. It seems that he and my mother have been visiting me in my dreams more and … Read More “Dad at 100” »
I’ve been wanting to get on the water as much as possible. Greg Springsteen had told me about a new outfitter group that rents kayaks and runs a shuttles on a specific section of the Saluda River. This just so happens to be a section of the Saluda that I’ve never run, but has been … Read More “Saluda River from Hunt’s Bridge to Farr’s Bridge” »
It seems like our numbers at the Pickens Flea Market Musician’s Circle have been getting smaller and smaller. We’ve lost some of our players to old age and illness. I looked back at some of the photos I’ve taken over the years and lost count of the number of players that are no longer with … Read More “Living It Up at the Pickens Flea Market” »
Last week I learned that 13 Stripes in the old Southern Bleachery at Taylors Mill was hosting a sea shanty sing-along. I’ve been wanting to do one of these for a long time. I had even thought about getting a group started myself. I loved the sing-alongs I did at the Bellingham Celtic Festival and … Read More “Sea Shanties at 13 Stripes” »
Lake Glenville, north of Cashiers, North Carolina, has intrigued me every time I’ve driven past it, always on the way to someplace else. I really wanted to get on the water and I really wanted to explore someplace new. Seemed like a fine time to check out the highest lake east of the Mississippi. I’m … Read More “Disrupted Paradise at Lake Glenville” »
This past Sunday I was privileged to attend the Farewell Reunion of Jack’s Pickin’ Parlor at the Belton Depot in Belton, South Carolina. For fifteen years Jack Ellenburg provided a place for musicians to gather and share Bluegrass, Gospel, and other tunes in a free, family-friendly environment. The Pickin’ Parlor closed in 2014, but its … Read More “A Farewell Reunion for Jack’s Pickin’ Parlor” »
My, how time flies. On May 14, 2004, RandomConnections first came online. 20 years and nearly 3000 posts later, and the site is still going strong. I know I’ve said this before on other anniversaries for the site, but here’s a brief history… In 2003 I started experimenting with blogging. The first iteration was at … Read More “Twenty Years of Random Connections!” »
Thursday was going to be a spectacular day and I was bound and determined to take advantage of it. I ran through my list of local paddling venues trying to decide where to go. I settled on a new place that wasn’t too far away that I’d been wanting to explore. I launched from a … Read More “Paddling with Cicadas Below Hartwell Dam” »
Several weeks ago I did a solo kayaking trip from Lawrence Bridge on Lake Hartwell up to the mill village of Newry. I’d done this trip before back in 2010, but thought it was high time I made a return. In those 12 years there have been many changes. The old abandoned textile mill at … Read More “Return to Newry” »
Some days are just absolutely perfect for paddling. This past Saturday was one of them. It was a Second Saturday, which meant a trip with Lowcountry Unfiltered. This particular Saturday we would be heading back to Sparkleberry Swamp, but the goal was to explore a new section of the swamp. There would be only three … Read More “From Sparkleberry to Packs Landing” »