A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
…or, rather, catfished AFTER a family reunion. Most of my ancestors have stayed right here in South Carolina and lived within a couple of hours drive of where I now live. That makes genealogy a bit easier for me. Especially on my mother’s side you just have to head down to the Greenwood-Abbeville-Edgefield-Saluda area (AKA, … Read More “Catfished at a Family Reunion” »
Each year I try to do a photo expedition on the MLK holiday. This tradition got started years ago when I was still working in the schools. MLK was an unexpected Monday off and I hated to waste it. I’ve been retired for quite a long time now, but I still try to do an … Read More “MLK Ramble 2024 – Mayesville and Salem Black River Church” »
It started with a notice on Facebook. McBee Methodist Church would be holding a Christmas carol singing on Saturday, December 10 at 6:00. I had visited the historic chapel many times and had photographed it from the exterior, but I was dying to see the inside. This would be my chance. McBee Methodist Church, aka … Read More “Christmas Carols at Conestee, McBee Chapel” »
One of the rare non-rainy days this week I found myself wandering up to Jones Gap State Park. It was a beautiful brisk day as I walked along the trail, enjoying the rush of the Middle Saluda Waters. My mind, though, was thrown back several decades into the past, when I haunted these trails as … Read More “In Search of the Road Builder” »
Every year Alan Russell and I do some sort of ramble or exploration on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. This tradition started when both of us were in education and had a rare winter Monday that we didn’t have to work. This year we invited my brother, Houston, and Dwight Moffitt to come along … Read More “The Phoenix Riots and Dr. Benjamin Mays – An MLK Day Ramble” »
This morning I was emptying the dishwasher, putting away the cutlery, when a bunch of memories came flooding back. That sent me digging through our silverware drawers, looking for a cheap old steak knife with a plastic brown handle, now slightly melted due to an encounter with a hot stove. Sadly, I think we tossed … Read More “An Obsession with Steak Knives” »
Yesterday, January 6, is celebrated as Epiphany on the Christian calendar. It’s also Houston’s birthday. I gave him a call and briefly thought about driving down to have lunch with him. That was going to be a stretch to fit in with the rest of the day’s activities, so we just chatted for awhile. Sadly, … Read More “An Epiphany on Patriotism” »
At the flea market this morning I was told a rather fascinating tale. Ivan had written a new song about a preacher who made moonshine on the side. When he died his coffin burst into flame, incinerating the hearse. Turns out that it was based, in part, on a true story. Ivan made up the … Read More “The Case of the Blazing Hearse” »
There’s something about bridges, particularly old ones, that lend themselves to tales of ghosts and hauntings. These structures are ripe for tragedy, crossing potentially hazardous places such as waterways or chasms. Here in Upstate South Carolina alone there are many stories about haunted bridges such as Poinsett Bridge in Greenville County, Booger Jim Bridge in … Read More “The Haunting of Farr’s Bridge” »
This blog post has been an amazing journey and has taken several weeks to complete. It has involved lots of people and diving down lots of research rabbit holes. I was able to piece together some answers, but I still have lots of questions. Since this is going to be a multi-page post I thought … Read More “Wilkinsville and a Mystery Church” »