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Category: Local

Local items of interest from Greenville and Upstate SC.

Sound Off South

Posted on May 17, 2009 By Tom 6 Comments on Sound Off South
Internet, Local, Miscellaneous

This week RandomConnections.com was the spotlight blog for Sound Off South, a website from WYFF-TV that showcases blogs from Upstate South Carolina. Early this morning I headed down to the WYFF studios for a live interview with Kelly Coakley for the 7:00 am Sunday morning newscast. I would be doing two short segments, one during … Read More “Sound Off South” »

Boulevard of (Broken) Dreams

Posted on May 13, 2009 By Tom 2 Comments on Boulevard of (Broken) Dreams
Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy, Local

Downtown from Wade Hampton
Evening view of downtown Greenville from Wade Hampton Boulevard

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of broken dreams
When the city sleeps
And I’m the only one and I walk alone

Green Day – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”

The joy you find here, you borrow,
You cannot keep it long, it seems.
But gigolo and gigolette
Still sing a song and dance along
The boulevard of broken dreams.

Nat King Cole – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”

Two shadows in the moonlight
Dance silently along the boulevard
Of dreams
Tonight

Dada – “Boulevard of Dreams”

A boulevard isn’t just any old street. According to Wikipedia, it is a “wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare…often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery.” Naming a road a “boulevard” means that it should be something special, something to evoke poetry and song as noted above. Some cities are known by their more famous boulevards – the Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, and Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, for example. Greenville has Wade Hampton Boulevard.

Read More “Boulevard of (Broken) Dreams” »

The Scenic Route from Columbia

Posted on May 5, 2009 By Tom No Comments on The Scenic Route from Columbia
Local, Photography

Monday was my last SCASA Tech Leader’s Roundtable for the year.  I had attended the last one via teleconference, and it didn’t go so well.  So this time I decided to make the trip down to Columbia.  Like most of the educational meetings I attend, the opportunity to interact with my peers is often more … Read More “The Scenic Route from Columbia” »

Weekend Update, again

Posted on May 5, 2009 By Tom 3 Comments on Weekend Update, again
Local, Miscellaneous, Music, Photography

Verdi dress rehearsal

Lots happening, and not much time to write about it. Laura and I discussed this, and we blame Furman. Since they have gone on a semester schedule their term is ending much earlier, and that’s thrown us off completely. I think, “Oh, Furman’s commencement is next weekend, so my school must be winding down” when we actually have a month more to go. With the compressed schedule, it seems like more is happening each weekend, and this past one was no exception.

Read More “Weekend Update, again” »

Belgian Delights

Posted on May 3, 2009 By Tom No Comments on Belgian Delights
Local, Restaurants

NOTE: This location is now closed. We were on our own for lunch today. Laura had stuff to do at Furman, and I had a rehearsal this morning.  I’d planned on something quick after rehearsal, so was en route to Taco Hell when I saw that Belgian Delights was now open.  I had to give it a … Read More “Belgian Delights” »

Weekend Update

Posted on April 26, 2009 By Tom No Comments on Weekend Update
Local, Miscellaneous, Paddling, Photography

Clematis

As Laura put it, it was a weekend for puttering, not for heavy lifting. We started with some yard work Saturday morning, raking, blowing away pollen, spreading mulch, planting flowers, and even taking a few photos of said flowers.

I had gotten a message from my blogging friend Laura Llew that John Boyanoski would be signing copies of his books, Ghosts of Upstate South Carolina and More Ghosts of Upstate South Carolina, at Poor Richard’s Bookstore in Easley. I thought it might be fun to meet John, and to finally meet Laura L in person, so we headed out that way.

Read More “Weekend Update” »

Oysters on the West End

Posted on April 24, 2009 By Tom No Comments on Oysters on the West End
Local, Restaurants

NOTE: This restaurant is now closed. Laura had a picnic with students, so I was left to my own devices for the evening.  I had dropped by the iPlace store at RiverPlace to further confuse my new computer search, when across the road I spotted Oysters on the West End.  Since it was time for … Read More “Oysters on the West End” »

Lunchtime Earth Day Encounter

Posted on April 22, 2009 By Tom No Comments on Lunchtime Earth Day Encounter
Local, Miscellaneous

On this Earth Day, 2009, I thought it would be nice to take a sandwich down to my new favorite lunch spot and contemplate nature with the sounds of the Middle Tyger flowing in the background. This is twice this week I’ve been out here, and I think I came down here at least twice … Read More “Lunchtime Earth Day Encounter” »

Town and Country Photo Class

Posted on April 19, 2009 By Tom 2 Comments on Town and Country Photo Class
Local, Photography

Photo Class

This weekend I took part in a “Town and Country Photo Hike” class taught through Furman University’s Continuing Education program.  The course was taught be photographer Diane Hopkins-Hughs, and I was looking forward to getting some new tips on photo composition, and learning about new places to shoot in Greenville.  Ann Martin also helped lead the class.  This session was the “town” portion, and we would be exploring the downtown Greenville area.  Next session will be the “country” portion, where we head out into the Upstate somewhere.

In most of the classes I’ve taken there is a wide range of abilities and skills.  You have some folks that really are just starting out, and you’ve got some that seem like they are taking the class just to show off how much they already know.  Even if the class turns out to be a very beginner class, as this one did, I try my best to stay out of that latter category.  I just don’t want to be that guy.  Even when a class doesn’t turn out to be quite what I expect, I always try to find something to take back from it.

Read More “Town and Country Photo Class” »

Peachtree Rock Nature Preserve – Unfiltered

Posted on April 12, 2009 By Tom 3 Comments on Peachtree Rock Nature Preserve – Unfiltered
Geocaching and Maps, Local, Photography, Travel

Peachtree Rock

This Saturday our Lowcountry Unfiltered group gathered for its monthly outing. We rendezvoused just southwest of Columbia to explore the Peachtree Rock Nature Preserve, managed by the Nature Conservancy and the South Carolina Department of Natural Services. Dr. John Nelson, botanist at USC, director of the state’s Herbarium, and member of our group would serve as our guide for the day.

Lowcountry Unfiltered Gathers

In addition to John and myself, five others joined us.  We gathered at the entrance to the preserve at about 9:00, and got some preliminary information from John.  The area is one of the first set aside by the Nature Conservancy, and contains several unique habitat areas, including a long-leaf pine ecosystem.  The geology is also unusual. A hard layer of rock called ironstone covers softer layers of sandstone.  The sandstone has been eroding out from under the resistant upper layer, creating unique geological formations such as the namesake Peachtree Rock.

Read More “Peachtree Rock Nature Preserve – Unfiltered” »

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