A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
Local items of interest from Greenville and Upstate SC.
Bodie Ghost Town When one hears the words "Ghost town", one usually conjures up images of an abandoned prospectors’ town somewhere out west, similar to the picture of Bodie, California seen above. However, South Carolina has its fair share of ghost towns. While tumbleweeds and swinging saloon doors may not provide the scenery for the … Read More “Ghost Towns of South Carolina” »
On Wednesday I had to make one of my many treks down the road for a meeting in Columbia. At mile marker 93 on Interstate 26, just north of Columbia, I pass a sight I’ve seen many times – a rather elaborate roadside memorial in the southbound lane. On July 24, 2000, a north-bound … Read More “Roadside Memorials” »
After I got back from my Furman photo trip this morning, I found the light almost perfect for photographing the hawks across the street. This morning they were quite active, and one of the parents returned to feed them. In the spirit of Mother’s Day, I caught a couple of tender hawk family shots … Read More “Learning to Fly” »
Tonight was the retirement dinner for Furman, and once again, three professors with whom I have worked mark the end of their careers at Furman. Duncan McArthur taught English at Furman for 36 years. He was my English professor my very first term as a freshman. Ken Sargent nearly convinced me to become a geology … Read More “Furman Transitions 2007” »
Our family of red-tailed hawks has once again returned to their nest in the top of one of our neighbor’s trees. I had seen activity on the nest, but assumed the large birds I was seeing to be the parents. When I looked through binoculars today, I saw that these were in fact the chicks, … Read More “Return of the Hawks” »
We really weren’t expecting any motion until August. It looks like things are already happening. Greenville County had agreed to purchase the houses in the floodplain on our street and demolish then, turning the area into a natural area with a pedestrian bridge. The plan presented was for demolition and construction of the bridge … Read More “Demolition Begins” »
At dinner tonight Bill Pennington told us of his latest acquisition – a 1933 South Carolina license plate he found on eBay. What made this interesting to him was the phrase "S.C.-The Iodine State." Bill is a chemistry professor at Clemson who works with iodine compounds, so the subject is of inherent interest. His wife, … Read More “South Carolina – The Iodine State” »
I was lamenting to a paddling friend about the woes of the Green River. The number of float bubbas had increased to the point that it made paddling the lower Green less fun than it might be. In fact, we had started paddling the Tuckaseegee more than the Green because it was less crowded. My … Read More “Green River Crosses” »
I’ve mentioned before how I like the fog. It always imparts a mystical quality to just about any view. My favorite fog is the type that burns off into morning sunshine, which can produce some interested back-lit images. This morning’s fog wasn’t that type, but I wasn’t going to be picky. I grabbed my camera … Read More “Foggy Falls” »
There were many outdoor activities schedule for this day. Unfortunately, the rain put a damper on most of them. There were two competing farmer’s markets – one downtown and one at its usual location. The usual location was holding is annual flower and plant festival. Since it’s partially indoors, we decided to give a shot. … Read More “Farmer’s Market” »