What can I say? I have lived to see many presidential inaugurations, and none have inspired as much hope as this one. I am very proud that Barack Obama is now President of the United States.

A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
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One of my Twitter friends alerted me to an Aermotor Fire Tower that was being sold by North Carolina as surplus. The tower is described as follows: Fire Lookout Tower,72’9″”H with 6×6 Cab Tower and Steps are in useable condition Radio antennae do not come with the tower. **Location of Building: Off US Hwy 23 … Read More “A Tower for Lake Fairfield?” »
Tuesday evening Rascal curled up as usual on our bed, lying on his back and purring while I rubbed his tummy. At 3:30 am he wanted out, despite the fact that it was raining. It was the last time we would see him. Rascal was missing for two days, by the end of which we … Read More “Remembering Rascal” »
You would think that something that stands 100′ high would be easy to find. Certainly, when you’re close enough they are very visible. However, locating lookout tower sites on maps turns out to be harder than I had thought. I knew of several definite locations such as the Duncan Tower, Glassy Mountain, Paris Mountain, and … Read More “Searching for the Towers” »
What can I say? I have lived to see many presidential inaugurations, and none have inspired as much hope as this one. I am very proud that Barack Obama is now President of the United States.

Twenty years ago today Laura and I got married. Christmas was on a Saturday, as was New Year’s, so we did the untraditional and got married on a Tuesday night. It was a small wedding, with my brother Stephen officiating, my brother Houston as best man, and Laura’s sister Amy as maid of honor. We … Read More “20 Years of Wedded Bliss” »
It’s hard to believe that it’s already Christmas Eve. The year has been a busy one, and it seems like it has flown past. So this Christmas Eve we find ourselves doing some last-minute wrapping, tracking Santa on NORAD, and watching Ghost Hunters and the Dragnet Christmas Story on Hulu.com. So a quick update that … Read More “Holiday Update” »
The time from Thanksgiving to Christmas always seems bring to our attention those that are less fortunate in our communities. Laura and I always try to participate in Angel Tree and other charitable works. This year, though, my friend Cindy Sanders from the Middle Tyger Community Center (MTCC) sent us some statistics that just floored … Read More “The Season of Need” »
My love/hate relationship with my VW Jetta has finally come to an end. This morning I traded it in for a 2009 Subaru Outback Wagon. When the car left me stranded Tuesday morning, and with the economy like it is right now, we decided the time was right. I had been considering the Outback as … Read More “That New Car Smell” »
I really do. And I speak from experience, having owned several over the past decades. Right now we own two VW products, and both are a pain in the posterior. This morning I was about ready to take a shotgun to my VW Jetta. The battery in my car is on the fritz, and has … Read More “I Hate Volkswagens” »
Last time I talked about my inherited propensity and motivations for rambling. This time I’m going to be a bit less random, and discuss some of the tools I use for rambling and how I choose particular targets. I love to explore aimlessly, and there is always some component of randomness to any of our … Read More “The Fine Art of Rambling, Part 2” »