A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
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After posting my Requiem for a Flea Market Musicians Circle I got some additional news, and have some updates. Ivan got a call from Ralph saying that the flea market owners had tripled his monthly rental rate, and he wasn’t going to pay that. That meant that the musicians shed was once again available. After … Read More “An Update about the Pickens Flea Market” »
This is a hard post to write. A 40+ year tradition has come to an end. The Pickens County Flea Market Musicians Circle is no more. I got this news as I was in a plane on the taxiway, just having arrived in Seattle. I’ve been dealing with it for the entire time we were … Read More “Requiem for a Flea Market Musicians Circle” »
(And I’m using “diva” in the best possible sense.) Last Wednesday I pulled up to the Pickens County Flea Market to find a large sprinter van parked in my usual spot. I was a bit perturbed, but pulled around to the other side of the shed and started setting up my gear for the morning’s … Read More “The Diva at the Pickens Flea Market” »
For well over a year now I’ve been playing in a Bluegrass jam at Fireforge Crafted Beer in downtown Greenville. The jam is hosted by Matt Puriton and Sam Kruer and features some amazing musicians from around the upstate. Each week I’m amazed at the quality of music that comes out, and we have a … Read More “Bluegrass at Fireforge” »
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” »
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” »
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” »
As we were driving out to Samish Island back last August we passed through a couple of old towns. Especially in Montana as we passed ranches and old abandoned farmsteads I had flashes of the Old West. The first line of a set of lyrics popped into my head. When we got to the island … Read More “Jeremiah Jones” »
I’d seen an announcement about a musician’s circle at a flea market in Winterville. I knew that was close to Houston’s place and that he wanted to learn about local music jams, so I sent the info to him. I had nothing to do one recent Sunday, so I decided to meet him there and … Read More “Jamming at the Rabbit Hole” »
A long, long time ago, in a world before X, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, or even MySpace, this blog came into being. It started as a travel journal to document a trip across country to Samish Island, Washington, then evolved into a personal journal. The blog entries were short and were just my personal observations of … Read More “Catching Up and Rethinking My Purpose” »