A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
Several weeks ago I received a Facebook friend request from Deb Mims. Deb and I had never met, but she had read several of my posts here. I’m usually very cautious when I get a request like this out of the blue. However, Deb had some interesting things going on, so I accepted. I’m glad I did, as it led to an excellent kayaking trip and the potential for more exploration.
Second Saturday, and time for a Lowcountry Unfiltered expedition. We had missed March because of conflicts throughout our group, and our group leader, Matt, wouldn’t be available for April. Somehow that fell to me to put together a trek. I decided that it would be a good time to head back to one of my favorites, Sparkleberry Swamp.
Gonna lay down my burdens,
Down by the Riverside,
Down by the Riverside,
Down by the Riverside,
…Ain’t gonna study war no more.
It was Keith’s birthday. I’d called him to see if he wanted to go for lunch, but he was already in Asheville for some early appointments. He suggested I join him up there for a late breakfast instead. Having no other plans, I agreed. It turned out to be another day of discovery and laid the groundwork for further exploration.
Certain annual events are marked by sightings, such as the return of the swallows at Capistrano, the blue fireflies returning to the Piedmont, etc. In this case a Friday night sighting of the Batmobile driving down Main Street marks the return of the South Carolina Comicon.
Alan and I were out on a photo trek. We had followed the Triple C Railroad from Blacksburg in Cherokee County down to Smyrna in York County. We were now about to make our best discovery of the day and meet “that one guy what knows stuff” about the place we were to visit.
Alan had a list of places he wanted to explore. That’s always a good thing. I got an e-mail from him several weeks ago with an attached Google Map showing places in Western York County, including the communities of Smyrna, Sharon, and McConnells. Our schedules finally aligned so that we were able to go on our photo trek this past Saturday.
Thursday morning had come and gone and I’d already had a full day. I had given my talk at the SCASL conference, but it was too nice of day to just hang out at home. I was in the mood to do more rambling. I had seen an article about a new kayak ramp down in Pelzer and decided that would be my target for the afternoon.
The day had already started out well. I’d made my debut with the Musician’s Circle at the Pickens Flea Market. There was still a lot of daylight left and the weather was beautiful. I felt the urge to ramble. In the course of the afternoon I found three historic churches and one old school, all of which were new to me.
Spring Break in Florida. Sounds like it should be a wonderful escape. However, when the trip revolves around caring for an elderly parent things can get…complicated. Such was this past week. There were some nice escapes, and we spent lots of time with Laura’s mom.
I know February is a short month, but it’s hard to believe I’ve let it slip away and that we’re now in the first full week of March without any kind of update. I could blame it on being too busy, or that I’ve had a cold, or a dozen other excuses, but mostly it’s just not getting around to it. Regardless, here’s an update, mostly focusing on the acquisition of a new camera lens and the outings to give it a test run.