Getting Religion on the Edisto

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Getting Religion on the Edisto
Paddling, Photography

Edisto River 2

The Current be with you.

And also with you.

May the waters of the Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto flow over you and bless you…

I’ve mentioned before how our Lowcountry Unfiltered core group tends to consist of guys with names of the disciples. On this latest trip to the Edisto River we noticed other religious aspects. While not a defined liturgy, we do have our own order of service, dictated by the nature of the paddling venue. There is The Gathering then The Launch. Instead of wine and wafers we take communion with beer and brats, and our preferred method of baptism is via rope swing. What happens in between tends to be more free-form Charismatic than Episcopal, with a touch of Calvinism thrown in for good measure.

Read More “Getting Religion on the Edisto” »

Two Libraries, Revisited

Posted on By Tom 4 Comments on Two Libraries, Revisited
Local

Taylors Library Branch

Back in 2010 I wrote a piece entitled “Two Libraries, Two Attitudes.” In that article I took the Greenville County Library to task for their Internet blocking policies. At the time they blocked lots of sites, such as Twitter and most blogs, because their Acceptable Use Policy stated that the computers couldn’t be used for chat. By extension, this included most forms of social media, including Facebook, Myspace, and other similar sites.

The other night one Brian Dykes, who apparently is an employee of the library, left a comment stating that the information in that post was now incorrect. The snarky tone of the comment aside, I decided to take Mr. Dykes up on his challenge, and revisit the library to see if they had, in fact, reformed their policies.

Read More “Two Libraries, Revisited” »

David Rufus Hill

Posted on By Tom 23 Comments on David Rufus Hill
History and Genealogy, Local

D. R. Hill News Clipping

The other day one of our maintenance guys, Bobby, brought a box up from the warehouse. It contained some personal effects of David Rufus Hill. Mr. D. R. Hill was superintendent of Spartanburg School District Five in the 1950’s, and D. R. Hill Middle School bears his name.

Apparently the Middle Tyger branch of the Spartanburg County Library wanted some information on Mr. Hill. First, they wanted to know what the initials stood for. Bobby remembered the materials and retrieved them, thinking they might shed some light on the man.

Read More “David Rufus Hill” »

Lake Blalock Paddlefest

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Lake Blalock Paddlefest
Paddling, Photography

Lake Blalock

This past Saturday Spartanburg Water held their first annual Paddlefest on Lake Blalock. In addition to highlighting paddlesport opportunities on the lake, the event was designed to promote water quality and watershed awareness. The Western Carolina Kayaking group announced the event, so I decided to sign up and check it out.

Lake Blalock is located in northern Spartanburg County. It is fed by the Pacolet River, which it shares with its upstream neighbor, Lake Bowen, and by Buck Creek. The lake is a small lake with limited boat motor size, and a watershed buffer zone around the lake between landowners and the lake’s edge. That makes it ideal for paddling.

Read More “Lake Blalock Paddlefest” »

Guidestones and Bridges

Posted on By Tom 3 Comments on Guidestones and Bridges
Photography, Rambling, Travel

Georgia Guidestones

Glynda had asked me to go pick up our brother, Houston’s truck. I had mistakenly thought the truck was in Prosperity. Turns out it was at his house near Watkinsville, GA. So, Sunday I was in for a long drive that I hadn’t really counted on. No matter – I hadn’t been to my brother’s house in awhile, even though he had been up our way lots of times. Also, with a new camera, I didn’t mind another excuse for a ramble.

We decided to avoid the interstate and take the back roads down through Abbeville, Elberton, and across to Watkinsville. After all, you can’t see sights like this from I-85, much less stop and photograph them…

Vulture HouseVulture House

Read More “Guidestones and Bridges” »

Furman Photo Walk

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Furman Photo Walk
Local, Photography

Furman Belltower Walkway

Despite the earlier disappointment with the new camera, the D7000 had a chance to redeem itself. I had signed up for a photo walk at Furman with the Upstate Photography Walks Meetup. I managed to make it home from North Carolina in time to catch a quick nap and meet the group at the Furman Bookstore at 6:00 pm for an evening walk.

I’ve participated in the Greenville Canoe and Kayak Meetup, but not the photography group. I didn’t know any of the participants, but was willing to give it a shot. I was joined by seven other photographers for a walk around campus.

Furman Photo Walk

Read More “Furman Photo Walk” »

Smiley’s Flea Market

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Smiley’s Flea Market
Photography, Rambling

Smiley's Flea Market

On my recent trip to North Carolina I stopped by Smiley’s Flea Market. I had wanted to visit, but for one reason or another had never gotten here early enough, or when I wasn’t in a rush to get somewhere else. So on Saturday I added another flea market to my list.

Smiley’s actually has three locations – this one on Fletcher, one in Macon, Georgia, and one in Micanopy, Florida (where ever the heck that is.) This one seemed fairly large, but not as big as the Anderson Jockey Lot or the Pickens Flea Market. It’s about the same size at the Augusta Road market.

As mentioned in my last post, i didn’t take the big camera in. I did, however, take the LX-5 and one other tool. I had my iPhone set to take one shot every 5 seconds as I walked around with it on my belt. I would see what I would capture.

Read More “Smiley’s Flea Market” »