A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
Salem United Methodist Church sits prominently on White Horse Road, right where it intersects with I-185 on the west side of Greenville. The church has a history with our family. From 1963 until 1976 its pastor was the Rev. Bill Cooke. My brother, Stephen, and Bill’s daughter, Cynthia Cooke were married in the church in … Read More “Orphaned Cemeteries – Old Salem Methodist Church” »
Humans are weird. At least in our western culture, they expect that a sixteen square foot plot of land will be set aside for them in perpetuity, to be held sacrosanct as a memorial of their existence. It seems that over the generations we would eventually run out of land for burials. Perhaps that’s one … Read More “The Orphaned Graveyards of Greenville County” »
Back in November the Lowcountry Unfiltered gang decided to head back to Low Falls Landing for our Second Saturday trip. Our trip would take us through the remnants of cypress forests and floating cabins and lead us to the discovery of an old paddlewheel riverboat.
Right. So, let’s just call it what it is – depression. I suffer from it, like about half of the planet right now. It’s not “writer’s block” as I’ve contended in previous posts because I’ve got a TON of material, know exactly what I want to say, and have had plenty of time in which … Read More “That Was the Year That Was” »
Winter solstice 2020 The longest night of the darkest year… I paddle out to greet the returning sun,Leaving in my wake The grief of lost loved ones,The uncertainty of unrest,And the fear of isolation, Heading toward a time when the days are not just longer,But brighter.Days of anticipation And hope,When we can once againGather closely inLove and … Read More “Winter Solstice 2020” »
I don’t know why, but this pandemic has given me the worst case of writer’s block…ever. I will try to catch up, but I make no guarantees. With writer’s block comes a loss of direction. When I’m out rambling I usually do so knowing that I’ll write about it here. It gets to be a … Read More “Back to the Santee with Lowcountry Unfiltered” »
The first Saturday of each month the Bamberg County Chamber of Commerce sponsors a trip on a section of the Edisto River. I have tried to attend as many of these as I can. The events are well-organized and I’ve met some great people. This month we did a section of the river that began … Read More “Kayaking to the Edisto Confluence” »
These past couple of weeks have been difficult with the loss of our brother-in-law. I’m trying to catch up on several posts. I was able to take a few kayaking trips during that time, mostly as a way to cope with stress. One of those trips was a full moon kayaking trip on the Saluda … Read More “Moonlight on the Saluda” »
This past week my brother-in-law, Jennings Putnam, passed away from complications of COVID-19. His passing on August 31 was sudden, and left our family with a profound sense of loss. Jennings was a native of the Warrior Creek area near Gray Court and attended high school at Gray Court-Owings while my father was principal. There … Read More “Goodbye, Jennings” »
A few summers ago several of my friends and I started doing what we called “Water Wednesdays.” We would pick a different venue each week and try to get out on the water. Since then several of my paddling friends have retired and in this time of social distancing, it seemed like a good time … Read More “Social Distancing on Water Wednesdays” »