A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
This story starts back last winter. It was a cold Wednesday morning at the Pickens Flea Market and we really wanted to get a fire going in Ralph Perry’s ancient 1902 vintage stove. The problem was that there was nary a match, lighter, nor flint amongst us. This being the flea market we were eventually … Read More “Looking for a Match” »
Five years ago I went down a rabbit hole. I started obsessing about the architect of McCarter Presbyterian Church, where I had served as music director for a number of years. I wrote about my research in a 2019 blog post about the Oeland Family and their involvement in the construction of multiple churches across … Read More “A Legacy of Faith” »
Today, August 3, 2024, would have been my father’s 100th birthday. He was born August 3, 1924. Dad died on November 3, 2011 at the age of 88, and I have missed him just about every day since then. It seems that he and my mother have been visiting me in my dreams more and … Read More “Dad at 100” »
I’ve been wanting to get on the water as much as possible. Greg Springsteen had told me about a new outfitter group that rents kayaks and runs a shuttles on a specific section of the Saluda River. This just so happens to be a section of the Saluda that I’ve never run, but has been … Read More “Saluda River from Hunt’s Bridge to Farr’s Bridge” »
It seems like our numbers at the Pickens Flea Market Musician’s Circle have been getting smaller and smaller. We’ve lost some of our players to old age and illness. I looked back at some of the photos I’ve taken over the years and lost count of the number of players that are no longer with … Read More “Living It Up at the Pickens Flea Market” »
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” »
Lake Glenville, north of Cashiers, North Carolina, has intrigued me every time I’ve driven past it, always on the way to someplace else. I really wanted to get on the water and I really wanted to explore someplace new. Seemed like a fine time to check out the highest lake east of the Mississippi. I’m … Read More “Disrupted Paradise at Lake Glenville” »
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” »
My, how time flies. On May 14, 2004, RandomConnections first came online. 20 years and nearly 3000 posts later, and the site is still going strong. I know I’ve said this before on other anniversaries for the site, but here’s a brief history… In 2003 I started experimenting with blogging. The first iteration was at … Read More “Twenty Years of Random Connections!” »
Thursday was going to be a spectacular day and I was bound and determined to take advantage of it. I ran through my list of local paddling venues trying to decide where to go. I settled on a new place that wasn’t too far away that I’d been wanting to explore. I launched from a … Read More “Paddling with Cicadas Below Hartwell Dam” »