A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
I have a thick white beard that I’ve let grow out longer for the season. I have a Santa hat. I have a red PFD. I have a big red kayak. Of course I’d combine all of these for some Santa paddling. What I hadn’t counted on was eight tiny dolphins to pull my sleigh.
When possible I’ve tried to watch the sunrise from a kayak on the solstices. Winter solstice we’re usually in Florida for Christmas. Last year we missed it while we were away in Washington State, but this year I was determined to get out for the sunrise. The added bonus? I had two new boats to christen.
My brother Houston and I have been working on the song “Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down.” As I was humming it I found that it fit nicely with the old song “I’m Just a Poor, Wayfaring Stranger.” The two match harmonically, melodically, and thematically. I tried to put them together as a medley at our last Pickens Flea Market gig, with varying degrees of success. The most striking aspect of these tunes is the opening phrase, where the melody seems to linger on the fifth of the scale tone. I’m calling this “The Hanging Fifth.”
Thanksgiving has come and gone and we now find ourselves no the first day of December, 2018. I didn’t do any great explorations or historic research over the past couple of weeks, but I did get out and about. Perhaps I should start a series similar to my “Random Skagit” posts from last year in Washington State. Regardless, here’s a roundup of a few of the happenings over the last week or so.
This past weekend we learned of the death of my aunt, Nina Ruth Snellgrove. She passed away at the age of 92 and was the last of her family. On Tuesday of this week we said goodbye to Aunt Tootsie at a graveside service in Laurens. Aunt Tootsie was my father’s younger sister, and the … Read More “Remembering Aunt Tootsie” »
This particular Friday was turning out to be a fun, yet busy day. Already I’d reconnected with an old friend at the Carolina Music Museum and had been able to play some fantastic vintage keyboard instruments. Now I was on my way to meet my friend Jeff Bannister for an informal and over-the-top bourbon tasting downtown.
It started with a casual comment by my friend Jeff Bannister on Facebook. He said that Grill Marks restaurant in downtown Greenville was now featuring bourbon flights. I thought it would be a great way to educate myself about bourbon, so I invited myself along. The day turned into a bourbon and music adventure, starting … Read More “Keyboards and Bourbon – Part 1, Keyboards” »
I’m about at the end of my Irish pub round-up. Today’s post covers three in North Carolina, then some conclusions about the Irish pubs in the region. Dugan’s Pub Dugan’s Pub was actually the first pub I visited when I started this project. I headed up to Brevard and did a bit of searching for … Read More “An Irish Pub Roundup – Part 4, Brevard to Asheville” »
I have been pondering the problems with last Sunday’s Irish music session at Jack of the Wood. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about this in terms of some of the problems I encountered in Washington State. There is an issue specifically with Irish music, but the problems with the last session could happen with just about any non-concert corporate music-making session.
I was on a mission to find a true, authentic Irish pub in our area. I had made a list of possible targets and had already visited several. I’m actually writing about them out of order of visit so that I can group them more conveniently. In this post I take a look at the pubs here in Greenville.