A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
When you’ve lived in an area as long as I have you can’t help but find yourself exploring places that you’ve been previously. Expect the term “Revisited” to start popping up more frequently in blog post titles. This was the case for a recent photo trek with fellow explorer Mark Elbrecht as we wandered over lower Laurens County. We both wanted to see what was left, if anything, of the old ghost town of Renno.
There’s been a lot happening over the last couple of weeks. We had a trip to Tampa, FL to celebrate my sister, Glynda’s birthday. There were computer OS upgrades, music events, and a major case of writer’s block. Combine that with an impending Hurricane Florence and I just didn’t get around to writing. I’m taking some time this week to catch up on posts. A couple of weeks ago I paid another visit to Greenville’s Cancer Survivor Park along the Reedy River. It was my first visit to the Falls Park area since our return from out west.
It was another Second Saturday and time for a paddling trip with my friends from Lowcountry Unfiltered. For our September trip we had planned to do the western portion of Okefenokee Swamp, but we decided to put that on hold. I had told Matt that after our epic Morris Island excursion I wanted something with current, preferably going on the direction we were paddling. We got that…sort of…by paddling a section of the Savannah River below Augusta. However, any helpful current was offset by the length of the trip, a new record for Lowcountry Unfiltered.
There was a time when I was directing the music for two different churches. I was rehearsing with several choral groups and finishing up my Masters degree, and singing the title role of The Mikado with the Greenville Savoyards. I had some sort of rehearsal three or four nights a week. Laura complained about being a “Choral Widow.” She had a point. This past week I had just about as many musical events and she once again felt like a music widow. However, I do have a strategy.
I decided it’s time to do a bit of housekeeping around here. I haven’t changed the theme or appearance of the blog (that may come later), but I have been working on links, static info, and some behind-the-scenes stuff that I hope will make life easier for this old blogger.
Now that I’ve started looking closely I’ve found many more music making opportunities than I thought possible in our area. This past week I was able to check out two more of those venues, one with blues-oriented rock, and the other with old time mountain music.
Read More “Even More Music – Upstate Guitarists and the French Broad Valley Musicians Association” »
I’ve been doing research and exploring the French Broad River, so when the Western North Carolina Kayaking Meetup announced a trip on the river, I knew I had to sign up. The trip wasn’t on any part of the river covered by the Mountain Lily story, so I’m not calling this “Part 3.” The timing was convenient, though, and it did give me a feel for traveling on the river.
Read More “Paddling the French Broad River with WNC Kayaking” »
My latest historical obsession has been the Mountain Lily, a steamboat that plied the waters of the French Broad River between Brevard and Hendersonville. I’d been able to dig up a bit of information about the boat, but now it was time for a photo trek to see what evidence and remnants remained of the ill-fated boat.
Read More “Searching for the Mountain Lily – Part 2, Remnants” »
While browsing through the mountain of posts on Reddit I came across a link on the Asheville Subreddit about the “Mountain Lily”, a river boat that once plied the French Broad River between Brevard and Asheville in the 1880s. This was the first time I’d heard of the boat and I wanted to know more about it. That brief post launched me into my first RandomConnections obsessive trek since I got back from Washington. That obsession would involve research, a photo trek, and a river paddling trip. First though, some background about the ill-fated riverboat billed as the “Highest Steamboat in America.”
Read More “Searching for the Mountain Lily – Part 1, History” »
I’m still seeking out groups similar to those with which I played in Washington. I’m still scouring the pages of Facebook and Meetup.com for ideas and I have had some success. Last week I played with two different Celtic gigs. This week it was pop standards, mountain music, and an abortive attempt at ukuleles.