Random Connections – Page 39 – A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

Lilyfest at Landsford Canal State Park

May 21, 2017May 22, 2017 Tom No Comments

Once again it’s time for the Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies (hymenocallis coronaria) to make their appearance along the rivers of the Southeast. This past weekend marked the peak bloom for the lilies and all week I was seeing photos taken at Landsford Canal State Park posted to social media. A paddling friend also posted a link to a tour run by the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation. Laura was away on a Furman trip, so I decided it would be a great opportunity to head back to the Catawba River for this event.

Return to Old Santee Canal

May 18, 2017 Tom No Comments

Paddling, Photography

I’m always looking for new paddling companions. Not that there’s anything wrong with the close friends I’ve developed in my other paddling groups, but different people bring different perspectives and and expertise on new paddling venues. The more the merrier (most of the time.). So lately I’ve been keeping track of the Tri-County Blueway Paddlers Meetup group. Ed Deal and Deb Mims have been organizing some insteresting trips over waterways I’ve wanted to explore and at times that I can attend. This week they scheduled a trip to the Old Santee Canal which I’d visited back in February with Lowcountry Unfiltered. I enjoyed that trip so much and the scenery was spectacular, so I decided to head back for this trip.

A Long Wet Hike on Long Cane Creek

May 15, 2017May 15, 2017 Tom 10 Comments

History and Genealogy, Paddling, Photography

It was time to plan another Second Saturday trip with Lowcountry Unfiltered. We’ve been trying to expand our trips, visiting places that we haven’t done multiple times. There are lots of waterways in this state, so I don’t think we’ll exhaust our opportunities, but it’s fun to see new stretches of water. This time we decided to paddle part of the Little River Blueway, specifically, a section of Long Cane Creek. Our route would take us through a very remote, historical section of South Carolina, but there would be many, many obstacles before we reached the end of our paddle.

Mystery Brass

May 14, 2017 Tom No Comments

Music, Weirdness

Our air conditioning died. It was old and probably needed to be replaced anyway, but it’s still a pain when it happens. So this week Laura and I have been emptying the attic so that the installers have access to the air handler and the ducts so that these can be re-insulated. During this process we found tons of stuff we had completely forgotten about, most of which we’re just tossing or sending to Goodwill. Among these items we discovered an unusual musical instrument, one that I had never been able to identify…until now.

Acceptance at Perryville

May 12, 2017 Tom 1 Comment

Local, Music

The end of Monday nigh Chorale rehearsals means that I’m free to visit Perryville and join their musician’s circle. I decided to do just that this week, and I learned a valuable lesson – don’t pass the microphone.

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Indian River Above and Below

May 12, 2017 Tom No Comments

Family, Paddling, Photography, Travel

I’m trying to play catch-up with the blog. We’ve been on the road and just got back this past weekend. Things didn’t slow down even then. It was either too windy or too stormy to paddle much of the time that we were in Florida last week. Even so, I was able to get in two trips that pushed my year-to-date mileage to over 90 miles.

Yeah, Writer’s Block, or Something Like It

May 11, 2017 Tom No Comments

Miscellaneous

Lots going on, most of it’s fairly cool stuff, and lots about which to write. However, I completely lack motivation to do so. Add to that problems with this website and other headaches like a dead air conditioner and ongoing pain from gout, and I’ve fallen behind. I’ll get around to it, maybe tomorrow while … Read More “Yeah, Writer’s Block, or Something Like It” »

Just Another Day in Paradise

May 2, 2017May 3, 2017 Tom No Comments

Family, Miscellaneous

Ongoing issues with Laura’s mom’s Alzheimer’s care meant a sudden trip to Florida. Laura caught an immediate flight on Friday, but it was a concert weekend for me. So Monday morning I loaded up the car with cameras, computers, paddling gear, and musical instruments, and headed down. Here’s what happened Tuesday…

A Case of Mistaken Photo Theft

April 26, 2017April 26, 2017 Tom No Comments

Internet, Photography

This was going to be a very different post. I was about to explode with righteous indignation about the theft of yet another photo. And while the photo theft did take place, it was a different photo and my culprit turned out to be…me. It was an interesting rabbit hole of research that led me to an unknown (to me) photographer and an appreciation for his work.

Marching to a Different Drum

April 23, 2017 Tom 1 Comment

Local, Miscellaneous, Music

It was another one of those weekends where everything was happening at the same time. It’s a Chorale concert weekend, downtown was hosting the Reedy River Race as well as the March for Science. There was baseball, festivals in just about every small surrounding town, and more than one individual could take in. Yet, we managed to squeeze in quite a bit of it in one day.