Random Connections – Page 49 – A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

Labor Day Weekend in Hendersonville

September 6, 2016 Tom 1 Comment

The Labor Day Weekend supposedly marks the end of the summer season. For me it’s an odd holiday that always got lost in the shuffle of everything else that happens this time of year. When I was a teacher, it was an interruption, coming at a time too early in the school year to provide real respite from the rigors of academia. (Not that I really minded a day off.) Now as a retiree it seems that it gets lost even more in the shuffle of fall.

There are lots of activities and events around Labor Day, but also lots of crowds as folks want to take advantage of one more summer fling. Laura had gone to Florida to help with her mom, so I decided to explore some of those events, even though I loathe crowds.

Two Paddles and a Flea Market

September 1, 2016 Tom 3 Comments

Local, Paddling, Photography, Rambling

Once again I’m playing catch-up with my blogging. The past weekend wasn’t as hectic crazy as the previous one, but somehow I still fell behind. I was able to get in kayaking trips to Lakes Keowee and Oolenoy, and check out a flea market that’s been on my radar for awhile. The lakes were great. The flea market…not so much.

Getting Pulled into Union County – Part 2, Union to Mount Vernon

August 27, 2016August 27, 2016 Tom 4 Comments

Photography, Rambling

So far I’d had an interesting, completely random morning of exploration. I’d visited Buffalo and met some nice folks. I got the opportunity to tour a historic building – was actually pulled into it. It wasn’t the last time I’d get pulled into something this day. I still had lots to see and do.

Getting Pulled into Union County – Part 1, Buffalo

August 24, 2016August 24, 2016 Tom 3 Comments

Photography, Rambling

It was one of those days. I had so many projects at home that needed attention. However, Tuesday was the one day this week I didn’t have an appointment of some kind. I wanted to get out of the house and do some photography and exploration. However, I had run out of ideas. Was there some place new in the Upstate I could explore? Some place I hadn’t already visited and photographed many times? I kind of left things to chance, and I’m glad I did. I was literally pulled into some new explorations of Union County.

History Mystery X-Files Tour with the Upstate Minis

August 22, 2016August 22, 2016 Tom 1 Comment

Miscellaneous, Science, Weirdness

This past Saturday Laura and I joined the Upstate Minis for their annual History/Mystery Tour. In the past the group has visited the Georgia Guidestones and other historic locations in South Carolina. This year the tour took on an X-Files theme, with a visit up to the Pisgah Astronomy Research Institute, aka PARI, in Rosman, North Carolina. This was our first time on the History/Mystery Tour, and despite bad weather, we had a blast.

Two for Breakfast

August 19, 2016September 1, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

Local, Restaurants

Laura was away for a faculty retreat at Furman. I decided I would check out a couple of new spots for breakfast. I hit two home runs, first with Bika’s Drive-In on Wade Hampton on Wednesday, then again with O. J.’s Diner on Pendleton Street on Thursday. I had two great breakfasts on two consecutive days.

The West Bank of Jocassee

August 18, 2016August 18, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

Paddling

Jocassee can be many things. Beginning paddlers can hang close to the bank and still get to some cool geological features and small waterfalls. Intermediate paddlers and venture further up to Wright Creek Falls and the Thompson River and Whitewater River areas. Experienced paddlers can take longer trips across open water to the Horsepasture and Toxaway arms of the lake. Regardless of the route taken, conditions on the lake can change in an instance, turning a leisurely paddle into a real challenge. That was really born out on my most recent trip to the lake.

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So Long, Shinola, Hello Dodson

August 15, 2016August 16, 2016 Tom No Comments

Local, Weirdness

I was driving on Wade Hampton when I made a sad discovery. Shinola Antiques has closed. There was a real estate sign on the building and a huge dumpster out front.

Dealing with Old Photographs

August 11, 2016August 11, 2016 Tom 1 Comment

Family, Photography

Lately I’ve been hit with a deluge of old family photos. There are the Wright Family photos we found out on Samish Island. We shipped eleven boxes of albums and photos back to the east coast. Then there are the Taylor Family photos – thirteen organized and labeled albums. Throw in all of the photos I’ve taken in pre-digital days, and the number of images is astounding. I would really like to convert all of these to some sort of a digital format, but it is a mountain of a task. For the past several days I’ve been working on workflow and equipment to make the job go as smoothly as possible. Here’s what I’ve learned…

Samish Sojourn – Wrapping Up

August 5, 2016 Tom No Comments

Travel

I’m enjoying my last leisurely morning coffee in the cool air of Samish Island. It’s been a great, relaxing two weeks, but this evening we board a red eye at SeaTac to return to the heat and humidity of South Carolina. With limited Internet on the island, I haven’t done many posts, but I thought I’d recap a few things from the past two weeks that didn’t fit into one of our epic excursions.

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