Random Connections – Page 57 – A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

Passerelle Bistro

January 10, 2016 Tom No Comments

Restaurants

It’s Restaurant Week in Greenville! Participating restaurants offer several courses on a limited menu, usually at a fixed priced per person. Overall it’s much less than if you had selected the same options from the regular menu. This is an excellent opportunity to get out and try new places around town, and perhaps discover a new favorite restaurant.

Laura and I browsed through the participating restaurants, trying to decide on a place for Friday evening. Finally we settled on Passerelle Bistro and made our reservations.

A Hike along a Pleasant Ridge

January 10, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

Photography, Rambling

It started with a turkey sandwich, and the need for a place to eat it. It was a weird day, in terms of exploration, but one that ultimately turned up some interesting discoveries, at least for me.

When I started out I only had two things in mind. First I wanted to get out of the house. With all of the rain and trying to put the house back together after Christmas, I wanted a bit of a break. I wanted to find an interesting place for photos. The second thing was that I was tired of eating out at lunch and wanted to save some money and calories. I’d made a lovely turkey sandwich and, despite it being rather chilly, I figured I could find an interesting place to eat it.

What’s in Your Car?

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 Tom 3 Comments

Gear

Overstuffed Car — Photo by Mark Bloom at Tales from the Trash

Every now and then I run across a “What’s in your bag?” post or discussion on various photography forums. I’ve seen it applied to other subjects such as fishing, or even just travel in general The question really boils down to, “What do you think are the essentials?”

It’s not an easy question to answer. You can’t really grab some checklist off of the Internet and expect it to work for you. Such a list evolves through experience, and as you add and subtract items that either gain or lose their usefulness.

My problem is that I have too many bags. I have several for photography-related gear. I’ve got two dry bags that are always packed with what I consider kayaking essentials. I also have a bag for audio recording gear. Sometimes I’ll mix and match content from these bags for a specific adventure. I have already made a list of some of what I consider to be essentials in general. Rather than look at what’s in a bag, I thought that today I’d consider what was in my car.

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Goals 2016

January 4, 2016 Tom No Comments

Miscellaneous

I don’t believe in New Years resolutions. They never seem to work out. However, I’ve got things I want to accomplish this year. So, I’ll make a list, and we’ll see if those things happen or not. Heck, New Year’s Day was four days ago, and I’m just now getting around to this post, so any resolution I make is already getting a late start.

First Light Paddle 2016

January 1, 2016 Tom 1 Comment

Family, Paddling, Photography, Travel

We have built up several New Years traditions over the years. If we’re at home, we have a fondue dinner on the Eve while watching the year roll in. The morning rings in with a breakfast casserole and mimosas. We watch the Rose Parade (per instructions from the Californian in the household) while taking down the Christmas tree, and have nachos while watching the Rose Bowl Game.

That’s a normal year. However, the past couple of years have been anything but normal. Last year I started the year by myself as Laura had to be with her mom. I took the opportunity to watch the sun rise from the highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain. This year I was in Florida for New Year for the first time ever. Since I had missed my usual Winter Solstice Sunrise paddle, I decided to do a First Light paddle.

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2016 RandomConnections Calendar

December 26, 2015December 1, 2015 Tom No Comments

Photography

It’s that time of year. Once again I’ve put together a calendar for family and friends featuring photographs from previous years. In 2015 I did LOTS of traveling, and these photographs reflect those adventures, from Ireland to the Florida Keys to spots all around South Carolina. In years past I’ve done a blog post describing … Read More “2016 RandomConnections Calendar” »

Christmas Eve Kayaking and Full Moon

December 24, 2015 Tom No Comments

Family, Paddling, Photography, Travel

It’s hard to believe that Christmas has rolled around again. Earlier in the week we made the trek down to Laura’s sister’s house in Florida so that we could spend the holiday with Amy and their mother. It was hot, but so far we’ve had a good time.

The Hype Awakens

December 23, 2015December 23, 2015 Tom No Comments

Entertainment

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past six months, everyone knows that the latest movie in the Star Wars series opened last week. To say there was been hype would be a HUGE understatement. Coming out before Christmas, just about all of the stores were stocked with movie merchandise, and there were lots of advertising tie-ins.

The problem, of course, is that a movie might not live up to the hype. It could be as bad as, say, the Phantom Menace. Many fans were holding their breath, me being one of them. Despite the hype, bad things could happen.

Birthday Banjo

December 15, 2015December 15, 2015 Tom No Comments

Miscellaneous, Music

I’ve made one more pass around old Sol. Laura says that this is an auspicious birthday because my age is divisible by both five and eleven, two of her favorite numbers. Last year was complicated by family matters, so I spent the day by myself climbing a mountain. This year was complicated by singing engagements, … Read More “Birthday Banjo” »

The Mills of the Pacolet River Basin – Part Two, Converse to Pacolet

December 14, 2015 Tom 1 Comment

Local, Photography, Rambling

I’d been out and about, exploring a couple of historic mill locations. So far I’d spent most of my time at Glendale Shoals, but I was eager to see more. The rest of the day was spent exploring along the banks of the Pacolet river proper, through the mill villages of Converse, Clifton, and Pacolet.

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