Random Connections – Page 83 – A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

Watching the Towers Fall

January 19, 2014 Tom No Comments

Local

A couple of weeks ago I got a text from my nephew, Chip, stating that a prominent Greenville Landmark was going to meet its demise. The Scott Towers on Augusta Road were to be imploded. I knew I had to be there.

The towers were built in 1972, and have been a prominent building on the skyline for as long as I can remember. Apart from that, I really don’t know much about them. As long as I’ve known about the towers, they have served as housing for elderly and disabled citizens, but I’m not sure if that’s the original intent of the building.

When Scott Towers was constructed, The Bell Tower Mall was still an active shopping area. New office buildings were being constructed. It was a hot growth area, along with Pleasantburg Drive near McAlister Square, and the Wade Hampton Mall near Bob Jones University. These were the Woodruff Roads and Haywood Roads of their day. Perhaps it was a good idea to provide housing like this near a vibrant shopping area.

Read More “Watching the Towers Fall” »

A Mid-Week Athens Road Trip

January 17, 2014 Tom No Comments

Family, Photography, Rambling

Union Baptist Church with Texture — Old Union Baptist Church in Madison County

As mentioned in the previous post, my sister Glynda and I headed down to Athens, Ga to meet with our brother, Houston. We had lunch at the famous Weaver D’s Automatic for the People, but we also took some time for other adventures. Here are some of the other things we spotted along the way…

Shortly after crossing the SC-GA border in I-85, we hopped off the Interstate at Lavonia. This had always been just an exit ramp to me. I didn’t really know anything about the town associated with the name, so we decided to check it out. We found a quaint little town square lining a railroad, with a colorful depot now serving as a welcome center.

Automatic for the People

January 16, 2014January 16, 2014 Tom No Comments

Restaurants

Glynda had some business with my brother Houston, in Athens, so I offered to drive her down in exchange for a leisurely day taking photographs. Turned out to be a good road trip through Georgia, stopping at several interesting points and a couple of landmarks in the university town. The highlight, though, was a stop at Weaver D’s Automatic for the People, a culinary and rock and roll landmark in Athens.

Background

Dexter Weaver, a Georgia Native, moved to Baltimore early in life, where his classmates gave him the nickname “Weaver D 43”, from his high school football jersey number. Weaver D found himself in a variety of retail and fast food settings. Through these endeavors Weaver crafted his catch phrase, “Automatic for the People,” to indicate efficiency, caring and quality. A co-worker suggested that if he ever went into business for himself, that should become his motto.

Fate eventually brought him back to Athens, where he used his business and culinary sense to establish a catering business in the late 70’s, early 80s. His business flourished, and he made a name for himself catering events for frat houses and other university events. In 1986 the old Riverside Cafe closed down, opening an opportunity for Weaver D. He leased the building and opened his soul food restaurant.

Because he had catered so many university events, the place was immediately popular with students as a restaurant where they could get good home-cooked food. One of the patrons was none other than Michael Stipe of REM. In 1992 Stipe approached Weaver about using his catchphrase for the title of an upcoming Album, and Weaver agreed. Released in 1992, Automatic for the People was the eighth album by REM, and received a Grammy nomination. The album has the hits “Man in the Moon” and “Everybody Hurts.” It was also used as the title for a Sarah Connor Chronicles TV episode.

Read More “Automatic for the People” »

Sacred Spaces along the Cooper River

January 14, 2014January 14, 2014 Tom 4 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Taveau Church with Texture — Taveau Church

So far the day had gone quite well. We had an excellent breakfast in Moncks Corner. We had discovered some old plantation ruins and a cursed tree and survived to tell the tale. However, time was running out on our adventure. We had been cheating the weather that was flooding the rest of the state, and the radar was looking pretty bleak.

It was time to initiate some serious gris gris to ward off the curse of the Robintation Tree. We started with our own LCU version of communion – bratwurst and sauerkraut served with home brewed beer for lunch. Instead of the banks of a river, this time we had a true tailgate lunch in the parking lot of the Childsbury Heritage Preserve parking area.

Plantation Ruins and a Cursed Tree

January 13, 2014 Tom 11 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Comingtee Plantation Ruins with Texture — Comingtee Plantation House Ruins

This is Part Two of a three-part post…

After our marvelous breakfast at Howard’s in Moncks Corner, our group of adventurers from Lowcountry Unfiltered set forth for more exploration. Our target was the Bonneau Ferry Wildlife Management Area, which has only recently been opened to the public. Weather was rolling in quickly, and severe thunderstorms were already hitting the upstate. We had a finite window of opportunity.

Bonneau Ferry WMA encompasses 10,700 acres of pine savannahs, bottomland hardwoods, wildlife openings, wetlands and reservoirs along the banks of the Cooper River and East Branch of the Cooper. The eponymous ferry is actually on the southern part of the WMA, along the banks of the East Branch. Our target was the western portion of the tract, along the banks of the main branch of the river. We would start at Strawberry Chapel and explore the area around Comingtee Plantation.

Bonneau Ferrry WMA Mills Atlas — Bonneau Ferrry WMA from Robert Mills 1825 Atlas

Breakfast in Monck’s Corner

January 12, 2014January 12, 2014 Tom 1 Comment

Rambling, Restaurants

This is Part One of a three part post…

It was a second Saturday, and time for another Lowcountry Unfiltered outing, the first of 2014. Traditionally this has been our “Swamp Stomp” outing, dating back to when we trod through Congaree National Park in flood conditions looking for Championship Trees. We had several options, but decided upon a biking/hiking trek to Bonneau Ferry Wildlife Management Area.

Originally, I had planned to head down Friday and do some more photography and exploration in Berkeley County. However, the weather was not cooperating. The forecast was for a front to come through, with severe thunderstorms tracking across the coastal areas.

I decided not to drive down on Friday, but did head out early Saturday. When I awoke the sky was lit up with lightening. I was beginning to question the wisdom of this trek. I already had my bike loaded up, so I went ahead and loaded my cameras and rain gear into the car and headed south.

Even on the road I was second-guessing my decision. Strong lightening strikes hit close to the car, almost blindingly so. Rain poured down. As I headed south the rain let up little by little, and on the other side of Columbia the sun even started to peek through for brief moments. Home would be drenched, but we might be OK.

MaKey MaKey and Google Earth

January 10, 2014 Tom 2 Comments

EdTech, Gear, Geocaching and Maps, Science

Makey Makey and Google Earth-001 — MaKey MaKey – Front Side

Before Christmas I got an Amazon gift card for my birthday, and I used it to buy a MaKey MaKey. It arrived just before the hectic Christmas rush and our traveling, so I didn’t really get a chance to play with it. These past few very cold days have been the perfect opportunity to see what this thing can do.

So, what is this thing?

A MaKey MaKey is an Arduino-based computer interface that allows any conductive material to be substituted for a key on the computer keyboard. The name is a contraction of “Make Anything a Key,” or “MaKey.”

The kit comes with alligator clips and jumper wires to attach to…just about anything. The board is connected to the computer via USB. You connect the clip to some conductive material such as aluminum foil, liquid, or even a piece of fruit. Another clip is attached to the ground on the board, the held in one hand. Touching the fruit-foil-liquid will complete the circuit through your body and trigger the key, depending on where the first clip is attached on the board.

Cabana Bar and Grill

January 9, 2014January 9, 2014 Tom No Comments

Restaurants

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a restaurant review. I hadn’t really planned to do one today, but I kind of stumbled into one. For lunch today I visited the Cabana Bar and Grill, located in the former Haus Edelweiss on Wade Hampton. I had actually pulled in just to get a shot of the new sign and picture of the business that had replaced Haus Edelweiss. I saw several cars in the parking lot, and there was a sign that said “Open”, so I decided to check it out.

Background

As mentioned, this was once Haus Edelweiss. I had a chance to speak to the owner, who told me that they had been friends with the owners of Haus Edelweiss. Her mother had been catering in the area, so when the restaurant came available, they took the opportunity to establish their own place. I was told that they hope to feature lots of Latin American dishes, but for now they are focusing on Colombian cuisine.

The restaurant has only been open for two weeks.

Yesterday’s Tomorrows, Revisited

January 2, 2014January 3, 2014 Tom 1 Comment

Entertainment, Miscellaneous

amazing vintage sci-fi art — “If” Magazine Cover
from Flickr user “Modern Fred”

Hard to believe that 2014 will mark ten years of RandomConnections. As such, throughout the year I may be dredging up some old posts (basically because I’m lazy and it saves having to come up with new ideas.)

One of my personal favorites was from July 2004, when I wrote a post entitled “Yesterday’s Tomorrows.” In that post I put together a list of things that would have already happened, if various SciFi novels and movies were actually correct. I figured that with everyone making predictions for the new year, it might be a good idea to revisit and update this ten year old list.

2014 RandomConnections Calendar

January 1, 2014 Tom 1 Comment

Miscellaneous, Photography

Cover Photo – Tree Roots on the old Furman University Campus

Each year since about 2007 I’ve been making calendars for my family. Last year because of Laura’s illness I didn’t get around to making any, until my Mom said that she really missed having one. I hastily threw one together after Christmas and only printed a very few of them. This year I made enough for immediate family, but have also made the calendar available online for purchase.

When I first started this I tried to select my favorite photos from the past year. However, some years were better than others for photography, and I had to resort to another strategy. I created a Flickr group called “Calendar Potentials” where I would keep photos that might work. I draw images from that collection, and remove them from that group once they are used in a calendar.

The first calendars I created were printed using qoop.com. That service discontinued last year, so I had to use snapfish.com. This year the calendar was printed using lulu.com. The process was much smoother, there were more options for design, and overall it was less expensive. I think I’ll stick with them for future calendars.

Each year my family asks about the photos that appear in the calendar, so I do a blog post describing that year’s calendar shots. This year is no different. Here are the images for 2014: