An Afternoon of Furman Time Lapse

Posted on By Tom No Comments on An Afternoon of Furman Time Lapse
Photography

Furman Belltower

Interesting how this retirement thing is working out. I was toying with several options this morning. I had some writing I needed to do, but as beautiful as the day was, I was also thinking about taking out a kayak. Laura suggested meeting at Furman for lunch, so I spent the morning writing, then headed up her way.

This was the first time I’d been to Furman since the student center was remodeled. I was impressed with the changes, which opened up more space for students to just hang out. It looked a bit weird – different, but it seemed like it would work.

We headed down to The Paddock, the new restaurant that serves beer and wine, a first on campus. The idea was to control access to students of age so that they aren’t drinking an driving. It’s an idea. Laura ordered nachos, and I got fish and chips.

Read More “An Afternoon of Furman Time Lapse” »

Where Did the Swamp Rabbit Go?

Posted on By Tom 20 Comments on Where Did the Swamp Rabbit Go?
History and Genealogy, Local
Swamp Rabbit Railroad
Swamp Rabbit Railroad at
Echo Valley Park

No, I’m not talking about the railroad. My friend Mark Elbrecht has done a great job documenting the path of the Swamp Rabbit up through River Falls. The rest of of the rail has been converted to the very popular trail from Travelers Rest to downtown Greenville.

I’m talking about the actual engines and train cars. But which engine and cars? Is the Swamp Rabbit the train itself, or the path it takes? In this case, I believe it’s the latter. Many different engines have operated along the old Greenville and Northern line. However, the fate of some of the train components that ran on the tracks is equally confusing.

Here’s how this line of inquiry got started…

Read More “Where Did the Swamp Rabbit Go?” »

Building a Kayak Condo

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Building a Kayak Condo
Gear, Paddling
Kayak Condo
Kayak Condo

About a decade ago I needed a place to store my fledgling kayak collection. I had three kayaks and a canoe that needed to be stored somewhere. I put together a small rack that held the boats quite nicely.

Old Kayak Condo

Over the years the small rack just couldn’t cut it. First, it was getting weak. I hadn’t braced it like it should have been. Secondly, it was in the wrong place. I had put it on the middle level of our yard so that I could take the boats down to our lake, or pull them up when we were going elsewhere. Turns out it was inconvenient for both situations. Our little lake has become almost unpaddleable, so most of the trips were away somewhere.

Read More “Building a Kayak Condo” »

Pickens Cemetery Ramble

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Pickens Cemetery Ramble
History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling
Oolenoy Baptist Church and Cemetery-017
Oolenoy Baptist Cemetery

I really, really need to find another subject for photography. It seems that I’m stuck in “cemetery mode.” People ask me if I have some morbid fascination with death. Not really. I’m more interested in the historic nature of a cemetery – the lives of the people who lived and found their final resting place in this spot. I love the artwork on the old headstones, and the florid language of the older epitaphs. For old cemeteries no longer in use, or no longer associated with a church, I like to ponder on the communities that once existed, as well as the lives this locations represent.

Thursday was a beautiful day, so I decided to head out and take some photos. I gave my friend Keith a call, and we headed out in a typically random direction. From his house in Travelers Rest we headed across country, generally toward Pickens. Soon we found ourselves at Oolenoy Baptist Church, and its historic cemetery.

Oolenoy Baptist Church and Cemetery-002

Read More “Pickens Cemetery Ramble” »

Chemical Memories

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Chemical Memories
Science

Carl Kort and Tim Hanks

Last night Laura and I attended the fall awards dinner for the Western Carolinas chapter of the American Chemical Society. The event was held at Hannah Flannagan’s in Hendersonville. Recognition was given to those who had been members of ACS for 50 and 60 years. Carl Kort, interim president of Furman University addressed the group.

I admit to being a science geek, but the depth of my knowledge is limited to general topics. Most of the ACS topics are far over my head. However, this one was targeted toward the general public, and it turned out to be a fascinating evening.

As we were driving up, Laura casually mentioned that I had been designated event photographer. Oops. Fortunately, I had my little Panasonic camera, as I always do, so things were OK.

Read More “Chemical Memories” »

Quick Watkinsville Ramble

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Quick Watkinsville Ramble
Family, Photography, Rambling
Rusted Iron Horse
The Iron Horse

Houston and I still had some photos we needed to process from Lauren and Daniel’s wedding.  We made arrangements to get together at his place in Watkinsville, Georgia.  It had been awhile since I had been down that way, so Sunday morning I made the trek down I-85, through Athens, and down to his farm out in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper ramble if we didn’t generate more photos along the way.  So, before working on the wedding photos, we headed out to take some more.

The weather was perfect, so our first stop needed to be an outdoor venue.  Just down from Houston’s farm is the Dyar Pasture Wetlands area.  The wetlands are on the upper end of Lake Oconee, where the Oconee River enters the lake  There is a boat ramp, and what looks like an excellent place to paddle.  We took one of the trails out to an overlook for the wetlands, then walked out onto a dike.

Dyar Pasture Overlook
Watkinsville Etc-21

Read More “Quick Watkinsville Ramble” »

Wet Saturday Ramble

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Wet Saturday Ramble
Photography, Rambling

Alan and I had planned to take our boats out for a quick Saturday morning paddle.  Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating, so we had to fall back to Plan B.  Alan is as much of a rambler and photographer as I am, so we decided to hit a couple of places locally that he knew about.  The quick trek to us to some interesting remnants of Greenville.

We started the morning discussion talking about hidden and forgotten cemeteries in town.  That might be worthy of a blog post/exploration all on its own.  Alan mentioned on just off of Haywood Road.  We were able to find it in Google Maps, right next to the distinctive lavender building that houses The Trophy Club strip joint.  I’m sure the original owners of the cemetery would be appalled at the disruption to eternal rest. 🙂  We decided to check it out (the cemetery, not the strip club.)

Laurel Creek Cemetery

Finding the cemetery was easy.  It’s not on a major traffic route, but it is right there in the middle of everything.  It’s hard to miss if you’re looking in the right place.  Unfortunately, the grounds were surrounded by chain-link fencing topped with barbed wire with locked gates.  Any observing we were going to do would have to be done from outside.

Read More “Wet Saturday Ramble” »