Tag: South Carolina

Oh Blackwater, Keep On Rolling…

Posted on By Tom 3 Comments on Oh Blackwater, Keep On Rolling…
Paddling

John N paddles downstream

Saturday morning I got up at 4:00 am, loaded the kayak into the truck and headed south once more to the Edisto River. Last month we had originally planned to kayak the entire 20.3 mile stretch from Colleton State Park to Givhan’s Ferry State Park. We wound up breaking the trip into sections, running only the portion from Mars Old Field to Givhan’s Ferry last time. This time we were going to do the section from Colleton State Park to Stokes Bridge Landing – 8 miles, about the same length as our last trip.

This time there were seven in our group. Matt, John N., Rob D., and Chris J. returned. James B. couldn’t make it, but we were joined by John R. and his son Kevin. Matt’s dog, Cotton rounded out our entourage. We unloaded all the boats, then ran a shuttle down to Stokes Bridge.

As we got underway we observed a huge group of canoes and kayaks getting started on the opposite bank. This was a mixed group of all ages. As they passed I noticed several unusual seating arrangements. Several of the canoes had a man in the back paddling, and a woman up front just along for the ride – no paddle in hand whatsoever. Strange.

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Audio Journeys – The Anderson Jockey Lot

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Audio Journeys – The Anderson Jockey Lot
Local, Things Overheard, Weirdness

Jesus and Knives

Paul and I made our annual trek to the Anderson Jockey Lot. We always try to take a newbie with us – someone not yet immersed in southern flea market culture. Lately this has been a new faculty member at Furman, and this year was no different. Karen Buckmeuller was our victim this time. She couldn’t convince her new husband, Herman Holt, to come along with us. Several others were also supposed to go with us, but wimped out, too.

As I’ve learned, the denizens of the Jockey Lot get very nervous around cameras, and with good reason. We saw several less-than-legal items for sale. I was still able to snap a few shots, though. Most useful was the little Sansa Clip recorder. I clipped it to my shirt and left it recording the entire time we were there. I got some fascinating conversations. I’ve edited it down to the best clips and added a little background music, then posted it to Boomp3.com. It’s about six minutes long.

boomp3.com

In this audio clip, you will here the following, in order:

  • Question about the price of a Megatron helmet
  • Haggling over the sale of a car
  • A discussion about a breed of dog
  • The benefits of using fake security cameras
  • A bird saleslady
  • A call to repentance for stealing cars
  • A discussion of spicy pickled tomatoes
  • How society has been destroyed
  • The problems with Dale Earnhardt candles and Teresa Earnhardt
  • Good beans
  • Night blooming plants
  • A rooster crowing
  • Another dog salesman
  • And finally, selling big time

There were several more conversations I would have loved to have captured.

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Who’s Gonna Clean Up After All These Elephants??

Posted on By Tom 4 Comments on Who’s Gonna Clean Up After All These Elephants??
Local, Rants, Weirdness

Our neighborhood and district are staunchly Republican. So much so that there often isn’t a Democrat opponent in the general election. Therefore, if we are to have any say in who represents us, we have to hold our noses and vote in the Republican primaries. This has had some interesting side effects. We get multiple … Read More “Who’s Gonna Clean Up After All These Elephants??” »

New Orleans Riverfront Restaurant

Posted on By Tom No Comments on New Orleans Riverfront Restaurant
Restaurants

When I hear the phrase “New Orleans Riverfront”, the river that springs to mind is NOT the Congaree. Nonetheless, that’s where I found myself for dinner for my first night in Columbia. The New Orleans Riverfront Restaurant turned out to be a nice find away from the hustle of the Altavista madness in downtown. Atmosphere … Read More “New Orleans Riverfront Restaurant” »