Photo Album - June/July 2016

Just a few images taken over the course of a couple months around the Southeastern United States.

Northwest Georgia

This picture doesn't do it justice, but this photo was taken from in an unincorporated area of  Chattooga county, Georgia called Taylor Ridge. Taylor Ridge, named after Cherokee Indian chief Richard Taylor, runs roughly forty miles through Northwest Georgia and is composed of sandstone on one side and hard chert on the other - leading to differing types of flora on either side of the mountain.

Coming south from Chattooga county, and just inside Floyd county, if one veers from the beaten path of Highway 27 you'll find yourself in the rustic countryside of Armuchee (pronounced Armurchee by the locals) and Johns Mountain Wildlife Management Area. Sparsely populated and no signs on the main highway advertising hiking or camping or the like it is an area filled with barns, creeks that at least appear they'd be good for tubing or kayaking, quaint churches and rolling hills, leading up to small mountain peaks that bear resemblance to the taller and more vast Smokies further to the east. There are also multiple hiking opportunities in the area, mostly accessed by the Pinhoti Trail including Horn Mountain, Rocky Face, Dick's Ridge, Taylor Ride, and Little Sand Mountain.

Summer Festivals Around The South

Liver Mush Festival - Marion, NC

June 3

I had liver mush once. It was in the general area this festival was taking place. I'd spent a couple days in Asheville, NC and was driving back home and stopped at a roadside diner to get some breakfast and liver mush was on the menu and, of course, I had to try it. The taste is nothing really out of the ordinary. It is rich and greasy and has a flavor not unlike regular ol' patty sausage, which is common across The South. One could also say it has a flavor resembling blood sausage or, perhaps, even a light in texture meatloaf. It was pretty good.

This festival takes place in beautiful Marion, NC and celebrates the conglomeration of different pig parts and cornmeal with such events as Best Dressed Pig contest, a Liver much sandwich eating contest, a Pig Calling contest, live music and a corn hole tournament as well. The grand prize for the Best Dressed Pig contest is twenty-five dollars.

Mountains of Music Homecoming - Virginia

June 10-18th

Nine counties, four cities and over and fifty towns. Over an eight day period the hills and mountains of Virginia come alive with the sounds of a musical heritage that traces its roots back to the European and African settlers that arrived there hundreds of years ago. The Crooked Road that links these municipalities is the marker you'll need as you travel from town to town to see acts such as The Crooked Road Ramblers and Flatt Lonesome, just to name a couple. But music isn't the only draw to this eight day hoedown. In the Central Zone in Cedar Bluff, there is a Community Quilt Challenge, and in Haysi, in the West Zone, there is a folk art exhibit by painter Shawn Wallace. What I've mentioned here is just a tiny snippet of a truly vast experience and exhibition. Find out more here.  

The Bride: Early 1900s How-To Book for Newlyweds - Part 2

This is the second portion of a book found at my grandmother's house (R.I.P.). You will find many peculiar, vintage recipes advertisements and a lot of things spelled differently than one would spell them today. To zoom in on the image - press ctrl +. 

This will, no doubt, be many people's favorite section as the craft cocktail trend is surging right now and these are about as vintage recipes as one will find. There were more pages of recipes besides these actually, but I'd been scanning the pages of this book for an hour and felt that these were sufficient.

FOR THE ENTERTAINER

And "The Most Beautiful Street In America" Is...

According to this website, which street in America takes top honor of "The Most Beautiful Street in America"? Find Out.

The Bride: Early 1900s How-To Book for Newlyweds - Part 1

I found this book in my granny's house a couple of years ago. She passed away in 2011, and this book was just amongst a bunch of other books in a box in her bedroom. I'd never seen it before, and it didn't look as though anyone had had anything to do with it in quite some time.

Based on a Havertys advertisement inside that states their "Twenty-five years of fair-dealing" and the fact that Havertys was founded in 1885, this book must have been published in or around 1910. It states that it was printed in Memphis, but it is certainly geared toward the Atlanta market.

The time-period specific food and drink recipes abound as do the tips and helpful Hints. Even the spelling of many words is different. Enjoy this peculiar piece of household history, but when it comes to the medicinal remedies and first-aid suggestions, please realize they are more than one-hundred years old and many of them cause more harm than good. I've included them for entertainment purposes only.

To better read the actual pages of this book simply hold down Ctrl and tap + on your keyboard and your screen will zoom in on the text. 

One of the first pages in the book reads: We do not with that your life be all sunshine; But there be just enough shadow to temper the rays of the sun.

Two of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker are in The South

According to MovieMaker.com, Not only is Atlanta the best large city to live and work as a filmmaker, but Savannah is the best small city to do the same. Story here

Small Town Coffee Shops Across the Southeast

Onyx Coffee Lab

A fusion of Modern Ozark design and a seed to cup approach, the three Onyx Coffee Labs between Fayetteville, Arkansas and Springdale, Arkansas offer a truly unique experience. The beans are carefully selected and then roasted to perfection with the idea in mind that one should not taste the roast, but the bean and thus you get a truly perfect cup, or shot, of responsibly sourced coffee - in Arkansas. They even have weekly tastings, which includes three to four coffees and takes 30-45 minutes.

Annual 'Made In The South' Awards

From gun cases to oyster knives to hand crafted wooden boats and beyond, these products are not only Made in the USA- They're made right down the road... Full Story- 

Best Towns in the South for Christmas Are...

Five towns in the South made Good Housekeeping's list of most festive places to celebrate the Christmas... Read more. 

Keeping Small Towns Alive, Literally

Some things you might not think about, but their impact is huge... Read More. 

Hidden Small Town Gems across the South

There are many quaint, charming and hidden small-town-gems across the South... Here are 10 of them. 

Lost in the Wilderness, Again.

Lost in the West Georgia woods, at night.

Polaris Razr and a Mud Puddle - Who'll Win?

Will he make it through the bog without getting stuck?

Neighborhood Spotlight: Br-amble-ville, Atlanta

    Br-amble-ville: Out of Three, One

Br-amble-ville is the name I have decided to coin when referring to my neighborhood of Atlanta. It is a triumvirate of rapidly rising hamlets right outside Buckhead more commonly known collectively as the cities of Brookhaven, Chamblee, and Doraville. This tri-town area is heir apparent to be crowned the most up and coming area in the ever sprawling metropolis of Metro Atlanta. Br-amble-ville is poised to rival any other rich and vibrant urban community that makes up the patchwork we all call home.

Fireside Johnny Cash

Drunken cover by a campfire.

Nothing like a fireside cover with a Martin guitar, by a river on a not too warm summer night -- after a few beers, of course!

One of the Most Talked About Restaurants in the Country...

 Why not put an upscale creative Southern Restaurant in a defunct Greyhound Station... Full Story

RAW Artist Showcase: Exposure - April 19, 2015

I'd had the opportunity in previous months to attend RAW Artists Showcase, but for reasons I can't explain currently I did not go. I was probably hungover. 

This day, however, I was not. And despite the incessant deluge of rain we'd received over the course of the last week and a half or so, I felt great. Due to people being out of town and a variety of other factors I didn't have any luck finding a friend to join me to this event held on a Sunday Night at Terminal West in west Atlanta, but I knew I for sure wasn't going to miss this one.

The first musical act of the night was Belle Rousse. She is an up and coming electro/pop/country artist from Marietta, GA. Her music is not exactly my style, but she's good at what she does and puts on a fantastic show, and is damn good at coming up with catchy hooks. 

While listening to the tunes of Ms. Belle Rousse, I sauntered about the venue and perused the various other displays of human expression - including but not limited to paintings, sketches, drawings, photographs and models done-up, made-up and dressed-up in a multitude of costumes, black glitter paint, Egyptian head-dresses, wild hair, tame hair, striped faces, and fake tattoos.

The next musical act of the night was Teeya Skipper and The Ma Soul Band.They were an ultra tight foursome that killed it with their own versions of covers as well as originals. Ms. Teeya Skipper is not only a performer, but her voice seemed to have no limitations - nailing notes and giving her own flair to the lyrical delivery that few artists have the auditory awareness to pull off.

Music Poster From Way Back When

Music legends had to start somewhere... Continue to Original Story

TV and Film Industry desperately Needs Positions Filled in Atlanta

Need a Job? There's a lot more to the TV/Film Industry than just acting and directing, and in Atlanta they need help... Continue to Original Story...

Holiday Attractions and Christmas Lights around the Southeast

It's that time of year again, time to get out your tacky sweaters, spike the eggnog and celebrate the Season. Here are some of the best places to do it... Click to Continue...