It's been another good week on the road out here in South Carolina. This week I've meandered through cypress swamps, wandered wild beaches and dug deep into the history of the lowcountry of South Carolina. The weather has been up and down, and I guess April showers are showing up a little early, but that has left me with some time to work on my next podcast and do some reading and writing as well.
I started the week by leaving Beaufort behind and making my way out to Walterboro. I wanted to check out...
One of the best things about this journey is being able to celebrate the holidays in different places and with different traditions. I think this aspect will only get better as summer approaches and with it will be music festivals and state, county and local fairs. I had a wonderful time at the Christmas Parade in Charleston, West Virginia, and also at the Mardi Gras Parade in tiny Marshall, North Carolina. For St. Patrick's Day this year, I found myself in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. I really enjoyed taking photos at their St. Patrick's Day Parade. I wanted to capture the fun of the day with the beautiful scenery of Charleston in the background. It was a great day in The Holy City.
Somewhere inside of me, there will always be an island kid. I've spent about three years of my life living on islands, and there is just something special about them. When I'm talking about an island, I mean a real island, one you can only get to by boat. As soon as a bridge connects it, it becomes a peninsula in my head. It loses its charm. It becomes just another part of whatever it is connected to. A real island is isolated and quirky and the residents are eccentric and innovative, as anything they need - from groceries to lumber - probably has to come from somewhere else. Daufuskie Island is a real island and a beautiful and charming one at that. It's hard to believe it's only 20 minutes by water taxi from mainland South Carolina because it feels a world apart.
Hello everyone! It's been a busy week out here on the road as usual. During this week I realized that in my pursuit of journalistic stories to publish and photograph, a lot of this journey gets left on the cutting room floor. So I thought when I can I would try and give a quick travelogue of my week - where I've been and what I've been up to. A "behind the scenes" look at my life on the road. This way you can get to know me better and see what this trip really entails.
In any discussion of barbecue, North Carolina likes to describe itself as the "Capital of 'Cue". And when you're talking barbecue in North Carolina, you are talking about one thing and one thing only: pork. Forget the brisket, the chicken, even ribs for that matter, it's all about the hog here in NC.
There are two different schools of thought within the state, and the topic of which is better probably depends on where you are from. In the east, purists focus on cooking the whole hog, whereas western North Carolina 'cue, often called "Lexington Style" is just the shoulder. Eastern barbecue joints also give you a liquidy pepper-vinegar sauce whereas in the west you are more likely to find what most would consider a more traditional barbecue sauce, but still heavy on the vinegar...
North Carolina has a wonderful musical tradition. From the mountain music roots in the west to the urban sounds of jazz and hip-hop in the cities, you are never far from some great music anywhere in the state. North Carolina has produced such musical legends as Earl Scruggs, Randy Travis, Charlie Daniels, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Maceo Parker and too many more to list. I got to see some wonderful live music in my time in North Carolina and visit some great venues as well. Here are a few of my favorites...
During my five weeks in North Carolina, I have had some really wonderful food. It is always great to be back in the south where food is often simple, hearty and delicious. In this post I want to highlight some of the unique, iconic and delicious meals I've had here in North Carolina.
This culinary journey began at Skylight Inn in Ayden, North Carolina. I'll start by saying that North Carolina barbecue is not my favorite. As much as I love pork, it is the beginning and the end in classic North Carolina barbecue joints. There isn't a brisket or a rack of ribs to be found. Then there's the sauce - a sweet liquid pepper-vinegar concoction in the east and the same with some ketchup in it in the west - generally it just doesn't really do it for me. I did find some decent barbecue places in North Carolina, but none even held a candle to Skylight Inn. Skylight Inn was a whole different experience...
I am always in awe of true craftspeople. In an era of mass production, anyone who has continued to work with their hands to create something both useful and beautiful is pretty awesome in my book. When I can visit somewhere where each piece was produced with love and attention to detail, I can get lost just looking around. And when you add in an historic angle to it, I'm sold. That's why I was so thrilled to visit Westmoore Pottery in Seagrove, North Carolina, a truly special place.
Most people have probably never heard of Intheoaks, the magnificent one-time home of incandescent lighting pioneer Franklin Terry and his second wife Lillian. Frank and Lillian would probably be happy about that. This wonderful 24,000 square foot home hidden, quite literally, in the oaks of Black Mountain, North Carolina was never meant to be boastful or showy, it was meant to be lived in and enjoyed. Even people in Black Mountain, the town where it is located, seemed to have no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned it. I had never heard of it myself until a friend of mine tipped me off to check it out. I'm really glad he did. Visiting Intheoaks (yes, that is how it's spelled) was truly one of the highlights of my entire month in North Carolina...
Although the North Carolina beer scene has really taken off in the last decade, Asheville has definitely risen to the top of the heap. Take one of the highest number of breweries per capita in the United States and add a craft-beer loving population and you have a recipe for some pretty amazing brews. This combination has even led to the opening of east coast operations for New Belgium and Sierra Nevada in the Asheville area in recent years. As a beer lover, I set out to find the best beers in "Beer City". I started by asking some friends for recommendations, did a little research on my own, and then set out to explore the beer scene. As I was only there for a few days, my method was to ask the bartender for their favorite beer. Not their best-seller or newest beer, but the one they themselves would drink if they could only drink one. I went to almost a dozen breweries, but have narrowed this list down to my favorite six.
Having lived in New Orleans for a few years, the music and culture have become a part of me. I listen to brass music and can cook a mean pot of Gumbo, and a bottle of Abita beer always makes me smile. Never do I miss New Orleans more than during Mardi Gras. For those who don't know, Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" and is the day before Ash Wedesday, the first day of lent. Before giving up things for the forty days before Easter, you should do them in excess, and that is what Mardi Gras is all about: fun, dancing, silly costumes, food and drink. While I would love to spend every Mardi Gras in Louisiana, it's not always possible, but I do always try and celebrate it in whatever way I can. Even when I lived in Japan, I had a Mardi Gras party to celebrate with my friends. This year, I celebrated it with the wonderful people of Marshall, North Carolina with a parade, music, food and drink...
f you had told me a few weeks ago that some of the best music I would see in North Carolina would be in the back room at a Barber Shop, I would have looked at you a little funny. Today I'm here to tell you it's true. For over 50 years, local musicians have gathered in the back room at The Barber Shop in Drexel, North Carolina and picked some tunes, chewed the fat and created one of the most wonderful music experiences in the country.
It all started when Lawrence Anthony was getting ready to deploy for the European theater during World War II. He picked up a guitar in Washington State for just $3 and carried it with him throughout the war. The guitar rode with him in his tank as he followed General Patton into battle and he would pick it during his downtime...
