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I remember my first visit to Lake Waccamaw State Park. I was not sure why, but I knew there was something special about the area. The freshwater lake has approximately 14 miles of shoreline with an average depth of 7.5 feet and it is the largest of the natural Carolina Bay Lakes. In 2008, a […]

I was traveling east of Raleigh on Highway 264 when I saw a sign for the Country Doctor Museum; the sign surely was magnetized because before Iknew it, Iwas on the exit and following the signs to a place I had ever been before. The museum is not far from 264, and I was pleased to discover

In a conversation not that long ago with a friend, he said to me, “You know, I don’t think you take a firm public stand on many things. You do so many feel good stories that you seldom take a position for a cause of injustice or anything big.  I listened patiently and allowed the

Who do you call when you need to know what vegetables or flowers will grow where you live? If you come from a family of home gardeners or farmers, chances are you already have a good idea of what works for you. If you do not fall into this category a call to your local

I enjoy my visits to the barber shop for a variety of reasons. The more practical reason is to get a good haircut, but if you limit your experience to the utilitarian purpose of walking away with shorter hair one will surely miss out on a treasure trove of cultural edification awaiting. In other words,

Cooler weather, festivals and pumpkin flavored things all make for a special time in the Carolinas. We have several Pumpkin festivals. 2017 marked the 21st annual pumpkin festival in Elkin NC which is held on the fourth Saturday in September. This year Bruce Burchette is the winner of the largest pumpkin with his 1,328 lb.

Not so long ago I had a wonderful jazz encounter with The Jazz Room at the Stage Door Theater in Charlotte. The Jazz Room convenes monthly and is a production of Jazz Arts Initiative.  Some years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Lonnie and Ocie Davis, a dynamic couple from New Orleans who decided

Have you ever walked into the kitchen and been taken over with the smells of a pot of pinto beans on the stove and golden-brown cornbread just coming out of the oven?  Maybe it’s a memory from the past or it happened a few days ago. For me, it’s both! Growing up around great cooks,

We find the most amazing things on the winding county roads in the Carolinas. I know I have said it before, but it’s always worth repeating “There is good therapy on our crooked roads”. If you don’t drive too fast and allow yourself to get caught up in the rhythm of the motion and visual

I have visited with many veterans over the years, and the diversity of stories and reflections remain exciting and thought-provoking. There are often common threads of brotherhood, patriotism, love of country and the American flag. Based on my interviews and understandably so, some are easy to talk about, and some are not.   As of late,