Surprise Find in Unexpected Place
A secluded gem in a most unexpected place. This shallow, sandy bottomed little stream is hidden by a canopy of mostly oak trees, palmettos lining its banks. Meandering between two…
Cotton Field
Four From the Farm | Photography
While traveling to visit family this past winter we found ourselves traversing the midlands of Georgia. Farm country in the Deep South. Crops are in and the fields are fallow…
Leaning Oak, Magnolia Gardens, Charleston, SC
Leaning Oak – Monochrome Monday
An old oak tree leans over the swirling river at Magnolia Gardens near Charleston, SC
The Warrior Motel
How do you know? Along life’s journey, how do you know? Do you take the right fork on the road ahead or the left? And what lies just beyond that…
Gettin’ the Blues at the Poor Monkey Lounge Ain’t Easy
You see, just finding the Poor Monkey Lounge isn't easy. I asked directions from an older gentleman wearing bib overalls and a straw hat as he walked down the shady side of First Street in tiny (pop 428), downtown Merigold, MS. "You ain't from around here are you," he responded, with a squint and just a bit of disdain. His face brightened slightly as he proceeded to give me directions. I got lost anyway.
Fishing in Bayou Country
As the saying goes, "A bad day fishing is better than a good day working." And these guys are making the best of a late summer's day of fishing deep…
Shrimp Boat Reflections
Sometimes life at the water's edge is like living in a mirror. As clouds flow across the sky they drift along the still waters below, perfectly choreographed, celebrating the day.…
Frames Within Frames
Frames within frames at a small Japanese Tea House located on Avery Island at the very bottom of Louisana. Avery Island is the home of the tabasco chili pepper, the…
Mrs. Johnson and the Praise House
For the better part of the next hour, Mrs. Johnson tells us her story - she recently moved back to St Helena from New Jersey - and the history of this praise house. This area was once a part of the Mary Jenkins Plantation. Thus, we are standing in the Mary Jenkins Community Praise House. Prior to the Civil War, slaves who were living on plantations were often allowed to build small structures for worship known as praise houses. After Emancipation, former slaves who remained in the area would build more substantial praise houses. This one was built in 1900. Mrs. Johnson tells us that the community is dwindling and services are no longer held on a regular basis. But her eyes brighten and a smile crosses her face as she tells us that the services they do have are lively affairs with much hymn singing and praising, and ending with a shout. A shout was a tradition practiced by African slaves where the worshipers move in a circle as they chant, clap their hands, and shuffle and stomp their feet.