Last weekend my family participated in one of the annual rituals every North Carolinian—native or transplant—should experience: Mayberry Days. The quaint little town of Mt. Airy was home to Andy Griffith, one of Amarica‘s great TV icons. Every year it … Continue reading
On the seventh day, God rested. And on the eighth He created Baptists… OK, maybe not, but you’d be excused for thinking so if you lived around here. There are twelve Baptist churches within a three-mile radius of our little … Continue reading
Independence Day was celebrated quietly in our house this year. No big barbeques or fireworks. Yesterday and today, my wife and I finally got around to watching the excellent HBO mini-series “The Pacific.” I know, I know, it’s really more … Continue reading
Driving east on NC Highway 561, I almost missed it. Hidden down a dirt road behind about a quarter mile of cedars was what looked like a large, old home. I parked the Xterra on the side of the road … Continue reading
As winter turned to spring in the year 1776, the residents of Halifax, North Carolina, had no inkling of the historic role their growing town would shortly play. Established only a few decades before, Halifax was booming. Its location on … Continue reading
The siding hasn’t been painted in years. Decades maybe. The windows are broken or boarded over with plywood. The rails have long been removed, though if you look carefully you can still see where they once lay, running southward toward … Continue reading
We’d been driving through a constant drizzle for about an hour, following Cove Creek Road as it winds northward along the edge of the Smoky Mountains out of Maggie Valley, NC. The nearest blacktop was miles behind, and as the … Continue reading
It seemed the rain would never end. All the way up the Blue Ridge Parkway from Cherokee to Balsam Mountain, clouds and mist crowded right down to the ridges. Pretty? Sure, what we could see of it. Which wasn’t much. … Continue reading
The elderly gentleman sat on the cabin’s porch, alone with his thoughts in the warming, sticky Georgia morning air. I slid up next to him. Quietly. Waiting for him to break the silence. We could hear his cousin Gene—my father-in-law—out … Continue reading
On a recent trip through central Tennessee, my wife and I happened upon the quaint little town of Granville. As is true of so many small towns, Granville has two things we enjoy: an interesting history and a bed-and-breakfast. Unbeknownst … Continue reading