Category: In “What Would Granny Say (and Other Somewhat Embellished Memories)
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Check Your Seams
Many years ago I was driving down an old dirt road in Lexington County when I noticed what appeared to be the nose of an old Carolina Jon boat winking at me from underneath a tattered tarpaulin behind a dilapidated outbuilding. So I pulled to the side of the road to take a closer look. Read more
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The Bullfight
The upward angle of my memories reminds me of just how young we are when our brains begin to crinkle; when thoughts, feelings and memories start slipping down into the crooks and crannies; when our consciousness begins filling the crevices of our mind. I couldn’t have been more than three or four, perhaps younger, as Read more
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Reflections on a Windshield
It was out of context, and it bothered me. Miles away from any sign of civilization, it was the last thing I expected to see as I made my way toward an obscure bend in the Congaree River, my goal for the day. It was early spring, and I had been hiking for several hours Read more
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The Walking Maple
Out of the early morning mist he materialized, for all the world like a phantom of folklore. As my eyes adjusted to the sight, the feathered edges became more distinct, the shadows lightened and the silhouette of a man stood before me. He was some distance off yet, but my eyes, sharpened by instinct, took Read more
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Drifting With Granny
I will never forget the late summer afternoon when my crazy Granny Tharpe proved that she was ahead of her time by having the top part of her left ear pierced. You know, just like all of the young folks do today. Only Granny did it way back in the mid-sixties long before it was Read more
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Off The Beaten Path
I half expected to run headlong into a woolly mammoth. The little valley I found myself in actually appeared to be that untouched, that pristine. It was early May several years ago when I first discovered this treasure. I had noticed something on the map that intrigued me. So I figured the coordinates, picked up Read more
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The Haitian Boy
When I first stepped off of the little plane, the blast of tropical heat mixed with the underlying acrid odor of post-earthquake Haiti hit me like a brick wall. I had prepared myself for this but for once the reality was stronger than the anticipation, and a wave of fear went through me as the Read more
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Grandpa and the Blues Harp
I can’t recall the exact date. The best I can figure, it must have been somewhere around the middle of June back in 1967 or there abouts. I was eight years old at the time, spending the summer months with Granny and Grandpa Tharpe. As I recall it was a pretty morning. The sky was Read more
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Great Uncle Wilkie’s Light
Let me tell you a bit about my Great Uncle Wilkie. First and foremost though, let me make it clear that he was my great uncle by marriage. If I was blood kin to him, I would never admit it for fear of being banned from proper society. Uncle Wilkie was indeed one of the Read more
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Tāšu
I sat a little back from the group, watching. My chair had one front leg a bit shorter than all of the others, so I had to lean back on two legs to keep motion sickness at bay. This set me back just enough to observe without interfering too much. It gave me the proper Read more