I remember when I stopped paying so much attention to the end result and shifted my eyes towards the entire process of a product. It's like the first time when you sit back and actually take a minute to admire a sunset. In just five minutes, the sky can change dramatically, ending with a beautiful purple and blue crescendo as the sun dips below the horizon. Some call it artisanal, some say small batch, but I just call it handmade. Whether it's poured in a glass, or pressed onto paper, someone … [Read more...]
The Most Versatile Whiskey Found Down South
A few months ago, Charlie and Jim of American Spirit Whiskey invited me to join them at The Family Dog in Atlanta. I was coming down from Marietta, so I knew that I needed to leave a bit early to make it to Virginia-Highlands a few minutes early. Of course, I managed to take the route with anaccident blocking 3 lanes on i75. Halfway there, my tire pressure monitor went off and I was already a few minutes late. I pushed through Virginia-Highlands on a half inflated tire (which will damage your … [Read more...]
On the tracks
Most of life I learned by walking from this side of the tracks to that side. I walked home from middle school. Every day. Three miles or so. With my saxophone always and another kid named Clay sometimes. I'd learned about entropy by walking along the train tracks. Because tracks, you see, have already chosen the easiest path. I didn't have to make any decisions. Just walk in the center. Move if the train comes'a'runnin. Avoid eye contact with the bum who might be out in the ally near the … [Read more...]
On a spring morning
George often wondered how many people in the city realize how much the life of the great city meant to him and countless others like him; how, long ago in little towns down South, there in the barren passages of night, they listened to the wheel, the whistle, and the bell; how, there in the dark South, there on the Piedmont, in the hills, there by the slow, dark rivers, there in coastal plains, something was always burning in their heart at night – the image of the shining city and the … [Read more...]
On thin ice
It’s just a peculiar winter. I was out jogging last night, after dark, down Revolutionary roads. Past signs for Indian footpaths that are now named after colonists. Houses from 17– that have cable internet. They glowed, the warmth of density. In years past the glow might pull up a chair on the Massachusetts snow-drifts, out in front of windows, to spend a few hours. But our lawns are without snow and our light wanders on. The ponds are fully melted. Weeks back they’d have still held a … [Read more...]
On library books
There was an old house. No more than four blocks as the crow flies. Probably six as the fox. It was filled with books. It was also a library. The Houston Memorial Library. I don’t know what I was to memorialize there. Maybe a confederate general. They had book sales every now and then. Those sales felt the best when the fall light was coming in the windows. Cutting through the dust on the glass case. The case that had guns. Knives. A leather kidney-shaped canteen. We’d have walked over, … [Read more...]
On firewood
Son, we’re not going to be able to make it for Thanksgiving. The dog is real sick - he’s been sick for months, but now he can’t even stand up. And I can’t just put him down to come up there, I’m sorry. That’s the call I got last week. Last week when our turkey went into the freezer. Last week when Ole Miss got embarrassed by LSU. Last week when I thought my dad and step-mom were going to come to Boston for Thanksgiving. They haven’t been up here since we moved up in '07, but my dad had … [Read more...]
Pickin’ Peaches with Derek Chitwood
Over the past few months, I have been hounding one of our long time supporters, Derek Chitwood of Peach State Pride, for an interview. Finally, we had the chance to sit down over a peach or two and spend some time together. The story of this small town, peach picking, charming, Southern guy is pretty remarkable. I have had the pleasure of knowing Chitwood for awhile, and was blown away by the Peach State Pride business plan when he told me about it a couple of years ago. The design, the … [Read more...]
Southern Ties Defies a Generation’s Stereotype
The young folks in their teens, 20s and early 30s have been labeled the laziest generation to have ever lived. People seem to think that this my generation feels apathetic and entitled. I can't deny that though I never grew up rich, I was extremely privileged. While my friends all had new cars, I was still privileged enough to have four wheels and an engine, which is all a sixteen year old boy needs to feel like he is invincible. When developing and starting our business, Southern culture … [Read more...]
Charlotte Foster Dances Her Way to Success in the Atlanta Arts
A few months ago, I attended a showcase show at 7 Stages Theater in Little Five Points, a neighborhood in Atlanta. Dance had been something that I had grown up around, but let's just say that this 6'4", 200 lbs guy found his home on the football field and not the stage. Many of my friends in high school and college were involved in their dance programs, and I surprisingly enjoyed watching my friends perform their passions. During the showcase, I saw a handful of different companies … [Read more...]