My favorite kids in Halloween costumes

With great excitement and much anticipation of loads of candy, my favorite kids (and a couple of adults) set off to conquer their neighborhood.  Beautiful evening, not too cold, perfect October day.  Boo Y'all!!

New Baby Family Photos

Nothing like having a new baby in the house to throw things into turmoil, but nobody minds because they are all so caught up in warm fuzzies.  These little girls think their new brother is just the bomb so we took the opportunity to take some family photos to capture the season.

Oh, when them cotton bolls get rotten ...

... you can't pick very much cotton, In them old cotton fields back home.  Well these aren't rotten; they are prolific and healthy, which is a whole lot better then the crop was last year.  Last year we had so much rain that most of the South Carolina cotton rotted in the water-logged fields because the machinery was unable to harvest them.  This year looks like a great harvest and here are a couple of close-ups, just because I think it is such a cool looking plant 🌝

Scenes from the Backroads of South Carolina

I never travel the Interstates unless I am in a big hurry to get somewhere, and of course that happens quite a bit, but the roads less traveled are so much more interesting.  Here are a couple of stops I made this weekend, one is Gilreath's Mill in Greer, and the other is a field of cotton ready for the harvest in Wells, South Carolina.

Connestee's Waterfalls and Cascades

I'm up in North Carolina getting my annual "Fall Fix".  This time, instead of staying at a motel, I rented a cabin in the woods at Connestee Falls, a longstanding favorite haunt.  It's large, 3,900 acres, but it doesn't look over-developed at all.  Most homes are hidden in the woods and rather than do fancy, they seem to have focused on nature; lakes, hiking trails, etc.  Not that much color around this year - it's been too warm, say the locals.  Anyway I walked a lot today, mostly along the stream trails, and feel like I've hardly scratched the surface. Here are a couple of their waterfalls.

High Fashion & Style on a Shoestring

Enterprising young ladies and friends of mine have started a venture that advises women how to dress like a million dollars using clothing treasures picked up at thrift stores.  They always look awesome, and pretty much all of their clothing is sourced this way, so they decided to share their ideas and fashion sense.  It was fun to photograph them in their launch outfits the other day.  They also make wonderful jewelry.  Follow Ellie and Lau on Instagram at  @linogsisters

The Fairest Cape in all the World

Thus pronounced Sir Francis Drake, the famous English explorer upon rounding the Cape in July of 1580.  "This cape is a most stately thing", he wrote, "and the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth."  Of course I am somewhat biased, having been born in South Africa, but seriously, I have traveled quite a bit, and I challenge anyone to deny that this is indeed a most beautiful part of the world.  These are images of the "Mother City", Cape Town, and Hermanus, whale-watching capital of the world and a popular spot for vacationing and enjoying a laid back life.  When I retire, I would like to be able to spend a couple months every year in this town.