Mid-Century Modern Tour

We recently went on a home tour in Charlotte focusing on Mid-century Modern and Modern houses. The eight houses on the tour all varied greatly in their style, but each was really cool in its own way.  The interiors were all so different and reflected the current owners age, nationality, and personality.  Some did not look as though they had been touched in 50 years, while others could have been a model for a spread in a Pottery Barn catalog.  It was difficult to choose a favorite because they were all so different, inside and out.  The final house was in much need of some love, as it was in quite a state of disrepair.  It was a true gem, and with enough work, it could be wonderful again.

Pickles

A couple weeks ago I picked up a jar of McClure's Spicy Pickles. Up till now I would say I've been a pickle dabbler. Every family reunion, Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, and any other event I can always remember there being a pickle sampler platter of some sorts. Not to mention every burger served at a restaurant comes with the complimentary pickle spear. These have all left much to be desired for taste or appeal; however, after my first bite of one of McClure's spicy spears, I can say that's all changed. Perhaps it was the spices and peppers floating in the jar with the pickles that made me purchase them, but I can tell you it makes all the difference in the world. The initial taste alone would have sold me that these are quite possibly the best pickles ever, but then the pepper kicks in engulfing your mouth with an infusion of hot dill. Then after the kick subsides the perfect amount of aftertaste lingers, causing you to look at the jar and think just how many of these can I afford to eat in one sitting.
I say afford because at $12 a jar, this could become an expensive snack habit. So Johanna and I have decided to try our hand at making our own pickles.  I've found you mention this to any older family member and they immediately remember great aunt so and so who use to make the best pickles.  This seems to give a certain amount of validity to our experiment.  I think somewhere along the way, we have become too dependent on mass producing everything. But now with the rise of the local/sustainable movement, perhaps making our own pickles isn't a crazy idea after all. We'll keep you posted on the results...

Rivertown Walk

Ben and I headed out to Conway, SC this past Saturday afternoon for the Rivertown Music Festival.  If you've never been, we highly recommend taking an afternoon to walk around downtown Conway. It is a true gem tucked away in South Carolina.  If anything, Conway loves a good excuse to close off 3rd Ave. and have a festival.  We hung around the festival for a while, listening to some great music and eating at a local favorite, Bernie's.  The spinach cakes and cobbler are a must.  After a while we wandered down to the river walk and snapped some images of Conway. 

Southern Blue

Door in Farmer's Market

Peanut Warehouse

Bottom side of Conway Bridge

The Jerry Cox warehouse on the river

Rockin' Chair

We'd like for you to take a journey with us. We have no preconceived notions about where this journey may go, but we both feel we are here in a special place - the South.  I'm sure this blog will eventually include stories about far off exotic places around the world, but rest assured they will always end with us returning back here.  We were both born here and while I can't speak with certainties on life's plans, I have a feeling we both shall return one day to the soil here. Many greater writers than us have spent a lifetime describing why that is the case. I don't know if we intend to do the same, we are just here to tell a story - our story. 

At its fundamental level a rocking chair is just a place to sit. But naturally that isn't why porches across the South are proliferated with them. It is the experience that transcendences it from a mere chair to a place. The stories that told from the well worn arms and faded cushions weave together making the South more than just a geographically place, but a place rooted deep in its residents.  That is our desire here, not a literal documentation of the South but rather a presentation of our South. The stories may not always involve quote "Southern" things, but keep in mind they are all told from our perspective which is inherently southern.  So we hope you'll come along and be apart of our story.