When tropical weather begins brewing in the Atlantic Ocean, Stephen Schabel tunes in for updates the way most of us do here on the coast – albeit for a slightly different reason. Schabel, director of education and husbandry at The Center for Birds of Prey, is tasked with keeping all birds safe in the event of a hurricane. Whether the storm on the water is a Category 1 or … [Read more...]
Making Red Lights Beautiful: Traffic-Box Art Project Takes Off in Mount Pleasant
Chances are you’ve been at a red light in Mount Pleasant when suddenly something rather colorful catches your eye. Traffic boxes throughout town don everything from intricate paintings of the Ravenel Bridge to scenes of sea turtles trekking their way to shore. This artful initiative has helped to beautify an already picturesque community – adding artistry among sidewalks, … [Read more...]
Drawn to the Woods: Who Is the Deer Hunter?
Finally catching my breath, I steadied myself and took one last look through my binoculars. Satisfied, I unloaded my rifle and climbed down the rickety ladder to solid ground. I walked slowly up the rice field to the deer that lay motionless on the edge of the field. I knelt beside her and sat quietly for several minutes. There was no cheering section – no one to slap me on the … [Read more...]
Dove Hunting: A Handbook
The faint smell of gun oil and a little gunpowder put a smile on my face as I gathered and packed my gear for the opening day of dove season. Three months had passed since I had last opened the gun cabinet. A little inshore fishing, trips to the beach and time spent on a Lowcountry dock with friends and family had occupied the long, hot summer. It was still hot, but it was time … [Read more...]
Fox Hunting: Steeped in Tradition and Ruggedly Refined
I so enjoy the process of hunting from beginning to end: preparation, planning and pursuit. Hunters connect with their surroundings (familiar and foreign), their quarry and their companions. It has been said that the “close encounters” with animals are the cornerstone of the true sportsman. Regardless of the activity, the risks and rewards are fulfilling for the outdoorsman. … [Read more...]
Pruning Wando’s Garden of Ideas – The 2017 Issue of “The Outlet”
The 2016-17 staff of “The Outlet,” Wando High School's annual literary journal, just collectively learned an important truth: not every great work of art is the result of solitude. This year's issue, a beautiful, thematic piece filled with passionately-crafted visual and written artwork, could not have happened without the team of dedicated students behind it. Made up of … [Read more...]
Netflix Original Features The Bridge Run: Naked and Not Afraid
Take a hit Swedish romantic comedy; tweak it as a remake set in a wildly popular U.S. city and cast as the lead one of the funniest members from, arguably, the most successful African-American family in show business today. Then fold in elements of the classic “Groundhog Day” and place key scenes in and around the most famous 10K bridge run in the South. What you’ll have is a … [Read more...]
A Leaf Through Mount Pleasant History: Cassina Tea
Summerville claims to be the birthplace of sweet tea, and Wadmalaw Island boasts producing the only tea grown in America. But both of those accolades might well have become Mount Pleasant’s claim to fame. While looking through a copy of “Charleston Recipes,” the precursor of the locally revered cookbook, “Charleston Receipts,” area resident and novelist Josephine Humphreys … [Read more...]
Salt and Iron: Pollitzer highlights the Juxtaposition of Charleston
When the idea came to compile a book to capture the mix of contrasts that embodies Charleston, author Wendy Nilsen Pollitzer soon realized two things: The project would be a major undertaking, and it carried a tremendous responsibility. “Charleston Salt and Iron: The beauty, strength and timeless allure of the South’s crown jewel” is the result of a year-and-a-half worth of … [Read more...]
Life is But a Dream – The Charleston Rowing Club
The Charleston Rowing Club is a product of humble beginnings. Launched by Rando Blyth in 1987, none of the organization’s “five or six guys” even owned a racing scull until after Hurricane Hugo blew through the Lowcountry in 1989. They found a boat that the violent storm had tossed from who knows where. No one claimed the vessel, so, by default, it became the property of the … [Read more...]