For the last several years during my beach vacation I’ve been seeing people standing on surf boards with big paddles. Curious but too timid to tackle this sport on my own, I finally got a taste of stand-up paddle boarding (or SUP as it’s commonly known) this week during a work retreat at Chickamauga Lake in … Continue reading What’s up with SUP?
Tag: South
Can I have a second helping of home décor?
I’ll eat just about anything you can put on a plate, but I won’t admire just any plate you can put on a wall. Those plates must be historic. And Southern. And tell a story. When my wife of 15 years and I were concocting our wedding registry, (OK, let me restate that more accurately: … Continue reading Can I have a second helping of home décor?
When all the world was young
This June marked the 20th anniversary of my graduation from Troy University, and after spending this week with 140 college students at a conference in Alabama, I can’t help but reflect on how students are different in the New South. As a small group leader who did double duty as an interviewer and reporter covering … Continue reading When all the world was young
Asocial behavior
Sheets of rain lashed the balcony of our condo, soaking our nearly dry swimsuits and towels. Day six of our week-long family vacation was being washed out, not by a stray afternoon Florida thunderstorm, but by a day-long, soaking tropical rain. With the exception of a couple of forays to local restaurants, we had thus … Continue reading Asocial behavior
Summer camp in the age of Facebook
Facebook has no higher calling than when it is used to demonstrate to anxious parents that their children are still alive while they are away at camp. I’ve recently been on both sides of this phenomenon. When our oldest when to Boy Scout Camp at Camp Rainey Mountain in Northeast Georgia a couple of weeks … Continue reading Summer camp in the age of Facebook
Guys’ night out
“Decompression” is the best word to describe my rare night out with the guys last Tuesday. The idea for the outing sprang up last week when I saw that the San Francisco Giants were coming to town to play the Atlanta Braves. Carla was amenable to giving me the night off, so plans were set in … Continue reading Guys’ night out
Separation anxiety
We tell ourselves it is necessary to send our children away on their own to prepare them for adulthood. I am beginning to believe we must send our children away on their own to prepare us for their adulthood. Last Sunday morning we dropped our 11-year-old son off at the Publix parking lot where he … Continue reading Separation anxiety
Andy Griffith: One of a kind
After just a few whistled notes of “The Fishin’ Hole,” the immortal theme song of “The Andy Griffith Show,” I am transported to the carefree summer days of my youth. I memorized that tune, gained an appreciation for the show and developed a fondness for the characters watching midday re-runs in the late 1970s and … Continue reading Andy Griffith: One of a kind
Playing catch up
I’ve spent the better part of the last week in Fort Worth, Texas, working long hours, enduring incredible heat and spending time with my youngest brother and his family. The 8-day odyssey to the place of my birth felt more like two trips in one. The first four days I was engaged in the annual … Continue reading Playing catch up
Want to keep cool? Wear more clothes
I know, I know, it’s counterintuitive, but as summer pays its annual, six-month visit to the South, it’s important to know how to dress for success. In an era when underclothes are getting way too much exposure for my taste, one example that is not only appropriate but expedient is men’s undershirts. In the South, … Continue reading Want to keep cool? Wear more clothes
New South Essays 