My love affair with the Lowcountry began when I was a small child…back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I got my first whiff of pluff mud at 7 years old when my parents took me to the family plantation on Hilton Head. That was before there was a bridge, and there wasn’t a single paved
I recently had the pleasure of piloting preeminent photographer and environmentalist, J. Henry Fair, on a little jaunt above the Lowcountry. Henry and I have flown together many times, and he is an avid supporter of SouthWings, where I serve as a volunteer public benefit pilot. On SouthWings flights, I tell my passengers I am
About a week ago, I posted a short video of a logging cut on our land in the South Carolina Lowcountry. It showed a monster piece of equipment called a “buncher” cutting trees at ground level and depositing them in a pile, to be picked up by another monster called a “skidder.” The post went
Some months back, I posted on my website the intention to keep readers informed about how things are going with my debut novel, The Mud Bone Squabble. So far, it’s been an interesting and somewhat arduous journey. A few years ago, when I enrolled in a creative writing Master of Fine Arts program, I believed
If you’re a writer and you get stuck trying to figure out something to write about, ask a dog. Dogs aren’t necessarily skilled conversationalists, but they are excellent communicators. You’ll know right away if they’re hungry or want their belly rubbed or are having a bad hair day and want a piece of you. I
I love connecting the Lowcountry’s past to the present day. And what better resource to do so than the diary of my great-great-grandfather, Samuel Thorne, who, as a twelve-year-old boy in 1848, came to the Lowcountry with his father? Life moved at a much slower pace back then, and folks took their time to look
By the time most of y’all read this, it will be very close to Memorial Day 2026, the annual day our nation sets aside to remember the brave warriors who gave their lives in service to this country. The following is a story that brings home the poignancy, significance, and intent of this important national
“All ready on the left! All ready on the right! All ready on the firing line. Stand by…targets!” Anyone who has attended U.S. Marine Corps basic training, either enlisted or officer, will recognize those words from their time on the rifle range. It is the preamble to a firing sequence when recruits shoot for record
A few months ago, I introduced y’all to my great-great-grandfather, Samuel Thorne. He’s the feisty young dude who, at twelve years old in 1848, rode a horse from the Lowcountry all the way back to a family farm in central New York. That part of the story comes later, and today we find him in
My heart is heavy as I write this because Vinny Loggia passed away this month, March of 2026. Our friendship was an improbable thing. He was from Bayside, Queens, New York, and I am a denizen of the South Carolina Lowcountry. However, sometimes life’s paths are destined to cross, forging mighty bonds. A shared family
