“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
“Hey Honey, we’re out of milk, and can you pick up some peanut butter while you’re at it.” A refrain often heard in a typical household, especially if it’s a family with kids. It usually means someone will shortly go to the store…but what kind of store? If you live in suburbia, it’ll probably be
Art is central to life, whether it’s a novel, a movie, a painting, weaving a sweetgrass basket, or simply how your granny decorates a birthday cake in her special way. It’s all art, and it can move the soul. Art can take on an even deeper personal significance if you know the artist and gain
One of my favorite Lowcountry animals is the hapless but adorable fox squirrel. Why, hapless you might ask? They are not endowed by their creator with high IQs, and they like to cavort in open spaces, which makes them vulnerable to avian predators. Also, because of their size, they make a tasty addition to the
Have you ever had a long-lost family heirloom come back to the family through unexpected circumstances? Or has some possession you’ve given up on finding suddenly appeared without explanation? When it happens, there’s a kind of magic to it all, and it makes you think there might be angels or a gang of happy spirits
Nearly everyone who has spent more than an hour in the Lowcountry has probably encountered one of the more bizarre critters among the plethora of invasive species roaming around our area. I am referring to the good old armadillo, which entered our country from Mexico long before border walls and ICE agents. If you’ve had
I’m thinking it might be time to introduce y’all to my great-great-grandfather, Samuel Thorne. He was quite a guy, and he left an indelible footprint on our family’s Lowcountry legacy. Young Samuel came to the Lowcountry for the first time in 1848 at the age of twelve. He accompanied his father, Jonathan Thorne, on a
As we streak into the holidays, it seems there’s barely enough time to digest the Thanksgiving turkey before we must dispose of the pumpkin décor and start hanging wreaths and installing backlit Santas on our front lawn. It is of course the seasonal tradition, and we all get sucked into the vortex of holiday cheer…and
