Craddock Morris, Sr. has always been a newspaper man; he has known no other life since he joined his father's Calhoun Times (St. Matthews, South Carolina, Calhoun County) at the age of 23 in 1955 to make it a two man paper. Morris graduated from Citadel College in 1950 and fulfilled his obligatory military service in Japan with the U.S. Army. He joined his dad at the Times the day after he was discharged. Craddock,…
This November, Barbara Gragg will have run the honey stand on U.S. 221 between the Grandfather Mountain entrance and the Blue Ridge Parkway for 60 years. Fifty-five of those years were with her husband, Floyd, whom I first became acquainted with years ago when I would see him playing his banjo at the honey stand to draw in and entertain tourists. “Floyd passed away in four years ago,” Barbara says. “I used to play the…
One afternoon this week, I opened the front door of our 1800’s log home (our previous full time residence) in Old Salem and to my surprise found an arranged bouquet of freshly cut zinnia’s on our granite front steps. Totally unexpected, no predisposing circumstances or situation to our knowledge which would have precipitated such a generous act. There was no note. We were saturated with a sense of wonder as to who may have left…
I have a love affair with country ham and THE guy who wraps it. It is no secret that one of my favorite destinations of all times is Ronnie's Country Store in Winston-Salem, N.C. When I moved to town in the late 70's, the store was known as "W.G. White and Company" – founded in 1925. In 1994, Ronnie Horton bought the store from the White family; but the county health department came down hard…
Since I have been documenting organic farmers and farming, I have been searching for and cataloguing common denominators that characterize this special breed of growers. I had the opportunity this week to visit with Cheryl Ferguson and Ray Tuegel, owners of Plum Granny Farm. In only a moment of a conversation, Cheryl exclaimed “And over there…” Who but an entrepreneur would be excited about “over there” and how it would fulfill a vision for what…
Deconstructing a childhood stamp collection … An emotional journey to the past When my mom and dad passed away in 2012 and 2013 respectfully, the task of “cleaning out” and “settling up” HOME in Waynesville, NC became forefront in my and my sister’s lives.’ My tangible personal connections to HOME changed when I moved out of the house in 1978 as a young adult to become a permanent resident of Winston-Salem, NC. While I took…
For the convenience of those readers who struggle with the metaphorical language of other artists when they write statements requiring a close-read i.e word-for-word', then pause, then again, read word-for-word; I have tried to make it easy. Simply, this is "Who I Am". Enjoy! Here is another great example, one for Mary Presson Roberts, an emerging fine art photographer, educator, and published author.
The new hand sewn "MicroPRESS - Volume I" of The Organics: Heart and Hands has just been published! Printed with archival inks on archival paper, this signed, and numbered, limited edition of 50 photo books is now available. The Organics is a long-term project designed to capture the living spirit of sustainable agriculture growers' hearts and of their connected hands which serve as instruments of cultivation and harvest. "MicroPRESS Volume I" is a smaller representation of…
Cycling and food have always had a connection. Food is what cyclists devour after a long ride. Now in a unique arrangement, a new reason to ride is to dine at a one-of-a-kind of bicycle event created by a one-of-a-kind cyclist and chef, Keith Gardiner. Keith is an instructor / chef in the Culinary Arts Program at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, NC. "I have always wanted to do this - where cyclists sit down and ARE SERVED a prepared meal by some of North Carolina's…
A long day of marshalling for the USA Cycling National Championships with nearly 1,000 individual riders competing in the championship time trials had come to an end. We had escorted the last two para-cyclists and they had crossed the finish line; NC DOT had removed all the lane cones and were in the process of dismantling all the barricades; our motorcycle colleagues had long since departed for the comfort of their hotels in Winston-Salem; the shadows were long…
