People who know me well know that I don’t like to shop. The exceptions to that rule are hardware stores, grocery stores and thrift shops. About once every few months, I get the itch to see what’s on consignment-sale in the area. I have a circuit of six stores that I visit around town. I usually don’t buy anything, but every now and then I see something in good shape at a price that’s unbeatable and I buy it.
Greenville
31
Jul 11
Jul 11
Conestee Park
The wife and I wanted to get outside this weekend, but the heat and mosquitoes make it difficult to do too much during the day. So we decided to visit the walking trails at nearby Conestee Park early on Saturday morning. At some point in the near future, the Swamp Rabbit Trail will connect with the Conestee Trails and the area will be filled with bikers, hikers and dog walkers. But for now, the area is pretty dead. The way I see it, that’s a feature and not a bug.
30
May 11
May 11
2011 USA Cycling Championship
I blogged the USA Cycling Championships the past two years because they were held in my hometown of Greenville, SC. In 2009, we cheered as George Hincapie, the hometown favorite, won by a wheel. In 2010, we watched the final downtown circuits from a sunny knoll in Cleveland Park. This year, we decided to take advantage of the fact that the race course is literally at the end of our street, and that our nearby house has very comfortable A/C for the 45 minutes between mountain stages. I took some pictures, but there’s nothing new to reveal, so I decided to film the peloton.
This is what it looks like when nearly 100 riders, their team cars, race staff, and emergency responders whiz by at 40+ miles per hour.
7
May 11
May 11
First Annual Greenville Urban Farm Tour
The wife’s been trying to talk me into getting a few chickens for a couple of years. We already have a garden in the backyard and she insists that other homes in our neighborhood have much more developed backyard gardens complete with rainwater catchment systems, bee hives and chicken coops. As part of her sales pitch, she bought tickets to the first annual Greenville Urban Farm Tour.
31
Jan 11
Jan 11
Paris Mountain
The wife and I are lucky enough to have a well-kept State Park just five miles from our house. The weather was great on Sunday, so we decided to hike some trails at Paris Mountain.
12
Nov 10
Nov 10
The Best Farmers’ Markets In Greenville, SC
As I mentioned before, I’ve completely changed my meal planning practices. I used to buy meat in bulk at the grocery store and then plan my meals accordingly. Ever since we moved to Greenville, I’ve gone in the opposite direction. First, I hit one or both of my farmers’ markets and buy whatever looks good, then I go to my butcher, and finally I hit the grocery store to fill in the gaps. It might sound overly complicated, but everything is pretty close to home. It’s much cheaper than shopping at the grocery store and it means that I rely on produce to drive my meal planning. As a result, the wife and I only eat meat about half the days of the week.
26
Sep 10
Sep 10
Swamp Rabbit Trail, 2010
It was unusually cool on Saturday morning, so the wife and I decided to ride a dozen or so miles on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. It’s been expanded since the last time I blogged about it. I promised to post some pictures, so here they are.
20
Sep 10
Sep 10
2010 US Cycling Championships
The 25th annual US Cycling Championship was held in Greenville this weekend. It was the sixth year the race was held in town and we got word that it’ll stay remain for another two years (but take place over Memorial Day weekend). The 112 mile course (map) involves several circuits through downtown and four trips over Paris mountain.
19
Aug 10
Aug 10
Soby’s Cookbook
I mentioned a while back how much I enjoyed reading Frank Stitt’s cookbook. I actually lugged the giant tome to and from the beach over a few days. For my recent birthday, the wife bought me Soby’s New South Cuisine Cookbook so I could keep learning. Who could blame her? She eats the food.
16
Aug 10
Aug 10
Shriner Parade, 2010
The wife and I stumbled upon a Shriner Parade early on Saturday morning. In case you didn’t know, the Shriners are officially called the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. They’re an offshoot of the Freemasons and sponsor a 50-bed pediatric orthopaedic hospital here in Greenville. I don’t know why they didn’t hold the parade around lunchtime when downtown is bustling, but they got lucky with a surprisingly cool breeze. I was hoping for more fezzes and tiny cars, but it was fun nonetheless.
