10 things for which I’m thankful. No, really.

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Today is Thanksgiving, and here are some things for which I am thankful: I'm thankful that the Titans are so bad this year.  Time normally devoted to watching games is now directed to more educational programming, like "Breaking Amish,"…

“Like wind through my hand”

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I think it's hard to overestimate the emotional power of music. Not all music, mind you.  And not all the time. But given the right circumstance and frame of mind, a particular song or recording can really do a number on us. It's…

Life is good

You'd think that, as a photographer, I'd have my camera at the ready always. Problem is, I'm a daddy before a photographer, which means my priority is usually the logistics of transporting my family here and yonder on Sunday mornings.…

Crockett’s death: What do YOU think?

I admit it. I’m “eat up” with David Crockett. Since researching the five or so years that Crockett lived in the Belvidere area of Franklin County, Tenn., for a July, 2011, Cooperator story, I have become fascinated…

Don’t fall victim to “It’s not my time”

(Note: I wrote this two years ago, but I feel the sentiment is more important than ever.  Carpe diem!) Our 10-year-old daughter, Ava, learned how to ride a bike without training wheels this weekend. Wow, you might be thinking.  She's…

The Whip-poor-will Story

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The year was 1981, and I was 15 years old.  My dad and I had spent the day working on our Christmas tree farm at the base of Booger Mountain (in Taylorsville, N.C.) with two other hired hands — Randy and Jeff — who were both around…

In memory of my two favorite Andys

  We didn't know them personally.  We only knew the faces and the voices.  They didn't know that we existed at all. So why is it so dad-gummed sad?It's been a rough few months for me.  As of last night, I've lost my two favorite…

Find your carnival ride

Carnivals and amusement parks are some of the more interesting and enigmatic curiosities devised by the human brain. Why do we participate? Here's my guess.

It’s different, but it’s still America

Tennessee skies.Amazing that it's been 11 years.  When planes started hitting buildings that morning, I wasn't sure that the world would still be here in 11 years. Frankly, it all didn't seem real.  It was a movie, a Bruce Willis blockbuster.…

Art worth NOT losing.

Readying for the state fair.My first story of this deadline will be about country ham.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Country ham.4-H'ers in Rutherford County, Tenn., have a country ham project group.  My 11-year-old son, Sam, is a part…