Small Town Spaces

I have a confession.  I love small towns, especially small towns that modern times have forgotten. This weekend I helped celebrate the nuptials of Emily and Jonathan Hines in Bennettsville, SC.  Bennettsville has a certain charm, but nothing compared to the off the interstate adventures I had with just me, the CRV and a camera.  Ok let’s be honest, there isn’t an interstate that connects Charlotte and Bennettsville so the whole ride was just full of treasure.

My first stop was the Pee-Dee river that divides Anson and Richmond Counties on Hwy 74. There is a boat landing on the eastern side of the bridge and I stopped for this picture.

You can see that I also opted for a self-portrait photo op with a dandelion gracing my curly locks.  One might ask why the Pee-Dee has significance to me.  There are only a few geographic boundaries that bring on a stylistic oratory change in which my southern accent becomes so thick some of my Yankee friends would swear that they were talking to my Country Cousin and not me.  Other instances of southern accent insurgence include talking to elderly southerners, after a couple of glasses of whiskey and anytime after Rocky Top has been played.



The next day (the big day of the wedding), I managed to squeeze in a visit to a roadside farmer’s market and  red train across the street from the John Blue House.  The concierge at the Comfort Inn told me that Mr. Blue had something to do with the cotton gin and was one of Laurinburg’s claim to fame.  She laughed it off as if she were a skeleton in the closet rather than an antique china collection.  I quickly told her that I’m from the place where Daniel Boone Killed a “Bar” (bear)  so I understood.   We all can’t have the hometown of Kelly Pickler.

Because I was staying at Laurinburg, I had the opportunity to go through little towns and communities on US15/401.  I counted four cemeteries on this road and considered it a sign to be extra cautious.  On this road is a little train stop town that has long since seen the days of commerce called Tatum ,SC.  It has a gorgeous old station and one neat row of boarded up storefronts.  I forced the Charlotte attendants to the wedding to stop on our way to the after party and we had a lovely late afternoon glass of wine sitting on the platform trying to avoid splinters.  A few Tatum shots are below.

I drove a part of 74 that I don’t often drive and as I passed by Pate’s Food and Meats I hesitated to stop because there was a nagging sensation that I should get back to Charlotte.  On my way to take a picture of the store and water tower, I found this gem.

I took it as a reminder from God that some of the best things in this world we often speed by because we have ten other places to go. Today’s era is so very instant and fleeting moments that we often don’t pay attention to the methodical rhythm of our own intentional steps.

I revisited the boat ramp on the way back into Anson County. I had forgotten to put my bouquet in water the night before and the beautiful flowers were starting to wilt. I thought it fitting to toast Emily and Jonathan in my own way by tossing my joys and well wishes for them into the water (I totally ignored the pollution part with my rose colored glasses). May we all be blessed with moments that I experience this weekend on my side trip adventures.