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 Spring is arriving in the Deep South, with four seasons in one day weather, storms, and all the usual stuff. With Spring comes rockhounding weather, and the family and I went on our first dig a few weeks ago.  The location was a rock quarry in the town on Summerville, Georgia. The event was hosted by the Georgia Mineral Society and a group from Alabama. We'd had rain a few days before but the weather was perfect on the day of the event, starting with a cool morning and warming into the afternoon. Of course, the North Georgia clay that is predominant in this area held much of the rainwater so everyone ended their day a bit muddy and sticky but it was well worth it.  Summerville is home to a type of rock known as the Summerville agate . These rocks are a beauty to behold and are found throughout the area. The quarry is also rich in quartz so a great many of the pieces we brought home have bands of clear white quartz running through them.  It was a great way to kick of...

Technology has made our world a smaller place, a place less mysterious and perilous. Where once one had to travel to see a destination, now we simply look it up and look at pictures. This is both an advantage and a loss, and I'll try to explain in the paragraphs that follow.  Gone are the days of grand adventure, of heading off into the unknown. While it is true one can set off on a small, personal adventure, you're never too far away from information that can remove obstacles and inconveniences from your path, but remember those things are part of the path , and to remove them removes at least some of the adventure.  So, what to do? I suggest doing what technology regularly does: miniaturize.  Get to know your local area. You may think you already know it, but a few minutes of online research will have you raising your eyebrows. For example, I recently learned an old bridge just a short distance from home holds the distinction of being the oldest bridge still in use in t...

I don't even know where to begin. Despite there being no effective treatment, vaccination, or the much-discussed herd immunity, many states are relaxing social restrictions put in place to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. My home state of Georgia was among the first to do so (my sense of timing and location is impeccable). Instead of a state economy charging out of the gates like a racehorse, we get this: An 83% increase of confirmed cases in my county, which is mostly rural with a small industrial base, 90 miles from Atlanta. But freedom, amiright? I find it utterly amazing that people find being instructed to stay in their homes and take extra precautions to prevent becoming infected with a fatal disease a form of tyranny. When did "Wear a mask and wash your hands regularly" become equal to tanks in the streets? I understand wanting a haircut; Hell, I need  one but don't want to kill my barber, a nice guy who fits nicely into the at-risk category. Do...

After a decades-long absence, I started fishing again a few years ago. Having a young son means teaching valuable skills for later use, and what is more valuable than a method of food gathering, especially when that method is equally fun, exciting, and relaxing, often all at the same time? The Deep South offers a great variety of fish species to angle for, from hand-size pan fish to monster catfish weighing in the hundreds of pounds. The pond I fish from at the local park is home to bluegill, small and large mouth bass, black and white crappie, carp and catfish, making representative of the most common local species in one pond. However, there is another bass species I've caught there, in a place it doesn't really belong. The species is the red eye bass, or rock bass. Not my catch, not my photo. Holding a fish in this manner is likely to break its jaw; don't do it The smallest member of the bass family, the red eye (my preferred name for it; why must Southerners have...