I'm not sure what to say about this summer, except that it's been kind of . . . heavy. People keep dying. My father-in-law. A friend's mother. A couple of folks in my own generation, both with young children at home. I guess this is what happens when you hit middle age; people start shuffling off their mortal coils with alarming regularity. I have to say, it takes some getting used to.
For a few years in the late 1990s, I had a column in this publication called "According to Mike." Considering I could babble about whatever topic came to mind and Margaret was a fair and charitable editor, it was a sweet deal. What was the column about?
The Burger Beat returns, with a visit to the Old Bull Tavern. Story & Photos by Mark Shaffer
There is an old world sensibility to this short block of downtown Beaufort. This narrow piece of West Street was only recently a series of vacant storefronts. Today it is an eclectic collection of shops, galleries, studios and single pub that feels as if it's watched the years drive by in everything from Edsels to Smart Cars.
(Mark Shaffer with fellow Burger Beater & Everyday Gourmet columnist Debbi Covington at the Old Bull Tavern)
The Society of Bluffton Artists presents "The BIG Show," a collection of art, big in spirit as well as size, on display through August 4. Artist members were asked to submit large scale paintings for this special exhibit – from 24 x 30 up to 48 x 60 inches! (This is our cover image, "Peaches" by Dave Dickson.)
Monday is Movie Night this summer at the USCB Center for the Arts, your local headquarters for independent film.
Monday, July 8, catch the screening of "Tiger Eyes," directed by Lawrence Blume. A 17-year‐old girl sets out on a journey from heartbreak and confusion to transformation as she discovers love and life after tragedy.
First Presbyterian Church Beaufort (FPC Beaufort) will host their second GED Boot Camp from July 29 – August 16, 2013 at their Education Building located at 1201 North Street in downtown Beaufort. GED Boot Camp is a day and/or evening program that provides three weeks of intensive preparation for the GED test at no cost to the student.
There are two kinds of bars in this world: one kind pours booze while the other sort makes cocktails. The Old Bull Tavern makes cocktails. There's a sense of a bygone era of elegance about the place in general and the bar in particular. It's evident in the bar menu, where the short list of classic beverages includes old stalwarts like the Cosmopolitan and the Sazerac, with the drink's origin referenced beneath the ingredients.
I've barely been in Beaufort this summer. First, my father-in-law's passing in early June took us to California, then we were off to our annual family get-together in Myrtle Beach; and now, I'm writing from my parents' house on the banks of the Tennessee River, near Decatur, AL, where I grew up.
It's been a rough month. Shortly after my glorious trip to see an old college friend in Charleston after a 40-year hiatus, I contracted a terrible stomach virus that did not seem to want to quit. Pernicious and nasty and an unpleasant way to lose weight.
'Tis the season of hot days and warm nights! Who doesn't like a refreshing cold beverage in the summertime? I carry around a tervis tumbler filled with herbal raspberry tea almost all of the time these days. It's so important to stay hydrated in this intense Lowcountry heat. My recipes this week are personal favorites photographed by three of the best photographers in Beaufort. Hope you enjoy them!
(Photograph of "Sangria! Sangria!" by Paul Nurnberg)