Honoring the Past, Building a Future
Rather than navigate five roundabouts that are three too many, I drive up and down 64 to Rocky Mount. The sacrament of the roadside is in full view the day after Easter, a season of renewal and rejuvenation. Much like the resurrection celebrated during Easter, April offers us the opportunity to breathe new life into … Continue reading Easter Week: The Hope Of Continued Revitalization In Rocky Mount, NC
This post is dedicated to Robert Lewis Stevenson as I begin Treasure Island, a book I haven't read since Jr. High School. However long it has been, we can all sing, Fifteen men on the Dead Man's Chest Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest Yo-ho-ho, and … Continue reading The Past Glories of Rocky Mount, NC: We Have Our Own Manderley’s to Save
At 5:30 in the early evening, most of the 'garden' is in shade; Yalem Kiros's garden. A blue heron lifted off the island and elegantly floated past me. Swallows dipped and played. In the quiet I could hear the flow of the water. For the moment I'd been given the gift of this bit of … Continue reading Finding Yalem’s Garden in Rocky Mount, NC
By now, the morning sun was just over the horizon and it came at me like a sidearm pitch between the houses of my old neighborhood. I shielded my eyes. This being early October, there were already piles of leaves pushed against the curb—more leaves than I remembered from my autumns here—and less open space … Continue reading The Old Neighborhood – 700 Block Arlington Street
It suits my romantic inclinations to write this Sorsby's Tale after spending time with Whit Barnes. This tale is my favorite kind of Main Street news.I love generational novels that cover family history. In this case we have the family that founded Bullocks Furniture in 1901 unto the 5th generation that rests in a tall, … Continue reading When The Stars Align – Whit and Robert Barnes Appear – Sons of Rocky Mount
The first time I explored the alley behind Davis Furniture Company I was intrigued and excited to see some renovation had already taken place. It was quite a shock, however, to see the back of two buildings two doors down from the Davis business. Here is the picture I took that day that I have … Continue reading Exciting News: Twenty Two Lofts on Main Street – Buildings Saved By Troy Davis
