Headwind Hazard

The first time Patrick asked if I wanted to turn our paddleboards around, it would have been smart to say yes. It was windier than we anticipated, not that either of us checked the weather. Hurricane Maria was somewhere over the Atlantic, far out of mind as we carried our boards into the water on a breezy, sunny day. We were the only ones on the Calibogue Sound in Hilton Head, South Carolina, oblivious to the wind advisory in effect.

A Sidewalk Arts Festival family tradition

My brother Alex and I have always shared an interest in art and storytelling. I was still in high school when he arrived at SCAD to study film and animation. Every time he came home on break, he would teach me things he’d learned in class. He refined my Photoshop skills, demonstrated drawing techniques and showed me more about filmmaking than I ever wanted to know. This convinced me to follow in his footsteps to SCAD.

Love Stinks on a Fall Hunt

Every November, my dad brings two things back from Michigan: fresh venison and a funny story. One year, he accidentally shot two deer with one bullet. Another time, he was visited by a pair of porcupines. Dad always gives the full story over Thanksgiving dinner, and my Uncle Dave usually shares his version during family visits.

Most of the stories are still worth a chuckle, but there’s one that never gets old. All it takes to get our family red-faced and laughing is to say, “Hey, you remember that time with the skunk?”

The Long Road Back

For someone used to driving 45 minutes maximum to get anywhere in suburbia at speeds that rarely get up to 70 mph, an eight-hour drive at 68 mph is terrifying. Add in bouts of rain that reduce visibility to 10 feet and it’s my worst nightmare. For my dad, this is called “precipitation.”