Photographed in Athens, GA
Raised in:
New York, New York
Lives in:
Athens, Georgia
Favorite bar in Athens right now:
Seabear. Ryan is a master of his craft behind the bar.
Now would ya look at that:
I was in the lobby of the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City, TN when I was introduced to Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. I was there to pick up Jamie, both in town shooting weddings, but first, we needed to stuff our starving bellies with Cook-Out. So we stood in the lobby, downing burgers and fries, talking to drunk guests from the wedding he’d shot. One of those guests had a bottle of E.H. Taylor Small Batch, and Jamie asked him to pour me a taste. I sipped it, very much enjoyed it, and then let Jamie have the rest (I’m so nice, I know). It just didn’t feel right to wash a cheap burger down with something so good…
Two weeks ago in Athens, I shot my last wedding of the busy Fall season, and on my way home Sunday I decided to reward myself with a stop of Total Wine. I walked straight to the whiskey aisle, saw the E.H. Taylor Small Batch in a box, and decided that’d be just right. I’m a big fan of buying myself gifts that come in a bottle…
I love the butterscotch notes in this bourbon. That, and it’s dangerously smooth for 100 Proof. With the price at a tad under $50, it’s just the right amount of “treat” without feeling guilty for pouring a glass just because it’s a Tuesday. Get getchyaself some.
Photographed in Athens, GA
Raised in:
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Lives in:
Athens, Georgia
Next Southern adventure:
Celebrating my gorgeous sister’s wedding at the Biltmore at the end of November and trying to stay classy and sober enough to give a MOH speech.
Now would ya look at that:
Meet Bobby Eldridge, head bartender at Chef Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South, and winner of the 2014 Taste of Atlanta Barcraft Competition. You can find the recipe for his winning cocktail, the Bali Hai, on Southern Living’s The Daily South. Two words – rum, Fernet. Cheers!
Photographed in Savannah, GA
Raised in:
The Ozarks Region of Missouri
Lives in:
Springfield, Missouri
Favorite thing about traveling through the Southeast:
The area I grew up in isn’t necessarily considered the South but I’ve always seen it as the the gateway to it. We are a bit lazy with our vowels and “y’alls” are commonplace. I’m also a huge history buff – my ancestors came from Ireland in the 1760’s and landed in North Carolina and homesteaded in Tennessee before coming to southern Missouri in the 1860’s. I’ve always had a bit of family identity tied into the Southeast. Seeing those places I’ve read about in family history books only strengthened that identity.
Now would ya look at that:
Meet Christian Gideon, an amazing photographer with a damn good heart.
Photographed by Brendan Walters
High School Caroline was obsessed with Something Corporate, her first introduction to Andrew McMahon‘s piano, vocal and songwriting skills. She loved all of their albums and still jams them, and not just for the nostalgia. End third person, move forward.
I’ve been into every one of Andrew McMahon’s projects. SoCo, Jack’s Mannequin, and now his solo venture. It’s no surprise that I’d be into this new endeavor. In Billboard’s Exclusive Premier of the album, I learned that to write the album, he literally set off for the wilderness – a cabin in Topanga Canyon. “McMahon would write during the week and head home on weekends to be with his wife Kelly, who was pregnant with their first child. Their newborn baby, Cecilia, inspired the album’s second track, ‘Cecilia and the Satellite.'” The song mentioned is my favorite from the record, and even sweeter after reading him describe it – “I wanted to have a snapshot of who I was in the years leading up to meeting her.”
I love this album in it’s entirety – it just gets better and better with each listen.
Stream: “Cecilia and the Satellite”
Cecilia and the Satellite
I’m excited to share some of my favorite images I shot of Jess Graves‘ house, styled by Ginny Branch.
You can visit Apartment Therapy to get the details on her beautiful living room and dining room!
After a solid 4 years of Glamping in the cold woods we decided to mix it up in an effort to soak up as much sunshine as possible. On the last weekend of September, we drove south to Cape San Blas, Florida. We upgraded our 7 person tent to a 4 bedroom house. We replaced our flannels with gingham, puffy jackets with navy blazers, pumpkin beer with rosé, and dirt with sand. We added 2 new members to the crew and poured one out for our dear Allyson who wasn’t able to make it. And as always, it was epic. Summer forever.
Smathers & Branson ‘Gaucho’ needlepoint flip flops.
Volunteer Traditions Texas koozie.
Move over, white shirts on the beach family photos. You just got gingham’d.
Cheesy beach portrait session? Totes.
ENO’s Twilights came in handy for lighting up our beach bar.
Peach State Pride ‘Shotgun’ shirt.
Buffalo Jackson fishing shirt, Smathers & Branson flask.
Some strangers asked if there was going to be a wedding. One of the girls joked that there was going to be a vow renewal, and the strangers asked if they could watch from their porch. So, to not appear as the liars we were, an impromptu vow renewal for us, led by Captain Matt, took place. He pronounced us “still married.”
Mark: Brooks Brothers blazer, Buffalo Jackson ‘Reagan Quote’ tie, TRIO shirt, Dockers ‘Alpha Khaki’ pants.
Tig: Grandmother’s dress purchased in Hawaii.
$4.25 blazer found at Goodwill, Buffalo Jackson ‘1st Republic Texas’ bow tie, Brooks Brothers shirt.
Enjoy the Cape San Glamp playlist!
Thank you to Peach State Pride, Smathers & Branson, Buffalo Jackson and ENO for contributing some of their amazing goods for the trip!
We love being introduced to solid products from the company themselves. I hadn’t even left the home page of Sturdy Brothers website before Ben and Spencer Young had me sold. They kindly reached out, told us a bit of their story, and put one of their beautiful products in my hands. I was blown away by c craftsmanship and loved the tag on it reading No:4/20. Batch:5. Crafted for: Caroline. Crafted date: 8/25/14.
Learn about their story from Ben Young and then take advantage of their gift to you!
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Where y’all were raised and live now:
We were raised in small town Tifton, Georgia. Spencer went to school in Milledgeville while I spent a few years in Raleigh, NC. We now live in Thomasville, GA. Spencer is an owner at Grassroots Coffee Company in downtown, and together we run Sturdy Brothers.
Tell everyone about the company:
Our goal is to rekindle a spirit of American craftsmanship in the South. We are working to provide quality goods for the hardworking people who make America great – those who still get their hands dirty. We believe we are called to lead a quiet life and work hard with our hands. Sturdy Brothers is our humble acting on this calling.
What sets your products apart:
Spencer and I both feel passionately about supporting local, American made products. However, our country has made the move to support outsourcing and the importation of lesser quality products. We wanted to play a small part in rediscovering what our country was built on, what made America great in the first place. Building quality products. Our exploration in craftsmanship focuses on products made to last a lifetime. We have built them with our sweat and blood in hopes that they will be used by the remaining craftsmen and women in our country.
What inspires the line:
Our heritage. We have looked to our grandparents to design products that give tribute to their hardworking lives. We wanted to make our products the way they would have been made in their day. We sew on a couple 1930s Singer machines, hand cut leather, and hammer all of our rivets, because we still believe things ought to be made with care and passion.
What should we be looking out for in the future:
We have a couple awesome products that will be released in the coming months! Recently we have launched an online marketplace which features local Southern makers and a variety of awesome goods. We have a pop-up shop for the month of September in Thomasville where we are selling these products. Hopefully, with some hard work, this can become a more permanent location. Stay tuned, there is a lot more making to be had!
In this photo:
A gift for y’all from Sturdy Brothers:
Use code BKDWNSTH to get 10% off any Sturdy Brothers product!
Look, I’ve accepted that “summer is over,” it’s fine. I’m fine…
But on our Cape San Glamp trip (post coming soon), I crushed Mai Tais. Classic, refreshing Mai Tais. And thus, I must share the recipe with y’all. So break out your rum and put down your PSL for just a minute to enjoy one of these babies.
The Drink: Like most (proper) tiki drinks, the Mai Tai has a lot of ingredients. I slightly adapted from Imbibe and took a shortcut on the orgeat to make things a tad easier but still delicious. Orgeat is an almond syrup enhanced with a touch of flower water (rose and/or orange) and is an essential ingredient in a handful of tiki drinks. I came across Brooklyn based Orgeat Works and figured it was a great excuse to test out their products, so I got a bottle of their T’Orgeat. I was really impressed and will definitely be back for more.
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.
Shake it off like Taylor Swift and pour into a tiki mug (of course, not necessary, but highly recommended).
Stick a straw in that bad boy and enjoy!
The Mug: Ceramic tiki mug.
