What comes to mind when one thinks of Pickens County? Is it the beauty of the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains on our horizon? Is it the many natural breathtaking landscapes — waterfalls, lakes, acres of trees and the countless hidden treasures? Is it the stunning Azaleas? Is it the hometown, great-place-to-raise-a-family appeal? It would have to be all of this and more, as it seems, because more and more major corporations — retail chains, restaurant chains, major manufacturers — are flocking to Pickens County. Even though this county is continuing to spread its wings and fly farther, it maintains the small-town, friendly neighbor appeal that we all hold dear.

It all started when Cedarwood Development completed the construction of the massive Easley Town Center, which holds more than 500,000 square feet of retail space. After Walmart

After a few difficult weeks, I am finally getting back to normal, or at least my definition of the word.

It started a few weeks ago when my father was admitted to the hospital. There were some mistakes with his tests, so he needed to have more tests made before he could go home. A few days in the hospital turned into one week, which my father did not like.

He began to complain about whatever he could think of — the food, the nurses, etc. He swore he would never go to that particular hospital again. He was ready to go sing with his friends and the hospital had not better keep him too long.

Meanwhile, my mother passed out while she was getting together thing for my father at the hospital.

Both are better now. We’re still not sure why my mother passed out, but she’s trying to be more careful now.

So then the engine in my car gave out. It turns out that the oil

Once more a lesson has been learned, but I’m not exactly sure what the lesson is. Riding the river is one of my favorite summer activities. This doesn’t mean it’s something I excel at. It just means it’s something I love to do.

However, it isn’t something I’m allowed to do alone, as Fowler has put his foot down about that because for some reason he thinks it might not be the safest thing to do. And he is probably right. Take a recent Thursday.

Iva and I had previously planned a river run in the kayaks and chose the 12 Mile, as it’s conveniently located and seemed to be high enough to give us a pretty smooth trip.

Since the 12 Mile is shallow anyway, when the water is low you can