Author Archives: Tom Lawrence

About Tom Lawrence

Tom is our resident historian and writer of fiction. He is also the boss. So really, he can do whatever he wants, as long as Mary doesn't mind.

Julia Belle – A Short Story by Tom Lawrence (Part 1)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

(Editor’s Note: We are posting this story in two parts. Part 2 will be our feature post on Wednesday, October 30) My Dad’s service in WWII ended with the surrender of Japan in August of 1945. After four years of … Continue reading →

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O’Houlihan’s in Fayetteville,TN by Tom Lawrence

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

Occasionally you stumble on an unexpected treat when all you were looking for was a decent place to eat. This happened to us on a recent antiquing trip to Fayetteville, Tennessee.  We finished our antiquing just at the noon hour and asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Tom Lawrence | 1 Comment

An Evening with Marvin by Tom Lawrence

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

It was the football season of 1955 and I was starting at defensive guard on the Cumberland Bulldogs.  I was a sophomore that year and had lettered the year before, but this was my first year to be a starter.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Good Stories, Tom Lawrence | 8 Comments

Tony’s Tamales by Tom Lawrence

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

  We were in Jackson for a meeting of the PorchScene team, and when we finished our business my daughter, Mary, the brains behind PorchScene, mentioned that she was heading out on Old Canton Road to try a hot tamale … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Tom Lawrence | 2 Comments

Por qué no hacen el sur carolinans habla español – (Why don’t South Carolinians speak Spanish?) by Tom Lawrence

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

I posed this question to several of my learned friends and got a variety of answers such as: “Well, because South Carolina was settled by the English, dummy.” “A whole bunch of them do.” “Well, because the English drove the … Continue reading →

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It’s Worth the Wait at the Hunter’s Pub by Tom Lawrence

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

The Hunter’s Pub and Steakhouse is a cinder block building located on a country crossroad about fifteen miles from Columbus, Georgia. The surrounding land is mainly hardwood forest and is home to a variety of local hunting clubs. The Pub started … Continue reading →

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Pensacola with a Past by Tom Lawrence

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

As a child, I spent my summers with my paternal grandparents in Pensacola, Florida.  In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, Pensacola was a sleepy little city completely out of the American mainstream.  Because my grandfather was a retired Naval … Continue reading →

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Jaws Averted by Tom Lawrence

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

I love the beach early in the morning and late in the afternoon, not so much around mid-day.  Probably this is a result of being a red head and having the complexion of the Pillsbury Doughboy.  At any rate, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Good Stories, Tom Lawrence | 2 Comments

Wal-Mart, A Slice of the South by Tom Lawrence

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

I find myself spending more and more time bemoaning the demise of “Southern Culture” as I knew it as a child and young adult.  I long for the days when gas was 19 cents a gallon, the movie cost 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in Exploring the South, Tom Lawrence | 2 Comments

Frog Gigging in a Rice Field by Tom Lawrence

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Tom Lawrence

Rice farming came to the Mississippi Delta in the early 1950’s.  There are basically two kinds of soil in the Delta; fine grained river silt that has been deposited by eons of spring flooding along the Mississippi River, known as … Continue reading →

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