One can't truly soak up the complete Tennessee experience without a whiskey tasting - or two or three or four - specifically from some of the incredible micro-distilleries found throughout the state. I took a detour through Chattanooga on my road trip around the American South, and visited the Tennessee Stillhouse, home of the Chattanooga Whiskey Company.
I loved all the drinks I tried, but my favorite whiskey was the 1816 Reserve. It's 90 proof, aged 6.5 years in charred white oak barrels, and a has really balanced sweet and spicy flavor. The 1816 Cask was also great, and I loved that they included cocktails so that you could experience how the different flavors of the whiskey complimented the drinks. I was only sampling, but the whiskey tasting put me in good "spirits" for the afternoon.
As became a recurring theme, I ended up having a really great discussion with the bartender about the journey I was on through the South. She was quick to offer recommendations, which lead to others sharing ideas and stories. Once again, my camera was a nice ice-breaker. There's also a lot to be said for local places like this where it's clear that they care about what they do. If you're in Chattanooga, you owe it to yourself to check out the Tennessee Stillhouse.
When we first started talking about driving the entire Pacific Coast of the United States, this was exactly how I pictured it. Cliffs, lighthouses, and epic backdrops for spontaneous adventures. After exploring the North Head Lighthouse near Illwaco, Mike and I returned later in the day to hike the surrounding cliffs and to get a few shots of the Pacific as the sun went down.
I will say that getting down to the ocean from the lighthouse was easier than getting back up again. There were no trails here, just slick patches of grass and rocky embankments to jump between. The roar of the ocean as it crashed into the rocks was pretty amazing though, and there's nothing quite like finding a cool spot off of the beaten path. I snapped a few shots as we caught the last light of the day. Next stop Oregon.
It was 100 years ago on July 20, 1916 that the cornerstone was laid for the Earl Kitchener School in Medicine Hat, Alberta. As many of you know, especially if you follow my content, that old school has since been renovated into a private residence. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph that transformation over the last couple years, by chance, after I met the owners when they purchased a few images that I'd shot of the building as a vacant school.
To mark the 100 year anniversary of the structure, the homeowners Greg and Tracy hosted an open house yesterday which I attended. In addition to capturing a few casual shots, I thought this would actually be an opportune time to share the collection of posts that I've done about this incredible property. I can't say enough about how amazing the work they've done to reinvent this space really is. I also can't downplay how wildly popular the posts I've done about Earl Kitchener have been, with literally tens of thousands of people viewing and sharing them.
Explore these previous posts for yourself to see why that might be:
- Exterior of Earl Kitchener: A look at the exterior of the old school when it was no longer in use and still waiting to be purchased.
- Renovation Begins: Inside Earl Kitchener as work began on making it into a home.
- The Finished Product: Exploring the completed Earl Kitchener home.
- Before & After: A side by side comparison of the interior spaces at the beginning and completion of this project.
