A roadside visit in the low country.

Rambling down the the road in the low country, on the side of the road, under the shade of an old live oak tree in Hollywood, South Carolina, you may find Tobias. Tobias is a man of many talents and a wealth of life experiences. He came of age during the ’60’s in the Boston area. Later he lived for a time in a tree house in Nova Scotia, then moved to Key West where he worked as a carpenter and cabinet maker.

We originally stopped by to check out Tobias’ paintings and the interesting walking sticks I had heard about. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but was surprised at his gift of painting.

Incredible, intricate works of art.

This was my favorite.

Really good stuff y’all. And on the side of the road?

The walking sticks are super cool. They’re made from trees intertwined with vines.

Tobias removes the vines revealing a coiled indention then carves the walking sticks working with the nature-made patterns. Tobias sometimes adds creatures for interest.

The walking sticks are not only functional but beautiful works of art in their own right, each with its own personality.

We soon learned that Tobias is a musician too. He plays the piano and guitar, and is teaching himself to play the fiddle. Or is it a violin? Fiddle, I think, is what he’d call it. Thankfully we happened to have a guitar with us so Tobias treated us to an impromptu concert. He’s quite a guitarist.

My husband was fascinated by his unique finger style…playing the bass line with his thumb and melody with three fingers.

Here, why don’t you check it out for yourself.

Pretty cool huh? Did you catch that bit about Shel Silverstein? We had a nice visit with Tobias under the live oak tree. And Randy bought me an early Christmas present, one of Tobias’ walking sticks.

So, next time you’re out galavanting around, be sure to pay attention to the roadside. You never know what you might find. You may even make a new friend.

Love ya like a sister!

Or a brother. 😀