North of Easley the Blue Ridge escarpment stands straight up out of the Piedmont, and on a clear morning the flat profile of Table Rock is the first thing the light finds. A Step Above Lawncare starts its mowing while the grass is still cool and the red clay underneath still holds the night's damp. The passes go straight, the fence lines get trimmed back, the walk gets an edge cut true enough to run a finger along. By the time heat comes up off Highway 123, the clippings are blown clear of the drive and the yard reads clean from the street. That last look is the reason for all of it.