The Carolina Traveler web site is giving birth to a freakishly large baby boy named Andy Benton.

My trusty sidekick/photographer/co-producer will begin his own on-line travel journal every Friday starting this week. It will appear right here in this same spot. Tuesday through Thursday you’ll see my mug and ramblings and Friday through Monday you’ll see Andy and his rants.

If you’ve seen the show you know Andy is funnier than me. And both our wives will tell you he’s smarter than me. But that’s not saying much.

The back of Andy's head as he slowly becomes ill shooting from a boat.

This is more exciting for me than it is for Andy. Partly because I have to do nothing to make this happen and Andy has to actually write something every week. But also because it will showcase that “Andy” wit and twisted charm which I love so much.

You see very short “Andy quips” in the show. I get to see it all day long. Save for the hours I sleep while Andy drives us all over the Carolinas. No one’s funny enough to keep me awake in a passenger seat. Come to think of it I don’t stay awake very well in the driver’s seat either. I just sleep well in cars. So sue me.

I think you’ll also get an interesting perspective on how our show comes together and what life is like BEHIND the camera in the TV business. You’d be amazed how different our work experiences are and we stand only a few feet apart looking at the same things all day long. As we shoot Carolina Traveler stories, our brains are in the same place… and two different places the whole time.

Andy's backside as he captures the Cape Lookout Light.

Think of us as two surgeons (stop laughing) who specialize in open heart surgery. Only his area of expertise is different than mine. Together we can slice open anybody and do whatever is necessary to have a successful surgery (okay, this analogy is awful). But I can’t do what he does and he can’t do what I do. (Oh, go ahead and laugh!)

We look at the same beating heart (this is so stupid… now I’m laughing). We stand next to each other. We’re thinking about two entirely different things.

And that’s what makes Carolina Traveler unique. It’s the two of us. It won’t work any other way.

So I hope you enjoy Andy’s journals on Friday. If not, Andy’s e-mail address is abenton@wcnc.com.

And remember to tell everyone you know that our show airs (shouting now…) …EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT AT 7:30 PM!

Okay, good laugh. Everybody back to work.

Until Saturday,

Mike Redding