This blog is for my insights on life, the Bible, hiking adventures with my grandson and whatever is important to me
Author: Deb L Waters
I am an avid reader. I read mostly Amish fiction but also read other novels. I enjoy romance, mystery, and Christian devotionals. I enjoy hiking in the outdoors, especially in Greenways and State or National Parks. I love my grandson. He is my favorite subject, so I'll post about him and his antics.
Brian’s Busboys World is the host for Last on the Card requests us to share our last photo on our SD cards or on our phones for August 31 or whenever your last photo was taken. No editing — just however it came out in focus, blurry, or whatever it may be. No explanations necessary. Be sure to create a pingback to Brian’s post or leave a link in his comments. Be sure to tag your post with The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard.
Becky has resumed her Square Challenge for September with the theme of Seven for September. It has been Seven (7) years since the first Squaring Challenge Adventures began, thus remembering the good times of Squaring for Seven.
I have not been Squaring for Seven years, however, I have enjoyed being apart of Becky’s Square Challenge. I will do my best with this new theme of Seven for September.
As Becky so cordially reminded us that September was originally the Seventh month of the year in the Roman calendar; it is fitting to see what everyone decides to post for Seven for September. September comes from the Latin word septem which means, you guessed it, seven.
Location:Huntersville, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a Sunny Square September Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Begonias landscaped around the entrance to Harris Teeter (local grocery store).
Begonia cucullata are also known as clubbed begonia and wax begonia. When grown as groundcover, the flowers of the plant are red, pink, or white that bloom in summer or year-round in warmer places, and the fruits have three wings. [This time of year it is extremely hot here (I know it could be hotter) in the mid-nineties. These begonias thrive where we (Coleman and I) are overwhelmed by the extreme heat and are rolling in sweat just walking him to school and back home.
Who begins counting down to Christmas in August? Amazingly some people do, even Google & Siri are already counting down to Christmas. It’s not even Halloween or Thanksgiving yet. Why Count down to Christmas so early? Some people use an Advent Calendar to count down to Christmas, but they only start the count down at the beginning of December.
Retailers begin selling Christmas decorations in August to spread out demand and avoid the last-minute shopping rush.
Thinking about Christmas in August helps people to avoid last-minute holiday travel expenses, as well as helps you to budget your finances. Spreading out the cost of the Holidays helps to reduce strain and stress on yourself and your budget.
Mentioning Stress, why stress yourself out over Christmas? Save early — Plan ahead — Shop early — Make gifts ahead of time or perhaps throughout the year. These ideas help to give yourself a peace of mind and you’ll be more likely to enjoy the Christmas holiday season with friends and family.
Christmas 1978
Speaking of family, these photos with Santa Claus were taken in Germany in December of 1978. The first photo shows Santa’s arrival. The next photo shows my niece, Jennifer, on Santa’s lap. The third photo is of my niece, Sherry, on Santa’s lap. And the fourth and last photo is of my brother with his daughters and other children (probably at a Church Christmas party). [My brother was stationed in Germany while in the U.S. Air Force.]
Merry Christmas! Well just relax — you’ve got plenty of time to get ready for Christmas ( that is if you start early).
In the Summer of 1985 my parents went Road Trippin’ across the United States of America. They began their Road Trip leaving from their home in San Diego, California. They always planned what or whom they wanted to visit ahead of time.
Continuing with their stop in Washington D.C. and a few sites in Manassas, Virginia with a side visit with my brother and his family.
The above are their last views of Washington D.C. before leaving the area. From D.C. my parents drove to near Manassas, Virginia to visit with my brother and his family for a spell.
Having rested up and enjoyed a nice family visit, they set out again for further site seeing adventures. They stopped in Manassas enjoying several sites including the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
Henry Hill Visitor CenterConfederate General Barnard Elliott Bee Jr. Monument Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson monument (AKA Stonewall Jackson)Manassas Loop TrailManassas National Battlefield Park Map
My dad loved to plan at least one stop on our vacations which had an historical significance. He would also plan a different site for our family to enjoy some fun. On this trip he and my mom planned to visit sites that held significant interest to them.
The next stop on their Road Trippin’ USA adventure was The Henry Ford – Museum Of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan.
Parking Lot for The Henry Ford – Museum Of American InnovationJulian Stage Line
As they walked up to the entrance they enjoyed seeing the displays at the entrance like this Julian Stage Line vehicle. Julian reminds me of a town just a short ways east of San Diego County in California that has the best Apple pies and beautiful countryside.
Next week I’ll continue with their Road Trippin’ adventures for My Which Way of Cee’s Which Way Challenge at The Henry Ford – Museum Of American Innovation.
Location: Washington D.C.; Manassas National Battlefield Park; Manassas, Virginia; The Henry Ford – Museum Of American Innovation; Dearborn, Michigan, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
My dad snapped this photo, probably since they parked next to a similar Ford Thunderbird, before heading into the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
Location: Parking Lot; Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation; Dearborn, Michigan, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting The Huntington with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a fantastic week. I appreciate y’all very much.
This is my Ninth installment of my combination of Thursday Doors & Monday Window featuring Antique Automobiles. For the past seven weeks I’ve been posting Antique Automobiles from California. Last week I will began posting Antique Automobiles from Washington D. C. and now continuing on from the East Coast before moving on to Dearborn, Michigan.
This week I decided to post photos of antique automobiles from the Rohr Museum of Antique Cars. I am not sure if this museum was apart of the National Museum of American History’s Smithsonian Automobile Collection in Washington D.C. or a separate museum possibly in Manassas, Virginia. I have googled the museum but cannot find any information regarding the Rohr Antique Automobile Museum. I do know my parents toured the National Museum of American History in D.C. and then drove through Manassas to my brother’s home before driving to Dearborn, Michigan.
In these photos you can see the Virginia license plates and the Rohr Museum Antique Cars sign hanging near a window. Next week I’ll be showing antique automobiles and such from Dearborn, Michigan. Stay tuned for further adventures into the Antique Automobile World.
Welcome to “The Numbers Game #36”. Today’s number is 157. To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find under that number and include a link to your blog in my Numbers Game blog of the day. If instead of numbers, you have changed the identifiers of all your photos into words, pick a word or words to use instead, and show us a variety of photos that contain that word in the title.
I couldn’t locate photos with the number 157, so I decided to choose a Word — Airplane.
17th century, Istrian stone, Italian The Italian fountain was purchased by Henry Huntington in 1915. It was shipped from New York in 48 boxes that filled an entire railway car. Oddly enough, the fountain arrived without assembly instructions and with a few extra pieces. It eventually was installed in the garden of the Huntington Library, Art Museum, & Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
The Pink Velour Crape Myrtle is a type of Lagerstroemia indica crape myrtle tree. The flower colouring changes with the season. In the summer its blooms are a bright Hot Pink changing to a burgundy in the fall.
One can find the Lagerstroemia all across the Southern Atlantic States. Similar to the southern Magnolia, the crape Myrtle has come to symbolize the American South due to its extensive planting and ability to thrive in hot, humid summer climates with regular precipitation. It has brilliant color in late summer and autumn unlike other trees/shrubs which have already exhausted their blooms.
The Horned Puffins are similar in appearance to the Atlantic Puffins and its closest relative of the North Atlantic. It differs, however, by a “horn” of black skin located above the eye, present in adult birds.
The Horned Puffin is an auk found in the North Pacific Ocean, including the coasts of Alaska, Siberia, and British Columbia. [The puffin in the first picture was taken off the coast of Alaska by my cousin during their bucket list vacation.] It is a pelagic seabird that feeds primarily by diving for fish. It nests in colonies, often with other auks.
The height of the adult puffin is approximately 20 cm (8 in), the weight is approximately 500 g (18 oz), and the wingspan is approximately 58 cm (23 in). Horned Puffins are monomorphic; in other words both the male and female exhibits the same plumage coloration.
Sexually mature puffins have a small fleshy black “horn” extending upwards from the eye, from which the animal derives its common name; the horned puffin. The Horned Puffin’s bill is red at the tip and yellow at the base. It is also larger than those of other puffin species. The puffin’s bill has fluorescent properties which it uses to attract a partner. Puffins can see ultraviolet rays, allowing them to spot luminescence on the bills of other puffins during the courtship display.
Horned puffins live among steep rocky slopes and cliffs. They prefer rock crevices or shelters under piles of rock for home and shelter which differs from other puffins that dig burrows for their shelters.
To achieve flight, horned puffins either jump off a cliff to gain momentum, or races across the water to reaching the speed required for takeoff. They fly compactly and quickly, 10 to 30 meters (33 to 98 ft)above sea level. The wing beats are constant, rapid and regular.
When the puffins are on land they walk upright gripping rock surfaces with its claws, and climbs cliffs with ease. They do spend half of their time on water, paddling along the surface with their feet. They are extremely agile underwater. Their powerful wings serve as oars and their webbed feet work as a rudder. Their plumage, like most seabirds, are waterproof. This feature allows them to dive and prevents heat loss.
The Horned Puffins feed on a diet of fish, small invertebrates, crustaceans, polychaete worms and squid. They are also known to feed on small algae and marine plants.
Location: Sequoia National Forest; Tulare County, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the nature. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Liriope muscari is commonly referred to as big blue lilyturf, lilyturf, border grass, and monkey grass. It has grass-like evergreen foliage and lilac-purple flowers which produce single-seeded berries on a spike in the fall.
It is late summer here, however, these Big Blue Lilyturf can be spotted around all over the city in landscape manicured gardens. They are one of the few plants in bloom right now besides the varieties of Crape Myrtle.
Being an easy plant to grow, landscapers tend to use the Liriope muscari as groundcover for borders along sidewalks, trails, driveways, shrubbery, and trees. It is one of the most popular groundcovers in the southeastern United States.
Landslides occur whenever they choose to happen even in the most unlikely of circumstances or in areas you least expect. This one happened on a portion of my cousin’s property. Better be careful where you walk. Never know what Mother Nature will decide to do next.
Along my cousin’s property after all the rain from Tropical Storms.
The majority of beaches are more than three hours away from where we live except for around the lakes. It has been awhile since I’ve been to any beaches, so I combed through my archives to see what I could sea.
Here are my findings from out along the WEST Coast and Pacific Northwest Coast.
Moving back to the East Coast, we can Sea these beautiful and interesting beach finds.
In the Summer of 1985 my parents went Road Trippin’ across the United States of America. They began their Road Trip leaving from their home in San Diego, California. They always planned what or whom they wanted to visit ahead of time.
On the road again, their next planned stop was in Washington D.C. after a side visit to my brother near Manassas, Virginia. My parents toured many of the historical sites and monuments around the area. Some of the sites were seen via a tour bus while others were seen via self-guided walking tour routes. They toured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Building, the National Museum of American History, The Washington Monument, The Lincoln Memorial, The Smithsonian Castle, Capitol Hill and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Statue. What would be your interests if you toured Washington D.C. or your country’s Capitol?
Here you may see some of the Roads, Routes, or Pathways they took on their tour of D.C.:
The last photo isn’t exactly a pathway unless you consider going round and round on a merry-go-round one you’d also enjoy taking on occasion.,
This is my Eighth installment of my combination of Thursday Doors & Monday Window featuring Antique Automobiles. For the past seven weeks I’ve been posting Antique Automobiles from California. This week I will begin posting Antique Automobiles from Washington D. C. and then moving on to Dearborn, Michigan.
Today’s featured Antique Automobile comes from the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C..
Willys MB
U.S. military vehicle of WW II
“Jeep”
714 ORD-2 USA 717-S
The Willys MB was formally called the U.S. Army truck, 1/4-ton, 4×4, command reconnaissance. It was commonly known as the Willys Jeep, Jeep, or jeep. The Willys Jeeps were highly successful American off-road capable, light military utility vehicles.
There were greater than 600,000 Willy MB built to a single standardized design, for the United States and the Allied forces in World War II, from 1941 until 1945. It was highly regarded, by Dwight D. Eisenhower, as one of the five pieces of equipment most vital to success in Africa and Europe. In 1991, the MB Jeep was designated an “International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark” by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
After World War II, the original Jeep continued to serve in the Korean War as well as other conflicts until updates were done with the M38 Willys MC in 1949and later the M38A1 Willys MD in 1952.
Interestingly enough, the Willys Jeep was the inspiration for recreational 4WDs and SUVs, making “four-wheel drive” a household term, and numerous incarnations of military light utility vehicles.
National Museum of American History Washington D.C.
Location: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens; San Marino, California
God Bless. Thank you for visiting The Huntington with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a fantastic week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Good Day y’all! For this week’s challenge I dug into my archives to see what Lime or Lemon colours I could find to fit the theme. Hope y’all enjoy the selections I found.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Blue-faced honeyeater is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. The Blue-faced honeyeater is considered large at 29.5 centimeters ( 11.6 inches) in length. Its plumage is distinctive in coloration; having olive upper parts, white underparts, and a black head and throat with white nape and cheeks. Unlike some other bird species, males and females are similar in external appearance.
Common name: Blue-faced honeyeater Binomial name: Entomyzon cyanotis AKA Bananabird
The Blue-faced honeyeaters are found in open woodland, parks, and gardens. [This one was shot at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, South Carolina.] They are common in northern and eastern Australia, and southern New Guinea.
These birds feast on a diet of mostly invertebrates along with nectar and fruit. The name of banana-bird was given to it due to its propensity for feeding on the flowers and fruit of bananas in North Queensland. One of the early naturalist, George Shaw, called it the blue-faced honey-sucker in 1826.
Location: Riverbanks Zoo & Garden; Columbia, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting Riverbanks with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a fabulous week. I appreciate y’all very much.
To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find under that number and include a link to your blog in myNumbers Game blog of the day. If instead of numbers, you have changed the identifiers of all your photos into words, pick a word or words to use instead, and show us a variety of photos that contain that word in the title.
Here are my 156 & variation contributions for this week of Judy’s Numbers Game #35-156 (Hope the numbers right—I got in a hurry, sorry).
Coleman Warlick YMCANorth Carolina Transportation Museum Alona & Linus Carowinds Labyrinth Abilene, TexasLarry D. Waters my brother Coleman Miracle ParkHorse Anne Springs Close Greenway Coleman & his train setKristie Wilson Coleman’s cousin Lake Haigler Anne Springs Close Greenway
The Apotheosis of Washington is located in the eye of the U.S. Capital Building’s Rotunda in Washington D.C.. It was painted by Constantino Brumidi in 1865. The painting depicts George Washington rising to the heavens in glory, flanked by female figures representing Liberty and Victory/Fame and surrounded by six groups of figures.
The Apotheosis of Washington was painted in the true fresco technique. Constantino Brumidi was born and trained in Rome; having already painted in the Vatican and Roman palaces prior to emigrating to the United States in 1852. He was a master of creating the illusion of three-dimensional forms and figures on flat walls. He painted frescoes and murals throughout the Capitol from 1855 until his death.
The Apotheosis of Washington, was painted in eleven (11) months at the end of the civil war. A rainbow arches at George Washington’s feet and thirteen maidens symbolizing the original states flank the three central figures.
George Washington, The United States of America’s first president, had a substantial impact on the nation. He never actually graced the halls of the United States Capital, however, his presence, influence, and his likeness is everywhere. There are approximately thirty-five (35) pieces of art which include Washington’s likeness in the U.S. Capitol.
Where one decides to Pull Up a Seat is as individual and unique as you are. For a unique experience why not select a horse of your choosing to Pull Up a Seat, let’s ride. Giddy Up Horsey!
These horses and their riders all apart of an equestrian exhibition at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in May of 1978. They were captured on 35 mm film by my dad as my parents were delighted with watching the show.
In the Summer of 1985 my parents went Road Trippin’ across the United States of America. They began their Road Trip leaving from their home in San Diego, California. They always planned what or whom they wanted to visit ahead of time.
On this Road Trip, their first stop was to visit my dad’s sister in Charlotte, North Carolina. That stop was a brief visit; a time of relaxation before continuing on their long journey they had planned for themselves.
Their first planned stop after leaving my Aunt and Uncle’s home was to visit the Petersburg National Battlefield in Petersburg, Virginia. These are a few of the sights they saw while walking around the battlefield grounds and trails.