Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography
This blog is for my insights on life, the Bible, hiking adventures with my grandson and whatever is important to me
This is Great Falls Elementary School (formerly called Mebane Grammar School.) This is the school my dad attended when he was growing up in Great Falls, South Carolina.
Lens-Artists Challenge #305-Rectangles
Photo Credit:©️1963 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Mebane Grammar School; aka Great Falls Elementary School; Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Delicious Delectable Devoured
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. Enjoy Nature. Smell the fragrant flowers. I appreciate y’all very much.
Black and White All Over
So So Adorably Cute
Giant Pandas
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciated y’all very much.
God Bless. Have a funtastic rest of your weekend. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Coleman’s Choices
This week’s Pull Up a Seat selections were determined by Coleman. We walked around the neighbourhood and after walking for several blocks he decided he wanted to Pull Up a Seat at the picnic table outside of the Walmart Neighborhood Market which is used mainly by employees.
We get up and continue on our walk where he sees a rock he figures would be a nice place to Pull Up a Seat. We hadn’t walked far when he chose to sit a spell, but I was fine with that since I had taken a tumble upon the uneven torn up asphalt.
After catching our breath, we continued walking ending up at the school playground. Coleman always finds places he can Pull Up a Seat in a playground.
Sometimes he chose the slide …
… Or at the top of a climbing structure …
… Or on a Swing.
It doesn’t seem to matter to him where he Pulls Up a Seat. He’s having fun, so it doesn’t matter to me either.
Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for walking with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Everywhere you go there are signs to Welcome your presence. Welcome you to come into a store, Welcome you to a town, Welcome you to a Greenway, and even Welcoming children to a Playground.
Let’s start with our Welcome to a favourite store in Amish Country, Ohio called Lehman’s. Lehman’s provides products that Amish and Englishers alike desire to purchase and meets the needs of those desiring a simpler lifestyle.
Next up is a Greenway constructed in the last five years in Lancaster. The Lindsay Pettus Greenway was intentionally designed as a hard-surface trail to ensure that people of all mobility levels can smoothly access the trail. By doing so, everyone can connect to places of interest and engage with nature. This Greenway is a place where everyone can freely enjoy over two traffic-free miles of nature in the heart of Lancaster County.
On one of our visits to the North Carolina mountains we stayed in West Jefferson while attending a family reunion in Deep Gap. After the reunion, we walked around the Historic Downtown area of West Jefferson and discovered many interesting places and sights including the Ashe County Cheese Factory. The Ashe County Cheese is just a short ways down a side street from this sign. There you may watch cheese being made & then go straight across the road and buy some freshly made cheese in any flavour that suits your palate.
Here we are in the city we currently reside. Welcome to our area of the world.
One of the places my grandson, Coleman, likes me to take him to is the Playground at the local YMCA. Approaching the Playground we notice the sign Welcoming us (especially children) to the Playspace.
Time for us to go home and relax. You are Welcome to visit our area anytime.
Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Welcome
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
Photo Credit:©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Roads/Dirt Roads
This week I’m continuing Cee’s Which Way Challenge doing it My Way. Therefore for this the third week of June I have chosen a theme of Roads/Dirt Roads. I welcome anyone who desires to join me on this week’s Which Way Challenge.
As I have been working to digitize my dad’s old slides I have come across several photos my dad took of Roads in Great Falls, South Carolina back in 1963.
We are starting our (my) Which Way with the Road in front of my Paternal Grandparents home. Their home was originally a Mill Duplex Home and converted into a single family residence.
Next, we come to the corner of Walnut Street and Argonne Avenue. This is the location of the J P Stevens & Company Mill where my paternal grandfather worked. The Mills in Great Falls were formerly known as Republic Cotton Mills. [Closed in the early 1980’s.]
1923 Republic Cotton Mill #3 – a silk mill production. The building had a unique saw-tooth roof. There was Village housing and a neighborhood grocery store.
Continuing on our journey, we drive along Chester Avenue. On this Road we can see the Bradley Motor Company ( a FORD Dealership) where my dad worked when he finished high school and again when he first was discharged from the U S Navy.
As we continue cruising through the Town of Great Falls, we see a Dirt Road behind the Power plant. Here we notice old Railroad tracks no longer in use. They would have kept extremely busy in the heyday of the town.
The Town of Great Falls is located in Chester County, South Carolina. The name of the Great Falls came from the nearby waterfalls on the Catawba River. The Town was founded by the power company owned by Mr. J.B. Duke. J.B. Duke built hydro electric plants on the Catawba and was the founder of the three Republic Cotton Mills.
Photo Credit: ©️1963 Nornal H. Waters … (my dad) All Rights Reserved.
Location: Town of Great Falls, Chester County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting in my reminiscing of the Town of Great Falls, SC. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Hydrangea Nikko Blue
Photo Credit:©️Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Huntingtowne Neighbourhood; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
CosPhoChal
Art for Art’s Sake
For this CosPhoChal, Dale has challenged us to post photos depicting Art for Art’s Sake. I chose to continue on our tour of Hearst Castle by allowing you to see some of the art and sculptures we saw when we were there that day. I formatted the pictures into a slideshow, while I was blogging on this post, for enhanced view and entertainment. Relax and enjoy the show.
Cosmic Photo Challenge-Art for Art’s Sake
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Hearst Castle; Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument; San Simeon, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and watching our slideshow. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts about my blogging posts. I appreciate y’all very much.
Familial Grounds
This FOWC is in alignment with the latest of my dad’s slides I have recently (just yesterday) digitized. They are of the familial burial grounds of my paternal grandparents.
My father took them on one of our trips to visit his dad, his brother, his sister and her family. The location of the cemetery can be walked to through a path off of the street below my grandparents home.
This was the first time we (my immediate family) had been to the cemetery since my paternal grandmother’s passing in 1970. When she passed, my dad was the only one of us that could fly back for her funeral service.
This view allows us to see both the Headstone and my paternal grandmother’s Foot Marker in the Greenlawn Cemetery.
Photo Credit: ©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Greenlawn Cemetery; Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the cemetery with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Watching Coleman at the Swings from various perspectives is something I do periodically. Therefore, it fits right into the Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge of Perspective.
The first perspective view is taken from the side of the Elementary School looking through the bars of the Swing-Set.
Another view from the same side of the Swing-set.
Here’s to watching Coleman from behind.
The last two perspectives are from the opposite side of the Swing-Set …
Coleman decides to try a different Swing down the line from the first.
Having moved to the opposite side before coming to push him. This perspective I looked through the Swing-Set towards the School buildings.
Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge-Perspective
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Gardner Park Elementary School Playground; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Upper Waterfalls
Stone Mountain State Park
Leanne’s hosting Monochrome Madness with the theme of Waterfalls this week. To join the challenge just post photos of waterfalls on your blog and tag Monochrome Madness or leave a pingback to Leanne’s Monochrome Madness post.
My eldest son and I took a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway back in the Fall of 2017 as a way to celebrate his birthday. During our drive we stopped at several overlooks prior to stopping at Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina. At Stone Mountain State Park there is the Upper and Lower Waterfalls you may hike towards.
We hiked along Stone Mountain Loop Trail to view the Upper Waterfalls. I took several photos along the route as we watched the Waterfall cascading down over Stone Mountain.
Enjoy the view, however, I would prefer you not to YAWN during the viewing. I would hope it would not bore you but rather enable you to dawn a smile instead.
Can you just visualize the water streaming down over the stones?
The Waterfall slowly increases its strength and speed as it continuously cascades down the Mountain.
Monochrome Madness-Waterfalls moving
Jez’s Water water Everywhere #224
Photo Credit:©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 7 Plus
Location: Stone Mountain State Park; Roaring Gap, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for viewing the Waterfalls at Stone Mountain State Park with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Pot of Flowers & Strawberries
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Take time to Smell the Flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Rummaging through my dad’s old slides I ran across these pictures of a crashed and smashed car where you could clearly see the damage done to the doors, the windows, the hood, and trunk of the car.
I am not sure who the car belonged to, but I know the children who are shown looking at the crashed and smashed vehicle. They are my cousin and my brother. I do not even want to consider what happened to the person or persons who might have been in the car. By looking at those car doors it would have been a miracle if anyone survived without injuries.
I believe I would prefer the Public Service District truck which drives around Great Falls performing the necessary maintenance and repairs making sure the Town of Great Falls is safe, secure, and it proper working order.
Photo Credit:©️1963 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Town of Great Falls, Chester County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Town of Great Falls with us. Hope you have a fantastic day filled with joy, laughter, and no wrecks. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Floribunda Rosa ‘Europeana’
One-to-Three Photo Processing Challenge-June 2024
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Huntingtowne Neighbourhood; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Green in the Garden
Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Green
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
American Goldfinch
The Scientific name for the American Goldfinch is Spinus tristis. American Goldfinches are cherished for their bright yellow feathers. They appear year-round in western South Carolina and during fall and winter in the east.
The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter.
These photos of male American Goldfinch were captured in Lancaster County, South Carolina in our backyard. They blend in with the yellow wildflowers that you could almost miss seeing them if you weren’t looking carefully.
Human activity has generally benefited the American goldfinch. It is often found in residential areas because it is attracted to bird feeders, which increase its survival rate in these areas. Deforestation also creates open meadow areas, which are its preferred habitat.
Interestingly, Goldfinches connect to spirituality by their vibrant presence, reminding individuals of the necessity to live life fully and energetically.
Photo Credit: ©️2013 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved
Location: Lancaster County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Hearst Castle
and Ranch
Judy’s Numbers Game can bring about interesting results and insights from those who choose to participate. The challenge is alive, let’s get Blogging. In searching for the #147 and its variations the results that popped up all had the central focus around Hearst. Therefore, I selected a variety of photos around the Word Hearst and Hearst Castle.
As we approach Hearst Castle we see the sign informing us we are arriving at our desired destination.
The long and winding road up to the top where Hearst Castle is located.
Touring the outside grounds at Hearst San Simeon we see statues poolside …
And by the stairs leading upward …
Continuing our tour of the grounds we come upon the Hearst Ranch. William Randolph Hearst kept Fifty (50) species of herbivores on his ranch. They included around 126 Zebras plus bison, fallow deer, antelope, zebras, elk, camels, kangaroos, and giraffes.
We also could see the vastness of the Hearst Ranch where the numerous animals grazed.
At last we come to the end of today’s tour as more about Hearst Castle will come in a later post.
Judy’s Numbers Game #26-Number 147
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument; San Simeon, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for tagging along on our tour. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Have a wonderful week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument; Hearst Ranch; San Simeon, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the Outdoors. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Ritva is this week’s host for the Lens-Artist Photography Challenge; she has chosen the theme of behind. What backgrounds to choose may seem easy, but some thought process may determine just the right background & balance you what to achieve and capture when you are snapping your photos.
BATTLE OF BECKHAMVILLE
May 1780
Inscription.
British under Houseman surprised and
defeated by band of 33 patriots under
Capt. John McLure with 9 Gaston
brothers and neighbors, who struck
first blow for liberty and resisted
attempt to subject people to oath of
allegiance to king.
Erected.
By Citizens of Chester County
Mary Adair Chapter DAR
May 10, 1942
This Historical Marker was taken by my father in the summer of 1963. It is located at 34° 35.424′ N, 80° 55.194′ W in Beckhamville, South Carolina. Beckhamville is located in Chester County just south of Great Falls where my dad grew up. You can find the Marker at the intersection of State Highway 97 and State Highway 99, on the left when traveling east on State Highway 97.
The Battle of Beckhamville is recorded to have been fought during the Revolutionary War around June 6, 1780. This was following the disasters at Charleston and Waxhaws where Patriot forces struck a blow against the British in South Carolina.
On June 6, 1780, Captain McClure and his small force, wearing hunting shirts, wool hats and deer-skin caps and each armed with a knife and rifle, attacked Houseman and routed about 200 of the gathered loyalists at Alexander’s Old Fields. The Battle of Beckhamville’s victory helped solidify resistance to the Crown in this up country area.
Beckhamville was also known by Beckham’s Old Field and Alexander’s Old Field. Chester County has battlefields, historic markers, monuments, cemeteries, and stories that relate to the important role this area played in our winning our Independence from England.
DAR stands for the Daughters of the American Revolution. The DAR strives to promote the historic preservation, education, and patriotism.
Lens-Artists Challenge #304 – Behind
Photo Credit:©️1963 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Beckhamville, Chester County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for taking a trip with me to visit an historical marker near my father’s hometown. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
California Street
San Francisco Cable Car +
Cable Cars have been carrying passengers in San Francisco since 1873. Cable cars were invented by Andrew Smith Hallidie. He based his system on early mining conveyance systems which dominated the city’s transit scene for more than 30 years.
The San Francisco cable car system is the world’s last manually operated cable car system and an icon of the city of San Francisco. Of the 23 cable car lines established between 1873 and 1890, only three remain (one of which combines parts of two earlier lines): two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf, and a third route along California Street.
The vast majority of the millions of passengers who use the system every year are tourists. Due to the high volume of tourists desiring to ride the cable cars, the wait time to get on can be up to or exceeding two (2) hours. The Cable Cars are amongst the most significant tourist attractions in San Francisco, along with Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman’s Wharf.
The San Francisco Cable Cars are one (1) of two (2) street railways named on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark. The other street railway on the National Register of Historic Places is the St. Charles Streetcar Line in New Orleans.
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: California Street; San Francisco, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for hopping aboard the Cable Car with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Lantana camara
Wild-type Spanish flag
(Lantana camara)
Lantana camara, commonly known as lantana or shrub verbena, is native to Central and South America but has naturalized in much of the southeast United States.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Coleman’s Water 💦
Antics and Expressions
Here you go Clare —- Coleman’s latest … May his antics and expressions bring a smile and a bit of laughter to your day.
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Backyard Turtle 🐢 Pool; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Raised Garden Display
Photo Credit:©️2024 Ron May … All Rights Reserved
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Bridging the Waters
of Time
Thru Architecture
While on our San Francisco Bay Discovery Cruise we were able to see beautiful views surrounding the Bay. We were able to view unique perspectives of the amazing architectural features of the Bay Area Bridges.
Looking at The Golden Gate Bridge from the waters below …
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula—to Marin County, carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is made up of two (2) bridge segments: a skyway structure/single anchored suspension bridge between Oakland and Yerba Buena Island, and a suspension span from the island to San Francisco. The two (2) are connected by the world’s largest diameter bore tunnel.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is the region’s workhorse bridge, carrying more than a third of the traffic of all of the state-owned bridges combined. It is also a jewel along the San Francisco waterfront.
The Eastern Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge underwent an extensive replacement renovation to replace a seismically unsound portion of the Bay Bridge with a new self-anchored suspension bridge (SAS) and a pair of viaducts. The span replacement took place between 2002 and 2013, and is the most expensive public works project in California history. The Eastern Span replacement upgrade was part of a plan to make the bridge more seismically sound. The replacement was necessary due to an earthquake of unanticipated magnitude of the horizontal motion caused by the Loma Prieta Earthquake causing significant damage to the Bay Bridge. It also caused section of a major highway along the bay (a portion of it double-decked) to collapse; repairs on these were completed by the late 1990s.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The Bay Bridge is significant for its influence in the California Bay Area.
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge’s multi-modal design is a direct example of the mindset of commuters during the 1930s. Constructed in 1936, the bridge was used to support the increase of automobiles and public transit lines in the early half of the 20th century.
Today the Bridge continues to pay a vital role in transportation as it serves as a major freeway connector for many who travel to and from the Bay Area.
Looking through the my dad’s old slides the photos of these Bridges reminds me of a 70’s song by Simon and Garfunkel called “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
Cee’s Which Way Challenge -June Week 2
Lens-Artists Challenge #303 – Connections
Whatsoever Is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 23
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #224
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: San Francisco Bay; San Francisco, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for connecting with us and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Clare at Clare’s Cosmos hosts the Share Your Desktop Challenge. She invites us all to share our desktops; whether that be from our desktops, laptops, tablets, or smartphones it does not matter. Join in the challenge and let us all see what you look at every day.
Here are my desktops, wallpapers, wall savers, from my Laptop and my iPhone:
From my HP Laptop:
Laptop Wallpaper:
Laptop Desktop:
From my iPhone 14 Pro Max:
Reading Focus:
Television Focus:
Personal Focus:
Hiking Focus:
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Laptops) Canon EOS Rebel T3i; iPhone) iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Colourful Sunset
Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all
Gladioli
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Seating inside Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle is located up on a hill in San Simeon, the land was originally purchased by George Hearst. After his & his wife’s passing, the ownership of the property was transferred to William Randolph Hearst, their son.
William Randolph Hearst expanded on the property growing it to encompass approximately 250,00 acres. In 1919, Hearst collaborated with San Francisco architect Julia Morgan to build what would later become one of the world’s greatest showplaces and later an accredited museum.
The site originally known as “Camp Hill” was renamed “La Cuesta Encantada” which is Spanish for The Enchanted Hill.
After the passing of William Randolph Hearst, the estate opened its doors to the public in 1958. Hearst Castle comprising 90,000 square feet and Hearst’s world-class art collection. The property includes its own theater, billiard room, beauty salon and pair of dazzling swimming pools.
Among the rooms you can view while touring the Castle are:
There are many more areas and rooms you may tour at Hearst Castle. The sculptures and architecture are amazing to see. As you can see, the various rooms have a variety of seating selections; each selection was once used by the vast number of guests visiting the property.
When touring the Castle ( depending on your choice of tour) you may learn about the paintings, sculptures, antiquities, tapestries and other works that comprise Hearst’s collection.
The Enchanted Hill doubled as a museum, bringing together centuries-old masterpieces in one stunning setting. These historic objects can still be viewed today among Hearst’s gardens, guest houses and Casa Grande.
Even though you can view and admire the numerous spacious rooms and seating arrangements around Hearst Castle, they are only for admiration and not for tourists to currently use.
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 24
Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (aka, FOWC) – Roomy
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Hearst Castle; San Simeon, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Take time to Smell the Roses. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Historic Tack Shed Doors
At the Greenway Stables you’ll always need a place to store your tack and what better place than in an historic tack shed.
Now for a closer inspection …
And for a bonus Let’s cool off with a Kona Ice. Shall we?
Photo Credit: 2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Welcome to Our Hive
Bee 🐝 Happy
Photo Credit: 2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm; Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Throwback to 1974/5
Aboard the Queen Mary
I have been reminiscing about the good old days as I go thru processing my dad’s old slides into a digital format. These are from 1974 and 1975 when we toured the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.
Here I am looking out over the ships railing into the parking lot waiting for everyone to climb aboard.
Other people are milling about conversing with one another as they wait for the tour to proceed.
Let’s take a gander over yonder at the Pacific Ocean . Isn’t it amazing how vast and beautiful the views are watching the ripples in the ocean waters.
Hey look, there’s a father and son looking out over towards Long Beach.
What do you know? Seems somebody took a photo of my mom and dad.
Are you ready? The tour is over and people are waiting for us to disembark.
Thank you for joining us on our tour of the Queen Mary.
Photo Credit:©️1974-5 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Aboard the Queen Mary; Long Beach, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Barred Owl
Strix varia
The Barred Owl is often spotted in the various Greenways throughout South Carolina. Two of the Greenways they have been seen in are; 1) Lindsay Pettus Greenway located in Lancaster and 2) Anne Springs Close Greenway located in Fort Mill.
The Barred Owl (Strix varia) is the most commonly seen owl in South Carolina since they are often active during dawn and dusk. It is a large, round-headed owl with no ear tufts and a reasonably long, rounded tail. Its back is a mottled brown, the belly is buff coloured with vertical streaking, and the chest is horizontally barred. It has a yellow bill and dark eyes.
The barred owl is distributed throughout most of the eastern United States, as well as much of southern Canada. Barred Owls live in large, mature forests made up of both deciduous trees and evergreens, often near water. They nest in tree cavities. They usually choose cavities six to twelve metres above the ground in tall trees.
Barred Owls can be found in many areas around the state. Still, the best places to find this owl are Sumter National Forest, Francis Marion National Forest, and Clemson Experimental Forest. In Lancaster and York Counties the Barred Owls are seen in the area Greenways near Lakes, Creeks, and Rivers. Most often spotted nestled high up in trees along the water banks.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Janet from sustainabilitea.wordpress.com is offering us all to participate in her “One Word Sunday” word Abandoned. I am choosing to participate, how about you?
Alcatraz
Have you ever thought about visiting or touring a federal prison? How about touring an Abandoned maximum security prison like Alcatraz? It is possible, you know.
Alcatraz was not always a maximum security prison. It was first used by Native Americans long before Europeans arrived in the area. The Island has been used for camping, hunting, and at one point it became an isolated and remote place where law violators were held during its history. Based on oral history of Indigenous people, it appears that Alcatraz was used as a place of isolation or ostracization for tribal members who had violated a tribal law or taboo, and was utilized also as a hiding place for many Indians attempting to escape from the California Mission system.
Building 64 was the first building constructed on the island of Alcatraz off the coast of San Francisco, California. The purpose of Building 64 was for the accommodation of the military officers and their families living on the island. It is located next to the dock on the southeastern side of the island below the Warden’s House. It’s a three-story apartment block that was built in 1905 on the site of a U.S. Army barracks which had been there from the 1860s. It functioned as the Military Guard Barracks from 1906 until 1933.
Nowadays, it is possible to tour Alcatraz. You may select from an Alcatraz Day Tour or an Alcatraz Night Tour, or the Bay Discovery Cruise, or Alcatraz Behind the Scenes Tour. All Tours except the Bay Discovery Cruise allows access via ferry onto Alcatraz Island. Each tour has its own unique itinerary and the opportunities are expanded with the Night and Behind the Scenes tours.
The Bay Discovery Cruise does not dock at Alcatraz, but does (weather permitting) encircle Alcatraz Island and provides breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay Area.
These photos were taken by my dad back in 1979 when we took a Bay Discovery Cruise. The San Francisco Bay Cruise lasts for Ninety (90) minutes sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, encircling Alcatraz Island and allows for sensational views of the San Francisco Waterfront, the Presidio, Sausalito, Fort Baker, Angel Island and a lot more. [More scenes from the Bay Area Cruise coming in later posts.]
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Alcatraz Maximum Security Prison; Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, California, USA
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Albatross
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: San Francisco Bay Cruise; San Francisco Bay; San Francisco, California, USA
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The number for Judy’s Numbers Game this week is 146. Time to play.
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Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #223
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Eastern San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge; Pacific Ocean; San Francisco, California, USA
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California has some beautiful coastline. These were taken way back in 1974 in Long Beach, California.
This first one was taken looking over the Pacific Ocean and Pier J, Port of Long Beach. The view was taken from aboard the Queen Mary.
The next two photos are of the Shoreline of the Long Beach Harbor with skylines.
Just look at the pastels in the skyline and shoreline. It’s an amazing view looking out over the Pacific Ocean from the Queen Mary.
Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: Can You Find #Pastels in the Great Outdoors?
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #223
Photo Credit:©️1974 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Pacific Ocean; Pier J; Long Beach Shoreline; Queen Mary; Long Beach, California, USA
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Hidden in the Grass
Hey, what’s that over there? Can you see it too?
Come on, let’s go take a closer look … That’s not a flower I see. What do you think it is?
Is that a baby deer? Oh, look over there … there’s another deer.
What do you think? Is this one looking for the baby deer? I think they’ll be just fine.
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Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF 75-300mm lens.
Location: Lake Haigler Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
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Historic Windows/Doors
FDR’s The Little White House
Growing up we made several vacation trips to the Carolinas from San Diego. On one of our trips to the Carolinas we made a stopover in Georgia to visit Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s (FDR) The Little White House in Warm Springs.
When you arrive at The Little White House Historic Site you walk along the Avenue of Flags ( also called the Walk of Flags and Stones.)
The Walk of Flags and Stones at the Little White House serves as a tribute to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States. Each of the 50 states and Washington D.C. brought a native stone to be put on display at the site.
Moving Forward along through the Walk of Flags and Stones you may notice several stone benches in case you need to Pull Up a Seat and rest a spell. Another option, if you choose, would be to Sit on the bench just outside the front door of The Little White House.
FDR’s The Little White House was his personal retreat and is located in the Historic District of Warm Springs, Georgia. It is a single-story, plain Colonial Revival constructed of Georgia pine.
Architect Toombs expanded the residence in 1932 with a detached garage/servants’ quarters, a guesthouse in 1933 and the Georgia Wilkins Cottage in 1934. The Cottage was later converted into a museum by Toombs in 1959.
The Little White House was originally approached from the cottage area of the rehabilitation center via an unpaved road; it was more secluded than it is today.
While you’re touring The Little White House, you might as well took a look at some of FDR’s vehicles. One of those “vehicles” is the “Tally Ho” stage coach.
The “Tally Ho” stage coach came with the Warm Springs property. FDR and Eleanor dressed up as George and Martha Washington and rode in it for the parade to celebrate his election as NY Governor.
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 23
Photo Credit: ©️1972 Nornal H. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Location: FDR’s The Little White House; Warm Springs, Georgia, USA
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Brassica rapa
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens
Location: The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Cee, you are strong, you are appreciated, and we miss you. Get Better soon. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
The weather has been hot and Sunny 🌞 during the day and stormy at night. Decided to switch out the sand in my grandson’s “Turtle” for Water 💧 to allow him to enjoy 😊 water playtime in the Warm Sunshine.
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 23
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 22
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #223
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Video created in Google Utilities -Highlight Video
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Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 