What makes me smile? My grandson, Coleman makes me smile. Spending time in any one of our Warm Places makes me smile. Spending time out in nature, especially with Coleman, makes me smile and feeling all warm inside. Coleman loves to spend time by the Catawba River. There are several different areas by the Catawba River we enjoy spending time at. This week we enjoyed spending time on a warm sunny afternoon at Riverside Park and Greenway. It makes me smile when I am able to watch Coleman having a Funtastic time playing by the Catawba River. On this day he was having a fabulous time playing in the sand along the banks of the South Fork Catawba River at Riverside Park and Greenway.
Here are a spattering of photos depicting some of what makes me Smile and Warm Inside in one of our Warm places.
“The Numbers Game #43”.Today’s number is 164. 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.
This prompt will repeat each Monday with a new number. If you want to play along, please put a link to your blog in comments below. Instead of using the number #164 I am using a theme of Looking Back and linking it with the Lens-Artist Challenge.
For this week I decided to take a Look Back at a place we visited on our way back from Texas in January of 2019. On our way back to South Carolina my daughter and I stopped at the Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia.
BabyLand General Hospital located in the North Georgia Mountains. It is a Southern Style home filled with Cabbage Patch Kids which will capture the imagination of your entire family.
Cabbage Patch Kids came on the scene in the early 1980’s and were extremely popular with children (and their parents). They were so popular, they became a popular collectible. Cabbage Patch were all the rage for little girls and boys. My eldest son had a boy Cabbage Patch and my daughter had a girl Cabbage Patch doll. There were nine years apart, so when she was little she got to play with his Cabbage Patch as well as her own. For more information about the BabyLand General Hospital click here.
Below are my contributions to the Challenges:
These are some of the photos we took while visiting the BabyLand General Hospital of the many Cabbage Patch Kids and accessories.
For Tina’s Lens-Artist Challenge this week I chose to show a recent neighbourhood belonging to a friend which we meandered around to check out the area. Our friend’s neighbourhood is in southern Lancaster County in South Carolina.
We enjoyed our stroll through the neighbourhood; hope you enjoyed sharing our walk.
Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from South Carolina to the Virginia Border and back down to Pisgah National Forest and then on into South Carolina once again was a trip I’ll always remember.
It has been seven years since I made that trip with my eldest son. We took the drive on his birthday weekend in October 2017. We stopped at various milestones along the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the beautiful views and tour a few different places along the route. We stopped at Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring Gap, North Carolina and hiked the Stone Mountain Loop Trail beginning at the Upper Trailhead. We continued driving the Blue Ridge Parkway once we left Stone Mountain State Park; we drove to Wilson, North Carolina (Wilson was my married name & the surname of my children.)
On the adventure South on the Parkway, we took a detour to my Cousin Jim’s Produce Market for some fresh produce & a break to stretch our legs. Before we arrived at Jim’s Produce, we stopped for a photo by the Doc and Merle Watson Highway sign ( Doc & Merle Watson are my fourth cousin & fourth cousin once removed respectively).
Venturing further south, we stopped at several more milestones to enjoy the beautiful scenery and views overlooking the valley. We stopped for supper at The Pisgah Inn’s restaurant. The food was delicious and the views were spectacular. The Pisgah Inn is located in the Pisgah National Forest amongst thesouthern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway (Blue Ridge Pkwy Milepost 408.6, Waynesville, NC).
It was a lovely and enjoyable trip, not just for the scenery, but always for the quality time spent with my son. Click on each photo for enhanced viewing. Have a wonderful day!
Location: Various locations along the Blue Ridge Parkway; North Carolina
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing in our adventure memories. If you have the opportunity I’d recommend driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. You’ll enjoy the scenery as much as we did. I appreciate y’all very much.
I once lived very close to Southern California beaches, but I have not lived there for many years. Pacific Beach, Mission Bay, Coronado Beach, and La Jolla Shores are some of my favourites and hold precious memories.
For years I have enjoyed the peacefulness of God near the shorelines of a couple different lakes. One of my all time favourites is the lake at Andrew Jackson State Park in Lancaster County, South Carolina.
Another lake my grandson and I have enjoyed relaxing, observing nature, having fun is Lake Haigler at the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
One last “lake” to share with y’all is one we visit and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the beautiful atmosphere is at Little Glade Millpond off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the North Carolina Mountains.
I could sit at the shore of a lake anytime anywhere. I dream of walking along the shores of the California coastline. I have fond memories of doing just that. Someday, I hope to take my grandson to see & play in the Pacific Ocean. What shoreline do you wish you could walk along everyday? Click one of the links below to join the challenge & link your own adventures along Shorelines.
Welcome to “The Numbers Game #34”.Today’s number is 155. 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.
Glencairn Gardens is ideal for a Spring stroll through the gardens of blooming azaleas, pansies, wisteria, and periwinkle. When visiting the Gardens be sure to meander through the Veterans Garden which pays tribute to Veterans of all branches of service. Also, during Spring, you be able to enjoy the blossoms of Viburnum, Pink and white Dogwoods, Redbuds, peonies, magnolia trees, and flowering Yoshino and Kwanzan cherry trees.
There is beauty to be seen no matter when one decides to visit Glencairn Gardens. Summertime brings on the colourful bright blooms of crape myrtles, daylilies and hundreds of other annuals.
The trails through the Gardens pass by several fountains, ponds, as well as the vast variety of flowering plants and trees. we enjoy strolling pass the Fountains, especially when they are flowing during the springtime. We always stop by the Veterans Garden when we go visit and remember our family members who have served in our Armed Forces.
Glencairn Gardens began in 1928 as a backyard garden by David and Hazel Bigger who lived in the h9use that serves as the park’s welcome center. It was the inspiration for Rock Hill’s annual Come-See-Me Festival which is a festival celebrating music, frogs, and fun. The Bigger’s gifted this Gardens to the City of Rock Hill through a deed in 1958. The peak blooming season is from the end of March to the middle of April. The Veterans Garden was created with the partnership with The American Legion Post 34 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2889. It h9onors women and men from the past, present, and future who served in the United States armed forces.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing with us your time and thoughts. Remember you may click on each image for enhanced visibility. I appreciate y’all very much.
PR from the blog flightofthesoul wants us to show balconies we’ve come across on our adventures or in our localities. I had to search through my photos to find some balconies. Luckily, I managed to find a few.
Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thankful for a slight break from all the rain. Wish we could have a break from this extreme heat. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Disneyland’s first parade was held on Sunday, July 17, 1955. The Opening Day was dedicated at an “International Press Preview” event which was open only to invited guests and the media.
The dedication and other special events of the opening were televised nationwide and anchored by three of Walt Disney’s friends from Hollywood: Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings, and Ronald Reagan. It was broadcast live by ABC. Even though the Special Event was by invitation only, many people succeeded in sneaking into the park soaring the number of attendees to an astounding 28,000 people.
Disneyland has been having parades at the amusement park since that very first day except during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 when the park was closed. The theme of the parades change periodically with the seasons and significant historical events of the times. The Characters Parade occurred most years, as well as an annual Christmas parade and were popular among the tourists visiting the park.
In 1979, the Dumbo Circus Parade theme featured the same basic “Character Parade” floats with added circus decor. This particular theme parade only ran in 1979.
Although none of the floats were captured by my dad on this particular visit to Disneyland, many of the Characters were captured by his 35 mm camera. I am so glad that I am able to digitize his slides for preservation and am able to share them with all y’all.
This week we are discussing a different yet unique bird in the Cardinal family. Last week I talked about the Northern Cardinals; this week we’re going to discover the distinct qualities of the Indigo Bunting.
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea, also known as Indigo Bunting is a small seed-eating bird in the Cardinal family. It is a migratory bird, ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida during the breeding season, and from southern Florida to northern South America during the winter.
It often migrates by night, using the stars to navigate. Its habitat is farmland, brush areas, and open woodland. The indigo bunting is closely related to the lazuli bunting and interbreeds with the species where their ranges overlap.
The indigo bunting is a small bird, with a length of 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in). The male is vibrant blue in the summer, with brightly colored plumage during the breeding season to attract a mate. Unlike summer, the male is brown during the winter months. Contrastingly enough the female is brown year-round. The females are solely responsible for the nest-building and incubation of their offspring.
The diet of the indigo bunting consists primarily of insects during the summer months and seeds during the winter months.
The Habitats for the Indigo Bunting are brushy pastures and bushy wood edges. For nesting favors roadsides, old fields growing up to bushes, edges of woodlands, and other edge habitats such as along rights-of-way for powerlines or railroads. Also in clearings within deciduous woods, edges of swamps
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.
Monochrome Rectangular Windows + Bricks, Doors & SignOriginal
Ritvais 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 Marker Beckhamville, Chester, South Carolina, USA
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.
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.
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 suspensionbridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connectingSan Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Golden Gate Bridge
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.
San Francisco Bay Bridge
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-anchoredsuspension 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 Earthquakecausing 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.
Oakland Bay Bridge
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.
Bay Bridge Architectural Design
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.
San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
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.”
Flowers are given or sent to funeral homes, services, and placed on graves as a sign of sympathy and respect. Have you ever considered why flowers are given? Who are the flowers are meant for? They are not for the deceased, but in a way they are.
So why do we send them? Why do we bring them to the graves of those we love and care deeply about?
Flowers given to me after my mom’s passing. The Flowers my Brother & I got for my mom’s Funeral Service. Funeral Flowers at my Paternal Uncle’s Service Gravesites of my Paternal Grandparents & Paternal Uncle Grave of my Maternal Grandmother Grave of my Paternal Great Grandfather, John Thomas Waters.
Funeral Flowers are intended as a way to show our respect to the deceased. Sympathy Flowers go home with the family of the deceased. Flowers are for the survivors/surviving family members to know their deceased was loved and cared for as well as a sign of respect for the deceased.
[I remember the flowers in the upper right came back to my brother’s home after my mom’s service. He turned around and sent them home with my mom’s sister. I do not recall what happened to the rest of the flowers.]
Sending Flowers to a funeral is a means towards an expression of love, comfort, sympathy, and respect. The purpose of floral arrangements at a funeral are intended to honor the deceased, and show sympathy to the family. The flowers enable the mourners to feel like the deceased was cared for by many people close to them.
The placing of Cemetery Flowers or other objects on a grave marker or headstone is a way of paying your respects to the deceased. The flowers on a grave can show recognition of sacrifice of a deceased Veteran or admiration for a lost friend or family member. People have been leaving flowers on gravesites for thousands of years. In Ancient Rome they were used to create a comforting environment for the deceased spirit to wander around the grave.
I often bring flowers with me when I visit the graves of my family members and even place them on my grandparents & great grandparents graves when I visit the cemeteries. I try to honor the fallen soldiers by contributing to Wreaths Across America; an organization which places wreaths on the graves of fallen soldiers and deceased veterans.
The Carib Grackle also referred to as the Common Grackle is a tropical blackbird which is taller and longer than the typical blackbird. The plumage of Grackles are entirely black, however it has a beautiful glossy iridescent body that may display violets, purples, blues, and greens when the sun is shining on them in just the right manner.
Quiscalus lugubris
Grackles eat almost anything and everything they can find. They commonly eat insects, minnows, frogs, lizards, berries, grains, and even small birds and mice. They will confiscate food from other birds. And sometimes as these Grackles pictured here are exemplifying HOPE for a few morsels of bread crust or crumbs that may get dropped on the ground or scattered for other birds.
Carib Grackle
The Carib Grackle’s song is a mixture of harsh and melodic musical squeaks, croaks, and whistles which seem to sound anywhere from guttural to high-pitched clear whistles. Some people have compared their singing as sounding like a rusty gate.
Carib Grackle Quiscalus lugubris in Monochrome
If you see them foraging around your yard or picnic table they are scavenging and are hoping you’ll share your food (or at least some bread crumbs) with them.
Location: Huntingtowne Neighbourhood; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. May all your hopes, dreams, and prayers be fulfilled. Take care of yourselves and have a fantastic rest of your week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
We can’t go back to being young again, but that doesn’t stop us from feeling young once again. When we reminisce we remember how we felt when we were young, the excitement of getting on a bus for a week of adventure with friends.
Youth group loading onto the church bus for a time of fun and adventure in the desert. Children from an Orphanage in Tecate, Baja California.
We remember the fun times of venturing into Baja California ( or a place we’d never been to before), of sharing our time and helping others. We remember the dreams and ideas we had, the places we wanted to see, the things we wanted to do.
A Young Family resting a spell by the church’s Chuck Wagon
We remember sharing our love,passion, enthusiasm, and experiences with children and families. We remember how it was when we were young and smile at all our happy memories.
Done with reminiscing for a while; we share our memories, our stories, our experiences with the young of today … our grandchildren. Just maybe they will find joy and excitement in doing some of the same things we enjoyed doing when we were young.
It’s been raining quite a bit here with thunderstorms today as well as off and on all week. Therefore, I decided to comb through my arch to see what I could come up with to (hopefully) satisfy the themes. I’m combining Sunday Stills, Becky’s Squares-Moving Forward, Throwback Thursday, and Leanne’s Monochrome Madness (couldn’t find the theme for this one.)
The last two photos were taken by my dad on his 35mm camera. I’m not sure what brand of camera he used in the mid-60’s. These last two photos were taken in Disneyland in May of 1966.
Duckling Paddling Forward Behind their HenFerry Boat with Cars Moving Forward Through the WaterThe Ugly Bugs Marching Forward with Spectators Watching Nutcracker Marching Band Marching Forward Along the Parade Route
God Bless. Have a fabulous week. Get Outdoors and Enjoy our beautiful Earth 🌎. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Whoever said ROCKS needed to be shared for What Rocks Your World? Hey there everyone, I gotta to be one that’s different … willing to Rock the boat (per se.)
Yes, I could do a whole post about Rocks and places of Rocks, however, why should I ? Especially when What Rocks My World isn’t a What but a Who.
We had a very beautiful sunny weekend. It was warm and windy day. We decided it was a lovely day for hiking at Anne Springs Close Greenway. Due to the massive abundance of vehicles parking at the Lake Haigler Entrance for the Artisan Market I chose to park at the Dairy Barn Entrance. There was another reason for parking at this entrance as well; they charged extra at the other entrance because of the Artisan Market. Who wants to pay extra? I certainly didn’t, not in addition to my membership for the Greenway.
The Dairy Barn Entrance has a few different trails that can be accessed with various sites and scenery to observe. We hiked down the Blue Star Trail which leads down to the Greenway’s Spillway passing horses and the Faires/Coltharp Historic Cabin along the way.
Coleman loves to stop and watch the horses. Moving along, to crossover the Spillway we had to walk across the Swinging Bridge. We stopped on both sides of the Spillway to observe the water flowing down, around, and under the Swinging Bridge.
Maternal Great Grandfather & Great Uncle Riding in the 2-Seat Horse-Drawn Carriage
Family Members with early Work Trucks
From Left to Right: Doyce Eileen Watson, Harvey Martin Watson, Jerry Alexander Watson (in My Maternal Grandfather’s Arms) Marvin Houston Watson Beside the Family Car
Great Aunt Flora Alice (My Grandfather’s Sister) & Husband with their Car
I’m grateful for the treasure of memorable photos I have in my possession from my family and ancestors. What are you thankful for this Lent season?
For this week I selected photos which were handed down to me by my maternal grandmother after my maternal grandfather passed. The last selection was one of my father’s photos I received after he passed.
I am so thankful for the many photos that I have received and will treasure them always. Each one tells a little piece of my families history.
Jeramiah Watson Family My Maternal Great Grandfather & Family (My Grandfather, Harvey Martin, is second from left)Family of Jeramiah Watson My Maternal Great Grandfather ( Pictured with his Second Wife and Children)Doyce Eileen Watson First Grade– 1938 Coshocton, Ohio School Class (My Mom’s Class Picture)John Thomas Waters ( My Paternal Grandfather) & Nornal Hule Waters ( My Father)
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 