Judyfrom Life Lessonshosts The Numbers Game.I’m a week behind, but I figured better late than not at all. Her number for the Numbers Game Challenge #71 is 192. I didn’t have any luck finding photos matching 192, so I am doing as suggested in showing images of a common word.
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 that include that number and post 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.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. Here are my contributions to the album.
My Word I am using is Coleman. I am posting the images in a video format for your enjoyment.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL filter attachment.
Settings: f/4 • 1/320 • 55mm • ISO100
Location: Centennial Center River Access and Observation Pier; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a lovely day. Relax and enjoy the outdoors. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Cameras: 1-3) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max ( 2-3 edited in Pixlr); 4-5) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens (unedited)
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy the Sunshine ☀️. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL filter attachment
Settings: f/5.6 • 1/320s •250mm • ISO3200
Location: Goat Island Playground; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina
God Bless. When’s the last time you played Hide & Seek? Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Brian fromBushboys Worldis the host for the Last on the Card Challenge. The rules are simple, just post the last photo from SD card and/or the#lastphotofrom your phone. It doesn’t matter if it was taken on the 31st or not. It can beThe Last Photowhenever it was taken. No editing. No explanations needed. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments. Use the tags The Last Photo and#LastOnTheCard.
Here’s my Last Photos for April.
From my Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
A Trio of Canada Geese Goat Island Park and Greenway
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy nature. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Host this week for Monochrome Madness is Dawn from The Day After. She has chosen a theme of Everything Spring.
Springtime in the Carolinas entails anything and everything from Spring sports like T-Ball for Coleman, to Kayaking through the Catawba River, to simply rolling in the grass at an outdoor concert, to the beauty of Spring flowers. And who can’t forget about the Spring festivities surrounding the Easter Egg Scramble. Let us not forget what this Holiday Season is all about. It is not about the Easter eggs hunts, even though the children enjoy them, it’s about the Crucifixion of Jesus and his Resurrection. We celebrate that “He is Risen!”.
Coleman running to home plateOsteospermum African Daisy ‘Blue-Eyed Beauty’ YellowA variety of Spring Flowers Coleman finding Easter EggsColeman with a “brown” Easter BunnyPetunias Flowering Dogwood Kayaking in the South Fork Catawba River Coleman ready to catch a grounderGarden Tulips Gerbera Daisy Coleman rolling in the grass Centennial Center Park Coleman swinging from a rope Goat Island Park & Greenway Seasonal Annuals in a VaseColeman hiking Rocky Branch Trail Seder Supper
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”
Cameras: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel T3i
Location: Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. May God bless you at Easter and keep you all year through. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
To do so, simply share the photo* you have set as your wallpaper;
Provide as little or as much detail as you wish;
Use a pingback, or post a link here so I know you have joined in on the fun;
Then finally, share the fun around.
I am sharing my Wallpaper from both my Laptop and my Smartphone. I enjoy looking at different images each month. Most of which revolve around Coleman (my grandson) and nature.
Here are my Desktop Wallpaper and Screensaver for my Laptop:
From My HP Laptop:
Desktop Background Wallpaper
Coleman at his 1st T-Ball Game
Desktop Screensaver
Coleman by the South Fork Catawba River Riverside Park and Greenway
From My Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:
Personal Focus
Coleman practicing fielding for T-Ball
Reading Focus
Coleman at Riverside Park and Greenway
Hiking Focus
Coleman hiking on the Disc Golf Trail Goat Island Park and Greenway
My last outing was on Friday after I picked Coleman up from the school bus stop. After stopping at home to allow him to change into shorts, gather drinks and snacks we proceeded to hike downtown to Goat Island Park and Greenway for a relaxing afternoon of hiking and fun.
What we saw when we first approached Goat Island were the Canada Geese out soaking up the warm sunshine.
Canada Geese
Continuing on our way we gaze over the South Fork Catawba River from the bridge as we cross over into the Greenway.
South Fork Catawba River
Next up, we saw a bicyclist riding along in front of us on the paved Greenway trail.
Cyclist riding the Trail
Hiking along we saw Sasquatch and more Canada Geese.
SasquatchCanada GooseCanada Goose
Isn’t it amazing the variety of interesting things we see on our various outings we take when we venture outside. The interesting “thing” we saw next was not in our normal per view of subjects seen on any of our adventures previously.
A man tethered to a landline in the middle of the South Fork Catawba River.
We spoke with the man in the River as curiosity plagued us to know what he was doing standing in the middle of the River. He informed us he was searching for golf discs that might of missed their target and landed in the river instead of the disc golf catcher.
Venturing on, Coleman and I spotted trash discarded by the trail (someone didn’t adhere to the Leave No Trace rule).
Trash by trailside
Before continuing on our hike, Coleman decided to throw sticks in the river. He likes to see the splashes that occur when he throws objects into the water.
Splish Splash
And coming back around to the beginning of the trail, we see some newly grown mushrooms and a couple of disc golf catchers.
Mushrooms & Disc Golf Catchers
As we are at the end of our adventure and what was Seen on our Last Outing, you might like to venture over to Leya’s blog to see what she saw on her last outing. Thank you Leya for hosting this week’s challenge. Click here to check out Leya’s post.
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 that include that number and post 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.This prompt will repeat each Monday with a new number. If you want to play along, please link your blog in comments below.
In lieu of numbers this week I am choosing a theme of Downtown Concert. The Downtown Concert was held in Centennial Center in Downtown Cramerton, North Carolina on Friday, March 28th.
The Opening Act for the concert was a singer named Trish England. Trish England is a Christian music artist who performs Southern Gospel, Christian Contemporary and Country music. She is originally from Austin, Texas and currently resides in Bessemer City, North Carolina. She has three (3) CD albums and releasing a single sometime this year all recorded under the Son Sound West Records.
I was really impressed by Trish’s performance. I had never heard of her before her performance in Cramerton, however, I soon realized she is an extremely talented artist who loves Jesus and loves to share her love of Jesus through her music to audiences everywhere. A few of the songs she performed were “Jesus in My Country”, “God Did It”, “Christian in the House”, “That’s God”, and “Behold the Beauty of the Lord”. My grandson, Coleman and I really enjoyed her performance and would recommend listening to her sing in concert, via Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music or which ever is your preference for listening to music online or streaming outlet.
The other day it was warm, but cloudy and windy. It was raining lightly when Coleman got off the school bus. We waited a half hour, the rain stopped, so we ventured down to Riverside Park and Greenway for him to play in the sand by the South Fork Catawba River.
These shots of the Sky(watch) were taken using an Altura 4 Star filter and an Altura CPL filter attachments. Occasionally, the sun tried to peek through the cloudy sky.
Camera:Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL & 4-Star filter attachments.
Location: Riverside Park and Greenway Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Stay Warm. Take care of yourself and each other. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Coleman and I went hiking after he got home from school today (Friday). We walked downtown to Goat Island Park and Greenway. There weren’t any kids in the playground when we arrived, so I made a decision for us to hike along the trail first and then come back to the playground when we were finished hiking.
We started out along the paved hiking trail and meandered over to the dirt disc golf trail which runs simi-parallel to the South Fork Catawba River. While walking adjacent to the river, Coleman pointed out that there was a man standing in the river. This is not a normal sight when we are hiking. Therefore, we proceeded to investigate what the man was doing wading in the South ForkCatawba River.
At first, I thought the man Wading in the river was fishing even though most fishermen/women fish from one of the fishing piers or from the riverbanks. When we were close we asked the man what he was doing. It turns out that one of the disc golf catchers is on the opposite side of the river from where one is to throw the disc. According to the man wading in the river, many people miss the other side when they throw the disc across the river. So, it turns out he was searching the river for any golf discs that may have landed in the river. He had been searching for approximately twenty (20) to thirty (30) minutes when we approached him. Besides wearing waders the man was tethered to the riverbank by a rope to insure he wouldn’t be carried downstream if for some unpredictable strong wind and current tried to whisk him away. So you see, he wasn’t fishing for fish, but instead for golf discs.
We live in walking proximity to several access entrances to the South Fork Catawba River, so Coleman and I visit the River often. On this particular day, we accessed one of the back access points which, I believe, is seldom visited by the majority of visitors to Goat Island Park and Greenway.
Here are the Ripples and Reflections we enjoyed seeing on our visit to the South Fork Catawba River.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL Filter attachments.
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy Nature. Capture the All around you. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Springtime in the Carolinas brings kayakers to the river for Funtime paddling in the water with rays of sunshine bringing warmth and tranquility to their lives.
Hey, Wait for me … I’m coming …
Okay, y’all who’s taking the lead?
Just let me finish maneuvering and I’ll by straight to follow y’all.
I’m ready now, shall we venture on?
Three kayakers in kayaks as seen from the banks of the South Fork Catawba River as Coleman and I were hiking the Disc Golf Trail parallel to the river. We watched the fellow in the red kayak maneuver his kayak away from the River bank and paddle to catch up with the other two kayakers to continue joining them on their adventure downstream.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL Filter attachments.
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy the Spring Sunshine and have fun. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Center Street in Downtown Cramerton is the central location hub for get togethers and dining. The image below is of one of the many eating establishments that people gather for some fine dining experiences.
We mostly prefer to eat at home and not waste our resources on eating out at restaurants. Therefore, I cannot personally substantiate or invalidate the claims of being a highly recommended restaurant. However, from everything I hear about the restaurant, the food is high quality and the service is exceptional.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL Filter attachments
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy nature. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Currently, we do not own any pets, however, Coleman and I see Pets while we are hiking along trails in various Parks and Greenways. Many visitors to Parks and Greenways bring their companions/Pets along with them. Some of the Greenways have Doggie Park sections for the Dogs to enjoy running around and playing with other dogs.
The following are some of the companion Pets we have encountered on our hiking adventures.
Goat Island Park and Greenway Goat Island Park and Greenway Doggie ParkGoat Island Park and Greenway Doggie Park Goat Island Park and Greenway Doggie ParkRiverside Park and Greenway Goat Island Park and GreenwayAnne Springs Close GreenwayGaston County Warlick Family YMCAThe Schiele Museum of Natural History TrailAnne Springs Close GreenwayAndrew Jackson State Park
Cameras: 1-9) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm and Canon EF-S75-300mm lens; 10) Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max; 11) Apple iPhone XR
Locations: as stated with images.
God Bless. Thank you Janet for hosting One Word Sunday this week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
On Saturday Coleman and I went hiking along the Disc Golf Trail at Goat Island Park and Greenway trying to follow the trail in numerical order for the Disc Golf Course. While hiking along the pathway crossing back and forth from paved to dirt trails we came upon these benches. Who knows, maybe people need a bit of rest in between “holes”.
It is interesting sometimes what Coleman and I run across while hiking. Things like posts with no apparent rhyme or reason (even if there is one), a discarded trash can (all the Greenway Trash cans are large with a Goat on them & are accompanied by a recycling bin), or a board discarded and tossed into the river. I’ve been teaching Coleman to LEAVE NO TRACE, so he notices when things have been left behind and discarded without thought of keeping the environment safe and clean.
These are examples of what we found discarded and left behind this week.
Post with no sign or reason for being there (it probably had a sign at one time).
Discarded trash can, don’t know why someone would even bring one to the Greenway except for maybe fishing.
Discarded board tossed into the river. ( We need to keep our rivers safe from contamination.)
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV + CPL Filter attachments.
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Time to Get Outdoors and Enjoy the Beauty in Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Brian from Bushboys World invites everyone to post their Last Photo on the Card or smartphone. Here are Brian’s suggestions regarding his Last On the Card Challenge…
Your last photo doesn’t have to be on the very last day of the month if you didn’t take any photos on that day. Maybe it was earlier in the month when the last photo was taken.
Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 31st or whenever your last photo was taken. No editing. No explanations needed. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments on Brian’s Post. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL filter attachment.
Location: Off Cramerton Mountain Road; Near Baltimore Fishing Pier; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy nature. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Posting as part of WWE and Judy’s Numbers Game #54-175. This week I have decided to post photos from the Baltimore Fishing Pier instead of finding the 175 numbered photos. These all linked in a new album in my files. I thought you’d enjoy the photos I shot from the Historic Baltimore Fishing Pier. Enjoy the video.
Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL filter attachment
Location: Historic Baltimore Fishing Pier; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take Care. Here’s to many happy days of love, joy, and laughter in 2025. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Coleman and I hiked to the Historic Baltimore Fishing Pier on Christmas Day. Whenever we a near a lake or river, Coleman likes to throw sticks, rocks, or whatever he can find into the water. He likes seeing the ripple effect and even more so when he can get a big splash from whatever he throws into the water.
Here’s what I managed to capture from his efforts …
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL filter attachment.
Location: Historic Baltimore Fishing Pier; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Have a wonderful week and a Happy New Year. I appreciate y’all very much.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL filter attachment.
Location: Historic Baltimore Fishing Pier; Off Cramer MountainRoad; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Happy New Year! Venture into Nature. Take a Hike/Walk. Enjoy Life. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Helix/R coming soon to Cramerton has begun construction. The Helix/R Project is a privately funded partnership between Cramerton and the Carolina Thread Trail. The Helix was originally installed in Charlotte in 1983. It was donated to Cramerton in 2018. Its installation began this past week in Riverside Park and Greenway near the bridge. Riverside Park and Greenway is a part of the Carolina Thread Trail; connecting people to nature and the surrounding environment.
Coleman and I visited a “new to us” park this past week. The name of the park is Central Park located here in Cramerton. According to the Cramerton website, Central Park prides itself natural surface mountain biking trails, walking trails and a natural stream running the length of the park.
While we were hiking along the trails, we had a difficult time distinguishing between the walking trails and the mountain biking trails. Some of the trails had water running across them from the creek (stream).
Alongside one of the trails we came across this unique seating arrangement with tall mushrooms which provide shade for hikers taking a bit of a rest.
Central Park Trail Map
Remember for larger enhanced viewing you may click on each image.
Cameras: 1-3) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF75-300mm lens and Altura CPL filter attachment; 4-5) Apple iPhone Pro Max
Location: Central Park; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Walk amongst the Trees and/or alongside a creek, river, or lake. Happy Holidays. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us.
Brian from Bushboy.blog asks us to post our last photo on our SD card or phone on the last day of the month. No editing. Explanations not necessary. Create a Pingback or leave a link in comments to Brian’s blog. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard. Your last photo doesn’t have to be on the very last day of the month if you didn’t take any photos on that day. Maybe it was earlier in the month when the last photo was taken.
From My iPhone:
Coleman in his new Grave Digger shirt
From my Canon EOS Rebel T3i:
Patterson Pond Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
From My Dad’s Slides taken with his Minolta XG-7 35 mm Via My Wolverine Digital Converter:
San Diego Wild Animal Park San Diego, California, USA
Clare @ Clare’s Cosmos invites us each month to share our desktops on the 15th of each month. Can you believe it the month of April is half over already? Here it is time once again to join Share Your Desktop. I like to share my wallpaper for my iPhone as well as for my Laptop. For my iPhone I use different wallpaper’s for the different focuses I use; personal, hiking, and reading.
Good Day everyone! Welcome to my blog. The following are my entries for this week’s Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge. The challenge is asking for photos depicting the colour BLACK.
Black CowsChildren’s Blackboard Black and White Photography
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF 75-300mm lens with Altura CPL filter attachment.
Location: Lake Haigler; Lake Haigler Loop; Lake Haigler Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA.
God Bless. Enjoy your week and have a fabulous weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
As Coleman and I were hiking along Steele Creek Trail back towards the car we spotted this little Fairy Garden tucked away in the base of a tree. I have seen pictures which other hikers have taken before, however this was the first time we had ever spotted the Fairy Garden. If you weren’t looking at the surrounding landscape you could possibly miss seeing it.
Spotted along Steele Creek TrailFairy Garden Time to Swing and Relax
On this hiking adventure I parked at the Dairy Barn Entrance to the Anne Springs Close Greenway. After exiting the car we proceeded to hike along the fencing before hitting the trails. Following the fence line we were able to view the horses, some of which trotted over to our location. [More on horses later].
Our first stop along the Blue Star Trail was to take a look at the Faires/Coltharp Cabin. To our surprise and delight it was open to the public (first time we’d seen it open). So naturally, Coleman with me following went inside to see what was inside.
A Look inside the Faires/Coltharp Cabin
After leaving the cabin, we hiked further along the Blue Star Trail towards the Swinging Bridge and the Schroering Forest Playground located on the other side of the Spillway.
Blue Star Trail
When the Spillway is up and streaming with a steady flow of water, the only way to cross it is to walk across the Greenway’s Swinging Bridge. Since our destination was on the far side of the Swinging Bridge we/I slowly walked across. Coleman used to walk across it when he was younger, but now if no one else is on it he’ll run across.
Coleman crossing the Swinging Bridge
We made it safely across the Swinging Bridge, walked around the Artisan Market, ordered lunch from the Greenway’s Canteen and rested a bit before heading to the Schroering Forest Playground. We had a clear view of the Playground from where we chose to sit. This was the first official day the Playground was open. They had been working on it all fall and winter. Being its opening day, the playground was crowded with children from all age groups.
Coleman hiking the Blue Star Trail
Upon completion of our lunch we noticed there were still a lot of children on the playground. I decided to have Coleman wait to play in it until it wasn’t nearly so crowded. Therefore, we continued on with our hiking and headed down to Lake Haigler.
Blue Star Trail Almost down to Lake Haigler
We hiked along the narrow side pathway towards the lake. The straight pathway is wider and more widely traveled by the majority of visitors to the Greenway.
We hiked a short loop with great views of Lake Haigler and then hiked back up to the Playground. Coleman climbed up on the Climbing structure and wasn’t sure about what to do after climbing up a short ways and just sat down for a few minutes. [The all natural wood climbing structure seemed to puzzle Coleman. He’ll probably climb more next time we visit.]
Steele Creek Trail
After a full afternoon of hiking and Coleman playing I decided it was time to head home. Hence, we proceeded to hike back up to the car. Instead of hiking the exact same trail we hiked down, we started out hiking on the Steele Creek Trail. The Steele Creek Trail is a narrow trail that leads up towards the Graham Historical Cabin.
From the cabin we traverse back onto the Blue Star Trail. After short distance from the cabin, Coleman starts searching for the cows. Sometimes they are up close to the fence line, but on this day we really had to look for them. Searching the pasture as we hiked up the trail, two of the cows came walking towards our direction from the far end of the pasture. That made a Coleman’s day. He was then ready to go home.
The Northern Mockingbird is one of the most plentiful birds in North America. You can identify a Northern Mockingbird by listening to its song. You’ll hear its song which usually mimics several other birds simultaneously. Their song can be heard long before you spot their location.
The Northern Mockingbirds continue to learn new sounds throughout their lifetime. What’s interesting (which I didn’t realize) is that a male Northern Mockingbird may possibly learn around two hundred (200) songs throughout its entire life.
Northern Mockingbirds are medium-sized birds with long legs, small heads, and long, thin bills. They are slightly slimmer than a thrush and have longer tails.
Here’s an interesting fact; The Northern Mockingbird is the state bird of five states:
Arkansas
Florida
Mississippi
Tennessee
Texas
Northern Mockingbirds can be spotted year-round in places with shrubby vegetation like fruiting bushes, thickets, hedges, and open ground. They can be discovered in every state in the United States and parts of Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean.
In the South with our cold and sometimes freezing weather temperatures the Northern Mockingbirds tend to “fly south” for the winter months. I have just recently been able to see them back in our neighborhood. As more often than not, I hear their songs way before I am able to spot their location. When you hear the songs of the Northern Mockingbirds you know Spring has arrived.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 