God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Looking forward to seeing y’all’s Last on the Card photos. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Goat in the middle of the trio was getting a shot and medicinal cream for his eczema. It took two to hold him during the process he wouldn’t buck, sometimes precautions are necessary.
The Goats can relax and have fun now. Goat 🐐 Life at The Farm
Looking Down upon the Water 💦Looking Up at a Ray of Sunshine Peeking through the Clouds Looking Downward upon the Grist MillLooking Upward through the Trees to the Stormy Sky
Camera: (1-2) iPhone 14 Pro Max Main Camera (3-4) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EG-S18-55mm lens with Altura (for Canon) Macro Wide-Angle Fisheye Attachment
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts. I appreciate y’all.
Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not your home or car).
The answer to this question would depend on one’s definition of personal. According to Merriam Webster, personal means of relating to, or constituting personal property; intended for private use or use by one person. Keeping this definition in mind, furniture would not apply to being the most expensive personal item which I have ever purchased since it is also used by other members of my family.
When I was in high school, I would state that the most expensive personal I purchased was my camera, a Minolta XG-7 35mm with a 50mm lens, a 2x converter, a telephoto lens, and a flash attachment. However, we are talking about the here and now and not in the past. At this present day and age, the most expensive personal item I have purchase would be my current camera of usage which I bought back in 2012. I purchased the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens, the Canon EF-S 55-250mm lens and a Canon camera strap bundle from Costco. I have since added the Canon EF 75-300mm lens and an Altura for Canon macro wide-angle fisheye attachment.
My camera is certainly not the newest model out there (even though it was at the time I bought it), but it serves me well and I enjoy using it tremendously.
Zinnias are subtropical and tropical upright annual flowering plants in the Asteraceae family which boast an abundance of daisy-like flowers. They are native to North and South America.
Original Peruvian Zinnias
These and other Zinnias are grown in the Memorial Wildlife Garden contained within The Farm at The Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia, North Carolina. The Farm is located to the left as you enter the Nature Trail area outside the Museum walls.
I normally try to take photos as we go hiking in our neighborhood, along the various trails and sometimes we hike more than one trail in a given day. As always my hiking buddy is my (recently turned 4) grandson, Coleman. He loves spending time outdoors especially when he gets to go hiking in the woods, along the creeks, rivers, and lakes.
On this particular day we rode the transit bus from near our home to the Avon Catawba Creeks Greenway. We hiked the Greenway seeing many amazing sights along the way. We hiked the entire 2.7 mile paved greenway. The Avon Catawba Creeks Greenway connects Lineberger Park to Ferguson Park. The Catawba Creek Greenway portion runs through wooded and open creek areas between several residential areas and junctions at the Avon Creek Greenway. Combined, the Avon and Catawba Creeks Greenway is approximately 3 miles. We ventured over onto Robinwood Road from the Greenway and on down to the Gaston County Warlick Family YMCA to continue hiking some more after a bit of a rest and a snack while overlooking Robinwood Lake.
Photo Credit: (c) 2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time as we hiked along the Greenways to the Warlick YMCA. It was a pleasurable afternoon. We appreciate y’all and any thoughts you’d like to share.
On this day Coleman and I hiked from Avon Catawba Creeks Greenway to the Warlick Family YMCA approximately a 2.5 mile hike. Coleman enjoys hiking with me, he also loves to test out the fitness equipment and Pull Up a Seat wherever he chooses. It is good to sit and rest occasionally along the trail.
Coleman on Fitness Equipment Coleman on Fitness EquipmentAvon Creek Greenway Coleman at an Outdoor Table Warlick Family YMCAColeman on a Slide Warlick Family YMCAColeman Resting before getting on a bus to go home
Welcome Cee and thanks for taking on the Which Way Challenge. I appreciate you and am looking forward to all you have to bring to challenge us on our Which Way Challenge adventures.
I’ve held off posting a which way challenge knowing you were taking over. Most of my “roads” are trails Coleman and I hike. I hope you’ll enjoy comingalong on our Which Way hiking adventures.
I know only the first photo has an actual road in it, however, Coleman and I mostly travel on dirt pathways. We walk most everywhere, sometimes riding the bus to get to a location where we plan to hike. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to be more in tune with the theme.
The Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris deffinis) is a moth of the order Lepidoptera, family Sphingidae. It mimics a bumblebee in appearance. It is sometimes called a “Hummingbird Moth” due to its ability to dark quickly from flower to flower, and its ability to hover over nectar sources.
The Snowberry Clearwing is hovering from flower to flower, which are called Phlox Carolina ‘Gypsy Love’. The Phlox carolina ‘Gypsy Love’ have narrow, pointed foliage and pink flowers in early summer. The Carolina Phlox are native to the southeastern United States. They are an herbaceous perennial boasting broadly cylindrical clusters of lavender to pink or white flowers over a long season.
I do not have my own personal garden where I currently reside. There are various Gardens close by where I am able to visit occasionally with my grandson. The following are a few examples of what can be seen at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont, North Carolina.
The Misadventures to our Adventures began on Late Sunday morning, 2023 June 25th. Deciding not to use to much of my daughter’s gas (No car of my own), I chose to take my grandson to the South Fork Trail and Blueway Access to do some hiking. However, when we arrived, we encountered the Danger Trail Closed signs preventing us from hiking the South Fork Trail.
Upon seeing the Danger Trail Closed signs, we climb back into the car, and I search for where to go next to try to accomplish our hike for the day. I looked up the Carolina Thread Trail and it was closed for the day as well. The next stop on our Misadventure to Adventures was the McDonald Field at the Pharr Family YMCA. There didn’t appear to be a trail that we could hike at that location just a short Fit-Trail. Therefore, we decided to get back in the car and figure out where to try next.
Pharr Family YMCA(c)Deb L. Waters
After a short drive Coleman and I arrive at our fourth destination of the day, The South Fork River Park. This location looked more promising. So once again we climb out of the car, load ourselves with our backpacks (mine with camera equipment, his with snacks) and proceed to locate the trailhead. We found the trailhead with no problems and proceeded to hike on the natural surface trail which was approximately 1.25-mile loop trail and also included 800 feet of river frontage. The day was hot and humid; however, I believe Coleman enjoyed his time hiking by the riverfront.
Coleman enjoyed hiking by the river. He probably would have liked it better if I had allowed him to get in the river, but we were not prepared for that adventure. Even though this was a wonderful adventure, our day was not over yet.
On our way back to the car, Coleman heard some noise and thought we should investigate what was making the bleat or baaing sound. Located just across the road from the parking lot was a farm with several goats. I was not sure at first how close to allow Coleman to get to the goats. Turns out the farmer was out in the yard and heard Coleman approaching the gated area. The farmer was friendly and gave permission for him to pet the goats. He liked that idea but was a little shy about doing so.
This turned out to be a pleasant day even though it started out with a few mishaps. Once back in the car, the afternoon was still bright and calling for more adventure. I drove us to another park for more hiking and adventure. I will leave those tells for another day.
This type of plants are DECIDUOUS SHRUBS. Their typical butter yellow autumn leaves fall leaving the flowers exposed on this later flowering selection with slightly larger flowers than the species.
These particular witch-hazels were located near the Lake Trail at Crowders Mountain State Park in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
My grandson and I spotted these spectacular flowers near the entrance to the Nature Trail at The Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium located in Gastonia, North Carolina when we went there to go hiking this past week.
Like many others I was saddened to hear of Bren’s passing. I couldn’t just pick one flower. Bren loved photographing flowers so much and she loved life. I didn’t know her very long, but still I called her my friend. She liked my posts, made encouraging comments, and I enjoyed participating in her challenges. She was always kind, compassionate, and supportive.
I hope you understand one flower was just not sufficient. It took me awhile to be able to write this post. The day I found out about Bren was the anniversary of my husband’s passing from Cancer. Even though the news made me feel sad inside, i know she’ll live on in are heart’s and memories forever.
Her images of flowers were exquisite and inspirational.
Coleman trekking along the trails at Crowders Mountain State Park Kings Mountain, North Carolina
It was a beautiful day for hiking until the rains came pouring down. Luckily Coleman and I completed our hike and were headed to the car before the rains began pounding down upon us.
The Weekend Sky changed throughout the day as my Grandson, Coleman, and I were hiking 🥾. By the time we were finishing our hike around the Lake at Crowders Mountain State Park; the gray clouds started rolling across the sky and later the rains 🌧️ began pouring down upon us.
Rubus idaeus ‘Caroline’ (Everbearing Raspberry) is a fall-fruit big cultivar producing high yields of large, highly flavored, red raspberries which are perfect for eating or preserves.
Raspberry plants can fruit on different types of canes, and these are categorized into primocane and floricane. Both primocane (first year) fruiting and floricane (second year) fruiting raspberries have both primocanes and floricanes growing from the plant after the first year.
Primocane fruiting raspberries, commonly called Everbearing raspberries, produce flowers and fruit on first year canes. Primocane varieties will produce a moderate crop in June and a much larger crop from late August until frost.
(Calopogon tuberosus var. simpsonii) This gorgeous wildflower is called grass pink and it is in the Orchid family (Orchidaceae). The genus name “Calopogon” is Greek and means “beautiful beard.” It refers to the hairlike structures on the upper petal. It has a bulb-like corm that resembles a tuber, hence the name “tuberosus.” The slender grass-like leaves give rise to the name “grass pink.” It is a stunning wildflower.
Coleman trying to open the door 🚪Now to try from the Other Side Why won’t it Open? I give up … Let’s go hiking 🥾.
These Artistic Doors 🚪 are all painted by local artisans. They are displayed in various locations throughout and around the Gardens at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont, North Carolina. For the next few weeks I’m going to post different Artistic Doors for Thursday Doors.
Coleman and I took a 4.3 mile long hike along from the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens Persimmon Trail connecting to the Carolina Thread Trail on Duke Kimbrell Trail and ending with connecting to Worrells Walk back up to the Gardens.
After the long hike Coleman deserved some . Sprinkler Smashing Stupendous Funtime. Here is a video of showing the Sprinkler Fun he enjoyed.
Photo Credit: Deb L. Waters
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Altura Fisheye Macro Lens for Canon.
Viewing the light THROUGH the tunnel beyond my daughter & grandchildren. My daughter & granddaughter before they go THROUGH the tunnel. Looking Through the tunnel through a Fisheye LensWhat do I see looking THROUGH the tunnel? I see my daughter & granddaughter THROUGH a Fisheye Lens