I do not celebrate Halloween, however, I know many of y’all do. Therefore, I am wishing everyone that celebrates Halloween a fun-filled day of fun, joy and happiness.
Today, was the first day of Coleman catching the school bus to take him to his new school. We have to be at the corner stop 🛑 sign, up the slight hill from our new home for him to get on the bus, by 6:30 in the morning. It is still dark at that time of the morning. [Just my opinion, but I do not believe little children should have to be up so early or get on a bus in the dark to go to school.]
Anyway, on our walk to the bus stop this morning we saw a house with Halloween lights and decorations all lit up. I’ll have to keep our front porch light off this evening. No candy will be given out from our home and I do not give Coleman any candy. We need to read labels for all prepackaged foods due to his allergies to dairy, soy, and nut allergies.
Here’s a couple of examples of what we saw on our walk to the bus stop. Click on images for enhanced viewing.
Halloween Decorations
Lighted Halloween Decorations
And as a bonus I’m throwing in a couple of photos of Coleman at the bus stop.
in primo piano – photos Dan Antion’s Thursday Doors photo
Hiking along Steele Creek Trail at Anne Springs Close Greenway, Coleman and I stopped to pay a visit to the Hobbit’s Homes before continuing on our way. If you’re not looking carefully you could miss seeing the Hobbit’s Homes hidden within the tree.
For the past few months, we have been in unrest. I live with my daughter and grandson whom I take care of while she works. Up until recently (like three months ago) her husband (who never liked my being there) was also in the home. He moved out leaving my daughter with a whole heap of debt and a rental amount she could not afford without his assistance. He really didn’t think he should contribute to the financial obligations before he moved out and definitely didn’t think so afterwards even though his name was also on the lease. this made it difficult for my daughter to find another place to live; one in which she would be able to afford. Thus, creating extreme hardship and high levels of stress and anxiety.
A Pile of Pumpkins Ready for Children’s Pickin’
After much searching and reaching out to anyone and everyone she finally found another place for us to move to. Just one catch, the landlord was still working on the house, and she didn’t have the financial resources to move in immediately. Therefore, we had additional expenses of staying in a motel for a week until everything could be completed to satisfaction. during this transitional period my grandson was missing several days of kindergarten and speech class.
So, what do you think I did? Since we couldn’t provide transportation to his school, I took him to enjoy one of his favorite pastimes, hiking. Coleman and I went hiking three days in a row to his delight. In the mist of trials, it was a blessing to enjoy being out in nature spending quality time with him. Our motel for the week was a short distance from his favorite hiking place, Anne Springs Close Greenway. Therefore, where else would I take him but to the Greenway, of course. These Pumpkins were seen on our fourth day of hiking. They were situated at the Lake Haigler entrance to the Anne Springs Close Greenway. The Greenway also had other fun Fall/Autumn activities set up for the children to enjoy. During this week we visited three of the five entrances to the Greenway. Each entrance offers different trails and activities for visitors to utilize and enjoy.
Who Wants a Pumpkin?
I am extremely grateful for my daughter and her strength and persistence in searching and locating a place for us to live and feel at peace. Home is the nicest word in our vocabulary right now. We are all thankful for having a home to live in. Thankful to be out of the motel. Thankful to be out of turmoil. Thankful to be relieved of a heavy load of stress and worry. I know, all our troubles and worries should be laid in the hands of God, our Heavenly Father. It is difficult sometimes to lay everything at his feet and not continue to worry.
We (mostly me) still have a tremendous amount of unpacking to do but alas, it will all get done in due time. I am still processing the fact that we have a home to live in. Understanding that we are all safe and can relax and enjoy our home (it is a rental, but it is our home for now). Coleman has his own little room, with his own bed (he had been having to share mine). He has a fairly good size yard to play in and we don’t have to worry about him not having enough space to run and pay. This home is a blessing, and I am truly thankful for being allowed to share it with my daughter and grandson.
To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find under that number and include a link to your blog in my Numbers Game blog of the day. If instead of numbers, you have changed the identifiers of all your photos into words, pick a word or words to use instead, and show us a variety of photos that contain that word in the title.
All my photography this week has been done with my Apple iPhone as we have been in transition, moving from one place to another and having to stay at another place in between locations further a week. Therefore, I am choosing a theme of Coleman in the Greenway fur this week.
Coleman has been fascinated with “Flychines” (better known as Airplanes) since he was about two (2) years old. He loves to watch “Flychines” fly through the skies. He enjoys watching them takeoff and land whenever possible. Yesterday he had a terrific view and ability to observe “Flychines” flying into Charlotte-Douglas International Airport while his mom was working at the airport.,
Airplanes ✈️ Flying into Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
The video was created through Google Photos Highlight Video creator. In watching this video you’ll be able to see what Coleman was seeing and possibly understand his fascination with “Flychines.” Be sure to look closely, if you do you might just notice the windows on the Airplanes.
in primo piano – photos Dan Antion’s Thursday Doors photo
As Coleman and I were hiking toward Lake Haigler on Tuesday afternoon, we saw a work truck in the middle of one of the wider trails. We paused to speak with the men from the truck. They were there to repair the railings on a bridge damaged by Hurricane Helene. They stated that it took four days to cut and clear Seventy-Two trees which had fallen due to the strong winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Helene. The workers have a tremendous amount of work to still do to continue repairing the damage and destruction caused by Hurricane Helene here at the Anne Springs Close Greenway.
I’ve been missing Cee’s posts this week. I pray she is doing alright. This week I am again posting a Which Way My Wayshowing Which Ways in Monochrome. My grandson, Coleman and I had the privilege of hiking in our favorite Greenway on Tuesday. I only had my smartphone with me; I chose to take some of our adventures in monochrome and silvertone via my smartphone features. I hope you’ll enjoy them.
Coleman Enjoying Lake Haigler Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina
God Bless. Share your desktops, I’m looking forward to seeing them. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
“Trees exhale for us so that we can inhale them to stay alive. Can we ever forget that? Let us love trees with every breath we take until we perish.”
― Munia Khan
“When one plants a tree they plant themselves. Every root is an anchor, over which one rests with grateful interests, and becomes sufficiently calm to feel the joy of living.”
— John Muir
I feel right at home when I am walking through the forest of trees whether I am alone or out hiking with my grandson. Being in the woods has a calming effect on me. It is relaxing and uplifting at the same time; a time of reflection and communing with God, the Creator of all things on Earth and in Heaven. The Autumn hues of the leaves are beautiful and mesmerizing. Autumn is a great time for observing the changes in nature. I love to be out in the forest amongst the trees all year round. It is so much better than being cooped up in doors. Enjoy the views of the trees and nature I and my grandson love to roam and wander through on a regular period.
“In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. And no two journeys along the same path are alike.”
— Paolo Coelho
“Together we can preserve the forest, securing this immense treasure for the future of all these our children.”
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Have a walk amongst the Trees. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Cee is back and allowing us to post any type of road, path, step, bridge or sign this week for her Which Way Challenge. This week I have mixed it up with a little new with a little from my favourite place from my archives. Hope you enjoy!
Path to a small prayer garden Highway 200 leading from Lancaster to Great Falls, South Carolina closed due to Hurricane Helene.
Nature Trail Andrew Jackson State Park Coleman on the Trail at AJSP
Brian from Bushboy world would like us to show the last photo on our SD card or smartphone for September 30th or whenever your last photo was taken. No editing. Explanations are not necessary. Create a pingback to Brian’s post. Use tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard.
Here are mine. Mine are mostly of Coleman plus one from my dad’s camera. If desired, you may click on each image for enhanced clarity.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Please continue to Pray for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Many of my friends and cousins are affected by. I appreciate y’all very much.
How lovely to have the prompt of dinosaur. My grandson, Coleman, loves Dinosaurs. We’ve been fortunate this past year to live within a relatively short distance from the local Schiele Museum of Natural History. The most popular exhibits at The Schiele Museum are the Dinosaur exhibits. They are definitely Coleman’s favourites. Every year the Museum has a special Dinosaur Day. On Dinosaur Day, the museum has special activities and events for everyone to enjoy (especially the children) and participate.
Since Coleman loves Dinosaurs so much; we got him a dinosaur backpack, lunchbox, and matching bottle to use for school. We couldn’t forget to add dinosaur shirts, socks, and shoes. He loves all his dinosaur items, even his toy dinosaurs.
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.
This week Cee is chosen to post a theme of diagonal line(s) for her Fun Foto Challenge. I went searching through my photos to see what diagonal lines I could find. Below are the diagonal line(s) I managed to select from my fotos.
As you might have noticed, I selected various different versions of diagonal line(s) for you to observe. From diagonals on a fire engine to power towers, to an airplane at a diagonal angle inline with a diagonal wire and even diagonal shadows. What interesting diagonal line(s) will you decide to share with all of us? Be sure to link your posts to Cee’s blog here.
For Fandango’s One Word Challengeword choice of Create I decided to share a couple of items Coleman has created while in his Kindergarten class this year.
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.
Brian’s Busboys World is the host for Last on the Card requests us to share our last photo on our SD cards or on our phones for August 31 or whenever your last photo was taken. No editing — just however it came out in focus, blurry, or whatever it may be. No explanations necessary. Be sure to create a pingback to Brian’s post or leave a link in his comments. Be sure to tag your post with The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard.
The majority of beaches are more than three hours away from where we live except for around the lakes. It has been awhile since I’ve been to any beaches, so I combed through my archives to see what I could sea.
Here are my findings from out along the WEST Coast and Pacific Northwest Coast.
Moving back to the East Coast, we can Sea these beautiful and interesting beach finds.
Coleman’s First Day of School First Day of Kindergarten
Coleman’s Excited … Grandma’s jittery.
I do not recall being this jittery when my children went to their first days of school. How is it so different now than then? Do I worry too much? Am I more protective of my grandson than I was with my own children? Definitely things to ponder and pray about.,
The First Day of School I’ve got a brand-new lunchbox. My shoes are shiny clean. I’ve got a cool, new bookbag And a pencil box that’s green. But I don’t know my teacher, Or where my desk will be. I don’t know if I’ll like the kids, Or if they’ll play with me. I peek inside my classroom. I stand there for a while. My teacher’s tall and kind of loud, But has a great big smile. And, best of all, she’s got my Favorite book upon the shelf! I kiss my mother Grandma at the door And walk in by myself.
Clare from Clare’s Cosmos is asking all of us once again to share our desktops. All you need to do is share the photo (not your actual desktop) you have set as your wallpaper. Provide whatever information you desire about the photo. Use a pingback, or post a link to her blog hereso she knows you’ve joined in on the fun. Then, enjoy sharing the fun around.
Come on along and join the fun. Share one or more, it doesn’t matter whether the photos are from your desktop, laptop, tablet, or your smartphone wallpaper(s).
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Looking forward to seeing y’all’s desktop photos. Have a wonderful week. I appreciate y’all very much.
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.
To play along with Judy’s Numbers Game simply go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a choice of the photos you find under that number and include a link to your blog in my Numbers Game blog of the day. If instead of numbers, you have changed the identifiers of all your photos into words, pick a word or words to use instead, and show us a variety of photos that contain that word in the title.
I have chosen to pick a word to select my photos for this week’s Numbers Game hosted byJudy Dykstra-Brown’s blog. The Word I have chosen is Zoo. My selections come from four different zoos.
Camera: 1-3) Canon EOS Rebel T3i; 4) Minolta XG-7 35 mm
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Zoos with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much. Have a wonderful day.
For Cee’s Which Way doing it My Way I have chosen to select Dirt Trails from our favourite Greenway with Coleman. If desired, you can click on each photo for enlarged viewing.
Location: Dogwood Trail; Horse Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your Dirt Roads, Pathways, and or Trails with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
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
Today my grandson turned Five. Where has the time gone? He’s currently 43.78 inches tall and weighs 42.20 pounds. He will start kindergarten next month.
Coleman and his new train track set
God Bless. Have a funtastic day and a wonderful weekend. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Clare from Clare’s Cosmos is asking all of us once again to share our desktops. All you need to do is share the photo (not your actual desktop) you have set as your wallpaper. Provide whatever information you desire about the photo. Use a pingback, or post a link to her blog hereso she knows you’ve joined in on the fun. Then, enjoy sharing the fun around.
Here are my July Desktops:
From my Laptop:
Wallpaper:
Catawba River near the Great Falls Dam Great Falls, South Carolina
Screensaver:
Coleman My ❤️ My Grandson
From my Smartphone
(iPhone 14 Pro Max)
Hiking Focus:
Nornal Hule Waters (my dad) and Larry Dean Waters (my brother) taken in Great Falls, South Carolina in July 1963.
Television Focus:
Hawksbill Turtle Ocean Conservancy
Personal Focus:
Coleman playing with his Titan Magnetic Tiles
Reading Focus:
Coleman in his Camouflage Flag Shirt
Come on along and join the fun. Share one or more, it doesn’t matter whether the photos are from your desktop, laptop, tablet, or your smartphone wallpaper(s).
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Looking forward to seeing y’all’s desktop photos. Have a wonderful week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Blue Ridge Mountains North Carolina, USAFountain at Central Ohio Technical College Newark, Ohio License Plates Display NC Transportation Museum Spencer, North Carolina Business Garden Gastonia, North Carolina Grave Marker for Eddie W. Waters ( my Paternal Uncle) Great Falls, South Carolina
A Hodgepodge of Coleman
At the Fort Mill DamAt The Schiele Museum of Natural History At Gardner Park Elementary Playground At Neighborhood Playground
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I look forward to seeing y’all’s pictures for Judy’s Numbers Game. I appreciate y’all very much.
This month is going to be a little different for me since I haven’t been anywhere to use my camera this month. I have been busy digitizing my dad’s old slides. I hope it’s alright to post the last picture from the last roll of his I converted to digital format.
From my Dad’s Minolta XG-7 35mm:
My dad’s reflection of him taking the photo is in the mirror.
Judy’s Numbers Game can bring about interesting results and insights from those who choose to participate. The challenge is alive, let’s join the fun. In searching for the #149 and its variations the results that popped are displayed below in this post.
Pixlr is a photo editing app available for smartphones and PC’s. It has several different editing apps available including background removal, a great number of filters and effects to try to enhance your creativity. What you see here is just my playing around with the Pixlr camera and a few effects. I was not doing anything except discovering what the effects might look like and exploring their effect on my photo of Coleman. I am not sure that I would use all of these effects, but I might try some more at a later time.
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.
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.
Lehman’s East Entrance Kidron, Ohio
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.
Welcome to The Lindsay Pettus Greenway Lancaster, South Carolina
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.
Welcome to Historic Downtown West Jefferson West Jefferson, North Carolina
Here we are in the city we currently reside. Welcome to our area of the world.
Welcome to Downtown Gastonia Main Avenue Gastonia, North Carolina
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.
Welcome to Your Playspace! YMCA Gastonia, North Carolina
Time for us to go home and relax. You are Welcome to visit our area anytime.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 