Margaret from From Pyrenees to Pennines is hosting the Monochrome Madness Challenge this week. She has chosen a theme of Music. Looking forward to seeing what everyone decides to post regarding this theme. Luckily, Coleman and I attended a Children’s Concert last week in downtown Cramerton’s Confluence. Some words to think about before I add my photos …
“Music speaks what cannot be expressed. It soothes the mind and gives it rest. It heals the heart and makes it whole. It flows from heaven to heal the soul.”
When I first decided to take Coleman to the Children’s concert last Saturday, I thought it was going to be a concert especially designed to appeal to children. I did not expect it to be a children’s karaoke show. Most of the children were hesitant to participate; a few banged on the drums and one brave girl sang a couple of songs for the audience while her proud grandfather filmed her singing. Coleman did enjoy listening to the music, however, he enjoyed playing in the playground at Goat Island Park and Greenway better.
Location: Confluence; Town of Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Have a funtastic weekend. I appreciate y’all very much.
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.
Capturing kayakers enjoying an afternoon on the South Fork Catawba River as seen from the banks at Riverside Park and Greenway in Cramerton, North Carolina. Care to Pull Up a Seat and join the fun on the South Fork Catawba River?
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Riverside 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.
For larger enhanced viewing, please click on each individual photo. Sometimes the Sky seems like God painted a beautiful picture just for us to enjoy and be amazed at His Majestic Creation.,
Always trying for a few interesting shots as I walk up and wait for the bus to arrive bringing Coleman back from school. On this day i decided to use the monochrome feature on my iPhone to see what I could capture in Black and White around the neighbourhood. Looking up the road I spotted a train coming down the tracks, later I took a photo of the tracks from below looking upward; trying different angles and viewpoints than my normal viewpoint.
Since we moved to Cramerton at the end of October; Coleman’s new favourite place to go visit is the Goat Island Park and Greenway. The following are a few shots from our latest visit on Saturday.
Location: Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Enjoy the Outdoors. Take a Hike. Relax in a Park. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Location: 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.
Confluence, what is it you might ask? Coleman and I came across this place called Confluence when we walking around downtown Cramerton. We didn’t know what type of a place it was; curiosity took the better of us and we proceeded inside to check it out.
Confluence by definition is the convergence of two rivers, especially rivers of approximately equal width; an act or process of merging. In our area it is the Confluence of the Catawba River and the South Fork River converging into one.
Confluence, the place, is a place for the community where music, art, and recreation come together along the banks of the South Fork, the largest tributary of the Catawba River, in Cramerton, NC. Confluence is operated by Catawba Riverkeeper. Catawba Riverkeeper is the local nonprofit dedicated to preserving and protecting local waterways.
Children’s Play Area
Goat at Entrance to Confluence
On the Back Hallway Walls Catawba RiverKeepers
Confluence is about supporting the health of the river. Art is the convergence where inspiration, creativity, and talent combine to give life to beauty. It has the power to create social and cultural bonds within communities. Their goal is to support the lives of those who use their proximity to the Catawba River as their inspiration for the creation of art pieces, as well as enrich the lives of those living along the river by providing them access to affordable, local artwork.
Coleman & I enjoyed putting a puzzle together.
Confluence is about supporting lives along the river. Music is the ultimate confluence where a plethora of notes come together to create magic. It is the soul of a place, bringing people together to experience joy or sadness, to toe-tap together in sync to a blazing beat, or lean shoulder to shoulder and sing along to a melody from a bygone era. Their goal is to support and showcase local musicians while giving the community a central gathering spot to grab a drink, make new friends, and listen to good music.
Confluence is about supporting Fun at the River. Life on the river is about more than just watersports. It’s about movement, about getting your heart to pump a little bit faster, about acknowledging the air filling your lungs. It’s appreciating being surrounded by nature and feeling connected to the earth beneath you and the water around you. Their goal is to help you bring movement and fun into your outdoor recreation journey. Even if that includes a fishing pole, a competitive game of disc golf, a lazy game of cornhole, or a kayak trip down the South Fork.
Coleman and I met the ladies running Confluence the day we stopped in. They informed us of all their facilities, their programs, their children’s area, the opportunities for families to come together for quality time and fun.
Coleman and I came back the following Saturday and spent time in the children’s area. The children’s area is filled with books, colouring books, crayons, puzzles, blocks, and all sorts of stuff to do individually or as a family. Coleman and I worked on putting a puzzle together. After completing what we could, we discovered it was missing three pieces. That didn’t really matter. What mattered was our spending time working on it together.
I’ve missed Cee so much and know this is a difficult time for her and Chris. Praying for strength and comfort for them both. I’ve been trying to keep up with the Which Way Challenge even though Cee is unable to do so. I encourage everyone who wishes to show Cee our Which Ways. Just post any Which Way you desire and link up to Cee’s Which Way Challenge.
This week I am again posting a Which Way My Wayshowing Which Ways Coleman and I discovered in Riverside Park and Greenway. My grandson, Coleman and I are beginning to roam around our new neighborhood and town investigating what interesting things and places we can find in the area. Riverside Park and Greenway is just a short walking distance away from our new home. Here are a few shots from our walk through Riverside Park and Greenway.
Coleman and I left our home and turned right out of the driveway; walked to the end of our street (which is curved downhill) and then proceeded to walk across the street onto the Carolina Thread Trail.
On the way to Riverside Greenway
The Carolina Thread Trail leads into the Riverside Greenway Trail. We walked the entire length of the Riverside Greenway Trail and even a little bit of off trail hiking. During parts of the hike we were walking parallel to the South Fork Catawba River.
It was a fun enjoyable relaxing day out discovering a (new to us) local trail. Hope y’all have a wonderfully funtastic weekend.
The Ragtag Prompt of Seesaw fits right into some of the pictures of Coleman I took this past weekend at Goat Island Park and Greenway. The Goat Island Park’s Playground only opened back up this past weekend after having been closed for renovations to repair damage generated by the strong winds and storms which caused flooding to the Greenway’s Playground and a majority of the rest of the Greenway.
When we went to the playground Coleman was hoping to be able to not only play on the playground’s equipment, but also with other children. However, that is not exactly how it worked out. Yes, he was able to play on the various playground equipment including the Seesaw, but not with other children. Other parents or grandparents kept their children at a distance from other children playing in the playground. Thus the many facial expressions displayed by Coleman. He found it difficult to enjoy playing on the Seesaw especially when no other child would get on the Seesaw with him. I tried getting on the Seesaw with him, however, that didn’t work so we. My end sank all the way to the ground and he was stuck up in the air until I could manage to extend my legs for my end to go up. (Actually I ended up having to get off for his end to come down.) Here are photos of Coleman Pulling Up a Seat on the Seesaw.
Location: Goat Island Playground; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Playground with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a wonderfully funtastic day. I appreciate y’all very much.
Our view of the Skyline often changes from day to day; moment to moment; and even minute to minute. It can be beautiful clear blue skies one minute and a few hours, minutes, or seconds later you might encounter hazy grey skies or dark cloudy skies with an amazing view of the sun rising into the Sky.
I’ve been missing Cee’s posts. I pray she is doing alright. This week I am again posting a Which Way My Wayshowing Which Ways in My New Neighbourhoodand Town. My grandson, Coleman and I are beginning to roam around our new neighborhood and town investigating what interesting things and places we can find in the area. Here are a few shots from our walk through our new town.
The morning glory plants entwine themselves around structures, growing to a height of 2-3 m (6 ft 7 in – 9 ft 10 in) tall. Their leaves are heart-shaped and the stems are covered with brown hairs. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, predominantly blue to purple or white.
These Purple Morning Glories are located on the side of a small hill below railroad tracks up the street from our home. I found it interesting how they are entwined with the gravel as they climb the hill and how they rise up towards the sky in the mornings.
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Smell the Flowers. See the Beauty in Simplicity. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Smell the Flowers. See the Beauty in Simplicity. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
I love capturing reflections, especially reflections in water. Coleman and I just happened to hike along a portion of the South Fork River on Saturday. It was a relaxing time walking along the (new to us) Riverside Greenway in Cramerton which runs alongside the South Fork River. We saw quite a few amazingly beautiful reflections in the river. Here an only a small portion of what I managed to capture with my iPhone.
We have recently moved to Cramerton, North Carolina. Wherever we are living, Coleman and I enjoy walking around the area seeing all the beautiful sights and interesting places we can discover.
On Friday after Coleman got off the school bus, we walked up the street; under a railroad overpass; past the post office, the fire department, the entrance to Goat Island Park and Greenway; continuing onward and upward until we reached the Community Center and playground. [The playground at Goat Island is temporarily closed for repairs due to Hurricane Helene damage from its wind and flooding.] The following are some of Cramerton’s Public Art displays around the town.
WWII Soldier And his Daughter Town Of Cramerton, North Carolina
Welcome to Cramerton Wall Mural
Genuine Cramerton Army Cloth Wall Mural
Metal Wind Spinner Cramerton Recreation Center
‘Goat in a boat’ greets Cramerton residents, visitors Wall Mural
Concrete Fireman Statue & Coleman Cramerton Fire Department
We hope you have enjoyed our walking tour of Cramerton’s Public Art.
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Smell the Flowers. See the Beauty in Simplicity. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
What’d you know? October is over and the year is almost over with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the way. Before you know it it’ll be 2025. Where’s this year going? Why’s time passing by so quickly?
We have been in transition for the past few months, in between homes; packing, unpacking, being without part of our belongings for a week. Everything in chaos for several months, needing to move and difficulties in finding a place to move to caused lots of stress. During this time period of chaos and confusion, I wasn’t able to go anywhere with my Canon; therefore my only photos this past month have been taken with my iPhone. Here is my last photo for October.
I’ve been missing Cee’s posts. I pray she is doing alright. This week I am again posting a Which Way My Wayshowing Which Ways in My New Neighbourhood. My grandson, Coleman and I are beginning to roam around our new neighborhood investigating what interesting things and places we can find in the area. Here are a few shots from yesterday’s walk through the neighbourhood.
We recently moved and our new to us rental home has a swing on the front porch which Coleman claims is his swing. We haven’t had a swing on a porch since we lived with my uncle years ago. The beautiful views from our front porch are amazingly beautiful (even the view that is not of the sky).
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.
Coleman Enjoying Time in the Sunshine with His Mom
This is a rare occasion when Coleman has his mom running around and playing with him. She’s usually working all the time, seven days a week. She’s usually exhausted when she gets home from working and her only desire is to relax. Therefore, seeing her having fun outdoors with Coleman brings joy and sunshine 🌞 to my soul.