Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography
This blog is for my insights on life, the Bible, hiking adventures with my grandson and whatever is important to me
Hallmark House
Gifts
Toy Shoppe
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Ports of Call Village; Ports of Call; San Pedro, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Hume Lake is a reservoir in the Sierra Nevada, located within the Sequoia National Forest 65 miles east of Fresno, California. It is in the unincorporated community of Hume, California adjacent to Hume Lake.
The 87-acre lake lies behind the world’s first concrete reinforced multiple arch dam, designed by John S. Eastwood and constructed in 1908 by the Hume-Bennett Lumber Company.
Hume Lake is a popular destination for a variety of recreational activities including camping, boating, fishing, hiking, and swimming.
Hume Lake Christian Camps is a non-denominational, nonprofit parachurch organization and is one of the largest operators of Christian camps and conference centers in the world. Hume has camps and conferences for every age group ( for children and adults alike).
My parents,along with other couples from our church, spent a weekend at Hume during the summer of 1979. I’m not sure if they were attending one of the marriage retreats offered at the campground or they were all volunteers for the weekend. It seems they had plenty of leisure time to explore and photograph the Sequoia National Forest and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
I attended weekend at Hume in my late teens with others from my church one winter. Somewhere, not sure where, I have pictures from when I was there. I remember seeing and walking by the lake.
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 29
Jez’s Water Water Evverywhere #229
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Hume Lake Christian Campgrounds; Hume, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Hume Lake with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Standing
at the Foot
of the Cross
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Hume Lake Christian Campgrounds; Hume,California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Campground Cross with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
California Marriott’s
Great America Addition #2
This week we are continuing our adventures from August 1979 allowing y’all to imagine the experience and excitement of Pulling Up a Seat with us … Let’s Ride!
… California’s Great America’s Willard Whizzer Roller Coaster in Santa Clara, California. A transition roller coaster was introduced later on in 1986 called Grizzly Roller Coaster, which helped kids adapt from the kiddie roller coaster versions of Lucy’s Crabbie Cabbies and Woodstock Express to more grown-up thrills.
Willard’s Whizzer’s hills and ground-hugging curves gave riders a heightened impression of speed. Lacking inversions, the coaster has been a favorite of families. In the beginning, the ride didn’t have lap bars or seat belts. Small children rode side by side with a parent helping them to feel comfortable and protected. The forces of the ride were designed to keep well-behaved riders in their seats according to the laws of physics. For many children, at the time, this was their very first “big” roller coaster ride.
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 29
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Santa Clara, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
A walk back in time to visit a place my mom and dad visited with friends, remembering the love they shared. I believe this was a day trip they took with friends from their Sunday school class.
On this day trip from San Diego, California, in 1979, they ventured to The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens located in San Marino, California. The Botanical Gardens section of Huntington has approximately 120 acres of specialized botanical landscaped gardens, including the “Japanese Garden”, the “Desert Garden”, and the “Chinese Garden”.
The Huntington’s Botanical Gardens showcase plants from around the world. Huntington worked diligently to make them thrive in the generous climate conditions of California. The gardens are divided into more than a dozen themes including the ones mentioned earlier.
The Japanese Garden creation began in 1911 with a donation from art dealer George Turner Marsh and was completed in 1912. However, it did not open to the public until 1928. In the Japanese Garden you can find three distinct gardens: the original stroll garden with koi-filled ponds and a drum or moon bridge, the raked-gravel dry garden which was added in 1968, and the traditionally landscaped tea garden.
An interesting side note: the gardens are frequently used as a filming location. Shits can be seen in the Carpenter’s music video, “Only Yesterday” (1975), in Star Trek the Next Generation’s episode Justice (1987), in CSI Miami’s episode of You May Now Kill the Bride (2008) and in many other productions.
The Huntington Botanical Gardens were honored on May 13, 2020 with a postal stamp as part of the American Gardens stamps. The Desert Garden was featured on the postal stamp.
Jez’s Water Water Evverywhere #228
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, San Marino California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Gardens with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Pathways and/or Passages
According the Oxford Dictionary, a Pathway is a path which you can walk along or a route you can take and a Passage is a way of exit or entrance; the act or process of moving through, under, over, or past something on the way from one place to another.
This week I am combining Cee’s Which Way with Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge doing it My Way. I have chosen to post pathways and/or passages at Marriott’s Great America in Santa Clara, California.
Aerial Views of
Pathways at
Marriott’s Great America
Pathways Around the Shops
and Places to
Pull Up a Seat
at Marriott’s Great America
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 28
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Marriott’s Great America, Santa Clara, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
1933 Duesenberg
Torpedo Sedan
Photo Credit:©️1980 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
For Judy’s “The Numbers Game #30”Today’s number is 151. 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.
California Adventures
Since I have been working on digitizing my dad’s old slides more than photographing outdoors in our extreme heat, I decided to share some of my dad’s slides and my memories from our California adventures with all y’all.
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved; #6 of my dad taken by Fred Giese ( family friend) with my dad’s camera.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Locations: 1-5) San Francisco, California; 6-9) Sequoia National Forest Campground; Three Rivers, Tulare County, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Sharing memories are precious and a delight to behold. I appreciate y’all very much.
Catalina Island
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #227
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Santa Catalina Island; View from Los Angeles, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge- Red, White, and Blue
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Port O Call; Los Angeles, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Round Table Windows
With Solvang being the Danish Capital of America, the Businessmen’s Association thought it would be too their advantage to capitalize on their natural advantages and adopt Danish style architecture in their buildings and in the remodeling of old buildings. Danish architectural styles had been developed in Solvang from its earliest stages of development, however, there was a more intensive effort conducted after their business meeting in 1946.
The Round Table Pizza building originally housed the Roeser Milling Company building (built in the 1930s). Back in the late 1970’s, tourists loved to stop for a bite at Round Table Pizza helping to contribute to their booming business. It is no longer in operation in Solvang, California, but there are plenty of other eateries to delight your appetite.
Photo Credit:©️1978 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Horseshoe Bay
and
Alcatraz Island
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #227
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Horseshoe Bay; San Francisco Bay; San Francisco, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Since the Opening of California’s Marriott’s Great America in 1976, the park featured appearances from Warner Bros. Looney Tunes characters. Some of the Looney Tunes characters included Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Tweety, and Yosemite Sam. The Looney Tunes characters would roam around the park greeting visitors as well as putting on a fun entertaining show.
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Marriott’s Great America, Santa Clara, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
This week I’m continuing Cee’s Which Way Challenge doing it My Way. Therefore for this the second week of July, I have chosen a theme of Any Roadways or Pathways with Cars and/or People. Remember signs are always welcome. I welcome anyone who desires to join me on this week’s Which Way Challenge.
Here is my entry for this week. These are from a trip to Solvang, California back in September of 1978. Solvang is known as “Danish Capital of America” because of its Danish heritage and European-inspired culture, architecture, and museums.
Solvang is a sun-soaked slice of Danish culture in the Santa Ynez Valley, where California wine cellars mix with European bakeries and shops. It’s where you can drink, dine and shop like a Dane without ever leaving the California sunshine.
The name Solvang means “sunny fields” in Danish. The city of Solvang was founded in 1911 by a group of Danish immigrants who purchased 9’000 acres of land near the Old Mission Santa Inés and built a community to preserve and promote Danish culture.
An interesting note (especially for Hallmark fans), A still from “A Very Charming Christmas Town,” the Lifetime Christmas movie set in Solvang.
Photo Credit: ©️1978 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Solvang, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Take Care Cee! Chris thank you for taking good care of our friend. I appreciate y’all very much.
This week PR from the blog Flights of the Soul is hosting Monochrome Madness with the theme of Sculptures. Let’s see y’all’s monochrome sculptures and don’t forget to link to Flights of the Soul’s blog.
My selections for this week’s challenge were captured on film in 1978 in Solvang, California many years ago.
This Statue is a milestone marker indicating the distance from Solvang to Copenhagen, Denmark, a mere 11270 kilometers apart.
The Bronze Statue of Hans Christian Andersen is located in Hans Christian Andersen Park in Solvang, California. This Park is a tribute to the renowned Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen and was founded in 1970.
Solvang is known as the “Danish Capital of America” with its strong Danish heritage and European-inspired culture. It was founded in 1911. It wasn’t incorporated as a city until May 1, 1985.
Besides the Statue of Hans Christian Andersen there is a museum dedicated to him you might be interested in visiting. The monument of Hans Christian Andersen Denmark’s renowned Fairy Tale Writer was created by Henry Luckow Nielsen of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Photo Credit: ©️1978 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Solvang, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Take Care Cee! Chris, thank you for taking good care of our friend. I appreciate y’all very much.
1930 Rolls Royce
Marlborough Town Car
Photo Credit:©️1980 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Flags at Marriott’s
Great America
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Marriott’s Great America; Santa Clara, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Santa Clara, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Fishing Creek Hydro Station
The Fishing Creek Hydro Station, ( I grew up knowing it as the Great Falls Hydro Station/Dam), is located on the Catawba River in Great Falls, Chester County, South Carolina. It borders Lancaster County, South Carolina. It was built in 1916 by the Southern Power Company, predecessor to the station’s current owner, Duke Power.
Just like the name suggests, the creek is a popular area for fishing 🎣 and recreation. Fishing Creek Lake – created by the dam – has four access point along the 61 miles of shoreline, including Landsford Canal State Park. [Of a side interest, the Catawba River at Landsford Canal State Park is an excellent area for seeing the Spider Lilies each Spring.]
Hydropower provides about one percent of Duke Energy’s U.S. energy production, but the company’s more than 30 stations are able to activate quickly to meet customer demand during extreme temperatures. In addition to reliable power, communities near lakes created by Duke Energy’s stations are able to enjoy fishing, swimming, kayaking, and even photography.
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #226
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 27
Photo Credit:©️1980 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Ceanothus ‘Julia Phelps’
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Santa Barbara, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Heritage USA
In Monochrome
Leanne’s Monochrome Madness is a non-themed week; my own theme this week is surrounded by photos I’ve recently digitized about Heritage USA. To make viewing easier, I have made a slideshow of the monochrome photos in the beginning and ending with the original photos from my dad’s slides.
Heritage USA was a Christian -themed amusement park opened in 1978 by televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, founders of The PTL Club. At its peak, it was the third-largest park in the USA behind Disney World and Disney Land, with almost 6 million visitors annually.
In the late 1980’s, Heritage USA was rocked by two debilitating scandals all while they were in the middle of a massive expansion. The organization had its tax-exempt status revoked after Jim Bakker was indicted on various federal fraud charges. Later he was accused of sexual improprieties with an encounter with a church secretary.
To add to the problems Heritage USA was experiencing, the park was heavily damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, it shut down for good shortly after.
In this present day and age, only a few remnants of the park are still visible. The abandoned 21-story Heritage USA Hotel stands as an eerie and empty shell looming over the suburban landscape. The Upper Room Chapel was purchased sometime after the park’s closing and is maintained as a prayer room for a local ministry. The Heritage Grand Hotel is now the Heritage International Ministries Conference Center.
Photo Credit: ©️1980 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Brian from bushboy.blog asks us to share each month what photos are the Last on the Card or Last on our smartphones or tablets.
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:
From my iPhone 14 Pro Max:
Photo Credit: 1) ©️1980 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved; 2) ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm and iPhone 14 Pro Max
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your Last on the Card with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
This week I’m continuing Cee’s Which Way Challenge doing it My Way. Therefore for this the first week of July, I have chosen a theme of Dirt Paths, Dirt Roads, Roads and Signs. I welcome anyone who desires to join me on this week’s Which Way Challenge.
Let’s Go Fishing …
Photo Credit: ©️1963-1980 Nornal H. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Catawba River; Great Falls Dam; Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Great Falls Dam. Enjoy the beautiful great outdoors. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Hospital Gardens
Huntersville Oaks
Huntersville Oaks is a short-term nursing and rehabilitation facility located in Huntersville, North Carolina. Huntersville is in northern Mecklenburg County just north of Charlotte, North Carolina.
My paternal grandfather stayed here receiving short-term medical care during the summer of 1980. When he was released, my dad took him back to his home in Great Falls, South Carolina.
Photo Credit:©️1980 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Digitally converted using Wolverine digital converter.
Location: Gardens at Huntersville Oaks; Huntersville, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Antique Car Doors & Windows
This is be the first in a line of Antique Car Doors and Windows that I’ll be posting from my dad’s photo albums of old slides. My dad worked for FORD most of his adult life except during his service in the U.S. Navy. He loved to attend car shows of any kind. These weekly features will be from an Antique Car Show he attended somewhere in California ( I’m guessing here since all the cars have California license plates.) The cars appear to possibly be from a private collection.
Do you like to attend cars shows? I have attended car shows in the past, however, I do not plan a whole day or outing around a car show like my dad used to do.
Photo Credit:©️1980 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Water Tower
Great Falls Water Tower
Photo Credit: ©️1978 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the Outdoors. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit ©️1978 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Huntersville Oaks; Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Huntersville Hospital
This hospital is currently known as Atrium Health Huntersville. It was formerly operated under the name of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority and was formerly known by Carolinas HealthCare System.
This was how it looked in the summer of 1978 when my paternal grandfather was receiving medical treatment here. My dad and his brother both visited frequently and stayed with him periodically until he was able to return home.
Photo Credit:©️1978 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Huntersville Hospital, Huntersville, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Appreciate them. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Seats Around the Cross
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 26
Photo Credit:©️1978 Nornal H. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
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.
Lens-Artists Challenge #305-Rectangles
Photo Credit:©️1963 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Mebane Grammar School; aka Great Falls Elementary School; Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
Photo Credit:©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Familial Grounds
This FOWC is in alignment with the latest of my dad’s slides I have recently (just yesterday) digitized. They are of the familial burial grounds of my paternal grandparents.
My father took them on one of our trips to visit his dad, his brother, his sister and her family. The location of the cemetery can be walked to through a path off of the street below my grandparents home.
This was the first time we (my immediate family) had been to the cemetery since my paternal grandmother’s passing in 1970. When she passed, my dad was the only one of us that could fly back for her funeral service.
This view allows us to see both the Headstone and my paternal grandmother’s Foot Marker in the Greenlawn Cemetery.
Photo Credit: ©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Greenlawn Cemetery; Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the cemetery with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Rummaging through my dad’s old slides I ran across these pictures of a crashed and smashed car where you could clearly see the damage done to the doors, the windows, the hood, and trunk of the car.
I am not sure who the car belonged to, but I know the children who are shown looking at the crashed and smashed vehicle. They are my cousin and my brother. I do not even want to consider what happened to the person or persons who might have been in the car. By looking at those car doors it would have been a miracle if anyone survived without injuries.
I believe I would prefer the Public Service District truck which drives around Great Falls performing the necessary maintenance and repairs making sure the Town of Great Falls is safe, secure, and it proper working order.
Photo Credit:©️1963 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Town of Great Falls, Chester County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Town of Great Falls with us. Hope you have a fantastic day filled with joy, laughter, and no wrecks. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Hearst Castle
and Ranch
Judy’s Numbers Game can bring about interesting results and insights from those who choose to participate. The challenge is alive, let’s get Blogging. In searching for the #147 and its variations the results that popped up all had the central focus around Hearst. Therefore, I selected a variety of photos around the Word Hearst and Hearst Castle.
As we approach Hearst Castle we see the sign informing us we are arriving at our desired destination.
The long and winding road up to the top where Hearst Castle is located.
Touring the outside grounds at Hearst San Simeon we see statues poolside …
And by the stairs leading upward …
Continuing our tour of the grounds we come upon the Hearst Ranch. William Randolph Hearst kept Fifty (50) species of herbivores on his ranch. They included around 126 Zebras plus bison, fallow deer, antelope, zebras, elk, camels, kangaroos, and giraffes.
We also could see the vastness of the Hearst Ranch where the numerous animals grazed.
At last we come to the end of today’s tour as more about Hearst Castle will come in a later post.
Judy’s Numbers Game #26-Number 147
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument; San Simeon, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for tagging along on our tour. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Have a wonderful week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Ritva is 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
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.
Lens-Artists Challenge #304 – Behind
Photo Credit:©️1963 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
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.
California Street
San Francisco Cable Car +
Cable Cars have been carrying passengers in San Francisco since 1873. Cable cars were invented by Andrew Smith Hallidie. He based his system on early mining conveyance systems which dominated the city’s transit scene for more than 30 years.
The San Francisco cable car system is the world’s last manually operated cable car system and an icon of the city of San Francisco. Of the 23 cable car lines established between 1873 and 1890, only three remain (one of which combines parts of two earlier lines): two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf, and a third route along California Street.
The vast majority of the millions of passengers who use the system every year are tourists. Due to the high volume of tourists desiring to ride the cable cars, the wait time to get on can be up to or exceeding two (2) hours. The Cable Cars are amongst the most significant tourist attractions in San Francisco, along with Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman’s Wharf.
The San Francisco Cable Cars are one (1) of two (2) street railways named on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark. The other street railway on the National Register of Historic Places is the St. Charles Streetcar Line in New Orleans.
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: California Street; San Francisco, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for hopping aboard the Cable Car with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Bridging the Waters
of Time
Thru Architecture
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 suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
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.
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-anchored suspension 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 Earthquake causing 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.
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.
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.
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.”
Cee’s Which Way Challenge -June Week 2
Lens-Artists Challenge #303 – Connections
Whatsoever Is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 23
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #224
Photo Credit:©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: San Francisco Bay; San Francisco, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for connecting with us and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Albatross
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: San Francisco Bay Cruise; San Francisco Bay; San Francisco, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #223
Photo Credit: ©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Eastern San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge; Pacific Ocean; San Francisco, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
California has some beautiful coastline. These were taken way back in 1974 in Long Beach, California.
This first one was taken looking over the Pacific Ocean and Pier J, Port of Long Beach. The view was taken from aboard the Queen Mary.
The next two photos are of the Shoreline of the Long Beach Harbor with skylines.
Just look at the pastels in the skyline and shoreline. It’s an amazing view looking out over the Pacific Ocean from the Queen Mary.
Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: Can You Find #Pastels in the Great Outdoors?
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #223
Photo Credit:©️1974 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Pacific Ocean; Pier J; Long Beach Shoreline; Queen Mary; Long Beach, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
This week’s number for Judy’s Number Game is 145. Come play along with us. You’ll never know what fun you’ll be missing if you don’t join in the game.
Rummaging through my photos I came up with a mixture of old and more recent photos for your viewing pleasure for this week’s challenge.
First up we have Farm Animals …
At Anne Springs Close Greenway’s Stables Entrance in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Next, We Head Up to the Mountains of North Carolina …
And Lastly for this Week we have a Couple of Miscellaneous Throwbacks …
Photo Credit: 1-4) ©️2017-2023 Deb L. Waters; 5-6)©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
And they’re off …
Hey, What’s that Mini Kart doing on the track?
Look at them Go …
Number 1 is about to Catch Up
Watching Races at the Cajon Speedway was one of my dad’s favourite things to do on a weekend. It is not something he was able to enjoy that often, but he was thrilled whenever the possibility occurred. When he wasn’t able to go to the Speedway, he would watch NASCAR or the Indy 500 when he could get control of the TV away from my mom. My dad would have been 95 this week. He’s been gone now for 28 years, however, I still miss him.
Becky’s Squares -Renew/Moving Forward/Reconstruct
Photo Credit:©️1970 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Cajon Speedway; El Cajon, California, USA September 1970
God Bless. Thank you for watching the races with us. The Cajon Speedway races don’t compare to the Coca Cola 600 which many people watched this weekend, but for El Cajon and San Diego County it was an amazing pastime. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Zion National Park
In Monochrome
Resting up before the big hike climbing to the top, the Summit of Lost Peak.
on the Summit of Lost Peak
Wow, we made it the Summit. It took all our energy and determination, but we did it. Look at the views, they are so amazingly beautiful. It was worth the strenuous hike to see the spectacular view.
Pull Up A Seat Photo Challenge – Week 21
Becky’s #SquareRenew-Moving Forward
Photo Credit:©️1971 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Zion National Park; near Springdale, Utah, USA
God Bless. Thank you for Moving Forward hiking up to the Summit of Lost Peak with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Disneyland’s Mine Train
Through Nature’s Wonderland
Going back to our Disneyland adventure let’s take. Look at another attraction we rode. We are taking a look at our ride on Disneyland’s Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland.
The Disneyland Mine Train was an attraction through Nature’s Wonderland in Frontierland that ran from May 28, 1960 until January 2, 1977. It was previously called Rainbow Caverns Mine Train and later became Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
The Mine Train rode past the mining town of Rainbow Ridge where you could observe what a mining town would have looked like with a hardware store, the El Dorado Hotel. It allowed you to feel like you were in the old west. The train would take you through a tunnel and into Beaver Valley, where you could witness beavers at work chomping their wood, squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, foxes and other forest animals.
After Beaver Valley the train moved forward going across a bridge by Cascade Peak, where you could feel the mist coming from the waterfall on your skin. At this point you could see jumping fish, mountain goats, and swimming bears.
The narrator would announce where you were coming to and what you would see at each destination. From Beaver Valley the train moved forward into Bear Country where you could see 2 large elk with their antlers intertwined, fighting each other.
From there the Mine Train would continue moving forward taking you in a circular shape around the Living Desert, with the other half being a forest filled with desert cottontails, rattlesnakes, waterholes, tortoises, badgers, and armadillos. The displays made everything seem so realistic and lifelike.
The last portion of the ride took you through Rainbow Caverns. In the Caverns you could see giant stalagmites, stalactites, and colorful falls on every side.And if you looked real carefully, you’d see geyser grotto, and the witch’s cauldron.
Thanks for climbing aboard and joining us for our ride on Disneyland’s Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland adventure.
Becky’s #SquareRenew – Moving Forward
Photo Credit: ©️1965 Nornal H. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Frontierland; Disneyland; Anaheim, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Traveling back in time to December 1965, to a family day trip. Packed and loaded in our 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 with a cooler of drinks, snacks, and sandwiches; we began our approximately hour and fifty-one (1hr 51min) drive north moving forward through the city streets until turning onto CA-94 and eventually onto the recently constructed I-5.
Upon arriving at the Disneyland entrance, my parents purchased our admission and ride tickets. General Admission prices for adults at that time was $2.60 per adult and included a ticket for the Monorail. Junior prices were $1.80 and Children’s admission prices were $1.10. Tickets for the rides cost extra. A book of 10 tickets ranged from $3.00 to $5.00.
In 1965, the cost of admission was considered a lot of money. However, people considered visiting Disneyland was a worthwhile family adventure.
After our tickets were purchased and we entered the park, we selected what rides we wanted to ride. We went to each ride or attraction as a family unit, not venturing off individually. Our first ride of choice was the Monorail.
The Monorail was considered as a mid-century marvel and captured the hearts and imaginations of the theme park and Disney fans. The Monorail was a Highway in the Sky which allowed for a unique experience viewing the park from above.
Our next selection was to ride the submarine adventure. The attraction features vehicles that were designed to look like submarines. It required the E ticket was in the Tomorrowland area of the park.
The submarines took us on an adventure under the sea simulating fish and other sea creatures allowing us to imagine we were really being submerged and viewing the undersea life of a tropical lagoon.
Next up was the Autopia adventure. This was where we could get in cars and race around an enclosed track. We could imagine we were actually racing the other drivers.
After a full day of adventures Moving Forward around the park, we selected a spot on the side of Disneyland’s Main Street to watch the Parade. The waiting was a time of excitement as we looked forward to the parade starting.
Well folks, that’s all for today. We had fun, but now it’s time to head home.
Cee’s Which Way Challenge-AnyWay
Becky’s #Square Renew/Reconstruct/Moving Forward
Photo Credit:©️1965 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Disneyland; Anaheim, California, USA
Photos were reconstructed from my dad’s slides using a Wolverine digital converter.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting Vintage Disneyland with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 