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).
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.
These Rustic Wooden Horses were in a fenced off area near the Children’s Schroering Forest Playground at the Lake Haigler Entrance of 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
Hurricane Storm damage is heard all over the news and online media. What you hear about are the most heavily affected areas communities and immediate surrounding areas. What you do not hear about is how the storms affected other areas within the outlying areas of the Hurricane’s path. Trails in the Piedmont region of the Carolinas are southeast of the majority of heavily damaged areas, but still affected at a lesser impact level.
The Trails still need maintenance and repairs even though they are not as horrific as those in Western North Carolina. South Carolina Trails still endure erosion and other damages caused by the strong winds and heavy rains that occurred during Hurricane Helene’s passing through the area. The photo above pictures just one of the hiking trails that suffered severe weather damage erosion in South Carolina not far from where I live.
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.
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.
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.
This week Cee is allowing us to post any type of road, path, step, bridge or sign. I have chosen to post some paths, steps, dirt trails, and wooden paths and bridges along the Lake Nature Trail at Andrew Jackson State Park. I took these photos when was camping there the summer after my mom passed. It was a relaxing, peaceful, meditative experience of communing with nature.
“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.
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.
This week’s number is 163. My 163 photos happen to come from a few trips I have taken and a few lakes I’ve visited over the years.
From our trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Blue Ridge Mountains:
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.
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
What is most commonly referred to as the Carolina Gull is the Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla). Laughing Gulls can be typically observed swirling over beaches like Springmaid and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Laughing Gulls provide sights and sounds evocative of summer on the East Coast. Large numbers of these Gulls at beaches, docks, and parking lots, where they wait for handouts or fill the air with their raucous calls.
In the Northeast, Laughing Gulls are summer visitors. However, in the Southeast and along the Gulf of Mexico they can be spotted year round along the coasts.
Comparing the Doc Watson “Man of the People” Statue from 2016 to 2024. The first photo was taken when I was in Boone, North Carolina for a family reunion. [Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson is my fourth cousin].
The Statue was dedicated on June 24, 2011. It commemorates the Grammy Award-winning artist and Watauga County (Deep Gap) native Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson. The depiction of “Doc” Watson sitting on a bench playing a model of his favorite guitar, customized Gallagher was created Alexander M. Hallmark, a local Blowing Rock, NC, Sculptor. The inscription on the statue reads Doc Watson / “Just one of the People.”
The bronze statue of Doc Watson is located at the Northeast corner of North Depot and West King streets in downtown Boone, North Carolina.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Please Pray for Hurricane Helene Victims, Relief Workers, & Volunteers during this difficult time. I appreciate y’all very much.
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.
Location: The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Pray for Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina & Tennessee as they try to recovery from Hurricane Helene. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
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.
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.
Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from South Carolina to the Virginia Border and back down to Pisgah National Forest and then on into South Carolina once again was a trip I’ll always remember.
It has been seven years since I made that trip with my eldest son. We took the drive on his birthday weekend in October 2017. We stopped at various milestones along the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the beautiful views and tour a few different places along the route. We stopped at Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring Gap, North Carolina and hiked the Stone Mountain Loop Trail beginning at the Upper Trailhead. We continued driving the Blue Ridge Parkway once we left Stone Mountain State Park; we drove to Wilson, North Carolina (Wilson was my married name & the surname of my children.)
On the adventure South on the Parkway, we took a detour to my Cousin Jim’s Produce Market for some fresh produce & a break to stretch our legs. Before we arrived at Jim’s Produce, we stopped for a photo by the Doc and Merle Watson Highway sign ( Doc & Merle Watson are my fourth cousin & fourth cousin once removed respectively).
Venturing further south, we stopped at several more milestones to enjoy the beautiful scenery and views overlooking the valley. We stopped for supper at The Pisgah Inn’s restaurant. The food was delicious and the views were spectacular. The Pisgah Inn is located in the Pisgah National Forest amongst thesouthern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway (Blue Ridge Pkwy Milepost 408.6, Waynesville, NC).
It was a lovely and enjoyable trip, not just for the scenery, but always for the quality time spent with my son. Click on each photo for enhanced viewing. Have a wonderful day!
Location: Various locations along the Blue Ridge Parkway; North Carolina
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing in our adventure memories. If you have the opportunity I’d recommend driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. You’ll enjoy the scenery as much as we did. I appreciate y’all very much.