#GetOutdoors – Page 16 – Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography

2024 Monday Window & Portrait: 08.12

Smithsonian Castle

And

Joseph Henry Statue

This was one of the many stops on my parents cross country vacation during the summer of 1985. They visited The Smithsonian Institution Building on their Washington D. C. Tour.

The Smithsonian Institution Building is
Aka Smithsonian Castle, The Castle

The Castle was the first Smithsonian Building. It was designed by architect James Renwick Jr. and built between 1847 and 1855 to house the Smithsonian Institution, which was established by Congress in 1846. It was designed in the Norman Revival style, which combines late Romanesque and early Gothic motifs. It is made up of Seneca red sandstone from the Seneca Quarry in Montgomery County, Maryland.

***Close Up***
of
***Joseph Henry Statue***

The Joseph Henry Statue is located at the entrance of the Smithsonian Institution Building, or “Castle.” Joseph Henry was the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1846 to 1878. The bronze statue of him was commissioned in 1880 and installed in 1883. At its installation it faced the Smithsonian Building (The Castle.) In 1965, the bronze statue was turned to face the National Mall.

Ludwig’s Monday Window

Monday Portrait

Macro Monday

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm

Location: Smithsonian Institution Building; The Castle; Washington D. C., USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Silent Sunday: 08.11 —

Gateway Arch

Silent Sunday

Hammad’s Weekend Sky

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Location: Gateway Arch Monument; St. Louis, Missouri

God Bless. Have a funtastic rest of your weekend. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Pull Up a Seat: 08.10

California Marriott’s

Great America Addition #5

THE LOBSTER

Continuing our adventures from long ago at California’s Great America; we come to segment #5 of the series with The Lobster; won’t you Pull Up a Seat and ride with us.

At Marriott’s Great America in Santa Clara, California; The Lobster was located in the Yankee Harbor section of the amusement park. The ride in Santa Clara opened for the public in 1976. This Lobster was an Eyerly Aircraft Monster ride.

This Lobster has six (6) arms with the end of each arm having four (4) passenger cars. The Lobster in Santa Clara ride had to lower two arms at a time to allow for the unloading and loading of eight passenger cars simultaneously. This was repeated two additional times per cycle to complete the unloading and loading for all six (6) arms.

This outing was so long ago I do not remember if I rode this ride or not, but then again my dad did take the shot.

You can no longer ride this particular Lobster ride since the Santa Clara location of Great America closed, however, you may ride a similar one at the Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 32

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm

Converter: Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: Santa Clara, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for Pulling Up a Seat with Us. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Bright Yellow Zinnia on Sunny Saturday

I’m hoping to have some sunny sunshine anyways. We’ve been having a tremendous amount of rain and wind from the outskirts of Hurricane Debby/Tropical Storm Debby ( now Tropical Depression Debby). At least I can dream of sunshine even if we do not get it for several days yet.

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

Leigha’s Sunny Sunday Challenge

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 31

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Take time to stop and smell the flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 CWWC: My Which Way — August – Week 2

For this week in doing Cee’s Which Way My Way I’m choosing a theme of Roads, Pathways, or Waterways. And as always, signs are welcome anytime. I’d love for y’all to join me in posting your Which Ways whether on Land or Sea. Remember to link your Which Way posts to Cee’s Which Way here or if you wish you can link to My Which Way here.

For my own Which Way this week I have combined it with Sunday Stills Challenge from Terri with her theme of #Float, #Afloat. In other words, my Which Ways are on both Land and Sea. These are from a visit my parents took to The Ports O’ Call in San Pedro, California. They toured the Ports O’ Call Village walking the pathways and took a tour cruise around the Bay. My dad loved to take pictures when they went places (thus my love of photography).

Cee’s Which Way Challenge

Which Way My Way

Sunday Stills-#Float #Afloat

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Location: Ports O’ Call, San Pedro, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Ports O’ Call Village with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Monochrome Madness: #14 — Shadows & Silhouettes

Dawn from The Day After is this week’s host for Monochrome Madness with her chosen theme of Shadows and Silhouettes . I decided to display my shadows in two different monochrome aspects to see which aspect the shadows are represented better.

These photos were all taken at Hume Lake Christian Camps located in Hume, California. They were taken by my dad using his Minolta XG-7 35 mm camera. For enlarged viewing click on each image.

Dawn‘s Monochrome Madness

Leanne’s MM

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm

Locations: Hume Lake Christian Camps; Hume, Fresno County, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Sequoias with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much. Have a wonderful day.

2024 Thursday Trios: Boats on Hume Lake

Click on each photo for enlarged viewing of images. These were taken at Hume Lake Christian Campgrounds in Hume, California by my dad back in 1979 with his Minolta XG-7 35 mm camera. Fun and relaxing times can be had at Hume Lake.,

Carol’s Thursday Trios-08.08

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm

Location: Hume Lake Christian Camps; Hume, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 FOTD: 08.08 — FLORIBUNDA

Cee’s Flower of the Day

God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Numbers Game #33 — 154

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 Judy’s 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’m using a Word in place of the number 154 this week. My Word I’m choosing to use is Julian.

Visiting Beautiful Julian

From where I used to live in San Diego; we would drive east on I-8 towards the mountains for a day of exploring, hiking, and a stop for Apple pie Julian Pie Shop before returning home. The first half ( more or less) are from our day trip back in 1978. The rest of the photos are from a virtual trip I took with a friend of mine from San Diego this past weekend.

Julian is a popular destination in the beautiful Cuyamaca mountains. It is approximately 0ne (1) hour and six (6) to fourteen (14) minutes away from the Allied Gardens Neighborhood in San Diego. The route we took takes us through the backcountry and into the Cuyamaca mountains past Cuyamaca State Park and Stonewall Peak (both wonderful places for hiking.)

When visiting Julian it is like stepping back in time to the days of Julian’s beginning rooted in the 1870’s gold rush. You can see where gold was discovered plus several historical buildings which date back to the 1870’s. When you go hiking in the area, you won’t want to miss stopping by Lake Cuyamaca for relaxation and great photo opportunities of the amazingly beautiful scenery. If you’re inclined to go out on the lake the area does have boat rentals or you might decide to fish along the bank.

Judy Dystra-Brown’s Numbers Game #33-154

Throwback Thursday

Location: Julian, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting Julian with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Have a great rest of your week. I appreciate y’all very much.

Words for Thought #30

1 John 3:18 (NIV)

***Flowers***
at
***San Diego***
***Wild Animal Park***

Think About It Tuesday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Converter: Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park (now known as San Diego Zoo Safari Park); Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

OWS: Nature’s Framework

For One Word Sunday this week Debbie has chosen Framed. She is not referring to placing a photo in a frame, but rather using nature to frame a scene or subject.

Debbie’s One Word Sunday

Throwback Thursday

Cameras: 1-3) Minolta XG-7 35 mm; 4) iPhone 14 Pro Max

Locations: 1-3) Sequoia National Forest; Tulare County, California; 4) Anne Springs Close Greenway; 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.

2024 Macro Monday/FOTD: 08.05

Viburnum opulus

FOTD

Macro Monday

Camera: Apple iPhone 13 Pro

Location: Riverwalk; Piedmont Medical Center Trail; Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Monochrome Madness #Turtle Sunbathing

***Turtle*** 🐢
***San Diego Wild Animal Park***

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Converter : Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park; Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA

God Bless. Thank for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Numbers Game #32 —153

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 by Judy Dykstra-Brown’s blog. The Word I have chosen is Zoo. My selections come from four different zoos.

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Riverbanks Zoo & Garden

Greenville Zoo

San Diego Wild Animal Park

Judy’s Numbers Game #31-153

Throwback Thursday

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 31

Jez’s Water Water Evverywhere #230

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.

2024 FOTD: Lone Flower

Epiphyllum

This Epiphyllum was captured by my dad while walking along the Epiphyllum Trail at the San Diego Wild Animal Park (Now recognized as San Diego Zoo Safari Park).

The Epiphyllum Trail is located between Walkabout Australia and Condor Ridge at the Wild Animal Park. The Trail is a beautiful tribute to these orchid cactuses. The Epiphyllums bloom in April and May to an unforgettable glorious burgeoning of brilliant tropical jewel-toned blossoms.

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Converter : Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park; Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA

God Bless. Thank for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Last On the Card — July

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

Brian’s Last On the Card

God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Wordless Wednesday: 07.31

Equestrian Show

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Converter : Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park; Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA

God Bless. Thank for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Birds of the Carolinas #15

House Sparrows

The House Sparrow is a common to abundant resident throughout the Carolinas. These birds can be found nesting almost everywhere people live. They are often strongly associated with man-made habitats. They are found in the Piedmont region year-round in good numbers with counts sometimes as high as 300 in a single day.

Passer domesticus
Seen at Martha Rivers Park
Gastonia, North Carolina was

The House Sparrow is a small bird with a typical length of merely 16 centimeters (6.3 inches). Females and young birds are colored pale brown and grey. The males have brighter black, white, and brown markings.

The House Sparrow feed on almost any type of seed or grain, and also enjoy eating insects. Even though insects are considered highly nutritional being rich in protein calcium, and low in carbohydrates; I think I will pass.

South Carolina Ornithologists consider the House Sparrow to be noisy, quarrelsome, and aggressive. I have not noticed them being aggressive. I have seen them flighty and a little noisy, but then I like hearing the variety of sounds from different birds.

The House Sparrow, having originally been native to Eurasia, has adapted to and thrived within man-made environments throughout the world for hundreds of years.

Birds of the Carolinas

Bird of the Week LXXIII

Location: Martha Rivers Park; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 RDP: Olympics!

Paris Olympics 2024

The Olympic Games are only held every four years. They are an athletic festival/competition that originated in Ancient Greece. Athletes from all over the world compete in various sports competitions. Athletes train for years for the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games.

This year the Summer Olympics are currently taking place in Paris, France. There has been much controversy surrounding the Opening Ceremonies which took place on Friday. I’m not discussing the specifics or opinions regarding the controversy.

I am interested in discovering whether you are watching this year’s Olympic Games. I am watching/ following how the United States athletes are performing during their Olympic qualifying Trials and Final Medal matches for their respective events. I believe the athletes have worked extremely hard to achieve their goals of becoming an Olympian and should be supported for their efforts.

If you are watching the Paris Olympic Games, are you watching every single game/competition or are you just watching and enjoying specific events? As for me, I am only watching/following specific sporting events like swimming and gymnastics.

Did your children complete/play in sporting activities while they were growing up? My daughter participated in ROTC Drill Team competitions during high school. My eldest son participated in Taekwondo (aka Tae Kwon Do), football, and swimming. He concentrated on swimming and competed in many swim meets from twelve (12) through eighteen (18) years of age. His best events were the 100-meter, 200-meter butterfly even though he competed in all strokes including the individual medley and team relays.

These pictures show him swimming the butterfly in the California Interschlastic Federation’s (CIF) State Swimming Championships in 1999. He was there competing with his High school Swim Team.

These may not be at the same level as the Olympics, but many Olympic Athletes begin their training through local clubs, training programs, or their high school or college athletic programs.

Ragtag Daily Prompt-OLYMPICS!

Jez’s Water Water Evverywhere #230

Throwback Thursday

Photo Credit: ©️1999 Deb L. Waters

Location: Long Beach, California

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a fabulous week. I appreciate y’all very much.

Words for Thought #29

Psalm 75:6-7 (NIV)

Think About It Tuesday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Converter: Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park (now known as San Diego Zoo Safari Park); Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Monday Window: 07.29 — San Francisco Financial District

Transamerica Pyramid

The Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest building in San Francisco from its completion in 1972 until 2018 when the new construction of the Salesforce Tower which surpassed its height.

The Transamerica Pyramid is a pyramid shaped 48-story modernist skyscraper in San Francisco, California. The building is a tall, four-sided pyramid with two “wings” to accommodate an elevator shaft on the east and a stairwell and a smoke tower on the west. The building’s top 212 feet is the spire. At the top of the spire are four cameras pointed in the four cardinal directions thereby forming the “Transamerica Virtual Observation Deck.”

It is located between Clay and Washington Streets in the city’s Financial District. It once housed the headquarters for the Transamerica Corporation. Even though the Transamerica Corporation moved its U.S. headquarters to Baltimore, Maryland; the building is still associated with the company by its depiction on the company’s logo.

Skyline San Francisco California

***View of San Francisco Financial District***

Ludwig’s Monday Window

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm

Location: San Francisco, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Monday Portrait: 07.28 –Elephant Rising

***Elephant Show***
***San Diego Wild Animal Park***

Monday Portrait

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Converter: Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park (now known as San Diego Zoo Safari Park); Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Macro Monday: 07.29 — Rudbeckia hirta

Macro Monday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Smell the Flowers. Enjoy the Outdoors. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Silent Sunday: 07.28 —

Catalpa bignonioides

Sunny Sunday

Silent Sunday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 30

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park (Currently called San Diego Zoo Safari Park); Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA

God Bless. Have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Numbers Game #31- 152

To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post your choice of 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.

Visiting the

Sequoia National Forest

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” “You’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So… get on your way!”

HERE THERE

ANYWHERE EVERYWHERE

The places You’ll GO!

~ Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go

Dr. Seuss’s’ book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” is most often thought of as a children’s book, but it is sometimes given as a gift to a graduate. Inferring to the amazing places and things a graduate can do. Did you ever wonder what places your parents went to without you or without your knowledge? Have you ever wondered about the kinds of things they did either as they were growing up or after you became an adult?

It’s interesting to see some of the things my parents did with and without me in years past. I honestly don’t recall every outing or trip we took together as a family. What is more surprising though is I do not remember them going off for weekend outings or week long trips and leaving me home. Mind you now, most of these trips/outings, took place after I was out of high school and supposedly a grown adult.

Yes, I was an adult, but I was only working part time and going to school. As I look over my dad’s slides, I wonder where I was. What was I doing when they were off to the mountains or wherever they were off gallivanting around with their friends?

With all that in mind, these photos were taken when they went up to the Sequoias with their friends from church (just adults not children, well then we were all adults now).

Judy’s Numbers Game #31-152

Throwback Thursday

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 30

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm

Locations: Sequoia National Park; Tulare County; and Hume Lake Christian Camps; Hume, Fresno County, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Sequoias with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much. Have a wonderful day.

2024 Pull Up a Seat: Week 30

California Marriott’s

Great America Addition #3

Continuing our adventures from long ago at California’s Great America; we come to segment #3 of the series with another roller coaster ride, won’t you Pull Up a Seat and ride with us.

Did you spot me on the ride? Let me know if you did. These were good times with family. Memories are a wonderful reminder of past experiences and remind us to be grateful for everything in our lives.

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 30

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm

Converter: Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: Santa Clara, California, USA

God Bless. Thank you for Pulling Up a Seat with Us. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Cee’s FOTD/Thursday Trios: California Mountains Delightful Wildflowers

***Cactus***
***( look closely & you can see the flowers)***

*Echinocereus* chisoensis
Chisos Mountain Hedgehog Cactus

Carol’s Thursday Trios

Cee’s FOTD

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Converter : Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: Julian, California, USA

God Bless. Thank for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Monochrome Madness #13 — Trees

This week’s Monochrome Madness theme was selected & hosted by Sarah from Travel with Me; she has selected Trees as the theme for this week.

Trees are almost everywhere we go regardless of whether we are in the city, the country, near the beach, or in the mountains. I love spending time in the forests and especially when the forest is in the mountains.

Looking back over my dad’s old slides as I have been doing these past few weeks, I have been enjoying the memories, or seeing what my parents enjoyed doing back in years past. The trees here are from their time in the Sequoia National Forest.

***Sequoia National Forest***
***Tulare County, California***

Monochrome Madness hosted by Sara

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Converter : Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: Sequoia National Park, California, USA

God Bless. Thank for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Wordless Wednesday: 07.24.24– Floral Comparisons

Julian Mountain Flowers

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm

Converter : Wolverine Digital Converter

Location: Julian, California, USA

God Bless. Thank for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Sunday Stills/OWS/CPC — Bright Flowers & Wings

Flowers & Wings

in the Bright Sunshine

**Fiery skipper**
**on Zinnia violacea**

Wings on Bright Flowers

Terri’s Sunday Stills-Wings

One Word Sunday-Bright

The Cosmic Photo Challenge-What’s flowering where you are?

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #308-Perfect Pairs

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Thankful for a slight break from all the rain. Wish we could have a break from this extreme heat. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

Words for Thought #28

***Psalm 145:11 (NIV)***
***Rudbeckia***

Think About It Tuesday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Weekend Sky: Cloud Ripples and Sunset

Hammad’s Weekend Sky

God Bless. Have a funtastic rest of your week. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Monday Portrait: 07.22

Ursus arctos

Brown Bear

Monday Portrait

Location: Alaska, USA

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Amazingly Beautiful Mountain Escape

***Viewing the***
***Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains***
***and Hume Lake***
***from***
***Hume Lake Christian Campgrounds.***

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

Sunny Sunday

Jez’s Water Water Evverywhere #229

Throwback Thursday

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.

2024 Silent Sunday: 07.21

Standing

at the Foot

of the Cross

***Nornal Hule & Doyce Eileen Waters***
***My Mom and Dad***
***by a Cross***
at
***Hume Lake Christian Campgrounds***
***Hume, California***

Silent Sunday

Throwback Thursday

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.

2024 Pull Up at Seat: Week 28

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

Throwback Thursday

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 Through a Japanese Garden

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”.

***Walking through***
***a floral passageway***
***with friends.***

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.

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Jez’s Water Water Evverywhere #228

Throwback Thursday

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.

2024 Thursday Trios: 07.18

Young Alpacas

These three Alpacas can be visited at the Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm at the Horse Road Entrance to the Anne Springs Close Greenway. The Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm offers a unique blend of education and exploration for visitors of all ages.

Integrating the former petting zoo and adding a pastoral habitat, observation areas for various animals, a half-mile loop trail, gathering lawn, educational garden, and open-air learning center, the Children’s Farm aims to provide daily interpretation and demonstrations on a variety of topics in an immersive learning environment.

Tours of the Children’s Farm are self-guided. On Saturdays and Sundays Animal Care Volunteers may possibly be on site during specified times. If interested, please check the Greenway’s website prior to visiting for further details.

Carol’s Thursday Trios

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 CWWC/CPC: July — Week 3

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.

***Entrance to***
***Marriott’s Great America***

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

***On the Pathway***
***with Warner Bros.***
***Looney Tunes Characters***
***& My Mom***

Cee’s Which Way Challenge

Which Way My Way

Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 28

Throwback Thursday

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.

2024 Thursday Doors & Monday Window #3

1933 Duesenberg

Torpedo Sedan

***California***
***20 Grand***
**Model SJ**
**8 Cylinders**

Dan’s Thursday Doors

Ludwig’s Monday Window

Throwback Thursday

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.

2024 Judy’s Numbers Game #30 — 151

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.

Lombard Street
San Francisco, California

***Doyce Eileen Waters***
***( My mom) and Myself***
***Redwood Sequoia Sempervirens***
***Washed Ashore at Crescent City***
During The Christmas Flood Of
1964. Placed Here At The Gateway
***To The Redwood Empire.***

***Nornal Hule Waters***
***(My dad)***
***Sequoia National Park***
***Three Rivers, Tulare County, California***

***Centennial Stump***
***Sequoia National Forest***

Sequoia National Forest
Campground
Princess

Sequoia Sempervirens
Coastal California Redwood
Sequoia National Forest

Judy’s Numbers Game #30-151

Throwback Thursday

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.

2024 Wordless Wednesday: 07.17

Catalina Island

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday

Throwback Thursday

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #227

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.

2024 OWS: July 14 — Yellow

For this week Debbie with Travel with Intent is asking us to show our Yellow for One Word Sunday.

Here are my Yellow for this OWS Challenge …

***Yellow Flowers***
in April 1979
Marriott’s Great America
Santa Clara, California

***Rudbeckia hirta***
***AKA Black-eyed Susan***
***In July 2024***
***Anne Springs Close Greenway***
***Fort Mill, South Carolina***

Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Yellow

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 SYD: July

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 here so 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:

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).

Clare’s Share Your Desktop-July 2024

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.

Floral Macro Monochrome Monday

Sunflower

Helianthus annuus |

Common Sunflower ‘Titan’

***Girasol***
***Anne Springs Close Greenway***
***Fort Mill, South Carolina***

The ‘Titan’ sunflower, as the name suggests, is a giant annual sunflower variety with an extra thick stem, supporting huge, alternating leaves, and a massive flower head that can reach 16-22 inches across! Plus Titan sunflowers can grow to heights of 12-14 feet! Blooms from July to September. Sunflowers attract a myriad of pollinators including bees, birds, butterflies and many others as well.

Macro Monday

Monochrome Monday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Leigha’s Sunny Sunday Challenge

Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 28

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

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