We managed to have a beautiful clear day yesterday (almost), so Coleman and I rode the bus to the Y for some fresh air and a bit of hiking.
All aboard, we’re on our way.
Before we begin our hike, it’s Coleman swing time. If we waited till later the school kids would have taken over and he couldn’t have been able to play.
Cameras: iPhone 14 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens with Altura UV & NP filter and also Altura Wide-Angle Fisheye attachments.
Location: Gaston County Warlick Family YMCA; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors and Enjoy Our Beautiful Earth. Thank you for traversing the trail with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Red-headed Woodpeckers have an entirely red head, and their belly is white and unstreaked. It is a mid-sized woodpecker found in temperate North America. Its breeding habitat is open across southern Canada and the east-central United States. One should not confuse the red-headed woodpecker with the red-bellied woodpecker. Even though they are similar in size, the red-bellied woodpecker is named for the pale reddish blush of its lower belly and has a distinct patterned black and white back whereas the red-headed woodpecker has the solid black back and a vibrant orange-red crown and nape. These Red-headed woodpeckers were spotted at the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Clare @ Clare’s Cosmos invites us each month to share our desktops on the 15th of each month. Can you believe it the month of April is half over already? Here it is time once again to join Share Your Desktop. I like to share my wallpaper for my iPhone as well as for my Laptop. For my iPhone I use different wallpaper’s for the different focuses I use; personal, hiking, and reading.
Before we head out on the road I suggest we stop and fill up the car with some good old fashioned gasoline ⛽️. I doubt you’ll find these prices nowadays though.
I Spy Something Red
I Spy Red on the Gas Station Sign
Now that we’ve filled up the car 🚘 and made sure we have everything we need, let’s get going on our adventure.
I Spy Red Street Lights
Where are we going you might ask? It doesn’t really matter as long as we have a bit of fun along the way.
I Spy Red Trail Signs
How about we pull over for a while and go on a hike. These signs might direct us on our way.
I Spy Coleman Wearing a Red Shirt
Oh Look, Stairs. Shall we go down them? What might we see when we reach the bottom? Who knows, but let’s go on down and discover what we can find.
I Spy Coleman Looking Out Over the Water at a Dam
Wasn’t that fun? Did you enjoy our little game of I Spy? I know Coleman and I had a great time together on our adventures.
Cee’s Which Way Challenge is fun to join and exciting to see everyone’s take on the challenges. No two people have the exact same perspective and I look forward to seeing y’all’s perspectives. Click Hereto link to Cee’s blog.
God Bless. Thank you for traveling with us. I truly hope you enjoyed the adventure. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Solar Eclipse as seen on Tiles Sesquicentennial State Park Columbia, South Carolina Riverbanks Zoo Columbia, South Carolina Andrew Jackson State Park Lake
Good Day everyone! Welcome to my blog. The following are my entries for this week’s Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge. The challenge is asking for photos depicting the colour BLACK.
Black CowsChildren’s Blackboard Black and White Photography
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF 75-300mm lens with Altura CPL filter attachment.
Location: Lake Haigler; Lake Haigler Loop; Lake Haigler Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA.
God Bless. Enjoy your week and have a fabulous weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Opening Day for the Schroering Forest Playground was on March 30th. The Playground is a new addition for Anne Springs Close Greenway. Being its opening day list of families came to visit the Greenway the check out the new Playground. Children young and old alike investigated and explored the many different features and structures within the playground.
The number of people on the climbing structure varied throughout the day with the greatest impact of visitors being early in the morning and dwindling later on in the afternoon.
When Coleman and I first walked around the playground and the Climbing Structure it was intimidating with so many people in and on the various structures. Overwhelming especially for Coleman, so we chose to hike around the lake and come back later hoping for fewer children to be in the playground.
Coleman slowly getting the courage to try climbing on the Climbing Structure.
After climbing a short distance, Coleman sits down and looks around unsure of what to do next.
He eventually decides he was to get down, but was uncertain about how to go about climbing down. After watching for a little bit I realized he wanted help getting down. So we went hiking back up towards the car visiting the historic cabins, cows, and horses along the way.
As Coleman and I were hiking along Steele Creek Trail back towards the car we spotted this little Fairy Garden tucked away in the base of a tree. I have seen pictures which other hikers have taken before, however this was the first time we had ever spotted the Fairy Garden. If you weren’t looking at the surrounding landscape you could possibly miss seeing it.
Spotted along Steele Creek TrailFairy Garden Time to Swing and Relax
On this hiking adventure I parked at the Dairy Barn Entrance to the Anne Springs Close Greenway. After exiting the car we proceeded to hike along the fencing before hitting the trails. Following the fence line we were able to view the horses, some of which trotted over to our location. [More on horses later].
Our first stop along the Blue Star Trail was to take a look at the Faires/Coltharp Cabin. To our surprise and delight it was open to the public (first time we’d seen it open). So naturally, Coleman with me following went inside to see what was inside.
A Look inside the Faires/Coltharp Cabin
After leaving the cabin, we hiked further along the Blue Star Trail towards the Swinging Bridge and the Schroering Forest Playground located on the other side of the Spillway.
Blue Star Trail
When the Spillway is up and streaming with a steady flow of water, the only way to cross it is to walk across the Greenway’s Swinging Bridge. Since our destination was on the far side of the Swinging Bridge we/I slowly walked across. Coleman used to walk across it when he was younger, but now if no one else is on it he’ll run across.
Coleman crossing the Swinging Bridge
We made it safely across the Swinging Bridge, walked around the Artisan Market, ordered lunch from the Greenway’s Canteen and rested a bit before heading to the Schroering Forest Playground. We had a clear view of the Playground from where we chose to sit. This was the first official day the Playground was open. They had been working on it all fall and winter. Being its opening day, the playground was crowded with children from all age groups.
Coleman hiking the Blue Star Trail
Upon completion of our lunch we noticed there were still a lot of children on the playground. I decided to have Coleman wait to play in it until it wasn’t nearly so crowded. Therefore, we continued on with our hiking and headed down to Lake Haigler.
Blue Star Trail Almost down to Lake Haigler
We hiked along the narrow side pathway towards the lake. The straight pathway is wider and more widely traveled by the majority of visitors to the Greenway.
We hiked a short loop with great views of Lake Haigler and then hiked back up to the Playground. Coleman climbed up on the Climbing structure and wasn’t sure about what to do after climbing up a short ways and just sat down for a few minutes. [The all natural wood climbing structure seemed to puzzle Coleman. He’ll probably climb more next time we visit.]
Steele Creek Trail
After a full afternoon of hiking and Coleman playing I decided it was time to head home. Hence, we proceeded to hike back up to the car. Instead of hiking the exact same trail we hiked down, we started out hiking on the Steele Creek Trail. The Steele Creek Trail is a narrow trail that leads up towards the Graham Historical Cabin.
From the cabin we traverse back onto the Blue Star Trail. After short distance from the cabin, Coleman starts searching for the cows. Sometimes they are up close to the fence line, but on this day we really had to look for them. Searching the pasture as we hiked up the trail, two of the cows came walking towards our direction from the far end of the pasture. That made a Coleman’s day. He was then ready to go home.
Take a walk with us inside Faires/Coltharp Historic Cabin. You can see Coleman has no qualms about going through the door to check everything out. He is extremely inquisitive and loves to investigate everything he sees and comes across.
We had a very beautiful sunny weekend. It was warm and windy day. We decided it was a lovely day for hiking at Anne Springs Close Greenway. Due to the massive abundance of vehicles parking at the Lake Haigler Entrance for the Artisan Market I chose to park at the Dairy Barn Entrance. There was another reason for parking at this entrance as well; they charged extra at the other entrance because of the Artisan Market. Who wants to pay extra? I certainly didn’t, not in addition to my membership for the Greenway.
The Dairy Barn Entrance has a few different trails that can be accessed with various sites and scenery to observe. We hiked down the Blue Star Trail which leads down to the Greenway’s Spillway passing horses and the Faires/Coltharp Historic Cabin along the way.
Coleman loves to stop and watch the horses. Moving along, to crossover the Spillway we had to walk across the Swinging Bridge. We stopped on both sides of the Spillway to observe the water flowing down, around, and under the Swinging Bridge.
On Saturday, March 30th, Coleman and I visited the Anne Springs Close Greenway. We parked at the Dairy Barn Entrance and hiked down the Blue Star Trail and hiked back up on Steele Creek Trail. From this entrance one can visit two historic cabins: 1) Faires/Coltharp Cabin and 2) The Graham Cabin. On this trip we had the unique experience of going inside the cabin to view what it would have been like back in the 1800’s. This was a new experience for us since the cabins had previously been closed to the public.
The Graham Cabin is more than 200 years old and was once the home of Archibald Graham, the grandfather of Reverend Billy Graham. Here is a look at the inside of the Graham Cabin and its windows.
Location: Dairy Barn Entrance; Lake Haigler; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God’s Blessings to y’all this Beautiful Easter Sunday. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
For this week I’ve dug into my archives for various selections of which way to travel.
First, let’s make a stop in Raleigh, North Carolina where I attended Ancestry Day hosted by The Friends of the Archives in conjunction with the State Archives of North Carolina, the Government and Heritage Library, and the North Carolina Genealogical Society.
McKimmon Center and nearby trail Raleigh, North Carolina, USA November 2015
Next, we’ll head over to Lenoir, North Carolina for a Watson/Greer/Trivette family reunion at the Yadkin Valley Community Park.
Greer/Watson/Trivette Family Reunion Yadkin Valley Community Park Lenoir, North Carolina, USA June 2016
Then we’ll spend some time in Jacksonville, North Carolina where one of my sons ( my 2nd born, David) was stationed while serving in the United States Marines. While there for the weekend my eldest son, John and I visited the Lejeune Memorial Gardens.
Lejeune Memorial Gardens Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA February 2017
Finally, let’s take another drive. This time let’s drive to Columbia, South Carolina before returning home for some quiet time of rest and relaxation. In Columbia I am joined by my daughter, Trisha and her daughter, Alona. We decided to visit the Riverbanks Zoo to see the animals. We enjoyed the short train ride around a small portion of the Zoo.
Riverbanks Zoo & Garden Columbia, South Carolina, USA August 2017
First off, let’s look out Trail Maps. Trail Maps let us know what trails are at a location and give us directions to follow for our selected trail route we desire to hike.
Crowders Mountain State Park Trail MapYMCA Trail MapTrail Maps
Next, we’ll look at Trail Signs that give Directions for which way to go to continue to a specific destination.
Destination Directions
Continuing on, we look at trail signs which tell us the rules and how we should behave while we are on the trail. Some of the directions might seem like we should already know how to act while on a trail, but reminders are beneficial for those that need one on common courtesy.
How to Act:
Courtesy & Rules to follow
Lastly, we’re looking at signs that give us directions on what we should do. Some remind us to stay Calm, others give us directions on what to do in case of an emergency, while others let us know what (or rather where) not to do.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Relax and Stay Calm. Remember y’all are amazing. I appreciate y’all very much.
On one of our recent hikes we noticed the water streaming down the creek. Coleman laid down on the bridge above and stretched his single stick downward towards the creek trying to stretch it into the water below.
This next shot is not so clear, however, it depicts his lone stick floating in the water. He had lost his grip and it wasn’t within his reach to retrieve it. He was disappointed, but not for long (he always finds sticks along trails.)
Cee’s allowing us to post any road, path, step, bridge, or sign this week for her CWWC. For my selections I chose some from Coleman & my adventures this past week.
Car Driving on Bridge Shot from the Avon Catawba Creeks Greenway Gastonia, North Carolina
Coleman Walking on Sidewalk New Hope Road; Gastonia, North Carolina
Coleman Walking on Brick Ledge The Schiele Museum of Natural History Gastonia, North Carolina
Coleman Climbing on Playground Equipment Ladder Steps Erwin Center Recreation and Park Gastonia, North Carolina
Coleman Sock Skating The Schiele Museum of Natural History Gastonia, North Carolina
My entries for this Cee’s CMMC this week are a variety of new and archive photos I hope you enjoy. There were taken at The Schiele Museum of Natural History and the Warlick Family YMCA in Gastonia, North Carolina as well as at Andrew Jackson State Park (three of our favorite places to go hiking and relax out in nature.
Brown, Green, Layers, Landscape Green Lettuce on a Bed of Brown Bark Heritage Garden; The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
Brown, Green, Teal, Water, Landscape, Layers Spillway; The Nature Trail; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
Blue, Water, Green, Lake, Layers, Brown Robinwood Lake; Warlick Family YMCA; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
Blue, Brown, Green, Landscape, Water, Lake, Layers The Lake at Andrew Jackson State Park; Lancaster, South Carolina, USA
… at Robinwood Lake… at the Cherry Blossoms … at the Sand under the Bridge …at the Sky between the Bridges … at Me through the Ladder Rails… at Coleman through the Railcars
Coleman Hiking & Playing Along the Avon and Catawba Creeks Greenway
The hiking adventures with Coleman are always fun and interesting. He doesn’t always stick to actual pathways or trails, however, he always gets to where he wants to go and has a fantastic time along the way.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL filter.
Location: Avon Creek Trail; Avon and Catawba Creeks Greenway; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Enjoy your week. Smell the flowers. Spring is almost here. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
My entries for this week show pathways and signs in and around The Schiele Museum. Enjoy the walk with Coleman and I as we show you some scenes of our recent visit.
These close-ups were all captured during mine & Coleman’s latest visit to (I was so worried you lay down. You don’t just – Apple iPhone’s Siri trying to type what was said to my grandson, oops) our local museum’s nature trail.
We started this visit with a walk through the Dinosaurs Exhibitions …
Stegosaurus Plates
Then we moved on the Nature Trail and a walk around the Pond …
Turtles & their Reflections
And ended our visit with a stroll through the Garden in The Farm …
Great Mullein Verbascum thapsus
New life is slowly starting to arrive and in the next few weeks new growth will begin to emerge in abundance.
It is almost guaranteed that while Coleman and I are out hiking along a trail, he’ll decide to sit and rest a second or two before moving on. He can choose to just plop on the ground or hop up on one of the benches scattered along the trail. On this day we chose to hike around Lake Haigler at the Greenway.
Yesterday was a loving day to spend hiking in the Greenway. Unlike the day before when it rained all day and all night. The trails were a bit muddy, however, the views were beautiful with gorgeous skylines and amazing reflection.
Hope y’all had a pleasant Leap Day. I know Coleman and I did. First day in a while with no rain, so it was a good day to venture outside and visit the Schiele Museum, one of Coleman’s favourite places.
Conveniently, it gave me an opportunity for capturing some interesting moments on this Leap/Last Day. Therefore, here are my last on the card shot for February.
Shadows can be seen everywhere, at least when the sun is shining brightly. Shadows materialize along walkways, piers, and trails as well as anywhere imaginable.
Here are my entries for Debbie’s OWS Challenge this week which calls for us to show our SHADOW.
Shadows of Bushes, Trees, & Coleman Warlick Family YMCA
Shadows of the Fencing & Coleman Warlick Family YMCA
Shadows of Trees The Schiele Museum of Natural History
Shadows of Trees, Coleman, & Myself Anne Springs Close Greenway
Shadows along the Pier & in the Lake Anne Springs Close Greenway