2026 Monday Portrait #2: 12 January

Friendly Beach Visitor

This Shiba Inu dog was visiting Myrtle Beach from New Jersey. Before Coleman greets or pets any dog he asks permission from its owner.

The Shiba Inu was a very friendly older dog that was all too happy to have a rest and take pleasure in a bit of petting attention from Coleman.

The Shiba Inu is a small-to-medium, fox-like hunting dog breed from Japan. They are known for their loyalty, good nature, and charming appearance.

It is considered to be an alert, affectionate, and independent breed with high intelligence. It can also be somewhat stubborn and strong-willed. (We saw no evidence of stubbornness, only very affectionate and even tempered)

Click on images to enlarge.

Monday Portrait

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Near the 2nd Avenue Pier; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy a walk/hike out in nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Monday Window: 2026.01.12

*Kitty by a Window – 2*
*— AI creation by PR*

The Wicked Tuna Restaurant

Last Friday while we were visiting Myrtle Beach, Coleman and I took a stroll along the beach northward towards the 2nd Avenue Pier. He was looking for seashells by the seashore as we walked along the water.

*2nd Ave Pier*
*Wicked Tuna*
*Myrtle Beach, SC*

At the 2nd Avenue Pier is a restaurant called The Wicked Tuna. (We did not stop and try out their menu, maybe another time).

The Wicked Tuna is a premier waterfront dining establishment, a place where friends gather for a unique culinary experience. The restaurant offers fresh handmade cocktails (I’ll skip those), the freshest seafood (I enjoy quality Tuna Steaks), steaks, and sushi (not a sushi fan, but my daughter is).

*2nd Ave Pier*
*Wicked Tuna*
*Grill • Sushi • Rooftop Bar*
*Myrtle Beach, SC*

The Wicked Tuna is known for its “Hook to Plate” fresh seafood philosophy, stunning ocean views and rooftop bar. (The views of the Atlantic Ocean were stunningly beautiful as Coleman and I walked along the seashore down to the pier and back to our resort hotel.)

The Wicked Tuna has a second location in Murrells Inlet overlooking the MarshWalk. Every week their fishing fleet heads out into the Atlantic Ocean to catch the freshest Grouper, mahi-mahi, sea bass, and snapper off the Carolina coast. They only serve fish caught locally by their own boats which are then cleaned and prepped on-site in their fish house.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Monday Window

See Monday Window posts in Reader

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: The Wicked Tuna Restaurant; 2nd Avenue Pier; 110 North Ocean Blvd,
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

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

2026 Macro Monday: 12 January

Basalte Vacuolaire

Coleman is holding a, Vesicular basalt, volcanic rock he found on the seashore in an area of the beach where he was finding seashells.

According to Google AI, Vesicular basalt is not naturally apart of Myrtle Beach’s local geological shoreline. It suggests that it could”be either Fossilized Peat or Coal (some found near the Grand Strand), “Beach Rot”or Fossilized Marls (Frequently seen near the 2nd Avenue Pier), or Piddock-Bored Rocks.

The Piddock-Bored Rocks appear vesicular since they are covered with small, circular holes. These holes are actually burrows made by piddock clams (rock-boring mollusks) in softer sedimentary rocks like limestone or siltstone.

Therefore, considering our location along Myrtle Beach’s seashore (we were walking along the Grand Strand near the 2nd Avenue Pier, it could instead be any one of these three. I’m inclined to lean towards the Piddock-Bored Rock, the area is covered with clam shells.

Click on image to enlarge.

Macro Monday (MM)

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel 2000D with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment

Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

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

2026 Sunday Stills/Sunday Stills Monthly Colour Challenge: January — Aquamarine, icy blue

This month Terri with Second Wind Leisure Perspectives is challenging us to post images in Aquamarine and Icy Blue colour pallets. Here is what I have found which I believe fit into the colour pallets scheme.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Terri’s Sunday Stills

Terri’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge-Aquamarine/Icy Blue

Cameras: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel 2000D with Canon EF-S18-55 & EF-S55-250mm lenses and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Locations: Murrells Inlet & Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

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

2026 Weekend Prompts Weekend Challenge. ->Reversible <->elbisreveR

Anything that works against you can also work for you
once you understand the
Principle of Reverse.
Maya Angelou

The way it actually
works is the reverse.
You must first be
who you really are,
then do what you
need to do, in order to
have what you want.
Margaret Young

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge-Reversible

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EG-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

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

Walk This Way – Come Join Me

*Ring-Billed Gull*
*Walking on the Seashore*

Yesterday, I tagged Debbie’s Six Word Saturday thinking Friday was Saturday. So, I’m posting another on Saturday for Debbie’s Six Word Saturday challenge.

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Enjoy your weekend. Here’s to sunny days ahead. (Our weekend is cloudy & rainy). Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Which Way Challenge (CWWC) 2026 — Any Which Way (Your Choice)

Happy 2026 Everyone! This week I’m allowing y’all to make your own choices for the Which Ways Challenge. I’d love to see your first Which Ways for 2026. I’ll be sharing our very first 2026 images this week.

The next images were taken while walking along the beach with their first steps into the Atlantic Ocean.

Coleman, Sophia, & their mom
Walking along the beach
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Click on each image to enlarge.

Thank you to all who have supported and contributed to the Which Way Challenge this past week or at any time. Be sure to check out other Which Ways by clicking on the links below.

Brian’s CWWC: Any Which Way with People

Suzette’s For Deb’s CWWC Which Way With People

Marina at In Primo Piano’s People

Dawn’s Walking on the Walking Mall with People

Cath at Cath’s Camera’s Which Way… {Are You Going My Way?}

Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery’s People

Lisa at Daily Musings’s CWWC: Which Way With People

Deb’s Which Way Challenge

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Take Care. Stay Safe. Enjoy the Outdoors. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Note: Coming up Next: CWWC: Any Which Way with Hallways, Pathways, Sidewalks, and or Stairs [01.16.2026]

2026 Thursday Doors: January 08

Crazy Sister Marina

Crazy Sister Marina is a locally-owned boat tour company located in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Their boat tours let you sit back and relax while appreciating the unbelievable views of the Grand Strand in Murrells Inlet. When you take one of their scenic cruises you might see dolphins, fish, birds, and/or sea turtles. ( The day we took our cruise, the dolphins were barely coming out of the water before diving back down below the surface.)

Crazy Sister Marina offers several different types of cruises to explore whatever your heart desires. Whether you what to take a fishing cruise, an incredible Eco cruise, or a Dolphin cruise they can assist you the most amazing and pleasurable experience ever. They also offer a variety of specialty cruises like 4th of July Firework Cruise, October Murrells Inlet ghost cruise, or celebration of life ceremonies and memorial services; they will provide the tour service that meet your needs or desires and provide you with the utmost respect and service beyond your expectations.

Coleman thoroughly enjoyed the Dolphin tour cruise we went on and would definitely go again if and when he could.

Click on images to enlarge.

Dan’s Thursday Doors-2026.01.08

God Bless. Happy 2026! Happy New Year! Have a funtastic weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Wordless Wednesday: 07 January

Click on image to enlarge.

Wordless Wednesday-2026.01.07

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2026 Week 1

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Atlantic Ocean; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

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

Gift of Adventure (at the Beach)

Ragtag Daily Prompts

We a well into the beginning of 2026. Coleman started back to school today, so now I have a few minutes to reflect on the past couple of weeks.

Hopefully y’all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s Day. Ours was truly an eventful Christmas holiday extravaganza. Of course it was exciting to watch Coleman receive his Gifts on Christmas Day, which he totally enjoyed. We kept telling him beforehand that he had to listen and behave or “Santa” wouldn’t bring any toys. You know what? “Santa” brought a few toys anyway. Coleman mostly received new clothes, which he was just as excited to get especially his new shoes.

Setting aside the Gifts, we decided to not let 2025 Dwindle away being bored at home. Instead, we chose to leave our little town and go on an amazing Adventure.

Where did we go on our big Adventure? Coleman’s mom was thinking about going to the mountains. Coleman wanted to go to the Beach. So, where do you think we went on our little Adventure? Yep, you’re right, we went to the Beach.

As 2025 was Dwindling away, we packed our bags, loaded up the car and headed out of town for our mini vacay Adventure. Sorry, we didn’t get any pictures of the car all loaded up, but we (I mean I) began snapping plenty of photos from the moment we arrived, all through our many Adventurous activities, and all throughout our entire mini vacation.

***Arriving, Checking in,***
**& Checking out our surroundings.**

After checking in and bringing everything (and I mean everything) into our room for the week (actually six days), Coleman and I decided to head down to the Beach. We did not want to Dwindle our time away inside the room for one minute longer. Instead, we wanted to begin enjoying the Gift of Adventure immediately.

***Coleman’s very first time at a Beach.***
***First time seeing the Atlantic Ocean.***
**First time his feet touched**
***the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.***

And thus our Gift of Adventures begins …

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) Wednesday-Dwindle

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) Thursday-Gift

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP): Tuesday! Adventure!

Cameras: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel 2000D.

Locations: 1st 4) Cramerton, North Carolina; Rest, 5-8) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. It’s been an Amazing Adventurous beginning to 2026. We didn’t let 2025 Dwindle away. We enjoyed the Gift of Time away together. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Monday Window: 2026.01.05

Kitty by a Window – 2 — AI creation by PR

Crazy Sister Marina

On Monday afternoon, our first day of our mini vacay, we drove down to Murrells Inlet to go out on a sightseeing boat run by Crazy Sister Marina. We were supposed to be able to see some dolphins, however, my eyesight isn’t very good in the evenings, so I wasn’t able to see what others (including Coleman) was seeing (more on that at another time).

Instead I’ll show you a few of the Crazy Sister Marina windows, both on shore and on the boat.

On the shore …

*Viewing the boats*
*through the windows*

On the Boat …

*Many Reflections*
*within the Boat’s Window*

Click on each image to enlarge.

Monday Window

See Monday Window posts in Reader

Cameras: 1-2) Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL Filter attachment. 3-4) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: Crazy Sister Marina; Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, USA

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

2026 Monday Portrait: 05 January

First Portrait for 2026

We are in our first week of 2026; what a week it has been. We spent the week in Myrtle Beach relaxing, “sightseeing,”visiting various attractions, and enjoying time on the beach. [More about those activities to come in future posts].

For the first Monday Portrait of 2026, let’s check out the Southern Stingrays At Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This was Coleman’s first trip to the beach, he was extremely excited about being at the beach, as well as seeing the many different species of “fish” at Ripley’s Aquarium.

Let’s take a look now at the fascinating Southern Stingrays …

The Southern Stingray (Hypanus americanus) is a whiptail stingray which is typically found in tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, from as far north as New Jersey all the way down to southern Brazil.

Even though we didn’t actually see them in the Atlantic Ocean, we (especially Coleman) were thrilled to see & pet them at Ripley’s Aquarium.

*Coleman viewing*
*the Southern Stingrays*

It is adapted for life on the sea bed, as you can see here they swim very close to the bottom most of the time, but not always.

*Southern Stingrays*
*lying on the sea bed*

Southern Stingrays are nocturnal predators, they spray water from their mouths or flap their fins vigorously to disturb the surface in order to expose hidden prey.

*A Southern Stingray*
*on the Aquarium sea bed.*

Hypanus americanus exhibit wave-like locomotion using their pectoral fins. The wave-like locomotion allowed them to escape predators, forage efficiently, and generally maneuver quickly.

The Southern Stingrays were exciting and interesting to watch swimming and foraging in the aquarium at Ripley’s Aquarium.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Monday Portrait

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: Ripley’s Aquarium; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA.

God Bless. Have a funtastic week. May you have many exciting and memorable adventures. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2026 Cell Pic Sunday: 04 January

Scyphozoa

The Scyphozoa are exclusively marine class of the phylum Cnidaria. They are known to be referred to as true jellyfish. Currently, there are approximately 200 known species found in marine environments worldwide.

They are characterized by a cell-shaped body (Medusa) that lack a velum (a muscular membrane). Their bodies are mostly composed of a jelly-like substance, and lack a head, skeleton, and specialized respiratory or excretory organs.

Click on each image to enlarge.

John’s CellPic Sunday

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Ripley’s Aquarium; Broadway at the Beach; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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

2026 Silent Sunday: January 04

Goldfish Realm
Ripley’s Aquarium
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Silent Sunday

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens and Altura ND Filter attachment.

Location: Goldfish Realm; Ripley’s Aquarium; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Take an adventure. Observe the Wonders of God’s Creations. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2026 Skywatch Friday/Weekend Sky: 01.03

Friday, a beautiful sunny afternoon was a perfect time for a walk along the beach. Observing the ocean, searching for Seashells, and enjoying the beautiful sky views.