Location: Centennial Center; Town of Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy the Spring Sunshine and have fun. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
The last Friday of the month from March through September the Town of Cramerton holds a Concert Event in the Park. The Concerts will feature artists (singers, bands, musicians) from different genres each month. With a different Genre each Concert the Town hopes to please the musical interests of practically every member of the community.
March’s Concert’s main feature was a band entitled Small Town Sunday. Small Town Sunday performed a mixture of Country music, Christian music, and Christian Country music. The group featured a trio of singers; Matt Branch, Holly Branch and Stephen Robertson plus a drummer, a keyboard musician, and guitarist. The music was fantastic, Coleman and I really enjoyed their music. A couple of song titles they performed are “THE DAYS HE CAN BELIEVE” (written in honor of Matt Branch’s father) and “That’s What I Love About Sunday.”
Here are a few photos I captured during the concert from my iPhone in Black and White.
Matt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonMatt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonMatt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonMatt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonMatt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonMatt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonHolly BranchHolly BranchMatt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonMatt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonHolly BranchMatt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonHolly Branch & Stephen RobertsonMatt & Holly BranchMatt & Holly Branch and Stephen RobertsonMatt BranchMatt Branch & Stephen RobertsonStephen Robertson with Holly Branch & Guitarist Matt Branch & Stephen Robertson (singing)Stephen Robertson
To find out more about the musical band, Small Town Sunday click here.
My last outing was on Friday after I picked Coleman up from the school bus stop. After stopping at home to allow him to change into shorts, gather drinks and snacks we proceeded to hike downtown to Goat Island Park and Greenway for a relaxing afternoon of hiking and fun.
What we saw when we first approached Goat Island were the Canada Geese out soaking up the warm sunshine.
Canada Geese
Continuing on our way we gaze over the South Fork Catawba River from the bridge as we cross over into the Greenway.
South Fork Catawba River
Next up, we saw a bicyclist riding along in front of us on the paved Greenway trail.
Cyclist riding the Trail
Hiking along we saw Sasquatch and more Canada Geese.
SasquatchCanada GooseCanada Goose
Isn’t it amazing the variety of interesting things we see on our various outings we take when we venture outside. The interesting “thing” we saw next was not in our normal per view of subjects seen on any of our adventures previously.
A man tethered to a landline in the middle of the South Fork Catawba River.
We spoke with the man in the River as curiosity plagued us to know what he was doing standing in the middle of the River. He informed us he was searching for golf discs that might of missed their target and landed in the river instead of the disc golf catcher.
Venturing on, Coleman and I spotted trash discarded by the trail (someone didn’t adhere to the Leave No Trace rule).
Trash by trailside
Before continuing on our hike, Coleman decided to throw sticks in the river. He likes to see the splashes that occur when he throws objects into the water.
Splish Splash
And coming back around to the beginning of the trail, we see some newly grown mushrooms and a couple of disc golf catchers.
Mushrooms & Disc Golf Catchers
As we are at the end of our adventure and what was Seen on our Last Outing, you might like to venture over to Leya’s blog to see what she saw on her last outing. Thank you Leya for hosting this week’s challenge. Click here to check out Leya’s post.
Whenever the weather is nice and warm on the weekends and sometimes during the week, Coleman and I go hiking to one of the nearby Greenways. Coleman prefers being outside having Fun in the Sun anytime to being cooped up indoors.
Whenever I go outside into the Sunshine, it is, more likely than not, to watch Coleman having Fun in the Sun.
Now that Spring has arrived, Coleman has Fun in the Sun practicing T-Ball (or if you hear him say it, it would be T-Bat practice).
Coleman at T-Ball(Bat) practice
Some days we go to Riverside Park and Greenway, while there he likes to have Fun in the Sun playing in the Sand or being near the water.
Coleman playing in the Sand.
On other days we hike down to Goat Island Park and Greenway to either hike or allow Coleman to play in the playground. Occasionally we bring along our cornhole bean bags to have some Fun in the Sun playing a round of Cornhole.
Cornhole with Coleman
Most other times at Goat Island he play on the playground equipment swinging & twisting in & out of the ropes or convincing me to push him on the Swings for him to enjoy having Fun in the Sun.
Cameras: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250 lens.
Locations: 1-3) C.B. Huss Recreation Center; 4-7) Riverside Park and Greenway; 8-11) Goat Island Park and Greenway
God Bless. Have Fun in the Sun. Enjoy the vast beauty in nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Witch at Land of Oz (click on image for enlarged viewing)
This is a throwback photo my dad took back in 1972 on a visit to The Land of Oz.The Land of Oz Theme Park was once a thriving tourist attraction in Beech Mountain, North Carolina. The theme park was inspired by the Wizard of Oz. It operated from 1970 to 1980.
Location: The Land of Oz Theme Park; Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you Janet for hosting these past three challenges. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. 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 that include that number and post 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.This prompt will repeat each Monday with a new number. If you want to play along, please link your blog in comments below.
In lieu of numbers this week I am choosing a theme of Downtown Concert. The Downtown Concert was held in Centennial Center in Downtown Cramerton, North Carolina on Friday, March 28th.
The Opening Act for the concert was a singer named Trish England. Trish England is a Christian music artist who performs Southern Gospel, Christian Contemporary and Country music. She is originally from Austin, Texas and currently resides in Bessemer City, North Carolina. She has three (3) CD albums and releasing a single sometime this year all recorded under the Son Sound West Records.
I was really impressed by Trish’s performance. I had never heard of her before her performance in Cramerton, however, I soon realized she is an extremely talented artist who loves Jesus and loves to share her love of Jesus through her music to audiences everywhere. A few of the songs she performed were “Jesus in My Country”, “God Did It”, “Christian in the House”, “That’s God”, and “Behold the Beauty of the Lord”. My grandson, Coleman and I really enjoyed her performance and would recommend listening to her sing in concert, via Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music or which ever is your preference for listening to music online or streaming outlet.
The other day it was warm, but cloudy and windy. It was raining lightly when Coleman got off the school bus. We waited a half hour, the rain stopped, so we ventured down to Riverside Park and Greenway for him to play in the sand by the South Fork Catawba River.
These shots of the Sky(watch) were taken using an Altura 4 Star filter and an Altura CPL filter attachments. Occasionally, the sun tried to peek through the cloudy sky.
Camera:Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL & 4-Star filter attachments.
Location: Riverside Park and Greenway Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Stay Warm. Take care of yourself and each other. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Coleman and I went hiking after he got home from school today (Friday). We walked downtown to Goat Island Park and Greenway. There weren’t any kids in the playground when we arrived, so I made a decision for us to hike along the trail first and then come back to the playground when we were finished hiking.
We started out along the paved hiking trail and meandered over to the dirt disc golf trail which runs simi-parallel to the South Fork Catawba River. While walking adjacent to the river, Coleman pointed out that there was a man standing in the river. This is not a normal sight when we are hiking. Therefore, we proceeded to investigate what the man was doing wading in the South ForkCatawba River.
At first, I thought the man Wading in the river was fishing even though most fishermen/women fish from one of the fishing piers or from the riverbanks. When we were close we asked the man what he was doing. It turns out that one of the disc golf catchers is on the opposite side of the river from where one is to throw the disc. According to the man wading in the river, many people miss the other side when they throw the disc across the river. So, it turns out he was searching the river for any golf discs that may have landed in the river. He had been searching for approximately twenty (20) to thirty (30) minutes when we approached him. Besides wearing waders the man was tethered to the riverbank by a rope to insure he wouldn’t be carried downstream if for some unpredictable strong wind and current tried to whisk him away. So you see, he wasn’t fishing for fish, but instead for golf discs.
Today I decided to post a flower in memory of Cee’s Weekend FOTD. This past year with her declining health Cee combined Saturday/Sunday Flower of the Day into Weekend FOTD. These are three different processing images of my original Petunia Easy Wave Yellow photo image.
Original:
Original
One:
Polaroid2 with Bokeh1 Overlay using PicCollage Photo Editor
Two:
Magic Effects – Watercolor2 using PicCollage Photo Editor
Three:
Atomic Black & White Filter using Pixlr Photo Editing
I’m not usually out at early evening or night time. I have trouble seeing in the dark so Coleman and I are usually always back home before it turns dark. This past Friday, The Town of Cramerton was having a Concert in Centennial Center Park. The Concert did not start until six in the evening, which is still light due to the time change to Daylight Saving Time.
I wanted Coleman to experience the Concert in the park, so we went. We arrived early and found a suitable spot to lay our blanket and sit in the grassy area.
While waiting for the Concert to begin, I snapped shots of the area both with my camera and my iPhone. I shot all these using my iPhone’s fusion camera and captured the area in black and white. Other Special Events will take place the last Friday of each month through the end of Summer. I’ll think about us attending those events when the time comes nearer.
On Sunday, Coleman and I stopped by Goat Island Park and Greenway on the way back home. We were delighted to spot the Canada Geese enjoying themselves on the water of the South Fork Catawba River.
Now that Spring is here and days are approaching the warmer temperatures, we are seeing the Canada Geese more often than we had previously. Sometimes we see larger Gaggle of Canada Geese than we did on this particular day. Most often we see them entering and swimming in pairs. Therefore, seeing three swimming together was a fantastic moment to capture.
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy the Spring Sunshine and have fun. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Celebrating Spring with Children’s sports through the C.B. Huss Recreation Center Complex. Spring is time for Baseball or in Coleman’s case T-Ball. Spring is time to Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Coleman’s T-Ball practices began on Saturday, March 8th.
Look closely & you might spot Coleman in the infield.
Coaches hitting balls for the players to practice fielding the ball.
Coleman waiting in the infield, T-ball approaching, and Coleman’s got the ball.
Coleman’s T-Ball Practice
Great job at practice, Coleman. Till next time, have a funtastic week.
While Coleman was playing in the backyard he was talking about our landlord’s birdbath and then I noticed the bench sitting within the same Junk Pile. Never know what one might find in a junk pile. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.
We live in walking proximity to several access entrances to the South Fork Catawba River, so Coleman and I visit the River often. On this particular day, we accessed one of the back access points which, I believe, is seldom visited by the majority of visitors to Goat Island Park and Greenway.
Here are the Ripples and Reflections we enjoyed seeing on our visit to the South Fork Catawba River.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL Filter attachments.
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy Nature. Capture the All around you. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Stay Warm. Take care of yourself and each other. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Welcome back to the Which Way Challenge. Another week has passed and we’re almost through with one-quarter (1/4) of 2025. Hope you’re all doing well and will be joining in on the Which Way Challenge .
This week I have chosen a theme of Bridges. As you can see from my images the Bridges can be of a variety of types from Road Bridges to Swinging Bridges to Garden Bridges. Any type of Bridge will be suitable for this post.
Springtime in the Carolinas brings kayakers to the river for Funtime paddling in the water with rays of sunshine bringing warmth and tranquility to their lives.
Hey, Wait for me … I’m coming …
Okay, y’all who’s taking the lead?
Just let me finish maneuvering and I’ll by straight to follow y’all.
I’m ready now, shall we venture on?
Three kayakers in kayaks as seen from the banks of the South Fork Catawba River as Coleman and I were hiking the Disc Golf Trail parallel to the river. We watched the fellow in the red kayak maneuver his kayak away from the River bank and paddle to catch up with the other two kayakers to continue joining them on their adventure downstream.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL Filter attachments.
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy the Spring Sunshine and have fun. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Center Street in Downtown Cramerton is the central location hub for get togethers and dining. The image below is of one of the many eating establishments that people gather for some fine dining experiences.
We mostly prefer to eat at home and not waste our resources on eating out at restaurants. Therefore, I cannot personally substantiate or invalidate the claims of being a highly recommended restaurant. However, from everything I hear about the restaurant, the food is high quality and the service is exceptional.
Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Images were taken this Spring. Have a lovely Spring day. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL Filter attachments
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
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.
Thank you Dan for continuing Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, can’t say it enough how much it is appreciated and challenging.
This week Dan has chosen the theme of Fun with Food and I have chosen to taken the Fun with Food Outdoors. My selections vary from cooking on open fires, to eating, and some cooking demonstrations. It’s all good and fun and what more fun can be had then by the fresh air and the smell of hot Food cooking over an outdoor fire-pit.
I enjoy camping and cooking on an open fire whenever feasible. Most of these are from years back when I practically lived in the campgrounds. The two photos from the President James K. Polk Historic Site were taken during a Presidents’ Day Celebration in 2014.
The images taken at Andrew Jackson State Park(AJSP) were taken either while camping in or at the Andrew Jackson Birthday Celebration in 2018-2019. I have spent quite a bit of time camping over the years and a lot of time spent in AJSP. I also whenever I am able volunteer at various events held at AJSP as a member of Friends of Andrew Jackson State Park (AJSP).
Volunteer Cookout Andrew Jackson State Park Lancaster, SCCooking Supper at Andrew Jackson State Park Lancaster, SCCooking Outside at Hocking Hills KOA Logan, Ohio Andrew Jackson State Park Lancaster, SCPresident James K. Polk State Historic Site Pineville, NCPresident James K. Polk State Historic Site Pineville, NCAndrew Jackson State Park Lancaster, SCAndrew Jackson State Park Lancaster, SCAndrew Jackson State Park Lancaster, SCAndrew Jackson State Park Lancaster, SCThe Schiele Museum of Natural History Gastonia, NCAndrew Jackson State Park Lancaster, SCAlona at Andrew Jackson State Park Lancaster, SCColeman snacking at Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, SCColeman having a picnic in Lake Wylie, SCColeman practicing clean-up at Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, SC
Hopefully one day in the future I’ll be able to take Coleman camping. He wants a tent and to go camping, I’m just not sure he would stay in the tent at night and not wander off.
Currently, we do not own any pets, however, Coleman and I see Pets while we are hiking along trails in various Parks and Greenways. Many visitors to Parks and Greenways bring their companions/Pets along with them. Some of the Greenways have Doggie Park sections for the Dogs to enjoy running around and playing with other dogs.
The following are some of the companion Pets we have encountered on our hiking adventures.
Goat Island Park and Greenway Goat Island Park and Greenway Doggie ParkGoat Island Park and Greenway Doggie Park Goat Island Park and Greenway Doggie ParkRiverside Park and Greenway Goat Island Park and GreenwayAnne Springs Close GreenwayGaston County Warlick Family YMCAThe Schiele Museum of Natural History TrailAnne Springs Close GreenwayAndrew Jackson State Park
Cameras: 1-9) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm and Canon EF-S75-300mm lens; 10) Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max; 11) Apple iPhone XR
Locations: as stated with images.
God Bless. Thank you Janet for hosting One Word Sunday this week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
On Saturday Coleman and I went hiking along the Disc Golf Trail at Goat Island Park and Greenway trying to follow the trail in numerical order for the Disc Golf Course. While hiking along the pathway crossing back and forth from paved to dirt trails we came upon these benches. Who knows, maybe people need a bit of rest in between “holes”.
It is interesting sometimes what Coleman and I run across while hiking. Things like posts with no apparent rhyme or reason (even if there is one), a discarded trash can (all the Greenway Trash cans are large with a Goat on them & are accompanied by a recycling bin), or a board discarded and tossed into the river. I’ve been teaching Coleman to LEAVE NO TRACE, so he notices when things have been left behind and discarded without thought of keeping the environment safe and clean.
These are examples of what we found discarded and left behind this week.
Post with no sign or reason for being there (it probably had a sign at one time).
Discarded trash can, don’t know why someone would even bring one to the Greenway except for maybe fishing.
Discarded board tossed into the river. ( We need to keep our rivers safe from contamination.)
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV + CPL Filter attachments.
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Time to Get Outdoors and Enjoy the Beauty in Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
… Watching the Great Blue Heron Looking around admiring his views and insights on the South Fork Catawba River.
The Great Blue Heron is stated to be seen year-round in the Carolinas, however, in our area of Southwestern North Carolina the Herons and other Cormorants tend to be seasonal in the inland regions. On this day, it was the first time the Cormorants and Great Blue Herons had been spotted since the end of summer.
The Great Blue Heron (Egretta thula) is the largest heron in North America and one of North Carolina’s most familiar and frequently seen wading birds. It is commonly observed around shores of open water and in wetlands where it stands silently or walks very slowly waiting for prey to get close enough so it can spear it with a rapid thrust of its bill.
The Great Blue Heron stands more than three (3) feet tall as an adult and weighs approximately 5.5 pounds (lbs). Its wingspan extends nearly 6.5 feet.
The Great Blue Herons live in both freshwater and saltwater habitats, including marshes, swamps, shores, rivers and tidal flats. These sightings were located near the shoreline of the South Fork Catawba River around Goat Island in Cramerton, North Carolina.
For the most part the South Fork Catawba River is a slow-moving river with calm waters. The Great Blue Heron prefers the calm waters to forage and the ability to feed on almost anything that comes within striking distance of its long, pointed bill. They typically feed in shallow waters.
Coleman and I were delighted to watch the Great Blue Heron soar over the river and land on the opposite bank from where we were hiking. Naturally, I aimed my camera towards the Great Blue Heron and proceeded to snap several shots. The Great Blue Heron stood tall and upright looking all around the waters of the South Fork Catawba River being observant of his entire environment.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment. [This was a time I wished I had a longer lens or at least a 2X converter to capture a closer view.]
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Be Observant. Be Kind. Have a wonderful day. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
On Tuesday after Coleman arrived home from school, his mom and I took him to the Baseball field to practice his hitting and fielding. Coleman just recently been assigned to a team for T-Ball.
Anyway, after his mom was tired of helping him practice Coleman and I took a short hike down to the river. The C.B. Huss River access is located off the Eleventh (11) Street parking lot. The Kayak rack is located at the river access trailhead.
Coleman checking out the Three Kayaks
Last Thursday, Coleman and I hiked the backside of Goat Island Park and Greenway. We hiked along a back road to reach the far side of the South Fork Catawba River. When we reached our starting point, we came upon these three pipes seemingly discarded near the river.
Three pipes near the South Fork Catawba River
Walking a bit off trail, we saw these three tree stems, limbs, or branches sticking up out of the water. It is always intriguing to see what interesting things we can find along our hikes.
Three Tree Stems
These Wild Daffodils were saw near the river while we were walking up the road to begin our hike for the day.
A Trio of Narcissus pseudonarcissus (wild daffodil)
While hiking the C.B. River Access Trail, Coleman and I discovered this elevated building on stilts near the South ForkCatawba River. When the area receives heavy rainfalls or flooding the water rises all the way up the shoreline and under this building and others similar in structure.
The first image is a close-up view depicting the boarded up door.
No Trespassing Town of Cramerton Property
The second image highlights the entire sideview of building.
I am not sure what the building’s purpose might be, but it was fascinating to find on our hike.
Location: C.B. Huss River Access; 480 11 St.; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Enjoy a walk. Get outdoors. Nature’s Beauty is Amazing. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit: 2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Nature’s Beauty blossoming all around us. Stop and admire the beautiful flowers. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
A floating piece of Wood Coleman through into the River. Looking through the Branches as the Water passes on by. Canada Geese enjoying an afternoon swim in the South Fork Catawba River.
Camera: 1)Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment. 2-3) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Enjoy the Warm Springlike days when they come. Have a walk in Nature to refresh your mind and soul. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Stop and Smell the Flowers. Enjoy the beauty in Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
This week when Coleman and I visited Goat Island Park and Greenway we noticed a few Canada Geese. We enjoy watching them around the South Fork Catawba River.
This one here was looking at the River and contemplating going for a swim. Looked back at his mate and seemed to say, “Wanna join me for a swim?”
Canada Goose
… Deciding to go on ahead, he slithered right on down the embankment slipping on in the River and waited for her to join him.
Canada Goose
… Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, she proceeded to join him and swim along and enjoy the River together.