God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Smell the Flowers. See the Beauty in Simplicity. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
I love capturing reflections, especially reflections in water. Coleman and I just happened to hike along a portion of the South Fork River on Saturday. It was a relaxing time walking along the (new to us) Riverside Greenway in Cramerton which runs alongside the South Fork River. We saw quite a few amazingly beautiful reflections in the river. Here an only a small portion of what I managed to capture with my iPhone.
We have recently moved to Cramerton, North Carolina. Wherever we are living, Coleman and I enjoy walking around the area seeing all the beautiful sights and interesting places we can discover.
On Friday after Coleman got off the school bus, we walked up the street; under a railroad overpass; past the post office, the fire department, the entrance to Goat Island Park and Greenway; continuing onward and upward until we reached the Community Center and playground. [The playground at Goat Island is temporarily closed for repairs due to Hurricane Helene damage from its wind and flooding.] The following are some of Cramerton’s Public Art displays around the town.
WWII Soldier And his Daughter Town Of Cramerton, North Carolina
Welcome to Cramerton Wall Mural
Genuine Cramerton Army Cloth Wall Mural
Metal Wind Spinner Cramerton Recreation Center
‘Goat in a boat’ greets Cramerton residents, visitors Wall Mural
Concrete Fireman Statue & Coleman Cramerton Fire Department
We hope you have enjoyed our walking tour of Cramerton’s Public Art.
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Smell the Flowers. See the Beauty in Simplicity. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
I’ve been missing Cee’s posts. I pray she is doing alright. This week I am again posting a Which Way My Wayshowing Which Ways in My New Neighbourhood. My grandson, Coleman and I are beginning to roam around our new neighborhood investigating what interesting things and places we can find in the area. Here are a few shots from yesterday’s walk through the neighbourhood.
We recently moved and our new to us rental home has a swing on the front porch which Coleman claims is his swing. We haven’t had a swing on a porch since we lived with my uncle years ago. The beautiful views from our front porch are amazingly beautiful (even the view that is not of the sky).
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.
Comparing the Doc Watson “Man of the People” Statue from 2016 to 2024. The first photo was taken when I was in Boone, North Carolina for a family reunion. [Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson is my fourth cousin].
The Statue was dedicated on June 24, 2011. It commemorates the Grammy Award-winning artist and Watauga County (Deep Gap) native Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson. The depiction of “Doc” Watson sitting on a bench playing a model of his favorite guitar, customized Gallagher was created Alexander M. Hallmark, a local Blowing Rock, NC, Sculptor. The inscription on the statue reads Doc Watson / “Just one of the People.”
The bronze statue of Doc Watson is located at the Northeast corner of North Depot and West King streets in downtown Boone, North Carolina.
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.
This prompt will repeat each Monday with a new number. If you want to play along, please put a link to your blog in comments below. Below are my contributions to the album:
I am choosing to post photos of volunteers helping across Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Appreciate Prayers for every affected person, family, animal in the areas impacted.
You might not think about this being Weird, Wild, or Oddballs, however, I think it is in an amazing way. Weird in that this is not something you see or experience every day. Wild to see all the Numerous Volunteers leaving their homes to come and help communities, towns, cities, families in tremendous need. Oddballs in that I never imagined the Pack Mule Teams, helicopter pilots, and many others coming together for a single mission.
All of this unity coming together to restore, rescue, and rebuild to lovely to see. This is the very essence of Whatsoever Is Lovely.
Thank you Cajun Navy! Thank you Mike Tobber and crew with Cajun Navy! Thank you National Guard! Thank you Garrett Mitchell and Volunteer Helicopter Pilots! Thank you Linemen! Thank you Search and Rescue Teams! Thank you Mountain Mule Packer Ranch! Thank you to all Volunteers for helping those affected by Hurricane Helene. I appreciate all you’ve accomplished and will continue to do to support the community and families impacted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Please Pray for Hurricane Helene Victims, Relief Workers, & Volunteers during this difficult time. I appreciate y’all very much.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy nature. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Location: The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Pray for Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina & Tennessee as they try to recovery from Hurricane Helene. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from South Carolina to the Virginia Border and back down to Pisgah National Forest and then on into South Carolina once again was a trip I’ll always remember.
It has been seven years since I made that trip with my eldest son. We took the drive on his birthday weekend in October 2017. We stopped at various milestones along the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the beautiful views and tour a few different places along the route. We stopped at Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring Gap, North Carolina and hiked the Stone Mountain Loop Trail beginning at the Upper Trailhead. We continued driving the Blue Ridge Parkway once we left Stone Mountain State Park; we drove to Wilson, North Carolina (Wilson was my married name & the surname of my children.)
On the adventure South on the Parkway, we took a detour to my Cousin Jim’s Produce Market for some fresh produce & a break to stretch our legs. Before we arrived at Jim’s Produce, we stopped for a photo by the Doc and Merle Watson Highway sign ( Doc & Merle Watson are my fourth cousin & fourth cousin once removed respectively).
Venturing further south, we stopped at several more milestones to enjoy the beautiful scenery and views overlooking the valley. We stopped for supper at The Pisgah Inn’s restaurant. The food was delicious and the views were spectacular. The Pisgah Inn is located in the Pisgah National Forest amongst thesouthern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway (Blue Ridge Pkwy Milepost 408.6, Waynesville, NC).
It was a lovely and enjoyable trip, not just for the scenery, but always for the quality time spent with my son. Click on each photo for enhanced viewing. Have a wonderful day!
Location: Various locations along the Blue Ridge Parkway; North Carolina
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing in our adventure memories. If you have the opportunity I’d recommend driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. You’ll enjoy the scenery as much as we did. I appreciate y’all very much.
Soon Nightfall will begin earlier and earlier, as Autumn approaches the sunsets come more quickly (or so it may seem) and we adjust accordingly. These are some of my favourites, hope you enjoy them. Click on each photo to enlarge for enhanced viewing.
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.
This DSS facility, the County Courthouse, Sheriff’s Office, and County Jail were all designed by Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects and were constructed simultaneously. These facilities firm the Gaston County Governmental Complex.
The Department of Social Services facility is approximately 127,890 square feet and contains all the Social Services offices and functions which were previously scattered throughout Gaston County.
Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) AKA Black-winged Damselfly June 2017 on Canon EOS Rebel T3i Sesquicentennial State Park Columbia, South Carolina
Dos (Two, 2):
Acanthocephala Declivis Giant Leaf-footed Bug Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina
Tres (Three, 3):
Argiope aurantia AKAyellow garden spider, Black and Yellow Garden Spider Apple iPhone 13 Pro Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina
Cuatro (Four, 4):
Melanoplus differentialis Differential grasshopper Apple iPhone 13 Pro Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina
Cinco (Five, 5):
Libellula luctuosa Widow skimmer Species of dragonfly July (7) 2023 Canon EOS Rebel T3i Lake Haigler Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina
Seis (Six, 6):
iPhone 14 Pro MaxCanon EOS Rebel T3iEastern Carpenter Bees The Schiele Museum of Natural History Gastonia, North Carolina
Siete (Seven, 7):
Scolia dubia AKA Two-spotted Scoliid Wasp or a Blue-winged Scoliid Wasp & Megachile montivaga Silver -tailed Petalcutter Bee Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Warlick Family YMCA Gastonia, North Carolina
Looking back to a trip I took seven years ago to Jacksonville, North Carolina; I visited with my sons. My eldest son, John and I toured the Lejeune Memorial Gardens on February 2017. The Lejeune Memorial Gardens honors those who serve our country and is a place to gather to remember those who have given the greatest sacrifice for our freedom. It is home to the Beirut Memorial, the Onslow Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Montford Point Marine Memorial, and 9/11 Memorial Beam from the World Trade Center.
Beirut Memorial Taken at 3:47pm in February 2017 (Also was the 7th photo I took at the Gardens)Eagle, Globe and Anchor Sculpture at Lejeune Memorial Gardens Taken at 3:27pm in February 2017.
Whenever I visit Veterans Memorial Gardens I reflect on the men and women in my family who have served in the United States Armed Services. I thank God for their services and sacrifices they made to ensure the Freedom I am so freely able to enjoy today.
The Anas platyrhynchos is commonly known as Mallard or wild duck. The males (also called drakes) have green heads, while the females (called hens) have mainly brown speckled plumage.
The Mallard is approximately 50-65 centimeters (20-26 inches) long, the body making up the majority (about two-thirds) of their length. They are oftentimes slightly more heavier than the most othe dabbling ducks, weighing 0.7-1.6 kilograms (1.5-3.5 pounds).
Mallards live in wetlands, eat water plants and small animals, and are social animals preferring to congregate in groups or flocks of varying sizes. The Mallards shown here are quite commonly seen at Rankin Lake and other local lakes and parks in the vicinity.
They are a very adaptable species in that they are able to live and thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development.
The name Mallard originally referred to any wild drake, and sometimes it is still associated in this way.
Mallards tend to frequently interbreed with their closest relatives in the genus Anas, which for example might be the American black duck. They might possibly interbreed with other species, such as the northern pintail or various hybrids that could be fertile.
In North America, Mallards winter in the south to southern United States and Northern Mexico. [The Mallards here were shot on camera in January, mid-winter for the southern United States.]
In summer, a combination of hot temperatures and reduced water levels place mallards at an increased risk of contracting botulism. Outbreaks of botulism among mallard populations can lead to mass die-offs.
Brian’s Busboys World is the host for Last on the Card requests us to share our last photo on our SD cards or on our phones for August 31 or whenever your last photo was taken. No editing — just however it came out in focus, blurry, or whatever it may be. No explanations necessary. Be sure to create a pingback to Brian’s post or leave a link in his comments. Be sure to tag your post with The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard.
Becky has resumed her Square Challenge for September with the theme of Seven for September. It has been Seven (7) years since the first Squaring Challenge Adventures began, thus remembering the good times of Squaring for Seven.
I have not been Squaring for Seven years, however, I have enjoyed being apart of Becky’s Square Challenge. I will do my best with this new theme of Seven for September.
As Becky so cordially reminded us that September was originally the Seventh month of the year in the Roman calendar; it is fitting to see what everyone decides to post for Seven for September. September comes from the Latin word septem which means, you guessed it, seven.
Location:Huntersville, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a Sunny Square September Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Begonias landscaped around the entrance to Harris Teeter (local grocery store).
Begonia cucullata are also known as clubbed begonia and wax begonia. When grown as groundcover, the flowers of the plant are red, pink, or white that bloom in summer or year-round in warmer places, and the fruits have three wings. [This time of year it is extremely hot here (I know it could be hotter) in the mid-nineties. These begonias thrive where we (Coleman and I) are overwhelmed by the extreme heat and are rolling in sweat just walking him to school and back home.
The Pink Velour Crape Myrtle is a type of Lagerstroemia indica crape myrtle tree. The flower colouring changes with the season. In the summer its blooms are a bright Hot Pink changing to a burgundy in the fall.
One can find the Lagerstroemia all across the Southern Atlantic States. Similar to the southern Magnolia, the crape Myrtle has come to symbolize the American South due to its extensive planting and ability to thrive in hot, humid summer climates with regular precipitation. It has brilliant color in late summer and autumn unlike other trees/shrubs which have already exhausted their blooms.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 