2024 FOTD: 06.06 —

Hemerocallis ‘Cool Jazz’

‘Cool Jazz’ daylily

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

Photo Credit:©️Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Huntingtowne Neighbourhood; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

Birds of the Carolinas #9

Black-billed Magpie

One for sorrow

Two for joy

Three for a girl

Four for a boy

Five for silver

Six for gold

Seven for a secret never to be told.

This well-known rhyme has been around since the mid- nineteenth century when the number of magpies seen foraging together was regarded as forecaster of future events. Even though no bird is mentioned in this rhyme most people know it refers to the magpies.

Magpies are members of the Corvidse family. They are smart and clever birds which sometimes leads them into trouble, however, that doesn’t deter them since they are great problem solvers. The Pica hudsonia, the Black-billed Magpie’s scientific name, is also referred to as the American Magpie. It was once thought to be found only in the Western half of North America, However, its habitats may range into the far eastern parts of the United States including occasionally into the South despite the high temperatures and humidity.

Black-billed Magpies are black and white, with the wings and tail showing black areas and iridescent hints of blue and blue-green. It is a medium-sized bird that measures 45–60 centimeters (18–24 in) from tip to tail. It is largely black, with white scapulars, belly, and primaries, and the wings and tail are an iridescent blue-green.

Eurasian magpies are visually very similar to black-billed magpies; however, Eurasian magpies are slightly larger and have shorter tails and wings. They can also be distinguished based on their different vocalizations, as well as by their non-overlapping ranges.

Black-billed Magpies are known talkers. Their vocalizations consist of a number of calls variously described as tweets, coos, purrs, shrills and squawks, but the most common is an alarm call, called a chatter, that is described as a ka-ka-ka-ka, sometimes preceded with a skah-skah. They have the unique ability to mimic sounds from other birds and even from humans they are around. [Interestingly, I have heard them mimicking me as I whistle. Their ability is amazing to hear as they mimic my exact tunes.]

Birds of the Carolinas 

Bird of the Week: LXVII

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

Numbers Game #24: 06.03 — #145

This week’s number for Judy’s Number Game is 145. Come play along with us. You’ll never know what fun you’ll be missing if you don’t join in the game.

Rummaging through my photos I came up with a mixture of old and more recent photos for your viewing pleasure for this week’s challenge.

First up we have Farm Animals …

Donkey

At Anne Springs Close Greenway’s Stables Entrance in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Zebu Cattle
Bos taurus indicus

Next, We Head Up to the Mountains of North Carolina …

View from
Sunrise Overlook
Blue Ridge Parkway,

North Carolina
View from
Mount Jefferson
Mount Jefferson State Natural Area
Ashe County, North Carolina

And Lastly for this Week we have a Couple of Miscellaneous Throwbacks …

At Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
Little White House Historic Site Museum
Warm Springs, Meriwether County, Georgia, USA
The Sophia Loren diorama
Movieland Wax Museum
Buena Park, California

Judy’s Numbers Game #24-145

Throwback Thursday

Photo Credit: 1-4) ©️2017-2023 Deb L. Waters; 5-6)©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.

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

Words for Thought #21

View from
Beech Mountain, North Carolina

Think About It Tuesday

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday

Photo Credit: ©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm 

Location: Land of Oz; Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 CosPhoChal: Beauty Thriving Down (Up) in the Meadows

Trifolium pratense
Fabaceae Red clover
Panaeolus foenisecii,
AKA the mower’s mushroom,
haymaker, haymaker’s panaeolus,
or brown hay mushroom
Antheraea polyphemus,
the Polyphemus moth,
is a North American member
of the family Saturniidae,
the giant silk moths.
Canada Goose

Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

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

Macro Monday: 06.03 —

Rubus occidentalis

Dewberry
Black Raspberry
Another Common name
is Blackberry Blackcap

Macro Monday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

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

2024 RDP: Saturday – Boat

From Dock to Shining Sea

Docked Boats
Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, USA Throwback Photo
Sailboat
In the Caribbean Sea
off the Coast of
Cozumel, Mexico
February 2020 iPhone 11 Pro Max
Boating on Lake Wylie
Taken from
McDowell Nature Preserve

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
July 2020 iPhone 11 Pro Max

RDP Saturday-Boat

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

Sitting in the Land of Oz

Scarecrow
Land of Oz
Museum Display
Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA

The Land of Oz theme park based on Frank Baum’s Land of Oz books originally opened in 1970. In 1975 the Carolina Caribbean Corporation, the company who developed Beech Mountain into a tourist destination and built Oz goes bankrupt due to failed investments. The park had closed and after construction of the Emerald City it reopened in 1976 and later closed once again in 1980. The theme park was closed afterwards for many years. Oz then laid abandoned, succumbing to the harsh weather conditions and vandals.

The Land of Oz is a park in North Carolina dedicated to the iconic film Wizard of Oz. It’s a walk-through attraction that was once closed and now opens for the special Autumn of Oz event in the fall each year. The Autumn of Oz festival is currently held in September and the Land of Oz is only open for three weekends a year.

Pull Up A Seat Photo Challenge Week 22

Photo Credit:©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.

Location: Land of Oz theme park; Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 Monochrome Madness #9: 05.28 — Stone/s

A Tale of Two Stones

Stone Mountain State Park (NC)

Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain State Park
Roaring Gap, North Carolina

Stone Mountain State Park is located in Alleghany and Wilkes counties 60 miles northwest of Winston-Salem. Within the Park lies a 600-foot granite dome which has been designated as a National Natural Landmark, and the historic Hutchinson Homestead, a restored mid-19th-century farm situated at the mountain base.

Lower Falls
Stone Mountain State Park
Roaring Gap, North Carolina

Stone Mountain State Park offers nearly all types of outdoor activity to experience a high country landscape adorned with beautiful waterfalls, winding creeks, and bountiful trout streams. A portion of the Mountains-to-Sea State Trail runs through the park near the backcountry campsites. 

Stone Mountain Park (GA)

At the bottom of the trail leading up to the mountain is an American flag and four Confederate flags for all to see.

Stone Mountain Park is Georgia’s most visited attraction. Its more than three thousand two hundred (3,200) makes the park a unique destination for guests and families to experience and enjoy an exciting variety of attractions, entertainment, and recreational activities.

At the center of the park is the largest confederate symbol in the country: a nine story etched carving of Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. 

Stone Mountain in Georgia is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock ( an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain) and is the location of Stone Mountain Park. It is located approximately sixteen (16) miles east of Atlanta, Georgia. The Park is owned by the state of Georgia. It is most famous for its artwork on the north face. An enormous relief sculpture carved on the stone itself depicting Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson, three (3) of the Confederate Leaders.

In comparing the two Stone Mountains one can realize that Stone Mountain, Georgia is larger and is not engaged in a series of ridges like its cousin in North Carolina. The one in Georgia is bordered by an actual city named Stone Mountain. It is also a fully developed park with a wide range of attractions to enjoy. The North Carolina Stone Mountain is a more traditional state park, with limited hours and access. Both Stone Mountains have a variety of hiking trails. The Georgia one has a Summit Skyride for easier access to the top. In North Carolina one would hike the Stone Mountain Loop Trail to access an area with breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I visited Stone Mountain Park in Georgia with my family and extended family during the summer of 1972. I do not recall everything we did at the park, however, viewing & reconstructing my dad’s old slides does help to enable some of those memories. In October of 2017, my eldest son & I visited Stone Mountain State Park in Roaring Gap, North Carolina. One of his wishes that year was to drive the majority of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Stone Mountain State Park was just one of many places we visited on that trip.

Please I encourage everyone to be polite and I desire no controversy over this post or regarding Stone Mountain Park itself.

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness #9-Stone/s

Becky’s #SquareRenew-Reconstruct

Throwback Thursday

Photo Credit: 1-2) ©️2017 Deb L. Waters; 3-4) ©️1972 Nornal H. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

God Bless. Thank you for visiting the two (2) Stone Mountains with me. Thank you for joining me in viewing my memories of my dad’s reconstructed slides of our visit to Georgia. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 FOTD: 05.29

Calopogon tuberosus

Simpson’s grass pink and it is in the Orchid family (Orchidaceae) grasspink (Calopogon tuberosus var. simpsonii).

The genus name “Calopogon” is Greek and means “beautiful beard.” It refers to the hairlike structures on the upper petal. It has a bulb-like corm that resembles a tuber, hence the name “tuberosus.” The slender grass-like leaves give rise to the name “grass pink.” It is a stunning wildflower.

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Becky’s #SquareRenew

Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens.

Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Take time to renew your body, mind, and spirit. Like the Garden we also need to renew ourselves to further our growth. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

Numbers Game #23 — 144

Day Trippin’ with Coleman …

… At the YMCA

… At the Schiele Museum of Natural History

… At Anne Springs Close Greenway

Be sure to click on each photo for a larger view. Have a fabulous day!

Judy’s Numbers Game #23-144

Photo Credit:©️2022-2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm, Canon EF-S55-250mm, and Canon EF 75-300mm lenses.

Locations: 1)Warlick Family YMCA; 2-5) The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina; 6-11) Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort South Carolina, USA

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

2024 Weekend Sky: 05.25/6

Fluffy “Cottonball” Clouds

Hammad’s Weekend Sky #128

Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 RDP: Quilt

Barn Quilts & Such

Amish Country
Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio

Did you know that Barn Quilt Trails are located in 43 states of the United States of America and Canada has 3? Barn Quilts are believed to have originated in Pennsylvania almost 300 years ago when Europeans immigrated to America.

Have you ever wondered what a Barn Quilt is or their significance? A Barn Quilt is a large piece of wood painted to look like a quilt block and hung on the exterior of a barn, house, garage or other building. During the Revolutionary War, “Barn Quilts” were used to show American forces that an area was safe, secure, and supplies were available. Barn Quilts are a popular form of Americana folk art. They help to preserve the country’s quilting tradition and the regional heritage of various communities.

Barn Quilt Trails

The first Barn Quilt Trail was started by Donna Sue Groves.  She came up with the idea while working for the Ohio Arts Council in the 1990s.  Donna Sue shared her story in “Following the Barn Quilt Trail.” Soon barn quilts spread to other states, becoming driving tours, drawing in tourists and bringing the Appalachian way of life to the forefront. The Barn Quilts in the slideshow are located in the Ohio Barn Quilt Trails and the Appalachian Quilt Trail.

My Favorite Quilt

Even though this Quilt is not a Barn Quilt, it is extremely special to me. It was made by maternal grandmother with remnants of fabric used to make uniforms for me when I worked as a nursing assistant after high school. She lovingly made it with love to fit my bed. It was sewn on an old fashioned black Singer Sewing Machine to make each quilt top. She used colorful yarn to hand quilt and tie-off the quilt.

Ragtag Daily Prompt-Quilt! 

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

2024 CFFC: Alleys, Driveways, Parking Lots, Dirt Roads

For Cee’s CFFC this week I have dug Theo my archives and chose what I hope y’all will enjoy. Sorry, I don’t have any alleys, but I do have Driveways, Parking Lots, and as always Dirt Roads.

Driveways

Driveway of
Gastonia Fire Station #4
Gastonia, North Carolina
Driveway of Waters home
S. Meadowbrook Drive
San Diego, California

Parking Lots

Parking Lot
Rankin Lake Park
Gastonia, North Carolina
Parking Lot
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Charlotte, North Carolina
Parking Lot
Consolidated Aircraft Corporation
San Diego, California

Dirt Roads

Persimmon Trail
Carolina Thread Trail
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Belmont, North Carolina
Dirt “Road”
Persimmon Trail
Carolina Thread Trail
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Belmont, North Carolina

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge-Alleys, Driveways, Parking Lots, Dirt Roads

Photo Credit:2)©️Nornal H. Waters (my dad); 4) ©️Trisha L. Wilson (my daughter); 5) Post Card from Harvey M. Watson (my maternal grandfather); All others ©️2017-2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved

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

Birds of the Carolinas #6

The Carib Grackle

(Quiscalus lugubris)

The Carib Grackle also referred to as the Common Grackle is a tropical blackbird which is taller and longer than the typical blackbird. The plumage of Grackles are entirely black, however it has a beautiful glossy iridescent body that may display violets, purples, blues, and greens when the sun is shining on them in just the right manner.

Quiscalus lugubris

Grackles eat almost anything and everything they can find. They commonly eat insects, minnows, frogs, lizards, berries, grains, and even small birds and mice. They will confiscate food from other birds. And sometimes as these Grackles pictured here are exemplifying HOPE for a few morsels of bread crust or crumbs that may get dropped on the ground or scattered for other birds.

Carib Grackle

The Carib Grackle’s song is a mixture of harsh and melodic musical squeaks, croaks, and whistles which seem to sound anywhere from guttural to high-pitched clear whistles. Some people have compared their singing as sounding like a rusty gate.

Carib Grackle
Quiscalus lugubris in Monochrome

If you see them foraging around your yard or picnic table they are scavenging and are hoping you’ll share your food (or at least some bread crumbs) with them.

Birds of the Carolinas 

Bird of the Week 2024

Becky’s #SquareRenewal

Lens-Artists Photography Challenge #299- Hopeful

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Huntingtowne Neighbourhood; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. May all your hopes, dreams, and prayers be fulfilled. Take care of yourselves and have a fantastic rest of your week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Cell Pic Sunday: 05.12

Tipula (Acutipula) luna

When we see an infiltration of these Tipulidae we know summer is approaching and we do not want a burgeoning of them like we’re having with the cicadas.

Tipula Luna

Crane flies are harmless to people but can cause damage to plants and your lawn. Plus, they can be really annoying if they make their way into your house!

Acutipula

Most species of crane flies have no mouth parts, and the ones that do only drink nectar. Crane flies don’t bite. They don’t sting, either. Though they may show up in large numbers and can be obnoxious, crane flies are harmless.

True Cranefly

Crane Flies need a moist environment to survive and we have had more than our share of rain 🌧️ and thunderstorms ⛈️ practically daily as of late.

John’s Cellpic Sundays

Becky’s Squares Renew – Burgeoning

Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA 

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

Birds of the Carolinas #5

Great Blue Heron 

The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) can be spotted around ponds and lakes. I normally see them around the smaller lakes and ponds in and around Anne Springs Close Greenway.

Great Blue Herons can hunt during the nighttime as well as during the day. Interestingly they have a high percentage of rodents-type photoreceptors in their eyes that improve their night vision. They congregate at fish hatcheries, creating potential problems for the fish farmers.

Ardea herodias
Great Blue Heron

Anne Springs Close Greenway

The Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight to behold. Its subtle blue-grey plumage frequently stands motionless as it scan for  prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps. They may move slowly, but Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher. In flight, look for this widespread heron’s tucked-in neck and long legs trailing out behind.

Informational Sign
includes
The Great Blue Heron
The Schiele Museum of Natural History

Did you know that the Great Blue Heron is often seen as a symbol of patience? This I had not previously heard or known. Several Native American Tribes look at the heron as a symbol of patience and good luck. On the Northwest coast, people believe that if Native American fishermen spot a heron, it means good luck is with them, and they will have a successful fishing trip.

I have always considered the Great Blue Heron to be an amazing bird to observe. I did not ever realize that they were considered symbols or omens if you saw them. Evidently they are though.

In China, the Great Blue Heron represents strength, purity and long life. According to Native American tradition the heron symbolizes wisdom and good judgment. In ancient Egypt the heron was a symbol of creation while in Africa and Greece the heron was a messenger of the gods. Watching a heron fish also instructs us in patience.

Another interesting note regarding the Blue Heron is that it is believed to symbolize being calm, presence, being at peace, uniqueness, and balance. When seeing a Blue Heron one should take a moment to look inside yourself and consider nurture all aspects of yourself. Embrace who you are; your flaws (your weaknesses), your uniqueness, and ever your feelings of shame with self-love.

Birds of the Carolinas 

Bird of the Week 2024

Becky’s #SquareRenewal

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

God Bless. May you have strength, purity, patience and long life. Take care of yourselves and have a fantastic rest of your week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

Wordless Wednesday: 05.08

Be Wild

Be Square

Wildflowers

Don’t Worry

Be Happy

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday

Becky’s #SquareRenew

Cee’s Flower of the Day 

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L.Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Gardner Park Neighborhood; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

Words for Thought #17

Autumn-olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
AKA Silverberry, Russian-olive

Think About It Tuesday

Cee’s FOTD

Becky’s #SquaresRenew

Photo Credit: (c) 2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens

Location: Gaston County Warlick Family YMCA; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

Floral Renewal Macro Monday

Hybrid Sweetbriar Rose
(Rosa ‘Lady Penzance’)

Becky’s Squares-Renewal

Macro Monday

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max Ultra-wide Camera

Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 Weekend FOTD: 04/.05

Burgeoning Wildflowers

Oxalis articulata
AKA Pink-sorrel

Cee’s Weekend FOTD

Becky’s Squares-Burgeoning

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Gardner Park Neighborhood; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

Words for Thought #16

John 15:1-2 NIV

Think About It Tuesday

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit: (c) 2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens with Altura UV filter attachment.

Location: The Heritage Garden; The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 Macro Monday: 04.29

Pluteus cervinus

Pluteus cervinus
AKA deer-mushroom, fawn mushroom,
fawn-colored mushroom, deer shield

Macro Monday

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max Ultra-Wide Camera

Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 Weekend Sky: 04.28

“After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul’s indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer.”

William R. Alger

Hammad’s Weekend Sky #126

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

It’s about to start — Come on & Join me …

I’m in the Yellow Car

My Granddaughter, Alona
enjoying a Ride at Carowinds

Pull up a Seat 2024: Week 17

John’s Cellpic Sunday

Photo Credit:©️2018 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone X

Location: Carowinds; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Thank you Brian at Busboys World for the idea. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 WWE #218

Some Murky, Some Reflections, Ripples, & Splashes

For Jez’s Water Water Everywhere this week I’m posting a variety of photos taken of Robinwood Lake.

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #218

Photo Credit:©️ 2024 Deb L. Waters …. All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens and Altura UV & NP Filter attachments.

Location: Robinwood Lake; Warlick Family YMCA; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

Birds of the Carolinas #3

Eastern American Robin

The American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is one of the most familiar birds in South Carolina and Southern North Carolina.  It is a migratory bird of the Turdidae thrush family. It is commonly spotted in forests, woodlands, suburban areas, gardens, and parks. They are known to build their nests on trees, and sometimes even on man-made structures such as porches and garages. 

The American Robin is very energetic and spry. It flits about on the ground searching for food. They fly to and fro from the trees to electrical wires just outside our back patio. It is mostly active during the daytime and gathers in large flocks at night. We can hear their songs way before we can spot the in the sky, in the trees or on our electrical lines.

The American Robin’s diet generally consists mainly of such delicacies as earthworms, beetle grubs, caterpillars, and grasshoppers, and a large portion of wild and cultivated fruits and berries.

We continuously hear them singing throughout the afternoon as we sit out back and Coleman plays in his sand Turtle. They are often among the first songbirds to sing as dawn rises or hours before, and last as evening sets in. One fact I learned recently is that the American Robin sings when storms are approaching and again when the storms have passed.

Interesting Facts about the American Robin are that they are protected throughout the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. They are considered a symbol of Spring. A noted Quebec superstition is whoever sees the first Robin of Spring will have good luck. It is believed by some that the first robin of spring means it is a promise of new beginnings and renewal similar to how plants begin to grow and bloom in springtime.

Birds of the Carolinas 

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

2024 CMMC: April —Alphabet a CK or CH in a word in Monochrome

My CK and CH seen while Coleman and I walked around the neighbourhood.

Monochrome Dump Truck
Coleman
wearing a Backpack
walking to the Dump Truck
in Monochrome
Monochrome Close-up
of the Door
on a Dump Truck

Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge-April Alphabet_a CK or CH in a word

Dan’s Thursday Doors

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: New Hope Road; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 CFFC: Things that are Rough

Rough Wood
Rough Rocks
Rough Bricks

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge-Things that are Rough

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Cameras: 1) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens; 2) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF 75-300mm lens; 3) iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: 1-2) Warlick Family YMCA; Gastonia, North Carolina; 3) Patio; Gastonia, North Carolina

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

2024 Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Flow & WWE #218

Flowing Downstream

Here is my compilation for this week’s  Weekly Prompt’s Weekend Challenge. I’m also applying it to Jez’s Water Water Everywhere Challenge.

These are just a few of the ways we see water flowing as we walk through the neighbourhood or as we hike among the trees in and around the Carolinas.

Small Spillway in
Gastonia, North Carolina
Anne Springs Close Greenway Spillway
Fort Mill, South Carolina
Spillway
The Schiele Museum’s Nature Trail Gastonia, North Carolina
Fort Mill Dam
Fort Mill, South Carolina

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Flow

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #218

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Cameras: 1-3) iPhone 14 Pro Max; 4) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens.

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

2024 Monday Portrait: 04.22

Bleating to Greet Y’all

Wait a Sec … I’ll Come Closer.

Goat

Can Y’all See Me Now?

Monday Portrait

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF 75-300mm lens and Altura CPL filter attachment.

Location: The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; 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 Macro Monday: 04.22

Rhododendron japonicum

Pink Azalea
Rhododendron japonicum

Macro Monday

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

Photo Credit: ©️Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens with Altura UV filter attachment.

Location: The Nature Trail; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; 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 Weekend Sky #125

Can You Spot the Hidden Object?

Hammad’s Weekend Sky #125 – 2024 April 20

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max – Telephoto Camera 

Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 Weekend FOTD: 04.21

Sisymbrium loeselii
Brassicaceae
Leaf Mustard

Cee’s Weekend Flower of the Day

Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens.

Location: The Heritage Garden; The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

Rooftop Garden of Stonecrop

Pyxidanthera barbulata
Common Pyxie-moss
Sedum kamtschaticum
Russian Stonecrop
Phedimus kamtschaticus,
the orange stonecrop

Thursday Trios

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge 

Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S75-300mm lens with Altura CPL filter attachment.

Location: The Rooftop Garden; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 CMMC/CWWC: Any Latte Way

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.

Next, Coleman cools down with a snack as I gaze out over the lake.

Now for our hiking, Coleman leads the Way. I constantly have to instruct him to slow down. He hikes much faster than I’m able to hike.

Through the woods along the bank of the lake we traverse. Across the dam and deeper into the woods. Upward, downward, and around and around we go.

Coleman spots the Fitness Challenge area off the Yellow Trail and climbs aboard for some fun before continuing our hike and back up to the Y.

Tired from our hike we’re gonna Leaf it all behind, and venture to the bus stop and head home.

Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge-April Latte Color

Cee’s Which Way Challenge-Any Way

Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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.

Wordless Wednesday: 04.17.24

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens with Altura UV and NP Filter attachments plus Altura Photo 58MM 0.35x Fisheye Canon Wide Angle Lens (w/Macro Portion).

Location: Robinwood Lake; Robinwood Lake Dam; Warlick Family YMCA; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

Small White Southern Dewberry

Rubus trivialis

These are small white Vascular Plants of North Carolina.

They are also found all over South Carolina and the Southeastern part of the United States.

The Southern Dewberry, as they are commonly known, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family (Rosaceae).

Whatsoever Is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 15

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

2024 Sunday Stills: #Color challenge: Diamond, Quartz, Crystal, and/or Purple

Purple I have, not so much in the way of Diamonds, Crystals, or Quartz. Therefore, I showing y’all some of my favourite purples.

Viola × williamsii, 
Purple Pansies
Glandularia,
 AKA Mock Vervain 
or Mock Verbena
Buddleja davidii
 Butterfly Bush
Digitalis purpurea,
AKA the foxglove 
or common foxglove

Now for Quartz, (not what you had in mind, I bet.)

Coleman
holding the
Quartz Trail Sign

Terri’s Sunday Stills

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge

Photo Credit: ©️2022-2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Cameras: 1 & 3) iPhone 14 Pro Max; 2 & 4) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm and Canon EF 75-300mm lenses; 5) iPhone 13 Pro.

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

2024 SYD: April 15

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.

Share Your Desktop

From my iPhone:

Personal Focus

Hiking Focus

Reading Focus

From my Laptop:

Share Your Desktop-April 15

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Looking forward to seeing y’all’s desktops. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Weekend Sky: From Images to the Moon —- What do you See?

There are times when we look up at the sky above, the clouds seem to appear into objects we are familiar with such as birds, or airplanes, or elephants, angels or other objects. Sometimes we see nothing in them other than them being : cirrus, cumulus, and stratus, or nimbus. What do you see when you look at clouds?

A Bird?
A Plane?
The Daytime Moon

Hammad’s Weekend Sky– 2024 April 14

Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max – Telephoto Camera

Location: Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

Let’s Play I Spy as We Travel

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 Here to 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.

Taking Flight in Gastonia

Coleman
watching an Airplane
becoming Airborne

Ragtag Daily Prompt: Monday – Airborne

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

Weekend FOTD: 2024 April 6 — Wisteria brachybotrys

Cee’s Weekend FOTD

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

2024 CMMC: April – Close up or Macro

Calendula officinalis L.
Marigold
Bunias orientalis,
Warty-cabbage
Helleborus viridis,
AKA Green Hellebore
Brassica oleracea
Wild Cabbage
Euonymus japonicus
‘Aureo-Marginata’

Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge-April Close Up or Macro

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens

Location: 1-4) The Heritage Garden; The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA; 5)Dairy Barn Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

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