2025 Silent Sunday: 08 June

Retiboletus ornatipes

Ornate-stalked Bolete 

Silent Sunday 

Photo Credit: ©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL filter attachments

Location: Rocky Branch Trail; Rocky Branch Park; Belmont, North 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.

2025 Cell Pic Sunday: 08 June

Hand Capped

Retiboletus ornatipes
Ornate-stalked Bolete

John’s Cell Pic Sunday-07 June 2025

Photo Credit: ©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera

Location: Rocky Branch Trail; Rocky Branch Park; Belmont, North 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.

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Any Which Way with people

Welcome back to another Which Way Challenge (CWWC). This week I have chosen (CWWC): Any Which Way with people for this week’s theme. Your Which Ways can be on any pathway, road, step, bridge, and/or sign as long as the Which Way is clearly discernible. For further information regarding the Which Way Challenge (CWWC) feel free to check out the home page here. As always remember to have fun. 

Here are my entries for this week’s challenge …

Pathways around Centennial Center with People:

Trails with People:

Remember your Which Ways can be any way one travels, whether on foot, or other means. This week we are focusing on people in our Which Ways. And as always, Be sure to have fun.

For other Which Ways, check out the links below. Thank you to all who contributed to the Which Way Challenges.

Brian from bushboys world’s You’ll find it (down this aisle)

Penn from PENPUSHER 4 – THOUGHTS, WORDS, DEEDS, … Open Road

Dawn from The Day After’s Which Way: Bridge from the Mill Window

Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery’s Yellow – Red – Blue

Cee’s Deb’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC)— (CWWC): Any Which Way with people.

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

2025 Flower of the Day: 05 June

Echinacea x ‘Cheyenne Spirit’

Cutleaf Coneflowers

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit: 2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Centennial Center; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Take time to admire the Beautiful Flowers. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 1-to-3: June —Confluence Outdoor Planter Stand

The challenge is to simply take one photo and get creative with it by processing it in three different ways.

This is a planter stand with a variety of flowers in front of Confluence on Center Street in Cramerton, North Carolina.

Here are the contributions for June 2025:

Original:

Original

Edit One:

Watercolor Magic Effects 2
Pic Collage Photo Editor

Edit Two:

Boho 3 Effect
with increased warmth,
saturation, and vibrance
Pic Collage Photo Editor

Edit Three:

Vintage 10 effect
with expansion to 16:9
Pixlr Photo Editor

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: In front of Confluence; Center Street; Cramerton, North Carolin, USA

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

2025 CFFC: Things Made of Metal

Good Day! We are in the beginning of June already. Where has the time gone? We are almost half way through 2025, and before ya know it another year will have passed.

Dan from No Facilities has chosen the theme of Things Made of Metal. As suggested I searched through my archives to find possible photos that would fit with this week’s theme.

Here are my contribution entries …

Dan’s CFFC-Things Made of Metal

Photo Credit:©️2016-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Be sure to check out the Which Way (CFFC) Challenge – CWWC: Any Which Way with people on Friday. I’m looking forward to seeing y’all’s Which Ways with People.

2025 Flower of the Day: 03 June

Caneberries

Caneberries are a group of berries which includes Blackberries, Raspberries, Boysenberries, Loganberries, and a few more varieties. Caneberries grow on tough, woody stems called canes. They are a part of the Rosaceae family and are also known as bramble berries. Caneberries are aggregate fruits, which means that they are made up of many clusters of individual drupelets. They thrive in cool, moist climates.

They are popular for their nutritional value and can be used in various culinary applications. Caneberry harvest typically occurs from June through August.

Caneberries are grouped by four plant characteristics: 1) growth habit (trailing, semi-erect, or erect); 2) fruiting habit (primocane or floricane); 3) presence or absence of thorns (thorny or thornless); and 4) fruit color (raspberries only).

These particular Caneberries are semi-erect; growing upright in the beginning and bending over to trail along the ground if not supported. In the Southern region of the United States, blackberries and raspberries benefit from a trellis for commercial production. 

Caneberries are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Caneberries can be enjoyed fresh, frozen, or used in jams, cobblers, ice cream, and other dishes. When they are ripe they can be eaten straight from the plant, which Coleman would have loved to do on our latest hike. Unfortunately for him, they were not ripe yet.

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL filter attachments

Location: South Fork Trail; River Link Greenway; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 Monochrome Monday: 02 June

B/W By the River

While Coleman was enjoying playing in the sand near the South Fork Catawba River, I changed the setting my iPhone to Muted B & W for some shots and Stage Light Mono for taking Portraits of Coleman at play. Enjoy watching Coleman in his element.

Monochrome Monday

Monday Portrait

Monochrome Madness

Monday Monochrome 

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: The Big Sand Pit; By the South Fork Catawba River; Riverside Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have Fun. Enjoy Nature’s beauty in the great outdoors. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 MM #35 — Through the Woods

Monochrome Madness

Leanne Cole has chosen the theme of Woods, Rainforests, and Bushland for this week’s Monochrome Madness Challenge. For Coleman and I, every time we go hiking we are hiking through the woods along one trail or another. These are from our hike on Saturday at Riverside Park and Greenway.

There is a dirt trail a few feet away from the main fishing pier which Coleman loves to hike. A few yards down the trail is a large sand area close to the South Fork Catawba River. It has been raining quite a bit here lately, so the trail was muddy but still doable.

Here you can see Coleman hiking along the muddy dirt trail through the Woods pulling his Little Tike Dump Truck/Excavator. He enjoys playing the sand and this trail and sand pit is conveniently close to our home.

Coleman Hiking
through the Woods
beside the
South Fork Catawba River

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness #35-Woods, Rainforests, and Bushland

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Cameras: 1-2) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL & UV Lens attachments; 3-6) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera

Location: Dirt Trail; Beside the South Fork Catawba River; Riverside Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy a Hike in Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Macro Monday: 02 June

Orange Coneflower

Common Eastern Bumblebee
on an Orange Coneflower

Macro Monday (MM)

Macro Monday 

Cee’s/Chris’ FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera 

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA 

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

2025 Sunday Trees: 01 June

Chamaecyparis pisifera 

‘Filifera Aurea’
Sawara cypress

Sawara cypress

This is a Golden Threadleaf Sawara Cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea’ tree. It is sumptuous, perhaps overly so although lovely to look upon. It has a bold, seamless yellow coat of drooping, thread-like foliage that sits like a huge canary-gold Easter Egg. The brilliant color of the Golden Threadleaf Sawara Cypress appeals to everyone mostly, however, its bold yellowish colour may not be pleasing to some folks.

Chamaecyparis pisifera is one of those species that horticultural humanity has fooled with for a very long time, and it is an easily propagated plant. ‘Filifera Aurea’ is an old cultivar of C. pisifera with tightly compressed needles wrapped around pendulous branchlets hence the name, ‘Threadleaf’, to describe the appearance of the foliage. There is also a cultivar, ‘Filifera’, with the same type of foliage that is a nice quiet green. But ‘Filifera Aurea’ stores some of its excess sugars and starches that form in its needles as a bright gold pigment, a glorious gold pigment, a wild, extravagant, take-your-shoes-off-and-dance gold pigment that has to make any gardener smile, even in the midst of the late winter doldrums.

‘Filifera Aurea’ is a good sized plant, eventually reaching 18-20 feet with age, but retaining a relatively formal, broadly conical shape that adds to its bold statement in the landscape. Chamaecyparis pisifera cultivars perform surprisingly well in the hot, wet southeast and ‘Filifera Aurea’ is no exception. It will happily grow a foot a year, if not overly stressed, in a broad range of soil conditions as long as it has full sun and reasonably regular moisture.

Sunday Trees – #587

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Max Fusion Camera 

Location: C.B. Huss Recreation Complex; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA 

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

2025 Last On the Card: 31 May

Brian from Bushboys World gives these rules for The Last on the Card Challenge.
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 30th April or whenever your last photo was taken.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard

Here are my #LastPhotos …

From my iPhone:

Boisea trivittata
Eastern Boxelder bug

From my HP Laptop:

Looking Straight Up

Brian’s Last on the Card

Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Looking Up

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: 1) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max; 2)Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens with Altura UV & CPL filter attachments

Location: By the South Fork Catawba River; Riverside Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 Silent Sunday: 01 June

Watching the Line

Coleman Watching
a Fishing Line

Silent Sunday 

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Photo Credit: ©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Location: South Fork Catawba River; Riverside Park and Greenway; Cram, North 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.

2025 Cell Pic Sunday: 01 June —

Cicuta maculata

Spotted Water Hemlock,
Water-hemlock, Beaver Poison

John’s CellPic Sunday – 01 June 2025

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: South Fork Catawba River; Riverside Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA 

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

2025 Skywatch Friday/Weekend Sky — 31 May

Evening Cloudy Skies

Skywatch Friday

Hammad’s Weekend Sky

Weekend Sky

Weekend Sky

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. Sky watching can be dramatic, amazing to watch the Sun Rise in the mornings. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Flower of the Day: 31 May

Yesterday, after talking a long hike along the South Fork River Trail we stopped in Confluence for a bit of respite and to cool off from the high humidity. Luckily it didn’t rain until after we arrived back home.

Sun Parasol® White Mandevilla

On display to the left of the entrance is a Kayak. Normally, it is just the kayak … no decoration inside of it. We found it to hold a pot of White Mandevilla which drew our attention to the beautiful flowers.

Mandevilla Sun Parasol White

Enjoy. Click on each image for enhanced viewing.

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge: 31 May 2025

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Out Front; Confluence; Center Street; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Take Care. Be Observant. Admire the beauty all around. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Any Type of Road, Path, Step, Bridge, or Sign

Welcome back to another Which Way Challenge (CWWC). This week I have chosen (CWWC): Any Type of Road, Path, Step, Bridge, or Sign for this week’s theme. Your Which Ways can be on any pathway, road, step, bridge, and/or sign as long as the Which Way is clearly discernible. For further information regarding the Which Way Challenge (CWWC) feel free to check out the home page here. As always remember to have fun.

Here are my entries for this week’s challenge …

Pathway/Sidewalk:

Roads:

Bridges:

Steps:

Signs:

Thank you to those who have participated and supported the Which Ways Challenge. I appreciate y’all sharing your Which Ways with us. 

For an idea of other’s Which Ways from this past week’s challenge, be sure to click on the following links below.

Brian from Bushboys World’s Exploring (going down Gore Rd)

Sandy from Out of MyWrite Mind’s Follow The Shadowy Path

WoollyMuses’ Cee-WWay-Challenge-Dirt-Paths-Roads

GERIATRI’X’ FOTOGALLERYs DIRT TRACK

chava61 from This and That’s 2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Any Which Way with Dirt roads/pathways/trails

Dawn from The Day After’s Which Way: Gravel Dirt Roads

Deb’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Any Type of Road, Path, Step, Bridge, or Sign

Photo Credit:©️2020-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

2025 Spring Festival #11 —

Springtime Blossoms

in the Neighbourhood

Welcome to my Week #11 Floral contribution to Dawn’s Spring Festival 2025.

Walking the neighbourhood today, these are some of the flowers we saw in bloom. The Calla Lilies are from different neighbouring gardens.

Dawn’s Spring Festival 2025

Cee’s FOTD

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. Take time to admire the beauty of God’s creations. Observe the Flowers, how they grow and blossom. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Thursday Trios: 29 May

Springtime with Canada Geese

Canada Geese are quite often spotted on the banks or in the waters of the South Fork Catawba River. These are just a few of the trio shots, mostly I captured the large number (about a dozen or more) of Canada Geese along the river’s banks.

Thursday Trios

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max;

Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

Be sure to check out Friday’s Which Way Challenge. This week’s theme will be (CWWC): Any Type of Road, Path, Step, Bridge, or Sign. Looking forward to seeing the Which Ways y’all share with everyone.

2025 CosPhoChal: Wildflowers

Wild for Wildflowers, regardless if they are along a walkway, beside the road, or in a Wildflower Garden or Meadow. Flowers are beautiful wherever they blossom.

Here are a few we have captured over the past few years.

Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Photo Credit:©️2020-2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

Spring 2025 Town of Cramerton Concert

Chairmen of the Board

I’m combining this post with Judy’s Numbers Game #74-195 with a theme of Concert.

On Friday evening the Town of Cramerton held a concert in Centennial Center in Downtown Cramerton. The headliner was a Trio called Chairmen of the Board.

Chairmen of the Board is an American-Canadian Soul music group based out of Detroit, Michigan. The group saw their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The group underwent changes over the years and was reformed in 1978 with members General Norman Johnson, Danny Woods, and Ken Knox. In 1980, they founded Surfside Records and began playing beach music.

The Chairmen of the Board were  inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999. The group still plays on with the exception of General Johnson (who passed in 2010 from lung cancer) and Danny Woods (who passed in 2018). Ken Knox (a 38 year member), at the request of General Johnson, has kept the legacy strong. He continues to lead the group, Chairmen of the Board, touring with current members Thomas Hunter and Patrick McGuire and  6 musicians.

The Town came out in droves to listen to Chairmen of the Board perform. The Center was packed with people from all age groups, and even a few dogs as well. The group put on a show stomping performance with people dancing, clapping, and really enjoying a tremendous good ole time performance. Coleman and I really enjoyed listening to them sing and play their songs.

Six Word Saturday

Judy’s Numbers Game #74-195

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Telephoto Camera

Location: Centennial Center; Town of Cramerton; Cramerton, North 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.

2025 Monday Window: 26 May — NASCAR #3 Windows

Kitty by a Window – 2
— AI creation by PR

Thinking about the Coca-Cola 600 today as I work on my blog; I am remembering a time when I took my granddaughter, Alona to Carowinds. She was fascinated to see Dale Earnhardt’s #3 NASCAR race car on display in front of the then “Intimidator” hypercoaster (now called “Thunder Striker”).

Alona
Dale Earnhardt’s #3
Race Car

The iconic “Intimidator” coaster ride at Carowinds opened with great fanfare in 2010. Carowinds had a long standing contract enabling them to license the name “Intimidator” through Dale Earnhardt Inc..

Alona “The Intimidator”

Carowinds “Intimidator” hypercoaster was renamed Thunder Striker after the licensing contract with Dale Earnhardt Inc. expired in December of 2023. The “Intimidator” carried its name for over a decade. The name “Intimidator” was the nickname for NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt.

Monday Window

See Monday Window posts in Reader

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

Camera: Apple iPhone X

Location: The Intimidator; Carowinds; Charlotte, North 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.

2025 Monday Portrait: 26 May

American Pitbull Terrier

at the Concert

Friday evening Cramerton had a concert in Centennial Center Park. Large crowds of people and a few dogs gathered outside to listen to a mixture of R&B and Soul music from the Detroit, Michigan based group called “Chairmen of the Board.”

This American Pitbull weaved in and out of the crowds and then looked our way as if to pose for his photo op.

Monday Portrait

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Centennial Center; Downtown Cramerton; Town of Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 Flower of the Day: 26 May — Calla Lilies

Pink Calla Lilies

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max + Google Effects

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

Benches Throughout the Greenway

Avon-Catawba Creeks Greenway

Coleman
Coleman
Coleman’s shady rest area
Coleman
Coleman
Gone to Walk
Coleman
Gotha Greenway
Gastonia Sister Cities

“Where the Green Heart of Germany meets the Gateway of Gastonia”

Dedicated on October 2, 2011

Jude’s Bench Anniversary Challenge

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2025-Week 21

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Avon-Catawba Creeks Greenway Trail; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Any Which Way with Dirt roads or dirt pathways or trails

Welcome back to the Which Way Challenge (CWWC), I’m so glad you are enjoying this challenge. For this week I have chosen the theme of (CWWC): Any Which Way with Dirt roads or dirt pathways or trails. Remember to be sure your Which Ways are clearly defined. Remember signs are always welcome in your Which Ways.

School is out for the summer or about to be if not already in your area. Summer is a fitting time to be out in the nature hiking (or taking a walk) leisurely enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.

Here are my entries for  (CWWC): Any Which Way with Dirt roads or dirt pathways or trails. Now over to y’all to show us the dirt roads, pathways, or trails you enjoy while you’re hiking or walking about in y’all’s favorite areas.

You might enjoy taking a look at other Which Ways from this past week; check out the links below:

Chava61’s 2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC)

Pepper’s How Far Can You Go Which Ways

Dawn’s A Poplar Which Way

Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Dirt roads or dirt pathways or trails

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera

Location: Dirt Trail; Riverside Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Take a hike. Enjoy a stroll through nature’s beautiful pathways and parks. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Skywatch Friday/Weekend Sky — 23 May

Morning Sunrise

Skywatch Friday

Hammad’s Weekend Sky

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. Sky watching can be dramatic, amazing to watch the Sun Rise in the mornings. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Thursday Trios: 22 May — Trachemys scripta

Trachemys scripta
aka Pond Slider

Pond Sliders are a species of common, medium-sized, semiaquatic turtles. The most recognized species are the Red-eared slider (T. s. elegans), which is popular in the pet trade and has been introduced to other parts of the world by people releasing it to the wild.

Thursday Trios

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

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

Settings: f/5.6 • 1/250 • 187mm • ISO100

Location: The Pond; The Nature Trail; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have an adventurous weekend. Discover the wonders of Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Thursday Doors: 22 May — Next-Gen Office Solutions Door

Next-Gen Office Solutions is a family owned business in Cramerton, North Carolina that provides office equipment and services to the Charlotte, North Carolina market. Their focus is on serving businesses in the community, particularly small businesses. It was formerly known as B & L Office Equipment, Inc. prior to their rebranding as Next-Gen Office Solutions in 2022.

Next-Gen Office Solutions offers a wide range of office equipment, including including printers, copiers, and other related supplies. They also offer to provide maintenance and repair services for office equipment. Another aspect of their services is offering a free  technology assessment to businesses to evaluate their needs.

Next-Gen
Office Solutions

Dan’s Thursday Doors

Thursday Doors

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Ultra Wide Camera

Location: Next-Gen Office Solutions; 100 Center Street; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 Wordless Wednesday: 21 May

Up, Down, Across,

Back and Forth

Hide and Seek

Coleman’s Way

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday 

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens and Altura Wide Angle Fisheye attachment.

Location: C.B. Huss Recreation Complex; 219 Tenth Street; Cramerton, North 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.

2025 Flower of the Day: 21 May — Asiatic Lily

Asiatic Lily
‘Tiny Rocket’
(Lilium)

Cee’s FOTD

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Stop and Admire the Flowers. Enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Flower of the Day: 20 May

Zantedeschia elliottiana

Japanese beetle
(Popillia japonica) 
on a
Yellow Calla Lily

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Cee’s FOTD

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

2025 CosPhoChal/Numbers Game: By the Water

Dale Cooper hosts The Cosmic Photo Challenge; her theme for this week’s challenge is By the Water. I have chosen to combine this week’s CosPhoChal (Cosmic Photo Challenge) with Judy’s Numbers Game #73-194 using Dale’s theme of By the Water.

Click on photos to enlarge for enhanced viewing.

 Judy’s suggestions for how 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 Judy’s 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.

Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge-By the Water

Judy’s Numbers Game #73-194

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Photo Credit:©️2019-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

2025 OWS: 19 May — Conveniently Convenience

On most hiking trails which Coleman and I there are there are sporadically placed benches Conveniently placed for hiker’s Convenience to rest, relax, and rejuvenate to continue one’s hiking adventure.

Here are a few benches Conveniently placed for hiker’s Convenience

Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Convenience

Jude’s Bench Challenge Anniversary-19 May

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2025-Week 20

Photo Credit:©️2022-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

2025 Macro Monday: 19 May

Pink Calla Lily

Zantedeschia rehmannii

Macro Monday (MM)

Macro Monday 

Cee’s/Chris’ FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera 

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA 

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

2025 Monday Window: 19 May — Mayworth’s School Apartment Windows

Mayworth Backside Windows

Kitty by a Window – 2
— AI creation by PR

The buildings the Mayworth School Apartments were once Cramerton’s historic Mayworth School. It was at one time the center of Cramerton’s small community.

The 49,000 square foot building was renovated and now houses 32 affordable apartments for the elderly as well as storage rooms, offices, a laundry room, and computer center. The original auditorium was converted into a community gathering room and two apartments were created in the upper balcony.

The renovation was completed in 2008 with an astounding construction cost of $4,100,000.

As Coleman and I left the C.B. Huss recreation center I snapped a couple of photos of the backside of the Mayworth School Apartments which shares the parking lot with the Recreation Center.

Monday Window

See Monday Window posts in Reader

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera

Location: Mayworth School Apartments; 236 Eighth Avenue, Cramerton, North 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

2025 Monochrome Monday: 19 May

Water 💧 Play 💦

Feet Togetherness
Cooling Off
Coleman Pouring H2O
What’s he planning to do
Streaming H2O

Monochrome Monday

Monday Monochrome 

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion & Ultra WideCamera 

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North 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.

2025 Sunday Trees:

Juglans nigra

Eastern American

Black Walnut

Juglans nigra,
Eastern American Black Walnut

The Juglans nigra, Eastern American Black Walnut is a species of deciduous tree in the Walnut family, Juglandaceae, native to central and eastern North America. Black Walnut trees are used commercially for its rich deep brown colour and is easily worked.

The Walnut seeds (aka nuts) are cultivated for their distinctive and desirable taste. Walnut trees are grown for lumber and food. An interesting note is that in 2017,  the United States Department of Agriculture valued U.S. Walnut timber at $530 billion. Also noted that a significant portion is grown in Missouri.

Sunday Trees – #585

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Max Fusion Camera

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 Silent Sunday: 18 May

Hanging Around

Silent Sunday:18 May 2025

Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Hang

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with (1-3) Canon EF-S55-250mm lens; (4) Canon EF-S18-55mm lens

Location: C.B. Huss Recreation Center Playground; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

Gander at a Gaggle of Geese

A Gaggle of Canada Geese
on the Banks of the
South Fork Catawba River

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday-17 May 2025

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera

Location: Banks of the South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have a Gander of your surroundings. Enjoy nature’s beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Monochrome Madness (MM) #34 — Street Lights Early Evening

An early evening walk through downtown is about the latest I can manage, I try to be home before dark (I don’t see well at night).

These are my entries …

Center Street
Downtown
Town of Cramerton
Center Street
approaching
Eighth Avenue
Corner of
North Main Street
and Eighth Avenue

All taken at 5:20pm this evening – Friday, 16 May.

Brian’s Monochrome Madness #34 (Street-lights by day or at night)

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Downtown; Town of Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 LAPC #347 — Breaking the Rules

Breaking the Rules? Whoever said one had to follow Rules in photography? Up, Down, Sideways, it doesn’t always matter if you shoot straight, point and shoot vertical or horizontal. Instead follow your own instincts, make your own interpretations on your shooting style. After all, you are the one you need to please.

What’s your angle?

Shooting across the river from a laying down position …

Shooting Subject Slightly off-center … background slightly blurred ( might be a rule though – who cares, I don’t read rules).

Not actually diagonal lines …

Lens-artists Photography Challenge #347 – break the rules!

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Cameras: 1-4) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera; 5-6) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV filter attachment.

Locations: 1-4) Riverside Park and Greenway; 5-6) Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 Spring Festival #9 —

Zantedeschia

Calla Lilies

Welcome to my Week #9 Floral contribution to Dawn’s Spring Festival. This week I am displaying Calla Lilies at various stages from my neighbours garden. Coleman stops by their garden every day on the way to and from the school bus to see which flowers have blossomed from one day to the next.

Zantedeschia, (Calla Lilies) is the sole genus in the tribe Zantedeschieae in a 1997 classification of the Araceae. There are currently eight (8) recognized species. Portrayed here are the White, Yellow, and Pink Calla Lilies.

 They are herbaceous, bulbous perennials with long, arrow-shaped leaves; some species have leaves with beautiful, window-like translucent spots.  The uniquely shaped flower heads, consisting of small flowers in a spadix surrounded by a spathe, make great cut flowers.  The spathe is usually white or green, but cultivars exist with yellow, pink, red, and purple hues.  They bloom from late spring to early summer.

Calla Lilies can be grown in pots or in the ground. These images are of Calla Lilies grown in a small garden. ‘Calla lily’ is a member of the Arum family and is poisonous if eaten.

Calla lilies generally prefer full sun to partial shade, with full sun being ideal for cooler regions and partial shade being more suitable for warmer areas. They are perennial plants which may grow back every year and continue to produce beautiful blooms under the right conditions.

Calla Lilies may multiply spreading through their underground rhizomes, which develop additional growth buds and can be divided to create new plants. These particular Calla Lilies have been divided and multiplied continuously over time.

Dawn’s Spring Festival 2025 #9

Spring Festival 2025

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Cee’s FOTD

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. Admire the flowers, watch them grow and bloom. Nature is a beautiful artist painting amazingly beautiful flowers and beautifully colourful landscapes. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Any Which Way (Your Choice)

CWWC
Cee’s Which Way Challenge

Welcome back to another Which Way Challenge (CWWC). This week I have chosen Any Which Way (Your Choice) for this week’s theme. The Which Way can be any path, sidewalk, trail, or road as long as the Which Way is clearly discernible. For further information regarding the Which Way Challenge (CWWC) feel free to check out the home page here.

My Choice of Which Ways for this week’s theme are in two segments. The first Which Way being a paved pathway, aka nature trail) some with people and some without.

My second segment of Which Ways are of a dirt pathway within a baseball field.

Here is my first Which Ways segment:

And here is my second Which Ways segment:

Thank you to those who have participated and supported the Which Ways Challenge. I appreciate y’all sharing your Which Ways with us. 

For an idea of other’s Which Ways from this past week’s challenge, be sure to click on the following links below.

gwh photos2’s Which Way Challenge-Shadows: May 9, 2025

Deb’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC)-Your Choice

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV filter attachment.

Locations: Segment One) South Fork River Trail; Carolina Thread Trail; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Segment Two) C.B. Huss Recreation T-Ball Field; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Take a Hike/Walk. Enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with e. I appreciate y’all very much.

Note: Next Week’s Theme => CWWC: Dirt roads or dirt pathways or trails

2025 Cee’s FOTD: 15 May

Yucca gloriosa

The Yucca Gloriosa, also known as Spanish Dagger, is a native evergreen yucca in the southeast USA on the coasts of North Carolina south to Florida. [This plant is in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.] It grows as a shrub or small tree and can grow up to 16 feet tall but is relatively slow-growing.

Yucca gloriosa

The leaves are in a basal rosette on younger plants and are sword-shaped with sharp tips. Eventually, it will develop a woody trunk with a more tree-like form. [This particular Yucca plant is a shrub with bayonet like leaves which are crowded in the lower area and spread outwards at the top. The plant is heat, humidity, drought and salt tolerant and can tolerate some cold and snow.

Aka Mound Lily Yucca,
Spanish Dagger,
Spanish Dagger Yucca

The Yucca gloriosa (Spanish Dagger) attracts the Yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella) for pollination as well as the larva feeding on the seeds. It is said that the Yucca plant flowers also attracts bees and hummingbirds, however, I have not seen them around it as of yet.

Spanish Dagger Yucca
Winter – January 2025

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: 1-2) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max; 3) Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Stop and enjoy the flowers. Have a lovely day. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Thursday Trios: 15 May

Canada Geese

It is Springtime, the Canada Geese are flocking to the rivers. In the past few days as Coleman and I have visited the South Fork Catawba River and Goat Island Park and Greenway, we have noticed more and more Canada Geese enjoying the riverbanks as well as swimming and gliding in the waters of the South Fork Catawba River.

Here are a few photos of Canada Geese Trios captured this week.

Thursday Trios 

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: 1-2) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max; 3-6) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV filter attachment.

Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

Be sure to check out Friday’s Which Way Challenge. This week I am allowing y’all to choose your own Which Ways to share with us all.

2025 Throwback Thursday Doors: 15 May

Ford Model T

Ford introduced the Model T in 1908. It was Ford’s universal car that put THE WORLD ON WHEELS. Henry Ford wanted the Model T to be affordable, simple to operate, and durable. The vehicle was one of the first mass production vehicles, allowing Ford to achieve his aim of manufacturing the universal car.

Ford Model T

This particular Ford Model T was owned and operated by my late maternal grandfather, Harvey Martin Watson. It is one of the earliest automobiles which I have photos of that were given to me by my maternal grandmother after his passing in 1968. I cherish all of my grandfather’s photos, they contain so much family history within them.

1925? Ford Model T
with my Maternal Grandfather,
Harvey Martin Watson
and oldest son
Marvin Houston Watson

On another note; my Paternal Great Grandfather, Thomas E. Waters also owned a Ford Model T. I have a photocopy (somewhere in my files) of a newspaper article from June 1928 which states that my Great Grandfather, Thomas E. Waters was racing his Model T against a car my Grandfather, John Thomas Waters drove. They were racing down the old country road between Lancaster and Bethune, South Carolina when the Model T flipped killing him and injuring his daughter, Francis Penelope Waters (My Paternal Aunt). This is a sad, but true story which I hadn’t known about until I began researching our family history. Model T’s were not designed for speeding down old country back roads.

Dan’s Thursday Doors

Throwback Thursday

God Bless. Be careful driving through the back country. Be safe. Have a fantastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 SYD: May 15

Clare from Clare’s Cosmos invites everyone to join her in Sharing Your Desktop (SYD). Below are her suggestions for participating in the Share Your Desktop Challenge 

To do so, simply share the photo* you have set as your wallpaper;
Provide as little or as much detail as you wish;
Use a pingback, or post a link here so I know you have joined in on the fun;

Then finally, share the fun around.

I am sharing my Wallpaper from both my Laptop and my Smartphone. I enjoy looking at different images each month. Most of which revolve around Coleman (my grandson) and nature.

Here are my Desktop Wallpaper and Screensaver for my Laptop:

From My HP Laptop:

Desktop Background Wallpaper
Coleman
in
Goat Island Playground
Desktop Screensaver
Canada Geese
South Fork Catawba River
Goat Island Park and Greenway

From My Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: 

Personal Focus
Coleman
Goat Island Park and Greenway
Reading Focus
Coleman
sitting on a pipe
at
Goat Island Park and Greenway
Hiking Focus
Coleman
Tree Climbing
at
Riverside Park and Greenway

Share Your Desktop – May 2025

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #268

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment

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

2025 Wordless Wednesday: 14 May

Pond Slider

Pond Slider Turtle
South Fork Catawba River
Goat Island Park and Greenway

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday 

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #268

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV filter attachment.

Location: South Fork Catawba River; South Fork River Trail; River Link Greenway; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have a sunshiny day. Observe Nature. Thankful for local wildlife. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Monday Portrait: 12 May

Plus Birds of the Carolinas

/Bird of the Week CXVI

Anas Platyrhynchos

The Anas Platyrhynchos also known as Mallards are one of several varieties of duck species, which include both resident and migratory birds. The Mallard is the most abundant duck in North America, often found in a variety of habitats. Even though apparently abundant, we have not seen many of the Mallards in or around the Catawba River.

The Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) is a widespread dabbling duck with a long body and high tail. The Mallard is easily identified by the male’s iridescent green head, white neck collar, and black tail curl. Females and juveniles have mottled brown bodies and dull orange bills. Both sexes have iridescent blue wing speculums. Mallards breed in fresh marshes surrounding lakes, ponds, beaver ponds, impoundments, open swamps, and such like areas, however, they do have a propensity to avoid nesting in brackish marshes. 

Coleman and I went hiking on the South Fork River Trail, a part of the Carolina Thread Trail, in Goat Island Park and Greenway on Saturday watching a partial day without rainfall (it rained again after we were safely home). While hiking the trail, Coleman and I were looking for the Turtles that often sun themselves on logs in the South Fork Catawba River. What were spotted prior to the Turtles were a pair of Mallards standing on a log checking out the River area. [This was the first time we’ve seen the Mallards in this region of the South Fork Catawba River.]

As we continued our hike we did encounter a lone Turtle sunning on a log which dove quickly into the river. But alas, we ventured on down the trail to find more Mallards on logs and in the river. It was fascinating to see and watch them especially since we had not previously seen the Mallards in this section of the Catawba River before.

Mallards feed in the water by tipping forward and grazing on underwater plants. They almost never dive. They can be very tame ducks especially in city ponds, and often group together with other Mallards and other species of dabbling ducks.

Mallards are able to live in almost any wetland habitat, natural or artificial. Look for them on lakes, ponds, marshes, rivers, and coastal habitats, as well as nearby city and suburban parks and residential backyards.

Monday Portrait

Birds of the Carolinas

Bird of the Week CXVI

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #268

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV filter attachment.

Settings: f/6.3 • 1/320 • 250mm • ISO800-2000

Location: South Fork Catawba River; South Fork River Trail; River Link Greenway; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Get outdoors and enjoy nature’s beauty and natural wildlife. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.