Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography
This blog is for my insights on life, the Bible, hiking adventures with my grandson and whatever is important to me
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Seen along the I-77 driving (I wasn’t driving) North from Lancaster County, South Carolina, USA
God bless. Get out and enjoy the outdoors. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Throwback to 2017
Sundance, the Sunshine Bear
I visited the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina with my daughter, Trisha and granddaughter, Alona back in August of 2017 [Seven (7) years ago]. We were able to enjoy the various zoo animals and the entertaining antics of Sundance, the Sunshine Bear.
Sadly, Sundance passed away on April 30, 2022 due to declining health. He came to the Riverbanks Zoo along with his brother, Butch, at the young age of only nine (9) months old. Sundance had a gentle disposition, kind eyes, and loved to interact with his zookeepers. He was known as the Sunshine Bear, always bringing a bit of sunshine to those who came to see him.
Becky’s Squares-#Seven for September
Photo Credit:©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Location: Riverbanks Zoo and Garden; Columbia, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Riverbanks Zoo with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
I once lived very close to Southern California beaches, but I have not lived there for many years. Pacific Beach, Mission Bay, Coronado Beach, and La Jolla Shores are some of my favourites and hold precious memories.
For years I have enjoyed the peacefulness of God near the shorelines of a couple different lakes. One of my all time favourites is the lake at Andrew Jackson State Park in Lancaster County, South Carolina.
Another lake my grandson and I have enjoyed relaxing, observing nature, having fun is Lake Haigler at the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
One last “lake” to share with y’all is one we visit and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the beautiful atmosphere is at Little Glade Millpond off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the North Carolina Mountains.
I could sit at the shore of a lake anytime anywhere. I dream of walking along the shores of the California coastline. I have fond memories of doing just that. Someday, I hope to take my grandson to see & play in the Pacific Ocean. What shoreline do you wish you could walk along everyday? Click one of the links below to join the challenge & link your own adventures along Shorelines.
Lens-Artist Challenge: Shorelines
Anne’s LENS-Artist —Shorelines
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. Have an enjoyable relaxing weekend. I appreciate y’all very much.
#Seven Bugs/Insects for September
Instead of separate posts I decided to combine Terri’s Sunday Stills with Judy’s Numbers Game and Becky’s Squares Challenges. Therefore, instead of using the number 158, I have chosen to use the Words Bugs and Insects to use for Judy’s Numbers Game this week. Oh, of course, going along with Becky’s Squares Challenge they will all be Squared. The words Bugs and Insects fits right into Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge-All about Bugs.
Uno (One, 1):
Dos (Two, 2):
Tres (Three, 3):
Cuatro (Four, 4):
Cinco (Five, 5):
Seis (Six, 6):
Siete (Seven, 7):
Terri’s Sunday Stills- All about Bugs
Becky’s Squares-#Seven for September
Photo Credit:©️Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
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.
Here are my Last on the Card photos for August:
From my Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max:
From my Canon EOS Rebel T3i:
From my Dad’s Minolta XG – 7:
Brian’s Busboys World is the host Last on the Card
God Bless. Have a great week and join in on the fun. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
My entries for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge I acquired from searching in my archives are shown below.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
West Coast — East Coast Finds
The majority of beaches are more than three hours away from where we live except for around the lakes. It has been awhile since I’ve been to any beaches, so I combed through my archives to see what I could sea.
Here are my findings from out along the WEST Coast and Pacific Northwest Coast.
Moving back to the East Coast, we can Sea these beautiful and interesting beach finds.
Brian’s Monochrome Madness–Found(on the beach)
Leanne’s Monochrome Madness #15-At the Beach
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
—- Out in Nature
Good Day y’all! For this week’s challenge I dug into my archives to see what Lime or Lemon colours I could find to fit the theme. Hope y’all enjoy the selections I found.
Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Lime or Lemon
Photo Credit: ©️2020-2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Entomyzon cyanotis
The Blue-faced honeyeater is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. The Blue-faced honeyeater is considered large at 29.5 centimeters ( 11.6 inches) in length. Its plumage is distinctive in coloration; having olive upper parts, white underparts, and a black head and throat with white nape and cheeks. Unlike some other bird species, males and females are similar in external appearance.
The Blue-faced honeyeaters are found in open woodland, parks, and gardens. [This one was shot at the Riverbanks Zoo & Garden in Columbia, South Carolina.] They are common in northern and eastern Australia, and southern New Guinea.
These birds feast on a diet of mostly invertebrates along with nectar and fruit. The name of banana-bird was given to it due to its propensity for feeding on the flowers and fruit of bananas in North Queensland. One of the early naturalist, George Shaw, called it the blue-faced honey-sucker in 1826.
Photo Credit:©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus Telephoto camera
Location: Riverbanks Zoo & Garden; Columbia, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting Riverbanks with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a fabulous week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Greenway Horse
Photo Credit:©️2022 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 13 Pro Wide Camera
Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Greenway with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find 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.
Here are my 156 & variation contributions for this week of Judy’s Numbers Game #35-156 (Hope the numbers right—I got in a hurry, sorry).
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Lancaster Sky
After the Rainstorms
God Bless. Have a funtastic rest of your weekend. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Clare from Clare’s Cosmos is asking all of us once again to share our desktops. All you need to do is share the photo (not your actual desktop) you have set as your wallpaper. Provide whatever information you desire about the photo. Use a pingback, or post a link to her blog here so she knows you’ve joined in on the fun. Then, enjoy sharing the fun around.
Here are my August Desktops:
From my Laptop:
My Laptop Screensaver Wallpaper-
My Laptop Wallpaper Background-
From My iPhone 14 Pro Max
Personal Focus-
Television Focus-
Hiking Focus-
Reading Focus-
Work Focus-
Come on along and join the fun. Share one or more, it doesn’t matter whether the photos are from your desktop, laptop, tablet, or your smartphone wallpaper(s).
Clare’s Share Your Desktop-August 2024
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Looking forward to seeing y’all’s desktop photos. Have a wonderful week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Welcome to “The Numbers Game #34”.Today’s number is 155. 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 week I am combining Judy’s Numbers Game with Leanne’s Monochrome Madness and Leya’s Lens-Artist Photo Challenge . I am choosing to use the Word Garden for this week’s challenges.
Glencairn Gardens
Glencairn Gardens is ideal for a Spring stroll through the gardens of blooming azaleas, pansies, wisteria, and periwinkle. When visiting the Gardens be sure to meander through the Veterans Garden which pays tribute to Veterans of all branches of service. Also, during Spring, you be able to enjoy the blossoms of Viburnum, Pink and white Dogwoods, Redbuds, peonies, magnolia trees, and flowering Yoshino and Kwanzan cherry trees.
There is beauty to be seen no matter when one decides to visit Glencairn Gardens. Summertime brings on the colourful bright blooms of crape myrtles, daylilies and hundreds of other annuals.
The trails through the Gardens pass by several fountains, ponds, as well as the vast variety of flowering plants and trees. we enjoy strolling pass the Fountains, especially when they are flowing during the springtime. We always stop by the Veterans Garden when we go visit and remember our family members who have served in our Armed Forces.
Glencairn Gardens began in 1928 as a backyard garden by David and Hazel Bigger who lived in the h9use that serves as the park’s welcome center. It was the inspiration for Rock Hill’s annual Come-See-Me Festival which is a festival celebrating music, frogs, and fun. The Bigger’s gifted this Gardens to the City of Rock Hill through a deed in 1958. The peak blooming season is from the end of March to the middle of April. The Veterans Garden was created with the partnership with The American Legion Post 34 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2889. It h9onors women and men from the past, present, and future who served in the United States armed forces.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #311 – What’s in a Garden?
Photo Credit:©️2019 & 2023 Deb L Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: Apple iPhone XR and Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF 75-300 mm and Canon EF-S18-55mm lenses.
Location: Glencairn Gardens; Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Gardens with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Brown Thrasher’s name stems from its unique feeding behavior of foraging on the ground for its food. It usually forages amongst leaf litter and other thick ground cover. It quickly sweeps or thrashes its long bill in a side-to-side motion thrashing through leaf litter and other ground cover to uncover food. Its distinctive feeding strategy of thrashing for its food is shared with western relatives like the Bendire’s Thrasher.
The Brown Thrasher can be seen in abundance throughout the Eastern and Central United States. Interesting enough, the Brown Thrasher is the only thrasher which lives primarily east of the Rockies and central Texas. It is the state bird of Georgia. The photos of these Brown Thrashers were taken in Lancaster County, in the Piedmont region of South Carolina.
It is known as the “Mimic Thrush”, however, it is out mimicked by the Northern Mockingbird. It only repeats one or two phrases unlike the mockingbird which repeats three or more. Its sound is more mellow and musical in quality.
Springtime is the best time of the year if you desire to spot a Brown Thrasher. After they pair off, they tend to become more elusive, staying hidden underneath thick cover. They are monogamous during breeding season and both males and females incubate the eggs ( around 3-5) and feed the nestlings. Even so, the females still do the majority of the incubation.
The Brown Thrasher typically feeds heavily on insects during the breeding season and on fruits, berries, and seeds during other times of the year.
Photo Credit ©️2013 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Lancaster, Lancaster County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
I’m hoping to have some sunny sunshine anyways. We’ve been having a tremendous amount of rain and wind from the outskirts of Hurricane Debby/Tropical Storm Debby ( now Tropical Depression Debby). At least I can dream of sunshine even if we do not get it for several days yet.
Leigha’s Sunny Sunday Challenge
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 31
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take time to stop and smell the flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
For One Word Sunday this week Debbie has chosen Framed. She is not referring to placing a photo in a frame, but rather using nature to frame a scene or subject.
Photo Credit: 1-3)©️1979 Nornal H. Waters … All Rights Reserved; 4) ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Cameras: 1-3) Minolta XG-7 35 mm; 4) iPhone 14 Pro Max
Locations: 1-3) Sequoia National Forest; Tulare County, California; 4) Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Viburnum opulus
Photo Credit: ©️2022 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Location: Riverwalk; Piedmont Medical Center Trail; Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
To play along with Judy’s Numbers Game simply go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a choice 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.
I have chosen to pick a word to select my photos for this week’s Numbers Game hosted by Judy Dykstra-Brown’s blog. The Word I have chosen is Zoo. My selections come from four different zoos.
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
Greenville Zoo
San Diego Wild Animal Park
Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2024-Week 31
Jez’s Water Water Evverywhere #230
Photo Credit: Sets 1-3) ©️2012-2022 Deb L. Waters; 4th Set)©️1979 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: 1-3) Canon EOS Rebel T3i; 4) Minolta XG-7 35 mm
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Zoos with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much. Have a wonderful day.
For this week in doing Cee’s Which Way My Way I’m choosing a theme of Any Dirt Roads, Pathways, or Trails. I’d love for y’all to join me in posting your Dirt Roads, Pathways or Trails.
For Cee’s Which Way doing it My Way I have chosen to select Dirt Trails from our favourite Greenway with Coleman. If desired, you can click on each photo for enlarged viewing.
Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Dogwood Trail; Horse Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your Dirt Roads, Pathways, and or Trails with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Brian from Bushboy.blog asks us to post our last photo on our SD card or phone on the last day of the month. No editing. Explanations not necessary. Create a Pingback or leave a link in comments to Brian’s blog. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard. Your last photo doesn’t have to be on the very last day of the month if you didn’t take any photos on that day. Maybe it was earlier in the month when the last photo was taken.
From My iPhone:
From my Canon EOS Rebel T3i:
From My Dad’s Slides taken with his Minolta XG-7 35 mm Via My Wolverine Digital Converter:
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Smell the Flowers. Enjoy the Outdoors. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Flowers & Wings
in the Bright Sunshine
Wings on Bright Flowers
Terri’s Sunday Stills-Wings
The Cosmic Photo Challenge-What’s flowering where you are?
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #308-Perfect Pairs
Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge
Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thankful for a slight break from all the rain. Wish we could have a break from this extreme heat. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
God Bless. Have a funtastic rest of your week. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Young Alpacas
These three Alpacas can be visited at the Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm at the Horse Road Entrance to the Anne Springs Close Greenway. The Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm offers a unique blend of education and exploration for visitors of all ages.
Integrating the former petting zoo and adding a pastoral habitat, observation areas for various animals, a half-mile loop trail, gathering lawn, educational garden, and open-air learning center, the Children’s Farm aims to provide daily interpretation and demonstrations on a variety of topics in an immersive learning environment.
Tours of the Children’s Farm are self-guided. On Saturdays and Sundays Animal Care Volunteers may possibly be on site during specified times. If interested, please check the Greenway’s website prior to visiting for further details.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Cee’s Flower of the Day
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Clare from Clare’s Cosmos is asking all of us once again to share our desktops. All you need to do is share the photo (not your actual desktop) you have set as your wallpaper. Provide whatever information you desire about the photo. Use a pingback, or post a link to her blog here so she knows you’ve joined in on the fun. Then, enjoy sharing the fun around.
Here are my July Desktops:
From my Laptop:
Wallpaper:
Screensaver:
From my Smartphone
(iPhone 14 Pro Max)
Hiking Focus:
Television Focus:
Personal Focus:
Reading Focus:
Come on along and join the fun. Share one or more, it doesn’t matter whether the photos are from your desktop, laptop, tablet, or your smartphone wallpaper(s).
Clare’s Share Your Desktop-July 2024
Photo Credit: 1 & 3)©️1963 Nornal H. Waters (my dad); 2 & 4-6) ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Looking forward to seeing y’all’s desktop photos. Have a wonderful week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Katie’s Horses
Katie Brown owns five horses she keeps at the Anne Springs Close Greenway pastures.
On this day, her horses were seen at the Greenway’s Dairy Barn Entrance.
Murphy can be very playful and entertaining.
Photo Credit:©️2024 Cathy States (hiking club friend) …All Rights Reserved.
Location: Dairy Barn Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Hope it’s not too hot for all y’all. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Sunflower
Helianthus annuus |
Common Sunflower ‘Titan’
The ‘Titan’ sunflower, as the name suggests, is a giant annual sunflower variety with an extra thick stem, supporting huge, alternating leaves, and a massive flower head that can reach 16-22 inches across! Plus Titan sunflowers can grow to heights of 12-14 feet! Blooms from July to September. Sunflowers attract a myriad of pollinators including bees, birds, butterflies and many others as well.
Leigha’s Sunny Sunday Challenge
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 28
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
A Hodgepodge of Pix
A Hodgepodge of Coleman
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I look forward to seeing y’all’s pictures for Judy’s Numbers Game. I appreciate y’all very much.
American Crows
Crows are arguably the most familiar birds in America. Interestingly, what you might it realize is that in much of the eastern part of the U.S., including the South Carolina Lowcountry, there are actually two different species of crows, and they look alike.
One of these is the ubiquitous American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), found across most of North America. The American Crow is the crow most often seen and recognized. It is a large, clever, black bird with a harsh voice and a big personality.
The second type of Crow the Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus), which occurs along the Atlantic coast from southern Maine to Florida, and along the Gulf. The American Crow and the Fish Crow are members of the family Corvidae, which includes many familiar and intelligent birds, including rooks, jays, and ravens.
Here we are concentrating on the American Crow. The American Crow (formerly named the Common Crow) is an iridescent black crow is common throughout the Carolinas and is known for its “caw-caw” call. The are permanent residents with migratory movements. They are especially abundant throughout the winter season.
American Crows are known for being smart, adaptable, and resourceful, and can use tools to find food. They preferably nest in mixed pine and hardwood forests. They forage in open areas such as croplands, pastures and landfills. In urban areas, it is possible for them to use parks and tree-lined streets as roosting and nesting locations.
Crows represent change and transformation which in some cultures are seen as a “bad” omen if you see their appearance. The appearance of one or a flock of crows may indicate temporary and unexpected changes are coming. In Native American culture, crows are signs of knowledge and law. Seeing one of these black creatures is often a mark of good luck, justice, or wisdom.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Fishing Creek Hydro Station
The Fishing Creek Hydro Station, ( I grew up knowing it as the Great Falls Hydro Station/Dam), is located on the Catawba River in Great Falls, Chester County, South Carolina. It borders Lancaster County, South Carolina. It was built in 1916 by the Southern Power Company, predecessor to the station’s current owner, Duke Power.
Just like the name suggests, the creek is a popular area for fishing 🎣 and recreation. Fishing Creek Lake – created by the dam – has four access point along the 61 miles of shoreline, including Landsford Canal State Park. [Of a side interest, the Catawba River at Landsford Canal State Park is an excellent area for seeing the Spider Lilies each Spring.]
Hydropower provides about one percent of Duke Energy’s U.S. energy production, but the company’s more than 30 stations are able to activate quickly to meet customer demand during extreme temperatures. In addition to reliable power, communities near lakes created by Duke Energy’s stations are able to enjoy fishing, swimming, kayaking, and even photography.
Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #226
Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2024 Week 27
Photo Credit:©️1980 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Heritage USA
In Monochrome
Leanne’s Monochrome Madness is a non-themed week; my own theme this week is surrounded by photos I’ve recently digitized about Heritage USA. To make viewing easier, I have made a slideshow of the monochrome photos in the beginning and ending with the original photos from my dad’s slides.
Heritage USA was a Christian -themed amusement park opened in 1978 by televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, founders of The PTL Club. At its peak, it was the third-largest park in the USA behind Disney World and Disney Land, with almost 6 million visitors annually.
In the late 1980’s, Heritage USA was rocked by two debilitating scandals all while they were in the middle of a massive expansion. The organization had its tax-exempt status revoked after Jim Bakker was indicted on various federal fraud charges. Later he was accused of sexual improprieties with an encounter with a church secretary.
To add to the problems Heritage USA was experiencing, the park was heavily damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, it shut down for good shortly after.
In this present day and age, only a few remnants of the park are still visible. The abandoned 21-story Heritage USA Hotel stands as an eerie and empty shell looming over the suburban landscape. The Upper Room Chapel was purchased sometime after the park’s closing and is maintained as a prayer room for a local ministry. The Heritage Grand Hotel is now the Heritage International Ministries Conference Center.
Photo Credit: ©️1980 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Sunny Sunflower Sends
Sunshine to your Soul
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Take time to Smell the Flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
This week I’m continuing Cee’s Which Way Challenge doing it My Way. Therefore for this the first week of July, I have chosen a theme of Dirt Paths, Dirt Roads, Roads and Signs. I welcome anyone who desires to join me on this week’s Which Way Challenge.
Let’s Go Fishing …
Photo Credit: ©️1963-1980 Nornal H. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Catawba River; Great Falls Dam; Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Great Falls Dam. Enjoy the beautiful great outdoors. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Water Tower
Great Falls Water Tower
Photo Credit: ©️1978 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Judy’s Numbers Game can bring about interesting results and insights from those who choose to participate. The challenge is alive, let’s join the fun. In searching for the #149 and its variations the results that popped are displayed below in this post.
#149. Around the Greenway
#149 Deviations Around Gastonia
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Flowers, Fruit, & Birds
God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Take time to Smell the Flowers. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Lancaster, South Carolina
Andrew Jackson State Park
Lancaster County, South Carolina
Cosmic Photo Challenge-Sunrise/Sunset
Photo Credit: 1-2)©️2024 Shirley Hunter; 3-4)©️2021 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Locations: Lancaster County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are just one bird species out of hundreds that you might see feasting from your bird feeder in South Carolina.
Northern Cardinals are common backyard birds in North America and can be found in many locations in South Carolina, including Seabrook Island, Lexington, and Lancaster County.
Male Northern Cardinals are known for their bright red feathers, black eye masks, and short crests. Females are brown with red accents and crests.
Northern Cardinals are seed and berry eaters, but also eat insects, spiders, centipedes, and snails. They prefer to forage on the ground rather than in feeders.
Distinguished by their “mohawks” and reddish-orange beaks, both genders remain year-round residents in South Carolina.
Northern Cardinals are non-migratory birds, meaning that once you draw them to your yard they are likely to stay there year-round.
Natural fruits that attract these birds include blueberry bushes, mulberry trees, and other dark-colored berries. Bird seeds that have been known to attract Cardinals include black oil sunflower, cracked corn, suet, mealworms, peanuts, safflower, striped sunflower, and sunflower hearts and chips.
In many cultures throughout the world, the vibrant red color of the cardinal is a symbol of good luck and abundance. It is also said to represent vitality. If a cardinal crosses your path, it is meant to give you strength and hope.”
Photo Credit: ©️2013 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved
Location: Lancaster County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Feral Cats
Photo Credit:©️2018 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved
Camera: Apple iPhone X
Location: Lancaster County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Take care of yourself. I appreciate y’all very much.
Summertime Fun
Photo Credit: ©️1967 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Catawba River; Near Great Falls Dam; Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
A Scattering of Pix
from Here to There
From Here —- Road Work in the Neighbourhood …
Taking a Break … Maneuvering around the Roadwork …
From Over Yonder … Looking Over the Geological Layers of the Grand Canyon …
Moving Further Westward … Wishing we could Cool off in this Magnificent Historical Pool …
Deciding that won’t be allowed … Returning to our own Carolinas … to be Refreshed in the Catawba River …
Back Here … Thinking of Family.
Photo Credit: 1-2)©️2024 Deb L. Waters; 3-6, ≠5) ©️1963-1979 Nornal H. Waters; 5)©️2022 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for Scattering the Pix with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
This is Great Falls Elementary School (formerly called Mebane Grammar School.) This is the school my dad attended when he was growing up in Great Falls, South Carolina.
Lens-Artists Challenge #305-Rectangles
Photo Credit:©️1963 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Mebane Grammar School; aka Great Falls Elementary School; Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Everywhere you go there are signs to Welcome your presence. Welcome you to come into a store, Welcome you to a town, Welcome you to a Greenway, and even Welcoming children to a Playground.
Let’s start with our Welcome to a favourite store in Amish Country, Ohio called Lehman’s. Lehman’s provides products that Amish and Englishers alike desire to purchase and meets the needs of those desiring a simpler lifestyle.
Next up is a Greenway constructed in the last five years in Lancaster. The Lindsay Pettus Greenway was intentionally designed as a hard-surface trail to ensure that people of all mobility levels can smoothly access the trail. By doing so, everyone can connect to places of interest and engage with nature. This Greenway is a place where everyone can freely enjoy over two traffic-free miles of nature in the heart of Lancaster County.
On one of our visits to the North Carolina mountains we stayed in West Jefferson while attending a family reunion in Deep Gap. After the reunion, we walked around the Historic Downtown area of West Jefferson and discovered many interesting places and sights including the Ashe County Cheese Factory. The Ashe County Cheese is just a short ways down a side street from this sign. There you may watch cheese being made & then go straight across the road and buy some freshly made cheese in any flavour that suits your palate.
Here we are in the city we currently reside. Welcome to our area of the world.
One of the places my grandson, Coleman, likes me to take him to is the Playground at the local YMCA. Approaching the Playground we notice the sign Welcoming us (especially children) to the Playspace.
Time for us to go home and relax. You are Welcome to visit our area anytime.
Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Welcome
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Roads/Dirt Roads
This week I’m continuing Cee’s Which Way Challenge doing it My Way. Therefore for this the third week of June I have chosen a theme of Roads/Dirt Roads. I welcome anyone who desires to join me on this week’s Which Way Challenge.
As I have been working to digitize my dad’s old slides I have come across several photos my dad took of Roads in Great Falls, South Carolina back in 1963.
We are starting our (my) Which Way with the Road in front of my Paternal Grandparents home. Their home was originally a Mill Duplex Home and converted into a single family residence.
Next, we come to the corner of Walnut Street and Argonne Avenue. This is the location of the J P Stevens & Company Mill where my paternal grandfather worked. The Mills in Great Falls were formerly known as Republic Cotton Mills. [Closed in the early 1980’s.]
1923 Republic Cotton Mill #3 – a silk mill production. The building had a unique saw-tooth roof. There was Village housing and a neighborhood grocery store.
Continuing on our journey, we drive along Chester Avenue. On this Road we can see the Bradley Motor Company ( a FORD Dealership) where my dad worked when he finished high school and again when he first was discharged from the U S Navy.
As we continue cruising through the Town of Great Falls, we see a Dirt Road behind the Power plant. Here we notice old Railroad tracks no longer in use. They would have kept extremely busy in the heyday of the town.
The Town of Great Falls is located in Chester County, South Carolina. The name of the Great Falls came from the nearby waterfalls on the Catawba River. The Town was founded by the power company owned by Mr. J.B. Duke. J.B. Duke built hydro electric plants on the Catawba and was the founder of the three Republic Cotton Mills.
Photo Credit: ©️1963 Nornal H. Waters … (my dad) All Rights Reserved.
Location: Town of Great Falls, Chester County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting in my reminiscing of the Town of Great Falls, SC. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Familial Grounds
This FOWC is in alignment with the latest of my dad’s slides I have recently (just yesterday) digitized. They are of the familial burial grounds of my paternal grandparents.
My father took them on one of our trips to visit his dad, his brother, his sister and her family. The location of the cemetery can be walked to through a path off of the street below my grandparents home.
This was the first time we (my immediate family) had been to the cemetery since my paternal grandmother’s passing in 1970. When she passed, my dad was the only one of us that could fly back for her funeral service.
This view allows us to see both the Headstone and my paternal grandmother’s Foot Marker in the Greenlawn Cemetery.
Photo Credit: ©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Greenlawn Cemetery; Great Falls, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the cemetery with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Rummaging through my dad’s old slides I ran across these pictures of a crashed and smashed car where you could clearly see the damage done to the doors, the windows, the hood, and trunk of the car.
I am not sure who the car belonged to, but I know the children who are shown looking at the crashed and smashed vehicle. They are my cousin and my brother. I do not even want to consider what happened to the person or persons who might have been in the car. By looking at those car doors it would have been a miracle if anyone survived without injuries.
I believe I would prefer the Public Service District truck which drives around Great Falls performing the necessary maintenance and repairs making sure the Town of Great Falls is safe, secure, and it proper working order.
Photo Credit:©️1963 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Town of Great Falls, Chester County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Town of Great Falls with us. Hope you have a fantastic day filled with joy, laughter, and no wrecks. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
American Goldfinch
The Scientific name for the American Goldfinch is Spinus tristis. American Goldfinches are cherished for their bright yellow feathers. They appear year-round in western South Carolina and during fall and winter in the east.
The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter.
These photos of male American Goldfinch were captured in Lancaster County, South Carolina in our backyard. They blend in with the yellow wildflowers that you could almost miss seeing them if you weren’t looking carefully.
Human activity has generally benefited the American goldfinch. It is often found in residential areas because it is attracted to bird feeders, which increase its survival rate in these areas. Deforestation also creates open meadow areas, which are its preferred habitat.
Interestingly, Goldfinches connect to spirituality by their vibrant presence, reminding individuals of the necessity to live life fully and energetically.
Photo Credit: ©️2013 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved
Location: Lancaster County, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 