Union Church (Baptist) was originally constituted in August of 1866 in the Mountain Union Baptist Association. Some of the charter members were some of my paternal ancestors on my Waters ancestral line.
The Union Church has undergone several changes over the years and has existed for One Hundred Sixteen (116) years. More information about the early churches and the history of Ashe County may be found on the Ashe County Historical Society’s Facebook or Website.
Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.
A few days ago, as Coleman and I were walking home from the museum we encountered a stranger. Normally we/I wouldn’t think anything about it, but this time was kind of different. We usually ride the city transit back and forth from our home to the museum or library or the YMCA, but the city changed the bus routes which made it take four times as long to get anywhere. On this particular day we rode the bus to try out the new routing system. Instead of a fifteen-minute bus ride to the museum, now we had to get on one bus (the pink line) and wait for it to run half of its route to take us to the station where we had to transfer to another bus (the blue line) to take us to the museum. Before the city transit system rearranged the bus routes we only had to get on the blue line, ride a short fifteen minutes and we were at our destination. We decided we didn’t want to ride the bus for over an hour and a half to get back home, so we decided to walk home instead. This day just so happen to be one of the hotter days we’ve had lately. However, it wasn’t raining as of yet. This year it seems to rain several times a week every single week. It is a two mile walk from the museum to where we live. we walked a little over a mile when this stranger, whose house we were passing in front of, asked us if we would like a ride. I do not normally accept rides from people I do not know, but it was a little hot and Coleman was walking with me. I thought about it for a few short minutes and decided to take this elder gentleman stranger up on his offer. It was a good thing too, because shortly after we arrived home it did begin raining. Upon getting in the house, I told Coleman that the stranger had just performed a good deed. Sometimes the kindness of strangers is like angels unaware watching over us.
Let’s take a trip back in time ( only to 2011) not too far back. A time when traffic was less hectic and travel was at a much much slower pace.
Amish Horse-drawn Buggy
Don’t worry about the slowness of the drive, we are not in a hurry anyway. We out joy riding and sightseeing the beautiful countryside. We’ll stop wherever we have a hankering to stop, maybe buy a souvenir or two. Hey, this place looks interesting. Let’s stop and have a look around.
Guggisberg Cheese Factory Charm, Ohio
I’m glad we stopped there. The cuckoo clock tower was very interesting. I loved all the cheese we were able to sample. They even have lactose free cheese and cheeses made from goats milk. I also enjoyed watching them making the cheese. It is a fascinating and impressive process that they use to make the variety of cheeses.
Back in the car, we cruise more of the countryside. Looking out our windows we observe Amish Buggies clip clopping down the road, Amish ladies strolling along a sidewalk, and young Amish boys/men cruising on their bicycles.
Amish Countryside in Holmes County, Ohio
As we continue our leisurely afternoon drive we continue observing the beautiful surrounding landscape. We spot horses, alluring us to stop for a closer look.
Of course my daughter ventures past the DO NOT ENTER sign to get closer to the horses.
As we carry on with our adventurous afternoon scenic drive, we find it extremely relaxing to slow down, enjoy ourselves, and not give a care or worry about hurrying back home.
After passing a barn quilt and road signs giving directions on which way to go, we decide to make one more stop before calling it a day.
Barn QuiltRoad Signs Pearl Valley Cheese Fresno, Coshocton County, Ohio
Pearl Valley Cheese, Inc factory and retail stores) manufacturer 30 types of cheese. One is bound to discover a flavour or variety of cheese you’d love to take home with you. They also allow visitors to observe their cheese making process. The best times to watch are between 8AM – noon on Monday- Friday.
God Bless. Thank you for traveling along with us through Amish Country in Ohio. We really enjoyed ourselves and we hope you did as well. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
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.
1. Regardless of whether you had them or not, can you remember three popular toys from when you were a child?
Three popular toys from my childhood were:
1. Barbies
2. Skateboards
3. Zippy, the Howdy Doody Monkey
Other popular toys from my childhood were:
• Hula Hoop
• Slinky
• Mr. Potato Head
• Lincoln Logs
• Lionel Toy Trains
• Duncan Yo Yo
• Sting Ray Bicycle
2. Did you ever want something specific as a child, but never had it?
I had bicycles growing up, but the type I really wanted was a Schwinn Sting-Ray. No other bicycle compared to the Sting-Ray even though other companies like Huffy tried to compete and were more affordable.
Definitely wasn’t a Sting-Ray
3. Do you still have any toys or games from your childhood?
The only toy I still have is Zippy, the Howdy Doody Monkey.
Coleman holding my Zippy Monkey
4. I think I’ve asked this before, but what was your favourite toy as a child?
I am not sure if I had a favourite toy as a child. Growing up I had Barbie dolls, loved playing marbles, baseball, freeze tag, riding my homemade skateboard ( steel roller skate wheels attached to a piece of wood), card and board games. This being said I do not recall favouring one particular toy over any other toys.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; and established it on the waters.” — Psalm 24:1-2 NIV ( New International Version)
God Bless. Have a fabulous week. Get Outdoors and Enjoy our beautiful Earth 🌎. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
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.
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.
Red-headed Woodpeckers have an entirely red head, and their belly is white and unstreaked. It is a mid-sized woodpecker found in temperate North America. Its breeding habitat is open across southern Canada and the east-central United States. One should not confuse the red-headed woodpecker with the red-bellied woodpecker. Even though they are similar in size, the red-bellied woodpecker is named for the pale reddish blush of its lower belly and has a distinct patterned black and white back whereas the red-headed woodpecker has the solid black back and a vibrant orange-red crown and nape. These Red-headed woodpeckers were spotted at the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
My father, Nornal Hule Waters (often spelled Norman in military paperwork.) joined the U. S. Navy on September 24, 1948. He enlisted in South Carolina and had his training in San Diego, California. He attended the U.S. Naval Hospital Corps School and is listed as graduating from the School on July 4, 1950. These photos were scanned from his graduation ceremony program. [My dad saved everything.]
Close-up of the U. S. Naval Hospital U. S. Naval Hospital and Hospital Corps School Taken from the Program U. S. Naval Hospital and Hospital Corps School San Diego, California
Whoever said ROCKS needed to be shared for What Rocks Your World? Hey there everyone, I gotta to be one that’s different … willing to Rock the boat (per se.)
Yes, I could do a whole post about Rocks and places of Rocks, however, why should I ? Especially when What Rocks My World isn’t a What but a Who.
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.
Colo was born in captivity at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and lived at the Zoo for her entire life. At the time of her death in 2017, she was the oldest known gorilla in the world living in captivity. She lived to the age of 60 years and 26 days.
She was named Colo after the Columbus Zoo.She was rejected at birth by her mother and was hand-raised by Zookeepers.
Interesting Fact:
Colo was a mother to three, a grandmother to 16, a great-grandmother to 12, and a great-great-grandmother to three.
My daughter and I visited Colo in April of 2012 when we visited cousins and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio during Easter vacation.
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?
This week, I’m asking you to share your day, April 1st, and what it entails.
Q1. Will you be playing tricks on someone seeing as it’s also April Fool’s Day?
April 1st this year was not only April Fool’s Day, but also Easter Monday. My daughter had to work and the day was just like any other day with me taking care of my four year old grandson, Coleman.
I did not play any tricks on anyone and was also not the recipient of any April Fool’s Day tricks.
Were you ever a victim of an April Fool’s prank?
I do not recall ever being the victim of any practical jokes or pranks on previous April Fool’s Days. Then again I could have been in my youth and just not able to bring any occurrences to memory.
Q2. Will it be a normal working day for you?
The day was a normal “working” day for my household. I watched over and took care of my grandson’s needs as I would any other normal day.
Q3. If you have children, are they of school age on Easter break, or toddlers?
My children are grown working adults and my grandson is four and not in school yet.
Gratitude:
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”