Good Day everyone! Welcome to my blog. The following are my entries for this week’s Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge. The challenge is asking for photos depicting the colour BLACK.
Black CowsChildren’s Blackboard Black and White Photography
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF 75-300mm lens with Altura CPL filter attachment.
Location: Lake Haigler; Lake Haigler Loop; Lake Haigler Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA.
God Bless. Enjoy your week and have a fabulous weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Opening Day for the Schroering Forest Playground was on March 30th. The Playground is a new addition for Anne Springs Close Greenway. Being its opening day list of families came to visit the Greenway the check out the new Playground. Children young and old alike investigated and explored the many different features and structures within the playground.
The number of people on the climbing structure varied throughout the day with the greatest impact of visitors being early in the morning and dwindling later on in the afternoon.
When Coleman and I first walked around the playground and the Climbing Structure it was intimidating with so many people in and on the various structures. Overwhelming especially for Coleman, so we chose to hike around the lake and come back later hoping for fewer children to be in the playground.
Coleman slowly getting the courage to try climbing on the Climbing Structure.
After climbing a short distance, Coleman sits down and looks around unsure of what to do next.
He eventually decides he was to get down, but was uncertain about how to go about climbing down. After watching for a little bit I realized he wanted help getting down. So we went hiking back up towards the car visiting the historic cabins, cows, and horses along the way.
As Coleman and I were hiking along Steele Creek Trail back towards the car we spotted this little Fairy Garden tucked away in the base of a tree. I have seen pictures which other hikers have taken before, however this was the first time we had ever spotted the Fairy Garden. If you weren’t looking at the surrounding landscape you could possibly miss seeing it.
Spotted along Steele Creek TrailFairy Garden Time to Swing and Relax
On this hiking adventure I parked at the Dairy Barn Entrance to the Anne Springs Close Greenway. After exiting the car we proceeded to hike along the fencing before hitting the trails. Following the fence line we were able to view the horses, some of which trotted over to our location. [More on horses later].
Our first stop along the Blue Star Trail was to take a look at the Faires/Coltharp Cabin. To our surprise and delight it was open to the public (first time we’d seen it open). So naturally, Coleman with me following went inside to see what was inside.
A Look inside the Faires/Coltharp Cabin
After leaving the cabin, we hiked further along the Blue Star Trail towards the Swinging Bridge and the Schroering Forest Playground located on the other side of the Spillway.
Blue Star Trail
When the Spillway is up and streaming with a steady flow of water, the only way to cross it is to walk across the Greenway’s Swinging Bridge. Since our destination was on the far side of the Swinging Bridge we/I slowly walked across. Coleman used to walk across it when he was younger, but now if no one else is on it he’ll run across.
Coleman crossing the Swinging Bridge
We made it safely across the Swinging Bridge, walked around the Artisan Market, ordered lunch from the Greenway’s Canteen and rested a bit before heading to the Schroering Forest Playground. We had a clear view of the Playground from where we chose to sit. This was the first official day the Playground was open. They had been working on it all fall and winter. Being its opening day, the playground was crowded with children from all age groups.
Coleman hiking the Blue Star Trail
Upon completion of our lunch we noticed there were still a lot of children on the playground. I decided to have Coleman wait to play in it until it wasn’t nearly so crowded. Therefore, we continued on with our hiking and headed down to Lake Haigler.
Blue Star Trail Almost down to Lake Haigler
We hiked along the narrow side pathway towards the lake. The straight pathway is wider and more widely traveled by the majority of visitors to the Greenway.
We hiked a short loop with great views of Lake Haigler and then hiked back up to the Playground. Coleman climbed up on the Climbing structure and wasn’t sure about what to do after climbing up a short ways and just sat down for a few minutes. [The all natural wood climbing structure seemed to puzzle Coleman. He’ll probably climb more next time we visit.]
Steele Creek Trail
After a full afternoon of hiking and Coleman playing I decided it was time to head home. Hence, we proceeded to hike back up to the car. Instead of hiking the exact same trail we hiked down, we started out hiking on the Steele Creek Trail. The Steele Creek Trail is a narrow trail that leads up towards the Graham Historical Cabin.
From the cabin we traverse back onto the Blue Star Trail. After short distance from the cabin, Coleman starts searching for the cows. Sometimes they are up close to the fence line, but on this day we really had to look for them. Searching the pasture as we hiked up the trail, two of the cows came walking towards our direction from the far end of the pasture. That made a Coleman’s day. He was then ready to go home.
Take a walk with us inside Faires/Coltharp Historic Cabin. You can see Coleman has no qualms about going through the door to check everything out. He is extremely inquisitive and loves to investigate everything he sees and comes across.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens
Location: 1-4) The Heritage Garden; The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA;5)Dairy Barn Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
We had a very beautiful sunny weekend. It was warm and windy day. We decided it was a lovely day for hiking at Anne Springs Close Greenway. Due to the massive abundance of vehicles parking at the Lake Haigler Entrance for the Artisan Market I chose to park at the Dairy Barn Entrance. There was another reason for parking at this entrance as well; they charged extra at the other entrance because of the Artisan Market. Who wants to pay extra? I certainly didn’t, not in addition to my membership for the Greenway.
The Dairy Barn Entrance has a few different trails that can be accessed with various sites and scenery to observe. We hiked down the Blue Star Trail which leads down to the Greenway’s Spillway passing horses and the Faires/Coltharp Historic Cabin along the way.
Coleman loves to stop and watch the horses. Moving along, to crossover the Spillway we had to walk across the Swinging Bridge. We stopped on both sides of the Spillway to observe the water flowing down, around, and under the Swinging Bridge.
On Saturday, March 30th, Coleman and I visited the Anne Springs Close Greenway. We parked at the Dairy Barn Entrance and hiked down the Blue Star Trail and hiked back up on Steele Creek Trail. From this entrance one can visit two historic cabins: 1) Faires/Coltharp Cabin and 2) The Graham Cabin. On this trip we had the unique experience of going inside the cabin to view what it would have been like back in the 1800’s. This was a new experience for us since the cabins had previously been closed to the public.
The Graham Cabin is more than 200 years old and was once the home of Archibald Graham, the grandfather of Reverend Billy Graham. Here is a look at the inside of the Graham Cabin and its windows.
Location: Dairy Barn Entrance; Lake Haigler; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God’s Blessings to y’all this Beautiful Easter Sunday. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
It is almost guaranteed that while Coleman and I are out hiking along a trail, he’ll decide to sit and rest a second or two before moving on. He can choose to just plop on the ground or hop up on one of the benches scattered along the trail. On this day we chose to hike around Lake Haigler at the Greenway.
Yesterday was a loving day to spend hiking in the Greenway. Unlike the day before when it rained all day and all night. The trails were a bit muddy, however, the views were beautiful with gorgeous skylines and amazing reflection.
Shadows can be seen everywhere, at least when the sun is shining brightly. Shadows materialize along walkways, piers, and trails as well as anywhere imaginable.
Here are my entries for Debbie’s OWS Challenge this week which calls for us to show our SHADOW.
Shadows of Bushes, Trees, & Coleman Warlick Family YMCA
Shadows of the Fencing & Coleman Warlick Family YMCA
Shadows of Trees The Schiele Museum of Natural History
Shadows of Trees, Coleman, & Myself Anne Springs Close Greenway
Shadows along the Pier & in the Lake Anne Springs Close Greenway
Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take a hike. Enjoy Nature. Thank you for visiting the Greenway and for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
These challenges are so fitting with our recent activity of hiking at the Greenway. We had a lovely hike and enjoyed watching the Canada Geese fly in, taking a dip and flying back out of the water. It was fun and amusing to watch.
Location: Airport Pond; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. May you gain insight into your purpose and may your heart be blessed throughout life. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Hey, You Looking at Me?Maybe You’d Like a Frontal Snapshot?Or Perhaps I Should Come a Little Closer?Is This Close Enough? Let’s Make a Deal, I’ll Give You One More Shot … This is My Final Pose!
Both the Delta Flower Scarab and the Black Swallowtailbutterfly enjoy feasting on the nectar of the Cephalanthus occidentalis, also known as the Buttonbush; Button Bush.
The Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium is our favorite place to go to in our city, however, the most favorite place we love to go, and hike is in a town called Fort Mill. Fort Mill has many interesting places to visit where you can hike, or just enjoy the scenery.
The place we like to go and hike the most is called Anne Springs Close Greenway. The Greenway has five (5) different points of entrance and one can hike any one of the many trails on the 2,100 acres of nature preserve. The trails cover thirty-six (36) miles of hiking pleasure for hikers, runners, walkers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders to enjoy. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash.
Whenever we are able to visit the Greenway, we like to enter at a different entrance point every time. Visiting different entrances gives us access to the many different trails and beautiful scenery accessible at the various locations. The most popular entrance is the Lake Haigler Entrance and is used by guests frequently. The entrances are:
Lake Haigler Entrance/Greenway Gateway – activities my include hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, paddleboarding and fishing (free for members only, must have an SC Fishing License), or enjoy a meal at the Canteen. A new children’s playground is being constructed at this entrance.
Points of Interests: Greenway Gateway (Visitor Center), Gateway Canteen (Dining), Bruce Rush Pavilion, Historic Nation Ford Road, Kayak Launch, Swinging Bridge, and Scoville Dock.
Dairy Barn Entrance – hiking, close to the main Suspension Bridge and the Greenway Spillway.
Points of Interest: Founders Dairy Barn, Betsy McLean Plant-A-Row for the Hungry Garden, Comporium Amphitheater, Faires-Coltharp Cabin, Graham Cabin, and Swinging Bridge.
Adventure Road Entrance – hiking and mountain biking, fishing (members only), disc golf, dog park play (Add-on membership required).
Points of Interests: Bob Reid Field Trial Barn, Lake Crandall, Lake Frances, Marion Walsh Outdoor Classroom, Mary Warner Mack Dog Park, Stumpy Pond, Swinging Bridges (3).
Greenway Stables Entrance – hiking, horseback riding (Advanced registration required), visit farm animals, a new children’s farm is in process of being constructed. Coleman loves to visit the many horses and farm animals at this location.
Points of Interest: Greenway Stables, Farm animals
Blue Star Entrance – Mountain biking and hiking
Points of Interest: Garrison-Webb Grist Mill, North Tunnel
I encourage y’all if you are ever in the area to stop by and visit the Anne Springs Close Greenway. Beautiful Nature Preserve, Wildflower Garden, and many amazing sights to see and photograph. My grandson, Coleman, and I love to visit the Greenway any and every opportunity we receive. I highly recommend visiting.
A Hog at Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA J B Hunt Ad on the Back of a J B Hunt Tractor Trailer on I-485 [My husband drove for J B Hunt at one time].Backside of a Little Library Rankin Lake Park Gastonia, North Carolina, USA Backpack on Coleman’s Backside Lake Crandall; Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA Trifolium hybridum Common Name: Alsike Clover Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
Our first stop here was actually our last time of Coleman’s Friday Adventures. The Gastonia Municipal Airport showing the runway and some airplanes.
At Gastonia Municipal Airport Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
Next up was our first stop of the day; the Lake Haigler Entrance to the Anne Springs Close Greenway for a hike around the lake. It is always a great day when we can spend time in nature at the Greenway. There are always amazingly beautiful views and is filled with tremendous fun.
Fishing Pier Lake Haigler Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA A Gaggle of Geese Lined up in a row by the Horse Hitching Post Lake Haigler Entrance Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA Springmaid Trail Race Signs & Coleman point the Way Haigler Loop Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA Panorama of the Kayak Pier Lake Haigler Anne Springs Close Greenway Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
Photo Credit: (c)2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lensand iPhone 14 Pro Max
Locations: 1) Gastonia Municipal Airport; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA 2) Lake Haigler Entrance; 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.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 