Location: Andrew Jackson State Park; Lancaster, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Take time to smell the flowers. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Taking a hike through the woods surrounded by encompassing trees is one of the most invigorating and inspiring activities one could experience and one I truly love to undertake as often and as long as I am able to do so.
I find peace and tranquility while I am hiking through the woods. It is a fascinating opportunity to admire and explore all the beauty nature has to offer. It is a time to renew the(my) mind, relax one’s(my) body, and recharge the(my) spirit within you(me).
“Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”
All the ins and outs, the twists and turns of a trail remind me that my path in life is not always (or necessarily) meant to be a straight pathway on life’s journey. Only God knows what pathway I should be on and whether I venture off the path or not, God is always there to guide me through life’s trials and triumphs.
“It is a surprising and memorable, as well as valuable experience, to be lost in the woods any time.”
Whenever I go into the woods I seek to obtain peace and tranquility. The woods are an escape from daily routines and aggravation. The calmness I feel amongst the trees is overwhelming and enhances a sense of calming relaxation, reflection, and revitalization.
“In Every Walk With Nature One Receives Far More Than He Seeks.”
This adventure into the woods was a solo (Coleman was on 11 months at the time) outing I took to get away from the stress and tension within my environment. I ventured onto the trails in Kings Mountain State Park for some time in the woods communing with God and nature.
I hiked along the Lake Crawford Trail twisting and turning along the natural path enjoying the beautiful views along the way. I especially liked viewing the spillway cascading downstream and the amazing views looking out over Lake Crawford.
Click on each image for enhanced enlarged viewing.
Location: Lake Crawford Trail; Kings Mountain State Park; Blacksburg, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy nature’s beauty. Thankful for the freedom to be outside and in the woods. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Water reflections are the most common reflections we see on our adventures. Perhaps, due to being close to the Catawba River or possibly within a short drive of any number of lakes. It doesn’t really matter, I love gazing over the water no matter where we are to see the reflections of the surrounding landscape reflecting over the water.
Location: Lake Haigler Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Admire the beautiful flowers wherever you go. Take Care and have a wonderful week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
My first Bench photos for Jude’schallenge are from the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina. I took my grandson, Coleman there in 2021 for a fun day together. I am also linking this post to XingfuMama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge.
Location: Room Balcony; Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas Cruise Ship; Caribbean Sea; Gulf of Mexico; Near Cozumel, Mexico
God Bless. Travel through Books, On Land or Seas. Enjoy an Adventure. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
This week has been pretty cold ( low’s in the low 20’s), I know that’s not as cold as some of y’all see but it’s freezing for us. Therefore, I chose to go through my archive file of doors. Look out all the lines, angles, squares, and rectangles. Can you spot other Geometric patterns/shapes? Hopefully you’ll enjoy viewing Coleman’s antics as I fondly remember them. I am also linking up with GeometricJanuary and Throwback Thursday.
Coleman trying to open Refrigerator Door when he was two (2).
In this last photo (animation) we had a “lock” on the Refrigerator Door to try to keep him from getting into it. As you can see it didn’t keep him from trying.
God Bless. I’m Grateful for being allowed to watch Coleman grow up with all his antics, experiences, and expressions. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Melville Dairy operated in Burlington, North Carolina for forty (40) years from 1927 to 1967.
Original
It used Horse-Drawn Wagon during its early years of operation in and around Burlington. It was founded by brothers Ralph Henderson Scott Sr. and Henry A. Scott.
Monochrome
It first sold dairy products directly from the family farm in the Hawfields community. By 1935, the brothers had built a plant in Burlington to process and sell milk from their own farm and other local dairies. Eventually, 150 farms provided milk to Melville Dairy Products
Stylized
Coleman and myself saw this Melville Dairy Wagon on display when we visited The North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina back in 2021. [He loved seeing all the automobiles, carriage, airplanes and trains.] It was restored by Byron Hargrove Siler City, NC.
Al Generated Stylization
All information regarding this Melville Dairy Wagon was obtained from the NC Transportation Museum.
The 1918 Electric Rauch & Lang BX-7 Brougham was built by Rauch & Lang of Cleveland, Ohio, with a Brougham body style. A Brougham was a carriage with an outside chauffer’s seat, a design also popular with early electric cars. Rauch & Lang started as a wagon company in 1884 and built its first electric vehicle in 1905. It ceased building cars in 1928.
The Rauch & Lang Carriage Company was incorporated in 1884, by Jacob Rauch and Charles E. J. Lang. Producing some of the best known and expensive carriages in Cleveland.
According to an advertisement in January 1911, Rauch & Lang Electrics could be procured with shaft or enclosed chain drive. No matter your preference, you could still have the exquisite finish and style which distinguishes all Rauch & Lang cars. Both drives are noiseless, efficient and strong. The Rauch & Lang Carriage Company stood behind all the cars.
This 1918 Electric Rauch & Lang BX-7 Brougham at the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina.
Location: Caribbean Sea; Gulf of Mexico; Enchantment of the Sea; Caribbean Cruise Ship
God Bless. Thank you for visiting. Have a wonderful week and enjoy nature. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Looking back in time to Sunday, February 23, 2020; I remember walking off the Enchantment of the Sea Caribbean cruise ship onto the docks of the Costa Maya Port and seeing an amazingly entertaining sight.
When I first saw the ritualistic performance, I didn’t realize exactly what I was watching, however, I later learned that I was observing four men dancing in the sky.
Would you SIT on top of an 80 foot pole?
These four dancers are tied by their feet with long ropes; they descend to the ground as the ropes unwind and fly around the pole. There is a fifth dancer who remains at the top of the pole, playing the flute and drum. This ceremony is not just for mere entertainment to display bravery and courage, but it actually has a much deeper, more valuable meaning.
The Papantla Flyers are also known as the Voladores de Papantla or Birds from Earth. The Dance of the Voladores or Papantla Flyers is a pre-Hispanic ritual that originated in Papantla, Veracruz, Mexico. The Papantla Flyers is the most famous of the Totonac dances. This ancient Mesoamerican ritual is used to ask the gods to end a drought and bring rain for crops during extended dry seasons. It is said that the brave men falling symbolizes the fall of raindrops from the sky in the search of earth’s fertility. The flute represents the singing of a bird, and the drum resembles the voice of the gods; similar (almost) to the sound of a thunderstorm. In the past, the ritual began by choosing and cutting the tree from which they would take the flying post.
As a tourist this traditional ritual of the Papantla Flyers was stunning yet seemed dangerous. To the locals, it is a normal common and ancient tradition. It was amazing to watch even though I doubt that I would ever climb that high on any pole. Rest assured that these men who perform the important ceremony have been trained since childhood to perform this ritual. The tourists, like me, in actuality only see the final part of the ceremony.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 