2025 Weekend Sky(Watch) Friday: March 01

Shades of Red

Before the Rains

A look at our morning skies prior to the Sun’s rising. Coleman has to get on the school bus when it is still dark outside. While we wait for the bus, we often observe the sky. Thus we are able to see some interesting and amazing Skyscapes.

These were taken approximately around 6:30-6:40 am for the past three mornings. Quite an interesting array of the “painted” skies in our neighbourhood.

Skywatch Friday 

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. Stay Warm. Take care of yourself and each other. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

LAPC #337 – BOLD

This week’s Lens-Artist Challenge is hosted by Sofia Alves with the blog PHOTOGRAPHIAS. She has chosen a theme of BOLD for this week.

Being Bold is not always easy especially if you’re timid or introverted, however being Bold in your photography is well worth it if you’re able to capture that thrilling moment, that “perfect shot.”

“Your life is your canvas, and you are the masterpiece. There are a million ways to be kind, amazing, fabulous, creative, bold, and interesting.”

Kerli

“Be original;
don’t be scared
of being bold!”

Ed Sheeran

Sofia’s Lens-Artist Photo Challenge #337 – BOLD

Cee’s Flower of the Day

RDP Tuesday! Masterpiece!

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; Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Goat Island Park and Greenway; Downtown 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.

Cosmic Photo Challenge – At the River shoreline

The closest Shorelines we have near us are t hr e banks of the Catawba River, therefore I have chosen to show y’all what Coleman and I have seen recently on the Shoreline of the South Fork Catawba River. The first few photos are taken on the banks of the South Fork Catawba River at the Goat Island Park and Greenway.

On both days the weather was Tepid which was a delightful experience and quite a contrast to our recent freezing weather of snow and freezing rain. The Tepid weather was just perfect, not too hit and not too cold.

This next set of images were taken on Monday of the South Fork Catawba River’s Shoreline from the Riverside Park and Greenway mainly featuring Coleman playing on the Shoreline banks.

Cosmic Photo Challenge: At the shoreline.

RDP Monday – TEPID

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

Cameras: Images 1-4 & 6-11) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max; Image 5) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: 1st set of Images) Shoreline of the South Fork Catawba River, Goat Island Park and Greenway; 2nd set) Shoreline of the South Fork Catawba River, Riverside Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy Nature’s beauty. Relax and have some fun. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 OWS: Floral Displays ready for Spring

After days of freezing cold temperatures and wintery weather, it was a delightful afternoon with a high of 56° and a feels like in the low 60°’s.

After wandering around the trail at Goat Island, it was wonderful to see the floral display at the Center in downtown Cramerton.

Ceramic Flower pots filled with new floral life …

… Could Spring be on the way? Or is the Weather fooling us? Only time will tell. I’ll enjoy the beautiful floral displays and the warmth of the Sun while I can.

Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Floral

Cee’s Flower of the Day

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location; The Center; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

Looking Inside Out at Snow

Kitty by a Window – 2 — AI creation by PR

Taking a peek outside through the bedroom window blinds at the Snow ❄️ falling down from above before deciding to allow Coleman to go outside and “play” in the freezing cold 🥶 weather.

Coleman’s bedroom window

The Snowfall is beautiful to look 👀 from the inside out, but it’s freezing 🥶 to be outside while the Snowfall is falling down upon us.

Monday Window

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Bedroom Window; Old Town; Riverside Community; 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 Monday Portrait: 02.24

Coleman’s Snow Day

This past week Coleman was out of school for Two days due to winter weather advisory reporting impending snow and possible hazardous road conditions. Since We only get snow in our area every two-three years, I decided to bundle Coleman up to protect him from the elements and allowed him to run around outside while it was snowing. He had fun even though there wasn’t enough snow to adequately play with … no snowmanno snowballs … just light fluffy snow falling lightly to the ground.

Monday Portrait

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

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

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

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

2025 Weekend Sky(Watch) Friday

❄️ Snow ❄️ — Not Enough? Or Too Much?

For the past few days we have had intermittent grey cloudy skies and freezing temperatures and light snowfall showers off and on throughout the day and night. Not enough Snow? There was not enough Snow for Coleman to really play in and definitely not enough Snow to build a snowman.

Too much Snow? Why do I ask? Let me tell you, I’m partial to warmer sunnier weather like in Spring and Summer. I’m not too keen on winter freezing temperatures or having to wait at bus stops for Coleman’s school bus (which tends to run late lately). Maybe I should plan on moving to a warmer climate location? If I did or when we move; if I wanted to see Snow then I could drive to the mountains. I believe I (we) could have a delightful great time without driving into the mountains during the freezing cold winter Snowy season.

If you love Snow, enjoy.

Lightly Snowing in Southwestern North Carolina

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Sky

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

Cameras: 1) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens; 2-5+Video) Apple 16 Pro Max

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

God Bless. Stay Warm. Take care of yourself and each other. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Words for Thought #52: 02.18

Faith • Hope • Conviction • Love

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)

“Open your hearts to the love God instills . . . God loves you tenderly. What He gives you is not to be kept under lock and key, but to be shared.”

—Mother Teresa

Think About It Tuesday

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. 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. 

2025 Monday Window: February 17

Kitty by a Window
– 2 — AI creation by PR

Construction Windows

Construction Windows

Another of the many new home constructions in our area. This is the view of the windows on the side of the house under construction.

Monday Window

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

2025 SYD: February 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 

  1. To do so, simply share the photo* you have set as your wallpaper;
  2. Provide as little or as much detail as you wish;
  3. Use a pingback, or post a link here so I know you have joined in on the fun;
  4. 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:

Desktop Wallpaper:

Coleman
sitting on a tree branch
at Goat Island Park and Greenway.

Also My Smartphone Hiking Focus

Desktop Screensaver:

Coleman
playing with his Brio Train set
& his MagnaTiles on his Road mat.

Smartphone Wallpapers:

Personal Focus

Coleman
Swinging on a rope
at Goat Island Park and Greenway

Reading Focus

Coleman
playing at the
CLT Airport Overlook

Share Your Desktop-2025 February

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

Cameras: 1) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens; 2) Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max; 3-4) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

God Bless. Play Along. Share Your Desktops with Clare’s Share Your Desktop Challenge. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Think Rope Swinging’s in the Blood

Top Image: Coleman’s Uncle John (My eldest)
Bottom Image: Coleman Swinging on a rope
at Goat Island Park and Greenway

Six Word Saturday

Throwback Thursday

Photo Credit:©️1990 & 2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Locations: 1) Corona, California, USA; 2) Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

Up in the Air in Monochrome

Above the Trees

I’m learning to use the Fusion camera’s Monochrome features in my new iPhone 16 Pro Max. While Coleman was playing out back on one of our rare warm winter days, I looked up into the sky and saw a small group of black birds flying through the air. I pointed my iPhone towards the sky in hopes of capturing shots of the birds as they flew overhead of us. Cease the Moments. Enjoy the World around you. Capture the Memories each day.

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness-February 12, 2025

Skywatch Friday-February 14

Weekend Sky #144– February 14

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: Backyard; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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 Pull Up a Seat by a Wall Mural (PPAC) & (Thursday) Door

As Coleman and I were walking around Downtown Cramerton on the way back from Goat Island we walked through the backside of the businesses that run along Center Street. What we noticed were the Mural that were painted on the businesses back walls covering a good portion of the wall including the doors. The Mural pictured in the photos on the left are from the Skillet Southern Bistro’s back patio and outside dining area with plenty of room to enjoy the evening.

The Mural pictured on the right are from the outside back wall of Confluence South Fork. Confluence is a place to gather for young and old alike. It is run by the Catawba Riverkeepers. It offers beer for adults, sells artwork created by a local artist and souvenirs. It holds concerts for all to enjoy some specifically designed for children. It offers the ability for visitors to rent disc golf discs, cornhole bags, and ping pong paddles to ball at Goat Island Park and Greenway located across the road from its location.

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2025-Week 6

Photographing Public Art Challenge (PPAC)

Thursday Doors

RDP Monday: ROOM

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion Camera

Location: Backside of Center Street; Downtown Cramerton; 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 Wordless Wednesday: February 12

Stairs to Tracks

Coleman
at the top
of the Stairs

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Railroad Track Stairs; Downtown Cramerton; Town of Cramerton; 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 Words for Thought #51: 02.11

Call • Listen • Trust

Jeremiah 33:3 NIV

“God’s guidance is always available, but it often requires us to pause, listen, and trust in His timing.”

—Elisabeth Elliot

Think About It Tuesday

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. 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. 

2025 Monochrome Monday Portrait

My Friend, My Buddy-boy,

My Grandson, My Heart ❤️,

Coleman

I have recently upgraded my smartphone from the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max to the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. It has features which the iPhone 14 Pro Max did not have.

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max has in addition to the main camera, ultra-wide camera, and the telephoto camera it also has a Fusion camera. The Fusion camera has ten (10) different modes to choose from ranging from standard to Dramatic to Mute or Stark Black and White with several different options in between. In the Fusion Square you can slide between lighter or darker and control the amount of light desired for an image.

This Fusion Camera feature is all new and different to me. I have only had my Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max since last Monday and have not figured out all its new “bells and whistles” (new upgraded features). Today it was in the high 70’s here, warm enough to allow Coleman to play outside. Instead of going on a hike like we’d normally do, I decided to let him try out his T-ball set up. He will be playing T-Ball through our local Recreational Center and figured it wouldn’t hurt to let him try to practice hitting a ball.

The first eight (8) of these photos were taken using the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Mac’s Fusion camera with the Mute Black and White setting. The last seven (7) were taken using its Stark Black and White settings.

Monochrome Monday

Monday Portrait

Ragtag Daily Prompt: Sunday – Friend

Monochrome Madness

Cosmic Photo Challenge: Black and White

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Backyard; 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.

F-4 Phantom II on Display at CLT Overlook

Retired U.S. Military Fighter Jet

CLT Airport Overlook

The F-4 Phantom II was built by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation ( McDonnell Aircraft Corporation). It was a supersonic, all-weather, twin-engine, two seat fighter-bomber and interceptor jet. It was originally designed for the U.S. Navy in 1953.

The F-4 Phantom II was the most produced American fighter jet. It had become a symbol of the Cold War. It was a formidable aircraft which played a pivotal role in military aviation from the 1960s into the 1990s.

The F-4 was designed around an all-missile armament system with the expectation that air combat would take place at a distance.  Its combination of speed, range, and versatility made it a key player in air combat and ground support, leaving a lasting legacy in military history.

The F-4 Phantom II was retired from service in the United States Navy in the 1980’s. The F-4 Phantom II was also retired from the Royal Air Force in 1992. The last active duty F-4 Phantom II was launched from an aircraft in 1986. The last carrier landing of an F-4 Phantom II was in 1986. The last F-4 Phantom target drones were retired in 2004.

Pictured here is one of the F-4 Phantom II retired U.S. military fighter jet which is on display at the CLT (Charlotte Douglas International) Airport Overlook. With this exhibit one can learn about the Carolinas’ aviation history and the types of planes that fly in and out of CLT. 

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: CLT Airport Overlook; Charlotte Douglas International Airport; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. I encourage you if you’re ever in the Charlotte area to visit the Charlotte Douglas International Airport Overlook. The views our amazing and children of all ages will love it. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Weekend FOTD: February 8/9

Early New Life Planted

Getting Spring Ready

Cee’s Weekend FOTD

Cee’s Flower of the Day

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

God Bless. Spring is Coming. Maybe not soon enough for some. Let the Sonshine/Sunshine shine through everyday. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Skywatch Friday/ Weekend Sky — 2025 February 7

Beautiful Orange Sunrise

Skywatch Friday-February 7

Weekend Sky #143 – February 7

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

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

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

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): February Week 1 — Any Which Way with Paved Pathways or Sidewalks

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 Paved Pathways or Sidewalks. Remember to be sure your Which Ways are clearly defined. Remember signs are always welcome in your Which Ways.

Here are my Which Ways for this week:

On Tuesday my daughter had a day off of work and decided to give Coleman a surprise. After he got off the school bus in the afternoon, she drove us to the Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) Airport Overlook.

In 2024 the CLT Airport Overlook underwent a major overhaul. This overhaul project cost a whopping $8 million. This is the fifth overlook for the Charlotte Douglas International Airport since 1937.

This New CLT Airport Overlook has two (2) age-specific playgrounds with shaded areas. Of course, being at the airport, the playgrounds have an airport theme including runway, a cargo transport vehicle, and a mini air traffic control tower.

The CLT Overlook also has a covered space with ten (10) covered picnic tables plus uncovered picnic tables and benches with LED lighting for pedestrian and parking areas. There are a couple of other features which I will discuss in an upcoming future post.

Which Way Challenge (CWWC)

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

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) Airport Overlook also; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

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