Apple iPhone 7 Plus – Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography

2025 Thursday Doors: 07 August

Moses Cone Carriage House

The Moses Cone Carriage House is a significant historical structure located within the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and just a short hike from the Cone Manor.

The Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and the Moses Cone Carriage House is located near Milepost 294 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Cone Carriage House was part of the expansive Flat Top Manor estate, built by textile magnate Moses H. Cone and his wife Bertha at the turn of the 20th century.

The estate included the manor house, about 500 acres of farmland, Flat Top Mountain, Rich Mountain, and a vast system of carriage trails.

The Carriage House housed carriages and other equipment used to maintain the estate’s approximately 25 miles of carriage trails. The Carriage House has been preserved as a historical structure within the park, it might possibly be used for maintenance or interpretive exhibits related to the estate’s history.

The Carriage House may not be a prominent visitor attraction on its own, however, it contributes to the overall historical and natural experience of the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, which also includes the Flat Top Manor (the Cone’s former residence), orchards, lakes, and extensive carriage trails.

Note: This section of the Blue Ridge Parkway is open for the public.

Dan’s Thursday Doors: 2025.08.07

Throwback Thursday

Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Location: Moses Cone Carriage House; Moses H. Cone Memorial Park; Milepost 294; Blue Ridge Parkway; Watauga County, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have a funtastic week. Get Outdoors and enjoy Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Ivan Parker & Josh Parker Performing in 2017

Becky’s Squares

#Seven for September

Looking back to Seven years to 2017, I know I have been blessed to have listened to Ivan Parker and his son, Josh perform together in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

***Ivan Parker &***
***Josh Parker on guitar***

Ivan Parker is an American Southern Gospel Singer who has been performing Southern Gospel music since 1982. In 1982 he began performing with the Singing Americans. He has performed with several Southern Gospel groups before he began his solo career in 1994. He has received several awards for his lead vocalist talents, including the Dove Award, Favorite Lead Vocalist by the Singing News, Favorite Male Vocalist from 1989-1995 & 1997. In 1993, Ivan Parker was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

Ivan Parker performs Southern Gospel music all across the United States and on occasion his son, Josh performs right along by his side. His music may be listened to on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Pandora and probably other outlets as well.

Ivan Parker and Josh Parker perform at Mt. Gallant Church of God along with the Heritage Quartet in December 2017. They performed an array of Southern Gospel music for a packed audience. Listen to Ivan sing here.

Becky’s Squares-#Seven for September

Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Location: Mt. Gallant Church of God; Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me.. I appreciate y’all very much.

2024 Bird of the Week —

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.

Bird of the Week LXXVII

Throwback Thursday

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.

2024 CMMC: April – Cafe Latte Color

My entries for Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge are mostly from South Carolina from my archives. Feel free to join in and post your own Cafe Latte color photos and link them to Cee.

***Solar Eclipse***
***as seen on Tiles***

***Sesquicentennial State Park***
***Columbia, South Carolina***

***Riverbanks Zoo***
***Columbia, South Carolina***

***Andrew Jackson***
***State Park Lake***

Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge-Cafe Latte Color

Photos taken between 2017-2019 except eclipse is from 2024.

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.

Doughton Park Visitor Center and Store

***National Park Service***
***Doughton Park Visitor Center***

In front of the Doughton Park Visitor Center are welcoming chairs and a table to rest a bit and enjoy the view or perhaps to wait for the Park store to open if you are camping in one of their many campsites.

Doughton Park is located off of the Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 238.5 – 241. Besides the beautiful scenery surrounding this Park one may choose to explore The Brinegar Cabin, observe craft demonstrations, and talk a gander down one of several diverse hiking trails.

This area has one of the Parkway’s largest campgrounds, a popular picnic area, and more than thirty (30) miles of hiking trails where one may access forested slopes, streams, and backcountry in Basin Cove.

Originally called The Bluffs, 6,000 acre Doughton Park was created in the 1930s when the Blue Ridge Parkway was routed through this part of North Carolina. It was one of the first parts of the Parkway to be completed and remains its largest recreation area. In the 1950s, it was renamed for Robert Lee Doughton (1863-1954), a local landowner and politician, who was instrumental in getting the Parkway built. Mr. Doughton lived in the nearby Laurel Springs, North Carolina. [Note: the Laurel Springs area is also the area where my maternal grandfather grew up.]

The northern and western borders of Doughton Park are formed by the Parkway itself, which here follows the crest of the mountains, traveling at more than 3,000 feet above sea level through rolling highland meadow. The other borders of the Park are traced by steeply descending mountain ridges: Flat Rock Ridge along the southern side of the Park and Cedar Ridge along the eastern side. Within these borders is the rugged and remote watershed of two mountain streams, Basin Creek and Cove Creek. Together, the double valley – or double gorge – is known as Basin Cove.

In October of 2017 my eldest son and I took a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway meandering the scenic route enjoying the beautiful Autumn colours. I allowed him to drive as he had never previously driven the Parkway. We stopped at several mileposts along the way observing the beautiful landscape. At various mileposts including Milepost 238.5 – 241, we stopped, stretched our legs, and proceeded to hike along several of the many trails found along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I do not recall which trail we hiked at Doughton Park, however, I do know we visited The Brinegar Cabin. I encourage y’all if you are ever in the Western Part of the Carolinas to take a scenic drive along The Blue Ridge Parkway.

Ludwig’s Monday Window

Dan’s Thursday Doors

XingfuMamas Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge: 2024-Week 4

Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus — Wide Camera 28mm • screen f1.8 • 1/656s • ISO20

Location: Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 238.5 – 241

Doughton Park;

45338 Blue Ridge Parkway

Laurel Springs, NC 28644

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