Deb L. Waters – Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography

2026 Thursday Doors: January 08

Crazy Sister Marina

Crazy Sister Marina is a locally-owned boat tour company located in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Their boat tours let you sit back and relax while appreciating the unbelievable views of the Grand Strand in Murrells Inlet. When you take one of their scenic cruises you might see dolphins, fish, birds, and/or sea turtles. ( The day we took our cruise, the dolphins were barely coming out of the water before diving back down below the surface.)

Crazy Sister Marina offers several different types of cruises to explore whatever your heart desires. Whether you what to take a fishing cruise, an incredible Eco cruise, or a Dolphin cruise they can assist you the most amazing and pleasurable experience ever. They also offer a variety of specialty cruises like 4th of July Firework Cruise, October Murrells Inlet ghost cruise, or celebration of life ceremonies and memorial services; they will provide the tour service that meet your needs or desires and provide you with the utmost respect and service beyond your expectations.

Coleman thoroughly enjoyed the Dolphin tour cruise we went on and would definitely go again if and when he could.

Click on images to enlarge.

Dan’s Thursday Doors-2026.01.08

God Bless. Happy 2026! Happy New Year! Have a funtastic weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2026 Thursday Trios: 08 January

A Gallery of

Ring-Billed Gulls

for Thursday Trios

& Bird of the Week CL

We spent the week before New Year’s down south at Myrtle Beach along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. We had so many activities going on each day that we didn’t spend all day every day on the beach, but the days Coleman and I spent on the beach were beautiful amazing memory making enjoyable times of the week. We saw an enormous amount of birds at the beach both in Murrells Inlet and by our resort in Myrtle Beach.

On the Friday before we left we saw a tremendous amount of Ring-Billed Gulls flying to and fro as well as walking on the sand by the seashore. Ring-Billed Gulls (aka Larus delawarensis) are medium-sized gulls native to Northern America. They breed in Canada and the northern Contiguous United States. They winter mainly in the United States of America and northern Mexico.

The Ring-Billed Gull’s breeding habitat is near lakes, rivers, or the coast across the majority of Canada and the northern United States. (We live in the Southeastern United States). These seagulls can also be seen in several North American parking lots.

The Ring-Billed Gulls are migratory with the majority of them moving southward towards the Gulf of America (formerly the Gulf of Mexico), and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States and northern Mexico.

The Ring-Billed Gulls we saw were numerous and fascinating to watch. You could walk pretty close to them before they took flight. They tended to stay in groups, surprisingly (to us) in groups of three.

Even though they forage in flight or pick up objects while swimming, walking, or wading; they also steal food from other birds or even people’s unattended food. Some beachgoers consider the Ring-Billed Gulls pests due to their willingness to steal unguarded food on crowded beaches. (We didn’t notice them stealing any food while we were walking alongside the ocean waters or anyone annoyed with the beautiful gulls.) Most were merely enjoying the beautiful day, and time with family along the coastal beaches.

Carol’s Thursday Trios

Bird of the Week CL

Birds of the Carolinas

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Atlantic Ocean; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Take care of yourselves. Get Outdoors and enjoy nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

A Peaceful Afternoon (By the Ocean)

Leanne’s

Monochrome

Madness

*Three Seagulls*
*by the Atlantic Ocean*

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness-2026.01.08

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Atlantic Ocean; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

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

Just One Liner Quote to Begin 2026

JusJoJan26

One-Liner Wednesday

Wednesday Quotes

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

Wordless Wednesday: 07 January

Click on image to enlarge.

Wordless Wednesday-2026.01.07

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge-2026 Week 1

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Atlantic Ocean; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

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

Gift of Adventure (at the Beach)

Ragtag Daily Prompts

We a well into the beginning of 2026. Coleman started back to school today, so now I have a few minutes to reflect on the past couple of weeks.

Hopefully y’all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s Day. Ours was truly an eventful Christmas holiday extravaganza. Of course it was exciting to watch Coleman receive his Gifts on Christmas Day, which he totally enjoyed. We kept telling him beforehand that he had to listen and behave or “Santa” wouldn’t bring any toys. You know what? “Santa” brought a few toys anyway. Coleman mostly received new clothes, which he was just as excited to get especially his new shoes.

Setting aside the Gifts, we decided to not let 2025 Dwindle away being bored at home. Instead, we chose to leave our little town and go on an amazing Adventure.

Where did we go on our big Adventure? Coleman’s mom was thinking about going to the mountains. Coleman wanted to go to the Beach. So, where do you think we went on our little Adventure? Yep, you’re right, we went to the Beach.

As 2025 was Dwindling away, we packed our bags, loaded up the car and headed out of town for our mini vacay Adventure. Sorry, we didn’t get any pictures of the car all loaded up, but we (I mean I) began snapping plenty of photos from the moment we arrived, all through our many Adventurous activities, and all throughout our entire mini vacation.

***Arriving, Checking in,***
**& Checking out our surroundings.**

After checking in and bringing everything (and I mean everything) into our room for the week (actually six days), Coleman and I decided to head down to the Beach. We did not want to Dwindle our time away inside the room for one minute longer. Instead, we wanted to begin enjoying the Gift of Adventure immediately.

***Coleman’s very first time at a Beach.***
***First time seeing the Atlantic Ocean.***
**First time his feet touched**
***the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.***

And thus our Gift of Adventures begins …

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) Wednesday-Dwindle

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) Thursday-Gift

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP): Tuesday! Adventure!

Cameras: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel 2000D.

Locations: 1st 4) Cramerton, North Carolina; Rest, 5-8) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. It’s been an Amazing Adventurous beginning to 2026. We didn’t let 2025 Dwindle away. We enjoyed the Gift of Time away together. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Monday Window: 2026.01.05

Kitty by a Window – 2 — AI creation by PR

Crazy Sister Marina

On Monday afternoon, our first day of our mini vacay, we drove down to Murrells Inlet to go out on a sightseeing boat run by Crazy Sister Marina. We were supposed to be able to see some dolphins, however, my eyesight isn’t very good in the evenings, so I wasn’t able to see what others (including Coleman) was seeing (more on that at another time).

Instead I’ll show you a few of the Crazy Sister Marina windows, both on shore and on the boat.

On the shore …

*Viewing the boats*
*through the windows*

On the Boat …

*Many Reflections*
*within the Boat’s Window*

Click on each image to enlarge.

Monday Window

See Monday Window posts in Reader

Cameras: 1-2) Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura CPL Filter attachment. 3-4) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: Crazy Sister Marina; Murrells Inlet, South 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.

2026 Macro Monday: 05 January

Brassica oleracea

(Acephala Group)

‘White Peacock’

Click on image to enlarge.

Macro Monday (MM)

Terri’s The #Flower Hour

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel 2000D with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment

Location: Myrtle Beach, South 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.

2026 Monday Portrait: 05 January

First Portrait for 2026

We are in our first week of 2026; what a week it has been. We spent the week in Myrtle Beach relaxing, “sightseeing,”visiting various attractions, and enjoying time on the beach. [More about those activities to come in future posts].

For the first Monday Portrait of 2026, let’s check out the Southern Stingrays At Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This was Coleman’s first trip to the beach, he was extremely excited about being at the beach, as well as seeing the many different species of “fish” at Ripley’s Aquarium.

Let’s take a look now at the fascinating Southern Stingrays …

The Southern Stingray (Hypanus americanus) is a whiptail stingray which is typically found in tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, from as far north as New Jersey all the way down to southern Brazil.

Even though we didn’t actually see them in the Atlantic Ocean, we (especially Coleman) were thrilled to see & pet them at Ripley’s Aquarium.

*Coleman viewing*
*the Southern Stingrays*

It is adapted for life on the sea bed, as you can see here they swim very close to the bottom most of the time, but not always.

*Southern Stingrays*
*lying on the sea bed*

Southern Stingrays are nocturnal predators, they spray water from their mouths or flap their fins vigorously to disturb the surface in order to expose hidden prey.

*A Southern Stingray*
*on the Aquarium sea bed.*

Hypanus americanus exhibit wave-like locomotion using their pectoral fins. The wave-like locomotion allowed them to escape predators, forage efficiently, and generally maneuver quickly.

The Southern Stingrays were exciting and interesting to watch swimming and foraging in the aquarium at Ripley’s Aquarium.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Monday Portrait

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: Ripley’s Aquarium; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA.

God Bless. Have a funtastic week. May you have many exciting and memorable adventures. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Pull Up a Seat 2026: Week 1 — Indoor Dining

A & W Restaurant

The Pull Up a Seat Challenge is hosted on Friday’s by XingfuMama at XingfuMama.blog. This will be my first Pull Up a Seat post for 2026. You may find out more about the Pull Up a Seat Challenge by clicking here.

This A & W had an area set up where you could take a photo with “Rooty, The Great Root Bear.”

Coleman had to kneel on a high stool chair to reach the hole to stick his head out into Rooty’s face.

XingfuMama’s Pull up a Seat Challenge 2026 — Week 1

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion & Ultra Wide

Location: A & W Restaurant; 2270 Harry Byrd Hwy; Darlington, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Sharing happiness and love for 2026. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

The #Flower Hour — First Florals of 2026

Terri from Second Wind Leisure Perspective is the host for The #Flower Hour. I am posting my last 2025 Floral images (December 31,2025) as my first Flower Hour post for 2026.

Hydrangea +
The Peace Rose,
formally Rosa ‘Peace’

Terri’s The #Flower Hour 2026

Also posting to Remember …

Bren’s Floral Friday

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: By Dinopark; Broadway at the Beach; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Wishing y’all the best life filled with love, peace, and joy in 2026. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Which Way Challenge (CWWC): January 02, 2025 —Any Which Way with People

Welcome back to the Which Way Challenge. This Friday’s Which Way Challenge theme is CWWC: Any Which Way with People . Your Which Ways can be Any Which Way on any Road, Pathways, Walkways, Sidewalks, Hallways, and or Stairs, etc. as long as your Which Ways are clearly visible.

First off, Happy 2026 Everyone! Did you stay awake to bring in the New Year? Did you watch any Fireworks? My daughter and I somehow managed to barely stay awake till midnight to see the New Year arrive. The only fireworks we say were those on the television as the annual ball dropped from New York. We did hear them in our location prior to midnight, but did not venture out anywhere in the chilly night air to watch them being shot off over the ocean.

Here are my contributions … These are a continuation of Cramerton’s Christmas Parade.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Thank you to all who have supported and contributed to the Which Way Challenge this past week or at any time. Be sure to check out other Which Ways by clicking on the links below.

Dawn’s Looking Back on Christmas

Suzette’s For Deb’s CWWC— Any Which Way With Vehicles

Margo’s Which Way with Vehicles

Deb’s Which Way Challenge

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Parade Route; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Happy New Year! Take Care. Stay Safe. Enjoy the Outdoors. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

• NOTE: For next week the theme will be CWWC: Any Which Way (Your Choice)

2026 Thursday Doors: January 01 — Elevator Door

**Captain’s Quarters**
**Resort Elevator**

Click on images to enlarge.

Dan’s Thursday Doors-2026.01.01

God Bless. Happy 2026! Happy New Year! Have a funtastic weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Last on the Card – December

Last of 2025

Brian from Bushboys World hosts a monthly challenge called Last On the Card. His rules are simple to follow if you’re interested in participating.

Here are The rules:
1. Post the last photo on your SD card or last photo on your phone for the 30th or whenever your last photo was taken.
2. No editing – who cares if it is out of focus, not framed as you would like or the subject matter didn’t cooperate.
3. You don’t have to have any explanations, just the photo will do
4. Create a Pingback to this post or link in the comments
5. Use the tags The Last Photo and #LastOnTheCard

Here are mine for December …

From my Canon EOS T7 (2000D):

Brachiosaurus
Dinopark
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

From my Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:

Sharkey’s Grouper Tacos
These tacos bring together the rich flavors of grouper, shredded cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheese. Served in a warm flour tortilla with lettuce, topped with house-made pico de gallo, and drizzled with Chipotle mayo sauce.
Sharkey’s Oceanfront Restaurant
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Click on each image to enlarge.

#Brian’s Last on the Card

God Bless. Happy New Year! Happy 2026! Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Wordless Wednesday: 31 December

*Coleman –*
First Time at a Beach
Atlantic Ocean
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

Click on image to enlarge.

Wordless Wednesday-2025.12.31

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

RDP: Evanescent Sea and Sky

Ragtag Daily Prompt-Evanescent

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Hammad’s Weekend Sky

Skywatch Friday-Last for 2025

Cameras: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel 2000D with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens plus Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

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

2025 Monday Portrait: 29 December

Pig in the Greenway

Monday Portrait

Camera: Canon EOS 2000D ( Rebel T7) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm; Greenway Stables and Farm Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have a wonderful week. Happy New Year! Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Cell Pic Sunday: 28 December

Click image to enlarge.

John’s Cell Pic Sunday

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Cramerton Independent Presbyterian Church; 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.

Sophia Ruthann’s First Christmas — December 25, 2025

This Christmas was the very first Christmas for Sophia Ruthann Wilson; she entered into our family on December 9, 2025 at 2:47 am. Coleman is a proud big brother as can be seen from some of the photos.

Here are a “few” shots I captured to remember her First Christmas … (Sharing with my daughter’s permission).

Sophia Ruthann Wilson
Very First Christmas
December 24/25, 2025

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

Cameras: Apple iPhone 16 Plus; Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max; and Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens.

Location: Wilson/Waters Home; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Happy New Year! 2026 will soon be here. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Amber Jack’s Welcoming Wreaths

FOWC

“Welcome in! Let the warmth of the season fill your heart.”

On Christmas Eve, we opted to treat ourselves to dining out at a restaurant we hadn’t tried before, but had heard fantastic things about it. Where did we go? We chose to eat our Dinner (at noontime) at Amber Jack Seafood & Steaks Restaurant. It turned out we weren’t the only ones who decided that it would be a perfect time for a delicious meal.

The first thing we see as we approach the restaurant’s front doors are a couple of Welcoming Christmas Wreaths. The entrance to the restaurant was also decorated with strings of white lights, Christmas garland, and a small Christmas tree right beside the front doors.

*Trisha (Coleman’s mom)*
*& Coleman approaching*
*Amber Jack’s Entry doors.*

Welcoming **Wreaths**
*hung on the front doors*

Not only was the restaurant’s outdoor are all decked out for the holidays, but the inside was as well. The Christmas decor helped to make the environment extremely welcoming and inviting us to Pull Up a Seat and enjoy a relaxingly pleasant dining experience.

***Amber Jack Seafood***
**& Steaks Restaurant**

My daughter chose to have the Sirloin Tips Over Rice, Coleman had Chicken Tenders (but ended up not wanting to eat them), and I treated myself to a plate of Broiled Mahi-Mahi filet with fried okra and fried squash. They started us off with a delicious bowl of minestrone soup (it was tasty & I devoured both mine and Coleman’s since he didn’t want to eat it.) They also served us a basket of fried hush puppies, which also were pleasing to the appetite.

The food and service were exceptional. It was well worth the price the food ( especially mine) was very flavourful and mouthwatering scrumptiously delicious. I would highly recommend Amber Jack Seafood & Steaks Restaurant to anyone and everyone who lives or is ever near one to go on in and delight yourselves with the tremendously appetizing food.

“Like these evergreens, may our hospitality offer strength and renewal to all who gather here.”

Fandango’s One Word Challenge (FOWC)-Wreath

XingfuMama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge

Dan’s Thursday Doors

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Amber Jack Seafood & Steaks Restaurant; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Hope y’all had a wonderful Holiday and have a funtastic weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): 12.26 — Any Which Way with Vehicles

Welcome back to the Which Way Challenge. This Friday’s Which Way Challenge theme is CWWC: Any Which Way with Vehicles. Your Which Ways can be Any Which Way on any Road, Pathways, Walkways, Sidewalks, Stairs, etc. as long as your Which Ways are clearly visible.

Here are my contributions …

***Cramerton Christmas Parade Vehicles***

Click on each image to enlarge.

Thank you to all who have supported and contributed to the Which Way Challenge this past week or at any time. Be sure to check out other Which Ways by clicking on the links below.

Dawn’s Which Way in the Sleigh

Chava61’s 2025 Which Way Challenge With A Holiday Theme

Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery’s Looking for a Xmas Tree

gwh photos2’s CWWC Holiday Season – December 19, 2025

Suzette’s For Deb’s – Any Which Way —Holiday Theme Part 2

Deb’s Which Way Challenge

Dan’s Thursday Doors

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Parade Route; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

• NOTE: For next week the theme will be CWWC: Any Which Way with People.

2025 Skywatch Friday/Weekend Sky: 12.26

Skywatching at Goat Island Park and Greenway … The sky was beautiful and captivating amazingly drawing attention to the Creator of all that is, was, and will be.

Click on image to enlarge.

2025 Skywatch Friday

Hammad’s Weekend Sky-2025.12-19

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Light of the World

Last night Coleman and I attended our church’s Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. It was an evening to celebrate the Birth of Jesus through the singing of Carols, Lighting the final Advent Candle ( the White Candle), and partaking of Communion.

*The Advent Wreath*
*with the four*
*outer Candles lit.*

The White Candle in the Advent Wreath is placed in the center and is either lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The White Candle is called the Christ Candle. It is generally lit on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It symbolizes Christ’s purity, holiness, and his role as “The Light of the World” who overcomes the darkness, thus fulfilling the Hope and anticipation of the season.

*The Advent Wreath*
*after the Center*
***White Candle***
has been lit.

The outer four Advent Candles (3 purple, & 1 pink) mark the Sundays of Advent. They represent Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. The White Candle signifies the arrival of Jesus Christ as the Pure, Sinless Saviour. All throughout Advent, the lighting of the Candles each week including the Center White Candle all point to the coming of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World. The purpose in lighting the Advent Candles especially the White Candle is to remind Christians that Jesus is the fulfillment of Advent prophecies as well as the true light which brings Hope, Salvation, and Peace into the World.

Near the conclusion of the service, during Communion, all in attendance light their individual candles from the Advent Christ candle. The lighting of individual candles from the Christ candle symbolizes our individual roles as bearers of Christ’s “Light to the World.” It creates a powerful visual of the Gospel spreading to all the World.

Happy Birthday Jesus! Feliz Navidad! Frohe Weihnachten! Feliz Natal! Merry Christmas to one and all.

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

2025 RDP: Tuesday —Present!

“Silver and Gold have I none, but such as I have I give unto thee …” (Acts 3:6)

You might not think this would apply to this time of year, however, I think it very much applies to. Presents, I do not need; but your Presence would be greatly welcomed and appreciated.

When Jesus was born, the Magi (also referred to as Wise Men) brought gifts (Presents) of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They came not just with their Presents, but also with their Presence. The Wise Men came to show their respect by being Present and giving Presents with significant meaning and importance.

The gift of Gold was honourable and symbolically respectful of Jesus’ Kingship and royalty. The gift of Frankincense signified their worship of the newborn king, honouring Jesus’ divinity and priesthood. The gift of Myrrh was a foretelling of Jesus’ mortality, suffering, and impending death. The Presents, from the Magi, acknowledged Jesus as King, God, and Savior. They also served practical purposes for Joseph and Mary to help meet their needs.

Yes, we all like to receive Presents during this holiday season, but Presents are not as important to me as having your Presence here with me. Now I know children (aka Coleman) does not understand that our Presence together is more meaningful than receiving Presents. One day, he may learn and appreciate our Presence together, but for now he should would enjoy receiving Presents for Christmas.

Ragtag Daily Prompt: Tuesday! Present! — 12.23.2025

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

First Day at Being a Sophia’s Grandma

Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.

My first day of being Sophia Ruthann’s Grandma was filled with mixed emotions. The day started super, super early, it began with a tremendous amount of anticipation.

Then, excitement grew from the depths of my soul and joy filled my heart. I was so elated bursting with excitement and happiness that the moment had finally arrived when Sophia graced us with her presence.

And by the end of the day exhaustion set in and a whole nother set of emotions consumed me. I was drained of energy, extremely tired, and filled with sadness. Sadness because I felt like I wasn’t needed and jealousy overwhelmed me. I felt like my daughter was depending on her coworker to assist with her every need and I was just in the way. Too exhausted to say anything, I kept silent and sat there watching and waiting for my turn to hold my precious new granddaughter.

Dealing (or rather not dealing) with 🖤 emotions, keeping everything hidden inside I’m absorbed with intense internal pain and jealousy, not understanding how I (my opinion only) could be sidelined and made to fell unimportant in the grand scheme of Sophia’s birth and life.

#Daily Prompt-2151

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

2025 Wordless Wednesday: 24 December

Merry Christmas Eve!

*With Love,*
*Deb, Coleman,*
*& Sophia Ruthann*

Click on image to enlarge.

Wordless Wednesday-2025.12.24

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

2025 Numbers Game 12.23 — #104-226

Judy from Life Lessons blog hosts a weekly photo challenge called The Numbers Game. This week’s number is 226. Her instructions for playing along are listed below …

To play along, go to your photos file and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find under that number and include a link to your blog in Judy’s  Numbers Game blog of the day. If instead of numbers, you have changed the identifiers of all your photos into words, pick a word or words to use instead, and show us a variety of photos that contain that word in the title.

Please click on photos to enlarge.

Here are my entries …

Please click on photos to enlarge.

Judy’s Numbers Game #104-226

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

Pull Up a Seat on a Jude’s Bench — ASCG Trekker Loop

Looking through my photos I ran across a bench from one of our hiking adventures I don’t think I’ve shared before, so I thought I would share it today.

*A lone Bench*
*by Lake Crandall*
*& Lake Frances*

Jude’s Bench Challenge-2025.12.22

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2025-Week 51

Pull Up a Seat Challenge — *Pull Up a Seat*

Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Location: By Lake Crandall; Trekker Loop; Adventure Road Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have a blessed Christmas Holiday Week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 CFFC: 22 December — Festive or Bland

Looking Blandly

Dan, the host for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is asking us to share photos of Festive or Bland. With so many challenges seeking Festive images I chose to go Bland instead for this week’s Fun Foto Challenge.

Here are my contributions …

Click on each image to enlarge.

Dan’s Fun Foto Challenge (CFFC)-Festive or Bland

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

Note: You might want to take a look at this Friday’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC) (another one of Cee’s challenges) to see the new ideas for the new theme of CWWC: Any Which Way with vehicles — This CWWC will go live on Friday 12/26 just past midnight EST.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF75-300mm lens

Location; Warlick Family YMCA hiking trails; Gastonia, 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 Macro Monday: 22 December

Ipomoea pandurata

*Aka Indian Potato; Man-of-the-Earth;*
*Manroot; Morning Glory;*
*Wild Potato Vine; Wild Sweetpotato;*
*Wild Sweetpotato Vine*

The Wild Potato Vine is a perennial, deciduous, tenacious flowering vine similar to Morning Glory and Sweet potato vine. It is native to North America and grows primarily in South East Canada to Central and Eastern United States of America. It is showy with large heart-shaped leaves, purple stems, and white flowers with pink to purple centers.

An interesting fact is that the Wild Potato Vine roots are used by Native Americans for poultices, infusions, read for treatment of a variety of medical problems. The roots can be eaten cooked, but raw, are a purgative. (A purgative has a strong laxative effect.)

Click on image to enlarge.

Macro Monday (MM)

Terri’s The #Flower Hour

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S75-300mm lens

Location: Green Trail; Warlick Family YMCA; Gastonia, Gaston County, 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: 22 December

Emden Geese

*Embden Geese*
*Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm*

Embden (Emden) Geese are a German breed of domestic geese recognized primarily for their pure white plumage and striking bright blue eyes. ( I know it’s hard to see their blue eyes from the picture, but they are blue) The Embden is one of the oldest and most popular breeds around the world.

These Embden Geese reside at the Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm at the Anne Springs Close Greenway. Children of all ages are welcome to come visit them, but trying to pet them or pick them up is not recommended. Feed for them can be purchased at an extra cost to the entrance fee.

Monday Portrait

Bird of the Week CXLVII

Camera: Canon EOS 2000D ( Rebel T7) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Settings: f/5.6 • 1/100s • 70mm • ISO100

Location: Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm; Greenway Stables and Farm Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have a wonderful Christmas holiday week. Merry Christmas! Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Monday Window: 2025.12.22

*House Windows*
*at Lake Norman*
*from across the lake.*

Click on each image to enlarge.

Monday Window

See Monday Window posts in Reader

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 RDP: Sunday —Infructescence

These Bald Cypress trees are resilient and have the ability to grow in very wet conditions, even standing in water. These are grown near the South Fork Catawba River in Riverside Park and Greenway.

The Cypress cones are the reproductive structures of Cypress trees that develop from the tree’s flowers. What you see here are the female cones, often called seed cones. The little red droplet on the bottom cone looks like resin which is characteristic from a cypress tree.

The Cluster of Bald Cypress cones you see is a perfect example of an infructescence. These cones are actually modified seed cones, and once they mature, they’ll release seeds. It’s interesting to learn how plants develop these unique structures to disperse their seeds. The mature cones contain seeds that are a very important food source for local wildlife, including squirrels, waterfowl, and other birds.

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) – infructescence

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location; Riverside Park and Greenway; 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.

2025 Sunday Stills – Winter Wonderland and Monthly Color Challenge: Cobalt Blue

Sunday Stills
Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge

This week I am combining Terri’s Sunday Stills with her Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge with the themes of Cobalt Blue and Winter Wonderland (Solstice).

First off, how about some Blue on Blue in the Gulf of Mexico (now called Gulf of America) from a cruise I took back in 2020. We were in the middle of the Gulf heading towards Cozumel, Mexico. It’s amazing how except for the other ships at sea, all one sees for miles and miles in practically Blue on Blue.

*When the Water & Sky Meet*
*Cobalt Blue*

Now for some Winter Wonderland (this isn’t Solstice, but it is having some 🥶 Winter Wonderland Funtime.

*Coleman and his mom*
*enjoying some Funtime*
*in the Winter Snow.*

I know we are currently in December with today (the 21st) being Winter Solstice, but we don’t usually get Snow in our area until January and/or February. The top photo was take in February of 2020 & the Bottom picture was taken in January of 2022.

Happy Winter Solstice to all of y’all.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Terri’s Sunday Stills – Winter Wonderland (Solstice)

Terri’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge – Cobalt Blue.

God Bless. Have a wonderful Winter Solstice and a fantastic week. Merry Christmas! Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 OWS: 12.07 — Festive

Good Sunday Morning to y’all. This week Debbie from Travel with Intent has chosen Festive for the theme for One Word Sunday (OWS).

Here are my entries …

… From Cramerton’s Christmas Parade …

Snoopy riding on Carolinas Junk Removal Crane.

Debbie’s One Word Sunday – Festive

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: Parade Route; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 Cell Pic Sunday: 21 December

Throwback to 2020

Stumpy Pond
Adventure Road Entrance
Anne Springs Close Greenway

Click image to enlarge.

John’s Cell Pic Sunday

Camera: Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max Wide Camera

Location: Prairie Loop; Adventure Road Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South 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.

2025 Floral Silent Sunday: December 21

Viola x wittrockiana

Silent Sunday

Terri’s The #Flower Hour

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Gibson House; Greenway Stables and Farm Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

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

2025 SYW: Week of December 15th

Share Your World is hosted by Di from pensitivity101. Her suggestions for participating in the challenge are as follows …

There are two ways in which you can participate:
Leave your answers to this week’s questions in the comments box below or create your own post and link back to this one.
Ping-backs are activated, but don’t always work properly, so to play safe, leave a link in a comment or if you prefer, leave just the link so that I can see it.
(Instructions on how ping-backs work are found by clicking here. Thanks! )
To make it easy for others to check out your post, title or tag your blog post “Share Your World”.

Here are this week’s questions:

1. Did anyone read you a bedtime story when you were a child?

I actually do not remember ever being read any bedtime stories when I was growing up.

2. Did you read bedtime stories to anyone?

I try to read nightly bedtime stories (from his favourite books) to my grandson if he doesn’t fall asleep before I am able to read. Lately I try to have us read Level 1 beginner reader books that he can practice reading with me.

3. Do you prefer to read a book, an ebook/kindle, or audio book?

I used to always prefer to read an actual book (I love the feel of a book in my hands). Currently, my eyesight is not what it used to be, so I do most of my reading via ebook format. I read on Kindle, iBooks, Close, and Libby ( the library ebook reader). Using these apps I can adjust the font & size to suit my needs.

4. What is your favourite fairy tale?

Im not sure that I have a favourite fairy tale. I have always enjoyed “The Three Little Pigs,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and “The Ugly Duckling.”

“Everything we do should be a result of our gratitude for what God has done for us.”
~ Lauryn Hill
CountryLiving

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

2025 RDP: Friday! — Mountaintop View

Ragtag Daily Prompt- Friday!Mountain!

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens.

Location: Mount Jefferson State Natural Area; 1481 Mt Jefferson Rd, West Jefferson, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 The #Flower Hour #11 — Last Chance Holiday Florals

Revisiting Christmas Florals

Terri from Second Wind Leisure Perspective is the host for The #Flower Hour #11. This week she is giving us a Last Chance to share our Holiday Florals. Having already posted several Holiday Florals I dug deep into my archives to reshare some Christmas Florals with all of you.

Poinsettias are a popular Christmas floral, however, you probably don’t see this one around your everyday Christmas displays.

*Euphorbia pulcherrima*
(Stelle di Natale)
Christmas Star, Poinsettia

Let’s now take a look at a different Christmas floral known as the Christmas Berry. The Christmas Berry is a compact shrub with dark green elliptic leaves, but are crimson red when young in early spring. The shrub tolerates moderate shade and grows in well drained soil.

Next, we are admiring a succulent known as the Christmas Kalanchoe, a popular house plant known for its vibrant, long-lasting flowers in colors like red, white, pink, and orange. It is a succulent that thrives in bright, indirect light and well-drained soil, making it a great festive gift for the holidays.

And finally, we are changing colours from red to green for our Christmas florals. This plant was seen at Anne Springs Close Greenway’s garden at the Stables Entrance. It is a Helleborus orientalis, often referred to as Christmas Rose, or Lenten Rose. It is a winter-blooming, broadleaf evergreen, clumping perennial in the Ranunculaceae or buttercup family.

Helleborus orientalis
Aka Christmas Rose,
Hellebore, Lenten Rose

Terri’s The #Flower Hour #11

Also posting for:

Bren’s Floral Friday

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

God Bless. Have a very Merry Christmas Holiday Season. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): 12.19 — Any Which Way with a Holiday theme. — Part 2

Welcome back to the Which Way Challenge. This Friday’s Which Way Challenge theme is CWWC: Any Which Way with a Holiday theme. Your Which Ways can be Any Which Way on any Road, Pathways, Walkways, Sidewalks, Stairs, etc. as long as your Which Ways are clearly visible.

Here are my contributions …

Click on each image to enlarge.

Thank you to all who have supported and contributed to the Which Way Challenge this past week or at any time. Be sure to check out other Which Ways by clicking on the links below.

Cath’s Which Way… {Cloudy or Stormy Day}

Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery’s Xmas Market Up And Down

Dawn’s Crossover Bridge at Shenandoah University with Christmas Lights

Suzette’s For Deb’s Any Which Way CWWC Holiday Theme – Part 1

CWWC: Any Which Way with a Holiday theme – Part 2 (Will run for two (2) weeks). [12.19.2025]

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Parade Route; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

• NOTE: For next week the theme will be CWWC: Any Which Way with vehicles.

2025 Skywatch Friday/Weekend Sky: 12.19

Click on image to enlarge.

2025 Skywatch Friday

Hammad’s Weekend Sky-2025.12-19

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

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

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

2025 CosPhoChal: Lights, Camera, Christmas around the Neighborhood

This year our neighborhood is not adorned with very many Christmas Lights or Festive Decorations. I did, however, manage to capture a few Christmas Lights and decorations within our walking pathways.

Here is what I found …

Click on each image to enlarge.

Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge-Lights, Camera, Christmas!

Dan’s Thursday Doors

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; 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 Thursday Trios: 18 December

Three Horses,

Three Riders,

One Trail Ride

As stated in my Monochrome Madness post, Coleman and I saw several horse owners at Anne Springs Close Greenway taking advantage of a beautiful afternoon to enjoy riding their horses on the trails.

I’m also linking this post to XingfuMama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge.

Here are a few of the horses and riders we saw visiting the Greenway taking advantage…

***Three Horses, Three Riders, One Trail***
**Pull Up a Seat**
***Anne Springs Close Greenway***

Click on each image to enlarge.

Carol’s Thursday Trios

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2025-Week 50

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T7 (2000D) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Dogwood Trail; Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Enjoy your weekend. Spend time Outdoors and admire Nature’s beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Visiting the Horses and Trails (at the Greenway)

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

Whenever Coleman and I have the opportunity to visit Anne Springs Close Greenway we almost always (but not always) visit the horses. Coleman loves horses. The Anne Springs Close Greenway has five different entrances to the Greenway for hiking, mountain biking, or just visiting.

Last Saturday, Coleman and I went to the Greenway Stables and Farm Entrance to visit the Farm animals and (of course) the horses.

We arrived late due to heavy traffic and congestion on the roads leading to the Greenway Stables. Therefore, we only had a short amount of time to visit the farm animals.

*One last look at the Farm*
*animals before venturing*
*towards the horses.*

Moving on to hiking and visiting the horses stabled at the Greenway. We saw and visited with several owners who were there to enjoy a ride on their horses along the trails.

*Trailing behind a horse*
*& rider down Dogwood Trail*

*Still hiking along Dogwood Trail.*
*The rider is up around the bend.*

The Greenway has several horse stables scattered along the Dogwood Trail and are maintained by the Greenway staff. Quite a few of the horses are privately owned and as the sign says you’re not supposed to pet or feed the horses. However, some of the owners will allow Coleman to pet their horses. If an owner’s horse is skittish the owner will not recommend petting it or coming too close.

*Coleman visiting horses*
*at one of the*
*Greenway Stables.*

We recommend checking with a horses owner before petting them. The owners are not always present, but when they are they are friendly and usually willing to answer any questions about their horses.

An AI sketch rendering
of few Greenway horses
enjoying their feed.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

Camera: Canon EOS 2000D (Rebel T7) with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV Filter attachment.

Location: Greenway Stables, Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm, and Dogwood Trail; Greenway Stables and Farm Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA

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

Crazy Sister Marina

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A Gallery of

Ring-Billed Gulls

for Thursday Trios

& Bird of the Week CL

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Leanne’s

Monochrome

Madness

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Ragtag Daily Prompts

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Crazy Sister Marina

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Brassica oleracea

(Acephala Group)

‘White Peacock’

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First Portrait for 2026

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A & W Restaurant

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Last of 2025

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Pig in the Greenway

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FOWC

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Light of the World

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Looking Blandly

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Ipomoea pandurata

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Emden Geese

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Throwback to 2020

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Three Horses,

Three Riders,

One Trail Ride

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