#LeannesMonochromeMadness – Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography

Monochrome Madness #65 — Outlived their Usefulness??

Elke from pictures imperfect blog has chosen a theme of Getting On In Years for this week’s Monochrome Madness Challenge. Getting on in Years can refer to many different things, (objects or people). Ive chosen to go with objects getting on (getting old) as in Antiques. Are Antiques still useful? Maybe some still are, but others like these are not useful for their intended purpose. However, they are useful for educational purposes and displays in museums.

Here are my contributions …

Julian Museum
Julian, California
*April 1978*

These Antique Mining Lamps were once useful to provide crucial light needed to navigate dark tunnels and identify gold veins. Nowadays, people use more modern versions of oil or kerosene lamps.

*Fireplace in a Historic Cabin*
*The Schiele Museum of Natural History Gastonia, North Carolina*

This fireplace has definitely seen better days. At one time it would have kept a family warm during cold winter months. It was probably also used to cook food for family and friends who may have stopped by.

*A Disc Plow*
*on Display at the Farm*
*The Schiele Museum of Natural History*

The above and below images are photos of an Antique Two-Disc Plow. Disc plows use large, concave steel discs, rather than moldboards, to cut and turn the soil. They’re especially effective in tough conditions like hard or sticky soils, or where there’s a lot of crop residue.

*Another angle of the Disc Plow*
*The Schiele Museum*
*Gastonia, North Carolina*

The Disc Plows were revolutionary in farming, especially for breaking up tough soil and preparing fields for planting. Unlike single-bladed plows, the two discs allowed for more efficient turning and mixing of the soil, which was a huge advantage for farmers back in the day.

Coleman testing out an
Antique horse- or
mule-drawn walking plow

An Antique Horse or Mule drawn Walking Plow (like this single-bottom moldboard plow) was once a cornerstone of 19th and early 20th century American agriculture. It along with the Two-Disc Plow is on display at The Farm at The Schiele Museum of Natural History in Gastonia, North Carolina. It is an outdoor exhibit dedicated to showcasing historical regional farming technology in the North Carolina Piedmont.

Click on images to enlarge.

Elke’s Monochrome Madness #65-Getting on in Years

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness #65-Getting on in Years

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

Thursday Doors in Monochrome-2026.08.06

The Dilapidation of

The Springs Block

Signs of Better Days

Gone By … So Sad 😢

The Springs Block was built by Colonel Leroy Springs in 1905. It was constructed with red stretcher and common bond brick. It has been home to many of Lancaster’s prominent businesses over the years. Sadly, in 1936, a fire destroyed its southern end, including the Hotel Royale and Lancaster Mercantile.

In August of 1984, the Springs Block was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It underwent restoration in 1986 as part of Lancaster’s Main Street Revitalization program.

*The Historic Springs Block*
*Lancaster, South Carolina*

For many decades the Springs Block was a thriving business district within Lancaster’s downtown neighborhood. The businesses were bustling with people who were excited to come visit, shop, and mingle in the vibrant, community-focused atmosphere. People would come to a then lively downtown hub to do their errands, meet neighbours, and find everything from groceries to clothing to household goods. Shopkeepers once knew their count name and tailored their unique selections to meet the personal needs of their customers.

The Historic Springs Block
Lancaster, South Carolina
Thursday Doors
Monochrome Madness

It saddens me to see the once vital and thriving downtown community in such a dilapidated state of destruction. These are recent photos of Lancaster’s Historic Springs Block in downtown Lancaster, South Carolina. My daughter and I once roamed the streets of downtown Lancaster’s Springs Block, shopping, having a bite to eat, meeting friends, and watching parades (or in her case in them) and all in all having a grand ‘ole time.

Click on images to enlarge.

Dan’s Thursday Doors-2026.08.06

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness-2026.08.06

Location: The Springs Block; Downtown Lancaster; Lancaster, South Carolina, USA

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

Monochrome Madness—2026.07.09 [Free Week]

In the Shadows

It was another extremely hot and humid day in the Carolinas. Despite the heat, Coleman and I ventured out to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden to check out the new additions (more on that later), the flowers in bloom, and the Butterfly Bungalow (in a future post).

This is the pathway where we began our adventure towards the Gardens and the Butterfly Bungalow.

*Coleman in the Shadows*
*at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden*

Click on image to enlarge.

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

#Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge-Black & White

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden; Belmont, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have a funtastic week ahead. May your week be filled with love, laughter, and happiness. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Anyone wishing to join in and participate, please go to the Monochrome Madness page to find out how.

Monochrome Madness #62 2026 June 17

Jugs, Jugs, & More

(Inside & Out)

This week’s host for Monochrome Madness is Brian from Bushboys World. He has chosen a theme of Jugs for this week’s challenge. Jugs have been around for ages and made from varies materials like clay, glass, and even plastic. I much prefer sun-dried clay or glass-blown jugs to the more modern lightweight high-density polyethylene (plastic) jugs.

These are a few of the Jugs I have found in my archives to share with y’all.

Located in Fairies-Coltharp Cabin
Anne Springs Close Greenway
*Fort Mill, SC*

Click on each image to enlarge.

Brian’s Monochrome Madness #62-Jugs

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness (MM)

Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm & EF-S18-55mm lenes; Apple iPhone 13 Pro; Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Locations: As stated above.

God Bless. Have a funtastic week ahead. May your week be filled with love, laughter, and happiness. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Anyone wishing to join in and participate, please go to the Monochrome Madness page to find out how.

Monochrome Madness #61 2026 June 04

Water Flowing

Upward & Downward

This week’s Monochrome Madness is hosted by Leanne Cole. She has chosen to challenge us to post images which show water flowing. Mine not only includes waterfalls, but also Spillways, Oceans, Dams, Lakes, Rivers and Garden Fountains. Water flows in many different ways from straight upwards to upstream and downstream, including over rocks and barriers.

Now to show y’all my entries …

*The Spillway*
*at Kings Mountain State Park Blacksburg, SC*

Click on each image to enlarge.

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness #61-Flowing Water

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

God Bless. Have a funtastic week ahead. May your week be filled with love, laughter, and happiness. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Anyone wishing to join in and participate, please go to the Monochrome Madness page to find out how.

LAPC: Black & White and Monochrome

I normally try to take photos as we go hiking in our neighborhood, along the various trails and sometimes we hike more than one trail in a given day. As always my hiking buddy is my (recently turned 4) grandson, Coleman. He loves spending time outdoors especially when he gets to go hiking in the woods, along the creeks, rivers, and lakes.

On this particular day we rode the transit bus from near our home to the Avon Catawba Creeks Greenway. We hiked the Greenway seeing many amazing sights along the way. We hiked the entire 2.7 mile paved greenway. The Avon Catawba Creeks Greenway connects Lineberger Park to Ferguson Park. The Catawba Creek Greenway portion runs through wooded and open creek areas between several residential areas and junctions at the Avon Creek Greenway. Combined, the Avon and Catawba Creeks Greenway is approximately 3 miles. We ventured over onto Robinwood Road from the Greenway and on down to the Gaston County Warlick Family YMCA to continue hiking some more after a bit of a rest and a snack while overlooking Robinwood Lake.

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge-Black & White and Monochrome

Leannes Monochrome Madness

Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max and Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm lens.

God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time as we hiked along the Greenways to the Warlick YMCA. It was a pleasurable afternoon. We appreciate y’all and any thoughts you’d like to share.

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The Dilapidation of

The Springs Block

Signs of Better Days

Gone By … So Sad 😢

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In the Shadows

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Jugs, Jugs, & More

(Inside & Out)

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Water Flowing

Upward & Downward

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