Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography
This blog is for my insights on life, the Bible, hiking adventures with my grandson and whatever is important to me
High Horse
Photo Credit:©️2020 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max Telephoto
Location: The Cowboy Way Tack Shop; Treadaway Blvd; Abilene, Texas, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Bestie is a person’s best friend. I had friends growing up, but I do not recall one being a bestie. I know, as an adult, have had friends that come and go, but none of them have ever been close enough to be called a bestie. Nowadays, I spend practically all my time with my grandson, Coleman. He is my hiking buddy. He and I are closer than he is with his own mom. The reason for that is most likely due to the fact that we spend the most time together as his mom works a lot to provide a place for us to live. So in a sense he is my bestie. He is not a confident, but he is someone I love and care very deeply about; someone I’d give my life to protect.
Coleman playing at CB Huss Recreation Complex.
Coleman colouring an ornament at the Town of Cramerton Community Center.
Coleman and myself affectionately loving each other.
Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Any word beginning with C
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: 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.
2 Goats & a Boy
These Goats all dressed up for Christmas are located at the entrance to Goat Island Park and Greenway in Cramerton, North Carolina. Coleman spotted the Goats when we first approached the entrance to the Greenway; one was standing and was laying down on it’s side. We stood it back upright, then Coleman wanted a picture. Thus, the photo you see here.
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Muscovy Duck
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Riverside Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Lama pacos
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm; Greenway Farm Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting The Children’s Farm with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Highland cow
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm; Greenway Stables and Farm Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South 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.
Horse Lovin’
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Horse Stables; Greenway Farm Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting The Stables with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Greenway Cows
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm; Greenway Farm Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting The Farm with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Coleman’s Horse Affection
Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250 mm lens
Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
7 Riverbanks 🦒 Giraffes 🦒
This week I am combining Monday Portrait with Becky’s Squares-#Seven for September. I am posting Seven (7) Giraffes from 7 years ago in 2017.
Photo Credit:©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Location: Riverbanks Zoo & Garden; Columbia, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a fabulous week. I appreciate y’all very much.
Leanne’s Monochrome Madness
Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Gardner Park Elementary; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all.
Becky’s Squares-#Seven for September
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. Have a fabulous day! I appreciate y’all very much.
Throwback to 2017
Sundance, the Sunshine Bear
I visited the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina with my daughter, Trisha and granddaughter, Alona back in August of 2017 [Seven (7) years ago]. We were able to enjoy the various zoo animals and the entertaining antics of Sundance, the Sunshine Bear.
Sadly, Sundance passed away on April 30, 2022 due to declining health. He came to the Riverbanks Zoo along with his brother, Butch, at the young age of only nine (9) months old. Sundance had a gentle disposition, kind eyes, and loved to interact with his zookeepers. He was known as the Sunshine Bear, always bringing a bit of sunshine to those who came to see him.
Becky’s Squares-#Seven for September
Photo Credit:©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Location: Riverbanks Zoo and Garden; Columbia, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Riverbanks Zoo with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Dachshund
Becky’s Squares-#Seven for September
Photo Credit:©️03.07.2020 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Location: Abilene, Texas, USA
God Bless. Happy Squaring! Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Fratercula corniculata
The Horned Puffins are similar in appearance to the Atlantic Puffins and its closest relative of the North Atlantic. It differs, however, by a “horn” of black skin located above the eye, present in adult birds.
The Horned Puffin is an auk found in the North Pacific Ocean, including the coasts of Alaska, Siberia, and British Columbia. [The puffin in the first picture was taken off the coast of Alaska by my cousin during their bucket list vacation.] It is a pelagic seabird that feeds primarily by diving for fish. It nests in colonies, often with other auks.
The height of the adult puffin is approximately 20 cm (8 in), the weight is approximately 500 g (18 oz), and the wingspan is approximately 58 cm (23 in). Horned Puffins are monomorphic; in other words both the male and female exhibits the same plumage coloration.
Sexually mature puffins have a small fleshy black “horn” extending upwards from the eye, from which the animal derives its common name; the horned puffin. The Horned Puffin’s bill is red at the tip and yellow at the base. It is also larger than those of other puffin species. The puffin’s bill has fluorescent properties which it uses to attract a partner. Puffins can see ultraviolet rays, allowing them to spot luminescence on the bills of other puffins during the courtship display.
Horned puffins live among steep rocky slopes and cliffs. They prefer rock crevices or shelters under piles of rock for home and shelter which differs from other puffins that dig burrows for their shelters.
To achieve flight, horned puffins either jump off a cliff to gain momentum, or races across the water to reaching the speed required for takeoff. They fly compactly and quickly, 10 to 30 meters (33 to 98 ft)above sea level. The wing beats are constant, rapid and regular.
When the puffins are on land they walk upright gripping rock surfaces with its claws, and climbs cliffs with ease. They do spend half of their time on water, paddling along the surface with their feet. They are extremely agile underwater. Their powerful wings serve as oars and their webbed feet work as a rudder. Their plumage, like most seabirds, are waterproof. This feature allows them to dive and prevents heat loss.
The Horned Puffins feed on a diet of fish, small invertebrates, crustaceans, polychaete worms and squid. They are also known to feed on small algae and marine plants.
Photo Credit:©️2024 John Palone ( my cousin) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Alaska, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Greenway Horse
Photo Credit:©️2022 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 13 Pro Wide Camera
Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Greenway with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Smithsonian Castle
And
Joseph Henry Statue
This was one of the many stops on my parents cross country vacation during the summer of 1985. They visited The Smithsonian Institution Building on their Washington D. C. Tour.
The Castle was the first Smithsonian Building. It was designed by architect James Renwick Jr. and built between 1847 and 1855 to house the Smithsonian Institution, which was established by Congress in 1846. It was designed in the Norman Revival style, which combines late Romanesque and early Gothic motifs. It is made up of Seneca red sandstone from the Seneca Quarry in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The Joseph Henry Statue is located at the entrance of the Smithsonian Institution Building, or “Castle.” Joseph Henry was the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1846 to 1878. The bronze statue of him was commissioned in 1880 and installed in 1883. At its installation it faced the Smithsonian Building (The Castle.) In 1965, the bronze statue was turned to face the National Mall.
Photo Credit:©️1985 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: Smithsonian Institution Building; The Castle; Washington D. C., USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Peafowl
Peafowls is the common name for two bird species of the genus Pavo and one species of the closely related genus Afropavo of the family Phasianidae (pheasants and their allies.) Phasianidae includes male peacocks, female peahens, and their young which are called peachicks.
It is the male Peafowls which are referred to as Peacocks. The males are the ones who have the vibrant blue and green coloring, long tails and dramatic displaying to attract mates. Mating season occurs between March and September.
Peacocks are polygamous birds that mate with multiple females during the mating season and have multiple partners throughout the breeding season. After mating season, the Male Peacocks shed their tail feathers and grow new ones before the next breeding season.
Photo Credit:©️1978 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35 mm
Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park; Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit: ©️1978 Nornal H. Waters ( My dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Converter: Wolverine Digital Converter
Location: San Diego Wild Animal Park (now known as San Diego Zoo Safari Park); Escondido, San Diego County, California, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Ursus arctos
Brown Bear
Photo Credit:©️2024 John Palone (my cousin) … All Rights Reserved.
Location: Alaska, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Katie’s Horses
Katie Brown owns five horses she keeps at the Anne Springs Close Greenway pastures.
On this day, her horses were seen at the Greenway’s Dairy Barn Entrance.
Murphy can be very playful and entertaining.
Photo Credit:©️2024 Cathy States (hiking club friend) …All Rights Reserved.
Location: Dairy Barn Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Hope it’s not too hot for all y’all. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
A Boy & His Dog
Tippy & Ray
Photo Credit:©️1972 Nornal H. Waters (my dad) … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Minolta XG-7 35mm
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Cool Cat
Cool cats like to keep cool by hiding in the underbrush in shady areas. Can you spot me?
Maybe if I move a little bit you’ll be able to see me. However, I would appreciate it if you keep the dog away from me. I prefer to stay where I am at and not get in an entanglement.
Enjoy your day! I’m just gonna stay here and relax for a while longer.
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Black and White All Over
So So Adorably Cute
Giant Pandas
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciated y’all very much.
Coleman’s Water 💦
Antics and Expressions
Here you go Clare —- Coleman’s latest … May his antics and expressions bring a smile and a bit of laughter to your day.
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Backyard Turtle 🐢 Pool; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Hidden in the Grass
Hey, what’s that over there? Can you see it too?
Come on, let’s go take a closer look … That’s not a flower I see. What do you think it is?
Is that a baby deer? Oh, look over there … there’s another deer.
What do you think? Is this one looking for the baby deer? I think they’ll be just fine.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Bos taurus indicus
The Zebu (Bos indicus or Bos taurus indicus), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle, Camel cow or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in South Asia.
Zebu cattle are well known for being resistant to really high temperatures with high humidity concentrations (like we have here in the Carolinas.) They also have a greater resistance to parasites such as ticks, and have maternal behavior that allows them to take care of their offspring from possible predators, however, they are also docile if they are frequently handled.
Brahman are a breed of Zebu. This breed of Zebu is developed in the United States from cattle imported from India and Brazil. There are two distinct types of Brahman cattle; the Red Brahman and the Grey Brahman.
Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA.
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm; Greenway Stables & Farm Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
South Carolina has experience a burgeoning of Cicadas due to the simultaneous emergence of two large broods, Brood XIX and Brood XIII. Brood XIX is the brood that has infiltrated the Carolinas. The Brood XIX variety, also referred to as periodical cicadas, emerge every thirteen (13) years across the Midwest and the Southeast. This is said to be a once-in-a-decade event where you have this many hatched.
The emergence began in April in the south and is expected to start in June in the north. The cicadas’ emergence caused a major commotion in South Carolina, with some residents calling the police to complain about the noise.
The loud sounding noise that people hear is caused by male cicadas singing to attract mates after spending more than a decade underground.
If you do not wish to have cicadas burgeoning in your yard or in your garden, you can spray your trees and plants with some essential oils or other sprays that won’t harm the vegetation to detour them from coming into your yard. Cicadas hate the smells of peppermint, vinegar, and eucalyptus.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Coleman in His New Shirt
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Enjoy your Sunday. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Bleating to Greet Y’all
Wait a Sec … I’ll Come Closer.
Can Y’all See Me Now?
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF 75-300mm lens and Altura CPL filter attachment.
Location: The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Colo 12.22.1956 – 01.17.2017
A Western Lowland Gorilla
Colo was born in captivity at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and lived at the Zoo for her entire life. At the time of her death in 2017, she was the oldest known gorilla in the world living in captivity. She lived to the age of 60 years and 26 days.
She was named Colo after the Columbus Zoo. She was rejected at birth by her mother and was hand-raised by Zookeepers.
Interesting Fact:
Colo was a mother to three, a grandmother to 16, a great-grandmother to 12, and a great-great-grandmother to three.
My daughter and I visited Colo in April of 2012 when we visited cousins and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio during Easter vacation.
Leannes Monochrome Madness
Photo Credit:©️2012 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting Colo with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
A Greenway Horse Greets Coleman
Photo Credit: 2024 ©️Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Dairy Barn Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: Domtar Forest Porch; Lake Haigler Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Throwback Family Portraits
Through the Ages of Time
For this week I selected photos which were handed down to me by my maternal grandmother after my maternal grandfather passed. The last selection was one of my father’s photos I received after he passed.
I am so thankful for the many photos that I have received and will treasure them always. Each one tells a little piece of my families history.
Lens-Artists Challenge #292: People Here, There and Everywhere
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Lucky 🍀
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting The Farm and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Baa Baa Baa
Photo Credit: ©️Deb L Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History, Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much
— At the Greenway
Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max — Telephoto lens.
Location: Horse Stables; Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
Wanna Share a Bite?
When Coleman and I visited The Farm On at The Schiele Museum on Tuesday Mike and Lucky were busy chomping away. It was feeding time and they were hungrily munching their food to their hearts (and belly’s) contentment.
I do not believe I would partake in their diet, however, they did appear to enjoy it themselves.
Photo Credit: ©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: iPhone 14 Pro Max
Location: The Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a fabulous week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
A Highland Cow
(bos taurus taurus)
Photo Credit:©️2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: 1) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens; 2-5) iPhone 14 Pro Max – Ultra wide Camera
Location: Greenway Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?
The item I am most attached to from my youth is a stuffed monkey. Yes, I said a stuffed monkey. It is not just any ordinary stuffed monkey. It is a vintage red and white Mr. Bim The Monkey rubber face plush toy. I’ve had him since I was about five years old, (I really do still have him.)
The Mr. Bim The Monkey was a plush toy made to resemble a real chimpanzee from the 1947 children’s show Howdy Doody. (As a sign note, I still have a 45rpm with the Howdy Doody song.) In the 1950’s the Rushton Toys Co. produced a chimpanzee plush named Zippy Zip, which became popular with children. Mr. Bim Monkey stands roughly 18 inches tall. The majority of the 1960’s Mr. Bim the Monkey plush toys were black and yellow with red suspenders with a yellow banana in its right hand. The red suspenders had bells attached on them.
Above shows Coleman holding my Red and White Mr. Bim The Monkey. He is over fifty (50) years old. His suspenders have broken due to lots of love and play. His bells have long since vanished and he is a little dirty from lack of cleaning. However, he’s been a faithful companion throughout the years.
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us.
Photo Credit; ©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus — Telephoto Camera. 226mm • f2.8 • 1/215s • ISO20
Location: Riverbanks Zoo & Garden; Columbia, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all.
This is a portrait of my mom when she was about four (4) years old standing on the foot rail of a car between her mom and dad (my maternal grandparents) in front of their home on Water Street in Coshocton, Ohio.
Leannes Monochrome Madness
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all.
Photo Credit: ©️2022 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Apple iPhone 13 Pro – Wide Camera
Location: Horse Stables Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 