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.
To do so, simply share the photo (not a screenshot) you have set as your wallpaper; Provide as little or as much detail as you wish; Use a pingback, or post a link here so I know you have joined in on the fun; 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:
From My HP Laptop:
Desktop Background Wallpaper
Coleman Pulling Up a Seat on a Pipe
Desktop Screensaver
Coleman checking out the new Storybook
From My Apple iPhone 16 Pro:
Focus
Coleman making faces while waiting for the Veterans Day Service to begin.
Reading Focus
Coleman Pulling Up a Seat on a Branch
Hiking Focus
Coleman on the Entrance Bridge to Goat Island Coleman on the Entrance Bridge to Goat Island (Unicolour background)
Personal Focus
Coleman on the Goat Island BridgeColeman on the Goat Island Bridge
Television Focus
Coleman Pulling Up a Seat on a Railing Coleman Pulling Up a Seat on a Railing
In a medical center waiting room while we wait for Coleman’s mom to finish with her appointment.
The Waiting room seating was minimal, but sufficient for daily needs.
Coleman waiting
It turned out she had to schedule an appointment with a different doctor. The one she was scheduled to see was not available. Her new appointment will be next week while Coleman is in school, so we will not be accompanying her.
Location Piedmont Medical Center; Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Take Care of yourself. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Looking back to a trip my daughter and I took to visit (meet in person) cousins from my mother’s side of the family in Coshocton, Ohio.
Memorial Garden Roscoe Village Coshocton, Ohio
There is an area in Coshocton known as the Historic Roscoe Village. The Historic Roscoe Village is an 1830 Restored Canal Town. Roscoe Village began as a small port town in 1816 after a bankrupt merchant bet that rural farmers would rather do business there than have to shell out 25 cents for the ferryboat to Coshocton.
Today, the restored Roscoe Village stands as a testament to Ohio’s bygone Canal era.
My daughter relaxing on a Welcoming Garden Bench
The Frances Montgomery Memorial Garden is one of nine gardens in Roscoe Village and is located near the Visitors’s Center. This Garden is dedicated to honor Mrs. Frances Montgomery and her passion for gardening. The Gardens are planted throughout this restored 1800’s canal town.
The flower beds were created in the early 1970’s by Frances Montgomery out of her love for gardening. Many of the gardens have historical significance and assist in the education mission of Roscoe Village.
God Bless. Have a wonderful week. Commune with Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
On a beautiful sunny summer day, who wants to eat indoors? Why not enjoy the beautiful weather and enjoy the delicious Greek Gyros at a dining table outside?
Outdoor Dining The Greek Grill Tega Cay, SC
That’s exactly what we did. We went inside, ordered our Greek Gyros with Grilled Veggies and went outside to enjoy our food under the shade of an umbrella in the beautiful sunshine.
Continuing with Coleman’s Choices of Pulling Up a Seat at the Daniel Stowe Conservancy, we uncover a variety of seating arrangements Coleman selected to Pull Up a Seat.
Coleman’s Choices
Click on each image for enhanced enlarged viewing.
Stay tuned next week for the continuing saga of Coleman’s choices of Benches, Chairs, and Other seating Part Three.
The Trailhead Store is a recent addition to Daniel Stowe Conservancy having just opened last year with The Farmhouse Garden Center opening in May of 2025. The Farmhouse Garden Center opening brought awareness to The Trailhead Store. [I was not aware of its existence until I read about the opening of The Farmhouse Garden Center and the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens name change to Daniel Stowe Conservancy].
The Trailhead Store is a cozy coffee shop nestled amidst the beauty of nature in The Village at Stowe. The Store is owned and operated by Daniel Stowe Conservancy. There is no admission fee for The Trailhead Store, The Farmhouse Garden Center opening, or the eight plus miles of trails on and connected to Stowe Property.
Although Coleman and I did not purchase anything in The Trailhead Store, we did look around to check out what it had to offer as well as the wide variety of seating options available to guests. The Trailhead Store’s outdoor seating consists of several rustic wood chairs and benches scattered around the lawn with magnificent charming views of the Pond Loop Trails located a short distance away.
There are so many choices for people to choose to Pull Up a Seat and relax (and naturally Coleman had to investigate them all) that I’ve elected to make this a two part post series (may be three if I add the seating at The Farmhouse Garden Center).
Here is my first edition to Benches, Chairs, and Other seating — Coleman’s Choices …
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV and CPL filter attachments.
Location: The Trailhead Store; Daniel Stowe Conservancy; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have an adventurous week. Enjoy the Outdoors. Thank you for Visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Location: Rocky Branch Trail; Rocky Branch Park; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy a hike/walk. Commune with Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Location: Catawba River Trailhead; Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a wonderful day. Enjoy a hike/walk in nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Location: Avon-Catawba Creeks Greenway Trail; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Have a wonderful day. Enjoy a hike/walk in nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion & Ultra wide Cameras
Location: Center & Eighth Streets; Downtown Town of Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Pull Up a Seat — Wherever You Desire and Enjoy a Time of Relaxation. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Coleman loves to play in the sand by the river. He’ll also climb anything he sees worthy of his climbing capabilities. Yesterday, his climbing took him up an American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) tree toPull Up a Seat.
The ascending progression …
The Sitting Adjustment:
And Back Up a Tree again to perch on a limb …
Where did Coleman disappear? … See his legs dangling up so high like a monkey in a tree?
Location: By the South Fork Catawba River; Riverside Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Do or did you like to climb trees like Coleman does? Where is your favourite place to Pull Up a Seat? Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
On Saturday Coleman and I went hiking along the Disc Golf Trail at Goat Island Park and Greenway trying to follow the trail in numerical order for the Disc Golf Course. While hiking along the pathway crossing back and forth from paved to dirt trails we came upon these benches. Who knows, maybe people need a bit of rest in between “holes”.
While hiking a hidden (almost) dirt trail at Riverside Park and Greenway this past weekend, Coleman and I came upon this lone Benchin the middle of a sandy area near the South Fork Catawba River.
Backside of Bench
I am not sure if anyone else knows about this Bench and the Sandy area along the South Fork Catawba River or not. Coleman and I have not seen anyone else around the area. Most people stay near the Fishing Piers at the Greenways.
Frontside of Bench
It gives Coleman an opportunity to play undisturbed in the Sand with his Little Tikes construction vehicles. He is quite the “engineer” designing his own roads, bridges and tunnels in the sand.
It also allows me to have a peaceful serene tranquil relaxing place to Pull Up a Seat to relax and enjoy watching Coleman play.
Coleman and I hiked a new (to us) trail today after he arrived home from school and switched shoes. We had to walk approximately one mile alongside the road (not every section had a sidewalk), across the C. Claudius Dawson Bridge (which crosses over the South Fork Catawba River) and cross the forked road before reaching our destination to eventually begin our hike for the afternoon.
On our hike we periodically encountered a wooden Bench here, there, and yonder along the Rocky Branch Trail. Here are a few of the Benches we happened upon throughout our hike.
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.
Skillet Southern BistroConfluence South ForkSkillet Southern BistroConfluenceWall Murals on the Backside of Businesses
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.
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 that include that number and post a link to your blog in my 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.This prompt will repeat each Monday with a new number. If you want to play along, please put a link to your blog in comments below. Here are my contributions to the album.
This week I am choosing to use a theme of Playground focusing on the CLT Airport Overlook playground in Charlotte, North Carolina. Coleman enjoyed playing in CLT Charlotte Douglas International) Airport Overlook’s Playground. He kept zipping to and fro checking out all the various playground equipment and all the unique places to Pull Up a Seat.
Welcome to the third Which Way Challenge for 2025. This week I have chosen a theme of Any Which Way with People in it. It can be where you capture people unaware as your out and about on the road, path, or trail. As always, signs are welcome in your Which Ways.
Coleman and I went hiking along the Disc Golf Trail at Goat Island Park and Greenway before the freezing cold weather it our area. The Disc Golf Trail is a natural dirt trail, mostly smooth with some tree roots and lots of leaves this time of the year.
Coleman on the trail
Coleman loves to lead the way and is often ahead of me. I allow some lead way as long as he’s in my line of sight.
Looking across the river at another trail, we spot a small group of visitors checking out the fishing access.
Moving along the way we came across several of the disc catchers. This is number 10 of 20 along the trail course.
Coleman checking out the disc golf sign and catcher.
While hiking along the trail Coleman spots a downed tree and decided to climb up And investigate. He hence Pulls Up a Seat waiting for me to catch up.
Crossing over onto another section of the trail we encounter a man jogging through the trail.
A Lone Jogger
Continuing on our hike we try to maneuver around to reach the bridge.
Coleman heading towards the Bridge
We managed to reach the bridge and were able to venture on towards where we began.
Coleman crossing the bridge & noticing the shadows
As we near the end of the bridge heading back to the entrance, we see a family approaching our way. One of the little girls is attempting to ride her bike up the hill.
I am looking forward to seeing y’all’s Which Ways with People. I am grateful for those who have chosen to participate and support this challenge. Won’t you take the initiative and join the Which Way Challenge? For more information on the Which Way Challenge Check out the new Which Way Challenge Page here.
When Coleman and I visited the Greenway on New Year’s Afternoon we actually Pulled Up a Seaton a bench on the other side of the Pier. Couldn’t resist taking a picture of this one with the resident Muscovy Duck sitting nearby.
This Muscovy Duck was friendly with no qualms about approaching Coleman. ( Those pics are for a future post). It would come really super close to Coleman. When we first arrived Coleman sat down with his construction trucks and dinosaurs near his favourite tree. The Muscovy Duck seemed to think that tree was its spot. It appeared to be saying “Why are you in my area?” It walked all around Coleman and decided he was friendly enough, so he would share the area.
It wasn’t until some people came to the river with a dog that the duck switched locations to the area pictured above.
Location: At the South Fork Catawba River; Riverside Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Talk a Walk. Pull Up a Seat and Relax in Nature. Enjoy the Views. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
Location: Catawba Street; Parade Route; Belmont, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Tis the Season for Parades and all things Christmasy. Enjoy your upcoming holiday. Have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.
The Ragtag Prompt of Seesaw fits right into some of the pictures of Coleman I took this past weekend at Goat Island Park and Greenway. The Goat Island Park’s Playground only opened back up this past weekend after having been closed for renovations to repair damage generated by the strong winds and storms which caused flooding to the Greenway’s Playground and a majority of the rest of the Greenway.
When we went to the playground Coleman was hoping to be able to not only play on the playground’s equipment, but also with other children. However, that is not exactly how it worked out. Yes, he was able to play on the various playground equipment including the Seesaw, but not with other children. Other parents or grandparents kept their children at a distance from other children playing in the playground. Thus the many facial expressions displayed by Coleman. He found it difficult to enjoy playing on the Seesaw especially when no other child would get on the Seesaw with him. I tried getting on the Seesaw with him, however, that didn’t work so we. My end sank all the way to the ground and he was stuck up in the air until I could manage to extend my legs for my end to go up. (Actually I ended up having to get off for his end to come down.) Here are photos of Coleman Pulling Up a Seat on the Seesaw.
Location: Goat Island Playground; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Playground with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a wonderfully funtastic day. I appreciate y’all very much.
For Tina’s Lens-Artist Challenge this week I chose to show a recent neighbourhood belonging to a friend which we meandered around to check out the area. Our friend’s neighbourhood is in southern Lancaster County in South Carolina.
We enjoyed our stroll through the neighbourhood; hope you enjoyed sharing our walk.
Where one decides to Pull Up a Seat is as individual and unique as you are. For a unique experience why not select a horse of your choosing to Pull Up a Seat, let’s ride. Giddy Up Horsey!
These horses and their riders all apart of an equestrian exhibition at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in May of 1978. They were captured on 35 mm film by my dad as my parents were delighted with watching the show.
Continuing our adventures from long ago at California’s Great America; we come to segment #5 of the series with TheLobster; won’t you Pull Up a Seat and ride with us.
At Marriott’s Great America in Santa Clara, California; The Lobster was located in the Yankee Harbor section of the amusement park. The ride in Santa Clara opened for the public in 1976. This Lobster was an Eyerly Aircraft Monster ride.
This Lobster has six (6) arms with the end of each arm having four (4) passenger cars. The Lobster in Santa Clara ride had to lower two arms at a time to allow for the unloading and loading of eight passenger cars simultaneously. This was repeated two additional times per cycle to complete the unloading and loading for all six (6) arms.
This outing was so long ago I do not remember if I rode this ride or not, but then again my dad did take the shot.
You can no longer ride this particular Lobster ride since the Santa Clara location of Great America closed, however, you may ride a similar one at the Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.
Continuing our adventures from long ago at California’s Great America; we come to segment #3 of the series with another roller coaster ride, won’t you Pull Up a Seat and ride with us.
Did you spot me on the ride? Let me know if you did. These were good times with family. Memories are a wonderful reminder of past experiences and remind us to be grateful for everything in our lives.
According the Oxford Dictionary, a Pathway is a path which you can walk along or a route you can take and a Passage is a way of exit or entrance; the act or process of moving through, under, over, or past something on the way from one place to another.
This week’s Pull Up a Seat selections were determined by Coleman. We walked around the neighbourhood and after walking for several blocks he decided he wanted to Pull Up a Seat at the picnic table outside of the Walmart Neighborhood Market which is used mainly by employees.
We get up and continue on our walk where he sees a rock he figures would be a nice place to Pull Up a Seat. We hadn’t walked far when he chose to sit a spell, but I was fine with that since I had taken a tumble upon the uneven torn up asphalt.
After catching our breath, we continued walking ending up at the school playground. Coleman always finds places he can Pull Up a Seat in a playground.
Sometimes he chose the slide …
… Or at the top of a climbing structure …
… Or on a Swing.
It doesn’t seem to matter to him where he Pulls Up a Seat. He’s having fun, so it doesn’t matter to me either.
Scarecrow Land of Oz Museum Display Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA
The Land of Oz theme park based on Frank Baum’s Land of Oz books originally opened in 1970. In 1975 the Carolina Caribbean Corporation, the company who developed Beech Mountain into a tourist destination and built Oz goes bankrupt due to failed investments. The park had closed and after construction of the Emerald City it reopened in 1976 and later closed once again in 1980. The theme park was closed afterwards for many years. Oz then laid abandoned, succumbing to the harsh weather conditions and vandals.
The Land of Oz is a park in North Carolina dedicated to the iconic film Wizard of Oz. It’s a walk-through attraction that was once closed and now opens for the special Autumn of Oz event in the fall each year. The Autumn of Oz festival is currently held in September and the Land of Oz is only open for three weekends a year.
Location: Land of Oz theme park; Beech Mountain, North Carolina, USA
God Bless. Thank you for visiting the Land of Oz with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Have a wonderful weekend. I appreciate y’all very much.
Wow, we made it the Summit. It took all our energy and determination, but we did it. Look at the views, they are so amazingly beautiful. It was worth the strenuous hike to see the spectacular view.
Location: Zion National Park; near Springdale, Utah, USA
God Bless. Thank you for Moving Forward hiking up to the Summit of Lost Peak with us. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.
We are still having a lot of rain several days out of the week. Even so Coleman and I managed to get a little walking in. We walked for a mile and a half before deciding to get on the bus. We rode the bus to a park we had not previously visited.
We visited the Erwin Center Park and Recreation. We rode the Blue line to the station, then switched to the Yellow line. The Yellow line took us to right across the street from the park.
The Erwin Center opened in 1961 in the Highland neighbourhood of northern Gastonia. The Center was named in honour of Dr. Herbert Erwin. Dr. Erwin was Gaston County’s first African American physician. He was a well known advocate for youth sports and activities. The Community Center has a game room, meeting room, kitchen, lounge, and offices.
In 1967 a full-size gymnasium and an outdoor basketball court were added. Today’s outdoor facilities also include a swimming pool, a splash pad (open during the summer months), a grass volleyball court, horseshoe pits, playground, tot play area, a large picnic shelter and a walking track.
In the summer of 2020, a Black Lives Matter Mural was painted on the Erwin Center basketball court by Ezekiel Clay, Jr.
… On the Top of a Slide… On the Bottom of a Slide … on a Swing
The Erwin Center Park and Recreation outdoor park areas are open daily from Dawn to Dusk.
This park is a little further away from the park we normally visit, however it does have activities and playgrounds which are of interest to the very young as well as older children, teenagers, and adults.
If we were so inclined to travel a little further from home than usual, we would visit the park again. Coleman enjoyed the playground and wished it was already summer so he could have enjoyed the Splash Pad.
Gfpacificbee’s Insights & photography 