Featured

Silent Sunday: 08.24.2025

Shore Acres Lily Pond
Shore Acres State Park
Coos Bay, Oregon

Silent Sunday

Photo Credit:©️2025 Dave Schmitt … All Rights Reserved.

Location: Shore Acres Lily Pond; Shore Acres State Park; Coos Bay, Oregon, USA

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

Featured

Freight Rapidly Zooming Around the Bend

Early Morning Freight Train

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Video: Created with Google Photos Highlight Video Editor

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

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

Featured

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Which ways on a cloudy or stormy day

Welcome back to another Which Way Challenge (CWWC). This week I have chosen Which ways on a cloudy or stormy day for this week’s theme. The Which Way can be any path, sidewalk, trail, or road as long as the Which Way is clearly discernible. For further information regarding the Which Way Challenge (CWWC) feel free to check out the home page here.

Here are my Which Ways entries:

Whether traveling by car or hiking on foot there are times we run across storms and/or clouds in our pathways/roadways. These are a few examples of what we have endured in our adventures.

US 321
Blowing Rock, NC
October 9, 2017

US 321
Blowing Rock, NC
October 9, 2017

NC State Hwy 74
Charlotte, NC

September 16, 2024

W. Wilkinson Blvd
Cramerton, NC
September 26, 2024

Thank you to those who have participated and supported the Which Ways Challenge. I appreciate y’all sharing your Which Ways with us. 

For an idea of other’s Which Ways from this past week’s challenge, be sure to click on the following links below.

TGeriatrix’s From Spain to Portugal

Brian’s Arrows (point the way)

Dawn’s Which Way: Down Dunlap Creek

Pepper’s Off to an Adventure

Sandy’s A Path Through Luscious Color

Deb’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC)-Which ways on a cloudy or stormy day

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP): Wednesday-Downpour

Photo Credit:©️2017-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhones 7 Plus; 14 Pro Max; and 16 Pro Max

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Take a Hike/Walk. Enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Note: Next week we will be looking at Any Which Ways with People.

Featured

2025 Flower of the Day: 22.08

Helleborus orientalis

Helleborus orientalis
Aka Lenten rose

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … AlL Rights Reserved

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

Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden (now called Daniel Stowe Conservancy); Belmont, North Carolina, USA

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

Featured

2025 Monochrome Madness (MM) #41 — Movement

Monochrome Movement

at the Concert

This week Leanne is hosting the Monochrome Madness challenge. She has chosen a theme of Movement to spark our interest and inspire our creativity.

Here are my selections for the challenge …

We arrive at the Town’s concert early not just to obtain our choice seats, but also to allow Coleman to run around with friends and burn off excess excitement and energy prior to the start of the concert events.

Coleman Rolling
on the Grass
SS 1/800s

Coleman enjoys rolling down the slight hill in our Centennial Center Park.

Coleman hopping
on One Foot
SS 1/320s

He was challenging a friend to hop on one foot and she was trying to show him how to do cartwheels. They had a fun time playing together last Friday evening.

Before long it was time for the Rick Hubbard’s Kazoobie Kazoo Kids Show. Rick was an outstanding guest musician entertaining the audience and involving the kids in attendance in his show. Here he is playing both a banjo and a Kazoo while entertaining everyone in attendance.

Rick Hubbard
Kazoobie Kazoo
Kids Show

SS 1/320s

The second event for the evening was a Concert by the Caleb Davis Band. Prior to any show the band warms up making sure their sound system is working properly and their instruments are properly tuned and ready for the show.

Caleb Davis Band S
S 1/347s

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness #41-Movement

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV filter attachment.

Location: Centennial Center; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy Nature. Capture the beauty all around you. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Thursday Doors: 21 August

Ritva at
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

Police Polaris

Cramerton Police Off-Road
Law Enforcement Vehicle

The Cramerton Police Department operates many different types of vehicles to maintain order in the Cramerton area. Besides Police cars, SUV’s and a Police boat; it also operates a Polaris Government and Defense vehicle which delivers performance and reliability for mission-driven demands regardless of what the need or terrain might be.

The Polaris off-road defense vehicle helps our Cramerton Police Department to protect our town and its residents safe. It is fully equipped with sirens, emergency lighting, and a PA system. The Polaris Police Off-Road vehicle is able to go places where a regular police cruiser wouldn’t be able to and is an excellent addition to our Police Department, especially in a town surrounded by the South Fork Catawba River and several Greenways out trails.

The Police and the Polaris Police vehicle presence was highly visible out our Town Concert last weekend. The Policeman was kind enough to give some young curious Concert attendees a demonstration of the Polaris Police Off-Road vehicle and even allowed them to sit in the vehicle while he demonstrated all the vehicles amazing features. For his kindness I am eternally grateful. (If you look closely, Coleman is seated in the driver’s side of the vehicle.)

Dan’s Thursday Doors: 08.21.2025

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV filter attachment.

Location: Centennial Center; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA 

God Bless. Have a fantastic weekend. Hope to see y’all on Friday for the Which Way ChallengeThis week the Which Ways will be CWWC: Which ways on a cloudy or stormy day. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 LAPC #361- LOOKING BACK TO #20: 2023 DOORS

Looking Back

to Past

Artistic Doors

Sofia Alves is the host for this week’s Lens-Artist Challenge. The basis for her theme this week is Looking Back to the past #20-Doors and Doorways hosted by Tina.

I have chosen to Look Back to past doors I’ve photographed in 2023 at the Daniel Stowe Conservancy. These are Artistic Doors painted by various local artists displayed with the Stowe Gardens.

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge #361-Looking Back to #20-Doors

Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S18-55mm and EF75-300mm lenses

Location: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden Conservancy; Belmont, North 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.

Featured

2025 Wordless Wednesday: 08.20

Nocturnal Visitor

Seen strewn across our
front porch posts
Crab spider

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday- 20 August 2025

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy all of Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 CFFC: August 19th — Time of Day_Evening

Dan from No Facilities is the host for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge. He is doing an amazing job guiding us with his theme prompts keeping this challenge alive. His theme for this week is Time of Day-Evening.

The selections I chose were all taken at a recent town concert from early evening to mid-evening in Cramerton, North Carolina. The Town held a Back to School Kids Show and Concert. I discussed the Kids Show in my Six Word Saturday post you can check out by clicking here. For this CFFC post I’m mainly sharing scenes from the Evening’s Concert featuring the Caleb Davis Band.

The Caleb Davis with the Caleb Davis Band has an impressive musical background and training. According to his Facebook profile Caleb plays a wide range of musical genres and toured as a sideman with numerous Country, Gospel, and R&B acts. Around 2009 he formed the Caleb Davis Band with his long-time friend Justin Morehead. They have been working to form their own signature sound and groove.

Coleman and I only managed to stay for the beginning portion of the Concert featuring the Caleb Davis Band. Even though their background information states that they play a wide range of genres, the music we heard the band playing lean more towards the heavy metal genre style of music. That style of music is definitely not what I consider my favourite genre of music. It was so loud and blaring Coleman was covering his ears, it was extremely difficult to listen. After leaving the concert, the volume was so loud we could still hear it from our house several blocks away. Their musical style may be fine for some who like that type of music, however, we will not be listening to it again.

Dan’s Fun Foto Challenge (CFFC)-Evening

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV filter attachment.

Location: Centennial Center; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Enjoy the rest of your week. Hope to see y’all on Friday with the Which Way Challenge (CWWC). We will be discovering Which ways on a cloudy or stormy day for this Friday’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC). Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Numbers Game #86-208

Judy from Life Lessons blog hosts a weekly photo challenge called The Numbers Game. This week’s number is 206. 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 #86-208

Photo Credit:©️1979-2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

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

Featured

2025 Flower of the Day: 19 August

Lagerstroemia speciosa

Queen’s crepe-myrtle
Lagerstroemia speciosa,
aka Pride of India

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

God Bless. Take time to admire Nature’s Beauty. Smell the flowers. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Monday Portrait: 08.18

American Green

Tree Frog

This American Green Tree Frog paid us a visit and chose to hang around for a while. It was to our surprise when we opened the front door and saw him looking at us looking at him. To him, it was the most natural thing in the world for him to hang around on our front storm door.

Dryophytes cinereus
aka American

green tree frog

The American Green Tree Frog is a common adaptable amphibian found in the Southeastern United States. [We had previously seen them in our yard blended in with the grass, but not usually hanging on our front door.] They are known for their bright green colour, large toe pads, and ability to change color based on temperature and activity.

The American Green Tree Frogs are often found near water sources like ponds, lakes, and marshes. [I know we live near a river and frogs are quite frequently spotted in the area, but on our door was unexpected.] They play a role in controlling insect populations. [This is always a good thing.]

These frogs eat small insects and other invertebrates like crickets, moths and flies. They can often be found clinging to windows or walls, trying to feed on insects that are attracted to light. [We learn something new everyday. Now we now that it is normal behavior for the Green Tree Frog to cling onto our storm door especially since it is a glass door.]

Monday Portrait

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

God Bless. Be kind. Love your Neighbour (even strange ones). Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Monday Window — In the Neighbourhood

Kitty by a Window – 2
— AI creation by PR

Looking out over the Neighbourhood …

In the evening while observing the full moon in the sky I inadvertently captured the Neighbourhood windows across the street from us. It seemed like an amazingly picturesque scene.

Click on each image to enlarge. 

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) Sunday-Neighborhood

Cosmic Photo Challenge-As the Sun Goes Down

Monday Window 

See Monday Window posts in Reader

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, 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.

Featured

Floral Macro Monday: 18.08.2025

Hibiscus moscheutos

Swamp rose mallow

Click on images for enlarged Viewing 

Macro Monday (MM)

Macro Monday 

Cee’s/Chris’ FOTD

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters 

Camera:Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; 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.

Featured

2025 Sunday Stills: Wings and Feathers

Spreading Wings

And

Ruffled Feathers

Terri’s Sunday Stills-Wings and Feathers

Photo Credit:©️2015-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

Featured

2025 OWS: 17 August — Litter

Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace means to carry out what you bring in to nature. Minimize your impact on natural environments. Leave an area as pristine as possible (even better than you found it). The idea is to ensure that the next visitor would barely know anyone else had been there.

Not everyone practises Leave No Trace as is recommended. Too often when we go hiking on various trails, regardless of whether the trails are in Greenways, Local, State, or National Parks, people will leave Litter by the side of trails, amongst the trees, and around campsites.

Worrells Walk,
Carolina Thread Trail;
Seven Oaks Preserve;
Belmont, North Carolina

“Please Take Nothing
But Pictures
Leave Nothing
But Footprints

Quote Origin disputed – Chief Seattle or James Brewer, or National Geographic Society

Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Litter

Photo Credit: ©️2023-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF75-300mm and EF-S55-250mm lenses.

Location: As Stated in captions.

God Bless. Please be sure to Leave No Trace, no Litter left behind. Take only Pictures, kill nothing but time. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Silent Cell Pic Sunday: 08.17

Lake at
Andrew Jackson State Park

Click on image to enlarge.

John’s Cell Pic Sunday 

Silent Sunday 

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: AJSP Lake; Andrew Jackson State Park; Lancaster, South Carolina, USA 

God Bless. Have a wonderful week. Get Outdoors. Take a Hike. Enjoy all of God’s Beautiful Creations. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Skywatch Friday/Weekend Sky —17 August

Early Morning

versus

Evening Skies

Early Morning:

Evening:

Skywatch Friday

Hammad’s Weekend Sky

Weekend Sky

Weekend Sky

Photo Credit: ©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

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

Featured

Kazoombie Kazoo — Great American Kid Show

Cramerton’s Kids Show
& Concert Series

Rick Hubbard’s Great American Kid Show was the pre-show for Friday night’s Concert Series in Cramerton, North Carolina on August 15th.

Rick Hubbard has performed nationwide in country, rock, folk, and jazz bands. 
He’s performed across the USA as a stand-up comedian in clubs, colleges, and cruise ships. ‍
His family entertainment show, “The Kazoobie Kazoo Show” has appeared at festivals, events, theaters, and resorts, including Disney World, The Seattle International Children’s Festival,
and The Kennedy Center.

In this show every kid gets a chance to be on stage, and for the grand finale, everyone gets a free kazoo and joins Rick’s marching kazoo band. It’s Kazoobie!

It’s Kazoobie!
  1. Exceptional
  2. Fun
  3. Involving Everyone

Rick Hubbard puts on a show in Centennial Center entertaining kids and adults alike. He believes in KAOS. What does he mean by Kaos?

  • Kids
  • Appearing
  • On
  • Stage

Rick plays two guitars, a banjo, and a kazoo not all at the same time, but sometimes more than one at once. He is a talented entertainer who interacts effortlessly with his audience involving them in his show.

Cramerton’s kids being apart of his Great American Kids Show …

While Rick is entertaining kids and adult audiences he is also educating them in word meanings, guiding them through his music about being friends and following directions.

In the last part of this Rick Hubbard’s Great American Kids Show he informs everyone about what a Kazoo is, where it is made, and how best to play a Kazoo.

Every kid in attendance received a free Kazoo they could keep after playing them as part of the show’s Grand Finale Kazoo Band.

Click on images for enhanced enlarged viewing.

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. No unauthorized use of any images are permitted without the express consent of the author (me).

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV filter attachment.

Location: Centennial Center; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

Featured

2025 Flower of the Day: 08.16

Sunflower

Sunflower

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

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

Featured

2025 SYD: August 15

Clare from Clare’s Cosmos invites everyone to join her in Sharing Your Desktop (SYD). Below are her suggestions for participating in the Share Your Desktop Challenge .

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 pointing
at a Small Acorn

Desktop Screensaver

Coleman playing in
Goat Island Playground

From My Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: 

Focus

Coleman at
New Hope Elementary
Open House
1st Grade

Personal Focus

Reading Focus

Coleman
leaning back
on a tree

Hiking Focus

Coleman Tree Climbing
Goat Island Park and Greenway

Click on each image for enlarged viewing. 

Clare’s Share Your Desktop-August

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL filter attachments.

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

Featured

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Your Choice

Cee’s Which Way Challenge
CWWC
Cee’s Which Way Challenge

Welcome back to another Which Way Challenge (CWWC). This week I have chosen Any Which Way (Your Choice) for this week’s theme. The Which Way can be any path, sidewalk, trail, or road as long as the Which Way is clearly discernible. For further information regarding the Which Way Challenge (CWWC) feel free to check out the home page here.

Here are my Which Ways entries:

Thank you to those who have participated and supported the Which Ways Challenge. I appreciate y’all sharing your Which Ways with us. 

For an idea of other’s Which Ways from this past week’s challenge, be sure to click on the following links below.

Brian from Bushboys World’s Shadows (show the way)

TGeriatrix from Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery’s Which Way with shadows

Judy from Life Lessons’s For Deb’s Which Way Challenge with Shadows

Sandy from Out of My Write Mind’s Any Way Will Do Just Fine

Heidi from writestuff4u2c.com’s Shadows and/or silhouettes, Monochrome Madness #40 – Backlighting

Pepper from HeavensSunshine’s Deep Into a Tunnel

Dawn from The Day After’s Back Road Silhouette in BnW

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL filter attachments . 

Locations: Disc Golf Trail; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA 

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Take a Hike/Walk. Enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with e. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Floral Friday/FOTD: 08.15

Floral Friday

Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge 

Photo Credit: ©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

Featured

2025 Thursday Doors: 14 August

Reed Gold Mine

State Historic Site

The Reed Gold Mine is the site of the first documented gold find in the United States. The discovery of gold from this mine gradually influenced gold mining to nearby counties and eventually into other southern states. During the gold mining peak years, it was second only to farming in the number of North Carolinians it employed. The estimated value of gold recovered reached over one million dollars a year. North Carolina led the nation in gold production until 1848, when it was eclipsed by the great rush to California.

Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site
Reconstructed Building at

President James K. Polk
State Historic Site

The Reed Gold Mine is located in Midland, Cabarrus County, North Carolina, and has been designated a National Historic Landmark because of its importance and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At this location there is an underground mine that is open for self-guided tours, historic structures, a visitor center, trails, monuments, and outdoor exhibits.

Dan’s Thursday Doors: 08.14.2025

Photo Credit:©️2014 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

Location: Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site; President James K. Polk State Historic Site; Pineville, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Have a fantastic weekend. Hope to see y’all on Friday for the Which Way Challenge. This week the Which Ways will be your choice. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

Hi-ho, Hi-Ho … Off to School He Goes …

Monochrome Madness

Hi-ho, hi-ho, It’s off to school He goes.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, It’s off to the Bus-stop He goes.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, It’s off for the First day He goes.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, Waiting at the Bus-stop We Wait.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, And at the Bus-stop We Wait.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, We Wait and Wait …

Hi-ho, hi-ho, We Wait; Oh it’s coming … Bye Grandma.

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

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

Featured

2025 Flower of the Day: 14 August

Coreopsis auriculata

Lobed tickseed,
aka Coreopsis auriculata,
is a low-growing,
herbaceous perennial native
to the southeastern United States.

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Photo Credit:©️2020 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. No unauthorized use permitted.

Camera: Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max

Location: Andrew Jackson State Park; Lancaster, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Take time to smell the flowers. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

Truck Driver’s “Assistant”

One-to-Three Challenge
One-to-Three
Photo Processing Challenge
August 2025

This morning a flatbed tractor trailer came to deliver a pallet of wood to the house across the road which is be renovated from the inside out. Coleman with his natural curiosity and helpful nature decided to investigate. When the truck driver was done with his delivery he began to toss straps across the flatbed trailer to tie down the rest of his load. As I stood watching, Coleman thought he needed some assistance and proceeded to cross the street and give his willing assistance in fastening the straps from the other side of the truck hooking them together as the driver instructed. The truck driver was polite and good natured willing to allow Coleman to assist him and show him kindness.

Original
Sepia toned
Black & White
Faded, color focused
with a slight splash of colour
Colour focused
with a splash of Blue,
& rim of Smoke effect &
a tweak of swirling

Guess I got carried away experimenting with a few effects for the image. I’m leaving y’all with a collage of Coleman being a good assistant.

Collage of Coleman
Assisting the Truck Driver

One-to-Three Photo Processing Challenge-August 2025

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Photo Processing done with PS Express (Mobile version) & Pixlr

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; Cramerton, North 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.

Featured

2025 Wordless Wednesday: 13 August

Raindrops on an Awning

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday-13 August 2025

Photo Credit:©️2019 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy all of Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Monday Portrait: 08.11

Robert Palone

Palone Barber Shop

Nowata Museum

Who was Robert Palone and Why is the Palone Barber Shop in a Museum? Those are two excellent questions. Let me begin by telling you about the Palone Barber Shop in relation to Robert Palone.

Robert Palone owned a Barber Shop where he was a renowned barber for nearly sixty (60) years. [That’s a long time to successfully run a business and work in a field.] He was admired and respected by his customers and his community. Prior to owning and operating a barber shop, Robert served in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War.

Nowata Museum
Delaware, Oklahoma

Besides being a Barber and owning his own successful Barber Shop; Robert and his wife, Lorene (McKee) Palone owned and operated the Landers Brothers Grocery Store in Delaware, Oklahoma. Robert Palone and Lorene McKee were married on June 26, 1950. In 2020 they celebrated their seventieth (70) wedding anniversary, a milestone in and of itself. Robert passed away just two shirt months after their 70th anniversary. [Side Note: I was supposed to be able to meet them in person and join the family in their celebration, however, with the COVID-19 lockdown that occurrence didn’t happen.]

Lorene McKee Palone lived another four years after his passing. After which the Palone family donated everything you see in the second image which was once owned by Robert & Lorene and was used and contained within the Palone Barber Shop to the Nowata Museum. The Nowata Museum is run by the Nowata County Historical Society in Delaware, Oklahoma. Everything that was furnished by the Palone family was used to construct a new exhibit depicting a mid century barber shop.

Let’s now move on to who Robert Palone and his significance to me personally. Robert connects to me through his wife Lorene’s mother’s side of the family. Lorene’s mother was my maternal grandmother’s sister. Therefore, Lorene is my maternal cousin making us family and hence, making Robert my family as well. Do you understand now who Robert Palone is and his story’s importance to me?

Monday Portrait

Photos were given to me by the Palone family.

Location: Delaware, Oklahoma, 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.

Featured

2025 CFFC: August 11th — Time of Day_Afternoon 

Dan from No Facilities is the host for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge. He is doing an amazing job guiding us with his theme prompts keeping this challenge alive. His theme for this week is Time of Day-Afternoon. I am combining this week’s challenge with Sunny Sunday, Weekend Sky, Judy’s Numbers Game #85-207, and Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #275.

Let’s start off today by admiring our Sunday Afternoon Weekend Sky …

It was wonderful to enjoy an amazing afternoon with beautiful Skies after so many rainy days and with more rain expected.

Now on to capturing Coleman’s many antics and expressions as he meanders here and there through Goat Island Park and Greenway.

There is more to share of our adventurous Sunny Sunday afternoon, however, I’ll wait for Friday’s Which Way Challenge to share them. This Friday I am allowing y’all to choose your own Which Ways you’d like to share with us.

Dan’s Fun Foto Challenge (CFFC)-Time of Day_Afternoon

Sunny Sunday

Weekend Sky

Judy’s Numbers Game #85-207

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere #275

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL Filter attachments.

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

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

Featured

2025 Monday Window —New Home Construction

Kitty by a Window – 2
— AI creation by PR

Good friends of our are having their dream home built from scratch, the ground up.

The front of the home

They have been monitoring the construction progress from the beginning being observant and taking note to ensure everything is being done to their satisfaction.

The Back of the House

It won’t be much longer, barring complications or inspection delays, before they’ll be able to move in and add their own finishing touches the inside of their new home.

The Side of the home

Click on each image to enlarge.

Monday Window

See Monday Window posts in Reader

Photo Credit:©️2025 Jim Elder … All Rights Reserved. 

Location: New Home Location; Elder Residence; Chattanooga, Tennessee, 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.

Featured

2025 CosPhoChal Flora Macro Monday

Floral Macros

Click on images for enlarged Viewing 

Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge-Close Up

Macro Monday (MM)

Macro Monday 

Cee’s/Chris’ FOTD

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters 

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL filter attachments.

Location: Centennial Center; 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.

Featured

2025 LAPC/Sunday Stills: August —Tan, Beige, and/or peachy shades with Lines, Colors & Patterns

This week I am combining the Lens-Artist Photo Challenge with Terri’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge .

As Coleman and I walked through the woods and around the newly renovated playground at Goat Island Park and Greenway, I noticed all the lines and patterns in the equipment along with all the shades of tan, beige, and every shade of light brown imaginable.

Tan, Beige?, &
all sorts of
shades of light brown

The slide on this playground was once green, and very much broken after Hurricane Helene. It took months and months of waiting for a new slide to arrive and installation to be complete. The months and months of waiting due to delays upon delays was difficult and disappointing for the children (you know how impatient children of all ages can be). It doesn’t matter whether you call the new slide tan or beige or whatever floats your boat, it only matters that the children once again have a slide to play on.

Coleman
excited to be able
to slide down
the new slide.

Looking carefully at the slide and playground equipment one may notice all the curvy lines all forming patterns in various aspects of the equipment.

Leaving the playground for a short walk we encounter more tan, beige, & light brown as well as some interesting lines and patterns.

Can you see all the lines, patterns, and various shades of beige, tan, and light brown? This afternoon was a pleasant and delightful afternoon spent with Coleman and his exuberance.

Terri’s Sunday Stills: Monthly Colour Challenge -August_Tan, Beige, and/or peachy shades

Lens-Artists Challenge #359 – Tools of Photo Composition: Lines, Colors, and Patterns

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL Filter attachments.

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

God Bless. Have a wonderful week. Get Outside and enjoy the beauty in Nature. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 OWS — Double the Trouble … Twice the Fun?

Not exactly Mirrored Image
Anne Springs Close Greenway
Twice the Froggin’ Good Time
Cozumel, Mexico
Double the Fun
with matching Canoes
Warlick Family YMCA
Double the Beauty
Lady’s Glove
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Double

Photo Credit:©️2020-2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

Featured

2025 Cell Pic Sunday: 08.10

Throwback to 2017

Riverbanks Zoo & Garden

Remembering a fun family trip with my daughter and granddaughter to the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. This upcoming week my granddaughter will turn twelve (12). These are memories from when she was four (4).

Alona
on an
elephant sculpture

Her mom and I took her down to Columbia, South Carolina to visit the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. It was a special time and memories I will always cherish. [She currently lives with her father & he does not allow her to visit with us even though there is a shared custody agreement.]

Alona enjoyed being able to pet the goats and other animals in the children’s petting area.

Alona
riding a Giraffe
on the
Merry-Go-Round

As well as the merry-go-round and all the amazing animals located within the Zoo.

Alona
on a
Gorilla sculpture

Every time we came near any of the animal sculptures she thought she had to go up and climb on them. It made for some interesting poses (or lack of posing).

Alona on
Happy the Tiger
in the
Riverbanks main plaza

After a long tiring day, we stopped at the entrance/exit area for one final photo opportunity before traveling back home through Great Falls, Lancaster, and finally to get home in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
Columbia, South Carolina
with Alona

John’s Cell Pic Sunday-2025.08.10

Throwback Thursday (on Sunday)

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. Memories are precious. Treasure your memories. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Silent Sunday: 10 August

Beeutiful Calendula officinalis

The Garden in The Farm
at The Schiele Museum
of Natural History

Bombus impatiens
Common Eastern Bumblebee

on a Calendula officinalis

Silent Sunday

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

 Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

Location: The Garden in the Farm; The Schiele Museum of Natural History; Gastonia, North Carolina, USA

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

Featured

2025 A Welcoming Bench in a Garden

Roscoe Village

Memorial Garden

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.

Click images to enlarge.

Jude’s Bench Challenge 

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2025-Week 32

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.

Featured

One Little … Two Little Gliding Ducklings

Duckling in Gliding in Pond
Ducklings in COTC Pond

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

Photo Credit:©️2012 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Motorola Photon MB855

Settings: f/2.6 • 1/909 & 1/769 • 4.73mm • ISO100

Location: Central Ohio Technical College (COTC); Newark, Ohio, USA

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

Featured

2025 Flower of the Day: 08.08

Ampelaster carolinianus

Ampelaster carolinianus
Climbing Aster

Please click on image to enlarge.

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Photo Credit:©️2021 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max

Location: Lake Wylie, South Carolina, USA

God Bless. Stop and smell the flowers. Admire their beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Thursday Doors: 07 August

Moses Cone Carriage House

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

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

Moses Cone Carriage House

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

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

Carriage House

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

Front of Carriage House

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

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

Dan’s Thursday Doors: 2025.08.07

Throwback Thursday

Photo Credit:©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus  

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

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

Featured

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): Any Which Way with Shadows and/or silhouettes

Welcome back to another Which Way Challenge (CWWC). This week I have chosen Any Which Way with Shadows and/or silhouettes for this week’s theme. Shadows can be on any path, sidewalk, trail, or road as long as the Which Way is clearly discernible. For further information regarding the Which Way Challenge (CWWC) feel free to check out the home page here.

Here are my entries …

Coleman’s Shadows/Silhouettes

Coleman

Taken at Goat Island Park and Greenway at the end of the Riverlink Greenway Trail located in Cramerton, North Carolina.

Coleman’s arm
over his
Shadow/Silhouette

Trees and their Leaves Shadows

The above Shadows were captured at the Lake Haigler Entrance of the Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

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.

Geriatri’x’ Fotogallery’s Up And Down?

Brian from Bushboys World’s Lines (show the way)

Dawn from The Day After’s Way of the Fence Line

Pepper from HeavensSunshine’s A Straight and Crooked Path

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Cameras: 1-2) Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon EF-S55-250mm lens and Altura UV & CPL filter attachments; 3-7) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Locations: As Stated Above

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy a hike/walk in Nature. Admire Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Flower of the Day: 07 August

Silphium perfoliatum

Aka Cup plant, Cup-plant

Cee’s Flower of the Day

Photo Credit:©️2025 Mark Watson (my cousin) … All Rights Reserved.

Location: Ohio State Fair; Columbus, Ohio, USA

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

Featured

2025 Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge – Brown in Nature

Look all around, there’s Brown everywhere you look out in nature. From the ground, to boardwalks, and even to the varying kinds of animals which roam around in the woods, in farms, and even in many greenways. Here are a few examples of Brown I have discovered.

Click on each image for enlarged views.

Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge – Brown

Photo Credit:©️2019-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Explore Nature. Capture its Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Wordless Wednesday: 06 August

Hidden Between Green and Brown

Look 👀 Closely
to see who’s Hidden
at Andrew Jackson State Park

Hugh’s Wordless Wednesday-06 August 2025

Photo Credit:©️2019 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone XR

Location: Andrew Jackson State Park, Lancaster, South Carolina, USA 

God Bless. Get Outdoors. Enjoy all of Nature’s Beauty. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Featured

2025 Numbers Game #84-206

Judy from Life Lessons blog hosts a weekly photo challenge called The Numbers Game. This week’s number is 206. 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 #84-206

Cee’s Flower of the Day 

Photo Credit:©️1968-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

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

Featured

2025 CFFC: 28 July —Time of day_Morning …

Hike in the Mountains

Dan Antion is the host for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge. This week he is continuing with a perspective theme of Time of Day focusing on Morning.

We have had several thunderstorms this week, so therefore we haven’t been out and about much. Instead I’m reminiscing about a trip I took a few years ago with my oldest son for his birthday adventure. Since he wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, I was more than happy to ride along with him.

My entries for this week’s challenge are views from just one of our stops we sidetracked on during his Mountain adventure.

Taken at 10:54 am
(late morning) in 2017

Bluff Mountain Overlook is located at Milepost 243.4 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a popular destination along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Bluff Mountain is visible from the Bluff Mountain Overlook. It offers breathtakingly spectacular views.

Foggy Morning
Mountain View

On a clear day, Bluff Mountain’s visibility is remarkably satisfying and amazingly delightful to gaze upon from the Overlook. At this point in our adventure clear visibility was not to be had, but that did not deter ills from looking around or venturing on a short hike along the Bluff Mountain Trail which is easily accessible from the Bluff Mountain Overlook.

Alligator Back

Bluff Mountain Trail  passes through grassy meadows and includes a challenging switchback ascent called Alligator BackAlligator Back is a short twenty (20) minute walk from Bluff Overlook.

The Predators

Until recently Predatory Birds and Mammals, those which preyed on other animals or were in conflict with humans, were termed “Varmints” and killed on sight. Fortunately, modern Ecology proves the vital interdependency of all wild plants and animals. Today Hawks and Owls, Black Bears, Bobcats, Foxes and Snakes continue to roam Parklands like this and help preserve the delicate balance of nature. [Informational notice on sign.]

Panoramic View from
Bluff Mountain Overlook

We hiked all around the overlook investigating the Predator area scenic views. To the right in the photo above and in the picture below is my eldest son, John. He is not normally into hiking, but he accommodated me in my thrill to explore the sights and perspective landscapes available to observe, explore, and admire.

My eldest son, John

As we drove further along the Blue Ridge Parkway our visibility improved dramatically unlike when we parked here at this location and the Air Bellows Overlook.

Air Bellows Overlook
 Parkway Milepost 236.9

Looking forward to checking out all your Morning Scenes. Hope to see y’all on Friday for the Which Way Challenge. This week we’ll be including Shadows in our Which Ways. Interested in finding more details about the Which Way challenge click here.

Dan’s Fun Foto Challenge (CFFC)-Morning

Photo Credit:©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 7 Plus Wide and Telephoto Cameras

Location: Bluff Mountain Overlook; Blue Ridge Parkway, 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.

Featured

2025 Monday Window: 04 August

Kitty by a Window – 2
— AI creation by PR

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

The Yaquina Head Light, also known early in its existence as the Cape Foulweather Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the Oregon Coast of the United States, established in 1873. The tower stands 93 feet (28 m) tall, and is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

The Lighthouse was made in Paris in 1868 and shipped to Oregon. The Yaquina Head Light was initially lit on August 20, 1873 and it was automated in 1966. It is active with an identifying light characteristic of two seconds on, two seconds off, two seconds on, and 14 seconds off.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse
shot from the Rear

Yaquina Head typically had three lighthouse keepers under the U.S. Lighthouse Service; a Head Keeper, and First and Second Assistant. In 1939 the U.S. Coast Guard took over the management.

The lighthouse lantern is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitors offshore bird rookeries and wildlife. The lighthouse still uses its original 1868 French-made, 1st order, Fixed Fresnel lens, visible 19 miles (31 km) out to sea.

Monday Window 

See Monday Window posts in Reader

Photo Credit:©️2025 Mark Wheeler … All Rights Reserved. 

Location: Yaquina Head Light; Newport, Lincoln County, Oregon, 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.

Featured

2025 Pull Up a Seat (Outdoor Dining)

THE GREEK GRILL

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.

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2025-Week 31

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: The Greek Grill; Tega Cay, South Carolina, USA

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

Featured

2025 Monday Portrait: 08.04

Merino Sheep (At the Fair)

Merino Sheep
at the
Ohio State Fair

Click on each image for enlarged viewing 

Monday Portrait 

Photo Credit: ©️2025 Mark Watson … All Rights Reserved. 

Location: Brown Sheep Building; Ohio State Fair; Columbus, Ohio, 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.

Featured

2025 Macro Monday: 08.04

Floral Macro

Yucca gloriosa

The Yucca gloriosa species is known by the common names moundlily yucca and soft-tipped yucca. The Yucca gloriosa is also known as Roman candle, candle yucca, palm lily, and Spanish needle.

Close-up
of the
Yucca Flowers

Yucca gloriosa is caulescent, usually with several stems arising from the base, the base thickening in adult specimens. The leaves are long narrow, straight and very stiff. [The tips of the leaves are extremely sharp to the touch.]

Yucca gloriosa
with Raindrops

The inflorescence is a panicle up to 2.5 m (8 ft) long, of bell-shaped white flowers, sometimes tinged purple or red. The fruit is a leathery, elongate berry up to 8 cm (3 in) long. [We have not seen or noticed the berries on the Yucca plant as of yet.]

Moundlily Yucca 
and 
Soft-tipped Yucca

The habitat for Yucca gloriosa is normally on exposed sand dunes along the coast and barrier islands of the lower East Coast of the United States. [There are two (2) of the Yucca gloriosa grown as ornament plants on our front lawn.]

Yucca gloriosa has been known to cause skin irritation and even allergic reactions upon contact. The leaf points are even sharp enough to break the skin.

Click on image for enlarged Viewing 

Macro Monday (MM)

Macro Monday 

Cee’s/Chris’ FOTD

Cee’s FOTD

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Ultra Wide Camera

Location: Old Town; Riverside Community; 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 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

Mount Jefferson State Natural Area

Ragtag Daily Prompt- Friday!Mountain!

Ragtag Daily Prompt

Photo Credit:©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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.

Photinia ‘Red Robin’ P x fraseri

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)

Photo Credit:©️2023-2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

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

CWWC
Cee’s Which Way Challenge

Welcome back to the Which Way ChallengeThis 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]

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

Colourful Early Morning Sky

Click on image to enlarge.

2025 Skywatch Friday

Hammad’s Weekend Sky-2025.12-19

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

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

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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…

Click on each image to enlarge.

Carol’s Thursday Trios

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2025-Week 50

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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.

Goats at the Children’s Farm

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

Cow & Goat
in the Pasture
at the Farm

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

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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.

2025 Wordless Wednesday: 17 December

Coleman gazing at the icy river

Click on image to enlarge. 

Wordless Wednesday-2025.12.17

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North 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.

LAPC #378 – Last Chance for 2025

Tina from travelsandtrifles is the host this week for the Lens-Artist Photo Challenge. Tina is giving us the opportunity for one Last Chance to share photos we have taken and loved throughout 2025 and hadn’t had an opportunity to share for one challenge or another.

Here are some of my favorites from this year that I believe I haven’t as yet shared with y’all …

Tina’s Lens-Artist Challenge-Last Chance

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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 SYD: 15 December

Clare from Clare’s Cosmos invites everyone to join her in Sharing Your Desktop (SYD). Below are her suggestions for participating in the Share Your Desktop Challenge .

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. 

I will only be sharing a small portion of my Desktop/Wallpaper images that I am seeing. The reason being I have been required to not post any pictures on any form of social media at this time of our newest family member, aka my new granddaughter.

Here are my Desktop Wallpaper and Screensaver for my Laptop:

From My HP Laptop:

Desktop Background Wallpaper

Coleman at
Anne Springs Close Greenway
Horse Stables

Desktop Screensaver

Muscovy Ducks
in Patterson Pond
Anne Springs Close Greenway
Fort Mill, South Carolina

From My Apple iPhone 16 Pro: 

I have two images alternating on my Hiking Focus for my iPhone …

Coleman petting
a rider’s horse
Anne Springs Close Greenway
Coleman
Canon EOS 2000D

Click on each image for enlarged viewing. 

Clare’s Share Your Desktop-December  

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

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

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

2025 CFFC: 13 December — Looking Back to Winter ‘24-‘25

Dan, the host for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is asking us to share photos of Winter, Summer or Both. Lately our weather has been so cold and extremely windy that it feels like winter. Yesterday morning our low was down to 14°, which for me, extremely freezing weather with the wind chill making it feel even colder. Our lowest temperatures of the day are when I need to wait with Coleman at the school bus stop. His bus always runs late, so I am always chilled to the bone by the time I get back to the house.

Enough talk about our current “Wintry” weather conditions and let’s move on to showing you some images from last Winter.

Here are my contributions for this week …

Click on each image to enlarge.

Dan’s Fun Foto Challenge (CFFC)-Winter or Summer— or Both 

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 Any Which Way with a Holiday theme. — Part 2 which will go live on Friday 12/19 just past midnight EST.

Photo Credit:©️2024-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

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

Monday Window: 2025.12.15

Gibson House

Kitty by a Window – 2 
— AI creation by 
Christmas Decor in
alignment with Window
Gibson House
Pull Up a Seat
in front of the Windows
and Enjoy the View

Click on each image to enlarge.

Monday Window 

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 Monday Portrait: 15 December

Holstein Friesian

Domesticated Cow and Calf

Click on image to enlarge.

Monday Portrait

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

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.

2025 Macro Monday: 15 December

Callicarpa americana

American Beautyberry

American Beautyberry is a woody deciduous, perennial shrub native to the southeastern United States including the Carolinas.

Clusters of small flowers bloom on the late spring and early summer. However, what you are seeing here are clusters of vibrant purple berries in the Carolinas that peak in late summer through autumn (August to November). The vibrant berries often persist into early winter providing significant food for birds and wildlife, making it a quintessential fall shrub for the region. The colors vary; most common is the vivid purple, though white and pink varieties exist.

American Beautyberry

The American Beautyberry offers many ecological services. How might you ask does it work? Its seeds and berries provide an important food source for a tremendous amount of songbirds of America. Some of those include American robin, brown thrasher, northern bobwhite, purple finch and eastern towhee. It is also a nectar source for butterflies and has fragrant foliage.

What I found interesting is that the American Beautyberry has been used by farmers successfully since at least the early 20th century to repel biting bugs from mules and horses by rubbing it on their coats and under harnesses. Why did I found this information so fascinating? The location of this particular American Beautyberry shrub is located near the horse stables at Anne Springs Close Greenway.

Click on image to enlarge. 

Macro Monday (MM)

Terri’s The #Flower Hour

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

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

Location: Greenway Horse Stables; Greenway Stables and Farm Entrance; Anne Springs Close Greenway; Fort Mill, 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.

2025 Cell Pic Sunday: 14 December

Coleman petting
an Owner’s Horse
at Anne Springs Close Greenway

John’s Cell Pic Sunday

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Ultra Wide Camera

Location: Dogwood Trail; Greenway Stables 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 Silent Sunday: 12.14

Matching

Canada Geese
Patterson Pond
Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm
Anne Springs Close Greenway

Click on image to enlarge.

Debbie’s One Word Sunday – Matching

Silent Sunday

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

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

God Bless. Enjoy Nature. Take a hike/walk amongst God’s beautiful creatures. Have a funtastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

2025 Pull Up a Seat on a Hospital Bed

On Monday evening I received a message from my daughter to meet her at the Atrium Health Hospital in Pineville, North Carolina. We previously arranged, when necessary, for Coleman to spend the night with one of our neighbors whom Coleman adores.

On Wednesday evening, Coleman was brought to the hospital to see his mom. He was not told in advance what he would be seeing when he arrived in her room.

Here he is Pulling Up a Seat on her hospital bed …

At this time, I’m not allowed to post any pictures of whom he was able to meet for the first time (More about that in a future post). Let’s just say, Coleman is a Monster Big Brother now.

Click on each image to enlarge.

XingfuMama’s Pull Up a Seat Challenge 2025 – Week 50

Photo Credit: ©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: Atrium Health Pineville Hospital; Pineville, North Carolina, USA

God Bless. Rejoice in God’s wonderful blessings and new life. Have a fantastic week. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

One White, One Brown, Baby Alpacas

Six Word

Saturday

On Saturday, Coleman and I were able to borrow my daughter’s car and go down to the Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm at Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina. It is an hour away from where we currently live, so it is a bit of a drive. Traffic was terrible. I very rarely drive in traffic (I don’t care for heavy traffic, I try to avoid it if at all possible).

Anyway, after we arrived and maneuvered around the Farm to the Alpaca section, we were delighted to discover the new Baby Alpacas born recently at the Greenway. There is One White, and One Brown Baby Alpaca.

Here are a few shots of the Baby Alpacas …

Click on each image to enlarge.

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday-12.13.2025

Photo Credit:©️ 2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon EOS 2000 D 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. Get Outdoors. Enjoy Nature’s Beautiful Creations. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

Observing What’s in the Space Between

This week’s host for Monochrome Madness is Stupidity Hole with a theme of The Space Between. Looking forward to exploring the various interpretations on The Space Between.

Monochrome Madness

Here are a few I came up with for this week’s challenge …

The Road Between
leading to Hearst Castle
The Boy (Coleman) Between
the Railings on the Bridge
at Anne Springs Close Greenway
The Feathers Between
Coleman’s Fingers
The South Fork Catawba River
Between the Grounds
of Goat Island

Click on each image to enlarge.

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness-2025.12.13

Stupidity Hole’s Monochrome Madness-The Space Between

Photo Credit:©️1979-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

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

2025 The #Flower Hour #10 — Festive Holiday Florals and Decor

Reflecting on

National Poinsettia Day

Yesterday, on December 12th, people celebrated National Poinsettia Day. It is an annual celebration commemorating the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American diplomat that introduced the Poinsettia plant to the United States. It honours its deep ties to Christmas traditions, especially the Mexican legend of a poor girl whose humble gift of weeds bloomed into the beautiful “Flower of the Holy Night.”

Red Poinsettias

National Poinsettia Day is a day for spreading holiday cheer with the Red-leafed plants. Churches line them up in front of pulpits & many are donated by members in honor of loved ones no longer with us. Poinsettias are often given as gifts during the. Christmas holiday season.

Terri’s The #Flower Hour #10-Festive Holiday Florals and Decor

Also posting for:

Bren’s Floral Friday

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Photo Credit:©️2023-2024 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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): 12.12 — Any Which Way with a Holiday theme. — Part 1 (Will run for two (2) weeks).

Welcome back to the Which Way ChallengeThis 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.

Suzette’s For Deb’s CWWC – Any Which Way – Your Choice

Dawn’s Through the Twinkling Lights of the Walking Mall

• NOTE: For next week we will continue the theme of CWWC: Any Which Way with a Holiday theme.

Deb’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC)

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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.

2025 CFFC: 13 December — Autumn or Spring — or Both 

Focusing on Autumn

Feels Like Winter

Dan, the host for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is asking us to share photos of Autumn or Spring — or Both. It may still be officially Autumn, however, lately our weather has been so cold and extremely windy that it feels more like winter. Therefore I rummaged through my archives to add to my few Autumn 🍂 images that I hadn’t already used for one post or another.

Here are my contributions for this week …

Click on images to enlarge. 

Dan’s Fun Foto Challenge (CFFC)-Autumn or Spring — or Both 

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 (Today’s) Which Way Challenge (CWWC) (another one of Cee’s challenges) to see the new ideas for the new theme of Any Which Way with a Holiday theme. — Part 1 which Will run for two (2) weeks.

Photo Credit:©️2022-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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 Doors — A Look Back at Holiday Doors

Click on images to enlarge. 

Dan’s Thursday Doors-2025.12.11

Dan’s Thursday Doors
Thursday Doors 

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 Wordless Wednesday: 10 December

The Second Week of Advent

Candle Symbolism of PEACE

Aka “Bethlehem Candle
or “Preparation Candle

Click on image to enlarge.

Wordless Wednesday-2025.12.10

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Telephoto lens

Location: Cramerton Independent Presbyterian Church; Cramerton, North 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.

2025 CosPhoChal: 03 December — Abstract

Dale host the weekly challenge The Cosmic Photo Challenge with a different theme each week. This week’s theme is Abstract.

Here are a few Abstract images  from around the Carolinas …

The Schiele Museum
of Natural History
and Planetarium Show
Gastonia, NC
Rocky Branch Trail
Cramerton, NC
Lake Norman,
Cornelius, NC
Sky-view
Riverside Park and Greenway
Cramerton, NC
AI Abstract of Mountains
from my dad’s slides.

Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge-Abstract

Photo Credit:©️ 1965-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

2025 Weekly Prompts Colour challenge – Red

RED Poinsettias

Poinsettias decorating the various areas of Cramerton Independent Presbyterian Church.

Poinsettias atop of the piano …

Poinsettias holiday displayed in the Fellowship Hall …

Poinsettias adorn the front of the church’s sanctuary.

Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge – RED

Terri’s The #Flower Hour #9 – Poinsettias

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion & Telephoto Lenses

Location: Cramerton Independent Presbyterian Church; Cramerton, North 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.

2025 Macro Monday Portrait: 08 December

Calopteryx maculata
Ebony Jewelwing
Broad-winged Dragonfly

Click on image to enlarge.

Monday Portrait

Macro Monday (MM)

Photo Credit:©️2017 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

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

Location: Sesquicentennial State Park; Columbia, 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.

Monday Window: 2025.12.08

Kitty by a Window – 2 
— AI creation by 
Simplistic Holiday Decorations

Click on image to enlarge.

Monday Window

Monday Window

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion

Location: Eighth Avenue; 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 OWS: 12.07 — Pink

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

Here are my entry …

A Pink Onsie for Sofia

A Pink onsie all ready for Sophia’s arrival, when she finally decides to make her appearance.

Debbie’s One Word Sunday (OWS)-Pink

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

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

2025 Silent Sunday: 12.07

Silent Night, Holy Night

All is Calm, All is Bright

Silent Sunday

Photo Credit: ©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone Pro Max

Event: Christmas in Cramerton presented by the Cramerton Historical Society and Performed by Stuart W Cramer Varsity Singers at Cramerton Independent Presbyterian Church.

Location: Cramerton Independent Presbyterian Church; Cramerton, North 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.

2025 Cell Pic Sunday: 07 December

A La Nanita Nana

Click below to hear the song and watch the Stuart W Cramer Varsity Men Singers perform.

youtube.com/watch


To the nanita nana, nanita her, nanita her A la nanita nana, nanita ella, nanita ella

My girl is sleepy, bless her, bless her Mi niña tiene sueño, bendito sea, bendito sea

To the nanita nana, nanita her, nanita her A la nanita nana, nanita ella, nanita ellaMy girl is sleepy, bless her, bless her Mi niña tiene sueño, bendito sea, bendito sea

Little fountain that runs clear and loud Fuentecita que corre clara y sonora

Nightingale in the jungle, singing and crying Ruiseñor que en la selva, cantando y llora

Be silent while the cradle rocks Calla mientras la cuna, se balancea

Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: David N. Lawrence

A La Nanita Nana lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company

John’s Cell Pic Sunday

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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.


St. Nicholas Day — Why didn’t I know about it?

Zen Color App

Growing up I had only known about Christmas and Santa Claus arrival on Christmas Day. I was never taught about St. Nicholas Day … Were you?

As I grew older I was taught about the reason we celebrate Christmas … the birth of the baby born in a manger, Jesus Christ.

Several of the Christmas movies would mention other names for Santa Claus including, Father Christmas and Saint Nicholas. However, I never knew that there was a specific day to celebrate St. Nicholas.

What is St. Nicholas Day? According to Google (yes, I had to look it up), it is a Christian observance and not a federal public holiday in the United States of America. Since it is not a federal holiday no businesses close to observe the day.

The traditions for St. Nicholas Day vary by country. They usually centered around generosity and give-giving. These traditions were influenced by the 4th-century bishop known for anonymously donating his wealth to the poor.

What are some of these traditions?

  • Leaving Out Shoes: It is a common tradition in Europe and some American communities for children to leave their shoes or boots outside their bedroom doors or by their fireplace on the evening of December 5th.
  • Gifts and Treats: Similar to Christmas, if the children have been good (aka on the nice list), then when they wake up in the morning on December 6th they will find their shoes (or boots outside) filled with small gifts (similar to Christmas stockings), candies, cookies, nuts, or fruits.
  • Feasts and Events: This Day is also known as the “Feast of St. Nicholas.” It is celebrated with special meals and community events like the Saint Nicholas Day Celebration at Philipse Manor Hall.
  • Focus on Giving: The central aspect of St. Nicholas Day is performing acts of kindness and helping individuals and families in need , mirroring St. Nicholas’s life of charity.

Celebrations vary by country. Have you (or do you) celebrated St. Nicholas Day? If so, how do you celebrate the day?

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

Invitingly Beautiful … Sorry, Beach is Closed

Beach at Lake Norman
Ramsey Creek Park

The day we visited Ramsey Creek Park may have been on the chillier side, but that wouldn’t have stopped Coleman from playing in the sand.

One of several signs
near the Beach.

The Beach area was blocked off with signs posted stating the Beach is Closed. We did find smaller areas he could access the sand for a little playtime. We also managed to walk along the edge of the waters of Lake Norman, still it would have been nice if the Beach would’ve been open.

Beach at Lake Norman
barricaded off.

Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

2025 Skywatch Friday-12.06

Hammad’s Weekend Sky-2025.12.06

Jez’s Water Water Everywhere

Photo Credit :©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion 

Location: Lake Norman; Ramsey Creek Park; Cornelius, North Carolina, USA 

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

A Panicle or two … Maybe More

The Flower Hour #9

Winter’s Hydrangeas

Hydrangea paniculata

Terri’s The Flower Hour #9

Also posting to Remember …

Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD)

Bren’s Floral Friday

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. Take time to admire Nature’s beautiful bounty. Have a great weekend. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

It’s Time to Pull Up a Seat on Santa’s Knee (or Lap)

Last evening our Town of Cramerton held its annual Christmas parade which we were able to enjoy as a family. The Town came out in droves to watch the Parade with the many cars, floats, marching bands, and cheer squads. Parades are fascinating and exciting for the children and adults alike to watch and anticipate. I bet you can guess which part of the parade everyone likes to see the most (especially the children). Yep, you guessed (I least I believe y’all did). Santa Claus arrival at the end of the parade on a shiny red fire engine (at least in our town that’s what he arrives on).

After the Parade is over the children and their families gather at Confluence to await once again for Santa’s arrival. Why do the children excitedly wait with anticipation for Santa at Confluence? Well, of course it for the opportunity to be photographed with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Here are a few shots of Coleman with Santa … more will come later when the Catawba Riverkeepers Foundation sends the link for our free photos. Until then you’ll need to. E satisfied with the ones I captured.

Santa & Mrs. Claus
Uh oh, it seems like Coleman’s
not sure where to sit.
Alright, this spot
might just be fine.
Where am I supposed to look?
Hey Gramdma,
should I be looking at
you or the camera?
Grandma, did you get
my picture all right?
Am I done now?

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2025-Week 49

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Confluence; Center Street; Downtown Cramerton; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 Which Way Challenge (CWWC): 12.05 — Any Which Way (Your Choice)

Welcome back to the Which Way ChallengeThis Friday’s Which Way Challenge theme is Any Which Way (Your Choice). 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.

This week I am sharing our hike along the dirt trail at Ramsey Creek Park in Cornelius, North Carolina. Here are my entries …

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 Around the Tree in Gettysburg

Pepper’s The Road to Adventures in Maui

NOTE: For the next two (2) weeks the theme for the Which Way Challenge will be CWWC: Any Which Way with a Holiday theme. (Will run for two (2) weeks).

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Fusion 

Location: Ramsey Creek Park; Cornelius, 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 Doors: 04 December

Caterpillar 349F Excavator

Last week we visited the CLT Airport Overlook in Charlotte, North Carolina. While watching for Airplanes to take off or come in for a landing, Coleman noticed an Excavator and went over to the fence to take a closer look at it working in the construction area just a short distance from the playground area.

CAT 349F

The CAT 349F Excavator is built with a powerful, 49-ton hydraulic excavator known for heavy-duty digging and earthmoving tasks. Its features a CAT C13 ACERT engine with advanced hydraulic systems for efficiency and precision. 

Coleman
watching the
CAT 349 Excavator
at Work.

The CAT 349F has a spacious and ergonomic cab which is designed to be quiet and comfortable. It features air suspension seats and intuitive controls to reduce operator fatigue during long shifts.

Dan’s Thursday Doors-2025.12.04

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Construction site by Charlotte-Douglas International Airport Overlook; Charlotte, 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.

Peering Out Across the Pier

Monochrome Madness

Can you see where
Coleman is standing?
View From
Lake Norman
Lake Norman
Cornelius, North Carolina

Leanne’s Monochrome Madness-2025.12.03

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: Lake Norman; Pier at Ramsey Creek Park; Ramsey Creek Park; Cornelius, North Carolina, USA

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

2025 LAPC #376 — Wings

Feathered or Not

Beth from Wandering Dawgs is this week’s host for the Lens-Artist Photo Challenge . She is challenging us to show off Wings of any kind. I am displaying Non-Feathered Wings as well as Wings on a variety of Feathered Friends with Wings.

Let us first take a look at some of my Feathered Friends that grace my pathways.

Female Northern Cardinal
grace my porch railing
enjoying a nice snack.
A Northern Mockingbird
stopped by for a visit.
A Lovely Mourning Dove
graces us with a beautiful song.
A Chipping Sparrow
(Spizella passerina)
graces our pathway
while on a hike.

Now to display a few Non-Feathered Wings Landing and Taking off from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

Beth’s Lens-Artist Photo Challenge #376-Wings

Photo Credit:©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Locations: Feathered Friends) Cramerton, North Carolina, USA; Non-Feathered Wings) Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, 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 CosPhoChal: 03 December — Reflections

Dale host the weekly challenge The Cosmic Photo Challenge with a different theme each week. This week’s theme is Reflections.

“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.”

– Ernest Holmes

Here are a few Reflections from around the Carolinas …

“Your life is a reflection of your thoughts. If you change your thinking, you change your life.”

– Brian Tracy 

Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge-Reflections

Photo Credit:©️2020-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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

2025 Wordless Wednesday: 03 December

South Fork Catawba River
from Goat Island Bridge

Click on image to enlarge. 

Wordless Wednesday

Photo Credit: ©️2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved. 

Camera: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Location: South Fork Catawba River; Goat Island Park and Greenway; Cramerton, North Carolina, USA 

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

2025 CFFC: 02 December —Travel Hubs

Dan, the host for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is asking us to share photos of Travel Hubs. Looking through my files I did not find many actual Travel Hubs, but just maybe what I did find might somewhat be along the lines even if they’re not actually hubs.

Here are my contributions …

Are Ports Hubs?

Bus Stations …

Now how about let’s take a look at Trains. These aren’t actually Train Stations where you would board a train, but you could.

And last but not least, let’s look at views of the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

Click on images to enlarge. 

Dan’s Fun Foto Challenge (CFFC)-Travel Hubs 

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: This Friday’s Which Way Challenge (CWWC) will be a free week with Any Which Way (Your Choice).

2025 Last on the Card – November

Brian from Bushboys World hosts a monthly challenge called Last On the CardHis 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 November … 

From my Canon EOS T7 (2000D):

Coleman At Centennial Center
Cramerton, North Carolina

From my Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max:

Playground at Ramsey Creek Park
Cornelius, North Carolina

Click on each image to enlarge.

#LastontheCard

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

One Day Walking Through the Woods

One Day while hiking along a trail Coleman and I came across a section with textured wood that had seen better days.

Trail near
Gardner Park Elementary
Gastonia, North Carolina

One Day while hiking in Anne Springs Close Greenway we spotted a mysterious hole within a rotting tree stump that drew our attention.

At Anne Springs Close Greenway
in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

One Day we decided to take a break in the shade to catch our breath before contour hike. (Coleman was just under 2 at the time.) we found some interesting shadows and a Dragonfly.

Chestnut Trail;
McDowell Nature Preserve;
Charlotte, North Carolina

One Day during a hike to Coleman’s favourite sandpit in Riverside Park and Greenway we noticed some interesting texture of Hypnum cupressiforme, (the cypress-leaved plaitmoss or hypnum moss).

Textured hypnum moss growing on a tree Coleman enjoys climbing.

One Day at Riverside Park and Greenway I was trying to locate the log I usually sat on while Coleman played in the sand. It took some looking around before we spotted it. Someone had decomposed our log by using it as a fire log. (No fires are to be built in the park especially during the summer fire season.)

Burnt Log destroyed by fire.
So much for my sitting on it.

Terri’s Sunday Stills-Textures

Debbie’s One Word Sunday-Decay

Becky’s #NovemberShadows #30

Weekly Prompts The One Day Prompt-(19 )

Patti’s Lens-Artist Photo Challenge #375-Mysterious

Photo Credit :©️2020-2025 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

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