My Witness Is The Empty Sky ...

“My witness is the empty sky …”

            ~ Jack Kerouac

             ~ 1922-1969

The words of Jack Kerouac soar in this image of a bright hot air balloon gliding with its passengers in a cloudless, cerulean blue September sky.

I captured this sight as I stepped out my front door on a warm, waning summer evening – it’s not a scene that floats over your doorstep every day!

Of Soldiers And Sailors ...

"Freedom is the last best hope of earth."

                               ~ Abraham Lincoln

                                                         ~ 1809-1865

                                ~ 16th President of the United States

                                                          ~ 1861-1865

Valor is celebrated as the Soldiers and Sailors Monument stands in 

the heart of downtown Allentown, Pennsylvania a few days before

Veteran's Day 2015. The statue of a rebel Confederate soldier (second from left) stands

beside a Union soldier with the phrase "One Flag, One Country" imprinted beneath them.

The rebel soldier was included on the monument as a gesture of reconciliation when

it was erected in 1899, only three decades after the Civil War, or the

War Between The States.  It is reportedly the only municipal monument in the North

honoring a Confederate soldier.

An inscription reads: "This column commemorates the valor and patriotism of the

Soldiers and Sailors of the County of Lehigh in the War of 1861-65." 

Confetti Sky ...

"America ! America ! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
... America ....!"

                                                         ~"America The Beautiful"
                                                                 ~ 1910
                                                                ~ Lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates,
                                                                    Music composed by Samuel A. Ward

Festive fireworks festoon the summer sky like confetti
as if to say, "Bravo, America!" during the 2015 Fourth of July
Fireworks set off from J. Birney Crum Stadium,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

How wonderful it would be to have fireworks - and the fire of patriotism -
in our hearts every day!

As the fireworks ended I heard a little boy say "Bravo!"
I couldn't have said it better myself. 

Sunset Dreams In The Mist ...

"Suddenly a mist fell from my eyes
and I knew the way I had to take."
                               ~ Edvard Grieg
                                             ~ 1843-1907

The evening mist rises from the pond
as if to kiss the sunset sky on a steamy spring evening at 
Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Spring By Heart ...

"It is spring again. The earth is like a child
that knows poems by heart."
                                            ~ Rainer Maria Rilke
                                                                ~ 1875-1926

A boy and his dad flying a colorful kite
in a sunkissed May breeze looks like
spring by heart at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

The Young One ...

Beautiful young white-tailed deer buck pauses in the winter brush
just before a December sunset in the park.

The Art Of Oktoberfest ...

A colorful and artistic view at this year's Oktoberfest
on Nineteenth Street in the quaint West End Theatre District,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Sweet Dreams Of Youth ...

 

"Dream no small dreams ..."
                                     ~ Victor Hugo
                                                          ~ 1802-1885

This sweet white-tailed deer fawn will grow to be
a proud buck one day. But on this August evening
grazing in the park he had only to dream of what will be.

I've been blessed to photograph this fawn's mother doe
and her fawns for more than two years, and it's a true joy
for me personally and as a photographer. 

At The Ready ...

A Great Blue Heron
is keenly aware of 
his surroundings 
from the trees
on a summer evening
at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Lost In A Daydream ...

"I've been having a sweet dream,
I've been dreaming since I woke
up today ..."
                         "Daydream"
                                    ~ Lovin' Spoonful
                                                     1966

This sweet robin really seemed to be
lost in a daydream on a beautiful June
day at Trexler Memorial Park, 
Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Napping ...

I'm not a fan of bats, in fact they scare me. But seeing this
one on a rock this evening at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania, was such an unusual sight
I had to capture it in a photo.

Softly, As In An Evening Sunset ...

"Softly, as in an evenin' sunset
the light that gave you glory
will take it all away" ...

So sang the wonderful Bobby Darin in his version of 
"Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise," from
Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein's
1928 operetta, "The New Moon."

This sunset stole softly into the sky on a hot
June evening at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania. 
 

Come On Get Happy ...

 

"Forget your troubles, come on get happy
You better chase all your cares away 
Shout Hallelujah, come on get happy ..."
                      ~ "Get Happy"
                                      ~ Harold Arlen & Ted Koehler, 1930


My candid camera captured this girl jumping for joy
that summer is near on a June evening at 
Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Red Wing

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song."
                                      ~ Lou Holtz

Male North American cardinal brings a pop of red
to the landscape on a May evening at 
Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

How Sweet It Is ...

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe looks blissful
grazing on a May evening in the park. I've been blessed to
photograph her and her fawns for two years, always wonderful 
to see. It's an amazing feeling to me when she sees me,
recognizes me and walks over like an old friend!

Love In The Wings ...

Precious Canadian geese goslings nestle in the wings of their
mama on the day before Mother's Day 2014 at
Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Stirring ...

"Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms
without the aid of the seasons."
                                                               ~ Kahlil Gibran

I love magnolia trees, and this breaking bud shows spring was stirring 
this weekend at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Precious

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe sniffs an apple before eating it this weekend in the park.

The Painter's Dream

"I dream my painting and I paint my dream."
                                                                     ~ Vincent van Gogh

I love finding the spots tucked away from the main path for photos. This is one of
my favorites just behind the springhouse at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. On this November afternoon the scene looked like a painting to me.

October At Robin Hood Dell

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
                                                        ~ L.M. Montgomery, "Anne of Green Gables"

 October's golden light touches Robin Hood Dell at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania  just before sunset today.