Freedom Is Golden ...

"I believe with all my heart that standing up for America means standing up for the God who has so blessed our land."   
                             ~ Ronald Reagan
                                     ~ 1911-2004
  ~ 40th President of the United States of America
                                     ~ 1981-1989 

A gold rush of beauty gilds the night sky at the 2015 Fourth of July Fireworks set off from
J. Birney Crum Stadium, Allentown, Pennsylvania, illuminating the truth that freedom is golden.

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

  

God Bless America ...

“While the storm clouds gather 

far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free.

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America, land that I love,

Stand beside her and guide her

Through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans white with foam,

God bless America,

My home sweet home.”

                  

                ~ "God Bless America"

        ~ written by Irving Berlin in 1918   

                   & revised by him in 1938

                  ~ Kate Smith’s signature song

The spirit of America and the spirit of the open road that only a motorcycle can give meet on the General Thomas R. Morgan USMC Bridge, Slatington, Pennsylvania, just before the Fourth of July.

I loved seeing the bridge festooned with American flags leading up to Slatington Baptist Church, founded in its current location in 1900. To me, this image quintessentially proclaims, “God Bless America!”

The signs on the lampposts designate Slatington, established in 1864, as the Blackboard Capital of America.

Peace On The Hillside ...

"There will be peace in the valley for me, some day
There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray
There'll be no sadness, no sorrow
No trouble, trouble I see
There will be peace in the valley for me, for me."

                     ~ "Peace In The Valley"
                   ~ Written by Thomas A. Dorsey
                                        ~ 1937
              ~ Recorded by the great Elvis Presley
                                        ~ 1957 

Bright wild yellow mustard brushes a soft peace on a sun-filled May afternoon on a hillside of the Central Range of the Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, the only sounds the rustling of the spring breeze and the coo of a mourning dove. Perfect.

The color yellow is often associated with peace and happiness.

To me, this scene illustrates the still and serene beauty of God’s creation painted in that beautiful Gospel hymn “Peace in the Valley,” recorded by the great Elvis Presley in 1957.

 
                  

Fording A Spring Morn ...

"Joy comes in the morning."
                            ~ Psalm 30:5

God's creation renders a soft spring morning
at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania as an adorable dog splashes at the ford of the Jordan Creek.

This serene image paints why this is one of my
very favorite places to be and to photograph,
and radiates the words of Psalm 30:5, "Joy comes in the morning."

 

Song Of The Early Spring ...

"...Who made the flowers to bloom in the spring
Who made the song for the robins to sing
And who hung the moon in the starry sky
Somebody bigger than you and I ..."
               ~ "Somebody Bigger Than You and I"
     written by Johnny Lange, Hy Heath & Sonny Burke
                    ~recorded by the great Elvis Presley
                                                    ~ 1967 

A robin sings its beautiful song in the early spring at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

This painterly capture of a sweet robin in March
epitomizes the line in my most favorite Gospel hymn, the beautiful "Somebody Bigger Than You And I," recorded by the great Elvis Presley in 1967. 

       

Irish Blessings ...

"An Irish Prayer"

May God give you ...

For every storm, a rainbow

For every tear, a smile

For every care, a promise

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share

For every sigh a sweet song

And an answer for each prayer.

 

The autumn sunshine of a gorgeous Indian Summer day

smiles on St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Belvidere, New Jersey.

The shamrock windows give a touch of an Irish blessing, with a

beautiful statue of Jesus Christ with his arms outstretched above them.

The cornerstone of this quaint, picturesque church at

327 Greenwich Street was laid in 1891.

Belvidere, one of my very favorite places,

is a charming Victorian town on 

the banks of the Pequest and Delaware Rivers. 

 

The Autumn Painter ...

"Autumn paints in colors that summer has never seen."
                                                                        ~ Author Unknown

Brushstroke by brushstroke, a painter captures on canvas
the glorious autumn beauty God has painted this October
at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

I took this candid shot of the artist and her easel
nestled in a picturesque spot between the ford of the 
Jordan Creek and the pedestrian bridge at the preserve. 

An Evening Reflection ...

"As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God."
                                                                      ~  Psalm 42, Verse 1 

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe takes a drink in the creek on a waning
summer evening in the park.

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