Miles To Go ...

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.”

                                Robert Frost

                                      ~ 1884-1963
       ~ Four Time Pulitzer Prize Winner

        ~ “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

                          ~ 1923                                                  

There are miles yet to go on a snowy trail by the Jordan Creek that highlights winter’s beauty at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania on a January afternoon soon after the historic Blizzard of 2016.

In a winter shorn of snow until the blizzard, the storm plonked 31 inches of snow on nearby Allentown in a 24 hour period.

Plumage On Parade ...

"You musn't be afraid to dream 
a little bigger, darling."
                        ~ from the film "Inception,"
                                             ~ 2010  
A domestic turkey puffs up, struts and parades
its beautiful plumage in March at the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.  

Golden Delicious ...

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
                              ~ George Eliot
                                           ~ 1819-1880

Autumn's paintbrush strokes a delicious golden 
hue on the trees beneath a cerulean blue sky on a gorgeous November afternoon at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

 

Miss Scarlett ...

"How beautifully leaves grow old.
How full of light and color are their last days."
                  ~ John Burroughs
                               ~ 1837-1921

The vibrant scarlet foliage of this beautiful red maple tree is not "Gone With The Wind" on a breezy November afternoon at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

Wisp Of A Summer Morn ...

“Many a forenoon have I stolen away, preferring to spend thus the most valued part of the day; for I was rich, if not in money, in sunny hours and summer days, and spent them lavishly; nor do I regret that I did not waste more of them in the workshop or the teacher’s desk.”

                       ~ Henry David Thoreau

                                  ~ 1817-1862

                            ~ “Walden”

                 ~originally published August 9, 1854

To me, there’s nothing so beautiful in nature as a summer morning, and Thoreau’s words seamlessly flow through this image of milkweed basking in the morning sun that I shot on a brilliant August day at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

If we all had more sunny hours and summer days, how much richer – and happier – we’d all be.

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.