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.

Shine On Freedom ...

"I know that for America
there will always be a bright dawn ahead."
                         ~ Ronald Reagan
                                 ~ 1911-2004
                       ~ 40th President of 
               the United States of America  

One World Trade Center - The Freedom Tower -
gleams as April sunshine wraps itself around
Lower Manhattan on a gorgeous spring day
in New York City.

One World Trade Center is the main building
of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex.
With 104 floors, it is the tallest skyscraper
in the Western Hemisphere and the fourth
tallest in the world. It opened November 3, 2014.     

Christmas Caboose ...

"The bell still rings for me,

as it does for all who truly believe."

                             ~ Chris Van Allsburg

                                                    ~ born 1949

                                 ~"The Polar Express"

                                            ~ published 1985

A red caboose festooned in its Christmas finery

greets train goers on their way to boarding 

The Christmas Train on the Hawk Mountain Line

in early December at WK&S (Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern, Inc.)

Railroad, Kempton, Pennsylvania.

The Hawk Mountain Line is a scenic ride of six-and-a-half

miles on track of the old Reading Railroad, running along

the Ontelaunee Creek, through the farms and woods of

Berks and Lehigh Counties.

Christmas Peace ...

"It's better to light just one little candle

Than to stumble in the dark

Better far that you light just one little candle

All you need's a tiny spark.

 

If we'd all say a prayer that the world would be free

The wonderful dawn on the new day we'll see

And if everyone lit just one little candle

What a bright world this would be ..."

                                    ~ "One Little Candle"

                                                ~ recorded by Perry Como, 1952

                                                   & the theme song of  "The Christophers,"

                                                   whose motto is, "It's better to light 

                                                  one candle than to curse the darkness." 

An artistic view of the Easton Peace Candle as

sunset touches twilight over the Pennsylvania city's Centre Square, and Old Glory proudly waves in the November wind.

The Easton Peace Candle is a tower-like structure erected every Christmas season in Easton, Pennsylvania. The approximately 106-foot tall structure, which resembles a giant candle, is assembled every year over the Soldier’s & Sailor’s Monument, a Civil War memorial in Centre Square. It is typically assembled in mid-November and lighted over Thanksgiving weekend and disassembled in early February each year.

The Peace Candle was first erected in 1951, and has been erected almost every year since then, having been replaced a few times due to damage or disrepair. It is dedicated to the Easton area men and women who have served or are serving in the United States armed forces.

It has been said to be the largest non-wax Christmas candle in the country. Although conceived with the hopes of restoring Easton’s pre-20^th century reputation for elaborate Christmas decorations, city officials also believed a candle would serve as a symbol of peace for all religions and denominations.

 

                                                                    

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." 

Coloring Hope ...

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul ..."
                                      ~ Hebrews 6:19

 Hope is illuminated in pink during Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October atop the iconic PPL Building in downtown Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The PPL Building, formerly the Pennsylvania Power and Light Building, is a 24-story, art deco/art moderne skyscraper at Ninth and Hamilton Streets.

It is the tallest building in Allentown and the second tallest in the Lehigh Valley, and serves as headquarters for the electric utility, PPL . 

The building is often uniquely illuminated at night, especially during the Christmas season. During the 1960s, PPL supported the local United Fund community drive program by using the building's brightly lit windows to spell out the abbreviation "U.F." to remind area residents to contribute to the fund drive.

The PPL building was built from 1926-1928. The building was designed by architect and skyscraper pioneer Harvey Wiley Corbett, who would later have a hand in designing
New York's Rockefeller Center, and was supervised by by his assistant, Wallace Harrison, who would later design Lincoln Center, La Guardia Airport and the United Nations Headquarters Building. The building has exterior features bas reliefs by Alexander Archipenko. In 1930, the PPL building was named "the best example of a modern office building" by Encyclopedia Brittanica, and also featured the world's fastest elevator.