The Art Of Nostalgia ...

"We do not remember days, we remember moments."
                                                  ~ Cesare Pavese
                                                                 ~ 1908-1950

Afternoon shadows of the early spring dance
tranquilly in the April sunlight at Schlicher Covered Bridge,
an historic wooden covered bridge in North Whitehall Township,
Pennsylvania. Schlicher's is a 108-foot-long, Burr Truss bridge 
that crosses the Jordan Creek and was constructed in 1882.
It has vertical plank siding and a gable roof. It was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It recently reopened
after needed renovations. 

Path To Remembrance...

"When it hurts to look back,
And you are afraid to look forward,
Look beside you ...
I will be there."
                             ~ Anonymous

Sentimental thoughts swirl amidst
a fresh March snowfall on my favorite path
at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

The Frosting ...

"Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art."
              ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
                          ~ 1803-1882

In the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge, a frosted, frozen
and snow covered Leaser Lake glistens with winter's artistry. 
I really enjoyed being able to actually walk on the lake and take photos!

The lake in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania is named for Frederick Leaser, who in September 1777 with his farm team hauled The Liberty Bell from 
Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church.

His homestead is located one mile north of the lake. 

The Sign Red No Skating ...

"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet."
             ~ Emily Dickinson
                    ~1830-1886

Waxing nostalgic on a quiet winter's day
by the pond at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Nothing But A Memory ...

"I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it's like I'm someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself ...
Won't take nothing but a memory."
                                 ~ "The House That Built Me"
                                       ~ Allen Shamblin & Tom Douglas
                                                               2010
                                        ~performed by Miranda Lambert

Wisps of memories seem to dance around the window
inside Bogert's Covered Bridge on a September day, such as
"Tess & Eric 4Ever" etched to the right of the window.

This beautiful, historic bridge has listened to their story
 and countless others over the course of centuries.

The bridge spans 145 feet over the Little Lehigh Creek 
in Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania. Built in 1841,
it's history traces back to the mid-1700s when the Bogert family
moved into a log cabin next to the future site of the bridge. 
It is the oldest covered bridge in Lehigh County and among
the oldest in the country. It is open only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic,
as well as the occasional rider on horseback.

Bogert's Bridge is a wooden Burr Truss bridge with vertical plank
siding and a gable roof. It was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1980.

                        

On The Delaware ...

"Wrinkles should merely indicate
where smiles have been."
                               ~ Mark Twain
                                                ~ 1835-1910

When I saw this man fishing on 
the Delaware River in Phillipsburg, New Jersey
on an early September evening, I wondered from his
expression what thoughts and memories were
crossing his mind. The man was fishing near
the historic Northampton Street Bridge,
commonly called The Free Bridge, which spans the 
Delaware River between Phillipsburg, New Jersey
and Easton, Pennsylvania. The Free Bridge was completed in 1896 
and survived the damage from massive flooding from
Hurricane Diane in 1955. It undersent a thorough
restoration in 1990. 

Sweet Memories ...

"Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind,
Memories, sweetened through the ages just like wine ...
Laughing eyes and simple ways
And quiet nights and gentle days with you.
Memories, memories, sweet memories."
                                                                     ~ "Memories" 
                                                                          ~ recorded by the great
                                                                                   Elvis Presley, 1968

                                             

 Geiger's Covered Bridge evokes sweet nostalgia on a summer morning
in North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. The bridge is a 112-foot-long
Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1860. It has vertical plank siding and an
entry portal of stepped square planks. It crosses the Jordan Creek and
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The  bridge can be accessed from The Covered Bridge Trail
at the Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

Once Upon The Long Ago ...

"Some days in late August at home are like this,
the air thin and eager like this,
with something in it sad and nostalgic and familiar..."
               ~ William Faulkner
                        ~1897-1962
             ~ Southern American author 
           & Nobel Prize Laureate

         "The Sound and The Fury"
                             ~ 1929
A high contrast monochrome and painterly view of the Lehigh Valley on a summer evening from one of the beautiful summits at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. 

The Monochrome Blues ...

"But there ain't no cure for the summertime blues ..."
                                           ~ "Summertime Blues"
                                                                ~ 1958

The song says there ain't no cure for 
the summertime blues, and there
ain't no cure for monochrome 
Great Blue! This Great Blue Heron
sits for a portrait in high contrast
monochrome on a summer evening at
Trexler Memorial Park, 
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Runneth Over ...

"I memorize moments that I'm fondest of ...
And so in these moments with sunlight above
My cup runneth over with love ...."
                                ~ "My Cup Runneth Over"
                                               ~ "I Do! I Do!"
                                                                ~1966

Summer streams over the crest of the creek
at one of my favorite spots at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania, bringing to mind the
beautiful words of that song.

This moment was captured in a long exposure, high contrast monochrome shot.
                 

Into The Woods ...

"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked,
in which you can walk with love and reverence."
                        ~Henry David Thoreau
                                              1817-1862 

The trail takes on a moody beauty on a cloudy evening
in early June at Wehr's Covered Bridge Park,
Orefield, Pennsylvania. 

What's It All About Alfie ...

"What's it all about Alfie...
when you walk let your heart lead the way
and you'll find love any day ...
                          "Alfie"
                      ~Burt Bacharach & Hal David
                           ~1966

The image of this man fishing alone at
Wehr's Dam, Orefield, Pennsylvania on a June evening made me wonder if he could be thinking about his life as in "What's it all about Alfie ..." 

Champagne On A Stem ...

"What is art? It is the response of man's
creative soul to the call of the real."
                  ~ Rabindranath Tagore
                                             1861-1941

Roses may very well be the champagne of flowers.
This beautiful Rainbow Sorbet Rose is captured
in monochrome in June at the Malcolm W. Gross
Memorial Rose Gardens, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Never My Love ...

"What makes you think love will end
When you know that my whole life
depends on you ...
Never my love ..."
                        "Never My Love,"
                               ~ The Association, 1967

The life of the rosebud is intertwined
with that of the rose in full bloom, which colors it with life
on a June day at 
the Malcolm W. Gross Memorial Rose Gardens,
Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Stardust Memories ...

 

 

"Belle" is on the marquee of The Nineteenth Street Theatre/Civic Theatre
on a June evening. The Nineteenth Street Theatre is an historic community
center that hosts theatre, arts education and film. It is the oldest cinema in
Allentown, Pennsylvania, opening Sept. 17, 1928. In July 1957, the property
was purchased by Allentown's Civic Little Theatre. It is located in the heart
of the quaint West End Theatre District.

Gentle On My Mind ...

"...You're waiting from the backroads
by the rivers of my memories,
ever smilin' 
ever gentle on my mind."
              ~ "Gentle On My Mind," 
                             ~ 1967

The words from that wonderful song seem to fill the air on a May afternoon at Manassas Guth Covered Bridge as it crosses the Jordan Creek. 

The historic wooden covered bridge
in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania was constructed in 1858 and rebuilt in 1882. It is a 108 foot long Burr Truss bridge with vertical siding. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. 

Victorian Charm

"What I like about black and white photographs  
is that they're more like reading the book then seeing the movie."
                                                           ~Author Unknown

The historic Hotel Belvidere, built in 1831, is located in the quaint, scenic town of Belvidere, New Jersey. Belvidere is a charming Victorian town I visited this weekend, located on the banks of the Pequest and Delaware Rivers.

George Washington traveled through Belvidere at 10 a.m. July 26, 1872 when he camped at Morristown.

The Doe In Winter

"How can a deer tell when a leaf falls silent in the forest?
She hears it breathing differently."
                                                                   ~ Richard Bach

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe seemingly poses for a portrait on a winter's day in the park last week. There is snow on her face after eating an apple, a wonderful sight to see!

A Winter's Trail ...

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
                  ~ "The Road Not Taken," 
                                                      ~ Robert Frost

Walking the wintry trail today at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania
brought to mind the famous words of Robert Frost in "The Road Not Taken." 

                                                                   

Out of The Past ...

"No man is rich enough to buy back his past."
                                                                    ~ Oscar Wilde

An autumn view this weekend from inside Wehr's Covered Bridge, Orefield, Pennsylvania. The bridge was built in 1841 and restored in 1965.