Showing posts with label depth of field. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depth of field. Show all posts

Monday, March 23, 2020

Beautiful Dreamer ...


“Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee,
Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,
Lull’d by the moonlight have all passed away …”
  ~ “Beautiful Dreamer”
  ~parlor song by American songwriter
              Stephen Foster
                  ~ 1826-1864
 ~published posthumously in March 1864
  ~ one of Foster’s most memorable ballads & best loved works
  ~ recorded by Bing Crosby in 1940 & various other artists

 ~ Foster, known as “the father of American music,” was an American songwriter known primarily for his parlor music. He wrote more than 200 songs, including “Oh! Susanna,” “Hard Times Come Again No More,” “Camptown Races,” “Old Folks At Home” (“Swanee River”), “My Old Kentucky Home,” “Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair” and “Beautiful Dreamer.” Many of his compositions remain popular today. He has been identified as “the most famous songwriter of the nineteenth century” and may be the most recognizable American composer in other countries. His compositions are sometimes referred to as “childhood songs” because they have been included in the music curriculum of early education. Most of his handwritten music manuscripts are lost, but editions issued by publishers of his day can be found in various collections.
An April sunset beckons as a beautiful blossom waits for a nearby bud to wake and bloom on my favorite pink magnolia tree at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Of Honeysuckle Afternoons ...


“What a pity flowers can utter no sound! A singing rose, a whispering violet, a murmuring honeysuckle – oh what a rare and exquisite miracle would these be!”
        ~ Henry Ward Beecher
         ~ 1813-1877 
Coral Honeysuckle brings a shot of colorful beauty to a beautiful late May afternoon at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Coral Honeysuckle – also known as trumpet honeysuckle or scarlet honeysuckle – is a species of honeysuckle native to the eastern United States.

It can grow in many areas due to its hardiness, and is most often grown as a plant for wildlife. Ruby-throated hummingbirds use it in their natural range, as well as other birds, butterflies and bees. It is also grown as an ornamental for its attractive flowers, especially as a native alternative to the invasive Japanese Honeysuckle.

Though Coral Honeysuckle doesn’t have the heady perfume of Japanese Honeysuckle that I love, it’s still a beautiful sight on an afternoon in spring!

Monday, May 14, 2018

Tears On The Dogwood ...



Legend Of The Dogwood Tree

At the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood had reached the size of the mighty oak tree. So strong and firm was the wood that it was chosen as the timber for Jesus’ cross.

To be used for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the dogwood. While nailed upon it, Jesus sensed this, and in his compassion said, “Because of your pity for my suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used for a cross. Henceforth, it shall be slender, bent, and twisted, and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross – two long and two short petals.

“In the center of the outer edge of each petal will be the print of nails. In the center of the flower, stained with blood, will be a crown of thorns so that all who see it will remember.”

Raindrops cascade like teardrops on blossoms of a beautiful pink dogwood tree on a May evening in Allentown, Pennsylvania.