Walking On Frosting ...

  “To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.”

                    ~ Aristotle

                       ~384-322 B.C.  

In the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge, a frosted, frozen and snow covered Leaser Lake glistens with winter’s artistry as a man walks his dog across the frozen water on a sunny February afternoon in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania in this selective color shot.

I really enjoyed being able to actually walk on the lake and take photos!

Leaser Lake’s namesake is Frederick Leaser, an American patriot who in September 1777 with his farm team hauled The Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church for protection during the Revolutionary War. His homestead is located one mile north of the lake.

Leaser Lake was built by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for water-oriented recreation and opened for public use in 1971. Lehigh County leases this area from the state and operates and maintains the park. The land north of the lake was purchased by the county in the early 1970s. It is entirely wooded and is used for nature study and as an addition to the State Game Lands No. 217.

Walking On Frosted Leaser Lake ...

“Despite all I have seen and experienced, I still get the same simple thrill out of glimpsing a tiny patch of snow.”

             ~ Edmund Hillary

                    ~1919-2008

        ~ New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist who, on May 29, 1953 with Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

In the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge, a frosted, frozen and snow covered Leaser Lake glistens with winter’s artistry as a man walks his dogs across the frozen water on a sunny February afternoon in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania in this selective color shot.

I really enjoyed being able to actually walk on the lake and take photos!

Leaser Lake’s namesake is Frederick Leaser, an American patriot who in September 1777 with his farm team hauled The Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church for protection during the Revolutionary War. His homestead is located one mile north of the lake.

Leaser Lake was built by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for water-oriented recreation and opened for public use in 1971. Lehigh County leases this area from the state and operates and maintains the park. The land north of the lake was purchased by the county in the early 1970s. It is entirely wooded and is used for nature study and as an addition to the State Game Lands No. 217.

Frosted Magnolia ...

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."
                              ~ Albert Camus
A bud on my favorite magnolia tree at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania is frosted with a hint of winter magic during a light January snowfall. 

Still December ...

“All human beings are dream beings. Dreaming ties all men together.”

                  ~ Jack Kerouac

                                 ~ 1922-1969

The stillness of a late December day standing by a partially frosted Lehigh River at Lehigh Gap is the perfect place for dreaming and reflecting. Always take time to dream!

I captured this high contrast monochrome shot near the Lehigh Gap Bridge, which spans the river in the shadow of the Kittatiny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain.

The Lehigh Gap in Slatington, Pennsylvania, is a crossroads where the Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s trails connect two historic trails – the Appalachian Trail and the Delaware and Lehigh Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail).

The Appalachian Trail, a foot path, follows the ridge on both sides of the Lehigh Gap, running 1,245 miles south to Georgia and 930 miles north to Maine. Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

The Lehigh Gap Bridge was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1984.