Shadowing Serenity ...

"Plant faith, grow hope, harvest love."

The light of sunset serenely shadow dances in October, harvesting a beautiful autumn scene at Hopewell Furnace.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeastern Berks County near Elverson, Pennsylvania is an example of an American 19th century rural “iron plantation.” The buildings include a blast furnace, the ironmaster’s house and auxiliary structures including a blacksmith’s shop, a company store and several worker’s houses.

Hopewell Furnace was founded in 1771 by ironmaster Mark Bird for whom Birdsboro was named. The site’s most prosperous time was during the 1820–1840 period with a brief boom in production during the American Civil War. In the mid-19th century changes in iron making, including a shift from charcoal to anthracite rendered smaller furnaces like Hopewell obsolete. The site discontinued operations in 1883.

  

Today, Hopewell Furnace consists of 14 restored structures in the core historic area, 52 features on the List of Classified Structures, and a total of 848 mostly wooded acres. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is located in the Hopewell Big Woods and surrounded by French Creek State Park on three sides and the State Game Lands to the south which preserves the lands the furnace utilized for its natural resources.

Come October ...

"There is no season when such pleasant
and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce
so pleasant an effect on the feelings, 
as now in October."
                    ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne
                                      ~ 1804-1864

Shades of a looming October sunset
dance on a picturesque scene at the historic
Hopewell Farm.

The farm is part of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeastern Berks County near Elverson, Pennsylvania, an example of an American 19th century rural "iron plantaation."
The buildings include a blast furnace, the
ironmaster's house and auxiliary structures
including a blacksmith's shop, a company store
and several worker's houses.

Hopewell Furnace was founded in 1771 by 
ironmaster Mark Bird for whom Birdsboro was named. The site's most prosperious time was 
during the 1820-1840 period with a brief boom in production during the American Civil War.
In the mid-19th century changes in ron making, including a shift from charcoal to anthracite
rendered smaller furnaces like Hopewell obsolete.
The site discontinued operations in 1883. 

Today, Hopewell Furnace consists of 14 restored 
structures in the core historic area, 52 features on
the List of Classified Structures, and a total of 848 mostly wooded areas. Hopewell Furnace National
Historic Site is located in the Hopewell Big Woods and surrounded by French Creek State Park on three sides and the State Game Lands
to the south which preserves the lands the furnace
utilized for its natural resources.   

  
 

Blanketing Bogert's Bridge ...

"Stillness is the flower of winter,
all hope waits beneath a blanket of white."
                                     ~ Author Unknown

Snow blankets the historic Bogert's Covered Bridge, on which sunset shadows dance
on a still January day in Lehigh Parkway,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

I stood knee deep in snow taking this shot a
few days after the historic Blizzard of 2016, 
the peaceful scene in stark contrast to 
the recent storm.

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

Bogert’s Covered Bridge spans 145 feet over the Little Lehigh Creek in Lehigh Parkway.

 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  Covered 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.

Winding Into Red ...

"Nothing behind me,

Everything ahead of me,

As is ever so on the road." 

                              ~ Jack Kerouac

                                                 ~ 1922-1969

                                            ~ "On The Road"

                                                                     ~ 1957 

Though shorn of snow, it's a chilly December day

as the country road winds through the historic Schlicher Covered Bridge,

North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.

What lies ahead is the beautiful rural landscape at sunset ...

and endless possibilities.

Schlicher's is an historic wooden covered bridge. It 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, and was closed for a time for needed renovations.

 

Christmas Luminance ...

"I will honor Christmas in my heart,

and try to keep it all the year."

                            ~ Charles Dickens

                                            ~ 1812-1870

                                                   "A Christmas Carol"

                                                ~ published December 19, 1843

 

Bedecked in Christmas lights, the historic Wehr's Covered Bridge,

Orefield, Pennsylvania glows with the warmth of Christmas

on a December evening.

Wehr’s Covered Bridge is an historic wooden covered bridge located in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. It is a three span, 117-foot-long, Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1841. It has horizontal siding and a gable roof. It crosses the Jordan Creek and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The nearby Wehr’s Dam was built in 1904.

 

Irish Blessings ...

"An Irish Prayer"

May God give you ...

For every storm, a rainbow

For every tear, a smile

For every care, a promise

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share

For every sigh a sweet song

And an answer for each prayer.

 

The autumn sunshine of a gorgeous Indian Summer day

smiles on St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Belvidere, New Jersey.

The shamrock windows give a touch of an Irish blessing, with a

beautiful statue of Jesus Christ with his arms outstretched above them.

The cornerstone of this quaint, picturesque church at

327 Greenwich Street was laid in 1891.

Belvidere, one of my very favorite places,

is a charming Victorian town on 

the banks of the Pequest and Delaware Rivers.