The Meandering Monocacy ...

 “Water is the driving force of all nature.”

      ~ Leonardo da Vinci

          ~ 1452-1519

The cold winter waters of the Monocacy Creek meander through Monocacy Park, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, winding by the creek’s snowy banks on a beautiful February afternoon, three days after the region was blanketed with 27.3 inches of snow.

Autumn Solitare ...

“How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!”

    ~ Emily Dickinson

         ~1830-1886

The glint of the late afternoon sun gleams atop a solitary chair along the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania on a beautiful November day wrapped in autumn’s beauty.

Blue Moonshine ...

"Blue moon, blue moon, blue moon,
keep shining bright.
Blue moon, keep on shining bright,
You're gonna bring me back my baby tonight,
Blue moon, keep shining bright.

I said blue moon of Kentucky
keep on shining ..." 
                 ~ "Blue Moon of Kentucky"
             recorded by the great Elvis Presley
                                 ~ 1954

An artistic view of "Blue Moonshine" illuminating the summer sky over Cedar Creek Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania during the
Blue Moon of July 31, 2015.

A Blue Moon is defined as any time there is a second full moon in a calendar month, according to NASA. The next will occur January 2, 2018.

"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is the official Bluegrass song of Kentucky, written by Bill Monroe, "The Father of Bluegrass," in 1946.

The great Elvis Presley - an artist who occurs "once in a blue moon," - recorded
his fantastic rockabilly version in 1954.

                                        

                                           

Bedazzling Freedom ...

"It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing
the holy fire of patriotism."
                                                   ~ J. Horace McFarland
                                                                               ~1859-1948

A burst of patriotic beauty fills the night sky
during the 2015 Fourth of July Fireworks set off from
J. Birney Crum Stadium, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

How wonderful it would be to have fireworks - and the
fire of patriotism - in our hearts every day! 

As the fireworks ended, I heard a little boy say "Bravo!"
I couldn't have said it better myself. 

Christmastime In The City ...

“Silver bells, silver bells

It’s Christmas time in the city ….”
                    "Silver Bells"

                        ~ composed by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans

                                                            1950

The spirit of Christmas illuminates on the iconic PPL building this

December 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 the 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 at night

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 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 Britannica, and also featured the world’s fastest elevator.