Summer Song ...

“One is always at home in one’s past ...”

                ~ Vladimir Nabokov

                ~ Russian-American novelist

                          ~ 1899-1977

   ~ from his 1951 memoir “Speak, Memory”

Visitors to the 29^th Belvidere Victorian Days enjoy listening to The Antebellum Marine Band in Garret D. Wall Park in front of United Presbyterian Church on a beautiful waning summer afternoon in Belvidere, New Jersey.

Victorian Days, held the weekend after Labor Day, is a celebration of Belvidere’s Victorian heritage. Festivities include live entertainment; antique, craft and food vendors; antique/vintage car show; and Victorian era demonstrations.

Belvidere, one of my very favorite places, is a charming Victorian town located on the banks of the Pequest and Delaware Rivers. Victorian Days is a perfect time to stroll through the town and step back into a bygone era.

The Heart Of Summer ...

“And you’re daddy’s little girl

You’re the end of the rainbow

My pot of gold

You’re daddy’s little girl to have and hold

A precious gem is what you are

You’re mommy’s bright and shining star

You’re the spirit of Christmas

My star on the tree

You’re the Easter Bunny to mommy and me

You’re sugar

You’re spice

You’re everything nice

And you’re daddy’s little girl.”

                      ~ “Daddy’s Little Girl”

                 ~ lyrics & music written by

                     Robert Burke & Horace Gerlach

                                     ~ 1906

          ~ recorded by the wonderful Al Martino

                                              ~ 1967

The heart of summer within the heart of summer … a father teaches his little girl to ride a bicycle on a gorgeous July afternoon on the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania, such a sweet sight I was lucky to capture and showcase in sepia to enhance the nostalgic feel.

The Carousel ...

“There’s a time in each year

That we always hold dear,

Good old summer time;

With the birds and the trees-es,

And sweet scented breezes…

And life is a beautiful rhyme …

Those days full of pleasure

We now fondly treasure …

In the good old summer time

In the good old summer time …”

             ~ “In The Good Old Summer Time”

                    ~ American Tin Pan Alley song

     music by George Evans, lyrics by Ren Shields

                                ~ 1902

What better way to while away the hours in the good old summer time then taking a spin on the historic Weona Park Carousel, Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania?

The Weona Park Carousel, also known as Dentzel Stationary Menagerie Carousel, and its pavilion were built in 1923. The carousel is housed in a wooden, one story, pavilion measuring 20 feet high at center and 80 feet in diameter, with 24 sections each 10 feet 6 inches wide.

The carousel has 44 animals and two sleighs standing three abreast. They were originally hand carved and painted in the 1890s, circa 1905 and circa 1917. The carousel has a Wurlitzer organ, opus 146. It was constructed by the Dentzel Carousel Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

And it’s just one dollar to ride!

The carousel was added to the National Register of Historic Places August 4, 1999.

Country Line Dancing ...

“Sweet days of summer, the jasmine’s in bloom

July is dressed up and playing her tune …

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine,

Blowing through the jasmine in my mind …”

                                  “Summer Breeze”

                              ~ Seals & Croft

                                           ~ 1972

The sight of laundry dancing on the clothesline in the gentle summer breeze “dresses up” the countryside of Kempton, Pennsylvania on a beautiful June afternoon.