Waiting For You ...

"There's nothing half so sweet in life
As love's young dream."
                          ~ Thomas Moore,
                                    Irish poet
                                        ~ 1779-1852

A spring sunset beckons as a bud brushes a
beautiful blossom while it waits for the bud to bloom on my favorite magnolia tree at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Fire Frost ...

"It is the life of the crystal,
the architect of the flake,
the fire of the frost,
the soul of the sunbeam,
This crisp winter air is full of it."
                       ~ John Burroughs
                                    ~1837-1921
                             ~ "Winter Sunshine"
                                           ~ 1875

The fire of the frost and the soul of the sunbeam
kiss at sunset, painting a fiery frozen beauty
at one of the highest elevations at
Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville,
Pennsylvania.

This is my abstract view of a snowy scene I shot
soon after the historic January Blizzard of 2016.
In a winter shorn of snow until the blizzard,
the storm plonked 31 inches of snow on nearby
Allentown in a 24 hour period.  

Snow Mates...

"Faith is the bird that feels the light
when the dawn is still dark."
                                 ~ Rabindranath Tagore
                                        ~ 1861-1941

Beautiful North American Male Cardinal
is joined by a cute female house finch
as sunlight filters through the branches
surrounding their perch after a fresh
March snowfall at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.    

A River Runs Through It ...

"But memory is an autumn leaf that
murmurs a while in the wind
and then is heard no more."
                   ~ Khalil Gibran
                                 ~ 1883-1931

Leaves frame the autumn colors cascading across the Pequest River as it flows through the middle of town in Belvidere, New Jersey on a perfect Indian Summer day in November.

Belvidere, one of my very favorite places,
is a charming, Victorian town located on the
banks of the Pequest and Delaware Rivers.   

Christmas Caboose ...

"The bell still rings for me,

as it does for all who truly believe."

                             ~ Chris Van Allsburg

                                                    ~ born 1949

                                 ~"The Polar Express"

                                            ~ published 1985

A red caboose festooned in its Christmas finery

greets train goers on their way to boarding 

The Christmas Train on the Hawk Mountain Line

in early December at WK&S (Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern, Inc.)

Railroad, Kempton, Pennsylvania.

The Hawk Mountain Line is a scenic ride of six-and-a-half

miles on track of the old Reading Railroad, running along

the Ontelaunee Creek, through the farms and woods of

Berks and Lehigh Counties.

Pop Go The Roses ...

"We try acting grown up but as a rule
We're all little children fresh from school ...
Keep them handy, flowers and candy
Roses and lollipops and lollipops and roses."

                                      ~ "Lollipops and Roses"
                                                                  ~composed by Tony Velona
                                                                       ~ recorded by Jack Jones
                                                                                             ~ 1962 

Yellow roses in the Allentown Rose Gardens bloom under
a bright rainbow Whirlypop lollipop in Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania in an Alice In Wonderland type way
on a summer day in this whimsical abstract inspired by the song
"Lollipops and Roses." Because aren't we all kids at heart?

Magnolia By Morning ...

"Despite the forecast, live like it's spring."
                                        ~ Lilly Pulitzer
                                                  ~ 1931-2013

The sunlight of an April morning whispers softly as a dream around the magnolia tree at my favorite spot at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Maybe It's Maybellene ...

"Maybellene, why can't you be true?
Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true?
...The Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still
And I caught Maybellene at the top of the hill."
                      
                                           ~ "Maybellene"
                                                              ~ 1955

Maybe it's Maybellene casting a flirty glance
as a summer day reflects in the eye of this
Volkswagen Beetle near a trail in 
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania!

The Chuck Berry song "Maybellene" was adapted from the 
traditional fiddle tune "Ida Red" that tells the story of a 
hot rod race and a broken romance.  It is considered one of
the pioneering rock and roll singles.

The great Elvis Presley sang it live on "Louisiana Hayride" on 
August 20, 1955. 
                             

Bridge Over Frosted Water ...

 

"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose,
if there were no winter in our year!"
                                                            ~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson
                                                                                          ~ 1823-1911
                                                                        from "April Days"
                                                                                             ~ 1861

The historic Geiger's Covered Bridge crosses the frosted waters

of the Jordan Creek, painting a scene of quiet beauty 
just before a winter sunset.

Geiger’s Covered Bridge is an historic wooden covered bridge in North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. It is a 112-foot-long Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1860. It has vertical plank siding and an entry portal of stepped square planks. It crosses the Jordan Creek and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It can be accessed from The Covered Bridge Trail of the Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

                       

Soliloquy With A Friend ...

"The language of friendship
is not words but meanings."
                                ~ Henry David Thoreau
                                                  ~ 1817-1862

A man and his dog enjoy friendship, solitude
and the crisp winter air while running on
the Covered Bridge Trail at Trexler Nature Preserve,
Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. 

Retro Valentine ...

"Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help
falling in love with you."
           ~ "Can't Help Falling In Love"
                       ~ from Elvis Presley's 1961 movie "Blue Hawaii"

You can almost hear a nearby jukebox playing
the great Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love"
as you and your sweetie share a shake with two straws
in this Retro Valentine. 

Night At The Roxy ...

"The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts,
but is also the return of art to life."
                                                    ~ Oscar Wilde
                                                                ~ 1854-1900

The neon lights of the historically cool Roxy Theatre
light up a winter night on Main Street, Northampton, Pennsylvania.
The Roxy originally opened in 1921 as the Lyric. This theatre was renovated
in 1933 in the tremendously popular art deco style - and renamed
The Roxy after the famous New York City theatre and it's namesake
showman Samuel "Roxy" Rothapfel. Today, as the city's only commercial
theatre, "The Roxy continues to be the greatest show in town," presenting
both Hollywood favorites and live entertainment. It features a seven rank
Wurlitzer pipe organ. 

Winterlude At Robin Hood Dell ...

"In art, the hand can never execute anything higher
than the heart can imagine."
                                           ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
                                                                1803-1882

Rays of the golden hour before a winter sunset
paint the tranquil, snow tinged waters of
the Little Lehigh Creek at Robin Hood Dell,
Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

A Child's Dream of Winter ...

"When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season,
I'll know I'm growing old."
                                   ~ Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson
                                                                 1912-2007

This brightly colored sled left behind by a child
shines like a beam of happiness after this season's
first significant snowfall on a November evening
at Trexler Memorial Park, Alletown, Pennsylvania,
a reminder to always see the season's first snowfall
with childlike wonder. 

A Side Of Sugar ...

"Besides the autumn poets sing,
A a few prosaic days,
A little this side of  the snow,
And that side of the haze ..."
             ~ Emily Dickinson
                       ~1830-1886

A sprinkling of this season's first sugar like snowfall remains on the ground, enhancing the beauty of a Kwanzan Cherry Tree.

On this November day these Japanese flowering cherry trees are dressed in their autumn finery as they line North Ott Street near Cedar Creek Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

There are 46 Japanese flowering cherry trees in the vicinity. The original trees date to the late 1950s or early 1960s.

Coloring The Jordan ...

"Keep your love of nature,  for that is the true way
to understand art and more."
                                                         ~ Vincent van Gogh
                                                                              ~ 1853-1890 

Brilliant autumn colors cascade into reflections
in the Jordan Creek as it meanders through
Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania
on a perfect October day. 

Nothing But A Memory ...

"I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it's like I'm someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself ...
Won't take nothing but a memory."
                                 ~ "The House That Built Me"
                                       ~ Allen Shamblin & Tom Douglas
                                                               2010
                                        ~performed by Miranda Lambert

Wisps of memories seem to dance around the window
inside Bogert's Covered Bridge on a September day, such as
"Tess & Eric 4Ever" etched to the right of the window.

This beautiful, historic bridge has listened to their story
 and countless others over the course of centuries.

The bridge spans 145 feet over the Little Lehigh Creek 
in Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 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 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.

                        

Once Upon A Time ...

"Once upon a time, the world was sweeter than we knew ...
But somehow once upon a time never comes again." 
           ~ "Once Upon A Time"
                   ~ Charles Strouse & Lee Adams
             from the 1962 musical "All American"

Harkening back to a simpler, sweeter time,
a beautiful October morning frames the historic beauty
of Rex's Covered Bridge, North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.
Though diminutive in size, it's well traveled in this
picturesque rural area where it crosses the Jordan Creek.

Rex's is a wooden, 150-foot-long Burr Truss bridge
constructed in 1858. It has narrow horizontal siding
and a gable roof. It was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places in 1980. 

Early Morning Postcard ...

"An early morning walk is a blessing
for the whole day."
             ~ Henry David Thoreau
                    ~ 1817-1862

The words of Thoreau seem to fill the air
just after sunrise on a chilly October morning at the historic Wehr's Covered Bridge, Orefield, Pennsylvania.

The Jordan Creek spills over Wehr's Dam, built in 1904, to flow beneath the covered bridge, creating a picturesque autumn postcard. 

Wehr's Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge in South Whitehall Township.
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.