The Hues Of Hopewell ...

“Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; 

to me those have always been

the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

                          ~ Henry James

                                        ~1843-1916

Colorful canoes and kayaks of vibrant hues line the shoreline, ready to glide on the waters of Hopewell Lake on a perfect summer afternoon at French Creek State Park, Elverson, Pennsylvania.

The 7,526 acre park straddles northern Chester County and southern Berks County along French Creek and is located in the Hopewell Big Woods.

Set amidst the old, quaint and picturesque farmland of southeast Pennsylvania, French Creek State Park offers two lakes – Hopewell and Scotts Run – extensive forests and almost 40 miles of hiking trails. Adjacent to the park lies Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site that features a cold-blast furnace restored to its 1830s appearance.

French Creek State Park was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its Bureau of State Parks as one of “25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks.”

Fording A Spring Morn ...

"Joy comes in the morning."
                            ~ Psalm 30:5

God's creation renders a soft spring morning
at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania as an adorable dog splashes at the ford of the Jordan Creek.

This serene image paints why this is one of my
very favorite places to be and to photograph,
and radiates the words of Psalm 30:5, "Joy comes in the morning."

 

On The Sidewalks Of New York ...

"East Side, West Side, all around the town ...
We tripped the light fantastic on
the sidewalks of New York."
               ~ "The Sidewalks of New York"
                ~ James W. Blake, lyricist,
                  Charles B. Lawlor, composer
                                 ~ 1894
~ This wonderful Tin Pan Alley tune
was a popular song about New York City
in the 1890s.

This painterly pigeon steps spritely
in spring on an April day on the 
sidewalks of New York City.     

  

We'll Have Manhattan ...

"...I've a cozy little flat in 
What is known as old Manhattan,
We'll settle down
Right here in town.


... We'll have Manhattan,
the Bronx and Staten Island too ...

The great big city's a wondrous toy
Just made for a girl and boy -
We'll turn Manhattan
Into an isle of joy."
                          ~ "Manhattan"
               ~Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart, 1925
~ A popular song and part of the 
Great American Songbook, often known as
"We'll Have Manhattan" 

An artistic view of beautiful tulips in full
bloom in Lower Manhattan on a gorgeous April day in New York City, settled down in town to turn Manhattan into an isle of joy.   
               

       

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.