October Crossing ...

“Praise the bridge that carried you over.”

       ~ George Colman

          ~ English dramatist

          ~ 1762 ~1836

As an autumn morning begins to segue into afternoon, traffic crosses the Riverton-Belvidere Toll Supported Bridge on a beautiful mid-October day.

The bridge, which opened in 1904, links Belvidere, New Jersey and Riverton, Pennsylvania and spans the Delaware River, which straddles New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

I shot this from the Riverton side of the bridge as Belvidere lies ahead, with the bridge framed by fall foliage.

A Delaware River Town, Belvidere, one of my very favorite places, was established April 7, 1845 and is a charming Victorian town located on the banks of the Pequest and Delaware Rivers. The town’s name means “beautiful to see” in Italian.

Riverton is part of Pennsylvania’s Slate Belt.

 

Retro Rail ...

“I love the nostalgic myself. I hope we never lose some of the things of the past.”

                ~ Walt Disney

                  ~ 1901 ~ 1966

The Brass Rail sign beckons people to stop in for a cocktail at the Lehigh Street location of the iconic restaurant that has been a longtime staple of the culinary landscape in Allentown, Pennsylvania on a June evening in 2013.

Sadly, The Brass Rail, which opened on Lehigh Street in 1961, shut its doors in June 2022. An Allentown tradition for 91 years, the eatery’s original location on Hamilton Street in downtown Allentown opened in 1931 and closed in 2001.

Founded by Phil Sorrentino, The Brass Rail, known especially for its cheesesteaks, was run by generations of the Sorrentino family and will be missed.

 

One Little Candle ...

“It is better to light just one little candle,

Than to stumble in the dark!

Better far that you light just one little candle,

All you need’s a tiny spark!

  

If we’d all say a prayer that the world would be free, 

The wonderful dawn of a new day we’ll see!

And, if everyone lit just one little candle,

What a bright world this would be!

 

Let’s all light one little candle,

Why stumble in the dark?

When the day is dark an’ dreary

And your way is hard to find,

Don’t let your heart be weary,

Just keep this thought in mind …

 

And, if everyone lit just one little candle,

What a bright world this would be!

 

What a bright world

This would be!”

          ~ “One Little Candle”

            ~ Music by George Mysels,

        Lyrics by Joseph Maloy Roach

               ~published 1952

     ~ Recorded by Perry Como

          & various other artists

 

“One Little Candle” is the theme song of the television show of The Christophers, a Christian inspirational group that was founded in 1945 by Father James Keller. The name of the group is derived from the Greek word christophoros, which means “Christ-bearer.”

 

The mission of The Christophers is to encourage people of all ages, and from all walks of life, to use their God-given talents to make a positive difference in the world. The mission is best expressed in The Christophers’ motto: “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”

 

The glow of a small electric votive candle pierces the darkness of a December evening a week before Christmas 2020 in the West End of Allentown, Pennsylvania, a day after 11.3 inches of snow blanketed the region.

 

As I shot this image, I thought it was particularly fitting as the world prepares to celebrate Christmas in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic.