A World With Octobers ...

" I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

                                                                      ~ L.M. Montgomery

                                                                                  ~ 1874-1942

          This man's thoughts could well be echoing the words of L.M. Montgomery as he soaks in the October beauty at the picturesque Hopewell Furnace, Elverson, Pennsylvania.

           Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeastern Berks County near Elverson, Pennsylvania is an example of an American 19th century rural “iron plantation.” The buildings include a blast furnace, the ironmaster’s house and auxiliary structures including a blacksmith’s shop, a company store and several worker’s houses. 

            Hopewell Furnace was founded in 1771 by ironmaster Mark Bird for whom Birdsboro was named. The site’s most prosperous time was during the 1820–1840 period with a brief boom in production during the American Civil War. In the mid-19th century changes in iron making, including a shift from charcoal to anthracite rendered smaller furnaces like Hopewell obsolete. The site discontinued operations in 1883.

            Today, Hopewell Furnace consists of 14 restored structures in the core historic area, 52 features on the List of Classified Structures, and a total of 848 mostly wooded acres. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is located in the Hopewell Big Woods and surrounded by French Creek State Park on three sides and the State Game Lands to the south which preserves the lands the furnace utilized for its natural resources.

The Autumn Painter ...

"Autumn paints in colors that summer has never seen."
                                                                        ~ Author Unknown

Brushstroke by brushstroke, a painter captures on canvas
the glorious autumn beauty God has painted this October
at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

I took this candid shot of the artist and her easel
nestled in a picturesque spot between the ford of the 
Jordan Creek and the pedestrian bridge at the preserve. 

Spring At Geiger's Covered Bridge ...

"On the first warm day in May
I hope you'll come a-callin' ...
We'll climb the hill ...
where all is still ..."
                                    ~ "The First Warm Day In May"
                                                   ~ recorded by Rosemary Clooney
                                                                            ~ 1952

A sun dappled afternoon at Geiger's Covered Bridge is the perfect
place to spend the first warm day in May. This is one of my very favorite
places to be and to photograph. There's a simple beauty and tranquility here 
in the stillness and I love to capture that essence in my photography. 

Geiger's 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 Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

Sittin' On Top Of The World ...

"Such a feelin's comin' over me
There is wonder in most everything I see
Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes
And I won't be surprised if it's a dream...

I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world."

                                         ~ "Top Of The World"
                                                ~ recorded by The Carpenters
                                                                          ~ 1972

Take a seat on top of the world
and soak in the autumn vista
on a beautiful October day at
Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. 

                                   
 

The Winter's Day ...

  "Land really is the best art."
                     ~ Andy Warhol
                            ~ 1928-1987

The day all winters dream to be paints itself around the Springhouse at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Icicles fringe the roof of the log cabin surrounded by a fresh March snowfall, blazing blue skies and bright sunshine.

It's one of my very favorite places to be and to photograph. 

The log  cabin was part of Springhouse, the summer home of General Harry C. Trexler (1854-1933), an American industrialist who  built a business empire in Allentown. The park is his namesake.



 

A Hint Of Shangri-La ...

"Your kisses take me to
Shangri-la ...
A land of bluebirds and fountains ...
For anywhere you are is Shangri-La."
                                    ~ "Shangri-La"
                                           ~ Carl Sigman, Matty Malneck and Robert Maxwell
                                                                   1946 
            


With the Jordan Creek gently flowing under a sparkling 
September sun, it seems like Shangri-La on a late summer
afternoon at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.
The historic Schlicher Covered Bridge is in the background.
It is a wooden, 108-foot-long Burr Truss Bridge constructed in 1882.
It has vertical plank siding and a gable roof. It recently reopened
after needed restorations.

A Country Red ...

  

 

"In summer, the song sings itself."
                                      ~ William Carlos Williams
                                                    1883-1963

Geiger's Covered Bridge paints a pop of red 
to the country landscape in North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania
 on a picturesque summer day.

The bridge is an historic wooden covered bridge. 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.

 

A Summer Place ...

"There's a summer place ..."
           ~ "Theme From A Summer Place"
                                      ~   1959                                          

You can almost hear the strains of "Theme From A Summer Place" on a perfect August evening at Manassas Guth Covered Bridge, South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.

The historic wooden bridge that crosses the Jordan Creek was constructed in 1858 and rebuilt in 1882. It is a 108-foot long Burr Truss bridge with vertical siding. It was placed on the  National Register of Historic Places in 1980.