Lady In Waiting ...

"What the heart once owned and had, 
it shall never lose."
                                   ~ Henry Ward Beecher
                                                         ~ 1813-1887

Beautiful North American female cardinal waits for her true love - a
North American male cardinal fluttering nearby - to return to her side
a few weeks before Valentine's Day at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

First Mate ...

"People let me tell you 'bout my best friend ..."


                                         ~ "Best Friend"
                                           ~by Harry Nilsson
                                               ~ "Theme Song of The Courtship of Eddie's Father"
                                                                                      ~ 1969-1972

A man and his furry first mate set out in a small kayak
on a perfect summer day at Leaser Lake, 
in the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge,
New Tripoli, Pennsylvania. 
The sight of this man and his adorable dog - both in life jackets - 
brings to life the words of that iconic song, "Best Friend."

Leaser Lake's namesake is Frederick Leaser, who in September 1777
with his farm team hauled The Liberty Bell from 
Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in
Zion Reformed Church. His homestead is located one mile north of the lake.


 

Red Hots ...

"May the sun in his course visit no land more free,
more happy, more lovely than this our own country!"
                                                   ~ Daniel Webster
                                                                       ~ 1782-1852

Red hot fireworks paint the sweet fire of patriotism
in the summer sky during the 2015 Fourth of July
Fireworks set off from J. Birney Crum Stadium,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

How wonderful it would be to have fireworks - and the fire
of patriotism - in our hearts every day!

As the fireworks ended I heard a little boy say
"Bravo!" I couldn't have said it better myself. 

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.

The Sign Red No Skating ...

"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet."
             ~ Emily Dickinson
                    ~1830-1886

Waxing nostalgic on a quiet winter's day
by the pond at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

True Love ...

"For you and I have a guardian angel
On high with nothing to do
But to give to you and to give to me
Love forever true."
                                     ~ "True Love"
                                               ~ Cole Porter, 1956

North American male and female cardinal find true love
together a few weeks before Valentine's Day at
Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

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. 

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. 

Red October ...

"All good things are wild and free."
                      ~ Henry David Thoreau
                                           ~ 1817-1862

A wild, free and beautiful red fox pup
peers out into an October evening
at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

The Art Of Oktoberfest ...

A colorful and artistic view at this year's Oktoberfest
on Nineteenth Street in the quaint West End Theatre District,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

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 Simple Peace ...

"I found the poems in the field
and only wrote them down."
                             ~ John Clare
                                          ~ 1793-1864

The words of the English poet John Clare came to life
to me when I photographed this scene just before sunset. It
was a waning summer evening just off the Ironton Rail Trail, 
Whitehall, Pennsylvania, with the chirp of crickets and the 
soft coo of a mourning dove the only sounds filling the air ...
a simple peace and a beautiful reminder to me of why
I love nature photography. 

A Fair Night ...

This little tyke in a stroller has the best seat in the house
to navigate the crowded midway one evening this week at 
the 162nd Great Allentown Fair, Allentown, 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. 

Let The Sun Shine In ...

"This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius ...
Let the sun shine in
Open up your heart and let it
shine on in ..."
                       ~ "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In"
                                           ~ "Hair"
                                                     ~ 1967

When I saw these almost magical sunflares
just before sunset at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania, I thought of the song
"Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In." I shot this
just a little while before the Supermoon in August. 

Twist On A Midsummer Night ...

"Art enables us to find ourselves
and lose ourselves at the
same time."
                      ~ Thomas Merton
                                     1915-1968
 
 Red traffic lights from across the street
reflect in the creek on a midsummer
evening at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Regal In Red ...

"In order to see the birds  it is necessary to become
part of the silence."
                                   ~ Robert Lynd
                                                       1879-1949

Portrait of a beautiful North American Cardinal in June
at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 
                                                                                     

Never My Love ...

"What makes you think love will end
When you know that my whole life
depends on you ...
Never my love ..."
                        "Never My Love,"
                               ~ The Association, 1967

The life of the rosebud is intertwined
with that of the rose in full bloom, which colors it with life
on a June day at 
the Malcolm W. Gross Memorial Rose Gardens,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.