The Magic Of Winterberry Days ...

“The holly and the ivy
When they are both full grown
Of all trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown.

O, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flowr’
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our dear Saviour.

The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good.

The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn.

The holly bears a bark
As bitter as the gall
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.

The holly and the ivy
When they are both full grown
Of all trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown.”

                                   ~ “The Holly & The Ivy”

                           ~ Traditional British Folk Carol

Beautiful Winterberry Holly is a magical bright burst of red coloring a gray December day at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, just in time for Christmas!

In the shadow of the Kittatiny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain, The Lehigh Gap in Slatington, Pennsylvania, is a crossroads where the Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s trails connect two historic trails – the Appalachian Trail and the Delaware and Lehigh Heritage Corridor Trail (D&L Trail). 

The Appalachian Trail, a foot path, follows the ridge on both sides of the Lehigh Gap, running 1,245 miles south to Georgia and 930 miles north to Maine. Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

Americana Postcard ...

“Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.”

                                       ~ Mark Twain
                                            (Samuel Clemens)

                                              ~ 1835-1910

              

Sunset is on the doorstep of a late February day as a pickup truck prepares to drive over Wehr’s Covered Bridge in a scene that depicts an Americana Postcard.

Wehr’s Covered Bridge is an historic wooden covered bridge located in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. 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. The nearby Wehr’s Dam was built in 1904.

Miss Scarlett ...

"How beautifully leaves grow old.
How full of light and color are their last days."
                  ~ John Burroughs
                               ~ 1837-1921

The vibrant scarlet foliage of this beautiful red maple tree is not "Gone With The Wind" on a breezy November afternoon at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

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.   
               

       

Come October ...

"There is no season when such pleasant
and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce
so pleasant an effect on the feelings, 
as now in October."
                    ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne
                                      ~ 1804-1864

Shades of a looming October sunset
dance on a picturesque scene at the historic
Hopewell Farm.

The farm is part of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeastern Berks County near Elverson, Pennsylvania, an example of an American 19th century rural "iron plantaation."
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 prosperious 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 ron 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 areas. 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.