Legacy In Winter ...

“Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.”

        (“If you seek his monument, look around.”)
 
         ~ Epitaph of Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England, of which he was architect. The phrase is generally used to describe a person’s legacy – and can be taken to mean that what we leave behind (including intangible things like relationships) best represents our life.

General Harry C. Trexler looks majestic and stately on horseback as a light January snowfall brushes this beautiful bronze statue of his image on a winter afternoon at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

General Trexler (1854-1933) is the father of Allentown’s park system. He was an industrialist, agriculturist, philanthropist, conservationist and soldier. The park is his namesake.

During his lifetime, General Trexler contributed a great deal to the growth and quality of life in the City of Allentown and the surrounding County of Lehigh. 

This bronze statue of General Trexler was presented to the City of Allentown by his trustees Nolan P. Benner, William B. Butz, Joseph S. Young, Carl J.W. Hessinger and Richard E. White. It was commissioned January 16, 1979 and dedicated May 8, 1982.

General Trexler was a great man, and I’m personally very thankful to him, as Trexler Memorial Park and Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania are two of my very favorite places to be and to photograph.

Frosted Magnolia ...

"In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."
                              ~ Albert Camus
A bud on my favorite magnolia tree at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania is frosted with a hint of winter magic during a light January snowfall. 

Still December ...

“All human beings are dream beings. Dreaming ties all men together.”

                  ~ Jack Kerouac

                                 ~ 1922-1969

The stillness of a late December day standing by a partially frosted Lehigh River at Lehigh Gap is the perfect place for dreaming and reflecting. Always take time to dream!

I captured this high contrast monochrome shot near the Lehigh Gap Bridge, which spans the river 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 (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.

The Lehigh Gap Bridge was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1984.

Sugaring The Kittatinny ...

“He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter.”

                    ~ John Burroughs

                         ~1837-1921

A sugar dusted portion of the Kittattiny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain, stands in majestic silence after a December snowfall on a winter afternoon at Lehigh Gap in this high contrast monochrome shot.

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 (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.