There Are More Fish In The Sea ...

“There are more fish in the sea”

      ~ A twist on the well-known idiom “there are plenty more fish in the sea,” used to console someone whose romantic relationship has ended by pointing out that there are many other people with whom they may have a successful relationship in the future. This expression alludes to the proverb there are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it.

I spotted this rock painted with the words “There Are More Fish in the Sea!” on a mid-February afternoon in 2019 at Whitehall Parkway, just off the Ironton Rail Trail.

Then I thought I’d have some fun with it … why not put these fish in the sea?! So I blended it with “Tides of Dixie,” a shot I took of an autumn tide of the Atlantic Ocean rolling majestically into Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island in the Lowcountry of South Carolina in October 2016.

The Ironton Rail Trail loops more than nine miles through Whitehall Township, the Borough of Coplay and North Whitehall Township in Pennsylvania.

The Ironton Railroad was a shortline railroad in Lehigh County. Originally built in 1861 to haul iron ore and limestone to blast furnaces along the Lehigh River, traffic later shifted to carrying Portland Cement when local iron mining declined in the early 20^th century. Much of the railroad had already been abandoned when it became part of Conrail in 1976, and the last of its trackage was removed in 1984.

In 1996, Whitehall Township purchased 9.2 miles of the right-of-way from Conrail, transforming it into the Ironton Rail Trail.

This painted rock is likely part of the The Kindness Rocks Project, which was founded by Megan Murphy of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who wanted to spread encouraging messages to strangers by writing them on rocks she found on the beach. The practice spread and launched similar projects across the United States.

The grassroots project encourages people to leave rocks painted with inspiring messages along the path of life. People are encouraged to take one, share one or add to the pile. You can see just how much impact she’s made when looking up #TheKindnessRocksProject. Learn more about how to join the movement at http://thekindnessrocksproject.com.

Little Parson Brown ...

“… In the meadow we can build a snowman

Then pretend that he is Parson Brown

He’ll say, are you married?

We’ll say, no man

But you can do the job

When you’re in town …”

                ~ “Winter Wonderland”

        ~ music by Felix Bernard,

              lyrics by Richard B. Smith

                             ~ 1934

“Winter Wonderland” is a winter song, popularly regarded as a Christmas song. Through the decades it has been recorded by over 200 different artists.

Just like a Little Parson Brown, this miniature snowman that I saw a little boy make sits in front of the Springhouse on one of the stone bridges at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania on November 17, 2018, two days after the season’s first snowfall. The pre-Thanksgiving snowfall blanketed the region with eight inches of snow.

This 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.

I presented the image in sepia to enhance the nostalgic feel.

Candy Kisses ...

“Candy kisses wrapped in paper mean more to you than any of mine

Candy kisses wrapped in paper you’d rather have them any old time

You don’t mean it when you whisper those sweet love words in my ear

Candy kisses wrapped in paper mean more to you than mine do dear…”

                       ~ “Candy Kisses”

         

        ~written & recorded by American

 country crooner George Morgan

                               ~ 1949

                 ~ recorded by Tony Bennett

                                ~ 1961

Where else in the world would street lamps be topped with candy kisses than “the sweetest place on Earth” – Hershey, Pennsylvania!

Chocolate Avenue, which runs past the original Hershey’s Chocolate Factory and is considered to be the main street of the town, is known for its street lamps that are shaped like Hershey Kisses. These unique lamps were first erected in 1963. Some of the kisses are shown as being wrapped, and some as unwrapped, alternating between these two designs. These lamps can also be found on Park Avenue.

Chocolate Avenue was one of the first two streets built in the town of Hershey by Milton Hershey (1857-1945) when he built up the town for his chocolate empire; the other was Cocoa Avenue. The name of the street was picked by Milton Hershey himself. He picked names for many streets in the town that related to chocolate.

I shot this on a recent autumn jaunt to Hershey from the passenger seat of a moving car, as there was no parking on the street. If you’re going to hang out of a car window taking pictures, what better place to do so than the sweetest place on Earth!