Love This Land ...

“If tomorrow all the things were gone

I worked for all my life

And I had to start again

With just my children and my wife

I’d thank my lucky stars

To be living here today

‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom

And they can’t take that away

And I’m proud to be an American

Where at least I know I’m free

And I won’t forget the men who died

Who gave that right to me

And I’d gladly stand up next to you

And defend Her still today

‘Cause there ain’t no doubt

I love this land

God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota

To the hills of Tennessee

Across the plains of Texas

From sea to shining sea

From Detroit down to Houston

And New York to L.A.

Where’s the pride in every American heart

And it’s time we stand and say

That I’m proud to be an American

Where at least I know I’m free

And I won’t forget the men who died

Who gave that right to me

And I’d gladly stand up next to you

And defend Her still today

‘Cause there ain’t no doubt

I love this land

God Bless the U.S.A.

And I’m proud to be an American

Where at least I know I’m free

And I won’t forget the men who died

Who gave that right to me

And I’d gladly stand up next to you

And defend Her still today

‘Cause there ain’t no doubt

I love this land

God Bless the U.S.A.”

   ~ “God Bless the U.S.A.”

    ~written & recorded by country music artist

             Lee Greenwood

                 ~ 1984

“God Bless the U.S.A.” is an American patriotic song played at the 1984 Republican National Convention with President Ronald Reagan & First Lady Nancy Reagan in attendance, but gained greater prominence during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.

The popularity of the song rose sharply after the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

“Love This Land” with a peace sign in the middle of the O is etched on the base of the Lehigh and Hudson Railroad Delaware River Bridge, Easton, Pennsylvania when I snapped this patriotic sight on a late spring afternoon in early June.

The railroad bridge connects Easton with Phillipsburg, New Jersey. I shot this underneath the bridge at Delaware Canal State Park, Easton near the Forks of the Delaware Trailhead of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail). The Forks of the Delaware is where the Lehigh River merges into the Delaware River.

The trail is positioned between the Delaware River and Delaware Canal, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978. The site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America.

Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

A Fine Southern Morning ...

“Grace comes into the soul, as the morning sun into the world; first a dawning, then a light; and at last the sun in his full and excellent brightness.”

                    ~ Thomas Adams

                       ~ 1818-1905

      ~American scientist & inventor who is regarded as a founder of the chewing gum industry. He eventually joined with well-known chewing gum maker William Wrigley Jr.

The early morning sunlight whispers through the Spanish Moss that reflects in the lagoon on a beautiful May morning in the Lowcountry of Beaufort County, South Carolina.

Youngin' On The Range ...

“The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will …”

       ~ Theodore Roosevelt

         ~ 1858-1919

       ~ Naturalist & Conservationist

     ~26^th President of the United States

                    of America

            ~ 1901-1909

A sweet baby bison enjoys an early May afternoon on the range at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, where I captured this portrait of an American Bison calf on a spring day as its mother grazed close by.

Bison live as a herd on the hillsides of the 1,100-acre preserve’s Central Range. When the late General Harry C. Trexler established the preserve in the early 1900s, he did it to save the American bison, elk and white-tailed deer from extinction and assure the species’ survival.

A conservationist along the lines of Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, General Trexler understood the importance of nature and preserving wildlife in its natural habitat.

A successful businessman who amassed a fortune in the timber and cement industries and founded the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company, General Trexler began purchasing small farms in the low hills of Lehigh County in 1906. By 1913, he had transported eight bison and 20 Virginia white-tailed deer to the preserve. The elk followed soon after.

When General Trexler died in 1933, he bequeathed the property to the residents of Lehigh County. Today, the Trexler Nature Preserve is open to the public for passive recreation and nature watching.

The American Bison was designated the first national mammal of the United States on May 9, 2016. The majestic bison joins the bald eagle as a national symbol.