Jeremiah In June ...

“Jeremiah was a bullfrog

Was a good friend of mine

I never understood a single word he said

But I helped him a-drink his wine

And he always had some mighty fine wine

Singin’ joy to the world

All the boys and girls now

Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea

Joy to you and me” …

   ~ “Joy to the World”

“Joy to the World” is a song written by Hoyt Axton and made famous by the band Three Dog Night. The song is also popularly known by its opening lyric, “Jeremiah was a bullfrog.” Three Dog Night originally released the song on their fourth studio album, “Naturally,” in November 1970, and subsequently released an edited version of the song as a single in February 1971.

When the song hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, Axton and his mother, Mae Axton, became the first mother and son to each have written a number one pop single in the rock era. Mae Axton co-wrote “Heartbreak Hotel,” which was the first number one hit for the great Elvis Presley.

One of at least four American bullfrogs who were very vocal in the pond at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania enjoys a mid-June evening in late spring. I don’t often see them there, but as this day edged toward sunset they loudly made their presence known!

There Will Be No Forgetting ...

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and the ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.”

 ~ President George W. Bush

 ~ November 11, 2001

 ~ born 1946

 ~43^rd President of the United States of America

 ~ 2001-2009

An American flag, rosary, NYPD shirt adorned with messages of remembrance, a green teddy bear and a card bearing hugs are among the items on the Memorial Altar for 9/11 Remembrance in St. Paul’s Chapel of Trinity Church Wall Street, New York City.

Someone from 3,000 miles away in Seattle, Washington, penned the message, at left, “We are here always in heart and soul for all those who have been touched by 911. Embrace our unification and rise above taller than the Trade Centers.” What a beautiful and poignant message.

Most of the 2,977 who perished on that surreal and devastating day were civilians – as well as 343 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers who died in the World Trade Center and on the ground in New York City, and another law enforcement officer who died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Fifty-five military personnel died at the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. A total of 2,606 died in the World Trade Center and in the surrounding area. The attacks were the deadliest terrorist act in world history, and the most devastating attack on United States soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The Episcopal parish at the corner of Broadway and Wall Street was a refuge for relief workers after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. A sculpture in front of the church was made out of a giant sycamore tree destroyed on 9/11.

I shot this on a beautiful spring day in mid-April in Lower Manhattan.