Summer At The Ford ...

“I saw that my life was a vast glowing page and I could do anything I wanted.”

     ~ Jack Kerouac

      ~ 1922-1969

The beauty of summer, my most favorite of seasons, wraps around the ford of the Jordan Creek on a beautiful late August evening at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

For more than 50 years kids and kids at heart have enjoyed driving through the creek.

The ford at the preserve is one of my very favorite places to be and to photograph.

The Fawns At Jacobsburg ...

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

      ~William Shakespeare

        ~ 1564-1616

I spotted the sweetest sight of summer – beautiful twin white-tailed deer fawns, twice the joy of seeing just one! – enjoying their first summer on a late June afternoon on the grounds of Boulton in Henry’s Woods at Jacobsburg State Park, which spans between Wind Gap and Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

Boulton was an early American industrial community in the heart of the Jacobsburg National Historic District – once the site where the famous Henry Rifle was made – which lies almost entirely in the park. Henry’s Woods offers very scenic hikes and the rest of the center grounds have multi-use trails.

Jacobsburg State Park offers environmental education programs from the preschool environmental awareness programs to high school level environmental problem solving programs, historical programs, teacher workshops and public interpretive programs.

The park surrounds the Bushkill Creek.

The original land for the center was purchased by the Department of Forests and Waters from the City of Easton in 1959. In 1969, additional land was purchased using funds from Project 70. This brought the total land area of the center to its present size of 1,168 acres.

For more information on the Henry family visit the Jacobsburg Historical Society’s website at http://www.jacobsburghistory.com/.

Fair Eats ...

“Love is like a scoop of ice cream in a freshly pressed warm waffle cone … oh so good!”

            ~author unknown

A waffles and ice cream stand paints a picture of a quintessential summer night at the fair at the 167^th Great Allentown Fair, a local tradition in Allentown, Pennsylvania since 1852.

The fair ran August 27 – September 2, 2019, a great way to wrap summer!

My personal favorite memory of the fair hands-down happened when I was a child in the 1970s seeing a performance by my first heartthrob, Donny Osmond! Oh, it’s still a thrill to hear him sing “Puppy Love!”

The Great Allentown Fair is an annual fair and agricultural show that is held at the Allentown Fairgrounds. It is operated by the Lehigh County Agricultural Society. It is one of the oldest fairs in the United States, and one of the largest in the state of Pennsylvania.

The fair was first held in 1852 to showcase agricultural advancements and to entertain patrons. It has since evolved to appeal to a broader audience, adding more entertainment and dining options. Although it stays true to its agricultural roots by offering petting zoos, livestock judging contests and a farmer’s market, the modern-day fair focuses more on entertainment; it boasts a carnival, talent shows and concerts.