"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them."
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
~ 1917-1963
35th President of the United States
of America
~ 1960-1963
and U.S. Navy Veteran
With deep gratitude and admiration to our nation's veterans.
By your bravery and courage, we remain the land of the free!
Old Glory waves proudly in chilly, whipping November winds at Leaser Lake, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania.
Leaser Lake's namesake is Frederick Leaser, who in September 1777 with his farm team hauled
The Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church. His homestead is located one mile north of the lake.
"I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it's like I'm someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself ...
Won't take nothing but a memory."
~ "The House That Built Me"
~ Allen Shamblin & Tom Douglas
2010
~performed by Miranda Lambert
Wisps of memories seem to dance around the window
inside Bogert's Covered Bridge on a September day, such as
"Tess & Eric 4Ever" etched to the right of the window.
This beautiful, historic bridge has listened to their story
and countless others over the course of centuries.
The bridge spans 145 feet over the Little Lehigh Creek
in Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania. Built in 1841,
it's history traces back to the mid-1700s when the Bogert family
moved into a log cabin next to the future site of the bridge.
It is the oldest covered bridge in Lehigh County and among
the oldest in the country. It is open only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic,
as well as the occasional rider on horseback.
Bogert's Bridge is a wooden Burr Truss bridge with vertical plank
siding and a gable roof. It was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1980.
"Once upon a time, the world was sweeter than we knew ...
But somehow once upon a time never comes again."
~ "Once Upon A Time"
~ Charles Strouse & Lee Adams
from the 1962 musical "All American"
Harkening back to a simpler, sweeter time,
a beautiful October morning frames the historic beauty
of Rex's Covered Bridge, North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.
Though diminutive in size, it's well traveled in this
picturesque rural area where it crosses the Jordan Creek.
Rex's is a wooden, 150-foot-long Burr Truss bridge
constructed in 1858. It has narrow horizontal siding
and a gable roof. It was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places in 1980.
"The leaves fall, the wind blows,
and the farm country slowly changes
from the summer cottons into
its winter wools."
~ Henry Beston
~ 1888-1968
Chilly November winds whip the waters this weekend at Leaser Lake, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, but that doesn't detract from the beauty of this autumn day at the lake in the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge.
Leaser Lake's namesake is Frederick Leaser, who in September 1777 with his farm team hauled The Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church.
His homestead is located one mile north of the lake.
Sweet white-tailed deer doe nurses her fawn, now a button buck, on an October evening in the park. Of all the deer photos I've snapped, this is the first time I've witnessed nursing.
I've been blessed to photograph this doe and her fawns for two and a half years, and it's a joy to me personally and as a photographer !
"I saw old autumn in
the misty morn
stand, shadowless like silence,
listening to silence."
~ Thomas Hood
~ 1799-1845
There is something so very special about the early morning, the
serenity, the quiet beauty. This feeling of a fresh new day is palpable
as the mist rises just after sunrise on a beautiful, chilly October
morning at Wehr's Dam, Orefield, Pennsylvania.
The historic dam, awash with the waters of the Jordan Creek, was built in 1904
and is the perfect complement next to Wehr's Covered Bridge, built in 1841.
"Bless the beasts and the children ...
give them love, let it shine
all around them."
~ "Bless The Beasts and The Children"
~ 1971
I feel so blessed personally and as a photographer
to have witnessed this tender, precious moment as
this beautiful white-tailed deer doe nuzzles her sweet fawn on an October afternoon on the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania.
"An early morning walk is a blessing
for the whole day."
~ Henry David Thoreau
~ 1817-1862
The words of Thoreau seem to fill the air
just after sunrise on a chilly October morning at the historic Wehr's Covered Bridge, Orefield, Pennsylvania.
The Jordan Creek spills over Wehr's Dam, built in 1904, to flow beneath the covered bridge, creating a picturesque autumn postcard.
Wehr's Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge in South Whitehall Township.
It is a three span, 117-foot-long Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1841. It has horizontal siding and a gable roof. It crosses the Jordan Creek and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
"There is a harmony in autumn,
and a luster in its sky."
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
~ 1792-1822
I love Indian Summer and its harmony
of warmth and crispness. On this warm
October evening, God paints the sky
with a lustrous sunset at
Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The sun-dappled porch of Wanamaker's General Store,
Kempton, Pennsylvania says "Wilkum" (welcome) to
customers on an October afternoon.
The quaint Wanamaker's is an authentic, family owned
general store nestled in the heart of
Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Wanamaker's has been welcoming friends, neighbors
and passersby since the late 1800's.
The classic Pennsylvania Dutch Wilkum Home hex sign is
often seen on porches and other entry ways, extending a warm
and friendly welcome.
Beautiful white-tailed deer doe shares a tender moment
with her button buck on an October evening in the park.
I've been blessed to photograph this doe and her fawns
for two and a half years, and it's truly a joy to me
personally and as a photographer!
Regal Red-Tailed Hawk surveys the landscape from a high perch on an October morning at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. This bird of prey is the most common hawk in North America.
"Life without love is like
a tree without blossoms or fruit."
~ Khalil Gibran
~ 1883-1931
I saw these X's and O's - symbols of hugs and kisses - etched on a tree on an autumn afternoon at
Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania,
just in time for Sweetest Day!
"If you tame me, it would be as if
the sun came to shine on my life."
~ "The Little Prince"
~ 1943
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
~ 1900-1944
Beautiful red fox pup peers out from behind the high grass on an October evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
"All good things are wild and free."
~ Henry David Thoreau
~ 1817-1862
A wild, free and beautiful red fox pup
peers out into an October evening
at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
A colorful and artistic view at this year's Oktoberfest
on Nineteenth Street in the quaint West End Theatre District,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.
"Wrinkles should merely indicate
where smiles have been."
~ Mark Twain
~ 1835-1910
When I saw this man fishing on
the Delaware River in Phillipsburg, New Jersey
on an early September evening, I wondered from his
expression what thoughts and memories were
crossing his mind. The man was fishing near
the historic Northampton Street Bridge,
commonly called The Free Bridge, which spans the
Delaware River between Phillipsburg, New Jersey
and Easton, Pennsylvania. The Free Bridge was completed in 1896
and survived the damage from massive flooding from
Hurricane Diane in 1955. It undersent a thorough
restoration in 1990.
This adorable chipmunk poses on a sunny September day at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.
This Great Blue Heron may well be contemplating how fast the summer flew by while perched at the historic Wehr's Dam on a late September afternoon.
The dam, built in 1904, is next to Wehr's Covered Bridge, which dates back to 1841, at Covered Bridge Park, Orefield, Pennsylvania.
"Your kisses take me to
Shangri-la ...
A land of bluebirds and fountains ...
For anywhere you are is Shangri-La."
~ "Shangri-La"
~ Carl Sigman, Matty Malneck and Robert Maxwell
1946
With the Jordan Creek gently flowing under a sparkling
September sun, it seems like Shangri-La on a late summer
afternoon at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.
The historic Schlicher Covered Bridge is in the background.
It is a wooden, 108-foot-long Burr Truss Bridge constructed in 1882.
It has vertical plank siding and a gable roof. It recently reopened
after needed restorations.
Great Blue Heron high in the trees
is awash in the glow of a summer sunset
at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
"The summer knows ...
one last caress
it's time to dress for fall ..."
~ "The Summer Knows,"
Theme from "Summer of '42"
~ Michael Legrand, 1971
Bright pails, a melancholy mood ...
A few autumn leaves scatter around pails
left behind by children catching tadpoles
in the Jordan Creek at Trexler Nature Preserve,
Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.
On this September afternoon it reminded me
the waning summer will soon give way to fall.
"Twilight drops her curtain down and pins it with a star."
~ Lucy Maud Montgomery
~ 1874-1942
Twilight begins to steal across the waning summer sky like a painter of dreams over Easton, Pennsylvania as viewed from across
the Delaware River in Phillipsburg, New Jersey next to the historic Northampton Street Bridge, commonly called The Free Bridge.
The bridge that spans the states was completed in 1896 and survived damage from massive flooding from Hurricane Diane in 1955. It underwent a thorough restoration in 1990, and is one of my very favorite places to photograph.
"Dream no small dreams ..."
~ Victor Hugo
~ 1802-1885
This sweet white-tailed deer fawn will grow to be
a proud buck one day. But on this August evening
grazing in the park he had only to dream of what will be.
I've been blessed to photograph this fawn's mother doe
and her fawns for more than two years, and it's a true joy
for me personally and as a photographer.
"In summer, the song sings itself."
~ William Carlos Williams
1883-1963
Geiger's Covered Bridge paints a pop of red
to the country landscape in North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania
on a picturesque summer day.
The bridge is an historic wooden covered bridge. It is a
112-foot long Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1860.
It has vertical plank siding and an entry portal of
stepped square planks. It crosses the Jordan Creek
and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980. It can be accessed from The Covered Bridge Trail
of the Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.
"I found the poems in the field
and only wrote them down."
~ John Clare
~ 1793-1864
The words of the English poet John Clare came to life
to me when I photographed this scene just before sunset. It
was a waning summer evening just off the Ironton Rail Trail,
Whitehall, Pennsylvania, with the chirp of crickets and the
soft coo of a mourning dove the only sounds filling the air ...
a simple peace and a beautiful reminder to me of why
I love nature photography.
This little tyke in a stroller has the best seat in the house
to navigate the crowded midway one evening this week at
the 162nd Great Allentown Fair, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
"Colors must fit together as pieces in a puzzle
or cogs in a wheel."
~ Hans Hofmann
1880-1966
The ferris wheel lights up a summer night with spinning neon this week
at the 162nd Great Allentown Fair, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Beautiful white-tailed deer doe casts a watchful, loving
eye on her fawn. Someday this sweet fawn will be
a proud buck, but on this late summer evening in
the park he was happy grazing with his mother.
I've been blessed to photograph this doe and
her fawns for more than two years, and it's a
real joy!
"There's a summer place ..."
~ "Theme From A Summer Place"
~ 1959
You can almost hear the strains of "Theme From A Summer Place" on a perfect August evening at Manassas Guth Covered Bridge, South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.
The historic wooden bridge that crosses the Jordan Creek was constructed in 1858 and rebuilt in 1882. It is a 108-foot long Burr Truss bridge with vertical siding. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
