Fawn On Summer's Ridge ...

“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.”

                    ~ Aristotle

                        ~ 385-322 B.C.

There are few sweeter sights than a young and innocent white-spotted fawn such as this beautiful white-tailed deer fawn posing on a ridge near her mama doe on an early September evening as summer wanes at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

The Call Of Freedom ...

“Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

  

 Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

        ~ from the inspiring Inaugural Address of

           President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

                    ~ 1917-1963

               35^th President of the

             United States of America

                      ~ 1960-1963

                & U.S. Navy veteran

  

It was wonderful to photographic a majestic American Bald Eagle for the first time as it’s perched in the late day sunlight along the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail) at Lehigh Gap, Slatington, Pennsylvania over the Memorial Day weekend 2017 – and a few days before the centennial of the birthday of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

Perched in the shadow of the Kittatinny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain, the eagle was apparently disturbed by a very loud crow nearby – and emitted a call to let the crow know! I was blessed to spend 15 minutes photographing the eagle, during which time the crow flew away.

The bald eagle is both the national bird and national animal of the United States. The bald eagle appears on our nation’s seal. In the late 20^th century it was on the brink of extirpation in the contiguous United States. Populations have since recovered and the species was removed from the U.S. government’s list of endangered species on July 12, 1995 and transferred to the list of threatened species. It was removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the lower 48 states on June 28, 2007.

The Lehigh Gap is a crossroads where the Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s trails connect two historic trails – the Appalachian Trail and the D&L Trail.

The Appalachian Trail, a foot path, follows the ridge on both sides of the Lehigh Gap, running 1,245 miles south to Georgia and 930 miles north to Maine. Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

Background texture by Jai Johnson added for artistic effect.

Summer Passage ...

“Summertime is always the best

                                      of what might be.”

                       ~ Charles Bowden

                               ~ journalist

                                  ~ 1945-2014

A verdant trail at French Creek State Park, Elverson, Pennsylvania looks like a passage to summer on a gorgeous July evening, a gateway to the beauty of my most favorite of seasons.

The 7,526 acre park straddles northern Chester County and southern Berks County along French Creek and is located in the Hopewell Big Woods.

Set amidst the old, quaint and picturesque farmland of southeast Pennsylvania, French Creek State Park offers two lakes – Hopewell and Scotts Run – extensive forests and almost 40 miles of hiking trails. Adjacent to the park lies Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site that features a cold-blast furnace restored to its 1830s appearance.

French Creek State Park was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its Bureau of State Parks as one of “25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks.”