Simply Red ...

“All good things are wild and free.”

             ~ Henry David Thoreau

                    ~ 1817-1862

A beautiful red fox pauses to pose in the snow at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, on a beautiful afternoon in early March.

I spotted this fox in the area where elk 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.

Every Which Way But Loose ...

“…Every which way but loose

You turn me every which way but loose …”

          ~ “Every Which Way But Loose”

           ~  song from the 1978 Clint Eastwood film

           “Every Which Way But Loose”

                  ~ recorded by Eddie Rabbitt

A boy gives new meaning to “hanging out” by the Jordan Creek – every which way but loose! – in this candid shot I captured on a beautiful late May afternoon at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, a perfect example of the joy of spring and the simple joys of childhood!

Just Clint ...

“There’s a rebel lying deep in my soul.”

       ~ Clint Eastwood

            ~ Born May 31, 1930

Ruggedly handsome and immensely talented, Clint Eastwood – actor, director, producer, composer, businessman and politician – is an American icon, born May 31, 1930.

After achieving success in the Western TV series “Rawhide” (1959-1965), Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the Man with No Name in Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy” of spaghetti Westerns during the 1960s and as antihero cop Harry Callahan in the five “Dirty Harry” films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These roles, among others, have made Eastwood an enduring cultural icon of masculinity.

Eastwood has starred in such films as “The Beguiled” (1971), “Play Misty for Me” (1971), “Every Which Way But Loose” (1978), and “The Bridges Of Madison County” (1995), and directed films including “American Sniper” (2014).

Clint Eastwood strikes a pose in this image, likely from the late 1960s or early 1970s, in which his eyes seem to be a window to his quote, “There’s a rebel lying deep in my soul.” It’s Clint being just Clint … and he indeed gives this girl the vapors!

I processed this photo in sepia and added background texture by Jai Johnson for artistic effect.