Of Honeysuckle Afternoons ...

“What a pity flowers can utter no sound! A singing rose, a whispering violet, a murmuring honeysuckle – oh what a rare and exquisite miracle would these be!”

        ~ Henry Ward Beecher

         ~ 1813-1877 

Coral Honeysuckle brings a shot of colorful beauty to a beautiful late May afternoon at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Coral Honeysuckle – also known as trumpet honeysuckle or scarlet honeysuckle – is a species of honeysuckle native to the eastern United States.

It can grow in many areas due to its hardiness, and is most often grown as a plant for wildlife. Ruby-throated hummingbirds use it in their natural range, as well as other birds, butterflies and bees. It is also grown as an ornamental for its attractive flowers, especially as a native alternative to the invasive Japanese Honeysuckle.

Though Coral Honeysuckle doesn’t have the heady perfume of Japanese Honeysuckle that I love, it’s still a beautiful sight on an afternoon in spring!

Mountain Sugar ...

“Winter is in my head, but spring is in my heart.”

                       ~ Victor Hugo

                           ~ 1802-1885

There’s sugar on the mountain and sugar on the trail as snow beautifies the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail) that hugs the Kittatinny Ridge at Lehigh Gap on a January afternoon in this monochrome shot.

In the shadow of the Kittatinny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain, The Lehigh Gap in Slatington, Pennsylvania, 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.

The Iceman Cometh ...

“The Iceman Cometh” is a play written by American playwright Eugene O’Neill (1888-1953) in 1939. First published in 1946, the play premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 9, 1946, directed by Eddie Dowling, where it ran for 136 performances before closing on March 15, 1947.

Let the Christmas season begin! The Iceman Cometh to Centre Square as an ice carver crafts a reindeer as part of the festivities leading up to the lighting of The Easton Peace Candle November 30, 2019 in Easton, Pennsylvania.

The Easton Peace Candle is a tower-like structure erected every Christmas season in Easton. The approximately 106-foot tall structure, which resembles a giant candle, is assembled every year over the Soldier’s & Sailor’s Monument, a Civil War memorial in Centre Square. It is typically assembled in mid-November and lighted over Thanksgiving weekend and disassembled in early February each year.

The Peace Candle was first erected in 1951, and has been erected almost every year since then, having been replaced a few times due to damage or disrepair. It is dedicated to the Easton area men and women who have served or are serving in the United States armed forces.

It has been said to be the largest non-wax Christmas candle in the country. Although conceived with the hopes of restoring Easton’s pre-20^th century reputation for elaborate Christmas decorations, city officials also believed a candle would serve as a symbol of peace for all religions and denominations.

The daylong festivities leading up to the evening lighting also included strolling street performers, ice carvers, pictures with Santa, a petting zoo, pony rides, moon bounce, gingerbread houses on display and an array of crafts and yummy treats for available for purchase. The SwingTime Dolls, an all-female vocal group consisting of three of the area’s most accomplished vocalists that shine a new light on the tunes of the American Hit Parade of the 1940s and beyond, also performed, drawing on inspiration from The Andrews Sisters.