Hope Is A Roving Gypsy ...

“A day comes in the springtime

When Earth puts forth her powers,

Casts off the bounds of winter

And lights him hence with flowers;

And then by marsh and meadow

And by the silvery sea,

Goes up the red-wings’ chorus:

On-caree!

… Hope is a roving gypsy

With laughter on her tongue,

And blue sky and sunshine

Alone, can keep her young;

And year by year she lingers

Under a budding tree

To join the red-wings’ chorus:

On-caree!”

      ~ “The Chorus”

         ~ 1902

       ~ Dora Read Goodale

         ~American poet

         ~ 1866-1953

With an eye looking up to the sky and filled with the hope of spring, a red-winged blackbird basks in the beauty of an early May afternoon nestled in the grass at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

The General And His Steed ...

“Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.”

 (“If you seek his monument, look around.”)

  ~ Epitaph of Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England, of which he was architect. The phrase is generally used to describe a person’s legacy – and can be taken to mean that what we leave behind (including intangible things like relationships) best represents our life.

General Harry C. Trexler looks majestic and stately on horseback as the beauty of a summer afternoon brushes this beautiful bronze statue of his image at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The statue depicts General Trexler on his horse, Jack 'O Diamonds.

I presented the image in sepia to enhance the nostalgic mood.

General Trexler (1854-1933) is the father of Allentown’s park system. He was an industrialist, agriculturist, philanthropist, conservationist and soldier. The park is his namesake.

During his lifetime, General Trexler contributed a great deal to the growth and quality of life in the City of Allentown and the surrounding County of Lehigh. 

This bronze statue of General Trexler was presented to the City of Allentown by his trustees Nolan P. Benner, William B. Butz, Joseph S. Young, Carl J.W. Hessinger and Richard E. White. It was commissioned January 16, 1979 and dedicated May 8, 1982.

General Trexler was a great man, and I’m personally very thankful to him, as Trexler Memorial Park and Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania are two of my very favorite places to be and to photograph.