Mellow Yellow May ...

 “… They call it mellow yellow

They call me mellow yellow

They call me mellow yellow

Oh, so yellow …”

              ~ “Mellow Yellow”

         ~written & recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan

                     ~ 1966

With the air perfumed with honeysuckle and the landscape awash in wild yellow mustard, it’s a perfect time to take a seat on the rooftop observation area of Trexler Environmental Center and soak up the beauty of an early afternoon in mid-May.

Located in the Central Range of Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, the center is at one of the preserve’s highest elevations and one of the spots that offer spectacular views at the 1,100 acre preserve.

Solar panels provide a significant portion of the energy needs of the building.

When the late General Harry Clay Trexler (1854-1933) 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.

Little Blue's Lowcountry Morning ...

“It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.”

             ~ Aesop

            ~ 620 B.C. ~ 564 B.C.

A Little Blue Heron searches for breakfast in the lagoon on a beautiful early morning in May in the Lowcountry of Bluffton, South Carolina.

 

Picture Perfect Memory At Crater Lake ...

 

“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.”

  ~ Eudora Welty

             ~ 1909 ~ 2001

~Native of Jackson, Mississippi, Pulitzer Prize winning author & photographer who wrote about the American South

 

The recent passing of my Dad, who I loved very much, has been extremely difficult. I recently came across a photo of him at age 16 taking a picture of Crater Lake, Oregon during a 1953 trip from his hometown of Phillipsburg, New Jersey to visit relatives in California.

 

I just love the photo and did very little editing to it to preserve its natural beauty and nostalgic mood.

 

According to the National Park Service, Crater Lake inspires awe. Native Americans witnessed its formation 7,700 years ago, when a violent eruption triggered the collapse of a tall peak. Scientists marvel at its purity – fed by rain and snow, it’s the deepest lake in the USA and one of the most pristine on Earth. Artists, photographers, and sightseers gaze in wonder at its blue water and stunning setting atop the Cascade Mountain Range.

 

The volcanic crater lake is located in Klamath County.

Americana ...

“Whither goest thou, America, in thy shiny car in the night?”

            ~ Jack Kerouac

               ~ 1922 ~ 1969

As if dropped into the spring landscape from a German Christmas putz, I captured this slice of Americana ~ with the American flag billowing in the breeze ~ on a late April afternoon along the Saucon Rail Trail in the Saucon Valley, Hellertown, Pennsylvania.