Taste Of An American Summer ...

“Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I’m not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be.”

 ~ John Wayne

 ~ 1907-1979

 

I created “Taste Of An American Summer” by blending two of my images in an Americana tribute to our great nation & summer, my most favorite of seasons.

 

I captured Old Glory billowing in the breeze on a beautiful mid-July afternoon in 2019 along the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail) that hugs the Kittatinny Ridge at Lehigh Gap, Slatington, Pennsylvania. Many flags such as this patriotically dot the trail, but this is the only time I’ve seen a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can there ~ drinking along the trail is not encouraged, but I thought it made a cool photo. Pabst Blue Ribbon was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1844 & selected as America’s Best in 1893. And the can’s red, white & blue theme meshes perfectly with the American Flag.

I spotted this cool Buick Skylark, which sported an Antiques Car license plate, on an early June evening in 2022 at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Buick Skylark is a passenger car formerly produced by Buick. The model was made in six production runs, during 46 years, over which the car’s design varied dramatically due to changing technology, tastes, and new standards implemented over the years. It was named for the species of bird called skylark. Model years were 1953-1954, 1961-1972 and 1975-1998.

Together, these images paint an image of an American summer.

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.

I just love this quote from John Wayne ~ the great, iconic American actor known as “The Duke” ~ and thought it matched perfectly with the image, especially in these times.

God Bless America!

 

Orange Is The Happiest Color ...

“Orange is the happiest color.”

        ~ Frank Sinatra

           ~ 1915 ~ 1998

Happiness, hues of orange and the hope of a new day frame the moments just after a gorgeous sunrise ~ the last of May ~ at the rooftop observation area of Trexler Environmental Center as the light of daybreak radiates throughout the rolling hills.

I shot this May 31, 2022 at the center, 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.

 

The Sun Also Rises ...

“You ought to dream.”

       ~ Ernest Hemingway

             ~ 1899 ~ 1961

           ~ “The Sun Also Rises”

                       ~ 1926

A sunflare brushes the deck of the rooftop observation area of Trexler Environmental Center just after a gorgeous sunrise ~ the last of May ~ radiates throughout the rolling hills.

I shot this May 31, 2022 at the center, 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.