Light Of August ...

 “Memory believes before knowing remembers.”

              ~ William Faulkner

                  ~ 1867 ~ 1962

 ~ one of my favorite authors, Southern American author and Nobel Prize Laureate

               ~ “Light In August”

                    ~ 1932

It’s a sunset to remember as the summer sun radiates a gorgeous light over the rolling hills in late August surrounding the rooftop observation area of Trexler Environmental Center.

The trees in the foreground have reserved seating to witness the splendor that God paints in the sky as the day segues into night.

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.

Peeking Through The Milkweed ...

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

            ~ William Shakespeare

               ~ 1564 ~ 1616

In the softness of a summer twilight, a sweet white-tailed deer doe peeks through the milkweed on a beautiful mid-July evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

 

A Wisp Of Nature ...

“Some believe that art is the imitation of nature; in fact, nature is so sublime that it cannot be imitated.”

            ~ Kahlil Gibran

               ~ 1883 ~ 1931

It’s a wisp of nature on a beautiful early July afternoon along the banks of the Monocacy Creek as a bee is nectaring on the summer sweetness of a purple coneflower, sharing the petals with a ladybug at Monocacy Park, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

 

Flares Of Freedom ...

 

“With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”

    ~ from the inspiring Inaugural Address of

          President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

              ~ 1917 ~1963

 ~ 35th President of the United States of America

               ~ 1960 ~1963

             & U.S. Navy veteran

The birth of America & its freedom is celebrated with vivid flares of purple & gold flashing across the summer night sky by the Fourth of July fireworks set off from J. Birney Crum Stadium, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Happy Birthday, America! Bravo!

How wonderful it would be to have fireworks ~ and the fire of patriotism ~ in our hearts every day!

Hazy Evening On The Delaware ...

“The water you touch in a river is the last of that which has passed, & the first of that which is coming. Thus it is with time present. Life, if well spent, is long.”

       ~ Leonardo da Vinci

              ~ 1452 ~ 1519

            ~   “Leonardo’s Notebooks”

The historic Northampton Street Bridge, commonly called the Free Bridge, spans across the Delaware River linking Phillipsburg, New Jersey & Easton, Pennsylvania as sunset neared on June 30, 2023.

I shot this from the banks of the river on the Phillipsburg side facing Easton, as wildfire smoke from Canadian wildfires moving through the area caused hot milky skies and haze in the evening sky.

The bridge is colloquially referred as the “Free Bridge” to distinguish it from the Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge (previously the Bushkill Street Bridge), a short distance upstream. It underwent a rehabilitation/improvement project that spanned from late 2021 until spring 2023.

The bridge that connects the two states was completed in 1896 and survived massive flooding from Hurricane Diane in 1955. It underwent a thorough restoration in 1990 and is one of my very favorite places to photograph.

 

Historic Phillipsburg was established March 8, 1861 and named for William Phillips, an early settler of the area. The historic town of Easton was founded in 1752 and is located at the confluence of the Delaware River and Lehigh River, known as the Forks-Of-The-Delaware. Both are Delaware River Towns.

The Free Bridge can also be seen from across the Delaware River at Delaware Canal State Park, Easton, near the Forks of the Delaware Trailhead of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail).

Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.