Thursday, February 11, 2016

The Doe From Snowy Creek ...



"It is the sweet, simple things of
life which are the real ones after all."
                        ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
                                ~ 1867-1957

My favorite white-tailed deer doe
spots me on the bank and crosses the 
snowy creek to say hello as sunset draws near
on a winter's day in the park.

I've been blessed to photograph this doe
and her fawns since 2012, and it's a 
true joy to me personally and as a photographer.   

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Winterset ...



"One day I will find the right words,
and they will be simple."
                                   ~ Jack Kerouac
                                          ~ 1922-1969

A simple and serene sunset splendor
shimmers across a frozen Leaser Lake
in the shadow of the northern
Blue Mountain Ridge, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania.

I shot this high contrast monochrome capture
in early February, as a quiet beauty
filled the chilly air. 


The lake's namesake is Frederick Leaser, who in Sept 1777 with his farm team hauled The Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church. His homestead is located one mile north of the lake.


   

Saturday, February 6, 2016

January On The Jordan ...



"I saw that my life was a vast glowing empty
page and I could do anything I wanted."
                            ~ Jack Kerouac
                                ~ 1922-1969

The light of approaching sunset dances and glows on the icy waters of the Jordan Creek at
Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, 
Pennsylvania on a gorgeous winter day.

This view of the flowing creek speaks to
me of following your dreams, possibilities,
and the inspiriting words of Jack Kerouac.

I captured this scene soon after the historic
January Blizzard of 2016. In a winter shorn
of snow until the blizzard, the storm plonked
31 inches of snow on nearby Allentown
in a 24 hour period.     
 

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Frosting The Ford ...



"The color of springtime is in the flowers,
The color of winter is in the imagination."
                            ~ Ward Elliot Hour

Winter frosts the ford of the Jordan Creek,
one of my very favorite places to be and to 
photograph, at Trexler Nature Preserve,
Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.  

This spot exudes such beauty in every season,
and when I'm there it echoes to me
Psalm 46:10 ~ "Be still, and know that 
I am God."

I shot this frosty scene near sunset soon after the historic January Blizzard of 2016. In a winter shorn of snow until the blizzard, the storm plonked 31 inches of snow on nearby Allentown in a 24 hour period.  

 

 

Monday, February 1, 2016

A Winter's Dusk ...


"In every winter's heart
there is a quivering spring,
And behind the veil of each
night there is a smiling dawn."
                             ~ Kahlil Gibran
                                         ~ 1883-1931 

A winter's dusk paints itself around the
Springhouse at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania, one of my very
favorite places to be and to photograph.

I captured this high contrast monochrome shot 
a few days after the historic January 
Blizzard of 2016. In a winter shorn of snow until
the blizzard, the storm plonked 31 inches of snow
on Allentown in a 24 hour period.


This log cabin was part of Springhouse, the summer home of General Harry C. Trexler (1854-1933), an American industrialist who built a business empire in Allentown. The park is his namesake.

    

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Blanketing Bogert's Bridge ...


"Stillness is the flower of winter,
all hope waits beneath a blanket of white."
                                     ~ Author Unknown

Snow blankets the historic Bogert's Covered Bridge, on which sunset shadows dance
on a still January day in Lehigh Parkway,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

I stood knee deep in snow taking this shot a
few days after the historic Blizzard of 2016, 
the peaceful scene in stark contrast to 
the recent storm.

In a winter shorn of snow until the blizzard,
the storm plonked  31 inches of snow on
Allentown in a 24 hour period.

Bogert’s Covered Bridge spans 145 feet over the Little Lehigh Creek in Lehigh Parkway.

 Built in 1841, it’s history traces back to the mid-1700s when the Bogert family moved into a log cabin next to the future site of the bridge. It is the oldest covered bridge in Lehigh County and among the oldest in the country. It is open only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as well as the occasional rider on horseback.

 Bogert’s  Covered Bridge is a wooden Burr Truss bridge with vertical plank siding and a gable roof. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.