Monday, July 18, 2016

Winter Satin Video ...




Smooth, silky and sophisticated, the legendary Duke Ellington's "Satin Doll" sets the jazz-infused mood for this celebration of winter showcased in my original photos.

My greatest joy as a photographer is harmonizing my favorite original photos to music to create a lingering snapshot of the season. 

Also on my YouTube channel at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jIRKnfpag 

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Leave Nothing But Footprints ...




“Bring nothing but silence
Show nothing but grace
Seek nothing but shelter
From the great human race
Take nothing but pictures
Kill nothing but time
Leave nothing but footprints
To show you came by.”
                                    
            ~ “Nothing But”
               ~ words & music by John Kay

A portion of the Kittattiny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain, seamlessly slopes into the landscape on a serene summer evening at Lehigh Gap in this high contrast monochrome shot.

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 Delaware and Lehigh Heritage Corridor Trail (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.

The Lehigh Gap Bridge, slightly seen at right, was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1984, and spans the Lehigh River.

This scene echoes the beautiful chorus of the John Kay song “Nothing But.” The words “Leave Nothing But Footprints” are often seen placed on hiking trails, and in fact can be seen along the Walnutport Canal Towpath Trail a few miles to the south.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Freedom Is Golden ...



"I believe with all my heart that standing up for America means standing up for the God who has so blessed our land."   
                             ~ Ronald Reagan
                                     ~ 1911-2004
  ~ 40th President of the United States of America
                                     ~ 1981-1989 

A gold rush of beauty gilds the night sky at the 2015 Fourth of July Fireworks set off from
J. Birney Crum Stadium, Allentown, Pennsylvania, illuminating the truth that freedom is golden.

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

  

Thursday, June 30, 2016

God Bless America ...




“While the storm clouds gather 
far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free.
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home.”
                  
                ~ "God Bless America"
        ~ written by Irving Berlin in 1918   
                   & revised by him in 1938
                  ~ Kate Smith’s signature song


The spirit of America and the spirit of the open road that only a motorcycle can give meet on the General Thomas R. Morgan USMC Bridge, Slatington, Pennsylvania, just before the Fourth of July.

I loved seeing the bridge festooned with American flags leading up to Slatington Baptist Church, founded in its current location in 1900. To me, this image quintessentially proclaims, “God Bless America!”

The signs on the lampposts designate Slatington, established in 1864, as the Blackboard Capital of America.


Tuesday, June 28, 2016

The Mountains Are Calling ...





“The mountains are calling and I must go.”
                                    ~ John Muir
                                        ~ 1838-1914 


These words of John Muir surely resonated with me as I took this shot on a warm, late spring evening with sunset approaching, looking up at the Lehigh Gap Bridge spanning over the Lehigh River to 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 Delaware and Lehigh Heritage Corridor Trail (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.

The Lehigh Gap Bridge was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1984.