The Magic Of Winterberry Days ...

“The holly and the ivy
When they are both full grown
Of all trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown.

O, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flowr’
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our dear Saviour.

The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good.

The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn.

The holly bears a bark
As bitter as the gall
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.

The holly and the ivy
When they are both full grown
Of all trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown.”

                                   ~ “The Holly & The Ivy”

                           ~ Traditional British Folk Carol

Beautiful Winterberry Holly is a magical bright burst of red coloring a gray December day at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, just in time for Christmas!

In the shadow of the Kittatiny 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.

Frost Fire ...

“If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.”

                  ~ Rabindranath Tagore

                                     ~ 1861-1941

The brilliance of a fiery February sunset glimmers across a frozen Leaser Lake in the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania.

I captured this shot of shimmering winter beauty on a quiet, chilly evening at the lake.

Leaser Lake’s namesake is Frederick Leaser, who in September 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.

Americana Postcard ...

“Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.”

                                       ~ Mark Twain
                                            (Samuel Clemens)

                                              ~ 1835-1910

              

Sunset is on the doorstep of a late February day as a pickup truck prepares to drive over Wehr’s Covered Bridge in a scene that depicts an Americana Postcard.

Wehr’s Covered Bridge is an historic wooden covered bridge located in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. It is a three span, 117-foot-long, Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1841. It has horizontal siding and a gable roof. It crosses the Jordan Creek and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The nearby Wehr’s Dam was built in 1904.