Monday, August 27, 2018

Nature Nurtures ...


“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
                   ~ Anatole France
                         ~ 1844-1924
For the first time I captured a sweet baby bison nursing from its mother on a beautiful mid-July afternoon at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. This is one of two American Bison calves born this spring at the preserve, where bison live as a herd on the hillsides of the 1,100-acre preserve’s Central Range.

When the late General Harry C. Trexler 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 American Bison was designated the first national mammal of the United States on May 9, 2016. The majestic bison joins the bald eagle as a national symbol.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Don't Fence Me In ...


“Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above
Don’t fence me in
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love
Don’t fence me in
Let me be by myself in the evenin’ breeze
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever but I ask you please
Don’t fence me in …”
   ~ “Don’t Fence Me In”
     ~ popular American song written in 1934, with music by Cole Porter and lyrics by Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. The song was recorded by artists including Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, Kate Smith and Ella Fitzgerald.
 A beautiful white-tailed deer doe slides under a fence on a property along the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania on a summer afternoon.
    

Sunday, August 19, 2018

beguiled by summer video ...



Who isn’t beguiled by summer, my most favorite of seasons, with its bright and hopeful mornings that segue into brilliant afternoons that wrap up with the softest of evenings, perfumed by honeysuckle and tinged with the chorus of crickets to tuck you in? There’s a summer place in all of our hearts!

“Theme from a Summer Place” by Percy Faith and His Orchestra sets the mood for this celebration of summer showcased in my original photos. The song was the number one hit for nine weeks on the Billboard Hot Chart in 1960.

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