Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Morning On The Colleton River ...


“Let us cross over the river, and rest in the shade of the trees.”
      ~ Stonewall Jackson
        1824-1863
  ~ The last words of Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, who served as a Confederate general (1861-1863) during the Civil War, and became arguably the best-known Confederate commander after General Robert E. Lee. Jackson played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the Eastern Theater of the war until his death, and had an important part in winning many significant battles.

The still beauty of a spring morning in the Lowcountry flourishes along the Colleton River in Beautfort County, South Carolina on a late May day in Dixie.

Monday, June 10, 2019

Love This Land ...



“If tomorrow all the things were gone
I worked for all my life
And I had to start again
With just my children and my wife

I’d thank my lucky stars
To be living here today
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can’t take that away

And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota
To the hills of Tennessee
Across the plains of Texas
From sea to shining sea

From Detroit down to Houston
And New York to L.A.
Where’s the pride in every American heart
And it’s time we stand and say

That I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

And I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I’d gladly stand up next to you
And defend Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt
I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.”
   ~ “God Bless the U.S.A.”
    ~written & recorded by country music artist
             Lee Greenwood
                 ~ 1984

“God Bless the U.S.A.” is an American patriotic song played at the 1984 Republican National Convention with President Ronald Reagan & First Lady Nancy Reagan in attendance, but gained greater prominence during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.

The popularity of the song rose sharply after the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

“Love This Land” with a peace sign in the middle of the O is etched on the base of the Lehigh and Hudson Railroad Delaware River Bridge, Easton, Pennsylvania when I snapped this patriotic sight on a late spring afternoon in early June.

The railroad bridge connects Easton with Phillipsburg, New Jersey. I shot this underneath the bridge at Delaware Canal State Park, Easton near the Forks of the Delaware Trailhead of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail). The Forks of the Delaware is where the Lehigh River merges into the Delaware River.

The trail is positioned between the Delaware River and Delaware Canal, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978. The site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America.

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