Autumn Around The Bend ...

 “Autumn is the hush before winter.”

          ~ French proverb

A springhouse sits around the bend of the Little Lehigh Creek as it meanders through an early November afternoon, painting a serene autumnal scene at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The Falling Of November ...

“It was November – the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines.”

                        ~ L.M. Montgomery

                            ~ 1874 ~ 1942

     

The tumbling leaves of autumn frame Monocacy Falls on a moody, mid-November afternoon at Monocacy Park, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Spoonful Of Love ...

 “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”

      ~ William Shakespeare

          ~ 1564 ~ 1616

What a honey of a summer sight! Twin white-tailed deer fawns gently brush their noses together, their nuzzling a sign of sharing affection, on a beautiful August evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

 

Goodnight, Dolly ...

 Goodnight and Godspeed, Dolly.

 We will always love you.

 

The Northampton Street Bridge – commonly called The Free Bridge – that spans the Delaware River linking Phillipsburg, New Jersey and Easton, Pennsylvania is illuminated in pink lights August 29 to honor the life and legacy of Dolly Parton. The beloved Queen of Country Music and philanthropist passed August 25, 2026 at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer.

I shot this from my vantage point by the banks of the Delaware in Phillipsburg, as sparkles of pink and gold reflect in the river at dusk.

“I Will Always Love You” is a song written and originally recorded by singer-songwriter Parton in 1973, and released in 1974. It was one of the many hits by the Grammy winner, a woman of strong Christian faith who also founded Imagination Library, a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school in participating areas.

Programmable LED lights illuminate the iconic bridge. The lights were installed as part of a bridge rehabilitation/improvement project that spanned from late 2021 until spring 2023. The bridge is colloquially referred as the “Free Bridge” to distinguish it from the Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge (previously the Bushkill Street Bridge), a short distance upstream.

Eligible civic, cultural, and community organizations may apply to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission to request temporary color schemes https://www.drjtbc.org/bridge-info/northampton-street-bridge-lighting.

The bridge that spans the two states was completed in 1896 and survived massive flooding from Hurricane Diane in 1955. It underwent a thorough restoration in 1990 and is one of my very favorite places to photograph.

 

Historic Phillipsburg was established March 8, 1861 and named for William Phillips, an early settler of the area. The historic town of Easton was founded in 1752 and is located at the confluence of the Delaware River and Lehigh River, known as the Forks-Of-The-Delaware. Both are Delaware River Towns.

The Free Bridge can also be seen from across the Delaware River at Delaware Canal State Park, Easton, near the Forks of the Delaware Trailhead of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail).

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

Baby Face ...

 “Baby face,

 you’ve got the cutest little baby face …”

           ~ “Baby Face”

            ~ popular Tin Pan Alley jazz song

        ~music by Harry Akst, lyrics by Benny Davis

                  ~ 1926

     ~ The first recording was by Jan Garber and his Orchestra, featuring lyricist Benny Davis singing the chorus only. The record was a number one hit in 1926.

      ~ The wonderful Bobby Darin, Bing Crosby, Mitch Miller & Little Richard are among the many artists who have recorded the song.

 

 A precious white-tailed deer fawn – approximately one to three weeks old and a honey of a summer sight – has the cutest little baby face!

 I spotted this sweetie nestled in the grass under July’s evening sun at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania, while its mama doe and other deer grazed nearby.

Great Horned Owl At Dusk ...

 

“If we cannot sing of faith and triumph, we will sing our despair. We will be that kind of bird. There are day owls, and there are night owls, and each is beautiful and even musical while about its business.”

                  ~ Henry David Thoreau

                           ~ 1817 ~ 1862

What a hoot!

A Great Horned Owl, the first I’ve ever captured in a photo, is perched in a tree as a summer dusk wraps around Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania, on a July evening.

It is known for its prominent ear tufts (“horns”). These are not ears, but rather tufts of feathers on the head – plumicrons - used for communication and camouflage, helping them blend into tree bark.  The ears are located on the sides of its head, directly behind their eyes, hidden under their feathers. Their large, forward-facing bright yellow eyes provide incredible night vision for hunting, as these raptors are nocturnal predators. They achieve near silent flight thanks to specialized feathers that disrupt and absorb aerodynamic noise. 

 “Hoot Owl” is a common nickname.

Come Along With Me ...

 “All the wild world is beautiful, and it matters but little where we go … everywhere and always we are in God’s eternal beauty and love. So universally true is this, the spot where we chance to be always seems the best.”

      ~ John Muir

        ~ 1838 ~ 1914

A precious white-tailed deer fawn – a honey of a sight in spring and summer – glances back at me as if to say, “Come along with me,” before crossing the path on a beautiful June evening on the brink of summer at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

America - 250 and Fabulous ...

 “I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”

             ~ Ronald Reagan

                ~ 1911 ~ 2004

           ~ 40^th President of 

           the United States of America

                   ~ 1981 ~ 1989

         ~ from Reagan’s November 5, 1994 published letter to the American people announcing his Alzheimer’s diagnosis

The inspiring words of Ronald Reagan, penned in his heartfelt letter to America announcing his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, fuse beautifully with the spirit of America250, the Semiquincentennial of the United States July 4, 2026.

 I spotted this wonderful pop of patriotism displayed outside a house on the West End of Allentown, Pennsylvania on a June evening about a month before the country’s milestone birthday.

God Bless America! 

Busy Little Bluebird ...

 “The bluebird carries the sky on its back.”

     ~ Henry David Thoreau

       ~ 1817 ~ 1862

Busy, busy, busy! This sweet female Eastern Bluebird is perched atop a nesting box, carrying dried grass to build a nest on an April evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

I watched her take her nesting materials and pop them inside the hole of the nesting box, so cute!

Eastern Bluebirds are small thrushes known for being cavity nesters, often utilizing man-made nest boxes when natural woodpecker holes are unavailable.

These songbirds are known for their sweet and melodious vocalizations, and are traditionally considered harbingers of spring.

Long As I'm Singin' My Song ...

 

“As long as I’m singin’

Then the world’s all right

And everything’s swingin’

Long as I’m singin’ my song

 

Ummmm…makin’ music

Is more to me than a pleasure

‘cause me and music

We go together like notes in a measure

 

Long as I’m singin’

Then the world’s all right

And everything’s swingin’

Long as I’m singin’ my…

 

Long as I’m singin’ my …

Long as I’m singin’ my song.”

          ~ “As Long As I’m Singing”

       ~ written & recorded by the wonderful

                       Bobby Darin

                         ~ 1964

A beautiful red male North American Cardinal sings his song from a very high perch on an April evening along the Ironton Rail Trail, which loops more than nine miles through Whitehall Township, the Borough of Coplay and North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.

The cardinal is one of the most recognizable and beloved songbirds in North America, known for its vibrant red plumage and distinctive crest. They are known for being territorial songbirds, with males often singing from high perches to mark their territory.

This cardinal is likely singing to attract a mate, which is one of its primary reasons for vocalizing.

The Ironton Railroad was a shortline railroad in Lehigh County. Originally built in 1861 to haul iron ore and limestone to blast furnaces along the Lehigh River, traffic later shifted to carrying Portland Cement when local iron mining declined in the early 20^th century. Much of the railroad had already been abandoned when it became part of Conrail in 1976, and the last of its trackage was removed in 1984.

 

In 1996, Whitehall Township purchased 9.2 miles of the right-of-way from Conrail, transforming it into the Ironton Rail Trail.