As Summer Walks Away ...

“… the best of summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.”

           ~ Sylvia Plath

            ~ 1932 ~ 1963

        ~ “The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath”

               ~ published 1982

Scattered leaves sprinkle a trace of the autumn to come as a man strolls down a path at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania, about to walk under the Interstate 78 Bridge that drapes above the peaceful parkway in this painterly, HDR image I shot on a late August evening as the light of the looming sunset tinges the Little Lehigh Creek, seen at right, with a golden hue.

The busy interstate that drives above the bucolic setting is an interesting juxtaposition, but the bridge does nothing to detract from the serene paths, natural scenery and the Little Lehigh Creek that flows through the length of the parkway.

Interstate 78 is an east-west highway running 144 miles from northeast of Harrisburg through Allentown in Pennsylvania, and western and northern New Jersey to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan in New York City.

Taste Of An American Summer ...

“Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I’m not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be.”

 ~ John Wayne

 ~ 1907-1979

 

I created “Taste Of An American Summer” by blending two of my images in an Americana tribute to our great nation & summer, my most favorite of seasons.

 

I captured Old Glory billowing in the breeze on a beautiful mid-July afternoon in 2019 along the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail) that hugs the Kittatinny Ridge at Lehigh Gap, Slatington, Pennsylvania. Many flags such as this patriotically dot the trail, but this is the only time I’ve seen a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can there ~ drinking along the trail is not encouraged, but I thought it made a cool photo. Pabst Blue Ribbon was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1844 & selected as America’s Best in 1893. And the can’s red, white & blue theme meshes perfectly with the American Flag.

I spotted this cool Buick Skylark, which sported an Antiques Car license plate, on an early June evening in 2022 at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Buick Skylark is a passenger car formerly produced by Buick. The model was made in six production runs, during 46 years, over which the car’s design varied dramatically due to changing technology, tastes, and new standards implemented over the years. It was named for the species of bird called skylark. Model years were 1953-1954, 1961-1972 and 1975-1998.

Together, these images paint an image of an American summer.

In the shadow of 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 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.

I just love this quote from John Wayne ~ the great, iconic American actor known as “The Duke” ~ and thought it matched perfectly with the image, especially in these times.

God Bless America!