Soliloquy With A Friend ...

"The language of friendship
is not words but meanings."
                                ~ Henry David Thoreau
                                                  ~ 1817-1862

A man and his dog enjoy friendship, solitude
and the crisp winter air while running on
the Covered Bridge Trail at Trexler Nature Preserve,
Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. 

Retro Valentine ...

"Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help
falling in love with you."
           ~ "Can't Help Falling In Love"
                       ~ from Elvis Presley's 1961 movie "Blue Hawaii"

You can almost hear a nearby jukebox playing
the great Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love"
as you and your sweetie share a shake with two straws
in this Retro Valentine. 

Night At The Roxy ...

"The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts,
but is also the return of art to life."
                                                    ~ Oscar Wilde
                                                                ~ 1854-1900

The neon lights of the historically cool Roxy Theatre
light up a winter night on Main Street, Northampton, Pennsylvania.
The Roxy originally opened in 1921 as the Lyric. This theatre was renovated
in 1933 in the tremendously popular art deco style - and renamed
The Roxy after the famous New York City theatre and it's namesake
showman Samuel "Roxy" Rothapfel. Today, as the city's only commercial
theatre, "The Roxy continues to be the greatest show in town," presenting
both Hollywood favorites and live entertainment. It features a seven rank
Wurlitzer pipe organ. 

Winterlude At Robin Hood Dell ...

"In art, the hand can never execute anything higher
than the heart can imagine."
                                           ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
                                                                1803-1882

Rays of the golden hour before a winter sunset
paint the tranquil, snow tinged waters of
the Little Lehigh Creek at Robin Hood Dell,
Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Fording The Jordan ...

"Never give up, for that is just the place and time
that the tide will turn."
                       ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe
                                  ~ 1811-1896

Visitors to the Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania ford the Jordan Creek just before sunset in December.
For more than 50 years kids and kids at heart have enjoyed driving through the creek. 

The Young One ...

Beautiful young white-tailed deer buck pauses in the winter brush
just before a December sunset in the park.

I'll Remember You ...

"I'll remember you ...
To your arms someday I'll return to stay...
Love me always, promise always
Oooh, you'll remember too,
I'll remember you."
                "I'll Remember You"
                   ~ written by Kui Lee, 1964
            ~ recorded by Elvis Presley, 1966

Flares of a December sunset over a field
in Orefield, Pennsylvania echo in my mind
like the beautiful song "I'll Remember You,"
written by Kui Lee in 1964 and recorded by
the great Elvis Presley in 1966. 

 

Christmastime In The City ...

“Silver bells, silver bells

It’s Christmas time in the city ….”
                    "Silver Bells"

                        ~ composed by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans

                                                            1950

The spirit of Christmas illuminates on the iconic PPL building this

December in downtown Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The PPL Building, formerly the Pennsylvania Power and Light Building,

is a 24-story, art deco/art moderne skyscraper at Ninth and Hamilton Streets.

It is the tallest building in Allentown and the second tallest in the Lehigh Valley, and serves as the headquarters for the electric utility, PPL.

The building is often uniquely illuminated at night, especially during

the Christmas season. During the 1960s, PPL supported the local United Fund community drive program by using the building’s brightly lit windows at night

To spell out the abbreviation “U.F.” to remind area residents to contribute to the fund drive.

The PPL building was built from 1926-1928. The building was designed by architect and skyscraper pioneer Harvey Wiley Corbett, who would later have a hand in designing New York’s Rockefeller Center, and was supervised by his assistant, Wallace Harrison, who would later design Lincoln Center, La Guardia Airport, and the United Nations Headquarters Building. The building has exterior features bas reliefs by Alexander Archipenko. In 1930, the PPL building was named “the best example of a modern office building” by Encyclopedia Britannica, and also featured the world’s fastest elevator.

Stardust Christmas ...

"A Christmas Carol" illuminates the marquee of the historic
Nineteenth Street Theatre on a December night. 
The Nineteenth Street/Civic Theatre is an historic
community center that hosts theatre, arts education
and film. It is the oldest cinema in Allentown, Pennsylvania,
opening September 17, 1928. In July 1957, the property was
purchased by Allentown's Civic Little Theatre. It is located
in the heart of the quaint West End Theatre District.

A Child's Dream of Winter ...

"When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season,
I'll know I'm growing old."
                                   ~ Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson
                                                                 1912-2007

This brightly colored sled left behind by a child
shines like a beam of happiness after this season's
first significant snowfall on a November evening
at Trexler Memorial Park, Alletown, Pennsylvania,
a reminder to always see the season's first snowfall
with childlike wonder. 

Anticipation ...

"We can judge the heart of a man
by his treatment of animals."
                             ~ Immanuel Kant
                                              1724-1804

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe anticipates
eating the rest of her apple in the park
just after this season's first significant snowfall
during a Pennsylvania autumn. 

I've been blessed to photograph this doe
and her fawns for more than two and a half years, 
and it's a real joy to me personally and as
a photographer. 

Buck In The Autumn Snow ...

"Nothing is so strong as gentleness,
nothing so gentle as real strength."
                                     ~ St. Francis de Sales
                                                     1567-1622

Beautiful white-tailed deer buck stands majestically
in the park just after this season's first significant
snowfall during a Pennsylvania autumn. 

A Little Foxy ...

"And I'll love the sound of the
 wind in the wheat ..."
                ~ "The Little Prince"
                       ~ 1943
         ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery
                 ~  1900-1944
Autumn breezes through the high grass framing
beautiful red fox who seems quite content just
after a November sunset at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

A Side Of Sugar ...

"Besides the autumn poets sing,
A a few prosaic days,
A little this side of  the snow,
And that side of the haze ..."
             ~ Emily Dickinson
                       ~1830-1886

A sprinkling of this season's first sugar like snowfall remains on the ground, enhancing the beauty of a Kwanzan Cherry Tree.

On this November day these Japanese flowering cherry trees are dressed in their autumn finery as they line North Ott Street near Cedar Creek Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

There are 46 Japanese flowering cherry trees in the vicinity. The original trees date to the late 1950s or early 1960s.

What A Wonderful World ...

"Yes, I think to myself,
What a wonderful world."
              ~ "What A Wonderful World"
                                          ~Bob Thiele & George David Weiss
                                                         ~performed by Louis Armstrong
                                                                ~ 1967

Seeing this sweet female white-tailed deer fawn
grazing on wild red berries on an October day on 
the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania
made me stop and think, "what a wonderful world!" 

Coloring The Jordan ...

"Keep your love of nature,  for that is the true way
to understand art and more."
                                                         ~ Vincent van Gogh
                                                                              ~ 1853-1890 

Brilliant autumn colors cascade into reflections
in the Jordan Creek as it meanders through
Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania
on a perfect October day. 

Touching In Time ...

"If the hands of time were
hands that I could hold ...

Hand in hand we'd choose
the moments that should last ...

Until the hands of time would choose
to wave goodbye."
                                    "The Hands of Time"
                                               ("Brian' s Song)
                                          ~ Music by Michael Legrand
                                                 Lyrics by Marilyn & Alan Bergman 
                                                                                   1971

Autumn leaves touch momentarily in the 
crest of the Little Lehigh Creek on an October morning
at Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania in this
long exposure capture.

Salute For The Valiant ...

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them."
                 John Fitzgerald Kennedy 
                         ~ 1917-1963
                35th President of the United States
                                of America
                            ~   1960-1963                        

                            and U.S. Navy Veteran 

With deep gratitude and admiration to our nation's veterans.
By your bravery and courage, we remain the land of the free!

Old Glory waves proudly in chilly, whipping November winds at Leaser Lake, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania.

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. 

Nothing But A Memory ...

"I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it's like I'm someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself ...
Won't take nothing but a memory."
                                 ~ "The House That Built Me"
                                       ~ Allen Shamblin & Tom Douglas
                                                               2010
                                        ~performed by Miranda Lambert

Wisps of memories seem to dance around the window
inside Bogert's Covered Bridge on a September day, such as
"Tess & Eric 4Ever" etched to the right of the window.

This beautiful, historic bridge has listened to their story
 and countless others over the course of centuries.

The bridge spans 145 feet over the Little Lehigh Creek 
in Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania. Built in 1841,
it's history traces back to the mid-1700s when the Bogert family
moved into a log cabin next to the future site of the bridge. 
It is the oldest covered bridge in Lehigh County and among
the oldest in the country. It is open only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic,
as well as the occasional rider on horseback.

Bogert's Bridge is a wooden Burr Truss bridge with vertical plank
siding and a gable roof. It was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1980.

                        

Once Upon A Time ...

"Once upon a time, the world was sweeter than we knew ...
But somehow once upon a time never comes again." 
           ~ "Once Upon A Time"
                   ~ Charles Strouse & Lee Adams
             from the 1962 musical "All American"

Harkening back to a simpler, sweeter time,
a beautiful October morning frames the historic beauty
of Rex's Covered Bridge, North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania.
Though diminutive in size, it's well traveled in this
picturesque rural area where it crosses the Jordan Creek.

Rex's is a wooden, 150-foot-long Burr Truss bridge
constructed in 1858. It has narrow horizontal siding
and a gable roof. It was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places in 1980. 

Brisk Beauty ...

"The leaves fall, the wind blows,
and the farm country slowly changes 
from the summer cottons into
its winter wools."
                        ~ Henry Beston
                                ~ 1888-1968

Chilly November winds whip the waters this weekend at Leaser Lake, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, but that doesn't detract from the beauty of this autumn day at the lake in the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge.

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.

 

Nurturing Nature ...

Sweet white-tailed deer doe nurses her fawn, now a button buck, on an October evening in the park. Of all the deer photos I've snapped, this is the first time I've witnessed nursing.

I've been blessed to photograph this doe and her fawns for two and a half years, and it's a joy to me personally and as a photographer !

Mist Of The Autumn Morn ...

"I saw old autumn in
the misty morn
stand, shadowless like silence,
listening to silence."
                     ~ Thomas Hood
                                  ~ 1799-1845

There is something so very special about the early morning, the
serenity, the quiet beauty. This feeling of a fresh new day is palpable
as the mist rises just after sunrise on a beautiful, chilly October
morning at Wehr's Dam, Orefield, Pennsylvania.

The historic dam, awash with the waters of the Jordan Creek, was built in 1904 
and is the perfect complement  next to Wehr's Covered Bridge, built in 1841. 

Let Love Shine ...

"Bless the beasts and the children ...
give them love, let it shine 
all around them."
          ~ "Bless The Beasts and The Children"
                                   ~ 1971

I feel so blessed personally and as a photographer
to have witnessed this tender, precious moment as
this beautiful white-tailed deer doe nuzzles her sweet fawn on an October afternoon on the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania. 

Early Morning Postcard ...

"An early morning walk is a blessing
for the whole day."
             ~ Henry David Thoreau
                    ~ 1817-1862

The words of Thoreau seem to fill the air
just after sunrise on a chilly October morning at the historic Wehr's Covered Bridge, Orefield, Pennsylvania.

The Jordan Creek spills over Wehr's Dam, built in 1904, to flow beneath the covered bridge, creating a picturesque autumn postcard. 

Wehr's Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge in South Whitehall Township.
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. 

Indian Summerset ...

"There is a harmony in autumn,
and a luster in its sky."
                                  ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
                                                   ~ 1792-1822

I love Indian Summer and its harmony
of warmth and crispness. On this warm
October evening, God paints the sky
with a lustrous sunset at
Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Nostalgic Harvest ...

The sun-dappled porch of Wanamaker's General Store, 
Kempton, Pennsylvania says "Wilkum" (welcome) to
customers on an October afternoon.

The quaint Wanamaker's is an authentic, family owned
general store nestled in the heart of 
Pennsylvania Dutch country.

Wanamaker's has been welcoming friends, neighbors
and passersby since the late 1800's. 

The classic Pennsylvania Dutch Wilkum Home hex sign is
often seen on porches and other entry ways, extending a warm
and friendly welcome.

Tenderly ...

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe shares a tender moment
with her button buck on an October evening in the park.
I've been blessed to photograph this doe and her fawns
for two and a half years, and it's truly a joy to me
personally and as a photographer!

Red-Tailed Morning ...

Regal Red-Tailed Hawk surveys the landscape from a high perch on an October morning at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. This bird of prey is the most common hawk in North America.

X's & O's ...

"Life without love is like
a tree without blossoms or fruit."
                            ~ Khalil Gibran
                        ~   1883-1931

I saw these X's and O's - symbols of hugs and kisses - etched on a tree on an autumn afternoon at
Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania, 
just in time for Sweetest Day!