Swan Of A Spring Morn ...

"The swan, like the soul of a poet,
By the dull world is ill understood."
                   ~ Heinrich Heine
                     ~ 1797-1856
                   ~ "Early Poems - Evening Songs"

Droplets of chilly spring waters cascade across a beautiful mute swan as it glides in the morning sunlight like poetry in motion on Lake Muhlenberg, Cedar Creek Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Dreams Come To Light ...

 

"Like the seeds dreaming beneath the snow
your heart dreams of spring."
                                       ~ Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet"
                                                             ~ 1883-1931

The afternoon sun dances lightly over the snowy
creek after a fresh March snowfall, painting a dreamlike late winter
scene at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The Winter's Day ...

  "Land really is the best art."
                     ~ Andy Warhol
                            ~ 1928-1987

The day all winters dream to be paints itself around the Springhouse at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Icicles fringe the roof of the log cabin surrounded by a fresh March snowfall, blazing blue skies and bright sunshine.

It's one of my very favorite places to be and to photograph. 

The log  cabin was part of Springhouse, the summer home of General Harry C. Trexler (1854-1933), an American industrialist who  built a business empire in Allentown. The park is his namesake.



 

Harbinger Of Hope ...

"The day the Lord
created hope was probably
the same day he created spring."
                            
                                    ~ Sir Bernard Williams
                                                               1929-2003

Though perched in the early March snow,
sweet Robin Redbreast is full of hope because
spring is near at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Path To Remembrance...

"When it hurts to look back,
And you are afraid to look forward,
Look beside you ...
I will be there."
                             ~ Anonymous

Sentimental thoughts swirl amidst
a fresh March snowfall on my favorite path
at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

The Frosting ...

"Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art."
              ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
                          ~ 1803-1882

In the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge, a frosted, frozen
and snow covered Leaser Lake glistens with winter's artistry. 
I really enjoyed being able to actually walk on the lake and take photos!

The lake in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania is named for 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. 

The Sign Red No Skating ...

"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet."
             ~ Emily Dickinson
                    ~1830-1886

Waxing nostalgic on a quiet winter's day
by the pond at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Chasing The Turtle Drum ...

"Dance along the silver sands and beat the turtle drum,
that youth may last forever, and sorrow never come." 

                                                             ~ "Beat The Turtle Drum"
                                                                       ~ Constance C. Greene
                                                                                            ~ 1994

Simple childhood joy paints the faces of children
anticipating a vehicle fording the Jordan Creek
at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania
on a summer's day.

For more than 50 years kids and kids at heart have enjoyed
driving through the creek - and watching too! 

                                        

Sugar Dusted ...

Snow seems like sugar dusted on the nose of this sweet white-tailed deer doe as she eats an apple on a winter's day in the park.

I've been blessed to photograph this doe and her fawns for the past three years and it's a true joy to me personally and as a photographer.

Sweet Taste of Summer Video ...

Tony Bennett's "Candy Kisses" sets the tone for this celebration of summer showcased in my original nature photos. My greatest joy as a photographer is harmonizing my favorite original photos to music to create a lingering snapshot of the season.

Maybe It's Maybellene ...

"Maybellene, why can't you be true?
Oh Maybellene, why can't you be true?
...The Cadillac lookin' like it's sittin' still
And I caught Maybellene at the top of the hill."
                      
                                           ~ "Maybellene"
                                                              ~ 1955

Maybe it's Maybellene casting a flirty glance
as a summer day reflects in the eye of this
Volkswagen Beetle near a trail in 
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania!

The Chuck Berry song "Maybellene" was adapted from the 
traditional fiddle tune "Ida Red" that tells the story of a 
hot rod race and a broken romance.  It is considered one of
the pioneering rock and roll singles.

The great Elvis Presley sang it live on "Louisiana Hayride" on 
August 20, 1955. 
                             

True Love ...

"For you and I have a guardian angel
On high with nothing to do
But to give to you and to give to me
Love forever true."
                                     ~ "True Love"
                                               ~ Cole Porter, 1956

North American male and female cardinal find true love
together a few weeks before Valentine's Day at
Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

Bridge Over Frosted Water ...

 

"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose,
if there were no winter in our year!"
                                                            ~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson
                                                                                          ~ 1823-1911
                                                                        from "April Days"
                                                                                             ~ 1861

The historic Geiger's Covered Bridge crosses the frosted waters

of the Jordan Creek, painting a scene of quiet beauty 
just before a winter sunset.

Geiger’s Covered Bridge is an historic wooden covered bridge in North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. It is a 112-foot-long Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1860. It has vertical plank siding and an entry portal of stepped square planks. It crosses the Jordan Creek and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It can be accessed from The Covered Bridge Trail of the Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

                       

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.