A World With Octobers ...

" I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

                                                                      ~ L.M. Montgomery

                                                                                  ~ 1874-1942

          This man's thoughts could well be echoing the words of L.M. Montgomery as he soaks in the October beauty at the picturesque Hopewell Furnace, Elverson, Pennsylvania.

           Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeastern Berks County near Elverson, Pennsylvania is an example of an American 19th century rural “iron plantation.” The buildings include a blast furnace, the ironmaster’s house and auxiliary structures including a blacksmith’s shop, a company store and several worker’s houses. 

            Hopewell Furnace was founded in 1771 by ironmaster Mark Bird for whom Birdsboro was named. The site’s most prosperous time was during the 1820–1840 period with a brief boom in production during the American Civil War. In the mid-19th century changes in iron making, including a shift from charcoal to anthracite rendered smaller furnaces like Hopewell obsolete. The site discontinued operations in 1883.

            Today, Hopewell Furnace consists of 14 restored structures in the core historic area, 52 features on the List of Classified Structures, and a total of 848 mostly wooded acres. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is located in the Hopewell Big Woods and surrounded by French Creek State Park on three sides and the State Game Lands to the south which preserves the lands the furnace utilized for its natural resources.

Spring Charm Video ...

Etta James' beautiful, jazzy "A Sunday Kind of Love" sets the mood for this 
celebration of spring showcased by my original photos. My greatest joy 
as a photographer is harmonizing my favorite original photos to music to create a lasting
snapshot of the season. Enjoy!
Also on my YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN7K5U5-h-s

In The Early Morning Mist ...

"...There are pale yellow mornings, when the mist burns slowly into day,
the air stings like autumn ..."
                     ~ Robert Hass
                       ~ born 1941
   ~ Poet Laureate of the United States
                              ~    1995-1997


The mist rises poetically soon after sunrise on a brisk and beautiful October morning near the ford of the Jordan Creek, one of my very favorite places to be and to photograph, at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. 

Music Of The Forest ...

"In the forest no tree grows straight.
But they all reach up towards
the light and the goodness in life."
                                          ~ Native American Proverb

As I was walking the trails of Lehigh Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania
on an October day, I heard the beautiful strains of "Amazing Grace"
floating through the air. I looked up and saw this man playing the 
Gospel hymn on his Native American flute. 

Fawn In The Berries Bright ...

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."
                                                  ~ William Shakespeare
                                                                       ~ 1564-1616

Sweet white-tailed deer fawn happily wraps herself in
wild red berries as she grazes on an October day along
the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania. 

The Autumn Painter ...

"Autumn paints in colors that summer has never seen."
                                                                        ~ Author Unknown

Brushstroke by brushstroke, a painter captures on canvas
the glorious autumn beauty God has painted this October
at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

I took this candid shot of the artist and her easel
nestled in a picturesque spot between the ford of the 
Jordan Creek and the pedestrian bridge at the preserve. 

Morning Reverie ...

"Flowing water is at once a picture and a music,
which causes to flow at the same time from my brain,
like a limpid and murmuring rivulet, sweet thoughts,
charming reveries, and melancholy remembrances."
                                                ~ Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
                                                                ~ 1808-1890

The waters of the Monocacy Creek spill like memories between the 
morning sun and shadows dancing on the dam - commonly called 
Monocacy Falls - on a beautiful October day at Monocacy Park,
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in this high contrast monochrome shot.

The Fire Of September ...

"... Deep in December it's nice to remember
The fire of September that made us mellow
Deep in December our hearts should remember
And follow, follow, follow."
                                             ~ "Try To Remember"
                                                ~ from the 1960 musical
                                                            "The Fantasticks"

The fire of September suffuses across the waning summer sky,
painting a gorgeous sunset at Trexler Memorial Park,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.
 

Butterfly And Company ...

"Butterflies are self-propelled flowers."
                   ~ Robert Heinlein
                            ~ 1907-1988

Beautiful Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly alights on the thistle as a bee is already enjoying the nectar on a sweet summer day at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. 

Coloring Hope ...

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul ..."
                                      ~ Hebrews 6:19

 Hope is illuminated in pink during Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October atop the iconic PPL Building 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 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 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 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 Brittanica, and also featured the world's fastest elevator.

The Magic Of Ordinary Days ...

"Simple days bring simple joys ..."
                              ~ Emily Lawless
                                              ~ 1845-1913
The sweet morning light of summer dances and shimmers into beautiful bokeh around a buddleia flower on the banks of the Jordan Creek at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania ...
the magic of ordinary days.

A Bite of Joy ...

"Scatter joy ..."
                 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
                                       ~ 1803-1882

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe enjoys a shiny red apple
on a waning summer evening in the park.

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

An Evening Reflection ...

"As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God."
                                                                      ~  Psalm 42, Verse 1 

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe takes a drink in the creek on a waning
summer evening in the park.

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

Raining Retro ...

"There's a certain nostalgia and romance in a place you left."
                                   ~ author David Guterson, born 1956

Diners ... a favorite of locals and weary travelers, sharing their
joys and sorrows over a steaming cup of coffee. Diners are
a comforting haven, a slice of nostalgia to go with that slice
of cherry pie, especially on a rainy evening.

Here, the Hamilton Family Restaurant (known as the "Ham Fam"),
a '50s era landmark in the West End of Allentown, Pennsylvania, beams
it's retro neon welcome during a rainy September twilight. 

Wild In The Country ...

"... Wild, wild, like the deer and the dove
Wild and free is this land that I love ...
A dream grows wild in the country...
And here with a dream in my heart
Part of the wild, wild country, am I."

                                                 ~ "Wild In The Country"
                                                            ~ The title track from the 1961 dramatic film
                                                             "Wild In The Country," recorded by
                                                                    the great Elvis Presley

Beautiful and regal looking six point white-tailed deer buck
pauses from grazing on a warm September evening along
the Saucon Rail Trail, Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania. 

A Fair To Remember...

"Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it."
                                                  ~ L.M. Montgomery
                                                                        ~ 1874-1942

Sometimes life whirls by so fast it's a bit of a blur,
so it's good to remember the simple joys, like going to the fair
on a sweet summer night.

This high contrast monochrome shot captures the ferris wheel
spinning on the September opening of the 163rd Great Allentown Fair,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Coloring In The Circles ...

"I see nothing in space as promising
as the view from a Ferris Wheel."
                                       ~ E.B. White
                                               ~ 1899-1985

The Ferris Wheel whirls in tandem with 
a smaller spinning wheel, coloring the sky over
the Midway with happiness on a warm September
evening, the opening of the 163rd Great Allentown Fair,
Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Dallying In Summer ...

"Teaching a child not to step
on a caterpillar is as valuable
to the child as it is to the caterpillar."
                             ~ Bradley Millar

The first Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar I've ever seen dallies on on August afternoon along the Plainfield Township Recreation Trail near the Stockertown (Belfast Junction), Pennsylvania portion of this rail trail. 

Whistlin' Dixie ...

"... In Dixie's Land, where I was born in,
early on one frosty mornin'...
I wish I was in Dixie ...
Away, away, away down South in Dixie!"
                              ~ "Dixie" ("Dixie's Land")

Striking up a banjo and fiddle on a sun 
streaked summer's day, this couple fills the air with the sweet sounds of Dixieland.

I loved hearing these wonderful tunes echo 
through Lehigh Parkway, Allentown,
Pennsylvania as I snapped this
candid scene. 

Perhaps they are wistfully thinking of home as
their music makes the summer even sweeter.






 

Lovin' Spoonful ...

"If you want to go quickly,
go alone,
If you want to go far,
go together."
                         ~African Proverb

Beautiful white-tailed deer doe receives a spoonful of love in a sweet nudge from her white spotted fawn during a precious moment captured on a summer evening in the park.

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

Saturday Night Lights ...

"When I admire the wonders of a sunset
or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands
in the worship of the creator."
                                                       ~ Mahatma Gandhi
                                                                           ~ 1869-1948

A stunning  summer sunset echoes and shimmers on a Saturday evening across
Leaser Lake in the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge,
New Tripoli, Pennsylvania.

The 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.