God Bless America ...

“While the storm clouds gather 

far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free.

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America, land that I love,

Stand beside her and guide her

Through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans white with foam,

God bless America,

My home sweet home.”

                  

                ~ "God Bless America"

        ~ written by Irving Berlin in 1918   

                   & revised by him in 1938

                  ~ Kate Smith’s signature song

The spirit of America and the spirit of the open road that only a motorcycle can give meet on the General Thomas R. Morgan USMC Bridge, Slatington, Pennsylvania, just before the Fourth of July.

I loved seeing the bridge festooned with American flags leading up to Slatington Baptist Church, founded in its current location in 1900. To me, this image quintessentially proclaims, “God Bless America!”

The signs on the lampposts designate Slatington, established in 1864, as the Blackboard Capital of America.

The Mountains Are Calling ...

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

                                    ~ John Muir

                                        ~ 1838-1914 

These words of John Muir surely resonated with me as I took this shot on a warm, late spring evening with sunset approaching, looking up at the Lehigh Gap Bridge spanning over the Lehigh River to 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 Delaware and Lehigh Heritage Corridor Trail (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.

The Lehigh Gap Bridge was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1984.

                                                                                                                        

Peace On The Hillside ...

"There will be peace in the valley for me, some day
There will be peace in the valley for me, oh Lord I pray
There'll be no sadness, no sorrow
No trouble, trouble I see
There will be peace in the valley for me, for me."

                     ~ "Peace In The Valley"
                   ~ Written by Thomas A. Dorsey
                                        ~ 1937
              ~ Recorded by the great Elvis Presley
                                        ~ 1957 

Bright wild yellow mustard brushes a soft peace on a sun-filled May afternoon on a hillside of the Central Range of the Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, the only sounds the rustling of the spring breeze and the coo of a mourning dove. Perfect.

The color yellow is often associated with peace and happiness.

To me, this scene illustrates the still and serene beauty of God’s creation painted in that beautiful Gospel hymn “Peace in the Valley,” recorded by the great Elvis Presley in 1957.

 
                  

Cuddling As The Clouds Roll By ...

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

This female mallard brooding her eight ducklings after a dip in the pond is a sweet sight on a spring evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania, as a white feather and reflections of clouds roll by in the water.

Female mallards brood their young regularly, particularly at night, as they easily chill. Brooding also keeps them safe.