Painting Dixie ...

“Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton

Old times they are not forgotten

Look away, look away, look away Dixieland

Oh I wish I was in Dixie, away, away

In Dixieland I take my stand to live and die in Dixie

For Dixieland, that’s where I was born

Early Lord one frosty morn

Look away, look away, look away Dixieland

Glory, glory hallelujah

Glory, glory hallelujah

Glory, glory hallelujah

His truth is marching on …”

  

          ~ “An American Trilogy”

 ~ songwriters Don Reedman, Nick Patrick and Robin Smith

           ~ recorded by the great Elvis Presley, 

                                                ~1972

 

The light of a southern fall sunset softly sweeps through the Spanish Moss and reflects in the lagoon, painting a serene Dixieland evening in the Lowcountry of Beaufort County, South Carolina.

Autumn In Dixie ...

“I was born and raised on a Carolina sea island and I carried the sunshine of the low-country, inked in dark gold, on my back and shoulders.”

                     ~ Pat Conroy

                           ~ 1945-2016

                                                                    

Autumn’s colors dance with Spanish Moss in the Dixieland breeze on a sunlit October day in the Lowcountry of Beaufort County, South Carolina.

The Legend of the Spanish Moss

The story says that Gorez Goz, a bearded Spanish villain, journeyed to our shores and spied a beautiful Indian maid. He bought her for a yard of braid and a little bar of soap.

The Indian maid was so afraid of this bearded beast that she fled cover over the hill and glade with him in pursuit. Tiring, she climbed to the top of a tree, with the Spaniard close behind. She dove from the tree to the stream below. The villian’s beard and whiskers became entangled in the branches holding him back while she got away.

Gorez Goz’s life was at a loss, but his beard lives on as dangling Spanish Moss!

Moon Over October ...

"Summer ends, and autumn comes,
and he who would have it otherwise
would have high tide always and
a full moon every night."
                    ~ Hal Borland
                                  ~ 1900-1978
    ~ American author, journalist & naturalist

The autumn leaves that top this tree seem to reach out to welcome the rising October moon on a beautiful evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania. 
 

Today ... It's Spring ... Video

The lilting beauty of the folk song "Today," recorded by the New Christy Minstrels in 1964, sets the melodious mood for this celebration of spring showcased in my original photos.

My greatest joy as a photographer is harmonizing my favorite original photos to music to create a lingering snapshot of the season ... Enjoy!

Also on my YouTune channel at

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHZwiExDo-M

 

Traipsing In Belvidere Town ...

"Autumn carries more gold in its pocket
than all the other seasons."
                            ~ Jim Bishop
                                   ~ 1907-1987
                   ~American journalist, author
                                     &
                              New Jersey native
Traipsing through Belvidere, New Jersey on a golden Indian Summer day near Thisilldous Eatery ... and crunchy piles of autumn leaves perfect for traipsing through on this November afternoon!

Belvidere, one of my very favorite places, is a charming, Victorian town located on the banks of the Pequest and Delaware Rivers.  
 

A Peace Of Color ...

"Autumn's the mellow time."
                           ~ William Allingham
                         ~ Irish poet, diarist & editor
                                        ~ 1824-1889 

The mood is mellow and the color is vibrant as autumn hues pop in vivid splendor while sunset begins to slip over the horizon on a peaceful October evening at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Majestic In The High Grass ...

"Be inspired by your journeys traveled,

and the ones yet to come."

                                ~ Sam Clark

Beautiful seven-point white-tailed deer buck

strikes a majestic pose while passing through 

the park as sunset sinks into dusk on a late

September evening. 

Autumn Country ...

“falling leaves hide the path so quietly.”

      ~ John Bailey

       ~ "Autumn," a haiku year, 2001 
It's indeed autumn country on a gorgeous October day at the historic Hopewell Farm. As sunset tiptoes closer, you can hear the wonderful crunch of leaves that sings of autumn and gently breaks the quiet as you walk the path by the Hopewell henhouse, where Dominique chickens dally before sundown.

Hopewell Farm is part of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in southeastern Berks County near Elverson, Pennsylvania, 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.

      The Dominique, also known as Dominicker or Pilgrim Fowl, is a breed of chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) originating in the United States during the colonial period. It is considered America’s oldest breed of chicken, probably descending from chickens brought to New England from southern England during colonial times. By the 19th century, they were widely popular and were raised in many parts of the country. Dominiques are a dual purpose breed, being valued for their meat as well as for their brown eggs. They weigh 6 to 8 pounds at maturity. In earlier times, their feathers were much sought after as stuffing for pillows and mattresses.