Summer Passage ...

“Summertime is always the best

                                      of what might be.”

                       ~ Charles Bowden

                               ~ journalist

                                  ~ 1945-2014

A verdant trail at French Creek State Park, Elverson, Pennsylvania looks like a passage to summer on a gorgeous July evening, a gateway to the beauty of my most favorite of seasons.

The 7,526 acre park straddles northern Chester County and southern Berks County along French Creek and is located in the Hopewell Big Woods.

Set amidst the old, quaint and picturesque farmland of southeast Pennsylvania, French Creek State Park offers two lakes – Hopewell and Scotts Run – extensive forests and almost 40 miles of hiking trails. Adjacent to the park lies Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site that features a cold-blast furnace restored to its 1830s appearance.

French Creek State Park was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its Bureau of State Parks as one of “25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks.”

Blooms For Two ...

“Just as the bird sings or the butterfly soars, because it is his natural characteristic, so the artist works.”

                     ~ Alma Gluck

                                    ~ 1884-1938

A pair of white butterflies sip nectar on a sweet summer afternoon in late August at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

Spring With A Cherry On Top ...

“Came the spring with all its splendor,

All its birds and blossoms,

All its flowers and leaves and grasses.”

                   ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

                                ~ 1807-1882

An artistic view of delightful cherry blossoms that top off an April afternoon with the spirit of spring on North Ott Street near Cedar Creek Parkway, Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Kwanzan Cherry Trees line the city with splendor with their beautiful but fleeting pink canvas.

There are 46 Japanese Flowering Cherry Trees in the vicinity. The original trees date to the late 1950s and early 1960s.