Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Love Rocks ...

 “You are my sun. My moon. And all my stars.”

       ~ ee cummings

         ~ 1894 - 1962

I spotted this painted rock in the shape of a heart along the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania, in late January ~ the heart of winter ~ just three weeks before Valentine’s Day.

This painted rock is likely part of the The Kindness Rocks Project, which was founded by Megan Murphy of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who wanted to spread encouraging messages to strangers by writing them on rocks she found on the beach. The practice spread and launched similar projects across the United States.

The grassroots project encourages people to leave rocks painted with inspiring messages along the path of life. People are encouraged to take one, share one or add to the pile. You can see just how much impact she’s made when looking up #TheKindnessRocksProject. Learn more about how to join the movement at http://thekindnessrocksproject.com.

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

The Flying Egg ...

“I fell in love with the process of taking pictures, with wandering around finding things. To me it feels like a kind of performance. The picture is a document of that performance.”

         ~Alec Soth

             ~ born 1969

             ~American photographer

               based in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Flying Egg sign stands out in the course of the cool and historic streetscape that is Main Street in historic downtown Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in this infrared capture I shot on a late November afternoon.

The Flying Egg, a self-described “Boutique diner in the heart of Bethlehem,” is a casual-chic, white-brick eatery offering an all-day breakfast menu alongside brunch.

Monday, January 18, 2021

A Quarter Of History ...

 “The photograph should be more interesting or more beautiful than what was photographed.”

        ~ Garry Winogrand

           ~1928-1984

     ~American street photographer from the Bronx, New York, known for his portrayal of U.S. life and its social issues, in the mid-20th century. Though he photographed in California, Texas and elsewhere, Winogrand was essentially a New York photographer.


I captured this shot, presented in infrared, showcasing the Monocacy Creek meandering through a portion of the Colonial Industrial Quarter, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on a late November afternoon from my vantage point standing on the Broad Street Bridge on the city’s north side. A car drives past the Conestoga Condominiums on Conestoga Street at right. The Hill to Hill Bridge can be seen in the distance at right, and the church steeples and rooftops that dot Southside Bethlehem are in the distant vista.

 

The Colonial Industrial Quarter is considered America’s earliest industrial park. Established by the colonial Moravians along the banks of the Monocacy Creek, the ten-acre site contains historic buildings such as the 1762 Waterworks – a National Historic Landmark – 1761 Tannery, 1869 Luckenbach Mill, 1748/1834 Gristmiller’s House, reconstructed 1764 Springhouse and 1750 Smithy, as well as ruins of the original 1749 Pottery, 1752 Butchery, 1765 Oil Mill and 1771 Dye House. This location was chosen to take advantage of a spring that supplied potable water and the power supplied by the Monocacy Creek’s flow for the craftsmen and trades of early Bethlehem.

 

The Colonial Industrial Quarter is part of the Historic Moravian Bethlehem Historic District which was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 2012 and later named to the U.S. Tentative List in 2016 for nomination to the World Heritage List. It is also known as the location of several annual events and festivals including the Historic Turkey Trot 5K, Musikfest and Celtic Classic.

 

The Broad Street Bridge is a concrete arch bridge over Monocacy Creek on Broad Street. Open to traffic, it is a closed-spandrel arch bridge built in 1909.

 

The Hill to Hill Bridge is a road crossing of the Lehigh River linking the south and north sides of Bethlehem. Completed in 1924, the bridge carries Pennsylvania Route 378 from Wyandotte Street on the city’s south side to a series of ramps and viaducts on the north side. It replaced a two-lane covered bridge and eliminated several grade crossings of three railroads on the two banks of the Lehigh River. It is located in the Central Bethlehem Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, with a Boundary Increase in 1988.

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Late Summer Monarch ...

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

            ~ Alma Gluck

               ~1884-1938

A beautiful monarch butterfly savors the waning days of summer as it alights on a buddleia flower on a gorgeous early September afternoon at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Haines Mill Dressed In Snow ...

“Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers.”       

                 ~Kahlil Gibran

                      ~1883-1931

The historic Haines Mill is the hub of a picturesque scene on a December afternoon a week before Christmas in the Borough of Cetronia, Allentown, Pennsylvania, reflecting a quite beauty a few days after 11.3 inches of snow blanketed the area.

 

Also known as Haines Mill Museum, it is an historic grist mill built circa 1850. It produced flour processed by an old-fashioned water-powered mill located just off the banks of the Cedar Creek. It remained in full operation until 1957.

 

A mill has stood here on the banks of the Cedar Creek since colonial times. The current circa 1850 Haines Mill offers a trip into the world of the early technology that supported farm life.

 

The sign on the front of the building says: “Haines Bros. Flour Mill, The Home of Gilt Edge Flour,” with a sack of flour etched with the words, “Cetronia Flour Mills, Gilt Edge Flour, 50 lbs. net, Allentown.”

 

It is a four-story, stone building with a slate covered gambrel roof. It is three bay by three bay, 42 feet by 46 feet, 9 inches. The interior was rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1908. A three-story brick addition was built in 1930, with a lean-to roof. Atop the main roof is a cupola.

 

Today, Haines Mill is operated as a partnership between the County of Lehigh, which owns and maintains the site, and the Lehigh County Historical Society, which provides public tours. It is located in a serene 37.5 acre park.

 

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.




 


 



Monday, December 28, 2020

Drawing Near The Christmas Bridge ...

“Remembrance, like a candle, burns brightest at Christmastime.”

   ~ Charles Dickens

        ~ 1812-1870

Travelers draw near the historic Wehr’s Covered Bridge, Orefield, Pennsylvania, festooned in Christmas lights as it sparkles with the joy of Christmastime on a December evening a few days before Christmas in this rich tone monochrome shot. Remnants of a snowfall that blanketed the region with 11.3 inches of snow a week before still cover the ground that surrounds the bridge.

 

Wehr’s Covered Bridge is an historic wooden covered bridge located in Covered Bridge Park in South Whitehall Township. It is a three span, 117-foot-long, Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1841. It has horizontal siding and a gable roof. It crosses the Jordan Creek and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.The nearby Wehr’s Dam was built in 1904.

 

This beautiful bridge has seen travelers for 179 Christmastimes, but the true beauty is the reason and meaning of the season - the birth of Christ - which is timeless and remains the same.

 

Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas everyone!