WELCOME TO MY PHOTO JOURNAL

…of selected images of places or activities that I have photographed, along with commentary about them.  Scroll down to see recent posts or click any month in the archive list on the right.    Below is a list of recent or special topics.  If you click on those that are highlighted, you’ll be taken directly to that post. After you’ve gone to one of the highlighted posts you can return to this home page by clicking the “left” arrow on your browser. If you’d like to get an automatic email whenever I add a post, simply sign up by clicking under Email Subscription to the lower right.  You can always unsubscribe.

Cold Duck   Ice Boating & Old Houses   New Year’s Day in Whitesbog    Just scroll down.
Philadelphia Christmas Scenes   The Blizzard of ‘09   Fairmount Park’s 18th & early 19th C. Homes   Just scroll down.
The Rancocas Nature Center      A Train Weekend in Strasburg and at the Horseshoe Curve      Just scroll down.
Vermont in the Fall – I       Vermont in the Fall – II      The Wetlands Institute’s Wings ‘n Water Festival      A September Nor’easter     The Twilight Sail      Spring in the Catskills      Charleston & the Lowcountry Plantations       Sanibel Island & the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge

THE DAY AFTER THE SNOWSTORM – 02-07-10

The morning-after dawned with full sun and everything sparkled.  At a camera colleague’s  suggestion I headed down to Smithville Park near Mount Holly, a pleasure to visit any time of the year.  Yes, it’s more snowy pictures but, this time, with moving water which always draws us.  Here are some of the results:

The ruins of one of the 19th C. factory buildings.  It made me think of the ruins at Heidelberg Castle, destroyed in 1633 by (I’m sorry to say) the Swedes during the Thirty Year War.

MORE BIG SNOW – 02/06/10

Another major snowfall is underway.  It shot down our plans to go photograph the Harlequin ducks at Barnegat Light House.  Another day, perhaps.  Here’s the first image of the storm.

Big Hair in the Backyard

 

I just waded out to the bird feeder which I had neglected to fill before the storm.  We’ve got 20″ measured.  At 4:30 it has tapered off to almost nothing.  Bobby, Jack and John have dug/plowed out my driveway and the entry walk.   The (excellent) Cherry Hill plows will appear soon. Meanwhile I can walk in the tire tracks of more adventuresome souls.  Some more images:

 

 

Looks like more snow on top of the mailbox than after December’s storm.

COLD DUCK – 1/27/10

Not the sparkling wine by Andre but the cold ducks at the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge  in Oceanville, NJ. 

 I drove thru part of the refuge (at 47,000 acres, just a small part) along the Wildlife Drive on a recent winter day.   In the distance in sparkling sunlight, but worlds away, lay my old hometown.

More close at hand, in the biting chill were some of the birdlife, trying to survive.  Why didn’t that heron go to Warm Sanibel?

SOME LEFTOVERS FROM FALL – 1/21/10

I was flipping through my 2009 image files and came across some topics that hadn’t made it here.  And now, as they say in Monty Python, for something completely different.  This is not the Bergiemobile; it was one of a few totally decorated vans with different themes that were shown at a September fair at Smithville Park (Burlington County).  This is where old cameras go.

 

On a late October visit to Meadowbrook Farm I found a splash of color defying the frosts. 

The twelve public gardens of Meadowbrook near Abington PA were part of the estate of J. Liddon Pennock whose 100+ year-old family florist business  served Philadelphia society and, in the early 70’s, the White House.  He provided the flowers for the Tricia Nixon Cox wedding and also White House Christmas decorations.    The land and the home, a magnificent Pennsylvania field stone house, were a wedding present from his father-in-law.  (Not bad; mine just moved in with us.) We once strolled the gardens, pools and fountains at a Philadelphia Horticultural Society wine and cheese benefit.  On another occasion we bid for a private  luncheon at the home, benefitting the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was a gracious host to us complete strangers and it was a memorable experience.  I can also picture him welcoming in a receiving line at a Longwood Garden Party, and padding around his greenhouses in work khakis.  On his death at age 90 the gardens and green houses were bequeathed to the Hort, to which he had been an important contributor of funds and of self.  I regretted his death, and the horticultural community suffered a great loss.

 

In late November I spent an afternoon at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge south of Smyrna, Delaware.  Not much to see this time of year….marshes, salt ponds, fragmites, dead spartina, bare trees and Canada geese.   Still, beautiful for those who grew up around the marshes.  A definite destination soon when the migrations begin.

In early December I returned to Mauricetown, first to the firehouse antique show and then to the East Point lighthouse area.  This old shed is on a tidal creek at the entrance to Mauricetown.

At the beach near East Point Light the wind was blowing out of the west and it was collllld!

By late in the day a lot of cloud cover had moved in, obscuring the hoped-for sunset.  This view below was nice but underwhelming.   So, I tried it with a Gold ‘n Blue polarizer and got a much more interesting image.

ICE BOATING AND OLD HOUSES – 1/13/10

Last Sunday I drove up to Red Bank, NJ to tour a major (100 dealers) antiques mall.  That was fun but it was more fun to discover ice boating underway nearby.  The activity was on the Navesink River and I watched it from the venerable (1879) Monmouth Boat Club (this is a private club but I was admitted because of my LBI club membership).  In addition to the individual and family activity underway, down the river I could see a number of what looked like Opti sails flying across the river ice.  I was told that it was a regatta underway, something one thinks about as a summer activity.

The Christmas Tree?  To mark soft spots in the ice.  I was asked to bring mine out there if I hadn’t thrown it away yet.

And if you’re a convinced windsurfer here’s what you do in the winter.

 

 

THIS OLD HOUSE, REVISITED

On the day before, Saturday, I headed to the antiques shops in Mullica Hill.  On the way I revisited this old house which I had found and photographed last winter.  It still stands, cold, lonely and deteriorating … reduced to being a landing spot for turkey vultures which flew as I tried to get set up to “film” them on the roof. 

It was a beautiful day, not at all suited to the mood of the house so I converted the images to brooding black and white.

 

For my photography colleagues the image below was created from three images (-1, 0, +1 EVs) with Photomatix and then converted to B&W.  The result was pretty noisy so I ran it through Neat Image to clean it up.  (Fortunately, Neat Image didn’t clean up the pile of trash.)

NEW YEAR’S DAY IN WHITESBOG – 1/1/10

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Today’s forecast was decent; not much sun but no gale winds so I drove down to Whitesbog.  It was a great day; briskly cold, some occasional thin sun, and peacefully quiet.  The kind of quiet that you suddenly notice. My only company was, from time to time, three pickups and a van.  As you can see below, the slushy village street was empty, the old workers’ houses moody in the thin sun but with some modest touches for the winter holiday.

Even on a largely overcast winter day there is beauty to be seen and enjoyed. On the right below, an ice-tree.

Here’s a typical pond, created by overflow from an adjacent bog. Its attractiveness is enhanced by the ice and the few remaining patches of snow.

Finally, my colleague, Lou Dallara, had a lovely image of a clump of pine needles with snow on them as his first blog image of the new year.  See his blog , scroll-find and click on Pine Needles.   It brightened my day.  The image below is the closest I could come.  The snow’s gone but I loved the remaining droplets.

SOME PHILADELPHIA CHRISTMAS SCENES – 12/23/09

On Philadelphia’s Dilworth Plaza (the west side of City Hall) they’ve been staging a Christmas Market in the European tradition. I’ve been to several in Germany and I visited this one with some skepticism. It was decent…not Nuremberg, but decent. The stalls were reminiscent of those in the European markets; the merchandise wasn’t always.  A South Phila brat is not quite the same as a Nuremburg Wurst, and the Gluhwine wasn’t.  But, something new and enjoyable.

The Kathe Wohlfahrt chain from Germany was there, the premier supplier of traditional German-made Christmas merchandise.  I’ve visited their “Mother” store in Rothenburg in Bavaria, just off to the left of the town square shown here (image from their website).  They also exhibit in the annual Bethlehem, PA Christkindlmarkt.

Here’s some of their Christmas Ornament collection.

Of course one could not go into Philadelphia at Christmas time without visiting the light show at Macy’s.  It was started about 1956 when the store was Wanamaker’s, and that version included dancing illuminated fountains until about 2000.  An early video of the show which includes the dancing fountains can be seen here.  The show has been completely rebuilt and its almost 100,000 LEDs, the music, and the narration (Julie Andrews) are all computer controlled.  Year in and year out  it never fails to be an impressive heart-warming show.

Here’s aother view taken in 2006.  This shows all of the background figures illuminated as part of the finale.  Notice, however, that there’s no tree as seen in the above picture.  The tree was restored in (I think) 2008.

Another great Philadelphia tradition is the annual Saint Lucia Fest held at Old Swede’s Church (Gloria Dei). The church was established by Swedish colonists in 1667 and the building dates from 1700. They have been celebrating Santa Lucia since 1938, and participation is hotly sought after.  It is partly a pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice when, at the year’s darkest, the light will begin to return. It is also in honor of the 3rd century Sicilian martyr, Lucia.  The presentation, a pageant acted by church members. is about Swedish family home life in the depths of winter.  The highlight, however, is about the tradition of the household’s young girls rising early to prepare and bring coffee and cakes to the other family members.  The presentation is of these young girls proceeding showly down the church aisles, wearing white nightgowns, carrying candles and singing Santa Lucia in Swedish.  The girl who plays Lucia arrives last with a crown of lighted candles in her hair.  For the conclusion all of the girls face the audience and, still carrying their candles, sing Silent Night in Swedish. 

Below we see the altar, and the aisle candles being lit.  On the right is part of the procession, a photograph from their web site. Various generations of my family with our Swedish heritage have attended over the years.  As my good, fully Swedish friend, Nils, would want me to point out, the ceremony is also presented annually at the Swedish-American Museum in south Philadelphia.  Wherever presented, it is an informative, entertaining…and, for my family, deeply moving ceremony.

                                     

THE BLIZZARD OF ‘09 – 12/19/09

Yes, we had a little snow today. At 8:00 in the evening, it’s at about 14″ and it’s still coming down. I suspect it’ll be a record.

My snowthrower bit into more than it could chew last winter.  I’ve been working on it; I disasembled it to try and free it up.  The manufacturer had gone bankrupt.  Some parts were available through Freddie’s Bicycle Shop in Zelionople but with strange part numbers so I demurred.  I put it back together and attacked the snow…..for a distance of  four feet.  The gearbox had ground up what was left of the gears from last winter. 

So, God Bless Bobby who had just acquired a brand new snow thrower from Home Depot and drove over here with it in his truck. He and Sigrid unloaded it and he did a number on my driveway.

Before that I was out on a walk at about 4:30.  Here’s the entryway to the walk to my house.

 

At 9:15 PM it’s still coming down pretty good. 

 

Outside of that short walk I stayed in and decorated my tree.  Why wouldn’t I stay inside?  Merry Christmas, everyone!

THE NEXT DAY

Now we begin digging out.  I guess UPS won’t be coming to the back door.

The mail box is another  indicator.

But, Bobby came back again and recleared the driveway.

THE 18TH & 19TH CENTURY FAIRMOUNT PARK HOUSES – 12/10/09

THIS POST HAS BEEN ADDED TO OVER SEVERAL DAYS TO COVER FOUR OF THE PARK HOMES.  IT’S NOW COMPLETE.

In 1985 an excellent three part video series was released entitled “The Treasure Houses of Britain.” This entertaining and informative series presented the history, architecture, furnishings, art pieces and decor of some of the great houses of Britain from as early as the 15th century.  While not as famous as the British houses, the Delaware Valley enjoys seven of its own “treasure houses” from the 18th and early 19th century, all conveniently located within Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park.  There are, of course, other fine 18th-19th C. homes in the area but the Fairmount Park group is special for its concentration and location.  They benefit as well from their association with the Philadelphia Art Museum, particularly as to their furnishings. 

These homes were built along the Schuykill River by wealthy Philadelphians as show cases for their wealth but also as retreats from the city’s summer heat and the threat of yellow fever.   They are decorated for the holidays as a part of the annual Holiday Tours program and I went through five of them last Saturday.  The holiday program continues through the 13th but they can be visited at other times of the year as well.  It is a well worthwhile trip.

The house above, left, is Mount Pleasant, built in the early 1760’s by Captain John McPherson, and once described by John Adams as “the most elegant seat in Pennsylvania.”  It is certainly a magnificent example of Georgian or Palladian architecture with its external and internal balances of architectural features.  Note the Palladian window in the lower right picture.

In the 1984 TV series about George Washington which featured Barry Bostwick, Mt. Pleasant was seen as Washington’s headquarters in…Boston.   Artistic license.  It was also owned at one time by Benedict Arnold.

Here are two views taken inside.  The punch bowl looks to be a piece of very finely decorated Chinese Export Porcelain.

 

Above is Lemon Hill.  Even the house names are fun and evocative: Lemon Hill, Cedar Grove, Sweet Briar, Strawberry Mansion, Woodford, Mount Pleasant.  The Lemon Hill house dates from 1800 on land that had been owned by the Revolutionary War financier, Robert Morris.  The view above is that facing the river and is not as impressive as the front which greets one on arrival.  Nevertheless, note the symmetry, the dual stairway to the door, the fan light over the door, and the Palladian window on the second floor. 

Here are two scenes inside of Lemon Hill.  On the left is the second floor passage,  referred to as the Palladian Hall for the window that permits so much light into the second floor.

Below are three scenes inside Woodford, once the scene of Tory gaiety during the British Occupation of Philadelphia.  An early Georgian style house dating from the late 1750’s, it was built by William Coleman, said to be a close friend of Benjamin Franklin.  It didn’t really arrive at Middle Georgian status until the second floor addition in 1772.  The furnishings are the property of the Naomi Wood Foundation which leased Woodford from the Park in the 20’s, to restore it to display her collection.  What stands out in the left picture below is the handsome desk and book case with its open bonnet pediment and finial, and the tea table to the right.  In the right picture we see a seasonally welcoming table with a five level, glass epergne centerpiece and handsome side chairs (two versions of shield backs.)  Against the wall center is a wine chest; on the left, a sideboard with a knife chest (right) and a Federal style urn executed in silver.  The bottom picture is of a magnificent mantle, featuring dentil moulding and exquisite carving, with a beautiful garniture set.  Although one cannot see the carving in the open pediment I suspect it’s probably a Phoenix bird, typical for such carvings before the revolution.

 

The picture below is of Sweetbriar Mansion, another name with which to conjure.  This house was built in 1797 by Samuel Breck, a Philadelphia merchant.  In contrast with most of the other homes in the Park, Sweetbriar was used as a year-round residence.  We hear complaints about the commute into Center City.  Imagine what it was like on horseback in 1797.

Here are two of the rooms within Sweetbriar.  The one on the left is known as the Etruscan Room.  Note the fine Federal mantle, the small cranberry-colored fire screen (to prevent the heat from melting a lady’s facial wax) , and the tea table in the foreground.  On the right, another attractive tea table with a decorative piece of onions and lemons. 

 

Finis