Proof of Life

George Gollum Park, Forks Township, PA

It has been well over a year since I posted anything on this blog, but I wanted to let my followers know that I am alive and well. I took the picture above a little over a week ago at a park in Forks Township, PA, not too far from where I live in Easton. I took the photo with my new GoPro 11 Action Camera. The GP 11 is excellent camera for both shooting both video and photos. I will be writing a review soon about the GoPro on this blog and will be publishing other blog posts as well. I have a lot to catch up on. More to come……

PA Bacon Fest 2021

PA Bacon Fest returned to Easton on November 6th and 7th, after being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. I am happy to report that the celebration of all things bacon related came back strong. Bacon Fest has become the most popular event in Easton, drawing thousands of people from many points in PA, NJ and beyond.

I live just a few blocks from Centre Square, Easton, so attending PABF was quite easy for me and I paid a visit on both days. Here are a few pictures.

50/50 Burgers…50% Ground Bacon/50% Ground Beef
Third Street
Northampton Street
Saturday night. Waiting for Day 2.

Visit to New York – Sep 30th, 2021

I visited Manhattan this past Thursday. It was the only my second trip to NYC this year. I live about 70 miles west of NYC, in Easton, PA, and before the pandemic hit I usually visited NYC at least 5 or 6 times a year. I was encouraged by city scenes I witnessed, which reflected the city returning to normal. Once in the city I made trips to the Upper Westside and to the new Little Island park, which is located off Westside Highway, just below 14th Street.

I have previously lived and worked in Manhattan and I grew up in suburban Northern New Jersey. I’ve lived in a few other places around the country, but always returned to NY, NJ or PA to see friends and relatives . So, over the past 40 to 50 years I have seen a lot of change in the New York skyline, but most of the time the change seemed gradual. However, there have been a few occasions in when I have been struck by dramatic changes in the skyline of the city and this past Thursday was one of those days. I’m old enough to remember when the Empire State Building towered over all other buildings in midtown Manhattan. Now it is no longer visible from directly across the Hudson, blocked by the towers of Hudson Yards. Several of the Supertall skyscrapers on 57th St. are even taller than the buildings at Hudson Yards.

Manhattan Skyline – View from the Lincoln Tunnel Helix

Supertall buildings on 57th Street
Little Island – View North
Little Island Entrance
Little Island – View South
Little Island – View from the Amph

WordPress App Blog

Test blog. I haven’t used the WordPress app to post a blog in years, but I decided to give it a try again with my new iPad Air 4. I am discovering new bells and whistles on the app. I like the app and plan to start using it on a regular basis to post blogs.

Bushkill Creek at Jacobsburg State Park.

Christmas Scenes in Easton, PA

Unfortunately, we did not have a White Christmas this year, but we came close. We had had our first big snowstorm of winter on December 16th, and that snow lasted until December 23rd, and then we had a rise in temperature to the 50’s along with a rain storm that started on Christmas Eve and lasted until Christmas morning. The rain pretty much washed away most of the remaining snow. However, the snow from December, 16th, lasted long enough to to capture a few good classic winter images.

Easton Peace Candle at Centre Square, Christmas Night
3rd Street, Dec 16th, 2020
Spring Garden Street, Dec 12th, 2020
Easton Centre Square Dec 16 Night vs Dec 22 Day

Fall Scenes in the Lehigh Valley – 2020

Here are my favorite ten pictures taken during Fall this year in and around my home city of Easton, PA.

First group are pictures that I shot in Forks Township, in George Gollub Park. Forks Township is immediately north of Easton and the park offers some beautiful views, particularly in fall.

Upper Left. View south, Delaware River. Approx 3 miles north of downtown Easton. Lower Left: View east toward Warren County, New Jersey.

Gingko Tree at the Sayre Mansion Inn, Fountain Hill, Bethlehem.

I took the pictures below in Easton. Upper left: View north from the Toll Bridge. Middle Left: View south from Bridge on 3rd St. Lower Left: Foot Bridge at the Karl Stirner Art Trail. Right: Porter Street, College Hill.

Visit to the High Line-New York City 09/16/2020

Here are some pictures and a video I shot on the High Line in Manhattan during my visit to NYC. on Wednesday, 09/16/2020. I have always enjoyed walks along the High Line. I have been a fan of the elevated park since it opened in 2009.

I initially did not post the video below because my narration of the video while I was walking from the South end of the HL to the north end was not easy to understand due to the fact that I was wearing a mask. Subsequently, I edited the video and added some music as a soundtrack. I think the video turned out better with music.

Visit to The Edge at Hudson Yard, New York City

On Wednesday, September 16th, I visited The Edge at Hudson Yards, which is New York’s newest high altitude observation deck. The Edge opened back March, but it only remained open for a couple of weeks before it was closed when Covid-19 forced the entire city to shut down. I came very close to going to The Edge back in early March, but I postponed my trip because news of C-19 rapidly spreading The Edge is located on the 99th and 100th floors of 30 Hudson Yards, the tallest building in the Hudson Yards development. The Hudson Yards complex is located on the Westside of Manhattan, between 30th St. and 10th Avenue and 34th St. and 10th Avenue.

Here is a short video I made on the outdoor portion of the Observation Deck. It was a little windy up there, which I guess you have expect at that height. And I have to make a correction to something I said in the video regarding height. The Edge is 1,100 ft. in the air, not 1,000 ft., which I stated in video. The outdoor deck is 7,500 square feet and the glass walls on the deck are 9 ft. tall. The deck is comprised of 15 sections that were lifted by two cranes and bolted together.

View of Hudson Yards from the HighLine
Hudson Yards view from 34th St. and 9th Ave. The Outdoor observation deck is positioned on the North and East sides on 30 Hudson Yards.
The view East from the Indoor observation deck. Notable buildings you can see from this angle include the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the new One Vanderbilt, 432 Park Ave and 53W53.
View East from Indoor Deck
The view South from the Outdoor Observation deck. The Hudson River is to the right and One World Trade Center is straight ahead.
The view of the Outdoor Observation deck. There is glass triangle on the left that allows visitors to see straight down, On the right there bar that sells a variety of beverages, including soft drinks, beer , wine and champagne. I had a Brooklyn Beer. You have to sit on steps that like bleachers that rise above the deck while you have your drink. An Edge employee directs you to a location where you can sit so that proper social distancing is maintained.
View East toward Midtown Manhattan.
View of Westside, Central Park and Midtown.