Only in Bucks County: Fading Light in Newtown and Yardley

 

Did I mention that I hate this heat?

I wrote a post about that this time last year, and... NOTHING'S CHANGED. 

The only time I enjoy being outside has been in the early evening and at night.

Back in my Wedding photographer/Bar Mitzvah photographer days, I preferred taking portraits of people around 7:30-8:00 pm because of the lighting. No one looks bad in 8:00 pm summer light!

I'd never considered landscape photography as the day light fades, but I've been outside taking photos at twilight all summer and I'm so pleased with the way they look!

They capture the feeling of the end of a long summer day.

Low light can be challenging, especially without a tripod, but I am enjoying the challenge.

The photos below are completely unedited, and I think I've done a great job capturing the remaining light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The fading light is us, and we are, for a moment so brief, ... beautiful."

Gary Shteyngart, Super Sad True Love Story

 

Only in Bucks County: Flags and Flowers

I've always loved the Fourth of July.
Not necessarily attending the fireworks or the parades, but more the anticipation of the parades and fireworks. Dreaming up desserts to be made with fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries and whipped cream, being outside in the sun-warmed grass and clover, and the thought of America pulling together for the day. 

Independence Day is also a favorite time of year visually.

July sunsets are spectacular, and gardens are in full bloom. Fruit bushes are bursting with blueberries and black raspberries, and I absolutely love the color combination of red, white and blue. 

I've always been thrilled by the sight of a flag, even just a tiny paper flag on a wooden stick topping a vanilla cupcake, or a miniature one being carried by a child in a parade.



I love the white stars against a backdrop of navy blue. 

I love seeing the red and white stripes of the flag waving behind rows of powder blue hydrangeas.

I love seeing flags lined along a white picket fence, contrasting with green grass and orange tiger lilies. 

It is exciting to spot a huge American flag hung across the front of a barn, but also exciting to see a flag hanging above the the doorway of a pastel painted home.

It is such a grand icon. 

Patriotic, yes; but there is something about a red, white and blue flag placed in a bed of roses or planted amidst a raspberry bush, that to me, is also the embodiment of summer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                       New Hope, PA

 

                                   

                          Newtown, PA

 

 

 

 

                                              

 

                                                                                   

 

Yardley, PA

 

 

                         

 

 

 

 

                                                                    

Newtown, PA

 

"And she's getting threadbare and she's wearing thin

But she's in good shape for the shape she's in

Cause she's been through the fire before

And I believe she can take a whole lot more

So we raise her up every morning, we take her down every night
We don't let her touch the ground and we fold her up right
On second thought, I do like to brag
'Cause I'm mighty proud of the Ragged Old Flag."

 

~Johnny Cash, Ragged Old Flag 

 

 

 

July 4, 2014

 

 

 

Only in Bucks County: Patterson Farm

   

There is a 230 acre farm here in Yardley that for lack of better words, is semi-abandoned. It is said that it boasts some of the best soil conditions not just in Bucks County, but in all of Pennsylvania. Currently, 180 acres are being used for farming. Otherwise, the barns and buildings have been sitting neglected since 2006! The combination of it being somewhat utilized, but in other respects abandoned, makes for a mysterious backdrop for a photo shoot. For me, there is something about an uninhabited building, especially these beautiful barns and farmhouses, that stirs my imagination and intrigues.

Each time I visit Patterson Farm I am drawn to its history and feel a connection to the people who lived there in an earlier time.

These are some shots I've taken at Patterson Farm over the past few months:

 

 

Satterthwaite Barn.

 

                           

                             

 

 

The original 2 Bedrooms of Satterthwaite House date back to at least 1759.

 

 

 

I'm not one to share my view often when it comes to politics or issues that are highly debatable, but I have chosen a stance on this one, and believe me, there was a lot of research and reading to do.

To me, it is a not only a shame, but also an embarrasment to the township that these well-built and very necessary barns and structures are being left to decay!

 

 

 

It's history and it's magical.

It's magical history.

SAVE PATTERSON FARM!

 

 

 

 

"The earth is given as a common stock for man to labor and live on."

~Thomas Jefferson