Seasonal Touches in Shippensburg

Walking through town today in search of good subjects for tomorrow's annual Samhain post, I caught these seasonal scenes.

Episcopal Square on North Prince Street

A scarecrow family on Orange Street

Richwalter Street in Hollar Heights

Ivy overruns a sign in one of Shippensburg's back alleys

A seasonally decorated planter along King Street

Branch Creek from the King Street bridge

A front stoop display along King Street

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Autumn Leaves

I did my weekly walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park this morning, mainly because it's supposed to be pouring rain tomorrow morning and I have a doctor's appointment Monday (my post-op follow-up). And today's walk was absolutely gorgeous! The Fall color is definitely in full swing here, and it was overcast, so the color really popped. Come for a walk with me and see.

One of the Ginkgo trees along King St. near the post office is in full color

Lots of color along the creek as it runs between the baseball fields

The forest's edge along the Dykeman Walking Trail

The best place to view this patch of color is from the other side of the north duck pond

Along the shore of the north duck pond

Walking along the trail as it follows the creek toward the red bridge

Another angle on the creek as it runs between the ball fields, this time on the way back out

And now for some appropriate music! I had already decided to include Eva Cassidy's cover of the popular standard Autumn Leaves, specifically the live version from the 1996 gig at Blues Alley. What I didn't expect to find was this magnificent film produced by Passepartout Films mixing that Blues Alley clip with an orchestral background by the London Symphony Orchestra and some really spectacular photography. Ahhhhhhhh! The perfect cap on a lovely walk. Enjoy!

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger

It's Getting To Look Like Autumn

Today I took my first walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park since being released from the hospital after my stent procedure. It felt great to be walking in nature again. Of course, the first thing I noticed is that everything is starting to look a lot more Autumnal now. Here are some scenes from the walk.

Entering the park by the "back door" on the Dykeman Walking Trail

Along the trail in the wetland

On the other side of the north duck pond, looking at the wetland and woods

A view of the north duck pond

Leaving the park - the creek as it travels through the baseball fields

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Autumn!

"How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.”

— John Burroughs

Today is the Autumnal Equinox, the start of my favorite half of the year! I put together a new slideshow of many of the Fall foliage shots I've taken through the years, both here and in Newport. Here are a few of those photos, and then follows the slideshow, set to George Winston's "Woods" from his album Autumn on Windham Hill. 

Happy Fall, y'all! 

Miantonomi Park, Newport RI

On the Rail Trail near Shippensburg, PA

Mallards on Gooseneck Cove in Newport

Ginkgo extravagance on the sidewalks of Shippensburg

 

© 2019 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Mixed Messages

We were hit by our first storm of the season, with lots of snow and cold temperatures. Yet it doesn't exactly look like Winter. Sure, there are bare trees, but there are also trees with the characteristic Fall foliage colors, as well as trees with green foliage. All with snow on the ground. I'm so confused! Here's what today's weekly Sunday walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature park looked like.

Along the Dykeman Walking Trail

In the Dykeman Spring wetland

Where the Dykeman Spring creek passes under the railroad tracks

The creek at the red bridge

The north duck pond

Leaving the park at the east end of the meadow

© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

This Week's Sunday Walk in the Park

You'd think that after a week's worth of photography last week while I was on vacation I'd take a break from the Sunday walk in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park this week. Nope, I still need my meditative wander and sit in my local refuge. And there are always things to see and take note of, no matter how frequently I wander through. We had a very heavy frost overnight, and the temps were still in the mid 20s (about -4º C) as I walked this morning, all of which has an effect on the landscape. The woods still have some autumnal color, but after some stiff wind the last few days the foliage is starting to look a little ragged and bare, which has a peculiar charm of its own. And a young (probably hatched this past Spring) female Northern Flicker sat still long enough for me to do a mini shoot of five photos. It was definitely a good walk!

The woods are starting to look a little ragged

A stand of Maples up by the railroad tracks

Along the Dykeman Walking Trail

This pretty little girl seemed to want to have her picture taken

A Maple sapling by the north duck pond

Timber Hill seems to loom over the neighborhood on Mainsville Rd. Taken from up on the meadow.

© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

A Visit to a Covered Bridge

Yesterday I hiked up to the covered bridge over Conodoguinet Creek in Newburg. Heh, heh! Fourteen miles round trip, and I'm still hobbled up today, although it's loosening up as the day progresses. I think my days of marathon hikes may be over. But the trip was worth it. It was the perfect Fall day, and while the trees may be getting somewhat barer, there's still color going on, which makes the scenery along the way photogenic. Plenty of farms and woods and country roads, and North/Blue Mountain always looming over the landscape, and a covered bridge - perfect!

The typical Central PA farm scene along Britton Rd

More scenery along Britton Rd., with Fall foliage and the mountain

An interesting "tree garden" along East Creek Rd.

Approaching the bridge

The bridge's bones revealed in the interior

A very scenic decorative pond on a farm on Fox Hill Rd.

A scene along Fox Hill Rd.

The last stretch - heading home on the Rail Trail

Today is the last day of my vacation; it's back to work tomorrow. It's raining and cool, so it's a good day to kick back with a mug of coffee and show pictures of my vacation. Enjoy!

© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Up on South Mountain

Today I went up on South Mountain with my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. We went up to Laurel Lake in the Pine Grove Furnace State Park and then on to King's Gap, a site that overlooks the whole Cumberland Valley from atop the mountain. We had some adventures along the way, due mostly to the car's GPS being a tad wonky and leading us over the top of the mountain on a gravel fire road, and telling us we'd arrived at King's Gap when we were obviously in the middle of nowhere. But despite that it was worth the adventure for the photos that resulted. Come take a look.

Looking across Laurel Lake from the beach on the north shore

Looking across the lake from the south shore

Another south shore view

Looking east toward the dam

Looking west from the dam

Looking north across the Cumberland Valley from King's Gap

Another view across the valley

One more look across the valley

© 2018 by A. Roy Hilbinger