bucks county

autumn at core creek…geese, deer, and a chance of humans...lake luxembourg

in

The thousands of geese are filling three of Nature’s elements this time of year: the Air, the Waters of Lake Luxembourg, and the Earth of the surrounding fields. The deer, thankfully, stick to the fields only. The weekend crowds of humans have faded; now I just sightsee the odd one here and there.

It’s the best stretch of the year: colorful, calm, pleasant, and quiet. Great light, great air, and nobody bothering anybody.

The views are so good it’s almost unfair. Choosing which photos to share was the real challenge. Your screens won’t show every tiny detail in the images, so I added a few close-up crops to give you a sense of what you’re missing.

Close-up crop of a tiny middle section of the panorama above

Close-up crop of a middle section of the image above

core creek park and lake...50 shades of green

in

After multiple rains, Core Creek Park is showing off. The leaves look freshly rinsed - more spring than summer. Shades of green are everywhere. Every path is lined with color - soft, deep, vibrant, layered, and alive.

The regulars are back: dog walkers, geese, deers - everyone enjoying the calm.

lost in time...winter on newtown’s last farm

in

We settled in Newtown Township in 1996, right on the edge of Newtown Borough - a small town of about 2,000 people. Back then, our backyard overlooked farmland, with open fields stretching in all directions.

Fast forward to the 2020s, and the landscape has completely transformed. The farms that once surrounded us have disappeared, replaced by single-family homes, condominiums, and shopping centers. Though the area still retains its suburban charm with plenty of green spaces and parks, the only farm that remains nearby is Shady Brook Farm.

Shady Brook Farm, in particular, has seen rapid development around it. With condominiums and commercial buildings now encroaching on its borders, its future feels uncertain. Sadly, these might be its final years. A landscape once timeless, now fading into memory.

I drive by its fields daily, taking in the ever-changing scenery - vast open spaces, an unobstructed sky filled with dramatic or cheerful clouds, and the shifting colors of the seasons. This winter has been unusually warm, with little snow. Here’s a glimpse of how it looks nowadays - starting with bare fields,

then a light dusting of snow as the snowfall begins to accumulate,

and finally, a snow-covered field

lake luxembourg...shinrin-yoku

in

Lake Luxembourg is my go-to spot for practicing shinrin-yoku - or forest bathing. This Japanese relaxation practice is all about slowing down, being calm among the trees, and soaking in the beauty of nature. It’s as simple as using your senses to observe the little details around you.

When I’m there, I sit or walk quietly with a camera, staying mindful of my surroundings. The trick is to leave daily worries behind and focus on the moment—like watching forest creatures go about their day.

Nature’s colors and sounds are incredibly soothing. While some people find green and blue the most relaxing, my favorite palette leans toward muted yellows, earthy browns and reds. On my last visit, the scene was perfect: withered grass glades, bare trees, and a frozen lake under the soft light of a cloudy winter sky.

There wasn’t any snow, and the place was completely deserted - except for a lone gray heron. These birds are usually pretty shy, but the frozen lake and quiet surroundings seemed to make it feel at ease, standing out in the open.

It was a peaceful moment, just me and the heron, soaking up the tranquility of the season.

kind of snowy days...

in

For a couple of days, our surroundings were covered with snow. One day was very sunny, another was foggy. On the foggy day, as I made my way to Lake Luxembourg, I stumbled upon an amazing sight - a double spiral of wheel tracks in the snow, bare tree trunks, and a field dissolving in the fog. I was in a hurry to get to the lake and didn't bother to stop. I wandered around the lake, but the spiral wouldn't let me go. I stopped near it on the way back and captured this scene. It turned out to be the best shot in the series, although the others didn't disappoint either.

Whirling in the Winter Wonderland

Generally, when I select candidate images for printing, I 'season' them for weeks or even months, observing whether my feelings about the images have changed. This time, I was so confident in its quality that I printed, framed, and displayed 'Whirling in the Winter Wonderland' without delay.

Whirling in the Winter Wonderland

Here is a small selection of images from the series.

Sunny day at the lake

Foggy day at the lake

Time to fly

Time to chill

Leave me alone

On the hunt for a lunch companion

peaceable kingdom

in

Quaker Minister and America’s foremost primitive painter, Edward Hicks, resided and was buried just a mile away from my Newtown residence. He is best known for his ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ pictures, of which sixty-two exist, and he might had painted over a hundred of them. Hick’s house is still there and there is a ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ playground located a couple of blocks from it.

The ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ paintings depict a prophecy in the Book of Isaiah (11:6):

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
…
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain

Peaceable Kingdom playground, Newtown, PA

The prophecy is commonly perceived as a description of a state of harmony among all creatures, a state of peace as opposed to war. However, it is hard to believe that Hicks spent so much time on a series that spanned half of his life, from 1816 to 1847, to convey such a simple message.

The prophecy could be perceived on a deeper existential level as a description of a place where there is no death and no time - a blessed land where nothing changes, the feature frequently associated with an afterlife. Hicks being a Minister most probably perceived it as such and presented his reflections in the ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ series.

Many great intellectuals contemplated over the centuries the mystery of life, death, and possibility of the afterlife. Although they did not come any closer to resolving the mystery, at least they tried and left after magnificent descriptions of their views. Among them, in my humble opinion, is one of the most profound poetic works of the XX century - ‘The Great Elegy for John Donne’ by Joseph Brodsky. Here is the description of the ‘Peaceable Kingdom’ from this elegy:

The radiance of that Country does not fade.

From thence all here seems a faint, fevered dream.

From thence our Lord is but a light that gleams,

through fog, in window of the farthest house.

The fields lie fallow, furrowed by no plow.

The years lie fallow, and the centuries.

Forests alone stand, like a steady wall.

Enormous rains batter the dripping grass.

...All things are distant. What is near is dim.

The level glance slides from a roof remote.

All here is bright. No din of baying hound

or tolling bell disturbs the silent air.

Joseph Brodsky - The Great Elegy for John Donne

И климат там недвижен, в той стране.

Откуда всё, как сон больной в истоме.

Господь оттуда -- только свет в окне

туманной ночью в самом дальнем доме.

Поля бывают. Их не пашет плуг.

Года не пашет. И века не пашет.

Одни леса стоят стеной вокруг,

а только дождь в траве огромной пляшет.

...Всё, всё вдали. А здесь неясный край.

Спокойный взгляд скользит по дальним крышам.

Здесь так светло. Не слышен псиный лай.

И колокольный звон совсем не слышен.

Иосиф Бродский - Большая элегия Джону Донну

And here is an image from my ‘Venetian Masks’ series inspired by the elegy. One with sharp vision could even discern ‘windows of the farthest house’ in the upper right corner.

Peaceable Kingdom

tyler park...hanukkah eve

in

A peaceful windless Hanukkah Eve at the Tyler Park

It’s the perfect condition for practicing the art of stone skipping and skimming

Geese flocks are heading to the Lake Luxemburg for a good night sleep

A lonely paraglider is exploiting this golden opportunity

to fly with feathered companions

before landing in his back yard to get home in time for Hanukkah celebration