Bucks County, Pennsylvania in Autumn, 2022: Landscape Photographs

"Like a river that don't know where it's flowing,

I took a wrong turn and I just kept going."

Bruce Springsteen

Last week, my 98-year-old mom hosted Thanksgiving, and we were so fortunate to share it with family and friends. This was our first in-person Thanksgiving with the Friedman side of the family since before Covid, so being together was particularly special. 

The holiday offers a chance to reflect on the many things for which I am grateful, including close relationships, health, meaningful work, a loving wife and two sons who make me proud every day, and many other things. Regarding my photography, I am fortunate to have a good camera, lenses, filters, and editing software. However, I believe photography is much more than equipment. It starts with pausing, noticing and appreciating those things in our surroundings that are beautiful or interesting. From an early age, I saw how my mom noticed little things in her surroundings, and how she approaches life with a sense of awe and curiosity. To this day, she appreciates the beauty of the trees which form a canopy over her back yard, the tulips which decorate the front of her house each spring, and the unique beauty offered by each season and each day.  Quite often, she still goes to a local beach or marina evening to enjoy the day's setting sun. How lucky I am to have a role model who pauses to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, and who has nurtured my own creativity!

In Bucks County, our historical sites and natural beauty are all enhanced by fall foliage, dense fog, or a hint of morning frost.  What follows is collection of photographs that I took this autumn, between September 20th and November 29th. This includes some of my favorite local spots, such as the Delaware Canal and Towpath, Yardley's Lake Afton, New Hope, the Delaware River, and Patterson Farm.

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving, and I hope my photos encourage you to pause to appreciate the unique beauty of each season and each moment.

Old Tree in Fog, River Road, Washington Crossing,
Pennsylvania, September 20, 2022.

Delaware Canal, Towpath and Footbridge in early morning
fog, Delaware CanalState Park, New Hope,
Pennsylvania, September 20, 2022.

View of New Hope Pennsylvania in early morning fog, as
seen across the Delaware River from Lambertville,
New Jersey, September 20, 2022.

Bowman's Hill, New Hope, Pennsylvania, October 8, 2022.

Delaware Canal, Washington Crossing,
Pennsylvania, October 18, 2022

Delaware Canal and Towpath, New Hope,
Pennsylvania, October 18, 2022.

Unknown Soldiers' Grave, Washington Crossing Historic Park
(North Section), New Hope, Pennsylvania, October 18, 2022.

Washington Crossing Historic Park (Southern Section),
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, October 25, 2022.

Tree in Fog, Aquatong Road, New Hope,
Pennsylvania, October 25, 2022.

Delaware Canal and Towpath, Yardley, Pennsylvania, (view facing north from Black Rock Road), October 26, 2022.

Delaware Canal and Towpath, Yardley, Pennsylvania,
(View facing south, near Black Rock Road), October 26, 2022.

Delaware Canal and Towpath, New Hope, Pennsylvania,
(view facing north, taken a few minutes before sunrise,
in the northern section of Washington Crossing Historic Park), October 30, 2022.

Delaware Canal and Towpath, New Hope, Pennsylvania,
(Early morning fog, just after sunrise, a few miles north
of town), October 30, 2022.

Virginia Forrest Recreation Area, Delaware Canal State Park,
New Hope, Pennsylvania, October 30, 2022.

Lake Afton and the Old Library, Yardley,
Pennsylvania, October 31, 2022.

View across the Delaware River from the Centre Bridge section
of Solebury Township, Pennsylvania towards Stockton,
New Jersey, November 8, 2022.

Old Tree and Rising Sun, Yardley, Pennsylvania, (next to the ramp between Yardley Newtown Road and Route 295), November 12, 2022.

Washington Crossing Historic Park (south section), Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, November 12, 2022.

Lake Afton, Yardley, Pennsylvania, November 15, 2022.

Patterson Farm, Yardley, Pennsylvania, taken about 10
minutes before sunrise, November 19, 2022

Durham Boats on the Delaware River, Washington Crossing
Historic Park, Pennsylvania. (view facing south,
taken about 20 minutes before sunrise, in the south
section of the park), November 28, 2022.

Durham Boats on the Delaware River, Washington Crossing
Historic Park, Pennsylvania. This is the view facing north,
about 15 minutes before sunrise, in the south section of the
park, November 28, 2022.

Delaware Canal, Yardley, Pennsylvania. (Taken
at sunrise from the bridge on E. Afton
Avenue), November 29, 2022

 

Beauty in the Fog: Landscape Photographs of Bucks County, Pennsylvania on Foggy Mornings

"The truth is a fog, in which one man sees the heavenly host 

and the other one sees a flying elephant."

-Terry Pratchett

Each season offers different opportunities for landscape photographers in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  As late summer gives way to early autumn, morning fog often makes the familiar appear new and interesting. At times there is a feeling of mystery. At times landscapes take on a lovely pastel tone.  At times the fog combined with the rising sun allows for beautiful silhouettes.  At times the fog alters our "usual" experience of perspective, as bridges and paths seem to disappear into the distance.  At times, as the fog begins the clear, the remaining colors have a unique richness.  What what follows is a small collection of photographs that I took on foggy mornings in Bucks County between late August and early October, 2018.

Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge in early morning fog.
Lumberville, Pennsylvania.  8/28/18.

Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge in early morning fog.
Lumberville, Pennsylvania.  8/28/18.

Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge in early 
morning fog, with a touch of backlighting.  
Lumberville, Pennsylvania.  8/28/18.

Silhouette of the Lumberville-Raven Rock Bridge and a bicyclist in fog,
with backlighting from the early morning sun. Lumberville, Pennsylvania. 8/28/18.

Cabin Run Creek from under the Loux Covered Bridge, in
early morning light.  Plumstead Township, Pennsylvania.  8/28/18.

Calhoun Street Bridge in early morning fog,
Morrisville, Pennsylvania.  9/16/18.

Washington Crossing Bridge and the Delaware River, in early morning fog. 
Washington Crossing Historic Park, Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania.  9/16/18.

Row of sycamore trees in early morning fog, Washington Crossing State Park, 
Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania.  9/16/18.

The "Trenton Makes The World Takes" Bridges, just 
after sunrise. (from Trenton, New Jersey, looking
back at Morrisville, Pennsylvania.)  9/29/18.

The West Trenton Railroad Bridge in early
morning Fog, Yardley, Pennsylvania.  9/29/18.

The Delaware River and Bowman's Hill in early 
morning fog, Upper Makefield Twp., Pennsylvania.  10/2/18.

Delaware Canal State Park, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  10/2/18.

Frankenfield Covered Bridge and its reflection "framing"
the fall foliage in the Tinicum Creek,
Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania. (10/2/18).

Frankenfield Covered Bridge reflected in the Tinicum Creek,
Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania. (10/2/18).

Blue Heron in Morning Fog along the Delaware Canal
and Towpath, Yardley, Pennsylvania. (10/10/18).

The Delaware Canal and Towpath disappearing 
into morning fog in Yardley, Pennsylvania. (10/10/18).

2017 Year in Review: Josh Friedman's Photographs

“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photography is always a creative process in which I feel fully "in the moment" - whether I'm capturing the tranquil beauty of country road or the angles, lines and reflections in a modern skyscraper. I recognize that over the past year, photography has provided moments of respite from disturbing headlines and feeling of divisiveness in our country.  I hope that 2018 brings us a renewed sense of compassion, decency, respect, understanding and unity.

What follows are a few of my favorite or most meaningful photos from the past year.  Usually, once I post my annual "year in review," I question why I included some, and why I excluded others.  I suspect that this collection is no different.

Best wishes for the holiday season and new year.

One World Trade Center ("The Freedom Tower"), New York City.

Calhoun Street Bridge, Crossing the Delaware River
between West Trenton, New Jersey and Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

First Light on Bowman's Hill, behind the
Thompson-Neely Mill, New Hope, Pennsylvania

Cascadilla Gorge, Ithaca, New York.

The Old Library reflected in Lake Afton in Spring,
Yardley, Pennsylvania (Bucks County).

St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Delaware Canal State Park,
Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania (Bucks County).

"It Takes One Person: A Tribute to Rosa Parks,"
mural in West Philadelphia. 

Patterson Farm in Spring, Yardley, Pennsylvania (Bucks County).

• "Wisdom" Statue, Rockefeller Center, New York City, NY.

Cuttalossa Farm, New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Dixieland jazz performers on Royal Street. 
New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Delaware Canal and Towpath, Yardley, Pennsylvania. 

"Trenton Makes" Bridge at Dusk, West Trenton, New Jersey.

 Alcoa Corporate Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, near the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, in the City's North Side.

Sunflowers, Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Delaware Canal and Towpath, Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, New Hope, Pennsylvania. 

Route 32, New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Delaware River in Yardley, Pennsylvania (Bucks County).

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Old Library reflected in Lake Afton,
Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Cira Centre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Delaware Canal State Park, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Lake Afton, Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Abandoned Truck, Pipersville, Pennsylvania.

Cuttalossa Road, New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Delaware and Raritan Canal, Lambertville, New Jersey.

Patterson Farm, Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Tujague's and Balconies on Decatur Street, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Mahlon Taylor House, Washington Crossing
 Historic Park, Pennsylvania.