The Keystone State - Pennsylvania

This group is for all the Pennsylvanian artists out there in bubbleland and is open to all genres (art, writing and t-shirts).

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Featured Work

Free Bridge To Phillipsburg by Bridges

This beautiful old bridge connects Phillipsburg, NJ to Easton, PA. It is known locally as the “Free Bridge” because a newer four-lane highway bridge was built half-a-mile north and requires a 75 cent toll to cross from Nj into PA (no charge going the other way). These bridges cross the Delaware River (the one made famous by George Washington’s crossing during the Revolutionary War). Here the full moon is captured within the superstructure of the the bridge.
Coming From The Steel by Bridges

Bethlehem Steel was once one of the mighty industrial complexes in America. The plant was about half-a-mile wide and over five miles long as it stretched like a huge python through Bethlehem’s south side along the Lehigh River. During WWII seven furnaces roared 24/7 as tens of thousands of workers built the steel machinery and parts that helped win the war. The 16” guns on the mighty battleships were manufactured here. Before, during, and after the war, The Steel provided the super structures for most of the great buildings and bridges in New York and Philadelphia. Now for several years the plant has been closed. A victim of the smaller and more agile mini mills and the price of imported steel, all operations finally ceased. The still standing blast furnaces are a sad reminder to the glory days of this past great business.
West Market At Main, Bethlehem, PA by Bridges

This is one of the main intersections in downtown Bethlehem. Bethlehem is known as the Christmas City. It has wonderful charm to it’s downtown with great street lights and a practice of street entertainment during several festivals throughout the year. Musikfest is one of the largest music festivals in the country and draws a crowd of over a million people over it’s 10 day run.
First Moravian Church, Bethlehem, PA by Bridges

This is the Moravian Church in Downtown Bethlehem, PA. It is the home church of Moravian College and also of the well known Bach Choir.
Bethlehem As It Was, and Is by Bridges

This image makes me think of times past. This is looking across the Lehigh River to the south side of Bethlehem. In the past it was an area of blue collar workers, many who were immigrants of German, Irish, and Polish decent. It was an area of row homes and deep faith in both God and the human experience. It was a time of families that passed work at the steel mill on from generation to generation. The air was bad and smog was trapped by the south mountains rising up behind the city. Somehow people survived, raised families, maintained. The steel is gone now and most of the people living on the south side are involved in a mirid of service jobs from working at Lehigh University to truck driving to working in one of the many distribution centers that have grown up in the area. The air is much better now but on occassion a gentle fog rolls in from the river and brings back the memories of times past.
Street Music by Bridges

This was a trumpet solo within a number being performed by a four musician group in the middle of Main Street in Bethlehem, PA. Musikfest is one of the largest music festivals in the US. It is held each year in August and during it’s ten day run will draw over a million visits. Each night there is a headline show that costs from 20 to 40 dollars, but the majority of the shows are free. There are several tents the size of football fields that house everything from polkas to pop. Many of the performances are held in smaller venues or in the open air. Streets are closed off in the downtown area and street performers can be seen from ten a.m. until late in the night. There are beer gardens and tons of food booths that serve everything from ethnic favorites to carnival type foods like elephant ears. I would recommend anyone heading this way in August for a couple of days. If anyone is interested, let me know and I will send you a line-up of the shows for this year.
Fog Lifting Over Easton, PA by Bridges

A foggy morning is beginning to disolve. These houses sit across the tracks from Bethlehem, Steel which is now completely shut down.
Depot, Bethlehem, PA by Bridges

Now a very nice restaurant with great food and unique atmosphere. I like eating in the basement where it is tight and intimate amongst the stone foundations of the building.
Remnants Of The Steel by Bridges

This is part of a once mighty building that was part of Bethlehem Steel. The “Steel” as it was called locally, once stretched for 5 1/2 miles through the south side of Bethlehem, PA. All production stopped there several years ago. / This is a sad tribute to the decay of American Industry.
Full Moon Over Philadelphia by Bridges

I was standing at the top of the stairs at the Philadelphia Art Museum when I took this shot last June. If the scene looks familar, millions of people have viewed this cityscape through the eyes of Rocky from the movie by the same name! These were the steps Rocky used for his training before a boxing match. The view is similar, but not identical due to the construction of new buildings in Philly. The tall building in the center that is still under construction is now the tallest building between Manhattan and Miami. At the base of these stairs, on grass just to the left of this photo is a life sized bronze statue of Rocky.

Recent Work

Moon lit night by elisab

A combination of two shots, played around with in Photoshop. This shot was taken in Washington County Pennsyalvania, near the little village of Beallsville, Pennsylvania.
Forest Lane by RLHall

Lovely seasonal road through a dense forest, there seemed to be a greenish glow beneath the shade of the spring tree canopy as we drove through Fallbrook, Pennsylvania… taken end of May 2008 All artwork is © Rhonda L. Hall, All Rights Reserved. You may not use, replicate, manipulate, redistribute, or modify this image without my express consent.
Farm Overlook by Marita McVeigh

Photography. Along Route 6 in Wyalusing, Pa, (Bradford County). Roue 6 is one of the most scenic roads in the United States.
Along Route 6 by Marita McVeigh

Photography. A roadside stop along Route 6, Wyalusing, Pennsylvania. Bradford County. Route 6 is one of the top scenic roads in the United States.
Grand Canyon Of Pennsylvania by Marita McVeigh

Photography
Under a new bridge by al holliday

This shows the underside of the new Turnpike bridge near / Harrisburg, Pa. The two sides are separated, and that allows / for a near merging of them at the other end. Concrete was / pressed with a design, a touch of class that is unusual for / a large state organization.
Pennsylvania's Country Side by hallucingenic

taken while driving home on the backroads of Pennsylvania’s Country lands i think somewhere on route 8 between tionesta pa and erie
Amish Buggy by Judi Taylor

One of the most beautiful places where you can find country scenes can be found in the Pennsylvania Amish country. Luckily I live close to this area and drove around the Amish countryside. Here is a typicial Amish farm. Their means of travel is by horse and buggy. Here is a picture of one of those buggies. This picture was shot between Blue Ball, Pennsylvainia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Saturday night in Amish Country by Judi Taylor

The Amish people really do not care to have their picture taken. Here you can see the little boy is hiding his face with his hat. This picture was shot on Route 23 near Morgantown, Pennsylvania.
Writing

Keystone State Group Shoot August 8th…We will do our next group shoot on August 8th in the Nazareth, PA area. We will meet at 8;30 at the Perkins Restaurant at the intersectio…

We will do our next group shoot on August 8th in the Nazareth, PA area. We will meet at 8;30 at the Perkins Restaurant at the intersection of Hwy. 22 and 191. We will have breakfast and get acquainted prior to starting the shoot. Bridges will be our host and he provided this information regarding the plans for the day: “I have a special treat now that the date has been set. Musikfest will be going on at that time and we will end the day there. Musikfest is one of the largest music festivals in the U.S. It runs over a 10 day period with hundreds of shows – mostly free! It usually draws about a million visits depending on the weather. We will park in the shopping center across from Perkins after having breakfast. There we will decide which of three routes to take – South along 611 into Washington’s crossing and Doylestown, up 611 to the Delaware Water Gap, or Northwest to Jim Thorpe and Glen Onoko. We will try to be back in the parking lot around 5 p.m. and those that want to depart can, the others can board a shuttle bus that runs (I think $4 for all day round trip fares as well as around the festival) to the Musikfest area of Bethlehem and stay as long as they wish. I think the festival goes until 10 or 11 p.m.” It should be a fun day and will be held rain or shine. So, come meet fellow Keystone State “bubblers” and possibly pick up some tips and tricks to help get those great photos we all seek. Russ
River Sunset by hallucingenic

taken in Tionesta Pennsylvania in aug. of 2007. no special effects to it just a pic as the sun was going down in the mountains.
Writing

2 Special Thank Yous …Thanks very much to the person who anonymously purchased a card of my image “fun house”. Your support is greatly appreciated! / And… / A …

Thanks very much to the person who anonymously purchased a card of my image “fun house”. Your support is greatly appreciated! / And… / A very special Thank You to Nancy Fischer not just for her purchases but for all of the great advice and help she gave me in getting my folio off the ground. Thank you both!