Equinox on the Beach...almost

So a couple of years ago we had a little equinox party on the beach. Last year we fell foul of the weather gods, but this year we were back in their good graces so the tradition continued (tradition being very loosely interpreted here).

The weather was glorious and the libations were uplifting and there was a pleasant coming and going of people which lasted until sunset. At that point the remaining ten sacrificed the goat, watched summer slip away and then made the long climb back up the bluff to their lives.

I must say that there is nothing quite like spending the day on the shore with its repetitious rush of wave to beach, accompanied by the wind in the leaves, shishing back and forth like calloused hands rubbing together. All this lit by the yellow sun that has lost its white summer intensity and glows instead of shines in a soft blue sky.

Brian brought some fish and we put them out in the water a ways. It was a bit tricky getting them into the bottom of the lake because of all of the stone, and then at the moment we decided to put them in the water, the surf decided to kick up. Although the water was actually warmer than the air, I was a bit offended at the assault. The way the fish were leaping out of the water was made even more appealing by their movements caused by the waves. It was a nice little kinetic effect and in the end well worth the dampening of our parts.

I made a couple of circles while we were there. The stick circle really looked nice in the afternoon light and made an interesting counterpoint to the setting sun. This weekend I will go down and see what is left of the pieces and I may have some time to do a little work.

And when the sunset finally came it was a beauty as several have been of late. And so we mark the end of another summer and enter into Erie's most beautiful months...September and October. In the perfect world they have our September and October every month.

Happy Equinox.

Revisiting Some Old Work

I have not been able to go down to the beach in a while, and when that happens I always get a little jumpy, not getting my fix. I also worry about the vandalism, which always puts me in a dark place. I suppose I should practice a little Buddhist detachment, but that just might be something I won't be able to get to in this incarnation. If the waves swept things clear, I could live with that, but human folly...

This Saturday in the afternoon, weather permitting, there will be a little equinoctial gathering of some of the tribe. Some art types, colleague types, friend types, neighbor types, so if you are in the neighborhood and care to stop by and share a moment, you are welcome. If the lake gods cooperate we'll stay for the sunset.

I was just going through my files and pulled up a few images from the past to post for the selfish purpose of seeing them again....

This is the time of year when any new stone comes as a gift of storms. So additional work on the Stonewave will be minimal for the most part and I'll start working on some smaller temporary pieces and do repairs on the vandalized parts and other touch-up work before the snow flies, at least that is what the sunset usually says around the equinox.

Crazy Things Washing Ashore

So, on the actual day of Labor Day, I couldn't really do much stone work because of the conditions, so in keeping with the Dao of the beach, I spent the evening working with sticks. Of which there is an abundance as of late. Little sticks. Nice little sticks most of them. It's like the Exxon Valdez crashed off the coast carrying a cargo of sticks. So, I went back to the circle idea and tried a couple of variations. I'm getting better at these things and in the end, I liked the way this looked in the raking light of the afternoon sun.

And there was a beautiful sunset to finish the day off, so I guess this counts as a pretty good day to be alive.

And for you recent commenters, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

The New Wave Grows

Well, the Labor Day weekend turned out to be laborious. I spent about 4 hours a day on the beach as the water was calm and clear and the weather warm. Ideal conditions that have occurred only three times this summer. So the Stonewave has grown substantially. This is what it looks like from out on the water a ways. Took a little boat ride courtesy of a beach neighbor. The forms are not exactly what I'm shooting for, but once weather turns I can rework the wave crests to make them closer to what I want. If the elements permit, I might also get the fourth wave crest in before winter.


This is what it looks like from land and at this angle the waves look more like what I want them to look like.


Just since this Fall, the wall has stopped so much sediment from running into the lake that the ground at the back of the wall is now two feet higher than the beach side. The plant life is pretty lush as well.

The view from behind the wall out towards the lake is kind of interesting in the light at this time of the year as the sun barely clears the bluffs to light up the back of the wall.

I like the curve of the front of this wave and the color of stone and vegetation is quite pleasant. Very late summer in feel, if you ask me.

In the last two photos, the late afternoon sun really changes the stones' attitudes and they start to feel quite pleased with themselves, almost to the point where they imagine themselves stonework fit for El Dorado.