That Rare October Day

 

So, I went down to the beach on Sunday, which was as beautiful a day as Saturday was wretched, (unless you are a jellyfish, or a slime mold or a native of Venus, in which case our opinions would likely be reversed). The sky was mostly clear. There was a fresh northwest breeze steadily pushing the rollers in, so that there was a constant sussuration that was only occasionally pierced by some sea gulls objecting to something that wasn't evident to me from my vantage point. And in this little acre of space-time, I was able to gather about 100 stones cast up on shore by the lake's fluid labors.

I didn't have time to set any of them, as there is a time for every purpose under heaven and this was gathering time, not stacking time.

After I was finished lugging these stones to the storage area, I paused to take a few pictures. Unfortunately, the wall remains entirely in the shade of the bluff at this time of the year in the afternoon, so the pictures lack a bit, where the drama of high contrast, raking light is concerned. The first picture shows an opening in the western end of the wall through which you can see the checkdam wall behind it and the bluff rising up beyond that. Very pretty in the afternoon light, with some Lothlorienesque yellows and greens. Hopefully the picture captures a little of that.

 

 The second picture is of a triangular niche to the right of the opening in the previous picture. This niche I have been filling with white cobbles whenever I get the chance. Because of the rain, some of the cobbles are a bit off color, but when they are dry it is a pretty uniform white.

 

This is a pile of cobbles that sits in front of the wall, just where it starts to rise up and connect with the checkdam. Every time I go down I try to stack some cobbles on the pile to make it taller, without letting it get any wider. I'm wondering how high I can get it before the waves come to reclaim the stone.

 

 

Here is the opening from the first photo taken from the inside looking out to the lake. I had hoped to get a bit of surf in the picture, but I think the sun shining on the beach overexposed the background. it looked pretty nice in real life.

 

This is the checkdam. Now it is near full of sediment washing off of the hillside. From an aesthetic point of view there is not much happening in this image, but one of these days when the foliage is down and the light is just right I'll get a shot that is nod-worthy.

 

I'll post another five images next week if I get a little cooperation from the elements. It is starting to approach my idea of what it should be. Until then...

A Busted Equinox, but Still Here

 So, the equinox passed and although the observation of the event took place, it was by a reduced body of celebrants because of the weather. I really thought that it couldn't possibly rain all day as the cloud cover was pretty thin and how much water could actually be up there? I was wrong on that count, so we got down to the lake for about 45 minutes when the sky blue up. Then a new wall of cloud rolled in and that was that for the remainder of the day. So it goes.

I have been plugging along on the beachwork and it is getting monstrous. Shi Huang Di would be jealous. I am waiting for a sunny day to photograph its current manifestation, but that is an endangered species in Erie in the month of October. In the mean-time I finished another big altarpiece. The photo below is what it looks like when it is closed. When it is open it looks like the second image. It is 24" x 48" and it is currently in a show in Warren, Ohio. Turned out OK I guess. So, although I have neglected the blog for a while, I have been working like an electrified squirrel.
I'm still here.