Welcome to Balanced Rocks: Pictures and Stories

Beginning March 16,2010, I began a journey of balancing rocks. I hold to the practice of setting to balance at least five sculptures a day, sometimes, many more. Of these I take lots of pictures and videos. While conducting this adventure, I have been introduced to an incredible unfolding story. Additionally, I discovered this phenomenon is manifesting worldwide. As I post pictures and stories, I found many others similarly engaged and sharing their works. Additionally, as folks come upon me performing my work, many want to find out how this is done and try themselves. This blog shares this work in both pictures and stories. Enjoy

Yin/Yang

Yin/Yang
A seeming impossibility becomes possible

Rock Balancing: The Beginning

On a fine summer day, sometime in August, 2009, I was visiting family in Toronto. Like most folks spending summer in a large city, we used up as much time as we could finding outdoor events that would cool us. One afternoon, we headed to the Beaches section of East Toronto. After spending some time playing in a large sandbox in the shade with my grandkids and some of their newfound companions, we headed to the Boardwalk that extends from Balmy Beach to Kew Gardens. Ella accompanied me, Liam took off with his mom, Natalie. They ventured down the boardwalk, Ella and I headed onto the sand toward the water’s edge. Halfway there we encountered what looked like a small size Stonehenge.

About a dozen sculptures were gathered together in a rough circle. Each was a stack of two or three rocks balanced one on another. The tallest one was slightly taller than Ella, who was small average height for a five year older. All were in the neighborhood of three feet and four feet tall. What immediately jumped out was the precarious nature of the balancing. Most points of contact were miraculously slight. Most seemed to be standing on a point. Two more folks were witnessing this amazing display. We imagined that there must be small metal rods embedded at the point of contact, or else some kind of glue was used. Each of us peered from close low angles to detect what could account for this mystical display. Ella, not being so cautious, toppled one structure over. Luckily, it did not land on her.

I hurried over and picked up the fallen rock. I saw no evidence of a rod or glue. It indeed had been balanced on its pedestal. I lifted it up and tried to place it back where I reckoned it had been balanced. I cautioned Ella, to be careful and not upset any more sculptures and went about the task of finding balance. I was not successful and struggled immensely but did not find the magic spot where stability could be achieved. After a lengthy effort, an attractive Asian woman about my age approached and gently nudged me aside offering to demonstrate her work. She pointed to the spot she would set the stone upon. She called it by a foreign name. To me it looked like a slight dimple.

Placing the small end of the upper rock into that hollow, she deftly and quickly moved it around, slightly twisting and cajoling it into position. The sight of this slender woman with longish graying hair performing an intricate dance with a rock slightly larger than her head emanated calmness. It seemed only the ends of her fingers were used to achieve these small movements. Apparently, equilibrium was close. Shortly she was done and withdrew her palms which naturally assumed an open prayer posture. The rock I had grappled with was majestically resting in its previous stable state. She next went over and reset two other structures, I had not noticed were also amiss. I just took them to be part of the rubble strewn about the beach. Now all the display was standing and providing a small sense of order in our chaotic world.

I never got this woman’s name, but heard her story. She had set this display up for the purpose of taking pictures, one of which she hoped to use for a cover of a book she was publishing. Unfortunately not getting her name makes it difficult to find her book. But I carried away with me the sight of her presentation and the incredible feeling I had witnessed an amazing ethereal event. I also felt an urge to explore this practice.

Rock in the Snow

Rock in the Snow
January in Toronto

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Completing the circle. August, 1990: Mindemoya, ON

We just spent a night enjoying our first real beds, warm showers, shelter from winds and rain on our trip. It was before light when we arose, got some coffee, and walked over to the western shore of Lake Superior to watch the sun rise from out of the waters. Now the lake was mimicking the Atlantic Ocean that springs the sun upon those living on the east coast of the United States. After reflecting upon our journey and goal to find a waterfall, we were satisfied that our objective was accomplished and grateful that we also got immersed in waters of the spirit. Given our time frame, it now it seemed the point to head back home. Attached to our motel was a restaurant, so before heading out, we enjoyed a prepared breakfast. Afterward, we loaded up our camping gear and resumed our sleeping outdoors adventure.
Having surrendered our original plan to travel to the Canadian Rockies, we now were intent upon encircling Lake Superior. We had begun at the southeastern corner near Sault Sainte Marie and were now about half way around just below the northwestern corner at Thunder Bay. The journey down the Minnesota coast was right along the shore. Like most of our trip we could keep Gitchee Gumee in view. Once we crossed from Duluth, Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin, we were no longer traveling along the shore line. Several peninsulas jut out toward the lake but no road seems to follow the shoreline. Our mission now was to follow the most suitable road heading east and meander over to the coast when it seemed right. Other than that we decided to check out any AA meetings on our route.
It took three days to complete our encirclement. By camping right on the shore we noticed that though it was August, a sharp coldness was in the air. The harbinger of fall was upon us. We could only imagine what it must look like facing north next to this largest body of fresh water in the world. We talked about plans to return in winter to briefly obtain that sight. This would be a dream that circumstances would never allow. A soon as we reached Sault Sainte Marie, we made an impetuous decision to return to Manitoulin Island for a final farewell to a dear place on our journey. We had not even considered that having crossed into Canada again, we faced getting back into the States with no ID for Lenny. We put that out of our minds as we spent another night on Manitoulin Island reflecting on our journey.
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Blog Archive

About Me, Part One

My photo
Rock Balancing: The Beginning. What began as a journal of my travels took a hiatus when I began to settle in Ithaca NY. In the meantime, I took up the practice of setting rocks to balance. I returned to my blog to begin recording this story

Part, The second

On Easter Sunday Morning, 2008, I made a decision to settle in the Ithaca New York area. At the same time, I decided to continue to post my blog, However, the stories now will come from the archive stored internally. These will be the stories I gathered while on previous journeys and never entrusted to paper. The date of each posting will not reflect the date of the story being related but will mark the date that narrative got inscribed.

Carry wood

Carry wood
33 years later

Part: The third

I took a brief hiatus from my daily blog writing. I did not know the direction it would take. part of me thought I would abandon it. It turns out I missed it. The old title "On the Road Again' is no longer apt. It appears I am settling. The travel stories will age to a point, when I will probably resusitiate them and do something with them. I dusted off some old stories and begin this new series.
Thr first is one was written two years ago. I edited it and begin again a series that is more apropos to someone settling in upper New York State. They are meant to warm, amuse, educate and sometimes inflame.