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, August 30, 2008

Changing Times. August 2008, Ithaca, NY

When I began this blog, my daily regime was to rise early and after getting some coffee and breakfast begin writing. For the first several weeks I was traveling around in my PT Cruiser, which I dubbed my PT-RV. Being for the most part in upper Atlantic states in winter, kept me rising early. I would start up my car and head out looking for warmth and refreshment. Next would come finding a place to park where I could find a wireless connection. After writing, I would upload my blog. Having that accomplished, I would go about my daily adventure. My postings were listed in PST and made it appear I was rising and writing three hours earlier than I did.
Some readers corresponded, expressing concern that I was rising too early. I assured them, I was not. My daily habit continued with early rising, and writing first thing. Lately this schedule seems to be changing. For one thing, work now occurs three times a week. This has altered my schedule. I rise later and changed my morning regime. Often, I feel rushed trying to write early, and withhold until later. This week has produced other events that delay my writing. It still is important that I continue producing some written work daily. However, it seems my time for writing is approaching evening. That means my blog will not appear first thing in the morning on the east coast. Now what appears in the morning will be the previous night’s production.
As an example of my new schedule, today, I arose after seven AM. After getting coffee and waking up, I bicycled into town for a meeting and picked up some plumbing supplies. After coming home, I spent several hours repairing our kitchen sink drain. That was sandwiched around another trip to town for food and more plumbing supplies. After finishing that work, I settled down and began writing . Then another distraction arose. Melanie, invited me to a benefit lamb roast along with an African music and dance festival. That did it, Writing would now be delayed further. By ten PM, I felt the need to return home and produce a piece for today. This is that morsel. I will continue to write on a daily basis. It seems that my posting times may change a bit. I might decide to hold to a schedule of posting in the evening. Stay tuned.

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

exactly 1" below this hyperlink is the description for you. (Busy....) it is funny how your previous title is setting the tone for your perceptions of the rest of your blog!!

take care. and don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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.