Dimple & Swimmers

Recently I spent some time balancing along the shore of the Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle State Park.  I rode my bike down the Yough River Trail to the pullout just above the rapids known as “Dimple” and “Swimmers”. This area has a huge beach of some wicked smooth river stones.  The lack of friction took a few visits to get used to. Still lots of room for improvement as always. Here’s the one of the few I photographed.  Wind was a rather large factor this day. Here’s a couple angles and wet and dry photos.

Linn Run 4.11.2016

Spent a very tolerable afternoon/evening in Linn Run. It seems winter has released its grip once again. A warm breeze relieved the chill coming off the creek. I’ve been on a kick of spending massive amounts of time stone searching. Collecting FAR more than necessary for a balance. Reminds me of being young and looking for the perfect “skipping” stone. Very similar process only for a different purpose and far more complex. Either way some coolness came out of extensive search today.

Totem on a log
Getting funky

 

 

Come Together

Today was quite windy throughout midday and early afternoon. I held off from heading out to stone balance, deciding to make a late afternoon start if the winds subsided… Colder temperatures further assured a later start 🙂 I made Indian Creek in Melcroft my destination. FUNky rocks can always be found at this reliable spot as can a beautiful sunset on bluebird days. It took a while to get this worked out. The spine weight was spiraled and micro adjustments were crucial. With the slightest misalignment, this combination of stones would tumble, splashing into the water. Adjusting in the smallest possible increments was the true crux of this build. In the end success was had and the late day and evening presented favorable lighting for beautiful photos and experience.

Featured stone

Originally found this top stone last year. It had a unique beauty that made it shine. I tried using it several ways, but none were ever truly fulfilling. I found it again on Sunday morning…without hesitation I went to work to see if I could illuminate it in a setting as unique as itself. Calm wind and setting helped to see this through. Eventually it succumbed as the winds increased an hour later.

Linn Run 3.26.2016

 

I did a bunch of creation since my last post, but lacked free time to share…Sooo..I’ll catch up on those at some point. For now  here are some photos from a recent outing to Linn Run State Park. Wasn’t really feeling any of the creek flows, so instead went with this little piece of mossy heaven as a creation spot. The sensation of the moss and soft earth around me while balancing this was friendly and inviting. A polar opposite compared to some of my less than comfortable chosen in-creek destinations.

The magic of moss
Details
The green of spring

Linn Run 3.2.2016

Quite the opposite of yesterday’s weather. From 65° to 23°F in 24 hours. Hard to comprehend the difference in comfort levels. Felt a lot colder than it actually was.  Didn’t take long for my stone balance to develop icicles after wetting it down for photos. I’ll be away from home over the next couple of weeks, its kinda unlikely that I’ll be out in the frozen creeks much more this year. I see this as both good and bad… ❤ winter