winter

New Year, new day

Started my year off in a wintry creek…imagine that. Worked hard on two balances. The first one was an utter train wreck. Ugly balance, poor location, utter frustration. I wasn’t sure the second one was going to happen. Took a long time to finally come to fruition. Super cool topper on a small, wobbly spine. Cold hands and numb feet from sitting in position for far too long (hours). Had to regroup, clear my  mind and focus on the design that I set in motion. I kept telling myself it was going to happen. Again coming down to fading daylight. If no photos happened I was going to be cool with it. I just wanted to see it completed with my own eyes. Contemplation as to possibly changing the topper filled my head many times. It helps to be unbelievably stubborn in this game. Proper way to start the new year! even managed a few photos 🙂

1.1.2017
1.1.2017

Within Reason

So I have this wind chime located on my front deck. It’s hefty and actually sounds more like a cowbell than a typical dainty wind chime. It was purchased on a trip to Colorado lifetimes ago. It doesn’t ring too often since it takes a rather robust wind to even get it swinging. It’s become a gauge to help me decide when it’s favorable conditions for stone balancing. Usually if the chime is ringing, its time to stay home. Yesterday as I contemplated my work day, I heard it dinging away… SHIT!!! Experience tells me that it’s probably not worth the effort to head out, but my mind was telling me otherwise. Being a frugal, conservationist type person, I opted to save the atmosphere and not burn gas driving to a spot on such a low probability day. Instead, I packed my kit and hoofed it to the old ski slopes in my neighborhood. I spent a few frustratingly productive hours balancing and enjoying the outdoors. Fate put a really interesting topper in my hands and I even managed to create 3 variations with it. On the third collapse, it broke in half putting an end to my efforts and sent me home to repair my driveway erosion from the recent “flooding”.  Next time I hear the Colorado chime ringing, I may just reevaluate my actions 🙂

#3 closer up. Beautiful moss!
variation #2 fell after 4 photos
Build #3 lasted the longest

 

The Gift

Those that know me, understand that I find contentment in simple things. For Christmas I received a pretty incredible, yet simple gift.  No wrapping involved with this one. A bit of sunshine and time alone in a creek. The perfect holiday in my opinion

Simple tools, simple results

Despite being down a critical piece of equipment, some quality time was spent enjoying the snow and creating some balance prior to the large snowfall that hit our region. For a few days everything’s been under a few feet of snow making time away easier to cope with. The “Frozen” balance was one that was left overnight. The slightest amount of spray from the creek transformed the balance into a an object fixed in the creek. The other three photos are of a different creation that I took a liking to.  I used a Nikon D50 (circa 2005) to shoot these photos.  The batteries are as old as the camera and have barely enough life to snap a few photos in cold weather.  I even used the cold weather trick of keeping them warm with “shake and bake” hand warmers trying to squeeze out as many images as possible.  Luck and a small amount of skill netted several decent shots with a nostalgic “old school” digital appearance.  Not that they’re worthy of massive enlargement, but they work for social media sharing after the arduous task of removing the hundreds of black dirt specs due to the badly neglected image sensor 🙂 Can’t wait to get a proper camera back in my hands!

Winters arrival

Real life snowglobe

The last couple days have been spent in the same location along Indian Creek in Indianhead, Pennsylvania.  Close to where I grew up as a child, I find this creek to have some very interesting stones to choose from.  The weather yesterday was a mixture of rain and snow making for less than ideal conditions. Actually downright unpleasant.  I managed to build two balances.  The first one was hideously aweful, the second was a little better.  The first lasted less than a minute and produced 4 photos, the second I improved upon a bit, but also lasted about 50 seconds. Wet, cold, miserable and with darkness closing fast, I called it a day and retreated home for some warm dinner.

Design 1
Design 2

 

Today I returned to the same location and was greeted with somewhat more pleasant weather. It snowed large flakes almost the entire time which felt like a real life snow globe.  The wind was blowing slightly less, which was better. I managed a few balances. The first was an astonishing point balance that may be the most minimal contact point I’ve ever achieved… hard to believe it was done while wearing gloves in a snowstorm?  It lived a short duration of just a few moments allowing a quick examination and a few photos before toppling into the creek. I was going to  rebuild it, but the point was damaged in the topple, rendering it less than ideal in my eyes. The second balance was less appealing in design, but technically more difficult. Balancing it became more of a game of “can I accomplish this before dark” than a well thought out, interesting piece. The snow came down harder producing a thin blanket of snow over the balance.  Despite the balance being less than beautiful in my eyes the moment and experience made up for its lackluster design.  I almost found myself dancing in the creek as the snow fell, then suddenly my hands quickly reminded me that they’d spent far too much time in frigid waters and that it was time to bid farewell to Indian Creek.

Fine point balance
Wintry happenings
Snow accumulating
The snow globe experience

Bending reality?

2016016

Is this bent reality… I think not.  Just a few special stones that are balanced in place with a little help from Gravity. After getting chased out of the creek by foul weather the evening before (see Broken Dreams post), I went back the following day with clearer skies and the hopes of seeing my newly found, golden colored, friend the Palomino Trout who currently resides in this beautiful section of creek. I had not luck in relocating my mystical friend, but did find a few stones that were rather unique. After realizing the possibility of the bottom three rocks, I knew I was delving into something special.  Several reworkings were required to come up with a final arrangement that satisfied me. I observed and enjoyed the life of this balance for several hours watching the light and color change its personality. Although not the most difficult of balances I’ve accomplished, this has great appeal to me and is currently among some of my favorites of all time… Prints available, simply contact me 🙂

Selfie

Broken dreams

Seldom do I use broken stones in the balances I create. Sometimes they present themselves in a way that make them impossible to overlook. In this instance, choices for top rocks seemed to be eluding me intentionally. Low and behold, buried in the creek was this large stone that caught my eye.  I loosened it from the creeks cold water only to see it was cracked, but of interesting shape.  Slightly disappointed by the fracture, I inspected it from different angles, realizing that fate had taken its toll and this stone was presented for a reason. In my mind I equated it to a wishbone.  This was the lucky half and not just a broken stone.  Good things meant to happen and they did…This balance was finished just as heavy rains and night made their presence.