Happy As A Rock On Gravel

Day 126: It's nice when you have a friend who is solid as a rock to cheer you up if you're feeling down. I seldom see faces or shapes in nature, so it's been rather amazing for me to have found two noteworthy ones in three days. Rock caught my eye at the Bud Blancher trailhead only two days after I posted the lichen love-note hearts. Is Ma acknowledging my appreciation of her handcrafts? You'd be justified in thinking so. At any rate, Rock is a happy fellow, that's for certain. And y'know, in my tapestry of friends, there are a number of rocks both large and small. Perhaps their personalities aren't as obvious as my "buddy" here, but they are definitely distinct individuals whose acquaintance I have been privileged to make.

Wall Art

Day 260: It was during a walk through the faerieland of Stevens Canyon that I discovered the Queen of Rocks taking her leisure some eight feet or so from the roadway. She wore a coronet of Penstemon and rested almost vertically against the face of the wall. No other vegetation dared approach closely to her regal repose, nor did any other rock disturb her serene aspect. It was clear that she commanded the wider scene of towering granodiorite, her chiseled throne protected from the cruel forces of wind and water by the grey and ancient battlements which stood at her sides. My audience with her was brief and, vulgar paparazzo that I am, I accepted her gracious permission for a single photograph before moving on.

Rootworks

Day 182: Lest any of my readers think that when I'm out walking, my eyes are always keen toward the ends of the botanical spectrum (i.e., invasives or rarities), I have decided to present you with a bit of Nature's art today.

This cedar root was exposed when a road was put in, but at some point in the distant past, it had its origin as a tendril. A tiny thread of living material found a crack or a hole where some soil had gathered, established itself and grew, filling the space and exerting force against the surrounding rock. Ah, what force there is in growth! Unable to resist its influence, the rock yielded. It may have shifted or it may have cracked, but in any event, it gave the root more space. Indeed, this process continues to this day. If the root remains nourished and free from disease or the ravages of age, if it persists in pushing against the seemingly stronger rock, the crack will widen to accomodate it and in time, the rock will crumble.

It would be easy to stop here to draw a lesson, but of course in Nature, the fable doesn't end with the valiant and beautiful tree's victory over the confining, cruel rock. It too shall fall, perhaps due to destroying its own underpinnings or simply from outliving its usefulness in this scenario. That's Nature, and it's been working properly on this planet for over four billion years.

Watch For Rolling Rock

Day 24: "So how was your day, dear?" Rain or not, I couldn't resist having a little fun with one of the rocks which came tumbling down the side of Mt. Wow last spring. Of course, I could have picked a drier day for the shoot and if I'd had spare clothes, I would have changed out of my fresh uniform, but sometimes you simply have to seize the moment of inspiration when it comes to you. Photographers are often required to make sacrifices for their art, and thus it was that I drove home with a wet behind and a muddy back for having laid in the puddle of runoff which had accumulated under my weighty subject. "Under" was the easy part; "out" was a bit of a challenge, and I might have been ahead if I'd followed my hat and gone straight through.