Still Polishing Rocks

Yesterday, as it was raining lightly, I arrived at my sister's house, and spent several minutes just looking at many, many wet rocks, large and small which seemed to be waiting for me to examine them with their beautifully lusterous coating of water. They did not disappoint me, any of them. And I am talking about at least a couple of tons. I did bring my Dremel along as well as several sheets of wet-or-dry sandpaper, just in case I was moved by some kind of irresistable inspiration.

I had worked on three small stones the day before, when I had been planning to work on an upcoming presentation- still more than a week and a half away. I did work on that too, but I made time for the little rocks too and I was glad. I simply felt better because of it. I was more in balance. It's certainly not the only way. Walking along the beach will usually do the trick, but slowly shaping and polishing the small and sometimes larger stones will alway make me feel better. I would guess that doing this work might lower blood pressure. I'll have to pass that along. The dust would not be good for those with respiratory problems, but there are ways of dealing with that. Not an insurmountable problem. File under therapeutic activities and circuitous efficiency.

Copyright 2010 Craig Parks All rights reserved.

Back On The Rock Pile

I am working once again on a somewhat large-scale landscaping/hardscaping project. I began with the rocks- small, medium and a few larger ones, did some carefully selected planting and am now back to working with stone again. It is slow going, but very satisfying, in spite of the high temperatures at the work site. There are no real time constraints on this job, so I can take my time. It is my kind of process, where I am allowed to find my way. It is a continuously emergent/responsive variety of creativity. I respond to what was done just previously. There is always a danger of painting yourself into a corner of sorts, but that rarely happens to me. I believe that I am able to alter my course early enough so that that doesn't happen.

I am just taking a break, had some lunch, and am enjoying the air conditioning and of course taking advantage of an opportunity to write. I spent a bit of time reading other people's blogs and then making a couple of changes to Lost and Found in A Kayak... I write and write and write, obviously not so much here, but everywhere else. Writing has become my primary activity. Art of all kinds is still more fundemental, more primally satisfying on the deepest level, but writing seems to now win out in terms of production and attention.

Back to work- Back On the Rock Pile
Cutting steps into the hillside- fitting and sometimes wrestling large, thick pieces of flagstone into place.

Copyright 2010 Craig Parks All rights reserved.