Geophile
A few highlights of our walk at Laughing Brook Conservation Area in Massachusetts, former property of the writer Thornton Burgess, whose stories I loved as a child. Peter said that all I had to do to find rock piles in MA was go into the woods. He was right. Note the flat stone on its edge at the end of the wall above.
Many of the walls and even the piles we saw were lacy, with holes through which you could see the wood behind them. The pile above also included a large hunk of quartz.
The split stone above was not only wedged but also capped.
The wall above had a large niche on one side, and the sun shone into it from the other side. The woman is Carolyn, a relative.
A close-up of the above. Note the large piece of quartz to the left and the spot of light on the ground, light coming through a gap between stones in the wall behind it.
A nice pile--there were those, too. I should really write a detailed description of some of what we saw. Very interesting--a field of old collapsed rock piles, a wall that had notable features built into it where it ran by a spring, a huge split boulder with a tree growing where the wedge would be, and more. Not to mention wildflowers and birds, including a barred owl and what seemed to be a goshawk. There was also a triangular stone that stuck up like a fin, and that seemed to have carvings, but maybe they weren't. And the area was full of unusual stone that had quartz and sparkly mica bits that created flat reflective surfaces. Family members were skeptical about the concept of stone sites, but still were not above calling, "Here, come see this!" We got lost, fortunately, causing us to see much more than we'd planned. The sad part is, we never got to see the "split rock" marked on the park's map, the one thing I'd meant to make a point of seeing. Maybe there will be a next time.
A few highlights of our walk at Laughing Brook Conservation Area in Massachusetts, former property of the writer Thornton Burgess, whose stories I loved as a child. Peter said that all I had to do to find rock piles in MA was go into the woods. He was right. Note the flat stone on its edge at the end of the wall above.
Many of the walls and even the piles we saw were lacy, with holes through which you could see the wood behind them. The pile above also included a large hunk of quartz.
The split stone above was not only wedged but also capped.
The wall above had a large niche on one side, and the sun shone into it from the other side. The woman is Carolyn, a relative.
A close-up of the above. Note the large piece of quartz to the left and the spot of light on the ground, light coming through a gap between stones in the wall behind it.
A nice pile--there were those, too. I should really write a detailed description of some of what we saw. Very interesting--a field of old collapsed rock piles, a wall that had notable features built into it where it ran by a spring, a huge split boulder with a tree growing where the wedge would be, and more. Not to mention wildflowers and birds, including a barred owl and what seemed to be a goshawk. There was also a triangular stone that stuck up like a fin, and that seemed to have carvings, but maybe they weren't. And the area was full of unusual stone that had quartz and sparkly mica bits that created flat reflective surfaces. Family members were skeptical about the concept of stone sites, but still were not above calling, "Here, come see this!" We got lost, fortunately, causing us to see much more than we'd planned. The sad part is, we never got to see the "split rock" marked on the park's map, the one thing I'd meant to make a point of seeing. Maybe there will be a next time.
Hey, I've been there!
ReplyDeleteGreat place on many levels. Has a really nice feel to it. A naturalist's haven, whether you're into herps, birds, botany or geology.
ReplyDeleteI especially like the part about the family members calling to look at piles. Looks/sounds like a great place to get "bitten by the bug"!
ReplyDeleteYou're more right than you know, 7th gen. My husband is now very, very ill and being treated for Lyme because of a tick he probably picked up that day. But antibiotics should take care of it. We did get some good memories and pictures.
ReplyDeleteThe disease he has appears to be babesiosis, another tick-borne illness.
ReplyDeleteWow, I've never heard of that until now. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! It's a good reminder for putting bug spray on before going out in the woods this time of year. I always seem to forget it, but I'm sure I won't next time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good wishes! We're just lucky that one of the doctors at the hospital was trained in Massachusetts. This disease doesn't occur in PA, and no one else seemed to know about it.
ReplyDelete