my inspiration for the painting i shared previously came from these beautiful rock sculptures seen by the lake…
someone had taken the time to carefully stack, balance and create these intriguing structures…
some of them had toppled over. or perhaps they were intentionally placed that way…
inukshuk (also written inuksuk; plural, inuksuit) are stone landmarks used by the inuit and other peoples of the arctic region of north america. they may originally have been built to signify food caches, or as navigational or hunting references.
when the rocks are stacked in the shape of a human, as above, they are called inunnguaq.
this monday is canadian thanksgiving. i’m always thankful for my family and our good health and happiness. but today, i’d like to add more.
i’m thankful for the beauty found in simple things. and for the chance to share them here.
happy thanksgiving and i hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
i’ve shared this post with others at no time for flashcards. a great source of ideas and inspiration for those with young children.
Love your photos, especially the ones with the gulls. Inukshuk have really developed a popular following. You can even see them along the 401 occassionally. But razorbills? Now that would be an unusual bird to see by the lake!
I hope you and your family have a relaxing and enjoyable holiday weekend.
you’re right, you do see a lot more of them lately. i have yet to see a razorbill in person, those were sketched from my bird guide book :)
thanks barefootheart, hope your weekend was good too!
Wow! I had no idea about the rock sculptures. They are beautiful and very interesting. Happy Thanksgiving!
thanks tammy!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Ana. What a wonderful set of photos. I have seen cairns like that and trail markers, too. I especially like the history you shared here.
corey, i did think of you, and how you said you wanted a piece of rock from “up here” for your collection. shipping might be a bit hefty though ;)
Happy Thanksgiving to you and all my northern friends :)
thanks jess. happy columbus day? not sure what that entails…
Gorgeous photos! We went to the Vancouver Olympics last year and the whole stretch of water across from the Athlete’s Village was full of these. You couldn’t help stop and build one. I was amazed that no one vandalized them. It was really cool to see. I’m thankful for this blog too! Happy Thanksgiving!
you guys must have the best memories from that experience. i remember the paper skis your kids made. so cute. and thanks tara, that’s sweet.
The rock sculptures are gorgeous! They must be so much fun to build, especially the ones that have parts that are balanced way out to the side! Kind of like a reverse Jenga.
totally allysa! i loved the look of some of the ones that looked off balance or teetering on edge, yet somehow all balanced out. very cool.
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I just love these photos and this blog post. Rocks are some of the best toys. :-)
for sure. have you seen some of the toys made from rocks on the site “made by joel”? i wrote about him here if you’re interested.
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Beautiful pictures Ana, esp. the last two. The last one looks almost like an eagle sitting proud, wings outstretched looking out (I know, I’m a bit fancifull, but it really is a great shot!)
so pretty!! this reminds me of a beach we drove past along in new zealand: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xAdKKQU62wg/S3pauNgtjrI/AAAAAAAAAV4/5rfADmRkfAo/s1600-h/blog008.jpg
there were stacked stones all over as far as you could see… .
Oh my
what a magical and wonderful post Ana
first I am a rock fan (Mr Magpie had a big red tag put on his suitcase upon our return flight from the west coast of California … they were small rocks ;) )
this post makes me remember fondly our trip to Vancouver last time we headed west 2 yrs ago … we wanted to move there … made me wonder if you live in BC?
we also saw a man doing his rock thing in Sausalito … I did a post here you might be interested in
http://bitze.wordpress.com/2008/11/02/cairns/
hope you don’t mind me posting the link … got excited!
gorgeous photos … the above view shots are especially creative and inspiring too
Love me some rocks!!!
oxo
What is it about stacked rocks that is so serene? Love it! Thanks so much for sharing it with us! Oh, and re: watercolor – I’m right there with you – love the look but can’t control it for the outcome I’m aiming for most of the time. It’s been a *very* long time since I tried though.