I didn't make it to the Viewpoint today, and now the sun is about to set. The sky was mostly gray today, as it has been so many days this year. I always say I like gray skies, but if every sky is gray, even in the late spring or early summer, you don't appreciate a gray sky as something special. I hope tomorrow is sunny for a change.

Fallen Trees, May 31, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

One of the many ravines in the two-park area.

Ravine, May 15, 2010

Copyright © 2010 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved

Blue Genie

Blue Genie
Copyright © 2009 Paul D. Natkin, All Rights Reserved 
archival felt pen, watercolor and gouache on Arches cold-pressed 140 lb. paper; 4" x 6"

When I was at the Viewpoint this evening, I noticed that the five lights that illuminate the park after dark do cast some light onto the trees growing in the ravine below. You don't much see this cast light unless you walk under the laurel tree, where there's no light shining in your eyes, our you walk right up to the edge and look outwards, towards the view. I'll have to deal with this further.

Twenty-three Stones

There are twenty-three stones at the Viewpoint. I counted them this morning. This includes the big rock at the head of the trail going down to the ravine. It also includes a mostly submerged rock nearby and a large, almost completely submerged stone near the south entrance and another stone close to the latter which lies flat on the ground and is partially submerged. This doesn't include the three concrete bollards that stand at the entrances: one at the north entrance and two at the south entrance. (There are two possibilities for entry at the south end, so two bollards were required to keep anyone from entering the park in a car, I suppose.) Another kind of stone I'm not including in this tally of twenty-three is type of stone used to support the lamp fixtures. There are three of these stones, if I remember correctly. They're basically blocks of concrete. Their size differs from lamp to lamp. As I counted, I found myself wondering what the difference really is between a rock and a stone. There are many things I might call either "rock" or "stone," but it seems to me that if something is actually made of cement, or concrete, it shouldn't be called a rock. I think of a "rock" as something formed by the forces of nature. We often speak of "headstones" in reference to the markers in cemeteries. Many of these are made of marble, granite or other kinds of rock, but if I'm not mistaken, some are made of cement, or concrete, and still we call them "stones." Many of the "stones" at the Viewpoint are, in fact, pieces of cement or concrete. Maybe later I'll give more details about their composition. I could check my photos, so that I don't have to go to the Viewpoint a second time today, but it's hard to tell much about a stone's composition from a photo, unless the photographer has made a point of focusing on the stone. I do have lots of close-up photographs of plants and animals that live in the park, but none of rocks, as I recall.

Next time I go to the Viewpoint I'll count the hawthorns that line the side of the park adjacent to the arterial. These are some of the last hawthorns on the hill. One was recently lost.

Barn Swallows at the Viewpoint

Today I noticed barn swallows at the Viewpoint. Barn swallows are known for flying low, but at the Viewpoint, you see them flying below the level of your own feet, swooping down into the green recesses of the ravine. There are so many different birds that live in the park, or that pass through, it would take a long time to put together a complete list. One of the most memorable is the pileated woodpecker.