Friday OT and stone walls


light-bulb-brain-johan-swanepoel.jpg
Lights are on, door is open.
~
8861-780x560.jpg

The ground around New England is thick with rocks. They seem to grow quite well. Makes digging difficult. When the europeans started clearing for fields about 400 years ago, the plethora of stones were dragged aside and piled around their plots. Eventually the mostly granite stones were stacked up and formed into walls, defining the fields. They were also used as foundations and lined the wells.

12309.jpg

I'm told many of the walls were built by the local tribe, the Wampanoag. Perhaps in a barter exchange with the farmers. History is hazy on that aspect. It is amazing how long they have been standing, we don't get much in the way of earthquakes here. The lichen and moss color the stones light green in places.

5753-780x585.jpg

The rocks bring me back to the forts we would build in the fall under the walnut trees. Gathering up a pile of the nuts as ammunition, battles were fought, flinging at the enemy (siblings and neighbor kids), fingers stained -- an occasional braining. Oh what fun!

~

Just a filler for the wandering soul of NCTim's Funk fixture.
Remember to help JtC keep the lights on.

~
~

Open thread, so do your thang.

~

Light Bulb Brain by Johan Swanpoel
Photos courtesy Yankee Magazine

~
Arrow.png
Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

janis b's picture

Stone walls defining fields of grassy greens and wildflowers, leading to woodlands of natural granite outcroppings and laurel are among my most pleasurable memories. Thank you.

[video:https://youtu.be/pvQYr9pcglg]

up
0 users have voted.

@janis b
Yes, you weave a pleasant picture with the landscape in your mind.
Appreciate the George Winston, too. Very appropriate.
Enjoy your afternoon.

up
0 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@QMS

bedtime here at 12:09am, so a pleasant afternoon is yet to come.

Your imagery prompted my memory of George Winston and beautiful New England landscapes.

up
0 users have voted.

@janis b

Went the wrong way with it.
Oh well. Pleasant evening then.
Wink

up
0 users have voted.
earthling1's picture

@QMS
If IIRC, Janis?
The walls were possibly made by the native population FOR the colonists, but they had no concept of private property. Largely, but not exclusively.
Still much to learn about early pre-columbian Americas.
In my travels with family across the country in the 50s along Route 66 I was always captivated with those stone walls that streached for miles and miles, weaving in and out of the landscape.
Many are still there, although 66 is gone in hugh patches.
I still remember the thump, thump, thump of those expansion joints in the concrete sections of that hiway, much like the clackity clack of the rairoad. Put me to sleep after a while.
Thanks for the OT.

up
0 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

janis b's picture

@earthling1

My saturday was just beginning.

up
0 users have voted.
orlbucfan's picture

@QMS as me: Stetson University. Thanks, QMS. Rec'd!!

up
0 users have voted.

Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

Raggedy Ann's picture

My girlfriend, who grew up in Connecticut, has a stone wall in the backyard of her childhood home. Her brother still lives in the house. The walls are truly wonderous in their staying ability. Thanks for the memory!

Going for an overnight stay south of here to soak in the warm springs. I feel better and more peaceful just thinking of it.

Enjoy your day and weekend, everyone! Pleasantry

up
0 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Earth's gift to weary bones.
Found a few good ones in AZ, NM and CO.
Yes, just thinking of the warmth helps.
Chase the chilly away.
Cheers!

up
0 users have voted.
Raggedy Ann's picture

@QMS
are our bliss. You are so correct they are so wonderful for these old bones. We head to TorC New Mexico. There are others here we go to, but this is our standard. We have friends that we travel with to Arizona and go to springs there. Ah, so relaxing and rejuvenating!
Pleasantry

up
0 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

A not-so-random array of images.

The natives are getting restless. Running out to solve the problems of our species
with magic. Ha!
Carry on...

up
0 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

Everybody must get stoned...

Hadrian's wall was quite a treat to visit.
2 Hadrians wall hike (33).jpg

2 Hadrians wall hike (46).jpg

We love the hot springs too. Over the years, we've visited ones in Colorado, Canada, Britain (Bath), Germany (the lovely Roman baths in Baden Baden), and Switzerland. We've been to Warm springs, GA several times, but they only open public swimming two days each year so we've not soaked there (yet).

We plan at some point to build a wood fired sauna with a plunge tank...just hasn't made it to the top of the to-do list.

Wishing you all a lovely fall day. Leaves are falling fast and we're heading toward bare trees.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F84yWm1ZjCg]

up
0 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

lotlizard's picture

@Lookout  
http://www.saalburgmuseum.de/en/

A completely rebuilt stone border fort, with a restaurant where one supposedly can dine like the Romans did …

up
0 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@lotlizard

...another spa town with hot springs...Bad Homburg.

Those Romans liked to control borders too.

Thanks for the heads up!

up
0 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout @Lookout

Check out the radium hot springs in Ouray, CO.
Best this side of Iceland, IMO.

Why no response to keeping the lights on?

Too busy multitasking, one would suppose.
A good idea, methinks.

up
0 users have voted.

@Lookout

and Tusk.
Thanks Bud

up
0 users have voted.
jobu's picture

Good Morning from Connecticut, QMS. Great topic.

Here is a very informative article for stone wall geeks like me.

Likewise, Colonial-era books on farming, encyclopedias and recorded observations do not mention stone walls, Thorson notes. Instead of stone walls, Colonial farmers used rail and zig-zag fences made of wood — far more abundant at the time than stone — to pen animals. It wasn’t until the latter half of the 18th century that early stone walls were first widely constructed in New England.

Widespread deforestation exposed New England’s soils to winter cold — scientists estimate winter was 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius colder on average during the Little Ice Age than it is today — causing them to freeze deeper than they had before. This accelerated frost heaving, and gradually lifted billions of stones up through the layers of soil toward the surface.

up
0 users have voted.

@jobu

Always wondered what kind of hydraulic pressure is involved with lifting those heavy boulders. Thought the earth settling to be the cause. Live and Learn.
Wink

up
0 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

out in the valley on the downslope margins of the foothills, which is really a vast alluvial plain along the length of a fractured monster granite ridge. They aren't of very great antiquity, however and are mostly so low as to serve no real function beyond marking boundaries. The natives didn't go in for walls too very much, and the Spaniards and Mexicans used adobe and wood which are far easier to work with. That area is littered with rock and used mostly for grazing, somewhat putting the lie to all of those "If all of the land used for grazing were used for farming, then ..." because you could never clear enough rocks (new ones just keep coming up) to farm on any scale besides the fact that there isn't really enough rainfall for anything but the native weeds, bunchgrasses and stunted oaks.

Being seriously tectonic, we've got tons of hot springs. There is an area starting up around Mono where there are scads of small ones scattered along the length of old Hwy 395. It used to be pretty common to just pull off, find one and jump in. There are some quasi famous open ones down in the sink nw of Bishop, and a gob of developed ones, largely owned by "resorts" scattered across the desert from Palm Springs on down. There is a county park where the Anza-Borrego desert abuts the coast range called Agua Caliente that we like to go to when we're in the area. The place is lousy with birds, including some lazy roadrunners who like to patrol the parking areas to pick bugs out of the front ends of parked vehicles.

Far too many evergreens, even among the fruit trees, and, of course, cacti, so I'll go with Autumn instead of "fall":

Have a good one

up
0 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

incredible colors
peach melba

up
0 users have voted.

and sound. Thanks enhydra
a bit if Vivaldi works now
Good choice - autumn

The roadrunner plucking bugs
from the grille is classic.
Wink
good feeling

up
0 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS
has developed hot springs as a primary attraction.

up
0 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

smiley7's picture

Been to the hill and back. Missed a good conversation. Rain check, thanks.

up
0 users have voted.
magiamma's picture

Wish there was a hot spring here to curl up into. Another busy day. Most here are now focused on the recall for our two progressive councilors. We will know by the 18th what the next steps are. Wishing also for rain here. Have a pleasant evening, all...

up
0 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

@magiamma
you are an especially good soul ya know

up
0 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@QMS

up
0 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --