So beautiful to hear about your stones and travels. I share the love of stones with you and my favorite memories from childhood are daily walks with my dog on the shores of Lago di Bracciano where we spent our summers close to Rome, looking for pieces of glass softened by the mineral rich water of the volcanic lake and coming home with pockets full of what I considered previous jewels. I am guilty of the same crime as you: Picking up stones wherever travel: walking along streams, hedges , on the beach. Last year when we left the farm I offered a big part of my stone collection to the beautiful soil of WNY hoping that the stones would be welcomed by the mysterious and rich network of forest beings in the lush world of Cattaragus county .
This does not surprise me one bit. But what I love, (LOVE), is that you made an offering of your stones to that gorgeous land when you left. That made my heart ache for beauty. Also, how wonderful that two of the women I admire and adore are both from Rome. Cristina, who commented below, is a fellow artist and dear friend who lives in Vermont.
Yes , I spent many many hours at lago di Martignano when it was a barely known place, wild and mainly a source of water for the cows grazing in the fields around it and other than that , unattended. I had the enormous fortune to be able to r borrow a horse from the local butcher who had a farm on the dirt road that leads to the lake , daily, during the summer of 1973. I would saddle Serafino up every day around 4:30pm and go on a long ride , alone and blissfully happy . Me and serafino. I was 12 years old and these afternoons spent roaming around with serafino are some of my happiest memories ever !
my, oh my - such the exquisite little treasure trove of memorabilia consisting of keepsakes all symbolizing some significance in your travelled life. it appears you may have enough to open up a boutique of baubles and notions in some quaint tourist town should you ever find yourself penniless. I don't think that will ever happen, nor do I believe you would bear to part with any one of them.... it would be like giving up little pieces of your heart and soul, which you could never, ever do. (I was especially taken with the perfectly shaped heart stone - and the significance of where it was found).
My watercolorist sister does the same thing, spying potential art projects on her journeys as well. Me - not so much.
I love that you have a watercolourist sister :) Thank you so much, as always, Chuck, for your thoughtful and fun to read comments. You are indeed correct... I could never part with them. Maybe I will have them buried with me one day. :)
Kateri, your essay reminds me that we're all time travelers in our own way. While some collect stamps or coins, you've curated a collection of moments frozen in earthly keepsakes. It's not about the monetary value, but the emotional weight they carry. Your stone from Dún Aonghasa isn't just a rock; it's a portal to a time when you felt a connection to something ancient and powerful. I love this idea of finding magic in the mundane.
Gosh, thank you. I"m writing this down in my journal. We are all time travellers in our own way. And finding magic in the mundane is the secret to muddling through with a smidge of grace, for me. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Alexander.
This all speaks volumes of just how spiritually deep you are, on a completely different level, to most of us. So connected, such an individual, ONE who feel so deeply...you were definitely put here for a higher purpose my friend.
Oh my. I believe we are all. It takes so long to find our way sometimes. Our connections. I really think for me it was the soul wrenching heartache of losing a child when I was so young that almost forced me to make some kind of deeper connection to the everyday and the magic within it. But it's in us all. Thank you, Katrine. I am so glad you are here.
This is a beautifully writtten piece. Made me fall in love with all your Talismans. I have a collection of stones, pudding stones, and mostly Petoskey stones, which are millions of years old fragments of coral reefs. I also have a nice collection of very old glass shards from old sunken ships. Makes me wonder of their history.
So beautiful to hear about your stones and travels. I share the love of stones with you and my favorite memories from childhood are daily walks with my dog on the shores of Lago di Bracciano where we spent our summers close to Rome, looking for pieces of glass softened by the mineral rich water of the volcanic lake and coming home with pockets full of what I considered previous jewels. I am guilty of the same crime as you: Picking up stones wherever travel: walking along streams, hedges , on the beach. Last year when we left the farm I offered a big part of my stone collection to the beautiful soil of WNY hoping that the stones would be welcomed by the mysterious and rich network of forest beings in the lush world of Cattaragus county .
This does not surprise me one bit. But what I love, (LOVE), is that you made an offering of your stones to that gorgeous land when you left. That made my heart ache for beauty. Also, how wonderful that two of the women I admire and adore are both from Rome. Cristina, who commented below, is a fellow artist and dear friend who lives in Vermont.
Yes , I spent many many hours at lago di Martignano when it was a barely known place, wild and mainly a source of water for the cows grazing in the fields around it and other than that , unattended. I had the enormous fortune to be able to r borrow a horse from the local butcher who had a farm on the dirt road that leads to the lake , daily, during the summer of 1973. I would saddle Serafino up every day around 4:30pm and go on a long ride , alone and blissfully happy . Me and serafino. I was 12 years old and these afternoons spent roaming around with serafino are some of my happiest memories ever !
my, oh my - such the exquisite little treasure trove of memorabilia consisting of keepsakes all symbolizing some significance in your travelled life. it appears you may have enough to open up a boutique of baubles and notions in some quaint tourist town should you ever find yourself penniless. I don't think that will ever happen, nor do I believe you would bear to part with any one of them.... it would be like giving up little pieces of your heart and soul, which you could never, ever do. (I was especially taken with the perfectly shaped heart stone - and the significance of where it was found).
My watercolorist sister does the same thing, spying potential art projects on her journeys as well. Me - not so much.
Chuck over and out, and say hi to rick.
I love that you have a watercolourist sister :) Thank you so much, as always, Chuck, for your thoughtful and fun to read comments. You are indeed correct... I could never part with them. Maybe I will have them buried with me one day. :)
Kateri, your essay reminds me that we're all time travelers in our own way. While some collect stamps or coins, you've curated a collection of moments frozen in earthly keepsakes. It's not about the monetary value, but the emotional weight they carry. Your stone from Dún Aonghasa isn't just a rock; it's a portal to a time when you felt a connection to something ancient and powerful. I love this idea of finding magic in the mundane.
Gosh, thank you. I"m writing this down in my journal. We are all time travellers in our own way. And finding magic in the mundane is the secret to muddling through with a smidge of grace, for me. Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Alexander.
This all speaks volumes of just how spiritually deep you are, on a completely different level, to most of us. So connected, such an individual, ONE who feel so deeply...you were definitely put here for a higher purpose my friend.
Oh my. I believe we are all. It takes so long to find our way sometimes. Our connections. I really think for me it was the soul wrenching heartache of losing a child when I was so young that almost forced me to make some kind of deeper connection to the everyday and the magic within it. But it's in us all. Thank you, Katrine. I am so glad you are here.
This is a beautifully writtten piece. Made me fall in love with all your Talismans. I have a collection of stones, pudding stones, and mostly Petoskey stones, which are millions of years old fragments of coral reefs. I also have a nice collection of very old glass shards from old sunken ships. Makes me wonder of their history.
You had some beautiful crystals, too! These things can be powerful allies. They hold magic. Think of all they have experienced. xoxo