“. . . Of Silence”

One of the enchanting elements of a frozen creek is the heightened silence, as the water flows quietly under the ice. And also the way large ice sheets “grunt” as they shift… a longer, more subtle rhythm. Always have to be careful when walking around on the ice. most of the time it is much stronger than it looks, but occasionally there’s a weak spot, especially as temperatures rise above zero (Celsius) during the day.

This is a fun but very difficult environment to work with. One of my absolute favorite actions of nature is the breathing of ice; the way it forms and recedes by night and day. There is so much elegant complexity attached to such a simple action. When i built this (yesterday) i didn’t pay much attention to it. it was late in the day, and it didn’t seem “good enough” for my perfectionist standard, which i always realize later is a naive way to view it. blah blah blah.

Yesterday I took pictures of the other but not this one. So I  returned to a dazzling scene of both balances with newly formed ice dresses hovering over the surface. First balance from yesterday collapsed as i was preparing my camera and tripod. oh well. my fault. i came too late. but it still made me smile that it chose to wait all day for me to arrive so it could close the cycle in my presence.

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Nature decided to direct my attention to this balance today, which i must say, took on a brilliant glow in the late afternoon light. and especially with a beautiful new ice dress. I was not expecting this to happen, but shoulda known. tis common sense. Just to clarify, these rocks were not frozen together. the ice just formed around the base over the previous night. I suspect the balance will fall as soon as the temperature rises and the ice dislodges the base. We’ll see. :))

I like how the new ice gives the impression that the balance is hovering. I wonder if there’s ever been ufo sightings in Boulder. :P

28 Responses
  1. bradley

    I don’t know what to say, other than my brain has not let me accept what im seeing as real. I hope in time I will.. . .

  2. You are a lovely, exquisite gift to all of …..us?…..humanity? Your gentle humility while being so magically talented is refreshing! Your beautiful connection to the natural world is inspiring and comforting. A billion blessings to you…..thank you for sharing your art and joy.!!

  3. Nice! Michael Grab, this photo would have me consider you made this stone stack and had nature take its course into a frost. Then you revisited the site to photograph this. As it seems, not only is it a remarkable sculptural creation in itself, it finds its moment of sustained balance and you have the patience to revisit not knowing how it may stand for its pose. Remarkable work.

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