Finding Balance

One of the best things about summer vacation is getting off the couch and going exploring with cousins and collecting rocks. Trevor in one of his last few days of freedom before Basic Training at the Air Force Academy, hopped into the driver's seat of our rental car with Dallas, Sidney and Sebastian in tow and headed to the coolest collection of rocks  -- A public park in Colorado called Garden of the Gods.  There are these natural formations that they call praying hands and kissing camels.  It is so gorgeous there with the striking red rocks, blue sky and green trees.  (In fact the name Colorado is supposed to have been named after the red sandstone.)

The land was donated by Charles Perkins in 1909

There was warning signs to look out for rattlesnakes.  Thankfully we didn't see any.

  these "hogback" spines or cathedral spires rise up 320 ft.  They used to lay horizontal but were pushed vertical over time by faults and natural mountain building forces of Pikes Peak nearby.  We climbed in one of these called the Three Graces.  In Greek Mythology the Graces were Zeus's daughters charm, beauty and creativity/joy.  I saw a sculpture of the Graces by Canova in Rome and in Florence Botticelli's painting Primavera of the 3 Graces and LOVE them.  While I miss the museum's of Italy with all the talent and creativity, there is something to be said for walking around nature's museum and feeling the joy.

This last part of the park called Balancing Rock was my absolute favorite.

We thought at first the rock was deposited by a glacier millennium ago.

But we discovered, this balanced rock is an erosional remnant.  It is a persistent rock formation that remains after extensive wind, water and/or chemical erosion, carved from the local bedrock.  Mothers of all ages eventually become this balanced rock.  Elements, time and hardship eventually shape us so we learn to balance and find equilibrium in an unbalanced life. That is the true work of art.