Friday, August 5, 2011

All stacked up

My wife and I spotted these stone ornaments, aka "cairns," while walking around our neighborhood. I drove by the next day with my camera. I want to try to make one!

16 comments:

PerthDailyPhoto said...

There is definitely an art to this Leif, how on earth do they get the different shapes and sizes to balance. When you have made yours, you will have to let us see. Have a good weekend.

Dina said...

Are these for real, i.e. not fastened? And no one comes and knocks them down?
In Switzerland I'd often walk to the lonely place where the River Areuse empties into Lake Neuchatel. New cairns like yours would sprout up all the time. Once someone put a paper sign on the tree: "Bienvenue au Temple de l'Equilibre."

Kate said...

I have tiny cairns on some of my window sills, white stones surreptitiously removed over the years from Schoolhouse Beach on Washington Island.

I'd love to see yours when finished. You should introduce yourself to the owners of the ones you photographed.

Dol Men said...

Ils doivent être percés et enfilés sur une tige, donc cela ne compte pas en tant que cairns !

Kaori said...

Do they have some kind of meaning? I'm surprised they are balanced so high up! :D

Anonymous said...

Those are cool! Have you ever heard of inuksuk? That is the Inuit word for stacked stones that stand as markers of some kind. I have made them ever since I read about them when I happen to be around stones and have some time, then I take a photo of them. I hope that you make one!

jb said...

Headline in the Eagan Reporter.
"Child tragically crushed under collapsing cairn"
I'd AT LEAST hot glue it...!

Halcyon said...

Interesting idea. Maybe we should try one too!

Lois said...

Quite a balancing act! These would never last in my neighborhood.

Birdman said...

Ya, I'm sometimes amazed that they stand so tall.

lori from eagan said...

I've seen many of those in England. Of course, in that case they were just trying to get rid of the rocks. In fact that's why they have the stone walls, but you probably knew that already.

Unknown said...

Cairns are so cool! I'll have to try making one too. :-)

Regarding your comment: the Golden Gate came first and ours is 100 meters shorter. :-)

Jim Klenke said...

it would be fun to try to make one, not sure I would be able to do it.

Jack said...

Um, Lief, if you need help making your cairn, I am afraid I have a conflicting engagement that day.

Kalyan Panja said...

It really looks beautiful. Just wondering whether they are glued or not else it may well be unsafe especially for children.

Regina K said...

These are cool, let us know how yours turn out.