A remarkable boulder found in Giant City State Park of Illinois, USA. Entranced as I was with its patterns and colors, I appreciated it far more as my hike progressed. When I came to the Giant City Streets – immense sandstone bluffs formed over the course of 12,000 years – I found one bluff that bore a well-preserved inscription. I wasn’t able to read it all, but saw several names and dates (all in the mid to late 1800’s), and heard many admire the aged “penmanship”.

Hammer and chisel were wielded as a calligrapher’s pen, producing swooping embellishments, rounded edges, and precise spacing. While searching for other subjects, I gave thought to this colorful boulder and the erratic hollowness that covered its surface, and saw a traveler’s name in each gossamer ridge, an eloquent description in each cavity, and all of it inscribed where space allowed throughout 12,000 years.

The century-old inscription was certainly impressive, but I hold this boulder’s semblance of writing in a far higher regard.

Minolta Maxxum 7

Minolta AF 50mm f/2.8 Macro

Kodak Ektar – ISO 100