Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Enchanted Rock

I recently visited Enchanted Rock, a huge granite dome that rises 425 feet above the surrounding countryside. The Tonkawa Indians believed it was enchanted because it creeks and groans as the minerals expand as they heat during the day and contract as they cool at night. It has even been called crying rock.
The rock is an exfoliation dome of PreCambrian granite, that was exposed as softer rock was eroded away. It formed as magma slowly hardened underground and formed a batholith. As the rock was exposed to the air, and weather, the granite weathered in layers which then fell away...leaving the dome-shaped formation that we call an exfoliation dome. Enchanted Rock is one of the largest in North America.


In the picture above, people who have climbed to the top appear as small dots.

Why climb a mountain?
Look, a mountain there.

I don't climb mountain.
Mountain climbs me.

Mountain is myself.
I climb on myself.

There is no mountain
nor myself.

Something
moves up and down
in the air.

Nanao Sakaki



The fascinating details make me think of Henry David Thoreau's words:

The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools,
but the gentle touches of air and
water working at their leisure
with a liberal allowance of time.



Water fills depressions in the rock, creating tiny areas for algae and insects and other small creatures.


As the rock decays into soil, plants grab a site to live...and help break down the rock.
This place inspires me because of its natural beauty...but also because of its history and its mystery.


Sunday, April 8, 2012

Homage to Strangers: Littig, Texas

Tugged by the tiny sign, I made the turn to the Littig Cemetery. I pulled over and noticed that the gate was closed and chained, so I walked along the fence to see what was inside. I was curious, and looked more closely at the chain and noticed there was not lock, so I opened the gate and entered the hallowed space.


At first glance, the cemetery looked like many other small, rural Texas cemeteries, surrounded by lush blackland prairie fields. There were trash cans strategically placed around the grounds, and even a plastic chair for people to sit with their loved ones. Silk flowers decorated many of the grave sites.



I was soon drawn into the lives of many people I had not met.Take for example the Carters.


Notice the dates on their headstones. Jane was born in 1840 and Benjamon was born in 1834. The American Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865. Since the people in this cemetery were African Americans, Jane and Benjamon were most likely born into slavery. Maybe they moved to Littig after being freed. Littig was created when a freed slave, The town of Littig was created in 1883 on land donated by a former slave, Jackson Morrow. A railroad ran through town, so the town was named for an official of the railroad company.

According to Wikipedia, by 1900 Littig included a general store, two cotton gins, three churches, and 168 residents. There were three one-teacher schools for black students and one one-teacher school for white students.

During the 1930s, the population declined so that by 1940 the population was only 35. The population has remained about 35 since then even though it is only 18 miles east of Austin.


Charles Morrow and Marshall Johns were children during the civil war. I wonder what their lives were like, most likely born into slavery, then experiencing the war, then being freed. Maybe Charles Morrow was a son or brother of Jackson Morrow. His sophisticated headstone suggests that he was relatively prominent in the community.

The following headstones really touched my soul with their stories. Of course I can only guess what was happening as these headstones were created, but my best guess is that people wanted to make sure that their loved ones had proper headstones, and lacking money, they had to pour their love into the task of making their own headstones. 




More recently, when someone couldn't afford a headstone, more mundane solutions were found with cinder blocks and the funeral home markers.






But, perhaps the most interesting resting place is marked with blue boots. What was Sylvester Lewis like? I think the boots give us a clue.

More recently, the headstones contain pictures of the person.





By the time I left Littig Ceremony, my heart was full of affection for the Littig community and its history that I discovered through the cemetery.