4 stones I AM a bit fond of

I only have 4 stones that I ever display with trees or alone.  Probably some would not be called suiseki or viewing stones by most folks.

Anyway, here they are:

1.  This was given to me MANY years ago by Craig Cowing.  He also made the daiza, I believe.  



2.  This one is a relic of when I was a student in marine geology at Duke University way back in the mid 1960s.  It was dredged up with a lot of other geologic material from The Tongue of the Ocean near the Bahamas from a depth of 4,000 feet (plus or minus) during one of my watches when I was on the R.V. Eastward.  I showed it here several years ago.



3.  My personal favorite.  It is a beach rock from Florida and is exactly 2 inches tall.  I see a mother and child.  You've probably seen this one before also.  



4.  And the odd one.  It is perfectly round.  I found it in a flat sheet of Devonian shale in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia.

Hello Jim – thanks for showing these to us!

Personally, I am not too much interested in the formal aesthetics of stone appreciation, although I do really enjoy watching this portion of the forum to learn more about them. Chris has helped me understand much about the sensitivities and sensibilities of stone appreciation here. I try to understand the various opinions brought to each stone shown with both fascination and a bit of envy – envy in that seems to me that those that do understand stone appreciation seem to have an attitude of veneration which is something that thus far escapes me.

However, I very much like the stones you have shown here! In particular I enjoy the second one. I like its dark and rugged surface, I like its “bridge to nowhere” image, and I really like its story! I have many stones that I cherish and most for reasons not unlike your nice “bridge”. Once upon a time I traveled many parts of the globe as a botanist. I brought back many plant specimens to the musea for which I was employed, but for me I brought back a few stones. They are easy to care for, durable in travel, and evocative of the locals from which they originate. I have shown a few here, but your posting makes me think I should show more (although I have no such lovely seats for them as you do). None are worthy of the designation suiseki – but I still cherish each.

Thanks again Jim – and I hope I have delivered no offence to those which are truly dedicated to real stone appreciation. It is a tradition and an aesthetic that I honor, but do not as yet understand.

David B.

I enjoy looking at them...but dont understand them yet...Hope with time I will.

Thanks, David. I'm much like you regarding viewing stones, though some are strikingly beautiful and evocative. Chris and I have had a few discussions about my stony opinions over the years. Neither has yet convinced the other.

Thanks for posting these, Jim....I really enjoyed viewing them.....glad to see that West Virginia was represented :-)

Best regards,
Tom

Hi Jim... Your second stone suggests a natural archway in the landscape. Its extraordinary collection description reminds me of Lynn Boyd's description of collecting a celestial meteor for viewing stone appreciation.

Your perfectly-round black stone recalls two historic stones (one representing the sun & another the moon) placed upon pebbles in a bronze basin as part of a censor set for perfuming clothes. The censor was received by Japanese Regent Empress Suiko (r. 592-626 CE) from a Korean prince. The censor stones are heralded as a precursor to mounting stones for appreciation of their scenic allusion. Your stone appears to have an intriguing natural layering of fine black material over coarser stone.

I love the bridge! The hockey puck is pretty cool too.