These are a few of the rocks that comprise my “Zen garden”. I collect rocks as a momento, pocketing my first rock when I moved to Colorado in 1977 (although my parents would tell you I’ve pocketed them all my life). I hiked my first Boulder trail in Chautauqua Park, huffing and puffing my way up into the foothills to a point high enough that I could oversee the entire town. Surely worth memorializing with a pocket rock.
I try to collect a rock from each place I travel in the US and abroad. I have rocks from Lake Superior, Paris, Tucson, Turks & Caicos, and Kranjska Gora. I have rocks my grandchildren have given me, and rocks “my troops” have sent me while they were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have a rock from the bike ride when my first sighting of a double rainbow stopped me in my tracks; from the first time I made par on a golf hole (yes, there are rocks on golf courses); and from the first time I rode Vail Pass on my bicycle.
There is a spot in my living room where I periodically rearrange my rocks, tucking some away and bringing others into the daylight. I stack and balance them carefully and mindfully in cairns. I place them by shapes and designs; by their hues of color; by the feel of their surface; and by the memories they evoke.
bemuzin 
Comments on: "R is for Rocks" (33)
Wonderful! They look amazing and it’s perfect that when you look at them they bring back all those memories 😉
Thank you, Lainey. I hope you have a joyous week and maybe some time “playing” with your new clay and dolls.
Thanks Sammy, I think the dolls might be needing houses…..!! You have a great week too! 😉
I one gave a friend a collection box for her birthday. The goal being to collect one thing from each outing we have together to fill the box. A gave her a rock as an example. A great way to collect memories as well as things of beauty.
That is a wonderful idea to share with a friend for keepsakes of your special outings!
I really admire the people who can balance the rocks like that – I’m no good at all! Do you remember where all of your rocks came from? That’s a fantastic idea for a collection.
Eileen @ In My Playroom (also doing the A to Z Challenge)
I don’t remember where most if the rocks came from. I didn’t want to write on them and couldn’t think of another way to label them. I should have taken a picture of each for identification as I collected it. Perhaps I need to repeat each adventure for another rock !
Awesome. Such a refreshing post. Thanks. I love the round one in the first pic. Beautiful.
Fondly,
Elizabeth
Thanks, Elizabeth – sometimes I put them in the sun then feel their varying temperatures. I do love handling the round ones – very serene. Dad taught me how to “skip” them in the water as a child.
Oh my goodness, it is interesting how our lives have so much in common. I too have collected many rocks, and have many stories connected to them. Now my son-in-law brings me rocks. He is a wildlife biologist and spends a lot of time out in the wildernesses and comes across lots. The latest one though he brought from the beach and it sits on my coffee table.
😍 we’ll bring each other one if ever our paths cross in person!
Ah, a stone collector! I have a few myself!
Did you say stoned collector? 😝💥💥
I only have a couple of rocks because I switched to collecting magnets of all the places I’ve been. Still, I treasure my rocks because they have special memories attached to them to.
http://yeakleyjones.blogspot.com/
Now that I think of it, my Uncle – career Air Force pilot – had a steam trunk full of rocks and minerals. I wonder if one of my cousins kept it.
What a wonderful collection! I’d worry I’d forget where I got them. Such is my brain…
I have forgotten which comes from where:-( at least I remember the details of the trips.
Rocking post! I like the rocks especially the ones with the creative designs. They are always make a nice touch to gardens. AtoZer http://www.writer-way.blogspot.com
Hi Michelle – thanks for visiting and rocking comment! I have rnjoyed using many larger rocks in my gardens and carting them with us on our moves 🙂 i hope you are enjoying A to Z.
You make rocks interesting–great post and photos.
Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
Thanks, Deb. Crazy collections follow us through life, don’t they?
I have a few rocks myself! Unfortunately, I forget where I get most of them from…I must be getting old, or have too many rocks in my head to keep track of. I love taking pictures of stone cairns that people have stacked along various trails – THOSE at least are easier for me to remember where they were taken from! 😀
:-). I like coming upon them while hiking, too. I never learned how to read them for directions but fortunately Hub knows so I stick close to him. Ha!
Some of those rocks are huge! How ever did you get them home?
Stacked up liked that they seem to tell a story of their very own. I’m always awed by how short a blip our own lifespan is in contrast to how long it takes a rock to find its shape and finally break down into sand.
LOL I wondered if anyone would say, “Hey, those are way too big for pocket rocks!” You win the prize. Guess what it is!?!
I have been aware of that same wonder, living here near the mountains. I am the most significant person on earth in my own life, but am barely a speck in the life of the earth itself. Some rocks crumble easily and some are unchanged for eons. Thanks for the philosophical musing!
Nice collection! 🙂 I have some too, including some North American Indian painted ones and a good luck volcanic rock from Santorini; also hand painted.
You know, when I was writing this piece I realized I did not pick up a rock that day we spent on Santorini, and that’s a bummer! But I will never forget what it felt like to bask in the sunshine overlooking that sparkling blue sea!
Would like to see your NA
Terrific! Looks like I can comment again. 😀
Whew !
Wonderful! I used to collect pebbles from the beach and once made a photo frame out of them, but the frame was so heavy that it kept falling over. Yet another attempt of mine to be creative – and yet again it failed miserably 🙂 Your rocks do look fabulous though.
LOL that sounds like me and crafts!
Great post! I love to collect rocks. There’s just something about them – so solid and beautiful. My parents used to be in despair because of the number of rocks I would drag home with me from everywhere. Luckily, I’ve gotten pickier over time. 🙂
Thank you for visiting, Sue, and for the “rock love”. There have been a coulpe hikes where the backpack got quite heavy 🙂 now I’m more discerning as well!