--> On the first day of December--before the snow started falling--I went to Quarry Lake Park in Racine. Actually, I went to the Wustum Museum of Art in Racine to pick up work that had been in their exhibit, Wisconsin Photography 2016. I've been to the Wustum many times over the years and since it is located next to Quarry Lake Park I have driven past said park just as often--twice as often if you count to and fro! Nearly every time I've wondered about the park and thought that one day I ought to stop. This time I did.
I shot a series of photos, all with my iPhone. (I had brought my camera along but left it in the car, erroneously anticipating few opportunities to use it, the day being gloomy and with a light drizzle that continually threatened to turn heavier.) I enjoyed the walk far more than expected.
Adjacent to a golf course, the 40-acre park boasts a “spring-fed lake” in the former quarry, along with a beach, pavilion/bathhouse, dog park, picnic tables, and a fishing pier. The Racine County Parks website doesn’t mention the Root River, which also runs through the park and which was of more interest to me when I decided to stop to explore.
A narrow, wall-like ridge of un-quarried stone separates the lake and the river. The authorities had erected a chain link fence to prevent people from walking up the ridge, which is essentially a two-sided cliff. This was primarily to discourage cliff jumping into the lake, an illicit activity that had unfortunate consequences last June. However, the appeal seems insatiable. The fence has been violated, making it easy to step through.
After I finished exploring and photographing the park I found in the experience further inspiration. Although I hadn't written any haiku for over a year I ended up with a series of them. The poems are not meant to be read as captions for the photos. They are a complimentary expression of my encounter with Quarry Lake Park.
heavy overcast
the surface of the water
the color of stone
in three rows
twelve vacant tables
cemented in place
visible
through chain link
fence
a well-trodden path
reeling
the fisherman draws a
line
in the scum
separating
quarry lake from
river
two-sided cliff
an icy gust
on the cliff top
bare footprints
standing on uncut
rock
surrounded
by the crowns of trees
I plod along
snarl of thorny
underbrush
roar of ascending airplane
on the opposite bank
through leafless
trees
house lights
at the water’s edge
a young couple
posing for selfies
quarry lake
a million grains of
sand
trucked in for the beach
December afternoon
the darkening sky
drizzles
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