Type S – repeating lawfull patterns
Portsmouth December 20th
In 1982 I went to Florissant in Colorado as a day trip from Colorado Springs where I was staying. The drive was not without fun as we ploughed through a snowstorm climbing Pikes Peak on the highway in a tiny jeep. If it gets any worse we will chain up – this in response to a foot or so of fresh snow – A mere fraction of which would have brought the British transport system to a grinding halt.
Soon we were out and above the clouds – heading for somewhere read about as a kid and long immagined…
The Florissant Fossil beds formed during volcanic activity 34 million years ago – lake and valley floor deposits mixed with layers of tuff and lehar’s. They are widely known for the fossil plants they contain being excellently preserved. The volcano’s eruptions both destroying the environment but preserving the fauna ironically. repeated blooms, run offs eruptions and cycles forming micro layered paper shales trapping the plant material to be read like pages in a herbarium.
Although collecting is restricted within the National Park there were some road cuttings outside the boundary where leaves and wood could be found – in our case brushing away the snow first – a light covering echoing the ash many years previous.
http://www.nps.gov/flfo/index.htm
The repetitive appeals to me as does the inquiry – tracing the story – the minimalism of gradual change within cycles.Natural aspergers inquisitiveness – but I had to make sure it was ‘real’ – words in a book – lines on a map – photos – intangibles – but for the real thing – honest ash under your fingernails from scrabbling up a slope releasing long lost treasure only to be scrubbed clean that evening.
On second thoughts maybe I should have kept that too?
I type s:
s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s
