Tuesday, September 14, 2010

ABC Wednesday - I ...

I is for Indescribable

As we entered the gate of a long ago informal play area, that led to the most beautiful indigo blue hole . . .


A spot where my dad brought my brother and I a couple times a month years ago...
 images from distant memories
flooded my mind and excited my emotions.


Referred to locally at times as a "casino" at times,  as a restaurant, but mostly as Radium Springs,
This spot was full of history and this is the spot where I learned to swim.

Mother Nature, having wreaked havoc on this incredible spot, closed it down.
Too much high water, a fire, more high water, high insurance, this iconic spot was locked tight
 and sat inert for years.
But money from FEMA has been used to turn this once busy spot into a park just this year.

And so we visited...


What once was crystal clear and inconceivably ice cold is now filled with algae.
The sea shell covered bank, now covered with weeds.
The deep blue hole, that had existed under the diving board, is invisible due to
Mother Nature's withholding of sufficient rain.

As I stood on the island I noticed the old and the new - and not just the rock architecture.


I looked down...


And saw an "American" ladder - probably made in the USA. And I saw this on 9/11/10. An interesting connection, to me anyway.
 
As we left, I smiled, bringing with me the memories of sites now invisible, an incredible nostalgic feeling of having visited a spot no longer sitting inert, wondering if the past was the end, but seeing how it was the beginning of something new. A new influenced by the past, both worlds intermingled, bright and clear with a future still grounded in the community.
 
 
 
 
Joining in the fun at ABC Wednesday...check it out here for more sites to see
 

15 comments:

photowannabe said...

Lovely memories. How nice you could go back and revisit.

Sylvia K said...

Lovely post for the I Day! Delightful photos and lovely memories! Thanks for sharing! Hope your week is going well!

Sylvia

Leslie: said...

What a beautiful post about an indescribably beautiful spot. Just lovely. :D

oh goodness! even the word verification is an I word! inkag

Hildred said...

Your first photo is indescribably beautiful.

magiceye said...

wonderful takes on the theme!

Reader Wil said...

You are right this is a very special place, unique and precious!
Thanks for sharing!

Roger Owen Green said...

a very interesting place w an intriguing history
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Carol said...

So nice that it is a park now. I love that ladder...Also, like the flag post below.

Merrie said...

Ahhhhhh what beautiful memories! When we lived there, we were always intrigued by Radium Springs. Wondered what it had been in its glory days and dreamed of what it could be. Such possibilities are still there. I do hope that someone will take the reigns and rebuild it!
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

mrsnesbitt said...

Wonderful visit - I feel very refreshed now!

Thanks so much
Denise
ABC Team

Kay L. Davies said...

Interesting interplay of words for "i" Day.
Sad about the water, but always good to revisit the happy places of our childhood.

Kay
Alberta, Canada
(Not as good as Leslie's, but the letter "i" appears twice in my verification word here. I always want to make up meanings for them, am now trying to figure out what "nilsiv" could be. Leslie's "inkag" is easier -- Uh-oh, I spilled the ink. Ag! It's on my white shirt!"

Anonymous said...

Memories are like that secret ingredient in a recipe that makes something awesome. I'd say that memories about places make places indescribable - like you said! Lovely pictures and lovely words.

Gayle said...

I love your images and your memories and thoughts that go along with them.

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Simply beautiful!! I LOVE your photos...they are so gorgeous...and peaceful! And your memories are wonderful!! And I'm smiling from ear-to-ear! Thank you...I needed that today!!! Have a wonderful weekend, dear Lailani~Janine XO

Anonymous said...

thanks girlie!