Rocks

Serendipity is wonderful stuff. When serendipity strikes twice in a row, it’s a double delight.

Our first quirk of chance happened in February at the gigantic Gem and Mineral Show in Tucson. We stumbled onto a booth of Petoskey stones only to learn that these fascinating rocks are found in our own Lake Michigan (albeit on the other side). A trip to the far shore to search for these amazing stones – actually 360 million year old fossilized coral – was in order.

Last week we visited the eastern shore. We saw towering sand dunes and rock-strewn beaches. We did not find a Petoskey stone.

However, another rock surprise awaited us. I must note that my husband and I are aficionados of architecture, having traveled across America visiting sites by Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Greene and Greene and other luminaries. But neither one of us had ever heard of Earl Young and his amazing “mushroom” houses in Charlevoix, Michigan. The town is peppered with his homes, built between the late 1920’s to 1964. Constructed with small to massive boulders from the Lake Michigan shoreline and other native rocks, these homes are utterly unique. He drew no formal plans or blueprints, but relied “on sketches jammed into his pocket and ideas in his head.” We would happily move into any one.

Following is a tour of an Earl Young neighborhood.

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4 thoughts on “Rocks”

  1. Why have I never heard of this architect? He is unique and relates to the land as much as Wright. Great pictures. Also learning more about dogs. Think you’ll ever get one?

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  2. WOW, MARY, THIS IS VERY INTERESTING. MY GRANDDAUGHTER, DEBORA, HAS LIKED ROCKS EVER SINCE SHE WAS LITTLE. WALKING, WE HAVE A GREAT TIME GETTING ROCKS. PLUS, I HAVE PEOPLE COLLECTING FROM ALL OVER THE STATES AND DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. THIS IS A GOOD SUBJECT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AND US OLDER ONES, TOO. THANK YOU FOR THIS STORY. LOVE, TERRI

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