A wise person once said: "I think you're happiest in a scarf"

If you know where to look, there's this clearing up a beaten path and through the trees in the woods of Stony Creek Metropark.

A worn stone wall panel, that seems older than time itself, encases a small prairie that's filled with wispy grasses and recently fallen leaves. A small stairwell and two pointed pillars mark an entrance way. It's hard to believe that a mansion once stood there.



I've been to the site many times, but whenever I'm able to relocate it, I'm always immediately struck with this eerily evocative feeling. The doorway in the ghostly remains makes me feel like I'm walking into a storybook.

It's a site that friends and I first visited in early college years during summers and falls home from school. I tried to find it, again, this summer on various bike rides through the park, but was unsuccessful. On my birthday, Phil and I wandered around for an hour near the golf course before we finally stumbled upon the site.

It's beautiful there this time of year. The leaves will become even more vibrant in the coming weeks, during which time I plan to make another trip out there.



















This table bench thing is stone with these huge, detailed, aquarius-like fish for legs. It's a really nice decorative piece of outdoor furniture and it's in a different place each time I've visited. Phil said the whole scene forced him to imagine that animal sacrifices/rituals happened there. It's eerie.




It looks like I'm kicking the ground in these photos. I was just trying to keep my balance. I thought I was going to wipe out in those boots--completely snap my ankle in half and a ranger would have to GPS my location. They're cute boots for romping around in on sidewalk, but they're not really for in the woods.


Dead Leaves on The Dirty Ground