My parents are flying 1,250 miles from Alabama to Vermont…for its rocks. We live in Alabama. My mother can’t find Vermont’s equal in rocks here in Birmingham’s red clay. The black & white rocks were found by my mom on their many sailing adventures on Lake Champlain. Their sailboat, Gypsy Soul, & the wind, took them from Point Bay Marina to Boulder Beach on the New York side of Lake Champlain. It is Boulder Beach that one can find the black & white rocks.
My mother has collected rocks for as long as I remember. She tumbles them into a glass-like polish.
Time wears down the rocks to sand, that sand can be fired into glass…which she then uses to make fused glass art. The life cycle of an element. How cool is she?!
2me4art 
A mini stonehenge……I love rocks and your account of your mother’s collection is so interesting.
LikeLike
It is like a mini Stonehenge! I never would have thought of that description, but its perfect. Thank you for your wonderful compliment of my mom & her collection. She is off to Vermont to collect some more! ~amy
LikeLike
Awesome awesome and then awesome some more!
These images are truly great – but perhaps that’s because I am heavily biased towards rocks. I love them. I’m always looking down and around and it’s rare that I don’t come back from some walk about without a few stashed in my pockets.
Your Mom is totally awesome – and hence, I can see where the daughter follows suit, yes?
Now you have me completely intrigued – about tumbling rocks to polish them. An idea I had never considered – just admire them for their beauty as is. Off to research!
Great post Amy 🙂
LikeLike
You’re so cool, Patricia! I love a woman who carries found rocks in their pockets! Tumbling rocks is a messy job, but it is so rewarding to rinse the stones, from the mud -like stuff they are polished in, to see what has become of them. We bought my son a tumbler for his birthday & he LOVED the results. I hope you continue finding treasures on your walks. Thank you for your amazing compliment! ~amy
LikeLike
Well thanks for the “cool” compliment Amy – but I’m not so sure that it’s hip to be picking up all kinds of things – but hey, when something is interesting, it’s fun!
I did a quick search about rock polishing and stuff – and I’ll be checking into it more — I love the idea about transforming them somehow!
I bet your son had lots of fun with it – messy or not. I guess it’s a bit like panning for gold 😉
Treasures, as you know Amy, are everywhere – as we walk through this world, and take the time to “look and see” — which is what I love about your blog Amy – so adventuresome and wonderful.
I wish you happy treasure hunting and a wonderful mother’s day too 🙂
LikeLike
In my opinion it is very hip to be able to spot a gem along side the road. far cooler then finding a pair of shoes in Macys or something. I do know treasures are everywhere, sometimes they shout at me to be noticed. I guess that is why i used all neutral colors inside my house, so my brain doesn’t explode! I hope you do try tumbling your treasures, it is always a surprise to see what they turn into. ~amy
LikeLike
Lol — you know Amy – that makes perfect sense — using neutrals in the house because of all the treasures and finds and “created art” that fills the days — the house as canvas.
Well maybe at some point I will give tumbling a go – in the meantime, I’ll just keep collecting.
Hope you have a great week Amy 🙂
LikeLike
I hope you have a great week too, Patricia! ~amy
LikeLike
We were at Shelburne Museum last summer and saw the work of an artist who uses the black and white stones from the lake in his jewelry: http://www.vermonthandcrafters.com/featureEpstein.php
LikeLike
OH, I love his stuff! You were in Vermont!? You are so lucky!! I wish I could go this year. But too much is happing here to let me escape. I will pass your link onto my mother. Maybe she will go & buy something for me (HINT, Mom) Thank you so much for sharing the link! ~amy
LikeLike
Not to rub it in but I’m in Vermont all the time–I live on Lake Champlain, on the NY side. I do understand your love for this part of the world!
LikeLike
OH, I am so JEALOUS. Do me a favor, go outside & inhale deeply & think of Amy Begun Saab, so that the wind will know that I am missing it. ~amy
LikeLike
Consider it done!
LikeLike
I absolutely adore these stones! what lucky finds. I visited VT just once but it did not occur to me to look for stones. I was enthralled with the charming village of Woodstock. Driving through the tiny community, deer were nibbling on leaves in folks’ front yards. Just like old friends 🙂
LikeLike
There is no where like Vermont. My father used to work in Woodstock one day a week (he is an eye doctor) If you get a chance to go again, look down. Amazing rocks everywhere! Thank you so much for your compliment on her collection. ~amy
LikeLike
The rocks are rocking so do your MOM! Great collection!
LikeLike
It is a fantastic collection. I begged her to bring some back to me. You have to have a boat to fetch them off the island, but my parents will sail the waters on a friends boat. I hope I get a huge collection! Thank you for the wonderful compliment about my mom! ~amy
LikeLike
I live on the ocean side and collected lots of good looking rocks, shells even dead crabs, sea moss, got an over sized cognac glass and I mean a huge one, made a handsome display filled with all the goodies and have it displayed on my side table, Looks realy cool!
LikeLike
I love found treasures. Far better to find them in nature, then to find them in a shop. I’d love to see your HUGE cognac collection, if you’ll show it…~amy
LikeLike
OK! I will load it up to my facebook page, Eva Marks which is my personal facebook page, as you know I have the other one Eva Marks Illustrations. but on that I have only my illustration stuff. I’m new to facebook as you know so I don’t know how it works but I put it up and invite you to be friends if you wish!-Eva:)
LikeLike
I wished & accepted. You’ll see most of the posts I make here on my page & very few people comment or like them. I’m not on Facebook very much because I always shut it down feeling depressed. It feels like an insincere way of celebrating life. I always tell myself to get out of it. But i never do. I only give myself access to it on my desktop so I won’t look at if i’m bored on my phone. I wish you luck with your page. ~amy
LikeLike
I keep facebook to be in touch with my family and share pictures with them. Anyway, I made some photos with my cognac glass display to show it to you, as you asked. You don’t need to put “like” on it just wanted to show you, hope you like it without a”like”. Eva:)
LikeLike
would you have me if I did like it? 🙂 I’ll check, if you don’t see that i’ve been there, it is because Facebook is bringing the dark cloud over my head & i had to escape! ~amy
LikeLike
Sorry to hear that Amy! My intention was purely to show you my cognac glass collection and not to get “likes”, I would care less, it is not important for me to collect those! Was the shortest way for me to show it to you. I must admit do, I had lot of fun doing this project. I felt I can make you happy and make you smile for a while and that was enough motivation for me, on the other hand I’m happy you enjoyed it:) That little rolled up thing I guess is some kind of sea weed or sea grass. They just get washed out like that and dry out on the Sun. I thought it looks interesting enough to make it into my glass, just like that little dried crab what I also found on the beach, which I thought hm…handsome fellow lets make him a star in my glass. I was right, he ended up in facebook, now that is totally cool. Eva:)
LikeLike
Eva, you did make me so happy to show your collection to me. I’m sorry i liked everything, i just wanted you to know that i saw it. I love having you to write to almost everyday. I look forward to it very much. I am home alone most of the time & don’t get a chance to really talk to anyone during the day until the kids get home from school. But they are so tired & hungry, they just want to mellow out in their rooms. I don’t blame them on bit, it is exactly what i used to do when i was a kid. I think the rolled up sea grass was my favorite, maybe because it looked like a rose & you know how much i love flowers! Thank you for showing me & i put it on my page, so that when I go on Facebook, you’ll make me smile every time i see it. I’ve gotta go pick up the kiddos. Thank you so much. You are a good photographer, maybe you could pick it up as another outlet to your brilliant art brain. ~amy
LikeLike
I take that compliment of good photographer especially because is coming from you! I’m happy that my project makes you smile, I like happy people! Have a wonderful day!
LikeLike
we love rocks – used to tumble them until someone pinched our tumbler…
LikeLike
Gasp! Who would steal a tumbler?! My son has a tumbler, but Alabama’s rocks come no where near as interesting as Vermont’s. Thanks for commenting & sharing your sad story. ~amy
LikeLike
Vermont has the best marble in the nation, if not the world.
LikeLike
My grandparents worked for Rock of Ages quarry while I was growing up. We would visit the quarry & i my knees would turn to jelly looking over the edge of such a deep, deep hole in the earth. My uncle works there now. I like your taste in marble. ~amy
LikeLike
I’d say she is pretty cool! I collect rocks too 🙂
LikeLike
Well, then Jennifer, you are pretty cool in my book too! ~amy
LikeLike
Thanks! I bet the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. 🙂
LikeLike
No, I am an artist too. I work with a different element…water (color) So we are naturalists in different ways. ~amy
LikeLike
Love the ‘one love’ rock!
LikeLike
That was a lucky find, wasn’t it! I’m going to use that one for my graphic design cards. Thank you! ~amy
LikeLike
Fascinating! Beautiful rocks&photos!!
LikeLike
Thank you so much, SueBee and/or Kat. My mom has collected amazing rocks as though they are precious gems for as long as I can remember. I asked her to pick some up for me while she is in Vermont. She has to ship her rocks home b/c they are too heavy for her suitcase. ~amy
LikeLike