Monday, April 11, 2016

A Sight to Behold

Hello, peeps!
As I write, it's a chilly, blustery day and tonight temps are supposed to dip below freezing...
...into the mid-20's....WHAT???
I thought this was supposed to be April in the south!


So this past Friday, although somewhat cool, was a beautiful day with bright blue skies...


...a perfect day to enjoy an afternoon stroll at Riverwalk,
about ten miles down the road in Hillsborough.


Riverwalk is a two mile segment of the Mountains to the Sea Trail along the Eno River
 and features paved pathways for walking, biking and wheelchairs.
It crosses the river on some pretty amazing bridges and connects the Historic District
with the West Hillsborough Gold Park and businesses.



Not far over the bridge, this came into my view.


At first I couldn't believe what I was seeing and then my brain kicked in...yes!

 
A few months ago I had seen a program on our PBS channel about a local artist, Patrick Dougherty, who has created these awesome sculptures in different places over all over the world.



I had temporarily forgotten that there was one practically right under my nose!
Ironically, I found out that he named this one A Sight to Behold...



...exactly my thought the moment I laid eyes on it.



What truly amazing artistry, to say the least...



...and from what I understand, he builds them, depending on their size,
 in as little as a couple of weeks!
Local folks are also welcome to volunteer their assistance by gathering the sticks and such.
If you are interested in checking out some of his other sculptures,
you can find him at his website, Stickwork.


Inside, it was quite cozy...



...although I was glad it wasn't raining...



...and I wondered if this is what it might feel like to be a raccoon or a possum,
or some other critter living inside of a dead tree :)


I was beyond intrigued by this unique and whimsical piece of art.



We just never know what we might discover when we set out for an afternoon stroll, do we?



And I can assure you...



...I obeyed the rules :)



So I'm thinking spring is finally back this week...one can only hope!
Enjoy your week, my friends!
Sharing with:
 
Mosaic Monday
 
 

44 comments:

  1. Hello Debby, the boardwalk looks like a lovely place for a walk. The tree house is a cool sculpture. I would love to visit this Riverwalk park. Thanks for sharing. Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!

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  2. Love the riverwalk and what an incredible sculpture! So fun to see it. Have a wonderful day, Debby.

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  3. That really is the coolest creation! I wonder if there are any here in Florida! Very fun to discover! Hugs!

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  4. How interesting! I wonder how long these sculptures last? I noticed on his site there is one a few hours from me at Texas A&M University.

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  5. I was all ready to join you in that walk,when I saw those paths.Your discovery along the way would have been great to see in person.Oh well,at least we have the internet to share these things,if only virtually.Thanks for sharing,that was fascinating.

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  6. Love the riverwalk and that sculpture is amazing. Thank you for sharing the information. Hope you are having a wonderful day!

    Blessings,
    Jill

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  7. I saw that show too. : )
    Great photos. I'd love to walk along there!!!

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  8. I also saw the show too. I also saw his works in a magazine too, but can't reminder which one it was. How wonderful to see one in person.
    ~Cindy

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  9. Such a beautiful walkway and the sculpture was a work of art, stunning.

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  10. Amazing piece of land sculpture,thanks for sharing this.
    Your first image of beautiful trees is lovely.
    Happy Monday!

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  11. That is amazing and truly unique. Love the view from inside looking up.

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  12. Those board walks in your area and near where our kids used to live in Durham are just wonderful. We enjoyed biking there so much. Amazing art you came upon and its also amazing that you had previously read about the artist. I think the weather is warming up!

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  13. Oh my goodness Debby...I have heard and seen on TV this stick work, but you got to see these creations in person...how lucky! And what a glorious place to visit under that blue spring sky!

    Donna@GardensEyeView
    and LivingFromHappiness

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  14. Hi Debby! How fun that you knew about this sculptor, and there you were seeing the work right in front of you! At first, it looked like an elephant (weak eyes, as I wrote about!) What a beautiful walk and day for you.
    It's still pretty cold up here in Chicago. Hoping for better at the end of the week.
    Blessings!
    Ceil

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  15. LOVE the stick work! I need one of those on my farmette.....

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  16. Such wonderful sight!
    And the weather I think just helped the photos. Beautiful lighting.

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  17. I just recently read an article about these. They are beautiful. Your photos are great. Someone needs to see your work. I'm telling you, your photos are good enough to be published. Can you believe this weather??? I'm actually cold. Today was windy, cool and raining. My kind of staying in day, but of course, I had to keep Miss Priss. I am beginning to call her that. She becoming quite a mess. It's now, "No!" "Stop!" Yikes.

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  18. Stick art. Wow! Looks like a small castle. I lived in Raleigh for 3 years during the 90s, moving there from Texas, and always thought I had moved to the frozen north. I had to actually buy a coat. Hope it warms up soon!

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  19. Your photo's are just lovely, the sky looks so lovely and blue.
    Aren't the sculpture's awesome truly a 'sight to behold'

    Thanks for sharing, all good wishes for a happy Tuesday and a great week too.

    All the best Jan

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  20. What a marvelous place, to wander in!

    And what an amazing find. These are beautiful structures. Love the way he has made they natural pieces, seem to flow. Even being a very still structure, it must give the feeling of lovely movement.

    Fantastic! Thank you for sharing it with us.

    Tessa

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  21. I would love to take a stroll along the riverwalk! And the sculpture must have been a huge surprise. It's wonderful! I'm amazed at the things creative people can do. Have a nice week!

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  22. A sight to behold for sure! That is awesome, and the view looking up and out the top was gorgeous. I will definitely check out his web site, maybe there is something in our area?
    I love the idea of your beautiful board walk, and useable for people in wheelchairs, wonderful.
    Your area is certainly filled with God's beauty.
    Have a glorious day~~

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  23. A sight to behold for sure! That is awesome, and the view looking up and out the top was gorgeous. I will definitely check out his web site, maybe there is something in our area?
    I love the idea of your beautiful board walk, and useable for people in wheelchairs, wonderful.
    Your area is certainly filled with God's beauty.
    Have a glorious day~~

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  24. Oh my goodness, that is truly amazing! I quickly did a search to see if his work appears anywhere close to us, but the closest is in the Bay Area, CA. I'm thinking something like this would probably self-combust during our dry summer temps, and be a haven to all kinds of creepiness all the rest of the year....lol! I'll just have to enjoy your photos, Debby. That trail is quite amazing, too!

    Warm hugs,
    Carol

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  25. Oh, my word, Debby...what an amazing treasure you found tucked in the woods! I love it! I have never seen anything like it EVER! Your photos never cease to amaze! Love that walking trail, too!

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  26. I would so enjoy hiking on that trail and bridge. It looks so beautiful and seeing the leaves popping out on the trees and the blue sky just makes me happy. That stick art house is amazing! I wonder how long they last in their natural surroundings and the weather? Beautiful photos Debby. Thanks for sharing them.
    Hugs, Pam

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  27. Hello Debby - what a beautiful place to walk. The photos of the trees against the sky are really lovely. And what a wonderful piece of whimsy to come across. A stick house would be fun to explore and wouldn't little ones love it?

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  28. So interesting and unusual. Such a fun surprise to find on your walk!

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  29. First of all, I LOVE that Riverwalk...was thinking what a wonderful thing to have near. I so wish there was something like that near here.

    Then the 'Sight to Behold.' What is funny is I saw some 'stick houses' on some other blog recently and have not been able to get them out of my mind. I don't know if they were by this artist or not, but would almost bet there were. I would have loved this as a kid!

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  30. That walk along the bridges and paths looks amazing. The sculpture is intriuging...like a cross between an elephant and a temple.

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  31. What a wonderful thing to stumble upon! I would have spent hours exploring inside it and I kind of think it would be fun to be there in the rain one time. Love the bridges, too! Thanks for sharing.

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  32. What a beautiful place to walk and what a great surprise to find that treasure there!

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  33. That "sight to behold" truly is amazing. What a clever artist and how wonderful to discover that amazing structure on an everyday walk. Love those photos of those blue, blue skies.

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  34. Wow...how amazing is that?! What talent. Wow!

    Spring/Winter...this old weather is very confused. Warm one day, freezing the next. Seriously?!

    Hope your weekend is warmer than ours! ;)

    Hugs Debby!
    Amy

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  35. HI Debby! Oh, my goodness! This is so amazing! I can only imagine how you must have felt when you came upon this masterpiece! :) Thanks for popping in to see me and have a nice weekend.
    be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  36. How fascinating! There is a place in our little mountain town where someone has built a *tunnel* of twigs overarching a path. We didn't know about it until someone asked if we'd ever seen it. Well, we went searching and found it, and it's quite magical. Some people are so creative - I just love that!

    Spring is making its best attempt to *spring* forth in our mountains, too. Still some cold temperatures lingering...

    GOD BLESS!

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  37. Oh Debby, indeed, what a sight to behold! You found a place of enchantment {{smiles}}

    I always love going on an adventure with your and your photos always take me to beautiful places. Love and hugs!

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  38. Beautiful place for a walk and what an amazing structure! I love the bridges and that photo of the river is so beautiful. Have a great weekend!

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  39. Oh my, how wonderful!! What a beautiful little "house"! Almost can imagine fairies here in the twilight. Just magical. And I love the "roof"; how pretty. Thanks for sharing Debby; and oh, I'm sorry I haven't been by recently. Just trying to play catch up here!
    Have a good week, my friend. xo Deborah

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  40. Wow, it looks like a whole fairy family and their relatives could live in there hehehehe. What an interesting house this is. Thank you for sharing it, Debby. The things we discover on our strolls in nature.

    ~Sheri

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  41. This is the first I've heard of Stickwork. So glad you were able to see it. Beautiful scenery, too.

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Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.