Desolate Desert Digs
To the untrained eye, a pile of rocks in the desert might appear to be just that: a pile of rocks. In fact, most untrained eyes probably wouldn’t even see that pile of rocks during the height of summer, when the sun glares angrily off the scorched desert floor.
The chiseled pieces of feldspar, granite, sandstone and limestone would likely melt into the thirsty landscape. That is, unless you’re Neighbor Mark on his Polaris Ranger (think Superhero sporting a logo with NM in the middle, bionic vision enabled). He is the one who found this discovery and shared it with hubby and me:
Mark’s Magellan-like skills, which allow him to read mounds of earth and patches of prickly pear and saguaro like road signs, led us to this old shelter. Click to enlarge.
It turns out that this pile of rocks that Mark had recognized as a building foundation (about a year earlier) is being renovated. By someone. For some reason. In the middle of nowhere.
Fresh ocotillo stalks and dried century plants now provide shelter over the structure that long ago shed its original roof. Bags of cement now wait inside for their transformation into globs of mortar that will be splattered haphazardly among the rocks, meant to stabilize this old relic.
Refurbishments include a paper-towel dispenser, a table, and a bucket-chair to go along with the existing fireplace. The renovators also collected and placed geodes and other minerals along the face of the fireplace. Click to enlarge.
Finishing touches include roll-up blinds made of dried ocotillo stems and 2x2 framing around the windows. The haphazard cement is very visible here. Click to enlarge.
To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what we were looking at. What was this building’s story before the renovators came along? Who stayed in it? For how many years? Alone? What wild animals did the inhabitants come across in this remote location?
Mark thinks it’s likely that the shelter was originally built by cowboys of the Old West. But my mind was still firing off all kinds of questions, conjuring all kinds of scenarios. Who was renovating it now? How on earth did they get the supplies way back into the desert? WHY would they? What is their intended use for this structure in 2011? A hunting shack? An isolated but rudimentary get-away?
I still don’t know. And I could probably never find the place again if I tried. Which I won’t. Unless Neighbor Mark drives.
What more does one need in the middle of the remote desert than a shovel and some Jagermeister? We found these items set back into a crevice in the wall. Click to enlarge.
For Writers: The unknown renovators of the rock pile shelter appear to be doing their best to build upon something that already existed – despite the remote setting, the failing condition of the foundation, the harsh sun. They’re simply trying to improve it, add to it, refresh it to suit today’s needs.
Is novel writing much different? Aren’t we really just writing renovators, building upon the existing themes and work of authors who have gone before us? Do writers naturally draw from other works – consciously, subconsciously – simply adding their own finishing touches and “refreshers” to what already exists?
Or do you think your ideas are completely your own, completely unique?
NOTE: If you have a chance, please visit Shari Lopatin’s “Rogue Writer” blog where I guest this week.
June 6th, 2011 at 4:11 am
(First of all, I demand to know how you got photos of our 120 year old house that we are struggling to finish renovations on….except for the Jagermeister of course) But seriously, I absolutely agree! Although I think ideas may seem new to us or to our subconscious brain, I think they come from our experiences, our reading, our observations of everything that’s come before us and within our life experiences. What I consider *potentially* unique is our own world-view that we come to from our individual experience and point of view. Great post!
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Melissa Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
You are a total crack up, Julia. Didn’t you hear me sneaking around in your home while I was snapping photos? I agree with your every comment above: that our ideas are a culmination of all that – our experiences, the things we read, our observations. That’s what makes writing so much fun. No one will tell similar stories the same way.
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June 6th, 2011 at 9:07 am
What an amazing find, Melissa; sure seems like novel material to me! 🙂 I often ponder the idea of subconsciously drawing upon previous works while creating my own. It often bothers me, but then I realize that those “previous works” were probably created while subconsciously drawing upon those that had been created before. As Solomon once said, “Nothing new under the sun.” I suppose this can be applied to writing as well.
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
What a great point you make. There IS nothing new under the sun. Or, as Willa Cather said, ““There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.”
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June 6th, 2011 at 10:25 am
That is just SO cool (yup, I turned into a 15-year-old again and said things like Duuude as I browsed through the pictures). I love all the questions it creates, especially the bottle of Yager and the shovel. I wonder what has been going on over there? I love that that’s where stories start.
I have a hard time believing that there are completely new ideas, themes and stories. The human experience has so many common threads that it creates a foundation for how we see the world and what we create. Luckily, that same human experience has so many variables at the individual level that we’re practically incapable of telling the same story in the same way. That’s why it’s so important for us to embrace telling a story that feels true to us; because if we don’t, no one else will tell it. And what’s worse, if we try to write a story the way someone else would write it…well, that person would probably do the better job.
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
You’ve provided some wonderfully quotable material that other Tweeters will be broadcasting when you’re published! I esp. love “that same human experience has so many variables at the individual level that we’re practically incapable of telling the same story in the same way. That’s why it’s so important for us to embrace telling a story that feels true to us; because if we don’t, no one else will tell it.” YES – we must tell the stories we’re compelled to write.
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June 6th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Interesting! My thought was a hunting shack, too. And then the Jagermiester really made me think so! 🙂
I often think about the questions you pose at the end, and it seems to be a mix of both: inspiring ideas of others, and a unique seed of thought meant for only us to consider and form into words.
I will have to think on this more!
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I love thinking of stories as uniquely our own and the ‘seeds’ being given only to us to shape into words. Well put!
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June 6th, 2011 at 10:47 am
All kinds of story ideas are popping up in my head right now. Most of them involve some kind of criminal behavior. This could be the lair of the bad guys and the shovel was used to bury all the evidence out back. Love it!
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
Ha, ha. We think alike, V.V. When I saw the booze and shovel, I commented that someone might be buried out there. I love your imagination. I should have titled the post, “Bad Guys’ Lair”!
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June 6th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
That is hysterical! You should have left a nanny cam somewhere.
I definitely feel ideas are variations, elaborations, or twists on aspects of life. Story ideas often come straight out of our own life so in that sense it’s the HOW you put stories together that makes them something unique.
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
LOVE the idea of a Nanny Cam and have just the right spot for it: nestled in between the fireplace rocks!
Indeed, it is the “how” that makes our stories unique – the techniques we employ, the things we find important to add as details in our stories, our perceptions.
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June 6th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
First of all, let me say I am pleasantly surprised to find a different post than what’s on Shari’s page. It’s like I get two doses of Melissa in one week! Completely agree that we are always building on our stories and re-telling our themes and tales. That rock structure is truly amazing. Thanks for sharing.
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
You made my day, Leah. Though I’m not sure anyone else would be that excited to have two doses of Melissa in a week!
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June 6th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Well, since I write fairy tale retellings you know my answer! I really believe there’s nothing better than a familiar story told from a new angle! That’s why I’ve read a million novels set in Tudor England. Same basic stories, new voices and characters. Love it!
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:07 pm
Yes, so true .. the familiar offers a level of security and trust to readers before they even get started, doesn’t it? And when I think about it, I gravitate toward the same “kind” of story almost always, myself. I was sure someone was going to fight back and say, “NO! My story is original!” In some ways I feel mine is, but then I’m made aware of similar novels as people say, “Oh… that’s interesting. You should read such-and-such. It’s like your concept.”
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June 6th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
Looks like it could be a hunter’s blind. Anything to hunt around there? Big horn sheep?
I haven’t anything new to add to the others’ comments. So, I guess that’s the truth of the matter. If I said more it would be in my words, but basically the same ideas, just translated through my paradigm. And that would make it different, but it would still be the same.
I’m so curious about the little building!
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
Sadly, no bighorn left in this area (they WERE here as early as the 60s and 70s). But lots of deer hunting, javelina, quail, dove …
Ha ha. I LOVE your “different but the same” explanation – touche! So clever.
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June 6th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
Melissa–I loved this post in particular because for many years I was a restoration carpenter so I am so enamored of historic architecture and any sort of vernacular that reveals the history of a place. What a find! It must have been amazing to step inside this place, as you say, in the middle of nowhere. These pictures fascinated me. I pored over them several times.
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
I LOVE that you were a carpenter; your senses must be so heightened regarding architecture-as-setting as a result of this professional experience (is there anything you HAVEN’T done?). Do we get to see that carpentry affinity in LITTLE GALE GUMBO? Can’t wait to read it! So happy you were fascinated by the photos; I was afraid people might look at them simply as a ‘pile of rocks.’
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June 7th, 2011 at 7:01 am
These photos are fantastic!!! Perfect analogy to writers too.
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June 7th, 2011 at 7:59 am
LOVED this. And yes, I think we do build upon the work of previous authors—mostly subconsciously, but sometimes consciously too. When we’re working in a certain genre, for example, we’re doing what other writers before us have done. And themes are so common across works of art. Right? I’m so amazed at how you find these things to photograph and discuss every week. Love it!
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:19 pm
I worried, when I started the blog (June 3 of last year! Just had my one-year anniversary), that I would run out of ideas. But so far, the opposite has been true. Part of it is simply training myself to look for the story – and to look for the photograph when I’m out and about. It’s been so much fun and really has helped my creativity.
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June 7th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Definitely, I think we’re all rehashing something to some extent. But the fact that we can rehash it and sound like we’re _not_–that’s a great power to touch people who may never have come across the message we’re conveying before, _and_ to touch people who may have run into it but remained unaffected. Until us.
I’d have LOVED to be on that desert trip! I’d have wanted to camp out and keep watch or stake out a camera or something! You gotta let us know if you find out anythimg more from Neighbor Mark. Please?
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
When you put it like this (which I love), it’s a reminder of how much POWER a writer can have with her words. After all, writers write so that they CAN impact/touch their readers. When you’re in Arizona, we’ll plan a campout and see what or WHO pops up ;-). Hubby would tell you that I’ll chicken out. Nah! And I will keep you posted on any developments, if we learn of them.
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June 7th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
you crack me up and amaze at the same time girl. I’m not a writer of course, just neighbor Mark’s wife, but I’m always AMAZED at how you take some pictures and make them come alive with words!!:)
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Melissa Crytzer Fry Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 7:24 pm
I am SO SORRY, Roxy. I should have included you as the second half of the “Neighbor Mark” dynamic duo. Forgive me! Because – everyone reading – Roxanne is a bad-ass Annie Oakley, herself.
You have given me the kindest compliment about my photos and words. Thank you! And thanks for guiding us on those winding desert trails – something I love so, so much.
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June 8th, 2011 at 6:14 am
As usual, your post do not disappoint and your pics are exquisite! Thanks you for your insights once more!
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Melissa Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Christina. How are things in Denmark? I’m so glad you enjoy my photos. Thanks for all your support.
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June 8th, 2011 at 6:19 am
It seems you have the setting for a story. Now, you only need the prison escapee, the couple having an affair, the teenager looking for his/her own space, the runaway, the amnesiac homeless man who doesn’t remember that he’s a millionaire, the writer with a house full of kids who needs “a room of her own.” 🙂
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June 8th, 2011 at 8:35 am
Something about that site says ‘hunter’ or ‘survivalist’ to me. I think all stories have been written in some fashion but we don’t really revise or renovate what has come before. We have our own vision of what it should look like and always start from the foundation up.
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Melissa Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Ohh… I absolutely love this interpretation, especially since I like to think that my “vision” for my novel is 100% unique. And, as you say, it IS … Thank you!
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June 8th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
Don’t you love discovering something in what seems like the middle of nothing? What a great find! I love reading your posts, you always make me think about normal things a little bit differently.
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Melissa Reply:
June 8th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
OH, yes … I adore discoveries like this -and I’m so happy others enjoy them as well. I worried that this post wouldn’t be read much, but I see others share a similar fascination with the unknown. Thanks so much for generous support, Kimberly!
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June 9th, 2011 at 6:43 am
I’m with V.V. — my mind instantly went to something sinister. Love it!
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Melissa Reply:
June 10th, 2011 at 9:27 am
Ah, great minds think alike! Me, too.
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June 9th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
I think there are universal themes we all use in stories: divorce, death, child-rearing, depression, poverty, abandonment that all render the same emotions. It is the delivery, in my eyes, that is different. The actions used to portray those actions differ. And, of course, the setting. It is sort of crazy how the same stories can be told yet, we don’t recognize them when reading it. Or do we?
Cool pic of the one room rock hut. The roll-up blinds were a nice feature. It is perhaps the desert’s version of a treehouse? I would so go there with good book or two. 😉 Could be your own writer’s retreat, Melissa!!
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Melissa Reply:
June 10th, 2011 at 9:29 am
Well said, Hallie. It’s all in the delivery, and this is, indeed, what makes us hardly recognize repeated themes. Ha ha… I laughed about the roll-up blinds, too. And YES -a great reading nook to consider. So quiet. So desolate. The desert’s version of a treehouse … love your creativity.
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