“[The Toy King] was preparation. All toys come from that mound (!)”
bb:
Thanks, Hucka D. So it *is* Dead Center Hill.
Hucka D.:
Exactly. Bill Hill if you will, if you wish.
bb:
That might be interesting.
Hucka D.:
It was named that in the past. A man named Bill was buried on the top.
bb:
Was it a peaceful burial?
Hucka D.:
Maybe not. Maybe storms.
bb:
I might not be able to go back for a month or two or three.
Hucka D.:
Just keep in mind: that is dead center.
Filed under Middletown^, Toy Avatars
Dead Center Hill looking south from the surrounding meadow. A mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees sprouts from it. Soon the leaves of the latter will be gone, along with the undergrowth, perhaps allowing more mysteries to be revealed.
As I walked around the hill, the sun seemed to be slightly eclipsed at one point. I looked up to see a plane and also a bird. They seemed to be on a collision course. Of course they missed each other, flying at vastly different elevations. But I knew that this moment also had meaning. The hill had power.
Probing the western edges of it more, I came across another peculiarity, one I’d actually seen from the top. It was a lateral gorge filled with old bottles and junk. I found myself asking more questions. Who threw this stuff here? And why here and not anywhere on the rest of the hill? Was the gorge dug for this particular purpose? If not, then why is it here? I knew I would not receive many answers this day, and perhaps for a number of years. Dead Center Hill is a place to be studied for quite some time. It is a new center of mental activity.
Another shot of the nearby Wilson River island and its central yellow stone.
Speaking of yellow — when I returned to Warren the Owl King in his grove before heading back home to Blue Mtn., the prostate yellow haired troll doll first seen several days before was now upright, and also a bright red maple leaf had appeared over Warren’s naughty bits. Especially upon later reflection, this too seemed quite peculiar. These placements, not present during my first visit to the being, had to be done on purpose. Is Warren actually Adam, or at least the first of his kind? Mindblowing stuff, really.
Filed under Middletown^, Toy Avatars
Before reaching the hanging chair, which turned out to also be the last chair of the hill, it seemed, I was distracted by interesting features to my east, namely a kind of shallow gorge or canyon leading down the mountain. In exploring it, I found what appears to be an old pocketbook. Nothing inside, however.
And then this suspiciously bare, mica studded hillock next to it. That’s some kind of animal doodie in the middle.
Nearby rock, white variety this time.
I decided to circle back to the northern part of of the hilltop to reexamine the first chair. This time I noticed more the rocks behind it.
Moving down the top again: sawed off tree sapling near what we’ll call 3rd Chair, or the “Dead Center Chair”.
Wow — that’s a piece of old river cane way up here, and probably from the cane grove with the owl man sculpture in its midst. That’s about a third of a mile from Dead Center Hill, and on the other side of the river as well. Took some effort, then, to get that piece of cane to the top. When I saw it, I immediately knew it had deep meaning.
Then nearby… what’s pretty obviously a headstone. Yes, Dead Center Hill is actually a repository for at least one dead soul. And there may be more graves, but with the headstones removed — there’s a lot of rocks on the top. This is a *big find*.
And then there’s that blasted chair hanging in the tree just behind the grave, as it turns out.
A shot combining headstone (front/lighted) and chair (background/dark). Not a good picture, but, again, one I want to recreate in the future. The chair and tombstone seem intimately related. What – does – this – mean?? Who put the 4 chairs there? Who is buried in the grave? Why is the hill so flat on the top and steep on the sides? Is it *artifical*? Is it an unknown Indian mound, by chance? There’s a possibility.
The meadow surrounding the hill seems so serene and calm, like an ocean.
Filed under Middletown^
When I first visited Arch Rock several days before this, I started up to the top of Dead Center Hill, but decided to turn around. This day I made it to the top. And what surprises I was to find there!
First up was a chair sitting on the northern edge of what turned out to be a surprising flat top of the hill. Immediately I thought: who put this chair up here, and why? An answer to the second question was given when I reached the chair and stared down at the wonderful view of Wilson River below, perhaps 150 feet down from here. The view would be even more spectacular in the winter when the leaves had completely falling off the trees. That seemed to be the answer, then: this was a chair to sit on and enjoy the great river vista.
The chair appears to have been here for a long while.
Rocks on the hilltop.
And another chair nearby, this one without any cushions or back, as if they had been purposely removed. Why, if so?
There were many interesting seeming rocks on the top. I’ll definitely go back soon and record them in greater detail.
And then yet another chair appeared in front of me as I continued down the flat top, heading south by southwest. I approximate this would be about the center of the hill. Dead center, I suppose.
At first, I thought that bit of projecting foam on the seat could be another toy avatar (!). Why is this chair in better shape than the other 2 already encountered?
A cool pine tree… and then, behind it, yet another chair. A chair hanging in a tree.
Nearby rocks.
Filed under Middletown^
Yes, this is certainly a more interesting place to create graffiti art than scenic river rocks. It’s from under a bridge crossing the Wilson River near Woodrow Wilson College.
Interesting rainbow effect here.
Then it’s back to Dead Center Hill and the welcoming Arch Rock. Here’s a picture of a mica studded stone just below it.
Arch Rock. Again that hole is about 6 inches in circumference. But it’s so so important.
“Owl eyes” just beside the arch. They know, they know!
Through the arch. I see a face sticking out its tongue (!) A selfie?
Through the arch II. Many mud dauber nests adorn the side of Arch Rock.
Arch Rock — arch is the small cavity in the center.
Moving to the southern edge of Arch Rock, with arch just around the bend now.
Filed under Middletown^
Below is yet another interesting location along the Wilson River, but further east than the others we’ve examined so far.
Unfortunately, the rocks here have been vandalized — only way to put it. Here’s a link again to that interesting King of the Toys article, where he describes the difference between guerilla style graffitiists (for example, Bansky) and the more hands off, environmentally friendly art he creates. Useful contrast for sure. Certainly the rock graffiti here is unfortunate, even tragic in a manner. Graffiti art applied to other, less organic surfaces seems more legitimate and justified in my eyes.
Early morning sun streaming through the trees. I got up *real* early to take my trip to Ashville this day. I traveled in darkness most of the way down. Roads were more crowded than I supposed they would be at that time.
Popular watering hole just a bit east of the above pictured rocks. This is where the waters of Bill Creek join the Wilson River. Bill Wilson Swimming Hole might be an apt name for the feature. And then some people would wonder who this mysterious Bill Wilson is, and why the place was named after him.
More early sun pictures, merging light and river mist. Funtastic.
Another rock and a bit more graffiti art. Not as intrusive this time, but still unfortunate.
This is a more appropriate spot for such art, however. I approve!
A small tributary of the Wilson River not far from Dead Center Hill, but entering the stream from the north. Not the best shot, but I wanted to include it here as a model for future photos from the same angle. We have several bridges crossing the creek here, and there is also a small cascade just out of sight. I’ll get a name for this creek as well sometime. Not a pressing matter just yet, it doesn’t seem.
Filed under Middletown^
Sunklands 