Sunset reflected in the lake.
Legend has it that a long time ago fairies played in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. One day an angel arrived and told the fairies the sad news of the crucifixion of Christ. The fairies wept so hard that as their tears fell they turned to little stone crosses. As time passed and the fairies moved on these little crystallized crosses were cherished by Mother Earth and she covered them. These unique stone crosses came to be known as Fairy Stones.
Fairy Stones
The technical name for these tiny wonders is ‘staurolite’ and they are composed of iron, aluminum and silicate although sometimes magnesium, zinc or manganese substitues for the iron. When a specific combination of heat and pressure occurs such as the conditions that formed the Applachian Mountains, ‘cruciform penetration twinning’ creates the cross-shaped crystals.
If you’re a believer in the powers of crystals and such mumbo-jumbo you may find this interesting:
Staurolites are very grounding. It is this grounding, this connection to the earth, that is the basis for the belief that staurolite is a tool for communicating with animals and other entities of the natural and fairy realm.
They are said to make you feel more calm and relaxed, relieve stress and help dissipate fear and anxiety. The staurolite grounds you, connecting you to the earth, which also helps you to be less fearful, and to stay calm during situations that would normally make you anxious. It is said to bring you back into your body, should your mind tend to “float away” on you. By bringing the body to a place of calm and balance, staurolite improves the entire condition of the mind and body, improving overall health.
Many sources cite that staurolite is an excellent tool for assisting in overcoming addictions. Its grounding, calming effects lend strength to those seeking to stop smoking and release other addictive behaviors. The energy of staurolite can be enhanced and strengthened by using it in conjunction with amethyst, iolite or sugilite… which all lend their potent support to those wishing to put an end to self-destructive habits.
It is said that staurolite can help you find lost objects, and can boost the clarity of your dreams. All legends and modern day sources agree that staurolite is an overall good luck stone, and this good luck quality is the most common reason it is worn or carried. – origenstones.com
If you do believe in this sort of thing, I know someone who can hook you up!
In need of some extremely powerful crystals?
Actually, I’m going to let you in on where the fairy stones are found. In one of Virginia’s fine state parks you can go hunt for them yourselves. I stumbled across Fairy Stone State Park when I was looking for a place to take Don for his Father’s Day/Birthday celebration. Damian had expressed an interest in going camping this summer. This brought to mind our previous camping excursions:
http://mycarmageddon.com/2014/06/little-trip-of-horrors-cape-fear-edition/
http://mycarmageddon.com/2013/06/i-hear-the-rain-a-comin/
Let’s just say that we’ve considered going to campgrounds in areas where there have been severe droughts and charging for our ‘rainmaker’ services. I have now adopted a new camping strategy. No more tents for me!
No more of this shit!
I needed a rainproof solution and while I was at it I also decided I needed electricity, air-conditioning, a real bed, a hot shower, swimming, boating, fishing, a screened-in porch and a temperature-controlled wine cabinet. OK, I didn’t get the wine cabinet but the rest was pretty good.
Cabin sweet cabin
Spot for chillin’
View from the screen porch
Well-equipped kitchen
Living room
(Yes, we had central A/C)
Don roasting a whole chicken stuffed with lemon & garlic.
Real camping food:
Sausage, meatballs, pasta with homemade gravy.
The amenities were pretty sweet too:
Beach for swimming
Plenty of hiking trails
Fishing
Boating (keep paddling boys)
They even had a theatre!
We attended a farmer’s market and Damian had some homemade pineapple ice cream which he said was ‘amazingly delicious’. We also had a long and lovely conversation with local author and genealogist, Avis Turner. This awesome 83 year old lady told us how Fairy Stone Lake was created when the Philpott Dam was built. It flooded the hollow where the town of Fayerdale once existed. It was once a boom-town where iron mining (the iron-ore trail in the Park leads to the old mine), lumber and whiskey making fueled the local economy.Her grandparents’ cabin was located under what’s now the lake. She’s written several books about her family and what life was like in the 1800 and early 1900s for folks like her grandparents. Of course, we bought a book from her and thoroughly enjoyed our time with her. She is a wisp of a woman with an extremely soft voice. She was the care-giver for her husband who suffered from dementia and passed away in 2014. He loved listening to the boy in the above video play his music at the market.
Awesome Avis Turner!
There was no lack of natural beauty and wonders.
Fairy Stone Lake
Pretty flowers
Cairns
Wild rhododendron
Lichen
It would have been near perfect except for the rain. Yup, it rained every single day. Not so much that it prevented us from doing things. Just intermittantly throughout the day and night. Thankfully, there was only one day that was a complete wash out. That day we visited the town of Martinsville. We hit some local junk/antique shops where I bought my sister and brother-in-law a Christmas present (Shhh, don’t tell them!) and the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
A few exhibits
Despite the expected rain, it was still a good trip. Viewing the lake while sitting on the screen porch was absolutely tranquil and there’s nothing like sitting in front of a campfire at night toasting marshmallows. Even if there was no fire pit and the camping rules said ‘all fires must be contained to the grills’.
We always obey the rules.
Doesn’t he look happy!
Follow