#Prescott Walk 2 Granite Dells/Watson Lake
Patient Lover
This grand statue, neither made or disturbed by mankind. Carved from rock by the elements.
Gentle, knees to chest Plant in hand waiting for love Centuries elapse
He watches until his features are worn off by the wind and sand. His neck shows signs of age.
Kind-hearted, patient Captures the hearts of many Leaving him unmoved
His majestic presence, a small outcropping of the Granite Dells overlooks Watson Lake in a small state park in Prescott, AZ.
Haiban
By Marsha Ingrao 2020
3101 Watson Lake Drive, Prescott, AZ 86301
“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.”
Henry David Thoreau
I’ve always been a walker. My husband promised me that if we moved to Prescott, AZ, he would walk with me. He has kept his promise. On Wednesday he planned an outing at Watson Lake Park.
A little over 4 miles North of downtown Prescott, the Granite Dells offer parks open year-round with unique granite rock formations, 2 small lakes, and miles upon miles of trails.
If you like to bike, there are easy mountain bike rides. Vince and I chose a leisurely hike marked by painted white dots so we wouldn’t get lost. We didn’t attempt the tough and technical terrain that the Dells provides when it comes to outdoor recreation.
Watson Lake is a “No Wake” lake. The park has free entrance on Wednesdays. On other days it is $3.00.
Because Prescott is the “other” mile-high city I get out of breath as I walk. Vince and I decided that .5 miles wouldn’t be too taxing, and it wasn’t.
Easy peasy. We met only two other sets of hikers going the opposite way. Both were friendly and stopped to talk for a second.
Looking at this picture on my phone is like watching a micro movie. You can see Vince taking a step. You can adjust it to bounce or loop making it look like Vince is dancing his way along the trail.
This guy had had enough of us hikers. I caught my foot on the rocks as I climbed down and felt happy that I didn’t fall. He threw up his hands in disgust probably wondering who could be such a klutz on an easy trail. I didn’t fall, so I guess he was trying to plug his ears when I let out a little squeal.
This is the nearest I’m getting on this post to one of Cee’s Midweek Macro/Closeups Challenge.
Endlessly watching Reflecting hikers onward Growing old with grace Traditional Haiku - Marsha Ingrao 2020
These shots are a dime a dozen on the internet if you Google Granite Dells, but only this one is a picture of Vince taking a picture with his new phone. We both felt incredibly free, retired, vacationers.
Island-dotted lake displaying high water marks calm this winter day Traditional Haiku - Marsha Ingrao 2020
As I looked at this rock, the sun peeked over the edge. Quickly, as though I was photographing a flighty bird, I aimed my phone directly into the sun. Gotcha.
On another day rocks would be under water minerals growing Traditional Haiku - Marsha Ingrao 2020
No lake is complete without ducks. Even the cold weather didn’t chase them away just yet. If they get too cold, they can fly to Phoenix or Tucson and be warm. No need to go further south than that. The temperature was a cool 57 with a brisk chilly breeze.
Last picture today. We actually went to three more places to walk around and I have about 60 pictures. However, when I loaded them automatically into One Drive, they loaded as HEIC files instead of JPEG. I learned that is an incredibly efficient file for storing photos that is not compatible with Microsoft or outside software programs like Photoshop. This morning I downloaded these select few photos manually into One Drive, and they loaded as JPEG, a usable file for these purposes.
I hope you enjoyed Vince’s and my Prescott Walk #1 in the Granite Dells. Have a wonderful week.
- Begin the haibun with a title. The title should hint at something barely noticeable in the beginning which comes together by the ending.
- Your haibun prose can be written in present or past tense including, first person (I), third person (he/she), or first-person plural (we).
- Subject matter: autobiographical prose, travel journal, a slice of life, memory, dream, character sketch, place, event, or object. Focus on one or two elements.
- Keep your prose simple, all excessive words should be pared down or deleted. Nothing should be overstated.
- The length can be brief with one or two sentences with a haiku, or longer prose with a haiku sandwiched between, to longer memoir works including many haiku.
- There are different Haibun styles: Idyll: (One prose paragraph and one haiku) haiku/prose, or prose/haiku; Verse Envelope: haiku/prose/haiku; Prose Envelope: prose/haiku/prose, including alternating prose and verse elements of your choice.
- The prose tells the story and gives the information which helps to define the theme. It creates a mood through tone, paving the way for the haiku.
- The haiku should act as a comparison—different yet somehow connected to the prose, as it moves the story forward by taking the narrative in another direction.
- The haiku should not attempt to repeat, quote, or explain the prose. Instead, the haiku resolves the conflict in an unexpected way. Sometimes, the haiku questions the resolution of the prose. While the prose is the narrative, the haiku is the revelation or the reaction.
- For more poetry results, check out Colleen’s Tanka Tuesday Poet’s Choice.
- For more walks, check out Jo’s Monday Walk.
- Don’t forget to check out this week’s #WQWWC #1 Light or Lights.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
54 responses to “#Haibun: Granite Dells, Prescott, AZ Walk #2”
[…] #Haibun: Granite Dells, Prescott, AZ Walk #1 […]
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Thanks Jo! 🙂 How are you doing?
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[…] Marsha Ingrao […]
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How lovely, Marsha. The Granite Dells in Prescott is a great place to walk around. I’m so glad you’re out and about and seeing the sights. ❤
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It’s like being on vacation, Colleen. I wish you were going to be here long enough to get together. We have 17 days until we close on our house and can move again! 🙂
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I know… this all happened so fast. I’m so happy you will be in your own place soon. We’ll move into our new house January 14th, so we have some time yet. This house closes 1/5. Busy times for sure. ❤
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Wow, that will be here in no time. Did you have any trouble getting a moving company to move you? I hope not. I struggled and ended up losing quite a bit of money. The more I talked to them, the scarier they sounded – having us wrap our own furniture, take pictures to “document everything.” I backed out but lost my deposit instead of all my furniture and goods.
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We’re using PODS. We’ve been ripped off many times. $11,000 from Colorado to AZ. This time we sold almost everything except our bed and TV. 🤣 It’s scary, I know. ❤️
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That’s awful, Colleen. We couldn’t use PODS in Woodlake – no service.
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This is our first time using them. From AZ to MI only $3000. That is for a unit 8x8x16. It will be tight, but we have more boxes than furniture. LOL! 😀
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Smart. We are looking at furniture we need and wish we’d sold everything. It would have been much easier to start over.
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This was our first time selling it all. I have two cream-colored chairs I kept and our temperpedic beds. Not much else. I do have a lot of those four-shelf boxes you put the pretty box drawers in. I figured out that the small storage boxes fit in them perfectly. We can line the storage until with them. We have a small refrigerator that is going and a really small freezer. I’m finding the older I get, the less I need. ❤
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And the more everything costs! I agree with you, though. We don’t need so many things! That’s one reason we are downsizing. There is so much less stuff for Jason to have to go through when we don’t need it anymore. Hardest was to let go of some of Mom and Dad’s stuff and my grandparents bedroom set. Once I did, though, I felt a sense of freedom. 🙂
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I’d been toting around a bunch of German furniture for years. I felt relief when we sold it. I totally understand how you felt. Less is more… that’s my new theory. LOL! 😀
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I can’t wait to see your new look! 🙂 Right now I have time to concentrate on my blog. I’m excited about where WQWWC may go. I’m so honored that you asked me to host it.
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Awww, I knew this would give you some joy. Quotes are amazing to work with. ❤️
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You are so right. This is going to be tons of fun. 🙂
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Yay! Go Marsha. ❤️
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I loved this. Did I tell you?
Monica Pizura innkeeper@wickyup.com
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Thanks, Monica. I hadn’t heard it yet, but I’m glad you loved it. I told Vince I was going to make you want to move next door. 🙂
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I absolutely love those rock formations Marsha, and great haiku to accompany them too. Thanks so much for sharing them at at time when we are all unable to travel far. ❤
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Thanks for reading. We are enjoying being in Prescott. It’s like being on an extended vacation right now. The virus is catching up to AZ, though, where it was relatively COVID-free in this county. They canceled the parade last night and the lighting of the Courthouse.
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Sorry to hear about the cancellations Marsha. We haven’t been too bad here in Cambridge. But I am very careful as I am still going out to work as I work in an international sixth form college. Luckily only 5 hours a day. My hours are now no longer full time since covid.
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Do you have students in a classroom. In CA all the classes are on Zoom except for pre-school. It is so tough for both teachers and students, especially when there is more than one or two students in the home who need to use the computer at the same time. It’s jammed up all the networks. One of the middle school teachers said that she had to make one of her kids get out of bed and put some clothes on. Many kids don’t have a quiet place to work, so school via internet is challenging.
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Interesting rock formations.
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Thanks. This is an amazing place.
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Fascinating pictures. You write beautifully. You’ve inspired me to try my hand at Haiku again (been attempting these sporadically for decades, but not quite there yet!)
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Helen, they are so short, that they almost write themselves. Some of them are 2 syllables/3syllables/2 syllables Haikus are strictly about nature, no emotion. They would go so well with all your pictures. BTW, I turned your wheelbarrow picture into a digital puzzle on my computer only. I love that picture. So here’s a Haiku for it.
Blue-green
wheelbarrows
well-used
You take the most colorful pictures. Do you enhance them, or are they naturally colorful?
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Thank you for the wheelbarrow Haiku. You are lucky that these words flow easily. I know the theory but can’t do it ……yet.
Same with chess, I can teach it, ran a successful chess club when I was teaching. Pupils won local tournaments and every one of them could beat me!😂.
I do post process pictures, bringing out colour that would have been there if sun was shining. It’s like playing around with lighting. It’s fun. Your new local area looks amazing. Stay safe. x
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Funny that you can teach chess and not play it well. Did you watch the Queen’s Gambit. It’s a Netflix.series about a chess prodigy,
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To quote Bernard Shaw: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach”. 😂 (Queens Gambit on watch list. )
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You’ll love it, Helen. 🙂
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I loved the Queen’s Gambit but have never played chess in my life!
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My dad and I used to play chess, Marje. Unlike the heroine of the Queen’s Gambit, Beth Harmon, I rarely won. I played some of the boys in high school, but rarely beat them either. LOL Thanks for the comment. 🙂
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Ah, that’s nice. My brother used to play chess and liked card games too. My dad’s always been sporty, golf and rugby when he was younger.
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That’s nice Marji if you got to go with sometimes. Neither my dad nor brother were sporty. They were both creative and we all loved photography and art. Dad was quite an artist. Randy and I did not inherit his talent, but we both enjoy it. 🙂 What are you doing for Christmas this year?
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Hi Marsha Dad is the only sporty on in our family. We are at home in Cambridge my daughters are coming home. One from Manchester and the other from Glasgow. So just four of us and you?
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That’s a perfect size during COVID, Marje. We have three for Christmas. Vince, his sister Cindy, and me. We all just moved to Prescott, AZ and are living together, so very safe. I don’t know what I’m fixing yet, though.
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Ah sounds good, Marsha. We’re having Turkey and the rest!
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Yum! We will probably have lasagna.
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I remember one year my sister in law made turkey lasagne for boxing day!
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That sounds really good. I also like turkey ruben sandwiches with Thousand Island Dressing. Yum. 🙂
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It looks beautiful. You’ll be busy for a while exploring all your new area has to offer.
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We will. We are going to probably drive to Sedona tomorrow, go on a hike then at six come back to Prescott and take pictures of the lighting of the Courthouse.
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Oh what a marvelous trip you had. You had some marvelous photos too. 😀
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Thanks, Cee. I’m excited to be so close to so many beautiful places to visit.
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Your photos are beautiful and it makes me want to come visit! I hope soon!
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We would love to have you! We should be moving into our new home around the first of the year. 🙂
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love these pics
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Thanks, isn’t Prescott pretty. Every day we are thrilled with the scenery. 🙂 Thanks for the visit, Cindy. 🙂 Have a great weekend. 🙂
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Totally gorgeous, yes!!!! You are so welcome Marsha and you as well!!! ❤️❤️❤️
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Thanks so much, Cindy. 🙂
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Heavens, there’s a lot going on here, Marsha! What a wonderful area you have for scrambling around in. So lifelike, your granite chap! And oodles of Haiku 🙂 🙂 Thank you so much for linking up with me. It’s much appreciated.
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Absolutely fantastic
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