Over the years as I have moved and changed I have gotten rid of many things and I have kept only 4 things from my younger days; a book of translations of ancient Chinese and Japanese poetry, my bamboo flute, an image of a Bodhisattva, and my collection of rocks. I started collecting rocks with their simplicity, austerity, dignified beauty, and spirit when I was a teen, perhaps influenced by the book of poems I read as a child. The rocks have been gathered from New England, Mid Atlantic states as well as Texas, California, New Mexico and the Dakotas. When I travel for work/training’s I try and take some time to find a rock that expresses something of the place.

See NHK post about:  Suiseki Wikipedia Some of my rocks below.