Stone Buffalo

I just got back from a family vacation. Each summer my mom organizes something where all the kids and grandkids get together. This summer was renting a cabin up north. It was a place where we were all able to go swimming and enjoy a campfire. Relaxing for an extended weekend.

While I was there one morning I had a short, but interesting conversation with a gentleman in spirit. I believe he was named Alfred. He had helped to build the cabin, which dates back to the turn of the past century. I had been admiring the enormous stone fireplace (the entire cabin is actually stone and timbers). The hearth must be about 10 feet across. In the center of the chimney stones was a most unusual oblong stone. It was a mostly charcoal-gray mottled and porous rock. But also, with a notable cinnamon-colored, raised and smooth strip running vertically down the center.

I was wondering where they had discovered all the stones. Whether the came from the top of the hill, or the bottom down near the lake. I was thinking about it when I felt the presence of Alfred appear. He told me about hauling the stones. Then, he pointed out the two black smaller oblong stones placed symmetrically on opposite sides near the top of the larger stone. He told me they intended for it to look like a buffalo, which it very much does. Anyway, we were interrupted after he gave me a couple more bits of information about the building of the fireplace. But, it was nice to have had my little pseudo-museum tour guide for those few minutes.