Carrington

In the morning as the sun just rises above the trees and houses in the neighborhood, about 30 minutes after sunrise, a single beam of light reaches the backyard and illuminates Carrington. Carrington gleams in the soft, auburn colored early morning sun as the sun path struggles to illuminate the dew on the grass into a sparkle of lights. 

Carrington sitting in Butterfly bed as
morning sun illuminates his granduer

Carrington is a stainless steel two dimensional crane figure, in profile, with legs made out of rebar. My wife received Carrington as a birthday gift from her mother, and I placed it in the butterfly bed with an angle that points to the house such that Carrington does not follow the almost southerly line of the rock bed retaining walls. Rather, the figure faces just over 25 degrees off south to the east, which allows the morning sun, at this time of year, to shine off Carrington giving the creature a glow in the path of morning sunlight that sets it apart from the remainder of the backyard still awaiting nature's warmth. The sun still hits Carrington, but as we approach the Autumn equinox I will have to see how the changing sun's position alters the sun hitting the stainless steel, and reflecting the sunlight. With the sun, orientation is everything.

The sun will rise later and it will, day-by-day, for months decrease its height in the horizon. At some point the sun may fail to reach it with house and trees in the way, and with its angle partially off direct south. At direct south, we would not see it as well from the house.

Carrington

Carrington maintains a commanding presence above the plantings of echinacea, lilies, milkweed, rudbeckia, and hollyhocks which predominate the butterfly bed. The bed has gone through transition as the trees have gotten larger, providing more shade, and requiring movement of plants. The retaining walls were built in the fall of 1991, when my wife was several months pregnant with our first child. She would pick out the limestone rocks and I would move haul them into position. It has helped transform an otherwise mundane backyard with a slope running north to south into something more pleasing to the eye. In addition the upper bed, in particular, is a haven for pollinators.

Carrington later in morning

With its neck outstretched to the southeast it presents a majestic appearance in the bed, with a understated air of sophistication. I was in a quandary as if it should be given a name and if so what to name it. I thought of simply calling it Crane, as I did the first couple weeks. Then, in order to keep the wife on her toes, I started calling it Crawford, but after two days, I thought people may think it too similar to the big red dog named Clifford. Crawford, I realized did not do justice to the sleek crane figure and I realized it was a name best left to a cuddly dog. I then came upon Carrington. It was not meant to be after the Carrington family in the old evening soap "Dynasty." Yet, that surname provides some snobbishness as if it is out of Downton Abbey. I never watched Downton Abbey but I have thought of tracking the snobbish, petty gentry of England. I did not pick it because of Dynasty, but due to its overly pompous British connotation.

Cranes in Lake Kegonsa Wetland
north side of lake, east of Fish Camp County Park
31 Aug 2025

In the Madison paper there is a cartoon called "Mendota Marsh" by the State Journal cartoonist. The cartoon has two characters Lewis Crane (you guessed it, a crane) and Oscar Fox (yes, a fox). Lewis is a long-time Madison resident who is the stereo typical pompous, self-important, imperious NIMBY, 60's like Madison resident portrayed by mane of long grey hair and a pony tail, and circular spectacles hanging on its beak. Lewis, in my mind, would not call them glasses, or eye glasses, but rather spectacles.

I think Carrington is in the best possible spot in varied our gardens, and its ability to catch the first glimmer of morning sunlight was simply happenstance. Yet, that happenstance allows an extra pick me up and smile to my face as Carrington reflects back the morning sunlight.