Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Folly or Not?


As I was searching for Chief Katonah’s burial spot today, inspired by Abe Lincoln’s posting, "Just a Stone" (January 25) I found this island and bridge. I want to call it a “folly,” from “folie,” the French word for foolishness. A folly is most often defined as an unfinished building, designed to enhance a natural landscape. Its cost underscores its foolishness.

This led me to ponder the island and bridge. Since neither is a building, is this a folly? Is the island a folly for the pond? Or, is the bridge a folly to the island? Is the pond so deep it needs a bridge? Without the bridge, would the island be a folly? Or would it be just an island? With a visage this lovely, situated on the edge of a property and visible to anyone traveling down the road, can it be remotely foolish?

What do you think? Here are some links to help you decide: Wikipedia; Architectural Heritage; Britannica.

2 comments:

Jilly said...

I love all your questions. Made me laugh! actually it's a beautiful bridge, just that gentle sweep up and down. Very nice and intersting post too.

RaleighKat said...

It was an unexpected "find" on my way to find Chief Katonah's burial plot. One of the things I like about this blog is that it makes me open my eyes!