We haven’t been back to Columbia State Historic Park for awhile, on the same road after experiencing so much, the road seems different. It’s carrying my experiences now, that’s why, even though it’s same road, each time feels different.
On our way out, we passed by an abandoned railway bridge, still hanging there like a lonely landmark of the past; while looking further away, there are new houses shooting up under construction, so many houses, like a new town emerging in the mountains. That contrast gives a sense of time, forward and past are relative, as it’s always moving.
When we arrived Columbia, it’s almost 6 pm, we almost have the entire main street to ourselves. I heard a strong banging, like a hammer or woodpecker. Looking up, there’s a blue jay, diligently working on his dinner, pecking here and there on the time weathered wooden roof. The bird may have better chance for a meal in an old town. It not only carries history but also more worms, bugs and seeds.
On our way out, that super sized wine table sculpture along highway 49, caught my eyes: Standing at nearly 10 feet tall, the massive table and its over-sized accompanying chairs. I searched, and the over-sized sculpture is meant to dramatize, to force viewers to feel child-sized, altering spatial perception and sparking a sense of wonder. That’s right on, as Columbia gives me a feeling of surreal with its old look, like a gold rush town still untouched by time. That’s why I like here, that sense of escaping from modern time, wandering into the past.
