This image comes from Ron Grube, with whom I had a fun chat last week at the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park visitor center. Yesterday, I got an email from Ron, who wrote the following: “We had a visitor at the park recently who, like everyone else, enjoyed seeing the boat and the lock. He said that he would like to put the boat in the water (in the lock) with AI. He sent me several pictures. This is the one I like the best. We really have some interesting visitors.”

Interesting visitors, indeed!

While visiting the Park, I also got a tour from park manager Darrin Rooker, who showed me something I’d never seen, never imagined. Embedded into the lock 52 blocks carved from Onondaga limestone and forming the lock chamber for nearly 200 years were these even older shapes, real and not AI shapes.

Fossilized fish?

Thanks to Ron–assistant manager of the park and former member of CSNY board– for sharing the correspondence and to Darrin for pointing out the fossilized fish.

Dispatches is always interested in stories and images from canal fans. Share them by sending to canalsocietyofnysphotos@gmail.com.