The Fisherman

I was riding my bike around the city and taking pictures, mostly from high spots with impressive and familiar views. From the Spring Garden Bridge I shot the Schuylkill River and our famous Boathouse Row, trying various ways to frame the shot. I noticed a figure sitting on a rock, which I wasn't sure I wanted to include.

It turns out it's a statue that I have never noticed or even heard of in all the years it's been there! I've been very close to it countless times, though. I'll quote from a few websites that Ceridwen eagerly helped me find as soon as she saw my pictures.

"Celebration of Water" by Ellen Fletcher was dedicated in 1989, and it sits in a very precarious place. He spent three years at the bottom of the river after being bludgeoned off his spot by a 60 ft. tree during Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Divers found him (a mere 30 feet from his original spot), and he was re-installed in his rightful place in September 2004.

That's quite an adventure. What did he learn down there in the mud? Did he have a fishing pole when he first sat down? I'll try to edit this blip later after i see to a few appointments, to add a few links.

Here is a link to a newsletter that shows the entire sculpture.