On top of Chandler Mountain, just off of Interstate 59 between Birmingham and Gadsden is a little known place called
Horse Pens 40. According to the owners website, this 40 acre boulder field has been everything from a sacred Indian burial site,
to an ancient horse corral, a fortress, to a place to sign peace treaties. It was also used to hide supplies FROM BOTH SIDES
during the Civil War, and has been used by outlaws as a hideout and by owners since the 1950s as a stage for bluegrass festivals.

The boulder formation "Merlin's Cauldron" was the one which caught my attention the most because it differs from
the rest of the boulders. Instead of walking along the base in a maze, as with the rest, you begin a short ascent (maybe 4-5 feet up)
to the top, where just beyond the top of the boulder you see in the painting is more than a 100 foot drop.
The top of the boulder is cratered with rainpools on a few different levels which have been etched in by time.
Each of the turtle like grooves in the rock were formed the same way. The day I took the photograph,
I actually didn't notice that fall was in full force in this one spot. It turned up after the
pictures were developed that I had lucked in on the best possible day.

Original: 16x20, acrylic on canvas - $650 framed