THE SURPRISING THING ABOUT SEE - ING NIAGRA FALLS THE FIRST TIME WAS THAT MY IDEALIZED MENTAL VER - SION WAS AGAIN NOTHING LIKE REAL - ITY. I EXPECTED BLUE WATER. WHAT I SAW WAS WHITE WATER AND A DARK BROWN RIVER. WHAT CAPTURED MY IMAGINATION IS VERY HARD TO DRAW; THE MIST. THE MIST WAS EVERYWHERE IN LARGE MASSES ABOVE AND BELOW THE FALLS. I TOOK AN ELEVATOR RIDE 18 FLOORS DOWN THROUGH THE ROCK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FALLS. THERE YOU GET TO WALK ON A RICKETY WOODEN PLATFORM IN SANDALS AND A RAINCOAT WHILE GETTING WET FROM THE FALLS. A SMALL SECTION OF THE PLATFORM IS DIRECTLY IN THE PATH OF THE WATERFALL. I STOOD THERE FEEL - ING THE POWER OF THE WATER RUSH -
ING OVER MY COLD FEET. LUCKILY IT WAS A WARM DAY. I STARTED DRAW - ING, STUDYING THE WHITE WATER, THE SLIPPERY-SOAKED BOULDERS, AND THE MIST. WHILE DRAWING I THOUGHT ABOUT JAPANESE WOODBLOCKS AND HOW THEY USE STYLIZATION TO REP - RESENT WATER. WITHOUT REALIZING IT THE MIST STARTED TO LOOK LIKE HORNS, AND THE FALLS LOOKS LIKE DREADLOCKS. AN EPIPHANY FORMED IN FRONT OF MY EYES, I WAS DRAW - ING THE WHITE BUFFALO BIGGER THAN LIFE! NIAGRA FALLS “IS” THE WHITE BUFFALO. PERHAPS THE CREATION STORY OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN USING THE WHITE BUFFALO AS THE GIVER OF LIFE IS AN ALLEGORY FOR NIGRA FALLS.
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