Ever since I was a little kid, I have been fascinated by fountains. I love the way they make me feel connected with the water. I love all kinds of fountains - big fountains, little fountains, garden fountains, credenza fountains. Even as I have grown older, I still feel like I could watch fountains forever. Eventually, I began to take pictures of them.

Fountains are very beautiful works of art. Some of the most beautiful to me are the Oval Fountain in Italy and the Vaillancourt Fountain in San Francisco, CA. When fountains were first built, they were used for drinking water. But at the end of the 19th century, when indoor plumbing became very popular, fountains were mostly used for decoration. Every fountain can take a long time to create, whether it is a bronze statue with pipes running along the inside, or a nature-carved waterfall running over a rocky hill face.

Recently, I went to the Creation Museum in Kentucky. I loved looking at the sides of occasional ponds when we went outside, for there was always a fountain. One in particular caught my attention. It seemed to be particularly significant, and I quickly raised my camera and snapped a shot.

I felt really happy when I took this picture - it's a beautiful fountain. I was proud about how the picture turned out, and I still feel a flicker of pride when I look at it now.

I had never seen a fountain like this one before. I loved the craftsmanship of the heron. It was very intriguing, and exceedingly well done.
   

Whenever I see a fountain, all I want to do is just find a comfortable park bench to sit down and watch it. I love the sound of the water splashing down into a pool below. Sometimes, if the fountain is combined with a statue, such as the heron, I daydream about how the statue got there. Did the heron do something horrible that resulted in it getting turned into a statue? Some of my poetry is inspired by fountains.

Fountains are important because they bring peace to people and help them reconnect with nature.

Miranda Boyink is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program

All photos courtesy and copyright Miranda Boyink