Stone is always a big factor when it comes to our perceiving whether a certain location has a 'sense of place' or not. Often old ruins particularly trigger feelings associated with permanence, even though they are in a state of decay. They seem to provide a more solid frame of reference for meditating on the relationship between decay and permanence.
Even though so much of our existence is in flux, somehow coming across stone structures (like the remains of this old squared granite house I discovered still standing near Roseneath Ontario) allow us to feel more grounded.
