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Merrymount Project Story. In the middle of 2012 I was contacted in regards to building a small 18" retaining wall. The Landscape contractor who brought me on to the job had a plan in mind for the space. With a photo of the area and a computer rendering I made some suggestions. The original plan was to use PA blue stone ( which of course is blue) create a wall which was 18" in the backyard (shown above) to include a curve. In front of the curve a PA blue stone patio would be built by the landscape company. The wall would then travel down the walk stepping down in size to the front (side) of the house. After hearing this I suggested a brown stone because the blue stone with all small space, overwhelming amount of trees on the hill the area would look very closed in and dark. The brown stone would open up the space making it feel larger. I also suggested bring the wall around to the front of the house (side door) in order to created more of a room feeling. (see green paint on first photo) This would help to define the space instead of letting the flow or energy travel out into the yard. The next suggestion was to build the wall all at one size I suggested 20" which to me was a more comfortable seating height. In addition it would make the all feel more substantial in size. After meeting on sight and going over the same suggestions to the home owner it was agreed apon to be a great solution. Next the plans were sent off to the Roland Park home owners association for approval. Months later I was ready to move from my Beechdale project in Roland Park to the new Merrymount project. A short drive threw the neighborhood with my trailer and skid steer. I set up shop. (3rd picture down) When I had the first meeting with the client about the space and stone. I was sure to have in the back of my car a nice little stone selection to set up. The choice was Butler Stone or Western Maryland Stone. The client choose Western Maryland. This would be the first chance to work with the WM sand stone. Earlier in the year 2012 a friend and I traveling back from KY from doing an Advanced Stone Shaping workshop stopped in at the quarry to see this material. As soon as I got the green light to go and a signed contract with a deposit I placed an order for the tri-axle (dump truck with 3 sets of wheels in the back) load of stone. After many delays from the quarry with down trucks I finally got my dump truck load one earlier morning at 4 am. Yup that's early for me! I was sure to warn the neighbors ahead of time. (even thow we live in the country) Not to be alarmed if they heard something that sounds like roaring thunder - as the stone slides out of the back fo the truck. I felt with such an long trip in the middle of the night a tip in his pocket for his 4am morning road trip - should get him one large cup of coffee to keep him awake for the long ride home. Back at the job site while I had been waiting (weeks) for stone I started my dig out of the foundation. I dug 4" down 28" (retaining) - 32" (free standing) wide. Yes ofcourse I called Miss Utility before I dug 811. Its the law! With the foundation dug I now needed stone. This site created a few logistical challenges. 1) no place for stone to be stock piled (easily). 2) Now way to get equipment on the site to move the stone. 3) Limited space to back in a dump truck to dump stone. 4) just enough room for my work trailer and the client to still park both cars in the driveway or get one in and out of the garage. (Job Site Tip: When looking to price out a job be sure to look at the space. Overhead wires, staging area's for material, space for large equipment, vehicle access from venders, staff, trucks and trailers, type of soil, parking, on site port-a-potti space?, hills, climate, tree's, rain gutters, water flow, material handling.... just to name a few.) Stone was dumped at the only possible place right off the driveway in the yard. I went out and purchased this wagon in order to move the stone to the backyard. I had just purchased a dingo ( which was in the shop for some repairs during this job) I didn't want to even use a machine for this job since the concrete walk was so new and nice and white. I felt it was better to leave a smaller foot print on this job site. More manual labor would be the solution to avoid any costly damage to the sidewalk. The handy wagon did all the stone moving on site and my to hands. This proved to come in very handy having to move the stone over 90 feet to the backyard. Some might ask why not use a wheel barrow? I own 2 one with 1 wheel the other with 2 wheels. We use them all the time at the farm for sawdust. Honestly I've never used on a stone job to move stone. ( I did use it finally to help clean up the site when I had to move all the stone in the back of the house to the front yard and dump it into my skid loader bucket to load on the dump truck to haul home) The hole idea of bending over to see whats inside and having to lift stone over the sides - Sure sounds like work. With the wagon I could see everything, work right out of it, move larger quantities of stone and never worry about it tipping over. Very easy to pull. Related Blog: Tool - Wagon, 1200 pound rated I begin to build my foundation. On this job I started at the back to work on the hardest section first (furthest away from my stone pile). With foundation stones you alway want to find the larges stones you can with out compromising your selection. What do I mean by this? I used stones that are a medium size but with some thickness for this job most stones are 12" with a 3"-4" thickness. I'm not using any of my cap stones I've put aside. With the foundation stones I'm also looking to use stones that might not have as nice of a face or may have uneven surfaces not as suitable for the upper wall building. I'm digging down into the earth to set my stones on earth. The benefit with setting your stones on earth - less cost no extra material such as aggregate, the stones help the wall be a flexible system. I also build all my foundations stones to protrude 4 inches at the bottom of the wall. You can not do this with all types of stone. Since this stone is so flat it makes it easy to do so. The biggest benefit is a larger foot print for the wall to sit on. Just think - your walking in deep snow with boots..... Now put some snow moccasins on.....Which will help you float on top of the snow better? Related Blogs: Foundation Digging How-To-Foundation MC Foundations #3 Sept 1994 After all the foundation was built I then began building my wall section in the back of the house. This was the first time using Western Maryland sand stone. Like any new material it takes time to understand what it's trying to telling you. With my wall frames in place and my plywood and stall mats down I began the straight section into a curve ending at the back into the bank. With a stock pile of stone piled up in next to my build. Making it easy to look over to find what I felt was the right stone for my next move. The PA Blue stone patio was put in by the landscape maintenance company that brought me onto the job. They built this just as I was finishing up the foundation section. (Job tip: When working with any other contractors be sure to communicate your time line to not interfere with your building process) I used my stall mats to help protect the new patio as I built my wall not to damage any of there new work. Related Blog: Tool - MUD Mats / Stall Mats Back wall curve being built. The curve was built around a Dogwood tree on the hill. Being sure to avoid any damage to the roots. Top of wall shot into bank. This photo really shows all the packing in the middle of the wall. Most walls fail due to lack of packing. Related Blog: How To - Wall Stone Ingredients Flat cap stones with 2" over hang begin to go onto the back curve. I like to do the over hang when possible to help keep water off the wall. I also feel it helps give a little more visual effect. Related blog: How To - Set Flat Cap / Cope Stones Back curve section finished. Now I head back to the front of the wall section to begin building. Curve. ? Pa Blue stone patio with vertical stones for edging? Ya ok. No I didn't build the patio..... Back curve finished just waiting for fill dirt and landscaping. This photo is the front section of the home (side of house). After finishing the back section with the curve I wanted to move up front. Since this section is double sided freestanding wall w/squared up cap stones, a 90 degree corner, cheekend (wall head) and a lintel. I only started the curve section first because it was so far away from the stone pile. Also being the stone was new to me this gave me time to get to know it. Now I could begin the next section with a little more stone confidence. More importantly I could make sure all the choice stones I had been stock piling I could now start to use. Yippie I was tired of tripping over them. I also know the lawn maintenance guys couldn't wait to mow the grass around them. Now it was time for another load of stone. This job site was a bit of a challenge. I was just happy my dump truck could at least back up the driveway to dump 5 tons of stone at a time. In this photo and the one below you can see all the large cap stones I had been setting aside for the top of the wall. Next I chalked out my spot for a lintel. Normally a lintel would have a large stone on the base (at bottom - future blog to come). I was building a cosmetic lintel to help open up the wall visually. I was happy the home owner approve the concept. Just as well for my certification with the DSC (Dry Stone Conservancy) I'm required to build certain wall features. The lintel was just one of three left in order for me to reach my Journeyman title. Cheekend (wall head) on right - lintel in the middle - and 90 degree corner on the left. Notice the first section of wall with the curve in the far back round. Here I'm gathering up all the cap stones which I need to make the same size for the freestanding wall. I lay out all the stones on the ground to understand what I have and will need for this section of free standing wall top. (length and average size) Then determine what will need to be done to fit them correctly. Shaping stones can always be a joy when you have the know how and the methods to shape them. I started with the first stone by using feather and wedges to square up this stone. First method of choice for shaping....... Related blogs: How To - Wedge and Feathers Voodoo Magic Video - How To - Wedge and Feathers / Shims How To - Plugs and Feathers DSC KY shaping workshop 2012 Well it kind of worked. The sand stone was just a little to soft and ended up putting a under cut and a fracture line down the side. Just look at the water mark across the photo. Now look for the " . " between rockinwalls and com. You'll now see the fracture line crack. As much as I like this method to shape stones. This stone was not hard enough to have the results I needed. One stone gamble was good enough for me to stop while I was ahead. Hard lesson to learn to know when enough is enough and pull the plug. Time for the Stihl gas saw. Sad to say I had to revert to power tools. I square the cap stones up, Then use my Rocko chisel to take off as much of the saw marks on the stone as possible. Related blog: Tool - Rocko Chisel Squared up cap stones going on top of wall for a fitting. By fitting them I can really get a sense of how much more I need and an over all visual. (Job tip: I'm building my wall in one direction - towards the back curve section.) Corner 90 degree - notice how my stones tie back on each side like a dove tail in wood work or your two hands inter locking with your fingers. Just like a wooden drawer this helps to strength the corners. Above is a replacement stone for my upgraded lintel. The stone I had used was not thick enough. I was working to use all my stone I had on site. With a limited supply of choice stones to build with, I built the lintel with a thinner stone then I should have! (wrong choice) After some consulting with two masters - I had the help with the guidance I needed to remember to always follow my instincts. Remove the old stone and build it right! (Thank you little Kia Soul for the deliver of the beefy lintel stone) Its just another other opportunity to do it again. To bad most contractors don't follow this same theory. It wasn't a hard decision to know I wanted to make it right! After all this was how I was raised. It's not about the money but having the pride and confidence to see it threw. First lintel with thin stone across the top of hole. NEW lintel stone! Now you can really see in this section how tight all the stones are around the new lintel compared to the first one. I went as far to even replace some of the stones on the inside of the lintel because some of the first ones I used didn't have nice corners. Working with the stone you have on site is key but sometimes not having the right stones may cause one to compromise. Never second guess yourself when you have that doubt. This is a shot of my cheekend or called wall head. I had hosed off the wall with water. Amazing how the colors change so much with the stone. This photo happens to show the first lintel with the thin stone. Next part of my build I was working back towards the curved section. The client had talked about how they went up into the woods some times to do walks. After hearing this I decided with there approval I would build steps for them. I determined the labor evolved would be not much more time then just building the wall. Plus I really looked forward to the challenge. I also wanted to do one more thing in the wall. Originally I knew I was going to build the steps but I let the stone tell me what size. So I went with a 7" rise 12" tread and 2' wide. A total of 3 steps same height of top of wall. Then I used 2 large stones in the wall with 2 others at top to give one more sense of the space. The top 2 stones are from the site. I always enjoy finding answers as I build. Not all things can be planned other wise you'll never grow. Boy how those leafs make it look like this wall has been around for some time. But the stall mats are the dead giveaway I was just working in this section. Leafs yes that was one thing I haven't talked about or the acorns that would just fall out of the tree to pelt you on the head. I had to keep a leaf blower on the job just so I could clear my work area. One the wall was up it sure did a nice job keeping them all contained until the wind kicked them up again. I continue to build the last of my wall section as I head down the walk towards the back curve past the steps. Heres another angle. I had brought up (early on) a bunch of back wall stone which I put by the house making it easy to grab as needed. You will also see a few buckets of packing stone. This was the best thing about getting a loose stone brought onto the job site in a dump truck. Your guaranteed to have every type of stone you will need to build a dry laid stone construction. As I like to say - the walling ingredients. Very few stones are wasted when building a dry laid stone construction they all have a place and job. I'm also working to connect the two sections of wall in the middle. Related blog: How To - Wall Stone Ingredients The full middle section built. Next onto the flat cap stones with an overhang. Caps stones can be a challenge working to fitting everything together. I was sure hoping all the large stones I put aside would fill the top wall. You notice some of the stones I would square up others I would try to use the stone the way it was - fitting it next to a match. When you get bulk stone you have to work with the hand your dealt. This can be a great learning lesson. It can be easy sometimes to want to use all the best stone - Best what doesn't that mean? Ok the stones that one would want to pick first, the ones that seem to be the best for the job, the easiest to fit, the stones that have beautiful faces, the one you eye up and you only dream about..... The ones you skip over are the ones you might find a challenge to work with. They all teach you something. Just like us! The caulk shows what I'm thinking about when it comes to shaping these. The best part about the sand stone a few little hits and you'll have the stone you wanted. With out the likely hood of loosing one. I can't say thats the same with all stones I've worked with. The brick and string line is my guild to built to. Making sure I'm on target to match my built section further down. You will also see a few of my small plates by the hammer which help when working to get my cap stone to the height I need. Related blog: How To - Set Flat Cap / Cope Stones Tools - Chalk / Soap Stone You can see the brick and the rock with string. I'm now filling the void. This is always a challenge for me when I have to find that one stone that fits. Some times you look down and find the one you need with out even looking. Most of the time I stress this task knowing the challenge I'm about to deal with. Top view middle. Hard to believe 43 photos we are back to the first one! Yup if you made it this far in one sitting your have a stone addiction like me!! or you drank a Red Bull, cappuccino... You know there's help for people like us. Just play with more stones. That will cure all....... Final Wall Specs: 78' long x 20" high retaining wall with freestanding wall, Western Maryland stone mixed with PA Blue stone and local. Lintel 11" wide x 12" high. 90 degree corner. 3 steps 7" rise 12" tread and 2' wide. Curved section. Foundation stones 4" thick with a 4" protruding at base (grade) Walk followed grade of sidewalk. More importantly this blog of photos and story has been a great joy for me to share. I really enjoyed seeing this space change with the work I created. All the little things that helped make a space a space! A wall to sit and reflect life. Follow your love - share your dreams....

Dry laid stone construction is a craft and an art form. Many farmers when they first moved to America used stone for walls to clear their fields for crops. Stacking the stones around their property to help indicate property lines. Sometimes even to keep livestock in. You may find examples of walls all over the US. In Kentucky you will see 4 foot walls with beautiful stone tops. In New York State and New England you will find field stones piled up one on top of the other. Dry stack is nothing new. It has been around for decades. Many people wonder if I use cement or glues. The truth is no. I often like to refer to the Broch in Scotland which have stood all wraths of mother nature and still standing today all based on gravity. The benefits of dry stack stone is that it is a flexible system. The earth moves up and down with the seasons. Winters push and heave the earth up. Ever wonder why new stones pop up in your yard every year? If not, farmers find them all the time. Mother nature is pushing the stone to the top all with frost. A dry stack stone work can also be recycled- moved or torn down. A wall with cement must be demolished and hauled off if you decide you don’t like it anymore. It also doesn't move or flex this is why too often you see cracks in cement wall or walkways. Mother nature can be hard on man made objects. Working with natural stone creates value. Many products such as pavers do have a place and may do the job. But nothing says natural more than real stone from the earth. Creating a beauty for life. Lasting a lifetime. Dry laid stone is an craft which does require a specific know how following key rules to do the job right. Dry laid stone masonry maybe made up of a variety of different topics, structures, decorative walls, retaining walls, patios, bridges, foundations, estate walls, art, sculptures, and so much more. Mark Jurus - Rockin Walls - 8/2016 Hopewell Furnace National Park, Instructor/ Dry Stone Project Coordinator for HPTC - National Park Service 2022-2024 Project Images Coming Soon! CLICK on PIC to go LARGER! or LINKS to go to blogs Before Before Before Project details: White Hall MD, Start Oct 7, 2021-Jan 27, 2022, Field stone dry laid stone retaining walls. All stone from property, back wall stone mixed with local stone. Lower retaining wall 24' l x 30" h 2 wall heads, Upper retaining wall 28' l x 5' h staggered tie stones. 2 wall heads. Both walls have a 1:6 batter.Pattern Course with random jumpers and large flat cap stones. Patio 400SF, 30' l x 13'.5" w, Colonial bluestone sheet stock 2"-4" thick, custom cut pattern on site with large joints bedded on #8 3/8th washed limestone gravel. Steps 6' l x 7" rise x 14"+ treads all stones from property Boulder art, All natural boulders set for plantings at end of wall into bank. Colonial bluestone steps, cut (feather and wedged) from left over extra patio stones. ----------- Sept 2021 New Windsor Maryland, Low Voltage Landscape Lighting, Colonial Bluestone 450+ SQ FT Patio, Seating wall built with mix Mountain, Tuscarora and bluestone, with custom cut colonial bluestone flat caps. Gravel pathway with granite and metal edging. Whitemarsh Maryland, Boulder retaining wall with large construction site waste. Small flower bed Cockeysville Maryland, 550+ SQ FT Colonial bluestone patio, 2 custom steps 5' long, Seating wall 12' long 2' high build with mountain stone and colonial bluestone caps. ------- Upperco MD Bluestone Stepping Path stones with landing, Low Voltage Landscape Lighting 11 lights. Belair Maryland, Lenhoffs Retail Center landscape supplies. Sample walls PA Fieldstone Colonial Bluestone West mountain / Laurel Mountain Stone West Virginia Stone #1 White Hall Maryland, 3 large boulders cut flush and set. Included each with flower bed walls. Stone from the site #1 #2 #2 #2 #3 #3 #3 Cutting and shaping bottoms of boulders to sit flat White Hall MD Boulders & Flower beds 12/2020 - 1/2021 Providence PA, Rebuild retaining wall hit by car. PA Retaining Wall Rebuild 11/2020 Upperco Maryland, Colonial bluestone walk path and patio landing. Including all grading of area. Walkway Bluestone steppers & Grass 10/2020 Upperco same site. Colonial bluestone parking pad. FALL 2020- Upperco MD GO BIG OR PARK SOMEPLACE ELSE. Room to spare! 21'.5" x 22'.5" / 518 sqft jumbo colonial bluestone parking pad. Stones from 3" + thick, custom pattern built with 2'x 2' all the way to 37"x 37" ‐ 8 to be exact! YIKES. Thank God I own a Ditch Witch SK850 plus =1050. Who said Biggers not better? Stone supplied by & from Nick Balducci Quarry in NY. For his sister and brother in-laws estate in Upperco MD. 67 hours parking pad build including excavating, low voltage lighting sleeves, drainage pipes and grading. ------------ After Before Low Voltage Landscape Lighting by Rockin Walls Low voltage lighting Design & Installation by Mark Jurus ~ Rockin Walls 500 SQFT lower bluestone patio. Custom Bluestone patio upper. Summer 2020- Westminster MD - Huss Project 9.18.2020 Westminster Hardscape FINISHED! Hard to believe the time has come to move on to the next project this week has already been crazy! More to come. Richard Client had prices out sentimental blocks and pavers. I offered him a one of a kind option with curves. Something which you truly could never pull off with man made blocks of concrete. Natural stone will never go out of style. The next goal was to match and connect to his pond. Most importantly give more room when you walked off of his porch. The top patio was only going to be 100 SQFT. Once the steps went in I suggested we do a change order and make it bigger maximize the space. I truly like to let the space and stone speak to me. I go into each build with a basic design. Rarely do I ever stick to it. Most landscape company's will come up with a design send in a crew and build only what is on paper. This doesn't really allow some one the chance to be apart and to connect to the space. As I build I'm always listening to the stone and mother nature. Project details - Start Date 5.8.2020 - 9.18.2020 about 4 months build time. - Demo all pavers, timbers, and excavate Stone: Walls- mixed Tuscarora & Mountain stone PA Steps / Patio: Colonial Bluestone - 93.5 Linear feet of wall, lower walls 27" high from patio. On average other walls are give or take 2' high. With Monster, medium and small flat caps. - 9 steps 4' wide x 7" rise with 16"-22" treads Bluestone made up of 36+ stones. - 5 Boulders - Lower patio 474 SQFT Bluestone Squares and Recs, 5 "G" pattern kits. Largest pattern available with sizes up to 3'x3'. 25 Black Jumbo cobble stones for edging. - Upper Patio 260 SQFT Custom cut on-site pattern made of sheet stock with stones as thick as 3" and as large as 4' + 14 Black Jumbo cobble stones for edging. - Drainage pipes installed threw out the project and under steps out wall. - Plastic conduit on every step, threw out walls and under patios with 4 main feeds and many small feeds for low voltage lighting. - Regrading full backyard - Auger 3 tree holes 36" Wide - Begin first phase of Low Voltage lighting. - Equipment on-site: Ditch Witch SK850PLUS, Mini Excavator and 65 ton splitting force Stone Splitter. ALL WORK PERFORMED BY ME and my helper Ditch Witch....EXCEPT: Richard Client handled tarring foundation, removing tar from foundation, pond stone rebuild, small planting and removal, river jack placement. Lower outside electrical outlet for low voltage transformer - Electrician. _________ Spring 2020- New Freedom PA, Small garden bed dry laid stone beds with a mix of Blue stone and Laurel Mountain. In addition yellow jumbo granite cobbles stones as a alternative edging. __________________________________ 3/2020 Arbutus MD, Boulder Walls, Black Granite boulders placed randomly mixed with Marriottsville Stone. Creating a earth bank mixed with sitting boulders along with planters and a location for a waterfall to cascade down the earth mound and across the future blue stone patio fire pit gathering space. Winter 2/2020 Mason & Dixon replica mile marker #45 @ Maryland Line New Construction replacing cinder block wall. Client - Maryland Society of Surveyors. Mountaintop Stone from PA. Traditional style 4' H freestanding by 16' L with tie stones placed every 3 feet on center and vertical coping stones, below grade protruding foundation along with a 1:6 wall batter. __________________________________ July - Sept 2019 Upperco Maryland Upperco MD - Gorsuch Mill Road and Falls Road Historic 1870 home. New - Old winding curve retaining wall 3' H by 110’ L. Walling with all local stone from the site. Repurposed barn foundation along with existing walls and stone dug out during excavating. 32 tie stones, 1:6 batter, below grade protruding foundation 3’ W, 4 rebuilt step stiles only second step was replaced due to damage set in the same exact order moved closer to walk out the back door. Capstones 21” L wall built from old wall sections believed to be dated 1947 - Failed due to single sided - long faces (tracer) from step stiles left all old wall from about 10 ft to right of step stiles all new construction. All stone from on site, repurposed barn foundation, stone dug out from excavating, and original walls. Estimated 46 tons of stone. Dominantly a flat bedded schist stone. __________________________________ Sept 2018 - June 2019 Myersville Retaining Walls / Patio System Click YouTube Video Sept 2018 - June 2019 2019 March, Myersville Straw Bale home, 2 of 3 retaining walls 4 ft + including several large local boulders from the property. 1:6 batter wall, flat caps, stainless steel railing rods built into wall 3 courses down, all tie stones plumbed with electrical pipes for future Low Voltage Led lighting. Protruding foundation below grade. Small planter built 3' x 30" at end of wall by house for above vine trellis system. Dollar store pool noodles just for the fun of it. To protect the stainless steel all thread rods which the home builder will be installing 3' Locust logs for post from property. Stainless steel rods to be installed 4" spacing for code and to tie in with upper vine trellis system. 7 custom cut onsite - feather wedge faces curved steps 7" rise w/ 16" tread 30 stones cut to fit singles with some double stacked. Railing rods also installed. Wall built on steps. Boulders built out from home including bridging of 2 french drains and 1 out of wall lintel. Wall to be built behind this patio 5' tall for upper patio to back door as seen on background. All Patios are Core Gravel Mat 38-18 with 1/2" Pea Tan Gravel Myersville March 2019 __________________________________ 2018 Ellicott City 2018 Ellicott City MD, 680+ Sq Ft Natural Cleft Bluestone Patio w/ 3 beautiful tiered steps, lined with jumbo yellow granite cobbles - Backyard makeover. __________________________________ June 2018 Westminster MD June 2018 Westminster Maryland, Limestone Barn foundation reclaimed by client. Freestanding wall, Seating Wall, Water drain Arch, boulders set at end and middle of curve. Patio - Each stone was custom cut to fit, pattern built on-site 2-3" thick Colonial Bluestone Sheet stock. 11/2017 - 4/2018 Monkton Maryland, This project was Built for Nick Balducci who owns 2 Bluestone Quarries in NY. This Backyard makeover highlight all his stone except the granite cobbles and aggregated. Patio, Walkway, Seating walls, Fire pit area. Patio 14'L x 24' W bluestone sheet stock (2"-4" Thick) bedded on 4" -/+ of 3/8th single washed aggregate ( called #8 in our region) Seating walls 23"-24" H with flat caps ranging from 2"- 4"H, Front aggregate walkway and fire pit area 24' circle filled with 3/4" limestone aggregate (called #57 in our region) with Jumbo Granite Cobbles 7" H x 10" L x 3.5" W +/- for all the edging. The fire pit are also has a BRAND New Product Bluestone Edging ranging from 7"H x 24" -/+ with many more options coming. The treads are Natural Cleft tops with Thermal faces 6' L from house then 5' L going to upper grass landing. Specs: 18" W set at 16" +/- walk Tread, 7" +/- Rise. __________________________________ 2018 April, Hampstead MD, Test Feature, DSWA 3A - Pass, DSC Level 2 Pass. Curved freestanding wall, West mountain stone. 54" tall with below grade protruding foundation, 1:8 batter, shaped vertical cope stones. 2018 April, Hampstead MD, Test Feature, DSWA 3A - Pass, DSC Level 2 Pass. Sloped freestanding wall, West mountain stone. 54" tall with below grade protruding foundation, 1:6 batter, shaped vertical cope stones with cover bands. __________________________________ 2018 April Butler Stone Quarry, Boulder Retaining wall. Each boulder weights 1000-3000 pounds. Double wall system. __________________________________ 11/2017 Part 2 Cockeysville Maryland, Happy Hollow, Retaining Wall built with West Mountain Sandstone. 26' long from 2'-5' tall, w/protruding below grade foundation. 1:6 batter with vertical column by house corner. Staggered tie stones set at 18" spaced every 3' on center 17.5 day build 11/2017 Part 1 Cockeysville Maryland, Happy Hollow. - Makeover of 36' long of lower dry laid natural stone walkway to house with seven steps. The stone of choice being native to our region Balducci Colonial Bluestone. Details: Steps 5' long 18" tread with 7" rise natural cleft tops with thermal faces. The 5' wide walkway was mixed with some of the old thicker Western Maryland Red and newly added Colonial Bluestone sheet stock. __________________________________ July/August 2017, Sparks - Glencoe, Blue Stone path makeover / resetting, New Blue stone steps to doors with patio landing and granite cobble stones. June/July 2017, Mount Airy - Tuscarora Mountain Stone PA(exclusive) New Retaining Wall --------------------------------------- May/June 2017, Falls Rd - Cockeysville MD, Prettyboy Schist with local stone, Retaining Wall, Blue Mount #57 gravel walkway. March/April 2017, Woodbine MD, Makeover calibration w/Andy McEvoy. Butler - Merrittville Stone, w/ PA Bluestone Flagstone, Bluestone steppers and edging, repurposed brick edging, Patio, Steps, Retaining Wall. 11/2016 White Hall MD West Mountain Retaining Wall, Steppers / Landing 11/2016 Towson MD, Third Rebuild of Fire Pit - PA Blue Stone Snapped stone to uneven sizes with chiseled faces,Thermal top granite stones on corners. 10/2016 Towson MD, Rebuilt Fire Pit - West Mountain Snapped stone to uniformed size. 7/2014 Towson MD, Originally built Fire Pit - 5/2016 Custom Stainless Steel Liner designed and fabricated, cook grill with open spots for rotisserie cooker. 10/2016 Rock Creek NPS @ Pierce Mills Park DC 1 day event, min wall 9/2016 Roland Park MD, Rebuild and replace 20 ft section of wall damaged by tree. 7/2016 Dryhouse Stoneworks PA, State College, palletizing mountain stone for Canada project 5/2016 1 Day Instructing Pre-Test Workshop w/Seth Harris @ The Stone Trust VT Fall 2016 2 Day Instructing Freestanding Wall Workshop w/Michael Murphy @ The Stone Trust VT 5/2016 Mount Airy MD, Marriottsville stone, Freestanding 3ft wall with PA Blue stone ties. 5/2016 Felton PA, West Mountain Stone - Seating / Retaining Wall, 3 Steps, and Aggregate Path. 4/2016 Millers Maryland, Millers Station Spring House Foundation. Butler Stone mixed with West Mountain and Balducci Blue Stone. Dry laid stone construction 4'-5' H x 42' L total. Click Here to see more. 8 ~ 10/2015 Mount Airy MD 8 ~ 10/2015 Backyard makeover. Mount Airy, 15 - 5' W x 18" (set at 16") thread x 6" rise PA colonial blue stone steps, flatwork with squares & recs w/ hand cut granite edging. West Mountain stone mixed with old barn foundation from previous 2014 wall. The client uses there back door only. They had no steps to allow them to come and go comfortable The lower space was created when the homeowner took on building a brick pizza oven. I suggested a sitting wall along with the other flower bed walls. I did not build the pizza oven. I did do the natural stone veneer (made on site) on the ledge and the base of the oven. This was not dry laid but set in mortar on top of cinder block built by the client. 7/2015 Havre De Grace dry laid stone seating walls. West mountain, PA colonial blue, on site black granite boulder. Havre De Grace Click Here to see more. 6/23/2015 Greystone Road, White Hall Maryland. PA colonial blue stone treads 7 saw cut thermal 4' wide x 6" rise x 18" thread set at with slight curve 16" left -14" right. Blue Mount #2 aggregate on left side with grade change in order to redirect water from flowing down towards white steps. 5/10/2015 Wiseburg Road, White Hall Maryland. Dry laid stone retaining wall West Mountain. 52' long x 26"- 30" high with 4 steps in middle upper and lower landing and 1 wall head. Click here see more. 11/2014 Greystone Road, White Hall Maryland. 208' SQ FF ++, 52' FF = 45' Long Dry Laid stone retaining wall, 7' Long Free Standing wall with steps connected. 4'.6" wide steps. 4' high dry laid stone retaining wall. PA colonial blue flat cap 2' w x 3' l x 3.5" thick, Steps, tie stones placed 21" up set on center 3' ft. 60% West Mountain, 30% PA Blue Stone, 5% Western MD stone, 5% other. Back wall stone reclaimed barn foundations mixed with above stone. Protruding foundation set at grade level using primarily West Mountain stone from the Scranton area. Total build time 30 days including excavation of old railroad ties retaining wall and finish grade. Greystone Road, White Hall Maryland. 7 PA colonial blue steps, 6.5" rise x 18" tread x 4'.6" wide September 8th-15th 2014 I built this upper front section above tie stone both front and back. I volunteered my time for a week with 22 other dry laid stone masons from Canada, USA and UK. To build the 4th building and largest new building in North America. This amazing event took place at the Stone Festival at Willowbank School of Restoration Arts. Directed by Canada's only DSWA Master Craftsman Dean McLellan. 9/2014 Willowbank, Niagara Parkway, Queenston, Ontario, Canada. Quarried bulk limestone. Left side of doorway - above middle tie is my section. 8/2014 White Hall MD, PA Field stone retaining wall 16' L x 17-25" H. 7/2014 Monrovia (Mt Airy) Maryland, Dry Laid Stone retaining wall/ free standing with 2 lintel water drains 18" W PA Colonial Blue Square caps x 30' L x 3'-4' H (105 SQ FT) with 7 tie stones placed at 18" above grade. 1/6 batter, PA white sandstone from barn foundation, Western Maryland Stone, PA Blue stone and South Bay Quartz White stone to help match clients purchased stone. 15 days total project time including drive time to job, moving material on site.... 7/2014 Providence Road Towson Maryland, Square Dry Laid Stone Fire Pit 5' W x 7' L x 16" H with black granite cobble stones, 4 reclaimed black granite corners stones, Main building stone (same as house) North Carolina Thin Stone, Chocolate Grey and Midnight Blue. 8.5" Vertical cope stones. 6/2014 Forest Hill Maryland, Retaining wall 50' L x 15"-30" H, PA fieldstone. 5/2014 Hampstead Maryland, 26' L x 15"-26" H Retaining wall, Butler stone, reclaimed PA field stone, PA Blue stone, 10 PA Blue stone cap stones 23" W x 32' L x 2" H. 4/2014 Upper Field Court, Kingsville MD PA Bluestone squares and rectangles with hand shaped granite edging, patio 6'.8"' W x 9' L PA Field Stone mixed with old wall stone dry laid stone retaining wall 22' L x 20" H w/ two set in earth stepping stones off patio. 3/2014 Balducci Stoneyard PA. PA Bluestone Retaining Wall 58' long x 12" - 24" +/- high x 2' wide dry laid stone wall built level around office on site, 3 corners, 4 ends, one large step shaped to fit on site, 20.5" - 23" wide x 2" thick cap stones. Blue stone supplied by client from their quarries. 11/2013 Edgewood Road, Ellicott City, MD 115' L x 3' H Retaining wall, 4 Stone benches, 1 fire pit 7' W x 14" H, 4 shelves, 3 vertical stones, 5 PA Blue Stone Steps, 3 stone niche's. New build, Ellicott City Granite stone found in customer's back yard (ya no kidding thats a lot of stone!). 10/2013 St John Road, Roland Park, Baltimore MD. 45' L x 28" H Retaining wall same design as original, Old wall stone - Unknown, Butler MD Stone, Laurel Mountain/PA Fieldstone mixed. Click here for Project Pond/waterfall - 6' L x 3' W x 16" deep, 1200 GPH Danner pump w/ 11" waterfall box. PA bluestone cap on waterfall box. 8/2013 Hoffmanville Road, Millers MD. 44' L x 4' W, Western MD Stone, Laurel Mountain Stone, PA Lilac/field Stone, and 6" Granite Edge. 7/2013 Warren Road, Cockeysville MD. 35' L x 25" H Retaining/Sitting Wall. Local stone on site mixed with 1" Butler Stone from Vinci Quarry. 7/2013 Alesia Road, Millers MD. 4'.5" H x 10' L Retaining Wall, Prettyboy Field Stone with old foundation stone for corner. (gathered from our farm) Dry laid stone wall tied into existing mortared wall. 6/2013 Merrymans Mill Road, Phoenix MD. 2-3' H x 12' L Arch Wall, 4 sided column 3' H, Prettyboy Fieldstone (gathered from our farm). Merrymans Mill Road Project Story 2013 Merrymans Mill Road Arch / Lost Arch - 2013 Merrymans Mill Road Column 2013 Round Hill Road, Frederick VS Arch Finished Project 2013 Round Hill Road, Frederick VS Arch Project Story, 2013 Round Hill Road, Frederick VS - Starburst Arch Story 2013 5/2013 Western Maryland Stone used for starburst - roman arch (semi circle). Colonial PA Lilac stone used for 3' h x 9'.5" l wall with flat caps sitting on 12" h base. 11/2012 Merrymount Roland Park, Finished Project. 80' l x 20" h retaining wall with curve, corner, cheech end, 3 steps and lintel. Built with Western Maryland sandstone and PA blue stone. (front) 11/2012 Merrymount - Roland Park MD, Project Story BLOG Stone WURX, International Festival Sept 2012, hosted by Ground Effects Landscapes, Project manager Dean McLellan professional waller, Hanover Ontario Canada. A first of its kind Dry Laid stone stable structure 40' l x 20' w x 7'.5" h to be built in North America within 100 years. This structure also includes a living roof. I was fortunate enough to participate on this build alongside 12 other professional stonemasons from UK, Canada and USA 8/2012 Beechdale Road, Roland Park MD, Finished Project BLOG 8/2012 Beechdale Road, Dry Stone Project Story BLOG 5/2012 Glenville, PA. Dry Laid Retaining Wall, Fieldstone on site. Finished Project -BLOG Project Story Images - BLOG 4/2102 Appaloosa Way, Finksburg MD, Brick Walkway w/ 6" granite edge. Finished Project BLOG Warren Road, Cockeysville MD Finished Project 12/11 Warren Road, Cockeysville MD Project Story BLOG Warren Road, Cockeysville MD 11/11 PA Blue Stone Steps How To Blog Video - How To - Wedge and Feathers / Shims Journeyman Testing DSC KY 10/2 BLOG 10' l x 4' h freestanding wall - lime stone timed test rebuild in 8 hours -PASS Shang shí dŭ yuè Project Story BLOG Frederick Maryland 8/1/11. Retaining wall 34 Ft Length x 2 Ft high average, one large seating stone, 2 steps added in one in wall. Butler stone with local blended in. Project Story BLOG Butler stone retaining wall 5'5" high x 22 long Millers, MD. 5/21/11 PA Blue stone patio re-lay stones after 10 years of settling, Timonium Maryland DSWA Cheekend Level 2 Test Vermont at Stone Trust. April 30th 2011 Test Wall strip out and rebuild in 7 hours double sided 5 ft high by 5 ft long with wall head. PASSED time test! DSWA Testing held in Vermont at Stone Trust - Examiners Dan Snow / Michael Weitzner "INTERMEDIATE CERTIFICATE HOLDER: have demonstrated their ability to construct a sound, free-standing dry stone wall which includes a cheekend" (wall head). ______________________________ Free Standing Wall 4ft high, Hampstead MD, Spring 2009, Butler Stone, Free Standing Wall 4ft high, Hampstead MD, spring 2009, Butler Stone, Fire Pit, Inspired by Dan Snow, Millers MD, June 2009, PA Blue stone YouTube FLATWORK: Walk 22x4 ft walk, Cockeysville MD, April 2008, PA Blue stone FLATWORK: Patio w/ wall, Belair MD, June 2007, PA Blue stone.

My favorite of my boards on Pinterest is my “Great Garden Paths” board. I have a weakness for garden paths. There is something so incredibly inviting about a path through a garden. It says, “Explore me,” or “Feel free to look AND touch, I’m cool with it.” My favorite garden paths bend around corners, begging […]

Merrymount Project Story. In the middle of 2012 I was contacted in regards to building a small 18" retaining wall. The Landscape contractor who brought me on to the job had a plan in mind for the space. With a photo of the area and a computer rendering I made some suggestions. The original plan was to use PA blue stone ( which of course is blue) create a wall which was 18" in the backyard (shown above) to include a curve. In front of the curve a PA blue stone patio would be built by the landscape company. The wall would then travel down the walk stepping down in size to the front (side) of the house. After hearing this I suggested a brown stone because the blue stone with all small space, overwhelming amount of trees on the hill the area would look very closed in and dark. The brown stone would open up the space making it feel larger. I also suggested bring the wall around to the front of the house (side door) in order to created more of a room feeling. (see green paint on first photo) This would help to define the space instead of letting the flow or energy travel out into the yard. The next suggestion was to build the wall all at one size I suggested 20" which to me was a more comfortable seating height. In addition it would make the all feel more substantial in size. After meeting on sight and going over the same suggestions to the home owner it was agreed apon to be a great solution. Next the plans were sent off to the Roland Park home owners association for approval. Months later I was ready to move from my Beechdale project in Roland Park to the new Merrymount project. A short drive threw the neighborhood with my trailer and skid steer. I set up shop. (3rd picture down) When I had the first meeting with the client about the space and stone. I was sure to have in the back of my car a nice little stone selection to set up. The choice was Butler Stone or Western Maryland Stone. The client choose Western Maryland. This would be the first chance to work with the WM sand stone. Earlier in the year 2012 a friend and I traveling back from KY from doing an Advanced Stone Shaping workshop stopped in at the quarry to see this material. As soon as I got the green light to go and a signed contract with a deposit I placed an order for the tri-axle (dump truck with 3 sets of wheels in the back) load of stone. After many delays from the quarry with down trucks I finally got my dump truck load one earlier morning at 4 am. Yup that's early for me! I was sure to warn the neighbors ahead of time. (even thow we live in the country) Not to be alarmed if they heard something that sounds like roaring thunder - as the stone slides out of the back fo the truck. I felt with such an long trip in the middle of the night a tip in his pocket for his 4am morning road trip - should get him one large cup of coffee to keep him awake for the long ride home. Back at the job site while I had been waiting (weeks) for stone I started my dig out of the foundation. I dug 4" down 28" (retaining) - 32" (free standing) wide. Yes ofcourse I called Miss Utility before I dug 811. Its the law! With the foundation dug I now needed stone. This site created a few logistical challenges. 1) no place for stone to be stock piled (easily). 2) Now way to get equipment on the site to move the stone. 3) Limited space to back in a dump truck to dump stone. 4) just enough room for my work trailer and the client to still park both cars in the driveway or get one in and out of the garage. (Job Site Tip: When looking to price out a job be sure to look at the space. Overhead wires, staging area's for material, space for large equipment, vehicle access from venders, staff, trucks and trailers, type of soil, parking, on site port-a-potti space?, hills, climate, tree's, rain gutters, water flow, material handling.... just to name a few.) Stone was dumped at the only possible place right off the driveway in the yard. I went out and purchased this wagon in order to move the stone to the backyard. I had just purchased a dingo ( which was in the shop for some repairs during this job) I didn't want to even use a machine for this job since the concrete walk was so new and nice and white. I felt it was better to leave a smaller foot print on this job site. More manual labor would be the solution to avoid any costly damage to the sidewalk. The handy wagon did all the stone moving on site and my to hands. This proved to come in very handy having to move the stone over 90 feet to the backyard. Some might ask why not use a wheel barrow? I own 2 one with 1 wheel the other with 2 wheels. We use them all the time at the farm for sawdust. Honestly I've never used on a stone job to move stone. ( I did use it finally to help clean up the site when I had to move all the stone in the back of the house to the front yard and dump it into my skid loader bucket to load on the dump truck to haul home) The hole idea of bending over to see whats inside and having to lift stone over the sides - Sure sounds like work. With the wagon I could see everything, work right out of it, move larger quantities of stone and never worry about it tipping over. Very easy to pull. Related Blog: Tool - Wagon, 1200 pound rated I begin to build my foundation. On this job I started at the back to work on the hardest section first (furthest away from my stone pile). With foundation stones you alway want to find the larges stones you can with out compromising your selection. What do I mean by this? I used stones that are a medium size but with some thickness for this job most stones are 12" with a 3"-4" thickness. I'm not using any of my cap stones I've put aside. With the foundation stones I'm also looking to use stones that might not have as nice of a face or may have uneven surfaces not as suitable for the upper wall building. I'm digging down into the earth to set my stones on earth. The benefit with setting your stones on earth - less cost no extra material such as aggregate, the stones help the wall be a flexible system. I also build all my foundations stones to protrude 4 inches at the bottom of the wall. You can not do this with all types of stone. Since this stone is so flat it makes it easy to do so. The biggest benefit is a larger foot print for the wall to sit on. Just think - your walking in deep snow with boots..... Now put some snow moccasins on.....Which will help you float on top of the snow better? Related Blogs: Foundation Digging How-To-Foundation MC Foundations #3 Sept 1994 After all the foundation was built I then began building my wall section in the back of the house. This was the first time using Western Maryland sand stone. Like any new material it takes time to understand what it's trying to telling you. With my wall frames in place and my plywood and stall mats down I began the straight section into a curve ending at the back into the bank. With a stock pile of stone piled up in next to my build. Making it easy to look over to find what I felt was the right stone for my next move. The PA Blue stone patio was put in by the landscape maintenance company that brought me onto the job. They built this just as I was finishing up the foundation section. (Job tip: When working with any other contractors be sure to communicate your time line to not interfere with your building process) I used my stall mats to help protect the new patio as I built my wall not to damage any of there new work. Related Blog: Tool - MUD Mats / Stall Mats Back wall curve being built. The curve was built around a Dogwood tree on the hill. Being sure to avoid any damage to the roots. Top of wall shot into bank. This photo really shows all the packing in the middle of the wall. Most walls fail due to lack of packing. Related Blog: How To - Wall Stone Ingredients Flat cap stones with 2" over hang begin to go onto the back curve. I like to do the over hang when possible to help keep water off the wall. I also feel it helps give a little more visual effect. Related blog: How To - Set Flat Cap / Cope Stones Back curve section finished. Now I head back to the front of the wall section to begin building. Curve. ? Pa Blue stone patio with vertical stones for edging? Ya ok. No I didn't build the patio..... Back curve finished just waiting for fill dirt and landscaping. This photo is the front section of the home (side of house). After finishing the back section with the curve I wanted to move up front. Since this section is double sided freestanding wall w/squared up cap stones, a 90 degree corner, cheekend (wall head) and a lintel. I only started the curve section first because it was so far away from the stone pile. Also being the stone was new to me this gave me time to get to know it. Now I could begin the next section with a little more stone confidence. More importantly I could make sure all the choice stones I had been stock piling I could now start to use. Yippie I was tired of tripping over them. I also know the lawn maintenance guys couldn't wait to mow the grass around them. Now it was time for another load of stone. This job site was a bit of a challenge. I was just happy my dump truck could at least back up the driveway to dump 5 tons of stone at a time. In this photo and the one below you can see all the large cap stones I had been setting aside for the top of the wall. Next I chalked out my spot for a lintel. Normally a lintel would have a large stone on the base (at bottom - future blog to come). I was building a cosmetic lintel to help open up the wall visually. I was happy the home owner approve the concept. Just as well for my certification with the DSC (Dry Stone Conservancy) I'm required to build certain wall features. The lintel was just one of three left in order for me to reach my Journeyman title. Cheekend (wall head) on right - lintel in the middle - and 90 degree corner on the left. Notice the first section of wall with the curve in the far back round. Here I'm gathering up all the cap stones which I need to make the same size for the freestanding wall. I lay out all the stones on the ground to understand what I have and will need for this section of free standing wall top. (length and average size) Then determine what will need to be done to fit them correctly. Shaping stones can always be a joy when you have the know how and the methods to shape them. I started with the first stone by using feather and wedges to square up this stone. First method of choice for shaping....... Related blogs: How To - Wedge and Feathers Voodoo Magic Video - How To - Wedge and Feathers / Shims How To - Plugs and Feathers DSC KY shaping workshop 2012 Well it kind of worked. The sand stone was just a little to soft and ended up putting a under cut and a fracture line down the side. Just look at the water mark across the photo. Now look for the " . " between rockinwalls and com. You'll now see the fracture line crack. As much as I like this method to shape stones. This stone was not hard enough to have the results I needed. One stone gamble was good enough for me to stop while I was ahead. Hard lesson to learn to know when enough is enough and pull the plug. Time for the Stihl gas saw. Sad to say I had to revert to power tools. I square the cap stones up, Then use my Rocko chisel to take off as much of the saw marks on the stone as possible. Related blog: Tool - Rocko Chisel Squared up cap stones going on top of wall for a fitting. By fitting them I can really get a sense of how much more I need and an over all visual. (Job tip: I'm building my wall in one direction - towards the back curve section.) Corner 90 degree - notice how my stones tie back on each side like a dove tail in wood work or your two hands inter locking with your fingers. Just like a wooden drawer this helps to strength the corners. Above is a replacement stone for my upgraded lintel. The stone I had used was not thick enough. I was working to use all my stone I had on site. With a limited supply of choice stones to build with, I built the lintel with a thinner stone then I should have! (wrong choice) After some consulting with two masters - I had the help with the guidance I needed to remember to always follow my instincts. Remove the old stone and build it right! (Thank you little Kia Soul for the deliver of the beefy lintel stone) Its just another other opportunity to do it again. To bad most contractors don't follow this same theory. It wasn't a hard decision to know I wanted to make it right! After all this was how I was raised. It's not about the money but having the pride and confidence to see it threw. First lintel with thin stone across the top of hole. NEW lintel stone! Now you can really see in this section how tight all the stones are around the new lintel compared to the first one. I went as far to even replace some of the stones on the inside of the lintel because some of the first ones I used didn't have nice corners. Working with the stone you have on site is key but sometimes not having the right stones may cause one to compromise. Never second guess yourself when you have that doubt. This is a shot of my cheekend or called wall head. I had hosed off the wall with water. Amazing how the colors change so much with the stone. This photo happens to show the first lintel with the thin stone. Next part of my build I was working back towards the curved section. The client had talked about how they went up into the woods some times to do walks. After hearing this I decided with there approval I would build steps for them. I determined the labor evolved would be not much more time then just building the wall. Plus I really looked forward to the challenge. I also wanted to do one more thing in the wall. Originally I knew I was going to build the steps but I let the stone tell me what size. So I went with a 7" rise 12" tread and 2' wide. A total of 3 steps same height of top of wall. Then I used 2 large stones in the wall with 2 others at top to give one more sense of the space. The top 2 stones are from the site. I always enjoy finding answers as I build. Not all things can be planned other wise you'll never grow. Boy how those leafs make it look like this wall has been around for some time. But the stall mats are the dead giveaway I was just working in this section. Leafs yes that was one thing I haven't talked about or the acorns that would just fall out of the tree to pelt you on the head. I had to keep a leaf blower on the job just so I could clear my work area. One the wall was up it sure did a nice job keeping them all contained until the wind kicked them up again. I continue to build the last of my wall section as I head down the walk towards the back curve past the steps. Heres another angle. I had brought up (early on) a bunch of back wall stone which I put by the house making it easy to grab as needed. You will also see a few buckets of packing stone. This was the best thing about getting a loose stone brought onto the job site in a dump truck. Your guaranteed to have every type of stone you will need to build a dry laid stone construction. As I like to say - the walling ingredients. Very few stones are wasted when building a dry laid stone construction they all have a place and job. I'm also working to connect the two sections of wall in the middle. Related blog: How To - Wall Stone Ingredients The full middle section built. Next onto the flat cap stones with an overhang. Caps stones can be a challenge working to fitting everything together. I was sure hoping all the large stones I put aside would fill the top wall. You notice some of the stones I would square up others I would try to use the stone the way it was - fitting it next to a match. When you get bulk stone you have to work with the hand your dealt. This can be a great learning lesson. It can be easy sometimes to want to use all the best stone - Best what doesn't that mean? Ok the stones that one would want to pick first, the ones that seem to be the best for the job, the easiest to fit, the stones that have beautiful faces, the one you eye up and you only dream about..... The ones you skip over are the ones you might find a challenge to work with. They all teach you something. Just like us! The caulk shows what I'm thinking about when it comes to shaping these. The best part about the sand stone a few little hits and you'll have the stone you wanted. With out the likely hood of loosing one. I can't say thats the same with all stones I've worked with. The brick and string line is my guild to built to. Making sure I'm on target to match my built section further down. You will also see a few of my small plates by the hammer which help when working to get my cap stone to the height I need. Related blog: How To - Set Flat Cap / Cope Stones Tools - Chalk / Soap Stone You can see the brick and the rock with string. I'm now filling the void. This is always a challenge for me when I have to find that one stone that fits. Some times you look down and find the one you need with out even looking. Most of the time I stress this task knowing the challenge I'm about to deal with. Top view middle. Hard to believe 43 photos we are back to the first one! Yup if you made it this far in one sitting your have a stone addiction like me!! or you drank a Red Bull, cappuccino... You know there's help for people like us. Just play with more stones. That will cure all....... Final Wall Specs: 78' long x 20" high retaining wall with freestanding wall, Western Maryland stone mixed with PA Blue stone and local. Lintel 11" wide x 12" high. 90 degree corner. 3 steps 7" rise 12" tread and 2' wide. Curved section. Foundation stones 4" thick with a 4" protruding at base (grade) Walk followed grade of sidewalk. More importantly this blog of photos and story has been a great joy for me to share. I really enjoyed seeing this space change with the work I created. All the little things that helped make a space a space! A wall to sit and reflect life. Follow your love - share your dreams....

September 15, 2015 My friend Shirley of Rock-Oak-Deer in San Antonio recently uttered the magic words: Come see a few gardens! So last Friday I hopped in my car, drove south to the Alamo City, and met Shirley to tour … Read More

Tucson’s “quiet, desert town” reputation often leads people to believe that there is not much to do here. Believe it or not, Tucson has many attractions that make it a popular vacation destination. Some of Tucson’s own citizens have not visited some of the places that make Tucson great. Here are some places for Tucsonans and visitors alike to check out.

Re: Mùltiples combinaciones de plantas Gracias Leyli muy lindas las fotos :30ojoscorazon: , la mayoría podría ir bien en "Taludes, desniveles y...

There are many colorful and lush choices that are perfect for a low-maintenance, water-conserving landscape. As parts of the country experience a reduction in rainfall or restrictions on water use, drought-tolerance has become an increasingly desirable characteristic in cultivated plants.

Last week I visited Tarpiscan Canyon for the first time in years. The canyon is on the west side of the Columbia River above West Bar. A few significant Ice Age Flood features in the area are Moses Coulee, Moses Coulee Bar, Crater Coulee, Babcock Bench, Potholes Coulee and the West Bar Giant Current Ripples. I didn't see everything I wanted to on this hike. The short November day flew by. Victoria Rock Victoria Rock - An interesting basalt tower standing in the Columbia River channel that's withstood plenty of abuse by floods over the years. Victoria Rock (Symon's-Downing Image) I mentioned Lieutenant Symon's "Report of an Examination of the Upper Columbia River: And the Territory in Its Vicinity in September and October, 1881" in a recent post of Sentinel Gap area photos. In his report, Symon's describes Victoria Rock: A few miles further down there stands in the Columbia River a rock which is one of the most perfect profile rocks in existence. Approaching it from the north, it presents a striking likeness to the profile of Queen Victoria, from which circumstance it was given the name of "Victoria Rock." Coming nearer to it and passing it on the west, the profile changes and merges into a more Grecian and Sphinx-like face, whose placid immobility takes one's mind involuntarily to far off Egypt. It rises from the surface of the water about one hundred feet, and a pair of eagles have selected it as their home, and upon its extreme top have built a nest, giving, as it were, a crown to this goddess of the Columbia. The rock is of columnar black basalt. The portion of the river in which this rock is situated is very grand and beautiful. Lieutenant Thomas William Symons (1881) There it is ... Victoria Rock. Right where the Lieutenant said it would be. Construction of Wanapum Dam south of Vantage, was completed in 1963. Only the uppermost portion of Victoria Rock stands above today's reservoir level. It took an early start from Pasco to begin hiking before sunrise. I had to drive all the way to Wenatchee, cross the river and then drive south to reach the Tarpiscan Creek WDFW parking area. A Vehicle Use Permit is required in this area. Lieutenant Symon's Map - 1881 Click map to enlarge and you should be able to see Victoria Rock below "Cabinet Rapids". Other notations on map from top are Bishop Rock, Sunken Rock, Rock Island Rapids, Bar of Rocks, Bad Ripple, Little Creek and two small bars just above "Flat" at West Bar. Looks like notation on top of rim west of Victoria Rock reads "Magnificent Columnar Basaltic Bluffs". The area marked "Flat" at lower right is the NW corner of West Bar. View northeast over Columbia River to mouth of Moses Coulee. Victoria Rock visible in river at lower right. The huge flood bar on far side of river is the Moses Coulee Bar. Much of the bar is out of frame to right. I'll try to post Moses Coulee images one of these days. In his book "The Geological History of the Wenatchee Valley and Adjacent Vicinity" Charles Mason states: "It is the author's opinion that Moses Coulee, above all else, has an atmosphere and character unmatched in our area. One would be hard pressed to find a more inspiring sight than a drive on an early sunny morning through the miles of majestic palisades of the lower coulee". Moses Coulee Tarpiscan Creek Bergmound Tarpiscan Bergmound - Thousands of years ago, a huge iceberg floated into the Tarpiscan Creek drainage and grounded during one of the Ice Age Flood events. After the floodwaters receded and the ice melted, a large pile the glacial debris carried by the iceberg was left stranded in the canyon. Mouth of Tarpiscan Canyon - Google Earth View - Red circle marks bergmound - I hiked up the canyon for several miles enjoying bright fall colors and the interesting basalt cliffs along the north rim. Way too much time was spent taking pictures of frosty leaves and pine cones (above maximum flood level). I'd had my eye on the big bar that sits between Tarpiscan Creek and the South Fork of Tarpiscan Creek. Once over the top of the bar I spotted a huge bergmound (marked in image above). - Large erratics on top of the bergmound - Erratic I'm leaning on (#1 in photo below) measured over 12ft. end to end. Another view of erratics shown above. Note smaller erratics in foreground. So how did the rocks end up in ice? Hope you don't mind if we take a quick trip to the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier. Sometimes it's Hard to tell where the glacier ends and the mountain begins. Glaciers are often referred to as "Nature's conveyor belts". Rocks from adjacent slopes often fall on top the glacier while ice in contact with the earth below the glacier is picking up rocks and other debris. Material carried on the surface of the glacier is known as "supraglacial debris" while the lower part of the glacier carries "basal debis". The huge glacial ice dams that failed and released Ice Age Floodwaters were loaded with debris. Large sections of the dams were swept away with the flow and carried over eastern Washington. Some of these icebergs would have ridden the floodwaters all the way to the Pacific Ocean but many ran aground in Washington and Oregon. Rocks and boulders transported by the ice are known as "erratics". er⋅rat⋅ic1. deviating from the usual or proper course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behavior. 2. having no certain or definite course; wandering; not fixed: erratic winds. 3. Geology. noting or pertaining to a boulder or the like carried by glacial ice and deposited some distance from its place of origin. 4. (of a lichen) having no attachment to the surface on which it grows. Source: Dictionary.com Large Boulders on Nisqually Glacier OK ... We're back to Tarpiscan Canyon - Nice collection of large erratics - (White erratic on skyline is Erratic #2) Ivar Husa of the Ice Age Floods Institute's Lake Lewis Chapter answers the question "How Large Must an Iceberg be to Carry an Erratic" on Page 4 of the December 2005 Pleistocene Post. As the iceberg melted, several large boulders rolled down slope. The rocks, gravel, sand and silt aboard the iceberg remained in a huge mound. Click image above to play what appears to be the first "Bergmound" video posted on Youtube. Video shows relationship of bergmound site to Columbia River. Not as many smaller scattered erratics in the Tarpiscan area as there are in other Kittitas County drainages to the south. I did see a few similar to this one as I hiked south out of the canyon. West Bar Giant Current Ripples West Bar Giant Current Ripples - Huge current ripples created when fast moving floodwaters swept over the West Bar area. Geologists believe that the West Bar Ripples were formed during one of the last Ice Age Floods - Possibly the final draining of Glacial Lake Columbia. I started to draw the route I used to get to West Bar on this image but, decided I'd better not do anything that would promote this as West Bar access. I know this basalt face as "Cape Horn". TIP #1:The animal path I used is above terrace with the big pine. TIP #2: Don't slip! West Bar (right). Moses Coulee Bar dipping into Columbia river at left. Thin horizontal line on distant basalt cliff is Babcock Bench. The Ice Age Floods created many large gravel bars. Moses Coulee Bar is one of them ... Train for scale. 1. Tarpiscan Bergmound 2. West Bar Giant Current Ripples 3. Moses Coulee 4. Crater Coulee - Also known as Crater Draw (No public access). 5. Quincy, WA - City of Quincy's "Local Geology" page. Ripples from ripple level. Summertime sunset view of West Bar ripples.- Boat for scale - Click below to view Giant Current Ripples from Bruce Bjornstad's geocache at the West Bar Overlook. OPEN LARGE WEST BAR IMAGE A couple images here of other ripples you might come across as you explore the Ice Age Floods region. I noticed these frosty ripples in the sand yesterday while hiking along the White Bluffs (SE of Mattawa, WA). These small ripples were creeated by the wind blowing over the dune. Belt rock with ripple pattern - Western Montana. Arrow points to hiker standing on one of the tallest West Bar ripples. Geologists estimate the West Bar ripples were formed between 12,000 and 13,000 years ago. The ripples average 24 feet in height and are spaced about 360 feet apart. It's been estimated that the fast moving water that formed these ripples was about 650 feet deep (Not one of the largest floods). The day this photo was taken, Orin and I arrived at West Bar in his boat ... which is the easiest way to get there. Certain times of the year you can drive to West Bar ... but ... It's a bumpy trip. WDFW's description of Colockum area roads: "Extremely primitive. High-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. Carry water, supplies and a spare tire."WDFW Colockum Wildlife Area - Ownership & Resource Map I noticed several several erratics as I walked up and over ripple after ripple. Large rocks dropped on the crests of giant ripples seem popular with local birds. Small elk herd on West Bar (Between the arrows). View is south over western edge of ripples. Colockum Elk Herd View Larger Map Use your mouse to navigate Google Map. Click "Ter" for Terrain View. Additional Comments from the Symon's Report Grand Coulee Illustration - Symon's Report A few text clips from the Symon's Report related to the Ice Age Floods - The Grand Coulee: "The coulee here is partially filled up by the broken-down hills. The cause of this break seems to have been a flood of water or ice coming in from the northeast and flowing off down through the coulee chasm. Many rounded bowlders are here found in the soil, and great rocks of large size, which could only have been transported by the agency of ice." Victoria Rock area: ... "Thousand feet above the river, there lies in an inclined position a stick of timber, barkless and white with age. It never grew there. It is a thousand feet from the top of the vertical bluffs, and could not have been put there from above. The only way in which it could have reached its present position was by being caught there when the river was a thousand feet higher than it is now, drifting in and lodging, and being left there by the receding river. My pilot. "Old Pierre," an Indian pilot and voyageur of the old Hndson Bay Company, said that this log was a landmark in the days when this company transported their furs and merchandise up and down the river in bateaux. He says that the Indians always considered that the log was left there when the river was up at that height. This is one link in the chain of evidence that proves that at no distant date the Columbia was a stream of such magnificent proportions that the present river is a tiny rivulet compared with it. If this be the true explanation of the location of this log, it is a remarkable example of the preservation of wood for a long period of time. It may be that the log is petrified, but I had no means of getting at it to determine." - Petrified Log above Columbia River - The banks are nearly precipitous bluffs, from 2,000 to 3,000 feet high, composed of columnar black basalt, which takes many wonderful shapes and produces many pleasing effects, rivaling the famous Giant's Causeway of Ireland in weird beauty. The columns are in every conceivable position, sometimes piled up like cordwood, in some places erect, and in others inclined; some great masses are twisted and bent, forming niches, arches, grottos, crowns, &c. A View of Giant's Causeway: East Prospect. Engraving. Susanna Drury -1768 ABC News clip featuring Giant's Causeway Below Sentinel Gap Symon's describes: I have endeavored to outline this ancient lake as far as practicable, and propose for it the name of Lake Lewis, after Capt. Merriweather Lewis, the leader of the exploring party which first saw any of the headwaters of the Columbia. I'd like to encourage anyone that hasn't looked through William D. Layman's book Native River to pick up a copy and thumb through it. The pre-dam Columbia River photos from Priest Rapids to the Canadian border are great! Some of my favorite images in the book show: Sentinel Gap, Picture Rocks Bay, Vantage Bluffs, Rock Island Rapids, Victoria Rock and Whitestone Rock (I like the skunk story). When I read Symon's comments about Columbia River basalt exposures rivaling those at Giant's Causeway (never been there but viewed plenty of photos) ... I was thinking he might be a little off but ... Look at the photos in Layman's book of Picture Rocks Bay (now underwater) ... Between amazing columns and the incredible pictographs and petroglyphs ... I can see why he would compare it to one of the most incredible locations on earth. Link to photo sets from Tarpiscan Canyon hikers at NWHikers.net.

Merrymount Project Story. In the middle of 2012 I was contacted in regards to building a small 18" retaining wall. The Landscape contractor who brought me on to the job had a plan in mind for the space. With a photo of the area and a computer rendering I made some suggestions. The original plan was to use PA blue stone ( which of course is blue) create a wall which was 18" in the backyard (shown above) to include a curve. In front of the curve a PA blue stone patio would be built by the landscape company. The wall would then travel down the walk stepping down in size to the front (side) of the house. After hearing this I suggested a brown stone because the blue stone with all small space, overwhelming amount of trees on the hill the area would look very closed in and dark. The brown stone would open up the space making it feel larger. I also suggested bring the wall around to the front of the house (side door) in order to created more of a room feeling. (see green paint on first photo) This would help to define the space instead of letting the flow or energy travel out into the yard. The next suggestion was to build the wall all at one size I suggested 20" which to me was a more comfortable seating height. In addition it would make the all feel more substantial in size. After meeting on sight and going over the same suggestions to the home owner it was agreed apon to be a great solution. Next the plans were sent off to the Roland Park home owners association for approval. Months later I was ready to move from my Beechdale project in Roland Park to the new Merrymount project. A short drive threw the neighborhood with my trailer and skid steer. I set up shop. (3rd picture down) When I had the first meeting with the client about the space and stone. I was sure to have in the back of my car a nice little stone selection to set up. The choice was Butler Stone or Western Maryland Stone. The client choose Western Maryland. This would be the first chance to work with the WM sand stone. Earlier in the year 2012 a friend and I traveling back from KY from doing an Advanced Stone Shaping workshop stopped in at the quarry to see this material. As soon as I got the green light to go and a signed contract with a deposit I placed an order for the tri-axle (dump truck with 3 sets of wheels in the back) load of stone. After many delays from the quarry with down trucks I finally got my dump truck load one earlier morning at 4 am. Yup that's early for me! I was sure to warn the neighbors ahead of time. (even thow we live in the country) Not to be alarmed if they heard something that sounds like roaring thunder - as the stone slides out of the back fo the truck. I felt with such an long trip in the middle of the night a tip in his pocket for his 4am morning road trip - should get him one large cup of coffee to keep him awake for the long ride home. Back at the job site while I had been waiting (weeks) for stone I started my dig out of the foundation. I dug 4" down 28" (retaining) - 32" (free standing) wide. Yes ofcourse I called Miss Utility before I dug 811. Its the law! With the foundation dug I now needed stone. This site created a few logistical challenges. 1) no place for stone to be stock piled (easily). 2) Now way to get equipment on the site to move the stone. 3) Limited space to back in a dump truck to dump stone. 4) just enough room for my work trailer and the client to still park both cars in the driveway or get one in and out of the garage. (Job Site Tip: When looking to price out a job be sure to look at the space. Overhead wires, staging area's for material, space for large equipment, vehicle access from venders, staff, trucks and trailers, type of soil, parking, on site port-a-potti space?, hills, climate, tree's, rain gutters, water flow, material handling.... just to name a few.) Stone was dumped at the only possible place right off the driveway in the yard. I went out and purchased this wagon in order to move the stone to the backyard. I had just purchased a dingo ( which was in the shop for some repairs during this job) I didn't want to even use a machine for this job since the concrete walk was so new and nice and white. I felt it was better to leave a smaller foot print on this job site. More manual labor would be the solution to avoid any costly damage to the sidewalk. The handy wagon did all the stone moving on site and my to hands. This proved to come in very handy having to move the stone over 90 feet to the backyard. Some might ask why not use a wheel barrow? I own 2 one with 1 wheel the other with 2 wheels. We use them all the time at the farm for sawdust. Honestly I've never used on a stone job to move stone. ( I did use it finally to help clean up the site when I had to move all the stone in the back of the house to the front yard and dump it into my skid loader bucket to load on the dump truck to haul home) The hole idea of bending over to see whats inside and having to lift stone over the sides - Sure sounds like work. With the wagon I could see everything, work right out of it, move larger quantities of stone and never worry about it tipping over. Very easy to pull. Related Blog: Tool - Wagon, 1200 pound rated I begin to build my foundation. On this job I started at the back to work on the hardest section first (furthest away from my stone pile). With foundation stones you alway want to find the larges stones you can with out compromising your selection. What do I mean by this? I used stones that are a medium size but with some thickness for this job most stones are 12" with a 3"-4" thickness. I'm not using any of my cap stones I've put aside. With the foundation stones I'm also looking to use stones that might not have as nice of a face or may have uneven surfaces not as suitable for the upper wall building. I'm digging down into the earth to set my stones on earth. The benefit with setting your stones on earth - less cost no extra material such as aggregate, the stones help the wall be a flexible system. I also build all my foundations stones to protrude 4 inches at the bottom of the wall. You can not do this with all types of stone. Since this stone is so flat it makes it easy to do so. The biggest benefit is a larger foot print for the wall to sit on. Just think - your walking in deep snow with boots..... Now put some snow moccasins on.....Which will help you float on top of the snow better? Related Blogs: Foundation Digging How-To-Foundation MC Foundations #3 Sept 1994 After all the foundation was built I then began building my wall section in the back of the house. This was the first time using Western Maryland sand stone. Like any new material it takes time to understand what it's trying to telling you. With my wall frames in place and my plywood and stall mats down I began the straight section into a curve ending at the back into the bank. With a stock pile of stone piled up in next to my build. Making it easy to look over to find what I felt was the right stone for my next move. The PA Blue stone patio was put in by the landscape maintenance company that brought me onto the job. They built this just as I was finishing up the foundation section. (Job tip: When working with any other contractors be sure to communicate your time line to not interfere with your building process) I used my stall mats to help protect the new patio as I built my wall not to damage any of there new work. Related Blog: Tool - MUD Mats / Stall Mats Back wall curve being built. The curve was built around a Dogwood tree on the hill. Being sure to avoid any damage to the roots. Top of wall shot into bank. This photo really shows all the packing in the middle of the wall. Most walls fail due to lack of packing. Related Blog: How To - Wall Stone Ingredients Flat cap stones with 2" over hang begin to go onto the back curve. I like to do the over hang when possible to help keep water off the wall. I also feel it helps give a little more visual effect. Related blog: How To - Set Flat Cap / Cope Stones Back curve section finished. Now I head back to the front of the wall section to begin building. Curve. ? Pa Blue stone patio with vertical stones for edging? Ya ok. No I didn't build the patio..... Back curve finished just waiting for fill dirt and landscaping. This photo is the front section of the home (side of house). After finishing the back section with the curve I wanted to move up front. Since this section is double sided freestanding wall w/squared up cap stones, a 90 degree corner, cheekend (wall head) and a lintel. I only started the curve section first because it was so far away from the stone pile. Also being the stone was new to me this gave me time to get to know it. Now I could begin the next section with a little more stone confidence. More importantly I could make sure all the choice stones I had been stock piling I could now start to use. Yippie I was tired of tripping over them. I also know the lawn maintenance guys couldn't wait to mow the grass around them. Now it was time for another load of stone. This job site was a bit of a challenge. I was just happy my dump truck could at least back up the driveway to dump 5 tons of stone at a time. In this photo and the one below you can see all the large cap stones I had been setting aside for the top of the wall. Next I chalked out my spot for a lintel. Normally a lintel would have a large stone on the base (at bottom - future blog to come). I was building a cosmetic lintel to help open up the wall visually. I was happy the home owner approve the concept. Just as well for my certification with the DSC (Dry Stone Conservancy) I'm required to build certain wall features. The lintel was just one of three left in order for me to reach my Journeyman title. Cheekend (wall head) on right - lintel in the middle - and 90 degree corner on the left. Notice the first section of wall with the curve in the far back round. Here I'm gathering up all the cap stones which I need to make the same size for the freestanding wall. I lay out all the stones on the ground to understand what I have and will need for this section of free standing wall top. (length and average size) Then determine what will need to be done to fit them correctly. Shaping stones can always be a joy when you have the know how and the methods to shape them. I started with the first stone by using feather and wedges to square up this stone. First method of choice for shaping....... Related blogs: How To - Wedge and Feathers Voodoo Magic Video - How To - Wedge and Feathers / Shims How To - Plugs and Feathers DSC KY shaping workshop 2012 Well it kind of worked. The sand stone was just a little to soft and ended up putting a under cut and a fracture line down the side. Just look at the water mark across the photo. Now look for the " . " between rockinwalls and com. You'll now see the fracture line crack. As much as I like this method to shape stones. This stone was not hard enough to have the results I needed. One stone gamble was good enough for me to stop while I was ahead. Hard lesson to learn to know when enough is enough and pull the plug. Time for the Stihl gas saw. Sad to say I had to revert to power tools. I square the cap stones up, Then use my Rocko chisel to take off as much of the saw marks on the stone as possible. Related blog: Tool - Rocko Chisel Squared up cap stones going on top of wall for a fitting. By fitting them I can really get a sense of how much more I need and an over all visual. (Job tip: I'm building my wall in one direction - towards the back curve section.) Corner 90 degree - notice how my stones tie back on each side like a dove tail in wood work or your two hands inter locking with your fingers. Just like a wooden drawer this helps to strength the corners. Above is a replacement stone for my upgraded lintel. The stone I had used was not thick enough. I was working to use all my stone I had on site. With a limited supply of choice stones to build with, I built the lintel with a thinner stone then I should have! (wrong choice) After some consulting with two masters - I had the help with the guidance I needed to remember to always follow my instincts. Remove the old stone and build it right! (Thank you little Kia Soul for the deliver of the beefy lintel stone) Its just another other opportunity to do it again. To bad most contractors don't follow this same theory. It wasn't a hard decision to know I wanted to make it right! After all this was how I was raised. It's not about the money but having the pride and confidence to see it threw. First lintel with thin stone across the top of hole. NEW lintel stone! Now you can really see in this section how tight all the stones are around the new lintel compared to the first one. I went as far to even replace some of the stones on the inside of the lintel because some of the first ones I used didn't have nice corners. Working with the stone you have on site is key but sometimes not having the right stones may cause one to compromise. Never second guess yourself when you have that doubt. This is a shot of my cheekend or called wall head. I had hosed off the wall with water. Amazing how the colors change so much with the stone. This photo happens to show the first lintel with the thin stone. Next part of my build I was working back towards the curved section. The client had talked about how they went up into the woods some times to do walks. After hearing this I decided with there approval I would build steps for them. I determined the labor evolved would be not much more time then just building the wall. Plus I really looked forward to the challenge. I also wanted to do one more thing in the wall. Originally I knew I was going to build the steps but I let the stone tell me what size. So I went with a 7" rise 12" tread and 2' wide. A total of 3 steps same height of top of wall. Then I used 2 large stones in the wall with 2 others at top to give one more sense of the space. The top 2 stones are from the site. I always enjoy finding answers as I build. Not all things can be planned other wise you'll never grow. Boy how those leafs make it look like this wall has been around for some time. But the stall mats are the dead giveaway I was just working in this section. Leafs yes that was one thing I haven't talked about or the acorns that would just fall out of the tree to pelt you on the head. I had to keep a leaf blower on the job just so I could clear my work area. One the wall was up it sure did a nice job keeping them all contained until the wind kicked them up again. I continue to build the last of my wall section as I head down the walk towards the back curve past the steps. Heres another angle. I had brought up (early on) a bunch of back wall stone which I put by the house making it easy to grab as needed. You will also see a few buckets of packing stone. This was the best thing about getting a loose stone brought onto the job site in a dump truck. Your guaranteed to have every type of stone you will need to build a dry laid stone construction. As I like to say - the walling ingredients. Very few stones are wasted when building a dry laid stone construction they all have a place and job. I'm also working to connect the two sections of wall in the middle. Related blog: How To - Wall Stone Ingredients The full middle section built. Next onto the flat cap stones with an overhang. Caps stones can be a challenge working to fitting everything together. I was sure hoping all the large stones I put aside would fill the top wall. You notice some of the stones I would square up others I would try to use the stone the way it was - fitting it next to a match. When you get bulk stone you have to work with the hand your dealt. This can be a great learning lesson. It can be easy sometimes to want to use all the best stone - Best what doesn't that mean? Ok the stones that one would want to pick first, the ones that seem to be the best for the job, the easiest to fit, the stones that have beautiful faces, the one you eye up and you only dream about..... The ones you skip over are the ones you might find a challenge to work with. They all teach you something. Just like us! The caulk shows what I'm thinking about when it comes to shaping these. The best part about the sand stone a few little hits and you'll have the stone you wanted. With out the likely hood of loosing one. I can't say thats the same with all stones I've worked with. The brick and string line is my guild to built to. Making sure I'm on target to match my built section further down. You will also see a few of my small plates by the hammer which help when working to get my cap stone to the height I need. Related blog: How To - Set Flat Cap / Cope Stones Tools - Chalk / Soap Stone You can see the brick and the rock with string. I'm now filling the void. This is always a challenge for me when I have to find that one stone that fits. Some times you look down and find the one you need with out even looking. Most of the time I stress this task knowing the challenge I'm about to deal with. Top view middle. Hard to believe 43 photos we are back to the first one! Yup if you made it this far in one sitting your have a stone addiction like me!! or you drank a Red Bull, cappuccino... You know there's help for people like us. Just play with more stones. That will cure all....... Final Wall Specs: 78' long x 20" high retaining wall with freestanding wall, Western Maryland stone mixed with PA Blue stone and local. Lintel 11" wide x 12" high. 90 degree corner. 3 steps 7" rise 12" tread and 2' wide. Curved section. Foundation stones 4" thick with a 4" protruding at base (grade) Walk followed grade of sidewalk. More importantly this blog of photos and story has been a great joy for me to share. I really enjoyed seeing this space change with the work I created. All the little things that helped make a space a space! A wall to sit and reflect life. Follow your love - share your dreams....

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Last week I visited Tarpiscan Canyon for the first time in years. The canyon is on the west side of the Columbia River above West Bar. A few significant Ice Age Flood features in the area are Moses Coulee, Moses Coulee Bar, Crater Coulee, Babcock Bench, Potholes Coulee and the West Bar Giant Current Ripples. I didn't see everything I wanted to on this hike. The short November day flew by. Victoria Rock Victoria Rock - An interesting basalt tower standing in the Columbia River channel that's withstood plenty of abuse by floods over the years. Victoria Rock (Symon's-Downing Image) I mentioned Lieutenant Symon's "Report of an Examination of the Upper Columbia River: And the Territory in Its Vicinity in September and October, 1881" in a recent post of Sentinel Gap area photos. In his report, Symon's describes Victoria Rock: A few miles further down there stands in the Columbia River a rock which is one of the most perfect profile rocks in existence. Approaching it from the north, it presents a striking likeness to the profile of Queen Victoria, from which circumstance it was given the name of "Victoria Rock." Coming nearer to it and passing it on the west, the profile changes and merges into a more Grecian and Sphinx-like face, whose placid immobility takes one's mind involuntarily to far off Egypt. It rises from the surface of the water about one hundred feet, and a pair of eagles have selected it as their home, and upon its extreme top have built a nest, giving, as it were, a crown to this goddess of the Columbia. The rock is of columnar black basalt. The portion of the river in which this rock is situated is very grand and beautiful. Lieutenant Thomas William Symons (1881) There it is ... Victoria Rock. Right where the Lieutenant said it would be. Construction of Wanapum Dam south of Vantage, was completed in 1963. Only the uppermost portion of Victoria Rock stands above today's reservoir level. It took an early start from Pasco to begin hiking before sunrise. I had to drive all the way to Wenatchee, cross the river and then drive south to reach the Tarpiscan Creek WDFW parking area. A Vehicle Use Permit is required in this area. Lieutenant Symon's Map - 1881 Click map to enlarge and you should be able to see Victoria Rock below "Cabinet Rapids". Other notations on map from top are Bishop Rock, Sunken Rock, Rock Island Rapids, Bar of Rocks, Bad Ripple, Little Creek and two small bars just above "Flat" at West Bar. Looks like notation on top of rim west of Victoria Rock reads "Magnificent Columnar Basaltic Bluffs". The area marked "Flat" at lower right is the NW corner of West Bar. View northeast over Columbia River to mouth of Moses Coulee. Victoria Rock visible in river at lower right. The huge flood bar on far side of river is the Moses Coulee Bar. Much of the bar is out of frame to right. I'll try to post Moses Coulee images one of these days. In his book "The Geological History of the Wenatchee Valley and Adjacent Vicinity" Charles Mason states: "It is the author's opinion that Moses Coulee, above all else, has an atmosphere and character unmatched in our area. One would be hard pressed to find a more inspiring sight than a drive on an early sunny morning through the miles of majestic palisades of the lower coulee". Moses Coulee Tarpiscan Creek Bergmound Tarpiscan Bergmound - Thousands of years ago, a huge iceberg floated into the Tarpiscan Creek drainage and grounded during one of the Ice Age Flood events. After the floodwaters receded and the ice melted, a large pile the glacial debris carried by the iceberg was left stranded in the canyon. Mouth of Tarpiscan Canyon - Google Earth View - Red circle marks bergmound - I hiked up the canyon for several miles enjoying bright fall colors and the interesting basalt cliffs along the north rim. Way too much time was spent taking pictures of frosty leaves and pine cones (above maximum flood level). I'd had my eye on the big bar that sits between Tarpiscan Creek and the South Fork of Tarpiscan Creek. Once over the top of the bar I spotted a huge bergmound (marked in image above). - Large erratics on top of the bergmound - Erratic I'm leaning on (#1 in photo below) measured over 12ft. end to end. Another view of erratics shown above. Note smaller erratics in foreground. So how did the rocks end up in ice? Hope you don't mind if we take a quick trip to the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier. Sometimes it's Hard to tell where the glacier ends and the mountain begins. Glaciers are often referred to as "Nature's conveyor belts". Rocks from adjacent slopes often fall on top the glacier while ice in contact with the earth below the glacier is picking up rocks and other debris. Material carried on the surface of the glacier is known as "supraglacial debris" while the lower part of the glacier carries "basal debis". The huge glacial ice dams that failed and released Ice Age Floodwaters were loaded with debris. Large sections of the dams were swept away with the flow and carried over eastern Washington. Some of these icebergs would have ridden the floodwaters all the way to the Pacific Ocean but many ran aground in Washington and Oregon. Rocks and boulders transported by the ice are known as "erratics". er⋅rat⋅ic1. deviating from the usual or proper course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behavior. 2. having no certain or definite course; wandering; not fixed: erratic winds. 3. Geology. noting or pertaining to a boulder or the like carried by glacial ice and deposited some distance from its place of origin. 4. (of a lichen) having no attachment to the surface on which it grows. Source: Dictionary.com Large Boulders on Nisqually Glacier OK ... We're back to Tarpiscan Canyon - Nice collection of large erratics - (White erratic on skyline is Erratic #2) Ivar Husa of the Ice Age Floods Institute's Lake Lewis Chapter answers the question "How Large Must an Iceberg be to Carry an Erratic" on Page 4 of the December 2005 Pleistocene Post. As the iceberg melted, several large boulders rolled down slope. The rocks, gravel, sand and silt aboard the iceberg remained in a huge mound. Click image above to play what appears to be the first "Bergmound" video posted on Youtube. Video shows relationship of bergmound site to Columbia River. Not as many smaller scattered erratics in the Tarpiscan area as there are in other Kittitas County drainages to the south. I did see a few similar to this one as I hiked south out of the canyon. West Bar Giant Current Ripples West Bar Giant Current Ripples - Huge current ripples created when fast moving floodwaters swept over the West Bar area. Geologists believe that the West Bar Ripples were formed during one of the last Ice Age Floods - Possibly the final draining of Glacial Lake Columbia. I started to draw the route I used to get to West Bar on this image but, decided I'd better not do anything that would promote this as West Bar access. I know this basalt face as "Cape Horn". TIP #1:The animal path I used is above terrace with the big pine. TIP #2: Don't slip! West Bar (right). Moses Coulee Bar dipping into Columbia river at left. Thin horizontal line on distant basalt cliff is Babcock Bench. The Ice Age Floods created many large gravel bars. Moses Coulee Bar is one of them ... Train for scale. 1. Tarpiscan Bergmound 2. West Bar Giant Current Ripples 3. Moses Coulee 4. Crater Coulee - Also known as Crater Draw (No public access). 5. Quincy, WA - City of Quincy's "Local Geology" page. Ripples from ripple level. Summertime sunset view of West Bar ripples.- Boat for scale - Click below to view Giant Current Ripples from Bruce Bjornstad's geocache at the West Bar Overlook. OPEN LARGE WEST BAR IMAGE A couple images here of other ripples you might come across as you explore the Ice Age Floods region. I noticed these frosty ripples in the sand yesterday while hiking along the White Bluffs (SE of Mattawa, WA). These small ripples were creeated by the wind blowing over the dune. Belt rock with ripple pattern - Western Montana. Arrow points to hiker standing on one of the tallest West Bar ripples. Geologists estimate the West Bar ripples were formed between 12,000 and 13,000 years ago. The ripples average 24 feet in height and are spaced about 360 feet apart. It's been estimated that the fast moving water that formed these ripples was about 650 feet deep (Not one of the largest floods). The day this photo was taken, Orin and I arrived at West Bar in his boat ... which is the easiest way to get there. Certain times of the year you can drive to West Bar ... but ... It's a bumpy trip. WDFW's description of Colockum area roads: "Extremely primitive. High-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. Carry water, supplies and a spare tire."WDFW Colockum Wildlife Area - Ownership & Resource Map I noticed several several erratics as I walked up and over ripple after ripple. Large rocks dropped on the crests of giant ripples seem popular with local birds. Small elk herd on West Bar (Between the arrows). View is south over western edge of ripples. Colockum Elk Herd View Larger Map Use your mouse to navigate Google Map. Click "Ter" for Terrain View. Additional Comments from the Symon's Report Grand Coulee Illustration - Symon's Report A few text clips from the Symon's Report related to the Ice Age Floods - The Grand Coulee: "The coulee here is partially filled up by the broken-down hills. The cause of this break seems to have been a flood of water or ice coming in from the northeast and flowing off down through the coulee chasm. Many rounded bowlders are here found in the soil, and great rocks of large size, which could only have been transported by the agency of ice." Victoria Rock area: ... "Thousand feet above the river, there lies in an inclined position a stick of timber, barkless and white with age. It never grew there. It is a thousand feet from the top of the vertical bluffs, and could not have been put there from above. The only way in which it could have reached its present position was by being caught there when the river was a thousand feet higher than it is now, drifting in and lodging, and being left there by the receding river. My pilot. "Old Pierre," an Indian pilot and voyageur of the old Hndson Bay Company, said that this log was a landmark in the days when this company transported their furs and merchandise up and down the river in bateaux. He says that the Indians always considered that the log was left there when the river was up at that height. This is one link in the chain of evidence that proves that at no distant date the Columbia was a stream of such magnificent proportions that the present river is a tiny rivulet compared with it. If this be the true explanation of the location of this log, it is a remarkable example of the preservation of wood for a long period of time. It may be that the log is petrified, but I had no means of getting at it to determine." - Petrified Log above Columbia River - The banks are nearly precipitous bluffs, from 2,000 to 3,000 feet high, composed of columnar black basalt, which takes many wonderful shapes and produces many pleasing effects, rivaling the famous Giant's Causeway of Ireland in weird beauty. The columns are in every conceivable position, sometimes piled up like cordwood, in some places erect, and in others inclined; some great masses are twisted and bent, forming niches, arches, grottos, crowns, &c. A View of Giant's Causeway: East Prospect. Engraving. Susanna Drury -1768 ABC News clip featuring Giant's Causeway Below Sentinel Gap Symon's describes: I have endeavored to outline this ancient lake as far as practicable, and propose for it the name of Lake Lewis, after Capt. Merriweather Lewis, the leader of the exploring party which first saw any of the headwaters of the Columbia. I'd like to encourage anyone that hasn't looked through William D. Layman's book Native River to pick up a copy and thumb through it. The pre-dam Columbia River photos from Priest Rapids to the Canadian border are great! Some of my favorite images in the book show: Sentinel Gap, Picture Rocks Bay, Vantage Bluffs, Rock Island Rapids, Victoria Rock and Whitestone Rock (I like the skunk story). When I read Symon's comments about Columbia River basalt exposures rivaling those at Giant's Causeway (never been there but viewed plenty of photos) ... I was thinking he might be a little off but ... Look at the photos in Layman's book of Picture Rocks Bay (now underwater) ... Between amazing columns and the incredible pictographs and petroglyphs ... I can see why he would compare it to one of the most incredible locations on earth. Link to photo sets from Tarpiscan Canyon hikers at NWHikers.net.

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Last week I visited Tarpiscan Canyon for the first time in years. The canyon is on the west side of the Columbia River above West Bar. A few significant Ice Age Flood features in the area are Moses Coulee, Moses Coulee Bar, Crater Coulee, Babcock Bench, Potholes Coulee and the West Bar Giant Current Ripples. I didn't see everything I wanted to on this hike. The short November day flew by. Victoria Rock Victoria Rock - An interesting basalt tower standing in the Columbia River channel that's withstood plenty of abuse by floods over the years. Victoria Rock (Symon's-Downing Image) I mentioned Lieutenant Symon's "Report of an Examination of the Upper Columbia River: And the Territory in Its Vicinity in September and October, 1881" in a recent post of Sentinel Gap area photos. In his report, Symon's describes Victoria Rock: A few miles further down there stands in the Columbia River a rock which is one of the most perfect profile rocks in existence. Approaching it from the north, it presents a striking likeness to the profile of Queen Victoria, from which circumstance it was given the name of "Victoria Rock." Coming nearer to it and passing it on the west, the profile changes and merges into a more Grecian and Sphinx-like face, whose placid immobility takes one's mind involuntarily to far off Egypt. It rises from the surface of the water about one hundred feet, and a pair of eagles have selected it as their home, and upon its extreme top have built a nest, giving, as it were, a crown to this goddess of the Columbia. The rock is of columnar black basalt. The portion of the river in which this rock is situated is very grand and beautiful. Lieutenant Thomas William Symons (1881) There it is ... Victoria Rock. Right where the Lieutenant said it would be. Construction of Wanapum Dam south of Vantage, was completed in 1963. Only the uppermost portion of Victoria Rock stands above today's reservoir level. It took an early start from Pasco to begin hiking before sunrise. I had to drive all the way to Wenatchee, cross the river and then drive south to reach the Tarpiscan Creek WDFW parking area. A Vehicle Use Permit is required in this area. Lieutenant Symon's Map - 1881 Click map to enlarge and you should be able to see Victoria Rock below "Cabinet Rapids". Other notations on map from top are Bishop Rock, Sunken Rock, Rock Island Rapids, Bar of Rocks, Bad Ripple, Little Creek and two small bars just above "Flat" at West Bar. Looks like notation on top of rim west of Victoria Rock reads "Magnificent Columnar Basaltic Bluffs". The area marked "Flat" at lower right is the NW corner of West Bar. View northeast over Columbia River to mouth of Moses Coulee. Victoria Rock visible in river at lower right. The huge flood bar on far side of river is the Moses Coulee Bar. Much of the bar is out of frame to right. I'll try to post Moses Coulee images one of these days. In his book "The Geological History of the Wenatchee Valley and Adjacent Vicinity" Charles Mason states: "It is the author's opinion that Moses Coulee, above all else, has an atmosphere and character unmatched in our area. One would be hard pressed to find a more inspiring sight than a drive on an early sunny morning through the miles of majestic palisades of the lower coulee". Moses Coulee Tarpiscan Creek Bergmound Tarpiscan Bergmound - Thousands of years ago, a huge iceberg floated into the Tarpiscan Creek drainage and grounded during one of the Ice Age Flood events. After the floodwaters receded and the ice melted, a large pile the glacial debris carried by the iceberg was left stranded in the canyon. Mouth of Tarpiscan Canyon - Google Earth View - Red circle marks bergmound - I hiked up the canyon for several miles enjoying bright fall colors and the interesting basalt cliffs along the north rim. Way too much time was spent taking pictures of frosty leaves and pine cones (above maximum flood level). I'd had my eye on the big bar that sits between Tarpiscan Creek and the South Fork of Tarpiscan Creek. Once over the top of the bar I spotted a huge bergmound (marked in image above). - Large erratics on top of the bergmound - Erratic I'm leaning on (#1 in photo below) measured over 12ft. end to end. Another view of erratics shown above. Note smaller erratics in foreground. So how did the rocks end up in ice? Hope you don't mind if we take a quick trip to the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier. Sometimes it's Hard to tell where the glacier ends and the mountain begins. Glaciers are often referred to as "Nature's conveyor belts". Rocks from adjacent slopes often fall on top the glacier while ice in contact with the earth below the glacier is picking up rocks and other debris. Material carried on the surface of the glacier is known as "supraglacial debris" while the lower part of the glacier carries "basal debis". The huge glacial ice dams that failed and released Ice Age Floodwaters were loaded with debris. Large sections of the dams were swept away with the flow and carried over eastern Washington. Some of these icebergs would have ridden the floodwaters all the way to the Pacific Ocean but many ran aground in Washington and Oregon. Rocks and boulders transported by the ice are known as "erratics". er⋅rat⋅ic1. deviating from the usual or proper course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behavior. 2. having no certain or definite course; wandering; not fixed: erratic winds. 3. Geology. noting or pertaining to a boulder or the like carried by glacial ice and deposited some distance from its place of origin. 4. (of a lichen) having no attachment to the surface on which it grows. Source: Dictionary.com Large Boulders on Nisqually Glacier OK ... We're back to Tarpiscan Canyon - Nice collection of large erratics - (White erratic on skyline is Erratic #2) Ivar Husa of the Ice Age Floods Institute's Lake Lewis Chapter answers the question "How Large Must an Iceberg be to Carry an Erratic" on Page 4 of the December 2005 Pleistocene Post. As the iceberg melted, several large boulders rolled down slope. The rocks, gravel, sand and silt aboard the iceberg remained in a huge mound. Click image above to play what appears to be the first "Bergmound" video posted on Youtube. Video shows relationship of bergmound site to Columbia River. Not as many smaller scattered erratics in the Tarpiscan area as there are in other Kittitas County drainages to the south. I did see a few similar to this one as I hiked south out of the canyon. West Bar Giant Current Ripples West Bar Giant Current Ripples - Huge current ripples created when fast moving floodwaters swept over the West Bar area. Geologists believe that the West Bar Ripples were formed during one of the last Ice Age Floods - Possibly the final draining of Glacial Lake Columbia. I started to draw the route I used to get to West Bar on this image but, decided I'd better not do anything that would promote this as West Bar access. I know this basalt face as "Cape Horn". TIP #1:The animal path I used is above terrace with the big pine. TIP #2: Don't slip! West Bar (right). Moses Coulee Bar dipping into Columbia river at left. Thin horizontal line on distant basalt cliff is Babcock Bench. The Ice Age Floods created many large gravel bars. Moses Coulee Bar is one of them ... Train for scale. 1. Tarpiscan Bergmound 2. West Bar Giant Current Ripples 3. Moses Coulee 4. Crater Coulee - Also known as Crater Draw (No public access). 5. Quincy, WA - City of Quincy's "Local Geology" page. Ripples from ripple level. Summertime sunset view of West Bar ripples.- Boat for scale - Click below to view Giant Current Ripples from Bruce Bjornstad's geocache at the West Bar Overlook. OPEN LARGE WEST BAR IMAGE A couple images here of other ripples you might come across as you explore the Ice Age Floods region. I noticed these frosty ripples in the sand yesterday while hiking along the White Bluffs (SE of Mattawa, WA). These small ripples were creeated by the wind blowing over the dune. Belt rock with ripple pattern - Western Montana. Arrow points to hiker standing on one of the tallest West Bar ripples. Geologists estimate the West Bar ripples were formed between 12,000 and 13,000 years ago. The ripples average 24 feet in height and are spaced about 360 feet apart. It's been estimated that the fast moving water that formed these ripples was about 650 feet deep (Not one of the largest floods). The day this photo was taken, Orin and I arrived at West Bar in his boat ... which is the easiest way to get there. Certain times of the year you can drive to West Bar ... but ... It's a bumpy trip. WDFW's description of Colockum area roads: "Extremely primitive. High-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. Carry water, supplies and a spare tire."WDFW Colockum Wildlife Area - Ownership & Resource Map I noticed several several erratics as I walked up and over ripple after ripple. Large rocks dropped on the crests of giant ripples seem popular with local birds. Small elk herd on West Bar (Between the arrows). View is south over western edge of ripples. Colockum Elk Herd View Larger Map Use your mouse to navigate Google Map. Click "Ter" for Terrain View. Additional Comments from the Symon's Report Grand Coulee Illustration - Symon's Report A few text clips from the Symon's Report related to the Ice Age Floods - The Grand Coulee: "The coulee here is partially filled up by the broken-down hills. The cause of this break seems to have been a flood of water or ice coming in from the northeast and flowing off down through the coulee chasm. Many rounded bowlders are here found in the soil, and great rocks of large size, which could only have been transported by the agency of ice." Victoria Rock area: ... "Thousand feet above the river, there lies in an inclined position a stick of timber, barkless and white with age. It never grew there. It is a thousand feet from the top of the vertical bluffs, and could not have been put there from above. The only way in which it could have reached its present position was by being caught there when the river was a thousand feet higher than it is now, drifting in and lodging, and being left there by the receding river. My pilot. "Old Pierre," an Indian pilot and voyageur of the old Hndson Bay Company, said that this log was a landmark in the days when this company transported their furs and merchandise up and down the river in bateaux. He says that the Indians always considered that the log was left there when the river was up at that height. This is one link in the chain of evidence that proves that at no distant date the Columbia was a stream of such magnificent proportions that the present river is a tiny rivulet compared with it. If this be the true explanation of the location of this log, it is a remarkable example of the preservation of wood for a long period of time. It may be that the log is petrified, but I had no means of getting at it to determine." - Petrified Log above Columbia River - The banks are nearly precipitous bluffs, from 2,000 to 3,000 feet high, composed of columnar black basalt, which takes many wonderful shapes and produces many pleasing effects, rivaling the famous Giant's Causeway of Ireland in weird beauty. The columns are in every conceivable position, sometimes piled up like cordwood, in some places erect, and in others inclined; some great masses are twisted and bent, forming niches, arches, grottos, crowns, &c. A View of Giant's Causeway: East Prospect. Engraving. Susanna Drury -1768 ABC News clip featuring Giant's Causeway Below Sentinel Gap Symon's describes: I have endeavored to outline this ancient lake as far as practicable, and propose for it the name of Lake Lewis, after Capt. Merriweather Lewis, the leader of the exploring party which first saw any of the headwaters of the Columbia. I'd like to encourage anyone that hasn't looked through William D. Layman's book Native River to pick up a copy and thumb through it. The pre-dam Columbia River photos from Priest Rapids to the Canadian border are great! Some of my favorite images in the book show: Sentinel Gap, Picture Rocks Bay, Vantage Bluffs, Rock Island Rapids, Victoria Rock and Whitestone Rock (I like the skunk story). When I read Symon's comments about Columbia River basalt exposures rivaling those at Giant's Causeway (never been there but viewed plenty of photos) ... I was thinking he might be a little off but ... Look at the photos in Layman's book of Picture Rocks Bay (now underwater) ... Between amazing columns and the incredible pictographs and petroglyphs ... I can see why he would compare it to one of the most incredible locations on earth. Link to photo sets from Tarpiscan Canyon hikers at NWHikers.net.

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