As hired contractors, dry stone wallers sometimes get to do their own thing when it comes to the design of a project. Other times it’s a collection of conversations between client and waller that lead to a mutually agreeable layout. And then there are the job offers that come fully conceived, down to the pattern in which the stones are to be laid. You might think the latter ties the creative hands of the craftsperson involved but that’s not necessarily true.

I found that building the garden walls at Willowbank, a residence on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, offered Elin and I, both challenges and freedoms. She had to track and respond to correspondence from all the collaborators involved which included a fair number of architects and contractors, plus, schedule the eight, dry stone wallers who came from around the country to construct the walls. I was responsible for keeping the work moving forward, and consistent with the desired aesthetic. What we were freed from was the burden of acquiring and transporting stone and supplying heavy equipment; both were ably accomplished by Church Hill Landscapes and Birdseye Builders.

While on other projects my creative focus is most often directed toward the lifting and setting of individual stones, at Willowbank I was able to take a more wide-angle view. Progress derived from interweaving many layers of activity. I became the orchestra conductor, shuttling the right blend of stones to where they’d be needed next, and shifting guide frames and setting string lines for each new corner and cheekend. 

I have the most fun when I’m doing something I haven’t tried before. It’s exhilarating to be unsure if a project can be pulled off. The energy acts as a propellant, forcing me forward, anxious to get to the end while the getting is good. Every project has the treasure of time locked inside. The key to spending it wisely is to embrace the unknowns. Seek out and dwell on every moment’s mystery and the day’s toil will pass in a flash.

The Willowbank walls came together through the collaborative efforts of Church Hill Landscapes, Birdseye Builders, Miranda Brooks Landscape Design, G.P. Schafer Architect, Black River Quarries and Allstone Wallstone, along with the fabulous wallers who traveled from near and far to join in. Huge thanks to Whitney Brown, Joe Dinwiddie, Gabriel Dark, Jared Flynn, Curtis Gray, Bryce Hollingsworth, Dan Morales-Walsh and Dave Inman for taking time away from their own busy work schedules to join us at Willowbank. It was a blast to work with you all.