Lichen Landingpad

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It took me a long time to paint the lichen but obviously not as long as it took to grow on the rock .

I studied the pattern of tiny fronds, embroidered together in crusty clusters of frosty blue-green rock barnacles.

I painted for hours but I could not approach the detail I was seeing in the patch the size of a fried egg.

There is a seemingly visible yet infinite (and uncontainable) world contained in just the smallest patch of what I'm told is a fungus/alga combo.

I look down on this medieval micro-metropolis  of craggy towers and crowded dwellings . A complicated community of common diversity.

A  symbiotic relationship too complex to understand (or paint apparently ).

A knotted rug 'landing-pad' for dragonflies to alight upon.

Are there any stones we won't like later?

 

I don't think you're going to like that one later.

Sean Adcock builds dry stone walls for a living. He is damn good at what he does. In fact he’s probably the best waller I know. Working along side him on a project, could be very intimidating but it isn’t. 

 The thing is, it would be very easy for him to say disparaging things about your work, or thoughtlessly point out things  your doing wrong all day. But Sean, who is often grumpy and seemingly unfriendly most of the time, is surprisingly delightfully tactful when the occasion calls for it.

 Now and then when it’s needed, he’ll show up almost magically beside you, just after you’ve put what you thought was a harmlessly iffy stone in the wall and say ”I don't think you're going to like that one later”. He’s usually always right. But he’s given you the credit that you’d know you will have noticed it eventually. Can you see something that the person who built this wall might have come to not like later, in the photo above?

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Our home made pie

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Care for a totally random shaped portion of keystone limestone pie?  Mother Earth made it.

Fun in the sun

Better than being chaste on the beach. This miniature Naked Waller on the Port Hope west beach is not even wearing gloves!

 

The Naked Wallers

 

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The body embraces every touchstone 

as if it were its own.   

Bare shoulders bare lonely boulders,

so they do not feel alone.

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In the company of the 'undressed' 

we discover each stone's erogenous zone.

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Dust Walker

 

We sometimes like to think that the dry stone walls we build, if built properly, will last a long long time. 

But we concede that, like every structure ever been built - even if they haven't yet, they will eventually all crumble . 

We are working with a nearly timeless inanimate material but time still wins. The stones go back to the earth. And they, like us, all turn to dust. 

 

The Lonsdale Arch Workshop

The four day Lonsdale Arch Workshop held from June 14 to 17 got off to a rocky start but ended up being a wonderful experience. 

End of day One was hot hot hot in the sun. The wall had begun. 

Day Twosday was Choosy Tuesday. We were all looking for that 'right' stone. Always looking over what's 'left' in the pile we hadn't used yet. Remembering the three truths of zen helps - 'Everything Is Connected , Everything Changes and Pay Attention.

Day three seemed like hump-day, up and over day. It was Wednesday. When's the day we finish ? Tomorrow !

Through's day. Thursday was Closure Day. We were all Arch friends by then . Happy students . Tired teachers. The stones had their way with us !

One of our more successful 'fishing' expeditions we took each day to look for more stones

We also took a field trip to see Ron's (one of the students) property and his garden stonework including his neolithic-looking table and take time to take a group shelfy .   Notice the dopplegangster bookends. 

Gravity is weigh less in the Moongate

 

Stretching It

  Although the July 30th to the Aug 1st two day weekend workshop at Sweet Life Farm stretched out to be a three day event for some of us, it was a totally enjoyable learning experience. Thirteen students and two instructors made use of the surprisingly good weather that the weatherman hadn't predicted, to produce this lovely 40 foot 'stretch' of wall to continue the line of dry stone we had started two years ago at the farm.

   Stones were gathered from the existing nearby hedgerow and reassembled into an amazing array of tidiness and beauty. Above you can see Jeff and Craig, and Jeff and Craig leaning on the wall after the second day of building.

  The wall was finished on the third day and copes added from the selection of leftover stones found further down the old hedgerow. Thank you Larry M for digging so many of these big stones out from the underbrush for us to use.

And thank you Mary for all the email and admin work getting the event organized to run smoothly.

  

Judy and Mary

Thank you too Judy for hosting this magnificent event with such great food from your abundant garden, and the cozy accommodation and evening entertainment, including walling stretches, music and libations

Ankle breaking celebration after competing day one of the workshop

Stimulating teaching by the inimitable Mark Ricard

Heartfelt hearting experts

Yoffi hard at work.

Another Sweet Life Wall is born