Rock On!

The Weekend Pundit commented “The one thing that we grow in abundance here in N'Hampsha is rocks......” in this post . We can certainly attest to that. We have an abundance of rock walls and retaining walls; some of  them neccessary and some just to use up rocks.

To give a little perspective, I have added a new photo album on the subject of rocks, but because the photos never line up in the manner I would like them to, I will take you on a guided tour (be sure to read the captions underneath the pictures).

Starting off in the back yard, furthest from the house, we have the dog pen . The dog pen is one of the earliest structures we built. The gate was supposed to go in one corner but ended up in the middle of one side because WS couldn't find the end to a rock that was directly in the way of the gate post. Not visible in the picture, is the second row of rocks surrounding the grapevines that cover one side of the pen.

As for the retaining wall below the dog pen, part of it is needed (being at the bottom of a slope), but the top part is only there for someplace to stack rocks. In fact when I eventually put in flowers or shrubs, I will have to add a foot or two of soil so anything will be visible above the rocks.

The garden is surrounded by two retaining walls. The lower retaining wall is so long, it took a second picture to capture the rest of it. There are, of course, rock steps going from the back yard to garden level between the yellow wheelbarrow and the adirondack chairs (sorry for the mess, it was a working weekend that I took the pictures).

To the right of the deck, as you face the house, there is a rose garden. It has a retaining wall in front of it and a decorative rock wall behind it. This area is about 20 feet long.

Below the rose bed, and across the side doorway, there is a flower bed made from an arc of boulders. This flower bed is neither a neccessary retaining wall, nor a decorative rock wall - it is a neccessity because at least one of those rocks wasn't going to go anywhere without a lot bigger machinery than we could put our hands on (and renting machinery is not a problem - I think a dynamite permit would be needed).

At the front of the house, is the first area we ever made for a flower bed (and the first rock walls we ever built by hand). There is the bed to the left of the steps and the bed to the right of the steps. These are decorative and a way to keep the water from the dripline of the house from creating its own ditch.

The driveway consists of 4 rock and retaining walls; the left side, the top, the center, and the right side. And, of course, there are the obligatory steps. The top of the driveway is around 65 feet from the road and the top of the arch is about 20 feet long. The retaining walls at the top and the right side of the driveway are neccessities, the rock walls in the center and on the left side are just something else to do with the rocks.

Then there are the culverts, only one of which I took a picture of.

This is just a list of the major places that rocks are used. We have several places where I have put in rock "mulch" (more pleasantly called rock gardens). Additionally, every tree and bush that I have planted are ringed with rocks (as a sign to WS that contained in that circle are things that are not to be weed-whacked). I couldn't possibly tell you how many of the smaller, hand-sized rocks have just been winged out into the woods, or how many bushel baskets of rocks have been dumped int the trees, or even how many cart loads of rocks have been hauled off to smooth out trails in the woods.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, 99.9999% of the rocks pictured came out of just the clearing around the house. We did drag a flat rock out from the woods to use as a step, and a couple of rocks used for retaining walls for the garden were dragged out of the trees by an excavator (but those weren't moved very far).

Yes DCE, we have known for a long time why this is called the "Granite State"!

Comments

[Cop Car]

I like your title (Rock On!), Bogie. Your photos are great, but seeing all of the granite in person is even more awe inspiring than the photoes. Thanks for the posting. I'll send the photo of your fledgling addition's progress to HH.

[Buffy]

Good God!

My parents retired to Stone County, Missouri about the time I graduated from college and was married. I visited in the summer each year, but I didn't come to understand how truly the county was named until I spent almost two years with them. Both my parents liked to garden. Mother would order plants and hand them to my Dad to plant.

I helped him while I was there, and discovered that every time you put a shovel into the ground you move two rocks that had been mating, and uncover their brood below. But I have to tell you.....these were stones...NOT BOULDERS!

I'm not sure that I want to think about the work you and WS have done. How long have you been at it?? I really liked the color in one of the driveway pictures. You live in a beautiful place, Bogie, but you have to be hardy to deal with all those rocks!

[bogie]

This would be about 15 years worth of work (some years have seen more work than other years).