No two drystone wallers would build the same wall. That’s the magic of the medium. This wall is part of the old stone-barn ruin that I wrote about in a previous post. Dan Snow of Vermont writes in the Globe, “A derelict old wall can be restored to its original profile, but even when the same stones are used, it can never be the same wall twice. Every builder will handle the stones differently, resulting in a unique creation every time.” Snow’s book In the Company of Stone first introduced me to his lyrical stone work and poetic prose. I imagine I’ll find his latest book Listening to Stone (from which the Globe essay is adapted) equally engrossing. His is yet another craft I would love to learn. If only it didn’t involve all that heavy lifting…
by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast