East Boothbay Retaining Wall

  Here are some shots of the wall Damon and I have been helping Dan Ucci of Ledge Hill Creations with:

  Joel Oyer on the left and Danny Harrington in the center. Damon, of course, on the right.

  Working on the cap...

  Randy Edgecomb back-building, one of the most integral and unappreciated aspects of wall building. The back of the wall must be constructed as sturdily as the front, the center packed tightly with stones, and the whole thing being interlocked with stones extending throughout the structure. None of this is ever seen once the wall is back-filled with soil, and the tender's work is hidden for all time.

Standing Stone

  It didn't take much effort, just planted one end of a long piece of granite in the ground and positioned an egg-shaped stone on top of it, but it sure looks great in the front yard.

Finished Drew's Wall

  Yesterday, Damon and I finished the wall, back-filled it, straightened out the steps on the left side, and built a small set of steps on the right. Damon also set the bird-bath he made and gave to Drew as a gift. Filled with water and positioned atop a large upright boulder near the wall, it seemed to somehow add a feeling of naturalness to our backyard project.

My New Ride

Getting To Cap Height

  Damon and I decided to go ahead with a round-rock cap, which he has been working on and which looks amazing thus far. The round-rock cap is always more difficult to place than flat cap, but Damon is rising to the occasion, as usual, with wonderful results.

  The stones we are using in this wall are particularly round and sometimes hard to lay, but having hand-picked each one, it is worth the effort when you stand back and see them all together.