Damon and I found some nice granite, Deer Isle, I believe; and we added a few cobbles in the corner to create a raised bed for planting.
Here are a few shots of our friend and stone sculptor, Dave Curry (who also has scuptures at Harbor Square Gallery in Rockland now) thermalling the final slab of granite before installation. Thermalling uses high temperatures to flake and pop off the outer layer of a stone, giving it a rougher and more natural appearance. It can be a touchy process, however, and if the stone is too thin or weak or has hidden fissures it can spit into pieces and be rendered completely useless. This particular stone was our last piece and there didn't seem to be any left in the midcoast, which meant we would have had to have Josh at Rockport Granite fabricate a piece just for us literally out of a mountainside, so needless to say, we splashed alot of cold water on it while Dave worked, and we held our breath...
