Stone Wall in Brunswick with Terrapin Landscapes

November 12, 2021

Coming down the long driveway in the morning this time of year the sun is still low and blinding. It’s hard to make out the house in front of you. Which is surprising; it’s huge. It’s big and white and modern and feels at home on this spit of land dipped in the Kennebec River.

I’m the first one here this morning, as I should be. This isn’t my project. I’m helping Terrapin Landscapes build a stone wall. They’re driving up from the Kennebunk area and I live fourteen minutes away here in Brunswick.

So much learning happens working for and with other people. There are new insights into the craft, the tips and tricks you pick up for setting stone. But I also catch a glimpse into how other people handle their business. Terrapin is a class act that does the highest quality work. They’re also just normal people that work hard. Somehow that’s reassuring.

House designed by Whitten Architects and built by Bowley Builders

I like having the first hour of the morning on site to myself. The sun is up a little higher now and giving off a little warmth as it’s filtered through the last leaves of fall. In the distance, a seal drifts in the tidal river. Or is that a bird? It’s just far enough away that I can’t tell.

The rocks almost jump into their places in the wall. I use my hammers and chisels, but not too much. As the day goes on I’ll need them more and more. First thing in the morning, everything comes easy. There’s very little thinking. Just doing.

George arrives. We talk about the wall. The tools we like to use. Other projects we’ve worked on. The approach of winter. There are long stretches of silence. A proper rhythm for stonework, at least for me. I enjoy the company of others but too much talking while working takes me out of the flow of work.

The sun starts going down early. We’re still over a month away from the shortest day of the year, but by four o’clock it feels late and it’s time to go home. Hand tools go back into their bags. Larger tools are tucked under the porch. Going up the driveway, the sun is blinding, again. I’m happy it’s a short ride home.

The Terrapin crew added the terrace after I moved on to Norton Stoneworks’ next project.