Our 2-Day Introduction to Dry Stone Walling often runs simultaneously with a 2-Day Cheek Rebuild workshop. Both happen in the same place on the same wall(s). People new to building a double-face, freestanding dry stone wall build the middle section. People who have already learned the basics sign up to learn how to complete the wall with a structurally sound vertical wall end. They apply the same five basic rules in a slightly different context.
Instructor Dan Peterson writes:
We had a fantastic group for the 2-Day Introduction and Cheek Rebuild workshops in Isanti, the final Stone Trust workshop in Minnesota for the 2020 season. Two of the participants were relatively new to the art of dry stone and The Stone Trust; one participant returned for his second workshop in Minnesota. The participants deconstructed and rebuilt roughly 25 feet of wall, and the returning participant took down and rebuilt the existing cheekend.
Saturday was a bit brisk , a normal Midwest autumn day with temperatures reaching a modest 40 degrees with no sun. Sunday started out with frost, 29 degrees, and tree leaves dropping, but ended with a wonderfully sunny 55 degrees.
The smaller group of participants allowed for additional hands opportunities using multiple stone shaping tools as well as time for everyone to use the hammer drill for breaking down previously larger glacial boulders into sizes much more manageable.
Chris Gagnon at Northland Landscape and Nursery once again exhibited his generosity, donating several large slabs of limestone outcropping for the participants to breakdown and use in rebuilding the new cheek for the training wall. The wall rebuild was great (personally I think it was one of the better walls built during an initial workshop) with a few areas of concern that allowed for the participants to see what happens when 1-over-2 and 2-over-1 is missed in building a dry stone wall. Strings are always an issue with any waller, but for the most part everyone did well in watching the line while coursing up the wall. I look forward to working with each of them again.
We at the Stone Trust want to express our gratitude to Northland Landscape and Nursery for once again allowing us to use their space and for donating stone to advance the craft of dry stone walling. I also want to express my warm thanks to Jackie Higgins for being supportive and taking pictures during the event!
Cheers!