Participant submissions create sense of camaraderie. Will you help spread the feelings?

“I would like to be part of a network of individuals near me with similar interests.”

–Workshop Participant, The Stone Trust Pennsylvania

People in love with designing and building with stone often have a strong desire to share their thoughts, questions, and knowledge. Quite often some of you grace my inbox with all of the above, and sometimes with photos, too. Andrew and Glenn both offer examples of the art and craft of dry stone walling below.

During my first week as Executive Director in October 2019, the Stone Trust Board of Directors impressed upon me a significant aspiration–develop the experience of camaraderie among dry stone wallers at all levels of experience and engagement.

Everyone who sends a “participant submission” furthers a collective sense of camaraderie. Sometimes your message arrives and we have met in person. Other times, you introduce yourself with your email. Below you’ll find an example of each. Thank you, friends in walling, for sharing your walling inspirations and helping to create a broad, increasingly connected walling community!

Communicating is key to creating a network of people who share a love of and commitment to dry stone walling. Communicating takes thoughtful time. Thoughtful time requires enough people to do the work.

I appreciate your gift to the Stone Trust Annual Fund and promise to use it to create opportunities to share the joy so many of us feel when we are walling. A generous donor will match every contribution received before the end of the year, up to $30,000. Thank you for you support.

Warm good wishes for happy holidays!

Amy-Louise

Executive Director and DSWA Level 1 Waller

Hi Amy-Louise,

As a teacher I always find it satisfying to hear from former students and have them show their appreciation for the effort I put into their education.

As a former student of the Stone Trust, I would like to say thanks for what the Trust has taught me and the skills and practices I’ve developed through two different workshops I’ve participated in (1.10 & 2.20). I’m now working on my second project! A 72-foot 18-inch high retaining wall on the east side of my property.

The attached pictures show some of the Stone Trust practices that have assisted so far in the project. The hand-dug trench for the gravel foundation is spaced appropriately for a 24-inch base that will taper to 18-inches wide at the top. In the image you can see I’ve established a work zone between the stone pile and foundation (where the tools are in the pull cart). And, I’ve laid the stone out with larger foundational stone closer to the trench and smaller stones further from the foundation. Looking closely at the right side of the image, a large pile of hearting material can be seen as well as several buckets with additional hearting stone.

All the best!

Andrew

Thank you, Andrew, for sharing your appreciation for what you’ve learned and what knowing allows you to do.

Glenn sent this photo without words as a reply to a Stone Trust e-news. The rest of the communication went like this:

Very interesting sculpture in a beautiful location! Where? Did you create it? Thanks for sending it.

He responded:
Yes I created it. It sits in my back property along with other ones I’ve done. It is in the Thousand Island area of New York. I didn’t realize the top stone had the profile that it does until I finished it and was driving around it.

We said:

A serendipitous discovery of that profile, Glenn. 🙂 What would you think about having us share it in “Participant Submissions”?

Glenn said yes. Later he sent the Christmas sculpture above. Thank you, Glenn!