On Thanksgiving weekend (held in mid-October here in Canada), my partner and I decided to go for a hike. It was a beautiful day, very hot and sunny, and when we got to the spot we had in mind, it was inundated with people. Apparently everyone else wanted to be out enjoying the fine weather. We soon gave up (hiking in long slow-moving lines is not our idea of fun!) and got back in the car to do some exploring.
I happened to see a banner at the side of a road. It read “Dry Stone Wall Festival”, and it showed a picture of a curved stone wall with people standing on it. Now, when I was in Ireland a few years ago, I saw these walls snaking across the countryside, up and down hills, along the side of country lanes. All built without any mortar. Just the clever wedging of stone against stone, strong enough to withstand wind and rain and last for centuries. I even saw churches and houses built the same way.
Intrigued, we followed the signs and eventually came to a long laneway that wound away from the main road through overhanging trees in bright shades of yellow, orange and gold. At the end of the drive was an old farmhouse and barn and a yard filled with people, carrying rocks, chiseling, amid laughter and steady conversation. We’d arrived at “Rocktoberfest”, an annual event held somewhere in Canada (the location changes depending on the venue offered) by Dry Stone Walling Across Canada. Volunteers from all over the world congregate to test their skills at building stone structures using only their ability to lay stones in harmony with each other.
No mortar, no glue, nothing holds the stones in place. In one area, a man was busy creating freestanding statues with stones at such odd angles that they defied the laws of gravity (see the photo below). I was reminded of my son at the age of two building towers of blocks that leaned precariously on an angle but never seemed to fall. He didn’t know it couldn’t be done, so he did it.
In another area, people were building a long stone wall while others were crafting an intricate curved archway that would be the backdrop for musicians later in the weekend. In addition, they’d excavated and were laying the stone for a multi-tiered amphitheatre where, prior to the weekend, there had only been a grassy hill. At the top of the hill, as musicians played, another group was carefully creating a round structure that encompassed a central opening that telescoped in dimensions from front to back (see the photo at the top).
We discovered in speaking with one of the organizers that there are workshops to learn how to work with stone this way, travel tours to see the dry stone walls in different countries and they’re already looking for next year’s location for the annual event. I overheard one woman explain that it’s all about “listening” to the stones and understanding how they want to be in relationship with each other.
Hmmm, sounds like good training for a relationship coach, doesn’t it? Sign me up!
Beautiful, both physically and metaphysically….
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dry-Stone-Walling-Association-of-Canada/235946169794542
Thanks for adding the link, Karl, to the DSWC new Facebook page!