Memories Etched in Stone

Ever since a grade school field trip to Crater Lake I have been intrigued with stone work.  The beautiful rock work guarding access into the steep volcanic caldera at Crater Lake is simply amazing.  I had opportunity when I was older to apprentice under a well known stone mason in the valley, Howard Woods.  I had a volunteer rock wall project I wanted to complete at Cave Junction's City Hall when I was a City Councilor and Howard agreed to show me the ropes of laying stone...

Placing stone is a hard, slow going labor of love when done properly.  First you have to gather your building stone material from the forest or a rock pit.  (Note to self: make sure your in the right rock pit before gathering your stone)  Unusual shaped pieces are best to work with, remembering that you may have to pick that same stone up several times before it finally fits into your work of art.  So too big of boulders are undesirable when working alone, and I almost always worked alone. You need to gather about 1 1/2 times the amount of material that you figure you will need for a particular project because every single stone will not find a home in your project.

Second it is best to sketch out a simple plan before starting your adventure.  Your final project hardly ever mirrors exactly what your rough draft looked like but it gives you a starting point to begin from.  Finally after your stones are meticulously placed you have to come back and grout the joints left between the rocks.  This at times is the most tedious part of any project, grouting and smoothing your joint seams.

There was a small piece of city property at the south end of Cave Junction.  I decided one day that Cave Junction needed a more fitting "Welcome to Cave Junction" sign.  After getting permission from our city fathers I began the complicated volunteer project.  I wanted a rock wall backdrop with a stream of water flowing from it much like happens at the Oregon Caves.  My stream would feature salmon fighting their way back towards the headwaters to spawn.  A landscaping area would grace a small pool where the water would recirculate from.  Simple, right? 

After the projects footing was poured, pool built, pump installed and tons of rock gathered the "simple" project finally began.  I would work on it sporadically after work and on weekends.  The weeks gradually turned into months as the rock sculpture slowly rose from the ground.  Being positioned right along Highway 199 I received many strange looks, a few motivational honks and occasionally a Dr. Pepper from the passing motorists.  Dr. Pepper has long been my drink of choice when creating a master piece.

I used to wear my old dirty Carhart coveralls when the weather got cold outside.  Over them I normally wore some beat up old sweatshirt too.  I specifically remember one cold Thanksgiving day I was working on my project before the big thanksgiving feast. A car drove up and a man got out, walked over and offered me a free Thanksgiving dinner down at the local rescue mission.  I think I was dressed so shabbily that he actually thought I was homeless.  My mom got a kick out of that story when I told it over dinner later that day.