There are about 250 rocks in this truck. That was just enough to finish the labyrinth. Our friends Montrue and Bill gave us the first 250 rocks from their yard. That got us half way there. Some more friends Ben and Betty were nice enough to give us these rocks from their farm to complete our project.
We made it to the backyard! The only problem is the labyrinth is about 200 feet further down our backyard! So we threw them off the truck(pick up #3) and put them in a wheelbarrow(pick up #4) and rolled them down there in many trips.
This would be Chuck placing a rock he had picked up at least 5 times by now!
I'm pulling the string that is attached to a stake in the middle of the labyrinth to check if the rocks are in the right place. If you enlarge the photo you can see where I sprayed orange paint on the string every thirty inches to get the width of the paths. It was amazing how it all just came together....
Chuck and I had so much fun building this together. We didn't actually know what we were doing when we started out but everything just fell into place. It was great exercise and the finished product has been very rewarding both for ourselves and others. We've added a little flower bed on each side of the entrance since this was made. I planted pansies first and the deer would eat them all to the ground. This summer I planted rosemary, thyme and sage and it has all survived. I guess it's too spicy for the deer!
Oddly enough, a lot of the rocks we got were shaped like triangles. I thought this was really nice because in my bluebird paintings I use triangles as a symbol for God showing you the way on life's journey. We put the biggest triangle rock in the center. It's a great place to sit. We have since added a concrete bench in the center which is more comfortable but I'm thinking about moving it and going back to that rock!
This is my neighbor and friend, Montrue, and her dog, Dabba. He's sort of a celebrity in town. He makes the rounds every day, greeting people with his little doggy smile! He's such a cheery little guy! This was his first walk on the labyrinth with Montrue.
I wanted a picture of us after our first walk on our new labyrinth. Once your kids leave home you have to take goofy pictures of yourselves like this to make memories!
Our labyrinth is situated at almost the very back of our property. The triangle garden sculpture makes a fitting entrance.
We cleaned the labyrinth this spring and put down fresh mulch. We used cypress mulch this year but will not use it again. Someone told us that the cypress mulch from Lowe's was being harvested from the swamps of Louisiana by clear-cutting.
This spring we have the addition of forget-me-nots blooming amid the rocks on the labyrinth. They are a delicate blue and look like they are floating in midair. They come back every year by resowing themselves like crazy.
This is the middle of the labyrinth where I sit and pray or write in my journal or just enjoy listening to sounds of the birds and rustling trees. We've planted thyme and creeping jenny here. The thyme smells so good and I always pull on the leaves a little to release its wonderful aroma.
This stone in our labyrinth was a gift from our friends and neighbors Montrue and Bill. That silver plant surrounding it is a form of artemisia.
This is the way our labyrinth looks today. We've planted some thyme, sedum, creeping jenny and other low plants. Hopefully, one of these days the whole labyrinth will be covered in fragrant plants that enjoy being walked on!
