Dry Stack Rock Walls

Mission Espíritu in Goliad, Texas

Mary Cooke — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 00:27:51 +0000

Remnant of Original Building Wall

Boerne, Kendall County, Tx

Mary Cooke — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:16:17 +0000

A handsome wall

A nice leaning top coping.

Kendall County, Boerne Texas

Mary Cooke — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:11:00 +0000

This handsome stack reaches on beside the road for acres. Because it is on the down slope of the hill, the waller has left little Weep Holes to prevent the wall collapse, in case too much water drains down the hill too quickly. Central Texas is known for its’ gully washers and a spring storm that deliverers 2-3 inches in a 30 minutes can easily compromise even the sturdiest of stacks. As we drove along, little patches of blue blinked at us through the hillside.

Out of the Blue

Mary Cooke — Sat, 01 May 2010 16:04:00 +0000

It’s Bluebonnet time in Texas and that calls for a drive to soak it up. On our scenic drive we found a jewel amongst the blue. A beautiful red sandstone dry stack that is at least 175 years old. With most of the walls in Central Texas being of white Limestone, this was a nice change. This beautiful stone is a brown-red Cambrian Hickory Sandstone, from the Riley Formation, part of the Llano Uplift. This was just the field stone gathered by the settlers of Sandy, near Johnson City, and little did they envision that this beauty would be standing in the year 2010. We inspected the wonderful mustard leichen and curly grey moss that gives it so much richness. Seeking out these old treasures stirs the armchair geologist in everyone, and makes local history so much more real.

Rocky Mountain High

Mary Cooke — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Our best friend is rocking the dry stack….

They surround themselves with rocks in the home and yard, and this compliments living with textures of Fir, pine and snow. These top two photos show these hand picked beauties accented with the green lichen and do some support work for the Colorado Red Flagstone retaining wall.

The little bench is workin’ the Flintstone’s look with the smooth white river rocks as support.

Coping With It

Mary Cooke — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:33:00 +0000

More intricate dry stack using the Swiss Cheese limestone. The jigsaw puzzle that develops as the stacking goes along ends up as an abstract finish. This informal stacking gets it’s strength and finishing touch with the coping.

Even an old rock wall gets a thrill out of this!

Mary Cooke — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:09:00 +0000

It doesn’t snow very often, so it is cause for photography! Our usually sweltering old wall had a treat of a dusting of snow in February 2010.

Kids of all ages were thrilled!

An Appreciated Remnant

Mary Cooke — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:44:00 +0000

This stately remnant is on a lot all to itself, with only a gnarly oak and cactus to keep it company. The owners built their home on the next lot, leaving this wall plenty of room to breath. I am sure that the Live Oak behind it was a little sapling when the wall was constructed. I like to think that the lovely English lady who owns this property chose it because it reminds her of the dry stacks that meander through the countryside in her native England.
Northern Hays County, Texas.

Palette of color

Mary Cooke — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:27:00 +0000

Warm rust, honey, cream, Dijon…..The range of color in the limestone available is part of the charm. It is affordable enough to bring your vision to life. Perhaps a ribbon of this beautiful stone trailing across acres of land. Not taming or separating, but allowing nature to dictate its’ path. This small grouping of trees prompted the builder to ease the shape around the trunks, not disturbing them, but adding to its’ organic flow.

Friends at the wall

Mary Cooke — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:28:00 +0000

The deer on our property seem to like the wall. They lay down next to it, put their fawns in the shelter of it, and show us their gazelle jumps over it. This buck stopped to give me a portrait.