Paths and Walks

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

And that god-awful parade of exotic trees across the front of the property? The decision? Voila: instant firewood!

Arthur and Kate were of that rare breed of people who see wonders wherever they are. That's why the walks and paths they were developing held such promise. It was almost as if the land itself were telling them how to proceed.

Down came the fence. Out went the front walk. Up came the asphalt driveway. In went a surface of "porous pavers" (precast concrete blocks that allow grass to grow through). A coat of paint subdued the still-shocking pink of the house. A portion of the backyard was turned into a vegetable garden. All the rest was to be returned to the forest from which it was originally stolen.

A lucky break for the Brewsters, and for the forest, was their discovery of a native-plants nursery less than 10 miles away. Struggling for a living against the competition of nurseries and plant marts of the kind that sold the popular and brightly colored alien plants, the natural-plants people were happy to offer the Brewsters low prices, especially when the couple said they intended to use no poisons or chemical fertilizers in their reforestation project.

In just a few months, what had been a roadside horror show was fully transformed into an almost inconspicuous woodland setting. It would take generations, of course, before the new forest even began to return to some semblance of its orginal state, but the land now appeared to be back in harmony with the other area woodlands.

So now it was time for the Brewsters to enjoy their splendid fortune even more intensely by creating walkways and paths throughout the woods. They understood instinctively —and from seeing that long, horrendous strip of concrete—that the best way to get from here to there is very seldom the straight one. Walks and paths are part of the natural world; they should follow its suggestions.

One walk was to go to the lake, another to the old stone foundation and a third to the giant oak. Others would be side trails leading to hidden treasures.

After thinking about the kinds of walks they wanted, and about the problems of future maintenance,erosion, drainage, clearing and resurfacing, the Brewsters realized that no single material offered a complete answer. Lightly traveled ways could be simple dirt paths; others would have to be surfaced with pine needles or bark mulch to prevent wear. Still others, especially where many feet or garden carts would travel, needed hard surfaces, the choices being asphalt, concrete, wood, brick or flagstone. Kate and Arthur decided to use whatever proved to be least expensive, but they ruled out any heavy use of concrete.

Step number one was design. It could be done formally, using a landscape architect and a surveyor, or the Brewsters could wing it and lay it out themselves. Having lived with the land for a year, they had become even more sensitive to its needs than most experts would be. They formed a committee of two, and on their days off began walking the propertyArthur and Kate were of that rare breed of people who see wonders wherever they are. That's why the walks and paths they were developing held such promise. It was almost as if the land itself were telling them how to proceed.every inch of itArthur and Kate were of that rare breed of people who see wonders wherever they are. That's why the walks and paths they were developing held such promise. It was almost as if the land itself were telling them how to proceed.sometimes having to crawl through brush, sometimes climbing over fallen trees, in order to see just what this forest of theirs had to teach them. Their discoveries amazed them.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

GET MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC:

BREAD A BAKER'S BOOK OF TECHNIQUES AND RECIPES'

Jeffrey Hamelman

Hardcover

Our Price: Price: $40.00

• Browse Real Food