Paths and Walks

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Great beds of velvety moss covered places where brush and tree trunks had been piled years earlier by the previous owners. With amazing luck (and the kind of openness that invites discovery they came upon a fox at the entrance to its den. A few rocks in the stream caused just enough of a barrier to create a little waterfall. And high up in the ancient oak, they could spot at least II nests.

Now, if the truth be told, not everyone would have found-or appreciated-the things the couple discovered in their woods.

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

It was on one of their walks that the couple discovered the old stone foundation. When they cleared away the debris they suddenly had a collection of antique bottles on their hands, and they found that the old walls were in good condition. Opening toward the south—and the lake—the three walls made an ideal shelter against cool north winds. It was designated the picnic area. For a floor within the foundation, a layer of pebbles was spread, with native mosses and vines edging the stony carpet.

Because the "old cellar hole," as they called it, was lower than the surrounding area, a set of steps was required. Finding the usual stair alternatives too hard and mechanical-looking, the Brewsters devised "planter steps" with stone risers and pebbled treads, in which they planted sedums and miniature native grasses. The banks at the sides of the steps, sloping out onto the treads as they did, made the steps appear to grow right out of the hillside, an effect that pleased everyone lucky enough to be invited on one of the preliminary tours.

"Going to have another `preliminary tour' this year, Kate?" The construction schedule became a neighborhood joke. It didn't bother the Brewsters one bit. They were in no hurry. Their greatest joy was in the work itself, which they were happy to stretch out over the rest of their lives. They couldn't imagine actually completing a project that promised to get better and better the more they worked on it. They weren't paving their land with walkways, they were enhancing it as, step-by-step, they celebrated each of its wonders.

Crossing a stream gracefully, inconspicuously and appropriately was a challenge that intrigued them for weeks. First, they laid some old planks across the little brook, just below the place where it tumbled over the rocks. They added, then removed, interesting rocks. Finally they decided to build an earth-covered bridge—to let the land cross with them to the other side.

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