This is the entrance to our property.
Our antique stone walls that border the street form stone "beehives" at the entrance to the gravel drive.
The south beehive. The granite curbing we discovered is directly behind this beehive. The drive forks at the crest of the incline at the large hemlock tree you see in the distance. If you veer left the drive takes you to the garage, if you turn right it takes you to the front door.
Grass along the road is a Fall project, but we said that last year too;)
And speaking of the granite curbing... its not going anywhere!
After discovering it we decided to take a couple of days to think about how we should handle the new found treasure (i.e. Garden A.D.D. kicked in and we were off to other projects;) When we came back to the curbing Dan decided to see how tall the stones were before we made any decisions. Good thinking. Dan dug and dug and dug. The stones are shockingly tall.
18-inches tall to be exact!
And approximately 7- 8 inches wide. Even if we (and, of course I mean Dan ;) could dig both sides around the stones to get a chain around them to pull them out Big Blue wouldn't be able to lift them- they are just too heavy. It was instantly ;) decided that they will remain. We will grade the sloping terrain down to them and then dig out in front of them to expose the stone- leaving them as a curbing edge to the hydrangea bed behind them. We'll then plant grass (it will be a narrow strip) in front of them to the gravel drive. A grass border was something that Dan had really wanted and I had really wanted curbing, so those house angels gave us both what we wanted!
It definitely feels like the right decision. Even before realizing their depth it felt somehow wrong to dig them up from their intended placement. It felt like we were being grave robbers of sorts. It's the funniest thing as the curbing looks so natural there, like it was meant to be, which of course, it was!
Yowza! When they installed curbing it was meant to last.
ReplyDeleteLovely entrance to your lane. Our lakehouse foundation is made from similar river rocks (not sure that's the correct term) which were also used on many of the other foundations around the lake.
Your property is so peaceful.
I love the stone wall and how you are keeping the original wall/curbing. I am a sucker for stone walls, ( we have been looking at houses in Connecticut lately ) and I am in total agreement with you on this :)
ReplyDeleteIt is all so green and pretty .. besitos, C
They are beautiful stones, and leaving them in situ they will reaffirm the history of the place. I think this is a more fitting use than just using them as more building material.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful entrance!
ReplyDeleteI am always amazed at the fact that 'wonders never cease'!
xoxo, Chris
Awesome! Kinda like your own archeological dig and finding ancient ruins.....well.....ancient as in early American ancient. :)
ReplyDeleteLove your decision. This is going to look gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking in the Appalachians seeing the miles of dead & dying trees.
ReplyDeleteI can only see $$$ with your stone. You're fortunate in your find. And bless the hands that put it in.
Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
How spectacular! Love love love it...always had a "thing" for stone. Such a gorgeous entrance......to an equally beautiful home
ReplyDelete(the glimpses I have seen)!
The stone wall and beehive entrance is most welcoming. How interesting about the granite. I believe you made a wise decision.
ReplyDeleteThis week I have posted on bees also.
Can I use the cliche "we've been a hive of activity"
Helenxx
Some things are best left in the earth.....especially those :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Joan -
ReplyDeleteI love your stone walls and beehive posts. A most wonderful and substantial way to define and mark your property! It must be so serene and charming to live in such a beautiful country setting. Just from the photos, the granite curbing looks incredibly heavy.
Cheers from DC,
Loi
What a treasure! Smart to just leave them where they are. Wouldn't you like to have a photo of them when they were first laid and how it all looked then?
ReplyDeleteYes!! We wonder about that often. New Hampshire was cut bare (literally) for the lumber about that time, so it is much more lush today, but would still LOVE to see it in its early years.
DeleteHoly canoli the stone walls are GORGEOUS!!!! What a spectacular entrance. It is just a preview of the beautiful house up the drive!!! XO, Pinky
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful how that all worked out? Can't wait to see it exposed.
ReplyDelete..it is rather like the pyramids isn't it?...how on earth did the curbing come to be there...and by whose hands was it placed...i too am glad it is staying put...love how the beehive entrance marks the drive...and what lies ahead...blessings laney
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for the beehive post, Joan. I literally shouted out, "Beehives!" and my husband came running! He was glad to find out that we weren't dealing with real beehives at our house. ha
ReplyDeleteI assume the stone beehives are as old as your property. Can they be found all over New Hampshire and New England?
Again, many thanks for the post. Have a wonderful weekend.
Karla in CA.
hi Karla- Yes, the stone beehives (and the wall) were probably built when clearing the property. While we see some beautiful and unusual shapes of stone formations at the entrance to many antique properties we have not seen many "beehives" in our drives around New England.
DeleteYour hidden treasure! Can't wait to see it with the hydrangeas!
ReplyDeleteIt looks so cool and green there!
hi LindaLime! It has been a really nice summer. We've had many days where we can have the windows open, but we've been needing rain big time- the grass is not as green as the trees;) It is raining now, thankfully, and the a.c. is on!
DeleteGlad to see you aren't going to remove them! I was thinking the same way as what you ended up deciding on. Love your driveway entrance! Did you post anything with your gardens this year? I've been waiting to see how they came along! ~Liz
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to do some yard posts, but we've been so busy working outside I haven't had the time to post on them! I promise to start showing some of the beds and new areas soon. I think I'll show the terrace off of the barn room next as it just recently came together!
DeleteCan't wait to see -- I'm sure it'll be absolutely lovely!
ReplyDeletexo Heidi
So interesting... think I would have had A.D.D. too, wanting to know more about the historical aspect of the curbing. Wonder if it would appear on a historic survey of the property? Or maybe on a historic map of the area? Anyway, you are lucky to have such an interesting find to add to your landscape -- will look gorgeous with your hydrangeas!
ReplyDeletehi Diane- I doubt it since granite curbing is very common here, even now. We do need to go research the property at the state courthouse, but just haven't made the time yet.
DeletePerfection! And the brilliance and wisdom to "let it be."
ReplyDeleteI absolutely hated geology in college. Now, I can't get enough rocks. I've terraced my front and back yard and love the quiet strength it adds to my garden.
Your stone curb will stand as beautiful testimony of the strong marriage of you and Dan to this land. Can't wait to see the results.
You said it so beautifully, "the quiet strength it adds to my garden"- that was the first thing I could see in my minds eye when we first saw the house, that it needed stones under the front porch. It changed the way the house looks and feels. Last year for my birthday Dan "stoned" under the back porch. Need to show that too. Y'all are all giving me great ideas for future posts!
DeleteYour entrance is so beautiful! Love that you call it the beehive!
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
This is where the curb lives...and those stone walls are amazing
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures, as always Joan. I love what a caretaker you are, as opposed to an "owner". You show such care and love with the things you acquire, both antiquing and on your own property, so that it will be able to be shared with future generations. I think your plan for the stone is a wonderful idea that will add such a sense of history to your already beautiful and antique property.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Tim
This property just keeps giving back...how charming this will be when finished. I love the stack stone entry. So pretty.
ReplyDeleteKaren
I love how you keep discovering things in place that you wanted before you even knew they were there...sort of like this is where you must belong. It's sweet. A little reminder that He who created us knows the desires of our hearts and delights in revealing them to us!
ReplyDelete-Revi
Sounds like it will be absolutely beautiful when you are all done. Would love to see pictures as the project progresses.
ReplyDeletehi Rebecca, I'll try to be better about that. I do tend to just show the end results;)
Deletelove the look of your beehives! What a beautiful way to enter your property =)
ReplyDeleteso peaceful here. a deep breath and i'm relaxed just looking at your driveway... oh to be able to walk your grounds... ahh, imagination in high gear... another deep breath, relaxed.
ReplyDeleteThe antique walls are stunning, such a long stretch of them,wowza. Would they be stones that would have been gathered from the fields of your property in the old days ??
ReplyDeleteThe granite 'curbs' are unbelievable..imagine the ingenuity it took to get them placed there..so cool.
hi Brenda, Yes they would have been built when they were clearing the roads and the fields back in the day. I'm thinking there were some really buff men back then;)
DeleteThe stone wall and bee hives are just amazing. I've never seen anything like that. How do the stones stay in place. Are they dry stacked or cemented? They are quite an architectural feature. The granite curbing is wonderful too. I'm glad you came to a mutual agreement. :)
ReplyDeletehi Pamela, The walls are dry stacked, but the beehives have been mortared.
DeleteThat is totally amazing finding that curbing, I'm still in awe, and can just imagine how good it is going to look when all done, and plantings are in. And those beehives and walls...I still have a jaw dropping moment when I see that...stone walls just turn me on! ;) The house angels are just so happy with all that you are doing, they just have to keep surprising you with gifts!
ReplyDeleteLove the entrance !!! The stone work is amazing! Have a great weekend
ReplyDeleteWhat a great entrance! And perfect to,have the granite edging there. It's going to be fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI know your home is quite old. Do you have any idea how long this amazing curb has been there? Great find and I love the stone wall and entrance!
ReplyDeletehi Barbara, We assume the drive would have been put in at the time they built our house which was 1850's, but it could have been when our neighbors house (the estate next door which our house was part of)was built and that was in the 1700's!! Would so love to know.
DeleteJoan, I am so in love with your entrance! It reminds me of the beehives and stone walls in Ireland! It truly makes for a stunning entrance!
ReplyDeletePerfect decision. How lucky are you???
ReplyDeleteVery!!
DeleteJoan, Dan, and Ella: Great post! I know that the curbing is going to be a beautiful backdrop when you have finished with the area. I loved the comment from "Home Before Dark" and the foundation of a marriage; Mike and I had a readng, at our wedding, about the house built on sand vs. stone...coming up on 30 yrs, I would agree with the stone foundation! Enjoy the weekend. Cindy
ReplyDeleteI would NEVER tire of looking at that entrance as I was driving to my home. Beautifully lucky you are! :-)
ReplyDeleteA stunning introduction to the gorgeous property and home and people to come. xo
ReplyDeleteLooks like those house angels have been very good to the two of you! Your stonewall is stunning, when I show the photo to my husband he will have major stonewall envy! LOL!
ReplyDeleteYour property is gorgeous. Love the entrance.
ReplyDeleteI'm swooning over your stone walls and the "beehives". How simply elegant! I know that's a crazy way to describe them, but that's how they look too me.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend,
Babs
Joan,
ReplyDeleteBack home and getting caught up here and wow, you really have the most amazing entrance. I want to paint that entrance in oil. I cannot imagine the feeling you must get when you come home.
Those stones, the history.....wowy! I am in awe.
Looking for your cards....I may have to print more for you!
pve
ahh, a happy ending. i think they are meant to be there too. sometimes messing with things like this just ain't worth it.
ReplyDeleteyour entrance is just stunning, much like you joanie. xo
Stone walls make me swoon. I think that's why I fell in love with the area we live in now. I imagine those walls hold lots of stories. Don't you think? xoxo!
ReplyDeleteTalk about buried treasure! That will really set off the hydrangeas.
ReplyDeleteJoan- I just returned from Cape Cod, followed by a week in Camden, Maine. I spent my entire trip coveting the granite curbs at every corner. I thought of your unearthed buried treasure daily! I mean, can you imagine such a thing in Dallas? Even if there had been granite available to curb the streets of Dallas in the 1800's, surely it would be torn out and replaced with cement by now, right? But every walk I took on every sidewalk on the Cape and in Maine included the beautiful sparkle from the sun hitting the 200-plus year old granite lining every street. Ahhh, so, so lovely.
ReplyDeleteHere's to appreciating the little things...like beautiful curbs! Can't wait to see the finished product- love, love, love your blog, Joan!
xoxo Katy Koenig (Prissy's neighbor)