Stone walls have always held a certain fascination.  There's the unspoken promise that somewhere inside that border is a Secret Garden, a Camelot, a Brigadoon, a magic princess or even a hobbit or two.

Stone walls can be seen on virtually any country drive through upstate New York.  Often little more than linear piles of stone, many of these "walls" were erected by tossing field stones along the property borders as new spaces were cleared and plowed.  The perimeters of the hay fields at Beekman Farm were demarcated in this manner over 200 years ago.

When we installed the heirloom vegetable garden and herb garden, we knew we wanted to make our own permanent contribution to the landscape--to leave something behind for the next generation of owners.

We asked our friend and neighbor, artist Michael Whaling, to construct a stone wall.

The wall had to be more than beautiful.  It had to be functional and, like all works of art, there had to be something unexpected.

No matter where you take up residence, you always leave a bit of yourself behind.  Having watched the wall slowly emerge from a gigantic pile of stones over the course of a year, we were reminded that "built to last" is not an easy accomplishment.

Michael and local photographer Leila Durkin have created a beautiful picture book about the creation of the wall that is full of imagery and prose inspired by Beekman Farm.

Each books is signed by the author.

Argian Press.  Hardcover.  57 pages