Archives for 2021

Hudson Valley Home – Opus 40

11.21.2021 by btslingerie // 1 Comment

I recently visited Opus 40, a truly remarkable sculpture park in Saugerties, NY that rises up out of an abandoned quarry. It is truly something that is hard to believe, without seeing for yourself, but the entire 6 acre site was constructed by the sculptor Harvey Fite. Built by hand over decades Opus 40 consists of a series of paths, pools, and ramps, carved and constructed out of native bluestone.

I came to Opus 40 for a class on building stacked stone walls (read about this class here) and had a few hours to explore after the class was finished.

A view of Opus 40. Bluestone rocks set into landscape, surrounded by stone walls. Trees with fall foliage in background.

A view of Opus 40. Bluestone rocks set into landscape, surrounded by stone walls. Concentric stacked stone platforms with large vertical stone monolith on top. Trees with fall foliage in background.

It is not a overstatement that in many ways Opus 40 can be compared to some of the great wonders of the world (it has been called the Stonehenge of North America). The central focus is a massive stone spire that sits in the center and frames the stacked layers of the sculptural passageways and amphitheater of bluestone.

In addition to the sculptural main attraction, the Opus 40 grounds have the original house that Harvey Fite built by hand in the 1930s, as well as a museum that has a collection of traditional masonry tools.

A view of Opus 40. Rays of sunshine form a V shape as they pass over walls of bluestone that fill the field of view.

A view of Opus 40. Bluestone rock walls create a narrow passageway. Rocks are covered with green moss and ferns, ground is rocky and brown from dried leaves. Blue sky and trees are visible at end of passageway in foreground.

Know before you go

The Opus 40 sculpture itself is created entirely of bluestone and there are areas that can be wet or slippery from the ponds and other water features. Sturdy shoes or hiking boots are recommended.
Opus 40 hosts frequent classes, workshops, and events including nature walks, stone work classes (like the one I took on building stone walls), and yoga/body movement. See here.
Picnicking is allowed and there is a small cafe onsite.
The sculpture is currently undergoing a phased rehabilitation to preserve and protect and restore areas that have begun to decay (so some areas may be temporarily closed).
The “Fite House” was recently purchased by the not-for-profit that owns Opus 40 and is undergoing a significant restoration.
No pets allowed (other than service animals)

Follow our exploration of the area around our Home in the Hudson Valley including favorite day trips and excursions an easy drive from New York City with more posts from Hudson Valley Home

DIY-Stacked Stone Wall Class

11.20.2021 by btslingerie // 1 Comment

Learning how to build a dry stacked stone wall

How do you create a stone wall without any mortar or cement? On a sunny fall day I took a trip to Opus 40, a quarry turned museum, in Saugerties, NY to find out. The instructor was artist and stoneworker Chris Layman of Fox Stonework, who would spend the day teaching me and a group of students how to build a stacked stone wall.

For the class, we worked to build a retaining wall set into a hillside in a wooded area of the Opus 40 grounds. As a former quarry, the site was overflowing with flat bluestone rocks, just waiting to be assembled like a puzzle into a strong and durable wall. For more on visiting Opus 40 see here.

Chris Layman uses a hammer and chisel to show students in the stacked stone wall class how to split stones on a wooden table. Trees roots, pieces of bluestone, are in the background.

A rocky clearing in the woods, with trees in the background and stacks of flat bluestone in the foreground.

Tools

Building the wall required few tools, primarily hammer and chisel (or masonry hammer) for splitting and shaping the bluestone pieces, a level, and safety glasses for stone splitting. Many of the class participants also had knee pads and steel toed safety boots, something I would definitely recommend.

Students in the stacked stone wall class stand and kneel along the side of a rocky hill, placing the foundation slabs of bluestone for retaining wall. Blue sky, piles of stone, a clearing, and wooded area are in the background.

Setting the Stone

Stacking stone for the wall was like a puzzle. We learned to start with a layer of stone, anchored into the hillside by wedging into the dirt, stones, and crevices that already existed. Then a new row of stones would be placed on top making sure that the new layer overlapped the gaps between the layer directly below. We used smaller rocks as wedges and to fill larger gaps. A level was used to check the wall, and in some cases a hammer was used to help wedge stones together. Stone-by-stone the wall started coming together.

Students in the stacked stone wall class stand and kneel along the side of a rocky hill, placing the slabs of bluestone for retaining wall.

Stacked stone retaining wall construction in progress. Wall frames a rocky hill with green ferns and small trees. A white bucket sits next to the wall and loose stone is in the foreground.

A close up of stacked stone retaining wall construction in progress. Wall frames a rocky hill with green ferns and small trees. Loose stone is in the foreground.

The class was only an afternoon, so we did not complete the wall within the time we had, but build enough to get the basics down. We used many of the techniques I learned in the class at Opus 40 to build the stacked stone wall for our Studio Build Project and shed several years later.

Get inspired to do it yourself with more projects in our DIY series.

DIY – Holiday Wreath Making

11.14.2021 by btslingerie // Leave a Comment

Evergreen Wreath Making for the Holidays

One of the things I wanted to do when finally having our own space was bring in some new traditions. As a long time apartment dweller I never had the opportunity to put up a wreath and it had somehow never occurred to me to decorate with them in a small apartment where storage space is limited it was never a priority. So for me making our holiday wreaths and storing the materials like the base and bows when not in use is a new tradition. We still don’t do a full tree because of pets, but for us the wreath making tradition is one that is manageable with pets.

Grapevine wreath base, evergreen branches, pinecones, and other supplies sit on newspaper on light wooden floor. A tan carpet with blue boarder and two cats in background.

Hand holding evergreen branches, wreath supplies sit on newspaper on light wooden floor.

Supplies needed

wreath base – either grapevine or wire
floral wire for wrapping
ribbon for bow
a variety of evergreen boughs/branches (often sold at florist shops or the same place you would buy christmas trees, you can also forage evergreens if you have them on your property)
extras – pine cones, magnolia leaves, eucalyptus or dried florals

Start by cutting the evergreens into smaller pieces, gathering bundles in your hand, and then wrapping the base with wire to hold them together. If you have a grapevine base you can weave them into the form of the base, and if you have a wire base use floral wire to attach them to the base.

I have varied the design I’ve made over the years with different ribbon/bows and different varieties of greens on the same base.

Go even Greener
Thrifted wreath bases can be found at garage sales, estate sales, and thrift/secondhand shopes, and you can break down your DIY wreath and compost the greens and even save wire.