The Stone Sanctuary sits on the slope of a hill overlooking Fairbanks, Alaska. Years before, we had dug out a pond out at the bottom of the slope to catch the snow melt.
Two years ago, after being unsuccessful in finding a quiet cabin to use as a retreat, I realized I could just build my own small cabin next to the pond.
I called my friend Rich the Tractor Guy (as he calls himself on the phone) and had him start enlarging the area next to the pond. He quickly became frustrated when he ran into some bedrock that was in the way; I immediately suggested that he not try to dig out the stone, but that we should look a little more closely at what was there.
To my amazement, there were beautiful layered stones that were about three feet below the surface; it felt like a Goldilocks moment, of things being just right. It also seemed like just the right place for a curving stone wall and a pond to reflect the stone.
