A wall from my past

The owner of this property called me to look at a project. He was going out of the country and wanted something done while he was gone. He had me stand on the spot where this wall is now beginning to take shape and standing at the other end he said, "Build a wall from here to there like the others and make it meandering."
This was the last of several walls he put in. Unlike the others, this one had to be dug by hand due to the site location, so I think that's why the crew that did the others would not do this one. One of the masons on site, who was a recent graduate from the school of architecture at the U of A, advised me on construction techniques. He suggested that I just stick the blocks in the wet concrete as I poured the concrete footer. I did those few blocks and gave it up. Instead, after pouring the footer, I mixed up mortar and laid the blocks with a trowel and a string line and a level.


















I am about half way through construction of this wall. At the far end it will be three courses high for about two-thirds the length and two courses the last several feet. I thought it meandered sufficiently.
The wall above and to the left in the photo is finished except for the top. The mason did the rock veneer.







The wall in the foreground is finished with the top installed. The wall in the back still needs the top. My wall in the middle is done and ready for the stone veneer.

When the man got back from his journey, he was satisfied. After I collected my check he engaged me further to back fill these walls with gravel. This property is way out west of town. I will have to go out there sometime and see what everything looks like now, three years later. I will get photos from these spots and put them up for comparison.
I did this March of 2006. I love this kind of work. I would like to build a graceful footbridge with a grass deck.