Initially, Jeanine and I thought we would be happy with a stone dust walkway to our front door. It imparted the casual feel we were after. Having lived with it through four seasons now, we have decided it is not really the right material. When wet, two problems emerge. First, the sand-like stone dust sticks to the bottom of shoes, which then tracks it into the house. Second, it becomes soft and particularly prone to denting from point loads such as a high-heeled shoe or crutch tip. Finally, when using a snowblower to clear the walk, it is very difficult to avoid scraping up material into the augers, bad for the machine and the walkway.

Yesterday, the installation of a bluestone slab walkway started. The large stone slab “bridge” over the river rock river drainage channel remains in place. With any luck, the job will be completed before the forecasted Nor’easter hits us on Sunday afternoon.