Gallery | Cognitive Garden at Avery Point

Breaking Ground, March 2019

Dig in! Official groundbreaking of the garden
Site is spraypainted, with water storage modules set in place for sizing
Edging and digging along spraypainted lines
Rob Townsend demonstrating edging technique
Truckload of boulders arrives
Students from Grasso Tech digging the tiers of the falls along with their teacher, Larry Fritch
Rob Townsend checks the depth of exacavtion
Edging the falls
Checking the depth of the excavation
Student levels one of the tiers of the waterfall
More edging
Rob Townsend and students spreading membrane
Spreading out liner
Rob Townsend fits liner to pre-dug hole
Setting liner in place
Setting rocks in place

Waterford High School, Making Mosaics

Waterford High School Art Teacher Shelly Concasia in action!
Waterford High School students working on their mosaics. These will be attached to pavers that will create the walking paths of the labyrinth.
Students creating their mosaics.
Students working on their mosaics
More mosaics created by Waterford High School Students
Student applying thin set to back of tile
Two students working on their mosaics
A student places his tiles
Students working on their mosaics
A student breaks tiles which will be used in his mosaic
Students working on their mosaics

Something About Mary Ballachino

Mary demos for students at Nathan Hales Arts Magnet School in New London.
Mary working with students at NHAMS
Mary, with Art Teacher Jeff Wolfson, checking out student designs
Mary putting the finishing touches on a jellyfish mosaic.
Mary dressed the part as she broke hundreds of tiles for use by NHAMS students.
Mary with Tucson Mosaic Artist Roseleo Rosano
Hammer time! Annette and Mary, what a team.

The Giving Garden

Annette rolls back sod to reveal the clean edge cut by Burnetts Landscaping
Mary gladly takes a photo op break from rolling sod.
The Dream Team, at it again!
View of the amphitheater excavation
Close-up of the amazing work done by Butler Excavation
Amazing work on the labyrinth done by Butler Excavation
Stone aggregate delivery by Lombardi Sand and Gravel

Scout The Berm Whale and The Boy Scouts Who Shaped Him

Annette explains what needs to be done for the day
Annette rallies the troops for their assignment!
Scouts load up wheelbarrows with aggregate for the labyrinth
Scouts load wheelbarrows with aggregate base layer for labyrinth
Scouts look on while aggregate layer is compacted
Many wheelbarrow loads built up a 6-inch aggregate base
More wheelbarrow loads!
Tamping another layer of aggregate
Pizza break!
Excavated Soil from the labyrinth and amphitheater was dumped onsite, then tamped into shape
More tamping!
Still tamping!
Tale of Berm Whale is shaped and lined with rocks
Tail of Berm Whale is covered with sod after soiled has been compacted into shape
Some of the Scout Work Crew
Mary and Annette pleased with all that was accomplished!
Scout leaders convened to cut down several donated cedar trees. Logs will form the seating in the amphitheater.
Branches removed from the cedar trees will be interwoven to form fencing in the garden.

More on the Mosaics

Shelly and Jeff grouting
Addie, Shelly, and Jeff grouting
Addie grouting a mosaic
Jeff Wolfson grouting a mosaic
Grouting — work in progress
Another work in progress
First grout clean-up
Addie moving on to grout the next mosaic
Shelly and Mary busy at work
Shelly and Mary grouting more mosaics
Grouting - work in progress
More grouted mosaics

A Nod to Sod

Annette with rolls and rolls of sod!
A dreary day for placement of the 240 plants donated by Judges Farm of Old Lyme.
A cold, dreary day could not stop these intrepid gardeners! Annette, Jamie, Petie pictured
Entrance to the garden
Another view of the garden entrance, with path marked and loosened
Annette and Luci smiling at the end of a sod-rolling session
Before: The dirt patch left by tarps/dumpsters
After my "mosaic" of sod pieces

Everything Will Be OK

Annette’s panic moment: is the edging tall enough for sand and pavers?!
Dean making sure the labyrinth is level and ready for more aggregate and tamping
Charlie assesses how many more wheelbarrow loads of aggregate are needed. (Answer: a lot!)
Meanwhile, Annette widens and edges the pathway to prep for aggregate base
Work on the path and labyrinth continues
Getting there!
Tiffany digging out the pathway
Annette, Mary and Luci—happy at the end of a chilly day, pathway aggregate tamped in the background
Pathway, edged and widened to 4 feet
Proud Mary with Jacob, and tamped labyrinth looking like a tabletop!

A-Mazing Labyrinth Making

Jacob uses a screed board to level the sand in the edging channel while Charlie checks the fit of a paver
LuLu providing periodic therapy for Jacob throughout the edging process
Charlie and Jacob working the puzzle
Paver and edging
Charlie getting the spacing just right
Jacob adding mason’s sand to the pathway
Jacob using a screed board to level the sand
Jacob using a screed board to level the sand
Slowly but surely the edging continues to shape the pathway
Labyrinth beginning to take shape!
Jacob cuts edging while Charlie figures out the next piece of the puzzle
Almost in the home stretch . . .
Setting the sight line for the last length of edging
The last piece of the puzzle! Note the big smiles on the faces of Jacob and Charlie
Voila! The labyrinth is edged!
Charlie and Jacob admire their hard work and a job well done
Jacob and Charlie, a great team
Meanwhile, Annette acquires a carload of donated grasses from Pride’s Corner in Lebanon, CT
Lulu looking a little put out about sharing space with plants
Beautiful rocks for the waterfall donated by Construction Materials Inc. in North Lebanon
What a trove to choose from!

Coast Guard/Pfizer Volunteer Day

Jeff hand-tamps any aggregate that was loosened during the edging process. Now ready for Coast Guard volunteers to help carry pavers over!
Jeff laying the pavers into sand base
Cordell transferring a paver to the labyrinth site
Spencer, part of the paver brigade
Lots more pavers to go!
Lulu always willing to lend a paw
How many more pavers??
Almost there, guys!
Planting, edging, laying pavers
Last bunch of pavers!
Jeff and CG Jacob set the final paver in place
Jeff happily setting the final paver
The completed labyrinth pathway ready for WHS mosaics
Lots of thumbs up from the Jacob, Andrew, Cordell, and Spencer
Elizabeth planting perennials in the meadow
Andrew planting perennial grasses in the meadow near the waterfall
Michelle planting perennials in the meadow
Master Gardener Shannon and Annette checking the planting
The Pfizer Team: Jeff, Michelle, Sharon, Anna, Andrew, Wen, and Elizabeth
Annette and Andrew laying out plants
Thumbs up to Annette’s directions
Anna planting in the meadow
Pfizer Planting Crew
Michelle and Elizabeth planting in the meadow
Sharon hard at work
Michelle planting away!
Wen digging a planting hole
Supervisor Luci
Gretchen, Assistant Supervisor
Coast Guard volunteers extraordinaire: Cynthia, Tiffany, and Kameko
A little rain won't stop the loading/hauling of aggregate to the pathway
Hauling aggregate to the pathway
Meanwhile, Jeff dIgs out the crab claws of the labyrinth
Annette digs out the crab claws of the labyrinth
Andrew and Cordell leveling the aggregate
Dayna and Cynthia still smiling while they work
Cynthia, Kameko, and Dayna digging out the pathway

A “Hole” Lot of Dirt

Christian preps a load of sand to haul uphill to the site of the rowboat
Small but mighty!
Watering the plants
Navigating the labyrinth
More hugs for Lulu
Playing in the waterfall
Garden visitor checking out the waterfall
A little dirt never hurt anyone
Exploring the waterfall
Lovin' Lulu
Getting ready to plant around the waterfall
Planting around the waterfall
Grasso Tech students stop by to check on the progress in the garden
Supervisor Luci, making sure the digging is done right
Annette, happy at work in the garden
Proud mama and daughter
Tiffany and daughters pose after a hard day’s work

Field Trip Fun

Students greeting Luci in the garden
Students in the sand pit area awaiting their instructions!
Teacher Jeff Wolfson outlines the day ahead
Enjoying a snack in the shade
Students atop Scout the Whale berm
Mary talks with a student artist about the mosaics
Up the granite outcropping
. . . and down the granite outcropping
Students in front of some of their mosaics
Student enjoys a huggable piece of art
Students enjoy interacting with art on a scavenger hunt
It’s a beautiful day for an Art Walk!
Observation deck along the Art Walk
The scavenger hunt continues along the Art Walk
Aaahhh . . .
The scavenger hunt continues . . .

Go Navy!

Navy work crew busy at work
Making that aggregate pile disappear!
Overview of amphitheater and waterfall
Overview of path and labyrinth
Navy volunteers moving aggregate to the path
Lots more aggregate to haul to the path!
Loosening up compacted planted bed
Crab legs, dug out and prepped for concrete
Crab legs filled with aggregate
A big pile of aggregate to move!
Raking aggregate into grids
Raking the aggregate into grids
Digging out crab legs
Digging out crab legs
Digging out the sailboat area
Stabilizing the sailboat
Sailboat site dug out
Stabilizing front of boat with a 2x6 board
Stabilizing rear of the boat with a 2x6 board
Mary with the Navy crew

It Looks Like A Crab!

Jacob and Christian edge the claws and legs with The Beast edging.
Edging tacked in place, ready for the concrete pour
Overview of edged claws and legs
The closest legs can be filled right from the truck
Here comes the concrete!
Getting ready to haul concrete up the hill
Two by two, wheelbarrows are filled with concrete
Charlie directing the pour
Charlie moving the poured concrete as more arrives
Charlie and Mary moving the concrete into place
Dean troweling the concrete to a smooth finish
Dean looking like a pro!
Meanwhile, excavation for the sailboat continues
Sailboat sited and ready for some imaginative play
Meanwhile, Dean and four sailors work the left claw
Charlie fighting gravity, as concrete slides downhill
Dean smoothing the concrete "cream"
The awesome Navy crew!
Mary and Annette in front of the crab labyrinth
We made a crab!

Reflection on the IDEA Grant

The pollinator garden in late spring
Planting day at the labyrinth
Planting herbs in the labyrinth
Planting herbs in the labyrinth
The labyrinth June 2019
Meadow in bloom
Annette positioning sprinklers for the summer
Annette adjusting sprinklers for the labyrinth/upper waterfall
Milkweed, echinacea in bloom in the meadow
Bee balm in full bloom
Bee balm in the pollinator garden
Annette positioning the sprinklers in the meadow

The Amphitheater Colors the Garden

Jeff helps with the paver edging
Edged spokes of the amphitheater wheel
Pavers in place and ready for mosaics
Amphitheater ready for crushed shells
Grasso Tech students helping with the shells and meadow pathway
Grasso Tech student tamping and digging meadow pathway
Grasso Tech students placing crushed shells in the amphitheater
Finished amphitheater!
Finished amphitheater!

One Step Further

The massive bolder pile!
Boulders
Boulders situated before moss planting
The stone walkway from sidewalk to sandpit
Another view of the rocks and moss
Stone walkway with sandpit on right
Stone walkway with moss planting
Hypnum moss detail
Stone walkway, with moss plantings, rises from the sand pit, with cedar fence and blueberry bushes in the background