Information about the Labyrinth Design and Construction

If anyone is curious about what is happening with the labyrinth or would like to help out, here is an update on progress and our plans for it:

There is a string tied to the center stake that has knots on it that indicate the inside and outside edges of each of the 3 curved pathways. Using the string and the guide bricks we placed yesterday, we will be leveling, stamping, and smoothing out the ground below where the pathway will lay. The base should be low enough so that the final bricks will lay level with the ground around them. This will hold the bricks in place much better then them just sitting on top of the ground like they were before.

This is the most important stage when laying the brick pathway since the quality and life of it or any paved surface is entirely dependent upon the base it sits on. (when your asphalt road cracks or your concrete driveway heaves- it is the base shifting underneath it that caused it!)

After the base is all prepared, and anyone can stop by without much instruction and help out, we can finally start to actually set the bricks in place. Just use the string to measure where the bricks should be and start setting them in the ground. Try to set them as tight as possible and compact the dirt against it to hopefully hold it in place.

Overall, when working on the pathway, take your time and don't worry about going to fast. Getting it right this time will make it so that we don't have to do it again next year because all of the bricks have moved all over the place. Beside, most of you would rather spend more of you free time planting stuff in the labyrinth then dealing with brick pathways, so getting it right this time means we don't have to do it a third time.

Attached is a diagram that shows the general layout of the labyrinth pathway for those of you who have not seen it.