Above: Early in March 2016, transplanting the last of the
iris, I’m thinking I see a snake-like “course” of stones in the foundation,
just below the thick cement layer that hides the stones. Below: later in the
month more detail of this segment or “course” becomes visible. My impression: a
snake head on the left and a body that tapers to a tail.
The “head stone” of
the snake-like course in the foundation resembles that of another in the
retaining wall in front of it. Both have a small rhomboidal stone near the “head
stone.”
I’m reaching the
soil layer that the original drip stones rested on. I’m pulling roots and cleaning out
soil from between the stones, trying to keep the stones that have fallen out as
close to where they were found. I had to go a bit deeper than that at the southeast corner. As I carefully remove soil with a couple brushes, I had one of those "I can't hardly believe what I'm seeing" moments. Buried for about 300 years, I
observe yet another example of human enhancement to a stone to make it resemble
snake eyes, but without the weathering and lichen accumulation in the exposed
stones in the retaining wall and other stone walls. The shadow made by the mid-day sun also adds to the perception of snake eyes at the triangular end of this stone, pointing just about due south...
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