Ironwoods Clearing in the Woods

A Clearing in the Woods

For some time we have considered options for improving the dilapidated picnic table that sits at the entry to the woods near the trailhead of Cub Alley.

Then, last year the Kaiser family contacted the Ironwoods HOA and asked if they could contribute something to the neighborhood that would encourage people to gather and enjoy the neighborhood, like Tony’s bench . The wanted to express their connection and appreciation for the Ironwoods community while celebrating their family’s love of family, friends, nature, and mathematics.

We asked Marc Archambault of Hammerhead Stoneworks , who designed and built Tony’s Bench and the Ironwoods Entry Sign, to propose a project that would make that space more welcoming and encourage people to gather to enjoy the woods and each other.

And he came back with “A Clearing in the Woods”. A circular stone patio with three stone benches on the perimeter and a mosaic at the center. The mosaic centerpiece is inspired by the Fibonacci sequence which is a series of numbers that begins with 1 and 1 then adds the previous two numbers to generate the next. For example: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34.... When graphed out, it produces this famous spiral, which is found throughout nature, recognizable in sunflowers and nautilus shells.

The mosaic has already been completed and is ready for installation in early May.

The patio would be like these Hammerhead projects:

And the benches:

The estimate for the project is $15,000. When presented at the Annual Homeowner’s meeting those in attendance approved the project and a $2,500 contribution from the HOA. The Kaiser family has pledged $7,500 - $10,000 and this GoFundMe campaign has been created to collect the remaining balance.

Thanks for your support!