North Bay family’s rock garden creating a buzz in the community

North Bay family builds rock garden as a 'labour of love' to honour their parents and brighten the neighbourhood. Eric Taschner shares the story.

A family in North Bay, Ont., has built and decorated a rock garden that has become the talk of their neighbourhood.

With the help of his parents and his partner, Beth, Michael Ethier came up with an idea of spreading love and joy at the Moffat Avenue home where his parents have lived for nearly 54 years.

There’s lots of love at the home of Larry Ethier, 90, and Theresa, 87. So, Michael and Beth wanted to pay tribute to them.

“My intention was to simply generate a project that put together the accomplishments that have happened,” Michael said.

It started when Larry started to complain about the front lawn a few years ago. The couple takes pride in their property, but their grass has always been an issue.

This year, Michael suggested they just rip it up and lay rock and stone and build a rock garden instead.

Searched for the right rocks

For several weeks, the family drove up and down various highways and roads, looking for the perfect stones.

Once they found the rocks, they began adding to their plans.

“All the little decorations are all handmade,” Michael said.

“My father had been able to pick up a few odds and ends from garage sales and repainted them and redecorated them and repotted them.”

Then Theresa’s artistic ideas blossomed.

“I do like flowers, and I thought, ’Well, stone and flowers would make a nice rock garden’ sort of thing,” she said.

“So, we did come up with a theme.”

The theme is love. In the middle of their rock garden is a heart formation made of stone. The word ‘love’ was spelled out using rocks painted white.

“We take the deer in at night because you don’t want to get them stolen,” Larry Ethier said.

“I forgot to put them out the other day and suddenly a lady came up to my wife and she said, ‘Where are your deer?’”

The rock garden was Michael’s way of spreading joy in the neighbourhood while paying tribute to his parents’ 66th wedding anniversary, which is coming up next month.

“People now have come up to the gazebo where we sit outside to congratulate us and say ‘hi,’” Theresa said.

The display has received many compliments. Neighbours have written letters and sent photos, while others have stopped by to appreciate the garden.

“We’ve had people from actually over on Aberdeen Avenue,” Michael said.

“They stopped by with their dogs and they’ve actually taken pictures of their own families in front of the garden itself.”

Some neighbours, he said, have even given them ideas on ways to enhance the garden.

The Ethiers plan to continue tweaking the garden from time to time, adding more decorations and maybe even changing the word in the middle.

“We might put ‘joy’ or even put my parents’ name in there or something like that,” Michael said.