Empty lot transformed into community rock garden

BY Kelly Lopez

Ila Goldstien washes smooth paintable rocks for her community rock garden. Washing the rocks before they are painted is a necessary step so that the paint goes on smoothly.

Canyon Laker Ila Goldstein has transformed the vacant lot next to her home on Big Range Road into a community rock garden for all to enjoy.

Ila has lived in Canyon Lake for almost 20 years. When the vacant lot next to her Big Range Road home was up for sale three years ago and another buyer was going to buy it, Ila quickly put an offer in and bought the empty lot herself. The lot remained unused until last year.

In September, Ila started moving her neighbor’s unwanted landscaping rock onto the property, as a favor to them, but also in case she had a future use for the rock.

Skylar, 5, and Parker, 9, Hildebrand browse the community rock garden next to Ila Goldenstien’s house on Big Range Road. They took rocks home to paint to include later in the garden.

As months passed, Ila said she gradually came up with an idea on how to best use the rock to dress up the vacant lot. Just for fun, she started painting rocks in January. She painted a cougar on one rock first, which she said took her 30 hours to complete. She then painted a kiwi bird and a birthday card for her grandson, among others.

Soon after she started painting the various rocks and leaving them in her empty lot, the idea of a community rock garden came to her. She said it was in January that the lot began to be transformed into the rock garden. The COVID-19 quarantine has really made the rock garden popular…and necessary, she said. She’s opened up the garden to those who also want to paint creatively on the rocks.

“People come from all over the lake,” Ila said. “They come and say they can’t paint, but they paint all sorts of things.”

Ila Goldenstien placed this sign on her converted vacant lot. She created the community rock garden for residents to both visit and contribute painted rocks. Photos by Kelly Lopez

There are dozens of painted hand-sized smooth rocks near the rock garden’s curb for passersby to see. She said that further into the lot are piles of unused rocks that anyone can take home to wash and paint. After the rock is painted, it needs to be painted again with a clear coat in order to preserve the paint from the sun and weather.

Canyon Lakers have painted animals, handprints, notes to others and even replicas of M&M candies.

“Everyday, people come and put down more painted rocks,” she said. “Families come by and put down rocks. It is especially touching to see the painted rocks that are made as remembrances for lost loved ones.”

Ila is a creative and busy Canyon Laker who will be 80 in September. Her age does not slow her down. She has plans to continue to improve and expand her rock garden. Her next move is to create a big painted surfer rock collage that is behind the community rocks.

All are welcome to come by, take a look, take a rock, paint it and put it back, she said. Those who come by might find Ila in the rock garden and enjoy the pleasure of chatting with her, too — from safe social distance, of course.

Ila’s community rock garden is located next to 29494 Big Range Road.