North of town the granite quarry cuts a pale face into the hillside, and that same hard grey stone shows up in half the retaining walls and doorsteps around Mount Airy. Alvarado landscaping tends the lawns between them — mowing on a set rotation, running the edger along concrete and curb, trimming tight to walls, mailboxes and tree rings, then leaving every walk clear. Foothill yards seldom sit level, and mowing one well is mostly a matter of knowing which way to take the slope. Late in the fall the maples along the older streets fill the gutters, and leaf clearing takes over the week. Mount Airy, Bannertown, Pilot Mountain, Dobson and the roads running out through Surry County.