Down where Hammond meets the river at Chippewa Bay, the ground is granite and pine with grass held in whatever pockets it can find, and the light off the water changes hour by hour. Gnomes Landscaping works those yards with mowing, trimming, edging and the cleanups that spring and autumn each ask for in their own way. Thin soil over rock takes patience — you cut what is there and shape the edges to the ledge instead of arguing with it. Done that way, a lawn along the bay looks like it grew into the stone on its own. Summer up here is brief, and every day it hands out is worth spending outdoors.