Getting Down and Dirty

O.k., so the brick path. The one I've been mentioning for a couple of months that I started on 'cause there wasn't anything I could do on inside projects without Dr. Dh, and it was summer so I dug in.

Dh decided THIS was the week-end it was getting finished. Two reasons. First up; winter is a' coming and we needed the strings and stakes out of the front yard so that if we get snow and ice and wind and, you know, a Territories winter, we won't kill ourselves on our walk works. Reason #2: Feeche is leaving this week for 2 weeks (and he can't wait! Challenge here he comes!- there's still time to sign up, btw- check out the button on my right hand side bar) and we needed his help and expertise to get the job done.

Dh laid out the walk, the kids and I dug and hauled sand, Feeche smoothed and leveled brick.

Building a landing spot for the park bench. Growing trees out here is, well, difficult to say the least.  Our only real shade in the summer is between the big ash and the smaller ash next to the driveway so that's where the park bench goes.

It was a mess. Sticks, strings, levels, trowels, black weed cloth, sand, gravel, shovels, drywall buckets, wheelbarrows. Oh yeah, and bricks. Lots and lots of bricks.

Sanding it in.

This was dirty work. Our feet were filthy at the end of the day1

Here's looking at the path from the front side-walk (the brick path Dr. Dh built 6 years ago) looking at, and to the west of the house). You can see the beginnings of the retaining wall we'll build around this bed.

The yard isn't this dead from the path. The yard is this dead from the drought. We lost several trees and finally gave up on garden beds. Hopefully, we'll still have stuff come up next spring!

From the front porch. We still need to put in edging, build a retaining wall for the front garden and finish the short little path going along the side of the house, but it's about 80% finished.

(please disregard the plastic cup in the yard. We drank gallons of water doing this project so think of it as a symbolic representation of hydration cause I'm not taking the picture again!)

And here it is. 30 ft. of brick beauty, step up from drive-way to park bench sitting area.

If you're in the area, come on over and sit a spell!

Fresh water served up in plastic cups or mason jars+ and good company +our peaceful valley ; )!

When Cub, Flower and I ran out of stuff to do for the path, we cooked and fed people, worked on cleaning and finished the 2nd floor door hinges and continued to polish brass (check back on Wednesday for more pics). We are almost ready to put doors on 2nd floor rooms.

Another project almost done. Done enough to count.