Hiking

Dominique and Petra and I hiked to The Ledges on Sunday.

Driveway and Railings

Compare to this picture. Wild.

Deck is Done!

Railings and everything. And a fancy new grill. Now we're just waiting for the hot tub, and it'll be totally official.

The Perfect Outdoor Fireplace

Literally, it's called the Perfect Outdoor Fireplace. 1,300 lbs. Glad I wasn't there to move and assemble it! I just get to enjoy it...

Hay!

To protect the grass seed.

The Last of the Machines

I've learned that while totally cool, hiring guys with heavy equipment is expensive. Here we are taking out what may have been a nice garden at one time, but now was just rocks around plastic.

Here is Jason grading the land...

Pic From My Bike Ride Today

What is that crazy lady doing?

Stairs Are Done!

35 of 'em. Railings to come...

Decking is Done!

How cool is this!?

More Deck Building

The Burn Pile Burning

I sacrificed the last of the deer heads... sorry guys.

Starting the Deck

Ed and his helper had the piers for the deck laid out and had started to pour the cement when I arrived to check in on Monday afternoon. As I arrived back to the house with pizza for us, the rain started to come down. 7 of the 13 piers had been poured, and Ed and his helper were scrambling around in the mud to protect their work from the rain. The helper fell in the mud and quickly departed, and Ed finished the job, soaked, covered in mud and cement, but feeling a sense of accomplishment.

Fall Foliage

A little natural beauty to take our minds off the structural stuff... it was so pretty I pulled over and took a pic on my way out of town.

Getting Ready to Build the Deck

Ed came by and mapped out where the piers for the deck are going to go. He and Jason are supposed to do them on Monday. Those wooden stakes represent where they're to be placed. Fireplace is on order, and the decking is at the lumberyard. I'm still trying to connect with the hot tub people, but we'll be ready for it!

Guest Room

Painting of the guest room is complete. A sense of accomplishment. Now I just have to do, oh, the rest of the house.

Shitkickers

With my property all torn apart, I needed some serious boots. There's a whole wall of cool boots at Agway, but only 3 types for women, two of them hikers. No matter, I love my new Rockys. Goretex and waterproof, yeah.

My New Septic Tank

The deck had to undergo a small redesign with the bigger tank, but let me tell you, it's a relief to finally know it's in there right! Now, can we stop talking about it and get on to the fun stuff?

Trees

After the land in front had been cleared, there was one big scary pine tree that looked like it might want to fall on my house. It's coming out, along with another that could become a nuisance. The trees that were taken down in the flood will become firewood. I have a feeling I'm going to get to know the "tree guy" pretty well...

My, what a big saw you have!

Jason (landscaper Jason, to whom I now owe my first born...) decided there needed to be a little retaining wall, which I thought all along. Might be a nice place for flower beds next spring!

Stairs

The old steps were rotted ties, and someone had the bright idea to nail boards over them instead of springing for new ones. They were also seriously leaning to one side and treacherous as hell! Here are the new ones being built by Mike and Mike. Yes, there will be a railing!