And a Little More Landscaping

 Another day on the jackhammer.

 Tools of the trade... power tools, plants, irrigation tubing, pitchfork....

Here is what we have down at the other end of the driveway. 

Another of those attractive dry riverbeds.

 And here's the big dog again with the jackhammer.

Here I am, on the shovel.
Photo courtesy of  Sport.

 Me again.  So happy.

 Then after hours of work, the sun comes out, and this is what the job looks like.  Chris has delivered us a load of bark and I've completed the irrigation lines.  Including water to the new tree by the street.

 Yes, this tree right here.

 Here is Chris looking pained.  Probably at the quality of workers he is forced to endure. 
Meaning his wife and sons. 

 In this photo, you can see Sport forking bark into his handy trashcan for carrying.  Trash cans hold more than wheelbarrows.  Just so you know.

 Chris is tying the tree to the stakes.  So it doesn't blow over on the gusty days.

Sport picking up his can of bark.  He's thinking "somewhere there are children who are spending their summer playing.  Not shoveling bark".

   

Here is the progress thus far.  Now I have to leave to go to work.  Well, first I must go home and take a quick shower.  You did see those pictures of me, didn't you?

More Kitchen, More Dirt

So this is what the kitchen looks like now.  The cabinets are all in, the knobs and pulls are on, we're just waiting for the countertops.

Here's my usual vantage.

The big cabinets.

This is the peninsula side.

And the stove/refrig side.

This is the tile we picked for the entryway, and the hardwood for the living/dining rooms.

While I was walking around inside photographing, Case posted himself at his usual spot on the front porch.

This is what we have planned for the morning.  Picking up the pile of dirt the boys dug out of the planting strip.  You'll notice there are three shovels.  As much as the boys try to say I don't do my share around here, the picture tells the tale.

Still with the "no pictures" policy.  I fear he may try to run me over with that wheelbarrow.  Luckily, I am nimble and quick.  As long as I don't trip over anything as I start my getaway.

Sport hasn't yet noticed the camera.

Obviously he just did.

My, that's attractive.

I told the boys they should be grateful for all these pictures of them laboring away.  When they are grown men and telling their children how hard they had it as boys, and how much they had to work, they'll have photographic evidence.  I just can't help them with the walking to school in the snow uphill both ways.

Sorry boys.

Planting Strip

Remember when the boys dug out the dirt in the planting area?  Well, here is what it looked like after all their hard labor.

Now we're going to fill it all back in with rocks.

See?

Over here too.
The white pipes are irrigation lines for the trees.

Here's the first concrete coming down the chute. 
Of course we're using concrete.  You didn't think we'd just lay the rocks in the dirt and leave them did you? 

Here's Chris filling the form.

Chris and Sport.

All full.  I'm not sure about this.  Maybe it shouldn't be so full?

Dan pulling the chute over to the next form.

And more concrete .

Dan's using the scraper thing to pull a little more concrete down the chute.

Dan

Dan and Chris moving concrete.

Ever wonder what the back of a concrete truck looks like?

More filling.
What follows this photograph is a frenzied period of placing the rocks in the concrete, shoveling out some of it (yes, it was too full) and just general high stress.  I was placing some of the rocks, so no photos.

BUT, after all that, here's the final product.

See?  Rocks in concrete.

No weeds to pull, no landscaping to try to maintain.  Nice and clean.

Some Digging, Some Cabinets

Here's ole Caser keeping an eye on the neighborhood.

And Sport digging out the dirt in the planting area between the sidewalk and the street.  He and the Big Dog have recently instituted a "no photos" policy.  Look at that face.

And look at that face.  I'm beginning to fear for my safety.

So I'll go inside and snap the men for a little bit.  Chris and Dan don't glare at me - they just ignore me.
Here they're starting to install the kitchen cabinets.

Dan is setting up the transit.  Because we don't just throw cabinets in all willy nilly.  They must be exactly level.

Here's the kitchen again, sans men.

And here it is from another angle.  Thats the wall where the big cabinet will go.  See it still out in the garage?

Thats okay, there are plenty other cabinets to install first.

Now I will surreptitiously photograph the boys through the living room window.  Heh, heh.

You'll notice the ground is so dry and compacted that Sport has to use a pick to loosen it before they can shovel it out.  Watching that, I'm about to break into a rousing round of "I've been working on the railroad".....maybe my humorous asides are why I'm no longer allowed to photograph them?