Paths and Rocks and Things

For years, we lived with this thing:

You know, I’m not going to make fun of a beginner woodworker’s work, but this thing was ugly as hell.  We kept it, because as you can see, it served a purpose, and despite being out in the elements for several years it did not fall apart.  In all fairness, it did fall apart when I removed it because the wood was rotted so badly.  But up until then, it did fine.

Here we go.  New shelving made out of 4×4’s and 2×6’s.  New deck for it to sit on, and the garbage bins are tucked back out of sight.  New pavers and beach rocks for a path that is significantly less muddy than the previous path behind the house.  Note the lighting, it’s so nice to be able to see back there.  Any idea how much of a pain it is to carry a flashlight while taking out the trash?   Yeah, enough of that.

I’ve even made a little bit of outdoor storage under the deck there.  It’s not dry, but it’s a spot for empty pots and plastic bins and rocks and stuff.

These stairs are definitely not code.  They’re dangerous even by my standards.  Keeps you alert to have stairs like that.

A good piece of driftwood makes a nice handhold while climbing those stairs.

When digging out the ground for those pavers, I came across quite a few rocks that had to be dug out.  It’s like pulling teeth out of the Earth.  It’s bad enough that they weigh 100 pounds and they’re wet and slippery and you can’t get any grip on them, but they are rooted down there and you have to dig quite a ways under them to get them out.

This rock was right in the way of my path, in the way of progress.  I dug about 18 inches down on both sides and I still couldn’t get under it.  It’s just going to have to stay there.  I’ll pour some concrete around it in the shape of a rectangle.  Maybe no one will notice.

Considering the Before Picture, I think we’ve done well.

2017 Garden Tour

We’ve been busy little beavers out there.  Deer fence is up, pergola is up, planting beds are in, patio pavers are down, it’s like we added on to the house with this big outdoor space.

The pavers replace what was once this kind of muddy, weed covered pit.  Gardening tools would accumulate in this area until they were needed elsewhere.

And that pergola filled the void left by the old hot tub.

The planting areas are coming along nicely.  We put sedum down in the rocks so they can spread out a bit and fill the openings.

I’m going to put a nice gardening bench here at some point.

This ground cover is really thriving.  Never seen it get so big and green before.  It likes wet, cool conditions.

Birds are liking that bird bath.  And so are the wasps, hornets, bees, and a myriad of other stinging creatures.

Stone stairs, definitely not code.

So, the back deck is one of the few places without a view of the sea, which means it generally gets put to the bottom of the list of places you’d want to hang out.  But I don’t know, now it’s kind of nice back there.  A private little nook.  At some point, I’d like to get an awning of sorts just to keep it dry, or part of it dry, then we could sit out there year round.  That big thing wrapped in canvas?  That’s an outdoor propane heater!

And here’s the fancy pants access door I made for the crawlspace.  What did it look like before?

Yeah, lovely.

And, as requested, here is Sissy, our newest little family member.