Garden Project : Day 4

This morning we had a short reprieve from the rain. There were actually mostly-blue skies when I walked the kids to school in the morning. But by noon it was heavily overcast, and by early evening, rain again.

The forecast is not very comforting:


However, I was very pleased to see my landscaping crew this morning, carrying my 2" flagstone and bench to the upper yard. Better yet, I had planned to work from home today, so was available for consultation as necessary (I tried not to hover around until asked).

By noon they were carrying loads of gravel. With the arrival of the gravel, the path suddenly has taken shape. The stones sitting around the perimeter will be laid in place once the gravel is compacted and covered in sand:

The gravel is delivered one wheelbarrow load at a time, carrying it some 100' distance and 20' elevation gain. I am happy to see it get done, and not tempted to help!:

By the time the crew is finishing up at 4:30pm, it is getting dark, so my photos are either blurred or dimly light by the flash. We picked out 6 large stones to lead from the stone stairway and the pathway:

Once they are laid in place, one of the guys cuts the edge, and will eventually remove the grass below, laying the stone directly into place. I suspect they were anxious to cut the edges, before I changed my mind about the placement of the stones, since we tried a number of stones and arrangements until we got it right. By the time they packed up to leave, the rain had already begun:

The flagstone is called "Mountain Grey". I wish you could see it, it is not just grey, but has swirls of browns and other colours across it. On my occasional visits to the landscape supply yard over the last year or so, I picked this stone as my favourite every time. The landscaper tells me today that when he ordered it, they had JUST enough stone for the project (we'll find out if we're a bit short, but so far it looks good!), and NO additional stock of the 2" material (only a 3/4 - 1" version). They wouldn't be bringing any more until the Spring. I humbly thank God for the timing, because I would not be willing to choose another stone, and the thought of waiting until Spring at this point would be more than I think I could bear.

So the project proceeds. Hopefully tomorrow morning the sand will be carried up the hill, and the placement of stones can begin. By afternoon it is 100% (gotta like those odds - NOT!) probability of precipitation - up to 20 mm (just shy of 1 inch)! I had only 1 meeting scheduled at the office, which I've switched to Thursday, so I plan to work from home again to enjoy the progress.