Before, during and after

Our driveway is finished and we're real happy with it. Here are views before it was started, after it was graded and after the stone was placed.

Some of the smaller trees have been removed.
You can see the area that had to be filled in the sunlight.

The grading is done and a small swale is visible on the right - the uphill side.

The finished driveway.
At the very bottom right one can see the edge of the pond
dug to protect the road from hillside runoff.

Sandy's new kitchen

It doesn't look like much yet, but Sandy is standing approximately next to the future kitchen island. That's a rake in her hand, not a broom.

If you look carefully you can see the driveway that comes up to near the future front door, just to the left of her, and, behind her, another section of the driveway that ends at a parking area.

As soon as the last piece of earth-moving equipment (also visible through the trees behind Sandy) is gone I'll post pictures of the driveway.

The fields are alive

Here are just a few of the flowers on the property these days:

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica)

There are many ironweed varieties. "Missouri" was selected due to the large number of flowers on the flower head.

Common Marsh-Pink (Sabatia angularis)

Hoary Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum incanum)

UPDATE: My sister, the hortoculturist, found the name of this plant. The top few leaves on each stem appear to be spray painted white, same color as the flowers.

Baby nibbler

Look closely. This little guy hasn't eaten much, yet, although he might be the one who loves the gazania flowers


Taken from the second floor of the barn apartment.

Apparently we are not alone

I walked down to the house site last evening. Just off the path from the barn to the site I noticed something unusual. Who ever they are, they are very handy with wood.