Who Needs Aerobics?

Back from another invigorating session of earth sculpture at the lake. With the temps becoming more agreeable we are beginning to dive into the many outdoor projects that had been shelved. I'm uncovering more and more of my old garden and have found old photos to compare. I've added a post to the Lake House Blog for before and after pics. Sorry I haven't kept that blog more up to date but will try to remedy that as time allows.

J finally got the 25 yr old water pump to work again so future droughts won't be a problem, even way up the hill to the front yard! 'Course it could blow up from the unaccustomed strain (I would!) but he'll just find another way to fix it... seems to love the challenge ;-) We are in awe of the amount of work we'd put into the place... an underground watering system that still works!

This trip I dug and chunked bricks and flagstone from some of the many edgings I'd created so long ago, most now buried with a few offering clues as to where to dig. They will go into a redesign of deck and patios around the boathouse. I thought the area was really starting to look good until I took a look at an old photo (see above link) the way it was... geeze! We even had grass... which is NOT in our plans this time around... the landscaping down by the lake will be simple and natural, but under control.

This pic shows just a few of the bricks I recovered... also moved those logs up and out of the way. You can see some of the old herringbone brick pattern in front of the boat house, only partially recovered... a three or four inch layer of dirt and roots cover my handiwork. Later, up on the house deck we rest and survey our progress... making a few more plans or adjusting the ones we'd already agreed on. The design goes on...

We've been making the trip once or twice a week and loving the time we spend there. J's bad sprain last May turned out (after they finally took an MRI!) to be a shattered heel bone and he's found a sports doctor (a former Olympic specialist) who thinks he can help him without surgery. J's main concern is to be able to continue swimming competitively with the Masters... surgery would require some fusing and he would lose lateral movement in that foot... not a good thing. The doctors are amazed that he does so much considering the pain he must be feeling... he's pretty remarkable (and I won't even say 'for his age'!)

I can't imagine not having this property to restore... this part of our past that we get to do again, to repeat, in a sense. That's pretty rare and I truly appreciate, no matter how tired, dirty and sore I get.

Oh... look what I found in an old ivy bed I was cleaning out... our youngest son's Tonka truck!