The bobcat came in and regraded the backyard. That plus clearing out a bunch of the debris sets the stage for finessing the terraces. It was too wet and sloppy today for me to want to trek up to the end of the yard for an overview shot but you’ll see in the next batch … Continue reading Building out the Backyard 02
On the heels of last years epic renovations – Pool, Lenai, Driveway, Retaining Walls and Front Lawn and Irrigation system, we’ve embarked upon a less ambitious project to address the area behind the Lenai which comprises the bulk of our back yard. This time we’re working with Brian Plett of Blaydes Landscaping. He is local … Continue reading Building out the Backyard 01
This is the second time I’ve seen this behemoth. It looks like a “stretch-bee” and is maybe 3 times larger than a normal bumble bee. Here are some pictures, the “little” wasps beside it are actually normal size (about 3/4 – 1 inch). This thing is noticeable. They are feeding on the sugar water dripping … Continue reading Big Bug in backyard
It took us a long time to find something we were going to be satisfied with for the far side of the pool enclosure. We wanted something that would accent the rock wall face without glaring back at the house where we would be sitting most of the time. Some challenges included the fact that … Continue reading Lights installed on far side of Lanai
This post comprises 3 working days on the project. The first and last days were too small for me to want to post separately about them and they are all related. On Friday (April 27) the driveway leveling was completed using the bobcat which was also used to tamp it down. One of this project’s … Continue reading 2012 Home Renovations – Part 30 – Driveway Prepped and Poured
This article in Rolling Stone’s online magazine does not at all surprise me and only confirms my own experiences and opinion of Bank of America. This little snippet pretty aptly sums up the character of this corporate behemoth. Take your eyes off them for 10 seconds and guaranteed, they’ll be into some shit again: This … Continue reading Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail
We had a total of 8 trees cleared by Yellow Ribbon Tree Experts. Despite a high wind advisory – we seldom have even a breeze here – and at or below freezing temperatures, the guys soldiered through the process and you can see that the back yard is now a much more open space. We … Continue reading 2012 Home Renovations – Part 03 – Clearing the Trees
A few months ago, while visiting relatives in Florida, Michelle went out to take in the neighborhood. She came back from this not just a little excited and told me that they’d found a house that was in foreclosure and that I should come and take a look-see. The house was nicely appointed (what we … Continue reading 2012 Home Renovations – Part 01 The Project – Pool, Lanai, Driveway, Retaining walls
I was doing my taxes and realized that, aside from the zillions of sorry, sad causes that I’m forced to support through my tax dollars (bailouts of the irresponsible from Wall Street to Main Street, domestic spying, “wars” on everything from drugs to fatty foods) I am giving my support to more and more causes … Continue reading My Affiliations and Causes to which I contribute materially
A little while ago we had a landscape architect (Sherry Lizotte) come over and create a “master plan” with us for how our property might actually look someday. We took those plans and worked with a landscaper (Glen Warren) to figure out what we wanted to address now and what would wait for (probably much) … Continue reading Landscaping our property – The Beginning
