Landscaping The Backyard 
10:55am Tuesday April 28, 1998 

Here's the plan that Max Capron came up with.  His design is just great.  Janis & I, though enthusiastic, just didn't have the right vision.  Now, with this completed drawing, we can continue our hard work knowing that the end result will be pleasing to us. 
Even with this detailed, scale drawing, we had a difficult time really seeing this with respect to our current yard.  Then we took measurements from the drawing and place flags and twine along the borders.  Finally we could see the real dimensions.  The berm turned out to be twice as big as I thought.  Without that knowledge, matching this picture to our yard just wasn't making sense. 

Max not only drew this design for us, he also helped us with a rough construction sequence we could follow: 

  1. Concrete patio, walkway, & gazebo base.
  2. Berm.
  3. Curbing around pool.
  4. Gazebo & trellace.
  5. Plant big trees: pine, maple, aspen.
  6. Identify beds, sod removal, add pond.
  7. Sprinklers.
  8. Sod addition.
  9. Patio cover.
Well of course, we've already deviated from this sequence.  To date we've setup the trellace and done some of the sod removal, and moved JRs lilac bush & a clump of irises.  The view out the kitchen window is taking shape.  We bought the gazebo from Hugh M. Woods for $1400.  It's a kit and was delivered to our house Apr 14.  Mary & I tacked it together last night just enough so that the cement guys can figure out how to build the base.  And, today, the cement guys are hard at it.
Sunday May 2, 1998 The Gazebo Goes Up

Uncle Dave & niece Katie came over Sunday morning to help setup the gazebo.  Uncle Dave came packing - his battery operated drill/screwdriver that is.  He really knows how to go to town with it.  He'd fasten things as fast as we could hand them to him.  

The concrete base almost fit perfectly.  Just missed one of the eight anchor bolts.  Wondering how well this'll hold up in our first Chinook gale.  The roof could end up in the neighbors backyard.  We've had some rain and wind since and the gazebo has faired quite well.  

Had coffee and read the morning paper there, the other morning.  The sun hits it just right.  It gets early morning sunshine which takes the chill off.  I like to sit outside and read/write in a sunny spot.  It's fun to gazeeb.

Working on opening up the pool this week.  Got the authoritative 'Jack Gibbs Instructions' for how to do things just right.  Emma's very excited.  Got the filter/pump/hoses all hooked up & the water level up to where we can use the pump to get the water off the winter cover.