house update #1

So, when I left to visit my friend in Colorado (a wonderful visit consisting of talking and passing the adorable baby back and forth while we coo-ed like idiots) my mom asked what the next house project should be. I told her I wanted a patio. This was after several other projects which I will discuss in the future. I had no idea if she would attempt it or how exactly she would interpret that particular desire, but I figured what the hell. Most everything she attempts is great, seriously, it sort of makes me crazy.

So, I came home and to my delight, she had framed a patio for me. A huge one, 16x10, I think. We spent a few days talking over the options. I had been collecting brick for a while and drew out some interesting shapes and came up with a general design, a combination of brick and stone with some interesting "white space" thrown in to break up the brick.

That's not what I ended up with. Nope, instead I spent about three times what I had budgeted...carried away by the beauty of the rock and mom's enthusiasm, and have an almost perfect patio.

This pile of rock:



which I'd like to point out is 2.1 tons of Idaho flag stone and 2.5 tons of black gravel...all of which we moved and placed by hand.

Became this patio:


I love it. I would love it ten times more if my ancient, super sweet and very distracted neighbor was not participating in the great mosquito growing experiement of 2010. My legs are a mess and I must smell amazing because I ALWAYS get bit. Grrrr!