This rock came out of the garage/shop excavation. I finally got around to shifting it a bit (too heavy to lift) with the bobcat to level and position it as a cocktail table. Works great now. There will be some minor landscaping done around it next year.
This is a view of the lower parking area, just below the house. One year ago, this entire area was filled with fill, about 200 tons. It has been used all around the house and there is not much, but enough I hope, left. I had arranged to get it moved here a few years ago when a neighbor said I was welcome to it, but I needed to move it that year. It is a combination of rock, gravel, clay and dirt. This year or next the berm at the end will be gone.
This is a view behind the shop. The foreground are the benches-to-be, sliced with a chainsaw from a tree that we had to cut down (middle of the garage). The benches will be situated in various view points on the property next year. To the left is a pile of firewood for the shop. In the background is a pile of wood that will be burned as soon as we have an ok for a open fire burn day. Should be a good fire! Open fires are only allowed on larger properties when the “venting index” is above 55 – I believe this means there is some wind and not much cloud. Since the start of the open burning season 6 weeks ago, we have only had one permissible day.
The back yard. This is the result of about 50 bobcat buckets of fill. I will do another 10 or so in the next few days before the ground freezes up and then top dress it in the spring with about 6″ of topsoil. This area will take about 12 cubic meters of top soil, or about 14 tonnes.
In between jobs, or when I am going up/down the drive with the bobcat, I try to do a little landscaping. The far side of the drive has been cleaned up by removing dead trees and branches, and loose rocks. There is still more than needs to be done. The idea is to smooth out the part nearest the drive and have it revert to natural green vegetation. The upper part will remain untouched. The foreground will have a short rock wall enclosing dirt and natural plantings. Hard to envisage I know – check back next year on this.
