The Wall Begin'ith - and END'ETH

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Taking much longer than I had hoped . . . shouldn't be a surprise really. First - dug in the trench for the foundation. Next day - built the braces and set up the 're-bar' (big ???). Then the concrete mixer comes to pour and then we start laying in jumbo cinder blocks. Wooo Hoooooo. I get so excited just thinking about our cinder blocks. UPDATE: We're on day two of cinder block laying and man those things look heavy! Side wall is up and ready for plaster, back wall should be done on Friday. I'm sure when it's done next week the back neighbor will be around to file an official complaint that the wall is 3" higher than allowed and we can tear it all down and start over.

June 8: One more day and the wall should be done. Tomorrow the white stucco goes on and then we can begin clean-up. PILES of stuff and I'm calling around for a bin to be delivered that we can load up.

June 10th: The wall is done and now we've moved on to bigger and better projects. 30 foot dumpster arrives tomorrow to clear out the mess.

Jungle Much?

So there is much neighbor-hating going on over here. The back neighbor is not paying for the wall, but wants to tell us how to build it. He keeps peeking over to check on our progress, and LOOK at the junk heap that he has built along the back of his property. I can't stand to go back there as I keep thinking it must be bug and rat infested and I can't wait for the wall to go up so I can block it all out.

The next door neighbor has obviously let his back yard turn into a jungle and I suspect we'll have two days of solid labor just to clear out THEIR wall o' ivy so we can dig out the wall foundation. Bitter much? Why yes, yes I am.

Update 6/3: Had a jumbo delivery of cinder blocks and concrete mix today. Big semi and cool pallet mover. Blocked the street. I only wish it had been wood beams for my pergola.

The Garage Makeover

So we began by cutting off the metal bars on all the doors and windows. (I mean really, what is there to steal? Old TPT shirts . . . take 'em!) Then all the old rotted wood around the windows was removed and replaced. Now they are primed and ready for painting. Jess and I plan to tackle painting the entire garage when she is out of school. Adrian is doubtful about our painting prowess, but we plan to wow him.

Backyard Before and After

It all began today. I'll shoot the progress as we move along. I suspect it will be 8-10 weeks until we finish. The old crusty bougainvillea was a tough one to chop down, and almost brought the even older and crustier fence down too. To start - new wall in the back, garage exterior redo, lots of concrete demo. And never noticed QUITE how 45 degree angle our fig tree was.

Cavalier Fun Day 2010

A great time this weekend at the Cavalier Picnic in Arcadia. We must have seen 50-60 Cavaliers in all shapes and sizes. Jess loved taking PJ through some jumps on the agility course and I suspect we'll be doing more. PJ keeps her 'eye on the prize' (treats) like nobody's business and We got to meet up with one of PJ's siblings. And we left wishing we could maybe get just one more . . . but will have to hold ourselves back for now.

Another Latte Lover in the Family

PJ does love her early Sunday morning latte.