Summer Time, Yard Time

As the East Bay summer rolls in, we decided it was finally time to do something with our yard. We have neglected it ever since we moved in, and to be honest, it wasn't much to start out with. We're pretty sure that in the seller's efforts to "stage" the place, he just poured wood chips over the existing yard and planted a few bushes that have not grown up to be pretty adults. Ilana took charge of the project and did an amazing job of creating a design and then lining up some professional help at a very affordable price. Here's what we started with:

The aerial view makes it look better than it was -- think weed garden and litter box for every stray cat in the neighborhood. The week before we started work on it, I removed the ugliest little bush tree I've ever seen from smack in the middle of it. Our new friend Tony helped us clear the rest and carted off literally a truckload of old dirt:

Then after laying down some fresh soil came the job of arranging our new stones. Tony was amazing and had a vision the whole time, somehow knowing when to flip certain stones or rotate others to make the perfect jigsaw puzzle.

That's Little Tony with the broom. He looks more helpful in the photo than he actually was. But we're pretty pleased with the final product:

Here it is from the ground level, though this shot was taken before we decided to move the table to the corner:

That's a Japanese Maple that we planted and are very excited about. And just in case you didn't think we did any of the work, here I am doing some fine-tuning:

We've also added two miniature succulent gardens and have plans for some more potted adventures.

We're really happy with the outcome and feel that we've added another room to the house with this very manageable, livable outdoor space. Special thanks to Marilyn for encouraging the project. Bring on the summer BBQs!