Pavers Day

I have not been posting because my children and I took a week-long vacation in Chicago and someplace between here and there I lost my camera. Hopefully it will turn up, but in the meantime I will write posts and perhaps we can add pictures later.

The last few weeks have been pretty aggravating. It seemed like no matter how hard we tried nothing was getting done. Everyone was frustrated and tempers were beginning to flare. Since then we have worked out some personnel issues and tried a few new ways of doing things. So far this week has gone much better.

Approximately 1 million Stonehouse Park trees have now been cut down and dragged to the burn pile and the space around the house and the barns is really starting to open up. The mulberries are in full fruit and I am not the only person walking around with purple fingers. I have been practicing tree identification and can now recognize boxelder, slippery elm, walnut, oak, maple, hickory and shag hickory (apparently you can make good syrup from the shag hickory tree.)

Our biggest project recently has been paving the 3-bay barn. Gregg had to kick us in the butt to get us going - it was a daunting project to start and everyone had a different idea as to how to do it - but it is now 90% finished! The floor of the barn had to be raised several inches with gravel and then leveled out with sand. Once the sand was completely level we laid down a pattern of 3 sizes of antique style cedar colored paving stones. The pavers had to be carried into the barn in stacks and then laid individually by hand. It looks great! Our backs are aching a bit, unfortunately. Tomorrow we will be covering the floor with sand to fill in the gaps between the stones, and then brushing the excess sand off and finishing the floor with masonry sand.

So...I guess that's something. Tomorrow we finish the 3-bay floor and start roofing the picnic pavilion. We are supposed to be done with several roofs already but we are behind schedule and only just now getting started. Sigh.