James the Builder

Last year James and I stood outside in our backyard feeling very overwhelmed. We looked around at a potentially beautiful lot that had not been cared for properly in many years, and which was going to wilderness. We decided to take action. First, we moved our square foot gardens over into the old garden plot which was full of weeds. We covered the weeds (after unsuccessfully trying to dig them out) with black ground cover, then put the boxes on top, then put some red bark around. Phase two was filling in the remainder with sod. Lots of sod was purchased and laid. During this phase we also tried to form borders and make a couple flower beds. Phase three was THE DECK. This phase started last summer and continued through this summer. James planned out the deck using magazines and people as resources, and proceeded to build it. I don't think the pictures below can accurately display the amazing feat this was/is, but I for one am so relieved that it is just about over (there's always room for improvement, right?) and we can really enjoy our backyard now. I'm very amazed at what James has done.