The dogs have totally trashed my backyard, as you can see. In addition to the dead grass, I am also faced with a steep sloping yard. The next big project after completing the shed and the garage, is to build a retaining wall so that I can remove this steep slope. I hope to eventually brick a nice patio and walkway by the house. I do not expect to start this project until late summer or fall of 2004. Wish me luck!
4/19/05 – it’s been quite some time since my last project. I’ve not quite
finished putting up the moulding in the garage, but with the weather getting
hot, it was time to start the retaining wall before the temperature got too
unbearable. During these last 8 months I have had to deal with 3
hurricanes (yes, 3 of them!), losing my job at Oracle (it was
outsourced to India), and starting a new business (Auntie Lori’s Pet
Sitting Service).
I am building the retaining wall in sections, since I’m afraid the dogs would knock all the dirt down if I tried to dig the entire trench before starting to lay the blocks.
Here is the first visible row of blocks in "section 1" which is about 16 feet long. Although you cannot see it, there is actually another layer of blocks buried beneath the soil.
Section 1 is near completion. I’m not sure
which part of this building project is more brutal. Digging up the grass
was tough, but moving the piles of dirt seems to be even tougher. These
blocks are super heavy. The blocks are on a pallet at the end of my
driveway. I put about 12 blocks in the bed of my pickup truck, and then
drive the truck up to the edge of the garage. Next I take one block at
a time, carrying it through the garage (stepping over Porkchop and Charlotte
in the process), go out the side garage door, and place the block in the
small wheelbarrow that I borrowed from Mom. When I get 6 blocks in the
wheelbarrow I drag it through the soft sand to the back of the house.
I have 230 blocks, so that means I must make 39 trips like that!
