A Productive Weekend (pic heavy)

Well I think spring is finally here in the north country. We decided it was a good weekend for yard chores.

We have a statue of a flutist. When we moved her I just plonked her into the grass. She needed a proper home - a concrete base.
We dug out the space, used a clam shell post hole digger to get a deep stable base and then built a form and filled with Quickrete.




The flutist has two long protruding bolts.



We used the tractor to position her so ML could mark were to drill holes for the protruding bolts.




Then I used an early Father's Day gift, a hammer drill, to make the holes. This beast of a drill went through 4 inches of concrete in a flash.





I filled the holes with epoxy cement applied with a caulk gun. The flutist was set into the holes and is now secure.


While I was fussing with her ML continued to remove sod for a a flower garden. We did a bunch with the tractor. But my imprecise handling was causing huge divots. So we finished by hand. ML did most of that. She is a worker!!



Once we had the space sod free and edged we added metal edging to keep the walkway in place. Then a decorate fence to keep the dogs from running through the garden as they come off the deck. We put the plants out and were ready to start digging.



Toby was nonplussed while we did the sweaty work.




This is the final product. We were both pleased with the results.




While I needed Advil on both nights it was an enjoyable weekend. We like the results. All of the flowers were chosen to attract humming birds and butterflies.

Thanks for looking.

Nice work!  That is going to only grow to look even more beautiful over time.  We have so many trees it’s hard to find the space to do that.  I’m sure it will provide you much enjoyment over time.

Where I live, the N.Y. “Capital Region,” the “North Country” has a specific meaning. Where’s home for you?

Your posts always make me feel like an idiot for living in the city. Great work and beautiful property!

srz65le#31
Thanks on the kind words.

We live in north NH in Coos County, pronounce Kohaas.
We moved in a year ago.
"North country" is used by the state for tourism purposes.
But the locals embrace it. Closest car dealer is Ford North Country Automobiles. Plants for the garden wer purchased at 2 different nurseries: North Country Gardens and North  Country  Nursery.

Lovely part of the state and country.

Shane,
A nice compliment rhat made me laugh as well.
Freddy and I tease back and forth over country vs city. I'll  make sure he sees your post

Well done!

The same Koi pond done in Maine wouldn't sport a peacock but might be seen with a flock of these.



As seen here during their annual migration north with a stopover in Maine for refueling.

Edit: WOW! Am I embarrassed! Wrong thread! I'll leave it as a tribute to the speed with which I posted (yesterday was a madhouse at the Krampert's Finest compound), but it's also posted in the correct thread.

Shane,
A nice compliment rhat made me laugh as well.
Freddy and I tease back and forth over country vs city. I'll  make sure he sees your post

I did see it, Phil.  As always, the work that Mary Lou and you put into your incredible endeavors is always impressive.  However, I only bother to dust and vacuum my apartment about once every millennium and can barely use a hammer or screwdriver (and sometimes use them interchangeably).  Besides, thanks to a touch of air pollution, we get much prettier sunsets than you country folk.

All kidding aside, the home and grounds are beautiful but there is something I have been meaning to ask you.  Both your previous house and grounds and your current one are striking but the first one seemed to be in a much more wooded area, based on your photos.  Did you favor one home over the other?  I realize the move was somewhat of a needs/must situation but taking that out of the equation, which of the homes and grounds do you prefer?  Which does Mary Lou prefer?

Again, fantastic work on a beautiful place.

Another great project to justify the acquisition of another power tool!  Nice Bosch drill    

My check list before starting a project starts with, what tools haven't I got?  What project could conceivably require one or more of those tools?  

very nice, PhilNH5. I loved my trip to NH last year and can't wait to get back up there again - maybe later this year in early fall.

Shane,p













A nice compliment rhat made me laugh as well.
Freddy and I tease back and forth over country vs city. I'll  make sure he sees your post

I did see it, Phil.  As always, the work that Mary Lou and you put into your incredible endeavors is always impressive.  However, I only bother to dust and vacuum my apartment about once every millennium and can barely use a hammer or screwdriver (and sometimes use them interchangeably).  Besides, thanks to a touch of air pollution, we get much prettier sunsets than you country folk.

All kidding aside, the home and grounds are beautiful but there is something I have been meaning to ask you.  Both your previous house and grounds and your current one are striking but the first one seemed to be in a much more wooded area, based on your photos.  Did you favor one home over the other?  I realize the move was somewhat of a needs/must situation but taking that out of the equation, which of the homes and grounds do you prefer?  Which does Mary Lou prefer?

Again, fantastic work on a beautiful place.

Freddy,
Funny you should ask. ML and I talk about this quite often.

In southern NH we had a log cabin on 5 acres. We were located in the 4th largest town in NH. But our property location allowed us to live a rural lifestyle.
I loved the cabin. The rich warm wood coupled with a contemporary design made the house unique. We had  circular stairs, cathedral ceilings 2 stories high, a bridge to a loft and a 3 story internal chimney made of local rock. I loved that house. Every one who entered said "Wow". I loved the location as well. A pond, woods for beauty, fuel and maple syrup. We had trails for walking the dogs and snowshoeing.

When we knew we were locating to a rural area in the mountains I fully expected an older home on lots of wooded acreage.
We wound up with 3 acres of field and a 13 year old house.

We both love this house. It is by far the favorite of the 5 houses we have owned. Thw house is an open design with lots of big windows.  The view out each is beautiful. The property is relatively flat vs the big hill that was most of our property down south.

The dogs love it as well. We had a small yard down state. Once the dogs were 10 feet into the heavy forest we could not see them so we called them back. Here they are in sight all the way to the property line. We can let them wander while still keep an eye on them. They love this freedom.

I never thought I would like any house more than the cabin but I love this place. ML does as well. I think that fact amazes us borh