This week was somewhat quiet on the project front. Our daughter Angela and year old grandson Andrew from Calgary drove wife Janet back up from Wasaga Beach arriving I think around 9:00 p.m. Monday night. It rained most of the evening so I didn't do much. Tuesday I began digging out to extend my lower front retaining wall and turn it 90 degrees toward the street to hold up my neighbour's yard. I also received a call to notify me the rest of my pavers, curbs and I added some cap stones to lay a series of three stairs to the basement would arrive on Wednesday. I had Angela help me measure 34 feet across into the other neighbours yard and I drove in some lengths of rebar and pulled a string to indicate to the driver the line behind which I wanted him to unload. They duly arrived on Wednesday afternoon, Angela was around to show where to unload the materials. The caps I am using for stair treads are 24 inches by three thick and overall 26 inches deep with a small 'V' groove along which you split them to form two cap stones. They are damn heavy, I brought them up to the back yard and split them a little gingerly at first worrying I might shatter one but with confidence I ultimately got brave enough to do it with only a few smacks wit the mallet and a 4 inch masonry chisel. I moved a couple of dozen of the small retaining wall blocks up to the back yard and arranged them ready for use and that was about that.
Thursday was really hot, I did a little more digging but we decided to go down to the lake for a swim and a cool-off. the baby really enjoys the lake and Janet really enjoys playing with the baby and I sleep a lot better after a good swim. I didn't get much work done. There is a "Summer Fest" going on this week-end. Thursday night they had a bonfire on the peninsula for toasting marshmallows and hotdogs, there was some canned music at the bandstand and later some fireworks we didn't stay for. There were loads of kids and some adults taking kids for canoe and kayak rides. Walking home I popped into a little variety store and bought us all a popsicle, I shared my chocolate popsicle with Andrew, his first ever popsicle and what kid could resist? He got it everywhere but didn't make a sound all the way home in his stroller. Friday night we had to show the baby off to friends out at a cottage about 5 miles south of town so didn't get anything done after work Friday. This morning Angela and Andrew left for the drive down to our older daughter in Lindsay, usually about 7 and a half hours for Chrystal but it took Angela somewhat longer with the baby. She will spend the night there then drive into Toronto tomorrow and turn in the car and fly back to Calgary. So I was out in the yard by about eleven this morning laying steps into this well to a landing where they meet poured stairs into the basement. There was some preparation work still left which included knocking a lump of cement off of the edge where the two sets will meet. This was some I couldn't get with the jack hammer. I used a little zip gun off of the compressor but that wasn't very effective, I ended up having to knock it off by hand with a mallet and chisel, took hours and my right arm will be hurting tomorrow. I did get two stairs set though after hauling up a couple of barrows of sand up the steps to the back yard and packing it firmly. I have one more to go and will have to see how these wall stones cut. I do have a diamond cutter for a circular saw and I have an old one here suitable for the task but it will be difficult to do, I might try just scoring around the blocks with the saw then busting the blocks with the chisel. there is something truly satisfying about busting brick and stone with a chisel. Once the elevations are determined I can finish the patio. I will have to excavate a strip about four feet by 20 to a depth of at least a foot and bring up that amount of sand and pack it thoroughly so as to finish the patio right to the south fence. I will then finish excavating for the big retaining wall because I want to pack sand into the base of that before laying those blocks, they are big heavy beggars and I want a good firm precise bed prepared before I begin laying them, I have no interest in moving them any more times than absolutely necessary. Once I no longer need the sand I will get a man with a little crawler dozer and a small back hoe to remove what is left of the town sidewalk and excavate a couple of other known problems areas and we can fill and pack and blade the driveway flat. He has a good eye for that, we should be able to compact a good base then lay the driveway. I am a little daunted, it is going to cover 32 by 86 feet. I think I will have to hire a kid or two to keep pavers at my heels otherwise I will be laying it in the snow. Hopefully I can get to that the week after next. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
