Boulder Boys

Well, the Great Boulder Adventures turned out to be just a little more work than expected! After 6 tons of 6-inch slab stones were delivered in our driveway, Margo called to beg the quarry manager to take back the stone. A professional mason cautioned that it would cost up to $5000 to have the slabs craned OVER the house, since most pieces weighed from 1000 - 2000 pounds! Much to our relief, the manager graciously sent a pick-up team to retrieve all but the 4 smallest stones. Greg rented an industrial 3-ton pallet jack so that he, Nick, and Isaac could move and hoist the 4 remaining stones in place in the backyard.

Promised the final arrangement, Margo cautioned the grunting team that they should arrange them in a row down the center, as the most functional and aesthetic design. Greg insisted that she would just "love" his idea - boulders arranged across the front of the deck. It looks like his aesthetic skills are matched only by his engineering calculations about getting 6-inch 1-ton stone slabs into the backyard in the first place! Poor Isaac shrugs in realization that they'll have to lug those boulders yet again! Greg wailed about injuries and lawsuits as Margo left with the burger order for the work crew. Upon return, and the smell of food, Greg admitted that the row arrangement was indeed the best, so he cancelled the liability call to his attorney.

Not happy with a morning of back-breaking work, Greg decided that Margo's list of wedding chores was just too easy. Back to the professional tool yard for a disk-grinder, he got even more committed to hard labor! The idea to rent a professional grade sander was for stripping off the old paint on the surrounding patio, which didn't quite showcase the new slabs as nicely as expected. The one hour job stretched into 5 hours of grueling and gitty work. Perfection is a small price to pay for,...um, perfection? Thank goodness for a Jacuzzi at the end of this day! With a few sore muscles and a few pounds of sweat, Greg has finally begun his work-out routine.

At the end of the day we arranged the pots of flowers around the slabs to Greg takes a well-deserved break with Kelsey, our niece, who is staying for the week to help with house-cleaning and getting things ready for the wedding. The boulder boys have given us the best "step-up" on the block (possibly in all of Santa Clara!)

Cleaning House

For Greg the best way to start housecleaning is with a bike ride to Santana Row for a cappucchino, the morning paper, and time to relax on the lovely outdoor patio. We started and ended the weekend at Santana Row with Pete's cappuchino on Friday, then Sunday evening @ The Left Bank for dessert & more cappucchino [mocha for Margo].

This was Greg's flex-Friday so we started the weekend a day early. On our return from Santana Row, we did some reconnaissance work at the Harris-Lass Museum to figure out where to put tables and chairs for the wedding. The gardeners were there to let us in the gate and take our photo in front of the farmhouse. After that it was back to the house to get crackin' on the cleanin'! Greg scoured the screens and windows, painted the foundation to match the stucco, and cleared off and organized the shed side of the house. Our favorite food recently is a sliced heirloom tomato. The markets are full of them these days - and we couldn't be happier! Greg takes a lunch break to savor a tomato & basil sandwich with a cold Corona. Much to our delight, Kiera & Bill returned from a weekend visit in Chico with a CASE of heirloom tomatoes from Sheila & Steve's garden! Margo spent the weekend getting the garden groomed, transplanting hibicus for wedding table settings, and transplanting heirloom tomato seedlings. We plan on having Green Zebras, and Black Russians for dinner through the winter with a possible greenhouse addition in the Fall. The weather's been unseasonably mild - every day just sunny & absolutely lovely in the South Bay. We haven't had a hot day yet!

Margo made a circuit of local Home Depot stores to pick up a matching set of clearanced lawn cushions & new umbrella for the table. Now the back deck looks like new! After lunch Greg tightened all the screws and bolts on the deck furniture, then swept up the patio, and whacked the dust out of the cushions on our new outdoor living room [in the background]. We'll have to get a new lotus for the backyard fountain,...the raccoons tore it apart pawing for fish last week! He rounded out the day by installing a decorative grate above the new succulent garden on the side of the house. Now Kiera & Bill's entrance has an inviting garden & grate to balance the recycle bin, green waste, and trash can on that side of the house.

This is the view of the garden from the guest house. The tomatoes are getting tall, basil is filling out, and cosmos are keeping the color. Trays of tomatoes & hibicus transplants are at the edge of the flower pots. Greg ordered a flat of red stone slabs to finalize our patio remodel, so over the weekend Greg, Bill, and Nick will get to figure out that two-ton puzzle!