We have been well, I just haven't been inspired to update, and I know everyone is clamouring to find out how we are settling in (how long to we get to "settle in)? How the never ending house project is going.... how the kids are doing.
Here is Ry and Cade, proudly (is goofily a word?) showing off their certificates from a fly fishing class by Gil, our good buddy. His next class will have the 5 youngsters making a wooden boat. At the end of the class he also takes the kids fishing. Gil procured some scholarship's to a fly fishing camp, but Ry didn't want to go and Caden is still too young.
The biggest house project (besides my roman shades) has been building a basalt rock retaining wall. Seventeen tons of rock, muscle and blood built this wall. I do like to tell people to casually "guess" that the wall was 3-4 tons, but Brian refuses to give a reaction. I did help a tad, but mostly Brian built the wall, and since we are first in the neighborhood, we inspired our neighbors and now we have a theme! The boys, and Britt and Rheanna too, helped haul rocks across the yard to their final destinations.
A huge part of the project was hand digging/filling in dirt. We have an irrigation right of way so the back hoe left a good chunk for us to do ourselves. It is amazing how little dirt you seem to move wheel barrel by wheel barrel. Luckily, our dirt (ha, dirt? it is like living on a beach here, minus the benefit of the ocean) is easy to dig.
This is Brian, and as you can see, nearly expired from labor. He will be greatly rejuvenated by all your praising comments.
And, whooo hoooo Brian! Load 17 tons and what-do-ya-get?
'til next post.
ei
