We've started on the rock patio

When digging the foundation walls we came across a great many rocks. For those living in the Adirondacks, this comes as no surprise. For those outside this great area, when I say rocks, I mean ROCKS! We ended up with what I joked was a defensive perimeter around the house. Zombie apocalypse? No problem - we have breastworks from which to shoot.

In addition to the naturally occurring rocks, we also found a barn's stone foundation. These rocks had been either shaped or carefully chosen by the original builders so that they were sort of squarish. And usually had a flat side. Perfect for building walls - or patios!

So we set those aside into a big pile for future use. And the future is now!

We started with some of the larger surface area rocks to place next to the porch. They're very heavy.

He's happy about this. Honest.

It was tricky getting it into place without damaging the porch slab. Fortunately Chris is very, very good with that tractor.

The inaugural rock

Several hours of moving, digging, and scooching later, we had four rocks in place and one ready for placement. Just 2000 square feet to go!

Awesome stepping stones (and look at that new grass!)

The plan is to cover the entire east yard while leaving space for the kitchen garden and the fire ring. I'll plant landscape thyme in between the rocks to soften the look, plus it'll smell wonderful when we walk on it. The cool stuff has started!