The Final Path

Our last group of homes is now completed and this year we are working to complete all of the development work around the homes.  Some of that has involved building paths throughout our community.  We have built them all ourselves, so we are getting pretty good at it, and it goes pretty quickly with a group of people working together!  This week we worked on the last of the paths that connect the houses to the common house.

The first step is to mark the path!  We spray painted purple lines to help people know where to start digging

The next step is using shovels and mattocks to dig out the dirt.

Once we have removed a few inches of soil we place the edging and level it.

Then we put down landscape fabric - it's not really as fun as Ann makes it seem!

While some were busy on the paths, others were working in the gardens!

Path builders Joyce and Mary

Ann wrenched off all the little stakes that are attached to the metal edging - a lonely job!

In addition to the path builders and the weeders (above), Richard toiled at continuing to install our termite bait traps (no photo of Richard!!)

We made good use of our wheelbarrows, especially the power-wheelbarrow!

Once the landscape fabric is down we put in a few inches of screenings, and leave room for a top-coat of Chapel Hill gravel.  Avalon (a visiting family member) helped out!

Joyce, Ann and Avalon check out the progress while Nancy and Mike relax on the deck

No project is without its challenges!  The diggers hit a phone line - whoops!  Too bad you can't see the look on Stewart's face!

After hitting the phone line, we looked more carefully for the others!

Chris and Lucy digging gently to uncover another phone line

Rest break!!!

And here are our gardeners again - I think Cheryl and Leslie look happier than the diggers

We didn't finish the path, but we got a good start on it. Watch this space for the final product!