Finishing up the last path

Our last post showed the path-building process - at least as far as we got that day!  Today we pretty much finished the path, and also did some other sprucing up for the upcoming Co-housing Open House Day next weekend.  It was a perfect day for being outdoors!

Dave moving a load of screenings - it's rare that Dave get's his photo taken, but it was hard for him to escape this one!

Dick, Mike and Stewart hauled MANY loads of screening and Chapel Hill gravel

Dave, Linda, Joyce and Vonda spreading the two kinds of gravel

Rosemarie has been sick, but that didn't stop her from gardening today!  She just chose a job where she could stay away from everyone and not spread the germs!

Dick and Nancy - would you guess they are soon to turn 84 and 86???

Joyce, Dave and Karolyn putting up a banner for the upcoming Co-housing Open House

Linda, Vonda, Stewart and Joyce - getting close to the end of the path!

Richard and Karen were busy today with other tidying-up projects

Linda and Joyce getting close to the end of the path

Vonda and Mike tamping the final coats of gravel that Stewart is spreading

What a work crew!!

Having a much-deserved lunch break on Mike's porch (he just got new porch furniture - but not enough of it!)

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!