September 27, 2009
This post is of a project we undertook in 2004 – in the Spring – for a great couple, Jeff and Denise, and their young red headed kids who were not even arguably cuter than buttons. They were a feature every day, the little guys, and who were, not surprisingly, fascinated by their daily Big Show out back of huge machinery and big fellows moving dirt and rocks all around.
(Incidentally, for those of you to whom this looks familiar – it should. This was posted just about a year ago in this blog. With me moving this week to Kentucky, all bets are off for at least a week on adding new posts. I may add one Tuesday, but I leave early Wednesday. New people show up a lot who may or may not have browsed through this now-fairly-large blog. This is for them.)
(click on any picture to enlarge)
What 4 year old in his right mind would not dig (pardon the pun) this set up?? Huge and gnarly, all these humongous toys kept them entranced as long as they were awake. Below, for example, is what it looks like when you get 20 yards of topsoil delivered to your house just a few feet from your favorite back window!
This picture is us digging those tiny (not!) channels for irrigation pipes. Hey, you use what you have!
The Story
The home was pretty much Jeff and Denise’s “dream home”. After getting the inside of their place whipped into shape, they then focused outdoors, naturally enough. They had a full acre out back and they wanted to maximize what they could get out of it. They provided me with a laundry list of things they wanted which read something like this:
1.) A running water feature with a creek and small pond. 2.) A platform and an electrical (220V) supply near the water feature for setting up a spa away from the house. 3.) A nice big irrigated lawn with a surrounding pathway for the kids and their trikes and – eventually – bikes and motorized transportation. 4.)A horseshoe pit straight out the back. 5.) A play area for the kids. 6.) Some pathways on the rear hillside. 7.) An upper level patio, very informal, bedded in Decomposed Granite.
They were looking for ways to squeeze the budget which would still allow them to get all the goodies they wanted. The list was long and challenging but I immediately saw the potential in the overall landscape. We would take advantage hugely of the hillsides surrounding the East and Rear sides of the property, using it for our creek and the spa placement. Providing pathways would be easy and interesting and would cut through the landscape in a winding way. Jeff and Denise and I huddled and came up with a reasonable budget. Helpful – no that is an understatement – what swung the deal in favor of total possibility was that Jeff could provide all the machinery we would need. What also helped were his connections regarding trucking and rock suppliers – there being some excavations nearby that had the marvelous rocks you see throughout the property. That brought the budget down so far that suddenly it was all as doable as it could be. So we shook hands and took off on our grand landscaping experiment. It would be fun, especially inasmuch as Denise was at home with the boys and offered her opinions daily and in an unobtrusive and truly cooperative fashion. In the end, she has as much to do with the ultimate look as anyone. I consulted with her often, and as often at my request. She was always a treat, honestly.
Anyway, we began and, once we finished the irrigation issues, and after burying the pipes and backfilling them, we were ready to entertain deliveries of both rocks and soil, both in the 200 yard range as totals. So, here they came:
Once delivered, staging became an increasingly knotty problem. In the picture above you can see us placing rocks in their eventual resting places with the smaller excavator placing them and the larger one picking and separating them just after their arrival. They tended to come in 3 sizes, from humongous 2-3 ton slabs, to medium sized ones from 500-1,000 pounds, to smaller, one man sized rocks. It is actually somewhat tedious at this stage, in a way, although the placing of permanent fixtures is always bracing and challenging. You can never get bored with supplying something permanent for a client – the appearance and selection will be there for ever. Some heavy duty cosmetics here. So, anyway, things began taking some shape. In this picture, both the “upper level patio” and the horseshoe pit have been outlined in boulder placement.
Yes, there is still one huge pile of rocks down there. That is for some detail work as well as almost entirely dedicated to the water feature, which is being scratched out in the picture below. We typically excavate the channel which the water and all acoutrements will follow, then add the liner and, of course, the rocks defining it last.
And there you have your standard-average scooped out water course. Next, we make the water feature, starting at the top:
Adding rocks on top of liner is always the single most nerve-wracking part of any large job. One false move with that machine and the rock – and especially this type of “fractured rock” – can poke holes in the liner, the worst possible result. So we operate gingerly to say the least and we also use other pieces of the liner wedged between the new rocks and the liner to protect the all-important liner itself, providing a measure of security as we worked.
The excavators we like using for these events are amazing tools. You act like a jeweler or watch smith or something placing one and two-ton boulders as precisely as possible in place. Plus, you always get helpful advice, lol.
Looks like Chaos, don’t it?? 
Note also another wonderful development which is the very durable flexible pipe we use as the source. This one was a 4 inch pipe and made the project ten times more do able..
Now just add cement and we’re finally getting somewhere!
So that yields to this:
Next post, we add plants, grass and finish all the paths and stuff. I think you can see the madness all actually had some later-crystallizing plan to it. Thousands did not! Had to say it.
September 23, 2009
(2 notes – 1. – I fully realize this story runs on. It is very long. I advise maybe cutting the reading in two. You can stop at the “Dynamite” section and resume later – that’s about halfway. I had someone read it who thought it too long and I cast about for what to cut and, honestly, I am happy with it as an accurate rendition of the circumstances of the project. 2. -Another thought – the preservation of these stumps was obviously something I wanted. It’s a heartbreaker, in many ways. Just remember that the entire province of BC is one massive tree farm. Plus, you can fit California and Oregon together inside of this massive province. While you and I might deem these stumps priceless – which they are – it is not unusual to see them as impediments. After all, there are literally millions of them. BC is rich in stumps!)
Since I have been plying this trade for so many years, it only stands to reason that I would accumulate a few stories which might make for interesting reading. I do have one or two already in here, one in particular a sort of narrative concerning the construction of the Portland Chinese Garden I was involved with helping construct. I have this one, a tale of an eccentric rhododendron grower in Langley, British Columbia which you might enjoy.
Horror Stories
But I thought it might be interesting to deal with “horror” first. Now, I don’t want to put thoughts in your head, but I ‘am convinced we all love seeing someone more miserable than ourselves, just as – when “the horror” occurs – almost anyone’s life seems better than the one we are living. I remember thinking, in the midst of some blazing financial or personal tragedy how even Death Row Prisoners had 3 meals a day, a cot at night and so few responsibilities. Now that’s stretching!!
These are tales that chronicle what may be somewhat typical, actually, of many landscapers. I mean, anyone in business for themselves for longer than a couple of years has to have a fairly impressive stash of horror stories. Since every trade is different, they vary in severity, longevity and in the sources of the horror.
1. The Root From Heck
I obtained a contract from a guy who, by any criterion, would be called “pushy”. Others might call him a straight out “pain in the butt” – and did, for that matter – often. Anyway, he hooked me in by telling me I would have “carte blanche” to landscape an enormous piece of property – (10 acres) – from front to back. The only caveat to the project was this:
“I don’t want any history. Tear it all down and rebuild it!” OK, um, sure.
What I did not realize at the time was how literally he intended his remark. There was a lake there, fed by an Artesian Well which was very mucked up and which I was going to be happy dealing with. Indeed, this lake spilled into a creek which was terribly overgrown and which would require scraping by machine in order to find the soil and get it to a “blank space”, fit for re landscaping. All this was cool – no, I misstate that – it was to die for. I was ecstatic.
The parameters of the work would be the draining and diverting of the water in the small lake while we scraped all the muck and blue clay off the bottom and sides, complete with the reeds, pussy willows and blackberries which literally teemed there. We would essentially render it blank, as mentioned. The creek itself which flowed from this was in a ravine, right below and aside the house itself – a veritable mansion with a 3,000 square foot foyer, no less. I believe the home was some 20,000 square feet. A giant of a house.
Our role was to install various spillways and waterfalls for the well’s water to spill over, making it a series of waterfalls, fed from the lake above. Points of interest in waterways has always been a lure and a huge strength of mine. I love it. There were around 6-7 of these as I recall. Anyway, so off to work we go. Mucking out the lake was performed by using a good sized pump, feeding about 300 feet of hose to avoid the spillway and excavation work planned in the ravine. The muck and stuff, we were to take to the back of the property and use later to level it all off and sort of reclaim the land from the mess it was. No problem. That was the easy part. We were going to plant clover and alfalfa in the “back 5″ (acres) and he was talking about getting horses or cattle. Since both these plants love clay, it was a natural.
We accomplish the lake cleanout by using a D-5 machine with a bucket for loading the trucks who then take the material to the back area. In the meantime, I hired a 3 yard cleanout bucket on a monster excavator, complete with another D-5 Cat bulldozer for the ravine. It was hugely industrial for a while. Another guy – a local – came by and mentioned he had a large bulldozer to help with and would charge less money – he said he was bored. He had all these toys – even a huge crane – which he had accumulated over the years and ran an auto demolition yard. Fun guy, with toys – who could turn him down? So he came along, too, working in concert with the others. It was going swimmingly.
This is a picture of a D-7, from a stock Caterpillar photo:
The ravine itself had all these old stumps from the first-growth logging which had occurred in the British Columbia forests at the turn of the Century. This had resulted in numerous humongous stumps of old Douglas Fir and Cedar trees which were absolutely fascinating. They secreeted “pitch”, even still, a sort of varnish from old sap which was incredibly flammable and smelled just like some acetone compound. Sticky and moist, I used to fantasize how some of this sap could be older than Jesus. Truly, the stumps were from trees which were a thousand or more years old. There was nothing cooler, in my view than having these remnants of our human and floral past standing around. Add that they made some of the greatest imaginable mediums to plant in. I was excited more each day we worked.
Well, the homeowner comes home and congratulated me on doing a magnificent job of clearing it all and inside a time frame which we had surprised him with. In truth, it had really only taken about a week. We had pushed over these 150-200 foot tall trees which had been dead a while, as well as some he had requested which were alive. Bert, the guy with the toys, had taken away much of them in the form of firewood. The owner was pretty stunned and it left a glow as he spoke, raving about how it was “perfect” – much better than he had even expected. The only glitch, according to him, was those “dam stumps”. “Remember when I said ‘no history’?”
Sitting with his wife at the kitchen table, I patiently laid out my reasons for leaving them – stressing both their historical interest as well as how they could add so much to the landscape for purposes of planting. His wife had very much bought into my rap but he resisted. I’m not sure if it was his macho because he was so used to running things or whether it was a real urge to be his version of a “pioneer” and render it all his domain. We took a walk outside with me taking the behalf of the stumps and he pointing at which ones he wanted out. We argued some and he even came around a bit. It was a tiny victory however. In the end, he wanted about 6 of the 12 or so stumps completely removed. I sighed and agreed, with reservations.
These stumps were about 10-12 feet across. They stuck out of the ground about 6 feet, some maybe 10, and they represent one heck of a lot of work. Some even had other trees – even other species of trees – growing out of them as if they were fertile soil, which, of course, they were. But since we had the huge excavator still on site, along with 2 other strong D-5 and D-7 bulldozers, I figured it would be a snap. Plus, the one virtue of these pitch-laden stumps are in their volatility. We were going to burn the refuse we accumulated and which Bert did not take away. These were your average “fire starters”, to say the least. In fact, starting this fire would take one match. So, in my sadness at seeing them go away, I at least had the consolation of some relief in terms of the disposal of our currently enormous pile of forest refuse. But I had underestimated the mutual sadness of his wife. It turned out she had advocated leaving them most vehemently. She had been an ally in my urge towards preservation and the entire issue had become a real hot potato inside the home. But that sucker would not budge. I was fully convinced the dynamics inside the home determined the fates of those gorgeous natural stumps. Alas, we moved on to Monday.
Bert’s D-7 had a ’splitter’ on the front which rested on the blade of the Cat- a virtual “spear” which was essentially a long (12 feet) narrow triangle which could penetrate a stump and basically cut it in half, especially aided by the force that a huge bulldozer can deliver. I have never seen one since and I have to believe this was a unique object. I also know he made it himself, a fact for which he was quite proud and I also know it worked…………..to a degree. As it widened and as the machine pushed the penetration deeper, you could often hear a monstrous “Crack!!” as the tree split. This was some brutal technology – like a log splitter applied to a maximum-sized object. We set the excavator nearby who would use the big bucket to split the stump further and eventually dig out or at least loosen up the roots. At the same time, on the other side of the ravine, we placed the D-5 which had about 300 feet of airline-strength cable spun around its winch. We ran the cable to the split half of a stump, wrapped it up and the D-5 would begin pulling, usually never even applying any driving power to get the desired result. It’s heavy weight and the combination of forces were generally all it took to yard some humongous root right out of the ground. We would then use the Cat with the cable to take the remains over to the burn pile, then return for more.
We got 5 of them out of the ground, proud of our successes. You could hear triumphant roars now and then as we succeeded at these gnarly tasks. These trees were definitely stubborn. Meanwhile, the lady of the house watched in horror as the destruction proceeded apace. Clutching her 2 year old, she was visibly crying. It was some sad stuff, unfortunately, casting a real pall over the project, then coursing through every remaining moment we worked there. Sure, I wandered up and spoke to her often. I had actually grown fond of her and we had joked about her old man more than once, the truth is. And I even liked the guy, so this was the banter of a friendly sort. But the rubber was hitting the road on this one now and she was darn near inconsolable. Nor did she blame me or anything like that. Unfortunately, I had made too much sense in my arguments for preserving the stumps. I hugged her and mentioned that there were silver linings, etc, etc. The usual. I also took her boy down to ride on the Cat – now, he was convinced we were the coolest guys who had ever lived, so we had that going for us and she smiled at his obvious relish. He saved us, I am convinced to this day, from curses and voo doo she may have resorted to. The guys were great with him, as well. They sympathized with me and her, actually. No one could understand the logic of removing these priceless virtual organic antiques.
Well, there was only one stump left. We performed the standard operation, with Bert trying his damnedest to split the trunk. But this one was somehow more solid. We attached the winch line to a half we thought would be above a seam in the trunk and Bert pushed in his splitter, Guy used the excavator to help and the D-5 across the creek pulled, even engaging his drive this time. The groans and efforts of the combination of all the machines was absolutely deafening as each strained to accomplish what was becoming seemingly impossible. We tried variations of every move but that dang stump had not even budged – not one inch. We went at it for an hour or more to absolutely no avail. The stump was incredible. There was only one solution – Dynamite.
Dynamite
Bert mentioned he had a buddy who had some sticks of dynamite. He was licensed for it and all that, having worked for the highways blasting rock for the past 20 years. Bert arranged for him to come out within an hour. It was actually fairly impressive. Needless to say, this was my first experience at using dynamite for landscaping and I would never have guessed how to even go about acquiring a good blast man. Bert smiled at me and winked: “We’ll get ‘er outta there, Steve.”
I wandered up while waiting to apprise my client’s wife that we were about to blow up her property. Nor was this a pleasant experience. “Dynamite??” she responded in horror. I mentioned it was a last ditch effort to get the stump out of the ground. And, to be honest, dynamiting tree stumps is not all that unusual. She called her husband who was all for it, remarking at how resourceful I was. It was embarrassing, actually. I mentioned she might want to go to the store or something because things were going to get hella noisy. But she said she wanted to stay for the whole process. I sighed and went back down to where the arrival of the dynamite guy had everyone standing around him.
He was this 135 pound grizzled old man with 3 fingers on his left hand and no thumb. I looked at him and my heart skipped a beat. I suddenly wondered what the heck I had done to deserve this. Of course, it had also started raining – I left that part out. I began to face a misery which I had never plumbed before. The stresses were getting to me.
The little dynamite guy got shown the tree and made his best guess as to where the tap root was going to be. He placed 10 sticks at that spot wired it up and ran up the hill by me. “Ready?”, he asked and I nodded. He tooted his horn, set the plunger and it went off – “Ka-Bloom!”
The earth shook where we were standing and I could see the other trees bounce in in place. Bert immediately started up his D-7, splitter on, and rammed the tree again. The guy across the creek pulled and the excavator reefed on one of the roots closest to the creek. The roar of machinery recommenced as the smoke from the dynamite wafted across our vision.
The stump did not budge. Not an inch.
After 10 minutes of effort, the cable snapped on the winch and shot back at the Cat like a bullet from Hell. Luckily the cage prevented it damaging the driver or the rest of the machine but I will never forget that sound as long as I live. That was the single most malevolent “hiss” and “pop” in history. The speed of the broken cable line was stunning. By the time the break sounded, it had already smacked the Cat. I could have sworn it was simultaneous.
Our dynamite guy was puzzled, so we got down in the hole and used shovels to try and locate the tap root. Thinking we had found it, we loaded that one up with another 10 sticks of dynamite. Once again, the sound of the warning horn, then the muffled but incredibly loud “Ka’Boom!!” of the dynamite as it went off. Once again Bert firing up the D-7 and once again he headed downhill to lance the stump. This time he actually made a tad of headway, getting through all the way to the other side but the firmness of the stump befuddled any effort towards increasing the split. The excavator roared, the D-5 guy had fixed the cable and stubbornly insisted on another “go” at pulling the stump apart and the same thing happened.
The stump would not budge.
To make a very long story short, we tried another 8 times to blast that stump. We had used 100 sticks of dynamite in our efforts by the end of this session and the dynamite guy was standing there scratching his head, still. Add that he was now out of dynamite. I thanked him for his efforts and sent him on his way. I walked up to the incredibly upset Mom and mentioned her dynamite days were over. To say she was relieved is an understatement. The, when I walked outside, I saw a most bizarre event.
Bert had gone around the tree to the top of the ravine. He was now orienting his bulldozer nearly straight down. He was mad. The guys were taking this personal now. Bert got himself about 30 feet above the stump and then just launched himself off a precipice which was probably about 60 degrees. When his bulldozer hit that stump, his splitter went through it almost like butter. The crack of the stump was insanely loud as all its pressure released inside the split Bert had just created. He slid on his splitter as it went through, rising off the ground. He sat there, hoisted literally “on his own petard”, bouncing off the ground, stuck in that stump.
So here we are, we have this immense D-7 bulldozer, stuck into a stump with its running pads literally off the ground! Bert was suspended, all 20 tons of himself propped right up into the air. He sat there for a few moments and he began laughing. Looking at me he asked: “Am I off the ground?”
I looked at the layer of mirth written large across his oil-stained face, smiled and said “Yup!”
The other guys wandered over and we all began laughing. “Dam,” Guy said, “I’ve never even seen that before!” The other guy was laughing as well, some of it in relief as we saw the cracked stump and knew we had gained a purchase.
“Hey, Bert, what’s it like to fly in a D-7?”
It was pretty rich. We also knew we had won. That was not small. Crazy Bert had gotten mad enough to enforce his will on that stump – and a formidable foe it had been. That he risked his life was implicit – but he was somewhere beyond thrilled.
The excavator piled up some dirt under Bert’s Cat and the other ‘dozer came over to ease the journey down by placing the bucket on the tracks and applying downward pressure and we got him out of there. Eventually, we returned to our basic positions and it took about 15 minutes to clear the area, then replace the soil. The stump was out and was added to the pile. After 6 hours on this gnarly stump, it was now dark outside and still raining. But we could not help but feel triumphant. It was with one bizarre mixture of feelings that I drove home that night. The range of emotion during that day was simply astounding.
We had missed the tap root which had uncharacteristically been skewed from its very origins and went virtually sideways into the bank. Bert’s launch of himself in his ‘dozer had loosened the root which had indeed been somewhat damaged by the blasting earlier. The downward pressure released not only the root itself but Bert’s additional great good fortune had come with hitting the perfect spot in a seam running up the stump, splitting it in half.
Later on – a couple days following this, we had the fire which would render all our refuse into a small pile of ash. That the fire went 6 stories high and blanketed the entire neighborhood in soot and ash is another story for another time. It turns out Bert’s crane was a toy which could make epic blazes.
September 21, 2009
We get asked many questions, naturally enough. Honestly, the range of queries to us is fairly wide, generally depending on the scope of the specific work. But there are a few pertinent and reliable questions which almost always can be expected. After all, when a place is supposed to go from this:
to this:
Then some questions might well be in order. Seeing the devastation of early-process landscaping can be a jarring experience. It is total and it is sometimes time-consuming.
It can’t be easy watching a once-nice lawn or area be devastated. When we redo work, I always insist on some patience, instilling it early on in any project. It is actually the same with new projects as well. We create havoc and dust and, sometimes, incredibly loud noise. The drone of a Bobcat working every day, all day, can get to someone. I get this and so do all contractors. We are working in someone else’s small, personal space. Add to that the fact that they are seeing dollar signs in every movement in this ballet of financial porn and you have the makings of an occasional meltdown. It happens.
In an effort to provide a homeowner or commercial property owner with some preparation, I would have a potential client educate themselves at least a little by asking these questions, right up front:
1. How much will it cost? If the price is set, then the only worries for a client are potential over-runs owing to unforseen circumstances – which are not all that common, believe it or not. (Most landscape contractors look for a smooth-running project as well because, if they are good, they have clients waiting.) Things which should NOT be over runs are any materials or lines running underneath the property. This should have been ascertained by hooking up with “Locators”, whose work is to locate all these potential problems and to mark them out prior to the job’s commencement. Having a set price relieves everyone, in many ways. In the end, the only issue will be the professionalism of the finished product. If you have someone you really trust, then a lesser-proscribed set of prices can live with a “cost-plus” project, but I would definitely set an upper limit.
2. How long will it take? The best guess is always fairly accurate if the contractor knows his business. In fact, unless something really weird happens, chances are he will finish within days of the target date. Bear in mind also, any principle which penalizes someone financially for being late, must also contain a cause which rewards finishing early. This is the law. Bear in mind as well, once again, the conditions. Weather can play a role and some understanding is required on the contractor’s behalf if foul weather occurs.
3. Workers. It is legitimate to ask who is in the crew. It is also legitimate to insist on good behavior. In fact, it is to be expected. Having said that, on long projects, either the contractor or the client should rent a Porta Potty. This is for obvious reasons. Another thing – yes, they take breaks. Or at least they’d better. Refreshment breaks twice a day of 15 minutes or so are good for a crew’s morale and they keep them fresher. By all means, never hesitate to make them feel welcome, if you should desire. They will not expect it, which, frankly, makes it even nicer. You don’t have to study their life stories, but a client who brings out some ice water when it is 95 degrees outside will simply get a better project than one who does not – it’s just how life operates. Building a rapport is easy and smart. Most contractors are very concerned with crew behavior. It is often a subject of conversation among them. Professionalism is enjoyed by those who practice it as well as those who pay for it. Know this.
4. Payment Schedules. These are done differently by different companies. It also depends on the size of the project. On larger work, I used to insist on one third down, a third at the halfway point and then the rest on completion. Smaller projects, most landscapers ask for one half up front.
A factor to bear in mind which is strictly landscape-oriented are that most of the rentals, the staging of equipment and supplies are done so right at the origins of any project. After that, they earn their money by professionally installing what they have on hand. Landscaping is therefore hugely up-front, in terms of expenses.
On commercial projects we often carry clients for as much as 60 days – a perilous existence, fraught with danger and angst. I hated that. And yes, I once got stiffed for a bundle doing things that way.
5. The Plan. In a way, of course, this probably should have been included first. This is the entire ball of wax, anyway. This is the dream scheme thought up by the contractor in consultation with the client. The most ideal projects are those collaborations that originally hooked everyone up in an exchange of ideas and possibilities – the wish list. Negotiations and what not occur over the extremely detailed items. Everything, in a way, happens up front. The work is nearly easier, frankly, than the acquisition of the contract, from a contractor’s standpoint.
Completion can be elusive simply because landscaping itself is so subjective. It is for this reason I include one more category dealing with Contractor/Client relations: Behavior.
It is more than good asking questions during the construction process. Most contractors worth their salt actually welcome this because it gives them a chance to detail what’s actually occurring on the ground. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking questions at any point during a project. Sometimes, and I guess I should hate to admit this, a contractor (maybe this is just me ) can forget about an item or two. Especially those who – like myself – are so hands-on with every item of the business, including the work itself, we can overlook something. I owe some huge debts of gratitude to clients who asked where something which was in the plan was – and I had totally forgotten it. Asking early is also best!
In the end, we are people too.
September 20, 2009
September 14, 2009
John from A Verdant Life has gone and embarrassed me into doing something on my blog besides dealing with practical or musical issues. These “MeMe” awards are given out to people by people who want to know more about them. I do have a Facebook account under my less-than-mysterious name which comprises my blog’s handle, and, naturally, that is a place I get personal as a rule. But not everyone has that – nor should they, addicting as that place is – and this can stand for a while, as incomplete a picture as it will be. As I hope is obvious, I generally try to stay away from the self-adoration as much as possible in here, keeping it as literal and as helpful as I can. My intent has always revolved around illustrating how things get done. I really get a pleasure out of that. Naturally, it justifies me some, too. That’s a lot of hard work, dammit.
Anyway – here are the “Me Me” rules:
1) Link back to whomever nominated you
2) Reveal seven tidbits about yourself
3) Nominate and link to seven other blogs
4) Notify your nominees with a comment on their blogs
5) Notify your nominator(s) when your “acceptance” post is up
Off we go ———–
7 Tidbits about myself:
1. I am a softball addict – I played baseball in high school and college (among all the other sports in HS) and once went 18 years between ballgames. When I was finally asked if I wanted to join a team, in 1985 – in Santa Cruz, California – I asked if they actually “tried to win games”. It was a return to a first love. For the next 23 years, I played an average of maybe 140 games a year, including tournaments and regular season games. I compete – at my advanced age – in every age level, not just the old guys – or “The Geezers” as my team mates are so fond of referring.
2. I am trying to quit smoking – This is a war. I worked with tobacco as a kid in Kentucky. I first smoked on a baseball team, believe it or not. And we were state champs, no less. It has been over 40 years with cigarettes, now, and I have been fighting a tremendously hard struggle with something so apparently simple. Please send the voodoo and the Karma I need to complete this. This is tough!
3. I have kept a diary of my dreams - For a full two years, I would wake up at odd hours with them still fresh and write them down. I got the idea from reading CG Jung – who was a hero of mine for a stretch – and I have over 5,000 of them – big dreams, little dreams, Yogi Berra sitting and talking with the Devil, me eating one or two of my friends after a good cooking – you name it! Very bizarre stuff us humans can cook up and I am right in there with the worst of us all! It is a riot, reading them all after the years pass by. And yes, I still do it when I think they are momentous. In the end, it made me appreciate the Creative Impulse in us all.
4. I am hopelessly in love - I didn’t have a child until I was 41 years old. But she owns me to this day. Even the thought of her chills me to my bones, keeping my heart as open as if I were some public open heart experiment. This is the best thing that ever happened to me and I am eternally grateful to the Fates who insisted I taste this slice of Life On Earth. You guys rock! I wouldn’t have it any other way, even in the most ideal Universe.
5. I stumbled into landscaping - Looking for a job one Summer while going to school in Vancouver, BC, I was offered a gig mowing grass. Inasmuch as I am predominantly a physical person at heart and the notion of office work I had already experienced in the military turned me off so, I took to simple lawn-mowing like nobody’s business. It was The Rhododendron that cemented the deal, however. I shall always remember doing some work and noticing this humongous flower one Spring. I got closer to it and it was like I was blasted by lightning. “Dam, that’s gorgeous!”, I believe was the thought of the moment. I began taking the environment and what landscaping could accomplish more seriously.
6. I am nearly completely out of landscaping now - This will tie in with #7 below. The economy ravaged us in Reno and it produced the incentive to move to Portland, Oregon, to start again. But, fortunately, with the help of my webmaster friend, Annette of Pardes Hana, Israel, I have become more of a writer. I am finding it possible to write for a living and I also find it as intriguing as anything else. Its primary benefit is in the portability if affords. I can literally live anywhere now, as long as I have a computer. Because of the next issue, #7, this is important. I still consult – especially on problematic water features and to a few select landscapers who know me. And I expect this to continue – it’s not like I can leave it behind. But it is no longer my primary thing.
7. I am moving - On September 30th of this year, I will board a plane destined for Louisville, Kentucky, one of my favorite cities. For the first time in nearly 40 years, I will leave the West behind. The reason is simple – my Mom is 90 now and could use some help managing things. Her stresses picked up and all of her kids wondered how we could help provide her with the quality of life we want for her. I decided to take the challenge. I will still post in here and I will act like nothing has changed. There will just be more Louisville-related posts, I am sure. Being from there so long ago and being the social butterfly I have always been, there are scads of friends to reconnect with. It should be cool.
Referrals
OK. Whew. Now then, the next rule insists that I choose 7 blogs to refer and why. This will actually be the easy part. For the most part, I spend a lot of time reading some of the more popular blogs located at the very interesting site called Blotanical. (just click the link). Some readers are not aware of this fascinating place, but it is rife with the best garden Writing in the world. There are some veterans in there who are yearly award winners owing to their writing ability and their encouragement of other bloggers. I will link a few of those simply because they are the best, hands down. The others I link because of my own tastes, which, as my dream instincts show, are diverse enough. I am sure many of them have been linked before but I want them to experience some complimentary words, just because I feel them deeply.
1. Philip’s Garden Blog – I think this is the best blog I ever encountered, I want to say that up front. Philip Bewley’s gorgeous writing style, his subject matter and his overall warmth make visiting him a rare and tremendously special treat. The bad news is he’s been gone for a while. I find this heart-breaking. So I’m sending this out to try and stir that sucker up, as well as to send people to see just what all the hubub might be over. Dig deeper into that blog – it’s a trip.
2. Bay Area Tendrils – I suspect, as I said, some of these people will have been through the whole “MeMe” thing. I looked here on Alice’s excellent blog to see and then realized I don’t care. I just want her to know how fascinating I find her blog anyway. Does that break the rules?? This lady is real prolific. There are new sights nearly daily and they are not your run-of-the-mill pictures of a tomato’s progress. Her subject matter is creative and she visits some of the world’s greatest gardens as well. She has extensive travel experience, history and creativity going for her – a lethal combo.
3. Lostinthelandscape – James is an accomplished photographer of some accomplishment, to begin with. His blog actually shows a side of him I somehow suspect his primary tradespeople don’t know as well. His blog deals with a wide range of subject matter, from Water Conservation locally down there in San Diego to the weirdness of a bloom from some succulent. He finds ways to include us as observers in a human and attractive writing style. Humble, yet professional, I just plain like this guy. I also think his blog is purposefully “spare” in many ways by design. But he is chock full not only of information but in plain honest curiosity.
4. Tulips In The Woods – I just include her because I am in love with her name: Pomona Belvedere. Now that’s excitement! This gorgeous mind and soul is addicted to science. Her blog is rife with the most informative posts concerning plant species – and most often natives, no less! – than any around, anywhere. She has offered to cooperate with me on a post dealing with Oregon Grape, something you can count on seeing in the future. She has also been featured, I do believe, in this “MeMe” thing before, but she is very influential in my getting pleasure from other blogs. Like the others on my list, she has a definite and obvious humanity about her which makes visiting an additional treat.
5. gardenhistorygirl - Now this is truly shameless of me, to recommend someone who probably has no idea of who I am. I guess she will now. The reason I include this stunngingly informative blog author will be obvious as you peruse her site. She packs historical information into a tight space so well, I have to shake my head. Naturally, inasmuch as she is – or was – researching for school at the same time, she would have an advantage over the mildly curious. But her passion and interests are obvious. I respect this blog as much as any I have ever seen.
6. Shirley Bovshow’s Edenmaker’s Blog – Shirley is not a shrinking violet. Nor does she want to be. Her job is to be out front and she takes it seriously and she does it well. A TV personality as well as – I have discovered – a cool all round person, she does more than just be another pretty face. (That’ll be $10). This is someone with knowledge and an urge to share it. There are garden and landscape lovers who blog about their passions who are extremely riveting and great reading. But in Shriley, I long since recognized a kindred spirit in the “Installation” game, as much as anything. Yes, we both design and install gardens. I have always felt this was a hard-working person and it warms me to visit her site, seeing as how I am probably as vain as she is about working so hard.
7. Miss Rumphius’ Rules – Now and then I like dropping by Susan’s place owing to how I enjoy her artistic sensibility. She is nice and outspoken as well – which I find somehow attractive. She does excellent work and she is one who advocates urban landscaping in ways which I might also, were I in her shoes. In short, I enjoy her takes on art and the illusory natures of things. She already has a MeMe thing posted but I’m sending this anyway just to be a pain and to give her a shout. She has no idea I visit as often as I do, I am positive. But this is a very informative and fascinating blog. I just enjoy the way she thinks.
I’ll predictably forget to notify everyone I listed here, owing to how I need to make dinner now. I do want to post it and I do enjoy thinking how these “awards” might be received. I have a large tolerance for humiliation. Let me also say the obvious – that, at my best and when I have time, this list is a tiny part of the blogging world I visit. It’s one reason I have not done the “MeMe” thing before – as popularity tests, they have some interest. But I would hate to see Francis, Barbee, Philip, Niels, JoJo or any of the wild number of persons who I admire so much feel slighted. Somehow, I don’t think they will.
September 11, 2009
I have sometimes commented in this blog about how many of the best projects I have ever encountered were the results of someone doing it all by themselves. Some homeowner projects are, frankly, breathtakingly beautiful. I felt honored to be there and I am being serious. There is just something about the amount of love and careful attention one who is invested in his own place can deliver which even the best professionals will never approach. I stand in awe of these people, to this moment. No just equal with, but in awe. They are the World’s best.
At the same time, I have seen some amazingly bad work, too. It is hard to keep the laughter in check, now and then, but good manners insist. Sometimes, when I am called in by an exasperated owner or by someone who has bought a place beset with the efforts of the person who preceded them, I arrive with a pretty good sized grin. They know I know they know I know why they called, or something like that. And, being completely honest, the amount of work required to repair or re-do a yard’s landscaping or a paver project can be more – not less – expensive than to start from just plain dirt.
It pays to do it right. It pays in ways which are very value-adding and rewarding. But landscaping – and even gardening, especially at the start up – are very physically and mentally challenging. I am not trying to mystify anyone about what we do because it really isn’t that hard, in many ways, at least mentally. But there is a physical component which is extremely demanding.
The Physical Part
I have had people work for me who developed tendinitis the very first day which took a month or more to get over. The repetitive nature of the work and all the heavy lifting demands an awful lot. In short, be smart. Most larger DIY projects would be aided greatly by the helping labor of some high school or college kids or by someone who needs the work. These people are not hard to find. Be smart. Use help, in the first place.
In the second place, plan. Plan ahead and know why. It never hurt to consult with someone professional, by the way. I have overseen many DIY projects for a small consulting fee, beers or even for nothing. I don’t drive a hard bargain. But that’s just me.
DIY Resources
One of my favorite DIY resources to recommend to people is a place called DIY Guides. I’ve been following it a while now. Mike runs an interesting and diverse site which covers just about everything there is to do with DIY projects, but I especially liked his takes on landscaping. The thing is, there are professional ways to approach things which are do-able and ultimately very necessary. We don’t do these things for our health. He tends to include them thus he has my respect.
This Blog
Reading in this blog in my posts on installations should provide an excellent background on many aspects and especially the “why’s”. I like to give this out because issues like preparation, when ignored, can lead to so many unforseen problems. In many cases, I strove to supply not only the why’s but also the how-to’s by illustrating what we do on our own projects. We do take things to a sort of extreme, but then we get paid for that. Our prep is generally always a bit more than good.
Please browse the category listings dealing with Installations if you have questions about our approach. I have been asked many times about DIY projects and I honestly still believe knowledge is as important as the physical part.
Do-it-yourselfers are a love of mine, in the end. I like seeing the pride of someone who does it right and finishes with a proud and deserving sense of accomplishment. What we do is not the most important thing in the world but it sure can make life more interesting and enjoyable in the aesthetic sense. It can also make a guy feel right proud. That is very cool.
