The Driveway

It's done! It's done! Hallelujah!!! I'm dancing around the garden on my tiptoes!!!

Pensinsula Sand & Gravel was out yesterday afternoon to deposit 20 yards (truck and trailer recorded a net weight of 26.92 tons) of 3/4" black driveway rock from the local (Kennedy Creek) Quarry.




It was applied in a "rutspread" manner - meaning that blocks were set in the center of the dump gate to place the gravel only on the ruts of the driveway. You can see the two pieces of tubafor on the lip of the trailer's bed.


The center strip was not gravelled, except for along the bend, and that was simply a fortuitous accident. The blocks fell out right at the befinning of the bend, and the driver didn't stop until he had finished the bend. I was pleased, as that area needed a bit more rock anyway.


The 20 yards were enough to cover the entire length of the driveway - just. LOL! I am so relieved on a number of accounts... my little Honda Civic won't bottom out, nor will Julie's car. The gravel should help with the mud pit and water flow problems, too. I suppose the proof of that will be had during the soggy season. Hopefully, the protective layer of gravel will assure that tires don't kick the roadbed rocks out anymore.

I watched Mike drive out this morning, and was just a little sad to see the first set of tire tracks laid down on the fresh gravel. It's not so new now... but it's gorgeous all the same.

(And just so you all know, Julie rocks like the red-headed and tattooed love child of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Thank you Julie)

Using Rocks In The Garden

Today the Seattle Times ran an article on using large stone in the garden . We love using stone in the garden - if you hadn't noticed. They're limited in size to what I can carry, however. Mike has managed to wrangle some larger stones left behind by construction into more pleasing positions near where they were left, but we are stymied in moving larger stones any distance. Where are the builders of ancient Stonehenge when you need them?

The last few months, we've been trying to figure out how to move some very large rocks over from the neighbor's. A rock bar, mentioned in the article, is just the thing. Where to find a big bar of steel?

Unfortunately, the article suggests you buy rock. Buy rock??? Omigoodness. They can't be serious, can they? Go visit a river.

Of course, my favorite rock hunting ground is up on the Cowlitz River, near Packwood. I understand the recent flood to have ripped through the area, so there should be some new rock to look at up there. I'll have to wait until May however, as the road to that spot is gated through the winter.