Another Yard Project and taking off for parts known and unknown.

This is another after the fact catch-up post covering the early part of May. Hopefully, one more and we'll be current. We are actually in Colorado now but sadly, the wifi is slow and spotty this season for some reason.

There was another large yard project that needed to be accomplished before heading out west for the summer - the palm tree beds on the dock level. There are 2 sections with 2 palm trees in each. These pics are of 1 of the beds.

After finishing up the rocks and the pavers out front I needed to tackle the palm tree beds down below on the dock level. The indoor/outdoor carpet (fake grass) had worn very thin, and the weed barrier underneath wasn't doing much better. The job entailed a thorough weeding, then temporarily removing the lava rocks from the beds, installing new weed barrier, and laying down new indoor/outdoor carpeting on top of the old stuff, then adding the lava rocks back to the beds. Hopefully, all this will keep the weeds down and allow our lakeside back yard to stay reasonably presentable while we are out west for the summer.

Here's a collage of the steps and a separate shot of the final outcome (from the deck level.)

Top left - weeds & tired carpet, bottom left - weeds pulled &removal
of the lava rocks, top right - new weed barrier, bottom right - new carpet.

The after shot with lava rock back in place.    

After this project wrapped up, it was time to head out for the summer with a few stops on the way. Up first was an overnight at  Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge. Wow, what a gorgeous spot, and the Lodge and restaurant were quite nice too. It's a popular venue for graduation parties and weddings and the like. Our room was very nice and even had a lake view balcony.

A beautiful lake shot as the sun sets.

Morning shot after breakfast.

We were on the fast track up to Nashville where Ed would be joining the American Cruise Lines Tennessee River cruise, and I would be heading off to visit a special girlfriend who was long overdue a visit from me.

The cruise package included an overnight the evening before departure at the GORGEOUS Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Wow, just wow! A huge atrium in the center with hundreds upon hundreds of tropical plants, plus waterfalls, lakes/ponds(?) and many different pathway levels for strolling. Restaurants, shops and more. Lots of people too, and noisy. Check it out sometime. Suffice it to say the room rates are steep!

We had a nice dinner at a Tex-Mex inspired restaurant where I had a bowl of delicious pozole and a chili verde chicken taco, and a carne burrito with all the trimmings was the Boss's choice. Afterwards a wonderful and lengthy stroll. I must have taken 50 pic's at least. Here are a few random ones for your enjoyment.

Lots of private nooks to enjoy.

Look at the scope of this place!

More than one fountain.

It's huge inside - you can get lost.

The Boss on one of the paths.

Eye-catcher right at the entrance.

I could go on...

Needless to say, it was a once in a lifetime experience, and thoroughly enjoyable. The next morning Ed headed off on his adventure and I headed off on mine. I'll cover that in the next blog post which will be coming up soon.

Thanks for dropping by.

 

April yard projects, food prep and neighborhood fun

 This entry really reflects the first couple of weeks in April, and the next entry or 2 should just about catch us up with the present. I've been lax, my bad!

We have been super busy trying to finish up various projects in preparation for our annual summer exodus to cooler climes out west. For me, that means squaring away the frozen food in both freezers. Most gets used up in our daily meals but some gets pressure canned for shelf stable storage, and some gets passed along to my wonderful neighbors who hold down the fort while we're gone. Thank you neighbors! 💙

I canned ground turkey, chicken, Cajun beans, and potato soup with Italian sausage among other things. I also made a yummy chicken pot pie and a big pot full of smoked sausage and red beans with carrots, zucchini and onions. 

Last year we used an Omaha Steaks Styrofoam box with dry ice to bring some of our home cooked meals out with us to take some of the stress out of trying to use it all up beforehand. That worked out so well we thought we'd use that method again.

The stages of pot pie construction and voila.

We did have a neighborhood fun day with a flotilla event followed by a fantastic potluck at the pool pavilion. Here are a few pics from that.

Our end of the lake and our dock, light gray in this shot.

Here they come by while we watch from the deck level.

The "spread" was impressive.

Staying cool on the shady side.

It was a good turn-out, especially for such a warm mid-80's day. It was fun to see everyone out and about.

Remember this project - the rocks on the side yard out front? Well, it finally got finished, including a semi-transparent concrete stain on the faded pavers lining the driveway and sidewalk.

I was pleased with how easily the stain went on, and
how good it looked after one coat. Easy water cleanup too.

I also put a thick maintenance coat of stain (cedar)
on this A/C enclosure to protect the wood and keep it looking nice.

More to come in the next report, so stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by.