Rusty & Rachel's Life in Louisville: Part II

Well, Rusty and I really wanted to also get rid of the concrete mess that was in our backyard as well as build a French drain the week that my dad came up. We found out from one of our neighbors that one of the owners before us had installed a coi pond in that area, but as all things go, the owners after those owners didn't keep up with it, so it got partially filled in with dirt and standing water from the frequent rains and became a breeding ground for mosquitoes. So, if digging and installing a French drain wasn't enough, Rusty and I added to the project of destroying the coi pond that was no more. So, in similar fashion, here is the photo journey of our retaining wall process:

Step 1: Planning is the most important part of doing anything. Please note the beautiful trellis for our tomatoes behind the boys. :)

Step 2: Rent a mini-excavator. Here they are digging up part of the old dry well system that was attached to the house (no longer in use). (Look at how pretty our grass was...keep this in mind as you scroll through the pictures)

Step 3: Destruction of the mosquito breeding ground....Look at that nasty water gush out of there!

Step 4: Continue with the destruction!

Step 5: Recruit friends to for free labor. Yay! Thanks so much, Blake!!

Step 6: Girls can help too! (Don't worry, I don't think they would actually let me drive this crazy thing....)

Step 7: Buy used railroad ties. About $8.50 a pop...super, super heavy, but super, super cheap for the amount of wood that you get. And, it won't rot! Yay!! Good thing someone had a truck!

Step 8: Somehow maneuver the huge truck (that just barely fits between our house and our neighbor's) into our back yard so that the boys can load it up with dirt we need to take away. Good thing the Seminary wanted fill dirt!