Happenings at our place

Yes, I know another blog post is overdue so here it is. While the spring weather has been rather disappointing here in our part of the province with abnormal cold days and several frosty nights, we went ahead and tried to do all the things we had planned anyway. Every year at springtime I look forward to the blossoming of my Azaleas and just about every year, just as the shrub is in full bloom, we get some heavy rain ruining the blossoms. However, for a few days the red blooms looked good until the rain came down. 

 

The Hummingbirds, Finches, and Orioles arrived about mid April and I spotted a Brown Thrasher in the yard among the Robins. I put out the usual sugar feeders and some grape jelly for the Orioles, but what I hadn’t counted on was that other birds, like the House Sparrows and Wrens, all like the jelly too, and they are fighting over it!  

 

It was in our plan to do something with our driveway this year. For the most part is was covered with gravel up to the concrete pad that is to the side of our house. I have been struggling keeping the weeds at bay that sprout out of it no matter what I do. Also at the side where the travel trailer is parked, we have a bit of a retaining wall made from 4x4” pressure treated wood that developed a bit of a slant. With the purchase of longer travel trailers over the years the space between the RV and the garage has become pretty tight to maneuver our truck. So a few weeks ago we took out the first two of the ornamental shrubs that were next to the concrete pad so we could widen the pad for easier access to the garage. I had to relocate a bunch of spring flowers too and saved some of the good dirt from the flowerbed.

Next Benno went and dug up a section of the drainage pipe from the RV pad so it could be extended since our present trailer has the drainage outlet further back. Also the post for the electrical hookup and water faucet were dismantled and Benno will construct a new one.

 

We had hired Ciliska Contractor, a local company close by. We know their quality work because they did our seeping tiles and sump years ago and other jobs on and off for us, who sent a crew to start working on the driveway. They removed the clear stone gravel, brought more sand and a different type of gravel was installed to compact and prepare the ground. Then the area was graded with the help of a laser level that sat on a tripod so the lane will be slightly sloped for water runoff. The retaining wall that was made from pressure treated 4x4 wood got ripped out and for several hours Benno painstakingly pulled out the long rebar rods with a vise grip that were holding the old layers of 4x4 wood together. The whole driveway and RV parking spot were then covered with wire mesh inside of the concrete forming. In the existing concrete pad there were holes drilled into its sides for the insertion of rods to bond the new and the old slabs and to insure they sat at the same level. 

 

In-between we had a weekend and then the concrete trucks were booked out so we had to wait another day. Finally the concrete was poured. It took 18 cubic yards to fill the new addition.

 

For a final photo of the driveway you have to wait a couple of weeks, I guess. And you know I just realized that we could now easily park a 52 foot Tiffin Class A motorhome in front of our place. 

Now that's a thought ;-)