Our Visit With Ames and His Family

 Here is my wife spending some quality time with her new grandson in San Francisco.  He is a quiet, content little boy!

 My turn!

 Looking a little leery at his grandpa!

 Great photo of him looking at the camera.

 And the first dog Cooper!  He must be in dog heaven being able to watch the events on the street from his perch in his living room!

 A very attentive watch dog too!

 Ames with his father in the background.

 Chillin in his chair.

 Cooper playing with a friend.

Boo!

We enjoyed the visit very much.

Back Yard Remodel: Pavers Are Down

 Now that the rain has cleared out,  we've been making some great progress on the back yard!

 A few more plants arrived...

 We decided on what lighting to install...

 And it snowed!  Well, actually that's a weed barrier they are installing.

 They'll lay shredded bark over that.

 But in the meantime it looks like the holidays!

 They are starting to polish the BBQ countertop

 It should match fairly well with the concrete.

 The appliances should go in within 7 days.

 The side yard is also coming along.

 ...new irrigation valves...

 And the big news this week:  Belgard Mirage Noon ceramic pavers - Ember in color!

 I think they look good against the TopCast 03 Acid Wash cement.

 Here is a close-up of the Mirage tiles.  They look a lot darker in photos than they look in person.  If you are considering these tiles, DEFINITELY get a sample of all colors available in your area and take them to your site!

These photos also show more brown tones than are visible in person.  Photos are funny in how they can look so different than reality.

But it still looks great...very happy with the progress so far!

Trip To San Francisco

 We made a trip up north to see the new grandson last weekend.  We needed to make a side trip to Sacramento, so we rented a car for the trip.  They gave us this gorgeous pickup.  It was a joy to drive.

 Passing through Lake Elsinore, we came across this dazzling display of California poppies.  Just amazing!

There has been a lot of rain this spring, so it was a "Super Bloom" where the flowers are just going nuts.

 A little farther up, traffic came to a crawl as everyone gawked, and quite a few exited the freeway onto a frontage road.  There was actually a traffic jam on that frontage road as people got out to take photos in the poppies.

 We arrived at our hotel in San Francisco late, and this was the view from our room.

 Walking down the block for dinner, we ran across our first Robot Security Guard.  Pretty awesome to see one in action!

And the next morning arrive - we're off to see Ames and his family!

Back Yard Remodel: Plants Are Arriving and Counter Top Poured

 They poured the BBQ island counter top on Monday - looks great so far!

 From another angle.

 And the business side.  The locations for the grill, the doors, and the drawers are clear.

 Some of the plants arrived on Tuesday!

 And several crape myrtles arrived today.

A few podocarpus in the background.

It's coming along!

Back Yard Remodel: The New Concrete Uncovered

 And here is the concrete the next day, after the Top-Cast is washed off.  It looks splotchy in the photos, but it looks very nice in person.

 Another shot from the other end.

 Note the concrete is still drying so it looks kinda funny right now.  They'll do the saw cut joints tomorrow.

 Looking straight down and holding the camera at about waist level, this is what the Top-Cast 03 Acid Etch Finish looks like.  Very consist, very modern, very pleasing.

Standing straight up, looking straight down, and hold the camera at eye level, this is what the Top-Cast 03 Acid Etch Finish looks like.  Even better!

Back Yard Remodel: Fresh Concrete Covered with Top-Cast 03

 They poured the concrete today!  Unfortunately I was at work so I didn't get any photos of the actual pour, but here is a shot shortly after they completed.

 The white coating is Top-Cast 03,  a surface retarder that gives the concrete a very nice finish.

This is the north side yard.

This is the south side yard.

It's coming along!  No more tracking dirt into the house.

Ready for Concrete! Forms are Complete!

They completed the concrete forms today - the concrete will be poured Wednesday!

Let's see what we have so far.  Approaching the back yard...

 At the gate (removed for now), this is the view.

 This will be the view from the spa once it is installed.

 Looking down the back of the house, the concrete is 6 feet wide then narrows down to 3 feet.

 Standing in the corner of the yard, looking back towards the gate.

 Same spot, just turning the camera more to the right.

 Opposite corner, looking back towards the first corner.

 Same corner, looking towards the BBQ island.

Other side yard.