“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
Maya Angelou
I know, I am the eternal optimist, but Monday may well go down as the day our front yard hardscape and landscape project turned the corner in terms of seriously heading toward the finish line.
Our contractor, Gene, showed up with a bobcat type earth-moving machine (bigger than a bobcat but kind of the same thing) and made some serious progress on excavating for the new driveway. Well, either that or now we’re going to have an even bigger reflecting pool!
It really is impressive to see machinery move literally yards of dirt at one time. Gene and Robert loaded the trailer three times, taking away probably twenty-five or thirty yards of material. Now it’s about finessing carefully around the gas line before creating the foundation and then laying pavers for the parking deck.
One of the reasons Rebekah and I commissioned this project is the fact that we have such a unique space here. There is no expansive, deep, wooded front and back yard like we had in Wake Forest, so we needed to design something that will make the best possible use of the limited footprint.
We want our home to say three things at once: 1) This is a one-of-kind, irreplicable, beautifully restored, welcoming, authentic 19th Century home. 2) The landscaping is innovative and imaginative, yet fits right in with the neighborhood, exactly like it belongs here. And 3) Restoration, reinvention and creative imagination are always in play – no matter if you’re 150+, like the house, or 70+, like the owners.
Once the hardscape is completed, Gene will be introducing native plantings that both honor the history of this 1874 home and complement the aesthetic we have achieved with the restoration.
We want this home to make our historic district neighbors smile and also to inspire them in their own continued efforts. We are aiming for low maintenance and high impact.
Yesterday certainly involved a lot of high impact! So I would say we are well on our way.
I will wrap up today’s “check-in” with this wisdom from Michelangelo.
“The greater damage for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
Michelangelo
In all our lives, and in every aspect, may we continue to shoot for the stars – DEREK
May your neighbors efforts inspire you.
I love this. It makes me think of my Tonka trucks growing up, and quite appropriate for “National Play in the Sand” day!
There’s a “National Play in the Sand Day”?!!! Who knew! That is awesome!