the dan & carrie show

Well, we got a good start on things, and then we made a mistake… we tried to have a life. We tried to still hang out with friends, to go do fun things on the weekends, and build this outdoor kitchen. Let me tell anyone who thinks that this is possible that it is NOT.

It started with building the base and stand for the brick oven, which will be the last part of the project to get completed. Massi came over and lent his experience at blocksetting the morning of Erik and Heather's wedding.

For more information on Brick Ovens check out this site.

First we had days and days of digging. Removing the grass (weeds) “top soil” (black sand) hauling all of it away. Hauling lots of extra dirt (sand) away to any place that we could find to take it. Funny how that works, I know that someday in the future I will want dirt, and then we will have to pay someone for it. But now I was trying to give it away.
Then I removed the existing sidewalk and steps, hauled them away. The existing steps were only two feet wide, which proved a challenge to carry anything up them without going sideways. We built new steps (four feet wide), and at the same time poured the hearth stand for the brick oven.

It was about a month ago that we decided that the stump from that cursed plant called a mulberry tree, or more accurately, bush, needed to go. So I called my friend Aaron, who has a cool toy.


We ripped the hill up pretty good getting the stump out, but it is gone! Loaded into my little itty-bitty truck and taken to the yard waste dump. The next day was John and Faith's wedding, and in the afternoon we put the hill back together with Rolland's help and planted a DWARF apricot tree.

The next week we had the stone dust delivered, then the real fun could begin.

Holly and Massi came over and we stayed up late leveling and compacting the stone dust. That Saturday I borrowed my friend Dave’s big truck to buy the remaining brick. Most of our brick we got used from a guy on Craig’s List (www.craigslist.org).

That afternoon we laid almost a quarter of the total brick.

A few days later our friend Heather came over and helped us in the evening and we reached the halfway point! Can't say we're excited that Erik's job makes him travel during the week, but we were sure glad for Heather's help.

Unfortunatley that is where it remains. Hopefully it will be done soon, and then we can start on the oven! Or the bathroom. . .