Lazy days ~~

So, what's been happening on the patio/gazebo front?  Not much...and lazy days have something to do with it (as well as rain and heat and bugs). The patio is completed and work progresses on the gazebo..but slowly...

Living out here in the country, we quickly learned that getting contractors out to do a job can take a lot longer than living in town.  It took us almost 4 weeks to find a contractor to even come out and place a bid on laying the patio; once we had one actually show up - it took 3 weeks from the day of the contract to the actual laying of the patio.  We started the patio process in February but it was March before it was actually laid...late March. Then there was the two day wait until we could actually load it up with furniture and planters and use it.  We were definitely practicing patience during that time.

We did most of the layout ourselves which meant days spent moving the old patio stones and grass but our contractor came in a few days before the concrete came in and laid rebar. 

This was followed by a few days of trying to keep the pets out of the framed area...but finally the day came when the concrete truck showed up.  About 4 p.m. this is what we were looking at; most of the crew left but two of them stayed a few more hours to smooth it all out .....

We have a tradition of placing something in all new concrete to mark the day it was laid; around the hot tub there are handprints of all us with the date.  The slab laid for the shed was also marked.  This time we did something just a bit different; although the chickens were locked up for the day to avoid them interfering with the work, we did get some chicken prints into the concrete.....

We sprayed Pam on the feet of Antique Rooster and pressed into concrete before the "film" that begins the hardening process as formed completely. 

After everyone had left for the day, we began the two day wait before we could load in the benches and torches and planters....it was a long couple of days of practicing more patience.....