Sometimes we need to look back to realize just how far we’ve come through the years. It was about sixteen and a half years ago we bought our small acreage in Yarrow. We moved into the tired old farmhouse and within a few weeks began the process of transforming the land from a relatively flat piece of property into a gently rolling landscape we envisioned. All of the property was raised by at least a foot with some parts raised up to six feet higher than when we purchased it. The first project was to scrape aside the rich soil and haul in thousands of cubic yards of gravel for the driveway. Six of the older trees were removed and all of the others save for the giant walnut tree were relocated as needed. There were so many changes and additions to be made. This picture was taken from the back porch of the old farmhouse at the beginning of the summer of 2003, just as the driveway was being put in. The shop was started a few weeks later at the back of the property. The new house would have to wait to be started until a decade later and would take two and a half years to finish. I told Janis it would take fifteen years to complete the property if we worked hard. Seventeen years later it is looking good although we still have a few more projects to finish. It isn’t time to relax quite yet!
