As it was in the beginning.
 
After the garage conversion was mostly finished, we began on the driveway and the yard on either side of it.  First was the removal of the old pavement and curbs.  
 
When the pavement was gone, I dis-covered that nothing would grow in the dirt under the old pavement, so hardscaping and raised beds would be the solution.
 
A raised bed along the south side of the drive way would provide a good place for a fish pond.
 
Nothing wanted to grow under the redwood trees, so we made a sand box for the dogs.  Did you know dogs love sand piles?  Below, Queenie is resting on her sand pile.  The other two dogs are off chasing squirrels. 

A stone path leads from the front gate to my new house.  A fork to the right takes the path to the old grape arbor and outdoor party area which included a dance floor.

After we built the raised bed and fish pond, I decided that the summer sun made the area too hot, so we build a shade arbor.

I love pampas grass.

The canvas curtains turned the front patio into another room of the house.  Complete with TV and coffee maker.

The work shop area included a tool shed, a wonderful old work bench that came with the place, and a potting table with sink and water.

I came to dearly love that potting table and sink.

This fish pond in front of the main house was built before Enrique arrived on the scene.  It was my first pond and waterfall.  The waterfall turned out to be a very big job.  It was not the lifting of those very large stones, rather it was getting the tilt just right so the water would flow where I wanted.  It took two months of tweaking to get it right.
 
Sheba was fascinated by the fish. She would stand motionless for many minutes watching.  She never tried to eat the fish, just watch.  The fish became so accustomed to her that they would come right up to her mouth when she drank from the pond.  
 
Fish are very friendly and easy to train to come when called if you feed them.

Back to Tarzana

Look in the House

Page Directory