Demolition Sunday

This past weekend my girlfriend decided that she'd waited long enough--it was time to begin work on her front yard and the garden glen that she'd always wanted.

The first step was going to be new walkways and that required a little planning. Below you see the string that is marking the paths-to-be. Also you can see the concrete sidewalk that soon won't be. This was on Saturday.


This next picture was the beginning of the end for the concrete sidewalk. Sunday was the big day for demolition and my girlfriend's younger son and I started the work--this first corner, which started the project, is one he broke off--and after we broke up the first two sections of sidewalk, Ren joined in. It's really amazing how therapeutic swinging a sledgehammer is!


Talk about venting aggression! *whew* The picture below is after the first two sections were smashed up and then levered out of place. This was about when Ren started working with us. It took her a few minutes to get her swing down, but once she did she was hitting the concrete with as much power as either of us guys. That could be a good thing or it could spell trouble for me!!


And here's the "after picture" of the demolition project. No more sidewalk. We didn't think we'd be able to do it in one day and to our surprise it took less than 3 hours. It was really fun swinging that sledge hammer! Of course to our unconditioned muscles it was also quite a strain. We'd hit that block 5-15 times, depending on how cooperative it was, and then we'd be breathing hard on the sidelines waiting for our heart to slow down a bit.


And here's the human price of demolition. My blister. Raw flesh. Nasty!


Well, that's how we spent our Sunday. What'd you do this past weekend?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ouch! That blister looks painful. :( But I bet it was cathartic, smashing up those bricks.

Ari (Baking and Books)
Anonymous said…
Wish I lived closer, I could do with some smashing. Owie on the blister!
kenju said…
I watched my neighbors do that to their whole driveway! Well, they didn't do it - a big tractor did. I worked on Saturday and rested on Sunday. Nothing special....LOL
I went to see a show at the imperiled Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey. Then I watched the nonsensical Jodie Foster movie Flight Plan.

I kind of wish I had a sledgehammer. If I had a sledgehammer, I'd sledgehammer in the morning. I'd sledgehammer in the evening. . . all over this land.
Well, I can't wait to see the progression of this glen...And I certainly understand the joy of a sledgehammer LOL! Great for getting out a lot of stuff, isn't it?

My weekend was quiet and nice. No big anything happening except for Sunday night and "THE SOPRANO'S"...YES!!!
rosemary said…
Smashing job!!! Well earned blister. It is almost cleansing smashing something...and cement is a good something!
Unknown said…
Utenzi: How well I relate! From 2003 through last year I completely rebuilt my mother's home. While I contracted out the gutters, the landscaping was by far the hardest (and my last time).
Anonymous said…
sounds great. Not much did go with or for me though. still awaiting for my knees to heal.

best,
M.
Olyal said…
Poor Dave! That blister looks sore!
Hello from Vanuatu! Next time you and Ren have a spare weekend, or six, you guys should come here and work in our garden!
Pleased to see you had a good weekend and you're still in one piece!
Bobkat said…
How come things like blisters and papercuts hurt like hell adn yet they are so small?!!!

I bet the days work was satisfying though!

I can't remember what I did last weekend - oh yes - I put some flat pack bookcases together!
Anonymous said…
It looks like she has a really pretty home...I hope she enjoys the new look. I know how hard projects can be and how much sweat goes into them!
Anonymous said…
Ouch! That sounds fun for about the first 5 minutes, then I'm sure I'd be on the phone with the gardeners... Can't wait to see the new garden!
srp said…
The blister looks like it hurts... do you hire out?

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