During our last few days in Seattle we decided to build my parents a fire pit. Well, with a tag reading "Happy Father's Day." We figured there will always be family gatherings here, and our affinity for the outdoors and s'mores led us to tackle the most giant rock of all time.
It looks large in this photo, but believe me, it is much larger in person!
It was a nice area to work in and T had a blast running around and playing with dirt and plants while we worked. And fyi, while there are only pics of Scott working, let it be known that I was working just as hard! :)
The beginning was really difficult. Scott found this plank in the garage and sort of made a lever out of it.
But once he got it up (This step prob took 2 hours) I had to quickly place that stone underneath to hold it up. Well the first stone I placed cracked in an instant, so we had to get a new plan and more support stones. This whole ordeal was a much bigger endeavor than we planned on. Also, "placing the stone" was one of the most fearful moments of my life. If the lever had broken while my hand was underneath the rock, it would have broken all my bones in an instant. Sometimes I was too scared to place the rock so I'd have to switch places with Scott. That means holding down/standing on the level so we didn't lose the height we'd just gained. The switch from Scott to me standing on the plank was hurried, emotional, and always logistical.
Then, inch by inch, we raised the rock and replaced the stones to support it.
Finally standing up, and worn out!!!
The flip isn't pictured here (I figured 15 pics of a rock in the backyard were enough!) but we then flipped the rock onto it's other side.
And finally, we dropped it back down creating seating and an open hole for the fire. Success!
Me and T have become Hathaways, which means we're a little too comfortable at Home Depot.
Carrying the stones from the trunk to the backyard was really difficult. It would have made a perfect Amazing Race challenge. The only thing that kept me going on my 20th trip carrying super heavy/awkward stones was the idea of winning a million dollars.
Scott leveled the base and poured a bunch of gravel in so it will drain properly. Then, stacking the stones and gluing them together went quickly and was easy! The stone will wear with time and become the same-ish color as the surrounding rocks.
Just in time for my parent's return the next day and a big family party!
Scott and I were not thinking nice things about Cosmo as he dug up all the dirt we leveled and moved rocks we'd meticulously placed...
We are glad to have a fire pit there where it's less likely for kids to fall in and has no metal parts that burn babies!
In retrospect, we are pretty glad we did it. I think my parents loved it and it will surely get used with all these kids living in the same state!
3 comments:
You can be sure that we DO love it! And are so grateful for the vision, the time, the sacrifice and the risk factor that were involved into making this dream a reality! Thank you again for such a fun family activity center. I hope we can do more than just s'more down there! Use your imaginations and let's discuss the possibilities!
That was a TON of effort but I'm so happy it ended up turning out as great as it did. We had a wonderful inaugural roast and I'm sure many more to come in the future.
I had numb buns seeing that picture of placing the stone. Loved the bit about the million dollar motivation. You guys are rock stars! What a gift of love.
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