Reclaimed Brick Patio

And fire pit! I bet you weren't expecting that. 

My not-so-abridged version of how it came to be: The City of Grand Haven fire regulations state that a fire pit must be 25 feet from major structures. Between the house and the shed, that put it in a very awkward spot under a large and low hanging plum cherry tree. Mike and I hung our heads and came to terms with the idea of a s'more-less summer. 

While working on the patio, we continually bumped our heads (backs, bodies...) against said tree, and in a moment of frustration, we broke out the chainsaw and said, "Be gone!" Suddenly, the yard opened, the angels sang, and the 25-foot fire range fell perfectly at the end of our patio. 

Side Note: When chopping down trees, have a disposal plan. We filled over twenty yard waste bags with the clippings from three trees. I went back to the hardware store three times, and it filled the entire front curb on trash day. Whew!

The day Mike fell in love with chainsaws.

You may notice our splotchy grass around the edge of the patio, too. We're filling in the over-tilled yard by seed, and what you see is two weeks' progress. For a moment we thought about sod, drawn in by its "quick-fix-home-makeover-show" lure, but it would have been over $300 for the small space around the patio and perimeter of the yard. No thanks. Instead we'll take the $20 bag of seed, $11 bag of papery "grass mulch", and a lot of patience.