The Pit and The Patio

Forgive me Edgar Allen Poe for my interpretation of your great work with this title but our late fall project has been to put a patio on the far side of the Lodge. After spending a couple years hauling rocks from as far away as Bowdoinham where we were able to get them from the old barn foundation of a good friend of my sister's, we had accumulated enough to build a retaining wall around the perimeter of the patio and to build it several rows higher around the fire pit area to provide seating for those marshmallow or weiner roasts. Knowing that it would be far more difficult to gather the large flat stones we needed for the floor of the patio, we opted to buy two pallets from N.C. Hunt Lumber at a cost of $250 each. That made me appreciate all the hard work of gathering even more! We will build a pergola against the building on which will grow our wisteria vine and will move the grill up onto the patio along with the stainless storage cupboard we have had for several years. We were able to buy a couple of large cement planters at end of year clearance at Lowe's allowing me to bring plants onto the patio without covering up the rocks. We opted for individual cushions along the stone wall allowing everyone to grab one and claim their spot around the fire. One of the best parts of it all is that the "plain side" of the Lodge finally has the pizzazz it deserves.