This stone patio was almost free. I received a 15 ‘ circle from someone who was replacing their stone. 2 tons of screening ($75) and 2 bags of sealing sand ($25). There was of course the back breaking labor but it is satisfying pain when you build something yourself. As you can see, I was not blessed with an elegant backyard oasis:

The old stones were pulled up, the sod peeled back and the whole area dug down to a 3″ - 6″ depth.  The land sloped down from the back of the house so I didn’t dig down very far on the outside. That area had at least 6″ of screening under the new stones. Once the screening is spread out evenly it has to be tamped down. You soak the area and bash the hell out of it with the tamper (you can rent one for less than $20)…it is a flat metal plate on a pole with handles on the side.

Once the area is thoroughly tamped (I soaked it several times and spent at least 4 hours on this) you start laying your stones, starting in the center and working your way out. Each course has to be carefully laid and checked for level. More than once I had to step back, look, adjust, and sometimes take up several stones and level the ground underneath. Once you have a good sized circle, a straight 2×4 around 5 feet long can help you level the stones.

Once the stone laying is complete the patio needs to be sealed. There are many different products that can be used, and all are applied in a similar fashion. The sealing sand that I used was poured into all the gaps between the stones. I used a broom to gently sweep all of the excess off the stones and into every last space. Then I watered the patio using a fine mist. The patio was watered several times and allowed to dry. I repeated this process a few more times throughout the first summer.

The end result was an almost professional job which took 2 .5  days. As you can see in the pictures, this is a townhouse so all the materials were carried through the house. On an accessible site, with all the materials at hand, this was a 1 man, 1 day, job. I had done this once before (helped someone 15 + years ago) so I had a little experience and the hardest part is definitely the labor. By the time you are half way through the job, you will officially be an expert stone patio layer, or at least, well on your way to becoming one.

I phoned around and got 3 quotes after I finished, just to see what it would cost. I was quoted $800 -$1500 for materials and no less than $1000 for the labor on any of the quotes. One of the quotes was actually $4000 for a 15′ circle kit like the one I built.

Thanks,

Mike

Check out the following 3 recipes this Thanksgiving.  The Turkey and Yam recipes are great but a word of advice: if you make the stove top stuffing be sure to set some aside for yourself. The first time I made this I hardly got any. By the time I was finished all the serving and sat down at the table they were already into seconds.

The best stove top stuffing ever!

¾ cup dried cherries
2 -3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp butter
2 medium sized onions, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp sage, finely chopped
8 corn muffins (store bought)
2 cups chicken stock, plus some for reconstituting the cherries

Place cherries in a small bowl and cover with chicken stock for a few minutes until they soften. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or wok) over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. Once melted, add the celery and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until tender (10 minutes). Drain cherries and add them with the sage, cooking for 2 – 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Crumble the corn muffins into the pan adding chicken stock to dampen.

Turn heat down to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

Serves 8

Sweet Mashed Yams

¼ cup butter
2 tbsp 10 percent cream
1 tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp salt (or more to taste)
2 lbs Yams peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch thick
Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a medium pan, over medium heat. Stir in the syrup, cream and ½ tsp salt. Stir in the yams and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring often until yams are very tender (falling apart). Remove from heat and mash with a potato masher. Whip with a whisk until smooth, adding pepper to taste. Makes about 2 ½ cups, and can be made ahead of time and heated to serve.

Glazed Roasted Garlic Turkey

1 turkey 10 – 12 lbs.
1 tablespoon salt & pepper
3 heads garlic
¼ cup (50 ml) Diana marinade: Garlic & Herbs
1 cup (250 ml) HP Sauce (original)
1/3 cup (75ml) melted butter
4 fresh rosemary sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C)

Wash & prep turkey, sprinkle outside with salt and pepper.
Trim and discard the heads of the garlic, then cut each one in half, crossways.

Place the garlic in a bowl, drizzle with Diana marinade and microwave on high for 3 minutes until cloves start to separate.
Place 2 ½ heads of garlic inside the turkey with 3 sprigs of rosemary and the thyme. Place the remaining garlic into the neck cavity. (Add stuffing – apples cored and cut into quarters) Tie the legs and place in roasting pan, breast side up.

Whisk the HP sauce with the melted butter. Finely chop the remaining rosemary and stir in. Brush some of this sauce evenly over the turkey (save some to add later when basting). Roast for at least 2 ½ hours or until 170 F (77 C) registers on a thermometer inserted into the inner thigh. Baste often during the last 45 – 60 minutes. Let rest covered 15 minutes before carving.

Free photos

I am constantly searching for interesting photos for use as screen savers, as illustrations for writing projects and even for the kid’s homework assignments. You can do a Google image search but you often aren’t getting the picture you want in the resolution you need. I hate when you find the perfect picture in the thumbnail on the search page and find that it is only a postage stamp sized jpeg when viewed “full size”. I started thinking that maybe I could rectify that in some small way. I would like to start a gallery of subscribers interesting photos to post. We could select our 5 - 10 favorites each month and let you vote on the best. They would be displayed in our “hall of fame” for the next month. Interesting or humorous tag lines are welcome.

I am taking a trip at the end of June to my native province of British Columbia, amid one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in the world. I intend to fill several memory sticks on my trusty Sony digital camera and create a travel blog for my readers at Mike’s World For Free. One of the outings I have planned is a 3 day road trip along the Icefields Parkway, which is an amazing scenic highway that runs from Banff National Park, through Lake Louise, north to Jasper National Park. Check out this link http://www.icefieldsparkway.ca for more information on what they call “the world’s most spectacular journey”.

To send us photos please attach with a description and send them to photoblog@myworldforfree.com . If you wish to include a link to your site or galleries please do so. We will check out all links for suitability (no adult, offensive or illegal content) and only require a reciprocal link in return. We are always interested in both providing and receiving free advertising, and linking to increase traffic. If it’s good for us, it’s good for you!

Thank you,

Mike