![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Yard-3-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>After recent trips to Hawaii and Palm Desert, and getting ready for a trip to Spain and Portugal next month, I should be content with just relaxing in our backyard for a few weeks, however . . . the backyard is anything but relaxing.\u00a0 Those who have been to our backyard might be wondering why I couldn\u2019t relax in our \u2018Hawaii-transported-to-California\u2019 atmosphere. Well, late last month we decided that things were looking a little tired out there, Hawaii was looking more like Hawaiian Gardens, a city in the suburbs of Los Angels, next to a freeway, known for its gambling casino and not the least bit tropical. \u00a0OK, maybe it wasn\u2019t that bad, but it was 30 years old and in need of a facelift. As those who may have gone down this path before, know that a facelift can often turn into a complete body makeover \u2013 and so it did. \u00a0I have to say, it pained me to see the crew come in and demolish our pool and yard, eliminating our large planter and three beautiful palm trees that I planted 30+ years ago.<\/p>\nDeciding what to put in after all was demolished was not easy.\u00a0 We visited several tile and pool places and got samples and were expected to pick a paver that\u2019s going to cover most of our backyard, from a sample six inches square!\u00a0 We get to look at one piece of stacked stone to \u2018imagine\u2019 it covering all the areas it\u2019s supposed to cover.\u00a0 We looked a lot of photos of Linda and I didn\u2019t agree on everything, but we were finally able to find middle One of the benefits we really didn\u2019t count on, was having a Port-O-Potty in our driveway for the first half of this year \u2013 it\u2019s I\u2019ve included a couple of photos of the wreckage, which look akin to the ravages left by Hurricane Iniki, the worst hurricane to ever hit Hawaii \u2013 winds of 145 mph, with gusts up to 225 mph.\u00a0 OK, maybe I\u2019ve taken a little liberty with the truth here, but it\u2019s a mess, a wet, muddy, rocky mess.\u00a0 But sometime, hopefully by summer, we\u2019ll be sipping Margaritas and Mai Tais by the pool and second-guessing our choice of . . . just about everything!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow After recent trips to Hawaii and Palm Desert, and getting ready for a trip to Spain and Portugal next month, I should be content with just relaxing in our backyard for a few weeks, however . . … read more![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Pool-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>pebble tech, but photos and real-life colors aren’t EXACTLY the same.\u00a0 Other issues included the breakage of existing sprinkler lines during the demo process and, of course, rain.\u00a0 We needed the rain, I get it, but enough already!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rocky-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a> ground when choosing pavers, stacked stone, pool tile, pebble tech, coping and stucco color.\u00a0 Yet to be agreed upon are things like new furniture, umbrellas, fire-features and whatever else is going to end up back there.\u00a0 I did come to realize that I needed to acquiesce a bit, as Linda\u2019s love for negotiation helped get us the best deal \u2013 although she reminded me, \u2018best\u2019 is a relative term and not to quit my day job!!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Potty-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>really handy when I\u2019m working in the front yard and need a bathroom break \u2013 we might just leave it there!<\/p>\n