Backyard Pics

Okay, here are some quick pictures...

Here, you can see where we terraced the backyard with railroad ties.... it's so much easier with level ground!

However, with railroad ties, comes TAR!!!  ....and lots of it!  The heat out here just makes the tar melt out from the wood....I've had to set aside certain "already ruined" clothes for the kids to wear when they're playing outside because otherwise their clothes get covered in sticky tar.  Ditto for shoes.

The leftover sandbags from the post-flood situation were quickly taken up by the boys, who proceeded to build a fort for themselves.  They even made little rooms for the girls so that they could have their "own" space to hang out in.

I'm trying to convince them to make it smaller and taller, but I think they're tired from all the heavy lifting of the bags and are happy with the fort as it is.

Now we need a little shade from the desert sun and some plants planted in the ground (as opposed to the many potted plants now gracing the patio), and it'll be a comfy place to hang out.  Already, it feels like a backyard instead of a "space behind the house."

....and the spring flowers are blooming....yeah!!!