Ten Years in the Making

It was a project ten years in the making, but finally, it's done. And we are thrilled with how it turned out! We always wanted to put in a riding arena on our place, but something would come up to postpone the project another year. In the end, it worked out perfectly, because we talked to enough people and did enough research that it all came together in the best possible way. And finally, Brailey has a place to ride her horses at home! These are just a few fun pictures to show you the journey from the beginning to the end. We had the best excavator we could ever ask for - Brian Way of Way to go Construction. He has done a lot of work for us over the years, and he knew what he was getting into from previous projects. We have so many rocks and boulders, we were worried we might come across one too big to move, which would have shut the whole thing down, but the hillside and ground surprised us all - the rocks were perfect for the base and there weren't any too big to move. In fact, the job ended up being easier than expected, which was a great bonus. We couldn't be happier with how beautiful it looks. It greatly surpassed our expectations! Below is a Before picture, and the transformation goes on from there. Enjoy! Britt was such a rock star, helping Brady did almost all of the post holes. By hand! In restrospect, Brady said he probably wouldn't do it that way. But they did it!
In case you are wondering what Britt is doing, he is digging a rock out. Last Saturday was the most beautiful day of the fall. The weather was so, so perfect! My beloved niece Lanie and her boyfriend came to the Oregon Ducks football game, and they stopped by. Nate helped them dig one of the post holes before they headed off to the game. We got a lot of work done on this day thanks to the delightful sunshine. I was able to get it stained on one of the last sunny days last week. The weather was perfect!
And there it is, all the tops cut off the posts and a perfect fence line. So, so beautiful! Brailey has ridden in it twice, now, and we are super excited to be able to do all sorts of things up there. We can rope our hot heels, shoot the guns, throw a football or baseball around, and ride, ride, ride. Best of all, we have a nice road that leads up to it. Old Man Winter, we're finally ready for you.