Garden Construction, Concrete Phase 2

ABOVE:  This is an image of more heavy fog this morning around 9:00 am.  In the foreground is one of the 4-year-old Queen Palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana).  

The sun would have been really cool-looking had it not been for the power lines.  I was in my pajamas so I was reluctant to walk across the street to get the better shot without power line.

By 10:00 am it was sunny and in the 80s.

ABOVE:  The garden construction area, the day after.  We added about 40' to the garden path with about 1 and 1/2 tons of concrete, yesterday.  The HUSKY Concrete Mixer died on its second use and the "help" from HUSKY was non-existent.  I called the help line and went from Mexico to Minnesota to India to California before an abrupt woman told me to return the mixer to the store.  

We did return the Mixer to Home Depot and they gave us another one. . . in a big box.  Much assembly required.  The tools are getting cheaper and cheaper and the price continues to rise.  The HUSKY Mixer was $285.00. . . and. . .well. . .obviously cheap crap made in China.  We'll put the new one together this weekend and see how it holds together.

ABOVE:  Concrete from a week ago is now white and fully cured.  To the left is concrete we laid yesterday.

ABOVE:  A close up of the new concrete.  The frame I'm using is leaning on the gazebo to the left of the image.

ABOVE:  Me, covered in concrete yesterday evening.  And feeling my 38-year-old body aching from all the work.

ABOVE:  My brother Victor at the beginning of yesterday's work session.  As the HUSKY Mixer died he ended up mixing all the concrete by hand.  He is 4 years younger than me and a bit more energetic.  I would never had completed yesterday's work without his help.

ABOVE:  About half way through yesterday's work session.  It was in the 80s and humid.  The pond is full of leaves from the American Sycamore Tree (Platanus occidentalis L.) that is now about 60' tall.

ABOVE:  At the beginning of our work session, me with multiple layers of gloves to protect against the very caustic concrete.  I'm still smelling concrete from all the dust I breathed yesterday.