I OFTEN WONDERED WHY THEY BUILT THE HOUSE WHERE THEY DID. OUR VIEW CONSISTED OF AN UNEVEN WEED INFESTED HILLSIDE THAT WAS GOOD FOR NOTHING.

WITH ONLY A PICK AX, A SHOVEL, AND A WHEEL BARROW I BEGAN LEVELING THE HILL INTO DIFFERENT ELEVATIONS. SEVERAL SMALL TREES WERE DUG OUT.

DIFFERENT LEVELS BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE AS I USE ROCKS I FIND WHILE DIGGING TO SERVE AS A RETAINING WALL.

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE DIFFERENT ELEVATIONS I AM CUTTING IN. A WATERWAY SITS AT THE BASE OF THE HILL TO CARRY THE WATER TO THE NEARBY CREEK.

AS I CUT INTO THE HILL I BEGIN FINDING LARGE ROCK AFTER LARGE ROCK.

I AM AMAZED AT ALL THE ROCKS I AM FINDING AS I SPEND DAYS DIGGING THEM UP. I ALSO BEGAN ADDING ADDITIONAL WATERWAYS TO CARRY THE WATER AWAY FROM THE PROJECT AREA.

THE AREA CONTINUES TO COME TOGETHER AS MORE ROCKS ARE FOUND AS I DIG.

FLAT ROCKS THAT I FIND ARE USED TO CREATE STEPS GOING UP THE HILL. I HAD NO IDEA MOST OF THESE ROCKS EXISTED BECAUSE THEY WERE COVERED IN DIRT. EVEN THE MASSIVE ROCKS WERE HIDDEN.

BUILDING A BRIDGE TO CROSS THE WATERWAY FROM THE DECK. SOME OF MY WORK HAD TO BE TORN UP TO ALLOW FOR THIS ADDITION. THE STONE STEPS WILL GO ALL THE WAY TO THE MAIN LEVEL.

MY WIFE HAS BEGUN DIGGING OUT FOR A WATERFALL THAT WILL START BETWEEN THE TWO BOULDERS ON THE HILLSIDE.

WITH MUCH OF THE DIGGING DONE, HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF ROCKS HAVE BEEN FOUND AND USED ON THE HILLSIDE AND IN THE WATERWAY.

Yet another waterway was dug to collect any additonal water runoff.

When finishing a waterway I hit rock next to the large rock I had previously uncovered. I continued to dig out this new rock until it was completely revealed. It measures over 13' long.

Airal view of the stone steps now completed.

Filling the waterway with rock to prevent erroison and it looks cool too!

AS IF I HADN'T SEEN ENOUGH ROCK ALREADY, I HAD 22 TON MORE DUMPED IN THE FRONT FIELD. WITH ONLY A WHEELBARROW, I HAD TO MOVE THEM ABOUT 100 YARDS AND UP A SMALL HILL THEN CARRY THEM ONE BY ONE UP ANOTHER HILL TO BUILD A RETAINING WALL.

AFTER TWO DAYS WORK I ONLY HAD A SMALL PORTION OF THE WALL BUILT.

7 DAYS LATER I TOOK THIS PICTURE AND WAS BLOWN AWAY AT THE BEAUTIFUL LIGHT SHINING DOWN ON THE PROJECT. MANY A PRAYER HAD BEEN SAID AS A PLACED EACH ROCK IN PLACE AND I FELT GOD WAS SAYING I AM WITH YOU WHEN I SAW THIS PICTURE.

13 DAYS AFTER CONSTRUCTION STARTED ON THE RETAINING WALL IT IS NEARLY COMPLETE. IT IS OVER 150' LONG AND EVERY ROCK WAS HAND PLACED FOR STRENGTH AND AESTHETICS.

THE ROCK PILE IS GONE AND THE RETAINING WALL AND WATERWAY ARE COMPLETE.

NEXT I BEGAN BUILDING THE SANDSTONE RETAINING WALL. I FOUND THIS LARGE ROCK IN THE WOODS AND HAD TO MOVE IT OVER 70 YARDS AND UP THE SMALL HILL.

AERIAL VIEW OF THE ALMOST FINISHED RETAINING WALL. A LOT OF THESE ROCKS WERE TOO HEAVY TO LIFT AND HAD TO BE FLIPPED INTO POSITION.

WORK HAS BEGUN ON DIGGING THE POND AND FORMING THE WATERFALL. MY DREAM IS TO MAKE THE POND LARGE ENOUGH FOR BAPTISMS.