The hillside behind our chalet


Fire pit - Upper Hillside, along trail.
 At night, where I often cook franks and beans
over the coals. 

Fire pit - Upper Hillside along trail.
Lean-to roof directs rain water into trough
 (behind glide bench) ,which feeds
via underground hose and pipe to
decorative pool and fountain, in summer, spring and fall.


Stairway at night, above decorative pond with lighted fountain. Eventually, all low voltage lighting will be replaced with energy efficient LED lighting, and powered from solar charged batteries 

Stairs leading down from decorative pond with lighted fountain,
 

Stairs made from 4x4 posts, rebar/concrete and backfill gravel (mostly free from landfill), lead down to bench seat and pool.
 Some 4x4's were retrieved from local landfill. 
Much of the flat stone and large rocks were dug up
 further down the hillside on the property
and hand/wheel-barrel carried up the hill.

Decorative pond fountain at base of what will eventually be a small waterfall.
There are now 2 benches here.
Fountain lights up at night with solar powered lights, and 12 volt colored lights.
The pond is fed with rainwater from a catch basin at base of the chalet,
 via underground hose and pipe (salvaged from landfill).
No fresh drinking well water is ever used to fill the pool(s).
 

View from Main Deck
2nd bench was added.
 
I hope to capture the sounds of the fountains and eventual small waterfall with microphones,
that will feed the sounds to an audio amp and speakers  in the chalet
 (Audio Amp purchased and currently building the microphone housings).
I also scrounged for perfectly good/working speakers and old satellite dishes at the swap shack.
The satellite dishes have been painted with camouflage paint and will be used in conjunction with
microphones to feed night sounds of owls, squirrels, chipmunks,
 coyotes etc. (hopefully NOT the neighbors barking dog) into the chalet.
 

Stairs from top of property, on  main trail.
To the left , out of view, is the hillside fire-pit and lean-to.
   

View from bottom of western edge stairs to the east.
Main hillside trail.

Stairs at western edge of hillside property.
Decorative pool and fountain to right of tiki torch.
 

Driveway Webcam

Ooops!
20' top section of tree I was trying to cut down for roof clearance.
Knocked me off of ladder (cracked a rib) that was at far end of shed,
and shoved the ladder through front door of shed.