The colors were beautiful this year, unfortunately I never got a chance to get out and take pictures except for this one off our back deck. It seemed that every window I looked out of had gorgeous fall colors.

Well, most of the back yard is finished. We just put the deck on the back with a ramp so that I have access from both the bedroom and the sunroom. Here is Olive waiting at the bedroom doors. We have six doors in the house and she never knows which one she should use.

The patio was completed this summer but I couldn't use it till the ramp was finished. In just the last couple weeks we have enjoyed sitting out back very very much.And now I have raised planter boxes so next summer I will finally be able to garden again. We just set them down today so needs some landscaping but soon it will be ready to go.

Where did Summer go???

We finally took the motorhome out for a trial run. We drove up to a campgound in Rumney NH called River...something. It was pretty deserted this time of year but had everything we needed for our maiden voyage. Everything worked great, we did learn that we need to be very level for the lift to reach the ground. The first site we tried was a little uneven. Not a problem as far as leveling the motor home but a big problem when the lift ended about 6" off the ground. Although it is nice enough to stay inside all the time, I really enjoy the sunshine too much to do that.

I was able to use the shower with no problem. The bed was comfortable. We did cheat on meals and brought 2 microwaveable dinners. So we didn't really try out the stove.

I had hoped we'd have another opportunity to go somewhere again but with so much going on, there won't be much time. Doug was getting pretty comfortable driving. He does need to practice backing up though. I think he does OK but in case we get in a predicament, a little practice goes a long way!

I just noticed that there are a LOT of dirt pictures so I'll have to go out and take some of the grass now that it's looking nice.

Here I am using the lift. It works slick however we need to do some work on technique. for instance, neither of us can open the lift door from inside because the handle is behind the grate. This was purposely so we could reach it from outside. We also had to rig something to store the lift remote/mechanism where I could reach it. That's been accomplished and our dealer fixed it so I can pull the door closed from inside. But as it stands now, I cannot go out independently, I can go in though. So when everyone asks why we haven't gone anywhere yet, it is all these little things we are working on ironing out.

Here are some interior pictures. They custom made the dinette so I could fit at the end. The picture with the sink shows the lift on the left. That's a microwave drawer under the stove, not an oven. All the counters are corian. The sink & stove have removable covers so you get a nice counter top when not in use. They made the space next to my bed 3 feet for my wheelchair to fit. The night stand is perfect for all my supplies.

FINALLY! We picked up our new motorhome on Friday. (July 10) Doug is standing next to the lift doorway. To the left of the door you can see the slide that comes out about18"-24". (haven't measured it) and then from that is the awning that sticks out about 10feet. See all the vertical lines underneath the slide - those are all storage compartments. There is enough room to sleep several small kids in there!!

This week I got some more independence. We got an electric scooter. It's a 3-wheeler with big tires so it will go over rough ground, grass, dirt, pretty much where ever I want to go. Doug took this picture after I had picked some flowers that had been broken by the heavy rains. (I love the basket in front). I can lean way over to weed too. If my arms were only 1" longer I'd have it made. The scooter also disassembles so we can take it with us in the motorhome for me to use at campgrounds, it may even fit in the car so I can take it shopping!! Whoo hooo!!!

You may notice the green grass behind me. This is the first grass he planted between the garages. It looks great here but is very sporadic up close, it will be a bit longer before it fills in enough to mow but in the meantime it looks a whole lot better then dirt.

June 11

So a few days later, when we got another break in the rain we hired a gal to do the planting. Man could she work! She dug up some of my existing plants that we had saved and planted the entire 60" of garden in front of the house in one afternoon. A lot of green right now but there will be more color soon and in the meantime I'll plant some annuals for immediate color - if it ever stops raining

Once that was done Doug was finally able to start seeding the front now that the planting is done. He has put so much work into rototilling, raking, fertilizing and then seeding and raking again.

Front landscaping

Ok, I'm back again, this was June 5, we had one morning without rain and 3 guys came and planted this "island" in our front lawn. (I mean what will become our front lawn.) Doug thinks it's stupid but I like it. I always wanted a crabapple (on the left) a fir in the middle (a christmas tree) and an amur maple on the right. I really like the shape of this one. It should look nice as it grows. The shrubs will flower eventually.

Next step was the front walk way. We chose a cement walk that is stamped and colored to look like stone. First he had to add a colored powder on it and here are the stamps being laid out. The final steps included a seal that also makes it non skid. So hopefully no accidents.

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We think it came out great. The first time I tried it I felt like on a carnival ride. It was bumpy but also banked a little to the right then to the left and I gathered speed at the end. We'll have to make sure there are no cars parked at the end of the walk. You can see in the middle picture that the cement goes right up to the deck so I have a straight shot out the door.