Saturday April 29
The contractor told us yesterday that guys would be working in the yard today. Indeed, they arrived as usual at 7 a.m., although there were only two today. They finished laying the stones that border that patio and cementing the gaps to make the surface nice and smooth. They also got several of the stone bands in the pathways laid. These guys are very good. The large stones have to be cut or broken down to size (they use both a saw and a hammer), and then smaller pieces are shaped and added to fill the remaining space. While one worker does that, another goes around with what looks to be a large applicator you would use to ice cakes and cements in the gaps left by the oddly shaped stones, then he carefully smooths out this cement between the stones with a trowel. It is all very artistic and time-consuming work, and we are very impressed with the results.