2010

Additions this year:

• One pallet of EP Henry angled retaining wall stones which equals 120 bricks or 3240 pounds.
• One pallet of EP Henry straight retaining wall stones which equals 120 bricks or 3480 pounds.
• 3 cubic yards of topsoil.

After a very cold winter with record amounts of snow, we discovered that many plants did not survive and there was a lot of clean-up work to do. The first train finally ran on April 4th after repairing some sections of track destroyed by those dastardly deer that seem to want to step on the track. This section is repaired and ready to be re-installed. This was a good time to fix some of the earliest roadbed work to get things leveled again and fix some early mistakes. This section of track was one of the first set down in 2004, so my technique for installing roadbed got better over the next few years. It made sense to apply some of the newer knowledge to the older sections of the railroad.

Two more pallets of EP Henry bricks arrived, hopefully the last two I’ll need for this project. My goal is to finish all the walls before turning 48 later this year and there’s no reason why that can’t be accomplished. Along with the bricks came another 3 cubic yards of topsoil which quickly went into connecting two other areas near the water garden and the main bridge. This area will eventually have some trackside industries. Note that the closest siding needs another 6’ of track installed still. Sunset Valley track doesn’t come cheap.

The water garden had several fish last year, but I caught a blue heron gulping them down during the winter, so we’ll have to visit a local store and get some more fish. The frogs serenade us each night with very loud noises, loud enough that it’s not fun to sit outside by the garden when they are at their loudest. Jason and Megan got to work on the Children’s Garden, which is a small triangular area where they pick the plants, do the planting and weeding, and generally care for everything. Mom sprays stuff to keep the deer away, and Dad’s watering system automatically keeps the plants watered.

It looks nice once they’re done every year…