five

 The contractor added earth and placed the stones according to a diagram I drew out for them for the walkway and the driveway. These are the Sajima-ishi, the stones from the quarry down the coast that were used as the foundation of the old house. Half of them were carried away, but we still had plenty for this. I wish we had kept more of them because they make such good stepping stones. In the photo above you can also see the koushi, the latticed wood over the windows. This was another feature that we went back and forth on whether to do it or not, but I'm glad we decided to at the last minute. It goes well with the latticed feel of the front door. It also means more staining--one of these days, when we get around to it.

I think we have to add more stones to the driveway. It's okay for now, as long as we park perfectly balanced on top of them, but it's going to be pretty muddy until we get some planting done, which means we'll be landing in a mud pile every time we get out of the car in the rain.