So the big workout is the damn patio installation which is intended for the rear of the house. Here's a view:

Here are some before pics of the site itself:

...and after some heay duty clearing:

Porch enjoyed having the additional room:

Then the flagstone arrived:

On two pallets:

Pretty, huh?

And then, the real work began...excavating the site:

One hour in:

3 hours in:

End of Day One (probably a quarter finished):

Continued on page 2.