Paving Paradise (9/23)

Our new backyard came beautiful. No features except the wild outdoors and we got used to it for about a year. Plenty of room for both lounging and frisbee practice. Lots of orange trees to juice. For quite some time, we considered adding a pool. (After all, we'd promised our kids we'd move to a home with a pool or build one!) However, after multiple consultations, we just kept dreading the upkeep and questioning if we'd ever get a return on our investment. We also strategized for months about building a mammoth boat shed, got it all approved through the HOA and city, but couldn't justify the cost. Thoughtfully, but surprisingly, we landed on a pickleball court and hot tub pad instead. During the construction process, we spent considerable time discussing things such as: how to preserve the irrigation to our lot by reconfiguring the irrigation gate and what new plants/ trees to replenish with. Unexpectedly, the hardest part of the project was the requisite tree removal! Removing 19 trees simply felt like betraying Mother Earth. The song Big Yellow Taxi by Counting Crows played on repeat in my mind and I cried multiple times and multiple days over the lyrics: 

"They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum 
and they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them. 
Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone? 
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."  

Our backyard is still beautiful. We prioritized and preserved wild but will also enjoy the paved parts as our own paradises. Pickleball is a hobby that David and I began enjoying together since our move to AZ and seems a logical addition for a tennis-loving family. The hot tub pad allows for the largest hot tub available and will be a nice treat for 3 teenagers who have ready access to pools but infrequent, instant access to a heated hot tub.