Smile Like a Dog

The Biz in His New Yard

Posted on 18. Aug, 2008 by Mark in Dogs, personal

Those of you who know my work understand I don’t really spend a whole lot of time in a traditional studio. That said, my wise and clever wife recently planted the suggestion of reconfiguring our backyard into an outdoor studio that I could invite clients to. Wow, talk about your great ideas.

Only one problem

Since we got him in early 2007, The Biz had taken what was once a pretty serviceable and low-maintenance backyard and converted it into a series of mulch piles. Einstein and Newton would be proud of the irresistible force that is Bizzy who, at only 15 pounds, managed to shift several cubic yards of very expensive pine mulch from an even 3-inch surface to a 3-foot slope against our neighbor’s fence. The rest of the yard pretty much looked like a moonscape.

We ended up working with a really great landscape architect from Redbud Design who came up with a beautiful plan designed to be beautiful and durable. The solution:  fescue turf grass (virtually indestructible), some architectural amendments and cool Asian statuary we found at a great store in Berkeley.

The result is a peaceful little space with lots of durable turf for Bizzy to play on — not to mention a cool little guardian for all the little critters that visit us. Check it out…

New Arbor on the deck and, nope, it didn’t rain. That’s San Francisco summer fog

The Biz and his ever-present ball

Stop and smell the succulents

Oh give me a home with lots of room to roam…

My favorite part…the new Jizo statue. Jizo is traditionally a protector of kids, expectant mothers, firemen, & travelers. But I’ve decided to make him an honorary overseerer of pets as well.

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Tags: Backyard, Bizzy, Cojack, Corgi Jack russell mix, Jizo, outdoor studio, The Biz