Afters...

Here are the after shots of the yard previously eaten by deck...
At this point, we have removed the hideous deck, and found not one but TWO concrete patios buried, one on top of the other.  This is an excellent example of how a project can incur unexpected costs.  Concrete is expensive to dump - - it's done by weight.
The new smaller deck is mostly finished.  There are two levels, bringing people down to the ground level gradually.  Such soft transitions help to ground a deck in the space, and create an integrated whole.  This yard suddenly seems so expansive!

There will be meandering paths through the landscape composed of bluestone screenings on top of a gravel base.  One path, along the west side of the property, however, will be large bluestone stepping stones, set fairly closely together.  This is a path that will be utilized year round for alley access (garbage, etc.), so it has to be level and able to be shoveled in winter.

Here are stones that we will use to create a naturalistic fire pit.  A fire pit doesn't have to be perfectly round. It just has to be able to hold some wood safely.  We line this one with lava rock.

The patio is also constructed of bluestone screenings, and is circular (I do love my circles).  At the beginning of each branch of the path network, there are bluestone stepping stones.  I want it to feel as if the circle is being held in place in  space, almost like with brackets of the stones, when viewed from above.