Gary's comment on July 21st made me want to go back and take a look at the progress of the lot. We'd loved this property from the first time we'd seen it, tramping through snow and ice in February. It was rough, but it was natural, private, and definitely not a "Monopoly board" neighborhood! 
On March 22, shortly after signing the rchase agreement, we met with Mike for a walkthrough. We got to know each other over a couple of hours as he shared his vision and listened to ours. We are gardeners at heart and prefer the meandering and terracing naturalized style of gardening. Mike promised us "interesting" and "functional". These aren't the best example of my photography skills, the perspective is difficult. Suffice it to say that the hike up to where I shot this pic, near the road, and where the guys are standing, near what is now the back corner of the house, left me huffing, and the walk back down had me stumbling.
By April, as he was beginning the excavation for the basement, Mike began to remove huge boulders and smooth out the hills and drops. We had several discussions then about which trees stayed and how many boulders we wanted to keep.
He made adjustments for drainage and graded the natural contour of the land in a way that respected our desire to have a natural appeal and interesting landscape, but still be comfortable traversing the property and have enough "flat" for the necessities.
By May, the lay of the land was pretty clear to see, with gentle sloping on what was a steep hill and a very level area in front. The general shape is apparent in these photos, though there has been a great deal of refining.
This last pic is that spot at the back where the deck will be, the jut-out is the sun room (behind the fireplace). It's all gentle rolls now. With everything happening to the house itself, I haven't taken any good pics of the land in June or July, but I'll rectify that this weekend.
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