Lumber has arrived

At long last, the framing has begun.  We are now clearly in the house-building phase of the project.

For some reason, we also have nearly all of our trees planted.  

3 Ginkos in the front (we had to get smaller trees to ensure that we have male-only ginko trees!)

A potpourri of trees in the back including:  an apple tree, a persimmon tree, and other assorted trees (maple, birch, red leaf).

The trees were originally planted pretty close to the house.  After all of our efforts to create space for a backyard this fall (and negotiations with the arborists) we almost completely re-forested the back.
After a meeting with the landscape crew, we moved most of the trees further back, to create a nice backdrop for our yard.

Retaining wall needed to attain our grade in the front.
Anybody know a good graffiti artist?

Trees after being moved further back (note pale circle in front right, where maple had been 24hrs earlier).

Speaking of landscaping: we are also planning for blueberry bushes in the back, along the property border with our neighbor.  So maybe in a few years we are kicking back eating home-grown fruits.  Or maybe just feeding the local deer population.