Some of the Best Things in Life are Free

The Murph's Surprise Fire Pit

As I stacked the final stone, I experienced the good feeling of satisfaction that goes along with building something with your own 2 hands. It wasn't the most impressive stone structure ever built, but I was pleased with the outcome. Adding to the feeling of satisfaction was the fact that I'd built it for our friends Joe and Cindee, and they had no idea I was doing it.

Joe had recently purchased a few acres on Beaver Lake and was putting together plans to build a long dreamed of family retreat there. I was thinking about this that late fall morning on my way out to our cabin with my K-9 Max. My intent that day was to check on things at our place and perhaps work on one of the myriad projects I had begun but not yet completed.
Just before reaching the highway 12 turnoff, it hit me that it might be fun to leave a personal mark on the Murph's property while they were away celebrating their wedding anniversary. With that in mind I cruised thru McDonald's for another cup of fresh brewed, custom blend, rich, bold and robust coffee before turning right and heading out to the Murph's place.

I arrived at Joe and Cindee's property and spent some time walking around considering the possibilities.  The lake was down several feet since I'd last seen it and as I walked the length of their property I couldn't help but notice the great quantity of large flat rocks newly exposed by the receding lake water. I saw those rocks as a nice resource and although I didn't know whether or not the Army Corp of Engineers had any specific rock rules, I figured it wouldn't hurt if I moved a hand full of them 20 or 30 yards and organized them into a circle that would hopefully end up looking like a nice spot to build a camp fire.

Some of the rocks I chose were way too heavy to lift and resulted in me invoking my long standing belief that "if you can move something an inch you can eventually move it a mile". With that idea in mind I managed to roll several large rocks over the bank and up the incline where I was able to push, shove, and eventually move them into place.
A little while into the project, the neighbor lady saw a vehicle parked next door that she apparently didn't recognize as friendly and walked down to inquire. When I told her who I was and what I was doing, she looked at me like I was from another planet before walking back up to her house and going back to whatever it was she was doing before I had interrupted her quiet morning time.

Later that day after just a few hours of rock rolling, dragging and stacking, my latest hand crafted project had come to fruition. I finished it off by building a rock bench, which rather nicely complimented the main structure. After a few minutes of admiring my handy work from various angles, I set my Nikon D5000 on a nearby rock and snapped a picture to chronicle the event.

I decided not to tell anyone about what I'd done that day and just wait until one of the Murphy clan stumbled onto it. Joe was surprised to find it a week or so later and after finding out I'd put it there he expressed how much he liked it. It was satisfying knowing I'd done a little something unexpected for some good friends. The knowledge that my efforts might one day be a catalyst for additional "lake time memories" for Joe, Cindee, and their ever growing extended family, was a nice bonus. And compliments of Mother Nature....none of this cost a dime!