lava rocks are much lighter than regular rocks!

i learned something interesting about lava rock last weekend: it apparently weighs about half as much as regular rock does.  that definitely helps explain the outrageous price tag!

this fact made me insanely excited, because i had previously dismissed lava rock for my plant beds out front since it costs $250/ton vs $90/ton for the "alabama red rock" that is common around here.  however, with this new knowledge, i knew i could buy 0.75 tons of lava rock instead of 1.5 tons of red rock to fill my beds.  still more expensive, but $180 vs $140 is a lot less scary!

i went for it.  :)  i know it's probably silly, but i just love the porous look, deeper color, and color variance of the lava rock.  i think it looks great.  it gives our front yard a pop of deep red and ties in nicely with my flower pots.

we were fortunate enough to choose a slightly overcast friday evening to complete this project, so we didn't die of heat stroke out there.  ("felt like" 103 degrees outside yesterday, yikes!)

i shoveled the entire load of rocks off the flatbed into buckets, which my boyfriend couriered to and dumped in the plant beds.  our little relay system was great, but my upper back is definitely making known its displeasure today.  i'd probably be in traction if i'd gone with 1.5 tons of the heavier rocks hahaha.

my next yard project: pavers.  there's a thatch of overgrown yuck at the base of the driveway that is just begging to be leveled and turned into a small patio for the garbage cans.