Despite the fierce heat, the stonemasons are working unfazed. They're true craftsmen and a genuine delight to watch but seeing the patio and steps come together is also a rather sobering experience, in that we have a steady joke among us about my being able, in my youth, to have moved large boulders into place. I could have done this, I said more than once, but no sooner did these words come out than I had to admit that this was not actually true. In fact, without their skill, talent, experience, and equipment, I would never have completed this job. The giant stones would have stayed in the woods. The flat area that is becoming a patio would have remained an unruly lawn, occupied more by ground-nesting bees than partying people. And the warm air would have remained free from stone dust as the guys carefully shaped the rocks with the diamond-bladed power saws. All I have is a stone chisel. All I would need is another lifetime... and an army of minions.