Looking across the pond area to where Paul started pulling out stumps.

This is just one of the many large stumps that were left from last summer when we felled a bunch of trees around the pond.

The same stump from a different side. There's the house in the background.

The pond is still holding water, probably due to the clay content in the soil.

Some of the stumps were rather stubborn, like this one.

After clawing through some of the roots around the stump, it still wouldn't budge.

So Paul got in closer and worked at ripping through the roots a little bit at a time.

Poppng the bucket up and down, the roots snapped one at a time.

Taking a look back across the pond at some of the stumps already dug out.

Back to the stubborn stump. Paul works on the right side for a bit.

Then gives the stump a shove from the back. Still stuck.

Working on the left side, popping more and more roots.

Grabbing a large chunk of roots in hopes of gaining on the stump.

It appears to be working. The stump is beginning to lift.

Paul pushes it from the right side and starts tipping it over.

It's loose enough now that the remaining roots break with no problem.

Paul takes one more pick at it...

...and over it goes!

The hole left by that stubborn stump.

Paul then uses the bucket teeth to shake the dirt out of the root mass.