Ray wrote:
We have a shrub-free lawn about 60 feet wide, 15 feet deep, divided by a
walkway.

I'd like to get a SIMPLE sprinkler system to help avoid dragging hoses
all over the yard. I don't want some system that measures rainfall and
automatically turns on and off -- just something that I can turn on at
two locations and do the job -- then turn it off. I would think that two
jets on each side of the walkway would do the job.

It seems to me that this should be a fairly easy job that I could do
myself.

Am I right? Where would I go to get the materials?

The simplest solution is to quit putting the hoses away; just leave them
there for the next time you water.

Installing a system requires a lot of planning, starting with measuring
the pressure and size of your water supply, and in cities, that can vary
during the day, high at night when no one is using the water; low in the
morning when everyone is taking showers. One advantage of a timer is
that you can set it to water just before dawn, when the pressure is high
and the water will sink in without a lot of evaporation.

The only heads that I have seen irrigate in a circular pattern, or a
fraction of a circle, so to water a rectangular area without waste you
probably need a 90 degree head at each corner, and enough heads between
them to fill in the areas they don't reach (the pros recommend double
coverage or overlap). If you want to avoid watering the walkway, it
will take more heads.

Many manufacturers make multiple grades of equipment, a cheap one that
won't last, and a pro line that is sturdier. You can guess which line
Home Depot and the ilk carry. My best advice is, unless you are handy
and have a lot of time and knowledge, hire a pro to set up your service.
I did, and he even put in an extra valve in case I wanted to add
another zone (I did add a zone to water some flower beds a few years
later), and the pro grade equipment he installed has worked flawlessly
for many years.