Today reminded both Deb and me of spending sunrise to sunset on The Mountain exactly five months ago. That was the November day we watched 20 truckloads of structural clay arrive at the homesite and a crew of two transform it into the base of our driveway. The feeling of progress and reward was overwhelming.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence that our site contractor sent the same two guys back to The Mountain this morning. The assignment was daunting — make a pile of rubble eight feet high and 200 feet long disappear over the downhill side of the driveway, remove trees in the way, and create a “front yard” at the level of the driveway. All that without disrupting the septic system, which occupies the area below.
We got a respectably early start, stopped for gas and met the crew at the homesite. Deb and I discussed the day’s plans with them, agreed on go and no-go zones, and left them to their work.
The first hour was a bit of a dance — our backhoe guy had left his equipment where some of the rubble needed to go, and a couple of the leach lines still needed to be covered. We called him, and he came over to finish the septic system and move his rigs. It didn’t hold up things very much, if at all.
We decided to take the Ranger up near the summit, well away from (but still within earshot of) the hubbub. Mostly, we chilled and played with Smudge. I wandered down an ATV trail Deb’s cousin uses, soaking up the springtime vibe.
By early afternoon we figured it was time to check in on the crew. They were about half-done — the large pile of rocks and excavation debris north of the septic tank had become a wide, flat bench off the driveway. Lots more trees had been felled, including a number of mature hardwoods.
It was all starting to take shape.
We parked the Ranger on the spot where our shed eventually will sit, had another great picnic lunch and watched the rough work continue.
It was around 4pm, I think, when we decided to call it a day. Our contractor’s crew was finishing, too, basically tidying up around the edges. The excavator operator called us over and asked our opinion of what they’d accomplished.
The result was nothing short of amazing. In six short hours they’d expanded the usable area at driveway level by 15 feet. Down below where the leach lines run, the space had been opened up considerably while preserving its function as a visual buffer. And the septic system is done.
Oh, and the view from our front porch promises to be even better (pictured).
Deb and I rolled back to Harrison with the same feeling we had on November 11th. This was a day of big progress and a vision coming into sharper focus.
Next up — foundation. Stay tuned.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB
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