Forty miles. One hour. Each time we travel to The Mountain (or from there back to our campground), that’s the drive. By now it could’ve become routine, but we don’t let that happen — there’s always something to see, surprises among the familiar.
Leaving Harrison this morning, we noticed a couple of construction trailers left wide open and unguarded, well away from where road work was being done. (That’s not a problem ’round here.) Just north of Bellefonte, a hayfield had been mowed and raked, the first cutting we’ve seen this year. (It was being baled when we passed by this afternoon.) A bank of early morning fog hugged the surface of Crooked Creek as it snaked out of Boone County and into Marion.
Coming into town mid-afternoon, a large plume of black smoke billowed from an area west of the highway. (A bunch of vehicles at an auto-salvage yard were on fire.) Monster trucks were parked at businesses all over Harrison. (The 2023 Insanity Tour comes to the fairgrounds this Saturday.)
That’s just a sampling of what we saw on this spring Thursday. Magnificent to mundane, it makes the drive go by.
Even accounting for checking our box at the Yellville post office and a stop at Dollar General, we made it to the homesite before 9am. The fellow representing our site contractor (who also runs the excavator) landed shortly thereafter. The concrete guy was running late.
For a while we passed the time in conversation, then the big fella fired up the excavator and neatened up the hole where a house soon will be. When the concrete guy arrived, we discussed our plans and listened to the voice of (his) experience. We left him to shoot his lines and confirm what needs doing before forms go up.
Deb and I ran down to her cousin’s place and met his new puppy before returning to the homesite with our own. Another day, another picnic lunch among the cedars and oaks.
No dirt moved today, but this was another step forward. Next, as we understand it, will be bringing in loads of gravel and building a base for the foundation. Depending on weather, which looks favorable, and our contractors’ other jobs, we could see big changes as early as next week.
I’ll leave you with this near-360° panorama of the site, capturing where we are now. Life is good.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB