We got the permits. We waited 15 days for the public to object, and we’re ready to go.
There’s been a lot of confusion about the roof line: I couldn’t figure out a way to make it work. At the last possible moment, I changed it from a zigzag to a tee, making it simpler, cheaper, better looking and, frankly, buildable. I’m a little embarrassed to be resolving a ‘detail’ like this so late in the game.
Walker Const is doing all the site work. On 6/13, at the crack of dawn, they dropped off an enormous excavator. I went out to look it over, and it is a precision machine. Later in the day, they came back and dropped off a biiiig dozer. That evening, I walked over again to take a closer look. I climbed up, got in the cab and – woo hoo !! – the key was in the ignition !! I turned it, and it started. Ride ’em cowboy!! I tweaked all the levers, but decided against doing any road work for the town. I turned it off – or tried to. It kept running. I took the key out. It kept running. That’s odd – heh heh. I turned the key back on and back off, took it out, jiggled it, looked for a kill switch, and started to panic. It kept running. I scanned the horizon to see who might be watching, and Mary was giving me the evil eye from the front porch. “You stupid shit,” she told me when I walked over to explain the situation. “What were you thinking?” We tried everything, and she got the idea to call Joe, who used to do maintenance for Walker. So she’s got the phone in one ear and her finger in the other, taking iPhone photos and emailing them to Joe while he makes suggestions, like throttling it down – if we can only find the throttle. We finally get it right, and the engine dies. Joe is laughing. Mary is doesn’t know whether to glare or smile. And I’m … done with my dozer inspection, thank you very much. Which only goes to prove that “The best fun happens in my driveway,” even though we don’t have one yet.
The next day, they started on the driveway. I’d staked out the center line, and it was taking shape by the time I got out of bed. I’m guessing 6-8 loads of gravel went into the base, plus 2 culverts. A 3rd culvert will go in along with the rest of the driveway, later in the game.
