The Artist

After a little more than a week of actual construction on the property, one thing has caught our attention very dramatically:  Albert Gabelein is an artist with his excavator.  The huge orange metal arm of the excavator, and the swivel-bucket it commands is like an extension of Albert's body.

Everyone who's stopped by has commented on how effortlessly he maneuvers the grand machine.  Phil Groening, our neighbor to the North, commented that Albert's work is "second to none", and that he wouldn't trust anyone else with the work.

When I watch him work, it reminds me of an old video game we used to have on our computer called Mechwarrior.  The newer version is shown in a clip below.  If the military ever goes this route, I think they should be recruiting Albert.

Anyhow, we've made significant progress since a minor setback on our first day.  While digging out the driveway on the very first day, we discovered a power line in a steel tube running at about chest-height of where we wanted to dig the driveway.  It wasn't on any of the plans, and the City workers who came out to mark all of the utilities failed to locate it.

So, after a few days, we were able to get the power to that cable shut off temporarily and removed the line.  Once the driveway is in, we'll work with the City to get the power line reinstalled, but under the driveway this time.

Since then, Albert has taken 20 dump truck loads of dirt and 4 loads of brush off the property, and we've hardly made a dent.  The driveway is pretty well established, but we haven't begun to clear the majority of the site, nor dig out the home-site.  We're anticipating something like 50-60 additional loads of dirt, and only 2-3 more loads of brush need to be removed.

Tomorrow, the City inspector comes by to approve the temporary erosion control measures.  This involves the silt fences we've built around the entire exterior of the property, and anything else related to making sure that no dirt spills off the property when it rains.  Assuming all goes to plan, we'll begin full excavation mode tomorrow and keep digging until we're ready to install the foundation.

Thanks to everyone who's stopped by, including Mom and Dad, Uncle Dennis and Aunt Theresa, Nick Rohrbach, Jhon Mosely, and Becca and Ryan Porter.  In addition, we've received numerous drive-by guests. Tons of neighbors have stopped to say hello, and we even had an older couple stop by and tell us they owned the property in the sixties and were responsible for moving the power lines underground, which dramatically improved the view.  Thank god for them.

Feel free to stop by anytime, and we'll keep you posted on the progress.

Up Next:  Excavation Time!