Beechwood Trails
Progress & News Page
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May 31st: We're in a little of a lull at the moment, with nothing much
happening. Over the next few weeks the materials are being gathered
at Houndquarter's factory in Phoenix, AZ and will be delivered on July
10th. In three or four weeks the building contractor Houndquarters will
use, Harding Construction Company, will come in and pour the slab.
By the time that is complete, it will be just about time for all the steel
and other materials to be delivered. In the meantime, we'll be doing
things such as, having the well drilled, having a temporary power pole
installed and have power connected to it by Greystone Power, and
we'll continue to work on the grounds.
We have chosen our home bulider! We were going to use Joe
Mobley to build it, and had been talking with Joe for months, but Joe
has several houses going at this time and is stretched a little thin.
Joe's a heck of a nice guy and we're very happy he's doing so well.
Joe was good enough to recommend Jerry Slay of Slay Homes, and
Jerry will be getting our home started as soon as possible. We met
with Jerry this morning at two very nice homes he's currently building in
Strickland Acres. We gave him all the plans and paperwork he needs
to get the ball rolling.
June 7th: We're getting our temporary power pole tomorrow! Baby,
we're cooking now! Oh, and I got a huge weight off my shoulders by
finding someone to take all the trees I had piled up for me to cut. I've
been killing myself cutting wood for the past three weeks, and I've
gotten just a little more closely acquainted with my chain saws than I
ever wanted to be. We turned in our home construction loan
application yesterday, so, hopefully, we'll be building our home before
long.
June 17th: It doesn't look like much is happening, but it actually is.
We got our underground service from Greystone buried all the way
back to the lodge site, and our temporary power pole installed this
past week. They will bring power across Capps Ferry and set a new
pole on our property at the road this coming week. We have been
doing a lot of talking on the telephone with our builder, sub contractors
and suppliers of building material this past week, getting details
hammered out. Mark Harding, Houndquarters' builder, will come in
week after next to pour the slab just ahead of all the materials being
delivered over the next three or four weeks. I hope to get our well guy,
Mote & Garner, who has served us well ever since they drilled our well
here at this house in 1988, to come in either next week or week after
next to drill our well. So a lot is happening, I promise!
June 22nd: We're on the verge of coming out of the ground with the
building!!! Today my friends with Leigh Creek Forest Products will be
loading and hauling off the trees I couldn't finish cutting up in a timely
fashion. Either today or tomorrow the trench drains will be delivered to
the site, which will be put into place when they pour the slab sometime
next week or the week after. Our builder is coming next week to get
the plumbing put in place, and everything else required before the slab
can be poured. Folks, I know this project has moved slowly after the
grading was finished, but it's really fixin' to start jumping now!
June 29th: We've hit a small snag, finding out our driveway is so
steep, we're having trouble finding anyone who will tackle the job of
paving it. I have calls in to a couple paving companies I haven't talked
to yet, and, hopefully, one of these folks will feel it's within their
capabilities. We'll get it done, though, it may just take a few more
days than we expected.
June 30th: My father and I put a double gate across the driveway
today! We're yet to find the paver we want to use, but we have the
names of several local contractors that we will call next week. It's just
a matter of finding one who isn't covered up with work, and who can
get our job done over the next couple of weeks. Not to worry, it will
happen.
July 7th: We have found the paver we've been waiting for, and they will
start our job this coming Monday. This certainly isn't going to the low
bidder, but with what this company is doing for us, this driveway will be
there for sometime to come. We're going thicker and wider than we
had originally planned, but we believe it will be well worth the extra
expense in the long run. As long as the current weather forecasts
through the middle of next week are accurate (Imagine that!) we
should be finished with the paving by Wednesday. The driveway was
our big holdup, and now the concrete trucks will be able to get up the
hill, and the slab can be poured. The steel, along with the wall and roof
panels can be shipped, and be only a week or so behind schedule.
Shoot, it may just be wishful thinking, but we may make it by Labor
Day after all!
July 9th: Our paver, Harry Pierce, with Pierce Paving & Seal Coating,
called Friday and asked if we minded them getting started the
following day, yesterday. Me, mind? Shoot no! So I met them there
yesterday morning and they worked all day prepping the driveway for
paving this coming week. Man, it does my heart good to see people
eager to do their job, to do it well, and to do it better than I ever
expected! The driveway is widened, flattened and compacted, ready
for asphalt to be put down Monday or Tuesday. Being able to find
Harry, and with him willing to push some existing work back a few
days in order to get us back on schedule, means we can get the slab
poured either late this week or early the following week.
July 10th: Man, Harry and his guys hit that driveway this morning and
almost finished the whole thing today! Now, they're just putting down
binder today, just to give the big trucks some traction, but he didn't
expect to get this far the first day. It looks great! They'll return early in
the morning to knock it out, then will return once the building is
complete to put the topping on it. I drove back over there this evening
to lock the gate and I took Lita with me. After locking the gate she and
I took a walk in the woods. You could see her light up once she got in
the woods. I'm sure she recognizes that a place like that is where she
originally came from. I'll be back over there early tomorrow morning to
unlock the gate. The plumber is supposed to be there in the morning
to begin laying the plumbing out before the slab will be poured
probably next week.
July 13th: The driveway was finished yesterday and it looks great!
The plumber hasn't made it out yet, but as long as he gets his work
done by the end of next week, the concrete man should be able to
pour the slab. Mr. Garner, our well driller, came out yesterday to check
on the well location. He said it looked good, but for me to remove a
couple more sourwood trees that would be in the way of positioning
the drilling rig. One more fairly big oak tree had to come down,
because dirt had been piled up on the trunk about four feet, so it would
have died anyway. No matter how good you think you are with a chain
saw, every now and then you run into a tree who shows you who's
really in charge. I had the tree tied off with a 100' rope tied to the
tractor. The tractor was applying a good bit of tension, pulling it in the
direction I wanted the tree to fall. I notched the tree and was about to
go jump on the tractor and pull the tree down. The tree rocked back
on my chain saw blade, pinching the bar where I couldn't snatch it out.
There was nothing I could do. I stepped back and watched the tree go
in the opposite direction, crushing a very nice Husqvarna chain saw.
Another expensive lesson learned.
July 17th: If all goes according to plan, this week should see the most
changes since Shane drove his front loader off the trailer on April 18th.
We should actually see the lodge coming out of the ground this week.
The paving of the driveway was the key to getting things moving....I
hope, so by the end of next week we should have the concrete slab
poured and, hopefully, have our well drilled. And that's not all! We
should be very close to breaking ground on our home! We're to the
point now of having to go through the permitting process, but I wouldn't
think that would take too long. Of course, I may be being naive, but I
can't imagine it coming anywhere close to what we went through
getting the permits for the lodge. Shoot, I even sprouted three grey
hairs doing that. Notice I spelled "gray" g - r - e - y. That happens
after owning greyhounds for a number of years.
July 20th: Our building contractor, Mark Harding, of Harding
Construction Company, and his concrete guys, Chad and Jason,
came to the property on Tuesdsay from their current job in South
Carolina. They came to make sure we were ready for them to move in
and get this thing going. There were a couple of things they weren't
overly happy about, so we're seeing to them over the next few days.
While that's going on, we're taking the opportunity to have our well
drilled. No sense wasting time, huh? So our well driller, Mote and
Garner, moved their drilling rig in this afternoon to begin drilling first
thing in the morning. We're taking bets on what depth we'll hit water.
I'm thinking 285 feet. But like I told Mr. Garner, we don't want water,
we're needing oil! Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't worry, we'll still build the
lodge, but the boarding price will definitely go down, and you'll
probably never see me without an ear to ear grin on my face. Anyway,
Mark and his guys should move in next week to do the slab....after we
strike oil this week!
July 22nd: No water yet, but they only made it down to about 170 feet
yesterday. They'll be back at it bright and early Monday morning, and
will, hopefully, hit water quickly. Tina and I nearly killed ourselves over
there yesterday doing some clearing for an access road to get around
to the rear of the lodge. It's tough when you need a bulldozer, but all
you can afford is a chainsaw....but Tina handles the saw pretty well!
Just kidding, just kidding. ANYway, next week we'll have water,
hopefully Greystone will finally get power brought across Capps Ferry
to our place, and we'll be well on their way to getting our slab poured.
July 24th: There won't be any water today, either, because we had a
big storm yesterday evening that has wells knocked out everywhere,
causing our well driller to need to be repairing wells today. We
understand, because not having water to drink is one thing, but not
being able to flush the toilets gets serious! This won't keep me from
being there working, though.
July 25th: I was wrong about yesterday. Chris Garner called a little
after lunch and said they had finished up their service calls and had
everyone's wells back up and running following Sunday evening's
thunderstorm and would be back at our place shortly to resume
drilling. While I worked on the play yard area, they drilled. I left when a
thunder storm rolled in, but they kept drilling. Chris called around 5:00
or so to inform us they'd hit 20 gallons per minute at 305 feet. Man,
that's great! That's plenty of volume for whatever we'll need!
July 26th: I met with our home builder and his grader yesterday on the
home site, across the valley from the lodge, to discuss with them the
placement of the house, as well as the route we want the driveway to
take. I told them the only thing I definitely want is for them to take extra
care to protect a huge white oak tree that'll be near the house. I have
a barrier fence around the tree at the tree's drip line, and I told them I
don't want anything going on inside that fence....not to even LOOK at
the tree! As for the driveway route, I've got that thing running all over
the place, making figure eights and all sorts of things. That'll teach
Tina to go get her hair done and leave things in my hands!
July 29th: The action begins this week! I know, I said that about last
week....and probably the week before that, but I'm not fooling this time!
With the well drilled and the drilling equipment taken out, we're ready
to get back to pouring the slab. Building materials will be delivered on
Wednesday, so that means our builder, Mark Harding, will be there to
receive the material. Tina and I have been working on the area that
will be our exercise yards, and I have begun, FINALLY, working on our
nature trails. This being extremely hilly, beautiful land, I'll be making
one trail for older and toy dogs that won't be such a workout to walk.
Man, it's pretty back in those woods! I catch myself sitting down and
just listening to nature's sounds. The action is going to begin on the
other side of the valley, too, with our home builder, Jerry Slay of Slay
Homes, beginning the grading for our house! So there's a whole lot
that'll be going on starting Monday. Now you just wait, I haven't
watched The Weather Channel in a couple of days, but there's a little
gust of wind coming off the African continent that already has designs
to become a tropical system and is plotting its course straight to
Douglasville. Just watch, this'll be the weirdest storm track we've ever
seen! Oh well, we need the rain.
Aug. 2nd: We have broken ground on our house! Yeah, our grader is
busy doing the clearing and will begin digging out the basement today.
Bill said he'd likely be through with the grading tomorrow sometime.
So how's the lodge coming? Houndquarters put off the shipment of
materials until NEXT Monday; however, we were notified yesterday
that the shipment of windows and doors had left the plant,
unexpectedly, and is due in today at some point. Mark Harding, the
kennel construction contractor, had planned to be here for all
unloading of material trucks....all but this one, I guess. Oh well, maybe
Tina can get it unloaded without breaking anything. I'll find some
shade from which I can watch her closely. Every job needs a
supervisor, you know! Everything else: steel, wall panels and roof
panels, will be here Monday morning, and so will Mark. Tina and I
continued working on clearing walking trails yesterday, and I sure felt it
this morning when I woke up. Tandy, our banker friend at Gwinnett
Community Bank, will be coming out to the site next Tuesday to
inspect the goings on.
Aug. 10th: Nearly all the building materials for the lodge was delivered
Monday....all day Monday! I took a lot of pictures, I promise, but the
camera is still outside in my truck, and I keep forgetting to bring it
inside to download the photos. Mark Harding, our builder, gave us
some slightly depressing news. He said that we can probably count on
it taking three months to complete the building, putting us in the
mid-November time frame for completion. No, that isn't ideal, and it
certainly isn't what we were hoping for, but I guess we need to keep
our eye on the big picture, and be happy that we're able to do this at
all, and to know that it will be done right. Taking the extra time to
finish, that will give us plenty of time to have the play areas and nature
trails in perfect shape.
Anyway, in the meantime, the grading for our house continues. The
grader has hit significant rock digging the basement. So much rock,
each time he bumps it with his loader, Stone Mountain shakes! It
could be that the delay in finishing the lodge could time things to where
it and the house could be finished around the same time. This would
be a good thing!
Aug. 13th: Once again we've been told the concrete guy will be there
Monday morning to dig the footings and begin getting the site ready to
pour the slab for the lodge. My very wise brother-in-law and all around
great guy, Jimmy, told Tina and I something last week that made a lot
of sense. He said that "when a builder tells you he will definitely be
there tomorrow, the only thing you know for certain is that he won't
there today." But, if they're correct about this, and especially since the
materials have all been delivered last week, things area almost for
sure to start hopping this week. And you can be guaranteed that Tina
and I will be doing whatever we can do to help, and to make sure the
project stays on course until it's completed. We're hoping so much it
will be finished and the doors will be open before Thanksgiving!
The initial grading for our house has been finished and the basement
has been dug. We're about to start seeing some big changes taking
place! I'll be there today working on our nature trails. They wind
through quiet areas of very large oak trees, native azaleas and
peaceful branches.
May 31st: We're in a little of a lull at the moment, with nothing much
happening. Over the next few weeks the materials are being gathered
at Houndquarter's factory in Phoenix, AZ and will be delivered on July
10th. In three or four weeks the building contractor Houndquarters will
use, Harding Construction Company, will come in and pour the slab.
By the time that is complete, it will be just about time for all the steel
and other materials to be delivered. In the meantime, we'll be doing
things such as, having the well drilled, having a temporary power pole
installed and have power connected to it by Greystone Power, and
we'll continue to work on the grounds.
We have chosen our home bulider! We were going to use Joe
Mobley to build it, and had been talking with Joe for months, but Joe
has several houses going at this time and is stretched a little thin.
Joe's a heck of a nice guy and we're very happy he's doing so well.
Joe was good enough to recommend Jerry Slay of Slay Homes, and
Jerry will be getting our home started as soon as possible. We met
with Jerry this morning at two very nice homes he's currently building in
Strickland Acres. We gave him all the plans and paperwork he needs
to get the ball rolling.
June 7th: We're getting our temporary power pole tomorrow! Baby,
we're cooking now! Oh, and I got a huge weight off my shoulders by
finding someone to take all the trees I had piled up for me to cut. I've
been killing myself cutting wood for the past three weeks, and I've
gotten just a little more closely acquainted with my chain saws than I
ever wanted to be. We turned in our home construction loan
application yesterday, so, hopefully, we'll be building our home before
long.
June 17th: It doesn't look like much is happening, but it actually is.
We got our underground service from Greystone buried all the way
back to the lodge site, and our temporary power pole installed this
past week. They will bring power across Capps Ferry and set a new
pole on our property at the road this coming week. We have been
doing a lot of talking on the telephone with our builder, sub contractors
and suppliers of building material this past week, getting details
hammered out. Mark Harding, Houndquarters' builder, will come in
week after next to pour the slab just ahead of all the materials being
delivered over the next three or four weeks. I hope to get our well guy,
Mote & Garner, who has served us well ever since they drilled our well
here at this house in 1988, to come in either next week or week after
next to drill our well. So a lot is happening, I promise!
June 22nd: We're on the verge of coming out of the ground with the
building!!! Today my friends with Leigh Creek Forest Products will be
loading and hauling off the trees I couldn't finish cutting up in a timely
fashion. Either today or tomorrow the trench drains will be delivered to
the site, which will be put into place when they pour the slab sometime
next week or the week after. Our builder is coming next week to get
the plumbing put in place, and everything else required before the slab
can be poured. Folks, I know this project has moved slowly after the
grading was finished, but it's really fixin' to start jumping now!
June 29th: We've hit a small snag, finding out our driveway is so
steep, we're having trouble finding anyone who will tackle the job of
paving it. I have calls in to a couple paving companies I haven't talked
to yet, and, hopefully, one of these folks will feel it's within their
capabilities. We'll get it done, though, it may just take a few more
days than we expected.
June 30th: My father and I put a double gate across the driveway
today! We're yet to find the paver we want to use, but we have the
names of several local contractors that we will call next week. It's just
a matter of finding one who isn't covered up with work, and who can
get our job done over the next couple of weeks. Not to worry, it will
happen.
July 7th: We have found the paver we've been waiting for, and they will
start our job this coming Monday. This certainly isn't going to the low
bidder, but with what this company is doing for us, this driveway will be
there for sometime to come. We're going thicker and wider than we
had originally planned, but we believe it will be well worth the extra
expense in the long run. As long as the current weather forecasts
through the middle of next week are accurate (Imagine that!) we
should be finished with the paving by Wednesday. The driveway was
our big holdup, and now the concrete trucks will be able to get up the
hill, and the slab can be poured. The steel, along with the wall and roof
panels can be shipped, and be only a week or so behind schedule.
Shoot, it may just be wishful thinking, but we may make it by Labor
Day after all!
July 9th: Our paver, Harry Pierce, with Pierce Paving & Seal Coating,
called Friday and asked if we minded them getting started the
following day, yesterday. Me, mind? Shoot no! So I met them there
yesterday morning and they worked all day prepping the driveway for
paving this coming week. Man, it does my heart good to see people
eager to do their job, to do it well, and to do it better than I ever
expected! The driveway is widened, flattened and compacted, ready
for asphalt to be put down Monday or Tuesday. Being able to find
Harry, and with him willing to push some existing work back a few
days in order to get us back on schedule, means we can get the slab
poured either late this week or early the following week.
July 10th: Man, Harry and his guys hit that driveway this morning and
almost finished the whole thing today! Now, they're just putting down
binder today, just to give the big trucks some traction, but he didn't
expect to get this far the first day. It looks great! They'll return early in
the morning to knock it out, then will return once the building is
complete to put the topping on it. I drove back over there this evening
to lock the gate and I took Lita with me. After locking the gate she and
I took a walk in the woods. You could see her light up once she got in
the woods. I'm sure she recognizes that a place like that is where she
originally came from. I'll be back over there early tomorrow morning to
unlock the gate. The plumber is supposed to be there in the morning
to begin laying the plumbing out before the slab will be poured
probably next week.
July 13th: The driveway was finished yesterday and it looks great!
The plumber hasn't made it out yet, but as long as he gets his work
done by the end of next week, the concrete man should be able to
pour the slab. Mr. Garner, our well driller, came out yesterday to check
on the well location. He said it looked good, but for me to remove a
couple more sourwood trees that would be in the way of positioning
the drilling rig. One more fairly big oak tree had to come down,
because dirt had been piled up on the trunk about four feet, so it would
have died anyway. No matter how good you think you are with a chain
saw, every now and then you run into a tree who shows you who's
really in charge. I had the tree tied off with a 100' rope tied to the
tractor. The tractor was applying a good bit of tension, pulling it in the
direction I wanted the tree to fall. I notched the tree and was about to
go jump on the tractor and pull the tree down. The tree rocked back
on my chain saw blade, pinching the bar where I couldn't snatch it out.
There was nothing I could do. I stepped back and watched the tree go
in the opposite direction, crushing a very nice Husqvarna chain saw.
Another expensive lesson learned.
July 17th: If all goes according to plan, this week should see the most
changes since Shane drove his front loader off the trailer on April 18th.
We should actually see the lodge coming out of the ground this week.
The paving of the driveway was the key to getting things moving....I
hope, so by the end of next week we should have the concrete slab
poured and, hopefully, have our well drilled. And that's not all! We
should be very close to breaking ground on our home! We're to the
point now of having to go through the permitting process, but I wouldn't
think that would take too long. Of course, I may be being naive, but I
can't imagine it coming anywhere close to what we went through
getting the permits for the lodge. Shoot, I even sprouted three grey
hairs doing that. Notice I spelled "gray" g - r - e - y. That happens
after owning greyhounds for a number of years.
July 20th: Our building contractor, Mark Harding, of Harding
Construction Company, and his concrete guys, Chad and Jason,
came to the property on Tuesdsay from their current job in South
Carolina. They came to make sure we were ready for them to move in
and get this thing going. There were a couple of things they weren't
overly happy about, so we're seeing to them over the next few days.
While that's going on, we're taking the opportunity to have our well
drilled. No sense wasting time, huh? So our well driller, Mote and
Garner, moved their drilling rig in this afternoon to begin drilling first
thing in the morning. We're taking bets on what depth we'll hit water.
I'm thinking 285 feet. But like I told Mr. Garner, we don't want water,
we're needing oil! Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't worry, we'll still build the
lodge, but the boarding price will definitely go down, and you'll
probably never see me without an ear to ear grin on my face. Anyway,
Mark and his guys should move in next week to do the slab....after we
strike oil this week!
July 22nd: No water yet, but they only made it down to about 170 feet
yesterday. They'll be back at it bright and early Monday morning, and
will, hopefully, hit water quickly. Tina and I nearly killed ourselves over
there yesterday doing some clearing for an access road to get around
to the rear of the lodge. It's tough when you need a bulldozer, but all
you can afford is a chainsaw....but Tina handles the saw pretty well!
Just kidding, just kidding. ANYway, next week we'll have water,
hopefully Greystone will finally get power brought across Capps Ferry
to our place, and we'll be well on their way to getting our slab poured.
July 24th: There won't be any water today, either, because we had a
big storm yesterday evening that has wells knocked out everywhere,
causing our well driller to need to be repairing wells today. We
understand, because not having water to drink is one thing, but not
being able to flush the toilets gets serious! This won't keep me from
being there working, though.
July 25th: I was wrong about yesterday. Chris Garner called a little
after lunch and said they had finished up their service calls and had
everyone's wells back up and running following Sunday evening's
thunderstorm and would be back at our place shortly to resume
drilling. While I worked on the play yard area, they drilled. I left when a
thunder storm rolled in, but they kept drilling. Chris called around 5:00
or so to inform us they'd hit 20 gallons per minute at 305 feet. Man,
that's great! That's plenty of volume for whatever we'll need!
July 26th: I met with our home builder and his grader yesterday on the
home site, across the valley from the lodge, to discuss with them the
placement of the house, as well as the route we want the driveway to
take. I told them the only thing I definitely want is for them to take extra
care to protect a huge white oak tree that'll be near the house. I have
a barrier fence around the tree at the tree's drip line, and I told them I
don't want anything going on inside that fence....not to even LOOK at
the tree! As for the driveway route, I've got that thing running all over
the place, making figure eights and all sorts of things. That'll teach
Tina to go get her hair done and leave things in my hands!
July 29th: The action begins this week! I know, I said that about last
week....and probably the week before that, but I'm not fooling this time!
With the well drilled and the drilling equipment taken out, we're ready
to get back to pouring the slab. Building materials will be delivered on
Wednesday, so that means our builder, Mark Harding, will be there to
receive the material. Tina and I have been working on the area that
will be our exercise yards, and I have begun, FINALLY, working on our
nature trails. This being extremely hilly, beautiful land, I'll be making
one trail for older and toy dogs that won't be such a workout to walk.
Man, it's pretty back in those woods! I catch myself sitting down and
just listening to nature's sounds. The action is going to begin on the
other side of the valley, too, with our home builder, Jerry Slay of Slay
Homes, beginning the grading for our house! So there's a whole lot
that'll be going on starting Monday. Now you just wait, I haven't
watched The Weather Channel in a couple of days, but there's a little
gust of wind coming off the African continent that already has designs
to become a tropical system and is plotting its course straight to
Douglasville. Just watch, this'll be the weirdest storm track we've ever
seen! Oh well, we need the rain.
Aug. 2nd: We have broken ground on our house! Yeah, our grader is
busy doing the clearing and will begin digging out the basement today.
Bill said he'd likely be through with the grading tomorrow sometime.
So how's the lodge coming? Houndquarters put off the shipment of
materials until NEXT Monday; however, we were notified yesterday
that the shipment of windows and doors had left the plant,
unexpectedly, and is due in today at some point. Mark Harding, the
kennel construction contractor, had planned to be here for all
unloading of material trucks....all but this one, I guess. Oh well, maybe
Tina can get it unloaded without breaking anything. I'll find some
shade from which I can watch her closely. Every job needs a
supervisor, you know! Everything else: steel, wall panels and roof
panels, will be here Monday morning, and so will Mark. Tina and I
continued working on clearing walking trails yesterday, and I sure felt it
this morning when I woke up. Tandy, our banker friend at Gwinnett
Community Bank, will be coming out to the site next Tuesday to
inspect the goings on.
Aug. 10th: Nearly all the building materials for the lodge was delivered
Monday....all day Monday! I took a lot of pictures, I promise, but the
camera is still outside in my truck, and I keep forgetting to bring it
inside to download the photos. Mark Harding, our builder, gave us
some slightly depressing news. He said that we can probably count on
it taking three months to complete the building, putting us in the
mid-November time frame for completion. No, that isn't ideal, and it
certainly isn't what we were hoping for, but I guess we need to keep
our eye on the big picture, and be happy that we're able to do this at
all, and to know that it will be done right. Taking the extra time to
finish, that will give us plenty of time to have the play areas and nature
trails in perfect shape.
Anyway, in the meantime, the grading for our house continues. The
grader has hit significant rock digging the basement. So much rock,
each time he bumps it with his loader, Stone Mountain shakes! It
could be that the delay in finishing the lodge could time things to where
it and the house could be finished around the same time. This would
be a good thing!
Aug. 13th: Once again we've been told the concrete guy will be there
Monday morning to dig the footings and begin getting the site ready to
pour the slab for the lodge. My very wise brother-in-law and all around
great guy, Jimmy, told Tina and I something last week that made a lot
of sense. He said that "when a builder tells you he will definitely be
there tomorrow, the only thing you know for certain is that he won't
there today." But, if they're correct about this, and especially since the
materials have all been delivered last week, things area almost for
sure to start hopping this week. And you can be guaranteed that Tina
and I will be doing whatever we can do to help, and to make sure the
project stays on course until it's completed. We're hoping so much it
will be finished and the doors will be open before Thanksgiving!
The initial grading for our house has been finished and the basement
has been dug. We're about to start seeing some big changes taking
place! I'll be there today working on our nature trails. They wind
through quiet areas of very large oak trees, native azaleas and
peaceful branches.
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