It’s really dusty around our place now that initial excavation is complete. My allergies are gone because there’s no more grass around the house.

The Gradall has returned to it’s home base until later in the project when it will be needed again for the south terraces. Everybody needs one of these things in their garage. It is definitely one of the best gardening tools ever.

Contingencies so far include removal of some big, dead trees that died since we had the arborist in last year to remove trees that had died then subsequent to construction of the house; a repair to the propane line that one of the excavators rolled over and crushed; and repair of an excavator-severed, but previously ineffective foundation drain pipe.

So unfortunately, we’ve lost some yellow birch, a white birch, a beach, a willow, and a hickory tree. The willow isn’t dead, but is just growing out of control as willows tend to do.

Here’s Jean-Marc, our landscape architect, painting lines in the ground for the Gradall operator.