Yesterday started out cold. It was 43 degrees, but for some reason I didn't mind it a bit. I trudged up our long driveway in a tee-shirt and sweatpants (Pam isn't here) to deposit the garbage to be picked up. I could see my breath. It felt good, particularly after spending a summer in Georgia last year.
After Earl and I did some bachelor grocery shopping (pre-cooked meals, cans of ravioli, etc.) we hied ourselves to the property where Tim and his son Craig were making good progress on the grading of the land.
We have rocks. Lots of rocks. If any of you need any rocks, you let me know.
I think heavy machinery is pretty awesome.
There was a heavy dew, creating a mist as the sun warmed the earth.
This spider web looked like a cradle. That was probably its evil intent.
We have rocks. Lots of rocks. If any of you need any rocks, you let me know.
Do you want this tree? Nope. OK. I'll just push it over.
And that's all it took. No wonder so many trees get blown over in windstorms.
When down, Tim cut off the roots. Tim said this is much easier, and safer, than cutting down the tree and then pulling the roots. The roots were bulldozed over the hill...
while the tree would go to the log pile. Might be a good pole for the pole barn.
Does anyone need any rocks? I have lots of rocks available.
The old mobile home posed a problem for me. What an eyesore. Not for Tim and Craig. They just picked out the metal and put it in a recycling pile, and pushed the crap over an embankment.
Our rock pile. Free rocks!
Tim's bulldozer does an amazing job at cleaning up stumps and such.
The powerful excavator can not only pluck out rocks and stumps, but under Craig's skillful touch, surgically remove recyclable metal from a heap of trash...
and the trash was sent over the embankment.
Hey Craig, would you grab that little rock?
Uh... like an iceberg...
Craig dropped it for Tim to push away.
The mobile home is gone and buried.
except for the metal recyclable parts that we saved for the folks carting it away.
Still photos don't do justice to the speed and skill of these guys, so I made a video for you. Watch, if you have the time. The machine with the claw is an excavator operated by Tim's 21 year old son Craig, who operated his first backhoe at age 9. The guy on the dozer is Tim. The debris is the old mobile home that is being buried. The debris pile that's left is recyclable metal.
I think heavy machinery is pretty awesome.
Nothin like have'n the proper tools for the job at hand-- You sure do...
ReplyDeleteHay Dave-- Do you have the proper permits?? Or as earl would say "You Don't Need That Shit"...
Don't need that shit for grading the land. I'll need building permits for the house though. I'm waiting on plans from the architect.
DeleteIsn't Bleecker within the Adirondack Park?
ReplyDeleteAnd don't they have rules relating to solid waste disposal?
Our camp is on a lake and you need to get a variance from the DRB to cut down a 12' tree anywhere near it.
A quick phone call might be useful, considering you've documented your mobile home and stump dump here so thoroughly.
Yes, Bleecker is in the Adirondack Park. What was buried was clean construction debris, like 2x4s. The recyclable stuff was set aside.
DeleteI did call the APA. I don't need permits from them for anything because of our zoning and because we're not near a wetland. All I need is building permits from the town.
What the hell?? I leave you for a week and you knock down our "talkin tree" ? Not happy, David! ..... Not happy!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought of myself as one until tonight. I've been gone for a week to help my mom with an elderly relative so Dave was home...on his own. I should have known he would get himself in trouble being left to his own devices for so long.
ReplyDeleteTonight, as my mom and I are headed home ffrom FL, we stopped for the night and I finally had internet again. Where we were staying for the past week, I was not connected and therfore had not been reading the blog(shocker, I know! How can we live with out it?) anyway, I discovered that a tree we had decided to keep was taken down. I felt like I had been punched in the heart.
Last year, we had to tag trees to keep. My heart was breaking at the thought of having to cut down so. Any trees, but to build the house and have land to farm, it was a necessity. That was the first time I really thought I mit be a tree hugger.
When we returned about a month ago, there was a tall scraggly pine that had been left. Everyone kept asking why we tagged that tree? We laughed and said we didn't. It became a "talkin' tree", ya know, a conversation piece, so Dave and I had sorta decided it would stay. The driveway would come to "the tree", The barn would go to the right of " the tree", the little koi pond would go by " the tree". It was just understood the tree was staying. I was efen looking for the tree faces so I could create my own "Ent" for the Lord of the Rings movie. But no..... I discovered my tree has been destroyed. My heart hurts.....
I am a tree hugger.
I didn't realize that land grading was so fun to watch. These pictures posted here sure does make it look like it would be pretty fun to watch. I suppose that it would be pretty fun to see a bulldozer pull up dirt and push it around.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.treeandstumpremovalrichmond.com/Snow-Removal-Service-Richmond-VA.html