The First Purgatory Contest
To celebrate finishing the pool resurfacing, our first-ever contest: guess how much water it took to fill the pool.
Author: stega
The Wall Saga: Form Work
The Wall Saga: building the forms for the footer, while block deliveries trickle in.
The Wall Saga: Unexpected Moment
The Wall Saga: video of the messy block unloading.
Flowers at Purgatory
Some plant is always blooming at Purgatory.
The Wall Saga: 18-Wheelers and Inclines
The Wall Saga: 6’x6’x2′ blocks from Granite Rock, 18-wheelers on our inclines and a contractor whose project management was lacking.
The Wall Saga: Deliveries!
The Wall Saga: four excavators, telehandlers and the first block deliveries.
The Wall Saga: Trench Warfare
The Wall Saga: trench warfare against the pocket gophers, plus a walk through the great trench.
Aerial Excavation Video
Aerial video showing just how much excavation the wall needed.
The Wall Saga: The Trench
The Wall Saga: the trench is open.
The Wall Saga: Cutting Progress
The Wall Saga: trimming, ramping and cutting into the hillside, and an engineering firm that falls behind.
Random Drone Footage
Drone footage, with an annoyed green bird toward the end.
Who needs a gym?
Free rocks from NextDoor and a pile of asphalt spoils. Who needs a gym?
Mornings and Mailboxes
Mail thieves made it up the hill, so we and our neighbors now have FortKnox mailboxes.
The Wall Saga: Archeology
The Wall Saga: old fill pipes, pilings and other finds once the deck and concrete were gone.
The Wall Saga: Flagpole Displacement
The Wall Saga: taking down the Doc’s flagpole, which, he assured us, had always been crooked.
The Wall Saga: 900 Railroad Ties
The Wall Saga: what to do with the Doc’s railroad ties, a buck apiece, 900 of them.
The Wall Saga: Concrete Removal Video
The Wall Saga: Agent Smith Sr. at the helm of the excavator, removing pavers from the pool deck.
The Wall Saga: Concrete Demolition
The Wall Saga: breaking out concrete slabs and shifting a couple of tons of river rock.
Again with the kitchen sink
Making better use of the small space next to the kitchen sink with a wall-mounted dish rack and some new tile.
What Lies Beneath
Getting the debris and fallen insulation cleared out of the crawlspace under the house.
More Storm Damage
More winter storm damage, from sustained 55 mph winds with 70 mph gusts.
Winter Storm Damage
Video of the stable roof, heavily damaged in the winter storms.
Tractor Practice
Agent Smith takes Tony out to practice crushing things.
Houseaversary (Bonus Post)
Two years since we first found this house, spent learning to drive Giggles the skid steer and moving spoils.
The Wall Saga: Deck Demolition
The Wall Saga: demolishing the rotting wooden deck and wall along the south edge of the pool.
The Wall Saga: Excavation and Trees
The Wall Saga begins: removing the old railroad-tie wall and the trees in its way.
The Bus Made the News
Some uplifting news: The Bus made the SF Examiner.
Not a Cat
While trying to trap a new feral cat, I caught a skunk instead. Ketchup to the rescue again.
Call me Ishmael
The Whale sails out the driveway to a new LeMons team.
Learning to work with Tony
Agent Smith gets the hang of Tony, our new tractor for the steep hillsides.
Burn, Baby, Burn
Collecting tumbleweeds, smushing them into a wire cage and setting them on fire, as a test run.
All fenced in!
Our entire perimeter is now properly fenced, thanks to a fencing guy our nearest neighbor recommended.