Hornby and Heavy Machinery

Never thought I'd live to say it, but I think I want a front end loader for my birthday. Doug has his chain saw, welder, router, table saw and many other fantastic toys. After witnessing the work load of this machine pulling out tree stumps and flattening several hundred square feet of wilderness, this is the tool for me.

Our friends Jules and Ian arranged for Garth Millan, the local excavator, to come over to our property and do some clearing for the cabin and the gallery. Garth is a great guy with a terrific disposition, who was no end of information for other work we will need done on the land like having a septic field installed.

There are new types of septic fields now being approved that use grey water from the house to water gardens and even use recycled water in flush toilets. This has never been a deeply inspiring subject for me, but establishing infrastructure on bare land is such an involved process that it really has to be studied and done properly.

Luckily we were treated to Jules and Ian's hospitality and didn't have to camp. Of course it was freezing, snowy and soggy on Hornby, but at least there was no wind storm. We lost six trees to the wind and had another giant fir half pulled out of the ground by the roots. Garth toppled that one with his rig and Doug cut it into sections with his chain saw. Sadly, two of our neighbours lost giant arbutus. Shocking to see the power of wind on such massive trees.

After Garth pulled out the stumps, he flattened a spot for us to plot out the house. After a couple of aborted efforts to mark the footings, we figured out what we were doing wrong and got it right on the third try. When it came time to wrap up and go home, we had 3 of the 9 footings dug, and the markings in place for the remainder.

We can't say enough about the incredible support that Jules and Ian have given us during this effort. From providing a place to stay, to digging holes, introducing us to amazing people, and providing invaluable advice, they're making an extremely formidable project pretty doable.

We go back this weekend to dig more holes and pour concrete into tube forms for the cabin footings. And then the real fun starts. Our friend Marc flies in February 17 to be part of our work crew. Other neighbours on Hornby, Paul and Lisa, are donating their beautiful cottage for all of us to stay in for the duration of the work party. I will be chief cook and bottle washer while the worker bees raise the barn.