Breaking ground!

Yahoo! We've begun digging at the lot! After our final permit came through late last week, we were able to get the silt fence up and the excavation crew out and working this week. We're grateful that school is out because Sean has been able to get out to the lot super early to coordinate workers and work at cleaning up the site.

Stump removal began Monday. It was mesmerizing to watch the grace with which Al the excavator dug out, shook off, and piled enormous tree stumps.
Sean and Mickey breaking for lunch and cold drinks Monday:

On Tuesday Sean and Mickey started the day early. A lame doe was sighted first thing. Gotta remember to keep the camera out at all times.

The excitement of having the backhoe working made Sean feel like a kid. Except his sandbox was over an acre on Honey Creek. We made enormous timber-root-log-stone-sand piles bucket-full at a time with a dinosaur Case backhoe.

Early morning, Al got to work burying stumps and clearing debris. Al operates the backhoe. He's got the whole thing gamed. From big buckets and throws to little wisps of sand, Al owns that thing.

By the afternoon, Ken Coleman, the land surveyor, had staked each turn and jog in the footprint of the house. Al got started digging the basement, and Mickey watched everything go down like a hawk.

We stopped by the lot after dinner and were excited to see exactly where our house will be. We're standing in the basement in the center of the house. The soil also looks great, and we can't wait to have a thriving garden this time next year.
Sean and Peter show off the giant timbers we'll have milled into porch posts, newel posts, and exterior decking. We're delighted to put these awesome oak and cherry logs to good use.
Aimee and Peter checked out the progress. We gave it our seal of approval.
Peter insisted on trying out the bulldozer. Sean was happy to supervise.
Sean and Peter overlooking the newly dug basement. Honey Creek is in the distance, and the area behind the silt fence will be left largely as it looks now.
Here is the old bucket that hauled many a wood chip; the poor, squished wheelbarrow looks like this because on two separate occasions Sean dropped a tree on it. Any suggestions for what to do with it now?