Project Day 3 - Post-Clearing

Today we are anxious to see the "barren" property. Brad called and stated that there were no trees left on our lot.

Having no trees is good because we can landscape the yard the way we want and we can see the actual lay of the land. Having no trees is bad because we have no trees!

We arrived just as the dump truck carrying the underbrush and a trailer-load of cut trees was leaving. There would be at least one more load of both to haul out for the day. However, we would not wait for the truck to return as it is a 1.5-hour, one-way trip to offload the forest from our lot!

Our Debris



Walking around the property, we see that we do still have a buffer of trees on the farmer's land behind us, which is between our property and the freeway. And, because neither of our neighbors will build any time soon, we still have their trees to make us feel we are "in the woods."

Front of Property



Dave on the Crest of the Property with Entrance Street Behind Him



Dave assures me we will finally plant a Magnolia tree--I have been asking for one in our current home for over 6 years. Now, I hope I'll finally get one! And, the good thing, we'll probably live here long enough to see it get fairly large (God-willing!). I would also like some fruit trees if we can figure out how to keep the squirrels from eating the fruit--and maybe deer. I will also have to rephrase the thought of "fruit trees" because they will probably be more like fruit "bushes." They have to be short enough for us to cover them up on those frosty nights in the winter.

Note: When I mention the location of a picture, such as Back Left Corner, that location would be as if you were standing on the street facing our property.

Back Left Corner of Property (Future Magnolia Tree Location)



Back Right Corner of the Property



View from Back of Property Toward Street



I know it's hard to tell, but the land has a nice slope to it. Not too steep and not too flat (need some slope for rain runoff). However, there is plenty of grading to do yet.

After we took these pictures, we drove to the bank and opened an account. Other than getting our PO Box, this is a major step toward establishing our new lives in the new city.

Our next visit to the property will be when the grading takes place. According to Brad that will begin early next week because a new set of drawings needed to be created. Seems my television watching and reading about the building process has paid off. I had noticed that the builder's plans did not include footings for the screened-in patio (which has a roof and would require footings). I know, I know. Don't let it go to my head!

So, stay tuned for the next entry posting dated July 20 or 21.