So this past summer really started the ball rolling with the whole process of building a house. After deciding that buying a house was not what we ultimately wanted to do, we worked out a deal with Jeffrey's family to split up the farm. After the surveys and deeds were all recorded and all the paperwork was finalized to make our half the farm officially ours, we started doing just that - making it ours. I've never owned any real estate before, so that alone was a huge thing for me and I wanted to make a part of it mine. I started small by planting a small garden, a couple rows of snaps, a few squash and zuccini, a cherry tomato here and there and pumpkins! More than anything, the garden was just an excuse to be out on the lot every afternoon, just enjoying it! But back to the pond...when we got our ducks in a row and started digging the pond the whole scheme of things changed, and things really started to take shape.
Early in the summer we had someone with a backhoe come out and dig three test holes, just to see if we'd hit water, and check the soil types we'd be dealing with. The we met with soil and water and dug a few more test holes in the bottom of the first holes, everything seemed A-O.K. and we recieved the green light to dig ourselves a pond! There was no question who we wanted to do the work for us - we already knew who we wanted. We hired Russell Askew (Sandy Point Excavation) to bring in the escavator and bulldozer and he got to work for us. Russell did a great job and was very easy to work with. I would recommend him to anyone! We met out on the lot and discussed where the pond would be, how big, how deep, and marked off the area with flags. Of course in retrospect, nothing every ends up the way its planned. I'm trying to keep that in mind as we move forward with each and every step of this project...
At the end of Day 1, most of the topsoil had been removed and set aside to use later and day 2 would be the time to start the real digging! The boys were hot and dirty, and realized even after only one day, it was going to take a little more time to dig this hole than originally thought!
Day two produced the first little bit of water, and by day three we took our first swim! After working all day in the summer heat, I suppose it could be considered a bath for a few... For those of us just 'watching' the pond take shape, and not actually participating in the driving, hauling and digging, it seemed like a long slow process, but all the guys were hard at work and those afternoon cool down swims sure did feel good!
The sunflowers we had planted in the back of the field were finally in full bloom, and the butterflies were everywhere! With some of the breathtaking sunsets we watched this summer, it was hard to imagine having to wait any longer to start digging the foundation! Little did we know our patience would be tested more than we could ever imagine!
By day 10 of the pond construction, which seemed like a month or two after we started, (due to the rain, heat, ballgames, and other events), the pond was finally dug, the top had been groomed, the hill had been built for the house, the grass was about to be seeded, and the water that was filling the pond was so beautiful and blue-green.
That was until Hurricane Irene hit......
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