We Stake Our Claim

Today, we took tape measures, hammers, and stakes, and made a preliminary outline of the house my sister wants to build.

We tramped about the place, looking at several possibilities, but settled on something that a) is above the 'perc' site, b) is not too near the dry 'wadi' or gulch that separates the woods/rocky area from the large field, and c) was accessible to the crude driveway the farmer had cut for us during the summer with his 'dozer.

Our friend Jerry helped us think all this through. He will be the one who will draw the house plans and elevation from which the builders will work. He also knows practically everyone in the county and has an 'in' with the local inspectors.

All in all it was a great day. My brother in law and I plan to go back to the land on Saturday to clear that staked out area with DR Brush Mower(tm) and chainsaws.

Here's hoping we keep all our fingers.

P.S. I found a large cache of dressed field stones! Using them, I was able to erect about three feet of a preliminary dry stacked wall using the 'one over two over one' method. It worked tremendously well, and even without supports or sides, it stood steadfast even with my considerable girth pushed against it!

The land awaits. It literally flows with milk and honey.