In the previous failed attempts with the cat the front end has moved over away from the edge. This is a good thing, but the rear wheels are still hanging out there, and the truck as a whole has only moved a foot or so up the hill. It now sits awkwardly slightly askew of the line of the driveway. In fact it is pointed at the two alders behind which Hank has been hiding and anchoring himself. Once more and this time everything holds and with an impossible strain that seems sure to break something the whole mass of man and machinery lurches, spins and grinds forward. Even the pup, which for a moment seems at the crest of the new hill to be leaning over the edge, comes through okay. Everything is unhooked, a few words are spoken, Hank’s frayed cable end is stowed away, he climbs aboard and the cat neatly pirouettes in place and shambles back to its lair. Even then, as Warren tries to get the rig from the muddy flat to the gravel road, he has to spin his wheels violently and rock several times before he gets any purchase and comes finally, safely onto the road. He comes back from his cab saying he has to adjust the bill. I ask him if it’s to add his hours being stuck? He said normally he would, but no he is adjusting the bill down because instead of the usual 24 cubic yards, he had been carrying only 22. I ask him if he would like to come out again tomorrow. I’m not joking as it’s clear that I need at least another 24 yards. He says he hopes the regular driver with the better truck will be available. And of course, they would only drop it at the top. The day is spent. The driveway is a bit of a mess, but the net result is that the large pit run rocks are finding their way into the muck where they belong, and the smaller gravel is delivered, if not spread. I’ll get Bill Kyser to come over. I feel good about that. I was a bit sad not to give him the job Sasha got, but in hindsight Sasha was clearly the better qualified and equipped to do the initial work. As with every day here, I’ve learned something new, met more good people, and generally had a blast. What struck me more later was that in the short time I’ve been up here, only 3 months with a two week vacation in the middle, I’ve managed to meet a lot of people, and am able to find resources in them in a crisis. It is also what makes this life, so seemingly placid on the surface, such a swirling maelstrom from time-to-time. I like it.

The driveway after more loads of finished rock and graded by Bill Kyser.