5 July 2013

With Alex demonstrating such precocious virtuosity with the backhoe, decided to continue trenching for the waterfront power and water lines.  The stretch from where Chree and I left off the other day down the steep slope and through the wooden walkway was best done with two people operating the Kubota – one controlling the backhoe and stabilizers, the other controlling the steering wheel, brakes, front bucket (used as a sea anchor), and forward / reverse foot pedals.  Going down the hill was challenging but relatively benign, as digging with the backhoe tended to pull the tractor back uphill.  When we reached the waterfront we turned aside from the trench with no problems.  I might have been able to dig faster, but certainly could not have produced any nicer trench than what Alex did. Alex and I quickly put 100 feet (each) of ¾″ PVC power line conduit and ½″ PVC waterline in the trench, the latter capped off at the upper end and marked with a 2x2 wood stake.  Going down the hill a second time (backwards) to fill in the trench was fraught with peril, as  digging with the backhoe tended to pull the tractor downhill and the front bucket was relatively ineffective as a sea anchor.  Alex had to use the backhoe bucket as an emergency brake a couple of times. Chree, Katy, and Alverta (who had arrived midway through the digging phase) had to leave off watching my hair turning white.  Alex and I got to the bottom of the trench with all body parts intact and the tractor upright, but, when I tried to turn aside, the Kubota fetched up against a stump with the left rear tire and the front bucket snagged a cherry tree… just as a thunderstorm was rolling in (of course)! With the tractor well and truly stuck, Alex and I beat a hasty retreat, on foot, back to the RV, where we discovered that Lynne had arrived and it was already 3 o’clock… the hour previously appointed for our family cookout.  As soon as the rain (mostly) abated, I started a cook fire.  As soon as the cook fire was roaring away ANOTHER thunderstorm rolled in and… put the fire right out of its misery.  So we cooked our “barbeque” on Dolores’ stove and somehow managed to seat seven people (Perry also having arrived in the midst of the second T-storm) around the RV settee (which nominally seats four… if they’re not too plump).  Can you say, “cozy”?  After some beer (medicinal nerve-calming variety) and dinner, Perry, Alex, and I returned to the scene of the crime in the Case of the Stuck Tractor.  After using our considerable forensic skills to analyze the situation, we filled in a couple of holes with rocks, then I jacked the rear of the tractor uphill using the backhoe so I could cut off the stump using Mr. Jonsered.  With some absolutely hair-raising jockeying (seatbelt firmly fastened and convinced on more than one occasion that the “big roll” was imminent), I extricated the tractor from the cherry tree’s evil grasp and got it back onto level ground.  Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!