6/5/07 I went up to the property for 3 days: Tuesday through Thursday.

It was cool and dry when I arrived at 12:20 but it looked like it might rain. As soon as I got my stuff into the trailer, I drove the pickup up to the building and unloaded 8 sacks of concrete mix and six CB66s that I had brought with me. It was the first time I had driven the new pickup up there and I was interested to find out how it handled it. It has a lot longer turning radius than the GMC had. I got up and back down with no problem.

After lunch, I fed 3 gray jays. One of them looked pretty scruffy. I think it might have been a juvenile. I also saw two quail through the window when I was in the privy. They were casually strutting down the trail and they didn't notice me for quite a while even though I was slowly and quietly walking behind them. The wild rose bushes were in full bloom. They smelled wonderful. I took a picture of the bush by the staircase.

I spent the afternoon digging a hole for the farthest north column pad for the back deck. I hit a pretty big rock right away, but by using the big steel bar, I was able to get it out and moved down out of the way. I hit nothing but rocks covered in dirt all the way, but they were small enough that I could get them out without too much trouble. I dug the hole down 2 1/2 feet which should be enough.

On Wednesday morning, I was greeted by the gray jays again right away. I fed them off and on all day long. I started out by stringing a power cord outside by the porch. I'll just leave it there so I will have power for the whole project. I used a trouble light to light up the hole so I could clean it out real good.

Next I scrounged some old boards and made a 1-foot by 1-foot form and installed it over the hole. I assembled it using screws and using the same technique I had developed for the column pads I built for the front porch. It was quick and easy. The form was fitted with two vertical boards which held a dowel running through the holes in a CB66 and which held it in place at the top of the form.

Then I used the wheelbarrow to haul the eight sacks of concrete mix from under the front porch, where I had unloaded them, around to the back. I stacked them next to the building on the two deck planks I had stored there. That would keep them safe and dry under the eaves in case it started raining. I also strung a water hose to the site.

When I went in for lunch, I heard the gnawing in the ceiling again. I have decided not to do anything about it since I can't think of anything to do anyway. I'll just consider the critters to be next door neighbors unless or until they chew through something that I can see.

After lunch, I fed a couple chipmunks and the gray jays and then mixed and placed 7 sacks of concrete into the form. I got a little nervous around the 5th and 6th sack wondering whether I would have enough, but it ended up that I had one sack left over. I'd say it was good planning, but it was really just dumb luck. I originally was only going to buy six sacks but at the last minute I threw on a couple more. Good thing I did.

After I had cleaned up the tools and was waiting for the concrete to set enough so I could trowel the top, Larry and Ted Turner stopped by for a visit. I took them up and showed them the stump and the site of the tree falling and skidding and they saw the logs and planks that I harvested. It's always fun to have someone else see the results of the work. I also showed them the potted sequoia trees. After they left, I troweled the top of the column pad.

On Thursday morning, I stripped the forms from the column pad and was pleased with how it turned out. I saw the two quail again and fed the gray jays and the chipmunks again. After figuring out where the next column needs to be, I decided against the middle column after all. I was going to put three columns in for the deck with a removable section of guard rail between the northernmost pair of columns. But the total span was only 10 feet between the end columns. The removable section needed to be at least six or seven feet, which meant that there would only be three or four feet of permanent railing.

By eliminating the middle column, it meant that the entire ten foot section of railing would have to be removable, but I think that is not too much. It will only have to be removed and replaced once each year and I don't think it will be all that heavy. It will also make the construction job that much simpler and quicker.

With that decision made, I dug the hole for the second column, which will be the one right at the head of the stairs. I hit bedrock two feet down so I scraped the bedrock clean and was happy that the column pad will be as solid as bedrock. I took a bunch of pictures of the progress and felt pretty good about what I had gotten done this week. It's a good feeling to know that you have made something that will probably last a hundred years.

I fed a Steller's Jay on the front porch while I was sitting only about 10 feet away. I got some pictures of the jay taking the peanuts. They are getting pretty tame for Steller's. I left for home at 1:35 feeling pretty good about the progress.