HA’s firstborn and his girlfriend are coming for an open-ended visit this month. The studio is a good overnight space, but isn’t set up for longer occupancy. We decided that we’ll add a little outdoor kitchen (with their help) so they can be a bit independent. (The main house is far too cozy to share, and we don’t want to be cooking their every meal.) To that end, we had ordered 12 tons of red volcanic cinder to make the ground around the studio less muddy.
We had just created a level pad for the generators, but had to move it thinking the rock would need to be dumped there. While we were at it, we just relocated both generators down away from the studio.
Then came Hurricane Lala. Though the damage from the storm was minimal, one thing it did is saturate the dirt track that the dump truck had to follow to get the rock to the studio. There’s a small (but not small enough) rise as you come through the gate, and the dumptruck tires spun freely when the driver tried to back in. He did an amazing job of backing the truck in with less than three inches of clearance on each side, but further efforts risked the truck sliding to the side and taking out our gate.
We ended up having him just dump the rock in the driveway.
We then begun the task of running the cinder up the hill, one wheelbarrow at a time. (Did I mention 12 tons?) Luna, at least, appreciates it.
It’s going to take several days of shoveling, barrowing, and raking to get it all in place but I think it will create a pretty nice space. Unfortunately, I don’t think even our heroic neighbor’s wheel loader can help, as the cinder itself would block the loader’s ingress. Fortunately, the cinder is a lot lighter than the gravel we put around the garage. (But 12 tons is 12 tons, whether it’s light or not.)
It’s hard to remember that just a couple of years ago the studio was a crude shack so deep in the jungle you could hardly see it.
HA’s son is clever, hardworking, and self-motivated, but he’s never had much guidance with trades. He’s about to get a crash course in plumbing and electrical work, island style.
—2p