The power company came out early and within a short time, we had electricity!

The phone company dropped off a spool of cable earlier in the week. We suspended it from the excavator bucket and pulled off enough to complete the line from the transformer area back to the meter post, then to the house.

The new phone cable on the left and the electric conduit on the right. We're ready to fill this trench in.

From the meter post to the house - this trench is ready to be filled in also.

Paul ran the excavator and started filling in around the transformer vault. Jeff followed behind and did some detailing with a shovel.

Paul gently pushes dirt up against the meter post.

After filling the trench to within about 18 inches from the top, Jeff laid burial caution tape down the center.

Paul pulls dirt off the trench bank. We made sure to use fine dirt without rocks for the base, to avoid damage to the lines.

Filling in the rest of the trench over the caution tape.

Paul doing a little grading with the shovel.

Jillena came out for a while and took the camera while Jeff hopped on the skid-steer.

Between Jeff and Paul, they were able to get most of the area graded back to what it was.

Jeff and Paul doing a little grading.
(click on the image to play video)

Our new digital meter. This is the only time we'll see it read all zeroes.

Paul tamps the top of the filled trench to pack the dirt down.

Sprinkling a bit more dirt over a low spot.

There's virtually no evidence of the trenches anymore!

Our friend, Jim, circled overhead again today to check out our progress. Jillena took a picture of him "flying through the uprights".

With work on the trenches finished, Paul and Jeff resumed setting floor joists. Here, Paul grinds out a notch in the butt end of the bottom wall log to give the joist enough contact on the ledger beam.

The log is so wide at this end that some notches had to be cut over 1 1/2" deep (as deep as the grinder wheel would allow). That gave the joist over 2" of beam to sit on.

Sunset through the log wall.