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Groundbreaking - 07/21/05


After the lot was cleared and the contractor and excavation/foundation subcontractor came up with a road map for the stages and logistics of excavating, drilling and pouring the foundation, we finally broke ground on 7/21/05. This happened to be the full moon and the first full moon after the soltice which is particularly auspicious in India. And as Anne Fleming has brought it to our attention: On this particular July 21 the Satyug, one of the Vedic eras called Yugas, was ushered in, and this doesn't happen often. Seems like the cosmic signs are good at least! (And, by the way, we were issued our building permit on the summer solstice!)

They started with a portable drill rig which they used down at the bottom of the lot to drill about 6 difficult-to-access piers of the 26 piers and which they will use to drill the 4 tiebacks. They will bring a large excavator down the temporary ramp you see at the top of the lot to do the rest of the drilling. Some of the photos are from midway down the cleared lot looking up to the road. You can get an idea of the steepness of the lot. (It's steeper in the other direction.) On the right looking up-slope (the west side of the lot) is the temporary retaining wall for the access ramp.

Click on an image to view individually

first drilling
first drilling 		first drilling 02
first drilling 02 		Brett & Jose
Brett & Jose
assembling the drill
assembling the drill 		access ramp
access ramp 		access ramp wall
access ramp wall
access ramp retaining wall
access ramp retaining wall 		first machinery
first machinery 		upslope
upslope
old debris
old debris 		redwoods
redwoods 		Jim & Alfonso
Marshall & Alfonso