Sh*t happens, trees fall
It was about lunch time Tuesday when it finally happened, one of the inevitabilities of construction that I'd been anticipating with much trepidation: The HoneyBucket arrived. The delivery folks didn't make a fuss about it, either. In fact, i was in a mid-day nap when a slight noise awoke me and called my attention to a flatbed truck with a dozen or so porta potties loaded on it. The fellow already had dropped off a lovely blue unit and perched it exactly where we'd planned next to our garage (it had either been that or by our bedroom window).
From Portrait of a Gigantic Remodel_1I noted that they also come in aqua and green, but I'm happy enough with blue.
Eager to chronicle each new aspect of our remodel I rushed out, camera in hand, to capture a photo while the unit likely was at its cleanest. Just as I raised the lens an unfamiliar man popped out of the door of the HoneyBucket. I don't know who was more surprised. It was Pat Hadaller, part of the father-son team of Krieger's Stump Removal, just arrived on site to take out the half-dozen remains from that morning's tree-falling. We did NOT shake hands, but he seemed like a very nice man, as did his son, Andy.
But i'm getting ahead of myself. The day actually started out at 8:37 a.m. when joe arrived (remember Trees by joe)
From Portrait of a Gigantic Remodel_1and prepared to take out the five major maple trees, a cherry blossom tree (sniff), an aging lilac and a camellia. Only joe's gray hair belied his age; he zipped up those trees like a monkey.
His helpers were Bob and yes, another fellow named Joe. Part of our 6-foot fence had to be removed. Chainsaws were involved. There was a chipper. There was a blower. I thought it was interesting that they felt it necessary to clean up the leaves and bits of chips that fell to the ground during the process. I certainly didn't care. That blower would have been more helpful, I think, cleaning up inside the house. I appreciated the thought, nonetheless, and the crew did a efficient job of eliminating our forest within three hours time. The cherry blossom tree was down, in fact, before I could even scurry out with my camera.
From Portrait of a Gigantic Remodel_1
Tree cutting always brings a sense of excitement. And it's during such times that your neighbors you've never met before come out of the woodwork. Along comes Shirley, exactly on cue, with her 4-month-old Shih Tzu in tow.
From Portrait of a Gigantic Remodel_1Shirley drives a school bus and lives on 71st Avenue, a street over. She had some trees to come out and wanted joe's number, so I gave it to her. She should recall it anyway, she added, because her late husband was named Joe, too. In fact, her Shih Tzu ( a female) had been named in his honor: Jo Jo. Coincidence?
When I asked owner joe about having another Joe on the project, he explained that it was all part of his master plan. This way, said joe, when he retires, there will be another to take over the business. I guess Bob is out of luck.