Rodan vs. "Jones" the T-Rex
It's been like a movie marathon at the house the last three days and I've been too enthralled to even get a chance to update until now. Just after the stump grinding concluded, the demo of the cement portion of the porch began--at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to be exact.
Wednesday's matinee: Randy the 13th
Randy Parker of Brothers Concrete came armed with a jackhammer and what had to be a circular saw from Hell, worthy of any horror flick ever made. The saw got so heated, in fact, that he had to run water over the blade. Lori and I kept our distance.
From Portrait of a Gigantic Remodel_1
I noted that Randy, like pretty much everyone these days, carried a cell phone. As he was jackhammering the porch to pieces, I wondered, does he have it on "ring" or "vibrate." Later I got my answer when I saw him place the phone on a freestanding cement slab away from the blades: He must look for a flashing light.
Thursday's matinee: The Search for the Lost Cesspool
The backhoe/dumptruck combo arrived this day to begin tearing away ground to make way for new foundations for the kitchen extension and the house addition. But the first challenge for Strauss Excavating was to locate our old, not used for at least 10 years, cesspool. It's the one we had initially before our house was put on city sewer back in, I think, 1995. More specifically I remember that we paid $5K for the honor, in part because I NEVER ever wanted to have to see a cesspool dug up.
However, city permits required it to be "decommissioned," and hence we dug--using a crude map as a semi-guide since there was no blow-off hole that allowed for a scope to quickly locate it. And since we have a basement that meant the "tank" was even that much deeper.
After just a few tries (i.e. holes gouged in the backyard) and some guidance from our general contractor Margie, excavator Gary located the 'lost ark.'
From Portrait of a Gigantic Remodel_2
Its top was about 10 feet under the dirt and it continued down another 10 feet or so. It was about 4 feet across. It looked like a an underground silo crossed with a colander.
From Portrait of a Gigantic Remodel_2Luckily no smell, especially since it had to remain uncovered until the city inspector signed off on it (which happened just this morning by, ironically, "P." Crawford.)
Friday's matinee: Rodan vs. "Jones" the T-Rex
I've nicknamed the backhoe Jones because that's the name in the fine print noted on its jaw-like bucket. Through the house windows I read it clearly as it ambles by within inches of the windows, leaving destruction in its wake. Just like a T-Rex, I think.
The crunch it made was particularly stomach-curdling when it clamped on our front, prized rhodie and in just three gnaws, turned it into toothpicks.
From Portrait of a Gigantic Remodel_2The whole house shook violently when the T-Rex picked through the porch remains left by Randy's satanic circular saw.
I got to thinking. What if the machines did one of those Celebrity Death Match type things. We could put Jones the T-Rex up against the stump grinder, which was a dead ringer for Rodan (who was unearthed and awakened by mining operations in Kitamatsu, according to the film).
From Portrait of a Gigantic Remodel_1
Rodan the stump grinder was shorter, certainly than Jones, but it has rotating vampire-like teeth. Jones can pound and bite and overall is a bit showier (i.e. Jurassic Park).
So who would win?