A Weather Break!

Doesn't look like Kev and I will be staining today! It stormed and rained off and on all night! We got about an inch of rain overnight and the sun isn't shining yet. Needless to say the property is wet. Late last night, just before dark and all this rain, Peter and I checked things over on the lot. The sand is all in and almost completely packed within the building. The building is backfilled all around the outside and they are ready to haul in the gravel. But looks like it might not be today - maybe later if the sun comes out and dries things up a bit. We'll have to wait and see. We are weather dependent like all the farmer friends in the area. And only God knows what each day will bring us! Those two and a half years of waiting patiently to start construction was just part of the lesson in waiting on God's timing! Even in the few short weeks of construction He has shown us over and over again how He can bring together the different elements beyond what we could ever hope for. Things we should be waiting for are being manufactured for us in unbelievable perfect timing! It can only be His doing - there is no other way to explain it!

We seem to have spent a lot of time at the lot yesterday. DB Bobcat was busy backfilling and compacting the material in the building, the Geotech fellow came and tested the "Standard Procter Moisture Dry Density" (looks good!), Co-op came and DROPPED off the tongue and groove decking and Fortis came and installed the meter for our power. We now have our own power!!

We had lots of fun watching the fellow in the skidsteer filling in the building with sand. In the first picture you can see him balancing precariously on two wheels while making his way over the sand bridge on the wall to access inside the building. In the next picture you see the other skidsteer backfilling behind the building (the track side). Our dirt they are using to backfill has coal slag in it so it is very very black! Good thing we are adding some decent topsoil to try and grow some grass.



In the third picture you can see a white dump truck bringing one more of the numerous loads of sand. I didn't get a better pic of the name on the truck - but this driver is special to us. He is our long standing neighbor Bill Armstrong. He is in his 80's and still going strong. He does trucking for Danny (DB Bobcat) when he isn't down south. Many mornings we see him driving off to work! He is an incredibly quiet and kind man who just keeps going! And the fourth picture shows the owner of the company, Danny, packing sand along the walls with a tamper, and a young fellow, Jason, in a roller packing everywhere else. Kev told us he graduated with Jason.



One of the fun things about doing a project like this - besides seeing God work in ways we would never dream of - is interacting with fellow business owners in the community. The fellow we've been working with concerning our lumber etc. is a former neighbor from Red Deer. Our electrician, Lorne, knows our "Dirt Man" and ribs Danny about actually using a piece of equipment. Danny graciously keeps men working for him that otherwise would not be able to work elsewhere. This person knows that person and has worked with them before. We see this fellow in Tim Horton's off and on. Even the lady working at the A & W wanted to know what we were building. I like small town living. It's amazing the opportunities that have presented themselves to be a Christian business and share what makes you different, and become part of the lives of fellow businessmen beyond "business".