Grading Begins
Last week we began the grading of our house site, 
driveway and parking area. So far, the site has been scraped down about a foot. It appears that it will have to come down another two feet to give us a good solid area large enough for the foundation. Some of the dirt is being used to fill in the parking area to make it flat. A berm was created on the hillside to catch large rocks that might roll down when dirt is pushed over the edge of the top of the hill. We are collecting rocks for landscaping. We are hoping to be able to save the big Eucalyptus tree. A couple other plants and trees were saved for transplanting elsewhere. The coffee tree area that was cleared in grading will be replanted later.
It appears that the house will be situated on an ancient pu’u, a cone created from ash and cinder from an extinct volcano. The rock there is quite different from rock in the surrounding areas. The hill had been flattened some already be a previous landowner.
We’ve been enjoying a flock of egrets that has frequented the site, waiting for the bulldozer to turn up new worms.