Our lot changed on Wednesday.  This is what it looked like until Tuesday:

pict0337

On Wednesday morning at about 9:AM, we arrived on this scene:

PICT0574

That’s right, a bunch of trucks digging holes, cranes raising poles, and about seven crew members working on our lot.  We even had our won set of flaggers!  It was finally happening!  We squealed with delight!  The pole was getting moved off of our property and onto our neighbor’s!  However, if it were only that easy.  Of course, the story of the pole has played out like a bad soap opera: lies, betrayal, yelling matches and a whole lot of drama.  Believe it or not, this day also had its own set of nailbiter events.  Fortunately, the foreman knew Bradley from high school and was willing to make a few exceptions and some extra calls to make sure we were satisfied with the job.

PICT0620PICT0566PICT0565

When we arrived, the crew was already digging the hole for the new pole.  Bradley recognized that the hole was about three feet over the property line on OUR property.  We had the foreman stop the digging and restart.  If we had been much later, the pole would have ended up in the middle of our main play yard.

PICT0572PICT0571

Jude was fascinated with the trucks.  He was especially engaged when one of the construction workers got into the bucket and went for a ride in the sky to drill holes in the pole and attach new wires.  While up there, the crew realized that the wires from Verizon and Comcast were going to go all the way across our yard.  The crew didn’t have rights to redirect the wires, so for the time being we have wires that will impede the building of our house.  (Update: Bradley has made the calls and the situation is being tended to.  For once, easement paperwork is not holding us up!)

PICT0576

Finally came the moment when the pole was pulled.  They used a crane to wiggle the pole to loosen it from the soil, moving it back and forth, back and forth, until it came like a wiggly loose tooth.

PICT0613

Finally, we are free of the pole!  But wait!  One final snafu!  PSE did not have the rights to disconnect or reconnect a telephone wire that was previously connected to the old pole…  Fortunately, they pulled a favor for us and just did it.  We are not going to complain.  The task is done, the pole is gone.

PICT0605

This morning, the guys from Bayshore are arriving to start excavating, and Bradley and I are breathing a big sigh of releif.  Our whole summer was focused on ridding the lot of this pole.  It is finally gone, and our project’s destiny is at last in our hands!  Onward and upward!


Comments are closed.