Day One: Excavation Begins

What's cooler than a tractor in the backyard to a 2-1/2 year old? Two tractors in the back yard!

Today, excavation began. While it is very exciting to finally get things underway, being present for the dig is sort of akin to watching paint dry. However, it is pretty interesting.

The excavation began smoothly until they hit rock at about 8-9 inches in. Living in the Central Texas Hill Country, this comes as a surprise to no one. Luckily, in this part of the world, hitting rock is expected and doesn't typically lead to additional expense for the home owner. It does drag the process out quite a bit though!

It is fascinating how much the compressed dirt and rock "expands" once it comes out of the earth. The mountains have piled up quickly and our backyard is quickly becoming a certified disaster area. Luckily, our house is high enough up that we don't have to look at all the mess from inside.

At this point, all of the excitement from months of planning and working on details is becoming disbelief that we're actually underway and facing this for the next 3-plus months (I'm being optimistic here).