Thank you to Ricky, Gordy, Vinnie, Drew, George, John & Monica for your careful and responsible work on the sheet pile installation. We appreciated your caution, and bemused curiosity about us crazy beaver supporters. The shirts look great on you
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So today we were waiting for the “last pile” to be delivered and installed. It arrived this morning, but upon installation it became clear that they need another half pile to close the gap to the concrete. Still, we’re darn close to being finished. Watchers were on the bridge as usual. Skip was there. The Hess-ians all enjoyed the video and we saw a juvenile otter this morning.
So far, so good.
So jon and I waited for mom tonight until after eight, hoping to see the injured eye and get a photograph. She didn’t show and we gave up and drove home feeling worried. Just got a call from Linda and Moses who went down to the dam tonight and filmed mom. Saw clearly that her eye was a little crusted, perhaps recovering from something, but definatly better than last night. They took video and I’ll have it tomorrow. Thanks so much stellar beaver caretakers for helping us keep track of this.
Mom, for all you do, this buds for you.
These photos from todays work show the increasing distance between the concrete wall and the sheetpile. This has been explained as necessary to allow the hammer to turn, but there were repeated “concrete” shudders today that seemed to guide the work further into the creek. No delivery of sheetpile came yesterday and they have been moving quickly through this next phase. Without Skip on hand to caution them, they snapped down a few branches from the willow over the lodge, and were observed walking on it at one point. The big boss is on sight today with plans and charts and everyone is working faster and tenser.
No site of mom this morning, but the beavers are piling willow onto one of the lower baffles, starting a formal dam across what was left. Two passers by told us they had seen our beaver election video on the news: one on yahoo local and one on channel 2.
Three updates and yesterday’s rundown. Two are worriesome. Yesterday SKip Lisle told us he is off to Vermont today, and he confirmed that last night. There will be officially be no oversight that can communicate with the workers on the project. Worse, Mom was observed by at least two people last night to have an eye injury/condition that has created a swollen ring around her eye, leaving the pupil barely visible. We will try to get a better look/photo and a vet consult to see if anything should be done.
Yesterday the Crane came to the end of its useful reach on Escobar, so was moved along. We had hoped (and been assured) that it was going to rest on the street and not (as rumored) on the grass directly behind the new lodge. As in nearly all things we were dissappointed. The Crane was laboriously fitted about 15 feet from the lodge, where it will rest for several days as the continue installation.
Even with this dolby-stereo vibration (the pilings in front and the motor behind) our beavers stayed hunkered, thank goodness. Sharp eyes on the bridges spotted only turtles and rats in the water, and this was a relief.
One bit of excitement during the day came when the peering property owner and crew sent down a camera to document the corner of his property which where the concrete was exposed. Skip was asked to get in the water and look for holes, which he did, and did not find. Everyone was snapping pictures of the space where a footing was apparently not present, although they had authoritatively told us that there was none to begin with. Funny how much time it takes to verify the absence of something you are certain isn’t there.
Skip expressed concern that there was greater impatience on the part of the crew that the work was taking so long. Everyone is well aware that this is not going to be the four day job advertised. We did have lots of positive contact with the crew today, one asked how to get a tee shirt and another went for a turtle tour with Cheryl. If nothing else, we have raised their curiosity.
Last night Igor Skaredoff and I presented on “beavers and watershed” for the Master Gardeners association in Pleasant Hill. It was a packed, cheerful, and organically intelligent group. Everyone appreciated Igor’s run down of the geology behind the waterways, and of course our furry heroes were a big hit.
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