Mailbag

Beefa writes in : 

I officially challenged Team NUTRIA to a game of kickball. I'm still working out the details and the prizes.

 Could you post this on the PUMA site? The gauntlet has been thrown and, with vigor!

Steve Hearty

It sounds like this may happen Saturday Nov. 22, before Mace's party. Stay tuned.

A missive from Sweet T : 

ryan let me know when we are building some sweet jumps at your house i got a new bike i want to go huck and i think i am gonna get it custom painted TEAM WRECK 
Sweet T

Soon, very soon. This afternoon Uncle Bill clued me into a possible backhoe connection and showed some interest in helping, so I've got that going for me, which is nice. I am still lacking a comprehensive master plan but I've been making sketches and putting little pink flags in the ground and I feel ready for phase one. Plus it makes sense to get started before mud season and as soon as things are laid out I can start thinking about where to plant trees.

So...assuming we can get a backhoe and moderately skilled operator for 3 to 4 hours this is what I would do :

scrape down a few inches with the bucket, describing whatever path we decide the track should take. This will give us a smooth riding surface and make it easier to lay out the berms and jumps.

retrieve some of the huge logs we pushed into the fence row and place them where large things will be built, that will save some dirt moving.

moving to the southernmost oak tree in the annex I would push the blackberries into the fencerow and retrieve whatever logs are buried under the brambles for use in construction, then scrape all the blackberries out. That is a beautiful tree and a nice shady spot in the summer.

next we move to the low spot in the annex and dig a giant hole. I have plenty of crazy plans for lined ponds, dirt velodromes and sandy beaches but for now I'll settle for lots of dirt being moved into piles.

then if there's time,use the bucket to move as much dirt as possible and maybe do a little wheel rolling. Compaction is key.

Maybe next weekend or the one after...I'll see what I can work out.