First and foremost, many thanks to our helpers over the weekend. Again, your help was (is) very much appreciated.

We obtained ~190 Western Red Cedar and had our first “tree-planting” party this past weekend. With a group of about 6, we had them planted in around 3.5 hours. This was the first group of many to be planted out there!

The rest of the clearcut area is on short-term hold for replanting. We have 6 huge piles of slash to take care of (well, 5 1/2 now - started burning one on Saturday during the planting — it’s still burning today). We plan to give it a month or so of sitting to dry out the piles, hopefully they’ll burn up quicker that way.

Escavators are due to arrive bright and early Wednesday morning (4th). This will be the beginning of the true home-building. (Or is that Barn-building, since we’re now reverting back to that naming. Our mortgage people suggested not calling it the Barn in case the actual lender associated a lower-valued connotation.)

Wow. It’s been a long-time coming, and there is still much to do, but it finally feels like the Barn will be a reality in 2007. Woohoo!

[EDIT: link to pictures added]