SNOWFLAKE PATHWAYS

A HISTORY IN PICTURES

2005: Immovable

When building a new pathway, it is common to encounter partially buried boulders along the new route. Many can be removed by hand using simple tools such as pry bars and fulcrums. On occasion, we had to resort to using a tractor for some of the more massive boulders, but not everywhere in the green belt is accessible with a tractor. Similar to an iceberg, it is hard to visualize how much mass is lying hidden below the surface. The only way to find out is to start digging.....

(109) ^ ^ ^ ^ This boulder had about 15% of its mass sticking out above the ground. And it was heavy, maybe half a ton in weight. It was simply too heavy to lift it out of the hole in which it lay. Or not easily with the simple tools available.

(110) ^ ^ ^ ^ It was not desirable to divert the pathway to go around the protruding boulder. It simply had to go, but how?

(111) ^ ^ ^ ^ After much deliberation, a decision was made to dig an even deeper hole right next to the boulder.

(112) ^ ^ ^ ^ A neighbor, Jeff, helped to roll the boulder over into the deeper hole. Water from a garden hose helped to settle the soil under the boulder to provide a firm foundation.

(113) ^ ^ ^ ^ The toppled boulder laying on its side at the bottom of the deeper hole, now a couple of feet below the surface of the new pathway planned to go across above.

(114) ^ ^ ^ ^ Filling in the hole to completely bury the boulder .... to make it "disappear".

(115) ^ ^ ^ ^ Now filled in, Zena stands on top of where the hole used to be.

(116) ^ ^ ^ ^ Now you see it; now you don't! No more boulder sticking up for people to stumble over.

(117) ^ ^ ^ ^ The new pathway ready for wood chips. The boulder used to be sticking up in the foreground in this photograph.

(118) ^ ^ ^ ^ A thick layer of wood chips completes the job. The entire operation took a little over 2 weeks to complete in the latter part of September, 2005.