know all about proper fencing and safeguards. I made sure everybody had the right permits.”
“I’m just here to keep an eye on ’em.”
Gail came up behind them, again accompanied by Jeffrey, and greeted everyone. “I know not much is happening today, but I wanted to be here for the start. This is so exciting!”
“What are you doing here, young man?” Art said with mock severity. “Isn’t this a school day?”
Jeffrey responded quickly. “It is, sir, but my mom gave me a note so I could watch, too. It’s for a Boy Scout badge project, and Mrs. Selden here knows about it. I’ll be going back over to the school once things get rolling.”
“I’m just kidding you, son,” Art said. “I don’t blame you for wanting to watch.”
“Just like you, eh, Art?” Meg said sweetly.
Gail said impatiently, “Tell me again what’s going to happen, Seth?”
“These fine gentlemen—sorry, but they don’t happen to have any female employees handling the equipment—will be using an air vacuum excavation system. Essentially they shoot air to break up the soil so it can be sucked up easily. Then they truck the soil away and use it for landfill, if it’s clean enough. What you see there”—Seth pointed—“is the unit. It has a diesel-driven compressor on one end, and they attach the vacuum hose at the other. The dirt goes into a holding tank, and then gets transferred through the hatch on the bottom. They might be done by the end of the day today, or tomorrow at the latest, depending on what they find. The rest of the guys hanging out over there drinking coffee are waiting to insert the bracers and jacks, so this will go in fits and starts. Then they’ll start building the forms for the foundation, starting with extra-deep pads for any support columns. That’ll be done by hand.”
“Do you think you’ll find any artifacts?” Jeffrey spoke up.
“A very appropriate question,” Seth answered him. “Actually they’ve got it rigged up so that the soil that’s removed gets dumped onto a screen up at the dump truck over there. That may be where you want to station yourself, so you can watch for anything interesting that may come through. Then the screen is cleared off into the truck and the process starts again.”
“Is that a safe spot for him?” Art said, tilting his head toward Jeffrey.
“Sure. Eye and ear protection are required, but this isn’t a very large vacuum excavator, so the pressure isn’t too high. They come a lot bigger, but this is plenty for our needs here. Although, sorry, Jeffrey—you might get kind of dirty. I should have thought to warn you.”
Jeffrey shrugged. “Bet it’d be a real thrill for the kids at school to see me come in looking grubby. They usually call me ‘Mr. Clean.’ Or sometimes ‘Teflon Jeff.’”
“Can we get started?” Gail asked, bouncing with anticipation.
“Let me check in with the crew,” Seth said. He walked toward a knot of people and started talking with someone who appeared to be the crew chief.
“What’re you doing for the Harvest Festival, Meg?” Gail made small talk, but her eyes never left the construction workers.
“I’m supposed to do something?” Meg responded, dismayed. She had planned on merely attending—besides, this year she’d be with Seth. Since he knew everybody in town, and they all knew him, no doubt everyone would offer congratulations on their engagement, and probably want to know when the event was going to happen. The two of them really had to come up with a plan sometime soon, but they both led such busy lives, at least at the moment. Not the best time to try to fit in a wedding. It made sense to wait until winter, maybe even early spring, when both their schedules would slow down. Seth’s mother, Lydia, understood, thank goodness, but Meg wasn’t as sure about her own mother.
“You don’t have to, of course. It’s not like you have a business to promote or anything,” Gail said, the twinkle in her
“I’m just here to keep an eye on ’em.”
Gail came up behind them, again accompanied by Jeffrey, and greeted everyone. “I know not much is happening today, but I wanted to be here for the start. This is so exciting!”
“What are you doing here, young man?” Art said with mock severity. “Isn’t this a school day?”
Jeffrey responded quickly. “It is, sir, but my mom gave me a note so I could watch, too. It’s for a Boy Scout badge project, and Mrs. Selden here knows about it. I’ll be going back over to the school once things get rolling.”
“I’m just kidding you, son,” Art said. “I don’t blame you for wanting to watch.”
“Just like you, eh, Art?” Meg said sweetly.
Gail said impatiently, “Tell me again what’s going to happen, Seth?”
“These fine gentlemen—sorry, but they don’t happen to have any female employees handling the equipment—will be using an air vacuum excavation system. Essentially they shoot air to break up the soil so it can be sucked up easily. Then they truck the soil away and use it for landfill, if it’s clean enough. What you see there”—Seth pointed—“is the unit. It has a diesel-driven compressor on one end, and they attach the vacuum hose at the other. The dirt goes into a holding tank, and then gets transferred through the hatch on the bottom. They might be done by the end of the day today, or tomorrow at the latest, depending on what they find. The rest of the guys hanging out over there drinking coffee are waiting to insert the bracers and jacks, so this will go in fits and starts. Then they’ll start building the forms for the foundation, starting with extra-deep pads for any support columns. That’ll be done by hand.”
“Do you think you’ll find any artifacts?” Jeffrey spoke up.
“A very appropriate question,” Seth answered him. “Actually they’ve got it rigged up so that the soil that’s removed gets dumped onto a screen up at the dump truck over there. That may be where you want to station yourself, so you can watch for anything interesting that may come through. Then the screen is cleared off into the truck and the process starts again.”
“Is that a safe spot for him?” Art said, tilting his head toward Jeffrey.
“Sure. Eye and ear protection are required, but this isn’t a very large vacuum excavator, so the pressure isn’t too high. They come a lot bigger, but this is plenty for our needs here. Although, sorry, Jeffrey—you might get kind of dirty. I should have thought to warn you.”
Jeffrey shrugged. “Bet it’d be a real thrill for the kids at school to see me come in looking grubby. They usually call me ‘Mr. Clean.’ Or sometimes ‘Teflon Jeff.’”
“Can we get started?” Gail asked, bouncing with anticipation.
“Let me check in with the crew,” Seth said. He walked toward a knot of people and started talking with someone who appeared to be the crew chief.
“What’re you doing for the Harvest Festival, Meg?” Gail made small talk, but her eyes never left the construction workers.
“I’m supposed to do something?” Meg responded, dismayed. She had planned on merely attending—besides, this year she’d be with Seth. Since he knew everybody in town, and they all knew him, no doubt everyone would offer congratulations on their engagement, and probably want to know when the event was going to happen. The two of them really had to come up with a plan sometime soon, but they both led such busy lives, at least at the moment. Not the best time to try to fit in a wedding. It made sense to wait until winter, maybe even early spring, when both their schedules would slow down. Seth’s mother, Lydia, understood, thank goodness, but Meg wasn’t as sure about her own mother.
“You don’t have to, of course. It’s not like you have a business to promote or anything,” Gail said, the twinkle in her
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