This weekend of the observatory pad saga found me and Karren sacrificing our bad backs to the gravel and sand gods. I spent Friday getting the pier mount finished, cleaning the loose dirt out of the pad area and getting the truck ready to haul material (remove the camper, etc.). I also went shopping for an inexpensive wheel barrow. I'm never going to give another wheelbarrow away! These things are not cheap anymore. After enduring countless harangues from people telling me I should go back and get the one with two wheels ( I use wheelbarrows at work and have had a love/hate relationship for over forty years with them -- if you are interested in what I think about the two wheeled versions contact me...) I found one that would do just fine for well under a hundred bucks. Saturday morning Karren and I got two loader scoops of gravel, about a ton, from our local garden supply. I chose road mix because it has the proper amount of 3/4 stone and smaller fines to compact well. Karren raked it out while I trundled it from the truck.
Then it was off to the Big Box store rental palace to see if we could snag a small plate compactor. Success! A few minutes of walking in circles behind it was all it takes to ensure a properly pounded pad. Karren enjoyed it so much that she was looking for anything else to flatten. The most difficult part of that operation was getting it on and off the truck. ATV ramps and a rope made it easy.
Next step was getting our bedding sand. We went back to the garden supply and loaded just one scoop of sand. Back at the pad I engaged in the endless toil of shoveling into the wheelbarrow and dumping it into the pad while Karren raked it out into an approximately flat surface. It was at this point that we started feeling the brain get feeble. I looked at the time and saw that it was waaaay past our usual feeding time and evening relaxation so we quit for the night.
The next morning we woke up to constant rain. There is a curse on all astronomers that entails endless clouds after any new astro purchase. I guess that means you pay BIG TIME for a new observatory. Looks like the paver install will have to wait another week. It might take that long to heal from the previous labors.
Maybe I will be able to track down and eliminate the feral rabbit that has taken up residence in our backyard. It is obviously a release from someone's household, as it is about the size of a soccer ball. It has been difficult to get at because of it's tendency to hide under one of our sheds. If it makes one false move toward our garden it will be lights out! Mr. Air Rifle will have to come out and play. I guess a rabbit might be a pretty benign mascot for an observatory as long as it keeps to the clover and grass seed heads. Might have to name the observatory somehow including the poor creature.
Next week: Getting it flat and pavers. Where's a Flat Earther when you need one?
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