In the last weeks we have spread hundreds of yards of gravel on the driveway, making sure everything is smooth and that the grades will run the water to where it needs to go. I used our small tractor with a bucket to spread the gravel, a little at a time. Between each lift we use our plate packer and a good soaking of water to tamp it solidly into place. This driveway won't settle in years to come. The gravel is a minimum of two feet thick and as deep as seven feet in places. All underlying organic soils have been moved.

Tomorrow we will take delivery of the last load to be spread. As I spread the second to last load tonight Phoebe wanted to help. I fired up the plate packer and showed her how to steer it, figuring she would have fun for a while but quickly lose interest. Walking behind a packer isn't very exciting. Amazingly she enjoyed it and carefully packed a large section of driveway, running the packer for more than forty-five minutes before she had enough. GREAT JOB!

Tomorrow we'll do it one last time.

-grampa dan