August 25th. Big machine for a big job today.

 

 

 

Loading some massive weights onto the crane to keep it stable.

 

A second weight on top of the first one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Placing some cement where the first horizontal beam will land.

 

That first beam was as long as a massive trailer.

 

Swinging the beam into position

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The far side lined up pretty quickly...

 

...but the near side required endless tweaking - to a clearance of under 1/2 inch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final tweaks.

 

And it's in!

 

Back at around 2:30 and they had made massive progress!

 

A worker was squeezing rubber tubing between the panels to retain concrete which will fill the gaps.

 

Wow, that was a lot of work today!

 

Tidying up for the night.

 

 

 

 

 

August 26th. Pouring cement into the gaps between slabs.

 

August 27th. A pretty lousy picture of a Narrow-winged Tree Cricket (Oecanthus niveus). The only one I've seen this year.

 

Some carpentry work this morning at Old Colchester Road. (I'll stop by later to see where it's used.)

 

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodius) at Raymond Brook Marsh as I headed back east.

 

A young Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) too. (In general, very few birds around.)

 

After the marsh, I stopped by the Lyman Viaduct. Lots of Bluecurls (Trichostema dichotomum) blooming.

 

Nodding Spurge (Euphorbia nutans). Like most spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) species, it emits a sticky white sap from broken stems.

 

The sap is a skin or eye irritant and is toxic if consumed.

 

Sensitive Partridge Pea or Wild Sensitive Plant (Chamaecrista nicitans). Note the pea pods. If touched, the leaves fold up like a Mimosa plant.

 

 

 

Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis).

 

White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata). A very common early aster.

 

Back to Old Colchester Road around 3:00 P.M. and the carpentry continues.

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure what role these wooden brackets will play. Maybe I'll find out tomorrow, weather permitting.