A Driveway Reclaimed

Ken and I have known since before we bought this house that we needed to level the driveway. There was a dangerous slope on one side that, when covered with snow or ice, invited a vehicle to slide toward the trees. The day we met the building inspector here Ken's work van got stuck near those trees on the left when he tried to make it up the incline; the building inspector was kind enough to use his truck to give Ken a tow ~

With another winter upon us, it seemed like a good time to take care of the driveway, starting with the removal of the stump of the birch tree Ken took down two years ago ~

Truckloads of fill were brought in to level the low spots and give the driveway a "drivable" slope. Then truckloads of "reclaim," which is old asphalt that has been collected and pulverized, were brought in, spread around, and tamped down ~

The stickiness of the reclaim holds it in place, though there will be some shifting and fading. The result is a surface that blends in with the surroundings (and costs a fraction of new pavement) ~

Our next challenge was the way water moves through the property and down the slope. We need to enhance certain areas with gravel and rocks if we want to preserve the integrity of the new driveway. We went to work with the larger rocks first ~

...which did not shovel easily. I pulled rocks down to the ground with a hoe, and Ken lifted a shovel at a time into the wheelbarrow, wishing he had a tractor with every shovelful. I decided things would move along more quickly if I climbed atop the pile and shifted rocks with my feet. That worked...until I lost my footing and found myself on my tush at the bottom. I was fine. Nothing was broken, on me anyway. I got to my feet and remembered the ultra-compact digital camera in my back pocket...which is now literally a "point and shoot" camera. It still takes photos, but the screen is blank so the shot is a mystery until the camera is plugged into the computer. A broken camera is better than a broken wrist or ankle but I still felt awful. I did manage to get a shot of how we are using the larger rocks to fill in around trees and down the banks ~

Ken and I started this work on Monday and were both so sore that night that we could hardly move. Bruises on my knees and tush appeared yesterday. I am moving better today, so I may get some of the smaller rocks moved later...a little bit at a time.