Today it was about as humid as it can be without rain—and hot. About 8 p.m. I went to measure the amount of sand inside our garage foundation and the distance of the radon pipe conduit from the north cellar wall. Hmmm…How much more sand is needed to support the garage floor? Will the cellar stair wall align with the radon pipe and fit on the footing? How wide will the strip of concrete on the north wall of the cellar be? These aren’t things I’d typically be thinking about. But my measurements, a quick call to John, and then a call from him to Jesse get us all on the same page and ready to pour the garage and partial cellar floors on Thursday.

John and I have both been in the thick of planning and coordinating this project, but his head has been in the details of the foundation these last weeks. Even with the best of contractors—which we have—someone has to “own the plans” and make sure they’re read, understood and followed.

The glare of July sun recedes and I’m drenched in sweat, sandy, smudged with dirt, and more than happy to be standing in the middle of the real thing. After months and months and months of learning and planning it’s happening! Finished with the last house task of the day, I walk down the path to the river picking handfuls of blackcap raspberries and stuffing them in my mouth with purple hands. I’ve never seen them bigger or juicier.