Moving to Conantum has been wonderful on so many levels, not the least of which is the great neighbors that we have. This evening, I enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Sudbury River hosted by our neighbors to the south. Of course, Jeanine was also invited but is spending the weekend in Maine with girlfriends from her book group. The pontoon boat operated by Martha of the South Bridge Boat House picked us up on the shore of our neighbor’s backyard and toured us up and down the river while dinner was served. Martha was a fountain of knowledge about the river and the people who live on its shores. The party included 4 other couples none of which knew each other before but who were all connected to our hosts. It was great getting to know them and learning all we had in common.

Earlier in the day, I met with our surveyor at the River House and watched as he “pinned” the 8 corners of our foundation footing to identify the exact location of the concrete wall that will be erected next. As we only have one chance to pour the walls, I wanted to double-check the dimensions which we did with a steel tape (used by surveyors to eliminate errors that can result from tapes that stretch). All the pins were dead on. Not even 1/16″ of error over a 42-foot span. Next, we checked diagonals to ensure square corners. Once again, dead on. Finally, I had him check the footing elevations which were within +/- 1/4″ of ideal. When the walls are constructed, I believe we will be able to reduce the elevation variation by 2 to 3 times.