Building on Dreams

Chapter 40 - New Beginnings and Old Friends

"My pleasure, Mr. Thompson," Greg told him.

"I hope you weren't waiting long?"

"Not at all. In fact, I was enjoying the wildlife while waiting for you," Greg explained.

"I see. Today, nothing much will happen," Mr. Thompson told him and he began to describe the activities he had planned for that coming week: their surveyor would begin to make a survey of the construction site along with the plans and mark the areas to be graded, the corners for the foundation and where the supports would go would be marked first, so that they would be aware of those locations during grading. Materials would begin to arrive within the next few days, and grading equipment would begin to prepare the ground where the foundation of the two hotel wings would eventually be by the end of the week.

Greg waited around to watch them work and after about an hour decided that Mr. Thompson was right. He and the work men were familiarizing themselves with the property and the work site. They did ask questions about the work the second contractor would be doing and the natural areas to be protected, then began setting up an area for themselves that would temporarily serve as an impromptu office that was close to their work area but still out of the way. By the time Greg left an hour later, they were setting up a sun shade over a work table one of the workmen had brought in the back of his truck. A generator was set up so they would have power, and other arrangements were generally being made in preparation for beginning work. When Greg returned to the property towards the end of the day, he found orange plastic fencing had been erected around certain areas, forming a boundary for their work area that would ensure heavy equipment wouldn't accidentally stray into either the wooded hillside or the lower valleys. It wasn't much, but Greg supposed preparation of that sort would be the first step.

c

"How was our first day?" Susan asked curiously when he returned and came into the kitchen to talk to her while she was making dinner.

"It was a first day," Greg told her. "I suppose I expected things would begin to go more quickly now."

"But they're not?" Susan guessed.

"No. They're preparing to prepare ... or at least that's what it looked like to me," Greg told her. "Mr. Thompson said they should begin to see materials and equipment arrive sometime tomorrow. Perhaps when they do, I'll feel more encouraged."

"Greg, I was wondering, do you think we should call our landlord, Mr. Langley and extend our lease?" Susan asked. "It does sound like we'll need to stay here longer than through the end of June."

"We will. I've been hesitating to do so until I had a better estimate for how long we will need to stay, but given it is already April, I suppose we should say something," Greg said.

"How about I call him tomorrow, explain the situation, and tentatively extend it through the end of September," Susan suggested.  "I'll suggest that we can let him know if we expect to extend it again by the end of June."

"That should work," Greg agreed. "Thank you Susan for taking care of it. Speaking of calls though, did Mr. Van Kirk call back today while I was away?"

"I think so, at least there is a message from someone with a similar name," Susan said. "It's on the answering machine."

"Thank you, call me if you need help," he said and he disappeared up the attic stairs.

c

"Papa, did they really start making our new house today?" Jessie asked when they sat down to dinner that evening.

Greg considered her question for a moment. "Well they put tall stakes in the ground with flags on them to mark the area of the valley where the house will be," Greg told her. "That is the first step. Next they will grade the land where the house will sit and the area around it so it's flat. After that they start bringing the utilities from the corner of our property to where they will connect to the house. I think that will take a while Jessie, so it won't start looking like a house for quite a long time."