Badboulder's main house site is not accessible for large equipment, thus our foundation, ten feet deep in some spaces, needed to be poured in small lots of concrete that we made ourselves. I include myself only because I was of some small assistance in the early days.
Much of the concrete was produced during summer's heat and monsoon season, anytime David had a few days off from his job with America West Airlines.
First David dug out the area of all loose dirt in preparation for pouring, built forms from new lumber, and reinforced with adequate rebar (much more than Frank Lloyd Wright ever used; we don't want to rebuild Badboulder in thirty years.
We usually mixed about fifteen to twenty cubic feet with each pouring, always trying to complete the job before nightfall or monsoon storms struck.
One of my most memorable concrete making experiences occurred back in the days when we were mixing with the wheelbarrow and hoe. We were working with forms wedged between boulders and some forms went over boulders. Presence of mind helped keep the skinned spots to a minimum, so I was motivated to work in an attentive manner as opposed to my usual yawning and daydreaming demeanor. We enjoyed a timely finish that day which meant we had time to sit back on the boulders and admire our most recent work. After a bit of rest, I determined that a nearby plant needed water and headed off for the watering can. David reports that almost immediately after I departed, a rattlesnake poked its head up from a crevasse in the rock. Perhaps a rattlesnake bite on the tush would be preferable to a bite on other body parts. Emergency treatment in Yarnell starts with a visit from local volunteers who stabilize a patient, then it's off by helicopter to a medical facility. That snake must have determined to lay low and hope for smaller prey.
Upon moving to Yarnell, I memorized my encyclopedia (remember those tomes) offering on rattlesnakes and was much relieved to learn that rattlers were not aggressive and gave one a friendly little whirring warning. Sixteen years and multiple rattler encounters later, I have yet to meet a single snake that has read that article. A local realtor tells me that indeed rattlesnakes rarely warn until it's too late. She explained that rattlesnakes require three hikers stepping over their bodies to get their attention--the first person wakes the snake, the second ticks it off, and the third gets bitten.
FROM THE KNOTHOLE: Hey, remember me? I am the guy who gets called on when it's time for a rattler to meet its maker. Although we see fewer rattlers as the years go by, you can never let your guard down. From November through April, a rattlesnake sighting is unlikely. I am surprised that Badboulderlady didn't tell you that a rattlesnake documentary was filmed on Boulder Mountain which rises just to the rear of our house. There is some guy in town who is an expert on rattlesnakes. We have heard that he was somehow involved in the documentary. He has been bitten a time or two by rattlers. And, we have heard that his next bite could be fatal because treatment becomes less effective after several bites. A rattlesnake bite is the one thing I fear most about living here in rural Arizona.
a parting shot from bbman: don't try to read every best seller that comes out; you'll drive yourself nuts.
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