The ditch digging project, Fall 2005

        Start of project

A cloudy Friday afternoon view of the road as you enter from the Pond Meadow with newly dug ditch on the left.

        First drain pipe

Susan admiring how well our old 8" fiberglass pipe drains now that it is deeply buried and has a proper catch basin. Lots of deciduous green leaves have dropped off and are blanketing the road.

        Dig it deeper

Properly ditched, banked, and leaf-decorated road on the way to the Deer Meadow, complete with Susan in the ditch.

        Deer Meadow turn

Renewed ditch and road, filled in with ditch scrapings, at the turn as you enter the Deer Meadow.

        New Drain #1

First new 12" industrial plastic drain (these are supposed to last a long, long time) at the Deer Meadow.

        Fall runoff

Full flow at the new Deer Meadow drain.

        Old Pipe #1

What's left of the old, rotted out galvanized Deer Meadow pipe. It's amazing that this stayed open with the entire bottom half dissolved in rust.

        New Drain #2

This is the drain just as you leave the Deer Meadow that catches some major drainage from the farmers field to the west. The road and area all around it have been pretty much a swamp for much of the time in recent years.

        Old Pipe #2

I don't think this one owed us anything, either.

        Free flow at #2

Lots of water coming through the deeply buried pipe at this site.

        Nice catch basin

All dug out so the road won't be soggy any more. Somehow Gene has a way of grading the ditches and catch basins so the water runs smoothly downhill all the way.

        Heading north

Nicely banked road on the way to the big pine tree with newly dug and draining ditch along the left.

        The final stretch

Looking north under the big pine tree toward the Turkey Meadow. It's almost like having a new road here - no more flooding down the middle.

        New Drain #3

Looking back from the Turkey Meadow at our new drain with it's freshly sculpted catch basin on the right under the apple tree.

        Old Pipe #3

This one was totally rotted out, too.

        Major runoff

Lots of flow coming under the road here.

        Fall colors #1

An afternoon view of the big larch in the Turkey Meadow, looking east into a cloudy sky with the sun starting to stream in from the west behind us.

        Fall colors #2

Our beautiful Heron Meadow in a burst of afternoon sunshine and blue sky.

        Fall colors #3

Maples all ablaze between the two north meadows as the sky clears for a brief respite.

        Heading back

Our cloudy day is back again as we pass the big pine tree and round the bend on our smoothly filled and banked road heading toward New Drain #2 and the Deer Meadow. Cleaned out ditch is on the right. A well done project, Gene!