Backfill and More Updates

March 29 - We visited the site again today to see what progress was made.  We left our rental home early and made our way down to the site.  We navigated past the heavy machinery and the workers who were busy building the model, which will be a Venice, and another house directly across the street.  It was like trying to make our way through a Pac-Man maze without running into a ghost!

So, we arrived at our site to find a bulldozer pushing dirt into the moat.  Well, the large trenches around the foundation.  We were able to snap a few photos before the workers looked too terribly confused.  So, without further adieu, here they are:

Working to fill in the moat!

So long to the foundation wall!

Then, we decided to get some lunch and try out Cheeburger Cheeburger.  We know it is a chain and some people may not like it.  Let's not weigh into the whole "burger wars".  The food was pretty good, but our son was not a fan of the very peppery french fries.  They do have a really extensive shake menu though!  So, that is worth a try.

Next, we killed some time looking around the area.  We took our children to a local park where they had a grand time running around, sliding, swinging, spinning, and all of the other things that made their dad feel very, very old.

He peeks through with a big smile!

Climbing up and up!

Sliding down!

You spin me right 'round!

Looking pretty...and a bit dizzy!

She gets ready for a big push from dad!

Afterward, we decided to try out some of the local fare.  We ventured to Paul's Bakery, which is apparently a staple in the area.  It was a little difficult to find without a GPS, but we did find it.  The people were very nice there and the donuts and cookies were quite good.  The cakes and cupcakes looked very good, but that has been saved for a later date.  Move-in celebration night perhaps?

Then, we decided to explore the area a bit more.  Well, that's not entirely correct.  You see, the traffic was very, very heavy with the start of the holiday weekend.  We wanted to return to the site, but there was so much traffic that Bryan decided to find a different route.  Well, we learned that there are only two real ways to get to the site from downtown Fredericksburg - a highway that goes over a bridge with stand still traffic or an interstate that has stand still traffic.  Hmmmm.....  So, Bryan gave it a shot and somehow ended up in the middle of farm country.  We were way east of the site when we decided to retrace our steps.  While it was a crazy miscalculation, it did allow us to see some of the open countryside.  Bonus!

Bryan "knew" he was on the right path.

So, we returned to Fredericksburg to go to the mall, Target, and the bookstore.  Our son was able to play again in the mall playground while our daughter visited Build-a-Bear.  It was a good, relaxing time while we waited for traffic to die down.

Next, we attempted to go back to the site again.  We waded through the traffic to visit the site again.  We found the workers from our site had already called it quits.  Those working on the home across from the model continued to work.  Here are the pictures that we took before leaving the site for the night:

A loader sits in our driveway.  

Soon enough, our home will be towering over this loader.

Mighty machine....

The front of the site is filled, but others are open.

A quick shot of the mystery room with no exit or windows.

A new look down into the moat.  

Drainage through our storage room window?  Bryan's thumb is playing Where's Waldo.

A less than elegant shot of Bryan's finger and the right side of the mystery room.

The enclosure for the egress window has been installed.

More plumbing has been installed.

The hole near the fire hydrant has been filled and the water shut off valves jut out from the dirt.

Just as we were ready to leave the neighborhood, we noticed a man walking with what appeared to be a SOLD sign.  We had to wait for a reach stacker to move out of the roadway.  So, we were delayed getting out of the neighborhood.  The man passed us by on his way back to his car.  This is when we asked him if he was purchasing in the neighborhood.  He said yes.  Bryan said "We're in lot 8" and the man replied "We're in number 7."  So, we excitedly exchanged names of family members and waved hello to the rest of his family who were waiting in the car.  How exciting?!?!  We met our future next door neighbors!

Machines everywhere!

Finally, we did get dinner at a place that had intrigued us since first visiting the site.  It is a small place on the corner of the road that leads back to our neighborhood.  It is called Napoleta Pizza and it has been open since the 1970s.  It was a very unique place and the pizza was quite good.  The staff, just Mrs. Napoleta (we presume) and another woman were very nice.  Overall, we think it will be a place that we get many a pizza from in the future.

After finishing our dinner, we were back on the road again to the rental.  It ended up being a very long day, but so much fun!  We will probably not visit again until Monday.  However, if any word about anything comes from our project manager, sales representative, loan officer, or the voices in our heads, we will post it here.

In the meantime...good night and good luck.