THE GREAT WALL - DAY 2

Construction of this retaining wall began with a 1/2 pallet (45) of standard 8"x8"x16" concrete  block, which was almost enough for the first row.  By early afternoon, that first pallet was gone, and I came up short by about 10 blocks.  Another 5-6 feet on either end, and the first & hardest row will be done.   The wall will be a little over 60 feet long when finished.

In order to get the block perfectly level, and aligned with the row, lots of adjustments (digging) have to be made.  The eyeball gets me pretty close, but the level is what determines when the block is set.  I'll be glad when this first row is done.

 The short 90 degree interior walls will provide extra strength.

When the entire wall is filled with concrete, and strengthened by lots of rebar, it will be one solid structure, capable of holding back the dirt fill.  When I ran out of block, I decided to make another run to Lowes, where I bought a full pallet (90), or so I thought.  Not sure how much a pallet of these blocks weigh, but I'm pretty sure that the total weight is pushing the limits of my little trailer. 

When I got home, I noticed that a couple of blocks were removed from the center of the stack.  I'm sure Lowes will trust me on the shortage, and replace the missing ones.  I've said it before, but it's worth repeating that Lowes will give a 10% discount with proof of military service.  I've taken my DD214 (honorable discharge document), and had it miniaturized and laminated.  On a handful of occasions, I have been told that you must be retired military to get the discount, but even with that admonition, they've always given me the discount.  Usually, there's no question, and the 10% off more than pays for the gas to make the 40 mile round trip.

Today the wall, and my body gets a rest.  We're making a shopping trip to Costco, Wally World, and who knows where else.  Thankfully, there's no quilt shops on the itinerary, at least not that I know about.