Drainage, Boundaries, Trees, and Streams

 WASHINGTON IS WET!

Having lived in the Southwest, we had grown accustomed to drier climates. But Washington is wet! Our neighbor to the east had, for years, been draining his seasonal watershed onto our land right where our house needed to go. Butch had to redirect that flow of water south onto state lands. He used the clay that the well-drillers dug up to block the old drainage that went to the right, and then he made a new channel to direct the water to the left onto the state lands directly south of us. 

Old and new drainage.

Removing logs

for new drainage.

When Landon and Kyle visited Wellcroft in June of 2022, they helped us with moving rocks and clay in the wheelbarrow to block the old channel. I don't know how I missed getting a picture of Kyle digging out the new channel. (Sorry, Kyle.) He worked really hard, like he had experience and knew what he was doing!!

As I have mentioned in previous posts, Butch was ecstatic about the land. (Understatement!) He got a special app that, similar to GPS, records his traipsing to and fro across the land. It also can record where trees and other landmarks are located, especially boundaries. He's pointing to the boundary marker he has placed at the southeast corner of our lot. "Remember where this is!" he says. (Right, like I can remember that bush from all the others that look just like it!) 

Butch also bush-wacked his way to the other three corners of the property. I got a picture of his dad, Joe, front of the little, tiny southwest boundary marker. This is also the site of a holly tree that succumbed to Butch's ax! He really hates holly trees and has declared war on all that try to grow on our property.

In March of 2022, I finally made it to the northwest corner of the lot. Luckily, there weren't blackberry bushes growing at that time. In the summer, you get chewed up by blackberry vines, among other things, trying to navigate across the west side. And a large stick is always helpful for balance and hacking at ferns and bushes along the way.

Darcy's Fir

Charlotte's Creek It's bigger in the winter.

And speaking of trees, Darcy has a giant fir tree named for her. Her tree is probably one of the largest on Wellcroft. It grows in the area between the well and Charlotte's creek. So both granddaughters have special features named just for them.