Sometimes we fish in Alaska. Sometimes we walk on the beach. And sometimes we have to do unpleasant jobs that are necessary to keep things working.
Winters are rough on the tundra. Massive storms reshape the beach. Howling winds ravage the alder grove. And permafrost heaves wreak havoc on the posts of our deck. And so…
My job a few summers back was to collect gravel from the beach to fill enormous holes around the deck posts so that they would be immune to frost heaves in winters to come.
I am glad that my job was not to dig the holes around the posts. That was Bob’s job. Bob is a very special sort of person with the patience and perseverance to dig many, many enormous holes.
In comparison, my job was easy.
Well, maybe not easy, but easier.
Still, a bucket of gravel is not light.
All told, it took me 100 buckets of gravel, give or take a few, to fill all those holes. But eventually, I did.
For the entire story, and the most triumphant photo of me ever taken, have a look at this post from the summer of 2008.