Day 33, Monday September 3, 2001

Today we got up 9:30 and went out to the hole to remove the forms. It went pretty well. Took 4 hours or so. We were able to remove about 80% of the wood with minimal damage for reuse, probably as scaffolding. The rest is firewood. I am absolutely thrilled with the footings. The concrete is nearly flawless with no honeycombing at all.

It will last 200 years easy. With the forms off we dropped a plumb bob down from where the strings cross to mark the exact corners of the foundation on the footing. We snapped chalk lines between the corners to mark the walls. We brought the mixer down into the hole. Tomorrow the block is due. It should take around a thousand blocks for the foundation. I'm ready to lay block and see the cabin rise from the ground. How many days will it be before I say I never want to see another cement block?

9.5 Hours, sunny and around 80.