NOW we’re getting serious. Now the big shit shows up. Now Jim Stanley Asphalt pulls a red dump truck up to UD‘s curb. Hitched to the truck is a flatbed (?) truck on which stand…
WHAT? WHAT? I don’t know what these machines are called. Earth mover? Yellow sit-on thing that smooths things out? Is UD going to go outside and ask these guys to NAME their vehicles?
Les UDs figured that since last week’s machines – the ones that powered over our already in bad shape driveway to remove our downed trees – reduced our driveway to rubble, this would be a good time to get the driveway resurfaced. One guy digs at the rubble a bit while another guy maneuvers into place the small yellow scoopy thing. Now two guys are shoveling soil and rubble into the scoop while the scoop thing reverses down the driveway. The guy driving the scoop is wearing a yellow, well-ironed, pristine, polo shirt (this is greater Bethesda).
So lots more shoveling into scoops going on, plus one guy, sitting on my front lawn, has a bunch of long yellow poles and is trying to open a roundish container of some sort…. Oh, it has a pump handle and the guy is pumping it while standing in my driveway…
Okay, here’s EXACTLY what they’re going to do. I’m taking this from the contract.
Paving driveway of 405 square feet with asphalt. Mill asphalt down at street to meet back flush. Edge grass back and apply a tack coating so two layers bond as one. Machine lay 2″ of topping asphalt and power roll with a 3-5 ton asphalt roller. Bank all edges on a 45 degree angle. Clean up jobsite before leaving.
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The dump truck has, you know, leaned its back thing down and the scoop thing is now receiving asphalt into itself from the back thing … Hey, it’s smokin’ out there! … Or I guess it’s not asphalt yet. Tar? Okay so the long poles are rakes and the guys are smoothing the tar with them.
Plus they’re using the back of a shovel.
They’re talking in Spanish and laughing loudly. HEY YOU LAUGHIN’ AT ME? YOU LAUGHIN’ AT ME MAN? I think they’re laughing at my driveway.
Smokin’ again. Guy in sit-on smooth-thing goes back to dump truck, opens back of dump truck, and more black stuff – tar, no? – comes pouring out.
Watching these guys, I’d say it looks as though they’re putting dark chocolate icing on a cake.
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Now the yellow smoother thing is rolling over the rich chocolaty tar and making it look lighter — more like a driveway. Long streaks of steamy liquid are coming off the roller.
The green of my liriope looks elegant against the new dark surface.
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Now the guy in the polo shirt is approaching my front door. He rings the bell! He asks for a check. UD takes out her checkbook and writes him a check. He smiles and thanks her for the work and drives all his machines away.