Field Trip to a Concrete Pour

The husband scheduled the barn slab pour for 8:30 a.m. By the time I picked WS up and drove to the site, one mixer truck had already come and gone and the second one was in place.

We walked back to the pour site and positioned ourselves for a good view.

The husband went over to talk to the mixer driver and boom operator.

When the boom truck begins pumping the concrete through the tube, it sets in motion a very complicated dance between the husband and the rest of the crew.

We also had one of our former employees on this pour. He now has his own construction business, but when his schedule permits, he comes and helps out on larger pours. He has two boys in their early teens. When he worked for us, his boys sometimes came with him to work in the summer. The husband would have them running back and forth fetching things. They called it “concrete camp,” and now the older one wants to come work for the husband as soon as he’s old enough. (I think he has to be 16.)

WS was fascinated by the way the concrete came out of the tube.

The guys spread out the concrete and started leveling it. This barn has a trench drain down the center, so the slab had to be sloped toward it.

Three mixer trucks came and went while we watched.

The husband has a large power screed for leveling out larger areas.

We watched for about an hour, then headed into town to run errands. We went to Joann Fabrics, Cabelas, the feed store, then stopped at Applebee’s for lunch. WS was a very helpful companion and we had several interesting conversations along the way. On the way home, we stopped at the site again to see how the finishing was going:

The husband was happy with the way this pour went, and that makes me happy because this is the slab for my friend Tera’s barn. Now that the slab is done, the timber frame kit can be put together. This is going to be a beautiful barn, and she will have a greenhouse on the south side of it.

I came home and finished quilting the white/cream Candy Coated top. It is trimmed and ready for the binding, which I’ll have to make today. After that, I’ve got a few small items to knock out, and then it’s on to quilting Noon and Night.