“The Biggest Mistake I’ve Ever Made,” or, “Wheee! A Slide!”
The slide - the one we bought a year and a half ago and already cost us two full day’s rental and effort jackhammering and hauling and now three partial days of sledgehammering, post hole digging, lifting, jacking, leveling, and concrete pouring – is up. Holy crap was that an ordeal. Let me tell you – the kids had better like it, because if they don’t, Christmas is cancelled for the next several years.
When Henry went down it the first time, he stood at the bottom and said “me bove it!” I hope he keeps on boving it. Unfortunately the slide part is metal and gets very hot in the sun. We’re thinking about running water down it to make it a waterslide. :)
It’s a really cool slide. I’m guessing it’s from the early 70s. It was once at the golf course in Virginia, and then set up at a house in Britt since 1989. It’s all fiberglass, and weighs probably 500 lbs. We strapped it to an axle and rolled it out of the barn. We then dug 8 post holes in our horrifically rocky ground. Then we very carefully and very slowly lifted it, using various configurations of jacks, boards, and brute strength. We got it held up in place with boards and jacks, and then suspended the posts into the holes and poured the concrete.
So now it’s out there next to the swing set. And sometime in the next week or two, if all goes as planned, we’ll be adding another huge piece of playground equipment that was originally at the Embarrass town hall. Luckily that one doesn’t require post holes or concrete, and will be brought over mostly assembled and set in place with a Bobcat.