- A Ram & Rambling

Cunnamulla, QLD - Australia

(I didn't get much sleep last night so the usual elegance of my prose probably will be lacking in the words below . . . the story will be told rather simply . . . )

Another friend with an excavator has joined us. Yesterday morning there were 2 excavators digging at my mine - they plan to be there for the next 6 weeks. It is amazing to watch them at work and see how much dirt they can move. They've dug down to a depth of about 20 feet and need to dig about 15 feet deeper to the opal level which is at about 35 feet below the surface.

One of the excavators had a bit of a leak of hydraulic oil from one of its rams. Yesterday afternoon the ram was removed and is now on its way to have its seals replaced. It should be back at work in about 2 days.

Working with excavators is new to me. I don't mean to sound like an idiot, but as a kid who used to play with toy trucks in my sandbox, the step up to a real excavator is quite amazing. A few days ago I was helping my friend do some maintenance on his 40 ton excavator. I had to crawl underneath it to tighten about 30-something nuts and bolts. Of course the machine was running so that it would be able to rotate so I could get to the nuts. Crawling around in the bowels of a running 40-ton excavator was a new experience for me as well a very greasy, oily, noisy and smelly one as well.

Usually when I come to Koroit, I bring at least one book. This time I brought a copy of Shoenfield's Mathematical Logic, however, as interesting as it is, I have had virtually no time to read it. I have been working nearly all day every day.

. . . and to my favorite reader . . . almost every day I awake at about the time the sun rises - as another day begins I think of you dear Dawn. Thank you - I love you - I miss you . . .

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