We're back from our San Diego beach trip, rested and ready for the next project. Unfortunately, I've run through my backlog of posts and haven't done anything around the house to generate the next one. Trust me, I have some cool stuff coming though.

I did catch some neat photos as we left home though. Our massive pile of bulk waste was picked up, just as I was packing up the truck for travel. You may recall the massive heap of yard waste from my Water Heater Forensic Autopsy post. The pickers had quickly cleaned out the salvageable stuff: the old water heater, a television, a TV stand, and some scrap wood just leaving the pile of mesquite and palm tree cuttings.

That morning a City of Phoenix garbage type tuck came rolling up, just as I was strapping the cooler (full of the requisite iced beverages for the road) into the back of the Ridgeline Following the truck was an odd little tractor / front-end-loader / mighty-claw machine.

I'm just going to call it "The Claw"

It took Jack and I hours to build this mountain. In no time, The Claw was savagely rending huge hunks of tree-sinew and bone from the mountain...

....and spitting it in the hungry, gaping maw of of its ravenous, crushing companion. 

It was about 9:00 am. and rapidly pushing towards 100 degrees already. These dudes were decked out in full construction worker regalia, long sleeves, gloves, reflective vest, hard-hat, safety glasses, and dust masks. I was hot, just watching them in my vacation dude outfit of sandals, shorts and a T-shirt.

They were nice guys, stopping to ask if I they were blocking me from leaving. I think they enjoyed it when I brought the kids out to watch. They really enjoyed it when we brought them a couple ice cold cokes.

In less than 10 minutes, they were gone, rumbling up the street to level someone else's street side mountain. 

I was left with a little broom and rake work to do, but it would wait. We had roads to conquer. I had to get the family over to to California quickly; those kids had work to do. 

... as did I.