Bianhua Ch. 02

Petals start to open!

It took just about two weeks for the engineer to get back to me, and that was after working on the plans for my home for hours. That time length was because he, the engineer, had wanted to give me multiple choices. He produced three different concepts in design for my house for me to consider. He figured he had my taste and likes down on paper in detail. With the basic layouts the engineer had also included a finished drawing.

Like most humans, he based his thoughts more on what he did not know than what he knew. Having no real knowledge about me, he had no clue that I would see everything he proposed for my home as a luxury. For nine years I had slept on a brick floor in a bed made from bamboo. Yet in his eyes they were what most homes needed just for one to live comfortably.

If it had not been for meeting Alana, I would have told him where to go and how to do it. However, Alana made me understand that others' needs would have to be considered. In the end, I had to acknowledge that I would have to accept what was considered normal in society as an acceptable part of his design.

When talking with the accounting department, they had decided to factor in that with the amount of mass we would have to move for the new concrete road to level it to the same height out the way the engineer, David, was designing it. Saving time transporting it for uses elsewhere would more than be offset by adding the height and shape we wanted to build up the land up to my future home.

Since we were underwriting the cost and donating the road to the county when it was completed, we figured the full amount could be written off. The accountant saw it as a win-win solution where everyone benefits to the good.

They also decided that because I did not take pay for the extra hours that I put in the company that they would only charge me the actual cost they incurred, not the retail market value. It turned out that the actual cost for labor and materials at wholesale prices was estimated to be beneath thirty-five thousand. I told David that if that were all it was that I could issue a cheque for full payment when completed.

In talking with the county to get their blessing on extending the road, they had requested that we put in the wiring for electrical, phone, sewage and water underground, with a perimeter of transformers built-in, as we built the road. It would say the county millions down the road.

It was part of the normal costs for anyone developing property in the county for resale. The problem was we were not a land development company. Unfortunately, the county did not see it that way. As a result, we had to turn the problem over to the lawyers.

The county suggested to us that the cost of it could be added to the electrical generation plant. That was when we learned they had a company interested in the plant when it was finished, assuming the state was willing to sell. We learned it was the same reseller that was providing them with electric power. Everyone in the know saw their request for what it was. A friend with benefits relationship.

As a result, we sent their request to the governor's office since they were funding the building of that part of our project, knowing that the county had no clue as to who they would be dealing with. Let the governor's office deal with the political bull shit. Along with their request we asked that if the government were to sell the operation, once completed, that we have the first right of refusal to it.

My advisory team and I would learn much later on that making that request was one of the smartest moves we ever had made because, after diving into it, we learned the governor was on the verge of retiring and decided to sell it to us at cost providing we agreed to certain environmental standards.

The three interior layouts of my future home were startlingly different. I chose the design that left part of the house exposed on the side where the huge flat area that would be built. By the time it was done, I would have about three to four acres of flat land in front of the house.

The new yard would also give me added exposure to the whole valley below. It was decided that when we built the driveway, we would build in such a way that there would be room to push the winter snow off on both sides.

The chosen design would also give me an overall view of the valley from both the kitchen, the kitchen nook, and the family room. The French doors into the patio area would be between the kitchen nook and the family room. It would leave us with a huge patio that was eight feet wide and forty feet long. An added feature was that kitchen nook, which stuck out from the side would give us a clear view of the pond.

The actual shape of the home would be longer than it was wider. We would only have two levels to it, but it was to be built with a crawl space between both levels. That was done to allow the fixing of plumbing and electrical without having to disturb things in the house.

The space for the pond would be made of rock, gravel, sand, and concrete blended to make it seem that it had always existed. Its depth would reach a maximum of ten feet. There would be two concrete steps from each end of the patio going down into it. It was large enough that my guests and I would be able to swim under the falls if we wanted to.

The way it was designed it was going to end up being bigger than the total length of the house. The falls would come down in the center of the pond. The secondary falls would drop forty five feet before creating a pool that when filled up would run under the road via the huge culvert that we would have to install. There would be shrubs planted around the perimeter of it to give my quests and me complete privacy.

David and I both understood that we were creating a new creek for the area, and that we would have to keep adjusting the layout of the stream as we raised the soil level in the strip mine. Once the water started flowing a whole bunch of new challenges would confront us. One thing we did not want to end up with was a deep depression where the water flowed in relation to the rest of the land.

What appealed to me was the fact that we would have the backside part of the cavern that we did not need, covered with a concrete floor so that we could store extra vehicles if needed. It would be lighted from the lights attached to the house.

Looking directly at the front of the house by the time it was done would be the only way to tell that part of the home was built into the mountain. The only drawback was that we would have to check the roof of the cavern regularly to remove any rock that may become loose over time so that it did not cause damage to the roof.

The second floor had four bedrooms all laid out so all would have window exposure to the valley. The large master bedroom to be built in the front corner gave me a view of both my flat land and the valley. Each was laid out to have their private bathroom and walk-in closet. I was impressed with how much actual sunlight would be brought into the home.

David was going to cut stone to mimic the rock of the mountain and apply it to the side that was visible from the country road making the part facing the valley almost impossible to see. He had estimated that once we started extending the county road it would take three months to complete.

What convinced me to move forward with it was the fact that David thought that the cavern would help to control the temperature of our home year-round and that we would use electricity to heat it. That would remove the need for air conditioning.

The inside walls would all be drywalled and insulated to give it a more natural home appearance. From outward appearances there was no way one would be able to tell it was made from concrete and steel metal beams.

That was when I decided that if Alana and I were still seeing each other that I would get her to opinion when buying and organizing anything regarding the interior of my house.

The only thing I asked to be added was that the part that was exposed from the mountain should be finished off in a brick finish that matched the surrounding colors. Two huge barn type doors would hide the unused area of the cavern giving it complete privacy.

*******

I got teased all week because it was the first time since I had started putting the operation together that I was taking a Saturday off. David the engineer let it spill at the start of the week that I was spending it with my new girlfriend. He described Alana as a very pretty young thing and that perked everybody's interest.

It did not help that he told them all that she had come hunting for me dragging her father with her. The ladies who worked with us were extremely impressed about that. Those who had daughters knew what it meant to have a fathers approval.

I got bombarded with the usual questions. Who was she, what is she like, how did the two of you meet and what are you planning to do on your date. It frustrated the office staff to no end because they got no answers.

After a major renovation and update the gold mines office building was being used as ours. The eight huge containment ponds fluid levels had been taken down so that the danger of spillover was now non-existent.

We had covered them with a fine black mesh screen, so no animals or birds were able to drink out of them. All the scattered remains had been removed and now were part of the area covered in fresh clover. As a result, there was no longer a danger to what little wildlife remained.

It seemed the Epa had been pushing things from their end because during that same period three more drops of live trout took place. Even with an estimated loss of ten percent, it was figured by them that there was more than enough fish for the conservation authority to release the first set of Eagles.

When I talked to Chris from the Epa on Monday, I had learned that the governor of Washington State was getting a lot of inquiries over the process that we had going on. It seemed that some of the environmental protection protest groups were applying pressure to have our whole operation shut down. I was confused because I could not make sense of what they were trying to do or why?

It was a sad commentary on American society when doing something good for the ecology gets turned into a weapon to satisfy someone's political agenda. It was moments like this that made me think of China. If we were China those discontented voices would never have been heard from again. In China, you may think it, but you dare not speak it. I was still learning what freedom realy was and at times it was confusing.

That was when Chris and I decided to turn the release of the eagles into a mass media event because we both had too much time and effort invested in what we were doing to have a protest group permamently shut it down. Instead of introducing one pair of eagles, we would release two.

We decided that they would be flown in by helicopter to the construction site area inside of the mountain near the ridge where we would release the two pairs of eagles to the wild. After deep discussions, we put a general plan together that just might combat the pollical whims of others.

On Wednesday night I call Bonnie to make sure that I could take Alana out for a day date on Saturday. Bonnie thought I was being very considerate, and I got her permission. I called Alana and together we set things up. The only suggestion I gave her concerning dressing was to be prepared for all possibilities of weather.

It required some quick last-minute maneuvers on my end. I had to hire a helicopter and a special crew on short notice because I wanted to create spots on the east side of the mountain's upper section that faced the valley that would entice the eagles to nest. It took the rest of the week to get the job done. Even though it was expensive because of short notice I thought it was worth it.

We ended up building eight ridges into the side of the mountain peaks big enough and safe enough for the eagles to nest on. The way they were designed it supplied them some protection from the weather. What was even better was that from the ground the nesting areas were not even visible to the naked eye.

I hoped that the eagles would take to what we had created naturally. If they did it would a place where people in time could come to view for themselves the eagles in their natural habitat. As we were doing it, I decided that from this day forward, the area under my control would not be open to hunting.

********

All I had told Alana about our first date was that it would be starting with something she would have never expected. When I picked her up that morning, she was pacing the floor waiting. Anticipation was killing her. Her parents said before we left for the day that she was wound up tighter than a yoyo.

During the drive into Richmond, she got caught up with what was going on at the site by asking all sorts of questions while wondering why we had to be in the city by nine in the morning. I was pleased to learn that she was just as excited about what was going on at the site as I was.

Alana found it frustrating because I would not tell her anything about what we would be doing together during our date. I wanted it to be a complete surprise for her because I felt that if I had of revealed my plans, she would not have wanted to do it.

It was when I turned into the Richmond airport that she began to catch on to the fact this was not going to be a typical first date. As we pulled into a parking spot, she started to wonder what we were doing here. That was when she noticed a man walking to where a military helicopter was sitting.

"Look at that man. He is carrying two cages each containing a pair of eagles," Alana said. "I wonder what they're going to be doing with them?"

"They are joining us on a helicopter ride," I said. "We are going to be releasing them from up top of the mountain this morning after flying into the crater."

Alana's blue eyes brightened in excitement as she said, "Are you kidding me? I've never been that close to an eagle in my life."

"Then you're in for a big surprise," I said, "Because if things go as planned, you're going to get a lot closer. I brought two sets of full-arm gloves for us to wear while holding them so that we can release the two pairs together."

"Arm gloves, what are they?" Alana said. "Are you kidding me? Those birds are powerful and dangerous."

"Yes, they are designed to protect us from the eagle's talons which can cut and hurt us," I said. "Until we set them free. It fits over your shoulder and goes down the full length of your arms and covers most of your hands while leaving your fingers tips exposed."

Alana's eyes got large in excitement as she said, "This is unbelievable! Are you sure about this? Since I've never done anything like this in my life why do you think we can pull it off?"

After parking the truck, we headed in with me carrying the four sleeves. Alana got introduced to Chris from the Epa and to the governor of the state. Neither of them knew she was my date. Within twenty minutes we were in the air with a couple of representatives of a news organization from the capital and the conservation representative who had brought the birds who had been nurtured back to health.

Although Alana had flown before this was the first time she had flown in a helicopter. She found it to be very stimulating. She could not get over the feeling of being exposed to everything around her. I found it humorous because she held onto my hand tight to give her some support. The time in the air seemed to fly by because too soon we were beginning our descent in the flat area in the crater.

Once the helicopter had descended and its motor shut off. I could see Alana beginning to relax a bit because she was back on firm ground. I could see her facial cheeks beginning to redden up because of the chillness lingering in the cool air of the morning. I though it made her more beautiful.

Both of us were swept up by the beauty of the site with its fresh snow, crystal clear water, and pine trees. It looked so pristine and clean in its natural state. In a way, for both of us it was breathe taking.

The moment was added to when we saw a fish jump out of the water in front of us to catch an insect the was hovering over the clean clear water. Alana said it surprised her that even with the clearness of the lake that she had been unable to see the fish.

It was easy to tell that Alana was still quite excited because her face showed it all. As soon as the blades had stopped rotating, we got out. I was surprised because from this point of view the flat area was larger than I had pictured. It was nice to see that the crew being flown in was making good progress. It appeared that they were ahead of schedule which pleased us all very much.

The female news reporter noted that the crew working on this site was trying to minimize its disruption of the surrounding environment. That told me she was starting to see the point we wanted to make.

The conservation representative was a bit worried because the eagles were agitated. I told him to relax as I would take over the releasing of the birds. He was a bit concerned until I pulled out all our accessories.

After getting Alana to take off her jacket I strapped Alana into her gloves. I was worried that she was going to find it too cold to take part. Then I got into mine before walking over and taking a female eagle out of the first cage. You could tell the female eagle was in a heightened state of stress.

Alana watched me closely as I took a few minutes to calm the female eagle down before bringing it to her. After placing it on Alana's arm I removed the head covering from the female eagles head.

Alana and the eagle just stared at each other as if they were trying to figure out which would dominate. It was as if each was memorized by each other. Each one of us witnessing it saw it for what it was a bonding moment between the two as they looked at each other eye to eye.

I knew that for Alana it was taking every fiber in her body to remain calm when everything about the situation screamed excitement.

"When I have brought the male out, together we will release the strings that bind their legs. Then in an upright motion, we will lift our arms towards the sky as we are releasing them," I said. "At that moment, their instincts will take over as their wings will open up and they will fly away in freedom."

It took just a couple of minutes longer for me to get the bigger male eagle ready. His normal independent streak was working against me. When he was prepared Alana and I stood side by side about eight feet apart. I removed the head covering on his head.

"On the count of three," I said just before counting down.

Together we undid the strings which bound their feet. We raised our arms and released the first pair and watched them fly up into the air. It happened so fast that it felt like we had missed the whole thing.

Alana walked over and stood by my side taking my hand into hers as she said, "This is something I will never forget. To be so close to something so beautiful, independent, and majestic is something I could never see me doing in my life. To be able to handle them so easily and set them free like this has left me feeling very emotional. Thank you for arranging this surprise, it is a memory I will cherish the rest of my life."

The news crew captured it all. Even her comments. The news commenter mentioned in her comments that she thought this was our first official date as a couple.

As Alana and I watched the pair flying off while holding hands the governor explained about the partnership between the state, the Epa, and my limited company. After speaking for a few he introduced me to the two so that I could explain what we were doing.