Re-surface

While doing chores one day last week, I was kneeling down beside a pen of pigs and one of the curious pigs that gathered by the fence sneezed in my face.  I hadn't had that happen in a long time.
It is not a desirable situation to have to wipe pig snot from your face!

When I was growing up we lived on a gravel road like most rural people did.  But, by the time I got my drivers license, the road was a "hard road".  Our township was fairly progressive and they surfaced most of their roads in the late '60's and early '70's with the "tar and chip" method.  You start by spraying a layer of liquid asphalt on the road and then cover it with crushed rock chips or pea gravel.  About every five or so years it needs to be re-coated because the rocks wear off and the tar bleeds through on hot summer days.  Last week was time for a re-coat and they asked us not to mow roads (to keep from coating the road with clippings) until they were finished.  The process has gotten more efficient over the years. They ran a street sweeper down the road one day, the next day the road was only closed about two hours.

The tar truck putting down a layer of hot, liquid asphalt.

Next, the chip spreader.

The chip spreader pulls the gravel truck as it dumps its load into the hopper.

Then the roller comes past and packs the chips into the tar, and the surface is ready to drive on.

And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.
I Samuel 27:10