Dirty Dancing, subdivision construction

The gigantic earth movers have been deployed onto the field of battle and  are marching in their serried ranks up and down the valley, transforming it into roads and level building lots. The tires on these machines are taller than I am. Actually, it is more like a choreographed dance, and watching these behemoths at work is a bit like watching 'The Dance of the Hippos" in Disney's movie, "Fanantasia". 

Although we can no longer walk through there, it IS a rather fascinating performance to watch from a safe distance on the road above. Our banishment is somewhat mitigated by the fact that once the grass dries, these fields are off limits anyway because of the foxtails which are notorious for lodging in the dogs' ears, up their noses and between their toes, requiring the attentions of the vet.

Maneuvering these huge machines is quite a skill, and I watched, fascinated, as one fellow carefully nudged dirt over the edge of a deep cut in the hillside. A young man driving an excavator was killed the other day when he tried to drive out of the hole he was digging for a swimming pool when the machine tipped over on him. 

The white tanker truck with a red cross on it in the center of the picture is spraying water to keep the dust down. I'm sure it's recycled water, but I'm not entirely sure what that means on a project of this magnitude. All I know is that it is thousands of gallons an hour every day. 

Seems a bit mad in the middle of a drought.