The Pour

I lie in bed wondering if I should get up or just wait for the alarm.  Whip began to bark.  Bet the concrete guys were back.  A concrete slab should have 12 hours of cure time before a rainstorm.  Forecast was for rain last night and that might be why they didn't return yesterday.   The same three guys unloaded equipment and then settled back into their vehicles to await the cement truck.  It arrived exactly at 7:00 a.m.    The pour was a thing of beauty.  The driver moved the truck into a position to start unloading in the furthest corner.  Gradually and carefully he swung the chute so just enough concrete landed across the base and the guys w/ the rakes needed only to smooth it out.  He backed  the heavily-laden truck up a little now and then to allow the concrete to smoothly flow into each nook.  At first the guys all raked. Then one picked up a  machine to get out any bubbles (I assume).  Later another guy started using a long float across the surface.  The last of the crew continued to move concrete evenly to fit all of the space.  It all seemed so coordinated even though no one spoke (some were wearing ear-protection).  You could tell they'd done this before.  By 8 a.m. the cement truck had cleaned up and left.   The guys stayed longer to continue tweaking the newly laid slab as it solidified.  One came back in the late afternoon to cut the surface into quadrants (it releases tension in the slab.)    Enjoyed watching all the action.