Scorpy

We could work with our hands. The Egyptians created pyramids with little more than that. The Incas terraced Machu Pichu, and the Gomeros shaped the horizontal plane where only the vertical existed. All by hand.

However, when we seek perceptible achievements within our life span (…I am 57 years old), and when we do not have the generous help of thousands, then we have to resort to technology.

This is a philosophical debate, I know. Can we talk about sustainability, with 7 tons of steel carved into hydraulic jacks, arms and shovels, pistons, moving nimbly on tires, while moving earth and stones with astonishing efficiency and strength?

There is certainly material for debate, and there probably isn’t even a definitive conclusion that satisfies all sides of the issue. But I will be ok for now with a single argument that I consider axiomatic: to feed 8,000,000,000 humans, we need technology.

And it’s a fact, the topography of Babylon Gardens is extremely complex. In 18 hectares, there are 200 meters of slope and three deep water basins. If you like, it can be an engineering challenge. And we are engineers! So, I’d say we can basically do three things: 1) seedlings for our homes, and roads to connect them; 2) systems to harness water; and 3) systems to facilitate cultivation and prevent erosion.

It was not difficult to choose the equipment. It’s called the Back Hoe, and it’s perhaps the most versatile piece of equipment in the construction world. So, for one week we scoured the local new and used market, and finally chose a 2008 Jhon Deere, 310J series, with 13,500 accumulated working hours (about 60% of its useful life, without considering major overhauls). I think there is no better name for it: we call it SCORPY.

We are confident that in two or three years, we could finish all the jobs indicated for SCORPY, then we will sell it again, with a few more hours of use, but with a lot of accumulated love, and the world will hardly notice it.

That’s how on June 15^th we signed the deed of purchase, and a few hours later we received Scorpy at Babylon. That was also our first night in the Florida Valley. We had never driven a Backhoe before… but as fate would have it, 6 days later, on June 21^st, the first big challenge would present itself… which I will tell you about shortly.