The rubble in the upper yard at Treasure Island (see photo) didn’t get there on its own. Nor was it carried off by aliens. Where it came from and what happened to it are puzzling. Spoiler alert: I haven’t been able to solve the mystery.
Back in 2008, K and I were planning to enlarge our small cabin at Treasure Island. The first step was to hire a septic system designer to evaluate the current system, which was originally built with a small drainfield good for one bedroom only. The flags and pile of dirt shown in the photo are left from the work he did. He gave us a report and a design for a larger system that included a reserve drainfield.
The photo also shows a serious amount of rubble in two locations in the upper yard. The pieces of rubble are huge. There are tons of it. Just to haul it in and out would take a large flatbed trailer and a front loader.
I took the photo for reference and don’t recall being concerned about the rubble at the time. From later photos I have, I know it was gone a few months later. None of the neighbors remember it being there. Call it rubble amnesia.
I’m a believer in Occam’s Razor (favor the simplest explanation that fits the facts). However, in this case I don’t have enough facts to offer an explanation. All I know is that the rubble appeared either just before or during the time the septic system design work was being done and that later there was no rubble. It’s tempting to think the rubble mystery is explained by this sequence of events. Except that it doesn’t make sense for a septic system designer to bring in tons of rubble and then haul it away.
Fast forward to 2026. A remodel of the cabin is again being considered. Just like before, the first step is to hire a septic system designer to evaluate the current system and to design a larger system with a reserve drainfield. This time though I will be sure to ask if any rubble will be involved.
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