This week I had to do a site job in New Hampshire. We had to build a retaining wall, level an area where a garage is going to be built, and re-grade a driveway. To start, we had to pull out all of the tree stumps that were in the way. We were working on a big hill and we needed to use an excavator to reach down and dig around the sumps so we could pull them out. I learned how to operate the excavator, but did not do the majority of the work in it given the rather dangerous space we were in. Once that was done we had to dig and level a trench where the retaining wall was going to go. The trench had to be filled with layers of different types of rock as a foundation and all of that had to be leveled using a surveying laser to make sure it was level and then had to compact the surface using a compactor. After that, the concrete blocks to form the wall were carried in by the excavator and I had to get them into place. When the wall was built we had to fill in the rest of the hill with the dirt we dug out to get it to the proper grade. We then had to level the driveway and an area where a driveway is going to be made. The most challenging part of this week for me was learning how to operate the heavy machinery (excavator and skid steer) and use them effectively. So far working in landscaping full time has given me more of an appreciation of the work that landscapers do because it is very physically and mentally demanding.